After picking up Ren's and Laani's Poké Balls, reuniting with Luca, and returning to her private booth, Jason, while brushing Ren, explained to Korrina the decision he had made. It didn't differ much from what they had discussed before, but her eyes lit up when he told her he wanted to train and learn martial arts.
"I've actually been thinking about this a lot since the last time we talked about it," revealed Korrina, seated behind Laani and taking care to brush her ears gently.
"I still think it's too late for you to begin training seriously at this age, but that only applies to normal people," Korrina contended. "But since you can complete Quests, increase your stats, and acquire new, even supernatural abilities via your System, you're absolutely not ordinary. Factoring in all of that, I'm prepared to help you however I can."
Seeing Korrina beam with her eyes closed, her teeth on full display, and her arms flexed, Jason couldn't help but feel a tingling warmth permeate his chest, along with the sensation of goosebumps spreading across his body.
"I can't express how much I value your support, but for the time being, my principal concerns are seeing you perform well in your WCS run and restricting the number of women you invite into our fold..." Jason said in a joking tone, belying the seriousness of his statement. He had enjoyed his time with Alexa and was looking forward to spending even more time with her. But if he were being completely honest, he would prefer if she stayed at a hotel rather than the Tower of Mastery...
"Right. And after this, you're planning to return to Alola and attend the Pokémon School with Lillie..." Korrina recalled, tilting her head back and staring at nothing in particular as she considered how best to help Jason. She really wanted to help him, but she couldn't abandon her duties as the Shalour City Gym Leader indefinitely.
Though he couldn't help but notice that Korrina didn't seem to take the second half of his statement seriously, Jason adopted a smile and said, "Depending on what our preliminary investigation turns up in Galar, Lillie and I will either be heading there or to the Kalos Region for our first Gym Challenge. After one or two of those, she will likely begin preparations to inherit her mother's position while I focus on WCS promotional work and assisting the League with my meta knowledge."
"In other words, I have three to four years to prepare a successor. Then we can travel, train, and battle together at our leisure," Korrina concluded, her blue eyes glistening with excitement.
"I would like that..." Jason affirmed, nodding. It crossed his mind that the three to four years Korrina was referencing were between six and eight by his world's standards, but based on his experiences up until that point, he was certain the day would arrive sooner than it felt like it should.
"By that point, Ren might be even stronger than Luca~" Korrina teased, stealing a glance at her partner, standing a short distance away with his gaze fully focused on the displays depicting the Pokémon battles taking place below.
'Doubtful...' responded Luca, not even bothering to glance back at the group as he stood firmly with crossed arms.
"You could at least pretend to be supportive..." Korrina quipped, briefly puffing her cheeks before catching Jason off guard as she met his gaze and asked, "Since we're on the subject of you graduating and becoming a Trainer, what do you think about letting Laani accompany you? She seems to have taken a liking to you, and she would make a great training partner for Ren."
Hearing her name mentioned, Laani, who had been sitting with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of having her ears and fur groomed, opened them and tilted her head.
"I would prefer to catch and train my own Pokémon..." responded Jason, his voice low, uncertain. Ren definitely needed a sparring partner, and he knew that if he refused to accept Laani into his party, she would likely be turned over to the League within a year or two. He still didn't completely trust the governmental organization, so while he doubted that she would be mistreated, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt when he imagined Laani spending the rest of her days assisting with construction or fighting on the frontlines of conspicuously underreported wars...
Seeing through Jason's concerns, Korrina smiled and reassured, "Even if you say no, I've already spoken with President Lusamine about her living at the Aether Paradise. I just feel she would be happier, and that you and Ren would benefit a lot from her accompanying you during your first Gym Challenge—especially with Lillie specializing in Fairy and Psychic-types. It will be difficult for you to find and catch a Pokémon that can fill the role of Ren's training and sparring partner."
"You make a fair point..." Jason conceded, offering a slow nod as he met Laani's reddish-pink, black-backed gaze. She was staring back at him as if she understood what he and Korrina were discussing, and though it was probably his imagination, he felt as though there was an expectant gleam in her eyes.
'If she were male, I wouldn't be having these doubts...' thought Jason, exhaling faintly from his nose. If he accepted Korrina's proposition and Lillie's Ralts ended up being female, it wasn't an exaggeration to say he would be traveling with three of the most furry-bait, colloquially called smashable Pokémon in the franchise—Lucario, Lopunny, and Gardevoir. And with how things had been going since his transmigration, he wasn't as certain as he should have been that something wouldn't happen if he spent enough time with the too-human Pokémon. Ren? Never. But Laani had proven herself to be dangerous and aggressive...
