"Well, if it isn't our resident otherworlder. I heard you had a run-in with Tapu Koko," Professor Kukui remarked, sporting a relaxed smile as Jason and Ren entered what appeared to be a kind of break room or office.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you know about that..." Jason sighed, making his way over to the floor cushions Professor Kukui had set out in place of chairs.
"All of the staff here have been informed about your situation. How else would we be able to teach and guide you?" Professor Kukui questioned, exhaling a lighthearted chuckle.
"Makes sense," Jason conceded, taking a seat and prompting Ren to do the same, seating herself on the floor to his right.
"Let's get straight into it, shall we? I read your essay, and it seems to me that you're not entirely sure which path you want to take. There's nothing wrong with that, of course. You're young and likely still acclimating to our world, after all," Professor Kukui expressed, reviewing Jason's essay in his left hand.
"It's more the case that there are too many things I would like to see and experience in this world. That, and I have a lot of debts to repay..." Jason explained, exhaling from his nose and using his right hand to caress Ren's head.
"Oh? What makes you say that...?" Professor Kukui questioned, getting ahead of Jason's response by stating, "Because it is the responsibility of adults to look after kids. It's fine to want to repay kindness, but you don't owe anyone for simply taking care of you."
"If I had only received a roof over my head and food enough to survive, that might be the case," Jason accepted. "But the care I've experienced since being dropped in this world...it has been above and beyond. It's to the extent that I already feel a stronger connection to this world than my own..."
"Do you still feel like an outsider...?" Professor Kukui questioned, leaving Jason at a momentary loss for words.
"I do..." Jason admitted quietly, his gaze shifting to Ren and a faint smile adorning his face as he added, "But I also know there are places I belong in this world—alongside people and Pokémon I would give my everything to protect..."
"I see..." Professor Kukui responded, nodding approvingly. Then, setting aside Jason's essay, he adopted a broad smile of his own and stated, "If you're up for it, I'm going to suggest that you attend Mina's art classes on the weekends. It's good that you've found a place in this world where you feel you belong, but there is still much of this world you haven't seen and experienced. So, get out there and experience it."
"I was planning to, at the very least, give them a try..." Jason revealed, offering a curt nod. He had discussed the matter with Lillie, Maeve, and Nanahoshi the previous afternoon. They were all for the idea. And since art was what had saved him in his previous world, a small but meaningful part of him had always wanted to pursue it professionally.
"Then, I'd say we're about done here. Please send in Elio when you rejoin the others," Professor Kukui requested, prompting Jason to nod before he and Ren got up to leave.
'He's a good guy...' Jason thought, feeling slightly lighter after speaking with Professor Kukui. This made him feel somewhat guilty about ruining Professor Kukui's canon relationship with Ellaine. But since the latter had become one of his spiritual and emotional tethers, Jason had no intention whatsoever of giving her up...
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With Professor Kukui eventually releasing them at the sound of the bell, Jason and his classmates made their way to the twin battlefields before they grew too crowded. Wicke had agreed to referee their match earlier in the day, so as a crowd amassed around them, Jason and Kiawe got their inaugural battle underway.
"Alright, Keahi! Use Flame Wheel...!" Kiawe shouted, prompting his Alolan Marowak, Keahi, to dive forward and spin like a wheel with bright orange flames enveloping his body.
"Dodge and counter with Metal Claw...!" Jason bellowed, sporting a smile as Ren effortlessly dodged Kiahi's Flame Wheel before following after him with her right paw veiled in silvery, Steel-type Energy. Ren had a massive advantage in terms of speed, but Keahi's Fire and Ghost Typings gave him the edge against her Steel and Fighting Typings. As such, the two were in the midst of their tenth exchange without a clear victor in sight.
Breaking out of his Flame Wheel mid-roll, Keahi countered Ren's Metal Claw by batting it with his body-length bone club, veiled in ghostly green flames. The resulting shockwave sent both Pokémon reeling, but Ren was able to recover faster by flipping over and sliding back on all fours. Then, seeing an opening, she charged forward with Bullet Punch.
"Ren, stop! Fighting-type Moves don't work on Ghost-type Pokémon...!" Jason shouted, causing Ren to flinch and perform an acrobatic, spinning flip over Keahi as the latter endeavored to slam its flaming club into the right side of her body.
After landing nimbly on her feet, Ren created several meters of distance between her and Keahi, her eyes focused on her opponent, but her ears strained for Jason's next command.
"Seriously!? From that distance!? I've never seen such a nimble and reactive Lucario! You and Ren must have trained like crazy to get this strong...!" Kiawe exclaimed, his brown eyes glistening and an ear-to-ear smile adorning his face. He had expected the battle to be one-sided due to Keahi's Type advantages, but Jason and Ren were on a level where he wouldn't be surprised to learn they had already completed a Grand Trial or two.
"Unfortunately, we only have a single move that can harm your Marowak. Meanwhile, most of your moves are super-effective..." Jason responded, relaxing his posture. He didn't normally speak during a battle, but since Keahi had returned to Kiawe's side of the battlefield and Ren had returned to his, he felt compelled to do so.
"Sure, assuming we can ever land a hit..." Kiawe countered, crossing his arms and exhaling from his nose. If Ren were just a little faster than Keahi, they might be able to secure the win. But, alongside her speed being on a different level, Ren's fighting style was exceedingly cautious and reactive. She left very few openings, and whenever she made mistakes, Jason was quick to correct her, and she was quick to respond...
