After everyone was accommodated with their rooms, they all met back up for dinner in the Gremory dining hall. The hall itself was large and lavish, clearly meant to be rearranged for parties no doubt. Everyone had situated themselves at the dinner table, with Zeoticus at the head with his wife and daughter on each side of him. Issei sat next to Rias with Mash next to him after that. The others organized themselves in the remaining seats, while Issei's Servants seemed to have integrated themselves with the Gremory servants to help out with the dinner. Once the meals were in front of everyone Zeoticus spoke to the group. "Now then, members of Rias' group and honored guests, please think of this place as your home. The servants here will listen to your commands and are at your service so please feel at ease. Now please enjoy your meal without holding back," he said joyfully.
Everyone began eating with Gasper, Asia, and Xenovia, having a hard time trying to eat in a non-crude manner. To the surprise of the Gremory parents, Issei and Mash were eating with perfect manners and posture. They even used the correct utensils for each thing they ate. "Ara ara, where did you learn such good manners, Issei?" asked Venelana.
Issei gave a polite smile to her as he responded. "From a few of my Servants. Since I've had to deal with various cultures for my job, I had to learn all kinds of things so as to not cause too many problems. Some of which were proper table manners for different cultures and various dances as well."
"I see. So, you have good manners, and can dance too. While Sirzechs has mentioned what kind of job you do, I would be interested to hear the details from you, if that's fine with you," said Venelana curiously.
"It shouldn't be a problem, Okaa-sama," said Issei, unperturbed.
His sudden addressing of Rias' mother as Okaa-sama caused a few at the table to almost choke on their food, with Rias, Mash, Akeno, and Asia, all giving him surprised looks. Zeoticus simply looked amused at the turn of events and looked eager to jump in. "I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. I would be interested in hearing about it as well."
"Sure thing, Mr. Gremory," said Issei, not changing his tone.
"Hey, shouldn't you call me Otou-sama just like with my wife? Or at least Otou-san? Isn't the treatment too different here?" Zeoticus complained.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Issei as he took another bite of his food. Zeoticus sank his head, depressed, while his wife chuckled at the pair's antics. Rias was looking between Issei and her mother, trying to figure out what they could have possibly talked about to become so friendly all of a sudden. Recovering quickly, Zeoticus decided to make some small talk of his own. "By the way, Issei-kun, how are your parents doing?"
"They're doing fine. When I told them I would be going to Rias' home for a while they asked me to bring them back a souvenir. Honestly, they just got their house remodeled and here they are asking for more stuff. Well, I guess they deserve a chance to be spoiled every now and then with what their stupid son puts them through," said Issei, a hint of self-mockery in his voice.
The ORC gave Issei some sympathetic looks while Venelana's expression didn't change, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Zeoticus seemed to nod in understanding and picked up a bell and rang it, calling one the servants over. "What is your wish, master?"
"Prepare a castle for Issei-kun's parents," said Zeoticus nonchalantly, causing Issei and Mash to almost fall over.
"Understood master. Should it be western style or japanese style?"
"Hmmm, such a difficult choice. What do you think, Issei-kun?"
"H-hold up a second Zeoticus! A castle is way too much for a souvenir!" said Issei in a panic.
"Dear, you have to remember that Issei's parents are commoners, and have commoner sensibilities. A castle is too much for them to handle," said Venelana, coming to Issei's rescue.
"I see. I guess you're right, but then what would make a good gift for them?"
"We can discuss that with Issei when we talk later. Is that alright with you Issei?"
"Y-yes, that's probably for the best," said Issei, sighing in relief that everything worked out.
After that the dinner went on with some small talk between everyone and once they finished everyone left to turn in for the night. Before she got far Rias was stopped by her mother. "Rias, would you mind waiting a moment?"
Rias showed a confused expression, but stayed behind since she also wanted to talk to her mother about earlier. After everyone was gone the two Gremory women stood face to face. "Is something wrong mother?"
"That depends, but before we get to that there is something I want to say to you first." Rias was confused but then her expression turned to surprise when her mother bowed to her. "I'm sorry about the engagement before. While I still stand by my decision back then, I also understand that I was ignoring your feelings simply for the sake of our family. I hope you'll forgive your mother's selfishness," she said sadly but still dignified.
"M-mother, there's no reason to apologize. I knew what the reason was, even if I wanted to reject it. I knew you didn't do it just to make me suffer and were thinking about the family, although I wish you had considered the personality of the other party more seriously at that time," said Rias who wasn't sure how to feel about this situation.
"Well, when it comes to nobility, most have personalities like that. By comparison, we are the odd ones out, if you're not counting the Sitri family. But that aside, after the rating game I saw that maybe the answer that is right in front of us isn't always the best answer. If I had considered your feelings more, then perhaps things would have turned out better, although I'm not complaining about the current results," she said with a small wry smile. Rias blushed and looked away. "With that said, I wanted to talk to you about your current relationship." Rias refocused on her mother, now a bit nervous about what she was going to say. "How are things currently between you and Issei?"
"Things are great between us. He takes care of me and comforts me whenever he gets the chance. Even with the others around and his work with Chaldea he always makes time for me. Not to mention our nights together…" Rias petered off when she mentioned her nights with Issei, an intense blush on her face.
Venelana seemed pleased that Rias was being treated well by Issei. "That's good. Speaking of the others, how exactly are you managing them as the head wife?" Rias' face became awkward, causing Venelana to look at her a bit suspiciously. "You "are" the head wife, correct?"
