I admit, this is gonna suck. Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of A Simple Mission Rebirth. As I stated before, this is gonna suck because… uh…
Well, I don't have a plan. I have ideas, but how they're going to play out is still a point of struggle for me. I mean, at this point, I'm still deciding if Rias and Ruby will actually win (what I mean by that is "can I bullshit my way into making them lose without getting mean reviews?"). There is a payoff for both outcomes, and the next arc is relying on whenever or not I got through with one ending or the other because that's going to change a lot of things, from who gets into the peerage to what the next arc after that. And then, I have to take care of the missing spots in Ruby's peerage, including the Queen because that's a whole another few arcs before that ever happens! And, eventually I wanna do an arc without RWBY, or one focusing on Pancakes. Actually, I set up a note document that has all the ideas and plans I have for this story just in case I forget, right the fuck down to the various titles and nicknames the RWBYs have.
All in all, I'd say I'm over-prepared for a story when I could be studying.
Let's just get to the reviews…. To Emiliano733: I actually dislike bashing in general. Hell, I even hate Sasuke bashing and I pretty much hate everything he has ever done. I'm desperately trying to balance out power, but be aware I am probably going to fuck it up somehow. And uh… it's kinda part of the story Issei has a harem. But, it won't be a focus and someone shoot me if I'm forced to write a lemon scene. And oh, Qrow and Taiyang are getting a fight scene. I just have to place it somewhere. To raw666: Oh, there is going to be a difference. It won't be without sacrifices but be aware that by the end of it there's only going to be two Kings standing. And to Crimson Moon Roses: That will be a joke later, guaranteed. Alright, that's it for now, let the battle begin!
God, I need to figure out how to write fight scenes.
Load Game… Start!
Chapter 17: A Simple Rating Game 2
"Ruby, what's the plan?" Issei asked as they approached the gym entrance.
"Well, I'm not sure really," Ruby answered honestly. "I'm going between doing an all-out assault and catching them off-guard, or waiting and watching. See what these people can do. I just need a little bit more information to get a real battle strategy together. All we know is that we're dealing with twins, and I have a feeling Raiser specifically trained them to have perfect synergy with each other."
"I think I remember seeing those twins…" Yang growled, going back to their first meeting with the bastard. "They're pretty small if I'm right. We could easily overpower them."
"They could be Rooks." Koneko pointed out. "Or worse, Knights."
"Well, I should be able to match Knights, if not outright surpass them…" Ruby mumbled to herself, confident her Semblance could keep up with Raiser's Knights. Hopefully. "But we always have our scouting team as a backup in case things get hairy."
"It's just two people against us four. How much trouble can they make for us?" Yang said, opening the doors. Koneko sighed at the Brawler's underestimation of their opponents. "Just stay behind us, Ruby. We got this."
"If you say so…" Ruby said, mind whirring as she tried to get a sound strategy together.
"We know you are there, servants of Gremory and Rose! We watched you coming inside!" A woman's voice echoed out. Ruby winced.
"We should've known they were expecting us…" Ruby muttered. "If they were smart, they set an ambush. Keep sharp people."
"Don't worry, I'll play bodyguard just in case," Issei said with a wink, wiping sweat from his brow as heat radiated from Yang. As they entered the gym, they saw four of Raiser's Pieces standing in the court. A woman in a Chinese dress, a pair of twins in bloomers, and a small girl with a stick. Issei frowned at her, recognizing her as the one who knocked him down at the meeting.
"I thought you said there were only the twins?" Yang whispered to her sister.
"Damn, shouldn't have sent the scouting team out early." Ruby cursed. Taking a deep breath, she whispered to her team. "We can still handle it. Alright, their Pieces are…" She muttered to herself, trying to remember from their planning which girl was what Piece.
"Three Pawns, one Rook." Issei quietly reminded Ruby. "It's pretty even… Boosted Gear, go on standby."
BOOST!
"Hmph!" The girl in the Chinese dress, the only Rook, said as she took a step forward. "It's very reckless for you to let one of your Kings into the frontlines of battle. Are you really itching to lose this fast?"
"What can I say? I'm not the one sitting back and letting my whores do all the work." Ruby taunted, resting a hand on her hip.
