Chapter 1

"W-what? Where am I?"

Issei looked around but he couldn't see anything that would help him figure out his location.
He could see as far as his arm could reach. Issei was scared, but he decided to keep moving forward, for a lack of a better direction to go.
There appeared to be some rocks on Issei's path as he nearly tripped a few times. Suddenly he saw some light and thought *o-oh, god, am I finally free?!*. That certainly wasn't the case, as he would soon find out.

As soon as he left that dark place, he came to the realization that he was inside a cave... but as luck would have it, that was the least of his problems!

"W-w-where?! What the hell?!" he yelled.

He looked back and saw the entrance to the cave he had been in just a few seconds ago. It was, at least, 10 meters tall.
Everything around was dark and bleak. Issei saw barren land and mountains upon mountains as far as the eye could see...

"O-okay, Issei, c-c-c-calm down! This has to be a nightmare, it can only be a nightmare! R-right?!"

Issei was starting to go into panic mode when all of a sudden he could hear a voice in his head.

[Calm down, boy!]
[This is simply what would've happened to you, had I not been in you.]

"WHO THE HELL JUST SAID THAT?!" Issei yelled, beginning to freak out even more.

[CALM DOWN!]
[My name is Ddraig, and I'm here to help you. Calm yourself, close your eyes, and focus solely on my voice.]

Issei thought, *well, damn, what other options do I have?*, and proceeded to do exactly what he was told.
He focused harder on this than he'd ever done with anything else.

Upon opening his eyes, he found himself on a beach, *huh? I'm seriously losing it*.

"Hey! Drag race, you actually here, or was I imagining you too?"

[My name is Ddraig, you fool!]

Issei jumped at the sound of Ddraig's booming voice, and turned around to see a massive red dragon, what?!
Issei couldn't help but admire the beast's beauty. Ddraig had the appearance of a European dragon, sporting a respectable, yet highly intimidating, 518 meters from feet to shoulder and 1372 meters from tail to head.
The dragon boasted shiny red scales and frightening green eyes. If one didn't know better, one could say a single stare from the beast could devour one's soul.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir." said Issei, in a low tone, looking at the ground.

[Don't call me sir. My name is Ddraig and I expect you to refer to me as such.] *just my luck, I didn't think I've wronged the world so much to deserve such a host*, thought the dragon.

"Alright, D-d-ddraig... What is going on, where am I, and why are you allowing me to live?" Issei wasted no time trying to get some answers, figuring he might as well be straightforward.
Who knows, this could be the end of him.

[First, I merely wished to speak to you. Second, you're in your mindscape, with me. Third, I am not allowing you to anything, I have no intention of harming you, as doing so would only harm me.]
[You tried to end your life, and I had to intervene. If you die, I'll die. So I had no other option but to forcefully activate my power, that is dormant in you, to save you after you lost consciousness mid-fall]

"H-huh?!"

[*sigh* Kid, did you somehow hit your head or something? You, my boy, are the holder of one of the most powerful beings in existence, the Red Dragon Emperor!]

"You know, Ddraig, that sounds pretty incredible, keyword being 'sounds'. I'm gonna need more than that... You're telling me a bunch of fairytale-like plots and doesn't fit well with my human common sense."

[I... You know what, you're right about that... After all these centuries, one tends to forget that the supernatural is kept hidden fro-]

"Hey, now, hold your horses, big fella... supernatural? You mean ghosts?"

[Uh, actually, not even we know if those are real... The supernatural I'm talking about is Gods, Demons, and anything in between, you name it, they exist!]

*except ghosts, apparently* Issei thought to himself

"Okay, that is too much to swallow in one go... Moving on, though, what was that wasteland before this beach? It was pretty hellish!" *please, oh please, don't let me be dead! I didn't want to come to hell!*

[Hah! That's because it was hell. Worry not, kid, that was merely a dream, though it is exactly how hell looks, and that is where you're going if you attempt to kill yourself again!]
[You know, no one would've mourned you... I'd recommend you mend your ways and make people see you in a new light.]

Issei looked down at the ground, tears threatening to come out. He knew Ddraig was right.

