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)

8. The Forest Of Familiars

Several weeks had passed since the party, the crisp autumn air of October flitting about as she adjusted more and more to her new life.

Like Izuku had once done, she had been tasked with handing out flyers as her first official task before doing her first actual contract. Izuku had naturally been rather worried for her, as she was still not used to life in Japan, and still had that innocent nature that seemed easy for someone to take advantage of.

Thankfully, Rias had assured him that she would not allow that to happen, sending several of her Familiars to watch after her in case there was trouble. Much to his relief, her summon went smoothly.

She had also been able to teleport directly to her summoner right off the bat, unlike him. And while one would think that he would be envious over something like that, that wasn't the case at all.

He was genuinely happy for her. Especially seeing as how she was slowly connecting with the other members of the peerage.

His own abilities had also grown, but only by so much. He could feel more of the magic the last time he tried teleporting to one of his summons, but it still didn't really seem to take hold. It seems like he would be stuck as the Bike Messenger Devil for a little bit longer.

In the meantime though, he had asked to refrain from doing summons for a while, wanting to focus more on his training to get One For All. Rias allowed it, albeit begrudgingly, telling him that he would still have to do summons on occasion. He ultimately agreed.

His training had continued to progress well, though he had decided to start pushing himself past the parameters set by both All Might and Rias. He understood that they meant well by it, but he still felt like he was lagging behind all the others, especially as a Devil.

It didn't matter to him if he felt more exhausted each day, the end would be worth it as far as he was concerned.

Speaking of which, he had begun worrying about what Akeno had told him at the party, about Devils and quirks. He knew that Ochako, Yumi, and Akeno had theirs(even if Akeno didn't want to tell him what hers was), but he had never had one. Would he even be able to attain One For All as a Devil?

It had begun bothering him so much that both Rias and All Might had noticed. Both had decided to have a talk with him over it, where after enough prodding, he spilled his guts over it.

Thankfully, both had told him that there shouldn't be any sort of issue, though All Might was surprised to learn that only humans, or at least those of human blood, could hold quirks. That threw him for a loop for a brief time, but he still ultimately decided that Izuku would still be able to have One For All passed on to him.

Both gave the same reasoning for their thinking. That while he may have been reborn as a Devil, he was still born as a human. There was little to no doubt in their minds that he wouldn't be able to hold One For All within him.

He felt relieved, but still slightly anxious over it. He only hoped they were right.

Though it certainly explained why Rias never brought such a thing up.

Meanwhile, Asia had finally started school, both Izuku and Inko helping her study so she could be caught up with her fellow students. He remembered how nervous she was as he led her to Aldera that day.

---

He could feel her nervous shuddering as she walked beside him, her nerves beginning to get the best of her. Izuku wasn't much better, especially seeing as how she had asked to hold his hand for comfort some time ago.

He remembered how he had been treated shortly after starting his middle school life. Almost immediately, he had been the target of various styles of bullying. From having his lunch taken, verbal insults, and threats of physical violence. All of it had been headed by Okamoto Yukiharu, the young man who had bullied him since they were children.

Thankfully, since the day of the sludge villain incident, he had found his bullying had become far less frequent. That mainly had to do with the fact that Yukiharu had been taken out of school some time after, but for Izuku, it was a welcome change, even if he didn't lay it much attention due to training with All Might. After Yumi stood up for him though, it had all but stopped entirely, with only the occasional snide remarks he could sometimes hear whispered whenever he passed by.

While he didn't try to let it bother him anymore, he worried for Asia. The stares and whispers that surrounded them certainly didn't help as the two walked through the halls of the school building.

"Is that Midoriya? With another hot girl?"

"She's so cute! How the hell is she hanging around with him!?"

"I don't get it. What's been going on with Midoriya lately? First that redhead, then Kiba, and now this blonde foreigner?"

He winced when he heard that. Even after the advent of quirks, and with how many people had been changed by it, many old prejudices never truly went away. The fear of foreigners, or people outside of what one would usually perceive as normal being chief among them.

He felt his grip tighten on her hand ever so slightly as he continued leading her to his classroom. Ever since Yukiharu had left, there had been a vacant seat, so it was no trouble at all for Rias to transfer her directly to his class.

Even with all that however, Asia still felt anxious. The words of Rias and the others, her new mother, and even Izuku could only help so much now that she was in a new environment. She could feel her heart racing as Izuku led her to his class. It was the only thing keeping her from feeling worse.

She had noticed the stares too, and had even heard some of the whispers. So many of them had been accusatory and suspicious. Of Izuku and of her, but they seemed mostly to be on her. Though oddly enough, some of those whispers she heard sounded strangely envious.

"It's so weird seeing Midoriya with so many girls," she heard one of the girls near her whisper to her friend.

"It is but…have you noticed that he looks a bit more…mature now?" Her friend asked, a small glow in her cheeks.

"Are you seriously starting to simp for Midoriya of all people?"

"N-no! It's just…something I noticed is all."

She tightened her own grip on his hand as she heard that.

So many of their fellow students were mostly taken aback at seeing Izuku walking hand in hand with such a cute girl though. Such an act was only really reserved for more…intimate couples, so it shocked many of them to see the two holding hands so casually.

The two continued their trek towards the classroom, passing by a smiling Yumi along the way. The taller girl wished Asia luck as she passed by, which did calm her nerves ever so slightly.

She had gotten to know Yumi a little bit since becoming a Devil. She was an adept swordsman, a model student, and had a love for books, much to Asia's surprise. The two had spent some time together at a library during their off time, with Yumi recommending books that she was fond of.

The taller girl seemed to have a love for adventure tales, if that pirate story she recommended said anything.

Part of her wished that Yumi was in Izuku's class as well, if only to have another familiar face with her, but Yumi had already told her that she would help her whenever she needed it. She remembered her even kneeling before her and giving her a 'Knight's Vow', whatever that meant.

Her nerves heightened ever so slightly as she watched Yumi walk to her classroom, the questioning stares of the other students around her getting to her again. She gripped onto Izuku's hand even tighter, wanting nothing more right now than his presence by her side.

"Um, I-Izuku?" It had been the first she had spoken since the two had gotten off the train, her nerves having gotten the best of her in that moment. "I'm…I'm not sure if I'm ready. This…this feels like it's happening too fast!" She said as her breathing became slightly erratic, her grip tightening on not only his hand, but also on her school bag, her knuckles turning bone white.

"It'll all be alright. I promise," he assured her as he gently held her hand, the two having arrived in front of his class.

"Midoriya. And you must be our new student," his homeroom teacher greeted, noting her presence. "Be sure to stand outside the class. You can come in when I call on you."

He then turned and entered the classroom, little mind paid to his newest student as he left the two of them by themselves.

Asia was still shaking, her nerves getting the better of her again as Izuku began following the teacher. Turning to face her again, Izuku spoke up.

"It's all going to be alright. I'm here for you, Asia." He gave her a smile that set her heart a flutter. It helped calm her nerves to see him like that.

She watched as he entered the room, the rest of his classmates entering behind him. One of them, a girl with violet hair, looked at her strangely before she went to take her seat. She wondered why.

Before long, she found herself fiddling with her bag again. She was by her lonesome out here, waiting on bated breath to be called in. This was really it. Her first real day at a new school in ages.

She really hoped she would fit in.

"We'll have a new student joining us today." The muffled voice of the teacher reached her ears as she stopped fiddling with her bag. "Why don't you come in and introduce yourself?"

Steeling herself, she opened the door, ready to face this new challenge.

---

Thankfully, as it turned out, Asia had found herself enjoying her new school life. While she had some people question her as to why she was seen with him, she seemed to warm up to several other students rather quickly.

She even told him that she had made a new friend during lunch period.

Whenever the two arrived home, Asia seemed to be bursting with energy as she told Inko about her day, her experiences at school feeling fresh and exciting. Inko was always more than happy to listen, a sense of pride for her new daughter swelling in her heart as she heard her speak. Izuku wasn't immune from it either, a smile on his face whenever she started talking happily about whatever she had learned.

Everything from her joyous smile to the little bits of laughter as she excitedly talked about her day brought a sense of life into their home, one they found themselves welcoming with open arms.

Izuku had found himself in a bit of a routine since then. Every day he would wake up, enjoy breakfast with his mom and Asia, go to school, do his training with either All Might or Rias, then report to the club room for whatever summon he may have had. He never once thought that his life would ever turn out this way, but it had begun feeling normal to him. Oddly enough, he found it welcoming.

He still wondered about many things though. Mainly about what would happen once his training was finished, and he was granted One For All. All Might had told him that he would be done quicker than he previously thought, probably some time next month. He felt a surge of giddiness at the thought. He had really cleaned up so much of Takoba Beach!

He was curious though. How would One For All work with his Boosted Gear? Both seemed to have similar properties, being enhancement abilities, but would he be able to combine them in some way?

He had brought the idea up to both All Might and Rias, with both of them agreeing on waiting until he had attained One For All before brainstorming ways to use them together. They had no idea if they even would in the first place, so it seemed to be better to wait and see how they would mix beforehand.

He found it hard to really disagree, though it didn't stop him from wondering.

Regardless, he was still more than willing to wait for that day, especially now that he knew it was growing ever closer. And he didn't have to wait alone.

After all, he had all his new friends.

He sat on one of the sofas in the Occult Research Club room, watching as Asia talked animatedly with Yumi about school. He may still have a bit of difficulty starting any conversations with everyone, but none of them seemed to mind it, which he was thankful for.

He was more happy that Asia had made fast friends with most of them almost instantly. For now, that was enough for him.

