Akira explained Rika Orimoto's current condition and her relationship with Cursed Spirit Rika.
According to his analysis, Cursed Spirit Rika was a manifestation of the real Rika Orimoto's dream. The girl's soul had been trapped in a deep sleep all these years, and the powerful Cursed Spirit surrounding Yuta Okkotsu was closely connected to that dream.
In other words, removing the curse could also be understood as waking Rika Orimoto's sleeping soul.
This was different from the Curse Removal method Akira remembered from the original storyline. That method was far too extreme, requiring Yuta Okkotsu to reach a point where he no longer cared about sacrificing his own life.
Fortunately, things had not reached that stage.
Yuta still had hope, and Akira had found another possible solution. There was no reason to take such a dangerous approach when a safer method was available.
Even if this attempt failed, they could still consider the original method later.
After hearing the explanation, Yuta Okkotsu could barely contain his excitement.
"I want to go! Please, Akira! Darkrai, please help me too!"
He bowed deeply toward Akira, then turned and bowed toward the shadow where Darkrai was resting.
"Mm."
Darkrai emerged from the darkness and raised one claw, indicating its agreement.
Akira glanced at it before translating.
"He says we can leave right now."
Tonight happened to be the night of the new moon.
With no moonlight in the sky, the power of nightmares was at its weakest. For Darkrai, this was the best time to enter a nightmare and attempt to wake someone trapped inside.
Unfortunately, Akira did not have a New Moon Feather. If he had one, awakening Rika Orimoto would have been much easier.
Still, the conditions were already favorable enough to make an attempt.
Yuta Okkotsu was practically overflowing with energy. After suffering under Rika's curse for so many years, he finally saw a chance to help her. Naturally, he wanted to act immediately.
"I'll leave Cursed Spirit Rika here with you until I return."
"Alright."
Akira nodded. He had been planning the same thing.
To be honest, he was quite curious about the kind of nightmare that could give birth to a Cursed Spirit as powerful as Rika.
What exactly had the girl experienced in her dream to create something that stood at the very top of the Cursed Spirit hierarchy?
However, this was ultimately a private matter between Yuta and Rika. Akira had no intention of interfering more than necessary.
Besides, someone needed to remain in the real world.
"Go ahead, Darkrai."
With its trainer's permission, Darkrai crossed its claws in front of its chest.
Dark energy gathered between them, gradually forming a black sphere. Its surface rippled like liquid, while the center remained completely dark. Looking into it was like staring into a bottomless hole.
This was the passage connecting reality to the dream world.
Without the slightest hesitation, Yuta Okkotsu jumped inside.
Darkrai followed closely behind him.
Akira watched the two disappear into the darkness.
Then he waited.
One second.
Two seconds.
Before even a few more seconds could pass, the black sphere suddenly shook.
Two figures came rushing out.
"Huh?"
Akira stared at them in confusion.
The passage had not even closed yet!
Compared to their confident departure, both Yuta and Darkrai looked completely different.
Darkrai's eyes had lost their usual sharpness, and its movements seemed unusually sluggish.
Yuta was in an even worse condition.
His face was pale, cold sweat covered his forehead, and his clothes were already soaked through. He looked as though he had just escaped from a life-or-death battle.
Akira was dumbfounded.
Wait a minute.
Wasn't this supposed to be a touching reunion between childhood sweethearts?
How did it turn into this?
"What happened?"
"We failed."
Yuta lowered his head, still trying to catch his breath.
"There are too many monsters inside Rika's dream. I couldn't get through them. We need help."
Akira turned toward Darkrai.
Darkrai silently nodded, confirming Yuta's explanation.
This only made Akira more curious.
You two came back so quickly that I didn't even have time to say something unlucky!
Of course, encountering monsters inside a nightmare was perfectly normal. A nightmare without anything frightening would hardly deserve its name.
The real problem was their strength.
Under Satoru Gojo's guidance, Yuta Okkotsu had improved tremendously. Even without Cursed Spirit Rika fighting beside him, his own combat ability was already quite impressive.
