In the four-day weekend that followed the first-years' portion of the Sports Festival, Akiko came to the conclusion that, like her, most of her classmates were spending their time off recovering from their injuries. Not everyone who participated in the festivities may have received grievous injuries, but even those who didn't make it past the obstacle race hadn't escaped some strain on their bodies. But it was also clear that the extended weekend the first-years were given served a dual purpose. It offered them ample time to heal and prepare themselves for whenever classes resumed, but it also allowed them the opportunity to admire their upperclassmen in action when their times to shine came along. Akiko appreciated that she could make the most of both of these opportunities.
Her return home after she left Jomei behind went a great deal as she'd anticipated. Takai had already gotten home from taking care of some business or other and had stayed up into the night to make sure his sister got home safe. He informed her that he'd gone back and watched her performances in the final stage of the festival and wanted to know exactly how severely she'd hurt herself. Akiko explained the situation as succinctly as she could given her fatigue, and although Takai advised her never to pull a stunt like the one she'd just done again, he was blessedly willing to keep the depth of her injury under wraps. The last thing Akiko would remember from that night was the sensation of being at ease as she drifted to sleep – Takai wouldn't rat her out, and since their parents wouldn't waste their time watching replays of something they had so little interest in, her future at U.A. remained secure.
The next few days, on account of their parents' absence and Takai's being able to largely work from home, even proved to be largely pleasant on Akiko's end. When Takai wasn't busy with any of the minor business stuff he needed to deal with, he even spent time watching the second and third-years' devoted days of the Sports Festival with her. He may have asked a wide variety of questions that made Akiko miss some of the action here or there, but overall, she didn't mind it. If it meant that Takai would better understand what U.A. and the hero world was all about, she'd gladly forfeit more than a few seconds of the festival for him.
In some ways, sitting alone with her big brother on the other side of the couch beside her reminded her of when they were younger. Back then, neither of them had any major worries and the rift that had existed between them because of Akiko's desire to become a hero had yet to truly take shape. It was an unexpected return to happier days. Add in a few hours of texting with Jomei unbearably late into the night for fun and the steady progress of her crystal core finalizing its healing process, and somehow, four days away from U.A. flew by in an instant.
But when Monday meandered back around, Akiko propelled herself back out into the wide-open world, eager to get back to classes as usual. Even if she more than slightly pleased that she would never revert to being the same shy girl she'd once been, this return to normality was something she found herself looking forward to. Her spirits were still high from everything the last week had thrown at her, and not even her parents' return earlier that morning could ruin her day.
Nor could the unexpected downpour that forced her to grab an umbrella on her way out.
Akiko would typically occupy her time while she made her commute to school by texting with Denki, Kyoka, or maybe Jomei to check in with them before she met up with him in the flesh and walked the remaining way to U.A. She didn't expect her journey to U.A. this morning to be much different. But there were a few things that happened along the way that convinced her otherwise.
People noticed her.
At first, Akiko thought nothing of the slight looks she received. She simply assumed that people noticed her U.A. uniform and were merely making a mental note of what school she might be headed to and what that might mean, given the press U.A. had just received. It was only when people periodically approached her that she realized her trip to school was far from normal.
"Hey, you're one of the girls that fought in the semifinals! Good job!"
"You sure showed that red-haired dude! Girl power!"
"Forgive my intrusion, but I wanted to say that I was rather astonished by you. My son is an aspiring Pro Hero, you see, and to witness such potential in so many of the next generation of heroes… it gives an old, sentimental fool like me such hope. Well done!"
Individuals belonging to every age group under the sun, many of whom she'd passed by dozens of times before on her way to Korusa or U.A., now actively went out of their way to greet her. Akiko surprised herself by how well she took all the attention, never once even feeling the impulse to hide or hasten her step. Part of this might've been because of the trial-by-fire nature of how many spectators had flooded the Sports Festival Stadium, but Akiko put more stock in the idea that the kind-hearted nature of each person who sought her out was what kept her so calm, instead.
Before long, any thoughts of occupying herself with idle texts fell by the wayside, and Akiko engaged in a few brief exchanges. Thankfully, no fleeting fan of hers outstayed their welcome, and it wasn't too long before she was alone again, just a minute or two away from where Jomei would be waiting to meet her.
"Excuse me, miss?" a tiny voice intruded.
Akiko stopped short and looked down. Merely an arm's length away from her was a little girl with two orange pigtails, a pink raincoat, and a unicorn-themed umbrella over her head. A man who looked to be in his thirties carrying a black umbrella and a small unicorn-themed backpack started to come up behind her. He nodded once, and Akiko interpreted the gesture as an assurance that she could speak freely.
She crouched down slightly. "Yes? What is it?"
"Whoa…" the girl paused as she stared into Akiko's eyes. "You're really pretty! And you're really strong, too! I watched the Sports Festival with Daddy and you were super cool!"
A short laugh escaped her lips at the girl's exuberance. "Thanks, that's very sweet of you. For what it's worth, I think you look pretty strong, too."
"Really?" the girl beamed.
Akiko smiled. "Of course! I'm Takara Akiko, by the way, what's your name?"
"Nami!" the girl said, eyes glittering with excitement.
"You know, it's a darn shame that you couldn't be there for the award ceremony," the girl's father interrupted. "Nami here wouldn't stop asking for me to replay every second you were on-screen during the festival! Now, I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but-"
The little girl – Nami – cut him off. "You're gonna be a hero someday, right?"
"That's the plan," Akiko said kindly. "I've still got a long way to go before I'm ready to go out and be an independent hero, but if you think that I've got what it takes, then I'll be sure to keep giving it my all! Sound good to you?" she held up a hand.
Nami gave her a high-five. "Yeah!"
Her father snickered and patted his daughter on the head before he started to make his way past Akiko. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to Nami. She really likes heroes, especially ones that are more than just their looks. Come on, Nami! You've got school, remember?"
"Ugh, okay Daddy…!" Nami ran after him, only to splash in a puddle to turn around and face Akiko one last time before darting off. "Bye Takara! Good luck! I'm your biggest fan!"
As the father-daughter duo shrank further into the distance and Akiko finally resumed her own commute, her smile from the interaction didn't fade. In some ways, Nami came across like a culmination of the goodwill Akiko had accrued through the Sports Festival. What made her morning commute even more exciting on top of that interaction was that she hadn't even made it to U.A. yet, and there'd be no telling what other developments her efforts in the festival would reveal to have earned her there.
It was then that she saw Jomei waving at her in the distance, and she sped up to join him. He didn't question what had her in such high spirits, but Akiko quickly found herself explaining the details anyway as they continued toward school. The morning sky had been mottled by rain clouds since she had woken up, but Akiko couldn't help but think that the sun would shine brighter than ever before when it finally broke through the cloudy canopy.
She couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
In retrospect, perhaps the parallels between his morning commute and Akiko's shouldn't have come as a surprise to Jomei. Even though he had expected people to notice him as he made his way to their typical meeting spot, from the sound of Akiko's journey, they'd both run across an almost equal number of newfound fans. The main difference was in the way they reacted to those interactions. Whereas Akiko remained her typical humble and sweet self in the face of it all, Jomei was unashamed in admitting that he had more than a few satisfied smirks appear on his face when people sought him out. Jomei was more than happy with the attention it brought him.
