E23 - Possession

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:02] ---
    How is the worst-case scenario,
[00:04] ---
    where Academy City's third-ranked
    Level 5 is after us, happening?
[00:07] ---
    What the hell is this?!
[00:09] ---
    You wouldn't be some organization
    that's up to no good, would you?
[00:13] ---
    Take it easy. I haven't heard
    of any rival organizations
[00:16] ---
    who are after the results of
    the Doppelganger research.
[00:18] ---
    This is risky, since I don't know
    the reason why she was fighting Seike, but...
[00:23] ---
    Hold on. We're a recovery team,
[00:26] ---
    formally hired by the research institution
    that owns the Doppelganger.
[00:31] ---
    The person you came across is indeed
    probably one of our team members.
[00:35] ---
    But I hope you realize that due
    to the nature of our mission,
[00:39] ---
    we're under mandatory orders to bar
    any outsiders from getting involved.
[00:42] ---
    If your presence here doesn't
    run counter to our objective,
[00:45] ---
    what would you say to a united front?
[00:47] ---
    Huh?
[00:48] ---
    I hate to do this to you, Seike,
    but your revenge will have to wait.
[00:52] ---
    We need to use her to complete the mission.
[00:55] ---
    I understand that you have trouble trusting us.
[00:57] ---
    So for now, I'm okay with just
    providing what information we have.
[01:02] ---
    What do you mean? Was the job
    too much for you to handle alone?
[01:06] ---
    Yes, unfortunately.
    That thing has a strange capability.
[01:10] ---
    When it gets damaged,
    it controls the matter around it,
[01:13] ---
    incorporating it into itself--
[01:14] ---
    Damaged? You hurt the Doppelganger?
[01:18] ---
    Huh?
[01:19] ---
    Is she saying that a legitimate recovery team
[01:21] ---
    wouldn't possibly damage their target?
[01:24] ---
    Not good. How do I explain--?
[01:26] ---
    We were surprised, too.
[01:28] ---
    When we ran into her,
    for some reason, she was already hurt.
[01:31] ---
    You picked up on it?
[01:33] ---
    Of course. We have to act
    like we're not the bad guys here.
[01:37] ---
    Hmm? What are you two talking about?
[01:40] ---
    It was our attacks that broke that thing!
[01:42] ---
    --We forgot we had an idiot with us.
    --We forgot we had an idiot with us.
[01:45] ---
    Ah! I still need to get you bandaged up, Naru!
[01:47] ---
    You must have hit your head
    and scrambled your memory.
[01:51] ---
    She did mention the soul diffusing
    and possessing things.
[01:55] ---
    Does that mean she can
    control the things around her?
[01:59] ---
    It sounded a little far-fetched at first,
    but now I need to see for myself.
[02:03] ---
    We may have gotten
    beaten up by the first-ranked
[02:06] ---
    and been reduced to being dark side stooges,
[02:08] ---
    but now we're going to use the third-ranked
[02:10] ---
    and stage our comeback!
[02:34] ---
    "A Certain Scientific Railgun T"
[03:44] ---
    Hey, Seike!
[03:46] ---
    I know this is the right area...
[03:49] ---
    There you are!
[03:52] ---
    I can't believe Seike got beaten.
[03:54] ---
    That really must be
    the Level 5 Misaka Mikoto, huh?
[03:58] ---
    I'll stay here. You two go and get Seike.
    Then wait for my instructions.
[04:04] ---
    Leader is hurt, too.
    How can she let herself be alone with her?
[04:08] ---
    I'm so worried about her.
[04:10] ---
    She probably thinks that
    having you around will give us away.
[04:15] ---
    Here's our official work request.
[04:17] ---
    Does that answer all your questions?
[04:20] ---
    All right, let's get going.
[04:21] ---
    Wait.
[04:23] ---
    I believe that you've been hired by them.
[04:26] ---
    But if you want to work together,
    I need to know a little more about you.
[04:31] ---
    While evaluating our time fighting Accelerator,
[04:34] ---
    I went over some basic intel
    on the other Level 5s.
[04:37] ---
    Misaka Mikoto has bumped up
    against dark side organizations before,
[04:41] ---
    but she has never voluntarily
    been involved with one.
