Bakuganman: BOO! Hahahaha! Been awhile since you've heard my voice, eh? I wanna apologize to you all, including 54Godamora and Hatera Kuso, for how long this one took. The reason is cause I caught the beer-bug myself... don't worry, I'm fine. I didn't feel any different, not sore or achy, and my sense of smell was still intact. Speaking past tense since I'm now negative. The only thing that came with it was stress like: Am I dying? Is this what Death feels like? It was very unsettling and took a toll maybe not on my physical health, but mental health.
Now, do I know how I caught it?... No. I didn't throw any "Covid-Awareness" parties...
So before we begin, just wanted to say sorry to everyone who was waiting on this. I feel really bad about it, but I'm back now. Unless I go out of contact with fellow fans for an entire year with no response... then something is wrong. I can't promise the next chapter will come out soon. Lots of work goes into editing these chapters between the three of us, plus I have projects/ideas on the backlog that no one on this website has attempted yet, so please try and be patient. The support helps allot with motivation which keeps the engine running. Now I hand the floor over to my fellow authors, who most likely have a skit planned... I'm never brought into those reindeer games.
Thanks for understanding. Have a good one, and enjoy the show.
54Godamora: Thank you for letting our readers know about our absence, dear Editor.. However, I have a solution to remedy our lack of uploading, provided if Hareta agrees to it. Just waiting for him to show up. *Waits for 15 minutes*
Raynare: He's been in here the whole time.
54Godamora: Oh. Now for those who aren't in the know, I just had a quick discussion regarding said solution: put Amnesiac on hold until we finish season of DXD. However, my brother will think about it since the former is a story that he's been wanting to do since high school and he's gone through a lot to finally get it to the point of where it is. The other reason why is that I don't want to keep you awesome readers waiting for as long as normal, especially since I hoped to get season 1 finished before the new year but that was wishful thinking. Perhaps we can get that finished before June maybe. Regardless, this will require some thinking on his part.
Chapter 9: Rival
George is having his usual nightmare: the memory of the death of his parents. He's falling beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean, drowning. However, before he "died"... someone called out to his name, but it didn't sound like Owen. It sounded as powerful as him, yet majestic at the same time. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a blazing inferno, which one would think was even worse than drowning! He closed his eyes in fear of this but much to George's surprise, the flames hugged him, but they seemed to be wrapping around him protectively and carrying him along... if THAT made any sense.
[Its about time I can finally reach you. You have any idea how hard it was getting through your thick skull?] The voice asked. George opened his eyes and saw a huge green eye staring back at him, startling him. He tried to back away but he couldn't move, as if he was rooted to the spot. The location had changed as he was in a black abyss with flames around the owner of the eye, which was revealed to be a huge classic European dragon covered in bio-mechanical red armor with green glowing orbs scattered throughout the body, sporting a pair of backwards-curbing orange tusks on the side of the mouth.
[Heeeeey, Sleepyhead Smaug! Your finally awake!] That was Owen, who spoke smugly and was sarcastic as ever.
[Oh great... YOUR here too] groaned the dragon. Did he and Owen know each other?
George turned his head, for at least he could still move his body around. To his right, next to the dragon's large head, he saw a humanoid Prolacerta that stood his height (though maybe an inch or two taller), a reptile that has a body like a monitor lizard but a skull that bears some resemblance to other Archosaurs. Aside from having the color of a Collared Lizard & the almost bipedal stance, this one had large eyes. Even more, he had wings on his back! The same ones George had!
"O-Owen?" Questioned George, unsure it he was seeing this correctly.
[So? What do you think? Quite the handsome bugger, aren't I?] The form said while flexing his muscles, sounding exactly like Owen. George couldn't believe it! He's never seen any kind of dinosaur like this before... this must be Owen's true form. But then, who was the dragon?
"You look so cool, Owen! Though, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Prolacerta is the ancestor of Archosaurs." George said. "But question: Who's that?" He asked, but it hit him 2 seconds later. Owen would call the Boosted Gear 'sleepyhead', now he just called this dragon 'sleepyhead'. Did that mean... "Are you, the being inside the Boosted Gear?" George added.
[Correct,] the dragon confirmed. [I must say, out of all of my hosts I've had, you stand out the most.]
[And that's saying allot. He's been inside SOOOOOOO many people] Owen joked.
[D-Don't make it sound like that!] Said the dragon.
