Here we are again, internet. The second part of Accelerator's story in the Three Stories Arc. I noticed a lot of you complained that my version was extremely similar to that of the original, and to that I say, "That was the point." Nothing about the general stories beats changes as a result of the changes I already made. All the changes that were made focus entirely on the emotional aspect, specifically how Accelerator sees himself and how other people see him. This story operates very much on a Butterfly Effect, in which small changes in the early parts will create drastic differences later on. The thing is, those really drastic differences don't start rolling out until the events in Index II, since in canon that's also when things spiraled out into larger scale conflicts and events set up in Index I started having payoffs. I will say that this next chapter will have a bit more expansion of previously established events, just that most of those differences wouldn't be in current events. You'll understand when you read the chapter.
For now, let's reply to each of your reviews individually so I can answer any questions and concerns. For that matter, let me make a quick recommendation. If you have a question that pertains to events involving the next chapter, I suggest you ask them via PM. I wait until the next chapter to answer questions asked in a given chapter, so asking questions about the next chapter through the reviews is redundant since the answer will be in the chapter anyway. It'd be a big help if you could all adopt this practice.
mohamadstar94: "The Last" as in "The Last Misaka Sister". It was the chapter she was introduced in. Why would I do that? What reason would Mikoto possibly have to ignore Touma?
Exiled Soul Nomad: Yeah, Accelerator having his unrestricted power would change encounters, but in a bad way. It would remove the tension in many of his fights since he doesn't have an easily defined limit. In his encounter with Ao Amai, he only took the bullet since his focus was on Last Order, and thus couldn't spare any power towards reflection. The choker give Accelerator a time limit on his ability, which creates tension and gives opponents a potential win condition, something that would normally be impossible if Accelerator was at full power considering everything involves a vector. Touma and Yuri will definitely sit down an have a talk at some point, just not quite yet.
fuji92: Yeah, Yuri's arc is definitely all about his redemption, but in his own eyes and the eyes of others, specifically Touma. Glad you liked the chapter so much.
The Richmaster: Accelerator's internal thoughts were a pivotal part of the chapter. Without them, there would have been no reason to rewrite the chapter to the extent that I did. I'll leave that question a surprise for the chapter, but I recommend you think about whether or not any tension would arise if a near limitless Accelerator were to get in a fight.
Herox100: That line is supposed to suggest that Last Order was trying to get Accelerator's attention for a while, to the point that her monologue was going completely off rails. That, and its a reference to the idea that no one can hear you scream in space.
Anti-Mage 29: Actually, Accelerator's story starts much earlier here than in canon, approximately just a bit after sundown, considering he was still able to block out the Kamijou family feud, which happened just after Touma got home after nightfall. Touma and Yuri are childhood best friends in this story. They knew practically everything about each other. It's just what best friends do. I think you'll find the things going through Accelerator's head this chapter quite interesting.
ahsoei: Touma's dealing with some other things right now, events that will be covered in the next chapter, but he's definitively still going to have some scenes, just not the ones you'd expect.
Anime-ted Life116: The last chapter was all about exploring Accelerator's inner thoughts. Notice how I use the names Accelerator and Yuri interchangeably? That is a very deliberate choice. It should become apparent as to what the reason for that is in this chapter. Touma and Last Order are definitely going to meet earlier than in canon. I think you'll like how exactly that happens. The parents meetings is definitely going to be a fun time, and with what I've got planned is only going to get much crazier.
fencer29: Regarding the memories, true Touma forgot more, but Yuri's was the result of him not holding on to those memories tight enough while Touma had an accident. It's more like Accelerator knows Touma that well, and understand just how Touma's misadventures usually play out.
lovecrazyhedgehog: Last Order is the ultimate healing loli.
GhostlyStranger: Oh, I'm all about repairing friendships. They'll become friends again, but its definitely going to be a bumpy ride.
janjakennen: I wouldn't worry too much about that. This story follows all the same story beats as canon. What's important is the emotions of the characters and their relationships that change and evolve. I will probably not cover Liberal Arts City as its events would not be heavily impacted in any meaningful way, espcially since there's no way for Touma and Index to come along.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Glad the changes to the previous chapter had some improvement. Like I said, the last chapter wasn't going to see a lot of shifts given the structure of the story. Mostly internal changes for characters. Yeah, I'm not a swearer myself, so inserting a random swear every other sentence just doesn't come naturally to me. I've tried to improve upon it in this chapter. Plus, I'm working with a 2008 dub here. Not exactly the most progressive time period in ADR.
Isokage (Guest): That was the biggest part of the last chapter, exploring Accelerator's psyche. It was the main focus of my version of the event. I think Komoe is just an extreme version of Shiina and Misuzu, she just looks naturally young to the greatest extreme and needs very little maintenance to keep her youthful appearance.
SoulReaver267: I will be covering the events of A Certain Scientific Accelerator now that the the simuldub is now being released. It's a great story that would be a shame to pass up on.
