Chapter 167Grouping

After completing their morning routine, Jason and Lillie, accompanied by Ren and carrying Runa, made their way over to the combined assembly hall and gymnasium. They were cutting it pretty close to the designated assembly time, so the gym was packed to the brim with about a hundred students, their partner Pokémon, and their camping supplies.

"Yo! Jason! Lillie! Alola...!"

Spotting Jason's group as they arrived, Kiawe promptly waved and called out to them. Most of their class had gathered together in a single location, sans Stella, so Jason, Lillie, and Ren naturally made their way over.

"Sorry that we're so late..." Jason apologized, forcing a smile and bumping fists with Kiawe and Hau in turn as he explained, "We ended up being held up because of my poor time management..."

"For real? You don't really strike me as the type to lose track of time," Hau remarked, brows raised.

"They were obviously kept up by something he doesn't want to disclose. Use your brain, Pinap-head..." Mallow interjected flatly, stepping forward with Sweetie in her arms.

"Alola, Mallow. And Alola to everyone else as well~" Lillie chimed happily, prompting Runa, nestled in her embrace, to raise and wave her tiny hands in greeting.

"I really hope we end up in the same group..." Lana remarked, her words directed at Jason as she stepped forward with her thumbs linked through the straps of a blue-and-white, Wailmer-themed backpack.

"Even if we aren't, we should be able to meet up at the main campsite..." Jason reasoned, extending his right hand to caress Lana's head with a smile. Fortunately, as it wasn't something he had done consciously, Lana seemed to approve of the act as she closed her eyes and raised her chin like a contented Skitty.

"Oh? I want to try patting Lana's head...!" Selene exclaimed excitedly, her eyes lighting up.

"Ahahaha..."

Following in his sister's wake, Elio, supporting his Litten, Magnus, on his right shoulder, exhaled a dry chuckle before exchanging fist bumps and greetings with Jason.

*tnk* *tnk* *tnk*

Reacting to the sound of a microphone being tapped, everyone in the assembly hall turned their attention to the stage, where Professor Kukui and several other instructors were gathered.

"Alola, everyone. Please turn your attention to the stage and listen closely to my instructions~" Kukui instructed in a casual sing-song tone, standing behind a wooden podium. To his right were three large boxes with holes in their canvas-lined tops, their fronts labeled A, B, and C.

"Once I'm finished with this explanation, we'll have each class come on stage and pull from one of these three boxes," Kukui revealed, holding up a tiny Poké Ball with the label C-07 as he explained, "The balls inside will have a letter and a number painted on their front. The students who have that same number will form a group with you; no trades allowed. The goal of this exercise is to get you accustomed to working with people you may or may not know well to complete various tasks. In this instance, you'll be setting out with your randomized groups to explore the nearby jungle and collect totems. Those who collect three before lunch will receive a special treat at the lodge we'll be using as a base camp."

"Professor! Question...!" Kiawe shouted, startling several nearby Pokémon as he raised his hand.

"Kiawe? Well, I'm just about finished with my explanation, so sure. What's your question...?" Kukui asked, fairly certain he knew what Kiawe planned to ask.

"Thank you, Professor! What I wanted to ask was, how many totems are there in total...?" Kiawe questioned, his eyes blazing with the image of a volcano ready to erupt.

"An excellent question. Though, had you waited a moment, I would have answered it naturally," Kukui hummed, causing Kiawe to shrink back and exhale an awkward laugh. Then, holding up a tiny wooden icon depicting an Alolan Rattata, he explained, "There are eighty-six totems in total, each representing a Pokémon native to Melemele Island. To find them, you can either search the habitats of the associated Pokémon or complete various challenges themed after the Grand and Island Trials."

Tossing the Rattata totem into the air and catching it with a quick snap of his hand, Professor Kukui grinned and teasingly asked, "And now that my explanation has concluded, why don't you and the rest of your class come up first?"

"Whoops...looks like I just volunteered us..." Kiawe expressed, adopting a wry smile as Jason, Lillie, Hau, Mallow, Lana, Sophocles, Selene, Elio, and Stella, hovering along the periphery, turned to glance at him.

Shaking his head, Jason contended, "It's better to go up early, as we still have a chance of drawing associated lots."

"We just have to make sure to draw from different boxes~" Lillie chimed, taking the initiative to move toward the stairs leading up to the stage. The rest of the class quickly followed suit, with Lana silently falling into step at Jason's side.

Noticing the serious, determined look on Lana's face, Jason gave the petite bluenette a smile and an affirming nod before watching as Lillie drew her lot from the box labeled C.

"Oh, my. What are the odds...?" Lillie asked, holding up her ball so that Jason could see that it was labeled C-01.

"I imagine one in thirty-something...?" Jason responded jokingly, sticking his hand into the box labeled B. Unfortunately, the lot he drew was B-31, meaning he and Lillie wouldn't be in the same group.

Instead of drawing from the box labeled A, Lana promptly slipped past the front of Jason to stick her hand in the C box. Her odds of acquiring the C-31 ball were marginally higher than A-31, which still had all its lots, so that's what she went for.

"..."

'I don't know if I should feel sorry for her or relieved...' Jason thought, a cramped smile adorning his face as Lana stared blankly at the ball in her hand, labeled C-24. He wouldn't have minded being paired with Lana, but he would have felt sorry for their third group member, who would almost certainly have been relegated to a third wheel...

"Oh, sweet. We're on the same team," Kiawe remarked, showing his ball, labeled A-11, to Hau, who had just drawn B-11. This inadvertently added insult to Lana's injury, casting a cloud of gloom over her head until Jason placed his hands on her shoulders and ushered her off the stage before the curious gazes of the entire student body...

...

..

