DISCLAIMER:
-This story is written on this time line: after the Railgun Daihasei festival (with everything canon happened before).
-Everything that happens in this story disregards what happens after the festival in the canon novel and is written without knowing it.
-I will post a chapter weekly (friday) so stay tuned :D
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LINK IN BIO!
Touma got past the place Fran marked as a trigger for his attack, so he ordered to the plate to raise up and eventually got ready to shoot his stealth blades; however, nothing went as planned. Touma crashed his face against the plate and bounced very far back, almost to the starting point.
«Ouch! It hurts a lot! What the hell?! A plate?! Out of nowhere?! Weren't you just using those black blades?! Who would expect it, like this, suddenly? Such misfortune!» Touma sat on the ground, stroking his painful nose.
«Huh?» that was the only thing Fran was able to say, he didn't even had the will to shoot his next attack because of how much disappointed he was by seeing his opponent's naivety, the same guy he called a great fighter some minutes ago.
«Bastard... you won't trick me a second time!» Touma shouted a battle cry and charged again with his right arm in the vanguard, in order to cancel every type of impediment in front of him in advance.
«What the hell is he thinking?! That won't work! If he keeps his arm in that straight position... he could never react to any other type of attack coming from different directions.» Fran, annoyed by his opponent's superficiality, was ready to counterattack.
Touma noticed a second plate was rising from the ground and prepared cancel it, but he didn't expect this one to be as short as his foot height; Touma tripped on it and fell with his face on the floor, but he didn't had the chance to complain this time. As soon as he turned his looks to the sky, he saw dozens of shadow spikes raining onto him.
«Is this real?!» Touma managed to cancel the ones which were going to impale him and dodge the others nearby. «I risked a lot... but I'm getting closer to him!» he said after rapidly getting back up on his feet.
«I still can't believe it...» Fran clenched his teeth and walked back slowly.
«What happened?! Are you out of bullets?» Touma asked cocky.
«Can I ask you something...?» Fran requested with bated breath.
«What do you want?» Touma replied.
«Are you always like this?!» Fran asked furious, so angry Touma got scared due to the sudden attitude change.
«Like this... how?» The level zero wanted explanations.
«You charge against the enemy without thinking... you always rely on a last second strategy without knowing if it would really work. And you act cocky too?! I had thousands ways to kill you while you were lying on the floor but I was too disappointed to do it! Is this how you plan to save your friend?» Fran exclaimed in rage and disapproval.
«Does it really matter?» Touma's answer silenced Fran's complain. «I'm saving Index because she needs me. I don't care what's the right way to do it, I'll just do it.»
«What a pathetic reason... are you telling me the only things you rely on are luck and hope?» Fran said with such lower voice it almost couldn't be heard, then he grabbed his forehead like he was feeling sick. «I'm getting ill... thinking this is the attitude he defeated the number one ranked and saved Misaka... Accelerator probably sat on a nuclear bomb naked in order to lose against him, I can't explain it otherwise... I lost my will to fight him, I'll tell him the truth and I'll leave.» Fran thought Touma wasn't someone worthy to battle anymore and decided he was going to tell him he forfeits the match, but he wasn't considering his opponent's last words.
«Mine's not luck, not at all... it's my will. If someday you'll find someone to save at any cost, maybe you'll understand... otherwise I'll break your illusion right here, right now!» Touma exclaimed showing his right arm ready; however, those words had a completely unexpected result on Fran: the air around him darkened and thickened while his fists were trembling. A huge amount of shadows started floating around the masked boy, eventually uniting into a long mantle made of sharp and spiky tentacles who were waving menacingly against the level zero.
«You damned gnat... how dare you tell you'd teach me how to save people?! Me?!» A long tentacle coming from above tried to slash Touma, who managed to dodge last second; the shadow tentacle pierced deeply into the bridge's road, destroying the asphalt.
«What happened to him all of a sudden?!» Touma couldn't explain this new unpredictable aggressiveness by such an apparently composed and calm opponent.