Shaking his head, Kiawe surprised Jason, Ren, and everyone spectating the battle by expressing, "I think we should call it quits here. At this rate, Keahi and I are going to lose simply because Ren has more stamina. And I don't think the two of you would be satisfied winning that way."
"Jason...?"
Confused by the turn of events, Ren, her fur matted with sweat, looked back at Jason. As Kiawe had pointed out, she still had a lot of gas in her tank. Keahi, on the other hand, was panting heavily, looking like he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion from using multiple high-powered moves without landing a single hit.
"Rather than calling the battle altogether, how about you send out one of your other Pokémon...?" Jason suggested, giving Ren a curt, affirming nod before raising his gaze to meet Kiawe's, stating, "Ren and I aren't afraid to lose. But we hate leaving things half-finished..."
"I can respect that," Kiawe acknowledged, pulling out Keahi's Poké Ball and having him return before producing another generic-looking Poké Ball and asking, "But, before we continue, do you have any Berriers or items to help Ren recover her stamina...?"
"We don't need them. Ren, use Life Dew on yourself," Jason instructed, prompting Ren to perk up, raise her paws to her chest, and materialize a watery-blue sphere of glowing, Water-type Energy. Absorbing it into her body caused a similarly blue glow to emit from her fur. And when it faded, even the sweat coating her fur was gone.
"Seriously? You two are beasts..." Kiawe remarked, his expression more than a little incredulous. Despite that, he never stopped smiling. Rather, now that he had a better understanding of what Jason and Ren were truly capable of, he could barely contain his excitement. He had secretly been worried that none of his peers would be able to keep up with him—to the point he had resisted enrolling in the Pokémon School. Now that he knew there was at least one person who could compete with him, his spirit was surging like the lava pools of Wela Volcano...
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Though he and Ren ultimately lost against Kiawe's Charizard, Bruce, Jason was in a great mood as he, Lillie, Runa, and Dex made their way back to the villa. Ren was recovering in her Poké Ball, so they were able to move at a slow, leisurely pace—with Alola's gradually setting sun and the breeze blowing in from the coast both warming and cooling them at the same time.
"You seem much happier today than you were yesterday. It's quite the mystery~" Lillie hummed, causing Jason's brows to perk in confusion, his gaze shifting to her rather than Runa, carried in his arms.
"What do you mean...?" Jason asked.
"Not too long ago, you used to exhibit considerable frustration when you and Ren lost a battle. Now, as long as you and Ren can give it your all, you appear to prefer losing..." Lillie remarked, her eyes narrowing into a playful smile that, over time, had become increasingly sensual.
"It's not that I prefer losing..." Jason refuted, shaking his head before raising his gaze to the orange and reddening sky above as he contended, "I just want Ren to be able to enjoy these moments, where she's able to give a battle her all and overcome her past limitations. Because, once we begin playing catch-up with other Aspirants, there aren't going to be a lot of Pokémon who can be her opponent..."
"Mmn...I see..." Lillie muttered, linking her right hand around Jason's left bicep before closing her eyes and leaning her head against his shoulder. He didn't appear particularly sad or anything. She just wanted to remind him that he wasn't alone.
"I'm okay. At the end of the day, I understand it's a luxury to be able to have these kinds of concerns..." Jason expressed, closing his eyes and resting his cheek atop Lillie's head as he added, "But, at least for the time being, I want to continue living as ordinarily as someone from a different world can..."
"Mmnnn..."
Instead of responding with words, Lillie just hummed, a delicate smile adorning her face as, like Jason, she allowed herself to enjoy the peace and warmth of the moment they were sharing—prompting Runa's large, ruby-red eyes to shimmer like gemstones...
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With the fourth day of school being much like the second and the fifth being much like the third, Jason and Lillie welcomed their first weekend as students.
"Do you have everything you need? Snacks? Drinks? Pokémon food...?" Lillie questioned, checking Jason over with her hands and eyes to ensure he had everything he needed for his outing. He had ultimately decided to accept Mina's invitation, so while Lillie spent the day with Mallow and the other girls in their class, he was going to be spending the day and night in the forest encircling the Pokémon School.
"Even if it turns out I'm missing something, the school will never be more than a kilometer or two away. Relax..." Jason sighed, cupping the sides of Lillie's head to hold her in place. It was traditionally his job to stress over his preparations, but Lillie was slowly but surely eroding that aspect of his character and replacing it with herself.
Before Lillie could protest, Jason silenced and ultimately calmed her with a chaste, lingering kiss. Then, sporting a wry but affection-filled smile, he reminded, "Try not to reveal too many of the specifics of our relationship with your friends..."
"I know..." Lillie responded, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She had been apart from Jason many times, but since she knew the dangers that awaited in Alola's forests and wilderness, she couldn't help but worry about his safety. Fortunately, he was in no hurry to leave, and, with Dex at his side, she could track his location anywhere in Alola...
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(A/N: I'm still alive! As for why there haven't been any updates recently, it's because I had to get a Summer job to support myself. I'm planning to increase my output in the future, but if I'm not able to earn enough to support myself through Patreon, I don't have much of a choice but to take breaks for a proper job.)