----9th October 3:00p.m.----
School Garden, a haven for prestigious girls who drink tea all day as they don on their branded items while talking about what was their favorite type of tea.
That was typically the air around School Garden. An all girls school where sheltered girls are kept away from the outside, where the danger of men's lust lurk.
However, at the center of School Garden is where the prestigious of most prestigious girls nurtured and honed their esper abilities to its finest.
Tokiwadai Middle School.
Housing the 3rd ranked Level 5, Misaka Mikoto as well as the 5th ranked Level 5, Shokuhou Misaki. However, due to recent events, the original Misaka Mikoto is nowhere to be found in this school. Instead, one of the Misaka clones have replaced her.
But today was not about the clone, instead it was more towards an outsider.
Namely Mugino Shizuri.
She stood outside the gates of School Garden with blood splattered all across her skirt and face. Anyone who looked at her would think she was a lunatic when in fact she was.
There was no one at the reception probably because of the situation happening all around Academy City. At the palm of Mugino's hand was her signature glowing green sphere which she got her name from, Meltdowner.
She blasted the gates of School Garden open and then with just a few steps in, she had officially entered School Garden.
------------------
"Ughhh...what is happening in Academy City now?"
"People are saying that there's a dragon in Academy City, Queen."
"Dragon? What kind of conspiracies are people coming up with nowadays?"
"Well it is the internet after all, Queen."
These two people were Hokaze Junko and Shokuhou Misaki.
Around her were a few members of her clique and acquaintances as they sat around their usual table drinking tea.
All of a sudden, a buzzing came from Misaki's phone. She pulled it out of her starry-shaped handbag as she answered the phone.
"Hi hi! Shokuhou Misaki here☆ How may I help you today?"
"Someone broke into School Garden. She doesn't seem to belong here. Sending you a visual on the suspect."
Then as her phone buzzed right beside her ear, she looked down at her phone and opened up the message.
"...What is she doing here?"
"I'm not sure Queen. But weird things have been happening around Academy City lately. I'm going to follow her around and see what she's---"
A small silence followed suite.
"Hello?" Misaki asked as she hoped to get a response from her.
"Wait...I think she's seen me."
"Get out!"
"Oh SHI--"
Then the line was cut.
"Damnit! (What could she possibly want from here?)" Misaki furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to think of a reason why she would be here.
In the first place, it was weird that someone like her had arrived here.
"(This is not right. There's something she wants here, but what is it?)" Misaki placed a finger under her chin as she continued thinking of multiple reasons why Mugino of all people would come to School Garden.
She was part of ITEM, a small organization looking after the Dark Side and anyone who would try to find a loophole in the system.
They were supposedly the dark heroes of Academy City.
"What should we do, Queen? Should we prepare for a counterattack?" Hokaze asked.
"...No, it's alright★ Leave it to me. If she does come here, I'll have a small chat with her."
"Ha. Flaunting your position as a Level 5?"
The person who commented that was a girl with long hair as her fringe covered her right eye.
Yumiya Iruka.
"..."
"Listen, I don't think it's even a good idea to confront her one on one. If we stack up against each other, she'll just burn through us. She's not even mentally stable to hold up a proper conversation. What makes you think you can change that?"
"...That's why I said I'll handle it."
"No, I think it's better if we just let her handle it." Iruka suggested as a smirk appeared on her face.
Just hearing that simple word was enough to send chills down Misaki's spine.
"They still have a duty to do, and I think she just might be the perfect candidate against her."
"The dorm supervisor, huh?"
------------------------
"...Who the hell are you?"
Right now, Mugino was standing in front of the gates of Tokiwadai Middle School.
Five glowing spheres surrounded her upper body as she glared at a woman who looked to be in her 30's or older.
"I believe you do not have any business to be here. If so, I hope you at least received an invitation from the principal." The dorm supervisor wore a business suit with stockings and a skirt at her waist level as her bangs parted midway. She pushed her glasses up closer to her eyes as she tilted her head back.
"Also, Komaki-san. What did I say about leaving school premises at this hour?"
"..."
