A Certain Unfortunate Trainer

by NeoShadows

Kamijou Touma was your average Pokemon Trainer in Academy City. Except he had no Ability or Pokemon as a lowly Level-0 with a weird right hand that brought him misfortune. But upon meeting Index, a girl who memorized a library of forbidden books on Pokemon myths and legends, that normal school life would change. When Science, Magic, and Pokemon meet, a story is told.

5. To Find Pride In Your Ability

Yo! NeoShadows back with your ordered update. It may be a little late, but better late than never!

I'd have had this out sooner, but I was occupied with my new crossover project for quite some time. Once I reached 16 chapters to a new story I'm uploading at the same time as now, I went back to finish working on my other stories. I was actually planning on uploading my stories when I returned to work at the end of the month, but when I noticed both ArmorCoreNineBall and MrQuestionMark update their stories with the same day, I felt the need to do the same. Would have uploaded sooner but it took me an entire day of editing, cutting, reworking, and by the time I was done, it was already one in the morning and I had yet to write the ANs for each chapter.

But I've caught up with everything needed to upload and now bring to you what I've been stewing this past month.

Now to get these reviews over with!

D. : The Toxic Hazard Arc officially begins in the middle of The Index Arc taking place. I definitely found myself having fun setting it up and creating the characters to be introduced. Some good old lore is always welcomed in my opinion, so I'm glad you liked what I've given this far. As for the healing aspect of Pokemon being unable to heal humans; Personal Realities do have play a part to the reasons to be explained later on.

MrQuestionMark: Comparing my fic to a Nuzlocke? I like that! I should really play through my copy of Pokemon Shield under the rules of a Nuclocke when I have the time. Compared to what Pokemon is normally seen as, my fic makes the world a lot more brutal than what is typically expected but at the same time, what else would expect from the world of ToAru? When it comes to the lore I've created for this fic, I really did have to do a whole lot of studying and had to watch various videos on lore to fashion something up; I give many thanks to Lockstin and Gnoggin on Youtube for helping me with ideas. With this chapter, we officially dive into the Toxic Hazard Arc Mid-Arc! Biohacker was a fun SS to read, so I had to make references to it. Though the event that took place in the Pokemon world had a far different ending than you'd expect. I plan to make a lot of this story original, save for keeping a few important arcs revamped like remixes rather than rewrite. It's once we get past The Sisters arc that things truly stray into new territory.

Doomqwer: Good questions I will try to answer. One; Healing abilities used by Pokemon work differently on humans based on a difference in realities rejecting the 'miracles' brought on by Pokemon. It'll be explained in greater detail later on. Second; Imagine Breaker's nature affects Pokemon due to the creatures being registered as natural yet unnatural by its power. When it comes to natural poison seeping from the fangs of, say an Arbok, Imagine Breaker will fail to erase the poison. But if said poison is created by the power of an inner force not seen as natural, such as the move Poison Sting, it reacts to destroy the abnormal power. Again, It's better explained later on when such a question is brought up. I don't want to give up everything all at once.

Cheesecake244351: Your original grimoires certainly helped in coming up with some interesting ideas for later on. And, oh dear god, the thought of the Kami-yan disease spreading to Pokemon is just chilling. Yes, the world of Pokemon is often overlooked to be a rather brutal one. I mean, just think back to the Pokemon entries themselves! You're also the second person to think of this story with a Nuclocke feel; sweet. Kanzaki will come in time, don't worry. For now, we dive into the second half of this new arc to Index; The Toxic Hazard Arc! The dynamic between Touma and Zenchou was a fun one to spin. Makes you wonder what other Pokemon will come to associate themselves with a regular high school boy. I think Deino has become a rather popular Pokemon to wanted in adding to the party. When it came to Kuroko's partner, I thought of Abra too because of its obvious infamous Teleport-I can't even recall how many Pokeball I've tossed at the damn thing in my day-but it just seems to fit better if her Pokemon was Gothirita. I've come up with a different Biohacker in this world of Pokemon, with a far different ending compared to the original. Thinks like hybrid Pokemon isn't really something I'm willing to talk about right now. As for religion working in this setting; I'd like to think it works no different than religion in the real world. Scattered with churches found here and there but not overly profound outside their home regions. I chose Galar as the base for the English Puritans because it was similar to Britain. In time, you'll understand it all.

We're done with the reviews, so let's get to reading!

---

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either A Certain Magical Index or Pokemon. Both are respectfully reserved to Kazuma Kamachii and Game Freak.

Currently dealing with the last month of being unemployed before returning to the early morning dusk that is opening a dog-themed deli with the very first cup of freshly brewed coffee to start the day. The first thing I'm going to buy once I've got money in my account-after taking care of all those late bills; holy shit-is buy the DLC for Pokemon Shield! Just wait for me, my lovely Poison themed rival/waifu! It won't be long until you're facing off with my (Poke)balls!

Hmm? Pokemon Sword? No, I don't have it; I have Shield. What does it matter?

...WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S EXCLUSIVE TO SWORDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD?!

---

Chapter 5: To Find Pride By Your Ability.

MEGA_Flash_Prices.

[-]

Once again, Touma groaned as he awoke from his slumber on the now cleaned floor the belonged to his teacher's one-room apartment. Thankfully he didn't have to sleep on just the floor itself; Komoe had gone out to buy him a spare futon so he didn't have to suffer through the aches of his back resting on the hard floor. It was cheap though, so it was only moderately better than before. This misfortunate Kamijou-san couldn't complain.

Due to this poor Kamijou-san's male dorm being off-limits while it underwent repairs from the damage wrought by a lanky redhead and his Fire/Dark-Type Pokemon that nearly burned his place down, he was now living with his adorable teacher for the next few days. All because he had gone and stuck his nose in the business of the magical variety that should not have existed. He was a normal high school boy in a world of Pokemon, living in a man-made region known as Academy City where they developed espers. Despite said life not exactly being defined as normal, it was as normal as he could get considering his rotten past. But said normal life was jeopardized upon finding a holy Sister on his balcony railing.

One fight later to save said girl and Touma could no longer return to that normal life. At least until he fixed whatever the hell was going on with the mysterious girl known as Index. Which currently was a whole lot of nothing as they resided in his teacher's home.

His blurry eyes fought to adjust to the sunlight from the window close by as he yawned. Having slept two days at his teacher's place, he couldn't help but long for the comfort of his bed. Too bad it may have been charred from his fight with a red-haired Magician and his Pokemon. The fight may not have taken place in Touma's room but knowing his luck the fire had probably spread inside. Along with water damage from his fridge, he now had to contend with fire damage.

Well, no need to worry about that. That was a small problem compared to what he was dealing with now.

"Hmm? Why is it suddenly hard to breathe?"

Touma felt a pressure on his chest as he tried to get up from his futon. Said warm pressure that clung onto his upper body, groaned. Rosy pink short hair tickled his chin and the scent of beer and smoke hit his nose.

A Wild Komoe has appeared and was afflicted with Sleep!

'No, nononononononononon! This isn't who I think it is; is it?! This Kamijou-san isn't waking up to some cliché scene straight out of some hentai! Ahhhhh, her body feels sooooo soft! If it wasn't for the smell of liquor on her breath, I might be tempted to let go of my pride and give in to temptation!'

Wait! His one true love was a beautiful, clumsy Dorm Manager Onee-san! He couldn't betray that beloved fantasy so easily! The heart of longing belonging to a high schooler was stronger than this!

Let's explain the raunchy situation; shall we?

Late at night, a certain teacher had decided to chug two cases of cheaply bought beer; a guilty pleasure she had every right to partake for all the trouble her delinquent of a student was causing her. Plus, Touma and Index were asleep, so there was no judgment at the sight of an elementary bodied woman downing beer after beer like an alcoholic bar fly. Despite possessing an innocent face, she had her vices. Drunk, Komoe had staggered towards her own bedside but with how her vision was swimming, she wasn't exactly sure of where she was going.

Which had left our adorably drunk teacher to mistakenly crawl into Touma's bed and fall asleep on her tall student's chest. How he didn't notice his cute teacher snuggling into his chest, he didn't know. All he did know was that a swift punishment would follow if he wasn't careful with what he did next.

Gulping back the utter fear, Touma placed his hands on Komoe's petite waist, letting his grip rest on the older woman's skin so that she didn't wake up to a sudden touch. After a moment, he began to work carefully on sliding his way off from under the pink-haired woman's body, momentarily freezing and growing pale as Komoe moaned and stirred as he almost freed himself from her grip. His mind went into overdrive to quickly defuse the situation before grabbing his pillow. He moved quickly, pulling the old switcheroo so that his teacher snuggled the fluffy pillow in his place as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was far too close for comfort! I think my life nearly flashed before my eyes!" Touma panted lightly as he stood over the futon shakily.

He knew Komoe wouldn't have freaked out violently. Unlike certain girls he knew of that reacted with iron fists or zaps to his face, his teacher was a full-grown woman-in the body of a girl in 3rd grade-who was mature enough to not attack first without asking questions. If anything, she would stammer and blush at the awkward situation she found herself in with a student. Ah, the wonders of an adult beauty.

No, the real threat laid in-

"Fuuuuuuh."

Magmar or as he was called by his master, Oni.

Touma's body grew still as if he was paralyzed by the effects of Glare by what could only be described as a raging bonfire standing behind him. He could feel the skin on his back grow moist. He didn't dare to turn around at the evil gleaming red eyes bearing down at him with malice.

At this very moment, he noticed something as he felt a slight breeze. He couldn't help but tilt his head down, discovering that his pants had been unbuckled, leaving them to fall to his knees. He also found his teacher turn over, leaving her in a position flat on her back, a blush on her face with her clothes wrinkled and moved around to leave her skin exposed. Since Komoe had been drinking last night, she had a few stains on her clothes that were still visible from her beer. Now put two and two together.

Even if you were terrible at math, you would still find the equation equaling PAIN.

Against his better judgment, Touma craned his head back to find Magmar with a yellow-billed beak grin, tilting his head at the spiky-haired victim with a deep chuckle as if to say; 'You just never learn, do ya, punk?! How many times do I have to teach you this lesson, bitch? I'm getting sick and tired of going over the same old material! It's not funny anymoooooooooorrrrreeeeeeee!'

Touma could only weakly laugh as Magmar descended onto him with a cracking flame fist gone ablaze.

[-]

After the morning workout that consisted of blocking, parrying, and evading a furious barrage of Flame Fists, courtesy of a pissed off overprotective Magmar, Touma found himself having to deal with another obstacle that put the threats of Styl and the Toxic Hazard thug from two days ago to shame.

"By focusing on this part of the brain with the mentioned dose of drugs that were created by studying the effects found in researching Solosis brain activity, an esper may be able to awaken what attributes in their Personal Reality?"

A grumpy glare was Touma's answer towards the sheet of paper filled numerous questions that made his brain throttle itself with the move Struggle.

'This is my summer break! Why do I have to deal with schoolwork now of all times?! Aren't I suppose to be dealing with Magicians on the hunt for a girl who's memorized over a hundred thousand toxic books?! Surely that takes precedence over this!'

Komoe didn't seem to understand his plight.

"Come one, Kamijou-chan! We reviewed this yesterday! Even if you're a Level-0, you should still be able to memorize basic information gone over the past twenty-four hours."

Yes, even though Touma's top priority should have been protecting Index from the threat of magicians, he was currently forced to work on his school work with his teacher. Summer, it may be but due to being an idiot, he had no choice but to take summer classes if he wanted any hope of advancing to the next year. One of the main rules while living under Komoe's roof was that he had no excuses for missing out on his extra lessons. Work that she would never forget to bring back home with her as she allowed Touma to miss out on school in order to watch over Index as she recovered. She was a teacher first after all; she would not allow her student to miss out on better improving himself.

