You Can't Half-Ass It
"I don't get it, how did we get stuck with guard duty, again?" Kamui Woods asked.
"Don't stress on it," Death Arms chided "besides, the whole thing's televised. You can check it out later. Plus, all the ones without offers will probably be sent over anyway."
"You're right, just stressed. Are interns hard?"
"Not really, unless you suck. Most times, they just want to learn and fight villains way too early. Gotta be careful what you bring them to. Of course, if you're not interested in teaching but get one," the both turned to Mt. Lady, who was convincing a poor young vendor to give her free samples. "Let's just say it sucks to be them, so don't half-ass it. They deserve your best effort."
"Got it." Woods looked up at the stadium. "Wonder who's next?"
xXx
"NEXT UP, THE FINAL MATCH OF THIS ROUND BEFORE THE TIEBREAKER! INTRODUCING, THE CHEERFUL GRAVITY SHIFTER, WITH A WILL THERE'S A WAY, OCHACO URARAKA!"
'Ok, Ochaco, focus. You can win, just follow the plan.' She thought to herself.
"FACING HER, WE HAVE THE BLOND BOMBER, GROUND ZERO OF THE EXPLOSION, GIVE IT UP, FOR KATSUKI BAKUGO!"
Bakugo glared back to her, ready to end this. 'If she's worthless, then this will be over quickly. Better get that out of the way.'
"Hey Pink-Cheeks."
"Pink-Cheeks?"
"You're the one that fucks with gravity, right?"
She nodded, her eyes set.
"Well I'm giving you a warning; I have no intention of holding back. If you can't handle it, give up now."
Her eyes widened, then set back to determined. As if, she seemed to say.
'Enough answer for me.'
"READY? BEGIN!"
Toph, who put herself on the ground floor to watch, felt Uraraka rush forward, touching the ground once with her hand as she ran.
'The ground feels different, did she use her quirk?"
She rushed towards Bakugo, hand outstretched.
BOOOOOOOOOM
Mercilessly, he blasted her away, destroying part of the ground. She tried to use the smoke as a cover.
BOOOOOOOOOM
Blasted back again, time to get creative.
Bakugo looked through the smoke trying to find her again. He spotted blue…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
He slammed his explosion down to find…a jacket!
"I GOT YOU NOW!" She almost had him, just one touch…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
She was sent careening back again.
Toph was impressed by both of them. Uraraka was tenacious enough to recklessly charge in like that, even though her plan was clear by now, and Bakugo respected her enough to fight her seriously.
The crowd didn't share her sentiment.
"Boooo!"
"Go easy on her!"
"Knock her out of the ring, already! Stop toying with her!"
"If you want to be a hero, then end it!" One hero yelled.
Toph was getting angry. Luckily, she didn't have to do a thing.
"You there." Aizawa blared from the commentator's booth "Are you a hero? If so, go home and hand up your cape." His words instantly shut the crowd up.
"Katsuki Bakugo is putting everything he has into winning the match while respecting his opponent's strength. If you have a problem with that, then you should look into a new career."
Toph's respect for her teacher just shot up by a couple thousand. She couldn't believe them either. How could a blind girl see it and not the pros?
"Thank you," Uraraka groaned "for keeping your eyes on me!"
Uraraka floated the battlefield just as the match started and allowed Bakugo to blast away at her and the ground itself. Toph felt the debris fly up, but never come down!
And though she couldn't see it, she could just imagine the hundreds of rocks floating above Bakugo's head.
"RELEASE!" The impromptu meteor shower rained down towards Bakugo, directing his attention on the sky while Uraraka rushed forward towards the opening. "His guard is down! He has to block the attack and then I can get him!" She sprinted towards him, floating herself for a second…
He lifted his hand.
spark sparksparkBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
An enormous explosion eradicated the attack, blowing everything, and the weightless Uraraka, back.
Toph felt the explosion, but also felt the trembling in his arm. Recoil.
'You pushed me that far, huh?' He thought to himself. He grinned widely. "Time to get serious! URARAKA!" He ran forward to meet her. She stood up to fight and…
Collapsed.
Midnight halted him to check on her.
…
…
"Uraraka is unconscious!"
"THE WINNER OF THE MATCH IS BAKUGO! Who I wasn't rooting for anyway but YEEAAAH!"
"You're supposed to be unbiased."
Toph practically ran to the Medbay as a stone man leveled the field, though she was proud that Twinkle Toes put up such a good fight, she had taken a lot of hits. She was on her when she ran into someone. Someone big.
"'Scuse me." She grunted. This man was blocking her path for some reason.
"Please wait a moment." A deep voice. She sensed a great amount of heat emanating from the guy. Not warmth, but almost blistering heat. "You gained victory over that Ingenium brat, correct?"