Makigami Komaki, a Tokiwadai student who also happened to be part of Judgement, was the one investigating Mugino and she had contacted Misaki earlier, only to be shot by a green laser from Meltdowner.
Fortunately, she was rescued by the dorm supervisor. Otherwise, she would have became another Hamazura.
"After this, meet me in the principal's office." She said in a low, intimidating voice.
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Komaki straightened her back as she quickly got up.
Afterwards, she ran back inside the school. The dorm supervisor then turned her attention towards the 4th ranked Level 5, Meltdowner.
"You Level 5's are always causing trouble."
"Heh, in that case. If you hand over Shokuhou Misaki, I won't cause that much trouble." Mugino grinned as one of her Meltdowners appeared in her hand.
"sigh According to the rules right now, no students are to leave the school premises. Moreover, I can't just let Misaki hang out with the wrong group of people." She pushed her glasses up once more, "It will ruin this school's reputation."
"Is that so? So you prioritize keeping the reputation of this school healthy rather than the students themselves?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I get paid enough to keep them in check. And that includes the Railgun as well."
"Heh, then you can die with your head hung high."
A single shot was all it took to get the fight started.
The moment a ray of green light approached the dorm supervisor, she tilted her head to the side as she dodged it.
With a confident look, Mugino fired five more beams from her Meltdowner, each aiming near her limbs.
One aimed at her head, another below her skirt, another on her knee, one beside her and one more above her.
A complete barrier.
She would inevitably lose at least a limb if she tried to dodge this.
"Prepare to die!!" Mugino shouted as the beams flashed forward.
However, the dorm supervisor was not remotely fazed by this attack. She simply took a step forward, or rather she made a run for it towards Mugino.
The Meltdowners aimed below her skirt and her knee created a small gap such that it allowed her to squeeze her legs through whilst only suffering a few burns.
And the one aiming for her head was easily dodged with a tilt of her head.
As the dorm supervisor prepared to dash towards Mugino, Mugino was still not afraid of her.
Maybe it was because she could still adjust the angles of her Meltdowners so that it can decapitate her limbs if she got too close.
This was a sure win for her.
Or at least she thought.
She did not think that in a single blink of an eye that the dorm supervisor could cover half the distance between them.
After all, she was just an ordinary adult.
It was not like she was even a Level 5. She did not even have a single level.
She was not even an esper.
Her grin quickly faded into a look of horror. She tilted her back behind as she tried to extend the distance, but it only took a single stride to close the remaining distance.
"You may be the 4th ranked Level 5, but this is the power of money, competitiveness of the market, and experience. Something you brats have no knowledge of."
Mugino was not even fast enough to adjust the angle.
The dorm supervisor swung her arm upwards into Mugino's gut, followed by a headbutt straight into her temple. The Meltdowners disappeared as Mugino was sent flying back.
There was a loud thud as the dorm supervisor prepared to finish her with a back kick. However, before she could, a glowing white curtain appeared right in front of her.
"A shield huh? Futile." She dropped her foot down as she quickly side stepped to the right.
However, when she saw Mugino, she was already prepared for her. A single Meltdowner orb in the palm of her hand fired off. Instead of a simple head tilt again, she poured all her energy into throwing her body to the way she came from.
The reason was simple.
That Meltdowner was big enough that it could melt her entire upper body without leaving any of her bones.
"Futile huh? You underestimate me as well."
The curtain covering Mugino disappeared as five more Meltdowners appeared around her. She fired them off instantaneously and the dorm supervisor was forced to roll around on the ground to avoid it.
Her attack patterns are random and the timing was always off. But that was probably because Mugino was trying to make every shot count now.
She quickly jumped up from the ground as she dashed towards Mugino again, this time running in zig zags.
"Tch!! Stand still!"
"Sorry, no can do." Then there she was, in front of her face again.
Mugino clicked her tongue as she twisted her body to catch her fist. The impact still pushed her back a few meters, however, she threw a right hook while carrying the previous momentum.
And it connected, but there was almost to no effect on her. Or rather, she didn't even flinch. The dorm supervisor simply shoved her head up towards Mugino's nose before pulling away.
