Timeline: 42
Reverie Reversal Arc start.
The story thus far…
The Number 1 esper of Academy City, Accelerator, suddenly collapses and wakes up in a hospital room where he meets Nunotaba Shinobu, a former collaborator of Level 6 Shift. He learns from her of his rapidly deteriorating health and his need to be permanently hospitalized. As to not worry those around him, Accelerator decides to strike a deal. Accelerator would return to his normal daily life and the incident surrounding his hospitalization would be kept secret. In return, Accelerator would once again work with the Darkness of Academy City as a researcher.
As part of his new role, Accelerator leads an experiment that gathers all seven Levels 5s together. Kakine Teitoku, Misaka Mikoto, Mugino Shizuri, Shokuhou Misaki, and Sogiita Gunha participate in this project and, despite all odds, progress without evident conflict.
On Month: XX Day: OO, before the day's experiment could begin, a gateway to another world appears in Academy City, and during its investigation, Accelerator is pulled into its depths…
The following chronicles the 8 hours and 17 minutes Accelerator spends in the year [REDACTED].
This fanfic is supposed to be a gag-like comedy.
Please remember that.
A Recollection of Plot Points
Accelerator was consumed entirely.
As abruptly as the sphere expanded, his surroundings changed just as fast. A rush came over him as everything stretched out into oversaturated colors. Red and white and green. Mixed with gold and blue. An overwhelming scene of neon flooded, overriding all cognition. His head blistered.
It was hot. Cold. Lukewarm.
Salty. Sweet. Loud. Itchy. Tasty.
Pleasant. Painful. Sour.
Irritating. Soft. Wet.
Gritty.
Sick.
…
…
Then…
The world spread open.
A bright background resembling a washed-out sky.
With a shadow hovering from above.
( X-chan: Mister?-! Are you okay, Mister?-! )
Sensations dulled into a misty haze. It weighed him down. Smothering him. All he could do was fixate on her voice.
( X-chan: A-Ah…! I'll get help! Someone! Please! )
Before passing out, Accelerator managed a single coherent thought.
Last… Order…?
Disconnect
A soft click.
Accelerator blinked.
The setting changed once again. The ordinary view of ceiling tiles replaced the sky from before.
"…"
His fingers twitched and scratched the metal surface of a bed. When he fainted, he must have been transferred to the nearest medical facility.
"…"
Accelerator tried lifting himself upright but found no strength to push. Instead of moving normally, he writhed with a dull ring.
"I see you're awake."
…
"I'm sensing distress. Is something the matter?"
Sounds echoed from all sides with no point of origin. The boy was loosely aware of it now. He was barely at the cusp of consciousness.
"Where…"
"Higuchi Pharmacology Laboratory 7."
The answer was immediate. He didn't have to finish his own thought to be understood.
"You were found in an empty lot in bad shape. I'm impressed you still have the ability to talk."
The boy felt himself drift off. But he concentrated on the feeling of cold metal to keep awake.
"Don't be like that. You need to rest."
"Who…"
…
…
"Maybe… your guardian angel?"
Data Link
A voice began to take shape. Before, Accelerator couldn't decipher tone or depth. But now, there was something distinctly feminine.
Angel…
With a simple word, he couldn't let himself be strewn along. Whether it was a figure of speech or an actual description, he needed to see it with his own eyes. The boy struggled.
"As I thought. Communicating with you like this is only hurting you. Go to sleep, child."
Another powerful wave came over him. But he fought through it. Accelerator managed to focus. He pushed himself far further than he should have.
"W-Wait…"
Lifting himself up, he could barely trace it out. There was a silhouette.
"Don't… D-Decide things… On your own…"
Another wave draped over his body. Something was taking his control away.
"God... Damn it…"
A darkness closed in. Blanketing his efforts and numbing his consciousness.
A nightmarish claustrophobia pervaded.
But even so…
"I…"
…
"I SAID 'WAIT', DAMN IT!"
Accelerator jolted upright.
[ SFX: *THUD* ]
( X-chan: A-Ah?-! )
Forced Restart
Breathing heavily, Accelerator stared forward. The darkness had gone away, and everything was bright and clear. Almost unnaturally so.
( X-chan: E-Eh…? )
Though the palette of colors around him were simple, there was a vibrancy that flavored his vision. Sounds, too, popped with a crisp. And the air tasted sterile and clean. A faint pleasant scent lingered near the open windows.