"Taunt me and insult my King all you want, but this Rating Game has already been decided." The Rook said as she shifted into a martial arts stance. "Only two Kings need to be left standing in this Game for us to win, and I'll gladly make sure there's only two."
"Yeah, I'll make sure there's only two standing," Yang said as she rolled her neck. "I can take 'em."
"No, Yang. Take care of the Pawns." Ruby ordered, studying the woman's body. She had a much leaner build than Ruby was expecting. "I'm not risking you facing another fighter, and she looks more agile than you."
"…Then I'll deal with the Rook." Koneko said as she tightened her gloves.
"I'll help Yang out then," Issei said, his Sacred Gear glowing with power. "Stay back, Ruby!"
"No way," Ruby said as she chambered a round into Crescent Rose. "This is our fight, not just yours. Let's do this!"
Yang let out a wordless roar as she spearheaded the charge against their opponents. The Rook braced herself, the girl with the stick, Mira, readied her weapon. The twins grinned maliciously, pulling out spiked, blue chainsaws.
"Disassembly time~" They sung out with happy expressions on their faces.
"LITTLE GIRLS SHOULD NOT HAVE THOSE THINGS!" Issei yelled out as Koneko began her engagement with the Rook, but before the first punch could be thrown she was forced to dodge a decapitating strike and a stick. "They are way too happy about this!"
"Glad Ice Queen isn't here!" Yang called out, dodging a swing from one of the twins and countering with a punch, only to whiff it and quickly block another chainsaw with her new gauntlets. "Hey! These are new! Don't mess up the paint job!"
"We'll fix it with your blood!" The twin who was trying to cut through War grinned happily. Pushing off the offending piece of armor, the little girl twisted her weapon faster than humanly possible and sliced through Ruby's bullet. "Not going to work."
"Hey, I'm the one you want! Come and get me!" Ruby tried to focus their attention on her. Their swings were fast, especially for the weapon of their choice, but she could easily dodge it. If they're focused on her, Issei and Yang could surprise them.
"Sorry, but we won't fall for that! Besides, Raiser-sama wants to fight you!" The other twin said, before both focused solely on Yang, their chainsaws dragging across the floor as they rushed her.
"Huh?" Ruby said, stunned. She decided not to worry about it for now; Yang could take them on and the Game just started. She reminded herself it would be better if she played support more, as everyone here were close range fighters while she was mid-to-long range. Rushing off to the ceiling and sitting on top of a steel beam, she adjusted her scope and took aim.
Meanwhile, Issei was dealing with Mira and her stick. He was barely dodging her attacks and couldn't counter. If it wasn't for his training he would already be out. "C'mon Issei, find an opening!" He told himself as he kept dodging.
"Issei, duck!" Ruby said over the radio. Issei didn't hesitate and rolled out of the way, just as Ruby took a shot. Mira just dodged the bullet without breaking a sweat. She never saw Issei send a right hook to her cheek. Mira went rolling across the floor, and before she could recover, Issei went for a left hook, which she blocked. She grinned, but saw stars as a heavy punch shattered her nose and a shoulder shoved her hard into the ground. "Nice one! Keep it up!"
"Woo! Thanks!" Issei said as he waved at Ruby. A more experience fighter wouldn't have gotten distracted, but Issei isn't. The next thing he knew, he had a clear view of the ceiling as his legs were not too gently knocked from under him. "Damn it!" He swore as he rolled over to dodge a swing before getting up to engage Mira again. Her eyes were watering, blurring her vision, and blood dripped from her crocked nose. Issei smirked, despite crying inside for messing up such a cute girl's face, as he went on the offensive.
Ruby, now focusing her attention to Koneko, which wasn't hard considering every blow could be felt as the room shook. It looked like she didn't need help. If all else, she would screw up Koneko's battle and make her lose. She decided to focus on Yang and…
"Damn it!" Ruby swore in disbelief. Yang was losing. The twins' attacks were too quick to dodge, their bodies too small for Yang to get a good hit on, and her sister's clothes were not going to keep her decent for much longer. She could barely keep up. If one twin attacked, she would block her before leaving herself open to the other. It was a miracle they didn't even cut her hair yet. Yang's Aura levels were painfully low, she was in the red, and Ruby cursed herself for not noticing. "Yang, you better do something before I have to interfere. You're getting low!"