She shifted her stance to one leg, looking slightly upward. "And who are you?"
His heat seemed to flare at the question. "You really are blind, aren't you?"
"You haven't answered my question." 'Whoever this hot Cheeto thinks he is, he's used to being recognized.'
"Pro Hero: Endeavor."
He looked down on the child and expected recognition, humility, perhaps even a little blubbering. He didn't expect a glare.
"Uh-huh. And what do you want?"
He swallowed a reprimand, this time. "You seem to give my son, Shoto, a great deal of competition. As well as that green brat and the unruly blond."
Her glare intensified. 'Just who does this child think she is?'
"What's your point? I need to check on a friend."
With a growl, "Push him hard. He's being rather rebellious these days, I'm sure you would know something about that. Push him hard so he'll use his full power, if he defeats that Midoriya brat anyway." He strode past her, quite annoyed with the mocking child.
She stood silent for a moment as he passed.
"Oy."
He turned back, full on glaring now. "What?"
"He may just use his power. But he'll do it when he wants to, not when you tell him." 'Bitch.' she added silently. She kept on to the Medbay, leaving a furiously blazing Pro Hero behind her. Fuming, he muttered to himself.
"She was worse than All Might's brat."
xXx
"Honestly, I'm fine!" Uraraka lied. But only Toph knew that part.
"Well, if you are certain." Iida relented "Come on Midoriya, you have a match soon I believe!"
"Uh, right!" He looked back to Uraraka one last time before leaving. Toph rolled her eyes. 'Idiot.'
Toph sat next to Uraraka on the medical bed. "You sure you're alright?"
She put on a brave face, but remembered that the other girl couldn't see it anyway. "I mean…I lost. Like, I know it was against Bakugo of all people, but still…" She started to cry again as she spoke.
Toph listened. There wasn't much to say right now and that was ok. She wasn't the most, shall we say, social person in the world, but she knew how to shut up and listen. Which was exactly what Uraraka needed at that very moment. Uraraka kept talking between tears, about how important getting to a good agency was to her, how she wants to help her parents, and even things about her friends, including Midoriya.
"I-I just really ad-admire him, you know?" Toph nodded. She did too, in a certain way, but not in the way Uraraka did. It was so very clear that this girl felt things for the muttering idiot, anyone could tell.
Except maybe the muttering idiot.
"Well, sniff, thanks for listening, Toph-san."
"Just Toph, Twinkles. Ready to head back?"
"Yeah, in a bit. I-I gotta make a call first." Toph nodded and hopped up, leaving for the stands.
xXx
"THE LAST MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND HAS COME TO A SIMPLE TEST OF STRENGTH: AN ARM WRESTLE! WILL IT BE THE MAN OF STEEL? OR THE RED MAN OF ROCK?"
Below, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were watched closely by Midnight and Cementoss as they duked it out in the tie breaker. Cracks had formed in the stone table where they gripped trying to get the edge. And eventually…
crack
"HHHHHEEEEEEEEYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Kirishima slammed Tetsutetsu's arm down, winning the tie breaker.
"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH! KIRISHIMA WILL BE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ROUND! NOW, YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS! IT'S TIME FOR THE SECOND ROUND! FOR OUR FIRST MATCH, THE BONE-BUSTER, THE HEART BREAKER, THE GREEN FIGHTING MACHINE HIMSELF, IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
Midoriya stepped onto the ring after the other two exited, not too sure about Present Mic's nicknames. The crowd seemed to be into it though.
"AND FACING HIM, HE'S HOT AND HE'S COLD, BUT SEEMS TO BE MOSTLY COLD, POSSIBLY THE CHILLEST DUDE AROUND, SHOTO TODOROKI!"
Todoroki stepped out to the ring, ignoring the commentary and the crowd alike. His focus was completely centered on Midoriya.
Midoriya had a plan. Two plans. Three plans, really. Hopefully he'd accomplish the main two.
"READY?"
Frost gathered on Todoroki's right leg. Full Cowling flared to life.
"BEGIN!"
Ice flooded forward, intent on knocking Midoriya out or immobilizing him, but Midoriya dodged in a flash of green and ran around to his left.
'He's only demonstrated wide area attacks, but close range won't be his strong suit.' He dashed in for close range combat and sent a punch.
POW!
CONTACT! Todoroki reeled back, sending for ice which Midoriya dodged again. The ice moved extremely quickly, but moved in one direction with hardly any change in trajectory. By dodging side to side, Midoriya effectively side stepped the ice, but was running out of room to move.
Todoroki was trying to limit his movements for a single strong strike! He stomped the ground, coating the entire ring with ice. There was only one direction to go.
