Chapter 142: Second Encounter
Though he didn’t get to sleep until close to midnight, a quick Life Dew from Ren had Jason feeling refreshed and full of energy as he and Lillie made their way to school.
“Lillie! Jason! Ren! Runa! Alola~!” Lana greeted, waving to the group as they approached the bridge connecting the Pokémon School to the path coiling around its supporting cliff.
“Lana! Poppy! Alola~!” Lillie chimed in turn.
“Alola~!” Ren appended, waving her paws at shoulder level—a motion Jason couldn’t help but associate with jazz hands.
tap tap tap tap
Seeing Lana scurry over to him with a quick pitter-patter of steps, Jason withheld his greeting and steeled himself for her to say something out of pocket. This ended up being the correct decision, as, after gesturing for him to bend over, Lana held her left hand up to the side of her mouth and asked, “Hey…do you still need help with your morning routine? I practiced a bit last night, so I think I can do it properly this time…” in a hushed tone.
“Mmn…as much as I would like to see how much you’ve progressed, we have a strict policy about saving that kind of thing for after the sun sets and before it rises…” Jason responded, causing Lana’s shoulders to drop and her expression to turn sullen.
“Hey…” Jason muttered, catching Lana’s attention and causing her eyes to widen as he gave her a peck on the lips and expressed, “We’ll have plenty of opportunities for things like that when we go on dates or hang out after school. While we’re here, let’s focus on our coursework and becoming the best Trainers we can be…”
“Nn…I’m okay with that…” Lana responded, her cheeks tinting red as she took the initiative to give Jason a quick, reciprocal peck. Then, as if she had suddenly turned shy, she hurriedly picked up Poppy and ran with her in the direction of the cafeteria…
“Lana is so cute~” Lillie hummed with a smile, finding Lana’s behavior as precious as it was adorable. Jason, on the other hand, couldn’t help but wonder what Lana had fantasized or schemed up to have spurred within herself the impulse to retreat…
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With another school day ending without incident, Jason participated in two battles before he and the rest of the boys in his class decided to visit a cafe famed for its malasadas, recommended by Hau.
“Oh, wow…this is delicious…” Jason noted aloud, his brows rising after he bit into a malasada full of cream cheese. He usually didn’t like sweets, but the malasada before him had a mild, almost neutral sweetness that paired well with its fried, doughnut-like consistency.
“I know, right? The malasadas my mom makes are even better, but these are a close second~” Hau hummed, talking with a malasada in his mouth and punctuating his words by taking another bite.
“You know what would make these even better? The Moo-Moo Milk from my family’s farm!” Kiawe asserted, pulling out a refrigerated thermos and holding it up like a trophy.
“Hahaha. As expected of Kiawe. You never pass up the opportunity to advertise your family’s products, do you?” Hau laughed, causing Kiawe’s cheeks to gain a hint of ruddiness.
“You say that as if every other sentence out of your mouth isn’t praising your family’s malasadas…” Kiawe countered, causing Hau to laugh even more uninhibitedly before admitting, “You’re not wrong~” in a whimsical tone.
As Kiawe produced and poured cups of chilled Moo-Moo Milk for each of them, Jason wasn’t surprised to hear Sophocles ask, “Hey, Jason. What’s the deal with you and the girls in our class? This is the second day that all the girls but Stella dressed up to cheer for you.”
“Isn’t it obvious…?” Hau interjected, his expression turning playful as he met Jason’s gaze and teased, “Either Jason is dating them all, or they’re following Lillie’s example to become better friends.”
“All of them? Isn’t that kind of unfair…?” Sophocles questioned, looking more than a little envious and troubled.
“How is it unfair?” Kiawe questioned, tilting his head as he asserted, “As long as everyone is okay with it, it’s not uncommon for skilled Trainers to have multiple boyfriends or girlfriends. My Grandpa had many wives, and his first wife had two husbands.”
Nodding, Hau casually revealed, “My Grandpa only ever married the one time, but he lives in a compound with his eight partners and thirteen of his children. He’s a real man amongst men.”
“Polyamory is common in Johto as well,” Elio contributed calmly, leaving Sophocles slack in the jaw.
“I know it’s common for people to have multiple partners…” Sophocles conceded. Then, frowning, he argued, “But we’re not even Trainers yet. And with how quickly things have developed—doesn’t it kind of feel like the girls in our class are just latching onto Jason and Lillie for access to the Aether Foundation’s money and support?”
“Hey…” Jason muttered, adopting a frown of his own before Kiawe asked, “And? What’s wrong with that…?”
“Isn’t it obvious that people would be attracted to those who can help them achieve their dreams…?” Hau appended, joining Kiawe in staring at Sophocles as if the latter were speaking nonsense.
“Yeah…I mean…I get that…it’s just…it doesn’t feel fair…” Sophocles muttered, slumping his shoulders, hanging his head, and pressing his index fingers together dejectedly.
“Was there a particular girl in our class you were hoping to date…?” Elio questioned, ostensibly attempting to de-escalate by getting to the heart of the matter.
Though he didn’t respond immediately, Sophocles eventually nodded and revealed, “I…I’ve always thought that Mallow is really cute. I mean, all the girls in our class are cute. But whenever I see Mallow smiling, it makes me feel fuzzy in my chest…”
“Are you sure you’re not attracted to her because she enjoys cooking and wants to open her own restaurant~?” Hau asked, his expression and tone playful, full of barely suppressed mirth.
Unable to refute Hau’s accusation—as he had literally imagined Mallow cooking for and even feeding him—Sophocles hung his head, his face and ears as red as a Tomato Berry.
