After a good night's sleep and a stimulating morning, Jason was standing behind a seated Korrina, brushing her hair and marveling at how it held its shape when she exhaled a quiet sigh and expressed, "About yesterday...I feel I owe you and Ren an apology. It feels like every time I—mmnnnh...?"
Before Korrina could finish what she was saying, Jason bent over her left shoulder and turned her head to face him, silencing her with a protracted, tongue-entangling kiss. Once he was personally satisfied, he pulled away from her, holding her glossy-eyed gaze with a smile as he asserted, "You never have to apologize to me or make excuses for how other people act toward me. I wouldn't even be alive today if it weren't for you, and while I prefer to avoid it, I've never once said I was afraid of trouble..."
Preempting Korrina's response, Jason gave her several additional kisses. In the process, he also lowered his left hand to cup and gently caress her right breast, his middle finger tracing the peachy bud concealed beneath the fabric of her black sports bra.
"Jason..." muttered Korrina, her eyes even glossier as Jason separated from her lips and licked their mixed saliva from his own. Unfortunately, he and Korrina had a lot to do that day, so as tempted as he was to continue where they left off, he stood up and muttered, "We should get going if we don't want to miss our train..."
"We can always catch a later train..." countered Korrina, causing Jason's eyes to flash. Ordinarily, he disliked deviating from plans that had already been made, but the earnestness in glossy blue Korrina's eyes very nearly convinced him.
"Jason...?"
Sensing the change in Jason's and Korrina's auras, Ren, warming herself up nearby with enthusiastic, arm-swaying squats, momentarily paused to stare at them with her head tilted to the side. Laani was also present in a pastel red t-shirt that hung to her thighs and was fastened at the waist by a black belt. So, while Jason was exceedingly tempted by Korrina's words, he ultimately shook his head, kissed her crown, and responded, "It's best to keep to schedules..."
"Mmn...alright, then~" responded Korrina, closing her eyes and beaming radiantly. Then, as if the tension from moments before had been Jason's imagination, she stared ahead, leaving him to resume brushing her hair as she hummed a happy tune—a pleasant melody he had previously learned was something her mother used to sing to her as a child...
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After completing the preparations for their departure, Jason, Korrina, Ren, and Laani departed Siebold's hotel to find a small group of journalists and paparazzi gathered with cameras and microphones at the ready and a trio of orange, bright blue, and yellow Rotom drones whirring over their heads. Jason had wanted to leave through a back or side exit, but since she was used to dealing with the press, Korrina greeted the group with a smile and double, snipping peace signs, shouting, "Good morning, everyone! I hope you're all staying warm despite this chilly morning~!"
Knowing full well that Korrina could handle herself, Jason hung back with Ren and Laani while she addressed the group's questions, most of which pertained to her forthcoming WCS run and current sponsors. A handful of paparazzi from gossip columns unabashedly asked about her relationship with him, but she effortlessly laughed away their speculations and offered a prepared response along with falsified business cards that would divert them to the Aether Foundation's established PR team.
sh-kash-kash-kavrrrrrr
While the majority of the press were focused on Korrina, Jason, Ren, and Laani noticed a fit woman with short, combed-back, chestnut-brown hair approaching them with an expensive-looking red-and-black camera in her hands. Her eyes were a pale, olive-green that seemed to shimmer faintly, and though they had distinctly different appearances, Jason couldn't help feeling that the woman exuded a similar aura to Ellaine. That, and the fact she was wearing tight grey jeans, a form-fitting red-and-black mid-sleeve blouse that accentuated her breasts, and stylish brown Omnishoes with a black camera bag affixed to her lower back, prevented him from frowning as she approached.
"Bonjour. You're the Junior Marketing Coordinator here on behalf of the Aether Foundation, Jason Springfiled, right~?" asked the woman, sporting a broad, confident smile that gave the impression she knew considerably more than Jason's name.
"That's correct," affirmed Jason, adopting a business smile and flicking out one of his white-and-gold business cards as he asked, "Might I ask for the Mademoiselle's name and affiliation?"
"It's Madame, actually," responded the woman, her smile gaining a hint of playfulness as she presented her right hand for a shake and revealed, "As for my name and affiliation, I go by Alexa—Alexa Kauffmann. I'm a Senior Correspondent for the Kalosian International Gazette. If you're not busy, I was hoping we could sit down and have a chat."
"Gym Leader Korrina and I will be departing for her hometown of Shalour City shortly, so I'm afraid our interview will have to take place some other time..." answered Jason, accepting Alexa's soft yet powerful hand as Ren and Laani observed the interaction with intrigue.
"Oh? What a coincidence! I was also planning to head for Shalour City to cover their annual WCS Battle Festival Challenge. Perhaps the three of us could travel together~?" proposed Alexa, beaming radiantly. Jason had no intention of humoring her proposal, but just as he shook his head and was about to politely decline the invitation, Korrina jogged over with wide eyes and a happy smile.
"Alexa! It's so good to see you again~!" chimed Korrina, leaving Jason at a loss for words as she rushed over and shared a cheerful embrace with the tall and buxom journalist as if they were old friends.
