Chapter 23: The name of a hero
"Are you sure you want to come with me?" Naminé fidgeted with her new jacket's rim, not looking at Izuku. Her clothes, made by the three good fairies themselves, were a great improvement from her old dress. A white long-sleeved shirt beneath a blue-trimmed jacket with pockets with golden buttons, a blue pleated skirt over dark gray shorts, and black boots with blue accents.
Naminé also had two silver bracelets with one blue line on the center over her wrists, a present Izuku got her on Twilight Town before they departed. He said it completed her color scheme, and if her new outfit was any indication the fairies agreed. To be fair, Naminé actually thought white, blue, and yellow fit her perfectly.
"Of course! The guys can handle things without me for a bit… I hope." Izuku shrugged helplessly, knowing his friends and b̴̥̍͘r̷̪͆͊̕ŏ̵̦͋t̸̝̪̮͋h̵̩̔̅̚ẻ̷̜͛r̶̨͍̟̂͌̌ didn't have the best track record.
He also was using a new get-up, composed of a white t-shirt, a black baggy jacket with green accents and two green belts holding his baggy black pants and dark green pouches up. Izuku's shoes now were a mix of red and black that contrasted well and completed the look.
"That's not what I meant." Naminé sighed, "Aren't I just holding you back?"
Izuku got on her face, pouting fiercely, "No." He poked her nose, "You are not." Grabbing her cheeks, Izuku squished them, "Now, repeat with me, 'I'm helping my friends, so no sad thoughts about stupid things.' Your turn."
"I'm helping my friends, so no sad thoughts about stupid things." Naminé's voice came muffed from her situation. She was thankfully liberated from Izuku's hold after that.
"And if you need any proof that you're helpful, then just raise your hand." Izuku's smile was so large his face muscles hurt. Naminé understood what he meant and gingerly raised her hand, making Izuku beam.
On her hand, manifesting from newfound Light and freedom born from old memories, a Keyblade flashed into existence. The ivory blade was a simple round body with pale roots that came from the teeth, a flowery capsule like the one S̶̨̤̘̜͌ǒ̴̘͐r̴͚̙̚â̵̡̛͙͌ slept in. The handle had a green ribbon firmly embracing it while the handguard was a mix of roots and blooming roses. The Keychain a metallic yellow star, like the fake charm she tricked S̶̨̤̘̜͌ǒ̴̘͐r̴͚̙̚â̵̡̛͙͌ with, now real thanks to Izuku.
"Who said that she didn't have a heart? Who said she wasn't worth the trouble? Who said she couldn't do anything more than mess people's memories?" At each question, Izuku smugness shot up by a mile, "Oh yeah, the girl holding a Keyblade! So, remind me, how does it feel to wield Memory's Embrace?"
Naminé bonked Izuku on the head, "Like this."
"Okay, maybe I played that a little too hard." He rubbed his forehead, "But c'mon! Was I right or am I right? Oh yeah, I'm always right!"
The girl gave him a flat stare, "So we're not lost? Because if this is the right way, then where's the city the general talked about?"
Izuku put up both hands and puffed his chest, "I have no idea!" Naminé's stare turned flatter, "Don't be like that, where's your sense of adventure?"
The blonde sighed, "I'm a little too nervous for that."
Izuku pulled her in a half-hug, "Don't be, the worst thing that can happen is we end up on the top of the mountain." Just as he said that Heartless materialized from the Darkness, "...Yeah, shouldn't have said that." The boy sighed.
They were on a crossroad with a shallow stream dividing it, even then the place felt crowded with how many Shadows popped from the ground and the weird floating Heartless in robes, Izuku was thinking of calling them Nightwalkers. Summoning Heroes Rising, Izuku fell on his stance beside Naminé, the girl adopting her own.
The new Keyblade Wielder took some pages from Izuku's book, leaving her feet distant on a wider stance, holding her weapon with both hands and leaving it pointing down. Unlike him, her blade was to her side, her legs not firmly planted but more in position to sidestep.
"You take the Shadows, I'm going to see what the Nightwalkers can do so Jiminy and I can note it later." Having said his part, Izuku jumped into action.
Naminé followed behind, dispatching the Heartless near her with quick attacks and spells. She looked up and saw Izuku trading blows with their airborne enemies, using their bodies as stepping stones, not even having to touch the ground. The girl was so distracted she didn't notice a Shadow jumping on her back.
Izuku grabbed the hand of a Nightwalker and threw it at the Heartless about to sneak on Naminé, making both puff into dark smoke, "Heads in the fight!"
"Y-yes!" Naminé focused back on the battle. Together they made short work of the monsters.
