Without any hesitation, Sven quickly accepted the snow cones from Josh's hands and gave a nod. Though he felt himself hesitate at first, accepting the treat, he figured why not. No need to spit on the hospitality the gym leader seemed very fond of showing. He brought the snow cone to his mouth and took a small bite before he offered an approving 'mmm!' The blue dye from the snow cone itself stained his lips after the aforementioned bite. But with the first bite down, he hadn't realized just how refreshing the treat was. So in mere minutes, he had the treat downed.

"Thanks, that was pretty good! I might have to stop and get another one later," he grinned.

But as Josh mentioned some games, he gave a nod. That sounded good. Here he was hoping to win at least one. As Josh readied himself at the shooter game, he watched the way the gym leader took his stance. Though while he wanted to see the man take out some targets, his attention was grabbed by some of the prizes that the stand had. Eyes sparkled the moment he saw a large Alolan Exeggutor. It just looked so cool! Maybe once Josh was done, he'd take his swing at the game.

And as something began to drip on his hand, he realized that the gym leader's snow cone. In a quick matter of thinking, he let out his Ditto, affectionately named Silly Putty, and gestured its attention towards a plush Cubchoo. Immediately the Ditto transformed and took the snow cone from Sven's hands.

"Remember, Silly Putty, don't eat it! That's not yours, just keep it cool, ok?"

The Cubchoo-transformed Ditto replied with a simple 'itooo!' as it kept the snow cone balanced between its paws and gently blew on it with a Frost Breath in an attempt to keep it cool from the summer sun.

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

Josh Devlin

"No problem!"

Sven wiped his wet hand on the side of his pants as he took the gun from Josh and steadied his aim carefully. While he wasn't exactly stellar at aim, speed made up for it. The moment the bell rang to signal him to go ahead, Sven cocked the rifle and began to shoot away. One, two, three... The targets went down with each speedy reload. Sure, some shots missed but thankfully he didn't waste any time in a reload with each pump of the lever on the toy rifle. The plastic bb pellets bounced wildly against the setup while some ricocheted and hit the targets.

Finally the bell rang and Sven pumped his fist into the air as the attendant announced that they had a winner. He handed the gun back over to the carnie and immediately pointed out the Manectric plush that Josh had seemed so dead set on. Luck had been on Sven's side and he wholeheartedly acknowledged that bit. The creature was far too oversized for him, but the gym leader would no doubt be able to carry it in tow, so he was proud to hand the prize over to Josh.

"Enjoy!" he beamed. "I'm not the best at aiming but I can definitely keep up with it until I manage to hit the mark."

His aim had improved due to video games, but it still didn't simulate the real thing. Even the toy rifle had a little kickback to it. Maybe there was another game they could play. Then the thought beamed into his mind. A wide grin spread across his face.

"You got any luck at fishing? There's this Magikarp game and I was trying to get the Smoliv they've got over there. I figure if we can work together on it, we've got that prize in the bag."

As if with the mention, his Ditto broke its transformation and slinked over to Sven as it pulled itself up slowly but surely like a slug until it reached the brunette's shoulder where it sat proud.

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

Josh Devlin

He figured with the plastic sword in his grasp, he could trade it in given it was a prize from that booth. Sven just needed two more wins, right? That's what the guy at the booth had said. The brunette was quick to flash a thumbs up at the gym leader. He didn't mind one bit -- a favor repaid for the snow cone. Sven handed the plastic sword back to the person at the booth and flashed a wide grin.

"I'm going for that Smoliv this time," he insisted.

With the plastic fishing rod handed off to him, he watched the water carefully in an attempt to see if any of the Magikarps rolled over to show the color on their stomachs. It was a small setup so it didn't take much. And once the wind started to move in the right direction, he casted the line of the toy fishing rod and hooked onto a Magikarp with a green mark on its stomach. Unlike actual Magikarps, the plastic replica offered no resistance. Sven quickly ripped it out of the water and held it up for the booth attendant to see.

Just one more.

He played the same method and simply waited for the third one to reveal itself. And yet again, he hooked it and ripped it from the small blow-up kiddie pool. While the attendant didn't seem pleased that Sven had used an unfair method, it's not like they didn't say that looking for the right one wasn't allowed. With the proper points accumulated, he got his large Smoliv plush that was practically the size of his torso alone. Sven tucked it under his arm and looked to Josh.

