"So, is there anything, like, special I need to do as one of your girlfriends? I've dated other guys before, but this is my first time in a relationship with someone from another world," stated Maeve, seated with her arms raised, enjoying the unique experience of Jason, seated behind her in the shower section of the hot spring, cleaning her body and touching her in ways she had never been touched.
"Well...I would prefer it if you didn't enter into any additional relationships while we're together. But as long as we break up first, it should be okay. I don't want to stop anyone from finding true love," answered Jason, a faint smile gracing his lips as he found Maeve's question refreshing. If nothing else, it showed that she was seriously considering what it meant to be his girlfriend.
Demonstrating this even further, Maeve leaned her head back, gazing up at the empty void above as she asked, "Then, should I come with you and Lillie when you set out on your journey? I'm not the biggest fan of walking places anymore, but I can tough it out for a few years if we get to sleep in here. And that sex thing feels really good."
"What about your job with the Aether Foundation?" asked Jason, running his hands up Maeve's warm, smooth, and taut belly to gently knead and lather her breasts as he added, "I don't want you giving up a well-paying career just to accommodate me."
Shrugging, Maeve flatly responded, "It's not like I need this job to survive. I make plenty from promotions and participating in the WCS. This security gig is something I got into through Nanahoshi. She and I were rivals back in the day, but we never managed to make it past the quarterfinals of our regional Pokémon League. We're strong—make no mistake about that. But the people who go on to become Champions are monsters..."
Feeling that the air had abruptly become heavy, Jason briefly considered his words and actions before drawing closer to Maeve, his arms wrapping around her toned abdomen and his chin resting on her left shoulder as he softly asserted, "It's never too late to take another shot at the title. And if you do end up accompanying me and Lillie on our journey, I will do what I can to help you become an even stronger Trainer..."
"Mmn...this is nice...being held like this and hearing someone say they're prepared to do whatever they can to support me..." muttered Maeve, her voice low and husky as she reached behind her lower back with her right hand and raised her butt. Jason tensed slightly when she pinned him with her weight, but he didn't stop her. Instead, he drew himself even closer to her as he asserted, "That's what it means to be lovers back in my world. It isn't just about physical intimacy. It's about people supporting each other to achieve more and reach even greater heights..."
"That sounds good..." conceded Maeve, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the right to grant Jason greater access to her neck as she asked, "But doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose? What's the point of standing at the top if you weren't able to get there yourself...?"
"But no one reaches the top or becomes a Champion alone..." countered Jason, continuing to pepper Maeve's neck and shoulder with kisses as he contended, "It requires powerful Pokémon...the means to catch and train them...and strong rivals to motivate and push you forward. Without those, you're just a strong person...a powerful Trainer is the culmination of many efforts coming together to produce something more..."
"You're really good at talking..." remarked Maeve, her eyelids parting and a thoughtful sheen flashing across her pink eyes. She couldn't deny that she wouldn't be half the Trainer she was without rivals like Nanahoshi or the motivational support of her family and Pokémon. That said, she didn't feel it would be fair to her future opponents if she used Jason's System to gain power that surpassed conventional training methods...
"I just want to build something with those who enrich my life with beauty, warmth, and companionship..." muttered Jason, parting his lips and gently biting Maeve's shoulder. Every woman he had been with seemed to enjoy it when he weakly bit them, and Maeve was apparently no exception, as a hot, slightly startled exhale escaped her throat. Then, as he had promised to clean every inch of her, his right hand slowly but purposefully slid down the front of her body...
Though she was definitely feeling pleasure from Jason's actions, it was still the kind of satisfaction one experienced from a skilled massage. As such, while Maeve silently relished in the movement of Jason's hands and fingers for several seconds, her voice was calm, albeit tinged with warmth as she confessed, "I won't deny it...your words are really persuasive. And it's not like I've completely given up on my dream of becoming a League or Coronation Series Champion..."
Sensing a but coming, Jason wasn't surprised when Maeve added, "But I have my pride as an Ultra Class Trainer, you know? If I'm able to stand at the top one day, it's because I'll have busted my butt off and fought tooth and nail to achieve it..."
"..."
Awed by Maeve's determination, Jason fell silent for several seconds, his thoughts racing and his eyes becoming focused as he considered how to respond to such an honest declaration. Fortunately, he didn't need to, as Maeve suddenly leaned her head back, extended her right hand as if she were attempting to grab the void above, and added, "But I find this place and pretty much everything related to you really interesting. Just knowing how much more there is to see and experience...it's exhilarating..."
"You're a truly incredible woman..." asserted Jason, his words infused with every ounce of sincerity he possessed. Maeve seemed to key in on this, a faint, appreciative smile adorning her face as she hummed, "How weird...I usually get annoyed when guys compliment me..."
"I meant every single word..." affirmed Jason, closing his eyes, planting a chaste, lingering kiss on Maeve's left shoulder, and hugging her as tightly as he could without squeezing her. He had sworn to himself that he would do his utmost to cherish each of his relationships, so even though he and Maeve still knew very little about one another, he imagined his body heat as a conduit channeling positivity, care, and affection into the pink-haired woman's paradoxically soft yet firm body.
