Chapter 31: Tiamats Training
"That's right I called in Tiamat and she agreed to help me train you guys to the best of her abilities. I wanted to also call in Tannin but he is currently busy taking care of other things" he explained to everyone about his plan for Tiamat to train them.
Tiamat stepped forward and addressed all of them.
"I've already heard most of what is happening from Issei. In short, in order for you, Rias Gremory, to get out of your current engagement with Riser Phenix both your families suggested to settle the matter via an unofficial rating game which would decide the fate of this engagement. In addition, you only have 10 days to train your skills and abilities as much as possible before your inevitable fight which is why Issei called me to train you, correct?"
'It's 9 days now though' Issei mumbled in his thoughts but didn't say anything.
Rias nodded at her points and then Tiamat crossed her arms below her chest
"I'll be straight forward. Even if you train for the next 10 days, there is very little chance you will be able to defeat Riser Phenix. As I'm sure you are already aware, he is a very poor matchup against you and your peerage Rias Gremory. Your team specializes in overwhelming power but against the Phenix Rengeration, it will not be able to prevail. That alone would not be so bad but he has way more experience than you do when it comes to Rating games." Tiamat gave her blunt reasoning which pretty much sums up their chances at winning, not that they didn't already know this.
"I know that very well Tiamat-sama. Despite how much I despise Riser, I know that he is a formidable opponent who has participate in various rating games but that does not mean that we will not try. This is my one chance to get out of this engagement and you can bet that I will do my best to turn it into reality." Rias said full of determination. Everyone else nodded, eyes steeled in determination to aid their king.
Tiamat grinned, pleased with their resolve.
"hm, good. Make sure not let that determination of yours waver, for you are going to need it in order to make it through my training in order to have any chance of winning against the fire bird and his peerage. It does bother me a bit to train the user of the boosted gear as well but I'll do it since Issei asked me to do it." She glared at Matsuda for a moment causing a chill down his spine before re-directing her gaze to Issei.
"Now then, please explain to me how you trained them yesterday so I can get a good idea on how to expand their training." Issei nodded and proceeded to explain how he trained everyone yesterday earning him a respectable stare from Tiamat.
"I have to say that I'm impressed Issei. Despite the fact that you never taught before, you were able to come up with a great training regiment for their current abilities. It makes me wonder why you even bothered to call me when you have done such a magnificent job" she smiled at Issei as she complimented him causing Issei to blush at her compliment.
"Oh um, t-thank you very much Tiamat for the compliment but it isn't really much compared to Tannin-shishou. I simply used the light exercises he used to train me with in the past… also… I thought this would be a good time to spend some time with each other" he mumbled the last part very quietly.
Everyone deadpanned when they heard Issei say that everything they did yesterday was merely light exercises.
'THAT WAS LIGHT TRAINING' they all shouted internally as some sweat starting pouring down their face.
Of course, Tiamat and Akeno heard the last part very clearly and they couldn't help but smile. Tiamat stepped forward and grasped his hand.
"In that case, I would be glad to help. However, since there is only over a week remaining until the game is scheduled, training will be gruesome and I expect all of you to train as hard as possible without complaint. Is that clear!" she stated strongly.
Everyone nodded their heads.
"Yes."
"Good" she released her hold on Issei "Then let's get started. The first thing we will do is that you will spar with each other so that I can get an estimate of your skills and abilities which will help me determine what areas you need to improve on. To start with, Rias will face Akeno and Koneko against Kiba. You can start whenever you are ready." Both pairs nodded and left which left Matsuda and Asia.
"W-What about us?" Asia asked nervously as Tiamat re-directed her attention towards the remaining two.
"I have a different training in mind for you Asia. First of all, I heard that Issei taught you a skill when you were climbing the mountain. Could you show it to me?" Tiamat inquired. Asia nodded as she focused her energy to the tip of her fingers and sure enough, like during her mountain climbing training, they turned into claws. At the same time, her wings sprung from her back. It sometimes occurred whenever she tapped into her abilities. Tiamat whistled, impressed by her progress
"Considering that this was your first time using your draconic abilities, it's very impressive that you were able to learn how to partially transform a part of your body into a dragon." Asia blushed at the compliment she was receiving.
"You know… I was skeptical at first when Issei told me you were a Fairy Dragon but seeing your wings and aura up close, there is no mistake that you truly are one. How long has it been since I have witnessed a Fairy dragon alive and well?" she started reminiscing of the past. Asia, on the other hand, was surprised that she has made contact with others like her. From what Issei had told her, her kind were the first species of dragons to have gone extinct.
