Chapter 116: Ch.116 Psychic Fighter: Akira Gallade
As the brilliance faded, Pangoro and Darkrai roared simultaneously.
Pangoro twisted its body, while Darkrai sharpened its claws.
In between them, Akira slowly withdrew his hands, looking relaxed as he asked, "What did you just say?"
Suguru Geto squinted his eyes into a thin line, his gaze shifting constantly but never leaving Akira's hands. The shock on his face reached its peak since the start of the battle:
"Advanced... Reversed Cursed Technique..."
It was something that neither he nor Satoru Gojo had mastered—a pinnacle of Jujutsu in another dimension.
Akira chuckled, saying nothing.
He knew the truth behind his own abilities.
What he used wasn't the positive energy of cursed energy reversed into healing—what he was using was a power from the latest Trainer template he had acquired.
As the leader of the Kanto Elite Four and ruler of nature's army, Lance possessed a mysterious power that set him apart from other Trainers.
Without relying on any items, he could read Pokémon's thoughts and heal their wounds.
It was a gift from the Viridian Forest, the only place that could match the "Holy Land" of Pallet Town—the origin of all things.
It was thanks to this power that Akira dared to take such risks.
With the power of Viridian to back him up, endurance and healing—his greatest weaknesses—were now covered. At this moment, Akira had finally become an all-around Trainer.
Of course, given the current situation, it was definitely more advantageous to let Suguru Geto misunderstand and believe that Akira could use "Reverse Cursed Technique."
Being able to heal himself and deal increased damage to cursed spirits was enough to make Suguru Geto wary.
After thinking for a moment, Geto decided to continue using explosive cursed spirits.
His cursed spirits were his reserves, which had no effect on himself, while Akira's consumption of cursed energy was real. If he could drain Akira's cursed energy, he would still win.
But Akira didn't give him that chance.
Suffering a loss once could be attributed to being caught off guard, but losing a second time would just mean stupidity.
As soon as Darkrai stood up, Akira climbed onto his back, and together they soared into the sky, charging straight toward Suguru Geto.
If you're going to blow things up, let's do it together. Let's see who outlasts whom.
Competing with a Trainer in physical fitness? Are you Machamp?
On the ground below, Pangoro wasn't idle either—he got down on all fours and began sprinting madly.
In an aerial battle, he couldn't do much, so he found a place to lie in wait. Pangoro knew all about sneaky tactics—just like a good old Pandawful move.
With Akira charging head-on, Geto ignored Pangoro, who was visibly weaker, while commanding the cursed spirits to climb higher and sending more explosive cursed spirits Akira's way.
However, in high-speed movement, it was clearly not as easy as on the ground. He needed to ensure the target remained within the blast radius without getting himself caught in the explosion.
Falling from twenty meters in the air was something even a sorcerer couldn't withstand.
In this critical moment, Suguru Geto finally displayed the power expected of a Special Grade sorcerer.
Using Cursed Spirit Manipulation, he precisely controlled the cursed spirits as if they were extensions of his own limbs.
The bird-type cursed spirit, under his command, flew like a fighter jet, while the explosive cursed spirits were like miniature guided missiles.
They approached from different directions, along different trajectories—some frontal, some tailing behind—making Geto truly a ballistics master.
Faced with such complex and varied attacks, Darkrai, who was known for his agility, did nothing but one thing—charge.
It seemed as if all he needed was to reach Suguru Geto to secure victory.
Seeing this, Geto stopped playing tricks, calling the closest explosive cursed spirit and sending it straight at Akira.
However, halfway through its flight, Geto suddenly realized his control over the explosive cursed spirit was being interfered with. An invisible force struck it from the side, causing its trajectory to change.
Geto tried two more times, and each time the same thing happened.
Seeing Akira's eyes shift, and his hand gestures change, Geto understood:
"The 'Limit Break' of Spirit Manipulation."
This judgment came from comparing it to his own Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
Training Cursed Spirit Manipulation to the utmost level allows one to perform the cursed technique known as "Uzumaki." Through "Uzumaki," one can consolidate the cursed energy of multiple spirits or extract a curse from a higher-level cursed spirit for their own use.
However, Geto considered this inefficient, and though he had mastered "Limit Break," he never used it to extract techniques.
Cursed Spirit Manipulation involved compressing the spirits into an orb and swallowing it whole, merging the user with the spirit.
Although swallowing it was a difficult process, akin to eating a Devil Fruit, once it was in his stomach, Geto had absolute control over the spirit—whether the technique was used by the spirit or the sorcerer made no difference.
Besides, "Limit Break" had another flaw—the extracted technique could only remain at its current stage since it wasn't originally the user's. Thus, Geto preferred spending extra effort over killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
However, he wasn't surprised at Akira's actions.
Spirit Manipulation was a new technique, and experimenting with new abilities was natural.
Once again, Suguru Geto was mistaken.
Extracting Pokémon's abilities wasn't impossible, but it required advanced technology—something a Trainer couldn't do alone.
Akira was using another Trainer template—Trainer Template: Sabrina.
He had acquired this template on the way from Kyoto Station to Jujutsu High.
It was the first non-protagonist template, yet one even more special than a protagonist's.
Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City in the Kanto Region, was famous for her psychic abilities in games, anime, and manga.
Not only was she good at commanding Psychic-type Pokémon, but she herself also possessed psychic powers. As a child, she could bend spoons with her mind. As an adult, her powers improved, allowing her to move objects with telekinesis and even predict the future.
Most notably, in the anime, she could turn people into dolls—a power even Pokémon lacked. Not even Ash managed to truly defeat her—he only won by making her laugh with a Haunter.
After switching to this template, Akira also possessed these traits. Setting aside advanced abilities like seeing the future or turning people into dolls, Akira had to at least unlock basic telekinesis.
Among all Pokémon skills, this was the one Akira coveted most. While it wasn't as powerful as Gardevoir's psychic abilities, changing the trajectory of explosive cursed spirits didn't require that much power.
A truly versatile Trainer must be adept in healing, offense, defense, special attack, and special defense.
More importantly, Akira's weapon was a sword—his core fighting style was that of a physical fighter. With the Sabrina template's psychic abilities, he was now a Psychic Fighter.
Among all Pokémon, only one was called that.
Gallade!
The alternate evolution path for a male Ralts evolving into Gardevoir!
This was Akira's hidden ace—crossing into the realm of Pokémon as a human.
Only then could he truly fight side by side with his Pokémon.
"It's my turn to counterattack, Suguru Geto!!!"
Psychic Fighter: Akira Gallade charged with his sword.
Trainer and Pokémon took to the sky together—cursed energy and psychic energy as one.