Gaako watched the maniac known as Valac run around. "I made it to the end of the hallways first, I won!"
"I'm not playing today, Clara." Azz spoke out. "Far too exhausted, stayed up late cleaning cake out of places I didn't know I had."
"I hope you didn't miss a spot." Gaako spoke cheekily as she held her boyfriend's hand. "I'd be more than happy to double check for you."
"Clara, wait up, I'll win the next one!" Izuku, not able to handle that level of flirting, ran twice as fast.
"So, did you bet on the dating pool of Izuku's?" Gaako asked Azz.
"My bet was that he would be so dense he would never comprehend romance in front of his own face. Clearly I lost it." He grumbled. "Dang it Eiko, that was 5,000 I lost too."
"You bet five thousand?" She raised an eyebrow.
"You would have to." … He wasn't wrong. "Did you bet anything?"
"Nah, I didn't want to get involved with the love square mess more than I already was." Gaako rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's already too much pressure on him as it is, it needs to happen as naturally as possible for anything genuine to come of it."
Eiko ran along. "Sorry I'm late, I was tinkering hard and had to clean up the hair." They stared at her. "It was a lot." They were wondering more about what caused that much hair to begin with.
"Whatever, let's just head into the Battler before something else crazy pops up." Asmodeus rolled his eyes, opening the door for all of them to enter.
"... Too late." They heard Midoriya say. They all looked in with him and found Kerori sitting upon a giant wolf and fox, Kamui by her side, and Lied tied up within Kamui's grasp. "I'm just about done with this school.
"Glad to see you all have finally arrived." Kaumi's lady, Queen Kerori, gestured for them to sit down on some seats she provided.
"What's the Mafia boss-look for?" Midoriya, the bastard, asked while taking a seat. There was no true concern on his face.
"It set the mood of cashing in favors." She shrugged. "I need help, and-"
"Done." The entire room just turned to the bastard in question.
"Wait-what?" His queen stumbled back. "You're accepting it just like that?"
"We're friends, and you need help, that's just what they do right?" He replied.
"I mean, I had this whole plan where I guilt Eiko and Lied into helping me because I helped them during the Harvest Festival…."
"I go where Izu goes, you have him and you have me." The girl in question replied.
"And I still want to hear what you actually need before I decide." Lied spoke out.
"Wait, so this whole time, I could've just asked you for help with anything, and you would've said yes?" Kerori was still flabbergasted.
"Have you seen him?" Asmodeus pointed out. "He would give you his left arm if it saved someone."
"Wow...I...I really underestimated how strong friendship was." Kerori adjusted her glasses. "I wish I didn't waste so much time trying to kill you if it meant getting on your good side faster."
"You'd be surprised how often I heard that." Kamui disagreed.
"So what exactly DO you need?" The beautiful Gaako spoke, getting them back on track.
"Right right, for those of you who do not know … I am Kuromu." So THAT'S who her double cover was.
"... So you're the one that made Clara and Eiko drag us all into frilly dresses." Wait, what!? Asmodeus was … did that mean…?
"Alice the Demdoll!" He shouted.
"Oh right, can I have your autograph!?" Lied asked as well.
"... Deep breaths Azz … Deep breaths." The beautiful traitor comforted her lover. "No one important knows, your mom doesn't know, that's what's important here."
"... I would be more offended if it wouldn't kill me." Lied spoke out. Kamui agreed with the captive.
"Anyway, during the thirteenth and final month, by the Demon King's order, all celebrate and welcome the new year … including one special event." Did his queen mean …
"The Demdoll Games!?" Lied shouted with a pale face, it seemed he understood where this was going.
"Oh, do we get to play the dress up game again!?" Clara spoke out, already making some cute looking dresses.
"Not quite!" His queen corrected. "It's THE demdol event to end all demdol events! I need to win it to make a good name for myself..except it's also a sports event and I don't have sporty girls at my agency. There's one, but that still leaves two spots open."
"So you're hoping to take advantage of the fact we're the Calamity Cult and that we're used to running for our lives for so long that it's kept us in great physical shape." Asmodeus summarized.
"Basically, yes." His Queen nodded. "Like I said, I was just about to hold Eiko and Lied to their end of the bargain and force them to be beholdeth to me until they're down, but this makes it easier." Kerori turned to the bastard bunny. "Izuku's the craziest among you and Eiko's a close second behind him, aside from Clara that is."
"... The rest of us are in the clear, right, optional?" The group looks at Asmodeus. "I wore it once and that was enough for a lifetime. And another more practical reason I can't is because I'm stuck with my mother for the rest of the month." He explained. "She wants … mother son time." He shivered.
