A Certain Bizarre Incident

[Verite]

"Well, I know that he's really... uh... persistent."

...

Yeah, their chances were great.

"Oh, and from what I saw, it looked like he's able to generate combustible matter and... Well, I suppose the easier way to explain it is that he can make explosions. Or make other things explodey. If we can outsmart him, I'll bet that maybe we can also find a weakness of his while we're at it!"

Simple on paper, but destructive when applied in reality. Like most Esper powers, like the Railgun when you'd describe her ability as "electrical manipulation" and nothing more.

When Worst would get against the wall and ready herself, before presenting a question. Now didn't really seem like the time, especially considering the likelihood of an enemy being nearby to listen to it, but far be it from her to do something as rude as ignore a question, or anything more than that, riiight?

"Oh. Well, basically, I'm a teleporter, though my specialty is more... teleporting other things. I focus on what to specifically teleport with this handy thing," she whispered, gesturing towards the flashlight in her hand, before positioning herself behind Worst against the wall, "... Just watch this."

And then with that, moving in front of Worst as though intending to make an active move to defend her as a self-proclaimed bodyguard for once, Musujime would rush from out of the alley and face the corner that Worst was facing, tightly clutching her flashlight like it was her best weapon, whilst holding multiple corkscrews between her fingers for support. And from there, it all went downhill.

From Musujime's perspective, the only thing she had in sight was... tread marks on the ground? Yeah, tread marks... as though some kid had ran nearby and left a mark on the ground with his sneakers, or hell, maybe it's an invisible, miniature tank that was rolling around, though further observation had her see that the marks stopped just several inches away from her. She kept her guard up, wondering what those mysterious marks were, or where they had come from. No sign of the man tho--

BOOM!

An explosion, its origin coming from the space right in front of where the marks on the ground had stopped, would suddenly ring out, the sheer force of it knocking Musujime several feet back, her body hitting the ground rather roughly and skidding a few more inches before halting with that. If the explosion itself didn't knock her out, the rough landing of head on concrete certainly did. She went out without a sound, and from there, the man named Yoshikage Kira would suddenly appear from beyond the corner.

"No weakness, girl," he said, looking in the direction of Musujime's unconscious (and hopefully not dead) body, before quickly diverting his attention right back to Worst.

The mysterious, poltergeist-like presence that Worst felt alongside him was stronger than ever, if only because he was now so close to her and he was in the heat of the moment, having demonstrated his power. Now, not only was the outline of the figure more visible, Worst being able to more clearly make out the figure's humanoid shape with cat ears on it, she would also be able to see a faintly pink color scheme on top of it... like a pink gas contained in the shape of a cat-like human floating beside Kira.

"So there is a way out of this place, and all I have to do is find this Windowless Building... I thank you for the help... Your name was Misaka, was it?" Kira said menacingly, his eyes glaring right down at her, "But I'm afraid that even if you're from another world, I can't have any witnesses. You understand, don't you?"

And with that, the figure beside him began to move, raising its fist...

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Alright, she had the rundown of his abilities, her bodyguard's abilities, and they had the advantage of him not knowing that they knew he was there. They had this, no problem. Musujime just had to teleport those corkscrew things at his head or something, and...

Oh. Or she'd get blown up. Poor girl should've stuck to helping her push the cart around or something. With their roles reversed, as if Musujime had ever actually done anything as a bodyguard, Worst just sneered back at the man with the strange power. The girl hadn't died for her mistake, probably, but if she messed up here she had a feeling he wouldn't be so nice as to leave it at that.

Despite the strange aura Kira seemed to put out, after hanging around the #1 in Academy City she could put confidence forward regardless. But there were other things that Musujime's explanation hadn't covered. What did that cat thing have to do with his explosion power? Did it just generate explosive material, or did it explode things it touched? Or did it not even need to touch at all? Furthermore, why did it take this form?

With no answers likely to come to light, all Worst could do was act now.

