Let's get started.
This one may be a little rushed, and it doesn't have much originality. Sorry bout that.
We're getting into the level-upper arc now I guess.
Emilia will admit that she was excited. She was excited about the official news of the 8th level 5: Zero. Even though the man in the lab coat said that the news should come out officially the week after he took Emilia's data, there were already rumors going around throughout the entire week. But today should be the day it's official.
"Did you hear the rumors about the 8th level 5?" Ruiko asked cheerfully, for the hundredth time.
"Yes, I heard it from you already." Emilia said lying down on her bed. "Where do you even get these rumors anyway?"
Saten pulled out her laptop. "There is this site with all the hottest rumors going around but this one's the real deal out of all the ones I've seen. Speaking of rumors, why don't we share some of these with the others?"
"I'm not sure if Tokiwadai students would be interested in that kind of stuff. If you really want them to have a fun time, you should draw those fancy eyebrows again." Emilia jokes.
"Sh-shut up!" Ruiko protested.
Apparently while Emilia was working a different mission, the four girls went on a hunt to arrest a girl that was going around drawing ridiculous eyebrows on people's faces. When Emilia saw them on Ruiko's face, she had one of the first genuine laughs she had in a few months, much to Ruiko's embarrassment and anger.
"Well anyway, want to meet up at Joseph's with the others?" Ruiko asked, avoiding the topic.
"Sure."
The five friends all met up and under a strange set of circumstances, they were all sitting down on a table, under Ruiko's cover of darkness, sharing scary stories.
Ruiko lit up her phone under the cover menacingly. "I once knew this upperclassman, who knew this girl, who had a boyfriend. One humid night when he passed by a deserted park, he came upon a woman who asked him directions. Of course, it would have been rude to not answer a woman in the dark, and so he did. As he was kindly explaining the way to her, she somehow became distraught, raised her arms, and then... took off her shirt."
"Okay…?" Emilia stated, confused. "That isn't one of the list of things I would call scary."
Mikoto raised her arms in frustration. "This story isn't scary at all!"
Ruiko opened up her laptop and turned it around to show the Tokiwadai students. "This website contains all the hot rumors and gossip going around." She pointed at a few articles.
Ruiko listed a few hot rumors going on that seemed to be nothing more than ghost stories.
"There's apparently a level-upper that can increase your level!" Ruiko said.
Well, I can confirm that one.
"There's also a boy with the strange power to stop other people abilities from working." Ruiko continued.
Mikoto flinched at the rumor. Does she know about this one? Emilia thought.
"Finally, feast your ears on the hottest rumor going on right now! There's apparently going to be another level 5 in Academy city!" Ruiko said excitedly
"You told me this so many times already. I can already assume you told everyone else already too." Emilia said, rubbing her forehead.
Ruiko scratched her head in embarrassment.
The 5 friends decided to take a walk in the city.
"So, do you think any of these rumors will be true?" Kazari asked.
"I doubt it, supernatural things should all be explained with science. It's all bogus." Kuroko said.
"Where's your sense of adventure?" Ruiko asked.
"BREAKING NEWS!"
The five friends turned around to see a jumbo TV screen in the city.
"Hello, my name is Futaba Rio and I'm here to report a groundbreaking discovery. I'll get straight to the point, there is now a new, 8th ranked esper in academy city."
Mikoto, Kuroko, and Kazari gasped in surprise. Ruiko closed her eyes in pride.
"I told you guys! I tol-" Said Ruiko
Mikoto blocked Ruiko's month using her palm, listening intently to what Rio has to say.
"This esper has asked to stay anonymous, but they will be known as Zero. Named after their ace move: Absolute Zero. Their ability is Kinetic energy manipulation; it allows the user to control kinetic energy of all types. They will be the new ranked 8 as of right now."
The screen then transferred to a talk show host and a group of celebrities discussing their opinion about the new and mysterious level 5, almost as mysterious as the 6th ranked.
"Well, I need to go." Mikoto announced, smiling. "Oh and Emilia, could you come with me?"
Emilia and Mikoto were walking alone. After a few minutes of silence, Mikoto finally asked.
"Emilia, why do you look so calm?"
"Did I look calm? This is my surprised face." Emilia said flatly.
Mikoto laughed. "Well, I should have expected that. I forgot that you aren't the expressive type."
Emilia nodded.
"So what do you think about urban legends? The boy with the negation ability has particularly caught your interest hasn't it?"
"Yeah… it has."
The boy with the power to stop abilities huh? Of all things… If I strike him with my full power, he'll be toast!
Suddenly, the two girls came across a spiky haired boy talking with a woman.
"Do you see any landmarks?" The boy asked.
"I saw a crosswalk nearby."
"That isn't really a landmark, they're kinda everywhere."
"You!" Mikoto yelled, pointing at the boy.
The boy turned his gaze at Mikoto. "Oh hey Zapper."
"My name isn't Zapper, it's Misaka Mikoto! Remember it!" Mikoto yelled angrily. "I'm going to put an end to our shenanigans once and for all!"
"Cool, do you have time then?"
"Yes! I have all the time in the world!"
"Okay, then could you help this lady find her car is parked?"
Mikoto looked dumbfounded. "Why are you asking me?"
"Because I've got to go somewhere."
"Misaka, do you know this boy?" Emilia asked.
Crap, I forgot Emilia was here too! How am I going to explain all the fights I had with him?
"Well.." Mikoto trailed off.
"It's getting hot in here." The woman commented. She began to take a picture off her shirt as Mikoto, Emilia and the boy began to scream in shock.
"W-why are you taking her shirt off?" Mikoto asked.
