Chapter 10: Time To Train
Five days after the disaster, I was back on my feet and resuming my training. Rias took us to a small, isolated mansion with a training ground. We are going to be training in all fields of combat, ranging from physical to magic. I told them about Mgelika's health and that Raziel was looking after him. All I can do is wait for him to come back. I check on him whenever I go to sleep, and he seems to be doing okay, according to Raziel. Despite Mgelika's condition, I am still able to use my powers.
My first lesson involves sword training with Kiba.
"Lesson 1A: Focus on your opponent, not just the sword." While we were practicing sword dueling with wooden kendo swords, Kiba made this statement.
"Roger that," I said as I parried his attacks.
I don't have much experience with swords like Kiba does. The only time I ever swung one was when I played swords with my childhood friend.
"Don't try to stay on defense; find an opening and take it." Kiba said this while I was doing my best to match his speed. The problem is that he's too fucking fast.
I was struggling a bit to find an opening, as he was just coming at me.
"You're fast as fuck." Kiba was blowing strikes at me, and I staggered.
"Your opponent will not go easy on you; he's going to want to take you down as much as you want to take him out." Kiba continued his lesson.
"Did you play with a sword when you were little?" I asked.
"Focus!" Kiba exclaimed.
Kiba was so tuned in. Swords are really his specialty. I wonder how long he has been training with swords.
"Find an opening," Kiba said as he kept on coming.
"What if you can't find one?" I posed this question while continuing to parry him.
"If you can't find one, then make one."
"How?"
"Improvisation is key, Issei." As I struggled to maintain his moves at me, I started to feel my hands going numb from all the kinetic energy that Kiba was putting on my wooden sword.
"Damn, he'll break my sword if he keeps this up." I said to myself, "I don't know how long I can do this."
"Improvise!" Kiba exclaimed.
With the dirt dusting in the air from all the movements that we were making, an idea came to my mind.
"Improvise." I said this as I grabbed a handful of dirt and waited for the right moment.
Kiba was about to swing at me again when I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at his face, blinding him and making him stumble back. Then I took the opportunity to ram at him with my shoulder, push him to the ground, and hold the tip of my wooden sword in his face.
"If you can't find one, then make one." I smiled and repeated what he said to me earlier.
Kiba smiled back at me and put out his arm in an offer to help him back up, which I accepted. Which was all a ruse because when I pulled him up, he swung his sword at my leg, causing me to trip to the ground, and held his sword at me this time.
"Lesson 1B: Don't let your guard down." Kiba chuckles.
"What the fuck?" I cursed at Kiba for blindsiding me.
"Your opponent will use the power of deception to utilize their advantage," he explained. "It's important to maintain concentration on the smallest exploits."
"For fucking sakes, Kiba." To continue my training, I got up on my feet and returned to a fighting stance.
"We are going up against Riser's team, and he will do anything to win."
"You know sword dueling used to have honorable standards."
"And do you expect Riser and his peers to have the exact same standards?" Kiba raised an eyebrow at me.
"Point taken."
"Riser will show no mercy on us unless we yield to him."
"That will not happen!"
"Then we have to expect the unexpected."
My next lesson, along with Asia, is to use our aura and magic with Akeno in the mansion's kitchen.
"Lesson 2A: It's time that you learn how to use the aura and magic surrounding you at your disposal and stream it to a focal point." Akeno said to me that Asia.
"Well, this should be easy for you, Asia." I complimented.
"As for you, even though you are not a devil, you wouldn't be able to naturally have demonic powers."
"Okay, so what kind of magic can I use as a human?"
"Lucky for you, you are able to use the same energy from your Howling Gauntlet and turn it into magic."
"All right, I'll give it a shot." As I extended my left hand to concentrate on making an attempt, I said this. But the struggle is real.
Akeno came to my side and placed one hand on my shoulder, and the other caressed from my shoulder to my hand and said, "Let the image of light flow through you and be released as magical powers."
I'm not going to lie; the way she caresses my arm, like that, sends a tingle down my spine. Am I really falling in love that much with Rias and Akeno?
"I think I did it." While holding a green ball of light, Asia smiles.
"Awesome! Look at you with your little green light." Akeno cheers, "You have some full potential."
"Way to go, Asia!" I cheered.
Akeno places a water bottle on the counter, hovers her hand above it, and lectures, "Once you grasp the mystic technique, you will be able to manipulate fire, water, lightning, and any of the other elements."
Using her magic, Akeno instantly freezes the water in the bottle.
