READ MESSAGE BELOW (That's an order!)

Back again with Sonic DxD, and I wanna apologize. My last update sent half my audience in a panic so let me be clear: Sonic DxD is NOT discontinued. Unless I drop dead or am admitted to a hospital for Alzheimer's (god forbid), this story is not ending. I only have to rework the story line to fit Sonic Frontiers into this. Your still getting the Riser and the Holy Sword/Excalibur arcs but going forward... REPEAT FOR THOSE IN THE BACK WHO SKIP THIS... going forward, the story had to be changed from its original intended script as I shared last time.

Some people have even gone as far as to say skip Frontiers entirely and/or at the very least imply the events have happened and while I understand the concern… that seems like a HUGE missed opportunity. From what I currently have on the back end, despite it only covering the first island as of right now, there is so much character development that can be done not just for Sonic and pals, but the DxD cast as well. That's not even mentioning the fun we can have with it.

For the sake of story quality, it'd be unfair to pass this up. As I've said multiple times already, I want to make this story fair to both franchises without any bias towards the other. Even if a massive Frontiers arc will add to the workload, in good conscience, I don't think I have it in me to skip Frontiers or say it already happened just to make my life/job easier… that doesn't sound fair to you guys either who have stuck with this story and made it a massive success.

Plus, I welcome the challenge.

Now that's only one side of the reception I received for the last update. If I didn't give the other side of the argument, that I would just be blatantly lying. There is also overwhelming amounts of support for this decision, and some have said the story might benefit from this rework. Again, while I do understand the concern if the script is changed… Frontiers is a new era, and I feel it would be disrespectful to not just you guys, but the brand as a whole if I don't include it as soon as I possibly can. Whether everything I've built with this stacks up and grows more or instead comes crashing down, at least it was fun while it lasted 😂.

And even if I did want to discontinue this, I'd give it to someone whose qualified to handle this type of story so it can live on. Hopefully this clears up any confusion you may have.

But better news is, we got some new fan art by Penguin SuperSaiyanGod. It's in the cover image of this story, and it honestly made me wet. This of course doesn't make Luhyzi's art any less, and it still holds a sweet spot as the first official fan art this story had received. I'll probably have to make a separate channel on discord for anymore fan art down the line.

Regardless, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 30: Training for a Rating - Part 1

Sadly for Issei, his training started immediately. He was currently just starting his first lesson with Kiba as the rest of the group watched. "Alright, here I come, Blonde-Locks!" Issei, without any hesitation, charged at Kiba while yelling. They were both using wooden swords to spar with each other.

Kiba however, merely sidestepped quickly and on occasion, would use his own wooden sword to block an attack from Issei, but his blows barely did anything. It's not that Issei lacked power in his swings, but his execution of them was SERIOUSLY lacking.

"Don't focus solely on the front..." Kiba was saying as Issei kept striking, and when Issei went for another slash, Kiba sidestepped him again before using his own sword to knock it out of Issei's hands. "Be aware of what's around you and your environment."

"I... I meant to do that..." Issei said, as if he was luring Kiba into a trap (which he clearly wasn't).

WHACK!

"Argh!" No, that didn't come from Kiba, as Kiba was at Issei's front and not his behind where he was struck just now. Looking back, Sonic was shown to not only have gotten ahold of the wooden sword Issei dropped, but he was now dressed in referee attire with a whistle hanging around his neck.

Basically, Sonic slapped his butt with the blunt end of the sword.

"Timing is everything! Swing your sword at exactly the right moment!" Sonic said... call them crazy, but the Devils could swear Sonic was quoting someone.

"Who made you coach?" Issei asked in slight annoyance.

Sonic only response to that was wildly waving the wooden sword around Issei while turning his head away and closing his eyes, making Issei nervous and protect his body from damage... only to then realize Sonic wasn't making contact with him which caused him to lower his guard and unbrace himself.

WHACK!

"ARGH!" Issei got whacked in the stomach for real.

WHACK!

"DAH!" Then he got whacked on top of his head, making him fall to the ground. He laid there groaning for a few seconds.