"I'm happy to see you as well, Korrina. Welcome back to Kalos~" hummed Alexa, making it clear that she and Korrina were more than acquaintances by casually combing the latter's hair with her right hand.
'She must have been a friend of Korrina's mother...' concluded Jason, as, while Alexa didn't appear old, she was definitely from an older generation than Korrina...
"You want to travel with us to Shalour City...?" asked Korrina, blinking in surprise after Alexa explained what she and Jason had been discussing before her arrival.
Nodding, Alexa reiterated, "I'm one of the reporters covering this year's WCS Battle Festival Challenge. My sister is taking a break this year, so I figured I'd drop by and see how much you've grown after your journey in Alola."'
"Oh? Does that mean that Grant is also taking a break...?" asked Korrina curiously, causing Jason's ears to perk as he recognized the name Grant as one of the Kalosian Gym Leaders. The exchange heavily implied that Grant and Alexa's sister were romantically entangled and that the latter was a similarly competent Trainer, so as his brain gradually pieced things together, Jason felt compelled to interpose himself into the two women's chat, questioning, "Are you Gym Leader Viola's sister?"
"Yes, that's right," confirmed Alexa, nodding. Then, with a broad smile on her face, she confidently hummed, "I'm the older sister—not that you'd be able to tell if we were standing side by side. My job keeps me active, and you've gotta be strong and fast to get the scoop on powerful Trainers and their Pokémon, you know?"
"I can see that..." affirmed Jason, his practiced smile cramping slightly as Alexa's green eyes flashed at his compliment. The look within them made it apparent that he would be subjected to her interview sooner rather than later. Fortunately, they all understood that the priority at that moment was escaping the eyes, ears, cameras, and microphones trained on their every word and movement, so before continuing their discussion, they entered a taxi she had waiting to transport them to the hotel they were supposed to have stayed at the previous evening...
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"Alright, so what's the deal between the two of you? Did you meet in Alola and begin dating in secret...?" asked Alexa, waiting until they had reached Jason's room and swept it with an electronic signal detector before asking the question at the forefront of her mind.
Blinking in surprise, Korrina innocently inquired, "Is it that obvious we're in a relationship?"
"Maybe not to others, but how many years have we known each other...?" asked Alexa, smiling affectionately as she caressed Korrina's head with her right hand, adding, "I see how your eyes light up whenever you look at him. It reminds me of how you used to look at Calem before he decided to travel abroad."
Catching Alexa off guard, Korrina shook her head, her blue eyes exuding assurance as she asserted, "The way I feel about Jason is different from how I felt about Calem. I really enjoyed spending time with Calem, but his focus was always on his personal goals and becoming Champion..."
Shifting her gaze to Jason, leaving him staring back at her like a Deerling in headlights, Korrina's smile broadened as she maintained, "With Jason, I feel like we're building toward something together..."
"Oh, my...you must be an extraordinary young man to have Korrina this taken with you..." remarked Alexa, crossing her arms, shifting her weight, and staring at Jason with raised, curious brows.
"Jason best...!" contributed Ren, causing Laani to startle and defensively raise her left leg at the sudden outburst. Fortunately, she didn't kick Ren in the back as she initially felt compelled to. Instead, she lowered her leg and partially concealed herself behind Jason with her right paw grasping the back of his steel-grey-and-black, half-zip sweater.
"As you can see, he's really good with Pokémon. I'm almost positive that he and his Riolu will be able to achieve Mega Evolution once she evolves into a Lucario~" hummed Korrina, her smile full of mirth as she observed the scene of Ren pumping her paws and Laani concealing herself behind Jason.
"Oh? Are you planning to have him train with your Grandfather...?" asked Alexa, his interest piquing twice in quick succession, first at the former's question and secondly when Korrina hurriedly shook her head, waved her right hand in front of her face, and answered, "No way. Jason is one of the more determined people I've met, but the training my Grandpa had me go through was absurd and geared toward aspiring Fighting-type specialists. Jason trains hard every day, but he doesn't like fighting."
"Really? You wouldn't think it to look at him..." remarked Alexa, shifting her gaze to Jason before approaching and unhesitantly running her right hand across his left pectoral as she casually hummed, "I noticed that his hands were soft when we were introducing ourselves, but I just assumed he was like you and specialized in kicking..."
With Alexa raising her gaze to meet his near the end of what she was saying, Jason felt a subtle tension permeate his body. Fortunately, his practice over the preceding months hadn't been for naught as he was able to smile calmly, raise his right brow, and ask, "Are you having fun...?" with just a hint of cheek.
"Just a bit~" countered Alexa, winking playfully before retracting her hand from Jason's chest as if she were striking a match across it with her index finger. She might have continued if she were younger and not already in a committed relationship, but she didn't want to step on Korrina's toes, even if Jason ticked a lot of boxes—being tall, tanned, good with Pokémon, and in great shape.
Fortunately for Jason, Korrina had agreed in advance to keep the fact that they regularly had sex and what that actually meant a secret. Thus, while Alexa inevitably pressed her for details on their relationship, she managed to skirt around the subject with surprising finesse. Meanwhile, Jason took it upon himself to check and inventory their respective bags to make sure nothing was missing before they checked out of the hotel and left for the station...
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