I DO NOT own Marvel or Highschool DxD

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As the ORC made their way up the hill, Rias was surprised to see that Issei was able to keep up with the group despite the heavy load he was carrying. She expected Peter to be able to make the journey, having super human abilities and all, and it was nowhere near as heavy as what Koneko was carrying but she assumed that Issei would've been struggling by now.

"Im surprised…", said Rias

"About?...", replied Akeno

"Issei is fairing much better than I thought he would. He isn't showing any signs of fatigue…"

"Perhaps we've underestimated our pawn fufu~ He has proven to be quite formidable in the past."

Rias looked over to see Issei and Peter talking about bagels of all things

"Sesame is the best hands down…"

"Yea sesames alright but I like poppy seed…"

"Poppy!? Gross…hey Kiba what about you? What's your favorite?..."

"Hmm if I had to pick, I would say-"

"WRONG!...", Kiba and Asia flinched at Issei's sudden declaration,"…sesame is the only right answer…"

"What are you two going on about?...", Sona asked

"About which bagel is best…"

" About…bagels?..."

"Yup, nothing beats a good bagel…", Peter smiled

"I…see…"

"Hey Sona, how'd you and Pete convince May to let him go on this trip?"

"Oh man, I could go for never going through that again…", Peter whimpered

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The Previous Day...

Peter opened the front door to his house and let Sona go in first. Hearing the door open and close, Aunt May wandered over to see who had just entered.

"Peter is that y-Oh! What a surprise, hello Sona. Please, come in come in…"

"Thank you, Mrs. Parker…"

"Would you like some tea?..."

"If its no too much of a bother Mrs. Parker, that would be nice…"

"Tea actually sounds pretty good right no-"

"Peter grab the teacups for me will you?"

"Uh…yea…sure…"

As they all gathered around the living room, Sona and Peter sat down on a couch across from the recliner that May took.

They all sat in silence for a moment, Peter and Sona kept shooting each other looks as if to say 'which one of us is gonna ask her?' Finally, Peter was going to pose the question, until May cut him off.

"So, Sona dear, how long have you known Peter?"

"Oh w-well, I knew of him for a while but…we were never formally introduced, until recently."

"I see…", May paused to take a sip of her tea,"…Peters single ya know…"

Peter choked on his tea when she said this…

"I-I see…so he is…", if Sona's slight tint of red was anything to go by, she was a little flustered.

Seeing that if she wasn't stopped, May would continue to tease Peter and May. Luckily, Peter stepped in before it could get worse.

"So uh May, some of my friends from school are in a bit of a pickle and they asked Sona and me for my help with uh…hey Sona what was it again?"

"Huh!?..Oh! Well, the occult research club needed help with…um…"

"With research!"

"Y-Yes that's right…research…as you know Mrs. Parker, your nephew is quite a gifted intellectual. His talents would be a great asset to us were he to come so-"

"Its alright dear, you can go…"

"May please! This is really important and…wait…I can go?"

"Sure, just be careful alright?..."

"Wait, I thought I was grounded…"

"I can ground you another time…"

"You're…you're not mad? Is it really okay?"

"Peter, I don't think I have to tell you that when a pretty girl such as Sona asks for your help you'd better say yes, its your job as a gentleman to come to her aid haha! It's clear to me that whatever you have going on at school means a lot to you. It fills me with joy to see you so invested in something, and to see that you're finally out of that rut you were in…I couldn't have asked for a better nephew…"

"What do you mean?...", Peter wondered

"As soon as you heard your friends needed help you jumped at the opportunity to lend a hand, Ben would be proud…I'm proud of you…", May got a little teary eyed thinking of Ben, as she usually did. Remembering she had a guest over, she straightened up and changed the subject. "…ahem…So…when will you be leaving?..."

"First thing tomorrow Mrs. Parker, I…also forgot to mention that we'll be gone for ten days….", answered Sona

"Oh my, Peter you'd better get to packing. You wouldn't want to put everything off until morning."

"May…I don't know what to say."

"Hmm, how about we just call this one of your Christmas presents. Deal?"

"Heh sure. Uh sorry Sona, I'll be back. I gotta go get my things together, won't take long."

"Of course, I'll wait outside"

As Peter rushed upstairs, Sona got up and thanked Aunt May for the tea and made her way to the door. On the way over, she was stopped by May.

"Sona, could I ask a favor of you?..."

"Of course, what is it?..."

"Peter is very smart as you know, but he can be a little clumsy sometimes. Would you look out for him, please?"

"Um…rest assured Mrs. Parker, Peter is more than capable of…", Sona looked into the eyes of the desperate woman, after hearing Peter's story, it would make sense that May would be a little over protective of the only family she had left.

"…I'll make sure to keep him out of harms way Mrs. Parker…you have my word."

"Ah what a relief, thank you dear…and don't be afraid to put the moves on him either, along with being clumsy, that boy can be quite dense as well."

"M-M-Mrs. Parker!? I d-don't know what you're insinuating but P-Peter and I aren't like that!"

"Well, you never know~ hahaha!"