«I can't accept it... after all happened last night, all the pain and the wish I had to run away from here... Have I really felt all of this because of such an insignificant being like him?! Am I really jealous of this fool? Misaka... you're actually the biggest disappointment, having a crush on this guy... life already taught me there is no meritocracy in love but this... Oh, maybe I should stop listening to my heart... at least not now, I'm really getting mad, eheheheh...» Fran tried to close his eyes to calm down a bit from being drove like crazy, but even like this he could only see one thing: the moment he was destroying Kamijou Touma. «Alright... enough limit testing, enough acting, enough dialogue... I just want to crush him right now. He hit a nerve he shouldn't had... I will give him everything I got... and I'll try something new I designed.» Fran started slowly walking towards Touma, with all his tentacles wildly waving around.
«Hello?! Have you totally gotten crazy, no reason?!» Touma asked as he backed off worried for his life; Fran thought he wasn't worthy answering and attacked him with a powerful tentacle slash, Touma dodged in time by ducking down but the blade cut off an iron beam, eventually throwing it in the water.
«Are you trying to kill me?!» Touma yelled at him.
«Don't overreact, hero. My attacks have a different effect on human flesh... and I'm so looking forward to show you.» Fran exclaimed, getting ready to use his tentacles again.
«Index... I'm sorry, but you have to wait a little more. 'Ight, Imma head out!» Touma turned the back to his opponent and started running away from him.
«After all those moving speeches... you run?! I'm going to squash you!» This made Fran even madder so he charged towards Touma, attacking him with many of his tentacles aiming to the direction he was running to intercept him; the level zero, however, suddenly stopped and stood still so every tentacle missed the hit because they attacked too early. Then Touma quickly got back on his steps, rushing towards Fran with his right hand ready to punch; the masked boy used the remaining tentacles to stop his opponent's advance but Touma easily destroyed them with the Imagine Breaker.
«Not only he pretended to run away to make me waste an attack, but to shorten the distance too. He is too close now, I can't recreate other tentacles this fast neither use the other ones because they are too far... also, it would be useless using my esp power to parry his arm anyway. Where are those insight and mastery coming from?! Who is this guy?!» Fran was surprised by the unexpected counterattack of Touma who was now only a metre away from the masked villain.
«It's time to take off this hilarious duck mask of yours!» Touma dashed in front of Fran in order to hit him with his right rook, but he suddenly felt completely exhausted and kneed on the ground panting; a long shadow blade back stabbed him, piercing into his chest. Touma used his last energies to cancel the sword out of his body, then he fainted breathless.
«W-what is this weird sensation...? Why am I not bleeding but I feel like I lost all I had in my body?!» Touma asked coughing.
«As I told you previously, my attacks are peculiar. Once you get hit, they steal you as much energy as worse the damage I inflicted is. That chest stab has to be really painful, right? Also... I forgot that even if you have that strange negation power, you still are a level zero. My attacks are even more effective against you. Neat.» Fran explained satisfied.
«Your kind of power... you're not a mage, you're an esper... but how can you attack me without me noticing?!» Touma asked, trying to get up again in vain.
«Mage? What are you talking about...? You have to be tired. Well, you won't have a clarification of my power from me, sorry. It's time for the execution.» Fran lowered his hand to the floor and a thin shadow turned into a huge reaper scythe. «I almost lost my mind and risked to lose to this dumb guy. Luckily, I still had the hidden shadow blade from my starting plan...» Fran thought, as a drop of sweat fell off his forehead.
«Index...» Touma was completely helpless while Fran was ready to harvest his head with the scythe.
«Goodnight.» Fran slashed Touma but his opponent quickly stood up and destroyed the scythe with his right hand, leaving Fran unharmed and in a tilted position of disadvantage.
«What?! He recovered this fast?! No, actually he...» Fran thought in that half second he had before the right hook of Touma reached his face, the punch was literally next to his nose and there was no way to dodge it in that condition; however, Touma's punch slipped in the air and missed the target as if the floor under them moved alone and created enough distance between the two fighters. Now it was Touma the one being in a bad situation and Fran, without resuming his lost balance, hit Touma's chin with a powerful vertical kick. The hit was really strong and Touma flew away really far.
