Chapter 18: What's in a Name?
Summary:
Class 1-A picks some Hero names, and decides their destinations
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
When Izuku and Momo arrived at U.A., rain was pouring down. It was fitting, given the sour mood they were in, that Tenya would be in…
"What do we do?" Izuku asked, uncertain about how to go about this.
"Well, there's a chance that Iida-kun will not attend today," Momo replied. "He may need more time to recover from such a devastating loss…"
"I don't think Iida would do that," Izuku shook his head. "On a positive side, coming here may offer a relief from an oppressive mood back at home. Though, he may also feel that it's his duty to come here even if he'd be better off trying to recover from this shock."
Momo frowned, "I suppose I don't have the experience in handling something like this…"
"Be open. Don't force anything," En responded. "Reach out your hand. Be prepared for him not to take it."
Izuku looked at Momo, who nodded and replied, "Thank you Rokubou-san."
"Please call me by my Hero name," En replied.
"What is your Hero name, Rokubou-san?" Momo asked.
"En," En replied as Izuku rolled his eyes.
"... I walked into that one," Momo said mournfully.
Izuku wanted to laugh and say that this was why En had taken an elder brother-like role in the family dynamic that One for All's vestiges provided for him. But that reminded him of when he met Tensei Iida at Momo's estate and saw how he and Tenya interacted, and it hurt to think of that.
That line of thought died as Tenya approached them, wearing a poncho, looking dazed. Izuku approached him, "Iida-kun… It's good to see you."
Iida nodded and smiled, "Likewise, Midoriya-kun. Congratulations on winning first place. I hope you enjoyed your days off."
Izuku frowned at the subdued response. It wasn't a good sign, but it was to be expected. "I want you to know that if you need help with anything, anything at all, please come to me, Yaomomo, anyone in class, anyone at all. We're all here for you."
Tenya bowed, "I appreciate your concern. For now, I am coping about as well as I could. We should get ready for class…" With that, he had dutifully changed out of his raincoat and shoes and headed for the classroom.
"He's planning something," Isamu said.
What? Izuku asked.
"Back when Chief and I were freedom fighters, trying to stop All for One's reign of terror, I saw a lot of people lose their loved ones. They reacted in numerous ways. I think I've seen every possible reaction," Isamu said.
"You were always better at recognizing that headcase crap than I was," Ryouji said fondly.
"Mm. It seems like he's just going through the motions, but when someone does that, there are two major ways that typically manifests. You either get people who shut down, and just barely hang in there, or you get people who plot out their personal quest for vengeance. Iida got a look in his eyes that makes me think it's the latter," Isamu finished.
Well, that's not good , Izuku said.
"It isn't," Momo agreed.
"Not at all," Ochako chimed in.
"Nope," Mei added.
"No, ribbit," Tsu concluded.
Izuku blinked. Was that broadcast to everyone?
"I thought it was important. Should I have made it private?" Isamu asked casually.
Frowning, Izuku said, No, I just didn't realize it was public. God, One for All is infuriating sometimes.
"Tell me about it," came the voices of the vestiges and the bonded.
"It's good to see that, thus far, you all have taken Nezu's lesson on op-sec well," Eraserhead said to the class as the last students entered the room. "Today's going to be focused on a special Hero Informatics course, but first, we need to show you the offers you received.
"You should be aware that the number of offers you received is highly unusual. First year students rarely, if ever, get offers in the hundreds. Your year, in contrast, had offers similar to those of third year students. And like those third year students, there is a large gap between the finalists and everyone else," Eraserhead then pulled aside the whiteboard to reveal the numbers.
Midoriya Izuku: 4,873
Ochako Uraraka: 670
Iida Tenya: 296
Momo Yaoyorozu: 272
Tsuyu Asui: 184
Eijiro Kirishima: 92
Ibara Shiozaki: 69
Mina Ashido: 17
Pony Tsunotori: 15
Itsuka Kendo: 3
Fumikage Tokoyami: 1
There was a collective gasp. Denki shouted out, "Way to wreck the curve, Midoriya!"
Izuku was speechless, looking at the number following his name in disbelief.
Momo sighed in relief, "It appears that my performance in the second round offset my loss in the third."
"For those who haven't received offers, or if your offered internships cannot suit your needs, U.A. has partnered with forty Hero Agencies to provide you with experiences," Eraserhead explained. "And for that, you're going to need Hero names."