Eventually Peter emerged from his house and met Sona outside. She decided to keep that last bit, between her and May, to herself. She had experienced enough embarrassment for one day.

"Sorry for the wait…", said Peter closing the door behind him

"Not at all, now that that's out of the way I suppose I'll head back to the student council office. I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Parker…"

"Hey wait! If you're not to busy why don't we get some scones?"

"Some…scones?"

"Don't tell me you've never had a scone before…"

"I'm afraid I haven't…", Sona was a bit hesitant to accompany Peter, though she wasn't entirely against it. She just wasn't sure what they would talk about, it would ruin her if Peter thought she was boring or something.

"What!? All the more reason to get one then! Come on, I know this place that'll really knock your socks off. Unless you really need to get going that is…"

"N-No…I would like to try one…but if I may ask Mr. Parker what's the occasion?"

"Well, I guess you could call it a thank you for helping us out. Plus is still feel bad about the way I acted. Not to mention we don't leave till tomorrow, so we have loads of time to kill heh heh…"

Sona felt a bit giddy being asked by Peter if she wanted to go with him, she knew that if she said no, he probably would've gone on his own anyway. Still, she appreciated him asking. She put her hands behind her back and interlaced her fingers. As she began walking ahead of Peter, she decided that it would be fun to tease him a little.

"I'll have you know Mr. Parker I'm a strict teacher. No amount of bribery will make me go easy on you~"

"Is that so? Well then, I guess I'd better step my game up, Ms. Sitri…"

The two teens got scones like they said they would, and to Sona's shock, the scones turned out to be pretty good. Though, they tasted a lot better with Peter around, Sona couldn't remember the last time she had that much fun. She would have to learn how to make scones for Peter one day…

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"I swear, I can never read that woman sometimes. Oh yea, Sona, will the student council be aright while you're gone?...", Peter asked

"There's no need to worry Mr. Parker, I left Tsubaki in charge. She and the others will be just fine without me."

As they finally reached the training grounds, a mansion was apparently waiting for them at the top of the hill.

"Wow, is that where we'll be staying?", asked Asia, mesmerized by the enormous house

"That's right, for the next ten days, we'll be pushing ourselves to the absolute limit. So I need everyone to give it their best shot, is that clear?"

Rias' peerage agreed in unison, ready and willing to put in the work to win the rating game.

"Good, now then, let's get to it…"

"Huh!? We just got here! Can't we take a little break first?" cried Issei

Peter placed a hand on Issei's shoulder, "…Come on buddy we're gonna have to give our one hundred and ten percent while we're here. Otherwise, that Riser guy is gonna fry us when we have to face him, and I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan being cooked alive…"

"*sigh*…fair enough, so what's first then?..."

As they made their way inside, the boys and girls split up and changed in separate rooms. Each one of them donning a track suit or P.E attire.

In the boy's room, Issei had brought a grey track suit just like Kiba did, meanwhile Peter wore sweats, sneakers and a plain white tee that was a size too big for him. It did a good job of hiding his toned physique.

However, Peter noticed a mischievous grin appear on Issei's face, a look that signified the worst aspect of his dear friend.

"*sigh*…Issei…no…"

"Peter, in this house, right now, at this exact moment, there is a room full of naked girls. Or at least semi naked, its our duty as men to go 'investigate'…"

"…I can't express enough how much of a bad idea that is, I think they might actually kill you if you did that…"

"Peter's right Issei, we need you for this rating game so please avoid doing anything that might take you out of it…like peeking in on the girls…"

"Shut it pretty boy! I wasn't blessed with good looks or a big brain, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm not gonna let something like dying stand in my way…"

"…What made him this way?...", Kiba whispered to Peter

"I don't know, if only he used that perseverance of his for good, he'd be unstoppable…", Peter mocked, Issei wasn't listening to any of it however. His thoughts were already trailing off into more…lewd scenarios…

Fortunately, Koneko had come to get the boys and was fully dressed in her PE outfit. She was greeted by Peter when she knocked on the door.

"Oh hey Koneko…"

"C'mon, we're waiting…"

"Aw man…we were too late…", Issei whimpered. Koneko tilted her head in confusion, unsure as to what was bothering Issei.

"What's he talking about…", she asked

"We just wanted to see who could answer the door first, come on let's get going…"

Once they gathered outside Rias went about assigning who would be training who. Kiba would help Issei with his swordsmanship and attack prowess, while Koneko would help him with his combative technique. Akeno would help him and Asia with their magic.

All that was left was Sona and Peter. As Kiba and Issei engaged in a sparring match with wooden swords, Sona and Peter distanced themselves as to not disturb them. Koneko pouted when she saw Peter leaving with Sona, she had hoped to train Peter at some point but for now she would have to focus on training Issei.

"So, what's first coach?", Peter asked

"Hmm, I guess we'll start with a basic understanding of magic. What do you know so far?"

"Uhh…not much."

"I see, well for starters there's a wide variety of magic, from devil magic, angel magic, and fallen angel magic to white magic, black magic, and even alchemy."

