FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sound of music, light and upbeat was the first sign that they were heading the right way. A playful tune that expressed joy and excitement, making Claire's heart start to race. She gripped her boyfriend, Austin, tighter and started to pull him down the road. “Come on, I want to make sure we sit in the front row!" The dirt road on the outskirts of Nimbasa City was already starting to grow crowded as they passed other patrons, all heading in the same direction.

Although Nimbasa was known for its entertainment, this weekend was the biggest celebration of the year. The circus was in town, and Claire had been saving up all year to make sure she could afford tickets for both of them. In order to do that, she had to forgo treating herself to simple pleasures, as all of her money went into savings. That didn't matter, especially when they saw the gates up ahead of them.

“I don't know why you like these things so much…" Austin grumbled. They were both in their early twenties, having dated since high school and never leaving their hometown. He was a little taller than she was, with dark black hair streaked with yellow towards the tips. Even though Claire had reminded him for months about tonight, he still ended up making plans that he had to cancel on. “Carnivals are so lame. You can go to any resort in Nimbasa and see the same thing." He reached down and brushed her hand away from his sleeve; he always complained when she ruffled his gym attire.

Claire didn't allow her boyfriend's ill temper to dissuade her. Every day she worked in order to ensure they had enough money to pay for their rent and bills. Austin had insisted on being the only one to sign his name on the lease, but he hardly contributed to their rent. As a trainer at the Nimbasa gym, Austin wasn't able to make a lot of money, especially with his placement towards the very front. He came home every night complaining of his losses, how he never had the time to find more pokemon, or that the apartment wasn't clean.

He had been like this ever since they graduated from high school. Claire had always wanted to travel to the different continents, or at least Unova, but he never so much as entertained the idea. She was a year younger than him, fit and lean from constantly running around during the day; her hair hung down to her shoulders, dark auburn in coloration. She had gone so far as to break out an outfit she hadn't worn for a long time just for tonight. A light, purple skirt as well as a matching blouse, it always made her cheerful being able to wear clothing like this.

“Why would I want to, though?" She asked this as they stepped into line. The gates erected at the front were bright, golden colored. Their polished finish reflected the lights coming from beyond, and through the slats in them, Claire could see the red and white big top that would hold the main festivities of the night. She could hardly wait and was almost fidgeting in place as the crowd began to slowly move forward. “They come from all over the world…don't you think they'd have something really cool to show off?"

The scent of sweets and fair food was already drifting over to her, making her mouth water and reminding her that she hadn't had anything to eat that day. She was already trying to plan out their activities for the night. They had an hour before the main show started, and that would give them the opportunity to stop at the midway or sample the rides. She could see the large Ferris Wheel towering over the rest of the carnival, the carriages lit up with different colors and illuminating the ground below in a kaleidoscope-like, rainbow glow.

Austin crossed his arms over his chest unhappily and simply shook his head. “We could have gotten a new tv with how much you spent on those tickets. Might as well have just tossed it straight down the drain." His bitter tone made Claire flinch, and her eyes dropped downwards when they stepped up to the ticket booth.

The booth was decorated with red and yellow swirls in an abstract pattern that alluded to the wild nature of a carnival. Sitting behind the counter was a woman with a blaziken next to her. Her face was decorated with grease paint to resemble the fire/fighting type, and both of them perked up cheerfully when they saw them.

“Hello! Welcome to-“

“-Shilo's Wonderland!"

The two women spoke in a choreographed pattern, neither stepping on the other's lines nor letting the silence hang for more than a beat.

“She's Ivy-“

“-she's Rylee! And we're here-“

“-to say hello!" Both girls said this at the same time, the blaziken giggling in delight before nudging an arm against Ivy's side. “You were a little late on that one, dear."

“Oh hush, not in front of the patrons!" She shot a smile at the two of them before noticing the frown on Austin's face and the apprehension building on Claire's own. “Do you have tickets, or do you need some now?"

Claire looked up at Austin, wincing slightly when he rolled his eyes at her and looked away. “I should have two tickets on hold for Claire Thompson." She crossed her arms over her chest while Ivy reached below the counter and pulled out a small, metal box. “I paid for the performance, as well…"

“Of course, sweetie!" Rylee took over at that moment, the blaziken shooting her a welcoming smile. It was easy for her to see that her mood was being brought down, and she gently patted the top of Ivy's hand as she dug around in the box. “You ordered before we even landed in Unova. Tell you what…for a real connesuir of the arts such as yourself, I have a gift for you."

She reached below the counter on her side, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in an exaggerated motion. After Ivy sat their passes on the counter for them, Rylee revealed a length of pink, spotted tickets. Each one bore the grinning face of an emolga surrounded by confetti. She smiled and placed them in Claire's hand, her own feathered one patting the top of hers reassuringly. “Those are good for the midway or the rides, go have fun, okay sweetie? That's what we're here for, after all."

Claire looked down at the tickets in her hand and smiled momentarily, her good mood starting to come back to her. It was dashed, however, as Austin grabbed his entry pass and walked past them, going straight through the turnstile without waiting for her. As soon as he did, the two women in the ticket booth frowned.

“Really, go have fun." Ivy was the one to say this, the painted woman shooting her a friendly smile. “Shiloh's Wonderland is supposed to be a place where all your troubles fade away. Don't let anyone take that away from you."

She bit down on her lip and sighed. She noticed the way the two workers frowned along with it, and it suddenly made her rather self-conscious. “Thank you. Thanks…" Before they could say another word, she grabbed her tickets and walked towards the turnstile. The sound of the women's rehearsed lines followed her as they greeted the next customer.

The attitude of her boyfriend had only gotten worse as they got older. She had to give up most of the things that she found enjoyable to prevent them from getting into an argument. Their days off were usually composed of staying in their cramped apartment while Austin played games and she was forced to watch. She would hint that he should probably be trying to train his pokemon instead of wasting time like this, but that would just set him off. It became easier for her to just shut up and let him have his way; the last thing she ever wanted was to start a fight with him.

“Took you long enough." Austin snapped at her when she reached his side. The sun was beginning to set over the carnival, and lights hung from wires overhead were beginning to glow with effervescent colors. “Those two were annoying."

She grumbled under her breath, neither agreeing or disagreeing. She clutched the strand of tickets tighter in her hands. In truth, she was getting sick of people looking at her that way whenever he acted like this.

“Probably a couple of lesbos. Pokemon fuckers are disgusting." He reached in his pocket and pulled out his pokenav, glancing at the screen before sighing loudly. “Alright, we're here, we have an hour. What do you want to do?" Although he acted like he was asking, she knew better than to take it at his word. If she offered something he didn't want to do, he wouldn't hesitate to let her know.

“Well…" Claire looked around the entrance to the carnival before her eyes landed on a placard bearing a stylized map. From where they stood, they had a choice of three paths to take. The left one headed for the rides and was largest one, looping around the entirety of the perimeter. The right path was listed as the midway and food purveyors. The center path headed right for the big top and had multiple exits splitting off to the other parts of the carnival. “We could go on some rides. Or we could check out the games…"

Austin grunted in confirmation, looking over her shoulder at it all. “It looks like they just have rides for kids. And the games at these places are always rigged."

People were already beginning to stream in behind them at a faster pace, making Claire more antsy to get moving. “Well, they gave us the tickets, so…" She raised the hand holding the bundle and smiled at him. “We could at least use these up, maybe you could win me a stuffed pokemon…"

That she had teed him up for a romantic gesture was lost on him. Austin sighed and grabbed the tickets she offered. “Fine, but as soon as we're out of these, we're not wasting any money, okay?"

She didn't even bother arguing this with him. Claire put on her best face and nodded, before reaching down to take his hand into her own. Austin paused when he felt her gripping him before he begrudgingly returned the affectionate touch.

As they walked past the entrance to the big top's path, she noticed a large sign displaying a variety of pokemon. There was a primarina on display, the advert listing her beautiful singing voice and the chance for autographs after. Next to her was a lucario female, listed as the most powerful fighting type in the entire world. There were a number of other features, but the ones that caught her eye were at the very top.

Zane and Asha. The noble felines.

When she was a teenager, her father had taken her to see them. The only things she remembered from her time there were the sights and sounds that filled her senses now, and these two. They were pyroars, a graceful female next to a large brute of a male. They looked exactly as she remembered them, except bearing the maturity that came with age.

As soon as she heard the two of them were going to be in town, she didn't care about anything else. The prices were irrelevant, the other performers didn't matter to her. She wanted to see them, to relive that childhood joy that came with coming to such a magical place for the first time.

She was only allowed a few moments to look at them before Austin pulled her along, leading her down the path. They walked in silence, allowing Claire to take in the festive atmosphere that surrounded them. Most of the performers seemed to be pokemon, a few walking around the area before the big performance. They passed a dewgong balancing three balls on his nose, urging a group of children to keep tossing more so he could catch them. Next to him was an ambipom, effortlessly juggling whatever he could convince people to toss to him.

It made her smile to see these things. She already felt the stress beginning to leave her body, the tension fading away and allowing her shoulders to droop. It didn't matter if Austin wasn't having a good time, she was where she wanted to be.

They passed a variety of different food stands set up along the path, the majority of them being operated by human workers. Even if pokemon were considered near equals to humans, there were still laws in place about who could operate a business such as that. Her rumbling stomach made her want to stop, but she would wait until they sat down for the show in order to eat something.

