Disclaimer: I do not own Godzilla or High School DxD!

Hey guys, guess who's back! I hope you guys are all having a great summer break so far! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I had to take an online summer class for college for a month and I just recently finished it. So first off, I don't really have much to say other than that I hope you all are enjoying the story so far and I hope you guys continue to enjoy it as it goes on.

Also, to the reviewer who asked about Chief Rambaso, he's an original character I just made up and is pretty much the chief of the natives of Infant Island. And just a quick heads up before we start, but I recently went back through the previous chapters of this story and included Japanese honorifics into the names just because it felt kinda weird without them.

Finally, I recently saw the trailer to Godzilla: King of the Monsters and so far I'm REALLY excited for it! Please let me know what you thought of it if you haven't seen it yet.

Anyway, lets jump right into the chapter!

Chapter 9: Training & Secrets

"Why...couldn't we have just...teleported straight there?" Issei panted as he trudged up the steep path with sweat seeping down his face. After he had recovered from Mira pretty much beating the crap out of him, Rias informed him and the rest of the Occult Research Club that they would be spending the next ten days training to prepare themselves for the Rating Game against Riser and his Peerage.

"How about instead of just complaining, you keep walking. Besides, we're almost there." Tokugawa informed as he walked ahead of him, lugging a large pack on his back.

Instead of having them teleport right to the place they would be training, Rias had brought them to the base of a mountain, prompting them to hike the trail. Rias, Akeno, and Asia had briskly made it up the easy trail. Kiba followed spryly with his own burden, while Koneko lugged a humongous pack. Issei himself felt like he was about to pass out with how hot and cramped he felt, but at least Tokugawa was nice enough to remain close in the event he actually did pass out.

"You're almost there!" Rias called out to him from the top of the path. "Just a little bit more!"

"It's so refreshing!" Akeno commented as she splashed her face with water to cool off.

"Right...!" Issei gasped out.

Asia stared at the Pawn with concern before turning towards Rias. "U-um, I can help take some of his bags."

"Its okay. He has to be able to handle it." Rias said, hoping to reassure the former nun. When Asia sighed and looked at her shoes, she relented. "However, he can't train with us if he can't stand straight. Go ahead and help him when he reaches the top."

Eventually, Tokugawa and Issei were able to reach the top of the mountain (though the former had to resort to dragging him the rest of the way after he accidentally fell back on his rear), and Asia quickly got started healing the brunette to help restore his lost energy while Rias watched with amusement, before it then changed to determination.

'Issei, I'll use this training camp to make you a lot stronger. A LOT stronger.'

"What exactly is this place?"

Tokugawa's voice brought Rias back to reality and she turned around to see what he was looking at. Sitting on the mountainside was a expansive manor with multiple stories, with a small lake complete with a pebble beach on one side. Beyond that was what appeared to be a steaming hot spring.

Rias smiled. "This is one of my families many vacation homes. Oh, but don't worry, this is just one of the smaller ones."

Her response earned a slack-jawed look from Issei. "You call THIS small?!"

"It's so lovely!" Asia beamed at the sheer beauty of the surrounding scenery.

"...I feel poor as shit now." Tokugawa grunted. "Just how rich is your family?"

"My family has had millennia to accumulate vast amounts of wealth. I'd tell you more, but I don't think breaking Issei's grasp on reality would be very productive towards training." Rias' eyes wandered towards the brunette who's head looked like was about to explode as he stared at the scene before them. "Well then, lets get inside and start training immediately."

"We're starting now?!" Issei exclaimed before comical tears began streaming down his face. "Just as I thought, you're a monster, Buchou!"

"No," Rias glanced at him over her shoulder with a wink and a wryly smirk, "I'm a Devil."

Raynare was stunned to say the least, and for good reason too.

Standing in a medical room next to her master, Azazel, she stared down at three familiar individuals lying unconscious on beds and covered head to toe in bandages and third-degree burns. Raynare still couldn't believe it though; she thought for certain that the Gremory Peerage had killed them. Yet here they were, certainly alive, if just barely.

"I...I don't understand." she managed to say in a hushed tone. "I thought...they were dead."

Azazel rolled his eyes, looking exasperated. "You do realize that I created emergency instant-transportation devices for a reason, yes? They were lucky that they even bothered to remember to use it at the last minute, else they would most definitely have died."

"I don't know what to say..."

"How about an explanation, for starters." Azazel said in a tone that made Raynare lock up with dread. "What were you thinking when you attacked that boy? I told you that you were to simply 'observe' him to see if he would be a possible threat. But instead, you chose to kill him and ended up picking a fight with the heiress of the Gremory family AND piss off another boy who just so happens to carry the power of quite possibly the mightiest creature in the human world." He gave off a sigh as he pinched the brim of his nose. "Just what am I going to do with you?"

Raynare opened her mouth as if to say something, but instantly closed it when the Governor General raised his hand to stop her. "I don't want to hear another excuse. I'll eventually come up with an appropriate punishment for you once these three wake up. Just consider yourself lucky that you're off the hook until then."

"Yes, Azazel-sama..." the Fallen Angel replied quietly.

"Good." he replied before turning and leaving the room, leaving Raynare alone with her recovering comrades.

The girl remained where she stood with a ridged posture as she recounted the events that had led up to this moment. Throughout most of her life as a Fallen Angel, Raynare never felt that she received enough appreciation from her superiors for what she did for them. She was fiercely loyal to Azazel and would gladly to anything for them, but she was also equally determined to make herself feel accepted by her leaders.

Unfortunately, that personal goal just ended up getting to make the worst mistake she ever made in her life. Indeed, it wasn't her mission to kill Issei, but to simply watch over him to report back on whether or not he should be considered a threat to the Fallen Angels. However, she had felt that if she just killed the boy, then it would all be over quickly. She never imaged that her mission would end with that pervert kicking her butt and throwing her out of town instead of simply killing her.

Once she reached that part of her recollection, her mind began to drift back to Asia and that half-monster boy that spared her. As soon as the blonde nun came into mind, she actually felt an aching feeling in her chest, as if her heart was about to burst.

Was this...guilt?

She was honestly beginning to realize just what an awful thing she had done to the poor girl, even after she accepted her when the rest of the world pushed her away and treated her like absolute trash. Raynare did all of that for her and STILL took her life to fulfill her own selfish ambitions. Was she really no better than the humans? If only she could go back and apologize in any way possible if only so she could make things right.

Then there was that boy. The one who insisted that Asia decide her fate even though he had the power to erase her from existence if he chose to. She honestly couldn't wrap her head around why he would chose to spare her rather than kill her. Judging from his attitude, and after learning more about his history with Kokabial, he had every right to absolutely hate Fallen Angels and just as much right to want to kill her.

Yet he didn't. But why?

And why did her face feel so damn hot every time she thought about him?!

Once everyone got inside the mansion, Kiba led Tokugawa and Issei towards the room where they would be staying while the girls went to go change into their workout gear. It was a rather large room complete with three full-sized beds, connected to a modest wash unit. The three boys began unpacking their respected bags and readied themselves in their Kuoh tracksuits.

"What exactly do you think Buchou's gonna make us do?" Issei asked curiously.

Kiba simply shrugged in response as he finished zipping up his suit. "Not sure, but knowing Buchou, it'll no doubt be extremely difficult, possibly deadly even."

The brunette's eyes widened and he looked like he was about ready to cry, making Kiba smile. "I was only kidding." Issei sighed with relief. "But it will be extremely hard." And the relief instantly disappeared again.

"Say, Kiba." Tokugawa began. "I don't mean to prod or anything, but what's your story? How'd you first come into leagues with Rias-senpai?"

Kiba was silent for a moment before replying with a blank look. "Just like how she saved Issei-kun and Asia-san, Buchou helped me during a dark moment in my life." He then turned to the other boys with a determined smile. "That's why we have to win this game for her, right?"

"Of course!" Issei grinned.

