Time for the USJ! I own nothing, including Boku No Hero Academia, Avatar the Last Air bender, Legend of Korra, or any comics/manga associated with them. Do enjoy!
Invasion
"Iida, all students are present and accounted for."
"Excellent, thank you Beifong-san." As much as Iida wanted the position, he wasn't quite used to this yet. But he stood at the podium anyway. 'I'm the Class Rep now, I can't let them down.'
"Listen, we're doing rescue training today, and we're going to a separate location on campus for that class. It's all day, everyone has lunches? Good. We can also choose to use our hero costumes, but it's optional. Any questions? No? Thank you for your attention." He quickly sat back down.
Aizawa walked in, scruffy as ever. "Good morning, class. I hope you've been briefed." He clicked a remote, revealing the cases again. "Like Iida said, you can use your hero costumes if you want, but you might find they limit your overall ability with some tasks involving rescue. Up to you. Get changed and get to the buses in 30 minutes."
"Yes, sir!"
xXx
"Vice Class Representative Beifong!" Iida was way too into this in Toph's opinion. "I believe the bus we are boarding has this seating pattern here. If we line up in two lines, we can board more efficiently!" He showed a small blue map of the bus plan.
Toph didn't look up. "Um, that's great and all, but do we even need a seating plan?"
"Of course! We must be diligent as Class Reps to ensure safe and swift travel! Are you unsure? I was positive…"
Toph stopped him with a hand as they walked. "You know what? I think you're right." She looked over to the map and pointed. "That part matches, so let's do it that way."
"Wonderful! Everyone line up in two's to board the bus, please!" Iida was glad she agreed, but felt like he was forgetting something. Something important.
…
'Wait…'
xXx
Iida shook with shame as he sat in the wrong spot of the bus. "I should have known! That was a dastardly trick, Vice Rep Beifong!"
"I have no idea what you mean, Sonic."
"Sonic?"
"Roll with it."
It wasn't a terribly long ride to the new location, maybe 20 minutes or so. Some were listening to music or taking a short nap. Other were speculating on the training ahead.
"If we're speaking plainly, I'd like to ask something kero" Asui said "about you, Midoriya."
"O-oh? What is it, Asui?"
"Please, call me Tsu." She responded. "Your quirk. It's kinda like All Might's don't you think?"
Toph couldn't sense much on the moving bus, but she heard his heartbeat. Her own had jumped up a notch, too.
"Oh! Uh…r-r-really? I don't uh…"
"No, no, no, All Might doesn't hurt himself like that, does he?" Kirishima added in. 'Thanks, Kirishima!' they both thought.
"Still, you're definitely gonna make it big with a quirk like that!" he continued as he hardened his arm "my quirk is pretty strong and good in a fight, but it's not as really as flashy or cool."
"No, I think your quirk is great, Kirishima!" 'There's his nerdiness again.' "I'm sure you'll be an amazing hero! I heard about that combo move you did with Uraraka! You're amazing!"
"Well thanks, Midoriya!"
"My Navel Laser is the perfect combination of flashiness and power." Aoyoma said with a sparkle.
"Yeah," Mina interjected "but it's kinda ruined when you get a tummy-ache though." Aoyoma seemed put off at that.
"Nah if anyone's got enough power to make it big," Kirishima said "it's Bakugo, Todoroki, and Beifong!" Bakugo looked up for a moment and continued brooding while Toph just sipped at her water.
Todoroki was napping.
Asui put a finger up. "Yeah, but Bakugo's always angry, so he'll never be that popular."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY? I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" Water spewed from Toph's nose, spraying Iida by accident.
"Look, I know we've only known you for a few days," Kaminari joked.
'Don't do it Sparky! I'm dying over here!'
"but it's kinda telling when your personality is actual dogshit mixed with garbage."
'PFFFFFFFFFFFFF'
"YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THE DAY YOU APPLIED TO THIS SCHOOL, YOU LOSER! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Aizawa looked back from the front. "Everything ok-"
He looked at the scene. Iida was wet, Midoriya was freaking out, Bakugo was screaming bloody murder, Toph was choking/laughing while Yaoyorozu helped her off the floor, and Kaminari was smug.
…
'I'm not being paid enough.'
xXx
'This is new.'
Even from the outside, she was impressed with the rescue training area. Momo asked her what she saw in there.
"You'll see."
As the class moved up the metal staircase off the road, Toph grabbed her cane for a bit of support.
"Wow, Bei!" Ashido was surprised. "I didn't know you even needed a cane!"
"I don't, but metal is a bit trickier than the ground. I'm ok." Honestly, she could only make out nearby shapes and she didn't feel like tripping.
She never trips.
"Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!" called a modulated voice "but you can call it the USJ!"
"Holy crap, that's the Space Hero: Thirteen!" Midoriya pulled a notebook from nowhere.
"Aw, I love Thirteen!" Uraraka gushed.
"Isn't that Universal Studios Japan?" someone asked.
As the group entered the gargantuan enclosure, Toph took a closer scan with the solid ground and concrete. There was an active landslide, a storm enclosure, a burning city enclosure, a lake, mountains, and an urban ruin. It was all real too, she could feel the buildings within the landslide, burning buildings in the fire zone, and rain hitting the ground in the storm zone. This place was incredible.
The Space Hero, now that she could "see" better, was lightweight underneath what felt like a big puffy coat with a helmet. They and Aizawa were discussing something privately, something about All Might. The new teacher held up three fingers. There was a notable pressure near their fingers, perhaps their quirk? They began their long-winded speech, talking about a Hero's responsibility to manage their power and use it to help others. Toph knew she should be listening, but something was distracting her.
On the other end of the plaza, she felt a weird vibration. Like a pulse just above the ground. She almost felt feet on a floor that wasn't even there.
"Thank you for listening! I hope you all have-"
"SENSEI!" Aizawa whipped his head to Toph, who was pointing. "There's something there! Other side of the plaza!"
Everyone looked, and right in front of their eyes, a misty purple portal opened on the other side of the USJ. All sorts climbed through. Big, small, skinny, multilimbed, everything you could think of. A blue-haired man stepped out, freezing Toph in her tracks. She might have been feeling this wrong, but the man had human hands gripping his body, legs, arms, and even his face. Next to him, a giant stepped out. Toph's feet did a double-take. This…this creature didn't feel right. There was no variation in its breath or heartbeat. It moved robotically, unthinkingly.
"Where is he…where's All Might?" the smaller man muttered. He looked across the way. "How were we discovered?" No matter. "Maybe a few dead kids will get his attention."
xXx
"Thirteen! Take care of my students!" Aizawa put his googles on, masking his quirk.
Aizawa-Sensei! You can't fight them all!" Midoriya yelled desperately. "Your fighting style relies on ambush/one-on-one tactics!"
Eraserhead looked back. "You can't be a hero as a one-trick pony, kid. I leave them to you, Thirteen." With that, he jumped down to meet the villains head on. The rest of the class and Thirteen made for the exit when Toph a voice close to her.
"How rude of you, little girl. Giving us away so very early, we enjoy our theatrics you know."
Toph flung a rock to her right, hitting air. This was beyond weird. There was a presence near them, speaking to her, but it seemed to be everywhere. Pulses of its energy were littered about the area. She tried to focus on the biggest one.
'It's there! It has a body, the rest is it's quirk!' She felt small footsteps preceding a suited man with a steel collar. Above that was a huge pulse of energy.
And it was blocking the way out.
"Then again, how rude of us! We haven't even introduced ourselves! We are the League of Villains. We were under the impression that All Might would be here. Has the schedule changed?"
'They were expecting All Might? I think he was supposed to be here unless…he ran out of time today?' It made sense, with what their teachers were talking about.
"A pity. I don't like getting my hands dirty, but my role here is unchanged. Bego-"
"DIIIIIIIIEEEEEE" BOOOOOOOOOM
Bakugo rushed the villain and…
…missed?
'HOW THE HELL DID HE MISS? He's right there!'
"Hmmm, that was close. Let your elder finish talking brat. Time for you all to leave, to be forever tortured into madness." The pulse widened, prompting Toph to raise a concrete barrier, only for the energy to flow around it. It felt like wind, or mist.
She lost her footing!
"Begone."
xXx
"You know All Might, I would be wise of you to better prioritize teaching the next generation rather than responding to every single incident." Nezu took a sip of tea. "There are plenty of capable heroes out there, and your students deserve it."
"Yeah, you're right. I should probably head over there now, eh?"
"No, you're too spent now. You'd have to excuse yourself anyway to regain your strength. Have some tea, it's from the Philippines apparently."
"Thank you. You know, you haven't changed either Principal." The two sipped for a bit.
"So! How is your new Successor doing?"
"Well, Aizawa training him yesterday to hold the power in his arm for as long as possible. He's making progress, but he doesn't have the feel of it quite yet."
"I see. And what of young Beifong? I understand she also attends extra training."
"Yeah. She's got spirit, that's for sure. I don't think she'd stop fighting no matter what if it mattered to her." He tapped the table thoughtfully. "What's her story, anyway? Why are you so interested?"
Nezu took a long sip before speaking. "I'll answer the first question. For one thing, she has the will and drive to be a hero and to carve her own path. She needed guidance to be put on the right one. When I first met her, she was protected fiercely by her parents, who sheltered her from the world completely. A free spirit like that will only take it for so long."
