Darkrai appeared in front of everyone, its body slowly emerging from the darkness.
Its appearance was somewhat similar to Rika Orimoto before she had fully manifested. Both had humanoid upper bodies, while their lower halves seemed to merge with the darkness around them.
However, their colors were completely opposite.
Darkrai's body was almost entirely black, with a jagged red collar around its neck and white mist flowing from its head like long hair. Beneath that white mist, a pair of blue eyes quietly observed its surroundings.
A Dark Pokémon, a Dark-type Mythical Pokémon.
Darkness was its category, evil was its attribute, and the word Mythical represented its rarity.
If Pokémon were ranked using the grading system of Cursed Spirits, Darkrai would undoubtedly be classified as Special Grade. Whether in terms of natural strength, potential, or rarity, it was an existence that ordinary Pokémon could never compare to.
And now, such a Pokémon had appeared before Akira.
Fortunately, when the System notification appeared, Akira was still immersed in the Zone state brought about by Black Flash. His mind was unusually clear, allowing him to remain calm despite the surprise.
Otherwise, his reaction might not have been much better than when Ralts first hatched.
After all, Ralts had the advantage of eventually becoming Gardevoir, one of the most beloved partner Pokémon. Darkrai, on the other hand, needed no such advantage. Its identity as a Mythical Pokémon was already enough to make any Pokémon player excited.
Not to mention its terrifying strength.
Thinking about it carefully, Akira finally understood why this particular Pokémon Egg had taken so long to hatch.
In the standard Pokémon games, Mythical Pokémon generally could not breed in the first place.
Yet his System had somehow managed to produce one.
Amazing.
For once, Akira felt that he should give the System some credit.
Although, thinking about it another way, wasn't this exactly the kind of trick domestic mobile games were best at?
Make the player wait for an absurd amount of time, then suddenly throw out an extremely rare reward.
Unfortunately, Akira had never been the type to place all his hopes on such things.
That was also why he had always relied on his own strength instead of constantly thinking about Pokémon whenever he encountered danger.
Take Black Flash, for example.
No matter how skilled a Jujutsu Sorcerer became, landing Black Flash still involved a certain amount of luck. With Akira's personality, there was no way he would gamble everything on a technique that might fail at the critical moment.
The consequences of failure were simply too great.
As for Darkrai's hatching, there had actually been signs of it for some time.
The thing that finally convinced Akira something was about to happen was the movement inside the Dark Egg.
When the human bomb appeared, the movement became noticeable.
When Kento Nanami landed Black Flash, it grew stronger.
And when Akira himself broke through his previous limits, the movement became so intense that he could no longer ignore it.
Finally, at the exact moment Akira successfully landed Black Flash, the Dark Egg shattered.
Darkrai was born.
Like every other newly hatched Pokémon, Darkrai was only Level 1.
However, even at Level 1, the pressure naturally released by a Mythical Pokémon was enough to make someone with weak willpower tremble.
In the Pokémon world, Darkrai had another famous title.
The Nightmare God.
It was also known as the God of Nightmares, a mysterious Pokémon capable of dragging living creatures into terrifying dreams from which they might never escape.
Of course, considering the willpower of high-level Curse Users, Bale and Kron should not have been so easily frightened by the appearance of a Pokémon.
Unfortunately, their current situation was rather special.
After being thoroughly beaten by Akira and Kento Nanami, the confidence and arrogance they had displayed earlier were already gone.
And what frightened them even more was something they had only just realized.
The boy in front of them had been fighting them from beginning to end without relying on an innate Cursed Technique.
His physical strength alone was already terrifying, and he could even use Black Flash.
Now, he had summoned another monster.
Just when had Tokyo Jujutsu High produced another student comparable to Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto?
Was there no end to the number of monsters coming out of that school?
Bale stared at Darkrai for a long moment before lowering his head.
"Looks like we're not getting away."
His voice sounded exhausted.
All the confidence he had shown earlier had disappeared. Even his grip on Kron had weakened, as though he no longer had the strength to continue struggling.
"If it weren't for that Darkrai, maybe we would've had a chance..."
