So here it is, the long awaited third chapter, and more importantly, the Guiche fight. As some of you are telling me in your reviews, this is the point where many crossovers die and are left unfinished. Admittedly, this was where my first attempt to cross Familiar of Zero burned to the ground in flames. This time, I intend to continue to place chapter after chapter of crossover content onto this story. But that is for another time. You just want to enjoy this chapter for what it is. Well then, what are you waiting for? Enjoy!
- Ketchum Kid
Chapter 3: Level 5 Judgment
In Academy City during a certain July, there was an incident called "Level Upper," when a woman created a music file of the same name which could boost the abilities of espers past their normal limits. The tracks eventually placed their victims into a coma, but before that, the victims enjoyed abilities that they could only dream of, which sometimes created problems for Judgment when enforcing the law.
In most cases, the targets were those classified as Level 0, or those with little or no ability at all.
Having no ability in the city where abilities account for the sole existence of its livelihood leads a lonely existence. They are ignored by those that run the esper programs, as they see their resources better placed in those who started as Level 1's or 2's. Other espers, haughty of their powers, flaunt their abilities and sometimes even use them against Level 0's in acts of bullying. All of them, however, feel a sense of dejection and futility in their own abilities, as well as a jealousy in others with their abilities.
Misaka could see that all of these traits were currently being exhibited in Louise Vallière.
After the debacle that occurred when Louise's attempt at casting a magic spell backfired into an explosion, the two had to clean the messy classroom without magic, as was the punishment handed down by Mr. Colbert, the first to arrive on the scene. This took hours to complete, but since Louise could not actually use magic, there would have been hardly any time saved anyway. What troubled Misaka the most was that Louise said not a word to her, or even Chevreuse when she was roused by Mr. Colbert. Granted, Misaka did not try to start conversation; but every time she looked in the pinkette's direction, she could see a glazed-over look of regret, determination, and hopelessness.
The same look seen in Saten Ruiko, the day before she used Level Upper and became a comatose slave to a scientific project.
"Alright, that's enough," declared Mr. Colbert. The two girls stopped cleaning. "I think this room's clear enough. I hope this teaches you not to use your magic in an unsupervised manner."
'I don't know what wasn't supervised of it,' Misaka thought. 'The professor didn't know that Louise had no magic abilities. Heck, even I didn't know that everything Louise magics turns to explosion.'
"Y…Yes sir," Louise quietly said. Judging from her tone, this was far from the first time the two have spoken in this manner.
"Anyway, you two are probably hungry, so get changed and head outside to the Familiar Bonding event." The half-bald professor then walked away. Louise headed out and in the opposite direction, towards the student dorms; Misaka took off straight behind her, soon catching up alongside the noble. Louise noticed the brunette's strange behavior, and stopped abruptly.
"What is it?" the pinkette asked curtly. "Are you going to make fun of me too?" Misaka was taken slightly aback.
"N-No, not at all!" she admitted. "I'm just curious as to why you didn't tell me of this sooner. I feel a little sorry now for being so rude for you." This was only partially true; she was still resentful of the meager breakfast that she had received earlier that day. However, the situation was reminding her painfully of her friend. Similar to how Saten did not have any ability whatsoever, Louise could only have her spells explode on her, whereas others could transmutate stones, summon fire, and other fantastic abilities.
"What is it to you?" the pinkette muttered. "You are nothing but a lowly peasant, serving under a noble. What opinions would you have that would help me?"
"Maybe that being a Zero in one thing doesn't mean that you are a Zero at all," Misaka started. "I'm sure that there are others things you are good at other than exploding everything you try to magic. I mean, come on, how important is magic to you if you aren't good at it?" Louise suddenly became cross. She began to tear up, and tried to punch Misaka, even though the taller girl was easily able to catch it.
"Idiot!" shouted Louise. "Do you not know how this world works?! Being a mage…being here is my life!" The pinkette turned away. She seemed to be trying to hide a snivel. "You wouldn't know. After all, you're just a lowly peasant!" She ran off, leaving Misaka behind.
"Ah! Louise!" Misaka called, but it was no use. Louise kept running, even bumping into Siesta as she was coming down the hallway.
"Ah!" the maid called out. "Miss Vallière!" She watched as the pinkette turned down the hallway, and disappeared. "I wonder what's the matter…oh, Misaka!" She saw the brunette, and walked over to her. "Is something the matter with Miss Vallière?"
"You could say something like that," the brunette admitted. "I may have said something to upset her, but I don't know why that would upset her…" As Misaka was thinking, her stomach let out a loud rumble. "Urgh…I can't think when I'm on such a meager diet…" Siesta frowned.
"In that case, why don't you come to the kitchen to me?" she asked. "We have some stew made from the leftovers from the noble's breakfast that we usually have as a staff meal, but I'm sure the cooks would let you have it if I asked them." Hearing that she had the chance for some actual food made Misaka briefly forget about the current situation with Louise.
"Really?" she asked, her face looking like a certain frog character. "That would be lovely!" Siesta giggled, smiling warmly.
"It's my pleasure," the made replied. "I don't think you'd get into the dining hall without a maid's outfit or Miss Vallière anyway, so this is probably the only way you could get a meal in her current state."