He still made sure that he would keep himself busy though. With one of his textbooks in one hand and a grip-strength weight in the other, he made certain that he would keep his body in shape as much as his mind. Going to U.A. with only power to back him up would only get him so far.

Both Akeno and Koneko were sitting across from him, watching as Asia and Yumi talked amongst themselves. Akeno had a smile on her face as she watched them talk so joyfully about such simple things as school work and Asia making a new friend, sipping her cup of tea as Koneko watched on as stoically as she normally did, munching on mochi the whole while.

Rias had called them all today because she had some sort of announcement for them, but she was currently occupied, filing paperwork while simultaneously finishing her homework.

That had been the main reason the group had decided to chat with one another, or at least Asia and Yumi did.

"I think it's wonderful that you're enjoying yourself so much Argento," Akeno said as she sipped her tea.

"It's all thanks to you guys," Asia responded happily, practically bouncing in place. "You, Izuku, mother, and Rias have been helping me so much. I don't think I could ever repay you all." Her smile was so bright it actually lightened up the room, Koneko pulling out a pair of sunglasses to adjust.

"You can't give us all the credit Argento," Akeno smiled. She had helped Asia study in preparation for school. "You picked up everything at an astonishing rate. You hardly needed any help at the end."

"Maybe so, but I still think that I could never thank you all enough." Her smile never once faded, even as she sipped at her own cup of tea. "All of you have been so kind in making sure I would be ready."

Izuku fought back a grin as he thought back to how both Yumi and Koneko had helped. He remembered walking into the club room and seeing Yumi and Asia practicing with wooden swords while wearing workout gear. When he asked why, Yumi just told him that she was getting her ready for school and left it at that.

Another day, he had seen Koneko doing something similar, practicing hand to hand combat.

He decided not to question either of them.

"What about you Izuku?" Asia asked him, breaking him out of his thoughts. "How's everything coming along with your training?"

He hadn't exactly expected to be drawn into their conversation. All four of the girls beside him were looking at him curiously. Each of them knew that he was cleaning the beach, though only Rias knew of the ultimate prize that awaited him at the end.

"It's going pretty good actually. According to Rias, I may actually be done by next month!"

Again, all but Rias were unaware of who was actually training Izuku. He had no idea how they'd react to him personally being trained by the number one hero.

They also didn't need to know about the extra bits of training he was putting himself through.

"Rias has been working me pretty hard," he said, remembering that she had also increased the amount of push-ups, sit-ups, and squats he would do before he would start cleaning. One hundred and fifty each now. "She must really want me to succeed."

"I want you to do more than succeed Izu," Rias said, apparently done with what she was doing. "I want you to excel. It's what I want from all of you. To be the best you can be. Which brings me to the reason we're all here today."

The paperwork she had been dealing with disappeared in one of her arcane circles as she sat on the sofa Izuku was on, a cup of tea handed to her by Akeno, which she gratefully sipped. "It's time both you and Asia got your Familiars."

"Familiars?" Izuku asked, his head tilted cutely.

"What are those?" Asia asked, her head tilted in the same manner.

She had to hold back a giggle at the sight. Those two were quite adorable. "Familiars are an important part of being a Devil. You can think of them as sidekicks if you desire. Familiars assist us with a variety of different tasks, and if they're able to, can even assist you in battle." While she kept up the face of a professional, on the inside she felt delighted on seeing their faces light up in fascination.

"Wow," Asia said.

"That sounds kind of cool," Izuku said.

"It really is," Rias responded, setting her cup aside. Then, with a snap of her fingers, a small puff of smoke appeared, a rather cartoonish looking bat with dark red fur appearing beside her. "One can actually have several Familiars once they attain enough power, but this one has been with me the longest. Her name is Alice, and you and her have actually met before Izu."

"I have?" As soon as the question left his mouth, Alice's form began to shift before his eyes. In an instant, a familiar form stood before him, from her brown hair, her yellow bow, her red dress, and down to her vaguely vampiric appearance. "That's…! That's the girl who gave me that flyer!"

"And I'm glad that she did," Rias said as Alice morphed back to her bat form, landing on Rias' shoulder before nuzzling her face affectionately.

"Can other Familiars look like regular people?" Asia asked.

"It all really depends on what type they are," Akeno said, holding what looked like three tiny imps in her palms. Each one was of a different color and mannerism. One was blue, and was currently napping. Another was yellow, waving at them happily. The third was a harsh red, their back turned to the group as they frowned, clearly being unhappy to be there. "These are mine. I call them Tokugawa, Hideyoshi, and Oda." She pointed at the blue one, the yellow one, and the red one respectively.

"You have three?" Asia asked.

"They were a package deal when I found them. And even then, I just couldn't say no to them. Look at them all! They're so cute!" She gushed, her usual smile replaced with a far more euphoric one.

"This one's mine," Koneko's voice rang out, drawing their attention. In her arms was a small white cat. "His name is Shiro."

"Aww! So cute!" Asia exclaimed as she cooed at the cat. With Koneko's permission, she began petting the feline Familiar, the loud purring noises he made letting everyone know how he felt about the attention.

"And this one's mine," Yumi said, grabbing his attention. There on her arm was what looked like a small eagle. "I call her Taka!"

"You named your eagle after a hawk?" He asked, his voice slightly deadpan.

"Yes. Why? Is something wrong with that?" She asked, her head tilted in confusion as her Familiar mimicked her.

He decided not to answer.

All in all, he couldn't help but admire the Familiars he saw. Shiro had gone all but limp in Koneko's arms, the small girl having joined Asia in petting him. Hideyoshi, the yellow imp, had decided to wander the room under Akeno's watchful gaze, Tokugawa still napping on her palm while Oda stood on her shoulder. Taka seemed more than content with using Yumi's arm as a perch as she talked about various types of bird care, occasionally stroking the eagle's wings gently.

"You'll both have your own by day's end," Rias said, drawing everyone's attention as the Familiars disappeared into the ether. "Though we still have another couple of hours to wait before we can…"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Oh? Was that also today? Must have slipped my mind. It looks like we'll be killing time by introducing you two to another peerage," Rias said to both Asia and Izuku before turning to the door. "It's open! Come on in!"

Izuku watched as a young woman walked through the door, swiftly followed by another. Both wore a U A. uniform, with the first one being roughly the same height as him with dark hair done in a bob-cut and violet eyes.

The second was taller than the first, almost being the same height as Rias, but still shorter than Yumi. She had black hair that extended all the way down to her knees, and a pair of heterochromic eyes hidden behind a pair of blue rectangular glasses, her left eye brown while her right was violet. She stood by the shorter woman's side with a sense of decorum that matched Akeno's whenever she worked side by side with Rias, leading Izuku to believe that she was a Queen.

Following them were several more people, each of them being young women, each of them wearing middle school uniforms, and all of them looking to be around his age. One had hair as white as Koneko's, though hers went past her shoulders, with blueish green eyes and a serene look on her face. The second was as slender as the first one who walked into the room, a calm but neutral look on her face with brown eyes and matching long hair, topped off by a blue headband and her hair ending with two braids. The third was a happier looking young woman with reddish-brown hair that went down to her shoulders in twintails along with another set of brown eyes. The fourth had a slightly tomboyish look to her, but her shoulder length blue hair and matching eyes and impressive height made her stand out. Not as much as the fifth though, because despite being roughly the same height as Izuku, she looked just as tomboyish with her tamed but still slightly wild bright orange hair that was tied into a side ponytail, pairing well with her teal eyes, making her stand out just as much.

The sixth however was the biggest standout, being a familiar face.

"Hey guys!" Ochako Uraraka greeted cheerfully.

"Ochako!" Asia greeted in surprise as she walked up to her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Our King decided that we should all meet each other."

"Mainly out of curiosity," Sona said as she locked eyes with Izuku. He felt an icy chill run up his spine. It felt like her eyes were piercing his very soul. "I wanted to see the Pawn who made one of my own disobey a direct order."

"Please don't scare him Sona," Rias said, a bit of humor in her voice. "Besides, I'm fairly certain she would have done so even if he wasn't there."

"Perhaps," Sona responded, a ghost of a grin on her face as she tore her eyes away from him. "I was also interested in seeing the more complete peerage you've managed to obtain. It certainly took some time, but you've got yourself quite the eclectic team with you." Her face remained mostly neutral, but the lightest amount of a teasing tone could still be heard in her voice.

"Who is she?" Izuku asked, still feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Her name is Sona Sitri," Yumu told him, trying to calm her friend down. "Like Rias, she's a High-Class Devil, and next in line to her family's noble house."

'She definitely feels different from Rias though,' Izuku thought to himself.

"The House of Sitri has been allied with the House of Gremory for a long time now," Akeno explained. "One of the surviving families from the great war known collectively as the seventy-two pillars."

"Wow. So she's as important as Rias?" Asia asked, astonished by the new information.

"Wait," Izuku began, unintentionally drawing attention to himself. "She's wearing a U.A. uniform too. There are more Devils in U.A.?"

The nods he received from both Sons and Rias confirmed his question, taking him by surprise.

"More than just Devils," the bespectacled young woman who entered just after Sona told him. "There are other species who have decided to enroll in to U.A. for reasons of their own. Some are able to use their innate abilities to mask the fact that they have no quirk, while those who are of half-blood have no need to do so," she explained as she adjusted her glasses, the glare of the candle lit room reflecting off of them giving her a slightly intimidating presence.

"It shouldn't really be that surprising," the blue haired young woman said with a bit of a smirk. "U A. Is the most prestigious school in the nation, so anyone who wants to fit into human society would want to go here."