To get to the midway they had to step through a small gate next to a raised podium. Sitting on top of it was the trademark emolga from the tickets they had received. He was dressed in a custom fitted black suit for his small stature, giving him a dapper appearance. In his hand was an old fashioned megaphone, little more than a circular cone for him to shout through.

“Come one, come all! The lights are flashing, and the prizes are flowing! Everyone's a winner at Honest Charlie's Chapel! You there!" The emolga's shout caught Claire's attention, and as soon as their eyes met, the pokemon grinned big. “You look like you're feeling lucky tonight! I'm Charlie, care to take a moment and play with me?"

Before he gave them a chance to answer, he spread his arms out, allowing the cape-like membrane his species was known for to bring him to the ground. He jumped down from the podium, gliding effortlessly and landing right in front of them with a small flourish. He quickly lifted one arm in front of his chest and bowed down before them, electricity crackling from the pouches in his cheek. “I get all types in my chapel, but there are those that I know deserve a little more of an opportunity! Shiloh's Wonderland is where dreams come true, some more than others!"

Claire couldn't help but smile at the pageantry the little squirrel pokemon was putting on. He barely reached up to her knees, but he exuded charm. She took a step closer to him, only for him to immediately place a hand over his eyes. “O-Oh, uh, sorry madam, but any closer and I will be looking up your skirt. It's a curse of my stature, and I am a gentleman!"

“Come on, let's just go." Austin scoffed at him. He suddenly grew angry at the small pokemon bringing attention to this, even if he had been actively trying to prevent it.

The emolga hadn't pried his hand from his eyes yet, but he let out an angry snort when he heard Austin insult him like this. “Good sir, I will have you know that if I were anything, I'd be a winged mouse! Much nobler than a rat, don't you think?" He took a step back before spreading his fingers so he could meet Claire's eyes, an amused look on his face. “Of course, much like beauty, nobility is in the eye of the beholder, don't you agree? What would I be if my fans didn't think of me as such?"

She smiled and leaned down to look at him better. “I think you're very noble, good sir…" She giggled as she played along. The emolga beamed up at her before turning back to his podium and scrambling up the side of it, the marks in the wood showing off his impressively sharp claws. “Now then, you were saying?" She could see Austin brooding out of the corner of her eye, as usual, but her attention returned to the pokemon.

“I have a certain eye, I suppose you can say! I can always tell when I have a true lover of the carnival standing before me." He moved to the edge of the podium and took a seat, his feet swinging off the end. “I see the Flair sisters at the front gate gave you some of my premium tickets, although Mr. Grumpypants over there doesn't seem the type to really appreciate them. So how about a little game, just between the two of us?"

His eyes glimmered in the lights of the midway, and he lifted one of his paws towards her. “This is a classic. All you have to do…is guess how far I can glide!" He shot a big grin her way, revealing a set of small, white fangs. At the same time, he spread his arms out, showing off the cape-like wings on his arms. “If you're close, I'll concede that you won! Now, what do you think?"

Claire grinned big when she heard this, and immediately laughed. “That doesn't seem too fair, how would I know you're not lying if I'm right?"

The emolga quickly raised a paw to his chest, his mouth dropping open in mock shock. “My dear, I can't believe you would doubt the word of Honest Charlie! I have never lied to a beautiful woman before, and I certainly wouldn't start now!"

As soon as he complimented her, Austin stepped forward. Annoyed before, the casual remark of her appearance was enough to make him mad. “Let's just go, this is pointless."

The flying squirrel's grin returned immediately afterward, and he shook his head. “Sorry, but you're not the one playing!" A hint of electricity crackled from his cheeks, before dissipating as he turned back to Claire. “Now, dear. You can listen to your brutish friend there that doesn't understand the concept of playing the spectator. It will hurt my feelings, and I'm sure I'll never get over it, but I will forgive you!"

“This is stupid." Austin declared. “I'm going inside. Just come find me after you're done playing around." As he left the two of them, Charlie raised his nose in the air and sniffed a bit.

“You would think he's being held here against his will. Let me guess, you were the one that wanted to come, and he's upset that he had to tag along?" He didn't need an answer, the look on her face said it all. “I can always tell…" He shot her a small smile, before tilting his head to the side. “What do you think? You can go after him, or we can finish our little game."

Claire watched him walking away, her face crestfallen as he disappeared into the crowds. It was going to be a nightmare finding him before the show started; since they were already split up, however, she saw no reason not to finish. “Well…" She tried to think of how far he could go, but she knew nothing of his species. With a wild guess, she tossed up a number with a hesitant smile. “I'm going to say…a mile."

The emolga's face brightened right away, and a small burst of electricity left his cheeks. “Correct! Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Helps I'm so small. You could say that I'm a little underweight, but there's still plenty of me to love!" His tongue poked out at her a moment later in a teasing fashion. “At least, I've never had a girl complain about it before!"

She could feel her face warm when he made mention of this, as well as the rather crass way he teased her. For the moment, she was glad that Austin had gone ahead; if he saw a pokemon flirting with her she was certain he would lose it.

One of his paws darted into his jacket, rifling around before pulling out a golden ticket emblazoned with his features on it. It looked like the others but had a very glossy sheen to it. “This is a guaranteed prize token. No matter what booth you try out, even if you lose, you'll get a prize!" The emolga handed it down to her before grabbing his megaphone. His fur had puffed up slightly from his excitement, amusing Claire with his generosity. “Make a good choice with that. I'd win a pretty girl like you a prize myself, but I'm only good at the dart board, and they banned me from that! Now skedaddle along, you don't want to waste the night talking with a winged rat, do you?" With a wink, he lifted the megaphone back to his mouth and began his announcements again.

Claire held the ticket tightly in her hand, feeling the glossy finish that coated it. She quickly shoved it in her pocket, wanting to make sure she didn't lose it on accident. She made the decision not to tell Austin about it, he didn't need to know after all. “Thanks, Charlie. That's so sweet of you."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Charlie smiled to himself and chuckled. “A mile…pffft, what does she take me for. I can clear three easily…" He shook his head a bit, contemplating that he truly had lied to a beautiful woman. He supposed it was in his nature to deceive, but only or the right reasons.

The inside of the midway was crowded, a variety of buzzers and klaxons going off. Every booth seemed to offer a different game. There was the traditional, ranging from throwing a ball at a stack of bottles or a dart at a pegboard covered in balloons. A sign hung from the latter, depicting an emolga's form with an 'x' through it. There were also more unconventional games, such as slowpoke races. Every booth overflowed with prizes, offering different stuffed animals of almost every pokemon type. Her eyes lit up in excitement as she took the moment to savor everything.

After a moment she remembered that she needed to find Austin, and she headed deeper into the midway. The entire time she divided her attention between looking for her boyfriend and seeing the prizes that they had on offer. She saw a few of them that she would have liked, but with Austin holding the tickets she didn't want to use her golden ticket just yet. The crowds were beginning to thin out towards the back, and finally, she saw the dyed hair of her boyfriend.

He was standing next to a 'test-your-strength' game and had a large hammer in his hands. Raising it above his head, he brought it down hard on the sensor, sending the weight flying upwards and striking the bell with a loud dinging noise. She couldn't hear him over the sounds of the crowd, but she saw him gesturing towards the rewards board. Claire's face lit up with warmth when she saw him receiving a skitty plush, and she was about to walk up to him before he turned to his side.

Next to him was a woman, dressed in black leather pants and wearing a torn shirt. She was grinning at him, her lips painted dark black with one hand pressed against his arm. Graciously she accepted the plush, her hand rubbing his arm slowly before she stepped away from him. She could see her lips moving, and Claire could tell that she was laughing about something.

Her heart sank at what happened next. The woman leaned in and gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek, before waving as she walked away from him. Austin watched her go with a grin on his face, one that made Claire feel like she had been socked in the stomach. Immediately she turned away from them, taking a deep breath to try to calm herself. It wasn't the first time she had seen him do this with another woman; he always got so angry if anyone showed the slightest interest in her. He had told her before that it wouldn't keep happening if he was more attentive to his 'needs', and she had started to believe him.

She knew there was a girl at the gym that texted him constantly when he was at home. She was the one with whom he had to cancel his plans. There was also a girl down the hall from their apartment that he had invited over to hang out with them on more than one occasion.

Claire didn't realize it, but she was already walking away from the scene, her face flushed with color. Immediately the thoughts set back in. They had dated for so long; he wouldn't just throw it away. She did everything right, everything that she could to make him happy…but he still seemed so willing to do things like this.

“Something troubling you, young one?" The voice cut through the crowd like a knife, drawing her attention to the tent set up, tucked back between two stands. It was mostly hidden from view, dark black and covered with ornate, golden designs. The front curtains were parted, and through it, she could see a table set up with a pokemon sitting on the other side of it.

Her hands were clasped together in front of her, her elbows resting on the table as she examined Claire. She had never seen a pokemon like this before in person, but from the black dress with white bows running down the front of it, she could see that it was a gothitelle.

“Why don't you come in and have a seat?" She gracefully gestured with one of her hands towards the seat across from her. “Madame Zarya has been rather ignored lately…you would think more would want to know their fortunes."

She stood awkwardly in the middle of the aisle, unsure if she should take the offer or continue walking. The look on the pokemon's face informed her that she might not care either way, but she was still gesturing her in. Right now, she just needed a moment to catch her breath. Reluctantly, she found herself moving towards the tent, having to duck under the tent's door to get in.