"Ah, Misaka's flattered you remember. But Misaka is a bad girl, and likes witnessing things Misaka's eyes shouldn't see~"

Wanting to create range between herself and that humanoid cat, she took a large step back. If his power worked at a distance it was meaningless, but if that thing needed to reach her her ability could give her the advantage! Blue sparks flew from her bangs, a spear of electricity seeking to strike Kira's forehead. If she knocked him out with lightning speed, she wouldn't have to worry about his powers at all!

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

Perhaps astonishingly enough, the figure would also move at lightspeed, dashing right in front of Kira, as though to protect his body, while in the middle of the motion of lowering his arm, which became the target of the electricity that Worst would generate. The spear would seem to penetrate the so-called spirit's arm, part of it adopting a sort of wavy characteristic as it might have remained inside for some time, and yet, Kira himself would let out a pained groan as though the spear had still hit him. He slid back a few inches even though his actual body wasn't touched, though one could assume that the figure soaked up some of the damage somehow, as though it were connected or linked to him in some way on a deep level.

Still, there wasn't much time to think over that. Recovering quickly, Kira gritted his teeth and glared at Worst, eyes filled with determination to erase her as quickly and cleanly as possible.

"Eh... So you have a special ability too? From the looks of it, this city is just full of bizarre people like you," the blonde man muttered, clutching his arm with his good one, "It may have different fundamentals, since I don't see another figure beside you, but if you're a threat to the quiet life I need to return to, I have no use for learning more about you. And in which case..."

As he spoke on and on, the figure seemed to recover as much as Kira himself did. The figure would raise its arm again, its appearance becoming just a little clearer as time went on, as would Kira.

"... I'll blow you to smithereens!"

With that exclamation, it rushed towards Worst, its arm swinging right at her head, though one could only assume that a mean hook was going to be the least horrible thing he had in mind for her.

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

"Ah, Misaka sure is lonely without a figure beside her, isn't she?"

So he could block lightning. That was bad news. Furthermore, according to him, the fundamentals of their powers were different. Knowledge on esper abilities wouldn't help her predict what was coming next. Fortunately, that wasn't necessary thanks to Musujime's foolishne- er, sacrifice. It made things explode, and since he swung his arm that he meant he had to make contact!

...Probably.

Acting quickly, Worst ducked and rolled to her left, moving under the strange figure's arm. Recovering on one knee, another lightning spear shot forward from her bangs. She'd learned the first time, though. The lightning by itself wasn't much issue for him to block. It got some damage in, but she didn't really want to deal with a guy who made things explode for too long.

Igniting the air around her with purplish electricity, the Sister lurched forward at high speed as she tried to catch Kira in between attacks. Maybe if she shocked him directly and not whatever that cat-like thing was, it'd work out. Electricity sparked from her arm as she tried to touch and taser the man from another world!

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

The figure's fist would slam right into the wall beside Worst, causing a dent in it where her head could have ended up had she not made a move. Momentarily slowed down, the man named Kira would attempt to have the figure pull the figure's fist out, having accidentally lodged it fairly deep in the wall. Finally, after a brief moment, he'd manage to pull it out, and with that, would attempt to bring it back around to hit Worst in the temple.

However, she would be able to get a hit in as her advance would pay off, if only for a little, as just before the figure's fist would connect with her head. Worst would successfully taser Kira, causing the older man to let out several unintelligible noises as he'd try to yell out in pain. After a while, he'd will himself off of Worst, pulling himself away from her as the figure would weakly attempt to push her away. Hitting the ground with a noticeable thump sound, his wallet falling out of his coat pocket along with a few coins inside, the blonde man would finally let out his scream now, unable to hold himself back.

"A-Ah... Ahhghhh... Aaaaaahhhh!!!"

He writhed in agony for a few brief moments, but he wasn't down for the count so quickly. With perhaps a surprising amount of endurance, fueled by either his desire to escape back home or some superhuman durability, he would shoot a rather unsavory look at Worst. If looks could kill...

"You... Youuuuuu..." He growled like an animal, "If you had stayed put, I would have let you die quickly, but now... Now... Nowwwwwww!!"

