Chapter 11:
Preparation
(Gremory estate):
Training continued for the next few days, with Ichigo overseeing and instructing the Gremory peerage on what to do. He'd been making each member focus on one main thing primarily, but did shift them around on what they were doing from time to time. He himself would train in private, attempting to become more familiar with his sacred gear. However, one thing was painfully obvious to him. Issei really needed a lot of work.
The resident pervert had potential, Ichigo knew that much, but his current state was kind of pitiful. It was as though he was unsure of himself, holding himself back with doubts that he had. He couldn't allow things to carry on like that. Otherwise, Issei would probably be taken out immediately after the rating game began.
"Looks like I need to have a little chat with him," Ichigo muttered to himself before he began making his way towards the possessor of the Boosted Gear. Issei was currently holding his knees and panting, having just finished a half an hour spar with one of the robot training dummies. Due to this, he didn't notice Ichigo approaching him.
"Hey, you doing okay?" Ichigo asked him.
"F-fine," Issei breathed as he stood up properly. He then looked to the substitute soul reaper as though he wanted to ask him something, but was unsure of whether he should or shouldn't.
"Dude, just spit it out already," Ichigo assured him. "I don't bite."
"How did you do it?" Issei inquired. "How did you get so strong?"
The orange haired teen looked at the brown haired teen for a moment as he thought.
"Mind telling me exactly why you're asking me this?" Ichigo asked casually.
Issei released a breath before he began. "I've realised… that I'm actually the weakest one here. I thought that I could just do whatever I wanted and beat up anyone in my way, just because I have the Boosted gear. But… back in the clubroom, when you stopped me from charging that asshole's pawn, I realised that I was nowhere near that." He moved his gaze from his hands and looked to Ichigo. "I want to help Buchou, I really do, but what can I do? I'm useless."
Ichigo nodded in understanding of the situation.
"I wasn't always strong you know," he told Issei, causing the latter's eyes to go wide.
"But then, how?" Issei stammered.
"It was my friends, or rather, my intense desire to protect them," Ichigo clarified. "I constantly pushed myself so that I could protect them no matter what. Your heart's in the right place Issei, I can see that clearly. However, your fear is holding you back."
"Huh?" was Issei's intelligent reply.
"You want to protect the others, but you're afraid you'll fail. When you fight someone and try avoiding their attacks, you're afraid they'll hit you. When you're trying to hit someone, you're afraid you'll miss. You can't afford to think like that. You need to cast your doubts aside, believe in yourself and steel your resolve. When you're protecting someone, you have to believe that you will protect them. When you're dodging an enemy's attack, you need to believe that you will dodge it. When you're attacking, you need to believe that you will hit them. Understand?"
Issei looked at Ichigo in shock, before he regained his composure.
"Yeah, I think I do," he said as he nodded his head.
"That's good," encouraged Ichigo. "You're one of the guys of your group. A guy's duty is to always protect what's dear to him. Become strong, help Rias escape marriage to that grilled turkey and protect all of them."
"Yeah, I think I'll do just that," Issei agreed, a newfound resolve in his eyes.
"Great, now get to work on becoming stronger. After about an hour, go train your magic with Akeno and Asia," the spikey haired substitute soul reaper instructed.
Ichigo turned around and walked away from Issei, who was preparing to have another session with the training dummy. The substitute soul reaper went back behind the house, into the forest and began his own training with his sacred gear.
(Forest):
Ichigo was sitting on the ground, catching his breath. He'd been training with his sacred gear for around forty minutes before training his regular powers for roughly twenty minutes. Overall, he was quite pleased with his progress. He'd become familiar in the usage of his sacred gear, enough to have gained the ability to prevent it tripling his strength unless he wanted to. It would be a useful tactic in turning a battle around and catching the enemy off guard.
"Not bad King, not bad at all," complimented his inner hollow.
"Thanks," replied Ichigo.
"By the way King, me and old man Zangetsu here found a little technical issue we think you should know about," informed his hollow.
"Really, what is it?" inquired Ichigo.
"It is regarding your fully hollowfied form and your sacred gear," answered Zangetsu.
"Yeah, it looks like your hollow form and your sacred gear aren't compatible," elaborated his pale copy. "Meaning, you can't use your sacred gear when you go full hollow. But don't worry too much Kingy, your first fully hollowfied form is almost unstoppable anyway."
Ichigo frowned for a moment.
"But I can still use the Shock Burner if I'm only wearing my mask, right?" he asked.
"Yes, there is no problem with that," answered Zangetsu.
"Good to know," murmured Ichigo. He then got back on his feet. "I guess I should start making some food, it's almost lunch time."
Since the first day, he had been the main one cooking the food, because the peerage of devils had practically begged him to. Although, there were times when Akeno, Rias and Asia would insist he let them cook, saying that they couldn't just make him do it all the time. Without any further delay, he began making his way to the kitchen.
(Issei's room):
"Alright," said Issei in triumph. After Ichigo's little talk, he'd been burning through the full day. Frankly, all the others were pretty shocked at how hard he'd started training after that. He was also feeling quite pleased with his results. Everyone in Rias' peerage could tell that all of them had gotten stronger over the past few days. Even sweet little Asia. She could now make an emerald green bubble around herself that could block attacks and another one that could deflect them back in the direction of the attacker.
His own magic reserves had improved too. In the beginning, it was just about a grain of rice. Today, it had reached slightly bigger than a marble. His greatest progress had been in his physical attributes. His strength, speed and stamina had improved considerably from what they initially were. He was planning to work on his own special move from tomorrow night, one that he believed would tip the scales colossally in their upcoming battle, whilst simultaneously satisfying his libido.
Issei lay down on his bed and closed his eyes as he began to fall asleep.
(Issei's mind):
Issei was in a dark place. Literally. He couldn't see anything.
"What the? Where am I?" he questioned out loud, despite no one else being there with him. Suddenly, he heard a sound. "What was that?" he said in confusion as he turned around.
A few moments of silence passed. Then, he heard something again. It was faint, like a whisper, as well as extremely difficult to make out.
"P…n… ca… y… r… e… an… u… er… e…"
"Hello?" Issei called out. "Who's there? Are you trying to call me?" he received no response.
"N… et… ur… ot… ady… oon… e… ll… me…"
Next, the dark place vanished as his mind returned to dreaming.
(A few days later):
It was currently morning and Ichigo was sitting alone at the table, having a simple breakfast consisting of some toast and tea. They had been training intensely for the past seven days now. Everyone had made great leaps in their progress, even Issei. He'd also told Ichigo that he'd heard some sort of voice in his sleep a few days previously, as well as that he was working on some sort of secret 'sure kill' technique for the upcoming match.
