(Disclaimer: I own neither Highschool DxD nor Ben 10. Both of these belong to their respective owners who own all rights to them.)
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Tennyson house, Ben's room
Ben leant back in his chair and brought his arms up above his head as he stretched out his aching joints. After returning home with Asia and saying a final good night to each other before heading into their rooms, Ben just couldn't find himself sleepy enough to go to bed just yet after what he had been through today so he ended up sat at his desk and sketching out crude drawings of the demons he encountered in the forest.
This was something that Ben had just started doing. Even though he still drew the images he saw with Azmuth, it didn't hurt his head as much anymore when he had them; drawing the visions had become more out of habit now, so Ben now planned to sketch out images of the various demons and supernatural creatures he observed.
Tonight, he was drawing the images of a Vulpimancer, Florauna and Arachnichimp. He was now onto the last image and had just finished the initial outline of the Vulpimancer before he decided to take a short break from it.
He glanced over at the alarm clock beside his bed to see that it was 12AM in the morning.
'Looks like I went on longer than I intended.'
He looked back down at the images in front of him and his mind took him back through the unusual day he had today and replayed out the events in his mind; from visiting the familiar forest to getting caught in a trap to saving his friends from three violent demons to finally finding his familiar.
"A lot of shit happened today, huh," he sighed with a small smirk.
As his Magimorph familiar entered his mind, Ben decided he wanted to see Ship again so he held his left arm out and directed it to the floor beside him, palm out, and summoned his familiar.
There was a small explosion of smoke which, when it quickly dissipated, revealed Ship sat on his floor, their tail wagging enthusiastically as it took in its new surroundings. When they finally zeroed in on Ben, their tail wagged even faster and they leapt up onto his lap and pressed their front legs on his chest and began licking his face with a tongue that appeared out of its head (Ben didn't know how it did this as Magimorphs didn't appear to have mouths of any kind).
"Hahaha, hey there, Ship!" Ben chuckled, surprised at the tingle he felt in his cheeks where Ship's tongue touched due to a small amount of static energy discharge. He stroked Ship's back and fought to push their enthusiastic head away from him to stop the tirade of electrified licks though it was a strain.
After a moment of back and forth between the two of them, Ship finally conceded and settled down, curling up in Ben's lap and humming pleasurably as Ben scratched their head.
"Huh, you're just like a little puppy, aren't you?" Ben mused with a smirk. Ever since the family dog, Rufus, passed away last year, Ben had frequently badgered his parents into getting a new one but they had told him that it wasn't the best time to think about something like that. As it turned out, the reason it wasn't the best time was because they were working out the task of moving their family to Japan.
"I wish you could stay out all the time, it'd be so great if could join the family," Ben said and Ship glanced up at him as he said this and blinked their single, lime-green eye at him as if asking him "Why not?"
"Huh, well it's because you're kinda unique up here in the human world. There's no other Magimorph up here and you don't really look like any animal that exists up here…." Ben trailed off his explanation as he recalled something Rias told him about familiars that gave him an idea.
"…but there might be something we can do about that." He picked up Ship off his lap, something Ship wasn't all too pleased at, and placed them on his desk in front of him.
"I've never done this before so it might not work but do you want me to give it a go?" he asked his excitable familiar once they had calmed down a little. Ship looked up him for a second as though they were considering his words before nodding their head and wagging their tail again, scattering the drawings and paper that Ben had spread out on the table.
Ben smiled at Ship's response. "I'll take that as a yes. Okay, lets give it a go then."
He had no idea if there was any particular spell he had to use to change a familiar's appearance but he remembered Rias giving him a brief talk once on how devils used magic so he figured he'd try that. He brought up both his hands before him and held them out between himself and Ship and closed his eyes and began to concentrate, imagining the new form he wanted Ship to take.
As he pictured the new form, Ben felt something stir within him, something he never felt before but deduced that it must be magic. He continued to concentrate on the magic until two things happened in quick succession; he heard a small *poof* in front of him and the magic suddenly stopped, disappearing back into the recesses of his mind.
Slowly opening his eyes, Ben looked upon the result and was met with a small golden retriever puppy sat on his desk with its head tilted to the left as it gave him an inquisitive look.
The two of them stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
It was Ben who finally broke the silence.
"Uh, Ship?" Ben wondered, leaning forward a little. His reply came in the form of the small puppy wagging its tail happily and it leapt back up onto its feet and bounced up to him and tried licking his face again.
"Heh, yeah it's you alright," Ben laughed as he pushed Ship off his face again and held them up to his face. "I would say that's a resounding success, wouldn't you?"
Ship's tongue slipped out of their mouth and licked the top of their new nose before panting happily in response.
"Yeah, I think mum and dad are going to like you a lot. I think I'll introduce them to you tomorrow. What do you say, Ship? Do you wanna meet the rest of the family?"
"Ship!" Ship barked joyfully, the one word in their vocabulary now being almost completely masked by a dog-like bark, the only reason Ben heard Ship's word at all was thanks to his enhanced hearing. He doubted that his parents would hear anything else other than the normal bark of a dog.
"Get some rest then, Ship. I'll show you to them tomorrow, okay?"
"Ship!" Ship yapped again before they disappeared in a small puff of smoke again, leaving Ben alone in his room once more.
With something to look forward to tomorrow, Ben tidied up the mess that was his desk after Ship had been on it, turned off the desk lamp, took off his clothes and got into bed.
As he lay back in his bed, his still-active mind suddenly turned his thoughts to someone he had been getting concerned for in recent days.
Despite knowing that something was off about her lately and the numerous times that he had asked the beautiful redhead what was wrong, Rias had consistently waved off his worries and always reflected his question and changed the subject to something else entirely.
He had no idea what it was that was troubling her, and even though it was particularly vexing for her to constantly brush off his attempts to understand what it was, he was still determined to find out what it was and help her in any way he could.
'Maybe I'm going about it all wrong,' he thought as he starred up at his ceiling with his hands behind his head. Perhaps it was time to try a different strategy to find out what was going on; maybe asking Akeno or either Kiba or Koneko to see if they knew or were even aware that there was something troubling their master and King.
They might know something he didn't. After all, they all knew Rias a lot longer than he did.
He was brought out of his thoughts sharply when his room was suddenly lit up in a bright coloured crimson light that originated from the magic teleportation circle that had suddenly appeared in the middle of his room.
"What the hell?"
Ben sat up quickly to see who it was teleporting into his room, summoning his Sacred Gears in case it was someone trying to pick a fight.
His eyes widened in shock, however, when, instead of a fallen angel or crazed exorcist appearing, it was Rias who appeared in the circle and stepped out into his room. Strangely, she was still wearing her school uniform even though it was so late at night.
'Did she come straight from the clubroom? What was she still doing there?' Ben's racing mind pieced together as he turned off his Sacred gears again.
