Showdown! The Best of the Best

Chapter Fourteen

The fire reflected off of Toph's cloudy eyes as the heroes sat huddled around it. Bob, Danny, and Deku milled about the clearing where the heroes made camp, collecting twigs and kindling to feed the fire. Aela sat off by herself, sharpening her sword with a stone she had found lying nearby. Genji meditated. Toph, Killua, Boruto, and Starfire sat around the campfire, only exchanging awkward glances.

"Forgive me, earth girl. Are you...blind?"

Killua and Boruto swiveled their gaze toward Starfire, even though the question had been for Toph. 

"Yeah, I am," she confirmed. "Why? What of it?"

"You simply fight so well. I haven't seen someone with your skill who is also..." Starfire's sentence tapered off as she struggled to find the words.

"Blind?" Toph finished for her. "I don't see the way you do. I sense the movements of others through the vibrations in the earth. And I use that to earthbend."

"Earth...bend?" Starfire stuttered.

"Yes, earthbend," Toph sighed dramatically. "Why is this such a holdup for people?"

"Well, from what I've seen, most people don't come from a world where you can control the elements like a sock puppet," Killua shrugged.

Deku abruptly dumped firewood onto the flames, sending cinders flying everywhere.

"Ow! Watch it, dunderhead!" Toph barked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Deku squealed with embarrassment. 

Toph's face wrinkled in distaste as she batted at the cinders that flickered near her tunic. As she grumbled, Danny and Bob flanked Deku, joining the heroes at the fire. Genji also crept up from the edge of the camp, sitting at a respectful distance from where the others were gathered. Only Aela, the bestial Huntress with a primal rage stashed away inside her, remained sequestered from the rest.

"You know," Killua spoke up, "I couldn't help but notice a similarity between the three of you."

He gestured at Bob, Danny, and Deku. The three heroes shared a puzzled glance.

"You're all superheroes," Killua continued. "Bright costumes, extravagant powers, obsessed with saving others. That's something you have in common. The rest of us couldn't be more different. But the three of you...that much you at least have to share."

"I would also say that I am a super-hero!" Starfire interjected.

Killua shrugged. 

"Well, where I come from, I was actually in retirement until pretty recently," Mr. Incredible replied, his face lit eerily by the fire. "Heroes were actually outlawed for fifteen years."

"Outlawed?!" Deku gasped.

"How did that happen?" Danny questioned, genuine interest in his voice.

Mr. Incredible shook his head mournfully. "A series of...impulsive choices. People began thinking the part represented the whole. And the rest, as they say...is history."

"Where I come from, heroes are just a part of life," Deku put in. "Heroes sanctioned by the government protect the people and safeguard peace, like All Might."

"All Might?" Toph questioned, a grin creasing her face.

"Yes," Deku shot back, his face a mask of reverence. "He's one of the greatest heroes on the planet. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him. And, on top of that, he gave me my Quirk. One for All."

"This talk of heroism reminds me of the Justice League," Starfire added to the discussion. 

"All Might? The Justice League? These names are too much," Toph snickered.