AN: Alright. NOW I'm ready to start.

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or any other franchise referenced in this fic.

"Speech"
Text
Thoughts
Inner Being to Outer
Entity/Super Mode
Spell/Technique/Sacred Gear

Chapter 16: The Looming Challenge

As the ten days of training drew swiftly to a close, we all threw ourselves into our training, even harder than before. Once they'd ensured that Issei and I were more or less proficient in the basics of their respective disciplines, Kiba and Koneko began practicing and training themselves. During our Sacred Gear training, the Knight would mostly sit off to the side, muttering to himself and conjuring up a new blade at random before dismissing it.

Issei, thanks in no small part to my subtle reminders of what might happen should we lose, had thrown caution to the winds, letting Boosted Gear power him up as high as his body could handle before letting loose. To my surprise, however, instead of recklessly throwing around maximum-powered blasts, he would also try to ration the power given by his boosts.

In fact, his ingenuity, which I knew existed already from canon, had already reared its head, after Rias had told him about Sacred Gears' ability to evolve based on desire.

Of course, whenever he miscalculated and blew himself up, Asia was always there to patch him up. While she still continued her training to repair inanimate objects, it was in the restoration of living beings where the sweet girl's efforts truly shined. It would take mere seconds for her to completely undo the strain of the Sekiryuutei's overwhelming power. As expected of a supposedly rare Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing's rather simple power was exceedingly potent.

While she always chased me off, it seemed that Koneko had taken to sparring with Velvet. According to my Familiar, the disguised catgirl was attempting to train up her long-neglected speed and agility by squaring off with her. Of course, she was nowhere near as fast as the curvy vixen, but I figured that it'd be good practice versus Riser's own nekomata Pawns.

I myself retreated to the lodge's small, but helpfully stocked library, in order to try and learn as much magical theory as I could. After all, Devils could use magic just by sheer force of will, so learning what others had done would allow me to branch out and cause more effects. For the books that were written entirely in Devil-script, I asked Rias for help; the Devils' Language ability didn't extend to the written word, after all.

Every so often, Jormungand would metaphorically poke his snout in to give an opinion or a different perspective. Having been taught massive amounts of theory by Storia Daisho, the master of all magics himself, the serpent was more than able to pitch in ideas, even if some of what he discussed sometimes flew WAY over my head.

Of course, I didn't slack off with the physical training at all either, and ended up losing a great deal of weight. Maybe I'd unconsciously unlocked Shapeshifting already, or maybe Devils were just really good at getting in shape, but by the time the eighth day rolled around, my body was almost completely different from when we'd started, much to Akeno's amusement and Velvet's absolute delight.

Speaking of whom, my Familiar had more or less latched onto me even more, rubbing her plump, barely-concealed breasts against me at every opportunity, sitting that round bubble butt heavily on my groin and generally inciting me to grope her when no one was looking. These days, it was practically impossible to take a shower alone, though I'd long since stopped minding.

Finally, as our training drew to a close, Rias had us walk back to town in order to get a day's rest and to make any last preparations before the fateful battle.

Everyone went their separate ways, except for Rias and Akeno, who'd asked me to confer with them one last time on the strategy.

"Phoenix tears, you say?" sighed Akeno, a grimace marring her lovely face as I told her the dangers she'd face against Riser's Queen, "I can't believe I forgot something as important as that!"

I nodded, remembering how she'd eventually been worn down and defeated in canon. "Yeah. Given that his family can produce the stuff naturally, it's a no-brainer that he'd take some into the Rating Game. Fortunately, the rules say he can only bring two doses. I can't say for sure where the second dose is, but I know for a fact that Yubelluna has one, and neither Riser nor his sister need them."

Rias frowned thoughtfully, staring into space. "In that case, the ideal solution would be for Akeno to ration her strength until the tears have been used, or to overwhelm her before she can use them."

