DW: A Certain Gang of Rail Girls Chapter 3, a toaru majutsu no index/とある魔術の禁書目録 fanfic

Fictions Mentioned:

Episode 3

OP Song:

Spy | "Who Can You Trust" Ivy Levan Music Video [HD] | 20th Century FOX

Insert Song: Start

Dies irae - Animation OST: Burlesque

Ruiko Saten didn't know what to expect at this point the moment her best friend, Kazari Uiharu, would suddenly drag her from across several streets and intersections just so that she could meet one of more famous Level 5s that attends the prestigious school of Tokiwadai.

If Saten were to be completely honest, she was more or less prepared for a state of disappointment due to the fact that considering her status as a Level 0, she wouldn't really be surprised at the fact that she was about to be looked down on because of just her Level. That's part of the problem when it comes to Academy City, and it was one that should have been addressed a long time ago in her humble opinion. And even now, some part of her would wonder why did she even come to Academy City in the first place if only because she wanted to have a cool power for her to use for herself. After all, isn't that one of the reasons people even come to Academy City in the first place? Enacting something that could only be found in the realm of fiction being applied to real life through the use of the Power Curriculum Program.

And so, she and Uiharu managed to walk their way towards a restaurant called Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant, managing to spot the famous #3 and Uiharu's co-worker in Judgment who were waving and smiling at them from the window.

Well, this is it, Saten would think with a grimace as she was so not looking forward to this meeting.

They would eventually head inside and would sit in the seats opposite their direction. Uiharu would sit next to her co-worker, Kuroko Shirai, while Saten would get to the seat next to Mikoto Misaka, much to Saten's hesitation. And she would see Uiharu's co-worker, Kuroko Shirai, making the formal introductions.

"Now that we have all gathered here, I would like to begin the following introductions. Over to my left is a first-year student of Sakugawa Middle School, Uiharu Kazari-san," Shirai would say, raising her right hand to indicate Uiharu.

"P-Pleasure to meet you! I'm Uiharu Kazari," Uiharu would bow politely.

"And next to her is..." Shirai would look towards Saten, curious as to who she was.

Saten would take a moment to glance at Misaka who was sporting a curious expression. She would inwardly sigh from her thoughts, thinking. "("Well, here goes nothing.")"

"Heya," she said, raising her left hand to her hair, sporting an exasperated smile. "I'm Uiharu's classmate, Saten Ruiko. I'm not sure what's going on but I tagged along anyway. And by the way, my esper Level is 0 in case you were all wondering," or so she would say if only to gauge just who Mikoto Misaka really was.

It was a test of character so to speak. How would Misaka act regarding such a question would depend on how would Saten would perceive her as a person. Would she be like those high-Level esper users who seem to be on their high horse and boast a lot about the fact that they were the cream of the crop so to speak, being given privileges and benefits that befit their status and belittling those below them like they were pests that weren't worth to walk at the same level of ground as they were despite the hard work and effort? Or would she go a completely different route than what Saten had in mind?

"Ah! S-S-Saten-san, what are you..." Uiharu sported an alarmed expression due to the fact that her best friend just casually name-dropped her esper Level.

Shirai could only raise an eyebrow of suspicion at the subtle intent behind what had Saten just said, looking towards Misaka who didn't seem bothered by the more than obvious testing of a character, choosing instead to smile in a kind manner and introduce herself in a polite tone, as if she wasn't bothered by it and understood the intent.

"Uiharu-san. Saten-san. I'm Misaka Mikoto. Pleased to meet you," Misaka said.

That would get Saten and Uiharu's complete attention due to the kind and polite words that were spoken with no ill intent whatsoever. And it seem more apparent when she would sport a smile that was quite understanding of the situation and would like to clear up any form of misunderstandings and ill feelings whenever possible.

"Pleased to..." Saten started, sporting a surprised expression.

"...meet you," Uiharu finished, sporting a surprised expression.

Shirai would sport a pleased smile, thinking. "("As is expected of Onee-sama. She really does know how to defuse a tense situation when it calls for it.")"

"Well then," she would start, grabbing her handbook and checking the planned schedule. "Now that introductions are out of the way, we can..."

But then suddenly...

"...So take me away, I don't mind. But you better promise me, I'll be back in time. Gotta get back in time. Gotta get back in time. Get me back in time."

They would notice a soundtrack that was playing outside. And it would seem to be becoming clear as they would look outside the window, seeing what appeared to be a spiky-haired male with safety gears who was riding what appeared to be...

"...Wha-What?" Shirai sported a shocked expression.