Fran jumped backwards to his shadow wall and crouched on his knees, looking painful, rubbing the leg he used for the kick; Touma managed to get back up, even if with many difficulties, and cleaned his broken bleeding lips.
«I don't understand... my punch missed in an unexplainable way, and unexplainable were your movements... what are you hiding?» Touma asked as he spat some blood on the ground.
«I've got to give you credit, I fell for that... if it wasn't for the fact I can read people moves through their shadow, that punch would have hit me.» Fran exclaimed after stretching his hurt knee. «Apparently, touching your own body with the Imagine Breaker not only destroys my shadows, but nullifies the vital drain effect too, right? That right hand is your only value...»
«Don't expect me to clarify my powers. You just said it minutes ago, so think it yourself. Still I can't hide it, though... I'm really curious to know how you managed to dodge the punch without moving.» Touma replied, then went on guard.
«Actually, I'll grant you this last wish. Next attack will end the battle anyways.» Touma, bothered by those words, started observing the surroundings ready to dodge. «You should look here.» Fran turned his back to Touma and showed him some thin shadow strings matching Fran's body and limbs to the shadow wall behind him. «This is a new technique I created. I called it To Give a Marionette Life. Controlling my own body like a puppet makes me do movements I couldn't normally achieve, like sliding myself backwords to dodge last second...»
«Or giving a powerful kick without stretching your legs... but isn't this...»
«Dangerous? It is. It hurts a little. Maybe I tore some muscles, I still have to get to know my body's limits of stretch when I move it by the strings... after all I'm a human, not a real puppet...» Fran said as he touched his painful leg.
«Are you telling me you just tested a new move of yours without knowing if it was good enough...? I thought you weren't that kind of person, you seemed more like a wary planner!» Touma exclaimed.
«I never had the intention to do it before but, now that I saw you in person showing you are such a disappointment, I completely lost my interest in fighting you seriously... brace yourself, the next move is the one I'll use to defeat you for good. You should care less about your enemies chatting and more of what is coming from right side.» Fran pointed to Touma's right hand and the boy turned to watch in that direction, ready to cancel any type of attack, but a piece of iron from left hit Touma on the head, eventually knocking him out; a shadow hand threw it at him.
«Oh, sorry... I meant my right.» Fran laughed and walked towards the boy on the ground.
«Y-you bastard... this is playing dirty...» Touma was still able to talk, apparently. Fran held the strength of the throw on purpose, he didn't want to hurt Touma in a serious way, but that was enough to make him bleed and end the fight.
«You're right, probably. But I wanted to end this here, keep going is pointless. I'm leaving.» Fran started walking to the end of the bridge, leaving Touma back.
«W-where do you think you're going?!» Touma whispered.
«Oh, you are a tough guy. I thought you were sleeping already.» Fran said surprised.
«Index...» Touma started crawling towards Fran.
«Huh, yeah. That's why. I totally forgot.» the shadow wall on the bridge disappeared and Fran used a shadow hand to steal Touma's mobile, type Index's number and put it on speakerphone.
«Ehi, Toumaaaa!» Index's voice echoed in the empty road.
«I-Index...?!» Touma wasn't expecting to really hear her voice on that call.
«Touma?! What are you doing out at past 11 PM?! Luckily I had dinner already at-» the shadow hand interrupted the call.
«I don't understand...» Touma said confused.
«Your friend was never In danger. It was only a bait to make you fight me.» Fran revealed.
«You lied to me... why?» the hurt boy asked.
«I was just curious to meet the one many call "their hero", I wanted to see what I was missing. But what I discovered was you are nothing but a pathetic dreamer with nothing special. I already disliked you from the start, but knowing you were way more disgusting makes me sick. People like you, irresponsible and reckless, will never be able to save anyone. I just showed you. If this was a real fight, if I was a real villain, both you and Index would have been dead by now.» Fran exclaimed swaggering, but Touma was not replying; so the masked boy resumed his walk, but rough asphalt noises made him turn back to watch again. Touma was standing up and slowly walking towards Fran.
