Imagine Breaker

I

First and foremost… rotten luck.

He had no idea how or why he was born with the power he possessed, but as much as it protected him against his demise, there were times that he cursed his right hand. It was a power, unique at best, that had the ability to negate any supernatural power it came into contact with. The benefits provided are a seller, though the deal-breaker is that it cancels out luck given from God himself, as explained by his holy roommate.

Toma Kamijo. A name known to many, restricted down to his classmates, as well as his friends and allies, including his enemies. The hero complex he possessed was an inspiration to many, though it was also an annoyance, especially to those who care for him greatly. He never needed a reason to aid someone in need, and always rushed into battle without a second thought, only worried about those he must protect with his power. This, of course, meant many trips to the hospital, where the famed doctor Heaven Canceler had taken the initiative to designate a room for the young man. After all, he was only human, a level zero, and injuries were bound to occur. The young man considered himself the most unlucky individual in the world. Speaking of bad luck…

Currently, Toma was running at speeds he never thought possible to achieve. The reason? Unless he wanted to be shocked by a certain level five, then he needed to find the nearest safe point to catch his breath. He had made a stop by a certain vending machine to buy a drink to combat the warm weather. The spiky-haired teen, unsure if this was an extended prelude to an unfortunate event (nothing bad had occurred today) since the vending machine did not take his money. He grabbed his drink and popped the can open, taking several gulps of the sugary liquid substance. Enjoying himself, he stood against the machine, observing the clear blue sky. Several minutes had passed until he heard a voice call out his name, or rather… his nickname.

"Hey idiot," a younger hazel-haired girl spoke.

"Really? Would it kill you to just use my first name?" Toma replied.

"No. It's just 'idiot' suits you much better."

"Rotten luck…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing…" Mikoto had gotten her drink from the machine, of course with the usual tactic she used every time, though Toma said nothing. The two just enjoyed their beverages in silence, creating a somewhat awkward environment. Since the absence of words was not sitting well with the boy, he spoke up first.

"So, how has your day been?"

"Not too bad… just the usual. How about yours?"

"Well… nothing bad has happened to me today… which I don't know if it's a blessing… or a cruel way of giving me hope…"

"Geez, you always bring that up, don't you? I swear you're being a pessimist, which totally contradicts your heroic acts."

"What do you mean? I'm not pessimistic; it's just a fact of life with me."

"You complain about your bad luck, but then you are very confident about saving people's lives no matter the odds."

"Well… I suppose you're right…"

"Sigh… you confuse me." Just then, Mikoto lifted her drink up to her lips, though a few drops had managed to drop onto her sweater vest. "Ah, crap."

"Here, I have a napkin." Toma reached into his bag and pulled out a napkin, and walked towards the girl. Just as he took a step, his foot caught onto the ground, making him trip. Putting his hands out in front of him in a desperate attempt to catch himself, he still fell to the ground, though he had managed to grab something as he felt an object in his hands. Opening his eyes to see what it was… he realized this was what his rotten luck was waiting for.

"Y-y-you… y-y-you…" Mikoto's face had begun shifting towards anger with sparks flowing around her body. A red hue made itself apparent on her cheeks.

"H-hey l-look, Misaka… i-it was an accident… I didn't mean to!"

"Y-you… PERVERT!" Shooting a beam of electricity at him, the boy got up in time to avoid the bolt. As he began running away, Mikoto pulled up her skirt before chasing suite.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Stupid rotten luck! I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it through the day without something bad happening to me! I got to lose this girl!" Toma's eyes quickly scanned for any lifeline that would help him escape. Eventually, he approached an intersection with many people who were waiting to cross the street. Making his way through the crowd, he spotted an alleyway not too far from him. Setting his decision on the alleyway, he ran to it before crouching down and taking several deep breaths. For several minutes, he waited, as he didn't see Mikoto walk by.

"Whew… I lost her…" Toma whispered to himself as he decided it was safe to get up. The commotion had died down, allowing him to get back onto the sidewalk with ease. Before he could walk any further, he heard a cry for help down the alleyway he was just in.

"Somebody… anybody, help me!" Instinctively, the teen bolted back into the alleyway, making his way towards the source of the plea. Eventually, he arrived at a very dangerous scene before him. A male student not much older than Toma himself, was being robbed, as there was an older man with a gun pointed at the student.

"Give me your goddamn money and shut the fuck up, kid!" the older man yelled.

"I don't have anything, I'm a poor high school student for crying out loud!" the boy responded, terror clear in his tone.

"You're lying! I don't like liars!"

"I'm telling the truth! H-here! Take my wallet!"

"HEY! What do you think you're doing, you bastard?!" Toma called out, getting the duo's attention.

"And who the fuck are you? Get lost kid," the older man barked.

"No. I don't take too kindly to bullies, especially you. Stop harassing the poor guy."

"Fuck you, I can do whatever I want!" The man then pointed his gun at Toma, making the boy more cautious with his choice of words. Just then, the victim took this opportunity to attack the man, which allowed Toma to run at the man, lifting his right fist.

"If you think having a gun gives you the right to go around robbing others, then I'll break that illusion of yours right now!" As he was about the punch the man, he pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into the victim's chest. The student fell down to the ground, grasping his chest in pain.

"NO! Damn it!" Toma yelled as he lifted his fist again and punched the man directly in his right cheek, leaving the man unconscious on the ground. The spikey-haired teen then made his way to the injured student on the ground, who was having a hard time breathing. Taking off his shirt, Toma tried to apply pressure to the wound, while he pulled out his phone to call an ambulance.