"Here, if you want a round, let me hold your stuff real quick."

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

Josh Devlin

A shame the game didn't really pique Josh's interest, but he understood. Games at carnivals were meant to provide a challenge. That's when the thought came to mind and excitement bursted forward and caused his eyes to gleam. Josh wanted a challenge? Then a challenge he'd get. Sven cocked his head to the side and gestured for the gym leader to follow him. As they got to the clearing, there the game sat. Well, not necessarily a game, but a chance to prove one's endurance: the Tauros Rodeo game.

"Let's give this bad boy a try," he beamed.

His excitement was matched by the sight of a grown man no shorter than 6'3" whom had been flung into the cushioned wall with a loud 'oof!' Sven rushed into line and waited for his turn. Once it was his turn, he gave Josh a thumbs up and sat his Smoliv plush near one of the walls. He climbed onto the mechanical pokemon and readied himself. Twenty seconds was the goal, if he could make that, then he'd win no problem.

And with that, the ride began to move. The Tauros bent and bucked every which way as Sven attempted to grip onto the saddle with all of his might. His own body flew about and nearly flew off the ride at a particular harsh jerk. "Five! Four! Three! Two!--" And at the very last second, Sven went flying right off. The buzzer to show he failed sounded loudly, but he was too busy recovering from the sudden collision with the cushioned wall.

He could almost see a collection of Starlys, Pidgeys, and Natus spinning above his head as he attempted to gain his composure. With a few quick shakes of his head, he came to and stood back up.

"YO! That was FUN!"

The crowd cheered at his gusto, but he knew he had to let the next person ride, so he scooped up his Smoliv and made his way back out. Let's see how the Master of Faster could handle this belligerent bull.

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

Josh Devlin

The moment Josh, too, hit the wall, he winced in sympathy. But once the gym leader seemed to be on his feet, a sense of relief began to flood over him. Seemed he was resilient enough to bounce back from the sudden head trauma at what was probably a good fifteen miles per hour or more. Though there was something about the offer of trying one of Josh's pokemon back at the gym who would certainly offer more of a challenge. He'd keep a mental note of it for sure. Once they gathered their things, Sven finally chose to speak up on the matter of Shalin's performance.

"Oh yeah? I had the pleasure of meeting Shalin, she was a lot of help with traversing through the Ultra Desert, she definitely seems a bit of a wild child, but I can admire it. I think they said something about a show coming up, how about we go check to see if it's Shalin's?"

Thankfully according to signs, the stage was just a few bobs and weaves through the crowd. As Sven took the lead, he passed by a group of people who were really into a game of the Dugtrio Ring Toss. He happened to witness the final toss and saw the thrower ring the Dugtrio with no problem. A clap was offered, impressed at the handiwork. But he was getting distracted. The stage, right.

With his thoughts thrown off, it was a bit more of a guess to where they were going. Thankfully he was able to walk with confidence and soon found his way once more. It seemed they were beginning to set up, so the pair was early. Not that Sven minded waiting. A glance to Josh and an arch of his brow showed the sense of curiosity he had to offer.

"Do you think this'll be Shalin's show? I don't mind staying if it's not, but I don't want to keep you if you have no interest."

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

Josh Devlin

"She's determined, that's how she does it," he insisted.

Sven shifted in his seat a bit. While he didn't know Shalin as well as he knew Josh, it was blatantly clear that the ranger had plenty of nerve. She and Josh shared that in common -- both wild in their own aspects. He was lightning, quick to strike and volatile. Shalin was the wind, violent in its wake yet gone without a trace. At least those were the impressions that he got from the two. Two sides of the same coin. But hey, that's what made both interesting people in their own right.

"I dunno, I guess I probably have overwhelming optimism coursing through my veins, but I like to think she's got plenty of potential to do something great."

He was quick to flash a warm smile to accompany the words he offered. It was, in a sense, his acknowledgment that Shalin had a bright future with the rangers. They needed wild and unpredictable, but as long as she didn't suffer any harm, then she was golden. His train of thought was cut short the moment the curtain rose to reveal the setup for the audience. What sort of show would Shalin offer to the crowd?

⚰︎ divider made by milky!

Josh Devlin