By the time Akira returned to Tokyo Jujutsu High, it was already the next day.
Even though they had captured the two core members of the Q Organization, there was still some clean-up work that needed to be taken care of.
Some tasks, like clearing the battlefield and recovering the barrier, could be handled by Ijichi Kiyotaka, but other things required jujutsu sorcerers.
Let's not forget, there were three Q Organization bases in Tokyo, and they had only taken out two.
Even though the third base was most likely empty or only had a few stragglers, it still needed to be checked.
Additionally, a full-scale investigation of the Q Organization was necessary, focusing on areas outside Tokyo.
Tokyo was the stronghold of the reformists, led by Satoru Gojo, while the conservatives and most of the higher-ups in the Jujutsu Alliance resided in Kyoto. Staying on the defensive wasn't going to cut it.
After some discussion, it was decided that Akira would handle the clean-up work within Tokyo, while Nanami Kento, who wasn't as on bad terms with the higher-ups, would take care of Kyoto.
Nanami excelled at maintaining a balance—not completely severing ties but not overly pleasing anyone either. It was the way of the adult world, and Nanami did it very well.
What he did even better was maintaining his personal routine.
As soon as the mission ended, he went straight back to bathe and sleep. Akira, eager to keep up his momentum, couldn't get away from being dragged along to drink milk and go to bed on time.
"I wanted to live free and carefree, yet here I am with a healthy routine. And, worse yet, I'm enjoying it."
As for the two captured curse users, they were handed over to Gojo Satoru right away, to be used as leverage against the conservative faction. To prevent a repeat of the past, Akira also held back one more trick.
It was Darkrai's signature ability, not counted as a skill, but its most terrifying feature and the reason for its title as the "Nightmare God"—Endless Nightmare.
As the name implies, it could trap someone in an endless nightmare. Sparing someone's life didn't mean letting them off the hook—they would live the rest of their days plagued by nightmares.
The next morning, Akira was up early, checked the last Q base, and, as expected, found nothing. By midday, he was already standing in front of Jujutsu High's gate, grumbling.
"Taking a taxi in Japan is so ridiculously expensive."
After a battle, it's often the assistant supervisors who are the busiest, and with the scale of this incident, Akira didn't want to bother Ijichi. After a phone call, he took a taxi back himself.
He almost emptied his wallet. And to think, when he left, it was filled with a fair amount of 10,000 yen bills.
Although Akira wasn't short on money anymore, it still stung to spend so much.
"When will I get a Flying-type Pokémon? It'd save me from this hassle."
Sure, Gardevoir could fly with her psychic abilities, but the speed and height weren't comparable to a professional Flying-type Pokémon. Darkrai was too bulky to be a comfortable ride.
Which Flying-type Pokémon would be the best for carrying passengers?
Pidgeot was a good option—fast and steady.
Dragonite, despite its bulky appearance, was another option. After all, it's called Dragonite for a reason, and unless faced with a Dragon-type killer, it was a pseudo-legendary powerhouse.
Aerodactyl and Charizard were also great choices, both fan-favorites and capable of carrying passengers and battling effectively.
If he didn't limit himself to regular Pokémon, the options expanded significantly. Especially with legendaries, almost all could fly and were large enough to ride comfortably—right, Groudon?
With Darkrai as a precedent, Akira dared to dream about legendary Pokémon.
Of course, there was a difference between mythical Pokémon like Darkrai and legendary ones. Legendary Pokémon were often embodiments of the rules of the Pokémon world itself, making capturing and using them much more restrictive. Who knows if he'd have the chance?
Lost in thought, Akira made his way through the school grounds and deeper into the Jujutsu High campus.
Before reaching the training grounds, he heard someone shouting in the distance: "Stop running! Get back here!"
That voice—it sounded like Fushiguro Megumi?
That made sense; it was the weekend, and it was normal for him to be at the school.
Was he chasing something?
Akira looked up and saw a group of small, fluffy, adorable creatures.
Rabbits?
Yes, rabbits. There was no mistaking it—they were rabbits.
Those long ears would make excellent spicy rabbit head dishes.
However, when Akira sensed the cursed energy emanating from the rabbits, he realized his culinary hopes were dashed.
Judging by Fushiguro's frantic pursuit, with his demon dogs on one side and his serpent on the other, it was clear that these rabbits were his shikigami, and they weren't yet tamed.
Their name was probably Escaping Rabbits.
They lived up to their name—moving as swiftly as escaping hares.
Despite the size of the serpent and the agility of the demon dogs, they still couldn't catch them.
The Escaping Rabbits seemed to fear Fushiguro but didn't show any fear of Akira. Instead, they all charged toward him.
Darkness swirled, shadows spread, and Darkrai appeared, baring its claws at the rabbits.
It wasn't that he was hungry or had a desire to eat the rabbits—he was born late and didn't understand the situation, thinking they were enemies, so he instinctively emerged to protect his master.
Due to Darkrai's nature as a Dark-type Pokémon, he could hide in Akira's cursed energy or shadow, always sticking close like a shadow.
This arrangement slightly annoyed Gardevoir, who was closest to Akira, but seeing that Darkrai was young, honest, and loyal, she decided to be generous and not hold a grudge.
Akira chuckled to himself—his little Gardevoir getting jealous. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
With Darkrai as a bodyguard, Akira's defense system was more comprehensive, without any weaknesses. Of course, this time, there was no need for it to be triggered.
Interfering with the Escaping Rabbits' taming ritual might cause it to fail, and Fushiguro was far from being in a desperate situation.
However, just as Akira was about to place a calming hand on Darkrai's shoulder, he heard a loud thud—a wooden fence suddenly dropped from the sky, landing nearby.
Then, two more thuds followed, with more wooden barriers falling into place.
Looking closely, Akira saw that Zenin Maki, Panda, Inumaki Toge, and Yuta Okkotsu were all in action, each carrying fences and wooden stakes.
Curious, Akira asked, "What are you guys doing?"
"Helping Megumi catch rabbits," Maki replied.
It turned out that taming wasn't always about defeating the target; sometimes, it was about fulfilling certain conditions.
The Escaping Rabbits belonged to this category. Individually weak, they relied on their numbers. Their main roles were scouting and disrupting, and taming them required capturing every last one. Fushiguro had been stuck on this task for quite a while.
"Aren't you worried that external help might cause the ritual to fail?" Akira asked again.
"Relax. We already tested it. As long as we don't step into the area before the ritual starts and don't directly attack the targets, there won't be any issues."
With that explained, Akira understood. Maki and the others were only creating obstacles, which didn't count as attacking, so it wouldn't interfere with the ritual.
"In that case, let me help too."
Akira released his grip on Darkrai's shoulder, allowing him to fully manifest.
Darkrai's innate sense of dread worked wonders once again. Just by standing there, the previously straight-charging Escaping Rabbits veered off course, unwilling to get close to the nightmare-inducing entity.
This change in direction provided the chasing squad with an opportunity to close the distance.
The throwing squad continued tossing barriers, while Fushiguro, focused on catching the rabbits with his shikigami.
His demon dogs caught, the serpent bit, and—somehow—Fushiguro had acquired a giant mallet, whacking rabbits like a game of Whac-A-Mole.
Before long, all the rabbits were caught.
The taming ritual concluded successfully.
Fushiguro now had his fifth shikigami.
He was one step closer to becoming the zoo keeper—or, perhaps more aptly, the Disney Princess of Jujutsu High.
A cause for celebration.