"Can't argue with that logic. What's the other reason?"
"Ah, yes. You know me too well, I'm afraid. The other, more practical, reason is that she may have a Neurotic-Invasive Quirk Disorder. They are quite rare and are best to find early on in life."
"What's that mean? Neurotic-Invasive?"
"I'll explain. Many years ago, I came across a man in Istanbul, who was born completely deaf. His ears were in perfect condition, but his brain simply would not register sound as a sense. Deafness is not that rare by itself, but his quirk was monstrously powerful. He could send waves of sonic energy that could topple cities and use his sonic abilities to "hear" what's around him, with almost no cooldown or negative effects. Our own Present Mic has a similar quirk to that effect, but is limited to his own sense of hearing. Similar, yes?"
"I see what you mean; if he can't hear, then he doesn't get hurt by his own quirk. This man and Toph Beifong, are they related?"
"No. Like I said, they're very rare. No connection between that man and the Beifongs. But eerily similar in quirk theory, I'm sure you're familiar with the quirk singularity theory? Upon checking his brain scans upon his eventual death, his quirk was so powerful and so mentally taxing it took up the space in his brain where it should have controlled his auditory sense. That's the crux of the disorder. There have been a few other quirks from recent years that have done this, taking up different parts of the brain wherever they could make room to handle the strain. Every one of those quirks was immensely powerful, even borderline dangerous without proper training. Cases varied, usually to accommodate their quirk, but many who didn't lose a major sense usually went insane or worse. My fear was that Toph Beifong was one such quirk-user, and if we didn't take her under our wing, she'd eventually grow too powerful to control herself. That she'd become a walking cataclysm."
"Is she in danger then?"
"Now that I've had time to observe, no. If she is what I think, she's an incredibly stable case and not as powerful as she one day will be. But if she's truly one such quirk-user, she's very lucky to be only blind."
xXx
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Wind whipped around Toph's small form as she plummeted down somewhere. Where? She wasn't sure, but she still heard the USJ and her class.
'If there's earth beneath me, I could try to make a rock slide. If not…well let's not think about that.'
She was about to move when…
'Aak! Cold? Slippery? Ice!'
Todoroki had made an ice slide to stick his and Toph's landing. She landed a bit rough, but was otherwise ok.
"Thanks for the save, Icyhot. Let's-hey! Why didn't you get Hagakure, too?"
"Is she here?"
"She's right over…oh yeah. Invisible. I'll go check on her, take care of those guys ok?"
"'Those guys?'" He turned to see a small army of villains rushing down the landslide zone, straight to him.
'Ah. Those guys.'
As Toph ran, she felt a huge rush of cold cover the villains. 'At least he's not useless, now…'
She ducked as spiked projectiles flew where her head used to be. Sliding her foot, she buried the offender with part of the landslide.
"Hey!" the guy yelled "I could suffocate!"
"I know for a fact you won't. Hang in there!" She kept running. Approaching a large ditch, she crept along the edge; staying out of sight.
"Look, the misty fucker sent three students here, so go find three! What's the matter with ya?
"Can't find the bitch! I found two though, one's over there!"
Before they could react, a huge wave of gravel knocked them right off their feet. She walked down past the half-buried crew. The gravel was loose, but she was sure to stiffen it to not let them escape. "Hagakure! It's safe now!"
"Thanks! Wasn't sure what I was going to do!"
The two girls left the ditch in a hurry, leaving some very confused villains behind.
"Where's the rest of our class?" Toru asked as they ran.
"In a minute, let's find Todoroki. Never mind, found him."
Todoroki was walking among some very frozen villains. Not all of them were accounted for, though.
"On your left! Behind you!"
ssssssckckkckckckckcck
Todoroki froze the guy rushing in the front, then pivoted to catch the guy behind him with his right hand, freezing him in an instant.
'Weird.' Toph thought, frowning. 'He's only using the right side of his body to fight: his hand and foot. I felt the shiver, but nothing on his left.' She'd have to ask him later.
"Was she ok?" he asked.
"Fine, but we need to move. I can feel most of our class around the place. We're scattered, and I'm only missing three, but I can't tell what's on the lake so they might be there."
"Sounds like the plan was to overwhelm us with numbers. Pretty weak, though."
"That's rude." A frozen villain commented.
"Yeah. What we really need is a plan. Aizawa-Sensei's making good work of the villains on the plaza. If they're as weak as these guys, then I'm not surprised at all."
"Hey!" he protested from his ice prison again.
"But the bosses haven't moved yet. I think they're waiting for All Might to show up."