"It's, complicated. Issei says that no one is above the others in terms of importance to him, but it's clear to all of us that he gives Mashu special treatment, although I'm not sure if he realizes it himself. It's not surprising considering all the life-or-death experiences they've had together. Their bond is just something that can't be compared to, especially for us who just came into his life recently." Rias showed a somewhat lonely expression. "That aside, Mashu and I have been managing the other girls in his life, with Mashu handling things on the Servants end and me handling the peerage."
"So there are even more girls in the picture. How many more?"
"I don't know exactly. I'm not sure who Issei has talked to and who he hasn't talked to about it. His Servants more or less keep to themselves and only talk to us when he's around, with a few exceptions. The only one we have regular contact with is Emperor Nero, who regularly spends time with us."
Venelana showed a confused expression. "Emperor Nero? Isn't he a man?"
Rias chuckled at her mother's misunderstanding. "It's difficult to explain, but Ise's Servants are from an alternate reality, where most of them are a different gender, Emperor Nero is a woman in that world, and she is quite smitten with Ise."
"So, you're competing with an Emperor for Issei's attention as well," said Venelana, who was more telling the information to herself than addressing Rias. "Tell me, what kind of people are Issei's Servants?"
"That's a bit hard to describe, since many of them have widely varying backgrounds. Some are powerful warriors and mages, some are royalty or nobility, and others are monsters and gods. He has so many that we would be here all night just going over the basics, and that's just based on what little I know."
Venelana seemed to be contemplating her daughter's words before sighing. "Seems you have a difficult battle ahead of you."
"I think you're right, but I don't mind. After all, I chose to be with the future Harem King," Rias said with a wry smile.
Venelana couldn't help but smile at those words. "Well, he's definitely doing a fine job of that. You think he would be interested in having someone like me join in as well?" she said teasingly.
Rias' face blushed as she seemed a bit annoyed. "M-mother! What are you even saying?! I've been meaning to ask this since dinner, but why is Ise calling you Okaa-sama all of a sudden?!"
Venelana's expression remained its usual composed self as she spoke. "We just had a talk about our first meeting and how your relationship was going. After chatting I convinced him that we should start over like our first meeting didn't happen, so that we could move past his awkwardness over our last encounter."
"But how did that lead to him calling you Okaa-sama?"
"Simple. Since I suggested starting over, I started by calling him Son-in-law teasingly. And he responded, albeit a bit embarrassed, by calling me Mother-in-law."
"I see. You got his guard down using his guilt so that he could be more familiar with you, probably because you saw how father was rushing full speed to try and integrate him into the family so brazenly."
"Do you have any complaints?"
"No, but if you keep pulling stunts like that he'll eventually catch on, and Ise is the type to put a stop to that even if it's to his own detriment."
"I'll bear that in mind. So?"
"So, what?"
"What do you plan to do to be the head wife?" Venelana asked seriously.
"Mother, I more or less hold that position already. It would be more accurate to think that Mashu is a special exception to the order of things between us. You should talk to her, or better yet, talk to both of them together to see what I mean. That aside, Mashu already has some issues when it comes to being in this relationship, so if I did anything like "trying to replace her", the whole thing would fall apart. When Ise and I started dating in order to provoke Riser, Mashu felt like I was going to replace her and started acting cold to me. Granted, we didn't start off on the right foot either, but Mashu has self-esteem issues. I promised her that I wasn't going to take her place and simply wanted to be at Ise's side just like her. This isn't about hierarchy for us, it's about being with the man we love."
"I understand, but even so-"
"Do you not have faith that he will stay by my side? Do you think he would cast me aside so easily after everything we went through to get me out of that marriage?" Rias was starting to become irritated.
"No, of course not. Even I understand that from talking with Issei."
"Then it's my turn to say it. Stop meddling with our personal business. I understand my position well enough, and I understand I have to hold myself a certain way in front of the rest of Devil society for now, but no amount of prodding and pressuring is going to change how we feel about each other. We will handle things our way."
Venelana felt a mix of pride in her daughter and annoyance in what she saw as naivete. Despite that, she was beginning to see Issei's influence on her. Rias' expression showed determination and unlike earlier she did not look away from her. She could see that she was dead set on making things with Issei work, no matter what. She sighed as she decided to make a tough decision. "If you feel so strongly about it then we should make it official."
Rias's became surprised. "Wait, you don't mean-"
"I do. Normally we would keep something like this under the radar until more time had passed, but I think to avoid things becoming too complicated down the line, it would be better to make it public now."
"We should discuss this with Ise first. If we move without telling him he will definitely be angry with us."
"Of course. Now then, you said you understand your position, but there's something that you don't understand about it. Your actions reflect on not only us but Sirzechs as well."
"But Onii-sama is the Maou. He's no longer affiliated with the Gremory household," Rias protested.
"On paper that's true. But he came from our household, so all of us represent him to some degree. Especially you, his younger sister and the next head of the Gremory house. The other houses as well as the council will be keeping an eye on you for anything they can use to get an advantage over Sirzechs. And since we're going to make your relationship with the Sekiryuutei public, you will now be representing him as well. Not to mention the families of other nobles who were after your hand will now be targeting him to get to you and vice versa. You two must prepare for what's to come."
Rias looked down, a bit reluctant to involve Issei in this mess, but seeing that it was going to be unavoidable. "I'm sure Issei is working on things on his end since he knows he's going to be representing Chaldea."
