Ch. 14: Ten Days of Training

As Izuku lay on his bed that night, the events from the clubroom were still fresh in his mind, and it still infuriated him how Riser only thought of Rias as some prize to be won. Mina and Akeno's prank did alleviate the mood a bit, but it didn't do much to change the overall situation.

He learned from Rias that out of the nine Rating Games that Riser took part in, he only lost twice, and even then, it was because Riser allowed the other teams to win out of respect for the households his family was close to. It wouldn't be easy, and it was a fight that would decide Rias and everyone's future, meaning losing was not an option. According to Devil laws, Rias and Riser would gain authority over the other's Peerage should they marry. While Rias had no interest in gaining authority over Riser's servants, Riser, on the other hand, would take advantage of that law to add the girls of Rias's Peerage to his dress-up harem.

Izuku gritted his teeth at that thought. He absolutely refused to let that happen! 'Buchou saved me. Now I have to save her!'

He and Hisashi had told Inko that they, Asia, and the others were going on a 10-day last-minute pre-U.A. training trip out of town. Luckily, she approved of this and went ahead to prepare food and proper clothes for them.

Then, deciding to put his mind at ease with a quick bath, Izuku headed to the bathroom. Once he got all his clothes off, he entered the bathroom… only to find that Asia was already in there.

Izuku's mind went blank upon seeing her nude form. He could see how Asia's snake tail started right below her supple round butt cheeks. He soon snapped out of it when he realized that Asia could see his privates.

"EEEP!" Izuku let out a girly scream as redness overtook his face before covering his groin and turning away. "Excuse me. Sorry for the intrusion."

But before he could leave, Asia grabbed his wrist with the tip of her tail.

"Um… I'm so sorry…" Asia said. "I've… never seen… a man's, um… you know… thing before… I'm all aflutter now… I'm sorry!"

"No, it's my fault… I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and I didn't know you were in here. I'm the one who's sorry."

"Well, should we make the most of it?" Asia asked as she tightened her hold on Izuku a little.

"Huh?! What do you mean by that? You want me to stay?!" Izuku asked, still keeping his back to her.

"We've been living here for months now, and I'm sure you've heard it before… They say taking a bath together can bring people a lot closer."

"Say what?!" Izuku asked.

"By interacting during a bath, you're supposed to like, understand each other or something."

'What does she want to understand?' Izuku wondered as he desperately kept his eyes closed.

"I just want… to understand you on a deeper level!" Asia said as she pressed her chest onto Izuku's back.

As Izuku felt two pillows of flesh along with erect nipples on his back, he was more than just tomato red in the face, now, steam was starting to come out from his ears as well.

"Also, I'm scared…" Asia admitted, causing Izuku to calm down a bit at the sudden change of subject. "If we lose, then Rias, us, and everyone…"

But before Asia could finish, Izuku turned around to face her. "We won't lose, I swear!" He promised. "I won't let Riser have his way with you, Rias, or any of our friends!"

"Oh, Izuku…" Asia said, feeling better after hearing Izuku's reassuring words.

Then, Izuku remembered where he was, and he realized that he had a full frontal view of Asia's nude form.

Izuku's face once again lit up bright red, steam burst out his eardrums, and his eyes became swirly as the stimulation became too much for him and he fainted on the bathroom floor.

"Izuku? IZUKUUUUU!" Asia shouted in concern.

Despite the incident in the bathroom, Izuku still managed to sleep that night somehow. The next morning after breakfast, Izuku and Asia, along with Hisashi, met up with their friends at the clubroom.

Hisashi revealed that he had some business to take care of, but he didn't say much about it other than that it was a surprise and reassured that it was for the good of Rias and her Peerage.

And so, the ORC started making their way to their destination first. It was on a mountain outside of Musutafu, where a private villa owned by the Gremory family stood.

The group was currently hiking there, opting to use the trek up the mountain for strength and stamina exercise. Rias, Akeno, Mina, and Asia held light luggage that didn't give them much trouble. The ones carrying the heavier loads were Izuku, Yumi, Itsuka, Eijiro, and Koneko.

Izuku trudged as he panted, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"You're almost there! Just a few more feet!" Rias encouraged as she turned back to wave at Izuku.

"Visualize, Izuku!" Akeno added.

"Coming!" Izuku responded.

"Rias. Should I go get some of those bags for him?" Asia asked in concern.