Midoriya jumped high.
sssssssssssssststststtstststststsstchchchch
When he jumped, it was easier for Todoroki to aim as he couldn't change direction in the air. His ice shot up to meet Midoriya.
It started to climb up his foot…
BWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHH
The ice shattered as the force of the attack sent Todoroki skidding towards the boundary! Quickly, he erected more ice behind himself, which just barely stopped him from crossing.
"AAAAARRRGGGH!" Midoriya had sent a 100% flick at the advancing ice, halting the attack and destroying his finger. 'There goes goal number three. Oh well.' Unfortunately, the match wasn't over yet.
"You should give up now, you don't have a chance." Todoroki called to him. Midoriya looked down the ring to his opponent, who was shivering slightly.
'Wait, shivering?"
xXx
'He's shivering.' Toph noted from the bottom of the stands. Midoriya had been doing good so far, taking only one hit, but busting his finger. Not the best idea, but the only way to stop the ice. And Half N Half had only taken one hit himself and seemed to be fairing, but she could clearly feel his right side shivering. Meanwhile, the left side of his body felt like it was begging to be let out, to warm his body from the constant use of the right. But every time the left side tensed for use, Todoroki forced it down.
'He can't do this forever.'
xXx
"Let's end this, Midoriya." More ice flooded towards him, which he dodged, but barely. The icy floor and the existing structures of ice made dodging difficult, but somehow he was doing it. Then he noticed.
The attacks are slower than they were before.
Todoroki was visibly shaking now, frost creeping across his body on the right side. This was it!
POW!
With a burst of speed, Midoriya rocketed towards Todoroki with a punch ready. His opponent tried to dodge but he was too slow due to the frost.
Midoriya slid away, dodging more icy attacks. "You can't do this forever, can you?" Midoriya asked lowly. "You can't fire ice forever without heating yourself up with your fire."
"What! Did my damn father put you up to this?" He yelled back. "This isn't about you! I can't use his power! I won't!"
POW!
A strike to the face this time. "Then you'll lose! You'll lose because you wouldn't put everything you got into beating me!" Todoroki stumbled back as Midoriya bounded away again. 'Just gotta run him out of steam. Either he'll exhaust himself and lose or he'll do it.'
'Completing goal number one.'
Todoroki stood up, glaring fiercely at his opponent. "What makes you think you know me?!" he yelled. "It has nothing to do with you!"
"Listen." He said clearly. "Every single one of us is putting our all here at U.A. Every single one of us is giving everything we've got into winning, becoming the hero we what to be! So, why aren't you?"
A memory started to stir. "I-I refuse to use his power! He-"
"IT'S YOURS!" Midoriya screamed at him "YOUR QUIRK! NOT HIS! IT'S YOUR POWER!"
…
…
xXx
Toph listened to everything. Apparently she, Bakugo, and Midoriya were of the same mind here. Todoroki stood silently, giving no indication to the crowd.
But Toph knew. She felt the quirk activate. Completely.
FWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH
She couldn't see the massive rush of flame explode from the boy, but she felt it! The blazing heat on her face and the rushing, expanding air throughout the stadium! This fire, it wasn't anything like Endeavor's. Not the hateful burning that emanated from his father.
This fire…was alive! Filled with joy!
And Todoroki, he had stopped shivering now that his body had equilibrium. The frost and ice that had covered him gradually melted off and his entire body thrummed with power and renewed strength.
It was a good moment. Only slightly marred by one thing.
…
"SHOTOOOO!"
Endeavor was striding down the steps of the stands with a ferocious grin on his face. "THAT'S THE WAY, SON! YOU KEEP THIS UP YOU'LL SURPASS ME! AND LIVE UP TO THE REASON I CREATED YOU!"
She turned her attention back to the younger Todoroki, who seemed not to hear him as a tear ran down his face. Not a sad tear, but a relieved one.
He was happier than he's been in a long time.
xXx
"I'll do it! I'll become a hero!" Shoto grinned as he let his flames flow for the first time in years. Midoriya grinned right back. The plan was to get Todoroki to use his fire, then win, then maybe do it without breaking his bones. Oh well, 2 out of 3 won't be bad.
"Why are you smiling?" Todoroki refocused, as they were in a fight. "With a messed up hand, you're tiring out, there's no way you'll win this."
Midoriya took a strong stance. "We'll see."
The fire dimmed slightly and ice exploded from his form, creating a gigantic rolling glacier. With 100% of his power, he jumped over and through the attack. 'Gotta get close!'
As Midoriya closed in, Todoroki activated his fire, melting everything around him in and instant, and lifted his left hand.
'Midoriya.'
All Might's successor reached out with his broken hand at 100% as he flew forward.
'Thank you.'