"Jeez, if I had known there were so many, I would've made flashcards…"

"No need to worry Mr. Parker, due to the time limitations, we'll only focus on elemental magic. However, we can only work on one element, again due to time constraints, so which one would you like to learn?"

"Umm…what elements are there?"

"Well there's lightning, fire, ice, and water. Rias' queen, Ms. Himejima, excels at lightning magic among other elements. I myself am quite adept at water magic…", that was an understatement, due to her Sitri heritage she had a knack for using water magic, though Sona wasn't one to brag. "As you can see…", Sona manifested a blue magic circle and shot blast of water decimating a nearby tree.

"Holy…Sona that was amazing!"

Sona blushed slightly at the compliment,"…Th-Think nothing of it, so have you decided?"

"Well why not learn water magic from the master herself? Heh heh…oh and one other thing actually…"

"Yes?"

"You don't have to call me Mr. Parker, Sona. We're friends, just call me Peter."

"…Very well then…Peter, let us begin…what…are you doing?"

"Stretching, don't wanna pull a hammy"

"Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt to limber up before we begin…"

"Okay so…what do I do?..."

"You've used your magic before, haven't you? For now, just try concentrating it into the palm of your hand…"

"Okay sounds easy enough…", Peter attempted to focus all the energy he could into his hand, though for one reason or another it wasn't working. He tried to remember what was so different about all those other times he had used it. He noticed a pattern, it usually showed itself when he was on the brink of death. Hypothesizing that his magic was probably fueled by emotion as well he tried again.

Peter closed his eyes and concentrated on just making something happen, anything. Suddenly his hands brimmed to life with that erratic and wild energy, he had seen before. As the red static kept popping in flaring in his hand, Sona walked up to him to examine it.

"Interesting…your magic is different from any magic I've seen before…"

"Is that a good thing?...Please say it's a good thing…"

"I'm not sure…it doesn't look stable. Try controlling it…"

"Agh…it's taking everything I have to just put on this little light show here."

As Peter continued to struggle, Sona clasped Peters hand with both of hers. She began glowing, a gentle aura surrounding the two. It was nice, Peter could've compared it to being nice and curled up under the covers on a winter night, it was certainly relaxing he could've fallen a sleep right then and there.

Miraculously, Peter's spastic and wild magic had calmed down. It let out a low hum and looked much more stable than before, it was also a lot brighter and…not as heavy.

"Woah…how did you…"

"I thought if I could lend you some of my magic it would be able to balance it out and make it a bit easier to control. I was hesitant at first, seeing as you're still human in most ways and I didn't want you to pass out due to the amount of magic surging through you. However, it seems like you're quite the conductor for magic Peter.

"Like metal and electricity?"

"Precisely, you might even be able to absorb other peoples magic. As I was giving you my magic energy, there was no end. Meaning I probably could've given you all my magic and you still would've been at less than half."

"Wow that sounds filling get it…anyway if you're saying I have the ability to do that. Does that make me a sort of…magic sponge?"

"That's one way to put it, though just because you're capable of intaking so much magic, doesn't mean you should…"

"Whys that?..."

"As I stated before, you're still more or less human. While the spider blood may have given a great tolerance, too much magic may be lethal even to you. Why do you think Rias is training Mr. Hyoudou, because he needs to be strong enough to be able to control that much magic. Your endurance, durability, and strength are far superior to that of any human, which is why you haven't killed over yet."

"Sooo its like pouring eight ounces into a four ounce cup?..."

"Haha, your aunt said you were clever~ I suggest you develop your physique further Peter, if you want to master any form of magic your body must be able to keep up…"

"Understood…um so are we gonna keep training like this? Or…", Sona looked down and forgot that she was still holding onto Peters hand, her face became beet red, and she jumped back several meters

"M-M-M-My apologies! Ahem…i-in any case, now that you have a better grip on your magic, why don't you try manifesting it this time"

"Okay…what should I do…"

"Try whatever comes natural, how about a barrier…"

"Okay one magic barrier comin up…", Peter focused all his energy into making a defensive barrier, his energy hummed to life in his palms once again. It grew brighter and louder, finally Peter had managed to make a barrier.

"Woah…H-Hey Sona look! I did it I made a-", Peter turned to look at Sona who had launched another blast of water at him, luckily his newly formed barrier was up and was able to withstand the attack.

"WOAH! A little warning would've been nice!"

"It seems you put up a sturdy barrier, not bad. Hmm…"

"Uhh Sona?"

"…lets ditch the water magic for now, lets focus on strengthening magic…"

"Just gonna blow past the fact that I could've died…"

"Peter. Focus"

"*sigh*…alright strengthening magic, what's that about…"

"Similar to the barrier, except you focus your magic into yourself. Hence the name, you get a physical boost to all your abilities, Stamina, strength, etcetera. Someone skilled in strengthening magic can also strengthen others along with the themself. These are the two types of magic I want you to focus on while we're here, understood?..."

"Uh yea sure…", Sona's attitude changed, now that she had found what something that Peter could excel at, she got straight to the point. Peter, came to realize that the rest of this wouldn't be that fun, then again it was a training camp. However, he accepted it, he had come here to get stronger and that's exactly what he was going to do.

