For those wondering, I'm currently going over a few of my older fics to try and clean them up a bit prior to continuation.

A few I deem beyond salvaging will be rebooted entirely or put up for adoption.

This is simply something I've been working on to alleviate my boredom during lock-down and help get over my writer's block.

Hope you enjoy.

Prologue: June 17th

A faint chemical odor, one that I could vaguely recall but couldn't quite place, assaulted my nose as my senses slowly began to return.

'Reminds me of that time I got my tooth pulled…' I mused, a part of me dimly registering the rhythmic warmth of my own breath on my lips due to whatever was currently covering my mouth and nose, only to grimace as a sudden wave of pain washed over me.

'Okay…moving bad…' I deduced, gritting my teeth as the worst of the wave subsided, even if the pain didn't entirely go away, like every single bone, joint and muscle in my body decided to simultaneously voice their complaints now that I was awake to hear them.

'Where the hell am I?' I wondered, cracking open an eye to blink at a red-lit, unfamiliar ceiling that seemed to be vibrating, or maybe it was whatever I was laying on affecting my vision, my brief attempt to sit up to find out cut short by the straps binding me to whatever it was 'The hell? What is this-?!'

"Subject is a 15-year old male…" a man called out in what I dimly recognized as Japanese, drawing my attention to the three figures in medical masks sitting in my peripherals "According to on-site reports, the subject was struck by a truck in School District 7. We are currently attempting resuscitation…"

'Wait, am I in an ambulance?' I realized, some of my alarm dying down, only to frown as the man's words registered 'Wait, if I'm in an ambulance, why the hell is he speaking Japanese? For that matter, whose ID is he reading? No matter how you look at it, I'm way older than 15!'

"He appears to have regained consciousness." A woman noted, again in Japanese, drawing my attention away from the guy who clearly didn't know how to check an ID even as he and a third figure turned their attention to my prone form.

"According to his ID, his ability is designated as Level 1: Accuracy." The first figure mused, glancing down at the card in his gloved hand as he spoke "It seems to automatically allow him to correct his aim. Provided he maintains line of sight, he never misses his target."

'Okay, now I know they've got the wrong ID.' I scoff, knowing full well that I couldn't aim for shit. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the worst shot, but I wouldn't be bringing home any medals if I tried to go pro.

"That could prove useful…" the third figure, another man it seemed, noted, his eyes hidden behind the reflective gleam of his glasses "Hishigata did mention he was having some trouble with the targeting arrays…perhaps using his ability as a bypass could speed things up?"

'Okay…don't like the sound of that…' I swore, attempting to sit up once more only to be hobbled by another wave of pain, letting out a hissed curse as the increased beeping of the nearby heart-monitor drew their attention to me 'Shit…gotta get outta here…!'

"Then if we're all in agreement, let us proceed." The third man declared even as the first reached down to grip my gas-mask, the woman leaning forward to put pressure on my legs "It's a shame, but despite our best efforts, attempts to resuscitate the subject failed and he was declared brain-dead prior to arriving at the hospital."

'Like fuck I'll just let you kill me!' I swore, shaking my head, the only part of my body that wasn't currently restrained as the chemical smell in the mask grew decidedly worse "Shit, get the hell off me!"

"Wait, is that English?" the woman spoke up, her tone carrying an undertone of caution even as the other two paused to look down at me.

"Oh, right, his record did mention him being of mixed heritage." The first man recalled dismissively, as if he were talking about the weather "It shouldn't be an issue. Even if they request the body, we can fake a clerical error and have ashes sent to the parents per standard."

'These guys are fucking insane!' I realized, all thoughts of pain forgotten as I redoubled my efforts to escape, only to be defeated by the restraints & their hands on my frame "Shit! Let me go you fuckers-!"

"That's a foul mouth you have there, kid." The first man noted mockingly as he leant over me, the surgical mask not quite hiding the twisted sneer that adorned his face "But don't worry, we will use your body to bring justice to this city. By DA's Dogma."

"Fuck your Dogma!" I snarled, trying to lash out with my fist despite the restraints, only to blink as it seemingly broke free of said restraints and buried itself point-blank in the middle of the bastard's face.