Except for a select small group of girls who were in Korusa Junior High uniforms that he recognized and rapidly identified as ogling him from the other side of the road not too long after he left his home. That one was a memory he'd much rather leave behind before it etched itself permanently into his psyche as one of the most awkward moments of his life.
Between Akiko's explanation of how her morning went and him doing the exact same thing in return, it wasn't long at all before they arrived at U.A. Soon after, they were sat at their desks in their homeroom alongside Denki and Kyoka, alternating between people-watching and making idle conversation as they waited for class to start one more time.
"It's so weird that people recognize us from TV!" Ashido smiled as she pointed at herself. "Everyone wanted to talk to me on my way here."
Kirishima mimicked the motion. "Really? Same here!"
"People on the street were staring at me! It was kinda embarrassing…" Hagakure confessed, but she seemed more than a bit happy about the attention.
Ojiro laughed once. "Yeah, but isn't that pretty normal for you?"
"You guys wouldn't believe what a bunch of elementary school brats yelled at me…" Sero whined.
"Nice try?" Tsuyu guessed.
Sero could only grab at his hair and groan in embarrassment.
"Such a shame, to run into such unpleasant treatment," Aoyama commented. "To compare, I'm afraid that I experienced nothing of what you suffered through. Many on the streets were too embarrassed by my mere presence to even approach me!"
Another new arrival to the room, Uraraka shook her head wistfully and continued toward her seat. "Hey, Deku! How's your arm doing? You messed it up during your second match, right?"
Midoriya perked up in his seat, surprised briefly before returning a wave with his newly scarred hand. "It was more my hand than anything, but it's doing alright! Thank you for your concern though, really. It means a bunch!"
Radiating positivity, Uraraka sank into her seat without another word.
Meanwhile, Denki looked at Kyoka. "Don't you think some of this is a little crazy? All it took was one Sports Festival and suddenly we're like celebrities!"
Kyoka shrugged, and although the blasé look on her face betrayed precious little of what she felt beneath her calm exterior, Jomei could tell that she was far from displeased. "I won't lie, it is kind of surprising. Even I had someone who recognized me, and I didn't even make it to the tournament."
"Alright! I knew you had it in ya!" Denki cheered. He then turned his attention to the other two. "What about you guys? People must have flocked to talk to both of you this morning, right?"
"I wouldn't say people flocked to me, but I will say that a fair number of people sought me out," Akiko explained. "A lot of what they said boiled down to 'good job' or 'nice try,' but there were some people who had some really nice things to say. From the looks of things, I even have a fan or two already."
Jomei nodded in agreement. "Same here, actually. Most people that ran into me mentioned something about my Quirk or my match against Bakugo, but there were a few kids who thought my fight with you was way more impressive. Either way, it sounded like Akiko and I had a pretty even number of people notice us before we met up."
"You must've loved every second of it, huh?" Denki guessed.
"I could get used to it," Jomei confessed.
Denki smirked. "Couldn't we all…"
"Well, you guys might just be able to," Kyoka said with a gesture of her earphone jacks at the two boys. "Remember where we're at – if there's any school that's gonna help us rock out and ride out some hype even if some of us only did mediocre in a big event, it'd be U.A."
"So what you're saying is we can expect more of this kinda attention in the future…" Denki said.
Akiko hummed. "It's not impossible. Even if we don't appear on TV again anytime soon, people aren't going to be all that quick to forget about us. The Sports Festival is the biggest annual sporting event in Japan, after all."
Jomei shrugged with his hands. "Hey, if all this means that there's always gonna be at least a few people that notice me on my way to U.A., I'm all for it. Still, I can't wait until we get another chance to show off again. During the Sports Festival – I felt alive back there. It was great!"
As Kyoka opened her mouth to speak again, the door to Class 1-A slid open and an ever-familiar bedraggled face appeared. Everyone present scrambled to plop back into their seats.
"Morning," Aizawa said on his way to the podium at the front of the room.
"Good morning, Aizawa-sensei," Class 1-A responded in unison.
Tsuyu's finger met her lip. "Ribbit? Aizawa-sensei, you don't have bandages anymore. That's good news."
"The old lady went a little overboard with her treatment," Aizawa stated. He idly scratched at the short, horizontal scar under his right eye, but otherwise looked as good as new. Jomei couldn't help but feel a bit of relief at the sight. "Anyway, I hope you all made the most of your four-day break, because we have a big class today. The topic? Hero informatics."
A wave of subdued groans flooded the room.
"Hero informatics? Please don't tell me this is gonna be a pop quiz…!" Denki quietly pleaded.
Akiko tilted her head slightly. "I wonder if I should've read ahead on hero laws some more…"
Jomei shot her an incredulous look. "You read ahead on that stuff? I know my mom's with the police but I've never thought that hero law was all that interesting. I'm with Denki – please no pop quizzes…"
"You need code names," Aizawa explained. "It's time to pick your hero identities."
And as quickly as it came, dread was replaced by elation, and half the class nearly jumped out of their seats in excitement. "This is gonna be totally awesome!"
With an annoyed grunt, Aizawa's Erasure-augmented glare fell upon his students, and their energy faded right alongside their Quirks. Only when everyone had shut their mouths and sat down in their seats did he continue. "This is in relation to the Sports Festival. As you all know, your performance there has an effect on what hero agencies are willing to scout you, and now is the time that you'll all be able to see that effect take shape. Usually, students don't have to worry about draft picks yet, not until their second or third year actually, but your class is different. In fact, by extending offers to first-years like you, pros are essentially investing in your potential, though don't think that these offers are sure deals," he said, a warning look being cast across the body of students in the room. "Any of them can be rescinded for any reason if they lose interest in you before graduation, so you can't go ahead and rest on your laurels from this point on."
Mineta lightly knocked on his desk in frustration. "Stupid, selfish adults…"
"So what you're saying is we'll still have to prove ourselves after we've been recruited," Hagakure pointed out.
"Correct. Now here are the totals for those of you who got offers," Aizawa finished. He pulled out a remote and pointed it at the hologram projector over the chalkboard. Jomei stared intently at the image when Aizawa pressed a button and the number of offers and the individuals they belonged to were slowly tallied into existence.
The first name to appear was Todoroki, with 3623 offers.
The second was Bakugo, with 3256 offers.
Third was Akiko, with 432.
Fourth was Jomei, with 360. He couldn't suppress a grin in approval.
Ashido was next, with 302.
Iida landed close behind with 300.
Denki accrued an unexpected 175.
Uraraka gained 108.
Kirishima's valor earned him 72.
Yaoyorozu managed 68.
Sero was the last name on the list, though, with 20 agency offers to his name.
Aizawa jabbed his finger behind him. "In past years it's been more spread out, but as you can see, there's been a sizable gap this time. Feel free to take a minute and let it all sink in."
"Aw, that's no fair…" Denki let his head fall back in exasperation.
"Denki, you got knocked out round one, by me," Jomei offered. "The fact you got more than Uraraka is a pretty good sign, man."
Kyoka rested her chin in her hand. "Better than what some of us got…"
Akiko appeared just as disappointed and surprised at her friend's misfortune. "Yeah… I don't understand, either…"
"But what about the real star, moi?" Aoyama quietly fumed.
