AN: Hey Guys and welcome to the seventh chapter of "Switching Sides."

I want to thank those who Followed, Favorited and Reviewed so far as well as addressing few important things regarding the story.

First is something that I saw very commonly in the reviews which are why Issei is mad at the girls when Rias was the one who said she regretted reincarnating him.

Well, the reason for that is that they didn't show any disagreement with Rias or even talked to Issei which made him think that they too felt like Rias.

Another thing is Issei's relationship with Vali, Kuroka, Le Fay and the future additions to the harem.

Right now Issei has an affection towards the girl in some way or another (either romantic or not as you'll see in this chapter) but that doesn't mean that he is close to acting on this affection or that he trust them which will be further explained and detailed in this chapter.

Now, I am happy to say that the new additions to the harem are... Ophis and Yasaka who got an incredible advantage on their votes, leaving dust to the other candidates.

This chapter will also show you how I intended to introduce a certain candidate to the harem but after the vote results, she will not be in the harem and instead she will have a one-time appearance.

Now, if you have any further questions regarding anything, please voice it in the reviews or PM me in a civil way.

Now, Without further ado here is the chapter. Enjoy!

"..." Talking

'...' Thoughts

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

(...) Flashback and time skips

["..."] Talking through the Sacred Gear

['...'] Talking in the Host mind

[...] Sacred Gear Actions and modes

{..} Sacred Gear Mentions

Issei and his team were exasperated as they were waiting for Cao Cao who was already an hour late from the initial time he said he would meet them.

Right now they were still in the main hall of the Hero Faction's HQ which was where they would usually get briefed about their upcoming missions. They were all silently waiting before it was broken by Kuroka who was seemingly not quite happy about the delay.

"When I see Cao Cao I swear to God that I will make sure he will not be able to get any girl pregnant," Kuroka said with a devilish smile as her dark aura started to flood the room which made all the boys to shudder when they heard what she said. Making them put their hands on their crotch in a defending manner.

"Kuroka-sama please calm down I am sure that Cao Cao-sama has a good reason for being late," Le Fay who seemed not to be bothered by Cao Cao's delay told Kuroka in her kind and tender voice which managed to calm the black Nekoshou for the mean time.

"Fine...But he better has a good reason or else..." Kuroka replied with slight less ire as her dark aura started to calm down which made the boys to sigh in relief as they released their hands from their crotch.

Le Fay was about to respond when the doors to the main hall suddenly opened, revealing the long-awaited Cao Cao entering the room with a blonde woman by his side which arose Issei cock his eyebrow in curiosity as he did not recognize the woman.

From what he could see she has a blonde, smooth hair that reached her middle back. She also had black eyes and an average sized bust.

Her clothes were made of a very short purple skirt that reached her knees, and a black sleeveless shirt which Issei assumed after catching sight of her rapier was done to reduce the potential restrictions her clothes could provide to her when she uses her rapier.

He looked at her before he spotted something coming from her right shoulder and upon focusing on it his eyes widened when he realized that this was the grip of the same sword he and his team stole from the Grigori's lab a few weeks ago.

"Hello everyone, sorry that I'm late" Cao Cao said as he and the blonde girl neared the group.

"Pff...Took you long enough" Kuroka said with venom in her voice that made Cao Cao flinch as he already knew from past experience what it was like to make the black Nekoshou angry.

"I am sorry for the delay. I was waiting for Jeanne to arrive which took longer than I initially expected" Cao Cao said as he pointed to the girl who was now known as Jeanne.

"Hello, everyone. I am Jeanne, and I am going to join you in your next mission" Jeanne Introduced herself as she had a wide grin on her face.

"It's nice to meet you Jeanne-sama. My name is Le Fay and this over there is my brother Arthur" Le Fay replied with a sincere smile as she introduced herself and her brother, happy that she got to know yet another friend.

"He He...My name's Bikou" Bikou said while giggling as he flipped his golden staff as if showing off to the blonde girl who seemed unfazed by it, making Arthur laugh slightly.

"I'm Vali Lucifer, and this is my rival Issei Hyoudou" Vali introduced both herself and Issei as she got closer to Jeanne to shake her hand while dragging Issei with her.

"Hi..." Issei said shyly as he scratched the back of his head while holding his gaze on the ground while Vali shook Jeanne's hand who silently asked Vali what is wrong with Issei to which she replied that it's a long and complicated story which she should let Issei tell if he wants before gazing at him while having a sincere smile on her face.

Issei for his part was still not ready for this. He was just finished getting used to being with his team who after three weeks looked to be harmless, but you could never know as he remembered that even Rias and the girls who he was with for a few months at that time ended up breaking his heart.

Sure he had an affection towards Kuroka and Vali as well as having a deep desire to protect Le Fay after sensing her aura that showed how pure and kind-hearted she was, but regardless, that didn't mean that he trusted them completely let alone act on his affection as he still did not know them very well.

For example, he did not know anything about Vali's past except the fact that Azazel took her under his care for some unknown reason. He also did not know what Le Fay's past has been like before she and Arthur joined the Hero Faction.