Siesta had to bring out three bowls to keep Misaka satisfied. The stew was compromised of the same broth that the brunette had in her meager breakfast, but also had full chunks of salmon, chicken, potatoes, and vegetables in the mix. Most importantly, the stew was warm and hearty, making its taste mouth-watering to the Railgun.
"I don't normally eat this much, but after the treatment I've been getting from Louise, this more than makes up for it! Thanks!" Misaka said to Siesta. The maid smiled, and sat right next to Misaka.
"I'm glad you liked it," she said. "Feel free to visit whenever you're hungry. If you don't mind having whatever we're having, I'd be happy to share." She quickly turned stern. "Anyway, about what happened with Miss Vallière…" Misaka thought back to the earlier events of the day.
"She was asked to demonstrate a magic spell, but it failed," the brunette explained. "And to what I can gather, this isn't the first time this has happened." Siesta let out a small sigh.
"Miss Vallière is quite known for her inept performances by magic, even by us in the kitchen," the maid stated.
"That's not what the problem at hand is, though," Misaka stated "When I said to her that there was more to life than a single skill, she got mad and took off. I don't understand why she would get angry at that." Siesta frowned.
"You really don't know much about nobles, do you?" she asked. Misaka nodded.
"Can you tell me a bit more?" the brunette asked.
"Well, basically, the difference between us commoners and the nobles is their ability to use magic," the maid explained. "A noble can give up their title, but their magic still carries with them; I believe the new secretary here gave up her title for unknown reasons. However, for a noble not to succeed in magic is close enough to social suicide." Misaka frowned.
"So it's like the Level Rankings in Academy City…" she muttered.
"Huh?" Siesta did not hear the brunette clearly. "Level Rankings?"
"Oh, it was just me thinking out loud," Misaka said. "Anyway, if Misaka has no magic ability, what opportunities are there for her?" Siesta thought about the answer for this.
"Well, I've personally never heard of a situation like Miss Vallière's before," she admitted. "However, I have heard about what has happened to nobles who have very poor magic abilities. Many of them are forced to wed into concubines of more powerful nobles, while others are forced into indentured servitude of the powerful nobles." Siesta paused, letting the information sink into the Railgun. "In every case, however, the noble's family disowns their son or daughter and strips them of their title. They fear that their child's failure could seriously hurt their reputation and the future of their family's legacy." Misaka was having a hard time comprehending this.
"Isn't…isn't that a bit harsh?" the brunette asked. "I've never heard of anything like that where I'm from."
"A noble will do what they can to protect their reputation," Siesta explained. "Even if doing so involves something that is considered to be wrong by the rest of us." Misaka sighed. The girl was having a hard time comprehending this.
"Even back at home, those with no abilities still had a place in society," the Railgun said. "Some of them could even succeed with flying colors where the rest of us fail. And yet there is no letup from the students who constantly label her as 'Zero.' Don't they realize that they are only adding to her failure? She'll try too hard, overexert herself, and still fail." Siesta placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder.
"There's nothing we can do, Misaka," she told her. "I know you want to help, but there is nothing that we can do." Outside, a pair of people passed by the kitchen close enough that the two girls could hear their conversation.
"So you're good at making soufflé, Katie?" a male voice asked. "I can't wait to try it." Misaka recognized one of the voices.
"Hey, is that…?" Misaka walked over to the entrance of the kitchen, and peeked outside. Sure enough, Guiche was walking past the kitchen, but not with the blonde girl from earlier. Instead, a brunette with a brown cape was accompanying him.
"Really?" the girl asked in admiration. "I-I know I made it for you in honor of your familiar summoning, but it isn't that good, really…" Guiche placed an arm around the girl's shoulder.
"I would never lie to your eyes, Katie," the blonde told her. "There's never a hidden side in my affection for you. It will be a great meal, I promise." The girl grabbed onto Guiche's arm tightly.
"Oh, Guiche…" the girl swooned. Misaka was a little confused.
"I thought Guiche was dating that blonde girl with wavy hair?" she stated. Siesta walked to the door to see what she was talking about.
"He is," the maid confirmed. "However, Sir Gramont has no lessons in keeping to one girl, and constantly two-times on Miss Montmorency. Strangely, she seems to be the only one who doesn't know about this. It looks like a first-year student is his newest cheat." Misaka watched as the two nobles walked away. She then noticed that other nobles were walking towards the same area. Most were by themselves or in a pair, but almost all of them had their Familiars on them.
"Hey, Siesta, is there anything going on today?" the brunette asked.
"Afternoon classes are cancelled today for second-years, so they are bonding with their Familiars in the main courtyard," Siesta said to her. "We are serving desserts to the nobles in relation to that."
"I do remember Professor Colbert saying something about that," the brunette recalled. "Say, can I help serve the desserts then? Or at the very least, for Guiche?" Siesta was a little surprised at the request.
"Um, yes, you can," the maid stated. "But why would you want to do that?" A large grin formed on Misaka's face.
"Because this familiar is going to show Louise that she didn't summon a weak commoner as her Familiar after all," she declared.
Guchie and Katie had easily found a table to sit at, and the two were both enjoying the soufflé that the girl had made. The blonde boy seemed to show the most exuberance for the meal. "As I thought, Katie; this soufflé is one of the best that I have ever tasted! You have a fine talent for procuring desserts!" Katie's eyes went wide in excitement when she heard this.