'Wait…that isn't my arm…' I realized, my eyes widening as I gaped at the muscular limb, my own arm still firmly bound to the gurney as the bastard fell back with a crater where his face once was, the other two crying out in alarm 'What the hell is going on here-?!'

"Kawasumi-chan!" a child's voice called out sharply, causing my to blink in surprise as the red-lit room was replaced with a well-lit classroom, several students in summer uniforms looking at me in shock.

"What the hell?" I wondered, blinking at them in confusion, only to yelp as something rapped across my knuckles, looking down only to find myself gazing into the disapproving eyes of a pink-haired loli.

"Mou-! Are you finally awake, Kawasumi-chan?" the little girl demanded, puffing out her cheeks even as she placed one of her hands on her hips "I know it's the end of the day but that doesn't mean you can fall asleep in class!"

"…Ah, sorry Komoe-sensei." I offered, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly due to how sore my knuckles felt, had I hit something in my sleep? "I must have stayed up too late practicing. Won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't." the pink-clad loli-sensei huffed before nodding to the desk beside me "And make sure you apologize to Kamijou-chan, you clocked him pretty good there."

"Ah…" I grimaced, turning to face the dark-haired teen that was currently lying on the ground, his twitching form being poked at by a sunglass-sporting blonde and a guy with dyed blue hair, the red mark on his jaw a likely match for the one adorning my knuckles "Sorry about that, Touma."

"Such Misfortune…" the unfortunate teen groaned from his position on the floor as the bell rang to signal the end of the School Day.

After School...

"C'mon man, I said I was sorry." I apologized for what felt like the umpteenth time as I sidled out of school alongside the spiky-headed brunet, who stubbornly refused to look my way "Seriously, stop sulking would ya?"

"I'm not sulking." Touma countered, the urchin-head channeling his inner Tsundere as he resolutely avoided looking my way "I know you didn't mean it. You've been having the same nightmare for over a month now, right?"

"Afraid so." I confessed, grimacing at the memory as we fell into step together, just two high-school teens heading back from class "Gets to the point I'm surprised I haven't punched a hole through the dorm walls."

"Please don't, they're thin enough as is." Touma pleaded with a sigh, referring to the cheap student dormitories we called home, which while certainly modern by the standards of the rest of the world, were considered mostly outdated by the rest of the city.

Founded over 50 years prior, the Academy City of Science and Technology was a landlocked sovereign city-state contained within a walled-off enclave within the West Tokyo Metropolitan Employment Area.

As the name implied, the City boasted several schools and institutions of higher learning, as well as countless research facilities and companies dedicated to pushing the envelope of their respective fields to the point the city's technology was said to be at least 30 years ahead of the rest of the world.

No seriously, I've seen stuff on the streets that by all rights should not exist outside of a generic Sci-Fi Anime, though admittedly not one I was familiar with. Hell they were supposedly unveiling a Space Elevator later this year, give 'em another decade and they'll be churning out freaking Mobile Suits.

'So much for the superiority of German Science'. I mused, offering a silent prayer in memory of a true Übermensch before turning my attention back to placating my currently pouting friend. "Tell you what, how's about I treat you to dinner?" I asked, smirking as he failed to cover up the low grumble from his gut "You forgot your cash-card, right? What say we grab a bite, my treat?"

"Oh! Sounds great!" a third voice called out, my good mood plummeting somewhere south of Antarctica as a skinny arm wrapped around my shoulder "You really are the man, Kawa-chaugh!"

"I told you not to touch me, Tsuchimikado." I reminded the gasping faux-blonde as he doubled over courtesy of a well-placed elbow to the gut "I don't want to catch your sis-con germs."

"It's not a disease to love your little sister!" the blonde wheezed passionately "You just don't understand the appeal of coming home to a cheerful smile, a lovingly prepared hot-meal-!"

"I can understand the appeal just fine." I countered, lip curling and eyes rolling in disgust "It's forcing your little sister to dress up in fetish-outfits that makes you a pervert."