"Oh, Izuku said. He never really thought about something like that. It did make a lot of sense to him. But did that mean other factions did the same? Would he find any Angels or Fallen Angels in U.A.?

He shuddered at the thought.

"All this is important and all," the orange-haired girl said. "But I think we should properly introduce ourselves now. It's the best way for us to get acquainted."

Sona agreed with her, and the two groups fully introduced themselves to each other. The black-haired girl's name was Shinra Tsubaki, Sona's Queen. The white-haired one was named Hanakai Momo, one of Sona's Bishops. The one with the blue headband was named Kusaka Reya, Sona's other Bishop. The twin-tailed girl was named Nimura Ruruko, one of Sona's Pawns.

The next to introduce herself was Meguri Tomoe, Sona's Knight. Strangely enough, Izuku noticed that she sounded a lot like Ochako when she spoke. Speaking of Ochako, she introduced herself next, despite already knowing all of them already, naming herself as another of Sona's Pawns. The blue-haired girl was next, naming herself as Yura Tsubasa, Sona's Rook. Finally, the orange-haired girl introduced herself as Kendo Itsuka, Sona's third Pawn.

"It's nice to meet you all," Izuku said with a bow, Asia following suit. He felt a tiny bit overwhelmed being surrounded by very cute girls, even after being with Rias' peerage for several months now, but he was able to hold himself together without becoming a stuttering blushing mess.

"Likewise," Itsuka said with a small smile. "To be honest, I've been wanting to meet you as much as Sona has. Uraraka speaks quite highly of you."

"O-oh? She does?" And there he goes stuttering and blushing again. At least he tried.

"Guess I couldn't help it," Ochako admitted with a slightly embarrassed blush as she rubbed at the back of her head. "You were pretty cool Deku."

"Deku?"

"So that's really the guy she wouldn't stop gushing over?" Ruruko asked Tomoe as Ochako explained why she called him Deku. "I guess he is kind of cute."

"I don't know," Tomoe said as she looked at Izuku, watching as he fought down his blushing. "He looks a little too plain for my taste."

"I don't know, he's not that bad looking," Tsubasa said with a grin as she stared at him. "Rub a bit of dirt on him, and he'd be a solid eight out of ten."

"You say that about everyone," Momo said with a small smirk.

"Your point?" Tsubasa smirked back.

"A nickname. Sounds nice," Itsuka said to a still blushing Ochako. "I also heard from her that it took eight whole Pawn pieces to make you a Devil. Impressive."

"I-I guess?" He responded as he rubbed the back of his own head, trying his hardest to fight down the embarrassed flush he knew was making its way to his cheeks.

"It is. I thought it was something when it took three to make me a Devil," she admitted, surprising him. "Then Ochako came along a few months back, and she needed four."

"You're worth four Pawns?" He asked Ochako in astonishment.

"Yep! It's not as cool as you being worth eight though," she said to him.

"Don't say that! You're more cool than me!"

'Wow. I wonder if these two even realize that they're technically flirting with each other?' Itsuka wondered to herself with a bit of a grin as the two went back and forth calling each other amazing. It was rather adorable. She felt somewhat guilty when she decided to break it up. "She also told me that you've got a powerful Sacred Gear, Mr Red Dragon Emperor."

"Oh. Um…w-well," he began rubbing at his left arm. He was still surprised at just what the Boosted Gear could do, and he had no idea if that was even all of it.

"I won't lie, part of me wants to test my own power against it," she told him, taking him by surprise. "It makes me wonder how my Sacred Gear would stack up."

"You have a Sacred Gear too?" Asia spoke up, surprising the group. They had no idea she was there listening to them.

Asia had stuck behind Izuku when she noticed Itsuka walk toward him. She felt her heart clench a little when she saw her approach, and she didn't know why. It didn't do that with Ochako, or any of the other girls in the group.

"I do. Argento, right?" She asked, getting a slightly nervous nod from the smaller girl. "Uraraka told me about how brave you were too."

"Oh, she did?" Asia asked with a small blush.

"She spoke pretty highly of both of you, especially you Midoriya," she said as she crossed her arms. "So how about it? Someday soon we'll have to have ourselves a nice little spar."

"Spar?"

"Yeah. I told you that I'd like to see how I match up against you."

"Um, I mean…I don't…"

"It's alright if you say no," she told him.

"I…o-okay. Someday soon."

She then surprised him by stretching her hand to him, a light grin on her face. "Sounds fun! I'm looking forward to it."

Izuku felt his own grin slowly form as he grasped her hand with his own, the two giving each other more than just a hearty handshake, but a promise to meet on the field of battle.

"So cool," Ochako said, stars in her eyes as she watched the two. "It's like they're becoming rivals!"

"Rivals?" Asia asked in confusion.

"Yeah! Like in some of those old manga I've read! Two people who push each other to their limits as they struggle to get stronger than the other! Doesn't that sound cool?"

"It sounds strange."

Sona felt a smile form on her face as she watched her peerage mingle with Rias'. Tsubaki had gone over to speak with Yumi, while the others decided to introduce themselves to the group that had already formed around one another.

"It's rather nice seeing them get along," Rias said with a warm smile as she stood beside her.

"It truly is," Sona agreed as she adjusted her glasses. "I also couldn't help but overhear as I approached, but you'll be taking both Mr Midoriya and Miss Argento to try and find some Familiars, are you not?"

"I am actually. Is there an issue? You're not thinking of trying to do so instead are you?"

"No. Nothing of the sort. I made sure to take Ochako to get her Familiar last month, so I'm not looking to intrude. I am merely making an observation," she said, a small bit of smugness in her voice.

"Is that so?" Rias asked, a tiny fire in her eyes. "Are you sure you're not trying to insinuate that I'm lacking as a King?"

"Of course not. The fact that I made certain to get my newest servant a Familiar before you is purely coincidental."

By this point, auras of power had surrounded the two, warring with each other for dominance as the two tried staring the other down, smirks on both of their faces.

"Oh dear," Akeno said.

"It appears that they're at it again," Tsubaki observed as she readjusted her glasses.

"What's going on?" Izuku asked, a confused and worried Asia standing behind him.

"How about we settle this the old fashioned way then?" Rias asked, her gaze unwavering.

"Surely you can't be talking about a Rating Game," Sona said, her own gaze locked onto Rias. "You know that neither of us can afford to draw that kind of attention to ourselves, nor would it be allowed for something so trivial."

'Rating game?' He recalled Rias briefly speaking of such a thing before, but she didn't seem to want to go into detail about it. He wondered just what it was.

"You have less to worry about than I," Rias said, a frown on her face. "And no, not a Rating Game. We'll keep it simple. A sport."

"A sport you say?" Sona asked, her grin growing as the fire in her fires seemed to bloom. Sparks seemed to be flying between them as they attempted to stare the other down. "Very well. I accept."

"Are they gonna be alright?" Ochako asked, having never seen Sona act in such a way before.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Akeno said as she watched the two, the smile on her face looking slightly strained, yet had a sense of nostalgia to it. "Rias and Sona have been close friends for a very long time. They practically grew up together. And they've been finding all sorts of ways to compete with each other for just as long." She remembered being surprised when she first saw the two acting in such a manner, but now it was something she expected. She would have been more surprised if the two hadn't decided on some kind of competition.

"So then, they're like rivals?" Ochako asked, an excited gleam in her eye.

"In a way, I suppose they are," Akeno answered, watching as the power the two held began clashing with one another. "They certainly seem to relish the opportunity to challenge each other whenever the chance arises, but I wouldn't worry too much." As she spoke, the very room began to shake, the innate powers the two High-Class Devils held shaking it down to the building's foundation. "This should be little more than a healthy competition between friends."

Izuku felt Asia cling to his back in fear as a painting that had been hung on the wall fell to the ground with a clatter.

For some reason, he doubted Akeno's words.

---

It didn't take long for the two Kings to decide their sport.

To Izuku's surprise, it was Tennis.

They had gathered at a court on U.A. grounds, one normally used by students who were not in the hero course, with full permission from the principal after the two had given him a call. Each peerage had been set into two sides on the set of bleacher seats right by the court, with Sona's on one side, and Rias' on the other.

Well, most of them.

He had no real idea how they had gotten their Queens to agree to a doubles match.

Each girl had dressed in their own style of tennis outfit, with Rias dressed in a simple pink dress that flared out at the bottom with socks and tennis shoes, with Akeno in a sleeveless yellow top and matching miniskirt.

Meanwhile, Sona and Tsubaki dressed more similarly, and in clothing that looked a bit more fitting for a game of tennis, both wearing simple white tops with differently colored skirts. Pink for Sona, and green for Tsubaki.

"You'd best be prepared, Sona," Rias smirked as she began dribbling the ball with her racket. "I aim to win."

"I'm always prepared Rias," Sona fired back, the fires of competition swimming through her eyes. "You'll fall by my hand this day."

Akeno and Tsubaki however, were nowhere near as competitive as their respective Kings, Tsubaki giving a small frustrated sigh as Akeno tittered at the banter.

"I do hope we at least have a fun match. Don't you Shinra?" Akeno asked, her usual cheerful smile plastered on her face.

"Indeed. May the better team win," Tsubaki responded, a small smile on her own face.

"I'm getting the strangest feeling that this is going to get out of hand," Izuku said, a feeling of uneasiness in his gut.

"It should be okay…right?" Asia asked, sitting right beside him.

"It should," the two heard Yumi speak up, sitting on the bleacher seat directly behind them. "Those two were barred from using this field if they leveled it again, so they'll make sure not to go far."

"Excuse me, they what?"

"YOU GOT THIS SONA! TAKE HER DOWN!" Ochako cheered, her excitement of seeing the two face each other down spreading throughout her body.

