His abilities included massive physical power, extreme resistance that could endure Thunderbolt, and the terrifying swordsmanship he was using now, enough to fence with a high-speed, high-attack Beedrill. When such dense strikes landed on Rika Orimoto, they finally drew her attention. She turned her head, the eyeless half of her face seeming to stare with curiosity at the swordsman.
"Do you want to play with Rika Orimoto too? Rika Orimoto also likes blue," she said. As she spoke, both hands reached out again, as if catching a butterfly and tearing off its wings.
Akira only smiled and even stopped swinging his sword, waiting calmly for Rika Orimoto to grab him. Just before being caught, he spoke a single line. "Gardevoir, Ally Switch."
As the words fell, the space around them twisted. In the next instant, Gardevoir appeared where Akira had been, and Akira took her previous position. This was Gardevoir's "Egg Move," a skill she had since birth, and one of Akira's lifesaving cards.
Of course, Akira was not trading her danger for his own safety. Gardevoir could also use "Teleport," and right after the switch, she teleported again to return to his side. Akira glanced at Rika Orimoto's back and saw that in the time of just two teleports, the dozens of wounds he had inflicted had already healed, making his mouth twitch.
"She has absurd endurance and defense. She is nothing like Gojo-sensei, and in some ways even harder to deal with." Satoru Gojo's invincibility was built on his technique and control over it, while his physical body was similar to other Jujutsu Sorcerer. In this world, there were Cursed Tools and Jujutsu that could nullify techniques, so upsetting the strong with the weak was possible, which was why Satoru Gojo nearly failed in his youth.
Rika Orimoto was different. Her power was raw physical quality, something visible and tangible, yet nearly impossible to break through. That was exactly why she was worth challenging.
At this moment, the combat power of Akira and Gardevoir stood at a very delicate point. Those around him either did not need him to go all out, like Maki Zenin, Inumaki, and Panda, or even the principal Masamichi Yaga, who admitted after seeing Gardevoir's meditation and psychic assault that he was no match. Others, like Satoru Gojo, were beyond reach no matter the effort.
"Then let's go all out, for once," Akira said. He raised his sword as Gardevoir lifted her hand, their movements and expressions mirroring each other. In the next second, trainer and Pokémon charged forward together.
Rika Orimoto moved as well. Realizing these two "butterflies" were not easy to catch, she stopped relying only on her hands and brought her whole body into motion. At her level as a Cursed Spirit, she could reshape her body with Cursed Energy, shrinking to shield Yuta Okkotsu or swelling to the height of a two-story building to seize her prey.
Each strike on the ground sent shockwaves, and every swing carved deep trenches, a nightmare for anyone who could not fly. Still, this could not stop Akira's advance. When his footing broke, Gardevoir's Psychic Force wrapped around him automatically.
The most devoted Gardevoir always kept part of her focus on Akira. Whenever he needed it, that focus could turn into a shield or a burst of movement. He could not fly, but he had plenty of experience moving through the air.
Steps and hovering alternated as he crossed the broken ground and leapt onto Rika Orimoto's enlarged body. With the physical strength of a super rookie like Makoto, he reached the back of her neck and brought his sword down. Unfortunately, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit was not a giant, and the strike healed at once, followed by a massive backhand.
The violent wind hit his face like a collapsing mountain, yet Akira did not change expression. He had faced harsher limits back in the countryside of Shikoku. Compared to being thrown from hundreds of meters up and forcing a slowdown with Psychic Power, this pressure was nothing.
A powerful body demanded equal control. System only sped up the process, while what truly made Makoto strong was always Akira's spirit and will. His trained nerves held firm as he turned the last trace of Psychic Force left by Gardevoir into pure thrust, slipping through the gap between Rika Orimoto's fingers before they closed.
As he moved, he did not forget to drag his blade along her arm, carving a long gash. The brief sequence carried countless calculations. How to fight the huge with the small, how to handle ceilings of raw power, lessons once seen as fantasy now becoming real.
Yet it was still not enough. Just as irritation alone could not bring down an overwhelming foe, Akira lacked a truly destructive method to threaten Rika Orimoto on his own. Fortunately, he still had Gardevoir.
Using the time he bought, she finished her meditation and refined her psychic power further. To defeat Rika Orimoto, they needed damage that could overwhelm her regeneration. "Skill, Dazzling Gleam!" "Skill, Psychic!"
Solidified psychic force erupted with unprecedented brilliance, bending even sunlight into waves of color brighter than the aurora. Everyone watching stood stunned. They knew Akira was strong, but not like this.
Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto was rated as a disaster capable of destroying a town. Yet Akira could move across her body as if dancing, and Gardevoir's unleashed power tore away half of her arm even in her giant form. What drew the eye most was their One Body, One Mind-like coordination.
Psychic Force for movement, position swaps, and Teleport came at exactly the right moments. Each time Akira was in danger, Gardevoir pulled him out, and the reverse was also true. Every escape was followed by an even fiercer counterattack.
When people saw Akira sprinting with Gardevoir in his arms while she focused on meditation for a finishing move, more than one heart was shaken. This was what perfect understanding looked like, what true cooperation could be. Especially for Yuta Okkotsu, who had enrolled only yesterday.
For a brief moment, he imagined himself as Akira, holding her childhood friend Rika Orimoto in his arms. This was how things should have been between them, if not for that accident.
Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto grew up together and were inseparable. They were so close that Eriri felt openly jealous whenever she saw them. They were close enough that one day Rika Orimoto secretly took her parents' wedding rings, gave one to Yuta, and promised they would marry when they grew up and stay together forever.
Then something dramatic happened. The very next day, Rika Orimoto was struck by a runaway truck meant for transmigration targets. When Yuta rushed over after hearing the news, his childhood friend was already lying in a pool of blood, her head crushed beyond recognition.
Yuta trembled as he walked to Rika Orimoto's side, thinking she was already dead. To his shock, the corpse suddenly reached out and grabbed his ankle, forcing out broken sounds. "Yu… ta… Yu… ta…" "When… we… grow… up… we're… going… to… get… married. We… promised."
"And that's how he got cursed by the person he loved most, more or less like that. So be careful in the future, or you might trigger Rika Orimoto's curse too." Satoru Gojo said this with a bright smile, completely lacking the mood of someone telling a horror story.