Peter had spent the entire day working on his strengthening magic and defensive magic, it was pretty clear that he was worn out. Being drenched in sweat from head to toe, and collapsing on the ground. He was felt like he had just ran seven marathons.

"Alright I think that's enough for today. Come on…"

"YA THINK!? Ugh…", as Peter picked himself up, he thought Sona was joking about being a strict teacher, as it turns out she was dead serious. He then wondered what the student council had to go through with her as their leader.

"Those poor saps…" he muttered

"What was that?"

"Er uh nothing heh heh just thinking about today's training"

"You shouldn't worry too much Peter, despite how difficult it may have seemed. I've never seen someone get the basics down so quickly…", Sona removed her glasses to clean them. Peter stared at her for a while. She looked…different without them, but…good different."…just keep at it Peter, don't give up…Peter?"

"Oh uh sorry, yea I'll keep at it, promise…"

Once they all regrouped inside, Issei and Peter were the only ones who looked like they had survived a stampede…barely. Apparently, training wasn't over for them as they were placed on cooking duty along with Asia.

After Rias explained to them that they would have to prepare the meal with only magic, Peter and Issei were ready to curl up and cry…

Luckily Asia was the best cheerleader anyone could ask for, so she was able to get them back in high spirits.

"So…how'd you guys do in your training…", Peter said focusing on the onion in his hand

"Koneko kicked my ass, but atleast she was nice about it…"

"Sounds about right, how about you Asia…", the two brunettes looked over to see Asia already boiling the water with her magic.

"Yes! I did it! Oh I'm sorry were you two saying something?", Asia tilted her head

"Can you do that?...", Issei asked Peter in a dry tone

"No…no I cannot. *sigh*…I can make barriers but I can't peel a stinking spud, come on…", Peter narrowed his eyes at the ground food. He would peel it if it was the last thing he did.

Seeing how hard Peter was trying Issei picked up one of the onions and tried as well, after a few seconds of concentration, his mind started to wander. Remembering how Akeno's breasts were presented to him earlier that day. How her shirt, hugged her figure tight showing off her impressive curves. Issei wouldn't mind peeling that shirt off of her-

"Woah! Issei how'd you do that!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

'Wow! Congratulations Issei! I knew you would get the hang of it!", Issei wasn't sure what Asia and Peter were talking about. Asia was clapping for him and Peter wouldn't stop staring at the peeled onion in his hands…wait…

"I…I peeled it?..."

"Here heads up…", Peter tossed a potato over to Issei, once he caught it, he thought about setting Akeno's breasts free again and surprisingly enough, the skin of the spud just flew off.

"To think that peelers all around the world are about to lose their purpose thanks to Issei, the world is truly a strange place ", Asia giggled at Peters quip

"Heh, just you watch I'm gonna peel the shit out of these potatoes!", shouted Issei. Peeling onions and potatoes left and right, he had truly mastered the art of peeling vegetables, and all because he thought about boobs. Issei got a little carried away however, and ended up peeling more than what was necessary. As the kitchen was littered with potato and onion skins the chef trio were in a bit of a predicament.

"Welp, at least we'll be getting a good serving of vitamin C…."

"Woops heh heh sorry guys…"

Fortunately, this ended up working out for them as there were a good chunk of people to feed. Especially since Peter and Issei had used up a lot of energy today they ended up eating most of what they had prepared.

"So how did training go for everyone today?" asked Rias

"Not what I expected but I am getting stronger. Even if she is a bit strict, Id be totally lost without Sona's help heh heh…",

"I'm simply doing what was asked of me, there's no need for thanks…"

"Aw come on, I mean it, you were a big help Sona I really appreciate it…", Sona kept eating despite the red tint on her face, Koneko was getting a little peeved at how friendly Sona and Peter had gotten.

Peter's gaze wandered over to Koneko who was drilling holes into him with that death stare of hers. Peter flinched when their eyes met, unsure as to what could've warranted such a look.

"I-Is everything alright Koneko?..."

Koneko pouted and went back to eating, "…Idiot…"

"Huh?…"

"Thank you for the meal you three it was delicious, now how about we hit up the baths?"

"Woah you're all going together!?", said Issei with a mouthful of food

"Well that's the plan, what did you want to come with us?~"

"HELL YEAH I WANNA GO!"

"Akeno would you be alright with Issei coming?"

"Fufu sure~ We could wash those hard to reach places~"

"What about you Asia? Are you okay with it?"

"Sure! I don't mind…"

"What is this turning into?", Peter muttered

"How about you two? Sona, Koneko, can Issei join us in the bath…."

Issei had already lost all his senses, just the thought of seeing Rias, Akeno and the others all lathered up and covered in suds, it was enough to make a man's pants 'shrink'.

"Absolutely not…" Sona and Koneko said in unison

"Oh, well there you have it, sorry Issei maybe next time ufufu~"

Issei fell out of his chair once he heard that the two had vetoed the idea, so close…so…close…

Once inside the bath, Peter felt like he was melting away. After a long day's work, a nice warm bath could do wonders.

