A/N: Just a heads up, this chapter will mostly be a breather before the Rating Game with fun antics.

Ten days of training later, Izuku, in his green jinbei and gray sweatpants, sat at his desk in his room, watching a video feed of Riser's previous Rating Games. Their Rating Game with him won't start until midnight, so Rias had decided to use the last day for everyone to rest and get ready. They were all to meet up in the clubroom within 15 minutes before the game started. During that time Rias had instructed Izuku to watch these past battles to come up with a strategy.

Izuku watched intently as Riser's Queen took down her opponent with ease, writing down everything he saw. "No wonder she's called the Bomb Queen. She can create explosions that can take out even Rooks. They're different from Kacchan's, though. Is it magic or because of a Quirk? Either way, the only ones among us who may have a chance of beating her are me, Buchou, and Momo. Anyone else won't be able to handle multiple hits like that."

As he continued to watch, Izuku did notice something about Riser. With the exception of the Rating Game's he purposely lost in, Riser always hung back to let his servants do most of the fighting, only ever fighting himself when either the opposing King began fighting or when most of his peerage was defeated, relying on his regeneration to win him the game. It was a good strategy, one Izuku and the others would have a hard time dealing with since they're outnumbered.

'As far as I can tell the biggest threats are Riser and his Queen. We can take out the rest of his servants easily, and if we can take out his Queen he won't have any backup. But even then, it won't be easy.' With a sigh, Izuku leaned back. 'But we can't afford to lose. Everyone trained so hard for this. I won't let them down.'

"Still thinking of a strategy?" Izuku looked up at Ochako's voice.

"Oh, Ocha-" Izuku flinched at what he saw. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?!" He yelled out in shock as Ochako's face was indeed not looking like its usual self.

"My face? Oh, it's just my nerves… Must've reached my face." Ochako said, her voice not having the usual bubbly tone.

Izuku nodded. "Me too."

They both have a good idea about what'll happen to them if they lost against Riser.

"By the way, where's Ibara?" Ochako asked.

"Right here." The two turned to see the door to the room opening, with Ibara stepping inside. Instead of her usual clothes, she was dressed in a white robe.

"Oh, nice robes, Ibara." Said Ochako.

"Thank you," the vine-haired girl replied. "These actually use to be my old church clothes."

"Really?" Izuku asked. "But why…?"

"Oh, w-well… Buchou said that I can pick any outfit that I'm most comfortable in," Ibara said, fiddling with her fingers shyly, "So I picked this one. I know. It's ironic since I'm a devil now and can no longer serve the Lord."

"I think it looks good on you," Izuku said quickly. He blushed and covered his mouth as he realized what he just said. "I… um…"

Ibara blinked, but smiled softly at his compliment, "Thank you. I'm actually planning to use this as my hero costume, also."

Izuku and Ochako couldn't help but smile that, despite the church abandoning her, Ibara has yet to truly abandon God's teachings. "That reminds me… we need to head to city hall to get copies of our Quirk Registers for the clothing allowance," said Ochako.

"Ah that's right," Izuku said. "Because of Riser I complete forgot about it. But, wait… I'm registered as Quirkless."

"Oh, right. That could be a problem," Ochako muttered.

"We can worry about that later," Izuku suggested. "We still have Riser to deal with."

The two girls nodded. "By the way, when do you think Inko-san will be returning?" Ibara asked.

"She didn't say, only that she'll be shopping for a bit," Izuku answered.

Ochako's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, maybe we can go shopping too!" Izuku and Ibara looked at her curiously. "So we can get our minds off the Rating Game for a bit."

"That's not a bad idea," said Ibara. "I've only ever been shopping with Inko-san before, so this should be fun. What do you think, Izuku-san?"

"Oh, I, uh, if you guys want to go then sure."

"Is something wrong?" Ibara asked, she and Ochako both very worried.

"N-nothing's w-wrong, it's just…" Izuku trailed off, bad memories beginning to come back. "The last time I went shopping with a girl… I died."

Both girls let out a small gasp, eyes wide in shock. They understood what he meant by that. "Raynare…" Ibara hissed.

The three stayed silent for a moment before Ochako spoke back up. "I'm sorry for bringing it up…"

"It's okay," Izuku reassured. "We can go if you want."

"Good!" Ochako beamed a bright smile. "Because I noticed that your wardrobe is rather plain."

"Eh?"

"That's right," Ibara nodded. "When I help Inko-san with the laundry, I notice that Izuku-san's clothes all look the same."

"Hold on, I-"

"Then it's settled!" Ochako exclaimed. "We'll get change and head for Wookiees right away! You're gonna have to model, though."