Without even finishing whatever he had wanted to say, Kira would will the figure to pick up the coins that had fallen out of his wallet, flicking one of them right at Worst. However, perhaps due to his condition which could have resulted in temporarily impaired functions, the coin would miss her and hit the ground several feet away from her, exploding upon contact. That was enough for her to get the gist, right?

Without a moment's hesitation, it would flick another coin right at her now! And then another... and then another!

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Worst blew on her hand like a smoking gun, staring down at the man she'd just electrocuted. Her ability was at level 4, so a normal person was in no condition to fight after a shock like that, and his ability didn't seem to be the kind that covered his body. In other words, the battle was as good as hers.

Unfortunately, things didn't seem to pan out that way. Despite his screams of pain indicating the attack had been effective, this guy was still up and kicking. Still, as long as that cat thing didn't touch her, she'd be safe, and now he was injured so she could probably get him with some long-ranged attacks now. Her usual smirk appeared on her face, one hand scratching her head as he yelled and screamed.

"You don't give up, huh? Misaka doesn't care much for that attitude, though. You can't touch Misaka from over the-"

*BOOM*

A coin smashed into the ground and...exploded? He did have range outside that strange cat-like projection? Thank god for the aftershock of her shocks, or she'd be in a number of pieces on the ground now. What was his ability then? Exploding anything he touched, including inanimate objects? Hopefully he couldn't do something ridiculous like explode the entire ground then. The clone would be pretty screwed if he could do that.

She'd just have to hope he couldn't.

Spotting the first coin, a jolt of electricity leaped out to strike it and explode it prematurely. But soon another two came towards her with hardly any time to react. What an annoying guy. Fortunately, though, coins were made of metal, and she was an electromancer, even if one not on par with #3 in Academy City. Emitting an electric field, she sent a magnetic pulse out, flinging the metallic coins right back at their sender.

But her ability wasn't quite as exact in usages like this, especially under such a strict time constraint, so while one came straight towards the man, the other just soared off to the side.

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

"H-Huh?! HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

BOOM!

Having not expected the power exhibited by Worst, Kira would let out a gasp and a scream when the coin would land several inches away from him, exploding on impact upon the ground. While it wasn't close enough that it might have killed him, it had managed to at least knock his form away, his body coming out of sight as it would be flung behind the corner of the wall.

Before Worst would be able to run forward to investigate the full extent of his fate, a vaguely familiar voice would call out from behind, coming closer and closer to her.

"Oiii, I know it was in self-defense, but is it really okay to be so unsubtle about your fight? If someone sees, they might get the wrong idea, or worse off, the right idea," Motoharu Tsuchimikado said, appearing out of thin air, though without Accelerator. Instead, he held a strange device in his hands that faintly glowed a shade of red, though it didn't seem like he immediately felt like explaining it.

Looking cautiously at where Kira's body had flown over, Tsuchimikado, with a serious expression, would glance at Worst. "You okay? You better be, or Accel-kun's gonna be reeeeaaally pissed that you got hurt when I dragged him off you!"

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

The blonde man was on the ropes. Her ploy had succeeded, and she just had to go make sure she finished the job. Despite appearances, Worst was the kind to make sure she'd completed her task thoroughly. But before she could do so, the boy that had taken Accelerator off somewhere appeared before her.

Shifting her posture, the Sister seemed to position herself to look more relaxed, placing a hand on her hip as stray sparks of electricity faded away.

"That's true. Misaka wasn't in the mood to be blown up though, partner stealer." She stole a glance at the strange device in his hand before he asked his next question. A mischievous smirk appeared on her face as she spoke. "#1 will be pissed, huh? How hurt Misaka is might depend on how much you're willing to pay, kuku. Though, shouldn't you be more worried about twin-tails over there?"

She pointed towards the presumably unconscious form of Musujime. After a quick pause, she started speaking again.

"Misaka is curious, though, what's that thing you're holding onto there?"

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

Tsuchimikado bit his lip lightly at the sight of Musujime's wounded form. It seemed that she was still unconscious, but most likely still alive. Of course, while that was the truth, Tsuchimikado had no way of knowing that without checking more closely, and he wasn't about to do that. Not while the explosive killer was really right around the corner! Even a weirdo like him had a concept of self-preservation as well, after all.

