A favor? Joy, that was way better than 50% off! So much better, in fact, that Howard was upset that he didn't think of it first. With a favor, you could wish for a bajillion more favors. Granted, June was likely to clobber him with a lug wrench as soon as he suggested it, but a favor was flexible. He could've asked for a favor, too, instead of 50% off. He could've even asked for 60% off.

Drat, why was he such a fool?

Moving to object, Howard swallowed. No, he couldn't lose his pride to the delivery girl. He'd rather get buried alive and get rediscovered as a skeleton an epoch later. At least that way, some budding archaeologist could make a career off his corpse. Besides, June could ask for something truly heinous, like more information regarding his role in Team Rocket.

That was assuming she won, of course. Puh-lease.

"Fine. It's dealed and sealed." Howard shook his head and tossed the attendant a handful of tokens. "Me and her." Howard jerked his head back towards his partner, foe, and rival.

As Howard took his place on the rope ladder, his face broke into a grin. It didn't take him long to figure out where the ladder would twist. His ladder was slightly more slack to the left. He had been climbing cliffs and using ladders like these for years, now. He wasn't going to lose.

The operator held up a buzzer. Three. Two. One...

"Go!" Howard shouted. The buzzer buzzed. Showtime.

Before the buzzer could even stop buzzing, Howard was off. In barely a few moments, he had already made it halfway across. Soon, he'd tap the other side, and traverse back across the rope. When he did that, the discounted expenses would be his.

---

june sleigh

Looked like they both had the same idea in mind. Howard moved as soon as the buzzer sounded off, yet so did June. When it had finished, both were well on their way to the top.

At least, Howard was.

June's inexperience made things complicated rather fast. As soon as she tried to climb the ladder, it's dastardly tricks and ploys swung with full force. Only a foot in and she clung on tight as she flipped upside-down, for the ladder had a mind of its own. Right bastard it was. Had she bitten off more than she could chew?

Absolutely. And yet...

She grit her teeth and clenched her fists tighter. No way in hell she let Howard get the better of her. Howard may have his 'experience' and 'safety movements'. Good for him. Yet she had something he could never hope to replicate.

Sheer recklessness. 

Without another moment of hesitation, she flung herself forward. Normally, a bad idea for a game such as this. This ladder had no friends but a plethora of enemies. The way it carelessly swung and spun in the wind has left many a people stranded at best. Thrown down onto the colorful, inflated chasm at worst. 

This mechanic simply refused. As the ladder attempted to twist just out of reach, she reached further. When it threatened to flip her around, she pushed back. Each and every move was met with a downright idiotic counter-attack. If the Tauros had been like her Talonflame in control, then this game was the opposite: her Talonflame wanted to call the shots, and she must never let that happen. To do so would end in an automatic loss.

And it was working. All the distance Howard had claimed early on disappeared in a flash. His consistency meant nothing if the opposition treated safety as another term to ignore. One wrong step would mean an immediate end, so she did not take a wrong step. June's frown slowly transformed into a cocky grin. "Better go faster, cave-boy!"

The end came fast. Both of them were near neck and neck. Unthinkable based on her first ten seconds, but the reality all the same. Would she cross first? She tried. In one last hurrah, as the ladder bent under her weight and attempted to buck her off, she simply let it. 

Howard could only watch as June flew the last bit of ladder and onto the blue mats, her body never touching the inflated attraction. Seconds passed, and June held her breath and stared down at the mat. Jeez, this thing smelt awful. Did they clean them ever?

"Looks like our girl here came out on top... but not cause of your ballsy-ass."

"Huh? Bullshit, what do you..." June trailed off. She looked over, only to see Howard...

STAMP GET - Win at least one carnival game

---

howard slayte

The archaeologist was missing. Completely gone.

June had heard him scampering behind her for a few seconds before she had done her risky gambit. A gambit which still should've kept Howard very close behind her. Yet for some reason, her rival was missing. It was as if he had vanished into thin air without a trace. That should've been impossible, though. He should've made some sort of noise if he had ran off, but he had soundlessly slipped away somewhere.

Had she drank too much? Maybe Howard Slayte wasn't even real, and this had all been an extended hallucination. A stupid thought, admittedly, but nobody sane made a bet for a favor with an archaeologist who could barely afford rent.

She had won, though. She had gotten the prize. Where had he gone?

Wait.