By Touma's side, Index stared at the written work quizzically. She may have been from Galar, a region that's main language used English when compared to Academy City that shared its language with Kanto and Johto's native Japanese, but she understood the characters perfectly fine. What she didn't understand was the subject material that she read.

"Just what is an esper anyway?" she asked with a squint at the written material that flew over her head.

Touma thanked the heavens that Komoe's attention had drifted over to Index upon hearing her question. He just needed one moment of respite from all the brainpower he was burning up! At this rate, he was going to go as braindead as a Slowpoke!

"Ah, that's right! You're a foreigner, aren't you, Index-chan? You wouldn't understand what an Esper is without a proper explanation."

Index nodded, brow furrowed as she glared at the complex theories and studies that were currently fighting to make a certain Level-0 submit to defeat. In all her time in Academy City, she had never really seen what made espers special. That was mostly due to the strict guidelines the city like region had enforced to prevent Espers from abusing their powers out in broad daylight. It was the same as having possession of a gun or knife with a legal permit; keep it unseen and away from the general public unless a dire situation that was at risk of your health appeared.

From what little she understood, Espers were similar to Magicians. But due to the process of creating espers, those gifted with supernatural abilities by science were no longer capable of performing miracles by magic. To attempt stepping onto the opposite world of either breed would cause a fatal backlash to either Esper or Magician.

Komoe smiled at the confused Galar Sister, going off into Teacher Mode as she reached for a spare blank sheet of work paper the groaning Touma passed with the addition of a pencil he was more than happy to give up. With a few strokes of the pointed lead, the eternally youthful woman began her explanation of the core achievement of the land of science.

"To put it simply; espers are humans who've transcended their base humanity to gain a newfound sense of reality very similar to the reality of what Pokemon conceive as. By using a variety of drugs, mental manipulations, theories of cognition, and hypnosis, anyone who undergoes the Power Curriculum Program can gain what is known as An Involuntary Movement, or AIM. This causes the individual to gain an Microverse; it's like a pocket universe of one's own design and control that follows rules the Esper creates. Within that personal universe, an Esper's view of reality is distorted to their own desires to perform mental calculations that birth their own unique Ability. But such a scientific miracle can only exist in thanks to an espers bond with a Pokemon."

Finished with her drawing, Komoe revealed an example of her explanation to the curious Index. The silver-haired Sister hummed at the drawings of a human with a personal bubble around them alongside a commonly known Pokemon, Pikachu, who exuded the same personal bubble that was labeled as AIM.

"So, espers are like Pokemon?" Index titled her head with a skeptical glare.

Komoe shook her head with a patient smile, "Not exactly, Sister-chan! After all, Pokemon themselves are capable of performing all manner of Abilities of varying Type depending on their gene-pool and species. An Esper, meanwhile, is only able to perform one unique Ability that can grow even more complex with enough study and practice. In that sense, Espers are considered more akin to hybrids rather than human Pokemon. As to how an Espers Ability is determined; it is unknown.

With a few more strokes of the pencil's tip, Index found several blocks hovering over the body of the Pikachu that was linked to connect with the esper's AIM Field, each block labeled as Potential.

"However, we have determined that the closer an esper is with a Pokemon they've bonded with throughout the Power Curriculum Program, the more likely they are to gain one of their natural Abilities. Take Pikachu for instance; it is known that Pikachu is an Electric-Type capable of a wide variety of Electric Moves. It is also known that Pikachu can communicate with one another through electricity, heal via electricity, absorb and discharge large frequencies of electricity in the red glands of their face, and even sense other beings via electrical bursts that detect bio-electricity. Gathering each individual Potential, it is possible for an Esper to gain one of these building blocks to make their own and further evolve into something unique. Take Pikachu's natural Potential Block to manipulate electricity. By far one of the most common of Blocks for an Esper to gain, they become capable of taking control of electricity and gain the Esper Ability known as Electrokinesis. Others may only gain the Potential Block to communicate with other Espers using bio-electricity or absorbing/discharging electricity; both are Esper Abilities are known as Zap Messaging and Shock Battery respectfully."

"Hmm, so espers are able to gain a sense of Reality to distort the world in the image of a Pokemon's potential. But it's only in one aspect that grants them one power? That doesn't seem that great. Especially when compared to what Magicians and Sorcerers can do." Index mumbled softly.

A magician was far different in that regard then. While an esper was only capable of using a bastardized version of Idol Theory through science, a magician's power through manipulating the mana of the world and themselves allowed them to go further. One would only think back to the most common of spells that just about every religion had access to; Fire. The Element of one of the Three Primary Elements that built the world, discounting Ether, could be found in every text and scripture of all the religions found in every region of the world yet utilized in a variety of different chants.

In Johto, the practitioners of the belief of The Tower Duo would commonly refer to Entie, a Legendary Beast born of the rebirthing flames of Ho-Oh, when performing their spells that commanded Fire. Though they were not only limited to only Fire Spells. Using Idol Theory, they could gain the lightning-quick speed of Raikou, the rejuvenating waters of Suicune, or any other feat only capable of those Legendary Pokemon. Though the spells themselves would pale in comparison to the real beasts of legend that served Ho-Oh.

Spells in the world of Magic were, after all, the recreation of the miracles Pokemon could perform but by Humans who have failed to achieve their innermost desires. One aspect of espers similar to magicians was that those highly skilled and knowledgeable in magic could create their own spells by using the miracles of Pokemon as a foundation to birth original magic.

Be it through the old stories of Human and Pokemon, legends of powerful Pokemon or scriptures of those godly Mythical Pokemon found throughout the world, magicians would spin those sources to achieve their own desires to distort the world in their favor.

Be it good or evil.

Komoe wagged her finger at the unimpressed Sister. Though she was a bit disappointed that the foreign girl wasn't starstruck by the knowledge that anyone could gain a Super Power of their own.

A new drawing was sketched for the Sister, detailing an esper's ability at Level-1 with various blocks growing in detail and strength. Touma eyed the drawing, amused to see it was similar to an ability tree in RPGs.

"It's more than that, Sister-chan! Take for instance the ability Zap Messenger. An Esper with such power at Level-1 will only be able to send messages to others via bio-electrical 'zaps' at an average of ten feet and only to one individual. Said messages will be rather simple as well. But with enough training, that Esper may level up to Level-2, going further in range, number of contact individuals, and message context and complexity. It's theorized that an Esper with Zap Messenger at Level-4 could even go beyond human and Pokemon contact and send messages to an entire city using electronics."

"In other words, they could Evolve their Ability into something much more frightening."

Index didn't like the sound of that. An esper ability as simple as lifting up a pebble could grow into allowing the user to tear the earth asunder and create heavenly bodies above the heads of others. It really was frightening to think about how deadly an esper could become with enough time.

"In theory, of course. To level up, it takes plenty of studies, research, drugs, battling, and mental fortification. Only those who work exceptionally hard may increase their Levels. Though a large percentage of those who've undertaken the Power Curriculum Program do remain as Level-0. There is still much to be discovered in how to aid the students of Academy City to grow their abilities alongside their Pokemon."

Esper and Magician; two separate forms of humans who've gained supernatural powers through the aid of Pokemon to distort reality in their favor for their own needs and wants. They were the Heads and Tails of a coin. They were Oil and Water. Alike yet different. One but separate in this world of Pokemon.

A state of being that this unlucky Kamijou would never be able to become.

Touma grumbled as he went back to work on his school papers. It just wasn't fair! Why did he have to study on a subject he would never be able to grasp because of his right hand?! Imagine Breaker basically nullified any chance of him gaining a Personal Reality, so there was no way he would ever be able to gain an ability. Even the monthly System Scans proved to be inconclusive! So, again, why did he have to study in a subject that was completely useless and irrelevant to this dumb Kamijou-san?!

The paper in front of him was mocking him as if it itself had gained the move Taunt! It was begging to be torn to shreds in frustration!

Yet Touma had no choice but to attempt to understand the material as long as he resided in Academy City. And if he wanted to continue staying under Komoe's roof, he had no choice but to do his school work. However boring, tiring, and mind-numbing it may be. He was, after all, a student of Academy City.

"That should do it at least."

It had taken a good hour but the very last of Touma's work was completed! Not to say that everything he had written down was correct, but it was done at least. And Komoe wouldn't be lecturing him anytime soon on the proper answers any time soon. She was off of work and made it a rule to only grade her students' paperwork when needed. And right now, the pink-haired woman didn't have time to look over his answers.

She had to get ready to teach after all.

Unlike Touma who was excused from attending classes due to watching over Index, Komoe still had the responsibility to return to school and continue on with her teaching of the rest of her students. She didn't have the leisure to take a few days off, not to mention as an adult she had bills to pay. Feeding Index seemed to require more Pokeyen than anticipated.

Of course, while Komoe understood the reasons why her beloved troublesome student couldn't attend class was due to taking care of Index's weak state, she couldn't very well explain that to the school board. Index was a foreigner, she would be deported and exposed to the very same people who had nearly killed her if they explained the situation to them. For Index's safety, she had to be kept hidden from the eyes of Academy City. So, that left Touma to play truant and accept the missing school days in the meantime.

Komoe stood up from her spot next to Index, fixing her favorite pink dress as she prepared to leave. She had enough time to make breakfast and even help Touma with his schoolwork, which she would grade back at school alongside the rest. After a good night's sleep, she felt she could tackle just about anything!

Little did he know that her good-nights sleep was all thanks to the futon known as Kamijou Touma with the pleasant bodied pillow being his chest. Such a revelation had been kept hidden as her beloved Magmar, Oni, had hidden the crispy, groaning body that was Touma away from sight as she woke up without any idea of where she had slept.

The eternally youthful teacher patted the two Pokeballs on her waist with a pleasant hum before turning to face her delinquent of a student.

"Remember, Kamijou-chan! While sensei is away, don't go causing any trouble, don't take advantage of Sister-chan as she sleeps, don't go rifling through my unmentionables, and don't go watching the No-No Channel when no one is looking. Oh, remember to study while you're at it; I can't stress that enough."

"Just what the hell do you take this innocent Kamijou-san for? Do you think I'm Aogami or something? Why would such an adorably faced, elementary bodied, woman even have such a channel that she would label it as No-No Channel!? Besides, none of you fit the proper role of a weary, clumsy, but passionate Dorm Manager Onee-san! And how can you stress studying over everything else?!"

Seriously, what did they think of him?! Mind you, he was a high school boy with a healthy obsession of the opposite sex, but he wasn't some deranged pervert on the level of a certain Fetish King. As if he would do anything perverted while under the roof of his teacher while taking care of a bedridden girl.

"CAW!"

An ominous call of a certain bird of misfortune was a warning of what was to come.

The window to Komoe's single-room home was open, allowing the dark feathered Pokemon, Murkrow, also known as Zenchou, to fly in after going about his business. Unlike most Pokemon, he had no Trainer. Being a Wild Pokemon allowed him to do whatever he pleased under his own freedom. While he was assisting Touma with protecting the girl known as Index under his own desire, Zenchou by no means meant that he was listening to the spiky-haired boy carrying an aura of gloom and bad luck.

Though they were allies, Zenchou still carried about his usual routine to cause trouble.

Touma felt the now familiar weight of Zenchou sitting on his head. He grew annoyed at the Pokemon now treating his head as his own personal throne before noticing something odd. A glance up revealed the pink corner of some...magazine in Zenchou's mouth. For whatever reason, the cursed bird leaned his head down, offering the magazine to Touma as some kind of gift.