As for the others. Rias had managed to stabilise her power of destruction, consequently improving its power and efficiency. Akeno was now able to recharge her magic reserves more quickly and was also more efficient in expending it when she was using magic. Koneko's speed had increased a good deal. She wasn't on Kiba's level, but would at least be able to read the movements of opponents going at a speed similar to his. Kiba had increased his defence a good deal, he could now withstand a few good hits from a rook class enemy and keep fighting fairly effectively. Asia's barriers had gotten stronger, to the point that Koneko had to give it three powerful punches to break it.
Ichigo heard footsteps entering the room. Turning his head, he saw it was Issei who had entered. Except that he had an excited expression on his face, as though he'd won the jackpot in a lottery or something.
"It happened! It finally happened!" he said excitedly.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down," said Ichigo with his hands raised to emphasise his point. "Just what exactly happened?"
"The voice became clear last night! I heard it properly! Turns out that it was the dragon in my sacred gear trying to get through to me," Issei explained.
"Did you actually meet it?" inquired Ichigo with a slight inquisitive frown.
"Yeah! He's the Welsh dragon, Ddraig. I actually had a proper conversation with him!"
"What did you talk about?"
"Oh, nothing really. He was just telling me how he'd been trying to get through to me for a long time and that I was finally strong enough to hear him. I can talk to him whenever I want through the sacred gear."
Ichigo's mouth formed into a small smile. He clamped his right hand onto Issei's shoulder.
"Way to go Issei! I told you that you had potential," he said in congratulations.
"Nah, it was all thanks to you to be honest, otherwise I doubt I'd be strong enough," replied Issei with a large, friendly grin. His eyes then widened as though he'd just remembered something. "Oh, yeah. I forgot, Ddraig said he wanted to talk to you."
"Me?" asked Ichigo in confusion. "How?"
Issei then summoned the Boosted Gear onto his left hand. For a second, nothing happened, then the jewel began to light up and a voice spoke out.
"So you are the one who made my partner strong enough to hear my voice," said Ddraig. "You have my sincere thanks, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Oh, uh you're welcome, I guess…" Ichigo responded. He then noticed something. "Wait a minute, how do you know my name?"
"Oh, that would be me," said Issei happily. "I kind of told him who you were from what I know about you."
"So, what did you want to speak to me about?" asked Ichigo.
"Nothing in particular to be honest, I merely wished to thank you. It was getting annoying having to wait for my partner to be able to hear me."
"Oh, I see," said Ichigo.
"Well, I'll leave you to the training," said Ddraig before the Boosted Gear went silent.
Ichigo remained silent as he pondered over something. Finally, he looked to Issei.
"I think I know what I'm going to do with you for today," he told him.
"What's that?" asked Issei.
"You'll see, but first, we need to get the others."
(Outside the Gremory estate):
Ichigo and the others were standing in a line, except for Issei and Kiba, who were standing in front of them.
"Alright," announced Ichigo. "Issei, I want you and Kiba to spar with each other. Issei, use your sacred gear. Kiba, take this. If it breaks, you can use your Sword Birth, but make sure you create your sword with a dull edge." Ichigo tossed the blond boy a wooden bokken, which he caught.
"Um, what's Sword Birth?" asked Issei with his right hand slightly raised.
"You don't really need to know yet," Ichigo told him. "Alright, both of you get ready."
The two combatants took their places opposite each other. Issei summoned the familiar red gauntlet onto his hand. Kiba took a stance with his bokken at the ready.
"Begin!" Ichigo called.
Immediately, Kiba rushed towards his fellow Gremory, taking advantage over his superior speed. Issei just about blocked the wooden sword in time by using the Boosted Gear.
"What the hell?! At least give me a warning you damn pretty boy!" Issei screamed.
"Sorry Issei, but in battle, your enemy won't really give you any warnings," Kiba replied with a smile before pulling away.
"Damn you. Fine!" Issei responded, just as his first boost occurred.
The pattern continued for some time, with Kiba attacking and Issei blocking or dodging them. However, that in itself was impressive, considering what his starting point had been. Issei attempted to land a few strikes of his own, but the knight avoided them. One thing they all noticed though, was that the Issei was responding better and becoming more effective as he gained more boosts.
"Alright, here goes!" exclaimed Issei as his tenth boost occurred. "Explosion!" The jewel of the Boosted Gear lit up as Ddraig's voice mimicked Issei's cry. Suddenly, a green aura and sphere briefly appeared appeared around the brown haired teen's form.
Without warning, Issei began to rush Kiba with a flurry of strikes. Kiba blocked them all, however more and more cracks were appearing on the bokken with each hit. Finally, it shattered into splinters.
The blond teen immediately leaped back as he drew out his Holy Eraser, making sure that the edge was dulled as he'd been told. He rushed back towards Issei, slashing horizontally at his midsection, but the resident pervert deflected his strike by punching the sword with his armoured left fist. He then struck out with his right, aiming for Kiba's gut. He almost made contact when his opponent stepped to the side and retreated by jumping back.
"Issei!" Ichigo called out. "Use a magical attack!"
"Alright!" Issei agreed.
Issei thrust his left arm forth and gathered his magic power in front of his open left palm. It stopped at the size of a ping pong ball.
"Damn, looks like I'm still lacking in the magic department," he commented to himself. "Oh well, guess this'll just have to do!" He reared his fist back and punched the red sphere. "Dragon shot!" he shouted.
What no one expected, was for it to turn into a huge laser-like attack, which Kiba frantically threw himself to the side to avoid. It carried on past the knight and hit a neighbouring mountain. As soon as contact was made, the tower of rock exploded.
"Reset!" cried the Boosted Gear. Issei fell onto his back side from a mixture of shock and slight exhaustion. "Wh- whoa," he muttered in amazement.
Ichigo gave a whistle. "Damn, I honestly wasn't expecting that," the orange haired soul reaper commented. "Congratulations man."
"Yes, well done Issei," agreed Rias. "That attack was on the same level as a high class devil."
"S-seriously?!" Issei asked in shock.
"Ara ara, our little Issei''s grown so much," giggled Akeno.
"Issei-san, congratulations!" Asia exclaimed happily.
"Well done Issei-kun," complimented Kiba.
"… You've improved," Koneko monotoned.
"Ah, heh heh. Thanks guys," Issei smiled with a slight blush and a goofy grin as he got back to his feet. He then dismissed his sacred gear.
Ichigo turned to Kiba.
"What was your opinion of the battle?" he asked the knight.
"To be honest, I tried to end the match with the first few strikes, but he kept avoiding or blocking them," replied Kiba. "even when he blocked them, he didn't budge, despite me putting so much force into them that it actually caused strain on the bokken and made slight cracks. Then, he actually broke it through raw force."
"See? You've become a lot stronger Issei," Ichigo told him. "In fact, that bokken was actually reinforced and made to withstand strikes, yet you managed to break it."
