KanColle X Devil May Cry: Devil Trigger Protocol

Devil May Cry Naval Base – Training Ground

Right after the Admiral left, all the shipgirls changed into gym clothes and gathered on the training ground. A morning assembly platform stood ready, with Dante atop it, microphone in hand—courtesy of Naka. Below, Ooyodo, Akashi, and Mamiya, who weren't joining the drills, watched.

"Alright, 100 laps around the ground, then 100 push-ups, sit-ups, back extensions, and squats—three sets. After that, water-based training at the practice field," Dante announced.

"No way!" Tenryuu shouted.

"There's a limit…" Kitakami groaned.

"That's beyond spartan—it's bullying!" Suzuya whined.

"Demon!" Miyuki yelled.

Half-right.

"Think of something more realistic!" Murakumo snapped, her tone softer since Dante chewed her out last time.

"That guy's insane…" Ooi muttered.

"I… can't do this!" Haguro whimpered.

"Oh~…" Kongou sighed.

"It's almost evening. Will we finish before night?" Shigure murmured.

Some shipgirls grumbled; others gave up thinking and stayed silent. Dante, up on the platform, started fuming.

"You're the ones being soft! Houshou, the Admiral's called 'the strongest,' right?" Dante asked.

"Y-Yes, that's right," Houshou replied.

"He picked your opponent. Assume they're no pushover and train like it. You've got three days, including today, and you're whining? Get it together!" Dante roared into the mic.

KEEEEEN!

The speakers screeched with feedback. The shipgirls clutched their ears.

"Ow!" Tenryuu yelped.

"So loud…" Hatsuyuki mumbled.

"My ears!" Akatsuki cried.

"Hanya!?" Inazuma squeaked.

"(He said he couldn't lose to a new fleet, but…)" Ooyodo thought.

"Is it okay to point out his character shift?" Tatsuta teased.

"That jerk… I'll break his smug face!" Dante growled.

The shipgirls all thought, That's your real motive!

"No sleeping till you're done. I'm off to build. Akashi, let's go," Dante said.

"Y-Yes!" Akashi replied.

The shipgirls started running laps. Past 50, some considered slacking, but couldn't. A black-aura Doppelganger, looking like Dante, watched expressionlessly.

"It's not him, but it feels like he's watching…" Kaga thought.

"No slacking…" Tenryuu grimaced.

"Feels like I'm a prisoner…" Hatsuyuki sighed.

"Ugh!" Miyuki groaned.

"Don't yell—it's exhausting," Murakumo warned.

"My hair's getting ruined…" Kisaragi fretted.

"It's getting dark…" Satsuki noted.

"Ichi! Ni! Ichi! Ni!" Naka chanted.

Naka, used to singing and dancing, was the only one still chipper.

Arsenal

"What are you doing? Building, right?" Akashi asked.

Dante was churning out Devil Stars at the Time-Space Statue.

"Doppelganger eats magic like crazy…" he muttered.

"Why not swap it for another lookout?" Akashi suggested.

"It's gotta be my face to keep 'em in line," Dante said.

Anti-slacking measures: flawless.

"So, what's the plan?" Akashi asked.

"Target a battleship or carrier. Crush with firepower!" Dante replied.

"If we're lucky," Akashi said, operating the construction machine with fast-build materials.

The new shipgirls were…

"I'm Hiei, Kongou-neesama's little sister! I want to gain experience and get closer to her!" Hiei said.

"Aircraft carrier Soryuu. If you're forming a carrier task force, count me in!" Soryuu declared.

A battleship and carrier—jackpot.

"Battleship and carrier, yes!" Akashi cheered.

"Nice work!" Dante grinned.

Their over-the-top excitement left Hiei and Soryuu stunned.

The shipgirls started push-ups. The sky was pitch-black.

"Got some new ladies!" Dante announced, returning with Hiei and Soryuu.

"Soryuu-san!" Akagi called.

"Soryuu!" Kaga echoed.

"Akagi-san! Kaga-san!" Soryuu replied.

"Hiei!?" Kongou gasped.

"Kongou-neesama!" Hiei beamed.

The five celebrated their reunion, but the demon wasn't having it.

"Who said you could stop?" Dante barked.

Akagi, Kaga, and Kongou, cowed by his intensity, resumed push-ups. Soryuu and Hiei, seeing their admired seniors and sister obey weakly, were baffled.

"Don't bully Kongou-neesama!" Hiei protested.

"Huh!?" Dante glared.

"Hie!" Hiei squeaked.

"Hiei, don't anger the Admiral!" Kongou warned.

"Sorry!" Hiei yelped.

"You two, change. Ooyodo, handle it," Dante ordered.

"R-Right…" Ooyodo said, leading Soryuu and Hiei to get gym clothes.

Push-ups done, the shipgirls moved to sit-ups.

"This… could be a diet!" Kisaragi said.

A few shipgirls sped up. Talk about motivation.

"Hatsuyuki, you're lagging," Dante noted.

"I'm done… Instructor," Hatsuyuki groaned.

"New nickname? Come on, push it!" Dante urged.

"Ughhh…" Hatsuyuki moaned.

Sit-ups and back extensions finished. It was midnight.

"Time for the main event: water training," Dante said.

The shipgirls dreaded this most—training with a demon. Seeing the sunrise felt impossible.

"Admiral… pant… isn't this too much?" Houshou gasped.

"What, already wiped out?" Dante teased.

Shipgirls' base stamina matches a human's without rigging. They deserved praise for getting this far.

"Of course…!" Kaga panted.

"Admiral… I'll make pizza free for a while… let's stop for today," Houshou pleaded.

"Fine, just a bit more," Dante relented.

"You're still doing it!?" Kitakami groaned.

Practice Field

Thinking "just a bit" wouldn't be bad, the shipgirls reluctantly started water training. Big mistake. The time was short, but the content was brutal. Basic navigation and zigzagging around obstacles weren't enough for Dante. Nevan attacked from the air, Cerberus from the ground, turning it into a deadly game of tag where the shipgirls dodged for their lives.

Two days until the fleet exercise.

Next Morning

Dante, holding Nevan, stood before the base's PA mic. He strummed Nevan chaotically, the noise blaring through the base. Shipgirls leapt from their beds.

"Hie!" Hiei yelped.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Tenryuu shouted.

"My head's splitting…" Naka groaned.

Hatsuyuki, drooling with rolled-back eyes, looked… dead?

Mess Hall

Hiei insisted on cooking breakfast for Kongou, so Dante let her. "I'll put my all into it!" she declared.

"What… is this?" Dante stared.

Purple toast. Green fried eggs.

"Hiei's a terrible cook, right?" Akashi whispered.

"I couldn't stop her…" Ooyodo sighed.

The two, familiar with Hiei from the old base, knew her reputation. Exhausted shipgirls didn't register the food, their brains shutting out reality. They reached for it.

"Don't eat that!" Dante yelled.

"Ugh!" The training group collapsed.

"Why's the cook down too!?" Dante exclaimed.

Hiei's eyes were rolled back.

"Does he even want to win?" Akashi muttered.

"I'm losing confidence in this base…" Ooyodo said.

"Now!?" Akashi replied.

Practice Field

By afternoon, the shipgirls recovered and resumed water training tag. Soon, they noticed something.

"No hits… I can dodge!" Akagi exclaimed.

They evaded every attack from Nevan and Cerberus.

"Yesterday was impossible… why now?" Shigure wondered.

"What's happening?" Akashi asked.

Dante, Akashi, and Ooyodo watched from shore.

"Exhaustion's stripped away excess tension," Dante explained. "Normally, they've got too much energy, wasting it on unnecessary movements. Now, they're using only what's needed, so no wasted moves."

Akashi and Ooyodo watched the shipgirls.

"They're dodging with minimal effort," Dante said.

"True," Akashi nodded.

"You planned this!" Ooyodo beamed, thinking Dante acted like a real Admiral.

"Didn't expect it to work," Dante admitted.

"What?" they said.

"You had no basis for this?" Ooyodo asked.

"First time teaching," Dante shrugged.

"Ugh…" they groaned.

A haphazard naval base.

"Lock in that feeling!" Dante shouted.

"Yes!" the shipgirls replied.

Offshore

Training split: carriers and others. Carriers went offshore, using fighters to face Nevan. Survive her attacks with at least one plane until time's up to end the drill—boosting plane proficiency and control.

"She's… floating?" Soryuu said, confused.

"She's a demon. Stay sharp," Kaga warned.

"A demon?" Soryuu blinked.

"Later," Akagi said.

Poor Soryuu, left in the dark.

"Full force!" Houshou declared.

"Come on!" Nevan taunted, unleashing bats.

Fighters launched, starting a dogfight with the bats.

Practice Field

"Simple: I'm a moving target. Hit me," Dante said.

"Wait! Even mock rounds are dangerous!" Haguro protested.

"Forgot? I'm a demon," Dante said, his eyes glinting like a devil hunter's.

The shipgirls felt his intensity.

"Bring it!" Tenryuu growled.

"If I touch you, you're sunk. Don't forget to dodge," Dante added.

"Hmph! I'm dodging bats and ice now—easy!" Murakumo boasted.

"There she goes, typical destroyer…" Kitakami sighed.

"We're doomed…" Hatsuyuki muttered.

"Don't raise flags!" Miyuki snapped.

"Why's it my fault!?" Murakumo yelled.

"Rules clear? Let's go!" Dante said.

The shipgirls fired. Dante, in Trickster mode, zipped to Shigure.

"Huh!?" Shigure gasped.

Dante touched her—sunk.

"That's cheating!" Tenryuu shouted.

"Shipgirls don't move like that!" Suzuya whined.

"You gonna beg Deep Sea Ships or demons for mercy?" Dante shot back.

The shipgirls froze.

"If not, come at me!" Dante roared.

They refocused, attacking. Kitakami and Ooi flanked him.

"My 40 torpedoes aren't for show!" Kitakami yelled.

"Sink!" Ooi shouted.

Torpedoes closed in, but Dante leapt, dodging. The torpedoes hit Kitakami and Ooi, causing moderate damage.

"Line up diagonally, and that happens," Dante said, touching them—sunk.

"Think before you move," he advised.

"Here we go, Ikazuchi! Inazuma!" Akatsuki called.

"Got it!" Ikazuchi replied.

"Let's do this!" Inazuma said.

Their shots flew, but Dante dodged narrowly, leaping above them, flipping upside-down, and touching their heads—sunk.

"Bunching up makes you easy targets. Remember that," Dante said.

"Go! Fire!" Kongou shouted.

Dante slashed her shells with Rebellion, closing in to touch her, but Kongou dodged.

"Fast," Dante noted.

"Not a high-speed battleship for nothing!" Kongou grinned.

"Impressive. Hit me, and I'll reward you," Dante said.

"Really!? Burning Love!" Kongou launched herself at him.

"…Huh?" Dante blinked.

Kongou tackled him, and they tumbled across the water. When they stopped, Kongou nuzzled his cheek relentlessly.

"What! Now! Fire!" Tenryuu yelled.

The remaining shipgirls bombarded the pinned Dante.

"Ow! Ow!" Kongou yelped.

"You're hitting Kongou-neesama!" Hiei cried.

They hit Dante—shipgirls' victory.

"Didn't expect a kamikaze move…" Dante muttered.

Kongou kept nuzzling.

The carriers' fairy pilots, terrified of Nevan, dodged desperately, surviving in droves and boosting proficiency. Thanks, demon.

One day until the fleet exercise.

Final Day

Carriers joined, facing Dante, Nevan, and Doppelganger. Carriers could use dive and torpedo bombers. Same rules: hit Dante or Nevan for victory. Doppelganger's attacks passed through, so it didn't count. Getting touched by any meant sinking.

"Last day. Let's go all out!" Dante roared.

"Yes!" the shipgirls cheered.

"It's nice playing with humans like this…" Nevan mused.

Training went until sunset.

Night – Repair Dock

The shipgirls, wanting to relax together, used the dock as a bathhouse—a handy feature.

"So tired…" Tenryuu groaned.

"Being alive is bliss…" Naka sighed.

"Why's the Admiral so intense?" Suzuya whined.

"Way too much…" Tatsuta said.

"I thought I'd sink…" Jintsuu murmured.

They chatted, recalling the grueling drills. Kaga played with a towel bunny, drawing destroyers. Akagi watched, smiling.

"The Admiral's mad, but maybe it's for us," Houshou said.

"For us?" Satsuki asked.

"Akagi-san, Kaga-san, Ooyodo-san, remember what he said about the Admiral?" Houshou asked.

He said a lot, so the three were lost.

"He said, 'They're mocking you.' I think he's angry for our sake. Or maybe I just want to think that," Houshou said.

The shipgirls smiled, the mood lifting.

Then Dante walked in.

"What!? Why're you here!?" Murakumo yelled, hurling a bucket.

It passed through—Doppelganger.

"Damn Doppelganger!" Tenryuu shouted.

"Get out!" Suzuya yelled.

Dante, feeling bad for pushing them, sent the Doppelganger for a prank to lighten the mood.

"You ruined everything!" Kitakami groaned.

"Hide your skin!" Ooi urged.

Outside Repair Dock

"Good thing I made those Devil Stars," Dante muttered.

Tomorrow's the fleet exercise. No losing.