"So, what do the two of you have planned for the rest of the day?" asked Ellaine, setting a veritable tower of brightly colored fruit and what looked like macarons in front of her Munchlax as Jason and Korrina jointly set the table.
"I'm still on vacation right now, so I was thinking of working on my tan and teaching Jason how to care for a Pokémon egg," answered Korrina, shifting her gaze to Jason as she added, "But I'm always down for extra training. We just need to be careful not to overdo it."
"If possible, I would like to get started on learning what I'll need to know to survive in this world," stated Jason, scanning the many books lining the walls as he clarified, "I'd like to start with local flora, fauna, and Pokémon, and then move on to geography, infrastructure, and economics."
Raising her right brow, Ellaine sat in her prepared seat and asked, "I get learning about the local plants and wildlife, but why bother with the rest? Are you looking to start a village or something?"
Shaking his head, Jason calmly explained, "I just like to know where I'm positioned within society as a whole, and the sooner I can begin making money of my own, the sooner I can reimburse you for providing me with food, clothes, and lodgings."
"Mmn...that's not really something you need to worry about," contended Ellaine, surprising Jason as she revealed, "The League set up an account for you with all the Pokédollars you would have earned as a native of our world. I've been designated as your temporary guardian and custodian, but once you become a proper Trainer, you'll have access to the account and receive a stipend every two weeks."
"And that's the case for everyone?" asked Jason, his expression making his disbelief apparent as Ellaine's words implied that the Pokémon world had a universal basic income. That would explain how Trainers were able to leave their homes at a young age and purchase the food and supplies they needed to travel and survive, but that didn't make the revelation any less jarring to someone who had been born and raised in the trenches of capitalism and corporate exploitation...
"Well, yeah," responded Ellaine, looking confused as she tilted her head and asked, "How would people survive and pursue the things that interest them if they were constantly worried about money? Of course, it's always better to have more, but a bi-weekly stipend is considered as essential as clean water, food, shelter, and healthcare. People need money to live, so if they aren't provided at least enough to cover their basic needs, how are they supposed to survive and be happy?"
"That's a good question..." muttered Jason, closing his eyes and exhaling in weary exasperation. He had hit the proverbial lottery with his intellect and by encountering people willing to give him a leg up in kickstarting his companies and helping to promote them, but he knew a preponderance of people lived from paycheck to paycheck or needed to work multiple low-paying jobs to survive in a society that viewed them as a resource and a means to funnel capital to the already wealthy...
"Want my suggestion...?" asked Ellaine, noticing Jason's exasperation but deciding not to press him for the reason. Instead, as he opened his eyes to meet her gaze, she smiled and advised, "You should watch TV, peruse books, and simply do what interests you. Instead of aiming to understand your place in society, you should create a place for yourself. That's one of the reasons we send our young on journeys to become Pokémon Trainers. The world is far more expansive than the communities and institutions we create to ensure our comfort."
"I still remember my first time visiting a region other than Kalos..." chimed Korrina, closing her eyes and reminiscing as she sighed, "Everything was so different. But the people there accepted me, taught me what I needed to know, and assisted me when I faced difficulties. I would have done the same for someone visiting from outside Kalos, but I never expected to be on the receiving end of such care and consideration. It taught me that, no matter what region we were born in, we're still people. We're all doing our best to find where we fit in, and by helping others find their own, we move one step closer to achieving the best version of ourselves."
"I see..." muttered Jason, finding himself awed by the duo's words and exceedingly positive worldview. Until that moment, he had assumed they were only helping him because they pitied or benefitted from him in some way. That was likely still the case, but the underlying reason for their aid seemed to be that helping those in need was simply the right thing to do—a sentiment that had all but disappeared from his previous world.
"And if you find you can't find anything that interests you, you can always become an employee of the Aether Foundation or come and be one of my Assistants at the Dimensional Research Lab," offered Ellaine, preempting Jason's response by appending, "Right now, we're focused on studying a phenomenon known as Ultra Wormholes and a strange dimension we've dubbed Ultraspace. But if you're willing to assist us, I'm sure we could get approval to look into a means to return you to, or, at the very least, send a message back to your world."
"I appreciate the offer, and will cooperate in any way I can..." affirmed Jason, his brows furrowing slightly as he reminded, "But, even if we can establish a connection with my world, I'm afraid there won't be anyone on the other end to receive it..."
Deciding to place his trust in Ellaine and Korrina fully, Jason opened his System interface, toggled its visibility, and explained, "Do you remember me telling you about my System and how everyone in my world was sent to a place called the Tutorial? Well, in the bottom left of my interface is a countdown. Based on everything that's happened, it's likely my world has been closed off for what would amount to fifty-three of your years. And if my suspicions are correct, I will be offered the option or forcibly returned the moment the countdown reaches zero..."
"Oh? Is that the System you spoke of during our interview...?" questioned Ellaine, her yellow eyes gleaming with intrigue as she got up from her seat and made her way around the table to stand behind Jason's, her breasts bumping the back of his head as she leaned forward and curiously waved her left hand through the interface's holographic surface.
Doing his best to ignore the warm softness bumping the back of his head, Jason expressionlessly explained, "It provides a lot of useful information, and by completing certain tasks—like consistent training—I can increase my physical, mental, and spiritual parameters to become more powerful. And just yesterday, I learned that I can do the same for those I've added to my Party..."