"You just don't understand the appeal of loli, Sumi-Yan." Came the follow-up from the blonde's blue-haired partner in crime as he sauntered up alongside Touma like a cat that got the canary "Only a true connoisseur can appreciate those tiny forms, the embodiment of innocence, eternally on the cusp of pubescence, a forbidden fruit that leads to dark temptation-!"

"Hello, is this the local [Judgement] Office? I'd like to report a couple of pedophiles…" I deadpanned into my phone as the idiot droned on "Can't miss them, one's a yankee in a Hawaiian shirt and Sunglasses, the other has blue hair, piercings and a really fake Kansai accent."

"Hey! Who are you calling a Fake?!" the pierced dumbass demanded, somehow more distressed at being called out on his accent than the fact I was essentially calling the cops on his ass "I really am from Osaka!"

"Like hell you are!" Touma countered with a perfect Tsukkomi to the blue-haired poser's chest "I know for a damn fact that you're a Giants fan! There's no way in hell you're from Kansai!"

"I-I only bought that shirt so I could burn it!" the poser protested fervently, waving his arms in a futile bid to ward off Touma's doubts, only to panic as the urchin-head sighed in disbelief "H-Hey, what's that look for, Kami-yan?!"

"Nothing." Touma countered with a long-suffering sigh, the unlucky Kamijou having long since adapted to the blue-haired teen's antics, given how long they'd been friends prior to my transfer into his class earlier this year.

Now it should be noted that, prior to that point, Touma could count the number of people willing to hang out with him for an extended period of time on one hand with fingers to spare. Make no mistake, he wasn't outright shunned, if anything he was rather well-liked by most of the school, staff included.

Hell, most of our class seemed to ironically view him as a sort of 'good luck charm', or perhaps 'lightning rod' would be more accurate, since any misfortune they incurred would almost certainly hit him first.

However, even in a society as advanced as Academy City, people still tended to fall into their cliques, and the fact was that, intentional or not, trouble followed Kamijou Touma around like a yandere childhood friend, just waiting for the chance to ruin his day, so most learned to keep their distance.

The only ones who refused to do so were Komoe-sensei, who contrary to her appearance was an highly devoted teacher, Fukiyose Seiri, whose constant lecturing failed to hide the fact she was Tsundere for Touma, a fact his fellow members of 'Delta Force', Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Aogami Pierce used as ammunition against her.

Now Tsuchimikado, in all honesty, wasn't a bad sort. Sure his obsession with his younger sister was cringe-worthy, but despite that and his penchant for wearing Hawaiian shirts & sunglasses giving him the appearance of a delinquent, the blonde was a pretty decent guy.

Aogami, on the other hand, was a complete mystery. I honestly knew more about how [King Crimson]'s ability worked than I did about this guy. Hell, from what I'd gathered, [Aogami Pierce] wasn't even his real name so much as it was a summary of his appearance.

'Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard Komoe-sensei refer to him by name.' I recalled, eyeballing the idiot as he once again failed in his attempts to convince the ever-skeptical Kamijou that he was an honest home-grown Kansai-boy and not some vile rice-region pretender.

The only thing I knew for certain about the guy was that he was obsessed with Kansai, could apparently handle himself in a fight and that he was a self-proclaimed 'Omnivore' whose perverted tastes were almost as diverse as a certain [Crimson Fucker]'s.

Suffice to say, I could only pity whichever poor underpaid government wage-slave was assigned to spy on the bastard's internet history. There wasn't enough hazard pay or therapy in the world to cover that hot mess.

'Seriously, why the hell did they pick him to represent our class instead of Fukiyose?' I couldn't help but wonder as Touma continued to fend off Aogami's attempts at invading his personal space "C'mon Touma, I wanna grab a good seat before the wage slaves show up with their hell-spawn."

"You really don't like kids, do you, Kawa-yan?" Tsuchimikado noted, the blonde looking none the worse for wear despite my best efforts at collapsing his diaphragm earlier "You should lighten up, you were young once."

"Yes, and I had the strength of character to move past my flaws with the goal of becoming a productive member of society." I snarked back "Unlike you two, who seem determined to wind up on some sort of sex-offender registry before you're old enough to drink."