RUMBLECRAAACK
BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHH
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSHHH
Several stone barriers erected between them, softening the blows. Not that it made much difference. Toph, from her position on the ground, had to root herself to not get blown away by the concussive force.
"THE TWO POWERHOUSES SLAMMED BOTH THEIR ATTACKS INTO EACH OTHER! THE SMOKE IS TOO THICK, IS IT OVER?"
Midnight got up, having been blown away herself. The smoke cleared more.
…
Midoriya stood, his form pressed on the cracked wall behind him. Outside the boundary.
He collapsed.
"MIDORIYA IS DEFEATED BY BOTH OUT OF BOUNDS AND KNOCKOUT! THAT MEAN TODOROKI IS THE WINNER!"
xXx
Somewhere…in Bakoor…
A fuzzy TV was on in an old barbershop as a robust man got a small trim and shampoo. The place was old, but not quite older than him. Sitting nearby was an anxious young man with a burn scar on his eye, watching the Sports Festival.
"Looks like he's advancing, Uncle."
"Truly?" The man questioned as the barber finished. "I would expect nothing less. With his father's quirk?"
"Yeah, but I don't get it. He swore off using it right?"
"Yes, but he may have changed his mind about that." The man stood to thank and pay the barber. "Given time, and the right push, all people are capable of change. Although, considering his lack of control, he'll need the right kind of training. What do you say, Zuko?"
The young man thought for a moment.
…
"I don't know if I can face him. Yet, anyway."
Iroh nodded. "Then you should take your time, my nephew. Prepare your boat before the storm."
"The storm being him?"
"I didn't say that."
…
"But yes."
Zuko pondered this on their way out. "But Uncle, hasn't he given up?"
"Hmm? In what way?"
"He used his fire! Does that mean he's not defying father anymore?"
"Not entirely." The elderly man stopped to admire some flower pots as they passed. "That looks gorgeous, I'll take one if you please."
Zuko waited (im)patiently as Iroh collected his new decoration. "You were saying?"
"Hmm? Ah yes. Sometimes the best revenge, Zuko, is to live a full and prosperous life regardless of the darkness around you."
"I don't get it."
"I know, give it some thought. Oooh! A massage parlor!"
"Uncle, wrong kind."
"What? Ah…yes. Wrong kind indeed."
Zuko Todoroki rolled his eyes at his Uncle's antics.
'Shoto…be safe…'
xXx
Toph tapped her foot in the waiting room with worry.
'The others are with him, he'll be fine. Gotta focus on the match. From Kaminari's fight, I think I know what to do…'
Uraraka promised to update her after her match, so there was no real need to worry. Still, Midoriya has a way to use One for All without breaking himself and so far he's done just that in both of his matches! Dumbass.
"Beifong-san? It's time." A staff member called.
xXx
"IN ONE CORNER, THE PLANT MASTER, THE RIGHTOUS WARRIOR, THE NOT-ASSASSAIN (SORRY ABOUT THAT), IBARA SHIOZAKI!" A serene girl with vines for hair seemed to float onto the battlefield. She acted innocent, but was still a fierce fighter.
"AND FACING HER, THE ONE-SECOND KNOCKOUT, THE CATACLYSM, THE DON'T-BOTHER-GIVING-HER-A-CANE, TOPH BEIFONG!"
'Aw, I liked the last one better…' she thought as she faced her opponent.
"READY? BEGIN!"
Shiozaki moved to guard as soon as they started, but Toph didn't move.
Not an inch.
'If you won't move first, I shall take the initiative!' She shot her vines into the ground, snaking them through the battlefield. 'It will be harder to manipulate now.'
Vine's suddenly burst from the ground, ready to ensnare the blind girl.
But they missed! Toph anticipated them and Land Skimmed of the way! This happened a few more times, frustrating the normally calm girl before her.
"Cease dodging, fiend!" While she wasn't hitting anything, the Beifong girl was purely on the defensive and couldn't use rock entangled with vines! She couldn't possibly attack!
Right?
…
Wrong.
rumbleCRACK!
Three pillars of stone rose to strike from behindShiozaki! The unexpected hit threw her off balance, giving Toph the perfect opening. While the ground was a bit harder to move with the living vines underneath, it certainly wasn't impossible. With a stamp of her foot and a forward double thrust, the earth rolled towards Shiozaki, knocking her out of the ring.
"SHIOZAKI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! TOPH BEIFONG WINS AND MOVES ON TO THE THIRD ROUND!"
As soon as Shiozaki was declared out, Toph rushed off the battlefield. She had a friend to check on.
And smack for being an idiot.
xXx
Pain.
Bright room, hospital? Bandages?
…
'The match!'