"Well, there's two other ways," I suggested, groaning as I stretched out on the sofa, "The first is kinda a mix of the two. Sandbag for a bit and whittle her down until she uses them, where she'll be distracted for a moment. Use that opportunity to surprise her and take her down. Hell, if you're lucky, maybe you could even try and take the tears for yourself."

The Queen blinked, eyebrows raised. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Ufufu, it's such a simple idea, but it would turn the tide dramatically!"

"What's the second idea?" asked Rias.

"If you want to guarantee that she'll be surprised, use your Holy Lightning."

Akeno stiffened. "…I have my reasons for not using-"

"I know what your reasons are," I responded flatly, fixing her with a look that I'd practiced with Jormungand, "But like it or not, you have that option. I won't let it be taken off the table without consideration."

She said nothing, pursing her lips. Her fingers curled at her side, bunching up her skirt.

"Moving on!" interjected my King, clearly wishing to avoid a potentially collaterally deadly confrontation, "You say that the gymnasium will be easy to take?"

"Oh, yeah!" Looking away from the Queen, I let myself be distracted. "Yeah, even without me, Riser only put, er…three or four? Two Pawns and one rook, from what I remember, who got taken out easily by Issei and Koneko. Unfortunately, Koneko then got wiped out in a surprise attack by Yubelluna. Meanwhile, Kiba was able to handle the ones that tried to sneak in through the woods without any problems. Send me with Issei and Koneko, and I'll try and make sure she doesn't get Retired."

"That's just what I was thinking," Rias agreed, "And Akeno, you lie in wait at the gym as well to try and reverse Yubelluna's ambush."

"Understood, Buchou."

Well, it seemed that she's calmed down from me dragging up her secret 'shame.'

"What else can you remember about his other pieces?"

Grimacing, I looked up at the ceiling. "Um…I remember at least one Rook and Knight guarding the school, and a few others. Issei and Kiba managed to take them out by combining their Sacred Gears. Riser's sister, Ravel, was there as well, but she wasn't interested in fighting."

"Then we probably don't have to worry about her," she decided, nodding, "Is there anything else?"

I scratched my chin. "Er…I think Riser ended up luring you onto the roof of the main school building for a duel. That ended badly, so try to endure any remarks he might make about you or any of us."

Rias gave me a 'how stupid do you think I am?' look, to which I replied with a 'I know that you'd fall for it' look of my own, making Akeno giggle. "…Is that all?" asked my King finally.

"Nothing else comes to mind," I answered, shrugging, "Granted, there're some details that I know are there, but sadly I just can't remember them. You'll have to strategize on your own for the rest."

"Of course," she said, smirking, "Anyway, thank you for what you could remember anyway, Neseg."

"'S what I do."

She waved her hand, causing the teleportation circle in the corner of the room to light up. "Why don't you head on home? I'm sure your girlfriend misses you."

I snorted. "I sure as hell hope she does!"

WD

When I arrived in my apartment, I took a moment to remove my shoes, say hello to Asia and Velvet and stepped out to go to the room next door.

Knocking on the door, I had only a few moments to wait before Raynare opened it. I grinned, gazing into her violet eyes. "Hey," I greeted her simply.

"Oh!" she gasped, smiling back and throwing her arms around me, "Well, it's about time!"

I chuckled, hugging her back, feeling her round breasts pressing into me. "Sorry, but I had to stay behind for a last minute strategy meeting."

"Clearly that's not all you've been doing," the Fallen Angel teased, stepping back to eye my more muscular arms. "Hot damn, if this is what happens when you've got a Rating Game, I might just have to join!"

Snorting, I leaned in and kissed her, making her start in surprise. "Yeah, I pretty much had to work out a ton. Oh, by the way, when the hell did you teach Velvet all that stuff? I've been wondering all week, since she's been throwing herself on me."

Raynare shrugged, smiling innocently. "Oh, no, I just gave her a few bits of advice here and there. I figured that if you were going to be working yourself to the bone, you'd appreciate some eye-candy."