"We'll definitely win." Tokugawa added. He frowned after recalling his last encounter with Raiser. 'That asshole is definitely gonna get taken down several pegs. I'll see to that.'

After the boys finished getting dressed, they made their way out to the front yard where the girls were waiting, dressed in their own work out gear, and Rias cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up everyone. As you all already know, we have only 10 days until the Rating Game against the Phenex Peerage. So until then, we are going to use these next 10 days to train hard so that we can win. I know that we can do it too, so lets have faith and grow as strong as we can!"

"Yes Buchou!" The resulting shout from her peerage made the redhead smile.

"I'm so gonna smash that Yakitori's face in when I see him again..." Issei growled in a low tone.

"What the hell does fried chicken have to do with-" Tokugawa was about to ask before he realized what the brunette was talking about. "Oh..."

Issei simply nodded. "Yeah..."

"Issei." Rias spoke up, catching said boy's attention. "I'll be partnering up with Yuuto-kun for today's training. I want you to practice observing your opponents and learn to predict or even counter opposing attacks."

"Hai, Buchou!" Issei replied affirmatively with a salute.

Rias then turned her attention to the former nun. "Asia, you'll be practicing on strengthening your magic affinity with Akeno. Given your impressive use of Twilight Healing, you shouldn't have any trouble learning how to wield your demonic power."

Asia nodded. "O-of course!"

"That's the spirit." Akeno smiled at her.

Finally, Rias turned to the last two people she had yet to address. "Tokugawa, I'll be having you and Koneko partner up for hand-to-hand combat training. Since you two are probably equal when it comes to physical strength, I want to see if you can push each other to further improve yourselves."

"Understood." Koneko nodded neutrally.

"Got it." Tokugawa added.

Rias smiled at the responses. "Wonderful. I'll be going over the rules of the Rating Game while you train. We'll end our training at sunset when it comes time to start dinner. Everyone understand?"

"Yes Buchou!" Everyone shouted once again.

With the training schedule planned out for the next 10 days, everyone paired up with their fellow Devils for their respective lessons. Kiba and Issei were sparring with wooden swords in the front yard while the former tried to teach the latter about focusing on following and predicting his opponents moves. Meanwhile, Akeno was in the midst of teaching Asia about how to better harness her demonic magic in different ways, and it was revealed that the gentle Bishop was actually quite a natural when it came to magic affinity.

While the others were doing their own things, Tokugawa stood in a small clearing in the forest outside the mansion stretching his arms while Koneko stood across from him, watching him casually.

"So," the boy began, "how do you want to do this?"

The petite Rook merely shrugged. "Punch each other until one side gives up, I guess."

Tokugawa raised a brow. "You sure? I can't guarantee that I'll go easy on you."

"I know." Koneko replied. "I wasn't planning on having you go easy anyway."

Now he couldn't help but let out a brief snort of laughter. "Alright, we'll both give it our all then." His expression became serious again as he got into a stance. "You ready for this?"

"Yep." the girl replied as she got into her own stance. "Ready when you are, senpai."

The two remained still as they stared each other down for a few moments. Then, Koneko made the first move and lunged towards the boy. Tokugawa brought his fist back as he watched her close in and punched forward, only Koneko to jump up over the attack and front flip before kicking at him. Tokugawa, however, used his free hand to grab her leg and tossed her away from him, causing her to land a few feet away from him. Koneko recovered surprisingly quickly and rushed him again, managing to strike him with a powerful blow to the chest and making him grunt.

She was surprisingly strong and durable for a girl her size, though that was undoubtedly because of her Rook Evil Piece. From what he had learned during his time with Rias' Peerage, Devils with a Rook Piece gain an incredible increase in strength and defense at the cost of speed, while Knights like Kiba gain a speed boost at the cost of defense.

While this could be considered a double-edged sword, it seemed to suit Koneko rather well. Her small stature would make it difficult for a larger opponent to hit her, and made it easier for her to hit an opponents vulnerable points. But Tokugawa's own durability was enough to counter or even surpass her strength, so all he had to worry about was actually hitting her.

Koneko tried to strike him with another punch, but Tokugawa blocked with his forearm before bringing his own fist down onto her, forcing her to jump back as his fist made a crater in the ground. Looking up, he saw the petite Rook staring at him with her usual neutral expression.

"You're really strong, Senpai." she said.

"You're not so bad either." Tokugawa replied as he lightly rubbed his hand against the sore part of his chest. "You hit pretty hard for first-year."

For a brief moment, he could've sworn he saw a faint ghost of a smile on her face. "Thanks."

Koneko's stoic expression returned before she charged him again. This time though, Tokugawa ducked under a punch from the girl before reaching up and grabbing her by her arm, slamming her into the ground. The girl yelped in pain before she back-flipped off the ground, landing on the boys still outstretched arm and then landing a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.

'Damn, for a kid she hits hard!' Tokugawa thought after he had stumbled back from the force of the blow. 'Now I know why Rias wanted me to train with her. Guess our strength really is equal. I just might need to up the anti a little.'

Once he managed to recover, Koneko came after him with her tiny fists swinging, forcing him to bring his arms up in front of his face in a fashion similar to a boxer blocking. He could feel the force behind each blow the little girl was sending his way and couldn't help but be impressed by how strong she was.

However, even if this was just a practice battle, he still wanted to end this fast. But with his arms currently busy blocking Koneko's punches, he couldn't really do anything at the moment to counter.

'Focus you power.' Tokugawa momentarily froze at the voice the suddenly echoed from within his mind. 'Concentrate your power, channel it through your body, and release it.'

'What will that do?' he mentally inquired.

'You will see. Just do it.'

Tokugawa didn't know what the voice in his head was trying to say, but decided to save the questions for later. As he continued to endure Koneko's relentless blows, he closed his eyes as he began to channel the radioactive power flowing within him. Without releasing it through his limbs or through his mouth for a breath attack, Tokugawa simply let it slowly build up within his body to the point that a faint aura began to flare across his body. Koneko slightly paused her assault as she witnessed this, wondering what the older boy was trying to do.

Her eyes widened with shock when she saw his eyes snap open, changing from brown to bright yellow and becoming more reptilian. As he did, a bright searing light erupted from his body and expanded throughout the clearing, causing Koneko to be sent flying backwards from the explosion of light. Eventually Tokugawa opened his eyes again once the light began to die down, but when he did, he immediately took notice of the resulting damage done by the attack.

The clearing was utterly obliterated. There wasn't a single speck of green around him for about 100 yards, the ground being burnt black and the trees left utterly bare of any leaves. Then, about a few yards away, he spotted Koneko lying on the ground almost motionless.

"Oh shit!" Tokugawa cursed himself as he quickly rushed to the girls side, worried he may have gone too far. "Are you alright Koneko-san?!"

"...Stings a little." He was surprised to hear the girl respond as she slowly sat up, dusting herself off and looking like nothing had happened. "Still though, you really are strong, Senpai."

Tokugawa mentally sighed with relief knowing that Koneko was fine. 'Thank God for Rook durability. Or should I be thanking the Devil for that, or Satan? You know what, forget it.'

"Thanks," he replied before frowning, "but are you sure your fine?"

Koneko shrugged. "My body stings a little, but other than that I'm fine." She then turned to him and cocked her head slightly to the side. "What was that power you used Senpai?"

Tokugawa blinked before he looked down at his hands. "...Honestly, I have no idea."

The white-haired girl continued to stare at him blankly before shrugging again. "Well, whatever. I thought it was pretty cool." She got up and dusted herself off before turning back to the older boy. "Ready to keep going?"

Tokugawa stared at her with surprise. "You still wanna keep going? Are you sure you don't wanna take a break to make sure your okay?"

"I already told you, I'm fine." Koneko was on the edge of sounding annoyed, which the boy was able to pick up on and raised his hands defensively.

"Alright, alright. I got it, we'll continue." he replied.

The girl smiled again before getting back into a fighting stance. "Good. Lets get started then."

