Hello sir. It's been some time, hasn't it? Winter's chill is already starting to approach, so I hope this letter finds you well sir. In both good health and even better spirits.
I'm certain you still remember my talks about finding a successor, someone who would be worthy of inheriting the power that was once passed down to me. My original plan was to apply to U.A. as a teacher, and see just which hero hopeful could match the lofty goals you once did.
I never once would have guessed that I would find someone before then, let alone a young man that reminded me so much of myself.
He may have been quirkless, but he had proven to me that he was capable of great courage even against the most insurmountable of odds, all to save a single person. He rushed into a dangerous situation, one that had not only other pro heroes, but even myself hesitant to interfere. Watching him that day, it reminded me of why I sought out being a hero so long ago. The virtues I need to embody if I'm to keep calling myself a pro hero, let alone the Symbol Of Peace.
When I brought up One For All to him, he didn't even hesitate to accept it, and I have been putting him through rigorous training to make certain that he will be a worthy vessel for such a power, and while it took a bit of time, he not only matched my expectations, but even managed to surpass them.
But, I'm afraid that I've contacted you for more than just what's been going on with my life since we last spoke.
In the midst of his training, my pupil had managed to find himself entangled in a world I didn't want him to be a part of yet. It was simply too soon for him to know about any of it.
And yet…
This boy continues to surprise me. Despite being thrust into something so overwhelming, he seems to not only be adapting to it, but even thriving within it. I've no doubt that it's mostly thanks to the new friends that he has made, but the more I see him grow, the more I see that he is going to be something truly special.
It makes me wonder sometimes, if the two of you once saw the same in me.
Now though, I'm afraid that he's being forced into something he's not ready for. I've tried my hardest to instruct him, but his time is limited now before he'll be forced into combat against someone far beyond his level, and I'm afraid that I need your help, my old teacher.
The diminutive man continued reading the letter, his meal left forgotten as his former student went into detail. His eyes narrowed as it became more and more clear just what this young boy had gotten himself into.
He let out a sigh as he sat up, shuffling his way through the small apartment that he had called home for some time, his gaze locked with the snow white owl that had delivered the letter to him.
"He sounds just like you," the man said, feeling his age as he briefly began to reminisce to times long since past. Despite that however, a grin made its way to his face, a short bark of laughter escaping his throat as it did so. "Guess it only makes sense."
(Earlier that same day)
"Izuku."
"I'm sorry."
Her words had been ringing inside his head ever since she had vanished from his room. Nothing he had done had gotten them to leave his mind, leaving him to ruminate on them throughout not only the entirety of the night, but even long into the day.
And not just her words, but her actions as well. He could still feel her supple flesh in his hand, the sensation he felt when she placed his hand around her heart, the harsh beating matching his own. How his anxiety built up more and more as she continued trying to convince him to take her then and there.
Before those other words were spoken. Ones that also kept repeating themselves no matter what he did.
'I can't stop! I can't! JUST LET ME DO THIS IZUKU! I ORDER YOU!'
He still wasn't sure what he felt after that. Things seemed to happen all too quickly after that, and before he knew it, she had left, the only sign of her being there at all being her teardrops on the floor.
Even now, he couldn't help but shiver at the thought of Rias going through with ordering him to do something like that. And it wasn't that he didn't like her. He did. She had been a great friend to him for over half a year, letting him know so much about this world he had been forced into, helping him reach his goal of not only attaining One For All, but to make it into U.A. at all. There had been multiple times where the two of them would simply talk to each other, and he felt like hours could have passed by without him noticing. He simply enjoyed being around her.
If it wasn't for her, he might never have met Yumi, Koneko, Akeno, Ochako, or even Asia at all.
All of them had become people very dear to him, especially her, but now? He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what he would say to her the next time he saw her.
"Izuku? Are you sure you're alright?"
And he could tell that Asia had noticed his struggles, even if he was hesitant to talk about it. No assurances he could give her would convince her at all, he knew it, but he just had to tell her that he was fine.
He hated that he had to lie to her, but…before he could talk to her, to anyone about it, he knew he needed to speak with Rias again.
But, would she even want to talk with him?
He saw how she had reacted to her own words. The way her eyes had widened with her tears flowing had told him that she had regretted what she said.
But why?
Why did she do it in the first place?
Did it have anything to do with what had been bothering her for a while?
He needed to know.
"Oh! Izuku, Asia! Over here!"
When he heard Yumi call both him and Asia over, he wondered if he could get that chance.
He steeled himself as he heard Yumi begin to speak. He wasn't sure yet if he was ready to face Rias after what had happened, but he knew he had to. There was no other option.
By the time school ended, the three had found themselves making their way over to the club building. Yumi had let the two of them know that they had all needed to report to the club building after school without delay. Like them, she was completely in the dark about what it could be about.
"Do you think it has something to do with her family?" Asia asked as they made their way through the building.
"I'm not sure," Yumi replied, her face lightly scrunched in confusion. "If it was something as simple as that, I'm sure she would have told us. Or at least Akeno. She's been Rias' right hand for a while now, but she didn't seem to know last I asked."
He had kept quiet the whole way over, something that hadn't been missed by either girl. Yumi had asked him if he was alright, with his only response being the same one he had given to Asia earlier. It was clear that she didn't believe him either, though she had decided not to pry.
In the meantime though, he had been fighting as hard as he could to keep his heartbeat steady. It almost felt like the entirety of One For All was flowing through it right now at the rate it was going. Not only that, but he had made sure to lag behind the two girls, hoping that they wouldn't see his nervous sweating, or the way his body was shivering.
His mind knew he needed to see Rias again, but every other part of him seemed to be screaming at her to run away. That what had happened before would happen again, even though he knew it wouldn't.
Yet still, he persisted.
He had to.
As the trio finally began to approach the door, Yumi stopped dead in her tracks, a chill running up her spine as her eyes began to widen. "...it's her!"
Before the others could even blink, she had either through the door ahead of them, making them chase after her, worry in their hearts. At that moment, all of his fears and anxieties about Rias were forgotten.
If she was in danger…
By the time he and Asia had burst into the room, Yumi had already moved close to the room's center, her eyes locked on her target.
To his surprise, it was the same woman he had seen last night. Grayfia.
And she wasn't the only surprise to be found. There, seated by Rias' side on one of the sofas, was Sona, who looked to have been speaking with her before their arrival. Akeno had placed herself on her King's other side, but was standing tall instead of sitting. And while she seemed to wear the smile he had seen so many times before, there was a coldness to it, one that promised torment on the first soul unfortunate enough to cross her.
And finally, Koneko had seated herself on the sofa in the room's corner. She held a bag of snacks in her hand, but the bag had remained unopened. She locked eyes with the two as they entered the room before moving them back over to Rias, her focus set on her King.
"...you made it," Rias began, her voice slightly hesitant as her eyes scanned over them, briefly locking onto Izuku's before looking away in shame, something that didn't go unnoticed by a single person.
"It's good to see everyone here," Grayfia began, every bit as composed as she had been the night before. "Especially you Midoriya Izuku. We did not get much of a chance to speak previously."
"You know this woman Izuku?" Asia asked, confusion on her face that matched everyone else in the room, save for Rias.
Rias.
He thought he would be ready to see her again, even as nervous as he was. He thought that he would be able to power through his fears and anxiety, as he had done before when she had been involved. He thought he would be able to look her in the eye so that the two of them could talk.
But he hadn't once thought about whether she would be able to.
She looked like a mess. The prim and proper appearance he had been so used to seeing on her was absent. Her hair was in shambles, despite obvious attempts to try and tame it back into its normal shape, and her own body had begun to shake the instant she saw him, even though she had tried to hide it.