Rajarshi Sarkar: ...Yeah, you are a very different kind of character from the rest of the cast. I can assure you I am perfectly fine as a writer. Everything is already planned out. It's just a matter of the fact that the major divergences don't come out until the events of Index II role around.
Generation Zero: A major part of Accelerator's story he is definitely his image, especially regarding how Touma in specific sees him. His story will mostly be an internal conflict, while the external conflicts in encounters will mostly remain the same. I think you'll like what I have planned after the end of this chapter.
And that's all the reviews. You all know the drill at this point.
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 56: The One Way
10 Years Ago
Touma had been going through a hard time in his life, harder than everything else to happen to him combined. After returning home to Asunaro Park after a surprisingly uneventful day, he had learned of his sister's unannounced and unexplained disappearance. His frantic, barefoot run across the city in a desperate attempt to find her left him with bruised and bloodied feet and landed him in the hospital. Even if he healed amazingly well and quickly physically, his heart still hurt as his sister left an empty void behind.
When Yuri caught word of this development, he did whatever he could to help his best friend through such a tough time. When Touma was released from the hospital, Yuri was there to give him all the support he needed. It was the least he could do for everything the Level 0 did for him. It was what best friends do.
After leaving the hospital, Yuri wanted to show Touma a good time so the Level 0 could move past the loss of his sister. They would play at the park, grab a bite to eat, and maybe even see that new superhero movie that was coming out. It was a five-year-old boy's ultimate fantasy, to be able to live and have fun at their leisure with no adult supervision. And with Yuri's funds as the city's first Level 5, it would be a cinch to make a reality. If that couldn't lighten Touma's mood, nothing would. Besides, he's always been able to bounce back from misfortune. Surely, he could do the same here.
Sadly, it would seem that fate had other plans for the pair of elementary school boys. As soon as the Yuri and Touma arrived, a random boy their age stepped in their path and demanded a fight with Yuri. Yuri's reputation as the first Esper to ever reach Level 5 was quick to follow him and easily became common knowledge. Soon enough, everyone in Academy City knew of the existence of the strongest Esper and the name of his Ability, Accelerator.
"You're Accelerator, right?" the boy demanded.
"I have a name, you know," Yuri replied.
"Whatever. You are the strongest Esper, aren't you?" the boy asked, ignoring Yuri's reply.
"Yuri, let's just leave," Touma begged, "I don't like were this is going."
"Who's asking?" Yuri asked the boy across from him, determined to get to the park and show Touma a good time.
"The guy that's going to kick your butt!" the boy cried as he charged with a chambered fist.
As soon as he was in range, the boy threw his fist and aimed for Yuri's head. Unfortunately, the fist never reached its target and the boy was sent flying backwards by the Automatic Reflection application of Yuri's Ability. The boy was left curled up on the ground, tenderly gripping his arm in pain. As for the strongest Esper, he simply stood there and let the attack come and go. It wasn't the first time something like this happened and it always ended the same way.
"Look kid, I'm just here to have a good time with my buddy," Yuri sighed, looking down on the poor boy, "I don't want to hurt anyone, but with my power its inevitable. Normally, Touma here would make sure things don't get to that point, but he's having a really hard time right now, so I don't want to bother him over this. So how about you just run along and pretend none of this ever happened, okay?"
"Yuri, I really think we should leave?" Touma cut in, placing his right hand on Yuri's shoulder, "We're drawing a lot of attention."
Looking up from the fallen challenger, Yuri saw just what his friend meant when he said they had drawn in a lot of attention. All around the park, multiple civilians were giving them shocked and concerned stares, many of which were directed at the poor boy who was stupid enough to think he could win against the strongest Esper and take his title. It was clear that pretty much everyone had seen the confrontation, with some people even pulling out their phones to most likely report the accident. Seeing that they were most likely not welcome at that particular park at the moment, Yuri followed Touma's lead and quickly vacated the area.
When the way to the mall to grab a bit to eat, the boys were surrounded by a group of four men in suits. From what they could tell, the men were with Academy City's defense forces, mostly likely deployed in response to a report of an out of control Esper. In this case, the Esper they were acting in response to was Yuri, turned in by the concerned park goers that saw him earlier. With no warning, the four men charged at the albino boy to apprehend him, only to be reflected back before they could lay a hand on him or Touma.
Ignoring the escalating confrontations, Yuri continued to lead Touma towards the mall to show his friend a good time. Despite Touma's growing concerns, Yuri was determined to make the day a good one for his grieving best friend. When they finally arrived, they were confronted with yet another group of four men in suits, this time armed with handguns.
"Sir, are you sure this is okay? There's a civilian with him," one of the men asked in concern.
"Aim straight at the albino one," the leader ordered, "The civilian will be safe once the rogue Esper is apprehended."
To both boys' surprise, the men fired on them, determined to apprehend Yuri by any means necessary. Fearing for his friend's safety, the albino elementary school boy wrapped his friend in his arms and shielded him with his body, careful to avoid Touma's right hand. A second later, all the bullets were reflected away from both of them, blowing up the guns that fired them in the first place.