I opened my mouth to reply, only for her to dart forward and give me another kiss, making me groan as her dexterous tongue slid inside. "Ghn, firsht- first of all," I answered, pulling away as she showered me with kisses, "I was going out of my mind trying not to take her up on all her offers. I figured if I was gonna have my first time with anyone, it'd be you."

"Aaaww~!" she cooed, throwing her arms around me once more.

"Second, it's not like I was absolutely starved for some 'eye-candy.' You've met my King, haven't you?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, that redhead with the huge rack."

I rolled my eyes, reaching down to squeeze one of her t-shirt-clad breasts. "I don't think you're one to throw stones about that, dearie."

"Hyah!" she squeaked, blushing in surprise. "J-jeez! Velvet must've really gotten you out of your shell!"

"I did say that I didn't take all of her offers," I replied, smirking, "Just some of them."

Raynare shivered, her face going more pink as a peculiar look came over her face. "S-so…you wanna do it, then?" she asked, giving a shaky smile.

My eyebrows shot up. "Huh?"

"N-not right now!" she protested, glancing up and down the hallway, "Just, later, before you gotta go to the game tomorrow…"

I thought I heard a gasp and some girlish giggling in the background, from the apartment behind my girlfriend, but shook my head, smiling sadly. "Sorry, but I don't wanna wear myself out too much. I'm gonna be giving this my all, so anything too far ought to wait until after."

She sagged, giving me an absolutely deadly pout of disappointment. "Oh…I guess that makes sense. You're pretty dedicated to your group, aren't you?"

I rubbed the back of my head, sighing. "I guess so. Sorry to keep stringing you along, Ray."

"Geez, don't say it like that!" she protested, lightly slapping my shoulder, "You said that it should wait until after, right? So I'll wait until after! I'm not a teenager with more hormones than brains, y'know."

"That's a filthy lie!" called Mittelt from the background.

"Shaddup you eternal loli!" my girlfriend barked over her shoulder.

Kalawarner piped up with, "Please don't keep us up when you get busy, okay?"

As one, we both said, "I make no promises!" then shared a look and a smirk.

I gave her one last kiss, this time sliding my tongue into her mouth and grabbing her round ass for a moment, tightly-covered as it was by a miniskirt. "For luck," I growled in her ear, once I broke the kiss.

"I thought Devils had their own luck," Raynare replied breathlessly.

"I'll take everything I can get," was my reply, only half joking.

WD

I can see why you like her, commented Jormungand, speaking up once I was back in my own apartment, making dinner, A quick wit like yours and a firm spirit. I'm no expert in romance, but even I can tell that she's a good woman.

"Doesn't hurt that she's a decent fighter as well," I added out loud, letting the melting butter slide around the pan, "I mean, that's such a huge thing in your culture, ain't it?"

True. I suppose you also like the fact that she's willing to let you sleep with other girls.

I snorted. Implying I've slept with her to begin with.

The snake gave the mental equivalent of a serpentine shrug. You know what I mean. Even so, it's impressive that you were able to resist temptation after going without seeing her for so long.

Not really. It's just practicality. I'd rather decrease the chances of things going wrong in the battles as much as I can. Speaking of, still nothing about Waking Dreamer's second ability?

Jormungand gave a sighing hiss. No. It hasn't been 'defined' yet. When Storia created the Sacred Gear, he made it so that the abilities contained in it would be 'blank.' Only once certain criteria are met will the specifics of each become clear to us.

There was a second hiss as I flipped over the egg, smiling in satisfaction at the rippled brown pattern. Perfect. Knowing Storia, the main criteria is probably something like fighting in the Rating Game against Riser.

That would make sense, he agreed, He's different from Odin, though. Even though he knows the future, he prefers using it to set up his own schemes.

And then writing down the results.

Yes, that too.

"Signore?"

I glanced around to see Asia standing at the doorway, biting her lip. "What's up?" I asked, sliding my egg onto a plate and setting it on the table.

"I-it's nothing," she said, taking a seat next to me as I dug in, "I just…expected that you would want to…s-spend the night with Signora Ray."