"I'll go! I'm ready to play dress-up again!" Clara, the cute little dinosaur, complied easily enough.
"Wait, before the rest of you say yes or no, you need to be aware." Lied spoke up, traitorously. "This isn't some little event, it's broadcasted live, on a global scale."
"My face is too recognizable … they'll never let me live it down." Gaako shivered.
"Yeah, plus you're not fit. It's the reason Kamui is out." What, but he wanted to come!
"Okay, glad the perv's not getting what he wants, but that's still a jab at me, you prick."
"Of course it was." Kerori spoke without any remorse. "And you two?"
"I'm in as always." Eiko nodded. "Might be fun to wear frills again."
"And I'm slowly dying inside, so I don't have the strength to fight you on this." Hah, the bastard was suffering! This was a good day.
"Listen, you can give me a small favor to do, but not something on this global scale where I embarrassed myself with a ski-" Lied started, about to turn down being near so many beautiful women!
"Gyari is also arriving." She was WHAT!?
"I'm in!" The others turned confused. "What, I'm her biggest fan! She's the most awesome punk of all Demdolls!"
"You jerk, first you get Elizabetta's number and now you get to be in a stadium full of sexy and sweaty ladies! I'll never forgive you for this!" Kaumi made his anger known.
"You never forgave Izuku either, and last I checked he doesn't seem to feel much discomfort." Lied spoke.
"Not with every animal in Babyls as his enemy!"
"... That at least explains the bird attacks." The boy muttered. "Azz, hungry for fried chicken?"
"I'll make it extra crispy." Oh right, the second strongest student in class was Izuku's servant.
Inko was reading a magazine, 'ten ways to know something is wrong with your child'. The sheer amount of information she was connecting with her baby was astoundingly concerning. She was even more surprised that this magazine was in the demon world … Although less surprising, all the answers involved physical violence.
"None of this is helpful." Inko rolled her eyes. It seems like the only logical choice was to get a therapist, or at least get her son to talk about his issues to her more, and she knew after all that went down with the Music Festival, telling people what was on his mind was the last thing he was going to do.
It was a good thing everyone else was supportive. Hell, even Amaryllis gave some good advice for mother son bonding time … even if she mentioned things for mothers to do 'when their children are away'. And he seems so happy here even if his old life had less danger …
Well at the very least he was a good boy, he wasn't going to sneak out with a burlap sack without telling her where he's going. "Hey mom!" Her baby greeted her with a burlap sack. "I'm heading out for the night!"
That didn't take long. "Izuku, you better tell me where you're actually heading, and you better tell me the truth, or I'll show Ameri your baby pictures."
"… You already did that … Eiko said you did it when you tried to show them how to cook."
"How about I show all your friends the All Might Onesie you still wear to bed once a month?"
"Look, I can't tell you where I'm going." Her son immediately backpedaled. "But I promise you it's not ille- … not morally wrong."
Inko slapped her forehead. "We're technically breaking all the rules of the Netherworld just by living here, Izuku, that's not an excuse you can use."
"I know, but I made a promise not to tell anyone, a friend of mine needed a favor, and I'm just filling in." He pleaded. "I can't let them down."
Of course, it all tied back to him wanting to help someone in need. She shouldn't have doubted that for a second...even if he did take it too damn far too often. "Just...just make sure you're not hurting yourself to make someone else happy. You deserve to cut yourself a break every once in a while...like asking Ameri on a date yourself." She supported any decision that made her son happy...while at the same time giving her lots of grandchildren
"I promise you I will be in no physical or mental pain." That was oddly specific, but he didn't react negatively to the suggestion of asking her out, so she would take it. "Oh, promise me that no matter what happens, Grandpa and Opera never, ever, turn on the tv today. Please."
"If I turn that TV on, I'll know where you'll be heading, won't I?"
"...I've said too much already." The boy gave up, already running out the door … she just hoped he wouldn't be caught … and would finally do something that made him happy for a change.
"The TV he says, never been one for anything not in person but this sounds lovely." And that was a record of failing. At the very least she would see what he didn't want her knowing about.
"The skirt was worth it." Lied, or 'lily', spoke as he looked at the gathering. "So many Demdoll. Oh, there's the sailor scouts! They're all thematically based on planets, even having bloodlines that tie into spatial anomalies!"
"I-I'm done with this world. I'm not even going to react to that." Izuku's, or more accurately right now, 'Izumi's' eyes have been twitching ever since they got here. It was getting pretty freaky, but he was too excited about being here to really care about it.