"Knew something like this would happen... I realized the guy was probably gonna end up finding you, since I was the one who sent Musujime to find and protect you!"

...

"Well, at least Accel-kun doesn't care about her nearly as much as you. Still... Since I had him search for you on the other side of the district, it might just be me for now."

In a certain light, it was almost comical how he didn't seem too concerned for Musujime.

In response to Worst's question, he would look down at it briefly, before take a breath. "Let's just say it's... a thing. A certain little thing that would be able to grant the blonde man's wish of coming back home where he belongs! Can't leave any evidence of him ever being here!" He would exclaim, before clearing his throat and hushing up his voice a little, "That said, looks like great timing on my part that you managed to soften him up by the time I got her. Now, I'll handle the rest!~"

With that, putting up his guard, he would run around the corner, only to let out a quizzical noise as it would seem that he didn't see anything. Sure enough, Kira was out of sight if Worst would run over to check and back him up. Cautiously, he would take a step forward, looking around for where he might have gone. Judging from the structure of the area, Tsuchimikado was able to make the assumption that he was around the next corner of the building, several feet away. Clicking his tongue, he'd gingerly jog over, expecting to catch Kira limping away from the area or so, only for an unexpected thing to happen.

BOOM!

When the young blonde would come near a trash can on the side, it would suddenly explode, the combustion enough to send Tsuchimikado's body flying back a few feet and causing him to drop the device that he intended to use on Kira. The young man fell on his face, his body having spun around in mid-air, a small crack audible as one could only hope that it was his sunglasses that had shattered, and not something more important.

"..."

Sure enough, from around the corner, Kira would be seen limping out, barely able to stand on his own feet, clothes partially burned off thanks to the bomb redirected at him earlier. With more coins still in his hand, and murderous intent in his eyes, he would say nothing. No threats, no sounds. He would only throw the entire handful of coins right at Worst, a minimum of six of them flying right at her and exploding in the air, the serial killer hoping to get the Sister with that!

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Worst rounded the corner with the hawaiian shirt wearing blonde, figuring she might as well watch the end of whatever mess she'd gotten herself wrapped up in. He'd been pretty beat up, so Tsuchimikado would probably just have to use that whatever device he was holding in his hand, and that'd be that. Fortunately, their ruckus of a fight hadn't really attracted too much attention despite the flashy nature of the explosions and lightning. Hopefully it'd stay that wa-

BOOM!

Things were never so simple, huh? Even the clone couldn't hide her surprise as the young man's body went flying. Honestly she couldn't really care less about whether he was okay or not, but after the explosion she'd launched right back at him, she hadn't expected him to still be in fighting condition. Which, in turn, left her little time to react to the barrage of explosive coins flying her way.

Exploding the air around her and pulling herself towards the metal inside a nearby building, Worst managed to avoid the brunt of the explosion. But she couldn't deflect the shock or sound of the explosions, her ears ringing as her back ached from slamming her body into the wall. Was that what she got for joking about potentially being injured? What a pain in the ass.

Picking out a two centimeter nail, she held it out on one hand in Kira's direction. Her arm sparked with electricity as she fired the metal like a bullet!

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

"...!"

Eyes widening in an instant like a cat, the catlike shadow looming over Kira, evidently able to react as fast if not even faster than the rate at which the nail was going, would seem to time itself just right, acting like a beast fueled by adrenaline, as it would swing its arm and punch the very side of the projectile, hoping to cause it to veer off-course, even if the electricity surging through it might cause his own arm to be disabled momentarily.

Then again, it could have been worse for him, right?

Not even grunting in pain, Kira had effectively punched away the nail, and though he suffered the consequence for it, he wouldn't let it deter him, the businessman only continuing to walk forward towards Worst, the figure raising its other arm, practically ignoring any lingering pain, confident that he had her cornered at this very moment, and he wasn't going to let this chance slip past him! Not if he could help it.

...

However, it couldn't be helped.

CRASH!