"Rias? What are you doing here?" he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes recovered from the sudden, intense light of the circle. When he looked back at Rias though, he finally noted the troubled look on her, otherwise flawless face.
"What's wrong?" he asked with concern as he began to rise up out of his bed only for Rias to place her hands on his shoulders and push him back down on the bed with her now straddling his waist while she continued to pin his shoulders to the bed.
"Quick, Ben! I need you to take me!" she announced clearly, the troubled expression still on her face.
"What?!" Ben exclaimed in shock, too stunned to move at this that he made no movement as Rias released her hold on his shoulders and began undressing while she remained on top of him.
"I need you to take my virginity!" she stated firmly as she tossed her school shirt aside and undid the lacy pearl-white bra, releasing her large breasts from their confinement and exposing them to the night air as she began working on the clasp of her skirt.
'Where the fuck did this come from?!'
"What are you talking about?" he demanded with concern in his voice. Not concern for himself, however, but rather concern for Rias in that there had to be a reason that she had suddenly come here, to his room, and told him to do such a thing completely out of the blue.
"Once it is known that I am no longer unspoiled then I shall finally be free!" Her expression then turned to one of nervousness. "I'm a virgin so you will have to show me what to do."
"What makes you think I know anything?!" Ben internally cried as Rias grabbed his hand by the wrist and brought it up to her chest and pressed his open palm against her left breast. Completely on instinct, when Ben's hand was pressed against the large mound of flesh he tensed his fingers a little, squeezing it slightly and causing Rias to moan a little at the unfamiliar contact.
"Have you thought this through?!" Ben muttered nervously, doing his utmost to keep a blush from forming on his face. Now wasn't the time to get embarrassed.
"I've given this a lot of thought, Ben, and this is the only way I can think of that will certainly work," she informed him with certainty in her voice that told Ben that she really had considered this the best option to help her with her problem.
"B-But…."
"What's wrong? Is my body not to your liking?"
"What? No! far from it. it's just that–."
"Then it shouldn't be a problem. You just need to stick your thing in mine and I will be free. After that you can do what you want with me as my show of thanks.
This proved to be the last straw for Ben, the limit for how much he could take Rias showing her level of desperation. He pushed himself upwards, catching Rias off guard by his sudden action, and wrapped his arms around her body, pinning her arms to her body as he pressed his body against hers, ignoring her large breasts which were now pressing into his bare chest and buried his head in the crook of her neck while stroking the back of her head with his hand.
Whatever problem Rias was dealing with, it had made her so desperate that she thought throwing herself at Ben was the only way to get out of it.
"B-Ben?" she gasped, wide-eyed at his abrupt action.
"This isn't the solution, Rias. I know it might seem like it's the only way but I would never want you to do something you will later regret. Tell me what's wrong and I'll do whatever I can to help you!"
Before Rias could say anything in response to Ben's unexpected action, another teleportation circle materialised in his room and a silver-haired maid appeared in it, interrupting their conversation.
As the circle disappeared, the maid immediately zeroed in on the two of them sat on Ben's bed and shook her head a little in disappointment.
"Really, Rias? This is the length you will go to avoid your obligations?" she sighed as she approached the bed.
She appeared to be in her early twenties with silver eyes and back-length silver that featured a long braid which dangled on each side of her head, each with small blue bows tied at the ends of them. Her attire consisted of a blue, short-sleeved maid outfit.
"Surely you must realise how terribly disappointed Sirzechs would be in you if he saw you lying with a lowborn," she reprimanded Rias softly as she bent down and began picking up Rias' discarded clothes from the floor.
'Sirzechs? Who's that?' Ben wondered as he broke apart from Rias who removed herself from Ben's waist and removed herself from the bed to meet the silver-haired maid in the eye.
"I don't care what my brother thinks. My virtue is mine to give to whomever I choose," she stated with fire in her eyes.
Ben's eyes widened a little.
'Her brother? What's he got to do with anything?'
"…and furthermore, I will not stand anyone calling one of my treasured servants a 'lowborn'; regardless of whether you're my brother's queen or not!"
The two women locked eyes with each other and stared at each other for several uncomfortable seconds.
The silence was finally broken when the maid nodded her head in understanding. "Noted. But you must remember that you are the next head of the Gremory family so please…." She draped Rias' shirt over her shoulders to give her some modesty. "…have more respect for yourself."
The maid then turned her head towards Ben and took a few steps toward him before politely bowing her head a little.
"Apologies for the intrusion. My name is Grayfia and I, too, am a servant of the Gremory family. We shall be getting out of your way now.
Ben was too fixated on staring at Grayfia that he didn't notice Rias leaning down and kissing him lightly on his forehead and lightly cupping his cheek.
"I apologise for actions tonight. I wasn't thinking things through clearly. I hope you can forgive me for making you uncomfortable, Ben," she said as she pressed her forehead against his for a moment before stepping away.
"Don't worry about training tomorrow morning. We'll gather in the clubroom at the usual time in the morning, okay?"
Ben only nodded slowly, unable to think of anything to say.
Grayfia perked up at something Rias said.
"Ben?" She looked down at Ben again with intrigue. "So this is Ben Tennyson, the boy who is possessed, not only by the Red Dragon Emperor but by the Dragon God, Azmuth, too?"
Rias turned back to face Grayfia. "Yes, he is my pawn."
"Uh, yeah, that's me. Hi," Ben muttered with a weak, confused wave.
"If you're here to talk, Grayfia, then we will do it at my headquarters. You don't mind if Akeno joins us, do you?"
"Of course not. It's only proper that a noble have their queen by their side during such important matters," Grayfia replied professionally, as though not having Akeno present had ever been an option.
With that, Grayfia created another teleportation circle which she and Rias stood in before they disappeared in a brief flash of light before the room darkened and Ben was, once again, left alone in his room.
. . . . .
(The next day)
At around ten in the morning when Ben had planned to introduce Ship to his family as the new family pet, he and Asia, instead were saying goodbye to Ben's parents before leaving the house and before making their way through their neighbourhood towards the academy, the both wondering just what exactly was going on with Rias that had made her do what she did last night. When he had woken up and bumped into Asia as they were getting ready for the day, Ben had retold her everything that happened.
"Oh no. I hope there's something we can do," Asia had said when he finished recounting his story.
Ben could only nod his head in agreement to this. Rias had saved both their lives after they'd been murdered by fallen angles and it was only right that they do whatever they could to return the favour.
As they approached the academy gates, they were met by Kiba and Koneko who were approaching the academy from the opposite direction. As they entered the school as a single group, Ben also told them what had happened last, though he made sure to edit out a few details that weren't important to the story (namely the part where Rias straddled him) and only focus on the important facts.
"I think you're right, Ben," Kiba admitted as they made their way around the school exterior to its rear where the old school building was located. "I've noticed Rias acting strangely too. Something is clearly bothering her."
