Let's get started.

I'm sorry that I'm late, I had other things to do you know? I also originally had a chapter ready to go, but I felt committed to rewrite all of it and start from over again because of how bad I thought it was.

I also like to note that the dialogue isn't the exact same as the actual anime. Just wanted to make it clear that I'm not willing to completely rewatch the anime and make sure I got every word and detail correctly.

"What do you mean you don't know? It should be easy to find someone capable of doing that!" Mikoto yelled, stomping her foot.

The day after the robbery incident, the 5 friends gathered in the Judgment 177 Branch Office to discuss the robbery. More specifically, who was responsible for saving Mikoto that day.

Mii frowned. "We looked through the identities of everyone in the scene. Academy city has never even encountered this kind of power before."

Everyone (except Emilia) was shocked. Could this be a level 5? But there are only 7 levels 5 including Mikoto. Why would a level 5 bother saving the railgun?

"Well, we'll get anti-skill to investigate. It's not like we can do anything more anyway."

"Why do you look so calm Todoroki?" Ruiko said suddenly.

Emilia flinched. If I deny it, they're going to suspect me more! I need a good explanation.. No! They'll see right through me, so I'm think I'm going to play dumb.

"Uh what? I'm sorry, I just couldn't care less about what happened."

Ruiko smiled. "That's so like you Todoroki. Why don't we-"

Emilia suddenly got a phone call. She looked at the phone only to find out that it was X. The contact was just written "X", so she didn't have to worry about people finding out her work in the dark side. Why couldn't it be just a text?

She went out of the room so she could answer the phone.

"Hello. Are you enjoying your new friends?" X asked.

"How did you-"

"I know everything, Emilia." X interrupted. "Like I said, don't underestimate higher-ups."

Emilia sighed. "What is it? I'm guessing it's important."

"Yes, it is. If I were to text you, you wouldn't come instantly. Get your weapon and come over to the hideout."

"I'll be there."

Emilia ended the call and walked back into the room. "I've gotta go somewhere. I'll see you later."

"Okay, sure. See you!" Ruiko said, smiling.

After grabbing her dagger, mask, and cape, Emilia went to the hideout only to meet X and another man wearing a labcoat sitting down together in front of the coffee table.

"This is her?" The man with the lab coat asked. He picked up a clipboard on the table and took out his pencil and gave a welcoming smile. "What's your name, honey?"

Before Emilia could respond, X answered for her. "Her name is Emilia. She's got some fire and ice ability. I'd easily judge it as a level 5."

"Alright Emilia, I'd like to observe your "missions" so we can get some data onto your power. Don't worry, no one will know you are the level 5. Whenever your identity is revealed is completely up to you."

It's not like I have a choice. "Okay. Though I'm a little concerned about you getting in the way."

The man waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry, I'm going to watch through a distance."

Emilia walked at the hideout, putting on her mask and earphones. She already received the details of the mission a few days ago. All she has to do is infiltrate a building and steal a specific pile of documents. Unfortunately for Emilia, the building was at max security. They probably want to test my limits.

As she was jumping from roof to roof, sometimes creating ice bridges for herself, she finally had the building on her sights. She sneaked into the exterior side of the building, looking for openings.

There. A room with a window about 60 feet high only had one guard watching it. Most guards were only roaming the 1st floor since not many people can climb 20 feet on the smooth concrete.

Emilia froze the ground to absolute zero. This summoned an iceberg below her feet, launching her into the air. She quickly heated certain points in the air so the iceberg can be the right size, and less noticeable. She grabbed onto the window and melted the iceberg before anyone could notice. She pulled herself inside the room and heard someone pull out a gun.

Oh right, someone is there. Does he really think he doesn't have to call for backup? He probably doesn't know me then.

The masked girl turned on her music and broke down the gun. She also stopped the electricity inside his communication devices so things don't get tedious. She had to kill him. If she didn't, he would fix his communications and force her to cause a bloodbath. The man was saying something out of fear. Of course, she didn't know what he was saying, and she didn't want to know either.

Emilia reached the records room. She made it, but there was one problem.

She didn't know what exactly she was looking for.

She internally facepalmed. Am I going to have to go all the way back just to do more research? Wait. What's stopping me from calling X?

She took out her phone, paused her music, and called X.

"...yes?"

"Uh, yeah. It's me. What kind of document am I looking for again?"

X sighed. "It's information on the level-upper project. We want to know exactly how it's made so we can use it and sell it ourselves."

"What is the level-upper?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. It's supposed to increase your level."

"Well, I'll get back to work." Emilia said as she was about to hang up, but X jumped in.

"Oh, and one more thing. We decided that this mission doesn't give enough data for our friend here. So we decided to sound the alarm so you fight your way out instead."