"Y-yuri?" Touma stuttered, scared for his life.
"No time! We have to run!" Yuri yelled as he grabbed his friend's right hand and took off running, leaving the mall behind.
Yuri could barely believe what was happening. How could it all turn out so bad? All he wanted was to have a good time with his best friend, to cheer him up after the loss of his older sister. Now here they were, running for their lives from a couple of men who would use lethal force just to catch him, regardless as to whether or not someone else could have gotten hit in the crossfire. They thought he was a bigger danger to others than they were, and they were the ones using handguns on an elementary school kid.
"Touma, you have to leave me!" Yuri cried as they ran down the street, "Those men will do whatever it takes to capture me! I can't let you get caught in the crossfire by staying near me!"
"What? No!" Touma yelled, stopping in his tracks and pulling Yuri to stop with him, "Do you know what those guys do to out of control Espers they capture? If those men get you, they'll take you away to make sure you never misuse your powers again! That kid getting hurt wasn't even your fault! It was just an accident! Please Yuri, I can't lose you too! Don't leave me all alone!"
"… I'm sorry," Yuri said quietly as he let go of Touma's hand, "I can't let you get hurt because of me."
To Touma's surprise, Yuri gave his friend a light tap on the shoulder. With Yuri's Ability, that single tap was all he needed to send Touma flying, sending him down the street and a good city block away from the strongest Esper. The landing was not as gentle as it could have been with the level of control Yuri had then, but it was smooth enough to not give Touma any noticeable injuries. With Yuri and Touma now separated by several meters, Yuri took off running in the opposite direction, determined to keep Touma as far away from the inevitable fight.
Soon enough, Yuri was faced with one of the most imposing forces he's ever seen. In a desperate move to match his own unparalleled power, Academy City brought in its entire military, complete with tanks and attack helicopters, to take him down. Standing in the middle of one of the city's many interactions, Yuri could see nothing but military vehicles for dozens of meters.
And then, it happened. Determined to take him in, all the military vehicles fired on his location, showering Yuri with bullet and tank shells. Through it all, Yuri remained unharmed, his Automatic Reflection protecting him perfectly. When the bullets stopped flying and the shells stopped falling, Yuri was left standing alone in a crater, completely unharmed.
Looking around him Yuri could only stare in horror at the amount of destruction around him. His power to manipulate vectors and reflect all forms of harm away from him was the ultimate defense. It protected him from all manner of attacks without fail. However, looking at the destroyed landscape around him, all he could think was how ironic it was that a shield could result is some much destruction. Just the sight was enough to make him give up. It was enough to make him give up on living a normal life. The fact of the matter was he was not normal.
"Please! Stop!" A familiar voice cried out from behind the crowd of military vehicles.
To Yuri's surprise, Touma had somehow managed to slip past the mess of military vehicles in front of him and force his way to the front. Dropping into the crater created by the fighting, Touma stumbled towards the center before standing in front of Yuri with his back turned and his arms spread out in front of him. He stood there definitely, doing what little he could to stand between the army of men and his best friend.
"Please, it wasn't Yuri's fault!" the boy begged, "It was only an accident!"
"Touma," Yuri interrupted, "Don't. It's alright."
"It's not alright!" Touma yelled defiantly, "These people are treating you like a criminal for something you had no control over! They're treating you like a monster that should be caged! Like you're the villain of your own story! I won't accept that! I can't accept that! You're not some criminal, monster, or villain! You're my best friend, and if you think I'll stand by and let these guys drag you away and lock you up, I'll shatter that stupid illusion!"
Despite Touma pleas, Yuri wasn't listening to any of them. He wanted to believe what Touma was saying was true. But in the face of everything that had happened, he couldn't accept it as such. Only a criminal would indiscriminately hurt others. Only a monster would cause so much destruction. Only a villain would have the authorities after him. Until he could get better control of his power, until people stopped trying to pick fight with him over a pointless title, until he could stop hurting others, he was everything these people claimed him to be.
With an unsteady hand, gingerly took a hold of Touma's right hand and lowered it to his side. Surprised by his friend's actions, Touma turned to face Yuri, only to see tears starting to fall from the albino boy's eyes. The sight freeze Touma in his tracks. He never could stand the sight of tears.
"Please," Yuri whispered pleadingly, "Just let it go. Just let me go."
Seeing his friend in such a state of desperation and depravity, Touma knew he had no choice but to comply. He didn't like it, but there was nothing more he could do in this situation. A single elementary school boy with no special abilities outside of a right hand that negates the supernatural versus the entire armed forces of Academy City was a clear-cut battle. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out.
Although it left a sour taste in his mouth, Touma let go of Yuri's hand and remained silent as one of the attack helicopters landed to take the Level 5 into custody.
Present Day
'Why am I thinking about this crap now of all times,' Accelerator growled in his head as he ran.
