Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Eye Catch #18: Akihiko is laying on his side of on the checkered floor, bare naked. His hair is down and touching the floor. His abs are shown, but he's covering his penis with his thigh. He's resting his head on his hand and has a seductive face on, blushing.
Episode 9: I Begin Training!-Part 3
In a dark yet fancy throne room, a woman with dark red hair and E-cup breasts sat at the throne. She was wearing a feminine 1700's general outfit. She crossed her legs and leaned her head into her fist, posing as if she were a princess. "Just what I expected," she said to Grafier, who was at the center of the room and was looking at her.
"Yes," he replied.
The woman only merely giggled. "How typical of him."
"His chances of winning are..."
"Nonexistent, yes."
"You knew that, but you still..."
"I merely gave him another chance. Richard has made the decision himself as the heir apparent of the Gremory household."
The grey-haired man nodded at her. "Yes."
Back at the mansion, Asher was fully clothed in pajamas and was sleeping alone. The door to his room slowly opened and out came Issei in her track clothes. She slowly and quietly stepped towards the sleeping bishop and nudged him a little. "Asher-kun, Asher-kun," she whispered to him.
He stirred and looked up at her with weary eyes. They then widened and he stood up. "Issei-san?" he asked before she shushed him.
"Sorry to wake you up, but..." She leaned in close to him, making him blush a little. "You're the only one I can ask to do this for me."
"Wh-what?" he quietly asked. What would she ask of him to do?
Outside of the mansion in the forest, a log was hanging with masculine clothes on it. Issei distanced herself from it and took a deep breath. She wanted to practice her ability to...well, rip clothes apart like when her Sacred Gear first activated. She looked at it with seriousness and determination. "I can do this..." she said to herself. "I can do this!" She then began to focus and extended her hand to the log, letting out a battle cry, only for it to blow like the wind. She tried again and it failed. She then tried again many times.
Meanwhile, Asher was running to her through the forest, worrying a little of the favor she asked him. Issei-san! he thought, thinking about the favor.
"Asher-kun, can I please borrow your clothes?" he remembered her asking.
She looked serious. What is she going to do with my clothes? I hope it isn't anything dangerous!
However, as he emerged from the bushes, Issei tried to do her power once again...only it was accidentally pointed to Asher as he gasped and froze at the spot...the power hitting him...
"Well," said Richard the next morning in his track suit, looking solemn. "We devils, fallen angels, and God with his heavenly host, waged a huge war a long time ago that seemed to last for generations." Everyone in the club was sitting at a table together, listening to their master explaining the war to them. "No one really won when all was said and done. The war ended with all the sides suffering heavy casualties. To make up for our near eternal lifespan, we devils reproduce very slowly. Due to the war, the species itself is at the brink of extinction.
"After the hostilities, the families of noble and pure-blooded devils, known as the 72 keys, mostly died out. My family-the house of Gremory, Sora's family-the house of Sitiri, and Risa's family-the house of Phenex-were all that remained of the 72 keys. This is why we devils use resurrected humans as our servants. Subsequently, the Rating Game was created, allowing our servants to gain real battle experience and giving us masters a chance to demonstrate our abilities. Currently, one's performance in these games has a huge difference on rank and position." He then exhaled, a little glad that he done explaining the situation to everyone.
"We should take a break," the Crimson Ruin Prince suggested to everyone with his casual smile. "I'm guessing every one of you are tired."
Akihiko stood up from his chair. "I'll go make some tea," he said as he began to leave.
"I'll assist you with that," Asher said as he began to stand up.
Issei held her hand up and said, "Wait, Asher-kun." He turned to her. She frowned a little. "S-sorry about last night."
Asher smiled at her and blushed a little. "Oh no! It's fine! You were actually great back th-" She shushed him, causing him to stop his sentence.
"Let's keep that a secret between the two of us," she whispered to him, blushing a little.
"Our secret?"
She rubbed the back of her neck a little. "It's still not done and far from usable anyway."
He nodded at her. "Right. I'll help you until your ultimate move is complete!"
"'Ultimate move'?" asked a puzzled Yumi.