When she pushed her glasses up, she felt liquid on her head and when she looked at Mugino, Mugino was suffering from a nosebleed, but it didn't seem to affect her that much.
"Heh, nice reflexes." The dorm supervisor commended.
"..."
"You pushed your head forward to fight against the momentum, huh? Not bad. Seems like you know your way around a fight."
"Ptuh! Yeah, and you seem to know a few tricks." Mugino said as she spat out blood from her mouth as well.
Mugino pushed her hand out to the side as more Meltdowner orbs appeared around her.
The dorm supervisor lowered her centre of gravity as the both of them have a stare down. A slow trickle of blood came down from Mugino's nose and the moment she tasted iron, the dorm supervisor dashed in.
The multiple orbs of Meltdowner fired away but as usual, the dorm supervisor just barely dodged them while only losing a strand of her hair. But it was not easy to run straight to her this time, so she had to run to the side instead.
As the Meltdowners burned through the air and floor below her with a sizzling noise, the dorm supervisor slowly got closer and closer.
Every step was a close call from dying as the speed of the Meltdowners got even more unpredictable.
Until the first shot was landed on her right knee.
"Kh!"
However, she clenched her teeth through the pain as she continued approaching her.
Up until she was right in front of her again.
With a hole in her right knee, it rendered her almost unable to move. That's why she had to finish it with one last attack.
She pulled her elbow back as she twisted her hips.
"Using the same trick twice won't work. Didn't you learn that?"
Mugino pulled back as the dorm supervisor pulled her elbow back further.
And then Mugino whipped out a card from her dress. But it was no ordinary card.
"Yeah, I should be the one saying that."
From the dorm supervisor's eyes, she could see the glimmer in the card. It was a silicone card.
Her eyes widened in shock as Mugino tossed it in front of her as a single white orb appeared right in her palm. Additionally, one more Meltdowner orb was positioned right on top of her.
In a split second, the Meltdowner shot through the silicone card, causing it to burst out like a shotgun. At the same time, the one on top of her shot through the air.
She could not move because of her injury so she had only one option. To duck further down, however that proved even more futile. The beams pierced different parts of her body as well as her legs, and the one above her had scratched her face.
She had narrowly dodged them all.
Those high speed electron cannons at blank range.
But there was still a ray of hope.
As she looked up at Mugino, she could see her bloodied right arm from where she shot her Meltdowner. From her wrist to her elbow, she was bleeding.
"(Her own power backfired on her!!)"
Even more surprising was the fact that Mugino had overloaded herself to the point where her eyes looked like they were in heaven as her head tilted upwards.
The dorm supervisor clenched her fist tighter as she fought through the pain and the remaining lasers. She would throw the hardest punch she had thrown in this whole match.
She pushed forward as the pain rushed through her body. If there was a chance, it would be now.
A tremendous noise rang out.
The dorm supervisor dropped to her last knee as her eyes widened once more through her spectacles.
Despair.
It was the only word to describe that situation.
Mugino had caught that fist with her other hand even though she was supposed to be dazed.
Instinct.
That was what Mugino had acquired throughout her entire battle in the Dark Side. As long as she had an objective, she would do anything to fulfil it.
Even if it meant killing.
Mugino forced her head downwards as she stared down at the dorm supervisor of Tokiwadai.
With a ferocious grin, she crushed the dorm supervisor's fist with whatever strength she had left until her fist was bleeding.
She put her hips to work as she used her bloodied hand to smash it into the dorm supervisor's face. A loud thud and the sound of fingers cracking could be heard as the dorm supervisor flew backwards.
Mugino's body tilted side to side until she finally straightened up as she slowly approached the dorm supervisor.
Her punch was filled with so much power that it broke her spectacles and left blood on her face. Whether it was from Mugino or her, one could only speculate. But it was clear to say that it left her in a pathetic state.
"Just because you're in charge of a bunch of bratty school girls with daddy issues, doesn't mean you can approach me the same way. I am ITEM's leader, we keep the Dark Side in check for a living."
Mugino jumped onto her fallen body as she started pummeling the defenseless lady with her two hands, even if one of them was broken from earlier.
The pain was worth it.
Thud after thuds.
More blood and gore was stained on her fists.
