Sonic DxD

by Bakuganman

After an accident with the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic is transported to another dimension, in a world where Demons and Gods are common. Befriending the Occult Research Club, it's up to them to help Sonic recover the Emeralds and send him home... before power-hungry demons or a certain egg-man finds them first... (Cover Art by Penguin SuperSaiyanGod)

42. Chapter 41

Leave the life you knew before!

See a new world worth fighting for!

Find the truth of who I'm meant to become!

Another path I must now walk on!

That song it's so different during the third update, am I right guys? SEGA cooked and cooked well... even if some parts of the dish are burnt. I've heard pretty much every complaint and criticism the third update got thrown at it, and I do have to agree on some. Frontiers is still not perfect, but it was made better. Playing as Amy, Knuckles and Tails after so long in a mainline game and not a spin off or mobile tie-in was very satisfying; though Knuckles' glide was real bad in my opinion. How does SA1 and SA2's glides, even O6's glide, function better than the one we got? No, I'm not talking about the lag in animation, I honestly don't care about that (though it was jarring at first). It's the fact he had to turn like a car and not just go backward when I wanted him to. Tails and Amy don't have this problem at all.

Plus, only a 3 punch combo? No dynamic special moves like Sonic has?... SEGA... come on...

Of course, maxing them out broke the game entirely, even Tails' Cyclone plane which was a blast to use and abuse both in combat and exploration. Kinda wish you could have walked around with it, but eh, it's fine what we got with it... him having no Homing Attack though was something I had to get used to. And as I said, the Ending was pretty fire, it went so hard. I was even shocked when I saw Sonic's banged up and bleeding body (at least it looked like bleeding), which wasn't in bad taste like in Shadow the Hedgehog's game intro. I overall had fun, even if it was still lacking in some areas.

But enough about that, now we can move on to a final horizon of our own and finish this season of Sonic DxD. I'm gonna skip responding to any reviews for now and save them until this chapter is over, so please stick around once you're done reading. We have some things to talk about regarding the Frontiers arc of this story.

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Chapter 35 - Crashing a Chaotic Wedding

Issei began to wake up and see his ceiling... wait... what about the game? And Rias! And Riser having one of Sonic's Freaky Emeralds! He shot up upon realizing this, half hoping that was a dream, and did see Sonic leaning against his bedroom wall with his arms crossed, flashing the high schooler a smile.

"Morning, Dragon Boy." Sonic said.

"Sonic? What the hell happened? Where is everyone?" Issei asked.

"In the Underworld actually. We just got back a few hours ago." Sonic answered, getting off the wall and stepping toward Issei.

"We?" Issei asked, thinking Sonic at first was mentioning both of them, but he also brought up the rest of the team still being in the Underworld.

"Asia's downstairs. After Rias gave up, you collapsed and you were immediately taken to the Underworld's infirmary. Rias wanted you outta there after you were knocked out for so long, so she sent her and me home with you. But she did perform that head magic on your folks before she had to return." Sonic explained, then grinned. "Ya scared me for a second, pal. You were out for 3 days."

Issei slowly looked down... so it wasn't a dream. Rias really gave up after they had gotten so close to victory, then Riser pulled out that Chaos Emerald and completely overpowered them all... then continued to beat him and Sonic down... it was fuzzy, but Issei could still recall bits and pieces.

"... Wait! THREE DAYS?!" Issei exclaimed, realizing what Sonic said. He must have really pushed himself to his limit. Sure he felt this insane pain upon the Boosted Gears Burst function going off, but he didn't think it would affect him that badly!

"Sona said you shouldn't have been conscious after such a beating and your Gear evolving on top of that. But she and Rias figured it was the Queen Promotions defensive strength and it's additional Demonic Power. Helped you last a little longer." Sonic said, paraphrasing what he heard. "And me? I'm kinda used to Chaos Control beatdowns..." Sonic added, then scratched the side of his head. "They don't hurt any less..."

Issei took this in... so that was Chaos Control. The same power Sonic said had accidentally brought him here. Well, he could definitely see why now. Flashing from place to place without the use of magic, they immense power boost coming off of Riser's attacks, feeling hits across his body as they came every single second and he could do nothing to stop them even if he wasn't exhausted from the Burst function... that was scary power, even scarier than Goku's speed and power in his anime show. And Riser somehow gotten ahold of it... to think there were 6 more of those things...

If Issei still did doubt Sonic's story, that display was all the proof he needed. He could only imagine how Rias must be feeling right about now. They were then interrupted by a magic symbol of the Gremory house on his bedroom floor. The others? Rias?

Nope. Just Grayifa. It was wishful thinking to think otherwise. What exactly was she doing here though?

"I see your awake." She said, though due to her stoic face and lack of emotion in her voice, it was hard to tell if she was happy or disappointed with that. "I'll admit. You both surprised me. Not many Devils stand up to Riser or any Phenex as you both have; especially first time competitors."

"Are you here to make conversation or rub it on our face?" Issei asked, unsure what the woman's deal was.

"And with all due respect ma'am, but shouldn't you have called out Riser for using my Chaos Emerald? Teleporting wasn't allowed." Sonic said, being somewhat snarky. She was the referee at the time after all.

"Even if I wanted too, Riser wasn't using his own magic for teleportation. As far as the rules for Rating Games are concerned, he was using a Sacred Gear or special object, which is the only exception to the rule." She said. "As I've told you before, this was a family matter. And if me, a Gremory, would have called it, it would just become another political legal battle. It was hard enough getting the game approved in the first place just before the engagement party."

"Engagement party?" Issei asked, he and Sonic doing a double-take to make sure they heard correctly.

"As mentioned before, as Rias lost the game, she is to proceed with the engagement without further question." Grayfia said, reminding the boys the stakes that were agreed on. "She's now abiding by the decision of the Gremory family. She was given the chance and sadly she gave up to protect the both of you after he would have utterly destroyed you both."

"Then he should have!" Issei suddenly said. "I wouldn't have cared. Now Rias is stuck in a life she doesn't want to live... it's still wrong!"

Sonic was about to agree... but much to his and Issei's surprise, Grayfia smiled at them. Not a huge smile mind you, a very small one, but it was still there. "Ya know, I've come across many humans' and beings over the years... your both interesting boys. Once you set your mind on something, there's no changing it... hehe, Rias is the same way. I see why she likes you." the woman complimented. Sonic and Issei just looked at her with cocked eyebrows. At first, she appeared to be refined and mature... but now, she seemed a little girly.

"Here. Take this." She continued, pulling out a piece of paper with the Gremory symbol on it. Issei recognized it as one of the flyers he used to hand out as she handed it directly to him.

"The Gremory flyer?" Issei asked, staring at it before looking back to Grayfia.

"Think of it as an invitation. Courtesy of Sirzechs himself." She said, which then got both boys eyes to widen. Did that mean...? "... this conversation never happened." She then went back to her stoic mannerisms and with that, she teleported away the same way she came. The boys looked at each other, knowing what had to be done now...

"Your awake!"

They didn't know for how long she been there, but Asia eventually showed up in the doorway and threw herself into Issei, tears coming down her face as she and him both crashed on his bed from the speed of her. Issei ended up dropping his invite and Sonic ended up on the floor next to the bed.

"Your awake... y-your finally awake..." Asia continued to cry, clearly having been worried about Issei for so long and when she saw he was okay, her reason snapped and just threw herself at him. It reminded her when she was technically dead for a bit and died on both Sonic and Issei, and felt the exact same pain they must have felt. "I was scared, Issei... scared you'd never open your eyes again... after Riser punched and kicked you and Sonic over and over..."

They couldn't be mad at Asia for her reaction and the slight physical pain it brought. She was just happy one of her best friends were okay. She was too cute...

"Sorry for making you worry. I'm fine, see?" Issei began to sit up, petting Asia's head to calm her down. Sonic also began to stand up himself around this time.

"Yeah... I'm okay..." she did calm down, wiping her tears. "Your awake now, that's all that matters."

"Hate to cut this short Asia, but..." Sonic began, which got her attention. Sonic's eyes also met Issei's, to which Issei nodded.

"Asia. Me and Sonic are about to do something really insane." Issei said.

"What?" Asia questioned.

"We're gonna crash a wedding." Sonic said, and immediately Asia knew what he was talking about. They were gonna bust into the Underworld and try to save Rias with what little time they had left.

"Then I'll go with you." Asia said with an odd amount of resolve. "I can heal you both if you get injured. Or anything you need me too. I'll be brave."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Issei said, him and Sonic already seeing the negatives. They couldn't both fight Riser, who still held 1 of the 7 most powerful gemstones from another dimension, and protect her at the same time. Riser could control both time and space around him, which made a fight against him harder. That's not mentioning what other issues they might deal with, such as guards or whatnot.

"I'm going! Look! I can even get you there!" Asia yelled a bit louder this time, with the same resolve as before while pulling out the same flyer that Grayfia gave to them moments ago (her own invitation most likely)... then the tears started falling again. "When I saw you and Sonic hurt... and I could do nothing... it reminded me of Raynare..." she said. "I died and you both risked everything to save me... please..." she begged with big watery eyes.