He paused as the class exploded in cheers. Eraserhead silenced them with the use of his Quirk. Once they were settled, he continued, "Now, these names are intended to be temporary, but you had better be careful in choosing them-"
"Or there'll be hell to pay!" Midnight burst into the classroom, posing sensually as she always did.
"Does she ever stop?" Yoichi asked tiredly from within Izuku's head.
"I'm absolutely terrible at Hero names. I was struggling with my own before Present Mic gave me mine," Eraserhead said. "Therefore, I'm going to use the opportunity to take the nap I so desperately need."
"Aizawa is actually a prime example of why you need to be careful when choosing a Hero name. Especially for this class, media attention may be on you even now. The name you choose may be the name you're stuck with for your career," Midnight said.
As they worked on their names, Izuku puzzled over the ideas he'd had after contemplating his wordplay. He was rather proud of it. Once that was done, they began to show off, according to seat order.
Unfortunately, Mina was first and her choice of "Ripley Hero: Alien Queen" got a hard rejection by Midnight.
"C'mon, it's been two hundred years and change, the copyright has lapsed!" Mina tried to argue.
"Do you really want to be associated with a villain? It could work if you were trying to be a more edgy hero," Midnight said.
Mina pouted, "Yeah, I'll leave that to the TokoYanagi duo. Anyone have any suggestions?" Both Fumikage and Reiko glared at her, blushing faintly.
"You've got horns, how about Horny?" Eijiro suggested, using the English word, causing Pony to just about die laughing. Once she explained what that meant, the boy's face turned as red as his hair.
"Maybe… Venus?" Ochako offered. As everyone stared, she said, "Well, the surface of Venus constantly rains acid, it would fit with the 'alien' aesthetic, and Venus was also the god of love and beauty to the Romans, so…" she explained, feeling very self-conscious. At the stares, she muttered, "I like space, okay?"
"Are Mido's mumbles contagious?" Denki asked, which earned him a poke from Jiro's jacks.
Izuku, for his part, looked at Ochako with complete and utter adoration, which just increased her blushing.
Mina, for her part, had stars in her eyes, "That's PERFECT!" she said, erasing and rewriting her whiteboard to read "Acid Hero: Venus". Midnight gave her a thumbs up, to which Mina said, "Thanks, Occhan!"
The high mood continued when Tsu presented "Rainy Season Hero: Froppy", which delighted the class. When Iida came up, however, he'd only written his first name.
"Are you sure?" Midnight asked, looking concerned. Izuku remembered Tenya mentioning that she was friends with Ingenium and that they knew each other. This must have been hard on her as well.
"I don't have a name that I feel comfortable taking just yet," Tenya replied.
Izuku studied his friend's face. Isamu-ji-san, your thoughts?
"He's got that hard look again. There's probably a double meaning behind what he just said," Isamu responded. "Spitballing here, his brother probably asked him to take his own Hero name and he doesn't feel worthy of it. Problem is, what's he gonna do to make himself worthy?"
Izuku didn't like any of that, but focused. He applauded when Ochako offered "Floating Hero: Uravity" for her Hero name. Denki followed up with "Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt", which was also approved. Eijiro's choice of "Sturdy Hero: Red Riot" sparked some discussion about naming oneself after a prior Hero.
One of the reasons I chose to forego using "Might" in my name, Izuku thought to himself. Luckily, no one in his head commented.
The next few names went with little fanfare. Itsuka chose "Hand-to-Hand Hero: Battle Fist", Koji chose "Petting Hero: Anima", Yui chose "Size Hero: Rule", and Kinoko chose "Forest Witch Hero: Shemage".
The next name was a point of contention, as Ibara chose to call herself "the Flagellation Hero: Maria".
"I'm aware that your religion is a source of pride and comfort to you, but are you certain you wish to invite comparison to the mother of your God?" Midnight asked.
At that, Ibara frowned. "I will need to think on this," she said as she returned to her seat.
There was another question after Kyoka presented "Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack." Midnight looked askance and asked, "Are you sure you want to use your Quirk's name?"
"I can't think of anything better," Kyoka admitted.
"How about Bass Boost?" Denki suggested. When she glared at him, he continued, "Beats? Heartbeat?"
"Is this revenge for Jamming-way and Charge-dolt?" Kyoka deadpanned.
"Hey, Charge-dolt gave me the idea for my name," Denki offered with a shrug. Kyoka glared, but then amended her name to "Heartjack"
Midnight clasped her hands in delight, "Wonderful!" Blushing, Kyoka returned to her seat.