«What?! How can you get back up after that hit?!» Fran asked incredulous.
«I won't let you get away with this...» Touma exclaimed staggering.
«Don't you understand the circumstances?! You already lost and I could have killed you with that iron bar if I wanted to. I could just throw another right now. You can cancel my attack but not objects.» Fran threatened.
«I don't care. Go ahead, do it. I still have someone to save.» Touma replied with determination.
«The headache must be so hard you did not listen... Index is home, safe. There is no reason to go on. Just accept defeat!» Fran said, getting impatient.
«You're wrong, because... I'm talking to you. You are the one who needs to be saved. I have to destroy those stupid illusions of yours.» hearing those words, Fran lost control again; the person he hated most, the weakest one alive, kept trying to give him lessons and looked down on him. He wanted to save him too, that was too much to bear.
Fran's own shadow materialized in human shape and wielded the puppeteer strings. Thanks to the new technique, the boy moved so fast he arrived in front of Touma in the blink of an eye; the strings charged his right hook like they were loading a slingshot and Fran hit the level zero boy directly on his face, making him fly away in a bathe of blood.
Fran got on his knees again and grabbed his arm, trying to hold the moaning of pain; he used the shadow strings to move quickly and perform even a more powerful attack, his whole body was hurting a lot.
This time it looked like Touma had lost his consciousness definitively, laying on the floor completely immobile. Fran stood up in fatigue and turned back once again, ready to leave the bridge.
«I won't... let you get away...» Touma was up once again, but he wasn't able to move now.
«How many times are you planning to get back up...? Your words mean nothing to me!» Fran yelled, this time without turning back to look at him.
«You are right, but how much do your important persons mean to you instead? From the little I understood about you, you can't stand me because I help everyone without them asking or even when it seems I have no chance to win.» Touma said with the lowest voice, he was exhausted.
«You call this helping...? Now that I know who you really are... I will never leave the city in the hands of someone as shallow as you!» Fran exclaimed. «I won't leave her in your hands!» then he said whispering, referring to Misaka.
«You're so insecure you can't see what's wrong with you... if you want to think you are the better hero, go ahead... I don't care. If you want to help and save people, go ahead... I support you... but when that moment will come, when you'll have to save a person you really care about and not because you must to, but because you need to... that moment you'll understand it doesn't matter how and who saved her, but only that she is safe... you'll be the first one breaking all type of schemes and rules just to save her. Mark my words...» Touma's speech furiously triggered again Fran, who was going to hit him even harder this time but as soon as Fran turned back to deliver the blow, Touma was already lying on the ground, unconscious.
«He wasn't able to touch me once, but still... he managed to have the last word. There is no limit to the hate I feel for this man. Tsk... however... you're not telling me anything new, Kamijou-san... I felt that way, many, too many times...» Fran took a deep breath of resignation and left the bridge; few minutes later, an ambulance called by an unknown number found Touma and brought him to the closest hospital.
-
«Fran-san! They asking for you at the door!» claimed Uiharu; Fran lazily stood up from his chair, due to the pain caused by the battle of the previous night, and went to the entry.
«Fran-san... what will happen to me now?» it was Elena, looking apocalyptic as usual.
«I checked you observed my guidelines, so your time is served. You can leave.» Fran didn't even let her answer and closed the door on her face, then he went back to his desk.
«The same old dummy check, nothing important.» Fran exclaimed, noticing Uiharu's eyes were looking for an explanation.
«I almost completely forgot about her... it's incredible how much effort I put in just to meet Kamijou Touma. Looking at the results, it was a really bad idea and waste of energies... at least, though, I figured out something more about myself and what I have to do here. One time you managed to be slightly useful, Elena-san.» Fran thought as he was stretching and yawing to relax a little.
The day before, in the Judgment interview room:
«F-F-Fran-san?! Throw the key?!» Elena yelled terrorized, trying to free her mouth from Fran's shutting hand.