"Hey now! Don't go lumping us together just because we both like lolis!" Tsuchimikado countered, the blonde sounding honestly hurt "Sure I'll confess to doting on Maika more than I should, but I'd never lay a hand on her like that!"

"Eh? But that's such a waste, Mika-yan!" Aogami whined, the omnivore looking honestly betrayed by his yankee comrade's heretofore unspoken possession of the bare minimum of basic human decency "Are you saying you're alright with someone else taking Maika-chan's first time? Because if so-"

"I catch you so much as looking at a picture of Maika on someone's blog and I'll neuter you." Tsuchimikado cheerfully warned the pervert, having somehow managed to instantly cross the distance between us to grab Aogami by the mouth, his smile a stark contrast to the murderous aura he was giving off.

"Ah! Such an intense reaction!" Aogami exclaimed, the twisted fucker actually looking like he was enjoying the attempt on his life. Then again, given what few 'preferences' he'd currently made known, the sick bastard was probably already at half-mast "As expected of a true Sis-con! I think you've awakened something in me-!"

"You're hopeless…" Tsuchimikado sighed, dropping the unrepentant pervert to let him gyrate on the ground before turning to grin behind him at the touch of a hand on his shoulder "Sorry about that, you guys ready to go?"

"Glad to see you're so accommodating." The bespectacled young woman gripping his shoulder offered, Tsuchimikado breaking out into a cold sweat as he espied the green armband that denoted her as a member of Judgement.

"We've been getting a lot of reports about some perverts that match your description." the bespectacled woman explained, nodding at Aogami, who was likewise being restrained by a large-set man with an identical green armband "As such, we'd like to ask you some questions at our office."

'Well played, Kawa-yan.' Tsuchimikado chuckled, grinning weakly as he held his hands up in surrender, allowing the bespectacled girl to lead him off while her unnerved partner was left to carry the clearly ecstatic Aogami 'I never even heard them leave.'

Meanwhile, at a nearby diner...

"I'm stuffed," Touma sighed, the hapless teen patting his stomach as we stepped out of Jacobs' Diner, tears of satisfaction forming at the edge of his vision "I didn't think I'd ever feel this full."

"I'm surprised you managed to eat so much at all." I confessed, admittedly impressed by how much the teen could put away, though in retrospect I probably should've expected as much "Seriously, I'd make a crack about you losing your girlish figure if I didn't know for a fact how active you are."

"Like you're one to talk." Touma countered, slugging me in the shoulder with a mocking grin "I'm not the one who has to keep pulling out his ID to prove he's old enough to enter certain stores."

"At least I can afford to go into them without being forced to live off handouts for a month." I sniped back, only to sigh and run my fingers through my hair as the urchin-head flinched back, "Sorry man but you know how I feel about that."

"S'alright." Touma assured me, raising a hand placatingly, knowing all-too well how sensitive I was about my appearance before glancing up at the darkened sky overhead "C'mon, we'd better head on back to the dorms, Komoe-sensei will have us doing the Egg-Test if she finds out we stayed out late."

"She sure does love to put you through your paces, doesn't she?" I quipped, smiling at the unfortunate teen as we fell into step alongside one another "Maybe there's some basis to Aogami's claims after all..."

"Please don't joke about that." Touma sighed with all the energy of a wizened old man "Knowing my luck it's only a matter of time before the rumor-mill overhear him and things snowball beyond the point of control."

"Assuming Aogami doesn't spread the rumors himself." I pointed out, smirking as the unfortunate teen buried his face in his palms "Hell, he'd probably do it just so he could be scolded by Komoe-sensei."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Touma concurred with a long-suffering sigh, the unfortunate teen shaking his head in exasperation at the memory of Aogami's numerous past offenses, only to blink at something over my shoulder.

"Something wrong?" I asked, turning to follow his gaze, only to scowl at the sight of several older men gathered around a storefront, the more intimidating ones forming a perimeter around the property to scare off passers-by, while the rest gathered around the figure of a lone schoolgirl.

