"Oh? You two are sure looking cozy~" hummed Korrina, entering her room to find Jason and Ren sitting next to each other on her bed, the latter with a book in hand.
"Welcome back. How'd things go on your end...?" asked Jason, meeting Korrina's gaze with a smile meant to communicate that things had gone relatively well on his.
Shrugging, Korrina answered, "There are a few serious Trainers, but no one who's confident in their ability travels here for their inaugural WCS matches. I had a good match against the Trainer who Mega Evolves his Machamp, but once Luca Mega Evolved, the match was one-sided to the point I felt guilty about accepting his request to use it."
"Luca strong..." Ren muttered, her fluffy, fox-like tail tapping her right calf as she sat leaning against Jason's chest. She used to read seated atop his lap, but she was coming to terms with the realization that her size and weight made that difficult.
"He really is~" Korrina hummed, dropping her backpack near the room's entrance before letting her hair down as she asked, "More to the point, did the two of you have a chance to go shopping? I assume you did, given that Ren is wearing clothes I've never seen before."
Shifting forward and rising to her feet atop Korrina's firm, futon-like bed, Ren performed a happy pirouette and stated, "Ren and Jason bought lots of clothes. And watch this..."
Seeing Ren abruptly begin to undress, Jason shook his head but didn't say anything or avert his eyes as she stripped down to her black, form-fitting gymwear.
"Tadah~!" chimed Ren, standing with her hands held out to her sides, and her chest puffed with a proud smile.
"Oh? So you're able to undress yourself? How about putting them back on...?" questioned Korrina, sporting a supportive smile as she stopped at the foot of the bed with her hands on her hips.
Flexing her arms in a manner clearly copied from Korrina, Ren readily responded, "Ren can do it...!" before bending forward and flourishing her tail as a counterbalance. For the briefest of moments, Jason's gaze was drawn to his right. But instead of averting his eyes and feeling ashamed of himself, he exhaled from his nose and shook his head in exasperation.
Though she struggled getting her shirt back on, Ren ultimately managed to dress herself without assistance, resulting in her puffing her chest and posing proudly with her hands on her hips.
"Wow. Very impressive~" affirmed Korrina, clapping the tips of her fingers together and beaming happily before stepping forward and leaving Ren at a loss by stretching her collar and sonorously pointing out, "But I'm pretty sure the tag goes behind your neck," in a playful tone.
"Ren will fix it..." responded Ren, her expression sinking as she moved to turn her shirt around without removing it. Fortunately, the fabric was both elastic and durable, preventing it from tearing as she struggled to wear it properly.
"Have you eaten?" asked Jason, rising behind Ren and caressing her head with his right hand.
"I have. But if you and Ren haven't, I'm more than happy to accompany you~" Korrina responded, stepping forward to cup and knead the sides of Ren's face. The joint assault caused Ren to feel excited, her fluffy but firm tail smacking Jason's right thigh with surprising force as it wagged behind her.
"I'm good. I fed Ren not too long ago, and we had a late lunch. I'll just have a big breakfast tomorrow," Jason decided, shifting to Korrina's right to avoid Ren's tail.
"Then, do you want to join me for some light exercise?" asked Korrina, her smile broadening as she pointed out, "I noticed that you're moving around more smoothly than when I left. Is your body no longer sore?"
"I have Ren to thank for that. She was able to use Heal Pulse to relieve the aches and pains in my body. Yet more proof of how amazing she is..." stated Jason, meeting Ren's gaze and nodding approvingly.
"Ren is amazing...!" Ren repeated, closing her eyes and beaming radiantly.
"Without a doubt~" Korrina appended, her voice suffused with a song-like quality as she grabbed Jason's hand and pulled him in the direction of her private gym. The latter wasn't really in the mood for training and exercise at the moment, but he allowed himself to be pulled along before donning the usual pads and equipment. He had doubts when Korrina invited Ren to try kicking the pads, but now that she was almost exclusively bipedal, she needed the practice. And as her Trainer, it naturally fell upon him to assist her with mitt training and to support the sandbag as she hammered it with swift punches and bone-aching kicks...
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"Are you sure you don't need help...?" Jason asked, staring at Ren to his right as she lathered her body to the point that she was more suds than fur.
"Ren can do it," Ren asserted, her expression serious as she grabbed the detachable shower nozzle with both hands and began rinsing herself with warm water.
"I know you can," Jason affirmed, a faint smile playing across his lips as he reminded, "Just don't forget to clean your back and behind your ears. Your fur will become matted and grimy if you do."
"Ah..."
Realizing she had overlooked her head completely, Ren returned the shower nozzle to its wall holster and proceeded to apply a combination shampoo and conditioner around her ears, behind her head, and around the four squishy black antennae dangling from the back of her head like large, tear-shaped locks of hair.
'She's really flexible...' Jason noted, his brows rising slightly as Ren bent her arms backward or reached over her shoulders to clean every inch of her back. He was a little concerned that she might prick herself with the metal spikes on the backs of her wrists, but she seemed properly aware of them.