A hoverboard. An honest-to-god hoverboard. And this thing seem quite advanced judging from the green platform that the spiky-haired person had placed his feet. What was quite surprising however was that they would see this spiky-haired person tap the surface out of the platform thereby automatically switching the hoverboard into a green colored cube which he catches with his right hand before throwing it a few meters into the air and catching it again, with his safety gear somehow disappearing from sight, likened to that of mere static pixelated holograms. The soundtrack that they would all hear would eventually fade away as well the moment the platform was tapped.

They were quite surprised at this. They knew that Academy City was advanced, but never had they encountered an actual hoverboard. And that was quite the novelty given the fact that you would think that the city would have developed these kinds of boards for individual usage. But then, some like Kuroko could only look at the downsides of this kind of technology. The many various Skill-Out organizations are one of them who would no doubt make use of this kind of tech to make preferred benefits to their goals.

They would see the spiky-haired person enter the door, sporting a smile on his face. He was walking towards their general direction and would sport a surprised expression on his face as he saw them, blinking in turn.

After a moment or so, Misaka immediately pointed toward the spiky-haired person, sporting a shocked expression while doing so.

"I-It's you!"

"Eh?" Shirai, sitting beside Uiharu, sported a shocked expression. "O-Onee-sama! Do you know this person?!"

"I..." Misaka sported a hesitant expression. "I...suppose so in a way."

The spiky-haired person could only smile in response, muttering. "There's never a dull moment in this city, is there?"

Then he would begin to walk towards the four girls, looking at Misaka specifically. "It's been quite a while, Misaka-san. I see that you're doing well."

"Y-Yes, I suppose so," Misaka said, glancing hesitantly to the right, putting both of her forefingers together and encircling them around. Then she looks back at the spiky-haired person. "Kamijou Touma-san, right?"

The spiky-haired person, Touma Kamijou, would nod, saying. "Yeah, that's me. I'd have to assume that your Dorm Manager had told you about me, right?"

"Yeah, she told me about you in a way," Misaka said, confirming his insight.

"W-Wait a minute?! Dorm Manager?!" Shirai sported a shocked and alarmed expression, raising both of her hands and waving them, as if checking to see if she heard it right, looking towards Kamijou as if she didn't hear that right. "Yo-Yo-You know about the Dorm Manager?!"

"That's right," Kamijou nodded, looking towards Shirai. "Um, Shirai Kuroko-san, correct?"

"H-Huh?! Ho-Ho-How did you know who I was?!" Kuroko sported a shocked expression, hopping a few inches towards the window.

"The Dorm Manager used to tell me about you. She said that you were quite the hard worker when it comes to your duties as a Judgment Officer, to which I would say that you could consider me to be a fan and have the absolute respect for the work that you and the rest of your fellow officers are doing when it comes to Academy City in general. And speaking of which," Kamijou would take a glance, noticing Uiharu and Saten who were sporting curious and awed expressions. "Who are these two young ladies with you?"

"Oh! Um...We just sort of met most recently just now before you came along so..." Misaka sported a hesitant expression.

"U-U-Uiharu Kazari!," Uiharu introduced herself, flashing an excited smile and raising her right hand, and to which Kamijou could swear that he was seeing what appeared to be sparkles that would be found floating above her face. "This is my friend, Saten Ruiko," she said, pointing another raised hand towards Saten who could only wave in embarrassment and a smile that accompanies it. "We're first years of Sakugawa Middle School. I just have to ask this good sir. Just how did you get that hoverboard?!"

Kamijou could only genuinely smile at the overall enthusiasm. He would glance at a nearby chair, to which he would grab the back part of it and drag it to his position in order to sit on it. After sitting on the chair, he would explain the following.

"Well, about that hoverboard, it actually belongs to a couple of friends of mine."

"Couple of friends?" Saten would ask, sporting a curious expression.

"Yeah," Kamijou smiled in reminiscence, nodding. "Those couple of friends live in America, specifically the state of California. Their names are Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty Mcfly. Doc is a scientist by trade and an inventor of a lot of cool stuff that would fit quite right here in Academy City if I were to be honest. Marty on the other hand is the Doc's assistant and an aspiring professional musician who is really good at playing the guitar, and even has a sort of passion for it that is quite awe-inspiring. As for the hoverboard in particular, well this thing," he said, grabbing the green-colored cube from his pocket which was being looked over by the four middle school girls. "Is actually pretty advance already and was invented by a couple of individuals who have been handling this and plenty of others like it at the time. Me, Doc, Marty, and a few others just managed to modify it even further with new in-built functions that were added to the mix. Such as this..."

To demonstrate, the green colored cube would be tapped from the center by Kamijou's forefinger, and would suddenly trigger an automatic response by materializing into a hoverboard, much to the amazement of the four middle school girls and many others throughout the restaurant who couldn't help but look on in awe and curiosity.

"...Wow," Misaka sported a smile, slowly raising her right hand in order to lightly touch the green platform which triggered a specific futuristic sound effect that one could find in sci-fi movies. "Just what exactly is this thing made of?"