"Your Party...?" repeated Ellaine, rising to her full height and perking her right brow as she asked, "Like in a video game?"
"Assuming we're thinking of the same thing, then yes..." affirmed Jason, nodding. Then, anticipating the question before it could leave the duo's lips, he asked, "Would the two of you like to join it? I'm not entirely—"
"If it can help me get stronger, of course I'll join your Party...!" affirmed Korrina, her vibrant blue eyes blazing with curiosity and more than a hint of excitement.
"I'm not particularly interested in becoming stronger, but I'm too curious not to say yes," appended Ellaine, prompting two nearly identical System notifications to appear before Jason's face.
[The 1-Star Entity, [Korrina Masters], wishes to join your Party. Will you accept her? [Yes/No].]
[The 1-Star Entity, [Ellaine Burnet], wishes to join your Party. Will you accept her? [Yes/No].]
With no reason to retract the offer, Jason promptly confirmed adding Ellaine and Korrina to his Party. As he did...
"Oh? Something's changed. A bunch of text has appeared...Status, Skills, Equipment..." noted Ellaine, her eyes scanning Jason's System interface. Before, it looked like a sapphire-hued, semi-transparent window with no notable features. Now, she, Korrina, and the nearby Audino could see the same menus as Jason, including his [Relationships] tab.
"Relationships?" Ellaine read aloud, her curiosity piqued as she placed her hands on Jason's shoulders and questioned, "Does that mean you're able to assess what kind of relationship you have with others? Can I see what ours looks like~?"
"Sure..." responded Jason, his response low, almost mechanical as he opened the Relationships tab, permitting both Ellaine and Korrina, who promptly joined the Professor in invading his personal space, to see how the System evaluated their relationships.
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[Relationships]
[Ellaine Burnet]: 1-Star
Bond Level: 2,443
Relationship Status: [Protected]
Relationship Bonus: 50%
[Unnamed]: 1-Star
Bond Level: 1,741
Relationship Status: [Dependent]
Relationship Bonus: 20%
[Korrina Masters]: 1-Star
Bond Level: 949
Relationship Status: [Friend]
Relationship Bonus: 20%
[Augustine Sycamore]: 1-Star
Bond Level: 112
Relationship Status: [Acquaintance]
Relationship Bonus: 0%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It appears I'm in the lead~" remarked Ellaine, sounding amused as she squeezed Jason's shoulders. When she saw that this caused their Bond Level to increase by four points, her yellow eyes flashed and narrowed in intrigue.
"Who's this Unnamed person...?" asked Korrina, adopting a slight frown as she asked, "And what does the 1-Star next to our names mean?"
"Unnamed isn't a person..." corrected Jason, shifting his gaze to Audino, prompting Ellaine and Korrina to do the same.
"Auwadinn...?"
Seeing everyone suddenly look her way, the Audino, seated on the floor next to Munchlax, tilted her head to the side. She was smart enough to understand human speech, but its nuances and the specifics of what they were talking about eluded her.
"Mmn...I guess the two of you did live together for seven days..." noted Korrina, her words causing a strange feeling to permeate her chest before she caused Jason's heart to beat quicker as she smiled and teased, "But now that I know there's something like a ranking, I kind of want to stand at the top..."
[Your relationship with the 1-Star Entity, [Korrina Masters], has changed to [Bestest Friend(Prospective)]. Your current Bond Level is 961. Future gains will be increased by 50%.]
"Now, now, we can't forget about Jason's condition..." Ellaine chided, her tone patient but firm as she remarked, "I won't get in the way of the two of you growing closer, but try not to pressure him. You've seen how easily overwhelmed he is. Don't push him more than he's comfortable with, and don't forget my previous warnings."
"I know when to press forward and when to pull back..." argued Korrina, her blue eyes blazing with conviction and self-confidence as she raised and balled her right hand into a fist. She respected Ellaine as she did all Professors. But as someone who aspired to stand at the pinnacle of the Pokémon world, she refused to come second to another woman—at least in fields she could realistically compete in.
"We'll see if that's really the case..." countered Ellaine, exhaling faintly from her nose but maintaining her smile as she removed her hands from Jason's shoulders and pulled over the unoccupied chair to his left. Then, for the better part of two hours, she and Korrina, flanking Jason on both sides, had him walk them through every feature of his System interface, permitting them to see their Statuses, review his Quests, and learn of the existence of his mysterious Subspace, [Sanctum]...
...
..
.
With Ellaine needing to leave to report to her superiors and complete a few chores around the city, Jason was left with Korrina, Audino, and the Professor's Munchlax. He also had his Pokémon egg with him, seated in his lap as he sat on the beach and watched the waves next to a topless Korrina, lying on her back and soaking up the sun in white, red-trimmed bikini bottoms and red-rimmed sunglasses.
'This world really is beautiful...' thought Jason, alternating his listless gaze between the breathtakingly blue sea before him and Korrina's body out of the corner of his eye. She had clarified that beachgoers didn't typically go top or bottomless with strangers around, but as the stretch of beach they were on was private and she didn't consider him a stranger, she had even asked him to help apply tanning oil to her fair but increasingly sun-kissed body.
Closing his eyes, lowering his head, and cradling the egg in his lap, Jason offered a silent prayer to whatever force had allowed him to end up in the world of Pokémon. He would never give up on returning to his own, but of all the worlds he could have ended up, he couldn't imagine any kinder or more peaceful than the one he was currently in...
...
..
.