The look on Akiko's face morphed from surprise to one of faint confusion as she looked up toward the top of the list of compiled offers. "Todoroki got the most… ahead of Bakugo."
"Yeah, that's the opposite of how they placed in the festival," Kirishima noted. "Weird."
Sero leaned in toward him to deliver a conspiratorial whisper. "That's probably because not too many people out there are gonna be excited about working with the guy who had to be chained up in the end."
Akiko's mouth fell agape. "He what!?"
"If I scare a pro, that means they're just weak!" Bakugo shouted.
Denki, now recovered, ignored the intrusion and looked at her. "Oh yeah, you were still passed out when that happened. Bakugo refused to take the medal and was acting really wild – they had to chain him down to make sure he wouldn't do something stupid and attack someone."
Her expression didn't change in the slightest. Jomei could practically hear her brain suffer a system error and collapse under the weight of her sheer bewilderment, and so he offered her a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder to help coax her back to reality. Not too long after that, Akiko shook herself back into alertness, and Class 1-A descended ever further into a quiet current of conversation all around them.
"You know, bonkers-high numbers with Bakugo and Todoroki aside…" Denki paused to scratch the back of his head. "I think maybe Jomei's right. It is a good sign that I got a bunch of offers! Hey, maybe so many pros wanted to give me an offer because I'm just that cool of a guy."
"It's not impossible," Kyoka seconded.
"Whoa!" Denki exclaimed. "Did you agree with me? What gives?"
She lightly poked him in the temple with one of her earphone jacks, never even moving her head from its perch in her hand. "Nothing gives, dummy. From what I understand, even though it doesn't happen all that often, Pro Heroes are still people too – they'll go out of their way to try and find people that look like they have cool Quirks to work with sometimes. Since your Quirk is pretty rockin' anyway and probably has a lot of potential too, even though you were knocked out early, it's not a surprise that you were scouted a bunch." Her earphone jacks then pointed at their friends in the back. "Akiko and Jomei made it pretty far in the festival, so it's no wonder they were scouted more than you, but still, getting to the quarterfinals isn't a prerequisite for being able to get some offers."
"Hey, but if the rule of cool is such a big deal, shouldn't I have gotten even more offers than I did anyway?" Jomei questioned. "I made it to the quarterfinals, gave the guy who won the entire festival a run for his money, and I have a pretty cool power too."
"It's possible that some pros just don't have any ideas about how to help us when it comes to our Quirks after only watching us for such a short amount of time," Akiko hypothesized. "Denki's is more understandable compared to yours or mine, after all."
Neutrally, Jomei crossed his arms, and his features warped in thought. "It took me a good while to get enough of a handle on my Quirk to move my gases around exactly the way I want them to, and even longer to come up with the techniques I went into the entrance exam with in the first place – maybe some pros really don't have any other ideas for a lot of us."
Kyoka lightly scoffed and looked down. "Maybe. But you'd think I'd get at least a single offer. So much for landing a sweet gig from the festival…"
"Now, despite these results…" Aizawa began, his voice causing all conversation in the room to cease in seconds. "You will all be interning with pros. Got it? Even those of you who didn't get any offers."
Midoriya blinked in surprise. "Oh, so we're all interning anyway?"
"Yes. You've all already gotten experience fighting real villains as a result of the USJ incident, but it'll still be helpful to see pros at work. As such, we aren't arbitrarily dividing our class into haves and have-nots based upon a single day's worth of performances," Aizawa explained. "Out there you'll all be in the field, gaining first-hand experience of what hero work is like."
Sato punched his fist up before him. "And for that we need hero names!"
"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Uraraka chimed in.
"These hero names will likely be temporary, but take them seriously or-" Aizawa started, but the door slid open beside him.
"You'll have hell to pay later!" a sultry feminine voice finished.
Denki gawked at the woman with a faint blush on his face, Sero smiled a toothy grin, and Mineta practically jumped out of his seat in elation. Meanwhile, Jomei barely noticed, already deep in thought on coming up with some potential hero-names.
"What you pick today could be your codename for the rest of your days…" Midnight continued, sauntering into the room with a seductive sway of her hips and her hands behind her head. "You better be careful, or you may be stuck with something utterly indecent."
"It's Midnight!" the other three boys fawned.
"Yeah, she has a good point. Midnight is going to have final approval over your names. It's not my forte," Aizawa mentioned, and he crouched to retrieve his sleeping bag.
Midnight chuckled. "He isn't wrong. Back in the days when many teachers here were U.A. students themselves, I believe that it was none other than Present Mic that came up with Aizawa's hero name for him. It started as a bit of a joke based on his Quirk, but… you can all see that it had some staying power."
"For the record, I didn't want any spotlight anyway, so it didn't matter what I chose – Mic just came along and took advantage of my indecision," Aizawa defended, and as he stepped into his bag, he looked at the class again. "Anyway, the name you give yourself is important. It helps reinforce your image and shows what kind of hero you want to be in the future. A codename tells people exactly what you represent. Take All Might for example."
Stacks of whiteboards and markers started to make their way back through the room. At the same time, Jomei finally let his gaze drift up from his desk. He then took ahold of his whiteboard and stared at it for a moment while his excitement over finally deciding upon his hero name made its way back to him. Others around the room stared at their boards with stress, indecision, or general thoughtfulness, but it was clear that no one in the room was about to take the task of coming up with their codename lightly.
"Now, one final note." Midnight stepped up to the podium in full as Aizawa slid down into the corner and started drifting off to sleep. "In recent years, there's been some confusion over the utilization of epithets as a part of hero names. Usually, they're employed to act as an emphasis or clarification as to the nature of the Pro Hero it belongs to – I imagine that I needn't explain how my 'R-Rated Hero' epithet affects how people perceive me, at a glance. Still, while epithets can be useful, they are also optional. Should you feel as though your hero name stands on its own two feet without the need for an epithet, you can feel free to omit the inclusion of one in your codename. There's always time in the future to develop one for yourself, should the need arise. The addition of epithets to a preexisting hero name is far easier a task to accomplish in the hero world than changing one's codename outright after it's been made official, understand?"
"Yes, Midnight-sensei," Class 1-A answered.
She smiled. "Good! Now if that'll be all, let's brainstorm!"
Uncapping his marker and adjusting his grip on the whiteboard before him, Jomei smirked. He'd spent years thinking through what he wanted his hero costume to look like when he finally got admitted to U.A. – it wasn't going to take him long to come up with a hero name. In fact, one could say that he'd already had one in mind for himself long before he ever stepped foot on the prodigious campus of U.A. High School.
It was a long time coming, but it was time to tell everyone what kind of hero he'd be.
As one could expect, upon giving a group of 22 teenagers such an open-ended and honestly somewhat future-defining task such as coming up with hero names for themselves, there was a sizeable period of time where not much happened in Class 1-A. There were faint murmurs of many people quietly talking to themselves to brainstorm different ideas followed by the repeated squeak of markers meeting whiteboard, but more often than not, those sounds were followed by some kind of grumble and the shuffling of cloth as ideas were erased and/or revised a dozen times over.