Now I am all for gender equality, and am well aware that women are more than capable of defending themselves. Hell, I knew several women who could hand me my ass any day of the week, and that was without specialized military training.

But as an older brother there are some things you just can't ignore, and nothing got my Inner Neanderthal pounding his chest faster than the sight of several grown-ass men harassing a middle-schooler, a sentiment Touma clearly shared if the sound of his clenching fist was any indication.

However, whereas the old me would've marched right up to the assholes, confident in my sheer size to ward off any violence, I instead opted to hold back, taking in the entirety of the scene before placing a hand on Touma's shoulder "Let's go, she has this."

"You can't be serious?" Touma exclaimed, the spiky-headed teen looking at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted another head "You're just going to leave her like that? Don't tell me you're scared of those guys?"

"As if." I scoffed, waving a hand at the thugs dismissively "The fact they're not using any abilities to intimidate potential Good Samaritans from interfering is proof enough that they're [Skill-Outs]."

It went without saying that in any society where Status is dependent on ranking, there would always be those dissatisfied with the status-quo who seek to upset it through strength of numbers. In the case of Academy City, where 80 percent of residents were Students, only 20% of those who underwent the Power Curriculum Program obtained any level of Esper Ability, with the rest being branded as Level-0s.

However, despite making up the bulk of Academy City's population, Level 0's tended to be mocked at best, ostracized at worst by their more successful peers, and with the authorities in the pocket of the Board of Directors, it wasn't long before the oppressed banded together to fight for their rights.

Or at least, that was their public message. In truth, there were several factions within Skill-Out who only signed up in order to vent their frustrations by ganging up on Espers, relying on sheer numbers to make up for their lack of ability.

Sure enough, another look back at the scene revealed that several of the group were acting as sentries, employing stereotypical scare tactics to discourage any aspiring Good Samaritans without drawing the attention of Judgement or the security drones that patrolled the streets at all hours.

Sensing from his expression that this had done little to convince Touma, I drew his attention back to the girl herself, who honestly looked more bored with her current situation than anything. "Look, she's wearing a Tokiwadai Middle-School Uniform." I pointed out "I think she can more than handle herself. If anything, those bottom-feeders are the ones that need saving."

That was certainly putting things lightly, as in addition to being one of the top 5 Schools in Academy City, Tokiwadai was considered the most famous All-Girl's Academy in the world, whose alumni often went on to make names for themselves.

Part of the reason for their fame were the entry requirements, allegedly so steep they could even reject Royalty without consequence. Whether this was true or not, I honestly couldn't say, as the only concrete requirement I could confirm was that all applicants had to possess a Rank 3 Esper Ability on entry.

In other words, even if the girl was the dead-last of Tokiwadai, she should be more than capable of mopping the floor with a few unarmed Skill-Outs, especially if she was confident enough to walk around the city alone so close to curfew.

'Assholes probably figured she was a naïve rich-kid they could intimidate into forking out some cash.' I deduced, rolling my eyes at the sheer predictability of it all, only to blink as Touma made to march past me "Seriously? Did you even listen to a word I said?"

"I don't care what her level is, it's not right to gang up on a little girl like that." Touma countered hotly, shrugging off my hand as he advanced on the group, though his posture subtly shifted from antagonistic to awkward as he drew closer, no doubt to avoid setting them on edge.

"Gimme a break…" I sighed, torn between irritation and pride as the self-sacrificing Kamijou once again threw himself into someone else's problems, despite knowing full well his ever-present jinx would likely cause it to escalate into a clusterfuck "And he wonders how he keeps getting into these messes…"

A certain storefront...

'Just what do these idiots think they can accomplish by talking to me?' Mikoto sighed, only half-listening to the thugs' failed attempts at intimidation as she watched the crowd walk past. At the very least she hoped they were trying to intimidate her, because if they were seriously trying to pick her up, she had half a mind to just walk off without frying any of them.

'Seriously, even Kuroko has better tact than this.' She groused, shuddering at the memory of her Teleporter roommate's perverse advances 'I don't think they could fail harder if they physically tried.'

Not that she could blame them for their lack of game really. Most Skill-Out members tended to drop out of school once it became clear they'd never amount to anything, so it was rare for them to possess a collective IQ higher than their shoe size.

