Chapter 16: What's In A Name?


This Monday morning was a rainy one. The clouds above were covered in dark clouds and rain poured, a contrast to the previous three sunny days of the Sports Festival. Ruby can say that she wasn't a fan. It's not that she didn't like rain, it just made her feel more lazy on a school day, especially since she'd be up early for class officer meetings. Nevertheless, she forced herself out of bed and got ready for school. This was going to be an important week, according to Aizawa three days ago, so she can't afford to sleep in.

Ruby heads over to the kitchen, where Yang and Tai were at, with the former making hot jianbing on the go for Ruby and Tai as she ate her own jianbing and the latter reading a magazine. The tv in the kitchen was on, showing the news. Ruby sniffs the air.

"Smells good, Yang," she said.

"Glad to hear. This is my third time making it," Yang said as she started to wrap their father's jianbing in a light yellow paper. "Dad taught me."

"After you've insisted on making it yourself," Tai said. "Qrow was her first guinea pig and he liked it okay."

Yang rolled her eyes. "I saw his face, Dad. It was too salty."

"Practice makes perfect, Yang. You'll do great," Tai insisted. "Maybe you should work part time at Archam's Treat."

"I don't think so," Yang dismissed, giving Tai his wrapped jianbing. "Do you realize how many blondes are working there? People would think I'm somehow related to the Arcs."

"You make it seem like it's a bad thing," Ruby joked. Yang chuckled and returned to her cooking. Ruby headed over to the cupboard to grab a glass before heading over to the sink to feel the glass with water. Once attaining her drink, she goes to take a sip.

{–an unfortunate end to the hero.}

Ruby lowered her cup. "Huh?" She looks over at the screen, seeing a photo of someone covered head to toe in armor. "Is that…Ingenium?"

{Three days ago, Turbo Hero: Ingenium was pursuing the villain, Hero Killer: Stain in Tokyo's Hosu Ward. During a confrontation, Ingenium was attacked by the Hero Killer in the afternoon. We were told by Team Iidaten that Ingenium is now in recovery. However, due to the severity of the attack, Ingenium was rendered paralyzed from the waist down, tragically ending his heroic career…}

The news anchor prattled on, but Ruby paid no heed anymore as her mind went elsewhere.

Ingenium…paralyzed? And he can no longer be a hero?

And Tenya! His brother! Was that why he was suddenly gone before the finals? Ruby hasn't heard from him since that day…is he doing okay?

Ruby pulls out her smartphone and turns it on. She heads to her messages to find her contact info of Tenya, under Class Prez Iida. Unfortunately, it was the message sent on the morning of the first day of the Sports Festival, left unread.

"Should I…text him?" Ruby wondered, her phone feeling heavy in her hand. After some mental debate, she decided to send Tenya a simple 'good morning' message, just to see if he'll respond. Once she pressed send, a delicious aroma filled her nose when Yang held out Ruby's jianbing to her, wrapped in a red paper.

"Here, Rubes," Yang said.

"Thanks, Yang," Ruby thanked, taking the jianbing out of Yang's hand…her prosthetic. A ping of anxiety, the kind Ruby hadn't felt in a long time, shot through her chest as she remembered the night Yang and Blake were attacked. She remembered being confused and scared. Did Tenya feel the same way when he got the news? Why didn't he say anything to anyone?

"Ruby?" Tai voiced, noticing Ruby's stiff posture. "Is everything okay?"

Ruby wanted to immediately say that she was okay, but a part of her told her not to lie, remembering when her classmates told her that keeping it in won't help. Conflicted, she found herself unable to speak. Something that Tai and Yang noticed. Tai gets up from the table and pulls Ruby in a half hug.

"Worried about Ingenium?" he asked.

"...Yeah," Ruby nodded, looking down at her jianbing. "And…I'm also worried about Iida. Tenya…Ingenium's brother."

"He's in your class, right?" Yang asked. Ruby nodded again.

"I…I'm not sure what I should say to him…" Ruby looks at her sister. "I…kinda understand what he could be going through, you know? I mean…it's still different, but…what should I do?"

Yang puts a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Just be you, little sis."

"Just…be me?" Ruby questioned, quizzically.

"Yep. Just be your kind and supportive self," Yang smiled, ruffling Ruby's hair, making her giggle. She then hands Ruby her Totoro backpack. "Now, get to school. And you better eat that while it's still hot. It's chilly outside from all this rain."