"*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!*" Sonic then blew his whistle before spitting it out of his neck. "YEEEEEEEEEER OUT!" He pointed behind himself with his thumb like how a cartoonish umpire would in baseball. Issei was only further annoyed at this, tapping his fingers on the grass.

Asia couldn't hold in her giggles even with a hand in front of her mouth. Koneko and Rias remained stoic and silent at this, though Akeno did smile.

XXX

Focus was then directed to the second lesson that same day, this time with Akeno as the teacher. She would be teaching Asia and Issei how to use magic, so Sonic's presence wasn't required here and he actually was gonna go off an do his own thing, but color him and the newest Devils surprised when Akeno vehemently insisted Sonic to stay.

Her reasoning was this could help Sonic in the upcoming Rating Game, learning exactly how Devil magic worked and while he won't be able to cast it due to lacking Demonic Power, she figured at least him understanding how it functioned could benefit him. Raynare was the perfect example of this, Sonic having no idea how to initially counter her powers and it got Issei nearly killed twice, and both Asia and Sonic himself kidnapped.

That… and Akeno honestly enjoyed Sonic's company (unlike Rias who tolerated it). He acted cute in her opinion.

As you can imagine, Sonic agreed to sit back and watch.

"Lesson Two: Being aware of aura around you and using your Demonic Power to stream it to a focal point." Akeno said, stating kindly what her lesson will entail.

"Oh, like Lucario?!" Sonic asked with a point, finding that nugget of information interesting (and was now glad he stuck around). While Asia cutely raised an eyebrow, having no idea what kind of animal a Lucario was, Issei glanced at Sonic for his comment and had to admit he was thinking the same thing.

"No silly. That's more of an internal magic." Said Akeno, but whether she got the reference herself or just stating a fact was unclear. "What we're doing is harnessing energy around us and using our power to manifest it." She explained a little further. "Both of you try to focus."

Both Issei and Asia did this in 2 different ways. While both students did close their eyes, Asia held her hands with her palms facing each other, and Issei extended a hand as far forward as it could reach. Additionally, Issei was also grunting lowly. Sonic couldn't help but feel Issei was being a bit dramatic, but then again he doesn't have demon energy in his body so maybe Issei was doing that instinctively.

Seeing Issei was struggling, Akeno walked over to him. "Try to imagine the image of light leaving your body, leaving from you and being released as magical power." Akeno additionally let her hand and arm trail along Issei's outstretched one, as if giving him a visual representation of what happens as the energy flows out after coursing through his veins. Their finger's almost nearly interlocked…

"I think I got it!" Asia said, excitedly. Sure enough when Issei and Akeno looked over, Asia had a ball of green light in-between her hands.

"Look at you go, Twilight!" Sonic said, happy Asia seemed to get the hang of it. Then again, she used her Sacred Gear to heal people, so she had a slight advantage.

"Awesome work Asia with your cute ball of green light. You might just have a natural talent for this." Akeno praised Asia, the Bishop blushing a bit from the kind words. Issei couldn't help but feel a bit jealous from this, but it also gave him an extra reason to try harder.

To his credit, he did eventually generate a ball of his own after nearly 10 minutes of not giving up… if only the size of a speck of dust…

"Sonic? Can you fetch me a bottle of water?" Akeno randomly asked the Hedgehog. Maybe she was thirsty? However before Sonic could reply yes or no or even leave to get the beverage, Akeno added a wider smile. "Take your time."

That was clearly an un-ironic joke.

Playing along with it, Sonic stood in place for only 2 seconds before dashing out in a blue flash. We see him enter the kitchen area, but thats when he stopped directly in front of the refrigerator, and opened one of its doors to take out a water bottle… then dashed off after standing in place 2 seconds later, the fridge automatically closing from his speed. Sonic flashed back into the room the 3 Devils were in, taking 6 seconds longer than the task should've taken him.

What?… He took his time, didn't he?

Sonic tossed it, and Akeno, not expecting him too, fumbled around with her hands for a bit though ultimately caught the beverage simply enough. However instead of opening it to take a drink, she put it on a table in front of them. Issei, Asia and Sonic assumed she was maybe gonna have it later, but that's when she held a hand a few feet over the bottle of…

Hang on…? Why was the water bubbling…?

SHING!