"Well I can't exactly tell much as to how it was made because of strictly confidential reasons between clients and owners, but I can say that the platform in particular is made up of a certain type of crystal element that you really can't find anywhere else due to the fact that it officially doesn't exist and doesn't have a name so to speak in the periodic table," Kamijou explained. "And if I were to press this again.."

He begins to tap the platform, triggering another soundtrack, this time singing a familiar song that would make the four middle school girls sport surprised and excited expressions.

"shinjiteru mono wo tsuyoku hikiyoseru. kogoeta manazashi mo mamotte ageru kara. negai wa hi no rasen ni maioriteku. (With strength, I draw close to me everything I believe in. I will protect even that frigid gaze of yours, while my wish slowly descends down into a scarlet spiral.)"

"Hey wait a minute...?! Isn't this...?!," Shirai sported a surprised expression, recognizing the song from anywhere.

"It's Scarlet Ballet! One of the songs that were sung by the famous Idol of Academy City, Meigo Arisa-chan!" Uiharu sported an excited expression.

"This is quite the amazing board that you got here, Kamijou-san!" Saten sported an excited expression.

"Wait a minute, so you just tap this thing and a song comes out of it?!" Misaka asked, sporting an excited expression.

"Well that's just one of its functions. It's actually built to function on mental command. For instance..."

Kamijou would begin to tap the platform again, triggering another soundtrack, this time singing a Chinese song that the four girls would be quite unfamiliar with.

"今夜我决定全部接受不管等待我的是美酒还是拳头只要感到心脏还在跳动怎么能够让黑夜遮住白昼 Say go 爱恨都是种享受这世界有纯净也会有污垢 Don't compromise, don't touch my bottom line 待黎明到来除了你别无所求 (Tonight I've decided to accept everything Whether good wine or a clenched fist is waiting for me. As long as I can feel my heart is still beating How can I allow the night hide the day? Say go - love and hate are both a kind of pleasure In this world there is purity and there is filth Don't compromise, don't touch my bottom line Waiting for dawn to break, I desire nothing else but you)"

"I could actually change the soundtracks by whatever appropriate gesture I see fit. Most of everything that would allow the hoverboard to function is based on my thoughts to which I could relate to the device and it would process it and do the rest from there," Kamijou explained.

"...Wow, I'm actually pretty impressed," Misaka sported an impressed expression.

"Excuse me, Kamijou-san."

"Hmm?," Kamijou, along with the four middle school girls, would look towards the left, spotting a young woman with short black hair, wearing a maid outfit of red and white coloring, sporting a smile on her face, carrying what appeared to be a couple of flyers.

"Would you like to see this for yourself and tell me what you think of it?" the maid would say.

"Alright sure," Kamijou nodded at the maid, to whom he was familiar with due to having seen her work around this particular restaurant that he would visit from time to time either by himself or with some friends or acquaintances. He would mentally command to lower the soundtrack that was on the hoverboard by another tap and take one of the flyers that were in the hand of the maid in order to check and read it for himself. As he read through the flyer, he spotted what appeared to be recent information about a crepe shop handing out a Gekota merchandise to the first 100 customers.

Kamijou would smirk at the description of the flyer as he would specifically look towards Misaka who was sporting a curious and concerned expression.

"What is it?" Misaka asked.

Kamijou responded by flipping the position of the flyer, allowing the four middle school girls to see what was on the flyer.

"Oh, a flyer from a new crepe shop," Uiharu said, sporting a curious expression. "Apparently, it says that the first 100 customers would get a free Gekota mascot as a present."

"What's up with that cheap character?" Saten sported a dubious expression as she looked at the Gekota image from the flyer. "No one cares about that kind of thing nowad-," and she would have finished her sentence had not for the fact that she glanced to her side, spotting Mikoto Misaka sporting a puppy-like expression on her face that was directed at the Gekota image.

Eventually, she would immediately notice the silence, and with that, noticed the three middle school girls looking at her, with Shirai sporting a knowing smirked expression on her face, and with Uiharu and Saten sporting curious and surprised expressions. She would also notice Kamijou staring at her, sporting a knowing smirked expression.

She would try to brush this out due to an inward embarrassment of being found out regarding her secret hobby, saying. "U-Um, that's quite the interesting flyer I must say. The crepe seems like it could be good so um why not try to go to that place and check it out for ourselves?"

"Is it because of the crepe or is because of Gekota?" Kamijou asked, sporting a smirked expression.

"Pffftt," Shirai could only softly laugh, covering her mouth in order not to let all of it out.

"O-O-Of course not!" Misaka would say, with her cheeks sporting a soft blushing expression, trying to save face. "I don't care about Gekota at all! I mean, it's a frog! An amphibian! What kind of girl would be happy to get that kind of present anyway?!"