"HEHEHAHAHHAHAHA!! Is the money worth it now, huh?! Is it worth it?!"
She was paid to keep the students of Tokiwadai safe. She was more than capable of doing it. And yet, she was utterly defeated and beaten to a bloody pulp.
The thuds soon became squishing noises as the person who was once known to keep the students in check was barely recognizable. Her own spectacles had scratched her face as if it was hit by a shrapnel. Added to the fact that Mugino's fist were hitting like a truck, it made the wounds even deeper.
Once Mugino was satisfied, she stood up to observe her piece of 'art'.
The dorm supervisor was still breathing. However, her breathing had become shallow.
"Stay down while I deal with that Level 5. Well, not like you could do anything else. You're going to die soon whether or not I finish you off."
Mugino walked away as she approached her next target.
Shokuhou Misaki.
She was housed inside that birdcage known as Tokiwadai Middle School.
The dorm supervisor turned to her side as Mugino's figure slowly became smaller and smaller until she opened the doors to the school, where she disappeared.
She tried to stand up.
She tried to crawl.
But she could not do it anymore. Not in her current state.
Suddenly, she heard a pair of footsteps on her other side. At first, she merely passed it off as her imagination. But the footsteps soon turned into a voice.
"Oh my☆ What do we have here?"
When she turned towards the voice, she was stunned to see who it was.
"I didn't think the damage would be that bad☆"
"Shoku...hou Mi...saki...?" The dorm supervisor said in a weak voice.
Indeed, the person standing right in front of her was Shokuhou Misaki, the 5th ranked Level 5. However, she saw two other people beside her. A girl with long black hair wearing a chinese dress, and a boy with spiky hair and clothes that suggested he was from another school.
Although boys weren't allowed in the school, she had no more energy left to scold her.
"Don't...go...in there..."
"Oh my☆ And why would you say that?"
"...You're being...hunted down...!!" Blood splurged from her mouth as she tried to urge her to turn back, but Misaki merely chuckled.
"Of course I'm being hunted down. I'm Academy City's most wanted after all☆"
The dorm supervisor tried to process the words in her head, and soon she came to a slow realization.
"...Who the hell...are you?"
"Oh? Don't you recognize me? I'm Shokuhou Misaki. The Queen of Tokiwadai☆" She winked as she threw a peace sign right beside her face.
"No you're not..."
"Shhhh...just close your eyes and sleep. It'll alllll be over soon." 'Misaki' said as she put a finger on the dorm supervisor's lips. "Oh Mary-chan, can you bring her to the hospital? I need to bring Touma-kun in."
"I want my revenge match. I'm practically itching for a fight." The girl with a metallic mask said, as a sadistic smile could be seen through her eyes. "I need to pay her back for what she did."
"And you will in due time. For now, do as I say. As long as you stick to the plan, nothing will go wrong☆" Misaki said as she twirled Mary's hair around her finger.
The girl called Mary picked up the dorm supervisor as she lowered her center of gravity, and with one jump, she got out in a blink of an eye.
"Now then- Shall we head on in, Touma-kun☆"
----9th October 4:00p.m.----
Mugino Shizuri blindly walked through the hallways of Tokiwadai Middle School. It was a massive school to say the least so taking a long time to walk through it would be tough. However, she felt something was off.
She had walked three levels already, yet there was no one to be found. It could possibly be that they were hiding away in their rooms, but they made no noise.
As long as they did not get in her way, she was not going to budge.
Just then, something brown was slowly descending from the ceiling. However, she had not noticed it. It slowly inched closer to her until it was just right behind her.
However, before it could even touch her, Mugino turned around and pushed her palm out. A green orb in the palm of her hand.
That was when she saw it.
It was a monkey.
The monkey having to face a bright and hot object immediately flinched as it panicked and dropped to the floor.
"The fuck is this place? A fucking zoo?"
However, the moment she dropped her palm, that was when it happened. In the blink of an eye, a crash could be heard.
Followed by the feeling of a hand on the side of her head.
It pushed her so hard that it felt like her neck was going to crack. Her eyes turned towards the hand that was pushing her and there she saw it.
