Outsider Chronicles: Empress of Escalation

Isekai. A Genre I love to bits and one of the few that I would quite happily jump into with both feet. However, I don't care what kind of god killing powers I get out of it, finding myself as Taylor Hebert following a close encounter with the back of a locker is NOT what I had in mind!

Welp, I guess it was inevitable for me to do this eventually! Of course, this is a little different from normal since our Outsider gets knocked loose later in life than at birth, which means that she'll have to deal with Taylor's past decisions. To be clear, this isn't the Outsider character replacing Taylor, its just the Outsider character regaining the memories of who she used to be. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The sound of regular beeps guided me slowly from the dark depths of slumber. I groaned softly as the darkness slowly seeped away and my body began to inform my brain that it ached. It was a deep, agonizing ache unlike anything I'd ever felt before and seemed to go right down to my bones.

"Hurrh, where am I?" I thought as I tried to open my eyes.

It took some doing since it felt like someone had superglued my eyelids shut, but I eventually managed it and found myself looking up at a white ceiling. I looked around as best I could without moving my head. It took a moment for what I saw to properly register in my sluggish brain, but eventually I realized I was in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and tubes attached to me. I sighed. That made sense, I had just been hit by a car/locked in my locker with half a ton of crap…

Wait, WHAT?!

It was at that point that I suddenly realized I had two sets of memories. One belonged to a perfectly normal British man that ended abruptly with a pair of very bright lights and the sound of a trucks horn and the other of a slightly less normal American girl which ended with her screaming herself horse locked in a locker full of used female hygiene products. But...I wasn't either of them. The memories didn't clash or mix, it was more like the older ones had always been there and had been brought out by a solid whack to the head when getting pushed into the Locker.

Now that I think about it, I think I read a few Isekai that started like that…

I shook that thought off as best I could when I could hardly move and refocused on trying to figure out who the actual fuck I was and what I should do now. On the surface it was obvious, do whatever I could to deal with the Bitches Three and do my best to survive. The problem was, the part of me that was still Taylor balked heavily at the idea. It meant telling Dad and he had enough to deal with and it's not like anyone would do anything anyway and…

I groaned and draped an arm over my face. While the two sides of who I was weren't technically separate, the outlooks of Taylor Hebert, bullied teenage girl and...huh, I couldn't remember my old name...whatever, whoever I used to be, an adult man, if fairly young, were clashing and would likely cause me no end of headaches in the future.

It was at that point that a nurse arrived and I was denied the chance to think until they were done with their tests and left me alone, with the message that Panacea would be around shortly to make sure I didn't have anything nasty lurking in my body, ready to give me a nasty surprise.

Alone once again, I turned my attention to the other potential sticking point. Whether or not I'd Triggered in the locker. It was pretty obvious that I didn't have my canon power (and wasn't that a rather unpleasant revelation, to catch a glimpse of the utter clusterfuck my life could have been) since I couldn't sense the presence of the bugs I knew had to be nearby. On one hand, that was good since it meant I couldn't become Khepri, on the other, I really hoped that gaining my past lifes memories hadn't replaced a Trigger Event. While being a Cape could be dangerous and my past life knowledge had put quite the damper on the ideals I used to have about Capes, that didn't change the thrill of joy I had at the idea of possible being able to fulfil the old dreams of being a Cape.

However, I couldn't feel anything different. While its true that I had no idea how having powers would feel, there should be something, right? After a moment's thought, I sat up, crossed my legs and closed my eyes. While I had no idea what I was doing, I took the advice of all Anime mentors teaching the protagonist how to access unknown powers and did my best to look deep inside to draw out my hidden power. I somehow doubted it'd work, but it was worth a shot.

It didn't take long sitting like that for my legs to start to hurt, making me shift and breaking what little concentration I'd been able to muster. I gritted my teeth and shoved my discomfort aside, determined to at least try to see if this could work. Unfortunately, all I got for my efforts was sore legs and a mild headache from focusing so hard.

