Published: February 8th 2025, 6:00:06 am
I blink twice. "Huh?"
One moment I was sat in front of a screen...
The next?
This.
Flick
"Where the hell-" I silently whisper, looking around blearily.
I look down at my hands, eyes widening slightly.
I am... tiny...
"What's going on?!" I hiss under my breath.
Memories pepper my head as I stand there rooted in shock.
I... can speak Japanese?
Fluently?
I mean, I tried to learn it a while back with Doulingo but...
I only really tried for like a week before I got bored.
The extent of my knowledge only reached to things like 'O-Cha' meaning 'Green Tea' and 'Gohan' meaning 'Rice'.
Anything beyond that eluded me!
Flick
Wait... even more-so... why do I have the knowledge of SEVERAL degrees rumbling around inside my head?! I didn't even finish school!
Alright. So let's take stock. I'm in some random ass forest... with memories I SHOULDN'T reasonably have. I'm younger as well.
Isekai?
Did I get Isekai'd?
I mean, being in a random forest is one thing. I could have gotten kidnapped. But getting smaller? Reversed aged perhaps?
Then the months upon months of knowledge bouncing around my skull... that makes it a little harder to deny that something... strange... is afoot.
Flick
"Alright- what the hell is-"
My hands come to the top of my head causing me to pause.
Hah?
It's like my mental glass cracks as I touch something completely impossible.
Two fuzzy animal ears rest in my hands.
I sit there... two fox ears in my hand in absentminded shock.
My entire body shudders as I turn and look back behind me. A large whitish-cream colored tail swishes back and forth as it poofs up. Seemingly in response to my panic.
I pat myself down quickly.
Tail. Yes. Animal ears. Also yes.
A strange golden key tied to my necklace? Uhhhh.
I look over it and... suddenly I understand.
That Choose Your Own Adventure.
It was real.
That means...
That means-
Crack
I slowly turn, face pale as I glance behind me.
A woman is standing there, her purple eyes wide, her mouth slightly ajar. She has long black hair that is tied into pigtails. She wears a green blouse and a black pencil skirt.
There's a deep almost deafening silence as my panic quietly builds in the background.
But. My will is hardened. The stress that normally would have rendered me a crumpled ball on the floor now merely exists to tell me one thing.
FUCKING SKIDADDLE!
The ground craters as I shoot away at genuinely astounding speeds.
"H-HEY!" I hear the woman call out behind me, but a plan is already forming in my mind.
I grasp the key on my necklace, pulling it free.
I twist it in the air-
THUD
A sharp gasp leaves my lips as the air is knocked from my lungs, my face bashing against a door that appears floating in the air in front of me. "Aghhh my fucking noooose."
Luckily it is thrown open by my charge.
I turn on a dime, spinning around and kicking it closed just as I can see the woman again. She is flying there, two bat-like wings on her back, hand extended out towards me. "H-Hold on! Wait a second-"
The door clicks shut and disappears causing me to let out a sigh of relief as I lay on the ground, hands brought to my beating heart.
My face hurts. Ow...
I slowly sit up, gazing around at my surroundings.
I'm in another forest. One that ends abruptly at a haze of purple mist.
I glance down to see numerous stones leading through the tall trees, a small smile appearing on my lips. "Ah... good... now I don't really have to worry about being murdered at least."
I fold my arms behind my head as I begin walking forwards, a pep to my step.
I don't walk long, eventually coming to a Japanese style home.
I mean... I'm a Kitsune now and you know what they say, when in Rome~
I step forwards, pushing open the double doors to the front of my home.
"This is... huh..." I blink quietly as I am still... outdoors.
There's a roof above my head but I can see a large garden which is exposed to the sky above. Peering out through the open sky I can see a curtain of purple mist hanging not far beyond the walls of my estate.
The pocket dimension is quite small, actually. If I had to give a rough estimate I'd say it was only like... maybe two hundred feet across? probably about a third of the entire area is taken up by my home here.
Small wisps of light flutter around the home. I can see empty picture frames being straightened as they float by. A thin layer of dust across everything is rapidly removed.
