Holy shit! I'm back from the black hole known as Writer's Block! I own nothing, lets get to it!
Final Exams
"Listen up," Shota Aizawa stood behind his podium, overlooking his class. "With the Midterms complete, you have only a short while until the End of Term Exam, which some of you will have to work much harder at to succeed." He slightly eyed a few students as he said this. "Additionally, don't slack off physically, as there is a practical portion of the Exam. As I'm sure you are all aware, there will be a training camp this summer given you pass this term. If you don't…" He glared. "…then it's summer school. Got it?"
"Yes, Sensei." The class chanted.
"Good. Some of you didn't do so well in the Midterm. You know who you are, so you better cram for the next three weeks if you don't want to fail. Or don't. I really don't care." He leaned down to grab his sleeping bag. "That's all, study day for the rest of homeroom. Prepare yourselves." He left without another word.
And then hell broke loose.
"CRAAAAAP!" Kaminari yelled. "How did I get last place in the midterms?"
"I dunno, Sparky." Toph replied with her feet on her desk. After all, she worked hard for her place at 5th in the class. "Maybe study without Game of Thrones in the backround?"
"I can't do that! I need to know what happens to the dragon when-"
"OI!" Ashido yelled. "No spoilers!"
Toph rolled her head to the pink girl. "You too, acid-for-brains. 19th isn't much better. Why don't you ask Sugar Queen for help?"
"Hey yeah!" Mina yelled with excitement as she and Kaminari ran to the holder of first place. "MOMO! PLEASE HELP UUSSSSSS…"
As it were, several people had gone to Yaoyorozu for assistance with tutoring. Jirou had asked first, with a moderate blush on her cheeks, along with Ojiro and Sero. Kirishima had bravely asked Bakugo to tutor him, as the blond had 2nd place in the class for the midterm.
"Toph-san?" Momo approached her oldest friend. "We're going to be holding a study session at my residence for some of our classmates! Would you like to attend?"
Toph crunched on an apple as she responded. "Which one?"
That question confused some. 'Which what? Classmates?'
"Oh, our Spring home should be ready!"
'What the heck? Which residence?'
Toph hummed. "…I guess I'll be there. Could always improve. We can go to my residence too if we need to."
"Wonderful!" Momo's eyes sparkled with joy. "Oh my goodness! I need everyone's tea preferences! And what they would enjoy as a snack! And…"
"Don't forget the whiteboard." Toph added.
"Of course! The whiteboard!"
The small study group stared in exasperation at the two rich girls and their subtle humble bragging. Meanwhile, Bakugo was starting to fume. Again.
'Fucking bat…fucking Deku, copying my moves…shitty hair…half-n-half bastard…'
He jolted out of his thoughts by a loud, annoying noise. Also known as a Kaminari.
"I heard that the practical would be just robots again! Easy-peasy…" Kaminari shared with Mina.
"Takin' it easy won't help, Dunce Face. Git good." Bakugo growled.
"Whatever, mister Apple-Bottom-Jeans!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He yelled, silencing the room. "YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO CONTROL YOUR QUIRK! YOU GOT IT?" He got up to glare at his former friend. "Hey. Deku!" Midoriya jolted up from his conversation with Uraraka and Iida.
"Those moves you've been pulling…it's pissing me off!" He pointed at Izuku with hate. "It doesn't matter how strong you get, I'll always be stronger! Got it?" He turned away from Midoriya. "You too Todoroki! Beifong!"
With his piece said, he stomped out of the classroom.
"Well that was…dramatic." Hagakure commented.
"Yeah," Jirou added as the class packed up for the day "guy just can't get over himself. Right Toph? Toph?"
For once, Toph didn't seem to be listening as she packed with a small frown on her face, shoving books and papers haphazardly into her bag.
'For once, could he just knock off the whole "Hello I'm a competitive egomaniac" shtick? It's gotten old…'
"Hey Toph!"
"Hmm?" She jerked her head up. Jirou had called her name about four times.
"Sorry, what's up?"
"Bakugo. Can't seem to get over himself right?"
Toph turned her attention back to her desk. "…I guess. I think he just sets the bar way high, nothing wrong with that."
…
…
Toph could almost hear the silence coming from the other two. "…what."
"Did you just…compliment him?" Hagakure gasped. Jirou was equally shocked.