Todoroki held his chin. "Perhaps, but they're this weak, what made them think they could handle All Might? Why come at all?"
"I can still hear you!" the villain yelled.
"We're not talking to you! Mind your business!" Toph yelled back. The villain was about to retort, but Hagakure stuck a sock in his mouth. The villain ahead of him gasped. "One of them's got psychic powers!"
Toph and Todoroki stared at the man. With a grin, she played along. "Why yes, evil doer! I do have psychic powers! Want to see more?"
"No! No, plea-"
smack
Hagakure caught on quickly, slapping the man across the face. This was fun.
"Bwahahahaha! You cannot escape me now!" She swung her arms in slapping motions as Hagakure timed her slaps with her movements.
"Stop! Please!"
"Enough." Todoroki stepped towards the man, placing his icy hand on his frozen shoulder. "Just know, that the cold will slowly kill your cells until you die unless you're let out in time. And my friend here," Toph grinned evilly "can do a lot more than slap you with psychic abilities. "
"I wonder what your stomach looks like!" She said, cracking her knuckles. He shuddered at that.
"Fortunately, we want to be heroes, so doing things like that doesn't fit our goals. But we will if we must." Hagakure flicked his mouth, trying not to giggle.
The man was clearly terrified as Todoroki moved his hand in front of his face.
"What makes you think you can hope to kill All Might? Answering is your only option to survive."
"And be truthful in front of the psychic!" Toph added. Not exactly true, but true enough.
He spilled honestly.
xXx
Midoriya clutched his hand in pain from his impromptu attack in the Flood Zone as he, Asui, and Mineta made their way to shore. The villains would probably be fine stuck in the water like that, so the main concern was escaping to the other two. Midoriya looked to the plaza.
"Hey Tsu, Mineta. Aizawa-Sensei is still fighting up there."
"Yeah, but I think we'd just be in the way, ribbit."
"Y-yeah! He's got it! Let's go!" Mineta said, still panicking.
"You maybe right," Midoriya admitted "but still, we should at least check. See if he needs back-up." He started uphill.
"W-w-wait! Midoriya!" Mineta cried. Asui held her chin in thought. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She hopped after him.
"What do you mean 'it wouldn't hurt'! Hey! Don't leave me!" Mineta ran up with them.
The three crouched low to not be seen. Aizawa was holding off about seven villains and appeared to be doing well; elbowing one in the gut and snapping one's arm. All while erasing their quirks to keep them disorganized. The hand-covered man stood ahead with the giant, unmoving.
"37 seconds…32 seconds…28 seconds…"
As Aizawa finished the last of the cannon fodder off, the hand-covered man rushed in to meet him. Aizawa activated his quirk again, with his hair raising.
"You're getting tired, aren't you Eraser?" the man hissed.
"What gave you that idea?" he replied, wrapping him with his scarf. That was a bluff, he was getting tired. But he had to do this, as a pro and their teacher.
Suddenly, the man disintegrated the scarf from his body. "You hide behind those goggles to hide your erasure, but you have a different tell: your hair."
'Shit.' Eraserhead lunged forward again, erasing his quirk. They grappled, with Aizawa getting the upper hand.
"You started with about a minute, then 50 seconds, then about 30 seconds, now you can't keep it going very long can you!"
Aizawa tried to disengage, but couldn't escape before feeling the pain on his elbow. He backed off, trying to not focus on his disintegrating skin. The wound was skin deep, but still burned like crazy.
"Too bad, because here's the thing." A great shadow loomed over him.
"I'm not the final boss."
CRRRRAAAACCCKKK
xXx
"We have to hurry! Aizawa-Sensei is in trouble!" Toph ran as she felt the events on the plaza. Their teacher was down, pinned by that thing. A hand gripped her arm, stopping her.
"We can't!" Todoroki reasoned "Anything we do will make it worse, right now. You said you felt Iida escape, right?"
"Yeah, but who knows when they'll be here!" Toph knew she was being hasty, but if that flesh puppet could handle All Might, then they didn't have a moment to spare.
"We have to do something!"
Todoroki cursed to himself. She was right, but what could they do?
"Wait." Her eyes widened with shock.
"What is it?" Hagakure asked.
She took a stance. "Gotta do something really quick."
xXx
"Now I don't want to kill him. But I will if you don't back off."
"wheeeeeeeeeeeyy"
Momo and Jirou were in a bind. The electric villain who had been jamming their signals had Kaminari and was ready to finish him off. Jirou had tried to counter, but the skullheaded villain saw her.
"See, heroes like you ought to take these hostage situations more seriously! So here's the new deal, ei-AAAH!"
CRACK
He didn't get to finish, as he was now stuck in a hole. He tried to shock them, but his electricity ran harmlessly through the ground.
