Alright, so... FanFiction decided to go down twice when I wanted to originally post this chapter when I had free time. In fact, it was after the review that called out some references like I promised. So sorry this took awhile, but it isn't exactly my fault. The app had the same problem as well, so I had to wait to post. Still got it out before update 3, so promise had been kept.
For that reason, please comment "Chaos Emerald" in the comments section if your still there and are reading. Issues like these tend to mess with the algorithm or make readers/stories disappear.
That story trailer was hype though. I'd rate it 10 Koco out of 10 chili dogs. Now its finally time, guys. 1 Chaos is about to enter the room, and 6 more are just out there waiting to be found…
MasterMagician13:
Reference 1: "Seen one Subspace, seen them all" is referencing Brawl's story mode, Subspace Emissary
Reference 2: "Stage The Forest Act 9" is referencing the ninth stage of Subspace Emissary, The Forest
While these two were obvious (Brawl was the only Smash game I had access to), the last one had me scratching my head. I have a guess, but I'm nowhere near as confident about it as I was the other two
Reference 3: The area where Sonic confronts Riser's pawns is referencing Ultimate's World of Light stage The Lost Woods
Again, that last one is a shot in the dark, but I had the idea to look up 'Foggy stage smash bros' on Google and The Lost Woods came up immediantly.
Bakuganman: Nice answers. To be honest, there's actually 4 references in the last chapter, but made the limit 3 to make it easier and less stressful. The Lost Woods was actually the 4th hidden one.
Chapter 34 - A little Chaos in a Rating Game, Part 2
While Sonic was messing around the Pawns, Koneko and Issei were just entering the gym, Issei still flabbergasted on just how accurate this place was to the real world, even if it was just a copy. As the Rook and Pawn entered, they came face-to-face with more of Riser's forces. One of them Issei recognized as Mira, the one Pawn that stabbed him in the gut when the peerages first met, and while he also recognized the 3 others in that group, he never got their names. 2 of them were twins with green hair and also carried chainsaws on their backs, while the 3rd newcomer was a well-endowed girl of Chinese descent. She looked and dressed very similar to Chun-Li.
"So cute. Little Issei needs some help from the Gremory's mascot." Said the Chinese woman. "Since you won't be getting out of her before retiring, my name's Xuelan. The Rook of Riser."
"I'm Ile, and I'm his Pawn!"
"I'm Nel, and I'm also a Pawn!" That was said by the 2 Twins, one after the other.
"Nice to see you again, Issei. No weasel to protect you this time?" Asked Mira, not even bothering to introduce herself not only because they met before, but didn't feel he was worth it.
"That Rook might be trouble. She had the aura near the level of a Queen." Koneko said.
"That sucks balls... aw, what the hell! We went into this as underdogs, we'll come out as top dogs!" Issei said, worried at first but shook it off. [BOOST!] He also brought out his Sacred Gear, letting it Boost him one time.
While Issei engaged the Pawns, Koneko tried her luck with the Rook being a Rook herself. Fittingly enough, Xulean's battle style was EXTREMELY similar to Chun-Li's, using fast and consecutive punches and kicks, with the addition of being coated in flames due to her Phenex heritage. She and Koneko would constantly match each other's attacks, meeting in the middle of their strikes.
At least twice, Koneko was swiped by a fiery kick, barely able to dodge them, where the price of not completely dodging then meant her uniform was slashed up a bit. If this kept up, she'd get retired from the game so early on. She was worried she'd fail the team...
"If you have time to worry, then run." Sonic's voice suddenly echoed in her head, making her pause and almost get kicked a third time. It was then she jumped away instead of trying to take her head on.
"Where are you going?" Asked Xulean before thrusting a palm forward, also setting out a small fire blast but Koneko did manage to evade that too, and kept doing so as Sonic's voice kept echoing in her head.
"Not all baddies have an obvious weak spot. Don't be afraid to take a step back." The Hedgehog's voice spoke to her... she couldn't believe she was doing this, but she was actually running away...
FLOOSH!
Again, another fire blast, this time as a small wave from a sweeping kick... wait a second. Was it just Koneko, or was the opponent Rooks kicking actually harder than her punching? This Rook appears to specialize in that, yet her punches were allot slower as a result. When Xulean attacked again, this time with a punch and kick combo which Koneko evaded again, it was even clearer. Xulean thrusted more power into kicks rather than punching... that was her way out.
"HAAAA-RAAAA!"
POW!
Xulean went for another thrusting, flame-coated kick, but to her shock Koneko caught it, ignoring the damage done to her own body (it still hurt though).
'No way, she tanked that?... Ugh, I've gotten too used to Riser's crystal...' Xulean thought to herself, surprised Koneko endured, and flashing back to a moment in her career where she was using Riser's "magic crystal" to increase her speed and power that allowed her to take out a set of Rooks and Knights in one game in the past. She's been neglecting her own natural power for awhile as a result...
POW!
She couldn't reminisce any longer as Koneko punched her hard in the face while yanking her leg the petite Rook was still holding, which dazed her a bit. She didn't go down just yet, and went back to trying to kick her again, but Koneko was more aware of her battle style now and simply leaned back to avoid the swipe. As this sweep made Xulean's back face Koneko now, she used this opportunity to ram into her back, knocking her down.
"Gr... not bad, kid." Said Xulean, still not done and not willing to give up yet. Koneko of course could see the Rook wasn't gonna last too much longer now that her weakness was exposed... and was thanks to Sonic in a way. The advice he gave her, while unorthodox, was pretty solid.
"GAAAAAAA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAA!" Issei meanwhile was running away from the 2 twins, who eagerly chased him with buzzing chainsaws while giggling a few feet behind him.
"Where you running too, Issei?"
"What's the matter, you don't like Chainsaw Lolis'?" Asked one twin after the other.
"I do like Chainsaws, especially the anime just as much as I like cute twins, but you psychos are ruining both for me!" Issei said as he fled while looking back at the twins. And he thought fleeing from Sonic's Spin Attack/Dash was stressful...
Right as he looked forward though, Mira went to attack him with her staff. The old Issei would have been caught by this type of attack, but the amount of times Sonic had spun at him for a joke or Issei's own perverted antics and also the speed training Sonic and Kiba had both given him at different points, he was actually able to evade quite easily with a really impressive jump.
'Check me out! I'm so freaking hardcore with parkour!' Issei thought to himself with confidence, but then back to being scared again when the little twins jumped at him as well, still armed with buzzing chainsaws. Issei had to swim a little in midair to avoid the first double swipe at him, then did various poses to evaded additional slices.
Of course as all of this was going on, his Boosted Gear was still powering him up. He finally reached his maximum powered-up level. "About time. Now I can finally kick some ass!"
[EXPLOSION!] The Boosted Gear announced, all the stored power now flaring up. It's incredible amount shocking the two twins.
"You first, pipsqueaks!" Issei said, jumping at the twins with no fear this time, then slapped his palm on one of their shoulders, then on the other ones backside. These slaps also shoved the twins to the ground as well, both of them landing in the floor with groans of pain and discomfort. What they didn't notice was, small magic circle traps had spawned for a fraction of a second on the spots he slapped...