From the side, a trash can would suddenly appear, flying through the air at high speeds. It was difficult to determine just how heavy it was, though judging from its size, it couldn't have been very heavy at all. However, that wouldn't stop the object from hitting Kira, almost like a speeding car, strong enough that his entire body had flown out of sight.

From beyond the wall to the left, yet another familiar voice could be heard.

"... I shoulda known better than to let Tsuchimikado do his own thing. Everything just gets fucked up," Accelerator would mumble, posed in a throwing position, before standing upright again.

"H-Hey... I only split us up... 'c-cause I knew you'd follow me! Gotcha..." Tsuchimikado said with a weak chuckle, before breaking into a small cough. Evidently, he was still conscious, and even seemed to be having it better than Musujime, as he'd force himself to his feet after the exchange, dusting off his dirty clothes, though he'd stick to leaning against the wall for the time being.

"Shut the fuck up, you ruined my fuckin' day like this, you know," he said gruffly, pleasant as always to interact with, walking over. With Kira down for the count, at least for the time being in an almost anti-climactic manner, he wouldn't bother checking up to see if Tsuchimikado and Musujime were alright, instead making his way over to Worst and, without hesitating, suddenly grabbing her by the collar, balling his fist in her dress as he'd glare at her.

"I thought I told you not to disappear on me, and then you... did the thing, I see. So don't do that again," Accelerator said with a tough, almost stern even, tone, before he'd clear his throat, "After all... The fine women of the house would give me hell if you got yourself lost out in Academy City. And I'd rather not get an earful of Yomikawa's lectures again."

And he could cancel out sound from his perspective.

If Worst was observant enough at the given moment, she might have been able to observe the slightest hint of the Number One trying to hide what might have been, one might daresay, concern. Possibly taking notice of this as well, he'd suddenly avert his gaze, glancing over in Tsuchimikado's direction, the somewhat wounded young man attempting to examine Musujime's condition in the meantime.

"Oi. Tsuchimikado, how good did I get that guy?"

"Uh... Well, so good that when he hit the ground, he rolled over to the end of the other side of the building, so now I can only just see his limp legs sticking out. Not much else."

"If that's all you can fuckin' see, take off those dumb sunglasses then," the Number One would retort, his grip on Worst softening considerably, though he didn't seem to notice just yet. "Whatever... He's probably out cold if he hasn't gotten up by now..."

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Well, shit.

He could even knock that aside, huh? She'd underestimated this middle-aged man it seemed, even after all the trouble he'd put her through. And here she thought she'd be able to finish the job herself. Couldn't be helped, then. Musujime was down. the strange blonde boy was out of it, and it wasn't like a certain someone could make it in time if he was searching for her elsewhere.

...

But the blow to finish her never came. Instead, a trash can that acted like a bullet obliterated her opponent. An attack that came from none other than Academy City's strongest Esper. The Sister let out a cackle as the white-haired boy vented at Tsuchimikado. Poor guy got on the wrong side of Accelerator.

And as he gripped her collar, she suddenly realized that perhaps she did as well.

Still, Worst wasn't disturbed at all as he reprimanded her. Her smirk only widened, especially as she noticed the "weaker" tone his voice began to take.

"Ara, Misaka might get lost if she'll get an earful from you too~" she replied, not seeming to mind the now somewhat looser grip he had on her.

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

"Don't even think about it," he spoke in an admonishing manner, his hand moving to her wrist where he'd move his hold to. Accelerator might have been a little too gruff about it to the point that he was practically so protective that he was openly hostile about it, but... Perhaps there was some humor to be found in that. An ironic, wry sort of humor that Tsuchimikado, even in his current condition, was able to observe as a bystander to the banter going on, though he didn't dare comment on it.

He liked his head where it was.

That said, the sunglasses wearing young man would clear his throat, inserting himself into the conversation. "Yaaaah, and to think, I'm the reason you're probably going to miss out on a delicious home-cooked dinner!" He exclaimed, referring to the chicken marsala from earlier, the poor abandoned shopping cart likely to have been recovered by someone around, "Though... In any case, if the little lover's quarrel is over, I'm sorry that you had to be wrapped up in all this! You're not banged up too badly, are you, Worst-saaan?" Tsuchimikado inquired, almost ignorant of his own injuries as he'd clap his hands together in an apologetic form.

