Since they were about to discuss who Alex should fall in love with during sex, Vera took Alvera back to her room. Celise, the general manager of the base; Talia, the resident doctor; Lina, their cook; and Mira, their masseuse, also left, as they were not involved with Alex sexually. Mira, however, glanced back with a hint of regret before joining the others in the elevator.
This left Kaia the farmer, Nyx the hacker, Rhea the inventor, Lyra and Mika the bounty hunters, Sable the miner, and Iris the teleporter in the room, all girls Alex had sex with on a regular basis. The only one missing was Maris, who treated Alex more like an occasional casual fling than a serious partner.
Soon, Vera returned after taking care of Alvera, completing the circle of Alex's more serious partners. A heavy silence settled over the room as Alex waited for the girls to begin their deliberation. To his surprise, Kaia was the first to speak, taking the lead with the opening question.
"Don't you think it's a bit stupid to leave this decision to us?" Kaia asked. "I mean, this is love we're talking about. What if all of us unanimously voted Vera out, for example? Would you actually follow along?"
"I would ask for justification and see reason," Alex replied. "For all I know, there is some secret war between Vera and all of you that I knew nothing about. If you give me a proper justification, I'll discuss it with Vera until all problems are resolved. This way, we all get to be happy rather than just tolerant in this relationship."
"With that being said," Alex continued, "is there anyone here who should be excluded off the top of your heads?"
Immediately, everyone turned to Lyra and Mika, who suddenly found themselves in the hot seat. They were both similar to Maris in that they often slept around while out bounty hunting and would only occasionally have sex with Alex, maybe once a month if at all. They were part of the group who wanted their freedom, which Alex was more than willing to give them, considering his lack of love for any of the girls and his desire to be less possessive.
"I'm willing to be loyal from now on," Lyra said immediately. "I… I realized I couldn't live without Alex when I thought I lost him in the Distortion World. I never knew how much I loved him until then."
"I've always been in love with Alex," Mika said without hesitation. "I just… didn't want Lyra to be alone, since she's the one who took care of me and made me who I am today."
Lyra smiled appreciatively at Mika and held her hand. They were best friends who had been through everything together ever since Lyra took Mika under her wing. She truly appreciated Mika, considering how much she was crushing on Alex and how she would likely have preferred to stay with him at the base rather than fucking around all over Kanto.
"You know I wouldn't mind if you—" Alex started to say, but glares were immediately thrown his way, shutting him up.
Alex might not have minded, but the girls certainly did. If it were just sex they were talking about, Alex could sleep with any woman he wanted. After all, he wouldn't fall in love with them out of the blue and suddenly add them to the harem without a damn good reason.
This discussion, however, was about determining who deserved Alex's love among the women in his life. Whoever was granted the license to be loved by Alex had to genuinely love him in return; otherwise, it would undermine and jeopardize the relationships of the other girls with him.
Immediately, all the girls realized that this discussion and the new right Alex had given them was a smart move, given his personality. He might just decide to fall in love with every girl he had sex with, just in case. Now, they had the power to decide who would be part of Alex's main harem, allowing them to maintain unity and peace.
"Um…" Iris said, slowly raising her hand. "I… I don't know if I should be included. It's not that I don't want Alex to fall in love with me. I just… I don't know if I deserve it."
Unlike with Lyra and Mika's reaction, all the girls turned to Iris, smiling as if they were looking at an adorable creature. She was absolutely head over heels in love with Alex. It was plain to see whenever they sparred, meditated, trained, had sex, or were simply in the same room.
Alex might not have noticed, but the girls certainly did, the way Iris would blush when they touched, scream in ecstasy when they had sex, or sigh with contentment when he hugged her. All evidence pointing to Iris being a maiden in love. If she didn't deserve to be in this harem, then how the hell were they allowed to be in it?
"Don't worry," Vera said as she placed her hand on top of Iris's. "You deserve to be loved by Alex."
The other girls nodded, even Lyra and Mika, who were still on the hook.
"Oh… um… okay," Iris said, her cheeks burning with a deep blush and a hint of excitement at being given the license.
"So we all agree that Iris should be included," Nyx said, receiving a round of nods. "Can we also unanimously agree that I, Kaia, and Vera are included as well?"
None objected, considering Alex and Nyx's rather violent sexual relationship, Vera's marriage and the fact that she has a daughter with Alex, and Kaia's consistency, having hinted at wanting a child of her own for a few years now.