( X-chan: Umm… )
For some reason, Accelerator was feeling good.
A dream…?
"…"
Eventually, the Number 1's eyes were drawn to the panicked little girl by his beside. She was sitting on the floor. By the way she was situated, it seemed like she had fallen over backwards from the surprise outburst.
…
"You…"
He stared blankly. The young girl had a resemblance to someone he knew. It was a face that kept repeating itself over and over.
"You're…"
Previous events surfaced in his mind. The portal. The strange orb that had a mind of its own. As the Number 1's mind buzzed with memories, pieces of a bizarre puzzle were quickly coming together.
"Y-You're…"
It should not have been possible. But he had to recognize it. Quite obviously, this girl was the younger version of-
"NOT AT SCHOOL, YOU SHITTY BRAAAAAT!"
"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?-!"
He Hasn't Realized It Yet
"ARE YOU SKIPPING CLASS?-! DESPITE HOW HARD EVERYONE IS WORKING FOR YOUR SAKE?-! WHAT THE FUCK!"
"H-Huh?-! B-B-But-!"
"NO BUTS!"
[ BGM: The opening theme to To Aru Majutsu no Index II briefly plays.]
"I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE LEAGUES SMARTER THAN THE OTHER KIDS OR IF IT ABSOLUTELY MAKES NO SENSE FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU TO GET A TRADITIONAL EDUCATION! YOU'RE A SHITTY BRAAAAT! AND SHITTY BRATS ARE SUPPOSED TO GO TO SCHOOL, DAMN IT! THAT'S THE PLACE SHIT KIDS GO TO MAKE STUPID ASS MEMORIES AND HAVE STUPID ASS FUN! DO YOU REALIZE HOW MANY FUCKING LIGHT NOVELS, MANGA, AND ANIME TAKE PLACE AT SCHOOL?-! THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT! IT'S BECAUSE ONCE YOUR OUT, IT'S ALL DOWNHILL!"
"Er- um- ehh-!"
The little girl made frightened, confused interjections while shielding herself with her hands. Her face displayed an emotion he was unaccustomed to.
"…"
…
Ratcheting down his anger, Accelerator face-palmed. He sighed.
"Look. I'll overlook this once."
Raising his head, he glared.
"Just… promise me that this won't become a habit."
…
The small girl studied the Number 1. And slowly, she put her hands down. With a short hop, she stood upright. Though, she continued to look somewhat anxious.
"I… I will…"
He Still Hasn't Realized It Yet
Hmm…?
Accelerator noticed something off.
Something's different… Did Yomikawa buy her new clothes…? And her attitude seems a bit…
The small girl fidgeted nervously as the Number 1 heavily glared at her.
Could it be…
The white-haired boy remembered an important event that had nothing to do with portals or time travel.
( Yomikawa Aiho: Hey Accelerator! Let me give you advice on women! )
( Accelerator: I don't want to hear it. )
( Yomikawa Aiho: So when a girl subtly changes her image, you should always take notice and say something nice. It's rude to take light of such differences since it'll imply you usually don't pay attention to them. )
( Accelerator: Is that so. )
( Yomikawa Aiho: By the way. Do you see anything different about me? Like my hair? )
( Accelerator: No. )
The Number 1 breathed a sigh.
I see. So she's fishing for compliments…
It's awkward since I just yelled at her… But…
"…you look nice."
"M-Mn? Nice?"
…
"…forget it. I'm not good with this sort of thing."
Dropping his gaze, Accelerator let out another breath.
Still Hasn't Realized It Yet
[ SFX: *Click* ]
A door opened. And to his surprise, a frog-faced doctor walked in.
The surprise wasn't that it was him, but it had more to do with his appearance.
A wig...?
With that, he recalled another memory that also had nothing to do with portals or time travel.
( President of the United States of America: Hey kiddo. While we're in Hawaii fighting off a magical terrorist group, let me teach you a thing about social situations with older men. )
( Accelerator: I don't want to hear it. )
( President of the United States of America: So when an older man subtly changes his appearance, you should never take notice or mention anything about it. Those are what you call 'landmine topics'. )
( Accelerator: Is that so. )
( President of the United States of America: By the way, the color of my hair is completely natural. )
( Accelerator: … )
The Number 1 blinked.
This is probably a landmine.
"So you've woken up. I was wondering what all the ruckus was."
The doctor set aside his chart. With a friendly grin, he approached and acknowledged the younger guest.