Toph cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? So what?"
Hagakure got closer to stage whisper. "Do you…like him?"
Toph snorted. "Well I don't know Hagakure, do you like Mr. Way of the Sword over there?" She laughed, gesturing to their tailed classmate. The invisible girl would have blushed if she could. "No, I don't like Bakugo. I just respect his strength and grit. That's all. I should get going, see ya." Toph waved as she left the classroom.
As the rest of class filtered out of campus, Jirou felt a little…disappointed.
xXx
It wasn't long until Toph recognized her new sparring partner.
True to his word, Aizawa had kept the extra spar training active and even put out an open invitation to any students who felt like they needed the help when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Only a few were brave enough to take on the offer however.
Still, she thought, Edgelord sure knows how to bob and weave. She was in the middle of sparring with their newest addition, Tokoyami, who was disappointed over his apparent disadvantage during the Sports Festival. As a result, he humbly asked Mr. Aizawa to sign him up.
"You're doin' a lot of evasion, but without a follow-up strike." She advised as she put pressure on the raven-headed boy. She was also training, fighting hand-to-hand on a rubber mat and listening for his location, which she was getting better and better at. "You're not afraid to hit me are you?"
"No." He grunted, swaying from his usual stoic attitude. "It's a little hard to focus right now." He stepped in to strike with his left, which Toph moved to block.
But the strike never came, as Tokoyami froze mid-movement. Seizing the opportunity, Toph spun and swept him off his feet.
SLAM
"Dammit." He muttered as he laid on the mat. Toph wasn't sure what was going on. For all his prowess in battle with his quirk, he just didn't seem to have the focus he needed. Almost as if something else is on his mind…
ding
'Ah.'
She helped him back up with a single pull, bringing him to his feet. "Your quirk."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Come again?"
Toph continued. "Your quirk is sentient right? Is that the problem?"
She hit the nail right on the head. He rubbed his forehead to confirm. "Dark Shadow has…been shouting advice this entire time. She's just riled up from the fight and my own adrenaline."
"Wait, it's a she?"
"…yes?"
"Hmm." His blind tutor tapped her cheek in thought. "Can you bring her out?"
Tokoyami seemed to consider. "…alright. Dark Shadow!"
The shadowy mass emerged immediately.
"Hey Fumi! Great attempt there, try not to fall on your butt next time, ok? Hahahahaha…hey!"
As soon as Toph located the loud creature, she grabbed it by it's ear (or whatever's on the side of it's head) and pulled it close.
"Dark Shadow, go sit in the corner over there and shut the fuck up." She pointed to the corner of the gym.
"Huh? You can't tell me what to do! Get off-ahh!" She pulled the quirk closer.
"Shut…the…fuck…up…and…sit!" She growled with malice. Both quirk and user gulped as Dark Shadow floated over the corner, still attached the Tokoyami.
"Better?" She asked.
"Yes…how…how did you do that? Dark Shadow doesn't listen to anyone else but me…"
"I dunno." She answered as she stretched out a bit. "It must be my happy go-lucky personality."
"Scary." Dark Shadow muttered.
As they started to fight again, there was a noticeable change in Tokoyami's demeanor. No hesitation, no second-guessing as they exchanged strikes. As useful as the training was for the both of them, Toph needed a land-break. As Toph stretched out more on the concrete floor, she felt the other newest addition. Aizawa's golden boy.
Hitoshi Shinso was as determined as they got when it came to training and sparring, he just lacked the mental tools to push forward, which Aizawa gave in spades. As the two sparred, Shinso attempted multiple times to brainwash his teacher, but was quickly countered by Aizawa's Erasure. Still, he might get lucky. Like yesterday when he managed to hit Shota with his quirk and made him do the chicken dance before letting him go. Aizawa was furious, but slightly proud too.
Still a lucky shot, he insisted.
xXx
It should be noted that there were two specifically and equally difficult tasks before the Blind Bandit. These challenges were not her favorite challenges, as her favorites were the ones she could punch.
No, the first challenge was tutoring other classmates without being able to see their work.
The second, equally difficult, challenge was tutoring Denki Kaminari.
"Oy BuzzforBrains! You can't leave any questions blank! That's how you fail!"
"I didn't!"