Mira went to attack Issei as he landed, but much to her shock, not only did Issei have to strength to completely stop her incoming staff attack with one hand (the Boosted Gear), but he punched right through it with his other! While at the exact same time using that same free hand he punched with to shove her backwards. And just like the twins, a small circle phased into existence before quickly disappearing.
Humorously, Issei shook his non-Sacred Geared hand a few times after the pain from punching clean through the staff hit him. Also right about this time is when Sonic finally got to the gym after finishing his job with the other Pawns he forced to chase him, and got on the stage the gym had.
"We can't lose to this dumbass!" Said one of the twin.
"Riser's gonna be so pissed if we do, and he might not let us play with the crystal after this!" Said the other twin. That's when the Pawns Issei was battling began to lunge at him again for an attack from all sides. Mira used whatever war left of her staff while the twins revved up their chainsaws, all 3 of them enhancing their attacks with Phoenix Fire.
"What some?" Issei said, confidence radiating off of him in droves. He also unfurled his Devil wings while flaring some Demonic Power, and he still had some of his Boost energy left which made him a bit more intimidating. "Then here's my Super Secret Special Move!"
While Sonic could have jumped in to help, the announcement of Issei's secret special move got his attention, and the high schooler sounded confident it was gonna work. He even recalled Asia once mentioning it back during their training, so it looked like Issei, after all his hard work and dedication, was finally ready to let loose!
"Time to geeeeeeeet... naked!" Issei said, and with a snap of his fingers Thanos-style, the same magic circles that he planted on the Pawns lit up for a second, glowed...
RRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIP!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Just as fast as Sonic could break a speedometer, the Pawns clothes all tore off as if they exploded and disintegrated into nothing, or just in tiny pieces everywhere. Either way, they were left completely naked as he promised, the trio of Pawns screaming the moment it happened, then of course covered themselves as quickly as possible with their arms and hands.
He couldn't exactly being disqualified for that either, as there was written rule against using magic that way...
"HA! HA, HA, HAAAA! Like that ladies? Since the very moment my tiny baby man balls dropped, all I did was undress girls with my eyes. But now thanks to all my hard work and dedication, all I have to do is imagine you naked and with a touch of magic, my vision comes true!" Issei said, explaining exactly what his special move did... if it wasn't already obvious... "So, mess with me or my friends; tops are coming off!" He added while striking a pose, trying to look as bad ass as possible, complete with a confident grin and facial expression.
Sonic just slowly banged his head a few times in a nearby wall... so this was the reason it was a secret between him and Asia...
"What a freak." Tsubaki said while she and Sona saw everything. To think the kid actually did that without shame, and on live TV...
"Ya never know... seems effective..." Sona said in a very flat tone. "Devil or not, nothing will stop women in their tracks like their clothes magically tearing off..."
"Dirtbag!"
"Your sick!"
"The hell's wrong with you?!"
That was said by the Pawns Issei had 'attacked', but he paid them no mind. In fact, he was reminiscing of how, and when exactly he developed this type of magic, thanking Asia in his thoughts.
-FLASHBACK-
One of the nights during the 10 day training showed Issei practicing on a dummy he hung from a tree and was trying very hard to control his magic power. This was of course after the kitchen incident, but peeling potatoes was allot easier than a humanoid-sized dummy. Asia even offered to help and provide moral support, but when she was running late and distracted Issei with his sudden appearance...
RIP!
Completely by accident, Issei's power shredded Asia's clothes, but only the front. Everything else was perfectly intact, yet you could still see her undergarments... when this attack hit her, it didn't hurt, but she had mixed emotions on it. Modesty told her to cover herself, which she of course did, but the fact it was Issei...
"Oh... crap... sorry Asia." Issei did apologize to his credit. Though in his mind: 'Yes! It's finally working!'
"No... it's okay... try again." Said Asia, having no issues with this at all. She continued to help him back on the property when everyone else was asleep, but Asia did gasp a few times as the magic hit her since she was the new dummy to practice on (which Sonic kept hearing a few nights and had to sleep deeper in the woods as a result).
RIP!
Attempt number 2 immediately after the accident showed it wasn't a fluke and Issei managed to do it on his own. "I'm doing it! It's working!" Issei praised himself, the put his hands together in a prayer or begging fashion and asked Asia: "A little more? Pretty please?"
"Sure! Let me put some fresh clothes on!" Asia cheerily obliged and ran out to get more clothes. This cycle kept repeating over and over a few times. Issei would try his magic on her, and she'd (depending on the result) would dawn new clothes.
RRRIP!
Attempt 9 is when Issei's skill really began to improve with Asia now only in her undergarments this time. Whatever she was wearing over them had completely disintegrated into thousands of pieces, making it completely unrecognizable.
"Your doing so well! Great job Issei!" Asia said, both proud of him, and the fact she could be of help.
"Yeah, but you still have your underwear on. If this is gonna work, it's ALL gotta come off!" Said Issei, proud of his improvement, but he also didn't want to keep wasting the clothes Asia packed. Sure they had a washer and dryer, but that doesn't exactly help if there are no clothes left
"Don't worry about me! I've got plenty of clothes for you to strip off! Don't give in, Issei! Get me naked!" Asia encouraged him, the last part of her encouragement was said a little too excitedly.
-END FLASHBACK-
"This is all thanks to Asia! The girl who allo..." Issei began to publicly praise the girl who helped him, but Koneko cut him off.
"Your need to touch some grass..." She said, very flatly.
"Koneko? Issei? What's your status?" Rias' voice said in their ears via the magic circle.
"Gym's secure, Prez. Locked down and... stripped from Riser's control..." Issei said, making a small perverted joke about stripping with a somewhat lecherous face.
"Nice work. Akeno should be in position at any second so, you may want to get out of there." Rias said. They did so and began to leave the building in question.
"Hey, get back here!"
"This isn't over!"
A few of Riser's Pieces protested, but they were paid no mind as Issei and Koneko left. Sonic eventually did come out of his spot on the stage, saw the defeated (and the 3 naked) members of the opposing team, and gave them a apologetic shrug before dashing out.
"Sonic? When'd you get here?" Issei asked when the 3 of them were out of the gym.
"Eh, just now." He lied, not wanting to dwell on Issei's 'special attack' right now. They were currently involved in a very important game for Rias' freedom and wanted to stay focused.
ZAP! KA-BOOOOOOOM!
A sudden Thunderbolt of tremendous power crashed down on the gym... or at least what used to be the gym. The extra pieces of debris along with the loud bang, G-Force, and also additional sparks it had left behind made Sonic's heart nearly stop; even Issei's and Koneko's as they didn't expect it so soon. Directly above where the gym was, Akeno was flying above with sparks dancing off her fingertips after unleashing that massive shock.
"Boom. Gym class cancelled." Akeno said.
"3 of Riser's Pawns and 1 Rook. Retired." Came Grayfia's voice, most likely explaining to the live audience what happened.
The word 'Retire' in this instance meaning the Pieces in question were detected to have no energy left to continue, so they are then removed from this alternate space via teleportation magic to treat any injuries they may or may not have sustained during the game by referees. This was the ONLY instance teleportation magic was allowed, with the only other exception if the King 'Resigns', which is when a Piece is forcefully removed from the game by the King or if said King gives up.
