Chapter 168Sameness

With each group departing every two minutes in ascending order, Jason found himself with just over an hour to kill before his was scheduled to set out. During that time, Gwynn sat on the floor to Jason's left, her legs bent in the shape of a W as she tapped away at her smartphone's screen with her thumbs. Meanwhile, Jason and Jake made small talk while Ren curled up for a short nap and Sammy practiced slashing at the air with the shells affixed to his hips.

"Are there any Pokémon you're looking to catch before the intra-school tournament...?" Jake questioned, seated to Jason's right and snacking on a berry-based granola bar.

"That's the million-₽okedollar question..." Jason exhaled, catching Jake off guard as he shook his head and admitted, "I want to avoid becoming the kind of Trainer who seeks out specific Pokémon for their competitive advantage. That might be the most efficient way to reach the top, but I'd rather struggle with a subpar team of Pokémon I've formed strong bonds with than recycle those that are no longer useful..."

Hearing Jason's words, Ren promptly nestled closer to him, rubbing her nose against his leg.

"Pokémon are so much more than their capacity for battle. And those that become our partners may as well be our other halves..." Jason muttered softly, cupping the side of Ren's face and scratching the underside of her neck and chin with his middle, ring, and pinky fingers.

"I totally get that..." Jake affirmed, nodding approvingly. Then, glancing back at Sammy with a smile, he revealed, "Sammy and I have promised to take on the Pokémon League and one day stand center stage at the World Coronation Series. No matter how long it takes, we won't give up—not on our dream, and not on each other..."

"Dewaaah~!"

Clearly agreeing with Jake's assertion, Sammy sliced his shells in a criss-crossing motion and struck a battle-ready pose.

"What about you, Gwynn? Do you have a dream...?" Jason questioned, trying to be polite by pulling the purple-haired girl into the conversation.

"..."

Raising her gaze from her phone, Gwynn appeared to carefully deliberate her response before asking, "Why do you care about such things? Are you volunteering to help me achieve my dream?"

"Wouldn't that depend on what your dream is?" Jason countered, smiling as he reasoned, "If it's something I can help with that doesn't harm me or those close to me, there's no reason I can't at least hear you out."

"..."

Setting her phone down between her thighs, Gwynn left Jason and Jake at a momentary loss for words as she raised her hands like the claws of a Haunter and revealed, "I want to be a top idol who makes people tremble in fear and faint from fright...gawr..."

"..."

"..."

Seeing Jason and Jake staring at her with blank, borderline slack-jawed expressions, Gwynn adopted a slight frown and asked, "Is it impossible?" in a sullen tone.

"I mean...you're definitely cute enough..." Jason answered, causing Jake to stare at him as if he had just said the sky were purple.

"This is why you don't have a girlfriend..." Gwynn remarked, glowering at Jake with almost imperceptibly puffed cheeks.

"Grrrrrr...."

Leaning forward and growling, Jake gave the impression he was ready to throw hands or challenge Gwynn to a Pokémon battle. Unfortunately for him, Gwynn wasn't even a little intimidated. In response to his growl, she just gave a slight eye-roll and looked at Jason, asking, "Do you really think I'm cute?" in a faint, curious tone.

"I'm pretty sure most people would agree with that assessment," Jason answered, turning on his artistic and marketing brains as he reasoned, "I don't know about making people tremble or faint from fright, but a simple wardrobe change should be all you need to stand out."

Looking down at her outfit, consisting of a purple-grey blouse, a large dark purple ribbon, and a pleated, dark purple skirt over purple-black stockings, Gwynn contemplated Jason's words. She put a fair amount of thought into what she wore, but she couldn't deny that her fashion sense went against what others considered fashionable.

Raising her gaze, Gwynn carefully took in each component of Jason's outfit. She personally felt his style lacked creativity, but his handsome face, sharp eyes, confident smile, two-tone black-and-gold hair, and fit build tied everything together. There was also the fact that his clothes and omnishoes were all top-quality, name-brand pieces. His undershirt, alone, likely cost more than her entire outfit...

"A bona fide Young Master..." Gwynn muttered flatly, causing the smile on Jason's face to cramp.

"I can't deny that I've been exceedingly blessed, both circumstantially and financially..." Jason conceded, glancing down at Ren. The existence of his System was unquestionably his greatest advantage. But his chance encounter with Korrina and everything that had followed was something straight out of a progression fantasy novel with cross-world, harem, and kingdom-building elements...

"Just how rich are you? You must have come from a pretty wealthy family to get engaged to Lillie," Jake presumed.

Evidently catching Gwynn by surprise, based on the slight raising of her brows, Jason shook his head and revealed, "I'm actually an orphan. Mine and Lillie's relationship is definitely related to my background, but I'm not at liberty to discuss the specifics..."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that..." Jake expressed, his expression turning awkward as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It's fine. I wouldn't be the person—the man I am today if not for what I experienced in my past. And to say I'm blessed would be a tremendous understatement..." Jason countered, once again diverting his attention to Ren.

*thump*

Though she remained curled up, Ren gave an approving thump with her tail in response to Jason's words.

"So that's what it was..." Gwynn muttered, her gaze boring into Jason until he noticed she was staring at him, prompting him to ask, "Did you come to some kind of conclusion...?"

"..."