But the worst part was her eyes.
Those cyan eyes that once looked at him with warmth and compassion now looked dead to the world around them. It was clear that she hadn't gotten any sleep either judging by the bags that lay beneath them. And every so often, he would catch them moving back over to him, and for an instant, he could see the life in them that once blazed within, before they once again moved away.
She looked to be in utter misery.
And it was clear that he hadn't been the only one to notice. The atmosphere in the room, normally jovial despite the dim lighting, was now filled with both uneasy tension and worry. The looks Koneko continually sent Rias' way, the strained smile on Akeno's face, Sona's very presence, it was clear that each of them had taken notice of Rias' pain.
He could feel Asia silently gripping the edge of his sleeve, the uneasy atmosphere beginning to get to her.
"Should I explain why they were all called here my Lady?" Grayfia suggested.
"I…" Rias raised her head up high, taking one final glance at both Izuku and Asia, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever was to come. "No. I should be the one to tell them everything." She then stood up, Sona mimicking her actions as she continued to look after her oldest friend. "My apologies everyone. The reason you're all here is…"
Before another word could be spoken, a familiar sensation washed over Izuku as an arcane circle began forming before them. Though, unlike the familiar crimson glow of the Gremory Family crest, this one instead emitted an intense orange glow. As it formed, he saw a symbol he didn't recognize, looking similar to a bird of prey. He could even hear what sounded like one as its form became more solid.
"Phenex," he heard Yumi snarl out, wearing an anger on her face he hadn't seen since her battle with Freed.
Phenex?
He had heard that name before. Hadn't Rias mentioned the Phenex family as one just as old and powerful as he own?
Before he could think on it any longer, a figure began to manifest in the circle's interior, before erupting into a pillar of flame, filling the room with an intense heat. Izuku instinctively moved himself in front of Asia, hoping to shield her from the heat.
Finally, an unfamiliar man stepped out from the circle, swinging his arm to the side listlessly, the flames and heat subsiding in an instant with his action.
"Hmm…it has been some time now since Riser last visited the human realm."
He was a tall man, with short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes and garbed in a red suit. It was worn rather casually, missing its necktie and with the top buttons undone, partially exposing his chest. To Izuku, he looked like one of those men who would frequent host clubs.
"Ah, dearest Rias," he began, walking over to the crimson haired heiress. "It has been some time, but you look positively radiant."
Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the man, a fire entering her once dead eyes as he began to move toward her. "We should leave as soon as possible, my sweet. The date has already been set, all we need to do now is secure the venue."
Date? Venue? What was he talking about? Izuku felt his own eyes narrow as the unfamiliar man continued approaching her, ignoring everyone else in the room as though only the two of them mattered in any way. But when he had reached her, he had begun to entangle her arm with his own, and Izuku felt his blood begin to boil.
"...get your filthy hand away from me Riser," she said coldly, her voice low as she snatched her arm away from him.
"Just as fiery as always," the strange man said, laughing off her reaction without a care in the world.
While he still felt anger toward this stranger(apparently named Riser), especially with how he seemed to be blowing off her obvious anger toward him, he could only wonder just what this man could have done to have Rias so clearly infuriated with him. Just who was he? And why was he acting this way toward her?
"Is there a problem boy?"
Apparently he had gotten lost in his thoughts again, with the older man, Riser, speaking up when he had noticed Izuku staring. Hecould see the man's eyes looking over him as his nose began to wrinkle, like he was nothing more than trash left on the side of the road.
He certainly wasn't the first to do so of course. He'd had to deal with Yukiharu looking at him that way for years.
But right here, for some reason, it seemed to upset him more than it ever had before.
"Rias, your servant has been sending evil eyes in Riser's direction for some time now. Perhaps you should assert your authority over him and let him know his place."
If Rias had looked merely annoyed before, she now had a look of pure rage on her face, looking ready to snarl in fury at Riser.
"His name is Midoriya Izuku! He may be my Pawn, but you will show him respect while you are in my presence. Is that understood, Riser?"
"There you go again my dear," Riser said, his eyes closed while brushing her off like her comments meant nothing to him. "Surely you've realized by now that, as servants, they are meant only to serve their betters? They should follow your orders without question, and without complaint."
With his eyes closed as they were, he was unable to notice the combined looks of guilt and shame that took over Rias' face. Though no one else could, especially with how all attention had been centered on them.
"That's enough!" No one was more surprised by Izuku's cry than himself, but he couldn't stop himself now even if he wanted to. This Riser guy, whoever he was, was not only hurting Rias, but also mocking everyone else in the room. "Who are you anyway? And what do you want?"
"Oh? You mean she hasn't told you?" Riser's attention had been grabbed by Izuku once more, though there was a tone of mockery as he spoke. "Does Rias think so little of her servants that she hasn't seen fit to tell you about Riser? I almost thought there wasn't a Devil alive who didn't know my name. But then again, you were reborn as one, weren't you?"
"Enough Riser," Rias snarled, her every button seeming to get pushed by Riser's comments. "This may come as a surprise to you, but you simply weren't worth talking about."
"Ha!" Riser barked out amusedly. "Still as bitter as before I see. Well, soon all of that will be a thing of the past."
"Enough of this Riser," Sona spoke up, her own eyes narrowed at the man. "You are currently a guest in our territory, and you will show us the proper respect that is owed."
"Hm. Very well," he shrugged with a smug grin, taking a seat on the nearest sofa.
"Midoriya Izuku. Asia Argento," Grayfia began, startling the two.
"Yeah?/Um, y-es?"
"My apologies, but I do believe that an introduction is in order," she said, gesturing toward the smirking Riser. "This man is Lord Riser Phenex. He is the third son of the distinguished house of Phenex, one of the families that make up the seventy-two pillars."
Phenex?
That was what Yumi had whispered when she saw the arcane circle appear. He hadn't known what she meant then, but now he did. He remembered Rias talking about several of the different families making up the seventy-two pillars. Bael, Astaroth, Sitri, Gremory, Phenex. She hadn't spent much time on each of them, mainly giving him the basics, and he never once heard her talk about being familiar with the Phenex family.
So just why was he here?
"And he is also Lady Rias' fiancé."
F-
Fi-
'FIANCÉ!?' Izuku and Asia simultaneously screamed out in their minds.
"Indeed," Riser spoke, his smug smirk having not once left his face. "Now, if you don't mind, Riser is here to have some words with his-"
Whatever he had been about to say was interrupted by the sound of charging footsteps racing toward the door, grabbing everyone's attention. Everyone, save for Grafia and Riser, waited with baited breath to see who or what would come barreling through the door.
Only to see a panting Ochako nearly breaking it down.
"I'm…I'm…I'm so sorry!" She wheezed out, gasping heavily as she desperately gulped in some much needed air, sweat dripping from her face and even clinging to her school uniform. "I had to stay after class, and I missed the train. I hope I'm not…too…late…?"
After finally catching her breath, she looked around the room to see everyone looking at her rather perplexed. All save for Sona, who was looking at her disappointedly. Her cheeks became flushed as she locked eyes with her King, rubbing the back of her head as she looked around to see what she had missed.
When finally catching sight of both Grayfia and Riser, she then adopted a perplexed look of her own.
"What's with the maid and the stiff in the suit?"
Her question was innocent as it was bluntly, genuine confusion in her tone. And she only became more confused when she saw everyone's reaction to her question.
