Episode 08 - Level Upper
At Sakugawa Middle School, Saten sits in class as the teacher gives a lecture about "Personal Reality", a key theory in esper development. Saten is alternating between wishing they'd teach how to actually improve one's abilities, and worrying about Uiharu, who is sick at home. The teacher notices her inattentiveness and tells her to read up on Personal Reality for homework.
After school, Mikoto and Kuroko are talking about the recent graviton bombings. Kuroko is bothered by the fact that the perpetrator, Hatsuya Kaitabi, has turned out to be Level 2, even though the damage from the bombings indicated at least a Level 4 ability. They buy some shaved ice at a stall with a wind chime, and Kuroko remarks that hearing the chime makes her feel cooler. Mikoto says it's because of a phenomenon called synaesthesia, where stimulating one of the senses can affect others. Saten presently joins them and, after enjoying her own shaved ice, suggests they visit Uiharu.
At Uiharu's room, they talk some more about the discrepency in Kaitabi's level. Kuroko notes this isn't the first incident where someone seemed to have powers above their ability level: both Miho Jufuku and the pyrokineticist bank robber were the same. Mikoto remembers Saten's earlier remark about "Level Upper", and asks if she knows any more about it. Saten has only heard vague rumors, but apparently there's a message board somewhere devoted to the topic. Uiharu produces her laptop and quickly finds the board in question. Scanning the messages, they notice several references to people meeting at a restaurant called Jona Garden. Mikoto decides to investigate immediately and rushes off, an exasperated Kuroko on her heels.
Saten and Uiharu stay behind, noting that they are low level and not very useful. Saten wonders whether she could develop an ability if she used Level Upper, but Uiharu says that cheating is wrong. Changing the subject, Saten asks Uiharu to help with her homework. They talk a little about what "Personal Reality" might mean, but neither of them really seems clear on the subject.
At the restaurant, Mikoto tries talking to some shady-looking men about Level Upper while Kuroko watches from out of sight. They are reluctant to talk to her, but she does her best to charm them, much to Kuroko's dismay. Recognizing her Tokiwadai uniform, they figure she must be wealthy, and lead her to a deserted alley in order to shake her down. Mikoto soon loses patience and zaps them, demanding they tell her what they know. However, their leader, a young woman with powerful ground-based abilities, shows up and confronts Mikoto. The outcome of the fight is predictable, but Mikoto ultimately fails to learn anything about Level Upper.
Meanwhile, Saten asks Uiharu if she'd like to be a high-level esper, noting that education can be obtained anywhere, but people enroll in Academy City to become espers. She reminisces about how excited she was when she came to Academy City, wondering what her ability would be... only to be told after her first system scan that she had no talent whatsoever. Uiharu replies that even though she has a very low-level ability, living in Academy City has allowed her to be friends with Saten and the others, and she is enjoying her life.
The next day, Kuroko delivers some alarming news to Mikoto: Hatsuya Kaitabi has fallen into a coma. The two go to the hospital, where the doctors explain that they can't find anything wrong with him but he won't wake up. Then they add that the same thing has happened to several other people, including Miho Jufuku and the pyrokineticist. Just as they explain that they've called in an outside expert, a female scientist walks up and introduces herself as Harumi Kiyama. Mikoto is startled to recognize the "Undresstress" from the other day.
Sitting at her computer late that night, Saten sighs and mutters that she hasn't been able to find anything about Level Upper. She decides to download some music instead — but as she's browsing a music website, she stumbles across a hidden link... to a music file identifying itself as "Level Upper"...
Tropes
- Bland-Name Product: Uiharu's personal laptop lacks a logo, but is obviously a ThinkPad.
- Chekhov's Gun: The conversation about synaesthesia seems largely irrelevant, but it will become important in later episodes.
- Crocodile Tears: Mikoto switches to this to try and persuade the delinquents after her flirting doesn't work. It actually seems mildly effective on one of them, but not enough to yield any results.
- Head Desk: What Kuroko is reduced to while having to watch Mikoto flirt with the Level Upper delinquents. note
- Heroic Seductress: Mikoto puts on a exaggeratedly cute facade and flirts with the delinquents to try and get them to reveal what they know about Level Upper note . However, they turn out to be more interested in getting money off her when they realize she's a Tokiwadai student (and therefore from a rich family). She eventually loses patience and fries them.
- I Just Want to Be Special: Saten is clearly thinking this.
- Losing a Shoe in the Struggle: When the gang leader turns the asphalt into liquid, Mikoto's feet get stuck. She solves the problem by simply jumping out of her shoes and climbing up the wall in her socks. Afterwards, she complains about losing her loafers, to which Kuroko replies that it's her own fault for getting into the fight in the first place.
- Signature Head Gear: Averted for Uiharu — this the first time we see her with no headband. Indeed, she doesn't wear it at all this episode.
- Wall Crawl: When fighting the gang leader, Mikoto reveals she can do this — one of the many versatile applications of her electromaster powers.