Having chosen to protect Last Order, Accelerator had taken possession of a small handheld computer and a flash drive containing the youngest Sister's personality data from a week ago. As the sun began to set, the Level 5 ran for dear life with the electronic firmly in his grip. He had to hurry back to the restaurant he left her at if he wanted to get her back to the lab in time.
However, despite having a clear goal to focus on, Accelerator was distracted. As he ran, his mind had somehow wander to that day over a decade ago, the day his life started down the path towards the hell it was now. It was the day that his path diverged from Touma's, costing him his peaceful life and his best friend. It was by far the worst day of his life, so why was he remembering it now, and so vividly? Nothing good came of that day.
'Doesn't matter,' Accelerator told himself as he continued to run, 'All that matters now is getting to that kid, quickly.'
By the time night fell over Academy City, Accelerator finally managed to return to the restaurant he had left Last Order at earlier that day. Unfortunately, he arrived only to find a rather unsavory discovery.
"What!? A man in a lab coat!?" he asked a waitress for confirmation.
"Well, yes," the waitress confirmed, "He said he was related to her, an uncle or something, so we thought it would be okay to let her leave with him. So, is this person an acquaintance of yours?"
"… Unfortunately, he is," Accelerator said in a low growl.
Having run into complications, the Level 5 exited the restaurant and called Yoshikawa to tell her about the unfortunate turn of events regarding Last Order and her kidnapping by a man who could only be Ao Amai.
"The virus is designed to activate on its own right?" Accelerator asked over the phone, "If that's the case, why would that bastard decide to make a move now?"
"That's just one question I wish I could answer," Yoshikawa replied.
"It's possible that he's already left Academy City, isn't it? There are already a number of organizations that would hide his sorry ass."
"Word is that somebody from the outside broke through the security net. Whoever it was then slipped into the city," the researcher explained, "The security code was set to orange earlier today, but has now been elevated to red. No one is allowed to enter or exit Academy City, which means that Amai must be hiding here somewhere."
"Hotels wouldn't be safe, so he must be hiding at a friend's place."
"I'd be surprised if there was anyone left in this city whom he could call a friend."
"I see what you mean," Accelerator mused, "He's a piece of shit, just like me."
"With the closure of the laboratory, he's incurred quite a lot of debt," Yoshikawa explained, "I'd guess his friendships only last as long as his money holds out."
"Hm. If he has nowhere to set up camp, then he's probably prowling around town somewhere," Accelerator deduced, "And I have an advantage. He's cornered and a lack of breathing room tends to make people's actions a lot more predictable."
Upon hearing what Accelerator was implying to be his plan, Yoshikawa tried to convince him to not go through with something so cruel and heinous. Unfortunately, Accelerator hung up the phone before she could get a proper sentence out. Not that it would have done any good anyway. The Level 5 has always been a monstrous, villainous criminal. It was not like there was any other way for him to handle the situation. It was his personal one-way road.
In a restricted back alley somewhere in Academy City, a certain yellow sports car was parked in the shadows. In the driver's seat of that sports car was Ao Amai, with a single passenger sitting next to him. That passenger was the Last Order, who looked increasingly unwell and had several electrodes attached to her head, connecting her to a laptop.
"Damn it!" Amai yelled, pounding his fists on his steering wheel, "Nothing's going my way tonight!
Looking over at his increasingly ill passenger and the laptop she was connected to, the researcher watched anxiously as the charts on display grew increasingly unstable. Last Order's brain activity was getting wilder as her condition worsened and the virus was nearing its activation time.
'Please, just stay alive until the virus activates,' Amai begged, his only real concern being the virus he planned to unleash upon the Misaka Network.
As he anxiously waited for his plans to come to their final phase, Amai heard something unusual from outside of his car. It was the sound of footsteps walking down a road, and it was getting closer. Looking in his rearview mirror, he saw the last person he wanted to deal with in that moment. The strongest Esper in Academy City, Accelerator, had discovered his location and tracked him down.
Fearing for his life, the researcher desperately tried to start his car, only to find that his vehicle's ignition was as stubborn as ever. After a few frantic attempts, he finally got the engine running and floored the accelerator. Unfortunately, in his panic, Amai made a fatal strategic error. Rather than running away from the Level 5, he threw his vehicle in reverse and spun it around before charging at the strongest Esper at full speed.
It didn't take a genius to tell anyone how that confrontation ended. With his unparalleled psychic abilities, Accelerator stopped the car in an instant, crushing it in such a way that Last Order remained unharmed and all the damage was isolated to Amai's side of the vehicle. All the poor researcher could do was laugh pathetically at his massive screw up.
"I have you, you bastard," Accelerator declared, "Now, what should I do with you."
Screaming for his life, Amai tried to weasel his way out of the driver side door to escape. Unfortunately, the door was mangled in the crash, leaving it much more difficult to open up. Amai only managed to squeeze half of his body through the miniscule gap he was able to make before Accelerator stopped on the car and slammed the door closed on him, knocking the researcher out cold.
"You should take it easy, old man," Accelerator instructed mockingly, "It's fucking embarrassing to watch."