"True. It surprised me when he said he was already skilled in etiquette and dance beforehand. We'll see later on, but if it's true then it honestly saves me the trouble of having to teach him that. He will have to learn about our family history though."
"He has a basic understanding as far as I know. When we first met, he recited both mine and Sona's family origins without any misinformation. He just has to learn the finer details."
Venelana showed a surprised expression again, but it soon changed to a small smile. "That boy keeps finding ways to surprise me. Well then, I think it's about time I turn in for the night. You should rest up as well. You have the meeting of young devils coming up soon. Make sure your peerage is ready."
"I will, mother." Venelana nodded and walked away with Rias watching her as she left. After she was out of sight Rias began walking to Issei's room while thinking about her conversation and how she was going to break this to Issei.
The next night, Issei was in a large auditorium in the Lucifer territory, where the young devils who would be the future heads of their families would gather, along with the Maou and the Devil council. Venelana had suggested Issei attend to support Rias and Sirzechs said it would also act as him representing Chaldea to strengthen their alliance with the Devils, although Sirzechs gave him a wink as he said that, giving off the impression that he wanted him to do something if necessary. Mash stayed behind at the Gremory castle because Venelana wanted to talk to her for some reason. So Issei came along with two of his other Servants who showed interest. Well, one showed interest, the other came because he was bored and thought this would be amusing. Issei just hoped they wouldn't cause too much of a scene. "I can't wait to see what the future of our new allies has to offer! Don't you think it's interesting, King of Heros?" said Iskandar.
"Hmph! This place is droll and so far, I'm unimpressed with the display these mongrel bats are presenting," said Gilgamesh, unamused.
"Your Majesty, please keep comments like that to a minimum. We don't want to provoke our new friends," said Issei, getting a sinking feeling about this. "And Iskandar, please try and tone it down a bit. We don't want to be the center of attention in an event we're not even supposed to be present for."
"Sorry sorry, I'm just extremely interested in the coming events. It's always good to have new friends for our conquest, right King of Heros?" Iskandar was in a really good mood. Meanwhile Gilgamesh just huffed annoyed and looked away.
Why did I bring these two with me? thought Issei to himself as events finally seemed to be getting underway. A door opened and the gathering of young Devils entered with their peerages. There appeared to be six in attendance, those being Rias, Sona, a well-built black-haired youth who seemed to exude power off him similar to Iskandar next to him, a pretty blonde girl with glasses, a rather gentle looking boy, and a delinquent boy with green hair. He watched all six stepped forward, away from their peerages. Issei noticed the delinquent looking boy had a swollen cheek, meaning something probably happened in the waiting room. Issei decided to ask Rias about it later.
"Good, you have gathered. In order to check the faces of you all, who will carry the burden of the next generation, you have been gathered here. This is also a meeting that is performed over a regular cycle, so that we can ascertain the young devils," said an elderly devil from one of the council seats.
"They seem to have fought right away though…" said another elderly devil with a full mustache sarcastically. Iskandar seemed to have an amused smile at that, while Issei just sighed at his Servant's attitude.
"You six are all devils of the next generation that have pedigree and true ability that no objection can be raised against. That's why, I want you to compete together before your debuts and increase your power in this way," said Sirzechs from his spot on the topmost podium.
"It's never bad to increase your country's fighting power, especially for the nobles," commented Iskandar with an impressed look on his face.
"Will we also eventually be sent out in the battle against the Khaos Brigade?" asked the well-built youth. Issei was surprised by the guy's guts, as he could tell he wanted to face them rather than avoid them.
"I don't know. However, I don't want to send out young devils if possible," said Sirzechs.
The young devil didn't seem to understand as he raised an eyebrow. "Why? Even if we're young, we carry part of the responsibility of devils. If we just receive kindness from our predecessors even at this age and nothing further is done—"
Sirzechs interrupted him. "Sairaorg, I acknowledge your bravery. However, you're reckless. Above all, I'd like to avoid sending you all, who are still in the midst of growing, to the battlefield. Besides, it would be too great a loss if we lost the devils of the next generation. I want you to understand. You are all more of a treasure to us than you think. That's why I want you to experience important things step by step and grow."
"It's the smartest choice. I would know from my own experiences, what it means to grow up too fast," said Issei to himself.
The now named Sairaorg said "I understand." to Sirzechs and consented to his words, although his face showed he was clearly dissatisfied with the answer. After that came the discussion about the upcoming games and how they would be held. After a long talk, Sirzechs seemed to brighten up at his next topic. "Now then, I apologize for keeping you with this long talk. Well, we all see our dreams and hopes in you young ones. I want you to understand at least that. You are the treasures of the underworld." Everyone hung on Sirzechs's words. Issei understood that there were no lies in the Maou's words as he listened. Iskandar continued to look impressed while Gilgamesh looked bored at what he thought was just a meaningless display of platitudes. Sirzechs continued. "To finish things, will you now let us hear your respective future goals?"
Sairaorg was the first to speak. "My dream is to become Maou," he said without hesitation.
"Hoh…" was said by many of the higher up devils, seemingly impressed. "It's unprecedented for a devil of the Great-King Faction to leave it," said one of the male council members.
"When the people of the underworld feel that there's no choice but for me to become Maou, I will become one," he declared further. Iskandar was really starting to like this guy, and even Gilgamesh, although still looking bored, let out a huff of amusement.
Rias stepped up soon after. "My goal for the near future is to live as the next Gremory head, and to win in each Rating Game battle," she said. This was Issei's first time hearing her dream. She had always talked about becoming the next head and becoming stronger herself, but he never really realized how much those things meant to her. He always supported her, but he realized that he never really invested himself enough to know why it means so much to her. Issei began to think of a plan to help her and the others after the meeting was over.