It appears I have some ghostly ethereal caretakers for the house.
I walk forwards along the raised wooden deck, gazing at the indoor garden. I even have a tiny pond that a wooden walkway passes over. I can even see a few Koi in it.
My home seems to be comprised of four true buildings. One I'm walking alongside now being the largest. One straight ahead, one towards the back right corner, and another towards the opposite of that, towards the front right, the pond separating it.
I enter the first building, sliding open the paper door. I stare at a large crystal floating at the far side of the room. It's almost completely empty aside from that. It's a room I can kind of do whatever I want with. Nice.
I do notice a door towards the back. I wander over and... oh? A kitchen. This room is meant to entertain guests or hold feasts.
I turn and walk away, shutting the doors behind me. The corners of my mouth turn upwards as I gaze at a large cherry blossom tree sat in the middle of my... courtyard? That's a decent enough word for it, I guess.
Building two...
"Heyooo! Game room!" Man... my voice is going to take some getting used to.
The room itself is quite simple. Cosy. With a large leather sofa sat in front of a flat screen Tv with a strange amalgam game system that looks like a mix between EVERY game system. There's shelves on the wall and a low bookcase just below the tv, a small coffee table placed just in front of the sofa.
Ooooh. And the Sofa's one of those good reclining ones! Kick ass!
There are two rooms beyond this one... one is a bathroom and the other is a bedroom. "I'll live here, I guess."
I point towards the Tv. "I'll be back soon, my sweet."
I quickly jog my way to the third building, checking inside I see another mostly empty room. There is a table, though with a few tools on it.
I make my way to the final room annnnd two bedrooms, a 'living room' that has a table with four chairs and an attached bathhouse.
I start to turn around only to pause.
I slowly walk into the bath house. There's a large wooden tub that's about the size of a hottub. But that isn't what has caught my attention...
It's the mirror.
I stare blankly into it, eyes wide.
"Oh wow..." I whisper.
I'm going to grow up into one handsome bastard... like... even now I guarantee some women might be willing to break a few laws to get at me as I am now.
I wear a red yukata with white cloud-like patterns across it. I am quite pale, my facial features quite sharp. Two piercing orange eyes gleam in the overall darkness of the room as I run a hand through my short white-ish hair. The tips of my hair a light red.
"Huh... the only thing I'm not really crazy about would be the eye color." I note. "But If I remember correctly..."
The orange shade begins to dull and shift, a smile rests on my lips as I gently prod at one of my powers, making minute changes here and there.
It takes a lot of effort. Like a genuinely astounding amount of effort, but eventually I'm left with little rainbow pupils... like gasoline spilled on the pavement.
A small smile works its way across my face as I look over myself in the mirror. "Theeeere we go... that'll make me a little more memorable, at least."
That'll be useful for my true ability.
I turn, walking out of the room. "But... before I even begin with my whole power thing... I think I deserve a little break!"
You see... I've got quite the special ability.
To explain it really simply. It's a gamer system that grants me power when I collect or complete things. Primarily 'rare items' and medias... and considering I have a compilation of pretty much every media humanity has created...
Heheheh.
I should probably lay out an overall plan for my new life.
From what I remember... I'm currently in an AU Dxd mixed with Touhou... the CYOA I filled out was a worm one... an overly complex worm CYOA, but it let you choose different start locations. I picked a Dxd Touhou mix.
It should currently be about nineteen hundred... so I'm roughly one hundred and twenty years in the past.
Wait...
I pre-date the wright brother's first flight...
Huh...
That's...
Wow...
Too bad I'm not going outside to see that!
You see, I picked out a BUNCH of de-buffs for myself to get even half of what I got.
I only have roughly a quarter of my power... and will slowly regain it over the next eight years.
Honestly? Acclimation isn't really as much of a debuff as it sounds... as once I reach one hundred percent, over the eight years after that? My powers become twice as strong as they originally would have been.
It should also be worthy of note... I am quite a bit... different... than a normal DXD kitsune.