"Aren't you forgetting someone who is definitely wounded?"

"Oh, don't be so cold, Accel-kun! If anything, your killer grip might end up breaking her wrist if you're not careful," Tsuchimikado shot back, before acknowledging what he'd said with a nod, hopping over to Musujime's unconscious form, picking her up, and hoisting her over his shoulder with a labored grunt.

Meanwhile, Accelerator, surprisingly so, almost seemed to be embarrassed by what the blonde had said to him, as he'd slowly loosen his grip on her yet again, before this time, entirely letting go.

"A-Anyway... Let's just send that asshole back to his world. It'd be much easier to kill him, I'm still saying."

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Worst hadn't really planned to get lost in the first place of course, but the rise it got out of Academy City's strongest esper was too much to pass up on. As he gripped her wrist, she raised her other hand to cover her mouth in feign surprise, though her smirk and tone of voice caused the gesture to fail to belie her real intentions.

"You're so rough with Misaka, but Misaka doesn't mind. Kuku."

She seemed content with ignoring Tsuchimikado's question for now in favor of watching Accelerator's expression. The slight embarrassment she could catch from his movements and voice was rather satisfying in a strange way. Worst raised one hand and allowed some electricity to ebb and flow around it as she stared over in Kira's direction.

"Misaka agrees, how do you think we should kill him, #1?" It was likely that she was just teasing, but who knew if she'd follow up if told to?

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

"Yeah, yeah... I'm sure you at least minded when that Kira guy was rough with you. Shoulda let him push you around for a little while longer if I was gonna get this instead of a thanks," Accelerator grumbled. At this point, for him, Worst's teasing were like white noise in the background. It wasn't like they got to him or anything; he was just used to it, and expressed that in somewhat unorthodox means as far as response goes.

"In any case... I was thinking something flashy. Y'know, to go with his flashy bomb power. Maybe I'll reverse his blood flow, or--"

"H-Hey, I already told you guys the reasons why you can't do all that!" Tsuchimikado exclaimed, to which Accelerator would roll his eyes and sigh, a bit annoyed, but complied nonetheless, walking over and taking the strange device that was supposedly for transporting the killer back to his home world.

He could be their problem there.

"Fine, fine... Let's just get this over with then. And then you can leave me the fuck alone."

"That's better."

With that, Accelerator would walk forward, choosing to be the one to bring Kira out, the device gripped in one hand as he moved. "I'll do it then," he spoke calmly, letting out a short breath, "It might be a little annoying, but at least I won't be hurt if he were to try to set up a--"

BOOM!

"--trap..."

Almost like clockwork, the moment Accelerator's foot idly tapped the trash can that he'd thrown earlier on his way towards Kira, the can would explode. However, Kira made one mistake. He didn't know what the power of the Accelerator entailed. And thus, the force of the explosion practically flew away from the Number One, reminiscent of a mighty wind repelling a visible gas. However, even if the explosion failed to harm him in any way, there was still an annoying barrier between him and Kira.

The smokescreen.

Upon registering what exactly had just happened, the Esper's eyes would widen in mild alarm, leaping forward with the use of his power to go through the smokescreen, his Reflection ability erasing any worry that Kira would be waiting for him, somehow still well and active, with another more lethal trap. However, unexpectedly so, what he would find on the other side of the smokescreen was... nothing at all. Kira's body was simply gone, having disappeared in a matter of seconds, and not even a trail of blood to follow either.

"Tch, what the hell...?! Clever bastard to put a bomb on what I send his way. But where the hell is..."

...

"Worst!"

As his alarm suddenly grew from there, he would make use of his power once again to leap back in order to quickly travel over to where Tsuchimikado and Worst were. Hurrying back, Accelerator dashed over in front of Worst protectively, looking around for wherever Kira might have gone.

"How did he--?!" Tsuchimikado exclaimed, making a dash over to the wall, Musujime's body still in tow, also keeping wary of where Kira was.

...

Except until after a few moments would pass, when nothing would happen. And it didn't look like Kira was going to pop up anywhere to attack.