"Wait, what?!"

"Sorry, Izu-kun but you'll thank us when this is over. Besides, I've been meaning to go shopping anyway." Ochako smiled. "This'll be my way of thanking you for the excuse."

As the two teenage girls left to get change, Izuku could only sit there dumbfounded by what just happened.

'What did I get myself into?!'

[Get use to it. This will probably happen a lot.]

Not long after, and the three teens arrived at the shopping mall. It hadn't changed much from when Izuku last visited. This didn't ease him in the slightest, memories of Raynare killing him flashing back as he shakily stood outside the entrance.

"Are you going to be okay?" Ibara asked, having replaced her robes with a dark blue dress with light blue accents.

"Yeah," Izuku nodded. He had on a play white shirt with the words 't-shit' written on it and jeans.

Ochako, who had on a yellow shirt, white shorts, and black stockings, grabbed his hand. "Then what are we waiting for?" She asked as Ibara grabbed Izuku's other hand.

The two girls then dragged him into the mall, Izuku frantically telling them to slow down a little.

In spite of the bad memories brought by going shopping with the girls, Izuku soon found himself enjoying it. That is until Ochako and Ibara became dead set on adding to his wardrobe. Subjected to two hours of being a living doll, forced to try and retry outfits until the girls were satisfied, Izuku began to truly know despair. What made matters worse is that they clearly enjoyed it, especially when they made him try on swimsuits.

It wasn't long until Izuku noticed something else, something that greatly unnerved him. As Ochako and Ibara continued to let him model many of the latest fashions, enjoying it a little too much, Izuku was also subjected to the stares, gazes, and wanton looks of nearly every other girl in his vicinity.

'Ddraig, this is freaking me out! Help me!'

The dragon seemed amused at his suffering. [It's both a part of who and what you are. Each of my wielders has had no difficulty in attracting potential suitors of their own preference. Additionally, you're the first of my hosts to be part dragon, and that only makes the attraction stronger. You're an apex predator; each of these girls instinctively sees you as an ideal mate to ensure their safety and that of their offspring. You'll likely have a harem by the years' end.]

'YOU'RE KIDDING ME?!'

[I wish I was.] Ddraig now sounded rather smug. [I always enjoy seeing how my hosts react when they learn that detail. Now, if you're done asking questions, put a shirt on. The girls are drooling.]

Izuku shook his head to clear his thoughts and found that Ddraig was right; there was a small crowd of teenage girls gathered outside the store, pressed to the glass to observe him. Blushing furiously, he ducked out of sight, pulled on the nearest shirt in his size, and went to the girls to ask if they could leave now.

"Aww~, it was just getting fun too," Ochako whined.

"You called that fun?" Izuku asked indignantly.

"It was rather enjoyable," Ibara added.

Izuku shook his head in disbelief.

On the way back to the apartment, the three teens stopped by Dagobah Beach to rest for a bit. The sun was slowly setting as they arrived, giving the sky a beautiful orange hue. "Oh wow… this beach looks so amazing…" Ochako stated in awe as she stared at the beautiful beach with impressed eyes from her spot on the boardwalk.

"Kyoka-san and Momo-san did an amazing job," Ibara said.

Izuku, who was sitting on a bench, several boxes and bags filled with what the girls bought next to him, nodded. "Yeah… It's impossible to tell that this beach used to be a dump."

Ibara and Ochako sat down next to Izuku, each taking one side, enjoying the sunset, until…

"Stop right there, scumbag! You and your friends better get the hell on out of here or else!"

"Or else, what?"

The yelling caught their attention. Looking down at the beach, they saw three burly men. Their walking was slurred, evidence that they were drunk. Each of them were rather large and intimidating, one having the head of an octopus, one a hyena, and one a vulture.

The three men were harassing a girl, around the same age as them. She had teal eyes and long, ginger hair in a ponytail hanging off her left side. She wore a short blue dress with a red blazer, a wide leather belt, and dark blue shoes.

Ibara's eyes widened in recognition. "Kendo-san?"

"You know here?" Ochako asked.

Ibara nodded. "She helped me during the entrance exam."

"You gonna try to fight us?" The vulture, who was apparently the men's 'leader', said in a mocking tone. "Hate to break it to ya, but you know how strict the rules are about Quirk usage in public. Or did you forget about that, my little princess~"

"Don't. Call. Me. Your. Princess!" Kendo hissed.

"We better stop them!" Before there was any argument, Izuku bolted up and ran toward the scene, Ibara close by with Ochako not far behind.