Not long after Sona was the next to step up. "I wish to build a school for teaching about the Rating Games."
Her dream was met with silence, which caused Issei, Iskandar, and even Gilgamesh to become confused (Gil mostly because he thought something like that should be simply done, so it seemed too small a wish to be a dream).
The silence was finally broken when one of the council members spoke up. "There should already be a school for that, no?"
"That is just a school where only high-class devils and devils of privileged rank are accepted. The school that I want to build is one where low-class devils and reincarnated devils can also attend without any distinction," said Sona resolutely.
Another moment of silence fell until it was broken by something that made Issei's blood boil. "Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" The higher-ups began laughing as if they were told the funniest joke in the world. Issei's started glaring at them while also checking on the Maou, Sona, and Rias. Rias had her eyes narrowed at the council but was doing her best to keep a cool expression. Sona seemed to be doing a better job at maintaining her poker face, but he felt like she was probably boiling with rage inside too. The Maou had been silent, with the only one showing any kind of displeasure being Serafall, for obvious reasons. She looked like she was holding back greatly from jumping the council for laughing at her sister.
"That's impossible!"
"This is brilliant!"
"I see! So you're a little girl who dreams!"
"It's good to be young! However, for the next head of the Sitri family to state such a dream, I have to say thank goodness that it was here at this place of introduction before your debut."
The various members of the council took what Sona said as some kind of joke. Sona spoke, undeterred. "I'm serious."
At this, one of the council members spoke with cool-headed words. "Sona Sitri-dono. Low-class devils and reincarnated devils merely work for their high-class devil masters and are only selected for their talent. Wouldn't building such a training institution make the old families, who value tradition and pride, lose face? No matter how much people say that the world of devils has entered a period of change, change can be both good and bad. Something like teaching mere low-class devils really is nothing of your concern…"
Saji, who had been clearly enraged by the mockery of his master, was about to speak, but someone else beat him to the punch. "I see. So, this is the way the old devils think. It's no wonder the previous Maou ended up getting wiped out."
With those words the whole room became silent. Everyone turned their attention to Issei who was sitting in a somewhat relaxed way with a wry smile, although his eyes weren't smiling. After it finally registered with the devil council what he had said, one of them spoke with rage. "What did you say, boy?!"
"You heard the boy," said Iskandar, picking up where Issei left off. His face was also painted with disappointment at unfolding events. "You needlessly cripple yourselves for the sake of prestige. Here is someone who is offering you a way to increase your forces and possibly discover and nurture hidden talent among your people, and you want to toss it aside for the sake of your own foolish pride."
The devil council didn't take kindly to those scathing criticisms, but it didn't end there. "There's no point in wasting your breath, King of Conquerors. These mongrel bats will never learn their lesson. So if they wish to die out on their own terms, then so be it. The least they can do is make it amusing for the rest of us," said Gilgamesh with his usual smug smirk and attitude.
"What would any of you know, humans?! In fact, why are you even here?! You should know better than to speak to your betters!" one councilman yelled.
This was met with a blade impaling itself centimeters away from his head into his chair. The sword itself radiating a holy aura from it, causing great discomfort and fear in the councilman. "You dare speak to a God as if I'm a lower being. You have a lot of nerve, bat!" said Gilgamesh, as more portals opened behind him revealing more weapons, many of them radiating a holy aura from them, causing the whole room to become fearful of him.
"That's enough, Gilgamesh. You shouldn't waste your treasures on the likes of them. They're not worth your effort," said Issei. Gilgamesh's glare shifted to Issei, who didn't even flinch, and then he closed his eyes as his weapons returned to his vault. He let out an annoyed "tch," then returned to sitting, uncaring of his surroundings. Issei turned his attention to the now fearful council members and addressed them. "I'm here by special request of the Maou, representing my faction, Chaldea. Sirzechs wished to show me the promising future of the Underworld, and while I can see potential in the next generation of leaders, I don't see there being any hope if close-minded fools like you stifle their progress. It honestly makes me wonder, if there is any benefit to working with your group at all," he said in a tone as if he was deciding what to have for lunch today.
The council's expressions became mixed. They were angry that this boy was questioning their judgment and way of life, but they also understood that the only thing standing between them, and another holy sword aimed at them was his apparent control over the person next to him. The Maou only looked slightly amused by what was transpiring, with Serafall smiling ear to ear about the council getting their just desserts for laughing at Sona, Sirzechs kept his usual calm demeanor, although if one looked closely, you could see sweat on his brow. Ajuka looked only mildly interested in what was going on, while Falbuim looked a bit on edge, but decided not to make a move since the others weren't. Sirzechs had decided that was enough so spoke up. "As said earlier, Hyoudou Issei is here representing his faction Chaldea. I was hoping to show him our promising future as a show of good faith, and to prove that his trust was not misplaced. Although it seems to have become a rather poor showing. I'm sorry Issei-san. I'm sure there are better things the Red Dragon Emperor could be doing with their time than arguing with our council."
At Sirzechs mention of the Red Dragon Emperor, the entire room's focus was now on Issei, with most of the occupants being shocked that he was the Sekiryuutei. Issei wasn't fazed by this, having gotten used to having a tone of attention on him. Issei just gave a sly smile as he looked at Sirzechs. "It's fine. After all, it's good to know "exactly" the kind of people I'm working with," he said, his voice laced with snarky criticism. This made the devil council furious, but they knew they couldn't say anything unless they wanted to jeopardize their alliance further. Issei ignored them and turned his attention to Sona, whose expression remained neutral. "I look forward to seeing if you can achieve your dream, Sona-Kaichou," said Issei playfully.
