"Well, aren't you the charmer~" Misty hummed, visibly pleased by Jason's words.
"It's my honest opinion," Jason asserted smoothly, extricating his hand from Misty's lingering hold before meeting Korrina's gaze. He was happy to meet such a formative figure within the Pokémon franchise, but he was unsure why Korrina was introducing them.
"Misty and I got to talking after our match, where she asked if I wanted to grab dinner to talk about my time in Alola. When I mentioned that you and Ren were waiting for me, her curiosity was piqued," Korrina explained with a smile.
"Curiosity piqued...?" Ren parroted, tilting her head sideways as she tried to make sense of the combination of words.
"And for good reason..." Misty appended, crossing her arms and sizing both Jason and Ren up as she remarked, "Korrina is basically at the height of her popularity as a Trainer. For her to begin dating a boy at this point in her career, they would need to be pretty exceptional. And from where I'm standing, you certainly look the part..."
"You flatter me..." Jason countered, shaking his head before asserting, "In truth, the only thing exceptional about me is my luck. There are those who think me clever, but compared to the extraordinary people around me, I'm a rock among gemstones..."
With Jason looking at her as he mentioned gemstones, Korrina's cheeks subtly tinted red.
"Oh? So he's not just handsome, but humble..." Misty hummed, narrowing her eyes and adopting an almost predatory smile.
"He's also earnest, compassionate, and really smart," Korrina appended, prompting Ren to raise her paws and loudly exclaim, "Jason is the best~!" with a happy, starry-eyed expression.
"Well, he's definitely head and shoulders above most boys I've met. Quite literally..." Misty noted, casually scanning Jason from top to bottom before her blue-green eyes settled on his abs. He was wearing a pale grey-blue tee, but it was thin and form-fitting enough that she could imagine he was concealing a six-pack.
Seeing Misty subtly draw in and ostensibly bite her bottom lip, a layer of goosebumps developed across Jason's body. He knew for a fact that she wasn't viewing him with libidinous intent, but she very clearly appreciated his figure.
[Your relationship with the 1-Star Entity [Misty Kasumi] has changed to [Vexatious Yearning]. Your current Bond Level is 61. Future gains will be increased by 20%.]
Though he had ignored the previous notification, Jason's momentary stupor compelled his eyes to flash to the most recent pop-up, making it appear as though he had deliberately lowered his gaze. And since Misty was exceedingly cognizant of how people viewed her, she noticed and immediately misinterpreted the reason his gaze had shifted from her face to below her collarbone.
"I have an idea," Misty stated, emphasizing her bust with her crossed arms and looking to Korrina as she proposed, "Why don't the three of us dine out together? There's a themed restaurant near where I'm staying that lets guests admire and even swim alongside Water-type Pokémon in a large aquarium. If you've never tried it, it could be a novel experience."
"I don't know. If it were earlier, I wouldn't even hesitate. But Jason and I probably need to get back to where he's staying..." Korrina answered, her gaze shifting to Jason, implicitly leaving the decision to him.
"It's unfortunate, but there are people and Pokémon awaiting our return," Jason affirmed, exhaling faintly from his nose and producing his business card as he smiled and asserted, "But we should definitely meet and share a meal before the end of this conference."
"Oh, wow. You work for the Aether Foundation...?" Misty questioned, her brows perking in surprise as she read Jason's name and title. Like many Water-type Trainers, she was an ardent supporter of conservation efforts, particularly those related to the sea. The fact that Jason appeared to be highly regarded in the most influential conservationist group in the world was definitely a point in his favor.
"One of my many good fortunes," Jason affirmed with a nod. Then, as it was already past 6 PM, he looked to Korrina and asked, "Shall we go? Or should Ren and I wait for you outside?"
"Nope. I'm already packed up and ready to go~" Korrina responded in a sing-song tone, simultaneously cupping her right bicep and flexing with a broad, borderline luminous smile.
"Then, until next time, Miss Kasumi..." Jason expressed, offering Misty a slow, respectful nod. His calling her Miss surprised her, but since he had already turned to depart, holding Ren's hand as they left, she ultimately stared at his retreating figure in thoughtful silence.
"What a composed person. He reminds me of Satoshi..." Misty sighed, waiting until Jason, Korrina, and Ren had departed the dressing room before musing aloud and inspecting the business card he had presented her. She had seen Aether Foundation business cards before, and Jason's was noticeably of a higher quality. The fact that he had a talking Lucario was another indicator of his exceptionality, so, for the first time since her one true love disappeared, she found her heart beating faster than usual over a boy...
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Though it was considerably slower than the Flying Taxi, Jason, Korrina, and Ren returned to the Wyndham Champion's Resort by car. Doing so delayed their arrival by more than an hour, but it gave them time to chat and simply sit close together while enjoying Wyndon's historic sights and architecture from street level.
"Welcome back. Mother is already awaiting us in the dining room~" Lillie hummed, positioned elegantly outside the elevator's exit with her hands folded neatly over her lap. This was the third time she had welcomed him back in this manner, causing Jason to feel slightly guilty about his delayed return.
"We're back~" Korrina chimed.
"We're back~!" Ren repeated, pumping her fists and beaming happily.