Ruby felt a smile spread on her face. "Okay!"


Still…she felt a little uneasy…


Ruby and Izuku find themselves in the train heading for UA. Ren wasn't there with them this time, though Jaune once told Ruby how Ren tends to be very drowsy during rainy days. It's possible that he may have slept in. But, that wasn't what worried her. She was still concerned about Tenya's situation and he has yet to answer her text since she came onto the train. Even Izuku wasn't so lucky.

"He's not responding to you either?" asked Ruby. Izuku shook his head.

"No…" he said, visibly worried. Like Ruby, he also heard about what happened to Ingenium.

"I'm worried," Ruby said.

"Me too," Izuku said. "I wish…that there is something I can do."

"Just…be yourself?" Ruby said, remembering Yang's words.

"Be myself?" Izuku asked, confused.

"That's what Yang told me to do when I asked her."

"Hm…"

"Hey." Izuku and Ruby turned to the unknown voice to see a businessman looking at them with recognition. "You two are Izuku Midoriya and Ruby Rose, right? From the Sports Festival?"

"Uhhh…"

"Yeah?" Ruby answered, feeling as uneasy as Izuku is at the moment.

"You two were amazing out there!" the businessman praised.

His flattering garnered the attention of the other passengers, who were previously tired from the early hour only to suddenly get a sense of adrenaline upon discovery they were sharing a train car ride with two of the top 8 students of the Sports Festival. The other passengers gather around Izuku and Ruby, speaking about their feats and even asking for an autograph.


The pair makes it to the school, shaking their umbrellas of the rainwater.

"Never thought we would be hounded for autographs," Ruby commented as she replaced her shoes in the cubby.

"All Might wasn't kidding when he said people from all over would be watching," Izuku said as he did the same.

"Yeah…" Ruby practically welts like a flower. "...No doubt, all those people saw me in my bra…"

Izuku looks over at the other cubbies, his eyes landing on one.

'Iida, Tenya'

He goes over to the cubby and opens it, to reveal that Tenya had already replaced his rain boots for his school slippers.

"Looks like Iida is here," Izuku said.

"That's…good?" Ruby said, unsure.

"Let's head over to the classroom."

"Yeah."

They hurried as best they could without breaking into a run to their classroom, deeply hoping to see their class representative. They made it there and opened the door. Momo was there, as well as Weiss and–

"Iida!"

"Hm? Oh, good morning, you two," the bespectacled young man greeted them…calmly. At least, too calm for Tenya Iida. And it slightly unnerved Ruby and Izuku.

"Um, good…morning?" Izuku said. "Iida, um…how are you doing?"

Tenya looked like he was taking a moment to ponder on that like it was a natural question at that moment.

Izuku sneaks a glance at Momo and Weiss. Both of the girls also looked worried for their class representative. He mouthed 'Ingenium' and they nodded, indicating that they have seen the news.

"Pretty good. All things considered," Tenya answered simply.

"Uh-huh. Uh, Iida…about the–"

"Midoriya, I know what you are going to ask me and you needn't worry," Tenya said calmly. Ruby felt it was the kind of calm that forewarned a disaster. Tenya gets up from his chair "My brother is alive and is being taken care of. Everything is fine. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to take these scripts back to the administration office before class starts for the day." He moves to leave the room and, well, the conversation.

Izuku, and Ruby, knew better.

They knew something was not right.

Ruby, unable to take this new mood from Tenya, finally decides to get to the point. "Iida, I…we know what happened to Ingenium." Tenya paused. "We're not gonna ask for details or anything, but please, know this: You can come to us." Tenya turns his head to look at her. "We're here for you like…like you guys were for me."

For a moment Tenya was expressionless, his glasses covered how his eyes looked at the moment, before looking at Ruby with a neutral look and simple smile.

"I thank you, Rose, but you needn't worry," Tenya said before turning back around.

"But–"

The door closed shut, preventing Ruby from speaking further.

Izuku watches as Ruby looks down in defeat. He glances over at Momo and Weiss, whom both bore concerned gazes.


It was probably a good thing Ren slept in on the class officer meeting when he did.

Because, the moment he stepped foot into the 1-A classroom with Tenya inside, Ren's face went pale and immediately bolted out, much to Nora's worry and Ochako's concern.