Touching back down, Izuku turned to his friend and grinned, "See? Easy." As if taking personal offense to his words, a big Heartless manifested behind him. It looked like a centaur with the humanoid portion using armor and holding a spear.
Izuku blinked and looked back, he just had time to yelp in surprise before the Heartless, which later he would call Assault Rider, stomped and caused an explosion to send him flying.
"Izuku!" Naminé cried out. Rushing to her friend's side, she saw he was fine if a little dizzy. She turned to the Heartless with a frigid glare, "Blizzard!" Naminé started to shoot spell after spell, only stopping when the Assault Rider was just an ice sculpture.
"I think that's enough." Izuku clapped her shoulder firmly, making Naminé realize the battle was over and she was gasping for breath.
"Sorry. I j-just-" Izuku interrupted Naminé by offering an Ether, which the girl quickly ate to recover her magic.
"It's fine." He patted her head, "But don't worry, I'm tough, one explosion or two won't keep me down." Izuku finished laughing.
"Please don't get hurt."
He pulled her into another half-hug, "I won't, or at least I'll try." Releasing Naminé, Izuku walked to the ice statue and smacked it with his Keyblade, making it burst and release the captive heart, "Wow, and those guys from the army didn't accept you just for being a girl." Huffing, he kicked an ice chunk to the river, "Well, their loss. You wrecked those Heartless, you're an amazing warrior."
Naminé slowly perked up at the compliments, "Y-yeah, yeah! They have dumb rules, I'm not weak!" She raised her fists, "I'm strong! Let's go Izuku, we have more Heartless to beat!"
Izuku was happy his friend was feeling better, but he also knew that working herself up like that would only make her trip and fall. Case and point, while crossing the shallow stream Naminé tripped and fell in the water with a splash. Chuckling, the boy walked to her and offered a hand, "Are you okay?"
Naminé looked up at Izuku's bright green eyes and extended hand and smiled softly, "Yes. Sorry about that." She accepted the help and Izuku pulled her up.
"Good, now let's go." Izuku took the first path he saw and started to walk, bringing Naminé along by the hand.
Izuku groaned, feeling a tiny finger poking him. Cracking an eye open, he saw Eri standing beside his bed, or their bed now that Eri had all but declared it hers too. With the body hurting all over, Izuku groaned again.
"Are you okay?" Eri asked worriedly.
"Yeah, just a little sore."
"A little?" Nana snorted.
Izuku forced himself up, "I just need to walk it off." He said aloud so both Nana and Eri could hear, "I'm tough, one explosion or two won't keep me down."
"Even if those explosions could be classified in the gigatons?"
'Especially if those were Kacchans explosions.' Considering that a perfectly reasonable answer, he fumbled his way to the bathroom. After freshening up, Izuku stumbled through the motions of preparing for school. Dressed, he walked to the door with Eri on his heels.
"Are you sure you're okay to go to school?" Inko, who had watched her son limp from one place to the other, asked in concern.
"Yeah. Also, I need to see Recovery Girl so I can get rid of these bandages." Izuku picked at the fabric on his neck, already feeling itchy.
"Okay, just be careful."
Eri gave Izuku his backpack and a tight hug, "Don't get hurt."
"I won't, or at least I'll try." He chuckled and got up, "I'm go-" Izuku started to say his goodbyes, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door. Trading a look and a shrug with his mother, he opened it, only to be greeted by his best friend, "Kacchan? What are you doing here?"
The bomber huffed, "Just making sure you can get to school, with how much I messed you up I wouldn't be surprised if you passed out on the way."
"Okay, first, I messed myself up. Second, if you want to go to school together you just need to ask. Third, aww so you do care." Izuku's grin made a vein pop on Katsuki's forehead.
"Screw you Deku." He growled under his breath. Peeking his head inside the house, Katsuki greeted the amused woman and giggling girl, "Yo Aunty Inko, Eri. I'll make sure Deku gets there in one piece." Grabbing the greenette, the bomber started to make his way out while dragging his friend, "Later."
Izuku laughed, "Things just don't change."
"The hell do you mean?" Now away from innocent ears, Katsuki reverted to his usual way of expressing himself.
"I remember you coming over every day to drag me to school when we're little." Izuku admittedly didn't remember much, but those brief flashes of clarity from days long past had the two boys in a very similar situation.
"Of course you would remember that." The blonde huffed, "But I bet you don't remember why I did that."
Izuku tilted his head, "Uh, no?"
Katsuki shook his head with exasperated amusement, "Knew it." He chuckled and kept walking.
"Wait, aren't you going to tell me?"
"Nah."
"Kacchan!"
"Fuck you Deku!" They laughed. Indeed, things didn't change.
"Izuku, wait!" Naminé cried out, doing her best to keep up with her friend even on the tortuous terrain of the Underworld, "Why are you running back? We have to save Meg!"