"And there's three of us and only one of you!" The vulture continued. "So what's it gonna be my little princess? Either come quietly and have the best night of your life as we shower you with our essence. Or we take you by force and leave you in a shell of yourself as we enter inside of you! Choose wisely."

"How about we go for option three? None of the above!" Kendo's eyes widened as she heard a voice to her left, seeing Izuku, Ibara, and Ochako standing beside her.

"Shiozaki?" Kendo asked, recognizing the vine-haired girl right away.

"Who the hell are you three?" The vulture asked.

"Hey, those are some cute girls, too! We can have one each now!" The hyena drunkenly laughed.

"No kidding! I can't wait to get my tentacles on them!"

It took a lot of willpower on Izuku's part to not smack down the three drunk men right there, with the way they were lecherously staring at Ochako and Ibara along with Kendo. "I won't let you get near them!"

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it, kid?" The vulture mocked. "You and your friends what to play hero? Well, let me make one thing clear to you! In order to use your Quirks in public, you need to have a Hero License or have the proper authorization. Especially if you use your Quirk violently. So, do you honestly think you can take all three of us down without using a Quirk?"

Izuku merely smirked as he stared at the three hooligans in front of them, "Yes, we can."

"It's you three pervs against the four of us, so I think we can win," Ochako added. She then pulled out her phone and began to type. "We can even get a Pro Hero involved if you want."

The three drunks visibly flinched at that. "You're bluffing!"

"Are you sure you want to take that chance?" Ibara asked. "You may be forgiven for your sins if you just leave."

The three men glared at them, each looking absolutely livid. Finally, the vulture spoke up. "Let's go. This isn't worth our time." The vulture turned to leave, to the disappointment of the other two as they followed.

When they were out of earshot, Kendo spoke up. "Thank you."

Once Izuku got a better look at her, he noticed that she was rather attractive, which caused his shyness to take over, "U-Uhh, a-a-are you o-okay? T-those g-guys d-d-didn't h-hurt y-you, did they?" Izuku said, stuttering through his whole sentence.

Kendo raised an eyebrow in confusion, 'He was acting all cool just a minute ago, but now he's a stuttering mess. Does he have trouble with girls?' She smiled a little. 'That's kinda cute.'

"Don't worry about Izuku-san," Ibara said. "He's been doing better, but he still needs improvement."

"It's okay," Kendo smiled. "And I'm fine. Not a single one of them laid a finger on me thanks to all of you."

Izuku sighed in relief as he calmed down.

"That's good. It sure was lucky we happened to stop by then," said Ochako. "I'm Uraraka Ochako, by the way. The stuttering guy is Midoriya Izuku!"

"I'm Kendo Itsuka," she replied. "These are your friends, Shiozaki?" Kendo asked the vine-girl.

"Some of them," Ibara answered. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon Kendo-san."

"Likewise," Kendo then looked over to Izuku. 'And I wasn't expecting you to be friends with a cute boy like this.' Kendo blinked a few times, wondering where that thought had come from. "Thanks again. I probably could've taken them down by myself, but I'm honestly not sure." Kendo shivered at the thought of what would've happened had they not appeared.

"It's okay. But couldn't you have used your Quirk?" Izuku asked.

"I would've if it wasn't illegal. Otherwise, I would've smacked them down before they knew it and you guys wouldn't have gotten involved," Kendo giggled as she poked Izuku's chest… which happened to be as hard as a rock.

'W-What the hell?! Is he made of marble or something? Just what in the world is he hiding under all of those clothes…' Itsuka thought as not so innocent thoughts began to circulate through her mind. Before she knew it, her entire face resembled a tomato as steam blew from her ears. She comically collapsed onto the ground as her eyes turned into dizzy swirls.

"H-Hey, are you okay?!" Izuku asked as he, Ochako and Ibara did their best to bring Itsuka back from her dirty and perverse fantasies.

After a few minutes, Itsuka was finally able to calm down, though her cheeks still had a red tint to them. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me. I apologize for making you worry. Stuff like that doesn't usually happen to me…" Itsuka said in embarrassment as she avoided making eye contact with the green-haired boy. The dirty thoughts were still fresh in her mind and looking into his beautiful green eyes would not help her situation.

"It's okay," said Ochako. "It happens to all of us."

Izuku then noticed that the sun had completely set now. "It's getting really late now. Sorry Kendo-san, but we need to go."

"Do you think you can make it back home safely?" Ibara asked.

"I'll be fine," Itsuka replied. "I know a safe route back. If I hurry I won't run into any more trouble. It was great meeting you."

"Same here," Izuku replied as he picked up the bags from the shopping trip.