"Umm, based on that," Kamijou would point towards something that was located in Misaka's student handbag which was resting from the side of the should.

A Gekota strap.

"Pffffhahahahahahahahahaha!"

And it was one that had Shirai laugh to her heart's content, putting both of her hands to her chest, while Uiharu and Saten sported surprised expressions, and in Saten's case, exasperation due to the rather unexpected turn from her opinion regarding "ojou-samas" and proper decorum regarding them.

Misaka couldn't say anything but bow her head in embarrassment and would hit her head on the table, vibrating upon impact.

"Haaahhh...My life is over...Kill me...Just kill me now..." she would mutter in embarrassment.

Kamijou could only sport an empathetic and understanding expression, eventually saying. "Tell you what girls, how about I take all of you there by hopping a ride on my hoverboard? How does this sound?"

"?" the four middle school girls would look towards Kamijou, sporting surprised and curious expressions.

Insert Song: End

Insert Song: Start

fripSide - way to answer (Audio)

"I can't look back anymore! "Time out" or "Endless maze"? Get and hold your solid faith! Shoot now! Shout now! Ready go! Run forever to find our truly fortune. Eyes on real world, I trust my power and your words. Try forever to save our precious feelings. Break the fake world, I trust one light in my heart."

Somewhere in the roads and sidewalks of District 7, Touma Kamijou was sporting a simple smile on his face, with goggles worn over the eyes, a helmet worn over the head, and a pair of gloves worn by the hands, as he was driving his advance rectangular shape hoverboard as gently as possible in order to accommodate the four young women: Mikoto Misaka, Kuroko Shirai, Kazari Uiharu, and Ruiko Saten who were simply standing at the board and enjoying the sights of the drive-through while wearing the same gloves, goggles, and helmet, feeling the light breezes produced by the speed that the hoverboard was going. Many of the bystanders who were simply passing by would eventually take notice of them as they could only sport surprised expressions due to an unexpected sight.

"Nani wo shinjite ikiru? Kizutsuku koto Yosou wa dekiteita tsumori demo. Dare mo utagaenakute Namida ni somaru keshiki. Jibun wo miushinatteta. Nichijou wo ikikau Fuan na sasayaki. Tsukitobashite Tori modosu no... Shinjitsu wo! (What do you believe in as you live? I intended to predict that I will be hurt, But I can't doubt anyone, So I lost myself in the scenery covered in my tears. There's a a nervous whisper coming back and forth in my everyday life, But I'm going to jump right through it and get back... The truth!)"

"Woohoo! This rocks!" Saten screams in excitement that was accompanied by a smile, raising her right hand that was clenched in a fist.

"Hmmmm," Misaka could only laugh softly in excitement as she would look toward the driver of the hoverboard with a smile. And it wasn't just Misaka, but there was Shirai, Uiharu, and Saten who were looking at the driver who was concentrating on the road.

Shirai was quite impressed (not that she would admit it out loud) with the way that Kamijou was following the traffic laws such as stopping whenever the red lights were to blink from the automatic traffic signs and maintaining the minimum amount of speeds that were required in order to accommodate the other vehicles that were driving by. This kind of character trait was one that Shirai could tell just from these types of subtle gestures. That this man has a certain amount of respect for even the simplest of laws and in spite of the advanced tech that he has, would not like to overturn such laws and follow them just like anyone else does. Like he values even the simple and ordinary aspects.

Just who are you?

Shirai would think to herself, sporting a pondering expression.

In another life, perhaps Shirai would have considered this spiky-haired person, Touma Kamijou, to be a threat to her affection for her beloved Onee-sama and the position that she had stood for. And thus, she would watch this person like a hawk, labeling him an "ape" that needs to be kept an eye on, or else he'd possibly try to take advantage of her Onee-sama.

However...

There was the alarming and intriguing fact that this man would know of the Tokiwadai Dorm Supervisor, the notorious and strictest of women that would terrify her and every student of Tokiwadai into obedience and submission. Another fact would be that it would appear that her Onee-sama, Mikoto Misaka, had said that the Tokiwadai Dorm Supervisor had explained who he was to her, as if she knew him and seemingly approve of his presence in the Tokiwadai Dormitories, much to Shirai's shock as she would never have pegged for the Supervisor to actually approve of a male inside of their dorm, never mind the fact that her Onee-sama told her before this trip of the rather alarming gesture of a smile that would speak volumes of trust.

Once again, Shirai would ask herself as she looked towards Kamijou again.

Just who are you?

"Mezameteku! Kanjou ni. Mou uso wa tsukenai. Mamoritai nara. Tachimukau dake Hitori janai Wakaru deshou? Ano egao ga ima mo. Tsuyosa wo kureru kara. (I'm awakening to these emotions! I can't lie to myself anymore. If I want to protect him, I just need to stand up. You're not alone anymore; You know that, right? That smile of yours Still gives me strength, even today.)"