"Ahh~ This is great. I guess, coming along on this trip had its perks after all", Peter was completely submerged, the only part of him that was above water was his nose and up.

"Indeed, a bath after a hard days work can certainly make you feel revitalized. I hear you're quite the expert in defensive and strengthening magic now Peter.", said Kiba

"Ah no way, I wouldn't call myself an expert. I have a pretty good understanding of things though thanks to Sona. I had no idea that magic was so versatile."

"As long as you have the magic power, you can do almost anything,"

"Huh, that's pretty neat…*sigh*…can it cure whatever perv demon has possessed my friend over there?..." Peter said in a dry tone, Isseis gaze was burning holes into the wall that separated the baths. Try as he might he couldn't see through to the other side. The wall was pretty thick and in good condition, unless you were actively trying to tear it down, it was staying right where it was.

"Issei do you plan on coming back down to earth anytime soon?" Kiba joked

"Shut it! I'm in the middle of training, you said that as long as you had the magic power anything was possible right?"

"Keyword being almost…"

Remembering Koneko's words Issei was fired up, "Alright! If I'm gonna be classified as a pervert than that's just what ill do! Just you watch, I'll be remembered as the world's greatest pervert ever! NO! THR GREATEST PERVERT IN HISTORY! HAAAAAGGHHH!"

"Pretty sure you've already got that part down..."

"Hahaha, you have to give him credit. I don't think anyone else would go around shouting things like that…"

Later that night, Peter found himself making a late night trip to the bathroom. On his way back to his room, he looked out the window to see Issei and Rias talking about something, deciding to leave them be Peter made his way back to his room. After tossing himself back into bed, he recalled everything that had happened today.

Apparently, he was a magician now, that was pretty cool. Thinking of different ways to utilize the two types of magic in various scenarios, he thought about how they would've come in handy when he was going up against Electro or Mysterio.

Peter then thought about Kuoh, sure it was only ten days, but he still felt pretty bad for leaving. Who knows what could've happened while he was gone. Though he wasn't entirely consumed with guilt, he was doing something productive in place of that.

Peter couldn't fall asleep; he had a habit of doubting himself even if he had gone above and beyond. It was something he had always done, ever since he was a kid. Usually, Uncle Ben would be around to snap him out of those thoughts. May was good at it too and Peter owes his life to that woman for everything she's done, but no matter what scenario Ben always knew what to do…he could really use his advice right about now…

Meanwhile…

Back in Kuoh the it was the dead of night and Tsubaki, Momo, and Saji were scouting out the Oscorp headquarters. Much to their dismay, there still wasn't anything new to report. It was as if the building had been abandoned, the occasional employee would come in or out, but that was about it.

Based off what Peter had told them, the outer layer of the skyscraper was electrified. Apparently, they had fallen angels on their payroll too. Sona also gave them explicit orders to observe only, as their numbers were significantly lowered. Just as they were about to call it a day, Tsubaki noticed a couple vans pull up behind the building. The windows were tinted, and the drivers didn't look like any deliverymen she had seen before.

"Hold on…", Tsubaki gestured for Momo and Saji to stop, "…somethings happening…". Several Oscorp guards poured out of the building and opened the back of the van. They were moving in such an organized fashion you'd think they rehearsed this scenario more than a few times. Whatever was in the back of those vans was important to whatever Osborn had going on inside.

The staff quickly unloaded three black cases, more weapons? New technology to use against the devils? No sooner than they appeared, the vans sped off and the staff quickly headed back inside with their new cargo. Luckily, Tsubaki was able to catch a glimpse of what the cases had scribbled on them. Ex-R, Ex-N, and Ex-T, was all she could make out before they were obscured.

The building was silent once more, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Woah…what do you think was in those cases?", asked Saji

"I'm not sure it could be anything, however they were acting very cautious. Whatever it was, they really didn't want anyone seeing them…"

"So what now? Should we wait a little longer and see if something else happens?", asked Momo

"No, I think that's as much noise as they're going to make for now…Let's get going we don't want them to know we're here…", as Saji and Momo nodded in agreement to Tsubaki's orders, they all left from their spot and were on their way back to the student council office. Tsubaki gave the building one last look before they departed.

It was clear to anyone that the Oscorp building wasn't very inviting. The only color that it displayed were the neon green lights at the top that read the company's name. The entire thing was black with a slight hue of dark purple. It sat in the middle of Kuoh with an ominous presence, a sort of dark tower that was out of place even for this town.

On their way back to the office Momo and Saji were leading while Tsubaki trailed behind lost in thought. What was in those cases, and why was it that they were being so secretive about them. It didn't take a genius to figure out that those cases spelled trouble. Tsubaki would have to tell Sona when she came ba-

"Woah, check it out…" said Saji, pulling Tsubaki from her thoughts

She looked over to see, a guard handing over gold bars to a man in a ragged hoodie. He definitely didn't work for the bank and the whole scene just gave off vibes of something worse to come.

