Becoming a Badass (High School DxD - Sacred Gearless Issei Hyoudou SI Chapter 1)
"-That's why what holds the dreams of men ARE A WOMAN'S BOOBIES!" The old man shouted passionately, his eyes shining with unexpected youth of one pursuing their life's goal. He wasn't even drunk.
"Hmm, hmm. I see." I nodded, trying to look like I agree with him.
"Excuse me, we were getting calls of someone disturbing the park's visitors, and telling weird things to kids." Policemen arrived at the scene.
"That's the man, officer." I immediately pointed out.
The old man looked shocked. The police went in to take him away.
"You people just don't understand! Boobs are the path of glory! If you can find the divine in beauty, then you can find the divine in tits!" The old man cried out, even as the officers grabbed him.
"Okay, we're gonna need you to come with us to answer some questions at the station."
"You can silence me, but you can't silence the truth of boobs!" The old man wasn't really resisting but he was shouting enthusiastically.
I sighed as I walked away from the whole scene.
So...?
That was suppose to be my iconic origin point? The event were I would walk the path of a Harem King and every thing that followed in High School DxD?
Somehow it feels a bit shallow.
Oh, sure I definitely like tits. I'm not gonna act like I'm some holier-than-thou Self Insert or anything, who says they're not a pervert, while collecting the DxD girls like they're pokemon.
Nor am I some massive degenerate that wants to fuck everything vaguely feminine.
I'm just...
I looked at my left arm, trying once again to image some great power exploding from me. I clenched my fist!
...And nothing happened.
I let out a sigh.
Nothing changed. Same old, same old.
I started jogging home, talking a long route so it would be an exercise.
So my story?
Well, not much to it.
I died, I was reborn in another world, yadda, yadda, yadda.
In this case I was reborn as the main character of High School DxD, Issei Hyoudou.
And for the past eight years of my life I was certain of one thing.
At the end of the day, I was just a normal human.
I didn't have the Boosted Gear. I didn't have another Longinus, or any Sacred Gear for that matter.
I tried everything. Meditation. Power poses. Screaming at the top of my lungs, like it's Dragon Ball Z.
Side note, there is no parody versions of the animes I know here, just the same as my last life. Neat.
I reached my home just fine, greeted my parents, nothing out of the ordinary, took a shower, had lunch and went to play videogames.
And that's... my life.
If I'm not hanging out with some school friends, whom I can't say I'm all that close to-curse of an adult mind in a child's body-I play videogames. Or I do daily exercise.
Nothing that intense or shounen, just normal exercise, while pushing myself every once in a while.
Everything was... fine.
I don't have the Boosted Gear.
I don't have anything special. When the time of canon comes, nothing will happen to me.
And I'm... fine with that. No seriously, I'm fine with that. The shit Canon Issei had to deal with was insane. If he knew about it before hand, he would have been stressed as fuck.
Or maybe he would be ecstatic about his future harem being a sure thing. Maybe. Who knows.
I'm just... don't know what I'm suppose to do.
I go to school, I have good grades more or less, I don't cause problems for others or my parents. I don't have bullies. I don't have... any problem really.
I can do anything in this life. Strive for any dream or goal. I'm free.
I lay down in bed, place a hand over my chest and feel my heart.
It's beating. It's functional.
It's... doing what is expected of it.
"And then, and then, Dulio-sensei was like 'very well, you're excellence, I guess I'll go all out, just this once', and summoned his Boosted Gear! And then Grandpa Vasco said 'Good. Show me how much you've grown, Dulio' and, and glowed with Holy Power like that Goku! Ah, I'm not suppose to mention Sun Wukong because that's bad, for connotation reasons here in the church. But I think saying Goku, since I'm talking about the anime is fine."
"That... sounds like the most badass D&D game ever. We should definitely play that sometime if you visit Japan again." I said on the phone with Irina.
"A-Ah! Right, game, of course! And yeah, definitely!" I could hear the cheerful grin in her voice.
Honestly Irina, we might be ten now, and kids talk about a lot of stuff with active imagination, but I don't think you were suppose to tell me all this stuff.
Two years ago when Irina left with her dad to Italy, I made sure to get a contact number to be able to talk to them. Unlike canon, I didn't make the mistake of thinking "Irina is a boy" and she did mention it, so there's no confusion. We still stayed friends of course.
We call each other, or she calls more than I call here, since the number they gave me was for the church they were stationed at, not a home address. Security reasons probably. I do call, but sometimes I get told by the nun or priest there, that there aren't available at the moment.
Likely doing training or missions or something during that time.
"Oh, Irina, is that Issei? Ask him how are Gorou and Miki, and tell him I said 'hi'." I heard Uncle Touji said in a distant voice.
"Ah? Oh, dad's saying 'Hi'! Also asking about Uncle and Auntie." Irina told me.
"They're doing well, I'll tell them he said 'hello'." I said back with a smile.
Irina and I chatted for a little while longer as much as we could, before she eventually had to go.
I told my parents what Uncle Touji said, they were happy about that, reminiscing a little on when Irina and her family hanged out with us.
I try not to think about that fact, that I recently realized the reason Touji and Irina lived in Kuoh for a while was to work with the devils to assassinate Cleria Belial and Masaomi Yaegaki.
Nothing I could have done about that, and... I honestly didn't care to be involved. It's callous but, it's not about keeping to the canon timeline or any of that nonsense.
Canon's already out the fucking window, and I didn't do anything. Dulio Gesualdo had Boosted Gear? The fuck?! Then who had Zenith Tempest?
Point is, I don't know these people. I have no reason to be invested, risk my life, or more importantly, risk my parents' lives.
I don't have much I consider important in this life, but no matter what I have them. Even if they were just in the background of the anime, or this life, there were always a comforting, stable presence. The least I could do is help them live a comfortable life.
Which means no bringing trouble to their doorstep.
...Although, that's probably just a self-justification.
Being involved with Irina is technically 'trouble' if you think about it. She is part of the Three Factions and all their annoying cold war skirmishes, even if she's just part of the least important part of the Heaven Faction.
Let's be honest, in canon the Church didn't really do shit, except be a nuisance for the heroes. They don't add anything to the world's setting beyond producing minor antagonists, or causing a problem for the protagonists to solve and look cool.
...Maybe I'm being too cold and detached because even with all that I know, I have yet to actually see, or experience something supernatural.
You'd think as Issei I would have met maybe a catgirl or something by now, but nooooo.
I let out a sigh again, sitting in my room filled with games, manga, DVDs and stuff, and... It feels colorless.
I open the curtain to let some light in, and again... It's not colorless now, but it doesn't feel as vibrant.
Canon is in seven years.
What will happen then?
Will Raynare still come for me? Should I be prepared? Train more and get super strength? Magic? How?
Is Rias gonna even notice I exist? Do I want her to?
Honestly. I shouldn't be having this fucking existential crisis.
I'm free. I'm not chained by any role or destiny. My life is fine! Good even! I have no reason to complain or feel bad or despondent or whatever about anything!
I just...
I don't know... what I want to do? Or what do I want to want?
Should I try to be the Oppai Pervert regardless? Nah, that's too much work. Especially since I don't think I can be as shameless as Canon Issei.
Not giving a shit about your peer's opinions. Fuck I wish I had that confidence.
Should I purse a hobby in clay figures? Painting? Maybe eventually I can make a career out of that?
Do I want some dream career or a stable job even if it's boring?
My life is fine. It's comfortable.
...
...
So why do I feel hollow?
AN: I... don't know where I'm going with this.
I just have a lot in mind, and wrote this as way to sort out my thoughts. I decided to finally do the SI Writer Wish Fulfillment thing and do an Issei SI. The twist that I thought would be new is:
What is "Issei Hyoudou without the Boosted Gear"?
And the answer is I don't know. I really don't know where I'm going with this, or if it's heading somewhere. I'm going back to Utahime SI now. So enjoy this as a snack till that's finished. Later.