Izuku Midoriya shot upright in his bed. He was in the Medbay, with his limbs covered in casts. He gave a sigh. 'Looks like I only got one out of three.'
"Young Midoriya."
He turned to the deep voice. All Might was sitting next to him.
"Hi…All Might…"
"Hey kid."
WAK WAK WAK
"Ow! AHH! OW!
"Stop" WAK "breaking" WAK "your" WAK "bones" WAKWAKWAK
"AHH! OK! OW! SORRY! OW! RECOVERY GIRL! OW!"
Recovery Girl fussed and fumed a while longer while Toshinori sweatdropped. While he agreed that Midoriya shouldn't have injured himself now that he has control, he wouldn't wish the older woman's wrath on his second worst enemy.
Now, his worst enemy? Sure, why not?
"After surgery, I finished your healing process, but it wasn't perfect." She undid the bandages on his newly healed limbs. He looked at his right hand; it looked slightly mangled.
"That's the price you pay for recklessness, young man. Remember it."
He gulped at her warning. While he did heed it, if Todoroki has truly gotten over his feelings of rage and resentment, he had no regrets.
"Now then, you should be able to rejoin your class as long as you take it easy. I advise you to rest a bit before then. Besides, you have a few visitors."
He hear feet running into the room. "Really? Who-"
POW!
"That's for nearly killing yourself, Muttermouth."
Toph had sprinted from the stadium, into the building, up the stairs, and into the Medbay without stopping.
To punch him in the face.
"Owww, sorry."
"Honestly, you tried to punch his fire blast with a broken hand! Did you think about, I don't know, using your other hand?!"
…
"Uh…"
"Yeah, I didn't think so. Dumbass." Toph turned towards the door. "The rest of them are on their way. I gotta go, Yaomomo and Tokoyami are next." She started to leave but stopped suddenly.
"Toph?" he asked. "What is it?"
"I need to ask you something. Something important."
"Oh! Uhh…well…ok…what is it?"
…
…
"Does Tokoyami have a bird head?"
xXx
"AND WE'RE ON THE NEXT MATCH! IN ONE CORNER, SHE HAS EVERYTHING SHE CAN THINK OF, PREPARED FOR ANYTHING, I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE'S WEARING BUT I RESPECT IT, MOMO YAOYOROZU!"
The crowd roared in excitement as Momo walked onto the field. She had a plan, but executing the plan is a completely different thing.
"AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, THE AVIAN KNIGHT, THE HARGINGER OF DARKNESS, THE SHADOW THAT KNOWS ALL AND SEES ALL, FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI!"
For his part, he was impassive to the attention the crowd was giving him as he entered.
"READY? BEGIN!"
Momo immediately started on her creation, but it had to be made just right.
SLAM
Dark Shadow plowed into her, sending her rolling to the boundary. She erected a shield on her arm to defend as another strike came.
Then in a flash, it backed off!
"WHAT'S THIS? YAOYOROZU IS HOLDING A…FLASHLIGHT? WHATEVER SHE'S DOING, IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING!"
Tokoyami grimanced as Dark Shadow weakened at the light. It seemed to be brighter than normal flashlights, but there wasn't time to ask. He recalled Dark Shadow and charged forward.
"AFTER HAVING HIS SHADOWY ALLY FORCED BACK, TOKOYAMI IS GOING IN FOR CLOSE QUARTERS!"
Yaoyorozu kept the light shining on her opponent as he rushed. She could beat him in hand to hand, no doubt. But suddenly…
SLAM
As he closed in, Dark Shadow popped out and slammed into her, knocking her off balance! Tokoyami backed off again.
'Got it! Now's my chance!' She abandoned her shield to make a metal staff.
"AND MOMO YAOYOROZU IS OUT OF BOUNDS! TOKOYAMI WINS!"
"What!?" She looked down. She hadn't moved from her spot from the boundary edge! Dark Shadow had pushed her just enough to put her foot outside the boundary. 'No! But…no. I wasn't done…yet…'
xXx
'Oh, geez.' Toph thought as she walked through the building. 'She was doing fine, but she wasn't moving her feet.' She easily found Yaomomo in one of the waiting rooms.
knock knock
…
"Who is it?" A crying voice answered.
"It's me, Sugar Queen. You ok?"
…
"No."
"May I come in?"
…
…
"Ok."
She opened the door, not stopping as she sat next to her friend. There were no words, no what-ifs, no reasoning though it.
Just…silent crying.
xXx
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
"HAHA! NICE TRY, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA WORK AGAINST ME, EXPLOSION BOY!"
"Tch!" BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
Bakugo was hammering away at Kirishima in the final match of the round, explosion after explosion. The blasts didn't seem to be as destructive against the red-head, nor as effective as against Uraraka.