"Oh, thank you Guiche!" she said, her eyes wide in admiration. "It is an honor hearing words like that from you!" The noble grinned.
"I am but a fine taste in character, after all," he stated. "I am not General Gramont's son because I look good, even though that is half of the reason."
"That character also goes to your familiar as well," the brunette stated. "Your familiar is so cute! I could just snuggle with it all day!" Katie's eyes wandered towards the ground. A large brown mole-like creature was sleeping soundly under the shade that the table provided.
"Hahaha!" Guiche chuckled proudly. "Vendant can find jewels and other precious stones in the ground for me. Combined with this fine fur and these beautiful eyes, it is no wonder that it has chosen me to be its familiar." At this moment, Misaka walked up from behind Guiche, and placed down a dessert cake. "Ah, thank you. Can we have seconds on tea?"
"Would you like a side of Montmorency on that, sir?" the brunette asked. Guiche faltered slightly, and turned around.
"Wh…what do you mean?" he asked. Then, he recognized who had served them. "Hold on, you aren't one of the maids…"
"People like you disgust me," Misaka continued, a frown crossing her face. "You toy with the heart of one girl, only to yank at the strings of another's. You might as well as cut your losses and start anew with people who don't know your of your reputation!" She then walked away, leaving the two nobles dumbfounded.
"What…was that?" Katie asked. "What did she mean by Montmorency?" Guiche broke out in a cold sweat.
"I…I don't know!" Guiche admitted. "That was the Zero Louise's familiar, though; likely s-she was spouting nonsense about where she came from." He picked up the fork that came with the cake, but immediately let go of it, as he received a nasty shock from the metal utensil. "Ow!"
'Like hell I was,' thought Misaka. Her smile grew even bigger as she saw Montmorency walking into the courtyard. The blond was moving slowly, scanning the courtyard for someone. The Railgun walked over to her. "Is something the matter?"
"Oh, Misakamikoto," she said. Misaka was slightly upset at the combination of her name, but she would let it slide for now. "One of the maids told me that Guiche had something important to tell me in the courtyard. Do you know where he is?"
"Ah, he's right over there," Misaka told her, pointing over to where Guiche was. "Although, from the looks of it, words aren't needed to describe what he wants to tell you." Montmorency's face lit up in excitement as she looked for Guiche, then fell in shock as she saw him place his hands on Katie's in an attempt to assure her of his faithfulness. The blonde then swelled up in anger, and stormed over towards their table.
"Gui-che…!" she shouted. "What is the meaning of this?!" Guiche nearly fell out in his chair when he heard the girl's voice.
"M-M-Montmorency!" he exclaimed, quickly getting up. "W-What are you doing here?! I said I would meet you in a half-hour here in the courtyard!"
"Liar!" the irate girl countered. "You sent a messenger that said you have something important to tell me. From the looks of it, this was an important message!" Katie began to grasp the situation.
"Montmorency…" She stood up quickly. "I got it! You were cheating on me for this girl, weren't you Guiche?!"
"You have it wrong, first year!" Montmorency countered. "Guiche was dating me, only to cheat by getting in a relationship with you!" The two girls turned towards Guiche.
"Answer us! Who were you cheating on for who?!" they demanded. Guiche shifted nervously between the two girls. With a crowd forming, he was not in the best of positions for quietly calming both down. Probably everyone in the crowd knew that he was double-dating. Fortunately for him, none of the nobles would tell.
"T-T-This is all a misunderstanding, see?" he said, trying to reason with both. "I-If you will just let me explain it to each of you individually in private - !"
"So you can continue your lies?" Guiche froze, letting the words of Misaka sink into the two girls. The brunette stepped out of the crowd, and looked at the aristocrat. "Face it; this is the price you pay for two-timing. Unless you feel that you cannot successfully tell the two girls that you cannot lie to their eyes right here."
"That's what Guiche says!" Montmorency and Katie both exclaimed. The two paused, and looked at each other. "What Guiche says…" They then swiftly turned around, an angry expression on bot of their faces.
"N-N-Now ladies…" the blonde boy stammered. "T-There's n-n-no need for this attitude - !"
"Shut up, idiot!-!" the two girls shouted. With each girl taking a cheek, Guiche was mercilessly slapped by the females. The two girls then walked away together, probably to console each other for their love now lost.
"Hah-hah!" the crowd laughed. "Guiche's gotten dumped!"
"Well, he deserved it anyway!"
"Goes to show how you can have too much of a good thing!" Guiche was fuming. Hearing the comments from his classmates made him enraged that he was exposed. His anger was channeled at a certain familiar. He turned towards Misaka, and narrowed his eyes.
"It seems you do not know how to speak and act around nobles," Guiche said. Misaka brushed the comment aside.
"Where I come from, nobility and power are based on a very different measure," she told him. "It is based on your own ability, rather than how many girls you can swoon." The crowd of students laughed again at Guiche, but the noble simply shook it off.
"Normally, I would attempt to get back at you, and try to make you repay for what you have done," the blonde explained curtly. "However, I also have a rule that a girl is much better being picked up on a date than picked on for a fight." Before he could continue, Misaka cut him off, surprising the noble.