In contrast, Jomei felt as though he had both an easier and harder time when it came to his codename. He had the perfect idea for the core of what it would be – down to the letter, in fact – but there was a certain interest he had in playing around with a few epithets to see if anything felt 'right' next to what most people would refer to him as on the streets. Unfortunately, his efforts were met with precious little success. He took solace in that he had the most solid foundation he could think of to work with, so even if he couldn't come up with a good epithet to go with his codename, it'd be a strong one all the same.
"Now students, who among you is ready to share?" Midnight questioned, and everyone froze.
Not that the reaction was all that surprising. It's not like the presentation of their hero names was mentioned as part of their agenda for the class, and a lot of people were nervous over their work-in-progress hero names already. Perhaps the whiteboards' being handed out should've been a good hint as to how things were going to proceed, though.
Aoyama stepped up to the front of the classroom first, his pursed-lipped, self-satisfied smile never wavering for even a second. "Hold your breath…" he paused, only to lift his whiteboard proudly overhead a moment later. "The Shining Hero: I can not stop twinkling! Mon amis, none of you can deny my sparkle."
If looks could kill, the displeasure of many in Class 1-A would've destroyed Aoyama in an instant. "Oh, come on…"
"Hmm…" Midnight gently took the whiteboard from Aoyama and started to fiddle with what had been written on it. "It'll be better this way – take out the 'I' and shorten the 'not' into 'can't' – other than that, you have a street-ready hero name." She flipped the whiteboard back to face him again with his revised name on it.
"Indeed. A simply stunning suggestion, mademoiselle," Aoyama approved.
Confusion compounded itself over displeasure in many students' eyes, and Jomei could only watch as his peers' reactions formed into words. "Wait, she likes it?"
'Well, at least the bar's been set low…'
Ashido bounded along to replace Aoyama, a giddy and girlish spring in her step. "Okie dokie, my turn next! My codename – Alien Queen!"
"Hold on, like that horrible monster from the old movies? With the acidic blood?! I don't think so!" Midnight disapproved.
"Dang it…" Ashido grumbled, but she returned to her seat for revision all the same.
'Oh, so that one wasn't okay then? Weird.'
Tsuyu raised her hand. "Ribbit! I think I've got one, mind if I go next?"
"Come on up!" Midnight encouraged.
She gently set her whiteboard down for all to see upon reaching the podium. "I've had this name in mind since grade school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."
"That's delightful!" Midnight exclaimed, clapping her hands together for emphasis. "It makes you sound approachable and kind. What an excellent example of a name everyone will love!"
"Aw, that's kind of cute…" Akiko quietly murmured, a slightly fond smile on her lips. "Kids will love it, for sure."
Kirishima was next, smacking his board down with a fierce grin. "I've got mine too! I'll be the Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!"
"Red Riot?" Midnight intoned. "Interesting. You're paying homage to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot, are you not?"
"That's right! He may be kind of old-school, but someday I want to be just like he was. Crimson Riot is my idol!"
Midnight took his whiteboard in hand, inspecting the writing on it for a moment before she looked back up at Kirishima. She nodded. "I see no problem with this name, but be aware that if you're bearing the name of someone you admire, you have that much more to live up to."
"I accept the challenge," Kirishima affirmed.
He returned to his seat, and a brief lull in the reveal of everyone's future hero names formed. Be it due to many people still developing their codenames or some hesitation because of the unspoken pressure to come up with a good name was unclear. Jomei imagined the true reason might've been a little of both, but that didn't stop him from feeling nothing but confidence as he looked down at his finalized hero name. In the absence of anyone else stepping up to the plate, Jomei was about to do so himself when he noticed Denki suddenly straighten in his seat, a toothy grin on his face.
"Aw man, I know exactly what I'm gonna call myself!" he confidently exclaimed.
Kyoka looked at him. "Really, what is it?"
Denki finished writing and turned his whiteboard away from her. "I can't spoil the surprise. All I can say is that you already know part of what it is. Watch this!"
He dashed up to the front of the class so quickly Kyoka didn't even have time to respond, which only left his friends the option to wait for his inevitable reveal. Denki slowed down and nodded to himself before he stood proud in front of the whole class.
"Alright! Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt!" Denki declared. "Electric, don't ya think?"
Midnight swooned. "It makes me all tingly!"
Meanwhile, Kyoka's eyes widened. "Wait, Stun Gun Hero? Denki, did you seriously take that thing I called you at the USJ and turn that into your epithet?"
His grin grew wider, ever fonder of his friend. "Well, yeah! It was a good idea! What, I can't take something you didn't even mean to be all that big an insult and turn it into something cool? Besides, you watched my back almost nonstop when those villains were attacking everyone at the USJ. Consider it thanks."
"Such companionship! Hidden depth in a hero name is always commendable!" Midnight fiercely applauded. "Who's next?!"
"That'll be me, then." Kyoka swapped places with Denki, a faintly appreciative look sent his way as she passed him by. "I'll be the Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack!"
Midnight pointed at her. "Now that's a good one! Not every hero chooses to use their Quirk as their codename, but those that do often find a way to make it work wonders for them."
"It even has a good ring to it," Jomei commented.
"Ditto," Denki readily agreed.
Kyoka dipped her head. "Thanks."
As she left for her seat, Midoriya abruptly raised his hand. "Midnight-sensei? Can I go next?"
"I see no reason why not." She gestured for him to move to the podium. "Give it a shot!"
He quickly did just that. "Deku. That'll be my hero name."
"Ribbit?" Tsuyu sounded.
"Wait, you sure about that, man?" Kirishima asked.
"Yeah, you could be called that your whole life!" Mineta stressed. "Sure you don't wanna rethink that one over?"
"No… I'm sure," Midoriya firmly stated, his eyes more on his whiteboard than the class until he finally tore his attention away from the inanimate object. "I heard what Kaminari had to say, and I've taken his words to heart. The name Deku used to mean 'useless' to me, but now… it's going to be the name of a hero. I know it."
"The will to turn once-hurtful words into a source of strength is commendable Midoriya!" Midnight threw a thumbs up at him. "I approve!"
Once Midoriya left his whiteboard in the R-Rated Hero's possession and meandered his way back to his seat, Jomei resolved himself to patiently waiting until closer toward the end of the presentation process to showcase his hero name. He wasn't in any rush to grab everyone's attention too early, not when so many good and powerful names had only just been revealed.
He turned to Akiko to find her in a contemplative state, her uncapped marker hovering near the blank expanse of her whiteboard, but never dipping closely enough to begin the translation of her thoughts into a readable form. "Can't come up with anything good yet, huh?"
"Not really…" Akiko's lip scrunched up to the side. "I don't want it to be cheesy or seem like it's trying to sound 'cool,' but… I want to have a sense of weight to it, if that makes sense. I know it's weird to say, but I never really thought about what I'd want to call myself, before."
"Well, you've got time," Jomei reassured her. "You'll make a good one in the end, no doubt about it. You're too smart to come up with something like 'Alien Queen' on your first try."
Akiko laughed lightly. "Thanks."
Shoji spoke up next, having arrived at the podium under their notice. "The Tentacle Hero: Tentacole."
"Oh, I like what you're doing with that! A nice portmanteau," Midnight pointed out.
Sero's reveal followed his. "The Taping Hero! Cellophane!"
"That's on the nose. Good work!"