"Close one…thanks Toph." Momo sighed in relief.
xXx
"That's better, now" Toph refocused on the plaza. "there's no time to waste. I'll catch you two later." With that, she dived into the ground. 'Please be ok please be ok please be ok…'
'There!' She grinned underground. 'He's coming.'
xXx
"Kurogiri…if you weren't our ride home…I'd kill you right here…"
"We must escape. The heroes will be here soon."
"Yes..Game Over…but first," he looked towards the edge of the Flood Zone.
"let's hurt his pride."
Midoriya saw it in slow motion. Shigaraki moved faster than he could blink, reaching his bare hand to Asui's face. Asui drew a breath in shock and…
…
"You really are so cool…Eraserhead."
Aizawa had lifted his head just enough to erase the villain's quirk, but was slammed back down by the monster.
Midoriya cocked his fist. "GET AWAY FROM HER! SMAAAAAAAAAAASH!"
BBBBBBWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH
The power of his punch rippled through the USJ. It was so powerful tripped friend and foe alike down below. Toph stopped not from just from the force, but from sensory overload as well. 'That's the power he has in his entire ARM?' She hollowed a cavern and got into position. It wasn't over yet.
Midoriya took a few breaths and realized. His arm wasn't broken! His training was paying off!
Then the smoke cleared.
The bird headed monster looked down at him, having rushed forward to take the hit. For all the power he had delivered, the creature wasn't fazed, or damaged for that matter.
"Oh, did I not mention? Nomu here has Shock Absorption. Not even All Might himself could dent it." Shigaraki taunted from behind his toy. "Nice 'Smash' though. Are you by chance an All Might fan?"
Midoriya shook as he looked up at the beast. 'No way…there's just no way…'
"I think hate you the most. Nomu, ki-AAAAKKKK"
CCCCCRRRAAAAAAACCCCKKKKK
The earth behind Nomu suddenly spiked up, hitting Shigaraki straight in the gut with next to no warning. More stalagmites formed all around him, entrapping his form. "Nomu!" he managed to choke out.
BAAAAM
Nomu shot back, shattering the earthen prison and moving the villain back. Shigaraki looked all around. None of the three in front of him did that, but someone did.
"Shigaraki, that looked to be the work of a small girl I met from the entrance. She must be doing this from out of sight." Kurogiri informed him. Aizawa-Sensei was lifted to a Rock Slider and moved to the trio.
"Gah, ha, kill her."
Toph jumped out from the ground in front of the others, raising a wall to block their sight. She also extended her bracers, hardening them into blades. Nomu crashed right through, ready to kill the first child it could get its hands on…
BANG
Toph smiled. 'The calvary's here.'
"HAVE NO FEAR,"
The Nomu stopped, looking aimlessly at the entrance.
"YOU ARE SAFE NOW."
"Thought he'd never show up." Shigaraki gleamed with malice.
"WHY?"
The giant of a man ripped his tie off, wearing a fierce expression on his face.
"I AM HERE"
xXx
BBBBBLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH
In an instant, every villain between All Might and Shigaraki had been knocked out, with Toph, Midoriya, Asui, Mineta, and Aizawa placed further from the villains.
"The four of you, move Aizawa to the entrance with care and escape. There's not much time."
"But All Might, wait!" Midoriya cried "That Nomu guy, I used One fo-" Toph smacked him. "ah, I hit him with everything I had but it didn't work at all! I don't know if-"
"YOUNG MIDORIYA!" All Might looked back with his trademark smile. "I GOT THIS!"
With that, he rushed to meet the League of Villains, leaving the four of them to escape with their teacher.
Toph made another Rock Slider to move Aizawa, but was frowning. Midoriya too. Mainly because they both knew that he had to be short on time by now, but Toph's main reason?
Because he was lying.
xXx
'I likely only have a few minutes left in this form. Gotta settle this fast.'
"VILLAINS." He addressed them firmly, going for the slim chance of surrender. "YOU HAVE ATTACKED MY ALMA MATER AND ENDANGERED MY STUDENTS. ANY EXPLAINATION BEFORE YOU ARE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE?"
"It's simple really," the one with the hands spoke with hate "we're here to kill you, oh Symbol of Peace."
All Might laughed uproariously, though it was an act. 'If that brain guy can handle One for All without a scratch, I can see why they're so confident. But still…'
"I WON'T LOSE TO YOU, OR ANYONE TODAY. I SUGGEST YOU RUN WHILE YOU CAN."
"With such an opportunity? Nomu. Kill him!"
The two brutes crashed together, both slamming a fist into the other's. Waves of power shook through Nomu's arm, but was rendered harmless.
