He'd turned to look at her in the last moment they had before the sailboat dove down again. He'd known her long enough to see the signs and understand her cue clearly. Rather than scold Herschel or try to get him to stop, all Remiel can manage is a single, worried word:

"... Illie?"

BLEEEEEEEEEGGHHHHHH!

And screams fill the air as they plunge.

Joyful screams.

Horrified screams.

Revolted gags.

✦ ✦ ✦

Remiel had been hastily ushered out of government buildings, press ambushes, and fancy restaurants beneath the cover of a jacket enough times to do the same for illeana reyes when she needed it. The royal did his best to ignore the vile substances that used to be Illeana's lunch dripping down his pant leg as they made a beeline for the restrooms. Neither of them shared a word with one another during the transition.

Herschel, in the meantime, had retreated into the shell of his green apple since the incident and refused to come out. Remiel scowled down at that suddenly quiet and inactive apple shell as he'd gone about wiping himself clean with copious amounts of paper towels, hot water, and hand soap. After doing everything he could, however, he lamented the fact that the stain remained.

The black-haired prince emerges out into the alleyway from the men's restroom with his jacket now tied around his waist. He fails to find Illeana there, and figures she's still in the women's restroom tidying up. Just when he begins to occupy his time by patting the claw marks on his arm with a wet square of paper towel he'd saved, a loud bang draws his attention to the night sky above.

The FIREWORKS SHOW had started. It meant the carnival in Dewford Town would end in about an hour or so. And it felt like he'd spent most of it cleaning his ex's puke from his lap.

He sighs.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Watch the fireworks show on the final day before the Carnival leaves

[break][break]

SAIL SWING + ♔
illeana reyes

☉

So it seemed she hadn't been out for blood after all. Remiel immediately regrets his previous behavior as a result, sparing a moment to look up at the Pokémon balloon that he'd just purchased. As he'd expected, it wasn't doing enough to fill the void that the lack of a plushie left behind.

He turns back to the young woman, however, when she purchases a balloon of her own... only to let it float up towards the stratosphere. Had it been an accident? Or was she simply odd? The exiled prince could not tell. Nevertheless, his regret, her RANGER armband, and her upbeat attitude combine to make him amenable to a sort of team-up moving forward.

"I was thinking about visiting the JOYLAND POP-UP SOUVENIR BOOTHS, actually," Remiel admits. "It's not quite the same as winning a prize, but perhaps you'd be able to find a MUNCHLAX plushie there. Would you like to come with me?" He inquires.

[break][break]

BOOHOO! BALLGAME BABY + ♔
OPEN

☉

Somehow Remiel manages to croak out a word relatively quickly after catching that breath he'd lost. Though pain could be a great motivator, to say the least. "Ow! Ow! HNSSSS! Illeana you're clawing into me!" Had her nails gotten sharper since the last time?

Before she can really respond, however, the sailboat reaches its peak before plunging backward once more. Gravity pins them against their seats as they fall in reverse. Unfortunately, gravity didn't seem strong enough to keep her hair from whipping his face with the violent air current that swept through.

When the sailboat reaches its next peak, Remiel uses those precious few moments to get her hair out of his face and spit out whatever traces of it had entered his mouth on accident. Meanwhile, a SPRINGTIDE STORM stirs around them as Herschel excitedly prepares to launch them forward even faster than before.

And to think, Remiel had been this close to visiting the MAGIKARP FISHING game booth instead.

He'd clearly chosen wrong.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Involve or reference a Magikarp Fishing Game

[break][break]

SAIL SWING + ♔
illeana reyes

☉

Remiel, of course, takes the question and the grin that accompanies it as an insult. Surely she'd just seen him completely fumble and make a fool out of himself. And now here she was— whoever 'she' was— kicking a grown man while he was down. He narrows his eyes at her in a barely contained scowl. It is a stark contrast to the cheery and cartoonish yellow eyes of his Applin.

"I am prize-less. So no." He flatly responds, casually pulling a bill out of his wallet before handing it to a balloon vendor just off to the side of him. Without even looking, he takes the first balloon that is handed to him: a CHUBBY PIKACHU balloon that someone like annalise henderson would probably appreciate.