"He'll be okay. He needs to learn to carry that much on his own," Rias said.

"On your right," Yumi said as she passed by Izuku. Her luggage was slightly smaller than his. Plus, being a Knight gave her strong legs.

Then, Eijiro caught up to Izuku as well. "C'mon! Pick up the pace, bro." The black-haired boy said.

"If you think this is bad, then don't look behind you," Itsuka warned before leaving him behind.

"Move it," Koneko said, walking past him with her share of the cargo. She showed no signs of struggling even with her petite stature as she carried a bag that seemed as big as a car.

Izuku nearly fell on his back, but he managed to get his balance back as he worked harder to not fall too much behind.

Soon, the group arrived at their destination. It was a two-story complex with white and beige walls with blue floor tiles, balconies on all sides, and trimmed bushes, with white-steel window frames for each window frame. There was a tunnel-like driveway on the left-hand side that led around the back where there was likely a garage. It oversaw a wide field that was perfect for training purposes. There was even a lake nearby with a dome-roofed gazebo.

"Wow! How beautiful!" Asia gushed at the sight of the villa.

"We get to bunk here while we train?" Mina asked, looking at the place in awe. "Man, your family must be loaded!"

"Well, let me say this is nothing compared to home. Wait until you see it," Rias said, almost boasting. "Alright, you guys. Let's head inside and get going on this training!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone obeyed.

After everyone got changed into training clothes, they met up at the field outside.

First up, it was Izuku against Yumi in sword training. The two stood a few meters apart, each holding up a bokken against the other. Izuku raised his wooden sword and charged at Yumi, intending to strike her with a downward blow, however, she managed to parry that strike and his next blows as well.

"You're a little off," Yumi informed. "Don't limit your focus to just the sword. Keep an eye on your opponent!"

"Right!" Izuku then tried to predict how Yumi might dodge or counter his attack, and he managed to get closer to striking her.

Meanwhile, Eijiro was chosen as Koneko's sparring partner.

"Remember, despite Koneko's size, her Rook Piece gives her unparalleled strength and defense. Even with your Hardening Quirk, you might wanna watch out," Rias informed.

"Yeah, I've already seen what she can do," Eijiro said, remembering the fight from the church as he activated his Quirk to make his body rock-hard.

Koneko then took a fighting stance, pulling her right fist back before landing a solid punch on Eijiro, who was forced to take a step back from the force of the blow.

"Ooh, yeah, she definitely hits like a powerhouse," Eijiro commented. Regardless, he could keep going. "C'mon, Koneko! I can still take it! Bring it!"

Koneko nodded and resumed landing punches and kicks on him.

This training actually served to benefit both parties involved as while Koneko worked to improve her combat abilities, each blow she dealt to Eijiro would increase his hardened form's durability.

Meanwhile, Akeno was tutoring Asia in using magic.

"The very first step is to become aware of the aura and magic surrounding you and try to stream it to a focal point," Akeno explained. "Let the image of light flow through you and be released as magical power."

Asia brought her hands together to focus, and rather quickly, she managed to form a small orb of green light. "I think I did it!"

"Awesome! Look at you go with your little green light!" Akeno praised. "I think you have a lot of natural talent for this, Asia!"

Lastly, Rias had Mina and Itsuka as her training partners.

"Okay, girls. For this exercise, I want you to help me with defensive training. And feel free to move around while going on the offensive, that'll just make me work harder."

"You got it," Mina and Itsuka responded.

Itsuka activated her Sacred Gear and changed into Aries form. "Other than healing, my wool has another ability: it can lull its targets into a relaxed state, causing them to lower their guards."

"Great. Now without further ado…" Rias said, ready to begin.

Mina and Itsuka then got a few feet away from Rias and fired a weak acid and clumps of wool at her. Rias, with a swipe of her hand, formed a wave of destructive energy to obliterate the acid spray, and then with her other hand, formed a single big sphere of Power of Destruction to disintegrate the wool attack.

Both Mina and Itsuka were surprised by how Rias was able to defend against both of their attacks at the same time.

"C'mon, keep up the pressure! There's still plenty to improve, so let's get to it!" Rias shouted.

"Right!" Both girls shouted as they resumed their offense against the older girl.

