Jujutsu Kaisen: I Have A Gardevoir

"!!!"

Kamo Noritoshi's eyes, filled with blood and cursed energy, flashed with shock.

Before Kamo could make his next move, Akira's second hand followed swiftly, delivering a "Chuunibyou Correction Palm" that sent Kamo flying, just like Todo Aoi before him.

Rolling over and over, several times.

And the relationship between the one slapping and the one being slapped.

It seemed that this palm strike had interrupted Kamo's momentum. After getting up, Kamo didn't continue attacking. He even stopped outputting his "Crimson Blood Manipulation."

Only those eyes, redder than a vampire's, stared fixedly at Akira as if he could find some flower blooming on Akira's face.

"Surprised?"

Akira was quite pleased with the look on Kamo's face. He adjusted his uniform, smoothing out the wrinkles as if it were a trivial matter.

"I prefer peace. I don't really like fighting with people, but if I must fight, I won't lose."

The Tokyo school students collectively shivered, trying to hold back their laughter.

This guy, how could he say that with a straight face?

Doesn't like fighting? Back in Tokyo, you were the one who enjoyed fighting the most.

Fighting curses, fighting in dungeons, fighting classmates.

Pfft, loves peace, my foot.

The Kyoto school, on the other hand, was almost in despair.

Akira's Pokémon were already incredibly strong, and his hand-to-hand combat skills were this good too? No openings at all—how were they supposed to win?!

And what was worse, this first-year had always used his Pokémon to fight, giving the impression that he himself was not physically strong. Then, when the opponent finally made their way to him, he'd utterly crush any hope they had left.

Even knowing that Akira was a close-combat brute and would probably use this strategy, the change in mentality before and after was worlds apart.

Too cunning.

Too cruel.

Not just killing someone—he was killing them mentally too.

Twice over.

Todo Aoi, Kamo Noritoshi.

Both of them used the same core strategy.

Capture the leader first—this is the most correct method for dealing with a summoner or shikigami user.

But Todo hadn't expected Gardevoir to be an adopted sibling.

And Kamo, going one step further than Todo, truly restrained the three Pokémon using massive amounts of blood.

To ensure success, he kept analyzing and adjusting the blood.

For Darkrai, he increased the quantity, preventing it from using its speed advantage.

For Pangoro, he enhanced the quality, trying to bind its joints so it couldn't use its strength.

For Gardevoir, he blinded her with blood and kept her busy, preventing her from clapping her hands.

Of course, Kamo Noritoshi didn't know that Gardevoir didn't need to clap to use "Boogie Woogie," and beyond switching places with allies, she could even use Teleport.

She was being restrained purely because Akira didn't want her to go all out; otherwise, Kamo would have had an even worse fate than Todo.

The last one who dared to dirty her face was farmed for eight years' worth of experience points and ultimately ground into dust, with no trace left—never to appear in that soon-to-be-abandoned village again.

Even so, Kamo Noritoshi's face turned ashen.

The enormous power gap.

The contrast of crushed hope.

And the feeling of wanting to outdo Todo Aoi, only to be brutally proven wrong.

These three hits drove his fighting spirit to rock bottom.

After all, he was still just a seventeen-year-old boy. He couldn't really be undisturbed by anything, and his supposed stoicism was just a superficial act.

It worked in daily life, but facing real highs and lows was a different story.

Thinking about it, even someone like Akira, with his rollercoaster life, couldn't do it; how could others?

Standing still for a while, seeing Kamo Noritoshi remain unresponsive, Akira grew a bit impatient.

"Is this it? If all you have is this, it's disappointing—how about I give you another chance? No Pokémon, I'll fight you myself."

Kamo Noritoshi's lips moved, but no words came out.

"Aren't you carrying the honor and responsibility of the Kamo clan? Aren't you the future head of the Kamo family? Is that all? The name of the Kamo family is crying in shame! Focusing only on techniques and ignoring other aspects of inheritance—what idiot came up with that idea?"

"Shut up!"

That comment seemed to hit a nerve, and Kamo Noritoshi finally rallied, lunging forward, his palms swinging with great force.

Akira gestured for his Pokémon to back off.

He then effortlessly parried Kamo's strikes, soon exploiting an opening to send him flying again while adding verbal jabs:

"So weak, yet so sensitive? The young head of the Kamo family has quite the attitude. Do you think you can lead an ancient and vast family as you are now?"

"The honor of the Kamo clan cannot be sullied!"

Kamo roared, his eyes bulging, his aura surging—yet his moves were increasingly disordered.

Akira easily countered, batting his hands aside, grabbing Kamo's wrists tightly, and whispering just loud enough for the two of them to hear:

"What's the most important thing for a clan leader? The technique? Wrong. It's judgment. I'll tell you this—I have a 4-3-3 record against Maki in close combat. Today, if you face me barehanded, will you take your whole clan to fight Gojo Satoru tomorrow? And then get annihilated?"

Kamo Noritoshi's pupils shrank instantly, and he suddenly struggled, wrenching his hands free. Then, he crossed his hands, preparing to use "Crimson Blood Manipulation."

However, after a second passed, he realized Akira was completely unaffected.

How could this be? There had been several times when their bodies came into contact—by now, Akira should definitely have been contaminated with his blood. Why couldn't he control it?

Akira sighed at his brother's ignorance and flickered to appear in front of him. This time, instead of striking, he simply waved his hand in front of Kamo's face.

On Akira's pale skin, a thin, glistening membrane shimmered faintly, covered with a fine layer of powder.

"It's the same clear coating as Shuichi Akai's—waterproof, fingerprint-resistant. And on top of that, there's a layer of coagulation agent. Your 'Crimson Blood Manipulation' works on blood fluid—not bloodstains. Understand? You're not the only one prepared—I am too. Sadly, your preparation doesn't match mine. Even without my Pokémon, you're not my opponent."

"Don't underestimate me! Crimson Blood Manipulation: Crimson Binding!"

Taking advantage of his proximity, Kamo once again detonated the blood packs on his body, the blood gathering into a net, trying to envelop Akira.

Such a large volume of blood—coagulation would take some time.

And that time was enough for Kamo to use the most infamous move of "Crimson Blood Manipulation"—a highly concentrated, high-speed blood bullet: Piercing Blood!

In an instant, he made his move—Kamo Noritoshi's reactions were nothing short of quick.

But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't be faster than Akira.

Akira infused his cursed energy into his school uniform jacket, shook it out, scattering the Crimson Binding with brute strength and cursed energy. He then sidestepped to evade the Piercing Blood with ease, confidently facing Kamo again.

"Back and forth, just those few moves? Got anything new? If not, I'll teach you some."