Guess who's back, and better than ever!
Finally finished with finals, so now I have the entirety of summer to write for this story! Expect lots of potentially more frequent chapters over the next couple of months. So, after weeks without an update, the first chapter I post is based on the first episode of Railgun S. Quite fitting, wouldn't you say?
So, before we get to the chapter, I think it's time a responded to some long over due reviews and quesitons
Bluejack222: Hey, not worries. He's such a normal guy that it's not hard to forget he's got some hidden talents. Glad you liked the ending.
RedSS: One of the best, huh? That's a pretty hefty claim. Glad you liked it. Honestly would prefer it if it were FanficWins because I love some positiveness, but I digress. Yeah, I can get a bit carried away when it comes to references.
fencer29: Eh, it just felt right to finish the arc like that. Honestly, the congested timeline is one of my favorite parts of the series. Something is always happening, something is always affecting something else. It's a big world and lots of stuff comes into play that most people are not aware of. Also, remember that inaccurate information about Project Level 6 Shift was always intentional since it was never the true goal of the project that Aleister wanted. Accelerator was pretty pissed to be constantly seeing the same face day in and day out. The short time frame between individual probably got progressively shorter and depended on how convent it would be in relation to then number of prying eyes.
ahsoei: Yeah, changing up fight scenes is still a bit of an issue for me. Still, the break gave me plenty of time to brainstorm, so you might be surprised in future chapters.
MrQuestionMark: Glad you liked the chapter! As we all know, when push comes to shove, the level of Touma's badassary grows proportionally( or is it exponentially) with then number of people at risk. The hoverboard part was actually something I had decided on from the very beginning. The final scene has changed considerably since the first conception, but I'm happy with how it turned out. You can expect that skill to come back in the future. I can assure you there is plenty to look forward to. My little ciesta has given me lots of time to brainstorm, so I have a lot of ideas for deviations, especially for how the Accelerator fight goes. Well, the gacha has yet to disappoint me. Between the last update and this one, I managed to role Kiritsugu and am now saving for the rest of the Emiya family. That is my goal, my ideal! I must create a Chaldea where the Emiya's can live together at long last! It may be hell I'm walking into, but at the other end of that hell is a dream! A dream I will never give up on! (Can you tell I like UBW Shriou the best?)
GhostofTime: And a dense wood it will be. ...That came out wrong.
X the Reaper: Yeah, that gonna end in an ugly way.
Generation Zero: Pacing isn't exactly something that's easy to mess up when it's pre-established. Just showing off Touma's best qualities. He really is one of the best examples of a purely human hero. I might enhance Uiharu's arsenal in the future. After all, Touma is working on helping the Disciplinary Committee's tech. Oh, trust me, I'm planning on making the Sisters Arc the most emotional yet. Character interactions and explorations have always been the focus of this story, so the last bit between Touma and the girls was something I really wanted to get right. Hopefully, you get just as much enjoyment from future chapters.
dark knight 52: References are my lifeblood. You can expect some more the next time the hoverboard comes out.
Guest (1): That's quite a lot of insight of Accelerator's character. Trust me, I already have it all planned out. You just have to wait and see how it goes down.
mohamadstar94: Next arc is science based, the Sisters Arc. If my memory of the timeline is correct, afterwards it's another science based arc with the Silent Party, followed by a magic based arc in Angel Fall. I'll have to look up the timeline again.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: First, I would like to say that your Support List has been much appreciated, especially Waver in regards to the latest event. Glad to see someone else agrees that the writing staff goofed on that part. Don't worry about me. I made sure to watch both versions of the arc before even thinking about starting to write. I've got it all planned out.
Kami (Guest): Glad you liked the addition of ODD. It's one of my favorite additions to the original plot. I think you'll like what happens in the Sisters Arc. No spoilers though. As fro Angel Fall, still on the fence for that one, but I have some ideas for additions.