[Well I mean, a whole bunch of them were Traps...] said Owen, still joking around.
[OH, SHUT YOUR PREHISTORIC POTHOLE!] The dragon ordered with a roar, clearly having enough. Yup. They definitely knew each other. [Ugh. How did I get stuck with the same master as you?]
[Your the one who bounces around every few thousand years,] Owen pointed out. He and the dragon continued to argue, with George looking back and forth and focused on whomever was talking:
The Dragon: [Not by choice!]
Owen: (shrugs) [Well if you and your cousin didn't have hussy fits every time you meet...]
The Dragon: [YOU WERE THERE THE LAST TIME! YOU COULD'VE STOPPED US!]
Owen: [And get involved with your family dispute while the 3 factions sealed ya both up? Nah, fam. Your temper tantrum, your funeral.]
The Dragon: [YET HERE YOU ARE; SEALED IN A GEAR OF YOUR OWN!]
Owen: *Ahem!* ["WILLINGLY" sealed.]
The Dragon: [Oh, and I'm sure you enjoyed EVERY second of it!]
Owen: [Oh, yes! (places the back of a hand on his forehead as if fainting) Allowing me to be sealed in the man of my dreams!]
"OKAY! ENOUGH!" George yelled, grabbing his head. "Owen. Knock it off. And Smaug. You have a real name?" Asked George, figuring Smaug wasn't the dragons real name.
[At least your host has a sense of respect,] the dragon grumbled.
[Hands off! I saw him first!] Owen joked while pointing, as if staking a claim on George.
[WILL YOU PLEASE?!] The dragon roared again, this time practically begging.
[Ok, fine. I'm done] Owen said, hands up in defense.
The red dragon sighed in relief. [I am the legendary Welsh Dragon, Ddraig. Its an honor to finally speak with you.] The crimson dragon introduced himself.
"Uh, yeah... me too, Drag" said George, unsure how to pronounce Ddraig's name. While this made Ddraig look back in question, unsure if he heard correctly, Owen started chuckling. This was like Asia all over again.
[Um. Its Ddraig] the Red Dragon corrected his host.
"That's what I said, Dregg" George said.
[Ddraig.]
"Drog."
[Ddraig.]
"Drum."
[Ddraig!]
"Dreek."
[Y-Ya know what? Forget it,] Ddraig closed the conversation by holding out a claw and waving it a bit, his mental strength wearing down. He had to deal with Owen the ancient dinosaur, now a host we can't even say his name correctly? [I'm sure you'll get it eventually.]
"Uh, yeah... sorry. I'm the worst at names." George said, sheepishly. There was then a flash of white, and George awoke in his room. Was that just a dream? Like a dream within a dream? Where's he heard that before, it was this crazy movie but he couldn't recall the name. He remembered the ending when the main characters toy top kept spinning without stopping, but that's it. He looked around & saw Rias & Akeno cuddling him, both ladies still asleep. He looked at the clock and saw it was 4:30 a.m. He groaned before he went back to get some shuteye, seeing as they had to get up in a few hours.
XXXXXXXXXX
As everyone was getting ready for the day, George seemed a bit slow on the uptake as he seemed a little drowsy. After Akeno made some hot raspberry tea to perk him up, which worked a bit but he still looked tired.
"George, what's wrong?" Rias asked. George recounts the dream he had to them. Everything. From meeting Ddraig in-person, to Owen's true form. This catches all of them off guard.
"Well that certainly explains part of the reason why he was put on a hit list." Raynare stated, not expecting Ddraig to be inside the Boosted Gear.
"Join the club, Ddraig. Big brother called me after the continent." Asia deadpanned.
[Wonderful...] Ddraig lamented.
[Could be worse,] interjected Owen. [You could end up inside a pervert with an unhealthy breast obsession.]
[I'm living next to one...] Ddraig grumbled.
[I'm not THAT bad,] Owen simply defended.
[You were checking out Elsha her entire cycle!] Ddraig brought up.
[And you weren't?] Owen countered with a smirk.
[THAT'S NOT THE POINT!] Ddraig roared in aggravation. Besides, it was his master...
"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP! Your giving me a headache!" Rias cried. This was more than she can tolerate. It was bad enough Owen spoke in everyones' head, now a SECOND one popped up?! At their bickering was worse than two whiny kids! Just when she thought she's seen it all...