"No! Stay where you are! I got this!" Yang said as she held back the chainsaws with her bare hands. "Come on, Bloodlust! Hurry up and do something already!" She called out to her Sacred Gear. "Any time now! Like right now!" Yang then threw the chainsaws away and fired her flamethrower at them to give her some space. "FINE!" Yang shouted out before pounding her fists together, her Aura flaring around her like flames as her eyes went blood red. "Let's do it the old fashion way." She decided as her Semblance kicked in, transforming her pain to soon-to-be their pain.
"Oh! I think we made her angry!" One of the twins called out. "Should we do it now?"
"Hm… Yep!" The other said before they both charged at her. "Attack!"
"Bring it ya loli chainsaw freaks!" Yang roared back as she rushed in with the fiery aura surrounding her.
"Ahahaha!" The twin laughed out in unison with their chainsaw raised in the air. "Murder Time Fun Time~!" They happily sang in twisted delight.
Yang's eyes were still red as she prepared to deliver a punch right at one of the chainsaws blunt sides.
"Yang-senpai!" Koneko's voice called out followed by running footsteps.
WHAM!
The blonde brawler was suddenly struck in the chest by a surprise kick from Raiser's Rook, she felt her lungs lose all her air as she was sent flying into the wall.
CRASH!
"HUH!? HEY!" Issei roared out in anger as he dashed at the girl.
To this development, Mira went in and swept his legs and dropped Issei using her pole. "You're open!" She declared as she went to strike the boy with a downward strike, forcing him to roll out of the way. Another Sacred Gear user supporting another was bad news, no matter how weak the guy was, so she had to keep him distracted long enough for the final blow.
Koneko meanwhile, caught up to her target as she glared at her fellow Rook and engaged in combat once more.
"YANG!" Ruby called out to witnessing this as she began to fire at the twins.
"AHAHAHAHAH!" The twins meanwhile laughed out while dodging the bullets. "Too slow too slow!" They taunted as they once more rushed towards the blonde.
Yang was able to rip herself out of the wall, destroying a good chunk in the process. Her eyes fell on the Rook Koneko was fighting. "Bitch..." She snorted smoke in anger, but the guttural growls of two chainsaws drew her attention. Yang saw red. "It is on!" She managed to force out as she descended into a fury of fists and rage filled roars.
"Watch it, Yang! They're all going after you!" Ruby informed as she kept up her barrage at the chainsaw users. It wasn't a good idea to get in Yang's way when she's in that state so all she could do was fire her gun.
"On it!" The blonde replied just as one of the two got close. "Che!" She got out as she prepared another punch to the blunt part of the chainsaw.
"Nuh uh!" The other girl, however, said as she came from the blonde's other side, getting a strike in that struck at some of Yang's skin at her waist, drawing blood.
"Gah!" Yang grunted as she twisted to punch the attacker.
"Omph! Yang-senpai! Watch out!" Koneko's voice called out once more as she was thrown to the ground again.
BAM!
"Too slow again!" Raiser's Rook suddenly declared as she punched the blonde in the face, sending her flying.
Mira rammed her stick into Issei's stomach. Bracing himself and crossing his arms, Issei blocked a blow that never came. Mira had ran; towards the falling blonde.
"WHAT THE-!?" Issei got shouted as he chased after the girl.
"This is the end!" Mira shouted out…
CRACK!
…Landing a huge blow to Yang's face before she hit the ground.
"YANG!" Ruby screamed out as she saw her sister disappear in a flash of light. "No no no! This wasn't supposed to happen! NO!" She cried out as she barely contained her Power of Suffering.
[Ruby-sama's Rook has been retired.] Grayfia's voice echoed around the entire battlefield.
"One down, all of them to go!" The twins cheered out.
"Well, with your main advantage down, the rest won't be a problem," Mira said with a smirk.
Ruby and Issei only glared at the group as Koneko cracked her knuckles.
"Argh…! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!" Issei shouted out before sprinting forward, faster than he's ever been as Ruby appeared behind them in a blink of an eye.