Once the magazine was in his hand, his face blanched, growing nervous with sweat as his mouth dropped open. The cover displayed several women of varying fetishes in alluring poses and Pokemon cosplay.

'PokeSluts: Gotta Fuck 'Em All!'

Two more items were dropped into the hands of the stiffened high school boy, clear for both Index and Komoe to see. One was a small bottle the size of Touma's finger, and the other was a gray square of plastic foil with a slight round bulge.

'Conebee Scented Lube. Machamp Strength Condoms; Regular.'

Touma's eye twitched as he crushed both items in grasp.

Zenchou cawed as if conveying if he did good, hiding a snicker behind his wing.

"TOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMAAAAAA!"

"I-Index-sama, I can explain! It wasn't me who put Zenchou to bring me these ecchi items to me! He's setting me up! I thought I've told you that my only love is Dorm Manager Onee-sans! If any of these items involved the clumsy erotics of a busty Dorm Manager Onee-san than maybe I'd be guilty! W-Wait, you shouldn't be getting out of bed in your state! And why are you opening your teeth so threateningly?! Komoe-sensei, hel-WHY ARE YOU BRANDISHING YOUR MAGMAR'S POKEBALL!? AS A TEACHER, SHOULDN'T YOU BE LOOKING OUT FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR STUDENT!? DON'T ANY OF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE NOT MY TTTTTTTTTYYYYYYYYPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEE!"

Retaliation was swift as a Quick Attack. Zenchou was of course free of any payback he was due as he flew around and cackled at the sight of the spiky-haired boy attacked by the Garchomp like teeth of a nun and the scorching flames of a Magmar's fists. He only laughed harder as he noticed the release of Komoe's second Pokemon, the Dark-type bird's eyes watering and nearly choking on his own laughter as the baby Pokemon, Cubone, joined in to beat Touma's head with her bone club.

Entertainment like this was a joy Zenchou could never pass by. It was looking like sticking around the human who exuded an air similar to darkness was worth whatever troubles may come in the future.

[-]

Between The Lines 4.

The plans to release the same kind of poison affecting all those who fell under the cruel label of Level-0 were nearly complete. The very thought of returning the suffering all those Byoki had fought for in this city of toxic Science brought a vicious grin to his face.

Despite it being school hours, the proud member of one the many Skill-Out gangs of District 10 walked the streets without a care in the world of being caught by the lawful hands of either Anti-Skill or Judgment. One would question how that would be since he was a member of Toxic Hazard; their gang had its own designed uniforms to affiliate with their cause and members. At the first sight of the sick colors they wore on their leather jackets, the law enforcement of Academy City would stop him on the spot. Escaping such gazes was rather simple really.

Don't wear the uniform.

It was simple, too simple for the proud and arrogant members of his gang to really bother with. The younger members of his group wanted to be intimidating, they wanted to look cool and were more than ready to suffer for as they yelled at the world that they were part of a wanted group of thugs. Adorable idiots, the lot of the kids.

But as an Admin of said gang, Byoki couldn't risk being arrested. He was responsible for those kids that were tossed aside as if they were trash by those up top this glorified land of science. Unlike those rowdy brats he adored, he couldn't afford to stick out and get into trouble. All his illegal activities were better done in the shadows of night as a proper thug.

The current him did not appear like some punk who wished to cause trouble because of the failures Academy City was responsible for.

Those who gave up on the city and its Power Curriculum Program had thrown away their old school uniforms as they dropped out of school, but not him. Byoki still kept his dark navy blue long-sleeved uniform over a collared shirt which was nicely pressed, tucked, and cleaned to tell others he was something of a model student. Coupled with black jeans, chocolate loafers, and his deep blue hair combed back nicely, it was hard to believe that he, of all people wandering the streets, was a Level-0 affiliated under Skill-Outs many splinter cells.

"Good morning, Judgment-san!"

Byoki nodded politely at a passing crowd of elementary school children being lead around by an adult through the streets of Academy City, offering one of those cute kids hugging onto a Rattata a bright grin.

"Have a nice day kids, alright?"

Another way to avert suspicious gazes had to do with green armband circling his left shoulder with white numbers; 122.

In the eyes of those passing him by, he was just another Judgment member patrolling the streets in the morning for their safety and well-being. An esper whose duty was to ensure that those who abused their powers or took out their frustration on the students was punished by someone stronger. There was nothing suspicious about a member of the student bodied task force who swore to fight for their happiness.

Nothing suspicious at all from a lawful figure ignoring the cries and pleas of those who didn't have the power to protect even their own Pokemon, let alone themselves, from those who wished to abuse them for kicks.

It sickened him to have to wear a stolen armband of Judgment as a member of Toxic Hazard. Those self-righteous espers were no different than the adults of this sickly city region. Helping others who could help themselves, but turning away from those who lacked power. They were failures who had no right to play protectors.

But in order to blend in without arousing suspicion, he would grit his teeth and pretend to play the part of 'hero' to those who saw him intent on saving them when they called.

Those with power could save themselves. Just as Pokemon could take care of themselves. He was only intent on shielding those looked upon as trash and seen as useless. Those abandoned not only by the city but by their own families were his only concern.

Seeing a crosswalk up ahead, Byoki stopped at the red light. His eyes found themselves turning to the sky full of clouds and Flying-Type Pokemon. Pidove was a commonly found Pokemon in Academy City, just as they were in the western region of Unova, alongside Tailow and Starly that resided in a region built by human hands. Even in this region which was more city than land, Pokemon could be found living side by side with humans and Espers in the littered pockets of zones those supernatural beings could thrive. If he recalled correctly, there were a few Districts created as environments for Pokemon.

Academy City was truly a marvel, Byoki would admit it. A region of steel acting as its own land, created to further evolve Science into new realms and forms. It was a world that could be said to aid humanity itself to evolve as Pokemon did; seen in their Esper Program that continued to accept new students into their region from others to allow them to grow into something considered to be the next step of human evolution.

It was a land poisoning the minds and bodies of ignorant children like Byoki. A feeding ground of lies and false promises. A false paradise which envenomed the naive youth with chemicals twisting their original selves into test subjects. It was a world he absolutely refused to accept to be considered good for all of humanity.

"SCREEEEEEEEEH!"

Just as the red light of a Patrat turned into the green light of a Watchog, Byoki felt a small weight rest on his left shoulder. Like him, the Pokemon adorned a small armband that told the world that it was part of Judgment. The Pokemon was known as Zubat; a bat of blue skin, purple inner wings, fanged teeth, and no eyes. In the world of Pokemon, it too was considered the weakest of its supernatural brethren, a grunt who served no other purpose than to further aid the stronger Pokemon as EXP.

Toxic Hazard was a splinter cell of Skill-Out, a group of Level-0s that shared the same label as the main body but found their own wants and desires different than the righteous leader that controlled the dark underbelly of District 10 with an iron Pangoro fist. And as their gang was themed after Poison, just about every member of their group used Poison-Type Pokemon. To them, Zubats were not useless but loved as they found those eyeless bats great in aiding them in their ventures.

Adorable idiots. Byoki scoffed mirthfully when he thought to how his grunts cared for their Pokemon, treating them like comrades who understood their plight. Pokemon felt worthless, weak, their efforts unrecognized? What Taurus bull!

Pokemon were no different from those high and mighty espers. Beings with power who could save themselves. As if such supernatural creatures were worthy of pity.

"How'd the scouting go, Zubat?"

The bat Pokemon grinned proudly, an expression mirrored by his master's flashing white teeth. At least they were a faithful tool he could exploit.

"So, the baits have been set up. That's good to hear. Without it, we won't be able to cross into such territory without being held up by papers or identification."

Though their plans were so close to completion, there was no way he was going to stumble in sight of the finish line. No, there was far too much to be done. They would get payback for the poison that now coursed their veins that left them worthless. He would enact payback to those who created Errors without any regard for their feelings.

That burning sting, that sickly infection, that was born of adults would be slung back like a Sludge Bomb.

Crossing the streets of District 23, Byoki kept his eyes glued ahead to his main objection for the moment. Though, there was still one other matter he would have to attend to once this was over.

"Have the others continue searching District 7 and the other districts housing students for my other target. When we're done here, we move on to punishing that bastard that dared to harm one of our own. Even if he's a Level-0, he won't get away with taking Toxic Hazard lightly, nor being the reason one of my little brother's is locked up. That brat looked up to me to the point of naming one of his Pokemon after me. It wouldn't be right to not crack that bastard's skull."

The nameless Zubat screeched and flew off to continue its mission.

Not too long after, the loud uproarious boom of smoke and the hint of an orange glow overhead the garages and storing facilities ahead caused panic to those close to the border of District 11. Byoki grinned viciously for a second, clearing the expression for one of concern and a stern frown that told others he was determined to get to the cause of the sudden chaos.

As a Judgment member, it was only natural for him to run to the scene of the crime and 'inspect' the cause of danger without any suspicious gazes.

[-]

Touma winced as he walked the streets of District 7 with a hand caressing the burns and bite marks marring his face and arms due to this morning's typical stroke of misfortune. Only these past few mornings had been occupied by the gnawing jaw of a Sister of the holy faith of Galar. Seriously, what kind of Event had been triggered once he found a nun on his balcony?

Oh, right, the kind involving a magical world revolved around those who called themselves magicians who used the image, legends, and stories of Pokemon to perform spells.

Well, at least he was free of the disastrous Event for a short time.

While Komoe was off at remedial lessons and he was hiding Index from the spell weaving hunters after the 103,000 grimoires memorized in her brain, Touma was basically mooching off his hard-working, passionate child faced teacher. The very thought he was taking advantage of Komoe's kind nature to aid him in protecting Index from those who he was sure didn't care to involve someone like her in the violence, brought a foul taste to his mouth. By keeping Index at Komoe's place, he was, in a way, placing her in harm's way. A notion she wouldn't have minded one bit if it meant protecting an innocent child. That was the maturity and kindness of adults.

Komoe didn't care if she would be hurt, saying it was the responsibility of a teacher to care and protect children. It wasn't meaningless fanservice either, being proven as she had risked her own life in being poisoned by the knowledge of the magical knowledge Index had provided to save her own life. In this city that rejected miracles, one had fallen to save Komoe's from the toxicity of knowledge that belonged to another world.

Touma scratched the back of his head, his face clouded with bitterness at what was transpiring to someone who had no right to be caught up in his mess. Was it happening again? Was...was that dreaded curse falling onto others again just by being near him?

Was his misfortune once again destroying the peace off whoever came into contact with him?

He shook his head, burying those old harmful memories and thoughts deep into those forgotten depths of his mind. Now wasn't the time to be falling back into old habits better left forgotten. After everything his beloved teacher had done for him, he felt it was only right to pay her back somehow. Which was why he was out in the streets of District 7.

Due to Index still feeling weak, he felt it was better if she stayed behind under the protection of the troublesome, misfortune amplifying Murkrow known to Touma as Zenchou until he got back. Touma was doubtful that the magicians would have found them by now, not to mention they have had to fall back as one of their own was harmed. He had dealt with groups of thugs before, so he felt that this case wasn't too different. At the sign of a new enemy with a mysterious power, they would move cautiously until they felt they found a perfect opportunity to strike.

For the moment, he was safe. Until those cold-blooded Magicians showed themselves again, he would have to be cautious of garnering any kind of attention that would cast their eyes onto him.

The troubles of killer magicians, toxic grimoires, and even Touma's own remedial lessons would be left to worry about later. Right now, he was more focused on helping his kind-hearted teacher for all that she had done for him.