"That…doesn't look like standard procedure…", said Momo,"…Tsubaki? What do we do here?..."

The red flags were a dime a dozen, the man in the ragged hoodie literally being handed gold bars, the unmarked van he was putting them in, and not to mention that the guards eyes were…glowing as if he were possessed or something.

As the guard went inside to retrieve more gold, the man in the hoodie looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Surely enough he spotted three high school students gawking at him from across the street. Normally Tsubaki, Saji, and Momo, were able to keep their nerves in check, but when this man turned to look at them, they felt shivers shoot up their spines. His skin was snow white; the hoodie did a fair job of obscuring the man's face but what really got to them was what they couldn't see. In place of where his features should be was a black void, as if his head were completely hollow.

Attempting to scare the high schoolers off, The Spot put his finger up to where his nose should be, in a hushing motion. Then he shooed them off, and began walking inside along with the guard.

"Something is definitely wrong here, Tsubaki what do we do?..."

Tsubaki wasn't sure what to do, they were forbidden from involving themselves in human affairs, but there was clearly something going on in this bank.

Unfortunately, Tsuabki wouldn't have enough time to make a decision as a blood curdling cream resonated from within the bank. On instinct the three devils rushed inside without a second thought.

The lights of the building were off, minus a few rooms in the back. As they scanned the entrance, they saw multiple guards standing around idly. All of their eyes were glowing a bright white.

Momo walked up to one of the guards to examine them, "…excuse me? Are you…". The guard simply turned to look at Momo, staring at Momo with his glowing orbs. After a moment he simply resumed his idle stance and went back to looking at nothing.

"What…happened to them?", asked Saji,"…they're like…zombies or something…"

Tsubaki went up to another guard and waved her hand in his face, no response…

"This has to be some form of hypnosis, though…I've never seen one like this before. Still, this is demonic energy, I can feel it…", Tsubaki bit her thumb, she hoped that there was someway to free these me from their supposed brainwashing. "…Come on, we need to find the source of that scream we heard…"

"So we're really going through with this then?", asked Saji

"Yes, if there is demonic energy present, then we're technically not getting involved with the humans. Plus, Mr. Parkers words resonated with me…" Saji and Momo felt the same, if someone had the power to help others, then why not do so? "Come, but stay low and move quietly, we don't know what we're up against here."

The three devils crouched down and made their way into the back rooms of the bank, where they had determined the scream came from.

"Why hasn't the alarm gone off? Don't these places have fail safes or something?" asked Saji

"Its more likely than not that the guards were told to disable any alarms. Whoever's doing this doesn't want any unwanted attention…"

As they continued through the dimly lit hallways of the bank, they heard what sounded like talking coming from one of the rooms. The three devils, stacked up by the door and waited for whoever it was to come out. Since Tsubaki was the closest to the door, she was able to listen in on the conversation inside.

"What the hell was that scream about?..."

"It was nothing, Li missed one of the guards. I saw him coming out of the bathroom, so I dealt with him…"

"Where is Li anyway?..."

"He's trying to get into the basement, apparently there's more cash down there or something…"

"What's keeping him? We gotta move, I feel like we're pushing our luck here…"

Tsubaki noticed that the door was slightly open and peeked inside. She saw a mysterious smoking red paste on the floor that led to a body, it was the guard. The paste trailed into the guard's arm, or at least what was left of it. It had been melted off; the guard must've passed out due to shock. Tsubaki recoiled at the graphic sight, her eyes widened, and she felt a cold sweat from on her brow. This wasn't an ordinary heist; these men were dangerous and didn't care about stepping over a few bodies to get what they wanted.

The guard stirred awake, as he awoke the pain came shooting back into his arm. Before he could continue screaming in agony, one of the men stuffed their foot in his mouth to keep him quiet.

"I wouldn't recommend that buddy…", said the man who appeared to be made of copper or brass, "…listen we're having a bit o' trouble getting into the basement. So I'll cut you a deal, you tell us how to get in and I won't turn your face into mush got that?"

The man removed his foot to let the man speak, the guard began crying. He didn't have or know the means to get into the basement, he simply didn't have any clearance to enter that part of the building. He was mostly put on duty to deter anyone from getting any funny ideas, the other guards deeper in the building actually carried firearms.

"P-Please I-I don't know how to get down there!"

"Keep your voice down…", the copper man growled, "…now I'm gonna ask you again, how we get in…"

"I really don't know you have to-AAAGGHHH!", the copper man stepped on the guard's leg, it began smoking and it smelled like something was burning.

As Tsubaki looked down, she saw that the copper man's foot had lit up, she could feel the heat from where she was standing.

"If you don't spill it, you're gonna lose a leg too. You work here, you gotta know something or at the very least know someone who does…"

The Spots phone went off, "…oh its Li…he says he got it open…"

"Oh…well what about the guard?..."

The Spot resumed texting Li on his cell"…What…about…the…gar-…there's a U in guard right?..."