The infinity girl, like most of the class, has become aware of what happened to Ingenium and was immediately worried because of Ren's reaction. It reminded her of the USJ Incident, where he was overwhelmed by all the different emotions in one location.

Whatever emotions Tenya may be feeling now, it was enough to make Ren unwell…and Ruby was starting to feel it too…

And it made things all the more worrisome.

This feeling…Ruby could feel her heart palpitating fast, to the point that all she could hear was her own heartbeat…

*BA-BUMP**BA-BUMP**BA-BUMP*

At some point, Ruby swore she heard another heartbeat in conjunction with her own…she swore could hear someone breathe in and breathe out…

*BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP*

Breathed in…and breathed out…

*BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP**BA-(BA-BUMP)-BUMP*

The feeling…it felt alien…and yet familiar…and Ruby didn't like it…

Not one bit.

Ruby gasped when a hand clasp on her shoulder. She whips her head up to see the concerned eyes of Jaune Arc. She tries to muster up a smile, to tell him that she's okay now.

Thankfully, some of the students decide to break the tension.

"Hey, has anyone else been stopped on their way here?" Mina asked. Nora at this point was able to get Ren back in the classroom. "I had people staring at me!"

"Yeah! Me too!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"I had so many eyes on me, it was so embarrassing," Hagakure said.

"Speak for yourself. I had little kids make fun of me," Sero frowned. "Having the people in the stadium trying to make me feel better was all well and good, but little kids are a different story. They can be evil little gremlins."

"It's crazy just how after just one day, we're in the spotlight," Kaminari said. "Kinda like the USJ."

"Yeah!" Nora said.

The classroom door opens again and Aizawa and Pyrrha enter, the former free of his casts and face bandages, though Aizawa still has remnants of his own bandages under his sleeves, meaning he was still recovering.

"Morning," Aizawa said in his usual dry tone.

"Good morning, everyone!" Pyrrha said with more cheer.

"Good morning!"

Everyone barely registered Tenya's more quiet tone.

"Awww…so Mr. Yagi was telling the truth," Nora muttered under her breath.

"Ribbit? Mr. Aizawa, are you all better?" Tsuyu asked, noticing the casts were gone. "I'm glad."

"The old woman went overboard with her treatment," Aizawa said.

"Overboard?" Ruby wondered skeptically. "Jaune told me that Mr. Aizawa was beaten to a pulp by that big, brain monster. I don't think Recovery Girl was going overboard."

"More importantly," Aizawa continued, "remember what I said a couple days ago about this week? We're having a special hero informatics class today."

Dread spread throughout the class.

"Here it is!"

"Special? I hope it's not a pop quiz…" Kaminari prayed.

"I'm terrible at hero law stuff…" Kirishima lamented.

"Please tell me it doesn't involve big crowds…" Ruby dreaded.

"Code names," Aizawa said.

Pyrrha smiled. "You will be coming up with your hero names today."

"YES! Something exciting!" Everyone cheered, practically jumping out of their seats. They were quickly silenced by Aizawa's eyes flashing red and his hair floating.

"...This is related to another topic, the hero drafts," Aizawa said, his eyes going back to normal and his hair falling back down. "It usually begins with second and third years, because they have more experience at that point. The fact that they are now extending that to you first years shows that they are interested in your future potential."

"However, these offers are often canceled if that interest dies down by graduation," Pyrrha said.

Ochako raises her hand. "So, we're gonna have to prove ourselves once we're picked, right?"

"That's right," Aizawa confirmed. He hands Pyrrha a remote. "Nikos."

Pyrrha nodded. "Yessir." She holds out the remote to the blackboard and presses a button. "Here are the totals for those with offers."

[Class A No. of Offers]

Todoroki: ========================================= 4123

Bakugo: =================================== 3556

Schnee: ================================ 3238

Tokoyami: === 360

Iida: === 301

Ruby: == 284

Kaminari: == 272

Yaoyorozu: = 108

Kirishima: 68

Uraraka: 20

Sero: 14

Midoriya: 1

"In other years, it's been more spread out, but all eyes were on these three this year," Aizawa said, gesturing to the top 3 on the list.

"That's a huge difference!" Kaminari exclaimed.

Jiro was the first to notice something. "Todoroki's first and Bakugo's second?"