Rias, who had been scowling since Riser's arrival, now had a mirthful grin on her face, holding back a bark of laughter. Yumi and Akeno both looked shocked before hiding their mouths behind their hands, hoping their giggling would go unheard. Koneko didn't hold back at all, snorting in amusement at what she heard, while Asia yelped out in surprise at her friend's comment. Izuku meanwhile, hard as he tried, was unable to hold back a snort of his own, hastily covering his own mouth before he would break out laughing.
Grayfia seemed unfazed by the girl's comment, but Riser, for the first time since his arrival, had dropped the smile from his face, now sporting a rather nasty frown as he glared at the girl.
"I assume this rude one is also one of yours my dear?"
"Actually, she's one of mine," Sona told him, staring him down. "And after she apologizes, you will show her the proper respect that you would show us," she finished, sending a knowing look toward Ochako.
"I'm sorry," Ochako said with a bow. She still had no idea what was going on, nor who the guy she had inadvertently insulted was, but she didn't want to make a further mess for Sona. "But, um, who are you?"
"This is truly an excellent tea," Riser complimented as he set his cup down, his eyes now locked onto Akeno. "As expected from Riser's bride-to-be's Queen. Riser looks forward to enjoying more of it in the future."
"My pleasure," Akeno responded, wearing the same smile she usually did, though without the warmth that usually accompanied it.
By now, everyone else had been seated and served their own cup, Ochako's reaction to discovering the man she had insulted being Rias' fiancé all but forgotten. Asia had asked why Ochako was even here as she sat next to her, the other girl replying that she wasn't exactly sure as to why, only that Sona had invited her there with Rias' permission.
The rest of the room had been rather silent otherwise, as Riser had all but forced Rias to be seated next to him, away from the others. He was either unaware or completely uncaring about the look of death he was being sent by Yumi the entire time, nor the occasional cold glare he would receive from Koneko.
Both Sona as well as Akeno had done their best to remain as polite as possible, but it was clear that neither of them were particularly happy with Riser's presence.
Izuku meanwhile could only stare at the two high-class Devils, his mind racing as he tried his hardest to keep his face neutral. For as long as he had known her, Rias had never once mentioned having a fiancé, never even alluding to the fact that she was even engaged at all. Quite honestly, the way she had acted with him before she had started closing herself off made it seem like such a fact didn't even exist at all.
Especially those two times she had slept next to him completely naked. He had to fight even harder to keep his blush hidden from sight at the thought. Those were not the actions of an engaged woman, at least as far as he knew.
Even now, as she sat beside her fiancé, who continuously tried wrapping his arm around her shoulder, stroking her hair, grasping at her arm or hand, all while she constantly tried brushing him off, made it abundantly clear to him that she wanted nothing to do with this engagement.
He couldn't help but wonder. Was that why…?
"I told you to cut it out!"Rias' furious voice echoed throughout the room, breaking him free of his rambling thoughts.
When he brought his head up to look, he could see Rias trying to get to her feet, but Riser had gripped her by the arm, stopping her ascent.
"Now now dearest Rias," Riser said, his smug smile returning. "Is that any way to treat your future husband?"
Rias' glare was ice cold, looking like it could freeze the entire room. "How many times do I need to explain it to you before it finally sinks in!? I will never take you as my husband!"
"You have certainly mentioned it before, but that simply isn't how it works. You should know that already," Riser explained, his voice becoming more serious as he pulled her back down to the sofa. "You are aware of how serious this situation is, are you not?"
"Of course I am! But, as heir of the Gremory Family, it should be my decision on who I should marry, no one else's! And quite honestly, you shouldn't even be here in the first place! My father, my brother, along with everyone else allowed me to spend my time freely until I would graduate from U.A.!"
"Yes, you are essentially free, free to finish your schooling as you please, or to cavort around with your servants, but that hasn't stopped any of the elder members of both of our families from worrying more and more, especially those on your own. They fear that your bloodline will soon face extinction, just as many of the old Devil families have. Many of the seventy-two pillars of old are no more thanks to the war, and even now we remain at odds with both the Fallen Angels as well as the forces of God. Many once promising members of high-ranking families have met their end in pointless skirmishes, just as you could have mere months ago. With all of that in mind, doesn't it only make sense for two pure-blooded high-class Devils to get together? Surely you realize how important the children of such a union would become."
The entire time he had spoken, Rias had remained silent, only flinching at the mention of the battle at the abandoned church, and she wasn't alone. Izuku could remember just how lucky they had been that their battle with Raynare had been all but ignored by the rest of the Fallen Angels, or they would have retaliated without mercy.
Nevertheless, her eyes had remained stern, never once taking them away from Riser.
Undaunted by the look in her eyes, Riser continued speaking after another sip of tea. "This new age of Devils we have entered, those reincarnated from humans like many of your servants, look to be leaving us all behind. What will happen to all of us? The pure-blooded? The old guard? Sure, there are families that have found significantly powerful reincarnated Devils, and that may work for them, but that still leaves us. We cannot simply be allowed to die out. That is why the two of us were chosen. I have two older brothers, so my bloodline can still survive, but what of yours? You only have one sibling, and he has left your house entirely. That only leaves you to carry on the name of Gremory. If you were to stay unwed, your family's lineage would die out. Is that truly how you want their story to end? Our union is about the future of our race Rias."
So. That was it then.
Izuku remembered Rias' lessons about the many old families that once made up the seventy-two pillars, and how many of them had died out. She had been rather vague about just how many didn't exist anymore, but he had always wondered how many outside of her own, as well as Sona's, truly remained.
If the truth was really that so few were still left, then it was a much more dire situation than he had once thought.
Still, what about Rias? Did she even want this? Was this why she did what she did? He still didn't know for sure.
Rias kept her eyes trained on Riser the entire time he spoke, only taking them away once, only to glance at Izuku again. In that brief time their eyes made contact, he could see that his words had clearly held weight with her, but not once had the fire left her eyes.
"I have no intention of letting my family die out, and when the time comes, I will take a husband."
Riser's grin broke out into a more broad smile at her declaration. "It was only a matter of time before you were brought to your senses. Now, let us…"
"But it will not be you," she interrupted. "Even as the heiress of an old waning lineage, I will reserve the right to marry someone of MY choosing. Someone who I deem appropriate."
Riser's once broad smile had morphed itself into a frosty glare of his own, his tongue clicking in annoyance. "You would dare to assume that Riser is unworthy of you?"
"I would," she responded, unintimidated by his glare. "It is not an assumption either, merely a statement of fact."
Riser's once icy glare now had a fire in it that matched Rias'. "You should know better than to insult someone of higher standing than that. Now either you rescind your comment or…!"
"Grrrrrr!"
Before he could finish his threat, the sound of an intense growl made itself known, startling everyone in the room save for Grayfia. There, standing next to the sofa where Riser and Rias sat, was Amako, having spontaneously appeared when no one had noticed.
"Amako!?" Izuku cried out, more stunned than anyone else at his Familiar's presence. When did she get here? How had she gotten here? She had never just appeared in the club room before.
"You know this beast peasant?" Riser asked, his grip on Rias having finally loosened enough for her to slip away from.
"Y-yeah. She's my F-familiar."
He inwardly winced at the sound of his stutter returning. This wasn't the time or place for it!
"Is that so? Then you should be able to keep it under control. And tell it to cease its incessant growling," Riser said, his sour mood having been made worse by Amako's growls.
"Hey! Don't talk bad about her!" Ochako yelled as she made her way over to the white wolf, her arms wrapped around her protectively. "She's only acting like this because of you and the way you're talking to Rias, you jerk!"
"Riser will not be talked back to by a lowly reincarnated Pawn!" He screamed before turning back to face Rias, earning the ire of not only Sona, but the rest of the room as well, Izuku unknowingly baring his teeth at the man's words as the rest glared at him, Akeno having long since dropped her smile.