He was aware that it would still take quite some time until he completely trusts Vali, Kuroka, and Le Fay but he was on his way to that which comforted him a bit as he knew that he still had hope that this time, things will be different than how they were with Rias and the rest, hoping with every fiber of his being that the heartbreak he experienced that night will not be repeated as he knew that his heart and mind would not be able to take that blow once again.

He was brought off his train of thoughts as he heard Arthur ask the same question he had in his mind that he didn't dare ask.

"How come she has the sword we stole from the Grigori a few weeks ago?" Arthur asked Cao Cao after taking notice of the familiar grip.

"Well, to answer your question Jeanne is a very talented swordswoman, and I am sure that she will make great use of this sword for our cause" Cao Cao explained with a bit of pride at the talent the blonde possessed.

Cao Cao was very proud of his members who were deemed to be very strong as they all had a Sacred Gear or a Longinus which meant that they had a great and unique power to each one of them, he just hoped that his proud wouldn't be let down.

"I see" Arthur replied with a neutral voice which seemed to satisfy Cao Cao as he thought to himself why did he get the sword since he as well was a very experienced swordsman but he shrugged it off knowing that he still had his two very powerful swords, the Excalibur Ruler and the Caliburn.

*cough cough*

"Ok now that we got the familiarities out of the way we should now discuss your upcoming mission" Cao Cao said after making everyone focus on him so he could start to brief the team on their upcoming mission which seemed to work nicely as everyone averted their look towards the raven-haired human.

"Your mission will take place in Kyoto where the Youkai community lives. Your mission will be to subdue the Youkai Leader, Yasaka, so we could use her power to open the Dragon Gate so we could summon Great Red" Cao Cao said which was followed by gasps from both Vali and Issei who were quite familiar with Great Red.

"Great Red?! Why do we need him?" Vali asked in bewilderment as she thought about the legendary true Dragon who was the one she desired the most to defeat so she could become the True White Dragon Empress.

"I cannot tell you that Vali but I ask you to trust me as your leader" Cao Cao said with a tad of irritation as he felt that Vali was doubting his decisions and therefore his leadership.

Vali for her part did not respond to Cao Cao as she knew that by doing it she would just get into a useless argument with the raven haired boy, so she shrugged it off and waited for him to continue which he did after seeing that Vali did not respond.

"Capturing her is going to be hard as she is very loved within the Youkais meaning they will put their lives on the line in order to protect her so you can expect resistance as well as potential intervention of the Three factions who probably learned about our intentions of capturing her" Cao Cao told them to which they frowned as they thought about the amount of fighting they would have to do.

"Is there any way to capture her with as fewer casualties as possible?" Arthur asked as he too was not keen on the upcoming fighting which he deemed unnecessary.

"I do not care how you capture her as long as you succeed" Cao Cao deadpanned while glaring at Arthur who stepped down in respond.

"Now then you should all go prepare for the upcoming mission as it will take you quite some time to complete it," Cao Cao said before turning around to leave the room

"Good luck everyone and you better not disappoint me," He said without turning his head as he stood at the entrance of the main hall.

"What the hell happened to him?" Bikou asked as he and his team gazed on the entrance to the main hall shortly after Cao Cao left.

They all noticed how difference the raven-haired human behaved which made them confused as to what exactly happened that could make him change his behavior like that.

"I guess he just had a bad day or something" Arthur replied as he too was wondering what happened to Cao, Cao but he came up with no reasonable explanation other than him having a bad day.

"As long as it's not going to be permanent I don't care" Vali interjected before telling her team to go and pack for the mission before meeting again at the main hall in an hour to which they all complied without resistance.

Jeanne was about to leave the main hall as well before she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her turn around to see Vali looking at her with an intimidating look, making her gulp.

"I don't really know you but if you even dare to betray us I am going to make sure you will regret this for the rest of your life" Vali warned as she released a fraction her powers in order to scare the blonde so she could see how serious she was which seemed to work perfectly as she saw the frightened look she had on her face.

"O-O-Okay Vali-chan," Jeanne said, making Vali release her before she bolted out of the room as she wouldn't have to spend more time with Vali then necessary after witnessing what she just did, making Vali smirk in amusement before she as well left the main hall in order to prepare for the mission.

(With Issei...)

Issei was in his room packing his stuff for the upcoming mission with Jeanne and his team but during his preparation, he could not shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen in this mission no matter how hard he tried to suppress those thoughts.

['Partner are you ok?'] Ddraig asked within Issei's mind after sensing the brunette's distress.

*sigh*

'I suppose...I just can't stop thinking that this mission will go south one way or another which makes me nervous' Issei confessed to his partner.

During those three weeks Issei and Ddraig got even closer than they usually did as Issei learned to share his feelings and thoughts with the Dragon who seemed to always have a solution for it which he greatly appreciated as well as Ddraig being delighted by Issei's change from the breast loving pervert but also feeling pity for the boy whose heart got broken just because he tried to fix another which infuriated him to no end as he got a grim reminder of how the supernaturals behaved during his and his past possessors time.

