POV: Issei Hyoudou
The tendrils of sludge were constantly tightening around the boy's body. No matter how hard he struggled, Or how many explosions he let off the villain didn't seem affected. He just smiled at the boy's attempts to save his own life, As if they were nothing more than a child trying and failing to wrestle their parent.
And all I did was stand there, watching.
Frozen. Silent. Useless.
The worst part? I had no intention of stepping in. Not now. Not ever.
The first time I fought that thing, it was because Izuku was in danger—some kid I had only known for a few minutes, but at least he was a good kid. A reckless idiot, sure, but someone who didn't deserve to die. That was different. That was personal.
But this?
This wasn't my problem.
I didn't know the kid being held hostage. Never spoke to him. Probably never would. And as heartless as it might sound, why the hell would I risk my life for a total stranger? That's just asking to be another name on a memorial plaque.
Besides, isn't that why the heroes are here?
I might not know all the ins and outs of hero work, but if comic books have taught me anything—they're the ones people are supposed to rely on. The ones meant to step in when things go south. The ones trained to handle situations exactly like this.
And yet… they weren't moving.
They just stood there, barely keeping the villain from leveling more buildings. None of them were going for the kid. Not really. Maybe they wanted to, maybe they even planned to—but it was obvious they didn't think they could pull it off.
And the villain knew it too.
That was the only explanation for the sick, twisted grin plastered across that ugly sludge-covered face. Even surrounded by fire, by heroes, by a whole damn city watching… he was still the one in control. He held all the cards, and he knew it.
The only thing that kept me from completely losing it was the fact that his grin looked just a little off. A little lopsided. One of his eyes was swollen shut—a parting gift from the last time we met. A small victory, which I normally would have bragged about, now feeling shallow.
And not nearly enough.
Because the kid in his grasp was still choking, still struggling. Still waiting for someone, anyone, to save him.
And I wasn't moving.
Someone else was.
Shouts erupted from behind me—urgent, panicked voices cutting through the chaos—but I barely registered them. How could I? There was a murder unfolding right in front of me. The world had shrunk to fire, smoke, and terror. The voices faded just as quickly as they came, drowned beneath the roaring flames. I thought that was the end of it.
I was wrong.
A streak of green shot past me. Then the heroes, their faces twisted in panic, gave chase.
"Stop! Get back here! You'll get yourself killed!"
But the boy didn't stop.
I didn't even need to turn to know who it was. The red shoes, the yellow backpack. In my short time spent in this crazy city, There was only one person I knew who wore that combination of clothing.
Izuku.
Izuku was rushing towards the villain like a madman obsessed. I saw the villain's eyes widen once he saw Izuku, The shock on his face quickly shifting to rage once he realized who was running towards him.
"Not this brat again "
I could barely hear what the villain was saying over the voices of the crowd and the raging fire nearby. The villain wasn't taking any chances. His fist pulled back, sludge coiling with lethal intent, he was going to end Izuku with one devastating blow.
But before the blow connected, Izuku spun himself without breaking stride and flung his backpack directly into the villain's face. A stray notebook rocketed out, striking the villain's one good eye.
This of course caused the villain to jerk back, While also losing his grip on the blonde. The kid was taking frantic breaths, he was probably about to pass out if it wasn't for Izuku running in to help.
And that's when I noticed it. When Izuku got close to the boy he screamed what I'm assuming was his name based on the fact he reacted to it. I may not have the entire picture but I think I understand what's happening.
The way Izuku called out to him. The way the blonde kid's body flinched, like the voice was familiar. Both of their uniforms are nearly identical.
They knew each other.
"Maybe that's why Izuku ran in"
It was instinct, a friend rushing to save another without thinking. But that didn't make sense, Because Izuku didn't have friends. The way he was bullied, the bruises, the literal mental breakdown he had because I just said yes to his question.
I guessed I assumed he had no one. No one to stand beside him. No one who cared. And yet, here he was, throwing himself into a battle he couldn't win, just to save someone else.
My train of thought came to an end once I saw the sludge villain begin to come to his senses. The sludge had begun to slowly suffocate the blonde boy again, leaving Izuku scratching at it in a vain attempt to peel it off.
And since Izuku was so focused on trying to save his friend he didn't see the fist made out of sludge slowly forming above his head. The heroes tried to call out to him, but no matter how loud they shouted he didn't react.
I started to panic, Looking around to see if there was anything I could do to help, Anything but standing here and watching two people die while I did nothing but watch.
As I was shifting in place I felt something bump against my shoe. I looked down at a jagged piece of concrete.
Small. Roughly the size of a baseball. It must have been sent flying by the blonde kid's relentless explosions.
I was about to keep looking until a thought sparked—a memory from years ago, something stupid, something that had never mattered until now.
Back in middle school, I had this dumb idea that if I was good at sports, girls would like me. It didn't work, obviously. But because of that, I learned a weirdly specific fact:
An untrained adult male can throw a baseball at speeds of 45 to 65 miles per hour.
Why did I ever bother remembering that? Who knows. But right now, that piece of information felt like the single most important thing in the world.
Because this chunk of concrete? It was just about the same size as a baseball.
And me? Well, I wasn't exactly an athlete, but I placed average in almost every gym test we took.
