Work Text:
“Empty spaces,
What are we living for?
Abandoned places,
I guess we know the score.
On and on,
Does anyone know what we are looking for?”
My voice rang out across the packed big top, all of them there to see me. The brilliant, blazing Phoenix of the circus. I followed the notes of Freddie Mercury just as I had rehearsed.
“Another hero,
Another mindless crime,
Behind the curtain,
In the pantomime!
Hold the line!
Does anybody want to take it anymore?”
I tapped my foot as the chorus kicked in, closing my eyes and letting the music flow through me.
“The show must go on!”
The crowd breathed in with me.
“The show must go on!”
The crowd swayed with me.
“”Inside my heart may be breaking,
My makeup may be flaking,
But my smile still stays on!”
I sang my heart out, letting my true emotions free in the only way I could. As a performance. As an act.
As I finished the song, the music faded, and the cheering and applause began. I affected my biggest, fakest smile, put my right arm out, my left to my waist, and bowed deeply.
“The incredible Phoenix Ashford, ladies and gentlemen! A firebrand and a songbird.” The Ringleader said, coming out from the staff entrance. Stage left.
“Now, Phoenix, you were telling me that you had something special for our guests tonight?”
I adjusted the microphone crooked over my ear, then affected my fake Paldean accent. “Si, si, mi amigo!” I shouted. “But for that, I need un volunteer!” I said, turning to the crowd, throwing my hand over my eyes, then peering at the audience. “Who wants to play with fire?”
Hands shot up. The Ringleader stepped into the crowd, making the very difficult decision.
While he did that, I got my next trick ready. I set a chair in the center of the arena, then cleared the hay from the chair in a large circle.
As I finished up, the ringleader approached me with a 19 year old woman in tow. I grinned. “Now, whilst I prep un voluntaria, I ask that you give your attention to the talents teriffico of the Spinarak Sisters!” I shouted.
The dancers, a pair of twins from Kanto named Fumi and Fuki, spiraled down from the ceilings on ribbons of silk, much to the delight of the guests.
I smiled and turned my microphone off, then turned to the girl. “Nice to meet you.” I said, dropping the fake accent. “Keith Jones.” I said, sticking out my hand.
“Oh wow. I hadn’t expected this to be serious.” She said, taking my hand.
“Very. We’re using fire ma’am. Now, I need you to understand something. So long as you remain completely still, you aren’t in any danger.”
She nodded.
“That is key. No matter what happens, do not move. I am a professional of twenty years, and I won’t let you get hurt. Now, that said, accidents happen. If anything goes out of control, your very first job is to stop, drop and roll. Once you are extinguished, you are to stay on the ground while the EMTs check you over. With burns, any kind of movement can burst a blood vessel or a muscle, and you don’t want that. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Young lady…” The Ringleader chimed in. “For legal reasons, we must have you verbally confirm.”
“Oh!” She said. “Yes, I understand, and I fully consent to being a part of this performance.”
I smiled. “Magnifico. Please, have a seat.” I said, then reached down, turning my microphone back on as the twins scrambled back up their ribbons to the stagehands waiting in the gantries.
“Las Hermanas de Spinarak!” I shouted, taking up the accent again and clapping enthusiastically. “Muchas muchas gracias, mi familia!”
I winked. “Now, how about a little fire?”
The crowd whooped and cheered. I gave them an evil grin, then reached down to my belt, tossing the red and orange balls I had painted up in the air. “Llamarada! Leo! These people want to be entertained!”
The pokeballs flared to life. A thick, billowing cloud of smoke emerged from one, a flickering appearing in the center. As the smoke cleared, Llamarada, my Houndoom, was crouched down, snarling, fire burning in its throat.
On the other side of me was a similar cloud, but white. As it cleared, my Arcanine stood in the middle, standing proud.
I put out my hands, forming O’s with each of them. “Now, Flamethrower! Fuego mas!”
Both of the fiery pokemon roared, and thick gouts of flame shot from their mouths. The fire thinned, going perfectly between my hands. We began moving in a carefully choreographed ballet, the pokemon following me closely as I spun and twirled, the double flamethrowers forming flaming rings that fell around me, splashing the arena with searing flame.
This is why I cleared the hay.
“Flaming Lasso!” I shouted.
The pokemon fanned out behind me as I fell to my knees, forming rings with my hands again, and they fired off their flamethrowers again, but this time, the rings were cascading down around my volunteer.
She was, frankly, horrified, but that was a normal response. She balled herself up in the chair as the fire fell down around her.
Syncronized, I threw my hands out as the pokemon ended their streams of flame and shot forward. I rolled in near the chair.
“Now, time for the main event. Stay still.” I said to the volunteer as the two pokemon ran in circles around us, spitting their fire into the air. It formed a dome, falling down in a curtain that the audience couldn’t see through. The fire fell on them, not that they noticed.
I pulled another ball from my belt and tossed it in the air. It let out a searing flash as Leo and Llamarada bounded off in different directions.
A massive, flame-winged pokemon appeared behind me, its six wings beating the air, heating the arena by twenty degrees by its sheer presence. “Now, witness a god! Infernus, Fireblast Finale!”
My Volcarona trilled, then shot into the night sky, its brilliant, flaming wings making a striking silhouette. When it reached the designated height, it started darting around, bright flashes of fire appearing in the air. Those fireballs exploded in showers of reds, blues and greens as Infernus changed the chemical compositions of the fires he shot out.
Living fireworks inside a big top. Eat your heart out, Kabu. The blasts were dazzling, and to top it off, the final few formed the characters for “Phoenix Ashcroft!”
My finale was met with thunderous applause. I bowed at the waist again, then moved to the side and gestured to my brave volunteer.
The show had gone on, once again.