After an awkward experience in the changing room, Jason took on the responsibility of giving Ren a good scrub while absentmindedly fielding Lillie's many questions. She and Korrina flanked him atop their respective bathroom stools, so he kept his gaze oriented to the front and was doing his best to keep his mind clear of errant thoughts.
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[Status]
Name: [Lillie Argyle]
Title: [Heiress: Boosts charisma and ability to influence others at the cost of provoking the enmity of those who covet your status.]
Age: 19
Height: 149cm Weight: 44.8kg B/W/H: 71/56/78
Rank: 0-Star
[Physique: 74]
Strength: 14[+]
Vitality: 23[+]
Dexterity: 37[+]
[Cognition: 88]
Intelligence: 57[+]
Perception: 11[+]
Guts: 20[+]
[Spirituality: 71]
Spirit: 19[+]
Mind: 21[+]
Faith: 31[+]
[Skills]
[Healthy Body(F)], [Curiosity(F)], [Pokémon Knowledge(F)], [Studying(F)], [Dancing(F)], [Singing(F)], [Riding(F)], [Artistry(F)]
[Special Abilities]
[N/A]
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"So this is my Status? How mysterious..." muttered Lillie, inspecting her Status window, her pale green eyes glistening with a mix of curiosity and awe.
"Your Intelligence is super high," noted Korrina, her brows raised as she appended, "You must be really smart."
"D-Do you think so...?" asked Lillie, her cheeks flushing slightly as she confided, "My brother, Gladion, doesn't have much of an interest in the Foundation. His dream is to become an Island Kahuna so he can protect the Alola Region and one day establish our very own League. Because of that, I've been studying hard so I can help my mother and someday take over her position as the next President."
"Weren't you aiming to become a Professor...?" asked Korrina, tilting her head as she recalled Lusamine's previous words.
"Yes, but that's just one of the many things I want to do," affirmed Lillie, nodding. Then, stealing a glance at Ren, she stated, "Before that, I wish to become a capable Trainer. I want to befriend as many Pokémon as I'm able, travel the various regions to earn badges, challenge their respective Leagues, and participate in the World Coronation Series. I know it's a lot, but I want people to take me seriously instead of simply looking at me as my mother's daughter..."
Listening attentively to Lillie's words, Jason waited for her to finish before flatly contributing, "Then our goals align. I also want to travel, and though I'm honestly not that fond of battling, I want to become stronger and help my Pokémon reach their full potential..."
"Rena...?"
Leaning her head back precariously, Ren stared at Jason with a curious gleam in her red eyes. When they battled against Ellaine and Miltank, she could feel his desire for her to win. It was the reason she chose to place her trust in him, so hearing him say that he didn't enjoy battling was more than a little confusing to her.
"Don't worry..." said Jason, adopting a weak smile as he scratched the underside of Ren's chin and neck, appending, "I may not have a desire to be a Champion or become famous, but I'll spare no effort to support you and those who join us in the future. That's the least I can do in exchange for your care, protection, and trust..."
"Rena~!" chimed Ren, bouncing to her feet, turning around, and pouncing on Jason with enough force to send him falling backward off his stool and sliding across the brown, non-slip floor tiling. The back of his head hit the ground, sending a painful jolt through his skull that briefly shorted out his vision. However, while it definitely hurt, Jason couldn't help noticing that it didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have.
"Oh, my! Are the two of you okay...!?" exclaimed Lillie, half-turning and holding her right hand up to her mouth in shock.
"Ren is only a few days old, so she still doesn't know her own strength," remarked Korrina, looking markedly calmer as she observed Ren rubbing her face against Jason's with a faint smile. She knew Jason's body was a bit feebler than the average person's, but he wasn't so weak that a small fall would seriously injure him.
"She's also much heavier than she looks..." groaned Jason, slipping his hands under the pits of Ren's arms and separating her from his body as he sat up. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling pensive and a little confused, as, according to the common sense of his world, the back of the skull was one of the human body's most vulnerable points. That was almost certainly still the case, but just as he had been resistant to being electrocuted, his overall durability seemed to have been increased by his animefication...
"Rena, ren~!" chimed Ren, her tail wagging excitedly behind her, unaware that if his durability hadn't been increased, there was a non-zero chance that striking the back of his head against hard tile could have killed Jason. Since it hadn't, the latter exhaled exasperatedly from his nose, adopted a tired smile, and chided, "I've told you before, but the bath isn't a place to play around, Ren..." while rising to his feet and picking her up with a grunt.
"Rena~!"
Since she could tell Jason wasn't really angry with her, Ren continued to wag her tail until he set her down on a white carpet used for hand-bathing Pokémon and turned her away from him to retake his own seat. After that, she sat still and angled her head cooperatively as he used the detachable shower to cleanse the shampoo from her fur.
"You and your Riolu have a really close relationship..." remarked Lillie, her expression more than a little wistful as she observed Jason's actions and Ren's happy expression.
