Of Heroes And Devils

by Dark Signer

By a strange twist of fate, Izuku finds himself flung into a world he never dreamed existed. He may be a Devil now, but that won't stop him from fulfilling his dream to be a hero! Even if he has to face villains, Fallen Angels, other Devils, and ALL THESE GIRLS WHO ARE SUDDENLY CLINGING TO HIM! (Polyamorous relationships)

7. A New Life

"You've certainly found yourself some interesting servants as of late, haven't you Rias?" Sona asked as she moved her pawn piece forward, taking Rias' knight out of the game.

Sona Sitri was much like her. A First-Year student enrolled at the illustrious U.A. Hero school, a business-course student, a young woman who was on her way to accomplish great things.

And of course, she too was a Devil with a peerage of her own.

The two had known each other for as long as they could remember, from playing together as children all the way to becoming High-Class Devils on the same day, both being rewarded with their own Evil Pieces.

It was a rather unprecedented thing at the time. The two had been the youngest to have ever achieved such a feat.

The two often met during their lunch periods to chat, usually having a friendly game of chess as they did so. It not only allowed them to catch up on business, but also for the two to find out how the other was doing.

Now was one of those times. It had been several days now since the battle at the abandoned church, and neither had much of a chance to speak to each other up to that point.

"Oh?" Rias asked, an amused smile appearing on her face as she moved her rook piece, aiming to take Sona's bishop. "And why is that?"

"I never would have guessed that one of my own would talk back to me like that to help one of yours," Sona admitted as she moved her queen.

"Nor I," Rias admitted, her trap sprung as she took Sona's bishop. "Quite honestly, I was surprised when I found out Ochako was part of your peerage. I don't know how I didn't notice when I first saw her."

"I suppose you were too busy trying to stop her and your Pawn from attempting to help that nun to notice," she said somewhat icily as she moved her pawn forward, springing her own hidden trap as she took Rias' rook. "How long were you suspecting these Fallen Angels to be rogue?"

"As soon as they told me Asia had been taken," Rias admitted, feeling frustrated at herself for failing to notice such a detail. "I was almost convinced that taking action against them too soon would only invite trouble, I've never been more thankful to be wrong." She moved her remaining bishop piece in an attempt to take one of her remaining two pawn pieces.

"I suppose we should be thankful for small miracles," Sona replied as she moved one of her pawns back a space. "Though I wonder, why hold back Yumi or Koneko from assisting your Pawn? That Fallen Angel would have stood no chance against either of them."

"I did it for his sake," she told her friend as she moved her queen piece, now in the perfect position to take Sona's. "He holds little faith in his own abilities, despite being much stronger than he knows. Letting him defeat her on his own should do wonders for him."

"Is that so?" Sona asked as she moved her remaining rook to take Rias' pawn pieces, leaving only one left on her side. "And was it worth almost losing Miss Argento?"

Rias's hand moved to another piece before flinching.

"A mistake I don't intend to make again," Rias said as she hesitatingly moved her queen to take Sona's. "I thought that she would no longer have been in harm's way, especially with Ochako helping her. If I had only known."

It wasn't the first time her lack of foresight had nearly cost her so dearly. It had gained her a Pawn, but it had nearly cost him everything.

---

Rias felt the magic power swirling around her as the teleportation began. It had been a while since she had been summoned, she'd been rather busy with her schoolwork. Now though, she was prepared to answer this summon and fulfill their wishes.

Within reason of course.

She was not expecting to appear near the middle of a park, blinking in confusion as she searched for her summoner.

Her eyes then widened as she saw someone less than a meter away from her, his life fading quickly.

When she rushed to see him, she was surprised to see who he was. That young boy she had bumped into the other day. Midoriya Izuku. She had felt a strange energy as soon as she saw him, and had hoped to meet him again to discuss it.

She never thought she would see him like this.

She saw the wound in his chest. It stunk of light energy, the tell-tale sign of a Fallen Angel attack. They must have sensed the same power, and got to him first.

"How could I have missed this?" She asked herself as she held out her hand, one of her Evil Pieces materializing into it. Any piece would do. whatever would save him. "I swear to you, you will not die this night."

His heartbeat was fading quickly, she felt it as she pressed the Pawn piece to his chest. She watched as it began to sink into him, a light red glow encompassing his body.

"I will make it up to you."

---

She frowned as she thought on that night again. She had already failed him twice since then. First when she did nothing to let him know of his new life, leading him to nearly be killed, and then last night, not only leading him near death's door once again, but in letting Asia die due to her own mistakes.

She couldn't let this continue.

"There's much to be done," she said, watching as Sona moved one of her pawn pieces to take out her last remaining pawn. "Asia still has much to learn as she adjusts to everything." They were able to retrieve much of her belongings from the church the next day, with everything important to the girl still being there thankfully.

"Indeed she does," Sona said as she watched Rias move her knight, leaving her with only one more pawn. "How is she doing so far?"

"As well as she can," Rias said. The poor girl had nearly had a heart attack once she had learned she could no longer pray or even read the Bible any longer. She had to physically restrain her once when she caught her trying to read from its passages. "I think part of her may still be in denial over it."

"I see," Sona said as she moved her pawn over, successfully taking one of Rias' knights. She recalled Rias mentioning that Miss Argento had been rather religious before. "And what of your Pawn?"

"Izuku? He seems to be doing better. He seems to be throwing himself into his training though, so I'm not entirely sure."

"Ah yes. His 'training'. You've mentioned him and his mysterious trainer before, but you've been rather secretive about it. Why is that?"

Rias smirked at her oldest friend as she moved her bishop piece, now in the perfect position to take Sona's remaining pawn. Soon it would be checkmate. "Weren't you the one who once told me of the wisdom of keeping things close to your chest?" She said somewhat smugly.

"If I had known that you would have so much fun in keeping secrets like this, I never would have told you that," Sona frowned as her trap was sprung, her remaining rook piece taking Rias' bishop while not only leaving her pawn in the perfect position to take her knight, but also in a clear path to her king piece. This game was nearly hers.

"I suppose you only have yourself to blame then," Rias said as she thought on her next move. Sona had played her well. Again.

"And I'm still not certain about them knowing of our existence," she said as she watched Rias move her king piece. "Are you certain they're truly trustworthy?"

"Absolutely," Rias responded as she watched Sona's pawn take her knight. "I can think of few more trustworthy than him."

"Is that so?" She asked as she watched Rias move her queen, now only spaces away from her pawn. "And how do you think he feels about Mr Midoriya's actions?"

"I'm sure he took it just fine."

---

"ARE YOU INSANE YOUNG MIDORIYA!? WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME FOR HELP!? I WOULD'VE BEEN THERE IN A HEARTBEAT!"

All Might had instantly buffed up after Izuku told him what happened, shaking the young man currently in his grip as he questioned his sanity.

---

"I still don't understand why you're keeping it as some big secret," Sona said as she moved her remaining bishop. "He can't really be that impressive, can he?"

Rias only smirked as she moved her queen, taking Sona's last pawn. "¥100,000 says you're wrong."

"Fine."

The two spent the rest of the game in silence, Sona making her final move as her bishop was in place to take Rias' king.

"Checkmate."

Rias sighed in exasperation. She was sure she would win this one. Sona had always been better than her at chess, though there had been the occasion where she had managed a victory.

At least these days she was less inclined to flip the board whenever she lost.

"Well played Sona," Rias said as she began finishing the remainder of her lunch.

"A good match," Sona said as she went about her own. "Is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

Rias smiled at her, much to her confusion. "A couple of things actually. First, I do hope you didn't punish Ochako too much for what she did. She did everything she could to save her friend."

"No. Nothing too harsh," Sona admitted, wondering what Rias would ask next of her. "I was more annoyed with how she spoke to me than her going off to battle. I hadn't needed to punish one of my peerage for some time, so all she received was the normal punishment."

"Is that so?" Rias said with a small smirk. She hadn't needed to punish any of her peerage for some time either. The only one who didn't seem to mind that particular punishment was Akeno. "She should be fine then. Now for my final bit of business. Do you mind if I borrow her for tomorrow? I don't think she'd want to miss it."

---

"And now, our top story for the hour. Police have named a prime suspect in the case of the spring of murders that have been happening in Mustufau over the past several months. So far there have been 9 confirmed deaths connected to a single individual. Thanks to an anonymous tip as well as DNA evidence found at the latest crime scene, Mustufau Police have been able to identify the possible murderer as a man known as Sellzen Freed. A picture of the man will be shown to you now."

As soon as the newscaster spoke, an image of a grinning Freed Sellzen appeared on screen.

"We now know that he was once a member of a church somewhere over in Europe

The name of the church has been withheld, but they have reportedly been quite cooperative ever since they've been contacted. We're now going live to the press conference where this information was revealed. The number 2 hero Endeavor is on the scene."