This made Sonic and Issei glance at each other... yes, Asia could come in handy despite her lack of combat... plus they couldn't say no to that face...

"Alright. You can come." Issei said, to which Asia was elated by, but then Sonic put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a serious expression.

"But the moment things get bad, I'm pulling you out." The Hedgehog promised. Asia nodded her head, agreeing to the terms.

"Wait, but only and Issei have these..." Asia then said, realizing she and Issei were the only ones who could use these magic invites to teleport, and they didn't know how to open teleportation circles like Rias and Akeno could. It would appear Sonic couldn't transport with them.

He however smirked an pulled out a similar flyer from hammer space behind him, shaking it as he held it up.

"Heh. You little thief." Issei said, thinking Sonic must have swiped one from Grayfia with his speed, which Issei could picture very easily in his head.

Sonic did have a quick black-and-white flashback to his time in the Underworld Infirmary while waiting for Issei to wake up, showing at one point while by himself, a swirl of flames and a certain younger sister of Riser's handing him this flyer.

"Guess you can say a little Flicky told me." He said with a wink.

"Okay... only one thing left to do..." Issei said, then began to lift up his left arm. "... you there? Red Dragon?" As you can probably picture, Asia cocked her head cutely like he was crazy, but Sonic looked on with interest. Issei reached the dragon before, could he do it again?... There was no answer however.

"Come on! I know your there! Show yourself!" Issei voiced raised, using a highly stern tone and demanded the dragon reveal himself.

[... You don't have to shout.] Sure enough, after the back of his hand glowed with a green light, the same deep voice that the Boosted Gear constantly used spoke in a completely sentence and with some personality, sounding powerful with little emotion.

"Y-Your hand... i-it's talking?!" Asia began to slightly freak out, clutching onto Issei some more. Understandable, as the arm mainly spoke single words but only while the Gear inside was active, not a complete sentence and one directed at someone. Her Gear couldn't do that. Even Sonic and Issei were slightly surprised, not expecting an answer back right away, if ANY at all.

[Indeed. I am the massive power known as the Red Dragon Emperor, the original form of the Boosted Gear buried deep in his arm the moment he was conceived. Just like your Twilight Healing was when you were born.] The Dragon said, again speaking in a full coherent sentence, and even had knowledge of the outside world as well saying what Asia's Gear was. [So what is you want, Boy?]

Issei recovered from his initial shock relatively quickly, getting back to his serious look. "I'm gonna need another power up. And your gonna give it to me."

[I already gave you one freebie during your little game, now you expect another one on top of that? Your body couldn't handle more than 2 Boosts immediately after.] The Dragon said, confirming the Boosted Gear's recent evolution was in fact because of him bestowing that power to Issei early; but much like Grayfia, it was hard to tell what he meant by this due to number one: not knowing him very well, and number two: due to his lack of emotion and powerful voice.

"So your not gonna help this time?" Sonic asked.

[I didn't say that.] The Dragon responded. [In fact, throughout all the training when he first met you and everything else he went through, I could grant him a very minor form of a Balance Break.]

The teens were confused... Balance Break? What did that mean? "Balance wha...?" Issei asked.

[*sighs* Do you not know anything...?] The Dragon said. [A Balance Break is the absolute highest form of a Sacred Gear and by many factions, it's alternately named Forbidden Form. Sacred Gears constantly change and evolve while using the feelings of their hosts as a key. When those feelings and the wishes of the host reach a peak, a dramatic change inside the Gear itself changes the flow of the energy, and attains a near unlimited form that some even break the balance of the world itself... that. Is a Balance Break.] The Dragon explained further. This all sounded very interesting to learn... so Issei could use that power?

[I believe your rat... ahem. Hedgehog friend has felt such a power before? The gem the Phenex was using?] The Dragon went on. This did catch the kids' attention but they didn't quite understand it. Sonic did think about on it a bit more... it sounded like the Dragon was either indirectly mentioning the Chaos Energy, or dare Sonic say, referencing a Super Form? With the way Balance Breaks were just described, they both seemed very similar to each other... coincidence?

[I can grant you that power, but only for one minute. With how weakened your body still is from the last evolution, anything beyond exactly the count of 60... you will not survive. That's all I can offer you without killing you. Are you sure your up for this?] The Dragon finally finished.

"Fine by me. That's plenty of time." Issei said.

"Heh, 60?... We're not even gonna need half!" Sonic said, punching his own palm with confidence. "Phenex Face is going down!"

[Remember. 60...] The Dragon reminded them, in a more serious tone than before. [Not one second more. I will be pulling back this power at that point. Because if your body dies... then so do I.] He warned. The light on Issei's hand then dimmed, the Dragon going dormant again. They all had a plan, now it was time to put it to action.

"Oh, Asia? You mind doing me one favor before go?" Asked Issei.

"Of course. Anything." Asia said.

XXX

In the Underword at the Engagement Party in the Gremory Mansion, which was more like a castle with how large it was, Rias was walking up to a mirror to look at herself in a wedding dress she was forced to wear... it didn't look bad, mind you. In fact, in any other context, she would've preferred it, showing off all she had to offer to a husband of her choice.

"This is just a engagement party... so why the hell am I wearing this?" Rias asked her reflection out loud, though not to anyone in particular. There were a few maids in the room with her that could be seen said reflection, but that's obviously not who she was talking too.

She got her answer from an arrogant voice in a swirling vortex of Phoenix Fire with sparks what was now known to be Chaos Energy, and a chain around the owners neck holding a certain yellow Emerald once again that housed that energy. "Because Riser requested it, and Gremory approved of it."

"Lord Riser. You shouldn't be in here. It's bad luck for the groom to see his..." one of the maids said, but he just held up a hand to silence her.

"That's just silly superstition. Besides, Riser wants a quick word with his bride, then he'll be on his merry way." Said Riser, walking up to Rias. "You look absolutely stunning, my dear. You really are a beautiful bride." He added a compliment, which was probably the only true thing out of his mouth, but the context wasn't what Rias would've preferred.

"I'm not a bride yet. Sorry to excite you too early." Said Rias, using an innuendo to mock him.

Riser touched Rias' shoulder with one hand, wrapping around her and getting closer to her. "Maybe not yet, but you will. I also want us to a good first impression for our guests. Let the entire Underworld know that our houses will be joining forces without any animosity." He said.

Ugh... Rias had never felt so disgusting than she had now, feeling more like a prize or item more than before when this marriage was arranged so long ago. So much so, the very second she felt his hands in her, she closed her eyes with that same disgust... when she did open them, her eyes happened to lock onto the Chaos Emerald around his neck. The object that if Riser never acquired, she probably wouldn't be in this mess and perhaps could have won. Still having some spirit left, she began to slowly reach for it to not alert him... maybe if she snagged it...

Even though Riser was distracted by his own gloating, the very second he noticed Rias' eyesight lock onto something, his entire demeanor changed in an instant. Going from cocky, to angered; grabbing her wrist rather hard before she could even lay a finger on the Chaos Emerald.

He threw her back strongly, but not enough to knock her down, just back. He glared at Rias with intense anger as if she was about to commit a serious crime, which worried the maids they'd get caught in a pre-married couples argument... but thankfully Riser calmed himself down by taking a deep breath and smiling again.

"... I'm sorry, my beloved, but this Emerald is rather special to me..." he said, deciding to lift the necklace up so the Emerald hung up at her eye level. This was either to prove a level of superiority, or mock her to some extent. Both could be true. "Maybe if your a good girl, I'll have a piece of it forged into the most beautiful wedding ring you've ever laid your eyes on." He let go of the Emerald at this point, letting it hang naturally again.

He began to walk away with a laugh. "And while we're at it, you'll have an even more stunning on our official wedding compared to that one. A dress full of Phoenix feathers is only appropriate for Riser's bride-to-be!" Riser finally teleported back out the same way he entered, disappearing from her sight for now.

"Feathers?" Rias asked aloud, again to nobody in particular. "I'd rather pick quills out of my ass again." She added with scoff. Still, the Phenex King's mannerisms were still a little more than she expected. Sure Riser was known to be cocky and arrogant, but never that angry and aggressive. Sonic once mentioned that just one Chaos Emerald and it's power was intoxicating... maybe that was the reason... And she wasn't being too hyperbolic by the way. She DID have to pick out some blue quills on her clothes with both her fingers and some magic after that fight with him.

Sonic... she could already imagine at least 20 different quotes and/or insults he'd say right about now, and would most likely be 10x better than she could come up with (Issei probably adding 3 more for additional support), and while this did make her crack a small smile for a moment and cheered her up a little... she went back to feeling sad and guilty. She thought of the day they first met, the times they worked together (although sparingly), the times they argued, all the way to the fated moment they physically fought.

She should have believed him. She was interested in him and reluctantly tolerated his presence, but never fully accepted him... and by the time she finally did, it was already too late. In a way, this was probably God or some higher beings form of punishment for her. It was her fault he and Issei nearly got hurt and almost killed right in front of her... she could still see Riser teleporting back and forth, beating them down over and over in her head...

In a twisted way... they were now even. They risked everything to try and help her, but she had to give up for them in the end. That small, pretty much microscopic fact made her feel some form of atonement, even if she still lost her own freedom in the process... and could never thank them...