"You and yours should realize that I carry the name of the House of Phenex on my shoulders. And that name carries more than simple political power. I will not let you, not any of these mongrels dragging my name through the dirt," he said, his voice becoming more and more cold as a strange heat seemed to emit from his body. "Do you think Riser desired to visit this shabby little hovel here in the human realm? The wind and fire here make me sick. For one such as myself, it feels like an insult."
Before anyone could react, a funnel of flame began circling Riser's body, the heat coalescing around the room with an air of malevolence and hostility, with a pressure being felt all around the room.
"If it comes down to it, I will drag you down to the Underworld myself, and I will reduce all of your servants to ash, including that mangy mutt."
Izuku, Ochako, and Asia felt it the worst of everyone, shaking in place at not only the power Riser was emitting, but the sheer pressure that came with it. Izuku could feel his hair standing on end as he shook in place, Asia now gripping his arm as she too quivered, shaking in abject fear. This feeling was one that was familiar to them both, a sense of unease and dread that took them back to when they had faced off with Raynare.
Only this was worse. Much worse.
Ochako shook as she held onto Amako, her own unease palpable as she watched the flames circling around Riser beginning to grow more intense. If it hadn't been for Sona, who had rushed to her side the instant Riser had summoned his fire, the poor girl would have a death grip on the still growling Amako.
Akeno, Yumi, and Koneko had immediately stood tall once Riser had made his intentions clear, the three gathering around both Izuku and Asia in a heartbeat. None of them were shaking, ready to defend their friends should Riser make due on his threat.
Rias, meanwhile, had not taken Riser's threat lightly in the slightest, an aura of pure power emanating from her as well, its black and red energy circling her as intensely as the flames around Riser.
Both Devils were blazing with their respective powers, permeating the room with more pressure that was almost enough to bring Izuku to his knees. He wasn't even that close to Riser at the moment, but he could already tell that the man's flames rivaled the Endeavor's own. It was clear that, if he truly desired, he could reduce them to little more than cinders before they would even realize it.
And even as Rias' own power of Destruction met it head to head, it almost appeared to struggle to truly match the intensity of the flames.
Rias was strong, Izuku had no doubt about that, but Riser seemed to be even stronger. He felt his very heart begin to sink at the thought.
Even as Riser's power began to intensify, spreading around him like the wings of an actual phoenix, only one person in the room looked to be completely unbothered by such a show of strength.
And that was Grayfia.
"Lady Rias, Lord Riser," Grayfia's voice called out, never once rising in volume, but still able to be heard through the energy's swirling about. "Please calm yourselves. If the two of you keep this up, I will have to intervene. And I assure you, in both Lord Sirzechs' name and honor, I will not hold back."
Her voice had remained quiet, but had an air of intensity that seemed to shake both Rias as well as Riser. Both began receding their powers, wary of the silver haired woman's threat.
Riser let out a deep sigh as the fires subsided, shaking his head with a nonplussed expression. "I'd rather not get on the wrong side of the woman lauded as the strongest Queen alive. Getting into a quarrel with any of the monsters Lord Sirzechs has in his peerage would be in no one's best interest."
'The strongest Queen alive?' Izuku thought to himself, gulping down a gasp of air after the powers in the room finally died down. He never would have expected her to hold a title like that. And she had managed to stop the two of them without even raising her voice, the two high-class Devils obeying her without an ounce of hesitation. Her presence alone was enough to avert disaster.
In a strange way, it reminded him of All Might.
"Both Lord Sirzechs and the heads of the House of Phenex had a feeling that it would come to this," Grayfia continued once the conflict started to wane. "Although they had hoped that this would be the final discussion, they had devised an alternative solution to break this stalemate we've found ourselves at."
"Grayfia," Rias began, looking surprised. "Are you suggesting…?"
"I am. All of this could be resolved through the Rating Game."
A Rating Game.
It had been mentioned to him before, if mostly in passing. A battle between two peerages in a life-sized game of chess, one which had great meaning to Devils and their society, even able to affect their standing.
Was it really going to come down to that?
"As I'm sure you're both already aware however, only those who have reached the age of maturity are allowed to legally participate in such an event, which would ordinarily bar Lady Rias from entering one. However, unofficial Rating Games can still be held…"
"...When two families are in dispute," Rias finished, her head hanging low. "Is this my punishment? To have no control over my own life? Constantly muddled with by my own family"
Her punishment? Izuku's eyes began to widen the more he focused on that. Was she talking about last night?
"Do you refuse then, Lady Rias?"
Rias froze at Grayfia's question, looking contemplative as she weighed her options in her mind. Given the way her eyes began to narrow, he wondered if she was actually going to refuse. As if this was truly a punishment she deserved.
"I say we do it."
As far as he was concerned though, there was no other option.
Every eye in the room was on him now, and he could feel his anxieties creeping back up his spine. Ordinarily, he would be kicking himself right now for his mouth moving faster than his mind could, but for her and now, both were in tune with one another. And even then, he had already spoken up. He couldn't back down now.
"This is not your decision to make, peasant," Riser said, disdain clear in his voice. "This is a discussion between Kings. Now be a proper Pawn, and sit back and wait for orders."
"Actually, I agree with him," Akeno interrupted, flashing a light smile Izuku's way. "It's rather clear that we won't be coming to any actual resolution outside of it, so if it should come down to a choice between spinning our wheels or meeting on the field of battle, then I wholeheartedly approve of Deku's declaration."
"Akeno…" Rias whispered out, clearly taken by surprise with not only her words, but also Izuku's.
'Is he really willing to fight for me? Even with what I tried to do to him?'
She had known for half a year now that he was the kind of person who would fight tooth and nail for someone if he needed to, she had seen it in action with her own two eyes. But to see him now, speaking up for her after she had all but betrayed his trust, it felt like she was seeing that side for the first time.
And it only made the guilt curl around her heart even tighter.
She had hurt him. She didn't deserve for him to stand up for her the way he was. An unhappy life would have been the perfect punishment to make up for what she had done.
But she could see not only a fire in his eyes as she looked to him, but in the other members of her peerage as well. From Akeno to even Asia, each of them were sending her the same message.
We're here for you.
"Riser," she began, raising her head to lock eyes with him, a small grin unknowingly making its way to her face. "I've told you before to treat him with respect. Maybe, once we meet on the battlefield, I can beat some respect into you."
Riser only flashed her an amused smirk in response. "Oho? So you're willing to enter such a competition against Riser? Very well then. Riser has played this game before, several times as a matter of fact. Riser has quite the advantage over you my dear, are you truly sure that this is what you want?"
"I am. And just to let you know, we're going to crush you."
"Very well then. Should you win, our engagement shall be annulled, but once Riser wins, our wedding will be held on the spot."
"Very well then," Grayfia said, ignoring the baleful glares between the two. "I, Grayfia, hereby acknowledge the decision made by both parties. And acting as witness for this agreement, I shall be responsible for the conduct of the match. Is this fine with you both?"
"Yes."
"Let it be so."
"Then let it be done," Grayfia confirmed.
Izuku never once expected to become involved in a Rating Game so soon, especially since, as Grayfia said, they normally only allowed those mature enough to do so. But now there was going to be a battle between his friends, and Riser's team.
He only hoped that all of his training would be enough to make a difference.
Riser, however, had taken to moving his gaze back to the other members of the club room, his gaze intensifying as it reached Izuku.
"Tell me Rias. Is this really the entirety of your peerage?"
"What of it?"
