One Heart

Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto reached out with both hands.

Though the gesture seemed casual, it generated a violent wind pressure that made resistance and evasion feel impossible.

Akesato knew he could not confront her head-on and gave the command, "Scatter."

The boy went left, the girl went right.

No matter which side Rika Orimoto grabbed—or even if she wanted both—Akesato had a backup plan.

Faithful to her own words about liking red, Rika Orimoto kept her eyes fixed on Gardevoir, the owner of the red color.

Seeing this, Akesato decisively circled behind Gardevoir and drew his sword.

Sword light flashed repeatedly, falling like rain. An ordinary swordsman would not even be able to see how he drew his blade.

This was both the result of his relentless training and the boost granted by the Trainer Template.

The Trainer Template he had obtained from Megumi Fushiguro was actually his second one. The system's initial template was called "Ash," and it was also the template Akesato used most often.

The eternal protagonist of the Pokémon Anime. Though his name was Ash, most of the boy's talents were actually invested in strength.

His abilities included, but were not limited to, Tonnage Strength, an absurd resistance capable of withstanding Thunderbolt, and the terrifying swordsmanship Akesato was currently using—enough to fence with a Beedrill skilled in high-speed movement and attacks.

Such a dense barrage of sword strikes finally drew Rika Orimoto's attention. She turned her head, the eyeless half of her face curiously "watching" the sword-wielding boy.

"Do you want to play with Rika too? Rika likes blue too."

As she spoke, her hands still reached out to grab him, like catching a butterfly—except the kind where she tore off its wings after catching it.

Akesato merely smiled without speaking. He even stopped swinging his sword and waited quietly for Rika to grab him.

Only at the moment before he was caught did he speak.

"Gardevoir, Skill Swap."

The instant his words fell, the space around the two twisted simultaneously. In the next moment, Gardevoir appeared where Akesato had been, while Akesato switched places with her.

This was one of Gardevoir's Egg Moves, a skill she had brought with her from the egg. It was also one of Akesato's life-saving trump cards.

Of course, Akesato was not trading Gardevoir's danger for his own safety.

After all, besides Skill Swap, Gardevoir also knew Teleport. The moment the exchange was complete, she teleported again and returned to her master's side.

Akesato glanced at Rika Orimoto's back. In the time it took for two teleports, the wounds from his dozens of sword strikes had already healed completely, making the corner of his mouth twitch.

"Thick health, high defense. A completely different type from Teacher Gojo, and in some ways even more troublesome."

Satoru Gojo's "invincibility" was actually built upon his Cursed Technique and his control over it. His physical abilities were not much different from those of other Jujutsu Sorcerers.

Yet there were Cursed Tools and Jujutsu in this world that could nullify Jujutsu, so it was possible for the weak to defeat the strong. Satoru Gojo had nearly suffered a loss in his youth for exactly that reason. Even the most advanced fighter jet could be brought down by a sparrow.

Rika Orimoto was different. Her power lay in her basic attributes, like a China Coast Guard Ship used for fishing versus a small Taiwanese skiff. You could see it and touch it, but breaking through that armor was already unimaginably difficult. As for defeating her—heh.

And because of that, she was even more worth challenging.

Akesato and Gardevoir's current combat power was in a very delicate position.

The people around them either did not require them to go all out, like Maki, Inumaki, and Panda. Even principal Masamichi Yaga was no exception. After seeing Gardevoir's Calm Mind plus Psychic combination, he admitted he was no match for her. His role had always been semi-support, not combatant.

Or going all out was useless, as with the bug known as Satoru Gojo. If they could not break his Cursed Technique, they could not even touch him. Fighting him was no different from fighting air.

"Then, let's go all out for the first time in a while."

Akesato raised his sword, and Gardevoir lifted her hand. Their movements and expressions were identical.

The next second, Trainer and Pokémon charged forward at the same time.

Rika Orimoto did the same. Realizing that the "two butterflies" were not so easy to catch, she stopped relying solely on her hands and moved her body as well.

At the level of a Cursed Spirit like her, she could already alter her body size through changes in cursed energy. She could be three meters tall, just enough to shield Yuta Okkotsu, or expand to the height of a two-story building to catch the "butterflies."