Tokugawa rolled his eyes before settling into his own stance. 'Well, probably best to just go with it.'

"...So what happened here?" Tokugawa was referring to the fact that most of their dinner for the evening seemed to consist of only potatoes and onions. In fact, there was so much of it that every bowl on the table was stacked high with them.

Issei rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, that's my fault. Me and Asia were supposed to use magic to make dinner, but I kinda went a little overboard with it."

"I see..." He chose not to pry as he refocused his attention on the food. 'Tastes pretty good actually. Must be because of Asia.'

As everyone continued eating, Rias looked up from her plate and turned towards her Pawn. "Issei. What do you think, after training all day?"

The brunette looked down at his plate with a gloomy expression. "Well, given my performance today, I'm pretty much the weakest one."

"Yes. That much is certain." Rias said. "However, Asia's Twilight Healing and your Boosted Gear are important assets. Raiser's group will be conscious of that, as well, so I want you to gain at least enough power to get away so that you don't slow down the others on our side."

"Ano..." Asia raised her hand timidly. "What about Tokugawa-san? Isn't he important as well?"

Everyone turned their attention to said teenager, who seemed to be either oblivious to or deliberately ignoring the fact that fact they were starring at him and remained focused on his meal.

"Tokugawa still remains somewhat of a mystery to me." Rias replied as she starred at Tokugawa intently. "His ability to harness nuclear-based powers certainly make him powerful, especially with how he defeated three Fallen Angels on his own. There's also his rapid regenerative healing, which could easily be on par with that of the Phenex Clans' own. However, there's still so much that we don't know about his abilities to deduce how it will give us an upper hand against Riser's Peerage."

"But Tokugawa-senpai is really strong." Koneko spoke up, seemingly coming to the boys defense. "Seeing the way he fights up close makes me believe he could take them."

"I'll have to agree with Koneko-chan." Kiba added. "Even if there is a lot we don't about his powers, the amount we do know so far says that he could easily be on par with that of a Queen-level opponent."

Tokugawa glanced up at the blonde Knight. "Now hold on there. I wouldn't stretch it that far."

"But it's true!" Asia protested. "I can tell that you're very strong Tokugawa-san. I believe that as long as we have you and Issei-san, we can't lose!"

"Asia..." Issei seemed touched that the former nun was holding him with such high regards. He felt bad knowing that it was pretty much his fault that she was being dragged into this fight and he was going to see to it that they made it through.

"Ara ara, it seems everyone is at an agreement." Akeno said while smiling at Tokugawa, who went back to eating. "I guess that means we'll be expecting great things from you during the Rating Game."

"I'll keep that in mind." he replied before taking a sip of water. "I'll see to it that I try to live up to your expectations."

After a few moments of silence, Rias stood up from her seat and grabbing everyone's attention. "Well, now that supper is over, how about we head for the baths?"

"The baths?!" Issei suddenly shot up from his seat with a surprised and almost excited look.

"Oh, Issei, do you want to watch us bathing? The redhead gave him a playful smirk. "Then would you like to join us? I don't mind." She turned towards her Queen. "How about you, Akeno?"

Akeno placed a hand on her cheek as she gave off a soft giggle. "I would like to wash the gentleman's back."

Rias then turned towards her Bishop. "Asia, you're okay with being with your Issei, right?"

Asia's face turned bright red as she blushed madly at her King's question, but remained silent. Rias then turned to the last girl in the group.

"Koneko?"

"No thanks."

Rias turned to Issei with an almost smug look. "Well, that's that. Too bad." The brunette seemed to collapse on the floor upon hearing the verdict.

Koneko glared across the table where Issei laid on the floor in despair. "If you peak, I'll kill you."

Tokugawa placed his glass of water back on the table before silently sighing through his nose. 'Why does it feel like I'm the only normal one out of everyone here?'

In the mansions massive outdoor hot springs, Rias and Akeno sat blissfully in the lukewarm bathwater while Asia and Koneko sat nearby washing themselves off. Akeno sighed as she leaned back against the edge of the spring. "Hot springs sure are nice, huh?"

Rias nodded with a pleased smile. "I do hope that this helps melt away some of the fatigue from training."

"It'll melt away, no doubt about that." Akeno replied with a similar smile.

As the two enjoyed their time in the bath, Asia looked on from the side as she eyed Rias and Akeno's prominent assets with poorly hidden envy. She even found herself unconsciously feeling up her own chest and couldn't help but sigh with disappointment as she comparing them to her seniors.

"Sad you're not on the Double D team?" Koneko asked as she rubbed a soapy sponge up and down her arm.

"U-um... I guess so." Asia replied dejectedly.

Meanwhile, Issei was panting like a wild animal as he starred intently at a thick ivory wall separating the male and female sides of the hot spring.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Kiba joked as he wiped himself off with a towel. "You and that wall look like you need some privacy."

"Whatever! This is important to my training!" Issei snapped.

"Oh? Are they teaching you X-ray vision now? I didn't know that was part of the training routine." Kiba joked again before looking around. "I'm surprised Tokugawa-san refused to join us. Perhaps today's training really exhausted him."

"Who knows. All I really care about though is why I've been robbed of my chance to see breast!" Issei exclaimed without taking his eyes off of the wall.

Kiba felt a sweat drop roll down the back of his head. 'Good grief.'

Tokugawa slammed the door to the room he was sharing with Issei and Kiba shut before dragging his feet across the room and flopping down onto his bed front first.

'Goddamn, I'm tired. Koneko really rode my ass today during training. And we still have to do this for another nine days.' Tokugawa rolled over so that he was lying in his back and starring up at the ceiling. 'Oh well, the more I train, the stronger I'll get so that I can beat the shit out of that Raiser asshole.'

As he continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, he set out a loud sigh. "Why the hell is this getting me so worked up? Every time I think about that guy, I just get really pissed off. What's with me?"

'Perhaps because you can't stand the fact that he harmed a comrade in front of you.'

"JESUS!" Tokugawa practically jumped up off the bed with surprise at the sudden voice that announced itself. "How about a little warning next time, huh?!"

'And pass up the perfect opportunity? I don't think so.' the voice replied with a snicker.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, why don't you?" Tokugawa grumbled as he sat back down on the edge of his bed. "So, what do you want? You don't usually talk to me this way."

'Figured it would easier and more convenient for the both of us if I just spoke to you directly instead of just waiting for you to go to sleep every night to contact you.'

"Fair enough." he replied before he decided to ask another question that had been on his mind. "What the hell was that attack you told me to use during my sparring match with Koneko-san?"

'Ah, that. That was a Nuclear Pulse. Basically, emitted atomic energy from every corner of your body in a short-ranged pulse.' the voice explained. 'It's a good ability to use when backed into a corner by multiple foes. I figured that since you will be going up against multiple opponents, it would be good for you to learn it. But by the looks of it, you still need to improve it.

"I'm gonna need to try and improve a lot these next nine days, aren't I?"

'Obviously. Especially since you started slacking off to go explore Japan when I had asked you train to further learn how to harness your new powers.' the voice chided.

Tokugawa huffed. "Hey, I had already spent a whole and a half living in the woods training just to master the basics. I wanted to at least look around and see how much things had changed and try to get back to living a normal life again."

He heard a sigh from the voice in his head. 'Kid, when it comes to Kaiju, even one who is half-human, our lives are FAR from normal. Though from what I've seen so far, it looks like you've finally found some people to settle down with.'

"Yeah, I guess. But those guys aren't really normal themselves either." Tokugawa admitted.

'They are Devils after all.' the voice said. 'And from the looks of it, they seem to have taken a shine to you.'

"I know that, but I still don't really know why. I mean, I did help them save Asia, but I also attacked them before that when I lost control. They know I'm dangerous, but they still keep me around. Why?"

There was a brief silence before the voice eventually returned. 'Perhaps they see something in you that you have yet to find out about yourself. You do seem to undermine yourself at times.'

