章 2: Episode Start and Episode End
"OWOWOWOWOW," Brine mentally screamed.
Once everything was settled with Azichael, Brine's consciousness faded as his soul was transported into the first hero he was to possess.
What Brine awakened to was a dim sky turning to night with just the last few rays of sunlight vanishing from the world mixed with excruciating pain. Feeling the pain radiate from his abdomen, he knew exactly which world he was in.
"Fuck, fuck," Brine yelled - though physically unable to do so aloud. "The first world is Highschool DxD. Right at the start too with Issei having just been stabbed by 'Yuuma-chan' - aka Rayner."
Weakly, Brine managed to lift his hand to see it coated in blood. Delirious from blood loss, he began to slightly panic. However, his vision was then obscured by a transparent, white screen.
X Quest System activated.
According to user impute the specific nature of the system and rewards granted are based on the previously visited universe. As your home universe does not count, you have not visited any universe prior. There will thus be no reward for quest completion.
User may move on to next world at any time following the completion of a quest. However, according to the will of the divine, user cannot stay in one world for too long and will be forcibly transferred following the completion of an 'arc', 'volume', or 'season'.
Universe Name: Highschool DxD
Quest (1): Prologue
Use the flyer in your pocket to summon Rias Gremory who will reincarnate you as a devil.
If you do not, you will die and the divine will find a new champion.
"Fuck you," Brine growled at the screen. However, despite the swear, he was a little thankful to it as the reminder helped to ground him and stop his panic. "Okay, I can feel the pain fading. That's not a good sign. I have to stay awake. How do I activate the summoning circle? What does Issei do? Blood…crimson…Rias…wishing to die in her arms?…Groping a girl…Okay. I can do this. Call out to Rias Gremory with a strong desire. Easy enough. Calling Rias Gremory. I need you here ASAP. I don't want to die."
A moment passed and Brine's vision was growing blurry as he continued to mentally wish. His calls grew increasingly desperate as it grew harder and harder to maintain his consciousness. Then, he heard it.
"So, you were the one who called me. Looks like you are dying. Your wound…Oh my, looks like something interesting is happening yo you. So, it's you…This truly is interesting. If you are dying, then I'll pick it up. Your life that is. From now, you will live for me."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Brine groaned as he found himself lying face-down on the soggy ground - overcast sky suggesting it had just rained. His mind was hazy as he struggled to move.
Trying to draw upon his last memory, Brine remembered seeing another screen popup in his vision declaring the quest was completed and asking if he wanted to continue or not. His mind slowly began to clear as he realized he was in another body. Slowly rising to his feet, Brine looked himself over to see who he was now.
Though covered in mud and dirt, Brine was able to make out the black and white shoes he was wearing. His eyes traveled up the light blue, jean pants to a black belt around his waist. Pulling on the shirt he was wearing, he saw it was a black T-shirt and then realized he was wearing a blue jacket with short, white sleeves over it. Noticing the green, fingerless gloves on his hands, he looked over his arms to find he had tanned skin.
Having mostly collected himself from the hazy delirium his previous body had left him in, Brine realized where and who he was. Taking in his surroundings, he found he was surrounded by a flock of slightly charred, black and brown birds he recognized as Spearow. Pulling on the brim of the signature red and white cap on his head, he came to the final conclusion. "I'm Ash Ketchum now."
As if in response to his discovery, a screen appeared before Brine.
Devil Quest System activated.
This system is one that will be active in the world following Highschool DxD. In this system, you will be awarded 'Favor Tokens' for completing quests. Based on the concept of 'a deal with the devil', tokens target specific individuals and when used will compel the target to fulfill a request. A unique feature of this system is the stratification of its rewards. Rather than a specific reward or the application of any unknown bonuses, you will be given different tokens based on how you complete the quest.
Copper Tokens make the target more likely to agree to a request, but you cannot make people do things they legitimately do not want to do. Silver Tokens ensure they will agree to any request within reason - you cannot make people do things they are morally against or the like. Gold Tokens will have them agree to anything you ask. Platinum Tokens make it so people will perform even the impossible. For example, have them do things they should have no ability to, is physically impossible, etc.
Universe Name: Pokémon
Quest (1): Save Pikachu
Get medical aid for Pikachu.
If you do not, it will negatively affect your future journey greatly.
Reward: Copper Token: Pikachu (get Pikachu to a Pokémon Center) (Ex. Pikachu will still refuse to go into his Pokéball.)
Silver Token: Pikachu (???) (Ex. Pikachu will even agree to go into his Pokéball but will draw the line at needlessly harming others.)
Gold Token: Pikachu (???) (Ex. Learn any move Pikachu is capable of learning, etc.)
Platinum Token: Pikachu (???) (Ex. Have him develop new abilities, turn into a Charizard, etc.)
After reading the screen, it vanished.
Brine nodded as he more or less understood the rewards. It was then he heard voices behind him.
"What's going on!?"
"What happened to me!?"
"Who are you!?"
Turning around, Brine was flabbergasted as he saw a pair of translucent, blue, ghostly figures staring at each other in a panic.
One was a teenage boy with a thick head of messy - what would have been - brown hair. This figure was wearing what looked like some sort of school uniform.
The other was a young boy with - what would have been - black hair the same size as Brine currently was. Additionally, this figure was wearing the same outfit as Brine.
Closing his mouth, Brine internally griped, "Am I supposed to be haunted by the souls of the bodies I possess? That seems like something I should have been informed of if it is. Also, if I am supposed to be haunted by their ghosts, what is the point of having me possess them? If their spirits are gonna stick around, why not just stuff them back into the body?"
As Brine continued to question the premise of what he knew the situation to be, the ghost of Issei took notice of him staring at them. "Hey, you," he called out, "you're this kid's twin or something right? Do you know what's happening? Where am I? Why am I blue? What's-"
At the same time, Ash also noticed Brine and began yelling, "Why do you look like me!? What's going on? What happened?"
"Enough," Brine barked - quieting the two specters. Taking a deep, calming breath, he explained, "Sorry to tell you this, but you two are dead. Something is happening to important people causing them to die, and some glow-y angel thing appeared and asked me to step into your bodies to take your place. That's all I know. I wasn't told anything about you guys turning into ghosts."
As the two processed Brine's words with looks of horror and disbelief, Issei was the first to speak, "Then, it's true. Yuuma-chan really did kill me…"
While Issei delved into horrified shock, Ash chose denial. "I don't believe you! Today's the day I begin my Pokémon Journey to become a Pokémon Master! I can't be dead." The ten-year-old boy sounded close to tears.
Brine shrugged unconcernedly, "Believe what you want." He then turned to ignore the ghosts behind him. He was not heartless, but he did not see anything he could do about them. Looking over the field of scattered Spearow, his gaze locked on to the small yellow creature lying in the middle. Jogging over, he proceeded to gently pick up the Electric Mouse Pokémon.
"Why," Issei suddenly yelled. "Why did Yuuma do this to me!?"
Worried he would have to deal with Issei's depression for the foreseeable future, Brine took pity on the distraught spirit. "Because you're a protagonist," he said watching for Issei's reaction. Seeing him quiet down and look at him, he continued, "The simple of it is, bad things are going to happen and you're the hero of the story. As such, you have special powers. 'Yuuma-chan' sensed these powers and decided to take you out."
"That's why…S-So, Yuuma-chan was working for whatever the angels who hired you are trying to stop…"
Brine raised his eyebrows at this. He figured Issei would have flopped over to proclaiming something about how he was supposed to be a harem lord. "Not quite. She was going to kill you anyway, but my whole thing is something's been happening to MC's like you to make sure you stay dead. What was supposed to happen is that Rias Gremory showed up and revived you as a devil."
"Gremory-senpai? What do you mean? How-"
"I am not giving you a synopsis of your world," Brine interrupted. "Look, dealing with your shish kabab body left me eager to bail on your world as soon as I could. I'm going to circle back to your world eventually, and when I do, we'll get the exposition. Okay?"
"A-Alright…" Issei did not seem entirely pleased by Brine's words but still settled down.
Brine, however, began to question, "Speaking of becoming a devil, I may not know how exactly Evil Pieces work, but I'm pretty sure they change the soul into that of a devil too. If that's the case, did it carry over as well? Am I now Ash Ketchum - Devil Edition? How can I tell?"
"Um, is Pikachu okay," Ash interjected.
Snapping from his thoughts, Brine looked to the concerned child who attention was focused on the small creature in his arms. Glancing down at the creature, he said honestly, "Not really. We sure hurry to Viridian City and get him to a Pokémon Center."
"Then what are we waiting for," Ash demanded. "We need to hurry!" He then made a grab for Pikachu but was shocked at how his arms phased through Brine's. Accidentally tripping in the process, he stumbled forward and fell through Brine - hitting the ground. "What the?"
Without turning to face the fallen spirit, Brine reiterated, "You're dead, remember. Rules very, but baseline, you can't do much to the physical world as you are."
Ash looked down at his translucent, blue hands in disbelief. "N-No way…It can't be true…"
Turning, Brine looked down at Ash. "I am sorry, honestly." He then proceeded to step back so he was not standing in the middle of Ash's chest.
While this happened, the clouds parted and rays of sunlight pierced through.
Exposed to the sun's rays, Brine cringed. He cradled Pikachu in one arm as he looked up toward the sky. Feeling a prickling on his skin and a sense of weakness, he smiled weakly. "Well, if the sun is sucking that much more than normal, odds are I'm a devil."
A majestic sound drew attention to the sky overhead and the young boy - and two spirits - saw a majestic bird larger than any they had ever seen and shimmering gold flying over the rainbow.
"Who's that Pokémon," Ash asked - still looking shellshocked. He reached for his pocket only to find it empty. "Wha-"
Watching this Brine said, "Dead. Remember?" However, he then repeated Ash's actions to find the Pokédex in his coat pocket. He knew it was pointless, but figured he would do it for Ash's benefit.
Pulling out the red, rectangular device, he pushed a side button to open it. He then pointed the camera on the back toward the Pokémon in the sky and pressed the button below the main screen - successfully getting the appropriate response on his first try.
The camera turned on and locked onto the bird in the sky. A synthetic voice then resounded from the device. There is no data. There are still Pokémon yet to be identified.
"That's amazing," Ash said - his expression a mix of his lingering shock and his current awe.
"That's Ho-oh," Brine said as he pocketed the Pokédex. "Legendary Pokémon of rebirth, new beginnings, and stuff like that."
"How do you know that when the Pokédex-"
"Cuz I do and I don't wanna stand here forever to explain it. Shouldn't we be more worried about getting help for Pikachu."
"Oh, right!" Ash was revitalized as he shot up. "Since I can't, you've got to help Pikachu! Get moving."
Brine side-eyed Ash. "Keep in mind I'm in your body, and from what I can tell, it feels like you got a nasty shock. Not enough to fry you, but enough to kill you. I'm feeling good enough to move around, but don't go expecting a marathon."
Despite his claims, Brine still managed to break out in a light jog in the direction he assumed led to Viridian City. Ash and the silent Issei where shocked to find themselves floating after him. However, glancing at the Spearow around him, a thought crossed his mind and he came to a stop.
"Huh? Why are you stopping? Pikachu needs help!"
Brine had shifted Pikachu to one arm and began digging around his pockets. He absently asked, "Where do you keep your Pokéballs?"
"Wha? Pikachu won't go into his Pokéball. Just-"
"Never mind, I found them. So, Ash, think you can point out the lead Spearow? Or the one who started all this?"
Completely confused, Ash's mind stalled at the sudden question. Unsure how to respond, he just looked over the Spearow before randomly pointing at one. "That one, I guess?"
"Good enough for me." Brine held up a marble-sized ball with a red top half and white bottom half. Pushing his thumb on the white button at the front of the small ball, he watched it expand to the size of a softball. He then lazily threw it toward the identified Spearow.
The Pokéball hit its target. Bouncing off, it opened and the Spearow suddenly turned to red light before being absorbed into the ball. It then snapped shut with a *click*. Landing on the ground, it began to shake and the front button blinked red as it made an audible noise. Ping…Ping…Ping…
This repeated three times before a cheerful chime was released. Brine then retrieved the Pokéball. Looking over his shoulder at Ash with a blasé expression, he said, "Would you look at that? I just caught my first Pokémon."
Brine took an inordinate amount of pleasure in Ash's expression. A sadistic grin appeared on his face as he watched Ash shift from confusion to disbelief to indignation to anger. He quickly pushed the button to shrink the ball back down and pocket it before resuming his jog toward Viridian City - ignoring Ash's indignation as he floated behind him.
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