Riser then let out a small chuckle, clearly finding her answer amusing. "Riser almost feels sorry for you. Out of the servants I see here, only one seems like they would be a match for any of Riser's peerage. Only your Queen, your Vestal Of Thunder, comes anywhere close."
Then, with a snap of his fingers, the arcane circle in the room's center began glowing with power once more. The same sigil as before manifested itself, filling the room with an intense light as new figures made themselves clear, before finally dying down, revealing who had come through.
Fifteen new figures now stood in the room, each of them women, each adorned in various outfits, some more revealing than others.
"As you can clearly see," Riser began to boast with a relaxed smile."Riser has a complete peerage to his name. Even if any of your own could put up a fight, you're completely outmatched my dear."
Much as he would rather not admit it, Izuku found that Riser had a point. Riser had an entire peerage at his beck and call. A full fifteen to their six. And just looking at them all, it looked like they were all more experienced than any of them.
Though, he definitely wished so many of them weren't so…underdressed. Many of them looked to be wearing what could best be described as 'festish wear'. From shorter than normal kimonos, altered school uniforms, maid outfits, and one that was basically just wearing a bikini. Did Riser have them dress like that?
Did he really only think of women like that?
The only one who didn't match the fetish wear theme was a shorter girl who looked suspiciously similar to Riser, with matching hair and eyes. Unlike what every other member of his peerage had, she was dressed in a more elegant looking purple dress.
If he didn't know any better, he would swear she was his sister.
And if his suspicions about Riser were correct, he really hoped that she wasn't.
"Oho? Rias my dear, it appears that your lowly Pawn seems unable to take his eyes away from Riser's peerage. Is that jealousy in your eyes?" Riser taunted, beginning to stroke the body of the oldest looking woman of his peerage, one with wavy purple hair and an orange looking dress with a white overcoat. "You yourself are already surrounded by visions of beauty. Are you envious of Riser's own?"
"That's disgusting," one of his peerage members stated.
"Master Riser, this boy's gross," another said, each member sending him looks of revulsion.
"Now now ladies," Riser said, consoling them without once losing his smug grin. "There's no need for this. It's only natural for such low class creatures to feel envious of their betters. Why don't we show him just how well we get along?"
Before anyone could say anything more, Riser and the purple-haired woman then began to kiss right in front of everyone, and it didn't take long for it to turn from a simple kiss into a full make-out session. Everyone could hear the woman breathing out sensual moans all the while, even wrapping one of her legs around Riser's waist as they continued.
Everyone in the room seemed appalled by Riser's actions, blatantly rubbing in just what he thought of his peerage directly in front of them, as his eyes had remained open the entire time, staring Izuku down with the same smug superiority as before. The sole exception being Asia, her face a brilliant scarlet as she watched the act before her, clearly not expecting such a thing, and it being a lot for her to bear due to her upbringing.
Once the two were done, Riser then moved on to another member of his peerage, this being one of a set of twins, her cat ears twitching once he made contact with her lips, kissing him back with the same fervor as the other woman had.
As before, he never once took his eyes off of Izuku, as though it was his way of telling him what the end result should be of a sole male in an entire group of women. As he pulled himself away from the cat girl, who let out a disappointed moan as he did so, he looked back at him again, his smirk even more belittling than before.
"This is the closeness Riser has with his servants, and the power that allows him to do this. Does Rias not dote on you the same way boy?"
His eyes focused on Izuku as they were, he missed the way Rias had winced at his words.
"Then again, Riser supposed that isn't too big of a surprise. After all," her began, his gaze moving to Asia, who had begun trembling behind Izuku upon locking eyes with the man. "Given how she seems to fish her servants out from the gutter, it really isn't that surprising."
Izuku's eyes narrowed in anger, mirroring the rest of the room's as he began clenching his fist in his ire, the Boosted Gear being summoned on pure instinct as he stood between Riser and Asia.
If he kept insinuating those kinds of things about her, then he wouldn't hold back.
"Oho? So the rumors were true then," Riser said as he took a long look at the Boosted Gear, almost seeming impressed. "Rias has managed to get the Red Dragon Emperor as her servant. Such a shame though, you don't look to be even half the wielder others were before you. You would never be able to reach Riser's level even with such a powerful Sacred Gear. Tis the fate of someone as pathetic as yourself.
"Don't talk about him like that!" Ochako's cried out, standing tall aside Amako, who had never once taken her black eyes off of Riser, glaring at him threateningly. "Deku's a far better man than you'll ever be! And he's more than just his Sacred you…you…vile roast chicken prince!"
"Roast-roast chicken!? The nerve! I will not be spoken to by a piece of low rent dirt like this!" Riser roared, his angry gaze moving over to Sona, barely even attempting to hide her smirk. "Is this how you allow your servants to behave? Without an ounce of respect for their betters?"
"Mind your tongue Riser," Sona said, her glare filling the room with an icy chill. "Your words have been more out of line than hers have been, and should you continue, you will face the ire of the entire House of Sitri."
"Feh. Such an idle threat worries Riser not. But I will not be spoken to like that by one so low class they need to beg for scraps from their betters. Especially one who has been nothing but rude since she arrived,," he said, his eyes narrowing in anger as he raised his hand, flames beginning to encircle it. "Riser will give you this one chance, apologize."
"Enough of this Riser!" Sona roared, magic swirling in her own hand, taking a liquid shape. "If you try anything, then I will take it as nothing less than a declaration of war upon my House!"
"By the honor of the Phenex Family, Riser won't hurt her, much," he said, his smug smirk trained on the now trembling Ochako, Amako standing protectively before her as her growls intensified. "And if I have to roast this flea-bitten vermin as well, then all the better."
"Don't you dare!" Izuku shouted, his Sacred Gear beginning to glow with power as he glared at Riser. At this point, it didn't matter to him if he would get punished for attacking someone from another high ranking family, nor did it matter that just feeling Riser's power just minutes ago had left him on edge. He refused to let Riser hurt any of his friends.
Before anyone could make a single move though, a large hand had encircled Riser's wrist, pulling it away from Ochako's direction and keeping it pointed at the ceiling. Upon turning to see just who had dared touch him so casually, Riser's eyes widened in astonishment, as well as a small amount of fear.
"Young man. If you don't stop here and now, it'll be more than just Miss Sitri's wrath you'll be dealing with."
All Might now stood before them all, towering over Riser with a look of scorn. Even when not dressed in his hero outfit, merely in casual wear, his very presence had brought the entire room to a halt. No one had heard him approach, no one had even noticed him enter. Save for one.
"All Might," Grayfia greeted, her own hand lowering as the magic around it began to fade. "It's been some time."
"Oh? Is that you Grayfia? It certainly has been a while. Shame we couldn't meet again under better circumstances," he greeted, his hand still encircling Riser's wrist.
"All Might? Wha-when? Why?" Izuku asked in astonishment. He definitely was not expecting him to show up here.
"Good evening Young Midoriya. If you're truly that curious, I am here thanks to a meeting I was having with the school's principal, and it ran a bit later than I expected. I rushed over once I felt Miss Gremory's and Young Phenex's powers began to clash," he said, his eyes still trained on the surprised Riser. "I was hoping I wouldn't need to intervene, but it appears that Young Phenex here was unable to learn from Grayfia's words earlier. Now my boy," he said, his grip tightening ever so slightly. "Will you finally calm down?"
Riser's eyes kept trained on All Might's, never once leaving their sights as he suppressed a slight shiver at the man's tone while the flames ceased. "I never thought I would meet All Might himself face to face," he said as he took back his wrist from the pro hero's now slackened grip. "You're a legend even in the Underworld. A human who's said to be on even footing with the Four Satans."