He looked at her and put his finger on his lips. "It's a secret."
"Oh yeah, Ash. Since you were a priest, please tell us what you know," Richard said to him.
He looked at him. "Oh, sure."
...
Later, when the tea was made, the blonde-haired male spoke, "There are two key tools exorcists possess." He was standing next to a table with a bottled glass of water and a huge bible while everyone was still sitting at the table, now Richard joining them, watching him. He grabbed the bottle and showed it to everyone. "The first one is holy water. Devils like you and me shouldn't touch it."
The brown-haired devil raised her hand. "What if we do?" she asked him.
"Something severely bad will happen to you," he replied to her.
"Severely bad?"
He nodded at her and placed it back on the table with the bible. "I can show you how it's made when it can be in use." He then picked up the bible. "Exorcists also carry this: the Holy Bible." He frowned at it. "I've been reading this since I was a kid, but now, reading every page gives me a splitting headache..."
"You are a devil, after all," Richard stated.
"True, it is expected of a devil," Yumi added.
"Devils," Kabu said.
Akihiko closed his eyes and smiled, adding, "It damages devils a lot!"
His eyes widened at all of them. "B-but this passage always enlightens me! Here, I'll show you!" He then opened the bible and stopped at a page, only to tense up and groan a little. He put his hand on his forehead. "It hurts a lot!" He then closed it and prayed, "Oh dear Lord, please forgive me for no longer reading the Holy Bible." He then opened it, only to get another headache, then another, then another, then another...
Issei giggled a little, making him grin a little since he was doing this just to make her giggle. She doesn't know that though and she was confused. Is he trying to be serious or funny? she thought.
"Maybe one more time," Asher said before getting yet another headache.
Either way, I'm still not as talented as him... Her smile dropped, making her look at the table.
Later at night, the female pervert drank a glass of water in the kitchen, looking distressed. As she exited the room though, she saw Richard go down the stairs. He was wearing glasses, a light-colored semi-transparent V-neck pajama shirt, and semi-transparent pants. He was holding a couple of books on his chest. He stopped and looked at her with a surprised look on his face.
"Isa?" he asked.
"President," she replied. She was confused on why he was awake at an hour like this. "What are doing up so late?"
He smiled at her. "Perfect timing. Let's have a talk." She looked even more confused. What did he want to talk to her about?
At the stargazing platform, both the King and his Pawn were sitting on the floor of it. Richard was reading a really thick book. "Is that about war strategy?" Issei asked him.
"Yes," he answered before looking at her. "But playing it by the book offers little consolation."
She looked sad. "That can't be true! You've been working hard this time at night."
He looked back at the book. "But this time we are off against Phenex. I'm sure you've heard of the bird." He began to explain, "The phoenix, an sacred beast said to be immortal. Although they're devils, the Phenex family roughly shares the name of the beast. On top of that, they're a Great Marquis family, which means they are considered elite in the 72 keys." He then closed the book, set it aside, and looked at his Pawn. "She also shares the power with the beast: immortality."
Issei gasped. "I-is that really possible?! Being immortal?!"
He sighed and looked down. "Well, she's practically invincible. Even if you hurt her, she'll regenerate in an instant. Her game shows eight wins and two losses. However, the two losses were from an allied family. She lost on purpose." The female pervert gasped again. It was almost if Risa was a goddess... "After the Rating Game became prevalent, the Phenix house rose to prominence really fast." He scoffed. "It's only natural, right?" He began to have that saddened face he has gotten from earlier days. "Being an immortal, she cannot possibly lose."
The girl looked down and clenched her fists. Hearing all of that made her felt like an idiot for yelling Risa earlier. "I'm so sorry..." she said in a sorrowful voice, a lump lodging into her throat.
"For what?" asked Richard in a puzzled voice.
"I spoke up to her back then...I unintentionally forced you into this fight..."
His eyes widened and he gave her a reassuring smile. "Actually, that was quite helpful." She looked up to him with her eyes widened. "We could cut to the chase right away. My mother set this game up in advance, knowing that I will possibly lose." He looked down at the ground once more. "It's a trap...in chess terms, a swindle."
