"Uraraka, Midoriya…I'm afraid I must cut out ahead of schedule. My brother was attacked by a villain."

I think I said something like that to them. The next hour is a complete blur. Details dissolve together. I remember the train vaguely, the news that the Sports Festival's winner was Bakugou on the screens, Midoriya's worried text messages. But nothing in it is really concrete until the moment I arrived at the Hospital.

"BROTHER!" I threw open the door to the Hospital room as I searched for Tensei desperately among the beds of operatives.

"Tenya, keep it down," came Mother's voice from behind me. "And wear a mask."

I didn't register her words. The doctors' voices were all I could understand.

"The anesthesia just wore off. He opened his eyes, but he's still out of it. Had the surgery been delayed by two minutes, it would've been too late."

He was in a half body cast, a breathing tube on his mouth, a cap on his head. I could not recognize the strong, confident man who had inspired my dream…I had looked past him at first, convinced it was somebody else…

"teeny…" he breathed out. "Mother…My amazing little brother…I know you look up to me, so…I'm sorry, Tenya. Your big brother…I lost."

My eyes blurred with tears and nothing else seemed to be real anymore.

We had the next day off of school. I arrived back on Campus, dressed for the rain. I found Midoriya walking slowly.

"This is no time for an idle stroll!" I called out to him. "We'll be late! Good morning, Midoriya."

"Late?" he cried. "But we've got five minutes before the first bell."

"The students of UA make it a point to arrive ten minutes early," I reprimanded him.

We reached our lockers and I heard him - no, sensed him, though he wasn't speaking - about to ask me.

"You needn't worry about my brother." I put on my fake smile. "I apologize if he or I caused you any undue concern."

I turned away as quickly as possible, because in front of Midoriya it was difficult to hold for too long.

Everyone in class was talking about the way people had recognized us after the Sports Festival on TV.

The open door, however, announced the arrival of our sensei. Now, he was bandage-free.

"Good to see your bandages off, Mr. Aizawa!" said Asui.

"The old lady's treatment was excessive," he muttered. "But never mind that. Today we've got Hero informatics class. And a special one at that. You'll be coming up with your hero aliases."

My classmates jumped from their seats, absolutely thrilled.

"HOW AWESOME! TIME TO SHINE!"

At Mr. Aizawa's steely look, they all shut up and sat back down.

"But first, concerning the pro draft picks I mentioned the other day. It's based on who the pros think will be ready to join the workforce after another two or three years of experience. So you could say that it's a way for them to show interest in your futures. But there's ample time for their interest to wane before you graduate. And any and all offers can be arbitrarily revoked. It happens quite often."

"So if we're picked now, that just means there'll be higher hurdles in the years to come!" declared Hagakure.

"Yes. Now, here're the complete draft pick numbers."

He clicked a button and results popped up on the board. Up top were Todoroki, Bakugou, Tokoyami, and myself in fourth place. A far lower position than I had aspired to. How disappointing.

Uraraka, behind me, grabbed my shoulders and began shaking me back and forth in delight.

"People WANT us!" She was so humble about herself, thrilled to have even this much.

"With that settled," said Mr. Aizawa, "you will all have a chance to work alongside the pros. It's true that you all have already experienced more than most, but seeing the pros in action and taking part yourselves will still be worthwhile training."

"That's where our hero names come in!" said Sato

"This is getting really fun!" smiled Uraraka.

"They're only tentative, but you still want to pick something appropriate…"

"Or else you'll know true hell!" interrupted Mis Midnight, striding into the room. "The name you pick now may be what the world ends up calling you. That's happened to plenty of pros out there."

"Yes, true enough. And midnight here will be assessing the sensibility of the names you pick. I'm no good at that. What future do you see for yourself? The name you choose will bring you ever closer to cementing a certain image, because names are capable of reflecting one's true character. Like All Might."

Everyone got to writing. I couldn't bear it. Couldn't bear to put the pen to the paper and write it down.

"Tenya…Yesterday, I didn't quite know how to break this to you, but I've lost all feeling in my legs."

"What? No way!"

"My life as a hero, as Ingenium…it's over, I think."

"No! You still have so many people to lead and inspire, brother!"

"I don't like it either. So if you're willing. My name. Inherit my mantle."

I began to write it. The first kanji for "Ingenium". But I stopped. I couldn't go on.

No. Not yet. I'm not worthy yet.

My classmates were presenting their names, one after another. Uraraka chose "Gravity", Todoroki his first name "Shoto." The latter gave me an idea. The only way to keep from disgrace.

"Tenya."

"You're using your real name too?"

For now.

After class, Aizawa handed out lists of potential internships. "They start in a week. For this all-important decision, I'll be handing out personalized lists to those who were drafted. You may choose from among those who scouted you. For those who were not drafted, the list I just passed out contains 40 agencies from all over the country willing to accept interns. You will choose one from that list. Each has a different specialty and region. Give your choice some real thought."

I looked over the list of offers for me, a long one from my work at the Sports Festival. One name jumped out to me. Not because it was a Pro I'd ever heard of; not because it was a pro whose agency specialized in my field. But because it was an agency in Hosu City.

The place where the Hero Killer attacked Tensei. And based on his patterns, he's not done with that place yet.