Its long black legs drew back toward its waist like a skirt, yet its height continued to rise. It was flying. In a blink, it reached the same height as Momo Nishimiya, moving no slower than in the previous ground fight.
"T-That can't be real," Momo Nishimiya panicked. It was already fierce on the ground, and even worse in the air. She did not know that a mythical Pokémon that could not fly would be a joke.
She also did not know that the strange wind it used could both attack and wrap around the body to boost its own abilities. Darkrai put every boost into speed, pushing it even higher. Seeing danger, Momo Nishimiya turned her broom and fled.
Darkrai chased without pause, and an air battle began. In raw speed, the wind-boosted Darkrai had the edge. But Momo Nishimiya lived by air combat, and her control was far superior.
She stopped short, dropped, rose, spun, each move smooth and practiced. She used terrain advantages and threw out Kamaitachi now and then to block pursuit. Darkrai, limited by its short time since birth and the ground-focused nature of the Jujutsu World, had no time for System air training and relied on instinct alone.
Even with better attributes, it still fell behind in the chase. Several bursts of speed failed to close the gap. When it finally drew close, Momo Nishimiya suddenly separated from her broom, using free fall acceleration to evade the strike.
"Hehe, having practiced hit and run is really great," she said as she remotely guided the broom to catch her and reunite midair. She smiled brightly, confident in her greatest strength. If she could not win, she could at least run.
Girls could not afford scars, or marriage would be hard later. Just look at Utahime Iori, nearly thirty and still single because of a scar on her face. Momo Nishimiya did not want to end up like that, because she wanted to stay a cute little fairy.
"Akira, it looks like one Pokemon is not enough to beat me." "That is not certain. Did you not notice Darkrai is just playing with you? No one usually plays a real game of hawk and chick with it."
Akira shifted from lying on his side to lying flat, his narrowed eyes clearly following the scene in the air. Darkrai was still only two months old, so playing around was normal. At that moment, an extremely annoying voice spoke up.
"I can do it. Why not ask me?" Only Satoru Gojo would interrupt like this. Akira was used to it and answered smoothly, "If you come, who is the hawk and who is the chick?"
"That is a real problem," Satoru Gojo said seriously. After brushing him off, Akira looked back at Darkrai. "That is enough."
"Mm." Darkrai responded softly, spreading its arms and diving like a great bird at its prey below. Momo Nishimiya tried to repeat her trick with fine control, but her body suddenly stiffened.
It was like a sudden full-body cramp, unable to move at all, and Tool Manipulation could not continue. The immobilize skill took effect. It was one of Darkrai's innate abilities, learned at birth.
For a short time, it sealed the last skill the target used. In a high-speed air battle, that was enough. Without Darkrai doing anything else, inertia made Momo Nishimiya lose control and separate from her broom again.
History repeated itself. Screaming as she fell, Momo Nishimiya cried out, "Help, help me." Considering her small frame and the rarity of legal lolis, Akira finally acted and snapped his fingers.
"Di lu…" The Swablu that Satoru Gojo had been hugging like a pillow flapped its fluffy wings and flew over. It pressed its round body against her waist to slow her fall, and she landed safely.
"Thank you, cute little bird," Momo Nishimiya said as she hugged her savior tightly. Unexpectedly, Swablu lifted its beak and pecked at her flat chest again and again, using its natural skill. Though its level was only one, her skin was thin and she yelped in pain.
She was about to get angry, but saw Darkrai standing quietly in front of her. Realizing the fight was still on, she raised both hands and lifted Swablu overhead. "Stop this not-cute behavior. I give up."
Only then did Swablu stop pecking and fly to Darkrai's shoulder, chirping proudly. Akira waved once more. "Next."
The third individual match began with Akira facing Aoi Todo. To everyone's surprise, the strongest and most hot-tempered student from Kyoto Jujutsu High behaved with rare restraint. He did not fly or jump, but walked straight through the entrance tunnel.
Along the way he only rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, clearly eager, yet he did not say a single taunt. Only after stopping in place did he speak. "Even if your opponent is me, you still do not plan to stand up?"
"Not planning to," Akira replied with half-lidded eyes, sounding calm and at ease. "I have nothing against you personally, but I do have an issue with some of Kyoto Jujutsu High's actions, so I will apologize in advance."
"There is no need," Aoi Todo accepted it calmly. "This is a privilege of the strong, and I usually do the same. Unlike those weak ones with no judgment, I know very well that you, like Yuta Okkotsu, are someone I might not beat even if I go all out. I will use my strength to make you stand and face me properly."
The words were stirring, but they left the people from Kyoto Jujutsu High feeling irritated instead. First Akira had openly declared he was here to slap their faces, and now their own strongest fighter was saying this on top of it. Complaints stayed unspoken, because saying them out loud would only get someone punched by the irritable giant.
Aoi Todo never cared about such looks. "Second year from Kyoto Jujutsu High, Aoi Todo. Please instruct me." Without waiting for a reply, he charged straight at Darkrai.