"Yeah, I guess I have," agreed Issei. "Although, it's really all thanks to you… senpai sensei."
"Relax, there's no need to be so formal with me remember?" Ichigo replied with a smile.
Suddenly, a white magic circle with the Gremory insignia appeared on the floor, about two metres away from them, making every head urn towards it. Then, a figure appeared before them. A woman in a maid uniform. Also known as Grayfia.
"Grayfia!" Rias said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Greetings Miss Rias, and everyone else," said Grayfia. "I've come here regarding Ichigo Kurosaki –san's request."
"By the way, just Ichigo is fine. I'm not one for the formalities," Ichigo told her.
"Very well. As I was saying, I have looked into what you requested."
"Did you find anything?"
"Yes," replied Grayfia in the affirmative.
All of the Gremory peerage gave a sigh of relief. With the substitute soul reaper on their side, they felt like they were almost bound to win.
"What was it that you found exactly?" Ichigo inquired.
"In a rating game, each team is allowed to take two 'treasures' with them," began the maid. "However, if a peerage doesn't have a complete set of members, like Miss Rias', then they are allowed to take one additional person onto their team, at the cost of not being able to take any treasures. Furthermore, the additional person does not necessarily have to be a devil. It can be anyone."
"That's fine. Thanks again Grayfia-san," Ichigo said appreciatively.
"You are welcome," replied Grayfia. "It was not an issue."
The silver haired Ultimate queen then went back to wherever she had come from, via magic circle. Ichigo turned to face the devils.
"Alright guys, looks like I'll be joining you in your match against the turkey," he stated. "But that doesn't mean we stop training," he clarified. "We all need as strong as possible."
"Heh, I don't have a problem with that. After all, I aim to become the Ultimate Pawn!" Issei declared.
"I don't think any of us have an issue with getting stronger Ichigo-kun," said Akeno. The rest of the peerage nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, let's get to it!" Ichigo ordered.
"Yes sensei!" was the unanimous response, which Ichigo decided to not bother refuting.
(Gremory estate: sunset):
Everyone was resting as they finished training for the day. Ichigo was sitting down with his back against a tree behind the building. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head to see Koneko walking towards him.
"… Can I sit with you Ichigo-senpai?" the white haired rook asked when she was standing next to him.
"Sure, I don't mind at all," Ichigo consented.
"Thank you," she muttered before taking a seat on his right. A few seconds of silence passed. Koneko turned her head to face the orange haired teen. "Ichigo-senpai… can I… ask you something?"
Ichigo thought for a second. He closed his eyes as he relaxed his body. "Yeah, go ahead," he told her.
"I've noticed… that you seem more… open and relaxed with me and Asia-senpai. Why's that?"
Ichigo's eyes opened in slight surprise. His face formed a light frown as he pondered over it. His face relaxed as he found his answer.
"I guess," he began, "it's because the two of you remind me of my own little sisters."
"Your sisters?" Koneko asked with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I've got two sisters. They're both younger than me and are twins. One of them has light, sandy hair and an innocent, loving personality. She's the one that Asia reminds me of," he explained. "The other one, she's a little more straightforward and isn't afraid to give someone a beat down if they need it. A bit like you." He began ruffling Koneko's hair in a brotherly way.
Koneko's mouth formed a small smile and she began to make a faint noise that sounded like purring. She realised what she was doing after a few seconds and her face lit up bright red in embarrassment before she quickly moved her head away. Her reaction made Ichigo smile.
"Aw, what a cute reaction," he commented. She kept her gaze averted, not looking at him directly. "Don't worry, I won't do it if you don't like it," Ichigo reassured her. Koneko's face returned to its normal colour. She turned her face to him.
"Did… anything happen to your sisters?" she asked.
She immediately wished she hadn't, since Ichigo's expression became one with a slightly sad look to it.
"No, nothing happened to them," he said. "But unfortunately, I can never see them again."
"…I … I'm sorry," Koneko whispered sadly. "I didn't mean to-"
"Don't worry about it," Ichigo cut her off, shaking his head slightly with a small smile and his eyes closed. "You didn't know about it."
The teenage soul reaper then stood up.
"Come on, we should head inside with the others," he stated before he began walking away.
Koneko remained as she was. Painful memories of her losing her own sister and the events that followed played through her head. In that moment, she knew that someone who was the closest thing to a kindred spirit had come to her. Someone who shared a similar pain. She recalled what Ichigo had told her about why he was more relaxed around her and Asia.
"… Ichigo… nii-san," she whispered, as though she was testing it. It sounded alright, but she didn't think it'd be right to use it just yet.
Releasing a sigh, the petite girl stood up and began making her way to the entrance.
Omake:
Ichigo was taking a stroll in the park. It was a peaceful and quiet evening with a clear sky. The beautiful full moon was visible. He took a deep breath, relaxing himself. Without warning, a magic circle appeared beneath him.
"Seriously?!" he exclaimed as he was transported away.
When Ichigo could see again, he found himself in a forest. Not just any forest. The familiar forest.
"What the hell?" he murmured. "Why have I been brought here?"
Suddenly, he heard the fast approaching footfalls of someone who was running. Turning around, he saw Kuro running directly at him. He looked frantic, as though he was running for his life, with the small fragment in his arms, its round yellow eyes looking up at him.
"Ichigo! Help me!" he screamed as he approached.
"What's going on?!" Ichigo shouted back to him.
Kuro reached Ichigo, but he didn't stop. Instead, what he did was shift the small fragment, so that he was holding it with his left hand only, leving his right hand free to grab Ichigo's arm as he neared him, pulling the substitute along with him.
"Kuro?! The hell?!" Ichigo exclaimed as he released himself from the humanoid fragment's hold and ran alongside him. "What's wrong?"
"I brought here using the magic circle! You have to help me! She's trying to eat me!" Kuro screamed in response.
"Who?"
"Her!" said Kuro whilst pointing backwards with his thumb.
Ichigo looked back and saw a snow-white wolf chasing after them, its gaze fixed on the teen garbed in black. It was frighteningly close.
"What the hell did you do to get a wolf chasing you?" he asked Kuro.
"I don't know!" Kuro frantically replied. "The thing's been stalking me for days! I used to throw some food to it when I was eating, but when I tried to actually approach it today, it tried to pounce on me!"
Ichigo gave a depressed sigh as he ran. He was seriously doubting if having a normal life had really been all that bad. After all, he didn't have to deal with crazy things like this.
Kuro ended up tripping on an exposed, oversized tree root. The little fragment and his hat fell out of his hands as he fell to the floor. Ichigo stopped in his tracks and turned around. Kuro turned over when he saw a shadow cover him, attempting to roll out of the way. However, fate had other plans for him, as the wolf landed on top of him, pinning him down with his back to the ground.