"I'm sure that brat has told you about his Shock Absorption! Nomu was made to kill you, you know!" Shigaraki jeered.
"IS THAT SO? THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP!" They clashed again. Again. And again.
'This will take too long, gotta end this quick!' He grabbed Nomu around the waist and slammed him backwards into the ground!
Or at least he tried to.
xXx
"Something's wrong!" Toph yelled out. They had gotten Aizawa to the entrance with Thirteen and some of the others. Thirteen was badly injured, but alive nonetheless. Midoriya looked to her, then back to the fight.
What he saw left him sheet white.
All Might had attempted to slam the Nomu into the ground to immobilize it, but a purple warp gate had appeared to catch Nomu. By doing so, the Nomu had trapped the Symbol of Peace in place and started to pull him halfway through the portal.
One second later, All Might's successor was sprinting back down to the plaza, with Toph in hot pursuit.
xXx
Nomu had All Might in tow through the portal, intentionally grabbing his injury. All Might was incredibly strong, possibly the strongest man on earth, but he just didn't have the leverage to escape its iron hold.
"Kurogiri, this is it. Close the portal."
"Although I truly hate having guts and flesh floating around my system, I'll gladly make an exception for you, All Might." The portal then began to tighten, starting to close around All Might's body.
'Shit! There has to be some way out of this!' he thought desperately.
"ALL MIGHT!" It was Midoriya! Sprinting towards the villains!
'No, Midoriya! Stay back!'
"DIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" BOOOOOOOOOOOM
ssssssssckckckckckckckckckckckck "Like we'd let you kill the Symbol of Peace."
All at once, Bakugo and Kirishima burst forth at Kurogiri and Shigaraki. Bakugo had pinned the gaseous villain by the neck brace while Kirishima rushed Shigaraki, but missed. "Damn it, almost had him!" Kirishima cried. Shigaraki had tried to lunge back, but was met with a stone wall that erected right in front of him.
Meanwhile, Todoroki sent his ice for the Nomu, freeze-drying its entire right side of its body, which gave All Might enough give to break free. The frozen flesh began to crumble from its body as All Might fell back, clutching his weak point. "Thank you, young Todoroki! But you all must get back!"
"You'd still be stuck if I wasn't here, though."
"AND I APPRICIATE THAT, BUT IT ISN'T SAFE FOR ANY OF YOU."
"But how…" Kurogiri grunted "how did you-?"
"Heh, got you!" Bakugo shouted. "If an attack doesn't hit you but you say 'that was close', that means you got a body under all that, eh ya smoky bastard?" Kurogiri struggled for a moment, but stopped when he felt the explosions on the teen's hand. He leaned in close to his captive. "You try anything funny and they'll be trying to put you back together for weeks!"
"Woah, man!" Kirishima joked "that's not very heroic now!"
"You…you filth…did you really think that Nomu here was done?" At Shigaroki's words, the rest of the frozen flesh broke off as Nomu's arm and leg regrew in full force. The creature was good as new in seconds.
"YOU LIAR! YOU SAID ITS QUIRK WAS SHOCK ABSORPTION!" All Might shouted.
"Oh, but it is. But I didn't say it was its only quirk, did I?" Shigaraki taunted. "Say hello to its Regeneration. Nomu, get Kurogiri." The monster rushed towards Bakugo.
Who was suddenly next to Toph and the others.
"Damn Bakugo! That was some speed!" Kirishima congratulated.
"Wasn't me, dipshit!"
They looked to where Bakugo was to find All Might with his arms crossed defensively. "YOU…FIENDS…WOULD ATTACK A CHILD?"
"I don't see why not. That plain looking one over there tried to kill me with an overpowered punch. I think he takes after you a bit." Shigaraki goaded. "After all, we may be violent, but it's the heroes who get fame and glory for their violence. What makes us so different, anyway?"
"ENOUGH TALK! YOU FIVE GET OUT OF HERE! IT'S TIME TO SHOW YOU HOW A PRO GETS IT DONE!" The concrete cratered as he took off towards to Nomu, striking it over and over at mach speeds. The wind and power generated was so strong, no one could get close; not even Kurogiri with his gas body.
As the others backed off, Toph was jittering from the input she was getting from her quirk. Every single blow was as strong as Midoriya's punch from before and they were happening faster than she could sense! Nomu's body was taking it, but it wasn't moving either.
"Idiot!" Shigaraki called through the wind "I told you it has Shock Absorption!"
"YEAH? WHAT OF IT? YOU SAID ABSORPTION NOT NULLIFICATION! THAT MEANS THERE'S A LIMIT TO WHAT YOU CAN TAKE, EH BIG FELLA?"