Izuku didn't break his sprint, "The others are after her, but there's no one back at the coliseum!"
"So what?!"
"That means that if Hades sent something up there, who's going to stop it from razing the place to the ground?!" Izuku's words made Naminé's eyes widen. The girl finally understood what her friend had just figured out.
"It was a trap!"
"Exactly. Now let's go!"
Both Keyblade Wielders rushed back through the land of the dead, now without feeling its negative effects thanks to the Olympus Stone. Finally reaching the stairway back to the surface and the coliseum, they climbed the steps by the handful with every stride.
But they were too late.
Greeting the two heroes was a colossal monster, reptilian in nature, with four stubby legs and a gargantuan neck.
"Look out!" Phil's warning snapped Izuku and Naminé from their shocked stupor. Both jumped out of the way of a headbutt that cracked the already destroyed floor.
"What happened?" Izuku yelled his question to Phil while summoning his Keyblade, Naminé doing the same at his side.
"Hades sent the Hydra to wreck the place while you were all busy downstairs! Most of the coliseum is already down but I got everybody out before anyone got hurt." The satyr answered from his hiding spot behind some rubble.
"Good, then we can focus on bringing this thing down!" Izuku rushed at the Hydra, "Valor!" With a shout and a flash, his clothes and hair changed to a bright red, a second Keyblade appearing on his hand. With both Heroes Rising and Metal Chocobo in hand, the latter a solid black Keyblade with a red handguard and the Keychain of a yellow bird, Izuku threw himself at the monster.
Naminé kept her distance, Valor Form turned Izuku and S̶̨̤̘̜͌ǒ̴̘͐r̴͚̙̚â̵̡̛͙͌ into physical powerhouses capable of smashing through most things they faced until now but robbed them of the ability to use magic, that meant she had to be ready to help if Izuku needed. More than once they had someone down because Donald wasn't paying attention and didn't heal them in time, now that Naminé knew Cure she would make sure it didn't happen anymore.
Hitting some Blizzards while Izuku pummeled the Hydra, they made quick work of it, finishing with Izuku decapitating the monster.
"Done!" He huffed, only for the ground to start shaking.
"What did you-?!" Phyl was interrupted by three identical heads as the one just cut sprouting from the floor.
"Dodge!" Izuku's warning saved Naminé from being batted aside.
The girl looked at the triple menace they now faced and asked in a panic, "What do we do?!"
"There are three heads and three Keyblades, I get two, you take the last!" The now redhead said and dashed at his targets. While Drive Forms were an amazing power boost, they, unfortunately, didn't last long, so Izuku did his best to end the fight quickly.
Naminé took advantage of the restrained reach from the buried head to rain spells from a safe distance. A blast of Blizzard to the middle of its eyes stunned the monster, causing the other heads to flinch.
Izuku capitalized on the moment, in a burst of speed he ran his blades through the necks of the Hydra. Skidding to a stop, he looked back just as his Valor Form faded, "Now I think it's done."
It wasn't a question, but Izuku got an answer anyway, "No you moron! If you cut the head of a Hydra, more grow in its place!" Phil's panic-filled shout made the Wielders pale. They traded a glace just as the ground all but exploded beneath their feet. Getting their bearings, they looked up to see dozens of monstrous heads glaring down at them.
"Mistakes were made." Izuku sighed.
The Hydra hissed, then hammered its heads down. The young hero grabbed his friend and did his best to avoid being smashed, dancing through the myriad of heads raining down on them.
"If I knew it would come to this, I would've played whack-a-mole when it was you on the ground you stupid snake!" Izuku cried out.
"If you have time to complain then go take that thing down!" A different voice said.
"Meg!" The two teens called out for their friend, "You're okay!" Naminé, the one not busy paying attention to the Hydra, looked aside, to where the woman was hiding behind a half-collapsed wall and said in relief.
"Yeah, Wonderboy and the others got there right on time." Meg looked around at the destruction, "Can't say the same for you."
"Instead of complaining, you could help us!" Izuku snapped.
The woman gave a dry glance at the other occupant of her hiding spot, "You heard him, go!"
Izuku jumped up, holding Naminé tight. just as the Hydra finished its flailing. A sharp sound of something cutting through the air later and the two were scooped up by a familiar winged horse, "Pegasus!" Izuku grinned, "C'mon buddy, get us up so we can bring it down!"
The flying horse nodded and started to blitz its way between the monster's heads, Izuku and Naminé snapped their Keyblades on any that got too close and in an impressive display of aerial prowess, they aligned all the heads together.