The little fragment retreated into its shadow out of fear. The orange haired teen was about to move when the wolf began to unexpectedly glow a bright white. There was a brief flash of light, temporarily blinding all of them. When the light died down, the wolf was no longer on Kuro. Rather, what ichigo saw on top of the fragment, was a girl.
She looked the same age as Kuro, had waist-length silver hair, a fair skin tone, bright blue eyes and a pair of snow-white wolf ears on her head, as well as a matching wolf's tail. She was wearing a white kimono that reached just above her knees. She had a look of pure excitement and happiness as she looked down at Kuro.
"I finally caught you!" she exclaimed joyfully before hugging him without any further ado.
"Kuro, please explain the meaning of this," Ichigo demanded with a tick on his forehead, annoyed that Kuro had dragged him here simply for this.
"Hey, hey, easy! I'm just as dumbfounded as you are!" Kuro said in defense.
The little fragment came out of its shadow and simply stared at the scene. The wolf-girl was still hugging Kuro and it didn't look like she intended to let go anytime soon.
"Please let me stay with you!" she asked excitedly without relenting her embrace.
"Wait, what?" Kuro asked in shock.
"Please let me stay with you and please look after me," she said. "I want to stay with you forever!"
"What!" exclaimed Kuro.
"For ever and ever and ever!" she said whilst she continued hugging him.
Ichigo face-palmed from where he was watching on the side.
"Good grief," he complained.
Chapter 12:
Rating Game
(Ichigo's house: Ichigo's room):
Ichigo stood by his window, looking out at the neighbourhood. Night had fallen over Kuoh, casting a cloak of darkness over the town. The spiky, orange-haired teen was clad in his black soul reaper attire. His sacred gear was already equipped.
"Guess it's time to go," he muttered to no one in particular. He slowly began making his way towards the door, intending to take leave from his house. Once he was outside, he calmly took to the skies as he started his journey to Kuoh academy.
(Issei's house: Issei's room):
Issei was sat down on his bed in anticipation. He'd just finished talking with Ddraig. Today was the day of the rating game. The battle against Riser and his Peerage. They'd all been training intensely during their last few days, except for the final day of the training period, because Ichigo had instructed them all to just use that day to rest up and recover. Otherwise, they'd lose the match due to fatigue.
They couldn't afford to lose. Not when Rias' freedom was on the line like this. Not when there was the danger of her being forcibly married to that stuck up playboy, Riser. He remembered the talk that he'd had with Rias in private, during one of the nights whilst they were training. When she'd mentioned her 'dream' to him. He wouldn't allow that to be taken away from her. She deserved much better than that.
Ichigo had assisted him in developing a new technique. The mechanics were similar to his dragon shot, following the same core principles. He'd materialise his magic power, or a portion of it. However, instead of punching the sphere forward, he'd enclose his hand around it into a fist. The result was that he could then deliver an extremely powerful punch, which he'd dubbed the dragon smash. Also, there was his special move that Asia had helped him to perfect, although he hadn't revealed it to anyone. This was for various reasons, one being that Ichigo, using his impossible strength, would reduce him to a bloody pulp.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of his bedroom door opening. Turning his head in the corresponding direction, Issei was greeted with the sight of innocent little Asia. The blonde bishop was wearing her nun clothes, although the cross was omitted.
"Issei-san, can I come in?" she nervously asked.
"Oh, uh yeah, sure you can," he replied, causing Asia to enter happily.
His fellow peerage member sat down next to him.
"Are those your clothes from when you were a nun?" he inquired.
"Yes," she responded. "Buchou-san told me to wear whatever I felt the most comfortable in, so I decided to wear my clothes from when I was a nun."
Issei noticed that she seemed a bit fidgety. He was about to ask her what was wrong, when she spoke again.
"Issei-san, can I please lean on your shoulder?" she requested.
"Yeah, go ahead," he consented with a small, yet warm smile.
Asia placed her head onto her saviour's shoulder, instantly becoming calm.
"When I think about how we have to fight a hard battle today against someone so strong, I feel afraid," she stated. "I know that Ichigo-san was kind enough to train us and that I can look after myself now, but I still feel scared. But, when I'm with you, I feel calm. I feel as though everything's going to be okay"
Issei was practically speechless. He didn't know that Asia though so highly of him. That she felt safe around him, just because he was there.
"Issei-san, can you promise me something?" she inquired.
"Um, yeah… okay. What is it?" he asked her whilst giving her his permission.
"Can you please stay with me forever?" she asked him hopefully. "To stay with me and always look after me?"
After overcoming his initial shock, Issei smiled and patted her head.
"Of course," he answered. "I'll always look after you, Asia"
Just then, a red magic circle appeared in the middle of his bedroom, bearing the Gremory insignia.
"Looks like it's time to go," remarked Issei as he gently moved Asia's head off his shoulder and stood up. "Come on Asia, Buchou's waiting for us."
(ORC clubroom):
Everyone was present in the clubroom. Except for Ichigo, who was calmly sitting on one of the sofas, all of them were garbed in their school uniform. Besides, his shihakusho was black, so it matched their uniform and they'd be able to easily recognise him. They all noticed that he had black, skeletal gauntlets on his hands, but no one questioned him about it. He was currently sipping tea from a cup in his right hand.
Akeno was standing with her usual smile. Unlike the majority of the group, she was wearing a red and white shrine maiden outfit. She was also holding a circular tray with both of her hands, which practically told everyone that she was the one who'd given Ichigo the tea.
Kiba was putting on simple metal gauntlets and greaves. They'd increase his defence without really slowing him down due to their lightweight. Even now, he retained his cheerful, prince-like demeanour, however you could tell that there was tension on his mind.
Koneko was sitting on the sofa reading a small handbook on martial arts. The short rook was wearing fingerless M.M.A gloves that had a metal strip on the back of each hand and a pink, cat's paw print in the centre of each strip.
"Thank you for coming everyone," said Rias appreciatively. "And thank you, Ichigo, for training us when you didn't have to."
"Don't mention it, it's nothing," insisted Ichigo. "Besides, I hated that guy's attitude and I told you, I don't agree with forced marriages."
The door to the clubroom opened as Sona and her queen, Tsubaki, walked into the room. Their facial expressions were as blank and stern-looking as ever, however there was a hint of anxiety in their eyes.
"Hello Rias," greeted Sona. "I came here to wish you luck against Riser."
Rias smiled at her childhood friend. "Thank you for your support Sona."
"By the way," continued Sona, "me and Tsubaki are going to be watching your match."
Before any further exchanges could be made, the magic circle in the centre of the room lit up and activated. Soon after, Grayfia appeared via her own magic circle.
"Everyone, it's time for the rating game to begin," she informed them. "Also, in addition to the elder members of each household, master Sirzechs will be watching this match."
"I see," muttered Rias. "So big brother's going to be watching this battle too."