The water in the bottle then shot out out all sides of the object as it also quickly froze into ice that decorated the bottle as they stuck out of it. This entire display of skill made the other 3 jump in surprise. They were impressed of course, despite the shock written on their faces with perfect circles for mouths.

What Akeno did was cool, no pun intended.

"Holy crap, your quick!" Issei said.

"You'll be too! Once you get the technique, you can control fire, water, or any of the other elements." Akeno said. "Asia. This should he easy for you, wanna try?" The Queen then offered as with Asia's natural talent, Akeno felt comfortable allowing her to try this.

"Sure! I'd love too!" Asia said.

"Sonic? Grab some more waters." Akeno said, though it also came across as a question.

"Yes Queen!" Sonic said with a salute, then dashed out to get more waters. Akeno couldn't help but continue to smile. That Hedgehog kept things lively.

Once Sonic left and the 3 Devils were left alone for a few seconds, Akeno looked back to Issei. "You on the other hand need to spend a little more time on those concentration exercises." She said, as she truly believed Issei could do it, its just he needed some more practice.

"Yes ma'am." Issei said with a exasperated sigh. In his eyes it was a little unfair Asia was able to try something so cool so quickly, but sadly he currently lacked the experience.

"Visualization is the key. Its basically the essence of all magic." Akeno said. "Just think about what you want, and see it happening in your mind. Your Demonic Power will do the rest."

"Are there any rules on what I can and can't imagine?" Issei asked.

Sonic happened to get back into the room with 8 bottles wrapped in his arms the moment Akeno began giving Issei a helpful tip and Issei asked if there were limits… call him paranoid, but Sonic could visualize Issei taking that aforementioned term in a different direction.

"No, none at all. Whatever you want." Akeno said. Issei then tried again, focusing on the first thing that came to his mind. In his head as he was looking at Akeno, her clothes dissolved leaving her fully exposed. Of course realizing what he was doing, he immediately let go of the thoughts and shook his head slowly to shake them away, not meaning to do that, but he was a bit red in the face.

"What's the matter? You were doing so well." Akeno said, which she was being genuine here, having not seen Issei that focused since wanting to save Asia and Sonic from Rayanare's clutches. "Issei, is everything okay?" She leaned forward a bit, her large bust jiggling from her movements… was she not wearing a bra, or was it just Issei?… She'd couldn't read his mind, could she?!

WHAM!

"ARGH!" A water bottle then hit the side of Issei's face. It didn't hurt that badly but it mostly just caught him off guard.

"Visualization, not imagination." Sonic dryly said, now with one less water bottle than before.

Issei: I WAS! I WAS BUSY VISUALIZING MAGICAL THINGS!

XXX

As for Lesson 3…

BOOM!

Later in the woods nearby, Koneko just knocked Issei into a tree… again. Sonic wasn't in sight this time, so he probably finally went off to do his own thing as unlike Akeno beforehand, she didn't ask Sonic to stay. The little Devil just obediently began her lesson once it was her turn to teach.

"That one was lame. Even worse than the first one." Koneko said, almost taunting the taller Devil. Issei of course attempted to strike back with a battle cry, but Koneko evaded and kicked him in the center of his back before nimbly wrapping her legs around his neck while sitting on his shoulders. "You need to focus more on the center of the body and other sensitive spots for precision and maximum damage." With that tip, she further demonstrated by squeezing and twisting her legs. Issei cried out in pain more times than he could count as this went on for the rest of the day until dusk.

Issei was thrown out of the woods and over a small cliff that he ended up sliding down a bit. "ARRRRRR, SCREW THIS!" He shouted, a little more than frustrated. "Asia being the magical manifestation queen and I can't control my own imagination! I suck balls!"

"We all have powers that are unique to us." Koneko said, coming out of the forest from where she threw Issei and meeting him at the same cliff. She also kneeled down go speak to him.

"Yeah, sure. Kiba's this slick Knight in shining armor, Asia and Akeno are naturals, and your an immovable object." Issei said doubtfully, then looked up at Koneko. "Name one thing I have over any of you." He challenged.

Koneko: Your a pervert.

"Thanks." Issei thanked her sarcastically and then looked straight ahead.