Back with Riser, he and his Queen Yubelluna were still stationed in the deans office as that was their home base. "Gotta admit, Gremory has some fight in her."
"Yes, she does. Which will make our victory all the more sweeter." Riser said, decently impressed what the opposition did, but still thought it was a funny and ultimately a futile effort.
"Still, Himejima could still prove to be a problem, considering her mixed heritage and her Holy Lightning." Yubelluna added, then began to stand up to leave but Riser stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder, making the Queen look back at her King.
"Let her have that small victory..." Rise said, a grin growing across his face. "We still have our trump card... no matter what she tries, victory will be Risers..." he added, his other hand shown to be on the necklace he was wearing with the yellow gemstone inside it. The stone in question giving off a soft hum and faint glow...
XXX
The game continued without much problems for the ORC. Thanks to Sonic leading 3 other Pawns into a trap, Kiba was able to defeat them quite easily since they were pretty tuckered out already. That meant Riser's team was reduced by 6, leaving 9 left! The Gremory team were still at a disadvantage since even with Sonic they only had 7, but it was a smaller margin compared to the 15 the originally had to deal with. Best part, they haven't lost a single team member yet themselves! They could very well win this if they don't get too careless!
Rias' next plan of attack was another sneak attack; this time sending only Kiba, Issei, Koneko and Sonic into battle this time near the track field which was also next to the gym location and Riser's home base. Akeno would power up again like to blow them up in the immediate area just like the Pieces before. The play was successful, and the group was surrounded by... only a Knight and Rook?
The Knight sent out was Karlamine, who was a woman with light brown hair and green eyes. Her outfit consisting of a full set of silver armor that was a clear mix between a European Knight and a Japanese Samurai. As for the Rook, she was recognized as Isabele, the girl who had half a mask covering her face.
"We weren't properly introduced last time. My name is Karlamine, and I'm one of Riser's honorable Knights... and to be completely honest, I'm also questioning your sanity for practically coming up to our front door and begging to be attacked." Said Karlamine, readying a sword.
"Likewise, I'm Isabele, a Rook in the service of Riser. Far be it from us to deny your stupidity." Said Isabele.
"Our stupidity? Your tool of a King sends just you two against us 4 and we're the stupid ones?" Issei commented. While they conversed, Akeno was already nearby to prepare her sneak attack, but on only 2 pieces? Seemed like a waste, so she called Rias to tell her.
"I'm in position Rias, but Riser only sent out one of his Knights and his remaining Rook." Akeno told Rias via the communication magic circle. Rias cocked an eyebrow from the intel.
"Only 2? Against 4?" She asked, wanting to make sure she heard correctly. That didn't make a lick of damn sense, not just because of the odds; but because just a few minutes ago, Riser sent 4 against 2 to vs Issei and Koneko, and had 3 Pawns go up against Sonic and Kiba back-to-back (granted the latter he probably didn't expect)... something wasn't right. Was Riser doing this just to maintain his resources?... Not likely. That didn't seem to be his style, and he still had 2 Pieces more than she did, so why the sudden change in plays?
Rias had a call to make now: does she continue with the plan and have Akeno blow only 2 Pieces up (which again did seem wasteful), or let Sonic, Koneko, Issei and Kiba handle them instead? She could also just keep Akeno there on standby in case things go south. Before Rias could tell Akeno her decision...
"Well if you must know..." Isabela began to answer Issei's question, then smirked. "We took a page from your book..."
Right as she said that, a similar trap field was spawned directly underneath both Sonic and Koneko! Both the targets gasped along with Kiba and Issei looking shocked, Akeno did too as she too had a trap underneath her feet!
Back with Riser... he smirked evilly, and the gem in his necklace he was still holding began to glow and hum brighter...!
FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!
In a bright flash of light, those targets disappeared!
"Koneko! Sonic!" Issei shouted in worry, then looked over to the Rook and Knight. Their was no offensive explosion or anything of the sort, so it wasn't a offensive trap. "Hey, what gives?! I thought Teleportation Magic was an illegal move!" He declared, which was true.
"That would be true... if it was magic." Said Isabela, having not lost her grin.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?!" Issei demanded to know. It's bad enough they still had a slight disadvantage, but now Riser had to go on and cheat a win? That slimy Phenex! Using cheap tactics at the last second to try and cheese a win! Besides, if it wasn't magic, what else could that teleportation possibly be?
"You two have more immediate problems!" Karlamine said, her sword then bursting into flames as she pointed it to her opponents. "En garde, Pawn and Knight of Gremory! Prepare to do battle!" She added, Isabela taking a fighting stance herself. Having little choice, both Kiba and Issei took battle-ready stances themselves, ready to defend themselves and fight the opposing Pieces.
XXX
Rias' and Asia's POV:
"Sonic! Akeno! Koneko! Do you read me?! What happened out there, talk to me!" Rias called over and over again, but the transmission was completely cut off for some reason. All she was hearing was static, which didn't help Asia's nerves either... what on earth just happened to them? They completely vanished into thin air!
Rias growled and deactivated the circle, seeing no point in continuing to use it. She then looked to Asia. "Asia... I need you to be brave." She said, gently grabbing the Bishops shoulders despite both of them still in shock and panic. "With Issei and Kiba out there alone, we need to complete this game, and go to Riser directly!"
Asia's eyes only widened further. "But...!"
"I know... this is completely out of nowhere for me too..." Rias admitted, letting Asia know she was just as unsure about this. "But we have no choice now... just stay by me." She added, letting the nun know she would protect her.
XXX
Sonic's POV:
FLASH!
The light returned to Sonic's eyes and he looked around, seeing he was now near a section of the student dorms... was he teleported? But that was illegal if he recalled the rules correctly. If that's was the was, shouldn't that Ultimate Queen lady have called it out? Actually, now that he thought about it... something about the energy used in that teleportation felt familiar...
SLASH!
Sonic had only a second to avoid a sudden swipe of a large broadsword held by another of Riser's Knights, which thankfully he did easily enough, though the shockwave generated from the attack nearly got him since he didn't expect it. He looked behind him to see yet another girl who was tall and had long black hair like Akeno's, except she had 5 ponytails unlike Akeno's single one which was held by a gold hair accessory. Her outfit looked like a Chinese cheongsam with red shorts and knee-high boots and gauntlets. She also had a diamond shaped crest, giving some view of her chest.
And her sword was a big one: a giant Zweihänder that features a black blade with silver edges and a black hilt with a red handle. Not as intimidating as King Arthur's Deathcalibur, but around the same size.
"Your opponent is me, blue badger. Prepare to fall by the blade of Siris!" The Knight introduced herself, readying her blade again and rushing at Sonic.
XXX
Koneko's POV:
FLASH!
Koneko found herself transported to the tennis courts. There didn't seem to be anyone around, but she sensed something and jumped back... just in time too, as a catgirl that had blue eyes and red hair was shown to have tried to attack her with a kick that stomped the ground. Even then, Koneko sensed something else and dodged again, barely evading a punch from a second catgirl except her eyes were red and hair was blue. They were Ni and Li, the other set of twins Riser had.
Koneko took a battle stance, now having to face 2 Pawns at once.
XXX
Akeno's POV:
FLASH!