Ichigo stood up from his seat and briefly loosened his shoulders.
"Well, looks like the preparations are complete," the substitute soul reaper observed.
Everyone else finished what they were doing before the all stepped into the glowing circle on the floor. Then, a bright light shone up around them, temporarily obscuring their vision. When the flash had died down, they saw what looked like an exact replica of the room.
'Damn,' thought Ichigo. 'Gotta say, this is pretty neat. Looks like they got everything down to the fine details.'
"Eeeeh!?" exclaimed Issei. "What? Why didn't it work?! We're in the exact same place!"
Ichigo looked at the brown-haired teen with a deadpan stare.
"Seriously, just how thick are you Hyodou?" he asked flatly.
"Eh? What do you mean?" was Issei's reply, a confused expression on his face.
"Issei, this is just a replica of the school created for the purpose of holding the rating game," explained Rias. "You can go all out in here without worrying about any damage that you'll cause, because it's in a separate dimension."
Issei's face was the very image of shocked thoughtless. "EEEH!?" he shouted in surprise once his mind had processed what the princess of ruin had told him. "They can actually do that?!"
There was a brief ring of static as the (replica) school's intercom system was turned on.
"Good evening," announced a female voice that they all recognised as Grayfia's. "My name is Grayfia, a maid of the Gremory household. I shall be the arbiter for this match between Miss Rias and Riser Phenex. Both teams have been placed in their base, Miss Rias' being the Occult research clubroom in the old building and Riser Phenex's being the student council office in the new building. In order for any pawns to promote, they must reach the enemy base. The match will continue till sunrise in the human world. Both minutes have fifteen minutes to plan." The intercom was then turned off.
"Everyone, please take one of these," requested Rias, holding small, translucent, pink spheres in her hand. "These are magic transceivers and will allow us to stay in contact."
The others gathered around and took one each, placing them into their ears. Once everyone had finished doing that, Rias took out a map of the school. It was gridded, possessing numbered squares, like a chessboard. She began talking again.
"Okay, we need to plan how we're going to attack. First, I want Koneko and Yuuto to use their familiars and lay traps in the forest," she explained. The two said peerage members nodded in understanding, summoning their respective familiars after a second. "Akeno, I want you to set a fog over the forest, obviously one that won't affect our team."
"Understood," confirmed Akeno.
"They're most likely going to try taking the gym building, since it provides a clear path from the new school building to the old school building. It'll troublesome if all of Riser's pawns came here and promoted to queen pieces, so we'll have to focus on taking it out. Yuuto, I want you to take this map and mark the places where you and Koneko lay any traps," she instructed, rolling up the map and handing it to Kiba.
The blond knight picked up what looked like a small tool box before him, Koneko and Akeno made their way out of the clubroom. It was then that Issei decided to speak up and ask about what was on his mind.
"Um, Buchou," he began, "what are we supposed to do?"
Rias gave him a soft smile. "Come here Issei," she instructed him as she made her way over to one of the sofas. The pawn did as he was told to, moving towards her whilst she sat down on the sofa. "Now, put your head here," she told him whilst patting her lap.
Needless to say, all three of the others were shocked. Although, in different ways. Issei had a dumb, excited grin plastered all over his face. Ichigo's eyes had widened considerably. As for Asia, she had blatant jealousy written all over her face.
'Oh! Could it really be?' thought Issei ecstatically. 'Am I about to receive a legendary lap-pillow from Buchou?' He quickly regained his (outward) composure before replying to Rias. "Y-yes, of course."
When the brown-haired boy had placed his head where ordered to, Rias began to gently stroke his hair. Soon, Issei began to get an unexpected, but not unwelcome feeling of strength building up inside him. He wondered if it was something to do with his master's actions.
"Um, Buchou?" he inquired.
"I just undid some of the seal on your power," Rias answered him. "When I reincarnated you using the eight pawn pieces, it was too much power for your body to handle at that time. That's why I sealed it away, otherwise it would have broken your body apart. Now that you're stronger thanks to Ichigo's training, I was able to safely unseal some for you."
Issei was practically speechless. "Th-thank you."
Asia was now wearing a teary-eyed expression. 'To think, I was jealous of Buchou when all she was doing was helping Issei-san,' she mentally cried.
'So I was right in thinking that he had potential huh? More right than I knew apparently,' thought the orange-haired soul reaper.
"Issei," said Rias. "Become strong. Try to get to the enemy's base and promote to queen. Aim to become the ultimate queen."
"Okay, if you tell me to do it, then I'll try my best," Issei accepted. "Although, as a guy, it feels kind of weird to become a queen."
Rias giggles, whilst Ichigo gave a small smirk. "Don't worry," Rias consoled. "It's just a title."
After about a minute, Rias lifted Issei's head. "I think that's enough, the others are back."
"Okay," Issei complied as he sat up straight.
The door opened as Kiba, Koneko and Akeno entered the clubroom.
"Buchou, we're finished," reported Kiba.
"Thank you," replied Rias gratefully as she stood back up. "Here's what I plan to do. Yuuto, I want you to go into the forest and deal with any pieces that Riser's put there. They'll most likely be pawns. Issei and Koneko, I want you to go to the gym building. Ichigo, please go with them to provide support. They'll most likely be pawns again, but there's a high chance that Riser will place a rook there as well. Once you've disabled them, let Akeno know. Then, evacuate the building so that she can destroy it. After that, move to the sports field. Asia, I want you to stay with me. It'll be bad if our healer gets injured or taken out the match. The two of us will move later on in the game."
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Alright, my adorable servants and trusted friends. Our enemy is Riser Phenex, a high class devil. Let's go together and show him defeat!" she commanded.
"Yes!" they all cheered, even though Ichigo's was more of an "Alright!"
Without any further ado, the appointed members opened the window before leaping out.
([Duplicate] Kuoh academy: Gym building):
Ichigo, Issei and Koneko were in the shadows at the back of the gym. To be more precise, they were on backstage, behind the curtains. Cautiously peeking through a gap, they saw the enemy. There were the two twins, the girl who'd tried to strike Issei, called Mira, as well as another girl with black hair and white hair buns who was wearing what looked like Chinese-style clothing.
"Three pawns and one rook," stated Koneko in a whisper.
Suddenly, one of them called out, intending for them to hear. "Come out servants of Gremory! We know your there!"
"Damn," muttered Issei. "I was hoping we could surprise attack them."
"Let's go," said Koneko monotonously as she stood up. Her two companions soon did the same
Calmly, the three of them entered into the open area of the gym hall.
"Boosted Gear," whispered Issei, summoning his sacred gear into existence. "Standby."
"Ichigo-senpai, Issei-senpai," said Koneko in a low voice. "That rook will be my opponent."
"Fight like with like, huh?" commented Ichigo, not taking his gaze off their opponents. "Fine with me."