Pony offered, "Rocket Hero: Stampede", only to find out that both her chosen epithet and name were taken already. She swore under her breath and changed it to "Stampeding Hero: Rocketti", which passed.
Tetsutetsu showed off "Fullmetal Hero: Real Steel", which Midnight approved and had Eijiro cry out "MANLY!". Setsuna chose "Splitting Hero: Lizardy", and Fumikage chose "Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi".
Toru chose "Refraction Hero: Prism" for her name. Izuku smiled, she'd said was originally going to use the more generic "Invisible Girl" before Izuku had questioned her about her Quirk and they realized it worked by refracting light.
Ibara wanted another try and chose "Lashing Hero: Liana" for her name, which was approved. Izuku deferred for a bit to consider his choice. Momo came up with, "Everything Hero: Creati", which was immediately approved.
Reiko's choice of "Haunting Hero: Shinigami" led to a staredown by Midnight, until she relented. "That's the aesthetic you're going for, so I think you'll be fine." As Reiko returned to her seat, she and Fumikage shared a look and a smile.
With everyone else having gone, Izuku knew that he couldn't put it off any longer. He didn't feel one hundred percent behind this name, but he'd let his class see his choice. He went up and cleared his throat, "I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. I told you all that I was mentored by All Might, and that he, in turn, was mentored by another Hero. That Hero, named Nimbus, in turn was mentored by another Hero, who was mentored by another, in an unbroken chain of mentor and pupil going all the way back to the Dawn of Quirks. All Might was the eighth Hero in that line. I am the ninth. I used that as a basis for this name.
"The name might seem a bit pretentious or high-minded, but this name isn't what I think I am, it's what I want to be. What I've always wanted to be. The greatest Hero. The Hero who can, and will, save everyone.
"I'm going to be the Ultimate Hero, Kyuseishu."
Izuku turned his board around. Featured prominently were the words "kyuukyoku" (meaning "ultimate") and "kyuseishu" (meaning "savior").
He was expecting criticism and rejection, but he was sorely mistaken.
"A wonderful aspirational name! With nice wordplay!" Midnight replied. "Though there is the risk of it being seen as arrogant."
"Green went viral saying he wants to be the next Symbol of Peace," Jiro countered. "Seems pretty on-brand to me."
"How did that clip ever leak onto the Internet, anyway?" Setsuna asked.
"Nezu," Midnight said.
"Nezu," Izuku said at almost the same time.
"The rat," Eraserhead called from within his sleeping bag.
The intercom came on, and 1-A was treated to their principal's maniacal laughter.
Ibara decided to interrupt that, "I believe your name fits, Midoriya-kun."
Izuku smiled at Ibara, "I'm glad, I was worried I might have offended you."
"That would be ridiculous of me," Ibara stated. "The concept of a savior is not solely the providence of my faith. If I were so inclined, I would have taken offense to All Might, saying that his name is implying he is all powerful."
"Be glad we're not in the States, then," Pony replied. "There are people who are that ridiculous back home in Texas. Like, they really do claim All Might is evil because only God is all powerful and since his name implies that he's all powerful, he's therefore in league with the Devil."
As everyone blinked in surprise, Eraserhead removed himself from his sleeping bag, "If everyone has their names decided, you'll have to look through your choices. The rest of the class until lunch will be devoted to this, and you will have until tomorrow to choose your internship."
"I'm more than willing to help if anyone has trouble deciding," Izuku said.
"Are you offering help as class representative or as a Hero nerd?" Toru asked jokingly.
"Yes," Izuku responded bluntly.
"Worry about your own choices first, Midoriya," Aizawa said as he handed the boy an enormous file folder packed with offers.
Nezu apparently was serious about his earlier suggestion, as the first three letters in the folder were from Ryukyu, Fatgum, and Sir Nighteye. A copy of Gang Orca's offer was there as well, along with most of the top ten…
Wait, Endeavor offered him an Internship?!
He took a look at the letter. Sure enough, after telling the man off to his face and later going viral denigrating his reputation as a Hero, Endeavor decided to offer him an Internship. He looked at the letter.
He's probably trying to use me to prop up Shouto-kun, or to repair his own reputation, Izuku thought as he examined the offer, and placed it at the bottom of the folder.
"Most likely. Any thoughts?" Yoichi asked.
