A/N: Ayo!
Just a "short" Authors note before I start this chapter ;)
I have come to the realization that I have messed up the time line of the two seasons, sucks I know but that's the point of this A/N, it's to smooth over the time line confusion that will be noticed
So when I first started chapter five I had wanted to split the chapters into two sections, 10,000 words for Isaac's separate arc and a similar amount for Issei's but I didn't realize unit I started writing that the balance between the time zones is different or completely FUBAR... as well as I was lazy and wished to release a new chapter out in record time
So I'll make this known right now, whenever the sections transition from Isaac's "campaign" to Issei's there will be a time difference. For Ex. Isaac's "campaign" will take place in the "past" while Issei's will take place a few days ahead of time, I have to take into account of the filler episodes before the riser arc actually takes full swing
And to add to that I will be adding in SOME filler just to help show character changes thus far but I will not be including the sports rival games between Rias and Sona as well as the familiar part as well, I forgot to ask for familiar requests last chapter so I save that for later
UAH! The controversy that's gonna make, I'll simply save the familiar part for after rating game arc for issei so start making them requests boys/girls and no perverted familiars! By the time the riser Arc is completed Issei's personality will take a slight left turn down albakerky
Anyways, on with the chapter!
-XxXxXxX-
"Evolution is imperfect and often a violent process
a battle between what exists and what is yet to be born
amidst these birth pains
morality loses its meaning
the question of good and evil
reduced to one simple choice
survive or perish" – unknown
-XxXxXxX-
Kouh city/ Japan/ hyoudou residence/ with issei
Issei hyoudou didn't know what to think right now
"I can't believe this is happening!" yelled a male voice
WAAAAA!" wept one of his best friends, Motohama as he stood off to the side of him; issei quickly noticed his other friend Matsudo crying as well, however, two things confused him, the first was the tears of his friends were not sad tears but tears of jealousy the second fuel to his confusion was why they were dressed up in tuxedo's
More to the fact is why he waswearingone as well
"Huh!? What the Huh!?" he yelled out in confusion as he looked down to his black and white tux
"It's your wedding day!" cry/yelled Issei's bald headed friend who was trying really hard to stay in control of his tears, this only confused him even more
"Huh!? Wedding?!" asked issei as he then quickly looked around to find his parents dressed in oriental attire and crying in a similar fashion of his friends
"I hope our first grandchild is a girl!" yelled Mrs Hyoudou as she covered her face with a white handkerchief
"Most of your life you've been an idiot, we never imagined there would be a day where we could actually be proud of you!" said Mr Hyoudou whose tone carried a disbelieving edge
Issei said nothing as he watched his parents cry tears of both joy and disbelief, he was about to say something but another voice cut in
"No more looking at other women, Issei" Issei quickly realized it was the president of the ORC, Rias Gremory, who had said those words with a seductive tone laced within the loving voice
So much was happening so fast that the younger hyoudou couldn't comprehend what was happening but soon his confusion was locked out when a male voice said "you may kiss the bride"
At the words of the obvious male Rias turned to the still confused issei and leaned it for the inevitable kiss
'What the hell's going on right now, I'm about to kiss the president and... wait' issei felt a rush of joy encompass him at the thought of kissing Rias, the hottest girl he had ever seen, but he stopped his teenage dream to a grinding halt when flames began to envelop the whole cathedral slowly
All of his friends and Rias vanished within the flames, a rather disturbing sight but it didn't detour issei from finding the familiar presents he felt when he fought her
[It seems you remember me... kid] said a deep gruff voice, issei couldn't make out a source for the voice as the flames that surrounded him almost completely engulfed him
A moment after the powerful voice sounded off and a powerful gust of wind blasted passed Issei making him clench his body in favor of staying where he stood, once the wind died down Issei opened his eyes to noticed most of the flames that surrounded him were pushed back albeit only a little
Before he could relax a massive form crashed to the black floor below Issei's feet causing the ground to rumble with intense force, when Issei picked his heart back up and smacked it back it his chest did he finally notice the gigantic red dragon looming over his being
For a moment the two remained silent, issei didn't know what exactly to say, it's not every day a normal person like him meets a dragon let alone speak with one, he always thought they'd - eat first, communicate later - But this one looked like he could go for a cup tea a biscuits... his thoughts were aligned with terrified sarcasm
"I remember" he muttered, it was hard to notice but he did, when he was fighting the fallen angel Issei remembered the voice that which had given him the power to defeat the bitch that was Raynare but it sounded more mechanical
[Good, I was starting to think you'd be a lot denser] boomed the obvious male voice
"Who...who are you?" issei had no other question then this one, it was the first step to a conversation after all so he felt it was called for
The dragons massive mouth lifted ever so slightly at the boys question [I'm glad you asked... I am Ddraig, the Red dragon emperor] replied the powerful dragon
Issei widened his eyes at the name, not too long ago after he fought Raynare the president of the ORC mention his name
'Ddraig, the welsh dragon' muttered issei internally however it seemed the dragon had heard his thoughts
[Yes... for some time now I had been trying to reach you but you've been far too weak for that, only a few days ago did your desires finally reach me] informed the dragon
"So it was you... you were the one I heard that day!" issei realized, a look of revelation adoring his features
The dragon nodded
[Yes... and I have to say kid, you handled that crow quiet well] complemented Ddraig, Issei flinched slightly at remembering Raynare but he dropped it in favor of accepting the complement from the powerful being before him
"So... mind my asking but, what is it you want to speak about?" issei didn't really know what else this dragon wanted, he doubted this was his true goal, since he was a dragon he guessed it was something bigger than an introduction and a complement
[I just wanted to see how my new partner is holding up]
Huh? Guess that was his goal... who knew
"I'm...I'mgood... man that was awkward" replied Issei with a sweat-dropped at this "casual" conversation he was having with a dragon
[Really?... you don't seem very "Good" to me partner] retorted Ddraig as he moved his hulking form of a head to come closer to Issei's [it was your desire to overcome your weakness that reached me that day, Remember?]
Issei flinched at Ddraig's scrutinizing gaze, well, whatever his expression was right now he didn't know but his tone sounded chastising
[You know my name, but you do not know what that name entitles, do you?] Asked the dragon suddenly causing Issei to look at him with small amounts of confusion
"No... But President said you double my power every ten seconds... right?" he replied causing the dragon to close his eyes in what looked like disappointment
[That is the boosted gears main ability but that's not what I'm talking about] Ddraig rounded back in order to distance himself from Issei's smaller form, when he reached a good distance he stood up on two legs and outstretched his wings so to show his full physical appearance of a powerful being that which he was
[I am the heavenly dragon of power! I give and I mold the very fabric of its blessing and use it to answer the desires of the chosen! You Issei Hyoudou are my chosen possessor! You are the one to be blessed with my power... the power to slay gods!] Chanted the heavenly dragon, issei could only stare, wide eyed, at the obvious stance of dominance the dragon had taken
After the dragons chant Ddraig came closer again [Your desire to defeat the fallen angel reached my ears, and as your desire to defeat her grew stronger so did the window that allowed me to grant you my power] explained the dragon, as he watched the boy closely, then he thought of a question
[Do you feel weak...? Issei hyoudou?] Heasked, making Issei suddenly look up to him
For a good moment Issei remained stationary and thought of the answer, during the past few weeks of his resurrection by Rias Gremory he had felt like the weak link, everyone apart of the peerage had shown that they were capable people and devils, Kiba was good with the sword and popular with the ladies, Koneko could go a few rounds with Muhammad Ali and probably win as well as she was the school mascot and finally Akeno could zap almost anything with a smile on her face while being the one of the great "Onee-sama's" at school while all he was, was the school pervert and weak devil
So yes, he felt weak, very weak
"I...I do" he answered finally a look of depression adoring his already down-casted expression
[What if I told you I could turn you into something greater than even your dreams can't comprehend?] Piped in Ddraig causing Issei to look at him with ever growing interest
"Can you do that?" he asked
[What do you think that previous proclamation was brat!... simple advertising?] Retorted Ddraig, pride almost abolished, this caused Issei to reel back in comedic fashion
"Then... if you can do that, what do I have to do?" asked Issei after he recovered from Ddraig's massive thoom
[The answer is simple... you train, train harder then no other, you cannot achieve great power through side passing challenges, with pain comes triumph, with fear comes courage, with defeat comes strength, all of these things you will experience but it is up to you weather they build you up... or wear you down... so which will you choose Issei hyoudou, do you wish to grow stronger or remain the pathetic human you are right now?]
Issei couldn't understand it, Ddraig had said it already- he was the dragon of power and it showed, with just his words issei felt a new found determination, he remembered the time when he wanted to fight Raynare and how he couldn't because the priest Isaac had said he was too weak to do so, but now he felt like he could take his words and destroy them
"I think I'll take the offer... Ddraig" he said after smiling confidently, the upper part of Ddraig's lips lifted showing his razor sharp teeth
"When do we start?" asked the now confident Issei Hyoudou
[In time, but for right now partner, some one wishes for you to wake up] once his words left his draconic lips did Issei suddenly jolt wake
"Issei! Time to get up" yelled Mrs Hyoudou from the other side of the door
Issei took a moment before yelling back to confirm he was up and coming to which he heard mumbled comments about his "morning routine" but he simply ignored them in favor of looking down to his left arm
'The power to kill a god'
It sounded awesome yet foreboding at the same time, he heard many quotes that followed along the lines of "Power comes great responsibility"; the western movie Spiderman had taught him that, and then the quote "corruption follows power" so he classified himself wary of his future yet the thought of becoming something great out classed his worries... to an extent
[I must say, for a pervert your thought's can sound extremely... mature]came a sudden deep voice, Issei knew who it was but he didn't expect him to pipe up right now
"Whoa!... didn't think you could hear me there" replied Issei as he stumbled outta bed and got his usual school uniform on
[Of course I can- I'm inside you remember?]Ddraig replied rhetorically
"Guess I'm gonna have to get used to the little voice in my head" issei muttered simply
[I would ask that you refrain from using the word "little" in relation to me] warned the inner dragon
"R-right" agreed Issei, he didn't know what would happen if he angered the dragon so he decided to play the Kiss ass until he found the right spot in their relationship
This was one hell of a start to a new and strange relationship
-XxXxXxX-
Later that morning, Issei found himself entering the Occult research club building, since it was the weekend, club activities doubled and his ass was on flyer duty for the second day in a row, Rias did mention an "upgrade" was coming up but she never addressed what that entailed and all she said was that she had lost the opportunity
'Whatever that means' he muttered internally
For the most part he still felt there was a great deal to learn before he fully felt "in the loop" as the others seem to fit in like peanut butter did with jelly
Opening the door to the club room Issei announced his presents before he nearly walked right into a white laced bra, to which he froze at the glories sight before him
"Well then" he muttered before he noticed a shower was running
"Hello?" asked a female voice
"Oh its Asia... so that means" he hinted more to himself as he stared at the white bra that was hanging directly in the middle of the room
His thoughts were interrupted when a solid object made violent contact with his head
BONK!
"Do you like what you see... pervert?" asked the ever disapproving Koneko as she lowered the randomly draw lobster from his throbbing head
"Hey it's not my fault a bra is just dangling in the room like that!... I usually have to work to see it" snapped Issei while mumbling the last part of his reply, however, his "excuse" didn't alleviate Koneko's blank stare
"Um... is that my bra?" asked the now visible Asia as she stood at the entrance of the shower, covered in a towel
"I think the perverts having a staring contest with it" replied Koneko monotonously; Issei simply dropped his shoulders commercially at Koneko's "bullying"
"W-well, I need it now... sorry Issei" said Asia with an innocent apologetic tone, guess the ridiculousness of Koneko's comment went right over her head
Issei simply nodded dumbly at her tone before he moved away from the bra
"So you staying in the club room?" he asked simply
"Yes. But not for long, Buchou says it'll be changed soon" replied Asia as she gathered her clothes and left the room, Issei nodded simply before he spotted buchou on the other end of the room looking down at a few copies of paper
For a moment Issei expected her to notice him but she seemed to be looking off into space
"Buchou?" called out the confused Issei, but Rias remained unaware of him
"Um...Buchou?" this time Rias finally took notice of the boy before him
"Oh- sorry I zoned out there, you were saying?" she replied
"Uh, R-right, I was just checking in" that confused him, buchou usual seemed so focused
"Right, well its good you are here" she said quickly when she noticed Issei's confused expression "I was meaning to inform you of a training schedule I had planned up, since the battle between you and the fallen angels it became clear that training is the next best thing for you"
Issei's eyes lifted
"That's perfect" he said simply, expression rising to energetic levels, this caused Rias to grow confused by his sudden interest in training
"How so?" she worded her confusion
"Oh, that's right I didn't tell you" at his words Rias tilted her head, confusion increasing
"Just this morning, my sacred gear spirit made contact with me" informed the Gremory Pawn causing Rias' eyes to sparkle
"That's great to hear Issei, making contact with the sacred gear spirit is a sign you've grown stronger. I remember you told me it was you who took down the fallen angel, with brute strength none the less, perhaps that "awakening" as you say has caused you to evolve to the next level" Rias said wording a theory
"Sounds like that could be a plausible reason" agreed Issei while he flexed his right fist, he still remember the weightless feeling he had when he kick raynares ass, it felt... Liberating
"Alright then, it's settled, how does 5:00am sound?" questioned the red head, Issei flinched at the time chosen but none the less nodded, he remembered what the dragon said about training like no other so he expected the roughest routine imaginable, almost like a special forces training but with ten times the pain, it terrified him but he thought of the outcome of the training...
Face it, any guy would dream of having a body built out of rock, and this training was gonna push him past that? Oh hell yeah he'd do it
You can't side step challenges and expect to come out a different person after all; difficulties are what create a person
[Again, your thoughts are much more mature then I'd expected, all the other thoughts are... disturbing] worded Ddraig internally
Issei heard the voice of the dragon but ignored it in favor of listening to the president explain the routine
"-so for warm ups I plan on making a long run be the best choice, don't expect this to be simple Issei" finished Rias while holding a finger up and shaking it
Issei simply shook his head
"Didn't expect it to be" he replied smoothly making Rias smile proudly
"Perfectly worded, my adorable servant"
-XxXxXxX-
The next morning came far too quickly for Issei, normally he'd wake up on week days at six but since it was the weekend as well as the fact he was waking up an hour earlier had him feeling discombobulated but he slapped that down quickly
The morning was odd for even his parents, whom seemed quiet surprised to see him up for morning exorcises, normally he'd remain in bed until early noon but this was shocking, Issei said it was time to start changing things up or else he'd "go insane" with the usual routine, his parents seemed confused by his out of character comment but they simply smiled at his attitude
Any parent would like to see an ambitious edge to their children, and he was starting to show development
'good excuse as any I guess' muttered Issei internally
[Be that as it may, it was haft the truth] replied the ever present Ddraig
Ever since making contact with the dragon Issei had noticed the spirit seemed to be much more open to conversation, it was small conversations here and there but they were entertaining, at one point Ddraig even showed a sense of humor in Issei's social class when he'd spot curtain points in the lesson as "inaccurate" and then proceed to berate the knowledge system like an angry drill sergeant
To say he was an informed dragon would be an inaccurate statement; he was really informed would be a better description
'I guess' mumbled Issei in return, the dragon hummed in reply
[You sound nervous] pointed out the inner mystical creature, Issei simply nodded in return
[I guess it's expected, you only did just become a devil. Physically this training shouldn't be any different than advanced human training, the only thing that'll be effected is you mental state] explained the dragon
Issei raised a mental brow in question
'what do you mean?'
[I guess your friend didn't explain it correctly. What I'm saying is that this training won't be as hard as you expect it, as you are a devil now, to a human this training would be considered insane but to a devil the physical strain shouldn't be anything but just difficult, however, with your mental state the training will seem crazy] the dragons words alleviated some of Issei's nervousness but what he said next brought that back up at full force
[I'm not talking about my training partner, I'm talking about the devil girls training, if she's any bit as competent as she sounds then this should be "easy" for you compared to mine... my training will be completely different]
He felt a high sense of dread suddenly
After he got his training clothes on, which was just his school gym attire, he walked to the public park only a couple blocks opposite from the school, directly adjacent to the other park where he fought the fallen angel. Seemed like a good reminder as any to him
Once he was there he noticed Rias hadn't shown up just yet and so he took to doing simple warm up stretches before the real warm up started, he may be a pervert at school but that didn't mean his academics as well as his physic was subpar, anyone who goes to school loves gym class, it was a no brainer he'd enjoy it... for more reasons than one
Once his stretches were completed he lowered himself into a plank on the grass, back when he had conversations with Ddraig he noticed his awareness of almost everything around him faded and all of his senses focused on the conversation with the dragon, so in order to drop his focus on the strain of the plank he started a conversation with the dragon
'S-so Ddraig, any idea what my real training will be?' he asked internally, for a moment the dragon stayed silent before he noticed he was addressed
[It will be a different experience, with how much danger you've been through in the span of only a few weeks I had developed a new form of training for you to develop quicker than normal] he explained vaguely
'Any advice?' he asked
[All I can say is to remain physically active or else this training will bring internally pain, in order for you to avoid it I'd recommend keeping a workout routine] advised the dragon, this helped Issei to prepare but before he went to press on the subject he dropped it when he finally picked up on the dragons vague answers, guess it was a secret
'Another thing... When I faced the fallen angel, just what did I – ya know – get with my desire?" he asked a little hesitant at his questioning
[A gift] was the dragons reply
'Little vague don't you think?' replied Issei at the simple answer he got, Issei prayed the dragon wasn't going down the cliché sensei road where everything he'd say would account to riddles he'd have to solve "with his heart"
[Should be obvious partner] replied the dragon with a tone similar to "seriously?"
'Alright, uncle! My brain hurts with the figure it out yourself shtick, explain this gift to me Ddraig' replied Issei a little bit more forcefully
[What did you desire most when you first started to hear me?] Asked the dragon cryptically
Issei took a whole minute to recall the time he'd had heard Ddraig's voice, other than the annoying teasing tone within his voice the answer was simple, all he had desired for was the skill to win but that was a ignorant thought, what came first was the power, skill was just another word for experience, power was a different story
[Seems you've figure it out partner... The gift I bestowed on you that day was a subclass to what's to come with my training] said Ddraig as Issei nodded mentally [To answer your next question, yes, you still have access to it, though it's weaker then what you can truly reach but it'll be good enough against lower leveled individuals and self defence purposes, with my training however you will be able to upgrade it to a point where it'll feed directly off of your desires, more training will increase its effectiveness] explained the dragon
[You should stop planking, any longer and you may find difficulty in breathing] warned the dragon as Issei was forced out of the link
"Ooof" gasped Issei as he felt his arms strain finally reach his senses
When he finally raised himself to a sitting position did he finally feel how lip his arms were, they felt like led, and then his abs...
"Holy crap" muttered the teen as he slowly raised himself up to a standing position, stretching his back as well as his everything else Issei felt the rush of epinephrine over take his sense as a form for his body saying "thanks for the work out", the aching was another way of say "you dumbass"
Better control his reps better, whenever he had a conversation with Ddraig time slowed down for him as minutes felt like twenty minutes to even hours, it was erratic
After standing in place for a minute while grumbling at his sore abs Issei finally spotted Rias on her way into the park on a red bike, she looked distant in expression but it faded when she stopped in front of him
"Morning Buchou" addressed Issei while waving at her, Rias however looked confused
"Your here early... feeling pumped for the training?" she asked
"Er... its 5:28 Buchou" Issei replied while looking down to his watch, when he said the time Rias widened her eyes
"Reall – um, sorry, I've had allot on my mind" Rias returned quickly while catching her surprised tone, Issei looked on at her worriedly but she jumped to the topic before he could address it
"Alright, time for that warm up Issei!" chirped Rias while ringing her bike bell, Issei nodded before starting at an audible pace down the tarmac trail through the park, after a while of jogging Issei finally understood what Ddraig said about the training effecting him more mentally than physically
During his running he noticed near the haft hour mark that he'd still felt relatively pumped when compared to his former human body would almost collapsed at the twenty minute mark, keep in mind His jog wasn't slow in the least, at first he started slowly but Rias kept insisting he'd pick up the pace until he reached about ten miles per hour but he only started to feel the burn at that point, not until he reached twelve miles an hour did his lungs start to burn slightly
Then add in the standard stamina of a devil added up to him jogging comfortably at twelve miles an hour for nearly haft an hour with still energy to spare
Issei felt like he could adapt to the new standards just fine, all he had to do was find his comfort zones and he'd be golden, jogging he had down, it burned but he expected it to burn, wasn't a work out without it
"You are surprisingly in shape, I'm glad to see that" complemented Rias as she sided up to him on her bike
"Well, gym class is the best class in school after all" he replied with slight strain in his tone, Rias smiled at his reply, she haft expected him to be subpar in regards to Physical activity but it was nice to see he had some maturity
The rest of the Jog was spent in a comfortable silence, Rias kept pushing Issei to continue even though he showed mild fatigue through almost every park in kouh before stopping a few seconds to catch up on breathe, after which he started to speed up his jog to fourteen miles an hour
As the morning came into play people started to rise up to walk either their dogs or any other animal they may have, this just seemed to add to the amount of bewildered glances directed to Issei due to his abnormal speed for a jog as well as the rather good looking female following him, adults looked on peacefully while some younger males looked on in both pity and envy, each one of these looks confuse Issei but with a second to think he realized what the envious looks were about
To which he sported a toothy grin at his luck
-XxXxXxX-
After the hour long jog all the way through the city's parks Issei was then advised with various stretches before he started doing insane amounts of sit ups, crunches, berpes, and just to worsen his already jelly arms, another rep of planks, everyone of them being weigh down by Rias' own weight as well
The pull ups had him doing them with Rias clinging to his back, the added weight almost killed him but he was surprised when it was just mild strain, all it felt like was doing a set of pull ups with little upper body strength. He just classified Rias as light as a feather
Then came the crunches, a little different than the others, instead of using her own body weight instead she just focused her demonic pressure onto him which had been almost similar to zero gravity except all of it pretty much ganged up on him just to make his thighs scream bloody murder
Because of his previous blunder with the planking exorcises Rias' version was tear jerking, his arms shook the whole time because of the strain then add her weight had him crying internally
"Come on Issei, I know you can hold on longer" intruded Rias with her serious expression blasting him full force
For a second Steve Carell's "that's what she said" rolled through Issei's mind at her words
[Saw that coming] muttered the dragon with an amused chuckle
After trying his damn best not to keel over from giggling Issei finally was relieved from planking... only to be ordered to do 100 push ups
"68...69...70" counted Rias as she sat on his back, Issei felt like dying right now
'damn arms' he growled at his misfortune, this would have been much more bearable if he hadn't done a rookie work out mistakewhen he was fully aware of the come training
"Listen Issei, in the world of devils intelligence doesn't matter as much as strength, so you gotta get stronger, both in mind and body" explained Rias as she continued to read her "how to train devils for dummies" hand book
Call her inexperience but this may actually be the first time she had actually trained someone, all the other peerage members trained with her down in the underworld and she wasn't the trainer, sometimes it was her brother on rare occasions but most of the time it was various members from her brothers peerage, all she could remember through that hell month was that training wasn't just to get a better body but also a mind that can work with it
She would try to mimic the training but she knew that taking it full swing would probably break the poor boy so taking it slow would be the best approach, she did realize he'd be going through something similar vary soon
"88...89...90, come on Issei ten more and your done" she instructed while reading, then a question came to her mind
After finishing the push ups Rias lifted herself from him and sat at a bench across of the reeling teen
"So Issei, have you been communicating with your sacred gear spirit lately?" she asked, Issei breathed for a second before answering
"Yeah... actually quite a bit really"
"Really... what about?" she pressed
"Well he mentioned training me himself, other than that he's been pretty vague" he said with a heaving tone
Rias nodded at his words with a small smile adoring her features, if that was the case then no matter how hard she'd try the dragons training would be way more efficient for Issei add the fact it was the welsh dragon almost had her feel pity for him
Almost...
"Anyways, Asia should be here any minute now" Rias said while smiling with a look that Issei thought could be evil but it looked to sweet to be evil
"Oh sorry I'm late!" yelled Asia while she ran up to the two devils
Issei raised his brow slightly "speak of the devil and she shall appear... mind the pun" he said with a personal chuckle at his own joke, Rias just looked to him blankly
"What?" he asked
"No... Just no" she said simply while shaking her head
"Ooohh!" yelped Asia as she tripped and fell commercially
"Ow... I'm no good at running and talking at the same time" she said while chastising herself, both Issei and Rias just looked to her with pity on their expressions
-XxXxXxX-
"Here ya go" said Asia as she poured a cup of green tea for Issei
"Thanks"
"So don't mind me asking but what are you doing here this early in the morning?" issei asked before he sipped the tea
"Oh Rias asked me if I could come" she answered with a polite smile, Issei looked mildly surprised before looking towards Rias
"That true... Rias?" asked Issei but he noticed a zoned-out look on her
"Rias?" he asked again with more volume, this time she heard him clearly
"I'm sorry what were you saying?" she asked apologetically
"What's up, you've been dazing out these last few days, everything alright?" he asked worriedly but she ignored him
"Now that everyone is here we should get going"
"Um, go where exactly?" Rias just looked to him with that previous look again
"Your house of course" was all she said before getting up onto her bike
Soon after her words had been said did Issei and company find themselves standing in front of said teen's house but what confused him was the set of boxes at the front door
"Now about those boxes?" questioned Issei while pointing at, said boxes
"Well, from today onward Asia is going to be moving in with you and your parents" revealed Rias as Asia simply bowed to him thankfully
"It's very sweet of you to let me" she said
"When I asked her where she'd like to live the first thing she said was Issei's house" piped in Rias
Soon after and Issei found himself sitting on the living room couch, the sight of Both his parents shock then tears of commercial joy raced past him before he heard there joyful words of acceptance
He knew Rias was good with words but damn was she a negotiator
The rest of day went by smoothly after he helped move Asia's stuff into the spare bed room down the hall from his own then the day's events passed by at a pace familiar for weekends, Issei was just happy it was Saturday and not Sunday just yet, like any other teen weekends were considered safe heavens from the prison that was high school
And then came the thought of Asia being in the same building as him every day... aside from his perversion at being this close to her he was just happy he'd not have to worry of her safety as much as before
Ever since the battle against Raynare he'd picked up a protective nature for the little blonde devil down the hall, when he heard her past and how terrible it was he couldn't find it in himself to be lazy about their friendship, everything he thought of always had Asia's happiness first and not his own
[That desire of yours... reminds me of something I had forgotten to tell you]Ddraig said suddenly, this time externally
Issei sat up on his bed to look to his left hand to see a green light shining from the back of it
"What would that be?" he asked in reply
[This Asia girl you are so fond of... she's your catalyst] revealed the dragon
"Catalyst? So you're saying she was a partial reason on why I awakened that gift of yours?"
[In a sense yes... the drive to rescue her fed your desire for power so in a sense she was your drive, saying she's a physical catalyst would be incorrect; it's more metaphorical] started the dragon
"I think I get it, all my fibre I wished to protect Asia and thus I needed power to do it" the answer wasn't too hard for him, everything has a cause and his desire to keep Asia happy had been the fuel to his power
[Your desire is similar to that of a dragon] replied Ddraig as Issei raised a brow at his words
"I'm like a dragon?" he asked confusedly
[Well that gift wasn't for free partner... and equal exchange was needed] revealed the dragon, this caused Issei to widen his eyes considerably
"What!" he yelled back with a controlled growl
[You're desired for power to protect so I traded something in exchange for it] replied the dragon matter of factly, this didn't alleviate Issei's worry in the least
"What the hell Ddraig! What did you take!?" he yelled in question while frantically searching for a missing limb
[I didn't take a limb if that's what you're asking] alleviated Ddraig while brushing off the loud tone Issei used
"Then what did you take?" asked the nervous teen
[Let's see, how do I explain this...] trailed off the dragon while Issei started to worry
[It's not a limb or anything, I simply took a portion of your instincts and replaced them with my own] explained the dragon causing Issei to sigh away his nervousness
"So a portion of my instincts are now that of a dragon?" he asked only to get a hum of confirmation
[All throughout dragon history the only thing consistent is the fact every dragon stated in your fictional stories has them guarding something, be it gold, a cave, a damsel in distress, they all represent evil of course but every dragon has been depicted as a guardian of something they want or have] explainedDdraigwhile Issei listened quietly
[That Blondie is your damsel in distress, the more you care for her the more territorial you'll be around her]
"That seems like the positives will out way the negatives" replied Issei while raising his eyes at the information given
[Wouldn't count it as perfect just yet, it's a form of instinct and some instincts aren't just activated at will partner... remember when you blocked that Crows light spear?]
Issei raised his brow at the dragon's words, remembering the time he bitch slapped her light spear like a leaf in the wind
"Yeah" answered the devil pawn
[That's about how much control you'll have over this new instinct, I'd advise you to keep in control of yourself or else you may cause yourself unwanted attention] Issei nodded slowly at Ddraig's words, he can at times act irrationally, biggest example is when he wanted to take on Raynare in a stubborn fit of anger, thankfully that priest had stop him before he could act on the impulse
"So it's more like a double edged sword" Issei muttered while looking off towards the roof
[Exactly, the longer you hold feels for someone the more territorial you'll grow but it will also help in increasing you strength as well] again, Issei nodded plainly at the dragons words, when he had first learned of his sacred gear Rias had told him that desire was the main fuel for its power, seemed kinda ironic when he remembered the Priests words about sheer will meaning nothing, talk about sticking it to the man
Before he could continue with the conversation with the dragon a red magic circle engulf the dark room, it took him a second to recognize the Gremory magic crest within the circles design and immediately knew who was showing up
"What's does Buchou want all of the sudden?" Issei muttered before he saw her expression
"Um... what are you doing here Buchou?" he asked out loud this time but instead of answering she simply began to blush lightly
"Issei... I need you" she began before pushing herself onto Issei's form "I need you to take my virginity" she revealed causing Issei's expression to quickly go from confused to extreme shock and then a feeble accepting nod that which seemed more instinctual then intentional
Only until Rias removed her skirt did he realize his previous action
"Wait, wait, wait!" Issei said with a frantic wave of his hands, pervert yes, but this just doesn't happen on a whim, something was going on, even though a part of him said "shut up and let it happen" Issei just ignored his second brains instincts and looked quickly to reason
"What's the matter? Am I not good enough?" mumbled the red head with a down casted expression, this caused Issei to quickly dowse her words "No, no, your perfect but-" before he could ask his question however Rias quickly interrupted
"I've given this a lot of thought but there's just no other way" she said "once they learn that I have been ruined I'll finally be free" It didn't take much as Issei's confusion continued cloud his actions and soon he was pinned under Rias' form
As perverted as Issei was this situation was beginning, if it hasn't already reached that point, to become extremely hard for him to act, one part of him noticed Rias' pain laced with in her voice yet the stronger lustful side of him fought tooth and nail to keep his more rational actions from take point
All he got out was pathetic mumbles and discombobulated squeaks of disagreement but only one line got out
"This is a bad idea" he said far too quickly for it to go through the tongue filter
Rias' expressions became one of disappointment and pain "Does that mean your rejecting me" she said with a dejected tone, seeing his words effect take a wrong turn Issei felt the sudden urge to halt whatever was happening before it got too far and quickly raised himself up and pulled Rias close
Before any words could be exchanged a bright magic circle enveloped the room, Issei looked on in confusion at the foreign design while Rias' expression drop significantly
"I had a feeling this wasn't going to work" she mumbled sadly
The magic circle glowed for a few minutes before its light faded to reveal a Gray haired maid whom was wearing a blue and white French maiden outfit
The grey-haired maid took a second to take in her surroundings before finally addressing Rias with a tone akin to disappointment "Sleeping with a low born is unbecoming of you lady Rias, I expected better from you"
Rias' down casted expression quickly changed to anger at the maids words
"My virtue is my own to use as I please Grayfia" relied Rias with an angry tone "and another thing... I will not allow anyone to speak lowly about my honored servants, I don't care if you're my brothers servant I won't tolerate it" the air within the ream dropped a temperature or so at the hostility Rias released in defence for her servant
However, the maid named Grayfia simply hummed "duly noted" was what she said while picking up the dropped clothing "but one thing needs to be addressed" she started while putting Rias shirt over her
"You are the next head for the clan... have some self respect" she said before looking to Issei, stoic expression gone full force
"Pardon the interruption but we will be leaving, my name is Grayfia in service of the Gremory family please pardon lady Rias' actions" she said with a polite bow
"Y-yeah, no problem" he replied before noticing his master approaching
"I'm sorry for rushing you into this Issei, can we put this behind us?" she asked softly
Issei blinked at her words quickly addressing her
"Y-yeah, sure" he said
"Issei? You mean this is Issei hyoudou?" Grayfia asked politely
Rias nodded while backing away from the aforementioned teen "Yes, he is my first and last pawn" she informed
Grayfia looked down to him with a look akin to judgmental
"So you are the one who possesses the Boosted gear, a small child?" she said scrutinizing his appearance
"We'll continue this back at the club room... Grayfia if you will" Rias said while turning to the maid, at her words Grayfia nodded before stepping back, a white magic circle soon followed enveloping both the maid as well as the red headed devil heir
Once the two were gone Issei blinked a few times before collapsing down onto his bed, a confused yet happy expression on his features
[That was interesting] mumbled the dragon which enticed a sarcastic chuckle from the Brown haired teen
"You think?" he replied sarcastically
Issei hadn't been able to comprehend the previous events clearly, imagine it, imagine your crush suddenly barges into your room begging for you to take her virginity, normally it wouldn't be hard for other people to handle but for a person whose inexperience with women accounted for the amount of years he's been alive was much harder to handle so the previous events was nothing less than a miracle
An unfinished miracle yes but with it occurring was enough for Issei to believe he had some all mighty god watching over him, almost like a being that guided all luck within the universe had bestowed him with omnipotent luck
It took him a moment but after suppressing his more primal thoughts issei finally remembered the sad and desperate tone within Rias' voice, her actions were far too quick to be considered "well thought of". It sucked, yes, but Issei knew he wasn't the most popular person at school and as a matter of fact he could even be considered the worst and for Rias, a women on top of the high school food chain, to choose him as a suitable sex partner was a vary unrealistic possibility, add her rushed and desperate tone of voice suggested something else was in play
[She seemed to be running from something] informed the dragon while he listened to Issei's inner thoughts
"From what exactly?"
Ddraig grumbled
[No idea, all I know is that she seemed to be fleeing from something, it may have something to do with that gray-haired maid though] Issei nodded simply at the dragons words
Running seemed like the best suitable explanation, however, trying to figure that out would have to wait till tomorrow... however what Issei didn't notice was a small feeling was birthed within him
-XxXxXxX-
The next morning came at a quick pace and both Asia as well as Issei both dismissed themselves for club duties like usual, on their way to the school grounds the two remained in comfortable silence however Issei's mind was anything but silent
The previous night still weighed heavily on the young devil, many things played out through his mind being from why she seemed so desperate to lose her virginity, this still confused him greatly even now, Rias looked extremely well respected not just by others but by herself as well, aside from her Extremely odd sleeping habit, she carried herself like a noble and the fact she went to him for such a highly cherished act like her virginity seemed far to... unreal
Though the previous events did help in boosting his confidence a slight bit, he still felt this was a serious matter and Rias was truly running from something, it confused him on why she'd run from her virginity but it seemed like she really wanted to get rid of it
'whatever the reasons, I'll figure them out soon' he said internally before pressing the cross walk button, while the two waited to cross Asia quickly noticed a familiar blonde Knight walking down the opposite side of the street
"Kiba!" she yelled out happily officially catching the knight's attention to which he himself waved hello before waiting for them to cross
"Morning you two" greeted Kiba with a friendly smile
"Morning" Asia replied with a happy tone while Issei simply waved time him while wording "yo" casually
The three then proceeded to the old school building before Issei remembered something
"Oh Kiba I was meaning to ask you something" he said catching the aforementioned teens attention
"And what would that be?"
"I was just wondering if you've noticed Rias being a little bit... off" asked Issei walking up to be beside him
"No I haven't really noticed, why do ask exactly?" countered Kiba
"It's just that she seems troubled by something, I don't know what it is exactly but I was hoping you may know what it could be" Issei remembered the promise he made with Rias about the other night being confidential to the others so he kept the previous nights events to himself
Kiba thought on the subject before replying with a look of realization
"I think I have noticed something off about her" he said while pulling Issei from his thoughts "I don't know what it's about but all I can say is it must be house of Gremory drama"
Suddenly Kiba halted in his step "actually, I think I can guess what's troubling her, and its bad news" he dropped the bomb there, Issei noticed the solemn expression and immediately prepared himself
Time passed by audibly quickly and the three found themselves entering the old school building, the usual dark and dank path way and stairs to the official meeting room seemed far darker then before as if a ominous vibe reverberated through the halls like a plague
"Yikes... feels stuffy in here" muttered Issei as he walked along with the other two towards the club meeting room door, wasting no time issei pushed the door open
"Sup" started Issei but his words hitched in his throat when he noticed a familiar maid
"Uh... Miss Grayfia" before he could continue he stopped when he saw his king's expression
"Great, everyone's here" she said seriously, issei and the others quickly walked over to the dual couches to see what was going on
"My lady if you don't mind, May I have your permission to speak openly?" her words were hushed by Rias simply raising her hand dismissively
"Listen up every-"
Her words were stopped quickly as a bright orange, and flaming, magic circle appeared suddenly to the left of Issei, a few feet to the second room door
Not a second after appearing did a demonic cry sound off before the flames suddenly vanished leaving a tall blonde man about twenty to maybe mid twenties appear to be standing within the center of the magic circles epicenter, he wore a red blazer with a white undershirt and similarly designed dress pants, black dress shoes also were seen on the man's attire
The man sighed before speaking "and Lord Riser as returned to the human realm" he said calmly before turning to the others in the room but mainly his gaze was lock onto Rias' eyes
"I have come to see you... my beloved Rias" he said with a deep voice
"And whose he supposes to be?" Issei asked suddenly to which Grayfia answered his confusion not at all effected by his rude tone
"he is the third in line for the Phenex house, a pure blooded devil house and one of the few surviving houses from the Great war, his name his Lord Riser Phenex and he is currently engaged with lady Rias" introduced Grayfia with her usual monotonous tone
Issei felt something stir within himself when he saw the Phenex heir smile arrogantly and pride-fully at having his full title being announced, then he realized the last portion of what Grayfia had said
"Wait... their getting married?!" he asked completely shocked by the revelation, Rias looked absolutely pissed while the others seemed to hold hostile expressions, each well hidden, to Riser of course, but even Issei could see that they all didn't like him
He didn't either, just his posture seemed to anger him not to mention his tone seemed carry a condescending edge just waiting to unleash itself on anything below him
"Mm... I forgot how filthy this world is" muttered the Phenex heir with disgust
'Great, now he's insulting the planet, how far with his ego go?' growled Issei internally, he thought he heard a deep chuckle with himself but he ignored it, all of his attention was on the Phenex
"What is your business here Riser" demanded Rias with little to no respect but her blatant show of hatred was dropped like a bag of wet paper
"My dear... the wedding is closing in, I was hoping me and you could go an evaluate the proceedings together" replied Riser while standing a meter away from Rias
The red headed devils eyes widened at his words "I was informed that this wedding would take place after I graduated!" she said while looking to the grey haired maid whom simply remained silent
"Both our clans saw to it that the marriage is to be taken place within a month's time" revealed Riser with his usual cocky smile, Rias's expression became one of betrayal
And that expression caused something even more powerful to stir within Issei
[Calm down partner] warned Ddraig seriously as the devil quickly breathed in deeply and quickly returned his attention back to the events unfolding before him... fists clenched tightly
Rias quickly sat down on the couch from the revelation
"I'll fetch some tea" informed Akeno, she sounded monotonous
-XxXxXxX-
Issei's anger had almost surpassed its limits, he had absolutely no idea where this level of discontent had surfaced but ever since the Phenex heir arrived he had been feeling extremely on edge, he kept trying to keep his attention on the situation at hand but his anger was beginning to terrify even himself, every time he saw Riser's smile or smirk had him seeing red but his rational side always remained in control
Albeit barely
After some time Riser had managed to snuggle close Rias, much to the ire of Issei, and began to fondle her hair, everyone was on riveting and even Grayfia seemed edgy but that was not noticed by all of the room's occupants
Riser hummed softly at the tea served to him, for a moment to divert himself from the sight before him Issei noted Akeno's waitress level skill, Riser hadn't even asked for tea yet she brought one anyway, she's pretty good
"The tea served by Rias's queen is most exquisite" he complemented to which Akeno robotically bowed in thanks
After Riser sipped his tea a second time he started to fondle Rias' thigh softly but he showed zero self control, only when Rias got up did he cease his lecherous actions
"That's enough Riser" she said with finality " let it go, I have no intention of marrying you"
Riser simply raised his arms plainly "but my dear Rias, Riser see's that your clans circumstances are still such that you cannot afford to be so selfish" he explained in a third person-esque tone
"I have no intention of bringing my family to ruin nor do I wish to deny you the right to our family name but let me be very clear, my husband will by my choice and my choice alone" snapped Rias with a stern expression but Riser simply smirked again
"Remember Rias, it's very important for devils to remain pure blood, were still reeling from the Great War, both our clans saw the future of devils in mind, ignoring their wise decision would be dishonorable" reasoned Riser but Rias wouldn't have it
"Both our clans thought of this but they are in to great of a rush, for the final time Riser... I will not marry you" Rias tone carried high amounts of conviction but it seemed Riser's patience had finally snapped and he quickly grabbed her chin in order to raise it to his view
"And for the final time Rias" he said with a sneer before glaring down to the defiant Rias "riser bears the full reputation of the Phenex house, besmirching our good name is unacceptable"
"and Besmirching mine is as well, if it became known a heir like me gave herself to someone like you my reputation will fall as well" she said with an equal amount of anger, at her words Riser's expression grew far beyond anger and he even raised his hand
But it never came down
"Don't even think about it" growled a low voice
!?
Everyone in the room, including Grayfia became shocked to see Risers raised arm being held firmly by Issei, but something seemed different, instead of a soft brown eyes glaring down on Riser bright green slitted irises stared down at Risers blue eyes with a furious expression hidden behind a well controlled façade
"I will not let you touch her" Issei's tone carried a determined edge
"Let go of me you low class mongrel!" Growled Riser but his arm wouldn't budge
Rias' looked on completely shell shocked, not a second ago did she see Issei move from his spot behind the couch adjacent to them but the fact he look completely in control of Riser shocked her more than his sudden speed
For a moment she observed and nearly blushed at Issei's low words, they sounded threatening but they seemed more likely directed to Riser than anyone else, then she noticed it, bright green energy shown from within Issei's hands and seemed to travel up his shirt sleeve and some even seemed to travel up his shirt collar up to his eyes
'His eyes' worded Rias internally when she noticed the lack of chocolate brown in Issei's eyes and instead noticed the bright green slitted eyes
One word passed her mind when those eyes glanced towards her. Worry, a surprising emotion but it was flattering
All attention was now directly on Issei who had had enough of what had been occurring before him, his control was waning before but after the argument his anger grew the more the tension between Riser and his king grew but his control vanished entirely when Riser's hand rose to not doubly slap Rias for her previous words
This had pulled the final trigger
"I said let go of me you Scum!" yelled the defiant Riser whom quickly sent his other arm towards Issei's ribs, time slowed for the teen as the arm closed in on his mid section, Reacting far faster then he'd known issei caught the oncoming fist mid swing furthering the shock of not just everyone in the room but also himself but he didn't stop there
CRUNCH! SQELCH!
The sound of bone shattering then skin tearing away violently sounded off as Issei kept on squeezing the devils fist which was no doubt destroyed by this point but his anger didn't allow him to let go
Issei expected Riser to scream but the devil look to be cringing painfully at the pain, it seemed to Issei the devil before him was accustomed to pain
'good' mused his inner thoughts as he thought of a simple choice, he felt extremely angry but he still felt rational thought, he only did take action when Rias seemed in danger of being harmed but she wasn't in danger anymore
Then came the maid to his right, she seemed interest but she also looked ready to move
"Please let him go.. Issei" came a soft female voice, turning to the source he spotted Rias looking to him kindly but slightly fearful as well before she placed her hands over his that which were holding Risers in a complete death grip
Her touch was felt instantly, the minute her hands touched his he felt relaxed, calm, this had caused him to let go of Riser's broken and disfigured hands as well as relinquish the dangerous aura surrounding him, his eyes returned to brown and the green energy running in his veins faded
His eyes remained locked on hers as she smiled cutely before looking away from him and towards the Riser Phenex whom had distanced himself from the two
Issei noticed the damaged he'd done to the Phenex heir but the damage vanished when flames ran down his arms towards the damaged Fist, a second later and the wound was no more leaving only a perfectly healthy fist that which was clenched angrily
"You'll regret that boy" Growled the older devil but before he could press forward Grayfia intervened
"There will be no more infighting at this meeting" she said with her monotonous voice however, its tone carried many warnings but they seemed to not stop Riser from yelling outrageously in reply
"Nonsense!" growled Riser while glaring at Grayfia "that low born harmed a noble, a punishment is in order"
Grayfia simply ignored his glare and addressed his answer "I believe his actions were admirable, you did threaten his master Lord Riser, defending the king is the pawns duty is it not?" she said while turning the subject around, Issei widened his eyes at her defending of his actions
Riser however furrowed his brow dangerously "you mean to tell me he's a pawn" was all he growled while furiously glaring at the brown haired teen whom showed no inclination of fear, his anger was equal to the Phenex's he just didn't show it as much and Rias was calming him somewhat, that however did stop his boiling anger for the Phenex heir to subside
The fact he'd been injured by a messily pawn hurt the Phenex's pride immensely
"The clan heads expect there would be a disagreement, and as such there was a last resort should communication fall" revealed Grayfia as she stepped in between the two Devil Heirs
"I was informed that if the negotiations fall my master, Sirzechs, has given me the option of settling this via a rating game with Lord Riser" at her words Rias widened her eyes
"Wait what's a rating game?" Asia asked to which both Akeno and Kiba answered her
"It's a game noble devils participate in battle to settle disagreements or for simple fun" explained Kiba, Asia nodded while Issei listened quietly
"So it's a lot like the chess game?" pressed Asia causing Akeno to nod seriously
"Exactly, it's the reason why all of us have individual powers within our evil piece, it's to participate within these rating games" she explained
"Good to know" mumbled Issei as he spotted Riser's returning arrogance
"Riser has participated in several rating games and has one several for himself, unfortunately for you Rias; you have no experience within these rating games" sneered the Phenex Heir whom also glanced down to the Gremory pawn cockily
"He knows only mature devils are allowed to participate, yet Rias hasn't even reach mature yet" Kiba frowned at his own words while both issei and Asia widened their eyes at the blatant disadvantage they have with the Phenex
"Well that sucks" mumbled Issei
"We've got worse things to worry about" cut in Koneko
Riser chuckled humorously "Is this the full extent of you pieces Rias? They're all you have?" he asked with a cocky smirk
"So what if they are" Rias snapped dismissively causing Riser to laugh a second time before snapping his fingers
When Riser snapped his finger a loud and flaming magic circle, similar to the first, suddenly erupted from the meeting room and from within came fifteen individuals, most if not all of them were all female and Issei could make out a few fetish-esque outfits adoring them
'Mother of...' issei left it hanging while he stared at the women before him
Each member of Risers peerage wore various outfits ranging from cat sailor costumes to chainsaw wielding loli's, a kimono was seen on one women while a skimpy bathing suit was adored by a taller women with a massive sword then skimpy armor was seen on a brown haired female with a small sword on her hip, another women wore a mask on the right side of her face and another seemed to descend from Chinese culture
Two other women wore maid outfits which were similar to Grayfia's except they had frills and then the second last one seemed to wear a white haori and a red obi which was short, leaving most of her legs exposed the last women however showed the most least amount of shame as all she wore was a pink dress with white accents, not to mention she had blonde hair done up in drill like pony tails
All in all, each woman seen wore either a skimpy outfit or a fetish styled outfit, reminiscent of a perfect harem rolled up completely with all of the cliché's except the last women seemed far more girly to be considered a harem member
Still bothered him a little though
It was a considerable change but since his encounters with both the priest as well as the fallen angels changed his outlook on life a good bit, every since experiencing the dark nature of the supernatural when he encountered Freed Sellzen had had started to wear down on the young teen to the extent of changing him entirely
He had heard stories of individuals experience "life changing" events within their lives, the easiest example would be those who say they saw god in their moment of need, skeptical for the people who didn't know the supernatural but from someone who plays for the other team had left Issei understanding what he meant
Issei hadn't experience it yet but when he was fighting Raynare he felt like he was thrusted into a jet bombing run. Everything felt so real yet completely foreign to him as the thought of death was so distant from him yet it felt so close. To be suddenly thrusted into a new way of life where death is practically your neighbor was hard to adjust to in a moment's notice so when he was facing Raynare he kept reminding himself
This isn't fake, this is real, either fight or die
And he had, he'd fought against Raynare and not only did he make it out alive but he had also come out stronger not just in body but in mind as well
It seemed strange for a person who's life goal was to reach the status of harem king but that didn't bring him strength did it? All it was, was just the little prepubescent voice in his head screaming out to get it some action, it didn't scream out to fight and survive, no, all it wanted was to experience pleasure and ecstasy
How could he do that if he was dead?
He felt envy when he saw the obvious harem before him but that's all it was, it was just a jealous emotion for some douche bag prick with a bad case of holier-than-thou syndrome, that its self had stop his envy for a simple stare, one that had been noticed by Riser
"Do you feel envious of me brat?" sneered the pure blood devil but Issei simple reply was a shake of his head
"I don't desire to be a prick like you" was his reply
All the women in the room, minus the Gremory peerage of course, quickly adopted looks of anger at the sign of disrespect towards their master
"How dare you!"
"Bastard!"
Each insult wasn't something he hadn't heard before; you wouldn't believe the amount of insults coming your way for peeping
Riser's eyes at the insult flashed dangerously before he sneered a reply "You should learn your manners when you speak to me"
This didn't detour the young devil in the slightest
"I don't care what you think of me, a seft entitled douche like you deserves nothing but a wakeup call" without even thinking the devil pawn of the Gremory house stepped forward confidently "And I'll be happy to give you said wakeup call" when he finished the familiar red and green gauntlet appeared on his left hand
"Really now... oh Mira" he called out before the women with the wooden staff walked out into the open and stood directly in front of the Phenex heir "teach him a lesson in manners"
Sensing the oncoming danger Issei called upon the gift Ddraig had given him, he didn't know how he was able to call on it so easily but that was the last thing he wanted to think about, when he felt the familiar rush of power wash over him Issei glared at the girl before him
But before he could drop the little challenger before him a sudden rush of pain crept into his body originating from his heart causing him to collapse to his knees, green energy pulsed from his veins in a bright show of unstable power causing Issei's face to contorted in both pain and confusion
Face red with struggle Issei could only watch in disappointed acknowledgement as a wooden staff rammed itself into his solar plexus, and with a following lurch of surprising strength Issei was then sent directly towards the room's roof
"GAHH!" was all he got out as all the air was forcefully removed from his lungs
"Issei!" called out almost everyone of his friends in worry but only Rias raced to his falling form, catching him gently Rias looked down in sadness at his pained expression
"Issei" she said again but this time with more emotion, the green glow in his veins looked much more spermatic then the calm pulse it had held before and Rias felt her worry rise when she felt the pace of Issei's heart rate, it took a minute but after a few seconds Issei had caught his breath and began to fight his fast pacing heart rate
Rias continue to look worriedly at her silent pawn while she heard a cocky cackle behind her which had caused her eyes to darken un-characteristically
"So that's it then? All that confidence was for nothing? Riser is impressed by how weak your pawn is Rias, and he's the wielder of the boosted gear? Hahaha! Pathetic" his confidence as well as his insults towards Issei had almost driven her over the edge but she controlled herself
"Grayfia" she called out, voice dangerously low "Inform my brother that I will go through with the rating game" The maid of the Gremory house nodded as she took in the amount of malice her voice carried
"As you wish" she said before looking to Riser
"It is settled then, Lord Riser will face lady Rias in a rating game, when would you like this game to take place?" Grayfia's words enticed a thought-full expression to befall Riser before he smiled confidently towards her
"Ten days" was all he said before he walked towards the other end of the room, the side where he had entered in, Rias shot a look towards him
"You're giving me a handy cap?" she said in an angered tone but Riser simply dismissed it
"It's to train your peerage my dear, what? Do you want to fight right now, Shirley you can understand your disadvantage?" he replied while smirking knowingly, a look that brought a scowl to Rias' face
She remained silent, she knew she'd be destroyed if she'd taken to battle him right now, she had no experience and she'd been slacking in her training up to this point, all she'd been thinking of was school since that was her whole reason on being her, that and getting a bigger peerage but now she felt anger at her own foully
So she nodded
"Good, then I'll see you in ten days my dear Rias, and make no mistake I will still destroy you, but I'll enjoy destroying you pawn first" he said with a look that seemed truly evil
A second later and the flaming magic circle quickly engulfed the peerage of 16 leaving the rooms occupants both in suspense and anger
"I can't wait to see him eat his words" growled Rias, no one had noticed it but Rias' eyes were blood red.