[04:43] ---
    Right now, what I need
    to do is make an impression.
[04:46] ---
    I just have to be careful not to reveal
    that we're a dark side organization.
[04:49] ---
    Oh, you mean, who I'm with?
[04:51] ---
    The most accessible
    and trustworthy one would be...
[04:54] ---
    I'm with Judgment.
[04:56] ---
    Judgment? You guys? I don't see an arm band.
[05:01] ---
    I have one, of course.
[05:03] ---
    But we're dealing with
    something inhuman on this case,
[05:05] ---
    so I wasn't wearing it since
    we don't need to make any arrests.
[05:09] ---
    It's a phony band, of course.
    It's absurd that I'm pretending to be
[05:12] ---
    a goody-two-shoes who sucks up to teachers.
[05:15] ---
    The one in the sailor uniform
    picked a fight with me.
[05:19] ---
    That's not at all the way
    I know Judgment to operate.
[05:23] ---
    Huh?
[05:24] ---
    Seike is the one who started it?
[05:26] ---
    After promising never to get involved
    with another Level 5 ever again?
[05:29] ---
    You little troublemaker!
[05:31] ---
    Th-That kid is a civilian!
    It's not all that unusual for us to have cases
[05:35] ---
    where we need to turn to those
    with elevated abilities for help, you see.
[05:38] ---
    However, that one has a nasty habit
    of picking fights with strong people.
[05:43] ---
    Th-That one might be too hard to swallow.
[05:46] ---
    Oh, yeah? That makes sense.
[05:49] ---
    Every time I stick my nose
    into Judgment's business...
[05:52] ---
    "Sissy, you are a civilian!"
[05:55] ---
    ...is all I ever hear.
    I guess it's not all that unusual, is it?
[06:00] ---
    That being said,
    I don't like how this is being handled.
[06:03] ---
    I didn't think you brought
    them in on arrest orders.
[06:06] ---
    Y-Yeah, I'll be more careful.
[06:10] ---
    I'm not sure how,
    but I think I got through that safely.
[06:13] ---
    O-Okay then...
[06:15] ---
    Excuse me a second.
[06:17] ---
    Did you manage to find Kuriba-san?
[06:19] ---
    Shokuho...?
[06:21] ---
    --Shokuho?!
    --How did she get my number?
    Oh, during the Daihasei Festival.
[06:23] ---
    --Shokuho Misaki? Another Level 5?!
    --How did she get my number?
    Oh, during the Daihasei Festival.
[06:26] ---
    What was I thinking? The third-ranked
    and fifth-ranked go to the same school!
[06:29] ---
    Naturally, the two Level 5s
    would know each other!
[06:32] ---
    I did happen to see Kuriba Ryoko,
[06:35] ---
    but right before I did, she had
    a run-in with the Doppelganger.
[06:39] ---
    Now I'm chasing the Doppelganger down.
[06:41] ---
    Need some of my help finding it?
[06:44] ---
    No thank you to dragging in
    anyone else who's uninvolved.
[06:47] ---
    Well, okay then.
    Maybe I should meet up with you.
[06:51] ---
    Where are you?
[06:52] ---
    The redevelopment district
    behind the airport bus terminal.
[06:56] ---
    Don't tell me she's coming here, too!
    This is bad! This is really bad!
[07:01] ---
    The fifth-ranked is a mental ability esper!
[07:03] ---
    She'll know I'm lying without a single word!
[07:05] ---
    Th-There's no need for that!
[07:08] ---
    My ability is of the searching variety.
[07:10] ---
    It's more than enough
    to simply track someone down.
[07:12] ---
    In fact, if a mental
    manipulator esper is around,
[07:15] ---
    --the interference makes my sensitivity drop!
    --Aw, I was hoping to keep my ability a secret!
[07:19] ---
    Is there someone else there?
[07:22] ---
    Mm-hmm, someone from Judgment is helping me.
[07:24] ---
    Judgment? Well, whatever. And while I have you,
[07:28] ---
    let me tell you about another
    lead I forgot to mention earlier.