"Now let's see you growing more after this!" Izuku jumped from Pegasus, with a flash he was on the ground and the monster had everything from the base of its neck up severed. The Hydra fell and didn't get up anymore.
Pegasus galloped down with Naminé mounted on it, the latter giving Izuku a flat stare, "Why did you cut its heads again? You didn't know if they wouldn't grow back."
Izuku smirked, "They didn't!"
Izuku was woken up by an elbow on his ribs, "Get up Deku, it's our stop." Rubbing his eyes while the last remnants of the dream relived memory faded, the boy got up slowly. Katsuki gave his friend a flat glance, "What?"
"Another one."
Katsuki shook his head, "You can't get a fucking break even on your sleep."
Izuku chuckled, "Yeah, yeah I can't."
"At least the mob didn't wake you up." Katsuki shrugged absentmindedly.
Blinking, Izuku did a double-take, "Wait what?"
The blonde huffed, "We caused generalized mass destruction on live TV, and we got top spots on U.A.s Sports Festival, did you really think we wouldn't be famous?" He pointed at the rest of the people on the train, all of which stared at them with no small amount of awe.
Izuku waved awkwardly at them, "To be completely honest, I forgot about that part."
"How?" Katsuki asked, genuinely curious.
"I was having too much fun at the festival to care about that, and yesterday I was feeling every flavor of pain in places I forgot could feel pain, so yeah, fame wasn't something I gave much thought to." The young Master shrugged, something he regretted instantly as he felt a jolt on both his shoulders.
"Make sense," Katsuki admitted. Pulling Izuku along he made his way out when the train stopped and made sure he didn't get hounded by any pushy fan.
And wasn't that weird? They had fans now. It was kind of an inevitability of their chosen career, but when Katsuki saw trends on the internet, people talking about how "cool" or "inspiring" they were, and even some art that actually looked like professional stuff, the chip fell. There were people that looked up to them, for now only for the promise they had for the future, thanks to Deku's declaration of war to every single hero in the world.
And that little bit still was causing a stir. A teenager all but spelled his generation would leave the one before on the dust and its mark on history.
The best part? He, no, they proved Izuku right. There wasn't one person in their class that didn't have one site completely dedicated to their achievements on the web, there wasn't one person in the city that didn't know their names, and more importantly than all that, there wasn't one single person that doubted them. Katsuki would never admit out loud, not without a fight that left at least a crater the size of a parking lot, but their classmates, their friends, were strong.
He felt a dull ache on his arms, the feeling of pushing himself above and beyond just so he could snatch a victory in the last second resurfacing every time he remembered the event. Katsuki wouldn't confess even with a gun to his head but the feeling of competition, of having a whole group of people shoulder to shoulder with him, all more than capable of leaving him behind if he didn't put his best into improving himself. It made the little mote of Light in his chest that he couldn't make heads or tails of, light up, and made a smile crack on his face.
A drop on his shoulder broke Katsuki of his thoughts. Looking up he saw the heavy clouds start to release their promised downpour. The bomber glanced aside and saw that Izuku had his head in a notebook, probably noting down his most recent dream.
Izuku was right, things didn't change. Just like before, Katsuki opened his bag and picked up the two umbrellas he packed, just like before he opened one above Izuku and held it while the rain started and the greenette didn't even notice, and just like before the boys make their way to school in a pleasant silence and in the company of each other.
It made Katsuki wonder why he had given up moments like that for so long. Maybe he didn't, as the second umbrella on his hand proved, maybe a part of him was just waiting for when he grew up enough to realize those little moments were worth the world and more.
Splashing footsteps broke the boys from their minds, "You two! We are late, let's pick up the pace!"
Katsuki snapped, "The fuck are you talking about Four Eyes?! We're five minutes early!"
"A good student must always be ten minutes early!" Tenya, in a yellow raincoat and matching boots, rushed past Izuku and Katsuki.
"Tenya wait!" Izuku was quick to run after his friend. Katsuki cursed under his breath but kept up to make sure to cover his friend with the extra umbrella.
They reached the main building with time to spare, even if Izuku felt his muscles screaming, "Hey Tenya, it's your brother all right? They didn't say anything on the news." That was the thing that kept Izuku busy while he was recovering. Keeping track of the news was something he always did for his hero analysis, but when he saw that his friend's brother was the victim of a villain he sniffed every scrap of information he could like a bloodhound.
Even then, there wasn't any official source to confirm Ingenium's current state.
Tenya gave a small, brittle and fake smile, "My brother is recovering, he isn't in any life-threatening danger anymore."
Izuku sighed in relief, "That's good." Then why are you so angry and sad? That was what he wanted to ask but knew it wasn't the time.
Katsuki huffed, "Fucking Hero Killer, how wasn't that bastard brought down yet?"