"Is that what they're saying about me these days? It sounds like they're giving me a bit more credit than I deserve. Regardless, it would be wise of you to try and keep your cool from here on."
"I have to agree with Sir All Might on this," Grayfia said, her eyes slightly narrowed at the now sweating Riser. "If you take one more step out of line, there will be severe consequences. Is that understood?"
"It is Lady Grayfia. My apologies," he said, turning back to face Rias and her peerage once more, with both her and Sona watching him with barely hidden contempt. "Still, Riser finds this somewhat fascinating. For someone of such low birth as your Pawn my dear, he has not only somehow managed to have obtained not only the power of the Red Dragon Emperor, but it seems even the attention of humanity's most powerful mortal. Though, it doesn't seem like it would be enough to last longer than ten seconds against Riser's servants."
"I've had enough of you bad mouthing my peerage Riser," Rias growled out, having been done with him speaking ill of everyone, especially of Izuku. He didn't deserve it. Not after what she had done.
"I'm merely suggesting that it would make for a more interesting game if your servants were to draw out more of their own abilities," he shrugged, unaffected by her clear rage towards him. "Anger and passion do your features well my sweet, but they won't lead you to victory. I've seen it time and again. No matter how much potential they have, or how massive their strength can be, many Devils have lost their first Rating Games badly simply due to not putting their tools to proper use."
"...so you're giving us a handicap then," Rias said.
"Ten days should suffice. That should give you enough time to train up your servants my dear," Riser said, beginning to turn away before sending one last look Izuku's way. "Be sure not to disgrace her, Pawn."
The arcane circle once more began to activate as Riser and his peerage moved to enter it, all save for one. The smaller blonde girl who resembled Riser still stood in place, her eyes having been locked onto All Might ever since she had noticed him.
"Ravel," Riser called as the portal began to surge with power. "We're leaving."
"O-of course! I just need, um…" the girl, apparently named Ravel, began stuttering out before moving over to All Might, a light blush on her face. She looked up at the larger than life man with a look of awe on her face before finally grabbing his attention.
"Is there something you need, Young Miss?"
"I, um…," she stammered out again, before reaching into a pocket sewn onto her dress, putting everyone on edge before revealing nothing more than a pen and paper. "Could I have your autograph, please?"
Her question had left most in the room rather stumped, especially Izuku. He certainly hadn't been expecting another Devil to be such a fan of All Might. Though, at least her reaction to seeing him hadn't been as extreme as Rias' had been.
The only one who had not reacted with stumped silence was Riser himself, who had simply brought his hand to his head with a frustrated sigh.
For his part, All Might simply stared down at the girl for a few seconds before gently reaching down to take the items from her, signing for her with little hesitation. "Here you are Miss…Ravel was it?"
"YES!" She managed to squeak out before her face went a fiery crimson. "M-my apologies for my outburst."
"Worry not Young Ravel. I've seen worse before."
"Ravel!" Riser shouted, sounding more impatient, the shorter girl following him into the portal with her new prize shield after, still blushing.
"I shall take my leave as well," Grayfia spoke as she turned to face Rias and the others. If the rather long night had affected her in any way, she didn't show it at all. "Preparations for the game need to be set up, and Lord Sirzechs will need to be informed what has transpired here tonight. I wish all of you the best of luck," she finished as she created a new arcane circle, leaving after one final goodbye to Rias.
For her part, Rias looked contemplative, the events of the last several minutes swirling through her mind faster than she would have liked. Tonight had almost been a complete disaster, and it was likely only due to Grayfia and All Might that a war between bothering families hadn't been declared. She thought that she had been able to prepare herself for this, to deal with Riser without putting her peerage in danger.
And it had all been for naught.
Now she had managed to drag her entire peerage into something that none of them were ready for, least of all her. She just seemed to keep making these mistakes, and it was beginning to tear her apart.
As she wrestled with her thoughts, Yumi and Koneko made their way over to Izuku and Asia. "You two are alright, aren't you?" Yumi asked, clearly concerned.
Izuku let out a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding. That had all certainly been an experience he hoped he wouldn't have to deal with again. "I'm alright," he answered, before turning to Asia, who had kept herself hidden behind him. "Are you okay Asia?"
"That man," she began, a tremble in her voice as she began to shake, gripping onto Izuku's arm like a lifeline. "He's horrible. Why did Rias have to get engaged to someone like him?"
"I'm sure you can tell that it wasn't by choice," Koneko said, resting her hand on Asia's shoulder to comfort her.
Sona, meanwhile, kept herself near Ochako, the girl still shaking after her confrontation with Riser. "Is everything alright Ochako?"
"No," she answered, lightly stroking Amako's fur as she did so, looking rather solemn. "Sona. Why did you ask me to be here? Why are either of us here?"
"Rias requested my presence, likely to try and ease this meeting with a friendly face. It's the same reason I asked you to come over. I had hoped that we could help to prevent tempers from flaring."
"Fat lot of help I was," she responded despondently. "I think I actually made everything worse."
"Honestly, if you hadn't said anything, it's likely someone else would have," Sona responded back, a light smirk on her face. "Riser's always needed to be taken down a peg, so don't feel bad about this."
Ochako continued to stroke Amako's fur as she took in Sona's words, still feeling disappointed in herself. Sure she had wanted to defend her friends from Riser's words, but it didn't seem like she had accomplished anything.
That guy was just so frustrating!
And who goes around talking about themselves in the third person like that? How full of himself was he?
Rias, meanwhile, had remained deathly still since Riser had left, only breaking from her thoughts once she felt Akeno's hand lightly grasping her shoulder.
"Rias. You look troubled. Did Riser's words upset you that much?"
She shook her head in response. No, most Riser's words had merely annoyed her, nothing she hadn't dealt with from him before. But his other words, about how she should be controlling her peerage, how one should have theirs dancing at their leisure, that had hurt her far more than he ever could have known.
Her mind had continued back to what she had done the night before, and just how much it had held her heart and mind in an iron grip.
She had much to think about, she knew that for sure, but for now…
"We have ten days," she announced, her voice echoing throughout the room as everyone gave her their full attention. Her eyes scanned across every member of her peerage, seeing a fire beginning to bloom in their eyes, even in Izuku's, though she could only look him in the eyes for less than a second. "In ten days time, we'll be facing Riser and his peerage. Akeno and I will procure an appropriate training ground for us, and we can start as soon as possible. Izuku, Asia, I'm afraid we'll need to pull you two from school for a while."
"We'll be fine," Izuku said, a small smile on his face as he spoke to Rias. Ever since the previous night, whatever it was that had been plaguing Rias to the point where she would try taking him in the night had been gnawing at his mind with a ravenous hunger. But now he knew. And he wouldn't…no. He couldn't back down.
He could see it clear in her eyes, even if she never said it out loud. She needed help.
And he abandon someone who needed that.
"We'll be able to make up for it," Asia agreed, her hands clenched in front of her. Final Exams would still be there once they came back after all. This was simply more important.
"I'll be sure to help the two of you if you need it," Akeno said, her smile gleaming at their words.
"We'll be sure to prepare ourselves," Yumi said, her face set in a determined grin. She had never liked Riser, and everything he'd done tonight had just made her want to ram her blade through him. She would not let him get away with trying to attack her friends like that, and there wasn't a chance that she would let him take Rias' hand.
Koneko nodded beside her, her eyes slightly narrowed as she thought about burying her fist in Riser's face.
"And you won't be alone," Sona said, surprising everyone in the room as they turned to her. A light smirk appeared on her face before she spoke up again. "I won't leave you alone in all of this Rias, not if I can help it. Besides, maybe an extra bit of variety could improve your chances."