"Well sure, I want to," I agreed, sighing, "But I decided not to." Giving her a proper look, I saw that Asia was biting her lip, some sort of heaviness going on behind her green eyes. "...You nervous?" I asked.

She flinched, and stammered, "N-no! It's not that, it's just…" She trailed off, looking away. "...No, I am. I've n-never been in a fight before. I don't even like fighting!"

Silently, I nodded in agreement. "I know exactly how you feel."

"Eh?"

"I hate fighting too. Sure, I like action, the spectacle of watching people clash with all their skills, but I despise people getting hurt." A blinding, searing pain pierced through my shoulder and tore upwards… "Whether you're human or not, it's only natural to want to avoid pain."

The former nun bit her lip. "How do you…?"

"Deal with it?" I supplied.

"Eh."

Grimacing, I rubbed at my neck, thinking. "It's definitely not easy. I mean, I'm not an experienced fighter, by any means. It's hard to put into words, but…I guess what it comes down to is, no matter how bad it makes you feel…you have to tell yourself, 'this needs to get done.'" I shrugged, sighing. "Of course, that kinda thinking can lead to you doing things against your better judgement. Like, forcing yourself to ignore your morals might sometimes be necessary, but once you do, it becomes harder to tell when it is."

Asia watched me silently, brow furrowed.

"Ah, sorry…I guess you don't really have to worry about hurting people, since you're our healer." I smiled ruefully. "I kinda ended up talking about myself."

"It's alright," she told me, reaching out to tentatively pat my hand, "Signore is a smart person. I believe that you'll come up with a way that doesn't make people suffer too badly."

Silently, I nodded. "Yeah…there should be one that's within my power. I mean, Waking Dreamer is ridiculously versatile. But there's just something…obvious that I'm missing!"

"Well…" Asia bit her lip. "Dreamer kinda means that you'd need someone to be asleep."

I blinked, frowning. "But I don't though. I can use it to analyze people even when they're awake. I mean, if it comes down to it I could just change their…" My face went slack. "Oh. Ohhh. There we go."

She furrowed her brow, cocking her head, only for her eyes to widen as she came to the same conclusion. "You…could probably do it, too!"

"Not remotely, though," I commented. "Using Distortion with a projectile is next to useless on anything that can think. I'd have to get in and use it directly." Taking a deep breath, however, I allowed a grin to grow across my face. "Heh. But this is promising. Thanks, Asia."

Asia blushed, looking away. "O-oh, no, don't worry about it!"

I patted her on the head, making her blush even deeper and hide her face. "You're seriously too cute…"

"B-b-but you have a l-lover already!" she protested, clutching at her cheeks as if to ward off indecent thoughts.

"Yeah, and she thinks that you're cute too," I told her, deliberately missing her point.

"Th-th-that's…!" The nun sputtered, her face matching Velvet's hair.

I laughed. "Well, if it bothers you that much, I'll stop."

She bit her lip. "W-well…you don't…have to, if you're being honest…" she mumbled.

Smiling, I patted her on the shoulder. "I'm not gonna do anything you don't want to."

"N-no…th-this isn't like the church…I want to…to learn about what it means to be…in-intimate…!" just that word practically made steam rise from her head.

"Alright, alright," I told her, "Now calm down, before you overheat and pass out. Just relax." I kissed her forehead...and there she went passing out. I sighed and picked her up. "Yeah…You'll be fine." Carrying her into her room and tucking her into bed, I pulled out my laptop and began web-surfing. Anything to get a few last ideas in.

"You'll be fine," I mumbled, even as Velvet crawled up onto the couch and cuddled up next to me, prompting me to scratch her behind an ear, "It's me I'm not sure on."

WD

As much as it made me grumble irritably, I made sure to scarf down something for breakfast the next morning, Asia doing the same in sleepy silence. I wasn't the type to be hungry at all during the morning, but even I knew that neglecting some early energy would be a disastrous mistake.