She nodded. She felt really bad for him. "So, why are you so opposed to having to marry Risa?" she asked him.
He closed his eyes, sighed, took of his glasses and set them down, and stood up. The moonlight shone on him, showing his abs and light-colored underwear though his semi-transparent sleepwear. "I'm the son of the Gremory house. I've never been treated as an individual." He then walked to a pillar and leaned his back on it, looking at the star-filled sky. "I'm always Richard Gremory, nothing more. That name, Gremory, follows me everywhere I go. Although I'm actually proud of my house, when it comes to finding a life partner, I want someone who actually loves me. Not as the son of the Gremory household, but just me, Richard. They may be conflicting ideals, but I still hold onto this dream, small as it is." He began to smile. "Do you know why I call you Isa?"
Issei shook her head. Now that he said it, she wondered why he calls her that. "N-no. Why?"
"Because you're a better version of Risa. Risa can be as perverted as you, but she's also whorish, as you could see when she visited me. You don't act whorish though, you just act like a pervert. I prefer a perverted woman over a whorish one any day."
She blushed at his speech and his smile. His smile always lifted her heart up. She wanted to see it more often. Determined and confident, she blurted out, "I'd love you regardless of rank and name." His eyes widened and he looked at her. She looked at the ground and closed her eyes. "I don't know about your family or the social hierarchy of devils. But..." She opened her eyes and looked up to him, keeping her blushing. "I can see you right here, right now, and...you're my number one, Richard-senpai!" He began to blush at her. His heart began to speed up. The words she said...it moved him. It made him feel...more attracted to her. "U-um, did I say anything strange?"
He shook the blush away and smiled it off. "No, nothing at all," he replied as he turned his body to her. "But we must win this battle, no matter what."
She nodded at him once again. "A little while ago, Kiba told me that people called you the Ruin Prince because you're a genius in that magnitude. And now...your first match against this woman..."
"You're wrong." His solemn yet determined face went on. Issei looked confused as to why. "My powers are not a natural boon, but something cultivated by the Gremory house for many generations. They belong to both me and the house of Gremory." A wing blew to his direction, blowing his hair and his sleepwear. "That's why I won't lose. If I'm fighting, I'm winning. I must win."
She smiled at him, except...it was sad. "Wow, you really are amazing," she said in an almost quiet voice, biting her lip, her eyes watering and her smile dropping. "But compared to me...I suck..."
He looked distraught by the sight of her. "Isa..." he muttered.
"Being here...makes me constantly realize that I'm the most useless one." She sniffed, making Richard look even more distraught. "Even if I possess a rare Longnius Sacred Gear...it's wasted on me..." She began to shed a couple of tears, making the red-haired man walk down to her. He began to look sorry for her. "Despite that...I foolishly rush forward and in the end...I'm always causing problems..." She began to sob and cover her face with her hands. "I'm...I'm..." She then shouted, "I'm completely useless!" Richard's heart dropped. He hated to see his cute servant like this. He felt very terrible. He walked towards her and hugged her to his chest, making her stop crying. "Pr...President?" His abs felt great, but she was confused once again.
He smiled at her, closed his eyes, and patted her hair. "It's okay," he whispered to her soothingly. "If you want more confidence, I can give it to you."
She looked up at him. "C...confidence?" she questioned.
"Yes, so you should calm your mind and body for now." He looked down at her. "I'll stay next to you until you fall asleep." The brown-haired female began to cry once more, except it was out of both sadness and joy. She buried her face into his chest while Richard kept hugging her and patted her hair. "Let it all out, Isa. I will definitely instill you with all the confidence you need." He cared about her so much, it was only necessary for him to stay with her until she sleeps.
The next morning, everyone was outside in their track suits. Richard said to Issei, "Use your Boosted Gear, Isa."
She looked at him with a puzzled look. "But I thought you said I couldn't use it," she replied.
"Without my permission, yes." He then looked at the blonde-haired beauty. "Yumi, can you be her opponent?"
She nodded at him. "Yes, President," she answered as she distanced herself from Issei, went into a position with her practice sword, and shouted, "Prepare yourself! I won't go easy on you!" Issei sighed and straightened herself up, ready to beat the pretty girl.