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With the instructors having designated areas for each group with signs, Jason escorted Lillie and Lana to their stations, wishing them luck and giving each a hug before making his way over to his own to wait with Ren. There, they didn't have to wait too long before a familiar figure with spiky, blue-tipped black hair approached with a grim expression.

"Jake? We're in the same group...?" Jason asked, his brows rising. Jake was one of his self-declared rivals. And though it had only been a little more than a week since he last saw the highly competitive duo, Jake's Oshawott, Sammy, had evolved into a particularly smug-looking Dewott.

"Unfortunately..." Jake sighed, exhaling through his nose before adopting a provocative grin and remarking, "I guess Sammy and I will have to beat you and your Lucario some other time..."

Despite his provocative words, Jake extended his right fist, bound in a fingerless glove, to Jason. The latter readily reciprocated the gesture, but Ren, having noticed Sammy grinning at her, narrowed her eyes and began leaking her Aura.

"Ren's name is Ren..." Ren asserted, shifting her steely gaze from Sammy to Jake.

"Oh...uh...okay...?" Jake responded, his body involuntarily tensing as he took a half step back. Ren's Aura felt much scarier than the last time he had felt it, causing him to sweat at the possibility that she and Jason had widened the distance between them despite Sammy's evolution...

"Hey...be nice..." Jason sighed, plopping his hand down on Ren's head and tousling her fur.

"Nn...Ren is a good girl..." Ren affirmed, retracting her Aura and meeting Sammy's gaze a second time. The latter was still grinning at her, but his body was noticeably tense, faintly shivering as he ostensibly fought the urge to retreat behind his Trainer.

"So, fate has finally decreed that our paths cross..." interjected a quiet, almost inaudible voice. At first, Jason thought he had imagined it. Then, as if she had appeared out of nowhere, a petite girl with dark purple hair stepped out from behind Jake, staring at him with a gaze that could give Lana's a run for its money.

"Tapu Koko's crest! G-Gwynn...!?" Jake exclaimed with a start, jumping to the side along with Sammy, both looking aghast as they created distance from the purple-haired girl and the unsettling atmosphere that perpetually accompanied her.

Completely ignoring Jake, Gwynn's gaze bore into Jason as she pointed at him and stated, "You are not from this world..." in a flat, apathetic tone.

"...?"

Though he wasn't expecting someone to abruptly point out the fact that he was from another world, Jason naturally feigned ignorance, his head tilting to the side as he asked, "What do you mean...?"

"..."

Instead of answering Jason's question, Gwynn stared at him without blinking for several seconds in silence. Then, nearly as abruptly as her accusation, she shifted her pointer finger to Ren and asked, "May I pet her...?"

"That's up to her...?" Jason responded, now thoroughly confused as he looked down at Ren, who simultaneously looked up to meet his gaze with a similarly confused expression.

Sensing no hostility from Gwynn, despite the eeriness surrounding her, Ren ultimately shrugged her shoulders and affirmed, "Ren will allow it..." before stepping forward. As she did, Gwynn promptly raised her second hand, fingers spread as she stepped forward to meet Ren's advance...

*boing*

Leaving Jason, Ren, Jake, and even Sammy at a loss for words, Gwynn expressionlessly squeezed Ren's breasts, remarking, "I have never seen a Lucario with such large breasts..."

Directing her gaze to Jason, Gwynn asked, "Did you utilize some secret technique to make them grow...?"

"..."

Placing his hands on Ren's shoulders, Jason first pulled her out of reach of Gwynn's hands before stating, "Even if she gave you permission to pet her, that doesn't mean you can touch her however you please..."

"...?"

Genuinely confused by Jason's words, Gwynn tilted her head to the side and questioned, "It bothers you when people touch Ren's breasts? Should I let her touch mine as compensation...?"

Cupping her comparably modest breasts, the gloomy atmosphere around Gwynn intensified as she looked down at herself and remarked, "Not that there is much to touch..." in a faint, sullen tone.

"Can I touch them...?" asked Jake, smiling awkwardly as he, unprompted, admitted, "I've always wanted to try touching a girl's boobs. And if you're offering..."

"..."

Turning her head to stare at Jake, Gwynn gave the impression that she was seriously considering allowing him to touch her before adopting an overtly disgusted look as she asserted, "I don't like brats..." with all the finality of an executioner.

"B-br—who are you calling a brat...!?" Jake exclaimed, his face bright red as he struck a pose and pointed at Gwynn, shouting, "Y-You're the midget who can't grow boobs!"

"..."

Hearing Jake insult her short stature and small breasts, two things he had a complex about, Gwynn lowered her head, her low, straight-across bangs obscuring the upper half of her face in shadow. It was then that the origin of the eerie atmosphere surrounding her appeared in the form of a lantern with a black cap and long arms—lit by a ghostly blue flame with luminous golden dots superimposed onto its surface as eyes.

"Oh...!"

Having been paying attention to the exchange, Dex abruptly shot up from his charger, shouting, "Lampent, the Lamp Pokémon! Lampent are said to be enigmatic spirits who collect the souls of the recently deceased to fuel the baleful fire at their core! In ancient times, they were commonly found near battlefields. Now, they are most frequently discovered near hospitals and hospices, where the sick and elderly await their demise...!"

"..."

Though he appreciated the levity that Dex's appearance introduced to the increasingly tense situation, Jason couldn't help cupping his forehead and running his hand down his face in response to the spirited Rotom's joyous recitation of a Lampent's grisly Pokédex entry. Fortunately, this seemed to distract Gwynn from passing judgment on Jake, as she glanced at Dex for several seconds before pulling out a black smartphone with a dark purple case and a Chandeleur charm—which she used to promptly snap several photos...

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