"Lady Rias... its time." said one of the maids, letting her know the party was about to begin. With no choice in the matter, Rias had to get ready to show off herself for her... husband...

Ew. Tasted gross just thinking about it.

XXX

At the party proper, the guests were conversing with each other like any social event. Some of the ORC members were already present, Kiba, Akeno and Koneko; dressed in the proper attire fitting the occasion, drinking from wine glasses while standing together in one group. Sona was even with them as well. They were all underage, so they weren't drinking wine... even though this was redundant, for as Devils they live almost forever.

"You Brother was amazing, Miss Phenex." This was said to Ravel by various guests, who also attended the party. She was still his sister after all.

"Y-Yeah... well I knew my brother would win from the beginning. He had to hold back till the end so it wasn't one-sided... gotta play fair and keep the game interesting, ya know? Heheheh." Giggled Ravel nervously, but thankfully her face would be hidden behind a fan that matched her elegant dress so no one really noticed what she truly thought.

"Poor Ravel." Said Kiba with a smile.

"Tweety can suck it." Said Koneko, taking a sip of her drink afterward.

"Yes, she's got quite the mouth... personally, I wouldn't complain if the end result was a little different, but it was still probably the most interesting match I've seen in a while." Said Sona, mentioning the unfortunate outcome of the Rating Game but giving her support.

"Thanks for the support, I'm sure Sonic and Issei would appreciate it if they were here." Said Akeno.

"Speaking of which, are they alright? They took quite a few harsh blows especially from that teleportation move Riser used; and Issei Boosted so much, that it's a miracle he stayed conscious for as long as he did." Asked Sona.

"I'm sure Asia's healing both of them as we speak. Besides, we'll get them next time. And we'll be ready for anymore of those tricks." said Kiba. As he said that, Riser appeared with Rias. He dressed in a handsome white tux that matched Rias' gown... speaking of whom, her eyes were closed in contempt.

"Speak of the Devil" Koneko punned dryly, taking another sip.

Riser then began to speak. "Greetings, citizens of the Underworld! On behalf of the House of Phenex, Riser would like to welcome you all to the festivities. This is a historic moment for all us Devils, and Riser would to be the first to thank all of you for joining us as 2 noble dynasties..."

"HOLD STILL!"

"HEY! WHAT ARE THEY DOING?!"

"SOMEONE GRAB THAT RAT!"

A sound from a few unidentified Devils shouted, coming from the entrance towards the front of the room the party was being held. After that got the attention of the partygoers, sounds of a large struggle also played... a few select few swore they heard the familiar buzzing sound of a move called a Spin Dash. This continued for a few more seconds...

BOOM!

Until the front doors burst open (one of them off their hinges) and a dust cloud blocked the view of those doors. When it finally settled, Sonic was shown walking inside the room. "Great aesthetic... but no buffet? No dance floor or karaoke stand?... What's up with that!" He said, smiling while making a joke.

Issei did step out of the cloud too with his Boosted Gear out and Asia nearby, holding his right arm as if in pain from either using it or some other context. "Ugh... was Sonic Wind really necessary?" He asked while looking at Sonic.

Sonic merely shrugged. "They were asking for it."

Rias was in shock. Sonic, Issei and Asia found their way here? But how? They needed a special invitation in order to have gotten here since Issei and Asia were never trained how to open magic circles for teleportation yet, so how exactly did they get here? That didn't mean she wasn't happy to see them 'pop in', but it shocked her all the same.

"You both can't leave well enough alone, can you?" Asked Riser, holding his temper. It was bad enough those two boys survived against him, but now their HERE of all places... at HIS party? "Who do you think you are?! This is an engagement between 2 great powers, you have no business being here!" Shouted Riser, having enough of them.

"Name's Sonic the Hedgehog and you got someone we want back!" Said Sonic.

"I'm Issei Hyoudou and we're bringing Rias Gremory back where she belongs!" Issei declared.

The very second Sonic and Issei said why they were hear, Rias was sure her heart stopped for a second, her cheek turning a bit red as well. It was sweet for Issei to once again risk his safety for her... and as for Sonic... he didn't even mention the Chaos Emerald this time. Even if that's the reason he was here in her world in the first place, was he here for her as well? He did say "someone"; not "something".

Riser's temper began to flare up. First they made a fool of his power back in the game, now this nonsense?! He can't allow this to go on, so not able to hold back any longer, he used his Demonic Power as well as the Chaos Emerald around his neck which was beginning to glow with power so he could launch a fireball at them in preparation. Before either side could make a move...

"That's quite enough, Red Dragon. Blue Demon... thank you both for coming on such short notice." The sound of a new voice stopped everything. It was noble and calm, but also held authority that was impossible to ignore. Looking in the new voices direction; everyone witnessed Grayfia with a tall man with a smile on his face dressed in a fine robe, having what appeared to be armored plates on his shoulders (8 in total, 4 on each side). He also had red hair... crimson red hair, like Rias'.

"Sirzechs?" Rias asked, surprised her brother was here. Yes it was their home, but was the King of all Devils, shouldn't he be busy?

Sonic, Issei and Asia took in the sight of the Devil Leader. So this was Sirzechs, king of all Devils? He looked like a taller, older, male version of Rias. He certainly looked like a handsome king, and radiated an aura that while calm, demanded respect.

"Thank you for coming?" Riser repeated in annoyance after shutting down both his own power and the Chaos Emerald. "Sirzechs, what is the meaning of this?" He asked, demanding to know.

Sirzechs remained calm and collected when he answered. "Nothing of consequence, Riser. Though I have to admit, our new guests have a point." He said, obviously referring to Sonic quip earlier. "This party has gotten a little dull, don't you think? So I decided to prepare a little... entertainment."

It was hard to tell whose side Sirzechs was on, which was sending the ORC and Sonic mixed signals. He had Grayfia give Issei a way in, but yet still threw this BS party for the same BS engagement his younger sister clearly did not want. What exactly was his deal? Even with that being said, Sonic couldn't help but like Sirzechs tone when he spoke to Riser.

"What exactly do you mean by entertainment?" Riser repeated again, wanting to know what was going on, as he was not informed of this ahead of time.

"To be frank, Riser; I watched every second of your game, and even personally analyzed it from top to bottom. And I must say, despite the victories you achieved in your rematching spree and your families near-flawless history in the games themselves, I was quite underwhelmed by your performance." Sirzechs said. "My dear sister lacks your gaming experience and larger force. Yet despite that, each and every one of your Pieces fell before them and when Ravel was the only one left, she stepped aside and let the Dragon and the Hedgehog assist Rias in the final portion. Meaning even with a special item in your possession, she nearly had you beat 4 to 1... quite embarrassing for someone of your experience, don't you agree?"

Riser sneered, not wanting to be reminded of THAT again, though Ravel letting the duo to him was news to him. He just wanted to put that aside and move on with his life. "With all due respect my Lord, its the final result that ultimately counts. Riser won that game, fair and square."

Both Issei and Sonic resisted the urge to rolled their eyes and possibly sigh. Sure, if you call fair finding a loophole to use teleportation when it was an illegal move.

"Perhaps... but I wonder if your family would feel the same way?" Sirzechs questioned, making Riser glare at him. "Phenex has been the highest scoring family for many years, yet all it took was a little more than a 10-day handicap and Yokai to even the playing field. And while the games don't exactly mean what they used too, the fact remains you were brought to your knees not just by a first time competitor, but one that hasn't even qualified to compete in them to begin with. Furthermore, you only won due to a resignation. I can't imagine how disappointed your family must be about your final result." Sirzechs continued, basically shoving Risers logic and ego down his throat by hitting him back with his own logic.

"But I'm a believer of second chances, I think you could redeem yourself..." Sirzechs went on. "Perhaps it was just a fluke... the rules maybe too strict... it could be a variety of things. That, and we don't get a celebration like this everyday. Besides, this party could use a little more flare; and I think our guests would appreciate an all out battle. No rules or restrictions."

"I see... you want the 3 of us to pick up where we left off..." Riser deduced, no longer annoyed and understanding what Sirzechs was suggesting. Riser could embarrass Sonic and Issei so much, that they'll never show their smug faces again!

"Exactly. The Immortal Bird Vs The Dragon of Domination and The Blue Demon of the Wind... seems like the most appropriate course of action." Said Sirzechs.

"An excellent idea, my lord. Riser will be honored to entertain you." Riser smirked, imagining himself burning Sonic and Issei to a crisp.

"Finally, something Sonic and Issei both agree on." Sonic said, quipping Riser's speech pattern.

"Fine by Issei. We accept!" Issei said, mimicking Sonic's mocking of Riser but still both agreeing to the terms.

Rias however, didn't like this at all. She flashed back to when Riser beat up the boys back at the game, except now it showed Riser actually burning them both alive in a giant explosion of Chaos Energized Phoenix Fire and she wasn't there to stop it! She could allow that future to pass!

"No! Wait...!" Rias tried to intervene.

"Relax, Rias... Sonic and Issei are big boys, standing up to Riser all by themselves. They can make their own decisions." Riser cut her off.

