Jujutsu Kaisen: I Have A Gardevoir

Actually, Akira's way of thinking was a bit too optimistic.

Listening to Altaria sing wasn't hard; you just needed to keep it in a good mood. But using its wings as a pillow? Now, that was a challenge.

Altaria loved its feathers. Though its wings looked like fluffy cotton, they were feathers, after all. Resting your head on them would definitely flatten and deform them – something Altaria couldn't accept.

Akira wondered if its "cotton" wings might be more durable after it leveled up a bit. If not, they'd just have to wait for a Swablu evolution and mass production of all that "cotton."

While it couldn't be a pillow, it could still serve as a cuddle buddy. Hugging its soft, fluffy form was pure bliss, comforting both body and soul.

Because of that, it became the new favorite at Kyoto Jujutsu High.

Especially among the female sorcerers led by Utahime Iori.

Too bad, though. Getting close was one thing, but Altaria was still Akira's. Sure, he'd let them cuddle it, but take it away? No way.

He hadn't had enough of it himself.

Once he was done, there was still Hayami.

She, not unlike a typical young girl, had no resistance to such fluffy creatures. She hugged Altaria tightly and refused to let go.

Thanks to its psychic powers, Altaria didn't need to worry about feather damage like with a human. In the end, Hayami won the right to sleep with Altaria.

Watching Gardevoir in her pajamas, and Altaria, somehow having found a hat to protect its fluffy plume, lying peacefully together on the bed, Akira smiled softly – an expression that only appeared when he was at home. He carefully tucked them in before quietly leaving the room.

More often than not, Akira felt that raising Pokémon was more akin to raising children.

Pangoro was the rowdy son, while Swablu was like the little daughter.

As for Darkrai… it practically required no attention.

From the moment it was born, it had been so well-behaved, far surpassing Pangoro in maturity.

Over time, it even matched Gardevoir in steadiness.

Lately, it had taken reliability to an entirely new level.

Akira had just shut the door when he saw a shadow pass through the hallway window and glide inside. It murmured softly, neither disturbing others nor forgetting to greet Akira.

Akira didn't say anything, just patted its shoulder and turned to leave.

Darkrai, already understanding, followed Akira all the way to the rooftop. Bathing in the moonlight, it began murmuring its report.

Akira listened, nodding to himself. "I see. The stability of the cursed spirits here is higher, and the eradication rate is better than Tokyo's. As expected of a thousand-year-old city, the foundation is indeed deeper than Tokyo…"

Darkrai, however, shook its head.

"Right, Kyoto is much smaller than Tokyo, and its population is also less. We can't just look at the city – we have to consider the entire Kansai region. At the very least, we need to factor in Osaka. If we still have time after the Exchange Event, let's head there – it'll be good training for Altaria too."

"Mmm…"

"You're offering to be the escort? Thanks for that. If there's nothing else, get some rest early. Even though you're the god of nightmares and the night is your domain, we might need your strength tomorrow. Besides, Kyoto isn't our turf, so it's better to be cautious."

Darkrai nodded silently before vanishing back into the darkness, leaving no trace.

It had done similar tasks dozens of times back in Tokyo, and Kyoto was no exception.

After the music video shoot wrapped, while the sorcerers returned to Kyoto Jujutsu High together, Darkrai stayed behind in Kyoto to both investigate the cursed spirits' conditions and to embark on a solo hunt.

Yes, a solo hunt.

It was part of Darkrai's daily routine.

After witnessing Rika's nightmare, it realized its own lack of strength and sought to improve, proactively requesting this from Akira.

Given its origin as a Mythical Pokémon, its Dark type abilities, and its calm demeanor, Akira agreed.

As a result, Darkrai not only gained more experience and leveled up faster, but also brought back valuable intel on cursed spirit distribution and curse flows.

The first time Darkrai reported in, Akira had been truly stunned. He had thought a lot himself but had never expected a Pokémon to think this deeply.

That wasn't all. Now, in Kyoto, Darkrai had reached a new level – it even began correcting its trainer.

It had only been two months since its birth.

Akira thought Gardevoir's "being like an eight-year-old" was impressive, but now here was this two-month-old...

In this moment, Akira finally began to understand what Hayami must have felt raising him.

A child being too naughty was bad, but being too reliable was also an issue – it left no sense of accomplishment, and even made one feel useless.

Who did this reliability remind him of?

He had his caring nature, and Nanami Kento's maturity—???

Could it be that a Pokémon's personality was shaped by whoever it first laid eyes on?

Then what about Pangoro?

After all, it was Hayami who had raised it.

Could it be that, despite her Yamato Nadeshiko demeanor, she was actually a bit of a troublemaker deep down?

At this thought, Akira couldn't help but laugh.

He soon stopped, though, and didn't dwell on it.

After all, it wasn't that big of a deal. Innate personality was important, but upbringing mattered even more.

Pangoro was mischievous, sure, but under Panda's guidance, hadn't it become well-behaved?

The issue lay in revealing the presence of "Pokémon" publicly, as well as the implications of Altaria's recent birth.

The women led by Utahime Iori might not overthink it, but someone like Gakuganji Yoshinobu certainly would.

His cooperation with Gojo Satoru's "antics" was unusual in itself.

"Old but not dead, therefore a thief."

"A biting dog often doesn't bark."

Harsh words, but they held truth.

Should he have Darkrai secretly monitor things, just in case the higher-ups planned something shady?

But this was Kyoto after all, unfamiliar territory with an unknown security system. Acting rashly could give others leverage.

As Akira weighed his options, a gentle pulse came from the darkness.

Darkrai's warning.

An unknown presence was approaching.

He focused, recognizing the unmistakable anti-cursed spirit mech of Japan – the one and only in the entire world.

"Good evening, Mechamaru. Couldn't sleep either, so you're out for some fresh air?"

Akira greeted it with a smile, but received a cold response.

"Do you think I need fresh air? Don't make pointless jokes. You specifically asked to see me, through Mai."

"True, I did. Didn't expect you to come so quickly."

Mechamaru, and by extension Kokichi Muta, were the most mysterious figures at Kyoto Jujutsu High. No matter what, Akira needed to meet them. He had even sent an email to Mai, using one of his precious requests.

He had thought, knowing Mai's personality, that she'd tell Mechamaru the next day at the earliest. But… she'd been surprisingly helpful.

"Because I've been monitoring the movements of Pokémon."

With one blunt sentence, Mechamaru had seen through Akira's hidden card.

Thank goodness he hadn't had Darkrai act hastily. Akira sighed in relief.

Never underestimate the power of technology – a principle shared by both the worlds of Pokémon and Jujutsu Kaisen.