After talking about power, there was emotion. For two people who loved each other, was letting go and ascending really the best ending for Makoto? The idea that love means letting go rather than possession was something Akira never believed in.

  As for species, would someone who raised a Gardevoir really care? Deep down, Akira had always felt that it might be better for Rika Orimoto not to undergo Curse Removal. It was only after being awakened by Satoru Gojo that he realized his idea of what was best might not be what Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto considered best.

  Some people value strength, and some do not. Yuta Okkotsu, this kind-hearted Boy, belonged to the latter and had never thought about being unrivaled. Letting go or holding on were both personal choices, and even if you disagreed, you could not demand that Yuta Okkotsu act according to your view.

  People often become what they once disliked without realizing it. Perhaps those old conservatives had once been just like Akira. The difference was that no one woke them up, while Akira had someone who did.

  From the change in Akira’s expression, Satoru Gojo already knew what he was thinking and said smugly, “Well? Was I handsome enough to impress you? I’m a pretty competent teacher, right?”

  Akira’s favorability dropped instantly as he stepped back in disgust. “I’m not interested in men.”

  Two grown men really did not need this kind of act. No gay jokes here.

  “I don’t care. My face is enough for me to look at. Is anyone else even better-looking than me?” Satoru Gojo deliberately took off his Sunglasses and threw a flirtatious wink.

  Akira broke out in goosebumps. Damn it, Gojo Satoru.

  Heaven, earth, any gods at all, someone please control this monster.

  Pokémon was translated during Akira’s childhood as “pet Pokemon.” Aside from the word “pet,” which was questionable since many Pokémon were larger than humans and even their items were huge, the rest of the translation was accurate enough. After all, the definition of Pokemon had received gold level certification from Satoru Gojo’s Six Eyes.

  As for “pets,” raising most Pokémon was not that different from raising animals. Those that could be taken as spouses were rare, excluding certain strange believers. Even so, pets also came with very different levels of difficulty.

  Some were easy to keep alive. Grass type Pokémon were the prime examples, such as Oddish and Sunkern. Most of them could survive on photosynthesis alone, and some even produced byproducts, meaning they did not burden their trainers and could even earn money.

  Others were extremely delicate. They had strict requirements for food, temperature, and environment, like Cottonee or rare dragon types such as Dratini. Raising them well was about as hard as keeping reptiles like lizards or snakes.

  Fortunately, the Pokémon following Akira were all on the easy side. The Gardevoir line simply meant one extra pair of chopsticks for the Ake Clan, since she ate whatever humans ate. She did not make things complicated.

  Pancham was a little more troublesome. It liked bamboo, and its stomach and digestion were similar to the real world Panda, weaker than most wild animals, though it did inherit good omnivorous traits. Bamboo was a favorite, but meat, vegetables, raw or cooked, were all fine, and it would sometimes lick a metal spoon with pride.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  At its current height of 0.6 meters it was still a bit small. After evolving, though, it would barely be tall enough for Chi You to ride out and fight the Yellow Emperor, right, Darkrai? That was at least what Akira thought.

  “Mm.”

  Darkrai ignored Akira and focused on “eating.” Akira fell silent, watching the process closely. The sight left him conflicted.

  A Mythical Pokemon, rarer even than legendary Pokémon like Mew, was unexpectedly easy to raise. That felt completely mismatched with its lofty image. Darkrai’s feeding method was simple and rough, with something like a mouth generating suction and sweeping away nearby “residue.”

  Residue referred to remnants of curses. Jujutsu Sorcerer, Cursed Spirit, cursed objects, and anything related to curses could leave it behind. This residue was exactly what Darkrai fed on.

  This confirmed Akira’s view that curses and nightmares were linked. What Darkrai liked most was the Cursed Energy released from Rika Orimoto. Without doing anything extra, just staying nearby and taking a few draws, Darkrai actually leveled up.

  It leveled up. Akira could hardly believe his eyes. This was usually the biggest headache in raising Pokémon.

  The ten mile slope method for Gardevoir went without saying, and even in Tokyo, raising Pancham was not easy. There were many Cursed Spirit here, but their strength was also higher. Those first few levels made Akira sweat, afraid the little one would be injured, so he ran through several commercial districts to find the weakest targets just to get it through the beginner stage.

  In the Pokemon World, with its level system, even phantom beasts or divine beasts were weak if their levels were low. Right now, Darkrai was all show, scary to look at but unable to beat anyone at Tokyo Jujutsu High in a real fight. Still, with the ability to level up by eating nightmares, Akira had little to worry about.

  This was the Tokyo Metropolis Jujutsu specialized school, a place to study and exorcise curses. If there was one thing in abundance here, it was curses. On top of that, there was Rika Orimoto, whose curse scale was so extreme that even Satoru Gojo found it troublesome, and any small leak was a full meal for Darkrai.

  As a result, Akira had been spending much more time with Yuta Okkotsu lately. Panda’s looks toward the two of them had grown strange. If that enthusiasm you showed to Yuta Okkotsu were used on Maki Zenin, I would have shipped it already.

  Honestly, was there something wrong with the preferences of the men at Tokyo Jujutsu High? A biological father like Masamichi Yaga and a handsome man like Satoru Gojo had no known prospects with women. Their peers either cared more about non humans than humans, like Akira and Yuta Okkotsu, or could not even speak properly like Toge Inumaki.

  Could you really rely on phones to date? What about before phones, did they hold up signs or just announce marriage directly? Panda seriously wanted to visit the Inumaki Clan and ask how Toge Inumaki’s clan handled romance.

  Enrollment last year had been poor, and they only got a delinquent student named Hakari. This year they finally filled a small class, but every one of them was strange. Was it really that much to ask to ship a normal pairing?

  If this kept up, Panda was ready to look to the next class. Megumi Fushiguro looked good and was reliable, so he would probably be popular. Please, please, do not learn from your seniors.

  Aside from Maki Zenin, no one knew what Panda was thinking. If they did, it would not be Maki Zenin challenging Panda alone, but everyone jumping him together. Akira might even return the favor and ask whether two Panda could not be shipped.

  Panda thought smugly that he had never told anyone that Pancham could grow larger. Akira already had the most important core, he just lacked levels. Right, supreme Mythical Pokemon of the Dark type, Darkrai?

  “Mm!” Darkrai floated forward along the residue.

  “Come back, come back, that’s enough. Following a girl around every day makes you look like a creep, and she is not your CP Cresselia.”

  Akira was considered reliable by Kento Nanami for a reason. Feeding on the curse released by Rika Orimoto was already delicate, and following her constantly would be too much. Hearing the command, Darkrai paused, but did not return.

  “Mm, mmm.”

  Learning Darkrai’s language was far harder than simple words like “sha” or “play.” Thanks to the cultivation bonus, Akira still understood the meaning. “You are trying to enter Rika Orimoto’s nightmare?”

  “Mm!” Darkrai nodded. Entering dreams was not on its skill list, but it was a racial talent of the Nightmare God. “Are you confident?”

  “Mm, mm!”

  “Just absorb a bit more, fine, very strong. After entering the dream, what do you plan to do?”

  “Mmmmmm.”