"I want to break the curse!"
It was hard to imagine the usually timid Yuta Okkotsu speaking so loudly, with such resolute determination, and without the slightest hesitation.
He wasn't even considering the potential dangers of breaking the curse that Akira had explained earlier.
"Are you sure about this? You might have to start all over again."
Even though he had already guessed Yuta's answer, Akira still wanted to make sure one last time.
"I'm sure," Yuta nodded firmly. "Ever since I joined Jujutsu High, I've had a feeling—it's not Rika cursing me; it's me who cursed Rika. Maybe after losing Rika, I won't be able to continue as a jujutsu sorcerer, but I don't want to keep binding her like this, making her suffer."
"Rika's not suffering. Being with you makes her very happy."
Cursed Spirit Rika manifested her upper body—her most commonly used form.
As she moved, Akira's shadow also stirred restlessly, and the "Dream Eater" Darkrai, with its built-in nightmare detection, had its DNA activated.
But this time, Akira didn't have to intervene. Gardevoir stomped down with a snap.
She might as well have said it aloud—You glutton, shut up! Can't you see this isn't the time for eating?
And Darkrai immediately quieted down.
Even a mythical Pokémon knew who was truly dearest to their Trainer's heart.
Regardless of how the title "Queen of Psychic" was regarded in the psychic world, in Akira's world, it was a fitting title.
Even the Almighty Llama would have to sit obediently in front of her.
Yuta, however, simply caressed the cursed spirit's head gently. "I'm happy to be with Rika too, but—"
"But what? Rika's happy, Yuta's happy, and that's all that matters. We promised to be together forever, remember?"
As she spoke, Rika began to swell in size, showing signs of fully manifesting.
Yuta scratched his head in frustration, throwing Akira a pleading look.
Cursed Spirit Rika's one-track mind certainly couldn't understand Yuta's true feelings. To her, breaking the curse meant being separated.
If he could, Yuta would have liked to discuss breaking the curse with Akira in private. But he was too closely connected with Rika, and even if Gardevoir were to pull Cursed Spirit Rika away, she would still sense Yuta's every move.
Just talking about separation would make her anxious.
It was a real predicament.
With a glance toward Gardevoir, signaling her to calm down her best friend, Akira took the opportunity to pull Yuta aside. "Talking to her won't help. You need to speak to the real Rika."
"The real Rika? What do you mean?"
Akira then explained the state of young Rika and her connection with Cursed Spirit Rika.
Cursed Spirit Rika was the nightmare of young Rika; breaking the curse could also be seen as waking a sleeping soul.
This, of course, wasn't the method used in the original story. But the original method was too extreme; Yuta obviously wasn't pushed to the point of being utterly selfless, ready to sacrifice everything.
And it didn't need to go that far. Why not use a more stable method if it's available? If it doesn't work, they can always try the last resort. Having the time to plan ahead was a good thing about this timeline; they could prepare carefully without rushing.
After Akira finished explaining, Yuta was overjoyed and nodded quickly. "I want to go. Please, Akira, and Darkrai too."
He bowed to Akira and the shadow where Darkrai was hiding.
"Mmm."
Darkrai emerged and waved a claw, expressing its agreement.
Akira translated, "He says, 'Let's set out now.'"
Tonight was a night of the new moon, the time when the power of nightmares was weakest—the perfect opportunity to wake a sleeping soul.
Too bad Akira didn't have a "Lunar Feather"; otherwise, waking up the sleeping Rika would be even easier.
"Alright!" Yuta was full of energy.
Rika's situation had troubled him for years, and now, seeing a glimmer of hope, he was impatient.
"While I'm gone, I leave this Rika to you."
"OK," Akira was already planning this.
Although he was curious about the nightmares that could create a curse of such a high level, that was a private matter for the couple. Akira didn't intend to get involved, plus someone needed to stay behind in the real world.
"Go ahead, Darkrai."
With his master's permission, Darkrai crossed his claws and created a dark sphere like a bottomless abyss—that was the gateway to the dream realm.
Without any hesitation, Yuta plunged into the portal, and Darkrai followed right after.
But only a few seconds passed before the portal Darkrai had created remained open, and both Yuta and the Pokémon scrambled back out.
They looked vastly different from when they had entered confidently and full of spirit. Darkrai's eyes were dim, and Yuta was even worse, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, his clothes soaked through.
The reaction of rapidly losing sanity left Akira baffled.
Weren't childhood friends supposed to have a heartwarming reunion? How did things turn out like this?
"What happened?"
"It failed." Yuta slumped, looking dejected. "There were so many monsters in Rika's dream. I couldn't get through… I need backup."
Akira glanced at Darkrai and got a nod in confirmation, making him even more curious.
You guys finished so fast that I didn't even have a chance to set a flag!
But since it's a nightmare, having monsters isn't surprising. What's surprising is that despite Gojo Satoru's guidance, Yuta's strength had improved significantly. Even without Cursed Spirit Rika, his combat power wasn't weak.
And with Darkrai already at level 20—no wonder he was the source of the Curse Queen's power.
Akira tentatively suggested, "How about I bring Gardevoir in to take a look?"
With Rika out of the equation, Akira had no pressure taking on Yuta. After all, he was a man who had unleashed a "Black Flash"!
"That would be great."
Yuta didn't even consider the privacy concerns at this point; it wasn't the time for that. If he couldn't see her, everything else was meaningless.
"Alright, Gar-chan, we're going in."
Akira waved at Gardevoir and drew his cursed tool, the black sword.
Since this was a dangerous dreamscape, it was better to be cautious.
First, they needed to scout out the area and understand the situation.
If it didn't work out the first time, they'd try again. After all, dungeon raids rarely succeed on the first try, even if they had "Full Power Combat Control."
He took a deep breath and, with Gardevoir on his left and Darkrai on his right, they stepped into Rika's dreamscape.
As Jujutsu High's most reliable team, Akira's performance was clearly better than Yuta's. At least they didn't rush out immediately.
As the portal closed, Yuta let out a long sigh, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and leaned back against the wall, sitting down.
"Yuta, are you okay?" Cursed Spirit Rika asked with concern.
"I'm fine. I just didn't know you've been through so much suffering," Yuta said softly, holding Cursed Spirit Rika's hand. "I will free you, I promise. I hope everything goes well for Akira; he's so strong, there shouldn't be any problems."
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
Before the sweat on his clothes had dried, the portal connecting the dream world to reality opened again. Akira burst out, pale and drenched in sweat, shouting,
"Quick! Go call Gojo!"