Endeavor. The number 2 hero in Japan. The man whose work with the police has led to numerous arrests and multiple closed cases. He was a giant of a man, comparable in height to Toshinori whenever he was bulked up. His stern face combined with his short yet spiky red hair and light blue eyes made him difficult to approach even on one of his good days, and the fire that emitted from his body thanks to his quirk made it even worse. His costume was a large dark blue bodysuit, flames streaming across it along his chest, arms and shoulders, combining together to make the Kanji for Fire. His flames even spread to his face, covering it up like a domino mask, along with his boots that were also constantly aflame. His forearms were covered with white bracers, circling around them like cages.

It helped make an already intimidating looking man look even more so.

"Endeavor! Endeavor!" A journalist spoke up, her microphone waving near the man. "How long do you think this man has been loose in Mustufau?"

"We're not sure," the hero replied, his low, gruff voice echoing from the podium he stood behind. "At best, we can guess he arrived here sometime before the first confirmed fatality and after his excommunication with the Vatican."

"Were they aware of his homicidal tendencies?"

"When asked, the police were told that he had spoken of 'the sins of man needing to be punished', and he became more extreme before they were forced to excommunicate him," the flame hero said with his eyes narrowed. It was clear to everyone watching that he didn't believe them for an instant, yet had nothing he could use to prove them wrong. "Sometime after, he vanished before ending up in this city."

"Endeavor!" Another reporter spoke up, her blue skin glistening in the sunlight. "What do you have to say about the rumors of possible accomplices in his actions?"

"Unknown at this time," he answered gruffly. "We do believe that he may have had help in fleeing to this country, but all evidence points to him committing these crimes alone."

"I see," she said before asking her next question. "And what else should we know about this man? Does he have a quirk that makes him dangerous?"

"From what we've managed to find out, the man has no quirk at all."

His answer stunned the crowd momentarily, before they began to explode with questions.

"So how was he able to kill so many?"

"Weren't his victims able to fight back?"

"Are you sure he didn't have accomplices? A quirkless man shouldn't have been able to do any of that on his own."

"Enough!" Endeavor yelled, the fire around his eyes bristling with irritation as he silenced the crowd. "While the man may be quirkless, he's clearly dangerous. Every person he has killed had a quirk of their own, and only recently have we found any evidence of a struggle. Cutting weapons as well as gunshot wounds have been found at the scenes, so he's considered to be armed and dangerous. Walking up to him like he's a child because he's quirkless would be foolish." The man took a deep breath, calming himself down before looking back into the crowd.

"Endeavor! Does this man have any connection to the bodies found near the edge of the city last month?" Another reporter asked.

"Unknown," Endeavor sighed out, sounding frustrated. "None of the wounds found on the bodies in that building match up with anything from his confirmed kills. We still have no clue what happened to all of those people unfortunately."

It went unsaid, but out of the 45 bodies that had been recovered, 32 of them had been identified. Each of them had been returned to the victim's families. While no justice had been found as of yet, they were sworn to by the officers who delivered the news that they would not stop until their killer had been located.

From what Endeavor knew, that may never happen.

"No more questions." He turned from the podium, walking away from the crowd as numerous reporters tried getting closer, clamoring for whatever information they could gain from the man.

"An APB has been issued for the suspect. Police have instructed us to warn the public not to confront the man, instead they should notify law enforcement or the nearest hero. We'll bring more information to you as it becomes available."

Izuku frowned as he watched the news on his phone, having stopped his jog as he did so. He had been hoping for something, anything about the insane priest. While he was glad that the man's face had been plastered all over the news, it brought him little comfort.

Part of him even suspected that the man wouldn't mind the attention at all.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he continued jogging back home. Another day of training was almost complete, and he could at least take comfort in knowing that he was closer to his goal than before.

There were still things he was worried for of course. Not the least of which being whatever happened to Raynare. All Might's words may have put his mind slightly at ease, but he still found himself wondering what she was doing now.

---

"You're lucky things turned out as well as they did, Young Midoriya," Toshinori said, having shrunk down to his normal form after he stopped shaking his protégé in his arms. He was sure the boy's eyes would stop spinning any moment now. "Any one of you could have been killed. You. Miss Uraraka. Your friend, Miss Argento, was killed. I understand wanting to rush in to help, but what you did was reckless, dangerous, and incredibly foolish."

Izuku hung his head in shame as he heard his hero scold him. He didn't know what else he was supposed to do though. How many people would have believed him if he had told them his friend had been taken by Fallen Angels anyway?

Still, he felt like what Toshinori was saying was right. He didn't have a plan outside of asking the other members of his peerage for help. Everyone had gotten hurt.

And Asia had been killed.

He could barely sleep over the previous night, the sight of her corpse always finding its way into his dreams. It didn't matter that he knew she had been revived.

She had taken a blow meant for him. She gave her life for his sake. And all he could do was beat up the one who killed her.

He felt like a failure.

"And I couldn't be more proud of you."

He looked up in surprise, Toshinori staring down at him with a smile filled with pride. "Is it really that surprising kid? The whole reason I decided to pass my quirk down to you was because you threw yourself into danger for the sake of someone else. You survived. You accomplished your goal. And Miss Argento lives. You pulled through, stronger than ever."

He could feel tears building up in his eyes, but he didn't care. Toshinori had seen him cry before. His heart didn't feel like it was sinking into his gut anymore. He felt better now than he had when he had woken up this morning.

He knew his mom had noticed something was wrong, she had said so when she saw him. He tried to let her know that he was alright, but he knew she didn't believe him. He had always been a terrible liar.

But now he could tell her the truth. He was alright. And everything else would be too.

"Speaking of stronger," Toshinori said, interrupting his thoughts. "Mind showing me that Sacred Gear of yours? I wouldn't mind seeing it now that it's grown stronger."

Izuku nodded, rubbing the tears from his eyes as he summoned the Boosted Gear to his arm. Toshinori examined it closely, the armored gauntlet standing out against Izuku's pale arm.

"It's known as the Boosted Gear, right?" He asked, watching his pupil nod as he took in every little detail of the gauntlet that he could. For some reason, it seemed familiar to him. Had he seen it before? "What does it do?"

Izuku explained to him everything Rias had told him about the Boosted Gear, leaving the pro hero's mouth gaped open in sheer awe. "This thing can seriously let you do that!? It almost sounds unreal!" He shouted in shock, spitting up blood as he did so.

"You've really never heard of something like this before?"

"My knowledge of Sacred Geats is quite limited, Young Midoriya. You honestly probably know more about them than I do," he said as he began to calm down, staring at the red gauntlet curiously. "You managed to fight off a Fallen Angel with this. I wonder what you'll be able to do when you get One For All?"

"Um, All Might?"

When he looked back up to the young man's face, he saw him look both worried and perplexed, like part of him was at war with himself. It took him a second before he realized what could have been bothering him.

The Fallen Angel. Raynare.

"Say your piece, Young Midoriya."

He flinched slightly, taking a large breath of air before he spoke up again, his voice shaky. "Was…was it right? Letting her go like that? What if…what if she comes back?"

"Then you'll simply be more prepared for her."

His eyes widened as he stared directly into his mentor's face, the man's words radiating confidence in the boy.

"Tell me. Did you want her to die?"

"No! Of course not!" Even after everything she had done, everything she had put Asia through, just deciding that she deserved to die for it felt wrong to him.

"There will be times when you have to listen to what your heart tells you more than your head. You may feel like letting her live may have been wrong, that it will do nothing but invite trouble. And maybe it will. That's the reality heroes have to face everyday. A villain they captured may find their way out of prison, or they may end up snapping and going back to their more villainous ways. It's just as likely not to happen at all, but if it does, you'll be prepared for it."

Toshinori watched as the boy's eyes widened, taking in every word. "You've already taken an impressive leap forward, and you're only just begun. And all those people beside you, Rias, Miss Uraraka, Miss Argento, and every other member of that peerage you're in have already shown you that they'll fight by your side. She may come back, but by then, you'll be even stronger than before, because you also have me."

He watched with a smile as his pupils face broke out in a happy grin. He meant every word he said to the boy, and he knew it. Raynare may come back some day, but Young Midoriya had already proven that he could best her. By the time she would return, he would not only have more control over his Sacred Gear, but he would hold the power of One For All within him. She wouldn't stand a chance.

"Now then," he went on, his attention drawn back to the Sacred Gear on Izuku's arm. "How many times can you use it?"

"Huh?"

"You said that it can double your power every ten seconds, didn't you? How many times can you use it?"

He thought back to his fight with Raynare. He wasn't sure if he could even consider it a fight with how often she dodged his attacks, he only really beat her by getting some lucky hits in. He'd hear his Sacred Gear shout some words though. He had heard 'Boost' multiple times, he wished he had counted them, but he had no idea what was going on. Then what?

"Explosion?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh! I, um…I think I can only boost so many times before I reach some kind of peak," he admitted, trying harder to remember everything that had happened. Part of it still felt like a blur. "But at one point, I heard the word 'Explosion'. I think it came from my Sacred Gear. After that, it felt like all of the energy had been built up and then started flowing through me. After that, I heard it say something like 'Burst'? After that, it felt like everything disappeared, like water going down a drain. Then, my whole body felt like it wanted to shut down."