Ruby screamed, tears in her eyes, before swinging Crescent Rose, barely missing their heads. Mira quickly went to block one of Issei's fists, but nearly fell over as his fist simply went through her weapon, turning the section into sawdust as he snapped her stick in two. His fist continued until it impacted her face, leaving a red, glowing mark. "Issei, on your left!"
"Leave it to me." Koneko said as she took the punch from the Chinese-dressed girl, grabbed her fist before throwing her over to Issei. The boy grabbed onto her shoulders and used it as leverage to flip over her and slam her face onto the ground. He jabbed his fist into her side when she tried to rise, placing a mark similar to the one he left on the former-stick wielder.
Ruby relentlessly attacked the twins, the superior Remnant-made metal putting deep dents, scratches and tears into the metal that was never designed for combat. With a clang not so dissimilar to a bell, the weapons broke. "Over here! Give 'em to me!" Issei called out. Ruby didn't hesitate, and fired her gun at both the twins, sending them towards the boy.
"Do it!" Ruby shouted out.
Issei smirked as he held out his fist and let the first twin fly straight into it clotheslining the petite girl, the other landed just at his feet. Grabbing her foot, he drove a haymaker into her gut. Both now possessed the glowing mark.
"No! We won't lose! Raiser-sama will get mad at us!" Mira cried out as she slowly recovered, holding the halves of her sticks as lifelines. "We will never fall against some fake King!"
"Well, this fake King just beat you," Ruby growled as she aimed her Sniper Rifle, but paused when a red-gauntlet clad hand lowered her weapon.
"Wait a minute, I got this," Issei said as he stepped forward, confusing Koneko. Ruby shook her head, attempting to reign in her emotions and follow the plan.
"Hmph! What can you do against us?" The Chinese-dressed girl said arrogantly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere dropped a few degrees as the lights dimmed. There was an evil, lustful aura coming off of the pervert as he chuckled evilly as he unleashed his Devil wings. If there was Latin chanting, it would complete the effect that what Issei would inflict on them would destroy their very soul.
"Only my newest, ultimate technique!" Issei laughed out like a madman before holding up his armored hand. "This. This, is a warning to all member of Raiser's peerage. Dress Break!"
SNAP!
Suddenly, the sounds of ripping and tearing clothes filled the air as the marked girls quickly went to cover their exposed genitalia. "NNNNOOOOO!" They all wailed out as they collapsed onto the floor.
"Mwahahahaha! How is it!? This is my technique! And the name is 'Dress Break'!" Issei announced, his nose bleeding as Ruby just stared in awe while Koneko's expression was unchanged. "I just kept on imaging the girl's clothes getting blown away into pieces! I spent all of my demonic-power talent into making all of the girls naked!"
"…This was your secret training? That's why you used your Devil energy for peeling stuff all this time!?" Ruby said through gritted teeth as her eye twitched at the sight, causing Issei to sweat. "THIS!?"
"B-But Asia-san gl-gladly pro-p-provided c-consent and I shouldn't have said th-GACK!" Issei was then interrupted by Ruby choking him with Crescent Rose.
"Yeah! Choke him out! He's the enemy to all women!" Mira cheered for her enemy.
"Beast! Sex fiend! Light Novel protagonist!" One of the twins shouted out.
"I… accept that…!" Issei wheezed out.
"…I misjudged you." Koneko said flatly.
"Why… Koneko-chan…?" Issei got out, feeling his heart getting stabbed before Ruby let him breathe.
"Ruby, Issei, Koneko! Can you hear me? It's Rias." Rias' voice said over their radios.
"Yeah, we hear you loud and clear," Ruby said with a sigh. "Damn it! We already lost Yang!"
"We heard. Looks like we have to change our plans…" Rias grumbled. "But, Phase 1 can still go through. Weiss and Akeno are ready and they confirmed to me that they gave the signal to Pancakes. Move, now!"
"Got it, Prez," Ruby said before shutting off her radio and looking at the puddle of Yang's blood on the court. "Come on, we gotta get moving." With a nod, the remaining assault team started running for the exit.
"W-Wait! Where are you going!?" Mira called out. "Isn't this location important!?"
"Yep!" Ruby said as she mockingly saluted the four as they all stood in the exit doorway. "By the way, look up."
