"I can see why this city is home to a Rock-type Gym..." Jason remarked, departing the train terminal with Korrina and Alexa to find a homely city where most of the buildings were formed from red-hued and earth-brown bricks. Their roofs were tiled with copper and solar panels, and in place of conventional streets and sidewalks, the entire city appeared to be built on a sandstone foundation with few, albeit neatly arranged trees.
Looking to his right, Jason had a breathtaking view of a sapphire-hued sea that sparkled in the sunlight. To his left was a mountain range that was better described as a series of large rock formations. Rather than being formed by tectonic plates pushing together to create ridges, they appeared to have been raised from the ground by someone or something to form a natural barrier between Kalos' interior and the sea.
"As you can see, Cyllage City is constructed along the coast in a long, thin strip. As such, it's also known as the Boardwalk City," Alexa explained, her olive green eyes sparkling as she similarly took in the view.
"I'm guessing there aren't many storms in this region?" Jason asked, his curiosity piqued by being in a new location. And with Ren taking a nap in her Poké Ball, he could relax and focus on things other than making sure she didn't get into trouble.
"We get big storms once or twice a year, but coastal cities like Cyllage and Shalour have waterways that flow deep inland to redirect water and prevent flooding," chimed Korrina, posing habitually with her hands on her hips.
"More importantly, we should hurry and book ourselves a room at a hotel or bed and breakfast cafe," Alexa stated, adding, "This time of year, a lot of local and even a handful of foreign Trainers gather in the cities closest to Shalour so they can visit the Tower of Mastery or take part in the Battle Festival Challenge."
"Weren't we going to stay at the Cyllage Gym...?" Korrina asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"That's certainly an option, but I assumed you were wearing a beret and glasses to avoid drawing attention," Alexa hummed, referring to the white, red-trimmed beret and thick, red-rimmed glasses Korrina was wearing so people didn't immediately recognize who she was.
"Mmn...you're not wrong..." Korrina conceded, shifting her gaze to Jason, her mouth twisting slightly in deliberation. She personally didn't mind the attention she received, but she didn't want to draw a crowd and possibly sideline Jason in her efforts to deal with it.
"Then, how about we head over to Hotel Cyllage? It has big rooms and an incredible view of the sea," Alexa proferred.
"What do you think...?" asked Korrina, directing the question and her gaze to Jason.
"Me? I'm just lucky to be here..." responded Jason, presenting his best smile. He genuinely didn't care where they ended up staying for the night, and since he knew little about the city, he had already resolved himself to shadow the two women as a third wheel.
"Mmn, alright then. We'll first check into a hotel to store our luggage and change into our workout attire. Then we'll head over to the Cyllage Gym to visit Gym Leader Grant and Alexa's sister," Korrina decided, nodding for effect.
Blinking in surprise and tilting her head, Alexa questioned, "You're going to change into workout attire? You're not planning to challenge Grant to a battle, are you?"
"I might, but that isn't the reason we're going to get changed. Jason and I have a routine where we train together every day, and since we didn't get a chance to work out this morning, I figured we could do some climbing at the Gym," explained Korrina.
"Ah...that explains a lot..." Alexa muttered, unabashedly eyeing Jason's fit and muscular body. He was also one of the taller men she had met, so the fact that he wasn't lean and skinny suggested he worked hard to improve and maintain his physique.
"..."
Though it was somewhat awkward to be eyed and appreciated so openly, Jason had gotten used to even more while living on Akala. There, his arms and chest were regularly caressed with provocation. And when he started to develop abs, they became a magnet that attracted the gaze of virtually every woman who saw him shirtless.
"Well then, should we head out~?" Korrina questioned, noticing Jason's mild discomfort. She didn't want to speak for him, though. So instead of telling Alexa that he didn't like it when people openly gawked at him, she stepped ahead of the group and began walking backward while smiling at him with her hands behind her back.
"Sounds good..." responded Jason, offering a smile and a curt nod before following after Korrina as she ran ahead at a casual pace. Alexa took note of this interaction, her journalistic intrigue piquing. But since Korrina was a good friend of hers, she decided to avoid teasing or asking her and Jason about the specifics of their relationship. She would learn everything there was to know about him, but she could wait until Korrina inevitably came to her for advice or spilled the beans of her own accord...
...
..
.
With every other room booked and the receptionist informing them that other hotels were almost certainly at capacity, Jason reluctantly used the white and gold card Lusamine had entrusted him with to book the hotel's penthouse suite. It was 540 square meters of pure luxury, but it had three rooms, two baths, a private gym, a spacious living room with an oversized cat tree for Pokémon, a balcony with a breathtaking view of the sea, and a jacuzzi large enough to accommodate a Snorlax.
"Oh, wow. This isn't my first time staying in a penthouse, but the vibe here is waaay different from those in Galar..." Korrina noted, her brows rising to their limits as she scanned the penthouse's interior from its slightly raised entrance.
"I'm more surprised by how we were able to acquire it. You must be in good standing with President Lusamine of the Aether Foundation..." Alexa asserted, her gaze boring holes into Jason as she suppressed her urge to interview him.