As soon as he moved, it was clear what level he was on. The speed and power he showed were far beyond the previous two contestants, and even Kento Nanami outside of a Black Flash state would have been slightly inferior. The title of strongest in Kyoto Jujutsu High was well deserved.
Against such an opponent, Darkrai's usual combination of Lightning Flash and feints clearly would not work. Lightning Flash was fast, but Aoi Todo was not slow either. He could simply take a defensive stance, wait it out, and counter once the burst ended, since it was not a skill that could be used for long.
Feints were even easier to deal with. Aoi Todo understood Simple Domain, turning his responses into reflexes. Unless someone was faster than his reactions, tricks and ambushes would not succeed.
At just over level thirty, Darkrai had not reached that point. Two rapid assaults barely left marks that could be called scratches, and instead it took two heavy punches in return. Seeing this, Akira let out a quiet sigh.
It was the same old problem, a lack of experience. Darkrai had fought constantly since its birth and had plenty of ground combat practice. But most enemies were mindless Cursed Spirit, and even battles with Jujutsu Sorcerer had never involved someone as sharp as Aoi Todo.
This muscular fighter looked rough and simple, yet his mind was extremely quick. His judgment of the situation and choice of tactics were precise. Even Akira would not dare claim a sure win in a battle of wits, let alone Darkrai.
Realizing that direct physical attacks were useless, Darkrai immediately changed tactics and aimed for control. It used the skill Hypnosis. Learned at level twenty, it was considered its third signature ability, fitting its divine role.
Although its level was lower than Gardevoir's, under the talent bonus of the Nightmare God, even someone as strong as Aoi Todo felt his eyelids grow heavy. Falling asleep would mean being at the enemy's mercy, with the exception of Satoru Gojo, whose Holy Shield stayed active even while asleep as a constant passive, much like Makoto's.
Just as Aoi Todo swayed and was about to collapse, the brute slapped his own face hard several times. The pain shocked him awake and forced the drowsiness back. That level of fighting willpower left Darkrai deeply shaken.
"My turn," he said.
The muscular fighter wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and broke into a bold grin as he advanced again. This time, he abandoned wide, forceful strikes and switched to a refined and careful style. Within a small space, he pushed and pulled, guided and redirected, using Darkrai's strength against it while conserving his own.
After only a few exchanges, Akira could see traces of aikido, judo, and modern grappling, layered on top of the free fighting and karate shown earlier. Aoi Todo's strength was not just talent, but effort beyond what most people could imagine. Even a high-ranked Mythical Pokemon from Qidian could not erase that gap.
A small joint lock followed by an over-the-shoulder throw came in quick succession. The moment Darkrai lost balance, another heavy punch landed. Compared to the earlier blows, the damage was not severe, but the impact on the fight was far greater.
Whether one had legs or could fly, balance always came first. Losing control in front of an expert meant becoming a living target. Aoi Todo was exactly such an expert, with the first punch as a greeting and the real combination coming after.
Since its birth, this was the first time Darkrai had been beaten into such a frustrating position. It had tasted defeat before from Satoru Gojo and Rika Orimoto, but those were losses due to sheer difference in level. Against Aoi Todo, it had strength but no way to use it.
It turned its gaze toward Akira for help. Akira nodded without hesitation. Being able to recognize the gap and make the right call meant this fight already had value.
He raised his hand and waved. "Play."
With a cheerful cry, a black-and-white figure leapt high into the air and crashed down with overwhelming force. The landing point was right where Aoi Todo was in pursuit. He did not force it, remembering how Gardevoir had once seized control and how Akira had declared group tactics from the start.
He halted and shifted from advance to retreat. As he dodged aside, the ground shook violently. The specially treated floor, meant to withstand Jujutsu duels, shattered on impact, cracks spreading five meters and passing right under Aoi Todo's feet, making him exclaim in amazement.
"What incredible strength."
Yet at the center of the cracks stood a creature that did not match the terrifying display. It was a sixty-centimeter-tall Panda, holding a bamboo leaf in its mouth, eyes wide as it tried to look fierce but only appeared cute.
Pancham.
This was Akira's second Pokémon. Pulling itself out of the dirt, the little one shook its hips like its not-quite-related brother Panda, then pumped its short legs and slammed its oversized forehead straight toward Aoi Todo.
This was both stubbornness and its skill, Tackle. Aoi Todo still refused to take it head-on and continued to dodge. But a bear cub from the Ake Clan never understood the meaning of giving up, so if you dodged, it just charged again.
Aoi Todo seemed to match it out of sheer stubbornness. You charge, I dodge, repeated more than ten times. During this, Darkrai had already steadied itself and stared blankly at the strange scene of a towering brute and a tiny cute bear.
No matter how it thought about it, it could not understand. Their levels were similar, its own base stats were higher, so why was that little thing the one chasing Aoi Todo around? It made no sense at all.