"Because I don't wanna come off sounding like an arrogant asshole like Raiser." Tokugawa snipped bitterly. "Speaking of which, how did he come off to you?"

'A smug, selfish, petulant child.' he replied without hesitation. ''Master of Wind and Fire'? Hmph! I'd bet my spines that Rodan and Baragon would laugh if they heard that's what he called himself.'

"I'm guessing Baragon in particular would want to show him up, huh?" Tokugawa asked.

'Without a doubt. He'd probably dig his way to Hell himself and roast that Devil alive to prove whose really superior.'

"Yeah, that sounds something he would probably do." Tokugawa said before he felt the need to ask one last question. "...What made you stop me from attacking Raiser? You heard all of those things he said, the way he just looks down on everyone and does whatever the hell he wants without giving a damn who he hurts. Why did you stop me?"

'...Had I let you attack him, what do think the consequences of that would be?'

Tokugawa was somewhat confused as to why the voice answered his question with another question. "What do you mean?"

'Had you attacked him and possibly killed him, you would no doubt possibly end up becoming an enemy to the entire Devil faction. I'd rather not have every last Devil in the Underworld hunting you down like those Stray Devils I've heard of. I believe defeating in a fair battle will make things easier and will make you look like less of a violent aggressor.'

Tokugawa was surprised at the voices' words of wisdom. Back when he nearly blasted Raiser in retaliation for hurting Issei, he never thought of how that would possibly affect him or Rias' Peerage. He would no doubt be labeled an enemy to the Underworld for attacking a high-ranking Devil and who knows what would happen to the others if the truth came out that he was actually half-Kaiju.

"Guess it was probably a good idea then that I didn't attack him then, huh?"

'Indeed.' the voice replied. 'Well then, I think perhaps its about time you grabbed some rest. You still have training tomorrow, so work hard and don't slack off.'

"Okay, dad." Tokugawa replied with a sarcastic tone as he kicked off his boots and removed his track jacket before he laid himself on the bed, not even bothering to get under the covers.

'These next nine days will probably fly by faster than you think, so get as much done as you can.' the voice advised in an almost fatherly tone. 'Sleep well, boy.'

With that, Tokugawa felt the mental connection cut off and he was left by himself once again. With nothing else to do, he slowly closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

'Goodnight to you too, Godzilla.'

The next morning progressed as intended, with each of the group pairing up into groups. Tokugawa's training this time was another sparring match with Koneko, only this time she was joined by Kiba, who both decided to take Tokugawa on in a two-on-one match. Normally, one would complain if they had those kinds of odds stacked against them, but Tokugawa accepted the challenge without question.

He was initially surprised at the tremendous teamwork they displayed as they both attacked him in unison, though he still won in the end, but it was still a close fight. Tokugawa hadn't been prepared for the level of cooperation that the two senior Devils had accomplished and figured that the Devils in Raiser's Peerage would most likely try the same thing.

Sure, he took down Dohnaseek, Kalawarner, and Mittelt on at the same time, but one of the reasons he was able to beat them as easily as he did was because there wasn't any team communication among them, so he was able to pick them off by taking advantage of that. But this time it would be different, so he would have to practice learning to fight even with a group of cooperative opponents.

Asia's magical education with Akeno continued, though today they had Issei join them as well since his magic reserves were incredibly low and Rias hoped to find a way to correct that. Through the course of Akeno's teachings, Asia was able to further demonstrate her latent magical talent while Issei continued to struggle producing any magic at all.

After deciding to take a short break from training, the group headed back inside to grab some lunch and relax before finishing up the planned training for that day. As the group gathered in a rather spacious room of the mansion to discuss the progress of their training, a rather innocent question from Asia about the origin of Rating Games and why Devils are reincarnated led to a rather enlightening explination.

Rias explained the history of the original Lucifer who had been the first Angel created by God. Having observed the process by which God had created the others in Heaven, Lucifer questioned God's motives and intentions for the newly created world. For all of God's power and greatness, he made no effort to declare his superiority over the other deities involved in the planet's creation. God was by far the kindest of the creators, and clearly favored the newly made humanity, though he did little to distinguish himself as greater than each of his peers. Dissatisfied with God's benign neglect and acceptance of the status quo, Lucifer tore off his twelve Angel wings and willingly cast himself from Heaven. Using all his knowledge and skill, he corrupted the energy inside him so that he stood against everything God had created Angels to be, thus becoming the first Devil.

Now carried by twelve self-created wings of shadow, Lucifer replaced the process that created Angels and manipulated it to create Devils in his own likeness. Naming the three strongest as his closest allies and confidants, the four newly christened Great Satan's began to establish a kingdom of their own creation and rule. Their armies, seventy-two separate legions, each with their own merits, carved out a functional society in the darkness that modern Devils found themselves most welcome. This territory, surrounding Hades' Realm of the Dead, became known as the Underworld, or Hell as some called it. The seventy-two legions eventually became the 72 Pillars, with the greatest commanders of each contingent becoming the head of the newly established noble families and the rank-and-file becoming the first of both the low and middle class Devils.

This was done over time in a matter of decades. In that time, many other Angels saw the progress that the Devils had made and wondered why they were so special that they could do as they pleased. Were they better, superior to God's creations? The most curious of their lot began to marvel at what Devils were capable of and many became jealous at the freedom their creators had granted them.

Eventually, numerous Angels began to fall from God's grace as they too questioned God's restrictions. The first to fall fell from sleeping with human women, a union that could only be blessed by God's permission alone. One by one, their wings turned as black as their Hell-bred cousins, though they retained their born power of light and therefore were not welcomed by Lucifer and his ilk.

It was then that the Great War began. Beginning shortly after the crucifixion of Christ and the creation of the first Longinus, each side fought for a cause or purpose that had eventually been long forgotten. Truly, if God had a reason to fight, he had not deemed fit to dispense it. Lucifer's greatest strength lay in his people, so there had been no need for conflict to cull their numbers. And the founded Grigori could have held well enough on its own. Perhaps it was pride that began the war, with each race and leaders wishing to prove themselves superior.

In the end, there was no victor nor was there a clear losing side. By the end of the war, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Leviathan were dead, though their decedents remained. God and his forces retreated back to Heaven and barred the Pearly Gates. The Grigori remained in isolation as they remained in their conquered section of the Underworld. No one had won anything, only losing many.

The children of the old Satan's had taken up leadership of the Devils race, however their rule was violent and chaotic. Placing greater demands on tradition and power, rather then progressive and reflective change, they had imposed laws that in time would have squandered the remaining power of all Devil-kind and driven them to extinction.

Because of this, the Anti-Satan Faction rose to prominence soon after the end of the war, where the strongest fighters of many of the remaining Pillar families had united to prevent the Devil's extinction. The war raged for nearly a century, during that time the map of the Underworld had to be re-written as the births of Super Devils such as Ajuka Astaroth and even Rias' own older brother Sirzechs Gremory rampaged against the traditionalists. In the end, the Anti-Satan Faction won the Civil War, at the cost of the total demise of several of the surviving Pillar families.

The newly named Devil Kings, or Maou as they were sometimes called, were quick to set laws and limits that were enforced for the survival of their race. However, fighting two such wars had decimated the Devil population. The solution for this problem came in the form of the Evil Pieces, an invention by Ajuka Beelzebub, formerly of the House of Asteroth, that could be sued to convert any species save gods and kaiju into Devils.

Granting these Evil Pieces to high-class Devils, this new method of reincarnation allowed Devils to free themselves from possible endangerment. However, it also came at a cost. Pure-blood Devils were now considered a precious commodity as families tried to remain beings of pure demonic energy. This combined with the naturally low birth rates of Devils was the foundation of enforced marriage contracts such as the one Rias was facing.

After concluding the long, impromptu history lesson, Tokugawa, Issei, and Asia were quiet as they absorbed the mass amount of information. While much had been new for the three of them, it was different hearing the story from a Devil; Tokugawa in particular found the information intriguing.