Toshinori put his hand to his chin in thought after hearing all that. This definitely presented a bit of a problem. All that power seemed to build up to a peak before vanishing completely. He couldn't really hold onto any of it for very long, and neither had any real idea just how many times he could boost his strength before he hit his peak.

It appeared he would have to master the Boosted Gear just as much as he would have to with One For All.

He just hoped his body wouldn't actually shut down.

"We do have an option at least."

"Huh?"

"For today, I want you to use your Sacred Gear while you train. Let it boost as many times as you can, and when it reaches that 'Explosion', we'll have an idea on your current limits. After that, we'll find a way for you to go beyond."

"Go beyond," Izuku said to himself, eyeing the trash that still littered part of the beach. It was far lesser now than it had ever been before, with even the local news reporting on it. Toshinori had been quick to claim that he, or really All Might, had taken it upon himself to clean it up for the sake of the city, even claiming it to be a late night workout routine.

Oddly enough, even though he had admitted to such a thing to the press, few people had ever stopped to try and watch All Might work. Izuku figured at least a few people would try and catch a glimpse of the number one hero doing something like this.

It probably wasn't important though.

"That's right my boy!" The boisterous voice of All Might spoke, now having buffed up. "You're still not done yet after all! There's still a ways to go! Now go and show me what you can do!"

"Yes sir!

[BOOST]

All Might watched with pride as his student went about what had become routine for him. He hadn't lied earlier when he told him that he was proud, sticking your nose in where it didn't belong was the basis of being a hero after all. That didn't stop him from being worried of course. Knowing that he would throw himself into harm's way like that, even with his Devil friends by his side.

In the end though, he felt certain that he would be alright.

'Geeze, all this worrying about him. You'd think I was his father or something. Still, I can't help but be amazed by you, Young Midoriya. You have the heart of a true hero beating inside you, but you're not there just yet. You have the strength, you have some experience, but you need more, and you still need the nerve. You can muster it up when the time is right, I know this, but you need to find a way to find it outside of only the most dire of circumstances. I wonder if, just somehow, I could help with that.'

His grin widened as he heard the call of the Boosted Gear again, Young Midoriya's strength growing as he lifted even more trash than he did before. He would be done before he knew it at this rate.

'And it's like I told you, you won't be alone in this. And you have more people in your corner now than you did before. All of them happy to help you. I can't wait to see how you end up my boy.'

He flinched slightly as Izuku toppled over, having tried lifting too much in his Boosted state before he was ready. 'Step by step Young Midoriya. Step by step.'

---

The two counted six cries of the word 'Boost' before 'Explosion' was heard.

Six boosts. One for every ten seconds.

One entire minute.

Izuku felt both amazed and somewhat disappointed, hoping that it would last longer. One minute didn't seem like long enough. At least until All Might mentioned something important.

One minute could mean the world for people in trouble.

In that minute, he had found himself moving more trash, clearing it away faster than he thought possible. What he did in that single minute was almost equal to the amount he was able to do before he became a Devil.

He felt amazed by that. A sense of pride rushed through his body as he continued loading the trash into the truck.

His pride crashed to the ground just as his body did once he heard something new.

[RESET]

All the lower he once felt was now gone, like water down the drain.

Much to his surprise, he was able to pick himself back up. He felt fine, like he had before he used that first Boost. Was last night some kind of fluke? He decided to try Boosting again. If he still felt fine, then maybe he could use that Boosted power for longer.

Only for nothing to happen.

He began panicking before All Might had suggested that when it shouted 'Reset', that it was, in fact, resetting itself. He thought that it meant that he wouldn't be able to use its boosting power for a while.

While still worried over it, Izuku made sure to continue his work for the remainder of their time, though he wasn't able to get as much done as he hoped, his mind distracted by the possibility of his new ability being gone for good.

Thankfully, when they tried as the sun began to set, he could boost himself once more.

The two were able to learn quite a bit from their study of its abilities. 'Boost' was obvious, doubling his strength every time the word was called. It seemed to double every time the word was heard, so All Might guessed that it worked in one of two ways.

Either his base power would be doubled, then that doubled power would be added again the next time he boosted. Or his power would go up the same way one would double the number multiplied. Two, then four, then eight, and so on. Meaning that when he was done, his strength could be multiplied one hundred and twenty eight times.

Izuku nearly felt ready to faint when he heard that.

'Explosion' seemed to release the Boosted power when it reached its limit, letting it run freely through his strengthened body.

'Reset' was clear to them now. The power that had been built up had run dry, and the Sacred Gear needed time to reset itself.

That just left 'Burst', the word Izuku had heard the night before. The two of them theorized what it could mean for some time, but neither could come up with an answer that sounded right to them. At best, they figured that it only happened due to how hard he had been fighting against Raynare the previous night, the 'Burst' being a more extreme form of 'Reset' whenever he pushed his body past its limits.

His previous thoughts had been all but forgotten as he smiled at the memory. He knew more about his power than he did before.

All Might was right. Raynare was out there somewhere, and she was likely plotting something nefarious, but he'd be ready for her.

It was enough to put his mind at ease even as he walked into his apartment building. He could already smell his mom's cooking. It would be a good way to finish the day, at least until he dealt with the night's school work of course. It had become routine by this point. Consistent. Something he could always expect.

At least until he saw both Rias and Asia sitting at the table with his mom.

"Izu! There you are. Welcome home!" Rias said with a gleeful smile. It contrasted heavily with the more strained smile Inko wore.

"It's good to see you again ,Izuku," Asia said, a bit of a blush on her face as she greeted him.

He was definitely surprised to see Asia here. It hadn't been the first time he'd seen her since that night at the church. The very minute his training had been done for the day, he had rushed back to the club room. He knew she was alright, he had seen her wake up, but the closer he got the more anxious he had felt. It wasn't until he opened the door and saw her talking with Rias that he even started to calm down.

And he had seen her again the day after.

---

"Huh?"

"Asia will join us for today," Rias answered, dressed in a red tracksuit as she explained why Asia was there at the beach, dressed in a light green tracksuit of her own. "I'll be sure to start her off light, but since she's part of my peerage now, she needs to work just as hard as the rest of us. I thought that seeing you go through your training would be excellent motivation for her."

"I…um…I hope that's okay," the smaller girl said with a blush as she stared at the beach, the piles of garbage lying around her looking almost overwhelming to the poor girl. She had remembered him saying that he was clearing this beach to get ready for U.A., but she never would have guessed that there would be so much garbage around.

"It's fine," Izuku said, still looking perplexed at Asia' presence. It was the first time anyone other than Rias or All Might had been with him while he trained, so it took him off guard a little.

"Let's get started!" Rias said, clapping her hands to grab their attention. "We'll start with our basic exercises, Izu!"

Her basic exercises would look like hell to more rational people.

One hundred push-ups, followed by one hundred sit-ups, then one hundred squats. All to be done in a strict time frame. Afterwards, a ten kilometer run. All of that was to be done before he could even begin any part of the beach.

He was beginning to suspect that Akeno wasn't the only sadist in their group.

"...Sixty-five!"

"Time for a quick lesson on the basics, Asia," Rias explained as Izuku went through his exercises. "The more you increase your basic abilities, the more your abilities as a Devil can grow."

"Um…okay. But…do you really need to s-sit on Izuku like that?" She asked with a heavy blush.

Rias just blinked confusedly, her perch moving up and down at a steady rhythm as he continued his exercise like she wasn't even there.

"Just a bit of extra challenge," she admitted, grinning once she heard Izuku mutter out 'sixty-nine'. "Even a little extra weight added on can make a world of difference. Besides, I've done this so often that he's gotten used to it. Right Izu?" She asked with a hearty smile, right before playfully giving his ass a good smack.

Izuku was definitely startled by that, judging by how he almost collapsed onto the ground. She had certainly never done anything like that before. His face flushed, and ignoring the slight sting on his behind, Izuku continued his push-ups, slightly slower than before.

Asia watched with wide eyes and a red face.

After they were done, Rias turned to her, that same hearty grin glowing as she looked into the eyes of her newest servant. "You're up Asia! Show me what you can do!"

---

Rias had been telling the truth when she said she'd go lighter on Asia. She only made her do fifty of each exercise, all while sitting on her back. The poor girl looked absolutely exhausted by the end, having never had to workout before.

He had seen her since then at the club room, still looking somewhat tired, but she always seemed to get a healthier glow whenever she saw him. It probably helped whenever he got her something to drink.

"Izuku?" His mom asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Why didn't you tell me you made a new friend?" She asked, a fair bit of amusement in her eyes even as she sent him a slightly disappointed glare.

He just stood there, sputtering as he tried to answer his mom's question. He hadn't told her anything about Asia. "I…uh…I…Argento! Rias! What are you doing here?" He asked, avoiding the question entirely.

"Izuku!"

"It's alright Inko," Rias said, resting a hand on the woman's shoulder. "These past few days have been a bit hectic after all. Though I am surprised Izu. I told you we'd be here. Didn't you get my message?" Her head was tilted in a cute manner as she asked her question.

