Please refer to the ending Author's Note for a Special Announcement. I also wanna thank everyone for the continued support, now with almost 160 follows and favs for this fic. This story is a very ambitious project I've worked tirelessly on, and its great to see the fruits of my labor start to pay off.
Even though its summer now, this took a bit longer to get out because of my personal life. I just became an uncle and was spending time with my new niece. I'm still planning that original crossover (if anyone remembers that); and I had to update my Monster Musume: Concept Fic, The Symbiote of Yokai, the rewrite of Ben10 and a Vampire Capu2, and also wrote a one-shot for Testament of a Sister New Devil.
I'm also working on a review video on my YouTube Channel for the next mainline Sonic game, Sonic Rangers. I have a few thoughts and concerns about it, but I'll save that for the video itself and not bore you with the details right now.
Dark Sonic, Dark Sonic, Dark Sonic... can't say I'm surprised many of you called out his small cameo XD. He behind Sonic and Shadow, as well as their Super Forms, are many fan favorites according to character polls. Shame the only official time we've seen him was in Sonic X, then never again... though I guess Darkspine Sonic could be considered the games' equivalent, as they have similar personalities and mannerisms, if not the same. I'll be honest, Dark Sonic's original cameo wasn't supposed to be until a bit later on, but managed to add him sooner cause as I went back to the rough drafts I figured: "Huh... that seems like waaaaaaay too long of a wait for him to appear if I'm going to use him in some capacity, so why not a few chapters early?" It doesn't ruin any of the planned narrative. In fact, I'd argue this was an even better play on my part.
As for Dark Sonic's role in the story? Well, he won't officially appear for some time, at least not until the group starts collecting the Chaos Emeralds. Since my fanbase is a bunch of smart chads, I'm sure you can figure out why. Anyway, let's move on. You may have noticed this chapter number is not 22, as last time it was 21. This is because I cleaned up a bit and removed all the sneak peaks from the main story, as they are not necessary anymore. Nothing else was changed or removed.
From Boshwa:
Alright, two questions: First, How do you personally see Eggman? He's gone through a lot of personality changes over the years, from planet destroying mad scientist to hilarious goofball in the Sonic Boom cartoon. I will never forget the moment in Sonic X where he said kidnapping is fine, but actually hurting them is too far. Second, does the legendary protector of the Sega Saturn exist in this universe? Other than that, I'm hyped for the Raynare boss battle! Hope Sonic gets an S rank!
Bakuganman: "I don't like the way you attacked Chris and Cosmo. It's one thing to threaten them and take them prisoner, but when you actually hurt somebody, that's going too far!" Or Japanese Version: "Look what you've done! You made too many mistakes. We also take hostages, but we don't hurt them."
Bakuganman's REAL response: "I'm a complicated guy". His words, not mine. I didn't plan to have the Protector make an appearance, but if I can squeeze it in, I might. Will Sonic get an S-Rank this time? Cause Raynare ran off the second time around before the results screen came up.
From jjwarframegod:
I love this story I hope you continue with it and if you ever fill burnt out take a break but thank you for this wonderful story
Bakuganman: Your welcome, I'm glad to have given this story to you and everyone else. And thanks for the permission, lol. If and when I DO need a break, you can be sure I'll let the audience know beforehand.
From Nighthawk6595:
And right at a cliffhanger, Raynare has not given up just yet. Issei's injured and his Sacred Gear was Twice Critical, but Asia had a vision of Dark Sonic brought upon by Issei being critically injured.
If I had to guess, it was because of the bond that formed between the human and the alien hedgehog. Now it's up to Sonic to take down Raynare or at least keep her busy until he recovers.l
Sonic vs Raynare Boss Fight! Coming up!
Bakuganman: 'Asia had a vision of Dark Sonic?'... I think you might have made a typo. But yes, the awaited Boss Battle has arrived!
From Chaos Drago:
My man updated this story? Oh damn! Well I'll be! but enough of that, let's get down with the reviews. First off love the good interactions with Issei, Sonic, and Asia, especially with that funny little scene with Sonic paying with rings XD. Second I understood that Pikachu reference! and I got the Smash Bros. reference as well XD! And finally I absolutely LOVED how you gave Dark Sonic that small appearance, since a LOT of us LOVE Dark Sonic. which makes get excited for the end of the Raynare Arc, the battle against Loki, and when Issei goes berserk. THOSE moments is what I'm truly waiting for in this story.
All in All I have nothing to say for now, maybe somewhere when the Raiser arc is done and we move on to Season 2 of DxD I'll have more. Nice chapter as always, be safe, and I'll be waiting for the next update! see ya!
P.S. Also... WHEN DID PARAMOUNT SAY THEY'RE MAKING ANOTHER SONIC MOVIE!? OML KNUCKLES AND TAILS!? SHADOW WILL BE THERE TOO!? OMFG! IF THEY DO THAT LIKE SA2 THEN WILL WE GET CHAOS IN THE POST CREDITS SCENE!? OR MAYBE BIOLIZARD!? OML I'M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Bakuganman: I figured someone would like the ring gag, as well as the Smash Bros. references. Yeah, Paramount had a teaser for Sonic's second movie. I don't think we'll get Chaos or Biolizard, as that will take ALLOT of special effects to make happen. A perfect example of this is the Speed Racer film, as that was at least 90% special effects and CGI. It was good on paper, but became a commercial failure. I could go into more detail, like the abuse on set and such, but that's a deep rabbit hole to go down. Paramount is being more confident sure, but I doubt they'll go THAT far unless this second film has the same effect as the first one did.
As for today's chapter, as promised, there is going to be a Boss Battle with Raynare. How will it play out? Can Sonic and Issei prevent her from capturing Asia like before? What tricks will the Fallen One try this time? Why not go down and find out?
Chapter 18: Revenge of a Fallen (Part 3)
POV - Rias:
Rias's eyes began to flutter open, sleep having worn off... when did she end up on a sofa?... Oh yeah. She was going back and forth with Akeno, and thankfully the Queen decided to drop it before either of them said something they would regret. Rias felt kinda of ashamed all the same... she was really losing her mind with everything going on.
She surprised herself. She must have been so distraught and stressed out, she actually went to sleep; fully clothed... no seriously, she had a problem. It wasn't just a way to tease and/or heal Issei. For as long as she could remember, ever since she was little, she could never get to sleep unless she was completely exposed. The earliest she could recall was grade school, and it just became a habit into her young adult years.
No one ever reprimanded her over it, so...
She sat up and yawned. There wasn't any school today, so that was one less thing to worry about. Issei was most likely at home or doing whatever else it is human boys do, her fellow club members might still be asleep, their 'guest' might also be snoozing, the Hedgehog was...