Kim454: Nice poem there. Did you write that for the wiki or did you just copy it? I think it's clear there is a evolution to my writing style, if your comprehensive review of the story so far is anything to go by. Just trying to find that balance of dialogue and narration. It's funny that you pointed out all the weird coincidences with the Kamijous, because I'm actually working on an expanded background for them that I think you will find quite interesting. Honestly, Kazuma Kamachi is just as slippery and secretive as Aleister at times. Makes you think Aleister is his avatar in the novels or something.
Guest (2): Yeah. In addition to deeper character exploration, I wanted to breath new life into the fights with some new additions. Some expected, some strange. Now you know why I chose the title.
Guest (3): Haha, good one. Don't be expecting any new god-like abilities for Touma. He is afterall a normal person with a special power.
Harry (Guest): That's actually a great idea and in line with Touma's character and experiences. I'll implement that as soon as possible!
The unlucky boy: Don't worry. I'm too proud of this project to just drop it. I have to many plans for it.
Guest (4): That does sound interesting. However, I want to avoid using any tech that wouldn't logically be trusted to a high school student in Academy City, like super advanced Hard Light Tech, and I want to stay in the realm of realism regarding the forms that ODD can transform into given the mass that con be collapsed in it and how it can fold. I do have some ideas for how it can be added in the future, if possible.
Man, the breaks are going to be the death of me if I have to respond to that many reviews every time I step away from a story for more than a week. Well, you know the drill. Disclaimer then story.
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 26: Can't We Catch a Break?
"Thanks for coming in on such short notice," Yomikawa said as she led her student through District 7's local Anti-Skill Headquarters.
"Not a problem," Touma replied, keeping pace with his teacher, "You said it was something important, right? What exactly did you need me for?"
"As you most likely recall, you have been assigned to field test our latest prototype disciplinary weapon, the Omni Defense Device, or ODD for short," Yomikawa explained.
"Right, you wanted me to report back field data and enhancement suggestions," Touma recalled, "Is that what this is about? You have another model ready?"
"You're sharper than you look. I can see why you've been rising up in the ranks of Judgement lately."
"Should I feel insulted or praised?" Touma lamented, dropping his shoulders slightly.
"Don't take it personally," Yomikawa chuckled, "Besides, that's not the only reason. There's someone I want you to meet."
Soon enough, the two members of the Disciplinary Committee came across a very familiar door. It was the door to the same room that Touma received his prototype ODD in the first place. Touma could help but smile at the memory. In the short amount of time he had the tool, it had been an impressive asset. It had to be one of the few fortunate things that happened to him. Granted, that fortune was paid back in full by the misfortune of the Dr. Kiyama's students getting kidnapped by Therestina, but that was beside the point.
When Yomikawa opened the door, Touma saw a desk in the middle of the room with what appeared to another ODD, this one having a slightly thicker ring around its midpoint with a small black screen. In front of the desk stood a rather young adult man. He wore a white lab coat over a blue dress shirt and black slacks. His black hair was combed back, and he had a short beard. Upon seeing the pair enter, the man smiled and approached them.
"Kamijou, allow me to introduce you to Doctor Roku Bakuya, the man behind the creation of ODD," Yomikawa said, gesturing towards the doctor as he approached.
"Touma Kamijou. It is honor to meet you," the doctor said, offering his hand.
"The honor is mine," Touma replied, taking the hand in his own and shaking, "Not sure why you'd think meeting me is an honor."
"Oh, but it is," Dr. Bakuya insisted, "You have been a massive help in the development of ODD. The data you have provided is invaluable. Not to mention the inspiration you have provided for other new forms of equipment. When I saw the reports of you improvising a hoverboard with Aero Hand I got to work on a prototype right away."
"Really?" Touma asked, intrigued, "How's it coming along?"
"Look out!" a random voice called form behind Dr. Bakuya, followed by the sound of shattering glass.
Looking over the doctor's shoulders, the group saw a window to neighboring room with a sparking, prototype hoverboard lodged in it. In the other room, three Anti-Skill researchers, one of which dressed in protective gear.
"I'm okay," the one in protective gear called out with an awkward wave of his hand.
"Yeah…" the doctor trailed, turning away from the broken window, "Still working out the kinks on that one. On the bright side, it is an improvement over the first one. All that is left of that one is a single nut."
