District 7. The Main Stadium. 4:20 PM.
Normally, the District 7 Stadium was relatively empty on a weekday afternoon. But today, there were at least three thousand people swarming the grounds.
Inside the stadium, ambitious Espers and Skill-Out gangs milled about. Outside, thousands more students from other districts pressed against the barricades, eager to watch the spectacle.
More than a dozen armored Anti-Skill transport vehicles were parked on the perimeter. Dozens of officers in riot gear had established a tight cordon. A phalanx of barrel-shaped Security Bots blocked the main entrance.
TWEET! TWEET!
Whistles rang out, but no matter how hard the Anti-Skill officers tried, they couldn't force the massive crowd to disperse. There were simply too many people, including a high concentration of aggressive Level 4 Espers who weren't easily intimidated.
"These brats are really good at causing trouble..."
Yomikawa Aiho, her long black hair tied up, stood in her green tracksuit and tactical vest, sweating profusely. She stood like a tomboy, hands on her hips, wiping her forehead with her sleeve.
"Captain Yomikawa, what should we do now? They won't listen to our dispersal orders."
Next to her stood a young, timid female Anti-Skill officer [Tessou Tsuzuri], holding a heavy riot shield. She looked weak and easily bullied, flustered as if terrified the mob of students would suddenly charge them.
"We can only maintain the perimeter," Yomikawa sighed heavily. "We've searched the entire district all day but haven't found any trace of Accelerator. What the hell is going on?"
Accelerator seemed to have vanished into thin air. Furthermore, the city's surveillance network hadn't detected a single trace of the Number One since the hack last night.
Because of that system-wide declaration of war, every delinquent, glory-hound, and arrogant Esper in the city had converged here to make a name for themselves.
...
Above the Stadium.
"Wow, that's impressive! So many people showed up!"
Standing on the railing of a high-rise building overlooking the stadium, a boy with a red headband looked down at the chaotic sea of people.
Sogiita Gunha.
"But with so many people packed together, a riot is inevitable. Fighting in a mob like that is completely spineless!" he muttered to himself, crossing his arms.
...
A Private VIP Box Overlooking the Arena.
"I didn't expect so many bugs to come crawling out of the woodwork. Accelerator truly lives up to the reputation of Number One. I must admit, I've lost in the 'fame' department."
Kakine Teitoku looked down at the chaotic stadium. His dark, disdainful gaze slowly twisted into a cheerful, manic smile.
"But someone who attracts this much public attention is an absolute idiot. How could Aleister possibly be interested in making such a loud, stupid brute the 'Main Plan'?"
"Academy City doesn't officially allow conflicts between Level 5s," Kakine murmured, running a hand through his blonde hair. "But Accelerator has created the perfect excuse. If I crush Accelerator here, in front of thousands... won't Aleister be forced to realize I am the superior product?"
He was supposed to be running a covert mission for SCHOOL, but he had wanted to kill Accelerator for months. Now that the Number One had publicly invited challengers, it would be foolish not to seize the opportunity.
"Can you really win, Boss?" a subordinate with dead-fish eyes muttered from the shadows of the VIP room. "Even for you... fighting the Number One while dealing with thousands of random Espers at the same time is risky. He'll have plenty of energy left."
"Shut up and watch," Kakine sneered.
...
Under a Large Tree outside the Stadium.
"Why would an obvious prank post attract so many idiots?"
Misaka Mikoto crossed her arms, looking around at the diverse crowd of students and thugs. Some were here just for the spectacle; others genuinely looked ready to fight. She couldn't comprehend their logic.
"Onee-sama, didn't you come here too?" Shirai Kuroko pointed out, adjusting her Judgment armband. "Tokiwadai has already restricted our movement to the dorms."
"You're out here too! Since you're going out, why shouldn't I tag along?" Mikoto raised her eyebrows defensively. "Even though they restricted our movement 'for our safety,' we're middle schoolers, not toddlers! The weakest girls at Tokiwadai are Level 3s. We can handle a little crowd."
"They always treat us like fragile citizens. It's annoying."
"I am on official Judgment duty!" Kuroko said with a straight face. She then glanced down at Mikoto's skirt and sighed with utter disappointment. "And even if you are breaking curfew, as Tokiwadai's Ace, shouldn't you pay a little more attention to your elegance? Wearing those tasteless athletic shorts under your uniform skirt is a crime against romance!"
"What does this have to do with romance?!" Mikoto retorted irritably. "These shorts are practical! They're good for sports, they keep me warm, and they prevent creeps from looking up my skirt!"
ROOOOOAAAR!
Suddenly, a massive wave of sound surged from inside the stadium, followed instantly by an eerie, suffocating silence.
Kuroko, who was about to argue back, immediately snapped into work mode.
"Onee-sama! Please don't cause any trouble, and please do not get excited and try to challenge Accelerator or any other Level 5s that show up!"
"No way! Do you think I'm that meat-headed?" Mikoto retorted angrily. "Getting involved in a massive brawl would definitely get me expelled. Besides, I have no reason to fight the Number One."
Mikoto shivered. 'Encountering just one other Level 5 has already caused me endless headaches. If I ran into another troublesome one, I'd go crazy.'
She thought of a certain blonde girl with starry eyes.
'That Mental Out girl only teases me because my rank (#3) is higher than hers (#5). If the others are just as petty, I want nothing to do with them.'
...
The Stadium Entrance.
Snap.
Yuuya and Suzushina Yuriko materialized directly in front of the main gates.
A nearby Anti-Skill squad immediately noticed the two figures bypassing the barricade.
"Hey! You two! Freeze—!" an officer yelled, raising his weapon.
Snap.
The officer's vision blurred. The surrounding environment twisted violently.
It took Yomikawa Aiho and her entire squad two full seconds to realize what had just happened. They were standing in the middle of a deserted intersection, completely bewildered.
"What on earth...? We've been moved!" Yomikawa's expression turned grim as she looked around at her fifty colleagues and armored vehicles.
"He moved fifty heavily armed officers and a dozen vehicles at the same time? To move this much mass... this is a high-level spatial user! At least Level 4, maybe higher!" Yomikawa deduced, gripping her weapon. "This is bad. Notify HQ immediately!"
...
Inside the Stadium.
"We can't let them disturb your grand debut, now can we?"
Yuuya clapped his hands, grinning mischievously as he sensed the Anti-Skill officers successfully deposited on a street a full kilometer away.
With a flick of his wrist, a wireless microphone appeared in his hand. He used his electromagnetism to instantly slice through the stadium's firewalls and hijack the massive PA system.
Zzzzzzt—EEEEEEEK!
A piercing feedback loop rang out across the stadium, silencing the thousands of murmuring challengers.
Then, Yuuya's voice boomed from the stadium's towering speakers, acting as the ultimate hype-man.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the District 7 Stadium! Whether you're here to watch the spectacle or to challenge the throne... please, step right up!"
The crowd went dead silent, looking around frantically for the source of the voice.
"Accelerator! The Strongest in Academy City! Ranked Number One of the Level 5s! The Esper who controls the vectors of all energy in the world... is already waiting for you on the field!"
Yuuya grinned, pointing down at the albino girl standing in the center of the grassy arena in her black-and-white outfit.
"Show your courage! Show your ferocity! Challenge her!"
"Of course... she'll beat you all to a bloody pulp! Because to her, you are nothing but trash used to prove she is the Strongest!"
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