Even though many people on the internet in his previous life called Fushiguro Megumi a "Disney Princess," Akira still preferred to think of him as a Pokémon Trainer.
Just take a look at his shadow techniques.
Land, sea, and air.
All sorts of sizes—big, medium, and small.
Cool, cute, ugly-cute, unique in taste.
Tanks, DPS, support.
Physical attacks, magical attacks.
Not a single one missing.
And he had to capture them first before using them.
Even more outrageous, some of them could evolve, though it came at a cost.
Additionally, there were humanoid and legendary-like figures in his shadow techniques, just like in Pokémon.
Akira believed that if you threw Fushiguro into the world of Pokémon, he'd be just as formidable, though Gary or Green might end up with their spotlight stolen.
Among the "Ten Shadows Pokémon" Fushiguro possessed, the most popular were, of course, his two starter dogs—Divine Dogs. Ferocious in battle, yet capable of being as much of a source of joy as the three legendary stooges in their downtime.
And the cutest, most heartwarming of all? It had to be the Escaping Rabbits.
Even Akira, who fondly remembered spicy rabbit heads, had to admit the sheer adorableness of these bunnies—especially after being filtered through the shadow technique, adding a layer of watercolor-like charm that boosted their cuteness to the next level.
Right after Fushiguro completed the taming ritual, Panda immediately urged him to summon the bunnies, and everyone—each hugging a bunny—played with them. Even the tough Zenin Maki and the transformed curse spirit Rika couldn't resist. Of course, Okkotsu Yuta had to remind Rika not to accidentally break the rabbits.
This further validated Akira's belief: as long as Yuta accepted and treated Rika sincerely, she could be controlled, though she might occasionally get a bit overzealous.
The only exception was Panda's mischievous younger brother—Playful Panda—who, feeling superior in cuteness, always bullied other creatures without considering their levels. He chased the remaining rabbits all over the place with his little fists waving.
It's worth noting that Fushiguro's "Ten Shadows Technique" doesn't strictly refer to ten specific creatures—it allows for multiple entities. The weaker the individual, the more of them there can be.
Conveniently, Pokémon also had such cases.
Take Kangaskhan, often regarded as a big boss, known for fighting while carrying its young.
Then there's Dugtrio and Magnezone, who evolve by combining into one.
And let's not forget Wishiwashi, whose individual forms were so weak that they banded together, mastering the art of overwhelming numbers in battle.
Fushiguro, are you sure you're not a Pokémon Trainer?
Akira's rich inner thoughts were completely unknown to Fushiguro, who, at that moment, was bowing politely to Akira:
"Thank you very much, Senpai. Also, welcome back."
Nanami Kento once said that the growth of a jujutsu sorcerer wasn't linear, and the same could be said for people. Some individuals might have grown physically, yet remain childish mentally. Others, however, could mature overnight, transitioning from a boy to a man.
Many curse users were the former, while Fushiguro was the latter.
Before his sister's incident, he was full of teenage angst, the type who specialized in dealing with people who refused to comply.
He loved sitting on top of a pile of knocked-out thugs, delivering poetic speeches:
"When dealing with others, do you know what the baseline is?"
"It's this: 'I won't kill you, so please don't kill me either.' You can replace 'kill' with any other action. The point is to draw a clear boundary, so you don't threaten another's dignity."
"You crossed that line, and now everyone sees you as a menace. I imagine that being stomped on by me feels pretty nice, doesn't it?"
"If you try this in front of me again, I'll end you."
Now, though, while he hadn't reached Nanami's level, he had certainly grown more mature and dependable.
"Yeah, I'm back," Akira responded.
Having lived in Japan for so long, Akira had become accustomed to this kind of formal reply. Still, when it came from Fushiguro, something felt a little off.
He could only imagine the look on Fushiguro's face when he reflected on this embarrassing moment years later.
"Are you here for training today?" Akira asked.
"Yes. I figured out how to tame the Escaping Rabbits, but there were some issues during implementation. Thankfully, the senpais helped out," Fushiguro replied.
The Escaping Rabbits weren't much in terms of combat power—the only trouble was their numbers and speed. Fushiguro's plan had been to trap them in a closed space and take them out one by one.