"Tokugawa-kun." Rias addressed the boy, grabbing his attention. "I was wondering if you would be willing to tell us about the history of Kaiju. From what I've heard, most of it predates Devil-kind, but the Underworlds libraries don't carry any recorded documents on Kaiju, so its all closely hidden. We're all curious as to what you can tell us."

Tokugawa looked around the table and saw the equally curious and interested expressions. He let out an exasperated sigh before he stood up and took Rias' place in front of the group as the redhead took the boys seat beside Issei.

"First off, let me apologize in advance since I'm not that good at story-telling, and I personally don't know too much about Kaiju history." he said in advance.

"No matter." Rias reassured him, "Please continue."

"Okay then. Now, I want to apologize for disproving commonly acceptable biblical history, but the saying 'In the beginning, there was an empty void' isn't really true. Before the beginning, there were monsters long before man walked the Earth. Back then, the world was filled with violence and chaos, where reptilian giants constantly fought each other for survival."

"I'm guessing that time was the era of the dinosaurs, correct?" Rias asked.

Tokugawa nodded. "That's right. One such dinosaur would eventually bring about the age of the most powerful creatures made by human hands. And I'm sure you already know who I'm talking about."

"The first Godzilla, right?" Kiba asked.

"Yes. Apparently, an American hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific disturbed a prehistoric monster that had been slumbering deep beneath the surface. The bomb destroyed his home and killed his family, but not before being heavily mutated as well. For the next several years, Godzilla attacked various fishing boats before he set his sights on Tokyo on he fateful day in 1954, destroying the whole city in just one night and leaving hundreds dead in his wake. After Godzilla fled to Tokyo Bay, he was later killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that my great uncle created and took with him to his grave."

"What do you mean?" Asia asked curiously.

Tokugawa sighed, knowing that what he was going to tell would be sensitive for the innocent girl. "He killed himself Asia. He took his own life as his weapon snuffed out Godzilla's."

"Why?!" she exclaimed as she covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

"Because he felt that his weapon was a curse. He had devoted his life to studying elemental oxygen in the hopes it would serve to benefit society, but instead he accidentally created something that brought only death. He discovered a new element he called 'micro-oxygen', which creates a deadly chemical reaction when it makes contact with water and reduces all living creatures that it comes into contact with into nothing but skeletons."

Tokugawa noticed the look of utter horror on Asia's face while the others gave rather disturbed expressions aside from Koneko, who remained as stoic as ever. He continued, "My uncle was horrified by this discovery, but he firmly believed that he could find a way to turn it into something that served a much more positive purpose. But after Godzilla destroyed Tokyo, he began to realize that he would have to use his creation if there of any hope of stopping him. But he began to grow afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Akeno asked.

"That if others saw what his creation was truly capable of, others would want to use it for their own self-interests. The Oxygen Destroyer was a hundred times more deadly than the atomic bomb, and he feared that if held in the wrong hands, it could be used for a more sinister purpose. So that's why he destroyed all of his research and took his own life to make sure that no one else would ever uncover his secret behinds its construction."

"Then he really did take the secret to his grave." Kiba commented as he scratched his chin in thought.

Tokugawa nodded. "I like to consider my uncle a hero of the sacrifice he made. But just a year after his death, another Godzilla arose and quickly took his place, this one being a dinosaur that survived extinction and had been living on an isolated island before also being mutated from the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb."

"I'm guessing that was the current Godzilla, correct?" Rias asked.

"That's right. From 1955 to today, Godzilla has practically claimed this planet as his kingdom. Many monster arose to challenge him; from monsters from the earths distant past, to other mutated creatures, to even interstellar behemoths capable of bringing about mass extinction. But through it all, Godzilla defeated all of them, though some weren't as easy to bring down as others. He's saved humanity just about as many times as he's attacked them, so sometimes people have a hard time deciding what side he's on."

"What side do you think he's on?" the red-haired King asked.

"He's on his own side." Tokugawa replied, much to the confusion of the others. He decided to elaborate. "Just because he's saved the world on multiple occasions, it doesn't mean he's forgiven humanity. Like I said earlier, Earth is his kingdom and he'll do whatever it takes to make sure that nobody takes it from him. Even if what humanity did to him happened over half a century ago, Godzilla isn't a kaiju that forgives or forgets so easily."

The group let that sink in for a minute before Koneko raised her hand. "Do you really have all of his powers?"

The boy nodded as he brought his hand up before creating a softball sized orb of atomic fire in his palm. "That's right, I do. However, unlike Godzilla, I can harness my nuclear power in different ways like shooting beams from my hands or surrounding my body in it."

"But isn't prolonged exposure to radiation dangerous?" Kiba asked. "I've read that survivors of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki suffered serious radiation poisoning and can even cause serious deformation to their children when their born. Wouldn't you suffer the same thing?"

"Good question. Thankfully, no I don't." Tokugawa replied.

Akeno raised a brow. "But how?"

"Apparently, when I was injected with Godzilla's blood, it mutated my DNA to ensure that my body could become immune to the affects of radiation, and in the process, my nuclear power doesn't have the dangerous toxic side affects you mentioned Kiba, though you can bet that getting hit by one of my nuclear-charged attacks is still definitely gonna hurt." he explained. "The mutation also allowed me to inherit Godzilla's G-cells as well."

Issei tilted his head before also raising his hand. "What are G-cells?"

"It's what gives Godzilla his regenerative abilities."

The brunette's eyes lit up after he said that. "Oh! That's how your arm healed so fast when that Dohnaseek guy stabbed you!"

"Bingo. The G-cells help me to self-heal from any serious or mortal wounds, but if I'm not careful, even with G-cells I could still die."

"How?" Asia asked.

"For example, if I were to get decapitated, bisected, or get pierced or shot straight through the heart, I would die without a doubt. The heart and the brain are two vital organs in the human body, so if I lose one or both, I'd be done even with G-cells."

"Could you grow back an arm or leg?" The others turned to stare at Koneko after she asked her question, prompting her to shrug at their stares. "Some lizards can grow their tails back, so why not?"

"Another good question, Koneko-san. Thank you. Honestly though, I've never tested that myself and I don't intend to any time soon for obvious reasons."

"Right." the Rook replied with a nod.

"Godzilla himself couldn't quite regenerate lost limbs, though other Kaiju that inherited his G-cells could." Tokugawa explained.

Rias looked intrigued upon hearing that. "Other Kaiju that inherited his G-cells? How did that come to be?"

"Well for starters, there was a Kaiju called Biollante back in 1989 that could regenerate after getting the back of her head blown off by Godzilla. She was created when a scientist combined the cells of Godzilla and a rose in an attempt to revive his deceased daughter."

Asia gave another look of horror. "What?! Why would he refuse to let her spirit rest in peace?"

Tokugawa had sort of expected that sort of reaction from her, especially since she was from the church. "From what I understand, she was killed when a terrorist plot caused the plane she was flying in to crash into a mountain, and her death caused her father a great deal of grief. Plus, he believed that her spirit was contained inside a rose and he assumed that by mixing Godzilla's regenerative cells with the cells of that rose, he could bring her back. It worked...somewhat."

"What do you mean by 'somewhat'?" Akeno asked.

"She was brought back to life, but instead of being brought back as a human, she turned into an out of control half-Godzilla, half-plant monster that could spit acidic sap and regenerate at an even faster pace than Godzilla. She was eventually defeated, but her current whereabouts aren't really known yet."

"Wait, she didn't die?" Kiba asked with confusion.

Tokugawa nodded. "She turned into spores and escaped into the planets atmosphere, and she hasn't been seen since, so yeah. There was also a UFO back in 2001 that absorbed Godzilla's cells and became a Space Kaiju called Orga that could also heal rapidly. Apparently, it could even heal severed limbs as well."

