Residue was the remnant of a curse left behind after its activity. Jujutsu Sorcerers, Cursed Spirits, cursed objects, and anything related to curses could leave behind traces of Cursed Energy.
And as it turned out, this residue was exactly what Darkrai liked to eat.
This discovery further confirmed Akira's theory that curses and nightmares were closely connected.
Among all the Cursed Energy Darkrai had encountered, its favorite came from Rika Orimoto. It did not even need to fight or do anything special. Simply staying near Rika Orimoto and absorbing the Cursed Energy leaking from her body was enough.
And then, something unexpected happened.
Darkrai leveled up.
Akira stared at the result in disbelief.
It actually leveled up just by eating!
For someone who had spent so much time raising Pokémon, Akira knew exactly how ridiculous that was.
Leveling up had always been one of his biggest headaches.
There was no need to mention the ten-mile slope method he had used to train Gardevoir. Even raising Pancham in Tokyo had been far from easy.
Tokyo had plenty of Cursed Spirits, but most of them were also considerably stronger than those found elsewhere. During Pancham's early levels, Akira had been constantly worried that the little fellow would get injured.
To find suitable opponents, he had run through several commercial districts, searching specifically for the weakest Cursed Spirits he could find.
All that effort just to get Pancham through the beginner stage.
After all, the Pokémon World's level system was quite unforgiving.
Even Mythical Pokémon and Legendary Pokémon could be surprisingly weak at low levels. Their natural advantages were impressive, but they still needed time to grow.
Darkrai was a perfect example.
It looked terrifying, and its identity as a Dark-type Mythical Pokémon sounded impressive. However, if it actually fought someone from Tokyo Jujutsu High right now, Akira doubted it could defeat anyone.
For the time being, its appearance was far more intimidating than its strength.
Fortunately, Darkrai had one advantage that made up for everything.
It could grow stronger simply by feeding on nightmares and curse residue.
With that ability, Akira no longer needed to worry much about its future development.
This was Tokyo Jujutsu High, after all.
The school's entire purpose was to train Jujutsu Sorcerers and exorcise curses. If there was anything this place would never lack, it was Cursed Energy.
And more importantly, there was Rika Orimoto.
The amount of Cursed Energy contained within her was so absurd that even Satoru Gojo found it troublesome.
For Darkrai, a little energy leaking from Rika was already enough for a full meal.
At this rate, Akira could practically raise Darkrai without lifting a finger.
As a result, Akira had recently started spending considerably more time around Yuta Okkotsu.
Naturally, this strange development did not escape Panda's attention.
Whenever he saw Akira enthusiastically approaching Yuta, Panda could not help giving the two of them a complicated look.
*Seriously, Akira...*
*If you showed even half that enthusiasm toward Maki, I would have started shipping you two ages ago.*
Panda was beginning to wonder whether there was something wrong with the men of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Look at Masamichi Yaga, for example.
The man was already a father, yet Panda had never heard anything about him having a romantic relationship.
Then there was Satoru Gojo.
With his appearance, strength, and family background, finding a girlfriend should have been ridiculously easy.
And yet, there was absolutely no news on that front either.
As for the younger generation, things were somehow even worse.
Akira spent most of his attention on Pokémon, while Yuta Okkotsu was completely devoted to Rika Orimoto. Both of them seemed more interested in nonhumans than actual people.
Then there was Toge Inumaki, who could barely hold a normal conversation.
How was someone like that supposed to date?
Was he planning to rely on his phone for the rest of his life?
And what about the Inumaki Clan before mobile phones existed?
Did they carry wooden signs around whenever they wanted to confess their feelings? Or did they simply skip the confession and announce that they were getting married?
The more Panda thought about it, the more curious he became.
He genuinely wanted to visit the Inumaki Clan someday and ask how their members handled romance.
Surely an entire family could not have survived for generations without figuring something out.
Thinking about Tokyo Jujutsu High's students only made Panda more depressed.
Enrollment had been miserable last year. They had only managed to recruit a delinquent named Hakari.
This year, they had finally gathered enough students to form a small class.
And what happened?
Every single one of them turned out to be strange in some way.
*Is it really that difficult to find a normal couple around here?*
At this point, Panda was ready to place his hopes on the next class.
Megumi Fushiguro seemed promising.
He had a decent appearance, a reliable personality, and enough strength to attract attention. Once he grew a little older, he would probably be quite popular.
*Please, Megumi.*
*Whatever you do, don't learn from your seniors.*
Of course, aside from Maki Zenin, nobody had any idea what Panda was thinking.
Otherwise, Panda would probably discover that being beaten up by Maki alone was actually a rather fortunate outcome.