After a while, Kirishima started to feel the burn of the attacks. 'Shit!'
"Right there, you're overusing your quirk!" Bakugo yelled. "That means there's a limit to how long you can harden your body, right!?"
The explosions after that revelation suddenly grew in strength, putting Kirishima off balance! 'This ain't good!'
"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!" BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
xXx
"DON'T WORRY KIRISHIMA! WE'LL GET HIM NEXT TIME, BRO! WOO!" Tetsutetsu yelled from his seat. Those around him leaned away from his enthusiasm.
"Hi Yaomomo! You ok?" Jirou asked as she came back to the stands.
"Yes! Better, anyway. Is the match over?"
"Yeah, Bakugo won. At least he didn't kill 'im. Beifong's next isn't she?"
"Yes…against Todoroki." Yaomomo looked down to the prepared field.
'Be careful, Toph.'
xXx
Back at the Beifong Residence…
"Our baby's next dear!" Poppy said between happy tears.
"Yu! More tissues!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lao watched Toph's progress with fear, but also…excitement? He was torn between his all-consuming concern for his daughter and a distinct sense of…pride. He was proud. Scared out of his mind looking at her latest opponent, but proud all the same.
"What of this Todoroki boy?" Poppy asked him.
"Well, I know who his father is. It's not going to be easy for her given his abilities." He leaned forward, staring intently at his daughter on the field.
"But not impossible."
xXx
"AND HERE WE GO FOLKS, IT'S TIME TO START THE SEMIFINALS!" The crowd roared with anticipation as the two elementals walked up.
"FOR THIS MATCH, SHE'LL SHAKE YOU TO YOUR CORE, THE EMBOBIMENT OF A LAND SLIDE, SHE CAN'T SEE YOU BUT SHE CAN HEAR YOU SO GIVE IT UP FOR TOPH BEIFONG!"
Toph cracked her knuckles in response to her cheers. People were starting to forget that she was blind at all!
"AND FACING HER, WATCH OUT FOR THAT COLD SHOULDER, THE MASTER OF FIRE AND ICE, HE'S HOT AND HE'S COLD, HE'S YES AND HE'S NO, SHOTO TODOROKI!"
Toph felt her opponent ahead of her. He was already starting to tense. 'Old habits die hard, I guess.'
"READY?"
'Cold!'
"BEGIN!"
A mountain of ice careened towards Toph, putting her out of sight of the audience. It was the same attack he pulled on Sero!
"IT LOOKS LIKE BEIFONG WAS BURIED UNDER THE ICE! IS IT OVER?"
Todoroki's eternal frown deepened. He didn't bury her, she was supposed to be visible. "Where did sh"
rumble
He froze, literally.
RUMBLE
He turned towards the noise and was met with a bare foot!
POW!
"BEIFONG POPS OUT OF THE GROUND LIKE A MOLE AND KICKS HIM IN THE FACE! SHE'S UPPING THE PRESSURE!"
That she was as she closed in for close combat. Todoroki tried multiple times to freeze her, but she was practically untouchable with her Seismic Sense. Not to mention the trip ups she pulled by shifting the ground.
"Weird. No fire today?" SMACK
"BBBLeaaah…" He was tripped right into a knee in his gut. Realizing he needed distance, he created an ice slide away from her to reattack. Several streams of ice shot to her as she dodged and jumped over them all. "The ice is touching the ground after all, so it's trajectory was clear as day to her. Fire, though. Fire doesn't touch the ground. Maybe? …"
"YOU'RE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH, HALF N HALF!" Toph yelled. She slammed her foot down, causing an ice cracking tremor. He was losing his footing fast!
'Wait…footing.'
Immediately, he shot a thin layer of ice in every direction. Toph dodged underground again before the ice hit her.
'Doesn't matter. She has to come up some time, and she's barefoot. There's no way.'
CRACK! She emerged on his left! But he was expecting it, he grabbed her arm…
And tossed her away from him.
…
…
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!" BOOOMCRAAACKCKCKKKK! She rose high above him on a wide platform of rock. 'Are those…shoes? Her feetare covered in rock!'
"I THOUGHT I WAS CLEAR ABOUT PEOPLE HOLDING BACK, TODOROKI! YOU COULD HAVE USED YOUR FIRE, BUT YOU DIDN'T! REMEMBER WHAT I SAID?" She jumped up…and slammed the platform down, triggering a rocky attack in all directions, sending Shoto flying to the other side of the arena. He wasn't quite out, but the cold was getting to him.
"IF YOU HOLD BACK, I WILL STEAMROLL YOU! ISN'T THAT WHAT I SAID?" She walked over to him through the demolished concrete. The terrain was too rough for anyone else, but not her. "You're here aren't you? Show me what you've got, or I'm kicking you out. Right now."
