Following their brief stint in the Electric-type playroom, Jason, Korrina, Ren, Audino, and Rotom accompanied Dr. Mari to several other locations in the conservation area—including both levels of its central observation tower. The second was actually a cafeteria with a self-serve buffet, but since they were scheduled to dine with Lusamine, they only dropped by for a few minutes as part of their tour.
"And this is where the President and her family sometimes stay while at the Paradise," chimed Dr. Mari, leading the group out of a back entrance of the conservation area, connecting to a tree-lined boulevard. There was a fan-shaped annex at the back of the Aether Paradise, and seated atop it was a large, primarily white, grey-tiled mansion that, to Jason, looked like something from the late Victorian era.
"Sometimes stay...?" repeated Jason, walking with Ren swaying atop his shoulders to prevent her from wandering.
Nodding, Dr. Mari revealed, "President Lusamine and her children own multiple estates around Alola and even a few abroad. She only uses this one while working here at the Aether Paradise."
'Rich people really live as they please...' noted Jason, exhaling faintly from his nose. He had technically been rich in his previous world, but that was only in comparison to the vast majority who were barely scraping by. If he compared himself to the truly affluent, his twenty-six million in assets and private equity was scarcely a drop in a sea-sized bucket lined with nearly nine billion crabs—each competing for a way to reach the top.
"Ren...?"
Sensing Jason's wistful, contemplative aura, Ren leaned against the top of his head and curiously tilted her own. Jason was going to reassure her that everything was okay, but as his group neared the mansion, his body briefly tensed as a serpentine creature with a cream-colored base and a mix of pink, blue, and rainbow-hued scales burst out of the seawater that flanked both sides of the prominent, leaping from one to the other.
"Incredible...!" chimed Rotom, rushing to snap photos.
"Oh, wow...it's not often you see a Milotic..." remarked Korrina, her blue eyes shimmering with wonder as she followed the beautiful Pokémon's graceful arc.
"That's one of President Lusamine's most cherished partners~" hummed Dr. Mari, continuing to lead the way with a relaxed smile as she appended, "You wouldn't think it to look at her, but the President was an exceptional Trainer in her youth. She never took on the Gym Challenges or attempted to enter the Pokémon League, but she managed to reach the upper floors of the Battle Tower."
"Really?" asked Korrina, looking surprised before excited as she revealed, "Kalos has the Battle Chateau, so I've never challenged any of the Battle Towers directly. I have, however, faced off against several Tower Tycoons in the World Coronation Series. If President Lusamine is on a similar level, I would really like to face her in a Pokémon battle!"
"I would avoid saying that to the President," cautioned Dr. Mari, stopping the group at the base of the two steps leading to the mansion's entrance before adopting a serious expression as she quietly explained, "Ever since her husband vanished into an Ultra Wormhole, the President has become increasingly...protective of her remaining family and Pokémon as a whole. She understands the impulse many Pokémon have to do battle, but while she's a major contributor to the League, she advocates against battling as recreation or entertainment."
"Thank you for telling me. I'll be sure to be careful," expressed Korrina, offering a curt, affirming nod.
"Excellent~" chimed Dr. Mari, beaming radiantly before gesturing to the pair of ornate, heavy-looking, dark grey doors serving as the entrance to the mansion, stating, "I have work to get back to, so I'm afraid that this is where we part ways. It's been a pleasure to meet all four of you."
"Thank you for showing us around," expressed Jason, prompting Dr. Mari to turn his way, smile, and retort, "I was simply doing as my employer told me, but you're very welcome. If you ever return to the Aether Paradise in the future, feel free to visit me. I enjoy company, and I would really like to hear more about your world."
"If the opportunity arises..." responded Jason, offering a curt nod and presenting a smile of his own. He had more than a few questions about Dr. Mari and her expanded, nearly identical family, but it wasn't what he would call a pressing matter.
"Well, then, off I go~" chimed Dr. Mari, departing with a narrow-eyed, radiant smile. Jason briefly followed her with his gaze, but since Korrina had taken the liberty of approaching and opening the rightmost door to Lusamine's mansion, he eventually turned to follow after Audino into its interior.
'Wow...' thought Jason, raising his gaze from the crimson, green-lined carpet covering the marbled flooring of the spacious foyer to the ceiling more than twenty meters above. The walls of the foyer were matte white with a faded metallic golden trim. The furniture was ivory white, backed by what looked like gold. Various potted plants and transplanted trees introduced a bit of greenery to the space. And high above, hanging from the ceiling, was an artistic light fixture resembling five rectangular pillars with dangling, star-shaped crystals that seemed to emit light.
"Alola! Welcome to our little slice of paradise within Paradise~!" chimed a familiar voice, drawing Jason's, Korrina's, Ren's, and Audino's gazes to the top of a nearly ten-meter-wide, crimson-carpeted staircase with outward-curving, ostensibly solid golden handrails and diamond-shaped pylons at the end. There, Lusamine, wearing the same outfit Jason had seen her in previously, stood with her hands spread wide next to a shorter, curious-looking girl with matching blonde hair fashioned into heart-shaped braids that framed her face and wrapped around her head. Her hair was loosely fixed into a hime-cut, with neatly trimmed bangs and pale blonde strands that extended past the small of her back, and she was currently wearing a fitted white dress that resembled the petals of a flower with a transparent hem, white, shin-high socks with pale blue pleating that matched with her dress's collar, and strapless, pale blue flats.