Sona's poker face finally broke as a small smile appeared on her face. "I'll try not to disappoint," she said, her resolve seeming stronger than before. Serafall looked extremely happy at Issei's support for her sister, while Sirzechs and Saji both gave him thankful gazes. Rias, who was doing her best to keep herself from becoming a nervous wreck as Issei butt heads with the council, smiled at him, seeing that everything seemed to have worked out.
After the drama finally ended, the event continued with Sirzechs getting things back on track. "Now then, we should get back to the games. Rias, Sona, how would you like to fight each other first?" This question took Rias, Sona, and Issei by surprise. "Originally it was planned for Rias' game to take place in a few weeks. Azazel had gathered Rating Game fans from the other factions to watch the match as a pretext to observe the next generation just like with Issei-san. So things should work out this way. Let's have Rias and Sona face each other."
Rias and Sona smiled as they looked at each other. "I won't hold back, even if it's you Sona. No, especially because it's you, I won't hold back," said Rias with confidence.
"It's the same for me. I won't hold back against you. I also have too much on the line," said Sona with determination.
"Great! It seems you're both really motivated. I can't wait to see your match," said Serafall excitedly.
"Today's date is July 28th. The match will take place on August 20th in human world time. I look forward to seeing what both teams bring to the match," said Sirzechs
Not long after the announcement the meeting was wrapped up and everyone was dismissed. As Issei was making his way out to meet Rias, he was stopped by Sona. "Issei, can I speak with you?"
Issei was pleasantly surprised. "Well, this is rare. What can I help you with?" he asked with interest as Sona adjusted her glasses.
"So, it's a showdown with the Sitri group," said Azazel amused. After leaving, the ORC went to meet up with Azazel and Mash at a nearby resort and inform them of what happened during the meeting. The group was currently enjoying the resort's hot spring as Issei retold the events. Azazel got a chuckle out of Issei and his Servants roasting the devil council but was otherwise only interested in the upcoming match. "Well then, I'll start planning a training regime for the group."
"I also had my own ideas for their training. So let me see your ideas to see if they're compatible with mine," said Issei. Issei looked around the hot spring and saw Kiba nearby relaxing, but he noticed someone missing. He searched the room until he saw a certain dhampir hiding in the corner. "Gasper, why are you hiding in the corner? Come in and join the rest of us."
"Uuuh… But…" the vampire said fearfully.
Issei had gotten up and walked over to him. "C'mon, it's not like you don't know us. It's time you learned to socialize like the rest of us," he said as he picked up Gasper.
Gasper, not expecting to be carried all of a sudden, started to flail aimlessly as Issei carried him back to the hot spring. "Nooooooooooo! Put me down! Don't do this to me Senpai!"
All his whining ended when Issei dumped him in the hot spring. Gasper looked up at him, a bit teary eyed, but he didn't show signs of getting out. Issei just smirked at him. "See? It's not so bad."
As Issei was getting back in, he could hear the voices of the girls from the other side of the wall of the hot spring. "Ara, Rias. Did your bust get bigger again? Can I touch it a little?" came Akeno's voice.
"R-Really? Umm…Your way of touching is a little indecent. Rather, didn't your bra cup change more than mine, Akeno?" responded Rias.
"My old one was still fine even though it was a bit tight… However, recently, I've been thinking that it wouldn't be bad to show it off in a bigger way. A woman becomes bolder when she has a partner she'd like to show it to, Rias," said Akeno in a teasing way.
"That may be true… But I won't lose to you when it comes to him," said Rias with determination.
"Fufufu, we'll see, Rias," said Akeno provokingly.
"I'm envious of you two," said Asia, looking down at her own chest. Mash felt the same but stayed quiet since she was bigger than Asia and didn't want to seem ungrateful for what she had now.
"Ara ara, Asia-chan. Haven't yours gotten bigger than before?" asked Akeno.
"I-is that so? Although if they're only this big, I can't seem to come to like it. He likes them like both of yours anyways."
"Asia, have you heard that they can become bigger by rubbing them? Like this—," said Xenovia as she got behind Asia and grabbed her breasts.
"Haan! D-don't! Xenovia-san! Ah… Un… Even Issei-san hasn't done this kind of thing to me." Issei was stimulated by what he was hearing from the other side but felt a bit guilty at Asia's words. Despite dating he hasn't done much with Asia since their first night. They have some time alone every now and then, but he still treats her more delicately than the others, which seems to bother her. Issei resolved himself to treat her more like the rest of the girls.
"Ara ara, it's good to be young, isn't it Rias? By the way, based on this feeling, you really have been getting bigger every day. No doubt thanks to Issei-kun," said Akeno playfully.
"Aan… A-Akeno, cut it out, release your hands from my breasts. Your movements are— Aaaun! Where did you learn such a thing?"
"Rias breasts… What a nice sensation… Ufufu. I'll do this here and…"
Issei decided to throw his girlfriend a bone. "Akeno, I would appreciate it if you refrained from groping my girlfriend." There was silence on the girl's side as Rias seemed to be relieved that Issei was defending her. Akeno seemed a bit disappointed as she moved away, but Issei wasn't done yet. "You should at least wait until we're all in the same room together so I can enjoy it too," he said playfully.