[Oh, YOU have a headache? Try getting a date with this guy around!] Ddraig said.
[Don't you owe one treasure or something?] Owen commented.
[MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOP!] Ddraig whined.
"Owen. Please! Enough today. Both of you rest" George asked, then told his two partners to take it easy for the rest of the day.
[Fine... fine...] Owen promised, before the light from George's right hand vanished.
[What have done to deserve this?] Ddraig whined some more, returning to the recesses of George's body himself.
"But what's a Prolacerta?" Akeno asked, curious since that's what Owen's true form looked like. George pulled up a picture of it on his phone. He even described what Owen looked like; telling them to imagine a Prolacerta, but stood almost bipedally, has large eyes, and had his voice if he was in my early 30s with a lizard-like hiss.
"Not exactly something that says future ruler of earth for 160 million years." Kalawarner snickered.
[And your not what I expected AFTER 160 million years...] Owen poked in.
"OWEN!" Shouted George, now a bit ticked.
[OKAY! OKAY!] Owen said, going away for real this time. After that revelation, they finished getting ready for school.
XXXXXXXXXX
Jump forward to the end of the school day in the ORC building. Akeno & Rias stayed behind to finish up some paperwork.
"You know, George has been doing well with his contracts, as the customers enjoy having him around, though they are a little nervous whenever he's going Dino" Akeno explained regarding George's work as a Devil. She then smiled softly, "Not to mention that he is being a good boyfriend to us both, and I really enjoy his cute demeanor with how innocent he is towards us." She added. Rias then sighed sadly. "Is something wrong?" Akeno asked.
"... I can't keep this up," Rias admitted. "The engagements coming up, and this will all be over. I was so stupid! George is gonna hate me for life when he finds out!" She continued, feeling guilty things have come this far. When she first started, she was just using George for a sense of happiness before her life as she knew it was ruined. But as the days went by, she began to feel bad for playing George this way.
Akeno just looked at Rias, so its come to this, eh? She understood where Rias was coming from, the guy wouldn't take no for an answer, no matter how many times Rias asked and even pleaded to reconsider... and it didn't help Rias' own family was going along with it. As they last minute brainstorm what to do, a purple glowing portal shows up behind them in front of the once door. Once they see who it is, Rias' gaze narrowed in annoyance.
XXXXXXXXXX
Later that evening, George was in his room. He's organizing his Triassic Dinosaurs along with their contemporaries on the shelf, now that he has a dozen Dinosaurs unlocked. So far, South America is still in the lead.
[Hey, Sire!] Owen chimed in, the Mesozoic Mind being summoned. [You only have one section of the Triassic period left, the Rhaetian.] The holographic display lit up, revealing that the third section was open. Clicking it, he saw only one Dinosaur. He frowned,
"Really? Only one?" George sighed. "Still, this means that I get an easy time into the Early Jurassic." George added, seeing the bright side of things. Owen clammed up, not wanting to explain why there was only one, or the fact that there were far less Triassic Dinosaurs in the Sacred Gear. George takes a look at it, and upon closer examination of the dinosaur, his eyes widen. "I recognize this one. It was described last year! Not to mention the name alone should give me some brownie points with the others. Speaking of recently described, I think I have that news article about it in my office." George said to himself, disengaging the Sacred Gear, before heading to leave.
However, just as he opened the door, he saw Akeno there, giving him a sweet smile.
"Oh, Akeno! What brings you by?" He asked, trying to stay calm & collected around her since she teased/flirted with him a lot. She bats her eyes as she walks into the room, with George backing up as she did so. What was she up to this time?
"Remember that award we talked about?~" She walked into the room with an almost predatory gaze. George gulped as he was backed against his closet, extremely nervous.
"Y-Y-Yeah... w-w-what about it?" He stuttered over his words.
"First, close your eyes for me." The Queen said, seductively.
"Uh... do I have a choice?" George asked, nervously. With such a hot girl merely inches away from him, he couldn't help but feel some degree of pressure.
'Sire, your about to score the goal! Just whip it out!' Said Owen, excited where this was going.
[Do you even care about your partner's mental state?] Asked Ddraig, seeing that George was having trouble staying rational, and there was Owen who was encouraging the situation instead of providing moral support.
'Course I do, Drag! *sniff* He's just growing up so fast!' said Owen, making fun of Ddraig's name since George couldn't pronounce it, then made his voice crack on the second sentence on purpose for over-exaggeration.