"As amusing as your failed prototypes are, I believe we are here to discuss one of your working ones," Yomikawa interrupted.
"Of course," Dr. Bakuya agreed, nodding his head, "If you will follow me."
Leading Touma to the desk, the doctor picked up the new and improved ODD prototype and presented it to Touma. Touma was asked to remove the receptor for the previous model from his wrist, which he did with little effort. The doctor then pressed the screen on the device, causing the ring to expand to the point that it could slide off the device and loosely onto a person's wrist. He then slid it on to Touma's left wrist, where it promptly contracted so it was snuggly on. Afterwards, the black screen lit, presenting the time several other options.
"Whoa," Touma said, admiring the new receptor bracelet.
"Impressive, right?" Dr. Bakuya smirked, "This new receptor is guaranteed to be more secure than the previous model and has added functionality with both a watch and a communicator capable of tapping into Disciplinary Committee frequencies. It even attaches to the ODD itself for out of use storage."
"And the weapon itself?" Touma asked.
"All the forms found in the previous model are still present," the doctor explained, "We did add in spiked variants of some of those forms in the event you need to fight runaway Powered Suits again. Much easier to disarm when you can pierce into the armor and cut the circuitry. I trust you would not used those modes on less armed opponents."
"Any else?" Touma pushed.
"A few new features, the details of which are in this short pamphlet," the doctor replied, handing Touma the information, "I think you will find these new features quite useful."
Before the conversation could move forward, Touma's phoned buzzed off, signaling he had received an email. A quick read revealed that Saten had apparently ran into a group of suspicious teens and needed help. Kuroko and Uiharu were already on their way to help, but they figured they should let Touma know so he could help if possible.
"Sorry to cut this short, doctor, but I got to go. Judgement emergency. Looks like this thing will be getting its first field test sooner than expected," Touma said as he replaced the old prototype on his belt clip with the new one, "I take it you want the old model back?"
"Keep it. I insisted," Dr. Bakuya replied, "You never know when you might need a second weapon on hand. Maybe I should add that to the next model."
"Thanks again, doctor. It was an honor to meet you," Touma said as he began to run out the door.
However, he stopped just before leaving the room when his phone buzzed off again. Looking at the latest email, Touma let out a stiff laugh as he dropped his shoulders in defeat.
"Something wrong, Kamijou?" Yomikawa asked in curiosity.
"It's nothing. Just found out that Zapper got herself involved again," Touma grimaced, "That girl really needs to learn to stop zapping people so quickly."
"I'm telling you, it was so amazing," Saten cheered, "What would you call it, Uiharu? An instant take down? One shot and she blasted them all."
The next day, Uiharu, Saten, Index, and Haruee were riding a bus on the way to the Garden of Learning, where they planned to meet Mikoto and Kuroko. As they rode, Saten relayed yesterday's events regarding Mikoto and how she saved Saten from the group of thugs. Haruee and Index showed pure amazement at their friend's feat, while Uiharu was more concerned with Saten's bad habits.
"You're never going to change, are you Saten?" Uiharu lamented, "You always land into trouble when you wander those back allies. I wouldn't be surprised if you ran into a murder in those allies one of these days."
"Yeah, sorry," Saten sheepishly giggled, "Hey, look at that, we're almost there. Now, where is that invitation?"
"And now you're changing the subject. Typical," Uiharu sighed as Saten searched her bag for their Garden of Learning invitation.
"Hey, Kazari, why didn't Touma come with us?" Index asked, "Surely Mikoto and Kuroko would be able to give him an invitation."
"The Garden of Learning is a girls-only area of District 7," Uiharu explained, "Even if Kamijou got an invitation, security wouldn't let him in. He is a boy after all. He's meeting up with us at the hospital."
"Must be tough being the only boy in a group of friends," Haruee observed.
"Maybe, but that's also the gateway to a harem scenario, every boy's greatest dream," Saten argued with a cheeky grin.
"Saten, have you been talking to Tsuchimikado and Aogami again?" Uiharu asked, blushing profusely, "You know those two are always causing trouble."