"W-Welcome. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Lillie Argyle..." appended the girl, confirming Jason's suspicions as she folded her hands neatly over her lap and bowed courteously. The only reason he had any doubts about her identity was that she looked considerably older than he anticipated, appearing to be in her mid to late teens, albeit on the shorter side. He didn't know her exact height, but she couldn't have been much taller than five feet or 150cm.
Before Jason or Korrina could offer their responses, Lusamine placed her hand on Lillie's right shoulder and stated, "Lillie here is my beloved baby girl. She's a bit awkward and has a slight aversion toward Pokémon, but I hope you'll be able to become good friends with and look after her when I'm not around to do so."
"Mother, please, you're embarrassing me!" protested Lillie, stomping her right foot and clutching the hem of her dress in teary-eyed, flushed-face frustration. In response, Lusamine unabashedly pulled her into a doting embrace, increasing Lillie's exasperation by countering, "Ahahaha~! No matter how big you grow, Lillie, you'll always be my precious baby...!" in a cheerful tone.
"Motherrrr—" whined Lillie, looking increasingly embarrassed to the point of her ears tinting red. Korrina beamed at this, a hint of longing appearing in her blue eyes. Jason's had a similar gleam, but as he had never met his mother, the person who appeared in his thoughts when he thought about maternal figures was Director Amanda.
"Now, where were we?" asked Lusamine, releasing her hold on Lillie after several seconds of affectionate cuddling. Then, lightly smacking her right fist into the palm of her left hand, she sonorously chimed, "Ah, yes. Dinner should be ready soon. I've invited Professor Burnet to join us. Before that, I'll have my daughter show you where you'll be spending the night. If you would like to wash up, we have a fairly spacious bathhouse at the back of the property."
Turning to her daughter, whose face was still red with embarrassment, Lusamine smiled and suggested, "You should accompany them. Jason is still acclimating to our world. Professor Burnet says he requires exposure to our culture and customs to expedite his integration into our society, so if he has any questions or concerns, do what you can to address them."
"Y-You want me to take a bath with a boy I've only just met?" asked Lillie, glancing in Jason's and Korrina's direction, her gaze fixing on Ren and the latter's cute clothing as she quietly conceded, "I suppose it's theoretically possible..."
"Most things are~" hummed Lusamine, caressing her daughter's head before directing her gaze to Jason, leaving him even more taken aback than he already was by revealing, "My daughter is going to be assisting with the research projects surrounding you. She's always been a curious girl, and her dream is to become both a Pokémon Trainer and a Professor. This is all still speculative at the moment, but it's my hope that the two of you will travel together when you graduate and set out on your respective journeys."
"I-I understand that my presence might make things more difficult for you at the start, but I promise I will give it my all to research your System and hopefully, conceivably, help you return home..." expressed Lillie, offering a steep, nearly ninety-degree bow.
As Jason was still processing what he had just heard, Korrina beamed at him and asked, "Isn't this great, Jason? Honestly, I was worried about you traveling on your own. With this, you'll have at least one additional person to keep you company and explain things about our world you might not be aware of."
"Right..." muttered Jason, adopting a strained smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He had more than a few reservations about Lillie accompanying and researching him, but if he were serious about returning to his world, he would almost certainly require the resources of the Aether Foundation. With Lillie seeming determined to help him, it would accordingly be foolish to refuse her as a travel companion...
"Alright, then, I'll leave you kids to yourselves for the time being. I have a few things to take care of before dinner," remarked Lusamine, pulling out her own ivory-white Rotom phone, placing it up to her ear, and walking off as Lillie followed her departure with puffed cheeks. Korrina felt strange to be referred to as a kid at her age, but she didn't take it to heart. Instead, she turned to Jason and asked, "Bath time...?" in a manner that suggested the decision was his.
"Rena~!" exclaimed Ren, having come to enjoy bathing quite a bit. She wasn't at all bothered by the reality that she could have drowned after tackling an Elekid into an artificial stream. All that mattered was that it was an opportunity for her to be doted upon by Jason, and that it made her feel warm and fluffy when he did.
"Then, while you all take a bath, I'm going to recharge my batteries~!" chimed Rotom, darting off without waiting for permission. By then, Lillie had descended the stairs, the top of her head barely cresting Jason's collarbone as she positioned herself before him and extended her right hand, beaming with the radiance of the sun as she expressed, "I look forward to working with you from now on..." with a faint blush tinting her cheeks—not because she was about to take a bath with two people she had just met, but because she had never proactively touched the hand of a male other than her elder brother and father.
"Glad to have you..." responded Jason, awkwardly extending his slightly sweaty hand to clasp Lillie's smaller, delicate-seeming hand, prompting the usual round of notifications...
[You have become the [Curosity] of the 0-Star Entity, [Lillie Argyle]. Your initial Bond Level is 137. Future gains will be increased by 20% as long as your relationship remains the same.]
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