AN: I just finished binge watching all 12 Tokyo Ghoul episodes and just started Root A. And I can honestly say that I liked it.
It's been hard, trying to fill the hole that the Naruto manga left, so I've been testing the waters, so to speak, with a few animes.
Hetalia was funny and all, but too short to fill my anime and manga needs. Sword Art Online kinda petered out just before the whole ALO part began. Bleach, well... I just got out of Naruto. Too soon bro. I used to be into Yu-Gi-Oh when I was younger, but that ended when 5Ds came out.
But Tokyo Ghoul... You might see some influence of that in my writings.
Enough ranting from me, enjoy the story!
Chapter Start
Tamashi found himself in a familiar landscape, the same multitude of colors that constantly shifted and twisted and reminded him of what a drug trip experience could possibly look like.
'This place again...' he thought.
"And so we meet again, Mister Renegade." Instead of the usual flying eyeball-letters he was used to seeing, there was a lone man. He appeared to be a middle-aged Caucasian with a tall, thin physique, pale skin, a prominent widow's peak, black hair styled in a crew cut, and... very strange eyes.
His eyes were what caught his attention. He couldn't quite make out their exact color. Red, blue, green, yellow, purple, it was as if his eyes were every color in the rainbow yet none at the same time, constantly shifting like the scenery around him.
Other than that, he was dressed in a gray-blue suit and carrying a black briefcase.
"Rise and shine, Mister Renegade. Rise and shine. Not that we wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. No one is more deserving of a rest." the man stated, his voice sounding quite contrary to what his appearance would presume. "To think, all the effort you two had put in that world, gone to waste. And this world... well, you know what they say. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Mister Renegade. Wake up and smell the ashes..."
"Ugh... What happened?" Tamashi mumbled, feeling a throbbing pain in the back of his head as he woke. "And... why did I have a dream about Half-Life?"
"Ara, ara, troubling dreams, Tamashi-kun?"
"Yeah, you could say that, Akeno-chan..." Tamashi said, stretching out the kinks in his body. "I had the weirdest dream about Tsunderes and strange creatures. You were there too, I think... talking to a strange cartoonish bat. And then... the..."
...
"Akeno-chan?"
"Hai?"
"... Why are you in my house?" Tamashi questioned, his mental processing finally catching up to him.
"Ara, ara, I'm not in your house~" Akeno replied, wrapping her arms around the black haired boy from behind. "You're at the O.R.C. building..."
He gulped. Not because he realized that he woke up in an unfamiliar place, with hazy memories of how he got there, nor even because the thought crossed his mind that his so-called 'dream' might not have been just a dream. No, he gulped and began to sweat because...
"A-Akeno-chan? Why am I naked?!" Tamashi exclaimed, his face beet red.
"Ara, ara~" Akeno chirped, pressing more of her buxom into his back.
"WHY ARE YOU NAKED TOO?!" Tamashi comically yelled, quickly glancing over his shoulder at the woman and immediately regretting it, though a small part of his mind was arguing against that logic.
"It's all a part of the healing process~" Akeno replied. "You got quite injured during yesterday's events... it's actually a bit of a turn on, knowing that you can take that much abuse~..."
"Uhh..." Tamashi mumbled, frozen in fear and multitude of other emotions... though mostly fear. "W-What are you talking about, when you say 'yesterday's events'?"
"You mean you don't remember?" Akeno questioned.
"No... why?"
"Quit throwing his body around like that! We don't want to accidentally kill him!"
"Listen to the rodent with wings! Quit using my son's body as a morning star!"
"Who you callin' a rodent?!"
"Ara, ara, it would be easier if you would just hold still and-" "*BOOM*!"
...
"Ara, ara, missed me~!"
"Fuck!"
"No reason!" Akeno quickly replied.
"Akeno-chan... what happened yesterday?" Tamashi repeated, a serious edge to his voice as he spoke.
"Tamashi-kun..." Akeno muttered, a dreadful feeling building up in her chest.
"I think he deserves to know the truth." The door creaked open, revealing a fully dressed Rias Gremory on the other side of it.
"Rias-san!/Buchou!" Tamashi and Akeno exclaimed at the same time, though for different reasons.