"You seem, rather into this Ochako," Asia said, the girl sitting less than a meter away from her.

"Just wanting to support my team's all," she responded with a grin. "You should try it too! The cheers from the crowd can really heighten how well players perform!"

"They can?" She asked in amazement, watching as Ochako nodded in response. "GO RIAS!" She cheered.

"Fight well," Koneko deadpanned in the seat below them, lazily munching on a bag of treats as she waved a flag that read 'Team Rias'.

Where had she gotten that?

No answer could be given before Rias finally served the ball before striking it forward, sending it hurtling toward Sona at a frightening speed. Sona, moving with the ease of a seasoned professional, reacted quickly enough to receive it and strike it back, where it too was received by Akeno, before her strike was intercepted by Tsubaki. It was a constant back and forth, with each girl giving it as good as they got, striking the ball as intensely as they could.

The longer it went on though, the more Izuku ended up noticing something. There was certainly a lot of…white being flashed as the four moved about, their skirts doing little to hide them, especially whenever they jumped to strike the ball back.

It certainly left him with quite the red face, as he felt had become quite common since becoming a Devil.

No one else seemed to notice or even care, the entirety of the seated teens were focused entirely on the ongoing match, watching as the ball continued to be slapped back and forth across the field.

He ultimately decided to keep it to himself. He didn't want to be labeled as some kind of pervert for it.

Now if only his eyes would stop being drawn to them!

After several minutes, a point had finally been scored, Akeno having taken first blood as the score went to Fifteen- Love.

"Not bad, but we've only just begun," Sona said as another aura of power began glowing around her. "I suppose it's time we kicked things up a notch." She grabbed the ball, ready to serve as her aura extended to her racket, surrounding it in a dim blue light. "Take this! The Sitri Spin Strike!"

She slammed her racket into the ball, making the now glowing orb fly through the air.

"Is that so? Then let's see how you deal with the Gremory Counter-Strike!" Rias talked back, confidence oozing off of her as she watched the ball sail towards her.

Before she could hit the ball however, it managed to change its trajectory, Rias' attempt at a counter proving fruitless. Akeno was also unable to counter the ball in time, leading to a point scored for Team Sona.

"The score is Fifteen - All!" Ruruko shouted out from the field, having volunteered to referee the match.

"ALL RIGHT! GO SONA!" Ochako cheered, Itsuka giving her own excited holler.

"Was that magic?" Izuku asked.

"It was," Asia said in surprise.

"I thought you said that they'd be holding back!" Izuku exclaimed to Yumi.

"They are," she responded as Rias grabbed the ball. "If they were truly to go all out, this entire field would be little more than a crater," she said casually, as though she was explaining the weather.

Izuku just stared at her in shock.

"They can get quite competitive."

"So it's come to this then, has it?" Rias asked, puffing her chest out before aiming her racket at Sona dramatically. "You may use whatever powers you wish, but I have many of my own! If it's a magic show you want, I'll be sure to give it to you!"

"Then let it be done! I have no fear of you Rias!" Sona fired back, emotion in her voice that was missing when she arrived earlier. She seemed to be having fun. "You should know by now that your magic pales in comparison to mine! Do your worst!"

Both Tsubaki and Akeno rolled their eyes at their King's behaviors. They had both fully expected something like this to happen. After all, the two could be quite competitive, and any number of games they played against each other would tend to escalate as they sought their chance at victory.

The only exception seemed to be chess, and even then, there had been times when things had gotten intense.

As Rias served the ball again, a red and black aura surrounding her racket, both girls knew that this game would take some time.

---

As it turned out, it did.

The game went on for several hours as the two teams continued going back and forth, only occasionally scoring points for themselves before the score stood at Forty-Five- Thirty.

When Sona served the ball afterward, her racket had already been strained to the point of breaking, shattering to pieces just after serving the ball.

Rias' own racket was every bit as strained, the power that had constantly been poured into it pushing the inanimate object past its limits. Once Rias had managed to relieve the ball and send it back, her own racket had fallen apart.

The final score was Forty-Five - All.

The two teams had tied.

Both teams had already exited the field, going to the showers to wash the stench of sweat away as the two peerages began to disperse.

"That! Was! Awesome! Too bad there was no winner though," Ochako said as she stretched her arms up, feeling the satisfying pops her muscles made as they popped back into place. "What'd you think, Deku?"

She received no response.

"Deku?"

When she looked over to him, she saw him with his head in his hands, though they did nothing to hide how red his face had gotten.

All those flashes of…white kept playing themselves over and over in his head, despite his best attempts.

"Deku? Hello? Earth to Deku? Are you okay?"

Startled by the sound of Ochako's voice, Izuku stood up quickly, startling the two girls beside him.

"IDIDN'TSEEANYTHING!"

"See…huh? Are you okay Deku?"

"Did something happen Izuku?" Asia asked worriedly.

Neither girl seemed to have any idea as to what had been bothering him.

"N-NOTHING! IT'S NOTHING! DON'T…don't worry about it!" He began to shriek before calming himself down, even if only by a little.

"You sure?" Ochako asked, looking unconvinced. Something had clearly bothered him, but she had absolutely no idea what it was. Why had his face gone so red? All that he could have seen was everyone jumping around in…their…short…skirts…

Oh. That explained it.

Now her own face was beginning to glow red. She had been so into the match that it had never even occurred to her. Every one of them that had been playing, even her King, had gone into their game with nothing covering their underwear save for very short skirts, or in Rias' case, a dress that barely went to her thighs.

She can't believe she didn't notice at all.

"Ochako?" Asia asked, startling the other girl. "Is everything okay? Why's Izuku so red?"

And Asia apparently hadn't noticed either.

"N-nothing! Nothing! No problem here!" She exclaimed, wanting desperately to change the subject. "S-so! How're you guys doing? Any plans for later? See anything cool on tv?" She blurted out quickly, wincing as the last question escaped her mouth.

"Well," Asia began. "Rias said something about us getting Familiars."

"You guys are getting Familiars?" Ochako asked, her previous embarrassment forgotten. "That's so cool! Sona took me to get mine last month!"

"She did? What kind do you have?" Asia asked.

Ochako gave a grin before holding out her arms, before a small puff of smoke erupted between them. As the smoke cleared, Asia and Izuku saw Ochako's Familiar, a small cartoonish looking white owl, their head and body looking like they were one as their amber eyes stared at them. The owl raised their left wing in greeting as Ochako's arms gripped them close.

"HOO!"

"Isn't he cute?" Ochako nearly squealed in delight as she nuzzled the owl to her cheek. "His name is Hootle!"

"So cute!" Asia squeed as she approached the small owl, gently petting his wing as he preened from the attention he was getting.

"I know right!? He's like a little piece of mochi!"

"He is cute," Yumi said, surprising Izuku. He didn't even hear her approach. "I have a bird Familiar as well. Do you think we could exchange care tips?"

"Sounds cool," Ochako responded.

"He's so soft! I hope I can find one as cute," Asia said as she continued stroking Hootle's wing.

"I'm sure you can," Itsuka said from behind Ochako. "The Forest holds a lot of different Familiars, so you should be able to find something you like."

"Forest?" Izuku asked.

"The Forest of Familiars," Rias' voice rang out, startling him again. Did she really finish showering so quickly? Judging by how she, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki were now standing before them all, it appeared to be so.

"As its name suggests, is a forest where Familiars live. Any peerage may enter it, but only on a certain night, and only one each time. That night is tonight, the night of a full moon."

Izuku looked to the horizon, the orange sky growing dimmer as night approached. The moon was already in sight, and sure enough, it looked to be full.

"While we're there, both of you will find your Familiars before binding them to yourselves," she explained as she began walking back to the club room. "We'd best be leaving. We don't want to miss it."

---

The necessary preparations had already been made before they had left, as the soothing light of the massive arcane circle in the center of the room glowed, welcoming the peerage into it. Before long, the group had been whisked away, teleported to a world unfamiliar to its newest members.

When the light cleared, before their eyes stood a forest, none too different from others they may have seen before, but still quite different. The foliage surrounding them emitted a faint glow, as though magic pulsed through their very roots. The night sky held a dark violet hue, bathing the forest below it in a sinister looking light. In the distance, the cries and growls of many forms of beast could be heard, some sounding more threatening than others. Many of the trees seemed to stretch up to and even beyond the sky, one may not be entirely sure. One would normally never want to find themselves somewhere like this, lest the shadows surrounding each corner grabbed them before pulling them away, swallowing them into what would certainly be an uncertain doom.

For the visiting Devils though, the forest may as well have been bathed in ordinary sunlight thanks to their night-vision.

Still, it was an impressive sight for both Izuku and Asia, the two Devils looking at the forest with a sense of awe.

Izuku would come to learn that the forest rested in an area outside of normal reality, even outside of the Underworld. It would be quite a shock to him.

Within seconds of their arrival, the Familiars of each peerage member had been summoned, each of them giving what looked like a nod to their masters before bounding off into the forest, their destinations known only to them.

"Where are they going?" Asia asked, as Izuku was still struck by the magic flowing through the forest.

"This is their home. They may be bound to us, but that doesn't mean that they need to be by our sides at all time," Rias said as she watched Alice glide to the tallest tree in sight, hanging upside-down as she closed her eyes, falling asleep. "They'll always come whenever we call, but they'll always return home."

The group watched as the Familiars disappeared further into the forest, before vanishing from sight entirely.

While still in awe of what was around him, Izuku couldn't help but feel nervous. The unfamiliarity of the forest weighed on his mind more than he expected, with the noises he could hear not exactly filling him with confidence.