"It's hard when the scope for victims is arbitrary and he doesn't stay in the same place for long." Izuku's grimace turned into a deep frown, "And it's even worse when he sticks to isolated targets he can take out without anyone to stop him."
Katsuki gritted his teeth, "Fucking vulture."
Tenya stayed silent, but deep inside, he committed his friend's ever-accurate analysis to heart.
"Let's go, we have to pass by the nurse's office before class starts. See ya later Tenya!" Izuku waved and walked off, Katsuku following close behind.
Tenya didn't return the gesture or even give any answer, his mind swam in a sea of dark thoughts, they grasped his heart like talons and dug into its every beat.
—
"Much better!" Izuku stretched on his seat, now without bandages covering most of his body, even then his bones creaked with worrying sounds. He turned to his class, where almost everyone milled about in one big group, "So, how was your guys' break?"
"It was awesome! You guys believe we have fans now?! I even got a website with my best moments!" Mina seemed two seconds away to explode or vibrate out of their universe frequency from her enthusiasm.
"We even got heroes following us on social media!" Toru hugged the pink girl and both started to jump up and down.
"Am I the only one that thought it was weird when a person asked me for a picture?" Mezo, the youngest of their class even if he was one of its gentle giants, asked embarrassed.
"A picture? Dude some kids asked for my autograph! I almost had a nervous meltdown." Hanta laughed, still feeling jittery over it.
Ochaco sighed, "So I wasn't the only one, that's better."
Eijiro pulled them both in one-armed hugs, "Why are you guys so embarrassed? That's so manly!"
Dark Shadow popped up and cackled, "You think that was bad? A kid stopped us yesterday to give a drawing they made of us, Fumi here framed it!"
The raven-headed boy glared at his counterpart, "Do you have to tell everyone that?"
"Yes!"
"What about you Izuku? Got anything cool?" Minoru asked, making everyone look at him expectantly.
"Not really, I could barely move yesterday so I just kept marinating." He scratched the back of his head with a chuckle, "But Eri helped mom make a special katsudon to celebrate." Izuku perked up at that.
"That's so adorable, was it good?" Tsuyu gave a noticeable beam even with her normally blank face.
"That was the most delicious thing I ever ate," Izuku said with the seriousness of a man defending his life creed. Everyone laughed at that.
"I have to ask if Erichan can give Satsuki some cooking classes then." Tsuyu loved her sister, but the girl had a talent to burn food that was as hilarious as it was perplexing.
"I'm sure she'll like that, also it's best if you guys sit down, Aizawa-sensei is in the corridor." No one questioned Izuku on how he knew it, they just sat down, and not a moment later their teacher entered the room.
"I hope you all have rested on your break, for your sake and my peace of mind, for now, we have serious matters to discuss." Eraserhead started in his no-nonsense tone, pulling a remote that started the projector of the class, "Your performance at the Sports Festival, doesn't matter how insane it was…" He stared pointedly at Izuku, who only smiled back, "Was noticed by various heroes that decided to offer you all opportunities. Normally first years don't have as many offers to internships, but you problem children like to exceed expectations."
Twenty names appeared on the board, numbers following. Some cheered, some silently celebrated their achievement, and some pointed out the obvious with a healthy dose of shock.
"How did you three get so many offers?!" Denki's eyes were so wide it looked like they would pop out of his head.
Shoto, now trying to be part of the group, answered, "Most of mine are probably because of my father."
Denki nodded, "Makes sense, makes sense." Then he shouted while pointing at the board, "The hell it does! Not only did you get more than three thousand, but Katsuki got five and Izuku eight! What the actual fuck?! Where's the fairness in that?!"
Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Life isn't fair Pikachu, you probably wouldn't only get six hundred offers if you hadn't lost so badly."
Toru, feeling happy for her three hundred and change offers, still felt bummed, "It still is a really big difference."
Izuku comforted his downtrodden friends, "It doesn't matter how many offers we got, what's important is that we proved we are here."
Eijiro fist-pumped, "Yeah! We're all so manly the whole class got offers, yeah Izubro probably got one from every hero in Japan but so what? We only have to work harder!"
As the class cheered, Aizawa cleared his throat, "Are you all done?" He didn't wait for an answer, "Good, then let's now deal with a really important matter that will decide your future."
The class tensed, but the air was quickly lightened by Izuku raising his hand, "Is that why Midnight-sensei is waiting at the door?" The yell of "Dammit!" That followed his words, coming from outside the classroom, made them all laugh.
Opening the door, Midnight strode into the class, "I had a dramatic entrance ready and all, did you really have to ruin my fun?" She pouted at Izuku, who shrugged helplessly.