"Say, Ddraig, will you tell me more about the supernatural?" Issei looked at the beast, expectant. Now that he knew, there was no way he'd let this chance go!
Who would turn their backs on a whole new adventure, anyway? That sure wasn't Issei's way of living.

[I can, and a will, but first, I'd like to prepare your body. You're still too weak to be thrown into my world.]

Issei started opening his eyes, he saw nothing but a very bright light and was scared that he might've been facing the gates of heaven! Issei quickly sits up, trying to get himself on his feet, but lacked the strength to do it.
He looked around and saw a white room and became more startled as his eyes hadn't adjusted from the flash of light. Our hero found himself in a hospital room, once he realized that he smelled ammonia he started to relax.
A nurse came into the room to check on Issei and when she saw him wide away and sitting up, the young woman decided to call in the doctor to explain the situation.

The doctor comes in and greets Issei, "Good afternoon, Mr.X, how are we feeling today?"

*Mr.X?* Issei thought, before answering. "Good afternoon, the name's Issei Hyoudou, and I'm fine."

"Alrighty, Mr. Hyoudou, I am Doctor Shinya Yamanaka. Now, care to explain what happened? You were found laying on the ground, in school, by one of your friends, I believe his name was Matsuda?"

Issei explained to the doctor what happened, at least all that Ddraig had told him happened prior to him 'waking' up in that dark cave.
Seeing the doctor satisfied with the explanation, Issei asked the hospital to warn his parents.
Matsuda had taken the liberty of filling in all the necessary data for Issei, so the hospital could call the parents and inform them about their son's whereabouts.

Issei's parents, Miki and Gorou, arrived at the hospital and promptly went to his room, finding 2 chairs to sit by his side.
A suitcase was brought along, it contained a change of clothes.
Now in the small bathroom, located on the left side of the room, he took off the gown and noticed his body was toned. Issei hadn't done any physical work before and even failed PE. The boy was just that lazy...

Looking at himself in the mirror he could see muscles he didn't even know muscle existed! *Wait a second, did I also grow taller?!* Issei had grown a whole 10cm, making him stand at 180cm, which is a fair bit above average for a high school student in Japan.
Issei proceeded to start changing his clothes before anyone would enter the bathroom by accident. He now wore a red t-shirt, with a pocket on his left breast size, a regular part of blue jeans, and black sneakers.

Much like with the doctor, Issei's parents demanded an explanation for why he had to be picked up from the hospital.
Issei wasn't too keen on explaining this shameful event, and he was fully regretting everything that lead to it. The boy was acknowledging how it was mostly his fault. He would make amends!

Miki Hyoudou was crying, and hugging, her poor boy, while Gorou Hyoudou was madder at his son for deciding to do what he did, while also inwardly praying to any god listening, for sparing his only descendant.

"Mom, Dad, I've decided to try and change my life for the better and it all starts with regular exercise at the local gym, some therapy, and if you'd allow it, please let me learn martial arts at the dojo."
Issei was expecting to not get anything except that therapy, which he knew he would get even if he didn't ask for it himself. He thought *at least I get to show them my willingness to try!*
"Oh, Ise-chan, I'm so happy to hear this. I'll get you whatever you need to help you through this awful experience!" cried Miki, while Gorou simply nodded.

It was now 10 pm, and Issei was just too tired from the wild day he had, even though he had only been awake for half of it.
Issei said his goodnights and made his way to the second floor, where the bedrooms are located, Issei's being the closest to the staircase.
As soon as Issei opened the door to the bedroom he was bombarded by multiple posters and figurines of naked women from the various anime and 'gentleman collection', and there was even an alarm clock filled with waifus, he owned. In a temper tantrum, the boy threw everything away and even went as far as to burn it all. "Well, they always say the first step is always the hardest!"
[Hey, kid, it's not hurtful to keep 1 or 2 things around]. "Shut up, Ddraig, it's easier for me if I just rid myself of it all. Now, goodnight!"

It's 3 am and Ddraig decides to try to clarify something.
[Partner, can we talk?]

"After you answer me something first, deal?" the dragon kept to himself, so he took it as a yes.
"You know, when you mentioned that you're 'in me', what did you mean by that?"

