I've Begun My Training!.Rias agreed to fight with Phoenix in ten days time. In the meantime, Issei begins to train in an isolated area under Rias' supervision as they prepare for the rating game. Issei fails in each lesson from everyone and is greatly discouraged. First he loses to Kiba in sword fighting, then he loses to Akeno and Asia in manipulating magic, and finally he loses to Koneko and gets beaten badly as a result. However, in Lesson four, he creates a power through visualizing the breasts of his intended victims. That night, Issei, in a waterfall mausoleum, tells Rias that he admires her as the best mentor for him, however he admits that he isn't useful for her and considers himself as the most useless devil. He laments that he has always caused her trouble, and claims that even though he possesses a Sacred Gear, it's useless if he is unable to fully use it and considers himself a total failure for her and starts crying. Rias figures out that he indeed lacks self-confidence, so she promises him to give him some self-confidence. She afterwards orders him to rest for tonight until he is fully capable. The next morning, he starts training by using his sacred gear. Boosting 12 times, he creates an aura of energy around himself and throws a powerful beam of red light towards Kiba, which destroys a nearby mountain. Although he quickly tires himself out, Rias, remembering his quotes about how he admired her the way she is, starts to grow affections for him.