"Sorry for arriving so late..." Jason expressed, adopting a faint smile of his own as he stepped forward to grab Lillie's waist and carefully plant kisses on both of her cheeks. Then, with her habitually relocating to his left side, he straightened his back and naturally escorted her.
"While I would surely be happier if you returned earlier, it's not as though we agreed to meet at an appointed time. Though if you feel compelled to make it up to me, I would be happy if you afforded me some of your time tomorrow afternoon..." Lillie stated, her tone elegant but underscored by a hint of playfulness.
"It would be my pleasure," Jason affirmed with a nod. On the way over, Korrina had reassured him that he didn't need to accompany her to each of her matches. When he asked her to explain why, she admitted that she had been speaking with Lillie and the others through their group chat. As such, he was almost certain that Lillie had made arrangements so that he could spend time with Maeve and Nanahoshi, who had arrived in Wyndon the morning after him and Korrina.
"Excellent. I have arranged for us to spend the early afternoon at a spa that provides specialized classes on Pokémon care and grooming. After that, we will return here for a short while before heading to a fundraising gala hosted by Mother. The head of the Devon Corp, President Stone, will be there. Alongside Chairman Rose," Lillie revealed, causing Jason's heart to beat a little quicker. Lusamine had outright told him that she planned to introduce him to people in her personal circle. The idea was that he would leave a favorable impression on them to garner support for their project in Alola. But, with nothing to offer and no frame of reference for the affluent men's likes and dislikes, he felt like he was being thrown to the Sharpedo, pre-marinated with chum...
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After quickly washing up, changing, and feeding Ren, whom he left with Korrina, Luca, Audino, and Runa, Jason made his way to the dining hall in a tailored, steel-grey suit with white-gold accents and cufflinks bearing the logo of the Aether Foundation. Lillie was naturally at his side, wearing an elegant, ivory-white, three-layer gown with an asymmetrical strap over her left shoulder and pale blue, floral embroidery.
"Your usual outfits and hairstyle suit you, but you look...transcendental in that dress..." Jason felt compelled to express, stealing a glance at Lillie as they made their way to the dining room, her gloved hands holding his left arm.
"I'll look even better in my wedding dress~" Lillie teased, her green eyes narrowing with mirth as she noticed the tension in Jason's body increase, followed by his sun-kissed cheeks gaining a faint ruddy hue.
"I pray you enjoy your meal, Young Mistress, Young Master..." expressed Sebas, bowing courteously as he and a Maid opened the faux gold double doors leading to the dining hall, allowing Jason and Lillie to pass through. What awaited the duo within was a spacious, luxuriously decorated hall of ivory white and gold. A rectangular, white-marble dining table dominated the room's center, at the head of which sat Lusamine with her hair tied up and her bangs partially covering her right eye. Like Lillie, she was wearing a prohibitively expensive white gown, but hers had muted golden accents and exposed much of her back and shoulders.
"You should feel honored. Except for my husband and son, you may well be the only man I don't feel especially dissatisfied waiting for~" Lusamine teased, leaning forward with her elbows on the table, her fingers bridged together under her chin.
"Had I known we would be dining together, I would have returned early to be the one waiting on Mother-in-law..." Jason countered poisedly, closing his eyes and offering a slow nod. Lusamine's narrowed, nearly neon-green eyes flashed when he called her Mother-in-law, but since there was much they needed to discuss before the gala, she resisted the urge to rise from the table and give both Jason and Lillie a smothering hug. Instead, she let a naturally sensual chuckle emanate from her throat before advising them to sit so they could get straight to business...
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With Lusamine's plan to entice President Stone revolving around giving the man a tour of his subspace, Jason understood the reason Lillie had made arrangements for them to spend the following afternoon relaxing at a spa. That evening, they spent hours rearranging things in his Sanctum to make it presentable, while Wicke, who would be explaining the science side of things, cleaned the lab and calibrated the devices that tracked the sub-space's growth—continuing until 2:43 AM. So the idea was that they would sleep until around noon before spending the early afternoon at the spa, ensuring they were well-rested and mentally prepared for what was bound to be a high-pressure evening.
"Someone stick a fork in me...I'm done..." Jason sighed, sinking into his private hot spring, which was noticeably larger and more spacious than before the impromptu renovations. One of the main focuses of Ellaine's and Wicke's joint research into his sub-space was the borderline mystical properties of his hot spring, so there was a high probability that it would be seeing some use that evening.
By allowing most of the tension to leave his body, Jason unintentionally ended up floating atop the water's surface before Wicke, rarely passing on an opportunity to tease him, abruptly sat on his stomach, submerging him with her very round and springy bottom. Under other circumstances, Jason might have startled and attempted to avoid being submerged. But as spending a lot of AP at once left him feeling exhausted, he offered no resistance and allowed her to pin him to the spring's bottom.
Noticing that Jason wasn't reacting to her mischief, Wicke promptly got off of him, allowing him to float back to the surface before asking, "Aren't you a little young to be this languid?"
"My body might be young and spry, but my heart and mind are those of an old man..." Jason droned lazily, causing Wicke to exhale a soft, scoffing chuckle. She was tempted to plunge just his head under the water, which would have doubtlessly forced him to react. Instead, she gently pushed against his side, sending him floating toward the middle of the hot spring before joining Lillie and Korrina at its rim, leaving him to drift into a shallow but peaceful slumber...
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