"How cheesy a line is that, from a cheesy lowlife like you," the brunette mocked. Guiche was taken aback.
"L-Lowlife?!" he exclaimed.
"Someone like you doesn't know that true power doesn't discriminate between guy and girl." Misaka took a few steps towards the noble. "Or are you just that week that you know you can't possibly win against a girl?" Several murmurs rolled through the crowd.
"Oh wow, that Familiar is gunning for Guiche's throat!"
"You can't take that standing, are you Guiche?"
"Take your pride as a noble and fight her!" For his part, the insult had hit Guiche where it needed to. The noble drew out his rose, and pointed it at the brunette.
"Very well then, commoner," he growled at her. "I shall have to teach you how to address us nobles. It shall be a duel that you will remember well. You are a plebeian and a familiar spirit, yet you have made two girls cry, and above all, made me upset."
"Cry?" Misaka said, smirking. "They were mad. Mad at you." Laughter arose from the crowd once more. Guiche grunted in disgust.
"I shall wait for you at Vestri Court in 30 minutes!" he declared. "Better say your goodbyes to your master!" He turned around, and walked away. The crowd followed, wanting to get a good view at the action.
"This should be good," Misaka stated, and began stretching. "I haven't had a good discharge in a while, so I should be in good shape." She noticed Siesta. While the students had left with Guiche, she had stayed behind. She was beginning to quiver in her shoes. "Siesta, what's wrong? It's not like I'm even going to go at full power against him." Instead of quelling the maid's fears, her shaking became more prominent.
"M-Misaka…you…do you know what happens when you anger a noble…?" she asked.
"Not a bit," the brunette replied honestly. "But I need Louise to be here, though. Otherwise, this part of the plan will not work." Siesta suddenly gasped.
"Your plan involves getting yourself killed by Sir Gramont?!" she exclaimed. "You aren't a martyr, Misaka; you're just a commoner!" Misaka sighed. Looking around, she checked that no other people were visible.
"I guess letting it out a little early won't be much of an issue," she mused to herself.
"Letting out what?" asked Siesta, still concerned for her friend's safety. Misaka stuck out her hand towards her.
"I'm going to show you what separates me from not only you and other commoners, but also the nobles as well," she explained.
Changing locales allows us to find Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osmond in the middle of a discussion about Misaka, or more specifically, what the runes on her hand signify.
"Did you take a more detailed analysis of the runes on that Familiar's hand?" Osmond asked the professor.
"Yes, I did," Colbert stated. "I took a sketch of them as I was asking her questions about her homeland.
"May I see it?" Osmond asked. Colbert procured a parchment of paper, and gave it to the headmaster. The old man took out the book about Gandalfr, and opened it to the rendition of Gandalfr's runes. He compared the two drawings. "As I suspected. The two are an exact match." Colbert let out a soft gasp.
"Then, that means -!"
"Just that," Osmond nodded. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Osmond motioned to Colbert to cease conversation. "Miss Longueville, is that you?"
"Yes it is," the young woman's voice responded. "May I come in?" Osmond hid the book and the parchment underneath his desk.
"Of course," Old Osmond replied. Miss Longueville let herself into the headmaster's office, and walked until she was right next to Colbert. "You seem like you have something to say?"
"It seems there is a duel that is planned at Vestri Court in a few minutes," the green haired woman explained. "A few teachers have attempted to stop the duel, but the sheer number of students is making that impossible." Colbert sighed.
"For Brimir's sake, there's nothing worse than two young nobles with heads the size of Tristain," the professor groaned.
"Pray tell that we know of the aggressor in this?" Osmond asked.
"The challenger of the duel is Guiche de Gramont," Miss Longueville declared. Osmond stroked his beard.
"Ah, that idiot son of Gramont," he said, reminiscing over a memory. "No doubt then that this duel's between two men over a fair maiden's heart, or, rather, Gramont's son feeling insulted by another guy over a girl." Colbert sweatdropped.
"Um, Old Osmond, should that be something that you should be saying about your own students?" he asked nervously. The headmaster waved his hand dismissively.
"I taught the elder Gramont here before I was headmaster," he stated. "He was even more a womanizer than our Gramont here today, if you would believe it. I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them know every girl who went to this academy during their respective tenures here." Both Colbert and Longueville exchanged nervous looks. "Anyway, enough with that tangent. Which young lad is the defendant of the duel?"
"Um, sir…" Longueville started. "From what I have been told, Gramont's opponent isn't a boy, or even a mage. It is the Familiar of Miss Vallière." Osmond and Colbert exchanged nervous looks.
"Miss Vallière's…Familiar…?" Colbert repeated.
"Yes," Longueville said, nodding. "The other professors are requesting the use of the 'Bell of Sleep' in order to stop the duel." Colbert looked at Osmond. For a brief moment, he saw a glint of mischievous in the old man's eyes.
"Ridiculous," Osmond said. "There is no need to use such an important artifact on a fight between children. Tell the other professors not to interfere without my expressed word. I will be monitoring the duel from here." Longueville raised an eyebrow, but otherwise did not object.
"Understood," she replied. "I will instruct the staff." The green-haired girl bowed her head, and left the room. Once the door closed, and once Longueville's footsteps disappeared from sound, Colbert took a step towards Osmond.