Finally, I gave up and flopped back down onto the bed.

"Well, that didn't work," I said, "I wonder if I even have powers…"

I lifted my arm and stared at my hand, imagining a ball of light appearing in it.

"Heh, would be nice, even if it would be a pain," I muttered with a smirk as I made a finger gun and mimed firing the imagined energy ball, "Bang…"

DRAGON BOOSTER!

I shot bolt upright as, with a flash of green and red light, a very familiar red gauntlet appeared on my hand.

"What the hell!?" I spluttered, "Is this…"

"Hehe, yes I am indeed here," said a deep voice, apparently issuing from the gauntlet, "Nice to finally meet you kiddo."

"No way," I muttered, "How the hell do I have the Boosted Gear? Is this...is this some kind of crossover world?"

"Hmm, I'm...not entirely sure to be honest," said the great Dragon, "I...don't think so though. My last memory before I woke up in you was saying goodbye to my previous wielder and then...well, it was a little different than most transfers."

"How so?" I asked.

There was a moments silence.

"Normally, when my last wielder dies, I simply lose consciousness and then wake up in my next host," he said, "But this time, as Issei died, I felt something...grab me for want of a better word."

"You think something deliberately dropped you in me?" I asked.

"Possible I guess," said Ddraig, "But I don't think it really matters that much."

I stared at my hand incredulously.

"Something unknowably powerful grabbed you from your original world and dropped you into a new one and you say it doesn't matter?!" I asked, "Why not?"

I got the impression of a shrug.

"Well, what am I going to do about it?" he asked, "I've long made peace with my status as a Sacred Gear and, as you said, whatever it was that grabbed me had to be unknowably powerful. I wouldn't even know how to go about finding it and even if I managed it, what could I do? No, better to simply accept it and move on."

I blinked. That was...oddly pragmatic of the Dragon. Then again, its not like Ddraig was stupid and being with Issei supposidly mellowed him out a fair amount.

"Alright, I guess I can understand that," I said, "So...are you willing to help me?"

"HAH, your the boss around here kid," he said, "My power is yours to wield as you see fit. Just make sure that you live up to the name of the Red Dragon Emperor and I'll be happy."

"I'm not sure I can match someone like Issei," I said, "I mean, the guy was a Shonen protagonist and achieved a heck of a lot for someone who started at the literal bottom."

"Oh, I don't expect you to live up to Issei," said Ddraig, "Just live the best life you can and that'll be enough. Of course, if you manage to beat some of the big bads of this world, that'll be fine to."

I grinned.

"I think I might just do that," I said, "I wonder what Lung would make of a real Dragon?"

Ddraig snorted.

"I've seen that overgrown salamander in your memories," he growled, "The idiot barely even qualifies as a wyvern, let alone a real Dragon. If you do decide to go out and be a, whats the term…, a Cape, make sure you kick his ass for me."

I chuckled and nodded.

"I think I can do that," I said, "Thanks Ddraig."

The Dragon radiated warmth from deep within wherever it was he lived inside me. I sighed as I let myself drop back against the less-than-comfortable pillow, allowing the gauntlet to fade as I did. This...this changed things. No matter how you sliced it, having the Boosted Gear instantly bumped me up to a level on par with the Triumvirate. Think I'm exaggerating? Well, considering that the Boosted Gear was a weapon that allowed its user to defeat GODS, I don't think I am. Sure, it'd take some time for me to reach the point where that was possible, both in terms of learning how to use it and due to the 10 second limit, but given a bit of time, I could probably outdo Lung in terms of power escalation. Especially if I could unlock a Balance Breaker. Still, I'd need to be careful. Powerful or not, the main reason Issei managed his many feats was a combination of his friends backing him up and the fact he was an Anime protagonist. I had neither and that meant I needed to get a lot stronger before I could face down monsters like the Endbringers.

"Taylor?"

I looked up to see my Dad stood in the doorway. I smiled shakily.

"Hi Dad," I said.