Ojiro next. "Martial Arts Hero: Tailman!"
"No surprises with that one, I guess!"
"Pinky!" Ashido shouted.
"You make those looks work for you, girl!"
"The Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!" Hagakure declared.
"That really suits you!" Midnight made a broad, inviting sweep of her arm to the rest of the room. "Now come on, who's gonna step up next?"
Yaoyorozu calmly accepted the offer. "My only hope is that I can live up to this name… the Everything Hero: Creati!"
"More like creative!" Midnight applauded.
Todoroki appeared unenthused. "Shoto."
"Just your name?" Midnight glanced between him and his whiteboard. "Is that it?"
"Uhuh."
"Well, I guess that'll suffice…? Next?"
In contrast, Tokoyami radiated confidence in his name. "The Jet Black Hero: Tsukuyomi."
"Oh, god of the night!" Midnight fawned.
Akiko stopped what she was doing and suddenly shared a look with Jomei, thoughts of their first date coming to his mind before they both paid firm attention to Tokoyami again. Their subdued reactions did not go unnoticed by him. "Rest assured, I know the significance of the name and the mythology associated with it."
Meanwhile, Midnight remained clueless in terms of context while Mineta arrived at the podium before long, holding his whiteboard high above his head to even display it to the class. "I'm the Fresh-Picked Hero: Grape Juice!"
Midnight stopped staring at Tokoyami as he left. "Very catchy. Well done."
Koda held up his board silently. The Petting Hero: Anima.
"Yup! I'm all about it!"
Bakugo, on the other hand, slammed his down with a white-knuckled grip. "King Explosion Murder."
"I'm going to say that one's a little too violent," Midnight disapproved.
"Huh? What do you mean!?" Bakugo protested.
"Hey, why don't you be Explosion Boy?" Kirishima half-teased.
Bakugo threw a glare his way. "Stay out of this one, Kirishima!"
Much to Jomei's relief, Bakugo was eventually coaxed into revising his codename, and Uraraka rose from her seat to replace him. Her typical cheerful demeanor was replaced by one of faint nervousness and embarrassment as she flipped her whiteboard around. "This is the name I thought of… Uravity!"
"Oh, I just love that!" Midnight smiled and clapped a few times, drawing an earnest sigh of relief out from Uraraka when some students did the same. She checked the time by the clock near the door as Uraraka left her whiteboard behind. "To be honest, it seems that the process of choosing names is going faster than I thought it would. All that's left is Bakugo's revision, and Nishimura, Takara, and Iida-"
"I have mine, ma'am," Iida answered, unprompted. He made his way to the podium and looked away slightly when he flipped his whiteboard around. "My codename will be the same as my own. I'll be Tenya."
"You're using your real name, too?" Midnight questioned.
A short nod. "Yes."
"Well, I suppose I don't have a real reason to stop you. It'll suffice, for now." Midnight added Iida's board to the growing stack near her, and when she stood upright again, her gaze fixed firmly on the back of the room. "Takara? Nishimura? Are either of you ready?"
"Hey, Akiko." Jomei looked to his left. "Do you want me to go first?"
Akiko sighed almost inaudibly. "No, I think I've got something I'm happy with. I know you've had yours in mind for a while now, huh?"
"A bit," Jomei admitted. "A lot of people might think it's dumb when I tell them how I came up with it, though."
"It'll be a good one though." Akiko finally stood. "I hope mine will be too."
"It will," he reassured her.
"Well let's find out! Come on up, Takara!" Midnight encouraged.
Akiko calmly walked over to the front of the room, staring at her board with each step as if she was even now contemplating her final decision. When Midnight stepped aside and she reached the podium, she sucked in one last steadying breath. Her unease was still there, but the air of determination she radiated told Jomei that she wouldn't let the fear of judgment by her peers rule her again.
She looked up at everyone. "My name will be Crystalarium."
"Ooh! Unique, graceful, and marketable!" Midnight praised, throwing her a thumbs-up. "You've no need to worry! That one's a keeper, in my book."
"For what it's worth, I like it," Midoriya quietly commented.
"Same here!" Denki said. "It's kinda cool, actually."
"And since her Quirk's called Crystal Core, it kinda makes sense that she'd be able to call back to it somehow with part of her codename," Kyoka added. "Personally, I'm with Denki – it's a pretty rockin' name."
Akiko bowed her head as praise from others continued to roll in. "Thank you. All of you."
Midnight smiled brightly as Akiko, relieved, glided back into her seat. "Nishimura, you're next!"
"Right." He walked to the podium with confidence, his whiteboard rotating in circles as his fingers danced around the edges of it. A slight smirk tugged at a corner of his lip upon his arrival. Like any good showman, he'd need to build at least a little anticipation in his peers if he wanted his reveal to carry any impact. "I want to be a light. One that stands out in a crowd no matter what time of day it is or what situation I have to face to help people. My Quirk might make that way easier than it would be otherwise, but I think this name will help with that too, even without an epithet."
One last tap of his fingers, and the board flipped. "I'm gonna be Luminous."
Midnight clenched a fist up before her. "It conveys power and can hold an ever-evolving meaning as you grow! I like it!"
"How'd you come up with that, though?" Sero asked.
Jomei snickered. "Heh. It's been my online username since forever."
Practically half of his classmates' jaws dropped.
"What!?"
"Seriously!?" Kirishima echoed. "Doesn't that seem kinda cheap, to you?"
He shrugged. "Nah. I came up with this name as a kid and decided to run with it."
"No shame there!" Midnight exclaimed as she set his name aside. "Now Bakugo, I believe it's time to show us your revised codename."
Upon sitting back down in his seat, Jomei exchanged a pleasant look with Akiko. Both of their hero names had been approved by Midnight, had been praised by their peers, and all had gone well. Not that the stakes were all that high to begin with, but still, they were both more than content to know that their reveals had debatably been better received than many of their peers'. All that was left was to hear what Bakugo had come up for himself now that he'd had a good amount of time to revise, and everyone's names would be set in stone – for the foreseeable future, at any rate.
"Lord Explosion Murder!" Bakugo shouted.
Midnight sighed. "That's basically the same thing."
Given a minute or two to disarm the time bomb that was Bakugo after his 'heavily revised' idea for a name, it was decided by Midnight that Bakugo would go ahead into the internships without one. Should such a situation arise that he truly needed one, the responsibility of helping him create one would fall to the hero he interned with, whoever they might be. In response to the instruction, Bakugo grumbled but still ended up back in his seat eventually. Not too long after that, the alarm Aizawa had set on his phone chimed loudly inside his sleeping bag, and he slowly emerged like a zombie from the grave. Midnight made space for him, Aizawa stood at the head of the room, and given his typically bedraggled appearance, it was like nothing had changed since he'd first arrived.
"Now that everyone's chosen their codenames, we can talk more about the internships themselves," he began. "They'll last for one week. As for who you'll be working with – those who are on the board will choose from among your list of offers. Everyone else will receive a different list. There are 40 agencies across the country that have agreed to take on interns from your class. Each agency has a different specialty that its heroes focus on – keep that in mind when you're narrowing down your options."
Midnight lifted her hand palm-up into the air. "Imagine that you're Thirteen, for a moment. You'd want to intern under an agency that puts an emphasis on rescuing people, not fighting villains. Understand?"