There! There was the hint of a hat poking out from behind the ride machine. Before June's very eyes, a man peeked out from behind it.

Howard looked around the carnival space nervously, before stepping out. He had seen someone from the Tauros-Rodeo game. When Howard had went there with June, someone must've recognized him from the Tauros Incident, in which a man with an exotic hat rode a Tauros under the effects of Cosmic Power. The mechanized Tauros had gained sentience, before smashing through a wall and running off.

The Tauros had run about twenty meters, before exploding. The hatted fellow riding the bull was never found.

"Eep!" Howard locked eyes with June, before disappearing behind the game again. He poked his head out and relaxed. It was just June. He had never been more relieved to see her instead of someone else. He stepped out from behind the rope game. "Eheh... Sorry? Congratulations on your win...? I saw your last lunge. Very stupid and dangerous, but you won!"

What was more impressive was however Howard had made it behind the entire rope carnival game. You had to do an insane jump, lunge, and balance off the rope bridge to do that. It was just as—maybe even more—insane than June's trick.

"Feel free to call in that favor whenever." Howard looked around, before relaxing further. "We're safe. Let's run! You pick the next game."

---

STAMP GET: Lose at least one carnival game!
june sleigh

How did he... why was... who had...

June shook her head. "I don't want to know."

She pulled herself up, took an Eevee keychain from a selection (seriously, who liked Pikachu?), and exited the play area of the rope game. An empty feeling followed. Looked like skill and risk weren't the only things that got you to win after all. 

At least she knew a game that she would be a true master of. June led the two of them right towards another colorful attraction, this one a lot longer and larger in scope than the last stupid game: an obstacle course! They could hear the screams of excited participants as they tried to complete it as fast as possible, despite the game's best intentions.

"These things throw you all over, but at least you're expected to complete them. Unlike your stupid game. And would you look at that! They let two people go at a time," She said. Despite the 'win', the mechanic needed more. And if Howard could pick something he was naturally good at, then why couldn't she? And she'd win honestly and naturally! None of these 'odd circumstances' or whatever had happened with her companion. 

"And since I got this thing," June spun the trinket on her finger, "How about I bet this against your plushy? And since that's obviously more valuable, I'll throw in some extra poke dollars as well."

Those last stakes had been way too high, even for her. Hopefully he'd agree to this one. 

STAMP GET: Pick a prize from the prize wall at one of the Carnival games

---

howard slayte

Pikachu was pretty whatever, but Howard didn't have much of an opinion on Eevee. It was quite fluffy, but Howard had always been bothered by the lack of Rock, Steel, or Ground evolution. He wouldn't complain about Flareon, though. It was warm, toasty, fluffy, and saved on heating bills. Howard wished he owned one.

They did shed everywhere, though...

As June led the way, Howard cautiously removed his hat and let it hang around his neck on a string. He hoped that it'd make him less recognizeable. Fat chance, given the patch covering one of his eyes, but you worked with what you were given. June had given him another chance, which meant Howard could reclaim his lost pride.

He didn't honestly know if he would've beaten June back on the rope game. She had been more daring than him. It could've been enough. Could've. Would've. Should've.

"I like my plush..." Howard whined, before glancing at June. "Fine. Choose the course."

There were several options, sorted by difficulty. The easiest were essentially hallways with exaggerated, but ultimately simple, traps. The hardest required a waiver and could leave a person beaten and crying on the ground. The rule of thumb was pretty simple: the shorter the name, the harder the course.

For example, the easiest was the Stupendous Expedition to Mount Pyre: Immortal Afterlife Adventure! The hardest one, to Howard's knowledge, was simply known as The Throngler.

Very ominous.

---

june sleigh

June resisted the urge to pull Howard right towards 'The Throngler' and throw him into the metaphorical (and physical) wringer. Their 'friendship' would not last past that, since he would absolutely be one of the few that got sent to the hospital. Probably meant the next step down was out of the question as well.

June walked over to the course right next to the easiest one: Super Speedy Savage Sharpedo Raceway! Decorated in all sorts of blues and whites, after the namesake pokemon. Despite that, the course did not actually look the part of 'savage'. Packed to the brim with blown up cushions designed to get in the way and push back, and tight squeezes meant to hold you in place. 

Wouldn't get you mauled, though.

"Hope this isn't too tough or intimidating for an adventurer like yourself," she said. Like previously, she hadn't done this thing herself. However, the odds of Howard having both done this and having some background skills that somehow managed to be relevant were next to none. 