Instead of responding to Jason's question, Gwynn abruptly stood up and walked off. This left Jason and Jake more than a little confused. But since neither knew Gwynn well enough to get up and follow after her, they were left to stare at her back in confusion.

Stopping several steps away, Gwynn peered back over her left shoulder, her gaze meeting Jason's.

"...?"

'Is she telling me to follow her...?' Jason asked himself, feeling even more confused.

*tap* *tap* *tap* *tap* *tap*

Seemingly losing her patience, Gwynn walked over to Jason with short, quickened steps, her brows slightly creased as she grabbed him by his arm and pulled him up, saying, "Come on...I need to tell you something..."

"Okay...?" Jason responded, feeling bewildered and looking back at Jake as Gwynn pulled him along with surprising force. Fortunately for her, he was accustomed to being pulled around in such a manner, lest he pull his arm free.

"Mmmmnngh~"

Similarly accustomed to Jason being pulled away by random girls, Ren took her time rising to follow after him. First, she performed a protracted, cat-like stretch with her butt raised and her tail straightening out. Then, shifting to a seated position with her legs splayed beneath her, she licked the fur along her forearms and used it to clean above her eyes and along her temples...

...

..

.

'How do I keep ending up here...?' Jason asked himself, looking around with a stone-faced expression as the place Gwynn dragged him to was the girls' restroom.

"You and me...we're the same..." Gwynn stated, leaving Jason confused until she subsequently revealed, "I'm also an orphan..." while looking up at him.

"Oh..."

Not expecting Gwynn to disclose such sensitive information about her past, Jason's brows tensed, a slightly guilty look marring his face as he added, "It must have been difficult for you..."

"It was..." Gwynn affirmed, punctuating her words by abruptly stepping forward and hugging Jason. The suddenness of the act took the latter aback, but since he got the impression that Gwynn was trying to console him, Jason didn't attempt to free himself. Instead, he reciprocated with a single hand, patting Gwynn's back.

'Despite the cold atmosphere surrounding her, she's surprisingly warm...' Jason noted, his expression softening and a faint, defeated sigh escaping from his nose.

Releasing her hold on Jason after nearly half a minute, Gwynn quickly stepped away from him, her hands folding neatly above her lap as she looked up at him and stated, "I don't want others knowing that I'm an orphan. If you tell anyone..."

Shaking his head, Jason explained, "I won't go spreading rumors. But I promised Lillie I wouldn't keep secrets from her. If she asks, I'll have no choice but to reveal the truth..."

"..."

Seemingly not anticipating Jason's response, Gwynn turned her head, her expression morphing into a slight but clearly troubled frown.

"If you don't mind my asking...why don't you want anyone knowing that you're an orphan...?" Jason asked.

"..."

Looking up at Jason with her head down and her eyes upturned, Gwynn seemed to deliberate for several seconds before revealing, "I don't like it when people try to understand me..."

"Mmn...I see..."

Shaking her head, Gwynn clarified, "It's fine..." before stepping forward and placing her right hand on Jason's chest, her purple eyes boring into him as she asserted, "You and I are the same...we've both experienced what lies beyond this world..."

'She's talking about death...' Jason realized, his expression softening into a mix of solemnity and guilt. Gwynn was clearly insinuating that she had either undergone a near-death experience or witnessed someone close to her dying—presumably her parents. This was common among those with an affinity for Ghost-type Pokémon, but this was his first time dealing with that fact in practice...

"Only those who have seen beyond the veil can understand the burden of walking in the light..." Gwynn asserted softly, raising her second hand and stepping forward to place her ear to Jason's chest.

"Thump thump...thump thump..."

Hearing Gwynn softly, monotonously mimicking the beating of his heart, a layer of goosebumps spread across Jason's body. Luckily, though it was a somewhat traumatic memory, he had experience dealing with creepy girls from his previous world. One of his childhood friends had gone through an extended emo phase. And since they were quite close, he ended up being the focus of a lot of her experimentation...

"We should get back. There weren't many groups remaining before ours was set to depart," Jason stated, grabbing Gwynn's shoulders and gently separating her from his body.

"..."

Looking up at Jason and seeing him smiling down at her with a patient expression, Gwynn stood in silence for several seconds. She was certain he had experienced death. But while there was no way he had moved on from it, he didn't seem to be anchored to his past...at least not in the way she and her brother were...

"You're strong..." Gwynn muttered, grabbing Jason's wrists and removing his hands from her shoulders before stepping around him to leave without further creepiness.

'She's been through a lot...' Jason concluded, exhaling through his nose in faint exasperation before following in Gwynn's wake. His first instinct was to let Gwynn leave ahead of him and create some distance between them, but that meant standing alone in the girls' bathroom. Thus, he followed in her wake, reuniting with Ren, standing outside the bathroom, before they returned to an understandably confused Jake...

...

..

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With their group finally being permitted to set out, Jason let Jake take the lead while he followed at the rear with Ren. Jake had wanted to challenge him to rock, paper, scissors to determine who should lead, but his intuition warned him that Gwynn might disappear on them if she were permitted to bring up the rear. As a result, he let Jake take charge while he kept an eye on both Gwynn and their surroundings with Ren.

And thus, the first day of Jason's five-day jungle excursion began—with nearly six hours until noon...

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