«You've done something really naughty... I can't assure you'd survive the punishment this time.» Fran said funereal.
«But... I didn't even tell what I did. Fran-san... you are overreacting, ahah...» Elena replied insecure.
«Did you just doubt my detective skills...? I can find crimes in the author's eyes! What an insult, what a lack of faith! I wanted to help you too...» Fran sadly stood up his chair and pretended he was leaving the room.
«N-no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! It was a moment of weakness, Fran-sama! Please, save me from this!» Elena dived to the boy's legs, begging for his mercy and grabbing him with all her strength.
«Well, since It's for you... I'll turn a blind eye. Come on, get back on your sit.» he said, so they both sat down again.
«Normally, you should have been thrown in a dark cell for the rest of your days already... but I can offer you an alternative retribution.» Fran suggested.
«I'll do anything to purify my soul!» Elena replied with guts.
«Perfect... I'm asking you to lock yourself in your house till today's 11 PM...»
«What?! House arrest? Nothing easier, eheh!»
«No internet and mobile allowed.» Fran added and Elena got a stroke.
«WHAT?! This is torture! What about the ninth funny vines video I need to see tonight to cure my crippling depression?! Ok, I'm done... just throw me in jail.» Elena exclaimed traumatized, then put her hand ready to be handcuffed.
«Come on, don't give up this early and stop interrupting me every minute... the punishment rules let you bring a guest inside with you to spend those hours together.» Smarty boy Fran added.
«Awesome! I can spend the night with Index!» Elena said, joyful and happy.
«True. Go ask her what she thinks. I'll go to the toilet in the meanwhile.» Fran opened the door and called Index, telling her to join the room; as the little girl entered jumping in enthusiasm to talk to her friend, Fran used a tiny shadow centipede to steal Index's mobile from her pocket then he closed the door behind him and left.
He went outside of the office and started a call after making sure no one was around.
«Index? What happened? You know I'm at my bonus lessons! The fridge is already full of-» Kamijou Touma answered.
«Index is sleeping right now. I just kidnapped her, she is right next to me.» Fran said, trying to make a different eviler voice.
«What?! Who are you?!» Touma asked in panic.
«If you are looking for answers, come to the iron railway bridge at 10 PM, alone. While we are talking, my thugs are chasing and spying on you so care doing anything fishy, or I'll kill her immediately. I repeat, come alone.» Fran hung up and turned off the phone. «Perfect, those lies will prevent him to ask for back up. I don't want some other friends of hers getting in my way.» he thought.
Fran went back to the room where the girls were talking and invited them to sit in front of him; As soon as Index sat down, the tiny centipede put her mobile back in her pockets.
«So, you decided?» Fran asked.
«We are doing it! Index said everywhere food is, she is too!» Elena answered enthusiastic.
«Great. I'll escort you to your apartment and make sure every communication deceive is disabled.» Fran said, then asked them to follow him.
«Elena, wait a minute! I have to tell Touma first!» Index said, looking to grab her phone.
«Don't!» Fran said, aggressively raising his voice and Index petrified in fear. «The punishment already started. You can't use your devices too! if you do it, I would be forced to take Elena in, forever.» the boy exclaimed, menacingly showing his handcuffs in the jacket.
«Index! Please!» Elena kneed in front of her embarrassed friend; Fran noticed Index was getting suspicious and unwilling, so he said the most convenient thing.
«I'll tell your roommate. Tell me where you live and I'll go immediately tell him after accompanying you to Elena's house. Judgment helps in many ways.» Index smiled hearing Fran's suggestion and gave him the address.
«Elena, this will be so fun! The Archbishop repaired my Walking Church lately so we could do even more dangerous stuff this time!» she cheered.
«Perfect, I convinced Index to stay and obtained Kamijou Touma's address with one only move. One day it could be useful.» the boy thought satisfied.
The group went to Elena's apartment and Fran checked that internet and phone were disabled.
«Well, you can go now. Have fun. Come tell me how was it tomorrow morning.» Fran took his leave but Elena still had something to ask him.
