Fists and kicks were convenient, but in pure destruction they could not match Cursed Tools, which meant he was entering full combat mode. More importantly, his Cursed Tools had a special effect. With a swing through the air, a crescent shaped slash flew out at range.

  By compressing Cursed Energy and releasing it from afar, it formed a sword like wave, a rare first grade Cursed Tools. Like a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Cursed Tools also had ranks, four, three, two, one, and special, with smaller numbers meaning higher value. The most expensive ones were priced in the hundreds of millions.

  The ten billion paid by the Zenin Clan for Megumi Fushiguro was only enough to buy two Special Grade Cursed Tools. As the sword wave landed, Gardevoir’s Psychic Force also blasted out like a pure psychic shell, tearing through the air with a frightening roar.

  Faced with such an attack, Orimoto Rika Orimoto did not dodge at all and caught it head on with both hands. She was pressed into the ground by the psychic force, and her arms and chest warped from forcibly taking the blow, but she truly stopped it. “I am impressed,” Akira muttered.

  He knew Orimoto Rika Orimoto was strong, but not this strong, strong enough to easily block even Gardevoir’s current ultimate move. With shared health and energy mechanics, her injuries were only superficial and healed in the blink of an eye, with barely any drop in Cursed Energy. This was not even her complete form.

  As she repaired her body with Cursed Energy, the special Cursed Spirit that had only shown half or most of itself finally revealed its full appearance. Its lower body matched its arms, thick and powerful, demonic limbs dripping with scattered curses like flowing blood. Even Satoru Gojo commented, “Scary, scary. That is Orimoto Rika Orimoto in full.”

  The ceiling among Cursed Spirit lived up to its name. Now, that existence fixed its gaze on Gardevoir. “Red. Rika Orimoto likes red.”

  Gardevoir’s pendant was bright red.

  Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit RikaRika Orimoto reached out with both hands. The motion looked casual, yet the pressure of wind burst forward, giving the feeling that it could not be blocked or avoided. The space in front of her warped under the force.

  Akira knew he could not meet it head-on and gave an order. “Split up.” The boy moved left, the girl moved right.

  No matter which side Rika Orimoto grabbed, or even if she tried to take both, Akira had a follow-up ready. Rika Orimoto stayed true to her own words about liking red and fixed her attention on the red-clad owner of Gardevoir.

  Seeing that, Akira decisively circled behind Gardevoir and drew his sword. The blade flashed again and again like falling rain, so fast that an average swordsman would not even see how he struck. This was the result of relentless training, combined with the boost from the Trainer Template granted by System.

  The Trainer Template taken from Megumi Fushiguro was actually the second one he obtained. The first default template from System was called “Wisdom,” and it was the one Akira used most often. Ash Ketchum, despite a name tied to wisdom, was a youth whose talents leaned heavily toward strength.

  His abilities included massive physical power, extreme resistance that could endure Thunderbolt, and the terrifying swordsmanship he was using now, enough to fence with a high-speed, high-attack Beedrill. When such dense strikes landed on Rika Orimoto, they finally drew her attention. She turned her head, the eyeless half of her face seeming to stare with curiosity at the swordsman.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Do you want to play with Rika Orimoto too? Rika Orimoto also likes blue,” she said. As she spoke, both hands reached out again, as if catching a butterfly and tearing off its wings.

  Akira only smiled and even stopped swinging his sword, waiting calmly for Rika Orimoto to grab him. Just before being caught, he spoke a single line. “Gardevoir, Ally Switch.”

  As the words fell, the space around them twisted. In the next instant, Gardevoir appeared where Akira had been, and Akira took her previous position. This was Gardevoir’s “Egg Move,” a skill she had since birth, and one of Akira’s lifesaving cards.

  Of course, Akira was not trading her danger for his own safety. Gardevoir could also use “Teleport,” and right after the switch, she teleported again to return to his side. Akira glanced at Rika Orimoto’s back and saw that in the time of just two teleports, the dozens of wounds he had inflicted had already healed, making his mouth twitch.

  “She has absurd endurance and defense. She is nothing like Gojo-sensei, and in some ways even harder to deal with.” Satoru Gojo’s invincibility was built on his technique and control over it, while his physical body was similar to other Jujutsu Sorcerer. In this world, there were Cursed Tools and Jujutsu that could nullify techniques, so upsetting the strong with the weak was possible, which was why Satoru Gojo nearly failed in his youth.

  Rika Orimoto was different. Her power was raw physical quality, something visible and tangible, yet nearly impossible to break through. That was exactly why she was worth challenging.

  At this moment, the combat power of Akira and Gardevoir stood at a very delicate point. Those around him either did not need him to go all out, like Maki Zenin, Inumaki, and Panda, or even the principal Masamichi Yaga, who admitted after seeing Gardevoir’s meditation and psychic assault that he was no match. Others, like Satoru Gojo, were beyond reach no matter the effort.

  “Then let’s go all out, for once,” Akira said. He raised his sword as Gardevoir lifted her hand, their movements and expressions mirroring each other. In the next second, trainer and Pokémon charged forward together.

  Rika Orimoto moved as well. Realizing these two “butterflies” were not easy to catch, she stopped relying only on her hands and brought her whole body into motion. At her level as a Cursed Spirit, she could reshape her body with Cursed Energy, shrinking to shield Yuta Okkotsu or swelling to the height of a two-story building to seize her prey.

  Each strike on the ground sent shockwaves, and every swing carved deep trenches, a nightmare for anyone who could not fly. Still, this could not stop Akira’s advance. When his footing broke, Gardevoir’s Psychic Power wrapped around him automatically.

  The most devoted Gardevoir always kept part of her focus on Akira. Whenever he needed it, that focus could turn into a shield or a burst of movement. He could not fly, but he had plenty of experience moving through the air.

  Steps and hovering alternated as he crossed the broken ground and leapt onto Rika Orimoto’s enlarged body. With the physical strength of a super rookie like Makoto, he reached the back of her neck and brought his sword down. Unfortunately, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit was not a giant, and the strike healed at once, followed by a massive backhand.

  The violent wind hit his face like a collapsing mountain, yet Akira did not change expression. He had faced harsher limits back in the countryside of Shikoku. Compared to being thrown from hundreds of meters up and forcing a slowdown with Psychic Power, this pressure was nothing.

  A powerful body demanded equal control. System only sped up the process, while what truly made Makoto strong was always Akira’s spirit and will. His trained nerves held firm as he turned the last trace of Psychic Power left by Gardevoir into pure thrust, slipping through the gap between Rika Orimoto’s fingers before they closed.

  As he moved, he did not forget to drag his blade along her arm, carving a long gash. The brief sequence carried countless calculations. How to fight the huge with the small, how to handle ceilings of raw power, lessons once seen as fantasy now becoming real.

  Yet it was still not enough. Just as irritation alone could not bring down an overwhelming foe, Akira lacked a truly destructive method to threaten Rika Orimoto on his own. Fortunately, he still had Gardevoir.

  Using the time he bought, she finished her meditation and refined her psychic power further. To defeat Rika Orimoto, they needed damage that could overwhelm her regeneration. “Skill, Dazzling Gleam!” “Skill, Psychic!”