With a flick of the pokemon's wrist, it closed behind her, enveloping the two of them in the dim light of half a dozen candles. The noise from the midway seemed to fade away, becoming muted by the thick cloth of the tent. The gothitelle was smiling at her as she took a seat and reached to her side. “It is your first time, no? Those that know the truth are easy to spot, but those that deny it are even easier." With Claire watching, she spread her palms open, showing a set of purple laden cards laying in them.

“Tell me, my dear…" the cards fluttered and raised in the air, shuffling seemingly at random “why do you deny what you know to be true?"

Claire watched the cards shuffle through the psychic power of the pokemon. She couldn't see what was printed on them with how fast they were moving, but it was clear they weren't a normal set of playing cards. They all looked the same from the back, and she looked at Zarya incredulously. “What do you mean?" She said this a bit more hastily then she intended, and immediately looked down at lap. The pokemon was watching her, her hands tucked in front of her face as she leaned forward, hiding her expression from view. “I don't really believe in this kind of thing…"

“That is of little worry to me." With a soft thump, the deck landed on the table in front of her, six cards shooting of it and landing face down on the table. “I have enough belief for two. I am rarely wrong, however. Now then…" She gestured towards the face-down cards and shot the human a small smile. “All I need to know about you lays before me, let us begin…"

She shifted uneasily in her chair, knowing that Austin was probably looking for her by now. Claire had never been superstitious. Things like this had always seemed to apply to those gullible and desperate enough to want to hear them.

The gothitelle had already grabbed the first card and delicately flipped it over. The card was graced by a human form, baring a set of translucent wings. It was facing towards Claire, allowing her to see the design on it. “Reversed Temperance. Something in your life is out of balance. You feel a great deal of stress and anxiety…why is that, do you think?" Her fingers traced along the top of the card as she mused. “A lack of purpose. A warning that if you continue down this path, you may find only turmoil…"

Claire rested her hands on the table when she explained this to her, and before she could say anything, she was already reaching for the second card.

“Strength, upright." The card depicted a woman with flowing blond hair, her hands resting on the jaws of a large feline. It reminded her of the picture of Zane and Asha. “Resilient, patient…you could accomplish anything you set your mind to. Yet, there is something holding you back, isn't there?" The psychic pokemon tapped the top of the card, one of her fingers circling the lion. “Inner strength and fortitude, but what is it that drains your ability to grow…what forces you into stagnation?"

“I don't think that's accurate." She snapped quickly, frowning unhappily. Her nails had dug into the wood of the table, her heart beginning to race. At first, she had been certain that this was nothing more than a charade, but now things seemed much more real than she would have liked to admit. “I'm not a strong person."

“Strength of heart, of spirit, my dear." Her voice flowed like silk as she reassured her. “We all have our weaknesses, however…those things that make us unwilling to move on. Fear of failure, of trying, of being alone." She examined her blank expression and continued. “The strength to speak your mind is essential, you need to see that for yourself."

“I wonder though, what could be causing this clash inside of you." Zarya turned the next card over and sighed. “Of course, what else would bring turmoil to a young woman."

The card showed two figures, one male and one female. It was reversed like the first card, and Claire sat up a bit straighter in her chair.

“Reversed Lovers…" The gothitelle sat back in her seat. She looked from Claire back down to the card before continuing. “Disharmony. Pressure on a relationship. Avoiding responsibility for your actions, either your own or your lovers. Tell me, my dear…have you been having trouble in your relationship?" The way the pokemon stared at her made her uncomfortable, and she immediately frowned.

“You're just reading my mind, aren't you?" She demanded, trying not to let a stammer creep into her voice. She could see it now, there was nothing to prevent the psychic pokemon from invading her thoughts, this was just theatrics. At least, that was what she told herself. “I'm glad I didn't pay anything for this." As she got up, the gothitelle began to stand with her.

“Do not take me for a charlatan." The gothitelle's voice grew stern, and she dropped her hands to the table. “I do not invade the minds of others. They are solely the domain of that individual. Madam Zarya does not intrude upon that which is sacred to oneself. Now, you can leave with the future unclear, denying yourself the insight that I can offer…or we can see if you're the type to break the hold destiny has on you."

The silence in the tent was palpable as everything outside had faded away. Claire could feel her heart racing in her chest while her face twisted up in uncertainty. Slowly, she sat back down, and Zarya joined her soon after.

“I will not lie to you, my dear." She spoke softer now, her eyes downcast to the table. “The truth is difficult to hear; you are not the first that has wanted to deny it. But that is the beauty of life," she looked up at her, smiling momentarily “we can change our paths."

With the next card, the Gothlette's face dropped entirely. It depicted a large tower, two individuals falling from the side of it as a bolt of lightning struck the top. “The Tower, upright…" The gothitelle frowned, the atmosphere growing tenser. “I know you don't want to hear this, but you are destined for disaster." She looked at her with a downcast expression. “Broken pride, sudden upheaval…it is usually a dark sign of things to come. Rarely, we can see that the change can come gently and with compassion, but…from what the cards tell me, I do not believe that will come easy to you."

“So…you're telling me that things are going to go awful for me?" Claire's voice almost quivered. It didn't seem likely, but as she looked at the card, her mood began to sink further. She wished she hadn't come into the tent, she wished that she had just kept walking.

Madam Zarya pursed her lips together and hummed to herself. “There is always a chance, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Through tumultuous times we usually find the person that we are destined to be."

The next card to flip over made Claire shiver. It depicted a horned individual standing on a pedestal, holding the chains that were connected to collars placed around the neck of two individuals. Even if it made her uneasy, Zarya smiled at the placement of it.

“The Reversed Devil. Realization. Self-awareness…through this card, we see that we are able to break the chains that bind us to our poor habits." She pressed the card towards her, allowing her to see the figures. They looked unhappy, bound at the feet of their master with no course of action available to them. “You need to look inside yourself…admit that you need to break the hold."

“I…how do you know this." Claire's voice had dropped to a whisper. Her hands rested on her lap, that sinking sensation coming back to her. It all seemed to point to one thing, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. “I don't think I'm strong enough to do that…"

Immediately, her finger moved to the Strength card, her face graced with a friendly smile. “You may not realize it yet, but you will…It is not within you to sit idly by and let another control your life. Now then, for your final card…"

Claire inhaled sharply, doubting anything good would come of the last one. She was already started to think about her relationship. All the red flags seemed so obvious now that she thought of them. Austin barely worked, he forced her to do the things he liked and never seemed willing to try for her. He was possessive and harsh to men that so much as looked at her for more than a few seconds.

The card flipped depicted a figure standing at the edge of a cliff, a bundle tied to a stick slung over one shoulder and a flower in his hand. He seemed blissfully unaware that another few steps would take him off the side, a barking dog at his feet warning him of his impending doom. “The Fool, upside."

Even though the title of the card made Clair frown, the gothitelle was all smiles. “I do not enjoy comparing myself to a yapping canine, but…I do a good job of warning those that step into my tent."

“The Fool?" Claire expressed the words on her lips, her face growing a bit red. “Is that supposed to be me?" It seemed appropriate, albeit rather insulting at the same time. “That's…nice."

“It is, my dear." She chuckled after saying this. “Many take it at face value, but The Fool is number 0. It represents infinite possibilities. A new journey, filled with optimism and free of the constraints of your previous life…" Zarya's arms spread out, gesturing down to the six cards that lay before her. “I told you, destiny can be changed. The cards are promising for you if you will heed their advice. I do not expect you to make immediate changes, but if you don't…you may eventually come to regret it."

The human sat in silent contemplation. Her mind was awash with the possibilities that Madame Zarya had displayed to her. The gothitelle raised a hand and reached across the table to gently squeeze her shoulder. “Don't bother yourself with the details tonight. You came here to have fun, not to have Madame Zarya ruin your mood."

Reality came rushing back to her when the flap over the front of the tent was lifted. The sounds of the carnival returned to her senses. She looked up at the pokemon and slowly nodded. It gave her a lot to think about; part of her still wanted to believe it wasn't real, but there was no benefit to that. It all hit too close to home for her.

“Thank you, Madame Zarya…" She said this softly, her face still filled with apprehension and doubt. The pokemon led her to the entrance to the tent, one of her arms wrapped around her shoulders. “Do you…really think we can change our destinies?"

The gothitelle nodded immediately, softly patting her arm. “Of course…all you need to do is find the Strength inside of you. Flip Temperance and find balance. I know you have it within you." Her voice was soft and reassuring, even though she sighed as Claire began to leave. “Do not doubt yourself. Do what you know is right."

Claire took a few steps out of the tent and turned back, only to see that the flap had closed back over the entrance. She took a deep breath to soothe herself, before walking back out to the midway. She felt different, energized as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. It almost scared her how calm she felt now, and she allowed herself to smile as she headed back towards where she had seen Austin last.

He was waiting around with his hands shoved in his pockets, a look of dejection on his face. As soon as he saw her, he sighed and walked up to her. “There you are! I've been looking for you. What the hell, Claire? You just left me standing around."

She frowned immediately when he acted like this, about to apologize before closing her mouth. Her eyes narrowed, and she forced herself to stand up to his attempt at gaslighting her. “You walked off without me. I wanted to see everything before we used up all the tickets…" she trailed off and looked down at his hands buried in his pockets “where are they?"

Austin paused as she called him out on this. The surprise he felt was evident, but his expression soured even further. “I used them all up waiting for you." He stated bluntly. “That booth had a pikachu you could win." He gestured broadly with one hand towards a ring toss game. A bored human was leaning on the counter, twirling a ring on his finger as he waited for someone to come up to him.