"Don't bullshit me, I don't smell graphite on that piece of sheet! You doubting my nose, phone battery?"
Kaminari fiercely scribbled his answers as Toph delivered some much needed Toph-Love as Momo continued with her far gentler approach. Both methods proved effective across the board, with positive reinforcement and brutal motivation. Eventually Toph decided he had enough and went to check on their next charge.
"Need help?"
Jirou looked up as Toph sat down next to her. "Math right? Need help?"
"…no." Jirou grumbled as she reread the problem. She did need help with it, not that she was going to admit it. Especially not to her.
Toph cocked her head a bit. "Look, it is a study group. If you need help it's ok…"
"I said no Beifong. Go help Ojiro or something." Jirou snipped. Toph was taken aback, but not so much so. Jirou had been acting really weird all day, from her heartbeat to the way she tensed whenever she saw the Beifong. Toph checked for Momo, who was in the kitchen now, and leaned forward to whisper.
"If you got a problem with me, let's go talk about it. Don't beat around the bush with me."
"I told you I'm fine." Jirou growled back. Toph glared a bit, but moved on to Ojiro in the end. Jirou only sighed, looking back to the problem. Which she still had no idea how to solve.
'Perfect. Just perfect.'
"Who wants tea?" Momo called as she returned with a small cart with steamy pots. Jirou's eyes lingered, just for a moment, on the maid outfit Yaoyorozu was wearing as she passed.
'No brain! Stop it! You're just as bad as Mineta!' She squashed down her rebellious thoughts as she looked back down to her paper. 'Should I ask for help? If I ask I might just get Toph again, and I already said I didn't need it…gah, what's wrong with me?'
"Are you alright, Kyoka?"
"I told you I'm fin-AHH!" Jirou froze midsentence as Momo leaned over her to hand Mina a cup of tea, her chest hovering right over the poor girl. Momo glanced back at the loud noise. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah! I'm fine. Um…" Jirou tried to collect herself. "Actually, could you help me with this problem? Once you're done though! No rush…"
"Oh! Alright!" Momo smiled as she passed, moving to hand out some more snacks. Jirou let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding as she rubbed her forehead. She glanced to her right to look at Mina.
Who was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
"You ok there, Jirou?" Ashido purred slightly.
Jirou's pale face went tomato as she straightened in her seat. "I'M FINE." She half-shouted. She took a moment to clear her throat. "Yes, I'm fine Mina. Why?"
"Oh, no reason…" Mina's grin only widened as she turned back to her work.
'Don't worry, your secret's safe with me.' Mina thought with glee.
xXx
A few weeks later…
"Toph-saaaaaaaan!" Kaminari had just made the mistake of his lifetime.
Trying to give Toph Beifong a hug.
CRAAACK!
"You're welcome, Sparky. No hugs though, go hug a tree or something." She smiled as the electric boy peeled himself off the impromptu pillar that had erected between them. It was the day of the end of term exam. Every student of Class 1A had gotten through the written portion and had hopefully passed. And now, it was time for the practical. Having donned their hero gear, they were ready to seize the day and go Plus Ultra. A few costume changes were made, some things more subtle, like Hagakure's new gloves, and more conspicuous, like Todoroki's. And frankly, the black color scheme looked good on him. Not that Toph would know, but the ice covering his entire left side before must have restricted his movement at least a little bit.
As for Bakugo, he had added a little more reinforcement to his get-up for better support on his arms and legs. He even added some small grenades to his belt, though the purpose was unclear as he could just blow things up regardless.
Toph's costume took on very little change to its original design. Her bracers had gone through a bit of improvement and were much bigger now to allow for better defense, but that was about it.
Before long, Mr. Aizawa, and several other faculty members, had arrived to meet the students.
"OH YEAH!" Present Mic cheered as always. "Are ya'll ready for ya EPIC BEAT DOWN?"
"Beat down?" Mineta wondered aloud. "Isn't it just robots we're fighting?"
"Ordinarily yes," Aizawa answered "however times are changing. Villains have been getting more active, bold. Therefore, it was decided that instead of fighting mindless combat bots…"
"You will be battling us! The faculty!" Nezu exclaimed, popping out of Aizawa's capture scarf. "You're match-ups have already been decided as well and will be announced shortly!"