"I understand your concerns, Mr. Colbert," Osmond said, pre-empting the professor's question. "However, if Miss Vallière's Familiar is in fact the legendary Gandalfr, then what better way to confirm that than with a skirmish that will draw out her powers?" He waved his wooden staff towards a large mirror across the room. The image reflected in the mirror began to fade, and was replaced with Vestri Court, where the large group of students had already formed the area for the duel.
Louise took her head out of a tear-soaked pillow on her bead. She tossed it onto the floor, and replaced it with a dry one that was next to her. The noble was still in the tattered clothing from class.
"That stupid Familiar…" she groaned. "What does it know, about being able to fit in anywhere. It's a Commoner, and it can be easily replaced when dead…" For a few more minutes, the girl sat on her bed, a few tears staining her pillow. Then, a furious knocking noise sounded on her door.
"Miss Vallière! Miss Vallière!" Louise was confused, wondering who could need her. Drying her tears, she walked to the door and opened it, half expecting it to be one of her classmates trying to mock her. Instead, she saw Siesta, half out of breath.
"Huh?" Louise asked. "What is it, maid?"
"It's your Familiar, Misaka!" Siesta explained. "She's going to get killed!"
"What…do you mean?" inquired the pinkette, partially confused.
"She challenged Sir Gramont to a duel that is to start fifteen minutes from now!" the maid continued. Louise went wide-eyed.
"Guiche?!" the noble shouted. She immediately shut the door to her room, right onto Siesta's face.
"M-Miss Vallière?!" the maid exclaimed. She could hear the sound of a closet opening, and clothes ruffling. "What are you doing?"
"I'm changing into proper clothing!" the pinkette shouted. "If I'm going to teach my Familiar a lesson in obedience and restraint, I shall do so as a properly dressed noble!" A few seconds later, the door opened again. This time, Louise was wearing a fresh uniform. "Where are they?!"
"A-Ah, in Vestri Court, Miss Vallière!" Siesta replied. Before she could say anything else, Louise bolted out of her room, and past Siesta towards the down stairs. "Ah, wait!" Siesta took off, following the pinkette down. 'I did what you asked for, Misaka. Now it's up to you to do the rest.'
Flashback
"From what I can grasp, your world has five main forms of magic," stated Misaka to Siesta in the courtyard. "There's Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and the lost Void, all making five primary forms of magic. And from what you told me, only nobles are able to lean magic."
"That's right," Siesta said, nodding. "That's why you have no chance against Sir Gramont! A commoner like you has no chance against a mage like him!" Misaka placed her hand to her head. However, she was not doing so in frustration.
"Where I come from, I am not your average person," she stated. "I'll explain this to Guiche when the time comes, but in Academy City, where I live, I am called many names, no matter how deserving they are. But all of them come from my status as an Electromaster." Siesta cocked her head to the side in confusion.
"Electro...master?" she repeated. "What is that?"
"To put it into terms you would be familiar with, it is someone who's able to control lightning, and all of the elements that it comprises, primarily electricity," Misaka explained. She moved her hand away from her head. As she did so, electricity arced between her hand and her head.
End Flashback
Louise made it to Vestri Courtyard just in time. The place was jammed with students, all who have heard the rumors about Guiche and Misaka's impending duel. Fortunately for Louise, her small stature allowed her to slip through small cracks in between people, and arrived at the side where Misaka was. The brunette had just cracked her knuckles when Louise arrived.
"Oh, hey Louise," Misaka greeted nonchalantly. Louise became cross.
"Don't 'hey' me at a time like this!" the pinkette shouted. "How can you get into a duel and act like it's no big deal?!"
"Because he was irritating me," Misaka replied. "Plus, I haven't had a good match today so fat." Louise grabbed Misaka by the collar of her shirt, and yanked her down to her level. "Awah!"
"Apologize to him. Right. Now." she demanded.
"Why?" Misaka asked.
"Because if you don't want to get hurt, and because if you want a chance for him to forgive you," the noble explained. "Now's your only chance!"
"No," Misaka stated bluntly. "I can't let two-timing nobles get away with playing the stereotypical rich boy."
"That's not what I'm talking about!" Louise stated. "A commoner can never beat a mage!" She turned across the field towards Guiche. "I'm calling this duel off! Duels are forbidden on school grounds!"
"Correction, Zero," the blonde countered. "Only duels between nobles are outlawed. A duel between a commoner and a noble is not forbidden." Louise was taken aback.
"That…that's because this is unprecedented…" the girl stated. "No commoner has never challenged a noble before…"
"I will, however, stop the duel on one condition," Guiche explained. He stuck his rose out towards her. "Your familiar must say 'I am sorry. I will apologize to the girls I wronged, and will never speak ill of a noble again.'"
"You heard him!" Louise said, turning back to Misaka. "Stop this duel now! Apologize to him!"
"I told you that I was not going to stand down," the brunette told her. "And there's no way that I can agree to those terms." Louise was starting to well up in tears.
"I'm ordering you to stop!" she cried. "If I lose you, how will I look, as a mage who could not control her familiar?" Misaka let out a sympathetic smile.
"It's nice that you have some sense of care for me," the brunette said to her. Her smile, however, quickly transformed into a frown. "However, you are just the same as every other noble." Louise stopped crying.