"You met others like me?" Tiamat nodded at her question.
"In the past, I've met a few fairy dragons in my travels. They lived in seclusion since even back then, many fought in order to acquire their abilities for their own means or kill them. I've even met the Primordial Fairy dragon once."
This time, it was Issei who was surprised at the mention of this.
"S-Seriously, you met the first Fairy dragon? That's amazing" Issei recalled that his father did mention that he also met the original but simply ignored her so he was very interested to hear what Tiamat had to say about the matter.
"I did. In the past, I used to travel all around the world seeking to test my strength against other beings. I was pretty reckless back then." Tiamat started explaining her past
['Reckless is an understatement'] thought Ddraig though he didn't dare say it out loud otherwise Tiamat would most certainly kill his host.
"It was during one of my journeys that I unexpectedly met the original Fairy dragon, Luna. Unlike most dragons, she would wander around, helping and healing those in need. I had to admit that she was extremely beautiful but she was also very powerful. I learned of that fact after I battled against her and lost."
Issei was surprised by that revelation since he knew how strong Tiamat was.
"You lost against her!" Tiamat nodded.
"Yes. I told you, I was naïve and reckless back then and just fought against whoever I pleased. I was so confident in my strength that I believed I could take on anybody. Besides, it's in our nature to seek out strong opponents. In any case, that is a story for another time." Tiamat clarified. Right now, they were here to train and had a limited amount of time to do so.
"Do you know what became of her?" Issei couldn't help but ask however she shook her head.
"No idea. One day, she simply vanished, no where to be found. Some say that she was killed in battle or maybe even sealed like Azi Dahaka. Anyways, let's get back to training." Tiamat refocused on Asia and Matsuda. Despite wanting to know more, Issei understood that Tiamat was right and they needed to focus on training rather than story telling.
"Alright, so Asia… since your role will be that of a supporting member, we will train on your stamina first and foremost. I really wanted to help you train your draconic abilities since if you were able to harness your abilities to their fullest potential then this match would be an easy win for you guys" she revealed which shocked Matsuda to learn that Asia could have potentially won the game for them. Heck even Asia seemed shocked by the news
"Seriously? She would be able to beat that birds regeneration?"
Tiamat nodded, not taking her focus away from Asia.
"Yes, she would. Just because Fairy dragons were known for their healing capabilities did not mean they were completely defenseless otherwise I would have never lost against Luna if all she did was heal herself. They have tremendous offensive capabilities and their most deadly involves the use of light or holy magic which would have been able to severely damage Riser and his peerage since they are all devils. Unfortunately, there is no way Asia would be able to master those abilities with the short time frame that you were given. Therefore, her training will mostly involve increasing her stamina so she would be able to use her sacred gear for long periods of time. In addition, I'm assuming that Rias will keep Asia close by and move around the field as needed so Asia will need to be able to keep up which is why we need to train her stamina." Tiamat explained her reasoning in detail.
'it was definitely a good idea to bring her here' Issei thought to himself. Tiamat clearly knew what she was doing so bringing her here to help train them was a good idea.
"That is why you will start with running around the forest, but with an added bonus." Tiamat snapped her fingers and Asia suddenly felt like someone placed a huge stone on her back.
"I've enchanted the weight of your clothes to around 50 pounds just like during your mountain climbing training done by Issei. Since we don't have a lot of time, we need to make the most of what we have. With any luck, we will be able to squeeze in some training involving your dragon abilities later on but for now this will do." Tiamat told Asia, who nodded before she started running.
Now, last but certainly not least, Tiamat turned her attention to the last person in the room, Matsuda. She still held reservations about having anything to do with the host of the red dragon emperor after everything he had put her through but she promised Issei she would help train everyone and that included the host of Ddraig.
"As for you, since you are the current red dragon emperor, we need to strengthen your body to be able to handle more boosts. How many boosts is your limit at the moment?" She asked Matsuda
"um, I think I can handle 6 boosts before the boosted gear resets." Matsuda answered.
"Alright then we will simply continue the training you were doing with Issei although fair warning to you… I will not hold back" she warned him.
Matsuda started sweating "umm, w-what does that mean?" He got his answer as Tiamat switched to her dragon form
"It means… start running" Tiamat grinned before she swung her arm forward making Matsuda scream
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH, not AAAAGGGGGGAAAAIIIINNNNNN" he started running like his life depended on it… actually it might, considering who's chasing him.