Walking around to the passenger side of the vehicle, Accelerator kneeled down next to the sickly Last Order as he called Yoshikawa to give her an update.
"Hey, Yoshikawa, I have the kid with me," the Level 5 reported, "Wait… it looks like she's hooked up to some electrodes."
"That's probably a physical exam kit that we use on the Sisters," Yoshikawa replied.
"Can you tell me what a BC Operating Ratio is?" Accelerator requested, turning the laptop connected to the Sister to face him.
"It measures the rate in which her brain is functioning," Yoshikawa explained, "BC stands for brain cell."
"These numbers aren't looking so good," the Level 5 grumbled as the number on screen rapidly grew larger, "So, do you think I can use this physical exam kit thing to get rid of the virus? It could take me a hell of a long time to get her back to the laboratory from here."
"Impossible. We need a specialized incubator and a learning apparatus to overwrite her mind," Yoshikawa explained regretfully over the sound of a roaring engine and rushing wind.
"Wait, where are you?" Accelerator asked, noticing the background noise, "Driving?"
"Yes," Yoshikawa replied, "I'm driving towards right now as we speak. I figure I could buy us more time this way. It's quicker than you taking her back to the lab."
"Are you done analyzing the virus code?"
"I'd say I'm 80% there. I'll be finished before the midnight deadline."
"Honestly, how much crap is this kid going to drag me through?" Accelerator grumbled, "This is getting old, fast."
As the clock continued to tick towards midnight, Last Order's breathing started to get heavier and more unstable. She then started to repeat her designation as a Misaka Sister repeatedly and progressively more quickly before spiraling into a nonsensical babbling. An alarm then started to go off on the physical exam kit, followed by the screen quickly flooding with red warning pop-ups.
"Um, Yoshikawa, what the hell is going on?" Accelerator asked in confusion.
"Quiet! Give me a second," Yoshikawa demanded, taking a second to listen to what Last Order was babbling, "Yeah, that's it alright, but it shouldn't be happening yet."
"What is it? What's fucking happening?"
"The implanted virus code. From the sound of it, it's getting ready to execute," Yoshikawa answered grimly, "I don't get it. There's still four hours until midnight! This could mean we were fed false information!"
"Damn it!" Accelerator growled in frustration.
As the virus continued to wreak havoc on Last Order's mind, the warnings on the physical exam kit grew more numerous, flooding the screen with nothing but red windows. Eventually, the toll was too much on the poor Sister and her babbling suddenly stopped, like a speaker that blew a circuit and stopped working.
"Listen up, Accelerator," Yoshikawa instructed, "It's too soon to give up. But you've got to move quickly, alright?"
"What? You mean there's something I can do?"
"Before the virus is distributed throughout the Misaka Network, it's being converted into a host command, which none of the Sister can contradict. That will take about ten minutes to complete. That should be more than enough time. You know there is only one thing you can do," Yoshikawa instructed, "Dispose of Last Order. Save the world by killing her. It's the only way."
Upon hearing these instructions, Accelerator froze up. He thought he was done having to kill the Sisters, but now his was being told to do something far crueler. Not only was he being told to kill, the alternative was letting hundreds of thousands more suffer at the hands of a Sister rampage. It was the worst kind of ultimatum there was.
"Damn it!" Accelerator growled, "I'm the strongest Esper in Academy City, but as powerful as my abilities are, they're only good for altering vector directions. Once more, I've pretty much only ever used them for beating people up. I don't know how to do any healing. Sure, I can touch someone and reverse the flow of their blood and mess with their bioelectricity, but…"
As he said this, Accelerator felt something pass through his head. A thought, an idea. Some sort of solution to his current predicament, a way to save the world without having to sacrifice anything or anyone. Something Touma would come up with when he would try to save someone. Giving it another moment of thought, a lightbulb went off in his head and the answer arrived to him.
'Bioelectricity. That's it,' Accelerator thought to himself as he pulled out the handheld computer and flash drive he received earlier, 'This data stick could be the key. It contains all of Last Order's personality data from before she was infected.'
"… Hey listen," Accelerator said into his phone, "What if I took control of the electrical signals in her brain? Wouldn't we be able to alter her personality data and get rid of the virus."
"What are you talking about? You don't mean… Are you suggesting that take the place of the learning apparatus!? No way!"
"It should be simple enough for me to do though," Accelerator insisted as he loaded the data stick into the handheld computer, "I'm a master at reflecting vectors. All I'm talking about is the next step, controlling them."
"Fine. Let's assume you're somehow able to get control of Last Order's neuropathways. That doesn't mean you'll be able to completely eradicate the virus," Yoshikawa argued, "There's more than just the Sister at stake if you fail. In this kind of attack, the casualties will be staggering. The only way to avoid major lose of life would be to kill Last Order. I know you don't like it but we've exhausted all our options."
'I've had enough of this crap,' Accelerator thought to himself as he tossed his phone to the side of the road.