[*sigh* You are the worse] Ddraig said.
'Will you just LOOK at Akeno? You can't tell me your not thinking of SOMETHING' Owen said.
[Again... NOT. The point] Ddraig responded.
At this point, Akeno's and George's faces were maybe a few inches apart now, and both their faces got a red from the closeness. George more so. Akeno then put her arms around his broad shoulders, her eyes focused on his, and she began to lean in, as if for a kiss. Now, this wouldn't be the first time they kissed, but this seemed more extreme.
Whether or not they actually were going to kiss won't be known, because this is the exact same moment Rias teleported in. She looked miffed, even before she saw how close George and Akeno were. "Really, Akeno? You couldn't wait?" She asked, sounding annoyed as she looked... but George noticed something else. Rias was a possessive person, that was fine, but her fists were clenched at her sides and she was shaking. This was new, as normally she'd just glare at the offending party when she was pissed.
"Rias?... Your shaking," George pointed out, deeply concerned for her. What happened next straight up confused the dino-lover. Rias pulled George away from Akeno (which he was thankful for, as he didn't know how much longer he had of self-control), but then she tossed him over towards the bed and tackled him, getting right on top of him and pinning him down! What was up with these 2 today?! They were never THIS forceful before. "RIAS! W-W-What are you doing?!" He asked, not understanding what the hell was going on. Teasing was one thing, but this?
"George..." Rias said, her voice begging. "Please! Take my virginity!"
...
...
...
...
...
George could only be described as looking like a visual representation of Windows Dial-Up connection. He swore he could even here the dial-up sound effects in his ears. 'Wow. We get to pop 2 cherries tonight' commented Owen. Ddraig didn't have the mental energy to tell him to shut up, he just groaned.
"George! I'm serious! I need you to take me!" Rias said in a more assertive tone. She wished it wouldn't have come to this, but saw no choice. Having Akeno here watching made no difference either. Let her stay. This will only take a minute. All George had to do was insert it. Pop her open. Done. It would mean nothing... but then, why was Rias feeling more guilty than usual?
"..." George still couldn't respond. Was this really happening? He's read and seen in some shows about moments like this where the girl asked the guy to give into her; but they never played out like this! "... wait... r-right now?" He asked, getting nervous. If this was really happening, something didn't feel right. Now, George had zero experience with this type of thing, and girls were hard for him to read most of the time, but Rias seemed... off. However, if they really were gonna do this... why was Akeno still here?! If this was gonna turn into a three-way, he wasn't sure he could handle that, let alone just one.
"I know its kinda sudden, but this is the only way" said Rias, her eyes glazing as she looked down at George. He still looked nervous as hell, and she frankly couldn't blame him. But she was out of options... out of time... they needed to do this before it was too late! Besides, George was the only one she trusted enough to do this.
As Akeno watched, she felt conflicted. This sounded hot, and would be amazing to watch... but even to her, this seemed to cross the line. The only reason she got here before Rias was to try and warn George before Rias did something stupid (though she couldn't help teasing him, however). When that person teleported into the ORC, Rias almost immediately went on a tangent on how it would be her choice and her's alone. When the person refused to see her POV, that's when Rias vanished in an explosive flash of her magic, rightfully aggravated. Didn't take a genius to figure out where she was heading.
"Rias. Think about this for a second, think about George. How would..." she tried to explain; but that's when Rias' head snapped right in her direction, her eyes filled with crimson and the power of her aura flaring, not in the mood to talk. This overwhelmed Akeno and got her to shut up, and George himself was getting a little scared. There was definitely something up with Rias. Her and Akeno were best friends, yet the gaze and energy she gave off radiated malice.
Akeno looked concerned at how far this was going, but turned her head away. There was nothing she could do even if she tried. With her now getting the message, Rias turned back to look down as George, the intense energy around her and in her eyes now gone, having dissipated. "It'll be fine, George... everything's gonna be fine..." Rias said, sitting up so she could unbutton her uniform, taking everything but her frilly bra and panties off. She couldn't help but blush, this was the first time she thought about going all the way, plus this was gonna be technically her first time.
She also didn't notice, but her eyes gave off uncertainly and regret, which George stared at. It was mainly to avoid looking at what his friend Anthony called bouncing betties Rias had going for her with the slightest movement she made, but he began to wonder if she was really sure about this...