"I've already prepared a special battlefield normally reserved for Rating Games anyway. Only fitting to have your rematch take place on an official location." Sirzechs said. "Also, lets raise the stakes a little, and the victor shall receive a reward of anything his heart desires... compensation for your time, of course." said Sirzechs.

"Riser needs nothing... he's got everything he needs." said Riser smugly, glancing and smirking at Rias, as well as holding the Chaos Emerald around his neck.

"And what of you both?" Asked Sirzechs to both Sonic and Issei, which caused outrage from some of the guests.

"For them?"

"You can't be serious!"

"A reward for a Low-Class Devil!"

"Screw that! That things not even a Yokai at the very least!"

The party guests of high-class Devils clearly did not like the direction this was going, and even they seemed aware Sonic was not a Yokai either. Considering these again, were high-class Devils and not the general public of Devils, they most likely had better information on what Sonic was. This also confirmed what Ravel said when she approached Sonic by herself a while back.

"Your King. Has spoken. Regardless of what they are, they'll get their prize... I'm the one who requested their appearance, after all." Said Sirzechs, a little sternly. This got no more arguments thrown at Sirzechs suggestion, no one wanting to piss off the king of their entire race. "So what is it you both desire? Eternal wealth? A more fitting title? A woman of great beauty or even a way home?... Simply ask, and you shall receive." Continued the Devil King.

Issei and Sonic were quick with a response. "We only want one thing, Zechy." Said Sonic.

Issei was the one to point with his Boosted Geared finger to the prize they desired. "Rias Gremory!"

"Riser?" Asked Sirzechs, eyeing the other participant.

"No objections... Riser will make this quick." said the Phenex.

"Alright Gentlemen. No holding back, for there are people here that are interested in seeing what each of you are made off." Sirzechs said.

Rias had no words, she just stared at Sonic and Issei with a blush on her face. Both of them... they came all this way... went through all this trouble... all for her... the Chaos Emerald still not having even been mentioned a single time.

XXX

The battle was set up in an arena in another dimensional space with giant chess pieces surrounding the battlefield. It was wide and spacious, plenty of room for the combatants to run around and show off the maximum potential without worrying about damaging anything. People from the party, including Rias, were able to watch via magic circles that acted like cameras just like back at the Rating Game. Riser was on one side of the field, Sonic and Issei were on another. While Riser just stood there perfectly calm, Chaos Emerald still wrapped around his neck, Sonic and Issei took battle stances.

That's when 2 communication magic circles hovered over Issei's and Sonic's ears. "Sonic? Issei?" Rias' stoic voice said, controlling her emotions.

"Rias?" Issei asked.

Rias: Your in enemy territory.

CLICK!

Rias then cut off the communication quickly after declaring that. The boys figured out what she was doing relatively quickly. While she couldn't protect them this time, she could in fact provide a small level of support for Issei at least, for her declaration would allow him to activate his Promotion ability.

They went back into battle stances... this was it. Their second and last chance to make things right. They couldn't screw up this time... they won't.

"Let the battle begin." Sirzechs said, his voice projected in the sky like Grayfia's was back in the Rating Game.

- Boss Battle: Riser Phenex -

"Come boys! Fight me!" Riser said, sprouting out his fiery Phoenix wings and took flight above the battlefield.

"Let's rock, Issei!" Said Sonic.

"Right behind ya! Just need a moment to rank up!" Issei said. With that, both of them went off in different directions. Issei run off to a side, while Sonic went for Riser directly. He just needed to buy Issei some time.

"Alright, Big Bird! Let's have some fun!" Sonic said as he raced towards Riser.

As the boys began to battle Riser, Rias watched on with intense focus. 'Issei... Sonic... hope you both know what your doing...' She thought, wishing them both luck and hoping they'll be okay. That's not to say she didn't have faith in them, but she was still concerned.

Seeing as Sonic was the one going on the offensive first, that was Riser's first target, so he threw a normal fireball at him, not even bothering to use the Chaos Emerald at all. Sonic did easily dodge this with a well-timed jump, then charging in for a Homing Attack. Of course, all Riser did in response to that was teleport with Chaos Control again, causing Sonic to loose his target. The Phenex did warp behind the Hedgehog for a flaming kick, but Sonic did a Stomp to quickly get out of the way. After that, he bounced upwards from the ground to try again, which actually DID catch Riser off guard enough to be hit, then kicked him back. When he tried a followed up Homing Attack, Riser just teleported away again.

'As long as Riser has that Chaos Emerald, it's hard to attack him consecutively, let alone directly.' Sonic thought after landing on the ground when Riser reappeared. Even with his supersonic speed, hitting Riser was gonna be a challenge if he can teleport just as fast as Sonic can run. That one strike Sonic did manage to get was lucky, only for the bird to warp away. It's kinda how when Shadow dealt with a supersized demonic alien. If Sonic was too far, he can't strike him. If too close, Riser would warp away to a safer distance.

This also made it that much harder to execute Issei's backup plan...

While Sonic kept Riser preoccupied, Issei kept on the move himself. 'Promotion - Queen!' He activated his Promotion ability to give him a buffier stat increase. He kinda wanted to save his trump card for later, instead figuring his backup plan would probably help anyway so he could save that power boost in case. It involved Sonic getting close to Riser, ya know being dubbed the Fastest Thing Alive, but the latter wasn't exactly making it easy by teleporting himself away constantly.

BA-BA-BA-BOOM!

Riser used a consecutive fireball attack aiming at Sonic, to which the Hedgehog had to roll and jump away from. Sonic also ran up a wall toward the borders of the arena, and ram along its top in-between 2 of the giant chess piece statues while Riser's attack kept following behind. Riser kept firing to try and fry the Mobian, but he was confused when Sonic didn't it come out of the other side of a statue he ran behind as he continued to fire for 2 additional seconds.

It was shown a second later Sonic must have ran up it and ended up on its top (this one being the head of a Knight chess piece), and jumped off of it when Riser was distracted. Time slowed down as Sonic did a Focused Homing Attack to increase its force and maybe knock Riser down.

POW!

Now this actually hit Riser quite hard and he didn't have a second to counter it, but while Riser did almost hit the ground, it took ALL of the strength of his wings to stabilize himself.

[EXPLOSION!]

Issei shot a Dragon Shot at Riser, hoping to nail him after Sonic. Unfortunately Riser did Chaos Control away at the last possible second, making Issei curse under his breath when his attack missed.

"Run around or Promote all you want, it's no use!" Riser said upon a reappearance, and now decided to use the Chaos Emerald to enhance his attacks, the gemstone glowing and sparkling with power. He then threw a large Chaos Energized fireball at them, and when they did dodge this (albeit barely), he instead sent waves of flames at them at different angles: vertical, horizontal, diagonal-right and diagonal-left... Riser's aim was almost perfect! If they were a second slower...

Issei didn't want too, but felt he had no choice but to pull out his trump card and end this quickly. The Phenex was about to taunt them again, but Riser felt a wave of power from Issei, and a large amount of it! What was this? Where was this power coming from? He didn't have THIS during the game. Likewise, the crowd watching also felt the surge... which included Rias.

'W-What is this... this power... is it Issei?' She asked herself. Back on the field, Issei's gauntlet was glowing... the brightest thus far!

"Maybe your right, Riser; I don't have much talent with weapons like Kiba, not the best with magic like Akeno or Asia, nowhere near as strong as Koneko, and I'll definitely never be as fast as Sonic; but if there's one thing I do have, its heart!" Issei said with as much gusto as he could. "Nothing's gonna stop me from keeping my promise, to save her, and get him home!" He added on, repeating his word to Sonic and Rias on separate occasions, and raising his Sacred Gear to the heavens, where it glowed as bright as a 1000 suns as he jumped up! "TIME FOR... OVER BOOSTER!"

[WELSH DRAGON - OVER BOOSTER!] The Red Dragon in his Gear announced. No one was prepared for what happened next...

As the Sacred Gear glowed with light, patches of red armor started appearing around Issei's body, covering him from head-to-toe. Green gems, like the one on his arm, started appearing his knees and chest, as well as his other arm. His feet also gained talon-like toes, the same happening to his hands. A tiny pair of thrusters appeared on the back of his shoulders, resembling small wings. And a long tail-like appendage extended from the back of Issei's neck.

"THIS is the Dragon Emperors power!" Issei said, as a thick helmet with horns on the side and large green eyes covered his head, completing the transformation. "Boosted Gear, Scale Mail! Better known, as BALANCE BREAKER!" Issei finished, now in a full suit of badass dragon-like armor. Even Sonic was not prepared for how awesome it looked, not to mention how an opponent must feel when seeing it.

"B-Balance Breaker?" Asked a surprised Rias. She didn't understand! Based on what she's heard, Balance Breaker can only be activated when the Gear fully evolves... but he achieved this power, only a few days AFTER unlocking another?! The overwhelming stress of something like that could kill a Devil.

"He didn't have that during the Rating Game" said Kiba.

"Where did that come from?" Asked Akeno. While Koneko and Sona were silent, they too were stunned and was trying to grasp what they saw.

'They'll win and bring Rias back with us... I know it...' Asia though to herself, as she was already aware of this hidden power having been unlocked.

"Fascinating... the Forbidden Form..." Sirzechs said aloud in thought.