"But…" Koneko then added, obviously not done in her statement, which made Issei look back up at her. "Your also a really hard worker." She complimented. "And when something is on your mind that you think is right, you follow through with it and don't give up on it either." She added genuinely, speaking what she honestly felt. This could be attributed to when he requested Rias and the ORC to look after Asia for a bit, and even when Issei finally accepted to become a full Devil just to find a legal loophole that the club could exploit to save Asia and Sonic from Raynare.

She didn't know if this was always a trait of Issei or maybe some of Sonic's happened to rub off on him, but either way, Issei didn't seem like the type of person to throw in the towel after hitting only one roadblock.

"Wow… thanks Koneko." Issei thanked her genuinely this time.

It was here, Koneko smiled. "… You still suck balls."

Annoyed, Issei began frantically climbing up the cliff to catch her, though Koneko already knew he was going to react that way and already made moves to escape back into the forest where Issei followed. Judging by the following yelp of pain from the boy, he still had allot to learn.

A little further away as the screen zoomed away, the zoom stops on the tip of a red shoe, before its shown Sonic was actually watching from another cliff. He looked over at those two with intense thought on his face. Now don't misinterpret him, he found that these lessons thus far were honestly well thought out and did in fact do what they were supposed to do and teach the intended student… but they seemed to be missing something.

Or more appropriately, the teachers themselves…

XXX

The same order of lessons repeated for the next 2 days until on the 3rd day around dusk, Rias ended Koneko's lesson early in favor of the lesson she was going to be teaching Issei. Issei internally appreciated this, not feeling like being Koneko's personal punching bag for the third day in a row.

"Now for lesson 4! Cooking!" Said Rias, it being shown she was in the kitchen area (the same one Sonic got water bottles from) with Issei and Asia though they were dressed on aprons. "Magic comes in handy anywhere and for any thing. Have fun with it."

"In other words, we're now your personal chefs?" Issei questioned dryly, not sounding totally enthused. Asia looked like she would enjoy it though.

"Good luck!" Rias then left the room after waving to them, her signature smile on her face… that was a yes. Issei could already imagine Sonic would call Rias the worst teacher in the universe as she basically left her students behind to fend for themselves, or something along those lines.

Speaking of which, he hasn't seen Sonic all morning… he was probably running around and getting some cardio.

Asia magically got a pot of water to boil by merely asking it too as her power lit up in one of her hands over the water. Keep in mind, it was sitting on a counter, not a stovetop; so if someone not aware of real magic saw this, they're brain would most likely implode.

Issei just picked up a onion. 'What's the point? I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to this magic stuff. Most I could do with Akeno was summon a ball of light smaller than my own pair…' He thought to himself… then more about Akeno and her special attributes, seeing her naked in his head. 'Now those are just ripe for the picking!'

Suddenly, the onion peeled itself perfectly, surprising both Issei and Asia. '… Did I just…?' Issei questioned and quickly picked up another ingredient, this time a potato. He thought of the exact same thing and the potato also peeled itself, the skin shedding its self like a snake. "Sweet! It works on potatoes too!"

"Look at how good your getting so fast! I'm so proud of you, Issei!" Asia said, glad her friend was finally starting to get the hang of it whereas it came naturally to her. Issei couldn't help but smile from her praise… though if she and Sonic ever learned what he was thinking of to finally execute it…

"Yeah… this seems pretty easy…" Issei said, but this feeling felt very familiar, like did this before. Thinking back, it was actually when Sonic and one of Raynare's lackeys fought off and Sonic got injured, then again when Rias was about to be attacked by that cyborg Stray Devil, and finally when Sonic and Raynare were duking it out one final time and he knocked her out with just one punch.

He always figured that was pure dumb luck he did those things, but it appeared they were all connected.

XXX

Humorously, Issei went way overboard with the potato peeling, feeling good that he finally mastered of this magic thing, but as a result ended up peeling every single potato in the kitchen. Since they were gonna go bad without the skin to protect them, he and Asia served them all as a MASSIVE side dishes in addition to the main meal. It wasn't bad all things considered; Akeno, Rias, Koneko, and Issei all eating together.