'I wonder if this is how a father feels watching his daughter mature and grow into her own...' Jason pondered, exhaling faintly from his nose and shaking his head before turning his attention to his own body. He wasn't nearly as flexible as Ren, but he was able to get the job done with a long pink back scrubber, tipped with rubber bristles...
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After returning from his Sanctum, Jason released Ren to head out and train with Luca, tailed by Rotom. That left him, Korrina, and, technically speaking, her Rotom phone alone in her room.
"I'm glad things seem to have worked out between you and Ren..." Korrina muttered with a shimmery-eyed smile, straddling Jason atop her bed with her hands resting on his shoulders, gently massaging them. In turn, Jason had his hands on her butt, his gaze holding hers with a look of unchecked appreciation as he asserted, "It will probably be a while before the matter is fully resolved, but the situation might have gotten considerably worse if you hadn't pushed me to address it..."
"You're wrong," Korrina refuted, shaking her head before meeting Jason's gaze with a smile and asserting, "You have a habit of getting hung up on what you think you should be doing. I just shifted your priorities around a bit, freeing you up to confront Ren sooner..."
"Still, that—" started Jason, his words interrupted by Korrina leaning in to kiss him. He interpreted this to mean she didn't feel like arguing over the semantics of the situation. Instead, they ended up making out for several minutes before she rather abruptly removed her top. From there, he was at the mercy of her curiosity, as she had evidently spent the day thinking about the kinks they had discussed previously...
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With a week passing in what felt like the blink of an eye, Korrina emerged as the de facto champion of the WCS Battle Festival with a perfect record of twenty wins and zero losses. This increased her WCS Rank all the way to 921, securing her position in the Great Class and hyping up Shalour City to throw a grand celebration in her honor.
Though he had originally planned to accompany Korrina as she roamed the streets and celebrated with her fellow Shalour City residents, Jason was spurred to return with Alexa to her messy, photo-littered hotel room, where he subsequently spent the night.
"It's a shame that this might be the last time we meet and interact with each other like this..." Alexa hummed, sitting on the edge of the bathroom sink in nothing but a pair of white panties and a thin, spaghetti-string top. In front of her stood a bare-chested Jason, holding her gaze with the tips of his fingers breaching the fabric of her panties to caress her butt.
"That's probably for the best..." Jason contended, exhaling faintly from his nose before softly asserting, "I'm doing my best to keep those around me happy, but even if I bear it willingly, it's a heavy burden..."
"Mmn...I see..." muttered Alexa, linking her ankles around Jason's waist, drawing him closer, and hugging his head to her very pillowy bosoms as she stated, "Just don't be afraid to rely on others...I'm not sure how much help I can be, but if you seek me out, I can at least be a shoulder for you to rest your head on..."
"I'm pretty sure this is something other than your shoulder..." countered Jason, turning his face forward to bury it into Alexa's breasts. It reminded him of the times Director Amanda would hold him when he was young and non-verbal. Circumstances had prevented her from adopting him, but she was the closest thing he had ever had to a mother.
"You seemed pretty fond of them while we were having sex. So take your time and commit the feeling to memory~" responded Alexa, sporting a motherly look Jason was unable to see as she affectionately combed her manicured, red-painted fingernails through his hair.
'The people in this world are so kind...' Jason thought, closing his eyes and inhaling several deep breaths of Alexa's unique scent. The impulse to stay with her was nearly overwhelming, but he knew she had a job to get back to. He also couldn't forsake Korrina or the many other women who had given him their affection and love, so after several seconds of silent indulgence, he raised his gaze to meet Alexa's silently. In response, she adopted a smile filled with mirth before drawing him closer by the back of his head and giving him a protracted and particularly impassioned kiss to remember her by...
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"That's a heavy look you're sporting. Are you thinking about Alexa...?" asked Korrina, hitting the nail on the head as she and Jason sat across from each other in a private train car. The latter had his temple resting against the car's window and was staring out at the passing scenery, but while he appeared to be admiring the view, he wouldn't have been able to answer if he were asked what he had been looking at.
"Among other things..." Jason responded, removing his head from the window and meeting Korrina's gaze as he revealed, "I'm also thinking about the past and contemplating the fates of those transported to the Tutorial. To say I've been blessed by being sent to this world would be an understatement. Because of that, I can't help feeling encumbered by the notion that, while I'm here living a dream, countless others are struggling to survive..."
"Right...you would think that way..." Korrina acknowledged, crossing her arms with a slight frown. She routinely forgot since it seldom came up or affected their day-to-day lives, but Jason was effectively a refugee in her world. She had her own experience of being separated from everyone she knew and cared about, but in her case, she had been among others in the same situation. Jason wasn't lacking in support, but he was alone in what he was going through personally.
Shaking his head and smiling, Jason expressed, "Sorry for causing you needless concern. I've just never been good with partings. And while I could have done without her photographing things best left to memory, I'm going to miss Alexa..."
"Eh, I'm sure this won't be the last time the two of you see each other. If push comes to shove, I'll drag her over to Alola personally for a reunion~" Korrina teased, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Jason readily permitted it, a soft chuckle emanating from his throat before he segued into his and Korrina's itinerary for once they touched down in the Galar Region...
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