When Akeno's vision returned, she found herself back at the gym she just destroyed a while ago back in the sky... was she teleported? Wasn't that illegal? The thing is though, when she felt the transportation take affect, it didn't feel like magic per se...
BOOM!
She found herself near Riser's Queen, Yubelluna. Who attacked her with explosive magic and while it was a direct hit, Akeno was still holding strong. It would take allot more than that to take her down thanks to her Queen traits.
"Nice to finally meet you in battle, Priestess of Thunder." Yubelluna said, flying a few feet from her. "I' e actually been wanting a chance to fight you for a long time."
"Aw, you flatter me, Bomb Queen. But the pleasure is truly mine." Akeno said, getting back in the game. While she wasn't sure how Riser was getting away with using teleportation magic, it didn't matter right now. She was now locked in a Queen 1v1.
XXX
Sonic's POV:
ZWHEEEEEEEE!
Sonic, after dodging yet another sword slash and after-shockwave, Spin Dashed into Siris, attempting to knock her down. She did block his attack by putting up her sword just in time, and while she did struggle somewhat against him with her body shaking from the speed and power behind the Spin Dash, she did ultimately repel him. When Sonic was repelled, he stopped his spinning and landed on his feet... he was so sure he had her this time. Even Kiba wasn't able to block an attack like that.
Sonic did see a faint glow near the dorms, and noticed they weren't alone. One of Riser's Bishops, Mihae, who was a girl dressed in a kimono was flaring her Demonic Power, but it wasn't focused on him or herself. Putting 2 and 2 together quickly, he realized that must have been the source of Siris' endurance. As the Bishop was most likely sharing her higher-than-usual power with her teammate, which wasn't illegal as Bishops were mainly support Pieces anyway hence why they have heightened energy levels.
'Heh... so that's how it is...' Sonic thought. Changing his strategy, he set off towards the hidden Bishop. Before she could react or block his incoming attack in any way, it was too late and he Homing Attacked her. She was retired soon after, probably because she had transferred most of her strength to the Knight.
XXX
Kiba's and Issei's POV:
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!
Kiba and Karlamine clashed as super fast speed a number of times, their swords slashing wildly as both Knights attempted to strike the other. During one of the clashes, Kiba's sword, his Holy Eraser, broke. All that remained of the sword was the hilt.
"Sadly for you, a Sacred Gear sword like that won't work against me!" Said Karlamine.
"Fine, then how about this one?" Kiba asked, immediately after he said this, the hilt of his sword, somehow grew into a brand new blade. However this time, it was made of ice.
"Your kidding! You have 2 Sacred Gears?!" Karlamine asked as she rushed at him against with her fire sword. When they clashed however, the ice from Kiba's sword melted, but it also doused the flames of her sword. Now defenseless, she quickly took out a dagger, instead, and it to burst into flames. Kiba's smirk never left his face, as his sword then transformed into one that had a diamond shape on the end, which summoned a vortex of wind that blew out the dagger's flames. "Seriously? 3 Gears?! How many do you have?!"
"No, you misunderstand. I don't have that many Gears, I simply make them at my will." Kiba said kindly and simply. "It's called Sword Birth, letting me create any sword I want, how ever many I want." Kiba then touched the ground, spawning more swords behind Karlamine's feet, forcing her to jump away before they stabbed her.
XXX
Akeno's POV:
BOOM!
"UGH!" Yubelluna was knocked out of the sky by Akeno after a very intense magic fight, the Phenex Queen slamming to the ground from Akeno's last attack. "Gotta say, I should have expected you to be this strong."
Akeno was flying in the sky, looking a bit banged up herself, but ultimately still had enough strength to remain conscious. Most of her uniform was tattered up from their constant back-and-forth. "Your really sweet, but I'm not into birds. It's a personal preference."
Yubelluna chuckled. "... even so, you must be at your limit..." she then pulled out a red bottle, which Akeno became very concerned about, knowing exactly what it was. It was the Phenex Family's specialty, Phenex Tears. Much like from that human movie about a kid with a scar on his forehead, Phenex Tears had the exact same affect as from the movie, being able to heal any, and all injuries instantly. It was basically an elixir that had the same properties as the Phenex's ability to regenerate.
XXX
Sonic's POV:
POW! CRASH!
Siris was kicked into the dorm building courtesy of Sonic, being retired, after taking so much damage from him. The Hedgehog stood there as he watched his opponent vanish in sparkles.
"1 of Riser's Bishops and 1 of his Knights: Retired." Came Grayfia's voice.
BOOM!
Sonic nearly jumped from the sudden explosion in the distance, that explosion came from the school itself, and was a mix of red crimson fire, along with orange fire. There was also soft green magic coming from there too...
"Damn! A stall for time!" Sonic said, seeing that Riser had turned the tables on them, taking a page right out there, playbook no less just like Isabel said they did. With however he got away with his teleportation illegal, move stunt, he used it as a way to draw Rias in, knowing full well she'd try and ambush him herself! This also doubled as a way to separate them and cut them off from their teammates so he could go after her himself!
Sonic rushed off to the explosion.
XXX
Koneko's POV:
POW!
"Nyaaaaaaaaa!" Both catgirls from Riser's team cried out in pain as they were knocked back by Koneko after double teaming her, but despite all that she came out on top. The Rook however, was breathing heavily, having already fought a Queen-level Rook previously, then had 2 more opponents afterwards to deal with. She was completely exhausted... the poor loli collapsed after a few seconds, having no energy left in her body, and disappearing in the same sparkles the Pawns did.
Grayfia: 2 of Lord Riser's Pawns along with Rias' Rook, Retired.
XXX
Akeno's POV:
BOOM!
Akeno was nearly knocked to the ground below by the now fully reenergized Yubelluna. "Your every bit of strong as we've heard. I'm impressed you still have fight in you." She said to Akeno, who didn't have enough strength to form a verbal come back. She was running on fumes right now, and would probably collapse any second or from any other attack. "I can't believe I actually had to use the tears against you in the first place... Hmm, maybe I should have requested to use Riser special treasure after all..."
While Akeno wasn't sure of the context behind that, Yubelluna's words did catch her attention... a special treasure? But wasn't that considered the Phenex Tears the Phenex Family produced (not to mention made a huge profit off of because everybody wanted their hands on such a treasure)?... If it wasn't, then what else could she possibly be talking about?
"It's been a blast, Thunder Priestess, but i'm afraid I have to bomb on your parade." Yubelluna made a small joke, then readied her staff that would lunch yet another attack. In response to this, Akeno attempted to use her lightning magic, but only small volts came off her fingertips... she was nearly empty, she had nothing left...
Bomb Queen's magic circle surrounded Arkansas from below her, and it was about to go off... when she flashed back to when Sonic accidentally found out her secret heritage: 'It ain't easy holding that stuff in… believe me, I know...'
Knowing she was going to retire if she didn't do something, just this once... Akeno gave into it... and her holy lightning began to build up again. Yubelluna looked shocked at this, and this triggered a second flashback for Akeno to someone on the floor in a pool of blood, but she pushed through it.
ZAP! BOOM!