[07:32] ---
    It's a secret about the folks in the tall
    building the Doppelganger escaped from.
[07:37] ---
    What is it?
[07:38] ---
    Institutions that do this kind of shady research
[07:41] ---
    tend to back up their data all over.
[07:45] ---
    But this place is a little strange.
[07:48] ---
    Apparently, their top-secret stuff
    is up in the skies.
[07:51] ---
    The skies?
[07:53] ---
    More precisely, an airship.
[07:55] ---
    Once per month,
    they contact it directly via laser,
[07:59] ---
    as it passes over a designated location.
[08:02] ---
    But other than that,
    its course is entirely random.
[08:05] ---
    Not even the institution
    is sure where it is flying.
[08:09] ---
    And apparently, the ship itself is
    jam-packed with polarizing trickery
[08:12] ---
    and all kinds of other masking.
[08:14] ---
    Oh, yeah?
[08:15] ---
    So, just file that away, okay?
[08:20] ---
    It sounds like the
    fifth-ranked isn't showing up.
[08:23] ---
    That was Miss Shokuho Misaki
    you were speaking with, right?
[08:26] ---
    Hm? Mm-hmm.
[08:28] ---
    I saw her at the Daihasei
    Festival closing ceremonies.
[08:30] ---
    I was surprised by how glamorous
    she looks for a middle-schooler.
[08:33] ---
    She stands alongside you as
    one of Tokiwadai's brightest jewels.
[08:36] ---
    The way she exposed that
    scandal with the governing board
[08:39] ---
    is still fresh in my mind.
    When I found out she uses her ability
[08:44] ---
    to transcribe letters for
    severely handicapped students,
[08:47] ---
    I couldn't help but respect her.
[08:49] ---
    There, by complimenting your partner,
    it puts me in a better light--
[08:52] ---
    Huh? How come?
    That isn't the reaction I was hoping for.
[08:56] ---
    She does more charity work than I expected.
[09:00] ---
    Could she actually be a good person?
[09:01] ---
    --No, there's no way--
    --Ah, I-I just remembered,
[09:03] ---
    we need a way to contact
    each other in case of an emergency!
[09:07] ---
    Here, use this.
[09:08] ---
    It may be a toy,
    but it has a considerable range,
[09:11] ---
    and it only picks up
    the registered user's voice,
[09:13] ---
    so even if there's a lot of noise,
    you'll come in clearly.
[09:15] ---
    And, being a child's toy,
    it's tough, and hard to break.
[09:18] ---
    Why... this character...?
[09:21] ---
    Oh, crap! She must be at that age
    where she hates being treated like a kid!
[09:26] ---
    What do I do? Can I play it off
    like it was just a joke?
[09:30] ---
    Er, I mean...
[09:33] ---
    No, wait!
[09:34] ---
    I was so rattled by hearing Shokuho Misaki,
[09:36] ---
    and it was hard to see
    against the light from behind her,
[09:38] ---
    but Misaka Mikoto's cell phone case
    must be the same character! Probably!
[09:43] ---
    Which is it? The instincts
    I developed from the dark side
[09:45] ---
    are telling me that the next words out
    of my mouth could mean life or death!
[09:49] ---
    Which is it?!
[09:51] ---
    O-Oh, I don't know much about this character,
[09:55] ---
    but it's so cute, I fell in love
    with it right away. It's my favorite...
[10:00] ---
    I mean...
[10:06] ---
    You've got good taste!
[10:08] ---
    Safe!
[10:10] ---
    I peed myself a little.
[10:12] ---
    Okay, how about we go after...
[10:14] ---
    "#23 Possession"
[10:15] ---
    ...the Doppelganger?
[10:30] ---
    Over there.
[10:54] ---
    D-Did you crush it?
[10:56] ---
    I just trapped her inside a concrete cage.
[10:58] ---
    Level 5...
[11:00] ---
    That is some incredible power, all right.
[11:04] ---
    Get back!
[11:06] ---
    I thought that she...
[11:08] ---
    ...was only supposed to affect materials
    around her when she's damaged.
[11:19] ---
    What's more,
[11:20] ---
    I wasn't expecting her to bounce
    this back to me with even greater power.