['I am sure that everything is going to be okay partner but in case something does indeed go wrong you always have your team to help you'] Ddraig said, voicing his opinion as he tried to reassure the boy that everything will be fine even if things did go bad.

'I guess, but I don't think that I can still trust them completely. Especially when my life is on the line' Issei said making Ddraig to sigh.

*sigh*

['I know partner, but eventually you will have to entrust them with your live like they entrust theirs with you right now'] Ddraig told Issei who frowned in response.

'You think they trust me with their lives?' Issei asked in skepticism after hearing what the Dragon said.

['I am sure that they do but gladly they didn't get into a situation that forced them to'] Ddraig interjected, making the boy to shrug it off as he realized that the Dragon have a point.

'I guess you're right...'

['Of course I'm right. The Red Dragon Of Domination is never wrong'] Ddraig said in pride as he remembered his life as the Dragon Of Domination and the fear the people had when they heard his name which came to show how honorable and feared he was.

'Maybe The Red Dragon Of Domination is never mistaken, but you are not him anymore. Now you are known as The Breast Dragon Emperor' Issei teased with a smug grin on his face as he snickered at his partner before he heard sobbing coming from within his subconscious.

['Stupid pervert how dare you remind me of that horrible title?'] Ddraig said between sobs which made Issei laugh before he relented into comforting his partner.

'Don't worry Ddraig; I promised you that I would make the people recognize us as the Dragon Of Domination and I will keep that promise.'

['Thanks, Issei, I knew I could trust you'] Ddraig said with sheer happiness as he believed in Issei's promise which meant that finally, he would get rid of that disgraceful title.

(With Vali...)

Vali was in her room preparing for the upcoming mission as she thought about a certain brunette which seemed to be constantly on her mind for the past few weeks.

During those three weeks, her feelings for Issei increased substantially to the point that she couldn't even take her mind off of him for more than a minute.

She remembered what they've been through ever since she first met him and how their relationship evolved during this time.

Their meeting when she took Kokabiel who got defeated by the Gremory peerage to Azazel so he could be held account for his betrayal, The events that happened in the Three Factions meeting where she first witnessed the determination Issei had which eventually made her develop feelings for the boy who loathed her at the time for trying to kill his friends.

During the whole time, she thought Issei was weak and not worthy of being The Red Dragon Emperor, but after he had joined the Hero Faction where she got to know him more she found that he was far from being weak as she saw how broken he was yet he tried his best to recover without giving up. She thought of their fight with Dulio and Tobio back at when they stole that Artifical Sacred Gear from the Grigori's lab and she remembered how strong Issei was and how he put his life on the line so hers and the rest would be safe. She also remembered the monsters which she probably couldn't defeat alone although she wouldn't admit it being destroyed by Issei alone.

She smirked upon reminiscing on those moments before a certain incident entered her mind which made her smile as her cheeks became flushed.

She remembered that time when she trained in order to improve her strength so she could use the new mode Ophis helped her achieve, she remembered how Issei looked at her with his mesmerising eyes and other parts that showed the sheer amounts of lust, affection and surprise upon seeing her, she remembered how nervous and flushed he was when they talked which made her overjoyed as she came to know of the affection the brunette had to her.

['I've never seen you like this Vali, who would have thought that the mighty battle maniac Vali would eventually be replaced with the girl who fell in love with her rival'] Albion said in sarcasm as he teased his partner who had her blush intensify in return.

'S-Shut Up!' She exclaimed in aggravation at the Dragon's antics.

['Hahaha. Seriously though Vali, I've never seen you like this and to be honest I am very glad about what you became'] Albion confessed which surprised Vali who now had wide eyes.

'R-Really?!' Vali asked in bewilderment, still disbelieving what the Dragon said as she thought that he was probably pulling a prank on her again.

['Yeah, you improved for the better as you finally changed from the cold-hearted person who was only interested in fights to a real girl who got her heart captured by a boy. I am glad to finally see you like that especially after what you've been through'] Albion said with pride aimed at his partner after thinking about the massive change she did and how she managed to recover from the cruel past that made her be the same cold-hearted, battle maniac person she was before she fell for Issei.

'Thanks, Albion! I appreciate it a lot' Vali said in gratitude while flashing a big grin.

(Somewhere Far Away...)

A certain red-haired girl was sitting at her desk with a frown on her face after she got a call from her brother who asked her and her violet-eyed best friend to go to Kyoto with their peerages after rumors about an upcoming attack from the Hero Faction.

Right now she and her best friend along with their respective peerage were present in the room, waiting for the red-haired girl to tell them what the call she received from her brother was about which judging from the red-haired reaction was not something good.

"Ok listen up everyone. My brother asked for us to travel to Kyoto in order to defend the Youkais from a potential attack from the Hero Faction" The red-haired girl said which was received with frowns by those who were present in the room.

"We will meet here tomorrow morning before we leave to Kyoto by a magic circle so be ready by then," She said to which everyone nodded before leaving to get ready for their trip to Kyoto.

What they didn't know was that a certain brunette they were all very familiar with was also making his way to Kyoto with the very same Hero Faction they were asked to defend against.

AN: Don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!