"It's like the complete opposite of their placement in the festival," Jaune said.

Sero smirked. "Probably because everyone was too scared to ask for a guy who was snarling and restrained like a wild animal on the podium."

"What're the pros scared of?!" Bakugo growled angrily.

Weiss didn't seem thrilled about the amount of offers given to her. Ruby, on the other hand, looked surprised by her own amount of offers.

"...That's more than what I expected," she said.

"What were you expecting?" Tokoyami asked.

"...I don't know. Maybe…283 less?" Ruby said bashfully.

"No way, Ruby!" Nora said. "You went toe-to-toe with Todoroki! You earned that! I say you should've had more."

"If that's how you feel, though, maybe you can switch out with Midoriya since he has only one," Mineta said, pointing at the board.

Ruby looks back to see Izuku in a daze and realizes that Mineta was right. Izuku only had one offer.

"What? But…why? Midoriya was in the top 4 at the Sports Festival!" she marveled in disbelief.

"It's probably because people were scared of how crazy he was fighting," Mineta surmised, visibly shaken up by the memory. "I mean… why would anyone want a guy who'd destroy their own body like that?"

Ruby wanted to disagree, but came upon a realization. She knew why Izuku did what he did, and why it happened, but what about everyone else? To other people, he really was crazy enough to hurt himself like that to fight a strong opponent.

"...You know what, Midoriya? I think he has a point."

Izuku looked like he agreed, likely coming to the same, if not similar, conclusion as her.

"Yeah…"

"Keeping these results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros," Aizawa said. This surprises everyone. Internships…? "At the USJ, you've all already experienced combat against real villains, but it will still be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand."

"So, that explains the hero names," Satou said, feeling excited again. Nora looked just as enthused.

"I can't wait!"

"Well, those hero names will still be temporary," Aizawa said. "But if you're not serious about it–"

The door opens.

"–there will be hell to pay later!" Nemuri exclaimed as she came in. "Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognized by society, and they end up becoming professional hero names."

"Midnight!"

"Well, that's how it is," Aizawa said. He reaches into his teaching podium and takes out his sleeping bag. "So, Midnight is here to make sure your names are okay because I can't."

"Why?" Ruby wondered.

"When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you can get closer to it," Aizawa said.

"Take our dear Pyrrha Nikos here," Nemuri said, gesturing to the girl. "She's originally from Greece, a place that many have considered to be the land of ancient heroes."

"So, I chose a name that not only represents my homeland, but to honor one of Greeces many mythic heroes that inspired me, Achilles," Pyrrha explained. "I wanted to be a strong hero who could overcome many obstacles, like the likes of Achilles, Perseus, and Odysseus."

"Whoa…" Jaune muttered in awe. The others could agree.

"And this is what it means when they say, 'Names and natures do often agree.'" Aizawa said. "A name like 'All Might' is another example."

Small whiteboards and black markers are being handed around the class. Ruby stared at her own blank whiteboard.

"My hero name…I haven't really thought about it…" she thought. She looks at Pyrrha. "Pyrrha Nikos…her hero name is Achillea…it certainly sounds like a hero name worthy of those Greek myths…like a fairytale…" Something clicks. "Fairytale…"


{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Tenya Iida

Quirk: Engine

"Gives him car-like engines in each of his calves, giving him incredible running speed and extreme kicking power."

Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student

Birthday: 8/22 (Leo)

Height: 179 cm

Blood Type: A

Likes: Studying, Beef Stew

Color: Indigo (4B0082)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Ruby Rose

Quirk: Petal Burst

"She can burst into a swarm of rose petals and move at high speeds."

Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student

Birthday: 10/31 (Scorpio)

Height: 162 cm

Blood Type: O

Likes: Support Equipment, Support Engineering, Sweets, Strawberries

Color: Haute Couture (A52228)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}


Several, quiet minutes passed. The only sound in the classroom was Aizawa's soft snores.

"Okay," Nemuri said, breaking the silence. "Let's start presenting names by seat assignment."

"We're presenting these?!"

