After departing his Sanctum, Jason, Korrina, Maeve, Nanahoshi, and Ren briefly dropped by the medical center before making their way to Ellaine's place, where Lillie, Wicke, Bianca, and Seren were waiting to eat breakfast together.
"Oh? You've returned. Welcome~" hummed Wicke, taking advantage of the fact she had just left the kitchen to be the first to greet Jason with a tight hug and a deep, tongue-entangling kiss. Jason readily reciprocated, and since he knew she enjoyed it when he did so, his hands, which began at her waist, gradually transitioned to her butt to give it a gentle squeeze.
"I'm home..." responded Jason, waiting for his and Wicke's lips to part before meeting and staring deeply into her yellow-green eyes. He didn't understand it himself, but as everyone seemed to enjoy it when he did so, it had become a habit.
"Breakfast has been prepared," chimed Lillie, making her way over with a radiant smile as she replaced Wicke in Jason's embrace, stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him, and appended, "Welcome back..." before matching his intensity with her clear green eyes.
"Man. Things sure have changed here since my last visit. They're a lot more lively—that's for sure~" hummed Korrina, her eyes scanning the interior of Ellaine's refurbished home as she made her way over to the dining room table, which was now large enough to comfortably seat at least ten people.
"Jason and I spent a few days reorganizing things. And have you had a chance to see the garden? We had parts of it dug up and have turned it into an enclosed playground so Ren and friendly wild Pokémon can play together," revealed Lillie. "As for Ellaine's vegetables and berry bushes, we moved the majority of them to a hydroponic greenhouse not far from here."
"Wow. It sounds like this place is becoming a proper community. At this rate, it might even grow to become a small village," remarked Korrina, her brows perking as she and everyone else sat around the already set table.
"That's the plan," affirmed Jason, taking his spot at the head of the table with Lillie seated to his left and Wicke occupying the wooden chair to his right in Ellaine's absence.
With Korrina's attention turned to him, Jason explained, "Over the past couple of weeks, we've been deliberating and planning with a fifty-year timeframe in mind. That's when I'll presumably be returned to my world by some form of transdimensional teleportation, so we have until then to advance our research and make preparations to make that brief window into a permanent thoroughfare."
"To explain things simply, there's a possibility this site could become the location of an interdimensional port which connects our world to at least one other," supplanted Wicke, adjusting her glasses as she revealed, "We will be disguising its true purpose behind the opening of a private resort that caters to the influx of powerful Trainers we expect to visit Alola in the future, of course. So be sure to do your best in the upcoming WCS."
"I always do," affirmed Korrina, tilting her head slightly as she asked, "But why do you mention it?"
"Well, as of this moment, only a very small minority of Trainers can utilize Z-moves," explained Lillie. "Your time here has increased public interest in Alola, but if we are going to attract powerful Trainers here, we will need to advertise and establish that Z-Moves are just as crucial as Mega Evolution to improving one's standing in the WCS rankings."
"Mmn...that will be easier said than done," contended Korrina. "While Z-Moves are certainly powerful, they place a tremendous strain on both the Trainer and their Pokémon. They could definitely clutch things in a pinch, but limited techniques like Mega Evolution are bound to be more reliable in the long-term."
"It's more accurate to say they place a tremendous strain on both the Trainer and their Pokémon now," corrected Wicke, sporting a confident and playful smile as she reminded, "Even Mega Evolution had its quirks when it was first introduced. With more Trainers acquiring the means to use Z-Moves and a central hub for us to study them, they could become just as dependable."
"Fair enough," conceded Korrina, nodding. She mainly preferred Mega Evolution because her Grandfather had rediscovered the lost technique, allowing her to be one of the pioneers who reintroduced it to the world. Some even called her the poster girl for Mega Evolution, but she wasn't incapable of accepting change.
"On the subject of the WCS, has Jason had a chance to talk to you about the possibility of us attending events as spectators and sponsors?" asked Lillie, causing Korrina's brows to perk as she answered, "We briefly talked about it in his Sanctum, but we didn't cover any specifics since he wanted to include you and Professor Burnet in the discussion."
"That's not entirely true," interjected Jason, shaking his head and smiling as he clarified, "I wanted to include everyone in the discussion. After all, Maeve and Nanahoshi will also be participating in this year's WCS as representatives of the Aether Foundation and advocates for the power of Z-Moves."
"Oh, of course! I don't know how that didn't cross my mind, even though I literally offered to introduce Nanahoshi to Nessa~!" blurted Korrina, giving her own forehead a light palming before perkily explaining, "I just figured we'd cross paths in the Ultra Class or something. I never even considered that we might travel and participate together."
"Well, yeah. Wouldn't we get in each other's way if we all participated in the same qualifiers...?" asked Maeve, looking somewhat confused as she directed the question to Lillie.
"Mmn...as this is my first time paying attention and being involved with the WCS, I admittedly hadn't thought about that..." confessed Lillie, her brows creasing slightly as she crossed her arms. Fortunately, she had at the table three veterans of the WCS, so as breakfast continued for nearly two hours, everyone hammered things out together...
