"Ren—ren—rena...!" exclaimed Ren, leaving behind a trail of bluish-white light as she zigzagged out of Stufful's path and slammed into her left leg with her steel-like head.
"Gowaaa...!" cried the Stufful, using its right leg and foot as a pivot to try and land an impactful Payback against Ren. Since the latter had learned to expect this, however, the attack struck empty air, with Ren backflipping to safety.
Seeing the Stufful place weight onto its left foot and tense, Ren, who had landed on all fours, adopted a broad smile and began wagging her tail and butt like a cat preparing to pounce.
"You look happy. I suppose you're starting to understand why so many get invested in Pokémon battling?" asked Wicke, causing Jason to startle slightly, the excited smile that had developed across his face fading into a conflicted frown.
[The Keeper of Time remarks that there is nothing wrong with enjoying a good battle.]
[The Errant Dragon Brawler nods sagely.]
[The Great Sage Who Peeks Under Skirts grins wolfishly at the Keeper of Time.]
[The Maw That Grins Within the Abyss warns the Great Sage Who Peeks Under Skirts not to get any ideas.]
Resisting the urge to swat away the notifications like flies, Jason returned his attention to Ren's battle and defiantly remarked, "I'm just doing what I can to adapt to the world I've found myself in..."
"But of course~" hummed Wicke, moving closer to and grasping Jason's right arm, her pillowy breast deforming against his bicep as she affirmed, "You just need to remember that you're not in this alone. If you ever need a hug or someone to talk to, I'm a good listener."
"Mmn...I'll keep that in mind..." responded Jason, his expression and tone flat as he stared ahead, his gaze fixed on Ren as she gradually wore down the Stufful until it was no longer able to put weight on its left leg and foot. Text windows continued to appear in his vision, but one of them included instructions on how to restrict their appearance to patrons and individuals who directly contributed to his newly opened channel. It functioned like a scrolling chat channel attached to a livestream, so while Jason wasn't too enthused to learn that his life had been reduced to content for a bunch of idle Gods, it wasn't unfamiliar to him...
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"Stufful is unable to continue! Ren, the Riolu, is victorious...!" shouted Korrina, raising her right hand to indicate Jason's side of the battlefield.
Seeing her opponent fall flat before her, evidently having lost the will to continue, Ren's pupils dilated, her heart pulsating madly within her chest as she struck a triumphant pose and unleashed an irrepressible cry at the top of her lungs.
"Awooooooooooooooo~!"
Rushing over to Ren's side, more to prevent her from tackling him than anything else, Jason scooped her up from behind, tossed her as high as he could, and caught her before exclaiming, "Great job, Ren! I knew you could do it...!" with the most excited and supportive expression he could manage. It felt extremely campy, but if he was going to live in the world of Pokémon with an audience, he had to match the energy of its inhabitants.
"Rena~!"
Though she was confused by Jason's uncharacteristic exuberance, Ren happily accepted his praise, her tail wagging excitedly as he held her like a Princess. His smile tensed somewhat as its hard, hammer-like head hit him several times in the abdomen, but as it wasn't too painful, Jason bore it without protest and just raised her higher so she didn't inadvertently hit somewhere sensitive.
"Great job, Rennae! I'm so proud of you!" pealed Lillie, rushing over from where she had been seated with Audino in the step-like stands circling the battlefield and track. Korrina approached from across the battlefield with a smile, but Rotom reached them first, swooping down and circling Jason and Ren, its camera flashing rapidly as it exclaimed, "A historic first! I must document this moment for posterity...!"
"Don't forget to upload the files to the main server. Classification PREO," reminded Wicke, returning to the group after retrieving and donning her pink-rimmed glasses.
"Understood! Just leave it to me!" responded Rotom, performing one of its usual spins.
"We should probably get this little one medical treatment as soon as possible," suggested Korrina, kneeling near the group with the injured Stufful in her embrace, prompting Audino to approach and begin treating it without delay. The bear-like Pokémon's expression was unreadable, but as it glanced at Jason with its doll-like eyes, he felt a strange tension in his chest, as if his heart had been placed in a bag and all the air removed from it by a vacuum pump.
Ding!
[You have earned the F-Rank Achievement: [First Subscriber]. 1,000 AP has been awarded.]
[The Great Sage Who Peeks Under Skirts remarks that the Stufful seems to harbor a great deal of resentment toward you.]
[I noticed] responded Jason, avoiding the creepy, bear-like Pokémon's gaze. Instead, he passed his gaze between Korrina, Lillie, and Wicke in turn as he stated, "We should return to the surface, get both Ren and this Stufful treated, and prepare for our return flight to Akala Island."
"We should definitely prepare for our flight, but Ren and Stufful aren't so injured that they require specialized treatment," chimed Wicke, producing a Full-Restore from the same hip pouch as the Stufful's custom pink Poké Ball. As she applied the medicine to Ren, particularly a bloody patch of fur above her left hip, Jason noticed her already hot body heating rapidly as the wound glowed with a faint green mist. Then, as if she had never been injured, the blood evaporated, leaving behind a patch of warm, antiseptic-smelling fur.