An uncomfortably dark, heavy feeling churned in my gut as we made the trek towards the school. Judging by the look on Asia's face, she was feeling much the same. Velvet, on the other hand, bounded behind and around us energetically, almost literally bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Koneko was waiting for us at the gate, silently beckoning for us to follow. Fortunately, today was a weekend, so as to avoid questions of absences.

The clubroom was in a more somber mood than usual. Issei looked positively ill, jittering nervously. Kiba had his nose buried in his steepled hands, brow furrowed in thought. Akeno stood behind Rias, who was seated on the good couch, her ever-present smile much fainter. Our red-haired King was herself sitting with her sleek legs crossed, arms crossed, a stormy expression on her face. However, I didn't need my True-Sight to tell that it was worry, rather than anger, darkening her face.

Everyone looked around as we entered, a few expressions brightening just a little in greeting.

"How long do we have before it starts?" I asked.

"Not long," said Rias grimly.

Sighing, I took a seat beside Kiba, Asia following my lead.

A few minutes later, the teleportation circle in the corner glowed with an icy blue light, and the maid-outfitted Grayfia Lucifuge materialized into the club room. Her cold, neutral gaze swept over all of us, pausing momentarily on Asia. "I see you've added a new member, Lady Rias."

"Yes…she asked to join shortly before our training session, of her own will. She's my second Bishop, Asia Argento."

She nodded. "Duly noted. Unfortunately, Lord Sirzechs still has not deemed it an appropriate time to undo the seal on your first Bishop."

Rias only nodded back, though with a slightly bitter twist to her mouth. "Of course. Such a situation would only serve to agitate him further, so I'm not about to complain or anything."

"Er, that reminds me," said Issei, "Who is the other Bishop? I haven't ever seen them around here."

"Oh no, he's here," Kiba corrected him, smiling wryly, "He's in that blocked off room downstairs. His power is rather unstable, so Sirzechs-sama had to put a seal on him. He mostly fills out contracts over the internet."

I snorted. "Lucky bastard."

Grayfia spoke up again. "If this is everyone, then I will begin transporting the Peerages over to the Rating Game arena. The terrain will be something you are familiar with." So saying, she raised her hand, palm out, and a silver magic circle flared open, its markings intricate and almost mesmerizing. Everyone suddenly began glowing, blue sparkles wafting off our bodies. Issei and Asia made noises of surprise, but before they could do everything, I saw the whole room blur in a sort of wave. A strange pressure pressed into me from all sides, dulling my hearing and making my vision go all smeared, like some sort of oil painting. I gritted my teeth and shook my head, even as the sensation passed a brief moment later.

Looking around, we appeared to still be within the school. But there was something…off about the air, something that I could only faintly catch with my Sacred Gear. "Oh, that's slick," I commented, "They moved our entire game into a pocket dimension and it feels like we haven't moved an inch."

Before I could speak further, Grayfia appeared on a screen in front of us. "Greetings and welcome, esteemed viewing guests. The Rating Game between Rias of House Gremory and Riser of House Phenex shall now commence. Per the arrangement made, if Lady Rias wins, her marriage to young master Riser shall be annulled. If Riser wins, the marriage will go forward. The Game shall end when one side's King retires or is defeated. Retirement shall be enforced when a fighter is deemed unable to battle."

Rias took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Riser has likely been given the main school building as his base," she said, addressing us all, "If we stay here and try to defend, they'll be able to overwhelm us with numbers. Our only option is to go on the attack and meet them head on."

Asia bit her lip, worry in her green eyes, while Issei and Kiba both nodded.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing, the twisting, nauseous sensation in my gut flaring up again at prospects before us. "Right…"

"The gymnasium is a crucial midpoint between the two bases, so we'll need to secure it before we make a move on the main building," continued the King, "Issei, Koneko and Neseg, you three will go to secure it; Riser probably won't bother sending too many of his Pieces there just yet. Make sure none of them get past you, otherwise any Pawns that reach this building will be able to Promote."

"Understood," responded Koneko flatly, giving a small salute.

"From there, you'll meet up with Kiba and Asia, who will be making sure that no one gets through the forest."

