My shadow darkened into an inky black pool, and from it a small chibi Giratina emerged, floating as if it were swimming through the air like a fish in water.
It stopped in front of me and shook its head.
Well, not that I expected much, but still… what a bummer.
To track someone down, you at least need something to go on.
And all I knew was that the one who hurt Koneko had been a stray exorcist—nothing more.
And then there was the other matter: just a few hours ago, I'd wiped out a group of crazy cultists.
If there was any connection between those cultists and the exorcist, then chances were he had already fled town.
Sure, I could send Giratina to search across the world, but this wasn't a normal Earth.
This was a supernatural society where myths were real.
Leaving myself unguarded while Giratina roamed was just plain stupid.
Yes, Giratina was a multiversal god.
But I didn't know him well enough yet—not his limits, not the full scope of his powers.
And who was to say this world didn't already have its own multiversal gods lurking around?
This was Rias' and Sona's territory, after all.
Both were devil nobles.
I couldn't recall much about the Gremory clan, but I was pretty sure the Sitri family was supposed to be near demon-god level… at least, if I remembered right from Overgeared.
In short, their status alone was enough to keep most top-level threats from acting recklessly.
The fact that only low-level strays were showing up was proof that their names carried weight.
From what I'd heard, strays weren't really trained soldiers—they were cannon fodder, rogues cast out or abandoned by their own side.
Still, all of this made one thing painfully clear: I was taking this world too lightly.
Giratina could save me.
I didn't doubt that.
But the problem wasn't Giratina—it was me.
I am too weak.
It was like having a top-tier god watching over the weakest mortal.
Sure, Giratina could annihilate enemies, but if stray attacks or overwhelming power spilled over, I'd be the first to die.
Even if Giratina could distort the rules themselves, what if I got hit before it acted? And then there were things like curses, poison, or luck-based attacks. Any one of them could kill me instantly.
…Maybe I really should buy another Pokémon.
I slapped my cheeks to shake the thought away.
Sure, getting another Pokémon sounded good in theory, but reality wasn't that simple.
Most Pokémon were just too weak.
This was a world of magic—no matter what kind I summoned, people here could simply shift the element of their attacks to counter them.
Worse, sending one out too early would only give others time to figure out its weaknesses.
That was a risk I couldn't afford.
The real powerhouses of the Pokémon world—the true legends—were completely out of reach.
Even the weaker legendaries and mythicals cost hundreds of millions, while the real monsters were in the billions.
And then there was the stealth problem.
Most Pokémon would stand out like a sore thumb here, practically screaming, "Look, I'm something you've never seen before! Come dissect me!"
I sighed. Fine.
That stray exorcist could escape for now.
But the moment I found any trace of him, he was going to be slaughtered.
I reached out and gently patted Giratina's head, letting go of my serious thoughts.
"Thanks, buddy, for always being here with me and helping me out."
A yawn slipped out.
"I'm sleepy… Thanks for everything. Without you, I'd have been Swiss cheese by now. Go get some rest as well."
With that, I collapsed onto my bed, letting sleep take me.
The next morning, it wasn't my familiar alarm clock that woke me—it was the doorbell.
Groggy, I glanced at the clock.
Not even five o'clock yet.
Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled to the door and opened it… only to be greeted by a crimson-haired beauty in a red tracksuit.
Rias Gremory stood there, smiling at me.
"Zevion, come with me. We have a lot of training to do."
And just like that, I was dragged into a morning training session.
Why? Because of last night, Koneko's being ambushed had apparently kicked off their own "training arc."
And since I was her future peerage member—or so she believes, I had no excuse.
I had to join as well.
So there I was: me, Rias, and Asia, all together for morning practice as others were in their own training session.
"Heave-ho, heave-ho!"
"Don't slow down! Keep it up, or I'll add another ten laps!"
Gasping for breath, I ran through the residential area at dawn.
Rias and Asia followed behind on bicycles, cheering me on—and by "cheering," I mean Rias barked strict orders to keep me moving.
"You need to start each day with basic training," Rias lectured.
"We need to build up your strength. I won't have my future servant be weak, so keep running, Zevion!"
Damn it! Why am I running!?
Sure, last night I thought about getting stronger—but I meant magic, or hidden talent awakening, or being some genius of the century!
Not this… sweating like a pig at five in the morning!
I wanted to be in bed, not sprinting laps!
Still, Rias showed no mercy.
After the morning marathon and a sprint through the park, she immediately pushed me into strength training.
My first assignment: push-ups.
And just to make things worse, Rias sat on my back.
Her soft buttocks resting against me felt truly delightful, but with the way my arms were screaming with every push, I didn't have an opportunity to savor the sensation.
Still, nothing could hide the truth: her butt felt incredible.
"Focus, Zevion," Rias scolded, giving me a light karate chop on the head.
"You're already out of breath after just ten push-ups."
Well, what did she expect?
I was never the athletic type.
I barely scraped by in P.E. class!
Honestly, if it weren't for the "motivation" on my back, I would've collapsed at five.
Meanwhile, Asia was doing push-ups too.
And the sad fact?
She had already reached twenty-five while I was nearly dying at ten.
What the hell, Asia?!
I thought you were a weak girl, but aren't you stronger than me?
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