Having taken a peek at Komoe's fridge, Touma had noticed that she was running low a few items. She was feeding an additional three months now, she would be out of food by tonight with Index's big appetite. He felt bad enough to be putting her in danger and living under her roof. The last thing he wanted to do was eat out her fridge as if he was some Munchlax that had wandered in with an empty stomach. Scratch that, he had already subjected her to such a scenario thanks to Index.

Seriously, was that silver-haired girl actually a Pokemon that had learned magic to appear human?

'I may not have much left in the old Bank Card, but the least I could do for Komoe-sensei is stock up her fridge. It's a good thing I checked my bank account earlier; Tou-san must have thought to drop off a little extra Pokeyen with the thought that I'd use the extra pokeyen to get something nice. If she's willing to risk her life for Index's safety than I should be more than willing to risk the life of my beaten, bruised, and worn out bank card as well!'

Not minding the bitter tears running down his face at the realization he was going to be flat broke soon, Touma continued on his journey to the supermarket.

Since he was buying groceries for his teacher, he felt that it would be a good idea to plan for dinner. After a long day of teaching idiots like himself, and then having to focus all her attention on him, she would surely welcome a nice home-cooked meal. He even went as far as taking a few of her poorly hidden beers to put in the fridge. A hard-working adult loved nothing more than an ice-cold beer greeting them once they got home. On that note, maybe he could also run her a hot bath while he cooked.

'Great, now I'm thinking like a housewife. I'm even picturing myself waiting for her with a frilly pink apron and asking what she would like first! Dinner, beer, a bath, or-!'

He was a man, damn it! He had dreams of a Dorm Manager Onee-san treating him like that, not the other way around!

"Seriously, where is this Kamijou-san's fantasy of a passionate yet clumsy Dorm Manager Onee-san when he needs it!? If magicians, magic, and grimoires that warp the world are real then why can't such a woman exist before my eyes!"

The spiky-haired boy's cries of a lovely, kind and beautiful Elder Sister Type went ignored as most turned away from him as he was on the verge of tears. Even the city-dwelling Pokemon that wandered the street and sky above knew better than to pay the boy with an aura of disaster any attention.

Clenching his fist with a Cubone like sniffle, Touma eventually made it to the supermarket. The 7-Days Milktank Market; one of the many local supermarkets of District 7 that could be found in what was supposed to be a district focused solely on learning and research of the young Espers of Middle and High School. Unlike the other 23 districts of Academy City, District 7 accommodated for more than school facilities and its own Battle Facility to further grow the AIM of its Espers, offering supermarkets, arcades, malls, hospitals for both humans and Pokemon, general stores, Pokemon Battle Arenas, restaurants and cafes, etc. Due to the large variety of resources, it was considered a melting pot district that oddly fit the strong theme of school and family.

The 7-Day Milktank Market was Touma's favorite of supermarkets. It was a haven for Level-0s who struggled to get by with the low severance check that was offered to those Without Power. The supermarket provided flash sales, discounting various products to satisfy and aid those low-income Espers who couldn't normally afford meats, veggies, drinks, fruits, and microwavable meals without extra aid. It even offered alert messages to the students who signed up to their program that would usually spam emails about the latest products or news. But if you signed up to the Mega Manetric Sales Program, you were immediately sent a message to your phone to alert you of the latest sales with a time limit. Said program was composed of three tiers of sales that were very important for your average impoverish Level-0 to remember.

At Tier-1, Electrike, the sales would usually include items that were microwavable or snacks and beverages at a discounted rate of 10%-15%. It was the most common sale to be found and offered about four times a week after classes.

At Tier-2, Manetric, the sales evolved to include meats and fresh veggies, fruit, bread, and dry goods at a rate of 20%-30%. Such a great deal only appeared two times a week, lasting only an hour in the early morning and late afternoon.

And finally, Tier-3, Mega Manetric Flash! An incredibly rare, spontaneous sale that was only known to those who were loyal members of the Mega Manetric Flash Sale Program, popping up only once a month and lasting only 15 minutes at a random time of the day. To those who lucked out on such a sale, whatever items they bought would be discounted at 50% and were gifted a bottle of Super Fresh Milktank Milk.

If you were extra lucky than you would find yourself at a Shiny Sale. Even rarer than MMF(Mega Manetric Flash) Sale, it discounted an extra 10% off your items and gifted seven customers a special gift.

Touma wasn't sure he would have survived this long without being a proud member of the Mega Manetric Flash Sale Program. Even a boy cursed with misfortune like him could take advantage of such a program that allowed him to stave off hunger as long as he managed his finances carefully. If it wasn't for the wonderous sales, he would have been stuck with eating nothing but cheap cup noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The only problem was that the spiky-haired boy's phone had met the taste of his foot, cracking the screen and preventing him from making any calls or checking any text alerts. Which meant he wouldn't know if there was a current sale going on right now.

He shrugged as he came up to the store's entrance, noting the pink and white walls and the jolly faced Milktank above the company's logo. He'd get what he could to repay his beloved teacher even if it meant draining what was left of his funds. Stepping in, he found himself noting the large crowds within what he guessed to be a school football-field-sized store before grabbing one of the few grocery baskets by the entranceway. Like most supermarkets, he could make out a dozen aisles that each contained some kind of product with the cold products such as meat and frozen goods kept in the far back, leaving produce such as veggies and fruit packed at the very left and right of the store for easier access. All around he could see students, adults, and Pokemon walking about the store frantically, pushing past other or taking advantage of either Ability or Pokemon to make it to the cashier or grab the slowly dwindling items for sale above the flashing yellow lights-

Touma blinked dully, face breaking out into a nervous sweat as he finally noticed why there so many in the store going into a frenzy and disregarding another as they fought over whatever they could grab.

The flashing LED screen above the store said it all.

Mega Manetric Sales Event; Start!

Time Left: 12m:17s

"Jolteon! Hit 'em with Shock Wave and grabbed the last of the Applin Apple Crusts!"

"Take them out with Metal Sound, Vibrava! Snatch whatever Oran Berry Jam you can while they writhe in pain!"

"Yamask, confuse ever last one of them with Confuse Ray! We need to make it to the register as quickly as possible before we lose the haul we've taken!"

Of all times to wander into the store when he was dangerously low on Pokeyen, he just had to arrive now when he couldn't take advantage of such a miracle!

The sweat grew more profound as Touma noticed several none damaging Pokemon moves fly around the store to further churn the chaotic atmosphere. That was the special theme about this supposedly friendly and kind grocery store, it allowed the use of Abilities and Pokemon Moves during times of Mega Manetric Sales as long as said powers didn't cause any physical damage to the area. Special battles could even be prepared for fights over items and special produce offered for a limited time. There were more rules to using said Pokemon as well; Pokemon that were over five feet were prohibited from being released from their Pokeballs, No Fire, Ground, Poison, Rock, or Flying Type Moves were allowed due to their nature of damaging goods, and there was to be no harming others at all. If such steel-clad rules were to be broken-

"Screw this! I'm tired of these assholes taking all the good stuff! Monferno; Burn them all to a crisp with a good old Flamethrower!"

Further ahead, Touma made out the sight of a red-faced teen that appeared to be a thug from his taste in clothes as he commanded his Pokemon, an orange furred monkey with a burning tip tail and mischievous grin, to blast a direct line of smoldering flames at the students taking up the aisle of what looked like dessert treats.

"I will not be denied my chance at scoring some limited edition Milcery Cream Cakes!" the thug cried passionately.

At the sight of the coming flames that would not only reduce all their shopping items to ash but hurt them, the students and Pokemon in the line of sight were ready to either run away or defend themselves from the flame monkey's orange-red flames. Touma grit his teeth, not surprised in the slightest as his feet had already sprung to send him running as fast as he could to intercept the Flamethrower. Taking out the esper trainer wouldn't do any good, the Pokemon was already determined to follow out the order at those who got in the way of the annoyed thug's desires. He already ran past the Trainer, having taken notice of a student who had tripped on their own feet and found themselves in the line of sweltering flames as Touma skid to a halt in the cowering girl's way to destroy the flames.

There was a flash of yellow lightning and a clap of thunder in the form of a zapping line of sparkling light that made itself through the store with a thunderous roar that paralyzed all others before his palm could meet the Flamethrower.

Before the Monferno could release its raging flames gathered in its mouth, it found itself struck down by what could only be described as a living lightning bolt. The force of the large bolt hit its chest, driving the Monferno down to be slammed onto the polished wooden designed floor with a short-lived cry. Sparks traveled their way to the Fire/Fighting-Types body, striking it with enough voltage to inflict it with Paralysis, ceasing any attempt to fight back against the living lightning bolts might.

The shroud of the illuminating popping sparks of stinging energy died down, revealing the enforcer of the store's rule to those surprised students and Pokemon. It was a quadrupedal hound with a yellow mane shaped like a bolt of lighting over its head to its tail with the lower body made of blue fur with yellow tuffs on its red clawed paws. The Pokemon's intimidating red eyes glowered at the nervous thug whose Pokemon was left Paralyzed beneath the paw of the powerful Electric-Type.

The Pokemon was known as the Mega Evolution form of a hound said to be born from the falling bolts of lightning clouds striking the earth; Mega Manetric.

To those who broke the rules of this store, they would find themselves struck down by the breathing beast rumored to run across the black clouds of surging lightning. Punishment would be dealt as swiftly as the energy that scoured the earth with shocking force. There was no need for either Judgment or Anti-Skill when it was the only Enforcer the store needed.

The Mega Manetric didn't bother to glance back at either Touma or the female student who was on the floor, focusing all its intent on the thug who found himself paralyzed under the red eyes of such an intimidating Pokemon.

"S-Sorry! I promise, I won't do it again, Manetric-sama! Just don't shock me to death, please! I just wanted some Milcery Cream Cakes! I always miss out on getting some and I can't normally afford them unless they're on sale!"

Whatever Level the thug may have been meant nothing when faced with a Mega Pokemon who possessed explosive power rivaling a Level-4. The thug understood how dangerous the Mega Evolved Pokemon was, apologizing as he fell on his knees to beg for forgiveness. The Mega Manetric continued to glare sternly at the trembling boy that appeared to be on the verge of tears. It growled before turning away, walking past both Touma and the girl until it stopped a bit further down the aisle of packaged baked desserts. It seemed to have found what it was searching for before returning to the bowing teen who was too terrified to move his head up.

Sweet mini cakes were gripped in its teeth and dropped at the thug's side, catching the boy's attention. His face was surprised at the four-piece set of cakes that were made in the likeness of a Fairy Pokemon that could normally only be offered by Level-4 Espers. He looked up to the stern-faced Mega Electric-Type, its face seeming to say to take the treats and get out before it changed its mind.

Nothing else needed to be said for the thug, bowing his head in thanks before recalling his Paralyzed Pokemon and taking the cakes. The Mega Pokemon nodded its head, staying to watch the troublemaker run to the register and pay for his cakes until he had left the store without any more hassle.

Now that he was done ensuring the safety of its patrons and that the rules of his domain were held in place, the Mega Manetric turned to gaze at both the students that were behind him. Touma gulped nervously under the stare of those stern red eyes that regarded him with interest before turning away. Like all Pokemon, the Mega Manetric seemed to regard him oddly, more so than espers whose Personal Reality's had them crossing into the realm of Pokemon.

After discerning that the two caught in the way of a frantic student's careless desire for treats were safe, the Mega Manetric barked happily before running off to patrol the store in this time of chaotic sales.