The first to come up was Aoyama, who chose the name 'the Shining Hero: I Can Not Stop Twinkling'. A mouthful, to say the least. And very weird. Which Nemuri agreed as she stepped in and advised Aoyama to take out 'I' and use 'Can't' instead, which made it a little more palatable. Mina was next and she originally wanted to use 'Alien Queen', which definitely fit her aesthetics, but Nemuri didn't like it and wanted her to change it, which would later be 'Pinky.' Coming up next is Tsuyu, who came up with the first normal hero name, the 'Rainy Season Hero: Froppy.' Weiss was next and she chose–

"...Your first name?" Nemuri questioned, looking at the katakana on Weiss' whiteboard.

"...I couldn't think of anything," she admitted, a light blush on her face from embarrassment.

"Well, that's okay. You're free to change it later if you wish," Nemuri assured. Weiss nodded and returned to her desk.

Tenya was next…who also decided to go with his first name. The sight made Ruby feel more anxious. Moving right along and Ochako was next with her choice 'Uravity' and Ojiro then comes up with the 'Martial Arts Hero: Tailman.' Next was Nora…

"Bow down to the might of Queen Thora!" Nora declared, flexing her bicep. Bakugo nearly snapped his marker in two from her playful declaration.

"Sounds powerful!" Nemuri exclaimed. It did make Mina a little more upset that she couldn't use her original idea.

Feeling a little better with their choice making, Kaminari chose to go by the 'Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt' and Kirishima going with the 'Sturdy Hero: Red Riot' in honor of the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot. Ren was next…

"Lotus," was all he said. Ruby swore he still looked a little green.

They continued onward.

Koji Koda, the Petting Hero: Anima

Rikido Satou, the Sweets Hero: Sugarman

Mezo Shoji, the Tentacle Hero: Tentacole

Kyoka Jiro, the Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack

Hanta Sero, the Taping Hero: Cellophane

Fumikage Tokoyami, the Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi

Shouto Todoroki…Shouto, albeit with different kanji

Toru Hagakure, the Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl

Jaune Arc…

"Lothaire," he announced, showing his hero name to the class.

"Oooh. An interesting choice," Nemuri asked. "May I ask why?"

"I came from a long line of heroes," Jaune said. "My father and his father and his father…I just…wanted to make them proud." He sees Ruby smiling at him and smiled back. He knew that Ruby already knows his reasoning.

Tenya kept his eyes on his whiteboard, lying down on his desk and baring his name instead of the name…his brother had passed on to him…He had an unseen pained look in his eyes, shielded by his glasses.

"So sweet! I'm loving this! We're almost done, so let's continue on!" Nemuri declared. It's a wonder Aizawa hadn't woken up yet from this.

It's further impressive when the next one comes up, Katsuki Bakugo, who was insistent on having the word 'Murder' in his hero name, King Explosion Murder. Then…it was finally Ruby's turn.

"Okay, Rose. You're up," Nemuri said.

Ruby takes a deep breath and gets up and heads to the front. She felt a little uneasy, but it was mostly due to everyone looking at her now.

"...I'll admit, I didn't put much thought into hero names. I think it's because I focused on the naming of my support equipment more…" Ruby said. "...Everyone has such amazing choices…they were very inspirational…And it reminded me of my sister, some of you all know as Sunburst, a provisional hero from this school. By the way, she's doing okay." Tenya finally looks in her direction. "...It further reminded me of the stories she used to tell me as a kid, of heroes and villains and people who fought for justice…"

Ruby then recalled everything that had happened up to this point, from the good…and the bad: All the way back to when her mom died, her father's depression, Qrow's struggles, Yang's injury, Blake being gone, the USJ attack, Aizawa hurt, Toshinori's wellbeing, Todoroki's hardships, and now…Ingenium and Tenya…

"...Mr. Aizawa was right when he said real life isn't a fairytale…and that's why I want to become a hero…to make happily-ever-afters a reality!" Ruby turns her board around to reveal her hero name. "And I'll do it as the underground Fairytale Hero: Roslein Ryder!"

Everyone in the classroom was silent, looking at Ruby with a marveled look. It was starting to make Ruby nervous.

"Did I…say something wrong?"

Nemuri finally spoke. "Rose that…honestly sounds childish."

"Ch-Childish?"

"Not in a bad way. What I should've said was that it sounded simple and innocent," the R-Rated Hero exclaimed.

"Yeah! It's really good, Rose!" Kirishima said.

Weiss smiled for the first time that day. "It honestly sounds just like you." That made Ruby smile happily. Many of the others nodded in agreement, Izuku being among them.