Dad wordlessly crossed the room and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back as the many emotions I'd been deliberately holding back since I woke up finally boiled over, all of the confusion, frustration and fear from two years worth of isolation and bullying at the hands of my former best friend, of the experience of the Locker and my own death still so fresh in my mind, of the additional life in my head and the knowledge that I was this close to being put on a path that would lead to more pain and suffering than anyone should ever experience. And the relief of the knowledge that all of that suffering, past and future, could be stopped if I played my cards right.

Dad held me close as I cried and I felt better by the end of it.

Eventually, I managed to calm down, but I didn't pull away. It had been way too long since I'd felt this close to Dad and I had no intention of letting go anytime soon.

"Dad, I need to tell you something…" I said.

The sound of a knock at the door cut me off and Dad and I looked up to see a man in a suit stood in the door.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I need to talk to Miss Hebert," said the man, showing a badge, "I'm Inspector Bones with the BBPD and I was hoping to ask you a few questions about the...incident."

I shoved down the flair of irritation at the little euphemism.

"Oh, I'll answer some questions alright," I growled, "Those bitches nearly killed me this time! No way I'm taking this lying down."

"You know who pushed you in?" asked Bones.

"Most likely it was Sophia Hess," I said, "But I bet the entire idea was the work of either Emma Barnes or Madison Clements. Those three bitches have been targeting me since the start of Highschool and the faculty have done NOTHING!"

I ignored the look of shock on Dads face as the Detective stared at me.

"I see," he said at length, "I'm afraid that will be difficult to prove since there weren't any witnesses…"

I let out a nasty laugh.

"Oh, of course that's what they'd say," I sneered, "Unfortunately, I can name at least ten people who were stood around watching. Not only that, but I've got nearly two years worth of notes and printed out emails at home to establish a pattern of behaviour. I doubt those notes or my word alone will be enough to do much, but I imagine it would give you a starting point."

"I would yes," said Bones, looking rather annoyed, "If you could give me the names, it would be a big help."

I did as he asked and answered a few more questions before the detective left, leaving his email address we could send my notes to when we got home. Now alone again, Dad and I sat in silence, before he looked up and fixed me with a slightly pleading look.

"Emma?" he asked.

I winced.

"I...I don't know why," I said, "When I came back from Camp before Highschool she was...different. She told me to get lost and then…"

I trailed off and sniffed, scrubbing at my eyes. No, I'd cried enough tears over Emma, I wasn't crying any more. Dad scowled and clenched a fist.

"I really hope that Alan doesn't know anything about this," he growled.

I bit my lip.

"I...I don't think he does," I said, "I have no doubt he'll defend Emma to the end, but maybe if...maybe if you talked to Mr Barnes he could do something to help Emma. I'm...I'm not exactly sure shes entirely well."

Dad took a deep breath and nodded.

"I think I might just do that," he said.

"Don't do anything stupid though Dad," I said quickly, "I don't want you to get arrested because you punched Mr Barnes."

"That will depend entirely on him," said Dad, before catching my expression, "Don't worry dear, I can control myself."

I smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks Dad," I mumbled.

Dad sighed and hugged me back.

"Taylor, I owe you an apology," he said after a moments silence, "I've been a terrible Father…"

I shook my head.

"No Dad, we were both in the wrong," I said, "Since Mom...went away, we both lost our way. I should have told you what was going on a long time ago, then maybe all this could have been avoided."

"Maybe," said Dad, "Still, I feel guilty…"

"Hindsight is 20/20," I said, "All we can do now is try to do better in the future."

"Hmm…"

We fell silent once again, the awkwardness of the past two years still very much a thing. Fortunately, another interruption arrived, this time in the form of a white coated doctor and an exhausted looking Panacea. Her deep hood and scarf did a good job of hiding it from casual viewers, but since I was looking for it, I could clearly see her pale skin, bloodshot eyes and deep bags under said eyes. It was the kind of look that could only come from a long stretch of lost sleep.