"I guess that means we'll take the pawns," chipped in Issei. "Alright Ddraig, let's do this."
"What are you doing just standing there and talking with each other?" questioned the rook. "Come down and fight us, or are you too afraid?"
Without any further words, Ichigo and the two members of the Gremory peerage jumped off the stage towards their agreed opponents. Koneko was before the enemy rook, whilst the two guys were in front of the three pawns. Issei's first boost occurred.
The two rooks wasted no time in beginning their battle. Koneko easily evaded the hostile strikes, the petite girl making small yet quick movements that allowed her to weave through them gracefully. Ichigo could tell that she was just biding her time before she retaliated with her own assault.
"Disassembling time!" cheered the two twins a little toogleefully as they set their shoulder bags down. That sent some minor alarms off in Ichigo's mind.
'I have a feeling that this is going to be crazy, but still serious,' he thought apprehensively.
Suddenly, the two twins pulled out chainsaws and revved the machines to life.
"What the hell!?" screamed Issei in disbelief. "What the hell are you two doing with dangerous things like that?!"
"This battle is for Riser-sama," they announced in unison, as though they hadn't even heard the brown-haired pawn. "So that's why, please die!"
Without warning, the twins and the third pawn charged towards Ichigo and Issei with their respective weapons. Issei rushed forward to engage Mira, whilst Ichigo faced the twins.
Using his armoured hands, the teenage substitute deflected the first chainsaw by punching it with his right hand. The second sister came from behind and attempted to land a hit, but Ichigo spun around and smacked the dangerous tool off its intended course. He heard Ddraig's voice cry out from Issei's gauntlet as his second boost took place.
Without warning, the twins switched their target to the resident pervert.
"Take him out now before he has the chance to get strong enough!" one of them ordered Mira as they approached him.
Issei leaped away from the staff-wielding pawn and turned to face the twins of destruction. He ducked under the first chainsaw, then blocked the second using the Boosted Gear. Before Mira could take advantage of the situation and strike him, Ichigo arrived in front of her and kicked the staff out of her hands. As she jumped back to try and catch it, he grabbed Zangetsu's handle, causing the impromptu cloth sheath to unravel from the blade. Without a second's delay, he rushed to the one twin that was trying to land a hit on Issei and batted her chainsaw away with his zanpakto. Issei's third boost occurred as he swung his arm outwards, consequently forcing the twin that he was blocking away.
"Alright, let's go, Boosted Gear!" he commanded as he raised his covered left arm into the air.
"Explosion!" shouted Ddraig's voice in response.
Issei was briefly enshrouded in an emerald green aura.
Checking on Koneko, Ichigo saw that she was brutally striking Riser's rook with a fast flurry of punches. He turned his focus back on the current red dragon emperor.
Issei had charged forth, sidestepped the chainsaw of one of the twins, then smacked her on the back with enough force that she was sent to the floor. However, the orange-haired teen's observant eyes noticed a red magic circle briefly appear after the contact of Issei's hand.
"How dare you hit my sister!" screamed the other twin in fury as she bolted towards Issei, wanting revenge. She lunged at him to cover the ground between them more quickly. Issei smirked as he ran behind her and delivered a swift palm strike to her back also, sending her sprawling next to her sister. Again, Ichigo saw a red magic circle flash a second after the contact.
"What the hell's going on?" asked the first one in surprise and a hint of fear. "There's no way that he's the same weakling from before, he's like an entirely different person!"
Mira rushed towards the Gremory pawn, readying her staff. Issei turned around and grabbed her stick firmly with his left hand when she swung it towards him. He momentarily reared his right fist back before punching the stick in the middle, snapping it in half. Using his enemy's shock to his advantage, Issei moved behind her and punched her in the back, sending her to join her fellow pawns on the floor. Just like the other two, the red magic circle had appeared for a moment just after Issei touched her.
The two teens turned to look to Koneko. The enemy rook was lying down on the floor with bruises all over her body, as well as Koneko sitting on her back and holding her hands in place, restricting her movement.
"Alright," said Issei dramatically, drawing everyone's attention to him. "It's time to use my secret killer technique that I've been developing!"
'Secret technique?' Ichigo questioned mentally. 'He actually made his own move?'
Issei raised his gauntlet-clad hand into the air. "Dress Break!" he shouted as he clicked his fingers, his bat-like devil wings bursting out.
Almost immediately, the clothes of the three downed pawns shredded away into nothingness, leaving them as exposed as the day they were born. Naturally, all three gave a high-pitched scream in response and desperately tried to cover themselves as best as they could, with the twins hiding behind their chainsaws.
Issei, on the other hand, was practically drooling as he marvelled at the sight before him. He began to cheer excitedly in triumph.
"Wow! It really worked! My super technique which allows me to truly appreciate a-"
He never got to finish his sentence, because a certain orange-haired soul reaper smacked the back of his head with such power behind the blow that Issei crashed face first into the floor, making a spider web of cracks.
"What the hell's wrong with you, you creep!" Ichigo roared in fury at the resident pervert.
Issei started to whimper as tears streamed from his eyes. "*sob*, senpai, you're a traitor to the Y chromosome."
"Disgusting," stated Koneko coldly, causing Issei to flinch as though he'd been stabbed.
Sighing in annoyance, Ichigo began walking up to the three unfortunate girls.
"W-what are you doing?!" demanded the one called Mira.
"Yeah! Stay away from us!" said one of the twins.
"Stop jumping to conclusions," Ichigo chastised them with an annoyed frown on his face. He took the outer coat of his uniform off and threw it to them. The three pawns looked at him blankly for a second before they registered what he'd done and picked up the black overcoat. They huddled together and used it to cover themselves.
"Thanks," they muttered.
Suddenly, Rias' voice sounded in their ears, via the communicators.
"Hello? Ichigo, can you please tell me the situation?" she asked.
"Yeah," replied Ichigo. "Riser's pieces have been… subdued."
"Alright, everyone please evacuate the building so that Akeno can destroy it with her attack."
Ichigo, Koneko and Issei all began rushing towards the gym's exit.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" shouted the rook whom Koneko had defeated. "This building is an important strategic location in this match!" But, her words fell on deaf ears, as the trio continued making their way out. Whilst they were moving, in a second, Ichigo shifted his clothes to his casual clothes before switching it back to his soul reaper uniform, thus restoring his black overcoat.
When they arrived in the open air outside, Issei contacted Rias.
"Buchou, we've left the gym building," he informed her.
"Good, now stand by," Rias instructed.
They all turned around to face the building. In the next second, a huge yellow thunderbolt descended onto the structure, completely obliterating it.
"Riser Phenex's three pawns and one rook retire," announced Grayfia over the intercom.
Looking up, the three of them saw Akeno flying in the air, her wings out.