- - -

Meanwhile, Kira, having made his grand escape at the last moment, limped over to an unknown part of the city, applying pressure to his bleeding arm in order to stop it. No one should be able to find him. But... This wasn't the last they'd see of him.

For the only way to make sure he lived a quiet life, regardless of where he was, was to make sure no one disrupted that peace. He had to ensure the silence of those who knew of his true nature. By any means possible.

That was his resolution.

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Worst was hardly worried, even as the trash can exploded. To her, that twin-tailed girl, and the weird blonde guy? A power like this could be deadly. For all the firepower she could put behind her electricity, her body was only that of a high school girl's, after all. Accelerator was different, though. His redirection made him untouchable against a purely physical power like bombs. The heat and shockwave were all thrown in the opposite direction, right back to their source.

So the clone was just idling, staring into space, until she suddenly heard her name screamed out. And the Number One returned without Kira.

"Fufu, there's a bad student on our hands then, is there?" Worst spoke lightly of the situation, giving a shrug as she took a quick glance around herself. No blood trail, no scraps of clothes, nothing to get a lead on him. What a pain. Having someone like that running around would make it hard to let her guard down when going out on the town with that little product of the Dark May Project.

Still, there he couldn't have gone too far in his condition.

...

Right?

Regardless, she had found Accelerator's panicked reaction quite amusing. Getting his attention immediately like that was strangely satisfying. Probably something to blame on the Misaka Network.

"Misaka assumes we need to catch him now, right?" she asked, crossing her arms. She didn't like doing extra work, exactly, but it left a bad taste in her mouth to just let things run about like this. Not much for her to gain from it after all if he planned to target her again.

Though with Academy City's strongest around, it wasn't like she figured she'd ever be in serious trouble from some lone killer, right?

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

"Tch... And to think I was almost worried for a moment," Accelerator grumbled in a grouchy manner, most of his initial concern for Worst having subsided as quickly as it had appeared after her initial remark. Still, he didn't let his guard back down just yet, still looking around for Kira to make his move.

... Though he never did.

Reluctantly, he eventually would let up, his eyes remaining narrowed and wary however. With a sigh, the Esper would scratch the back of his head lightly with his fingers. "I guess so. If we split up, we might be able to get the drop on him and--"

"No. This is enough for the time being," Tsuchimikado would suddenly cut in seriously, to Accelerator's surprise.

"What did you just...?!"

"While he may be weakened in this state, that only makes him more dangerous. A caged animal is a lethal one, after all. 'Sides, wouldn't want to alarm the general public if you ran around with such a scary look on your face, Accel-kun," Tsuchimikado spoke, still holding Musujime as he spoke, "You may be the invincible Number One, but the rest of us aren't. We're not exactly in tip-top shape either. Worst-san must be exhausted at the moment too," he continued, gesturing towards the unconscious twin-tailed girl, and then to Worst.

"So... What, are you fuckin' saying we let him go on his merry way elsewhere?"

"No, no... Knowing him, the only place he's going is back here," the blonde shook his head, "He's not gonna let us go free so easily just because he's weakened at the moment. More than likely, he'll probably come to us instead, so there's no need to waste any effort returning the favor. If my people-reading skills are still as effective as ever, then he'll want to tie up all the loose ends and make sure there's no one alive who knows what his true nature entails."

Accelerator furrowed his brow at Tsuchimikado's words, still holding the strange device in his hands. All this trouble for a guy who would probably just be better off dead in the Number One's oh so humble opinion. How annoying. He took a moment to ponder what to say next, before finally opening his mouth.

"I'd hope you're not saying we just stay put and hope that you'll all have recovered and prepared yourself aptly enough once that asshole comes back around."

"No... You'll want to have the element of surprise on him. What I want you and Worst-san to do is leave a trail of breadcrumbs that'll lead him on to someplace where you'll be able to get the drop on him, preferably in a location with plenty of open space," he advised, before suddenly looking up at the afternoon sky, pursing his lips as he'd then muse to himself, "Hmm... Clouds are coming. And to think today started off so sunny too. You'll be in luck if it starts raining soon, 'cause then people will start scrambling to get inside. Except for him."