Eventually, afternoon rolled around and currently, Izuku was sparring against Koneko, though it was mostly in her favor. Koneko knew how to fight better than Izuku did, so she managed to hit and get him into a lock more than a few times. However, that didn't mean Izuku was doing poorly, and as a matter of fact, he managed to land a few hits on her every now and then, which Koneko commended him for.

"I see you've been training hard." Izuku turned at the sound of his father's voice, and sure enough, Hisashi had arrived.

"Dad, you're here," Izuku said. "So, what exactly did you leave for?"

"No spoilers," Hisashi replied, to his son's frustration. "Anyway, Rias asked me to fetch you two. She and Akeno are getting dinner ready."

With that, Izuku and Koneko followed Hisashi back to the villa, where there was a grand meal waiting for them.

After dinner, it was bathtime, and all the hard-working teens were eager to soak in the hot, mineral-rich water and let all their fatigues wash away.

A large wall separated the baths between genders; Izuku, Eijiro, and Hisashi were on one side of the wall while the girls occupied the other.

"This was such a good idea. We haven't done this in forever!" Akeno said with a content smile as she sat in the water.

"This is paradise~!" Mina moaned in bliss.

"I hope it melts away some of the fatigue of training at least. You've all been working so hard," Rias said.

"Well, I'm certainly feeling it," Itsuka said as she stretched her arms.

"Nothing like a hot bath to do the trick!" Yumi added as she cupped her large breasts in her hands.

Meanwhile, at the shower stalls, Asia eyed all the big-breasted girls and looked down at her more modest-sized pair before letting out a sigh.

"Sad you're not on the Double D team?" Koneko asked while scrubbing herself. Asia noticed that Koneko's breasts were also on the smaller side, smaller than hers actually.

"Yeah, I guess, a little," Asia replied.

"Y'know, the way you used your Quirks today was impressive," Yumi said to Itsuka and Mina.

"Thanks, and speaking of Quirks, what's yours anyway, Yumi?" Mina asked.

Yumi smiled as she stood up. "Here. I'll show you." Then, Yumi's body blew up like a balloon, becoming almost completely spherical and twice her normal height. Even her breasts expanded, growing bigger than Rias and Akeno's. Yumi was now a human balloon with a head, breasts, hands, and feet. "As you can see, it's called Balloon Body."

"It's certainly fascinating," Itsuka said, having to look up just to see Yumi's face.

Mina pressed at Yumi's body with her hand, and when she lifted it, Yumi's inflated belly sprung right back into shape, causing Yumi to let out a giggle from how it tickled a little. "Wow. So springy."

"It also lets me bounce back blunt attacks, though sharp ones still hurt me. And conveniently, it makes my clothes expand as well, so I don't have to worry about ripping them." Yumi then shrunk back to her normal size.

"If you want to know my Quirk, it's Ironsand," Akeno added. "I can make ironsand, but that's about it. I can't manipulate it or anything like that."

"What about you, Koneko?" Itsuka asked.

"Don't have one. I was never human before," Koneko admitted. "I still get around fine regardless."

"You're not human? I never would've noticed," Asia commented.

The next morning, everyone was back out in the field for training. Hisashi called up Izuku first, and they stood a distance from each other, each holding onto a bokken.

"Before we get started, champ, let me say that you're more versatile than anyone here, which means you have more to master to reach your full potential as a Pawn, so your training will be the most intense one here," Hisashi began. "In a fight, what you Promote into could mean either victory or defeat. Ready?"

"Yes!" Izuku nodded.

"Good. But before that… Ddraig, can you hear us?"

[Yes, I can.]

The majority of the group jumped in shock.

"Did Izuku's hand just talk?!" Asia asked.

"It did!" Yumi confirmed.

"Wait?! You could've talked to me like that this whole time?!" Izuku asked his hand, or rather, the glowing green gem that appeared on it.

[Just recently, as I explained when we first met.]

"Everyone, meet Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon," Hisashi said. "Specifically, his spirit that dwells within the Boosted Gear."

"The Red Dragon Emperor," Rias muttered in awe.

"I never imagined we'd get the chance to speak with someone like that," Akeno said.

"For this exercise, Ddraig, could you do me a solid and prevent my son from using his Boosted Gear?" Hisashi requested.

[Ah, I see what you're planning.] Ddraig replied. [Very well.]

"Wait, what? What are you planning?" Izuku nervously asked his dad.

"You'll see. Now, try going Boosted Dragon," Hisashi instructed.

"Without my Boosted Gear?"