"I'm just doing what's expected of me..." stated Jason, exhaling another faint sigh from his nose. He knew about Lillie's Poképhobia, but since he wasn't a psychologist and she hadn't asked for his help, he wasn't going to overstep his bounds by asking if she wanted to try washing Ren in his stead.
"As you can see, Jason is very serious," remarked Korrina, punctuating her statement with a soft chuckle. Then, as she was already finished cleaning and rinsing herself, she rose to her feet, placing a certain part of her body at eye-level with him, chiming, "Looks like I'll be heading in first~" before brushing his hair and sauntering around him to the pool-sized, hot-spring-style mineral bath a short distance away.
As Jason turned to follow Korrina with his gaze, he noticed Lillie staring directly at him, her large, pale green eyes glistening faintly as she smiled and affirmed, "There's nothing wrong with being serious," before rising to her feet. As a result, it was her butt that Jason ended up glimpsing, albeit only fleetingly. Immediately after, his expression became thoughtful as he permitted Ren to join the two girls in the bath while he gave himself a cold cleansing...
...
..
.
Following a lengthy bath, Jason, Korrina, and Ren were shown to their respective rooms, spacious bedchambers with ceilings more than ten meters tall, canopied beds, and ivory-white, gold-backed furniture with elaborate, Pokémon-themed patterns. In his own, Jason found Audino knitting relaxedly atop one of the two sofas present, her face lighting up when she saw him.
"Rena~!" chimed Ren, zipping around the room with her hands spread, leaving Jason standing exasperatedly near the entrance with Lillie close behind, commenting, "Mother asked me to inform you that this would be your room whenever you choose to stay here at the Aether Paradise. As such, if there's anything you would like to change or add, you can inform me and I will be sure to pass it along to our staff."
"I'm not planning to visit frequently enough that I would need to change things..." stated Jason, following Ren with his gaze until she leaped onto the bed, where she promptly began jumping up and down.
"Even if that's the case, I'm certain there are things that would make your stay more comfortable~" countered Lillie, beaming supportively as Jason looked back to meet her gaze. Afterward, he gave the room a quick once-over, his expression turning thoughtful before he exhaled faintly from his nose and asked, "How about an aquarium? Preferably, one filled with sea flora and fauna that aren't Pokémon..."
Blinking in surprise at Jason's request, Lillie tilted her head slightly and asked, "Do you not like fish-type Pokémon?"
"I don't have anything for or against them," answered Jason, shaking his head before explaining, "But the non-Pokémon creatures of this world are similar to those that inhabited that world I originated. It would be nice to have a view that reminded me of where I came from—even if I only get to admire it periodically..."
"I'm really sorry for everything that's happened to you..." expressed Lillie, catching Jason off guard as she adopted a sincere, empathetic smile and appended, "I've always dreamed of leaving my home, but I can't imagine what it's like to be separated from everyone and everything you know and love..."
"It mostly feels empty..." muttered Jason, facing forward and speaking in a voice that was too low for Lillie to hear. This ended up being something of a mistake, as, ostensibly believing he was in need of consolation, Lillie approached from behind and hugged him.
[Your Bond with [Lillie Argyle] has increased by 13.]
"I'll inform the staff at once and make sure they have an aquarium in your room before dinner's conclusion..." stated Lillie, hugging Jason tightly with her head resting between his shoulders.
'And people call me an empath...' thought Jason, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. From the moment he was rescued by Korrina, it seemed like everyone he personally interacted with was making a concerted effort to understand and sympathize with his situation. Compared to the people of his previous world, most of whom only pretended to care about various matters until they were personally inconvenienced, it felt...alien...
"Oh? Did I miss something...?" asked Korrina, appearing at the entrance of Jason's room in a white, red-scarfed, toga-style dress that wouldn't look out of place at a reward show. When Jason saw this, the already grinding cogs in his brain came to a full stop, his expression one of stupefaction as his lips parted silently.
"Your reactions never cease to tickle my heartstrings~" hummed Korrina, stepping forward as Lillie hastily moved aside. Then, causing the younger blonde to cover her face and peek between the gaps in her fingers with wide, glistening eyes, she stood on her toes and gave Jason a chaste but lingering kiss on his lips.
Lowering herself onto her heels, Korrina smiled, cupped the left side of Jason's face with her right hand, and suggested, "I won't force you, but you should change into something a little more formal. Luckily, there are plenty of options to choose from. Have you checked your closet?"
"Not yet..." answered Jason, his gaze briefly shifting to the flush-faced Lillie as Korrina conducted him toward a walk-in closet. Lillie seemed to interpret this as him asking if she was going to come with him, as, with a face flushed to her ears, she trailed after them with her hands folded over her lap, clutching the hem of her luxurious, white, gold-lettered bathrobe. Jason was wearing an identical one, but the moment Korrina got him into the closet, prompting Ren to burst in after them, he was unceremoniously disrobed—followed by nearly half an hour of him serving as the two girls' dress-up darling. He didn't particularly care what he wore, but as fashion-conscious young women, Korrina and Lillie did their best to clean him up and ensure he was presentable for a dinner with one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world...
...
..
.