With the Alolan sun having completed its descent and everyone retiring to their rooms, Jason's, Lillie's, and Korrina's nighttime cohabitation officially began.
"Oh, wow. This place has changed a lot," remarked Korrina, brows rising as Jason permitted her and Lillie to enter his Sanctum. The last time she had seen it, it was mostly an empty black void. Now, there were patches of grass with four buildings she hadn't seen before, a large patch of dirt that looked like it was being prepared for farming, and a paved route that seemed to bend around the surface of a massive sphere—the path Jason had laid out to represent Sanctum's equator and to facilitate his circling it in a straight line.
"The largest building is a dojo with gym equipment. The one without a roof is a hot spring. And the remaining two are a research station and a residence," explained Jason, pointing to a building that looked like a small but charming-looking cottage with a red-tiled roof, clarifying, "That's the residence."
"The hot springs feel phenomenal. And its effects are magical~" chimed Lillie, beaming happily with closed eyes.
"I'll definitely have to try it out later~" affirmed Korrina, nodding. She had already bathed upon returning to Ellaine's, so while she was tempted to suggest they head to the hot spring there and then, she shifted her gaze to Jason and asked, "So, what's the plan...?" with an effortless smile and blue eyes that shimmered faintly with anticipation.
"First and foremost, you need to be punished..." Lillie stated decisively, causing Jason to blink in surprise. Korrina, on the other hand, stared at her with clear, unperturbed eyes, affirming, "Yeah, I messed up pretty royally, didn't I? This is my first time training a Stufful, but that doesn't excuse what happened. As a top Trainer and Gym Leader, I should have been able to recognize that it was still holding a grudge..."
Shifting her gaze to Jason, Korrina offered a steep, closed-eyed bow and asserted, "I am prepared to accept any punishment you deem necessary. It wasn't my intention to endanger your and Ren's safety, but that doesn't change that I did..."
Taken aback by the situation, Jason looked between the bowing Korrina and Lillie. He had never been in a position to punish someone before, and due to how he had been living the past couple of weeks, he couldn't help but interpret the request as something sexual.
Thinking Jason was looking to her for guidance, Lillie shook her head and stated, "This is something you need to decide for yourself. I have my own personal grievances to settle with Korrina as your girlfriend, but she and I will discuss that amongst ourselves."
"It's okay, Jason," expressed Korrina, raising her gaze, meeting Jason's with a smile, and cupping her right bicep as she proclaimed, "I might not always make the best decisions, but I'm confident in my physical strength and durability. Even if you want to spank me a hundred times or have me kneel on a washboard, I can take it!"
"Right...then I guess I'll give you a spanking...?" answered Jason, his awkward intonation making the statement sound more like a question. The situation had his heart racing, but he did his best to appear calm as he gestured to the cottage with his left hand, prompting Korrina to smile and walk ahead while Lillie placed her hands on his back and pushed him gently from behind...
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After a punishment that rapidly devolved into much more, Jason found himself gazing at the ceiling of the cottage's master bedroom with the naked bodies of Lillie and Korrina clinging to him. His mind kept replaying the final moments of his and Korrina's battle. And though he still felt that her usage of Breakneck Blitz was unfair, he realized in hindsight that if he had instructed Ren to use Endure instead of tasking her to avoid an attack that shattered the sound barrier, she may have been able to continue the match. In other words, while Korrina had undoubtedly made a mistake, he had, once again, failed as Ren's Trainer...
'She only has eight moves...it shouldn't be this difficult to have her use the correct one...' Jason lambasted himself, flexing the muscles in his jaw and creasing his brows in frustration. It wasn't like he hadn't made mistakes in the past, but every mistake he made in a battle meant pain, suffering, and frustration for Ren and all Pokémon who trusted that he would direct them to victory...
'I need to be better...more disciplined with myself...more focused...' Jason told himself, his consciousness gradually submitting to a nightmare where he cradled the broken, bloodied, and lifeless body of Ren while everyone comforted him with kind smiles, reassuring him that he had done his best when he knew he could do better...
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"Mmn...pucha...schlp..."
Rousing at the sensation of a tongue entering his mouth and entangling with his own, Jason instinctively and habitually reciprocated Lillie's kiss before Korrina, cupping his face, turned his head to face her, resulting in an impromptu makeout session with both girls.
"Hmmmngh...!?"
As he was in the midst of making out with Lillie, Jason didn't expect to feel sudden heat, pressure, and moisture envelop him further south as Korrina took it upon herself to settle his current condition. It wasn't the first time he had been in such a situation, but that didn't prevent it from surprising him.
"Good morning..." whispered Lillie, her hushed, bell-like voice tinged with an undertone of sensuality that seemed to grow richer with each passing day. As she licked her lips and stared at him with slightly narrowed green eyes, Jason could feel his heart pounding madly within his chest, his body warming, and his skin becoming wet with sweat as she drew closer to him and whispered, "Let's do our best today as well..." before angling her head for another round of kissing...
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Following his unorthodox wakeup, Jason relocated with Lillie and Korrina to the hot spring, where the younger of the two blondes asked, "So, how long are you planning to remain here in Akala, Korrina?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I'm afraid it can't be for too long if I hope to complete the Island Challenge and prepare a team for this year's World Coronation Series," answered Korrina, directing her gaze to Jason as she smiled and added, "On that note, I never got around to showing you the Pokémon I captured while exploring Poni Island's canyon area. While I'm here, I'm certain they will make great training partners for Ren."