"You won't need it," Hisashi said as he got his bokken ready. "By the way, this is trial by fire!" In the blink of an eye, Hisashi dashed to his son's side ready to attack. Izuku managed to block it with his own training sword, but Hisashi's attack didn't end there as he continued with relentless barrages of his bokken. Everyone watched in worry as Hisashi wasn't pulling any punches, even with his own son.

'I can't keep this up! How do I go Boosted Dragon without my Sacred Gear?! Come on, think!' Izuku thought as he struggled to block his father's attacks, and then, he had an epiphany. 'Wait… when it first happened, I didn't really will for it to appear. It just came out naturally…'

After blocking another one of Hisashi's attacks, Izuku relaxed his body and mind. Then, as Hisashi attempted to strike again, Izuku leaped into the air to dodge… and stayed there. Everyone was surprised and impressed as Izuku managed to clear Hisashi's trial.

However, unlike before, Izuku's scales were now emerald green instead of red and covered his left arm as well. As Izuku looked over himself, he felt rather proud. "I did it!"

"Good, now we can move on to the next phase of your training, but before that…" Hisashi said. Then, he did what no one else expected: on Hisashi's arms and the sides of his face, green dragon scales appeared, a pair of green dragon wings grew from his back, and lastly, he grew a pair of black dragon horns on top of his head.

"Wh-what?! Dad?!" Izuku was shocked at seeing his father's transformation, even more than his own. He saw his dad have wings while in his Dragon Veil armor, but now he had a dragon-like appearance outside the armor.

The ORC was also shocked speechless, not only seeing Izuku, who at least had a dragon-type Sacred Gear, but Hisashi, who said he didn't have any Sacred Gear, assume a dragon mode as well.

"Remember what I said about supernatural background being part of the Midoriya family?" Hisashi asked.

"Yeah… Wait!" Izuku began. "Are you saying…?"

"Yep. We're part-dragon," Hisashi confirmed, to the surprise of everyone.

"Izuku's a dragon?!" Rias's eyes widened in shock.

"No way…!" Yumi exclaimed.

"I can't believe we didn't notice!" Akeno said.

"I did not see that coming," Itsuka said, speaking for pretty much everyone.

"FOR REAL?!" Eijiro shouted.

"Is it true?!" Asia asked.

"My mind is blown…" Mina said.

Even Koneko had a look of surprise.

"Ddraig, did you know about…?"

[I did, Gremory.] The dragon within Izuku's Sacred Gear answered.

"Izuku's dragon heritage is 1/16th dragon, but it laid dormant for a long time until it awakened, the Boosted Gear probably helped with that," Hisashi explained. "As for me, I kept my dragon side suppressed for the time, saving it for a big reveal, which was just now."

[Hah! And the looks on their faces were great. You really know how to blow the minds of young adolescents!] Ddraig said.

"Then why did you wait until now to tell us?" Yumi asked.

"There was no immediate need to explain before, but now with the Rating Game, things changed," Hisashi replied. "Anyway, we'll talk more about our dragon heritage later, right now, it's training time!"

"Yes, sir!"

Throughout the morning, Izuku focused on improving his skills using Promotion. He did leg exercises with Yumi to strengthen his leg muscles which were important to a Knight's speed, some more combat training with Koneko to learn how to use a Rook's strengths effectively, and learned a bit about using magic from Akeno, though that wasn't really his strong point. In addition, he did some Sacred Gear training with his dad.

Then, once noon rolled around, everyone took a break for lunch. After that, Hisashi summoned Izuku and everyone back to the training field.

"Okay, now that we've had lunch and a good rest, let's resume training," Hisashi said. "But for you champ, I've arranged a special trainer who should be arriving soon."

"Really, who?" Izuku asked though he didn't have to wait long for his answer.

The sound of heavy flapping was heard in the air as everyone looked up to see a large shadow partially blocking out the sun before the figure descended upon them with a dull thud.

The figure was a dragon who stood at a towering fifty feet with huge wings behind his back. His scales were dark purple around most of his body save for his belly, inner portions of the legs, and his long tail, where they were colored beige. A pair of large yellow horns grew from his head as the dragon glared down at everyone below with his red eyes. Long sharp yellow nails formed his claws, and he wore a loincloth and black pauldrons that extended down to his elbows.

"A dragon?!" Izuku screeched.

"'Sup, Old Man Tannin?" Hisashi casually greeted the dragon.