Confused, Izuku dug his phone out of his pocket. Staring right at him, was a notification about a new message.

Izu, bringin Asia over to your place k? Need to talk. Nothin serious tho, promise

Apparently, he had gotten the message after watching the press conference. He flushed in embarrassment. How did he not hear it? It wasn't on silent.

Rias and Inko smiled at his embarrassed look, both feeling amused while Asia looked at him in sympathy.

"It's hardly the first time something like this has happened," his mom said, taking a sip of tea while eyeing him. "My boy sometimes has his head elsewhere when some things are happening. There've been times I had to pick him up from school because he didn't hear the bell."

"Mom!"

Those times weren't his fault! Honest! He was just…distracted. Yeah.

"I suppose it doesn't matter much right now," Rias said, hiding her amused grin behind her own cup of tea as she sipped it. It was a good blend. She should ask Inko where she had gotten it from. "Now that he's here, we can get down to the reason I brought her over."

"You have been kinda vague about that," Inko said with the slightest bit of suspicion, hid so thoroughly that none of the teens could hear it. "I'm more than happy to meet my son's friends, but you told me when you arrived that you wanted to discuss something with us."

Rias smiled as she took another sip of tea. "Simply put, I came here to ask if Asia could live with you."

The silence that filled the room was near deafening.

Both mother and son had matching faces of surprise, while Asia had her face buried in her hands, hoping to hide its red hue from everyone. Rias had brought this up to her earlier, but the thought of actually living with him made her heart race.

Rias observed it all with a calm demeanor that didn't seem to match her age,

"WHAT!/WHAT!"

Though she was surprised by how similar mother and son sounded when they screamed.

"As-Asia? Argento? Live? Here? Wha?!" She could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears as he processed the idea of a pretty girl living with him.

Inko was sputtering just as much as her son was, though she was able to recover, her lips pressed together as steam continued to escape her ears. "Wh-why though? Isn't there anywhere else for her?"

Having a pretty girl like Asia stay with her while her son was there? Her son who had become a teenager not too long ago? This sounded like too much too soon!

"I understand, but please, hear me out," Rias pleaded, hoping to calm the Midoriya matron. "Asia came from a relatively small town thousands of miles away. She didn't have anyone or anywhere she could turn to. Izu was the first person to reach out to her, showing her around the city when others would do nothing. He puts her at ease. Wouldn't it make sense to be around someone that you trust?"

"I…I can't say I disagree," Inko said, having taken another sip of tea to calm herself. This was a strange situation. "Helping someone he hadn't even met yet? That certainly sounds like my son. It definitely wouldn't be the first time either. He's a good boy, always has been." She allowed a small teasing smirk to come to her face. "And I know he would never do something shameful to her."

"Mom!"

She took another sip of tea, holding back a snort as her son began sputtering even more. "Although, this is a lot to bring up, especially so suddenly. Are you sure this is our only option?"

"I suppose there is another," Rias responded. It would have been so easy to just use her hypnosis on the woman, but she wouldn't. She had already sworn to Izu that she wouldn't do so again. Besides, she had grown fond of the woman when she first visited. It simply wouldn't feel right. Luckily for her, she had a different ace up her sleeve. "Perhaps you could take her in as your adopted daughter?"

"D-d-daughter!?"

"What!?" Asia looked every bit as shocked by Rias' suggestion as Inko. Even Izuku, who had seemed to come back to reality, stared at Rias in utter shock.

"I've talked with her extensively since she came into my care. Asia trusts Izu deeply," she said as she set her tea down, her every word sincere. "He may be a bit awkward at times, but he's straightforward and true. I watched him leap in to save someone without hesitation. There's a fire inside him, one that burns with a passion to help those that need it, no matter what may stand in his path. Our little Asia here was quite charmed by it, and I won't lie, it's a quality of his that I can't help but admire."

She meant what she said to Akeno that night, that Izuku felt more like a little brother to her, but she couldn't help but feel envious of Asia. She had someone like him looking out for her, when she had done nothing. If only…

"I…um..is that so?" Inko asked, her heart a flutter as she imagined every word that Rias had said to her. Did her son really charm these two beautiful young ladies so? They trusted him that much?

She felt a sense of pride welling within her.

"E-even so," she coughed out, still in shock by Rias' suggestion. "I…well I do understand her position now, but this still feels like a big decision. I'm…I'm not entirely sure…"

Rias sighed. She had hoped to convince her without resorting to her most extreme measure, but she may have to play that card after all.

"Well then, maybe we could try something else?" She asked as she took another sip of tea, having now emptied the cup. "We could use the time Asia stays here as a form of bridal training."

The deafening silence had returned, her words echoing through the heads of the other three occupants of the room.

'B-BRIDE!?' Asia thought to herself as her face went red. Was Rias saying what she thought she was? Did she want her and Izuku to…to…?

The more she thought about it, the happier she felt. Being with Izuku forever? It sounded like Heaven to her. She had covered her face with her hands to hide her blush, but they also handily concealed her growing smile.

Izuku and Inko were both frozen in place, eyes wide open. Neither had moved since Rias had spoken.

"Izu? Inko?"

Feeling concerned, Rias called out to the two, only to watch as both fell backwards, the two having fainted from their shock.

"Ahh! Izuku Mrs Midoriya!" Asia cries as she jumped to their side, her Sacred Gear already working to try and heal them.

'I probably should have expected that,'Rias thought to herself, slapping her hand to her face.

---

It took several minutes to bring the two out of their stupor, and several more before they calmed down.

"Br-bride!? Asia!? Wha?!" Izuku had gone completely red in the face, Rias noticing for the first time just how much it made the little freckles he had stand out.

'So cute.'

"Bridal training?" Inko asked, more calmly than her son, though still sweating heavily over the subject. "Are you sure?"

"Hear me out Inko. Should Izu interact with Asia more and more, it would help him come out of his shell. I can only do so much on my own," she reasoned out. "Besides, it would be better for him to interact with a girl his age."

"I…I don't know." Inko admitted. Rias brought up several good points. She wanted her son to have friends again, the more the merrier. It brought her thoughts back to what felt like so long ago, when she often saw tufts of blonde, green, and brown hair running through the apartment excitedly. It would be good for him to have something like that again. And if he had truly helped her out so much, then maybe… "I, I think I should talk with my husband about this first, but…it would be nice. It's been him and me for so long now, having someone else around the house would be a welcome change."

She smiled as she talked, the idea of Asia living with them becoming more and more appealing to her. She had hoped for the longest time that she would be able to give her son someone else to play with around the house, even if they were just younger siblings, but that sadly wasn't meant to be. Asia may honestly be the answer to her own prayers, even if it was clear that what she felt for her son seemed to go a bit beyond friendship.

"Very well," Inko said, much to the surprise of Asia and Izuku. "We have a spare room where you can use Miss Argen…Asia. It won't be hard to convince my husband, he's a real softy at heart. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish."

"I…I…" Asia began to stutter, before her tears began to fall, the feeling of pure joy flowing throughout her entire being. "Th-thank you so much Mrs Midoriya. I'll try everything I can not to be a burden."

"I promise, you won't be," Inko said, bringing the girl into her embrace. "And while you're here, you don't have to call me that. Please, call me mother."

Asia didn't think it was possible, but her smile widened even more. She felt something she had rarely felt before while she stayed in Inko's embrace. Purr unconditional love.

"I…thank you, mother."

Rias watched in delight as Inko held Asia in her loving embrace, gushing about how beautiful her new daughter was, all while Izuku still seemed to be struggling to comprehend everything that was going on. Despite that, there was still a small smile on his face.

Her smile began to drop as a new thought entered her head, one she tried brushing aside as soon as she thought of it.

'A bride…'

She shook her head, doing everything she could to clear her of those darker thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that. "Thank you Inko. I believe Asia will blossom well under your capable hands," she said as she forced a smile to her face. "I'm glad this worked out. Though I suppose Asia could have still lived with Ochako like she offered, I think this works better."

"Ochako?" Inko asked as she released Asia from her embrace, the girl missing the feeling already. "Who's that? Izuku?" She asked, her gaze moving to her son. "Did you make another friend without telling me?"

Izuku finally felt himself crash back down to Earth as his mom questioned him. That smile she was giving him looked friendly, but he knew better. He had seen that face many times when he was younger and kept something from her.

"Her name is Uraraka Ochako!" He blurted out. "We met a few times over the past few weeks and Argento and I ran into her a few days ago. She offered Argento a place to stay, but I guess Rias had other plans?" He really hoped that was enough for her, though judging by the glower she was sending his way, it was not.

"And you didn't tell me because…?" She quirked her eyebrow now! She was getting scary!

"Um…it…slipped my mind?" He said lamely, inwardly cringing at how stupid that excuse sounded. He desperately wished that Rias would do something to help, but she seemed amused by his plight.

Just as it looked like his mom was about to scold him, his phone went off. Maybe God didn't hate Devils after all.

While she still looked upset, Inko allowed him to look at his phone. He had a message. From Ochako.