The perk I chose for the Kitsune specified that I 'start with enough strength to easily destroy a city with strength and durability to tank an explosion to the face or endure attacks of similar strength to your own.' With each tail doubling this and granting me a new special trait such as the ability to manipulate a certain element... or reality for my ninth and final tail.
So. While a DXD Kitsune would grow more tails in response to their power... my power grows in response to my tails, a city-destroying Kitsune might have anywhere from four to six tails maybe. but I am that powerful with just one.
Sooo uhhh... merely by sitting around and waiting I'm going to grow BARE MINIMUM two hundred and fifty six times stronger than I am at this very moment...
Well, I mean...
I'm at twenty-five percent power at this moment... power that will grow to two HUNDRED percent in sixteen years...
I'm going to grow two THOUSAND times stronger.
It'll just take a good two thousand years.
One hundred years per tail from two through eight then an extra thousand for my last tail.
You know... maybe I should have appeared at 'ZERO' AD. Oh well. I didn't really want to tangle with Big G or Lucy anyways.
Well...
Maybe if I replaced Luci with the Helltaker version of them.
'I don't even really get why I'm thinking about that, honestly. I didn't thus it's impossible.' A yawn leaves my lips as I take a seat on the large sofa in the other room, a lazy smile on my lips "Ah... this is good... at least now I don't have to worry about the chaos twenty-twenty-five is most certainly going to bring... World War three probably."
I gaze at my young hand, slowly clenching my fist.
"This is better... I hope my parents are happy and healthy... wherever they are."
I might return one day.
Maybe.
I have dimension-crossing powers, but at the moment I'm locked in this world for one hundred years because of a drawback of mine.
If I can find my old home... that's to be determined. But... by that point I'll likely have found love... I wonder what my parents would think of whoever it is? I wonder how they would approve of me as I am now.
Would they still love me? Devout Christians... and I'm technically an evil fox demon... thing...
Though, admittedly in recent times Kitsune have been getting portrayed in a much nicer light. Moreso tricky mischievous little dudes than the evil they used to be.
No use thinking about that... I need to grow up a little.
And that means... I need to pass the time!
I own literally all of media... and that means I can FINALLY watch all of the shows I REALLY wanted to yet never did as a small part of myself felt this was going to happen. My genuine delusions finally paid off!
I have my list! Let's see here... number one... fairy tail?
Hm... nah! Let's skip over that one for now. I've already seen that. I know exactly what I want to watch first!
World's Dumbest!
Really hard to find that show, actually. It's basically never on streaming services in a completed form.
After that? Mythbusters and Man vs Food.
Theeeen I can see about watching Fairy Tail.
[Split]
I stretch my arms above my head, letting out a quiet yawn.
"Well... one season down... many many many more to go." A bright grin splits my face.
That show really tickled my nostalgia.
So many good memories.
I cock my head to the side.
'I wonder when my 'soulmate' perk will activate... a gamer co-op partner would be really fun right about now.'
And someone to cuddle up with on the couch and watch TV with.
Ah.
Right.
Still twelve.
Soooo I probably won't be meeting my soulmate until I'm eighteen. That's fine.
I'm in no rush. I've got two thousand years... bare minimum due to being a Kitsune.
Oh! I should begin plotting out my story beats for Dragon Ball!
By that, I mean I've more or less decided what I want to do with my life!
Manga!
I want to bring the Dragon Ball manga here to this world! Not drag-so ball or whatever the fuck these HEATHENS called it.
Dragon. Ball.
I've got to make use of my Visual Arts degree, after all.
But. I'm going into this with the benefit of hindsight.
I want to fully plot out the entire series before I start drawing.
Hell, it'll probably be unrecognizable when I'm through with it.
I plan to bring back Gine, Bardock and Raditz at the very least. Bardock's wish was 'Make my sons thrive' not 'Let Raditz rot in the middle of nowhere and Goku save the day.'
Waaaait! Dragon Ball Daima should have come out by now! I wonder how that show is...
Oh well. I'll procrastinate a bit more I guess. I'll actually need to go outside to get things I need.
Like paper.