It was the only reason she could think of that a group of them would try to intimidate her, despite her clearly wearing a Tokiwadai uniform. After all, while not all Esper Abilities translated well into combat, a general rule of thumb was not to antagonize anyone over level 3.

It was for this reason that she didn't resent the scared onlookers who were pointedly ignoring the apparent mugging of a middle-schooler, the few who dared to make eye-contact with the thugs being driven off with threats of violence, to scared to even pretend to call Judgement.

'It's only normal for people to look out for themselves.' She reasoned, knowing all-too-well just how dark Academy City could get despite its public image 'Only an idiot would willingly intervene on behalf of a complete stranger-!'

"Oh! Hey, there you are!" an unfamiliar voice called out, snapping her out of her thoughts to see an older boy grinning like a loon as he walked up to her, seemingly unbothered by the glaring thugs "So this is where you were, you really shouldn't wander off like that. You know how much I worry!"

'Is he…talking to me?' she wondered, blinking in honest confusion, as for the life of her she couldn't recall seeing this guy before, and judging by the lack of an armband he clearly wasn't a member of Judgement, so it was unlikely he knew her through Kuroko.

"Alright, let's get going then!" he chirped, further surprising Misaka as he reached out to take her by the hand before turning to smile at the glaring thugs "Hey, thanks again for keeping her company guys!"

"Hey." Misaka deadpanned, the Railgun stubbornly planting her feet to prevent herself from being tugged along like an errant younger sibling "You mind telling me who the hell you are?"

The ensuing silence was so great she could practically hear the sound of the idiot's brain chugging over as he processed what she just said, his earlier calm attitude shattered as he rounded on her "Oh man, why couldn't you just play along?!" he demanded, looking nigh hysterical "You totally ruined my 'pretend to be her friend to get her out of trouble' plan!"

'So he really was just trying to help?' she realized, torn between honest surprise and annoyance that he'd simply assume she needed help dealing with thugs "Why should I go along with such a convoluted plan?" She demanded "Especially one coming from some weirdo I've never seen before?"

"Well for starters, it'd look a darn-side better on your permanent record than 'used her Esper Abilities to put some Level-0's in their place'." Another voice called out, drawing the group's attention to a second teen with naturally curly blonde hair that would've made him a regular prince-charming were it not for the piercing golden eyes that were currently glaring at Misaka "Seriously, you guys must be pretty desperate if you're stupid enough to try and gang up on a Tokiwadai student unarmed."

"Who you calling stupid, pretty-boy?" the largest of the thugs demanded, leering down at the teen as he cracked his knuckles, the rest of them gathering around his suddenly nervous friend "You brats think this a game? You trying to make us look like fools?"

"A game?" the pretty-boy repeated, a cold smirk forming on his lips as he regarded the larger man as if he were something to be scraped off his boot "Hardly. If this were a game, I'd be having fun. And believe me, there's nothing my friend or I could do to make you look any less like a fool."

"That's it!" the massive thug snarled, reaching out to grab the blonde by the collar, his other fist rearing back for a haymaker even as Mikoto gathered a charge in her fingers to stun him-

…thuuUUUUUM!

-only to blink in shock as the man was sent crashing into the shutter door behind her, his face, as well as most of his body, reduced to a broken and bloody mess.

'W-What the hell-?!' she exclaimed, turning to gape at the twitching form of the Level-0 as he slumped to the ground, his body leaving a sizeable dent in the shutter door 'What just happened? How did he-?!'

"Oi, Itsuki!" Spiky-Hair exclaimed, drawing the Railgun's attention back to him, only to blink to find him glaring at the Cold-eyed Bishounen "You didn't have to hit him that hard! What if he dies?"

"He'll live, I didn't hit anything vital." Blondie countered with a dismissive shrug "Besides, why do you care? I thought you were trying to be a [Big Damn Hero] and save the girl from these losers?"

"That doesn't mean putting 'em in traction!" Spiky Hair persisted waving a hand at the confused thugs "I mean, I'm pissed they tried to gang up on a girl too, but that doesn't give us carte-blanche to cripple them!"