Bale stopped halfway through his sentence.
What was the point of saying such things now?
They had already lost.
"It is me who cannot escape. You still can."
Hearing the voice beside his ear, Bale froze.
Before he could understand what Kron meant, the man suddenly gathered his remaining strength and rolled off his shoulder.
"Kron?"
Bale instinctively reached out to catch him.
However, Kron pushed him away instead.
"Go!"
With that shout, Kron forced Bale forward and placed himself directly between his partner and Darkrai.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed his shirt and tore it open.
Beneath the fabric were several strange curse marks covering his chest and abdomen.
Even among Jujutsu Sorcerers, such markings were rarely seen.
More importantly, the Cursed Energy contained within those marks was terrifyingly dense.
The moment they were exposed, everyone present could sense the enormous amount of Cursed Energy gathering inside Kron's body.
"Don't move!"
Kron spread his arms and glared at Akira and Darkrai.
"Unless you want everyone here to be blown to pieces!"
"Kron!"
Bale's expression changed drastically.
"Don't be impulsive! Don't do anything stupid!"
For the first time since the battle began, his voice was filled with genuine panic.
As someone who had fought alongside Kron for many years, Bale understood his partner's abilities better than anyone.
He also knew exactly what those curse marks meant.
Kron was preparing to turn himself into a human bomb.
And judging from the amount of Cursed Energy gathering inside his body, he had no intention of surviving the explosion.
"This isn't stupid."
Kron's voice was surprisingly calm.
"It's the best choice we have."
He turned his head slightly toward Bale.
"If I don't do this, neither of us will escape. And you know very well that things won't end as easily as they did last time."
Bale opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Kron continued speaking.
"The mission failed. I was responsible for coordinating everything, so I should take responsibility for the result."
He glanced back at Darkrai.
The Nightmare God's presence was still pressing against him, and his body instinctively wanted to retreat.
However, Kron ignored that fear.
What was there to fear from nightmares when he had already decided to die?
"At least one of us should survive."
He looked at Bale one last time.
"Go."
Bale had been willing to risk his life to save him.
Now, Kron was willing to do the same.
For a moment, Bale stood motionless.
Then, with a muffled grunt, he clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw trembled.
He understood.
If he continued arguing, Kron's sacrifice would become meaningless.
After giving his old partner one final look, Bale turned around and rushed forward with everything he had left.
"Akira."
Kento Nanami immediately noticed the abnormal gathering of Cursed Energy.
"Kron is probably planning to turn himself into a human bomb. Your Pokémon..."
He did not finish the sentence.
Akira was already looking at Kron.
His expression remained calm.
From the moment Kron revealed his ability, Akira had considered the possibility that he might resort to a suicide attack.
After all, if someone could turn other people into bombs, there was no reason to assume he could not do the same to himself.
A mutual destruction move was a perfectly reasonable last resort for someone who had already lost.
Unfortunately for Kron, Akira had also prepared for that possibility.
"No problem."
Akira waved his hand casually.
"Even if every bomb here explodes at the same time, it'll be fine."
His gaze shifted toward the fleeing Bale.
"Besides, I already said that neither of them is getting away."
Then he called out.
"Gardevoir."
"Sha!"
A familiar voice immediately answered.
The next moment, Gardevoir appeared beside Akira.
The Psychic Queen had actually been following them in secret the entire time.
If Akira had not specifically told her to remain hidden, she would have appeared long ago and knocked all their enemies unconscious with Psychic power.
From Gardevoir's perspective, watching Akira fight dangerous Curse Users while she could only observe from the shadows was hardly an enjoyable experience.
Now that she finally received permission to act, she naturally wasted no time.
She raised one hand and lightly moved her finger.
Bale, who had just started running, suddenly froze.
"What?!"
Before he could react, an invisible force slammed him into the ground.
Bang!
His body struck the floor heavily.
He tried to push himself up, only to discover that his arms and legs would no longer obey him.
It felt as though several invisible hands were pressing down on his body.
No matter how hard he struggled, he could not move even an inch.
"Let me go!"