"Oh, and the alchemist quartet. They have abilities, personalities, and stats all tied to a specific element. I'm more surprised they got Aqua blue, she was off season due to a leg injury she got two weeks ago."
"You know your stuff." Kerori, or even better, Kuromu, spoke as they made their way through the incredible crowd. "Usually I keep up to date on other Demdoll, but even I didn't know about the leg injury."
"I'd be more impressed if this wasn't what you use to fuel your wet dreams." Eiko, or more specifically, Eillia, snided.
"Nope, I personally keep these guys out of them. It would be as weird as Izuku using a hero for his wet dream like … what was it, Midnight?" He asked.
"Why would I do something like that? Despite how she presents herself, she's a complete professional that is known for quick takedowns and is a great motivator for all the hero students back home. There's nothing but respect there."
"Fair enough, I'll let that one slide- is that Gaglito!? I heard she retired! She was a big pro, and must be coaching the new Glitter Gals. Oh that's going to be tough to be, their light based abilities make racing against them hard to beat in spotlight and distance."
"… You know, Lied Game is starting to sound like Izuku-kins." Clara, or Clarine, stated.
"You can say what you want, stage names." Kuromu corrected.
"Right, Izumi-kins."
"You know, the roof really does feel like a comfortable place to have a last meal." Izumi muttered. "Is there anything else about today that we should know about? I don't want to be caught blindsided by something I could've known about."
"Let's see … teams are all pretty average, two or three might make it to third or fourth area, if Gyaki actually is coming-" lily turned, getting a confirmation nod that made his heart soar. "Then she and Kuromu are likely neck and neck for first and second … besides the Bebber team being the only male Demdolls-"
"Wait, there are male Demdolls HERE!?" Izumi glared at Kuromu. "Was it ABSOLUTELY necessary for us to dress like this again!?"
"People expected you … besides, the males all have skimpy clothing, would you feel more comfortable in that than in the dress?" Kuromu asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You know you're asking the impossible here, right? You know I have no choice." Izumi legitimately looked murderous towards the girl for the first time Lied's ever noticed.
"Hey, you said you volunteered as a friend. But in the interest of 'friendship', I can put you on reserve, as a substitute in case we lose a member of our team. Sounds good?"
Izumi lost the killer look...just a little. "Alright, you got me there. Fine." He rolled his eyes. "So, just out of curiosity, has a male demdol ever won one of these?"
"Their fanbase is about … three percent of the Demdoll fandom. Although they do have fit bodies for the physical contests, so they usually make it to the top four somewhere." Lied spoke up. "The only one that ever made it higher than that was someone named Angel Dust, but they came in second and never were seen again. His song was pretty catchy though."
"We get to play with so many people, this is gonna be the best day ever." Clarine smiled wildly. "Right next to meeting Izumi-kins …"
"After today, I think Izumi-kins is going to hang up the dress for good." Izuku muttered, the group finally making it to Kuromu's room, being met with a lady Lied assumed was Kuromu's manager.
"Oh thank devi, you actually came! You're all lifesavers, you know that?" The lady bowed to the a little.
"Oh no problem." Eillia said, keeping close to Irumi this whole time. "Happy to help." They walked in, being met with … a tiny girl in a pumpkin patch. "… Was worried about another love rival when Kuromu mentioned another member, but are we really so lacking that a little girl is on our team?"
"Oh no, that's just my little sister, Chima." Kerrori explained as the little Crocell barely peaked her head above the vegetable. "She came here to show support."
"Nice to meet you! Want some candy to get rid of the evil vegetables?" Clara offered, bringing the girl some sweets. The girl crouched back and turned around, munching on a tomato. "Huh, but that always works. What kid doesn't like candy!? Did Urara copy himself? Did his boring brain spread to other people?"
"Boring, I thought you said he was crazy?" Eiko asked,
"He is! He does his homework instead of playing with us! He's always talking about doing our chores and eating 'healthy' and not singing whenever the mailman comes!"
"…Clara, do you not do your homework?" Izuku asked. "You know how much we try to help you with your grades."
"Of course I do it! At least, I do it now anyways, just not right away! Playtime always comes first!" Lied actually found himself agreeing with the crazy lady. Such wise words to take heed of.
"Problems for later." Izuku muttered. "So where's the last member?" He asked.
The lady paused, looking around. "I'm not sure, she's not usually late." Loud stomps could be heard from the outside. "Merun's the only athletic demdol in our agency, if she's out then we're in trouble."
The stomps became loud pounding on the door, until it was kicked open. "Boom Bitches!" … GYARI!