Touma sighed, glad to have escaped being zapped by a Pokemon rumored to create thunderclouds above its head. He already had to deal with the zaps of a middle schooler and her Pikachu, he didn't want to realize that he was just a born magnet for those types.

"AH, IT'S YOU!"

"Hmm?"

The voice of the female student that Touma had attempted to shield with Imagine Breaker spoke up in surprise, confusing him as he glanced back. His face scrunched up, wondering where he had heard that voice before as he caught a glimpse of short brunette hair. At the sight of his face, he noticed an ahoge at the top of the girl's head resembling a heart bob happily. From the height difference he was getting, she was probably a third-year in middle school. She wore what appeared to be the Sakugawa Middle School uniform despite being free of classes for the summer, unlike a certain Level-0.

Touma blinked, his mind putting the face to a past event he wasn't happy to be involved in but refused to regret sticking his nose into. Wasn't she-!

"Kamijou-kun!"

"Ggggggggbbbbbbffffhhhhggg!"

The Sakugawa girl had performed Tackle, scoring what could only be a Critical Hit from surprise as she launched herself at the spiky-haired boy who was knocked to the hard floor. The air in his lungs was drained as the ecstatic girl wrapped her slim arms around his chest, putting a hugging force of a Bewear to a challenge as she squeezed him tight.

Just what the hell kind of Event did he wander into now?!

"C-Can't breath! Seriously, I can hear my lungs rasping and groaning to breathe in the sweet air. I-I think m-my visions going d-dark!"

In an attempt to get the brunette ahoge girl off his chest, Touma tapped her back to signal he was in dire need of what all beings needed to live. An odd click could be heard as he patted her back. The mystery girl froze, her breath halting as she trembled and her face grew pink. Touma himself grew red in embarrassment as he had an idea as to why the girl grew still.

No, no, no, no, no! That wasn't what he thought it was, right?! Even if he suddenly felt what he assumed were nice, firm, soft breasts pushed against his chest grow a little more plentiful as if they could finally breathe, it didn't confirm a damn thing! After all, what were the chances that his pat to her back undid the clasp of the middle school girl's bra!?

Wait, no wait; shit. For the briefest second, he forgot that said hand was his right. He had forgotten he was cursed with rotten luck from the get-go.

Touma closed his eyes tightly, awaiting what would be a hard slap to his face, accompanied by a girlish scream. Strangely said common retribution never stroke.

"My...ability isn't working?"

What was that about an ability? And why wasn't his face temporarily tattoed by hand slap?

Cautious to the girl who could at any moment strike like a pissed off Arbok, Touma opened his eyes slowly to find the Sakugawa student staring at him with burning red face speaking of her own embarrassment at having her bra undone in such a position. But along with her own humiliation was confusion as she seemed to focus on something that wasn't happening as she expected.

"Your ability?" Touma couldn't help but ask, causing the girl to flinch before shyly nodding her head.

"Y-Yes, my ability. It's a power that allows me to teleport, or 'Escape', a situation that either endangers me or causes me to feel flustered similar to a Flight or Die instinct that ensures I escape any harm to my being. Its called Emergency Exit."

The Sakugawa girl explained softly, avoiding eye contact with the spiky-haired boy whose right hand still rested against her back.

Emergency Exit, huh? An ability born from the connection an Esper had with a Pokemon allowing them to awaken their Personal Reality to always escape a situation that was harmful to their body and mind. She had been meaning to escape the position they were in by teleporting her body a safe distance away but found herself unable to. Why? That had to do with the cursed right hand currently touching her body and preventing her from performing her ability since her AIM Diffusion Field was null as long as Imagine Breaker so much as grazed her. No amount of calculations running through her mind to optimize her ability would do her any good.

Realizing that, Touma moved his right hand off the small back of the middle school girl. Now that the girl's AIM Field wasn't being dispelled due to the effects of Imagine Breaker, her ability could activate, seen as her body vanished from sight not a moment more since she was still flustered by such an intimate position with a high school boy in public. She reappeared a small distance away from him as he laid on the floor, her ability seeing that he wasn't a major threat to send her as far as possible from him.

The Sakugawa girl was surprised to find her ability working again as the calculations she had performed were back to distorting reality to her benefit. As a Level-3 who had come far from only being able to 'Escape' situations that would put her at harm, she could now extend that power to escape emotional distraught or harm as her brain took in the surrounding area to locate a safe point of escape even when she would normally fail to find such escape. If she so much as felt nervous from a person, object, Pokemon, or event, she could perform the necessary calculations to run away from whatever was at the cause of her need to escape. Such as finding her bra being undone by the boy who had saved her from the perverted hands of a fat thug days ago.

Touma winced as he got back on his feet, dusting himself off as he picked up his shopping basket. His wince grew deeper as he took notice of the timer above his sale that signaled how much time was left to take advantage of the flash sale.

Time Left: 9m:47s.

With how many people were going around taking whatever they could grab amid the flying Special Attacks that inflicted status ailments to slow down those who got in their way, he would be lucky to even reach the registers with one item on his shopping list! Since this was Kamijou-san speaking than there was no luck at all that he would get anything good!

There was no time to dawdle, he had to run at Extreme Speed to make even an Arcanine envious and find what he could as fast as possible!

"This Kamijou-san is deeply sorry for unclipping a young maiden's racy red bra that he feels much better suits an office worker hoping for romance rather than a middle schooler but he has to hurry up and finish his shopping list before the sales are over with!"

"Wait, what was that about my bra!? You do remember me, don't you!? Only you would remember what kind of bra I like to wear! A-And it's not only for adults! Besides, it's the only kind I could find that fits my breasts properly!"

"This Kamijou-san finds that hard to believe. You could have found something cute that fits your age rather than something that could only be found on a mature woman that either wants to spice up her sex life or is seen in the red light district of Johto. If anything, your bra actually restrained the full volume of your breasts to make you appear less big. You're contradicting yourself, Lacy-Bra-chan."

"How can you say such things so bluntly!? Is this the crude nature of a high school boy at work?"

The ahoge on the Sakugawa girl's head spun madly as she pouted and crossed her arms below her blossoming chest that spoke she was ready to enter high school soon. Touma had to wonder if the antenna-like hair's movement had to be from her status as Esper since it defied common science.

"And don't call me Lacy-Bra-chan! My name is Ruri Reihai for your information!" Ruri grumbled cutely as she pushed up her not so middle school breasts.

Seriously, why would she even hide a chest like that anyways? Was she self-conscious of a gift that would make other girls her age jealous?

Wait...now that he got a good look at the pouting middle school girl with the gravity-defying ahoge, she actually looked familiar. The recognition he was on the verge of breaking finally came back to Touma as he recalled the Event where he had seen the brunette middle school girl.

It had happened the night before he had found Index on his balcony when he was on his way home from the latest sale at this very market. The memory of a heavyset thug who commanded a trash heap given life came back as he remembered breaking the nose of the Toxic Hazard member to save two girls from his belief in making others feel as weak as he did. Just as before, he had been hugged by a brunette girl who cried tears of thanks for saving her at her weakest from being molested any further.

"Ah, that's right! You were the same girl with the racy red bra that revealed far more skin than it should to be considered a middle schooler's bra."

"Will you stop bringing up my bra already!"

Touma laughed weakly at the heated glare pointed his way. There he went again, speaking his mind without a filter to hold back his less than gentlemanly thoughts.

"Sorry about that, Ruri-san but can we wait for any kind of punishment for my rude comments until after I've finished shopping? We've only got...eight minutes left until the sales over! If I want any chance of scoring enough ingredients for a curry tonight than I have to cut this Event short!"

"Wait!" Ruri cried as she ran after the frantic spiky-haired boy who rushed past her to the meat section at the very end of the store, "I never got to thank you properly for saving me from the gang member! Isn't there anything I could do to pay you back, Kamijou-san?!"

Touma didn't pay the busty middle school girl much attention, scrambling to grab whatever he could in his mad dash around the store in search of the items on his grocery list. The curses and threats from those middle and high school boys that bore witness to a pretty girl with an above average chest chasing after him wouldn't get in the way of his mission! Snatching a bag of potatoes and carrots from the reaching hands of another student, he didn't even offer an apology to the irked Esper as he headed for the back end of the store that held the most prized delicacy of all: Meat.

"You can pay me back by not dragging me down! Can't you see the there's only a few packs of pork left?!" Touma shouted in his almost manic dash for the meats at the end of the aisle.

"He's heading for the last of the pork! Solosis, hit the spiky-bastard with Confuse Ray!"

A beam of psychedelic energy flew through the air, aimed solely for the high school boy desperate to reach the cooled meat section. Ordinarily, the Psychic move would have hit its marker, stopping the boy from making another as his vision swam and his thoughts were jarred, staggering him enough to allow whoever was intent on the same goal as him from taking the pork. But said attack was destroyed by a simple backhand swipe of Touma's right hand.

Ruri gaped at the action, recalling how she had seen her hero negating the powers of a Pokemon with nothing but a touch of his hand. Just what kind of esper ability was that? Negation? Did such power exist?

Touma didn't pay his attacker any mind, grinning in victory as he was only three steps from his goal. With how much was left for him to take, they would be having one hell of a feast!

"Kuripa, use Vine Whip."

A moss-green vine suddenly snapped into Touma's view, tangling itself around the last few packets of pork available until restock. The very world itself seemed to fall apart before his eyes as the vines snatched his prize just as his fingers touched the plastic wrap of meat that was prepared by a butcher and not a machine. Just like that, his prize was snatched from his very eyes to leave him on the verge of tears.

"T-The p-p-pork." he whispered mournfully as if he had just lost a loved one right in front of him.

Ruri patted the broken boy's back in comfort. She was almost afraid he would break down here and now.

"Too bad, you nearly had it in your grasp, boy. But you were just an inch short. I'd say I feel bad but its survival of the fittest. And just because your a male doesn't mean that everything's automatically yours for the taking."

A voice spat out their victory with a grin at the teary-eyed Level-0, laughing as they noticed he wanted nothing more than to cry out his anger and despair.

Touma swallowed his grief, clenching his fist as he spun to meet the bastard that would go as far as taunting him when he was down on his knees.

The taunting stranger appeared to be a high schooler in her third-year. Even though she was a third-year she reached only two inches higher than himself and wore a loose-fitting low top belly cut black shirt with a Crobat punk design that hung down her left shoulder to expose a tantalizing amount of skin nearly exposing her large breasts. Her short jeans reached just above her knee caps with several rips along with equally ripped leggings with deep purple sneakers. The high school punk girl's raven hair fell to her back with two long bangs resting over her shoulders with streaks of sickly green that matched her sneering green eyes sizing Touma up and down. On her right shoulder, he made out what looked to be some kind of yellow sprout Pokemon with stems and leaves to act as body parts; it held the leftover packs of pork in its vines with a mocking grin.

If Touma wasn't currently mourning the loss of his pork than he would have found himself blushing and struggling to say a word to the punk hottie that would make Aogami fall to his hands and knees to be punished. Every step she took made wonderful things happen to her breasts.

"I was...so close!" Touma said through grit teeth, knowing he couldn't do anything despite feeling as if he was robbed.

The punk girl rolled her eyes at what she viewed as a pathetic sight, "Are you going to cry? Does the thought that a woman got one over you piss you off? Aw, poor baby." she cooed mockingly.

"Don't mock a man when he's already down and defeated! What are you, a sadistic dominatrix type?!"