The heroes in training collectively balked at the idea. Them? Fighting the teachers?
"You'll be fighting two vs one, one teacher to two students." Aizawa continued. "You will be expected to work as a team with your classmate to pass the exam. There are two ways to win: first is to attach these handcuffs," he held up a set of yellow cuffs to the class "to the villain's person. The second is to simply escape, using the escape gate stationed at every battle center. You will fail if you exceed the time limit or are incapacitated."
"Wouldn't it be better not to run?" Kirishima asked.
Thirteen interjected. "Not necessarily. It shows wisdom to know when you are outclassed and need to find help to defeat the threat. Also, only one student needs to escape for you both to pass."
Toph started to itch with excitement. And nervousness. 'No way am I running away. Whoever I got to work with, we so got this.'
"If there are no more questions, we'll announce the match-ups." Aizawa announced, holding up his tablet.
"Tokoyami and Asui versus Ectoplasm."
Tokoyami acknowledged the team-up easily. Though Ectoplasm was going to be tough, his teammate was as calm and collected as could be. Reliable too. Asui seemed to also be satisfied with her partner.
"Kirishima and Sato versus Cementoss."
The two muscle-head gave a fist bump. "No sweat, right Sugarman?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Iida and Ojiou versus Power Loader."
"No not fret, Ojiro!" Iida chopped in the tailed boy's direction. "We will prevail in our pursuit of justice!"
"Uh, yeah!" Ojiro responded with a sweat as he readjusted his scabbard.
"Sero and Mineta versus Midnight."
"Yeeeesssssssssss…" Mineta drooled a small river as Sero cringed at his partner.
"Shoji and Hagakure versus Snipe."
A single thumbs up was the invisible girl's answer as Shoji examined his partner. He didn't seem shaken by her apparel.
"Uraraka and Aoyama versus Thirteen."
"Do not fret, mon ami! My sparkle will dazzle our opponent with style and grace, non?" Uraraka could only grimace at the French boy's antics.
"Kaminari and Ashido versus Principal Nezu."
"Wait, we're fighting…the Principal?" Mina questioned. Both students looked at the small suit-wearing mouse, who seemed as cheery as ever.
"Jirou and Beifong…"
'Here it comes! Wait, Jirou? Seriously?'
"...versus Present Mic."
'…ah shit.' This might be a problem. But not as much of a problem as for her best friends.
"Yoayorozu and Todoroki versus me, Eraserhead." Aizawa gave a devilish smirk at the two recommended students. Yaoyorozu shivered a bit while Todoroki only glanced up at his name.
"Lastly,"
'Oh no/Oh shit' two boys thought simultaneously.
"Bakugo and Midoriya versus…"
WHAM
A towering figure landed right behind the two with a mighty slam. "ME. I HOPE YOU'RE BOTH READY."
Suddenly, Toph didn't feel so bad about her match-up at all. How Midoriya and Bakugo could hope to beat or escape All Might was beyond her.
"Excuse me," Asui raised her hand. "are you sure this is the best way? You all are pretty overpowered, unless you're planning on holding back."
"AH HAHAHA! NOT TO WORRY, YOUNG ASUI!" All Might answered, revealing what appeared to be wrist guards. "YOU'RE RIGHT OF COURSE, THAT'S WHY WE'LL BE HANDICAPPED WITH THESE WEIGHTS! THEY'LL BE AFIXED TO OUR WRISTS AND ANKLES TO SLOW US DOWN AND INCREASE OUR WEIGHT BY ABOUT 50%! GIVING YOU AT LEAST HALF A CHANCE!"
"Tch." Bakugo scoffed. "As if I need the help."
"HAHAHA!" All Might's grinned turned just ever so slightly…malicious. "We shall see."
"You all have 20 minutes before you leave for your battle centers. Use that time to build your strategy with your teammate. Good luck." Aizawa finished.
Toph was about to head to Jirou, to figure out how to beat the DJ Hero, but the tremble from her best friend could be felt miles away. She walked over to Yaomomo, who was stressing about the coming exam.
"Hey Sugar Queen. You ok?"
"Oh! Yes, I…I'm just planning. Aizawa-Sensei…he's just…"
"Overwhelmingly tough?" Toph supplied.
"Exactly. Still, at least I have Todoroki on my side, he'll be able to win easily…"
Toph frowned. "And you couldn't?"
