Showdown! The Best of the Best

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The meadow that surrounded Kris Kringle's fortress was eerily quiet in the wake of the epic battle. Errant pieces of charred metal and dismembered Kriegbots that still sputtered vacantly were strewn haphazardly about. Beast Boy, in the form of a four-armed green alien, limped stubbornly about, collecting fallen allies on floating slabs of earth and carting them across the field, depositing them in a cobbled together triage area near the treeline. There, three villains were also stationed.  Azula, hands tied behind her back and face twisted into a terrifying hate mask, was babysat by Aela and two of Boruto's shadow clones. Muscular, dejected but still red in the face, was imprisoned up to the neck in a cocoon of earth, which was itself reinforced by a sheet of ice as thick as Katara could muster. Genji and two more Boruto clones were babysitting Vlad. 

Werewolves crisscrossed the field, dragging pieces of the shredded war robots to an area where they stacked the useless metal. Killua, still nursing his wounds from the battle with Vlad, but now able to walk, had done the best he could to heal his allies with Nen. It wasn't as effective a healer as Katara's waterbending, not by a long shot. But, if their injuries were salvageable, usually Killua's Nen healing could at least get them up and running again. 

Starfire groaned in pain, her teeth clenched, as Robin and the primary Boruto did the best they could to gently prop her against a tree. Despite her resilient alien physiology, the battle with her bitter sister had damaged her significantly. Moreover, Boruto and Robin made their own best effort not to cringe in pain as they stepped back from the space princess, giving her some room. Boruto nodded politely, but curtly, at Robin, before moving away to help with the cleanup effort. 

"Damian," Starfire grunted.

"Yeah," he murmured, holding his side.

She smiled at him. "Your father would be proud."

Damian made a funny face, almost pouting, before putting on a more thoughtful look. "Are you proud?"

Starfire's grin widened, and her eyes began to well up. "The proudest."

Damian gave her a smile, and blushed as a tear managed to escape his eyes. Taking a glance back at the other heroes working on the field, he sighed. He set down his bent spear and his shattered sword, getting to his knees. Then, he lay his back against the tree, next to his Tamaranean teammate. He intended to stay there for as long as he could. Damian was tired.

A few hundred yards away, near the pile of Kriegbot scraps, Iida supported an injured Mitsuki as they walked across the field toward the triage area. Mitsuki's powerful aura, his horn, and his amber eyes had dissipated. He was back to being a normal boy, not so different from some of Iida's classmates. Although Iida knew almost nothing about this enigmatic youngster, he had seen him fight on the battlefield, and had watched him go toe-to-toe with Vlad where many of the other heroes had been unable. As Iida lay Mitsuki gingerly on a piece of rubble, Mitsuki grinned at him.

"What is it?" Iida asked.

"You...you did well," Mitsuki groaned, nodding in acknowledgment. "You're supposed to be a hero, right?"

Iida nodded.

"You have all the merits of one," he assured him. 

A rumbling from far off caused Iida to turn his gaze from Mitsuki. Toph approached the field surrounding the triage area, and Iida felt his heart soar as he saw who was accompanying her. The young shinobi lying on the sheet of metal didn't protest as Iida left him to lift Midoriya in a mighty embrace. Deku exhaled in pain, but did not struggle against his friend's declaration of joy. Danny chuckled, despite the throbbing in his torso, at the display of affection.