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With Korrina needing to rest after her travels, Lillie staying home to look after her egg, and Ren freed to play along the beach until it was time for lunch, Jason accompanied Maeve and Nanahoshi to their prefabricated home to watch a movie. He suspected this was code from the get-go, so when they reached the interior and settled into their cozy living room, he was both surprised and not when Nanahoshi had him sit down first so she could straddle him.
"Kiss me..." commanded Nanahoshi, her golden-amber eyes glistening faintly as she clutched the fabric of Jason's t-shirt along his sides. The latter was a little taken aback by the suddenness of the development, but without too much deliberation, he tilted his head slightly and leaned in to give the demanding woman a chaste series of kisses.
"What? You're already getting started? What about the movie...?" asked Maeve, arriving with a silvery salad bowl of popcorn and a large thermos of carbonated Sitrus Berry wine.
"You're the one who insisted that I join in on the fun, so let me have fun..." countered Nanahoshi, stripping off her steel-grey, teal-trimmed tank top to reveal a black, similarly teal-trimmed sports bra. Then, meeting Jason's gaze with a surprisingly intense, glossy-eyed look, she clarified, "But you shouldn't misunderstand. I'm helping out now, but I still have no intention of becoming your girlfriend..."
"Mmn...I know. Once you finally secure your position in the Masters Eight Tournament, you plan to open your own Gym to increase the popularity of Steel-types..." recounted Jason, regurgitating what Nanahoshi had said to him during a private bath six days prior.
"Good. Then what happens between us from now on is just...networking..." muttered Nanahoshi, moistening her lips with her tongue before angling her head to the side and seizing the initiative to lean in and give Jason a markedly bolder kiss. From there, they proceeded to make out, prompting Maeve to heavily roll her eyes at the side—not from jealousy but because both she and Nanohoshi were planning to open Gyms there in Alola once it had its own League. In other words, even if they didn't remain with him on the beach, they would never be far from Jason's side...
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Following his sensual stint at Maeve's and Nanahoshi's shared abode, Jason, feeling tired but motivated, began his search for Ren along the beach. His gaze was briefly drawn to the bay, where a large white and gold-trimmed supply ship with the logo of the Aether Foundation was being offloaded, but as that was a fairly common sight those days, he only glanced at it fleetingly before moving on.
'These next few months are going to be hectic...' thought Jason, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of the Alolan sun kissing his increasingly tanned and muscular body, balancing out the cool breeze flowing in from the bay. He had felt more alive in the past three and a half months than he had in nineteen years in his previous world, but as his happiness grew, so too did his guilt.
'I really hope Director Amanda and the others are doing well...' mused Jason, parting his eyelids slightly to gaze listlessly at the sparsely cloudy but otherwise breathtakingly blue sky above. Unfortunately, while many Constellations were willing to sell him information about the Tutorial and the situation of specific people, the lowest asking price was one hundred million Achievement Points. For a similar amount, he could also purchase information on how to form a bridge between worlds, so, just like how he needed money in his previous world, Jason found himself needing a great deal of funds to obtain what he desired. He had other options, but even if he were pushed to the brink, he would rather die than become the puppet of a higher power...
With such thoughts pervading his mind, the contentment Jason had been experiencing moments prior was replaced by sobriety. He didn't become angry or feel pressured, but the resolution that took a back seat when he was with those he cherished surged to the forefront of his mind, providing him with focus and fueling his determination to become stronger and one day free himself from the influence of the Constellations and the Akashic System as a whole...
Shattering Jason's solemnity, a familiar, high-pitched, and slightly raspy tone cried out, "Jaaaaaason~!" as Ren came racing toward him excitedly over the sand. The moment he heard her voice and turned to her, it was as if a dark, encroaching cloud had receded from Jason's mind, allowing him to smile, take a knee, and spread his arms as he braced himself to be tackled...
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[Three Days Later]
With it decided that he would be going ahead with Korrina to Shalour City, Jason found himself seated next to the bubbly, currently disguised blonde in First Class as they took a commercial flight from Akala Island's Heahea airport, bound for Lumiose City.
"I never had the opportunity to show you around the last time we were in Kalos. This time, there are places we absolutely have to visit before your return to Alola~" chimed Korrina, barely able to contain her excitement after the pilot announced over the speakers that they were on approach to Lumiose City's largest airport, which, curiously enough, was located far outside the city due to provisions that prevented flying within 20km of its most preeminent landmark, the illustrious Prism Tower.
"I'm just happy we'll be getting to spend time together. Where we end up matters little..." hummed Jason, prompting Korrina's cheeks to tint red as she bumped him with his shoulder and responded, "You little flirt, you..." in a faint, sensual tone. She was tempted to kiss him, but since they were on a plane and technically in public, showing too much affection was a good way to receive a polite invitation and a stern lecture from the Lumiose City Public Morals and Safety Commission...
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(A/N: Oops...)