And pencils
Yeah. That'll suck.
And I'm not talking about that social anxiety I used to have. That got taken care of with perks. Primarily Invictus and my whole 'theatre degree'. I'm more worried about the whole 'trouble magnet' thing and the 'Eh I could take them' debuff... and I can't really afford to wait in my pocket dimension for twenty five years for them to wear off.
Oh. Also money.
I need money.
Or do I? I've got a magical home. that grows when I feed it magical energy and stamina... I wonder...
Regardless, I know how to solve this.
You see, another aspect of my power is...
Livestreaming.
But not to random people in this world, no... random people in the MULTIVERSE!
Well, there's also kind of a 'youtube' aspect as well.
If people are sufficiently engaged, I get 'Stream Points' which I can convert one-to-one for roughly a dollar. Or if I save up ten thousand, I can get one 'SP' which is what I used to purchase powers.
I solve the money issue by streaming. BUT I'd only be getting one-fourth of the total points I should which is definitely annoying.
But... maybe I should start streaming anyways?
Eh. If I stay alone for too long I'll probably re-gain my insecurities. I'll just play it off like I'm not super young.
I cock my head to the side.
"Waaait I'll need a backstory. I can't be all 'oh yeah, I'm twenty two. I just look like this.' Long time viewers will see me age in real time!"
My extra pair of ears- which I am still unused to- twitch slightly.
Maybe I could explain it blandly like 'Oh yeah, I just wished to be stronger and I got turned into a baby kitsune'?
Maybe just not explain it at all?
Or maybe a 'Oh yeah, I'm twenty two but I got cursed to become a child again?' Or something like that?
I continue pondering.
[Split]
Pov Elsewhere:
A man with black hair that has blonde bangs gazes across his lab, a frown on his lips.
"Well."
That's another project that has reached its natural conclusion... artificial heroes just aren't sustainable. They're mentally unstable at best and genocidal monsters at worst. Shame, that. But... the war has ticked on for long enough. The minor skirmishes between Heaven and Hell has been cutting into their forces.
Artificial heroes would have been helpful to solve this issue, but. Perhaps they need a change in perspective. Instead of war-mongering... should the Grigori finally lay down their arms and give peace a try?
It'll be like herding cats, but, perhaps this is for the best? The biblical pantheon is on a downward spiral. At the very least entering a non-aggression pact would allow them to recover a bit.
He pauses abruptly, feeling a little unusual.
A light spear springs to life in his hand as he glares around the room.
"Who's there?" He calls out, eyes narrowing.
His head snaps to the side, spear pointed at a blue rectangle.
"Would you like to view the channel?"
{Yes} {No}
He falters briefly, thoughts whirring throughout his head.
Azazel is many things... and one of those things... is Curious.
"Yes?"
The little glowing box flashes twice then expands.
Suddenly, he's looking at a strange window.
There's a little photo of a stylized fox in the top corner, beside it the words 'Argo the Fox' Subscribe?
Across the screen he can see assorted tabs and information. Zero subscribers, numerous tabs ranging from 'community' to 'videos'.
What is a video?
A small prompt seems to lower from above.
"You can tap the screen to manipulate it!"
He looks to a smaller box on the screen. An empty square with just that same fox logo, the words under it reading 'Debut' and a smaller portion seemingly listing it at five minutes long.
He slowly reaches out at taps it.
The logo fills the window, with a flash it is swept away like a wall of flames revealing a Japanese-style room. The gentle pitter-patter of rain and distant booms of thunder echoing out.
A kid steps into view, two fingers raise.
"Hello!" He chirps.
Azazel blinks twice. "A male Kitsune?"
Those are really rare... it's been a good century or three since the last one appeared... and their death to the principal clans inadvertently started a war in Japan.
His eyes are quite interesting. Maybe he is covering them with an illusion? They'd quite prismatic and rainbow-y.
If they are real... damn... that's actually kind of impressive. He might have some sort of eye-based power, then.
