Chapter 132: Honesty
'Ow...'
Waking to the feeling of something hitting him in the face, Jason roused to find that Lana had elbowed him in her sleep. It wasn't very hard, but it was enough to wake him up.
Rising to a seated position, Jason glanced at Lana to find her lying on her back with the hem of her pajama top riding up, exposing her belly. Poppy was curled up like a cat next to her, and in response to his sitting up, Ren naturally sat up as well.
'She's so defenseless...' Jason noted, exhaling faintly from his nose before fixing Lana's top and deciding to exit his tent. The exterior air was muggy and carried a heavy, foresty aroma, but since he was lightly garbed, it was perfect.
fssssssssssssssh
Hearing a hissing sound emanating from the direction of the bathrooms, Jason glanced over, wondering who could be taking a shower or running the sink at such a time. The compulsion to investigate briefly washed over him, but since the sound was emanating from the girl's side, he decided against it.
Emerging from the tent behind Jason, crawling out of it on all fours, Ren took a moment to stretch like a cat, her back arching invertedly and her butt sticking up in the air before she rose smoothly to her feet and asked, "Time for training...?" while rubbing her right eye with her paw.
'That isn't the worst idea...' Jason thought, checking his watch to see that it was 4:11 AM. Everyone had turned in around 8 PM the previous night, so he guessed it wouldn't be long before Lana and anyone still asleep awoke naturally.
As Jason was considering his options, the hissing sound emanating from the bathroom ceased. A glance at Mina's tent showed the flap was open, strongly suggesting she was the one in the bathroom.
'I should wait until she comes out to tell her I'm heading out for training...' Jason concluded. He doubted that the lax Mina would make a big deal out of his absence, but he didn't want to be labeled reckless for leaving camp without telling anyone.
With such thoughts in mind, Jason grabbed his backpack—stowed near the tent's entrance—and began performing warm-up stretches with Ren in the space between the camp and the restrooms. As he expected, the person who emerged was Mina, notably wearing an oversized white shirt, and, as far as he was aware, nothing else.
"I was wondering who was making noise out here. Alola, Jason, Ren..." Mina hummed in her characteristically sleepy tone, a faint smile adorning her face.
"Alola to you, too, Miss Mina..." Jason responded, punctuating his words with a curt nod.
"Alola, Miss Mina~" Ren appended.
"Just Mina is fine," Mina corrected, waving her hand dismissively in front of her face before approaching closer and rather abruptly asking, "How are you feeling, by the way? If you're experiencing difficulties, I can help relieve you."
"When you say difficulties..." Jason muttered.
"You have a routine you perform every morning, right? Since you don't have Lillie or Director Wicke here with you, I can lend you a hand or my body," Mina stated flatly, thumbing over her right shoulder as she added, "We can go behind the restrooms..."
"..."
Following a momentary stalling of his mental faculties, Jason forced a smile and responded, "I appreciate the offer and your...consideration. But I must politely decline..."
"Oh...that's a shame. I was looking forward to experiencing it for myself..." Mina revealed, shrugging her shoulders and stepping past Jason as she added, "Let me know if you change your mind."
"Right..." Jason muttered, turning his head to glance at Mina's retreating figure. She had a notably slender and petite build, but she wasn't without her charms. If he didn't already have half a dozen girlfriends, he would be lucky to have her...
'I'm not sure if my resistance to temptation has increased or weakened...' Jason thought, exhaling from his nose. He had refused Mina's proposition, but the rapid warming of his body and the slight tingling in his temples as he watched her depart made it apparent to him that he wanted to accept. Instead, after meeting the gaze of Ren, staring up at him with her large red eyes, he adopted a wry smile and prompted her to join him for several laps around the camping ground's perimeter...
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With Lana joining him and Ren midway through their run, Jason took his second shower with the petite girl and his first with Poppy before the four of them exited the restroom to join Mina, Bebe, Stella, and Gooey around the extinguished campfire.
"Mmmnnnn. Something smells really good~" Lana hummed, closing her eyes and sniffing at the air as she sat to Jason's right atop the same log as the previous day.
"If you're referring to these, they're Pulled Lechonk Malasadas," Mina stated, holding up what looked like a half-eaten holeless donut, covered in white powder and filled with a meaty substance that resembled pulled pork.
"Oh. I only eat fish, vegetables, and berries..." Lana revealed, looking slightly disappointed. Her own breakfast was a bottle of Moo-Moo Milk, as, despite Jason's words the previous day, she still harbored the hope that she would grow at least a little taller and thicker in the areas boys seemed to care about.
"Mmnn...if that's what you've decided for yourself, I have nothing to say. But life is too short to deny yourself the opportunity to try a wide range of foods and experiences..." Mina stated, her half-lidded gaze briefly shifting to Jason before she took another large bite of her malasada.
"Maybe. But I've tried Pokémon meat many times. It always gives me a stomachache..." Lana revealed, tilting her head back reflectively as she added, "Though, I do remember trying Farfetch'd without any problems. It might just be red meat my stomach has an issue with..."
"It's better to avoid, anyway..." Stella contributed, drawing everyone's gaze as she flatly asserted, "Red meat increases blood production and causes high blood pressure and nerve damage via excessive selenium. Those who ingest it regularly are at a much higher risk of bleeding out if they're injured severely..."
"Really? I had no idea..." Lana muttered, looking both surprised and impressed by Stella's knowledge.
Closing her eyes, Stella, cheeks flushing, asserted, "It's because you have a fondness for Water-type Pokémon, who primarily consume fish. I'm certain that Jason was aware of this, considering he's partner to a Lucario..."