Rias saw him staring, but why not at her body? This is what all guys went for anyway, differently-wired brain or not, right? Sure he didn't ogle her before when they first met, but that was different! They didn't know each other so it would be rude, but why wasn't he looking at her now? "What? Don't you still want me?" She asked, a little confused. He wrote that letter to her and Akeno, expressing how much he wanted to be with them, but now it looked like he was having second thoughts. Was she not good enough? Was she not his type?
"N-N-No! I-I-I mean... yes, but... i-i-its not like that!" George tried to reason with her while also fighting off some hormones that would make him think otherwise. Rias was undeniably hot, so it took EVERY bone and fibber in his body to stop himself from losing his focus. However, it got even harder when Rias reached behind with both hands and started unclipping her bra.
"H-Hey... George?... This is your first time... right?" Asked Rias. She couldn't help but feel self-conscious due her lack of experience. George has also said he's never exactly had a girlfriend before, but she needed to be sure she wasn't alone in this department. Its not like what she wanted required much skill anyway. Just in and out... maybe a climax or two for good measure.
"Uh... yeah..." was all George could get out, just as nervous as Rias was. With this information, she felt like she could relax a bit. He was a virgin like her, so they were in the same boat.
"Its fine. It won't be perfect, but we can figure something out" said Rias, having finally finished undoing the one piece of fabric that prevented her massive chest from bobbing around. George's eyes were as wide as they could possibly go, so this really was it. He was really gonna experience it but... something about it felt wrong. Was this a time to say no? He really didn't know, and it was frustrating that his brain was telling him something different than his heart.
"All we need to do is put it in. Right there. That's all" Rias said, pointing to herself as she sat on George. She then gently took George's hand into her own and placed it on her heart, which also had George's fingers ending up around a certain item that was in the way. George felt his mind was gonna snap at any second. He felt a tingling sensation in his fingers that he's never had before, as if his body wanted to clasp down on whatever he was touching.
"If its any consolation, I'm nervous myself" Rias admitted, her heart beating hard in her chest. She also had to confess that having her breast touched this way felt much different than when she touched herself, be it putting on a bra or cleaning herself. It also felt a bit embarrassing for them that Akeno was still in the room, but she had no time to ask her to leave. This was a priority, they had to get this done.
"Uh... yeah... I feel that" said George in a low, cracked voice; using the very last reserves of his willpower to stay rational. If this continued for another minute, he was gonna lose it.
"He won't be able to complain once we seal the deal. I'll be considered ruined and he'll most likely move on," said Rias, her face as red as her hair. This was it. This was how it was gonna go. She wished she had more time, even just a day... but there was no going back. This had to be done, and had to be done now. If this works, she could still be George's girlfriend, and he'll never find out about him for it'll be irrelevant. It'll be just her... and him...
He? Move on? What was Rias talking about? George was so confused but he couldn't think straight. "I'm ready for you, George. Take all the time you need, just... be gentle..." Rias said, giving George the okay, but he just laid there unmoving, resisting whatever urges he was getting. This was a new experience for him and while he wouldn't mind if it was genuine, something about the way Rias talked just rubbed him the wrong way. She was not the same Rias he's come to know and love, and even though she was asking for it, was this really what she needed?
Rias saw George wasn't making a single move. Why? This is what boyfriends and girlfriends do anyway, right? So what's the problem? She didn't get it! "COME ON! What are you waiting for?" She raised her voice. "Are you just gonna lie there and deny me?!"
George reacted to that. It sounded like Rias was getting mad at him, but he didn't know what to do! Should he really give in? But if he did, was it the right thing? "I... no! NO, I just...!" George then shot up and hugged Rias tightly, not caring if the softness of her breasts were pressing against him. This caught the Devil off guard, now it was her turn to be unable to move. If he was denying her, he would have tried getting up but instead, he held her close. Her eyes just stared into space.
Akeno couldn't just watch anymore, she had to do something. If this did continue, both of them were gonna get seriously hurt! It was time to get them apart, fess up, and tell George the truth. If he heard it from anyone else but them, things were only gonna get worse! She was about to move to separate them or something...
Sadly... they ran out of time.
A purple portal opened up, getting everyone's attention, revealing the form to be a maid with gray hair & blue eyes. [Maaaaaaan! We didn't even get to the courtship dance] Owen complained, but it was unknown if he was being fully serious or half-joking.