"Neat!" I commented.
"Asia, do you want to try?" Akeno asked.
"Sure!" Asia joyfully accepts.
Akeno turns to me and edifies, "You, on the other hand, need to spend a little more time on those concentration exercises."
"I know." I agree with her teachings.
"Lesson 2B: Visualization is the essence of all magic, so think about what you desire and see it happening." She added.
"Sounds too easy."
"Think about anything as long as you maintain concentration."
I started to think about all the moments that we had together as a family. Hanging out at my house, eating dinner that mom cooks for us, and spending time at the beach. Then my thoughts took a sharp turn when I accidentally pictured Rias and Akeno in my bed in an adult manner that only a pervert would imagine.
"Oh my damn." I comment on the thought of seeing Rias and Akeno naked in my bed.
"What was that?" Akeno giggles.
"Um, nothing! I was just concentrating." I said it in a panicky tone, hoping that she didn't have the ability to read my mind.
"What's the matter, you okay?" Akeno jokes that she gets closer to me as her bust jiggles in front of me, which doesn't help the situation.
"I'm okay! I'm just concentrating on magical things!" I make excuses for my unintentional, perverted fantasy.
"Remember to keep these notes in mind when using magic, as they will prove useful in the long run."
I really have to get it together. I can already feel my blood pumping. Thinking about my magic teacher, Akeno, in a not-so-innocent way is completely wrong for me. Being a teenager sucks sometimes with all these hormones and primal urges. I really hope that she doesn't have the ability to observe my mind. Now that I think about it, the concept of fantasizing about Akeno as a sexy teacher is pretty luscious. Wow, I really have fallen to the dark side. No wonder those two perverts at school can't get a grip. Okay, now I'm just making unacceptable excuses. Bad Issei!
In my next lesson, Koneko took me outside the mansion to a small, isolated field for physical combat. Before entering this new world, I couldn't recall the last time I engaged in combat. It doesn't matter, however, because I'm already 20 minutes into this lesson and Koneko is kicking my ass as I speak.
"That was lame." Koneko slandered me after flinging my back to a tree with such relentless force.
"Do you have any idea of how strong you are?" I laboriously breathed as I struggled to get back up after that ass-kicking.
"Lesson 3: You've got to aim more towards the body's central access and learn to strike with precision at your rival's core." Koneko addresses.
"If you say so!" I charged at Koneko, but she evaded my attack with the addition of a spin kick to the back of the head, and I fell forward to the dirt as a ramification.
"Vigilance is a soul key when it comes to unmediated hand-to-hand conflict." She instructed me while holding me in a clutch with her legs.
To be honest, having Koneko's legs wrapped around me is kind of a big turn-on for me. Oh God! Please don't tell me that I'm also falling for Koneko.
"Do you like it when I wrap my legs around you?" Koneko teases me.
"Um" is all I can say.
"I knew you were a pervert." Koneko giggles.
"I am not!" Well, not on purpose.
"If you like it, then just ask." Koneko whispers in my ear while she still has me in her clutch. I don't even know how to respond to that.
Koneko threw me around, and I just kept getting back up to try to fight her, but only to still get my ass kicked again and again.
"How is it so hard to keep focused?!" While sitting up against a rock, I tempered myself.
"We all have certain abilities that are unique to us." Koneko answered.
"What am I possibly good at?" I asked her out of carelessness.
"You are always there when we need you; you are a really hard worker; you always look after us; you put yourself in a dangerous situation for our sake; you stand up for us when we feel insulted; and you never give up on us."
"Thanks, Koneko."
"Don't antagonize yourself because you have a little strain."
"Then how is it that it is so perplexing to stay focused?!"
"You have a lot on your plate, but no one is condemning you."
"Whatever."
"You need to think optimistically to strengthen your disposition." Koneko lends a hand to get me back on my feet.
"Well, if you say so." I said it with a smile.
"Now lesson 4," Rias said.
"Um, do I have to wear this?" I looked at the pink and red apron with hearts all over it that Rias made me wear.
"I think that you look adorable." She winked at me.
"Are we going to use magic for cooking?" Asia inquired.
"Absolutely, magic comes in handy anywhere." Rias explained and left us to do the cooking. "Have fun and good luck."
"Okay, let's get started." As she turned to the stove and faced the pot of water, Asia spoke. "Water, please boil."
"Okay, that was really good." As I grabbed an onion, I supported her.
As for myself, I was still trying to get into the magic groove. During Akeno's lesson, I was only able to spawn a small ball of red light.