Bale desperately tried to gather his remaining Cursed Energy, but the pressure surrounding him did not weaken in the slightest.
Seeing this, Kron's expression twisted.
"You forced me to do this!"
He roared and immediately prepared to activate the curse marks covering his body.
The Cursed Energy inside those marks surged violently.
However, Akira had already turned toward Darkrai.
"Darkrai, use paralysis."
"Mm."
A low, quiet response came from the darkness.
Darkrai slowly raised its head.
Its originally blue eyes suddenly turned red.
The moment Kron met that gaze, his entire body stiffened.
"What..."
He tried to move his fingers.
Nothing happened.
He tried to circulate his Cursed Energy and activate the curse marks.
The energy that had been gathering so violently just a moment ago suddenly stalled.
It was as though his body had stopped responding to his commands.
How could this happen?
Kron's eyes widened.
He had never encountered anything like it.
Even techniques capable of interfering with Cursed Energy should have required some kind of preparation or direct contact.
Yet the creature in front of him had only looked at him.
Fortunately, the paralysis lasted for only a brief moment.
Unfortunately, that brief moment was more than enough.
Darkrai had already moved.
Its dark figure rushed forward, closing the distance before Kron could recover control of his body.
A sharp claw struck him directly beneath the chin.
Bang!
Kron's head snapped backward.
His vision blurred, and the Cursed Energy gathering inside his body immediately became unstable.
Before he could regain his senses, Gardevoir launched her own attack.
Hypnosis.
As the name suggested, it was a move that forced the target into a state of sleep.
Of course, Hypnosis was not guaranteed to succeed.
The target's mental resistance, willpower, and current condition could all affect its effectiveness.
Against a sufficiently powerful opponent, even Gardevoir could not guarantee that it would work every time.
However, Kron was already at his limit.
He had suffered serious injuries, exhausted most of his Cursed Energy, and forced himself to continue fighting through sheer determination.
After being struck by Darkrai, even that determination had begun to waver.
There was no way he could resist a fully prepared Hypnosis from a Gardevoir whose level was far higher than his own.
His eyelids grew heavy.
The curse marks on his chest gradually dimmed.
Kron tried to struggle, but his body no longer had the strength to obey him.
In his final moments of consciousness, he turned his head toward Bale.
"I'm sorry, Bale."
His voice was barely audible.
Then his eyes closed.
Kron fell into a deep sleep.
The Cursed Energy gathering inside the curse marks gradually settled, and the threat of an explosion finally disappeared.
From beginning to end, the entire exchange had taken only a few seconds.
Bale remained pinned to the ground.
He had witnessed everything.
His old partner had been prepared to sacrifice his life so that he could escape, yet in the end, even that final attempt had failed.
Bale stopped struggling.
After a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh.
"This is my fault."
His voice sounded completely defeated.
Watching the two of them, Akira felt a strange sense of discomfort.
He knew that villains were still human.
Even terrorists had friends, companions, and people they genuinely cared about. There was no rule stating that someone who committed terrible crimes could not also be loyal to another person.
Still, knowing that and witnessing it directly were two different things.
The bond between Bale and Kron was clearly genuine.
Neither had hesitated to risk his life for the other.
If Akira had encountered the two of them under different circumstances, he might even have found their friendship admirable.
Unfortunately, that did not change what they had done.
They were still terrorists who had attacked innocent people and attempted to kill students from Tokyo Jujutsu High.
A touching display of friendship did not erase those crimes.
Thinking this, Akira walked toward Bale.
The man noticed his approach but made no attempt to resist.
"Well, that's enough."
Akira raised his hand.
Bang!
A clean strike landed on Bale, knocking him unconscious.
With both men finally subdued, the battle came to an end.
Akira looked down at the two unconscious Curse Users.
There were three reasons he had chosen to keep them alive.
First, he respected Kento Nanami's position on the matter. Since they were working together, there was no need to deliberately create a disagreement over how the prisoners should be handled.
Second, Akira had no intention of allowing his Pokémon to become accustomed to killing humans.
Fighting and killing were two different things.
Pokémon could certainly possess terrifying power, but that did not mean he wanted them to become creatures that casually took human lives.