"We-we're sure this forest is fine, right?" He asked, wincing at his question. After facing off against a monstrous Stray Devil and a murderous Fallen Angel, he felt intimidated by this?

Though at least he didn't seem to be alone, judging by how Asia was shaking.

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat," Koneko said, her tone deadpan.

"GOOOOOOOOD EVENING!"

The sound of a loud voice from nowhere startled him, causing him to scream in fright as he gripped onto the nearest object. That object just happening to be Rias, who patted his shoulder in comfort as she held back a chuckle.

A form landed before them, having jumped down from the trees. Striking a pose as they got up, the figure spread their arms in welcome.

"Members of the Gremory peerage, welcome to the Forest of Familiars!"

"Good evening Master Satoshi," Rias said in greeting, bowing respectfully as Izuku gradually let go, his face as red as her hair of course, as his momentary bout of fear left him as he stared at the figure. "You have my gratitude for allowing us access to the forest this night."

"No worries Lady Gremory. No thanks are necessary at all," the figure said, their voice quieting down significantly.

Now that he got a good look at the figure, Izuku noticed that they were an older looking man, either in his late twenties or early thirties by the look of him. He wore a comfortable looking pair of blue pants that went well with his black sneakers, perfect for trekking through a forest like this. The rest of his outfit consisted of a black t-shirt covered by a green vest along with a dark blue backpack. Finally, atop his head was a red cap, twisted backwards and showing off tufts of his back hair beneath it.

While he may have had the look of an older man, he had an energy about him that made him feel younger than that.

"Sorry about scaring the newbies," he said with a bit of a grin. "You know how much I like to make an entrance."

"I'm well aware. Besides, a bit of excitement now and then is good, and they both found their own forms of comfort," she said with a teasing grin, making Izuku's face flush again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Asia climbing down from Akeno, the girl having clung to her in fright when she heard the older man's call.

On the bright side, Akeno was patting her head in comfort the entire time.

"Alright then! Let's get started!" He clapped his hands in excitement, his eyes scanning both Izuku and Asia. "How many are we looking for tonight?"

"Two. One for both of them," Rias answered.

"Sounds good! Let's start with you!" Satishi said as he sidled over to Izuku's side, startling the boy as he closed the distance in less than a second. "What kind of Familiar do you think you want? Something strong? Something fast? Something cute? Maybe something with a poison type? Or a fairy type?"

"Help?" Izuku squeaked out as Satoshi continued badgering him with questions. Was this what he was like when he wanted to know more about someone's quirk? "Umm…do-do you have anything you recommend?" He asked nervously.

"I think I've got just the thing!" Satoshi said with a blinding grin, sending nervous chills up Izuku's spine. From his backpack, he pulled out what looked like a catalog before listing through the pages at blinding speed. He stopped on a particular page before pointing at it enthusiastically.

"How about this one? One of the mighty Dragon Kings! The Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat! She's the only female Dragon among the Dragon Kings, and there hasn't been a Devil yet to have caught her! Makes sense I guess, she's said to be as strong as the Four Satan's themselves!"

On the two-page spread before him, Izuku saw a dragon covered from head to toe in majestic blue scales, almost looking celestial in their radiance. The dragon, Tiamat, had a fierceness that jumped off the page, yet at the same time, had a beauty to it.

And looking at the picture terrified him beyond all measure.

"Maybesomethingelse?" He squeaked out quickly.

"You sure? You've got a dragon Sacred Gear in you, I could sense it as soon as I saw you. So maybe you could form a connection with her that no one else has"

"ITHINKI'MGOOD!"

"Are you sure Izu?" Rias asked, a hint of a grin on her face. "You're both legendary dragons, so maybe you and her would hit it off? I'm sure you could do it!"

'ISSHETRYINGTOGETMEKILLED!?'

"Well," Satoshi continued, turning to another page. "If not Tiamat, then how about this? A Hydra! They're no Tiamat, but they're powerful in their own right! With an immortal body and poison that could kill even the strongest of beings, they're as good as any Devil could hope for! Though you should probably be a bit careful with them. Hydras are evil by nature, and they wouldn't hesitate to kill their master if the need arose."

"Aretousurethere'snothingelse?" He squeaked out again, much more quietly than before.

"Do you have any Familiars that are cute?" Asia asked shyly, hoping she would not be shown creatures as fierce as what Izuku had seen.

"Are you getting a bit overzealous again, Satoshi?"

A new voice had broken through, grabbing everyone's attention, especially Satoshi's.

An older looking woman approached them, looking roughly the same age as Satoshi. She seemed a bit more fashion conscious than Satoshi though, as the boots she wore looked more appropriate for being in a forest while having their own unique flair to them. Along with those were a pair of black tights, a sleeveless black shirt, a pink coat, and a red skirt that went down to her knees. Her eyes were a gentle blue, and her chestnut blonde hair went to her middle back, covered by a stylish red hat.

And she was smiling good-naturedly at Satoshi.

"Lady Serena," Rias acknowledged the woman with a bow. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight."

"It's nice to see you again Lady Gremory," the woman, now known as Serena, bowed back. "It's also nice to see that your peerage has grown since the last time you were here," she said as she gave the two teens a small smile. At that moment, she reminded Izuku of his mother.

Her eyes then drifted over to Satoshi, who hadn't taken his eyes off her the instant she had made herself known. "Satoshi," she negan, her voice gentle yet firm. "I know how much you love your work, but it looks like you're overwhelming the boy. Maybe dial it back just a little?"

Satoshi moved his gaze back to Izuku, seeing the slightly uncomfortable look on his face for the first time, before finally backing away with a slightly red face.

"Sorry about that," he said as he rubbed the back of his head in shame. "I…well…I can get a bit…much I guess with Familiars."

"It's…it's okay," Izuku responded, not wanting the man to feel bad. "I can get that way too."

"It's good to see everyone getting along," Serena said with a graceful grin. "Now then, how about we find you some Familiars?"

---

They continued trekking through the forest, seeing more and more of it as Satoshi and Serena described many of the various Familiars that called the forest their home. Both Izuku and Asia found themselves enraptured as they listened, watching as the many different types of creatures passed by as the two older Devils happily talked about them.

As they trekked, Izuku noticed other people around the forest. It definitely surprised him, as he didn't really expect anyone else to be here. Satoshi and Serena were a big enough surprise as it was. He saw a dark-skinned woman with purple hair trying to calm several Familiars, which Satoshi identified as Undines, from fighting over territory. Undines were, much to his surprise, a female water sprite with the appearance of a male bodybuilder.

Though he knew that he really shouldn't have been surprised though, considering how most non mammalian creatures didn't show overly obvious signs of their gender.

He saw at least two other girls tending to other Familiars. A blue haired woman who looked to be feeding a tiny dragon, and a twin-tailed brown-haired woman corralling what looked like a pack of large bison with multiple horns.

He couldn't stop himself from being impressed by everything he was seeing and hearing, his anxiety over being in the forest now completely forgotten. It didn't take too long for him to start talking to Satoshi, a question nagging at his mind.

"So, what made you want to be here?"

"Honestly? I've always had a love for all these critters," the older Devil admitted. "Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to learn as much as I could about every kind of Familiar that existed. And somewhere along the way, I guess I got stuck with the title of the Familiar Master."

Izuku nodded as he listened, his attention drawn to Serena, who was showing several smaller Familiars to Asia to see if she could find one that suited her.

"What about her? And all the others I saw?"

Satoshi stopped as he glanced at Serena, a warm smile on his face. "We actually went to the same school believe it or not. We may have gone our separate ways for a bit, but we found each other again around the time I decided to live here in the forest to study the Familiars. As for the others you saw, we had actually met when I decided to do some traveling, hoping to see what new horizons I could find until I found my true calling here. And I guess," he began as he blushed lightly. "One thing kind of led to another, and we got married."

"You two are married?" Asia asked in surprise, a small but of joy springing from her as she talked with Serena. "I couldn't tell at all!"

"It's okay," Serena responded good-naturedly. "You're not the first one to be surprised by it. We turned more than a few heads when it was announced. But you know? Life's been good for us. It's had its ups and downs, but even after four decades, I'm as happy as I was when I walked down the aisle."

"Decades!? Four!?" Izuku asked in shock. Asia was equally as surprised. These two didn't look anywhere near that old.

Both Satoshi and Serena blinked in confusion before turning to Rias.

"They don't know?" Serena asked.

"I guess it slipped my mind. We've had a rather busy few months," Rias said before turning her attention to her two latest servants. "We Devils have a longer natural lifespan than humans. We can live for upwards of ten-thousand years."

"TEN-THOUSAND!"

Both teens were absolutely taken aback by that. Ten-thousand years of life? And that was normal? Even with how much medicine had advanced since the old days where quirks first appeared, most people barely made it past one-hundred and ten.

It just sounded so…unreal to them. So far away. The image of Inko flashed through their minds as the thought of outliving her by such a large margin creeped through their minds. And not just them, but possibly everyone they knew or would even come to know.

It felt…too much.

"Deku," Akeno's voice broke through his thoughts. When he turned to see her, he saw that same look on her face when he first talked with her. When she told him about living as a Devil. How he was still him in spite of it.

"It's a lot, I know.," she admitted, a melancholy to her voice he had never heard before. "The idea that you could live so long that everyone you meet can feel like fleeting moments in time. But I want you to remember something. You're not alone. You have us."

He couldn't deny her words. Any of them. Especially when. He saw her smile at the end. It looked as serene as her normal one, but this one felt different. Sincere.