"Rose wanted to follow her mom's footsteps," Izuku thought. He looks down at his whiteboard. "As for me…"

"You're up, Midoriya," Nemuri said when Ruby returned to her seat.

When Izuku presented his hero name, everyone wasn't sure at first, even Ruby. But, Izuku had someone – a certain, rosy cheeked infinity girl – help him saw a different side to a name that was always used to put him down, to remind him that he was defenseless and worthless…but not anymore…it will become a name of a hero that never gives up…a hero who would do everything in his power to protect the people he cares about.

A hero named 'Deku.'


To close this out, Mineta and Momo show their hero names, the 'Freshly-Picked Hero: Grape Juice' and the 'Everything Hero: Creati' respectively.


Fast forward to lunch and everyone is looking over their lists of choices for their internships, even the ones who didn't get offers, with their lists consisting of 40 trusted agencies for them to choose.

"Really? No one knows who Gran Torino is?" Izuku asked in disbelief.

Ochako shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Sorry, Deku."

"I'm more surprised that you don't know, Midoriya," Tsuyu said.

"What about you, Rose?" Izuku asked. The girl took a moment to think.

"...I have a feeling I might know but…I don't know where…" Ruby said, struggling to remember.

Izuku sighs, taking a mental note of asking Toshinori. Maybe he might know something.

Ruby groaned in frustration. "Why did I have to get over 200 offers…"

"You stood out pretty hard out there, Ruby," Jaune said, having his seat next to Ruby. "It shouldn't be that surprising."

"He's right," Weiss said, poking her fork in her vegetarian lunch. Ruby noticed the low mood she was in again.

"Is everything okay, Weiss?" she asked.

Weiss sighed. "It's just that…a lot of the heroes on my list are affiliated with my father…"

"Oh…So…what are you gonna do?"

"I think I'm going to go have a call with my sister to see if she'll give me advice on it," Weiss said, rising from her seat.

"Sister…Regina Ice, right?" Izuku asked.

"Yep. I'll see everyone back in class."

Ruby nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"Do you have anyone who might , Ruby?" Ochako asked.

"Hmmm…I don't know…I don't think anyone here is an underground hero," Ruby said.

"Do they have to be underground heroes?" Tsuyu asked.

Ruby shrugged. "I feel they should be. And…if I were to pick a hero to be interning for it'd be…"

"...Who?" Tsuyu urged calmly. But, Ruby shakes her head.

"Going through the list, I'm surprised by this one offer. I definitely wasn't expecting this…"

"Who is it?" Ochako asked.

"Hawks."

"The No. 3 hero?!" Izuku exclaimed.

"I know, right?! What did I do to get his attention?" Ruby questioned. She puts her head in her arms. "I don't know what to do…Maybe Midoriya and I should switch…"

"I don't think that's allowed."

"Salutations, my fellow schoolmates," Penny greeted, walking by with her lunch tray in hand, containing a plate of salad with a sliced boiled egg, some diced onions and mangoes, and a side bowl of sweet potato.

"Oh. Hey, Polendina!" Ochako greeted back.

"Are you all talking about the internships?" Penny asked.

"Yeah, we are. Did it happen to your class too?"

"Oh, yes, we had the same discussion," Penny nodded. "Ms. Midnight came by to approve our hero names as well."

"Can you tell us your hero name, Polendina?" Izuku asked, curious to know.

"Can you?" Ruby asked, invested.

"Well, if you really wanna know! I'm the Puppeteer Hero: Marionetta!" Penny smiled brightly.

"That's so cute!" Ochako gushed.

"Thank you!"

"So…how many offers did you get, Polendina?" Izuku asked.

"I think it was about…4092," Penny answered with a straight face.

"That's almost as much as Todoroki!"

"And…who did you pick in the end?" Ruby asked, slightly overwhelmed.

"I knew who I was going to pick from the very beginning," Penny said. "The General Hero. Right now, he's stationed at Hosu City."

The mention of the city caught Tenya's attention.

"Do you know of any other hero stationed there, Polendina?" he asked her. This whole time, he had been silent, up until now. Ruby and Izuku watched him carefully.

Penny thought for a moment. "Let's see…there's Native, Manual, and…Oh! And the Nightmare Hunter!"

"Nightmare Hunter?" Izuku questioned.

"I believe they're an underground hero, like your homeroom teacher."