"Yeah!" Ochako exclaimed, her fists held before her in determination, a fire blossoming in her eyes as well. "I'll help too! I might not be able to fight with you guys, but I can still do something!"
"I'm afraid not Ochako," Sona said, pinning the girl with an apologetic glance. "You are to remain here with the others."
"Huh?" She blinked confusedly. Why wouldn't Sona want her to help? Wouldn't they need as much as they could get?
"This city is still under our jurisdiction," Sona began to explain. "Thus, one of our peerages needs to remain to keep watch for any supernatural occurrences. Much as I would like to have you all come with me, I need you to stay behind and help look after Mustufau. Is that understood?"
"I…yeah," Ochako responded, letting out a light pout as she did so. It felt wrong to just leave them all like this, not after all that they had been through. But, she couldn't deny that Sona was right. Much as she wished to help, she would be staying behind.
"Then it's settled," Sona said, sending Ochako a light smile. She would find a way to make it up to her. She had gotten to know her Pawn well since she had turned her all those months ago, so she had a pretty good feeling about what could cheer her up. "Just be sure to listen to Tsubaki."
"I…thank you Sona," Rias said gratefully. She certainly hadn't expected her to volunteer herself for this, but it had made her heart feel just a little bit lighter to know that she would be there. "Then you had all best leave and prepare. Tomorrow, our training begins. Dismissed."
She then began to leave the room, Akeno and Sona right behind her. Izuku began to move, hoping he would be able to stop her, to talk to her, to let her know that he knew just why she had done everything she had done before.
But he couldn't.
She had passed him by, only meeting his own eyes ever so slightly as she moved, and he could see them begin to cloud over with sadness as she continued, her gait losing a bit of its rush as she did so.
He watched her leave rather grimly. It seemed like she didn't want to speak with him and he had no idea why. He just wanted to tell her that everything was alright now, that what she had done didn't bother him now.
That he had forgiven her.
But she was already out of sight, likely busy discussing things with both Akeno and Sona.
Still, he had time. Ten days. He just needed to talk to her alone. All he needed now was a way to do that.
"Could I just ask her if we could train together? Would she even want to? Would the others get suspicious about me wanting to go off with her on our own? And what would we even do? There's a lot we have to go through if we're going to be strong enough to fight Riser. Istillhaven'tmasteredOneForAllatallandIcan' ?Andwhatabouttheothers? ?Whataboutmagic?IknowIdon'tknowmuchaboutusingmagicbut…"
"You feeling alright Young Midoriya?"
He jerked at the sound of All Might's voice, having been broken free of his muttering. He turned to see not only his mentor, but also Ochako and Asia, who were staring at him a little warily.
Did he get a little too into his own thoughts?
Oddly, he couldn't see either Koneko or Yumi. Had they already left?
"I see you're giving this quite a bit of thought," he said, his arms crossed before him as he began to think. "Still, this is surprising. To think you would be put into a Rating Game so quickly."
"Have…have you ever seen a Rating Game before All Might?" His questioning look was mirrored by Asia and Ochako, looking at the deflated hero anticipatedly.
"Only once before, and that was quite a while ago," Toshinori answered. It was quite the sight at the time, though he had only been invited to watch as a guest. "They can get rather intense though. Injuries are common, and all it can take is a single mistake to cost an entire team victory."
"That sounds bad," Asia said, hooking her hands nervously around Amako's fur. The wolf locked at her other hand as she did so, almost as if to try and soothe the blonde girl all the while.
"It can be, which is why you'll need to be sure to prepare yourselves as best you can," he said, his gaze turning serious. "Miss Gremory's future is in your hands."
"No pressure really," Ochako said somewhat nervously.
"Yeah, but…I think we'll be alright," Izuku said, looking back up at the taller form of his teacher with a wide grin. "I mean, you'll be there after all, won't you All Might?"
"Sorry kid. But I won't be able to help."
Izuku could feel his smile drop like a sack of bricks, staring up at Toshinori in shocked horror.
"Huh!? But-but! I still can't use One For All yet! Not to the point where it can actually help!"
"I know Young Midoriya, and I wish I could be there. But the sad truth is that, like with what Young Miss Sitri said, I can't leave this city unguarded, not for ten straight days. And even," he said, his heart heavy as his face became serious. "Ever since passing down One For All to you, my time has started to shrink. Not by much as of now, but I can barely be All Might for two hours a day now. I won't be able to help you as much as I want. And I have no idea how to get you strong enough to use One For All safely in just ten days."
Izuku found himself staring downcast at the floor, his heart growing heavy. He had pinned his hopes on being able to use One For All in the game. His time with using the Boosted Gear was far too short, and he had no idea if ten days would be enough time to strengthen it.
"Isn't there anything else you could do though?" Ochako asked, her head tilted quizzically. "There's gotta be something you can do right?"
"Well…," he began, an idea beginning to spring in his head. There was one other person he knew who could help, although… "There-there is someone. He already knows all about One For All," Toshinori said, sweating nervously as his legs began to shake. "He's an older hero but…but he should still be able to help. It might take him a bit of t-time to arrive though. Is he gonna be disappointed in me? Scary, too scary…damn it kegs! Stop shaking!"
The three teens stared at the trembling hero in a frightened awe. Just who on Earth could make All Might, the number One Hero, the Symbol Of Peace, start shaking in his boots like this?
"Th-though, I'll need a way to contact him." 'And I changed my number since the last time we talked, so he might not even answer the phone.'
"You could use Hootle if you want."
Toshinori, having finally ceased his shaking, looked down to see Ochako holding a small white owl in her arms, almost cuddling it close to her. Although, on closer inspection, it was clearly no ordinary owl. He figured that it had to have been her Familiar.
"Use them? How so?"
"Hootle can deliver letters really fast! He's done it before, like when my phone died when I was trying to talk to my folks once!" She decided not to tell them that her parents hadn't exactly been happy with her for forgetting to charge her phone. Again.
"Is that so? And how quickly can he accomplish that? He lives all the way in Yamanashi after all. It's quite the trip."
"Shouldn't take him more than a few hours," Ochako responded, stroking the owl's white feathers as she spoke, Hootle preening all the while. "I told you, he's pretty fast."
"Well then, I suppose I'll take you up on your offer Young Uraraka," he smiled, holding out his arm once she presented the owl to him. He was rather light, much to the pro's surprise, and rather gentle as he gripped the man's arm, his talons not piercing his skin at all. "Right then, I'll just…go and write a letter. Yes…write that letter…," he began laughing nervously, skulking off as he began trembling again.
Izuku and Asia blinked confusedly at the man's retreating form. Just who was this guy who scared All Might so much?
It was hard for some people to believe that a small mountainous range existed not too far away from a city like Mustufau. For many in fact, it simply seemed too improbable to actually be true. Mountains that close to a city with a shoreline? It sounded like something from a work of fiction.
And yet it was there.
And right now, Izuku was hiking up them.
It was somewhat surreal for him to be there at that moment though. He had never explored the area before, being far more accustomed to the city he called home to ever go and explore the actual mountains. The woods around them were more to his liking back when he was smaller. His, Kacchan's and RinRin's at least.
And even then, he still found it hard to believe that his mother had approved of him and Asia camping out in the wilderness for ten days. He would have expected just about any other response from her, but instead, they both got full approval.
She didn't even seem to mind that they would be missing school for this. It seemed completely bizarre to him.
Yet still, here they were. Hiking their way up the mountain's trail.