Those words caused Rias to blush intensely, and Akeno's face became mischievous. "Ufufu, if you say so Issei. I guess I'll hold back for now."
Issei had a wry smile on his face as Azazel stared impressed with a smile of his own. "Not bad kid. You might have some more promise than I thought."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Issei, a bit offended.
"Nothing. It's just that you're still young, so I figured you would need some guidance in handling women, but you seem to be doing fine."
"Well, I might not be the most experienced when it comes to relationships, but I'm good at reading and understanding people, so that's been coming in handy," said Issei with a bit of a proud smile.
I see. Well, if you ever need advice, you can come to me. I've handled plenty of women in my life, so I'll give you a few pointers if you need them," said Azazel wryly. The pair laughed together as everyone continued to enjoy the hot spring.
The next day, Issei was waiting outside the Gremory garden along with Mash and Azazel. The others were preparing for their training against Sona's team and were taking time to get ready. Eventually they all made their way outside and gathered around. Azazel decided it was time to start. "Alright, we have a little less than a month before your match, so I've prepared a training regimen for all of you. This will focus on the immediate future for all of you since you have a match coming up soon, but afterwards we can adjust it for long term goals. You're all still young and growing so even if our initial approach is off, we can correct it later on. First up, Rias—,". Rias stepped forward after being called. "You've been a high-spec devil from the very beginning. Even if you didn't do anything you would still grow into a powerful devil later in life. But you want more, don't you?"
Rias nodded strongly. "I don't want to lose, but more than that I don't want to always rely on others to bail me out," she said, her gaze momentarily going to Issei before refocusing on Azazel.
"Then follow this regime from now till the day of the fight," said Azazel as he handed her some papers.
Rias looked at them and seemed confused. "This doesn't seem all that special though."
"Yes, it's pretty basic. Your power will only grow through practice, which is all well and good, but what a king needs more than anything is a strategic mind. No matter how strong you are, you can still be defeated if you're outsmarted. Sona will be the perfect example of this as she is cleverer than most people. On top of that you should understand how effective a well thought out plan can be after your battle with Riser," said Azazel, explaining his reasoning. The others nodded as they remembered Issei's plan when fighting Riser, an opponent they thought would be almost impossible for them to defeat. "A king needs thought, quick-wittedness, and judgment to defeat any kind of situation. Just like an actual battlefield, you won't know what will happen until the game starts."
Rias nodded as she looked at the papers in front of her. Issei stepped forward, gathering everyone's attention. "Alright, now it's my turn to help. No offense to Azazel but having a dedicated trainer would be more effective than just a training regimen."
"Ara, does that mean you'll be teaching me personally, Issei?" she asked a bit flirtatiously.
"Tempting, but that wouldn't be as effective." Issei extended an arm out and several Servants were summoned to the spot he pointed to. "I figured having them teach you would be more effective," he said with a wry smile.
Standing there was Zhuge Liang, Circe, and Scàthach, all looking prepared for their task. Rias' jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw them. "They will be teaching me?!"
Issei nodded with a smile. "Yup! Zhuge Liang is a famous tactician, so he will help you learn to plan and strategize better. You know The Witch of Okeanos already and we talked in the past about you getting mentored by her. And finally, I asked Shishou if she would be willing to help you in areas where you are weak at."
Rias tilted her head. "Areas I'm weak at. Like what?"
"How about the fact that aside from magic you are completely useless on the battlefield," said Scàthach bluntly. Rias slightly shirked back from the statement but couldn't deny it. "I plan on teaching you other ways to fight, not only to cover for your weaknesses, but to surprise your opponents as well. I still remember clearly how our last match went when we trained last time. Know I plan to beat that weakness out of you, just like I did for Master," she said with a slightly villainous smile.
Rias seemed scared and looked to Issei for support, but when she looked at him, he seemed to have a faraway look on. "Please go a little easy on her Shishou," he said quietly.
"You should know that's not my style, Master," said Scàthach.
Issei just looked at Rias with slightly dead eyes and gave her a thumbs up. "Good luck." Rias looked defeated before the training even started.
Azazel chuckled at unfolding events before getting back on track. "Next is Akeno."
"Yes," responded Akeno. Issei could tell a bit that Akeno didn't like Azazel. It was probably due to her feelings towards Fallen but she seemed to be able to put it aside to cooperate.
"You must accept the blood that flows inside you," he said bluntly. Akeno's face couldn't maintain its composure as she frowned heavily. "I've seen the recordings of the match with Riser's peerage. While you did end up winning, it wasn't without help, as well as a close call when the Phenex queen took you by surprise. If it wasn't for Issei's Servants, you would have lost. It shouldn't have been an issue for you if you just channeled the holy power of your Fallen side into your attacks."
"I can manage without that power. I don't need to rely on something like that to get stronger," said Akeno sternly.
"How long do you plan on lying to yourself?" said Scàthach from the side. Akeno's attention was now on her as she glared at her. "You needlessly cripple yourself because of some grudge? Don't be a fool. You should use everything at your disposal. In fact, you already did at the factions meeting when we were fighting off the invaders."
"I know, and I regret it immensely."
"Why? Your attacks were more effective on the enemies when you started mixing your powers. Why are you holding yourself back over something meaningless?"
Akeno's look became furious. Even Issei thought that was a little too far. "Meaningless?! What would you know about what happened to me, or how I feel?!" Akeno yelled.
