The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.

Now, that the exams are done, I can finally move on to the next arc.

What is it going to be about?

Find out in…

Chapter 53 – Rampage! Part 1

13th of November, Friday, 3:20 pm – somewhere on the streets in Akihabara, Tokyo

"You, American! Get those boxes from the truck and bring them into the shop!" a Japanese manager with a burly build and bald head ordered his employee.

"Right away!" the employee replied in English.

The employee went to work right away.


13th of November, Friday, 3:32 pm – elsewhere on the streets in Akihabara, Tokyo

Akihabara. It was a very well-known place in Tokyo for its malls and shops. It was always bustling and busy since it attracted a lot of people. But more importantly, it was known for its electronic merchandise, which included video games – especially the ones with a lot of sex and nudity.

"Hehehehe… I have been waiting a long time for this…" said a certain young man with glasses.

That young man was Matsuda Hide and he was currently window shopping for visual novels and eroges in Akihabara. Now, he was supposed to go shopping for groceries, since it was his turn to do so among his buddies. However, he took this opportunity to visit Akihabara before he went to buy the groceries. The problem up until now, was that Matsuda neither had the time nor the money to visit this place. Nevertheless, Matsuda was patient and saved up his allowance from Shinyama and now… He was finally ready!

As he was moving on to the next shop, something caught his eye.

To his surprise, he saw Issei walking with a young woman together. Looking at them, they seemed like they were a couple.

"What the…!" Matsuda burst out, barely keeping his voice out from yelling.

He stared at the two of them from behind, as they walked away.

'Who is she…? And since when did Issei have a girlfriend…?' Matsuda wondered to himself, before jealous fury gripped him. 'And how dare Issei keep her a secret from us!?'

Matsuda immediately forgot about his quest to buy eroges and promptly followed Issei and Kasumi, making sure they did not see him.

Issei and Kasumi, on the other hand, were in a discussion… sort of.

The topic? Sanma and Komachi.

"If I remember correctly, you said they said they were going to watch a movie and eat out. Is that right, Issei?" Kasumi asked of Issei.

Although, they were on a mission to surveil Sanma and Komachi on their date, Issei quickly realized that this was the first time, he and Kasumi had gone somewhere as a couple.

In other words, they were also on a date.

Currently, Issei was wearing a blue coat over his black school uniform, as he had gone straight to the Tengu family home after school had finished to meet Kasumi. Issei had no time to change for his date. He felt so out of place next to Kasumi, who, unlike Issei, was properly dressed for a date.

Kasumi was wearing a white silky one-piece dress that went down below her knees. Covering her torso and the top part of her dress was a light-purple sweater, along with a huge blanket-like red-brownish scarf with flowery patterns that also covered her upper body. Her legs below her dress could be seen wearing brown leggings and low-heel boots with laces. Adding to that, Kasumi was wearing brown mittens, had a brown handbag and her hair was tied to her usual ponytail with a white scrunchie.

In short, she looked so beautiful…

Issei was blushing so hard because of Kasumi. No matter how long he had known her, he would always be mesmerized by her beauty. And thus, while Kasumi talked, Issei simply stared at her wordlessly in response.

"Issei-kun? Issei!" Kasumi addressed him, trying to get his attention.

"Oh! Oh! I'm sorry! Did you say something?" Issei replied, as he finally broke out of his stupor.

"You have been staring at me for quite a while now… Did something catch your eye?" Kasumi asked Issei with a gentle smile on her face.

"I… um… well… you… look beautiful…" Issei stuttered out.

This caused Kasumi to look down at her clothes and giggled.

"Why, thank you… ufufufu…" Kasumi giggled, feeling flattered by his remark. "I really wanted to dress for the occasion."

"Yeah… you really look fashionable…" Issei replied, feeling self-conscious about his own lack of proper dress. He was still wearing his school uniform.

"Really? How? Explain," Kasumi stepped closer to Issei with a curious smiling expression.

At that moment, Kasumi came off not as a beautiful young woman a few years older than him, but as a mischievous cute girl around the same age. This almost made Issei want to cuddle her like a teddy bear, but he resisted.

Issei looked around him.

"Not here. Let's go someplace else… Away from the eyes of the public…" Issei said to her.

Kasumi became confused at Issei's statement. Why would he not want to say his thoughts? Was he perhaps embarrassed to say them in public?

"Let's go over here…" Issei said, and Kasumi followed him.

They both arrived at a secluded area, where few people would bother to go. The area was dirty, as they were near trash bins, but Kasumi and Issei were both far away from the bins to even smell the trash.

"Well, I am waiting, Issei," Kasumi said to him.

Now, Kasumi was really curious what Issei had to say about her clothes.

Issei cleared his throat and began.

