Luckily, when the System Hint arrived, Akira was in the Zone state, with an unusually steady mind. Otherwise, his reaction would not have been much calmer than when Ralts first hatched.

  After all, Ralts came with the bonus of being the most beloved partner in the Pokémon world, while Darkrai relied purely on its rarity and raw power. Thinking about it that way, such a long incubation time made sense, since in standard Pokémon games these Mythical Pokemon could not reproduce at all.

  This time, even Akira felt he had to praise the System, even if this kind of trick was something domestic mobile games were best at. It was also why he had always relied on himself instead of shouting about Pokémon.

  After all, Black Flash carried a fair amount of luck, and with Akira’s personality, he would never bet everything on Black Flash. If it failed, the consequences would be too high.

  What truly pushed Makoto to make up his mind was the “fetal movement” of Darkrai. When the combatant human bomb appeared, when Kento Nanami landed Black Flash, and when Akira broke through his limits, that movement grew clearer and stronger.

  At the exact moment Akira successfully struck with Black Flash, Darkrai shattered the Dark Egg and entered the world. Like all newly hatched Pokémon, it was only level one, yet its natural pressure was enough to make anyone with weak will tremble.

  In the Pokémon world, Darkrai had other names, Nightmare God and God of Nightmares, beings that could trap creatures in endless nightmares. With the willpower of high-level Curse User, they should not have been frightened by Darkrai.

  But at this moment, both men had already been terrified by Akira and Kento Nanami, losing all their earlier arrogance. What shook them even more was realizing that this Boy who had toyed with them from start to finish had not used Jujutsu at all.

  When did Tokyo Jujutsu High produce another monster on the level of Satoru Gojo or Suguru Geto? It was truly frightening.

  “Looks like we are not getting away,” Bale said, sounding listless.

  “If it were not for Darkrai, maybe we would have had a chance,” he added, then stopped. There were no what-ifs.

  “It is me who cannot escape. You still can.”

  At the critical moment, Kron made a shocking choice. He gathered his remaining strength, rolled off Bale’s shoulder, shoved him forward, and then blocked Darkrai’s path with his own body.

  He tore open his shirt, revealing curse marks rarely seen even among Jujutsu Sorcerer. The Cursed Energy within was so dense that both Jujutsu Sorcerer and Pokémon could clearly sense it.

  “Do not move if you do not want to be blown up!”

  “Kron! Do not be impulsive, do not do anything stupid!” Bale shouted.

  His reaction was fiercer than ever because he knew exactly what his old partner intended to do.

  “This is not stupid. It is the best choice,” Kron said calmly. “If I do not do this, neither of us will get away. This time will not be as easy as last time.”

  He wore a fearless expression, completely ignoring the intimidation that came with Darkrai. “The mission failed, and as the coordinator I should take responsibility. It is better to leave one hope behind. Go.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Since Bale could risk his life for him, he could also give his life for Bale. Nightmares meant nothing in the face of death.

  With a muffled sound, Bale clenched his teeth, took one last look at Kron, and charged forward.

  “Akira, Kron is probably turning himself into a human bomb. Your Pokemon—” Kento Nanami reminded him.

  Akira looked calm. He had already expected a mutual destruction move, and compared to him, this was nothing special.

  “No problem. Even if all the bombs go off together, it will be fine. If I say no one is escaping, then no one is escaping. Gardevoir.”

  “Sha.”

  The psychic queen who had been following in secret responded at once. If Akira had not stopped her, she would have come out long ago to knock everyone down with psychic power.

  With a light tap of her finger, Psychic Power pinned the restarting Bale to the ground, leaving him unable to move.

  “You forced me to do this!” Kron roared as he prepared to activate the curse mark.

  Akira only smiled faintly and ordered, “Darkrai, use paralysis.”

  “Mm.”

  A low response that matched the darkness perfectly sounded out, and its blue eyes turned red. Under that gaze, Kron felt his body stiffen and the flow of Cursed Energy stall.

  Though it lasted only a moment, it was enough for Akira’s Pokémon to restrain him. Darkrai followed up with a claw that smashed into Kron’s chin, leaving him dazed, and Gardevoir’s attack came right after.

  The skill was hypnosis. As the name suggested, it put the target to sleep.

  It was not guaranteed and depended on willpower and resistance, but Kron was already at his limit. He could not resist a fully prepared and higher-level Gardevoir.

  “I am sorry, Bale,” Kron said softly.

  With those final words, he closed his eyes and fell into deep sleep. Still conscious, Bale let out a long sigh of pain and said, “This is my fault.”

  Watching this, Akira felt a strange sense of discomfort. He knew villains were still people with emotions, but seeing two terrorists display such deep bonds was unsettling.

  He quickly stepped forward and knocked Bale unconscious. Only then could the battle be considered fully settled.

  The reason he did not kill them was threefold. He respected Kento Nanami’s stance, he did not want Pokémon stained with human blood, and keeping them alive would be more useful to Satoru Gojo.

  He took out his phone and sent a message to Kiyotaka Ijichi, who was on standby nearby. For a moment, the reliable adult man had nothing to do but sigh.

  “You were right. This time, minors were more useful than adults.”

  “I thought you would have objections,” Akira said, finally relaxing.

  “I do not fully agree with your methods, but the plan was yours, and you kept everything under control,” Kento Nanami replied. “When I was surrounded before, your Pokemon was watching me the whole time, was she not?”

  “So you noticed,” Akira admitted.

  Gardevoir was the final hidden card. With her around, Akira could take actions that seemed risky without worry.

  More importantly, Kento Nanami had long seen through him. Akira was cautious, not cold-blooded.

  Just like Darkrai, terrifying in appearance and defined as the God of Nightmares, yet still possessing a gentle side. The fact that Gardevoir showed no rejection was the best proof, though Darkrai did show a bit of rivalry toward her.

  After all, leading others into dreams and sleep was the duty of a Nightmare God. Even at such a low level without the relevant skills, that instinct was already calling to him.

  Akira returned to Tokyo Jujutsu High on the second day. Even though they had captured two core members of Q Curse User Organization, there was still cleanup work to handle. Some tasks could be done by Kiyotaka Ijichi, such as cleaning the battlefield and recovering the barriers, but other matters had to be handled by a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

  Q Curse User Organization had three Hideout in Tokyo, and only two had been taken down so far. Even if the third Hideout was very likely empty, or at most had a few stragglers, they still had to check it. On top of that, there needed to be a full investigation of Q Curse User Organization, mainly outside of Tokyo.

  Tokyo was territory controlled by the reformist faction led by Satoru Gojo. The conservative faction and most of the upper ranks of the Jujutsu Society were actually based in Kyoto, and staying on pure defense was not an option. After some discussion, it was decided that the cleanup within Tokyo would be handled by Akira, while matters in Kyoto would be handled by Kento Nanami, whose relationship with the higher-ups was less strained.