Riser growled at the sight. Ugh... this boy and his parlor tricks! Riser did not expect Issei to have such a power boost at his disposal. Even with a Chaos Emerald with him, Balance Breakers were known to have limitless power, so he and Issei were basically on equal footing.

Despite this, Issei wasn't done...

[BOOST, BOOST, BOOST, BOOST!] Instead of every 10 seconds like before, the effect of the Boosted Gear triggered continuously! And he kept going until he reached maximum power in only mere seconds!

"Your turn, Sonic!" Issei said, holding up hand up. Sonic, trusting Issei, raced up to him and gave him a high-five...

[TRANSFER!] The Gear said the moment Sonic made contact with it. When this happened, Sonic's body was immediately enveloped with green Dragon Energy, which gave him a green aura, and even his eyes turned red like his Super Form. Additionally, he was floating at the same elevation Issei was at without being held.

"Back where we left off, Riser; we were getting warmed up!" Sonic said, feeling this new energy surge through him... he had to admit, it felt near identical to a Super Form, but he did feel some differences between the two. For one thing, he was able to fly like a Super Form and even felt a massive strength and speed boost, though he did not feel any invulnerability properties.

Could this be classified as a new form? Maybe not, but he liked the feeling. He'll call it: Boosted Sonic, at least for now unless he figures something cooler.

[60!] The Boosted Gear said, the clock now ticking with how much time Issei had. This also meant Sonic would also lose his new form in that timeframe as well, seeing as it came from the Balance Breaker itself. Thrusters bursting with green energy, Issei took flight at Riser.

"Rias' coming home with us, prick!" Shouted Issei, powering up and shooting overclocked Dragon Shots with both hands. With how quickly the armor was saying 'Boost', this attack was gonna hurt if Riser didn't get out of the way! Sonic at that point also Spin Dashed, and combined it with his own Boost which was a bluish green color now that he was infused with Dragon energy. It also made a Sonic Boom-like sound, the sound barrier having been broken. Panicking, Riser barely managed to avoid the strike with Chaos Control, however when he reappeared, Issei fired his own attack, which Riser panicked again and this time instinctively dodged with his flying rather than teleporting.

The shots crashed to the earth of the arena, destroying one of the chess piece statues in a huge red explosion, which was a Bishop. It was shocking at how much damage Issei had just caused. Even Queens' would struggle to come up with a blast that powerful in only mere seconds.

[50!] The Boosted Gear announced a second time, the clock still ticking.

*huuuuuum* ZWHEEE, ZWHEEE, ZWHEEE, ZWHEEE, ZWHEEE!

Sonic then tried buzz-sawing at Riser multiple times, using an upgraded form of his Light Speed Attack, which charged up instantaneously from the new power flowing through his body. This felt amazing, as the only time he could ever do this was with Tails and Knuckles supporting him. This forced Riser to teleport around constantly, desperately trying to avoid the pinball of bluish-green energy homing in on him.

"Side to side! Around we go! Up top! Down low!" Sonic joked as he zoomed all over Riser's vision while the Phenex continued to dodge.

Issei: TOO SLOW!

POW! CRASH!

Suddenly appearing out of nowhere, Riser was punched in the chest by Issei, sending the King crashing into another chess statue, a Rook this time. It only took 3 seconds for Riser to rise up from it despite the pain form the attack. He's never seen anything like this before, so he pulled himself out of the rubble, his wounds healing in flames... and he looked pretty angry at them for the sucker punch.

"Grrr... who do you two think you are?! Your nothing compared to Riser, NOTHING!" Riser said, the Chaos Emerald glowing and sparking even more than before, the Devil calling upon more of its power. "The flame of the Immortal Bird burns within me! My Hellfire will scorch you both to DUST!" Shouted Riser, enveloping himself in flames with his wings and Chaos Energy, and circling around the now-broken Rook chess piece before homing in on his target(s) with rocket-like speed.

[40!]

"Yeah, keep talking; Foghorn Leghorn! We're gonna make you wish you never messed with us!" Issei shouted back, boosting multiple times before meeting Riser head-to-head with Sonic joining in with another Boosting Spin Dash. They held they're locations for a few seconds, trying to over the other...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

They're combined power was equal, so they ended up causing an explosion again, with them caught right in the middle! The cameras watching them brightened so much, that the crowd had to look away to avoid possibly losing their eyesight. All 3 men ended up crashing on the floor at the same time, grunting upon impact.

"Ugh... yeah... that kinda hurt..." said Sonic, sitting up slowly due to landing on his back.

"Yeah... his Chaos Hellfire is no candle either..." Issei said, doing the same as Sonic.

"Ugh... if you weren't hiding behind that armor PAWN; you and your pet would be nothing but a pile of ashes!" Said Riser, recovering and taking flight again, throwing another Chaos fireball. Issei had to take flight himself to evade it with Sonic copying. The 3 of them flew around, both sides trying to hit the opposing one (or duo in Riser's case). At one point, Riser's fists coated themselves with pure Chaos Energy while Issei's and Sonic's each glowed with dragonic energy... the latter seemed odd as Sonic was more of a kicker and Spin Dasher to those watching.

Regardless, they all met each other for another square off. Issei and Riser got each other right in the face, Sonic got Riser's chest, yet Riser with his other hand punched Sonic's chin.

[20!]

"GACK!" Went Issei, blood coming out of the hole in his armors mouth. This also caused him to lower his fist away from Riser's face, dragging it down his chest involuntarily. Sonic didn't feel much better, only he didn't cough up blood but rather his chin was bleeding from Riser's hard strike.

"Your throu-, ARGH!" Riser was about to taunt, but then felt incredible burning pain down his chest, coughing blood of his own as badly as Issei did a second ago. "This pain... how? How did you...?" Said Riser, looking over as 3 of them fell from the sky. He saw a twinkle in Sonic's right glove (whilst said Hedgehog was slightly grinning about), in the shape of... "A CROSS?!" Riser shouted, not believing it as they all once again crashed on the ground. Riser was in the middle of Sonic and Issei while they ended up on opposite ends of him.

"NRGH! Where did... you get that...?" Asked Riser, pain flooding his body. Since it wasn't a physical injury, he couldn't regenerate from it; and even with a Chaos Emerald or not, Devils don't mix well with holy items. That explained why Sonic aimed for his chest, not just because Issei was going for the face... it was on purpose! This was all part of their backup plan in case they couldn't overpower Riser. Since Issei and Asia were Devils, they could no longer hold items of faith... Sonic was however, still could, being mortal effectively.

Issei and Sonic began to get up and explain. "Our Bishop was originally a member of the church..." Issei started.

"And since she has no use for this, we figured we'd borrow it for a while..." Sonic said with a sassy grin, slowly raising up the item in question. "Besides; you used my Chaos Emerald during our Rating Game, so what are you complaining about?" He added a quip.

Issei began to power up to his maximum again, wanting to end this fight. Riser couldn't move due to the pain from the Holy Cross and was wide open for an attack. "No... you can't do this!... This engagement isn't just important for the Gremorys' and Phenexs'... but the future of ALL Devils! A mere servant and some lowly sewer rat has no right getting involved in the matters of your superiors!" Riser yelled.

"You think we care, Riser? Cuz I sure as hell don't!" Issei asked rhetorically as he finished his power up. "My friends are all that matters to me! All I care about is getting Sonic and Rias home, and your standing in my way!" He added and with that, he rushed forward with his thrusters burning and his glowing fist pulled back. Sonic also charged up a Boosted Spin Dash again, intent on helping Issei finish the job.

Hearing that sentence made Rias freeze... she couldn't believe her ears. That's how he felt? She liked him (and liked to tease him) sure, but to hear all that conviction and emotion in his speech...

Riser still couldn't move due to the Holy pain still affecting his body, nor did he have enough power for a defensive barrier as Holy damage also makes Devils temporarily move sluggishly. Issei homed in quickly, and Riser couldn't believe it... this mere Pawn and mortal Hedgehog were was about to knock him out... and embarrass him in front of thousands of Devils on his special day! He could only watch as the mighty dragon and Blue Hedgehog closed in, the former roaring a battle cry...

[Burst...]

The Boosted Gear dimmed once again, the Scale Mail armor disappearing back into the Boosted Gear in the form of it shattering, along with the thrusters Issei was using for speed.

"WAAAA! Whoa, whoa, whoa! AH! OOF!" He did try to regain his balance, which inevitably failed as he skipped forward due to the momentum, and fell in his stomach with his legs in the air for a second before they fell back down. He was now face-flat at Risers feet.

Sonic didn't feel any better. The very second Issei's armor left him, so did the power boost he had gotten from it. It made Sonic lose his focus and exit the Spin Dash, sliding forward on the floor and ended up near Riser's feet as well. This was because as this power was from the Boosted Gear, he felt the exact same effects from it, which included the Burst function when the user goes too far. Poor Sonic felt as if he ran into a mountain when breaking the sound barrier, feeling completely exhausted.

The crowd was rather shocked, but it couldn't compare to the ORC's reaction. Kiba, Koneko were wide-eyed; Akeno held a hand up to her mouth; and Asia completely covered her mouth with both of her hands with widened eyes. As for Rias, she felt like a drain was unplugged in the pit of her stomach... no way... they were so close!