…
Todoroki gasped for air as he stood up. He may have used his fire before, but what does this mean for him? About his father? His life?
…
"I…I may use my fire…from now on…but I don't know…if I'm ready…"
She stared at his feet long and hard.
…
…
"Alright then."
She kicked the ground, knocking Shoto over the boundary.
"TODOROKI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! THAT MEANS TOPH BEIFONG WILL MOVING ON TO THE FINALS!"
As the crowd cheered, she helped him up roughly. "Do me a favor, figure it out ok? We'll fight for real another time, and you will not half-ass it."
"…Sounds good." He turned to look at the stands, the retreating form of his father was visible.
"You hate him."
"? How did you…"
"I may have listened in on some stuff. Sorry. Just…do what you gotta do, jerk. Whatever the fuck that is." She spat. There was…less…venom in her voice.
"…got it."
The two shook hands, pleasing the crowd. "ALRIGHTY THEN! THE FINAL MATCH OF THE SEMI-FINALS WILL BE UNDER WAY AFTER CEMENTOSS CLEARS THE FIELD! YOU GOT YOUR WORK CUT OUT FOR YOU THERE, BUDDY!"
"Not a problem, Mic, not a problem." The stony man called up.
xXx
Toph sat in the waiting room alone, with her feet propped up on the table. As much as she wanted to keep track of Tokoyami's match against Bakugo, she was going to fight one of them. Bakugo was an outlier in knowledge. She at least knew how much those explosions hurt, at least, but she needed a strategy. If Tokoyami had a weakness against light, whatever that looks like, then he wooudn't last long.
But never say never.
Nonetheless, she could hear the match loud and clear through the speaker system and would know her opponent soon enough. She had no idea who'd she rather face.
Footsteps. Rigid.
"Hey Iida."
"Beifong-san! Please put your feet dow-that's not what I'm here to say." He straightened his glasses. "I just wanted to say good luck, from one Class Rep to another."
"Thanks, Sonic. Means a lot." She put her feet on the floor; not much to sense, but she felt his form well enough. "You're tired. Care to sit?"
"Thank you." He sat down, still stiff as a board. She hummed in response and refocused.
"Thinking about the coming battle?"
"Hmm. Sugar Queen I know how to fight, though she's no slouch. Blasty's going to be a challenge." She cracked her knuckles as she spoke. "But I won't lose. I trained too hard for this."
Iida gave a rare smile. "I'm sure you will-"
bzbzbzbzbzbzbbzbzbzbzbzbz
"The heck is that?"
"Just my phone, I must go. Again, good luck Vice-Rep Beifong!"
"Thanks, Iida. Now go, I concentrating, dammit!" she fake yelled.
He left swiftly, leaving her with her thoughts.
'Good luck, Bakugo.'
xXx
Turned out, he didn't need luck at all.
"Urk…you too?"
"Figured it out in Ponytail's match and in the Calvary Battle, Birdboy!"
Bakugo had Tokoyami pinned down, with Dark Shadow the size of a small snake. Explosions popped threateningly from Bakugo's open hand, the light weakening his sentient quirk further.
"…I…surrender…"
"AND TOKOYAMI GIVES UP! THAT MAKES THE FINAL MATCH FOR FIRST PLACE IS BETWEEN KATSUKI BAKUGO AND TOPH BEIFONG! WE WILL GIVE THE TWO COMBATANTS 10 MINUTES TO PREPARE THEMSELVES!"
As Bakugo left the field, he fumed at how easy that match was. 'Some 'Harbinger of Darkness' that was.' He looked at the megatron with his face and Beifong's face, grinning savagely.
'I'll show them…I'll show them all how strong I am!'
xXx
Meanwhile, Iida had Midoriya and Uraraka pulled aside.
"How hurt? Is he ok?" Uraraka asked worriedly.
"It's…it's not good. I must go at once. Sorry to dash out so suddenly…"
"Iida," Midoriya interrupted "go. We'll be fine. We'll let them know, Toph too. Go see your brother."
With a sharp nod, Iida dashed away, slightly using his quirk to speed up his jog.
They stared after him.
"Is he…jogging? In the halls?"
"Yeah…it must be serious…"
xXx
"AND NOW! FOR THE MOMENT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! THE FINAL MATCH OF THIS YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL!
"YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH"
"THE BLIND BANDIT, THE GROUND SHAKER, THE BLINDEST, BADDEST, ROCK BREAKER DREAM MAKER YOU'VE EVER SEEM, TOPH BEIFONG!"
The crowd went insane as Toph stepped up to the final fight. Whatever happens now, she will be second place at least. 'Now is the time to show off a bit' she thought as she stretched her triceps.