"Who the hell does she think I am? I'm the strongest guy in Academy City. If a Level 0 like Touma can manage to save thousands of people, saving one person should be a cinch for me," Accelerator mumbled to himself as he memorized the computer code on the handheld computer, "I can collect the pre-infection data, then all I should need to do is delete the excess code, right?"
After a few moments, Accelerator finished reading through all the computer code that translated into Last Order's personality data. With the data memorized, he shaped the device in half with his ability, having no more use for it.
"Alright, simple enough," Accelerator said to himself as he placed a hand on Last Order's head, "Let get started."
As soon as he placed his hand on her head, Accelerator was able to get a read on all the vectors flowing through her body. For his purposes, the only things he would need to focus on was the bioelectricity flowing between her neurons that translated into information. From there, it was a simple matter of translating that those electrical signals into computer code and halting the signals that didn't correspond to the code he memorized.
"Poor kid. She's already been dragged through hell," Accelerator whispered to himself, "After all the things those pieces of shit have put her through, saying, 'Sorry, we couldn't save her,' just isn't going to cut it. I may not be a hero like Touma, but at the very least I can fill his role while he's not here."
Collating the pre-infection data he memorized, Accelerator compared it to the code currently present in Last Order. Comparing the two sets of data, the data currently in Last Order's head had an object code count that was 357,081 objects greater than it was a week ago. By erasing those extra lines of code, it should reset Last Order to the state she was in a week ago, before she was infected with the virus, and before she ever met Accelerator. With his targets set, the Level 5 immediately got to work deleting all the excess code.
As lines of code were deleted from Last Order's brain, the many red warning windows popped up on the physical exam kit started closing themselves as the lines of code they were pertaining to ceased to exist. At the same time, Last Order became extremely active for someone who was unconscious, spouting out notifications like a haywire computer and thrashing around wildly.
'How much of her memory am I erasing along with the virus?' Accelerator mused to himself.
"So, what if she doesn't remember any of it?" the Level 5 reassured himself, "The kid's better off not remembering any of the crap that's happened in the last week anyway. Remaining code count: 23,891. Just ten seconds left to go. I knew this would be easy enough to do."
Unfortunately, something, or rather someone, decided to interfere within those last ten seconds of deleting code. As Accelerator continued his memory surgery, he heard a gun cock over to his right. Turing to face the source of the sound, Accelerator saw Ao Amai with a pistol in his hand aimed right at the Esper's head.
"Get away…" the man demanded with a crazed look in his eyes, "Don't interfere…"
'You've got to be shitting me!' Accelerator growled in his head, 'I'm doing electron microscope precision work here! I don't have any power remaining to divert to reflection.'
The code count was down to the ten thousands at that point, but with how close Amai was, there wouldn't be enough time to finish the procedure and divert power to reflection before the bullet hit Accelerator. One way or another, someone was going to get shot. Either Accelerator finished the job and takes a bullet to the head as a result, or he stops the deletion process early and all the other Sisters get an incomplete command that could compel them to open fire on civilians with those assault rifles the seem to always have on their person even after Project Level 6 Shift had been halted. It was yet another ultimatum, one arguably more distasteful that the last.
With uneasy hands, Amai pulled the trigger of his gun and fired. As the bullet flew towards Accelerator's head, he could feel time slow down around him.
'What an idiot,' Accelerator reprimanded himself, 'Did I actually believe this would work? I thought I could do it. I thought I could save someone else and earn a second chance for myself. What in hell ever gave me that idea?'
Just as the bullet made contact with Accelerator's forehead, a memory flashed in his mind. It was the memory of the day his life went to hell and he was separated from his best friend. More specifically, it was the memory of when he shielded Touma from a hail of bullets after a couple agents were too desperate to apprehend him to consider the chance of hurting a civilian. The memory of when he used his power to save someone.
'Oh…' Yuri thought has he fell on his back from the bullet impact and let go of Last Order, 'That's why…'
When Accelerator landed on the ground, his body fell limp like a rag doll. Seeing this, Amai picked himself up from his crouching position to get a closer look.
"He's dead… He's really dead!" the scientist laughed triumphantly, "I don't know how, but he's lying there dead and I'm still alive!"
However, Amai's celebrations were cut short when he heard a buzz from the physical exam kit that Last Order was hooked up to. Last Order then began to ring out several notifications regarding the virus Amai created, confirming that the program had be canceled and the Sister was rebooting.
"It's been cancelled? The subject is rebooting?" Amai asked in denial, raising his gun again, "No! The virus failed to trigger!?"
In his anger and frustration, Amai pulled the trigger, intending to kill the Sister there and then. However, the bullet never reached its intended target. Out of nowhere, a right hand of a high school age boy reached out and intercepted the bullet, reflecting it right at the gun that originally fired it, destroying it. It was Accelerator.
Surprised by the sudden turn of events, Amai jump out of his car and on to the street, clutching the hand that was previously holding his now destroyed gun in pain.
"What!? You're alive!?" Amai cried in confusion, "I see. That's what you did. You managed to deflect the bullet right before it entered your brain!"