"What? Kamijou is friends with them, so they can't be that bad. They're actually pretty nice once you get to know them," Saten defended, "Tsuchimikado knows practically every rumor in the city and Aogami knows quite a bit about fashionable underwear. He even gave me some suggestions for you to try on."
"Leave my panties out of this!" Uiharu cried in indignation.
"Say, why are we meeting up at the Garden of Learning if Kamijou can't come with us anyway?" Haruee asked.
All she got in response was a fit of giggles from the other girls.
Once they got off the bus, the girls explored the Garden of Learning for a bit, picking out some cakes and other snacks from various shops around town. Thankfully, shopping for sweets wasn't too problematic, even with Index around. Mikoto had given them a rather large budget the other day straight from her stipends, so payment wasn't a problem. In addition, Touma had made it a personal mission to teach Index some restraint when it came to food. Based on how much they bought, he seemed to be making progressed. Before, Index would eat eighty slices of cake before she realized she was doing something wrong. Now, she stopped within seventyseven.
Hey, she was making progress. No one said it was a lot of progress.
Once they had their take-out desserts, the group met up with Mikoto and Kuroko at Tokiwodai Middle School before heading out to Heaven Canceller's hospital.
Just outside the hospital, Touma sat on a bench, reading through the pamphlet that Dr. Bakuya game him the other day. With the pamphlet in his right hand and his ODD in his left hand, Touma tested each of the new weapon's additional features. In addition to the new spiked variants of the previous modes, the weapon also had enhanced thrusters, allowing it to be recovered much more quickly than before. The thrusters at the ends of the tool's shaft were especially stronger, giving Touma the option of having a booster javelin throw without the need of an Aero Hand user. The motors in the tool were much more effective as well, allowing for faster mode shifts and greater forces when using the motors for strikes and applying pressure. That was just the tip of the iceberg for what the new model could do.
"Touma! We're here!" a familiar voice called out, breaking Touma's attention away from his equipment.
In front of him, Touma saw his friends approaching to hospital, with Index in the front of the group looking particularly excited to see him. Smiling, Touma stood up and put away his ODD and ODD operations pamphlet.
"Hey, girls. What took you so long?" Touma asked.
"Do you really have the right to ask that when you show up to stuff late all the time?" Mikoto countered.
"I walked into that one, didn't I?" Touma lamented.
"Like a discarded soda can," Kuroko confirmed.
"Let's not dwell on that," Uihaur suggested, "Come on, we don't want to keep Edasaki waiting."
Not feeling like going back and forth about Touma's apparent inability to show up to most events on time, the group went into the hospital for a visit. While Haruee was filling out the forms for their visit, the group ran into another pair of familiar faces, one of which Touma had seen just the other day.
"Hi Miss Yomikawa, Miss Tessou," Touma greeted as the Anti-Skill Officers approached, "Fancy meeting you here."
"Good to see all of you, too," Tessou replied, "Are you visiting someone?"
"We are," Kuroko answered, "But what about you two? Has there been an incident?"
"No, nothing like that," Yomikawa insisted, "There were some pseudo radicals we had to take care of and one of them is being treated here. He's just about ready to be let out, so we're transferring him to an Anti-Skill hospital where we can put the squeeze on him, good and hard."
"Sounds kind of scary when you put it like that," Touma admitted.
"You were dealing with pseudo radicals?" Saten asked curiously.
"Yeah, lots of stuff goes wrong in this city," Yomikawa lamented, "It's always something and you never now what's going to happened."
"Isn't that the truth," Touma agreed, remembering all of the mishaps he got himself caught up in in the last month.
"Okay, we're ready to go," Haruee cheered as she finished the paperwork.
"Good luck with the transfer, Miss Yomikawa," Uiharu said with a bow, "It was nice talking to you again."
"Sure thing! Just keep out of trouble, kids," Yomikawa called out as the group left to meet Edasaki.
When she found out that everyone had come to visit her, Edasaki was rather surprised, but happily so. She was just as grateful for all the delicious cakes the group brought her from the Garden of Learning.
"You seem to be doing much better, huh?" Mikoto observed.
"Slowly but surely," Edasaki nodded, "The rehab can be pretty hard, but with all of you coming to visit me, I feel even more motivated than before."