"Tannin!?" Rias gasped. "You actually got the Blaze Meteor Dragon to come here?!"

"Tannin and my family go way back, up to our dragon ancestor," Hisashi said. "I was actually introduced to Tannin when I was Izuku's age, thanks to my old man."

"Oh wow…" Yumi muttered.

"I haven't visited the human world in a long time…" Tannin spoke, his powerful voice echoing. "But it's been even longer since we last spoke, Ddraig."

[I agree.] Ddraig said, a little eager to speak with a fellow dragon. [Good to see you, Tannin.]

"Before he was reincarnated into a Devil, Tannin used to be a Dragon King," Hisashi said.

"Not only that, he's also ranked Ultimate-Class. A rare feat for Reincarnated Devils," Rias added.

"A Devil and a dragon…" Itsuka muttered. "That's… quite a combination…"

Tannin bent down and sniffed the air around Izuku, making the boy flinch. "So you're Hisashi's progeny… Yes, I smell the dragon blood inside you," Tannin noted.

"Alright, son. Here's the plan: You'll train with Tannin in a special training area for the next hour," Hisashi then took out a white cube and tossed it on the ground, forming a giant rift that could fit even Tannin. "The handy part? Time moves way faster, to the point one month there will only be one hour here."

"So basically, I can get a month's worth of training in just an hour in the real world?" Izuku asked for clarification.

"Precisely!" Hisashi said.

"Hold on, why just those two? Shouldn't we all go?!" Rias asked.

"Occupation limits, sorry," Hisashi said. "Not to mention, I've only got one use of that pocket dimension. Otherwise, we would all be training there already."

Then Hisashi turned to his son. "Before you go, let me be blunt. Training with Tannin's gonna be training from Hell. I know this because I was trained by Tannin myself thanks to your grandfather. I won't say this is for any of that 'building character' nonsense, this is to ensure you're prepared for the Rating Game. So, are you up for it?"

Izuku then turned to Tannin, and then to Rias. He vowed that he'd do everything he could to save her from the arranged marriage. He had to get stronger! Not just for himself, but for her!

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go!" Izuku declared.

"Good," Tannin then picked up Izuku by his shirt.

"Make sure you train my son's body and mind, along with his Sacred Gear. Oh, and his dragon traits too," Hisashi requested.

"Right. Leave it to me," Tannin said before stepping through the rift, which closed afterward.

"Okay, while we wait for them to come back, let's focus on our own training!" Hisashi declared. "Asia, you're with me. We'll work on your Quirk."

"Right!" Asia slithered forward as Hisashi equipped his armor.

"Whenever you're ready, begin," Hisashi instructed.

Asia brought her hands together and her hair rose before changing into vines. She then shot a few vines forward to catch Hisashi, but he sidestepped to dodge, not only that, he actually grabbed onto the vines and then dashed toward Asia before circling around her; Asia was unable to react in time as she was wrapped up in her own vines.

"I can't move…" Asia muttered.

"Not bad, but there's still plenty of room for improvement: for example, we could work on your reaction time so that if an enemy gets a hold of your vines, you can detach them faster and resume the attack, also increasing the vines' strength would also prevent an enemy from taking control of them like I just did," Hisashi recommended.

"Okay," Asia said as she managed to untangle herself.

"Next up, Akeno. Now, I know that magic is your specialty, but keep in mind, you still have Rook and Knight traits that come with being a Queen," Hisashi began. "Now imagine, in battle, your opponents expect you to use some kind of magic attack, but instead, you fake them with a physical attack like a punch or a kick."

"Oh, that's very clever, thank you, Mr. Hisashi," Akeno said.

"Of course, we're not discounting your magic, either. Also, about your lightning. You're not using it to its full potential."

Akeno's eyes widened slightly, and then she suddenly frowned. "What do you mean by that?" She asked with a dark tone in her voice, to the surprise of Asia, Itsuka, Mina, and Eijiro.

Hisashi also noticed it but didn't say anything. "For one, there's more you can do than just electrocuting and tormenting opponents. Some lightning users I've met can give shape to their attacks or use electricity to manipulate their environments. And for variety, try combining it with other elemental spells you know."

"Ah, I'll keep that in mind also," Akeno said, suddenly intrigued.

"I wonder how Izuku's doing," Asia wondered.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Izuku bellowed as he was sent flying through the air, right into the face of a rock, thanks to a large explosion. As he got to his hands and knees, he groaned in pain.