"What did you catch...?" asked Jason, tensing slightly as Lillie leaned into him and rather abruptly allowed her left hand to wander beneath the hazy water's surface.
"Shouldn't I reveal them while you're broadcasting to the Constellations?" asked Korrina, tilting her head slightly as she argued, "It would spoil the reveal and dull your reaction if I simply told you what I captured when I could just as easily show you. And if you and Ren are feeling up for it, we could even have a battle—this time without surprises."
Though he felt exasperated the moment he heard Korrina mention them having a second battle, Jason didn't immediately refute the idea. As her Trainer, he had to think about what was best for Ren. And if provided the opportunity, he knew she would eagerly agree to do battle with Korrina's newly acquired Pokémon.
"I empathized with your desire to help Jason and Ren, Korrina, but you have to keep in mind that we're not even Trainers yet," interjected Lillie, her expression and tone firm as she contended, "You need to give us time and space to decide for ourselves what kind of Trainers we want to be. At the end of the day, not everyone is suited to the stringency and strife that comes with being a Fighting-type Trainer."
"Yeah...I get that..." responded Korrina, her usual smile cramping as she scratched her cheek with her right index finger, not sure what else she could say without coming across as insensitive. It was ultimately Jason who had asked her to help him acquire the strength and skills he needed to survive in their world. And since he presented himself as more mature than he probably was, she felt compelled to treat him as an equal rather than someone who required careful guidance.
Shaking his head, Jason garnered himself curious looks from both women as he asserted, "I might not have a natural affinity for Fighting-types, but I promised Ren that I would help her climb as high as she's willing to aim. What I'm going through now are just the growing pains of acclimating to a new world and lifestyle. It might take some time, but I'm going to become strong...strong enough to protect all I hold dear..."
Reinforcing that they were included in the things he wished to protect, Jason drew Lillie and Korrina closer to him by their waists, causing their respective cheeks to flush. Then, to his immense surprise, they abruptly pounced on him in concert, wrapping him with their slender but powerful arms and smothering him between their soft yet resilient bodies as they gushed over how absolutely adorable he was...
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After escaping Lillie's and Korrina's clutches and departing Sanctum too late to take part in Ellaine's morning meditation, Jason first completed his mandated foundation training before the three of them gathered near the wooden balancing posts with Ren and Audino. By that point, much of the construction along the beach had been completed, so they were planning to spend the rest of the morning learning how to roller skate and perform simple tricks from Korrina. Before that, she underhanded a pair of custom, Lucario-patterned Poké Balls into the air, shouting, "Alright! Come on out, you two~!" in chipper tone.
"Mien...!"
"Skaraaaa...!"
Matching Korrina's enthusiasm, a pair of pint-sized Pokémon appeared on the sand, striking poses. The first was around the same height as Ren and resembled a bipedal, sand-hued, red-bellied lizard with a natural grimace that made it look like a thug trying to hold up sagging pants, formed from its own shed skin. The second was roughly a head taller, with weasel-like features and a pattern of fur that resembled cream-colored martial robes with billowy, pastel pink, and very fluffy sleeves. Just a single glance was enough to discern that it was a Fighting-type Pokémon, as the moment it appeared, it struck a pose reminiscent of a Shaolin monk, its focused pink eyes glaring directly at Ren.
"Rena!" responded Ren, looking similarly ready to battle as she dropped onto her front paws and got in a pouncing posture reminiscent of a cat or a fox prepared to strike.
"Allow me~!" chimed Rotom, seemingly swooping in out of nowhere to explain, "Scraggy, the Shedding Pokémon, and Mienfoo, the Martial Arts Pokémon! Both are first-stage Fighting-types, but their fighting styles are very different, with Scraggy incorporating Dark-type moves and powerful acid to incapacitate its foes with group tactics!"
"Skraaa...!" barked Scraggy, clicking its tongue and directing a withering stare at Rotom that caused it to flinch and swoop around to hide behind Jason's back. Constrastingly, Mienfoo changed its form, straightening its back, pulling up its left leg, and bringing its hands together like a monk as it continued to glare intently at Ren.
"Oh, my...they're both so adorable~!" chimed Lillie, cupping the right side of her face and beaming affectionately. Meanwhile, Korrina was staring at Jason with a poised but expectant smile, leaving it to him to choose how they proceeded. If she proposed a battle, Ren would undoubtedly entreat him to allow her to take part. By remaining silent, she was allowing him to be the one to broach the subject or change topics entirely.
Fortunately for Ren, Jason had been thinking about the matter since that morning. Thus, with a sincere-looking but practiced smile, he knelt beside Ren, prompting her to sit and stare at him curiously as he placed his right hand on her shoulders and asked, "How about it, Ren? Do you think you're up for another battle?"
"Rena~!"
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Ren responded to Jason's question with a spirited affirmation. Her loss the previous day had only made her even more determined to become stronger, so with red eyes that blazed with determination, she set her sights on Minfoo and grinned, intensifying the comparably poised-looking Pokémon's frown...
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