Rias suddenly felt pain in her chest... she then shook her head back and forth. Why did she care? Why should she care? Even now, she could STILL hear those annoying quotes of his float around in her head. It was times like this that while she loved her family name, she sometimes wished she didn't inherit their 'reputation' either. Sonic wasn't her problem anymore and never should have been in the first place. He was an alien stuck on her planet; she had no obligation to him whatsoever! They've made a few deals here and there, but that was it. A business transaction... nothing more. So WHY can't she get that Hedgehog and his blue posterior out of her head?!
"Is this really about saving a nun?..." Akeno's voice suddenly echoed in her head, then the Queen flashed before her eyes saying the rest of her quote.
FLASH!
Akeno: What's the real reason, Rias?... Why are you really upset?
FLASH!
Rias grabbed her head with an open palm. Why... why couldn't these thoughts go away? It's not like Sonic was a member of her house or anything, he still had his own free will (though she wasn't one to take wills away from her servants), could do what he wanted, go where he wanted...
The pain returned again... ARGH! What was wrong with her?! Why can't she just put it behind her? It was frustrating her to no end! She then began to think back on why she was behaving like a bitch to her friends. She claimed it was "that man", but was there another reason?
"If your not gonna be honest with me... at least be with yourself." Akeno's face and voice echoed again. Honest with herself, huh? Rias decided to take her best friends advice, considering she visibly pissed her off just last night, it was the LEAST she could do. She began to think... think hard about everything that had transpired in just the last week alone...
FLASH!
Staying silent, Sonic began to slowly set Issei down, but kept a focused eye on each one of the 'Angels' around him. As soon as he put Issei down on the ground...
ZWHEEEE! (4x)
Dohnaseek: UGH!
Raynare: ACK!
Mittelt: GAH!
Kalawarner: ARGH!
The Hedgehog landed back next to Issei and quickly picked him back up. "Sorry, gotta train to catch" he said before rushing in a flash of blue. Sonic ran and ran, expertly avoiding cars, before running up and around a pillar to the bridge. Once he made it to the top, he sped towards the tunnel.
Raynare and Dohnaseek appeared at the exit to the tunnel, readying more light spears and awaited for the Hedgehog to emerge. Both Mittelt and Kalawarner appeared, also armed with light spears. Both groups looked at each other, confused.
"Did you get him?" Asked Dohnaseek.
"Did you?" Asked Mittelt.
It took less than 4 seconds for the 'Angels' to realize what happened. Looks like the Hedgehog had given them the slip.
FLASH!
Rias got up from her desk and approached the window, opening it. She needed some fresh air from all the stress lately. First a "Youkai" was invading her territory, some Fallen Angels were also trespassing, and the wedding was coming up in a few weeks!... Poor girl had allot on her plate.
The moment she opened the window...
ZOOOOOOOOOOM!
A blue streak sped across a wall of the main building.
FLASH!
Sonic: Don't ask me why, I don't need a reason... I just got my on way.
FLASH!
Sonic grinned right at Rias, but didn't say anything. She eyed him closely.
Sonic: Gotta catch me first!
ZOOOOOOOOOOM!
Sonic dashed off in a flash of blue so quickly, wind blew in his wake; making shirts' flutter in the breeze, and the girls' skirts go up and they covered themselves with one hand for modesty's sake. Each member was surprised at the speed he burst off at without a running start.
FLASH!
"ALRIGHT! THAT'S ENOU...!" Shouted Rias, but she and her servants were all rendered speechless at what they were seeing.
Multiple Sonics' were all over the place! 30? 50? 100? There were so many, it was hard to tell! Sonic(s) was lifting weights, playing Basketball, jogging around the track, talking in a corner amongst himselves... you name it, and Sonic was most likely doing it.
It suddenly all stopped, and only one Sonic was walking towards the still-stunned ORC with a towel hanging on his neck, holding a bottle of water. "Whew... that's a workout" he said, wiping his brow. He took a few big gulps from the bottle, releasing a loud refreshing "Ah"; then zoomed off out the gym doors, leaving behind the towel and half-empty bottle.
FLASH!
"Or what? You'll send your Dream Team after me again? Cuz we both how that's gonna turn out" Sonic fired back, in a half-serious demeanor.
"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" Rias said while batting her eyelashes.
Sonic just grinned back at her, but didn't answer for a few seconds. "Hmmm... I'll think about it" he said and with that, he flew off in a burst of speed in the opposite direction, making Rias' hair and both her and Issei's uniforms go with it.
FLASH!
"I..." Rias began to say, but she and Akeno stood in shock at what they saw in front of them...
Sonics'. Plural. Running around the office.
"Alllllllright, you guys. Get back to work! Contracts don't fill themselves, ya know! MUAAAAAAAAAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!" Said one Sonic, who walked in the middle of the room seemingly out of nowhere, then manically laughed with his arms out like a generic villain. Unlike the other Sonic's, this one wore a headband of stereotypical Devil horns.
Throughout all of this, no Sonic seemed to notice the 2 Devils standing in the doorway. Rias held in the urge to yell. And she thought the gym scene was bad...
FLASH!
"Do you have any proof?" Asked Rias, willing to allow Sonic to prove himself.
"Why not the pictures you mentioned?" Akeno suggested.
Handing the same handful of pictures to Rias, she looked through them one at a time by flipping from one to the next, studying each one. The first picture was him with 5 other animals in a lush green forest, only they stood on two legs like he did. They consisted of Sonic himself, with a yellow fox with 2 tails, a pink Hedgehog who was clearly a girl (Rias'll have to poke fun at Sonic about her later), a small rabbit with a smaller blue blob floating next to her, and a red animal with spikes in his gloves.
Flipping to the next picture, it looked like a movie poster... Chao in Space? The third picture was him what appeared to be him in some kind of Olympic event. He was racing some guy dressed in red with the letter 'M' on his matching red hat.
The final 2 pictures had Sonic and some imp fighting over a dumpling through the use of chopsticks, the second one showed that same imp with his head stuck inside a vase and Sonic laughing and pointing at him.
FLASH!
"These are 300 deliveries due by tonight. I don't blame you if you can't hand them all..." said Rias but before she could say 'out', Sonic was gone in a flash, as well as the flyers Kiba just brought in. He had swiped the list from Rias, taken all the papers, and put them in the bag faster than lightning. In about 2, maybe 3 seconds; Sonic had returned, the bag open to show it was completely empty. He gave a mock yawn after all that 'hard work'.
"Thank you. Thank you. I'll be here all week" Sonic said, taking a few bows.
FLASH!
"... How do you do it?" Sonic stopped at Rias' sudden question, looking back around to face her.
"Eh, do what?" Asked the Hedgehog, not totally understanding her question.
"I mean, how do you keep running around like that? Going from place-to-place nonstop?" Asked Rias, giving a bit more detail.
"Why shouldn't I? Why sit and wait for something to come to you, when you can get up and get it yourself?"
