03x14 - Dragon Strike (Jaw of the Dragon King)

[bunniefuu]

"A Certain Scientific Railgun T"

While you're still alive,

I'll be taking the data on
that virus you injected the girl with.

Right... That girl...

I do not have nearly enough
strength left to teleport her away right now.

I see no choice but to contact Uiharu
and request someone to pick her up.

I wonder how Miss Misaka is doing.

Don't do it.

Sogiita? You can still move?

No problem. If I put my guts into it,
I can stop my bleeding

and get my bones to stick together.
But never mind me,

you were about to charge in there, weren't you?

There's something different about her now.

Maybe whatever the girl who put
this data inside my head was planning

worked out all right.

Are you sure? I can't tell either way.

Even so, it doesn't look like
she can control all that power.

Which is why...

I don't know what your right hand is made of,

but that all over there is a whole lot
more trouble than it was a moment ago.

It felt more like it was a
mass of compressed energy earlier,

but that looks like something
from another world now,

something literally beyond our understanding.

Let me deal with this.
I may be able to risk my neck

to do a self-destruct move that will smother it.

No.

Like I said earlier, I know her.
I want to be the one who does this for her.

Yeah, but...

I may not be strong enough, like you say,

and I don't really have
a handle on this situation,

so I can't say for sure that this is
the best move. But ultimately, I mean...

I'll just have to make up
for whatever I'm lacking with guts.

Am I right?

You really are a fascinating one, huh?

That's that, then.

Go lay some smack down!

A path...!

Go!

Behave...

...your damn self!

What is this? This isn't my ability!

This must be...

Oh, no. If this gets unleashed, it will do
a lot more than blow Academy City away!

There's no way I can let that happen!

If I can compress it down to a size
I can cover up with my body,

then blow it up while
I'm holding it, then maybe...

Him? Don't tell me
he's thinking of stopping this!

Wait! This isn't my ability!

This is something my mind
conjured up that wants to smash up...

...and wipe away everything
bad about Academy City!

So let me--

No!

I know that there are some really
lousy facets to Academy City, too.

I also know that there are elites
controlling things behind the scenes

who you and I can't touch.

But to try to purge those things by force...?

Even supposing you succeed,

I don't think the world
will end up the way you want it.

You can probably think of others besides me
who are trying to help you, right?

You just have to change things
a little at a time with them.

And I'll help you, too, of course.

But your arm! You need a hospital!

Huh?

Huh?!

It works like normal.

What is the deal with your body?

Beats me.

Wow, that was quite a show.
I never expected dragons to appear.

Awesome guts!

I'd like to take you on sometime.

On the other hand...

What's up with that metal?

Was that there before?

"#14 Dragon Strike
[Jaw of the Dragon King]"

So, she's all right, then?

Yeah, more or less.
Not long after she was brought in here,

the data on the virus she
was injected with was sent here.

I was able to synthesize a vaccine.

It will be a few days
before she completely recovers,

but she should be as good as new.

Thank goodness.

Um,

I believe one of my friends from Tokiwadai

was brought to this hospital earlier today.

Yes?

Miss Misaka!

Wow, so your sister is in good health?

I am most pleased to hear that.

Is something the matter?

--I'm sorry!
--Huh?

For dragging you into all this,
and even getting you hurt...

Simply saying I'm sorry isn't enough...

N-No, I should be the one apologizing

for boasting that I would bring
your sister back, and ending up like this.

I am pretty pathetic.

Still...

...it could have been so much worse...

Yes, that is true.

However,

even if that had happened, I can assure you

that I would not have
regretted any of my own actions.

Miss Kongo...

I am still not a very seasoned person,

so I cannot afford to lay down
my life for just anyone.

It was because it was my desire
to relieve you of your anguish

that I can consider it as such.

Do you know the expression
"Peaches and plums their own paths create"?

Huh?

Though peach and plum blossoms say nothing,

trails spontaneously form beneath them.

Likewise, men of virtue may not say much,

but people naturally b*at a path to them.

That's what the expression means.

I cannot say yet that I fully
appreciate its true meaning,

but by looking up to your character,

I do think that I have become someone
more compassionate towards others.

I'm not all that great a person.

That is something
for those around you to decide.

If, on the other hand, you tried
to play yourself off as someone great,

it would be meaningless
if those around you did not agree.

I have been all alone, going nowhere,
trying to do just that, so...

No, that's not true!

Miss Kongo, to me, and to Miss Wannai
and Miss Awatsuki, you've been, um...

Miss Wannai and Miss Awatsuki?
Why are you bringing those two up right now?

As it happens, the ones who saved you were...

Oh, I see.

Those two did that for me?

Wh-What do I do, Miss Misaka?

I should feel inconsolable for
getting those two mixed up in fisticuffs,

and yet, I...

...cannot help but feel happy about it...

Excuse me...

Visiting hours are now over, so...

Oh, okay.

I'll be back again tomorrow, Miss Kongo.

Right.

Miss Misaka?

I...

...am truly glad to be a student at Tokiwadai.

Mm-hmm.

"Misaka, would you like to watch
the fireworks at that spot again tonight?

Uiharu and Shirai and I will
be coming too. Let's go together!"

The Judgment girl isn't here...

Handcuffs? These are
meaningless with my ability...

Why bother?

If I'm still alive, it means that
the project must have failed.

I could just stay here and be rat food...

Shokuho Misaki...?

Misaka!

Over here! Over here!

Sissy!

You've had a long day!

Look at this, Misaka!

Uiharu is having another crazy concoction!

S-Strawberry monja is not a crazy concoction!

You could at least call it quirky!

It is the same thing either way.

Huh?

Uiharu, you'll eat anything
as long as it has strawberries.

That's not true!

Thanks, everyone.

Did you say something?

Mm-mm.

Ah, would you like a bite?

Mm-mm, no thanks.

Kuroko and the others' memories of me
that were erased had been put back.

On top of which, the events that happened today

had been altered to make it
harder for contradictions to arise

and were made out to be the capture of
a t*rror1st threatening the festival.

Apparently, my boycott of the
competition had been rewritten, as well,

but that was not done by Shokuho
out of consideration for me,

but probably because she herself didn't
want word of Exterior to be made public.

Nonetheless, it's an undeniable fact
that her virus was eliminated

as a result of Shokuho's help,

and while I thought she was a despicable
person--actually, I still think that--

if she has her own brand
of justice and convictions,

then someday, we may be able
to meet each other halfway.

That's what I think.

Oh, come to think of it, Misaka,

is your stomach doing all right?

Huh? What's that?

You got sick from some of the
street stall food and upset your stomach.

You were stuck in the bathroom all day
and couldn't come out, right?

You intimidated the Shokuho clique
when they came to get you,

confining yourself to the restroom.

Huh? The restroom?

Unless you're prepared
to k*ll me to stop me, then move.

The whole school is abuzz with talk of
just how urgent things were for you.

Fine. I'll k*ll you, Shokuho Misaki.

"Daihasei Festival: Day Three"

I'm so dizzy, my ability won't work...

Miss Saten, you're first!

Heh-heh, bat-handling skills
are right up my alley...

"Daihasei Festival: Day Five"

Huh? You're light...

"Daihasei Festival: Day Seven"

The Gods of Wind and Thunder combo...

...is back in action!

The Daihasei Festival is just about over.

It feels like it's been so long,
and yet so short.

I ended up not getting
to compete in a single event.

If I had not gotten hurt on the second day,

I could have at least competed
with Sissy on the last day.

What choice was there?
You sacrificed your body to stop a t*rror1st.

You should consider them scars of honor.

Well, I suppose that is true.

When I think about the events of that day,

it feels like there is something
important that I am forgetting.

You, too, Miss Shirai?
As it happens, I feel the same.

I-I'm going to go buy us some drinks.
What would you all like?

Huh?

Are you sure?

Mm-hmm, to celebrate
a well-fought Daihasei Festival.

Okay, I'll take a Coconut Cider.

Habanero Pineapple for me.

One Watermelon Tea, please.

Okay, give me a minute!

Look at that! They're holding a folk dance!

That looks like fun.

I'd like to bust out some dance moves, myself.

Though I don't have anyone else to dance with.

Same over here.

If only I were in tip-top shape,
Sissy and I could be--

Huh?

Um... Miss Saten?

Ah, Kamijo.

Hey.

Thank goodness.

I never got to properly thank you
for the scavenger hunt.

Oh, is that right?

Let me treat you to something,
if you'd like. Nothing expensive, though.

Oh, no, that's much too thoughtful of you.

Thanks for waiting!

H-Huh?!

Wh-What are you doing here?!
Wait, you know Miss Saten?!

Yeah.

She lent me her good-luck charm.

G-Good-luck charm? What do you mean?

Oh, I needed a good-luck charm for
my scavenger hunt, and she lent me hers.

Oh, the scavenger hunt... S-Sure, okay...

Oh, yeah, she really saved my neck.

Ah, Kamijo...

This might sound funny,
but in return for the good-luck charm...

...would you like to go to the folk dance?

Huh?

Huh?

Huh?!

Fine with me, but is that really all you want?

Yes!

Oh, but would you mind going on ahead?
I'm going to wet my whistle first.

O-Okay.

Now...

Oh no, the effects of the obstacle
course just caught up to me!

Whoa, are you all right?

Oh, I think I might have twisted my ankle!

Huh?!

--It hurts!
--No, Sissy, this is a trap--

Ugh, it's going to be hard doing
any strenuous activity like this.

Oh, I know! Misaka, would you dance in my place?

Huh?

Wh-Why me? B-Besides,
Miss Saten, you're the dancer here...

It's all right. I didn't say
anything about dancing "with me."

B-B-But this is all so sudden...
I'm not ready... Maybe next time...

Oh, but you do wanna dance, don'tchu?

Y-Yes, I do...

Huh?

Misaka?

U-Um, what are we...?

Wow, she's so stiff, huh?

No interrupting them.

Let's see, when the right hand
goes up, what comes next?

You went and saved me, again.

Hmm?

Yeah. I just helped a little bit
there at the end, though.

And there were others who were
trying to help you too, remember?

Mm-hmm.

I've had a whole lot of my friends helping me.

I...

...really can't stand
the lousy way that Academy City

sees espers as nothing but lab rats.

But I did meet all of you after coming
to this city, and those encounters

are something that I treasure.

So next time, I want to be
the one protecting the others.

I think that's really the least
I can do to pay them back.

Yeah.

Th-That's all I wanted to say!

Although, I never knew. To you,

meeting me has been
something you treasured, huh?

Well, I mean, the way you said it,
it includes me, too, right?

You don't say, huh?

Huh? Miss Misaka?

That was your cue...

Your time is up!!

Oh, she jumped.

She lasted a good while, there, too.

"Next episode preview"

"Next episode preview"
"#15 Promise"

"The best thing to do to
make your way in Academy City

is to suck up to the researchers here.

However, I wasn't counting on having
that girl forced on me as a result."

Hey, who said you could read
my mind without asking?!