Following a three-hour train ride to an airport outside of Coumarine City, located North-East of Shalour, Jason and Korrina boarded an interregional flight that would take them over the perilous sea separating the Kalos and Galar Regions to the latter's capital, Wyndon.
"Normally, the first thing I do when I land in Wyndon is make my way to my assigned hotel. One of the cool things about participating in the WCS is that Trainers who qualify for the Great Class don't need to worry about finding a place to stay for the duration of the conference. We have rooms prepared for us~" revealed Korrina, responding to Jason's question about what they should do after landing.
"Oh! That reminds me...!"
Freeing itself from the confines of Jason's backpack, tucked under the seat in front of him, Rotom's screen flashed what looked like a map as it explained, "The President sent me updated information on your lodgings earlier this morning. It completely slipped my mind."
"..."
Though his expression flattened at the revelation, Jason didn't dwell on it as he pursued the screen and read the address. Korrina did the same, her brows rising as she noted, "Oh, wow...the Wyndham Champion's Resort is where the top twenty and those competing for a spot in the Master Class reside. President Lusamine must have pulled some serious strings to book a room for you mid-conference."
"Mmmn...I'm almost positive she booked the room for herself and is now dragging Lillie and me to share it with her..." Jason countered, the image of a narrow-eyed Lusamine licking her lips appearing in his mind.
"You think so...?" Korrina asked, tilting her head, raising her gaze, and touching her chin thoughtfully. She could imagine at least one reason Lusamine would do as Jason described, but her image of the model-like President was that she was super busy. There were still twenty-one days remaining until the current conference ended, so while Jason was likely correct, she couldn't imagine Lusamine sticking around for more than a few days.
"If I had to guess, she's either planning to introduce me to some of her corporate contacts and competitors or have me debut officially as Lillie's fiancé..." Jason surmised, having undergone something similar in the past. The memory wasn't a pleasant one, but he managed to avoid dwelling on it. After all, his and Lillie's engagement was something they had decided for themselves—not something they were being forced into...
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After a surprisingly short, two-hour flight, Jason and Korrina arrived at the extremely busy Wyndon International Airport. The weather outside wasn't the greatest—overcast with a light, cold rainfall—but there was a palpable tension in the air, like walking through a cloud of static electricity.
"I guess this is where we part ways. I'll message you when my interviews and promotional work are done, but I assume you'll be occupied with Lillie and President Lusamine~" Korrina teased, sporting a thick white coat with red trim and a furry hem, collar, and sleeves.
"I'll definitely keep you apprised of my status..." Jason responded, feeling a wave of melancholy wash over him, despite knowing he would probably see Korrina that evening or the following morning. He didn't know whether it was due to his meta knowledge, the city's Victorian-esque architecture, or the frigid rain, but he felt as though he was standing on the precipice of great and terrifying events...
"As well as your Rotom will allow~" Korrina teased, standing on the tips of her toes to give Jason a quick peck on the cheek. This caused the brows of her Flying Cabbie, waiting nearby, to rise, but she genuinely didn't care if it got out that she and Jason were a couple.
Without waiting for the stupefied Jason's response, Korrina gave him a playful wink before spinning on her heel and hurrying over to the Cabbie and his Flying Taxi, a two-person compartment affixed with emergency parachutes and set to be carried by a massive, ebony-black, fiery-eyed Corviknight. It was an exceedingly precarious-looking setup, but it was a common mode of transport in several regions.
"I'll see you later! And be sure to stay warm~!" shouted Korrina, smiling radiantly and waving her right hand before the Flying Taxi rose several meters into the air with a single, tempestuous beat of the Corviknight's powerful wings. Jason ended up having to shield himself from the water kicked up by the winds it produced, so by the time he turned his gaze to the sky, Korrina's Flying Taxi was already becoming a dot, joining dozens of others transporting people to and from the airport.
'I guess I should head out as well...' thought Jason, exhaling a cloud of icy condensation from his nose before making his way toward the very expensive-looking car waiting to ferry him to his destination. He wasn't a car person, but it reminded him of an electric-powered Rolls-Royce, with a polished, ivory-white base, gold accents, and the distinctive, trident-like Aether Foundation emblem as a hood ornament.
Entering the spacious rear compartment of the vehicle, which had white leather seats arranged to face one another, Jason thanked the driver for opening the door before sinking into the plush cushions, closing his eyes, and exhaling a wearied sigh. He owed Lusamine a great deal, but he felt tired just thinking about how she might drag or order him around. And as it had been a while since their last encounter, he was almost certain she would petition him to help alleviate the stress she had accumulated since that fateful evening...
With such thoughts in his mind, Jason sported a listless expression as the car made its way almost silently to its destination, a luxurious, 100m-tall high-rise hotel located near the heart of the city. To reach it, the car had to travel around the famed Wyndon Stadium, giving Jason his first view of the impression, magenta-hued, flower-shaped stadium. He knew from the travel brochure he had read on the plane that the impressive arch framing it was 134m tall and nearly twice as long. The enclosed dome could seat a crowd of 100,000 people, and the sole battlefield within was the largest in the world, carefully engineered to facilitate battles between kaiju-sized, Dyna- and Gigantamax Pokémon.