Seeing that Tiamat had everything handled, Issei decided to put in a bit of training himself. He secluded himself in a part of the forest so he wouldn't interfere with everyone else's training but more specifically to make sure no one got hurt should his power accidently go out of control. It's very rare since he has great control but he did not want to risk it. The only person that would survive his powers going crazy would-be Tiamat so better to be safe than sorry and just seclude himself. Besides, with what he was attempting to do, there is a great chance for something to happen. For extra protection, he conjured a barrier around him.
He then sat down and focused his senses internally. After a moment, several seals appeared around his body. That's right! These are the very same seals that his parents placed on him after his birth which helps suppress most of his powers until his body can safely accommodate it. Over the years, through a lot of grueling training, most of the seals have vanished as he became stronger. Now, he is able to safely able to unleash 80% without repercussions but he still constantly trains in order to be able to utilize his full potential.
He took a deep breath and slowly released the seals. As the seals slowly disappeared, his powers started to grow more and more causing the ground below him to crack at the pressure. Crimson aura surrounded him as he tried his best to control his increased strength. Sweat started pouring down his face and after a moment, he could no longer hold it so his seals re-engaged.
'Dammit! I still can only release 80%.' That was the most power he could safely harness without burdening his body. At least in his human form. In his dragon form, he found out during his training with his dad that he could temporarily unleash 100% of his power for approximately 1 hour which was amazing. However, the drawback was just as bad since the moment that hour was up, his body could no longer move for the rest of the day. That's how extreme and risky the move actually was. His parents and Tannin agreed that he should only use that move as a last resort. Besides, there weren't a lot of beings who were capable of dealing with his current strength so they were confident he wouldn't need to use it and told him that he should simply continue training and eventually he will be able to fully utilize his potential.
Issei understood their logic and he knew that they were right. He shouldn't rush these things especially with his power. But every time he does that, he can't help but remember the past when he had lost his aunt Shuri and where he thought he lost Akeno. Despite the fact that everyone keeps telling him that it was not his fault, including Akeno and Shuri would most certainly never blame him, a part of him will never forget that day. How hopeless and powerless he felt that day and that is why he is trying so hard to become stronger. To protect those, he cares about. His parents, Akeno, Tiamat, Asia, Tannin and everyone else. Issei has been training desperately in order to be able to use 100% of his power even in his human form. Unfortunately, today seems to have been a bust.
He breathed out and sighed out loud. He may as well switch to something different that he had been training for a while.
That is, combining his different flames together. Each of his flames had its own unique property and were incredibly strong on their own making it a very versatile ability but Issei had a thought. Would it be possible to combine and mesh his flames together? If he could, it would drastically increase his firepower and give him even more versatility than before. The reason being that both Great-red and his sensei, Tannin explained the glaring weakness that his flames present. That is, the fact that it is easily identifiable by it's color and they are right. When it turns blue, its his ice flame, white is his holy flame, black is his purgatory flame etc. Against weaker level opponents, it wouldn't really matter since he can easily deal with them but against higher level opponents, they would be able to find a way to deal with his abilities if they understand the nature of the flames. This had been demonstrated multiple times. Tannin, was able to build a strategy around his different flames when they fought. His father only had to worry about his crimson flames and could shrug off any other attack. Also, lately in his fight against Tiamat, she was able to determine the properties of his purgatory flame that even he didn't know of which resulted in him taking a full-blown strike from her. It really showed him how experience mattered in more ways than one.
Therefore, he immediately begun experimenting, after getting permission from Tannin and his parents of course. The last time he did something like this, he evaporated an entire mountain and almost himself along with it, getting a very stern lecture from his mother and his sensei. Something he did not want to be on the receiving end of ever again.
Anyways through a lot of practice, he was finally able to accomplish his goal but it had a few drawbacks. The worst one was that it wasted a ridiculous amount of his stamina which is saying a lot considering that his stamina is near infinite. He needed to focus very hard to not only be able to combine the different flames together but also make sure they stay that way which was more difficult than he had imagined. Most of his attempts ended, as you would have guessed, in an explosion. But, through trial and error, he had figured out quite a few things.
