Episode 05 - Trust
Kuroko rebukes Mikoto for addressing her familiarly note , then coldly asks if she requires assistance. Mikoto, stunned that her friends don't seem to know her, demurs and lets them leave, her suspicions of Shokuhou now transformed into full-blown rage.
A short time later, Kongou runs into Kuroko and the others, and is puzzled when Kuroko complains about Mikoto's rudeness. As she's still substituting for Kuroko, Kongou proceeds on to the next event, which has her paired with Mikoto again. While they get ready, Kongou asks Mikoto why she's never mentioned her "twin sister". Mikoto is surprised to learn that Kongou realized Misaka 10032 wasn't her during yesterday's event. Deciding to confide in Kongou, Mikoto explains that her "sister" has gone missing, and that she believes Shokuhou is involved. After they win the event, Kongou promises to find Mikoto's sister for her.
At that very moment, an unconscious Misaka 10032 is hooked up to various medical devices in a dark room, as Shokuhou stands next to her with an inscrutable look on her face.
As Shokuhou's minions resume guarding Mikoto, one of them — a girl with long lavender ringlets — notices Mikoto's Gekota phone case and reveals that she has a similar one. The two start talking about Gekota collectibles, until Mikoto realizes she's letting herself get distracted.
Elsewhere, Baba is contacted again by the girl with the skull pendant. He informs her that "Mikoto Misaka" should have been incapacitated by his nanodevice, but that finding her is his client's responsibility. Acknowledging this, the girl tells Baba that his next target will be the Misaka Sisters.
Kongou arrives at the area where Mikoto said her unconscious sister was loaded onto the ambulance. It occurs to her that knocking someone unconscious doesn't seem like Shokuhou's MO, and wonders if something else might be going on. After a brief search, she sees Mikoto's plastic Gekota mask, then finds Misaka 10032's cat wandering around and mewing anxiously. Not wanting to leave the animal behind, she picks it up and takes it with her.
Back on the main street, she meets Kinuho Wannai, who recognizes the cat as the one "Mikoto" had with her earlier. Kongou explains that Mikoto's sister is missing, and that the cat was near where she disappeared. Wannai says she knows a psychometrist who can communicate with animals, and asks Kongou to wait while she fetches her.
A large dog-shaped robot which is roaming around nearby monitors their conversation and broadcasts it back to Baba. Thinking this might be a lead on the Misaka Sisters, he hurries to the scene and approaches Kongou, saying he wants to talk to her privately about Mikoto's sister. Kongou allows him to lead her to an empty park; on the way, they pass by Saten, who is shopping among the street stalls nearby. Once they reach the park, Baba turns and asks Kongou what she knows about "Misaka's sister". Kongou demands he explain himself first, but suddenly finds herself surrounded by robotic dogs which move to attack.
Mikoto, meanwhile, is trying to escape from Shokuhou's cohorts without causing a scene. Helping a young child retrieve her balloon, she uses this as cover to jump onto a passing train. To her dismay, however, two of the other girls manage to follow her.
Wannai comes back with both her psychometrist friend and Maaya Awatsuki, and is perplexed to find Kongou gone. Saten, seeing them, comes and tells them she saw Kongou heading away with someone.
In the meantime, Kongou is proving more than a match for Baba's canine robots. Shifting strategies, he uses another of his mosquito drones to inject her with the same neurotoxin he used on Misaka 10032. Kongou quickly loses strength and collapses, although she takes care to protect the cat with her body. Baba taunts her for allowing Mikoto to order her around, but Kongou tells him that's what friends do for each other, even if he wouldn't understand. This enrages Baba and he yells at her to not to talk down to him, kicking her repeatedly and calling her useless.
After kicking Kongou into unconsciousness, Baba turns to leave, ordering his robotic dogs to bring her along. Just then, Saten arrives and sees Kongou lying bloodied and motionless. She rushes over and confronts Baba, who just sneers and says people like Kongou are human trash. At that, Wannai and Awatsuki step in front of Saten and ask her to take Kongou and the cat to safety. They turn and glare at Baba, as water in the nearby reservoir begins to churn violently...
Tropes
- Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: A mild case — Baba says he didn't find much information on Kongou because she's only recently transferred to Tokiwadai. In the manga (and light novels), this was only a couple of weeks earlier. In the anime, however, she's been at Tokiwadai for several months (since before the start of season one) — still fairly recent, but it's more of a stretch to think she'd be such an unknown quantity.
- Big Damn Heroes: Saten, Wannai and Awatsuki (mainly the latter two) show up just in time to save Kongou from Baba — though not soon enough to protect her from a pretty awful beatdown.
- Hidden Depths: Kongou really gets to shine in this episode; not only does she reveal that she knew Misaka 10032 wasn't Mikoto, she proves to be quick-thinking, strategic, and level-headed as she searches for the Sister.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: Baba shows just how low he can sink when he literally kicks the defenseless and paralyzed Kongou hard enough to draw blood, just because she defended Mikoto and said he wouldn't understand what friends would do for each other. This earns him the righteous fury of not only Saten (especially when Baba calls her trash), but also Wannai and Awatsuki, who prepare to teach Baba a lesson for hurting their friend.
- Robot Master: Baba uses his robotic Great Danes to fight for him, and robotic mosquitoes for more covert actions.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: A heroic example: after ripping up a giant satellite dish to smash Baba's drones, Kongou notes that she can use anything as a weapon and just pay for any damages later.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: When Hokaze and Mikoto are fangirling over Gekota, the other members of Shokuhou's clique stand looking embarrassed in the background, completely unable to relate to any of their logic or statements.
- Tranquil Fury: As Wannai and Awatsuki tell Saten to take Kongou away and leave Baba to them, they appear calm and composed... and then you see their eyes. At the same time, the nearby water begins to rage in response to Wannai's powers.