"Eh?"
"I know next to nothing about your type of mages and nobles, but you appear to me as a bunch of egotistical brats. Just what's brilliant about being a mage?" Misaka paused in thought. "There's a certain idiot from my world that has nothing special to his name. He always gets into trouble, and always getting into ruts of bad luck, just like you, Louise. However, he has something that he fights for. When he gets pushed into a corner, it just pushes him further, even if he's fighting for someone he doesn't know anything about. And even though he may have no abilities, he has more power than anyone in the world when he uses his right hand." Misaka turned, and stepped forward, towards Guiche. "Louise, I will show you the power I learned from a certain someone; the power to stand up by yourself, even when it looks like you are facing certain death." Louise watched blankly as Misaka walked away.
"So you aren't apologizing," Guiche reasoned. He smirked, raising his rose in the air. "I expected as much!"
"It's a duel then!" shouted Malicorne, prompting a rousing cheer from the crowd. Louise blinked, taken back to reality, before becoming enraged in fury, tears still in her eyes.
"Ah, jeez!" she cursed. "Why must this familiar always do what it pleases?!" In the middle of her tirade, Siesta returned.
"Miss Vallière, please calm down!" she reasoned. "What's done is done; all that's left is to watch Misaka's ability." Louise paused.
"Its…ability…?" the pinkette repeated. "But she doen't have any…" A memory returned to the forefront of the pinkette's mind. It was from the day before, when Misaka had taken offence at the jeers directed towards Louise for summoning her. Louise was about to tell her to stand down, until she saw something peculiar.
A spark of electricity, arcing up Misaka's hair.
"Don't tell me…my familiar…it can't be…" Misaka pointed to Guiche.
"Before we start, I must ask you to grant me one favor," she asked. "Behind you, I ask that you clear out everyone that is behind you. I do not want to get someone hurt in our fight." Guiche chuckled.
"Really, you expect to get that close to me?" he scoffed. "You do have guts. However, I will accept your trivial request." Guiche motioned behind him, and the crowd of students parted. A strip of open field, about eight feet wide, was now present behind the mage.
"Thank you," Misaka said. She got into a fighting stance. "Now let's start!"
"Very well then," Guiche agreed. "As you could probably guess, I will be using my magic to fight." Guiche flicked his rose. A petal flew off of the wand, and fell to the ground in front of him. As it hit the ground, it transformed into a green humanoid golem, holding a spear constructed of the same material. The golem's skin and armor glistened in the sunlight.
"So you will fight with this thing?" Misaka asked. Guiche nodded.
"My runic name is 'Guiche the Bronze,'" he said proudly. "Accordingly, my bronze Valkyrie will be fighting you." Misaka smiled.
"Perfect," she muttered. "It may not be copper, but it can still attract electricity." Guiche flicked his rose. The Valkyrie charged at Mikasa, and threw a punch at her.
"Get out of the way!" Louise shouted. She closed her eyes, and heard the gasp of the crowd. But there was no clank of metal against flesh. She opened her eyes. "Eh?" To her amazement, and the amazement of those in the crowd, the golem had stopped in mid-air, unable to move the few feet that remained between it and Misaka. "What in the..."
"Huh?" Guiche was stunned. "Why isn't it moving!?" Misaka smirked.
"That's because it's made of bronze, a metal alloy that conducts electricity," the brunette explained. "Using electromagnetism, I can take control of that metal, and either bring it towards me, or repel it back!" As she said this, the Valkyrie flew back behind Guiche. The noble followed the bronze golem in horror, watching it land on the ground with a hard thud, 20 feet behind him. The crowd broke into a shocked murmur, surprised at the unexpected start of the duel.
"That…there's no way you could have done that!" Guiche reasoned. He could not believe that Misaka had repelled his Valkyrie. "I-It must be because I wanted to go easy on you, is all! It must have affected the Valkyres! But that is all the mercy I will give you!" He flicked off two more petals from his rose, summoning two more Valkyries. "Go at it!"
"So you're denying that someone like me can actually have powers that can surpass a noble like you? Fine by me!" Misaka shouted. This time, she made sure that everyone would be able to see the extent of her abilities. Running towards the first Valkyre, the brunette touched her forehead, then brought her hand forward. A shot of lightning extended to the first golem, striking a hole through the center, and extended through to the second golem, paralyzing it. Misaka then ran to the first golem, and using electromagnetism to lower the stricken Valkyre, kicked it towards the second golem, knocking both to the ground.
"My golems!" Guchie exclaimed. Surprised murmurs rattled throughout the crowd.
"What's happening? Why is Guiche losing?"
"Was that lightning that the Familiar used?"
"Is she an elf?" Hearing this, Guiche went pale.
"An e-elf as a F-F-Familiar?" the blonde repeated. Misaka shook her head.
"I don't know what an Elf is," she admitted. "However, for your sake, I'll explain what I just did, so I hope everyone is paying attention." Misaka looked specifically in Louise and Siesta's direction as she said this.
"H...How…?" Louise stated. The pinkette was having a hard time grasping the current situation. After all, how could her Familiar, her stupid, worthless Familiar, be able to take on Guiche and his bronze golems?
Just then, Siesta placed a hand on the shoulder of the noble. "Miss Vallière, I know it's hard to believe, but your Familiar wanted you to see this."