Add a level 20 Darkrai to the team, and they should have been capable of handling most dangerous opponents.
Yet this combination had been forced to retreat almost immediately.
Just what kind of nightmare was Rika Orimoto having?
Akira thought for a moment before making a suggestion.
"How about I go in with Little Sha and take a look?"
Putting Rika Orimoto aside, Akira had never felt much pressure when facing Yuta Okkotsu in ordinary combat.
After all, he was someone who had successfully landed a Black Flash.
His confidence was backed by actual results.
Yuta immediately raised his head.
"That would be great!"
At this point, he was no longer worried about anyone seeing Rika's private dreams. Compared to saving her, such concerns were insignificant.
"Alright. Little Sha, we're going."
Akira beckoned toward Gardevoir, then drew his black sword from his Cursed Tools.
Since they were entering an unfamiliar nightmare, there was no reason to be careless.
His first objective was simple.
Scout the area, identify the dangers, and figure out what had forced Yuta and Darkrai to retreat.
If they failed, they could always try again after preparing properly.
In Akira's eyes, this was no different from challenging a dungeon in a game.
Even experienced players with excellent combat skills could not guarantee clearing an unfamiliar dungeon on their first attempt.
Sometimes, dying a few times was simply part of learning the mechanics.
Of course, Akira had no intention of actually dying.
He took a deep breath.
Gardevoir moved to his left, while Darkrai floated to his right.
With his sword in hand and his two Pokémon beside him, Akira stepped into Rika Orimoto's dream.
The black passage slowly closed behind them.
As one of the most reliable combat combinations at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Akira and his Pokémon performed considerably better than Yuta's team.
At the very least, they did not come rushing out immediately after entering.
Watching the passage disappear, Yuta Okkotsu finally released the breath he had been holding.
He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor.
Even now, cold sweat continued to run down his face.
"Yuta?"
Cursed Spirit Rika approached him, her voice filled with concern.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Yuta reached out and gently held her hand.
Looking at the familiar figure before him, he remembered what he had just witnessed inside her dream.
He had always known Rika was suffering.
However, until today, he had never understood just how much pain she had been enduring.
"Rika, I never knew you were suffering so much."
He tightened his grip on her hand.
"I'll definitely free you. I promise."
Then he looked toward the place where the passage had disappeared.
"I hope Akira can do it. He's really strong, so I'm sure he'll be fine."
Unfortunately, things did not go as he hoped.
Before the sweat on Yuta's clothes had even dried, the black passage suddenly appeared again.
The darkness twisted violently.
Then a figure shot out.
"Quick! Go get Gojo Satoru!"
Akira stumbled out of the passage, shouting at the top of his lungs.
His face was pale, his breathing was heavy, and his clothes were completely drenched in sweat.
Even his usual composure had disappeared.
Whatever he had encountered inside Rika Orimoto's dream, it had clearly been far beyond his expectations.
There was only one solution left.
Call the strongest!
Fortunately, Satoru Gojo had always been easy to approach when it came to his students.
Despite his terrible personality, he rarely refused a request for help.
Of course, that same personality was also the reason most students avoided asking him for anything unless absolutely necessary.
This time, however, Akira had no choice.
After receiving his call, Satoru Gojo rushed over at top speed.
Along the way, he smashed through a dormitory door and two walls.
By the time he arrived, dust was still falling from the damaged structure.
Yet the man responsible for all that destruction did not seem concerned in the slightest.
He strode inside, spread his arms wide as though preparing to embrace everyone, and deliberately lowered his voice.
"My adorable students, are you all safe? Your invincible Satoru Gojo teacher has arrived!"
Akira stared at him.
That pose.
That tone.
That ridiculous confidence.
He immediately understood what Gojo was doing.
"You're addicted to that Whitebeard meme, aren't you?"
"Oh?"
Satoru Gojo's face immediately brightened.
"I knew you'd get it, Ari!"
He looked so pleased with himself that Akira suddenly regretted recognizing the reference.
Somehow, understanding Gojo's jokes only made the man more annoying.
"I already regret calling him."