The first detail was that his normal flames were the easiest to mold with any other flame. The most likely reason he could come up with was due to the fact that his normal flame held no special properties like his other flames which made it a lot easier to fuse. He was actually able to coat his basic attacks with his other flames' characteristics. For example, when he unleashes a breath attack, the flames might appear the usual orange but it will be surrounded with a thin layer of another flame, that is very difficult for the eye to see. This will mask exactly which property he is using. Also, while the damage or effect is lessened due to the fact that he is only coating his attack with a small portion of his flame, it will hopefully fulfill it's primary purpose in allowing him to catch his enemy off guard.
The second thing he noticed is that some of his flames were simply incompatible with another. So, no matter how hard he tried, it never succeeded. A good example of this would be his purgatory black flames and his holy flames. No matter how many times he tried to combine them, they would either fizzle out or it would blow up in his face. He assumed it's because the two flames are polar opposites kind of like Demonic energy and Light enemy. They say opposites attract but not in this case. Although it is weird that somehow, he is able to coat his holy flames with his decaying flames, which in Issei's opinion is much more devastating than his purgatory flames but it is what it is.
Finally, his crimson flames… Yeah, that's a lost cause. No matter which flames he added on to it, it would always dissipate once it made contact. It makes sense considering that these flames come from his core, his true potential, as his father always said, that carries the strength of both Great-red and Ophis. It's basically a mass of overwhelming power that destroy everything and anything it touches. None of his other flames comes close to the amount of destructive force his apocalyptic flames have. Because of this, any other flames he tries to combine with it would not be able to withstand the force and simply disperse upon contact. That's why he gave up on it. Besides, his crimson flames were powerful enough on their own. The only other power that could compete with it was his black lightning…
"HOLY SHIT! THAT'S IT!" Issei practically screamed as he jumped in revelation. Why didn't he think of this before? His other flames couldn't withstand his crimson flames but maybe his black lightning that represented his mother's power could. But, he definitely couldn't test it here. The last time those two powers collided, they annihilated an entire 100+ meter tall mountain and almost him along with it. There's no way he would risk the life of his love and his friends and there is absolutely no way his flimsy barrier would be able to survive an explosion of that magnitude. Last but certainly not least… this wasn't his property to destroy. That's a big no no. :D
With that said, he certainly wanted to avoid the same thing back in the dragon's Territory. He was pretty sure Tannin wouldn't appreciate the land he worked so hard to acquire being destroyed by his nephew. That left only one place where he could practice.
The Dimensional Gap.
His parents had taught him the method to create a gateway to reach the dimensional gap. He focused his power to the tip of his finger and then swiped the air in front of him, creating a breach which led to the Dimensional Gap. He then proceeded to enter it.
The Dimensional Gap is an endless void, where in every direction, there is a mix of iridescent colors. Nothing can survive within the Dimensional Gap without some form of protection but Issei wasn't just anybody. He was the son of both dragon gods so his body could easily withstand the unstable pressure coming from the dimension. Issei comes in here every once and a while whenever he wishes to relax. Issei holds a special connection to this place. It makes sense when you consider that this was his birthplace. His original home. If you asked Issei, he would probably answer you that this place, the dragon Territory and his house in Kuoh are all his homes and he loved each and every one of them. However, this place holds a special meaning not only because he was form here but you can also say that his journey started here. He recalled the days he had seen ripples appear in the dimensional gap revealing the wonders of the human world inciting his curiosity. What would have happened if he didn't? Would he have told his parents that he didn't want to move? Would they have remained behind and lived their peaceful lives inside the dimensional gap?
This was also the place where he had steeled his resolve to become stronger after he had lost Shuri and thought he lost Akeno. Case in point, it was a special place for him but right now he came to this place to hopefully test out his theory.
He transformed into his true form and conjured his most powerful flame in his right arm. Now it was time to see if he could combine his two most powerful elements together. He focused intently on his abilities. This time, instead of colliding both of them, he wanted to combine them together into one form. Issei started sweating a bit since he knew he needed to be very careful. He looked at his flames and there were no changes. He breathed out a sigh of disappointment that it didn't work out. He was about to dismiss it until.
ZAP… ZAP
He saw a few black sparks start to manifest around his flame which immediately caught his attention. Unfortunately, it also interrupted his concentration and, as a result, his ability fizzled out. Despite that, however, Issei was ecstatic to see that it was indeed possible to merge both of his abilities together. He simply needed to practice.
A magic circle then appeared next to his ear
Issei, can you hear me?