Ben hid the relief he felt that someone else had also seen that something had been bothering Rias for a while.
"So, what do you think it is?" Ben asked, eager for mor insight from someone who's known Rias longer than he had.
"I'd say it was House of Gremory troubles, something that we won't be privy to…," Kiba started explaining before he suddenly trailed off midsentence and stopped walking while they continued walking a few steps before they realised he had stopped. They looked back to see a look of worry on his face.
"What is it? what's wrong?" Ben asked, not liking the expression the Gremory Knight had on his face.
"Well…there is one thing I can think that could cause her to act like this…and if it's that then its bad news." He glanced at Koneko who looked at him puzzled for a second before her expression also turned into one of concern.
When Ben tried asking for more information, Kiba didn't give him anything else. Instead, the four of them pressed forward towards the old school building and, before long they were entering the clubroom itself, opening the doors to see Rias and Akeno already inside waiting for them…with a third person standing before Rias' desk with her back to them though Ben recognised the silver hair and blue maid outfit.
The third figure turned around to confirm Ben's suspicions; Grayfia.
"Ah, good, you're all here," Rias observed from her seat with her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her interlocking fingers,
"My lady, now that the rest of your servants have arrived, may I have your permission to speak openly?" Grayfia asked, both politely and professionally.
Rias cast a quick glance at Grayfia before looking back towards Ben and the others who had just arrived and nodding her head slightly.
"Very well. Let's hear what she has to say. For those who aren't aware, it's about…," Rias began but stopped speaking as a large, bright orange teleportation circle suddenly materialised in the corner of the clubroom. The sigil in the centre of the circle was one that was, unsurprisingly, unfamiliar to Ben so he presumed it was the sigil of another noble Devil House. When bright flames suddenly burst out of the circle, Asia flinched fearfully and edged behind Ben, taking hold of Ben's arm in the process.
"Ahh, and Riser Phenex has finally arrived in the human realm," a new, masculine voice drawled out from within the flames.
The burning flames disappeared along with the circle to reveal the new arrival. He was a young man who looked to be in his very early twenties. He had short blond hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a burgundy blazer with gold embroidery and white, slightly unbuttoned shirt underneath, a matching pair of burgundy trousers and black dress shoes.
It took one look at his outfit and the obnoxious look on his face for Ben to come up with a single word to describe this guy.
Dickhead.
Grayfia took the opportunity to properly introduce the new arrival.
"This is Lord Riser Phenex, third heir to the House of Phenex and fiancé to the next head of the House of Gremory.
'Fiancé?!'
Suddenly all the pieces suddenly fit together and everything made sense.
Ben's head snapped towards Rias to see her staring at Riser with a hardened expression, clearly hiding her emotions from showing what she truly thought of the guy who had just barged into their clubroom.
. . . . .
"Hmm, Riser finds he must compliment the queen of his beloved Rias. This tea is most delicious," Riser drawled with a sneer as he drank the tea that Akeno had made for him.
Despite it being painfully obvious what Rias thought of Riser, hospitality was something that was still expected of a noble, pure-blooded devil. That was the reason that Rias was now sat on the sofa with Riser who had his right arm draped around her shoulders while his hand played with strands of Rias' crimson hair.
From his spot, stood behind the sofa opposite to Rias and Riser beside Asia, Kiba and Koneko, Ben chewed on the inside of his cheek as he felt a tick slowly form in his struggle to contain himself from saying something without thought at the sight of Riser acting so familiar with Rias despite it being so obvious that she wanted nothing to do with him.
"I appreciate the compliment," Akeno replied with an empty smile as she held the tea tray close to her chest and returned it to its table before moving to join the others standing on the other side of the room.
Rias finally reached the limit of what she was willing to endure when Riser moved his hand onto her bare thigh and stroke it lecherously. "That's enough, Riser!" she declared firmly, removing herself from his hold and standing up from the sofa and turning to glare down at Riser who remained where he sat. "It seems I need to make myself clear again; I will not…nor will I ever marry you!"
Riser simply smirked and laid back on the sofa. "But, my dear Rias. Surely you remember that our marriage has already been arranged between our two great houses that this marriage will take place before long. You are aware of the need to increase the number pure-blooded devils, right? We're still trying to recover our numbers from the last war after all. You don't want to bring shame and dishonour to your family, do you?"
"I have no intention of bringing shame to my family!" Rias retorted hotly, glaring daggers at Riser now. "However, this is something I will never accept! My husband will be chosen by me and nobody else, got it?!"
Riser seemed to lose the last vestiges of patience by this point and rose up out of his chair quickly and suddenly stood right in front of Rias, took hold of her chin with his thumb and index finger and brought her face extremely close to his.
"Listen here, Rias," he breathed dangerously, all previous courtesy and politeness gone as his patience waned. "Riser has a duty to uphold the reputation of the House of Phenex! Riser will not allow anyone to besmirch that name or reputation. Even if I have to incinerate the rest of your servants, you will be coming back with me to the Underworld."
Ben took several deep breath to control himself and clutched the back of the sofa to steady himself, his knuckles turning white as he tightened his grip on the sofa. He wanted nothing more than to activate his Sacred Gear and just punch Riser in his smug, fucking face and teach him a lesson but he knew that that would cause so many more problems, and not just for him but for Rias as she was his master.
In the end, Ben had to settle for playing out the scenario in his head multiple times, changing the details ever so slightly but with the end goal remaining of causing as much pain to the arrogant prick as he was capable of.
"There is no need for such drastic measures, Lord Riser," Grayfia interjected from her spot behind the sofa Rias and Riser had just been sat on. "As you are aware, I sent here by order of Sirzechs to ensure that there was no disruption of the peace. I must strongly request that you refrain from making such threats again."
Even though she hadn't raised her voice as she said this or even changed her facial expression to express hostility of any sort, Ben still felt a shiver run up his spine as Grayfia said this. In that second, Ben had no doubt that it would be suicide to ignore Grayfia's hidden warning.
Even Riser appeared to have the brains to make out the hidden threat and released his hold on Rias' chin and took a step backwards with a smirk and shrug of his shoulders.
"When one hears such a warning from the one known by many as the 'ultimate queen' then even Riser becomes somewhat fearful."
"Lord Sirzechs foresaw that there would be a complete breakdown in communications between the two parties. In lieu of this possibility, he sent me here to also present a last resort option to resolve the conflict of interests," Grayfia resumed, continuing her explanation to the two noble devils.
"Of course he did," Rias muttered under her breath before adding in a louder voice, "So what is this last resort my brother had in mind then?"
"If my lady is insisting on putting her own personal preferences above those of her family then it had been decided that this matter be decided via a Rating Game," Grayfia replied stoically.
'Rating Game?' Ben wondered, feeling he'd heard of it before though he couldn't remember where from exactly.