Itsuka watched the three left, her cheeks still red as she happened to look at Izuku's rear. "I wonder if he has a girlfriend?" She whispered to herself, before suddenly realizing what she said. Blushing even harder, she ran home as fast as she could.

Once they had returned home, Ochako and Ibara were quick to look over everything they bought, especially the clothes they got for Izuku, who had the sneaking suspicion they wanted him to model again. Fortunately, he was spared from that fate for the moment by the front door opening.

"I'm home!" Inko suddenly called, making the three teens looked to the direction of the front door curiously, seeing Inko walking in, carrying a couple of bags.

"Did some shopping, too?" Ochako asked.

"And a few other things," Inko reached into one of her bags. "I brought you a few things. First off, for Izuku, tada!" She pulled out an emerald green bodysuit with dark red accents.

"A hero costume?!" Izuku asked. "Did you make this?"

"Yep! I may have taken a peek at your notes once when you fell asleep…"

"Huh?"

"And I know it's not the coolest costume out there, but I made this as a gift for getting into U.A.! And as an apology."

"An apology?" The three teens all asked.

"Yes. I… said something awful… and I never forgiven myself since." Izuku nodded, knowing what she meant. "But you never gave up. I'm sorry Izuku, so from now on I'll be cheering you on!" Izuku smiled, taking hold of the costume his mother had made.

"Well, put it on!" Ochako said. "Let's see it!"

"Oh, ri- No, I'm not falling for that again!" Izuku exclaimed, his face red as he backed away from the girls.

"Aw, too bad," Ochako whined as Ibara sighed in disappointment.

"What's this about?" Inko asked.

"Oh, we just made Izuku model his new clothes earlier. Guess he's afraid we'll do it again," Ochako answered.

"Really?" Inko flushed. "That's cute! I remember making Hisashi do the same thing when his white clothes got ruined by a red ribbon once. He was rather hot in nothing but bright pink briefs."

"MOM!"

"That reminds me, I have gifts for you two also," Inko reached for a bag that had a somewhat large box. "These aren't as extravagant as Izuku's, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them." She handed the box to Ibara. It was a shoebox. Curious, Ibara opened it and found a pair of black knee-length boots. "I'm sure I got them in your size. What do you think? I figured you could use them for your costume."

"Inko-obasan, you didn't have to buy these," Ibara looked over the boots. "I really do like them. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, dear." Inko then took out a smaller box and handed it to Ochako. "And this is for you. I wasn't sure what you would want, so I spoke with your mother. She said you wouldn't mind these."

Realizing it was pointless to argue, Ochako gratefully took the box and opened it, letting out an excited gasp when he pulled out what looked like a large collection of star-shaped stickers from the container. Stickers that she knew were more than meets the eye.

"Oh my gosh! Inko, did you seriously went and got me glow in the dark stickers!?" Ochako questioned as soon as she saw them. The next few minutes were spent talking as Inko prepared dinner. When she learned that Izuku ad the girls had to meet up with their friends for an important 'meeting' she had insisted on cooking something that'll give them plenty of energy. Izuku wasn't sure he wanted to know what she thought they were going to do.

As they waited, Ochako asked about what happened to Izuku's horns. She noticed that they were no longer visible when he was modeling earlier.

Izuku rubbed his head. "Yeah, they started to disappear when I'm not using Dragon Force. It's okay, though. I don't want to freak out my mom too much yet." He chuckled.

Once dinner was finished, Inko had gone to bed, leaven Izuku, Ochako, and Ibara awake. Ibara had just change into her church clothes, wearing the boots Inko had gotten for her. Ochako had taken out the witches staff Mizu had given her. Izuku sat at the couch, going over the notes he made earlier. Only a couple of hours were left before they needed to meet up with Rias and the others.

"Hey, Izu-kun," Ochako spoke up. "Can we… sit with you?"

Izuku nervously nodded, "I don't mind." The girls went over to his bed and sat next to him, each taking one side, pressing their bodies close to his. Izuku took deep breaths to stay calm, but then noticed that they were trembling against him. Slowly, he placed his arms around their shoulders and pulled them close. "Ibara, Ochako, don't worry. Everything will be okay. I promise."

Ibara and Ochako smiled in content, snuggling closer to him. "Can we… stay like this until it's time to go?" Ochako asked.

Izuku nodded with a smile, and they both took what time they had left to enjoy the warmth. 'This… isn't so bad.'