"I see..." Rias said quietly as she processed the info. Tokugawa see the rather intense look her eyes as soon as he mentioned the word 'Space Kaiju' and figured it was for a good reason.

'She did say that the existence of aliens and space monsters was part of what drove people to break away from the Church, and after what happened during Final Wars, how can I blame them?'

"..What about the others?" Tokugawa was brought back to reality by Rias' question. "What other monsters were there?"

Tokugawa was about to reply when the next Kaiju that came to mind made him freeze in place. Once again, flashes of memory appeared in his vision as he witnessed a burning city with a large creature standing in the middle of the carnage, roaring into the sky with a cry that he could never get out of his head. He felt himself break into a sweat and his hands began to shake as his breathing began to rise.

"Tokugawa-san, are you okay?" Kiba asked with concern.

"Hey, Tokugawa. What's wrong?" Issei asked as he and Asia got up from their seats to check on him, but the boy brought his hand up to stop them.

"I...I'm sorry. I need a minute please. We'll finish another time." With that, Tokugawa made his way out the door to the room at an alarmingly fast pace, causing the others to become concerned.

"Is Tokugawa-san okay?" Asia asked with worry. "He looked almost...scared?"

"I don't know. That was rather out of character for him though." Kiba said was he starred at the door. "I wonder what happened."

Koneko shook her head. "Senpai's strong. He'll tell us when he feels ready."

Rias nodded. "Yes, Koneko's right. We'll give Tokugawa-kun some time for now to collect himself before we check on him. For now though, lets get back to training."

"Yes, Buchou!"

As the others got prepared though, Akeno couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away from the door Tokugawa left through with concern written on her face.

'Tokugawa...what happened to you?'

"Azazel-sama, may I ask what you're working on?" Shemhazai watched as the Governor-General was fiddling with something on his workbench with his back turned to him while dressed in slightly more ragged clothes.

"Oh, just working on a little project I've had on hold for a little while." Azazel answered with his back still turned. After several more seconds of silence, a small beep was heard before the Grigori threw his hands into the air. "And done! Come see this, Shemhazai!"

Not knowing what was going through his leaders mind, but deciding it best to humor him, the Vice Governor-General approached Azazel's side and saw the device he had been working on. It was really just an IPad with was looked like a crystal ball connected to it through a plug.

"...Azazel-sama, just what is this?" Shemhazai asked with an unimpressed look on his face.

Azazel on the other hand, looked rather proud of himself as he presented his invention. "This, Shemhazai, is what I'm going to use to tune into the Rating Game channels."

The silver-haired Grigori turned to him with a look of shock. "You did what?! But the Devil's networks are heavily protected! How do you even hope to get through?! And also, why would you want to do something like that?!"

"Well, to answer your first question, I figured I'd just wing it." he replied casually, much to Shemhazai's shock and dismay. "And as for your second question, I just needed something to keep me entertained while I wait for Fafnir to wake up again."

"Of course you would do something like that..." Shemhazai muttered, looking like he was on the verge of face-palming. "And just how long until this alleged Rating Game?"

"In a few days from what I've heard." Azazel replied before he began to rummage through a box of gadgets. "So until that day, I might as well tinker around with whatever I can find."

Seeing that the Governor-General was now lost in his own little world, Shemhazai shrugged before walking out of the room to leave his master to his own devices.

'As long as this one doesn't end up blowing up in your face again, I'll be fine with it.'

It was currently nighttime at the Greremory Groups mansion and everyone was already sound asleep by this time. Issei on the other hand, was having a hard time sleeping and decided to grab a quick glass of water from the kitchen. However, as soon as he walked out the door into the main hall, he spotted Rias walking down the stairs wearing a purple sheer nightgown and a pair of reading glasses while carrying a book in her arms.

"Issei?" She seemed genuinely surprised to see her Pawn up this late at night.

"Oh, Buchou. What are you doing up this late?" Issei was equally as surprised to see her awake as well.

Rias smiled down at him. "Perfect timing. I actually was hoping to talk to you about something."

The redhead led him to a veranda just a short distance away from the manor before she began to explain to him the battle strategy she had come up for them.

"Is that it for the battle plan?" Issei asked, surprised at how straightforward it sounded.

Rias nodded as she skimmed through her book while sitting against one of the stone pillars. "It is, but to be honest, playing it by the book only offers a bit of consolation.

"That can't be true!" Issei protested. "Your working so hard this late into the night..."

She shook her head. "But this time we're up against Phenex. I'm sure you've heard of it. A sacred beast said to be an immortal bird. Although their Devils like us, Raisers family shares the name with this sacred bird. On top of that, they're a Great Marquis family like mine and are considered elite even among the 72 Pillars." Her expression became slightly grim. "He also shares the sacred beast's powers: Immortality."

Issei was stunned. "Immortality? Is that even possible?"

"Well, he's practically invincible. Even if you hurt him, he'll regenerate instantly. His Rating Game record is eight wins and only two defeats, but those two losses were against an allied family. In other words, he lost on purpose." Again, Issei was baffled at the lengths Raiser was willing to go to achieve his goals. "After the Rating Game became prevalent, the Phenex Clan rose to prominence extremely fast." Rias gave a rather dry chuckle. "It's natural, right? Being immortal, he simply can't lose."

Issei couldn't help but feel guilt beginning to build up inside and he dipped his head in shame. "...I'm sorry."

"What for?" she asked.

"I laughed at Raiser back then, forcing you into this fight. I should have kept my big mouth shut." Sure Tokugawa was the one that spoke up against Raiser, but he had been the one to laugh at the insults Tokugawa threw at the high-class Devi and got hurt in the processl, making Rias take action and accept the Rating Game.

Instead of receiving some form of scolding or something like that, he saw Rias smile at him. "Not at all. In fact, thanks to you and Tokugawa, I'll get the chance to prove my self to my father and the others. They set up my marriage to Raiser in advance despite me telling them to hold it off at least until I graduated. However, it would seem that they're trying to rush it as early as possible."

"Why are you against the engagement?" Issei asked.

Rias sighed as she removed her reading glasses before standing up. "It's because I'm Rias Gremory, daughter of the House of Gremory. Because of my title, I'm never recognized as an individual. The House of Gremory will always come before me." She walked towards another pillar and leaned back against it, looking up at the moon. "I've learned to adjust to it and make personal decisions accordingly. Make no mistake, my title is something I'll always take pride in, but when it comes to marriage, I want to share that with someone of my choice. Someone who loves me as Rias, not for how my status can improve their life, otherwise they may as well just marry the family. I understand that history isn't in my favor and the idea of love may just remain a dream, but its one I'd like to keep."

"I'd love you regardless of rank or name!" Issei suddenly blurted out, catching Rias by surprise. "I don't anything about your family or the social hierarchy of Devils, but I can see you right here, right now, and Rias-senpai, I like you for who you are."

Rias stared in stunned silence as her cheeks turned slightly pink at the boys declaration. Issei seemed to realize what he had said and glanced away while looking slightly embarrassed. "D-Did I say something weird?"

"Not at all." she replied with a smile. "Anyway, lets do our best to win this battle."

Issei nodded, but then he remembered something he had been wanting to say. "A while back, Kiba mentioned that people called you the 'Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess' because you're a genius of that magnitude. And now you're first Rating Game battle is against that guy."

"You're wrong." Rias shook her head. "My powers aren't a natural boon, but something cultivated by the Gremory Clan for many generations. They belong to both me and the House of Gremory."

A small breeze made her hair flow as she faced Issei with the full moon behind her, making her appearance more awe-inspiring as she gave a look of determination. "That's why I won't lose. If I fight, I will win. I must win."

Issei clenched his fists, feeling his emotions begin to rise up upon hearing her determination. "You're amazing, just as I thought. Compared to that, I suck."

Rias stared at him with a look of worry. "Issei?"

"Being here makes me constantly realize that I'm the most useless. Even if I posses a great Sacred Gear, it's wasted on me. I keep throwing myself into things as if I can help, but I end up making everything worse. You don't need me. I'm...I'm...completely useless!"