"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Touma smiled, "Especially when you have your best friend visiting you every day. Even more so considering you've been separated for such a long time."
"What about you, Kamijou? How's your search going?" Edasaki asked.
"What search?" Touma asked, confused.
"For your sister and your friend, Yuri," Edasaki clarified, "You told us about them once during one of your visits."
"Oh, right, them," Touma realized with a stiff laugh, "Yeah, still no leads. It's not like I have a telepathic link to either of them like the two of you share."
"What about a photo?" Haruee suggested, "You told me you didn't have one of your sister, but surely you have one for Yuri."
"Now that you mention it, I think I do. Hang on," Touma said as he reached into his bag.
After rustling through his bag for a little bit, Touma pulled out his journal and started flipping through the pages. Eventually, he stopped at Yuri's profile page, presenting everyone with the picture of the two of them as children. Mikoto, Kuroko, Uiharu, and Saten all recognized this picture, as it was the same one they saw when they went digging in Touma's journal while he was passed out the day before he lost his memories.
"So, this is Yuri Suzushina," Edasaki mused.
"The two of you look like total opposites, but at the same time happy together," Haruee noted.
"Yeah, I'm not sure why, but we always just gravitated towards one another," Touma admitted honestly, having no true recollection of his relationship with his friend beyond his journal entries, "It probably had something to do with how we faced similar issues in terms of isolation."
"Seems more likely to me that you just helped him out about at some point and he stuck around after that," Saten mused.
"That does seem to be the norm for Touma," Index admitted.
"Come on, that's not true," Touma denied.
"It's pretty much true," the girls said in unison, shooting down his argument.
"Anyway, I'm sure you'll find Yuri," Edasaki encouraged, "You just need to keep at it."
"Yeah, your right," Touma sighed, "Of course, you need to do the same with your rehabilitation."
"Of course!" Edasaki cheered.
"Yeah! If you recover fast enough, we can go to school together, starting next term!" Haruee added.
At the mention of school, Mikoto noticeably stiffened up. She then randomly asked if anyone was thirsty before offering to go get some sodas for everyone. Kuroko instantly agreed, as did the ever-gluttonous Index. Uiharu and Saten were a bit confused by Mikoto's behavior, while Touma plainly said he wasn't thirsty. Having gotten a response from everyone, Mikoto and Kuroko ushered everyone who was at least on the fence about getting a drink out of the room, leaving Edasaki, Haruee, and Touma alone.
"What was that about?" the girls asked Touma, the only one present that was entirely familiar with the Level 5.
"Not a clue," Touma replied, closing his journal, "All I know is that that girl can be really weird at times."
"How so?" Haruee asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Well, I can be complementing her about something and then she starts getting all sparky and tries to zap me," Touma remarked, "Then there was the time we accidentally switched drinks and she suddenly got all quiet before trying to zap me again. Pretty much a lot of trying to zap me at weird times. I just don't get it."
"You sure it's not just because she's shy about those intimate moments with you?" Edasaki suggested, "From the way you described her, she sounds like a lovestruck girl that doesn't know how to approach her crush."
"Zapper? Lovestruck? That's just ridiculous," Touma denied, "From what you're saying, you're implying that she has a crush on me. Like I could earn the affections of so girl from a high-class school."
The girls could only laugh stiffly at Touma's denial. For Touma to not notice the obvious, he either was very oblivious, or he had very little self-esteem regarding his chances with women. Then again, with Mikoto's usual behavior, she didn't give many clear hints. The two of them could have their current dynamic go on for years and still make no progress on one's feelings towards the other.
Speaking of Mikoto, the group soon noticed that she apparently left her bag in the room. However, they didn't have too much time to think about it as the hospital's emergency alarm went off.
"What's going on?" Edasaki asked, worried.
"I don't know, but I'm going to go investigate this," Touma declared as he put on his Judgement armband, "I want you two to stay here and stay quiet. I don't want you to draw attention to yourselves if its something dangerous. Something tells me this has something to do with those pseudo radicals Miss Yomikawa mentioned earlier."