If everyone else heard his thoughts, they might decide to gang up on him.
Akira, in particular, would probably ask him a question in return.
*What's wrong with two pandas being together?*
Panda felt rather smug about that.
After all, he had never told anyone that Pancham could eventually grow into a much larger Pokémon.
Akira already had the most important part. All Pancham needed was enough levels.
And speaking of Pokémon growing stronger...
Wasn't that right, Darkrai, the mighty Dark-type Mythical Pokémon?
"Mm!"
Darkrai, completely unaware of Panda's strange thoughts, floated forward while following the trail of Cursed Energy left behind by Rika Orimoto.
Akira noticed its movement and immediately called out.
"Come back, come back. You've eaten enough. Following a girl around all day makes you look like a creep. Besides, she's not your CP, Cresselia."
Akira had his reasons for stopping it.
Kento Nanami considered him reliable, and Akira had no intention of ruining that reputation over a little extra experience.
Feeding Darkrai with the Cursed Energy leaking from Rika Orimoto was already a delicate matter.
As long as it only absorbed the excess energy, there was no real problem. But having Darkrai follow Rika constantly would be going too far.
However, after hearing Akira's command, Darkrai merely stopped.
It did not return.
"Mm, mmm."
Akira raised an eyebrow.
Understanding Darkrai was considerably harder than understanding Pokémon that could communicate through simple cries like "sha" or "play."
Fortunately, thanks to the cultivation bonus, he could still understand what Darkrai was trying to express.
After listening for a moment, his expression changed.
"Wait. Are you saying you want to enter Rika Orimoto's nightmare?"
"Mm!"
Darkrai nodded.
Entering dreams was not currently listed among its available skills.
However, Darkrai was known as the Nightmare God for a reason. Interfering with dreams was one of its natural racial abilities.
A skill list could restrict what it was currently capable of doing, but it did not necessarily account for every talent a Pokémon possessed.
Akira thought for a moment before asking another question.
"Are you confident you can do it?"
"Mm, mm!"
"Just need to absorb a little more energy? Fine, fine. I get it. You're very strong."
Akira looked somewhat helpless.
He had clearly been worried for nothing.
"Then what are you planning to do after entering her dream?"
"Mmmmmm."
This time, Darkrai gave a longer explanation.
Akira listened quietly.
A few seconds later, the teasing expression on his face disappeared.
"You want to find the real Rika Orimoto?"
"Mm!"
"And you don't want her to remain trapped inside her nightmare forever?"
Darkrai nodded again.
Akira fell silent.
After a while, he reached out and gently patted Darkrai's head.
"You're surprisingly kind for something called the Nightmare God."
It really was a strange situation.
Darkrai was a Pokémon capable of trapping people in endless nightmares, yet it was now thinking about how to free someone from one.
Meanwhile, Akira himself was still hesitating over whether Rika Orimoto should be released from her curse.
Thinking about it carefully, he could not help feeling a little uncomfortable.
He had always preferred to consider every possible outcome before making a decision. That habit had helped him avoid plenty of unnecessary trouble, but lately, he was beginning to notice its shortcomings.
If he continued making decisions purely through calculation, perhaps he really would end up walking the same path as a certain villain.
He might lose his humanity without even needing to study law.
Akira shook his head and turned toward Gardevoir.
"Little Sha, what do you think?"
"Sha..."
Gardevoir puffed out her cheeks.
It was rare for her to show such obvious dissatisfaction toward Akira.
However, he understood exactly why she was upset.
For some time now, Gardevoir had been making her feelings about Rika Orimoto's situation quite clear.
Akira had simply been too occupied with weighing the possible consequences to respond properly.
Seeing her expression, he could only laugh softly.
"All right, my fault. I've understood what you've been trying to tell me all along."
He reached out and gently rubbed her head.
"It's about time I had a proper talk with Yuta."
***
"I want to remove the curse!"
The moment Akira brought up the matter, Yuta Okkotsu gave his answer.
His voice was so loud and firm that Akira was momentarily surprised.
This was Yuta Okkotsu, the boy who usually spoke timidly and seemed afraid of causing trouble for others.
Yet when it came to removing Rika Orimoto's curse, there was not the slightest hesitation in his voice.
Akira had already explained the possible dangers to him.
There was no guarantee that everything would go smoothly after the curse was removed. Depending on the outcome, Yuta might even lose the power that allowed him to remain a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
However, Yuta did not seem to care.
Akira looked at him carefully before asking one final question.
"You've really thought this through? If something goes wrong, you might have to start over from nothing."
"I've thought it through."
Yuta nodded heavily.
After a brief pause, he continued.