Sonic was beginning to get up, when he saw a flaming foot incoming...

KICK!

Sonic: URK!

Feeling burning right on his face, Sonic was kicked backwards by Riser, the poor Hedgehog doing flips in the air before landing back on his stomach some distance away. He was also kicked out of camera-shot from the cameras watching the duel.

"Well isn't that a waste?" Riser said after looking at the Mobian he just kicked away. He then grabbed Issei by his shirt and lifted him up harshly. "And! Looks like the mighty Red Dragon shed his scales!" The ORC members along with Sona watched this... it was happening all over again! "Riser thinks it's time to end this charade, right where it left off!" He continued, holding back his free arm and building up a ball of flame. Sure he might be weakened and sluggish, but she still had more than enough strength to finish off the little boy without his armor protecting him! He can deep fry the rat in a second...

Sonic slowly opened his eyes despite the pain... what was that humming? And shiny thing in his somewhat blurry vision?...

As his vision readjusted... the Chaos Emerald! It was right in front of him! Off to a side sure, but still in front of him! How did it get there? Maybe the last time they 3 of them clashed, the impact must've been either too strong or one impact too many, and the Emerald must have gotten loose from Riser's customized necklace that held it; a black-and-white flashback confirmed this, showing it was the last clash did in fact loosen the Emerald, but the boys were too busy with the fight to notice it.

He began to reach for it, slowly but surely and with a shaky hand... if he can just grab it... Sonic grunted some more as he continued to reach, his fingers still a bit too far to grasp it...!

"Issei! Sonic!" Kiba called.

"Come on, get up!" Akeno also called out, but it's not like the boys could hear them.

"I can't look!" Asia said, covering her eyes and looking away due to the stress.

Issei just looked into Riser's eyes as the Phenex continued to charge up his fireball, the Pawn unable to do anything to stop it Riser looked very satisfied with what he was about to do. Issei could feel the heat as Riser grinned more...

...

...

...

SHINE!

(AN: Optional Music - Solaris Phase 2)

Suddenly from behind Riser, which got his attention, a bright glowing light shined. This also caught the attention of Issei when Riser craned his neck to see what was going on, as well as force the magic cameras to all focus on the lights to figure out what was going on.

It was Sonic. He was shown to be in the middle of standing up from kneeling position, slowly getting back on his feet, with a focused look on his face.

"Sonic..." Akeno said.

"He's okay." Kiba said, and Asia also uncovered her face to see this. Now he took a definitely hard beating and were glad he was okay, but what was with that light?

Sonic slowly twisted his wrist to reveal he was holding the Chaos Emerald in his hand, which did surprise everyone, wondering how and when he got ahold of it, and watching with anticipation about what he was going to do with it. After a few seconds of just standing there, sparks of Chaos Energy began to trickle up Sonic's arm and around his body much like when Riser used it. As Sonic and Riser's eyes continued to meet, Sonic's turned red again, only a deeper red...

FLASH!

Just then, unlike when Riser used the Emerald, a HUGE column of Chaos Energy erupted upwards from where Sonic was standing. It was even brighter than the previous light or any of the times he and Issei clashed with Riser. It was now impossible to see Sonic at all, but his body began undergoing an incredible and ionic transformation:

Sonic's slowly began to glow with golden light, his fur's color changing to that exact color of gold, and his quills which were normally hanging downward where now standing up very straight. In addition to his new gold fur and the gold glow he was radiating, he also had a clearly visible golden aura. The Chaos Emerald he was holding also vanished for some reason, but that wasn't what anyone was focused on right now. Everyone was left absolutely speechless at what they had just saw take place, Sonic's new transformation illuminating almost the entire arena he, Riser and Issei were currently occupying. Although admittedly not much has changed from Sonic's physical appearance aside from the eye and fur color change, he still looked so different, so powerful... beautiful even...

"Is that... another Balance Break?" Sona had to ask.

"I... don't know..." Kiba answered though also didn't have the answer as this all happened so fast.

Rias lowly uttered what this was, her mind still processing it. Sonic had told her way the Emeralds were and what they did, so it was in fact: "... Super Form..."

Your screen focuses on and pans a bit with Super Sonic in it. If ANY doubts still remained about Sonic and his story... Super Sonic's presence alone was undeniable.

Riser's eyes narrowed from shock to anger, as Sonic was clearly using the Emerald to empower himself. This rodent dare used his Emerald they he found?! Enraged, he dropped Issei on the ground, figuring he'd deal with the boy in a moment. Issei grunted at he was dropped in the floor of course, but he still couldn't take his eyes off of his alien friend and his current transform.

"So what? Is that supposed to scare me?!" Riser shouted at Sonic. "You think dyeing your fur is going to intimidate Lord Riser?!" He shouted a bit louder, but Sonic did not answer. He just continued to stare at him. Riser took this as Sonic feeling himself to be superior, and raised the fireball he still held up and aimed it at Sonic now. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR GAMES!"

The fireball was thrown, yet Sonic did nothing to stop it despite his clear power increase and most likely speed increase. He could have even utilized Chaos Control, and he admittedly did had half a mind to Parry/swat it away, but also knew it wasn't necessary... he didn't even feel Riser's attack away at it hit him, only feeling what he could describe as someone tapping him. When the attack fizzled out, Sonic was shown to have been completely unharmed.

POW!

Then like a golden comet, Sonic punched Riser directly into his chest. It was unclear if he still had the Holy Cross or he dropped it when Riser kicked him, but with the sheer power in the punch he didn't need it. The most jaw-dropping part was no one saw Sonic move, like at all. No, not like they saw a blur and assumed Sonic moved... they didn't see him move: period.

As for Riser, he didn't even have a moment to register the punch as pain as he flew backward and into another chess piece statue, making a large hole in it. Fittingly enough, the statue was a King Piece.

Super Sonic, now next to Issei, continues to watch the rumble... Riser had not come out yet. And as quickly as he achieved it, the golden light faded away and the Chaos Emerald emerged from within Sonic's body and dropped to the floor. Issei just stared at it, his mind piecing together everything that just happened in front of his very eyes.

Riser did eventually crawl out of the rumble after a minute, but it was clearly out of willpower rather than endurance because he was still caught in some of it as he looked at the duo across from him.

"Game Over, Riser." Sonic simply said after picking up the Chaos Emerald. Even with hate still in his eyes, Riser ultimately collapsed, unable to continue anymore. Sonic then went to help Issei up. "You alright, pal?" He asked his partner.

"Yeah... little spent, but I'm alright." Issei said, then standing up on his own. "Looks like you beat Riser all on your own."

"You kidding me?" Sonic said. "If you didn't Boost me up and go toe-to-toe with him, he never would have dropped the Emerald in the first place. WE did it, Issei." He encouraged further.

Issei couldn't help but smile. "... super power of team work?" He joked.

"Hey! That's MY line!" Sonic grinned at Issei. After that, the intense emotions of pulling off the victory spread throughout their bodies, and began to bump fists. First up, then down...

"YE-AH!" And in sync, they cheered and fist bumped each other. After a few more seconds of staring at each other, they parted their fists only to clasp them toward in a sideways high-five before gripping each other's hand. Again fittingly, Issei was using his Boosted Geared hand to celebrate with Sonic, both friends grinning brightly at each other.

(AN: End music.)

- Results Screen -

Rank = S

Sonic: No stopping this Hedgehog!

Issei: I am SO hardcore!

XXX

"... They... They did it..." Akeno said.

"They actually beat Riser!" Kiba also said.

"Rias is free!" Asia said. Even Koneko smiled a small smile here, but remained silent.

"Sonic... Issei... you both really did it..." Rias' eyes began to glaze... they did it... they actually did it! Her voice was soft with happiness. She felt like she could cry, and it showed in her voice.

Sirzechs then got out of his chair. "This battle is over." He said warmly as he walked up to Rias from behind; and knowing exactly what she wanted to do but was restraining herself... "... what are you waiting for?" He whispered in her ear.

FLAP!

Without needing further provocation, Rias spread her wings and took off as fast as they could carry her.

Back on the battlefield, magic suddenly surrounded Riser and he was teleported away. Both Sonic and Issei noted his and questioned why, but that's when the battlefield itself began to break apart and below them was the Underworld... wait, they were in the air the whole time?!

Both Sonic and Issei stayed suspended in the air like how western cartoon characters would be when something like this happened, both of them slowly looking down then up at each other...

"... GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They screamed as they started to fall. Thankfully, they were both caught by:

Sonic: Akeno?

Issei: Koneko?

Akeno did appear to catch Sonic and Koneko did the same to Issei before they fell more than 10 feet.

"Way to bring down the house, you guys." Said Akeno, making a small joke.

"Now THAT was crashing a party." Said Kiba, joining them.

"Heh. Piece of cake. And we won a prize!" Sonic said, pulling out the Chaos Emerald from hammerspace to show them.

"Yeah, Underworlds pretty cool place and all; but can we get down, fetch Rias, and go home?" Asked Issei. He regretted asking that when Koneko...

"Sure. Enjoy your flight." After she let him go, Issei flapped his arms and while he stayed up for 2 seconds thanks to cartoon physics, he inevitably started falling, crying out as he fell again.