"I assume everything we discuss here is off the record and won't appear in any tabloids...?" questioned Jason, meeting Alexa's gaze with a look of calm severity.
"Naturally," confirmed Alexa, nodding.
"Oh? Does that mean we can loop her in on everything that's been going on? Because, to be perfectly honest, I'm terrible at keeping secrets from people I trust..." Korrina confessed, smiling awkwardly and scratching her right cheek with her right index finger.
"If you trust her, I trust her..." affirmed Jason, holding Alexa's gaze as he spoke. He wasn't going to threaten her, but he wanted her to understand through the intensity of his gaze that he wouldn't forgive her if she chose to betray Korrina's trust, in particular.
"Wow...such an intense look...I can tell you're someone who really cares about the people close to him..." Alexa noted, finding Jason's stare more precious than intimidating. She also had no intention of betraying Korrina, so she had no reason to fear his retaliation.
"If you think he looks intense now, you should see his expression when we have sex~" chimed Korrina, causing Jason to feel as though the floor beneath him suddenly had a tilt.
"Sex...?" questioned Alexa, recognizing the word as a noun. Korrina, on the other hand, was clearly using it as a verb.
Leaving Jason at an even greater loss, Korrina glanced at him with clear, visibly excited eyes as she asked, "Can we show her? She might be willing to join and bring us a step closer to completing that S-Rank flower Quest. You know, the one that requires you to have sex with a hundred separate women...?"
"I know the one..." confirmed Jason, his response measured, almost mechanical-sounding as he self-placatingly ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair, sweeping it back. He had been mentally preparing for the inevitability that Korrina would invite her friends to join them in the bedroom—she couldn't help wanting to share good things with the people she cared about. He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon...
"Okay, now I have to know what the two of you are talking about..." said Alexa, her eyes glistening with intrigue as she joined Korrina in staring at Jason expectantly.
"..."
Though he felt a sudden urge to turn and retreat through the door behind him, Jason willed himself to remain as his eyes instinctively fell to Alexa's body. Her figure was similar to Ellaine's, with large, voluminous breasts, a tight waist, shapely hips, and toned thighs. If he weren't already in many, many relationships, he would have leaped at the opportunity to have such a striking woman as his partner and girlfriend. The issue was that she had previously corrected him on how he addressed her...
"Aren't you married...?" asked Jason, recalling how Alexa had previously advised him to address her as Madame rather than Mademoiselle. That was generally a form of address reserved for married women, so unless Kalos used it differently, he had no intention of crossing even more lines than he already had.
"Me? Married? What gave you that idea...?" asked Alexa, tilting her head to stare at Jason as if he had just told her the sky was magenta instead of blue.
Before Jason could answer, Alexa appended, "I'm tentatively seeing a few different people, but they're more like sources than serious candidates for my future husband or wife. I still have a few good years to dedicate to my career before I even think about settling down."
Though he couldn't help but note the insinuation that Alexa might take a wife in the future, Jason didn't press it. Instead, after looking over the two women's heads to scan the penthouse's spacious interior, his eyes locked on what he presumed to be the entrance to the master bedroom. He still had many reservations, but as he was trying to get into the mindset that sex wasn't as big a deal as he used to make of it—at least in his current setting—he ultimately nodded and affirmed, "Alright...let's show her..." in response to Korrina's suggestion.
"Awesome! This is going to be so much fun~!" exclaimed Korrina, pumping her fists excitedly before pulling a bewildered but cooperative Alexa along by her hand. Jason eventually followed them, but only after releasing Ren from her Poké Ball and giving her free rein to explore the penthouse under Rotom's supervision. By the time he reached the master bedroom, Korrina had already gotten Alexa to strip down to just her beige-hued silk panties, providing him with quite the view...
...
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.
[Three Hours Later]
"To think there was such an intriguing way for men and women to bond with one another..." hummed Alexa, sporting a content expression as she traced the middle finger of her right hand around her belly button. Since it was her first time, Korrina had insisted that Jason focus his efforts on her, leaving her feeling like she had just received the most comprehensive and relaxing deep-tissue massage of her life.
"It's because Jason works really hard to make the women he has sex with feel good~" contended Korrina, carrying over a glass of fresh lemonade to help Alexa rehydrate after perspiring buckets. Jason had left after a quick shower to feed Ren and get started on dinner, so it was just her and Alexa in the room.
"You really like him, don't you...?" asked Alexa, rising to a seated position and accepting the proffered lemonade, still completely naked.
"I actually think I might love him," revealed Korrina, causing Alexa's brows to rise considerably, particularly when the bubbly blonde flatly appended, "At first, I just thought he was interesting and wanted us to be friends. But when he looks at me—like really looks at me...just thinking about it makes my heart race..."
"That's definitely love..." affirmed Alexa, her expression and tone gentle as she set aside the half-emptied glass, spread her arms, and made a come-hither gesture. Korrina readily nestled into her embrace, and though there was no blood relation between them, Alexa cradled and comforted her as if they were family...
...
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.