Scàthach remained unfazed. "More than you think. I've encountered and trained many warriors, who all were fighting for a variety of reasons. I've heard it all and quite frankly none of it means anything. Let me ask you this. Do you intend to never use that power? Even if it means everyone you love and care about will die because you simply refused to use it?" Akeno remained silent. She was shaking in anger but couldn't refute her. She didn't want her loved ones to die, but this power to her, came at the cost of something important to her. Scàthach decided to continue. "If holding your grudge is more important than protecting what matters most to you then so be it. Don't be surprised when it's all gone before you realize it."
Akeno looked defeated. She knew Scàthach was right but didn't want to accept it. Issei decided it was time to change the subject. "W-well then, that aside I also chose some people to help you, Akeno." It was ungraceful but it was the best he could do to move things forward as he summoned more Servants. There stood Ashtart, Raikou, and Skadi, ready to help. "Similar to Rias, Ashtart and Skadi will help improve your magic abilities, while Raikou also has an affinity for lightning-based attacks but is more of a physical fighter. She will help you cover your weak spots as well. Akeno just nodded wordlessly, still feeling defeated. Issei walked over to Raikou and whispered to her. "Please try to comfort her while you train her. I don't know what the details are, but she needs help moving on from it. Can I trust you to help her?"
"Of course, Master. Anything you wish," said Raikou warmly.
Issei nodded and turned to Akeno with a gentle smile. "I believe in you Akeno. I know you'll find a way to pull through this and become that much stronger for it." Issei didn't get a response from her as she looked away.
After that drama, Azazel picked things up again. "Next is Kiba."
"Yes," said Kiba, seemingly motivated.
"Your first objective is to maintain Balance Breaker for a full day. This is so you can become used to it. Once you are, I will personally teach you how to use a sword type Sacred Gear," said Azazel with a confident smile.
"You might wanna hold that thought Azazel. I had some different swordmasters in mind to train Kiba," said Issei with a wry smile. Everyone was interested, especially Kiba, as Issei summoned the next group of Servants. Standing there was Okita Souji, Emiya, and Sasaki Kojirō, all looking interested in who they were going to train. Rias got a bit excited seeing Okita again, since she really wanted to talk to her. "This is Okita Souji, Sasaki Kojirō, and you all know Emiya already."
Even Azazel was impressed by this line up. "Of course, when you have people like this, I wouldn't hold a candle to them in terms of sword technique," he said somewhat defeatedly.
Issei smiled wryly. "Okita and Sasaki will help train you in sword techniques, while Emiya's abilities are similar to your Sacred Gear, so I figured if the two of you worked together maybe something new would be created for the both of you."
Everyone understood his line of thinking and Kiba was honestly a bit excited at the possibilities before him. "Thank you Issei-kun. I won't waste your generosity." Issei nodded as Kiba turned to his new mentors. "Please bear with me," he said as he bowed. They all nodded with a smile.
Issei was happy with how smoothly this was going when suddenly he felt someone on his back and something soft resting on his head. He looked back and saw someone he wasn't expecting. "Okita Alter? What are you doing here? I didn't summon you."
The others were surprised as well, both by the new face and the fact that this seemed to be Okita's Alter, just like Jeanne and Artoria's. Okita Alter seemed to not be bothered by the attention she was getting. "You summoned the other me and I was feeling lonely, so I came to see Master," she said in a somewhat tired voice.
"Right, sorry. I've been busy lately. Since you're already here, you can hang out with us if you want," said Issei in a kind tone. Okita Alter nodded and stood by Issei quietly.
The others wanted to ask what the deal was, but Azazel decided it was best to move on for now. "Now then. The other knight, Xenovia."
"Yes," said Xenovia, just as determined as Kiba was.
"I don't really have anything special for you. All I can say is that you need to wield Durandal better. I would like to suggest for you to use another sword as you seemed skilled in duel wielding blades, but Kiba's wouldn't be a good fit for you, and Issei won't be participating in any official games. I'm at a bit of a loss. You have something in mind, right Issei?"
"Well, I agree she needs to have better control over her power, so I picked out a few people to help her focus her strength, hopefully." Issei repeated the process and out came three new faces. This time it was Artoria, Siegfried, and Jeanne. "Since she is training with a holy sword, I figured another holy sword wielder would be a good training partner, which is why I picked Artoria. She will help refine your skill with a blade. Jeanne is here to help temper your mind. You are the type to act first and think second so I've instructed Jeanne to try and mitigate that habit of yours. And finally, let me introduce you all to Siegfried, a dragon slayer. His skill with a blade along with his power should help push you to your limits."
Everyone was impressed with the new Servant and happy to see Artoria and Jeanne again. Azazel seemed to nod his head in approval at these choices. "You really thought this through, huh. Well, this works for me. Next up, Gasper."
"Y-yesssss!" yelped Gasper as he was addressed.
"That, right there. That's what you're going to be working on. You need to get over your fear of others. How are you going to help anyone if you can't even look your friends in the eye?"
Gasper looked like he was about to cry as he looked down. Issei came up to him as he put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "Don't worry Gasper. I have the right people to help you be more comfortable." Issei did his thing, but unlike last time there were many more Servants summoned this time. It was Nursery Rhyme, Jack, Voyager, Erice, Kijyo Koyo, and finally Vlad. "I brought all your new friends here. On top of that, even though we're trying to help you get over your fear, you can't neglect your training, so Vlad will be helping you get stronger as well."
"Leave it to me, my Master," said Vlad with a bow. Gasper still seemed nervous but nodded with some resolution.