"What's a Rating Game?" he whispered to his teammates under his breath.
Kiba was the one to answer his question. "It's a game that noble devils play amongst themselves. Essentially, it's a battle between a master and their servants to determine a victor. We're at a few disadvantages with participating in one of those though.
"Disadvantages? Such as?"
"Well, Riser has taken part in numerous Rating Games while we've never even qualified to take part in a game before," Kiba stated with a look of poorly contained worry on his face.
"And the other disadvantage?" Ben muttered with worry.
"Riser finds he must ask, my dear Rias; is this quaint group of servants the total extent of your peerage?" Riser inquired with a condescending sneer towards the others stood opposite them. Ben glared right back at the arrogant asshole.
Rias also narrowed her eyes in a glare at what Riser was insinuating.
"So what if they are?" she retorted hotly as she crossed her arms under her chest.
Riser let out a hearty laugh at Rias' answer and snapped his fingers. As he did so, another orange and fiery teleportation circle materialised in the clubroom; this time, fifteen people appeared from inside it.
Ben noted that every single one of Riser's servants happened to be young women.
'It seems he only looks for a specific type for his servants,' he observed, examining each of the young women that acted as Riser's pieces to see that they were all very beautiful; each in their own, different way. It appeared as though Riser had thought of his peerage as some sort of collection book, collecting all the different types of girl.
"Riser has his complete set. You don't stand a chance," he chuckled darkly as he gestured back to the fifteen new arrivals. "A King's value is based on the worth of their peerage and you are lacking greatly, my dear.
It took every ounce of self-control Ben had to not say anything back to Riser for the way he was speaking to Rias so, instead, he clenched his fists tighter, his grip on the back of the sofa tightening greatly; so great, in fact that there was an audible *crack* as he split the wooden frame on top of the sofa, inadvertently drawing attention to himself from everyone in the room.
Rias turned to look at him with a look of surprise as she noted the expression on his face.
"Ben, calm down," she told him, shocked by the intense glare he was giving Riser.
Now wasn't the time for him to draw attention to himself.
Riser looked down over at Ben and, noting the glare he was receiving, smirked snidely and chuckled. "Looks like one of your servants has something to say. what is it, lowborn? You got something you want to say to one of your betters?"
Ben was just about to finally let go and tell Riser exactly what he wanted to say to the bastard 'noble' when Azmuth's voice abruptly entered his head.
[Calm yourself, kid. Save it for the fight,] the ancient dragon told him calmly but also with caution in his wizened voice. As his words passed through him, Ben took a deep breath and quickly felt himself calm down.
Never having broken eye contact with Riser as he did this, Ben then gave him a small, hollow smile of politeness. "Nothing that can't wait till the Rating Game," he said, amazed at how calm he now was.
Riser's smirk fell a little as he failed to get Rias' servant to rise to the bait and use it as an excuse to show off how outmatched his fiancé truly was. Having lost this opportunity, Riser just sneered and glared back at Ben.
"I look forward to watching you get crushed. If you survive, maybe then you'll learn your place."
"Grayfia. Inform my brother that I accept his terms. If participating in a Rating Game is the only way my family will understand then so be it," Rias announced to the silver-haired maid, quickly changing the subject.
Grayfia bowed her head slightly. "Understood. I will inform Sirzechs at once. In recognition of Lord Riser's prowess and the fact that Lady Rias has never participated in a Rating Game before, it has been suggested that a handicap be assigned and for the match to take place ten days from now. Is that agreeable with both parties?" She looked to both Rias and Riser as she added the last part.
Riser simply scoffed and joined his servants. "Ha! You can have all the time in the world! It still won't make any difference! There's no way you will ever be able to beat me, my dear. I look forward to finally putting your stubbornness to rest and claiming you as my bride!"
He snapped his fingers again and disappeared in the fires of a bright orange teleportation circle that materialised beneath him and consumed both him and his peerage in the flames before they were teleported away. Riser cackled with laughter as he left and the sound echoed around the clubroom for a few seconds before it faded away and returned the room to silence.
"And you, my lady? Do you agree to the handicap?" Grayfia inquired politely.
Rias stared at the spot where Riser had teleported away and sighed heavily.
"As much as I hate to admit it, we do need time to prepare. Ben and Asia ned to train with their Sacred Gears and Akeno, Koneko, Kiba and myself need to hone our own skills and stay sharp for the match."
"Very well. I will inform Sirzechs that the handicap has been accepted by both parties," Grayfia informed her with a final bow before disappearing in a magic circle of her own.
. . . . .
(Several minutes later)
"So what is it we just agreed to?" Ben asked curiously as he walked around the school towards its front gates. He had heard the name 'Rating Game' two days ago when Sona had brought it up but he still didn't have any idea as to what it was exactly.
Once Grayfia had departed, the conversation had quickly switched to Rias and Akeno immediately starting work on organising the schedule for the next ten days.
Due to the importance of these next ten days, Rias had cancelled all further club activities and had dismissed everyone else for the rest of the day. Before they left the room though, Rias had told each of them that, once they get back home they were to pack for a ten-day trip and meet up back in the clubroom early in the morning.
When Ben had asked her why they would need to pack, Rias responded by telling him that….
"…if my family is forcing me to go through with this Rating Game then the least they can do is help me out a bit. I think being allowed to use one of our summer homes while we train is reasonable enough."
And so, they were all sent home while Rias went to arrange their accommodation for the training and, when Ben asked about what to tell his parents about school, informed them that she would straighten out their impromptu trip with the school – she knew people on the board after all – so that Ben's parents wouldn't be concerned about him and Asia going away for ten days.
"In basis terms, it's a competition between two Devils and their peerage," Kiba explained as he walked on Ben's right, coming to a stop as they reached the school gates. "Essentially, it's a way to measure a Devil's strength in a way that also reflects their social standing in the Underworld."
"Right…and how many has that dickhead won?" Ben wondered, his mind conjuring up an image of Riser in his head, much to his distaste.
Kiba held a pained expression on his face. "Out of the ten matches that Riser has participated in, he has only ever lost twice."
"Shit. Sounds like we've got our work cut out for us if we want to teach that asshole a lesson."
"We sure do," Kiba agreed with a small smile at Ben's confidence.
As the four of them waved each other goodbye until tomorrow, they split up and headed off in opposite directions, Kiba and Koneko going one way while Ben and Asia went the other way back home.
When they returned to the Tennyson household the first thing that they did upon seeing Ben's parents lounging around on the sofa watching TV was tell them that they would be going away for the next ten days as part of their club activities.
Ben was surprised when his parents made no effort to seem concerned about this and fully supported him getting involved with outdoor activities with his new friends. They hadn't even bothered asking him if it had been allowed by the school…not that he was going to be the one to bring up that subject.