"Taylor Herbert?" asked Panacea.

"Hebert, but yes," I said.

"Sorry," said Panacea as she entered the room and stepped up to the bed, "Do I have permission to heal you?"

"Sure, go ahead," I said, holding out my hand.

The healer took my hand and I kept a close eye on her, just in case. I had no idea if I was an actual Parahuman or if Ddraigs presence would affect my biology in any noticeable way, so keeping an eye on Panacea's reaction would hopefully give me some clues. Fortunately, she didn't react and, after a brief tingle, nodded and opened her eyes.

"Your done," she said and moved to let go.

I tightened my grip on her hand slightly, making her pause and glance at me.

"Thank you," I said.

Panacea stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

"Your welcome," she said and pulled her hand out of my grip.

She left the room as the doctor entered and picked up my chart.

"Well, now that you've been given a clean bill of health, we can get you out of here as soon as you sign the paperwork," he said.

Said paperwork didn't take long and before long we were in Dads truck on the way home. The ride was made in silence as I stared out the window and tried to decide how best to proceed. There was no way in hell I was going out just yet, not until I had some idea how to fight and more strength with which to actually use my Sacred Gear so I didn't have to spend five minutes boosting to an acceptable level. As such, it wasn't as important for me to tell Dad about my powers just yet, but...I didn't want to risk alienating him. The longer I waited to tell him, the greater the risk that he'd panic and do something stupid, but if I came right out and told him it would hopefully mitigate some of that.

Or it could backfire horribly.

Either way, I couldn't keep my powers from Dad. I'd had a good relationship with my Parents last time through and I really wanted to try and get that closeness back with my current Dad and trust was a big part of that. I'd just have to hope that he didn't run off and sign me up for the Wards the moment he heard about my powers. Not that I had entirely dismissed the idea of joining the Wards yet, but it would be nice to keep my options open.

Since it was rather late, the light traffic meant that it didn't take long for us to get home, which really didn't help my indesition.

"Alright Taylor, get to bed," said Dad, "We can talk more in the morning."

I hesitated for a moment, then steeled myself.

"Actually dad, theres something I need to talk to you about now," I said.

Dad paused on the stairs and looked back at me.

"What is it Taylor?" he asked.

I hesitated again, then clenched my fist and summoned the Boosted Gear.

"I Triggered in the Locker Dad," I said as he stared at the red gauntlet, "I have powers."

Thinking about it, I probably should have waited until morning, but I have a feeling I would have chickened out if I did. That was a rather annoying personality trait that seemed to be ubiquitous across both my lives and something I'd have to take great pains to fix if I could. As it was, I didn't get to talk to Dad about it since, after staring at my Dragon Hand for a moment, he'd just groaned, banged his head lightly on the wall and told me to go to bed.

"Its way too late to talk about this right now," he'd said, "I'm so tired I can't think straight. We'll talk about this in the morning."

Now I was in my room, stood in my underwear in front of the mirror and examining my body through the lens of an additional life that came with a male viewpoint. It didn't take me long to come to the conclusion that Taylor...um, me? Thats going to get confusing. Whatever, my old self had been a little overly self conscious about her looks. While it was true that I wasn't exactly stacked like some people, I still had legs for days and, despite Taylor's beliefs, my wide mouth and large eyes actually fitted quite well with my features and served to make my face expressive. I was honest enough to admit that I wasn't as gorgeous as Emma, but I was still far from ugly.

I sighed and dropped onto my bed face first, not bothering to put on my PJs. This entire thing was a complete mess. While I was happy that I could (hopefully) deal with the Bitches Three and could (again, hopefully) improve my relationship with my Dad, I was less than enthused with the idea that I'd dodged a massive bullet...mostly. While I no longer had any risk of becoming Khepri, I wasn't blind to the potential risk that came with holding one of the Twin Heavenly Dragons. I may not be a Parahuman, but I had no doubt at all that I'd still end up in a lot of fights. I really needed to learn how to fight…

I blinked. I'm pretty sure I'd just fallen asleep in my bed, but for some reason I found myself stood in a pure white space with nothing but a few wooden benches arranged in a lecture theater style, albeit much smaller.