"Your white silky white dress makes you look elegant like an angel from heaven…" Issei described his thoughts and went up to her.

"Why thank you…" Kasumi smiled warmly, only to be mildly surprised when Issei followed up his compliment by touching her dress.

He ran his hand down the side of her dress, making sure not to touch her body in the process. Kasumi looked at Issei's hand feel her dress. Kasumi blushed at Issei's actions and seeing that she did not mind, Issei continued.

"It looks so thin that I think you're wearing summer clothes and yet… at the same time you're wearing a sweater… a scarf… your leggings…" Issei started to crouch down and feel her legs with both hands. He deliberately, pinched the fabric of her leggings, enjoying the thickness of the fabric.

Issei looked up at Kasumi's face. Kasumi continued smiling.

"It's okay, Issei-kun. Go ahead," Kasumi beckoned him on, as if enjoying Issei's clearly perverted actions.

Seeing that it was fine, Issei continued and was fondling her knees. Issei made sure to touch the front and the back of her knees.

Kasumi was shivering from Issei's touch. For whatever reason, it felt good to her.

"…and finally… your boots… They make you look so good…" Issei said, as he touched her boots, grasping them and rubbing them.

He touched her feet, the laces and the tongue of her boots.

Issei could not help it anymore. He was drooling and lusting over her.

Kasumi was the same. She was shivering from arousal and looking down at Issei with hearts in her eyes. Still, Kasumi made sure to keep her cool and maintain her modest façade.

"They seem different from the high-heeled boots I usually see you wear. Are these new?" Issei asked Kasumi, his mind completely consumed by lust.

Although, he was a breast fetishist, he could also appreciate a woman's legs and feet, along with her clothes.

"Yes, actually…" Kasumi answered, as she was on the edge of losing her control of her composure. "I bought these two months ago here in Akihabara. I chose them because I wanted to wear some low-heeled boots for a change… Do you like them?"

"Yes… but not so much as…" Issei said and suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind her.

"Kya!" Kasumi yelped as Issei hugged her from behind.

His arms were wrapped around her waist, his hands feeling her stomach.

"Issei…" Kasumi whispered quietly and looked at the brunette behind him with desire.

"…your…" Issei spoke and moved his hands upward.

They inched towards her breasts…

Issei and Kasumi shuddered with excitement at the sensations both would feel when…

"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

…a sudden cry of outrage caused the two lovers to break off from each other. They looked to the origin of the outburst and saw Matsuda standing there with a finger pointed to them in outrage.

"M-M-M-Matsuda!?" Issei cried out in shock at seeing one of his best friends witnessing his intimate moments with Kasumi.

Kasumi, on the other hand, was blushing and covered her face from embarrassment.

"YOU DAMN RIAJU! HOW DARE YOU GET A HOT GIRLFRIEND BEHIND OUR BACKS AND MAKE OUT WITH HER! I'M TELLING MOTOHAMA AND THEN YOU WILL GET IT WHEN WE GET HOME!" Matsuda threatened Issei and then ran away.

Issei and Kasumi stared silently, as they watched the glasses-wearing boy depart in rage.

"I think we should go find Sanma and Komachi," Issei said to Kasumi.

"Yes, we should. So, you said you know where they went?" Kasumi asked of Issei.

"Yeah, I do. Let's go," Issei simply replied, now no longer in the mood for any sexual activities.

Still, Issei and Kasumi held hands as they left the alleyway. They were lovers, after all.


13th of November, Friday, 3:37 pm – somewhere on the streets in Akihabara, Tokyo

"Hehehe… It totally was worth the wait…" Motohama chuckled to himself, while rubbing his hands in glee.

Motohama was also in Akihabara, walking down the shopping district.

Why? Like Matsuda, he also had his own agenda. And that involved getting…

"The Eroge-T-Shirt store must be around here somewhere. I can't wait to get my first monkey waifu T-shirt… Ehehehe…" Motohama said to himself with glee.

…that.

While Motohama was minding his own business, suddenly…

"Motohama?" a familiar voice called out to him.

Motohama looked around and saw a familiar face.

"Sanma?" Motohama said, surprised at seeing the pig-tailed martial artist here.

What surprised Motohama even more was the fact, that Sanma was wearing a suit, instead of his usual Mao-suit.

"What are you doing here?" Motohama asked Sanma.

"I'm…" Sanma wanted to answer but was interrupted.

It was then, that another familiar face popped up.

"Sanma-darling? What are you doing over he-?" a young woman suddenly appeared.

The young woman wore a bright red dress with her skirt reaching down right over her knees. Below her dress, she wore long high-heeled brown boots with traces of fur. A furry black coat covered her upper body. Her hair was tied to a long black ponytail.

Motohama recognized the young woman instantly and jumped back in fright.