Maki Zenin was the first to lose patience.
"Salmon."
Toge Inumaki calmly expressed his agreement.
Panda quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Well, there's no denying his strength, at least."
He paused, then immediately added, "That wasn't a compliment, by the way."
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Satoru Gojo had heard exactly what he wanted to hear.
His smile grew wider.
The more everyone complained, the more satisfied he became.
Panda realized that ordinary conversation was no longer going to work.
Time for the ultimate move!
He shut the door.
Then he released Pancham.
Although Pancham spent most of its days fooling around, it had never neglected its training.
After all this time, its strength had improved considerably. It had even reached the point where it could touch Satoru Gojo's Infinity Barrier.
This was already an impressive achievement.
Unfortunately, touching Infinity and actually defeating its owner were two completely different matters.
Pancham had barely approached when Satoru Gojo casually reached out, grabbed it by the back of its neck, and lifted it into the air.
The little Pokémon dangled helplessly from his hand.
Gojo smiled triumphantly.
"See? When you meet an enemy you can't handle, just rely on your teacher!"
He raised his free arm and struck another exaggerated pose.
"The perfect lifeform, Satoru Gojo!"
This time, he was clearly imitating Kars.
Akira's mouth twitched.
For one dangerous moment, he almost blurted out a spoiler about what eventually happened to that so-called perfect lifeform.
Fortunately, he managed to stop himself.
He took a deep breath.
Enough.
If he allowed this nonsense to continue, they would still be standing here tomorrow.
"Alright, stop fooling around."
Akira's expression turned serious.
He had originally called Gojo over to solve an urgent problem, yet somehow they had ended up holding another ridiculous comedy performance.
Someone had to bring the conversation back on track.
And since the person standing in front of him was a teacher in name only, that responsibility naturally fell to Akira.
"This time, it's about Rika Orimoto and removing her curse."
"Oh?"
Satoru Gojo finally lowered Pancham.
"You've already..."
He paused halfway through his sentence.
Then, as though he had figured out what Akira was trying to do, he suddenly laughed.
"Ari, you did well. Really well!"
Akira ignored his reaction and began explaining the situation.
He told Gojo about Rika Orimoto's sleeping soul, the connection between her dream and Cursed Spirit Rika, and why Darkrai's ability might provide a safer method of Curse Removal.
Naturally, he also explained the three failed attempts.
The first attempt had been made by Yuta Okkotsu and Darkrai.
They had entered the dream confidently, only to retreat almost immediately after encountering an overwhelming number of monsters.
The second attempt had been led by Akira himself.
With Gardevoir and Darkrai accompanying him, he had managed to explore much farther than Yuta.
Unfortunately, the result had still been a failure.
After escaping from the dream, Akira had contacted Satoru Gojo for help.
Since everyone involved was exhausted, they had gone to the cafeteria to eat something and calm themselves down.
That was when Maki Zenin happened to catch them discussing the situation.
Naturally, she wanted to know what had happened.
Once Maki found out, there was little chance of keeping the matter quiet.
Before long, Panda and Toge Inumaki had also learned about it.
Soon, almost everyone in the dormitory knew that Akira had discovered a way to enter Rika Orimoto's dream.
Even worse, they learned that both Yuta and Akira had failed to clear it.
How could they possibly ignore something like that?
Their curiosity immediately got the better of them.
After some discussion, the entire group decided to challenge the Dream Dungeon together.
Akira, Yuta, Maki, Panda, Toge, and their Pokémon entered the nightmare once more.
With so many people working together, they had expected the situation to improve.
Unfortunately, reality gave them another harsh lesson.
The third attempt ended in failure as well.
And so, after three consecutive defeats, they finally had to turn to the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer for help.
Once Akira finished his explanation, Satoru Gojo fell into thought.
He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
His features tightened into an exaggerated Araki Face, looking as though he had stepped straight out of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
"I see."
He nodded slowly.
"So you're saying this is a nightmare-level dungeon, something like Dark Souls?"
He looked toward Akira.
"Would that be a fair comparison?"