Next to him stood a sign with a list of prizes. It cost a ticket per ring being tossed, hinting at just how desirable the rewards were.

“You couldn't have at least waited till I was here? You used up all the tickets and didn't win anything, huh?" Her thoughts flashed back to the women she had seen with the prize, and she curled her hands up into fists.

“Nope. I told you all these games were rigged." He didn't show any sign that he was phased by lying to her face. It made her wonder just how often he was able to lie to her without her realizing. “I told you, we're not spending any money either. Let's just go."

Claire was about to say something before she caught sight of one of the rewards. It listed a premium VIP pass for the performance, along with the chance to meet the performers in person afterward. While Austin began to walk away, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the ticket Charlie had given her. The light caught it, causing it to glint and attracting Austin's attention.

“Where'd you get that?" His curiosity piqued, he reached out to take it before she instantly closed her fingers around it.

“Charlie gave it to me. He was super sweet." She made sure to rub this in, for once not caring how he would react. It felt so good, knowing that she had the ability to stand up to him. It had been so long since she felt this way; it made her realize how he had forced her into a position of weakness, unable to do more than follow his commands. “And he said that even if I lose, I get to win a prize."

Almost like a switch had been flipped, Austin grinned at her. “Babe, that's awesome! If we get that pikachu I'm sure they're going to bump me up at the gym!" His grin faltered when he saw her disapproval. Soon after, he frowned and sighed. “You want that stupid pass, don't you?"

“He gave me the ticket. And you used all the other ones up, so…" she trailed off. That sense of weakness was starting to sink back into her. He was visibly upset, and he crossed his arms over his chest in a signal of finality.

“So, you're going to waste it on something childish like that." He finished for her. “I'm not trying to be rude, but that's really dumb." He sighed and dropped his hands to his side, before shooting her a small smile. “Come on, hon…I had to come here with you…the least you can do is give me something for it."

She felt his hand landing on her closed fist, but she didn't allow him to convince her. “Why do I have to always be the one making sacrifices for you?" Her heart began to beat even faster in her chest, the color rising back to her face. Something was holding her back. Something that was standing right in front of her. “Why can't we just do something that I like?"

Claire pulled her hand away from him, ignoring the shocked expression on his face and simply saying. “Why don't you ask that girl for that prize back, that way you at least get something for coming here."

Austin balked at her bringing attention to his lie. His mouth opened and closed partially before he frowned at her. “I don't know what you think you saw," he took a deep breath to calm himself “but you're wrong. Let's go home, Claire. You're obviously upset. I told you this wouldn't be fun."

Claire's answer was to turn her back on him. Her face was bright red while she crossed her arms over her chest. She could feel the tears beginning to appear in her eyes, but she fought them back as best she could. Now was not the time for tears. “Go home, Austin. We can talk about this later."

She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away, but she paid it no more mind. Whether he left or not was of no concern to her any longer. She didn't exactly feel good about herself for being so cold, but it wasn't like he gave her much of an option.

The man behind the counter looked up at her as she stepped up, and he straightened up a bit. “Evening, miss. Haven't had a single winner tonight, so all the prizes are still up for grabs." His eyes alighted on her hand and he instantly sat up completely when he saw the ticket in her hands. “Well, well…Charlie must have taken a shine to you. Well, the boss pokemon probably told you already." He gestured with his thumb to the wall behind him. There was a large number of toys hanging from the wall, but her desired prize wasn't in sight. “Doesn't matter if you lose, you can pick a toy."

Claire pursed her lips and set the ticket on the counter before turning to look at the sign. She didn't exactly have the money to spend on a game like this, not if she wanted to have food for the performance. “So…if I win, could I pick something off of here?"

His eyes followed her gaze before he shrugged. “Sure. Fair's fair. You land a ring and you can get whatever you want from there. Actually, tell you what…" he smiled faintly and grabbed a ring from beside him and set it on the counter. It was noticeably wider than the others, almost twice as much. “I'm sick of watching people lose at this, nothing wrong with a little extra help, right?"

The ring felt heavy in her hands when she picked it up. She had never been very good at games like this. She had been relying on Austin to win her a prize, after all. “Thanks…I…I really appreciate this."

“Eh, Charlie would zap my butt into next week if one of his girls didn't get what she wanted." He waved off her thanks and leaned back to watch. “Besides, someone needs to win!"

She took a deep breath and pulled her hand back before throwing underhand towards the bottles lined up along the far wall. There was a moment of tense anticipation as the ring soared through the air, the inner edge of it catching the top of a bottle. It circled around it, spinning quicker and making them think it might slip off, but it ultimately plummeted to the bottom of the bottle with a light clinking noise.

Even though he had given her the extra assistance, the man behind the booth whistled at her performance. “Would you look at that, we have a winner!"

Claire blinked a few times while staring at the bottle in disbelief. It seemed unreal to her, but as the attendant stood up, she shot him a big smile. “I want the VIP pass, please." The man produced it before moving to the board to cross off that possible reward. With her prize tucked into her hand, her mood improved immensely. It hung from a lanyard, a laminated square that bore fireworks suspended over a facsimile of the big top.

“Interesting choice. Just make sure you show that to the workers when you walk in." With his duty done, he moved back to his seat and kicked his feet up on the counter. “Better hurry, it should be starting soon."

As if in agreement, the background music that was pumped over the carnival began to swell, growing more merry and fast-paced. An announcement rang out over the speakers, listing the performance's start time being a mere fifteen minutes away.

Claire quickly tucked the lanyard around her neck, before thanking him once more and hurrying along. She didn't see Austin anywhere. She could only assume what kind of conversation they would be having when she got home. Her pokenav was already buzzing like crazy in her pocket, making her positive that he was trying to contact her. The pity game was always a favorite of his when he knew he was wrong. How had she never realized how needy he was?

The signs pointed her to the path towards the big top. The tent was bright red with gold flourishes, the sides depicting a variety of pokemon in different poses and gestures. There were crowds gathered about, pokemon performers allowing interested people to take pictures of them. As much as she would have enjoyed having the opportunity, she could always take the chance after the show.

The main entrances were rather packed, so she began to make her way around the side. An Alolan marowak stood at one of the auxiliary entrances out of sight of the rest of the patrons. He was looked upwards, idly spinning his bone club in one hand. Both ends of the club were alight with green fire, but it spun much faster than she thought possible, the pokemon's amazing dexterity relaying how much practice he had put into this. He seemed lost in thought, watching the stars overhead. When he saw her approaching, he nearly dropped his bone.

“H-Hello, ma'am. Can I…" He paused when he noticed the lanyard around her neck, before tossing the bone up and slamming the butt of it against the ground, extinguishing the flames that clung to it. “Oh, ummm, a VIP? Haven't had one of those in a while!" Even though his bone-like mask made him seem rather intimidating, he was very cordial as he stepped to the side and waved her in. “Come on in…"

Claire smiled and reached up to grasp the pass. “I just won it from the midway." It made her feel a bit shy when he treated her like an honored guest. She wasn't exactly used to anyone being excited to see her. Claire just hoped he didn't think she had spent money on this or anything. “I really liked the twirling…are you part of the show?"

Although his face obscured it, it almost seemed like the pokemon was blushing. “No, no! I just do that for fun…" He looked around to make sure no one was listening before he swallowed hard and gestured her a bit closer. “I get a little, uh…anxious when I have a lot of people watching me." He quickly called a granbull over to take his spot and urged her on. “My name's Corbin. Come on, I'll show you to your seat."

The inside of the tent was vast and partially dimmed. The scent of fresh wood and funnel cake hit her nose, mixing together in a scent that she remembered very well. It was circular, surrounding a large, wooden platform. Overhead was a trapeze across the main stage, a barely visible safety net hanging just below it. One of the tips of Corbin's bone brushed against the flame mark on his mask, illuminating it with a phantasmal green light and showing her the staircase descending downwards. The seats were already starting to fill in with people with the majority of seats towards the front full.

“I hope you don't mind a close look. Shiloh likes to sit with all the VIP's." He looked back up at her to make sure she was following, before heading down the wooden steps.

The marowak led her to a small ledge overlooking the main stage, a raised wall separating it from the rest of the crowd. There were a few seats down here, but they were all empty. They seemed much more opulent than the others, and Corbin had to remove a chain hung over the entrance to allow her in.

“Are you…sure it's okay if I'm here?" She looked around the area, feeling that familiar worry rising up. She felt out of place, like this was some kind of mistake and surely Corbin would come to realize that she didn't belong here. This seemed like a place where the wealthy would sit, far removed from the commoners.

“Of course! I have to get back, but ummm…is there anything I can get for you?" His bone club twitched in his hand, his nervousness manifesting as he began to twirl idly. “Something to drink, or eat? Anything at all?"

She moved to take a seat, but simply shook her head at him. He was so different from Austin. It wasn't within her to want to boss him around, but her growling stomach reminded her of her lack of dinner. “Well…maybe something to eat? I didn't really get a chance to grab anything."

He perked up as soon as she mentioned this, his tail swishing about slightly. “Of course! We have hotdogs, funnel cakes, pretzels, cotton candy," he took a deep breath, that dark tint rising to his face again “candy corn, popcorn, poffins, but oh, you wouldn't like those… ummm…any of that sound good?"