"Great. I'm definitely feelin' lucky today," Accelerator sneered sarcastically in response, "And what'll you do then?"

"I'll leave it all in your hands, Accel-kun. You can handle that, right? I just need to get Musujime someplace safe, and then once you've got him, shoot me a call so I can get that cumbersome thing off your hands," the sunglasses-wearing teen replied, pointing at the device briefly, "In the meantime, you just worry about how you're gonna lead Kira out, and make sure your lady really is just fine, eh?" He'd say, before beginning to drag himself and Musujime away.

"Hey, wha...! Tch, so that's the plan, huh? I should have known better than to think I wasn't gonna be left with the short end of the stick," Accelerator grumbled, just standing there for a moment as Tsuchimikado began to leave rather abruptly, before finally turning to Worst, letting out a sigh as an uncomfortable expression began to get on his face, "In any case... You're... uh, fine, right? Don't need me to put a bandaid anywhere?" He asked in an acerbic fashion, though his tone hardly matched his eyes. It was as though he was trying to mask genuine concern with faux concern.

Lovely.

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

Worst just whistled as Tsuchimikado told them his plan of action. If the blonde was right, then combing the entirety of Academy City while trying not to attract too much attention in a fight between Espers wouldn't be necessary. He seemed serious enough this time at least, so with a shrug and a chuckle, the clone simply accepted that plan of action.

She had to admit, she kind of wanted to take the more dangerous route of hunting him down instead, but what was done was done. Besides, the funny expression on Accelerator's face now more than made up for it.

"Haha, you're so kind to Misaka today. What if Misaka said she needed a bandaid on her tits, huh?"

The electric esper threw a disconcerting smirk Accelerator's way.

@Verite​

 

[Verite]

Sigh.

"I would have preferred a thanks or even at least some sort of grateful gesture for at least asking, but I suppose that's what I get for my troubles," Accelerator grunted, almost as though fancying himself a knight in sour armor, before running a hand through his thick, white hair (When was the last time he'd even gotten a haircut?) and letting out a sigh, "To think all this happened because you just wanted to get some goddamn ice cream..."

The Number One was a tad reluctant to leave the area so quickly after the man known as Kira had departed rather abruptly, but he knew that they'd have to take a new position somewhere else in the city, once they settled on where to settle, but until then, in the meantime, he began to turn around and...

"Just to be clear, it's not that I'm... being "nice" to you, alright? Like I said before, not that I should make a habit of repeating myself but... I have an obligation to protect you, don't I? Remember, Yomikawa and probably even Last Order likely don't realize what's been going on with us and in the city, so if we were to just come back and you happened to look all banged up for some mysterious reason, it wouldn't end well for me."

"Besides..."

He let out another sigh, this one far more drawn out than the previous one.

"I... personally don't want to see you get hurt either. Even though I'll bet you're probably dumb enough to let that guy beat you up a little more just to get satisfaction out of seeing me..."

Accelerator began to trail off, unable to finish his sentence. Crap, this was just humiliating already. He shouldn't have said anything. Nothing good ever comes of talking to Worst.

@Kaykay​

 

[Kaykay]

"Kuku..."

It was oddly satisfying having Accelerator fuss and talk so much over her. He seemed much more open about it without those two old ladies or that naive little girl around. That latter brat might have been the reason for the satisfaction, though. Channeling the negative emotions of the Misaka Network came with its ups and downs.

"Of course, if you didn't protect Misaka, you'd feel guilty about breaking her arm, right? Ah, what if Misaka had lost an arm to an explosion, or a leg? Or even her head had been blown to itty bitty pieces. You'd feel pretty guilty about that right? Mr. Honor Student."

Worst wore a rather pleased-looking expression, obviously having fun at Accelerator's expense. Clinging onto his arm, she sneered up at him.

"Besides, it's all your fault for leaving MIsaka alone. Was that blondie really so important you ditched Misaka?" She couldn't help but catch that her tone felt a bit more dejected than she'd have liked.

@Verite​