"It's because it's too hot out." Emilia observed. "The question should be if this woman is sane or not."
"Well anyway ma'am, please put your clothes back on!" The boy said, handing over the woman's shirt.
A few girls walked into the scene and misunderstood what was happening.
"Is that boy molesting that woman?"
"Call judgment or something!"
The boy looked at the girls in horror. "I'm telling you… you got it all wrong!" He yelled as he ran away as fast as he could.
Outside of the Seventh Mist, under a shaded area. The woman enjoys the cool atmosphere there, and takes out some of the strange beverages for Mikoto and Emilia.
Suddenly Mikoto got a call from Kuroko.
"Sissy, where are you and Emilia right now? Would you like to join us for some tea?"
"Sorry, we're with a very strange woman right now. She just started to strip right in front of us."
"It's the urban legend!" Ruiko jumped in.
"You shouldn't make her into an urban legend, she may be weird but-"
"Who's weird?" The woman came in.
Mikoto immediately closed her phone out of instinct. "No! I mean-"
"We were talking about an acquaintance of ours that you reminded us of." Emilia jumped in.
"Yeah! That's it!" Mikoto stammered. Thanks, you saved me Emilia.
"I got you both a warm, curry flavoured drink. The warm drinks on a hot day are usually the healthiest."
"You do know we are middle schoolers right?" Emilia said.
"Emilia, don't be so rude! It's the thought that counts." Mikoto said angrily.
"I'm sorry, I was so caught up in my research that I started to think things logically."
"You're a scientist?" Emilia asked.
"Yes, I am a cerebral physiologist, specifically, a researcher of AIM movements."
"AIM is the power so weak that it is undetectable to the five senses, and it requires machines to measure and detect it." Mikoto told herself.
"Yes, and it's my job to research ways to make use of that power."
"Okay… do you know about esper powers in general?"
"Is there anything you want to know?"
"Is there an ability that stops other powers from working?"
"There are a lot of different kinds of abilities that could negate abilities, could you be more specific?"
"Let's say someone got attacked by a lightning bolt, and it's completely ineffective."
"It could be a power that manifests itself as a lightning rod to divert the electricity"
"No, it's not like that."
"Did you know someone who has this power?" The woman asked bluntly.
"N-no! It's not that! It's just an urban legend my friends are into."
Suddenly a group of kids ran by and one of them accidentally dropped his ice cream into the woman's lap.
"O-oh sorry ma'am!"
"It's fine I'll just take them off." The woman said, taking off her pants.
"For god's sake, keep your clothes on!" Emilia and Mikoto said in union.
Meanwhile with Kuroko, her call was ended by Mikoto.
Ruiko gave a smug look. "We should go find her, it might be dangerous."
Kazari also joined in the fun. "Let's go save Misaka and Todoroki!"
"You shouldn't take this seriously, they're just urban legends." Kuroko reasoned.
"There's a website that says this legend into more detail. Apparently those who were stripped will also strip to other people." Kanzari said.
"Wow, so it's contagious?"
"Then does that mean Sissy would also strip in front of other people?"
Kuroko proceeded to slam her face onto the table over and over.
"UIHARU! We need to find the cure to the undressing curse for good!" Kuroko yelled, shaking Kazari back and forth.
"What about Todoroki though?" Ruiko asked.
"Well that was a handful. I think I'll see you later." Emilia said, only slightly smiling.
"Yeah, see you later." Mikoto replied.
"It's a massacre… a week worth of breakfast just gone…" The boy said in grief, on his knees.
Emilia, Mikoto and the boy stared at each other for a moment.
"You! You left me with that weird woman just to buy some groceries!? " Mikoto yelled angrily, pointing at the boy.
"Yeah, there was a sales event! Not like a girl from Tokiwadai would understand!" The boy rebutted.
"As a level one myself, I can confirm this information." Emilia said calmly.
"See? She understands!" The boy said joyfully. "My name is Kamijou Touma, nice to meet you!"
"I'm Todoroki Emilia." Emilia introduced herself flatly.
"Well anyway! You owe me a fight!" Mikoto yelled.
"That's right, you still haven't answered my question about your relationship with Kamijou-san." Emilia said curiously.
"He's… you'll see when I fight him!"
"Well, if it'll make it up to you, I'll take you on." Touma said seriously.
Mikoto nodded.
It was late evening, and Mikoto and Touma stood their ground under the bridge. Emilia, still confused as to what's going on, stood at a safe distance, arms crossed.
As the two were fighting, Emilia found something astonishing. The boy's right hand negated Mikoto's lighting just like the legend stated.
She smiled. Kamijou, you are a one of a kind.
The fight took so much time that Emilia fell asleep halfway through the battle. Suddenly a noise woke her up.
"Argarahahah!" Touma shouted, before plopping to the floor.
So Misaka won huh? But much to Emilia's confusion, Misaka didn't seem satisfied.
She gritted her teeth in anger. It turns out that Touma was playing dead in hopes of making her feel better. This displeased Mikoto greatly, to which she ended up chasing Touma down, ready to zap him with more lighting.
"See you Misaka!" Emilia shouted as Mikoto continued to chase Touma.
Guess I'll go home. She thought.
Kinetic energy huh? I hope this person will have a lot of guts!
…
Oh my, another level 5? I think I would do some research about this person.
Hm. There's no chance someone that chooses to be anonymous would be able to over take my rank.
I never knew Saten would be right! Those urban legends might be more useful than I thought.
Interesting. I should be more specific about this person's special ability. My dark matter should still be able to defeat this person nonetheless.
God dammit. Another brat.