Climbing through the wreckage of the car, Accelrator step in front of the collapsed scientist, acting as the only defense for Last Order. He was clutching his forehead with his left hand, desperately trying to slow down the blood lose from the bullet wound.
"But what are you going to do now!?" Amai laughed mockingly as he got up, "It's already too late for you! You're beyond saving!"
"Oh, I know that. I've known it for quite a while now," Accelrator declared, "Who would want to save me anyway? Who would want to waste energy on a piece of shit like me? The very idea is so ridiculous it makes me laugh! I knew a guy who would go to any lengths to help someone, regardless of who it was, and I doubt even he would want to help me! No, I'm done with wishful thinking! It makes me sick, the person I've become, but it doesn't matter! It has nothing to do with her! Sure, I may be the one that killed over a thousand of the Sisters, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and watch the other ten thousand die because of you! Yeah, I know, coming from me, that sounds like nothing but lip service! I'm not the kind of guy that can make a speech on the spot that changes people's hearts for the better! But I promise, I mean every single word! It doesn't matter that you and I are nothing but enormous pieces of shit, or what justifications we make! It's not about us! It's about her, and I'm telling you she doesn't deserve to die!"
Still holding his wound, Accelerator stumbled towards Amai with the intention of fighting back. Even in his injured state, he could still manage a trick as simple as enhancing a striking force or paralysis via halting bioelectricity. Unfortunately, the wound was too big, and he was losing blood too quickly. With his brain unable to obtain the proper amount of oxygen to function, Accelerator quickly collapsed face first on the ground, his blood starting to pool around his head.
After a moment of silence, Amai stepped towards the fallen Esper and tapped him with his foot, just to check for a response. When nothing happened, he pressed a bit harder to double check. Still no reaction.
"His reflection's not working… He's down for good this time…" Amai laughed uneasily as he pulled out another gun from his lab coat and aimed it at Accelerator's head, "That's just too bad, now isn't it? Looks like playing the hero didn't work out too well for you. Kudos for trying, but you didn't have the strength for it. Not surprising. People like us weren't built for noble deeds and self-sacrifice. It's just the way it is, I'm afraid."
A moment later, a gun shot could be heard echoing through the alley. Unfortunately for Amai, it did not come from his own gun. Rather, the sound originated from behind the poor researcher, and the bullet that was fired planned itself in his lower back, missing his vital organs but still causing some serious pain. Turning around, Amai found the person to have shot him to be Kikyou Yoshikawa.
"Yoshikawa… you shot me…" Amai gasped as he collapsed on the ground.
With Amai taken care of, Yoshikawa collected Last Order from the wreckage of her former colleague's car. With the Sister secure, Yoshikawa loaded her in a special incubation chamber she loaded in the back of her own car to keep the Sister stable until she could get her body properly adjusted.
"I'm sorry about this," Yoshikawa apologized as she approached the struggling Amai, "It's a flaw of mine. I never seem to follow through with anything. I'm not being kind. I'm just soft. I didn't have the nerve to hit you anywhere vital, but I don't think I can let you get away, either."
Pulling out her gun, she held the barrel in front of Amai's face at pointblank range. There was no getting out of that situation for the treacherous researcher.
"So, I guess I've needlessly drawn out your suffering," Yoshikawa mused, "How ironic it is that my weakness has actually turned out to be a sort of cruelty. I don't know what happened except what I was able to hear over the phone, but it appears that your plan didn't turn out quiet like you thought it would."
In a moment of uncertainty, Amai looked back at the collapsed Accelerator behind him.
"Oh, him? You don't have to worry, he'll be just fine," Yoshikawa added, "I have a rather talented doctor friend. You wouldn't guess by looking at him. Poor man has a face like a frog, I'm afraid. But, he's so good at what he does, he's actually been given the nickname Heaven Canceller. With my friend as his doctor, Accelerator should pull through."
"How could you!?" Amai cried in outrage, "It doesn't make any sense! You're a scientist! You make calculations and perform experiments in a controlled laboratory environment! You don't point guns at people!"
"See, that's the thing. I sort of fell into this position, I never wanted to be a researcher," Yoshikawa revealed, taking a knee, "As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a schoolteacher. And not just some boring lecturer, but an instructor who could really connect with her students. That's what I always dreamed about, being a good teacher. One that remembered her students' faces from year to year, one they knew they could talk to no matter what problems they were having, one who could smile freely without expecting anything in return, who would hold back tears when her students walked the stage on graduation day. That's the kind of teacher I wanted to be. At least some of that desire still lingers with me. I still want to do something that's good, and not because I'm soft, not because it's weak, but because it's right. So now I'm acting like a teacher who would do anything for her students. That's why I'm here pointing a gun at your chest."
To punctuate her point, Yoshikawa pressed her gun to Amai's chest. Unfortunately, Amai did the same with his own gun on her chest. Looked like neither of them was getting out of that screwed up situation alive.
