Chapter 141: Future Proofing
"You don't know what triggered it...?" Wicke asked, seated next to Jason on a couch, her body wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe. Lillie was to his right, and since she ostensibly wanted to be like them, Ren was searching around the room in a bathrobe of her own, playing hide-and-seek with the teleporting Runa.
Shaking his head, Jason explained, "Ren and I were just sitting together as we often do. There was no heartfelt confession or anything before it. It just happened."
"Did you try asking Ren what she was thinking or feeling at the time...?" Lillie questioned, naturally invested in the topic as the first to have formed a Pactio with Jason.
"I did, but only after she experimented with her transformations. By then, she could no longer recall the specifics—other than feeling that she never wanted to leave me," Jason answered.
"Then, perhaps Pactio are born from a desire to be with or possibly even serve the person they're formed with," Wicke guessed, her spring-green eyes narrowing and a mischievous smile adorning her face as she traced her finger along Jason's chest and teased, "Perhaps I should try making a vow never to leave your side—just to see what happens?"
As Jason briefly found himself lost in Wicke's somewhat predatory gaze, Lillie chimed in to reason, "So long as the feelings are genuine, the only reason I can think of for why it wouldn't work is if Jason is limited to one of a specific type of Pactio. Ours, for example, is a Lover's Pactio. I don't imagine Ren's is the same."
'How did I overlook something like that...?' Jason asked himself, his gaze fixing on Ren. As it did, she immediately glanced back at him, sensing his intention to call out to her before the words formed on his lips.
"Jason needs Ren...?" Ren questioned, hurrying over with quickened steps before stopping right in front of him, her tail wagging excitedly behind her.
"Yes. Can I please see your Pactio card...?" Jason questioned.
"Nn! Ren will bring it out~!" Ren responded happily, closing her eyes and bringing her hands in line with her chest. A few seconds later, a lustrous, bronze-formed card emerged from her chest, emitting pale white light in a sphere.
With Ren proferring it to him, Jason accepted the card and inspected it via his System, his brows rising as he read...
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[Rennae Springfield]
Sign: The World
Classification: Guardian
Rank: Bronze
Grade: Ruby
Description: A Pactio formed from the possessor's desire to protect the one they've bonded with, even at the cost of their life.
Passive Effect: [Empathic Link]-Allows the possessor and the person they've bonded with to sense one another's intentions for one another.
Active Effect: [Three-fold Being]-Enables the possessor to embody the three aspects of oneself, manifesting power, balance, or freedom across three Formes: Terra(Body), Core(Mind), and Sky(Spirit).
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"Oh, my...it would appear that your roles have reversed..." Wicke teased, referring to Jason's desire to protect Ren. That hadn't changed, but it was clear from Ren's Pactio that she harbored the same sentiment toward him, placing his safety and well-being above her own.
"Ren is too precious~!" Lillie hummed happily, rising from Jason's side to give Ren a suffocating hug.
"Hmn? Did Ren do something good...?" Ren questioned, visibly confused but readily reciprocating Lillie's embrace with the addition of some cheek rubbing.
"I'm just really happy that we both care about and love Jason in our own ways~" Lillie expressed.
"Nn! Ren loves Jason~!" Ren affirmed without hesitation, her expression lighting up like the midday Alolan sun.
"Such earnestness...it appears I still have a ways to go..." Wicke mused aloud, causing Jason's ear to twitch. Wicke's words had been hushed, but due to their proximity, he had heard them—low, husky, and full of longing. When he turned his head out of concern, however, Wicke abruptly got up, stretching her arms overhead and sensually groaning before contending, "Anyways, we should get the four of you back to the villa. It's getting late, and you have school tomorrow."
"Will you not be accompanying us?" Lillie questioned, stating, "I don't mind, and I'm certain Jason would be happy to have you assist with his morning routine."
Shaking her head and posing with her arms underbreast, Wicke adopted an uncharacteristically firm tone as she revealed, "All of us adults agreed that the three of you needed space to experience the world and discover yourselves. I will definitely be here if you need to talk or share something important, but I won't be visiting or spending the night at the villa unless circumstances require me to do so."
fwim
"Runa...!?"
Inserting her presence into the conversation, Runa abruptly materialized at chest level with Lillie, prompting the latter to grab her before she could fall.
'Runa doesn't like being ignored...' Runa stated, looking sad as she spoke to the entire group telepathically.
"Oh, Runa. You know we would never ignore you—not intentionally, at the very least..." Lillie sighed, closing her eyes and drawing the tiny Ralts into a reassuring hug.
"Alright. Get up and give me a hug and a kiss. After that, the four of you need to go," Wicke stated, directing her words at Jason while Lillie and Ren attended to Runa. Ren felt partially responsible for Runa's sadness, even if she had just been responding to Jason's summons, so she did her best to help cheer her up.
Rising to his feet, Jason complied with Wicke's instructions, his hands gravitating to her waist as they shared a lengthy, lip-smacking, tongue-entangling kiss. The urge to reassure her that she was just as important to him as Lillie and Ren was at the very tip of his tongue, but since he knew that Wicke would turn her eyes up at him and never take such words to heart, Jason did his best to convey his feelings for her through his actions rather than his words...
Based on how readily she kissed him back, Jason was fairly certain that he and Wicke were at least invested in the same book, if not on the same page...