Besides, she could go fast! That meant enough, right? As Howard got them in and they both lined up, she loosened up and got into position. Speed would get her past all the other obstacles. She could already feel the soft plushie in her arms. It would sit perfectly on her bed as it gathered dust. Just like Howard's artifacts.

The person in charge of the ride blew the whistle. June disappeared into the blue mass of inflatable fabric, gone in the blink of an eye. What?

STAMP GET: Run an obstacle course

---

howard slayte

The Throngler's ability to put Howard into the hospital was worth considering if it allowed him to worm his way out of this debacle. Howard didn't have the heart to tell June that he was actually pretty good at these courses. Unfortunately, he had to look out for all the people wanting to evict him from the carnival. Every sideways glance from a carnie was enough to cause his soul to curdle and die.

Maybe he could just tell June he was sick? No, that wouldn't work. She'd probably kick him in the shins and then push him into the course, anyways. Maybe that was the secret behind The Throngler. It was just June kneecapping people to prevent them from winning. Hell, it made sense, given she was working at the carnival.

"UghhhhIdon'twannadothisJuneeeeeeee..." Howard whined as he was forced into the course against his will. "Let me gooooooo!" He tried to turn and walk out of the course, but the entrance had already been sealed. Great, guess he had to actually do the fucking course.

This had been a terrible idea.

The whistle rang. Howard deflated, and June vanished. Eh? In that moment, it didn't particularly matter. If Howard won, then he could get out of this stupid course and hide in a bathroom until this all blew over. He didn't even have to win. He just had to go fast.

Faster than June, who had just vanished.

Grumbling, Howard sprinted through the inflatable maze. He wormed through small corridors. He bounced about, lunging here and there as he traversed the course in record time. It wasn't particularly hard. It had barely been a minute before Howard poked his head out of the exit, hat askew and eyes glazed over.

"Alright, June. How much do I owe you?" Howard blinked and looked around. "June?"

---

STAMP GET: Run in the obstacle course.

june sleigh

Just as Howard crawled out of the obstacle course and stood up, he would hear the rustle and commotion of another person. One June, sweaty and smiling, emerged from the fabric cocoon. "No way in fuck Howard--"

"WHAT?!"

That smile quickly turned upside down, as soon as she locked eyes with the archeologist. If her face in that alleyway of Slateport had been mad, then this one meant she was downright pissed. A stream of curses escaped her lips while she clambered out of the obstacle course. "How the fuck did you beat me?! I was going, like, mach ten or some shit!"

Wait, hold on. Howard's bitching before they even started and weird behavior from the rope game... it all made sense! June shoved a finger into his chest, "You fucking cheated, didn't you?! After I decide to take it easy on you and not toss your ass in the arceus-damned Throngler, you cheat in the obstacle course? You never intended to play fair, did you?!"

Oh, what a joke! This guy was so enamored with her stupid damn keychain that he had to cheat for it? "Is this stupid keychain really worth any sense of friendship we had between us? Or were you that much of a sore loser that you couldn't handle me beating you at something you think you're good at?"

STAMP GET: Lose at least one carnival game.

---

howard slayte

"Mach ten is, like, four kilometers a second, June." Howard sighed, then did a double take. "Guh! June? How'd you get stuck back there? Aren't you supposed to be a pro?"

An innocent question. Unfortunately for June, Howard was a pro at these. He suspected that June was, too. Who knew what riding through the wilderness and sleeping at bus stops did to a young lady. Unfortunately, she had nothing on the Howardnator. He tore through the obstacle course with the greatest of ease. If she was going Mach 10, he was going Mach 10 + 1.

Alternatively known as Mach 11.

Alternatively known as Mach-Fucking-BULLSHIT.

"Cheating? How? How do you cheat in an obstacle course? It's a path to the finish!" Howard looked at her like she was dense. In this moment, she was as dense as a chunk of peridotite. All this for a keychain? Howard had already won a dozen from his crusade against the carnival's games. "Have you considered the fact that you just have a skill issue? I'd kick your ass on The Throngler, too!"

Fighting words.

"Besides... a keychain? You can buy them outside the venue for like a quarter of a PD! They're probably made in a sweatshop in Johto, or something!"

Fighting words.

---

june sleigh

"I don't know, smart guy, you tell me how the hell you cheated in an obstacle course! Could've slipped out the side or hopped the barrier and ran up here real quick," June told him. 