"Thank you for looking after him. You've done a good job. I think I can take it from here."
He nodded at her, but the girl gave an uneasy look towards Accelerator.
"…"
"Go on. Scram."
From Accelerator, to the doctor, to her own two feet, the small girl's glance shifted from one point to another. Hesitantly, she followed through with the last order and left, shutting the door on her way out.
Please Realize It
After the small girl left, the doctor waited a few moments before speaking up. He addressed the Number 1 with a direct gaze.
"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
Accelerator almost laughed. He leaned back.
"Only a few? You're too kind."
"…"
The boy was put off by the dry reaction. He had anticipated at least a frown.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"…I have an idea why."
"By all means, please enlighten me."
An uncomfortable feeling swelled. Though, there was no explanation for it. Accelerator tapped his fingers over his lap.
"It was… a 'tear' in the shape of a sphere. An anomaly that suddenly appeared above Academy City. It was up in the sky one moment, and then right in front me the next. After I came into contact with it… I fainted and…"
Accelerator trailed off. The doctor was giving him a strange look.
The boy gritted his teeth.
"You… don't believe me?
"Look. It's the truth. I'm not trying to cover anything up. It's not like… I had another episode."
A sore topic emerged. His deterioration was something he tried not to think about.
"I realize that a little while ago, I had that 'incident', but everything's okay now. Do you want me to hop, skip, and jump for you? Is that what it'll take?
"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I feel better than ever."
Speaking like this to man who saved his life didn't feel good. However, his guilt would be quickly overridden by an entirely different emotion.
"I'm sorry. Do we know each other?"
Is It Happening?
"…"
Accelerator paused. And slightly shifted his head.
"…What?"
"By the way you're talking, it seems like we've met before. But I honestly have no recollection of any such meeting."
…
As a reaction, he turned his head in a variety of directions. Left. Down. Left. Right.
"…"
After enough time, he settled his eyes back on the doctor.
"…What?"
"As I said. Unless I'm mistaken, this is the first time we've had a conversation. Could you tell me your name? Perhaps that can jog my memory."
…
The uncomfortable feeling he had swelled further. It was a balloon that was steadily growing beyond its acceptable size. He could feel it getting ready to burst.
"Are you feeling alright?"
It's Happening
First time…
Accelerator mentally repeated the phrase.
First time…
First time…
First time… First time… First time…
The Number 1 rationalized what he could from the situation. The balloon was reaching its breaking point, but it hadn't burst just yet.
"Ha… ha ha…"
He laughed.
"What kind of stupid joke is this? As if I'd fall for such a lame prank."
The strange look the doctor was making somewhat melted his resolve.
"It was Worst, right? No, Last Order. It was Last Order who put you up to this. That shitty little brat… She knows you've got a soft spot for kids."
"…"
"You know… You almost had me. With the accident I had with the tear, you were close to fooling me. But do you know why I'm not buyin'?"
The frog-faced doctor hesitated before asking.
"…Um, why?"
Accelerator pointed at his collar.
"I realize that you're making an implication here, but if that was true, then the Misaka Network would not exist. If I'm not connected to the Misaka Network, then what am I connected to?"
The doctor answered to best of his ability with the intent to understand the craziness of the situation. He may not have understood everything but helping was his job.
"…I'm not sure what you mean by 'Misaka Network'… But regarding that collar…
"When I found you, I noticed that the collar around your neck was searching for a signal to perform calculations. Maybe it wasn't the right call, but I took a chance and connected you to a pet project of sorts of a friend of mine."
For some reason, Accelerator remembered the woman in his dreams.
"I believe the finalized name of the project was 'Tree Diagram'."
Machine God
"…"
…
"Is something wrong?"
The Number 1 sidled to the side of his bed. He drew in a long breath. And then.
"Fuck this shit. I'm going home."
Unexpectedly, Accelerator stood up and latched himself up against the wall for support.
"H-Hey! Wait! I don't think you should be walking-"
"Shut up! Where's my fucking crutch?-!"
The doctor quickly approached to subdue him, but the white-haired boy managed to struggle to the door leading out. Opening it…
Accelerator saw the small girl on the other side who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
"You're a… time traveler?"
Looking at her confirmed it. This girl was definitely not Last Order.
"…"
[ SFX: *POP!* ]
The Original
A/N: A new chapter of a new arc appears! Also, in a different format than the usual. If you've scrolled to the bottom by accident, I'll say here that this fic still is made to read from top to bottom.