Eraserhead sighed, "Yes, Midnight is here to help you all with your hero names. Now if you excuse me, I'll take a nap, try not to wreak havoc, and no, that's not a challenge." Crawling into his sleeping bag, the tired hero closed his eyes and left the problem children to his colleague.
"Thanks for all the help, Shouta." Midnight rolled her eyes, "Well kids, time for some fun time!" She licked her lips, giggling as the students shuddered, "Today, you will choose the names you'll be known as heroes! Not only that, you're going to present them to the class."
While Izuku's smile lit up the room, everyone else groaned. Kyoka raised her hand, "Is that really necessary?"
Midnight smirked, "You can't be embarrassed by the name you choose, especially when everyone's going to call you by them in high-stress situations. Pick the name, own the name, and have no regrets!" Her words made most of the teens perk up, Izuku almost sparkling with excitement, she was sure the boy would be the first to present his hero name, "Now, some ground rules. First, nothing obscene, let's save the dirty talk for closed doors. Second, nothing copyrighted, lawsuits are not something you all want to worry about. Third, you can choose an epithet, a title if you will, but it isn't mandatory. Any questions?"
Shoto raised his hand, "Can we change them later?"
Midnight hummed, "You can, but if you get known by one it can be hard, first impressions are usually the ones that stay."
After that, each student was handled a small platelet and a marker. Izuku didn't wait for a second to grab Katsuki by the shoulders and start to shake him, "Kacchan!"
The blonde turned to him, staring at the bright green stars shining back at him, he growled, "No."
"Kacchan."
"No!"
"Kacchan!"
"Fuck you Deku!"
The blonde uncapped his marker and all but stabbed a name on his handheld board. Izuku's smile reached dangerous levels and he quickly put down his name, the name a friend gave to him and others gave it newfound meaning, the name he wanted to carve in history as the name of a hero.
Both boys got up and walked to the front of the room. Katsuki felt a single second of regret before resignation took over, "Look here extras! When me and this idiot were kids, we made a promise that one of us would be the greatest hero in this world!"
Izuku nodded, "It was a promise that we made to help push both of us on. When things get tough we can remember it and keep going, or else one of us would be there to drag the other forward!"
Katsuki stomped on the guilt that memory also carried, how he had one day thought a promise made on the street by two kids that just watched All Might win another battle was irrelevant. Not anymore, the blonde wouldn't go back on his word ever again, he wouldn't back down on his ideals and he would never, ever, leave a friend behind for pride.
"So listen and remember for one day, one of these names is going to be carved on the top of the fucking world!" They flipped the signs.
Midnight grinned, those names were childish, innocent, but most of all, they seemed to have meaning, "Dynamight and Deku? Can you explain why you two chose those names?"
Izuku smiled, "When were kids Kacchan couldn't read my name right, so he called me Deku and somehow didn't forget it, so the name stuck. And earlier this year someone told me it gave a 'you can do it' vibe." He traded a look with Ochaco, the girl's eyes widening and her cheeks reddening, "I liked that a lot, so yeah. From here on out, you guys can call me Deku!"
Midnight, along with Toru and Mina, made a noise that almost reached the frequency only animals with potent hearing, and Kyoka and Mezo, in this case, could perceive, "Such determination from something so innocent and pure! I approve! Now you, mister Dynamight!"
Katsuki grumbled, "Fine. Back in the day, when Deku had the mental capacity of a toaster, he started to write something about me that no one could make heads or tails of, just another weird thing for the list."
"Kacchan!"
"You know I'm right! Don't make me tell them about that time with the washing machine!"
Izuku gave a confused head tilt, "What time with the washing machine?"
Katsuki contemplated if it was worth it remembering that day. With a shiver, he decided that no, that trauma was better buried, "Forget about that. Anyway, I tried to discover what he was writing, never got it, but it looked like the words for dynamite and might in English, so I kept the idea."
That earned various reactions from the class, the ones that knew Izuku story understanding more than others. The boy himself frowned, "Do you remember how the words were written?"
Katsuki saw they were getting really off-topic, but even then, he would admit he was curious himself. Quickly using his marker to write the words the way he remembered on a corner of the platelet, he showed it to Izuku.
The boy laid his eyes on the characters, and he knew their meaning, for the magic of his Keyblade assured it was how he wrote everything, even if to others they would always see their native language unless wished otherwise.
"Fortis Ignis." The words Izuku saw really fitted Katsuki to a tee.
"Deku, the fuck?" While not the same words, the question was the same on everyone's minds.
"Fortis Ignis means Brave Fire, each symbol represents not only sounds but a specific pattern to show its intonation and meaning."
Midnight blinked, "It's always like this here?" She asked Eraserhead in a whisper.
"Problem Child." The man groaned back.
