They wanted to leave room for compromise and avoid pushing people too far, which was a way of dealing with things that Kento Nanami handled very well. What he did even better was maintaining a regular daily schedule. As soon as the task ended, he went straight back to shower and sleep, and Akira was dragged along to drink milk and go to bed on time, even when he wanted to keep working.

  He could not help but think how strange it was. Someone who once dreamed of cultivating immortality and laughing at the heavens had somehow ended up with a healthy routine, and the worst part was that it felt good. That realization made him feel both amused and helpless.

  As for the two captured Curse User, they were handed over to Satoru Gojo right away. They were to be used as leverage against the conservative faction, but Akira also left a safeguard to prevent history from repeating itself. It was Darkrai’s exclusive ability, not counted as a skill, yet the most terrifying trait of all, and the source of the title “Nightmare God”, namely Endless Nightmare.

  The name said it all, an endless nightmare that could trap people forever. Not killing them did not mean letting them go, and it certainly did not mean releasing future trouble. They would spend the rest of their lives accompanied by nightmares.

  Early the next morning, Akira got up and made a round of the remaining Q Curse User Organization Hideout. As expected, there was nothing to be found. Before noon, he was already standing at the gate of Tokyo Jujutsu High, baring his teeth in frustration.

  “Taking a taxi in Japan is way too expensive.”

  Before and after battles, the busiest people were often those from the Assistant Supervisor. This incident was no small matter, and Akira did not feel right bothering Kiyotaka Ijichi, so after making a call, he took a taxi back himself. The fare nearly emptied his wallet, especially since he had been carrying quite a few Yukichi Fukuzawa with him.

  Even though money was no longer a problem for him, watching it disappear so fast still hurt. In this regard, China really did things better, with cheap fares and mobile payments that surpassed the rest of the world. Thinking back, it had taken him a lot of effort just to rebuild the habit of carrying a wallet.

  Along with the nostalgia, a new idea came to mind. “I should really get a flying type Pokémon so traveling is not such a hassle.” Gardevoir could fly using psychic power, but her speed and altitude could not compare to a dedicated flying type, and Darkrai was simply too large to carry people comfortably.

  A flying Pokémon that could carry passengers had plenty of options. Pidgeot was fast and stable, and Dragonite was also good, living up to its name as long as it did not run into a dragon killer. Aerodactyl and Charizard were also popular choices, able to carry people and fight well.

  If he did not limit himself to ordinary Pokémon, the choices became even broader. Many legendary ones could fly and were large enough to sit on comfortably, right, Groudon. With Darkrai as a precedent, even legendary Pokémon did not feel completely out of reach.

  Still, Mythical Pokemon and legendary Pokémon were not the same. Legendary Pokémon were embodiments of the world’s rules, and capturing or using them came with huge restrictions. Whether he would ever have the chance was hard to say.

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  Lost in these thoughts, Akira passed through the school gate and headed deeper into Tokyo Jujutsu High. Before he reached the training ground, he heard someone shouting in the distance, “Do not run. Stop right there.”

  That voice belonged to Megumi Fushiguro. Since it was the weekend, it made sense for him to be at Tokyo Jujutsu High. It sounded like he was chasing something.

  Looking up, Akira saw a group of small, fluffy creatures. They were rabbits, unmistakably rabbits, complete with long ears that looked perfect for spicy rabbit heads. That thought vanished as soon as he sensed the Cursed Energy coming from them.

  Seeing how frantic Megumi Fushiguro was, with Divine Dogs on one side and Great Serpent on the other, it was clear these rabbits were Shikigami, and ones that had not yet been subdued. Their name was likely “Escape Rabbits,” living up perfectly to the idea of moving as fast as fleeing rabbits.

  Even with the size of Great Serpent and the mobility of Divine Dogs, he still could not catch them. The rabbits feared Megumi Fushiguro, but they had no such fear toward Akira, and they rushed straight at him. Darkness stirred as shadows spread, and Darkrai appeared, baring his claws at the rabbits.

  He was not hungry or eager to eat rabbits. Being newly born, he did not understand the situation and assumed they were enemies, so he emerged to protect his master. Thanks to the traits of a Dark Pokemon, Darkrai could hide within Akira’s Cursed Energy or shadow, following him closely like his own silhouette.

  This made the Gardevoir closest to the master a little unhappy. However, seeing that Darkrai was young, honest, and loyal, she chose to be magnanimous and not argue with him. Watching this, Akira found it secretly amusing, wondering whether jealousy from his own Little Sha was a good thing or not.

  With Darkrai acting as a guard, Akira’s defenses became even more complete, without blind spots, though there was no need to trigger them this time. Interfering rashly in the subjugation ritual could cause it to fail, and Megumi Fushiguro was far from being out of options. Just as Akira reached out to rest a hand on Darkrai’s shoulder, a sharp sound rang out as a wooden fence dropped from above and stuck into the ground nearby.

  Two more followed in quick succession. Looking closely, he saw Maki Zenin, Panda, Toge Inumaki, and Yuta Okkotsu all present, each carrying fences or wooden poles. Akira asked, “What are you all doing?”

  “Helping Megumi catch rabbits,” Maki Zenin replied. It turned out that subjugation did not always mean defeating the target in combat. For Escape Rabbits, which were weak individually but strong in numbers and mainly used for scouting and disruption, the requirement was to catch every single one, and Megumi Fushiguro had been stuck at this step for quite a while.

  “Are you not worried this counts as outside interference and causes the ritual to fail?” Akira asked. They reassured him that they had tested it before, and as long as they did not enter the area at the start of the ritual or directly attack the targets after it began, it was fine. They were only creating obstacles, which did not count as active attacks.

  Understanding this, Akira said, “Then I will help too.” He let go of Darkrai and allowed him to fully reveal himself. The innate pressure of the Nightmare God took effect immediately, and just by standing there, the rabbits that had been charging straight ahead suddenly changed direction, unwilling to approach such a terrifying symbol of nightmares.

  That single turn gave the pursuers behind them a chance to close the distance. The throwing group kept tossing obstacles, while Megumi Fushiguro focused on catching rabbits with his Shikigami. Dogs grabbed, the snake bit, and a hammer smashed, as Megumi Fushiguro somehow produced a large wooden mallet and whacked rabbits like a game of whack-a-mole.

  Before long, every rabbit had been dealt with. The subjugation ritual ended smoothly, and Megumi Fushiguro obtained his fifth Shikigami. He took another step closer to his goals of being a zoo director and a Disney princess.

  Truly something to celebrate.

  Although many people on the internet in his previous life liked to call Megumi Fushiguro a “Disney Princess”, Akira still preferred to think of Megumi Fushiguro as a Pokemon Trainer. Looking at those Ten Shadows Technique alone made the comparison hard to deny. Land, sea, and air were all covered.