It was at this point that Ben's mother suddenly realised that Asia didn't have enough outdoor clothes for the trip. Asia tried to play it off that she had enough but it was a poor lie that everyone saw through instantly. She had then been swiftly kidnapped by Sandra who left the house with the intention of taking Asia clothes shopping. When Asia had tried to stop her, Sandra had dismissed her hesitation straight away, stating that she had loved clothes shopping with Ben's sister and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to do the same with Asia.
While the two of them were gone, Ben disappeared up to his room and began packing himself for the trip. Before long, he was packed.
'Now I'm ready for whatever Rias has got in store for me!' he declared confidently.
. . . . .
(The next day)
"Come on, Ben! You've almost made it!"
'Fucking hell! What did they put in this thing, boulders?!" Ben grunted internally as he hefted the huge backpack on his back and looked ahead of himself to see Rias, Akeno and Asia waiting for him at the top of the hill.
"Why…couldn't we…have teleported…straight there?" he grunted as he wiped away a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead while juggling his own bag which he held in his arms. "Why…appear at…the bottom of…this hill?"
After arriving at the clubroom early in the morning as they had been told, Rias had teleported them all to the location of one of her family's summer homes.
Well, that had been what Ben had thought was going on. As it turned out, Rias had teleported them a few miles away from it. not only that but she had given him a rucksack easily twice the size of him to carry to the house, and after around two hours of walking under the blistering heat of an unforgiving sun, Ben was beginning to suffer, even with his enhanced strength easing the burden of the heavy backpack.
"Well, it's such a beautiful day," Rias told him teasingly, her hands on her hips as she sported a large, playful smirk on her face. "I thought we'd all enjoy a lovely walk to stretch our legs."
Ben grunted as his foot caught a loose stone and he almost lost his grip.
"*Grunt* You're evil," he groaned as he regained his footing and continued his march up the hill.
Rias' smirk grew broader.
"Why thank you. I do try my best."
"On your right," Kiba's voice called out from behind Ben.
Stepping to the side, Ben stopped for a moment to catch his breath as Kiba strode past him, a backpack similar in size and weight to the one that Ben had on his back though he didn't seem overly fazed by the cumbersome thing. Immediately following after him was Koneko who put both Ben and Kiba to shame with the huge backpack she was wearing which was easily three times the size of each of theirs and three times the weight.
"Coming through," the white-haired Gremory Rook muttered plainly as she passed him, carrying the towering backpack as though it weighed next to nothing.
This was something someone else had noted as well.
[Hmm, maybe it would've been better if I had her end up with my Sacred Gear,] Azmuth mused from within Ben's head.
"You can shut up," Ben grumbled back, not enjoying the 'Azmuth' equivalent of teasing when he was so exhausted.
Now taking up the rear, Ben eventually made it up the hill and finally re-joined the others who were kindly waiting for him.
"There you go. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Rias asked teasingly while Ben was hunched over and resting his palms on his thighs as he fought to catch his breath.
"I hate you," he wheezed breathlessly, not hearing Rias as she giggled light-heartedly at his retort.
"No you don't. Now, I think you've suffered enough so I'll just take this of," she chortled, reaching over Ben, unzipping one of the many pockets lining the backpack on his back and pulled something out of it. As soon as she did so, Ben felt nearly all of the weight on his back pinning him down suddenly disappear and this caused him to abruptly stand upright from the sudden loss of weight pinning him down and fall backwards as he lost his balance and landed back on his backpack.
"What the fuck?" Ben gasped in confusion as he found himself now looking straight up at the clear blue sky. A figure then entered his vision who he realised was Rias standing over him and twirling something around her index finger. As his vision focused on her, Ben finally recognised the object in her hand as one of those damnable magic weight bands.
"I just thought you'd appreciate me taking this out for you," Rias explained innocently, batting her eyelashes for extra measure.
"What was that doing in there?" Ben gasped as he slowly recovered from his sudden fall.
"It's never too early to start training so I thought you'd appreciate us getting starting your training as soon as possible," Rias stated matter-of-factly as she pocketed the band in the beige shorts she was wearing.
"Urgh, of course you did," Ben grumbled as he rested his head against the backpack in resignation. "I think I'll just lay down and die here now."
"Oh stop whining. We're here," she retorted with a smirk as she turned and re-joined the others who had their back to him as they all stared at something.
Slipping his arms out of the backpack straps, Ben forcibly picked himself up and stumbled over to join them, coming to stand next to Asia and joining them in looking at the huge building before them. Secluded by the surrounding trees and with a huge mountain range in the backdrop, the pristine mansion cut an impressive figure in the landscape.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Asia cried, eyes wide and clapping her hands together as she took in the wonderful sight before her.
"Come on then, guys. Let's unpack and get settled in. We'll start training in a few minutes."
Ben groaned at this. They had only just arrived (and already started training in Ben's case) and now they were already getting started on training.
"Is it too late to head back home?"
"Sure is. Come on, let's get settled in!" the red-haired devil chimed cheerfully as she led the way towards the large building.
. . . . .
(Several minutes later)
Once they had all settled into the rooms they'd be staying in for the duration of the training and unpacked their stuff, they'd gotten changed out of their clothes and into their gym tracksuits and gathered on the back lawn of the huge summer home.
When they had all gathered together, Rias gave them a rundown of what she wanted each of them to accomplish by the end of the tenth day. For Akeno, Kiba, Koneko and herself, she wanted them to refine their skills and keep their wits sharp…though she mainly wanted them to help out in training Ben and Asia to held them catch up to the rest of them.
"I'm hoping this will benefit you all in the end," Rias explained to them, her gaze snapping over to Ben when he raised his hand, a question in his mind. "Yes, Ben?"
"Uh, how exactly are you going to get us to your level in such a short time?"
A smile appeared on her face that, for some reason, sent a shiver down Ben's spine.
"I'm so glad you asked that, Ben. Your training is going to mainly be focused on getting used to your different transformations and strengthening your body in order to be able to handle both Azmuth and Ddraig's power simultaneously.
[A sound strategy, heiress to the Gremory clan,] Azmuth's voice announced with some akin to approval in his tone.
"Thank you, Azmuth," Rias replied sweetly.
"Since when were you two so chummy?" Ben grumbled before his brain registered what just happened. "Hang on. Since when could other people hear you talk?"
"Since the Fallen Angel fight at the church, Ben. Keep up," Rias stated as though it was common knowledge before moving on and leaving Ben completely baffled. "Right, now. In order to speed up your training Ben, your programme will be split in two. I will handle building up your physical strength by having you go through an intense workout regime created by yours truly."
"Even more intense than what you've been doing before?" Ben asked with worry, not liking the smirk forming on Rias' face.
"Exactly."
Ben was almost too scared to ask his next question but his curiosity got the better of him again.
"And the other half of my training? What will that be?"