FLASH!
Sonic: Sometimes; you just gotta go fast.
FLASH!
Sonic: If life tries to bring ya down, just keep moving forward!
FLASH!
Sonic: And freedom is a crime, because?
FLASH!
"Your just gonna... walk away? Leave Asia behind?" Sonic asked Rias point-blank.
"Even if I did, we don't have time. Now go! Meet us back at..." Rias finally turned to face Sonic, but that's when she noticed that look in his eye... that look. While there was no grin this time, it was exactly the same when they 'played tag'...
Rias: ... No... Sonic, no. NO! Don't do anything stupi-!"
ZWHEEEE! SHATTER!
FLASH!
Sonic turned a corner, and ahead were 3 Fallen that already had magic circles prepared!
FLOOSH!
A red magic glyph appeared out of nowhere and fired hellish flames at the 3 Fallen blocking their path, frying them, and allowing Sonic to continue running interrupted. Sonic looked above and lo and behold, Rias was looking down at him, smiling. He grinned at her.
FLASH!
Rias: I'm not falling to the same level as those Fallen Angels!
Sonic: So your just gonna let innocent people die?
Rias: NO! I just have no choice!
Sonic: Everyone's got a choice!
FLASH!
Akeno: That doesn't make him your enemy... It makes you both the same.
FLASH!
Rias just stared at her open palm after reciting those events, the same palm she grabbed her head with; before putting it down on the sofa, both her hands now flat on the seats on each side of her, looking down at her feet. She now understood not only what she was feeling... but WHY. Was she stressed out about what's coming to her? Yes... but she wasn't angry with Sonic. No. That wouldn't make any sense. It was in fact, a different emotion... one that could easily be misinterpreted as such...
"... Jealous..." was her answer to herself in a soft voice, then threw her head back so it was resting on the top of the couch. "Over an alien..." She continued, now staring at the ceiling above. She couldn't believe it. Her... envious... of a Hedgehog half her height, around 100 pounds, and had a smart mouth with no filter. Even as the words left her lips, she still couldn't believe how someone of her heritage, would envy an extra-dimensional being. But at the same time, it wasn't exactly too surprising either.
Sonic was unlike any creature she had ever seen or heard of before. He was so free... not afraid to be who he was or speak his mind when he deems so, even to someone like herself. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. Went wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted, however he wanted. He could even interact with whomever he wanted; with, when, where and however; and didn't seem to care whatsoever if he would be looked down upon for his decision if it went against a social norm or narrative.
Her? She had to fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted, needed to put on a poker face when she questioned authority, had to be brave and not show even an ounce of weakness against those above her. In the current society of Devils, even of someone of her stature, she still had rules she had to follow. Even with her family name, if she lost any of the battles she had to go through, be it for her fellow club members or just setting up in the human world, there would be dire consequences she had to pay.
The Hedgehog in comparison, made his own rules. He didn't care if there was a conflict or interest. His actions, if a bit on-the-spot at times, appeared to follow a moral code. If it was right or wrong, he would act accordingly, no matter how bad or good it would look on him and would go as far as to rebel against whatever force was trying to stop him... like how she did for each and every single one of her peerage members. And she had to admit, it felt pretty good joining Sonic back in town after he ran off to help Asia. It was such a foreign concept to her, going about without worrying about a constant eye watching everything you do, but couldn't deny that after doing it, she felt nice... dare she say, she felt free.
Then she panicked and... well, ya know.
"Rias!" Came a sudden voice from outside the office before the owner of it barged in. It was Akeno, looking nervous and frantic. She was also breathing a bit raggedly as if she ran or flew a marathon. At first, Rias was thinking maybe her Queen didn't get enough sleep, but before she could ask, Akeno continued. "Me, Koneko and Kiba looked everywhere. We checked her room, the extra rooms, outside, even the Forbidden Room; so sorry about that, we resealed it; then went into the school, the offices..." Akeno went on, wildly.
Rias was a bit lost, watching Akeno talk fast. The rooms, the offices, the scho-... the Forbidden Room?!... She'll be mad about that later (even though they resealed it). "Akeno! Slow down! What's wrong?" Rias asked, wanting to know what the hell's gotten into Akeno. She's normally very formal, when she not having her S&M episodes.
Akeno: Its Asia! She's gone!
Rias' eyes widened. "GONE?!" She shouted and shooting up off the sofa. Asia was gone? As in gone out of the building? But that didn't make any sense. What happened? Was she kidnapped by the Fallen, them having somehow figured out where Rias was stationed?... No. That couldn't be it. If it was, then ALL Devils' in this dormitory would have been slain in their sleep. But why would Asia leave and more importantly, where had she gone?
XXX
POV - Normal:
Meanwhile...
- Boss Battle: Fallen Angel Raynare, Phase 2 -
(AN: Optional music - Egg Cerberus/Egg Genesis Theme.)
With that spear in her hands, there was the possibility Raynare would somehow use it to block Sonic or jab it straight through himself. He already gotten cut by one once before, and after seeing the effects one had on Issei... he had to be very careful. He opened up with a quick leap forward, followed by a Homing Attack, wanting to strike her fast before she could react.
KLING!
Just as the Hedgehog would have made contact, his still-spinning form was blocked by a large glyph that Raynare held up with her free hand. With that same hand, Raynare simply waved Sonic off, knocking him back to the ground, but he managed to recover in midair and left his ball form quickly so he landed on his feet.
"That's it? Just dive into a girl and pull out seconds in?" Raynare taunted him.
Ignoring the taunt (and the innuendo), Sonic dashed to the right, out of Raynare's line of sight. She didn't even attempt to look in the direction he ran, but didn't look nervous from him vanishing. Sonic zeroed in on the Fallen One from the right side with a second Homing Attack, hoping to catch her off guard; but she blocked his attack with a wing, knocking the Hedgehog back with it, causing him to lose his balance... and for a limb composed of soft feathers, getting pushed back by one kinda stung. They held a decent amount of strength, though considering they were needed to lift a humanoid off the ground, it wasn't too much to think that allot of force needed to be generated to do so.
That's also when Raynare threw the light spear she was still holding. Sonic saw it coming, and twisted and bent his body a bit while in midair, just BARELY avoiding the weapon of light as it passed in front of him while he was sideways, the spear passing by in slow motion as this occurred. The spear continued to travel, passing by Asia and Issei (whom both braced for impact but luckily it just flew past them) until it went into the wooded area behind them, where a flash of light occurred a second later, indicating it exploded.