At the exact same time Akeno unleashed whatever power she had left in the form of her lightning, Yubelluna's bomb went off under Akeno, both Queen's magic attacks hitting each other. The damage to both of them was so great, they basically knocked each other off the chess board and faded in sparkles.
Grayfia: Both teams Queens, Retired.
XXX
Kiba's and Issei's POV:
Back with Issei and Kiba, the Knight was still fighting Karlamine who still had one dagger left but she was using it cautiously as to not have one of Kiba's break it and render her completely defenseless. Issei was dodging several of the Rooks punches which weren't exactly the quickest, but they did pack a lot of power behind them if he would get struck in a vulnerable spot. To Issei's credit, he did block quite a number of punches, and even took a few direct ones without breaking too much of a sweat, having his Gear Boost him the whole time.
"Your better than I expected, being able to dodge and block me at the same time." Complimented Isabela, actually being genuine.
'Well, I didn't get my ass beaten training with Kiba and Koneko for the fun of it...' Issei thought to him, flashing back to all the times he had trained with those two individuals. This even included the few times Sonic, either purposeful or not, Spin Dashed after him.
POW!
"Argh!" Issei got punched and rolled along the ground a few times from Isabela's attack. That was the first successful punch she had landed. He began to sit and stand back up.
"Not bad... you've really improved since Mira knocked you to the floor and needed that blue coyote to stand on for you. Rias really trained you well." Isabela complimented again, which despite her rough appearance, was probably the nicest person so far on Riser's side, or maybe it was fellow sportsmanship.
"First of all, thanks for the compliment. And second; it was the ceiling, then the floor..." Issei said, using a bit of Sonic-style snark.
BOOM!
The same explosion Sonic saw before happened before Issei and Kiba now, they now got distracted for a brief second as Rias and Riser began to fight on the schools roof. Both of Riser's Pieces used this as a chance to strike their opponent, Isabela punching Issei again and Karlamine getting a cut in on Kiba, but the boys regained their focus and returned to battle.
XXX
Rias' and Asia's POV:
A few minutes earlier just before Rias and Riser began to blast each other, Rias and Asia made it to Riser's home base while everyone else from both teams were engaged in combat all across the chessboard and this was her chance. However once they opened the doors to the main school...
"Welcome my darling. Have you finally come to your senses and waltzed into my home base to Resign, or is that asking too much?" Riser said, leaning on the railing upstairs, looking down at the two intruders.
Although both girls were initially shocked Riser already knew they were near his territory, Rias changed her attitude midway, changing to a confident smirk instead... rebellious to the end. "So I take it you were well aware of my little diversion right from the start?"
"My beloved, it was such a basic move, I could hardly contain my laughter. A virgin should never underestimate one as myself with such experience in the field." Riser said.
"Charming. Still as vulgar as ever." Rias said, still holding her rebellious smile. What Rias didn't see or notice however, is behind Riser's back, the crystal he was wearing in his necklace was now behind his back... where it glowed and hummed a second time.
FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!
The sudden bright light that lit up behind Riser blinded both Rias and Asia, but when their vision returned... how'd they get on the roof?! Riser was on one end, she and Asia were on the opposite but again, how?!
"Teleportation?... For someone with 'such experience in the field', teleporting in the middle of a Rating Game unless you are Retired or Resigning is practically rule number one! You'll be disqualified!" Rias said, mocking what Riser said before.
Riser simply chuckled yet despite the rule he just broke, Grayfia as the referee did not call it out. "You may want to focus on the here and now, my dear. Don't concern yourself with trivial game mechanics." He said to her, lifting his hand and summoning some Phoenix Fire on it. Seeing Riser had a point and the Game was still going, Rias readied her own power in the same matter.
Then again, now that Rias thought about it, that wasn't like any teleportation magic she's ever experienced before. And it was honestly a little creepy. When teleportation magic goes off, the person does feel the effect take place and has a sense of transport when it does. But whatever magic Riser just did... it was hard to explain, but it felt as if she was just dropped into a random location completely out of nowhere, not feeling any displacement at all... what kind of magic does that?
XXX
Normal POV:
The boys were getting nowhere. Karlamine was just as fast as Kiba, and Issei wasn't strong enough to beat Isabela without Boosting.
"Dragon Shot!" He finally had enough for a beam attack, his Dragon Shot, but saved some power just in case. Isabela barely avoided it, the beam tearing through the ground and exploding in the distance... funnily enough, Sonic nearly ran into it and had to make a sharp turn to avoid it, though the aftershock is what knocked him back a bit. That wasn't nearly as strong as the massive one back during the final day of training, but still shocking nonetheless.
He knew it was most likely an accident though.
"Okay... that did more than I thought it would..." Issei said, still surprised by the level of power he wielded. "This gauntlet is something else..." He added, looking at his Gear.
"Grrr... I can't let him Boost again. I need to take him out now!" Isabela said, rushing at Issei after recovering from her own initial shock. She attacked more wildly this time.
'This is getting nowhere! The Waifu in shining armor and this Double Dee Rook refuse to go down! And at this rate, we'll never get to Rias in time!' Issei thought, if only he was stronger...
[BOOST!] The Boosted Gear said, announcing it started powering up again, and this triggered the memory of that dream Issei had, the one when he was going to marry Rias and saw a dragon... that's it! Maybe if he focuses hard enough, he can reach the dragon again... assuming it wasn't just a weird dream.
"Alright Red Dragon, if you really are in there, I'm gonna need your help here. If you can hear me, then please respond!" Issei said out loud, not caring if he sounded crazy for talking to his arm while blocking deadly strikes from a crazed woman.
[Dragon Booster!] The Boosted Gear said, saying a completely new phrase... Issei didn't know why, but he felt that this was the dragon trying to reach him from deep within the Gears confines... that, or he was really going crazy, and DID need to touch some grass.
"I need more... more power! You've seen how hard I trained, so give me the strength to win Rias this game!" Issei said (at least, he hoped this was the case). Right when Isabela punched him and his arm blocked it...
FLASH!
The gem on the Boosted Gear glowed, but it didn't announce "Boost" this time, and the glowing didn't stop... in fact, it only continued to grow!
[DRAGON BOOSTER - SECOND LIBERATION!] The Gear said a second new announcement. Not only that, but the voice of the Gear sounded clearer, not so electronic this time, like as if something was closer to the surface. Additionally, a huge column of energy burst from Issei, much like it did when he beat Raynare with one punch, only thicker.
"What the...! What's this?!" Isabela asked, having to back off from the power surging off of Issei. In fact this was so noticeable, even Riser and Rias stopped for a moment to take a look at what exactly was going on down there, and Sonic froze just as he was about to enter the scene looking in awe.
When the energy surge finally subsided, Issei's Gear was shown to have evolved again. Not much changed but it was still noticeable. The Boosted gained another green jewel on the end and a total of 10 golden spikes all around it.
"Holy shit... it changed again..." Issei said, surprised it actually worked. He immediately felt more power than before... did the dragon, if he existed, actually gift him this upon request? He still wasn't sure. What he was sure of, was feeling an instinct of a new power. "Kiba! Use your Sword Birth at me!" Issei said.
"Excuse me?" Kiba asked, making sure he heard Issei right.
"Just do it! Trust me!" Issei requested again. Kiba did as he asked, and the Knight sent a bunch of swords towards Issei that shot out of the ground as they traveled.