"He's been kept in the dark long enough." Rias stated. "I just came to check up on his status, but it appears that won't be necessary anymore."
"Kept in the dark about what?" Tamashi asked.
"... I'll tell him, Buchou. If he has to hear it from anybody, at least let it be me..." Akeno said halfheartedly, completely catching Tamashi by surprise with how sad she almost sounded.
"Very well. I will be in the main room." Rias said, closing the door and leaving Akeno and Tamashi alone once more.
...
"Akeno-chan... what is going on?"
"Tamashi-"
"Akeno-chan, I'm not joking!" Tamashi said. "In the past twenty-four hours, I've been dragged into a different dimension, beaten with some kind of energy attack by an angry girl, and who knows what else happened to me while I was unconscious! There were these weird creatures and I'm pretty sure I had tentacles coming out of my back at one point and it's just too much to take in at once! I swear if anything else happens-"
"I'm a Devil." Tamashi immediately halted in his rant, taking a good five seconds to process those three words.
"... What?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.
"I am a Devil." Akeno repeated, averting her gaze downward when Tamashi turned his body to face her.
"Like... devilish? Or 'Devil' devil, like in the Bible sort of devil." Tamashi questioned. "Because I figured you were into BDSM and all, but-"
"No, more along the lines of the Bible, yet not at the same time." Akeno responded.
"... I don't understand." Tamashi said, scratching his head in confusion. "Aren't Devils supposed to be, I don't know... don't they have, like, horns and wings and a tail or something that are red, or tempt people into - oooohhh nevermind on that one..."
"Eh... Yes and no." Akeno said.
"Yes and no? What does that mean-" "*Fwoosh*!" "Holy freaking hell!" Tamashi exclaimed, panicking when a pair of bat-like wings sprouted out of Akeno's back. They almost seemed natural, despite having a wingspan twice her size...
He didn't even notice when two wings of his own sprouted from his back.
"Angels, Devils, everything that you'd think is myth or legend is or was living." Akeno stated.
"Then, what about... the Kracken?"
"That was a Stray Devil, which is a Devil who has diverted away from their masters. They can become great threats if their powers go beyond their control."
"Bigfoot?"
"A Youkai, which is like those animal girls and boys from cartoons."
"Uhh... Thor?"
"Gods exist too, but most refrain from interacting much with the mortal and supernatural world."
"Wait! Does that mean the Flying Spaghetti Monster exists?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"... How?"
"No one knows..."
"Okay... then where do I fit in with all of this?" Tamashi questioned.
"Buchou believes that you might be a Pocket Monster, or-" "Pokemon..." he interrupted. "I've heard that word before from yesterday."
"Where did you hear it from?" Akeno questioned.
"Two girls claiming to be Pokemon." Tamashi stated. "I think they also called me one as well..."
"Ara, ara, that would explain your wings."
"My what?" Tamashi called out, finally taking notice to the large, red-tipped claw-like wings protruding from his back.
"..."
-Shirogane DxD-
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Tamashi's voice rung through the hallways of the building, causing Rias's tea to ripple in her cup a little.
"Do you think he's taking the news well?" Kiba questioned, twisting his head to look in the direction that the exclamation came from.
"*BOOM* *CRASH*!"
"He's certainly handling this better than I had expected." Rias replied, sipping her tea nonchalantly.
"*FWOOSH* *SLAM* *CRASH*!" Tamashi came barrelling down the hallway, his wings making him a klutz, knocking over tables and chairs, ruffling up the rug, nothing was spared in his warpath.
"Good morning, Tamashi-kun." Rias said calmly, placing her tea down on the table beside her.
"You!" Tamashi yelled, his wings looming over the red haired Devil. "What the hell is going on?!"
"I'm not sure I understand the question. Please, be more specific." Rias retorted.
"Cut the bullshit! You know what I'm talking about!" Tamashi snapped, the whites of his eyes turning black.
"Perhaps you should calm down a bit first." Rias stated.
"Grrrrrrrr!" Tamashi growled, sharp spikes of shadows forming on the red spikes of his right wing.
...
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you, Tamashi-san." Kiba called out, the feeling of cold steel pressing against the back of Tamashi's neck courtesy of the former.
"We have you outnumbered and outgunned, so to speak, Tamashi-kun." Rias said, her voice ice cold and demonic energy cackling around her hand. "Now we can either do this the civilized way, or..."
"Fine..." Tamashi replied, the black sclera retreating until it merely appeared as a thick, dark ring encircling his irises and the shadowy spikes of energy dispersing. He slowly sat down on the couch opposite to the redhead Devil, Kiba grunting and pulling his sword back from the black haired boy's neck.
"Excellent!" Rias exclaimed, her tone reverting to its calm cheerfulness that it was before. "I realize that you might have a few questions-"
"A few?!" Tamashi grumbled.
"-and I also understand if you are a bit upset or startled by the news..." Rias continued.
"Upset?! Startled?!" Tamashi cried out. "Upset is when you stub your toe! Or when you run out of your favorite food! Startled is when you're thrown a surprise party! Or if you get big news from your parents! Upset and startled don't even begin to describe how I feel right now!"
"Calm down, will you? Everything is going to be fine." Rias said, noticing the dark rings around his pupils threatening to spread once more. "What I am trying to say is, any questions you have I will try to answer to the best of my abilities."
"Then why don't you start by telling me what I am exactly." Tamashi requested.
"You're a Pokemon. Plain and simple. Though which one, I am unsure of." Rias replied.
"What is a Pokemon, specifically?" Tamashi asked.
"It's a general term for a group of strange new species that appeared nearly two decades ago." Rias stated. "We're not quite sure where they came from, or how long they've been among our world, but they've only begun relations with the rest of the supernatural world a few years ago."
"So just because I'm something that you've never seen or heard of before, that makes me a Pokemon?" Tamashi questioned, causing the red haired Devil to shake her head.
"No, it's more than that. Pokemon all have the same type of energy called 'Aura', which is distinct from the energies that Devils, Angels, Youkai, and Gods and Buddhas use." Rias said. "It's a well-kept secret for Pokemon, but we've come to know enough to recognize it."
"Then you 'sensed' this 'energy' inside of me? And that's how you determined me to be a Pokemon?" Tamashi queried, putting air quotes on 'sensed' and 'energy'.
"Technically, I was not the one who sensed it." Rias corrected.
"I did." Koneko stated, startling Tamashi a little.
"You... when did you get here?" Tamashi asked.
"I've been here the whole time." Koneko replied bluntly, grabbing another piece of candy from a silver bowl.
"Pokemon also seem to have three types of forms... Human, humanoid, and a non-human form." Rias added. "Which would explain your wings..."
"Then what kind of Pokemon am I?" Tamashi questioned, though he already knew the answer to his question.
"That's what we're trying to figure out." Rias said.
'So that's your angle...' he thought.
"I've never sensed any Pokemon with such an immense Aura." Koneko added. "You flared an Aura level nearly ten times the average Pokemon. All of Japan felt it, as well as some of the Pacific islands and the coast of Asia."
"You mean to say that I've basically announced myself to the world?" Tamashi queried.
"Only to this part of the world. I'm not so sure how far your Aura could be sensed." Rias stated. "The point is, you caught a lot of people's attention. People who won't have good intentions."
"And...?" Tamashi questioned, motioning for the redhead to continue.
"And you will need the backing of some powerful people to protect you." Rias replied.
"So you want me to join O.R.C.?"
"No... I want you to join my peerage."
-Shirogane DxD-
"Are you sure this is the right town?" Three miko girls walked down the sidewalk, wearing near identical clothing only with different colors.
The first wore a red-and-yellow themed kimono, standing at 5'4" with short and spiky brunette hair, perky B-cup breasts, red eyes and red lipstick.
The second girl had a yellow-and-white themed kimono, standing at 5'8" with spiky golden blond hair that went down just a little bit past her shoulders, CC-cup breasts, red eyes and pink lipstick.
And finally, the third girl donned a blue-and-purple themed kimono, standing at 5'6" with long straight blue hair that went down to her ass, bangs framing either side of her face, mid C-cup breasts, red eyes and unlike the other two, she wore no lipstick.
"Of course it is!" the second girl exclaimed.
"But this is neutral territory. Why would he be here of all places?" the third girl questioned.
"Oh come on, think about it. No one would suspect it." the first girl replied.
"Quiet you three. Time is of the essence." a new voice called out. The miko girl trio turned around and faced the owner of said voice, a young woman that stood at 5'11" wearing an orange, green and yellow themed kimono. She had orange hair that went halfway down her back, D-cup breasts, red eyes and red lipstick.
"Hai, Niji-sama!" the trio exclaimed as one.
-Shirogane DxD-
"... What's a peerage?" Tamashi asked, holding his hand up when Rias began to open her mouth. "And please, no long and complicated explanations."
"Umm... Okay, I guess?" Rias said hesitantly. "There was a war a few centuries ago that devastated the Three Factions - Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels. To counteract for this drastic drop, the peerage system was invented. High-Class Devils would be given a set of chess pieces, taking the [King] piece for themselves." she continued. "The other pieces can be used to create Devils from others, going so far as to bring them back from the dead. The more powerful the [King], the more powerful the reincarnation."
"And you want to turn me into a reincarnated Devil?" Tamashi questioned.
"Well... yes." Rias replied.
"Hmmm..." Tamashi mumbled.
"You don't need to-" Rias started.
...
Everything froze. Literally. Time seemed to halt and everything stopped moving, at least in his eyes it appeared to.
"Don't trust her." That voice. That creepily calm and composed voice.
The very same that had haunted his most recent dream.
"You need not worry about them hearing us, Mister Renegade." in a burst of shadows, the man who owned the very voice appeared. "Please feel free to speak as candid as you so desire."
"W... Who are you? What are you?" was the first thing that came out of Tamashi's mouth, standing up and pointing accusingly at the man.
"We go by many names, Mister Renegade. But you may call us... a friend." the creature replied.
"No seriously, what do I call you?" Tamashi asked.
"We are the inter-dimensional molders of time." the creature stated.
"Okay, Tim it is then."
...
"... Tim?" the creature now known as Tim questioned.
"Yeah, Tim. 'The Inter-dimensional Molders' of time, T. I. M. Tim." Tamashi explained.
"... Tim." Tim repeated, practically deadpanning at the black haired boy.
"Tim." Tamashi responded. "Okay, can we get back on track here? Why can't I trust Rias?"
"Ah yes." Tim hummed, slowly walking towards Tamashi. "She is telling you half-truths and lies. Devils are notoriously selfish beings that only look out for what they want, what they desire."
"What? You aren't going to give me a cryptic statement?" Tamashi questioned sarcastically.
"We are the only beings that will give you the truth. But there are limits as to how much we can reveal." Tim stated. "You will have people from all sides trying to bring you to theirs. Always with an ulterior motive."
"And you?" Tamashi asked.
"We will give you nothing but the truth. Our intentions with you are unclear at this moment, because the actions in your past life have created an anomaly." Tim said. "At this moment, you have merely piqued our curiosity."
"In a good or bad way?" Tamashi queried.
"We are not sure." Tim replied, finally stopping in front of Tamashi, towering over the latter at an inhuman height. He suddenly placed his hands on the black haired boy's shoulders, pushing him down until he was sitting back down on the couch. "Know this, however. We will be watching your every move. Henceforth, your actions will be of your own accord, as will be the consequences of such."
...
"-give me an answer immediately." Rias finished, causing Tamashi to blink a few times. "Is... Is something wrong?"
"No." Tamashi quickly replied. "I... I just need a bit of time to clear my head, before I can give you my decision."
"Of course. Please, take your time." Rias said, a mixture of a sly and genuine smile on her face.
"Thank you..." Tamashi said.
"Although..." Rias began. "I'd suggest putting on some clothes first before going out~"
His face immediately lit up a red hue, finally remembering a crucial fact...
"Ano... w-where are my clothes?" Tamashi asked.
"Ask Akeno-san, she'll know." Rias replied, her smile turning into a smirk. "You know, Akeno-san's quite the lucky girl~"
"U-Uhh..." the black haired boy stammered, becoming even more embarrassed when the redhead's gaze averted downward.
"Buchou..." Koneko called out.
"Huh? What... Oh. Yeah, I... I'm just admiring his muscle structure." Rias stated, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks.
"One particular part of his muscle structure." Koneko deadpanned.
"Well that's just a matter of penis - I mean opinion. Opinion..." Rias said.
"You're still staring!" Tamashi comically cried.
"You don't seem to be... shy, in that aspect~" Rias retorted. "I think it might still be growing~"
"Akeno-chan! Where are my clothes?!" Tamashi yelled, quickly running back down the hallway, taking extra care to fold his wings in to avoid knocking everything over... again.
...
"Are you still sure we should recruit Issei-san?" Kiba questioned, the white haired [Rook] returning to her sweets and ignoring the other two.
"It's better to be overly prepared, Kiba-kun." Rias replied. "And if my suspicions are true, then I'll have a Pokemon and a Sacred Gear wielder in my peerage when the time comes..."
Little did they know, their conversation was overheard by a certain black haired boy, his hair overshadowing his eyes as he slowly continued to walk away.
Chapter End
Post AN: Just so this is clear, Rias is not romantically interested in Tamashi, nor is she romantically interested in Issei. She does not see either one as a romantic interest... yet.
Also, before I forget... Omake time!
Omake - The More You Know!
"Helloooo people!" Tamashi exclaimed, wearing a white labcoat over his school uniform and rectangular glasses. "It's time to answer some of your most pressing questions to CrimsonKyuubiSage about this story! Joining me today is my lovely assistant, Rias Gremory!"
"Great to be here, Tamashi-kun!" Rias said, wearing the exact same attire as Tamashi, only with a female uniform.
"Now, if you would... please read the first question!" Tamashi said.
"*Ahem* 'Dear CrimsonKyuubiSage, will Giratina be getting a harem? Will it include Pokemon?'" Rias read out loud.
"Ah, a good question indeed." Tamashi started. "You see, there are certain factors that come into play whenever a harem is created."
"CrimsonKyuubiSage has taken into account four things: One..." Rias continued, holding up one finger. "Most women are not the sharing types, and even then it isn't polygamy, it's usually as an open marriage couple."
"Two..." Tamashi continued. "In the case of polygamy, or as many of you know it 'having a harem', there could be tensions between the so-called 'sister wives' or 'brother husbands' (Yes, there is such thing as a reverse harem) as they compete for attention from their spouse, which could potentially cause the entire harem to fall apart and leave the certain individual without a harem."
"Three..." Rias added. "Unless in the case of Romeo and Juliet, which is love at first sight, no one person will be solely attracted to just one other, there is always - even in the most miniscule percentage - a romantic interest in more than one person."
"And lastly, four..." Tamashi added. "Sexuality. This factor was the last that CrimsonKyuubiSage took into account because of, well, his lack of such knowledge before."
"Not everyone in the world is heterosexual, nor is it a black and white as a person likes either girls or guys." Rias stated. "It was brought to light by a certain story by veteran fanfic writer fairy tail dragon slayer other types of sexualities that fall in between heterosexual and homosexual."
"Kudos to you, ftds." Tamashi said. "Now, moving on to a second question that sprung forth from the first, Pokemon."
"Pokemon, as stated previously, fall into one of three categories: Non-Legendary, Mythical, and Legendary." Rias said.
"This is a hierarchy of sorts." Tamashi explained. "Legendaries created Mythicals and Non-Legendaries."
"Though the majority of Pokemon have mentally evolved to the point of free will and speech, they still will follow the commands of Legendaries and to some extent, Mythicals."
"For instance: Dialga is a Steel-type Legendary, with a secondary affinity of Dragon-type." Tamashi stated. "Which means that any Mythical or Non-Legendary Pokemon with a Steel-type affinity will fall under his jurisdiction, as will some Dragon-types."
"Think of it as the caste system, only in this case, there is no discrimination against social stature." Rias added.
"Well, that's all the time we have for today." Tamashi said. "Join us next time on TMYK!"
"Ja mata!" Rias exclaimed.
Omake End