Hearing the explosion, Sonic quickly turned his neck to check on his friends. Seeing they were unharmed, he focused his attention back on Raynare just as quickly. 'Guess its not gonna be that easy,' the Hedgehog thought. Looks like this fight was gonna be a bit tougher than the first; seeing as last time, all he had to do was run after her. NOW... he had to find some other way to damage her. 'Ok, no more fooling around. Attacking the front won't do anything. I'll have to circle back' he continued his train of thought, thinking he needed to focus and not mess around at a time like this. The two humans behind him were vulnerable, and he was the only thing standing between them and a crazy bird. He also thought it might be a matter of getting out of Raynare's line of sight completely before striking. That's how he dealt with a few of Eggman's mechs in the past, and even certain Mobians' on a few occasions. Was worth a shot.
Revving up his classic Spin Dash, he charged up in place for about 2 seconds before going in the opposing direction from before. Raynare tried keeping an eye on him, but... ya know when you try to keep your eyesight locked on one blade on your bedroom ceiling fan, but the home appliance is going so fast, you lose track and need to try again? That's pretty much described how Raynare responded. She would try and lock onto the blue ball as it moved with a trail of the same color behind it, but ended up losing focus seeing a double of it appearing out of nowhere, and it threw her off. When he felt the time was right, he leaped towards her while still spinning. Just a mere second before he made contact however, Raynare vanished by closing her wings on herself, the Hedgehog hitting the ground and sliding while doing a 180 to face the Fallen One now reappearing.
Sonic was getting a bit aggravated at this, and Issei and Asia were looking concerned. Was Sonic just unable to damage her? Issei then gritted his teeth in anger. He felt so useless. Here Sonic was trying to protect him and Asia, but he couldn't get a hit on the Fallen Angel no matter what he seemed to try.
'Why...?' He asked himself, mainly because of his current condition. 'Why couldn't I be stronger? I should be in there! But here I am; having gotten one-shotted by a slender-busty bird, now being consoled by a blond and busty nun!' He continued, wishing there was something he could do, but what was some human loser like him with a common-level artifact gonna do?
"Hmm. This is actually kinda sad," Raynare mocked. "I seem to remember you being SO much faster... from gathering light, to running across water..." she continued... and THAT is when Sonic's eyes widened, realizing Raynare's trump card. She then formed a new spear, holding it with a crazed expression. "No wonder he needed an alien to jump out of his UFO to save his ass, HE CAN'T EVEN SAVE HIMSELF!" She added, taunting them again as she threw the spear at Sonic, who darted away from it. Raynare didn't stop there, and just formed new ones in her hand as Sonic ran around trying to look for an opening somewhere. One after another, varying in speed and consistency, they just whizzed shy behind him, her aim almost perfect.
Hearing Raynare's last statement, Issei felt even worse than previously. He was just too weak. Even though Rias and Sonic claimed otherwise, that was probably only to make him feel better.
Back to Sonic, he thought about what Raynare had said. Gathering light: meaning Light Speed Attack. Running across water: meaning Boost/Dash. Remember: meaning memory... its not that Raynare was faster or had better reaction time than him... she was predicting him! It was like back at the first park! While that battle was technically a loss for her, the only reason she was able to avoid him and flee after the fact was because she already saw some of his moves along with the things he could do. She turned that loss into a win by applying the knowledge she gained at that time to THIS battle right now, allowing her to accurately guess what attack was coming next!
'Grrr! This is getting nowhere!' Sonic thought while continuing to evade. This kinda reminded him of that GUN mech he fought when the... mistaken identity thing happened, only there was no obvious vulnerable spot he could hit this time. 'There's gotta be a way to get her guard down. I'll have try something different.'
But try WHAT was the question. Sonic had used a similar moveset for the longest time, and while certain minor changes needed to made here and there depending on various conditions and circumstances, his battle style always worked out in the end. His speed was one thing, but how was it supposed to work if his opponent could predict what he was about to do? It looked like if he expected to win, he needed to think outside the box a little more.
'Think, Big Blue, THINK! What haven't you tried yet?' He asked himself, trying to come up with an alternative way of attacking.
As he ran past one of the marble pillars, one of the Fallen Angels light spears struck it, with Sonic hearing the crunching noise as he looked back at it by craning his neck and turning his eyeball a bit. The spear lodged itself in the marble before blowing up, but it thankfully wasn't strong enough to destroy the pillar itself. It was here Sonic realized something, and he flashed back to just moments ago when Issei was skewered by one of those things. How was light, able to physically damage something?
The answer: these spears, though composed of light, were solid.
'Hmm… if her spears are solid...' Sonic thought as he continued running... he just thought up a crazy idea, one that could very easily backfire if he was wrong, but if those spears could impact something...
He reduced his speed at that point, capping it to a steady jog (AN: like 06's running animation), which got the others' confused. Why would a Hedgehog that could outrun a rocket, suddenly slow down purposefully? Ignoring it, Raynare readied another spear and took aim before throwing it again. She just barely missed the Hedgehog's tail by a whisker, which Sonic felt, but he still kept his capped speed level. Why? Neither the humans nor the supernatural Angel knew. Sonic didn't like this either, but he HAD to make sure Raynare hit one of the pillars again for his outlandish plan to work. He just really hoped he knew what he was doing...
After a second toss, that one almost grazing one of his head quills, a third one missed and finally, it struck the pillar just like the one before. 'Gotta go fast!' Sonic thought, seeing the stuck spear and suddenly dashing in the opposite direction in a blur, catching Raynare by surprise. What was he up too? He had to get to it before it exploded, otherwise this fight would take longer, and there was the chance Raynare might find out what he was up to if he didn't use this opportunity right now.
Not to our surprise, he made it to the lodged spear of light. Was he gonna touch it? No. He wasn't THAT stupid. What he did was...
KICK!
He kicked it off, sending the spear spinning off in its x-axis. 'Hope this works...' He prayed, and after dashing off again, this time in front of its flight path... (AN: Imagine this as a Quick-Time Event.)
KICK!
In Raynare's eye, she was focused on her soon-to-explode light spear, not understanding what the point of that was. That's also when Sonic appeared and kicked it... AT HER! Panicking due to being caught off-guard by the unorthodox strategy; she threw up a barrier glyph immediately to block the incoming spear, still spinning on its x-axis spear, to avoid damage. Just before it actually impacted into Raynare's defense, it exploded, the sudden surge of her own power throwing her off, making her recoil and stunning her in the process. The timing was absolutely perfect!
'Alright! NOW!' Not wasting anymore time, Sonic immediately jumped at Raynare the moment she reared back from the force of her own power being turned against her, and executed a hopeful Homing Attack...
POW!
Raynare: GACK!
SPLASH!
Sonic bounced backward and landed on top of the pillars after his successful signature move. It worked! His crazy plan actually worked! "He-Hey! Nice catch" Sonic taunted back with a smile, now having gotten an official hit on his current opponent. However, Raynare was far from done, and floated back up with a powerful flap of her wings, now back in the same position as before, not ready to give up. She didn't look too happy either, her face holding an slightly upset scowl.