"The hell?" Karlamine asked.
"Attacking your own teammate?" Isabela asked, both girls very confused at what the boys were up too. Even Sonic was at a loss for words. However right as the swords would have impacted Issei, he then punched the ground with his newly evolved Sacred Gear.
[TRANSFER!] The Gear said something new again, and while it did glow like it usually does, it's the effect that was much different from any other time.
It wasn't Issei's power that increased, but rather the power of Kiba's attack. It also spread outward away from Issei, and towards the 2 Phenex Pieces, with at least 1000's of more swords. This new attack was so fast and spread so vast that it was impossible to avoid or block in any way, even Sonic wasn't sure he could have gotten away from it fully unscathed if he was the target. The 2 Pieces then disappeared in sparkles, having been finally defeated by Issei's and Kiba's combined attack.
This also meant that only one Bishop and Riser himself were the only Pieces left! They were so close! (One could only imagine the tension the viewers of the live footage had)
"Interesting... instead of being a pig, he somehow enhanced the Knights attack." Tsubaki said, her and Sona still watching. And Sona had to agree. Rias was making due on her promise, and was making this a highly interesting game. She could only imagine what the higher ups (if any aside from Sirzechs were watching) would think.
"A new ability granted to him by the Red Dragon Emperor himself, no doubt." Sona said.
"I rarely swear, but damn.. that was pretty badass." Sonic said, finally approaching Issei and Kiba once the swords from Kiba's power disappeared and it was safe to approach. Issei looked over at Sonic coming over after hearing the Hedgehogs voice.
"Oh, Sonic? Did you see that?! That was so awesome! I'm the most badass Pawn ever!" The Pawn cheered, throwing his Geared fist in the air as a symbol of triumph. He felt unstoppable! Not only could he Boost his own power, but also his friends too! It was amazing! He truly was the linchpin of this game!
"ugh!" Sonic was literally just about to cheer with him, when Kiba grabbed his side and groaned, using a sword to hold himself up as he knelt down.
"Kiba? Kiba, you okay?" Issei asked, he and Sonic going over to the Knight in question.
"Are you...?" Sonic was about to ask, but then he and Issei saw why Kiba was acting this way: a few sections of his uniform were slashed up, and one of them was starting to bleed... either this injury was from the battle with Karlamine, or worse, was from his 3-v-1 with the Pawns Sonic lead to him. Regardless of which one was the case, Kiba was still in bad shape.
"Heh.. looks like I reached my limit... last attack took more out of me than I thought..." Kiba chuckled weakly, giving an explanation but still was in pain despite trying to laugh it off. "... you'll have to finish without me..."
"But we're so close!" Said Issei.
"Can ya hold up? Just a bit longer?" Sonic asked.
"I'll... I'll try..." Kiba agreed. Despite the Knights weakness of having low defense, he tried to stand up and push through the fatigue... only to drop the sword he was using as a crutch and nearly fall to the ground if not for Sonic and Issei both managing to grab each side of him, though the sword still fell. "Nope... guess not..."
"... Sonic, you think you can drop Kiba back to home...?" Issei began to request Sonic to run back to home base with Kiba so he's safe and off the battlefield from harm and he could rest that way, and while Sonic would have complied with this, Kiba cut him off before that.
"No... just leave me... Rias and Aisa need you more than I do..." Kiba said weakly, and his body began to slowly disappear in sparkles. With a final smile, Kiba then fully disappeared, having been teleported out of the game.
Grayfia: Rias' Knight, along with Riser's final Knight and Rook, Retired.
Sonic and Issei stood there for a moment, taking in what just happened, then they looked at each other and nodded... they had to finish the game, and it was nearly over. Now it was just the final stretch. They made their way to the main school building, and when they got there, someone was in the way...
Ravel. Looking at them with an unreadable expression.
"You want some too?" Issei asked, raising his fist up in warning. Sonic, not knowing what to think, also took a slow fighting stance.
...
...
...
Ravel shut her eyes... and stepped aside backwards. Both Sonic and Issei were a little confused.
"What are you waiting for? Just go!" Ravel said, still with closed eyes and not even looking at them. Issei didn't get it, but with Asia's and Rias in danger of Riser, he ran past her and into the building. Sonic lagged a bit behind, still questioning Ravel, but went past her. "Hey." Ravel's voice then stopped him, making him look behind himself back at her... he saw the look in her now open eyes, and they also looked a little apologetic.
Sonic nodded at her, understanding her message, and continued on to follow Issei inside (whom also already promoted himself to Queen rank).
XXX
FLOOOOOSH!
Riser launched yet another attack on Rias, whom blocked it with her own magic once again. This was a constant back and forth, with both sides blasting at each other with their respective fire-based powers only for the other to block it. Asia kept healing Rias to keep her at full strength but even then, it seemed Riser had a unlimited supply of energy at his disposal. He would stop at pints, but the smirk on his face told the girls he was merely toying with them the entire time. He only did so not out of kindness or giving them a chance to show what they could do; it was more like he reveled in it and even took some pleasure in it.
Asia had to admit herself, even with her experience and magical talent, this was starting to take a toll on her as well. She couldn't keep healing Rias forever, and as long as she was keeping Rias alive this would amount to nothing but a stalemate between 2 Kings.
"He's so strong..." Asia said after finishing another healing effect on Rias. Riser then made no further attacks and even chuckled to himself.
"Out of juice already?" Rias taunted Riser despite she knew that wasn't the case (but could hope), but the trash talking made her feel better.
"No my darling, I can go all night... but I personally wish you would make this a little more entertaining. Even by virgin standards, this is the worst foreplay Riser's ever experienced." Said Riser, making fun of both her power and her virginity at the same time.
"Experience THIS!" Rias said, sending some Crimson Fire at Riser. Riser responded in kind with his own Phoenix Fire, causing another explosion of power. This one however overpowered Rias' slightly.
"You know as well as I do the only reason they allowed this game was because even your family realizes there's just no way you can possibly win. You've already lost your Right Hand, along with your Tank and Horse. And by the looks of your Nun, she's on her last legs as well. Pretty soon you'll be all alone." Riser said, using derogatory terms to describe the fallen ones of Rias' team and then Asia. He even brought up the reason the game was even permitted in the first place to try to get inside Rias' head.
"If anyone's gonna lose today, it's you!" Rias said, refusing to back down... even if the reason he gave about the authorization of this game was still true and she knew it. "Most of your team has fallen so it looks like YOUR the one who's alone! I on the other hand still have Issei and Sonic!"
"Oh, spare me the bold statements, your only making this harder on yourself, my darling. You may as well Resign and save yourself the public humiliation." Riser said.
"You will NOT intimidate me, Riser! I am a King, and I am ready for WAR!" Rias had about enough so in a fit of rage and emotion, she flung Crimson Fire at him insanely quickly, so fast he had no time to put up a barrier and it burned up his face. It did hurt, as he did groan from the pain as he fell backward... but then began to slowly pick himself up, and his amusement vanished, being replaced by a frown.