"It's wonderful to meet you all! I'm Argo! Just your everyday accursed city destroying fox beast!" He continues, seemingly high-energy and peppy. Tail lashing out behind him. "Now. I bet a bunch of you are awfully confused as to what exactly is happening here."
He runs his fingers along the edges of the window. "This, my friends is my special ability! I have the power to reach out to those all across the globe sharing my surroundings and view with all of you!"
"Now. What's the point of this, you might ask? Well... I decided that if I'm going to have this power... I might as well be of use! I'm going to be your proverbial court jester! Tune on in if you have time and maybe I could improve your mood!"
"This saved broadcasts can be re-watched on my channel at any point! As for the genre? The topic of which I plan to broadcast? How I plan to entertain you all? Well... that's subject to change! Do I want to build something, or will I cook? Should I review a book, or should I play a game? Maybe a watch-along? What I do is bound merely to my whims, but it's my hope that it should be, if not fun, then educational or entertaining!"
"Now! Perhaps I should explain a bit about myself! My name is Argo. No last name needed. I am currently twenty two years old."
Azazel blinks twice. "Hah?"
The kitsune continues. "At least mentally. I was hit by a fairly nasty curse quite recently that de-aged me to what you see before you. Also... it had some pretty interesting effects like temporal displacement, but that's neither here nor there!"
"Let me tell you all a bit about myself. Firstly I'm American... yes... an American Kitsune... I'm like the start of a bad joke. Recently, I became bi-lingual, learning Japanese. I have a degree with a major in Mechanical, Electronic, and Software engineering... and also Visual Arts, Literary Arts, and Theatre! I'm also quite the menace in the kitchen if I do say so myself!" He clasps his hands together.
"Bullshit!" He hisses "At twenty-two?!"
he pauses as there's a word that he doesn't... understand... Software... engineering? Huh?
"Now... a more personal thing... I'm aware that the world is VERY large... but up until quite recently- the curse in particular, I was going around with a HUMAN understanding of this world. An American Kitsune who had no idea that he was a kitsune or the supernatural existed at all! What a Riot am I right?"
"But." The boy shrugs, a smug smile on his face as he closes his eyes. "These are the cards I've been dealt so I suppose I'll just have to play them!"
"Now, that's all from me! If you would, I'd appreciate it if you would like, comment, subscribe, and check back in sometime later when I post another video!"
"If you check down below, I have a poll running on what my first video should be about. Pick a choice or if you have another idea, comment what you think I should do!" He offers a wave to everyone watching. "Ciao!"
An arrow points to the side of the window as he sees a small vertical rectangle. "Pull this down to move the screen up and down."
he reaches out and taps the screen.
"Huh..."
This is giving him some ideas. A lot of information could be stored this way... and if he is able to store sound and sight? Even better.
Pick what I do!
Option 1: Cooking (An American, Japanese Fox Beast tries to replicate an American version of Chinese cuisine that otherwise won't be invented till the 1970s or so)
Option 2: Art (Painting)
Option 3: Educational (Flying Machines.)
The man stands for a long moment.
"Huh..."
The kid did say he was... temporally displaced or something? Is he saying he's from the future?
Yeah right.
He's definitely lying to make himself seem more interesting. Damn kitsune are always lying.
He blinks twice as something else appears... a comment.
Nine Tails: "You should take off your clothes!"
Azazel's mouth is left ajar as he stares down at the sheer audacity of that post.
The watcher is many things. An experienced fighter. A master strategist. A man of science... a pervert. BUT. He is not interested in children.
He notices a reply button. He reaches out and taps it.
"Please enter a username!" (This is a name to identify you. Please be weary that you can only change this name once every 6 months.)
An English alphabet appears but... the letters are all out of order. QWERTY... what's the point of this?
He slowly enters a name then sends a reply out.
Zaze: "What is WRONG with you?! He's twelve years old!"
There seems to be a reply. Quite quickly in fact.
Nine Tails: "Only Physically. That's old enough to produce sperm and get me pregnant. It's mainly the mental part that I have issue with. But he's 22!"
Azazel's eyebrow twitches slightly.
And thus... The world's first flame war has begun... roughly one hundred years early.