Kiba nodded, but Asia started. "E-eh?"

"As our healer, it's best that you stay out of direct danger, but with a fighter that can defend you. If we keep you separate from our main fighting force," Rias indicated me and my group, "Then that essentially keeps you as an X factor that the other team won't know how to deal with. You just joined us, after all. Akeno, you take to the sky in order to intercept the Queen, like we discussed."

"As you wish, Buchou," agreed the black-haired girl, bowing her head, "And what about you?"

She smirked. "Of course, I won't just be alone and helpless…"

WD

"Y'know, it just occurred to me," I commented, walking along behind my two fellow Peerage members, "I've never really seen any of the rest of the campus."

Issei hummed. "Yeah, I guess so. Neseg-san usually just comes right to the club room. I've seen you arriving sometimes. Students talk about you a bit."

I gave a grunt. "Yeah, I noticed. And? What do they have to say about me?"

"That you've got a scary face," said Koneko drily.

"...Yeah, okay, that's fair."

"That's your only reaction?" asked Issei incredulously.

"It's well within what I expected, so yeah."

Koneko hummed. "Ji-san is surprisingly thick-skinned."

Humming in acknowledgement, I continued along. "...Hang on a sec, what do you mean surprisingly?"

She didn't answer, her demeanor inscrutable as she opened the door and led the way into the gymnasium. I followed behind, grumbling, even as I switched on Waking Dreamer, my eyes sweeping over the area. "Okay, they haven't arrived yet. No traps that I can see," I reported.

"So…do we wait?" asked Issei, rubbing his arm absently, "Or should we set traps ourselves?"

I shook my head. "Only things we could use for that are magic, and I'd rather save mine for the actual fighting. We're the front line, so to speak, so I'd rather not tire myself out yet."

"Well, that's a shame!" called a mocking voice from the other side of the gym, "'Cause we're gonna give you the workout of your life!"

"Phrasing," deadpanned Koneko, even as four other figures came striding through the door.

As expected, Riser had sent a small portion of his forces to meet us, probably with the same strategic intent. To be honest, my memory of canon had been rather spotty in this area, but I definitely remembered the bloomer-wearing loli twins, who were giving deceptively sweet smiles. Accompanying them as they skipped along was a much taller, more toned girl. She had a fine-featured face, and after spending a few months in Japan, I noticed that she looked more Chinese. She wore a blue, sleeveless cheongsam dress, with gold embroidery around the edges, along with a wide, diamond-shaped window right over her large, round breasts. Judging by the black arm-guards around her forearms, she was a hand to hand specialist, like Koneko.

Rounding out the group, and officially making them outnumber us, was a much shorter girl, with long blue hair tied up into four ponytails. Somehow, two of them were pointed upward, which really had me questioning how hair worked in this world. She wore a white haori with a red sash around her midriff, leaving her legs bare. She also wore a large red coat (a happi coat, maybe, I wondered) and carried a wooden bo-staff.

"Ah! It's the funny guy!" cheered one of the twins, waving energetically at me.

Issei snorted. "Looks like they remember you, Neseg-san."

"Yay, I have fans~" I half-cheered, waving back at them.

"You've also got an enemy," said the taller girl, giving me a self-confident smirk, "Master Riser told us to keep an eye out for you."

I shrugged, grimacing. "Eh. I figured that would happen. Lemme guess, he's still salty about me assassinating his ego?"

The staff-wielder stifled a giggle, while the older girl sighed. "Not in as many words…" she mumbled, confirming my suspicion, "Well, he told us to take you out early. Ni, Li, go get him."

"Aw, boo~!" whined one of the green-haired lolis, even as she pulled a chainsaw out of nowhere, "You're why we can't have nice things, Xuelan!"

Before the Rook could respond, the happi-wearing girl raced in, her staff whipping out to jab viciously at Koneko with a cry. We all exploded into action; Koneko dashed forward, keeping low with a tight block, fists clenched to meet her opponent.