"Um…it's from Uraraka," he said, flinching as his mom quirked her other eyebrow. "She…wants your number so she can ask you something." He felt chills run up his spine as Rias allowed him to give her the number, Inko's stare feeling like it was penetrating his very soul.

"So you have her number? Maybe I was wrong about my son not doing anything shameful." Much as she tried to keep her glowed, she could feel her face threaten to break out into laughter. It was adorable how flustered her son was getting over this.

"As fun as this is," Rias finally interrupted, holding back a chuckle of her own. "We have other things we need to do. I had Asia's things brought here just in case, so we should get them up here. Izu, would you be a gentleman and help with that?"

Izuku immediately agreed, wanting to escape her mother's eventual teasing over knowing so many girls. He knew it was coming, and he wanted to put it off for as long as possible. Even after how intensely he had pushed himself in his training today, he still had enough energy to help.

It didn't take long for them to reach the bottom floor, multiple boxes of varying sizes containing Asia's belongings piled up by the main desk.

Thankfully there weren't too many, making it easy to pile most of them onto a single luggage cart.

"So what was it that Ochako wanted to know Miss Rias?" Asia asked.

"There's no need to call me Miss Rias, Asia. You may address me by my first name if you wish. As for Ochako, she was just curious about something. I asked her King if she could attend an event I'm holding tomorrow evening. You're invited too of course Asia. In fact, you'll be the guest of honor."

"Guest of honor?"

"You'll see. There's also something else that needs to be done of course. One which also involves you."

"What do you mean?"

Izuku's ears perked up as he moved the cart over to the elevator. He was just as interested in hearing what Rias had to say.

"School of course. I know that you told me that you wish to go to U.A. like Izu, but that's still half a year away. Therefore, I'll be getting you enrolled in middle school first. I've already pulled some strings, so you'll be attending Aldera Middle School right alongside Izu and Yumi."

"I-I'll be going to school with Izuku?!" She asked excitedly, her eyes twinkling in excitement. "I haven't been to school in so long! And I'll be going there with people I already know? This is wonderful! I feel so blessed! Thank you Lord for granting me such a precious gift!" She clasped her hands together in prayer, right before bringing both to her head as she felt that sting of pain. "Owie!"

"So what was your old school like Argento?" Izuku asked, the three now moving up to his floor.

She rubbed the sides of her head to try and quell the pain before answering. "I don't remember too much I'm afraid. It was a small elementary school that I attended with a few other children who stayed at the church. After my Sacred Gear appeared, I was made to stop going completely and given a private tutor," she said sadly, the memories of those lonely times flowing through her mind. She appreciated all the tutor taught her, but she was so cold and distant the entries time. "They always told me that the Holy Maiden was far too important to waste on such 'menial lessons that public schooling forced upon its students'."

Both Izuku and Rias felt pity for her. They knew of how alone she had felt after being declared as the Holy Maiden, and just how much of her freedom to live had been stripped away from her, but hearing about it always brought forth that same sense of pity.

And of course, the desire to make sure she never goes through something like that again.

"Don't worry Asia," Izuku spoke. It had not been the first time he had unknowingly switched to her given name, and Rias could tell that it certainly wouldn't be the last. "No matter what happens, you can always rely on us. Yumi and I will be there to help you whenever you need it. I promise."

He watched as her face lit up once again, her radiant smile making her look heavenly even under the artificial lights of the apartment hallway. "Thank you Izuku."

'Akeno was right,' Rias thought to herself, a light blush unknowingly forming on her face 'Our little Asia cares for Izu a great deal more than she lets on'.

"We should get moving you little lovebirds, Asia's stuff won't move itself." She giggles at the blushing denials she heard then utter as they approached the Midoriya apartment.

When they reentered the apartment, they saw Inko putting away her phone, a look of joy on her face.

"I just finished talking with Hisashi, he has no problem with you staying here for as long as you need Asia," she said, much to the younger girl's joy.

"Thank you so much Mrs Mido-m-mother," she said, a tiny blush at calling the woman 'mother'. The feeling that went through her whenever she did so felt warm and welcoming. "After all Izuku's done for me, and now you, I don't know if I'd ever be able to repay the two of you."

"Don't you ever feel like you need to make it up to us," Inko said as she stood up, ready to help Asia move into her new home. "So, tell me. What all did my son do to help you?"

---

Asia had been more than happy to explain everything to Inko, naturally leaving out not only everything that had happened with the Fallen Angels, but also what had happened with Freed.

Rias had already explained to her that Inko had no knowledge of the supernatural, and that she didn't want to worry the woman.

She wasn't sure how she felt about lying to the woman who so happily took her in.

Naturally, Inko had been happy to hear how much Izuku had done to help her, embracing her son close to her while proclaiming how proud she was of him, much to the amusement of the two girls beside them.

It thankfully didn't take long to bring all of Asia's possessions to their spare room, now her new bedroom. Inko promised that they would shop for new clothes for the girl as soon as they could, calling it a proper mother daughter outing. Asia found that she could hardly wait.

She had also been quick to offer Rias a place at the dinner table that night, all to celebrate the newest addition to their household. Rias couldn't say no, Inko looked far too overjoyed to ever truly deny.

It certainly helped that, like before, Inko was quite the talented cook, going above and beyond with everything she had to make it a proper celebration.

As far as Asia was concerned, it had been the greatest day of her life. She hoped that the days to come would be just as wonderful as they had been today.

The feeling of elation even stuck with Izuku, the next school day flying by at a greater once than they had been before. For the last month or so, he had found that he had been looking forward to school ending for more reasons than just training with All Might. The more time passed, the more he felt himself looking forward to spending his time in the club room with the other members of the peerage.

It certainly helped that the bullying he had received over the past year had all but ceased after Yumi had stood up for him.

Even the day's training had passed by at a quicker pace than before, All Might commenting on how full of life he had seemed the entire time. After he told him of everything that had happened the night before, the pro hero's had instantly buffed up, giving the young man's back a hearty slap as he laughed excitedly, feeling happy for his protégé.

After arriving at the ORC, he was surprised to hear Rias say that no one would be doing any summons for the night. When asked why, her answer had been as simple as it was surprising.

"We have a new member, and we successfully stopped our enemy's plot, so I thought it would be nice to have a party to celebrate."

He understood instantly, and wanted to help.

She had told him that most everything had already been taken care of though, all that was really left was for the cake to arrive. And of course, their guest of honor.

Thankfully, she had allowed him to use the shower at the ORC, and even provided him a fresh set of clothes. Though when he asked how she had gotten his clothes, she just gave him a wink before sending him on his way, a full-bodied blush following him all the way into his shower.

When he finally exited, feeling refreshed of course, he was surprised to see that not only Akeno and Yumi had arrived, but also Ochako, dressed in her school's uniform and carrying her school bag while cheerfully waving to him once she saw him.

She looked rather cute like that in his eyes. Not that he would ever say that out loud.

"It's still kinda hard to believe that I'm on U.A. grounds," Ochako said as she made her way over to one of the nearby sofas. As soon as she sat down, Izuku watched as her eyes squeezed shut, her entire body fidgeting for a second before she finally sat down.

"Uraraka? Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah! Fine! Totally fine"

'Why does it still hurt!? That was days ago!' She screamed in her mind, the harsh sting of her King's punishment still feeling fresh for reasons beyond her.

Izuku wasn't sure that he believed her, given the way she was still fidgeting, but he left it alone as he sat on the sofa opposite her.

"I suppose it is interesting to be here. This is where the heroes you admire went to school after all," Akeno said as she prepared tea for everyone.

"I'm guessing you'll be aiming to go here like Midoriya then, Uraraka?" Yumi asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Yep!" She answered gleefully, feeling a bit more comfortable now. "Me and Deku are gonna be top heroes! Just you wait!"

"Deku?"

"My my! That's adorable!" Her smile took on a far more teasing tone to it, the conversation she'd had with Rias after the battle at the church coming to mind. "You two have only known each other for a short time, yet you already have a pet name for him! So cute!"

Both Ochako's and Izuku's faces reddened at a speed Yumi found herself impressed by, both teens doing their best to avoid Akeno's words.

"What! Nonononononononono! That's not it! That's not it at all!" Ochako shrieked out, her hands flailing about as she did her best to deny the smirking girl's accusation. "It's not like that! It's not a pet name I swear!"

"Really? I think it's just precious," she said with the slightest of pouts as she slunk behind Izuku, wrapping her arms around his neck before resting her chin on the top of his head. "What do you think, Deku?"

Yumi didn't think it was possible for someone's face to get even redder, but Izuku somehow managed it as he felt Akeno's chest rest on the back of his head. Ochako's own face was also getting more red, though it looked like it was more than just embarrassment for her.

"I…I…I…," Izuku squeaked out, the feeling of Akeno's breasts laying against the back of his head nearly being too much for him to handle. He felt the blood leaking from his nose already as he felt their softness began actually rubbing up against him. "It's…it's just a nickname," he said almost robotically, his mind beginning to feel overloaded.