His enthusiasm and willingness to please was so refreshing that she couldn't help but giggle. It instantly made her own face redden further. “Well…why don't you go grab whatever you like the most?" A sudden surge of boldness overcame her, and she reached down to gently brush a hand along the pokemon's shoulders. She felt him jump and tense up, her fingers slowly running down his arms. “Think you can do that for me, sweetie?"

Corbin nodded as fast as he could, standing up tall and straight. “Y-Yeah, I can do that. I'll tell them to make it special, Miss…ummm…" He tilted his head to the side, his tail swishing behind him faster. “May I know your name, ma'am?"

“It's Claire, and thank you very much, Corbin…" The Alolan marowak nodded quickly, clearly embarrassed by her kind treatment to him. The lights darkened further while he raced off, his bone club illuminating his way.

The music swelled louder, dual spotlights flashing on and illuminating the top of the tent before swirling around in a mesmerizing display. Finally, they landed on the center of the platform where a burst of red smoke suddenly appeared. As it dissipated, she could clearly see a figure standing in it, dressed in a red jacket with golden buttons matching the exterior of the tent. She could see that their skin was painted white, a large top hat and their hand covering their face.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Pokemon of all sizes, creeds, and types." The voice was upbeat and lively, but it seemed to alter between masculine and feminine tones. The figure in the center tossed their head back, grabbing their hat and pulling it off of their head before they gave a deep bow. “My name is Shiloh. Welcome, to my wonderland!"

Even with how close she was to the stage, Claire couldn't tell if it was a man or woman standing before her. Their form was completely androgynous, their face painted white with a heart gracing either cheek. They smiled brightly at the crowd, slowly looking around as their hand twirled their hat in place. “I hope you have come ready to be amazed, astounded, and even flabbergasted by what you are to see here! Every night is special, every moment grand. Every person in here…is so wonderful for choosing to come."

Claire leaned a bit closer in her chair, the theatrics of it all drawing her in. The titular Shiloh knew how to maintain the attention of the crowd, twirling around in place and happily raising their hands to the cheers of the crowd.

“Although you may not know it, we are in a very, very special place. The fantastical and wonderful await you, the unbelievable and unimaginable grace you! But why am I still talking? You want to see the true stars of the show! Without further ado, I give you Athena, the eighteenth wonder of the world! In a puff of blue smoke, the figure disappeared from where they were standing, and the orchestra swelled while the spotlights landed on an entrance at ground level.

She was drawn out of her stupor when she heard a soft sigh to her side, and she blinked when she noticed the announcer stretching out on the other end of the booth. “Ooof, never do get used to that." They seemed to notice Claire sitting there and shot her a big smile, their teeth just as white and perfect as their skin was. “Why, hello there. I didn't realize I would be having a guest tonight."

Every step they took seemed calculated like they were still putting on a show even when Claire was the only one that could see them. Their strut ended before they gave a small spin and sat down in the chair next to her while their leg crossed over the other in one fluid motion. One of their hands stretched out towards her, and Shiloh let out the faintest of chuckles. “Shiloh. Just Shiloh, madam. I would hope you have heard of me by now."

Claire looked down at the offered hand. Realizing how rude it was that she hadn't accepted it yet, she took it in her own and gave a gentle shake. Shiloh only gave her the gentlest of squeezes as they shook it and giggled before quickly pulling their hand back. “I'm so happy I won't be alone. I would sit in the crowd, but I still need to make sure I can get back down there for my sets. Please do say something, madam. I know I possess the visage of a ghost, but I am quite friendly!"

She cleared her throat loudly. Reaching up with the hand she had just finished shaking their own with, she brushed the back of her head. “How did you…s-sorry, I just…didn't think I'd be here. I thought I would only get backstage after the show, it's all just…" a faint smile graced her lips “overwhelming, I suppose."

In the center of the stage, the lucario was demonstrating her prowess with a large, metal bar overloaded with huge weights. She seemed to be able to balance it effortlessly in one hand, not even fazed by it. A loud honk from the entrance she had come from signaled the arrival of a large, diesel truck.

“Oh, I could imagine. Forgive me, I have always been too flamboyant for my own good. I'm a man of many masks, you could say. Why, tomorrow I might even be a woman of many masks if the mood strikes me!" Shiloh snickered and pressed a finger to one of the hearts on his face. “I have always viewed myself as too fantastic to be contained by titles. Oh, listen to me go on and on like a noisy whismur! May I have the honor of your name, madam?"

His features suddenly made a lot more sense after he disclosed that. Whenever the light hit him, his facial structure seemed to shift, diverging from what she had glimpsed just moments before. The open, friendly attitude made her feel more at ease. “My name's Claire, just Claire." She noticed the way his face brightened as she coopted his own greeting, but her attention was drawn back to the stage.

The lucario waited for the driver of the vehicle to get up before they stepped up to the front of it. Her shoulders tensed as she grabbed the front of the vehicle and began to lift it. It seemed as easy to her as the weight had been. As she rose the vehicle above her head, muscles tensing with exertion, Claire heard a small murmur from her side.

Corbin had returned, clutching a large box in his hand with a variety of different food stacked in it. He looked up at her shyly, before setting it on a table next to her seat. “I-I didn't know what you'd like the most, so I just got a little bit of everything. I hope that's okay; you don't have to try it all…"

When Shiloh noticed him, as well as the gift he had brought her, he put on an almost Cheshire grin. “Ahhh, there's my favorite, little lizard!" Shiloh leaned forward in their chair and gestured him over. “Come, come. Have a seat with us! It seems you have met Corbin; did he give you a performance? He's so talented. If only he would allow himself to shine as bright as I know he can! Too innocent of a boy, I'm afraid; terrified of criticism!"

The marowak's face seemed to flush under his mask. The way Shiloh spoke of him made him shrink down under Claire's gaze, embarrassing him to no end. His eyes darted rapidly from the open seat next to Claire to the human herself. “I'm sure I would be bothering Claire if I were to, ummm, intrude upon her."

By now, the lucario had the vehicle lifted high above their head, their arms showing the faintest signs of wobbling from exertion. With a loud grunt, she hefted it back down on the ground to the loud applause of the audience. Her blue fur shone with a gleam of sweat, but she was all grins. She flexed her arms before the crowd, drinking in their adulation.

Shiloh sniffed a bit at Corbin's attempt to excuse himself. “Well now, that's for her to decide. If you would excuse me. And remember, life was meant for fun. Shine as bright as you can…and don't let Corbin scurry off and leave you alone!" This time, Claire could see when he reached up to a small microphone in his ear and spoke into it. “Tibalt, be a lamb and transport me to the center of the ring." He flashed the two of them a smile, before he disappeared, reappearing center stage in a burst of yellow smoke.

Noticing the look on Claire's face, Corbin chuckled weakly. “T-There's an alakazam under the stage. He's really, really good at teleporting people…hehe…" He shifted around, uncertain about this but noticeably apprehensive about leaving.

Her pokenav began to buzz again in her pocket, reminding her of Austin's attempts to reach her. She quickly reached down to silence it and sighed to herself. It made her wonder why she was so unlucky; made her wonder why more boys couldn't be as sweet as Corbin seemingly was. In the short period of time she had spoken with them, the pokemon she met tonight all managed to make her smile more than Austin could in a week. “Please, sit with me…I…don't really want to be alone tonight."

His cute display enamored Claire and no sooner had Shiloh begun to announce the next performer did she reach out to take his hand. His skin was rough and scaly, contrasting his sweet personality. He flinched as she drew him closer but relented and jumped into the chair next to her. “I-If that's really what you'd like…"

The next performer on the stage was the primarina that she had seen on the placard outside. She was even more beautiful in person than she would have thought, the lights making her glow with radiant splendor. Her appearance was nothing compared to her voice. She sang a sweet sonant, blowing bubbles into the air between words that caught the spotlights and produced glowing rainbows of color. It was impressive how she was able to catch her breath so quickly between sets, as well as surrounding the center stage in this stream of bubbles.

This time, Shiloh didn't return. She looked around for him and finally noticed him standing at the far end of the stage near the door the performers came out of. He was looking up at the seating area she sat at, a sweet smile on his face. With a gentle wave, Claire bit her lip and wondered why he had suddenly decided to leave them alone.

She soon received her answer when Corbin cleared his throat and smiled at her in apprehension. “So, did ummm…you come alone tonight? It can't be much fun to see the carnival alone…" His hands clenched and unclenched unsteadily, his bone club at his side and not there to help keep him distracted. “I always see couples coming here. It seemed like they have a lot of fun. I always wondered what that was like."

The primarina's voice had reached a higher pitch as her song continued, some of the bubbles popping from it. When he mentioned couples, she frowned and reached into her pocket, finally deciding to pull out the pokenav. Immediately, she could see a number of messages, as well as missed calls and voicemails left by Austin.

You were totally out of line

_ I told you I didnt want to go_

_ Come home_

_ Where R u?_

_ Seriously come home_

_ Why are you so immeture_

They continued much the same way down the list, not a single mention of an apology or even an attempt to take credit for his actions. He was already starting to misspell words, making her wonder if he had ended up going out to the bar after all. She realized Corbin was looking at her, the marowak's face distraught.

“Hey, uh…sorry, s-sorry…that was really rude of me…" His tail drooped a bit, reflecting his worried tone. His hands curled up on his lap and he looked down, whimpering a bit. “Please don't be mad at me."