"Yes, hello? I need an ambulance, ASAP! I have someone here who's been robbed and shot! I'm in an alleyway near Seventh Mist! Please hurry!" Putting his phone away, he focused his attention on the wounded student before him as he continued applying pressure to the wound. "Hey man, stay with me! Help's on the way!"

"T-t-thank… y-you for h-helping… me… This city… n-needs m-more people like… you…"

"Hey, come on. Don't give up on me now, you'll be just fine, we'll get you to a hospital and we'll get you cleaned up, okay?"

"I'm dying… I c-can f-feel air leaving me…"

"Don't die on me… COME ON!" With one last attempt to keep the boy alive, his body fell limp, as life ceased to exist in his eyes. "GODDAMN IT!" Toma began shedding tears as he let go of the body, blaming himself for not being fast enough. Just then, he heard groaning coming from the man he punched. Angered greatly, he got up and grabbed the man by the collar, as well as picking up the gun. Shoving him against the wall, Toma pointed the gun at the man's head.

"Whoa… easy there kid!" the man yelled.

"This is all your fucking fault! You killed him, you piece of shit! Now you'll get to know how he felt in his last dying breath, motherfucker!"

"POLICE! DROP THE GUN, NOW!"

"DROP IT, OR WE'LL SHOOT!" As rage left Toma's body, he suddenly realized his predicament and dropped the firearm to the ground as he slowly backed away from the man. Seeing as the police heard what the boy was saying, they did not cuff him as they did with the man, and instead led him out of the alleyway and onto the street, which was currently blocked off with multiple emergency vehicles and yellow tape. As the man was being put in a police car, an officer had sat Toma down on the sidewalk and began questioning him.

"You okay, son?" the officer asked.

"…"

"Look, I know what happened may have been traumatic for you… but can you help me out? Would you mind recalling the event? Take your time."

"… I was just… going about my day… as usual. Then, I heard this scream… I went to help and saw that man pointing a gun at the student… I tried to help, but the student tried defending himself. The man shot the poor student before I could get to him… I tried keeping the student alive, but…"

"It's okay, kid. It's not your fault. You did the best you could."

"Apparently not… rotten luck…"

"You might want to wash your hands. You're free to go. I would like your contact information just in case we have any more questions for you."

"Sure…"

By the time everything was done, the sun was setting over the horizon. Toma was on his way back to his dorm; his mind replaying earlier's events. He clenched his fists just thinking about how he was unable to save that guy.

"Had I only been faster… damn it… why? I can save Misaka and ten thousand of her sisters, but I can't even save one guy!"

"What's gotten into you?" a feminine voice spoke out. Toma turned his heard to look who had spoken.

"Oh, it's you…"

"Hey, what does that mean?!"

"Not now, Misaka."

"No way! Come back here! You still have to answer for what happened earlier!"

"I SAID NOT NOW, GODDAMN IT! GO BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE!" Shocked by his demeanor, Mikoto only winced at his abruptness and watched with wide eyes as he walked away from her, losing her desire to speak to him. She didn't know what was wrong with him, though she'd ask him later. By nighttime, Toma was at his dorm, working on his homework after cooking dinner for him and Index, as she was occupied with the TV. It was a challenge to complete the assignment, since his mind kept going back and forth between his knowledge gained from today's classes and the homicide.

"Damn it… I wish I could protect everyone… I have this… the Imagine Breaker, and yet… I'm weak," Toma whispered to himself, as he heard his phone go off. Picking it up, he saw on the screen that he received a text from Mikoto. Opening it up, he began reading the message.

Hey. I just read on the news about what happened today… I'm sorry. Are you okay? Thinking back on their last encounter, he realized how rude he was and felt guilty.

Yeah… I'm okay. Thanks. I'm sorry for being a jerk to you. I didn't mean to say that to you. I really do enjoy your company.

It's okay… I guess I like being around you, too… though you still need to answer for today's act!

Look, I said I was sorry, okay? Geez, just let it go, will you?

No! You were definitely trying to undress me!

No, I was not!

Whatever, idiot… I'll leave you alone for now, but you can treat me to lunch to pay me back! And it can't be some cheap restaurant, it has to be high end!

"Sigh… there goes my wallet…"

Fine… I need to work now. I'll talk to you later.

Okay. See ya.

Putting his phone down, he got back to work on his homework. However, before he could continue, his phone buzzed again. Picking it up once more in annoyance, he looked to see that it was an unknown number.

Meet me tomorrow after school, at that certain vending machine you and your girlfriend are so fond of. Don't be late. A slight blush appeared on Toma's face.

"What?! She's not my girlfriend! And who the hell is this person?"

"Something wrong, Toma?" Index asked.

"No, nothing. Just figuring out this math problem."

"Oh, okay."

The following day, Toma had left school as soon as it was finished to go to the park where that certain vending machine was. Whoever this anonymous individual was, he did not want to be late. Taking a bus, he got there in five minutes as he approached the area with the vending machine. As he arrived, he spotted a man that was tall, wearing a suit and sunglasses, who also had a beard and short dark hair.

"Ah. You're here. Lovely," the man spoke.

"Who are you?" Toma asked.

"Wait, seriously you don't know who I am? Come on, what is it with kids these days?"

"Sorry, I really don't know who you are. I don't really follow up on much that's happening presently."

"Well, I think you need to get out more, kid. Anyway… the name's Tony. Tony Stark."