“I still don’t see what the problem is,” Kiawe stated, maintaining his head tilt as he posed, “Can’t you just date her as well? I mean, assuming she’s willing.”
With everyone abruptly shifting their gazes to him, including Sophocles, sporting glossy, hope-filled eyes, Jason couldn’t suppress a slight frown as he revealed, “When we agreed to date, Mallow, Selene, and Lana each confirmed their willingness to date me exclusively. I can’t stop them from changing their minds, but for reasons I won’t get into, I’m not comfortable sharing my girlfriends with other men…”
“Well, everyone has their reasons and circumstances…” Kiawe conceded, shrugging.
“True. But how do you plan to make time for four different girls? I could see things working out if you were settled down, but what will you do for your Island Challenges? And weren’t you and Lillie planning to visit Kalos to participate in their Conference…?” Hau questioned, his curiosity visibly piqued.
“I’m going to the bathroom…” Sophocles muttered, hopping down from his chair and dragging his feet as he walked away, looking more dejected than ever. Jason couldn’t help but feel a little guilty seeing this, but at the same time, he felt that Sophocles’ dejection wasn’t grounded in anything substantive. Mallow had never expressed any interest in him, so, even if she hadn’t agreed to not date other guys as his girlfriend, the odds of her reciprocating Sophocles’ feelings were slim, at best…
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After spending a few hours hanging out with the boys from his class, Jason tentatively agreed to check out Hau’s place the following day before he, Ren, and Dex began their return trip to the villa.
“That was more draining than a ten-kilometer run…” Jason sighed, feeling mentally and emotionally drained.
“Does Jason not like spending time with other boys…?” Ren questioned, spinning on the padding of her right foot and turning to face Jason with an inquisitive expression and her hands behind her back as she walked in reverse.
“That isn’t the case…” Jason answered, shaking his head before adopting a wry smile as he admitted, “But I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel like there were better uses for my time than sitting outside a cafe for an entire afternoon…”
“Like training with Ren…?” Ren questioned.
“Among other things…” Jason confirmed, nodding.
‘You should be prioritizing getting stronger…’ appended a familiar voice, causing Jason and Ren to tense and Dex, circling above them, to exclaim, “Aaah! Jason! Ren! I just heard someone’s voice in my head, and it wasn’t from a call…!”
“We heard it as well…” Jason affirmed, grabbing Dex to try and calm him down while glancing in the direction of a familiar forest, where he and Ren had previously encountered the voice’s owner.
‘We shall await you at the same location as before…’ affirmed the voice, which both Jason and Ren recognized as belonging to Tapu Koko. Then, like a radio that had been turned to a frequency between stations, a faint static filled their minds.
‘Something must have happened since our previous encounter…’ Jason determined, his eyes narrowing and his expression turning serious as he instructed Dex to apprise Lillie and those at the villa of the situation. He was reasonably certain that Tapu Koko had no intention of harming them. But after his previous encounter with the enigmatic Legendary, he had promised Lillie that he would reach out and inform her if a similar situation were to occur. Jason wasn’t certain that doing so was the best idea, but a promise was a promise…
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After fulfilling his obligation to inform others of the situation, Jason and Ren trekked their way to the same clearing where they had encountered Tapu Koko previously. There, just as before, the bird-like totem Pokémon hovered motionless in the air, its green-orange eyes piercing them as if it could see through their flesh, bone, and thoughts—exposing any secrets they intended to keep hidden.
“Jason and Rennae Springfield, reporting as ordered. It is an honor to meet Melemele’s Guardian once again…” Jason muttered, taking a knee, touching his right hand to the ground, and bowing his head respectfully. When Ren did the same, Tapu Koko nodded, ostensibly approving of their deference.
‘We acknowledge your obeisance. Now, rise…’ Tapu Koko commanded, his voice calm but full of authority—pressing against Jason’s and Ren’s minds as a blanket of pressure.
Doing as they were instructed, Jason and Ren rose to their full heights before silently and attentively waiting for Tapu Koko to continue.
Getting straight to the point, Tapu Koko revealed, ‘Jason Springfield—we wish to see the power you have awakened in your partner. Unless there is a reason you cannot, show it to us.’
‘He must be referring to the Pactio…’ Jason concluded, his memories of the incident resurfacing in his mind.
‘So the name of the power is Pactio…’ Tapu Koko noted, reinforcing that he could hear Jason’s inner monologue and presumably view his surface-level thoughts.
“The power was borne from Ren and me forming a Pactio, but the ability she awakened is called Three-Fold Being…” Jason revealed, determining it was best to be as honest and forthcoming as possible.
‘And it places a considerable strain on you to use…we see…’ Tapu Koko acknowledged, lowering his gaze. It was difficult to tell from his general lack of expression, but he appeared to be reconsidering his request.
“I can take it,” Jason asserted, summoning every ounce of confidence he could muster.
‘Can you…?’ Tapu Koko questioned, meeting Jason’s gaze and holding it for several seconds. He then did the same to Ren, prompting her to step forward with a serious expression and her paws clenched into fists.
‘Excellent. Even if your power is lacking, we acknowledge your resolve…’ Tapu Koko affirmed, nodding approvingly. Then, causing Jason’s pupils to contract to the size of pinholes, he abruptly discharged a wave of golden electrical energy that spread through the ground and coursed through the surrounding plants and trees, causing bands of electricity to arc between their branches and leaves.
‘Now, come…’ Taku Koko instructed, floating forward and lowering himself to the ground level, making it clear he intended to experience Ren’s power by serving as her target…