The pokenav buzzed one more time in her hand. A call was incoming, and her hand trembled around it. Finally, she sighed and pressed the receive button. She didn't say a word into it, part of her morbidly curious to see what Austin had to say for himself. His response took her by surprise, as it was a simple, curt sentence.

“Look at what you made me do."

The line ended with a click. Seconds later, she received a picture message on her phone. If she was disheartened before, what she saw crushed her. It was needlessly cruel, shattering whatever pride she had left. Instantly, the sight of the Tower, the falling individuals and the bolt of lightning flashed before her mind.

She could see the familiar sheets on their bed, the wooden headboard and the chipped paint on the wall. Laying in their bed was the black-haired woman she had seen earlier in the night, completely naked and grinning scandalously at the camera. Her entire body was on display, shamelessly revealing every part of herself.

Corbin noticed when her hand began to shake, and when she suddenly got to her feet, he tucked his legs in closer. “Claire? Was it something I said?"

His voice sounded far away as the primarina finished her song. The audience burst into uproarious applause, and this time she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. He had done it. After months of pushing his luck and testing the boundaries, he had finally outright cheated on her. “I want to leave." She spoke quickly, not trying to hide the tears. He had won, he had gotten his way and ruined what was meant to be her special night.

Her attendant noticed her sudden shift in mood. He quickly jumped to his feet and nodded, the nervous attitude replaced by determination. “Come on, there's an exit this way, we don't have to pass anyone else." Shiloh was back in the center of the stage, announcing the only act she had come to see. The Noble Felines.

Claire let the tears flow, flinching when Corbin took her hand gently in his own. The marowak only stood up to her stomach, but he was strong. He urged her on gently, bringing her down a dark stairwell tucked away in the corner of their seating area. She didn't remember the journey, at that point, she didn't care to.

Only when the cold night air hit her tear-covered face did she reach up to wipe it clean. Through bleary eyes, she could see Corbin looking at her in worry. He hadn't released her hand for a moment.

“I'm so sorry. It was stupid of me to ask you something like that. I can take you to the exit…" He said this, but he frowned a few moments after. “If you don't want to be alone, we can go to my trailer…it's a bit messy, but we can talk there. I've been told I'm a good listener…" He smiled at her reassuringly, and Claire sniffled.

“That…that sounds good, Corbin …" she smiled at him, that bashful expression returning to the pokemon's face. He brushed it off but took her along, leading her to the back of the midway where there were a number of wooden caravans set up. A few of the performers were back here, and they glanced at the two curiously, but immediately looked away when they saw how distraught Claire was.

Corbin's trailer was tucked away farther back from the others. It was painted black and green, matching the marowak's coloration. The interior was cramped but homely. It smelled of wood shavings and the almost sour odor of the lizard pokemon. The bed and floor were covered in books, most of them dogeared with noticeable wear on them. They seemed to cover a variety of subjects, from fiction to non-fiction. He closed the door behind the two of them and immediately set to work gathering them up. “I'm sorry, I know it's messy…I don't really get a lot of visitors."

The pokemon was on a mission. He moved quickly, lighting his bone club and using the end of it to ignite a candle sitting next to the bed. “I-I know us lizards can stink, sometimes…but I hope it's not too bad."

When she moved to take a seat on the edge of the bed, he paused. With a sigh, he set his club aside and grabbed the bottom of his mask, slowly pulling it off. It contoured perfectly to his face; his scale coloration dark black like the rest of him. Claire knew that marowaks and cubones wore these masks nearly all the time. They only took them off when they felt truly safe. “I've never, uh…had a girl in here before. Okay, ummm, you can tell me what you feel comfortable with."

Now that he was removed from his mask, she could see his visage much easier. A pair of frills on his head resembled a set of ears, tucked back in worry. In the light of the candle, she had to admit he was rather handsome. The marowak respected her personal space and sat down on the floor across from her, his legs crossing together.

“My boyfriend is an asshole," was the first thing that she said, her hands curling into fists “whenever he does something bad, it's my fault. I think…I think we're done. I think we've been done for a long time." Like the Tower's card had flashed before her eyes, now she saw the Devil. The chained woman at his feet, the leash to her collar that he held. “He cheated on me, he sent me a picture of it. I didn't even get to see Zane and Asha; they were the only reasons I wanted to come…"

She took a deep breath. It felt strange telling someone she just met all of this, but the marowak didn't divert his attention for a single moment. His frills had raised higher at the mention of what he did, and he bared his teeth in a deep growl.

“Oh, geez. You didn't deserve that. No one deserves something like that to happen to them." Claire noticed how his hands clenched up and released. He was visibly distressed and unhappy. “What do you think you're going to do now?"

Clair sniffed a bit and moved back on his bed. It was surprisingly soft, alluding to the lizard pokemon's preferences. “I don't know." She tucked her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “They did it in our bed…it's going to make me sick just stepping foot in that building. His name's on the lease, so…he could just kick me out if I complained."

He nodded in agreement at this and sighed. “I could only imagine how something like that would make you feel. I wish I could speak from experience, but…I've never been in a relationship, so I couldn't possibly fathom how much he hurt you…" He mirrored her movement and pulled his own knees up to his chest. “Listen, if you need somewhere to stay, you're more than welcome to stay here."

Immediately after he said this, he seemed to realize what he might have implied, and he desperately waved his paws in front of him. “N-Not like that, of course! I could go to sleep outside. I would never, ever s-suggest a woman like you would want to share a bed w-with a pokemon." His stammering got worse when he realized he was digging himself into a deeper hole, and he groaned softly. “I'm sorry…I don't know how to talk to girls, and uh…I just want to make you feel better…"

She eased up her grip on herself, a small smile gracing her lips. Austin's negative attitude towards pokephilia had always been at the forefront of his personality. Whenever they saw a trainer and their pokemon showing more than a simple, platonic relationship usually sent him into a belittling mood. That was one of the reasons he had forbidden her from having pokemon of her own. “I'm not going to kick you out of your own house. You're making me feel better, Corbin…why don't you…" she reached down and gently pat the space on the bed next to her “come up here, you shouldn't have to sit on the floor."

He shifted slightly, debating this before getting to his feet. The marowak still seemed uncertain, much like he had when Shiloh first invited him to sit next to her. “Are you sure?" His tail tucked between his legs in an almost canine-like sign of submission. She could see his eyes darting around, the frills on his head lowering.

“Please, Corbin…" She found herself almost pleading the pokemon. She could only imagine what Austin would say if he saw her like this. Alone with a pokemon, sitting on his bed, even. “I don't want to force you, but I'd really, really like that…"

Corbin swallowed hard and looked downwards, before giving in to her request. The pokemon's weight caused the mattress to shift under them. He moved back to his cross-legged position and looked up in her eyes, his own displaying nothing more than concern for her. “I don't like seeing people sad, Claire…I always wished I could perform like the others. They always know how to make people smile..."

Claire felt butterflies in her stomach. She tried to remember the last time she had felt this way. The personality of the shy boy was so different, so caring and considerate.

Madame Zarya had said that the Fool was taken at face value too often, but right now, she couldn't see herself as anything else.

Corbin's eyes widened when he saw her reaching a hand towards him before gently cupping his cheek. The scales here were softer than they were on his hand, and she could feel the warmth that the fire and ghost type pokemon gave off. He flinched under her touch and looked at her uncertainly.

“C-Claire?" He almost squeaked when he asked this of her. It made her wonder just how old he was and if he had ever done something like this before. “What are you…what are you doing?"

She smiled at him, her heart beginning to beat harder in her chest. “I…I don't know. I guess I'm just a fool." She felt his entire body tense up when she pressed her lips against the shorter boy's own. His eyes were wide, and his lips felt rigid against her own, the shock of the kiss completely taking him by surprise.

It was only when she moved her head to the side and her eyes went half-lidded did he start to respond to it. His paws pressed against her shoulders, gripping her apprehensively. His own eyes squeezed shut as he pressed his lips more firmly against her, whimpering softly the entire time.

They didn't deepen it, nor did he make any attempt to take more. At that moment, she realized that he truly didn't have any experience with a woman. After savoring the warm embrace of his lips against her own, she pulled back and giggled, her cheeks incredibly bright red. It felt nice. That he was a pokemon didn't matter.

Corbin breathed deeply when he opened his eyes, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of something to say. “I…that was…my first kiss…" His chest rose and fell quickly. There was a silly smile on his face, reflecting his nervous energy. “That was…wow. I never thought I'd kiss a human…"

Austin never acted this way when they kissed. Even when she managed to get him to do this with her, it was usually no more than a quick peck. She smiled and pressed her hands on his shoulders, gently rubbing them and savoring the feeling of his scales. “I never thought I'd kiss a pokemon…but I really liked it. Would you like to do it again?"

His response was to dart forward, this time taking the opportunity to be the engager. He was slightly clumsy, his long snout bumping against her nose before he managed to secure his lips on hers. His cute whimpering was back as he kissed her. Corbin gripped her like he never wanted to let her go, and she fell into a passion that she had never felt before.

Her arms wrapped tightly around him before she moved backward on his bed. With the pokemon over top of her, she pressed her hands flat against his back, making him grunt in surprise and partially open his eyes.

Claire looked met his gaze with longing, desire, a craving for his touch. She pressed her tongue to his lips gently, wanting to see if he would take the hint. To her delight, she felt his mouth tremble before he parted his lips slowly. His tongue hesitantly poked against her own, slowly rubbing up and down.

