Adrien sat on a cut-off tree trunk while Issei sat on the ground in front of him, eating roasted boar meat for breakfast.
The boar had been hunted by Issei himself. Well, technically, Adrien had dropped him in the forest and told him, "If you want breakfast, go catch it."
"In Rating Games, players are usually divided into four general fighting types," Adrien said, picking up a small branch from the ground. "Power, Technique, Wizard, and Support."
Issei chewed slowly while listening.
Adrien started drawing on the dirt, making one vertical line and one horizontal line until the ground was divided into four sections.
"Power-types are simple. They hit hard, break shit, and force their way through problems. That's like you and Koneko. But Your Boosted Gear lets you act as a Support-type too since you can transfer your power to allies, and change the flow of a fight."
Adrien wrote Power in one section, then placed a dot there for Issei and Koneko. But he put Issei closer to the Support area instead of placing it fully in the middle.
"Rias is a Wizard-type. Same with Akeno. They're both strongest when they're using wide-range attacks, magic, and destructive energy."
He placed two dots in the Wizard section.
"Kiba is a Technique-type with his swordsmanship focusing more on precision and speed " Adrien continued.
He placed Kiba's dot in the Technique section.
"Asia and Gasper are Support-types. To analyze them both a little deeper, Asia also leans toward being a Wizard-type, while Gasper is closer to a Technique-type."
Issei looked down at the rough chart in the dirt. "So everyone has a main type, but they can lean into another one?"
"Exactly," Adrien said. "No good player is just one thing. If you're only one thing, you're easy to read and counter."
Adrien then drew a circle around Issei's and Koneko's dots in the Power category.
"Power-types need to be careful of one thing in particular," he said, tapping the dirt with the branch. "Counter-types."
Issei tilted his head. "Counter-types?"
"A troublesome subclass of Technique-type fighters," Adrien explained. "They're the kind of annoying fuckers who punish you for hitting too hard. When a Power-type fights someone with a Counter-type Sacred Gear or ability, their own strength can be turned against them. The stronger you are, the worse the damage a Counter-type battler can deal you."
"If they have someone like that, then I'll just push through with raw power," Issei said, trying to sound confident.
"That's exactly the kind of stupid answer that gets Power-types killed."
Issei flinched. "Killed?!"
"Or knocked out instantly. Pick whichever sounds better to your ego. Listen, you might get away with forcing your way through some weak Counter-type. If their timing is bad, or their ability has limits, then yeah, overwhelming them with raw power could work. But if the opponent is actually skilled in reversals, then brute force becomes the worst possible option."
"So what am I supposed to do? Just not attack?"
"Pretty much," Adrien said bluntly. "At least not directly. Against a proper Counter-type, your best move is to avoid giving them anything to counter in the first place."
He pointed toward the Wizard and Technique sections of the chart. "Those types are better handled by spellcasters like Akeno or Technique-types like Kiba—"
Adrien suddenly stopped talking and looked into the distance. Noticing the change, Issei shifted his gaze and looked in the same direction.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
"We've got company," Adrien replied, though he didn't move from where he was sitting.
WHOOOOOSH! BOOOOOOM!
A violent gust of wind blasted across the area as a gigantic Western dragon crashed down beside them, sending dust and dirt flying into the air and leaving a crater in the ground.
The dragon was around fifteen meters tall. Most of its body was covered in dark purple scales, while its lower body—especially its belly, the inner side of its long tail, and its legs—was a pale beige color. Its head was triangular, with sharp yellow horns, large red eyes with lavender sclera, and rows of serrated fangs. Its claws were thick and powerful, tipped with long yellow nails.
"A-A dragon?!" Issei exclaimed.
"No shit, Sherlock," Adrien said flatly as he waved away the dust and smoke. Then he looked up at the beast with annoyance. "Can't you fucking land carefully? Jeez."
The dragon lowered its head slightly and stared at him. "So you're the Agares brat everyone's been talking about."
Adrien didn't answer right away.
The dragon continued, its deep voice rumbling through the area. "I'm here because Sirzechs asked me for a favor." It shifted toward Issei. "Is this the boy with the Red Dragon Emperor gauntlet?"
"Yeah that's him," Adrien answered.
"It's been a long time, Ddraig, I'm guessing you can hear me in there."
At that moment, Issei's left arm began to glow red on its own. His Boosted Gear activated, and the jewel in the gauntlet shone brightly.
'Ah, it's good to hear a familiar voice, Tannin,' Ddraig replied, his voice booming out loud enough for everyone to hear.
Issei looked down at his gauntlet, then back at the giant dragon. "You know this guy?"
'Yeah, Ddraig answered. Do you remember how I told you about the Five Great Dragon Kings? Tannin here used to be one of them, back when they were called the Six Great Dragon Kings. You might have even seen his name in the Bible. This is him.'
Adrien looked up at the massive dragon calmly. "Tannin was reincarnated as a devil, so the Six Great Dragon Kings became five. Now he's a Satan-Class devil and one of the strongest beings in the Underworld."
Issei's eyes widened.
"Tannin, the Blaze Meteor Dragon. His fire breath is said to have the force of a meteorite impact. He's one of the few legendary dragons still alive today."
"You know your stuff, boy."
Adrien shrugged. "That's basic knowledge."
Issei looked between them, still trying to process the fact that a legendary dragon had casually landed in front of him.
Adrien stood up from the tree stump. "Good thing you're here," he said, looking at Tannin. "Sirzechs probably sent you to help train Issei."
Tannin gave a low rumble. "That's right."
"Perfect," Adrien said. "You can teach him how to use his dragon power properly for the next ten days. After that, I'll continue training him myself."
"Ten days? Well it will probably be enough to get him accustomed to how dragons fight. Sirzechs want me to pick on this boy... I've never trained one of Ddraig's vessels…," Tannin remarked happily, narrowing his eyes and breaking into a grin.
'Go easy on him, Tannin. My host is more pathetic than you can possibly imagine.'
"Then I'll leave you to it," Adrien said, turning as if he was already done with the conversation.
Then he paused. "Oh, by the way, do you know where Tiamat is?"
Tannin's red eyes narrowed. "Tiamat? What do you want with her?"
"I need to talk to her."
"That is not an answer, Agares brat."
"It's the only one you're getting."
Tannin studied him for a moment, then said, "Tiamat is not someone you simply visit. She moves when she wants. If she does not wish to be found, even Satan-Class devils can waste years searching."
"So she has a hidden territory."
"She has several," Tannin replied.
"Alright I guess it can't be helped then," Adrien shrugged then completely vanished from the spot.
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Yo, when we reach reach 200 power stones, I'll drop a bonus chapter. Enjoy!