"Maybe I should just peel them." I advised myself, and out of nowhere, the onion that I held in my hand suddenly peeled on its own.
"How did you do that?!" Asia asked in amazement.
I picked up a potato and said the word "peel," and then the potato peeled on its own as well.
"Wow, you did it!" Asia cheers for me.
"Yeah, I guess I was just having a bad moment." I smiled as I began to use my newly discovered magical ability and had a lot of fun with it. I got so excited about my magic that I didn't realize that I peeled all the onions and potatoes on the counter, leaving a big mess of potato skins and onion sheddings all over the place. "Yikes, I guess I got too carried away."
"What are we going to do with all these peeled onions and potatoes?" Asia asked.
"Oh my gosh, it looks like someone went to town." Akeno and Rias appear and look at the mess.
"Well, it looks like there are going to be enough leftovers." Rias commented.
After training the whole day, we all had dinner and cleaned ourselves at the bathhouse. After Koneko and Kiba threw me around during their lessons, and I used all of my magic from training with Akeno and Rias, it was nice to feel refreshed. In my queen-size bed, I can now relax in my tank top and boxers.
"Man, I'm so beat." I yawned as I fell to my bed.
"Issei, are you still up?" I looked to see Rias at my door.
"Yeah, come on in." I invited her to come into my room. "So, what's up?"
"I just wanted to check up on you to see how you are doing." Rias said this as she sat next to me on my bed.
"I'm okay, just keeping up the pace." I said this as I got up to open a window.
"I hope that, it wasn't too much for you after your discharge."
"No, I actually feel great!" I said it excitedly. "I haven't felt like this in a while."
"That's good; I just wanted to see if you were doing okay." As she held her knees to her chest, Rias spoke.
"Well, I'm all good, Rias." I said.
"You don't have to do this, but it's really nice of you to have to fight with us in the rating game."
"Rias, you don't have to thank me so much." I chuckled.
"Can I sleep here with you tonight?" Rias asked.
"You don't have to ask; I really love to have your company." I said this as I made room for her in my bed.
Rias gets in my bed and snuggles up to me. I have no idea why, but the fact that Rias sleeps in my bed with me is incredibly beneficial. It really helps with the nightly nightmares and insomnia.
All of a sudden, me and Rias were facing each other. Our legs wrapped around each other, our hands suddenly began to hold one another, and the distance between us began to shorten as our faces moved closer and closer until our lips touched. All the negative feelings and stress disappeared from my mind. Her lips were so soft, her breath tasted like mint, and her scent smelled like roses and honey.
Our bodies yearned for one another during a passionate make-out session that evolved from our initial kiss. Her hands caress my torso and shoulders, while my hand caress her waist and stomach.
"Oh, Issei." Rias moans through our kiss.
I felt her hands trying to take off my shirt, but I gently stopped her and said, "Wait, not yet."
"Why? I want you." Rias whispers.
"I want you, too, but I want to wait after the rating game." I explained.
"Why can't we do it now?" She playfully pouted.
"I want it to be special, and I want to take my time with you."
I was holding back my animal urges. I desperately want her to feel, but if I ruin her, she could get into trouble.
"I don't care what people say; my virtue is my choice, and I choose you." Rias said.
"I understand, but I don't want to damage your family's reputation, so once we finish Riser, we can pick up where we left off."
"Such a gentleman." She pecks my lips. "Okay, I'll respect your answer."
"Thank you." I smiled and went back to kissing her, but then she looked back at me with a plain expression, and I asked, "What's wrong?"
"In the devil community, polyamory is very common." She said.
"I figured."
"So, are you going to have another woman, too?"
"Rias, I don't know what the future holds for us, and I don't care how many women I end up with, but as long as you are part of that future, then I will be the happiest man in the world."
"Is that a proposal?" She teases.
"Maybe." I played along.
"I'll take you up on that." She gives me one more kiss.
"All right, let's get to bed." I said this as I covered us up and we cuddled.
The next morning, I took a walk around the courtyard. My mind was thinking about my night with Rias. It was the best sleep that I ever had. Now it just gives me another reason to defeat Riser. Things are getting really good for my friends and for my relationship with Rias. At this time, I must eliminate a small insect, or should I say a bird.
While I was sleeping, I checked up on Mgelika, and Raziel said that he is making some good progress on recovering. He is up and walking around now, but he still needs to go at a steady pace and not overdo it. Hopefully, he will be all right and ready when we get to the rating game.