"Well... you made me wet. You got farther than he could only dream of" Raynare said as she flew up one level to match the elevation Sonic was at, degrading Issei again. If this wasn't a fight with lives on the line, Sonic would be sweatdropping right about now. These people and their timing with their types of jokes...
She went back to attacking Sonic. She threw a light spear or two at him, but since they were above the pillars now, there was nothing for them to stick into, and Sonic didn't think Raynare was stupid enough to allow another spear to be used against her again if he returned to ground level. He thought of what his move should be. He COULD try kicking another spear; but those things were sharp enough to pierce flesh, marble, and even concrete buildings. Which is why he specifically kicked the middle of one so he wouldn't accidently hurt himself.
Going into an attack position again, Raynare pulled an arm back, probably to prepare another light spear. However, her hand formed a glyph and when she threw said hand forward...
BLAST!
Raynare tried blasting Sonic with magic this time, but he was already on the move before Raynare fired and was able to avoid it. '... I'm not kicking that.' Sonic thought, lest he wanted to lose a foot. After a few seconds, Raynare stopped and formed a new light spear. 'Ok... something different again. What other moves haven't I shown her?' He thought. If he wanted to win and chase Raynare off, have her squawking like the bird she was, he needed to keep catching her off guard. When Raynare threw another spear, he jumped over it and quickly tried to Homing Attack her again, thinking using all this magic might have exhausted her, maybe slowed her reaction timing.
KLING!
No dice. She immediately put up a defensive barrier again, then threw him off just like the first time so he landed on the pillars. She repeated the previous cycle again, throwing some spears before then launching a blast of magic... but that's when Sonic noticed something. 'Looks like once she uses magic, she only face one direction for a while,' Sonic observed. That gave him another idea, even though it failed the first time, it was pretty much the only option he saw that could work.
"You know, after getting me nice and moist, its rude to keep a girl waiting, especially when I'm throwing signal after signal." Raynare jabbed while doing more spear/signal-throwing, making yet another adult joke. She then blasted magic for the third time, remaining stationary when she released the energy, confirming to Sonic this was the time to strike again. Zipping around Raynare quickly so he was behind her, he launched another Homing Attack...
POW!
Raynare: GACK!
SPLASH!
She landed in the pool again, face-first this time. "Taking another dip? Well, it is pretty warm out today..." Sonic joked after landing back on the top of the pillars after another successful strike. Once again, Raynare got out of the water, now looking a little more aggravated than before. Growling, she went another level higher, but this now meant there were no footholds for Sonic to stand on, so she was out of range of his Homing Attack. Sonic however, already thought of a way around this, he just needed an opening again.
Raynare began using a new attack now, this time using 2 spears in each hand as opposed to one at a time. When she threw one light spear, which Sonic avoided of course, he figured she screwed up and went to use it like before. However, she then threw the second one immediately after the first stuck into the top of the platform Sonic was using, the reaction causing the spears to explode with a larger blast radius. Sonic barely missed getting damaged by such a maneuver, having to hit the brakes and back off.
Clever on Raynare's part. This was probably done for two reasons:
One; due to her current angle of aim. And Two; preventing Sonic from using those spears, while at the same time making a new attack out of it. Even if Sonic DID kick one spear, the second one was going to be the killer. Raynare then blasted magic again, though Sonic was already prepared to dash away by the time she fired. Doing a double jump after getting behind the Fallen Angel, he zeroed in once again at the top of his jump.
KLING!
Raynare stopped firing her magic and quickly blocked Sonic's assault with her body facing sideways. Whether this was planned or she got lucky wasn't clear, though she did struggle a bit when throwing him off, so it could have also been a mix of the two, or she was getting exhausted herself. 'Almost had her! Maybe I wasn't fast enough that time' Sonic thought as he landed on his feet. The same cycle then repeated itself, he waited till Raynare got into position to fire magic this time, THEN circled around back to attack her.
KLING!
Nope. Same result. He could try this over and over again until Raynare got tried, but he didn't have time for that. Raynare was one of those Bosses that learned as you fought against her, so she might come up with a new stratagem the longer this took. 'Hmm... as long as she's got those barriers, it's hard to attack her directly. Is there some way around them?' Sonic thought... wait a second... around... THAT'S IT! Conveniently; it was another move he hasn't used in quite some time, as he learned of other ways of executing different, yet more effective versions of it.
Not waiting for her too use her magical blast, Sonic immediately jumped up and spun in the air, as if going for another Homing Attack. Raynare saw this, and got a glyph ready in her hand to enlarge and defend herself. Like before, he closed in on her, but instead of ramming into her...
Sonic: Take this!
WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRL!
Catching the evil Angel off guard again, Sonic swirled around her over and over, which generated a blue twister with her caught in the center and unable to move no mater how hard she tried. This was an old move known as Blue Tornado, which as its name implies, is a tornado colored blue. Unlike an actual tornado however, this was from Sonic's own power rather than the wind itself, which is why other objects like the water below or the leaves from the trees weren't also sucked in along with it. After Sonic was done spinning around her, he used his momentum to get above Raynare and THEN used his Homing Attack.
POW!
Raynare: GA-!
SPLASH!
She didn't get to finish her groan due to how fast she was sent into the drink. "You really like bird baths, don't cha?" Sonic joked while in midair and landed back on the ground. Raynare didn't come up for a few seconds longer than usual. Was she done?
SPLASH!
Nope. She arose from the water, anger on her face, and her teeth being replaced by fangs again. "Your REALLY starting to get on my nerves!" She said, flying higher than before, now to a fourth level, which was well beyond the range of Sonic's standard lock-on moves. What's more, she prepared a new type of light spear... this one was maybe a foot or two longer than her standing height, and it required two hands to forge and hold. It was also darker in color to match the anger present on her face.
Both Issei and Asia stared in shock, but before either of them could call out for Sonic to look out...
Sonic: WHOA!
BOOOOOOM!
Sonic evaded the reckless attack before it could make contact. Raynare had thrown the large light spear straight at Sonic and despite its larger size, it didn't lack any speed from the previous ones. It also went straight through the center of two pillars, then exploded with a even larger blast radius that would have engulfed Issei and Asia if it was any closer. Not only that, whatever was in the flash of light was vaporized, including the part Sonic was using as a platform to reach Raynare. Since they were still trapped in a bubble of magic, if Raynare got rid of all the pillars, Sonic would have no way of striking her! And she was preparing another one right now!
'If she keeps that up, I'll be a sitting Hedgehog! Issei and Asia might get caught in an explosion too! I gotta knock her outta the sky, and FAST!' Sonic thought, but what could he do? The only possible move that could hit Raynare from that high up was his Light Speed Attack, but needed a few seconds to charge up and he doubted Raynare would give him the chance. She's even seen the move executed in his memories so even if she couldn't stop him from charging up, she could very easily see the light energy gathering around Sonic and would most likely put up a barrier BEFORE Sonic could finish charging, and leave the attack pretty much pointless.
