Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T Episode 16

Dream Ranker (天賦夢路 (ドリームランカー) ) is the 16th episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. Originally planned to air on May 29th 2020, the episode's broadcast was delayed for over two months due to the. It was broadcast on July 24th, 2020.

Mikoto received a certain card from fellow Gekoer Hokaze. This card, called "Indian Poker", claims to enable someone to experience another person's dreams and is currently a secret fad within Academy City. Saten's immediate interest in the topic informs Mikoto of how the card is used, and the latter decides to try it out, only for the experience to leave her with a difficult feeling...

The next day, Shokuhou sits down with Hokaze, who invited her to join her for some tea when they encounter a transaction involving a Dream Ranker supplying S-Rank dreams. Meanwhile, Kuroko and Uiharu set out on an investigation to verify the claims of a suspicious mobile app to pinpoint the locations of accidents that have yet to take place.

Synopsis
The ringlet curl girl encounters Misaka Mikoto after their swimming class in Tokiwadai Middle School. She was not immediately recognized by Mikoto, so she takes the opportunity to formally reintroduce herself as Hokaze Junko, a member of Shokuhou Misaki's clique. Junko then asks Mikoto about how to obtain the Gekota strap given away to those who sign in for Handy Antenna's pair contract.

Soon, Shokuhou Misaki arrives, commenting on the closeness between Mikoto and one of her clique members. Mikoto then responds by teasing Misaki about her tendency to skip swimming classes, and Misaki fights back by bringing up Mikoto's "fierce determination to use the bathroom at all costs", which was part of Misaki's coverup for the events that happened during the Daihaseisai. The heated exchange between the two Level 5s stopped only when the Tokiwadai Dorm Supervisor appears, with Misaki and Junko retreating in time, leaving Mikoto to endure threats of cleaning the pool during lunch break.

Later that day, Junko meets up with Mikoto again, this time apologizing for Misaki's actions earlier. To make up for the incident, Junko hands over a card that is said to be the latest craze in Tokiwadai. Saten later identifies the card as "Indian Poker", a fad revolving around cards that enable a person to experience the dreams of other people. Upon learning about how it works from Saten, Mikoto's curiosity is piqued, and she uses the card that night.

The orange-labeled card, known to depict a happy dream, takes Mikoto to a fairy-tale land filled with many Gekota characters. After sharing happy moments with the Gekota characters, Mikoto is then taken to a large castle where, to her chagrin, Shokuhou Misaki is queen and Mikoto is quickly assigned the role of her maid. Although refusing to cooperate at first, Mikoto is compelled to follow Misaki's demands for the sake of the Gekotas' smiles. The experience left Mikoto unexpectedly tired, and her waking outburst inadvertently broke Kuroko's spirit for the day.

Still reeling over her Indian Poker experience, Mikoto is invited by Junko for a tea party after school; Misaki is likewise asked to come over as part of Junko's plan to bring the two Level 5s together through the Indian Poker craze. However, Misaki's words are enough for Junko to reconsider her plan. Suddenly, the girls overhear a conversation involving an S-Rank Dream Ranker named BLAU and his potential clients. Mikoto is at first impressed that someone can provide high-quality dreams at no cost, but this abruptly changed when she and Misaki discover that BLAU dabbles in making erotic dreams about various people, from celebrities to even the Level 5s of Tokiwadai. In a rare moment, Mikoto and Misaki join forces to defeat a common foe; Mikoto destroys the erotic Indian Poker cards, while Misaki tampers with the memories of those involved.

As Mikoto and Misaki parts ways with Junko after the BLAU incident, Uiharu goes on patrol duty with Kuroko. This time, they are investigating a "treasure hunt" mobile app that shows the locations of past accidents instead of hidden treasure, as well as accidents that are yet to happen. Uiharu points out how six of the last six indicated accidents have happened, but she and Kuroko rule out the involvement of a precognition esper. In the end, Kuroko deems the case worth investigating.

The two Judgment girls head to a roadside vending machine where an accident is indicated to happen in 16 minutes, preferring to stake out the area instead of issuing a roadblock. As Uiharu fantasizes over being called a "senpai" in light of the upcoming Judgment summer recruitment training, Kuroko anticipates the incident happening soon, only for Uiharu to reveal too late that the app's "predictions" have a 10- to 20-minute offset. Then, ten minutes later, a boy runs onto busy traffic while chasing a soccer ball, causing a car to lose control and skid towards the roadside vending machine and a female student in its path. Kuroko's quick thinking rescues the girl from certain peril. But, Kuroko has a hunch about the "perpetrator" watching close by and leaves Uiharu to ask Anti-Skill for support as she teleports towards the highest vantage point nearby. There, an elementary school boy reveals himself to be the creator of the treasure hunt app and tells Kuroko that he has been expecting such an encounter.