[11:25] ---
    Is this soul possession?
    It does indeed look as though her will
[11:29] ---
    can have an effect on the things around her.
[11:39] ---
    Wha--?!
[11:40] ---
    Uh-oh!
[11:51] ---
    From the time we crossed paths at the facility,
[11:53] ---
    I considered the possibility
    that we would end up fighting,
[11:58] ---
    but now, I'd welcome the opportunity,
    once I advance a few more stages,
[12:01] ---
    Railgun.
[12:02] ---
    Th-Thanks, you saved me.
[12:05] ---
    What are you talking about?
    You're the one who proposed a united front.
[12:09] ---
    And I would have done so
    even if we didn't have that.
[12:12] ---
    It's lucky for us the tank she threw at us
    didn't have much fuel remaining.
[12:16] ---
    On the other hand, all of the plans
    I had to tie her up just got trashed.
[12:22] ---
    This is bad, though.
    If even a Level 5 has her hands full with this...
[12:26] ---
    Anyhow, let's get after her.
    Do you know where she went?
[12:29] ---
    Huh? Y-Yeah...
[12:32] ---
    There. Moving north-northeast.
[12:35] ---
    If she keeps going that way,
    she'll hit a high-density student dorm area.
[12:38] ---
    Is she trying to blend
    into the crowd there? No...
[12:43] ---
    What have we here? A radar facility?
[12:43] ---
    "Academy City Airport
    Administration Tracking Center"
[12:45] ---
    Come to think of it, that airship
    is carrying all their top-secret info.
[12:50] ---
    Well, yeah. With all of the equipment there,
[12:53] ---
    she just might be able to expose the airship.
[12:56] ---
    So, what reason would she have for doing so?
[13:00] ---
    If it's all based on Miss Kuriba's knowledge,
[13:03] ---
    then the airship may be part of
    their whole system for storing her data.
[13:08] ---
    By blowing the airship to pieces,
[13:10] ---
    maybe it will affect a diffusion of her soul.
[13:14] ---
    Whatever the case,
[13:16] ---
    it sounds like we're better off stopping her.
[13:18] ---
    But once she gets downtown,
    the damage will be...
[13:20] ---
    This radar facility--
[13:22] ---
    "Radar facility" "Warehouse 8086"
[13:22] ---
    it's close to where we were supposed
    to deliver the Doppelganger.
[13:26] ---
    E-Even if we can't restrain it,
    could we change the direction it's heading?
[13:31] ---
    If it keeps going straight,
    we won't be able to avoid any casualties,
[13:34] ---
    but if we lead it over here,
[13:36] ---
    this area is full of warehouses
    and abandoned facilities.
[13:39] ---
    About the only ones there
    would be Skill Out, using it for a hideout.
[13:42] ---
    I get you. Okay, can I assume you'll
    issue the evacuation order to Skill Out?
[13:47] ---
    Huh?
[13:47] ---
    Oh, that's right,
    I'm supposed to be in Judgment.
[13:51] ---
    Y-Yeah, got it. I'll contact you when I'm done.
[13:54] ---
    Okay, I'll leave you to it.
[14:00] ---
    Huh? Skill Out? Who cares about them?
[14:04] ---
    I agree, but it actually works
    in our favor to get Misaka Mikoto
[14:07] ---
    to go through the route we set.
    I'm counting on you.
[14:11] ---
    Fine.
[14:12] ---
    Relocate the Skill Outs in this whole area?
    Do we kick them out one by one?
[14:18] ---
    That would take too much time,
    and if we aren't careful,
[14:20] ---
    we could provoke them into coming after us,
[14:22] ---
    which is the opposite of what we want.
[14:24] ---
    Look, just go hide and watch me.
[14:28] ---
    So then, you know what I told him?
    I don't care if I'm up against a Level 5...
[14:34] ---
    Hmm? Hey, it's a girl!
[14:36] ---
    You're right!
[14:38] ---
    It's actually a girl!
[14:40] ---
    --Hey you, do you know whose territory this is--
[14:43] ---
    --Please... run...!
    --Hey you, do you know whose territory this is--
[14:47] ---
    --She's a hottie!
    --She's a hottie!