The plan was solid, but Fushiguro had overestimated the sturdiness of Jujutsu High's walls. In his haste to summon his serpent, he accidentally put a hole in the wall, allowing most of the rabbits to escape.
Luckily, Panda was quick on his feet and saved the taming ritual from ending in failure.
It was ironic how a group of humans couldn't be as reliable as one panda.
Of course, that same panda continued to demonstrate his social prowess: "I heard from Gojo-sensei that you went on a secret mission. How did it go?"
"There were some bumps along the way, but overall, it went pretty smoothly," Akira replied nonchalantly.
However, someone didn't want to let Akira downplay it so easily.
"It didn't just go 'pretty smoothly'—it was like an avalanche of success!"
A lighthearted, unreliable adult suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Gojo Satoru, dressed casually for once, had ditched his blindfold for a pair of custom sunglasses.
Grinning smugly, Gojo threw an arm around Akira's shoulder and said, "Nanami told me all about it. You mastered Black Flash in just a week. Hmm, no wonder I have such great judgment when it comes to picking students."
Both Akira and Fushiguro turned away, rolling their eyes. Really? Could you even call yourself a teacher when you haven't even spent a full day teaching?
Still, Gojo's judgment in students couldn't be denied. It indicated that Akira's skill level had risen enough to qualify him for "Totsuki Jujutsu Academy."
"Black Flash?" Fushiguro asked in disbelief.
"Is it really the Black Flash?" Maki chimed in.
"How did you manage it?" Yuta added in awe.
"Tuna mayo!" Inumaki celebrated.
At the mention of the highest level of combat technique, all eyes turned toward Akira.
"As Gojo-sensei says, all you need is hands. It's not that big of a deal," Akira said, having picked up some humility from his time around people like Nanami.
In fact, what he said wasn't entirely wrong. Whether or not something was impressive depended on who you were comparing yourself to. Compared to those who hadn't mastered it, sure, it was impressive. But compared to Itadori Yuji, who learned Black Flash in just a few minutes… well, that was a different story.
Naturally, the others shot him disdainful looks—except for Gojo, of course.
"See? I told you it wasn't that big of a deal. You thought I was just showing off, but it's really the truth," Gojo said with a grin.
Akira quickly distanced himself from Gojo, responding, "I was just joking. Sure, all you need are hands, but for the first Black Flash, it's easiest to succeed with the move you're most familiar with. That's just how it felt to me, but everyone's different, and it's hard to put the experience into words."
"If it's hard to explain with words, then why don't you show us with your body?" Maki challenged, tossing aside the rabbit she'd been holding. Cute things couldn't compare to the desire to grow stronger.
"Sorry, but that's impossible," Akira shook his head. "There's no way to pull punches with Black Flash. I might accidentally kill you."
Though the words were harsh, they needed to be said clearly. This wasn't something that could be taken lightly.
Gojo added, "He's telling the truth. If someone gets hit in a vital spot by Black Flash, even I might die. That's why I've never demonstrated it—I can't control when it'll happen, and when it does, the fight's over."
Even the mischief-loving teacher said that, leaving Maki with no choice but to back down, though she was clearly unwilling.
She had always viewed Akira as her goal, and in terms of close-combat skills, they had always been on the same level. Akira's strength was enhanced by cursed energy, while Maki, trained in martial arts from childhood and taught by experts, had superior technique.
But now, Akira had mastered Black Flash, which elevated his strength to a new level, while she was still working steadily through the basics. For someone as competitive as Maki, this was hard to swallow.
Akira sensed Maki's frustration—after all, she wasn't one to hide her emotions.
After thinking for a moment, Akira said, "While I can't demonstrate Black Flash in a sparring match, there might be a chance to show it off during a fight with curses. Besides Black Flash, I've learned a few other things. If you want, I can demonstrate those for you."
"I want to see it," Maki said, her mood immediately brightening as she beamed like the sun itself. "Right now."
"Well then—" Akira started, feeling a bit overwhelmed by her radiant smile.
"Wait, let's take care of business first," Gojo interrupted, once again throwing a wrench in things.
"You should've said so earlier," Maki grumbled.
"Sorry, I forgot," Gojo shamelessly admitted, "It's not that big of a deal anyway. Akira's sorcerer rank went up by one level—he's now a Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer."