1) Ioloroso019: Your welcome for the acknowledgment, I'll keep the good work up as long as I can.
2) Rmarcano321: A lesson to be learned from this story?... That if you get reincarnated by a Devil, this is how you get her to fall for you? #Joke
3) Emblemfan1: Well, those are allot of reviews there. Let's go through one at a time...
Ch8: Of course I can't take it easy on little ol' Anthony, neither should Rias. Glad your still liking the comedy as well as Anthony's first official use of the Boosted Gear; it's to answer a few lore-based questions, but being as vague as possible... can't give everyone the answers just yet.
Ch9: Been getting positive feedback and good views for that chapter, its one of my personal favorites.
Ch10: Yup, still working on the "show, don't tell". Thanks for those pointers by the way and hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
4) Omnisaurus: Welcome back and glad you finally took care of whatever business your into. Glad you enjoyed both chapters 11 and 12, especially since you've recanted your statement about Familiar Forest being the funniest chapter (as stated above, its still one of my favs). I'm also glad someone also shares my opinion on Ddraig.
Chapter 12: It's All Fun Games, Until A Dragon Gets Heated - Part 1
9 days had passed, the Rating Game was tomorrow. It was time to see how much Anthony had improved...
Koneko's Strength Test, 9:43am...
Anthony's arm thrust forward, but Koneko dodged. She went to leap on his back again... not a chance in hell this time! Turning around, Anthony meant to take her advice and aim for her bodies center, but didn't anticipate how close she was and ended up backhanding her... pretty hard. Although it was unintentional, it caught the freshman completely off guard and she fell down with a red mark on her cheek. She went to get up, before Anthony could take advantage of... helping her up? What the?
"Crap! Sorry Koneko, you wanna start ov... ARGH!" Anthony's apology was stopped by Koneko punching his bicep with an uppercut, making him start hacking (thankfully not blood). "ACK! *Cough, cough!* What the hell, Ko? I wasn't about to cup one" Anthony said, thinking the youngest Devil got defensive again.
"Focus, perv" she said flatly before leaping at the Italian. Once she got in range, Anthony sidestepped and elbowed her in the back of her neck; once again surprising her, only now it was her turn to gag.
"SHIT! Koneko! KONEKO! Are you...?" Anthony was once again stopped by Koneko retaliating, this time with a sweep kick and knocking Anthony down.
"THEY WERE ACCIDENTS! I..." Anthony said, but Koneko cut him off by staring down at him... then held out her hand with an oddly warm smile.
"You pass, now get up" Koneko said. Confused, Anthony just stared before accepting her hand.
"Oh, uh... thanks... I didn't hurt you to badly, did I?" Asked Anthony, feeling the spot he slapped, as well as looking at the back of her neck that he elbowed. Koneko started feeling warm at his touch, just like back at the ORC when he scratched her ears... she was still trying to get over that.
"Damn, that might bruise. Good thing I packed a First-Aid K..." Anthony said but for the 4th time that day, Koneko stopped him by holding the hand that was on her face and lowering it.
"I'm a tough bitch, I can handle it" Koneko said, hiding the uncertainty in her voice. She had to admit, Anthony was indeed a kind soul, always worrying about everyone. First Asia, then Rias... hold on, why does she even care?! Pushing his hand down and putting her stoic face back on, she turned and began to walk off. "Come on, you still need to work on your magic" she said.
"Koneko?... Hey! ASPETTA!" He called out to her, following her as she left. He tried striking up a conversation... no such luck. She'd never say it aloud but, despite her Rook endurance, the accidental hit and elbow attack actually stung a bit.
Akeno's Magic Test, 10:36am...
Anthony actually manged to finally summon a tiny magic ball of energy in his outstretched hand, WITHOUT his Boosted Gear!... then it proofed out of existence after 5 seconds with a fart sound. Akeno couldn't help but giggle.
"It's not funnyyyyyy!" Whined Anthony. He learned how to create his own magic circles (though they only took him 3 feet... 4 if he was lucky), peel/cut food by 'visualizing', and could summon Rassei without drawing a circle in the dirt; but he still had trouble getting an ACTUAL spell to work, even with Ddraig's power boosting.
"Akeno? Is there some kind of scorciatoia, maybe a trick you can teach me?" Asked Anthony, thinking maybe there was another way to perform this 'magic' thing. Akeno just looked at him and slowly smiled with a finger near her mouth. 'Don't pull a Jiraiya, PLEASE don't pull a Jiraiya...' Anthony mentally begged her.
Akeno giggled in an oddly sexy way. "Well, if visualizing doesn't work, you can always try feeling" she said.
"So I HAVE to pull a Jiraiya for this to work?" Anthony asked... not that he didn't like that solution, it would just feel awkward after a while.
"Not exactly. Trying feeling what you want to do instead, like how your Boosted Gear works" said Akeno.
"Huh?" Asked Anthony, confused. He didn't get it... feeling what he wants? What was that supposed to mean?
"Sacred Gears are emotionally connected to their owners... the stronger your feelings, the more powerful you'll become" explained the senior student.
"Like how Ddraig boosts me every 10 seconds?" Asked Anthony.
"Yes how... Ddraig?" Asked Akeno while cocking her head, confused at Anthony's word choice.
"Uh, I mean, the Boosted Gear... sorry, kinda went to La-La Land for a second" Anthony covered up, realizing his slip of the tongue. Closing his eyes, concentrating and outstretching his arm again, he focused on the feeling his Boosted Gear gave him. Whenever he used its power; he felt faster, stronger, more durable... even more alive. Not feeling any changes, he opened his eyes to see...
Akeno started to feel a little concerned, was he ok? And Ddraig... why did that sound familiar? She forgot this thought when Anthony successfully casted a spell, right in his hand... without his Gears ability! It was a shining ball of energy and, while small, was a sight to see. All his emotions were poured into it; Akeno could feel warmth, happiness, love, compassion and even his natural drive from the tiny sphere in the palm of his hand.
"H-Hey... I'm doing it... I'm really doing it!" Anthony said happily, looking at his accomplishment.
"Congratulations, sweetie; your a natural!" Said Akeno, hugging him from behind and looking at his magic ball with pride. In fact, it was getting brighter!
If only she knew the reason... was the softness that Anthony managed to (somewhat) ignore, but the dragon inside of him... [So... soft...] said Ddraig. 'Ddraig, calm down... DDRAIG!' Anthony tried to get his dragon back to reality.
BOOM!
The sphere blew up... messing up Anthony's and Akeno's hair due to the wind it generated. Both the human and Devil blinked once each, shocked at what occurred. [Ugh... sorry, my bad] the dragon apologized. Before Anthony could respond to him,
"Heheh... wow. What a load. Warn me next time you explode" Akeno joked.
"I normally have a long trigger... blame my teacher for being such a stupefacente woman" Anthony returned fire.
Akeno just giggled. "Be sure to thank her then. You pass... with flying colors" she said, hugging him a little tighter to try and get a reaction out of him. It worked, as he gasped slightly.
"Um... isn't it time for my last lesson?" Asked Anthony, trying to keep his head on straight.
"Maybe after OUR lesson..." cooed Akeno, making sure to get as close to his ear as possible when she said this. Luckily for Anthony (or unluckily depending on the POV), the doorknob jiggled and Rias walked in. Akeno got off Anthony as soon as the door began to open, so the president didn't see what had transpired between the student and his teacher... why was Anthony blushing? Eh, no time to worry about that, Kiba's waiting outside.
Final Test, 11:57am...
"This again? I already got you when you told me to be aware of my surroundings" said Anthony. He already passed Kiba's test, which was to always not just keep eyes on the opponent, but also on the environment to see if he could use it to his advantage before his adversary does. While Anthony still needed some sword work, he was able to evade most of Kiba's assaults then catch the Knight off guard by hitting him on the back of the leg... Anthony also joked that he always wanted to try horse meat.
"This times a little different. I want you to use your Boosted Gear against Kiba now" said Rias.
"Better boost up as much as you can, cause I won't go easy on you this time" said Kiba, taking a battle stance with the wooden sword. In response, Anthony summoned the gear.
"Been waiting to use this thing in actual combat for over a week! Aumentare il Tempo!" Said Anthony.
"Aumentare il Tempo?" Asked an amused Rias. "You couldn't think of anything less cringey?" Asked Koneko, flatly.
"HEY! My Gear, my catchphrase... plus, I'm a Saban nerd" said Anthony. He loved Power Rangers as a kid, from Mighty Morphing to SPD... he stopped watching after Samurai though, since it was basically a rehash of Ninja Storm...
[BOOST!]
"Good, again" said Rias.
"Oh-ho, don't you worry, ciliegia-cima. I'm firing up!" Said Anthony.
[BOOST!]
"So original..." Koneko deadpanned.
"Like I said, MY Gear" Anthony said.
[BOOST!]
"That's it? Three? You can't handle more?" Asked Rias. She knew of course Anthony could do more than that, she just egged him on for training's sake... well that, and she kinda liked pushing his buttons.
"This Stallion's just walking the track!" Said Anthony.
[BOOST!]
"Come on! You can do better!" Called Rias.
"I'm preriscaldare il forno!" Said Anthony.
[BOOST!]
"Only 5? You expect to beat Riser with only 5?" Rias asked, though this was just another tactic to get Anthony as pumped as possible.
"Then I'll give ya 10!" Anthony said with a raised voice.
[BOOST!]
Rias: Your looking tired. Are you done?
Anthony: LONTANO DA ESSO!
[BOOST!]
Rias: You want to walk me down the aisle?
Anthony: NOT TO BLAZE HEATNIX!
[BOOST!]
"Wow. Eight boosts in a row? That's a new record" commented Akeno, as Anthony has never gone past 5 boosts unless he was angry. Asia also looked in awe, she's never seen Anthony so determined before.
"Keep going!" Ordered Rias.
"Come on, Gear! Boost!" Said Anthony, repeating its iconic phrase.
[BOOST!]
"Alright, I think that's enough" said Rias but to her surprise, Anthony refused. "NO! Not yet!"
[BOOST!]
"I gave you my word, Ri... that turkey's never gonna lay a finger on you again!"
[BOOST!]
"If I'm gonna beat a regenerating woodpecker, I need to burn him in un colpo! I have to go full-Italian on that douchebag!"
[BOOST!]
Just like last night, Rias was left speechless. It amazed her that such a person existed, one that would put himself on the line just for the sake of those he cared about... where was this man the last 16 years of her life?
[BOOST!]
Anthony felt a little pang run up his arm upon that last boost, not too painful but enough for his face to cringe slightly. "Anthony, you ok?" Rias asked with concern, seeing the face he made.
"Ugh... yeah! ... Nothing I can't walk off" Anthony assured her for 2 reasons:
1) He didn't want her to worry.
2) It was a slight ego thing and he didn't want to appear weak... stupid hormones.
[Anthony...] Ddraig spoke up, trying to tell Anthony something important.
Not now, Ddraig! Boost me up!' Said the Italian. Ddraig didn't think it was a good idea at first, but none of his former human hosts had ever gotten past 6 boosts on their own... then again, most of them didn't activate Ddraig as young as Anthony did... perhaps one more wouldn't hurt. The delay for the next boost was one extra second, most likely as a precautionary action on the dragons part.
[BOOST!]
The pang in Anthony's arm was a little more noticeable, and harder to ignore. The Italian-American had to clench his teeth to keep himself from making a loud noise, but he still grunted. "Anthony? You ok?" Asked Kiba, noticing his students distress.
"Y-Yeah... just nerves. Never boosted so much, ya know?" Anthony covered up. Kiba wasn't gonna pretend he could relate, he didn't have a Sacred Gear like the Red Dragon after all...
...
...
...
15 seconds had passed, and Anthony didn't boost up again. This confused the boy, why wasn't Ddraig boosting him up anymore? Wasn't that the purpose of the Sacred Gear, doubling every 10 seconds? "Looks like he hit his limit... how many was that?" Rias asked Akeno.
"Um... 14, I think?" She said sheepishly, having lost count because she stared at him in awe. To be honest, seeing how much power Anthony was able to store was impressive given the fact he was still human.
"Limit?... No way! I'm just... taking a quick break. I'm the Red Dragon after all!" Said Anthony, but even he wasn't exactly sure what was going on. You mean to tell him the limitless power Ddraig had was limited? How did THAT make any sense!
[They're correct. You've already went past your physical limit] said Ddraig, explaining what Anthony wasn't understanding.
'My limit?... Oh, guess that makes sense' said Anthony. What Ddraig said reminded him of the Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic series... the gems had infinite power, but the hedgehog did not. Much like how little Paramount cared/paid to make a movie about him... (AN: Had to squeeze this in.)
Hold on... then why did he boost almost indefinitely with Raynare? If Ddraig's logic was true, didn't that mean that Anthony had a much MUCH higher limit than a mere 14? He asked this to his partner.
[You were in a state of distress. As Akeno pointed out, the Sacred Gear is also connected to your emotional state. Because you were angry, your body was able to draw out more power from the Gear, which is also the reason you collapsed after using it. Going over your body's limit is like pouring water into a cup... eventually its going to overflow if you don't drink it] Ddraig explained.
Hearing that analogy got Anthony thinking, was that why his arm started hurting, because he went over his limit and didn't release the power he stored? But if that was true, then how did he boost an extra time if he hit his limit? 'By that logica, shouldn't I have stopped?' Asked Anthony.
[That last one was from me, I figured one more wouldn't hurt, but that was my mistake. You handled it, but I'd advise releasing all that power. Keeping it all bottled up isn't safe either] said Ddraig. This got Anthony thinking...
"Ok, that's enough. Kiba, get ready to..." Rias commanded, but was stopped by Anthony holing up his arm... it felt like he was lifting several arms along with his own, but still...
"WAIT!... Just one more... I'm gonna do one more" said Anthony. Rias looked at him, she could see he wasn't feeling so hot, but also knew not to argue with him. He'll end up cussing her out in Italian again. Despite her feelings on the matter, she also felt flattered Anthony was trying so hard for her... she just nodded.
[Anthony, you can't boost anymore. You've hit your limit] Ddraig said.
'No... but you can' Anthony said. He didn't know how, but he felt a pair of eyes bulge slightly.
[Anthony, you can't! Your body might break apart!] Said Ddraig, worriedly. Anthony heard this, but had a flashback of Rias' crying face from that night... he wouldn't let her cry like that, not... no, NEVER again. "I have too... I can't let her marry that flaming vulture" Anthony said out loud without realizing.
[Anthony, if you boost again, your putting your life at risk. And if you die... where do you think that leaves me?]
"I don't care! She's too good for him!"
[Listen... I understand your feelings, but is one Devil really worth it? Y...]
"SHE'S WORTH EVERYTHING! THAT INCESTUOUS PARAKEET DOESN'T DESERVE HER!"
Of course, the entire ORC heard this... at least, only Anthony's side of it. "Nice... he's a schizo too" said Koneko, unamused. Asia, Akeno and Kiba looked at Anthony with concern; was he ok? Rias however, could only stare at him with her eyes glazing over. Anthony, right now, was the definition of a true friend (and by that extension, the best servant a Devil could only dream of). He cared for Rias, saw her for who she was, cooked for her and everyone else, volunteered to take some workloads from them to help reduce stress... hell, he stood up to Riser... RISER of all Devils, just for her!
How did Rias get so lucky? She figured even God himself would never know...
"Come on! I can do this! Boost!... BOOST!" Ordered Anthony, wanting Ddraig to comply. 5 seconds passed...
...
...
...
10 seconds...
...
...
...
15 seconds...
...
...
...
20 seconds...
[BOOST!]
"ARGH!"
That boost was the most agonizing thing Anthony had felt! As soon as it happened, his arm started bleeding! The crimson liquid ran down in several streaks. No way Anthony was doing that again... "ANTHONY!" Cried Rias and Asia, both looking as if they'd start crying.
"Argh... I'm ok... va tutto bene" he lied. Truth is, he felt like his muscles tightened themselves around his arm and squeezed, like when you go to the doctor for a checkup and he/she takes your blood pressure with that pump-action wristband or whatever it's called... but instead of stopping, the doctor would keep going.
[Unless you want your arm to burst open like a can of confetti...] warned Ddraig. 'I KNOW!' Yelled Anthony to Ddraig in his thoughts. He didn't mean to, it's just that the pain was incredible... and he thought Raynare's light spears were bad. "Alright, Kiba... let's ballare!" Anthony managed to say, despite the pain in his arm.
[EXPLOSION!]
A massive flare of power, rivaling Riser's, was released. Now that it left his arm, the pain began to subside, though NOW it was a struggle to keep the power in the palm of his hand! He tried to control it, and everyone could see his struggle to do so, but who knows how long that was going to last? The ball of dragonic energy began to pulse, just begging... no, DEMANDING to be released.
"Guys... GET DOWN!" Anthony yelled; which everyone obeyed as a thick, deep-red beam of energy flew out of Anthony's palm (obviously against his will) and across the training ground. Daring the look in the direction of its trajectory, the ORC saw that Anthony's Dragon Shot had shot through... repeat, through a mountain in the distance. The mountain in question now had a giant "O" near the top of it... though seconds later, the tip fell off, turning the "O" into a "U".
Anthony stumped down, holding himself up by his dragonic arm while heaving deep breaths. "ANTHONY! Anthony! Are you ok?" Asked Rias, rushing to Anthony's side. She's never witnessed such raw power like that before, it was a sight to behold. With that kind of power, Anthony could obliterate Riser in one blast! He'd never rengen... what the hell? She cut off those thoughts, Anthony clearly struggled to control that power, she couldn't do that to him! What kind of careless master would do that to her servant?
Anthony passed out before he could even answer, worrying Rias more and making her call out his name in worry. She now felt guilty, this was all her fault. She pushed him too hard and now he hurt himself for her sake.
[He's fine, just needs rest.]
Huh? Where did that voice come from? It radiated power and nobility, yet held a tone that demanded respect... actually, it sounded like Anthony's Gear... correction, sounding like AND coming from Anthony's Gear! Everyone just stared in shock and widened eyes, letting Rias know she wasn't hallucinating what she heard. "Uh... who are you?" Was all that could come out of Rias' mouth.
[Oh, excuse me. Where are my matters? My name is Ddraig, although your kind knows me as the Red Dragon Emperor] said Ddraig, explaining himself. Rias swore her heart stopped beating for about 5 seconds. Ddraig? As in THE Ddraig?! A Dragon that had enough power to slay gods and demons without batting an eye?! Sure she knew this Gear held his power... but not the LITERAL DRAGON HIMSELF!
[For a human host, he's tougher than he looks... most human hosts of mine couldn't handle as much power as he did] Ddraig said, which calmed Rias down a little. She sighed in relief, it looked like Anthony was ok... just overclocked.
"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore. He was able to use you at a young age after all" said Rias.
This surprised Ddraig, she knew already? [So you already know? Can Devils read minds? Cause there's no possible way even HE'D remember using me] said the Red Dragon. This is when Asia stepped forward, though with some hesitation. She was a little freaked out that another voice was speaking from Anthony's unconscious body.
"Uh... I told them, Mister Ddraig sir" said the ex-nun. Her cute confession got a hearty chuckle from the dragon.
[I see... you must be Miss Argento, my masters childhood friend. However, your misinformed. Anthony had used me earlier] he said kindly, which eased Asia's nerves a little. At least this dragon seemed really nic...
Hold up... earlier? As in BEFORE Anthony met Asia? This interested Rias greatly. 8-years-old was a young age indeed... not many beings in history had unlocked their Sacred Gears that young. The earliest she could recall was one person who was around the age of 10... though he lost himself to the power of his Gear shortly after due to lacking proper training (AN: This is a reference to one of the Juggernaut Drive predecessors from the anime, in case some of you didn't catch it). That would make Anthony one of the few beings to not only use, but control his Gear so young.
"Ok... when? When did Anthony first summon you?" Asked Rias. The answer Ddraig gave, was a single word... And this word, sent chills up everyones' spine...
...
...
...
[Birth.]
Like I said earlier, Ddraig's gonna play a bigger role in this story than canon because I felt he's underutilized. I have nothing against canon, but would it have hurt the writers to give him a little more screen time? Sure we got a shitload of him in Season 2 and 3, but after that; that's when he started to fade out and only get involved when required or when speaking to Issei/Azazel. Again, coming from someone who hasn't read any manga/light novel, so take don't take this prospective too harshly.
That was a unexpected twist, wasn't it? Anthony using the Gear even BEFORE he met Asia? See, told you guys this would be original, not a single writer in all the DxD stories I've read had ever went as far as Anthony using it at birth... but what does this have to do with anything? Maybe we'll find out... or maybe we won't. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, see ya next time!
Anthony's Italian Dictionary:
1) Aspetta: means "wait up"
2) Scorciatoia: means "shortcut"
3) Aumentare il Tempo: means " its boosting time"
4) Ciliegia-Cima: means "cherry-top"
5) Preriscaldare il Forno: means "preheating the oven"
6) Lontano Da Esso: means "far from it"
7) Un Colpo: means "one shot"
8) Logica: means "logic" (though that sounds pretty obvious, doesn't it?)
9) Va Tutto Bene: means "all's good"
10) Ballare: means "dance"