[14:48] ---
    There was an industrial accident.
[14:50] ---
    Some toxic gas leaked out. It's only
    a matter of time before it spreads here.
[14:55] ---
    You have to leave now--
[14:56] ---
    H-Hold on just a second.
[14:58] ---
    That's quite a story you're dropping on us.
[15:00] ---
    Yeah.
[15:01] ---
    The factory plans on covering it up!
[15:03] ---
    If Skill Out gets hurt,
    they were illegally squatting here anyway,
[15:06] ---
    so they say it's not that big an issue. Ow!
[15:10] ---
    H-Hey, are you hurt?
[15:12] ---
    I'm fine. I have to hurry
    and go tell the others, too!
[15:16] ---
    As hurt as you are, you're more
    concerned about people like us?
[15:20] ---
    A-All right, we'll go and tell the others.
[15:24] ---
    Yeah. You hurry on and get to safety.
[15:27] ---
    Thank you!
[15:30] ---
    --Go around to the rival teams, too!
    --Don't overlook even a single kitty!
[15:37] ---
    Good grief. Naru, you can come out now.
[15:41] ---
    You don't ask for anything yourself,
    you merely put on a brave front,
[15:44] ---
    and look just miserable enough that
    it doesn't compromise your cuteness.
[15:47] ---
    They didn't stand a chance.
[15:49] ---
    Which one of you hurt my Yakkun?!
[15:51] ---
    I was pretending!
[15:53] ---
    Let's pull this a few more times.
    Having multiple witnesses lends credibility,
[15:57] ---
    and word will spread faster.
[16:00] ---
    Evacuation complete.
[16:02] ---
    There isn't a single person along
    the route we discussed earlier.
[16:05] ---
    Make sure you come through here.
[16:07] ---
    Especially Warehouse 8086.
[16:11] ---
    Copy that!
[16:13] ---
    I told you, it's too soon.
[16:17] ---
    She's being provided with my location.
[16:20] ---
    Is it that girl in the mask?
[16:23] ---
    I knew I should have eliminated her earlier.
[16:29] ---
    It seems like...
[16:31] ---
    I fought something like you
    at the end of summer vacation.
[16:35] ---
    Friend of yours?
[16:41] ---
    "Warehouse 8086"
[16:45] ---
    Hey there.
[16:46] ---
    Sorry to keep you waiting so long.
[16:48] ---
    You're late! Do you know how long you've taken?!
[16:51] ---
    This is why I can't stand B-ranked--
[16:54] ---
    So, where is the Doppelganger?
[16:57] ---
    It will be arriving shortly, don't you worry.
[16:59] ---
    What do you mean, arriving?
[17:02] ---
    What is making all that noise?
[17:07] ---
    Oh, here it comes.
    The Doppelganger you requested.
[17:10] ---
    Huh?! How so?!
[17:11] ---
    Oh, it must have put on some weight.
[17:14] ---
    You seem to have neglected to inform us,
[17:17] ---
    but it has the ability
    to suck in the objects around it.
[17:20] ---
    It has no such bug--
[17:23] ---
    No, it couldn't be!
[17:25] ---
    If there is a soul within the Doppelganger,
[17:28] ---
    there's no telling how the soul
    will act if its vessel ever breaks.
[17:32] ---
    Is that what Kuriba was saying?
[17:34] ---
    Okay, but even so, this is...
[17:37] ---
    Our mission...
[17:38] ---
    was to "return the Doppelganger to
    the designated location fully operational."
[17:43] ---
    Oh, and the Doppelganger's current condition
[17:45] ---
    derives from its original functionality,
[17:49] ---
    so we do not recognize it as being abnormal.
[17:51] ---
    So, if you will just sign off this receipt...
[17:53] ---
    There's no way I'm accepting this!
[17:55] ---
    Enough! Start driving!
[17:56] ---
    Y-Yes, ma'am.
[17:57] ---
    Huh?
[17:58] ---
    What are you waiting for? Hurry and get going!
[18:01] ---
    I have the pedal to the floor,
    but we aren't going anywhere.
[18:06] ---
    Sign right here.
[18:07] ---
    Is this your doing?!
[18:10] ---
    Stop screwing around!
    You'll be stuck in here, too!
[18:13] ---
    Screwing around?
[18:14] ---
    If we fail, we don't get any more chances!
[18:16] ---
    We've been risking our lives from the start!
[18:18] ---
    But if you prefer, the more
    the merrier when we cash in our chips!
[18:25] ---
    Oh, all right, fine!
[18:28] ---
    There, good enough?
[18:29] ---
    Indeed, it is.
[18:30] ---
    Yakumaru!
[18:31] ---
    Okay!
[18:33] ---
    --We're outta here!
    --We're outta here!
[18:41] ---
    Bye-bye!
[18:42] ---
    We did it, Leader!
[18:43] ---
    That was pretty aggressive, though.
[18:46] ---
    Hey, we got her signature, so...
[18:49] ---
    This way.
[18:50] ---
    The Doppelganger is up ahead--
[18:52] ---
    Doesn't your arm hurt?
[18:54] ---
    If you want, I can take it from here alone.
[18:56] ---
    I-I took a painkiller, so pay it no mind.
[18:59] ---
    If you bail on me in
    the middle of this, we're screwed.
[19:03] ---
    Yeah, that sounds about right.
[19:06] ---
    Wh-What does?
[19:07] ---
    Some of my friends are in Judgment, too.
[19:11] ---
    Even if they get hurt,
    they still try to carry out their duties.
[19:15] ---
    On the one hand, I worry and think
    that they don't have to try so hard,
[19:18] ---
    but on the other, when they
    stick their necks out for others,
[19:21] ---
    I can respect them and put my trust in them.
[19:24] ---
    So I'm going to rely on you, too.
[19:27] ---
    The teacher said she doesn't want you anymore.
[19:31] ---
    She said you don't show any potential,
    so you can't be in the special class.
[19:35] ---
    You poor thing, you!
[19:40] ---
    Forgive me, Misaka Mikoto,
    but my duty isn't to Judgment--
[19:45] ---
    it's to the dark side.
[20:00] ---
    No matter how much I bust her up,
[20:01] ---
    she just keeps regenerating immediately.
[20:06] ---
    That was close! But,
[20:09] ---
    I'm quickly starting to get this.
[20:11] ---
    While my magnetism gets
    more powerful the closer I am,
[20:15] ---
    this thing isn't affected by distance at all.
[20:21] ---
    While I had the upper hand with the steel beams,
[20:24] ---
    and she had it over me
    with the hunks of concrete,
[20:27] ---
    I can only exert force
    through things made of iron,
[20:31] ---
    while I guess she can exert her
    influence over all sorts of matter.
[20:36] ---
    Also...
[20:40] ---
    ...whatever burns up becomes
    charred and crumbles away.
[20:46] ---
    The patina on this "soul possession" business...
[20:48] ---
    ...is quickly starting to rub off, isn't it?
[20:51] ---
    Real-time analysis in the middle of combat...
[20:55] ---
    You're more trouble than I expected, Railgun.
[20:59] ---
    So now...
[21:07] ---
    H-Huh?
[21:11] ---
    Soul possession? Ah,
[21:13] ---
    that thing that Kuriba was talking about.
[21:16] ---
    The whole idea is absurd.
[21:18] ---
    B-But, sir, if that isn't it,
    how else can you explain...
[21:23] ---
    Hello? Hello?
[21:34] ---
    You can't burn all of this away.
[21:38] ---
    Nor can you break it apart.
[21:44] ---
    When faced with such an
    overwhelming amount of mass...
[21:50] ---
    ...what do you do?
[23:24] ---
    "Next episode preview"
[23:25] ---
    The soul diffuses and possesses stuff?
[23:26] ---
    "Next episode preview"
    "#24 Diffusion"
[23:28] ---
    Is that what that
    colossal monster-like thing is?
[23:30] ---
    Could there be anything more dodgy than that?
[23:32] ---
    People tend to believe
    in what they want to believe.
[23:35] ---
    Like Indian Poker cards
    that make your bust grow bigger.
[23:39] ---
    You're bringing that up again?!
[23:41] ---
    
[23:43] ---