Darn it!... If only Tails and Knuckles were here to perform Sonic Overdrive, this wouldn't be a problem. The energy they generated together gave Sonic more than enough power to perform Light Speed Attack instantly AND multiple times, if only for a minute. Having no other options, Sonic'll just have to try his best. He began charging up the move, but of course Raynare saw it and threw the giant light spear at him. Having no choice, Sonic abandoned the effort and Spin Dashed away to avoid the attack, another foothold also destroyed in the explosion.
The light from the Twilight Healing finally faded away, its job at last completed. "Issei? Are you ok?" Asia asked in concern, but Issei didn't answer. He just watched as Sonic tried in vain to attack Raynare again. Why didn't he just Home-in on Raynare again? Issei had no idea. Maybe it was a range thing? So did that mean the light-gathering thing had a longer range? Again, Issei didn't know; but he did see that it must take some time to use, seeing as Sonic fled over and over to try and charge up while Raynare launched spear after spear. Sonic was having trouble, and it wasn't gonna be long before he ran out of platforms to use.
Issei growled to himself. He wished he could help out somehow, but how? What was a weakling like him supposed to do to help an alien with superpowers?
'Its so common, you can find them under rocks.' Raynare's voice echoed in Issei head as she flashed before his eyes, making his eyes widen slightly, then he glanced down at his still-active Twice Critical. 'And in the hands of a human like him, the most he could do is crack a wall.' Her voice and flashback echoed again. Issei kept staring at his Gear, then at the ground below him, then back at the battle between alien and demon. He just had a stupid idea... a VERY stupid idea...
"Issei?" Asia repeated his name, but he still did not respond. What was wrong? Did she mess up?
Issei watched the battle continue with Sonic and his ex-girlfriend. She was so focused on Sonic, she didn't appear to be paying any attention to him or Asia. Going through with his idea, he lifted up his left hand slowly, and made a fist with it just as slowly...
[BOOST!]
He then slammed the ground next to him with that same fist, Asia jumping at Issei's sudden action, but didn't yelp. He looked down and sure enough, the floor cracked under the pressure. Neither Sonic nor Raynare was aware that it happened as both of them were concentrating on their own battle. Lifting up his fist, he saw the stone-style flooring was in a few pieces. 'God help me,' he prayed. He hoped he knew what he was doing...
BOOOOOOM!
Yet again, Sonic had to evade another giant spear, stopping him from using Light Speed Attack. This had been repeating several times, so much that only a 3 platforms remained, one of which being nearest to his human friends. He didn't even bother going over there, and it looked like it would be for naught with how much Raynare was attacking. He barely got to charge in place for a second or two before she made a new spear and threw it.
'She'll just keep throwing one after another. I gotta distract her somehow' Sonic thought, but how was he gonna do that? He could make after-images of himself to confuse her, but the moment Raynare notices the light from his Spin Charge, she'll just throw another spear at him again! She created yet another one, and was ready to throw it when...
WHACK!
"Ack!" Raynare stopped, a small piece of rubble hitting her in the back of the head. She didn't know what it was, so she had to dispel her power so she could put a hand on the back of her head and rubbed it a bit after feeling something hit there. Did a bug just bite her or something? "What the fu...?" She asked while looking around... "OW!" And that's when another piece of rubble hit her again, though this time on the forehead from her turning around. She covered her face with a hand from this; then removed her hand to see that Issei, now flinching and eeped in nervousness since Raynare saw him do that. Her eyes narrowed without amusement the moment she realized it was him. She then gave him a look that said 'really?' and nonchalantly made a normal-sized light spear for him.
Sonic didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this, but he got his distraction... it's now or never!
ZWHE-HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
Sonic gathered all the light energy as fast as he possibly could. The literal second he felt himself stored with enough energy; he jumped onto the closest pillar, not bothering to say the beginning catchphrase, and did a double jump to get up high. The moment Raynare was about to toss the new light spear at Issei...
Sonic: BLAST AWAY!
With only a second before he fell due to gravity and would be pulled out of range, Sonic dashed in a flash of blue too fast for the eye to see, going to strike Raynare before she could blink. When Sonic executed this move, time slowed down to show what was happening. After looping around the Fallen Angel vertically on top, Sonic struck the top of her head and bounced off of her as she crashed and splashed into the pool one final time. She tried to get back up a few seconds later, holding her head above the water so she could breathe, but she was struggling. It didn't look like she had the strength to continue fighting anymore, looking like she barely had any energy left. With her defeat, the void surrounding them also vanished, the caster having no power left to keep it active.
Sonic landed on the floor gracefully some distance away from Raynare, with his back facing her after successfully taking her down. "I mean, fun date and all, buuuut… your kinda washed up." Was his closing joke as he turned around to say that to her.
(AN: End music. Also from now on, after the "selected" character speaks his/her line upon completing a Boss Battle or Stage, you can play whatever results screen jiggle you wish. For this one, I used Sonic 06's Mission and/or Town Mission Clear, including the guitar solo at the end for 7 seconds.)
- Results Screen -
Sonic: Ye-AH!
Rank = A
Sonic: Almost Perfect. We'll replay some other time.
XXX
Sonic kept his guard up, watching Raynare's body carefully. She certainly looked exhausted. Despite this, she still refused to give up and slowly turned to face Sonic, also slowly arising from the pool by her legs rather than wings. Her chest was rising and falling, her body working overtime to get energy back into her system. "You just don't give up, do ya?" Asked Sonic with a smirk. He had to admit though, he respected Raynare's persistence.
Raynare didn't answer, but she did slowly begin to raise an arm again and bend it in front of herself, it appearing to require a bit of effort. Opening her left hand so the glyph formed, it looked like she was preparing try and shoot magic, though the color was dimmer, probably because of her weakened state. Sonic took a stance, ready to evade and attack when necessary. In her current condition, she was gonna stand no chance against his speed even WITH her barriers.
However, Raynare's eyes got a gleam in them as they glanced over to the side; and swung her arm to her left, now aiming at Issei and Asia as the glyph glowed. The humans panicked, for now the Fallen set her sights on them! They had no way of blocking an attack like that, no matter how weakened the Fallen Angel was! Sonic reacted quickly and instinctively, spinning in place for a quick Spin Dash to knock the Fallen One down before either of them got hurt!
Raynare grinned, devilishly. "Now hold still!" She said, bringing her arm back in front of her to launch her blast of magic a literal second before Sonic closed in for the kill. However, instead of a large energy beam; a glyph blocked Sonic before impacting Raynare and began to levitate the still-spinning hedgehog.
