Chapter 014: In a flashback, Harumi is shouting at Gensei about the outcome of an experiment gone wrong, to which Gensei cooly replies that "It's a good thing, we are getting rid of 'Child errors'".
Back to the present day, Harumi looks at an apparently unconscious Mikoto, who is buried under the rubble she created. As she turns around, Misaka jumps out from underneath the rubble to 'hug' Harumi, explaining that she doesn't have a blind spot due to her body constantly emitting electro-magnetic waves. Mikoto attacks with a 'zero distance electric shock' before Harumi can counter, which knocks Harumi out temporarily. Their minds link and suddenly Mikoto is seeing a flashback from Harumi's memories - before the flashback at the beginning of the chapter.
Gensei is telling Harumi to teach the 'child errors' (Children who were abandoned, so the university had to take them) so that specific data would be regulated. Although she initially hates the experience, partly due to the fact that she hates children, Harumi reluctantly forms a bond with them (Although Edasaki Banri in particular). Later on, after she has finished teaching, the children go into the AIM Control Room and are put into pods to be experimented on, with the children putting faith in Harumi. During the experiment, however, the children went into shock as the experiment was failing and despite the other scientists' demands for an ambulance, Gensei insists on continuing to collect the data and covers up this continuation. Gensei approaches Harumi and congratulates her, telling her that what happened was a pity, but a needed sacrifice for the development of science.Harumi is later seen looking at Banri, her head covered in blood, and she falls on her knees in shock.
Mikoto lets go of Harumi and the flashback ends. She explains that the experiment was to "control the overrunning of [an] ability" by experimenting on the AIM of espers, commenting with disdain, that the bodies were thrown away after being used. She also explains that despite asking the Tree Diagram for the cure, she was rejected every time, showing that telling the anti-skill about these experiments would be useless, due to the directors control over them. An enraged Harumi suddenly stops and screams in pain, falling unconscious as an 'embryo' (AIM Burst) floats up from her body, which then tears up the land around it.
Kazari wakes up inside the car to find the unconscious Anti-skill guards and an 'embryo' floating beneath the destroyed highway.
Chapter 015: An elite baseball player who is now easily beaten due to the legalisation of Esper powers in baseball games, a girl who cruelly manipulates another to help her and the personal woes of Hatsuya. These are the memories of a few people that make up the AIM Burst, all who have been manipulated or mistreated by society. Simultaneously, the coma patients (as a result of the 'Level Upper') in the hospital are suddenly convulsing, but not awake.
As these memories are seemingly fuelling the AIM Burst, it attacks Mikoto, who reacts with her railgun. The AIM Burst easily regenerates and throws several pillars at Mikoto, who then retreats, but seeing that the AIM Burst isn't attacking, realizing it's attacking at random.
Anti-skill officers are taking cover behind pillars, who then fire upon the AIM Burst. The AIM Burst isn't affected, even growing larger, throwing back several of the Anti-Skill. The remaining Anti-Skill officer (Tsuzuri) stares at the AIM Burst as it approaches her, convinced that it's an illusion but is saved by Mikoto at the last second. Mikoto orders Tsuzuri to make preperations to retreat, who then tells Mikoto that there's a near-by nuclear plant.
Harumi awakens to see the regenerating AIM Burst and laughs bitterly at jokes to herself that she'll receive an reccomendation. With a sigh, she pulls out a gun and points it at her head, believing that she has not only lost control over the network, but also any chance of finding the cure for the children. As she is pulling the trigger, Kazari sees her and tackles her to the floor. Unhand-cuffing Kazari, Kiyama explains to her that the 'embryo' she sees is an AIM Burst, a thing that is made from collecting AIM together, and that it's using the 'Level Upper Network' as a catlyst to create itself, slowly collecting the AIM from Academy city to grow larger. Kiyama further explains that she believes its actions are due to the emotions she had when she came across it at the network's core. After a short bonding moment, Kiyama tells Kazari to use the 'uninstaller' she gave her earlier to break the network, so that the AIM Burst might disappear.
Tsuzuri is seen dragging her colleagues out of the way and spots Kazari running back up towards the highway. Attacks that missed Mikoto in her fight with the AIM Burst hit an area close to Kazari, knocking her down and as she is about to get hit by another attack, Tsuzuri blocks the result of the explosion with her Anti-skill shield. Plugging in the 'uninstaller', she broadcasts the song on the radio. Meanwhile, Mugino and her group are in a cafe, hearing the special 'request' of listening to the "strange song" over the radio.
Chapter 016: The 'uninstaller' music is being played all over the city, and is heard by Aomi, and stopping the patient's convulsions. By playing the anti-virus software throughout the city, the AIM Burst is suppressed, which means it still has the mass of ten thousand Espers.
Mikoto's fight with the AIM Burst continues, as the AIM Burst slowly approaches the nuclear plant. Managing to do the first permanent damage of the fight (due to the uninstallation), she is informed by Kiyama that all that is for nothing unless she can destroy the 'core' that's gathering the AIM. Mikoto eventually defeats the AIM Burst by using her 'railgun' to destroy the core, but it results in her "batteries running out". Anti-skill officers roll in and just before Kiyama is arrested, she pledges to still help the children, and says that she will do whatever it takes to save them, but says she'll have to start all over again. As she gets in the car, she mentions that connecting the brains through an electro-magnetic network was an idea inspired by Mikoto (who doesn't know what she's talking about), cryptically adding that "Even with your power, you cannot resist... You and I are the same".
Before Mikoto can ask for an elaboration, Kuroko tackles Mikoto in 'concern'. After "taking care of Mikoto's body", Kuroko tells a concerned Kazari that the comatose victims of the 'Level Upper' are regaining their consciousness. Kazari rushes to the hospital to see Saten already awake and standing. Saten expresses her dissappointment at not being able to use her powers anymore, but regrets taking the 'Level Upper' because she put Kazari in danger's way. In the middle of this confession, a sick Uiharu sneezes on Saten and they both laugh under the night sky.
As Kuroko starts cleaning up the last few problems of the 'Level Upper', Mikoto is left wondering about Kiyama's last words; "You and I are the same... We both carry a hopeless fate on our back".
Chapter 016.5: After recovering from the affects of the 'Level Upper', the baseballer whose memory appeared during the fight with the AIM Burst no longer despises those who use Esper powers in baseball games (although legal, he can't use them). He finds his friends discussing strategies as to how to defeat the Espers in baseball; As a result, he regains his hope and love for baseball.
During an examination, the woman who was manipulated by her friend displays a higher control of her Esper abilities and offers to teach her friend. Her friend tells her that if she does that, she will surpass her again; the woman replies that it won't happen as easily because now she realizes that she will have to work harder - now that she recognizes her friend as a rival. She tells her friend that they will "Grow stronger together", causing her friend to blush.
Hatsuya walks past the people he always lectures (About never giving up) and this time ignore them, telling them that he was cheered up. He recalls feeling the power of Mikoto's railgun flowing throughout him and inspired by that power, wills himself to try harder to become a level 5. A person, reluctantly 'inspired' gets up and tells the other person to go back to school.
Chapter 017: Mikoto and Kuroko are caught sneaking back to their dorms, after cleaning up the remnants of the AIM Burst. The Dorm Supervisor, although understanding, states that regulations are not the same as rules as so she must punish Mikoto and Kuroko (although, she 'snaps' Kuroko's neck first); the next day they are left to clean a large pool with brooms. After an advance by Kuroko, involving a presumably drugged drink, they meet Kinuho and Maaya. Kinuho gives Mikoto her gratitude for saving her from "punks" who were making unwanted advances, a few months back. She offers Mikoto her sports drink, who accepts, much to the shock of Kuroko. Kuroko starts comparing the warm way that Mikoto treated everyone but herself and comes to the conclusion that Mikoto hates Kuroko. She tries to shrug off this conclusion by rationalising that in a battle, "there's no one that can be more helpful than me", but watches as Kinuho controls water, promising to help out later. As they leave, Misaka starts talking to Kuroko, only to be turned down by an upset Kuroko, who vocalises her concern that she "isn't qualified to be at your side".
Mikoto, surprised by her sudden change of mood, tries to assure Kuroko that although she is a bit strange, Kuroko has always been helpful and that they would be "Always together" (Which Kuroko takes to mean as "Together forever"). Looking too deeply into Mikoto's words, Kuroko concludes that Mikoto is only cold towards her because of love and that it was just a test. As Kuroko again makes advances towards Mikoto, who shocks her in retaliation; Kinuho and Maaya walk in this scene, but quickly walk away.
Chapter 017.5.1: A young Kuroko is at the Judgement Training Grounds, training next to non-Judgement students (specifically Uiharu), who are undergoing their initiation training sessions. Kuroko offer Uiharu her drink in one of the breaks and encourages Uiharu to do her best, telling her to "Believe your feelings and follow what you feel... The results will come afterwards". Kuroko then tells Uiharu that she is already a member of Judgement, something which impresses Uiharu. What Kuroko doesn't tell her is that even though she has been a member for a year, she has yet to be involved in a major incident.
Later, Kuroko is working together with Konori Mii on a patrolling job. Kuroko asks why she only gets patrolling and odd jobs. Konori answers that it's more important to prevent the incident than dealing with the consequences afterwards. She then asks Kuroko if she wants to be treated better because she's a honor student. Kuroko answers that she only thought she was treated differently because she is in elementary school. Konori tells her that Age isn't important, and that she want to act on her own because of her potential, to which Kuroko answers that she is being treated like a kid.
Shortly afterwards, Uiharu is walking around looking for a post office. When she finds it, she walks inside and meets Kuroko on the inside. Uiharu tells Kuroko that she has been looking at the dorms since she's beginning at junior high school. Kuroko tells Uiharu that she is starting at Tokiwadai, which also impresses Uiharu. Kuroko responds that she thinks that school will be quite bad, since the students will believe they are superior because they are level 3 or higher. She mentions that she's heard about a girl called 'Railgun', which Kuroko expects to have a horrid personality. Kuroko and Uiharu then part ways as Kuroko meets up with Konori.
Kuroko tries to apologize for getting distracted while on duty, but Konori cuts her off because she has seen someone suspicious. Using Clairvoyance, Konori is able to see that he has got some tools in his bag and a gun in his right pocket. As she goes to tell the people who work there, Konori tells Kuroko to prioritize protecting the civilians if anything happens, saying that incidents outside of school should be left to Anti-Skill. Kuroko think that is a too passive way to think but doesn't do anything.
Then the man firers his gun, and tells the people in the post office to be quiet and not try anything. When a man tries to press the alarm, the robber considers killing the man to set an example, but before he makes the decision Kuroko has teleport behind him and attacks him. After beating up the robber, Kuroko sees that the robber had an accomplice, who is now holding Uiharu hostage.
Chapter 017.5.2: After what happened in the last chapter, Kuroko defeats that person, both of them bonded and they gotten closer then before that was how Kuroko and Uihara bonded...
Rating: 8.5/10
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