The woman who had just appeared took in her new surroundings, apparently not hearing or acknowledging Owen's voice, looking around the room at George's stuff, then focused her eyes on Rias. "So this is where you ran off too, is it? To play around in a museum with a Low-Born before your wedding?"
George didn't know whether to appreciate that comment or feel offended over it, it was hard to tell this woman's intentions. It was at this point Rias got out of George's grasp and stood up with a hand on one of her hips to look noble, while still naked mind you. "I already told you, its my body, so its my decision who I give it too. And another thing... I won't tolerate anyone talking down on one of my honored servants, Ultimate Queen or not."
It felt good to George that Rias was defending from... Ultimate Queen, she said? So this lady was also a member of a Devil family? Whichever the case was, the maid reached down at the pile of Rias' clothes that she threw over there for "reasons", and dung through it.
"Even so, you are the next heir to the Gremory Family," said the maid, getting Rias' shirt from the pile of clothes and putting it on her. "Have some respect for yourself." She continued. Rias only folded her arms and closed her eyes. The maid then faced George. "Forgive the intrusion, she's always been stubborn. I'm Grayfia, also a member of the Gremory family, nice to meet you" she said, showing some respect to George by bowing to him.
"Uh... yeah, hi" said George, still processing everything that was happening. So Rias and him (despite him resisting at first) were about to do it, then in comes this random woman to put a stop to it. Rias had apparently cooled down enough, so then she got next to George as he was still sitting on his bed.
"I'm really sorry about this, George. I wasn't thinking straight. Can we just... forget this ever happened?" She asked, kindly.
'That's easier said than done' thought George. "S-Sure. I'll try" is what he responded with.
Grayfia looked surprised at the mention of George's name. "George?... As in George Anderson?" She asked. "So this is the Pawn everyone keeps talking about? The one with the Boosted Gear and Mesozoic Mind?" The Ultimate Queen continued. Rias turned around to face her older family member. She was about to answer when...
[I see you haven't changed in, what? 3000 Years? You don't look a day older.]
Owen.
For the first time during this ordeal, Grayfia smiled. "Flattery still gets you nowhere."
[Had to try] Owen shrugged. All 3 younger Devils in the room felt their jaws drop. No way... this had to be some kind of a joke, right?
"Um, you two..." said George.
"Know each other?" Finished Rias, now feeling like she had fallen to the lowest pit of hell. It was bad enough 2 voices would invade her head, but one of them actually knew one of her family members? When was her sorrow with this millennia-old lizard going to end?!
[So how'd that challenge with Serafall go? I was... kinda busy, ya know?] Owen said, apparently referencing older times.
"It was a good fight, but I gave her the title in the end out of respect" said Grayfia.
[So did you win or what?] Asked Owen.
"Oh, that would be telling" Grayfia said in a more humorous tone compared to the neutral one she was using before.
[COME OOOOOOON! Not even a hint?! I'm the one who came up with the idea of that hit romantic comedy with your husband!] Owen mock-complained, also adding something George had no idea about.
"The movie was his idea?" Trembled Rias. How much influence did this old bag of scales have in the Underworld?
[Can someone just kill me?] Ddraig groaned.
It was here Grayfia realized what was happening, then returned to her normal expression. "In any case, Rias; can we try this again, without you running off? You do realize how important this is, right? But if your still going to reject it, at least hear me out. It's under direct orders from Sirzechs" she said, hoping to get back to the topic.
Rias thought for a moment. She already failed to get down with George, mainly because she wasn't right in the head, but it appeared Grayfia was willing to accept Rias' opinions as long as she could speak to her. "Fine. Akeno is also coming with us, or is that a problem?" Said Rias, laying down her own terms.
"Not at all" Grayfia agreed. With that, Rias relaxed a bit. She went to get the rest of her clothes, when George suddenly realized something.
"Uh, Rias?" He asked, getting her attention. "What's this about a wedding?" Rias' eyes slightly widened upon that, looking ashamed of herself. She was hoping he didn't hear or catch onto that. "Rias... what's going on?" George repeated. She didn't answer for several seconds before standing up again, still not fully dressed.
"Akeno, Grayfia... give us a minute" she asked them, not facing them.
"But Rias, we don't have..." Grayfia tried to say.