And third, keeping Bale and Kron alive would be far more useful to Satoru Gojo.
Considering their history with Q and their knowledge of the organization, those two might still have considerable value.
With that settled, Akira took out his phone and sent a message to Kiyotaka Ijichi, who had been waiting on standby nearby.
The cleanup work could be left to him.
Only after sending the message did Akira finally relax.
Beside him, Kento Nanami looked at the unconscious Curse Users, then at the two Pokémon standing nearby.
The reliable adult man could only sigh.
"You were right."
"Hm?"
Akira turned toward him.
"This time, the minors really were more useful than the adults."
Hearing those words, Akira smiled.
"I thought you'd have some objections."
"I still don't fully agree with your methods."
Kento Nanami adjusted his glasses.
"However, the plan was yours, and you managed to keep everything under control. Since no one was killed and the mission was completed, I have no reason to deny the result."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Besides, when I was surrounded earlier, your Pokémon was watching over me the entire time, wasn't she?"
Akira raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So you noticed."
"It would have been difficult not to notice."
Kento Nanami glanced at Gardevoir.
"Although she remained hidden, I could occasionally sense something observing the battlefield. Considering your personality, I suspected you had prepared another precaution."
Akira did not deny it.
After all, Gardevoir had been his final hidden card from the very beginning.
With her following them in secret, Akira could afford to take actions that would otherwise have been far too dangerous.
Even if something went wrong, Gardevoir could intervene immediately.
That was also why Akira had been able to remain so calm throughout the battle.
He had never intended to gamble everything on his own strength.
Kento Nanami had apparently understood this long ago.
After spending the past few days together, he had already gained a fairly good understanding of Akira's personality.
Akira might appear reckless when fighting, especially when he deliberately provoked enemies or charged straight into dangerous situations.
However, he was actually an extremely cautious person.
He preferred having several backup plans and would rarely take a risk without first considering how to deal with failure.
As for his attitude toward enemies, it was equally clear.
Akira could be ruthless when necessary, but he was not cold-blooded.
Otherwise, he would not have gone through the trouble of capturing Bale and Kron alive.
Thinking about this, Kento Nanami turned his attention toward Darkrai.
The newly hatched Pokémon was quietly floating beside Akira.
Its black body and red collar gave it an intimidating appearance, and its strange eyes made it look even more dangerous.
Anyone seeing it for the first time would probably assume it was some kind of terrifying Cursed Spirit.
And considering its abilities, that assumption would not be entirely unreasonable.
After all, this was Darkrai.
The Nightmare God.
A Pokémon famous for dragging living creatures into nightmares.
However, appearance and reputation did not necessarily reflect a Pokémon's true personality.
Even Darkrai, despite being associated with nightmares and darkness, could possess a gentle side.
And in Akira's opinion, the best evidence was Gardevoir's reaction.
Gardevoir was extremely sensitive to emotions and had always been protective of him.
If Darkrai genuinely possessed malicious intentions toward its companions, there was no way she would have remained so calm around it.
Of course, that did not mean the two Pokémon were already getting along perfectly.
Akira glanced at them.
Gardevoir stood quietly beside him, looking as composed as ever.
Darkrai, meanwhile, occasionally turned its head toward her.
For some reason, Akira felt a faint sense of rivalry coming from the newly hatched Pokémon.
Thinking about what had happened earlier, he quickly understood.
After all, Darkrai was the God of Nightmares.
Leading others into dreams and putting them to sleep was practically its specialty.
Yet during its very first battle after hatching, Gardevoir had been the one to finish the opponent off with Hypnosis.
For a Pokémon whose entire identity was connected to sleep and nightmares, that must have felt rather strange.
Unfortunately, Darkrai was still only Level 1.
It had not even learned the relevant moves yet.
Even if it wanted to demonstrate its authority as the Nightmare God, there was little it could do for the time being.
Still, judging from the way it kept looking at Gardevoir, that instinct was already beginning to show.
Akira found the situation rather amusing.
It seemed that his newly hatched Mythical Pokémon already had something it wanted to prove.