"Think carefully before you decide," Aizawa instructed.
Class 1-A responded as one. "Yes, sir."
Stacks of lists were then handed out and passed back through the rows of students. The lunch bell rang in the background, and seeing as they were at the back of the room, by the time Jomei and Akiko were given their lists, Kirishima and Tsuyu were already pouring over their options. Jomei shifted his stack of papers in his hands and felt a brief burst of satisfaction when he recognized the comparative heft his list had. Akiko reacted with a small smile as she acquired hers, as if in slight disbelief that the reward for her self-inflicted ordeal laid in physical form in front of her.
"Alright, I want to fight crime and bad guys in the big city!" Kirishima mentioned.
"I just hope I can intern somewhere where there's a lot of flooding," Tsuyu said. "Or maybe a lake."
Midnight left the room with a happy wave as she walked away backward. Aizawa grabbed his sleeping bag and started to make his way after her. "By the way, be sure to turn in your choices before the weekend."
"So we have to decide real soon, huh?" Sero commented.
Aizawa stopped at the door. "Yeah. It'd probably be for the best if you got started now. If that's it, you're all dismissed."
Not too long after Class 1-A was sealed off from the halls again did Mineta stand on his seat and proudly jab his thumb into his chest. "Well, I already know my top choice! Mt. Lady!"
"Mineta, are you thinking something perverted again?" Tsuyu deadpanned, walking by.
Mineta froze. "Possibly!?"
Uraraka energetically sprung up. "I want the Battle Hero: Gunhead!"
"Wait, but isn't he a big brawler-type of hero, though?" Midoriya questioned.
She punched into the air. "Yep, but he sent me an offer!"
"Whoa, but I thought you were trying to be a hero like Thirteen – more into rescuing than fighting?"
"Ultimately, that's the plan, but I've been thinking ever since my fight with Todoroki…" Her stance widened and she made another energetic punch. "The stronger I am the more possibilities I'll have! And besides, even if I want to mostly rescue people, he'll give me a different perspective on how to be a hero, right?"
Midoriya paused and stared at her. "Yeah, totally."
At the same time Uraraka walked over to Midoriya, another quartet's worth of activity was beginning to take place at the back of the room. Jomei had slid his desk a little closer to Akiko's, while Kyoka and Denki had swapped from their seats further up into ones closer to them. Kyoka sat down sideways at her borrowed desk while Denki simply decided to sit on top of another, and all members of their little clique were pouring over their offers. Despite both of their lists numbering in the hundreds though, on a whim, Jomei took a peek over at Akiko's and noticed a rather intriguing similarity between their respective assorted agencies.
"Hey, Akiko."
She tilted her head slightly. "Hm?"
"Look at the middle of your first page of offers," he instructed.
"Okay…" Akiko's brow furrowed. "It's a hero agency in Tokyo, which is nice, but… I think I'm missing something here."
Jomei suddenly hovered his list over hers. "Now look at around the same spot on mine. The same pro gave us both an offer, which means that we could technically intern together! More importantly, it'll be in Tokyo! Imagine how cool that'd be – you and me, watching a hero from the biggest city in the country at work."
"Huh. I mean, I guess we could go ahead and do that, if you wanted to," Akiko figured. "But are we sure we want to already plan on choosing this agency for our internships? We've only just started looking through our lists, and I don't know all that much about this agency."
"Well, who runs the place?" Kyoka asked.
Jomei retracted his list and looked down. "Let's see, let's see… It says here that the agency's kinda small, with no sidekicks, but it's owned by a hero named Dawnbreaker."
"Dawnbreaker, huh…?" Denki stroked his chin somewhat in thought before he let out a soft, unsure groan. "Yeah, can't say I've heard much about them either. Sorry."
"It's not a big deal, Denki. I think I've got an idea of who might know a thing or two about them even if none of us do." Kyoka extended an earphone jack and wormed it through the room toward two of their peers. The pair were on their way out of the room, but Kyoka's lightly tapping one of them on the shoulder caused them both to turn around. "Hey, Midoriya, you got a sec?"
Midoriya paused to share a look with Uraraka, who shrugged. The pair proceeded to follow after Kyoka's elongated appendage when she started to retract it. "Oh, sure. What's up?"
"Akiko and Jomei were thinking about interning under the same agency together, but none of us know all that much about the hero that owns the place," Kyoka explained. "I figured that you might know a thing or two since you're kinda a fanboy when it comes to hero stuff. No offense."
"None taken. I'll try to help – what's their name?" he asked.
"Dawnbreaker," Akiko answered.
"Oh, Dawnbreaker? Hm…" Midoriya's eyes darted around nowhere in particular, his expression thoughtful as he appeared to delve deep into the recesses of his mind. "Oh, I remember her! Her history is super interesting! Even though not too many details about her past have been made public on online hero forums or anything, people have still been able to piece together that she was born somewhere in America and acted as a vigilante for a little while before she somehow ended up becoming a Pro Hero here. She doesn't seek out all that much attention, but she's still in a pretty good spot in terms of hero ranking despite that. Nowhere near the top ten, but from what I remember, she was at least somewhere around the top two hundred heroes or so. It's been a while since I looked into her though, so I can't say too much about what she's like, but I will tell you guys that it wouldn't be a bad idea if either of you wanted to intern under her."
"What about her power?" Jomei pressed. "Know anything about that?"
Midoriya hummed, his brow furrowing further. "I haven't done much digging into her recently, but I think I remember something about her Quirk letting her be really flexible in combat. She's known around the hero scene as having solid defense and offense in combat, besides whatever skills she has besides her Quirk."
Jomei smirked to himself. "So Dawnbreaker's ranked somewhere around the top two hundred heroes, has her agency in Tokyo, an awesome Quirk, and has some super mysterious backstory too? All that just makes me want to have her as my top pick even more! Thanks, man."
Midoriya nodded. "No problem. I'll be in the cafeteria, if you guys need me."
"So Akiko, what're you thinking?" Jomei asked as the other pair walked off.
"That this Dawnbreaker person sounds really intriguing…" Akiko trailed off, only to abruptly look at him again when she realized she did so. "Sorry. Mind if I still give my list a good look anyway, though?"
"Hey, go for it. If you think you'll find something that interests you more, I won't stop you, Akiko," Jomei encouraged. "Either way, I think I know who I'll put as my first choice. But hey, Kyoka, Denki – you guys have any ideas for your top picks yet?"
"Actually, yeah," Kyoka said. "I think I'm gonna intern under Death Arms."
Denki leaned in. "Is that because death metal is a thing or- ow!"
Reeling in the earphone jack that had jabbed him in the forehead, Kyoka sighed. "No Denki, that's not my reason for picking him. It's just that even though no one scouted me, I've got a good feeling about him. I don't keep up all that much with hero news, but I've seen enough about Death Arms to know that he's a really rockin' kinda guy. If there's anyone who I'd wanna roll with for a week to see how hero work gets done, I think it'd be him."
"Okay, well, then I've got my top pick too!" Denki declared, proudly holding up his list of offers with a single highlighted agency near the top of it. "Quantum Shinobi!"
"Who?" Kyoka deadpanned.