"Now." Rias cut her off, snapping her head at them, but not yelling just using a stern tone. Getting the message, Grayfia left in a magic circle, and Akeno went outside the door. She knew exactly what Rias was gonna do. Rias just hoped it wasn't too late. With them finally alone, she took a deep breath, and sat on the bed next to George, admitting everything with some tears of guilt in her eyes. "I'm so, so sorry George. I never meant for things to go this far."
George could only stare at her in confusion, but he listened very carefully to every word she said.
"I used you. I used you for just a snippet of happiness before my life was over," Rias began. "At first, it was just a means to an end... but after a while... I felt really happy. Happy that someone wasn't looking at me like a prize to be won. Before you came around, I was arranged to marry the heir of the Phenex Clan, Riser Phenex," she spat her future husbands name with venom. "I had no say in the matter. It was to preserve the noble blood-line of Devils after the last war wiped over half of us out."
Owen began to comment on this, but Ddraig shut him down by interrupting him with a flat tone.
Owen: [But, you can't concei...]
Ddraig: [Shut up.]
"So I refused. Over and over again. But do I get a choice? No! It's all about those stupid politics over me!" Rias raised her voice, the frustration over years of this surfacing before calming back down and feeling guilty again. "I just... wanted to know what it was like... to actually be in a relationship I wanted... but I just used you, knowing I'll have to eventually distance myself from you."
It all came together for George. Some of the little hints he'd heard about Rias throughout the story began to make sense. Was he shocked? Yes. Was he upset? A little, but it sounded like Rias wasn't given much room to negotiate on her end. And when the time came, she lashed out and threw herself at him as a last resort out of desperation.
Rias didn't do this often, but bowed before George. "I know you must be fuming, so if you need to; yell. Yell at me." She said before shutting her eyes as she looked down, admitting it was wrong for her to use him the way she did and was willing to accept him being angry with her. She felt his hands on her... physical punishment then? She wasn't normally one for this, but if this was what she needed to do for atonement, then so be it.
Color her surprised when she was pulled up, and into a hug. Her eyes shot open, head on his chest, not understanding what was going on. He was hugging her? How could he? She played him for her own selfish desires!
"I am a bit upset you kept this from me, and I really wish you would've told me the truth in the first place," George said. "... But I can never be mad at you, Rias. You felt like you had no choice" he continued, with Rias' eyes widened a bit more. He understood? He then began petting the top of her head, and then said 3 little words that Rias never thought she'd hear: "I forgive you."
She tried not to, but Rias did start weeping a bit before returning the hug tightly and crying. She couldn't help it. For so long, she's been fighting this seemingly endless battle, and ended up using one of own peerage members for her own needs. Now someone was finally giving her the chance to speak her mind and at the end of it all, forgave her. They both stayed like this for a bit until Rias recovered enough to sit up on her own. George wipe one stray tear from her cheek before making a promise:
"Rias, I... no... WE... will find a way out of this. Whatever it takes, we're in this together!"
XXXXXXXXX
The next day in the late afternoon, Rias has stepped outside the ORC main room while the others are having lunch. She called the house to talk with the Fallen, telling them not to the ORC building this evening. Things are going to heat up soon... literally. Now while George may seem fine on the outside as he was reading from his Dinosaur book, she could easily tell that he was a turmoil of anger on the inside. There was a good 99% chance that when Riser arrives today, Volcano George will blow his top.
Thankfully, the Fallen agreed since it was a conflict of interest. By evening, a flaming portal appeared with Riser coming forth. George was able to do something, his anger boiling to the surface; but Rias, who was next to him, grabbed his hand and squeezed it, silently telling George to calm down. It was an effort on his end, but George suppressed his feelings for now.
That is, until the arrogant hothead became visible. George's eyes changed to reptilian, wanting to change into his newest dinosaur so bad and rip this birdbrain apart... but he shook his head to shake away those thoughts. He needed to remain calm. He had to.
Riser took in his surrounded of the familiar ORC clubhouse, seeing the Devils he recognized until his eyes stopped at George for a moment. Unlike the others, this kid didn't look anything special... he also noticed Rias was holding his hand, which admittedly ticked him off a bit, but knew that was probably just Rias babying one of her servants. The Gremorys' had that reputation after all. Rias and Riser discussed some things on one of the sofas, Rias of course having to let go of George, but George wasn't paying attention and kept his eyes on Riser.
And when Riser grabbed Rias forcefully at the tail-end of an argument; THAT'S when George lost it...
