Chapter 166Confliction

After returning to the villa, Jason spent the rest of the afternoon training with Maeve before retiring to his and Lillie's room. They had to wake up at 4 AM the following morning to accommodate his morning routine, so they were readying for bed by 6 PM.

"Did something happen this afternoon between you and Ren...?" Lillie asked, sitting with her back against the headboard of her and Jason's bed in a white camisole. She had been reading a book when Jason arrived, but she immediately set it aside as he got into bed and lay back with his head on her thighs.

"Honestly...I'm not sure..." Jason exhaled, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of Lillie's hand caressing his forehead as he revealed, "On our way back, Ren started touching herself. But since it didn't spur a reaction in her body...I don't know..."

"Hmmmn...if I'm not mistaken, don't wild Riolu and Lucario normally clean themselves with their tongues...?" Lillie asked, drumming Jason's forehead with her fingers as she contended, "I think it's fine, so long as she doesn't do it in public."

"That isn't my concern..." Jason sighed, opening his eyes partway to meet Lillie's affectionate gaze, staring down at him with a smile. The sight made his brain stall for a moment, but he recovered quickly, explaining, "It's the performative nature of the act. She's not able to provoke a physiological response from her body, so the only motivation she has to do it is to elicit a reaction from me..."

"Mmn...I see..." Lillie muttered, her words trailing off as she began to comb her fingers through Jason's bangs.

Sensing Lillie's thoughts, Jason exhaled exasperatedly through his nose, closed his eyes, and conceded, "I know this is only an issue because I'm making it one. I just...don't know how to fix things without crossing a line I'm unwilling to cross..."

Shaking his head, Jason added, "On a positive note, Wicke seems to have developed a lubricant that stimulates the nerves in the vagina to increase neural sensitivity and promote the release of endorphins during prolonged intra-vaginal stimulation. It's currently in the early stages of development, but if there are no serious or long-term side effects, it will allow women to experience pleasure, not just comfort, during sex..."

"And you're okay with that...?" Lillie questioned, leaving Jason confused until she clarified, "Weren't you concerned that the concept of sex could propagate through our world? I would imagine that women being able to experience pleasure during sex would encourage them to want to have it more often..."

"..."

Unable to refute Lillie's words, Jason's brow and the muscles in his jaw tightened in conflict. He had felt so relieved by his ability to get Wicke to climax that he hadn't considered the broader ramifications of the lube she was developing entering the market. The Aether Foundation was already preparing to market internal massage devices—paired with a body-safe, antifungal lubricant to prevent yeast infections. If said lube were replaced by the version Wicke was developing...it wasn't difficult to imagine female Trainers across the League becoming hooked on massaging themselves...

"I personally think it's a good thing..." Lillie stated, her smile softening as she reasoned, "Having experienced the joy and feeling of connection that arises during sex, I believe more people should be able to experience it. I am certain you have good reasons for feeling as you do, but the world is constantly changing. And with our world increasingly coming into contact with external influences, no one person or group can be held accountable for the changes that occur from that contact..."

"..."

"You have a way of making me feel remarkably foolish at times..." Jason sighed, closing his eyes and smiling.

"No one can know everything or solve every problem..." Lillie muttered, her tone low and soothing as she asserted, "So long as you're willing to listen to the advice and reasoning of others, you will never be a fool. We call that learning..."

"Mmn..."

Feeling comforted by Lillie's words, Jason turned onto his side, his face facing the former's abdomen as he softly asserted, "You're going to make a great mother someday..."

"I certainly plan to be~" Lillie hummed cheerfully, running the tips of her fingers through the fringe framing Jason's face. It had been a while since his last haircut, so it was beginning to grow long and somewhat unkempt, allowing her to curl it with her fingers.

"..."

Spurred by Lillie's words, Jason snaked his hand around behind her back and began rubbing his face against her belly. In the past, he would never have been able to do something so shameless. Now, he didn't hesitate to inhale deeply through his nose, causing Lillie to laugh aloud and put up a cursory amount of resistance as he began to tickle, nuzzle, and ultimately make gentle but passionate love to her...

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Though his conversation with Lillie the previous night had helped to abate some of his mixed feelings, Jason couldn't help thinking back to what Ren had done while completing his daily foundation training. He didn't feel she had done anything bad, per se, but he couldn't just ignore it.

"Jason...?"

Feeling Jason's gaze and internal conflict as she was undressing and preparing for a shower, Ren, having just pulled off her top, looked at him with curiously raised brows, her breasts hanging out as she asked, "Did Ren do something bad...?"

Shaking his head, Jason unhesitantly answered, "No. But I have been meaning to talk with you about what you did on our way back from the Pokémon School. That's not something you should do in front of other people..."

"Nn. Ren knows," Ren affirmed, nodding her head before adopting a broad smile and asserting, "Ren will only do it in front of Jason~" while wagging her tail.

"..."

Sensing the sudden rise in Jason's anxiety, Ren blinked in surprise, her smile promptly disappearing as she tilted her head to the side and asked, "Ren can't...?" with her ears flattening.