Katsuki shrugged, "Sure, why not, I'm pretty sure we're past the fucking point of getting surprised. At least I know what this means." He walked back to his seat and all but sprawled on it.
"Okay, weird moment of me knowing stuff I couldn't know aside, that was it guys. Thanks for your time." Izuku bowed and marched back to his seat.
Tsuyu croaked, "Let's be honest, no one is surprised."
Ochaco shrugged, "Not really. Not after that thing in the waiting room." She muttered the last part. Maybe she should ask more about the weird language only Izuku seems to know later, especially since the first time he had a… concerning reaction. The image of her friend lying motionlessly on the floor sent a chill down her spine.
"Now, back on track kids! Who's next?"
Mina got up and skipped to the front of the class, "Alien Queen!"
Instead of cheers, she only got an awkward smile from Izuku, "Mina, that's still copyrighted."
"What?! Really?" She asked Midnight, who nodded, "Oh c'mon!" After that, the atmosphere was back to its merry air.
One after the other, the students of 1-A presented the names they decided to make history with. Some simple, some extravagant, some weird, all of them fitting one way or the other.
Then came Shoto's turn. Midnight blinked, "You're using your name?"
Shoto nodded, "Yes. Someone helped me see I'm my own person, now I want to discover who that person is." He traded a glance with Izuku, the greenette nodding in support.
"Okay, just don't wait too long if you want to change it."
The other oddity was none other than Tenya, who also had gone with his name. Unlike Shoto, that only earned him concerned stares from all around. Not giving any explanation, he bowed and walked back to his seat.
Midnight made a note to speak about that with the faculty, just to be safe, and said her goodbyes. Aizawa crawled back from the merciful embrace of slumber back to the waking world, "Now that's done with, let's proceed."
"Aizawa-sensei, you're still carrying Melody." Izuku interrupted him. Looking down, Eraserhead saw the Dream Eater that had helped him at USJ, the cat with a music note for a tail, in his arms. It purred a sound between a low tune and windchimes before puffing out of existence.
Sighing, he filled that, along with the decent sleep he had that also involved said cat, in the ever-growing Problem Child mental box. Turning back to his class, all at least trying to suppress their chuckles, Eraserhead enacted his revenge, "You will have from now to the end of day to go over your options. Remember that you have to choose which agency you want to go to before the weekend." When he finished, robots entered the room with stacks and more stacks of papers.
Those with less offers still had a decent amount, those with more, well.
Shoto raised his eyes above the tower of paper on his desk, planning to ask for help, only to see Katsuki with an even bigger one and Izuku with a solid wall of paper probably capable of stopping a bullet. Looking back down, he reached the conclusion it wasn't as bad as it could be and sat down.
Izuku blankly looked at his internship offers, "Mistakes were made."
Katsuki smacked his head on the table, causing the pile of papers to fall and bury him, "Yes, yes they were." His muffled voice came from the white hill.
Denki looked at his thick but still manageable stack of offers and couldn't help but comment, "Ya know, I'm not feeling bad anymore."
Toru gave a full body nod, "I'm feeling grateful, better this than that." She used her also modest stack to indicate the three boys currently regretting all their life choices.
Fumikage looked at his almost two thousand offers of internships and sighed, "Speak for yourself."
—
Izuku sat at the 1-A lunch table, reserved for them by the clever use of a sign created by Momo, "Okay guys, I know we have a pickle on our hands."
"Understatement of the fucking century." Katsuki interrupted him with a growl full of loathing from the paperwork hell they lived through and barely made a dent.
Izuku took it in stride, "But, I also have something else to talk with you all about, something really important."
"The weird language you know?" Ochaco guessed.
"How everyone's staring at us?" Kyoka pointed over her shoulder with a thumb, to the rest of the student body that was shooting their table not-so-subtle glances.
"The fact U.A. could have sent us an email with the offers instead of destroying a forest to print all that?" Mashirao words made most of the class stop before letting out a collective groan.
Izuku gave himself a second to facepalm, "In order, later, no, now that you pointed out I'm sure that's a way for Aizawa-sensei to get back at us. What I want to talk to you guys about is some costume alterations Mei and I started to work on."
Momo blinked, "You worked on upgrades for all our costumes? In one day?"
Izuku snorted, "Of course not. I started on it in our first combat class."
"That doesn't make it any better."
"Shush!" Toru shushed the vice representative, "What do you have for us, sir?!"
Izuku gave an embarrassed smile, "Don't need to call me 'sir' or anything."
Mina, smelling a teasing opportunity like a shark smelling blood on the water, grinned like one, "Yeah Toru, Midori is not some knight." Just as the boy relaxed, she sprung her trap, "He's more like a king. He sat on a throne, he has a little princess, he's the guy everyone's looking up to! King of 1-A, King of 1-A!" Just as the pink girl planned, more people entered the fun that was seeing Izuku blush and squirm.