My biggest problem is that I have so many options and too many that would help me improve only a small subset of my powers, Izuku thought. Edgeshot's Foldabody would help with Blackwhip. Hawks would give me great training for Float, Crust would give me insights for using Laser Disc when I can access it…
There was a brief silence, before Yoichi said, "Everyone, you're probably not going to like me saying this… But I think he should pick Nighteye."
"The hell?! He's been even more of a stick in the mud ever since he and Yagi had their falling out!" Daigoro yelled.
"We also know from his solo work that he's really good at training people to improve a variety of Quirks. That's in addition to his skills at analysis that can help refine Izuku's own talents there," Yoichi said. "And Izuku will have the benefit of being open about the nature of One for All with him."
So, why did All Might and Sir Nighteye stop working together? Izuku asked.
"It was due to All Might's injury, or rather his reaction to it," Nana said. "Nighteye wanted All Might to pick a successor and retire to prevent him from working himself to death. To that end, Nighteye used his Quirk on All Might without permission, and foresaw Toshi's death."
Izuku frowned, Yeah, that would be a point of contention. I can honestly agree that Toshi-tou-san needed to scale back more than he had, and would have benefitted from picking a successor earlier. However, if he did that, there'd have been chaos that plenty of villains would have exploited. Not to mention, using a Quirk like Foresight on someone without permission is a gross violation of privacy.
"Nothing said out loud. You're learning," En said proudly.
"The last time they talked, at least that we're aware of, was shortly after Toshi met you," Nana added. "He said he had a perfect candidate for One for All, but Toshi told him that the ninth wielder had already been chosen. Nighteye… wasn't thrilled at the thought of a Quirkless middle schooler being chosen, and that caused a serious argument."
Izuku frowned, Should I really accept this, then?
"I can't be certain, but I'd probably guess that this offer is a way of mending broken bridges," Yoichi said. "As it stands, I think he's the best option."
Any objections? Izuku asked. As Daigoro, Isamu, and Ryouji began to speak, he amended that to, Any serious objections? That was met with silence.
He decided to put Sir Nighteye as his top pick. He chose Ryukyu as his second option, being both one of Nezu's suggestions and one of the top ten, but chose Hawks rather than Fatgum for his third. Kind of poetic that the Number Three Hero was his third choice. And that the Number Two Hero was his last choice.
He looked up to his classmates, "Anyone need help?"
The mystery of Fumikage's single offer only deepened when Dark Shadow popped out of the boy's chest and yelled, "Holy crap! Hawks chose us?! We didn't even make it to the third round! Why's Number Three scouting us?!" in disbelief. To which, Fumikage blushed and tried to quiet his Quirk.
"It's probable that his observations of the first two skirmishes impressed him, and he found potential there that necessitated refining," Reiko said, which caused Fumikage to smile, but also to blush harder.
"Or maybe it's 'cause you're both birds?" Denki offered. Of course, that earned him another jab from Kyoka.
"Hey, Mido, any thoughts on Uwabami?" Itsuka asked, "She's one of my three options, and she's the highest ranked one."
"Hmm… She's a Hero that's been spending most of her time on the media side lately. She still does Hero work, but her work in recent years has mostly been modeling and media appearances," Izuku opined.
"Yuck, no," Itsuka frowned. "Gonna take Gunhead's offer."
"Disappointing," Momo said. "I was thinking of her agency. Do you have any suggestions, Izu-kun?"
Izuku looked through the list, before landing on one, "Fatgum is a good all-around Hero, and both of you use food to fuel your Quirks. I think he'd be a good fit!"
Momo nodded gracefully.
Izuku approached the clustered desks belonging to Tsu, Tenya, and Ochako, "How are you doing, Tsu-chan, Occhan? Found anyone good?"
"Good? More like great!" Ochako said. "I'm going with Ryukyu!"
"Excellent!" Izuku said. "She's a fantastic Hero!"
"Ribbit, I'm accepting Gang Orca's offer," Tsu added.
"I had a feeling you would," Izuku said. "I've picked Nighteye."
Ochako smirked, "Of course you'd choose All Might's former sidekick."
"Hey, it's only… forty percent because of that," Izuku said. He looked at Tenya, "How about you, Iida-kun?"
Tenya looked up and gave them a smile, "I'm well. I've chosen the Normal Hero, Manual, for my internship."
Izuku blinked, "I wouldn't have considered him for you."
"He's a well respected and conscientious Hero who has done a great deal to aid aspiring Heroes. I believe he shall be a good fit," Tenya replied. Nothing about his words seemed to carry the usual earnestness he always exuded.
