My Shinobi Academia: Naruto x ATLA x HxH x MHA

Chapter 27: Charger Boy's Debut

The Hero Upchuck had been so impressed by Katara and Toph's help at the shelter that he offered to have the five ride along in his SUV to the JHA so Gon and Killua could get help with their "Hunter" Licenses. He did find it a bit odd that kids so young were licensed, but he had seen Charger Boy's videos and his skill and speed were definitely pro-level. To be honest, he was a little starstruck.

They arrived in the JHA just around noon as they had spent the morning helping the people sort out more accommodations and Katara tended to those with minor wounds. Upchuck got them into the building with his hero credentials, signing them in as his guests. It was urgent that he give an update to disaster services so that they could track those displaced and understand the resources necessary to sustain them whilst reconstruction was ongoing. Upchuck told the five, Gon, Killua, Toph, Katara, and Alluka to stay in the Disaster Relief Department's lobby whilst he made his report. He warned them off the busy floor, especially given Killua's newfound celebrity.

The five kids sat uneasily in the chairs in the DRD Lobby, with the only source of entertainment being a rerun of UA's sports festival matches. They sat through all the first round matches, which were mostly short and explosive. The only match that hadn't been shown was Deku's as it was deemed to boring for TV.

"Is that guy's body really made of steel," Toph wondered aloud, hearing the audio feed. "I wonder if I could control him if he turned," she said, turning towards Katara and making spooky sounds. "Metal bend to my will..."

"Bloodbending is a serious thing Toph," Katara discouraged, nudging her in the side.

"That boy and you would make a good team, wouldn't you, big brother," Alluka asked, referring to Kaminari.

"Gon and I are already a team," Killua said smugly, pulling in his friend and smudging his hair. "Besides, that guy looks like a dunce. I wouldn't mind having him charge me up though." Killua turned to Gon after the latter broke free. "Maybe you could become steel man and then I can throw you around like a magnet!!"

Gon chuckled. "I'm pretty happy with my Jajanken," he replied, staring glumly at his fist and remembering his crushing blow against Pitou. "It's all I have left of Kite."

Katara did her best to hold her tongue. She had been wondering about the scar-eyed boy who could control ice. The one they called Todoroki. Is that what Zuko would be like as a waterbender? Perhaps the guy who worried her more was Bakugo, whose fight was now showing. His explosive power reminded her of the combustion man, but with Zuko's horrible personality from before he joined the team. What kind of world was this that had such strange benders?

"He looks mean," Alluka said, as they continued to watch Bakugo's brutal takedown of Uraraka.

Killua laughed, jumping onto his feet. "Big Brother can take him," he assured her. "It'll be just like when Gon fought Genthru. But easier..." he chuckled confidently.

His assertion and confidence made Gon stare at his own wrists, remembering sacrificing his own hands to get a dazing kick on Genthru. It was recklessness like that that had him relearning the principles of Nen again whilst Killua continued to sprint ahead. He had made a choice though, and he had no regrets.

"Where are you going?" Katara asked Killua in a scolding voice. Gon looked up to see his friend by the door. "Upchuck asked us to stay here."

"Yes, but the people who can answer our questions are on the main floor. Many hundreds of them," he clarified. "If you'd rather stay here and watch TV..." With that, he slipped out.

"I can't see anyway... so I'll go with fuzzy feet," Toph said, rushing after Killua.

Katara growled reluctantly. "If some of us are going, I guess we should all go."

The five kids arrived on the ground floor of the JHA. It was massive, an open floor space with thousands of people going about their day. At the center of the large floor was a large column from which 10 large screens hanged in two rows. At its foot was the information desk, with glass cubicles where 20 receptionists took calls and assisted visitors. The binging sounds of the elevators that lined the semicircular walls was just faintly audible through the ruckus of conversations that drowned the floor.

On one screen, the news of the previous day's attacks played, videos of the confrontations and destructions, a constant reminder to the heroes on the floor of their duty. On another screen, images of the Society's top ten heroes played in a loop, starting from the tenth all the way to number 1. Killua took it all in, immersing himself in the noise and hubbub that made him feel small. This was the big city, and he had missed it.

"There are so many people to keep track of. My feet are going wild," Toph said with wonder in her voice.

"If we're going to do this, we should stick together so no one gets lost," Katara stated, grabbing Alluka's hand instinctively.

"Race you to the front desk," Gon challenged, disappearing into the crowd.

"Hey... no fair!!" Killua said as he jumped in after him.

"Are we allowed to bend?" Toph laughed, rushing in too, using small earthbending moves to jostle people out of the way.

Gon and Killua popped out of the crowd every now and then to keep track of each other. To find Toph, you just needed to follow the complaints of people who had unwittingly bumped into each other. The three teens shot out of the crowd, all reaching for the front desk and touching it within seconds of each other.

"I won!!" they each declared simultaneously. "No I won!" "No I won!" They argued.

"How do you know you touched it first? You can't even see!" Killua asked Toph.

"I know when your feet last touched the ground, fuzzy feet!" Toph retorted.

Their commotion had drawn the attention of the receptionists at the desk.

"Hey!! Isn't that Charger Boy?" One of them wondered aloud.

"Oh... oh..." Toph gulped.