"Right," Haruee agreed, "just be careful."
"Don't worry. I'll be back soon," Touma said reassuringly as he left the room.
Stepping into the hallway, Touma first looked to his right to see if there was anything suspicious going on. Unfortunately, he made the wrong first choice and felt the barrel of an assault rifle poke the back of his head. Trying his best to keep his cool, Touma raised his hand over his head slowly, showing that he was empty handed and complacent.
"Good. You know when you're caught," one of the pseudo radicals mused.
"Hey, look. This punk's a Judgement officer," another criminal observed, noticing Touma's armband.
"Rotten luck," Touma lamented, "Outnumbered, unarmed, and totally lacking in any useful Esper ability. I just can't catch a break."
"Some Judgement officer you turned out to be," the last thug, the one holding the gun to Touma's head, chuckled, "The only thing dangerous about you is your mouth. Not to bright either, considering the fact that you just told us all of your weaknesses. One of you, restrain him."
"Today is not your lucky day." One of the radicals joked as he held Touma's arms behind his back.
"Admittedly, this is one of my better ones," Touma joked as he was lead down the halls of the hospital, now the radicals' hostage.
"Keep that mouth of yours in check before I shoot it out!" the radical restraining Touma threatened.
After that little threat, Touma remained silent. Eventually, the radicals led him to a restricted door that led up to the roof of the building. Knocking the lock loose revealed another door at the top of a short flight of stairs with another, much sturdier lock. Not wanting to waste their bullets, the radicals opted to just pick the lock. Not like they had to worry about Anti-Skill attacking them, not while they had their hostage.
From his position, Touma could see out the door's window to see a helicopter parked on the roof. The blades were running, albeit slowly, so there was definitely someone else piloting it. All signs pointed towards the pilot being another pseudo radical and the group's getaway driver. He then surveyed his position in relation to the group holding him hostage. At the moment, he could hit one of them with ODD by extending it while it was still attached to his waist and headbutt the one holding him. However, that would still leave one of them to potentially attack him, escape, or both. Unless he got lucky, which he rarely did, Touma was not going to be able to apprehend all of them in one move, if he could incapacitate even one of them, with his currently limited move set.
However, Touma couldn't dwell on that for long as another, familiar voice made itself known.
"Freeze!" Yomikawa ordered, peeking behind the door frame at the bottom of the stairs, "It's no use trying to escape! There's an all points bulletin on you through all of Academy City! There's no way you ca-"
"Shut up! I mean it! Stop talking," the radical restraining Touma demanded, presenting their hostage.
"Captain, they've got Kamijou hostage!" Tessou observed.
"Don't do anything stupid, otherwise I put this Judgement officer out of commission," another radical threatened, holding a handgun to Touma's head.
Yomikawa gritted her teeth at the sight of one of her students being held hostage. However, she relaxed slightly when she noticed his expression. She had seen that expression on his face many times before. Whenever he was determined to do something, Touma's face became that of an unbreakable hero. He was stoic, unyielding, unfazed, but most of all, determined. As if noticing her gaze, Touma nodded ever so slightly as to not tip off the pseudo radicals. He had a plan and it was now in motion.
Using his bracelet's improved functionality and mental link, Touma placed a video call to Uiharu's handheld, taking care to mute his end so he wouldn't be found out.
"The criminal scheduled for transfer has escaped?" Kuroko asked for confirmation.
"Captain Yomikawa is in pursuit," the Anti-Skill officer confirmed, "Reinforcements are on their way, but we can really use your help in preventing any panic."
Kuroko and Uiharu looked at each other, unsure of what to make of the situation. On one hand, they were obliged to follow Anti-Skill's orders. On the other hand, they couldn't help but feel like something wasn't right about the situation. They didn't get to dwell on it for long when Uiharu's handheld rang, indicating she was receiving a video chat.
"Who could be calling now of all times?" Kuroko asked in exasperation.
When Uiharu pulled out her handheld, she was surprised to see that the address was not one she recognized. It was definitely a Disciplinary Committee sanctioned address, but it was not one that would know her handheld's address personally. She was even more surprised to find the image to just be the back of a person's shirt, as if they were holding the device behind their back.