"Alright! Way to go, Akeno-san!" Issei cheered in congratulations.
"Ufufufu, it was my pleasure," giggled Akeno before she flew away.
"That was some great teamwork, right Koneko-chan?" Issei asked as he raised his hand for a high-five with the white-haired rook.
"Don't touch me," rejected Koneko icily.
Ichigo raised his right fist slightly. "Issei, I swear if you dare try to do that again…"
"Hey! I'd never use it on a comrade!" Issei protested as he waved his hands in denial.
"Issei, Ichigo and Koneko," said Rias, "move on to the woods and meet up with Yuuto. Akeno's on standby until I give her another order, or the need arises."
"Okay Buchou, we're on our way," confirmed Issei.
Without warning, Ichigo's battle instincts kicked in, warning him of approaching danger. Without a word, he spun round to face Koneko with the speed of lightning, put his arms around her shoulders and got a firm hold on the surprised rook before he flash-stepped a few paces away. He was just in time too, for a large explosion struck where the small girl had been standing just a second ago, creating a reasonably sized crater. Koneko subconsciously held onto her protector's shirt when she thought of what would have happened if he hadn't saved her.
"Oh, what's this?" spoke an arrogant voice. "I didn't expect you pathetic weaklings to be able to avoid that attack. Especially when your guard should have been down due to your recent little victory. Seems that you deserve some credit after all."
Looking up, the three of them saw Riser's queen, Yubelluna flying above them. The woman had a smug look etched into her face, which only served to further aggravate Ichigo. He fixed her with a deadly glare as he gently let go of Koneko. Issei's fists were shaking in anger.
"That was a cowardly move," the teenage substitute soul reaper growled.
"Hah, in battle you can use any means to get victory," she countered proudly. "We can afford a little loss like this because your group is so small. It doesn't matter if we have to sacrifice a few pieces."
Her last statement practically drove Ichigo up the figurative wall. He was ready to unsheathe his zanpakto and knock her down a few notches. However, before any action could be taken, Riser's queen was forced to take evasive manoeuvres and dodge an oncoming thunderbolt.
"Ara ara, it's not very nice to try and attack my friends in such an underhanded manner," Akeno chastised as she arrived above her team members. Her right hand was sparking with a few remnants of electricity. "Your opponent will be me, Yubelluna-san." Although her words were polite, the last part of her small speech contained a noticeable, almost tangible sharpness.
"Akeno-san!" Issei called out. Even though the priestess of thunder didn't look towards him, he knew she was listening. "Make sure you beat her!"
"Don't worry Ise-kun," Akeno reassured. "I'll be just fine. You should get going, after all you have your own part to play in this fight too."
"Hey, Akeno," Ichigo called out. She nodded to show that she was listening. "Conductivity," was all Ichigo said to her. Akeno nodded, knowing what Ichigo was referring to straight away. It was a little tactic that he'd taught her during their training.
Ichigo and the two Gremory peerage members turned on their heels and took off for the forest, Ichigo holding himself back so he didn't leave Issei and Koneko behind.
"So you'll face me alone, priestess of thunder?" questioned Yubelluna smugly. "Especially when you just performed such a large magic attack?"
"Oh don't worry," reassured Akeno playfully. "My reseves still have more than enough magic and I only need a moment to recharge, bomb-queen."
Riser's queen scowled. "I hate that name because of its bad taste," she spat. "Enough talking. I won't allow you to interfere with Riser-sama."
She then threw a fireball at the raven-haired teen. Akeno swiftly evaded by flying around it, then retaliated by throwing a small thunderbolt at her enemy. Yubelluna negated the attack by hurling a firebomb into it, causing a small explosion in the air.
As the two queens were getting into their aerial combat, Ichigo and his two companions were approaching the border of the forest. Garyfia's voice rang out as she made another announcement.
"Riser Phenex's three pawns retire."
"That must be Kiba's doing," the teenage soul reaper commented.
"Yeah," agreed Issei. "I never thought I'd say this, but way to go pretty boy."
Koneko simply nodded with a slight hum to show that she was of like mind.
The trio entered the array of trees, moving with caution in case any of Riser's servants were lurking about. They continued proceeding through the sea of wood without a word between them. Soon, Ichigo caught the sound of soft footsteps approaching their position. He raised his hand as a signal for Koneko and Issei to halt their movements. Closing his eyes, he spread his senses out in an attempt to identify the spiritual pressure signature. Within a second or two he recognised it as Rias' knight.
"It's alright," he told the other two. "It's just Kiba coming towards us."
True to the orange-haired teen's words, the blond prince charming of the school stumbled through a bush a moment later, entering their view. After regaining his composure, he looked towards the group.
"It's good to see that you're all fine Ichigo, Issei-kun, Koneko-chan," he stated with his signature smile in place.
"Good to see that you're still in fighting condition too," replied Ichigo.
"By the way… nice going with the three pawns," complimented Issei.
"Good to see you… Yuuto-senpai," Koneko responded.
"Let's get going," suggested Kiba. "We need to reach Riser's base."
The four of them turned in the appropriate direction and proceeded to move along stealthily, yet at the same time fairly quickly.
(Destroyed gym building site):
Thunderbolts and fireballs danced through the air as the two opposing queens relentlessly attacked one another. Akeno threw another thunderbolt at an oncoming fireball, her strike piercing through her enemy's and continuing on towards the other queen. Unfortunately for her, Yubelluna dodged it at the last second. Akeno's miko uniform had a few minor rips in its fabric. Yubelluna's (scanty) clothing was also a little torn and she had a few small marks on some of her exposed skin.
"My my, you're quite troublesome," Akeno complained out loud. "It looks like I'll have to change tactics."
"Oh? And just what would that be?" inquired Yubelluna.
Instead of receiving a verbal response, she was unexpectedly soaked by a spray of water that Akneno had flung at her. Yubelluna blinked as her mind processed what Rias' queen had done to her.
"Was that it?" she asked. "Just make me wet with water? I have to say, it's rather… underwhelming."
She was soaked by the black-haired girl again. But this time, she actually got annoyed.
"You little brat," she growled through gritted teeth. "Fine! Carry on acting so stupid! I'll just put you out of your misery right now!"
The woman in magician-like clothing then hurled another one of her trademark firebombs at Akeno, then followed it up with three fireballs that trailed behind it. Akeno countered by sending a large wave of water at the approaching fire. Following it up, she quickly sent a relatively small stream of water straight after it, then a small thunderbolt just after that.
Her first wave of water extinguished her opponent's fire attacks, with just under half of it still remaining. It was then hit by the stream that she'd fired, taking it forward with the already moving water and the thunderbolt was close behind. Yubelluna was consequently soaked for the third time. Before she could scream in frustration however, she was struck by the thunderbolt. The electricity assaulted her like there was no tomorrow, shocking her eagerly. Amidst the pain, it then registered in some back part of her mind why Rias' queen had soaked her. The water was acting as a conductor for the electricity in the thunderbolt. Since her full body was drenched, there was no part that it couldn't easily access.