"Actually, ever since I entered Tokyo Jujutsu High, I've slowly started to understand something."
He lowered his head slightly.
"Before coming here, I always thought Rika was the one who cursed me. I was afraid of her, and I thought everything happening around me was because of that curse."
"But now, I think I had it backward."
Akira remained silent and let him continue.
"I think... I'm the one who cursed Rika."
Yuta clenched his hands.
"Maybe after the curse is removed, I won't be able to stay here as a Jujutsu Sorcerer anymore. Maybe I'll lose everything I've learned since coming to this school."
"But I don't want to keep binding Rika to me."
His voice grew quieter, though his decision remained unchanged.
"I don't want her to keep suffering because of me."
"Rika isn't suffering at all!"
A voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Being together with Yuta makes Rika very happy!"
Cursed Spirit Rika appeared beside Yuta, manifesting the upper half of her enormous body.
This was the form she used most often when interacting with everyone.
However, the moment she appeared, Akira's shadow stirred.
Darkrai immediately sensed the large amount of Cursed Energy coming from her.
Its body shifted almost instinctively, preparing to move closer.
Unfortunately for Darkrai, someone else reacted even faster.
Gardevoir raised one foot and stepped down hard.
Darkrai froze.
There was no need for Gardevoir to say anything.
Her meaning was perfectly clear.
*You glutton! Read the room! This isn't the time to eat!*
Darkrai immediately behaved itself.
As expected, even a Mythical Pokémon knew who held the highest position in Akira's heart.
Gardevoir's title as the Psychic Queen was certainly well deserved.
At least within Akira's little Pokémon family, there was absolutely no doubt about her authority.
Forget Darkrai.
Even if Arceus appeared right now, it would probably have to squat obediently and behave itself.
Of course, Akira had no idea that such an absurd thought had just crossed his Pokémon's mind.
His attention was entirely on Yuta and Rika.
Yuta reached out and gently stroked the head of the Cursed Spirit beside him.
"I know, Rika. Being together with you makes me happy too."
"Then that's enough!"
Rika immediately responded.
"Rika is happy, and Yuta is happy. That's all that matters!"
"But, Rika..."
"But what?"
Rika moved closer.
"We promised, didn't we? We promised we'd always be together!"
As she spoke, the Cursed Energy surrounding her began to fluctuate.
Her upper body gradually expanded, and more of her enormous form started to emerge.
She was showing signs of fully manifesting.
Yuta immediately grew anxious.
He scratched his head, unable to figure out how to respond.
Then he turned toward Akira and gave him a pleading look.
*Help me.*
Akira understood his problem.
It was not that Yuta lacked the courage to tell Rika what he wanted.
The problem was that Cursed Spirit Rika's understanding of their relationship was extremely simple.
To her, being together with Yuta meant happiness.
Yuta was happy when they were together, and she was happy when they were together.
Therefore, there was no reason for anything to change.
As for removing the curse?
That meant separation.
And separation was something Rika absolutely refused to accept.
Yuta wanted to explain that he was doing this for her sake, but the moment he mentioned being separated, Rika would panic.
The more he tried to explain, the more upset she became.
If possible, Yuta would have preferred to discuss the matter with Akira privately before speaking to Rika.
Unfortunately, that was practically impossible.
The connection between Yuta and Cursed Spirit Rika was far too strong.
Even if Gardevoir managed to drag Rika away, she would still be able to sense Yuta's movements and notice that something was wrong.
There was no easy way to hide the conversation from her.
And once she realized they were discussing Curse Removal, the situation would become even more troublesome.
Looking at Yuta's helpless expression, Akira finally understood why he was having such difficulty.
Trying to convince the current Rika Orimoto through an ordinary conversation would never work.
Akira glanced toward Gardevoir and gave her a signal.
Gardevoir immediately understood.
"Sha, sha."
She moved toward Rika and began comforting her friend, drawing her attention away from Yuta.
Rika was still upset, but she had always been close to Gardevoir. After a little persuasion, she finally turned toward her.
Akira took advantage of the opportunity.
He stepped closer to Yuta, caught his arm, and quietly pulled him aside.
Yuta followed without resistance.
Once they were a short distance away, Akira lowered his voice.
"Yuta, I don't think talking to her like this is going to work."
Yuta looked troubled.
"I know. But if I don't explain it to Rika, how can I get her to agree?"
"That's exactly the problem."
Akira glanced back toward the enormous Cursed Spirit.
"The Rika you're talking to right now can't understand what you're trying to do for her."
Yuta froze slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Akira turned back toward him.
"If you really want to remove the curse, you need to talk to the real Rika Orimoto."
"The real Rika Orimoto?"
Yuta stared at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"