"I think it's before the A…"

"…he said to waste him…"

"Whelp, I guess its not your day pal…", as the copper man's finger lit up, he prepared to jab it right in between the guard's eyes. The guard could no longer scream, fear had taken over. He was frozen stiff, at this point he accepted his fate, he cursed himself for taking this stupid security job. It was the best he could do after failing to get into the police academy, he should've taken it as a sign…

Seconds before he became a triclops, a bolt of lightning had struck molten man sending him flying through the wall. The loud boom snapped the guard out of his state, before he could realize what was going on Saji yanked him towards the door with his absorption line.

Now that the three devils had the guard, Tsubaki and Saji sent a dual attack of flames and lightning at The Spot, securing they're escape. In the commotion the devils bolted towards the entrance with Saji carrying the guard. Unfortunately, they ran into the possessed guards from earlier. Seeing no way around them as they formed a wall with their bodies. Just as they were about to run the other way, Molten Man and The Spot had appeared before them, emerging from a black hole in the ground.

They were cornered and the guard wouldn't last long…

"Hmm, seeing as you were able to get past Molten and Spot over there, I'm guessing you three aren't average high school students…" said Li, "…you know I'm looking for followers at the moment…", Li placed his hand on one of the possessed guard's shoulder. "These guys are loyal but…they don't make for very engaging conversation. Why don't you three come with me? If you do, I'll make it worth your while…"

None of the teens answered, they simply glared at the one who seemed to be in charge. The guard groaned in pain, every second counting as his light came closer and closer to be snuffed out.

"Tsubaki…he's not going to last much longer…" said Momo

Martin had waited long enough, "I guess your lack of response means that you declined, so be it. Kill them…" Martin had motioned for the possessed guards and his two lieutenants to close in on the trio.

"When I say so, duck…" Tsubaki whispered, Momo and Saji weren't sure what she was planning but they were game for whatever it was.

Once they had all gotten close enough, Tsubaki readied herself for their getaway. Once they were in range, she yelled out the signal.

"Duck!", with one fluid motion Tsubaki manifested her naginata and swung it around herself in a circle. Making sure to use the blunt side of the blade staff, she swatted all the possessed guards along with molten man into the streets outside, shattering the windows and glass doors in the process.

Mr. Negative and The Spot were able to avoid the long reach of Tsubaki's swing, returning with an attack of their own was out of the question as the trio of devils ,along with the wounded guard, had vanished.

"What the hell were they, those kids weren't normal…" said Spot

"…those were kuoh academy uniforms…"

"Huh?..."

"Kuoh Academy, it's the school they attend…unless they decided to wear the uniforms for fun, I think I know where we can find them…"

"So what? We gonna pay them a visit, or something?...", Molten said in an unamused tone, he was dusting the glass off of himself. He wasn't against the idea of returning the favor to the girl with the glasses.

"…No…right now we have bigger things to worry about. As long as we know where they are, that should be enough for now. We need to leave we've made a lot of commotion in our little scuffle. Grab what you can and get moving…"

"So we just gonna leave them kids be then?", asked Molten

"All in due time my friend…all in due time…"

A little while later, Tsubaki, Momo, and Saji appeared in the student council office. Momo was able to transport all of them just in time.

"Saji take him to the hospital, but make sure to slip away once you handed him over. The first thing they'll do is ask questions when they see you've brought in an injured man."

"Im on it…", Saji placed the man on his back and was on his way, Momo looked over to Tsubaki who was lost in deep thought yet again.

"Tsubaki?...", she asked, " those men…those weren't stray devils. Yet they were using magic, but it was different…what…happened to them…"

"I'm not sure…wait, Mr. Parker mentioned something about criminals being imbued with the power of a devil a while back, did he not…"

"You don't think…"

"It's the only viable explanation…if they're left to their own devices…", Tsubaki felt sweat forming on her brow, this was bad. She saw what they were capable of, the one who seemed the most dangerous was the photo negative individual. That must've been the one called Li, the pack leader of the group…

"Do you think they were working for Osborn?"

"No…Osborn is practically made of money it wouldn't make sense for him to resort to petty theft. They must be a separate party."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Tell the others to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I doubt this is the last we seen of them, and make sure to tell them to not engage. If they really are capable of hypnotization, then we need to keep our distance…"

"Understood…"

The Next Morning…

Peter yawned and rubbed his eyes as he woke up bright and early to begin his daily routine. He had walked outside to start but he couldn't find Sona anywhere, after a while he just shrugged and decided to start without her.

As he focused his magic, he heard the familiar hum of his energy manifest itself once again. He had definitely gotten a lot better, it was relatively easy to form a barrier, where he really struggled was the strengthening magic. He focused his magic into boosting his abilities, but he could only feel himself get slightly stronger.

Peter resumed a more relaxed state and evaluated himself. "Hmm, at this rate ill only be good for blocking attacks. While not a useless technique, I need some offensive attacks too…"

"What are you doing…"

Peter whipped his head around to see Koneko in her PE clothes, "…You know you have a habit of sneaking up on me heh, right now I'm just trying to get a handle on this strength magic business."

"…Where are you struggling…"

"Well whenever I try to beef myself up, I only feel a little bit stronger. I don't know if it's just me but I'm pretty sure I'm supposed be like…way stronger right?"