Ultimately deciding that he might have come off a little cold, however, Remiel sighs. "Congratulations on your Snorlax plushie, however. Where did you win it?" He inquires as he ties the balloon to the baby carrier strapped to his chest. His Applin cheers with joy at the sight of it, practically dancing in its seat.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Buy a Balloon Pokemon

[break][break]

BOOHOO! BALLGAME BABY + ♔
OPEN

☉

It seemed he wasn't the only one who had the occasional tease fly over their head. Nevertheless, said tease opened up a side of Vyce the royal honestly hadn't expected to see. She almost seemed... vulnerable. Truth be told, he knew exactly how she felt. He'd gone through the same with TEAM ROCKET for years.

Would he show as much vulnerability here and now, however? Not a chance. There was a reason he had a BULLETPROOF Applin strapped to his chest, after all. And it wasn't just to show Herschel a good time.

Regardless, her words serve to shift his understanding of her. He was even beginning to find her somewhat attractive. And that revealed itself in a faint blush on his cheeks when she called him 'cute' and gave him a wink.

He sits there afterward for a moment, trying to remember exactly what she'd just said before she'd plunged him into the beginning of this schoolboy crush. But, before long, the attendant arrives to usher him towards the exit. Once there, the royal is surprised to find her waiting for him.

"Of course. It'd be my pleasure. And I've found myself enjoying your company as well." He smiles, patting Herschel's apple at the sound of excited chirps. Before long, they're walking down the festival boardwalk together headed in no particular direction at all.

It isn't until a game host attendant calls out to them that they stop: "Ahoy there JOAN JETT and PRINCE CHARMING! You two make quite the odd couple! Why don't you try guessing how many POFFINS I've put into this mason jar here? The first guess is free for each one of you!" He grins, presenting said mason jar for all of them to see.

And, needless to say, the announcement of a ROCK STAR and a PRINCE draws a small crowd: just as the attendant had intended.

Remiel scans said crowd for a moment, ensuring there isn't a shifty-looking character in their midst, before scrutinizing the mason jar and the poffins therein. "I don't know... one-hundred and fourteen?" He turns to his companion afterward. "What do you think, Vyce?"

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Participate in a “Guess-how-many-there-is” Contest

[break][break]

REVELRY RIOT + ♔
RESERVED

☉

"I stepped down not too long ago," Remiel nods as they make their way towards the FERRIS WHEEL line. "My cousin Elise Calcifet is the new GALARIAN AMBASSADOR to HOENN. I, on the other hand, am pursuing dual citizenship while resuming my career as an archaeologist." There was a hint of pride in those words. And, if Lars looked closely enough, a somewhat melancholic smile.

There was, of course, a lot that Remiel had left out of that statement. But he figured they would have more time to talk once they were sat in a Ferris wheel carriage. Which, much to his surprise, didn't have a line of people waiting for them at all. "It's our lucky day." The royal remarks as they proceed through the empty maze to reach their attendant.

Since there were so few passengers, the attendant allowed them to choose any carriage color Laurence Anderson wanted before letting them board. Then, without further ado, the Ferris wheel would start its slow and gentle rotation.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Ride in the ferris wheel

[break][break]

ORALE OLDBOY + ♔
Laurence Anderson

☉

"I think we just about got it—" CLUNK! "Aha!" The attendant cheers as he pulls a faulty part out. "It was a problem with the suspension, I knew it!"

"I don't suppose my ride needed that, did it?" Remiel inquires.

"It did! Unfortunately, sir, we'll have to close this old Tauros down for the day." The attendant laments, patting the side of the mechanical bull. "But feel free to head back in line for a go at the other one!" He adds, thumbing in the direction of the second (and now lively) mechanical Tauros across from them.

Remiel sighs as the attendant leaves him to tell the others in line shortly thereafter. Before he heads back to pick up his Applin, however, he snaps a disappointed selfie on his POKÉSNAPCHAT with the defunct mechanical bull behind him and a #FUNTASIA decal on the bottom right corner. He sends it to Naia Kayode before meeting up with Lars again.