Insert Song: End

Insert Song: Start

Dies irae - Animation OST: Burlesque

"Geez, kouhai, you are seriously getting way ahead of yourself right now, impressing the ladies like that while driving in style. Then again, I'm not one to talk as I would recall just how you managed to impress me and two other certain girls back then when it came to your driving skills."

That was the exasperated comment of one Seria Kumokawa who could only look back from her comfortable chair, smirking in amusement, with arms crossed, and watch from the holographic screen, using the nanomachine cameras of OVER_LINE XCEED Mark 12 that were spread out throughout Academy City, and was looking at Kamijou who was currently riding in his hoverboard alongside four middle school girls throughout the roads and sidewalks of District 7. One of the four middle school girls, Kumokawa would recognize to be the #3 Level 5 Esper of Academy - Mikoto Misaka - Railgun.

"So...my precious kouhai had finally met the Railgun, huh?" Kumokawa would say, sporting a concerned and pondering expression. "Might as well need to tell the other Angels about this."

And at that point, Kumokawa would eventually lean forward, pressing a few keys from her advanced control panel that was in the guise of a simple wooden table. Eventually, a beeping sound would occur, with a holographic screen beginning to appear, hovering a few meters in the air, with the words "Please wait" denoting a sign that the two contacts are yet to appear.

Then the signal would be open, revealing two young high class women, both wearing the Tokiwadai summer uniform, sporting a serious and concerned expression.

"Ara, Kumokawa-san," Ayu Mitsuari, sporting a curious expression, with arms crossed. "Do what do I and Shokuhou-san owe the pleasure of your call?"

"Oh, just a simple manner of showing you two on what is currently taking place in our man's life right about now," Kumokawa said, pressing a few keys that would transmit the same camera angle that she was watching and was now being shown for both Ayu Mitsuari and the other young woman to her right, Misaki Shokuhou, to take immediate notice.

"Ah! Misaka-san? Shirai-san? And two other middle school students that I'd recognize as belonging to Sakugawa if I recall correctly from all of those files that all of us and some others have organized?" Shokuhou sported a surprised and concerned expression, with a slight subtle tinge of annoyance in reference to Mikoto Misaka who was her rival in both as a student of Tokiwadai and as a Level 5 esper, the older sister of her best friend Dolly, and the one to whom the father of said best friend, Tabigake Misaka, would ask to keep an eye out in light of the available information that correlates to Mikoto Misaka. "This is quite the intriguing development I must say."

"Are you perhaps jealous that your rival is now enjoying the same ride that you and by extension we had back in the day?" Kumokawa asked, raising an eyebrow of amusement.

"Oh don't act like you are so above it all and aren't bothered by this as well as I am, you old hag," Shokuhou sported an annoyed expression, with both hands placed to her waist. "If I recall correctly, you, I, and Mitsuari-san would compete against each other when it comes to scoring affectionate points for my hardworking and handsome Prince."

"Yes, and that was even after we had found out that he was actually married and taken, much to my bitter disappointment," Kumokawa would say in a grumbling tone that was likened to that of a graceful but no less sore loser. "But in any case, we shouldn't really be surprised that our dear Kamijou-san is currently hanging out with the Railgun right now as I seem to recall the fact that he and the Supervisor had once told us about an incident where Kamijou-san had bumped into Misaka-san that one night when she was surrounded by all of those Skill-Out delinquents that Agent Hamazura and Agent Haoyi had managed to arrest due to certain criminal charges against them."

"Ah yes, I recalled that night all too well. It was quite late when that happened and I was already resting in my bed in order to get myself ready for tomorrow morning as it was my turn to do the shift," Mitsuari would say, sporting a concerned expression.

"So what does this would mean for us specifically is that based on certain parameters from the timeline table, the marked event that we have all been waiting for as it was informed to us specifically is drawing ever so closer, and it is something that we have been training and preparing for after all this time," Kumokawa would explain, sporting a grim expression.

"Ah...That little conundrum," Shokuhou sported a grim expression, understanding the rather delicate situation that they would now find themselves in.

For this was the month of June. Many things are bound to happen at this time in light of what might happen in the next month which was July.

Specifically July 20. The awaited day when A Certain Magical Index would meet A Certain Imagine Breaker.

After a few turns here and there, Touma Kamijou and the four middle school girls: Mikoto Misaka, Kuroko Shirai, Kazari Uiharu, and Ruiko Saten had finally managed to arrive at the crepe shop where they would spot a lot of people which included children all gathered in the simple open space.