"Huh?" Was the very last thing they heard before a massive bolt of lightning hit the gym turning it and the surrounding area to ash as Ruby, Issei, and Koneko jumped as far as they could away from the destruction of the gym.
[3 Pawns and 1 Rook from Raiser-sama's peerage have been retired!] Grayfia announced.
Ruby smirked as she wiped the dirt from her clothes. Despite losing Yang and the pain it brought with, it was still worth the elimination of four members from the enemy. They now had a numbers advantage in their favor. It was going to take a while for Akeno and Weiss to recharge but right now, her and Rias' combined peerage were winning. That reminded her of something. She quickly switched on her radio.
"Pancakes, are you okay? Did you get the signal in time?" Ruby said. All she got was static. "Pancakes, can you hear me? Pancakes? Raynare?"
"I… I'm sorry… Ruby-sama… Do not pity this lowly servant…" Pancakes said over the radio. She sounded weak. "Someone is… coming…"
[Ruby-sama's only Pawn has been retired.] Grayfia announced not too soon after.
"Shit!" Ruby panicked. "Someone's coming!"
"…Where?" Koneko asked as she and Issei turned to Ruby… just as Issei spotted a girl in a mage costume flying above Ruby's head.
"RUBY!" Issei shouted out as he suddenly tackled her to the ground.
"Take this!" The mage said, before he and Ruby were blown back by the resulting explosion. Issei took most of the force as he used himself as a shield for the Human King.
"AAAHHH!" They cried out as they rolled away, wincing as debris from the gym dug into their skin.
"What was that!?" Issei called out.
"I don't know!" Ruby replied before remembering.
Koneko.
"No no no…" Issei said as they both scrambled up to their feet when they saw Koneko's defeated form. "No no no… stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" He chanted to himself as he slid off over to Koneko's side. She was pretty messed up even with her enhanced defenses. Her uniform was burned and ripped apart, and she was barely keeping herself conscious. As Ruby fired at the one who caused this, Issei tried to keep Koneko awake. "Don't worry, just stay awake! We can get you to Asia as soon as we can, Koneko-chan!"
"I-Issei…senpai…? Ruby-senpai…?" Koneko managed to get out.
"This isn't good, this isn't good…" Ruby said, realizing who she was trying to fight. "Issei, we need to get out of here! We can't face her alone!"
"Wha-Shit! That's the freaking Queen!" Issei shouted out as he picked up Koneko and he and Ruby jumped out of the way of another explosion.
"Fufufu. When you hunt a prey, it's best when the prey accomplished something because that's the time when the prey is most vulnerable." The Queen taunted. "It's enough for us to 'sacrifice' our pieces in order to take down one of your pieces. Your group may have nearly as many as a regular peerage but even your combined power is nothing to us. And even if you defeat us, you cannot defeat Raiser-sama. It's useless to resist." She laughed out, causing Ruby's anger to flare.
"SHUT UP!" Ruby shouted out as she fired more rounds at her, which she easily dodged before countering with another explosion aimed at Ruby. It was too fast for Ruby to dodge so she braced herself… just as a red-tinted glyph appeared right in front of her.
"Tch… Dolt." Weiss said as soon as she teleported in front of her King and shielded her from the explosion. "Déjà vu, huh?"
"W-Weiss!" Ruby said.
"I'm so sorry we were late," Weiss said sadly. "But I'm gonna make up for it. You and Issei go to the sports grounds and meet up with Kiba and Blake. Akeno and I will take care of the Queen."
"But you're drained of magic!" Ruby reminded her partner. "And she fires explosions!"
"Don't you think I know that?" Weiss said. "I have plenty of Dust and plenty of Aura. We'll catch up with you soon. We all have our roles, and this is mine. To protect the King at all costs! Now go!"
"But…" Ruby tried to reason, only to hear another announcement.
[Rias-sama's Rook has been retired.] Grayfia announced, just as Ruby saw Issei punch the ground with his bare fist.
"Do you wanna lose? GO!" Weiss commanded as she teleported from Ruby to behind Yubelluna, the Queen, and tried to strike her as Akeno joined the fight.
"Grrr….! I'm not letting this chick walk after what she did to Koneko-chan!" Issei yelled out as he rolled up his sleeves as he was about to join the fray.