"Pfft, she's from Tokiwadai, she can take care of herself." Blondie scoffed, earning a conflicted glare from Mikoto, for while he acknowledged her ability, she didn't like his tone "Plus from the looks of those sparks she's probably an Electromancer, so she's pretty much a walking taser-gun."

'Railgun, actually.' Mikoto corrected, internally preening with more than a hint of pride. And why shouldn't she feel proud of her position as the 3rd ranked of only Seven Level 5 Espers in the entire city?

"I could care less where she's from or what her Level is, she's still just a kid!" Spiky Hair countered, instantly shattering whatever positive image Mikoto may have harbored of him. "I mean come on, you all heard her earlier, right?" he elaborated, turning to regard the gathered thugs, completely unaware of the effect his words were having on her "She's probably still going through her rebellious phase since she clearly doesn't know how to respect her elders! Tokiwadai or not, if you're seriously telling me you feel no shame ganging up on a little girl, then you guys make me sick!"

'That's it!' Mikoto snarled, all attempts at restraint gone as she allowed the electrical charge in her body to build up, earning looks of alarm from the thugs and a quirked brow from Blondie "You're the one making me sick, you jackass!"

Almost immediately, the air within ten feet of her body was suddenly filled with bolts of electricity and the screams of the thugs. She was also dimly aware of several cries of alarm from the civilians who had stopped to gawk at the scene from the moment the spiky haired boy tried to help her.

'Okay, maybe I went a bit overboard.' She sighed to herself as she allowed her power to die down, already imagining the lecture she was sure to receive from Kuroko for abusing her powers even as the smoking bodies of the thugs twitched spasmodically on the floor 'Idiot or not, he did try to help…'

"W-What the heck was that?!" a familiar voice demanded, Mikoto's eyes snapping open to gape at the sight of Spiky Hair gaping at her with his right hand outstretched "Don't just lash out with Electricity like that! You could've hurt somebody!"

"I think that was the idea, Touma." Blondie snarked as he rifled through the pockets of a downed thug, only to sneer in disgust "Nothing but chump change, guess they were hoping to make it rich off the kid."

'Is…is he seriously mugging them while they're down?' Mikoto gaped, a sentiment clearly shared by Spiky Hair as he tried to get him to stop "How the heck are you two still standing?" she demanded aloud, drawing their attention back to her "I hit you all with enough volts to down an ox!"

"Wait, you were aiming for us too?!" Spiky Hair exclaimed, as if only realizing that now "The hell's wrong with you? Didn't you mother teach you how to thank someone for helping you out?!" he demanded indignantly.

"I don't remember asking you for help!" Mikoto countered, the two of them glaring at one another while Blondie continued to loot the thugs. As a test, she sent a quick burst of electricity at the brunet, only to narrow her eyes as he somehow managed to block it with his right hand.

'No, not block it.' She corrected herself whilst frowning at the spiky-haired teen's hand 'The moment it came into contact with his hand, the electricity just straight up vanished into thin air!'

"Just who are you guys?" she demanded, eyeing the pair warily as Blondie rose to his feet, the sound of the security bots in the distance having apparently cut his plunder short.

"Just a couple of passing-through Level-0's." Blondie quipped, smirking at the stunned expression on her face as he placed a hand on the shoulder of a suddenly nervous Spiky Hair "Be seeing you around, [Little Miss Bug Zapper]."

"W-!"

…thuuUUUUUM!

"-ait!" Mikoto cried out, only to blink as she found herself standing alone in the middle of a group of twitching, smoking Skill-outs with an entire street of onlookers & the sound of sirens drawing ever closer, the Level 5 wisely deciding to follow in the Bizarre pair's example & escape.

After all, the last thing she wanted was to have to explain to the Dorm Manager why she'd been arrested for abuse of Esper abilities so close to curfew.

My first new work in god only knows how long.

Needless to say, will be approaching this from the pov of someone who hasn't watched Index/raillgun/accelerator or read the mangas.

Again, mostly wrote this is a test to break through my writer's block. don't expct regular updates.