She dug the keychain out of her pocket and slammed it into Howard's chest, "Here, fucking take it then. And if this thing is so cheap anyway, why the hell did you cheat for it?! Why not just go out there and buy-- oh, right, you can't afford one!"

Ouch. She'd probably regret that later, but her blood boiled too hot. She had been here for long enough, and gotten too invested in the silly competition. 

June threw up her hands and stormed past Howard, and past the small crowd that started to form when she had first yelled out against Howard. "Seriously... I can't fucking believe you! You seriously think I wouldn't run laps around you in the damned Throngler either? Or would you cheat again? How did you even bribe the people to let you cheat in the first place?!"

Despite the intention to turn around and walk away, she instead marched right back up to Howard and got inside his comfort zone. Chest to chest, face to face. She made those Olympic athletes look like atrophied mummies the way she jumped to conclusions. And to several different talking points. Where to even start?

The pressure from her fiery eyes didn't help matters either.

STAMP GET: Give your prize away to your thread partner

---

howard slayte

"Ex-fucking-SCUSE me?" Howard held the keychain in a tight fist as he looked at June like she was positively deranged. He looked around in mock surprise. "Where are we, again? You chose this one, June! If I could read minds and predict the future, you could bet I wouldn't spend the money on this! Hell, if I could tell the future, I'd have enough money that I wouldn't need to hire you!"

Damn. That was a low blow. An emotional kneecapping to rival the one June had just given Howard. He felt bad for a second, but then Howard remembered that he was innocent, and had done nothing wrong.

"I don't cheat! If I'm a cheater, than drag up every honest man in Lilycove and lynch us all. Fucking hell, June." Howard began to follow her, only to instintively back up a few steps as June immediately rebounded and got up in his grill. After glancing at her face, Howard averted his eyes. "H-hey... that's too close..."

Damn, she was in prime kneecapping distance. What was with this girl and personal space? Howard just elected to look at her eyebrow. It was a lot easier than looking at her. There was nothing physically threatening about an eyebrow.

"Seriously... I didn't cheat on the eyebrow... on the obstacle course! I'm amazing and awesome, but I'm not a fucking wizard." Howard grumbled before poking her in the chest. "Scooch. Personal. Space." Howard annunciated each word with another poke, before trailing off. His eyes widened as he saw something in the distance. "June... June! Look!"

---

june sleigh

"Should've thought about that before..."

June trailed off while she both pressed further into Howard and turned her head to whatever the hell he was pointing at. A weird phenomenon to both look at and for her to perform. Any currently existing murderous feelings slowly evaporated into the warm summer air.

Was that... yes, it was! June's stomach erupted into an ugly, gurgling noise as soon as her limited neurons pieced together what exactly the archeologist had meant. Anger turned to hunger, and frustration turned to a sudden trembling. When had she eaten last? Didn't she eat breakfast...

No, that was yesterday. And the sight of a Corn Dog stand not even thirty steps away was simply too much to bear. Just as she had invaded Howard's personal space, she left it and walked to the food stand. "Get the fuck over here, lug nut. Get me two corn dogs and we can ignore all this ever happening. Deal?"

Already did the previous conflict seem like a fever dream. Who cared about a stupid keychain or an obstacle course? Arceus above, there were corn dogs. How the hell could the mechanic continue her duties on a barren stomach? All the better if Howard actually bought them for her, but she could probably weasel her way into free food otherwise...

---

howard slayte

"...what?" Howard was on board with June's plan until it was decided that he was going to pay for it. With what money? All Howard had on him at this precise moment were Funtasia tokens! He had stashed his emergency funds behind the cinnamon roll stand by the entrance to keep most of his money safe.

Telling June to buy them herself was a valid option. Howard seriously entertained it, before looking down at the keychain. Wrapped around it were a handful of PD, crumpled yet usable.

Holy shit. He could get June off his back and buy corndogs with her own money. Damn, he was smart. If he had actually cheated on the course, this would've been the smartest move Howard had ever made. With a shrug, Howard walked over and purchased the corndogs with June's money.

"Deal. No backsies!" Howard said as he gave June her food. "There you go. Happy? Satisfied? Your stomach sounds like a rockslide, or a dying Emboar. Oh, or a Donphan! Maybe it's even..."

---

STAMP GET: Offer a carnival treat to someone else.
june sleigh