While the four girls were off doing their own business, with Misaka and Saten waiting in line and eventually getting the Gekota merchandise, with the two of them joining up with Shirai and Uiharu as they would eventually enjoy their crepes, Kamijou was simply asked to be excused for a while as he would head towards a nearby bench a few meters away, sitting alone and sporting a serious expression, looking at the latest news headlines from his cellphone that has now transformed into a tablet.

He was currently checking on the latest news in terms of bust-ups that Judgment had carried out that involved various Skill-Out members being arrested due to illegal weapons trafficking. That was the part that had him concerned due to recognizing at least some of the weapons that were described in a summarized format, not in terms of how they function but only with regards to their names.

And all of these weapons were created by an organization that Kamijou has had a few brushes with every now and then.

The Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.).

What was their latest scheme this time?

That was the careful pondering thought that he was mulling over as of present. From what Agent Hamazura had told him from time to time, there has yet to be a single A.I.M. beekeeper soldier that would have been part of the mass arrest that has been currently happening throughout the city. And yet so far, only Skill-Out seems to have been part of it.

He'd figure that arresting at least one A.I.M. beekeeper was already quite the difficult task at this time due to their extensive covert operations that they would manage in the guise of subtlety and espionage, blending in among the crowd and carrying out their job as the masters of creating weapons for use among all parties, and would even be made use of in war-torn countries like the Middle East for instance. Not drawing too much attention just as always and contributing much in the ways of science.

"("Things seem far too quiet as of late in spite of the noise that had been going on for the past few days with Judgment getting involved and taking care of things in the aftermath. A lot of things seem to be moving in multiple directions throughout the Dark Side from what Hamazura could at least tell me based on their latest mission. Something tells me that this could be signs of a premonitory rippling among the shadows, like those who live in it are preparing for something, and that something would no doubt happen and not a moment too soon.")"

And just as he was pondering this...

"?!"

His sixth sense would suddenly trigger from within his mind, allowing him to sense a foresighted danger, not in relation to himself but of what lies in another direction, to which Kamijou would look towards.

He would spot a nearby bank has its security shutters on which was already a dead giveaway due to the fact that it's still the middle of the day. And he would see those shutters explode, which would make him sport an alarmed expression. He would see the crowd sport surprised expressions as they have seen and heard the explosion.

Kamijou would spare no time to waste as he would put his tablet back into phone mode and would sprint towards the direction where the four young middle school girls were located. In fact, he would already notice Shirai springing into action, already wearing her Judgment armband and about to engage the three bank robbers who were wearing white handkerchiefs in order to cover their faces, with one of them already being taken down through the use of a side-step maneuver, dodging the rather clumsily attack and using the thug's own momentum against him, sending down on the pavement.

"Are you girls alright?!" he would call out, which would draw the attention of Misaka, Saten, and Uiharu who took notice of him.

"Y-Yes, we're alright," Saten said, sporting a concerned expression.

"No, you can't leave the plaza now!" Uiharu would exclaim in worry from the side.

Kamijou would instantly notice the voice of one Kazari Uiharu who was currently grabbing unto the wrist of the tour guide who was sporting a distraught expression. He, along with Misaka and Saten, would eventually make his way towards Uiharu.

"What happened?," Misaka asked, sporting a concerned expression.

"I can't find one of the boys!" the tour guide would exclaim out of worry.

"Eh?," Misaka uttered, as she and Saten would sport concerned expressions while Kamijou would narrow his eyes out of concern, taking notice of the tour guide's look which was directed towards a tour bus nearby.

"Just a second ago, he said that he was going to get something that he forgot on the bus," the tour guide would explain, sporting a worried expression.

"In that case, Uiharu-san and I will—" Misaka would speak in a concerned tone, before suddenly getting cut off by Saten.

"I'm going too!" Saten would say.

Misaka would turn to look at Saten who made a nod of affirmation, to which she would eventually accept with a nod. "Understood."

"Wait a minute," Kamijou would call out suddenly, which had drawn the attention of everyone who was present. He was currently putting his right hand towards the holographic screen that was being projected from the case of his wristwatch that he wore to his left wrist, typing a few words "Detective Mode" which would allow for a pair of dark shades and a pair of grey gloves to materialize from his person, much to the shock of everyone that was present.

Kamijou would try to focus the lens of the shades, raising his right glove hand that would produce a signal that would allow him to see people through all types of obstacles and detect usable and useful objects in the environment. The blue signatures that he would see would denote friendlies and that would include Misaka, Uiharu, Saten, and the tour guide. He would sprint forward, jump towards a nearby fence, and find what appeared to be traces of little-size shoe footprints that would be separated from the rest of the other traced footprints due to calculating the most recent data based on movement analysis. He would follow these recent footsteps and manages to find the young boy who was sporting a scared expression, hiding behind the bushes.

Kamijou would smile in relief, calling out to the three middle school girls and the tour guide who were still sporting surprised expressions. "Hey girls, I found the kid! He's over here!"