"You know... the fact you still haven't given up is both admirable, and irritable..." His face was half muscle from Rias' attack, but flames began to regenerate that damage. His tone of voice also changed, sounding annoyed. To him, Rias trying to win was funny... but the fact she STILL refused to give up in the face of his power was now just infuriating. "I honestly wanted to spare you of this... but you've forced my hand..." The tone of his voice did scare Asia, and to an extent made Rias nervous but didn't show that emotion. He began to reach behind him, pulling out...
A rock? A yellow rock to be exact, which completely confused Rias and got her to let her guard down because of that confusion... what was a rock supposed to do?
*spark. crackle*
The rock in question began to hum, but then after that a trail of sparks seemed to go up Riser's arm originating from the rock itself. Rias immediately froze up, feeling an unfamiliar power in the air that was setting off alarm bells in her head, but at the same time completely paralyzed her with uncertainty. Also by this point, both Issei and Sonic arrived thru a window and on a lower roof of the school, and before they could announce themselves...
FLOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
SHATTER!
Riser unleashed his Phoenix Fire attack again, only for it to also be somehow enhanced by what appeared to be the rock's electricity. Rias of course put up a barrier, but even with the full healing from Asia, she stood no chance against it and the barrier completely shattered! Not only that, the attack's explosion itself sent Rias flying backwards and in a straight line and also in a upward trajectory off the roof, blowing past Asia who screamed out her name in worry as did Issei the moment this happened. Sonic instantly went into action and dashed off, using the roof as a ramp to jump off and after Rias.
Riser: Going somewhere?!
*spark. crackle*
FLOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
Riser sent the exact same attack again, only bigger this time, which on paper seemed impossible for any Devil (or anyone or any thing for that matter) to be able to do something like that, at least not without a few minutes to recharge after such an attack. His target was Sonic who had already flown off, who barely avoided the blunt of the attack, but did get thrown off course by the explosive nature of the attack. Luckily Sonic kept his momentum with his Spin Dash as he hit the ground so he was still able to rush after Rias. She was just about to hit her home base, which would Retire her if such an impact happened; so Sonic pulled deep into his speed and barely managed to outrun her, run up the ORC clubhouse, and jump off the side to try and catch her...
He was successful, literally in the nick of time before she impacted the building. "Ha... ha... you okay, Princess?" Sonic asked Rias, catching some of his breath from pushing himself that fast as he held her.
Rias began to come too, although she was severely weakened with her clothes nearly gone in some places. The uniform still covered her breasts, but her underwear was somewhat exposed but not too much, and the sleeves of her shirt had disintegrated. "... I... I'm okay..." she said, weakly. "He really caught me off guard that time... it's like he has an unlimited source of energy, pulling out some rock before the attack."
Sonic was about to respond and probably cheekily... but the words Rias used began to hit him, his eyes widening and he froze up. "Sonic?" Rias asked but he was in his own world now, thinking about everything...
He flashed back to meeting Ravel for the first time, with her saying how Riser wasn't acting like himself after he found a stone or something; he thought back to when he met Riser in person and the energy he had radiating off of him... and finally, how he and some other players in this game teleported away seemingly out of nowhere and not via magic... the pieces were starting to fall into place, giving Sonic a nightmarish revelation...
"Son-WAAAAAAAH!" Rias asked again, but Sonic rushed off back towards the school... he hoped he was wrong... he prayed to whatever God of this universe that he was dead wrong...
XXX
"Grr! You Bastard!" Issei ran up to shield Asia, even though he was shitting himself a little bit, but kept up a brave face for her sake. He didn't have to wait long for Sonic and Rias to return, as the Hedgehog appeared with Rias in his arms and put her down, stepping in front of everyone... and his fears were confirmed...
A Chaos Emerald... right in Riser's hand! He was grinning at all of them with superiority, and honestly Sonic couldn't blame him, having felt the Emerald's powers various times before. He didn't know how or when, but somehow Riser found one of the seven most powerful gemstones in existence!
"Riser! Gimme the Chaos Emerald!" Sonic asked quickly, already knowing this would probably be a shock to his teammates, but that wasn't important to him right now.
"Chaos Emerald?" Asia asked, remembering the term Sonic had used a few times before, and was surprised to hear it again.
"Wait... THAT little thing?!" Issei asked after, pointing to the object in question.
As for Rias... she was completely speechless. This again? Chaos Emerald nonsense?... But that power she felt as it hit her... that energy that crackled when Riser used it... even down to the description of the Emerald itself... she still couldn't believe it, but it was very hard to deny something when it was right in front of her, let alone FEELING it's incredible might! Part of her still wanted to deny what her eyes and ears were telling her, but what other possible explanation was there at this point? She had no other logical explanation for what she just experienced.
They were real... Chaos Emeralds were real!
"Is that what you call it?" Asked Riser with a grin. "I must admit, that's a more fitting name than 'Sacred Treasure' we've been calling it. Found it after it fell through my window a few months ago, it's come quite handy ever since."
Rias flinched... months ago? That would be around the same time Sonic claimed to have been transported to her world according to his story! It only served as more evidence to prove his claims even more, hearing Riser's account of events, and she didn't think the opponent King would lie about something like that.
"Riser, please! You have to put that thing down!" Sonic urged him, not interested in the backstory of how Riser found the Emerald, he just wanted it back because clearly Riser had no idea what forces he was playing with... forces beyond his control. "You don't know what your doing! That thing's dangerous!"
"Oh, trust me, Sewer Rat. Riser knows exactly what he's doing!" Riser claimed. "Been messing around with it for weeks after I found it, learning exactly how it works! It's been quite a helpful tool to establish the Phenex Families position of power!"
"What about your sister, Ravel?" Sonic said, still trying to reason with Riser. He now fully understood what Ravel meant by her concerns, now that he knows a Chaos Emerald was involved, it made things make a little more sense. Much like a certain Echidna Tribe or mad scientist in a red coat, the power of even just one Emerald was intoxicating, enough to drive someone desperate for more of their power.
Riser did appear to have his attention upon the mention of his sister, so Sonic continued with that. "She's worried about you, pal. She wants what's best for you, and for you to go back to normal. If not for me, at least for your sister."
It wasn't exactly clear if he got to Riser, for he was silent. "... how dare you take the Phenex Families name so lightly, not to mention stain it with your lies! You need to know your place, Rodent!" Riser said, either taking it the wrong way or his ego flared up upon mention of his family name.
Sonic couldn't help but mentally sigh. He tried to reason with him, but there was no getting through to him, either due to the power of the Emerald or the man's own ego. Still, Sonic had to get that Emerald, one way or another. Now only to get home, but at least for now preventing somebody else from getting seriously hurt. Rias already felt the power of the Emerald, so she was in no condition to continue fighting or she'd Retire.
And like in regular chess, when the King goes down... game over.
ZWHEEEEEEE!
Quickly charging a Spin Dash, Sonic sped over to Riser to knock him out. If he couldn't get the Emerald through talking, he had no choice but to knock it off of him. Despite this, Riser didn't even flinch. In fact, he grinned wider, and the Chaos Emerald glowed again...
FLASH!
A mere second before Sonic's Spin Dash would have made contact, Riser disappeared in a flash of white light. This completely shocked Issei, Asia and Rias. They've seen for themselves multiple times just how fast Sonic was; and avoiding him was nothing more than a stroke of luck. Even Sonic looked shocked... that wasn't magic... that was Chaos Cont-!