"I mean," Yaomomo reasoned. "You've seen him, fought him even right? Have you ever won?"
"…no. But that's me, this is you." Toph gave a slight punch to her shoulder. "You got this Yaomomo, don't sell yourself short."
"Yeah…you're right." Momo seemed to relax a bit. Not all the way, but a bit. "Thanks Toph-san."
Toph only shrugged. "It's what friends are for." They talked for a little while longer about their matches, while a certain petite girl watched them like a hawk.
Which didn't go unnoticed by Aizawa. Or Present Mic.
xXx
A few days prior…
"That settles it then!" Nezu chirped happily. "The match-ups are set, see you all on Monday!"
As the faculty team exited the room, Aizawa kept a solid pace back to his office, where his beloved sleeping bag laid without a body in it. Time to rectify that error.
"Hey, Shota!"
'Sigh.' "What is it, Mic."
"Oof, harsh!" Yamada joked. "I forgot to mention during the meeting, but I don't know if I'm the best one to fight that blind daredevil of yours." He explained as they walked down the halls.
"Oh? I thought I made her weakness to intense sounds rather clear."
"Right! But the thing is, sound doesn't travel too well underground. Couldn't she just burrow under me to the escape gate?"
"She could," Eraserhead explained "if she wanted to. Thing is, she has a tendency to be hardheaded and would rather fight than run if given the choice. Not to mention her teammate."
"Right, the Ear-Jack girl? I totally get why I'm fighting her, but what about her?"
"For one reason or another, there seems to be a one-sided tension between the two of them that I've noticed over the last few weeks. They'll have to either work it out or set it aside for the exam."
"Aw, and here I thought you didn't pay attention to them! Are you getting soft, Eraser?"
"Not a chance in hell. Put pressure on their teamwork, see what happens."
xXx
'A forest. Huh.' Toph thought as the two girls waited for the exam to start. Toph scanned the entire battle center and soon found their opponent, standing right at the escape gate.
"Hey Jirou."
"Hmm?" Jirou looked down to Toph, whose hand was placed in the dirt.
"I found him, he's all the way one the other side of the forest, at the escape gate. He might try to attack at range given his quirk."
Jirou tapped her jacks together. "Maybe, but sound tends to fade the further it has to travel. How far?
"About a mile."
"Yeah, no. I could never attack with my speakers from more than a quarter mile. We're safe."
Toph got up, dusting her hands off. "Yeah, but he's a pro. If he thinks he can attack us from there, he probably can."
"Look, I know how sound works. There's no way he can-"
"Beifong and Jirou Exam start in 2 minutes." A loudspeaker announced.
"Alright, alright, forget it." Toph interrupted. "But what's our plan? I think we can burrow to him in no time with my quirk…"
"No way. He'd blast us as soon as we get close. We should just head for the escape gate."
"Nope, he's standing right in front of it. Besides," she slammed her fist into her hand "we're taking him down. I'm not running."
"You're kidding!"
"Beifong and Jirou Exam start in 1 minute."
"All I have to do is bury him! Then, we're home free!" Toph argued.
"And you think he'll just let you do that? And then handcuff him?" Jirou argued back. Their bickering was starting to carry through the forest, startling the surrounding wildlife.
"Don't underestimate me! I can do it!" Toph snapped.
"What am I supposed to do then? Just sit around and wait for you to win?" Jirou was getting really frustrated with her teammate's attitude. "You shouldn't underestimate me either!"
"And who said I did?"
"Then what do I do, huh?"
"…you could distract him?"
"Oh hell no you didn't-"
"Beifong and Jirou Exam begins now. 15 minutes remain."
The two jolted up. It was time already?
"Look whatever problem you got with me, get over it!" Toph snapped. "We got a fight to win!"
"What? I don't have a problem with-"
"Stop that! I can tell if you're ly-" Toph stopped mid-sentence, her eyes wide. "EARS! COVER YOUR-"
"YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH"
Present Mic's Voice roared through the forest, knocking leaves out of the trees with its power. Both Jirou and Toph knelt in agony, as both were highly attuned to sound, even using it to navigate and scan their surroundings.
Not only that, but during the attack, so many vibrations coursed through the landscape that Toph couldn't read her environment! There was just too much data!