"Issei, they have this! Trust them!" Ruby said as she grabbed his shoulder. "Right now, our Knights need our help."
"But-!"
"Blake and Kiba need our help, damn it!" Ruby snapped. "Either shut the fuck up and come with me or stay here and end up like Yang!"
"ARRRGH, Fine!" Issei shouted back. Both paused, panting slightly as they regained their breath and started thinking like rational beings again. "F…Fine… Okay… Stick to the plan."
"Y-Yeah," Ruby said before they both ran off to meet with Kiba. "…What did she do?" Issei clenched his fists as he remembered Koneko's face, how he never wanted to see it again.
"She made her cry." When they heard the bell ring again, they knew the midgame had just begun.
(Some time later…)
Elsewhere in the forest, Penny was scanning the area near the Gremory and Rose Base. "Hmm..." She hummed out before focusing on a group of bushes. "Come out, I can see you within those bushes with my sensors..." She calmly stated.
To that statement, the bushes rustled that bit before four girls, two girls in maid outfits and the other two were catgirls in skimpy sailor suits that barely covered any skin with one of them having red hair and the other having blue hair.
"And here I thought we would get the surprise attack on her Ni." The blue haired catgirl got out with a small pout on her face.
"Doesn't matter either way Li, she'll fall just like the rest of her comrades will." The red-haired cat girl declared.
"We should be lucky we're close enough to their base." One of the girls dressed as a maid stated.
"Yeah, it'll be easier to take her out." The other maid clad girl declared.
'Sensors indicating...' Penny thought.
"Promotion! Queen!" The four declared in unison.
Penny, in turn, blinked to this as she got into her battle stance. 'Power increase to the level of a Queen...' She then thought. 'I won't be able to beat them by myself… unless…'
"I'm sorry Ruby. Over-clocking systems…" Penny mumbled to herself before her eyes glowed green, her swords floating behind her back, staying static as energy built up in them as focal points. "I will not let you win, in the name of my friend and King! Even if I shut down, I'll keep fighting until every single enemy of my friend is destroyed! My name is Penny Polendina, and I am combat ready!"
As the Pawns leaped at her, she fired.
(Meanwhile…)
"I really hope Buchou and Asia-san didn't run into any trouble…" Issei mumbled to himself.
"If she did, she's sure taking her sweet time in taking them down," Ruby replied, right before seeing a giant green laser fire in the distance. Larger than the one from the docks.
[Four of Raiser-sama's Pawns have been retired. I repeat; four of Raiser-sama's Pawns have been retired.] Grayfia announced as the two grinned.
"Ha ha! We're mowing through 'em!" Issei laughed out. "And with fewer casualties on our side."
"Don't think we've won yet. And don't jinx it." Ruby giggled out before swearing at the next announcement.
[Ruby-sama's Bishop has just been retired.] Ruby just shot the speaker before moving on. [I would like to remind everyone that these speakers cannot be broken, so please do not shoot it, Ruby-sama.]
"I hope Weiss and Akeno have finished with Raiser's Queen already," Ruby mumbled to herself before they were both pulled to the side. "WAH!"
"Shush. It's just us." Blake said as she and Kiba let go of the two. They were now in the storage room. It was hidden away from the rest of the grounds, they were using it as a rest spot.
"Oh… it's just you guys…" Issei said as he got his breathing back to normal. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry, Issei-kun." Kiba said his ever-present smile on his face.
"It's okay… but… Yang, Koneko and Pancakes…" Ruby started as she winced.
"Yeah, those announcements are hard to miss," Blake said, knowing that Ruby was probably blaming herself for everything. "Yang's probably kicking herself right now. It's not your fault. You knew the risks of playing decoy."
"What about scouting? And what happened to Penny?" Ruby had to ask and it was Blake's turn to wince.
"After scouting out the school, Penny and I went to help Kiba lure out some members out of the sports grounds. They knew the place was important to us so the leader there sent out Pawns only." Blake explained.
"That's when we heard about Pancakes and Koneko-san." Kiba continued. "Penny-san told us to let her take care of them and head to our objective."