Sonic stopped his spinning, but it appeared to be forced since he slowed down instead of instantly stopping, not to mention his body was slowly standing upright and looking like it was against his will. "Hey! What the…?" Sonic questioned, but then both his arms, one-by-one, snapped into the glyph while positioned on each side of his head. "Grrr! Grrrrrrr!" He clearly struggled to move them, but it was like they were clamped by cuffs on a wall. His feet were the same, already having been restrained by this unknown force.
Raynare was shaking the water out of her wings as the trapped Hedgehog floated over by her. "Your right. It was a fun date," she mocked him as she finished and looked up at him while he was still trying to escape. She did this on purpose! Knowing there was a slim chance of her actually striking Sonic with his speed, she deliberately pretended to attack Issei and Asia, just to get him moving towards herself so she could trap him!... Though admittedly, she had to use the remainder of her magic just to do that, now she was running on fumes. However since her only opponents, if you can call them that, were only two mere mortals, one of which had the most common power out there and the other not exactly the offensive type, she didn't see them as much of a problem. The MAIN one was floating next to her trapped in a glyph.
Asia was now scared, going behind Issei as a form of protection. The red-bracer teen stood tall with a scowl on his face, but was just as scared as Asia was. Sure he was confident before, but that was mainly because Sonic was by his side and they both had a chance of winning. Now, the Hedgehog was caught like a rat in a mousetrap, unable to move whatsoever due to Raynare's magic. While she was definitely tired herself, Issei couldn't find the courage to actually attack her, especially seeing those eyes. Beautiful... but dangerous. It sent shivers down his spine.
Seeing the humans' reaction, Raynare had an idea. She could just stab Issei again, but that would've been a waste of power. She could ALSO just kill the Hedgehog right next to her, THAT would certainly solve a few problems at once... but it didn't satisfy her. She had a much better plan in mind. "In fact, it was so much fun, I'm just DYING to express my gratitude..." Raynare continued from before, looking back and Sonic and putting her fingers under his chin for dramatic effect; but then put them down and returned her gaze in the direction of the human duo. "Issei? How about we make a deal?"
"A d-deal?" Issei questioned, blinking twice and a bit surprised at the sudden inquiry. Sonic was also a bit perplexed himself. Raynare already tried killing or ordered them to be killed several times, attacked them just now when defending Asia, NOW she wants to bargain with Issei? What was she up too?
Raynare's eyes then locked onto the ones belonging to the blonde. "Asia. You gift is quite useful, is it not?" This got Asia's attention, Raynare calling her out by name. "That poor, poor puppy; all those people across the globe coming to visit you; now an alien sewer rat and his lewd human owner?" Raynare continued, creepily knowing a bit about Asia's past. Could she have been spying on her, like she did with Issei? Or was it just coincidence, considering she was the one who took Asia into their ranks in the first place?
"Your healing magic is both rare and valuable; far more his Sacred Gear ever could be. It could really be put to good use," Raynare continued, narrowing her eyes with an evil smile. This made Asia upset, for history was now repeating itself, even Sonic and Issei were getting a bit angry. First the church, now the Fallen Angels... just like the humans beforehand, they were only interested in Asia's power. Nothing else. Raynare then turned back to Issei. "So how's about a trade? You can give me the girl," Raynare began to make her verbal arrangement, then formed a new light spear and whipped the tip of it at light speed under Sonic's chin, less than a centimeter away from making contact. The color was much lighter due to her fatigue. "And I won't make your pet a Hedgehog-kabob." She threatened.
Sonic stared at the spear, already knowing how much these things hurt. He could feel the heat radiating off of it, and he couldn't move right now so if Raynare... slipped up... not even a One-Up could save him. Issei looked very indecisive, looking frantic and unsure what to do. "DON'T!" Sonic's voice called out, snapping Issei out of it and getting him to look in his direction. Sonic wasn't gonna lie, even HE didn't know what to do. Options were limited right now. "GET OUTTA HERE! TAKE ASIA, AND RUN!" Sonic ordered them to do, basically telling them to leave him behind. Not the first time he's done this, having given this exact order to his fellow Mobians numerous times in dire situations, usually whenever something was gonna explode or crash.
Issei and Asia were shocked by Sonic's instruction. He wanted them to run away? But what about him? How was he gonna get outta this by himself? Speed was one thing, but he needed his feet for that! "*sigh* Rude." Raynare said with an eyeroll. Her free hand formed a small glyph.
"JUST GO! I'LL B-" Sonic's volume suddenly dropped to zero like someone pressed the mute button on him. His lips were still moving, but no sound could be heard.
"So... what's it gonna be, Issei?" Raynare bargained again. "Are you going to be the smart protagonist that makes the best choice?... Or the stupid one that gets everyone hurt?"
Issei just stood there, uncertain and scared, eyes darting around and his body shaking. Looks like he was on his own, but what was he supposed to do? He couldn't just give Asia away... but he couldn't let Sonic get hurt either! He's been fighting so hard to protect them. Now he had to make a choice to save just one of them while the other goes? It was too much for him. "... ARRRRRRRRRGH!" He suddenly screamed, and began running at Raynare.
"Issei!" Asia called out his name, but he wasn't listening. He was in another headspace right now. In desperation, he went after Raynare in an attempt to stop her himself without thinking. It happened in slow motion, the boys feet slowly hitting the ground and his Geared fist pulled back as he rushed at her and continued his battle cry. Raynare smiled in amusement. She didn't even have to try and avoid Issei's clumsy assault. Once he got into range of his punch, if you could call it that, the Fallen One simply moved a bit to the side, then let one of her wings slap Issei in the back. While soft; its mass, muscle and momentum sent Issei splashing into the water beside her. She almost felt bad. Poor boy had no combat experience and his power, although doubled, was pitiful.
Seriously, how could her superiors mess up THIS badly? This child was nothing more than a wuss. "Looks like its up to you, Asia," Raynare said, her sights now on the nun, who was now by herself and completely defenseless. "I can very easily snap them in half so unless you come with me..." Raynare then formed another light spear in her free hand, this time right next to Issei who was getting up in the water and stopped upon seeing Raynare hold a spear to his back. He wanted to move, but that last hit knocked the wind out of him, no pun intended. "Your boyfriends' won't be going to Heaven. Or Hell." Raynare threatened.
The pressure was all on Asia now, the nun looking with trembling eyes. While she was silent for a few seconds, she hung her head down in defeat, unable to handle the gravity of the situation. She slowly began to slip down and sit on her legs, her choice now obvious. "... just don't hurt them." She begged the Fallen in a low voice.
Issei looked up at Asia in shock, with Sonic sharing the reaction. This was now the SECOND time this innocent girl had stood up for them, and was about to be hurt because of it. The Hedgehog was also saying 'Asia, no!' or something along those lines, but they only saw his lips move and hearing no words coming out. Smiling, Raynare dispelled her spears and hovered over to Asia. Issei watched as she went, powerless to help his friends. Raynare then hugged Asia, embracing her with both her arms and wings.