"Maybe this is your current limit…if you indulge in physical training it might help…"

"Is that so…guess I better get to it then-"

"Ten thousand push ups…that should be a pretty good warm up…"

"…from one crazy teacher to the next…*sigh*…alright fine…"

As Peter lowered himself into position, he began doing the Koneko sat down on his back and hugged her knees close.

"…Why'd you stop…keep going you, still have 9,995 more to go…"

"Ugh…whatever…you say…", as Koneko bobbed up and down for a few minutes she was a little impressed to see that Peter was still going. Thanks to his spider powers, Peter could probably break a few world records.

"…Peter…"

"Ugh…yea…what's up…ergh"

"…can I ask you something…"

"You…mmf…just did…heh…ack!", Koneko had chopped the back of Peters head with her hand, she was still a little mad at him for being all friendly with Sona, and that smug joke wasn't helping his case "…hey what was that for?...…"

"Keep going you're not done yet…"

"*sigh*…so...what…did you…ergh…wanna…ask me?"

"…you always talk about your aunt and uncle, do you have any other family?..."

"…not…that I know of…"

"…what about your parents…"

"…well…I don't really…know them…all that well…my uncle ben…told me…that they…passed away…in a plane crash…I was really young so….I don't really remember…what they look like…"

"I see…", the more Koneko learned about Peter, the more tragic his past turned out to be. She was surprised though, someone who had lost so much was still able to crack silly jokes. She wondered about that aspect of him. Most people would turn their back on the world after so much pain and loss, but not Peter, it was probably what she liked most about him.

"Doesn't it bother you…not knowing who they are?..."

"Well…it does a little…I find myself…thinking about it from time to time…ergh…I lost count what are we at again?..."

"I dunno just start over…", she said without skipping a beat

"Wh-What!? Koneko come on!"

"If you want to get stronger you have to be willing to put in the work. Start. Over"

"….this is against my rights…Ill see you…in court Ms. Toujo…"

"Hush up…" Koneko delivered another blow to Peters head, though this one was given in a much more playful manner.

"…what about…you?...where are your….ugh…parents?..."

Koneko hugged her knees even closer to her, she didn't like talking about the past but it was only fair since she asked Peter about his.

"They're…dead…except I knew them, my mother mainly took care of us. We rarely got to see my father…he was usually busy with work. The only memory I have of them is this clip in my hair…"

"You said us…do you have…siblings?..."

Konekos eyes widened, she quickly dismissed the possibility of her having anymore family members. "…No…"

"But you said AGH!...", attempting to steer the topic of discussion in a another direction Koneko slammed her hand into Peters skull once again.

"…that seriously hurts you know…" Peter said trying to soothe his aching head

"Stop stalling, get back to it…"

As Peter resumed his exercise, there was a long pause before anything else was said. The only thing that could be hear was the wind bloing against the grass and the trees, along with the occasional tweet from a bird. Peters push ups were so in rhythm that Koneko was being rocked to sleep by the motion. She had to steady herself a few times as to not dose off and fall.

After a few more reps, Peter spoke up…

"You're not alone you know…"

"Huh?..."

"You've got the entire ORC watching your back, Rias, Akeno, Asia, Kiba, and even Issei, despite his…pervy tendencies, are all looking out for you, and I'm right there with them…"

"Peter…"

"So don't ever go thinking that you have no one to rely on, because we'll always tap you on the shoulder to let you know that we've always got your back…"

"…you…mean that?"

"Of course! Were a team Koneko, and we've got to stick together even during the bad times. Just like a family would…"

"…thank you…" she whispered

"Huh? Sorry I didn't catch that…"

"It was nothing keep pushing…"

"What uh…what number are we on?..."

"I thought you were keeping count…"

"KONEKO!"

"…you know the rules…"

"*sigh…yea yea…one…two…three…four…five…six…"

Koneko hid her smile as she huddled herself on Peter's back, she already knew that this would be one of her fondest memories. Years from now she would remember making some human…no…making Spiderman do pushups while she sat on his back.

"Hey Peter…"

"…eleven…what's up?...twelve…thirteen…fourteen…"

"…your back is really comfy…"

"…seventeen…thanks!…nineteen…twenty…"

"…you goofball~…", she whispered. Koneko decided to shut her eyes, she would give anything for this moment with Peter to go on for a little bit longer…

.

.

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Bagels and Scones...

I hope you'll forgive me for bending the rules of magic a little as the DxD verse can be a little inconsistent with the small stuff, but then again what verse doesn't have inconsistencies. Some of the greatest comic books of all time have plot holes but we read them because of how insane and over the top they can be...like when spidercop turned out to be a real thing or when Spidey shot his radioactive goo into MJ and she got cancer...that was wild...

Anyway the next chapter wont be out for a while as I need to write out the rough draft for it, up until this point I had foot notes of how things would play out but it turns out I couldn't keep up with myself.

As always thanks for reading and thanks for leaving a review, thank you for fav/following and ill see you all in the next one

Take care...