"Just a nickname?" She asked as she began cupping his face. "Seems a little more personal than that if you ask me," she said, giving a very flirtatious wink as she did so when she raised his head up to look her in the eye. She gave him a positively wild smile before finally releasing him from her grasp. "Though it did sound a bit odd I admit. Uraraka? The way you said it, it sounded a bit like 'Dekiru' right? 'One who can do it?'"

"YES!" She shouted, her voice going up several octaves as she did so. Watching Akeno grab onto him like that gave her an odd feeling she wasn't sure she recognized. "IheardsomeonecallhimthatandIthoughtitsoundednicesoIaskedhimifitwasfineandhesaidyes!" She got out in a single breath, impressing the other two girls in the room as she tried calming herself down.

"Is that so?" Akeno asked, having heard everybody she said. Her teasing smirk had morphed back into a more pleasant smile as she moved to stand in front "Then would you mind if I did the same, Deku?"

"YEAHSURESOUNDSFINE!"

'DAMN IT MOUTH STOP THAT! STOP MOVING WITHOUT THOUGHT!'

He tried calming himself down even more than before, an easier feat now that Akeno was standing across from him. Though her amused giggles still weren't making it easy. ""It's-it's fine," he said, finally beginning to catch his breath. "It's fine, I…I actually don't mind it that much, the way you guys say it. It's…it's like how my friends would do it?," he admitted with a small smile, his face growing warm again despite his best attempts.

It was a look Ochako was quick to adopt as well, though she returned a smile of her own.

Even Akeno felt her face begin to flush a little. His smile just looked too cute for words in her eyes. "We'll then, I do hope I'll be able to keep being worthy of such praise," she said as she went back to making her tea, an oddly warm feeling in her chest. "And also Uraraka?"

"Yes?" She really hoped Akeno wasn't going to tease her again.

"I believe you'll make a worthy hero, just like our Deku. Your actions from the night before have proven that to me already."

"Wow. Uh, high praise there," Ochako said, rubbing the back of her head bashfully. "I'm still really sure I did that much. Kiba did more than me."

"Not true Uraraka," Yumi replied. "All I did was keep Freed from chasing you all, you went up against those priests alongside Koneko. You shouldn't sell yourself short," she said kindly.

"Kinda wish I could've seen you fight him," Ochako admitted. "Part of me really wanted to see him get taken down a peg, that creep." Izuku couldn't keep himself in agreement, wishing that he could have fought against Freed alongside her.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure I gave him quite the scar," she admitted with a smile, the satisfaction she felt from that almost made up for him managing to escape. "Though I admit, he was quite skilled. Even with my quirk, it wasn't an easy fight."

"You've got a quirk?" Izuku asked excitedly, his pen and notebook in his hands in a heartbeat. "What is it? Can you show me?"

Yumi smiled in response, his enthusiasm to see her quirk being rather adorable in her eyes. Answering his question, she stood up and walked over to the nearest wall, then walking up it as she headed towards the ceiling. Before long she was standing upside down, gravity having no effect on her at all. "I can reorient my body's center of gravity. It lets me do stuff like this."

"That's so cool!" He gushed as he began taking notes at a speed most computers would feel envious over, questions already in his mind about how much it worked.

Ochako was equally as impressed with Yumi's quirk. She didn't even seem bothered as her head nearly grazed the sofa she had been sitting on before.

She did wonder how neither her hair nor her clothes seemed to follow gravity's flow, but then again, her own quirk somehow managed to remove gravity from any object she touched without making them immediately shoot up out of Earth's atmosphere. She wasn't exactly one to question the logistics of a quirk that didn't obey the laws of physics.

"It's definitely helped me out before," Yumi said as she leaped down, landing on the floor with a practiced grace. "Though I suppose it's nothing overly flashy."

"It's so cool though!" Izuku said as he finished taking his notes. "What about you Himejima? Do you have a quirk too?"

"You're rather curious, aren't you Deku?" She asked with a smile, pouring tea into several cups. "Yes, I do have a quirk, though I wouldn't exactly say it's a very useful one."

"Really?" He asked, sounding somewhat disappointed that she wasn't giving him more. "Are you sure?"

"I understand your love of all things quirk related Deku, but I assure you that it's not one I find myself using often. It's a little too situational for my liking, so I rarely find myself needing to use it. We can leave it at that for now," she said as she began handing out cups.

"You know, that reminds me," Ochako said, gratefully taking the offered cup. "I've been wondering about something for a while now. Can Devils naturally get quirks?"

"Why do you ask?" Akeno asked as she sat down at the sofa beside Izuku.

"Well, when I asked Sona if she had a quirk, she told me no. I know that she was born a Devil, so I thought for a while that maybe I wouldn't be able to keep mine. But I've still got it and you and Kiba have one, so I was wondering if Devils can naturally get quirks of their own."

Izuku paused as he began sipping at his cup. He felt like an idiot. Why had he never thought about that?

"I suppose that's a fair question. As far as I can tell, no. Quirks are a thing only humans can get."

"For real?" Izuku and Ochako asked in unison, eyes wide and mouths agape.

'It's really cute how they're mirroring each other,' She thought as she helped herself to a sip of her tea. "Indeed. No one's really sure as to why. The origins of quirks are as much a mystery to Devils as it is to humans. I'm not even sure if Heaven really knows. For as long as quirks have been around, only those of human blood have ever been able to attain a quirk." She took another sip as she watched the two's eyes widen more as they took the information in. She had to hold back another giggle seeing them continue to unknowingly mirror each other.

"Wow," Izuku said as he let it sink in. "I guess I've still got quite a bit to learn about Devils."

"We never really stop learning something new," Yumi said as she set her now empty cup down. "I've been a Devil for only a few years now, and there's still things I have to learn."

"A few years?" Ochako asked.

"Yes. I've been at my lady's side for a while, but the life I led before was very different from how it is now. It wasn't exactly easy for me when I first started out, but I've come to understand it a lot better."

Izuku felt more surprised the more he heard. He still didn't know much about the other members of the peerage outside of Asia, but now he felt like he was understanding them a little bit more. "So what about Toujou?" He asked suddenly, the smaller girl suddenly popping into his mind.

"What about her?" Yumi asked curiously.

"Well, both you and Himejima have a quirk, so you were both human before right?" He got a nod from the two of them. "So, was Toujou one too? Does she have a quirk?"

"No I don't."

Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin. Koneko was now suddenly there in the room with them, holding a rather large white rectangular box in one hand and dragging a cart loaded with sweets behind her.

"I don't have a quirk. I was never a human," she said as she placed the box on the table closest to her, then taking a seat directly beside Yumi.

"And she gets by fine without one, just as you do Midoriya," Yumi said, smiling as the smaller girl sat beside her.

He felt himself blushing again at the compliment.

"She's right, you know," Ochako said, grabbing his attention. "You were willing to put your life on the line to save Argento, all without a quirk or even really knowing what your Sacred Gear could do. You're amazing Deku, and you shouldn't let anyone tell you otherwise," she told him, her smile bright and gleaming.

He found it hard to look away from her. She somehow seemed to be able to ease his anxieties with just a small handful of words, something only his parents, All Might, and Rias had seemed capable of, and the latter two only after coming to know him. He found her gaze moving to her eyes, seeing only belief in them. Belief in him. She truly believed every word she spoke.

Akeno watched the two as she took another sip of tea, holding back her smile as the two seemed to be lost in each other's eyes. "You two really are adorable," she said with a bit of teasing in her voice.

That seemed to break the two out of the trance they had put each other in, or at least she assumed so judging by their faces going scarlet. She couldn't hold back her laughter as she watched Izuku begun sputtering again, and she could only laugh harder as she watched Ochako grab her cheeks in embarrassment, negating her gravity and sending her to the ceiling, all while sputtering just as much as Izuku.

Yumi and Koneko also seemed to find it amusing, judging by how Yumi was clearly using her hand to try and hide her amused laughter while Koneko simply smiled at the two. Yumi thankfully took pity on the brunette, making her way up to the ceiling to bring her back to solid ground.

"We're here!"

The group turned to see both Rias and Asia walk into the room, the two having clearly been talking with one another before entering. "It's nice as always to see everyone getting along so well," Rias said, her smile lighting up the dark corners of the room.

"Izuku!" Asia shouted suddenly as she rushed over to him, taking him by surprise. "Your mother is so nice! She took me shopping earlier and told me so many stories about you! Why didn't you tell me you used to be a church goer?"

Slightly taken aback by how in his face she currently was, he answered her rather bashfully. "It just never came up I guess? I only ever really went because one of my friends from a long time ago was part of a very religious family." His mom never seemed to want to go with them for some reason though.

"Introducing her to your mother already?" Akeno began asking, her smirk growing as she presented a cup of tea to her King. "I'm impressed by how fast you're moving Deku." She held back a chuckle as she watched his, Asia's, and even Ochako's faces begin to flush.

"It's a little more than that," Rias said as she took a sip, a sly grin forming on her face. "Asia happens to be living with them now." She held back a snort of amusement when she heard the strange choking noise Ochako made.