"Well, I'm guessing she was expecting us if they didn't bother sending more powerful Pieces." Ruby guessed.
"Yes," Kiba said with a sigh, though he was still smiling, his eyes said otherwise.
"From what we gathered. It seems his main strategy is sacrificing his Pieces to get to the King." Blake said. "But this is what I don't get. We still have us four, Asia, Rias, Weiss and Akeno and we still need to deal with one Pawn, one Rook, two Bishops, two Knights, his Queen and Raiser himself. This strategy is what I expect if Raiser was dealing with fewer Pieces like it should've been because of his immortality."
"That's really weird…" Issei admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.
"It's because he thinks we're weaker," Rias said over the radio. "That we'll lose even if he doesn't change anything about his usual plans. But… that means he doesn't really care what happens to his servants… He's going to keep throwing his peerage at us, wear us down until we can barely keep fighting. And then he'll deal the finishing blow. Remember, everyone, we still have plenty of time before dawn. Rest if you need to and don't push yourselves. We're going to have to play the long game if we want to win this thing."
"Of course, Rias-buchou," Kiba said before shutting his radio off. "Let's all rest for a few minutes and use that time to plan our next move. The Pieces in there are going to be a serious threat."
"How serious are we talking?" Ruby questioned as they all sat down.
"One Knight, one Rook, one Bishop," Blake answered. "Attack, Defense, and Magic."
"Uh… that's a really dangerous formation." Issei spoke up.
"That's how much they are keeping up guard for this place, of our intrusion here," Kiba said as Ruby pulled out some energy bars for everyone. "Since we eliminated the gym, they will put more strength here and more likely at other important positions."
"And considering we blew up the gym, it forced their Queen to come to the frontlines," Issei said with a wince. "I have a feeling this is going to be a much more intense battle than the one in the gym."
"Then it'll probably be best if Ruby plays a support role for this fight," Blake stated after swallowing her bar. "If things get rough, I really don't want Ruby in the front. You okay with that, leader?"
"Well… if that's what we're talking about… may as well bring out the big guns." Ruby said as she brought out Death Rose and loaded in a clip. "I'll stay outside and do what I can but don't expect me to sit out too long."
"Good," Blake said as she wiped off some dust off her clothes. "I think we've had enough rest. Let's move."
"Right!" Ruby said with a nod before becoming a red blur.
"Hey… you guys nervous?" Issei asked. Blake and Kiba just looked at the Pawn, causing him to blush red. "O-Of course! I basically have no battle experience! And now I'm here in an actual battle. I would be a grunt compared to both of you who are full of battle experience."
"…To be honest Issei… I am." Blake admitted, shocking the boys. She didn't even bother looking at the boys' surprised looks. "Yeah, get it out of your system, especially where I come from but in reality, everyone's a little scared, even trained warriors like Huntsmen and Huntresses. It's just how much effort you need to hide it."
"Huh?" Issei looked confused.
"Look, on my world… a life there isn't certain. Every mission, every fight, every decision could change someone for better or for worse. And when you realize that, you can't help but feel… scared." Blake continued. "What if that person has a family that needs them? That loves them? Am I doing what's right or am I being tricked? Are… Are you going to see the sun tomorrow or will you ever see your loved ones one last time? But that's what keeps us going. It's built in our instincts to survive, to fight as best as we can until there's nothing to fight. It's okay to be scared Issei because the brave ones are the ones who are afraid to fight but keep going anyway. That's where your strength comes from."
Issei and Kiba just looked at her silently.
"…You were expecting just a yes or no, weren't you?" Blake deadpanned. Issei just nodded, causing Blake to sigh.
"It seems you've been asked that question before." Kiba guessed.
"No, just had time to think," Blake replied. "Plus, never thought I'd be dealing with an immortal douchebag with a harem of little girls. I swear, I think some of them are really pushing the limits of the law…"
"You know, never thought I'd get a fortune cookie out of this…" Issei mumbled to himself.
"Well then, Issei-kun. I guess I'll cut to the chase." Kiba said as he showed his hands to Blake and Issei.
"Dude! They're shaking!" Issei exclaimed.