"Simple. I'm going to have you fight Kiba and Koneko in different transformations. Demons can take a beating so it will kill two birds with one stone; you will get more attuned to your transformations and get stronger at using them…." She turned towards her two peerage members who would be taking part in the plan. "…and you guys will be able to practice and keep up your strength and skill."
"Hehe. Have fun," Akeno giggled behind her hand while Ben, in contrast to her positive attitude, groaned at the impending pain coming his way.
. . . . .
(Exercise One)
For the first training exercise, Ben and Kiba were selected to take part and now stood facing each other, each wielding a wooden, training sword in their hands. Rias and Koneko were stood on the side-lines and watching the exercise take place while Akeno had taken Asia inside where she could start teaching the former nun how to increase her magical prowess.
"The purpose of this exercise to improve your transformations that rely on speed and flexibility. Do your best to keep up with Kiba and try to keep up the transformation for as long as possible. Kiba; your job is to make Ben lose his transformation as quick as possible. Got it, you two?"
"Got it," they both replied in near unison, never taking their eyes off their opponent.
Ben was eventually forced to avert his gaze so he could look at his Sacred Gear as he cycled through his different forms until he found the one he wanted. Thanks to some help from Azmuth as he glanced over his different transformations, Ben had some idea as to what each demon could do. Once he found what he was looking for he slammed his palm down on the dial.
[Transform: Citrakayah!]
The emerald-green light disappeared to show that Ben had transformed into a feline-like humanoid creature with black fur covering his body and blue fur covering his chest and places where it made it look like he was wearing gloves, boots and a mask. He had black fins attached to his head, around his green eyes, that added to the 'mask' look. The Sacred Gear dial protruding from his chest.
"You ready, Ben?" Kiba asked, bringing his sword up and taking up a fighting stance.
"You betcha," Ben retorted as he disappeared into a blur as he charged towards Kiba who also disappeared in a blur. The two of them met in the middle in the blink of an eye and both Rias and Koneko lost them as they duked it out at speeds even their devil-enhanced eyes had difficulty keeping up with, only catching glimpses of them when they locked their wooden swords against each other before disappearing yet again.
The grounds were filled by the quick, repetitive sounds of wood striking wood as the two opponents duked it out at blinding speeds. Their lightning-fast reactions and reflexes helped them see each other's blows and block them. It their wooden weapons hadn't been magically strengthened then they would've shattered at the first strike.
They continued to block and dodge each other's attacks and counterattacks for a few more, tense minutes before Ben soon found himself making mistakes and struggling to keep up with his blond-haired opponent.
"You have skill, Ben…," Kiba's voice spoke out in the air before there was a loud *thwack* that was swiftly joined by Ben appearing before the two observers, on his back and with Kiba standing above him, his foot on Ben's chest and his sword pointing down at Ben's neck. "…but your movements are still too sluggish right now."
Ben released a heavy sigh as he let go of his sword, admitting his defeat.
"Crap," he grumbled as Kiba removed his foot from his chest.
"Don't worry though. I'll help you improve the next time we train," Kiba told him with a kind smile on his face as he reached down and helped Ben get back on his feet. "Now let's go. Round two."
. . . . .
(Exercise Two)
"This exercise is aimed at helping you train up your more physically strong demon forms," Rias announced from the raised mound she was stood on, overlooking the 'arena' that Ben and Koneko were standing in. "I want you to try and survive for as long as you can against Koneko in a spar."
Ben looked from Rias to Koneko and back again. "Are you sure? Azmuth warned me that some of my stronger forms pack a mean punch."
"Just do it," Koneko retorted in a bored tone as she tightened the strap of her fighting gloves and punched the palm of her hand to test it out. Satisfied, Koneko then took up a fighting stance and stared down Ben. "Let's get started. I need to work on my technique."
"Okay, if you're sure," Ben conceded and cycled through his selection of transformations, slamming his palm down when he found the one he wanted and brought his palm down on the dial, making his selection.
[Transform: Fourarms!]
The light disappeared to reveal Ben's Tetramand form in all its muscular, crimson glory.
Rias' left eyebrow raised slightly at his transformation.
"what's with the name change?" she asked with intrigue.
Ben shrugged his upper shoulders. "It just makes it easier for me to remember them. Some of them have really complicated names. This is just easier for me."
[He insisted,] Azmuth drawled, silently happy that his host was now strong enough for him to be able to speak to others again. It wasn't that he didn't like talking to his host, it was just nice for the change.
"Hmm, 'Fourarms'…I like it," Rias said with approval. "Let's see how he handles against Koneko. Begin!"
Without warning, as Rias abruptly announced the start of the match, Koneko dug her foot into the dirt as she launched herself at Ben, her fist reared back and a determined expression on her face.
Ben barely had time to bring his arms up to block the sudden strike. As Koneko's fist mad contact with his arms, he felt himself skid back a few feet, deep grooves showing how far he was pushed back. After delivering her powerful blow
"Grr," Ben grunted as, while Koneko's blow didn't pack the same punch as the Tetramand mercenary he had fought under the church, he still felt the power behind her punch. "Damn, Koneko. I knew you were strong but I wasn't expecting that."
A small smile formed in the corner of Koneko's mouth. "Lesson one when fighting; never underestimate your opponent. Always treat them as if they're stronger than you. That way, you won't be caught off guard."
Ben nodded his head in understanding and smirked a little when he realised something.
"Heh, I think that's the most you've ever said to me," he chuckled lightly, ignoring the glare thrown his way by Koneko.
Ben then decided to launch a counterattack in response to Koneko's blow so he reared his right upper and lower fists back before thrusting them forward at Koneko at full power. Had it been anyone else then he would've held back; but Koneko was the Gremory Rook so could take the punch thanks to her enhanced strength.
To his complete surprise though, Koneko easily saw his attack coming and deftly leapt over his fists as they struck the ground and somersaulted over his head, twisting in the air above him and landing behind his head where she quickly wrapped her legs around his large neck, locking them in place with a vice-like grip that applied pressure to Ben's airway; very minimal pressure but noticeable all the same.
It would've been fine if it had just been that that Koneko did. However, this wasn't to be. As well as wrapping her legs around his neck, Koneko also began reining powerful blows to specific parts of his head, quickly dazing Ben and forcing him to one knee as he fought to maintain his balance.
"Lesson two; learn to strike with precision, aim for your opponent's core and weak points. Power is useful but it isn't everything."
"Koneko's correct, Ben. You might be able to transform into powerful demons but everything has a weakness, even them," Rias called out from above them.
Ben was only able to nod his head a little to show he heard them. Reaching up with his upper arms, Ben took hold of Koneko's legs, his huge, red, four-fingered hands completely enveloped her fragile-looking shins where he then began pulling them apart with great difficulty. Once he'd pulled them apart enough he then threw her over his head and slammed her into the ground.