SWOOP!

Rias quickly reappeared from underneath Issei and caught him as he fell. Did Koneko see Rias and do this as some kind of joke? It was hard to tell. When he was caught and safely in Rias' arms, Issei looked behind him to see her face full of tears... this time, of joy.

"Rias?" Issei questioned, but then Rias looked back up, this time at Akeno.

"You too!" Rias ordered, grabbed Sonic out of Akeno's grasp and pulling both him and Issei into a crushing hug, the Princess of Ruin holding them both tightly in the night sky.

"Rias...! Choking...! Not breathing!" Sonic managed to get out in a strained voice, as the happy Devil was crushing them both rather hard. He and Issei were happy she was happy, but still...

"Sonic... Issei... you both just saved my life!" Rias said, embracing and caressing them both still, crying more happy tears. She was free... she was finally free!

Ravel was shown back in the castle, having been the one to teleport Riser out of there. She and the rest of his peerage carried his unconscious body and left. At the same time, Sirzechs and his wife Grayfia watched as the scene in the sky played out.

"Ya know, I was going summon a Griffon for them... in case they lost." admitted Sirzechs. Unlike his father, who wanted this marriage to take place, Sirzechs saw how Rias felt. Even with his position as Devil King, he had no control over what went on in the Gremory family.

"Thank goodness it didn't come to that, we would have had quite the mess to clean up... such a shame for a marriage to fall apart like this." said Grayfia, being sarcastic and humorous as she also knew of Rias' feelings on the matter.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. My father and Lord Phenex can find another form of common ground." said Sirzechs. "I never would have believed a Hedgehogp from another dimension and the great Red Dragon would come to our side."

"And Issei... with his Balance Breaker now active, its only a matter of time before the White One seeks him out" said Grayifa.

"I have faith in the young man... he's resourceful and has a strong will. He and Sonic proved that today, saving my dear sister." said Sirzechs, continuing to watch on. He might not have been able to see his sister's face, but somehow... he sensed that she was indeed happy... the happiest she's ever been in her life.

XXX

It's been only a day after Sonic and Issei won Rias her freedom, and they were hanging around in the clubhouse together. They've had things very rough, so they all decided to take it easy for a while. During this particular day, some of the group were curious about the Chaos Emerald now that they had it and... with Sonic's permission of course... passed it around from person to person, though Rias simply watched from her office desk.

To those that got to hold the yellow gemstone... it was like nothing they ever experienced before. The faint glowing and calming humming sound it made almost made them forget the sheer power it held. It felt very warm in their hands as they held it, and that glow would dim and brighten slightly back up as they felt what could only be described as a pulse tinged their palms and fingertips... like a heartbeat... as if the Chaos Emerald itself... was alive...

"... It's so... beautiful..." Asia said as she held the Emerald next and its shape reflected in her green eyes, sitting on one of the sofas.

"Who've thunk such a tiny thing would cause that much trouble?" Asked Akeno who was stilling next to Asia.

"And that's only one..." Sonic said out of camera-shot, then the Devils all looked at him, sitting on the window on the windowsill sideways, looking out into the world with his arms folded across his chest, looking very serious. "If one is here... the other 6 are definitely here too... somewhere out there..."

Rias began to look down at her desk in shame after she looked away from Sonic, her odd feelings of guilt creeping back up. She had denied these Emeralds for so long, and it nearly got Sonic and Issei killed during a Rating Game, then worst still she would have had to live with her mistake and with a man she had no intention of being with. She thought back to how powerful Riser was with the Chaos Emerald, only for Sonic to beat him with that same power.

If just one Chaos Emerald could do all of that... what about all seven?

Rias slowly sat herself up, using her hands to push herself up and away from her desk, and slowly stepped over to Sonic who heard her coming and turned his head to see her. She stood there for at least 30 seconds doing nothing, making everyone wonder what she was about to say or do... then she bowed, her head and hair hanging down.

"... ... I'm sorry." Rias apologized softly. "... it was all my fault... I just... didn't know what to believe. But if I had just trusted you... from the beginning, then maybe..." she began to say, her emotions of guilt getting stronger as she verbally admitted she was wrong.

STAB!

"Ow!" Rias said, feeling something poke her on top of her head. She felt around and pulled out a blue quill, staring at it, then Sonic.

"Ugh! Can we just stop with all the drama?" Sonic said, hanging his legs over the inside of the window now.

"... But... I..." Rias began to say.

"Don't worry about it!" Sonic cut her off, shocking her further. Then he gave her a thumbs up. "We got them back... that's all that matters." He added, basically saying everything that happened before was water under the bridge. Rias was still taken about by his level of understanding, and his using the word 'them' might he was talking about more that just his Emerald... so after a few more seconds, she decided to do as he asked and dropped the subject with a nod.

"By the way... how did you take on that Balance, ahem. Super Form? Didn't you need all 7 Chaos Emeralds?" Kiba then asked, remembering when Sonic described the Emeralds and their powers to them.

"Usually. Sometimes 2 will activate it, but only temporarily." Sonic explained as he jumped down. "Even with one I couldn't hold my Super Form forever, but even I'm surprised it actually happened. I was just trying to power myself up." Sonic admitted.

"So you have no idea why?" Koneko asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Sonic shrugged. "But it felt great to access my Super Form again, if only for a moment." Sonic then walked over to Asia and held his hand out, obviously wanting the Emerald back. She gave it back without hesitation, and Sonic put it away behind his back in hammerspace. He then dashed off, heading for the window, but Rias' eyes flashed and put up a magic barrier a mere second before Sonic would have gotten out, remaining stuck for a second before falling off.

She knew him too well... that's the only reason she prevented his escape.

"And where, do you think your going?" Rias said with a small smile.

"To find the rest of them. Duh." Sonic stood back up and answered. "Before someone else gets hurt."

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on a minute!" Issei stood up from his seat. "What about us! I said I'd help you find them!"

"Issei... you nearly died twice." Sonic said as-a-matter-of-factly. "I don't want any else to get hurt, or go through what happened to Riser."

"Ara... you think that little of us?" Akeno teased.

"Sonic, you helped us stop rouge Fallen Angels and got our King back... we all owe you." Said Kiba with a smile.

"Tote." Koneko said in agreement.

Sonic looked around at everyone in the room, all having the same expression and motivation written on their faces. It made him happy people wanted to help him, but this was still something they have never dealt with before, so it could be dangerous.

"... You all sure about this?" Sonic asked after a moment, then folded his arms. "I mean, this isn't like beating some leaders for badges or saving princesses in other castles... it's gonna be a long road like finding 3 triangles for a god-like power." He continued in a serious tone. "And if anyone finds them before we do, it might be another Riser situation of someone blinded by their power... could even be someone you care about. You sure you guys are up for it?"

There were no objections from any of the Devils. Rias even stepped by him again, putting a hand on his shoulder which got him to look up at her. "You got me home... now it's my turn." She said with a warm smile.

Sonic smiled up back at her, but then took a step backward. This confused everyone, but then he held out his hand. "Name's Sonic... Sonic the Hedgehog."

It took Rias less than a second to understand it... he wanted to start over, put everything behind them. Smiling back, she copied his actions and shook his hand back.

"Rias... Rias Gremory."

END OF SEASON 1

(AN: Ending Theme - It Doesn't Matter)

{Instrumental}

(Eggman is shown flying away from Super Sonic in his Egg Mobile as Super Sonic crashes and dashes through everything in his way. After being fooled by a hologram of Amy, Eggman trapped Super Sonic, then the unnamed man in robes appeared and shot magic at the computer and Chaos Emeralds from behind without Eggman's knowledge. This caused the massive Chaos Control that sent Sonic to the DxD world)

Ooooh, yeah!

(Sonic popped out of nowhere in the sky and after trying to stay in the air, only to make a big splash in Kuoh Park's fountain)

Well, I don't show off, don't criticize...

I'm just livin' by my own feelings...

(Upon seeing the surprised Raynare about to attack Issei, Sonic dashed off with Issei in his arms to save him as Raynare gave chase, using magic to teleport and throwing explosive Light Spears at him)

And I won't give in, won't compromise...

(After pretending to surrender Issei by putting him down, Sonic attacked Raynare and her 3 henchmen with Homing Attacks before dashing off with Issei again.)

I just only have a steadfast heart of gold!

(After being surrounded by Rias and the ORC, Sonic dashed off so fast he generated wind)

I don't know why, I can't leave though it might be tough

(Sonic evades the ORC as they chase him throughout Kuoh Academy)

But I ain't out of control, just livin' by my word!

(During that same chase scene, Sonic runs into the gym and by the time the ORC entered, 100's of Sonics' messed around in the gym. It all stopped suddenly, then Sonic took a few gulps of a water bottle before dashing off again)

Don't ask me why, I don't need a reason!

(Sonic is shown fighting the illusion of Raynare in his memories when she tried to brainwash him)

I got my way, my own waaaaaaaaaay!

(Sonic was shown eating some of the breakfast he swiped from downstairs when Issei's parents weren't looking, and Issei reprimanding him after the fact, which Sonic shrugged at)

It doesn't matter now what happens I will never give up the fight!