"Sffffff...haaaaaaaaaaa..."

Closing his eyes, Jason inhaled and exhaled a steadying breath before straddling the changing area's bench, patting the spot in front of him as he said, "Come...sit down..." with a weak smile.

Doing as she was told, Ren took a seat with her back to Jason and immediately reclined against him, muttering, "Ren is sorry..." in a faint, barely audible tone.

"No. You've done nothing you need to apologize for..." Jason asserted, enveloping Ren's exertion-warmed body with his arms and deliberately transmitting every positive emotion he could muster into her. There were few things he desired more than her happiness, so it pained him greatly to hear her apologize for wanting to share in his...

"So warm..." Ren muttered, closing her eyes and placing her paws over Jason's hands. She could feel his affection and love flowing into her. But as warm as his affection was, she couldn't help wanting more...

"..."

Though he noticed Ren leaning forward and gradually raising her butt, Jason didn't immediately stop her. He was used to her sitting on his lap, so even when she deliberately pressed herself against his bulge, he just exhaled exasperatedly through his nose.

"Ren wants to stay like this...just for a little..." Ren muttered, her husky tone even huskier than usual as her body temperature skyrocketed in Jason's embrace. The latter naturally considered releasing her, but he could feel that Ren really did just want to be held. The way she wanted to be held was questionable, but that was more a fault of his than hers. She couldn't feel arousal normally, so the only reason she was acting as if she could was because his own was transmitted through their Empathic Link...

'The issue is that I can't stop myself from feeling aroused by her...' Jason acknowledged, burying the lower half of his face into the fur covering the back of Ren's head and exhaling. If he had been able to control his urges better, Ren might not have developed as she had. Then there was the fact that she could sense him making love to others, spurring her desire to feel the same emotions directed at her...

'Man...Korrina really shot me in the foot by providing me a Riolu as my first Pokémon...' Jason sighed internally. He wouldn't trade Ren, not even for his favorite Legendaries. But if his first Pokémon had been male, or, at the very least, less human in appearance, he wouldn't be feeling as conflicted as he currently was.

'The question is...how do I provide her the release she craves when that desire stems from my own...?' Jason asked himself, opening his eyes and staring at nothing in particular. He could feel how happy Ren was, just by being held in the manner he was holding her. But beneath that feeling, he could sense her growing, insuppressible desire to feel wanted...

"..."

Tightening his hold on Ren's body, Jason quietly affirmed, "I don't say this nearly enough...but I'm happy that you're my partner, Ren. I'm sorry that I can't act on these urges we both feel. But I want you to know that I would never give you up for any other Pokémon..."

"Nn...Ren knows..." Ren responded, relishing the warmth, affection, and sincerity Jason was sending into her. She could feel that he really meant what he was saying. But since she had already resolved to stay with him forever, she was more concerned with the firmness pressing against her bottom. It frustrated her that Jason was restraining himself, but that was simultaneously proof that he wanted her—not just as a partner, but in the same way he desired Lillie and others...

Getting the distinct impression that his words weren't getting through to Ren in the way he intended, Jason exhaled a weary sigh, kissed the back of her head, and said, "We should hurry and get ourselves cleaned up. We don't want to be late..."

"Nn~!"

Separating from Jason the moment he was finished speaking, Ren rose with a start before turning her head to glance down at his lower half with an overtly smug look.

"Hey...eyes to yourself..." Jason sighed, doing his best to appear calm and composed as he rose to his feet and pulled his form-fitting black tee over his head. His face and body burned with a flush, but his expression was a mask of stone—even as Ren purposely grazed him with her tail in passing, remarking, "Ren doesn't mind if Jason looks..."

"..."

Though he probably shouldn't have, Jason could feel Ren's desire for him to steal a glance at her as if it were his own. As a result, he found his head turning of its own accord, his gaze falling to Ren's hips, butt, and fluffy tail as it swayed tantalizingly behind her...

'She's walking like Lusamine and Cynthia...' Jason noted, recognizing the distinctive and confident swagger in Ren's steps. The latter's mimicry had only improved with time. And as she paid such close attention to him, she knew well what kind of movements and behaviors garnered his attention...

"We should hurry..." Ren reminded, half-turning to stare back at Jason, her eyes narrowed and her paw caressing her abdomen in a manner evocative of Lillie. Unfortunately for her, this reminded Jason that he still needed to complete his morning routine, freeing him from the stupor her actions had evoked.

Shaking his head free of his absentmindedness, Jason returned to undressing, spurring Ren to giggle behind him before she made her way over to the showers ahead of him. She was reasonably content with how things had gone, so while a small but growing part of her wanted to push Jason even further, she bottled the urge and forced it down—deep down into her special place.

What Jason didn't know was that Ren was learning how to recreate the feelings he inspired in her all on her own. She was also much better than him at manipulating and disguising her Aura. So while Jason took his time undressing, giving himself time to calm down, Ren sat down at the shower station and gave the space between her thighs a very thorough cleaning...

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