Meanwhile, I strode towards the chainsaw wielding, keeping my hands at my sides even as I activated my Sacred Gear. "Hey, Leatherface called. He wants his toy back."

The twins giggled madly, even as they dashed forward. Fortunately, it seemed that even with the natural strength afforded by their Devil natures, those chainsaws definitely weighed them down with their spindly arms.

I took a deep, steadying breath, even as bands of light streaked ahead of their swinging weapons, arcing through my body. They followed my body as I stepped forward, but as they leaped towards me with a stereo cry, I suddenly dashed forward myself, spinning and thrusting out my hands. As their wild swings slashed through the space I'd just stood in, my palms pressed into the bodies of their chainsaws.

[Distortion!]

Both weapons exploded, coming apart at the seams and scattering into pieces of metal, down to the smallest screw and chains-links.

"Ah…!" squeaked one of the green-haired girls, stumbling as her weapon fell apart in her hands.

"You son of a-!" yelled the other, wheeling around to punch me. However, it was easy to step just outside her range and put a hand to her head.

"Sleep."

[Distortion!]

She cried out, grabbing at my hand as pink sparks crackled around my fingers and into her green-haired scalp. Then her eyes went slack and rolled up, and she slumped to the ground heavily. A moment later, blue light shrouded her body and she vanished.

"Riser Phenex's Pawn: Retired."

Finally, I allowed myself a grin. The idea I'd come up last night was a total success.

"ILE!" screamed her sister.

"What?!" gasped Xuelan, even as she kicked Issei away and looked around, "How could you retire her that quickly?!"

I shrugged, swaggering towards the other twin, Nel. "Funny what a bit of training can do for ya, huh?" As I spoke, an orb of light gathered in my palm. "Here, hold this." I tossed it underhand towards her, making her yelp and smack it away. With a jerk of my head, however, it swerved in midair and came back around to smack her head. "Cut it out you meanie!" she yelped, covering herself

"Alright then," I said, shrugging. Then I darted in and grabbed her head too.

"Riser Phenex's Pawn: Retired."

The blue-haired girl looked over her shoulder and cried out in despair. "Nel!"

Issei took advantage of her momentary distraction and kicked her in the stomach, making her stumble back with a wheeze before blocking a retaliatory jab from her own staff. His scarlet gauntlet flashed onto his fist as he engaged her, punching the shorter girl with a wild desperation. "Ahhhh, it sucks so much to have to hit such a cute girl!" he cried out, looking miserable, "But for Buchou's sake, I'll do anything!"

His opponent looked disgusted, her face furrowed into a snarl as she tried to strike him again. "You are such a pig!"

"And your boss isn't?" I retorted from right behind her.

She paused, looking over her shoulder at me, only to squeal as Issei punched her again. She staggered back, arms flailing, right into my grasp.

"Riser Phenex's Pawn: Retired."

"Though I gotta agree with Issei," I commented, dusting off my hands as the girl collapsed, vanishing in a flash of blue light, "Hitting and hurting people just isn't my style. Fortunately, my Sacred Gear gives me a pretty easy way around that."

Even as I spoke, I glanced over at our Nekomata Rook, who was squaring off against Xuelan. The Chun-li knockoff snapped her leg forward, using her greater height over her opponent to keep their bodies apart. Koneko, with her petite body and shorter limbs was unable to reach Xuelan in return, resorting to jumping over and ducking under the attacks, trying to 'dart n' dash' closer.

If not for her age, she might have made for a pretty decent boxer.

Of course, even as I thought that, Koneko spun around a kick and lashed out with her own, hooking her foot behind her opponent's knee and pulling. The sudden move knocked them both to the floor, the taller girl knocked to the floor. Taking advantage, Koneko quickly straddled her and began to punch Xuelan's face. The rook could do nothing but put up her hands to protect herself, but eventually her opponent broke through. Taking her right arm, she wrapped her legs around them and then sat perpendicular to her head while pulling at her arm. The pain was obvious on the poor girl's face as she screamed and begged her opponent to let go, even slamming the ground in a futile attempt to surrender.