"Thanks again. I'm Remiel Calcifet by the way. I think we've met before; briefly. Would you like to accompany HERSCHEL and me on the Ferris wheel?" He asks, taking the baby carrier and strapping it back onto his chest with the Applin inside it.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Share your Carnival experience on a social media under #Funtasia

[break][break]

ORALE OLDBOY + ♔
Laurence Anderson

☉

Was that HEAD RANGER and local legend Laurence Anderson in the flesh? Why yes; yes it was. It had taken a moment for Remiel to realize that after posing his question. He blamed the sunlight that dared obscure his vision with its brightness.

"Thank you." The exiled prince responds with a slight bow of his head. Then, without further ado, he steps forward onto the padded arena and mounts the mechanical Tauros waiting for him. Tension builds as they wait for the other participant to mount her own. It reaches its peak as the mechanical systems beneath them whir to life.

Just as Remiel's mount begins to move, however, a horrible mechanical squeal emerges from it. The ride whirs down shortly thereafter before the carnival attendant rushes to the mechanical bull with a toolbox in hand. Remiel dismounts and offers his help despite his lack of engineering skills.

The most he can do is hand the attendant whatever tools he may need from the toolbox as repairs are underway.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Help fix a ride

[break][break]

ORALE OLDBOY + ♔
Laurence Anderson

☉

It seemed Remiel was bringing his dismal luck at the DUNK TANK game to the rest of the carnival. He'd decided to try and train his ball-throwing at one of the various little games lining the LITTLEROOT boardwalk. Maybe he'd win a few prizes while doing so as well.

But, on his last throw, the royal had completely fumbled. His ball did not hit the DUCKLING target like it was supposed to. In fact, he'd nearly hit the carnival attendant instead. The GREEN APPLIN strapped to his chest on a baby carrier seems to laugh at him. The attendant hastily collects the thrown balls and announces that he's closing early for the night with a scowl on his face.

And Remiel? Remiel sighs.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Lose at least one carnival game

[break][break]

BOOHOO! BALLGAME BABY + ♔
OPEN

☉

Why was he participating in this? Well, Remiel Calcifet was entering a new stage in his life. And no, this wasn't a mid-life crisis or anything of the sort. For the first time in a long time, he finally felt like he had some freedom and, to a lesser extent, semblance of control over his life.

He had never ridden a MECHANICAL TAUROS before, but he'd seen characters in movies do it. It seemed fun to try and, comparatively, he was sure he'd ridden worse things: dragons and the like. So why not?

The festival here at LITTLEROOT TOWN made a little competition out of the event, however, and were likely setting bets for it. There were two mechanical Tauros set-ups across from each other. Remiel had been chosen to ride one while someone else had been chosen to ride the other.

Before the royal steps forward, however, he unbuckles the GREEN APPLIN strapped to his chest on a baby carrier and turns to the person in line behind him. "Excuse me, pardon the nuisance, but do you mind holding him for a little while? I don't think it'd be safe to take him with me here."

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Involve or reference a Taurus-Rodeo Game

[break][break]

ORALE OLDBOY + ♔
OPEN

☉

There are no seatbelts on this PENDULUM RIDE in the shape of a Viking sailboat. At least, not in the conventional sense. One long and padded bar that descends over each row and locks in just above their laps is the only thing keeping them secured. Oddly enough, this makes Remiel envious of the GREEN APPLIN securely strapped to his chest on a baby carrier.

The buzzer sounds as the carnival attendant prepares to initiate the ride. In the few precious moments before takeoff, the royal shifts his gaze towards the person sitting beside him. They're packed in like sardines in a can, so their shoulders and arms are pressed together somewhat tightly. "Sorry... I'd give you more space if I could but —"

Before he can finish that sentence, the pendulum ride comes to life and swings them backward before casting them forward like a torpedo. His green Applin excitedly cheers as the prince catches the breath lodged in his throat.

✨ PROMPT CLEARED!

✔️ Ride one of the Pendulum rides

[break][break]

SAIL SWING + ♔
OPEN

☉