Azazel was impressed that Issei had prepared something this effective for Gasper. He smiled, wondering what he could do given the time. He pushed those thoughts to the side to move on to the next member. "Asia."
"Ah! Y-yes!" replied Asia, unusually tense.
"Since you can't fight, we need to focus on your healing abilities. Given enough practice they could be more effective than Phoenix Tears, but the problem at the moment is that it requires that you make contact with the individual. Which is why we should find a way to make it so that you can heal people from a distance or heal multiple people in a surrounding area. Being able to do so will open up many possibilities for your team, although there is a high likelihood that the effects will be diminished the farther away the target is. Not only that but we have to be careful about when it's used. Twilight Healing will respond to the users will, but that can be a double edged sword," explained Azazel.
"Why would that be?" asked Xenovia.
"Because Asia's too nice," said Issei. "If she used her power to heal everyone around her, there is a high likelihood she will heal the enemies too."
Everyone understood what he said as Asia looked down with a sad smile. "I'm sorry."
Issei came and patted her head comfortingly. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You're just a good person. No one can fault you for that. But don't worry, I have the perfect people for you," said Issei comfortingly as he summoned the next group. Standing there was Medea Lily, Martha, and Irisveil. Issei stood by the new group and explained his choices. "You all know Medea Lily and Martha already, so you know how skilled they are. Medea will help with your healing magic while Martha will train you to focus on your targets. Finally, let me introduce you to Irisviel. She is Illiya's mom and a vessel for the Holy Grail." The group were shocked by his statement. The Holy Grail was a very sacred object that everyone knew the importance of. They all wanted to ask Issei questions, but he continued before anyone could speak. "Out of all my Servants with magic healing abilities, I'm pretty sure Irisviel is up there with being the most potent. Her abilities should help push the effectiveness of your healing abilities so that you won't have the issue of weakened potency like Azazel mentioned earlier."
Asia seemed to understand Issei's reasoning and nodded strongly. "I-I'll do my best, Issei-san!" Issei smiled at her enthusiasm.
Azazel had many questions but decided to shelve it for later. "Honestly, I thought I was done being surprised by you. Well, whatever, we can think about it later. Finally, we have Koneko."
"Yes," responded Koneko, seemingly determined. Issei was glad she seemed to be in a better mood than when they arrived.
"I Don't have much for you other than to train to increase your power. As things stand right now, aside from Asia, who can't fight, you're the weakest member of the group right now."
"I know that," said Koneko, losing some of her enthusiasm she had.
Is that what she was worried about? thought Issei.
"Not only that, but just like Akeno, you also need to utilize the power locked inside you. Just like with Akeno, if you don't do so, you will remain weak."
Whatever fighting spirit Koneko had was lost now at those words. Issei tilted his head in confusion. Koneko was holding something back too? Wonder what the story behind that is, thought Issei. He went up to her to pat her head supportingly. "Don't worry Koneko. Just like with Akeno, I have faith you'll get through this."
Before his hand could reach her head, she swatted it away. "Don't act like you know," she said while turning away.
Issei felt a bit sad that she swatted him but he decided he was being too forward in trying to comfort her so he would take it a bit slower. "Sorry Koneko-chan. I wasn't trying to make you upset. I'll leave it alone for now. I have your mentors ready for you as well," he said as he summoned the last group. The ones who appeared this time were Berserker of El Dorado, Atalanta (Berserker), Tamamo Cat, and Tamamo no Mae. "You know Berserker already and what she's all about, so I'll introduce you to the others. This is Atalanta, a famous Archer who is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and is a renowned hunter. The other two are technically the same person, just two different aspects of her. They are Tamamo no Mae, although the more beastly one likes to be called Tamamo Cat. Tamamo Cat is the one who will be training you since she's more of a physical fighter, but Tamamo no Mae will help with you trying to understand her counterpart's craziness."
"Nya, that's mean Master. You should treat me with more respect," said Tamamo Cat.
"I do respect you, but I also understand that you're too reckless and unpredictable."
"Well, that's not untrue," said Tamamo Cat while looking playful.
Azazel just looked like he was tired of all the surprises and shook his head. "Alright, now that everyone has their training regimes and mentors, let's get this training camp under–"
Azazel's talk was interrupted as a call came in. "Fujimaru! Mashu! We have an emergency!" said the hologram of Da Vinci that suddenly appeared.
"Da Vinci? What's going on?" asked Issei.
"What happened?" asked Mash.
"We're still trying to get a full reading as the signal is weak, but we think we found another Singularity," said Da Vinci gravely.
Alright, first things first, this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I had originally planned. When I was reading the original DxD I realized there was a whole section with the hot springs that I forgot about, and I didn't want to skip it because I needed some light-hearted moments in my story, but that ended up extending this longer than I planned. Still I think I'm happy with the results. Next I want to bring mention to the next chapter. This one I do plan on being long and honestly, I don't know if I can do it in just one month, so for the next chapter expect it May at the latest, but I'm gonna try for end of February. Finally, I have some news about other stories. I'll still be working on them alongside the main one, so you guys won't be without any uploads but I'm excited for a new project I'm starting. That being a Blazblue x Fire Emblem Fates story I'm working on. Just like with the Pokémon story, I'll be playing FE Fates while I write it but as I'm sure those familiar with Fates story know, it has issues, so I'm gonna try and put my own spin on it to try and make it a more coherent story (results may vary). Anyways, that's all I have for you guys this time. It's a brand new year, so let's hope we all make it through this one. As always, I look forward to the comments. ; )