"Living together already? How scandalous you two," Akeno said, her hand covering her mouth to cover her mouth as she pretended to be shocked by such a thing. "You're an impressive man for moving so quickly Deku," she could barely hold back her snickers as the boy began turning even more red. "I wonder if we'll be celebrating a wedding soon?"

"Wed-wedding!?" Izuku stuttered out, smoke escaping his ears as his mind began to overload, his face now glowing red as his eyes began to swirl.

Asia's own face was glowing red, though she was silent, a small smile going unnoticed by the others in the room.

Even Ochako was glowing red, her face frozen in shock.

Yumi just giggled at the events before her, all while Koneko looked on impassively, though not without the tiniest of smirks.

"Now now Akeno," Rias said, her smile nearly splitting her face. "We have other matters today other than embarrassing our friends."

Akeno stuck her tongue out playfully in response.

"We have a celebration to get to after all, and it's about time we begin!" She said with that same wide smile, a party popper she had held in her hand going off.

Izuku and Ochako were the quickest to dig into the snacks, hoping to put their minds off the teasing they had experienced, much to Rias and Akeno's amusement.

Before long, everyone had begun digging into the various snacks and drinks that Rias had procured for them all, with Ochako happily munching on some mochi she had found, Koneko eyeing her with envy due to her not being quick enough to grab them herself.

Much as he wished to mingle with everyone, Izuku's old anxieties kept popping up, having not been to any kind of party for a long while, keeping to himself as he watched the others begin talking amongst themselves.

"So from what Rias told me, you'll be starting school sometime soon," Akeno said as she approached Asia, the blonde girl feeling slightly nervous. She hadn't had much opportunity to talk to the older girl before.

"I…yes. It's been a long while since I have been to any kind of school though," she admitted. "I had several tutors growing up, but to be attending school with others my age again? I fear that I may fall behind and be nothing more than a hindrance." Her eyes were downcast as she spoke sadly. After finally feeling like she may have found a place where she could belong, she felt like she had already found a way to let them down.

"Well, if you really feel that way," Akeno began as she took a slice of cake from the box Koneko had brought down. "Then you can easily ask any one of us for help, myself included. I would happily help you with your schoolwork if you need it," she told the smaller girl, her voice both kind and sincere.

"Really? You mean it?" Asia asked, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"Of course," she replied, taking a bite of cake. "Rias expects many things from us, mainly for us to succeed in as many ways as we can. And that includes our schoolwork." Setting down the plate she had used for her cake, Akeno gently lay her hand on Asia's shoulder, a warm smile on her face. "And it simply wouldn't be right if I didn't help our newest little family member. So you can count on me should ever you need it." The smile she gave was infectious, Asia returning it before embracing the taller girl, thanking her as Akeno returned her embrace.

"You know," Ochako began as she stood near Koneko, who was snacking on a pastry. "I never really thanked you for helping me back at the church."

Koneko continued chewing on her pastry as she stared at the taller girl. It lasted for so long that Ochako began feeling uncomfortable before the smaller girl finally swallowed her food. "You're welcome"

Ochako felt a bit awkward, but still forced a smile. "So…you weren't human then? Were you already a Devil before this?"

Koneko simply stared back at her, again for an uncomfortably long time before finally answering. "No, I was not."

"So, what were you then?"

"...not a Devil."

"..."

"..."

"Are you really that mad about the mochi?"

"...maybe."

Izuku watched as everyone talked, Rias now talking happily with Asia while Ochako began speaking with Akeno, Koneko right at her side as she tried discreetly stealing her mochi. He took small bites of his own slice of cake as he continued to watch, a longing feeling to join them in their celebrations.

He then felt a hand grab onto his shoulder, spinning around quickly to see Yumi looking at him, her usual smile plastered on her face. "Midoriya, may we talk?"

"I…um, sure?" He answered, the sound of a gulp quickly making itself known as he swallowed his cake whole.

"Just a little bit ago, you called us friends, didn't you?"

He blinked at her confusedly, wondering why she would ask something like that. While he had been addressing both Ochako and Akeno, he had been looking at all of them, Yumi included. "Y-yeah?"

"And you really meant it?"

"Y-yeah?"

He watched as her smile faded slightly, looking slightly pained and lonely. "Outside of Rias, Akeno, and Koneko, I've never had many friends. Whenever I'm at Aldera, I've never really felt like I actually belonged there, it was just the school that accepted me when we ended up moving here. Whenever I'm there, it always feels like I'm being placed on some sort of pedestal," she admitted, surprising him.

He'd never expected to hear something like that from her. The entire time he had seen her at school, she seemed content. She always looked willing to talk with anyone who walked up to her, even if they clearly only wished to ask her out.

"So, hearing you say that we're friends, it kind of surprised me."

Izuku flinched, his face scrunching up into one of regret. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Don't be sorry," she said to him. Her smile was smaller now than he had usually seen it, but it looked far more sincere. "I know that we haven't really gotten to know each other that well yet, but it felt kind of nice hearing you say it. I'm happy that you would consider me a friend." The more she talked, the more happy her smile seemed to grow, Marly glowing like a beacon in the dark room.

"So, since we're friends, why don't you just call me Yumi?"

Izuku bow stood there dumbstruck as his face began to flush again. Did that seriously just happen? Did a girl as pretty as Yumi just seriously say that? It was hard enough that Rias insisted on being called by her first name, but now this? Wasn't this the kind of thing couples did?

"I…um…I guess…?" He stuttered out, still in shock.

"Great!" She exclaimed in joy, a bit of a bounce in her step. "Then you wouldn't mind if I called you Izuku, right?"

Izuku just nodded, not trusting himself from looking like more of a fool.

He was not ready for today.

"Thank you Izuku," she said with that same smile, making his blushing grow deeper. "I hope we can become better friends from here on."

Izuku watched as she walked away, that same bounce in her step as she stepped back up to the snack tray. He just found himself blinking owlishly as he watched her walk over to Asia, who had begun talking with Ochako.

He heard the sound of a fork lightly scratching a plate to his left, turning over to see Koneko staring at him, as stoic as he always saw her. She just continued to stare at him, beginning to make him feel awkward. Was she about to ask the same thing Yumi did?

"Um…?"

"We're not there yet."

Her piece said, she sauntered off to follow Yumi, leaving Izuku completely confused.

Rias couldn't help but grin as she watched the party around her. Even if it was in small ways, some of her peerage were opening up to one another far better than she could have hoped. Though she honestly hadn't expected to see Yumi speak with Izuku like that.

She felt happy though. Knowing that she was so willing to open up to him brought joy to her heart. She knew that Yumi would also find a way to help Izuku become the man she knew he could be.

She then saw Akeno staring at her rather smugly, the conversation they had about the past wielders of the Boosted Gear playing out in her head.

She decided to simply ignore her Queen.

"I'm really glad to see you doing well," Ochako said to Asia, her school bag held before her.

"And I'm happy to know that you're alright too Ochako," Asia said as she happily ate a pastry she had grabbed. "Akeno and I were discussing school a while ago. Do you go to Aldera as well?"

"Aldera? No, I go to Rozaryu. Is Aldera where you're going?"

"It seems so. It's the same school Izuku and Yumi go to, so I'm looking forward to it."

"The same school as Deku?" Ochako asked, surprised by the news. Though she probably shouldn't have been. It made sense to her that Rias would place Asia near people she trusted. And even then, she went to school with one of her fellow peerage members too, even if they weren't in the same class.

So why did she feel a tiny bit of envy over it?

"Well, if that's the case," she began, brushing that feeling aside as she reached into her school bag. "Then you're probably gonna want this back."

There in her hand was the stuffed sheep that had been left behind what felt like an eternity ago.

"You found it?" Asia asked as she reached over to grab at the plushy.

"Yeah. I was hoping that I could give it to you when we got you out of that church, but then…" Ochako flinched as the memory of Asia's dying gasps filled her mind. "I just figured that you'd want it back."

Asia smiled at the other girl before embracing her. "Thank you Ochako."

She was more than happy to hug her back.

Rias was surprised when she saw Izuku begin to approach her. He had barely spoken to anyone outside of Yumi and Koneko, and she was about to try and change that.

"Hello Izu. Do you need something?"

To her surprise, he bowed to her, much the same way she had when she apologized to him after making him a Devil.

"I'm sorry. When we were arguing before, after Argento was kidnapped, I thought that you didn't care. I really thought that you wouldn't do anything to try and help her. I was wrong." The whole time he had been arguing with her, he had begun to wonder if she had lied to him. That Devil's like her were truly as heartless and cruel as he had first thought. But he was wrong. She let him go, she took out the other Fallen Angels, and had even saved her when he could do nothing. He felt shameful that he had been so wrong in his judgments.

He felt a pair of soft hands press to both sides of his face, lifting his head up gently to look her in the eyes. To his surprise, he saw her smiling. Not in any way that showed pity, or even enjoyment.

She seemed proud.

"Izu, you have nothing to apologize for. You stood by what you believed in, even with everything I said. I already told you that you're stronger than you think, and that's what proved it to me." She then brought him into a small embrace, his head cupped into her chest.