Great, just great. Of all the times for her to come here, it had to be now. "What the hell are you doing here, Gyari?" Kuromu rolled her eyes, placing her arms on her hips.
"Just wanted to show off my new accessory, I heard it was yours." She held up-damn it.
"So you've captured Merun, have you?" Guess they were down a member, hopefully the moral wasn't downed enough. She turned to the rest of the group … nope, Izuku actually set his arm on fire.
"Don't you dare hurt our teammate!" At the very least he understood to keep the cute voice going, even if the situation was wrong.
"Hah! That's a riot! Why would I hurt my new girlfriend?" That caused the cross dressing Demdoll to pause.
"Are-are we actually dealing with what I think we're dealing with?" Izuku was quick to catch on.
"I'm sorry guys, but she captivated me with aura and words, I'm leaving the agency and joining hers!" Merun, the new traitor she needed to kill, spoke while wrapping her arm around Gyari's beefy one.
"Well if it's for love, there's nothing we can do." Eiko, shut up. You sang a whole confession without even knowing it!
"Not like that matters, but thanks bimbo!" Gyari threw herself on the nearest couch. "How many times do I have to say it, Kuromu? You need to stop your Demdol career! So give up already and retire…!" She grabbed both of her arms, refusing to let go. "..So you can fucking marry me!"
Lied looked pretty overwhelmed by what he was witnessing. "When I heard they had bad blood, I never imagined it would be over something like this. Truth is stranger than fiction after all."
"Are you still going on about this? Get over yourself." She forced her hands free from the bitch's grip.
"Truth has been much stranger than any fiction I've seen this year." Izuku said in a really dead voice. "On the plus side it's nice to see a lovers dispute on the outside for a change." Oh she would get back at him for that one.
"But of course you'd marry me! I mean, I'm me right?" Gyari spoke, pointing at herself.
"That's exactly why I won't agree, aside from, you know, you just waltzing in here and trying to take down everything I've worked hard for!"
"You're the one that set the terms, and I'm using them! I'll be a better Demdoll than you ever were, and then, I'll make you quit your lifestyle and become my wife! I've been saving techniques not known to demon-kind for this moment."
"Techniques not known to-no Ellia, she's a bitch, don't use her moves on the President." Eiko slapped herself.
"Look, you clearly have...issues to sort out, but you're coming off as the most unflattering demon I've ever come across. And trust me, that's saying something" Izuku rolled his eyes. "You want her to give up her ambition just to satisfy your needs? Wow, I thought I knew the meaning of selfishness before I met you."
Gyari turned to Izuku, tilting her head. "What part of it is selfish? I want it, so I'm taking it. She said she'd marry me if I beat her at her own game of being a Demdoll."
"Are you sure she was serious when she said that?"
Gyari blurred over to the boy fast enough that the wind pressure caused cracks in the wall. "Are you calling my future wife a lying bitch, Ugly?"
"No, I'm calling you the stupidest...ugly?" Izuku paused, confused.
"Of course you're Ugly, who would ever like that thick bushy hair, freckles that detract terrible attention, and that doe eyed daze you seem to have?" Clara and Eiko raised their hands immediately. "Well the Bimbo and Loli don't count, cause they obviously have terrible taste."
"Hey!" The calamity girls yelled in unison. Weird to see them agree on something for once.
"Regardless, Kuromu, I'm going to crush you and your group of ragtag misfits to the ground … and then you'll be mine." She could feel her heart skip a beat with that smirk as the girl walked away, pausing at Lied. "Here's my autograph."
"Take me with…" Eiko knocked him over the head before the idiot could say something he'd DEFINITELY regret later, fanboy or not.
"You can't escape Greedy Gyari. I always get what I want." Those were the last words the bitch said before heading out the broken entrance.
"Ugh, she's just as infuriating as last time!" She almost wanted to pull out her hair. It'd almost be worth it, since she wore a wig anyways. "Don't let what she said get to you guys, let's just take a moment to breathe and clear our.." Kerori gathered everyone's attention, but Izuku was standing weirdly still. "Izuku?"
"Huh, I've never been called ugly before. Feels weird."...huh? "So, are we going to beat her and win this thing or what?"
"Izuku...are you okay?" Eiko walked up to him. "Gyari is an absolute bitch, and all I need from you is your okay to strap her to a rocket that'll fly straight into the sun if you want me to." No way she was gonna let that happen.
"Nah...I actually feel really confident now about this."...huh? "I've been called plain looking all my life. Someone actually said an insult that I've never heard before. It's refreshing more than anything." … That was a bit more concerning than needed … but competition came first.