Toph found it hard to focus with the immense power, but she could faintly tell the monster was starting to break down. All Might hit it into the air and slammed it back down, ready to finish it off.
"YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THESE WORDS BEFORE, VILLAINS, BUT I'LL REPEAT THEM FOR YOU." He cocked his fist back, putting as much energy from One for All as he could take into his arm.
"GO BEYOND!" He struck!
"PLUS ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The finishing blow carried the Nomu through the ceiling of the USJ and careening through the open sky, dissipating clouds in its wake. Maybe it was because she wasn't paying as much attention, but Toph never felt it come back down.
When the wind died, All Might was still standing; smoking from getting so close to his limit. "Damn…I really am…getting weaker…back in my hayday, I could've taken that guy…with three strikes." He straightened up, facing his students. "But today, it took over 300 mighty blows!"
They stared in awe of the Number One Hero. This is what it took to be the best.
"Now then," he turned to the remaining two "surrender now. We all want this over with quickly."
'He's bluffing.' Midoriya thought. The steam could be mistaken for the debris, but he knew better. That's the steam that comes off him when he's about to revert to his skinny form. Toph didn't see the steam, but the wavering energy coming from his form was evidence enough.
Handy-man was shaking with fury. "You…you cheated!"
"Tomura, the Nomu still did a great amount of damage. We may still win."
"Yeah…yeah…you handle the children, All Might is mine."
"Eyes up guys, we're fighting anyway." Kirishima warned. They took fighting stances, with Midoriya still focused on All Might. Toph felt All Might's quirk wavering more and more, then suddenly, felt the same energy next to her.
"Midoriya, NO!" she yelled too late. The boy had vanished from his spot, appearing between All Might and Shigaraki in an instant. Kurogiri reacted, putting a portal in front of Tomura's hand and Midoriya's face…
Blam! Blam! Blam!
'Bullets?'
"They're here!" All Might gasped out.
The rest of the teachers of U.A. flooded the USJ, rushing to All Might's aid. Pro Hero Snipe was firing at the leader using his Homing quirk, every bullet hitting its mark before Kurogiri covered him to escape. The two had vanished, leaving the second-rate villains behind to be arrested.
"I-I failed…I couldn't do anything." Midoriya cried on the floor.
"No, young Midoriya."
The boy looked up. All Might's transformation was fading, half of his form reverting already. His smile however, never faded for a second.
"You bought us just enough time. Had you done nothing, I may be dead now."
"HEY! Are you guys ok?" Kirishima rushed over.
'CRAP!' All Might panicked 'the smoke's covering me now but not for long!'
A huge stone wall erected between them, concealing All Might.
Toph looked apologetic. "Kirishima! You can't go back there! All Might's…uh…pants! Yeah, wardrobe malfunction! It happens!" Apparently, the human lie detector was a terrible liar.
Luckily, Kirishima bought it. "Oh! No worries, All Might! I gotta check on the others! C'mon Bakubro!"
"Don't tell me what to do, dammit!"
The three left, leaving All Might, Toph, and a very injured Midoriya laying on the concrete. They all gave a sigh.
After a bit, a shrunken down All Might gave Toph a look. "Wardrobe malfunction? Really?"
She shrugged. "Kinda true. Your clothes don't fit anymore, right?"
"I suppose."
xXx
After the pros came onto the scene, the police and the families of the involved students were called to handle the aftermath of the attack. Statements were made to the police and everyone was checked out by medical teams. All the students, sans Midoriya, were completely uninjured, only tired from fighting the low-level crooks. Eraserhead and Thirteen were not so lucky, as both were to be taken to the emergency room. All Might was injured as well, but was being taken care of with Midoriya under Recovery Girl's care. The concerned parents and students were also notified that due to the attack, all classes were cancelled tomorrow and to enjoy the long weekend.
Speaking of concerned parents…
"MY BABY! MY LITTLE TOPH! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"
"MOM…GIT..OFF…" Toph choked from the bone crushing hug. Mrs. Beifong finally let go, taking a close look at their daughter. Other than a couple scratches, she was totally fine. Completely filthy from digging through solid concrete and rock, but completely fine.
"Nevertheless, this should never have happened!" Her father was furious. This was exactly why he didn't want Toph here in the first place! Even the General Course students could have been endangered! Even though Toph was fine, she had fought villains! Villains!
"Dad, look at me! I'm fine, right? The teachers did their job-"
"And what was that job again?" he asked her sharply. "To keep you safe!" And they failed! Who is responsible for this?"
"That would be me." A muffled voice said.
Lao turned to yell at whoever's fault this was but stopped. The man he was looking at was covered head to toe in bandages and had limped towards them.
"Mr. Aizawa!" A medic cried. "You shouldn't stand!"