With both Gear's being activated, he uses the Mesozoic Mind to transform into the final Triassic Dinosaur: Daemonosaurus. It was similar in size to his Chindesaurus, at 7 feet long, 1 meter tall, & 50lbs. Not only that, but the colors were almost the same just the underside was a dull green, and there were dark orange spots that have faint yellow rings around them. The head is also different: being short, rounded & thin. His bird-like eyes are large, while the teeth at the front of the upper jaw are very prominent, almost buck-toothed.
Much to George's surprise, Riser wasn't taken aback like other Devils that had seen George's power. Grayfia, who was in the room to keep things calm, wasn't surprised either yet she had an excuse since she knew Owen (and most likely his powers) previously. He must've been more arrogant than George thought. That being said, he STILL did not let go of Rias. He just grinned in George's direction, making the dino-morpher that much angrier.
"Humph. Cute. So your the 'Transforming Lizard' that everyone keeps talking about..." he said, his tone unchanged. Riser has heard many stories about this supposed transforming demon, but never believed them. Even though the proof was in front of him now, 50 pounds of scales a few feet from him, the kid didn't seem like anything special. So he had a rare Gear and the only one of its kind. Big deal.
Just as George was about to go for Riser's head in a fit of rage, either decapitation or chomping it, he was stopped by a woman garbed in a mix of Western & Eastern knight armor with a double-edged sword. She gave George a hard glare. She moved as fast as Kiba did, suggesting she was a Knight, which Riser confirmed upon thanking her. She looked back at her King & nodded, giving him a cute smile, but this lapse of focus gave George the opportunity to strike back by chomping her arm, puncturing clean through. While the teeth weren't big enough to reach her skin, it still caught her by surprise. She shook her arm a few times to get the little dinosaur off her, and George ended up losing his grip and landing on one of the sofas.
That was just embarrassing for George, but he wasn't going to give up. He recovered but when he was about to go again, "Enough!" Grayfia spoke out, intervening with a powerful voice along with flaring some of her power in warning. This made Riser's Knight, Karlamine, and George himself back down. The feeling of Grayfia's power was more intense than Rias' power. Guess that's what the Ultimate Queen title was for...
"If your going to act like bickering children, do it on the battlefield." She continued. This got both Riser's and Rias' attention.
"Wait, are you suggesting a...?" Rias began, though had a good idea of what Grayfia was going to say, but couldn't believe it.
"If your both gonna continue to go back and forth, Sirzechs has authorized a Rating Game to settle the matter fairly" Grayfia said.
Riser scoffed. "A Rating Game," he began, finding this poetic. He's been in 100's of games, yet Rias hasn't done a single one as of yet. "Tell me Rias, is this all of your Peerage?" He asked. Rias nodded while glaring at him, trying not to appear intimidated. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Riser then summons the rest of his all-female peerage, has he only brought a few with him at first, which was a full set of 16! They all agreed to met again at this school in 10 days. Should the Gremory team win, Riser will be forced to leave Rias alone and never bother her again.
But should Riser... they'll have to find a new King.
54Godamora: Here we are folks, the home-stretch for season 1. You may be wondering where the 101 segment is. Well those are going on hold until the conclusion. Bakuganman said removing them would keep the tension. Which is also why I made that suggestion. I now turn the reins over to Hareta for a bit to explain his side.
Raynare: He's too busy thinking.
54Godamora: Ah yes. Said suggestion my bro is thinking of. He's taking 3 days to mull it over and I promised to not pester him about it. Now one behind-the-scenes trivia: the rough draft originally had a different Riser, one that was afraid of George since the latter intended on decapitating Riser. It was only with the revelation of his sister that George opted to hold back, since George doesn't want to tear a family apart. Regardless, the rough draft really showcased how much I hate Riser. Hopefully, that hatred will be properly showcased in the new few chapters.
Owen: I'm already observing the ideas you & George have planned; some of which would give Akeno a nosebleed. *Shudders*
54Godamora: Right. A glimpse of those ideas will be unveiled in the next chapter. Speaking of which, that next chapter will introduce something new for the Gremory Peerage: Prehistoric-themed Battle Gear! That and the Early Jurassic Dinosaurs. Speaking of Dinosaurs, the design of Daemonosaurus belongs to Cisiopurple. We don't own Highschool DXD, either.
Both: Until next time, peace!