"Man, you've got this all figured out, don't you" a familiar voice said over the line.
"Hey, that sounds like Kamijou," Uiharu observed, "When did he get a new communicator? And who is he talking to?"
"I mean, you sneak in disguised as nurses, rescue your companion, and take a helpless Judgement officer hostage to the top floor to buy you time while you pick the lock to the roof to get to your escape helicopter. A truly brilliant plan," Touma continued.
"You mocking us, punk? You're not in any position to do that considering I can blow your brains out at any time," a deeper, rougher voice asked.
"Oh no, not at all," Touma insisted, "Just an observation. I'm more of a forensics officer, so it second nature for me to note these things. Besides, killing me at this juncture would be counterproductive, considering I'm the only reason Anti-Skill hasn't rushed you yet. Still, I'll probably need some first aid when this is all over."
"You make it sound like you're getting out of this."
"Just musing to myself. I'll be quiet now. I promise."
Kuroko and Uiharu looked at each other, silently taking in the transmission they just saw. Touma had been captured but was completely calm about the situation. Knowing him, he was probably hit with a stuck of bad luck. If his attitude towards his bad luck was anything to go by, he was now using that misfortune to his advantage, giving them a tip about what the pseudo radicals were up to.
With an exchange of a simple node, Kuroko grabbed Uiharu shoulder and teleported back into the hospital. It was clear to them what they had to do.
Back on the top floor, Yomikawa and Tessou held their positions as the pseudo radicals continued to pick the lock. Soon enough, a click was heard and the door to the roof opened slightly.
"It's about time!" the radical holding Touma yelled, exasperated.
'Here goes everything!' Touma thought to himself.
Just before the criminals could head out the door, Touma mentally signaled for his new and improved ODD to extend to its full length. The weapon complied, expanding from it position on the back of Touma's hip, slamming one end into the wall and the other end into one of the radicals, pinning him to the opposite wall and forcing him to drop his gun. With his captors caught off guard by the surprise attack, Touma took the opportunity to slam the back of his head into that of the man restraining him. The attack shook the man up, enough to force him to let Touma go. The criminal held his face, blood dripping from his nose.
"You brat!" the last member of the group yelled, turning his machine gun on the Judgement officer.
Acting quickly, Touma hopped on to the railing for the stairwell and slid down, a hail of bullets following him. He only barely out sped the criminal's aim adjustments and was slightly grazed by the bullets on his left shoulder, drawing blood. As soon as he was at the bottom of the stairs, Touma kicked off the wall and jumped behind the same corner Yomikawa was hiding behind. However, he was not expecting to crash face first into the head of the famous Railgun.
Mikoto fell back and off her feet upon impact with Touma following suit. The two rolled across the floor for a little bit before coming to a stop.
"Ow," Mikoto whined, "Idiot! What are you doing jumping off walls like that!"
"Trying to avoid machine gun fire," Touma replied flatly, gesturing to his shoulder wound, "What are you doing here anyway?"
Seeing her secret and unacknowledged crush bleeding, Mikoto immediately froze up before changing the subject.
"Never mind that right now! What about you?! You're bleeding!" Mikoto cried.
"I've lost an arm before! This is just a flesh wound compared to that!" Touma argued, irritated that people keep worrying about his minor injuries.
"If you're going for that reference, wouldn't the arm be the flesh wound?" Saten asked.
"Not the point," Touma replied flatly.
"Ah! Kamijou, there you are!" Uiharu yelled in relief as she turned to corner, joining her friends, "I brought the first-aid kit, just like you asked."
"Thanks, Headband," Touma said as Uiharu treated his injuries.
"Wait," Index interrupted, "If Kazari is here, then where is Kuroko?"
Having lost their hostage, the two remaining pseudo radicals raced out the door and on to the roof. They then closed the door behind them and barricaded it, blocking the pursue of anyone other than a teleporter.
"Man, I was not expecting that," the criminal with the bleeding nose complained as they headed for their helicopter, "Who would have thought that Level 0 of a Judgement officer had such a mean headbutt and weapon on him. He played us for fools."