FLASH! KICK!
SONIC: GAH!
Appearing from behind before Sonic could even finish his thought, Riser kicked Sonic off the roof with a hard flaming roundhouse kick, also enhanced by the Emerald's power. There was a nice Sonic-shaped indentation in the roof where Sonic now laid, groaning in pain... as fast as he was, even he couldn't outrun Chaos Control.
"Sonic!" Asia screamed for him, concerned one of her protectors had gotten hurt by the big scary bad guy.
"So much for your class pet," Riser taunted. "Guess he wasn't fast enough." He mocked Sonic further.
"Grrrrr! Dragon Boost!" Issei said, his anger taking hold of him and without a second thought from seeing his close friend being taken down so easily, he ran at Riser himself, his Gear triggering.
[BOOST!]
"AGAIN!"
[BOOST!]
Issei still ran at Riser, the opposing King doing absolutely nothing to stop him, as if he didn't see him as a threat at all. Even though 2 Boosts wouldn't be enough to defeat Riser, he wanted to just hurt him, give him pain in vengeance for Sonic. He pulled his fist back, wanting to use a Dragon Shot at point-blank range.
"DRAGON SHO-!" Issei was literally just about to unleash what he built up when the Gears green gem suddenly dimmed. He also felt an intense rush of pain throughout his entire body, loosing his balance and tripping.
[Burrrrrrrrst...] The Gear groaned a new term, sounding like it was exhausted. Issei then rolled down the opposite side of the roof, on a different roof than Sonic. Of course Rias and Asia also cried out his name in worry too.
"Looks like Issei finally met his limit." Sona said while watching. "Boosting himself so many times in a single fight, plus gaining a new power on top of that, his body can't contain anymore energy... the fact he didn't exceed such a limit sooner is nothing short of a miracle. I give him props for longing this long and only feeling the over-usage until now."
"2 down, and I didn't have to lift a finger on the second one... this fight is over. Resign." Riser said, believing this fight was over.
"Never!" Rias, despite seeing Sonic and Issei fall and was concerned for him, refused to give up. She sent more waves of crimson fire at him while Asia began healing her again, but he didn't let himself get hit this time. The Emerald glowed again and Riser vanished before reappearing in the same spot, completely unharmed.
"You barely have any magical power left, and pretty soon your Bishop will run out of power herself and you'll be all alone. Just admit defeat dear Rias, Riser won't think any less of you. We're about to be mated soon, and Riser doesn't want to have to hurt you anymore than he has too." Riser said.
Rias began to really think about her options... was this really it? Every time she struck him, he'd regenerate, or now just teleport away using that Chaos Emerald. He could even enhance his own power to the extent where she couldn't block it... even Sonic wasn't able to strike him, using a power from the Hedgehog's own world against them.
So was so close... yet victory was just out of her grasp...
"... don't!" Issei's voice suddenly called out weakly nd got both Kings' attention, sounding beyond exhausted. "I'm okay... I can still fight..." he said, despite the intense pain he was feeling.
"We're just... getting warmed up..." Sonic said, getting up a little faster than Issei but he was still in a bit of pain.
"What? You both don't know when to give up!" Riser said, vanishing on a flash of light again...
POW!
He kicked Sonic again.
FLASH! POW!
He warped to Issei's location, punching him in the stomach.
FLASH! POW!
Back over to Sonic, punching him across the face this time...
FLASH! POW!
Riser continued this method of attack, constantly Chaos Controlling back and forth between both roofs and attacking the moment he reappeared, this cycle repeating itself over and over again. Even when Sonic did try to escape or at least predict Riser's location and attack, he'd get hit from a different direction every second. Issei was more just standing taking the beating, his will preventing him from falling no matter how many times he was stuck, and when he did fall, he'd try getting up again.
Rias couldn't do anything, feeling helpless as she watched them get savagely beaten by Riser, her eyes darting to where Riser was as he warped... she couldn't blast him since not only was he teleporting faster than any magic she knows, but her teammates were in the line of fire. She couldn't risk that. But as she watched them get attacked over and over by a superpower granted by a Chaos Emerald, she flashed back to every argument and denial about the Emeralds... her eyes began to glisten and nearly cry, the reality hitting her heart and making her feel horrible...
It was all her fault. Because of her, Riser not only managed to find one of these powerful gems, but used it to hurt her friends. If she had only believed him...
FLASH!
Instead of attacking Sonic this time during this cycle, Riser grabbed him, then teleported, and used Sonic like a bat to swing at Issei. He let go of Sonic upon that, and both boys knocked into each other and fell on the roof.
"Now, I'm just pissed off. Two lowly beings, a former human and filthy Yokai don't even have the right to challenge Riser Phenex!" Said Riser, looking down at them, then lifting a hand up and making a fireball, which also crackled with Chaos Energy. "No amount of healing or Evil Pieces will help them after Riser's done with them. Besides, any death that occurs during Rating Games are only mere accidents anyway!"
Sonic and Issei began to move again, which came as a shock into Riser. Even after using the Emeralds power against them, they were STILL conscious?! Usually other people have fallen by such a power! If that wasn't bad enough, Issei and Sonic slowly and shakily lifted one hand each...
A unison of birds was slowly flipped at Riser...
"BASTARDS! DIIIIIE!" Riser, now extremely pissed off and insulted, flared his power even more, the fireball growing in size. Not only that, but due to his rage, the Chaos Emerald hummed even louder and sparked even more, further empowering him. The fireball was at least 15x the size of the caster, and an attack like that would destroy both the school and whom was in it.
The attack however... never came...
HUG!
...
...
...
Rias had spread her wings and dove at Riser, hugging him to get him out of the way... tears were streaming down her face. Riser was just as shocked this happened at everyone else was, causing the attack to somewhat shrink due to him losing focus.
"I Resign, okay? I Resign... I'll even marry you... just don't hurt them..." Rias said, begging in a cracked voice for the violence to stop while crying.
With a coy smile back on his face, Riser wrapped one arm around her, as if taking a prize. "... Checkmate."
Sonic, Issei and Asia watched this. Both Sonic and Issei were shown to be utterly shocked at what Rias had done, and they mentally questioned the reality in front of them. Could she have instead used Riser's distraction to build up some power and attack him while he was off guard? Of course she could have, and as a smart strategist, she probably thought of that already. That would have given her the win she needed to get out of this... but that was the selfish route.
After all that... she gave up on purpose... probably out of guilt, but mainly to protect them...
"Rias Gremory's Resignation has been officially recognized." Grayfia's voice said. "Lord Riser Phenex has now been deemed the winner of the Rating Game."
Phew... what a long chapter. Second longest thus far. Yes, I can already hear you in the comments, and its sad the ORC still lost even with Sonic's help. But his help did change canon ever so slightly, motivating the players differently so they lasted longer. Of course, Riser had that last minute Chaos Control separation plan, but they still got agonizingly close to victory with Riser the only real fighter left.
Don't worry, Sonic and Issei still have one last chance to make things right, and maybe even win the Emerald back. I will try to release it before update 3, as long as this website doesn't have any other issues in the future.
Thanks for tuning in, see ya next time!