A lavender haired girl with pigtails shaped like a drill. Strength befitting that of a gorilla, and a figure just like a rampaging angel.
Before Mugino could even counterattack, her head was smashed through the wall beside her and the both of them fell through from the third level. The two of them crashed on the hard soil and only one managed to land on her feet.
"Tch, are all pampered girls this rough?"
Mugino slowly got up on her feet as she cracked her neck. Her adversary managed to land on her feet whereas she failed to.
"This is as far as you will go. If you leave now, the queen will consider sparing you. However, fail to obey and I will have to force you out." The girl was Hokaze Junko, Shokuhou Misaki's right hand. "It doesn't matter where you stand on the rankings."
"Well, ain't someone confident of their skills." Mugino wiped the dirt off her mouth as five green orbs surrounded her. "If you think you're hot shit, then try dodging this."
In an instant, all five orbs unleashed a devastating attack that burnt through the air. The electrons moved fast, and it burnt straight into the soil.
"(She's...gone?!)"
In a split second, Hokaze moved from her spot and appeared right beside Mugino yet again. This time, she dealt a devastating blow to the side of Mugino's head.
Mugino's attack was cut short as blood rushed out of her mouth and nose as she was sent flying through the dirt.
"Damn it...!!" Mugino however, was tenacious. Without even hitting the floor a second time, she forced her feet to the floor as more rotating electrons circled around her, this time in high velocity.
"Damn you! I refuse to be defeated by trash like you!" The green orbs started to rotate around her arms even quicker as her emotions grew stronger.
The moment she would throw her arm out, she would have enough power to obliterate half of the building in front of her.
But...
"Khhh...?!"
A knee was sent straight to her nose, followed by a mixture of kicks and stomps to her face. However, Mugino did not budge from that spot. Her Meltdowner was not gone yet. She took every single hit that Hokaze threw at her even though every hit made a loud thud. It felt like a sledgehammer was hitting her face every second.
And then...
"Caught you...!!" Through her lips, Mugino formed a faint smirk as she grabbed Hokaze's left leg with her right arm. With no hesitation at all, the orbs that were flowing around her left arm immediately fired.
The attacker known as Hokaze Junko was blown to smithereens. Her body was filled with holes and the likes. Her face was unrecognizable. Her body could not even be identified.
She was blown off so cleanly that it'd be surprising if anyone could even identify that it was her.
Mugino smiled.
She had won.
That was an assured victory.
She felt it.
Yet...
Her feelings felt devoided.
"What happened?"
"No...Something's wrong here."
"Wait."
"No."
Her thoughts run rampant.
There was indeed something wrong.
The world felt strange.
"Wait."
"The scenery."
"When had it."
"Changed?"
Before she knew it, the buildings, trees, greenery, the animals, the insects. Everything around her had changed.
No.
It didn't change.
It was simply removed.
"Tch."
That was when she finally figured it out.
"Shokuhou Misaki."
----------------------------
"My my. It didn't take long for her to fall right in my trap." Misaki said as she drank her usual tea in her usual spot. The flavor was still the same as always.
With a dash of milk, the bitterness of the tea had been quelled with sweetness.
"As expected of the Queen. Not even the 4th ranked Level 5 could stand up to you." The girl who was standing right behind her was none other than the person that Mugino was fighting.
Hokaze Junko.
However, she still looked and smelled fresh. It was as if a fight had never happened.
"Hehe you flatter me too much, Junko-chan☆ Anyway, now that the issue is settled. I need to see what's happening in Academy City right now. Why is it so--"
Before she could even finish her sentence, a high speed projectile flew past her. Her eyes widened as a gasp escaped her lips.
"No way..."
The only reason she managed to dodge the attack was because Hokaze pushed her down at the last moment.
"She...She's fighting my Mental Out?!"
"Queen, watch out!" Hokaze pulled Misaki out from the blast of another one of those projectiles. "Get back. I'll---"
"No, Junko-chan. Leave this to me. This is a Level 5 we're talking about here. You know how dangerous she can be."
"But...!"
"Junko-chan☆ Do you know what's the most frightening thing right now?" Misaki said with a nervous smile on her lips.