He wasn't certain if he'd ever be used to living such a long life. But if she was telling the truth, and they wouldn't all stick by his side, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He saw Asia talking to Yumi, likely discussing the same thing as Koneko stood by her side. Then he remembered, Asia would live just as long as him. And he would stay by her side as long as she needed him.

Rias stood by with a soft smile. She had meant to tell Izuku about this, maybe try and cheer him up if she could, but Akeno had beaten her to it. The same with Yumi talking with Asia. Maybe another time, she could talk with them about ways they could spend their long lives.

She was sure that they would enjoy them together.

She then felt something land on her shoulder

When she turned to see what it was, she saw something green and slimy. And was it sizzling?

"Oh," she heard Serena say. Looking over to her, she saw that similar green globs had landed on her. "I guess we wandered into their territory."

"Territory?" Asia asked as she moved to avoid one falling on her, only for another to land on.

"What are they?" Izuku asked.

"Slimes," Serena said as more seemed to fall from the trees, each of them landing on members of the peerage. "Mostly harmless, though they can be annoying."

"Why's that?" Koneko asked as she eyed the Slime that landed on her.

"They tend to dissolve clothes," she answered plainly, just as parts of her shirt melted away.

"They what!?" Yumi shrieked out, much to Izuku's and Asia's surprise. Even when fighting against Freed she hadn't sounded so incensed. "What do we do!? How do we get rid of them!?" As she asked, her own clothes began to melt, much to her chagrin.

"Is that all they do?" Akeno asked, not caring at all as more and more of her skin became exposed.

"Well," Satoshi answered, his eyes set firmly on Serena as her underwear became exposed. "They can sprout tentacles, and they tend to target female secretions, but outside of that, they're harmless."

"They what!?" Koneko asked, an enraged tone Izuku never expected to hear from her voice making itself known.

"No!" Asia shrieked out, grabbing Izuku's attention.

When he turned to see her, he saw her clothes dissolving ever faster, to the point where most of her underwear was gone, and her breasts became exposed to him.

She wasn't alone, as the rest of the peerage went through the same thing, as did Serena.

Serena, Rias, and Akeno seemed to barely be bothered by any of it at all, Rias only giving a mildly annoyed glare to Serena, who simply shrugged.

Koneko was the most adamant about getting the slimes off of her, even as her own clothes melted away to essentially nothing. She caught Izuku's eye, and covered herself as best she could while glaring at him.

Yumi however had turned completely red as she did everything she could to cover herself, even hiding behind Akeno with a squeak of embarrassment. Despite that, Izuku was still able to catch a glance of her.

All around him, he saw a veritable feast of feminine flesh exposed to him more and more, with even their underwear eventually being melted away, leaving them all bare to the world, and only three doing anything to try and keep themselves covered, Asia covering her exposed chest with a scream.

Such a sight captured Izuku's eyes like nothing before, not even meeting his hero. He couldn't tear himself away as the movements of his fellow peerage members made every part of them move in ways that sent jolts through his body, all ending at a single point.

The more he stared, the wider his eyes got, and the more his nose began to bleed. Just as Koneko was about to go over and tell him to stop looking, Izuku had fainted, blood bursting from his nose like a geyser.

"Izuku!" Asia screamed, her embarrassment forgotten as she rushed to his side. "Please don't be dead!" She activated her Scared Gear in case he was actually injured, unknowingly getting some bits of Slime on his clothes.

Koneko felt her eye twitch as she watched Izuku fall to the ground. She could tell just what was going through his mind beforehand.

"...Pervert."

When she heard a cry of pleasure, she turned to see Akeno, who was not at all bothered by the Slime melting her clothes away. She seemed to revel in what the creature was doing to her body, as the Slime slid itself between her breasts. The look of joy and lust on her face let everyone know just how little she minded.

Yumi, who still stood behind her, had covered her eyes with a panicked yelp, not wanting to see what was happening.

Koneko simply rolled her eyes at what she saw. "Of course she's enjoying this," she grumbled to herself.

"So how do we get rid of them? I'm fairly certain that several of my servants would not appreciate going around the forest completely naked," Rias asked calmly, now being completely naked and unbothered.

"Fire will take care of them quickly," Serena said, now completely naked and equally unbothered. It probably helped that Satoshi kept his eyes squarely on her instead of the other naked girls.

It didn't take long for the slimes to be destroyed, freeing everyone from its goopy grasp, much to their relief. Though the casualty of everyone's wardrobe presented a bit of a problem, with Rias and Akeno working as quickly as they could to replace all of their destroyed clothes.

Though none of that helped everyone's mood, mainly Yumi's and Koneko's. Yumi was still hiding behind Akeno, her face awash with red as Koneko slugged Satoshi right in the gut for not telling them about the Slimes.

The only thing left was to revive Izuku, which thankfully didn't take too long. Part of him wondered if he had imagined everything he had seen, but when he looked at the still heavily blushing Yumi, and the pouting Koneko, he knew that he had not imagined any of it.

"I'MSORRY!I'MSOSORRY!" His cries were nearly hidden with how quickly he dived to the floor, apologizing repeatedly at a speed that impressed everyone there.

"Izu. You did nothing wrong," Rias said gently, ignoring the huff from Koneko. She had meant it. There was no way he could have known that something like this would happen. "Get up now, we still need to find yours and Asia's Familiars."

Izuku hesitated. He wanted to do nothing more than sink into himself. Rias may have said he'd done nothing wrong, but he couldn't agree. He'd seen several of his closest friends like…like…like that! It felt wrong to him, even though one part kept arguing against him.

But in the end, he still got back up. They still needed to find Familiars for Asia and himself. Even if they only found one for her, he'd call that a victory.

As he stood up though, he noticed something.

Why did he feel a breeze?

"Oh my," he heard Akeno say. When he looked at her, he saw her face heavily flushed, but with a large smile.

He also saw that both Satoshi and Serena had their backs turned to him as he saw everyone else react to something they were seeing.

Yumi had her hands to her mouth as her eyes had widened, while Koneko's eyes began to twitch as her hair began standing on end. Rias merely tilted her eyebrow while looking at him, and Asia had covered her eyes completely.

Well, almost completely. He saw one eye peeking through the gaps of her fingers.

"So mighty," he heard Akeno whisper again, everyone's faces a mighty shade of red as Izuku felt a much stronger breeze.

His entire body began glowing red as he realized what had happened. Looking down had confirmed it. A Slime had melted away his clothes as well, and his body was telling the world just what he thought about the sight he had seen just moments before.

He blinked.

They blinked.

And then Izuku fell back into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

---

After reviving him again, and presenting him with magically repaired clothes, Izuku decided to hide behind Satoshi for the rest of the trip, his face apparently now permanently red after everything that had happened tonight.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Satoshi said, trying to comfort him. "We've wandered into Slime territory more times than we can count while living here. Accidents happen."

His words didn't help all that much.

"I'm so very sorry about all of that," Serena said as she led the peerage deeper into the forest and away from the Slimes. "We try to keep any guests away from that particular part."

"You should've tried harder," Koneko grumbled as she followed behind her.

Neither Akeno nor Rias were bothered by anything that had happened. They were the only one's, as Yumi still clung to Akeno's back as she looked around for signs of more Slimes, the image of the taller girl clinging onto her slightly shorter companion being one Koneko would commit to memory. Asia in the meantime had decided to stay right beside Serena, her face still alight after seeing Izuku's…everything.

That was definitely a sight Koneko hoped to scrub from her mind. Though she would admit, she didn't really mind taking a peak at his physique again.

"Does someone want to tell me why I heard so much screaming a bit ago?" A new voice caught them by surprise, sounding both tired and annoyed. Out of the trees walked another woman, roughly the same age as Satoshi and Serena, dressed in a light blue nightgown. Her hair was about as long as Serena's, and was colored a shade of orange that reminded him of Kendo from earlier, and her eyes were a shade of blue and green that matched the sea.

What stood out the most though, aside from how tired she looked, was the obviously pregnant belly she had, looking roughly six or seven months along.

"Kasumi!" Serena shouted, rushing over to the tired woman. "You shouldn't be out here! Not in your condition!" She fretted over the pregnant woman like a mother hawk.

"Serena, it's okay," the woman, Kasumi, said gently, trying to soothe Serena's worries. "I just wanted to know what was going on. Besides, Haruka, Iris, and Hikari aren't that far away. I already know they'd come in a heartbeat if I was in any danger."

"Still, you should be in bed," Serena said sternly.

"I can't stay in bed all day. I need to stretch my legs every now and then," Kasumu answered with a bit of a grin.

Whatever either woman was about to say next was cut off by the sound of a scream

Asia had ducked behind Izuku in terror as she screamed, the sight of a green blob wriggling toward her sending her into panic.

"It followed us!"

Kasumi turned to face both Serena and Satoshi, who had walked over to check on her as well, with a deadpan gaze. "You took them into Slime territory didn't you?"

Serena looked slightly ashamed as she nodded while Satoshi merely hung his head in defeat.

Kasumi responded by clunking their heads together.

"How many times is this going to repeat itself before you two remember where the Slimes live?" While her tone of voice made her sound annoyed and absolutely done with them both, there was still a soft smile on her face.

Wait. This had happened before?!

Izuku stood his ground in front of Asia, his Sacred Gear summoned to battle the Slime should he need to, while Rias began gathering power into her hand to finish it.

Though something else had beat them to it.

*ZAP!*

A surge of electric energy flowed into the Slime's body, killing it in moments before its gelatinous form crumbled into dust before their eyes.