"Ow… Dad wasn't kidding about… Training from Hell…" Izuku grumbled as he wiped the ash and sweat from his face as he looked back on the day's training. It involved lots of running. Lots and lots of running.

[You've improved somewhat today.] Ddraig chuckled slightly.

"Now that you've mastered more of your dragon heritage. Let's work on your Sacred Gear," Tannin said. "Our time is nearly halfway up, so how about I raise the difficulty?"

"Huh?" Izuku realized Tannin was preparing another attack and spread his wings to get away as far and fast as he could. "CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP!"

Forty minutes have passed since Izuku and Tannin departed, and in that time, Yumi and Koneko each had their turns sparring with Hisashi, and he had a few things to say about their fighting style. For Yumi, he noted that she tended to rely too much on outspeeding her opponents, which left her predictable to opponents that could outspeed her. He also advised her to think more about her defenses. And for Koneko, he advised her to avoid tanking every attack thrown at her, as a Rook's defense was formidable but not limitless. In addition, he gave tips on how to move faster despite being a Rook.

Now, Hisashi was training Itsuka, whose current outfit consisted of a yellow bikini top with teal zigzag stripes, a frilled teal miniskirt with a gold ribbon, frilled teal detached sleeves around her upper arm secured by a white ribbon, teal sandals; lastly, her hair was tied into twintails with green ribbons.

"Nice. Aquarius Form, huh?" Hisashi said.

"Yeah, in this form, I have powers over water. I can attack with water or use it to form barriers and other constructs."

"Good. Now, let's begin," Hisashi said, equipping his armor, the Homurasaki, and a bokken.

Itsuka followed through by taking a combative stance.

Itsuka made the first move, forming an orb of water and throwing it at Hisashi, who made the Homurasaki blaze with green flames as he sliced the water sphere, causing the halves to evaporate.

Hisashi then swung his bokken, but Itsuka formed a water barrier to stop him.

Itsuka then formed another ball of water, but this time, she slammed it into the ground, causing geysers to erupt in Hisashi's direction, forcing him to back off from the chain of geysers before using his Dragon's Breath Quirk to breathe out a stream of fire that collided with a geyser, causing a cloud of steam.

As Itsuka tried to see through the fog to find Hisashi, she suddenly flinched as the tip of a bokken was pointed at her face. It was Hisashi, who had found Itsuka first.

"Nice job. You showed plenty of skills with this form. We'll continue to work on it, along with your other forms."

"Yes, sir," Itsuka replied.

It was the last night in the pocket dimension, and Izuku was currently taking a drink from a stream near his camp. After a long day of hauling ass running from Tannin's attacks, the cold water gave him some much-needed relief. One look at his reflection in the water, and Izuku could tell the intense training left its mark on his body.

He was currently bare-chested while his torn-up shirt and tracksuit jacket lay beside him; he could see how his chest looked sturdier and more muscular thanks to burning off the small bits of fat. His arms had similarly become more muscular as well thanks to the training. He also started growing horns as well, though they were hardly noticeable right now.

"Wow, I can't believe my body's changed so much after training with a former Dragon King," Izuku observed as he inspected his new body.

[Be proud, partner.] Ddraig stated, his gem glowing on Izuku's left hand as he spoke. [Not many can say they've survived against Tannin's method of training.]

"Thanks," Izuku replied as he grabbed his shirt and returned to his camp. "It's my last night here. Hard to believe it's only been about an hour outside, while I spent almost a month here."

[It is hard to believe.] Ddraig commented. [The Mystic Keepers sure have access to some incredible resources.]

Izuku made himself a nice warm campfire to unwind and relax. "My body's gonna ache for months, I know it." He added with a groan.

[If you think that's bad, you probably don't want to think about what Rias Gremory likely has in mind for you.] Ddraig said with a chuckle, causing Izuku to sweatdrop.

Back at the villa, Rias was receiving suggestions from Hisashi on how to make better use of her Power of Destruction such as compressing the energy into fast-shooting bullets or other forms. Then, everyone noticed the large shadow of Tannin in the air.

On Tannin's back, Izuku was very relieved to see the Gremory villa again after the time he spent training with Tannin. As Tannin descended, everyone watched in awe as Izuku jumped from Tannin's back before slowing his fall using his green dragon wings.

