Even Momo Nishimiya, who had a decent impression of Akira because of Mai Zenin, pouted and muttered, "Not cute at all." Her tone carried clear dissatisfaction.
"Put away your crude provocation," Noritoshi Kamo said coldly from the side, his voice stern. "Rules are rules, and no one is allowed to break them."
"Rules, huh?" Akira sighed when he heard that. "Makoto has really become unpleasant, Noritoshi Kamo." His nostalgic tone and complicated mood made the sense of discomfort in Noritoshi Kamo's heart grow stronger.
Before he could think further, Akira continued. "I gave you a chance. If you cannot take it, that is not my problem. Come on, start the match. Who is first?"
The third year student at the top of the order jumped into the arena. Akira glanced at him and said, "So it is yesterday's loser."
"That was because I fell for your tricks," the senior snapped, face red with anger. "Today I will take it back with interest." He had lost the most face yesterday, and it showed.
"Thinking like that is exactly why you will lose again." Akira yawned lazily as he spoke.
He leaned backward and let himself fall straight down. Just before his head touched the ground, a slender green figure drifted over, bent her knees, and knelt down to cushion the back of the Boy's head. The Boy closed his eyes and let out a comfortable hum, as if ready to fall asleep.
"You little bastard!" the opponent shouted, furious beyond measure. "Get up right now." His anger almost drowned out reason.
"Do not fall for provocation," Noritoshi Kamo shouted from outside the field. His reminder was sharp and timely.
"I know," the senior replied loudly, but he did not act rashly. Whatever Akira's strength was, his mind was sharp. If he got tricked and ambushed again, he would lose all remaining dignity.
"Cursed Technique release." Facing such an opponent, he decided to leave no room for schemes and overwhelm him with full power. He activated his Cursed Technique immediately and poured out all his Cursed Energy.
Before the surging Cursed Energy could fully transform, thick darkness rose from the shadows. Black claws stabbed straight toward the caster's back without mercy. Dark Pokemon, Darkrai, was the first to move.
The caster twisted his footing sharply, as if he had eyes on his back, and narrowly avoided the sneak attack. "I knew you would do this," he shouted. "Yesterday's shame starts getting repaid with you."
With a flick of his wrist, Cursed Tools lashed out like a spirit snake, striking hard at Darkrai's body. The wind howled, and from this move alone his close combat skill was obvious. Combined with enhancement type Jujutsu attached to Cursed Tools, even a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit would struggle to block it.
However, Akira's Darkrai was no longer comparable to a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit. In less than two months, it had completed eight years of experience accumulation from Gardevoir and crossed the thirty level threshold. With the high potential of a Mythical Pokemon, even weaker Grade 1 Cursed Spirit were not worth mentioning.
Using only one claw, it blocked the strike. Not only that, it hooked Cursed Tools with the claw's unique grip and yanked, pulling the opponent's body forward. The shift in force was sudden and brutal.
"This strength, bad news," the senior muttered. As a third year, his reactions were sharp, and he knew he could not fight it head on. He withdrew his hand at once.
At the same time, Darkrai used its own move. A flash of motion burst out as darkness surged like black lightning, appearing instantly in front of the opponent. Both claws slammed forward in a high speed strike that carried heavy force.
Speed itself became power. Darkrai was not moving at the speed of light, but the impact far exceeded the opponent's strongest attack. The senior's vision blurred, and his chest was torn open.
That was with Cursed Energy already reinforcing his body. If he had been even a moment slower, his insides would have spilled out. Before he could feel relief at surviving, the terrifying enemy vanished again.
"Behind you!" a voice shouted. Without time to judge where it came from, the wounded man spun around in panic. All he caught was a vague afterimage.
That blur was the trace left on his retina by extreme speed. Darkrai and Makoto were already behind him once more. A feint followed by a sudden strike, its core still deception and ambush.
Two sharp claws clamped down, one on each side of his throat. It was exactly the same as yesterday's team battle. Kyoto Jujutsu High fell into silence, as if everyone felt invisible claws around their own necks.
Enjoying the knee pillow from Gardevoir, Akira rolled over and turned his back to the twice defeated senior. In a flat voice, he said, "Next."
Akira's will was the direction Darkrai followed. Its claws released at once, slipping back into the shadows and blending with the dark, leaving only gemlike eyes faintly visible. The arena quieted as the presence faded, as if the light itself had been dimmed.
"Cough, cough." The third year, both enemy and senior, coughed twice without much anger on his face. The brief exchange had been enough for him to see the gap between them.
He finally understood that choosing deception and ambush was the least tiring path, not proof that the other side only knew those tricks. "Thank you for the lesson." Following the etiquette of sword practice in Japan, he bowed slightly.
Seeing Akira show no reaction and no intent to pursue, he turned and left with a lonely air. Whether this was his own grievance or a way to paint Akira as rude was something only he knew. In any case, Akira did not care.
If he was going to chase excitement, well, if he was going to show off, he would see it through. Second up was the flower of Kyoto Jujutsu High's second years, the legal loli, Momo Nishimiya. After Darkrai showed such strength, no one at Kyoto Jujutsu High dared to look down on Akira anymore.
His arrogance had backing, even in Makoto's eyes. When the first defeated opponent returned to the stands, the legal loli lightly sat on a broom shaped like a shining wheel and flew straight into the field without taking the usual path. As she flew, she spoke in a soft, cute voice, "Akira, I am not very good at ground combat. Can we just start like this?"
She winked playfully, mixing cuteness with a witch's flair. This was a specialty of Kyoto Jujutsu High, since the women of Tokyo Jujutsu High all chose a tough, self-reliant path that left no room for the men. Akira had no issue with it, because being cute and selling charm was also a talent.
He raised a hand and waved, signaling Momo Nishimiya to begin at any time. "Thanks, Akira." She smiled sweetly, but there was a sly glint in her eyes.
Gripping the broom with both hands, she gave it a light swing and sent out a Wind Blade more than two meters long. It howled toward Akira and Gardevoir below. Tool Manipulation and Kamaitachi followed in quick succession.
Her earlier words were not false humility. She excelled at air combat, and in the Jujutsu World, few Jujutsu Sorcerer had solid anti-air methods. In the team match she had been caught off guard by Toge Inumaki's Cursed Speech, leaving her no room to perform.
Without Toge Inumaki, and with only Panda and Pancham, she might not win but could still protect herself. That was why she dared to strike even after seeing Darkrai's strength. This was her true card.
As Wind Blade fell, Gardevoir lifted her head slightly, a flash of psychic light in her eyes as she prepared to use Psychic Power. Akira lifted one eyelid and signaled her to ignore it and just watch. The next moment, the wind rose again.
A black cyclone surged upward from below. It wrapped around Akira and the others while canceling out Momo Nishimiya's Kamaitachi. As the dark wind thinned, Darkrai appeared within it.