And after they were called, they would make haste, with the tour guide arriving first and foremost and embracing the child. The three young girls would all look towards Kamijou, sporting awed and impressed expressions.

"Ok, you, be honest with us, just where the heck do you keep getting all of these cool gadgets that you somehow managed to pull at what I call perfect timing?" Misaka asked, sporting an impressed smirk, putting her right hand to her waist.

"That's kinda classified," Kamijou would smile before eventually turning serious, seeing one of the robbers that were trying to get away from Shirai. "Excuse me for a second."

And so, Kamijou would eventually make his way toward the sprinting robber's location, with the dashing robber sporting a surprised expression on his face the moment Kamijou was within his line of sight and was too late to dodge what was about to happen next.

Kamijou would perform a judo maneuver, throwing the robber towards the ground while holding his right arm, joint locking him from moving, and knocking the latter out with a single punch to the face, much to the surprise of the three middle school girls, the tour guide, and the young boy.

And with that, one robber was down while another one was currently pinned down to the pavement quite literally by Shirai who was sporting a surprised expression on her face, noticing the quick takedown that Kamijou had employed.

And that would only leave one robber standing, one who had already removed his handkerchief, showing his displeasured mouth. This robber was a young man with spiky hair, much to the cringing of one Touma Kamijou due to the similar hairstyle, sporting a small beard on his chin and wearing a black leather jacket.

"Tck," the robber would click his tongue out of displeasure. "Guess I've got no other option but to use it."

And so, the robber would eventually draw out a rectangular container belt which he would place at the center of his waist, automatically wrapping around it, much to the surprise of Shirai who took notice of it as she glances back at the robber. Kamijou on the other hand would sport a shocked expression, recognizing the belt from anywhere based on the label "Smart Brain" that was located at the buckle. And so he would begin to make a dash towards Shirai's position, much to the surprise of the latter, the other three middle school girls, the tour guide and the young boy she was holding, and everyone else among the crowd, with some pulling out cellphones, tablets, and other devices that they were using to record what was taking place, and with some of those recordings even streaming live to various internet sites.

Insert Song: End

Insert Song: Start

Zero Kara no Gyakushū - Atsushi Abe (Kamijou Touma's Character Song)

And at that very moment...

"Transform!"

Both Kamijou and the robber would exclaim in the English tongue.

Access: Imagine Breaker!

Access: Extremis!

A computerized voice, accepting the voice command based on the speaker recognition function would suddenly be heard from the wristwatch that Kamijou was wearing and the belt that the robber was wearing, much to everyone's surprise. And thus, both men would begin to undergo a complete transformation based on their physical appearances alone.

Touma Kamijou would don a complete change of wardrobe as a bright white circular sphere would suddenly encircle the middle portion of his body before eventually spreading into two bright circular spheres that would engulf his entire physical appearance, high school uniform would change into that of a uniform which consisted of a blank white eye mask with a modified rectangle mirrored lens, black hoodie jacket, an orange Chinese dragon logo that is centered around a black t-shirt, black active performance track pants, orange utility belt and grey gloves, black socks, and black-white Shaq Attack basketball shoes.

The robber on the other hand, as a bright flash of light would suddenly engulf his entire appearance, was donning an advanced suit of armor which consisted of a black bodysuit with gold-colored gloves and boots that were sporting repulsor nodes, with a central circular reactor core that was present from the torso.

And as Kamijou transformed, he was already close to Shirai's position, with his back faced to her front, eventually materializing something that is to be worn from his left arm through the use of two flexible straps that was fitted on the inner surface that would allow it to be easily held. It was a disc-shaped object with an orange Chinese dragon design in its center, within black, orange, and white concentric circles that are numbered in four.

And so, he stood tall as he would begin to narrow his eyes, with his trusted shield beside him raised in an act of protection that was likened to a knight in shining armor and bespoke of a sentinel of liberty, with a right hand raised lower down in order to indicate to Shirai that he has this and it would be wise if she were to simply step back, much to Shirai's continued surprise, as he would look towards the advance armored individual who couldn't help but sport a surprised expression underneath his faceplate.

"You..." the robber would mutter, from surprise to a slow-growing excitement as his face would sport a pleased expression as he would exclaim in a clear, loud voice. "It's really you, isn't it? A Certain Unknown Level 0!"

"Eh?!" Shirai sported a shocked expression, recognizing the term that was just uttered now.

"Eh?!" Misaka, Uiharu, and Saten sported shocked expressions, recognizing the term as well.

"Eh?!" many among the crowd who were watching, especially those who were recording the incident live from their respective mobile devices, would also sport shocked expressions, recognizing the term as well.

A Certain Unknown Level 0.