Many had known her to be cool headed but only Riser was able to make her this close to the edge, everything he did was to forward his own fame, he had a lot of faith in his own family but even she didn't put her whole faith in her power of destruction, his arrogance was practically born from his knowledge of his immortality thus his constant growth in ego
All he needed was a serious ass kicking and she'd be damned if she didn't take this chance to dish it out
All was pain for Issei, he had remained conscious the whole ordeal and he even heard the words of Riser dig an even deeper anger in him, he was mad not just at Riser but himself as well, whatever had happened had been the reason he had been humiliated so horribly, a man's honor was his ability to keep his words, if he can't then what kind a man is he?
Riser is impressed by how weak you pawn is
The words of the Phenex heir pissed him off, and that word, weak was really starting to drive him up the wall but it also got him thinking again, similar to the previous night he had felt a sudden urge to grow stronger but this wasn't just to grow into a power house just for the simple pleasure of rocking anything that would piss him off but it was also to make his master Rias proud of choosing to resurrect him
He had never truly said it but he was grateful of the second chance, regardless of whom he was aligned with it still made him thank Rias for being able to see the light of the next day
But it made him feel like a total waste if he wasn't able to make his master proud, to make it so that her choice of bringing him back was the right choice and not a regretful one
[In time partner... the Phenex brat said ten days right?] Ddraig said catching Issei's attention
'Yeah' was his reply, he had a feeling where this was going
[Ten days... in that time I'll drill everything you need in order to redeem yourself] Issei detected a determined edge within Ddraig's tone
'Humph... don't need to tell me twice'
A/N:
Alright, so I got some explaining to do
First and foremost is probably Issei's personality change, pretty simple to explain really I just gave him more freedom of character then the anime (small rant)
Every anime character I see in anime always follow their basic characteristic's, for example hot head characters need to avoid all rational thought at all costs, dense characters only see things in tunnel vision both literal and metaphorical, airheads must remain retarded, if they cannot remain retarded they must be equipped with big boobs so to distract the male audience and to make the female audience jealous
Some characters can hold more than one basic characteristic but it still stands that most characters only hold a few that being 2-3 and most of the time the two chosen characteristics are so incompatible that it can make ones brain hurt if they put too much thought into it... I should know
So with all that piled up in my black heart of a self entitled reviewer such as myself I chose to make Issei a little bit more real (smaller rants inbound)
I stated last chapter that I tend to re-watch episodes so to refresh my brain on the events I must follow, and as I did I couldn't help but vibrate in irritation at the sheer level of childishness I felt with the whole DxD universe, at some point I found myself watching the third season dubbed (just cause I was bored) and when I came along Loki's fight I couldn't help but roll over in a fit of chuckles at Loki's
"You medaling kids!" after he yelled that I was through Scooby snacks at the screen whenever he came on screen... good god that was painful, and I love dubbed anime! Guess some translations don't fit the English context it seems
I know this anime isn't a serious one and its main goal is to show its latest boob animation but the fact they put so much effort into the background I started to become really disappointed at the lack of – ya know – acknowledging it and giving it more lime light
This all amounts to Issei's change, I can say I'm partially nervous if I managed to create a good pace of change for him as this chapter showed an extreme change to his mind but I can explain that
If anyone of you were to be thrown into a world were creatures of the night prowl around then I can guaranty you'd start to think differently, survival instincts take over and you start thinking outside your comfort zone, right now Issei's life has taken an extreme turn down the wrong path but he's been guided by Ddraig who will be a different character mind you
Anyways, the more dangerous the situation; the more you'd think less of petty things like sex and video games and more survival and what to do in a battle
And another thing, Issei's sudden desire for power is a natural human desire, everyone wants power and that's a fact, if you don't want power then you're a pylon in the way of those who will succeed biggest example is Issei in the anime who focuses more on breasts then training, the only reason he's not eating dirt every fight is because he has the "power up his sleeve" cheat, which is what every anime character has
Issei's in a bind= doesn't matter, he'll get a cheat code in 3...2...1 and boom he's mopped the floor with the villain
No... just no, not only does that insult those who train to be strong but it's gotten so old it's boring, so whatever Issei gets will be something he gets normally, as in through training the correct way, so if the anime Issei went against my universes Vali not only would he be a red stain in the concrete but a complete disappointment to not only Vali but Ddraig as well
That brings me to Issei's "gift"
At first hearing it may sound like I just gave issei a power up to batman levels but it's not perfect in the least, in most cases he's only stronger than your average rook and as fast as an above average knight with an overwhelming aura that grows with every ten seconds, his senses are also sped up so to account for the "bullet time" effect I like so much, but when issei felt the pain in his heart it was due to the fact he had deactivated the gift before it could "cool down"
To explain it more thoroughly just imagine a vile of soda, and when issei powers up, fill the vile slowly to a curtain level which will act as his base level of control, then when he deactivates his gift drain the vile slowly, training will help him cool down his gift faster but right now it's slow (maximum of 10mins), now when Issei activated his gift the second time he experienced an "overload" this was due to the fact his reservoir was not emptied completely and the reactivation of his gift had caused his power to rise to fast which caused the vile to "fizz up" this had caused his power to rise beyond his level of control and due to the gift being dragon in nature the power was too much on his human heart thus causing the small cardiac arrest
So he isn't to over powered... yet
Anyways now that I've smoothened out that part I want to explain a few other changes... that being the female characters
I have said it before that I don't consider the female cast in DxD, Akeno and Rosswiesse excluded, as any form of living being – which means I don't give a flying fuck about any of them. Period
So this was the idea of change that I had in mind, during my DxD marathon I happened to have completely drop all care I have for pair of tits #1 (Rias) but since I like being professional I refrained from ignoring her character and bashing the living shit outta it (giggity) in favor of making her better... In everyway
As I watched on to review her character I found she was nothing but the information broker for the main character and the audience. That won't be her roll in this story as instead Issei won't be the retarded, ignorant character but a character with a brain and I'll consider my audience smarter then what the anime thinks. Rias will also be given a serious power up grade, I have been driven to absolute rage at how weak she is in the anime
She has this wise ass personality but she can't seem to follow up with power it seems. I don't remember the last time she actually dented or even hit the main antagonist with her tickle magic, and her powers suppose to be destruction in energy form? Guess not... oh yeah! That right she's just a pair of tits for us to gawk at every ten seconds... totally forgot she's just one piece of eye candy
I hate characters that bark loudly but don't bite nearly as hard as their bark
Anyways, she the biggest change I'll make side character wise as all the others actually have a sentimental attachment to the audience while she's just a princess were Suppose to feel sorry for
Nope...
Alright, so expect change
R&R, I did want to section this chapter off into two sections but batman Arkham knight as well as writers block has impeded my progress, I hope this chapter was just as enjoyable as the last chapter and if not I hope it wasn't dreadful... I love to keep my "epic" vibe rolling as long as possible
Peace ;)