"...?" Hokaze could only answer with a raised eyebrow.
"She's still aiming accurately..." Hokaze pushed Misaki aside as another projectile missed her. "...even after I disoriented her five senses."
"No way...Is that even possible?!"
"I'm not too sure anymore."
Even in the face of this adversary, Misaki still smiled through. "Run. Junko-chan☆ I'll fend her off while you get yourself to safety."
"No...! I can't--"
"It's alright. I trust you know what to do. Unless you're doubting my abilities as a Level 5, then we're going to have a problem."
Misaki didn't even look at Hokaze as she said those words. It was not a battle of egos between those two. It was a battle to protect.
Hokaze could only grit her teeth as a single tear flowed down her cheeks.
"You better not die here, Misaki-chan." In a flash, Hokaze disappeared.
"..."
Misaki started bolting off as well while her Mental Out was still in effect.
However, even with some of her senses cut off, she was still aiming around Misaki's proximity.
Misaki pressed a single button on her controller as a switch occurred.
"(I'll give her tasting and smell back, but I'll increase the output on the other senses.)"
At that point, Misaki thought that was enough to stop her. But she was wrong.
"(How is she even doing this?!)"
Even more projectiles were flying her way, but she managed to dodge them by a hair's length on accident.
"(No...I'm missing something here.)" Misaki thought as she hid behind a tree stump. A piece of the puzzle was missing.
Or maybe she's going about it wrongly.
The five senses.
Sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
She gave her back her smell and taste just so she can dull the other senses even more. So why...
"(...Don't tell me she's just guessing where I am?! Also, she's coming at me alone. My Mental Out is most effective when used on a single person. Moreover, on someone who is resisting the effects of my Mental Out...)" Misaki thought as she continued hiding behind the tree stump. "(Well at least, she's still blind to objects. I might have to use that.)"
-----------------------
Mugino was in a world of darkness. She could not see anything. However, she could feel it. Being in the Dark Side of Academy City means you have to be cautious at all times. Even the smallest mistakes could lead you to your death.
That much she understood.
Thus, in order to survive she had to develop a keen sense for danger. One slip up and she's gone. She's dangerous when she's unstable, but she's even deadlier when she's calm. As they say, ignorance is bliss. Right now, there's nothing that can piss her off.
Just then, her body stopped moving.
Her sight had returned to her, she could hear the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance. Everything was as clear as day.
There, only stood the person she was hunting.
"Welcome back, Miss Meltdowner☆ How was your nap?"
"You damn bitch!!" Five green orbs surrounded her and although it had no direction, Misaki could still feel them pointing at her.
However, before she could unleash her wrath, Misaki pushed out both her arms.
"Hold on. Before you act all aggressive, I want to know why are you hunting me down? Especially in a place like School Garden when you know it's not going to end up well for either of us."
"Stop trying to play the victim here. You know what you've done." Mugino growled at her.
"The thing is, I don't know what's going on. I'm only hearing the news about the rampage that is happening in Academy City right now. I don't understand how any of this is related to me."
Mugino shivered, not out of fear, but out of pure annoyance.
A single light pierced the winds as it landed right in front of Misaki.
"You...!" Before Mugino could say another word, Misaki interrupted her.
"I have an alibi. I've been in Tokiwadai for the past few days. I could not have done anything by myself. And even if I did commit any crimes, why do you think I would even wear my uniform?"
"Th-That's because..."
"No. There is no reason. If my guess is correct, right now..." Misaki bit her lips, "...we're being used."
"Ah ah...and I was so close as well." Another voice chimed in.
"The person behind you right now, is who you're looking for. Meltdowner."
However, what they both saw was way out of anyone's expectations.
"And I spent so much effort trying to prepare the stage. I hunted down everything and everyone. Even going as far as to find the hero."
What they both saw should not have been possible, but it was.
"Who...are you?!"
In front of Mugino, was another Shokuhou Misaki. No one knew what was real anymore. The only people who would know the truth would be one of the Misaki's.
"What do you mean, Meltdowner? I am who you think I am." The girl's lips stretched across her face like a sickening woman.
"I am Shokuhou Misaki☆"