The poor boy looked for support in that embarrassing situation, only to see Ochaco and even Shoto had joined in, the latter more confused than anything but trying his best to be part of the group. Izuku would have been proud if not for feeling mortified. He turned to Katsuki, his last hope.
The blonde gave him a neutral stare for a long second, then he grinned. When in the middle of chaos, riot, "King of 1-A, King of 1-A!" Katsuki enjoyed the sight of Izuku going red like a tomato, smashing his head on the table and covering it with his arms. Nothing like the sweet sound of a nerd short-circuiting to better his day.
That was the scene All Might found when he came looking for his successor. The reason being something he had just discovered.
—
Toshinori was on his table going through some fries and documents, he had put some meat back on his bones and was slowly but surely looking better. He made a break when he saw another internship offer with his successor's name on it.
"Oh that poor boy, I hope he can go through all that paper before the weekend." The man chuckled, but it died a painful death when he saw the name on the offer. That name caused the greatest hero that ever lived to that day to shake like a leaf in the middle of a tornado.
Gran Torino, his homeroom teacher during his time in U.A., and the man who taught Toshinori everything he knew and then some. Also, the same man that had beaten him so regularly Toshinori still feared him to this day.
Just as Toshinori was contemplating how viable it was to throw the offer in the shredder, his phone rang. Picking up with the fear and caution as if it was a bomb, for Toshinori could feel in his bones who it was, "H-hello?"
"You should call more, brat." The rough voice made Toshinori's fight or flight instincts go on overdrive, "I saw you picked the next one. The kid is nuts, plain and simple, Nana would've loved meeting him." Both the voice on the other side and Toshinori's face took a melancholic turn.
"Yes, I think she would."
"Not only that, but the kid has his own tricks up his sleeves. In fact, I got so curious that I decided to see it for myself. I know you got my offer Toshinori, pass it to the kid and tell him to come meet me if he's brave enough." The hardened man on the line gave a laugh that sent shivers down Toshinori's back.
"I-I will. Just, try not to… actually, if I know Young Izuku, he will probably surprise even you by the end of it. My boy just keeps doing miracles like that." Toshinori patted his side, now with all the bones it should have and even a decent amount of muscle over them.
"Now that only makes me want to meet the kid more! Let's see if he can live up to your faith. Bye Toshinori, call from time to time, would you?" With that, the line went dead.
Toshinori buffed up, only now noticing he was shaking, he needed to find Izuku and alert him of the impending doom on the horizon.
—
And that was the explanation All Might gave Izuku after rescuing him from his friends' merciless teasing.
"So I got an offer from your teacher? And he knows about, well, everything?" He looked at the internship paper with the name Gran Torino on it, but not much else.
"Yeah, Gran taught Toshi the ropes. I'm sure you two are gonna get along like a house on fire, little king." Nana couldn't resist the chance to poke some fun at Izuku's expense, making the boy inwardly groan.
"Well, can't say no to that, right All Might?" Izuku looked back at his Master, only to see him shaking.
"Oh no, I failed Inko already, Izuku is going to be at Teacher's mercy for a whole week. And worse yet, what if the boy ends up like him!" The despair-filled mutters from All Might didn't help the man calm down.
"Okay… at least I won't need to go through all the other offers."
"Are you accepting only because then you don't need to go through the paperwork?" Nana's tone was a mix of disappointment, understanding, exasperation, and mirth.
'Not the only reason, but it is a nice bonus.' Izuku shrugged and pocketed the paper with his notebook. He knew of his friends' bet pool on where he kept his things, and just for the fun of it, Izuku planned on keeping it a secret for as long as he could.
"Bye All Might! See you later, mom's doing pizza today, make sure to show up." With that Izuku walked away.
Toshinori relaxed some, especially with the prospect of Inko's cooking, but he was still beyond himself in worry. What would be worse? Gran Torino treating Izuku like he treated Toshinori back on the day, or the two getting along? A chill crawled back his spine, one way or the other, he would discover by the end of next week.
Done! And how the everloving hell it ended up with more than 7k words?!
This chapter has the Silverbits seal of approval, so quality is guaranteed!
Okay, I focused heavily on this fic for the last couple months, the reason being it is my "main" fic and it was an important point of it. Now, we're probably back to the schedule of me writing whatever I feel like it whenever I feel like it. My schedule is wonky? Yes, yes it is, and it will probably get worse in the near future.
With that parting words, join the discord! It has cool people, cool art, and me, who isn't cool but what can you do about it?
discord . gg / stAGY4V