"Well Amai, it's over," Yoshikawa mused, "I see you're too frightened to die alone. If you had to choose someone to come with you, I'm glad you picked me, because there's no way I was going to let you take one of those children with you into hell. This is my one good deed. I only wish there could have been more in my life."
"Heh. I have to admit, you don't seem very soft at the moment," Amai chuckled, "Unfortuantely, teacher it won't do you any good."
On the night of the last day of summer vacation, the sound of two guns firing could be heard echoing through the streets of Academy City.
When Yoshikawa opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. While the ceiling itself was unknown to her, as a scientist she recognized the equipment affixed to it, specifically the medical hanging over her body normally used in surgery. In addition to the sound of a heart monitor and the IV tube attached to her left arm, it was fair to deduce that she was in a hospital operatin room. When a certain frog faced doctor entered her field of view, it was apparent which hospital she was in.
"I'm really alive…" Yoshikawa mused, "I can't believe I made it."
"Of course you did, my dear. What would you expect when I was operating on you?" Heaven Canceller asked rhetorically.
"I'm not questioning your ability, doctor, but I was shot point blank in the heart. That does tend to be fatal."
"To be more accurate, you were shot in the artery extending from the heart," the doctor corrected, "But I'm splitting hairs. Either way you look at it, yes, you were basically dead. If you're going to thank anyone, it should be that young man. It looks like he was somehow able to manipulate your blood flow to keep you alive. I've seen a lot in my time, but this was just incredible. He passed the blood from one opening in your artery to another without losing a drop, as if there was an invisible hose. He kept it up even after he had fallen unconscious. He held out until you reached the OR and I was able to take it from there, but without him, you would have died. Unfortunately, he isn't out of the woods yet. He seems to have taken a lot of damage, specifically around his frontal cortex. His vocal and computational will be affected. At this point, I can't say for certain how badly."
"His computational abilities!?" Yoshikawa gasped, "It can't be! What will happen to his Esper Powers!?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much," the doctor insisted, "Dear, don't you know my credo by now? When something seems unworkable, work something out. I promise, I'll restore the young man's verbal fuction and his powers of computation no matter what. You and your people seem to have created a multiheaded monster, and I intend to make good use of it. They've got nearly ten thousand brains linked together. I think they can spare some of that mental wealth to help one person's speaking and calculation skills."
"You mean the Misaka Network," Yoshikawa deduced, "What about Last Order? Where is she?"
"Are you talking about a young girl with chestnut hair by any chance?" Heaven Canceller inquired, "Don't worry, she's safe and under our supervision. Now, enough of my rambling. Patients won't heal themselves. So, what are you going to do know?"
"What am I going to do?" Yoshikawa asked in confusion, sitting up.
"It seems that the city's higher ups have found out about this bloody little incident," the doctor explained, "That lab's been permanently shut down and the experiment was completely terminated. In other words, I'm afraid you're out of the job."
"Oh… I see…" the former researcher sighed, "I suppose this mean my life as a researcher is over."
"… There are other paths you can go down," the doctor pointed out as he made his way out of the OR, "Any number of them will do."
"Wait!" Yoshikawa called out, "Please, as a friend, help the young man who came in with me! If you don't, I'll never forgive you."
"Look who you're talking too, my dear," the doctor replied, stopping at the door, "An injured body is a doctor's battlefield. You'll see. I'm a more than capable soldier. I always return from battle. And this time, I'll bring back a patient with me, one whose been fighting alone all these years."
When the doctor finally left the room, Yoshikawa was left alone with only her thoughts. Her mind wandered back to her and Accelerator's conversation in the laboratory and how he pointed out the absurdity of the Sisters' serial killer becoming their hero. In an ironic twist of fate, that's exactly what happened. It came at a great cost, but he managed to save someone with his powers.
"Well, what do you know," Yoshikawa mused, "He was their savior after all, wasn't he?"
Little did she know it was not the first time, nor would it be the last.
Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple
"Welcome back to the Animan Temple!" the master of the temple cheered, striking a pose with his sword on his shoulder, "I'm you host, Animan von Elysuim X, along with my trusty assistant, Priestess Number 1: Aisa Himegami!"
"Pleasure to meet all of you," Himegami greeted with a bow.
"Wasn't that I nice little chapter," Animan congratulated himself, "Complete with an expanded flashback!"
"Why didn't you let Accelerator keep his full power?" Himegami complained, "So many readers wanted to see that."
"Ah, here's the thing, my dear assistant. The injury was a necessary," Animan explained wisely, "With so much power at his figure tips, there would be no way to create tension in the fights he participates in without having the choker. This isn't a power fantasy type of story, but rather an alternative lens. Do you really want a character that wins every fight with no chance of a struggle?"
"Have you seen the popularity of One Punch Man and most Isekai shows?" Himegami asked flatly.
"Well, looks like we've run out of time!" Animan yelled, ignoring the question outright, "We'll see you all for the last chapter of the Three Stories Arc, 'War for Love'."
"Goodbye," Himegami reluctantly bowed.