"AND FACING HER, THE EXPLOSIVE PRODOGY, GROUND ZERO TO THE EXPLOSION, THE FIERCEST NATURALLY BORN FIGHTER THERE IS, KATSUKI BAKUGO!"
For once, Bakugo looked excited for his match. "This'll be worth my time now!" he muttered to himself. He readied his stance as Toph got low, tensed to fight with everything they had!
"READY?"
xXx
And that's Chapter 10! I know, I know, I'm terribly evil for all these cliffhangers, but it'll be worth it!
The entire chapter is basically just the fights, so they went by pretty quickly, but they took a while to write out I must say. I hope you all enjoyed and that you will enjoy the fated battle between earth and fire! (Explosions…whatever)
The only thing different about Uraraka vs Bakugo is that Toph's paying attention to it, so some stuff was cut. It's also worth noting, as someone mentioned to me, that I completely forgot to write in Cementoss in the Sports Festival! That's my bad, he's very much there and on duty, I just forgot. Thanks for the catch!
Endeavor. This sombitch o'r here. After talking to Midoriya about him dumb ambitions for Shoto, he went and tried the same thing with Toph!(Hope that was clear) Midoriya's use of Full Cowl saved him some damage, but punching with 100% with a broken finger hand is going to mess you up anyway. He really would have won if Todo didn't use his fire there.
Neutral Jing. Waiting and listening before acting. In short, she's a very good listener when needed for both Uraraka and Yaoyorozu. Made sense to me, anyway.
Bakoor is a place in the Philippines, just fyi. I told ya'll I'd get to him soon enough! I'm willing to bet I threw you through a loop there, no worries, all will be revealed in time…hehehehehe…
Sorry, Yaomomo, you need character development. Sorry you're sad, but you have Toph to cheer you up! So yeah…Anyway, she put up a good fight, but Dark Shadow is still pretty strong and Tokoyami put up a fight himself too. She just wasn't moving from thinking too hard about what to do. Happens to the best of us.
Toph whooped Todoroki's ass and boy was it needed. He still didn't use fire on Iida and Bakugo in Canon, so I didn't figure he would now. Still, she's knocking some sense into him and is quickly stepping into the leadership role, that she didn't want in the first place, for her class.
She has garnered the attention of a certain pro, but in the interest of surprises, I won't reveal who it is yet in the reviews. Sorry, but again, it will be worth it.
Now for those reviews!
To harlequin320
Yeah, sorry about this cut-off too. But if that's the only thing wrong, I'll roll with it!
To Sebbeca
Yeah, I'm trying to put more detail in those thrilling fight sequences, but it's tough, ngl. Glad you like the Toph/Momo scenes as much as I do!
Ha! You may be right about that! One hour isn't enough time to run them out of breath. Maybe because they were fighting before and were already tired? Idk, glad you liked it though!
Thought you were referring to Sozin's Comet or something for a second, but then I remembered Mineta! Ha!
To Chessmaster65
Thank you!
Good guesses, you're half right!
To D3lph0xl0v3r
So glad you liked it! I figure getting defeated so soundly was punishment enough for Sparky #1, don't you agree? Also, you might want to get more comfortable with that name…maybe…perhaps…idk…you'll see…heh…
Fuck the Grapist.
Probably!
Oh you have know idea…BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAanyway. Lol
Oh yeah…too bad Bakugo didn't get a crack at him. Maybe next time!
To Kaioo
Uhhhhhhhh…maybe? Maybe not? I mean, I'd be down, I just don't know what ya'll would think, I should make a poll! Hope you enjoyed!
To Kobk
I thought about that, but she can't reveal all her tricks before the end now can she!? Next chapter though, hehehehehe…
To AnimeLuver1492
Trust me, it was no fun at all for her, but no one expected her to fly either! If I'm being honest, it felt kinda cheap to have them hide underground the whole time, you know? And someone would've figured it out, like the softening guy from 1B.
I like it I too!
Iida definitely needs a helmet for his costume for that, or at least better protection from crashes.
HA! Pixie-Bob's and Tsukauchi's secret love child! Can't believe I missed that!
Tsundere, indeed…hmmmm…
To Guest
In short, yes, but not for a while. You'll see!
Kisame Hoshigaki
Iida doesn't deserve the splits, lol.
I dunno, Momo and Toph would spar all the time, so she has slightly more battle experience then in Canon. Thanks for the feedback though!
To SebjectCrimsonStorm
Yeah, it just fits, I would say, at least for the Tournament.
To TheFishKing
You'll see ;)
To yohan2001
Thank you so much for catching that! Wouldn't want to forget out favorite concrete master, would we?