"Hey!" Rhea shouted when she noticed she wasn't included in the list. "Why am I not included?"
"Do you love Alex?" Nyx asked, raising an eyebrow. "Last I checked, you loved your gadgets more."
"Uh… that's not… true?" Rhea said, unsure. "Okay, fine, I don't really love Alex. I just love the ideas he gives me and having sex with him! That has to count for something."
None of the girls said anything, causing Rhea to sigh.
"I've already agreed to undergo the same mental conditioning as Alex, so that means I'm willing to be in love with him. What more do you want?"
They considered it and found they couldn't argue with her logic. Rhea was willing to "trap" herself with love, and they couldn't reasonably ask for more than that.
"All in favor of Rhea joining?" Nyx said, raising her hand.
The vote was unanimous, leaving only Lyra, Mika, Sable, and Maris still on the hook.
"I…," Sable said suddenly. "I don't think I should be included."
Everyone turned to her in surprise. Of all the girls present, Sable was the one they had been certain would agree. After all, she had been with them for years and had gotten along well with everyone.
"The thing is… I haven't been in any relationship long enough to know whether this is a forever kind of love or just something temporary until I have to move on," Sable continued. "Once I finish mining this area, I might have to leave to keep working and growing."
"I don't see a problem," Alex chimed in. "I'll continue to support your mining as necessary. That means you'll be ending up at the base to deliver the goods anyway. I'll also continue paying you in credits rather than in Pokédollars."
Sable thought about it and realized for the first time that there wasn't a conflict between her passion and her relationship. The only reason none of her previous relationships had lasted was that she would often leave for distant lands to mine. But with Alex as her employer, a very competitive one who paid her well, it didn't matter where she went, because she would always come back to him to sell her goods.
"Alright… I'll give it a try," Sable said with a blush, finally considering a serious relationship for the first time in her life.
"I'm definitely in," Lyra called out.
"And so am I," Mika added.
"All in favor?" Nyx asked, receiving a round of nods. "That just leaves Maris. Hold on, let me call her."
After a few rings, a haggard Maris appeared on the hologram. Her blazer was draped over the back of her chair, her blouse wrinkled and partially unbuttoned, and dark circles hung under bloodshot eyes. She sat slumped at her desk, surrounded by stacked reports and glowing data panes, rubbing her temples as if fending off a headache. It was obvious she had been working for far too long without sleep.
"Hey, slut, you look like shit," Nyx said.
"Hey, bitch, I feel like it too," Maris answered, a light smile on her haggard face.
"Why do you keep insisting on overworking yourself like this?" Nyx asked. "I bet you barely even exercise anymore. Have you even been training your Pokémon?"
"I'm busy, okay?" Maris groaned.
"Don't you have an army of secretaries to take over for you?"
"I do, but they're taking a while to get the hang of things, and I have to cover for them until they do. This whole expansion business has been taking a toll on all of us. I promise to take it easy once they start pulling their own weight."
"Alright, well, I called to ask if you were willing to marry Alex."
"Where the hell did that come from? I barely see him as it is, and you want me to marry him?"
"Yeah, it's kinda a thing we're all doing right now."
"Who's we?"
"Everyone."
"Even Lyra and Mika?"
"Yup," Nyx said.
"Hm… I really want to, but I get stressed at work and would likely end up cheating on him. I know he doesn't mind, but it's kinda pissing me off."
"Yeah, no cheating if you get in on this."
"Why are you being so vague? What's this really about?"
"Well, Alex might become capable of love with this little experiment we're doing. Do you want in?"
"Love? I… I don't know. You know I have a business to run, and it's my dream."
"Which you can run from here at the base with all of our help. I have the internet, Iris has teleporters, and Celise has an army of secretaries and managers. You have no excuse other than wanting to suffer by yourself."
"I'll… I'll think about it."
"Okay. Be sure to get some sleep before you make your decision."
"Alright."
Once they hung up the call, Nyx asked, "If she's on board, are any of you objecting?"
No one objected, meaning Maris was included as well. It wasn't surprising, considering how long they had known her. Even Iris was well acquainted with Maris, having often teleported her around to support the development of the bounty hunter supply depots in the cities.
"Now that we've finalized our roster," Nyx said, "can we start fucking now?"
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