The girl gasped in surprise. She immediately grabbed the documents and ran out the room to make a run for it, but it was too late. Security guards flooded the floor. Gunman, and espers already blocked both the left and right hallway in the door.

Guns fired, and abilities were used. She immediately used ice to block the left hallway, and threw flames at the right.

Emilia knew she could have killed them all in mere seconds, but she made a promise to herself that she would minimize the number of deaths in every mission. The army in her right flank made a temporary retreat, and the ice on her left started to shatter. She shut her eyes.

Making sure there wasn't anyone on the floor beneath her, she froze the ground and shattered it, allowing her to fall to the next floor. After making precise calculations on where to freeze so the building doesn't fall apart, Emilia went straight for the stairs.

As she was practically jumping down each set of stairs, she reached the bottom. Wait. The heat signatures tell me that we aren't at the first floor yet. Shit, I thought it was over, I'm still on the 5th floor! I have to get to the main stairs.

Emilia sensed the mob of guards chasing after her, and the group of guards blocking the entrance to the main stairs.

She skated away through the hallway by slightly freezing the ground and creating frozen blades onto her boots. As she skated around the corner, she spotted the main stairs and people guarding it. Upon the realization that the masked girl was in their sights, each of them raised their hands and fired projectiles at the girl.

Here we go. Emilia dodged the first wave of projectiles and inspected each of them in mere seconds. She then calculated the angle of each hand outstretched in front of her. With a little, simple formula I made myself, I can predict where each and every projectile fired at me will go.

She took out her dagger and skated head on. She performed feints, dodged and deflected all the projectiles with ease, knowing where they will land.

With her immense speed and momentum from skating instead of running, she rammed a guard using her shoulder sliding down the ramps that were previously stairs.

She made it to the first floor. She picked up a nearby potted plant, all while skating with a dagger in hand, and threw the pot into a window that's conveniently right in front of Emilia. She dived through, and ran into the dark alley.

Luckily, it was almost evening, so Emilia had an easier time staying hidden.

Once Emilia entered the hideout again, the man in the lab coat clapped his hands.

"Well, I am most impressed by your performance and you are easily qualified to join the seven level 5s in Academy city. You will be ranked 8th for now, but we will adjust your rank as we see fit." He looked at his clipboard. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you want to stay anonymous, correct?"

"Yes." Emilia confirms. "I think my alias will be…"

She hesitated. Shoot, I didn't think this through! It's going to be a name everyone is going to remember, it needs to be something cool, but something simple and easy to say.

"Zero. My alias will be named after my ace move, absolute zero."

"And your ability? X here is too vague."

"It's kinetic energy manipulation, I call it. It lets me control all forms of kinetic energy."

The man jotted everything down. "Okay, this is a groundbreaking discovery, so I'm very thankful to be the first to find out. I will pay you accordingly." He turned to Emilia. "Don't worry, your identity is safe with me. People should get the news by next week, look out for your new alias!"

The man left in excitement, hugging the clipboard dearly. Emilia turned towards X. "What about thi-"

"Keep it. I just need copy of it into my laptop. You could use that info for fun y'know? Just remember what happens if anyone finds out about our relationship."

Emilia visited Azusa, and then went home.

"Oh, hello Todoroki!" Saten greeted. "Why do you look like you've been beaten up?"

"Because I was beaten up, idiot." Emilia lied smoothly. "Not much I could do about being a level 1 after all."

"Come on, better than zero am I right?"

"I'm going to take a shower."

"You better."

After taking a shower, Emilia put her mask, dagger and cape back into the box and into the closet. She discreetly read the files of the "level upper". It did catch her attention after all.

"The Level Upper is a device or more specifically a sound that allows the users to gain abilities or make their current abilities better. Using synesthesia, it stimulates the brain to modify it's brainwaves close to that of the developer of the Level Upper. Because espers unconsciously produce AIM, it is used as a common protocol among the espers with the same brain pattern making a connection which is called the Level Upper Network. With many people with the same brain patterns, the network has tremendous computational ability, users of the Level Upper can then compensate and gain or enhance abilities that otherwise gained through normal Academy City curriculum by using the computational abilities of the network."

Synesthesia huh? Changing brain waves too? I'm not a doctor, but I get the feeling that having your brainwaves forcibly changed can cause some side effects. Not to mention it's a music player. No one would suspect something that looks like that would be the level upper.

Emilia put the papers away into the "X" marked box and took some shuteye.

"I'm going to bed earlier today, Saten. Goodnight."

"Goodnight… Wait, don't you have homework?"

"Already finished it."

"Sometimes, I think you aren't human."