'It's no wonder Trainers from all over the world gather to compete in the World Conference Series...' Jason thought solemnly, genuinely awed by Wyndon Stadium's scope and surrounding landscaping. The stadium was built on a massive circular lot, and though his view was obscured by rain-induced mist, he could make out carefully arranged trees, neatly trimmed bushes, and well-maintained park features far beyond the standard of his previous world.
'It's a hell of a lot more scenic than that monstrocity...' thought Jason, his gaze rising to the dome-tipped tower that dominated Wyndon's skyline as if its owner refused to be eclipsed by anything. It was a giant, gaudy, six-sided tower with an industrial blue facade and a green, glass, thorn motif that spiraled around it from base to tip. There was nothing practical about it in the slightest. It existed solely to embody the ego of the man who had it constructed...
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Due to the size of Wyndon Stadium's grounds, it took nearly an hour for the car transporting Jason to reach the eleven-story hotel located on the opposite side. There weren't many cars present on the roads, but with an influx of more than a million foreigners and their Pokémon, the streets had significantly more pedestrian traffic than normal.
'This feels like a building constructed for giants...' thought Jason, raising his gaze as he disembarked the car and got his first look at the Wyndham Champion's Resort. A building of its stature, standing more than 100m tall, should have had closer to thirty floors. That meant that each floor had an average clearance of ten meters, presumably to allow the Pokémon of its seasonal inhabitants to move about and even fly indoors.
Drawing Jason's attention to the building's entrance, a very familiar figure, garbed in a pale pink sweater blouse under a white, gold-adorned mantle, skirt, and leggings, came walking toward him with the swagger of a model on a runway.
Recognizing the figure's voluminous purple hair and pink-rimmed glasses, Jason couldn't help smiling as he made his way forward, greeting, "Wicke. I wasn't expecting to see you here. It's good to see you..." once they were within conversing distance.
"I'm here as President Lusamine's plus-one for the bi-annual Pokémon League Sponsors' Gala. After that, I'm scheduled to attend a handful of scientific conferences and showcases. If you're interested, I don't mind you accompanying me," Wicke hummed, catching Jason a little off-guard as she unhesitantly closed the distance between them, snaked her arms around his body, and leaned into him.
Though his first instinct was to scan his surroundings and see if anyone was watching, Jason suppressed it, swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat, and placed his hands on Wicke's waist. Then, as she had an expectant look in her golden eyes, he tilted his head sideways and leaned in to kiss her.
puchaschlpsmack
Separating from Jason's lips after several smacking kisses, Wicke, gazing up at him with narrowed eyes, licked her lips and playfully hummed, "It's only been two weeks, but I'm glad you haven't forgotten how to greet me properly..."
"..."
Not sure how to respond, Jason just silently held Wicke's gaze for several seconds. His head was devoid of thoughts, but Wicke seemed to interpret his reaction differently, her cheeks flushing as she released him, grabbed the front of the black and blue windbreaker he was wearing to combat the weather, and sighed, "The President and Lillie will chide me if we take too long, but I can't very well leave you like this..."
As confusion flooded his mind, along with various inferences regarding what Wicke had planned for him, Jason found himself pulled along by the petite but deceptively powerful woman until they reached the hotel's luxurious, incredibly spacious lobby—floored with highly reflective, black, gold-veined marble. There, she walked him through acquiring his access key and signing his name in the guest register. Then, instead of taking him up to his room, she gave him an impromptu tour of the ground floor's five-star amenities, including a world-class restaurant, a state-of-the-art gym, and specialized spa facilities for humans and Pokémon alike.
Near the end of the somewhat rushed tour, just as Jason was beginning to think that Wicke was showing him around without an ulterior motive in mind, things escalated rather quickly when she pulled him into a private, multi-sex bathroom with an interior lock. There, she had him bring out his Sanctum and draw them inside, where he subsequently found himself at the mercy of her commemorating their reunion...
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Following their extemporaneous rendezvous, Jason and Wicke boarded an elevator large enough to accommodate a Snorlax, where they had to swipe their keycards and have their palms scanned to grant them access to the 6th and 10th floors.
"The eleventh floor is reserved for the reigning Monarch, separated from those beneath their standing by luxury suites reserved for the Presidents of the Devon Corporation, the Aether Foundation, and Silph Co. They are very seldom used, but the Chairperson of Macro Cosmos, President Rose, keeps them well-maintained as a matter of course," explained Wicke.
"What about the sixth floor...?" Jason asked, prompting Wicke to smile at him and reveal, "That's the location of a large ballroom, where sponsors gather to mingle with the world's top Trainers. It's a battleground for the affluent and opportunistic, so you should prepare yourself both physically and mentally..."
"I understand..." Jason responded, straightening his back with furrowed brows. He knew from experience that having a sponsor was only enough to get his foot in the door when it came to dealing with the upper crust of society. He doubted Lusamine would spurn him or prevent his and Lillie's marriage if he embarrassed her or failed to meet her expectations. But if he wanted to establish himself and stand beside Lillie as an equal, he had to be able to stand his ground against people who could bury him without the Foundation's protection...
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