"Izuku, I can hardly recognize you!" Asia said, admiring Izuku's new muscular physique.

"I'll say," Itsuka said, also looking over Izuku.

"You look so manly now, Midoriya!" Eijiro said.

"You could grate cheese on those abs," Mina said.

"I take it that the training with Tannin went well?" Rias asked, though she too was secretly admiring Izuku's new muscles.

"Well, I survived," Izuku said, scratching the back of his head. All the stares he got from the girls made him a little nervous.

"Thanks for the help, Old Man," Hisashi thanked Tannin.

"You're welcome, Hisashi," Tannin said. "I'm leaving now. I look forward to the Rating Game." Then, Tannin flapped his massive wings and soared into the sky, flying straight through a magic circle.

"Now then," Rias called. "Let's get back to training."

The next eight days came and went rather quickly, and everyone had improved significantly. Izuku had learned more about swordplay, combat styles, and using his demonic power. Asia managed to get better at handling her vines and reacting more quickly to detach them to prevent enemies from using them against her. Yumi managed to become faster and less predictable in her movements with fewer openings, also doing some defensive training in her inflated state with a little help from Koneko. Speaking of Koneko, she managed to become more agile despite being a Rook, and she learned to incorporate a few martial arts techniques into her attacks. Itsuka trained with a few more of her Celestia Regalia forms, especially the ones that would complement her Big Fist Quirk. Akeno experimented with her lightning more, particularly using electromagnetism; she also took part in physical training once every often. Rias managed to develop more efficient and creative ways to use her Power of Destruction. Even Eijiro and Mina managed to strengthen their Quirks somewhat. With everyone having improved their abilities, the time to put it to the test against Riser and his battle harem drew closer.

That night, Izuku was still awake in the living room reviewing his notes, trying to formulate the plan for the Rating Game. He also checked the Hero News. There was no mention of All Might teaching at U.A. yet. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice when someone came down the stairs.

"Izuku?" The voice of Rias snapped him out of his concentration.

"Oh, hey Buchou," Izuku said. "I was just checking the Hero News and studying my notes."

She was wearing a pink nightgown and a pair of glasses on her face, and she held a book under her arms. "I see. Anything interesting going on?"

"Well, there was talk about Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, and Edgeshot possibly forming a Hero team together. Oh, I also tried looking up any mention of All Might teaching at U.A., but there's nothing yet."

"I see," Rias responded. "I was also shocked to hear that he'd be teaching at U.A., though I probably won't really get to see him since I'm not in the Hero Course."

"You're a fan of All Might too?" Izuku asked.

"Who doesn't like All Might?" Rias asked rhetorically. "Well, Villains, maybe. But yeah, I admire him too. Though probably not to the same extent that you do."

Izuku blushed at being reminded of his almost child-like admiration of the Number One Hero.

"Anyway, I need to chat with you about something, so will you follow me outside?"

Out on the veranda, Rias looked over Izuku's notes. "I see. This is pretty amazing. Certainly better than anything I could come up with."

"Oh, really? Thanks," Izuku said.

"That being said, we're up against Phenex. A Devil, but he is also a marquis counting among the 72 Pillars. We've got our work cut out for us. His ability is the same as the beast his family is named after. Immortality," Rias revealed. "He's indestructible. He regenerates immediately following an attack. That's why his win-lose ratio is so flawless excluding the ones he lost on purpose out of respect for the other teams' families. Ever since the rating game was put into effect, The house of Phenex has dominated the playing field."

"Oh wow…" Izuku muttered. "Changing the subject, are you really against marriage, or is it Riser?"

"Riser…" Rias answered. "Not to sound stereotypical or cliché, but like any other girl, I dream of getting married one day, but I want it to be with someone I choose. The proposal was made to the Heiress of Gremory. Because of my title, I am not ever recognized as Rias. The House of Gremory will always come before me…" Rias got up and walked across the railing of the veranda as she turned to gaze at the moonlit sky. "I've learned to adjust to it and make my decisions accordingly. Make no mistake, my title is something I will always take pride in. But I want to find someone who loves me as Rias, not for how my status can improve their life. Otherwise, they may as well marry the House. I understand that history is not in my favor, and the idea of love may just remain a dream. But it's one I'd like to keep."

"Well, I think you shouldn't give it up. You have the right to love whoever you want!" Izuku said. "The Gremory name doesn't define you. It's just an empty title and anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't know you."