"Thunder javelin!" Akeno shouted out as she raised her right hand high above her head before bringing it down and keeping it outstretched towards her enemy. A mere moment after her words, a huge lightning bolt the size of a transport coach crashed down onto Yubelluna.
When the attack eventually dissipated, Yubelluna's heavily electrocuted body fell to the ground. She was still conscious, although barely. She had just enough strength to move her arms. Slowly, her muscles burning with pain, she retrieved her hidden vial of phoenix tears. The extreme damage dealt to her was quickly taking its toll, her vision growing darker by the second as she felt her grip on consciousness rapidly declining. Raising the small bottle to her mouth, she pulled out the stopper with her teeth and quickly began drinking the liquid. In an instant, she felt all the pain and fatigue vanish as her body was rejuvenated and restored to its prime condition. Using a sudden burst of speed, she shot back up into the air and hurled a firebomb at an off-guard Akeno. The attack met its intended target, causing Akeno to gasp with pain as she began to spiral down. Before she hit the ground though, the priestess of thunder recovered and flew back up to be level with the bomb-queen.
(Forest: Near the new school building):
The four ground assault members of Rias' team were crouching down near the edge of the forest. The enemy base was within sight. So were Riser's remaining pieces. Two pawns, two bishops, two knights and one rook.
Issei was visibly nervous, his full body vibrating. He jumped slightly when Kiba tapped him on the shoulder.
"Issei-kun," he called.
"What do you want?" the pawn replied in a slightly snappy tone. "And don't scare me like that!"
"Are you nervous?" asked Kiba kindly.
"Well of course I am!" Issei answered. "I mean, why wouldn't I be? I don't have any combat experience and there's so many of them!"
"I'm also nervous," responded Kiba, raising his right hand slightly so that his comrade could see it. His hand was visibly trembling.
'What the?! Even Kiba's nervous?' Issei thought in surprise.
Ichigo blocked out their conversation as he checked up on Akeno's spiritual pressure. His eyes widened at what he ended up reading. Koneko noticed his reaction from her position next to him.
"Ichigo-senpai, what's wrong?" the white-haired girl asked.
"It's Akeno," he told her. "She's in a tight situation."
Before the small rook could inquire further, they all heard one of Riser's knights walking forward and declaring a challenge to them, saying that she was tired of waiting and wishing to have a true sword fight, etcetra.
"Haha," chuckled Kiba. "Well, my honour and pride as a Knight won't allow me to let this declaration go unchallenged." He began to get up to his feet.
"Hey guys, listen up," Ichigo said as he stood up, catching their attention. "It seems like Akeno's in a bit of a bind. I'm going to go help her out. Make sure you don't lose here, okay?"
"Don't worry, everything'll be fine," remarked Issei, a serious resolve in his brown eyes. "Just leave it to us."
"Alright, don't let all my training go to waste," Ichigo told him with a smile. "Go and show them what the red dragon emperor can do."
"Yes sir! I'll show the fruits of my training!" Issei declared proudly.
The orange-haired teen turned around and began speeding off towards the location where he could sense the two queens of each peerage battling fiercely.
(Destroyed gym building site):
Akeno hastily launched a sphere of water at the oncoming fireball before being forced to swerve to the left to avoid another. She quickly turned around and threw a thunderbolt towards a firebomb, causing both attacks to explode in mid-air. She was beginning to pant quite heavily from the effort and exhaustion. She'd used up a vast majority of her magical reserves when she'd attacked Riser's queen before, believing that it would be a finishing blow. But then her opponent healed herself completely using her bottle of phoenix tears. At the moment, the raven-haired was pretty much running on fumes.
Hearing a sizzling sound, she saw another firebomb being flung towards her, however this one was ten times larger than the previous ones. She was preparing to create whatever counter or defence she could currently muster, but was cut off by a large shout that she recognised.
"Getsuga tensho!"
Out of nowhere, a large, cresent wave of light blue energy charged into the hostile attack, negating it entirely. Suddenly, Akeno felt the presence of someone standing/ flying besides her, on her right. Looking in that direction, she saw Ichigo standing on the air next to her.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologised, not taking his focus off the enemy queen in front of him.
"Well, better late than never," Akeno replied with her usual smile.
"Just stay on the side for now, I've got this," the teenage substitute ordered as he began moving towards Riser's queen.
Yubelluna didn't say anything to the approaching young man. She knew that he'd be dangerous. His power was easily detectable, as though it was leaking out of his very body.
Ichigo flash-stepped behind her, catching her by surprise. Before she could look for where he'd seemingly vanished to, he rammed his right fist into her back, making her shout out in pain. Charging the byakko lightning of his sacred gear, he blasted it out of his fist like a railgun. The blue electricity raced towards the ground, forcing Yubelluna onwards from behind. She met the floor face-first, colliding with it harshly enough to leave an imprint.
As she was attempting to start lifting herself out of the dent and off the ground, Ichigo began charging up a ball of lightning just above the open palm of his right hand. Within a mere second, it was the size of a beach ball.
"Hey Akeno," he called out. "Come over here would you."
"Yes, what is it?" she inquired as she drew near him.
"Do you want a part of the finisher?" he asked her.
"What do you mean?" she asked him, the confusion present in her purple eyes.
"Do you want to do a joint attack with me to finish her?" Ichigo clarified.
Akeno's mouth formed a smile. "It would be my pleasure," she told him.
The raven-haired girl brought her hand close to Ichigo's sphere of lightning. She didn't question it, but for some reason it gave off a slight feeling which felt akin to holy power. Soon, she started adding her own power to the orb.
Yellow electricity began arcing around and throughout the ball. Then, it became a swirling, storming mass of light blue and yellow electricity with sparks orbiting around it.
With a battle-cry, the two allies hurled the attack forward at their target. The ball zipped towards Yubelluna, a small tail trailing off from it as it moved. Her eyes widened in fear as it approached her. A few moments before it reached her, she began to see it in the image of a tiger made from blue lightning charging towards her with yellow bolts dancing around it wildly. Then, it made contact, which to her vision was seen as the great beast pouncing at her with its claws outstretched. An 'eruption' of the twin colours of the lightning followed, similar to how a geyser would erupt.
"Riser Phenex's queen retires," declared Grayfia as she announced their victory.
Akeno released a large sigh. Her reserves were by now drained close to completely. She felt a hand gently clasp her shoulder.
"Take it easy for now," instructed Ichigo.
She only felt too happy to oblige. "I think I'll do just that," she admitted.
"I'm going for Riser," her orange-haired classmate informed her before flying away.