Episode 22 - Level 6 (The One Who Obtains The Power of God Without Being Divine)
Haruue tells Mikoto and the others about her long-lost friend, Banri Edasaki. She and Haruue were both Child Errors — children without families who were abandoned in Academy City — and the two of them attended a school for such students. Like Haruue, Edasaki was a telepath, and always used to talk to her psychically. But one day, Edasaki was transferred away, and Haruue never saw nor heard from her again... until recently. Haruue says that she has lately started hearing Edasaki's voice inside her head, always saying the same thing: "Help me... I'm in pain..."
Unsure of what this might mean, Mikoto takes Therestina aside and tells her what she saw in Kiyama's memories. When she describes the elderly scientist in charge of the experiment, Therestina recognizes him as Dr. Gensei Kihara — an infamous researcher known as something of a "mad scientist". She theorizes that the experiment, which was designed to overload the children's esper powers, could have resulted in them developing RSPK Syndrome. If this is true, then it's possible that these children, wherever they are, are unconsciously causing the Poltergeist incidents.
They opt not to trouble Haruue with this theory while she's recuperating. To cheer her up, Uiharu brings her some taiyaki pastries from a famous shop. Haruue is surpised to find the pastries are still hot after being brought across town; Uiharu reveals that her ability lets her stabilize the temperature of objects by touch.
Back at the Judgement office, they try to find more information on the children from Kiyama's experiment. Unfortunately, no-one seems to know where they are. Left comatose, they spent years being shuffled from one medical facility to another, but eventually the trail disappeared. Uiharu starts scouring Academy City's medical database for clues; however, she coldly refuses Kuroko's help.
Saten and Mikoto, feeling superfluous and finding the tension awkward, leave the office. As they talk, Therestina calls Mikoto with some unwelcome news: Harumi Kiyama was released on bail, and Therestina is unable to locate her.
Meanwhile, the others stumble onto some disturbing research: RSPK Syndrome causes Poltergeisting by resonating with the AIM fields of espers who have abilities similar to the ones triggering it — and, theoretically, both the damage and range become exponentially worse if multiple abilities are involved. Based on what they know of the missing children, if all of them were to run out of control simultaneously, the resulting damage could be enough to destroy Academy City. The person who authored this research: Gensei Kihara.
Kuroko searches for information on Kihara, but there is little to be found. His whereabouts are unknown, and his affiliated research facilities have been shut down. However, as they look over his file, Mikoto recognizes one of the facilities listed as the site of the experiment from Kiyama's memories.
Late that night, Mikoto sneaks out of the dormitory and breaks into the abandoned facility. She finds the room where the Child Error experiment took place, but it's been stripped of anything useful. As she investigates, however, she is startled to find somebody else snooping around: Kiyama herself. Mikoto confronts her and asks if she's the one responsible for the Poltergeist incidents. Before she gets an answer, however, Mikoto inadvertently triggers the building's security alarm, and the two of them hastily retreat.
Kiyama drives Mikoto to a hospital where, in a secret closed-off ward, she finds all the missing children, still unconscious but otherwise healthy. Again, Mikoto asks Kiyama if she's responsible for the recent incidents, and Kiyama admits that she is. Before Mikoto can react, a certain frog-faced doctor — Heaven Canceller — comes in. He explains that after the Level Upper incident, he read Kiyama's deposition and pulled some strings to have all the comatose children brought into his care. He also arranged Kiyama's bail so that they could work together to try and revive them.
The original experiment was designed by Gensei Kihara as part of the scientist's obsession with creating the world's first Level 6 esper — what he calls SYSTEM, or "one who obtains the power of God without being divine". Kihara has developed something called an "ability crystal" from the extracted brain chemicals of an esper, in the belief that it could be used to enhance esper powers beyond what is normally possible. The experiment on the Child Errors involved dosing them with these ability crystals until their powers entered a runaway state.
Kiyama and Heaven Canceller say they've figured out a way to revive the children, but their runaway powers are causing Poltergeisting whenever they approach consciousness. Kiyama has designed a treatment program to counteract this problem, but is missing a critical piece of data needed to complete it: the exact chemical composition of the sample used to create the original ability crystal. That's what she was searching for at Kihara's former lab, but to no avail. Mikoto asks what she'll do if she can't find the sample, and Kiyama replies that, in the end, she'll wake the children up anyway — even if the resulting damage destroys Academy City.
As they talk, Therestina arrives with a Multi-Active Rescue unit, revealing that she followed them from Kihara's lab. She tells them that she is taking the children into custody in order to protect the city, and produces a warrant to that effect. She tries to mollify Kiyama by saying the children will be well cared for, and that MAR might have the resources necessary to find the missing data. Kiyama resists, angrily saying that she's the only one who can save her students. However, Mikoto points out that all of her efforts so far, and all the pain and destruction they've caused, have failed to save any of them. Then she tells Kiyama about how Haruue has been hearing Edasaki's voice, crying out for help. Kiyama can only collapse to her knees and watch, helpless, as her students are taken away...
Tropes
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Kiyama tries to protest that only she can save her students, Mikoto shuts her up with:Mikoto: But you haven't saved them, have you?
- Foreshadowing: Gensei's obsession with creating a Level 6 esper is mentioned — something which will have multiple ramifications throughout this series.
- Greater-Scope Villain: This episode establishes Gensei Kihara as one. It will be a long time before he appears in person, but his influence will certainly be felt many more times before then.
- Kirk Summation: After shutting Kiyama up with her Armor-Piercing Question (above):Mikoto: You used the Level Upper and you've caused all this Poltergeisting... but you haven't saved a single one of them.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mikoto accidentally setting off the security alarm with her powers is what allows Therestina to follow them to where the children are.
- The Reveal: We finally learn what Uiharu's ability is.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: The 'disguise' Mikoto wears for her infiltration mission consists of some gaudy clothes that look like something out of an elementary school girl's wardrobe note , and a plastic Gekota mask. Fortunately, it doesn't get called on to actually fool anyone.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Kiyama, once again.