"Huh?" the pinkette wondered. "What do you mean?"
"She wouldn't tell me herself," the maid admitted. Before she could continue, Misaka began her monologue.
"Where I come from, magic is not as common as it is here. However, there is another method for the humans of our world to gain such abilities. Through something called the Power Curriculum Program, one can develop An Involuntary Movement, called AIM, from which special abilities come from. Without the use of spells or magic, a person with AIM can have special powers, and can become what is called an Esper." Misaka paused, letting the words sink into the crowd.
"A-And you are how powerful of an Esper?" Guiche asked nervously. Misaka smirked.
"Espers are rated on a scale of 0 to 5," she explained. "0 is no abilities whatsoever, and 5 is the equivalent of a one-man army. As for myself, Mikoto Misaka, the Railgun, I am the number three Level 5." Gasps and murmurs fluttered throughout the crowd. Guiche gritted his teeth, and flicked his rose again. This time, several petals fell off the rose.
"Big talk," the blonde declared. "But do you have what it takes to back it up?!" Six more Valkyries appeared around the noble. In addition, the two golems from earlier that had not been seriously damaged slowly rose up again. "Also, may I add that if you don't cut up or decapitate my golems, they will continue to rise up from the ground. I don't think that you can put lightning through all of them at once." He thrusted his rose forward. "Attack!" The Valkyries charged forward towards Misaka, swords drawn.
However, Misaka showed no movement at all to dodge or attack. Instead, she reached into her skirt pocket, and pulled out a small silver token. Very calmly, she flicked the token into the air.
Flashback
Misaka took out a small silver coin from her skirt pocket. Siesta looked at it with interest.
"I've never seen a coin like that before," the maid stated. "Is that currency from your homeland?" Misaka shook her head.
"No, but in certain venues, it is treated as such. I won't demonstrate it, since it's far too big for me to show now without Guiche calling the duel off." Misaka flicked the coin into the air. "By making use of something called Fleming's Principal of Kinetic Momentum, a person of my abilities can flick a small coin such as this, and launch it at three times the speed of sound." The coin came down, and the brunette flicked the coin forward. However, the coin only moved a few feet in front of her, before falling to the ground. "Granted, it only has a range of 50 meters, but if you put the electric force I showed you before behind it, the result can be terrifying."
End Flashback
The coin fell back down to Misaka's outstretched hand.
The runes on Misaka's right hand suddenly lit up, shining a brilliant white just as the coin touched Misaka's thumb. Electricity crackled throughout the Railgun's body, and the coin shot forward, piercing the first few Valkyries through the chests. A small red line followed the coin, which was followed by a massive electrical blast, which was hundreds of times larger than the coin. The electrical blast ripped through the remaining golems, annihilating them instantly. The blast moved almost instantly, just barely missing Guiche's head by inches, and passing through the back area that had been cleared at request. The railgun attack finally ended at the stone wall 1000 feet away, and still had enough power to create a significant indent in the wall a few feet deep.
Guiche's jaw, like almost all of the students on witness, was as far as it could be extended downward. His knees gave out, and the noble fell to the ground, a much more humbled man. In front of him was a large stretch of singed grass, the scattered remains of his golems, and the electromaster who was the cause of this.
Misaka began to walk towards Guiche. Seeing this, the noble tried to scurry backwards on his hands and feet. "You know, one of us could end it here. The difference is that my way of ending it is a lot more painful than yours, if you get my drift." Guiche nervously nodded. The once confident noble was shivering from head to toe
"I…I y-yeld…" he said faintly. Misaka frowned, and made a mocking attempt to clean her ears.
"What was that?" the Railgun asked. "I can't quite hear you from over here. Speak louder, please."
"I said I yield!" the blonde shouted. "As much as nobility cannot lose to a commoner, I'll be killed if I continue!" The crowd went into uproar at the declaration of defeat.
"G-Guiche lost!"
"I've never seen a power like that before!"
"Whoa, that Familiar is in another world!"
Misaka smirked, satisfied at her victory. The smirk lasted only a while, however, as she looked down at her right hand. The runes on her right hand faded away, returning to their branded-like state. 'Just now, the Railgun easily went far above its normal range and power for a projectile the size of an arcade token. Is this the product of these runes…? But I thought that Esper powers were incompatible with magic abilities…" She was broken out of her thoughts by Louise, who ran up towards the brunette. Following behind her was Siesta, who stood a few feet behind the noble.
"A-Are you okay?!" she exclaimed. Like magic, her rough attitude had melted away into a softer, more concerned persona.
"The question is are you okay?" Misaka asked. The pinkette was a little confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I saw you were upset after what happened in the classroom," Misaka explained. "After being called a Zero and everything like that." Louise frowned, and seemed to be returning to her former self. "It disgusted me."
"Huh?" Louise questioned, her face returning to confusion.
"I have a friend who is even further behind in her abilities than you are with yours," the brunette revealed. "In fact, she has virtually no Esper power whatsoever. However, she still tries, hoping that someday, she will have an ability of her own. I see a lot of her in you, so don't go telling lies to yourself, saying that you're okay. Instead, go and try again. And if you can't try again, carve your own path."
"Then…you fought Guiche just to show Louise this?" Siesta asked, injecting herself into the conversation.