Izuku took a look at Tenya's form. Two other Hero agencies listed as alternates. None of his three choices had any outward similarities… And then Izuku realized.
All of them are located in Hosu. Where Ingenium was injured, Izuku thought with dread. He's going after the Hero Killer.
"Well, that's a great idea. Several heroes died and plenty of others were injured, including my older brother who has basically the same Quirk as me, except he's more experienced with it, but somehow I'm going to succeed where they all failed. It's practically natural selection at this point," Ryouji commented.
I think I liked you better when you ignored me, Izuku deadpanned.
"Feh, you proved yourself to me, now you have to live with the consequences," Ryouji said dismissively.
I'm still going to stop him, Izuku said. As other classmates came to him for assistance, Izuku tried to plan.
"Okay, how exactly is Danger Sense going off?" Eraserhead asked Izuku, feeling a headache coming on.
Izuku decided he'd need to work with the teachers for this, and so he came to their office during lunch.
"So, as I've gotten used to it, I can sense things that aren't exactly immediate physical threats," Izuku said. "It's like I've got a palate that's being refined. Basically, my Quirk is telling me that something is off with Iida-kun, and it's going to put him in danger."
"Technically correct, even if those two are unrelated," Yoichi said thoughtfully.
"So you think Iida-kun, the only guy I've ever met who's stiffer than Cementoss, so much of a stickler for the rules that he can quote the U.A. handbook chapter and verse, is going to try and go vigilante?" Present Mic asked incredulously.
"I can hardly believe it myself," Izuku replied. "But his brother, his hero, was maimed. I know the damage that learning that can do to someone's psyche." All Might coughed up blood as Izuku said that. "His world's been upended. And he's picked three Hero agencies, none of which suit him, none of which are similar in any way except for the fact that they're located in Hosu, where the Hero Killer is still believed to be operating."
Eraserhead stared at him, then said, "Okay. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We'll take care of this."
Izuku looked at Eraserhead for a minute, then nodded and left. When he was gone, the tired pro let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding.
"He's put his trust in us instead of meddling himself," Eraserhead said to the gathered staff members. "We can't let that go to waste."
"He's right, Tenya-kun's absolutely not himself," Midnight added glumly. "I thought he was just distant, but it could easily be something more drastic."
"I'll have him in sessions before the Internships begin, for one," Hound Dog said.
"But we can't let him go to Hosu! And if we bar him from any agency there, he might make a more drastic decision!" Present Mic countered.
Eraserhead pondered his current problem child (lowercase. In his head, the title Problem Child would always be associated with Izuku, at least until someone worse came along. Which would probably bring about the end of days). "We need to give him a better option. An offer he couldn't refuse…"
All Might cleared his throat, "I believe I know how to reach young Iida. If an offer came from me, young Iida would not find it in his heart to reject it. And I know someone who can help. Someone who can teach young Iida about his Quirk, about dealing with his tragic loss, and, perhaps, teach him to be less stiff. I will have to make a phone call to see if he is willing."
The other teachers agreed with the idea. All Might left to make his call in privacy.
They were surprised to see he was shaking in fear as he did so.
"I AM HERE! To deliver a last minute offer!" All Might barged into 1-A's classroom.
"Wait, you're taking one of us as an intern?!" Mina cried out in shock.
"Sorry to burst that bubble, but no! This offer comes from someone I know very well," All Might turned to Tenya, "Young Iida. Ever since I began teaching this year, I have been in correspondence with my old teacher, a semi-retired pro Hero who once taught homeroom at U.A.
"His Quirk, Jet, is quite similar to yours, allowing him to rocket through the air at terrifying speeds. When discussing the Sports Festival, he showed an interest in you, and during our phone call today, he expressed interest in coming out of retirement to help train you," All Might handed over the letter, bowing to Tenya as he did so.
Luckily, he'd managed to keep the tremors down for this.
"I…" Tenya was utterly shocked. He took the letter and said, with a bit of his normal self leaking through, "Thank you so much, All Might-sensei! I will gladly accept this offer!"
And, honestly, how could he not? Tenya still hungered for vengeance, but to see All Might, his sensei, the Number One Hero, humbly present Tenya with an offer? An offer to train with the one who trained All Might himself? A pro who would come out of retirement for Tenya's behalf?
He had his plans. He had his wants. But this was something he could never refuse.
And so, Tenya amended his form. He consulted the letter to see which hero it was. He would look forward to learning from this "Gran Torino