The so-called System, External Boost, and Cheat Ability only speed up the process, while the foundation never changes. Of course, having the right thinking still requires matching execution, otherwise knowing that sleeping early is healthy does not mean you can actually do it.
Being able to drink a glass of milk before bed, do twenty minutes of stretching, and never carry fatigue into the next workday is genuinely impressive. Akira could not reach that level of discipline, but when it came to major decisions about the future, he never acted carelessly.
He had three principles he would not compromise on. First, never act on impulse. Second, never put all eggs in one basket. Third, plan thoroughly, and think about failure before success.
Asking to be expelled from the family and becoming a Plagiarist Author who wrote a Light Novel to earn his first pot of gold were things Akemi Aki already knew. What she did not know was the long list of other money-making plans, including the "sauce-aroma full-position tech plan," Cryptocurrency Speculation Plan, China Real Estate Investment Plan, and many more.
It should not be forgotten that Akira awakened Cheat Ability only after leaving home. Before that, his mind was filled with thoughts of emigrating and making money.
Jujutsu Sorcerer might be the mainstream of Jujutsu Kaisen, but it was not the mainstream of the world. In reality, only in Japan were Cursed Spirit and Jujutsu Sorcerer especially active. In most other places, both were extremely rare, and many people would never encounter them in a lifetime, which was where the importance of money truly showed.
Even after awakening Cheat Ability and having an adorable Ralts, a cute Chirulian, and a beautiful Gardevoir, Akira did not relax. The reason was simple: he had too much free time.
Hunting Cursed Spirit to level up could only be done at intervals. If he did nothing with the rest of the time, was he supposed to sleep all day?
The success of Akira's Infinite Stratos was not because his memory was amazing or his talent overwhelming. It was the result of long-term polishing, reading many Light Novel, choosing themes carefully, and combining familiar formulas before producing a finished work.
Even then, it benefited from gimmicks like Mecha Warfare, Mecha Girl, and "the only boy in an all-girls school." Many things looked easy from the outside, but only when doing them personally did one understand how hard they were.
Because of this, Akira added a fourth rule to his life creed: endure loneliness and resist temptation. Awakening System, hatching Ralts, and being able to kill Cursed Spirit made up a fifth.
Only by preparing in this way could he be ready when circumstances changed. Now that the timing had arrived, the blade Akira had sharpened for over ten years was finally ready to be tested.
Seeing the confidence in her child's eyes and his spirited expression, Akemi Aki felt a bit deflated. "I suddenly feel like I'm useless."
Knowing that her child was extraordinary was one thing, but being surpassed in a shared field was another. Her own idleness was real, as most of what she did was simply to pass time and ease loneliness.
Akira's idleness was fake. He had been working hard in secret the entire time, all for a better future.
"No, no, isn't there a saying like this?" Akira said with a smile. "Behind every successful man is a woman who supports him silently. Without Mom's support, I wouldn't be where I am today."
That might have been an exaggeration, but choosing to leave together with Akemi Aki did involve risk. Strictly speaking, Akira was the child of someone considered Akemi Aki's enemy, and resentment by association would have been understandable.
Even though Akira had prepared himself mentally, if he had lived in a hostile family, his condition would never have been as good as it was now. His patience and steady preparation would not have gone so smoothly either.
This was the greatest stroke of luck in his second life, equal to awakening Cheat Ability and hatching Ralts. "So, Mom, you don't need to feel pressured. I'll take care of you."
The words were undeniably a bit domineering, but saying them out loud felt really good. "That's exactly the problem," Akemi Aki replied. "I'm the mother."
"My son is too outstanding and needs no worry, which just makes his mom look incompetent." She sighed, then straightened up.
"I actually have something to ask you," Akira said as he opened a map of Tokyo. "Do you know which places in Tokyo are more likely to have curses?"
"I know a few," Akemi Aki replied, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you planning to exorcise Cursed Spirit?"
"That's the idea," Akira said. "Gardevoir's growth needs Cursed Spirit as nourishment. I also want to see if I can give Gardevoir a few companions."
"Isn't Little Sha alone enough?"
"Sha," Gardevoir responded, her small mouth drooping as she looked pitifully at Akira.
He found it both funny and heartbreaking. While comforting her, he explained, "Little Sha is of course the most important. In my heart, Little Sha is one of a kind."
"Besides, Little Sha's companions won't all look like Little Sha," he continued. "Pokémon that are this close to humans and this cute are actually very rare."
From memory, only a handful even came close, and compared to the huge number of Pokémon overall, they were negligible. Akira did not think his luck could be that good again and again.
Impossible. If he were really that lucky, the next thing to worry about would be getting hit by a speeding truck.
"If the next one looks a bit strange, Mom, don't dislike it."
"Don't underestimate me," Akemi Aki said. "I've fought Cursed Spirit before too."
She felt she had to do something to reclaim her authority as a mother. "I'm your mom. What I say goes."
"Yes, yes, of course," Akira replied, indulging her verbally while thinking to himself.
The lower end of Pokémon appearances included things like Grimer and Muk, which were roughly the average look of Cursed Spirit. Akira did not believe he would be that unlucky.
Thinking this way, he became even more eager to obtain his second Pokémon. "Is there a suitable place nearby? I'll try my luck tonight."
"There is," Akemi Aki said. "Yoshiwara Shrine. I'll take you there after dinner."
"Uh, wait," Akira said. "Mom, you're going too?"
"Why can't I?" Akemi Aki replied, sitting upright with a serious expression. "I'm a Jujutsu Sorcerer too."
"You can, of course you can."
Akira shook his head decisively. He did not know why his mother was suddenly so enthusiastic, but it did not matter. In Tokyo of 2017, as long as they did not provoke certain people, there was no real danger, so it could be treated as an after-dinner walk.
"Little Sha, protect Mom."
"Sha," Gardevoir nodded quickly.
"Protect yourself first," Akemi Aki said. "I'm a Grade Three Jujutsu Sorcerer no matter what, and you don't even have Jujutsu."
She knew she was being a bit childish, but after being overshadowed by her son so much, this was the only way she could regain some ground. "Alright, alright."
Akira could tell by now. Smiling, he accepted his mother's protection, though the look he gave Gardevoir did not change.
It was true that Akira did not have Jujutsu, from beginning to end. But that did not mean his own body lacked combat capability.
After all, could someone capable of training Pokémon with supernatural power truly be weak?