"Um, where am I?" I asked, "Is anyone...YEEK!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin as someone groped me from behind and reacted. My fist slammed into a cheek, sending my attacker flying into the bench with a loud crash.

"Heh, thats quite the right hook you got there," said the man as he slowly got to his feet and wiped away the small amount of blood from the corner of his mouth, "Nice reflexes to."

He wasn't really much to look at, a young looking man of average height with broad shoulders and short, spiky brown hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing an expensive looking suit with the jacket and dress shirt left open, showing off the red shirt he was wearing underneath. He also looked oddly familiar.

"Wha...who are you?" I asked, taking a couple of steps away.

The man grinned.

"Well, I'm your Senpai," he said, "I'm the last Red Dragon Emperor, the Harem King, Issei Hyodou!"

I blinked. Then what he said sank into my mind and I may have squeed slightly. Issei blinked, looking slightly taken aback.

"Well, thats a reaction I'm not used to getting from girls," he said.

I blushed brightly.

"A-ah, sorry about that," I said, "Its just...I don't know if you know, but I remember a past life where your life was an Anime and, well, your one of the better protagonists I can think of."

"And I'm sure the large amounts of fanservice have nothing to do with it," growled Ddraig as the great Dragon appeared behind Issei.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it," I said with a blush, "But honestly, I liked the world more than the T&A. Plus, you were a lot more memorable than most Shonen protagonists for some reason. Probably because you're an unrepentant perv."

Issei let out a bark of laughter.

"Probably," he said, "Anyway, I'm curious. What do you intend to do with Ddraigs power?"

I sighed as I dropped onto one of the benches.

"This world is going to shit," I said, "I could see that before I...woke up for want of a better world. If I was any other Parahuman, I'd say we were still boned, but with the power of the Boosted Gear, something that can kill a God…"

Issei smiled.

"So, you want to save the world?" he asked.

I snorted.

"When you just come out and say it it sounds stupid," I said, "But yes. I know it'll take a lot of effort and I'm not even sure if I'd be able to beat Zion, but I'm not willing to just let that golden bastard destroy everything without a fight!"

For a moment, Issei and Ddraig stared at me, before Issei snorted and grinned.

"Well, you wouldn't be much of a Dragon if you did," he said, "Alright kid, I'll teach you what I know."

I looked up at him and cocked my head on one side.

"Huh?"

"You need to learn how to fight if your gonna save the world," said Issei, "And if there's one thing I know how to do, its fight bad guys."

His expression darkened slightly.

"Be warned though, I won't hold back, even if you are a cute girl. Your the Red Dragon Emperor now and that means you have to be the best you can be. Interested?"

I stared at him for a moment, before a wide grin crossed my face and I jumped to my feet.

"Hells yeah!" I exclaimed, "Do your worst Sensei!"

Issei grinned back.

"Sensei huh?" he said, "Guess I can get used to that. Alright Taylor Hebert, lets see what you've got!"

He jumped forwards and I barely avoided the first punch.

And with that, I'm done. This was...interesting to write in all honesty. I highly doubt I did a very good job with getting across the affects of Taylor suddenly gaining the memories of her past self, but then again, this isn't some random schmuck getting dropped into Taylors body or anything, the memories were always there just locked away, so there'd be less issues with integration.

I'm not entirely sure how Ddraig found himself in Bet, but its not really relevant. That said, he is the real Ddraig and not a copy or anything and, as should be obvious, the events of DXD are long past in his world. Incidentally, Issei's presence within the Gear will have some...interesting side effects for Taylor and her future abilities.

So, do you think this Taylor would do well in the Wards or remain solo and possibly gather her own team? I mean, shes technically not a Parahuman, so they'll be some confusion there, but either one could be fun.

And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!