Unlike a human, his tongue was long, slick, and forked at the end. It would take some getting used to, that was for sure. It was getting hot in the wagon, and having Corbin pressed against her wasn't helping. She couldn't bear to remove him, not when she felt his tongue inquisitively pressing into her mouth.

The lizard pokemon was slow and methodical, exploring, but only when he knew that she was accepting of it. He seemed like he was worried she would want to pull away at any second, but she made sure not to allow her tongue to get in the way of his own. They would break to take breaths, but they didn't leave each other wanting for long.

Corbin seemed to be a fast learner. His tongue began to rub against her own, teasing it with his much more limber one. To her surprise, she even felt it begin to wrap around hers like a snake constricting its prey. His face was dark with his blush as their eyes met. The thing that made her pull away was when she felt something poking against her leg.

More specifically, two somethings poking against her leg.

He seemed to realize it as soon as she did, and he broke the kiss, his paws darting down to his groin to try to hide himself from view. “I-I'm sorry, Claire! I'm so, so, so sorry!" He quickly moved off of her, and she was too surprised to keep her grip on him. By the time she sat up, he had already moved to the edge of the bed and was facing away from her.

“It's…I…this is why I never had a girlfriend." His frills dropped to his head and he whined unhappily. “It's disgusting. Only a female of my species would ever be interested in something as gross as this." His harsh treatment of himself took her by surprise, and she began to slowly move towards him.

“What do you mean?" She saw him flinch as she approaches, and as she rested a hand on his shoulder, he took a deep breath. “Corbin, I'm not going to think any less of you for…for getting aroused." That was the only thing she could think it would be, but it didn't explain what she had felt before.

He looked at her over his shoulder, completely crestfallen. His paws hadn't moved away from his crotch for a single moment. “You don't want to see it. I'm sorry, I just liked kissing you so much…" He whimpered when she pressed a finger to the bottom of his chin. Conflict raced in his eyes, and he was practically quivering in fright.

She didn't say a word, but instead reached down and gently took one of his wrists. He resisted her briefly before allowing her to pull his hand away.

Poking out of a slit between his hind legs near the base of his tail, two fat, purple pricks stood proudly against his black scales. They were uniform in appearance, covered in noticeable bumps with thick ridges around the head of them. The scent of his arousal was unpleasant at first, sour and pungent, but as she breathed it in, she could feel her body beginning to warm further.

“M-Males like me…have two…" he whispered “I hate them. I never wanted to show them to anyone." He growled as he bemoaned his own anatomy. Contrary to his worries, Claire didn't look away from them for a second. “I know, I'm a freak."

Austin had been an average size at six inches, and even though the marowak was so much smaller than him, she was impressed by his size. She assumed they were at least eight inches in length, and although they weren't very thick, their combined girth would make it more difficult to take them.

“Corbin…do you…" she started, growing dizzy from his musk “can I…touch them?" Her fingers quivered and she released his wrist. The pokemon may have been ashamed of himself, but his body had its own way of attracting a female, regardless of their species. She couldn't stop breathing in his musk, her nose twitching with each inhale. “They're so…so big…"

Even when the lizard pokemon looked at her in stunned silence, he could only nod slowly. Finally, he managed to speak, his other paw pulling away from the bright, purple erections. “If…i-if that's what you want to do…"

With one hand, she gently brushed the back side of her knuckles against one of his pricks. They were evidently very sensitive, as the lizard pokemon hissed under his breath. The heads were supported by thick ridges, pointed ends near the urethras made for breaching a female's cervix with the ridges locking them in place. The bumps were meant to stimulate a female's sex, something she would soon find out. She could only imagine how they would feel; Austin had always been forced to wear a condom when they had sex.

She could tell he was anxious, and when she gently wrapped her fingers around the base of one of them, he let out a loud moan. “C-Claire, your hands are so soft…" The lizard pokemon's cocks were hot to the touch and she could feel them twitch when she slowly began to run her fingers along one of them. “Ah, ahhhh…so that's what it feels like to have…someone else do that…"

Claire's curiosity was piqued, and she moved closer to his groin. The marowak was taken by surprise, but he moved further back on the bed, watching her nervously. His hips twitched each time she stroked his sensitive shaft, but she didn't leave the other one ignored for long.

This treatment was only afforded to her boyfriend on his birthday. Her nose bumped against the ridged tip of his erection, slowly rubbing against the intensely musky length. With how close she was to them it was as if she had shoved her face in a sauna. Corbin's breathing had picked up intensely, and he sharply gasped when Claire pressed her tongue against the base of the cock she wasn't rubbing.

The taste was just as sour as he smelled, filling her mouth with his flavor. She didn't allow it to dissuade her, and she closed her eyes tightly. After a moment of preparing herself, she slowly pulled her tongue from the base of his shaft, over the small bumps that covered it, and finally circling around the tip.

Corbin either wasn't trying or he simply couldn't hold back his moans. His face was dark from his blush, and he pressed his paws on her head, his claws digging into her auburn hair. “Claire, oh Arceus, oh sweet Mew…" his excitement urged her on, making her want to blow the little lizard's mind.

She opened her eyes partially and winked at him, her tongue circling the head of one of his cocks before she continued. Her lips spread open, and after making sure that he was watching, she drew it into her mouth. She had to release his other cock as she went down on him, and she felt the hot meat pressing against her cheek, grinding against her face no matter how hard he tried to prevent it.

He tossed his head back and moaned loudly for her, trying not to get too rough with the hold he had on her. “Please, don't stop, don't stop!" His shafts were already starting to twitch, watery pre squirting onto her tongue and against her cheek, coating her in the marowak's virile scent. The taste was just as sour as he smelled, but it was almost addictive. It wasn't too hard sucking the first four inches of his shaft, as far as she could go comfortably with how inexperienced she was. Corbin didn't seem to mind.

Before he could lose it, she pulled off of him with a lewd pop, only to slide the other cock in her mouth. They tasted and felt the same in her mouth, and she sucked as hard as she could around the lizard pokemon's length. He was getting closer, his pre becoming more plentiful. She could see his hips twitching with the instinctual urge to thrust, but he was holding himself back for her comfort.

Only when she pulled off of him did he push upwards, whining desperately to return to the comfort of her mouth. She was not one to disappoint, and after grinning at him, she gripped the base of his shafts, pressing them together. He knew what she was doing as soon as she opened her mouth, and he didn't hold back the cry of pleasure.

One cock at a time had been almost easy, but two was difficult. They filled her mouth up entirely, pressing her tongue down. This time, Corbin couldn't hold himself back. He gripped her head tightly and pushed forward, taking her by surprise as his twin dicks entered her throat. The pokemon was desperate in his motions, unable to deny his nature as her warm, wet mouth sucked him so well.

For the first time, she realized that he and Austin did share one thing. They both enjoyed making her deepthroat them.

She gagged at first, not used to having a cock buried in her throat. Austin had done this to her on more than one occasion, however, and she knew how to adapt to it. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the lizard take control of her. He thrust as hard as he could, pushing deeper and deeper until his smooth groin slapped against her face. Her hands trembled as she gripped his hips, not trying to push him away, but instead giving her a base to hold on to.

With one final push of his hips, the marowak's hemipenises began to twitch before she felt his seed spilling down her throat. They came in fat, thick bursts, coating her throat with the slimy fluid. She was glad she hadn't eaten anything at the performance, because he was incredibly backed up. With two cocks to fill her stomach, she didn't even need to swallow, he was force feeding her every drop that he could squeeze out.

Claire groaned around his shafts, her nose grinding against the area of his groin just above his genital slit. It was rough, passionate, and she wouldn't have traded it for anything else. Only when he began to come down from his orgasmic high did he realize what he had made her do. He gasped audibly and slowly began to pull his pricks free of her mouth, allowing her to feel the bumps that coated them and the way the ridges around his tip had flared outwards.

“I'm s-so sorry, oh Claire I just couldn't help myself. I've never had a female do that; I've never even bred before!" He swallowed hard when he finally pulled free, expecting her to chastise him for his actions. He wasn't expecting, however, when her tongue darted around the tip of his erections, licking up the last of the slimy seed that clung to them. “W-Woah…"

With the dumbfounded lizard looking down at her, she shot him a big grin and licked her lips clean. She found his semen desirable, and she was almost tempted to keep sucking him, but she knew what she wanted next. “Thank you, Corbin." She giggled at the way the pokemon blushed and stammered, trying to come up with some way of responding to her.

She giggled as he fought with this, and now that she was free from under him, she could continue. With him watching her in stunned silence, she began to undress, letting the young pokemon drink in every inch of her body. “I hope you're not worn out yet, I…I want to be the first girl you breed." She had come this far, and she didn't want to stop. Her worries seemed so far away. In here, there was just her and Corbin.

Claire shivered when she revealed her breasts to the pokemon. She wasn't exactly gifted in this area, but she was definitely perky, her pink nipples standing out in sharp contrast to her pale skin. Corbin drank in the sight of her, his penises returning to their former rock-hard state when she made mention of her intentions.

“You're…really going to let me breed with you?" His eyes were incredibly wide and his hips spread out wider. She got a good look at his genital slit, at how it stretched open to allow his twin pricks to slide out.

She giggled and nodded, hesitating when she came to her pants. She had only ever had sex with Austin. The pokenav hadn't rung for a second since he sent her the picture. At that moment, it didn't matter. They were done. As far as she was concerned, Corbin could be her new lover.

