"Mmnngh..."
In the midst of waking from a dreamless slumber, Jason, without thinking, cupped Iris's butt and gave it an affectionate squeeze. He used to do the same when Lillie slept on top of him, so his body moved before his brain finished booting.
"Hmmn? Why are you touching my butt...?" Iris asked, stirring awake, rising to a seated position, and stretching her arms overhead with a cute, nasally groan emanating from her throat.
Though he was momentarily taken aback by his own actions, Jason recovered quickly, a faint smile adorning his lips as he responded, "My hands moved of their own accord...I guess they couldn't resist your charms..."
"I believe you meant to say that you couldn't resist my charms~" Iris corrected, adopting a broad, overtly smug smile.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to defeating you in an official battle..." Jason responded, deliberately pandering to Iris's ego. In truth, he wouldn't mind if their relationship stayed as it was—intimate but non-sexual. But since it might annoy or hurt Iris if he insinuated he didn't wish to sleep with her, he slid his hands under her negligee to caress her sides.
"Yeah, I can tell..." Iris retorted cheekily, scooting back and sliding atop Jason's morning wood until it had cleared her body. Then, shifting forward, she pinned it to his belly with her crotch and began slowly grinding against him as she hummed, "It's very obvious..."
"Where did you learn this...?" Jason asked, holding Iris's gaze as she continued to slowly and purposefully roll her hips.
"What is there to learn? This isn't exactly rocket science," Iris retorted, her smile broadening as she abruptly shifted backward and pulled the band of Jason's shorts over his bulge, freeing his penis. From there, she returned to her previous position, allowing him to feel the texture of her silk panties as she ground against him directly.
'She must be planning to help with my morning routine...' Jason concluded, his breathing becoming audible as he intentionally breathed in and out through his nose. He was originally planning to drop by Maeve's and Nanahoshi's room, but with Iris taking the initiative, he was curious to see how far she would take things.
"Tell me...how badly do you want to stick your penis inside of me...?" Iris questioned, her red-brown eyes narrowing and her chin raised as she sat still, slowly caressing her abdomen and holding Jason's gaze with a smug, expectant smile.
"Bad enough that I think about it every time I see you..." Jason answered, sliding his hands along Iris's thighs.
"Then you should train hard to catch up to me..." Iris asserted flatly, grabbing Jason's hands and guiding them up her body. Jason couldn't help feeling disappointed at the insinuation that they wouldn't be having sex, but since it was ultimately what he wanted, he didn't make a fuss. Instead, he circled Iris's nipples with his thumbs as she closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and resumed grinding against him until he came...
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Following a shower and nearly thirty minutes of helping Iris tend to her hair, Jason parted ways with the impish Champion and made his way to the playroom Ren and Runa shared as their quarters. Ordinarily, he would find the former waiting eagerly to greet him, so he was a little confused when he found Runa sleeping alone atop a circular bed.
'Jason...?'
Sensing Jason's presence, Runa awoke, sat up, and used her left hand to rub her eye as she asked, 'Lillie, where...?'
"She spent the night with her mother, so I imagine they're doing each other's hair," Jason answered, approaching the infant-sized Pokémon, picking her up, and supporting her with his left forearm. Like Ren, he had also come to view Runa as a daughter, so, after picking her up, he carried her to the nearby changing station, set her down, and pulled her nightgown over her head as she habitually raised her arms.
"Do you need to be cleaned...?" Jason asked, his expression relaxed and his tone soothing, affectionate.
Shaking her head, Runa responded, 'No. But Runa does need to go to the bathroom. Jason will help?'
"Of course," Jason responded, picking Runa up and carrying her to the attached bath, where a small, stool-sized training potty awaited. He could have done without Runa's seldom-blinking eyes staring at him while she went, but he was used to it. So, instead of letting it bother him, he began filling a counter bath with lukewarm water and tearless, biodegradable soap to give Runa a good wash once she was finished and her bottom wiped clean...
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"Oh? Did you and Ren push back your morning training...?" Lillie questioned, entering the bathroom where Jason was midway through giving a beaming Runa a bubble bath.
"That wasn't my intention, but when I arrived here, Ren was missing," Jason revealed calmly. He could sense that Ren was nearby through their Pactio, so he assumed she was monitoring the Zinopup or training alone.
Sensing that Jason wasn't overly concerned by Ren's absence, Lillie suppressed the urge to ask if they should search for her. Instead, she approached and stood next to him, meeting Runa's gaze with a radiant smile as she hummed, "Good morning, Runa. Did you sleep well?" in a warm, motherly tone.
'It was a little lonely, but Runa didn't cry,' Runa responded, adopting a broad, bright-eyed smile as she raised her chin and puffed her chest with pride.
"Lonely? Did Ren not sleep with you...?" Jason asked, his brows creasing. It ultimately wasn't Ren's responsibility to look after Runa, but he couldn't help feeling moderately disappointed by the prospect of her deliberately leaving the latter alone.
Tilting her head to the side, seemingly confused by Jason's question, Runa responded, 'Ren did sleep with Runa. But then she left to follow the scary one.'
"Scary one? Could she be referring to the Zinopup...?" Lillie questioned, directing her query at Jason.
"I can understand why she would think of it as scary..." Jason muttered, his memories of the Zinopup's sneak attack resurfacing in his mind. Runa had been with Lillie at the time, so she would have witnessed the attack from behind the one-way glass.
"Do you want me to take over here so you can go and check on Ren...?" Lillie posed, sensing the concern that had taken root in Jason's heart.