"That's a good girl, Asia. I knew you'd make the wise decision," said Raynare. "So I'll show you good faith... we'll bring along a guest."
No sooner did Raynare say that, the trap holding Sonic began to slowly float over so it was above her and her hostage. Issei called out Sonic's name in worry, but was so weakened that he couldn't move. Sonic was struggling some more to no effort, and his lips were moving again, but no one knew what he was saying. Probably asking what was going on. "Sonic!... HEY! What are you doing to him?!" Issei asked, but didn't get an answer.
"Don't fret, my dear. After tonight's ritual, everything'll be alright. Sonic'll even be there to keep you company," said Raynare, then glanced at the boy in the pool. "Its been fun, Issei. Maybe I'll see you later." She taunted him again, unable to resist.
Truthfully, what she said before about killing the boys' was only half-true. She COULD theoretically destroy both the alien and the kid right now, but she was on the verge of collapsing herself. The Hedgehog was tougher than he looked, fighting him had exhausted a very large portion of her power... She underestimated him. She'll admit that; so she SHOULD probably kill him right now... but the torture on Issei's face was glorious. Not to mention the blue rat had gotten in her way too many times already, and the LAST thing she needed was him somehow tracking her down and ruining the ritual itself.
She learned from her mistake. If she let him go now... that was just ASKING for trouble. Even though it was a waste of her time, he stopped her from finishing off Issei, and her squad from retrieving Asia... she wasn't about to let something like that happen again. So she'll just take him with her, make sure he doesn't pull anymore of his tricks. Once she got what she needed from Asia, she'll deal with him... personally.
"NO! SONIC! ASIA!" Issei called out, finding the strength to get back up on his feet but by the time he began moving, Raynare closed her wings and teleported away, the magic circle holding Sonic also vanished along with her at the same time. Some feathers left behind were the only evidence of her appearance. The last thing Issei saw was Asia's pained smile, along with her tears...
...
...
...
After standing there in his wet clothes, his mind processing what had just happened, Issei fell to his knees and hands in the water. "Sonic... Asia..." He said in a low tone. They're gone... Sonic and Asia were gone... and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Are you going to be the smart protagonist that makes the best choice?... Or the stupid one that gets everyone hurt?" Raynare echoed in his mind. Issei shut his eyes tightly and balled his fists.
"..heh... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Raynare's laughter echoed next, making Issei's fists clench tighter and he growled to himself.
"No wonder he needed an alien to jump out of his UFO to save his ass, HE CAN'T EVEN SAVE HIMSELF!" Raynare echoed once again, which proceeded to make Issei even more angry.
"Damn." Issei said in a low tone, lightly punching the bottom of the pool with his left hand. "Damn!" Issei said a little louder, punching a bit harder this time, making a small wave. "DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!" Issei yelled, his voice getting progressively louder and his punches getting fiercer each time. Each 'Damn' said was also another punch that made more waves, with the final one making a huge splash. He finally stopped; just staring down in shame, anger and sorrow.
Why! Why did this have to happen?! He couldn't stop Raynare... couldn't save his friends... it wasn't fair! Asia was now back in Fallen Angel hands, and God knows what they'll do to Sonic! Issei wished he was stronger, had something better than a stupid red bracer on his hand. Now Asia was back to the status quo with the Fallen, and Sonic will never get home! If only he wasn't so weak, then he could have done something... ANYTHING! But he was just a human. A human revived by a Devil who...
That's when an image of a certain Devil holding a Pawn piece on a certain day flashed before Issei's eyes... he then got up slowly, using his hands to lift himself up, and stood up before slowly walking out of the pool. He had a determined expression on his face... he knew what he had to do. It might not work, and it could have life-changing consequences if it did... but she was his only option.
Rias.
XXX
POV - Asia:
In a flash, Asia saw herself back at the church still in Raynare's embrace. A few Fallen where here, including 3 familiar ones. One of them was sitting on the altar desk (Mittlet), the other 2 were next to her (Kalawarner and Dohnaseek). "Well, it's about time you came ba-" said Mittlet, but she shut up when Raynare suddenly lost her grip on Asia and fell to the side on her knees and held herself up by her hands while breathing heavily, shocking the Fallen Angels. Asia was too. She didn't think Raynare was that damaged. Sonic must've did quite a number on her, the Hedgehog smirking from his prison in satisfaction.
Of course, one of the male Fallen Angel soldiers and Kalawarner rushed to her aid, helping their comrade to her feet. "Raynare, are you alright?" Kalawarner asked.
"Let go of me!" Ordered Raynare in an aggravated tone, shaking the two Fallen off her and finding her balance, now able to stand... that was so embarrassing. "I just... got lightheaded from teleportation, that's all." She insisted, brushing her arms off. The Fallen didn't question her, what Raynare said about teleportation magic was true... for a first-timer anyway.
"You look like wet shit. Did you fall into the Kuma river?" Dohnaseek joked with a smirk, noting Raynare was damp along with injured.
Raynare looked like she was gonna blow her top, but held in most of her ire. "I don't. Wanna talk about." She growled.
"Ok, then why'd you bring him?" Mittlet asked, pointing behind herself with her thumb to the trapped Hedgehog, the camera panning to Sonic when she did (Sonic would comically wave at them if he could). Honestly, she thought Raynare was gonna kill him with the way she flew off the other night. Took them an hour to repair the damage she caused, even with magic! An HOUR!
"Just shove him in a broom closet or something, I don't care!" Raynare said, having lost all patience. "Get preparations ready for the ritual. We start in an hour," she continued, then held up one finger and repeated: "One hour!" She then walked off, probably finding somewhere to rest and recover her strength. Asia watched as Raynare left the main room.
That's also when 2 Fallen, a male and female, each took a shoulder of Asia. The nun looked back to see them, but of course had no power to fight them off. "Right this way, little witch" the male said as they both lead her somewhere. Out of the corner of her eye, Asia did see Sonic frown and try moving again, probably cause the male Fallen made fun of her, but the Hedgehog still couldn't break free.
As Asia was guided to another part of the church, she thought back to all the fun she had with Sonic and Issei. How kind they both were and how they tried so hard to protect her… but it just wasn't enough. She wondered what fate awaited her now…
Sadly, it looks like Sonic and Issei lost Asia to Raynare, but now she has taken both Hedgehog and nun hostage! Can Issei find a way to get them back? But how is one human gonna fare against an army of Fallen Angels? Tune in next time to find out. Can't tell you when it'll be released, as I've got things going on IRL and behind the scenes, so I'll ask again: If your not following the Extra's Fic, please consider it. It's much easier and less stressful to edit since I only have to show snippets instead of a full chapter, and I'm planning on editing it allot more frequently.
Until next time, my fellow chads. Later!