When she revealed her white panties to him, she climbed back onto the bed, laying on her back near the top of it. While he stared at her, she took a deep breath and spread her legs out wider. “Corbin, could you…pull them down for me?" She asked, amused by the way he quickly nodded and began to approach her. His touch was a little rough and showing his eagerness, digging into her skin momentarily before he loosened his grip. He was staring intently at her crotch, watching in enraptured excitement as she was slowly revealed to him.

She exhaled when she felt the soft cloth falling between her legs. She kept herself well shaved, leaving her pink slit completely visible to him. Corbin could only stare at it, his mouth hanging open in shock. His nostrils twitched and his eyes closed partially as he breathed in her scent, his body rippling with arousal.

“So…that's what they look like…and smell like…" His long, forked tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth, giving Claire a hint of what he was going to do next. “I wonder…what it tastes like…" He returned his paws to her hips, giving her a few moments to wait in eager anticipation as his forked tongue slid forward, the two prongs at the end of it just barely brushing against her entrance.

She murred under her breath and tilted her head back. The marowak's inquisitive touches made her shiver and wiggle for him. Much like their kiss, he soon started to become more emboldened, pressing closer to her. Her breathing grew faster with each pass of his tongue, the forked appendage teasing her to no end. “Corbin…mmmm…"

She inhaled deeply to try to calm herself. With how eagerly he had taken her mouth and gotten her worked up, the tongue against her wet slit felt like absolute heaven. He was licking it full-on now, stroking his tongue along the front of her lips. Although he was clearly inexperienced in the ways of pleasuring a woman, he was licking her so thoroughly that he would occasionally brush against her clit. The noises that she made urged him on to keep licking this area, and he soon had the older woman wiggling around under his ministrations.

Claire swallowed hard and grasped the top of his head, drawing him in closer to her groin. That was all the indication he needed that she was loving this, and he moaned huskily into her sweet cunt. It was better than anything he had tasted at the fair, and just like his taste had bewitched her, so had hers done to him. Her toes began to curl as he pressed his tongue directly against her wet lips before they yielded to him.

At that point, she could no longer take it. The pleasure was too much, the knowledge that it was a pokemon pushing her past the limit. She gripped his frilled head tightly and cried out as she came for him, her sweet juices coating his tongue. While she came, he lapped furiously, whimpering for her as his tongue swirled just as desperately in her pussy as it had her mouth.

She gasped desperately for breath as she finally fell back against the bed, simply allowing him to clean the last remnants of her orgasm. Her mind was still cloudy, and she giggled as he pulled his muzzle free, trying to lick up the last few drops that clung to his nostrils.

Their eyes met briefly, and no words needed to be spoken between them. They both knew what the other wanted, and as he began to move over her, she welcomed him with a loving embrace. Claire could feel his twin cocks grinding against the front of her groin as he got into position.

Corbin's manhoods felt even larger now than they had when she sucked him off. He moved rigidly, trying and failing to line them up properly. “Come on…come on…" he whined to himself. When one of his shafts pressed against he, he was about to enter her before Claire stopped him.

“I'm not…I'm not a virgin, Corbin. I want all of you…" Only when Claire reached down and gently grabbed the bases was she able to direct both tips to her welcoming entrance. It felt alien and strange to her; part of her was disgusted with the thought of taking them in.

She felt him tense up, the virgin pokemon readying himself before he allowed instincts to take over. Her eyes fluttered when she felt herself being stretched open for the ridged heads. Her walls spread for them, allowing him to sink deeper by the second. Corbin's breath came in quick, desperate gasps, his face practically shoved into her breasts as he rested atop her. His weight carried him forward, her walls straining with each inch.

The bumps along his cock were incredible, rubbing and catching on her walls but ultimately doing nothing to impede his entrance. She couldn't resist clenching up around him, making the pokemon gasp at the sensation. “Oh, gosh…you're so tight…" He groaned in satisfaction as he pushed more than half his twin penises into her. “Feels so good…"

In contrast to his first climax, this time he was able to control himself a bit better. Corbin didn't try to shove it into her, this time he savored the sensation of sinking inch after inch in his new lover. His hips flexed when she pressed her hands against his back, and he quickly met her eyes.

“Claire, I..."

“Shhhh…just breed me, Corbin." He didn't need her to say anything else. She felt him adjust himself over top of her before he used his full strength to drive himself into her. Immediately, Claire arched her back and cried out for him, his scaly groin slapping against her crotch. She felt the ridged head pressing firmly against her cervix, demanding entrance to her most private of places.

It wasn't there for long, the lizard pokemon pulled back only a few inches before he started to thrust into her as fast he could. The little virgin was so worked up that he wasn't able to control himself. Now that he was buried all the way in a female, nothing on Earth could stop him.

That was the farthest thing from Claire's mind. She fought to keep her legs spread for him, welcoming him no matter how hard he thrust. The bumps along his shaft ground constantly against her lips, setting her mind alight with forbidden pleasure. The pokemon's heat grew more intense as he worked himself into a fevered pace.

The bed creaked and groaned beneath the force of the pokemon's thrusts. The headboard banged against the side of the wagon, but neither cared how loudly their lovemaking had grown. Every thrust caused the tip of one of his penises – seemingly alternating each thrust – to bounce off her cervix. The tight ring muscle was strong, but it was no match for the full strength of a horny lizard and it was beginning to part more each second.

His claws had dug deep into the skin on her hips, refusing to let her go. As his face rubbed against her breasts, his long tongue slipped out, teasing one of her nipples and eliciting louder moans from his mate. As he pressed down on her, she was unintentionally forced to lift her legs higher into the air, allowing him a better angle to penetrate her.

Corbin's teeth gritted together, a bit of saliva rolling down his chin and splattering on her breasts. He wasn't going to last much longer, even after having climaxed once already. Claire desperately pushed against him; feeling the teasing sensation of his ridged cocks was driving her crazy. He was clumsy at first as he tried to match her pace, but his work was enough to fulfill her desire.

Claire's eyes shot open when she felt one of the ridged head pressing firmly against her cervix one last time before it yielded to the horny lizard. Corbin's frills rose high and he let out a victorious cry as he began to cum. His thick seed blew into her in a larger amount than it had down her throat, the ridges flaring out and trapping him, forcing his seed as deep into her belly as it could reach.

His other cock, while not buried in her cervix, still caught on her walls and filled the rest of the human's love tunnel. She could feel a bit of the pearlescent, slimy seed leaking past him with how stretched open she was, but the majority was trapped where it landed.

“Ahhhh, Claire!" He shuddered when he felt her squeezing up tighter around him. His female joined him in a passionate cry when he forced her over the edge, making her clench him as tight as possible. The sensation of being filled with semen for the first time was indescribable, and it was all she could do to not lose her mind.

As her climax washed over her, she pulled him close to her, the two desperately gasping for breath. Corbin tried to pull back, only to feel his ridges catching on her cervix and making Claire yelp from the feeling. He settled down after that, more than content to simply allow his body to do what was natural: inseminating his mate.

“That was…so good…" He could barely speak he was so tired. That silly grin was back on his face, and Claire could only match his expression.

Never in her life had she come that hard, and she wiggled her hips, savoring the feeling of his shaft lazily blasting more of his genetic material into her. She briefly worried about the possibility of impregnation; she was ashamed to admit she never even considered it, nor did she know if it was even possible between a pokemon and a human.

The way Corbin looked at her made all of that seem irrelevant. He gripped her tightly, snuggling his scaly snout against her neck before his tongue darted out to lick along her chin. “I can't believe that's what breeding feels like…" He sighed dreamily, before grimacing as he wiggled his hips. “I…I don't know when I can pull out. My dad said it would, uh…lock me to my mate if I got it deep enough…"

Claire grimaced when he gave an attempted tug backward, and she felt how stubbornly the ridges refused to release her. It seemed they were in it for the long haul. She smiled, however, and giggled while giving him a gentle kiss on his forehead. “You did say I could stay with you tonight, right?"

Corbin smiled and nodded eagerly, slipping into the human's embrace with a happy sigh. “As long as you'd like, Claire…there's another performance tomorrow night.." He nibbled on his lower lip, facing downwards but looking up at her with his best begging eyes. “Maybe…maybe we could try going, and uh…I could see what it's like for couples to see the carnival together?"

Claire immediately leaned down and kissed him on the lips. Neither seemed to mind that their taste was still fresh on each other's lips. “I…I would love that, Corbin."

---

By this time of night, the midway had begun to close down. The music had ended, and the lights were turned off, except for the soft candlelight coming from Madam Zarya's tent. She sat at her table with her arms folded in front of her. Right now, she stared down at the six cards laying before her.

After Claire left, she hadn't had the heart to return them to her deck. The future was difficult to read, even for a member of her species that could see it written in the stars. The Tarot cards assisted her in this endeavor, and they were rarely wrong. She was about to pack them up before she noticed something.

The Reversed Lovers. She extended her psychic powers to them, having wondered if the human would have the heart to make the changes she needed that night. The gothitelle smiled brightly when the card began to spin on its own, correcting itself and assuming an upright position.

“Harmony, perfection, unity…" she intoned “well done." With a sweep of her hand, she returned the cards to her deck. The candles extinguished and the flap over her tent fell as she got up from her seat. The night was over, and the future was bright. “I'm happy for you, my dear."

For the carnival was a place of merriment and joy, where no one was meant to leave unhappy. She had been fearful of the possible routes she had seen, but the 'fool' had found the correct path.