Issei was looking around the table at each girl, but none noticed him doing this except Koneko who happened to look up. "Don't even think about peeling me." Was her response.

"I wasn't!" Issei said, which to be fair he wasn't about 'peeling' them bit by bit: he was already picturing what they'd look like naked.

"So Issei, what have you learned the past few days?" Rias asked Issei.

"That I'm the weakest link on this team…" Issei said, already getting what Rias was getting at and wasn't gonna deny it. He did feel stronger compared to when he was human, but compared to everyone else here when it came to talent he was very shortcoming.

"Knowing is have the battle, but you shouldn't feel entirely useless." Rias said, confirming what Issei predicted but also added some positivity to that equation. "Your Boosted Gear and Asia's Twilgiht Healing make the two of you valuable assets. So for now, I at least want you both to gain enough strength to escape in case of a dire situation." She added.

"Yeah. That makes sense." Issei said. 'Plus me and Sonic were the ones to get Asia wrapped up in this mess. And its not like he can be in two places at once. I have to get at least strong enough to protect her, that's all I can do…' He added in thought. Like it or not, technically it was Sonic and Issei's fault Asia for underestimating Raynare and it got Asia killed as a result.

Now she was a Devil, reborn sure and while she said she had no regrets, Issei still couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. And he can only imagine how Sonic must feel, having technically failed to protect someone not once but twice, Rias having to revive Asia and himself for that was out of Sonic's skillset.

"Speaking of assets…" Rias suddenly added. "Has anyone seen Kiba lately?"

"No. Last I saw, he walked off after his lesson was over." Asia said.

"And wasn't the groundhog with you?" Koneko asked Akeno, obviously referring to Sonic.

"Actually, no. I haven't seen him all day." Akeno said.

"Neither have we." Issei said, answering for Asia as him and her were a close group with Sonic in comparison to everyone else. None of them were too worried as this was a pretty common occurrence with Sonic, but they figured he'd at least be back by nightfall, and their was only maybe another hour or so of daylight left.

XXX

Around the same time the rest of the ORC began eating, Kiba had dummies set up all over an open clearing in the woods. After taking a deep breath, he slashed at all of them at blinding speed. Once got them all, he began to grab his head and flashback to a previous event in his life. One where all he heard was kids crying and coughing, and Kiba himself running away from a building…

"This a bad time?"

That sudden voice snapped Kiba out of it, and also snapped his head in the voices direction. "Whoa-oh, Horsey. It's me!" Sonic said with his hands now up in defense.

Kiba sighed then. "Sorry… just…" he began thinking up a lie. "… just a tad nervous about the Rating Game. Its all gonna be our first times and all." He said. "Issei's been doing pretty well too, I guess. Still a bit clumsy, but he getting there."

"Yeah that's kinda the reason I found ya." Sonic admitted, peeking Kiba's interest. "Now there's nothing wrong with whatcha said, pal. But…" Kiba paid attention to what Sonic was saying, wanting to know what exactly the Hedgehog had a problem with. Kiba didn't see anything wrong with his technique but seeing how well Sonic was with sword combat during their initial first meeting.

However, instead of answering directly, Sonic darted off. Kiba cocked an eyebrow at this…

*tap!*

Behind him, Kiba felt something tap his right shoulder, but when he turned around, there was no one there…

*tap!*

Again it happened, this time on his left shoulder.

*tap! tap!*

2 Blue streaks dashed behind him, one at a time, and for the 3rd and 4th time tapped Kiba, only this time below the center of the back of his neck. Here's also were Kiba did get a tad frustrated, the poking being done to him getting a bit annoying.

WHOOSH!

Now, the blue streak (obviously Sonic) was literally running circles around Kiba, which did generate a small blue cyclone around the Devil but it was only powerful enough to cause a wind current and not lift him up or throw him off course. That wasn't the point Sonic was making.

Attempting to use enhanced Devil vision, Kiba did see the outline of Sonic within the small cyclone, but he was out of sight and replaced with another one(s) which did make Kiba a bit dizzy from his eyes trying to absorb that information but he stopped trying to look when he felt it in his head.

Sonic finally stopped running around which also stopped the whirlwind and poked Kiba right in the center of his chest with one finger, Kiba having no way of stopping him. They shared eye contact, communicating that way for a minute before Sonic backed off.