"An underground hero…do you have someone like that on your list, Ruby?" Jaune asked.

Ruby scans through her list. She sighs in defeat. "No…"

"So, Tenya, what hero name did you pick?" Penny asked Tenya.

"...Tenya."

Penny blinked owlishly. "You're…first name?"

Tenya nodded. "Yes." He rises from the table. "It was nice to see you again, Polendina, but I must go."

Penny looked sad but smiled anyway. "O-Oh…see you later…"

A worried Ruby watched Tenya leave the cafeteria, as did Penny. Ruby noticed how Penny changed her smile into a crestfallen frown. Ruby gets up and walks over to her.

"Hey, Polendina?"

"Hm?"

"Can we talk?"


"You've heard about Ingenium?" Ruby asked Penny out in the hall, the same hall where Ruby and Weiss were at when the barrier was breached.

Penny nodded. "Of course." She looks out a nearby window. "Everyone has heard about what happened at this point. Everyone is talking about how tragic it is that such a young hero is forced to step down from doing what he loved. I can't help but wonder how Ingenium feels…how his family feels…how Tenya feels…"

There was something about Penny's tone and expression that made Ruby feel that there was something more going on between Tenya and Penny.

"You…really care for Ingenium and Iida, huh?" said Ruby.

Penny gives a soft smile. "I do…and do you want to know why?" Ruby nodded. "...It's because Tenya and I knew each other as kids."

"Really?"

"It was at a hospital and we were around 10-years-old," Penny recounted. "He accidentally broke his leg and I was recovering from an accident. We talked and spent time together for about a year. Unfortunately, he and I went separate ways. But, a year later after that, we reunited at Somei Academy."

"Wow, that's…that almost sounds like what happened between me and Midoriya," Ruby said.

"Really? You two met in a hospital too?" Penny asked.

"N-No. Not like that. He and I met at a park in our last year in middle school and we really only hung out together for one afternoon and…well…" Ruby still remembered that fateful day. "...we hadn't seen each other again for nearly a year. About two months ago, I think."

Penny looked shocked. "Really? But the way you two acted…as if you've been friends for years."

"Really? I guess we really hit it off then…"

"Friends are an amazing thing…are they?" Penny mused. "I didn't have a lot of friends, so I appreciate the ones I have now. You, Izuku, and Tenya…I wish…I want to be there for Tenya…"

"...Yeah…me too…" Ruby holds out her pinky to Penny, who stares at it curiously. "Let's make a promise to support Iida during this difficult time in his life."

Penny gasped. "Is this…yubikiri?"

"Y-Yubikiri?" Ruby asked nervously. And why wouldn't she be? The word itself means 'finger cut-off' in English.

"A sacred signifying of a promise. I see…this is a serious matter, after all. So, we must make a serious promise!" Penny said, suddenly very spirited, back to her bubbly self. "You're so smart, Ruby!"

"Uh…sure," Ruby said, befuddled and still holding out her pinky. "To be honest, there wasn't much thought into the meaning of it…I just thought it was a good idea…"

"Okay…" Penny hooks her pinky to Ruby's. "I think it goes like this…Pinky swear, ten thousand punches, whoever lies will be made to swallow a thousand needles!"

"Swallow a thousand needles?!" Ruby thought.

Unaware of Ruby's mild horror of the vow, Penny lets go and goes to clap her hands with absolute glee. "My first pinky promise! This is so much fun!"

Ruby stared at her pinky. "...I don't know if I should be regretting this…"

"Ruby!" Penny flashes her a smile while making a peace sign. "Let's work together!"

Penny's mannerism…reminded Ruby of the old Tenya…the Tenya she missed. The Tenya everyone else misses too.

"...Let's," Ruby nodded.

"Ruby Rose?" Ruby turns around to see Pyrrha coming up to her. "Do you have a moment?"

"Uh, yeah. What is it?" Ruby asked.

"You're needed in the Administrations Office," Pyrrha said. "Ozpin and All Might wants to speak with you."


Next Chapter: La Cazadora


And here we are with the RWBY group's hero names!

Honestly, the hardest one to pick was Ren. In the end, I chose a simple one. Nora's was almost too easy. Jaune's hero name took some research involving Joan of Arc. Ruby's was the most fun. I do have something in mind for Weiss, you'll just have to wait and see.

And Tenya is so not okay.