Suddenly, Rias brought into a gently hug, bring his face close to her bosom, interrupting his rant. "That's not true, Issei. You just lack confidence is all. But don't worry, that's something I'm more than happy to help you with."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She gave him a gentle smile. "You'll know soon, but for now get some rest. Both your body and mind have been through a lot today. I'll stay by your side until you sleep."

Her generosity was beginning to become too much for Issei as he actually felt himself begin to cry, to which Rias stroked his hair gently. "It's going to be okay, Issei. You'll come to believe in yourself, I know you will."

Ever since the incident earlier, Tokugawa decided to remain on the roof of the manor, finding the cold breeze and the sound of night life refreshing and calming. He felt slightly bad for leaving the others so suddenly without warning, but he just needed some distance at the moment to try and calm himself down.

It always felt like every time someone said one word that reminded him of that day, it always made him freak out and give him a panic attack. That day when when his life began its journey into a downward path of pain and torment. That day when he lost everything that he had ever loved and cherished. That day when that monster appeared and burned his home to the ground.

Unconsciously, he reached into his shirt and pulled out his sliver locket before opening it, once again starring at the picture of him and his older brother Akira. He traced his thumb over the face of his sibling in the picture, the sibling that made his life feel like something worth living. The sibling who, upon his death at the hands of the monster, made him feel like an empty shell of the 5-year-old boy he had been.

Suddenly snapping the locket closed, he gave a loud sigh. "How much longer are you just going to stand there?"

"At least until you decide to invite me to join you." the familiar voice replied.

Tokugawa sighed again. He had sensed Akeno's presence, but assumed it was just for a quick check to make sure he was all right. However, those assumptions were dismissed when he felt her presence remain there for the past ten minutes without moving.

Deciding to humor her, he patted the spot on the roof to his left with his hand, and Akeno took that as her cue as she walked up and sat beside him.

"You had us all worried, you know." she lightly chided.

"Sorry. Just needed some time to myself was all."

"Is that really the only reason?" she asked, not being fooled by his vague response for a second. "We all saw the look in your eyes. You were scared to keep talking." She turned her head to look at him. Even though he was still staring straight ahead, he could tell that she was giving him a look of worry. "Why won't you at least share with us what's wrong?"

Tokugawa shook his head. "Because I don't want you all to pity me like I'm some wounded animal if I shared my troubles. I want to be able to try and get over my problems on my own without troubling others with my messed up life."

"You silly boy." she said in a teasing tone, causing him to turn to her. "Believe me, no one would think any different of you if you just opened up a little. Everyone here has had terrible things happen to them, myself included. I nearly gave up on myself until Rias came along and took me into her Peerage. She's the reason I'm able to keep looking forward. I want to at least help you look forward without letting the past scare you into getting close to others."

"I guess my past is a little too hard to let go." he replied as he looked away again.

"Well, then let us help you." Akeno brought her hand to his shoulder, making him flinch slightly at the sudden contact. "There are things that people can't do on their own. I think you'll find it better if you just have someone there to listen to you and hear what you have to say. Trust in us, and we'll trust in you in return." Tokugawa turned to her again, causing her to smile. "So won't you at least let me hear what's troubling you?"

He knew that unless he told her the truth, she wasn't going to be leaving. However, there was some wisdom in her words. Not letting the past keep him from looking forward. Sharing feelings with friends. Opening up to others about personal problems. They all sounded like things Akira would have said to him if he was feeling down.

"...You sure you want to know about why I was scared?" he asked reluctantly.

"Of course I do."

Tokugawa sighed, accepting the proposal. "Well, up until I was five, I lived in Fukuoka. I would always get bullied by older kids because they always saw me as 'different' for some reason. I was always scared to do anything and I felt like I would never fit in. But the one person who was always there to help me keep going was my older brother, Akira."

"You've mentioned him before, but only vaguely. What was he like?" Akeno asked.

The boy gave a small smile upon recalling the fond memories of his brother. "He was the most upstanding guy I ever knew. He never let things keep him down and he was generous beyond imagination. If someone ever needed a yen, he would give them one, even if it was his very last. He was really into sports and he always told me that he dreamed of one day hoping to make the world a better place. A world free from corruption and discrimination, where everyone could smile and be happy."

Akeno giggled. "He sounds like someone who had a bright future ahead of him."

Tokugawa's smile faded into a frown. "Yeah, he did. Until that Kaiju appeared and took all of it away."

The Nadeshiko beauty felt reluctant to ask this next question given how personal it was, but if she going to have any hope of getting him to open up to her, she would just have to take the jump and face the possible consequences later.

"...What happened on that day?"

To her surprise, instead of snapping at her or telling her it wasn't her business, he turned to look up at the moon. "One day, me, my brother and my parents went out into the city as a family. My mom and dad were always busy with work and it was one of the few times we had all gotten to hang out together. I was really happy and excited at the time, but then it ended up becoming the worst day of my life."

He paused for a moment, once again seeing memories flash into his view. He was about ready to start panicking again when he felt a warm hand touch his cheek. Tokugawa glanced to the side to see Akeno smiling at him gently. For some reason, feeling the warmth of her hand and starring into her beautiful violet eyes made him feel calm enough to go on as

"...My home was attacked by a Space Kaiju called SpaceGodzilla in 2001. He killed my parents and my brother, and he then turned all of Fukuoka into his own damn crystal empire. I was there when he was finally stopped and killed by Godzilla, but every time I think about that monster, I just can't get rid of that feeling of fear and hopelessness. And then just a few weeks after that, I was kidnapped my Kokabiel." He gave out a dry laugh. "It really was the day my life began to take a plunge. I really did lose everything because of him."

"Well, you're not the only one."

Tokugawa looked back at Akeno again with a look of inquiry. "What do you mean?"

"Remember when I told you earlier that I too had terrible things happen to me?" He merely nodded in reply. "Well, when I was young, my mother was murdered right in front of me by an intruder. My father had been away at the time, but by the time he got there and killed the intruder, it was already too late. I hated him for it, for not being there for us when he needed him the most. I ran away from him and wander around aimlessly, looking for at least a shred of salvation, only to find none. Rias found me when I was just about ready to give up on myself and made me the Queen of her Peerage. I've never left her side since then."

Tokugawa was surprised at how nearly similar their childhoods were. It was hard to believe that someone he saw as so positive and flirtatious actually suffered from something like that at a young age.

"...What did you first think of me when we first met?" He felt he needed to know, though he honestly didn't know why.

Akeno continued to smile sincerely at him. "I saw a little bit of my old self. I saw someone who was feeling lost with no place to go and no one to turn to. I guess a part of me felt the need to at least give you a helping hand."

Tokugawa raised a brow. "How'd you guess that part about me so easily? You a mind reader or something?"

The girl gave a laugh at his response. Hearing her laugh actually made him crack a very faint smile at how it sounded. Maybe she was right: Opening up to other really did make him feel better than before.

"Well, we really should get to bed. We still have training tomorrow." Akeno got up and began to walk along the edge of the roof before turning back towards the boy. "You coming?"

"I'll come down soon. Just wanna enjoy the air for a little longer."

She nodded at his answer and was about to continue leaving before his next words made her stop in her tracks.

"Thank you, Akeno, for the talk. I really needed it."

The black-haired Queen turned back towards him and smiled. "Even if you aren't a member of Rias' Peerage, you're still a member of the club, and that makes you an official member of our family. I'm sure the others can agree to that too. We all care about you Tokugawa, so don't forget that."

Akeno summoned her Devil wings before jumping off the edge of the roof and disappearing from sight, leaving the boy to mull over her last words.

'A family, huh?' He turned his gaze back towards the full moon. 'Could someone like me really be worthy of something like that?'