Strangely, he didn't find himself blushing like he would when she did this before. In fact, he found himself returning the embrace.

The two stood like that for several seconds before letting go, a smile on both of their faces.

"So, I'll probably be waiting to see other Pawns won't I?"

"What do you mean?" Rias asked.

"I mean, there are eight pawns in chess right? Don't you have seven more?"

Rias only shook her head, her smile returning. "Nope. You're my only Pawn Izu."

"Huh?"

Unknown to him, the two had attracted the attention of the other party goers, both Asia and Ochako looking slightly upset over their little hug.

"Let me tell you something. When one is reincarnated as a Devil, the potential power they have can change how many Evil Pieces are needed to revive them," she began to explain, making Izuku's eyes begin to widen. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

"In chess, a Queen is said to be worth nine Pawns, a Rook worth five, and both Bishops and Knights being worth three. These same principles apply to the Evil Pieces. And, as I said, depending on the potential power the reincarnated Devil holds, they could require multiple Evil Pieces."

"Are you saying…?"

"I am. You're my only Pawn Izu, because I had to use all eight of them to revive you."

"I'm worth eight Pawns!" He gasped out, Ochako looking equally as surprised.

"I didn't fully understand why until that night," she said as she grabbed a pastry of her own. "I only had a single Knight, one Bishop, one Rook, and all eight Pawns when I found you that day, and when I tried reviving you, your body only responded to the energy of the Pawn piece. But one simply wasn't enough. In the end, I decided to take a gamble, and I won you," she said with a pleased smile, stretching one hand forward to stroke his cheek, making him blush once again.

She could feel the jealousy from both Asia and Ochako from where she stood. Maybe she was right. Both of them might make him happy. "The Crimson Haired Princess of Annihilation and the Red Dragon Emperor, what a pair we seem to make," she said as she continued smiling warmly at him. She took her hand away and took a bite of her pastry. "Strive to be the best you can be, Izu. I'll be right here cheering you on the whole way."

"I...um…okay…" he stuttered out. He certainly was not expecting to hear this bit of news.

And he certainly wasn't expecting the kiss Rias laid on his forehead after.

If his face could get any more red, he wasn't sure. He also swore he heard choking angry sounds from two other parts of the room. "Did…did you just…?"

This was the first time he had been kissed by anyone outside of his mother.

"Think of it as a good luck charm for the future," she said as she scanned the room, holding back a chuckle at the red faces of both Ochako and Asia. "I suppose that's enough coddling for now. I don't want to make those two even more jealous."

"J-jealous!? Why would I be jealous? I'm not jealous? We've only met a few times!" Ochako said, steam escaping her ears.

"I…I understand. Miss Rias is so beautiful, it makes sense that Izuku would like her more," Asia muttered before trying to pull herself together. "I shouldn't think of things like that! Please Lord, my sinful heart…OWIE!"

Rias chuckled as Asia grabbed her head in discomfort, the girl was still getting accustomed to everything. She also found it cute when Izuku rushed over to see if she was alright, same with Ochako.

She then felt a strange presence behind her, watching from a curtained window.

When she turned to see it, the sight of an exotic bird met her eyes. The bird stared her down, never once backing down even as Rias' eyes narrowed. She had recognized the bird right away.

The two stared each other down for several seconds before the bird flew off, disappearing through the slightly open window, its message received.

"Rias? Is something wrong?"

She turned to see Izuku looking at her worriedly. "No. No, everything's fine. Just fine."

She fought back the desire to press her hand to her heart to try and calm its rapid beating. Why now? Didn't she have more time?

Fighting through her anxiety, she grabbed Izuku's hand before pulling him to the center of the room, much to his surprise.

"I'd like to propose a toast!" She said quickly, her words interrupting Izuku before he could speak. "To new friends! I can't wait to see what you'll accomplish! Cheers!"

"CHEERS!"

While Izuku had no clue what seemed to be bothering her, he had begun to lose himself in the atmosphere of the party. He began talking more with the others, and before the night was over, had managed to do so without provocation.

The more he found himself mingling with the others, the more he found himself enjoying it all, even getting himself involved when they decided to play games.

He hadn't felt this way in a long time now, and he liked it. Part of him wished that it would never end.

It felt pretty good to have friends again.

Here's the preview!

Akeno:Ooh! I get to be involved in this now? It feels like Rias and Asia hog you all the time Deku.

Izuku:There's still a way to go before the entrance exams, and I still have a lot to learn about being a Devil.

Akeno:Sona and Rias want us to have a little get together. Doesn't that sound nice?

Izuku:It kind of does actually. Wait, what are they talking about? A forest?

Akeno:Those two are getting a little heated again.

Next time! The Forest Of Familiars!

Akeno:Our Deku is about to see a whole new side of us!

Izuku:Um…go beyond?

Both:PLUS ULTRA!

Welcome back to another inspiring edition of:The Author Has No Idea How To Write A Chapter Fewer Than Ten Thousand Words.

And this one went to over fifteen thousand. After being cut down a little bit.

I have only myself to blame.(This author's note has added nearly another 1000 words UGH!)

Anyway, we've reached the end of the first arc, which was essentially the first light novel in DxD. We've been following Canon a bit closely, and I know it's been too close for some, but I promise that the next arc will start to differentiate from the source material.

After all, isn't that what we're here for?

And I know that some people are simply not vibing with Izuku having both One For All and the Boosted Gear, feeling like it's going to break the power scaling, but I do promise not to overload him with so much power too quickly. There simply wouldn't be any tension if I did that. His power will grow over time of course, but that doesn't mean he'll be steamrolling over everything. Trust me, I'm less interested in that than anyone else.

One of my least favorite things to read in fanfic is when the mc just barrels through all their problems without thought or effort. It's boring. Things aren't going to be that simple here.

I also feel that DxD introduced far too many overpowered abilities for the Boosted Gear far too soon. I'm not sure about excising them all together, but I have no plans to have them just appear out of the blue. That mainly involves the Juggernaut Drive I'll admit. I feel like power-ups like that should be used sparingly. That's kind of why I decided to write the description of its abilities the way I did. It doesn't continuously build power, and he can only hold it for so long before he uses it all up. I also decided to leave it ambiguous as to whether it doubles his power each time, like 2x then 4x etc, or if it doubles his base power, the doubles his base power again and adding that doubled power to his already doubled power, so it becomes more like a 2x then 4x then 6x etc. I did a deep dive into the abilities the Boosted Gear has and decided to really dive into them here instead of all but ignoring them. To do so otherwise would kind of break this fic in half, and I don't want to do that. (Funny thing. Just as I was readying myself to post this chapter, I found a new review that talked about this very thing. I'm sorry to see you go over it, but thanks for giving the fic a shot at the very least. It's still appreciated.)

Though I suppose you could excuse them in DxD due to it being more a lighthearted send up of Shonen action anime with tons of sexual humor and horny characters.

We'll just be taking things a little more seriously here, though not without taking all the fun away.

Also, I refuse to bring things like power levels into this story. Power levels are my least favorite discussion points for any series because people use them to turn every fight into a numbers game instead of matches that involve tactics and skill. By that point it just becomes uninteresting hearing people say stuff like 'well this character could sneeze and wipe out half the multiverse'. I don't care about any of that.

Sorry for the small rant there. TL;DR Izuku won't be God mode, and he'll still face challenges in a lot of his fights, because to do so otherwise would be stupid.

Looking forward to writing his battle with Riser Phenix. I've got some fancy plans for that.

It's also rather surprising when inspiration can hit you. The conversation Rias and Sona have at the start was inspired by a scene from another fanfic. Kingdom Hearts DxD:The Devil Of Light as a matter of fact. A rather enjoyable fiction, though I do wish it would update someday.(Please don't harass the author over it)

The press conference was simply me wanting to show that the world will recognize when things happen, even if they're not aware of the actions of our protagonists. Just a bit of reality ensuing. It also let me introduce Endeavor, everyone's favorite human trash fire.

I'll note that I like where his character went in canon, so I'd rather stick to something similar than go full on douchebag with him, though like with canon, I'm never gonna hide that he's done some truly awful things.

The two parts I cut from the last chapter made it in here, the brief conversation between Ochako and Yumi with how long she's been a Devil, just something I really liked, and Izuku's little apology to Rias. It just fit here a lot more.

We've also got some foreshadowing to future events happening of course, we always need that. And some may not even be obvious.

I've got the next few chapters outlined, up to chapter 12, so after we get there, I'll be sure to outline the next arc before writing it all down, but that's for later.

BTW, Across the Spider-Verse was great, but I didn't have The Emissary of Hell Supaidaman and his giant mech so it's a zero out of ten. I'm not sorry.

We also got some cool gaming news as I was finishing up. Looking forward to the new Star Wars game, a new Fable game sounds neat, and of course a new Persona 5 spinoff alongside a Persona 3 remake!

Before we go, I want to thank you all again. I wouldn't keep going if you all didn't keep tuning in. Leave a review, or a comment, all depends on the site you're reading it on, and let me know what you think. And remember to be good, and be kind.