"WHAT THE FRIGG!" Motohama yelped, which thankfully did not cause too much attention.

The young woman was none other than Komachi Kono, the loony gymnast that kidnapped Motohama and his friends the other day – all so that she could win over Sanma. He also remembered her because she this psychotic laugh and wore this sexy green leotard.

And the torture he went through because of her… how dare she tie him up over a pool with a giant snapping turtle!? And why was that turtle called Mr. Crocodile!? Could she not tell them apart!?

Komachi turned to Motohama with a surprised expression, which then turned into a glare.

"Why are you here, peon?" she demanded of him.

Motohama shakily pointed a finger at her.

"That's my question! What are you doing here!?" Matsuda demanded of her with a fearful and defiant glare.

"We're… on a date… sort of…" Sanma confessed.

"A date!?" Motohama voiced incredulously at the idea of Sanma dating Komachi.

No scratch that! The idea of her dating anybody was unthinkable!

"Yes, we are. What is it to you, peon?" Komachi insulted Motohama.

Motohama was about to retort when Sanma stepped in between them.

"Now, now… let's hold the horses. 'Kay?" Sanma held out his arms to them placatingly.

Sanma turned his face to Motohama.

"So, I wanna know. What brings ya here?" Sanma asked his friend.

"I'm out shopping… for clothes…" Motohama answered, giving only the bare minimum of information (he did not want anybody to find out about his love for monkey waifus).

"Hmph! Figures a poor boy like you would go shopping here!" Komachi scoffed.

"Excuse me!" Mothama voiced in outrage. "Well, if that's what you think about this place. I'd like to ask what you are doing here?"

Komachi was about to say something when Sanma quickly spoke for her.

"We're just passin' through. We were on our way towards the Bling Bling place," Sanma answered.

Motohama widened his eyes in shock.

"Isn't that the place for… filthy rich people…?" Motohama dared to ask.

"OHOHOHOHOHO!" Komachi laughed loudly. "Of course, it is. And that's why you are a poor peon. Ohohohoho…"

Now, it ought to be explained for you all that the Bling Bling Plaza (that is its true name) was a place in Akihabara that housed a casino, a hotel, an exclusive shopping area for rich people and a cinema. All these buildings were owned by the Bling Bling Group, which also owned several other real estate assets elsewhere and whose owners were filthy rich.

Motohama was getting angrier by the minute. Luckily, Sanma was here to diffuse the situation.

"She wanted to show me the stores there… and have a nice time at the restaurant… and then watch a movie…" Sanma explained the date schedule to Motohama.

Before Sanma could finish, the three of them stopped when they heard a man yell.

"Hey, American! Get those boxes over there!" a storeowner roughly called out to his employee, who was busy carrying several boxes of shoes somewhere.

"Yes, sir!" the American man replied in English. "Right away!"

The American came off as a timid man, the kind who could hardly hurt a fly. He also gave off a nerdy impression with his glasses.

In contrast, his Japanese superior was rough and burly. He seemed to be a manager of one of the nearby clothing stores.

Motohama, Sanma and Komachi watched the scene for a moment, before moving on without much of a thought.

"Now, that your business with this pest is done for today… Let's head over here, Sanma-darling!" Komachi said to Sanma, as she pulled him by the hand towards another clothing store.

"Whoa!" Sanma yelped as he was dragged along. "Sorry, Matsuda! See ya later!"

Motohama watched the two love birds leave with an annoyed look on his face.

"Pest? You are the pest, you crazy floozy!" Matsuda replied behind her back and shook his head. "You may be rich, and you may have a hot body, but that doesn't make you a desirable woman…" he muttered to himself.

So much for that…

Motohama wished Sanma good luck. That guy was going to need it.

Motohama turned back to see the American employee walk into a nearby clothing store with the boxes.

"An American working in Japan as a part-timer, huh? That's not something you see every day…" Motohama remarked to himself.

Then the glasses-wearing teenager went about his own way. After going down a certain street a good distance from where he had encountered Sanma and Komachi, he stopped.

"Hmm? What's this?" Motohama wondered upon seeing something on the ground.

It was a red wallet with rose patterns on it. What stood out about it the most was its glitter, which sparkled in the dark evening sky.

Motohama picked it up. He looked around to see if someone was looking for it.

Nobody bothered.

"Whose is this?" Motohama asked himself.

Wallets were valuable items and Motohama, being a decent Japanese citizen, did not like the idea of taking somebody's goods for himself. He should probably go to the police…

Then again, wallets are bound to contain bank cards and ID-cards. So, perhaps he could find the owner himself.

Motohama opened the wallet and pulled out a bank card. And it turned out… he knew the person in question… unfortunately.

"Son of a…!" Motohama cursed out loud.

