Ch.151 Declaring the Existence of Pokémon to the World

Early the next morning.

Akira woke up early, intending to follow his usual routine of stretching, but he noticed that there was already a specialist waiting outside the courtyard gate. The specialist was simply standing there, not making any move to come in and disturb him.

"Yare yare, going to such lengths, who could withstand this? If I were even slightly overwhelmed, I'd probably fall right into their trap."

Muttering to himself, Akira waved to Gardevoir and Serperior, who were also up early, and together they walked out the gate.

The specialist waiting outside was the same one who had brought Akira to Kyoto—a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, the sworn enemy of Chen Xiaoer. He immediately stepped forward:

"Good morning, Akira."

"Good morning, Specialist Nishino." The specialist's surname was Nishino, and it felt awkward to keep calling him "Specialist."

"Did you sleep well last night?" His voice was sincere, but the twitching of his eyebrows carried a meaning that all men would understand.

"Thank you for your concern, I slept very well. It's very quiet here, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. Slept straight through till morning."

Specialist Nishino let out a surprised "Huh?" unable to hide his astonishment. "You went to bed that early?"

"Yeah, early to bed, early to rise, keeps you healthy," Akira said, stretching lazily and walking forward with a spring in his step.

Specialist Nishino's expression shifted, and just as he was about to follow, he felt something tug at his pants. Looking down, he saw Serperior giving him a big glare and waving its vine whip.

Though he didn't understand Pokémon language, his years of experience as a specialist allowed him to read the warning in its expression. For a moment, he was unsure of what to do.

Akira, noticing this, called out nonchalantly, "Specialist Nishino, is breakfast arranged? If not, let's go out. My treat."

"Akira, you're the guest here. How could we let you treat us? Everything's already arranged. Please, follow me." Specialist Nishino collected himself and led the way.

Akira first gave Serperior a thumbs-up, then exchanged a glance with Gardevoir before following the specialist.

Breakfast was, as always, of the highest standard, with a mix of Western, Japanese, and Chinese dishes. Clearly, someone had done their homework, knowing Akira's "research and preference" for Chinese culture.

Akira continued to follow the old adage of "accept the sugar coating, return the cannonball." He engaged in small talk while eating and drinking to his heart's content.

At one point, Specialist Nishino excused himself to go to the restroom. When he returned, his enthusiasm for Akira remained unchanged, but his attitude toward Serperior had become noticeably warmer.

"He went to make a phone call to ask about Natsuko and Mai."

Before he returned, Gardevoir had already relayed this information to Akira through telepathy. (Similar to the synchronization between Sabrina and Kadabra.)

Akira knew he had done the right thing again.

The key to the black labels of "unwanted women" and "secret lovers" lies in "visibility." If Akira couldn't see them, he naturally couldn't make a choice.

With only Akira present, it would have been hard to avoid seeing them. Fortunately, Akira had more than one layer of protection around him—intelligent and highly autonomous Pokémon.

By saying he slept well, Akira was conveying that he knew nothing and that his Pokémon had made the judgment on their own to not disturb him—tying up the "intruders" like dumplings and tossing them outside.

Though there were no listening devices in the courtyard, there were definitely watchers around the perimeter, keeping an eye on things 24/7.

It wasn't necessarily about targeting Akira; there were also safety considerations. After all, this was the headquarters of the Jujutsu Union, and Akira was a highly dangerous Special Grade sorcerer. If he were to cause trouble, a slow response would be like shooting themselves in the foot.

This way, the timing of Mai and Natsuko's comings and goings was accounted for, and there was no need to worry about them being left outside to endure the cold wind all night.

In a short amount of time, the two untouched women, along with Serperior, who had tied them up and dragged them out with a look of disdain, combined with the crucial prearranged alibi, minimized the impact of the night's events.

Though being sent over as bargaining chips still didn't sound good, as Mai had said, the conservative faction had its own environment, and it wasn't a major issue.

As for whether the two women would flip and reveal the truth, Akira wasn't worried.

Mai had come to warn him, which showed she wasn't fully aligned with the conservative faction.

Natsuko did have her own ulterior motives, but Akira had already made arrangements, giving her a promise and not forbidding her from keeping secrets entirely—just guiding her to choose the right people to confide in, such as family heads, for example.

"Not only did I not eat the meat sent to my mouth, but I also helped protect their reputations and sent them back intact. I might as well change my name to Akira the Benevolent."

Akira leisurely ate a mango while complaining to himself.

However, as he watched Gardevoir humming a tune beside him and Serperior using its vines to pick up fruit, Akira felt it was all worth it.

Akira had always felt fortunate to have met Pokémon.

Heaven above, hell below, and humans caught in between, swaying uncertainly.

You become who you associate with.

Geto Suguru's descent into darkness was heavily influenced by his "Cursed Spirit Manipulation."

Every time he captured a cursed spirit, he had to consume it, experiencing a nausea comparable to eating a Devil Fruit—what kind of torment would it be to do this over seven thousand times? Anyone else would have broken long ago.

But Akira, thanks to the presence of Pokémon, leaned toward the light.

From the initial Ralts, to Pancham, Darkrai, Swablu, Snivy, Voltorb, Alolan Vulpix, Growlithe, Larvitar, Gastly, Miltank, Dratini, Feebas...

Every encounter was a baptism of light.

Even if not all the memories were good, even if there were troubles here and there, Akira never regretted meeting them or the efforts he put into them.

And this lack of regret only made him look forward to the next encounter even more.

What kind of Pokémon would he meet next? What would their personalities be like? How should he raise them well?

This was why he had to come to Kyoto, why he had to legitimize Pokémon.

He had a premonition that the birth of Pokémon wouldn't stop here. These adorable and unique little (and not-so-little) creatures would only grow in number, and one day, he wouldn't be able to manage them all.

Before that happened, he needed to create a better environment for Pokémon.

Being pushed to the opposite side like cursed spirits or being treated as tools like cursed corpses was unacceptable.

Yaga Masamichi, due to his power, personality, and the long-standing definition of cursed corpses, ultimately abandoned this perilous path, only seeking a secluded realm covered by a barrier from Tengen, hoping for a place of stability.

Akira was different. He had power, he was young, and he had the mysterious, otherworldly concept of "Pokémon."

This was the real reason he had come to Kyoto, a goal he had never shared with anyone.

Even if the higher-ups hadn't called for a Pokémon symposium, Akira would have found a way to host one himself.

"Pokémon are the aspirations of humanity, the true hope of mankind."