"Thank you," Rias smiled. Then she noticed a notebook titled, "Hero Analysis for the Future No. 13." It was slightly charred, but she thought not much of it as she picked it up with curiosity in her eyes. "Hmm, what's this?"

Izuku winced. "Wait, that's-"

"Wow, you wrote all this?" Rias asked, skimming through the pages. "It's practically a guidebook about Heroes."

Izuku turned red in embarrassment, looking down as he rubbed his head. "W-Well, that's…"

"Oh~ What's this? Mt. Lady is 'sexy', is she? You naughty boy," Rias said, her tone hiding none of her amusement.

"No! That's not what it means!" Izuku waved his arms sporadically. "When Mt. Lady made her debut appearance, she sorta stole the thunder from Kamui Woods and other Heroes and well… she, uh… showed off her assets for extra attention…" He said, trying not to sound demeaning. "I heard that Heroes, both men and women, often use their looks for publicity, and that's pretty much what she did."

"I'm only half-convinced because I'm hearing it from you. You better pray that Koneko doesn't see this."

Izuku let his head hang, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a response, though he couldn't help but think that Rias in her "teasing" voice kinda sounded somewhat like Mt. Lady.

"But don't get me wrong, your notes are very impressive," Rias continued. "I mean, it's probably natural for a fanboy to take notes about his idol, but this is a few bits short of a total Hero encyclopedia. I get the feeling there's a reason it's so detailed."

"Well, I just thought that maybe if I studied different Heroes, learn how they made it… How they work with their pros and cons… Then maybe I can figure out a way to become a Hero myself…" Izuku smiled nostalgically, taking the notebook from Rias and looking through some pages. "Considering there's plenty that rely more on Support Items or other gear rather than their Quirks, I figured that maybe as a Quirkless kid, I can do it too… Though in hindsight, it's probably easier said than done." Putting the crispy notebook down, he turned his gaze back to Rias. "And then things changed when I met you, Akeno, Yumi, Koneko, and everyone else. Learning about my Boosted Gear… I have the chance now, thanks to you. I'm happy to have met you."

He then reached for his bag, searching for another notebook. "Here's something I've started working on recently…" He took a notebook out from a bundle of them and handed it to Rias with a bashful look. "I admit, I was kinda embarrassed, also, after Master Tannin's training, it sort of slipped my mind. But hey, better late than never, right?"

"'Supernatural Analysis for the Present No. 1'…" Rias read aloud, slowly pulling the cover back to read through the pages.

The notebook contained a list of all of Rias's Peerage abilities, along with their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, there were also notes on their other friends such as Itsuka and her Sacred Gear, along with some members of Sona and Latia's Peerages. It even listed the enemies they fought such as Stray Devils, Raynare, and the Bellios Gang.

"Impressive. This is so detailed; you've pretty much recorded all the important details!" Rias said in amazement.

"Yeah, I just wanted to do my best to make sure we're prepared to our fullest," Izuku said. "And it's not just me. Akeno, Asia, Yumi, Koneko, and also Kendo. We all don't want you marrying Riser either. We all plan on giving it our best in the Rating Game."

Rias smiled wider. "Izuku… come'er," she reached her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, resting her head against her pillow-like chest.

"Erm… Buchou… what are you-?" Izuku whispered, blushing.

"Shh… let's stay like this for a while," Rias whispered, nuzzling her face against his hair. Izuku slowly nodded as he relaxed in his master's grip, feeling a little more comfort in her arms. "Hey… Izuku?"

"Yeah?"

"I… I'm happy we met, too."

And so, the ten days of training have come and gone. That means the Rating Game against Riser Phenex is right up the alley. But thanks to their training, our protagonists should now be able to give him a much-deserved smackdown.

Sorry if you wanted to see more bits of Eijiro and Mina training with the group, but I decided to focus more on the people who would actually be taking part in the Rating Games.

As for Tannin's appearance, it's just like in Hero Academia DxD and I thought it was cool in there, however, I also have another reason for having Izuku be trained by Tannin earlier than Issei in canon, but that won't be revealed until the Underworld visit.

Yumi's Quirk is based on Monkey D. Luffy's Gum-Gum Balloon move and Mammoth Mutt from Krypto the Superdog. Inflation may be a silly power, but these characters know how to use it properly.

See you next time. Go beyond! Plus Ultra!