The next morning, Rias had gathered the other outside to discuss the next course of the training, and everyone was surprised when Tokugawa joined them as well. After the boy gave a few apologies for the previous day, Rias explained to the group that she wanted to help Issei out with his training.

"I want you to use your Boosted Gear." Rias addressed to Issei with a smile. "Can you handle it?"

The brunette was surprised by his King's words. "Huh? But you said not to use it during training camp. You change your mind?"

"You weren't supposed to use it without my permission." she corrected him before looking towards the others. "Kiba, would you mind partnering with him?"

The blonde Knight nodded in affirmation. "Gladly."

"Hold on." The group turned with surprise towards Tokugawa, who stepped forth with his hand raised. "Mind if I partner with him instead?"

Rias managed to school her features as she stared at the boy. "I suppose, but may I ask why?"

He merely shrugged. "I just want to test him a little."

Tokugawa's vague response did little to quell her suspicions, but she simply nodded. "Very well then, Tokugawa will partner with Issei."

Issei's eyes seemed to bug out of his head and he almost looked slightly pale as he stared at the older boy, who stood across from him. Tokugawa raised a brow at the scared look on the brunettes face, noticing that he was as still as a statue.

"Oi, you still with us?" he asked, making the boy smack his cheeks to snap out of his stupor.

"Y-yeah, I'm good!"

Tokugawa nodded before getting into a fighting stance. "Just so we're clear, I won't be going easy."

Issei stared back at the other boy before bringing up his left arm, summoning his Boosted Gear, the green gem instantly glowing upon activation. "Neither am I!"

[Boost!]

Rias nodded with approval. "Good, now again."

Issei nodded. "More!"

[Boost!]

After reaching twelve power-ups in a row, which Akeno commented on being a new record for Issei, Rias raised her hand. "Alright, stop. Can you see how far you've come? You've never been able to endure this much power for this long in the past. The results of your training were abundantly clear just then."

Issei's eyes widened as he recalled his last battle against Raynare, remembering how he originally was only able to power up no more than two times. "Holy crap..."

"Alright, lets keep it going!"

"Boosted Gear!" Issei reached out with his Sacred Gear as the gem glowed brightly once again.

[Explosion!]

A bright aura suddenly surrounded the brunette, surprising the others aside from Rias and Tokugawa. "What is that?" Asia asked as she stared in awe.

"It allows Issei to fight with the accumulated power for some time." Rias explained before turning towards the other boy. "Whenever you're ready, Tokugawa."

The boy merely nodded in response as he stared ahead at Issei. There was actually a deeper reason why he wanted to be the one to partner with Issei for this. Since he knew that Raiser's Peerage were going to be overwhelming opponents given that Mira was able to knock him out in one blow, he wanted to assess the brunettes current power and see what he could do against his own power. That way, he could determine what type of odds he would have against Raiser's Peerage this time.

Tokugawa finally sprang into action, lunging straight at Issei with his fist cocked back. Issei instinctively raised Boosted Gear as Tokugawa's fist impacted the red gauntlet with enough force that it made a sound akin to a church bell going off. Surprisingly, Issei was still standing and pushing back against the fist. Normally, that first blow alone would have been enough to put the brunette out of commission. It seemed those last twelve power ups were enough to make Issei strong enough to endure his hits.

Tokugawa pulled back before swinging his other fist, making Issei stumble back as he narrowly avoided the hit. Once he recovered, the brunette made his move, bringing his own normal fist back before striking the other boy in the cheek.

"OWW!" Issei cried out as brought his hand back and began to nurse his knuckle, while Tokugawa looked hardly fazed by the hit, but did look slightly confused by Issei's reaction.

"Even with all of those power ups, you got hurt from your own punch?" he asked with a raised brow.

Issei glared at him. "Are you kidding?! It felt like I tried to punch a block of concrete! What are you even made of?!"

"...Flesh and bone, the same stuff you're made of. But I guess that's to be expected, since you seem like someone who rarely ever gets into a physical confrontation."

"There's still time to improve that though." Rias said before turning to Issei. "Okay Issei, I want to now take all of the power you've gathered and unleash it all on him."

Issei complied and pointed Boosted Gear towards Tokugawa, but he was shocked when he noticed a small red ball of energy no bigger than a ping-pong ball appeared in his palm. "What? That's all I have?"

Seeing Issei hesitate, Tokugawa began to suck in a lung full of air as flecks of blue steam began to leak from the corners of his mouth, alerting the others at to what attack his was about to use.

"Trust yourself!" Rias yelled out towards the brunette.

Deciding not to dwell on it any further, Issei brought Boosted Gear back before practically punching the small energy ball at the same as Tokugawa opened his mouth.

"Dragon Shot!"

"Atomic Roar!"

A red beam of energy shot out from Issei's fist while a blue beam came from Tokugawa's mouth, both attacks sailing towards their respective targets. Instead of the two attacks colliding however, they both flew past each other and continued on their destructive path. Issei quickly hopped to the right as Tokugawa's searing beam of nuclear might flew by and continued on before carving a path of destruction through the ground, incinerating every tree and speck of green in its way.

At the same time, Tokugawa ducked to the left as Issei's beam did pretty much the same thing, carving a trench up the side of a mountain and blasting a rather large chunk out of its peak.

As soon as the light show died down, Akeno smiled. "Looks like it worked."

"You broke the mountain." Koneko commented.

"I can't believe that came out of Issei!" Asia said as she took in the aftermath of the attack in awe.

Issei, meanwhile, stared at his Boosted Gear with a look of astonishment before dropping down to one knee in exhaustion. "Whoa... That did a lot more than I thought."

"But it shows that you have what it takes to get stronger." Tokugawa's voice made him look up to see him looking down at him. "With a little more training, you may actually be able to hold your own against Raiser's lackeys."

"Really? Well, thanks." the brunette replied gratefully before his expression became one of shock. "Whoa! Tokugawa!"

"What?"

"Your arm's a mess!"

At first, Tokugawa didn't know what he meant until he looked down at his right arm to see that the sleeve of his tracksuit had been burned away and a chunk of his skin was left charred black.

"...Huh. So that's why it felt like it was burning earlier."

The others looked stunned at the fact that the older boy was acting so nonchalant about his arm being burned. "You...don't feel anything?" Issei managed to get out.

"No, it still hurts like hell. I'm just enduring it for now until it heals." As if on cue, his healing factor began to relieve the skin of its blackened color before his whole arm suddenly looked completely normal again within seconds. "There we go, much better."

"Amazing!" Asia exclaimed while clapping her hands together. "With Tokugawa-san and Issei-san, there's no way we can lose!"

Her positive statement spread to the others as they smiled and nodded in approval of her words. Rias stepped forward towards the two boys as Tokugawa helped pull the brunette back to his feet. "Issei, Tokugawa. You both are without a doubt the deciding factors in this game. Your attack power will greatly influence the flow of the competition. Trust in us, and most of all, trust yourselves as well."

Tokugawa nodded as he recalled Akeno's words from the night before, about opening up more to the others and learning to trust them. 'Trust in others and they'll trust in you in return...'

Issei nodded as well. "I trust in you guys, without a doubt. I'll get stronger so that we can win, I promise."

"Then I hope you're ready." The brunette turned towards Tokugawa as he spoke. "Because I'm gonna be your training partner for the rest of our time here. I'll make sure you get stronger in no time."

Issei noticed that he gave a rather chilling smirk at that last part, making Issei pale once again in dread.

'You know what, screw it. Just kill me now!'

Finally, I managed to get this chapter out! I think this is a good place to stop for now, next chapter will showcase the Rating Game between the Gremory and Phenex Peerages. As usual, let me know what your thoughts were on the chapter and hopefully I'll see you soon. College comes back around on the 27th, so the update times will most likely be extended once again, which is a bummer. Please know that even though Tokugawa is the main character, this story follows BOTH Tokugawa and Issei, so if it feels like like the story is following Issei too much, that's why.

As always, this is Godzilla Boy signing off!

Next Time: A Dangerous Game