"I would appreciate it greatly..." Jason responded, meeting Lillie's gaze with an appreciative smile. The urge to kiss her was overwhelming, but since Runa was watching them like a hawk, he allowed his emotions to speak for him.
"Go..." Lillie hummed, narrowing her emerald-green eyes and similarly transmitting her own emotions to Jason. This included the desire to do much more than kiss, causing Jason's face to warm before he thanked her again and beat a hasty retreat...
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By focusing on his and Ren's link, it wasn't long before Jason spotted her in the outdoor play area, staring back at him despite the one-way glass. He was certain she couldn't see him, but with her ability to sense both his emotions and his Aura, she was able to meet his gaze with a closed-eyed smile and a wave.
Following a quick wave back, Jason exited the villa through the back entrance and made his way around to the outdoor play area, where Ren promptly rushed up to him, revealing, "Ren went hunting...!"
"Hunting...?" Jason repeated, equal parts confused, intrigued, and concerned. He knew it was common for Pokémon, particularly Fighting-types, to head out in search of prey and powerful opponents without telling their Trainers or asking for permission. But since Ren had thus far been on top of telling him what she wanted or had planned, he couldn't help feeling slightly taken aback.
"Nn! Ren sensed that Zinopup was sneaking away, so she followed after him! After that, Ren watched him battle a lot of different Pokémon before a big group of Pokémon attacked all at once...!" Ren recounted, her tail swishing audibly behind her and her paws held up, clenched excitedly into fists. The evening's events had clearly excited her, and Jason soon learned why as she explained how she had stepped in to save the Zinopup when it was in a pinch, teaming up with it to defeat what sounded like a colony of Rattata and Ratticate.
"And then, and then Zinopup bit down on the throat of one of the defeated Pokémon and gave it a really loud crunch...!" Ren recounted, her enthusiasm causing Jason to sweat. He got the impression that the experience had awakened Ren's predatory instincts, but she quickly assuaged his concerns by shaking her head, waving her paws, and stating, "Ren didn't eat! Ren was just really surprised! There was a lot of blood, and it made Ren feel really warm and alert!"
"I can imagine. And I'm proud that you remembered that you aren't a wild Pokémon. We might cook other Pokémon into our food, but we don't kill..." Jason remarked, cupping the sides of Ren's face and giving her cheeks an affectionate knead.
"Mmn. Ren remembered~" Ren hummed, grabbing Jason's forearms and settling into his palms with her eyes closed. Witnessing the Zinopup kill a Ratticate made her feel really excited, but she only ate food prepared for her by Jason or treats she was allowed to take from others.
"That's what makes you the best..." Jason affirmed, drawing Ren's head forward and kissing her crown. Then, raising his gaze, he noticed the Zinopup observing them from the shadow of its slide-turned home. He half-expected to see it covered in blood, but it looked the same as usual—at least from afar.
'Now that I think about it...' Jason trailed internally, looking down at Ren before asking, "Where did you learn the word hunting...?"
Tilting her head to the side, Ren appeared confused by Jason's question. Then, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, she revealed, "Ren heard it from Zinopup...?"
Blinking several times in surprise, Jason, brows raised, asked, "You're able to communicate with it?"
"Nn! Zinopup isn't as good at speaking as Ren, but Ren can understand him~!" Ren chimed, looking happy and more than a little proud of herself.
'Odd...could it be because she's a Lucario...?' Jason wondered, alternating his gaze between Ren and the Zinopup thoughtfully. He knew that at least Xendalah had attempted to communicate with the Zinopup—to no avail. It clearly understood their language, but the few times it responded, its own words came out as a series of low, indecipherable growls.
'Well, it certainly makes things easier...' Jason mused, a slight smile adorning his face as he suggested to Ren that they head inside so she could wash up in preparation for breakfast. The thought of approaching the Zinopup there and then crossed his mind. But with how it had been observing him with its chin resting atop its folded forepaws, he got the impression it had been waiting for Ren to leave it alone—presumably to enjoy a post-hunt nap...
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At the same time that Jason was returning to the villa's interior with Ren, a snake-like yellow eye was surveying the estate through a long telescope, its owner humming, "Oh, wow. That's a ton of security~" in a husky, boyish tone. Its owner had the stature of a young boy with black hair tinged gold at the base, but his sharp eyes, pointed ears, shinobi-esque apparel, and talisman-covered, sandogasa-style hat made it apparent at a glance that he was no ordinary child.
"This complicates things..." asserted a second figure, a buxom woman in scant, scale-covered, kunoichi-esque attire. Like the boy, she also had raven-black hair, yellow eyes, and pointed ears—the former tied back into a tight bun, held in place by feathery pins. Notably, while the boy had an inordinately long katana on the ground, located to the right of his foot, the woman's lower back was adorned with a pair of matching, obsidian-black blades with five distinct, silvery-white edges. Had Jason been present, he would have immediately recognized the blades and scant, meshed armor as being made from Nargacuga materials.
"Perhaps. But life is boring when things are easy~" hummed the yellow-eyed youth, retracting his telescope and placing it into the interior of his long, wave-patterned jacket. A closer inspection would reveal that it, too, was comprised of scale-covered hide, but the scales were smaller, more compact, and of a noticeably higher quality. The exterior was a gradient between black and grey, and the interior was shimmering, reflective gold.
Without waiting for a response, the youth picked up his oversized katana and promptly leaped down from the rocky cliff they were perched on. The forest floor was forty meters below, but the youth and his escort showed no fear or hesitation as they landed flat-footed in deep squats. Then, with a relaxed smile on his face, the youth stood up and walked into the forest with the gleaming eyes of a predator on the prowl...
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