"Boosted Gear!" she shouted as she got her bow and arrow and gauntlet out.
"Boost!" shouted the gauntlet as the green jewel glowed.
"Try again," suggested Richard, his face turning serious.
"Boost!" shouted Issei as her gauntlet said the same, charging up.
"Once more!"
"Boost!" The gauntlet charged.
"Still enough enough. Again!"
"Boost!" The gauntlet charged again.
"Once more!"
It didn't take long until the female pervert continued to charge up her Boosted Gear when her master kept telling her to. "She seemed to power up to twelve times," Akihiko stated.
"Stop," the Ruin Prince demanded her, making her stop boosting her power. "You weren't able to handle that many boosts before training." The brown-haired female remembered the night she fought Raynark, the night she was weakening but still defeated him. How could she boost more power? "That is the result of your training, Isa." She nodded. She felt a lot more powerful now that he mentioned it. Perhaps her training did make her useful, after all. "Begin."
She looked up at Yumi and cried out, "Let's go, Boosted Gear!" She went into position and pointed her arrow at the Knight. Her bow, arrow, and gauntlet had glowing yellow lines, her gauntlet shouting, "Explosion!" Yellow energy then came out of the ground under Issei's feet.
Asher's eyes widened. "What's happening?" he asked Richard.
He crossed his arms and answered, "It allows Isa to fight with the accumulated power for some time." He looked at Yumi. "Now, Yumi!"
The blonde-haired beauty nodded as she ran to her, jumped up, and swung her sword above her head. Issei looked up, however, and blocked the swing with her gauntlet, her bow and arrow held in her free hand. She managed to throw Yumi back, only for her to land perfectly on her two feet, crouching down. Issei looked down at her gauntlet, surprised she used it like that. She smiled down at it.
"Now Isa, release your magic!" Richard commanded. She then pointed her arrow at Yumi again. It had...a small amount of power emitting from its tip. She gritted her teeth.
"Damn it, I still fail!" she muttered angrily as Yumi charged at her, letting out a battle cry.
"Shoot, Isa!" the crimson-haired man shouted. And she did as told. She let out a battle cry and shoot her arrow. The red power encased the arrow and made a large covering as it went, making it look like a beam. The blonde-haired girl's pupils shrunk as she barely dodged the beam. It headed straight towards a mountain and hit it, making it explode. Everyone covered their eyes from the small debris of the blast. Once the explosion died down, everyone saw that the mountain had a deeply leveled path in the middle.
The raven-haired man actually looked amazed. "Eeto, eeto~..." he muttered. "The mountain..."
"Leveled to the ground!" Asher finished, also amazed at the sight.
Issei, now shaking from the power drained from her, looked at her glowing weapons. "S-so...this...is my power..." she mumbled before dropping her bow and arrow and collapsing onto the ground due to feeling faint.
The blonde-haired male gasped and ran to her. "Issei-san!" he cried out in worry.
Richard smiled at her. "I'm guessing she used up all her energy," he said to Akihiko. He only smiled due to her fantastic work. The red-haired male then looked at Yumi. "How was she, Yumi?"
"She surprised me," she answered, looking at him and holding up her sword. "That single burst was the equivalent of a high-class devil's attack!" The practice sword then broke in half.
Smiling, he turned to his Pawn and said to her, "Isa! You'll be a decisive factor for the game! Your power will greatly influence the flow of it. Believe in us and more than anything else, yourself."
While being supported to stand up by Asher, Issei said to herself, "Believe in everyone...and myself..." Everyone but Richard smiled at her. Richard suddenly thought about what she said to him the night before:
"I'd love you regardless of rank and name. I can see you right here, right now, and...you're my number one, Richard-senpai!"
As everyone but him gathered around Issei, the wind blew Richard's crimson hair. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating faster the more he thought about what she said. He blushed a little, looking at her. Isa... he thought.
What do you think of this? It wasn't too shabbily written, right?
Also, aaaaawwwww~! Richard's starting to have feelings for Issei~! x3
Review, follow, and favorite! I'll see you in the next episode!