Every slap against the ground brought a violent tremor, and every swing of her hand carved a deep trench. For humans who could not fly, it was an exceptionally terrible experience.

Yet it still could not stop Akesato's advance. It did not matter if his footholds were destroyed—Gardevoir's Psychic automatically enveloped him.

Gardevoir, who loved and was most loyal to her master, had always kept part of her attention on Akesato. Whenever he needed it, she could transform it into a protective barrier or the power of movement.

Akesato himself could not fly, but he had no shortage of experience with Sky Dance.

His steps and levitation interwove as he passed through the obstacles on the ground and leaped onto Rika Orimoto's gigantic body.

Relying on the formidable physical qualities of a Super Newbie, he made his way to the back of Rika Orimoto's neck and brought his sword down.

Unfortunately, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit was not a giant. Attacking the nape did little good. Not only did she heal rapidly, she also swung a backhanded slap at him.

A vicious wind swept across his face, Body Press descending upon him, but Akesato's expression did not change.

He had already completed all kinds of extreme challenges back in the countryside of Shikoku.

Compared to being thrown from several hundred meters in the air and then forcibly slowed with Psychic, pressure of this level was nothing worth mentioning.

The stronger the body, the more control it required. The system merely accelerated the process. What was truly powerful had always been Akesato's soul and heart.

His nerves, tempered to sufficient toughness, withstood the invading pressure. The boy focused intently, converting the last trace of Psychic Gardevoir had left him into thrust. With a sudden burst of acceleration, he passed through the gap between Rika Orimoto's fingers before they could close and continued racing along her arm.

Even while moving, he did not forget to use a dragging sword technique, carving a gash across her arm.

This seemingly brief maneuver contained far, far too much of Akesato's thought.

How to use the small to strike down the great—Corporal Slaying Monkey, Cloud slaying Bahamut.

How to deal with the ceiling of strength-based opponents—Mosquito God toying with Saitama.

True, these had been fantasies he had seen in his previous life. But with the accumulation of this life, fantasy had finally become reality.

But that was still not enough. Just as Mosquito God could only make Bald Cape Hero feel pain without truly harming him, Akesato, lacking a destructive method of attack, posed only a limited threat to Rika Orimoto.

Fortunately, there was still Gardevoir.

Using the time Akesato had bought, she completed Calm Mind and refined her Psychic Power even further. To defeat Rika Orimoto, she needed damage high enough to overwhelm her recovery.

"Skill: Dazzling Gleam!"

"Skill: Psychic!"

Materialized Psychic Power erupted with unprecedented brilliance. Even the sun's rays were distorted, scattering colors more dazzling and fantastical than the aurora.

The onlookers were completely stunned.

They knew Akesato was strong, but they had not expected him to be this strong.

Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto was rated as a disaster capable of destroying an entire town.

Yet Akesato could "dance" atop such a terrifying being. This could no longer be described as dancing on a blade's edge. It was more like laughing and chatting inside a nuclear bomb.

And then there was Gardevoir's further-elevated destructive power. Even after Rika Orimoto had enlarged herself, Gardevoir still blasted away half her arm.

Of course, the most captivating thing was the exquisite, One Heart-like coordination between Akesato and Gardevoir.

Psychic movement, Skill Swap, Teleport—every single one was perfectly timed.

Whenever Akesato encountered danger, Gardevoir would pull him out of it.

And the reverse was true as well.

After every narrow escape, an even fiercer counterattack awaited Rika Orimoto.

When they saw Akesato sprinting away with Gardevoir in his arms while she focused on Calm Mind and prepared her ultimate move, more than one person's heart stirred.

So this was how far mutual understanding could go. So this was how coordination could be fought.

Especially Yuta Okkotsu, who had enrolled only on his first day.

For one moment, he felt that he was Akesato, and the one in his arms was his childhood friend, Rika Orimoto.

This was how their relationship should have been, if not for that accident.

PS: Continued thanks to Zhaoni, Biscuit, Dancing Alone Under the Moon Area, and the other big shots for their rewards. Please keep supporting with the triple combo!

P.S. 2: Akesato: "That's right, my Cursed Technique is Injustice Game."