He looked down, expecting to see a winded and dazed Koneko ready to concede the fight. What he got, instead, was a determined glare from her that was followed up by a brutal strike to the side of his head as Koneko swiped her leg across his head.
So taken aback by the unexpected assault, Ben was knocked back by the blow and landed on his back. As he was on his back, the next thing he saw was Koneko flying through the air over him and elbow dropped him in the face.
That was enough for Ben. As Koneko removed her elbow from his face, Ben reverted back and lay on the floor, staring up at the clear, afternoon sky through the treeline and rubbing his jaw where he still felt sore from Koneko's attack.
"What lesson was that?" he groaned.
Koneko crouched down beside him, just inside his peripheral vision and shrugged her shoulders slightly.
"No lesson. I just didn't like being slammed into the floor," she replied plainly.
"Understood. Won't happen again," Ben nodded, giving her a thumbs up, an action which bought him a tiny smile appearing in the corner of Koneko's mouth.
"Good. Again," Koneko stated firmly and moved back to her start position.
As he stared up at the sky, Ben just hoped that his next lesson with Akeno and Asia wouldn't be quite as painful as this.
. . . . . .
(Exercise Three)
"Magic is an integral part of being a devil. It's time you become aware of its aura surrounding you and learn how to manifest it through a focal point," Akeno explained sweetly to her student.
After being sent through the ringer by Rias, Kiba and Koneko, Ben was extremely grateful that, while those three remained outside and practicing, his next and final lesson for today which was with Akeno and Asia.
Having spent most of the day already practicing and being taught by Akeno, Asia had already become quite adept at using magic even though it was only the first day, already showing how powerful and talented she was. This gave her the confidence to assist Akeno in helping Ben learn the ropes of magic, helping him out wherever she could when she wasn't practicing her own lessons.
The first thing Akeno had him do was focus inwards to search his core for where the magic within him lies. This proved to be not all that difficult and he was able to find his source and feel the magic that dwelled within him, surprising both Akeno and Asia how quickly he was able to find it.
Ben had no idea why either; perhaps it was because he had used magic not all that long ago and already found his source, or perhaps it was because he possessed two insanely powerful dragons.
Who knew for certain. All that mattered was that Ben was able to progress well in his magic lessons under the tutelage of his beautiful teacher and cute assistant.
Even though he got nowhere near the level Asia had already managed to reach, Ben was still happy that he was able to successfully grasp and learn yet another important part of being a devil.
By the end of his first lesson, Ben was able to explode the water inside a water bottle and freeze it instantaneously as it burst out of its plastic confines.
. . . . .
(End of day one)
That night, Ben and Asia assisted Akeno in making dinner, a task made easier for them due to being wholly encouraged to use magic as much as possible. Ben was completely exhausted after today's exercises, both physically and mentally. Physically, due to constantly transforming into different demons and from being knocked about by his friends and teammates all day, and mentally from his magic lessons with Akeno and Asia which wasn't overly bad but after everything else that happened today, he just felt completely drained.
That didn't stop him, however, from digging into the rice and cooked vegetables pushed before him at the table and joining everyone as they dug into the meal.
As he took his first mouthful, Ben couldn't help but groan with pleasure as he swallowed the delicious food.
"Ufufu. You must really like my food," Akeno giggled, cupping her cheek with her hand as she smiled as he began wolfing down the food with gusto.
Ben nodded his head, swallowing his mouthful before speaking. "It's so good!"
"You're too kind," she smiled, waving off his compliment with mock embarrassment.
"Enjoy your free time now, Ben, and recover your strength. You're going to need it tomorrow," Rias cautioned him with a dangerously 'innocent' smile on her face.
"Uh, why?" Ben asked, immediately regretting it as the words left his mouth.
"Because I've got you all day tomorrow for training. You will train with me every other day where I will help you strengthen your body. you'd better prepare yourself as you haven't seen me go all out in training someone yet.
Ben gulped. He knew that Rias was being serious with what she said.
Once everybody had finished their dinner, they all departed from the dining room and headed towards the huge baths that the house had, splitting off into the two different baths for men and women and washed off their fatigue from the day. As he stepped into the hot water, Ben immediately felt his aches and pians slowly begin to wash away, much to his relief.
"Ahh, this is heaven," he sighed pleasurably as he relaxed into the water.
"For a devil, that's perhaps a poor choice of words," Kiba chuckled from beside Ben as he washed himself with the washcloth provided.
Ben also chuckled at his choice of words. "Ha, yeah, you're right. Bad habit, I suppose."
The two of them continued to bathe in silence for a while until Kiba eventually broke it.
"So, are you looking forward to your training with the president tomorrow."
Ben's eyes flew open as he had momentarily forgotten what was in store for him tomorrow.
"Of course I'm not! Why would you remind me of that. I seriously starting to doubt I'm going to survive the whole ten days we're here."
Kiba smiled again. "Don't you think you're being a little overdramatic?"
"No," Ben replied instantly. "You haven't trained with her, have you?" Kiba shook his head with a small smile at his fellow male teammate's reaction. "She's demonic! She doesn't know the meaning of the word 'restraint' when it comes to training!"
Kiba just chuckled and the two of them returned to bathing in a pleasant silence.
. . . . .
And so, a regime was established for the rest of the ten days of training that Ben had to follow. As he had rightly feared, Rias had followed through with her promise/threat for his days spent training with her. sure, he might have been smacked and thrown around by Kiba and Koneko and drained by his magic lessons with Akeno but they all paled in comparison to Rias and her definition of 'training'.
For the entirety of those days, Rias made him perform multiple sets of exercises that had been dialled up to eleven in terms of difficulty.
The reason for this nightmarish training regime with her was, as she put it, because he was a stronger devil than he realised and she had full confidence that he could survive everything she threw at him.
Some exercises he had been set to do included running around the entire mansion multiple times with those infernal magic weight bands that Rias had brought with her. Once he had nearly been done in by that, Rias had then moved on to the next exercise on her list, one of which was performing as many push ups as he was able to while she lay on his back, counting them out for him.
The only time he had got a break from this hellish strength training was on the sixth day when Rias had gathered them all together in the conference room of the mansion where she could get an update on how everybody was doing.
During this temporary break, Rias had asked Asia if she could teach them a bit about what her life was like when she was a holy sister.
. . . . .
*Flashback*
Although she was surprised by the sudden request, Asia still agreed to it and, after heading up to her room to collect the bag she had brought with her, took over Rias' spot at the head of the table while Rias sat down to listen in.
"Uh, well, I guess I can tell you about the exorcisms I performed when I was with the Church." She reached into her bag and pulled out three items: a large book, a small jewellery box and a small, sealed bottle of water which she then set them down on the table before picking up the bottled water and presenting it to the group.
"Maybe I should start with this. This is Holy water. It's extremely dangerous to devils and should be handled with great care otherwise something very bad will happen to you if you let it touch your skin."