"Yup!" the punk girl said simply with a pop, grinning sadistically as she walked over to the frustrated spiky-haired boy. She stood over him with the two inches she had over him, exuding a high and mighty aura, "I'm the kind of woman to gleefully kick you over and over again when you don't have the strength to fight back, Little-boy. And boys like you can't do anything about it. How's it feel to feel taken advantage of and made to feel helpless?"

"I'm going to punch you! I'm seriously this close to punching that smug expression off your face!"

"Typical boy, violent to a capital V. How toxic."

"Says the sadistic chick who gets off of whipping guys while wearing too much leather and studs!"

"You got a loudmouth on you, don't you? Keep bawling and you just might find out how turned on I get when I beat you black and blue!"

"You admit it! You admit to being a sadistic bitch! So it's more than fine in the eyes of society if I slug you here and now!?"

The shouting between the two high schoolers was garnering some attention by those hurrying to grab what they could before heading over to the check-out lines as the flash sale was drawing to an end. Ruri wasn't sure what to do as she found herself standing between the bickering teens that looked ready to throw fists at any moment. She gulped nervously as she tried to calm both of them down as Touma and the punk girl were now face-to-face like snarling Growlithes warring over turf.

If someone were to bump into either one, she was sure that their lips would meet!

"P-Please you two, don't fight! I can already see the store enforcer, Mega Manetric, making his way over! I think he's going to fire a Thunderbolt if we continue causing trouble!"

True to Ruri's word, both Touma and the Punk Girl(Sadistic Dominatrix) caught the eye of the Mega Evolved Pokemon staring at them both with a warning glare. Small bolts of electricity bounced off its proud mane, more than ready to strike them down the second they dared to cause a fight in its domain.

Both teens glowered at another before stepping back with scoffs. Neither one was going to apologize.

"I don't have time to pick a fight with some high and mighty esper. You wouldn't understand but a Level-0 like myself has to take advantage of these awesome sales before it's too late." the Punk Girl(Sadistic Dominatrix) spat with a sneer.

"What the hell does a Level have to do with anything? Hell, I'm a Level-0! So, don't talk to me as if I don't understand the meaning of a great sale!"

"Level-0, huh? That still doesn't matter in my eyes. A guy like you who appears and acts like a delinquent would probably take advantage of Level-0s like me for just being a girl who can't fight back. Honestly, men like you make me sick. Makes me wonder why I work with pigs like you." she muttered the last part to herself.

At this point, Touma felt his temper ready to burst. With everything that he had to deal with already, the last thing he wanted was some punk girl talking down to him after taking the last of the pork that he was hoping to use to cook Komoe and thank-you dinner. But he was better than that. Taking a deep breath, he fought back his frustration and anger as he prepared to leave. A look at the LED screen above said that there were only three minutes left before the sale ended. It was better to take what he had back to his temporary dorm.

"Don't think you know me any better just because of some screwed up belief you've decided on yourself. Otherwise, I'll shatter that weak illusion when I see you again."

The Punk girl clicked her tongue in annoyance as Touma walked away with a stern scowl, passing her by as he was followed by the nervous brunette girl from Sakugawa Middle School. Normally she would have risked trouble to shut up an idiot like that who thought he could speak back to her. But she had much more important matters to get too.

Smiling kindly at her Bellsprout for snatching the last of the packaged pork, she headed straight for the cashier line.

"It won't be long now anyway. Soon enough, boys like you who speak back and take advantage of women will be brought down to their knees. And then you'll learn how it feels to be truly weak and helpless as the woman like I have."

[-]

The sale was over. All around the store, people could make out the leftover mess brought upon by the frenzied students that fought over the discounted produce and items that were available for fifteen minutes. Various members of the staff alongside their Pokemon worked to clean up the mess and stock their shelves now that there was no longer any worry about students fighting for deals. Now the normal shoppers could go about their day without any more hassle or worry.

Touma grumbled under his breath as he stood in line to be checked out. He had lost out on grabbing any meat for his curry sadly, but he could at least stock up Komoe-sensei's fridge before she got back. Maybe she would be just as happy with Vegetable Curry instead? A meal was a meal after all. At the very least he was allowed the mega discount on his items since he had made it to the line as the sale ended.

All in all, the near-death of his Bank Card was worth it.

"That reminds me; Is that really all you got? I would have thought you would take advantage of the sales and grab whatever you could grab."

Touma wasn't alone in line. Beside him was Ruri, the brunette girl with a heart-shaped ahoge and a secretly nigh busty chest who had decided to stick with him thus far. Why he had no idea honestly. He could only guess she wanted to stick close to him so he would protect her in the chaos that had been churning throughout the aisles.

At his remark, Ruri smiled simply as she showed off the simple bag of rice and a few bottles of juice.

"Well I only came by for rice since I was low and the 7-Day Milktank Market is the only place to find my favorite juice; Alola Punch-Z! If I had known that I would be caught between a Mega Manetric Sale I would have thought twice about coming in until it was over." she admitted with a weak laugh.

To think Level-0s could be so violent and dangerous. Though she should have known better after her encounter with a member of the Skill-Out team known as Toxic Hazard.

"As a Level-3 Esper, I don't have to worry too much about having to survive off of random discount sales."

"Must be nice." Touma mumbled flatly at the well off girl, "As a Level-0 who's constantly struggling to pay for the basic necessities, these sales will make or break our survival for the week. Especially this Kamijou-san who's constantly finding his funds equaling his Level."

"I'm sorry?" Ruri wasn't sure how to respond to the gloomy aura now falling over the boy who had saved her life and purity. She did frown at what she was hearing after a moment, "Wait, are you really a Level-0, Kamijou-kun? Didn't I see you use an ability before to stop an attack just like you did when you fought against a Pokemon?"

She'd seen it; when Touma had stopped a Gunk Shot with his bare hand like it was nothing. Somehow, the high school boy had erased the power even though he said he was a Level-0. Didn't the fact she had seen him use some kind of Ability prove he was more than that?

"Academy City's identified that I'm a Level-0 no matter how many times I'm tested. There's no purer truth to that fact than the lowly severance check that I'm handed down every month." Touma sighed bitterly as it was finally his turn to ring up his items. His haul for the day was carefully placed on the conveyor belt and scanned to provide what he was owed.

"Alright, that'll be 1,250PY!"

Offering the weakened Bank Card that's HP was at the red was nearly too painful to bear.

"Thank you and come again!"

Touma sighed in defeat as he grabbed his bags of groceries and made his way out the store. Behind him, he could hear Ruri quickly pay for her items and run after him. She still wanted to follow him for some odd reason.

He was more than ready to leave to check on Komoe and Zenchou when felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Um, Kamijou-san?"

Turning his eyes to his left, Touma found Ruri nervously staring back at him. Honestly, he didn't understand why she hadn't left yet with a polite good-bye.

"Is there something you need, Ruri-san?"

Ruri struggled to say anything back, her cheeks dusted by red as she rubbed her forearm nervously.

"I just wanted to say, thank you; from the bottom of my heart, thank you!"

The nervous girl bowed her head in a show of her thanks and respect of the supposed Level-0 who had come to her rescue at her weakest. When her Level-3 ability failed to work because of the nauseating fumes exuded by the Toxic Hazard thug's Garbadour, she thought she was done for. The fat thug's fingers had roamed all over her chest after ripping her uniform and were more than ready to go further if it wasn't for a high school boy who fought to protect her. A Level-0, the weakest of all espers who were proven to have no power, had saved her, a Level-3 who was considered above him in all fields that mattered to Academy City.

To think she would be saved by a Level-0 from a Level-0; the irony wasn't lost to Ruri.

For so long, she was in the mindset that those who were labeled as One Without Power were to be pitied and seen as lesser. In the world of Academy City they were no different than the weakest Pokemon that couldn't evolve; Dunsparce. Say what you would about a Magikarp but it could eventually evolve into a mighty Gyarados. But a Level-0 was thought of as nothing more than a Dunsparce who could pose no real threat to anyone other than themselves.

As a Level-3 who was much more valuable and important when compared to those beneath her ranking, she had been guilty of feeling pride for her powers. She had believed she was better than others. Such thinking had never been said to be wrong by her friends who were also a higher level. Then again she had only ever associated with those who were at least Level-2. She wouldn't even make friends with a Level-0 when she even knew a Level-0 at her school who seemed fun to talk to. She had only ever felt pity for the girl obsessed with local urban legends rather than any sense of friendship.

Yet it was the boy who could be considered a powerless Dunsparce who had run into the scene and risked his life for her own.

And won.

Anyone who was considered a Level-3 like herself would have felt embarrassed to have been saved by a mere Level-0 who was beneath them. But Ruri couldn't find it in herself to feel embarrassed.

Her pride in her power meant nothing when it hadn't even saved her. After coming out of an ordeal like that she realized that level ranking didn't mean as much as she had believed. It was her Level that had made her arrogant enough to talk back to a thug just because he was a Level-0. It was said pride as a Level-3 that had made her believe she could take on a thug without the aid of her Pokemon because he was labeled as Weak. She had realized that without that grand, celebrated title that was meant to prove her worth and strength, she was no different than those she considered powerless.

Ruri had learned a very important lesson; one she could use to improve herself because of the high school boy in front of her.

"If it wasn't for you, I might not be here now or be in any sound mind to want to live anymore! You saved me from a mistake I made because I thought I was better than an Esper who had no power, only to be on the receiving end of that kind of powerlessness! And yet it was a Level-0, who had every right to let me suffer for my arrogance for looking down on them, that had fought for my sake without even being begged to!"

Hot tears filled Ruri's vision as her lips quivered, refusing to meet the face of her hero who now realized she had thought he was the same as the thug who had molested her. She couldn't bear to see the face of betrayal or pain. Or worse, hate and disgust.

"But I realize now that level ranking doesn't give me the right to act high and mighty than those below me. I'm just as weak and useless as them! I'm not any different than those who can't protect themselves without a supernatural power or Pokemon to give them strength. If you were to strip those from me now, I'd be no different than the thug who I looked down on! But because of you, I now know that my power isn't anything to take pride in. My power means nothing great and I shouldn't feel any sense of accomplishment in something that can be taken from me by weaklings. I-!"

"You're wrong!"

Ruri's trembling words were caught in her throat by the stern and deep voice that cut her off her apologizing rant. Slowly she lifted her head to find the high school boy's eyes glaring down at her. To her shock though it wasn't anger, hate, or disgust that in those dark blue eyes.

What she found was frustration and determination which utterly puzzled her.

"What?"

Touma cracked his knuckles as he gazed at the brunette middle school girl who was on the verge of tears. The girl in front of him was admitting she was weak without her powers and was no different than the bastard who assaulted her. The girl was a Level-3 esper with an ability known as Emergency Exit and said she had no reason to be proud of her achievement. Before his very eyes, she was throwing away her pride, all her effort and time spent growing to reach her current Level, out of some distorted realization that her hard work was better abandoned to grow as a better human being.

What complete bullshit!

"Your pride as a Level-3 isn't evil!"

The loud shout held no belief in his words that the pride she had felt was wrong in any slight. To hear it from the mouth of a Level-0 had stunned Ruri enough to step back as she stared at the stern eyes of a student labeled worthless to the city.

"My...pride isn't evil?"

"Of course it isn't! You worked hard to attain such a level, right?! Like everyone else, you studied, you practiced, you underwent test after test, you were subjected to all manners of experiments that ranged from experimental drugs to mental exercises exhausting your mind alongside your Pokemon to achieve your status as Level-3, right?! Are you telling me that all that effort you went through with your Pokemon was nothing more than a waste?! That the pride you felt in coming so far is nothing more than Evil?! Just what the hell was it all for then?!"

Ruri struggled to say anything back, finding whatever thoughts she came up with fall apart before the Level-0s words.