"All I'm saying is, sometimes you don't have time to look and and collect your bearings." Said Sonic. "Sometimes, its better to start moving and grooving. Especially if you can't keep track of them all the time."

Kiba thought about what Sonic just said, and had to admit, it was an interesting way to look at things. But he could say anything to Sonic in return, the Gremory glyph spawned next to Kiba's ear. "Kiba?" Came Rias' voice, calling from the dinner table where.

"President?" Kiba asked.

"Where are you? And have you've seen our mascot? We just finished eating." Rias asked with concern in her voice which was reserved for Kiba and not necessarily Sonic.

Now Kiba could say he was training and Sonic found him, which was the truth… but at the same time, he'd rather not hear one party give lip to another. "I was doing some last minute planning for what I can teach Issei tomorrow," the Knight white-lied. "I haven't seen… never mind, there he goes…" Kiba added, implying Sonic just blew past him. "He's heading back."

Rias did not question this, the story sounding very believable and like something she'd imagine Sonic would do. "Well you head back too, you can grab some leftovers." She said.

"Sounds good. I'll see ya in a bit." Kiba said, hanging up his end of the call, and also smiled at Sonic who was smiling at him.

"Knightly code of honor?" Sonic joked while gesturing.

Kiba jiggled his hand. "In spades."

They both headed back to the property after that.

XXX

By the time Kiba and Sonic returned, the girls were taking a bath together in a huge hot springs-like section inside the house. Just before the Knight and Hedgehog showed up, Rias jokingly suggested Issei join all the girls (with Akeno further joking they could bathe him like a baby) but only if they all agreed… which was shot down by Koneko's vote.

Issei's response to the horrible news was melodramatic to say the least according to Rias.

The only thing separating the genders was a large wall, which Issei grunting while staring at it. He was imagining all of the girls naked (which they were at that moment in time), but was staring so hard at the wall you'd think he might fire lasers out of his eyes in a few seconds.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Sonic asked while wrapped up in 2 towels, one around his body and the other around his quills on his head.

"You and wall can't keep your eyes off each other, can you?" Kiba added while also wrapped in a towel around his lower body, joining Sonic in his joke.

"Shut up! It's part of my training!" Issei snapped at them before turning his head back to the wall.

"Lighting Queen teaching you X-Ray vision too?" Asked Sonic, still joking (if that was possible he had no idea).

"Hate to break to you and your wall, but even magic can't do that." Kiba said simply.

Instead of acknowledging them, Issei just stared at the wall harder, thinking back to what Akeno said about magic, and Koneko about him being a hard worker and pervert. "If that's what my talent is, so be it! It was given to be for a reason! AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Issei said.

Sadly, he was unable to see anything of value…

XXX

In the Underworld, Grayfia was talking to a man in a throne room who had the same long crimson hair as Rias did, being none other than Sirzechs. Her husband and Rias' older brother.

"That's quite the story." Said Sirzechs, Grayfia having just reported everything to him. "So based on what you said, along with the rematches Riser's been having lately, you say he's gotten stronger?"

Grayfia nodded. "I felt it personally. While I'm not sure what kind of training he did, his new power is nothing like I've ever felt before… I can't be certain, but it feels similar to a Sacred Gear oddly enough… No. I suppose chaotic is the more appropriate term."

"Interesting." Sirzechs said. "What are they're chances?" He then asked, referring to his sisters upcoming Game.

"With the additional 10 days of preparation you've negotiated for, along with the Hedgehog that's been following her newest servant around…" Grayfia began. "Even with that… not even close to zero. They're chances of winning are in the negatives." She said, honestly. Riser's family completely dominated the Rating Game sphere for many years, only losing twice on purpose… of course, those losses had just turned into wins very recently with Riser's challenge streak.

"Despite that, you've fought tooth and nail to get this approved, and still letting her go through with it." The Ultimate Queen added. "Do you think she has a chance, even with the handicap?"

"I think she can make her own decisions." Sirzechs said. "But whether or not we believe she can pull it off, she IS next in line for the House of Gremory. She should at least be able to do that."

Grayfia nodded in response.