"I am," Jason confirmed. "But I also don't think the average student or Trainer could recall that information off the top of their head. You must have studied diligently or apprenticed beneath a knowledgeable mentor before enrolling in the Pokémon School..."
Though it was slight, Jason noticed Stella tensing at the mention of her having a mentor. Fortunately, he had anticipated she would have at least some kind of reaction.
"If you're wondering how I came to that conclusion, it's because you have a Goomy as your partner," Jason stated, adding, "Dragon Types are highly regulated—requiring a License or the endorsement of a trusted Trainer to train. There are only two villages where Dragon Types are given to young, aspiring Trainers. So, unless you come from one of them, you would have to have a mentor or hail from special circumstances to be entrusted with a Dragon Type..."
"Whoa...we have a detective in our midst..." Mina droned, her brows rising, but her eyes somehow remaining half-lidded.
"But is he right...?" Lana questioned, her blue eyes glistening like gems as she stared at Stella, eagerly awaiting her response.
Frowning deeply, Stella looked like she wanted to refute Jason's assertion before closing her eyes, exhaling an exasperated sigh, and stating, "Fine. I will reveal my origins, but I expect you to keep it to yourselves. If it gets out, I won't forgive you..."
"I won't tell anyone. Will you?" Lana asked, directing the latter question to Jason.
Shaking his head, Jason calmly asserted, "I don't keep secrets from those I care about or trust, particularly my fiancée. But I can assure you I won't go around blabbing your secret to the entire school."
"Honesty is important," Ren affirmed, nodding several times.
"..."
Though Jason's response left a lot to be desired, Stella only hesitated for a brief moment before revealing, "I am the niece of Claire, hailing from the Village of Dragons. The presiding Champion of the Johto Region, Lance, is my cousin—once removed..."
"Then that makes you the third cousin of Champion Iris..." Jason noted, causing Stella's pupils to, very briefly, dilate. The average person might not know such information. But since he had had many opportunities to speak with Iris—usually while relaxing and drinking sake in his hot spring—Jason knew arguably too much about her family, lineage, hobbies, and dislikes.
"Whoa...it's no wonder you're so cool and mature. I'm a really big fan of your aunt. I even have a poster of her and a Dragonair on my wall..." Lana revealed, staring at Stella with a mix of awe and growing excitement. Her own origins were comparably modest, so she couldn't help viewing Stella as a minor celebrity.
"R-Right..." Stella muttered, looking embarrassed or perhaps nervous as she scratched her right cheek and glanced down at the extinguished fire as if hoping to find answers within the ashes.
'She must have been invited here by Iris...' Jason determined, unable to ignore Stella's previous reaction. Others might not have noticed, but since he had been suspicious of her, the subtle changes in her expression, tone, and body language stuck out like massive flags in his eyes.
Fortunately for Stella, Jason had no reason or desire to expose her—presuming, of course, that he was right. His degree of confidence was only around fifty percent, so instead of pressing Stella into revealing even more, he piggybacked off Lana's comment, stating, "That must be where you got your icy-blue hair and eyes. I remember your aunt's being a very similar shade of blue..."
"Nn...it runs in the family..." Stella confirmed, seemingly appreciating the comparison to her aunt as a subtle smile briefly adorned her face. Jason also noticed that she seemed relieved by the change in topic, reinforcing his suspicions. He still didn't press her, but his confidence level increased to a reasonably certain sixty percent...
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Following breakfast, Mina had everyone pack up their tents and sweep the area for stray trash before leading them back to the pond they had stopped at the previous day. There, they were given the option to touch up their art projects from the previous day, start new ones, or relax and enjoy nature. Mina wasn't the strictest of teachers—contending that, so long as they enjoyed themselves and appreciated the environments they explored, they were receiving what mattered from the class...
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"Good work, everyone. You all did really well this trip. I hope to see you all again in the future~" Mina expressed, gently clapping the tips of her fingers together after the group reached the rest area they had set out from the previous morning. It was only noon, but since they had school the following morning, the supplemental class concluded early.
"It was a really enjoyable experience," Lana affirmed, offering a curt nod before glancing at Jason and asking, "Will you be attending more of these classes in the future?"
"Probably..." Jason responded, his gaze briefly meeting Mina's, prompting her to smile and wink at him. In truth, he felt that his weekends would be better spent training with Maeve and Nanahoshi. But since he was fairly certain that Lana and Stella had only enrolled in the course because of him, he would feel guilty if Mina suddenly had no students. He doubted that would stop her from traveling around Alola to continue making art by herself, but that was precisely why he didn't want to drop the course. The thought of her traveling around, sketching, and painting on her own made him feel...melancholic...
"Mmn. Just let me know beforehand. I mainly enrolled in this course to get to know you and Ren better, so it would be awkward if the two of you weren't here..." Lana confessed, catching Jason a little off guard. She had stated the same thing previously, along with Lillie giving her permission to spend time with him, but he wasn't expecting her to restate her intentions so directly...
Noticing Jason's stupefaction, Lana adopted a playful smile and teased, "I really enjoyed us showering together..."
"Nn! Ren really likes showers as well...!" Ren chimed, inserting herself into the conversation.
"Right? Let's be sure to take lots of showers together in the future," Lana stated, capitalizing on Ren's assertion. Ren readily and spiritedly agreed with her. Meanwhile, Jason, stunned to silence, couldn't help thinking that Lana was more calculating than he had previously assumed...
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