When everyone looked to the source of the attack, their eyes widened at the sight. It was a small dragon, roughly the size of Yumi's eagle. Their scales looked to be almost as blue as the picture of Tiamat that Satoshi had shown Izuku earlier, with small spikes lining their back, and having a more triangular head.

"That's a Sprite Dragon," Satoshi whispered in awe while Kasumi and Serena looked on in wonder.

"A Sprite Dragon?" Izuku repeated curiously.

"A race of smaller dragons, they're sometimes called Azure Lightning Dragons. They tend to use lightning instead of fire, and this one looks like they're still a baby by the looks of them," Serena explained, still surprised by the dragon's appearance. "I'd heard from Satoshi that one was in the forest, but I didn't think I'd see them so soon, given how rare they tend to be. If either of you are going to catch them, now would be the best time. Dragons get stronger the more they mature, and some of them can become too prideful to bend to another's will."

The group continued staring at the small dragon as it did the same, neither side making a move as both Devils contemplated which one of them would step forward.

To their surprise, the dragon made the first move.

It stepped forward curiously, staring at one of them in particular with a curious eye.

"Um? H-hello?" Asia asked nervously as the dragon stared at her. It felt like they were looking into her soul. "Do you…are you choosing me?"

The dragon gave her their answer by jumping up to her shoulder, taking the girl by surprise as it curled around her neck like a scarf.

"Does this mean you want to be my Familiar?" She felt an astonishing amount of anxiety and joy as she asked the dragon her question, which melted into pure joy as the dragon nuzzled their head against hers affectionately, making her let out a squeal of pure joy.

"Well look at that," Kasumi said, crossing her arms before her. "Most Sprite Dragons don't care much for Devils, but he seems pretty drawn to your friend."

"He?" Izuku asked.

"You can tell by the patterns on his scales. See?" She pointed at the dragon that continued nuzzling Asia. He swore that the dragon was acting more like a cat at that moment. They, or rather he, did seem to have a unique looking pattern as his blue scales faded into the white on his lower body, but Izuku wasn't exactly knowledgeable about Dragon anatomy. He'd take her word for it. "She must have quite the pure heart for him to be drawn toward her like that," she said with a soft smile. She had lived in this forest for decades now, and she had never expected to see such a sight.

"Well, she was known as a 'Holy Maiden' before we met her," Izuku noted to himself quietly. "Maybe that has something to do with it?"

Rias had already approached her latest servants to help her through the ceremony needed to bind the Familiar to her. Her magic was already strong, especially due to the Bishop piece she held, but she was still a beginner. Help from someone more experienced would still be necessary.

A new arcane circle formed around the Sprite Dragon, one Izuku had yet to see before now, as Rias instructed Asia on what to do.

"In…in my name as Asia Argento, I command you! Y-you will become my Familiar and r-respond to my contract!"

Asia repeated each word Rias had instructed her to say as the magic flowed from her body over to the mini dragon. Before long, the circle's glow began to dim as it dissipated completely. Immediately after, the azure dragon jumped his way back up to Asia, once again nuzzling her face in delight.

She giggled at the sensation, the sheer joy emitting from her very being brought smiles to everyone around her. "That-that tickles!" She squealed out. "Stop it Raizuku!"

"Raizuku?" Izuku asked confusedly, unaware of the smirks he was getting from Akeno and Rias.

Asia blushed at his question, the dragon, now dubbed Raizuku, once again wrapping himself around her neck. "Well…I…he uses lightning, so I thought I'd take the word 'Raikō' and…combine it with yours? Is that okay?" She asked bashfully, the tips of her index fingers poking together.

Izuku just smiled warmly at her, making her heart beat ever so faster as he walked over to the two. "I don't mind. I think it's pretty cool to have a dragon named after me," he said as his hand extended over to meet the tiny dragon. "Nice to meet you Raizuku."

Satoshi, Serena, and Kasumi began to panic as they watched him reach closer before calming out to him.

"Wait, don't! He'll…!"

Their warning came too late, as Raizuku's body began to glow a bright blue.

And then…

*ZAP! SHOCK!*

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Ggggggggggggggga!"

Izuku's body, now charred black, collapsed to the ground, much to Asia's shock. "Why?" He squeaked out in pain, a puff of smoke escaping his mouth.

"Male Sprite Dragons detest men from other races," Serena said to him, as she and Kasumi tended to the also fallen Satoshi. "It also seems like he's taken to be your friend's guardian, so he probably mistook you as some sort of threat."

"Well isn't he a naughty boy?" Rias giggled out, Akeno giggling right alongside her as Asia began tending to her fallen friend.

"...He deserved it," Koneko said, the memory of those Slimes, and how Izuku reacted to seeing them like that would not be leaving her mind anytime soon.

"That's not fair Koneko," Yumi lightly scolded. "You can't really hold him at fault for that. Besides, he…well…" she trailed off as her face went red. "I'm…I'm sure we'll all feel better once everything here is done."

"How much better?" Koneko asked, her eyebrow quirked.

"...shower. I'll be claiming the shower when we get home."

"Not if I beat you to it."

As the two men recovered from their shocking experience, Rias walked over to Kasumi, a smile on her face.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Lady Kasumi. And congratulations, I had no idea you were expecting."

"Thank you Lady Gremory," she responded as Satoshi stood back up. "And I've told you before, there's no real need to call me 'Lady'. You're of much higher standing than any of us here."

"Maybe, but as I've said before, all of you are the masters of this land. It would be rude of me not to address you all properly," she said with a grin. They had apparently had this discussion before, if Kasumi's long suffering sigh said anything.

"So, um…," Asia began as she and a now recovered Izuku walked back toward the group, Raizuku still draped around her neck. "Who are you? I mean, I heard your name, but I don't really know who you are."

Kasumi made to answer before she was cut off by a grinning Satoshi, who had wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "This is Kasumi! She's my wife!"

"Wife!?" Izuku and Asia exclaimed.

"Yup! Her, Serena, Hikari, Haruka and Iris! You saw the rest of them while we were exploring a bit ago," he explained before being lightly elbowed in the gut by an annoyed Kasumi.

"It's true. I am one of his wives, as well as being one of the ones who makes sure he doesn't get himself eaten while we're here," she said with a small mirthful grin.

Izuku and Asia continued staring at the two in shock. Satoshi had five wives? And they were fine with it? Was this normal?

"Is this really so surprising?" Kasumi asked.

"I suppose it may be for them," Rias said. "It seems that I've forgotten that what could be considered normal for us may be odd to them. Polyamory is a rather common practice amongst Devils. It's honestly much more rare for Devils to be in a monogamous relationship." Her brother immediately came to mind.

"SERIOUSLY!?"

"This must be quite the shock to you both," Akeno said, a small teasing grin on her face. "But I think you should look on the bright side, especially you Asia. This way, you and Ochako won't have to fight over our cute little Deku." She had to hold back her laughter as she saw them both begin blushing heavily. She had to hold it back even more when she saw Asia grab hold of Izuku's arm, holding it against her chest while pouting.

"I think that should be up to them," Yumi spoke up, holding back a giggle of her own at Asia's possessive behavior.

"That's for the best," Satoshi pointed out, grabbing their attention. "The only reason the six of us are all together was because we all agreed on it."

"He raises a good point," Rias said. "My father is part of such a relationship himself. All of his partners agreed to it, including my mother."

Izuku felt like he had been thrown for an absolute loop. This seriously was normal for Devils? They could have multiple partners? And why did Akeno mention Asia and Ochako?

He could feel Asia holding his arm close to her, even having it buried between her chest. Just what did Akeno mean by that? Asia? And Ochako? Could they…?

"Would you die for me?"

No. No, of course not. He already knew better. Akeno was just teasing them again.

"You know," Serena's voice broke through once more. "As fun as teasing them might be, I'm sorry to say that we're almost out of time. We may not have enough time to find your friend his Familiar."

"Sorry about that," Satoshi said. If only he and Serena hadn't accidentally led them to Slime territory.

"It's okay," Izuku said as he slithered his arm out of Asia's grip, eyeing Raizuku all the while just in case he felt like zapping him again.

"Are you really sure Izu?" Rias asked before grinning wildly at him. "You could still try and catch Tiamat. I kind of like the idea of you having a Dragon King as a Familiar."

"Please stop," he pleaded as he heard her begin giggling, a sentiment quickly shared by almost the entirety of the peerage.

"Are you really sure Izuku?" Asia asked, one of the two not giggling at Rias' attempt at humor, the other being Koneko. Raizuku was lying content around her shoulder. "We may still be able to find one for you."

Izuku just smiled. "It's okay. Really. You were able to get one Asia. That's enough for m…"

His words were cut off as he was tackled to the ground. The shocked voices of his fellow peerage members was lost to him as he gazed at the weight that now pinned him to the ground.

There, staring down at him and panting, was what looked like a large, pure white canine. And it was quite large, the size of a full grown wolf. Its white fur glistened in the moonlight, looking beautiful and serene. What drew his attention most though, were its eyes. They were pure black. No other color seemed to exist in them. And while that should have been off-putting, they somehow seemed to glow with a strange warmth. He wasn't really sure how else to explain.

Nor did he think he would be able to, judging by how quickly Rias had stepped to his side, her hand held up and charged with her destructive energy.

"Get off of him or I'll force you," she growled out.

The wolf paid her no attention, simply staring into Izuku's eyes while they continued panting. After what felt like several minutes, though it may not have been that long, the wolf(?) finally got off of him.

"What is that?" Asia asked, her Sacred Gear out to heal whatever injuries Izuku may have had while Raizuku kept his eyes on the wolf(?).

"I…don't know," Satoshi said, much to everyone's surprise. "Seriously, I've never seen this one before. I have no clue what it could be." Both Kasumi and Serena stood by his side, equally baffled by this strange wolf(?).