Being the nice guy I was, I stepped over with a sigh and placed my hand on her head.

"Raiser Phenex's Rook, Retired."

"Good job guys," I said as they regrouped. "Rias, gym's clear; four birds down, no casualties!"

"Excellent! Link up with Kiba and see if he needs help."

I grunted an assent and headed for the gym's exit, my two fellows following behind. "...You didn't need to do that," said Koneko, "Waste of mana."

However, I shook my head. "Nah, it was a pretty negligible amount. I've still got plenty to spare."

"After all that, you've still got a full tank? Damn man!" Issei grumbled.

Snorting, I reminded him, "Hey, I still can't throw around attacks and grow stronger like you, remember? Maybe next time pull out your new power and show off that doubling aspect."

"Yeah, but you got all these crazy powers already."

"Damn right. Better step it up."

As we bantered, I happened to glance up to see Koneko, who was scouting ahead of us. A bad feeling overtook my gut. "Koneko! Watch out!"

Even as I called out, I knelt down and slammed my hand on the floor. There was a flash of light as pink sparks raced across the ground towards Koneko. The earth just outside the gym, in front of the white-haired girl, suddenly surged upward, forming into a giant hand.

*BOOOM!*

A blast rocked the floor, making Issei and Koneko stumble back as the hand shattered and crumbled. However, that didn't matter, as it had absorbed the greater part of the shockwave.

"Well, I seemed to have underestimated you, Servants of Rias Gremory," a haughty voice called out.

"Oh crap, guys move!" I shouted, rushing out of the gym, grabbing Issei and scooping up Koneko. Seconds later, the gym exploded behind us, throwing me forward out the door. As I hit the ground and rolled, I looked up, quickly spotting the enemy.

She floated in the air above us, giving a condescending smirk. She wore a long, white robe over a violet dress, the latter of which bared a generous amount of cleavage. A thick gold band, studded with gems, enclosed her throat, while a circlet rested on her forehead. Her wavy maroon hair fell over one violet eye and down to her waist as she idly twirled a short rod in one hand. Even if I couldn't quite place her face, I already knew that she was Riser's queen, Yubelluna. "Ah, we were supposed to capture this building as a foothold," she sighed, "Such a bother. And you even managed to survive it…"

"Issei…" I muttered, as she then pointed her rod at us. A magic circle expanded at the tip. "About that power of yours…?"

"R-right!" he responded, clasping his gauntlet with his other hand. It began to glow brightly, but before Yubelluna could fire off her spell, there came a flash of light and a crack of thunder.

The Enemy Queen cried out in pain and indignation as a bolt of lightning struck her in the back, dispelling her own attack and sending her reeling in the air. "A-a sneak attack?!"

"I'm afraid so," said Akeno pleasantly, floating up over the ruined roof of the gymnasium. She was dressed in her shrine maiden outfit, and her hands were already crackling with more electricity. "We had a feeling that such a weak push for territory might have a stronger piece lying in wait, but to think that it was the Bomb Queen…" She gave a giggle. "Pardon me, but I'd like to test my skills against you before I let you play with my cute juniors~"

Grabbing Issei's shoulder, we ran for the safety of the trees, heading towards the main school building. Behind us came the crashing and booming of explosions and lightning being thrown around.

As Koneko protested and struggled in my arms, I kept my eyes peeled. We had gotten through the first round of combat without any issue, and had even managed to avoid losing Koneko. However, thanks to my earlier advice, not only had Akeno gotten the drop on Yubelluna early, but it was pretty likely that Rias wouldn't be rising to Riser's inevitable bait.

From here on out, I couldn't be sure what was going to happen. Whatever it was, though, we would just have to fight our hardest to overcome it.

WD

AN: And at last, this chapter is complete. The Rating Game has begun.

So yes, Issei, Kiba and I have managed to develop our Sacred Gears even further. As for how those developments manifest, you'll just have to wait until next time.

If you have any questions about other aspects of this chapter, please leave a review, or send me a PM.

North South Out.