What...was it all for? Why had she been so prideful to be a Level-3? Wasn't such a label Evil because it made her arrogant? Why was such Evil anything to hold onto? Why was such Pride to be kept if it made her no better than those who abused Espers who were at a lower level than them?

"Everyone starts off feeling powerless and weak. But even that weakness can be something to feel pride in. It means that they can only grow stronger from here, that they can further Evolve from the person they were only a moment ago! And when they see that their hard work to grow better is realized, it's only natural to feel pride! Even Level-0s who are said to have nothing to feel proud of are free to feel the same pride as a Level-3 like you! It isn't Evil to say 'I'm a Level-3!' when you've worked tirelessly to say such words!"

Touma stepped closer to the girl who's pride was ready to fall apart. As a Level-0, he had every right to tell her to throw away such feelings because they made him feel envious. But the truth of the matter was that he simply didn't care. He was a Level-0, One Without Power. Anyone, even Level-0s themselves, would tell him he should feel no worth in such a title.

But he did.

Because even a Level-0 like him could find pride in knowing that he wasn't powerless to make a Level-3 know there was no shame in her status.

"You are right to realize it's wrong to think those who's Levels are lower than yourself are to be pitied or considered weak. You're right to toss aside your arrogance since it will earn you nothing more than trouble. I'm happy you have enough sense to understand that now." Touma smiled gently at the teary-eyed middle school girl, "But by no means does that mean you should believe you were no better than the bastard who harmed you or that your pride is useless. Have you ever asked your Pokemon, the ones who've you got to thank for your powers and growth, if such Evil is justified?"

Her Pokemon?

Ruri blinked a few tears away, coming to find herself taking out her two Pokeballs in their dormant state. As an esper, it was critical that she studied and battled alongside Pokemon so that her Personal Reality could grow more defined. It was her Pokemon who were responsible for having awakened her supernatural power in the first place. Without her two partners, her friends, she would have never become an Esper.

In her left hand, she held the Pokeball that contained her Spritzee; Amai. A soothing aroma Fairy-Type who calmed her during the stressful times and encouraged her with happy cries.

In her right hand, she held the Pokeball that contained the very Pokemon that was majorly responsible for the awakening and definition of her Personal Reality. Her most compatible friend was known as Wimpod, a Water/Bug-Type that she had named Mamoru. A Pokemon who would never escape or runaway without his master by his side.

The feeling of accomplishment and joy born from her Level was because of her beloved Pokemon. Didn't such a realization mean that she would, by definition, be throwing aside the efforts and feelings of her own friends? That in doing so, she was also saying that they were Evil for being the source of such pride?

Ruri denied it, denied the realization that her friends were at fault or even Evil because of her status or lack of responsibilities. All the kindness, love, and joy those treasured beings had provided her in all her studies to reach this far we're not to be considered malicious or toxic.

That normal high school boy's right hand came close to Ruri's right hand which held her Wimpod, appearing hesitant before patting the sole reason her Ability had been born.

"You should never be ashamed to be proud of your Level or Ability. To do so would be no different than giving up the pride your own Pokemon feel that their friend has grown so strong. They deserve better, so do you. So, feel all the pride you'd like at the position you've clasped onto with the help of your friends. It's because of them that all that hard work was for this entire time. From here on out, continue growing strong and prideful for the friends that can only find good in your power and status."

In front of Ruri's very eyes, a Level-0 who had no reason to feel pride as she did was telling her to continue to do so. That she should work to become even stronger and strive for a higher level that will allow her to feel she had achieved greatness, that everything she had done so far had its reason. There was no Evil in feeling that she had earned such power or title. If she wanted to, truly desired it, she could shout such gains with no shame to whatever stares fell onto her.

The Level-3 found herself hugging the origins of her joy, her satisfaction, her fulfillment, her contentment, with an innocent smile. One she couldn't recall ever appearing on her face in all the time she had her friends beside her.

How could she ever believe such a horrid thought? Her Pokemon didn't deserve such regret. For all that they had done for her, they deserved more than she could ever provide them. From here on out, she would make sure to allow her friends to feel nothing but joy in their own pride as well.

Cleaning the tears from her eyes, Ruri looked back to the boy who was now responsible for saving her twice. That normal faced boy whose only real definable features were his spiky-hair, who she was sure she'd lose sight of in any crowd, was the reason she could smile again without feeling any shame or guilt. Even now he smiled at her as if it wasn't anything special to note as he found her face free of any regret for her happiness.

"You...simply can't stop yourself from saving me; can you?" Ruri smiled sweetly at the boy as a pleasant heat rushed to her cheeks.

"Saving you?" Touma didn't understand what she said, shaking his head as he pointed a finger at the girl with a heart-shaped ahoge, "What are you talking about? All I did was spout my own opinion like an idiot. You're the one who came to understand that your previous thoughts were flimsy and came to the realization you never had anything to feel sorry about. I may have saved you last time but this time? That was all you. There's no need to thank me for anything anyways. After all, I did what I did because, well, I felt like it."

No one could hear it but the heartbeat of a racy bra middle school grew stronger and louder at those words.

Ruri sighed, feeling as if no matter how many times she thanked the high school boy, he would never accept it. What a stubborn boy. She couldn't find herself disliking him though.

"Are all high school boy's so stubborn as to not take a simple thanks from a middle school girl? If anything, shouldn't you be apologizing? You are the one who unhooked my bra in the first place."

"I thought I already apologized! In fact, why haven't you fixed the hook back on? I can see your school uniform strain at the release of your secret weapon."

"Don't call it a secret weapon!" Ruri shouted in horror at her breasts being recognized by a boy as a weapon, "It's not like I could fix it in public without my breasts spilling out for everyone to see! Even now, my bra is loosely hanging on beneath my breasts!"

"Spilling out?!" Touma flinched as his hand flew to his nose. Just the very thought of what he guessed was well-developing breasts that would come to grow into a pair of D-cups in the future was enough to excite a normal high school boy like him! His imagination was already getting the better of him as the arousing imagery of said girl's cleavage bouncing out before his eyes as she shyly attempted to cover them made a red bead flow past his fingers.

This time there was an audible slap to his face following his crass words.

It was no surprise that Ruri turned away with a huff before walking away from the groaning Level-0 who laid out on his back for his rudeness. She felt no shame in such. After all, he was the one to tell to feel joy in her actions.

As the Level-3 wielder of Emergency Exit left, she silently hoped to see that plain-faced boy again.

[-]

"Why do I deserve this kind of suffering? Even if I'm cursed with bad luck, does that just give the universe a golden ticket to hurt me in any way it sees fit?"

This Kamijou-san was far too familiar with the feel of the ground's hard surface hitting his back and skull. Seriously, this was more than worrying to feel some comfort!

With his groceries on hand, Touma decided to rest on the ground nearby the 7-Seven Day Milktank Market, ignoring the strange looks he was garnering from those passing by. He didn't care, finding he deserved this small respite after all the trouble he was facing and would face again.

"Take pride in one's title, huh? Even someone who's got definitive zero power or worth to Academy City is able to find joy in that. Would that ever apply to someone whose only capable of creating misfortune?"

He wasn't sure he himself could believe such lip service he had responded back to the self-conscious Level-3. It was true that no one should regret achieving the fruits of their hard work but did that apply the same for someone who would never accomplish any fruits and instead find rotting carcasses? Could someone regarded long ago as the God of Pestilence be proud of the misfortune and tragedy he created? Would it be right to do such a thing that could be called Evil?

Touma shut his eyes, finding himself recalling a time he would never believe such thoughts about himself.

Imagine Breaker nullified all his attempts to develop an ability in Academy City. It was also responsible for never allowing him to properly bond with a Pokemon of his own. He was a cursed existence that wrought trouble and tragedy to those he crossed. A walking bad luck charm who would taint the happiness of the innocent to twist their selves to the point they would blame a child.

Twist them enough to even go as far as an attempt to brandish a knife to such a child.

Could he blame them? When the one at fault for twisting those once normal people to the point they would dig a knife into his back because his misfortune had gone as far as to rob them of their normal life; could he truly despise them for acting as any human would a threat to their life? Even if he felt bitter and anguished at what he had endured, he couldn't find it in himself to ever hate those who had suffered from his curse. It was human nature to reject that which would threaten their normal lives.

At the end of the day, he had simply drawn the short end of the stick when he was born. He had to accept it and move on. He was powerless to that reality that would forever mark him as a failure who couldn't even properly play 'Hero' when he truly desired it.

A fluffy brown haired girl sunk deep into the darkness could attest to his failure.

So, could he do the same as Ruri and find joy in that ever-present title of God of Pestilence which had only lessened in Academy City? Was there any comfort in the ever-present misfortune he evoked to make his life difficult?

Touma found himself sighing tiredly, knowing it wouldn't be any time soon that he could answer that question honestly. It was better to just go back to focusing on returning to Komoe's and protecting Index from magicians. That was much easier to deal with.

"I must say those were some kind, uplifting words you had provided."

He blinked, finding himself not as alone as he had first believed. He could make out a pair of heeled red-heeled shoes standing by his legs that brought his eyes to follow them up. Normally this would be the scene of this Kamijou-san discovering the hidden wonders of a girl's alluring panties that would reward him with a heel stomp to his face. But he found his view of such a guilty desire blocked by a frilly pink apron that fell over the woman's red and black checkered skirt. Inwardly as a healthy high school boy with a proper sex drive he was disappointed but continued to look up to meet the stranger who decided to pity this laid out Level-0.

Never before had Touma's heart stopped so suddenly that he thought he had died and been brought back to life so swiftly.

From what he could make out past the woman's apron, she wore a simple white blouse with a red ribbon at the collar. The frilly pink apron was designed with Luvdisc's to represent hearts that went to her knees. Said apron and blouse appeared strained due to the woman's bountiful breasts that Touma felt were past the very impressive D-cups that he had seen on the punk girl's chest. Then there was her face, the mature face of a woman who radiated kindness and comfort with soft, tender features that gazed down at Touma's with amusement in her red-purple eyes. To finish off the woman's appearance that had stopped his heart was her hair; purple as her eyes that appeared silky smooth and tied in a low hanging ponytail via red scrunchie that fell over her shoulder to rest between her perky chest.

The final note of interest to the woman was the toddler-sized Pokemon she hugged close to her chest. It was a purple scaled lizard with a white thunderbolt on its forehead, a disinterested stare, and what looked like a diaper on its lower body. The Pokemon was known as Toxel, a Baby Pokemon that was currently glaring at the overly excited high school boy that was staring at its master.

Those clothes, that face, that body, and that hair! Could...could it be? Was this simply an illusion born of Touma's own twisted view of the world?! Was this the world simply kicking him when he was down by making him hallucinate?!

Was the woman standing by him...an honest to god Onee-san that could be found managing a dorm to the best of her abilities!?

Said possible Dorm Manager Onee-san titled her head cutely at his wide-eyed stare of disbelief before giggling.

"Are you alright? Did you hurt your head when you fell? If it really hurts, would you like onee-san to kiss the wound better?"

"YES, PLEASE! PLEASE KISS THIS UNFORTUNATE KAMIJOU-SAN'S WOUNDED HEART BETTER ONEE-SAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!"

At the sight of his most treasured and heart-throbbing fantasies, Touma couldn't help but eagerly wish for the onee-san type to kiss him without any concern of his pride as he shot back up on his feet. Those passing pedestrians could go to hell with how they were staring at him like he was scum on the sidewalk! If there was any chance an onee-san would plant their lips on his lowly body than he was taking it no matter how shameful he would appear!