(Sonic and Issei are shown to met Asia and her reaction to seeing Sonic)

There is no way I will run away from aaaaall of my frights!

(When Sonic was bored waiting for them to deal with the Stray Devil, he rushed in, only for him and Issei to be comically chased by it.)

Long as the voice inside me says go, I will always keep on running

(Sonic was shown evading the Fallen Angels all over the city with Asia in his arms)

There is no way to stop me from going to the veeeeeeery tooooooop!

(Issei punches Sonic out of his prison when he was captured by Raynare)

It doesn't matter who is wrong or who is right!

(Sonic takes a battle stance against Raynare armed with a Light Spear and Asia's Twilight Healing she stole. After that, Rias and Sonic were back at the clubhouse arguing with everyone else facepalming or something similar)

Well, I won't look back, I don't need to...

Time won't wait and I got so much to do!

(Riser finally appeared in the clubhouse, with the Chaos Emerald hanging around his neck. This even included when Issei and Sonic showed of their abilities, and the Rating Game was agreed upon)

Where do I stop, it's all a blur and so unclear...

(Rias and Sonic engage in a physical fight across the property they were using durning the 10 day training)

Well, I don't know... but I caaaaaaan't be wrooooooong!

(Sonic and Rias clash together at the final stage of their fight, forcing Akeno to block the power from the explosion they generated)

This fight is not for anybody, this is purely for myself!

There is no way I'm gonna give up 'til the veeeeeery end!

(Sonic and Rias pant and look exhausted from their brawl. After that, they both started laughing about it and everyone else looked confused)

I can't tell what is wrong and what is right, I've got to find the answer!

But until I do, there's no way I will ever give uuuuuup!

(The entire group is shown planning their attack during the Rating Game)

Place all your bets on the one you think is riiiiiiiiiiiight!

{Instrumental}

(Sonic distracts Riser's Pawns by running around in the forest. When only Riser was left, Rias was shown hugging into Riser to get him to stop beating Sonic and Issei senseless with Chaos Control and his own Phoenix Fire. Then, Sonic and Issei both fought Riser, and just when it looked like they would loose again, Sonic managed to grab the Chaos Emerald just in time)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

(The huge eruption of Chaos Energy when Sonic used the Chaos Emerald happens)

It doesn't matter now what happens I will, never give up the fight!

There is no way I will run away from aaaaaaaaall of my frights!

(Sonic had completed his transformation into Super Sonic, and everyone's reaction is shown to it. Riser even stupidly attacked and was shown to be useless)

Long as the voice inside me says go, I will always keep on running!

(Sonic finished Riser off with a single high-speed punch)

There is no way to stop me from going to the veeeeeerrrrrry tooooooop!

(Sonic and Issei bump fists, celebrating the victory over Riser and collecting the Chaos Emerald)

It doesn't matter, who is wrong or who is right!

Noooooo! No, no, noooo...

Oh yeah!

(Rias is shown hugged Sonic and Issei in the sky, happy this mess had finally been put behind her. The song finally ends when Rias and Sonic shake hands during the final scene)

-END CREDITS SCENE-

The ORC clubhouse was then shown quiet and peaceful, then Sonic rushed out the front doors in a trail of blue to approach the fourth wall. Grinning at you, he pulled out the Chaos Emerald from hammerspace, tossed it up, then caught it while still looking at you.

"Catch ya later!"

With that, he rushed back into the clubhouse the exact same way, with the doors slowly shutting behind him...

XXX

Elsewhere, the sky was calm and collected... until some sparks began crackling in the sky despite there not being a thunderstorm and with a flash of light, the sound of an engine could be heard before a blue monoplane with a missile launcher and mini-gun appeared. On the planes radar, the readings began to beep like crazy.

"So this is where he ended up!" Said the pilot, but we could only see his/her mouth moving. "What have you gotten into this time, Sonic?... I'm on my way!" The pilot continued, the planes engines roaring as the plane sped up, heading for the town of Kuoh below...

---

Kaizerthewriter:

Riser...

You screwed up BIG TIME now!

The Rating Game was awesome from its start in the last chapter to the end in this one.

I just hope Issei and Sonic (mainly Sonic) can get that Chaos Emerald out of Riser's hands, and who knows, maybe even get him banned from partaking in Rating Games as a whole.

Another thing... Do you think Eggman would be able to Roboticize Riser into some kind of Phoenix Devil Robot?

Bakuganman: Glad you enjoyed the game. Made it as unique from canon as possible with Sonic's addition. Now Eggman Roboticzing Riser? THAT'S dope. I actually never thought of that for I only was using Riser to start the Chaos Emerald hunt, but that could be a decent spinoff chapter or side story. If I do end up doing this, I will be giving credit to you.

za0068:

I really like the writing style of the story. Your story has so much depth, and it's not shallow like most others I've read. Adding interjections like pow, and flash, feels like I am reading a comic or manga, while at the same time I am reading literature.

The writing style is one I wont lose interest in reading.

This is even better than two fanfic that has outstanding literacy: Flashpoint 2: Advent of Solaris (sonic and flash crossover) or Sonic and the pink trees (Sonic and familiar of zero crossover)

Bakuganman: I see. Thanks for that.

Daku Shirosaki:

Holy shit, Raiser is gonna regret that he found that chaos emerald, cause Sonic and Iessi is gonna be serving some grilled chicken, with a side of fries and tater tats XD.

Anyways, it's been a while, and I have to say that this chapter was a good one!

Honestly this is all I have to say right now since I have a feeling on what the outcome gonna be. keep up the good work my guy! And I can't wait for the next chapter!

Bakuganman: Yeah, it had been some time since I saw ya, and glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Now that this chapter has completed, did what you predict come true?

Proud Parent:

This changed nothing other than giving riser a new trinket, issei will still give up his arm to the dragon for the rematch, sighs

Jon Tron: (looks to the camera with confusion, then glances away for one second) ... That one didn't age quite so well!

-Final Author Notes (PLEASE READ)-

What a finale that was. It only took, eeeeeeeeeh... 4 years?... Well, it's here now, isn't it?

Now I am aware that I had to change ALLOT from canon for this, as well as having to scrap some of the iconic moments. For example, Riser's third-degree burnt face from Issei's counter, not having Rias and Issei kiss in the sky from the anime, not even Issei giving up his arm or his speech... I have many reasons, but the main one was to include as much as possible from both series', while being fair. That's been my style for this fic since day one. I don't think doing this chapter any other way would have worked... unless you wanted me to just shoehorn Sonic in the fight and have him stand there doing nothing until the plot dictates him too... #sarcasm

If I can be honest for a second, I was actually conflicted on how I wanted to fight end. I wanted Super Sonic to end it, that was the end goal, but it's his dialogue I always found myself going back to edit again and again. Couldn't decide between: "Checkmate, Riser." OR "Game Over, Riser." But I eventually went with the last one... both honestly could have worked, it's probably down to personal preference.

I tried to sync the music choice for the final attack as I wrote it, and while I did think of making timestamps for what parts the music played on, I later felt it was unnecessary. I'm sure you guys can figure out how I interned the music to carry the scene, and this one moment playing in my brain was what kinda started this story as a bit of trivia. Even though this began as a rough draft for a Forces revamp, something about Sonic meeting the DxD universe and punching Riser as you saw above... it felt cool. Even if this story never got as large of a following as it did, just the fact we finally got here made me smile.

This also includes the insert of "It Doesn't Matter." It just felt like the perfect way to end the season, for the songs lyrics actually fit with everything that happened thus far, as well as revisiting memories of what happened in the past.

Also had to squeeze another Pokemon, Mario and Zelda reference towards the end... I'm sure you saw it.

Now about the Frontiers arc of this story... I think I know what I have to do. To make it more interesting and expand on it, I'm going to treat The Final Horizon as a sequel rather than a alternate ending. How am I going to do that, I hear you thinking? Well without spoiling my plans too much, I'll also have to expand on the Koco themselves. They are the key to making it actually work. Of course, we'll open that Emerald Vault after running through Cyber Space when we find enough Portal Gears. For now, I'm going to take a well-deserved break from this.

Long story short, the holidays are here and I also have tons of family events irl, so don't expect the next season for a while. But I will be posting an epilogue just like the last arc to wrap up everything in a nice little bow, while also serving as preparation for the next season. And since I'm in such a good mood, I'll give you a few bullet points about it:

•It will be based on the High School DxD special OVA when the group goes to a private island for a beach day.

•While Rias, Asia, Issei and Kiba stay on the beach; Sonic invites Akeno and Koneko (who reluctantly joins due to Akeno) to a hidden temple he found deeper in the island.

•While exploring that temple; Sonic, Akeno and Koneko get separated, with Akeno finding a mysterious symbol that her Devil Language ability cannot translate, but it's spelled like "ZAP".

That's all I got for now. I don't know how many times I've thanked you guys already but I'll do it again, thank you for all the support and love you all show. This is still my 2nd most popular fanfic I've ever written (at 357 follows at the time of post), but who knows? Maybe it will become number one at some point when it surpasses my highest followed story The Symbiote of Yokai? I guess we'll have to see.

I will be watching the comments section and my inbox if you want to talk or leave your opinions. Until the next one, I'll be seeing ya! 👍