"You're really clingy..." Maeve remarked, causing Jason to briefly tense before she exhaled a soft chuckle and reassuringly mused, "I think I'm going to enjoy being your girlfriend..." in her low, characteristically husky tone...
...
..
.
Although his exchange with Maeve left him in a contemplative haze for a while after she left, Jason was mostly back to normal by the time he and Lillie finished their morning training and reported to the lab to allow their technicians to analyze his subspace. All attempts to scan it showed that it absorbed all lengths of electromagnetic and physical imaging. According to the Dragon That Slumbers Beside a Hearth, this was one of the Akashic System's many failsafes to prevent tampering—but that only made the lab technicians more determined to ascertain its secrets.
With time to kill until lunch, Jason and Lillie relocated to the skate park to practice inline skating while Ren played on the nearby obstacle course. It was her second-favorite thing to do after soaking in a warm bath. And the more she sweated and the sandier she got, the longer it would take Jason to give her a thorough cleaning.
Though he was aware of what Ren was up to, Jason knew there was little he could do to stop her. Instead, he focused on the task before him, his formerly deep brown eyes, now closer to hazel, sharpening as he built up speed on the approach to a low, three-meter-long, rounded grind rail. He had gotten pretty good at simply sliding across it, so he was currently in the process of trying to master soul grinding.
'Confidence...!' Jason exclaimed internally, his eyes widening at the last moment as he hopped onto the bar, his back straight, his right leg bent beneath him, and his left jutting out, angled sideways so that the inner metal plate along his skates scraped across the bar. This was the same as a traditional grind. What made soul grinding different was that it used the outer plate of the anchored skate—effectively placing the majority of the skater's weight on a single foot and requiring impeccable balance to avoid slipping off and landing painfully atop the rail.
Thanks to the speed he had built up in advance, Jason made it to the end of the rail without incident. Unfortunately, the aspect of the grind that had been plaguing him was the dismount. In his brain, he just needed to treat it like a transition from one skate to another between glides, but since the grind required him to lock his legs, he kept over- or undercorrecting. As a result, he had to steady himself coming out of it, or else he would fall onto his back or tailbone.
SMACK
Though it didn't hurt nearly as much as it should have, Jason hissed as his feet got up from under him and he landed directly on his back, causing his helmet to strike the pavement. He had on a protective vest with hardened padding that helped to protect against abrasive injuries, but it did little to stop the air from being forced from his lungs as his diaphragm contracted involuntarily.
[The Great Sage Who Peeks Under Skirts holds its breath expectantly.]
'What's got this old pervert excited now...?' Jason wondered, frowning at the notification that had appeared to his right.
Providing Jason with the answer to his question, the sound of hardened rubber wheels reached his ears before a familiar figure stopped over him in a precarious position. Generally speaking, it wasn't a good idea to come to a full stop with your skates framing someone's head, but Jason wasn't as concerned about that as he was about the fact that he could see pale white and polka dots between the gaps in the figure's denim shorts.
"Are you okay? Or do I need to call over Skyler?" asked Seren, her sharp blue-yellow eyes giving the impression of frigid apathy, but her tone soft, almost gentle.
"I can see your panties..." responded Jason, his expression and tone flat as it wasn't the first time he had said those very words.
"It's intentional..." retorted Seren, leading to several seconds of awkward silence where she and Jason held one another's gazes.
"..."
"..."
Rising to a seated position, Jason took a moment to climb to his feet, placing him well over a head taller than the blue-haired girl as he turned to her and conversationally noted, "It's rare to see you without Bianca..."
"Maeve's been bragging about how pleasant it was to have sex with you and how she's looking forward to traveling with you and Lillie..." revealed Seren, her suddenly biting tone making it clear she wasn't going to allow Jason to change the topic away from where it was headed.
"Yeah...the people of this world are very open when it comes to sharing things like that..." sighed Jason, exhaling exasperatedly from his nose and posing with his hands on his hips. He knew exactly what Seren was after, and her presence there was no coincidence. Lillie had returned to Ellaine's to avoid her egg baking in the Alolan heat and sun, so he was at the skate park alone.
"I want to know what it feels like..." Seren expressed directly, placing her hands on her exposed, flat, and slightly tanned abdomen. Her chest was a bit flat, barely a B-cup, but she was still a very attractive woman. As such, Jason found himself in a dilemma. He wasn't especially against having sex with Seren, but after his exchange with Maeve, he was feeling emotionally drained.
Shaking his head, Jason initially caused Seren's expression to turn sullen before he calmly explained, "Now isn't the best time. This morning took a lot out of me, and the last thing I need is Ren panicking if she comes over and fails to find me. Get permission from Ellaine and Lillie, and then drop by this evening...we'll discuss the matter in detail then..."
"Mmn...alright, then..." conceded Seren, nodding. Then, seemingly having nothing else to discuss, she abruptly turned and began skating away from him. Her apparent indifference left Jason doubting whether they would be able to form a meaningful connection. But when he saw her casually leap onto the rail he had just slipped from, effortlessly executing a perfect soul grind with her hands behind her back—clearly attempting to show off—he couldn't help feeling impressed and slightly annoyed...
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