"Rena~!" exclaimed Ren, escaping Jason's hold and running around the group on all fours as if to demonstrate she was ready to resume training or take part in another battle. Fortunately, the Stufful seemed to have no interest in accompanying her. Once its wounds were treated, it attempted to climb into Wicke's bag, prompting her to produce its custom pink Poké Ball and return it so it could rest. Ren was more than a little disappointed by this development, but before she could get too riled up, Jason picked her up and placed her on his shoulders. This was a simple method to get her to behave. And once she realized they were headed for the bath, her tail wagged with such enthusiasm that Jason couldn't stop his body from swaying no matter how firmly he planted his feet...
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Since he had been forthcoming about his past, System, and his situation as a whole up until that point, Jason waited until everyone was relaxing in the bath before revealing what had transpired as Wicke was seated on his face.
"So these Constellations are observing us, even now...?" asked Wicke, seated directly in front of Jason with her hands on his knees, which she playfully opened and closed with a smile. Holding her gaze was easier said than done, but Jason managed it, his expression a mask of calm as he shook his head and flatly answered, "The channel has censorship and privacy options enabled by default, but the beings we're dealing with are effectively Gods. I genuinely have no idea what they're capable of, and I intend to take everything they say with a grain of salt..."
"What about your present circumstances?" asked Lillie, seated to Jason's right, tentatively nestled against him. When he accordingly turned to her, she offered a timid smile and appended, "If they're Gods, they should be able to offer you advice or insight on how to return home. I think it would be wise to try to befriend at least one of them."
"I agree. If nothing else, it would give us more information to work with," affirmed Korrina, seated to Jason's left with markedly less apprehension than Lillie. She even caressed his lower abdomen with her left hand, her blue eyes exuding confidence as she noted, "And if they're able to confer Skills, they can help you and possibly all of us grow stronger."
Hearing Korrina mention becoming stronger, Ren, seated between Jason's legs, bounced to her feet, splashing water as she exclaimed, "Rena~!" in a chipper, high-pitched tone.
"Ren. You've been told before. The bath is for relaxing, not playing..." said Jason, his brows furrowing slightly and his tone firm as he grabbed Ren's furry, matted sides. In response, she half-turned to stare back at him, her red eyes shimmering faintly as if she were considering whether to protest. Jason noticed this, so before she could make up her mind, he placed his right hand on her head, gently caressing it as he added, "We'll have plenty of time and opportunities to play once we return to the beach. For now, be a good girl and practice your breathing..."
"Rena..."
Though she wanted to move around and splash everyone, Ren ultimately plopped down, faced forward, and closed her eyes in a huff. Jason knew this was just her fishing for appeasement, but as they were about to have to drug her to get her safely onboard their return flight, he didn't hesitate to place his hands on her small but strong shoulders and begin massaging them.
"I envy your and Ren's relationship..." sighed Lillie, tentatively resting her head on Jason's shoulder as she muttered, "I can't even touch Pokémon, yet you're able to do so with such ease..."
"Is there a reason for that...?" Jason asked, continuing Ren's massage but shifting his attention to Lillie. If his information was correct, then he knew the reason for her Poképhobia. But after what Lillie had done and planned to do for him, he felt obligated to lend an ear to her concerns and do what he could to reassure and possibly cure her.
"My Doctors aren't really sure..." sighed Lillie, closing her eyes as she explained, "I adore Pokémon and used to be able to touch them with no problems. But many years ago, I had a bad fever and was unconscious for three days. When I finally awoke, I could no longer get close to Pokémon without suffering from shortness of breath and anxiety..."
Though he was tempted to ask if she had tried hypnotherapy to get at the root cause of her phobia, Jason wouldn't be surprised if they had, only for the person they chose to conduct the procedure to be the same man who had meddled with her memories in the first place. Even if that weren't the case, he was very quickly reaching a point where he could no longer keep what he knew to himself without being at least partly responsible for what was to come...
"Rotom..." said Jason, his voice low and his expression serious, causing Ren to tilt her head back curiously and both Korrina and Wicke to stare at him with raised brows.
"Rotom Phone, at your service~!" replied Rotom, flying over from where it had been perched atop Jason's change of clothes.
"I need to speak with the President—with Lusamine in person. It's very important..." expressed Jason, prompting Rotom to respond, "Certainly!" before flipping around, revealing its luminous blue screen and the white text 'Calling Lusamine...' with a ringing phone icon.
"Jason...?" asked Lillie, raising her head and staring at him with a mix of confusion and concern.
"Did something happen...?" asked Wicke, cupping and running her hands along the back of Jason's calves as she added, "Because I was planning to disclose your newly acquired Skill and the existence of Constellations on your behalf."
"You should all be in attendance during the meeting," stated Jason, his countenance hardening decisively as he expressed, "There's something I've yet to reveal about this world and my situation. I'm not sure if what I have to reveal is even remotely relevant, but I need to get it off my chest before things develop further..."
Before anyone else could respond, Rotom successfully connected with Lusamine, causing her voice to emanate from its speaker, asking, "Hello? Jason? Did you need something...?" in a to-the-point tone. She was likely very busy, but since what he had to reveal was directly related to her, her children, and her Foundation as a whole, he confidently informed her that she needed to clear her schedule and meet him as soon as possible...
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