Ch.168 Big Sis Is Scary—Not Like Me, I Just Feel Bad For…

After some back-and-forth, Akira and Gojo Satoru hashed out a deal.

Gojo Satoru would stick around at HQ, doing his thing—grossing people out while negotiating with the higher-ups, strong-arming them into coughing up real power.

Akira, meanwhile, would take the crew and Pokémon down the mountain, ditching this eyesore of a place.

Proof was in the pudding: Akira wasn't the only one fed up with this dump—Gojo Satoru felt the same.

Like their trip up, they hit the halfway mark down the mountain when a boom cracked the sky.

The Jujutsu Alliance's most iconic building? Gone.

Total collapse.

Courtesy of Gojo Satoru's Earth-Shatter Star.

With a maxed-out gravity pull, he'd yanked the whole tower—foundation and all—into the air, twisted it into a ball, and yeeted it toward the distant back mountains.

Why Earth-Shatter Star instead of the simpler Shinra Tensei? Collateral damage. Shinra Tensei could've hit bystanders.

HQ wasn't just higher-ups—plenty of mid- and low-tier folks were there too, innocent in this mess.

As for whether the ruckus would snap folks out of hypnosis, Akira wasn't sweating it.

Not because he trusted the sleep quality—sleep ends eventually, and Darkrai hadn't even tapped its species mojo.

No, Akira trusted Gojo Satoru and Marowak.

Hypnosis didn't need Pokémon moves alone. Physical knockout, electro-shock therapy—whatever works. Gojo Satoru was probably itching for someone to wake up just so he could drop a Physical Hypnosis Technique on 'em.

No doubt about it—he'd totally do it.

"How do you be a good leader? Two things: pay 'em well, and put the right people in the right spots."

Swap "boss" for "Trainer," "people" for "Pokémon"—same deal.

Akira scanned the group, half-talking to them, half-muttering to himself.

Catching his gaze slide over her, Maki's face flushed. She turned away. "Don't look at me. I know I'm no leader."

"Why say that?" Akira asked with a grin.

"All I think about is beating old man Naobito, my stubborn dad, and that Naoya jerk you already thrashed. Never thought about what I'd do as head of the clan." Honest, dependable Maki—same as ever.

"Didn't you say you'd change the 'Jujutsu-first' status quo? Make a good life for your little sister?"

"That's the endgame, sure, but how to pull it off? Never crossed my mind. Throwing it out there blind would just end up like Gojo-sensei's mess with the Alliance."

"Then start thinking and learning now."

Akira pointed upward. Starting from scratch is rough—following Gojo Satoru and the Alliance's footsteps was way easier.

Maki got the logic, but there was a better way, two words:

"Teach me."

Akira blinked. "You wanna learn? I'm down—more people who get it, the less I have to do. But is that cool? The more you lean on my playbook, the more flak you'll catch. Your dream's to handle the Zenin Clan 'solo,' right?"

"Not ideal, but what choice do I have?"

Maki sighed. She'd love to go it alone, but humans have limits.

"Guess I spent all my time bulking up—even my brain's pure muscle. I've got that much self-awareness. Like you said, physical destruction's a last resort. Not everyone in the Zenin Clan deserves to die."

"You've changed," Akira mused, a sentiment Hayami echoed behind him.

At Tokyo Jujutsu High, Maki Zenin had the deepest grudge—born into the harshest treatment, no choice like Akira and his mom ever had.

Even with similar baggage, the mother-son duo could only half-relate, not preach.

Like old Guo said: Who's the worst? Someone stabs you, blood's still dripping, and another guy strolls up saying, 'Be forgiving.'

Don't preach kindness without walking the pain. You might not be as kind if you did.

No matter how many say what's best, nothing beats the person figuring it out themselves.

"People change," Maki said, her face calm. Past pain felt distant in that moment.

Not forgotten—just faced with cooler, clearer judgment.

"Plus, hanging with Pokémon taught me something. Obsessing over 'solo' is pointless. My martial arts? Learned. My tactics? Learned. My gear? Forged by others. Rely on nothing but myself, and I wouldn't be here… Hey, what's that look?"

"Watching little Garde grow up?" Simpler: an auntie smile.

Hayami and bio mom had similar vibes—hers from a kid maturing, mom's… maybe from a pig sniffing out cabbage?

A tic popped on Maki's forehead. "Didn't get enough punches in at HQ? Wanna spar? I just broke through my bottleneck—been leveling up fast. Time to close the gap on our score."

Your boost isn't from a bottleneck—it's your sister finding her own grit, getting stronger too.

Akira hesitated on spilling that, then felt a twinge and grinned wider.

"Sparring can wait. What I'm curious about is you not denying it—your fight's to give your sister a good life."

The tic on Maki's forehead multiplied into a row. "Iron Fist Judgment!"

Before the punch landed, Akira pointed. From the roadside trees stepped a girl—same as Maki but for hair and clothes.

Who else but the sister Maki swore to protect?

Maki froze, momentum crashing into embarrassment. She'd kill for a hole to crawl into.

Luckily, Mai didn't bat an eye, just crossed her arms as usual, scoffing, "Why're you always mad every time we meet?"

"None of your business." Maki turned away, sulking.

Mai ignored her, passing by to bow to the older women like a proper junior. "Ladies, I need Akira for half a day."

The moms had no objections.

One couldn't control him, the other barely tried—smiles and a glance at Akira settled it.

Akira asked, "What's up?"

Mai smiled wordlessly, flashing a round badge in her palm.

Akira's eyes shifted. "Now?"

"Now."

When they say go, they go.

"Wait." Maki spun, blocking the path. "What're you up to?"

"Secret. Not your problem."

Maki eyed Akira. He shrugged. "Not the place to talk—details when I'm back."

He signaled behind him—Darkrai to follow, Gardevoir to stay and guard the moms.

"Heard that? Move."

Mai, riding a rare high, strutted off, whispering to Akira as they went.

"Akira, Akira, you just follow me like this—she won't get mad, right?"

"Akira, Akira, look at that death glare—she won't deck me, will she?"

"So scary! Not like me—I just feel bad for GIEGIE~"

Maki: "…"

Can I disown this sister?

Gardevoir: "…"

Darkrai, let's swap—I'll go, you stay.