"Ah, no, no," admitted Misaka. "Someone like that just pisses me off. I would have shocked him regardless of what happened with Louise." Surprisingly, Louise seemed to smile a bit.
"Say, Commoner…"
"Huh?" Misaka asked. Louise shook her head
"No, Misaka…Thank you. It is a little reassuring to know that this noble, who has no power whatsoever, may have gotten her wish for the greatest Familiar." Misaka smiled, and placed a hand on the pinkette's shoulder.
"And that shows that you have more than Zero capabilities, right?" the brunette asked. Louise nodded.
Then, she slapped her Familiar.
"Ow!" Misaka exclaimed. "What was that?!"
"That was for last night!" Louise stated. Like a light switch, her old mood had returned, and a frown graced the girl's face. I remembered what that 'Biri-biri,' sound was when you were fighting Guiche! It sounded like your lightning! You shocked me last night, didn't you?!" Misaka sweatdropped.
"I…ah…uh…"
"Don't lie to me!" demanded Louise. "I am your noble master, after all! You have to serve me, after all!"
"Oh cry me a river!" the Railgun retorted. "I have more power in my finger than you have in your wand!"
"I can still explode you, you know!"
"And I can just block it!"
"Do you want to have food for dinner?!"
"Do you want to be zapped like a firefly?!"
"Is that a threat?!"
"Bring it, pinky!"
"Stupid Familiar!" As the master and Familiar bickered between each other, Guiche walked over to Siesta.
"What powerful Familiar did Louise summon?" the blonde commented. "All of my Valkyries were so easily defeated…there's no way they could lose to a normal commoner…"
"She is no normal commoner…" Siesta agreed. "But as to what she is, I know as much as you do."
The image of Vestri Court faded from the mirror in Old Osmond's office. Both Osmond and Colbert had expressions of shock and surprise on their faces. Even though they had suspected Misaka's ability, what had happened was far beyond what they had predicted.
"Miss Vallière's Familiar actually won…" Colbert stated. "So this is the power of Gandalfr…"
"Not quite," Osmond corrected. "The Familiar, or rather, Misaka Mikoto, seems to have that power even without Gandalfr. Did you not see how the runes did not activate until after she flipped that coin, well after she had used her lightning magic?" Colbert sweatdropped.
"Ah, that's right!" he realized. "My apologies; I was so engrossed in the duel that some details must have slipped."
"Anyway, why did we not know of this great power beforehand?" the headmaster asked. "Did you not run a 'Detect Magic' spell when she was summoned?"
"I did," Colbert stated. "But all it showed was that she was a normal girl, with the same abilities as the average commoner. It is giving me reason to worry, though… I strongly think that we should inform the Palace as soon as-"
"WE SHALL NOT!" Osmond exclaimed, suddenly standing up. Colbert was caught off guard, and nearly fell backwards.
"P-Pardon?!" the balding teacher asked, re-adjusting his glasses. Old Osmond relaxed his shoulders.
"We still do not know why Miss Vallière, who until the Summon Servant festival has been unable to succeed in anything magical, was able to summon Gandalfr," the aging headmaster stated, turning around to face the back window. "Gandalfr is after all, the legendary Familiar used by The Founder Himself. Its powers allows Gandalfr to use any weapon without training, and defeat an army of one thousand single-handedly."
"And given that Misaka already had her lightning magic, her 'Esper' power as she called it, which completely overran a small but skilled Earth mage, who knows how much stronger she could be," added Colbert. "She could possibly even stop the unrest in Albion without any help!"
"And that is why we are not telling the monarchy about this great, terrible discovery," the old mage concluded. "Think about what would happen if those court advisors with too much time on their hands hear that there is an individual with a power to make our tiny Tristain the most powerful nation in Halkeginia. The only answer to this is war, destruction, and death, something I know that you are all too familiar with, Mr. Colbert." The balding man began to visibly break out in sweat.
"Y…yes sir…" he replied. "Sorry for bringing that topic up."
"Do not apologize," Osmond stated. "You merely suggested. If you didn't, we would be circling back to this when I would say that we wouldn't be telling about the capital about Gandalfr." Suddenly, the old man stiffened. He looked towards the door.
"Sir?" Colbert asked.
"Hush," Osmond hissed. Colbert quieted down. The two listened carefully outside. Rather quietly, they heard footsteps travelling away from them.
"A spy?" the balding man conjectured. He became startled at the very thought of a spy. "But how would he know about Gandalfr?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was a spy," Osmond stated. "Being the finest academy in our small country does present us with high privileges. After all, we do have the largest storeroom of magical artifacts not governed by the Pope. Likely they saw the duel, and raced up here to see if we knew any more of it."
"Should we heighten security?" Colbert wondered.
"That will only frighten the spy," the headmaster stated. "Let us see this play out. After all, if needed, we can ask for the aid of Miss Vallière and Miss Misaka. I will take charge of this case personally. Colbert, continue your research, but you shall only discuss this matter with me, in these chambers only. No further objections."
"None, sir," Colbert replied.
"I daresay that we are about to enter an age in which the entire continent will be turned upside-down," Osmond stated, sitting back down in his chair. "And sooner or later, we will become the heralders of this new era."
To be continued…