Hidden in the group, it had not stood out, but once it broke away, its presence surged. Dark green mist spread under her feet, while flames coiled around her body, holding two disasters feared by humans since ancient times. "What level do you think she is, second grade, or quasi first?" Akira asked with a slight frown.
"Quasi first," Akemi Aki said. "But after being hit like this by Little Sha, even I, a third grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, can try to exorcise her."
Under the rules of the Jujutsu world, a Jujutsu Sorcerer usually matched a Cursed Spirit one grade higher. A third grade Jujutsu Sorcerer matched a second grade Cursed Spirit, which was the limit of what Akemi Aki could do. Against an injured target, and after seeing Gardevoir's attack, she had gained confidence.
"By the way, I never told you. My Jujutsu is 'Barrier'…" She stopped mid-sentence as she felt a new surge of cursed energy, smaller than a Cursed Spirit but far more focused. Its source was right in front of her, her child, Akira.
"Orala," he shouted, throwing a punch. It looked casual, but Akemi Aki felt the air ripple from the impact. The female ghost that had just reached the shore was knocked down at once, her chest caved in, and even the ground beneath cracked like a web.
Akemi Aki fell silent.
Akemi Aki was stunned. She had been told this was her turn to act, told that he had no Jujutsu Sorcerer training, and told that he should always put self protection first. What she never expected was that the child long treated as a useless burden could be this strong.
"Akira, you…"
Akira waved to Gardevoir first, signaling that she did not need to worry here and should keep clearing the area. He then turned back to his mother with a small smile and said, "I just did not inherit Jujutsu. I still have the most basic Cursed Energy."
Cursed Energy was energy, while Jujutsu was how that energy was shaped and used. One was the foundation, the other the structure built on top of it. The structure was better, but that did not mean the foundation itself was useless.
The way to use it was simple, limited to strengthening the body or injecting it into a target to deal damage. Because it was simple, there was no need for complex choices, just one straight path forward. Back when Akira was still in the Kamo Clan, he had memorized the methods to train Cursed Energy and his body due to his status, and he never stopped after leaving, since this had always been part of his plan.
It was true that with Gardevoir around, Akira did not need to rush to the front and take risks, and doing so would even split her experience gains. But if the trainer was too weak, that would also hold back Pokémon in battle. Some ill tempered Pokémon would even look down on their trainer and ignore commands, which was not something Akira wanted to see.
Even putting all that aside, a good body was one of the most important assets in life. Whether earning money, working hard, or even just enjoying yourself, everything felt better with strength. If every time you wanted to do something your back ached, your limbs felt weak, and your body felt hollowed out, how would that feel?
Looking at her son who had knocked down a near Grade One Cursed Spirit with a single punch, then at Gardevoir who crushed the remaining Cursed Spirit with ease, Akemi Aki sighed from the heart. "Letting you leave was the biggest mistake of the Kamo Clan."
Akira only smiled and said nothing. A mistake? On the contrary, it was the most correct decision the Kamo Clan had made.
As long as the atmosphere of the Jujutsu world did not change, the conflict between him and the Kamo Clan would never end. The longer it dragged on, the sharper it would become. Leaving early and keeping distance at least preserved a bit of dignity.
The Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Clans, already had more than one such example. One of them should have arrived in Tokyo by now and entered Tokyo Jujutsu High, and he wondered when they might meet.
While his thoughts drifted, Gardevoir finished sweeping the remaining Cursed Spirit, including the one barely clinging to life in front of Akira. Her level rose from 30 to the latter half of 31, not far from 32. Akira knew he had made the right choice, since farming experience was faster in high level areas, and once the major spiritual sites of Tokyo were cleared, Gardevoir should be able to contend with the highest ranks.
"All done. Let's go home and sleep. Big cities really are better than the countryside, the gains are huge."
Akira bent down and pulled a fragment from the crack he had smashed into the ground. Akemi Aki leaned over curiously and asked, "What is that? Some kind of partner item for Little Sha?"
"No, but it is not much worse than that."
The item interface in front of Akira clearly read, Z Crystal Fragment (Fire). It was not a match for Gardevoir's Psychic or Fairy types, but the existence of Z Crystals meant Z Moves existed as well. Once he mastered Z Moves, Gardevoir's combat power could rise another level.
From there, his thoughts expanded further. If Z Moves existed, did Mega Evolution and Dynamax exist as well? In games they belonged to different regions and generations, but this was reality, so if they could stack, how strong would Gardevoir become?
The more he thought about it, the more impatient Akira felt. He made a decision to clear out all of Tokyo. Filled with a motivation he had never felt before, he took the hand of Gardevoir, who was just as eager, and started the walk home.
Akemi Aki put away the curtain used to block civilians and followed behind them. Her son and daughter were so strong that it hurt her pride a little as a mother, but the feeling that outweighed it was pride. With children like this, what more could she ask for?
The group from Ake Clan did not know that just five minutes after they left, another team arrived at Yoshiwara Shrine. Their composition was similar, one man, one woman, and one non human. The woman was younger, and the non human looked even less human, Panda.
As soon as they stepped into the shrine, Panda sniffed the air and said, "Something feels off. The curse smell is very light, more like residue, and there is also the scent of a curtain."
"You mean our prey was taken?" The girl with a long weapon on her shoulder and a single ponytail raised an eyebrow.
"Tuna tuna." The shortest boy pointed toward a nearby embankment in Japan, where an unnatural crack split the surface.
The girl flipped over lightly and landed by the crack. She touched it, tested a few movements, and grinned. "That's it. A human did this. A blunt weapon or fists. A real expert."
Panda spoke again, "Confirmed. There are no Cursed Spirit left. Someone exorcised everything before we arrived. What should we do?"
"Do we even need to ask? Of course we call that idiot teacher and complain." The girl's smile turned sharp.