[Ah, it means you are now in possession of my entire being. You, Issei Hyoudou, are now the 5th holder of the **Boosted Gear**]

"5th? but you claimed to be centuries old?!"

[Yes, but I haven't been dead for that long, you nimrod, not to mention that after I became a sacred gear, it was completely random whether I got a new holder or not, and let me tell ya, not having a holder was always awful... I got basically suspended in time. Think of cryogenic sleep, the concept is basically the same.]

"I feel like there's another story there, but I'll leave it for another time, and you WILL tell me. Now, I should try to sleep a bit more."

[Alright, partner.]

A new day is starting and Miki had to barge into the room to wake up her lazy son...
"ISE-CHAN!" was yelled, as she abruptly opened the blinds. Issei wasn't having any of it, so he turned to the other side of the bed and tried to fall asleep again. Wrong move, as Miki spilled a bit of cold water down his face.
"I'M UP, I'M UP! Geez, mom..." Issei grunted.

*Buy a new alarm clock on the way home!* he thought to himself, as he asked his dragon to also remind him.

Issei went to brush his teeth and took a quick shower before going downstairs to have his breakfast at the kitchen table, with his parents.
"Sei-kun, here's some money, get yourself a membership at the gym and dojo you like", said Gorou with a smile on his face.
"Ise-chan, I'll make an appointment with a psychologist later in the day, so we'll go after school", said Miki, trying to hide her worries from her son.

The walk to school was... interesting, to say the least. Some students looked at Issei with concern, others laughed at him, but none dared to come up to him.

It's now 8:30 am and Issei decided to pick up the pace, so he wouldn't be late for homeroom.
Issei could already see the gate to the school. There was even a bridge before the gate, for what reason? Not even the god of creation knows... Around the school perimeter was a massive bricked wall, standing at about 2 meters tall, and a swing gate just as tall.
Before even reaching the building, the students have to get past an enormous fountain made of white marble. Surrounding the entire school, one could see many kinds of fruit trees, which the students were free to pick from. They were commonly used to eat lunch under, though, as they provided refreshing shadows during the hottest hour of the day. At the terrace of this school, or a palace, as might liked to call it, was a garden for the gardening club, and, there, students were also free to pick vegetables for themselves, so long as they replant some too.

The school building alone could be compared to a European castle, it was just that gigantic.
Behind the school building, to the left, was located the cafeteria, and to the right, one would find the gym. There was still yet another building farther behind, but why didn't anyone acknowledge it?

"Alright, a new day, a new me!" shouted Issei, making everyone around look at him like he was crazy.

[Kid, while we get your body ready to handle my power, I will be suppressing your aura, as to avoid possible threats from detecting you.]

Issei didn't know how to feel about that last part of the sentence but decided to leave it alone for now, "I trust you, Ddraig."

A/N: Alright, this is kinda scary, ngl... it's my very first time writing anything, at all, and I wanted to see how well it'd go. I do have some mild ideas to keep the story rolling, but I really wouldn't mind considering other's opinions.

I changed some stuff to the main storyline already, but that's because I can't stand seeing Issei being nothing but a failed pervert. I also have the mind to alter Ddraig's form a bit, that started with me making him being a European dragon as opposed to a regular western dragon.

I'm sorry if someone doesn't understand the metric system, but it's what I know, so I'll have to ask you to convert to imperial on your own, as I have no clue how to do that.

The next chapter will include a 1-year time skip (which will make him be a second year), but with a bit of training and apologies to students first, and after that point, I'll start running closer to the OG story, to a very fine extent. Still have to research a bit of what to do for his training, as simple bulking up is kind of dumb... his power relies as much on physical as it does on magic, and I feel like the author disregarded the latter completely.

Before I end this, I feel that I need to be clear... I don't have an idea of a clear schedule. I'll release chapters as I feel like they are ready. (I rewrote this one so many times and I was even gonna start it right after Issei was killed by Raynare, but decided almost near the end that I wanted to start it all wayyy earlier)

Well, that does it, please leave me reviews so I can make this better, and maybe even get new ideas that might fit the story I want!