"Oh, come on, you've never heard of him? Everything you need to know about him is in his name alone – he's like a ninja with a sorta urban-techno hybrid vibe around him. Edgeshot might be the most famous pro out there who likes to look and act like a ninja, but Shinobi's awesome too."
"So you chose him just because he's cool," Kyoka pointed out.
"No! Well, kinda, but hear me out!" Denki defended, quickly catching on to Kyoka's amusement as he squirmed. "I'll admit I do wanna intern under Shinobi a little bit because he's cool, but I've also known for a long time now that he's a really combat-focused hero. If I want to be really useful in a fight and not have to rely on you guys and a lot of luck to survive like back at the USJ, I need to work with someone like him."
Jomei felt himself lean back. "Wow, that's…"
"Really well-reasoned of you, Denki," Akiko finished.
He scratched the back of his head, almost sheepish. "Yeah, well, between the four of us, I still feel like I'm the worst one in a real fight. I've gotta try and fix that somehow, right?"
"Right, but don't think you have to rush yourself." Kyoka grabbed her bag and started to walk away, undoubtedly hungry after half the day had already flown by. She stopped at the door and smirked over her shoulder. "Otherwise, I won't be able to pick on you for being incompetent ever again."
Denki growled and ran after her. "Oh come on Kyoka, quit messing with me!"
The quartet now whittled down to a duo once again, Jomei looked at Akiko with a silently amused look. While she prepared to put away her list of offers, she returned the gesture.
"Gotta love those two, eh? I don't know what it'd be like to come here every day and not have them around anymore."
"True," Akiko concurred. "Honestly, before the USJ attack I just thought that they'd be some acquaintances and not much else, but… crises do have a way of showing who a person really is deep down, and after seeing how hard they fought to save us from that rock villain… they're true friends. More than true friends, even. Maybe family."
"I'm with you one-hundred percent on that one, Akiko." His stomach growled. "So how about we go get lunch with them before it's too late?"
Akiko giggled shortly. "Sure. Sounds like a plan."
Despite a rather eventful start to their rainy day at school, as of lunchtime, the rest of their classes together proceeded as usual. As they'd come to expect, their lunchtime was occupied with no small number of conversational topics; music to history to fashion and more, nothing was off-limits. Spruce in the occasional comedic jab at Denki, which he would sometimes manage to muster a witty comeback to once in a blue moon, and that single hour they spent eating and talking felt like a foretelling of the normality the remainder of their time at U.A. would bring them. Indeed, aside from a few to-be-expected flirtatious innuendos Midnight threw towards the boys in Class 1-A to keep them on their toes during her lecture later in the day, not all that much had changed since everyone's list of offers had been handed out.
When the final bell of the day rang, Kyoka and Denki both made some rather quick exits. Kyoka evidently had some errands to run for her parents on her way home while Denki said that his own wanted him home as soon as possible to help with dinner. Both of them were sure to mention that they also wanted to give their lists another look – they may have chosen their top picks for a hero agency, but it didn't hurt to have some fallback options listed in case their main choice somehow fell through.
Thus, Jomei and Akiko then found themselves largely alone in the halls, their only form of company the occasional stay student or teacher who passed by. Since neither of them had any reason to hurry home, their walking pace petered out to a simple stroll out into the wide-open world. Given that Akiko was now rifling through her pages of offers, Jomei decided to bring back up a topic he'd rather easily let die earlier.
"So…" he started. "I see you're giving your list of offers another look. See anything that really interests you?"
"Not really…" Akiko confessed, lowering her list of offers. "There are some heroes in here that I recognize – Thirteen even sent me an offer – but I can't help but think that this Dawnbreaker person might actually be my best choice. Our best choice."
"I'll admit, I have a really good feeling about her," Jomei mentioned. "I'm only asking because I don't want you to feel like you've gotta intern with me. We're partners, yeah, but if you think you'd be better off learning how to rescue people with Thirteen, you can do that. Whatever you think will make you a better hero, in the end."
Akiko adjusted her bag so she could secure her papers inside. "That's just it, though. I think that this will make me a better hero, more than any other offer. Maybe she isn't the most traditionally 'heroic' hero out there, since she's evidently an ex-vigilante, but she must obviously be respected enough if she's ranked so highly. If only to find out what a vigilante-turned-pro from America is like, I think that spending a week with her is my best choice."
"So it turns out I'm just a bonus, then?" Jomei placed a hand over his heart and put on an annoying smirk. "I'm heartbroken, Akiko. Truly, I am."
She lightly slapped his shoulder; her crystal core colored a playful pink. "Oh, stop. You know it isn't like that. At any rate, I've already written her down as my top pick and have my other two sorted out in case she withdraws her offer for some reason. All that's left now is to turn in our papers later. If you're ready with your picks, anyway."
"Actually, I already made my other choices before, while you were still in line with Kyoka at lunch. Figured I might as well do it then and not have to worry about it later," Jomei explained, his smirk slowly turning into an openly happy smile. "I really am looking forward to this though. I'd be all for going it alone with Dawnbreaker, but pretty much anything's way more fun to do when you're around. Wonder why that is…"
Akiko blushed ever so slightly. "Thanks, Jomei."
"Now all we've gotta do is turn in our choices tomorrow and wait until these internships start." Jomei's hands flexed eagerly at his sides as another wandering teacher passed by. "It's got me all pumped up! A few days from now we'll both be working with an actual pro in action! Dawnbreaker, in Tokyo! It's gonna be great!"
The distinct jingle of twin spurs suddenly coming to a halt behind them caused Jomei and Akiko to stop dead in their tracks. They looked over their shoulders, only to find a Pro Hero they'd only encountered a handful of times doing the exact same thing. His face was obscured by his tan gas mask and high-collared red cloak, but the curious look that must have been on his face was conveyed easily enough through his tone.
"Now did I hear you right? You two plan on workin' with Dawnbreaker?" Snipe asked, and his shoulders jumped once with a short laugh before either of them could respond. "Heh. How about that? She's finally decided to take an interest in the next generation. Mighta saw it coming, but I'll be damned if it ain't a relief to hear she made some offers."
"Yeah, we do plan on interning together under her…" Akiko answered. "Why?"
"Yeah, what do you mean that she's finally decided to take an interest? Do you know her?" Jomei asked.
Snipe turned to fully face them. "As a matter of fact, I do. Dawnbreaker and I go way back, actually, so I know enough about her to be confident when I say you two musta done one helluva good job in that Sports Festival for her to make offers to both of you. I was on guard duty when it was going on and I ain't had enough time to look back at the results quite yet, but if she's reaching out for the first time to take on interns all because of that festival, you can bet your top dollar that you guys musta managed to impress her something fierce. She isn't the sort of person that's all that easily amazed by even U.A. students just showing off what they've managed to teach themselves over the years."
"She sounds intense…" Jomei murmured.
Snipe's head rolled from side to side noncommittally. "I suppose that's one way to describe her. I like to think of her as headstrong, but if you're worried she'll make Eraserhead look tame, don't be. She ain't heartless, it's just that she wants to see that people have some grit, gumption, and a decent enough head on their shoulders that they're worth her time. Outta everyone in the festival, you two must have shown her that you have those traits in spades. You'll probably get some good first impressions of her because of that, but don't either of you go thinkin' that how she acts around you makes her a pushover. She's a damn fierce fighter when the dice are down. I've seen that personally."