"Well, it's not as though you need to make a decision now," Korrina noted, cupping the sides of Laani's face and gently scratching the underside of her chin as she revealed, "This year, I'm mainly having Laani participate in matches where I'm allowed to use at least two Pokémon. I'm allowing her to gain experience so that when we start training for next year's WCS, she understands what kind of competition awaits her at the top."
"I understand what you mean. I knew as much from watching battles on TV, but things are a lot more serious when you move up from the regional to the world stage..." Jason affirmed, shifting his gaze to the displays as a Gengar grew in size to devour a Braixen. The smaller Pokémon unleashed flames from within the Gengar's body, but the latter endured, chewing up the conspicuously human-looking fox Pokémon before spitting it out, fully paralyzed and sporting wide, traumatized eyes...
"Honestly, this is still pretty low level compared to the battles that take place in the Ultra Class," expressed Korrina, her voice uncharacteristically low and full of severity as she followed Jason's gaze and added, "I would never claim that my victory is assured, but most of the Trainers who travel here for the unseeded rounds of the WCS just want to battle me. Very few harbor serious aspirations about placing in the Great or Ultra Class..."
"..."
Though what he had witnessed seemed to contradict Korrina's claims, Jason knew he was still observing things from an outsider's perspective. Korrina was far better acquainted with the mentality of Pokémon Trainers as a whole, and since she regularly qualified for the Ultra Class, she knew precisely the level required to be a serious contender.
'I will have no trouble defeating these opponents,' Luca asserted, keeping his gaze on the displays.
"Hey, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves..." chided Korrina, but her tone made it obvious her thoughts weren't much different from Luca's. In all of her WCS runs, Luca had almost single-handedly carried her into the Ultra Class. Unfortunately, Ultra Class battles involved three to six Pokémon, so while he could generally hold out in 3v3 matches, it was nearly impossible for him to beat a team of six well-trained Pokémon on his own—especially with most teams expecting and preparing around him.
Feeling a subtle shift in the booth's atmosphere, Jason stared at Korrina, focused on the displays, with a thoughtful expression. He could see how much she wanted to win, but besides cheering her on, there was little he could say or do to better her odds.
"Just leave it to me..." said Jason, his serious expression and tone causing Korrina to blink in surprise before staring at him in confusion.
"Leave what to you...?" asked Korrina.
"I may be lacking in practical experience, but I'm confident in my ability to recognize and crack patterns," explained Jason, his expression hardening as he asserted, "There isn't much I can do now, but once we transition to scheduled, broadcast matches, I'll be able to analyze your opponents and their Pokémon in detail. If they have an exploitable weakness or pattern, I will find it and help you prepare measures against it."
"Oh, will you now~?" asked Korrina, unable to prevent a gratified, narrow-eyed smile from her face. She doubted that Jason would be able to spot any patterns or weaknesses that she didn't notice herself, but as she had always planned to review her opponents' matches alongside him, she had no reason to refuse his help.
Recognizing that Korrina was underestimating the value of his assistance, Jason resolved to prove her wrong—not out of spite, but so that he could begin repaying the kindness she and so many others had shown him since his arrival in the world of Pokémon. She stressed him out with her laissez-faire attitude toward inviting other women to share their bed, but that was an issue on his end. The fact of the matter was that she had saved his life, and while he had never particularly valued his existence, he always repaid the kindness shown to him. Thus, as far as he was concerned, his life was more Korrina's than his own...
"Just wait and see..." Jason said, the severity and conviction in his hazel eyes leaving Korrina at a slight loss. Her brows briefly rose, but instead of settling into the moment, she adopted a particularly radiant smile, rested her chin atop Laani's head, and responded, "I'll be looking forward to it~" in a happy tone...
"Looking forward~!" parroted Ren, having been paying close attention to Jason's and Korrina's exchange. Much of what was said made little sense to her, but she was sensitive to the change in atmosphere. She had been feeling somewhat uneasy with how serious Jason was being, so now that the mood had shifted to a lighter one, she decided to keep it that way by redirecting Jason's focus and behaving adorably.
"Hey, now. I'm not done brushing you..." remarked Jason, exhaling a soft chuckle as he grabbed Ren's sides to prevent her from moving away from him. He hadn't intended to tickle her, but when she reacted by contracting her body and laughing, it became impossible to resist. Thus, while he was keen to begin his analysis of Korrina's future opponents, he set the notion aside to focus on the moment...
...
..
.
As the sun began to set over the horizon and the stadium's excitement and external festivities started to settle, Jason and Korrina left early to avoid the bulk of the exit traffic. Alexa, much to Jason's relief, had called to inform them she would be staying at the hotel she had booked before encountering them in Lumiose, so with Ren and Laani in their Poké Balls and Luca disappearing the moment they got outside, it was just the two of them on the paved foot path leading to Shalour and the looming Tower of Mastery...