I picked up the concrete, rolling it in my palm. The jagged edges bit into my skin, grounding me, reminding me that this was real. That I had one shot.
I exhaled, steadying my grip. My gaze locked onto my target—the villain's other, now swollen, eye.
I couldn't miss it, If I did, Izuku and that kid were dead.
So no pressure.
didn't think. Or at least, I tried not to.
Any stray thought, any flicker of doubt, could throw me off. And right now, I needed absolute focus. Tunnel vision. That's what they call it, right? That razor-sharp concentration where everything else fades away. It was just me. The concrete in my grip. And the villain's swollen eye.
I took one last, steadying breath.
And then, I threw.
My muscles tensed, coiling like a spring, then snapped loose in an instant. The force surged through my arm, raw and unrefined. I'd never played baseball, never trained for this, and I was sure my form was all kinds of awful.
But none of that mattered.
All that mattered was the hit.
As the makeshift projectile left my fingertips, something flared at the edge of my vision—a burst of green light.
I turned my head, just for a split second.
A red glove—metallic, gleaming, almost organic—had materialized over my left hand, stretching from my palm to my wrist. Its surface shimmered like scales, shifting with my movements, but my fingers remained exposed.
I didn't understand. I didn't have time to understand because the throw was already in motion.
Looking toward the villain, I could see his eyes widen once more when an object the size of a baseball came hurtling toward him. But the feeling of triumph never came as before the concrete ever made contact, The villain simply shifted his eye out of harm's way.
And while the concrete ball went clean through the sludge, even making a hole on the spot it made contact. It still meant one thing.
I had missed.
" AHAHA, Nice try kid, but the same trick won't work twice "
The sound of the villain laughing echoed off the now-ruined district.
"But enough games, it's time for this one to die "
The villain once again formed a hand made out of sludge and launched it at Izuku. The heroes now aware of the villain's actions rushed to shield Izuku from harm.
"Save the boy! This thing will kill him!"
Despite the hero's best efforts, they were unable to reach Izuku in time. As before they got the chance the villain's hand came down. A powerful gust of wind erupted, sending debris skidding across the ground. The force slammed into my chest, pushing me back a step. My heart lept into my throat.
And then—I heard it.
A voice. Deep. Commanding. Unshakable
"I really am pathetic "
A shadow loomed through the dissipating smoke, broad and unbreakable, standing at the center of the chaos.
" I told you the traits that make a great champion"
The smoke cleared, and the sight that met the crowd sent a shockwave of awe through the air.
"But I see now I wasn't living up to my own ideals "
All Might.
Standing tall, he effortlessly halted the sludge villain's hand while having that same wide smile on his face. Faster than my eyes could react All might tor his arm away from the sludge and in the same motion freed the blonde-haired boy.
"Pros are always risking their lives"
Once both the boys were firmly in his grasp, All Might began to wind his arm back for what was sure to be a one-hit K.O
"That's the true test of a hero"
The sludge villain unwilling to be defeated by the same man again, Began to launch a counterattack.
"Damn you, All Might!"
The villain launched one final fist in All Might's direction, in a vain attempt to escape his fate. But once All Might threw his punch it was already Over.
"Detroit... Smash!"
The impact of his punch almost instantly caused the villain to fall apart and rocket backward as chunks of sludge went everywhere. The force behind the punch was so strong that it completely distinguished the nearby flames.
This also caused the nearby heroes to scramble to protect the citizens from the shockwave. I only realized this when a pair of giant purple arms came from above and shielded me from the worst of the wind.
I didn't find out until later that those arms belonged to Mount Lady.
I was too focused on the scene in front of me.
The district that was once filled with the sounds of flames and smoke, Was now flooded with the sounds of the number one hero chasing breaths. And the sight of two unconscious boys lying next to him.
While staring I felt something hit the top of my head. Looking up I noticed the sign of rain clouds forming. But that didn't make any sense it was a clear sky only a few seconds ago.
"Holy crap"
It was the buff hero, Who I later learned was called Death Arms spoke. Looking toward All Might, like he had just seen a man turn water into wine.
"He changed the weather"
And he might as well have since the words he spoke carried the same weight.
As I stared at the back of the Number One hero, A man who managed to change the weather with a single punch. The applause and cheers from those around me practically causing me to go deaf. I realized something.
"I think I want to be a hero"
Authors Note:
Ok gonna be honest while creating this chapter I kinda got back into Ghost of Tsushima, So instead of working on the chapter throughout the week like I probably should have. I am instead now cramming all that work into one whole day. Anyway enough about me, let's talk about the chapter.
First off I wanted to talk about Issei's reluctance to help Bakugo.The only times Issei has gone out of his way to save someone in dxd, is when he either knows them or they are an attractive girl. So just to clarify I don't want this Issei to seem heartless, I just want to make this version of him have a more realistic approach to dangerous situations.
And second the reveal of his scared gear. The first time it manifested Issei was more focused on punching the sludge villain in the eye, Hence he didn't really see the boosted gear in the tunnel. And after that, he passed out and woke up later on. I don't really know how sacred gears work in the show all that well. but I assume that they would disappear once their wilder knocks out.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, please leave a comment if you like the way the story is progressing so far.