When Izuku, Ochako, and Ibara arrived at the clubroom, they found that everyone had already gathered to await the start of the game, milling about to pass the time. Yuuto was inspecting the Yukinoha at one corner of the room, while Koneko was slipping on combat gloves with cat paws on each hand before eating some snacks that she brought along for herself. Rias sat on one of the sofas rather than her desk, sipping on a cup of tea Momo prepared, her Queen standing at her side. She looked very calm but was very tense on the inside. She had reason to as the Rating Game was going to decide her future, which she detested quite a lot. Kyoka and Mizu were there as well, the former standing by Momo while the latter sat in a corner. Izuku, Ochako, and Ibara went over to the other sofa to take their seats, waiting along with their friends.

After a few more moments of waiting, a magic circle appeared before the teenagers and Grayfia stepped out of it. She looked around and saw that everyone was accounted for, nodding in approval. "It's good that all of you have arrived. The match is about to begin. Is everyone ready?" Everyone stood up and each one gave nods. "Very well. The match will be held in an artificial dimension created specifically for the game. As such, it is a disposable space so you may all fight with your fullest power. The Gremory and Phenex households, as well as their allies and peerages, will also be watching the battle. That means Lucifer will also be watching. Keep that in mind."

"So 'zechs is watching too," Rias whispered silently.

"An artificial space," Izuku mumbled in thought. "And Buchou's big brother is gonna be watching too…"

"Buchou's brother is also known as the Crimson Satan, and he is the strongest of his generation," Yuuto chimed in. "His level of power is actually equivalent to that of the late Satans, and he's one of the reasons why devils have managed to survive for so long. But since he was given the title of Lucifer, he couldn't be referred to by his Gremory name anymore. That's why Buchou is next in line to inherit the house instead of him."

Izuku couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. He knew that Rias came from a prestigious family, but hearing such stories about her super-powerful big brother was rather intimidating. Not only that, but there were three more of his comrades who had feats just as great as him. Considering his master, they were likely nice people. But still… he made a mental note to stay on their good sides.

"It's time now. All of you, please step into the circle," the group all turned to the maid as she gestured to the magic circle.

"Good luck guys," Mizu said.

"We'll be cheering for you," Kyoka added. "Kick Riser's ass."

The Gremory group nodded and, with resolves of steel, they walked into the magic circle. Once they were all within, the light of the magic circle glowed brightly before they all vanished in the crimson glow.

"DIE YOU GERM FUCKERS! DIE!" Bakugo shouted as he scrubbed his teeth with his fifth toothbrush this week.

He had barely gotten any sleep last night. His stomach kept cramping, causing him to keep running to the bathroom feeling as if he were going to hurl, only for nothing to come out. He woke up in a puddle of his own sweat every few hours and had to take one of his forty-ounce water bottles to his room to quench a thirst that wouldn't go away.

All because one thought kept going through his head.

'Fifth place…'

Even now, it seemed unreal. Bakugo had never gotten anything less than first place in his life. It just wasn't something that happened to him. After all, wasn't he the strongest and smartest out of all the extras in that shithole of a school?

Wasn't he supposed to be better than everyone?

"Then why!? Why the fuck did I end up in fifth place behind some nobodies and fuckin' Deku!?"

It shouldn't be possible. Deku was supposed to be in last place no matter what. Hadn't he put his all into that stupid exam? Hadn't he pushed himself harder than ever? That should've easily launched him into first place!

'But no. Fucking Deku got first because of some bullshit!' Katsuki scrubbed his teeth harder than ever. "That shithead had to have cheated!"

Maybe he could've dealt with some nobody beating him. It was the U.A Entrance Exam, after all. A school for the best of the best.

But Deku? Deku was able to beat him? He's Quirkless!

"Goddamnit! He must've done it so he could humiliate me! That has to be it!"

"KATSUKI!" His mom shouted from her room. He stopped for a moment to listen. "Shut the fuck up! I'm trying to sleep and your shouting is killing me!"

Growling, Bakugo took out the brush and spat the toothpaste from his mouth. Blood from his gums ran into the drain with the white foam.

As he rinsed his mouth and toothbrush, he glared at his reflection with bloodshot eyes. He threw his now wrecked toothbrush into the trash and splashed water on his face. After drying his face, he gave himself an approving nod and walked out the door.

'Enjoy your lucky break, Deku… because soon enough, I'm going to leave you in the dust!' He thought, unaware that someone else might beat him to it.

A/N:

This took a little longer than I intended. I originally had planned for this ad the next chapter to be one big chapter but decided against it. Now it's time to give Riser the beat down he deserves!

Oh, and what's this? Could it be that sweet Kendo of Class 1-B is not as innocent as we all thought? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

The next chapter properly won't be out for a while, so sorry in advance. And I hope you all look forward to it. See you next time! PLUS ULTRA!