"Yes, they are…" Kiba said with a bright smile. "This is our first Rating Game, after all, one with major stakes on the line. Where there's so much resting on our shoulders that I can barely handle it. And this is our first game. We can't show them even a slight opening in our guard. This is a match where we have to give it all we got as Buchou's servant Devils. It's something that will be important even in the future. I feel delighted and also scared. I don't want to forget the feeling of my hands' shaking. This feeling of being nervous. The intense atmosphere. I want to feel everything and make it my experience."
Kiba then grabbed both Issei and Blake's hands. "Let's all become strong together. So that nothing will stand in the way of our goals." Kiba said with a determined look on his face.
"You can count me in!" Ruby called out over the radio.
"Yeah… let's go out and do our best." Blake said with a smile. However, Issei stayed silent. "Uh… Issei?"
"…Then let's do a combination that would make the girls get aroused!" The pervert declared before Blake slapped him to the ground.
"Hahaha! Does it mean that I'm the one who goes from behind?" Kiba chuckled out.
"Dumbass! If it's sticking in, then it's my job!" Issei shouted out, quickly recovering from the slap. "I mean no! Wait, I mean… Grrr….! KKKKKKIIIIIIIBBBBBBBAAAAAAA!" Blake held back Issei as he tried to attack Kiba.
"You better not do that Dress Break thing again!" Ruby growled over the radio. "By the way, someone's coming!"
"Wait, Dress Break!? Again!? What the Hell did you do!?" Blake exclaimed before glaring at the pervert as he started stepping away from the angry cat girl.
This time it was Kiba's turn to hold someone back from attacking their own teammate until a brave voice called out to them.
"I am the Knight of Raiser Phoenix-sama, Carlamaine!" The armored girl declared. "I've become bored of trying to sniff through each other's strategy! Rias Gremory and Ruby Rose's Knight! I challenge you to a duel!"
"Well then…" Blake muttered as she placed a hand on her hip as she looked at the female at the baseball field. "She's either a very honorable person… or just plain stupid. We should probably rush her and get it over with."
"But… she did introduce herself rather nicely and I am not one to abuse someone's trust." Kiba said with a sigh before smiling. "We best go introduce ourselves." He said as he walked towards the field.
"Honor before reason…" Blake muttered.
"Dumbass," Issei swore as they got out their respective weapons and followed the blonde Knight.
"I'm the Knight of Rias Gremory, Kiba Yuuto!" Kiba said with a bow.
"I'm the Pawn, Issei Hyoudou!" Issei called out as he got into a fighting stance.
"And I'm the Knight of Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna!" Blake exclaimed as she aimed Shrouded Plague at Carlamaine. Said female Knight smirked at the three.
"I'm happy that there are warriors like you three in that group of yours. Coming directly from the front. That's something people with normal sanity won't do." Carlamaine said.
"What can I say? It hasn't been a good few weeks, nya." Blake deadpanned before blushing and reverted her appearance back to human. "P-Plus, we have more honor than that."
"Other than this fight being two against one?" Carlamaine pointed out.
"Like I said; more honorable than most people," Blake said as she settling into a battle stance. "Ruby, make sure we don't have an audience."
"And don't try and help us. This is a match between us only." Kiba added in.
"Already on it," Ruby said, scanning the field from her spot. "Go get 'em, guys."
"Like you need to ask," Blake mumbled to herself as Kiba summoned his swords.
"Ah well, I love idiots like you," Carlamaine said as she pulled out her sword. "Now, shall we start this duel?"
"Sorry, but this fight's already over before it has even begun." Blake taunted.
"A match of Knights…" Kiba chuckled out. "I've honestly been waiting for this. Go all out. Hold nothing back!" He called out as he went into an aggressive stance.
"Well said, Knights of Ruby Rose and Rias Gremory!" Carlamaine said. "Let this duel decide our fates!"
And with that, the Knights charged at each other at blinding speeds, solely focused on their foe and how they would destroy them.
Save Game… Quit!
Done! God! Oh, there are so gonna be people complaining about a lot of RWBY losing early… Actually, I couldn't even write two fight scenes because I couldn't come up with a convincing and believable fight and I feel my descriptions of actions are kinda stiff and slow. I looked up how to do a fight scene, didn't help at all. Thank you JGResidentEvil for that.
UknownHero signing off, my friends!