He heard Tiamat's voice calling out to him. He transformed back into his form before answering
"Yes Tiamat, I hear you."
"It's getting late so I'm thinking of ending the training for today. Are you done with your own training?"
"W-What? It's already nighttime!" Issei was surprised that he didn't realize for how long he had trained. He had planned to train for a few hours before heading back and helping Tiamat if she needed it.
"Alright, I'm heading back then."
"Very well. See you soon" Tiamat said before hanging up as the magic circle near Issei disappeared.
Issei then proceeded to re-open a breach back to the exact spot he left previously. He dispelled his barrier and made his way towards everyone. Once there, he noticed how everyone was out of breath. Tiamat must have worked them to the ringer.
"Alright, that will be all for the day. Get back to the mansion and get some sleep because you will need it for tomorrow's training." Tiamat stated. Everyone nodded as they all headed back leaving behind Issei and Tiamat.
"So how did the training go?" Issei asked her how everything went.
"It went well. They still have a very long way to go if they hope to stand a chance against the Phenix in such a short amount of time. However, if they are able to hold onto their determination and persevere through our training then they may stand a chance. It won't be easy though. 10 days is a very short amount of time but I'll do my best to make it work." Tiamat would make sure to do her best to help them improve as much as possible. Of that, Issei was sure of.
"Thank you very much for doing this." Issei thanked her with a smile which she gladly returned.
"It's my pleasure Issei. Now then, it's time I head back to my cave and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. I suggest you do the same" she bid him farewell, turning to leave. Suddenly, she felt Issei grab her arm, thereby stopping her.
"W-Wait Tiamat." Issei muttered. Tiamat turned around to face him.
"Y-You don't need to leave. If… If you'd like, you can stay here." Issei nervously said causing Tiamat to slightly blush which then shifted into a chuckle after seeing his reaction. It was at times like this that she is reminded that despite Issei having overwhelming might, he was still a 17-year-old dragon. She found it cute.
"ufufu, if that is the case then I'll gladly accept your offer." She had no reason to refuse. She wanted to spend more time with him so the fact that he took initiative made her very happy.
"In that case, let's get some rest then" she grabbed his arm and headed towards the forest.
"Eh, but the house is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction they were heading.
"Issei, we are dragons, we can sleep anywhere and what better place than the outdoors. Besides, Akeno has already informed me that you slept with her yesterday." Tiamat stated before transforming into her dragon form.
"So, care to join me?" she asked causing Issei to smile as he nodded before he himself shifted to his dragon form.
"For the record, Akeno came outside herself to sleep beside me." Issei lied down on the ground as Tiamat joined him.
"same thing" she chuckled.
"Your right! Anyways good night Tiamat."
"Good night Issei"
The training kept going on at the same pace for the next two days except for one thing. It was decided that Matsuda's training would be managed by Issei when Ddraig had unnecessarily taunted Tiamat that she was going soft on the boy with her training, sending her into an explosive rage and nearly beat Matsuda to death if it weren't for Issei's intervention and Asia's Twilight healing then Rias would be down a valuable pawn.
Boost Boost.
Matsuda boosted twice as he charged towards Issei hoping to land his first hit on the man. Unfortunately, Issei easily dodged by swaying and then immediately counter-attacked.
GWAH.
Matsuda reeled in pain at the punch Issei sent to his stomach. He was breathing heavily and he was pretty much at his limit after sparring with Issei for the past 5 hours.
"Alright, I believe we can take a break. Go to Asia and have her heal your injuries. We will pick up again in an hour. I'll go check on how everyone else is doing."
"Y-Yes" he barely wheezed out the word as he shakily made his way to Asia who was training her stamina. Issei proceeded to make his way to the others who seemed to be getting lectured by Tiamat.