Jirou covered her ears the best she could, but her quirk was practically made to pick up any and all sounds. There was no way she could not be hit by the sonic attack!
"COOOOOOOOOOMMMEEE OOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOUTTTTTTTT!" The hero's voice seemed to taunt.
"HANG ON!" Toph yelled through the noise. She stood up the best she could and slammed her fists into the ground. They both fell into the new hole, which Toph closed immediately. The sound was still shaking up the ground, but at least their ears were safe.
Gasping from the attack, Toph spoke a little to loudly. "'I know how sound works!' she says. 'There's no way he can, I can't after all!' she says…"
"Quiet down! Owww…" Jirou felt her ringing ears. They were definitely bleeding a bit, one more than the other. "Ok, fine. Did not expect that."
"No kidding."
"Shut it." Jirou stood up, feeling around her new environment. "It's too dark, can't see anything!"
"Oh no! What a nightmare!" Toph mocked.
"I said shut it!" Jirou yelled, partially due to hearing loss. "What's your problem anyway?"
"What's my problem?" Toph countered. "What's your problem?!
"My problem is you! You're cocky, arrogant, and think you can do it all!"
"Because I can!"
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really!"
"Can you see?"
…
…
"Sorry, I…I didn't mean-"
SMACK
"Fuck you!" Toph yelled. "I know I'm fucking blind, what's your point?"
"You just…"
"What is your fucking dilemma? What the fuck did I do to you, huh?"
"You have it all, ok?!" Jirou yelled back. "You have power, looks, friends…"
"So what? You have power! And friends! You've probably always had friends! For most of my life, I had no one!"
"You had Momo!"
"Sugar Queen? What does she have to do with-"
"Stop calling her that! It's fucking gross!" Jirou voice started to shake. Unbeknownst to anyone, not even Jirou, she had been bottling up her feelings about a certain someone. Only for them to flood out, at that very moment. "Sugar this, Yaomomo that, and furthermore," she gestured to herself "I guess you wouldn't know, but I'm not really a looker, Beifong! Not even Mineta would want me!"
"Who cares what that snot-rag-"
"I don't, ok! But clearly you have something I don't, otherwise…" Jirou started to tear up a bit. "Otherwise she would notice me!"
…
…
"…what?"
Jirou started to shake. The truth of the matter was, Jirou was trying desperately to find a sign, a clue, anything that might tip her off about Toph and Yaomomo's relationship ever since the USJ. And frankly, it was driving her crazy. They seemed to be very good friends right from the beginning, but could it be more? And if it wasn't, did it mean that Momo just didn't swing that way at all? She certainly hadn't meant to confess, especially to her, but now that is way out, she couldn't stop.
"Momo! She…you…gah!" She ran her fingers through her hair. Here they were, in the middle of an exam, arguing about a girl. "She obviously likes you more, ok? I don't…I don't have a chance with her! Not next to you!"
Toph was speechless for once. Of course she knew something was off, but this? Jirou…liked Momo? Like…like that?
"…you're gay?"
"…yeah."
"And…you think…she and I?"
"Yeah…" Now that the truth was out, Jirou had started to calm down. She never told anyone about this, or her feelings.
"Pffffhahahahahahaha…"
Jirou turned red again. "Are you…are you laughing at me right now?"
"N-no," Toph giggled "it's just…you're way off. Yaomomo and I, we're just friends. I'm not gay."
"…you're not?"
"Nope."
"…and Momo?"
"To be honest, I don't know. I never really worried about stuff like that." Toph explained.
"10 minutes remaining!" The loudspeaker blared above ground.
"Ah shit. Look," Toph refocused. "if we're going to beat Present Mic, we need a plan. As much as I'd like to burrow over there and knock his teeth out, his voice is messing up my sense. I can't find him with all the interference."
"I think I can." Jirou raised a jack. "This one can pinpoint his location from here. If we work together, we can do this."
"Ok!" Toph was feeling better about their chances now. "So here's the plan,"
"Oh, and Toph?"
"Yeah?"
Jirou shifted, crossing her arms. "…sorry. About what I said. I shouldn't have…"
"Hey." Toph patted her shoulder. "Don't stress it. Right now, let's kick that Hero's ass. Agreed?"