She then picked up the small jewellery box and opened it up carefully to reveal her silver cross that she used to wear around her neck.
"A Holy cross has the same effect. It's extremely deadly to devils so make sure it doesn't touch you."
"That goes for you too," Rias reminded the former nun. "You're a devil now, remember?"
Asia blushed a little at having to be reminded. "Yeah, I know. She then put down her cross and picked up the large book. "This is perhaps the most important tool an exorcist possesses; the Holy Bible."
She then held the tome close to her chest and held it fondly. "I used to read it all the time when I was a little girl but now, whenever I try to read it I get a sharp pain in my head."
"Heh, I know that feeling," Ben muttered, scratching his head as he recalled the unpleasant times when it felt like knives had just stabbed his brain.
There was almost a collective response from Rias and the others as they said things along the line of, "It's because you're a devil."
"I know," Asia whined cutely. "But there was one part that was my absolute favourite passage." She opened the bible and flipped through the pages quickly, finding what she was looking for. "If I could just–*ZAP!* Ow! I didn't even start yet. Please Lord, forgive me for not be able to read Your words–*ZAP!* Owie!" she cried comically, clutching the side of her head as another bolt of pain shot through her.
This didn't stop her from continuing to try and read the passage she wanted to read, even as more bolts continued to shoot through her head and cause her to howl in pain from her stubbornness.
. . . . .
(Several days later)
After that one and only break from training, the rest of the ten days passed by in a flash (a painful flash in Ben's case) and it was now the night of the final day. When morning came, they would be leaving the large house and returning back to Kuoh to prepare for the Rating Game against Riser.
Unable to sleep due to a mixture of anticipation and anxiety for the impending match, Ben decided to go for a walk throughout the silent house to calm his nerves. As he walked passed a row of windows along a corridor around the back of the house he caught sight of crimson-red hair out of the corner of his eye. He looked out of the window to see Rias sat on the low wall of the stone pavilion.
'Wonder why she's still up,' he thought as he saw her flicking through a notebook in her lap.
Deciding to find out, Ben made his way downstairs and onto the back lawn of the house and headed across it to the stone structure where Rias still sat.
As he approached her, Rias looked up to see who it was.
"Oh, hello, Ben. I didn't know you were still up," she said, surprise clear on her face that she had company.
"I couldn't sleep," Ben shrugged as he noted that Rias was wearing an extremely thin red nightdress and a pair of thin, rim-less spectacles. "I didn't know you wore glasses."
Rias smiled and brought a hand up to adjust them a little. "I don't really. I just use these because they help me concentrate."
"They look good on you."
Rias smiled at his compliment. "You're such a flirt."
Ben smiled back at her. He liked it when Rias smiled like that.
"So, what are you still doing up? I thought you'd be asleep by now," he asked, changing the subject.
Rias gave him a thin smile and held up the notebook in her hand. "I can't. I've been reviewing our battleplan for tomorrow but I just can't figure out a way to beat Riser."
"Is he really that powerful?" Ben asked curiously. The impression he got of Riser was that he was all talk without the means to back it up.
Rias nodded her head. "He is. There's a reason his House is called Phenex. As well as possessing a high aptitude for fire magic, his family's most powerful ability is the same as the mythical bird they are named after, immortality. Simply put, he's completely indestructible, able to instantly recover from any attack dealt to him."
"But he must have a weakness! I mean, he lost twice in previous games," Ben remembered, thinking back to his conversation with Kiba.
Rias sighed and shook her head slightly. "Not because his opponent was stronger than him. No, he forfeited those games out of respect for his opponent's family."
"So, you're saying he–."
"–lost on purpose? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Rias confirmed with a hollow smile as the ramifications of her words sank in. "No matter how much we train, I just can't think of a strategy to beat immortality. I mean, how do you defeat someone who's invulnerable?" she looked up at the night sky dejectedly.
Ben walked towards Rias and sat down on the bench inlayed into the low stone wall Rias was sat on and looked up at her, taking a moment to appreciate how beautiful she was in the moonlight.
"Well, we won't win if we go in thinking we've already lost," Ben stated matter-of-factly with a small smile as he said it, a smile that Rias noticed when she looked at him and returned it with one of her own. "I don't believe anyone is truly unbeatable. Sure, he might have immortality but I bet that bastard still feels pain, right? Well, to quote the rules my sister and I went by when we were younger and fought, 'the fight doesn't end until the other one squeals'.
"Your sister sounds like an intriguing person," Rias couldn't help but chuckle.
"My point is that, even if Riser is immortal, I'll just keep beating him until he's crying and gives in," Ben declared confidently, already looking forward to the match now as a chance to teach Riser a lesson.
"I admire your confidence, Ben. We're going to need it tomorrow." Rias stood upright on the low wall and leaned against the stone pillar. "My family fully expects us to lose this match…which is most likely why they agreed to it in the first place; so that I would be beaten by Riser and have no excuse to avoid going through with my arranged marriage to Riser."
"I don't like the idea of arranged marriages. It's wrong to force a person to marry someone they can't stand, let alone like or love. It just…it just seems wrong," Ben muttered, standing up again to stand before Rias and stare up at her as she stared back down at him.
"The marriage has been arranged for the heiress to the House of Gremory, not Rias," Rias explained sadly. Because of my title and my House's standing, I am never recognised as Rias. My family name will always take precedent over my personal feelings."
"Do you hate it?" Ben asked quietly.
Rias shook her head firmly as she looked down into his eyes. "Not at all, I'm proud of my name and my family." She then sighed and looked away from him to the small lake the pavilion overlooked. "One of the reasons I love living up here in the human world is that nobody here sees me as 'Lady Gremory', I'm treated as a normal person and its an incredibly refreshing experience."
"I take great pride in my family and title but this is the one thing that I will decide on my own. I want to marry someone who loves me for me, not for my title or use me as a ay to improve their on lives. It's a silly dream, I know, but–."
"That's not a silly dream," Ben stated, shaking his head as Rias turned back to look at him. "I think that's an admirable thing to dream for. I will gladly help you find someone you think you could be happy with."
"Ben?" Rias replied, shocked at his sudden declaration.
"After everything you did for me, I just wish I could do more. I don't care about your title. To me, you will always be Rias, the beautiful young woman that I almost ran into when I first met her, the woman who granted my wish and saved my life when you knew nothing about me and one of the strongest women I've ever met!"
As he looked back up at Rias he noticed a faint blush forming in her cheeks and became embarrassed himself.
"Sorry, I weirded you out, didn't I?"
"Not…not at all," Rias stumbled, taken aback by Ben's honest words.
"I'd better be heading back to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow, after all. Good night, Rias," Ben muttered fairly quickly as he waved a quick goodbye to her before backing away from her and returning to the large house, leaving Rias behind to watch him walk away and ponder what Ben had just said, the light blush still on her cheeks.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .