Hello everyone! It's me, the Phoenix, here with another new story in another fandom.

This one, however, is far different from my others.

This one is a Gamer fic.

I know that the trope seems to be overdone in all fandoms, DxD being no exception, but please be patient, because this story is going to blow those misconceptions and fears out of the water.

What I've painstakingly planned here is something that came up after reading a RWBY fanfic called Multiplayer, by Neoshadows, who came up with a frankly radical way of painting the Gamer genre. Something that I admired and am now bringing to Highschool DxD. I think I'm the first person after Neoshadows to integrate this kind of Gamer system into any Gamer fanfic, which I find quite surprising, and one of the only people to have multiple Players in a Gamer fic.

This is not a tale of how Issei becomes a harem god by exploiting the Gamer. This is a story of how he has to try an acheive his dreams while trapped in a dangerous game with no End in sight.

This is, of course, going to focus on Issei, but other characters, especially the other Players, will receive their own screen time. After all, they're just as important to the story.

I think I'll enjoy writing this story, even though it is a Gamer, because of what I have planned. I only ask that you all give it a chance, because I'm not going to follow the same path as others who have written Issei Gamer fics before me.

Now, without further ado, let us get on with the story!

[Arc 1: Press Start] Chapter 1 - New Game

Pain, Issei noted, was something he was becoming a little too familiar with for his liking.

That, and defeat.

His arms struggled to prop themselves upward as they scrabbled against the frayed ground of Kuoh Academy, which had very recently become a war zone.

The reason? The smug bastard that was floating in the air, not too far from his location.

"Is this all you've got?" asked Kokabiel lazily, as he surveyed the sight before him, his ten black wings splayed out proudly.

"This is all that the sister of Satan Lucifer and her Peerage can offer in terms of combat ability? A Peerage that consists of this generation's Red Dragon Emporer, the daughter of Baraqiel, a user of Sword Birth, a user of Twighlight Healing, and one of the last of the Nekoshou? How very disappointing."

Issei grit his teeth as he clenched his left hand, the claw-like gauntlet that was the manifestation of his Boosted Gear echoing his movements perfectly.

To be fair, the perverted Devil knew that the Fallen Angel was right. What had happened only moments before wasn't a battle to save Kuoh from being destroyed by Kokabiel.

It was a one-sided slaughter that was merely the icing on the cake for the bastard who had found a way to ensure peace never thrived between the Three Factions.

Kiba, Xenovia, Rias, Akeno, Koneko lay sprawled not too far from him, in various states of disarray.

Tears threatened to escape Issei at the hopelessness of it all, before a cold feeling replaced everything, revolving around a single question that the perverted teen had asked himself; was it his fault?

Was it his fault that the friends he'd made, the people who accepted him despite his various flaws, were now in a state of near death, causally toyed with and tossed aside by a Cadre of the Grigori?

Why was he always so damn weak?! He was supposed to be the Red Dragon Emperor, who had the power of the Longinus-Class Boosted Gear, and by extension the power of the great Welsch Dragon Draig. And yet, he was weak. There was no other way to put it.

He was hopelessly weak. A pathetic human who died ungracefully after being duped by a Fallen Angel. When he was revived by Rias Gremory, one of the most beautiful people he'd ever known, as a Devil, he was still weak.

He had so little magical power that he couldn't even use a damn teleportation circle, something that even newborn Devils were able to do.

He'd failed in everything he'd tried to do. He'd failed to live as a human, he'd failed to save Asia, he'd failed to help his childhood friend Irina, and he'd failed to be there for Kiba when the bishonen was hurting and had needed a friend. He'd failed in so many ways it wasn't even funny.

Even his victory against Riser had been hollow. He'd technically failed that too, as they had lost the Rating Game against the cocky Phenex. Only after indirect intervention from one of the rulers of the Underworld had he been able to save his King, and even then he had to sacrifice an arm and pretty much cheat by bringing a cross and holy water to a fight against a Devil.

He was hopelessly weak, and he was pretty sure he was the weakest Red Dragon Emperor in history.

Even Irina and Xenovia, who were only human, were stronger than him, even if it was because of their Holy Swords. He would be a hypocrite to judge them for that because if he hadn't been born with one of the strongest Sacred Gears in existence, he wouldn't be able to hold a candle to them or basically anyone who knew even an inkling of how to fight.

But why?

Why had he been chosen for this? Why had his life spun out of control so suddenly? Why was he always a burden? He'd taken up eight of Rias' Evil Piece pawns, meaning she couldn't recruits any more Pawns, and had to rely on him.

Maybe, he thought cynically as he forced himself to his knees, that such a thing was the reason why she was placed under constant stress. After all, apart from the situation with Riser, he had been the root of almost all the messes they had to deal with.

He was the one that had tried to save Asia and had been hounded by Raynare, he was the one who had headed a secret mission to help Kiba, and had even dragged Saji into it. He had caused almost every headache the gorgeous redhead had since they had met.

With a shake of his head, he brought himself back to the present. This wasn't the time for him to be zoning out, steepled in regrets.

The situation was dire. Issei didn't have to be a genius like Sona to know that they had no chance of victory.

Their opponent was Kokabiel, the Angel of Stars and one of the strongest Fallen Angels of the Grigori, an unrepentant warmonger who unfortunately had all the power and resources he needed to carry out his twisted ambitions and inflict them on the world.

His combat prowess was so high, that even with the excess power from his Boosted Gear transferred to them, Akeno and Rias, the strongest in their group, were unable to even put a scratch on the bastard with their strongest attacks.

Although from what he had seen so far, Kokabiel could only do three things; summon dogs, throw light spears, and use wing-fu to attack and defend at will.

The problem was that he could do these three things extremely well, as evidenced by the fact that he had demolished them in less than a minute, even though Xenovia pulled out her oversized Durandal and Kiba had his own anime moment and unlocked his Balance Breaker.

Funnily enough, the fact that God was apparently dead didn't really faze him. After all, none of these things would happen if the Big Man Upstairs was still kicking. Maybe then, they would have been laughing together in the ORC club room instead of getting slaughtered by a Fallen Angel.

But God wasn't there, and the only thing they could do was give everything they had and hope for the best.

His vision cleared, just in time to see Asia frantically trying to heal Rias, her Twilight Healing working overtime on whatever dregs of magical power the nun-turned Devil had left in her. Issei admired her strength and tenacity, to be able to keep going even though she was horribly devastated by the fact that the God she spent her whole life believing in was dead all along. Even though she had lived an empty life and suffered a tragic betrayal, she was still the kindest person that he had ever met. He doubted that there were Angels in Heaven as kind as her, and she was a Devil.

And then Issei's train of thought was derailed by Kokabiel's next statement.

"Your fortitude is impressive, little Devil." said Kokabiel with an almost genial smile. A spear of light formed in his hand as the smile quickly turned sinister. "As a reward, I'll do you a favor and reunite you with my Father! Maybe then, your friends will fight harder and prove an actual challenge to me!"

The spear was cast, and Issei's heart stopped.

Asia was being targeted. The spear would hit her. She would die, in pain, for the second time. He would fail to save her, just like he always did, for the second time. He would have to watch the light fade from her eyes just like he had once before, making vain promises that would never come to be.

And it was then that Issei Hyoudou decided that he would not let it happen.

He had sworn to protect Asia. She was all the innocence in the world personified, and possibly the only person who had ever truly needed his help, as she was harmless and couldn't bring herself to fight anyone. He wouldn't fail her again.

He would save her, no matter the cost.

Even if he may fall. Even if he may wither. He would give his soul in order to make sure Asia lived on.

[Boost!]

With the call of the Boosted Gear, Issei's power level doubled, and he did the only thing he could in such a short notice.

Asia, having seen the massive spear head straight for where she knelt trying to heal her King, closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

She heard a squelching noise, and something splattered on her. She opened her eyes, and gasped at what she saw, her eyes beginning to tear up.

Issei had taken the hit for her, his heart completely run through by the spear of light that protruded from his body. He let out a wet cough as the light energy, which was akin to poison for a Devil such as himself, began to eat away at him, the pain hitting him like a sledgehammer to the privates.

And as his senses began to fade, as he locked eyes with Asia and smiled as best he could, he dimly realized that he had never achieved his dream of becoming the Harem King. Another failure on his part. That, and the fact that he had died the exact same way as he had before, at the fountain by Raynare's hand all those days ago.

"Please, take care of yourselves." he choked out, dully registering his name being screamed by various voices.

As what was left of his body fell forward, Issei Hyoudou's last thought was a wish. A wish that he had a chance. A chance to make things right. A chance to protect his friends. A chance to stop failing.

A chance to become strong enough to stand in the way of those who would hurt the people he loved.

And of course, a chance to become the harem king.

And on that fateful night in Kuoh Academy, Issei Hyoudou died for the second time.

Of course, no one really noticed that he had groped Rias on instinct when his disintegrating arm reached her level.

Truly a pevert to the bitter end.

{WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP I'M GOING TO K-KISS YOU...}

Brown eyes snapped open as Issei screamed and fell off of his bed, coming to rest face-first on the floor, his heart racing, ignoring the tsundere voice of his alarm going off.

He got to his feet as he gasped for breath, horribly shaken.

He placed a hand over his heart, feeling some comfort that he could sense his heart beating, although he could still feel a ghost of the pain that had coursed through him when Kokabiel had hit his mark.

Issei felt a strange sense of deja vu.

Waking up in bed after dying a horrible death without being any worse for wear, while everything seems normal? Yeah, he had been there before. This reminded him way too much of the day he woke up as a Devil.

Had Rias and the others somehow manage to save him? Issei's heart soared as he raced to the bathroom in order to meet up with the others at school, when he froze in his tracks, for two different reasons.

The first one was that the calendar on his alarm clock showed a date that couldn't possibly be right.

It was... the first day of his Second year at Kuoh Academy?! There was no way that was right! That was about a month before he had ever met Raynare!

"What the hell...?"

The second reason was that his phone was literally glowing. As in, magical glowing, not electronic glowing.

Issei quickly scampered over to the device, and picked it up with shaking fingers. What he saw made him blink in confusion.

'Welcome to the Game, Player!'

"What's going on..."

Miki Hyoudou hummed a jaunty tune to herself as she prepared breakfast for the Hyoudou household. She heard the sound of the pipes running, and smiled, knowing Issei was probably getting ready for his first day of school this year.

Although that also caused her to sigh. She loved her son, she really did, especially after all the trouble she had gone through to give birth to him, after nearly giving up on having a child due to back-to-back miscarriages, but she wished he would be a little less perverted.

She had long since gotten used to receiving complaints from his teacher and the school staff for things such as peeking and panty theft, and she was mentally preparing herself for the inevitable phone call that would come that day.

Honestly, she blamed her husband and his father, both of whom were notorious perverts. She knew her baby boy had a heart of gold, and was honestly a godsend to any girl who would date him, as he would do just about anything for someone he loved. Honestly, if he wasn't such a pervert, she could rest easy knowing that she would have plenty of grandchildren. But alas, the future of the Hyoudou line was currently in jeopardy.

She prayed fervently to whatever God was listening for plenty of grand babies to spoil.

Fortunately for her, a lot of gods were tuned in at that moment.

A few minutes later, Issei came down to the dining table, and Miki noted that he seemed pale and somewhat jittery.

Even as he set his bag down by the door and sat down to eat, his hands were shaking and his phone was gripped tightly in one hand, so hard that his fingers were turning white.

"Are you alright Issei?" she asked, concerned. It was unlike him to be so shaken. After all, he had already studied in Kuoh Academy for a year now, so it's not like he was starting school in a new place.

Maybe he was afraid of the divine retribution that would be rained on him by whatever unfortunate girl he had been peeping on. That seemed to make a lot more sense.

"Fine mom, just not feeling too well." he replied, wiping a hand across his forehead as he began to eat.

She smiled at him and went back to finishing up the next round of breakfast for herself and her husband, not noticing Issei's eyes narrowing.

"Scan."

Issei's pupils transformed into crosshairs before they seemed to glow slightly.

'Miki Hyoudou, Mother of the Red Dragon.

Lv: 5.

1000/1000 HP.

Race: Human.'

He quickly dropped his eyes down to his plate, the gears in his mind spinning furiously after years of chronic disuse.

The 'Game' or whatever it was that had somehow taken over his smartphone, and from the looks of it, his life, was no mere illusion or hoax. That much he was certain.

For example, the 'Scan' power he had just used was apparently a feature of The Game that was available to the Player in order to determine the basic features of whatever he was looking at, in this case, his mother. He could see the target's HP, Name, Race, and Level. If it was used on an inanimate object, it would act as an appraisal skill.

'Steel Fork:

A steel fork manufactured alongside thousands of its stubby brothers. There's nothing really special about it.

+1 ATK.'

This was the way his life was now. He had Scanned pretty much everything in sight once he learned how to use it from the Gamer's Heart Help Guide, which was basically a fancy way of saying 'Help Menu'.

Unfortunately, most of the stupid thing was locked until he finished the 'Tutorial', about which he had received no notice or indication of.

All of this crazy was nothing compared to the fact that his own power level had been quantified into that of a Game character. And to be honest, it wasn't that flattering.

'Issei Hyoudou, Heart of the Gamer, Lv. 1.

2500/2500 HP.

50/50 MP.

Race: Human

AP: 0/20

SP: 0/10

Strength: 2

Endurance: 5

Agility: 3

Charisma: 3

Intelligence: 1

Dexterity: 3

Luck: 5'

He was hopelessly weak at the moment. Although he would like to have argued that it was because of all of his progress being 'reset', the small cynical side of him knew that there wouldn't have been that much of a difference.

And he had no idea how his Luck was one of his highest stats. If he was that lucky, he would have had a girlfriend, a real one, not a murderer in disguise, and probably wouldn't have even a fraction of the problems he had at the moment. Dexterity, Agility and Endurance he could understand because of the constant running he did to escape the angry girls he had peeped on and his subsequent beatings at their hands. But Luck and Charisma? There was obviously something he was missing here.

But honestly, this now left him with more questions than answers.

To summarize all of them; he was somehow still alive, was no longer a Devil, was somehow sent back in time, had strange new Gamer powers that were about as mysterious as everything else, and worst of all, knew that he wasn't dreaming because of the new addition to his body he had noticed when he was about to shower.

To be honest, the sight of a freaking impact crater over where his heart should have been was pretty hard to miss. He knew exactly where it came from, and further investigation showed that it was mirrored on his back as well; an indication that whatever had caused the wound had gone clean through him and out the other side.

So basically, unless he wanted to answer some awkward questions, he had to forgo appearing shirtless in front of anyone for a while, at least until he could figure out how to get the scar fixed, if it even could.

Another thing was that he had no idea what AP and SP were. The Help Guide was locked, so there was no way for him to find out how to increase his stats and what everything did.

On another note, his phone now had a new menu.

'Status.

Bonds.

Skills and Abilities.

Perks.

Avatar.

Inventory.

Special Gifts.

Sacred Gear.

Event Finder.'

He could still access the normal functions of his phone by tapping on the home icon at the top right corner of the screen, but he was still confused about all of this as all the options except for Status were grayed out.

Damn, did he have to unlock his Boosted Gear all over again?! Things were just getting crazier and crazier, and not in a very good way.

"Bye mom, love you!" he called out as he grabbed his bag and exited the house. He heard her say something in mind, but was distracted by a notification appearing on his phone, which he had dubbed 'The Console'.

Yeah, he wasn't very creative and he knew it.

'Congratulations! Bonds have been unlocked! Miki Hyoudou's Frienship has Risen! Miki Hyoudou's Affection has Risen! Friendship leveled up! Affection leveled up! Friendship Lv: 5! Affection Lv: 10! Perks have been Unlocked! Abilities and Skills have been Unlocked! You have unlocked a new Perk and Ability! Mother's Love Perk, Unlocked! Riddle Fang Ability, Unlocked!'

The heck?

Issei had no idea what that meant, but he had a hard time connecting his sweet mother and the fact that he somehow got an 'Ability' called 'Riddle Fang' because of his Bond with someone who he was pretty sure had never been in a real fight. He was also sure that his mother never bit anyone before, to his knowledge anyway, which meant it could have had some correlations with her Title, which was very fitting.

He also noticed a couple of things though.

First was that the Perks, Bonds, and the Skills and Abilities options on the menu had lost their grayish discoloration.

The second was that time had somehow frozen all around him.

He wasn't kidding; the world around him was literally grayed out, with people frozen in mid-action. He could see a bicyclist frozen mid-pedal, and a kid who was staring horrified at an ice cream cone that was frozen in the air a couple of inches off the ground.

Issei was starting to get seriously worried. This new power of his now let him pause reality?! Just how versatile was this thing? Like seriously, was there anyone on the planet who could freeze time on a whim?! How OP would that be?!

In a sealed off part of the Occult Research Club, a Dhampir was frozen mid-sneeze.

It seems even he was not immune to the effects of the Pause.

On a hunch, he put his phone away, and everything resumed like nothing had ever happened. And when he opened the Menu again, the world froze once more.

Issei ignored it for now, tapping on the Bonds option. The sooner he got to the bottom of this, the better. If he could understand these strange new powers of his, he would be one step closer to getting a grasp on the situation.

Four rectangular boxes were on the screen, showing the names of his parents, and of course Mohotama and Matsuda, his two equally perverted compatriots. Unsurprisingly, his Bond with his parents was far stronger than the ones he shared with the other two members of the Perverted Trio. He tapped on the icon that had his mother's name on it.

'Miki Hyoudou. Frienship Level: 5. Affection Level: 10. Status: Happy, anxious, hopes Issei will finally get a girlfriend and give her grand babies to spoil. Available Perks: 1. **** ****: Unavailable. Friendship and Affection cannot be raised further until Act 1 except due to a special interaction.'

It even showed a chibi version of his mother setting the table, humming to herself. Although his eye twitched at the Status description, he sighed and closed the window.

He was trying, damn it! He didn't want to be a virgin forever!

Okay, so he could somehow forge Bonds with people in a mechanic that seemed oddly similar to the dating sims he would play, and leveling up those Bonds, at least the one with his mother in this case, would unlock rewards such as the Perk and Ability he had obtained.

Speaking of which;

'Mother's Love. Due to your Bond with Miki Hyoudou, you have unlocked this special Perk! This Perk boosts the user's Defense and Luck by 10% Your chances of escaping a deadly situation alive also increase by 5%. This Perk can be evolved by strengthening the Bond with Miki Hyoudou.

Until Next Level: 0/7000.

Do you wish to equip this Perk? Yes/No.'

Issei's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. For the love of all things Oppai, was this what Perks could do?!

"Thank you, mom!" he screamed into the air. Thankfully, reality was paused so no one looked at him strangely.

He quickly tapped the Yes option, and could almost feel his skin hardening ever so slightly. He could tell because his scar had pulsed for a moment.

If this was what a Perk could do, then what could Abilities do?!

Issei wasted no time trying to answer his own unspoken question.

The Abilities and Skills menu seemed not unlike the Bonds menu, except the Skills and Abilities had separate rows of boxes under their name. Scrolling down, he could see that pretty much all of them were grayed out except for two of the Abilities; Power Strike and Storm Sakura. He tapped the one he had just acquired.

'Riddle Fang:

The user projects a blistering series of slashes from a held blade that tear into the target. Has a 10% chance of inflicting Bleed. This Ability can only be used with a bladed weapon Equipped. This Ability can be upgraded by repeated usage.

MP Cost: 15 MP.

AP Cost: 3 AP.

Until Next Level: 0/800.

Would you to like to equip this Ability? Yes/No.'

Issei stared at the screen in disbelief.

A second passed in the frozen bubble of time.

And then another.

And then ano-

"HELL YES!"

This was what Abilities could do?! It was freaking amazing! It was official; his mother was the best. Anyone who said otherwise was clearly brain dead.

He quickly tapped the Yes option, and nearly squealed when he saw a chibi version of himself swinging a sword at blistering speed, releasing a flurry of red energy slashes that tore a practice dummy to shreds.

He tapped the other icon, and noted that Power Strike was basically that one starter move that every video game player had. It was a versatile Ability that reinforced his attack and increased his Strength by 15% when used. It only cost 5 MP and no AP, which he figured out, seemed to be some sort of regulator on how many Abilities he could equip.

Equipping that Ability as well for good measure, Issei put away his phone and ran on his way to school.

That was enough for the time being; he had to get moving or he would stay stuck their forever, staring at his phone as time stayed frozen around him.

He could read up on the Help Guide when he finished the Tutorial.

The rest of the journey to school occurred quite peacefully, with no complications of any kind, leaving Issei alone with his still rampant thoughts, which were beginning do depress him once more. It was all so overwhelming. He was never the thinker of the group to begin with not was he anywhere near the most capable.

So why was someone like him given this power?! It was much the same feeling that he had when he contemplated of he was even worthy of receiving the Boosted Gear.

Issei's mood fell rapidly as he headed down that train of thought. His self esteem had taken a huge hit from his death at Kokabiel's hands. He couldn't really bring himself to be the confident cheery person that he was normally. The stress that was grating on his nerves right now was too great.

The honest truth was, he had absolutely no idea what to do.

He wasn't very smart. Having an Intelligence stat of one was a pretty clear indicator of that.

He knew he had to do something, anything, in order to save his friends and Kuoh town from Kokabiel's inevitable arrival.

But he had no idea what to do. He had read about this kind of situation before in some comics, but those people who were usually sent back were capable people who very quickly found a plan to achieve their mission.

Issei wasn't someone like that. He wasn't a leader. He wasn't a fighter. He wasn't much of anything, to be honest. Jack of no trades and master of none to boot.

And as he ground to a halt just before the bridge that led to the gates of Kuoh Academy, he realized with a sickening feeling that he was all alone.

He was pretty sure he was the only one to be sent back. He didn't know how, but it seemed like a gut feeling, to be honest.

And therein lied the root of the problem. No one knew about the future except him, and he knew that if he marched up to the ORC building and started spouting about the future, it wouldn't end well. They would either kill him or wipe his memories, or send him to a mental hospital.

He was no longer affiliated with Rias's Peerage. Well, he wasn't at this point in time, anyway. Meaning Koneko, Kiba, Akeno and Rias didn't know him. They wouldn't trust him and they wouldn't help him. Unless he found a way to rejoin her Peerage, preferably in a way that didn't involve painful death, there would be no way to garner any kind of support.

And even then he wouldn't be able to tell them outright what they needed to prepare for. He would have to somehow manipulate them in that direction, something he knew he had no chance of doing, seeing as he was honest and straightforward. Half-lies and manipulation weren't his forte.

He was more or less alone, the only person to know about impending doom in the near future, with no way to tell anyone or stop it.

He had no resources either. Allies. Information. Money. Skill. He had nothing. Zero.

As he was right now, there was no way he could change the future.

And that terrified him.

"HELP!" cried a young voice, snapping Issei out of his gloomy thoughts.

His body moved on autopilot, and he ran down the road, trying to pinpoint the location the cry had come from.

After seeing a man brutally murdered in his own home by a crazy exorcist, he wasn't about to leave anyone who needed help alone in this town.

He skidded to a stop near an alley, and found the source of the scream. As well as the problem.

What appeared before Issei was something so cliché that it stunned him for a second.

A group of older kids, people around his age actually, were picking on a younger kid, who was cowering in fear.

One didn't need to see the sick grins on the faces of the thugs to know that what they had planned for the little boy would be anything but pleasant.

"Please, I'm telling you, I don't have any money. L-let me go!" cried the boy, who couldn't have been more than 11 years old.

"Right..." said one of the teenagers, rolling his eyes. "As if we haven't heard that one before. Kid, that's literally the dialogue that everyone who's ever gotten mugged spouts out. Now cough up, or we'll make you cough up. And it won't only be money that you'll be coughing up if you try to cross us."

The others chuckled stupidly as they moved closer to the kid, causing him to shrink against the alley wall.

'Tutorial Quest: Call to Arms.

A young schoolboy is being mugged by no good delinquents who are quite literally a waste of data. Are you going to let it happen because of your own insecurities?

Objective: Defeat the Bullies.

Bonus Objective: Prevent the Citizen from being injured.

Rewards: Help Guide Restriction Removal, Full Menu Unlock, 1000 Yen.

Bonus Reward: ?

Accept? Yes/No.'

Issei hadn't even taken the Console out. The text had appeared in his vision, as if mocking him. That Quest description hit him way too close to home, even it wasn't much, considering his current state of mind.

Issei was ashamed to say that he froze. Could he save that kid? He was level one, wasn't a Devil with enhanced attributes, and was alone without allies.

Could he actually help someone when he himself was in such a pathetic situation? Or would he just make the problem worse, like he always did?

The boy sobbed and hugged his knees as one of the delinquents raised a metal baseball bat to strike him.

At least he was about to, when a hand caught his wrist.

"Excuse you, but I'd appreciate it if you would leave this kid alone." said Issei, his expression hard, as he barely was able to suppress his rampant emotions in order to take action.

"Wha- Hyoudou?! Get lost, you stupid perv, or we'll beat you up too." said the thug.

His compatriots were quick to support him, getting over their surprise quickly.

"Yeah, you're no hero, so don't act like one."

"It's sickening to watch. Go try to look up some girl's skirt instead. It's all you're good for."

Issei' hair covered his eyes for a moment, before he began to run on primal instinct. And for humans, that usually tended to be;

"Power Strike!" yelled Issei, and as he intoned the name of the Ability, he could feel his magical power surge and envelop his outstretched fist, causing it to glow a pale crimson that went unnoticed as it smashed into the jaw of the delinquent with the bat, causing him to let go of the weapon with a cry of pain as he stumbled backwards.

Pale fingers wrapped around the handle of the bat as the offender's pupils shifted into crosshairs.

"Scan."

'Metal Bat:

A baseball bat of average quality that is in mint condition, considering that it's owner never actually got around to using it. It's hard metal head wishes dearly to strike something.

+ 6 ATK.'

Perfect. The Stat boosts were welcome as well. Every little thing helped, after all.

Meanwhile, the bully in question was still dazed, a bruise now forming on his jaw from the force of the punch.

The others looked at him in shock. How could the pervert punch that hard?

The surprise quickly shifted to anger though, as it usually did.

"You're dead Hyoudou!" yelled the bully's two compatriots.

"Scan."

'Mook.

Lv: 2.

600/600 HP.

Race: Human.'

'Thug.

Lv: 1.

400/400 HP.

Race: Human.'

'Mook Enforcer.

Lv: 3.

660/800 HP. [Stunned]

Race: Human'

The good news was that they weren't very strong. The bad news was that there were three of them and one of him, and they were between him and the boy he was trying to save, who had been watching with wide eyes.

Issei almost laughed out loud when he saw their Names. The Game had a sense of humor, it seemed.

The thug charged in a blind rage, with his fist extended in front of him as he threw a straight punch aimed towards his face. It was funny how the idiot forgot that Hyoudou was armed.

"Power Strike."

The bat soared from the side and slammed into the arm that was heading for him, slamming it to the narrow alley wall with a sickening crack, causing the thug to scream in pain as the limb began to bruise and swell.

But Issei wasn't done there.

"Power Strike."

The bat this time slammed on top of the bully's head, causing him to drop like a stone.

However, this left him open to the third enemy, who scored a punch to his abdomen, causing his lungs to deflate slightly.

'-60 HP!'

He grabbed the handle of the bat and tried to snatch it away from the momentarily stunned Issei.

However, unfortunately for him, Issei wasn't about to give up that easily. He had found a spark of resolve against his earlier turmoil when he realized one thing; it didn't matter if he won or lost. He wasn't the kind of person who quit because something was too hard. He was the kind of person who stood up again after being knocked down. He was the kind who never gave up.

He didn't need to be anything special. All he needed was a functional body and the will to succeed, and he was set. This resolve allowed him to remember his training under Rias and her Peerage for the Rating Game.

So he let go of the bat, and the Mook stumbled back in surprise as the force which he was pulling with worked against him.

Issei then struck him square in the stomach with a normal punch, driving the breath from his lungs.

It was time to wrap this up.

"Power Strike!"

Issei's magically reinforced skull slammed into the mook's face, breaking his nose and causing him to slump against the wall, letting go of the bat.

By this time, the third guy had recovered, but his bravado was gone and he was sweating heavily as he looked at Issei's grim face, his shirt slightly scuffed due to the punch he had taken.

"Don't try this again.", he said calmly, trying to muster the same tone that Rias used in order to sound threatening.

The thug enforcer nodded shakily and ran, stooping to drag his two friends, as fast as he could, across the pavement in order to get away from Issei as fast as he could.

'+300 EXP! Your Level has increased by 1! A new Ability has been Unlocked! Mach Punch Ability, Unlocked!'

Issei released a breath he hadn't known he'd be holding as he checked his health bar in the corner of his vision.

'Issei Hyoudou, Heart of the Gamer, Lv. 2.

2440/2500 HP.

30/50 MP.'

He was more or less fine. Issei thought that he'd handled himself pretty well. With a start, he realized that his self-depreciating train of thought had caused him to forget that he had fought in live combat before, and against enemies with superior attributes.

He rubbed his head sheepishly, berating himself for doing something that super, and turned his attention to the kid he saved.

"You okay?"

"T-thank you so much mister!" stuttered out the boy, crying tears of joy. "You saved me!"

Issei reddened in embarrassment.

"It's nothing that amazing. I'm just glad I was able to help you. Can you make it to school on your own?"

"I can! And it is amazing. Thank you again."

"No problem kid. Just take care of yourself, okay?" said Issei, patting him on the head, caught off guard by the child's exuberance.

"O-of course! Bye!" said the child, waving and running out of the alley.

Issei blinked as his phone buzzed with the sound of a notification, and he pulled it out to see a message from The Game.

'Odd. I wonder why it didn't appear in my vision like before...'

The notification was about the Tutorial Quest he had received earlier.

'Congratulations! Call to Arms Tutorial Quest has been completed! +1000 Yen! Gamer's Heart Help Guide has been unlocked! Full Menu functionality has been unlocked! A Special Gift has been unlocked! You have received a Lottery Ticket!'

'Lottery Ticket?'

'Lottery Ticket [Special Gift]:

A wondrous ticket that is rarely rewarded. It may grant a permanent Stat bonus, a unique Skill or Ability, Clothing, Cosmetics, Armor, or even an Exotic Weapon. Type of reward depends on the circumstances that led to the procurement of the Ticket, as well as the Luck of the Player relative to their current Level. Can be cashed in at the Merchant's Shop.'

That was awesome! That must have been the Bonus Reward from the Tutorial Quest. Pretty cool. Just one problem though; where on Earth was the 'Merchant's Shop'?

Come to think of it, it wasn't so odd, since his life had suddenly become a game, and most games had some sort of Store where the player could buy items and weapons and things like that.

He would have to check up on that later, because he just realized he was getting late for school.

Issei shuddered as he remembered who would be waiting for him if he dared to come even a second after the bell rang.

The boy paled and was about to run, when he turned around and noticed the metal bat from before just lying on the ground where its owner had abandoned it.

Issei walked over to it and picked it up, looking at his warped reflection on the metal's surface.

It would be a shame to let a perfectly good bat just go to waste. After all, he admitted that swinging that thing had helped wash the stress away and was quite cathartic.

Taking out his phone, he opened the Inventory option on the Menu, which then showed a grid of empty boxes that took up the entire screen.

Issei tapped one of the boxes, which caused a message prompt to appear, asking if he wished to store the bat in his Inventory, to which he tapped 'Yes'.

His business concluded, he walked out of the alley, and back towards Kuoh Academy.

As he did, however, he paused for a moment and clenched his fist. There was still so much to be uncovered and even more to be resolved. The turmoil caused by his situation was nowhere close to being cleared.

He wasn't done exploring this new power, however. Far from it, actually.

There were still so many questions that were left unanswered.

How was he alive?

How was he back in time?

But most importantly, what were these strange new powers of his? What was their origin? What was their purpose?

Issei didn't know, but as he finally stood before the gates of Kuoh Academy, he knew this for certain; he had, by some twist of fate, been given the third chance that he had died asking for. He had another chance to make things right, and to protect his friends. A chance to reach his goals and shine brighter than everyone else.

And this time, he wasn't about to fail. He would succeed, he would win, and he would achieve his dream of becoming the Harem King.

Look out world, because Issei Hyoudou, the Heart of the Gamer, has arrived!

Rejoice, Player, for you have another chance to make your dreams come true. Steel your Heart, clench your fists, harden your resolve, and prepare to face the challenges ahead, for The Game has only just begun.

And... that's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, because I am very excited to be writing what's pretty much only the second Gamer story of its kind. In the entire fanfiction community, I mean.

None of what many people do in Gamer stories is going to happen here. That much is a promise. I love Gamer fics, but what made me lose interest in them was the fact that the Gamer is shown as an all powerful being that always wins and has the world revolve around him. That's not going to happen here. As you'll see very soon, Issei isn't going to have it easy with his new powers.

After all, he's not the only Player in this Game. Heart, Mind, Body and Soul. That's all I'm going to say. They've already been decided. For those of you who want to see the other Players, you'll have to be patient because the first one appears at the end of Act 1, which is the conclusion of the Riser Arc.

Right now is what I'm calling Act 0. It's not much of a prologue as it is an actual story arc. Issei is going to have an adventure of his own before the start of canon, and I'm going to do my best to make it as appealing as possible. Wild fights, new friends, and crazy powers are in the new future, that much is a guarantee. The goal of this first Arc is simple; character development.

Issei's, to be exact. What I've never liked about DxD was that they took the ecchi thing way too far. I mean seriously, summoning Rias to Kuoh just to grope her in order to unlock Illegal Move Trident was just ridiculous. It's nice how they try to show Hyoudou as a perverted white knight, but he just takes it too far.

Don't worry, he's not going to be OOC. I hate that just as much as creating OCs. However, he will mature, and his character will develop in a reasonable way in order to make Issei the best he can be.

Three main characters will inspire Issei's Player Build and his general characteristics. A greedy fox, a perverted toad, and a dusty old crow. In fact, for those of you who want to get a small peek at what happens in Act 0, here is a teaser;

Issei's back slammed against the wall as his opponents magical power crashed into him with the force of a small truck. He coughed up blood, and opened his eyes to see his adversary floating not too far from him, Devil wings outstretched.

Suddenly, he choked as blue ropes of light seemed to surround his throat, choking him as they lifted him into the air.

"End of the line, Red Dragon Emperor." mocked the snide voice of his adversary. "For all your heroism, at the end of the day you're just a lowly human. Know your place, filth. I will have my revenge on Sona Sitri, and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Oh... yeah?" choked out Issei as he slowly raised the sword in his right hand and pointed it at his enemy, who was floating a meter away from him.

The Devil laughed at the sight.

"How pathetic. Do you think pointing a sword at me is going to make me give up? I have won, and you have lost; it's as simple as a game of chess."

"It's..." Issei tried to speak, but the constriction around his neck was starting to cause his vision to dim. He could feel his HP dropping rapidly.

"Hmm? Do speak up, trash." said the Devil, looseing the restraints slightly so he could see what the pathetic human at his mercy had to say.

The blade of the greatsword in Issei's hand folded downward, exposing two shotgun barrels that hadn't seemed so prominent before.

"It's also a gun!"

The Devil screamed in pain when Issei pulled the trigger, the buckshot-like spread of the bullets taking him straight in the eyes.

I think I've revealed too much, but I'm damn excited and on a freaking sugar high right now.

Well, I'll see you soon in the next chapter!

Please leave a Review or a PM, and of course, your support, because I really want to see this story too. I have a feeling this story has as much potential as Hero Complex, and I want to bring out that potential.

Spatialphoenix here, burning to ashes.