"So she was a vigilante in the past who at some point became a Pro Hero in Japan and knows you, but has never taken on interns before," Akiko thoughtfully summarized before turning slightly toward Jomei. "I think she sounds really interesting."
"That she is," Snipe opined.
"Then since we know so little about her, do you think you could tell us a little more about her?" Akiko asked. "Vigilantes are sometimes given a chance to start over and become pros, sure, but being given that chance is rare. Dawnbreaker must have been really special to have been allowed to start over, so… what's she like?"
Snipe's arm slithered out from his cloak so that he could hold up a hand. "Now that ain't a question I think I should answer. Between my surprise that she reached out to you and a little accidental hintin' on my part as to who she is at heart, I think I've already hyped her up enough without giving you any unnecessary expectations. If you two plan on interning with her, you'll have plenty of time to get a read on her personality firsthand."
"You're right. I'm sorry for prying," Akiko apologized with a slight bow.
"No apology necessary," Snipe waved off. "To be honest, if you guys weren't curious, I think I'd be a little concerned. The fact you're asking these kinds of questions is a good thing. Anyway, I was on my way to the teacher's lounge, and if you two have already set yourselves on workin' with Dawnbreaker, I can take your paperwork up to Eraserhead. Don't worry about second or third options – she wouldn't make an offer just to randomly take it back at the last second."
The pair proceeded to dig out their application forms and handed them off to Snipe. Once his only revealed hand had slid back into obscurity along with their papers into his cloak, he regarded Jomei and Akiko each with a respectful nod of his head and started to continue back the way they'd come. Still dazed from the sudden acceleration of events and the amplification of his intrigue concerning Dawnbreaker, it took Jomei a few seconds after Snipe started walking to find his voice again.
"Excuse me, Snipe?"
Snipe stopped. "Yeah?"
"Sorry to slow you down, but even if you can't tell us anything more about Dawnbreaker, could you tell us if we should act super professional around her, or…?" Jomei trailed off.
To his surprise, Snipe chuckled. "Kid, you don't have to worry about acting all prim-and-proper around Dawnbreaker. She saw something in the two of you, and honestly, putting on some fake mask around her would probably just piss her off. Show her a little respect and be yourselves, and you'll have no reason to worry."
"That's really helpful, actually. Thanks for the advice, sir," Jomei bowed.
With one last nod of approval, Snipe continued on his way and Jomei felt a wide smile tug on his lips. Snipe may not have revealed any earth-shattering revelations about Dawnbreaker in their brief exchange, but what he had told them was more than enough to make his excitement for the future skyrocket. Having been part of the police for longer than Jomei had been alive, Ayane had instilled in him the expectation that many vigilantes possessed the capacity for heroic or villainous deeds in equal amounts, so hearing that Dawnbreaker had been a vigilante once herself had been enough to pique his interest. Add in the implications about her personality that Snipe had instilled in him alongside the fact it seemed that only he and Akiko had been able to impress her, and Jomei would have to be as dense as a neutron star not to feel a little giddiness. Out of the dozens and hundreds of students that had taken part in the Sports Festival, it was they that had the privilege of an audience with Dawnbreaker – the pro that had never once taken on interns before them.
Jomei shook his head and his wide smile evolved into a toothy grin. He ran his hands through his hair, letting them fall like stones back to his sides when he looked at Akiko. Her smile was more subdued than his, but it was obvious that she wasn't anywhere close to immune to the anticipation that had infected him.
"So that happened," Jomei said.
"Yeah… I guess it did," Akiko agreed.
Jomei tried to reel in his reaction to no avail and instead ended up leading the two of them forward again with another disbelieving shake of his head. "I don't know if Snipe was trying to make Dawnbreaker seem even more awesome, but I swear, I don't think I could get any more excited at this point. I think waiting for the internship's going to be even harder than the buildup to the festival. At least then we had a lot of training sessions to pass the time, you know?"
"Definitely, but think of it this way – when the time comes that our internships do start, it'll be that much more exciting to see what Dawnbreaker's really like." Akiko held her head high, a renewed vigor in her step. "All this talk about our internships… it might only be for a week, but it feels like we're taking another huge step toward becoming pros. It's like all of our efforts so far are finally paying off. Better than I could have imagined, even."
"You sound as excited as I feel," Jomei half-teased.
"Well, it's hard not to be. In only a few days' time, we're going to be working with a Pro Hero in the flesh!" Akiko exclaimed, barely containing a small bounce of excitement as they kept moving. "It almost feels like a dream. Being accepted into U.A. with you, getting third place in the entire Sports Festival, all the internship offers we got… I've been unbelievably blessed, to be where I am now. Both of us are, I think."
Jomei's breath flowed in the form of a soft sigh out from his lips. "No arguments there. Next stop, Tokyo, Japan. It'll be… amazing."
"Right."
"Not as amazing as you, though," Jomei quipped.
Akiko quickly looked down and away from him. Her cheeks suddenly reddened and her crystal core betrayed her embarrassed, lovestruck feelings by shifting into a deep magenta to replace her typical violet. Jomei felt his heart soar when he saw the warm smile she tried and failed to hide when she tilted her head away, the sensation strong enough that referring to it as euphoric wouldn't be far from the truth. Throughout the day, they'd both earned a few more minor victories in the form of praise and the tangible fruits of their labors being presented to them in the form of internship offers, but to Jomei, it was Akiko's smile that easily outweighed all his other triumphs.
And so long as he could make sure she was loved, happy, and safe, he'd be content. No matter what happened when their internships finally started, no matter what trials they were set to face by the unseen hand of fate, he knew this to be true.
His hero name may have been Luminous, but it was Crystalarium that lit up his life.
Authors Note: Well then. That happened… and man was it satisfying. One of the first freakin' ideas I had set in stone for this fic were Jomei and Akiko's character concepts and hero names, so to finally reveal them is such a cathartic feeling. Add in the imminent reveal of Dawnbreaker (and maybe some other stuff), of which I also have had planned for months before I ever started writing WFAF, and this chapter is the single most hype thing I've written since some of the climactic moments of the Sports Festival. Every chapter gets more and more new and interesting and fun to write, and I hope it never stops. I also hope my writing continues to improve, of course!
At any rate, Dawnbreaker hype aside, I surprised even myself with how abruptly Akiko's scene in this chapter came into being. I always thought she'd be the kind of person to be good with kids even if she never really tries to be, so… then came along a nameless child who I then called Nami because references and her dad. I didn't mean for her scene this chapter to evolve into something so huge, but… it did. Don't regret it in the least. It was fun to write Akiko getting some praise from people other than her classmates, for once, even if they were random civilians.
Oh, and Snipe gets to show up again! No spoilers on if he does s'more stuff or if he's gonna go MIA for a little while now that he's sufficiently offered some insight into this oh so mysterious pro friend of his called Dawnbreaker, but I will say his inclusion in this chapter was unplanned. It worked though, so just like the first scene of this chapter, I kinda rolled with it. Next time, the quartet splits up for their internships and a not-so-subtly set-up character who was first mentioned in chapter 18 and conceptualized right after Jomei and Akiko is introduced! Stay healthy!