Many creatures have found their way into the forest over the years. Some merely by accident, some seeking a place of refuge. Many times, he had found an animal from the human world having wandered in somehow, making sure to nurse them back to health before sending them back home. But in all his years of living here, he had never seen this, a wolf such as this, with fur so white and eyes so black, he had never once gazed upon such a creature before. He wasn't even sure if it was a wolf.

"Do you think it's possible for Izuku to make it his Familiar?" Yumi asked, her eyebrow quirked as she gripped her blade, having instinctively summoned it when she saw her friend tackled to the ground.

"It…may be possible, but I'm not sure," Kasumi said, sounding dumbfounded. "We've been in this forest for a long time now, and this is the first we've ever seen this one before."

While hesitant, the peerage ultimately decided that Izuku should give it a try if he wanted to.

He stood before the wolf(?), Rias at his side as he began the ceremony. He felt his anxiety begin to rise again, unsure if he would even be able to bond this creature to him. If the masters of this forest didn't know what it was, then how could he bind it to him?

Regardless, he decided to try and see it through. Speaking as confidently as he could, Izuku recited the words of the ceremony.

"I-in m-my name as M-midoriya Izuku! I…I order you! Y-you s-shall become m-my Familiar, and r-respond to my c-contract!"

Truly, one could not find someone more confident in themselves at that very moment.

Everyone watched as the green circle formed around the wolf(?), who didn't seem to react at all to it. Everyone felt apprehensive as they watched the circle begin to shift and warp, looking like it was becoming unstable.

Eventually, the circle began to fade, just as it did around Raizuku. As it dissipated, the wolf(?) reared back happily, their tail wagging in pure joy.

"Well," Satoshi began. "I suppose that settles that. This…wolf(?) is now your Familiar kid. Congratulations."

"Thanks?" Izuku said hesitantly. He was still slightly unsure about all this. If the three of them, people, or Devils actually, who had lived here for years, possibly decades, had never seen this creature before, then just what could he expect?

"Though, if you can," Satoshi began, leaning down to Izuku as he kept his eye on the wolf(?), who had begun trotting around the peerage. "Maybe you could let us know more about them whenever you can. We'll try and do the same on our side. We need to know as much as we can about them." Izuku nodded in response.

"Her," Yumi said, drawing their attention. She had begun stroking the wolf's(?) fur, the creature reacting with the energy of a young pup. "I decided to check. She's female."

"That's fine," Koneko's voice rang out. She had been rather silent ever since the wolf(?) had appeared, and when Izuku scanned around for her, she was nowhere in sight. "Just be sure to keep her away from me."

Her voice had come from above, everyone now seeing that she had climbed a tree without any of them hearing her. The wolf(?) then made her way over to the tree she had climbed, pawing at it with her large paws as she appeared to try and coax the smaller girl down.

"She's so cute," Akeno said, making her way over to the wolf(?) before reaching over to scratch at her ears. Koneko had been forgotten by her as she reacted to the scratches, her tail wagging faster now than it had done before.

"I think we can call this a rather successful evening then," Rias said with a smile, watching as Asia had gone over to the wolf(?) to start petting her. "Now each member of my cute little peerage has a Familiar to call their own. Thank you very much Master Satoshi."

"No problem at all Lady Gremory," he responded, Serena and Kasumi by his side. "You all take care, and let us know more about her whenever you can!"

"I think that can be arranged," she responded with a grin, watching as the wolf ran over to Izuku, bolting around him with great energy before jumping up and locking at his face, making him laugh. It was such a wonderful sound to her ears.

---

The arcane circle in the center of the room glowed with a brilliant light as the Gremory peerage stepped back through, having arrived back in their home dimension.

"There's one final thing we should do before heading home for the night," Rias said, grabbing everyone's attention.

"What's that?" Izuku asked, his new Familiar by his side tilting her head in confusion.

"Asia named her Familiar. Shouldn't you do the same?"

She did have a point. Asia had named her Familiar almost instantly, whereas he hadn't even thought of it, too surprised at the time for it to even come to mind.

But what would he call her? There were tons of names that came to mind, but he wasn't sure if any of them really felt right.

Wolf Might? She-Wolf? Dog-Might? Mighty Dog? The Wolf Wonder?

"Um…could you guys help me with that?"

Rias gave a small grin as she put her hand to her chin in thought, the rest of the peerage following her.

"How about Tomoe?" Akeno suggested. "Like the ancient warrior?"

Izuku thought it over. That name could work, but maybe he should ask his Familiar. It would be her name after all.

"Would that work? Tomoe?" He asked.

Much to the surprise of the entire peerage, the wolf(?) shook her head negatively.

It looked like she had quite a bit of intelligence. Something to note to Satoshi.

"How about Maria?" Asia suggested to the canine Familiar. "That was the name of Jesus' mother in the scripture. Her holy light matches your fur. "

Again, she shook her head negatively.

"Mutt," Koneko said dryly.

She received a deadpan stare in response.

"Ōkami?" Yumi brought up.

"Doesn't that just mean wolf?" Izuku asked.

"Yes?" She didn't seem to see any issue with it.

Again, the canine shook her head. She seemed to be smiling though, as much as any wolf(?) could at least.

"How about Amako?" Rias suggested. "I feel like that may capture you just a bit more."

This time, the canine's tail began wagging again, looking infinitely more pleased by the offered name.

"I guess that settles it then," Rias said as she grinned. "Welcome to the team Amako."

The newly christened Amako began running around the club room excitedly passing by each member of the peerage with the energy of a dog half her size. She seemed to circle around Koneko and Izuku the most, much to the smaller girl's consternation and the boy's apparent glee.

While slightly apprehensive before, Izuku found himself more and more welcoming to the thought of this wolf(?) being his Familiar, regardless of her initially coming from essentially out of nowhere. He found himself smiling more and more as she chased herself around him, stopping at his side to allow him to stroke her fur before running around the room again, this time with Raizuku beginning to fly after her, the two apparently wanting to play.

He also felt something strange somewhere within him. Like he felt a sense of familiarity with Amako. He had no idea why. This was the first time he had ever seen a wolf(?) at all, let alone one her size.

It had been a fleeting feeling, one that passed as soon as he felt it, so he paid it little mind. For now, he could just enjoy the company of his new Familiar alongside his friends, and that mattered far more than anything.

---

Here's the preview!

Yumi:Your new Familiar is really adorable Izuku.

Izuku:Yumi? What are you doing here?

Yumi:I was next in line for the Next Chapter Preview. I hope that's alright.

Izuku:Life continues on as we all go about our days as Devils, but Rias is about to ask me something I never expected.

Yumi:Izuku? You look nervous. It's not…it's not about what happened in the forest, is it?

Izuku:What? No! That's not it!

Next time:To Make A Choice

Izuku:I don't know what to do. Should I really…

Yumi:Go beyond!

Both:PLUS ULTRA!

---

This came out a bit later than I wanted it to. There are several reasons.

Reason the first. Final Fantasy 16 came out, and as I mentioned with Tears Of The Kingdom, I am not great at doling out time for other things when a new game I wanted comes around.

Reason the second. I had to rewrite a few parts, mainly the Slime encounter. My first go was…not good. At all. It did not come out how I wanted and felt a bit too…I guess skeevy is a good word for it. I feel like what I ultimately put here works a lot better, even if it's mainly played a bit more for laughs.

Speaking of, Izuku getting the Slime treatment. I want to give plenty of opportunities for the women of the group to get a good look at him as much as he will at them. Equality! Though full credit will go to Bens6757 on Ao3 for suggesting he be hit by the Slimes, because I stupidly did not think of that.

Speaking of stupidly not thinking things through, I want to address what I presented in the last chapter, about Devils and other supernatural creatures and whether or not they can get quirks. I only thought about this days after posting, but how could Izuku get One For All if Devils can't get quirks? I decided to address that here, even if only somewhat off-handedly. Basically, because he was born human, he still has that quirk factor, even if he never developed one, and because of that, he can still be given One For All.

Also, no supernatural being, be they Devil, Angel, Fallen Angel, or otherwise can even be given a quirk, so AFO can't just hand one to them unless they're of human blood. A half-blood if you will. You'll see more later on.

Also, we got introduced to the entirety of Sona's peerage, including everyone's favorite MHA tomboy. Yup, decided from the start to make her part of Sona's peerage. Hell, even when I had Ochako be part of Rias', Itsuka was still there, being the one to slap sense into Saji back before I wrote him out of existence for this fic. And yes, she's worth three Pawns and has a Sacred Gear of her own. We'll see it soon, even sooner than you think. Though I don't feel like I've captured her personality that well, same for most of the rest of Sona's peerage, if only for lacking a ton of knowledge about them. I will try and rectify that for their future appearances.

And of course, Izuku got a Familiar here, breaking from canon once again. Who is this white wolf? Why does she seem familiar to Izuku? Why didn't Satoshi or the others ever see her before?

We'll find out someday.

Also, yes. Satoshi is the one from Pokémon. I originally jotted the idea down several months before they announced that they were retiring him as the protagonist of the anime. I figured since the Familiar Master was a parody of him, why not just roll with it and make him the DxD version of Satoshi? And give him the love interests he gets saddled with too, just to put the notion of a polyamorous relationship in their heads for the future.

Don't expect any of them to make a whole lot of appearances in the future. They're not main characters. I'd hesitate to even call them side characters

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Never forget that you are all the reason I keep writing. Leave a review, a favorite, whatever you decide. I like reading your comments on this.

And always remember, be good and be kind. To everyone.