«Fran-san... I have a doubt. What if we secretly go the some websites...? How would you know?» the girls asked; Fran lokked her straight in her eyes, smiled and gently put a hand on her shoulder. «Finally a boy is going to say to me something kind like "I totally have faith in you." for the first time in my life.» Elena thought as a shoujo anime background music started in her head.
«If you try, you probably won't be here to realized it.» from the poor girls point of view, Fran eyes turned red and a frightening murderous aura surrounded him.
«I-I won't! Never! Promised!» Elena started crying, grabbed Index and locked herself in the house, terrorized.
«Uff... The most difficult part is over. Only one thing missing now.» Fran visited Gakuen Toshi's city center and found a toys store; he bought a long black reaper cape and a duck beak mask.
«Luckily, is Halloween time. It was really easy finding a disguise.»
It was 9 PM and Fran was already on the bridge, waiting the moment of the meeting.
«I think this was the most absurd day of my entire life, and it's not over yet. I almost died killed by myself, I met a Misaka clone who scolded me to the ground, I wanted to leave but I changed my mind because of my new friends' kindness and now I'm here, pretending to be a villain to fight my rival. Well... this really was a well made evil plan... maybe I am more of a criminal? Naaah! A great detective is the one who knows how to think as a murderer! Jeez, who am I kidding...? I'm really embarrassing dressed up like this... but it was the only way to have a battle with him without involving anybody else or my Judgment title. I'm not willing to kill him, like my darkness-self suggested, but I have to fight him if I want to have my confidence back! I don't care how many rules I have to break for this today... from tomorrow, I'll leave all of this behind and start protecting everything I built since I came to this city! But first... one last thing.» After a long thinking about how bizarre his day was, Fran took his Judgment armband off and dressed up in his camouflage; he grabbed his brand new mobile phone and started a call.
«Ara, Ara... guess who is calling me at night after brutally hanging up on me like that... » Misaki said sarcastically, immediately answering the call though.
«Are you free for a dinner tomorrow?» after Fran's request, a little embarrassed squeak was heard from the other side of the call.
«So... what kind of help do you need?» Misaki asked annoyed, after getting herself together.
«Wow, was that so obvious? No, I don't think so... it's our Queen, so intuitive and smart you can't play tricks on her.» Fran said, but his words were ineffective.
«Jeez, such cheap compliments... maybe purring at my legs like a stray cat and begging for mercy would have been more convincing... Humpf, what do you need?»
«I'm sending you an address, I want you to go there and cancel all the memories I'm in from the mind of a little white dressed nun. You'll find her there till 11 P.M. Are you able to do it?» Fran asked outspoken.
«Being able to is not the matter, damn it! Are you telling me I have to escape from the dorm, go there and cancel her memories at that hour?! And all of this just for your pretty face?! No way!» Misaki refused angry.
«Please, Misaki-san! I will do anything in return!» Fran said sounding resolute.
«Unbelievable... you know you are the one always telling me to use my powers only if strictly necessary?! You really are in big troubles if you come here pathetically searching for my help... you have to tell me what you are into! However... at 6 P.M.»
«Misaki-san... if you haven't noticed, its 9.30 P.M. already, I told you to go at-»
«Tomorrow, you dumbdumb! We meet at 6 P.M., you take me shopping and then offer the dinner. An expensive one, of course! This is my condition...»
«I'm still at judgment at that hour, can I trade 7 P.M.?»
«Tsk... die.» Misaki hung up and Fran laughed at it, he knew she accepted to help him.
ATTENTION READERS!ATTENTION READERS!ATTENTION READERS!ATTENTION READERS!
Thanks to everyone who arrived reading here! I'm so glad i have such a fantastic solid fanbase! Its really an honor for me. I wanted to say that starting from the next chapter, the main and final arc of the story is going to start! It will be about ten chapters long, i hope to see all your comments and entushiasm about it! Again, thanks and see you soon!
Thanks a lot Eleuphii for keeping the drawings lit and amazing this chapter too! show her some love and follow her on socials (now she is on Twitter and Reddit too, so go leave a follow pls <3)