In other words, most of Momo Nishimiya's strength depended on the broom under her, and her own combat ability was not strong. When Toge Inumaki suddenly shouted at her, she lost balance at once and flipped straight down. At that moment, she had only one thought, that her face was done for.
She was not flying very high, but the shout disrupted the flow of her Cursed Energy, leaving her unable to adjust her Cursed Technique. She could only use Cursed Energy to barely protect her body as she fell. Unfortunately, she had little talent in this area, so the result was only passable.
She thought that if only she had learned earlier from Noritoshi Kamo, things might be different. Scars were a woman's greatest enemy. Just as her face was about to hit the ground, a soft black and white ball shot out of the woods and appeared beneath her, catching her in time.
"Hello there, Nishimiya."
"Th-thank you, Panda." Momo Nishimiya thanked him right away, since he had saved her face.
"No need to thank me. We already took this area, so for your safety, could you please leave the field now?"
Panda's round eyes and mouth looked honest enough, but to Momo Nishimiya they seemed like a frightening black and white beast. Just moments ago, she had thought he was cute. As she was about to speak, another round black and white head popped up on Panda's shoulder, glaring at her while holding a low-level Cursed Spirit shaped like a spider about twenty centimeters long.
The other paw swung hard, and the Cursed Spirit vanished in an instant, as if it were a warning. Panda turned his head and said, "You found one already. As expected of my little brother." "Pan pan," Pancham laughed proudly, looking even cuter.
Momo Nishimiya did not dare think anything extra anymore. The little one looked adorable, but its attacks showed no mercy, and a hit from those claws would leave holes in her body. "I surrender," she said, raising her hand in a clumsy salute.
"Salmon Roe."
Toge Inumaki also walked out of the woods, cheering as he high-fived the Panda brothers. A foldable loudspeaker was clipped to his belt, and its amplification was how Momo Nishimiya had heard Cursed Speech in midair. There was no need to worry about friendly fire, since Toge Inumaki could now direct force and Cursed Energy precisely, leaving Panda and Pancham completely unaffected.
The opponent was clearly prepared. Momo Nishimiya reached that conclusion and wanted to pass the information to her teammates, but the second most reliable member of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Panda, gave her no chance. He spoke to a crow on a tree branch and said, "Nishimiya is out. Take her away."
In the observation room, Satoru Gojo slapped his thigh. "Nice work, Utahime, Mei Mei." "I know," Utahime Iori replied, her mood poor as her student was eliminated so quickly, but rules were rules.
Mei Mei brushed back her bangs and issued an order to the crow through her Cursed Technique. With a sharp cry, the black bird landed on Momo Nishimiya's shoulder, making her mood even worse. She felt like even a bird was calling her an idiot.
In just those few seconds, the Panda group slipped back into the forest while moving and contacting Akira by radio. "Momo Nishimiya is out. One Grade Three Cursed Spirit eliminated, no Grade Two found. Everyone except Aoi Todo is heading toward the fall site. Toge and I are withdrawing at full speed."
Panda's ears twitched slightly. He was not only tough, but also an excellent support with wide-area detection, and as a non-living being, he was especially sensitive to living targets. That was why Akira had sent him out with Toge Inumaki, since the pair was ideal for skirmishing and point gathering.
"Plan complete," Akira said with a crooked smile, his expression animated, though only Maki Zenin saw it. "Keep it up. Cursed Spirit first, support second. Do not engage head-on, it wastes resources. When the timing is right, we will regroup with Yuta."
In large team battles, target detection was critical. One of Akira's tactical ideas was to suppress scouting, turning the enemy blind and deaf while his side kept eyes and ears everywhere. That was why Momo Nishimiya was the first to fall.
Back when he watched the anime before coming here, he had wanted to complain about this. A support who could not fight yet flew so openly was an obvious target. Since she at least contributed some aerial scouting, letting her exit safely was his small kindness, as for the others.
"They did not chase Panda and Toge," someone noted. "Looks like their team has another scout besides Nishimiya."
"So their target really is Yuta," Maki Zenin said with a short laugh. "Where is Todo?"
"Still no sign. Wait, there is," came the reply. "He is near Kinji Hakari. Hard to say if that is good luck or bad."
Akira himself lacked scouting ability, but his Pokémon did not. Gardevoir and Darkrai were both excellent at that role. "Who knows," Maki Zenin shrugged. "But Todo and Hakari will both be happy. They get a proper fight, assuming Hakari's luck does not turn bad."
"Even in the worst case, he can hold him off for a while. Todo used Jujutsu on you because he was hungry and wanted to make a statement. In a normal fight, he would not open with his trump card. Their raw strength should be about even."
As they spoke, Aoi Todo and Kinji Hakari had already met head-on. Both were holding back anger, so neither wasted words, trading punches right away. Todo hit Hakari's shoulder, and Kinji Hakari struck Todo's chest.
Both stopped at the same time. Todo spat to the side and said, "Good power. Looks like besides Akira and Yuta Okkotsu, Tokyo Jujutsu High still has opponents worth facing." Hakari rolled his shoulder, joints cracking. "I am a second-year, after all. I cannot let the first-years get too arrogant. Aoi Todo, your opponent is me, Kinji Hakari."
"Then before we start, let me ask two questions," Aoi Todo said. "First, did you bring a girlfriend to the event?"
Kinji Hakari stiffened, taking Akira's words as those of Akira. The big guy looked fierce, but he was unexpectedly decent. "How could I? Who walks around with a woman all the time like they do?"
"I envy that," Todo said. "If I could bring Takada with me, I would."
Seeing how seriously Todo spoke, Kinji Hakari looked even more awkward. To avoid sinking further, he struck first. "If your second question is about what type of woman I like, do not ask yet. Beat me first, and I will tell you."
"Deal," Aoi Todo said, clenching his fist.
Kinji Hakari took his stance and shouted, his voice echoing through the sky and startling flocks of birds. The two roared at the same time as the fight began in earnest. The clash of two hot-blooded men had officially started.
Aoi Todo and Kinji Hakari, two men built like tanks, were fighting with overflowing passion, and in the viewing room Satoru Gojo was even more fired up watching them. As he watched, he swung his arms left and right at the air, making sharp shouts, clearly the habits of a longtime Bruce Lee fan.
Satoru Gojo was having a great time, but the others were not. Kyoto Jujutsu High in particular had already started at a disadvantage, and with Satoru Gojo stirring things up, their mood only worsened.