"First of all, let's start with the mages of the group. Rias, in terms of magical ability, you are certainly the strongest member of your group. However, like most high class devils of this generation, you have the inherent weakness of having too much confidence on your Power of Destruction and end up relaying on it. Your power of destruction is indeed a very fearsome ability that could easily dispatch any low or mid class devil with ease. Heck, I would bet that even high-class devils would not get away unscathed if caught by your power. There is nothing wrong with having confidence in ones abilities. The issue is that, there will be opponents where your Power of destruction is useless. Your next opponent is Riser Phenix whose special ability is Regeneration. He is probably your worst match-up at the moment. This wouldn't normally be a problem if you were as efficient with your power as Sirzechs but we will work with what we got. The first thing you need to work on is to minimize the consumption rate when you utilize your abilities. I noticed that you get tired very quickly after multiple uses of your power of destruction. That is a very big flaw considering that one of your only ways to defeat Riser is to weaken him both physically and mentally which will turn into a battle of stamina, which you lack at the present moment. If we use your brother as an example, he tackled this problem transforming his power of destruction into tiny bullets which he could easily direct with his will and annihilate his enemies. Of course, this ability took years of practice to use successfully so I won't ask you to do something like that but try to come up with a way to reduce the amount of stamina you need to use for your ability while keeping the same amount of power. This will help go a long way in our strategy to defeat Riser." Rias nodded at Tiamat's explanation, in awe that Tiamat seemed to have grasped her skills in such a short amount of time.
"The next aspect you also need to focus on is your physical ability. For some reason, you never bothered to train your body which means you would be practically defenseless in close quarter combat. Even a low-class devil might be able to get the best of you if he manages to get close to you. Don't forget that in this upcoming match, your opponent has numerical superiority and your opponent has quite the number of melee fighters among them. There might be a chance that you encounter Riser's knights and rooks during combat who if I'm not mistaken are very strong close quarter fighters so if you end up in a situation where you have to fight them, you would probably lose. Against one, you might come out victorious due to your superior magical prowess but against a group who have accumulated various experience in Rating Games when fighting stronger opponents, you will lose, even if you have Asia's healing supporting you. That's why I would like you to improve your physical capabilities as best as you can. For now, you'll start by doing 100 push-ups without stopping and if your arms fail during the count, you'll have to restart. Also don't even think of using magic to enhance your body or I will increase the difficulty" she smirked causing a chill down Rias spine, not wanting to find out what she would do.
"I-I understand" she answered. Tiamat nodded.
"Good! Call me when you finish." Rias nodded and went back to training as Tiamat moved to the next mage.
"Akeno, your magical prowess is pretty much on par with your king but unlike Rias, you possess a bit more versatility. You are well versed in using your demonic energy into various different magics with thunder being your dominant element. However, your weakness is pretty much the same as Rias when it comes to close quarters. So, I will ask you to train alongside Rias with the same exercise I gave her. Afterwards you can focus on increasing your magical abilities." Tiamat explained. Akeno nodded.
"Very well." She answered before leaving to follow Rias.
"Now Kiba." She focused her attention onto the knight.
"You are the only member of your group that is more specialized in technique rather than power. It is shown through your swordplay during your spars which is a boon considering that this upcoming fight will require more technique than power in order for our strategy to work. However, you will need to get rid of that chivalrous attitude of not wanting to strike your opponent in the back. Don't think I didn't notice that when your opponents back were turned, you prevented yourself from striking them despite the clear opening that was presented. That's very noble of you but you will need to discard that attitude for your game. Don't forget that you will be facing an opponent who has more members than you, stronger than you and have more experience so we need to take advantage of every single opening we can create. Do you understand?" she said to Kiba who nodded.
"Good. For now, we will work on increasing your speed and developing your lower body strength. You will start by performing several sprints through the forest at your full speed. Also, I noticed during your spars that you seem to lack awareness of your surroundings when your focused on your opponent. You need to be constantly on alert from all angles. Like I said, your enemy outnumbers you so the chances you will have to face multiple opponents is extremely high so you need to be able to not only focus on what's in front of you but also what's around you. During your training, I'll send some random attacks your way and it will be your responsibility to deflect them while not losing focus. In addition to that, keep working on developing your sacred gear since they are one of the only advantages, we hold over our opponents and they can be the key to our victory."
"Yes! Understood." Kiba answered.
"Then go on ahead. I'll join you later after I finish with your last member." Kiba nodded as he moved to his own corner to train before Tiamat moved her attention to the last person, Koneko.
"As for you Koneko, for now we will keep training to increase your strength which is the specialty of a rook like you. I believe that Issei's previous mountain climbing training is the perfect exercise for you. Do you recall what weight he enhanced your clothes at during the training?" Tiamat asked Koneko if she remembered what amount of weight Issei placed on her. Kind of funny, since she could have simply asked Issei who was literally standing right next to her. In any case, Koneko nodded indicating she did remember.
"400 pounds"
"I see. In that case, I will increase the amount to 500 pounds this time."
"I can do 600 pounds." Koneko told her which earned a grin from Tiamat.
