Accelerator had spent some time tracking him down, but here he was, clear as day. Takeru Yamamoto, sitting in a restaurant in full view of the street and eating alone. That was… a strange choice. Accelerator had frequently eaten alone, but even he had never quite stopped to going out to eat by himself. It seemed unusually pathetic for this supposed new Number 1. Accelerator smiled to himself. He supposed the man wanted company.
He walked into the restaurant and sat down across the table. "Hello."
Takeru didn't seem surprised at all. "Hi. May I ask what this is about?"
"You know, that letter of yours really pissed me off."
Takeru tilted his head. "Really? I had hoped it wouldn't."
"You clearly don't know me very well."
"That was the point of the letter."
"I think we should step outside for a moment. You know, to have a chat."
Takeru was clearly sweating a little. "I think I'd rather not."
"No, I would really like to."
"I'll pass." And he vanished. Pfft, what was this, a Level 5 teleporter? Oh, he was so scared. What kind of stupid Academy City board put him at the top? In spite of it, he almost felt better. Just some worthless kid, too scared to fight him. It was then that he realized that he had been worried. Well, no reason to now.
Two women walked down the street. They were identical in every way, down to the clothes they wore. People would occasionally stop and stare at them as they passed, but they didn't mind. They were in their own little world, and it was just the two of them.
All of a sudden, an intruder popped into their little world. "Hello!"
They stared. They looked around quickly, in opposite directions. "Who are you?" It didn't matter which of them had said it.
"My name is Taro Tanaka, and I was wondering if you'd like to-"
They held up a hand. "No, we know you. You're that brat with the vanishing act."
He frowned. "Really? I thought only a few people would recognize me still…"
"We know you. We saw you talk to Accelerator."
He perked up. "So, you don't know who I am?"
They shook their heads. "We do. We heard him speak as well."
He looked like he was in shock. "You saw me… and I didn't see you? How distracted was I…"
"Very, we would think. Now, please get out of our way."
"Look, I'd just like to talk to you."
"And we wouldn't. Leave."
"Just introductions! My name is Takeru Yamamoto, Number 1 ranked Level 5 in Academy City."
One sighed, one rolled her eyes.
"Fine. We are Ki. 8th and 9th ranked."
"Which is which?"
"It does not matter. Now get out of our way."
They grasped each other's hand, and slowly pulled apart. A ball of fire began to form between them, getting larger as they pulled apart.
"That's pretty neat. What is that, some kind of gestalt deal? I assume your powers amplify each other's until you get something truly worthy of Level 5…"
"Fire is life. As our lives are bound, our fire is all the greater."
"Well, I've seen enough. Interesting, but not something you can apply very creatively. I just want to tell you that I hope I never have to fight you."
And he was gone. They looked at the spot where he had been for a moment, and walked off in unison.
Takeru walked down the street alone, mentally checking names off in his head. Dark Matter would probably help him if it came to that, Railgun also. Protean was a lost cause from the get-go. Meltdowner he could at least avoid being opposite of. The Pyro twins clearly disliked him, but they would be neutral in anything, so it didn't matter too much. He had no clue who number 10 was. Number 11 was an odd case. He just had to make sure that he never played the bad guy, and Gunha would always fight for him. The only two he had to worry about now were Mental Out and Accelerator. He couldn't even get near Mental Out. She was just too dangerous. Accelerator, though.
Accelerator.
Maybe he should have agreed to fight him then. If he couldn't beat him, at least he could scare him off.
Takeru smiled to himself. Things were taking shape rather well.