Motohama groaned, before turning around and heading back to where he came from.

"They probably haven't gotten too far. I can still catch up to them. But why did it have to be her?" Motohama complained, as he walked as fast as he could.

The reason for his complaint? The wallet belonged to none other than Komachi Kono.


13th of November, Friday, 3:45 pm – Bling Bling Plaza, Akihabara, Tokyo

"This is the place," Issei said to Kasumi, as they arrived at the Bling Bling Plaza.

Kasumi and Issei took a moment to take in their surroundings. There were grand buildings and shiny lights everywhere. Lots of people were there, dressed in suits and fine dresses going up and about their business. They could immediately tell that this was a place for rich people.

After they had taken in everything, Kasumi turned to Issei.

"So, when are they going to get here?" Kasumi asked Issei.

Issei pulled out a piece of paper from his coat pocket. It contained the schedule of Sanma's date with Komachi along with the time and the location.

"According to this piece of paper we have arrived fifteen minutes ahead of schedule," Issei explained to her. "They may have already arrived, though. On occasions like these, it would only be right for them to start their date ahead of schedule."

"Sounds reasonable," Kasumi answered and went a few steps toward the plaza before stopping. "Shall we go then?"

Issei, being a gentleman, decided to take her hand with a smile.

"Of course, my lady," Issei said playfully and lead the way.

Kasumi smiled and giggled a bit as she followed him to the plaza.


13th of November, Friday, 3:46 pm – shopping mall, Bling Bling Plaza, Akihabara, Tokyo

A certain red-haired girl was humming a tune, as she went shopping. She loved shopping and was glad to be in Tokyo. Although, she was here to search for Issei Hyoudou, the Red Dragon Emperor, she decided to enjoy herself first. And that involved shopping for clothes.

Since it was nearing winter, Rias had bought some winter clothing for herself, such as boots, leggings, skirts and cardigans. Rias also bought some colorful scarves for Sona and her peerage, too.

"Ara, ara… You seem to be enjoying yourself, Rias," Akeno remarked with her trademark smile.

"Of course, it's not every day I get to come here," Rias stated with delight.

"Buchou," Koneko Toujou spoke up, as she carried some bags with shopping goods. "Are all the clothes in here for you?" she asked stoically as ever.

"Yes, are these all for you. They seem like a lot," Yuuto said, as he carried some more bags.

"Well, for the most part," Rias answered. "Most are for me, but don't worry. We're going to buy some new clothes for all of you, too. Don't worry about the costs. They are on me."

"Yay, ufufufu…" Akeno rejoiced at the prospect of shopping.

"Yay…" Koneko said unenthusiastically.

"As long as you like it…" Yuuto said with a standard smile.

All four of them went into the next store to shop some more.

While Rias and Akeno went ahead, Yuuto and Koneko lingered behind to speak to each other in private.

"But how are we going to find Issei Hyoudou? Tokyo is a big city," Yuuto asked Koneko.

"Beats me. But someone like him should have a strong energy signature, right?" Koneko asked back.

"That's true…" Yuuto answered and let out a huge sigh. "…even then it will be hard work…"


13th of November, Friday, 3:47 pm – back on the streets in Akihabara, Tokyo

"Stupid Riajuu… I hate them… Why does he get to have a new girlfriend so soon…?" Matsuda complained to himself.

He was loudly upset over Issei beating him in getting a new girlfriend. And she was so mature and looked so much older than him. Why did Issei get to be so OP? Was it because he was the host of the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig?

Whatever the case, Matsuda was no longer in a mood to go shopping and decided to just… take a walk.

Just then, Matsuda spotted something strange moving before him.

"Is that… a piglet?" Matsuda asked himself, blinking in astonishment.

His eyes did not deceive him. It was indeed a piglet – a black one at that. Moreover, it was dragging clothes with its mouth and was wearing a red scarf around its neck.

It was walking up Matsuda absentmindedly before bonking its head against his leg.

The piglet looked up to him in surprise. Matsuda looked down at the piglet and smiled.

"What's wrong, boy? You lost?" Matsuda asked the piglet playfully.

The piglet shook his head and went on his way. Matsuda had nothing better to do, which is why he followed the piglet.

"Hey, at the very least, let me carry you…" Matsuda proceeded to pick it up.

"BWWEEE!" the piglet protested and struggled to break free to no avail.

"Hey, hey, little piggy! I'm not gonna hurt you!" Matsuda sought to calm him down. "Here, I'll take your clothes. I'll bring you to my house."

With the piglet under his arm and the clothes in the other, Matsuda headed towards his home.

Strangely enough, his frustration about Issei having a girlfriend were washed away, as if they never existed to begin with.

Matsuda… was feeling happy right now…

"Though why do you even have these clothes with you to begin with?" Matsuda asked the piglet, as he looked at the black pants and yellow shirt.

The piglet did not answer and only grunted.

But sometimes things end quicker than expected.

As Matsuda passed by a construction site with workers trying to fix a pipe, suddenly…

"OOPS!" a worker exclaimed as he accidentally unleashed a blast of warm water into Matsuda's face.

"WAAAAHHH!" Matsuda cried out as he was hit by the blast of water, falling on his rear with something heavy falling on him.

"Oh, I'm sorry… What the!?" the construction worker apologized before he froze up in shock upon seeing Matsuda.

The man quickly turned away in embarrassment and proceeded to fix the broken pipe.

Matsuda was trying to ascertain with his blurry vision (caused by the wetness) what just hit him.

Just before the water hit Matsuda, he used the piglet as a shield to protect himself. However, the moment the water hit him, the piglet… suddenly changed shape and became bigger and heavier.

"Just what is…" Matsuda wanted to say, as he regained his vision.

Right in front of him… there was something on top of him… or rather someone…

"Oh, dang it… Why did this have to happen now out of all times…?" a familiar voice grumbled as he got off from Matsuda.

"…RYUGA!?" Matsuda cried out with his eyes as big as they had never been in his life.

And why? Not only was the piglet gone, but… it had turned into Ryuga!

And what's more, he was completely naked!

As Matsuda stuttered and sputtered in disbelief, Ryuga picked up his clothes and put them on.

"Sigh… I guess I've got a lot of explaining to do, don't I?" Ryuga remarked.

Ryuga made sure to hurry for many onlookers had gathered and were whispering all sorts of things, including about calling the police.


13th of November, Friday, 3:49 pm – elsewhere on the streets in Akihabara, Tokyo

Komachi was briskly backtracking to where she and Sanma had been before with the latter following right behind her. She was fuming and Sanma was careful not to make her even more angry by saying something out of place. With how she was, she was terrifying.

"Why on earth does this have to happen to me? Just when I'm about to enjoy my date with my beloved Sanma… This has to happen!" she complained out loud.

"Calm down, we'll find it soon enough…" Sanma promised Komachi.

"That better be the case!" Komachi snapped at Sanma.

For the rest of the walk, none of the two spoke a word. Sanma was hoping he could have a good time, even if it was with one of the craziest of all his love interests. It started out so well, too…

Just then, they came across Motohama who was waving at them from a distance.

Sanma and Komachi stopped upon seeing him.

"What is that peon doing?" Komachi asked of Sanma.

"Dunno," Sanma shrugged his shoulders, as he saw Motohama run towards them.

Motohama stopped in front of them to catch his breath.

"Haa… Haa… Thank goodness, I found you…" Motohama said in relief.

"What's up, Motohama?" Sanma asked the glasses-wearing boy.

"It's this…" Motohama pulled out Komachi's wallet from his pocket.

Komachi widened her eyes and immediately snatched it from his hand.

"Speak, peon! Why is my wallet in your hands?" Komachi demanded from Motohama with an accusatory glare.

Motohama could not help but feel insulted by the tone of her voice. "Excuse me! I found it on the streets! Would it kill you to say, 'Thank you'?" Motohama retorted back.

"You…" Komachi was about to hurl the next insult at him, but Sanma quickly stepped in.

"All right, everyone. Let's not fight here, okay?" Sanma soothed the tension between the two of them. "Motohama, thanks for finding it. You really saved our date."

Motohama looked at Sanma and nodded with a neutral expression. "No problem," Motohama answered.

Sanma turned to face Komachi. "He found it. He didn't steal it. Motohama is a good guy, I can vouch for that," Sanma assured his date.

"Hmph!" Komachi simply disregarded the boy and took Sanma's hand. "Let's get going…"

"Right behind ya," Sanma said and turned around to head back towards the Bling Bling Plaza.

The three of them were about to part ways when…

"Oh, WHOOPS!" a man cried out and boxes of shoes toppled over and fell to the ground.

Sanma and Komachi quickly moved out of the way. The boxes and the man fell to the ground right before them.

"HEY! You almost hit us!" Sanma called out because the boxes nearly fell on Sanma and Komachi.

Motohama's thoughts upon seeing the scene was regarding the man.

'Isn't that the American part-timer?' Motohama thought.

"You good-for-nothing…" the Japanese manager came up and grabbed his employee by the shirt in public.

"Do you have any idea how much these shoes are worth? Huh? A lot more than any salary you will ever get!" the manager scolded the American.

"I'm sorry…" the American apologized in broken Japanese, not defending himself from the rough treatment.

"Well, saying sorry is not going to cut it," the manager told him roughly. "Because of you my shoes may be ruined, and I won't be able to sell them. What are you going to do about it, huh?"

The American tried his best to answer, but it was clear that he had a hard time understanding Japanese.

"I… um…" the American tried to speak.

"Idiot!" the manager threw him into the pile of boxes. "That's it! You're fired! Pack your things and be gone!"

The poor man had fallen face first unto the pavement. His glasses broke from the fall.

By now a crowd had gathered to watch the scene.

"Hey, there's no need to be so mean to him. It was an accident and besides, we weren't hurt…" Sanma told the manager.

"Mind your own business, boy. This does not concern you!" the manager snapped at Sanma.

Motohama could not help but frown at the man's behavior.

'What a jerk!' he thought to himself.

The American slowly rose on his knees, his broken glasses fell off his face. Worse, his face was bleeding, and his eyes were overshadowed by his bangs. His expression was unreadable.

At that moment, Motohama suddenly noticed something about the American.

'Wait… that face… I've seen it somewhere before…' Motohama thought to himself.

The manager walked up to the American and hauled him up with one arm.

"Did you hear what I said!? GET LOST!" the manager shouted angrily at the American.

The crowd was whispering about what they were seeing, but did not step in.

Sanma was about to step in and help, but then… the American grabbed the manager by his own shirt with both arms.

"Hey! How dare you do that? You wanna fight?" the manager demanded, as he tried to pry off the American's arms off from his shirt.

"Woah, it's a fight!" an onlooker shouted.

"Hey, calm down, you two!" another one urged the two men.

"Sanma-darling, we're late for our date," Komachi said to Sanma, trying to get him to leave with her.

Komachi did not want anything to do with a fight that had nothing to do with them.

Sanma was about to comply when something shocking happened.

The manager punched the American in the face. The American did not react, nor made a sound. He just took the punch dead-on with an unreadable expression.

"Oh, my goodness!" a woman cried out in shock at the escalation.

"Hey, stop it!" another woman called out.

"Let go!" the manager angrily punched the American again. "I said, let go!"

Again, the American remained unfazed.

Motohama, on the other hand, neither said nor did anything. He calmly analyzed the man, trying to figure out where he had seen his face before. And then his eyes fell upon the nametag. And the nametag spelled the American's name in Katakana.

It read "Bruce Banner".

At that moment, Motohama widened his eyes in realization as he remembered back during his last briefing session with Shinyama Hide.

"I want you to find Bruce Banner – preferably before…" Motohama remembered Hide Shinyama saying.

"It's him!" Motohama exclaimed to himself, as he finally recognized the American scientist from another world.

"Damn it! LET GO!" the manager punched the American, named Bruce Banner, in the face again.

The manager tried to pry off the American's arms off him, which not only still held on to the shirt, but had proven stronger than the manager had imagined.

Motohama reacted in an instant.

"Everybody, get away! Get away from here as far as possible!" Motohama warned the crowd.

The crowd looked at Motohama in confusion at his outburst. Just why did he say that?

Sanma also wondered why Motohama said that.

"Motohama, dude, whaddya mean by that?" Sanma asked of Motohama.

"Exactly what I said before! Hurry, before…" Motohama wanted to finish his warning, but it was too late.

Bruce Banner looked straight at the manager… and his eyes were filled with unnatural fury.

"…he transforms back into the Hulk." Shinyama's words ended.

"Grrrrrrr…" Bruce Banner growled like an animal and then, the most bizarre thing happened.

"What the…!"

"Is his face turning green!?"

Indeed, it was. The color of green slowly spread from his neck to his face. In fact, green was spreading all over his body.

"Huh…?" the manager stopped punching, as he was also surprised by the change his employee was undergoing.

But that was not the end.

Bruce Banner's clothes were starting to burst from their seams. Were they becoming smaller? No, Bruce became bigger.

His body grew enormously. The timid thin American became bulkier and was starting to outgrow all the people assembled. He grew so big that he was starting to lift the manager up.

"What… What's…"

"It's a monster!"

"RUN!"

The people began to panic and some even began to run for their lives.

"What on earth…?" Komachi looked at what was happening in shock.

"Motohama… What's going on?" Sanma asked of Motohama uneasily.

"Get away, I'll hold him here…" Motohama said and pressed a button on his wristwatch.

The glue gloves appeared on his hands, which Sanma knew was a sign that things were getting serious.

Sanma and Komachi complied with Motohama's demand and made their escape.

"Wha-wha-what…?" the manager whispered in horror at seeing the ever-growing American.

The manager tried to struggle free from the monster's grip, but it was no use. His grip on him was too strong.

More and more people began to run. Some even called the police to warn of a big green monster terrorizing the city.

Motohama took the time to charge his glue bombs. He needed to stop him before things got out of hand.

Bruce Banner had the reached the limit of his growth with his size being more than 2 meters. Additionally, he was completely green and packed with muscles. His clothes were also torn apart, as he was left wearing only purple shorts.

"You make… Hulk… angry…" the Hulk breathed out to the frightened manager in barely contained rage. "You… throw… Hulk…"

The manager was filled with terror and helplessness, the complete opposite of just a minute ago.

And then, the Hulk grabbed the manager with both arms and lifted him over his head.

"No… Don't…" the manager began to cry in fright, as he was lifted into the air.

"HULK THROW!" the Hulk threw the poor manager right into the air.

"AAAHHHH…" the manager screamed as he flew in a huge arc towards the other end of the street… and unto a car, smashing its roof and setting off an alarm.

It was unknown if the man had survived.

"RRRROOOOOAAAARRRR!" the Hulk let out a huge roar in anger.

"HEY!" Motohama called out to the Hulk, getting the latter's attention.

The Hulk turned around to face Motohama.

"TAKE THIS!" Motohama called out and threw something at him.

[SPLURGE!]

A huge block of dark glue hit the Hulk head-on, trapping him in sticky glue.

"HRGH!" the Hulk grunted, as he was caught by surprise.

Motohama circled around and made his next move.

"AND THIS!" Motohama added and threw another huge blob of glue from behind.

[SPLURGE!]

The Hulk had been hit by both sides and had now been trapped by his legs.

"This should do it…" Motohama said to himself proudly.

Unfortunately, the Hulk was stubborn and struggled against the glue. And judging by how things appeared, it would not take long for the Hulk to break free.

"Oh, boy… I better get away…" Motohama said to himself, before running as fast as his legs could carry him.

It turned out to be a smart decision for the Hulk had broken the pavement with his fists, throwing debris into the air in a bid to free himself.

"GAH!" Motohama cried out as he yelped, as a piece of pavement barely missed him.

"YOU ATTACK HULK! HULK SMASH YOU!" the Hulk cried out to Motohama in a fury.

"This is not good…" Motohama said to himself in a cold sweat, as he proceeded to call Issei. "Please, answer quickly…"


13th of November, Friday, 3:53 pm – somewhere else, on the streets in Akihabara, Tokyo

"So, you transform into a piglet whenever you are splashed with cold water and revert back into a human when you're splashed with warm water… all because of some curse you got when you were visiting China… Did I get that right?" Matsuda asked of Ryuga, who was now fully clothed.

"Yep," Ryuga answered, as he walked side by side with Matsuda. "And there is no cure against it either. I'm stuck with this for life."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Matsuda said to him.

"It's kind of annoying from time to time, but I got used to it," Ryuga shrugged it off.

"So, are you the only one with this kind of curse?" Matsuda asked.

"If you mean 'the only one who transforms into a pig when splashed with cold water', then yep. I am. If you mean 'the only one who transforms into something else in general when splashed with cold water', then nope. There are others," Ryuga put it simply.

"Really? Who?" Matsuda asked curiously.

"Cat Fu, Mouse, Sanma's dad and Sanma himself, of course," Ryuga named a few.

"Sanma transforms into something? What does he transform into?" Matsuda wanted to know.

"That…" Ryuga was hesitating to answer that.

Suddenly, they saw masses of people run past them, as if running for their lives.

"QUICK, QUICK!" a boy shouted, dragging a little girl with him.

"I'M COMING, ONII-CHAN!" his younger sister cried out, as she was led by the hand.

"EVERYONE RUN! IT'S ALL HELL AND PANDEMONIUM OVER THERE!" a man cried out, as he fled for his life.

"WHERE'S THE POLICE!? WHERE'S THE ARMY!?" a woman shrieked, as she ran in her high-heeled boots as fast as she could.

"What the FRIGG IS GOING ON HERE!?" Ryuga raised his voice because of the volume as he looked around.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Matsuda answered honestly.

[BOOM!]

A large cloud of dust was hurled into the air with a resounding noise.

"This can't be good…" Matsuda said to himself.


13th of November, Friday, 3:44 pm – Bling Bling Plaza, Akihabara, Tokyo

(((BOOM)))

Masses of people had turned to where the noise was coming from. Some of them were taking out their smartphones to film what was happening towards the shopping streets of Akihabara.

Issei and Kasumi were also looking in the distance with worry.

"Oh my! What was that?" Kasumi asked fearfully.

"I really don't know…" Issei answered truthfully.

Suddenly, Issei's wristwatch rang. Feeling that this may have something to do with what was happening, Issei took the call.

"What's up?" Issei asked.

"Issei, it's me, Motohama," Motohama called from the other end. "I've got good news and bad news."

Issei could not help but hear Motohama's heavy breathing on the other end of the line. It seemed like he was running.

However, given the circumstances, Issei decided that listening to what Motohama had to say was more important.

"What are they?" Issei asked of Motohama.

"The good news is… I've found him…" Motohama revealed, panting as he ran.

"Who?" Issei wondered confused.

"That guy Shinyama wanted us to find. That Bruce Banner guy, the one who transforms into the giant green man... the Hulk… I've found him…" Motohama explained.

"That's great!" Issei exclaimed and was jubilant until he started to put things together.

"Let me guess. The bad news he turned into the Hulk… didn't he?" Issei said, as he blankly stared in the distance where the sound of rumblings and the sight of dust clouds continued unabated.

"Yup," Motohama confirmed. "But that's not the worst part…"

"It's not?" Issei asked confused.


13th of November, Friday, 3:55 pm – on the run somewhere, Akihabara, Tokyo

"The worst part is that even though I try to slow him down, THE HULK IS STILL CHASING ME! HE'S TRYING TO KILL ME! IF YOU DON'T SAVE MY HIND, I MIGHT JUST DIE! DO SOMETHING!" Motohama begged Issei desperately, even as the Hulk chased him through the streets.

Masses of people were running away in a bid to get themselves to safety. Cars swerved left and right and some of them had been flipped over.

Unfortunately, none of this would stop the Hulk.

"HULK CRUSH TINY STICKY BOY!" the Hulk raged, as he was gaining on him.

"HELP ME! PLEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEE!" Motohama begged of Issei.


13th of November, Friday, 3:56 pm – Bling Bling Plaza, Akihabara, Tokyo

"I'm on it. Don't panic!" Issei assured his friend. "I'll be right there."

And with that, Issei hung up the call.

"Issei?" Kasumi addressed him.

"Kasumi, I…" Issei began to speak. "I'm sorry, but… Motohama needs me. He's being attacked by the one creating all this mess… so… I need to go…"

Kasumi merely smiled at him in understanding.

"Issei-kun, it's okay. That's what I like about you. So, go," Kasumi encouraged Issei and kissed his forehead.

Issei blushed, then smiled and nodded.

"Please, be careful. Give me a call when it's all over…" Kasumi urged him.

Issei nodded again.

"You got it…" he said and ran towards the source of danger.

As Kasumi waved him goodbye, Rias, Akeno, Yuuto and Koneko had arrived on the plaza just after Issei had departed.

"I thought I sensed something here," Rias swore.

"Me too, though it's not here, but further that way," Yuuto pointed in the distance.

"That, too. But I was talking about something else in the plaza," Rias clarified.

Koneko and Yuuto looked at Rias confused, unsure what she meant.

"Oh, I get what you're trying to say," Akeno spoke up, getting Koneko and Yuuto's attention. "The holder of the Welsh Dragon…"

Akeno started, as she stared out into the distance towards the streets of Akihabara.

"He's near… very near… ufufufufu…" Rias giggled in excitement.

"Buchou, I think we should deal with that monster first, before we find the Red Dragon Emperor," Yuuto suggested to Rias.

"Yes, of course," Rias replied and became serious.

She was now in command-mode.

"Everyone, let's head out and stop the chaos!" Rias ordered her peerage members.

And so, the four Devils ran towards their destination brushing by Kasumi.

"Kyaa!" Kasumi almost cried out in surprise, as Yuuto and Koneko brushed by her.

"Sorry, ma'am!" Yuuto apologized to Kasumi, before quickly heading out.

"Oh, my! Things are getting hectic here..." Kasumi remarked after recovering from shock.

Issei, on the other hand, had summoned the Boosted Gear with a green flash. He looked forward, as he ran down the streets with determination.

[Boost!]


And that was the Chapter 53 of The Lone Vigilante Issei.

There are several things I want to note about this chapter.

For one, I really love writing about Issei and Kasumi. For me, they are the sweetest couple ever. Sadly, Issei is always the kind to be interrupted by dangerous foes, so shame about the date. What's even sadder (and annoying)

Also, as I promised, the long-awaited fight between the Hulk and Issei is set to begin. It will be a tough one for Issei since the Hulk is almost unbeatable and Issei is a beginner by comparison.

Speaking of Hulk, I don't know if it's just the old TV-series with Lou Ferrigno, but Hulk always meets that jerks that anger and hurt him physically. And somehow it always seems to be the trigger for his transformation. And that's why, I decided to replicate such an event here.

But still, poor guy…

And as for Issei, he will have a hard time for another reason. I'm sure you noticed that Rias finally showed up in Tokyo along with her peerage. Things are going to be even more complicated from here on out.

As for the other characters, they, too, will have a big role to play in this arc.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, what did you think of this chapter?

Did you like it?

Please read and review, I would like to hear from you.

And as always, I hope to see you around next time.

Until then.

Hide Shinyama