At the very least, the weather was still relatively decent. Despite the winter month now setting in, the snow had been rather sparse so far, though that didn't prevent the icy chill from swaying in the wind.
Rias, Akeno, and Sona had already arrived ahead of them, the three having chosen an old Gremory vacation home they hadn't used much, which just made Izuku wonder how rich her family was to have a vacation home in the mountains.
Regardless, the rest of the peerage were to make their way up the mountain the old fashioned way. Straight up the incline.
Izuku didn't mind it too much. It was a pretty decent way to build up a bit of strength and stamina on the way up, so it definitely counted as a bit of training.
The forty kilograms of luggage he was carrying would definitely help there too.
Speaking of which…
"Are you holding up alright Asia?"
He could see the shorter blonde struggling a bit as they made their way up, panting harder as they found themselves closer to their goal. Her load was much lighter than his own, but although Rias had helped her build up her strength and stamina a bit, it was nowhere close to how hard Izuku had trained, so her lagging behind wasn't that much of a surprise.
It didn't stop him from trying to lighten the load though.
"I'm…doing alright…Izuku," she panted out, taking a brief gasp of air as she passed him by.
"Are you really sure you don't want me to take a few from you?"
"No. It's…okay. I have to train to…after all," she said, sending him a small tired smile as she did so, and he couldn't help but smile back.
"It's not much farther now, so you won't have to worry much longer Asia," Yumi said just ahead of them. She actually had more luggage than either Izuku or Asia, yet had managed to make it up the mountain without trouble.
"Excuse me," he heard Koneko say, his eyes widening as he saw her luggage. And it was far more than what he, Asia, and Yumi held, possibly more than the three of them put together. It was almost the size of a small car.
He briefly wondered what Koneko would be able to do with One For All, then shuddered at the thought. With how strong she was already, she'd probably crack the planet in half by accident.
It wasn't much longer before their destination was in sight, and what a sight it was. Izuku felt his eyes widened as he marveled at the 'vacation home'.
Instead of what he had expected, it was a modestly sized building, looking as though it only consisted of two floors. Its white and beige walls were furnished with pure white balconies placed against every window in sight. Before it was a rather majestic garden, filled with all sorts of plants and flowers that painted a lovely rainbow before it. And sitting behind it, the forest expanded ever further beyond, its lush trees seeming to bloom more purely than what he had seen before.
This was a vacation home!?
Standing before the estate, he saw Rias, Akeno, and Sona waiting for them. Each of them wore more practical clothing for training over what he usually saw them in, though admittedly for Sona, he had only seen her in the U.A. uniform and that tennis outfit. He held back a blush from that particular incident as he made his way forward, Asia close behind him and Koneko with Yumi just ahead.
"Welcome everyone," Akeno said with a light bow before presenting the estate before them, almost acting like a game show presenter. "Welcome to the Gremory Summer home."
"It's beautiful," Asia said with a bit of awe, taking a light drink from her water bottle afterward.
"Is it? I suppose after being around more extravagant estates, you stop noticing the smaller ones," Sona said, a small smirk on her face as she greeted everyone. "Still, we should stop wasting time. Shall we begin Rias?"
"We should," he heard Rias say. Her voice sounded more tired than it had yesterday, and he couldn't help but notice that the bags under her eyes had managed to grow even more. He hoped that he could talk to her soon, she seemed like she was getting worse.
As she made to open the door though, he saw her freeze. Puzzled, he and the others made their way closer to her, wondering just what had made her pause.
"This door should be locked," he heard her whisper.
Instantly, everyone was on edge, Koneko discreetly sniffing around for unfamiliar scents while Yumi summoned one of her blades. Izuku already had his Boosted Gear ready to go in case it was needed.
Cautiously, Rias opened the door just a crack, a ball of magic encircling her hand as she scanned the dust filled living room before her. Nothing looked out of place so far.
Then when she opened the door fully, her eyes widened with horror, followed by everyone else's.
There, lying facedown on the ground in the middle of the living room, was a small old man. Crimson liquid flowed from his front, with what appeared to be his entrails having been ripped out of him.
Their mouths gaping in horror at the sight, most of them could only do one thing.
"AHHHHH! HE'S DEAD!"
Only for them then to see the old man move his head up to meet them, a happy smile painted on his face.
"I'm alive."
"AHHHHH! HE'S ALIVE!"
"What the hell?" Koneko muttered.
Here's the preview!
Sona:Who is this elderly man, and just why is he here?
Izuku:Is this old guy really...?
Sona:No matter who he may be, we have a lot of work to do if you're all to match up against Riser.
Izuku:It's not just me who needs to get stronger. It has to be all of us. For Rias' sake.
Sona:Rias. You need to tell me what's wrong. Just talk to me.
Next time:Training Daze
Rias:Sona. What I did. It's unforgivable. Maybe…maybe I shouldn't
Izuku:Go beyond. Plus Ultra!
Welcome one and all. I live again! Good to be back, good to be back.
Plenty of things happened here, even if it may not seem like much. The most important though, and one that may get the most notice, is that Izuku recognizes why Rias did what she did before, and wants to talk with her about it.
Is it a little ridiculous for him to forgive her for it so soon? Maybe, but I had to take into account Izuku's character, the kind of man he is. He is a very forgiving guy most of the time. Dealing with Bakugo in the main continuity and not hating his guts for all the bullying, bullying I'm fairly certain was much lighter in canon than what many fans suspect, and even forming a surprisingly deep friendship with him, all but becoming brothers by the final arc.
And as we can see with Rias, her choice is killing her on the inside. She's racked with guilt over what she's done, and it's clawing it at her like crazy. She definitely needs that talk with Izuku, and soon. Let's hope she gets it. And soon.
I also think I may have made Riser a bit more of a douchebag than either the anime or light novel did.
Oh well.
Now, for just a little bit, I want to talk to you all about something rather important. No, not that. No, not that either. Wait, how'd you learn about that? No! I'm talking about my uploading schedule!
For the first ten or so chapters, I was able to deliver pretty regularly, almost two weeks apart. That was ultimately a mistake though, as it created an expectation. Not in any of you, though maybe some, but mainly in me.
I've been driving myself up the wall to try and stick to that old schedule, and I had to come to terms with the reason why I was able to do that in the first place. I may have mentioned this before, but when I started writing this, I made chapters, just to get my feet wet. Those first ten chapters came out so quick, because I basically had them all done already, they just needed a bit of touch up, especially with how some plans had changed.
Even now, my old plans have changed. I was originally going to have Ochako join them for training. Hell, I was even going to bring in Kendo, but while properly plotting this out, I came to realize that I was bloating the cast when it wasn't needed. I love Ochako as a character, She's my favorite female character of MHA, and I knew ahead of time that I would have to hold myself back a lot or she would have taken over the story.
Though she kind of did already, basically because the old plans had her as part of Rias' peerage like the fiction that inspired me. I was going to have Sona no matter what, but nixing Ochako and Kendo is going to give me a bit more freedom when writing these next few chapters, and give me less to write.
Though the funny thing is that I got a few reviews that pointed this out on ffn. I'm not mad, far from it. I find it kind of funny that the problem was pointed out to me after I figured it out myself.
So yeah, I'm going to try for a chapter a month when I can, and if I can do more? Fantastic. I need to make my brain stop trying to force me to write so that I can actually enjoy the act itself.
Oh yeah, and Gran Torino's here. Time for some fun with the trolling old man.
And I want you all to know, that no matter what happens, no matter how long I take to pump out a chapter, that none of this would be truly possible without any of you. You guys keep me going, and your reviews and comments make me want to improve. Let me know what you guys think, and as always, remember to be good, and be kind.
I love you all.