That was the designation given to a certain vigilante that had been known to strike fear in the corrupted and brought hope to all, especially to the lower-level espers like 1s and 0s. And this vigilante would be also rumored to have been backed by Anti-Skill, with the latter subtly providing the former the assistance that he truly needs.

For this was the rumored superhero of Academy City. And not just of Academy City, but what might as well be that of the rest of the world. The very first superhero.

As a response to the declaration that was made by the robber, Kamijou opted to remain silent, simply content to stare at the armored figure who was no doubt quite dangerous due to the armor that he was currently wearing, and it was now sporting red neon colors which were denoting an advanced form of genetic manipulation called the Extremis virus.

And it would be apparent when the robber would raise his right hand that would now manifest orange crimson flames, showing his esper ability of Pyrokinesis.

"You know...ever since I first heard about you, I wanted to at least get a chance to meet you face to face. Turns out that I got my wish alright," the robber would say, with a tone that was mixture of excitement and a subtle tone of sadness. "Which is more than I could say for my own dream."

Kamijou would take note of that, sporting a grim understanding expression. "By dream, do you mean becoming an esper?"

"Hehehehehe," the robber chuckled sadly. "That's right. I came to this damn city in order to become an esper. And man, I thought that it would be so easy at the time. But I was so damn wrong. After so many setbacks and screw-ups, I eventually realized that being an esper was just that. A dream. Nothing more, nothing less. No matter how much I'd try to improve, no matter how much I try to learn all of that garbage science that those adults would throw at us, it still wouldn't be enough. I'm just stuck to the bottom no matter what I'd do. Luckily for me, I'd just been offered an alternative to such a fantasy, replacing it with something far better."

"The Extremis virus, is that what you're saying?" Kamijou asked, sporting a narrowed expression, taking note of the red neon-colored lights that were present and streamlined in the armor.

"Oh, so you've heard what this stuff is supposed to be? Good, then that would make things easy from here on out," the robber would say.

And at that moment, he would begin to manifest orange crimson flames throughout his entire body, likened to a literal torch which was roughly around several thousand degrees Celsius. Then, he would begin to perform a kick maneuver which would send a continuous burst of flame towards Kamijou's location, to which the latter would make use of his shield to redirect the heat, sending it away to other directions and scorching the areas it landed on, with Shirai instinctively raising her arms.

Eventually, the robber would make a sudden dash that was likened to that of superspeed, trying to reach Kamijou and would raise a punch that is covered in orange crimson flames, only for Kamijou to parry with his shield, knocking the robber by the chin and sending the robber back a few meters away, about 25 meters in measurement. The robber would eventually fire the nodes in the palm of his hand, sending red high-density muon beams that were aimed towards Kamijou, only for the latter to parry it with his own repulsors, firing blue instead of red, pushing the beams back nearly instantly, and the beams that were to be sent back misfired as the robber would launch himself to the air, transforming his gauntlets into that of crimson energy handle blades that would unleash a wave of photon energy that would be hurled towards Kamijou, only for him to parry it back as he throws his shield and redirects it with his thoughts on command, preventing any more collateral damage, and would be aimed towards the robber who would be struck down and sent a few meters away, disorienting the robber for a few moments.

"Shirai-san!" Kamijou, speaking in a tone of authority, would turn towards Shirai who was sporting a surprised expression. "How long do you think Anti-Skill would be here in time?"

"...A-About 5 minutes I think," Shirai would answer.

"Good enough for now. I want you to ask Uiharu to make contact with them again. Tell them that A Certain Unknown Level 0 is currently fighting someone in an advance exoskeleton armor that is carrying a substance called the Extremis virus and that they are going to need to bring in a special containment tube just in case. And make sure to keep the civilians as far away as possible. Call in backup from Judgment if you have to. I'll hold this guy off for as long as I can until then."

And at that moment, by the time Shirai would try to call out to Kamijou, orange electrical sparks of lightning would be seen from his shoes which he would use to launch himself through the air in an instant, with the jet function activating which would allow Kamijou to tackle the disoriented robber and would perform a series of punches and kicks that would send the robber falling to the asphalt road, with the crash being apparent based on the cracks.

And while this battle was happening, Mikoto Misaka could only look at the battle with interest, sporting a concerned expression on her face. Thinking that she couldn't just let Kamijou handle this by himself and in spite of the shock and the multitude of questions that were no doubt pouring into her mind, she would sport a determined expression, saying.

"Saten-san, Uiharu-san."

"Hm?" both Saten and Uiharu would turn towards Misaka, seeing her determined expression.

"I'm going to help that our new friend out for a bit. Stay here and make sure not to get too close."

And with that, Misaka would suddenly make a sudden dash, with blue electrical lightning sparks appearing from her body, and would make a hop that would send her a few meters into the air and stick towards a nearby wall of a three-storey building, making her way towards the battle that was no doubt taking place.