He ignored her. "I am the teacher who was on duty during the attack, along with Pro Hero Thirteen. I was there when the villains infiltrated our security system via warping quirk to invade this facility. None of us would have noticed them in time if it weren't for your daughter, Mr. Beifong. She is strong and capable. She helped save my life in fact. Nevertheless, I shouldn't have to rely on my students to hold off an attack. I apologize, this is my responsibility and my shortcoming as a guardian."
Lao looked at the mummy for a moment. "You're her homeroom teacher, aren't you."
"That's correct."
"Hmmm," Lao looked down, then to Toph, who was awaiting his next words. "I heard about you from Toph, you've been working her hard. I expect nothing less." The pro hero nodded, then started to stumble. Aizawa was led away by nurses, who had to support him after he said his piece.
"Lao," Poppy said. "What are you thinking?"
Lao tapped his chin in thought.
…
"I'm thinking, if our daughter is to remain here, this school needs far better security systems. Systems that can effectively counter warping quirks." He turned to a faculty member. "Is the Principle here? I need to speak with him immediately."
xXx
In a dimly lit bar, a warp gate opened to drop Tomura Shigaraki onto the floor as Kurogiri positioned himself behind the bar. In the corner of the room sat a small tv with a small camera, displaying "NO VIDEO". A voice spoke from the tv.
"Well?"
"You were wrong, Master…wrong, wrong, wrong! All Might is as untouchable as ever. He isn't weaker at all!"
"No, Tomura. He has weakened, but we simply got ahead of ourselves today. Where is Nomu?"
"Gone. All Might sent it flying."
"A pity. Not to worry, we will plan and prepare. All Might will fall, and it will be by your hand, Tomura."
Shigaraki stood up, seating himself on the bench to care for his wounds. "There's something else. Those brats at the school got in the way. One had crazy earth manipulation abilities. And another brat seemed as fast as All Might!"
A beat.
…
"Oh?"
xXx
And that's it for Chapter Five and the USJ battle! This wasn't much about Toph, as the focus was on the League of Villains and All Might and all that jazz. Nevertheless, hope you enjoyed. Besides, ya'll know what's next!
I hope the dynamic between Iida and Toph is clear. Strait-laced guy and mischievous rebel, both in charge? That'll be fun.
So, All Might's conversation with Nezu. As ya'll know, quirks have a literal ton of different set backs from overuse or misuse. Momo runs out of lipids, Kaminari gets his brain fried, Uraraka throws up, etc. But the idea here with the Neurotic-Invasive Quirk Disorder is that some quirks are too powerful for the human brain to manage, so it shuts down a different function to make room; whether it be sight, hearing, critical thinking, emotions, etc. Not only does it explain why Nezu is so invested in Toph's development, but it's something that will come into play later on in the story. Can't wait for ya'll to see.
And now for the reviews!
To Kobk
If she ever learns how to lavabend, it will have to be way, way, way in the future as it is kinda OP. Good idea though.
To Sebbeca
I'm glad you liked the chess element, I was kinda obsessing over whether it made sense on that, so cool!
Thank you! Villains will be getting more attention starting now in the story.
Panicked Midoriya should be trademarked, I think. What can I say?
Oh yeah. Don't worry, the Sports Festival will be amazing!
To AnimeLuver1492
Being thrown into the water to learn to swim; that's a spar with All Might in a nutshell, I'd say lol. Seriously though, clenching your buttcheeks? Aizawa is legally obligated to step in here as a teacher.
Don't know why they didn't think of doing that before or why Midoriya never just held it without moving. Also, you'll see :).
Ground Breaker does sound cool, I'll admit. Terra is taken tho in Teen Titans.
I'm glad you like the friendship there! There will be more to come!
To D3lph0xL0v3r
Yeah, the name will be fitting though, promise. What do you think of "Ground Breaker", from AnimeLuver1492?
Who said she can't?
Don't worry, he'll figure it out :P
Well damn, I thought it was cute lol. Don't worry, it's still a (friend)ship.
She would have had a great deal of trouble in the flood zone, of course. It might have ended up like the Serpent's Pass. In other words, poor Asui ;P
Sometimes leadership is best in the hands of those who want nothing to do with it and grow into it. That's how I feel about Toph, in a way.
You'll see ;)
To SebjectCrimsonStorm
Toph will have her work cut out for her defending the ladies of 1A from the grapist, but she'll do great.
To Otakufreak1799
Glad you enjoyed! There will be more Toph/Midoriya interaction to come, too.
To Dark flame mana
(in Heisenberg voice) yur goddamn right.
See ya'll next time! Be sure to send your thoughts, gripes, and reviews! Looking forward to any potential
artwork for this fic. Peace.