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After parting ways with Wicke, Jason, Lillie, Ren, and Runa returned to the villa with Dex circling over them, stretching out his circuits after spending most of the day napping. Night had descended by the time they reached the villa's entrance and were welcomed by Hobbes and Maeve. But since there were still a few hours until their curfew, the duo wasn't too on edge as they greeted them.
"Do you still need to complete your foundation training...?" Maeve asked, walking to Jason's right as the group transitioned into the villa and made its way to the dining room.
"I do," Jason confirmed with a nod, feeling slightly uneasy as the words left his mouth. He had completed most of the Quest's daily requirements by simply being active, but the fact that he hadn't finished it so late in the day left him feeling pressed for time.
"Then, should we head back and eat later? Exercising on a full stomach rarely ends well," Maeve stated, thumbing in the direction of the corridor leading to the villa's back entrance, following along the right side of the staircase leading to the second floor.
As Jason habitually looked to her for confirmation or permission, Lillie offered a curt nod and affirmed, "Go ahead. I will have your and Ren's dinners kept warm until you return."
"Thanks..." Jason responded, an appreciative smile adorning his face as he gave in to the impulse to cup and caress the right side of Lillie's face. Due to their Pactio, they were almost always on the same page—so much so that, even if they didn't communicate their thoughts aloud, he was fairly certain they would be able to understand one another.
'If only it were this simple to understand everyone...' Jason sighed to himself, externally sharing a kiss with Lillie before he, Ren, and Maeve departed for training. He wasn't sure how Maeve planned to join them in her ankle-length Maid outfit, but he also knew from experience that the high conservative attire wasn't particularly difficult to remove. Thus, while his eyes lit up at the sight, he wasn't surprised when Maeve casually shed her dress to exercise in her dark purple underwear...
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With his late-night training leaving him more energetic than tired, Jason found himself wide awake as he lay in bed with Lillie, snuggled up to him in a Mimikyu-themed hoodie and cotton panties. She usually wore more daring undergarments to bed, but since he was spent from his afternoon encounter with Wicke, they had gone to bed cuddling.
'This has been one hell of a thirty-six hours...' Jason thought to himself, counting time from when he returned to find Mallow and Selene waiting for him.
In truth, Jason had expected something to happen between him and at least Mallow from the moment he confirmed her existence during the first day of school. The green-haired girl was simply too personable not to get Lillie to disclose the truth about their relationship. The same could be said for Selene. But Lana? Jason still wasn't sure what the blue-haired girl saw in him, but she was definitely the most serious about him among his newly acquired girlfriends...
'I'll need to plan and make time for each of them—sooner, rather than later...' Jason resolved. It didn't matter how or why he had entered into a relationship with the three girls. As their boyfriend, he had an obligation to treat them well. And as a man with multiple girlfriends, he didn't have the right to complain or make excuses...
With such thoughts in mind, Jason planned three dates, beginning with him and Lana going on a fishing trip. He knew it was her favorite pastime, and if they encountered any rare Water Types, he could definitely use one to compensate for Ren's weakness to Fire.
Following his and Lana's date, Jason decided that he would either take Mallow around to the island's various restaurants to sample their food or invite her to cook together. Their Statuses indicated they both had F-Rank Cooking, so while she was bound to be more experienced due to growing up in a restaurant, Jason was confident he could keep up with her as they prepared a meal together.
'That leaves Selene...' Jason noted, a sense of uncertainty permeating his chest. Among his trio of new girlfriends, Selene seemed the least married to the notion of exclusivity. Jason could imagine them going to the beach together, only for her to get picked up by another man when he offered to grab her a drink. He wasn't sure if she had ADHD or something similar, but her unfiltered speech and vibrant impulsivity gave the impression that she was the type to do as she pleased and not overly concern herself with the consequences of her actions...
'She did mention that she enjoys shopping for clothes...' Jason recalled, imagining him and Selene visiting various clothing stores and her happily trying on a bunch of outfits. He wouldn't have much more than a wallet to contribute to such a date, but Jason felt there were worse ways to spend his time than watching a cute girl try on clothes, swimsuits, and possibly even lingerie. The other option was exploring one of the habitats he and Selene had access to with their provisional licenses, allowing her to gain experience as a prospective Ranger—exploring the wilderness, observing Pokémon in their natural habitats, and battling...
'If she's serious about becoming a Ranger, she needs to become much stronger than she is now...' Jason noted, recalling Selene's battle against a boy from another class. Her Rowlet, Bowie, wasn't particularly strong as a first-stage Pokémon, but it was still a Starter. It had a lot of potential to unlock, but with the current Selene following her instincts more than using her brain, she and Bowie ended up losing to a Rattata—one of the staples of a wild Rowlet's diet...
Feeling that it was his duty to help those who had entrusted him with their hearts and bodies achieve their dreams, Jason promptly decided to orient his and Selene's dates around wilderness exploration and training. Selene wouldn't always have her brother to lean on, so, at least until she became fed up with and dumped him, Jason decided he would be the one to shore up the gaps in her knowledge and experience—presuming, of course, she didn't simply refuse to listen or accompany him...
'It feels like I'm making plans to train a Pokémon...' Jason noted, picturing Selene in the same Mimikyu-themed hoodie as Lillie. The thought should have left him feeling conflicted, but he couldn't help finding it adorable...
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