At Judgment 177 Branch Office, the boy, identified as 10-year-old Miyama Shaei of Matsuume Elementary School, reveals that he can produce photos of future events using an instant camera and his precognition ability. These photos, however, needs to be further processed to create the image that depicts the moment an incident occurs. Shaei also reveals that "further focus" can produce a photo that includes data about when and where the incident would occur, which is a "second stage" of his ability not recorded in the Bank. Shaei then requests for two things: for Kuroko and Uiharu to keep the "second stage" a secret to anyone, and to find someone who can challenge the destiny he predicts.

Elsewhere, a group of girls, led by an Indian Poker card, sticks an ampoule on the ground, with hopes that it would help the trees bloom earlier than normal.

Major Events

 * Misaka Mikoto had a first encounter with an Indian Poker card through Hokaze Junko.
 * Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki dealt with a high-ranking dealer of erotic Indian Poker cards, a boy named BLAU, when they discovered his fantasies involving them.
 * Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari investigated a suspicious treasure hunt app that indicates the locations of accidents yet to happen. After thwarting one of such indicated accidents, Kuroko confronted the creator of the app, an elementary school boy named Miyama Shaei, who requested for someone to foil his accurate predictions.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Hokaze Junko
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Tokiwadai Dorm Supervisor
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Aogami Pierce
 * Hikoichi

New Characters

 * Saraku
 * Miyama Shaei

Abilities

 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5
 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
 * Teleport - Shirai Kuroko, Level 4
 * Precognition (referenced only)
 * Thoughtography (referenced only)

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 7
 * Tokiwadai Middle School
 * Tokiwadai Dormitory
 * School Garden
 * Judgment 177 Branch Office
 * School District 17 (referenced only)
 * School District 16 (referenced only)

Trivia

 * The unnamed P.E. teacher is voiced by Fujita Nao.
 * The unnamed female students are voiced by Hoshitani Mio, Kawano Mari, and Aizawa Saya.
 * The unnamed delinquents are voiced by Suzuki Ryouta and Yamaguchi Reigo.
 * The website for Judgment in the recruitment sign is judgementdesuno.co.jp, which is similar to Kuroko's catchphrase when doing her duties as a member of the organization.

Referbacks

 * Just like the, the scene of Mikoto telling the Shokuhou Misaki's Clique members to move from  is used as flashback when Misaki recalls via her Mental Out and tells the line Mikoto said to them back then, much to the latter's chagrin.
 * Junko mentions the pair contract promo for the Handy Antenna service that includes a free Gekota strap upon registration. This is a reference to Mikoto and Touma later pairing up for in order for Mikoto to attain the Gekota, as shown in Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 12, which was adapted in .
 * Hikoichi, last seen in , appears again in this episode, this time meeting with BLAU for his Indian Poker cards.
 * The unnamed delinquent seen in this episode was first seen in  chasing Kamijou Touma.

Cultural References

 * The fantasy sequence of Saten and the gang in her exposition regarding sharing dreams is likely a reference to classic Japanese RPGs. In this fantasy sequence, Kuroko is seen only in a bikini, a likely reference to "bikini armor", a trope that is present in fantasy stories where female warriors wear revealing clothes that do not protect them at all.
 * Indian poker, or, is a poker game where the players see the cards of the other players except their own. Each player is dealt one card which is displayed to the other players, traditionally stuck to the forehead like an Indian feather, followed by betting as to whether they have the highest card based on the other player's cards and their bets.
 * BLAU, Aogami's codename is a reference to blau, which is the German and Catalan word for the color blue.

Differences in Adaptation

 * Hokaze Junko introduces herself to Mikoto in the adaptation, including her name, which she does not do in the manga since her name was still unknown at the time.
 * No children are seen when Saten introduces Mikoto to Indian Poker. This means that her discussion about the artificial psychokinesis toy is cut. Due to this, she mentioned ranks in Dream Ranker much earlier in the adaptation than in the manga.
 * Saten's discussion with Mikoto after the latter's first experience on Indian Poker differs between the source material and adaptation. In the source, she talks more about the benefits of Indian Poker, while in the adaptation, she briefly talks about the treasure app she got on her phone.

Unanswered Questions

 * Why did Shaei create an app that would predict incidents to happen in Academy City? Does he really have precognitive abilities?
 * At the end of the episode, what are those girls doing with that tree? And what was that about the girl learning something from her dream?