The purple-haired, mature, and kind-faced Onee-san wasn't bothered by his eager desire in the slightest. If anything, a woman as mature as she found his display adorable as she giggled at his blushing, anxious face that awaited a simple peck on his cheek.

"Ararara, aren't you a shameless young man? You don't even care that I'm nothing more than a stranger who's approached you without even knowing of my intent? Didn't your Kaa-san teach you to avoid such people on the street?" the lovely Onee-san mused with a tender smile on her beautiful face and a hand resting on her cheek.

God, she even had the beloved 'Ararara' that was common in your typical onee-san!

"W-Well she did but someone as lovely as you can't mean any harm! An Onee-san can only ever mean to nurture those she considers worth protecting and caring for no matter their background with an unconditional love that's only second to a mother's pure heart!"

"...You seem awfully knowledgable about Onee-sans, Kamijou-san. Tell me, are you one of those?"

The Onee-san's soft features gained a skeptic stare as Touma began to sweat nervously. Her Toxel had turned to glare in return to the not so pure thoughts in the boy's heart.

His nervousness was broken as he realized something important that was said.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" he asked slowly as he grew alert to the woman of his fantasies.

The Onee-san appeared surprised but only for a brief moment before smiling.

"Oh that's right, we haven't been properly introduced, have we? I'm actually neighbor's with your homeroom teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe. I had heard she was currently taking care of you due to your dorm suffering fire damage from an incident a few days ago. Not to mention that our apartments are right next door to another and the walls aren't exactly well insulated. I've been hearing quite the commotion from her place as of late."

Touma's suspicion was quickly replaced by guilt that his antics with Index and Komoe may have been a nuisance to his neighbors. He hadn't thought about being an annoyance to others but meeting one of the people that lived next to Komoe as she provided him a roof made him realize he was causing a disturbance.

"S-Sorry about that. I guess I forgot that others live nearby too. I didn't mean to make so much noise when my sensei's taking care of me. She might not complain but it's not the same about others, especially her neighbor."

"For a boy who reminds me of a rowdy delinquent, you're awfully polite. And there's no need to apologize, Kamijou-san! I met Komoe-senpai on her way to work as I was heading out to take care of some personal matters and she apologized for any inconvenience that may arise because of the children she was caring for. So, I understand if you may get a little loud from time to time. Although I was a bit concerned that she would invite a high school boy to her home." she explained with a nervous laugh at the implicated raunchy events that could take place between student and teacher.

Touma's blush returned at the idea of forbidden lust before shaking them off. Now if he was being cared for by the gorgeous Onee-san than there would be true cause for concern of such a line being crossed.

"Still, I apologize for all the noise we've caused as of late. A lot...has been going on." he explained to with a wince.

The Onee-san nodded gently at the troubled expression on the boy's face. If it wasn't for the glaring Toxel in her arms, she would have patted that boy's face in comfort.

"No need to explain. You're after all a Level-0, correct? Those like yourself are always dealing with hardships that you have no right to face. And as a woman who hopes to one day become a kind-hearted sensei like Komoe-chan, I understand that you're not at fault. It's the fault of us adults for failing to ensure your happiness." she said with a smile tinged with sadness.

No, Onee-san! Such sadness wasn't ever meant to cross your beautiful face!

"W-What brings you by here anyway?" Once again, Touma found himself struggling to speak clearly in the face of his ultimate fantasy.

Onee-san gestured down to her left, revealing the bags of groceries from the 7-Day Milktank Market that she had set down as she addressed him.

"Well, Rai-kun and I thought to grab a few items from the market while we were close by on our way back home. Luckily we weren't caught up in the Mega Manetric Sale or we would have been trampled on. But as I was walking out, I heard a loud shout that caught my concern." Touma flinched, realizing that the lovely woman was referring to his speech with Ruri earlier, "Imagine my surprise when I see a Level-0 lecturing a Level-3 about casting aside her pride. The boy I had thought to be a threat to the girl that was on the verge of crying had instead encouraged her to keep her pride, stating to say such emotions were Evil themselves since they trampled over the feelings of her own Pokemon. I must say, that was quite a speech to hear from the mouth of a boy who has every right to envy those with power."

Touma scratched the back of his head as he grew flustered.

"It was nothing. I was just...frustrated that someone who actually has power to be proud of would believe it was worth enough to abandon. As a Level-0, I can't say I'm not envious of her. I know that if I had an ability that was worthy of being recognized as important that maybe...things would have been different. So, I couldn't stand to see her call what all Level-0s are working towards as Evil."

Even if such belief wouldn't apply to an esper who would never attain anything worthy of being satisfied with due to his right hand destroying such achievements.

Those purple eyes regarded him strangely with an emotion Touma couldn't place before growing gentle with a motherly glow.

"I suppose that's one way of looking at things. You're a lot more kind-hearted than I believed. Seems that your status as Level-0 wasn't enough to cloud your judgment despite how we adults have failed to make you strong or gifted. I'd never thought I'd meet a Level-0 so responsible or kind when he has every right to want revenge for being lied to and experimented on.'

The Onee-san shook her head with a pleasant laugh.

"I think I can grow to like a boy like you!"

At that moment the Toxel known as Rai decided to let himself be known by his master as he yawned cutely. The Onee-san grinned widely at the Baby Pokemon and pinched his groggy cheeks.

"Oh, it seems little Rai-kun's growing tired of waiting. We should really be heading home now. I would suggest you do the same, Kamijou-kun. The last thing you want is a gang of mischievous Pokemon stealing your groceries."

"WHERE?! WHERE IS THAT BASTARD KIZUATO AND HIS GANG OF THUGS!? I REFUSE TO LET THOSE SADISTIC PUPPIES TAKE MY SHIT AGAIN!"

Just the thought of those Dark-type hyenas who could be lurking in the alleys, ready to pounce on him with the intent to steal his groceries again was enough to send Touma into panic mode as his head swiveled back and forth in search of those back-alley pests. The sight of Touma's sweaty face that conveyed fear and panic was enough to worry the gentle-faced Onee-san.

"There's no need to be frightened, Kamijou-san! If you're truly worried about being alone and taken advantage of then how about Onee-san walks you home? We are neighbors for the meantime and we are going the same way." she offered with a flustered expression.

Touma's panic melted away like an Ice-Type left out in the summer heat.

"YES, PLEASE!"

"You really are a shameless boy when the opportunity presents itself."

Such words pierced Touma's fragile heart as he followed after the lovely woman with purple hair and a mature hourglass body. A thought did occur to him as they headed back to Komoe's apartment complex as the afternoon set in.

"That reminds me, I never did catch your name, Onee-san."

"Oh, silly me! As someone who wishes to become a teacher, I should know better. Well, my name is Yuri Sumire; college student who dreams to one day become a beloved teacher to her students! And this here is my sweet child, Rai-kun! But you may call me Yuri-onee-san, Kamijou-kun!" Yuri proudly proclaimed with a fist pump mirrored by her Pokemon.

The walk back to Touma's temporary residence was pleasant. And since he had found himself protecting a girl who memorized the toxic knowledge over a hundred thousand grimoires capable of distorting the world, he felt a short reprieve from the troubles born of his right hand. Even better, he found the Dorm Manager Onee-san of his dreams walking alongside him!

Even if such peace would be ruined by his own misfortune, he would still treasure it for as long as he could.

[-]

"I don't see how Stiyl could have lost to someone so mediocre."

As the spiky-haired high schooler said his good-bye to the purple-haired college girl, his every movement was followed by the skeptic violet eyes of an eastern magician. The espers, adults, and Pokemon of Academy City turned a blind eye to the odd eastern woman with dark hair that resembled purple dressed in a simple white shirt tied in a way to reveal her slim stomach and jeans ripped to leave one of her smooth supple thighs free to all to see. Her revealing appearance aside, what would catch most people's attention other than her exotic looks would be the long nodachi sheathed in the holster on her belt.

The mysterious swordswoman's eyes narrowed in her observations of the high school boy as she sat on the ledge of a nearby building she had learned oversaw some of the major finances of the city of science. It was thanks to her spells that she could easily slip under the radar of those who protected the city region from harm and continue her mission in peace. As for what that mission was; it was simple.

To research the esper threat known as Kamijou Touma.

Stiyl Magnus, her friend, and partner in protecting the forbidden grimoire library known as Index Librorum Prohibitorum, a magician whose skills were enough to create his own original spells and wielded the greatest of flame spells, Innocentius, had been defeated by a mere high school. Even if Stiyl was younger than said boy there was no reason he should have lost in a fight to an esper. If you were to go by logical terms in this city of science than it was literally impossible by all known facts and stats of both individuals that Stiyl would have been beaten in a fight against a boy who was considered useless to the city that created him. Much less a boy who didn't even possess a Pokemon of his own.

A Magician Vs. A Level-0; the winner was obvious.

So, why had Stiyl lost none the less when he was in favor to win?

The boy identified as Kamijou Touma was a wild card in her eyes. By all appearances, you would never believe such a thing. He was the kind of high school boy she felt you wouldn't be able to pick out of the streets filled with hundreds of students just like him. Other than his spiky hair, she couldn't find anything noteworthy at all. Yet that high schooler had defeated a magician who controlled flames that burned at 300,000 degrees Celcius with his bare hand and take out a Pokemon as battle savvy as Stiyl's Houndoom? Had they been fooled by the boy's bland profile to believe he would be easy to take out? Had Stiyl lost due to his arrogance? Or had they overlooked his status as a student of Academy City that was learning to develop his own supernatural power?

There were far too many questions associated with the boy known as Kamijou Touma. To take out an unknown threat that had already defeated one of them would be foolish. Even if they knew where the boy was residing with Index, it would be unwise to stage an attack when they had no clue to their target's strengths, weakness, or intent. Just what was his power? And why would he risk his life for a girl like Index that he only just met?

Of all those questions, Kaori Kanzaki knew only one answer.

Her violet eyes grew soft as she caught a peek at a silver-haired girl in the window of the apartment complex running to met the spiky teen at the door.

For the time being, she would remain silent in the shadows cast by the city that denied god's grace.

It would not remain that way for long. Once she had learned all she could about Kamijou Touma, she would strike. All for the sake of her most treasured friend.

---

An ability as unfortunate as your right hand; could such a right be held with pride? Be it by Pokemon, Magicians, or Espers, all miracles and fortune born by their natures will be crushed cruelly.

A past failure playing hero still lingers like a poison. Once again, the chance to be the hero of the story arises for you to reach the happy ending that has slipped your grasp once before. Past mistakes will not hold you back.

Before those who wish to sink their fangs at the world, stand firm, and discover your pride.

BATTLE.

No, really, I really am going to buy the DLC for Shield once I've returned to work and taken care of my bills. Even if I won't be able to play with my lovely toxic Klara; the internet was created for a reason. I am twenty-five years old; it's far too late for me to stop playing Pokemon if I wanted to, which I don't. Such a series has far too much material for me to enjoy.

I guess you could say I'm in it for the plot. Wink, wink.

Hmm? Wait, what did you think I meant by plot? Hm? Hmmm? HMMMMM? Oh, ohhhhhh!

Degenerates, the lot of ya. Cultured degenerates, but degenerates of the gutter mind variety none the less.

Not much else to say really. I'll update again when I'm done the next chapter I'm working on, so be patient as always. If ya feel like reading more of my work, don't worry, I'm updating two more stories at the same time as this. A Certain Influx of Time Traveling Misfits, and a new crossover I've been working on as a passion project; A Certain Maelstrom of Misfortune. Check 'em out if you need more content!

Remember, Read and Review! It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.