"Actually, I heard a rumor recently about a Certain Strange Addition to Judgement. He apparently is a Level 0 and looks totally normal, but hides insane combat instincts and carries an experimental, multifunctional weapon," the other accomplice mentioned, "That kid might have been him.
"Yeah, I head that rumor too. Apparently, he is also regularly accompanied by a deadly teleporter of a Judgement officer and has connections to multiple Level 5s. I wonder if any of that's true," the first radical mused as he opened the helicopter door.
"A bit exaggerated, but not without basis," the voice of a young girl said from inside the helicopter.
Looking inside, the two remaining radicals saw Kuroko standing proudly in the helicopter with their getaway drive laying at her feet. He's clothes were pierced with several pins attaching him to the floor and Kuroko held several more in her hands.
"So, care to try and confirm any of those rumors?" Kuroko asked, feigning innocence.
Realizing they were outmatched, the two remaining pseudo radicals simply put down their guns and kneeled on the ground in surrender.
Following the events of the attempted break out, the group once again gathered in Edasaki's hospital room. Touma had been bandaged up after his latest injury yet remained just as chipper as the rest of the group. With injuries so minor, there was no need to get Heaven Canceller involved.
"Here, this is for you!" the group cheered in unison, handing Mikoto's bag over to Edasaki.
"Are you sure?" Edasaki asked, confused.
"But that's Misaka's bag, right?" Haruee added, equally confused.
"Never mind that, just open it!" Saten encouraged.
Not seeing any reason to argue over it, Edasaki reached into the bag to see what was inside. What she found truly was a surprise. It was a Sakugawa Middle School uniform, the same one used by Uiharu, Saten, and Haruee.
"Wow, a school uniform!" Haruee cheered in amazement.
"If you keep working as hard as you have been, I know you'll be wearing it soon," Kuroko said.
"We went out to get it for you yesterday," Uiharu added.
"Quite the surprise, right?" Touma asked.
Haruee nodded in agreement.
"You guys. Thank yo-," Edasaki said before cutting her self off at the sight of a depressed Mikoto, "Misaka?"
"Sorry, I screwed it all up!" Mikoto suddenly yelled, "I trying to work on a better surprise, there was all that commotion and the stores closed, so this was all that we-"
"Please, Misaka," Edasaki cut in, "I really am surprised, and really happy. Thank you."
"Seriously, take it easy. You always make things so complicated," Touma said in exasperation, "What where you trying to do, hide the uniform in an oversized bouquet of flowers?"
"Actually, that's exactly what she was trying to do," Index pointed out, earning a laugh from the rest of the group minus an embarrassed Mikoto.
"Still, I can't help but feel sorry for you, Kamijou," Edasaki admitted, "You come to the hospital to visit me and end up injured from being at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Eh, story of my life. I'm just glad no one else got hurt. Besides, this is Academy City," Touma said with a smile, "There never is a dull moment here."
Hopefully that was a good start after that break. Honestly, I feel a bit rusty after so long.
So, you've now been introduced to my first attempt at an OC, Doctor Roku Bakuya, the inventor of ODD. There was actually a lot of thought and inspiration behind this character. The prime source of inspiration for the character was Rook Blanko of Ben 10: Omniverse, who was an alien space cop that wielded a versatile weapon known as his Prototol and wore a blue and black body suit of armor. If you look him up, you can clearly see where most of the physical attributes came from. The two of them even share a tick of not using contractions. Then name is even based of Rook Blanko, with the first half being a similar sounding Japanese name and the second half being a Japanese term indicative of the color white, as well as a reference to the sword commonly used by Shirou Emiya. The other, lesser inspiration for the OC was bumbling yet optimistic inventor Cornelius Robinson. If you've seen Meet the Robinson, you can tell where the bit about the first prototype of the hoverboard being reduced to only a nut came from. You can expect him to show up in the future as Touma's equipment evolves further down the line.
Just as a promised, lots more deviation from the original story in the Sisters Arc. So, how did this one turn out? Did you like the changes? Should I have changed more? Tell me in the reviews. I'll see you all when the next chapter is ready.