Issei could use some reassurances!

"...I'm way out of my depth here, aren't I?" Issei asked as they walked back towards the school. He had called his parents to tell them he was spending the night at a friend's, having already informed them of his friend group in the club, though obviously leaving the supernatural shit out. The school nurse, according to Rias, was a Devil herself, albeit not part of her peerage, and would cover for them, and the school was closer, so they could spend the night there.

"At the moment, yes, you are, but you have potential to grow stronger," Rias assured him, patting his back.

"Yeah, but how strong can I actually be as a Pawn? Does it even have any benefits to my combat ability?" Issei asked, and Rias smirked.

"Well, I already told you, there's a reason I wanted you to watch how the other pieces fight," Rias noted. "You see, Pawns actually have a very special ability that can allow them to tip the balance of a battle in their Peerage's favor. You know what happens in Chess when a Pawn reaches the other side of the board?" she asked.

"...um... not as familiar with American Chess, only the basics, so no, I don't know," Issei noted, rubbing the back of his head.

Akeno chimed in, "They get promoted to a higher piece. Pawns in Peerages work much the same way. They reach the heart of enemy territory, and they can become a Knight, Rook, Bishop or Queen, for the remainder of the battle. Hell, Rating Games are often decided by which Peerage can get a few Pawns promoted. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop Pawns from often being looked down on."

"That's right," Rias nodded as Issei paid rapt attention. "And since Pawns can choose what they're promoted to until the battle is over, that allows greater flexibility for the Peerage. If we happen to need more muscle for a fight for example, a Rook is the way to go. More magic? A Bishop. Someone who can blitz past a defense to attack something key? A Knight. A bit of everything? A Queen. In fact, that's why I chose to make you a Pawn, despite still having room for another Rook, Bishop or Knight: I already have one of each advanced piece, so making you one of the three advance pieces I still had available would result in overspecializing until I could balance things out again, and you'd be stuck as whatever I picked. Having a Pawn will afford us greater flexibility."

"...makes sense," Issei nodded, before pausing, and then paling as a thought occured to him. "...wait... Does that mean I'm liable to be targeted first in Rating Games or battles against enemies so I don't have the chance to promote?"

"That is indeed one of the occupational hazards of being a Pawn!" Akeno chirped, sounding WAY too happy to confirm that for Issei. Koneko smirked at Issei evilly as he panicked, and Kiba chuckled nervously as Rias patted his back.

"Well, this should provide you motivation to get stronger, so you're not as easy a target," she noted.