Kyoka smiled. "Agreed. So, what's the plan?"
xXx
The DJ Hero tapped his foot impatiently after screaming his heart out for a whole ten minutes. No sign of either hero-wannabes.
"They'd have to be deaf by now." He wondered aloud. "Maybe they're just wandering the forest?"
rumble
He whipped around at the sudden noise. Still no sign of the two. Underground?
"ARE YOU DOWN THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRREEEEEEEE?" He bellowed straight down, shaking the earth with his voice. No response…
CRACK!
A figure! Rushing him from the left!
"HI THEEERRRREEE!" he screamed at the approaching attacker, which exploded into rock.
"A statue?" He wondered as the stone figure crumbled. "What even-"
shink
WUMWUMWUMWUMWUMWUMWUMWUMWUM
"AAAAWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" While he was distracted, Jirou had popped out of the ground right behind him, safe from his directional speaker! There was no way he could hear anything else while using his quirk after all. Seizing her opportunity, she jammed her ear jacks into his protective earphones…
…and let loose.
"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH" Immediately, Jirou forced the Pro into the ground, where he promptly sank. Only when his head remained above ground did Jirou cease her attack.
"BIG MISTAAAAAAAKE!" he screamed, trying to attack. "HEY! WHAT GIVES?" He tried to face his opponent, but he couldn't move his neck to aim! Normally he might turn off his directional speaker, but he couldn't move his arms either!
As soon as he was stuck, Jirou kicked the ground twice to signal her partner then sprinted for the escape gate, with Toph popping up to follow. And with two minutes to spare…
"Beifong and Jirou have passed the Exam!"
xXx
And that's it for Chapter 15! Apologies for the long wait on the chapter, but I hope it was all worth it. Honestly, I think I was trying to fit too much into any one chapter and got lost in the sauce. Had to take some time to really plan things out. Also dealing with some family developments that required my attention for a time.
Anyway, yes. MomoxJirou is a thing. While I don't think any character has to be gay to be more interesting, I think this ship works really, really, well. Sorry if Jirou came off kind of bitchy, but it all turned out ok, right? And if anyone has a problem with the ship because it's gay, please review my policy written in line 15 of this chapter. Thank you.
And now for the reviews!
To Triton 0501
Yeah, I don't know if he'll be able to have the same redemption arc as canon after all that. We'll see though.
To vangian13
Answer, yes I do. And yes, we'll definitely see more of Iroh soon enough, just you wait.
To D3lph0xL0v3r
Honestly, I have no idea. I don't really know how that Truth Detector quirk works, so maybe it can, maybe it can't. Who knows if Azula will even be caught in the first place?
I'm aware of one, but he might not be very willing to help as he is a villain.
To Sporaticeffort
Thank you so much! I'll keep working hard.
To Cy Man
Yes, the Two Heroes movie is canon so it will be included in time. Although, I'm undecided on the second movie. We'll see.
Fuck the Star Wars sequels.
Aleska1492
Her parents would definitely be biting more than they could chew trying to pull her out, but we'll see. Things are getting spicy with the Todoroki's though, so stay tuned!
To Alexander
Thanks, man! Yes, Izuku is getting stronger. Just faster than in canon because of the extra guidance from Eraserhead.
To Padgent
Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying it!
To Entomoid
(scribbling onto my imaginary notes)
To blankardtheeighth
Reading your reviews one by one was a story in itself, I love it! Thank you so much and I'm glad you're happy with the pairing.
To Dustyacer
Thank you! More than what exactly?
To SebjectCrimsonStorm
Yes and yes.
To Immortal Potatoe
First off, love the username. Second, thank you!
To TheFishKing
Maybe. We'll see.
To Akitowolfblood
I AM HERE! With another update :P
To Taryth
That's more or less what she does with sand some of the time. She'll get more advanced as the story moves forward.
To Pixulior
I admit, it's been tough to find the balance of Canon-noncanon when writing. Really, I just wanted All Might v Nomu to stay mostly the way it is. That said, she popped out of the ground to put the Nomu's focus on her instead of Midoriya and company. And she was still on her way for that part, but even then, Todoroki and Bakugo had things covered and it was best for her and the team to sit and wait for the right moment. Good questions though.
To VYTA2000
Gracias, espero que lo hayas disfrutado.