"Oh? I'm impressed. It seems you really are serious in becoming stronger. Very well, then. 600 pounds it is. Come along. I'll take you down the mountain side and then enhance your clothes. Try to make it up here as fast as you can and when you do, notify me and we will decide what to do from there." Koneko nodded to Tiamat's instructions. Tiamat proceeded to deploy her wings and grabbed Koneko and brought her to the bottom of the mountain before coming back up and landing next to Issei, her wings disappearing after she landed.
"You seem to have everything handled it seems" Issei smiled.
"I simply gave them advice on how to improve their skills. The rest is up to their hard work and determination to use the experience they gain to become stronger in the short time frame given. Although…"
Issei raised a brow, waiting to see what she had to say.
"The game would be a lot more favorable if Akeno would simply use her light abilities."
"…" Issei was at first surprised that Tiamat figured out that Akeno was half fallen but then realized he shouldn't considering that she has lived for thousands of years and can easily recognize fallen angels even they are only hybrids.
"Heh, guess you already knew then." Issei sighed.
"It wasn't that hard to figure out. Although I have to say I'm very surprised to see a Fallen angel/Devil hybrid. It's extremely rare considering how both factions are at odds with one another. Anyways, can I ask you why she doesn't want to use her powers?" she asked him.
At her question, his expression saddened. He obviously knew why since it was a touchy subject for the both of them but is it alright to tell Tiamat about it? After a bit of thought, he decided to trust her. She did come to help them train so it's only right that she knows the truth. Plus, she was bound to find out about it anyways since she'll become one of his mates.
"Al right I'll tell you." Issei then begun explaining Akeno's circumstances regarding her reluctance to use her powers. He explained how after his birthday, Akeno and his Aunt Shuri went back home, only to be attacked by former enemies of Barakiel who had discovered the location of their home. He explained with deep remorse how his aunt sacrificed herself to save Akeno and she had to watch her mother die at the hands of strangers she never knew. They then explained to her that all this happened because she had the blood of a monster and that her mother was dead because of it All those negative thoughts were ingrained into her mind which led to her hatred of her fallen angel powers as well as her father.
"I see… I'm truly sorry for both of your losses. She must have one heck of a woman to have helped raise a man like you." After hearing his story, Tiamat gave a him a hug while expressing her condolences to Issei which he reciprocated. To be reminded of his loss still hurts him to this very day as shown from his saddened expression.
"Indeed, she was. Aunty Shuri was the best. She had always been there for me and treated me and my parents like family even though we were dragons." Talking about his aunt always made him reminisce of the past. All the days he spent with her. Every single moment. She was the best. That's all that needed to be said.
"I understand now why Akeno is unwilling to use her fallen angel's abilities. But…"
Issei raised a brow when he heard her say 'but'
"Don't you think she might come to regret her decision? From what I can see, Akeno loves her king and fellow peerage members almost as much as she loves you. I mean, you did say that the Gremory heiress practically saved her life and gave her a new home so at the very least, she treasures her relationship with Rias Gremory. Therefore, if they lose the upcoming match, she will feel regret and guilt over not using her abilities to save her friend, don't you think?" Tiamat explained her reasoning and Issei could understand where she was coming from but these circumstances aren't so simple.
"huh… You are right that Akeno values every member of her peerage but you should already understand that this situation is complicated because she was affected both mentally and emotionally. It's not easy to get over a trauma like that. I was lucky enough to have both my parents to help me get through it but Akeno had no one but herself to rely on during all those years. It's a very delicate situation that needs to be handled with care. Even now, Akeno is trying her best to get over her past and forgive uncle Barakiel and accept her fallen angel half. It will just take time and I do not wish to force her to use her abilities until she is ready." Issei explained which received a nod from Tiamat.
"Very well, I understand. For now, we will keep training them to improve their current skills and ability. Hopefully, that will be enough to give them a slim chance to defeat Riser Phenix."
"Thank you. Anyways, it's time I go back and train Matsuda. I'll rely on you to continue training the others." Issei stated before separating himself from Tiamat from their hug, but not before Tiamat gave him a peck on the cheek. She was aiming for his lips but he moved his head as he was separating from her which diverted her trajectory. Oh well, at least she kissed him.
"See you later." Tiamat bid him farewell before leaving to join Kiba in his training leaving Issei who touched his cheek where she kissed him and blushed a bit before smiling and proceeding to head to Matsuda.
Just like that, another day had gone by.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone