A/N: I'm currently beta reading for Those Who Hold the Crown by Nap-Tyme, which just happens to also be a MHA fic. If you head over and give it a read, feel free to mention I sent you over.
Chapter 18
Izuku woke up the day after the Sports Festival well rested and a little full from dinner the night before. His mother, after a half hour of crying and a crushing hug that felt like it was augmented by a quirk, had made his favorite food. The amount of katsudon he had consumed wasn't something he remembered upon waking up. There had been several, he was certain, but it would take several hours for him to remember. As he got dressed for class, he scanned the news stories on his phone. Two stories dominated the news cycle: ALL MIGHT'S PROTÉGÉ WINS SPORTS FESTIVAL and HERO KILLER STRIKES AGAIN: INGENIUM HOSPITALIZED, CAREER OVER? He scowled at the second one, remembering how Tenya had left the Festival early, just after his loss in the third round.
It must've been because of the attack on his brother. He's always spoken highly of him. Izuku sighed, looking away from his phone. I should try and talk to him about it at school. Or better, have Ochako talk to him. His two friends from the Entrance Exam were close, often working on homework together. While he turned an eye away from the class betting pool, he was aware they were the most likely couple to end up together.
"Izuku!" his mother called. "I, uh, think you should get going soon." He frowned, but shrugged his shoulders at his mother's words. While eating dinner, he had listened as she told him how she had reacted to every match, all of the rounds, and each blow he threw. Her instincts as both mother and nurse had made her worry, but the pride she had shown made it worth every fright he had caused her.
"I'm heading out soon!" he shouted back. "Is there a problem?"
"There's a reporter and cameraman at the door."
Izuku blinked, leaned his head to the left, and then gasped. What's the press doing here? Isn't that unethical to come to someone's house to question them? Surely they would try and get statements from either All Might or me at U.A., at the very least.
He grabbed his backpack, finished buttoning his blazer, and hugged his mom. "I'll handle the press, mom. I'll see you tonight, unless your shift goes long." His mother nodded, hugging him tight before letting him go. Izuku stepped outside and was surprised by the camera crew just outside the door. They were sitting around, between him and the stairwell, the cameraman yawning while the interviewer leaned against the wall, reading something on her phone.
Izuku tried to slip past them, but they both looked up just as he passed between them. He smiled and said, "If you don't mind, I need to go to class."
"I take it you don't have a time for a short interview?" the woman asked, disappointed. She turned to her cameraman, not giving Izuku time to respond. "You think we could pull it off on the train?"
"That isn't – "
The cameraman frowned. "Doubtful. They'll be packed even this late in the morning and I don't wanna be jostled." He glanced at Izuku. "Better to just contact U.A. and ask to interview him at lunch. I was mad to follow you out here this early."
Izuku cut in. "That would be fine. You'll just need to talk with the school, although I doubt – "
"They'll let us do it," the reporter finished, sighing. "I think I may still have an I.O.U. from U.A. after that mess with the press storming your campus." She smiled at her cameraman, who looked to be on the verge of laughing. "It was rather silly and we were the only people not to enter after that weirdo melted the door and let us enter."
Melt the door? That sounds like Shigaraki… Izuku cleared his throat and smiled. "If that's it, I'll let you contact U.A. If they agree, then I will see you at lunchtime." He took a few moments to shake hands with them and headed off. As they had predicted, the train was packed and several people not only recognized him from the Festival, but also asked for autographs. A few gave him hero name suggestions. He flushed when a couple middle schoolers recommended "All Might Junior," several derivatives, and "Midori," but otherwise how few people talked to him about the Festival surprised him. When the train reached the stop for U.A., there was a low shout of "Good luck Midoriya!" He grinned and waved to the cheerful people as the door closed and the train departed the station.
"Man, everyone's been talking about you like crazy," a friendly voice said. Izuku turned and shook his head as Kirishima and Katsuki approached. "He's been pissy all morning, but I think that's just because a couple kids mocked him."
"If I ever see them in trouble, I will look the other way," Katsuki declared, stomping away. "See you in class, Kirishima."
Izuku wasn't certain, but he thought he heard the sound of the wind rushing past. "Did he just call you by your name, Kirishima?"
"Yeah he did," he said, pleased. "Bakugou may be rough around the edges, but he's a good guy at heart." He threw an arm over Izuku's shoulders and added, "I think he considers us to be friends."
"I would agree with that," Izuku mumbled. "He only uses names for people he respects and I'm pretty sure that's the sign of real friendship with him."
"That coming from experience?" Kirishima asked. They started out of the station and towards school. "Everyone is aware you two have known each other before you developed quirks."
"Before he developed his, perhaps." Izuku glanced up. "For several years, I tried as much as I could to revive the friendship we had as boys, but my apparent lack of quick created a divide I don't think will ever be crossed. Just keep being friends with Kacchan, Kirishima."
"No worries about that," he said.
The campus entrance came into sight when Tenya suddenly appeared behind them. "Good morning!"
They turned and Izuku asked, "How's your brother?" He immediately wanted to take the words back when Tenya frowned.
"He won't be able to continue as Ingenium, and…and he asked me to adopt the name."
"That's unfortunate," Kirishima said. "We'll all be behind you, so make sure to make your brother proud. A family legacy like Ingenium is very manly."
"Thanks," Tenya said, his typical excitement faded, held back.
I hope his brother's injury and retirement isn't pressing on him. Izuku glanced over, frowning. Please don't try and get revenge for your brother. We all know what they say about it and I don't want to see one of my classmates fail to become a hero.
The three boys entered U.A., passing a crowd of press smaller than the one that had descended upon the campus after the news of All Might teaching at the school came out. They tried to press Izuku about his comments at the Festival, but both Tenya and Kirishima helped to keep them at bay until they passed through the gate.
"That's really lame, trying to spring that on you," Kirishima grumbled. "You would think they would know U.A. frowns upon them trying to interrogate students like that."
"Yes, but Izuku took the world by storm by declaring his intentions to succeed All Might as the Symbol of Peace," Tenya said. "All Might defines much of what it means to be a hero, both here in Japan and abroad. By making such an announcement, everyone will be watching him closely. Every success and every failure will be scrutinized."
Izuku nodded, uncertain how to respond as they reached the door into class. They entered, the last three to arrive and took their seats. Before anyone could speak to Midoriya, Aizawa entered, holding a thick stack of papers.
"Congratulations on completing your first Sports Festival," he began. "Many of you have made a splash in the world of heroics and these" – he shook the papers in his hand – "are a sign of the interest you have drawn. While students typically don't get their first chance to intern with an office until near the end of their first year at U.A., the principle has made a change for your year due to the events a few weeks ago. As such, you will all be serving your first internship for the rest of the spring. And unlike usual, you will have more freedom to decide where you go." He handed the stack to Aoyama and it began to make its way around the room, each student removing their list. Once they had all been handed out, the class begun talking and gossiping about their sheets
"How many offers did everyone get?" Ochako asked, scanning her own list. "I only got a few hundred, but some of these are pretty good."
"I got a thousand?" Ashido shouted, holding up several fingers from counting. There were similar rumblings across the room as every student received more requests than they suspected. Even Mineta received over a hundred requests, although nearly every single one of them were from offices notorious for turning the most perverted heroes into icons of civic morality.
"If you're all finished bumbling about your lists, I have a couple other things to mention about them," Aizawa said over the class. They all quieted as several names and numbers appeared on the board. "As you can all see, many of you received more requests than usual for first year students, even those getting close to entering their second year. We just happen to have a very surprising result this year."
At the far left of the list was a towering bar, topped with the number, '15,734,' and a single name beneath it: 'Midoriya Izuku.' The boy in question gapped at display, having worked through only a third of his list. No wonder I couldn't finish it before he interrupted us. Everyone asked for me. Well, all but one. He flipped through his list, scanning names and addresses as his classmates whispered about his remarkable response. It was around the three quarters mark of his list that he realized just who was missing.
Izuku had met Sir Nighteye once during his training pre-U.A. The dark haired man had just finished up his tenure as All Might's top sidekick, using his quirk to predict and outthink villains and crime rings. In hindsight, calling their meeting that was an exaggeration. Nighteye had only watched Izuku train for fifteen minutes, frowning the entire time, before departing without a word. He later heard from All Might that the pro hero hadn't been extremely impressed, but he hadn't said anything bad about him.
I wonder why he didn't request me? Was it because of my declaration? He didn't have much of a chance to think about it in peace when his classmates begun pestering him about whom he was going to choose, trying to convince him to join them for the internship. Izuku wasn't going to admit it just yet, but he had already made a choice. At the very beginning of All Might's career, before the disaster that had made him a household name overnight, he had been a fresh-faced hero with All Star Heroics Office. Shortly after All Might departed the office, it was acquired by a rich hero that had already been jumping the ranks in a mad rush to the top.
Izuku Midoriya knew he was going to intern with the office owned by Endeavor. It was just a question of who else would go to it.
A voice cut through the room. "What the fuck do you mean you're going to your old man's office, Half n Half? You trying to show me up?"
Todoroki glared up at Katsuki. "It's expected of me, Bakugou. I would've thought you would go to a different top hero's office, like Best Jeanist or Kamui Woods."
"Bah," Katsuki said in disregard. "Word is online that Best Jeanist squashes individuality among his interns and I don't want to accidentally injure the top hero during an internship. Just deal with the fact you'll be overshadowed at your old man's place."
Maybe I should consider a different office, Midoriya thought, frowning at the argument.
"You have thought of shadowing the same office," Fumikage said, making Izuku jump. He turned to the bird-like hero.
"Hit it on the head. I should remember just how perceptive you are, Fumikage. What office are you looking at?"
He frowned, thinking. "I got a lot of offers thanks to my successes in the Festival. An office I have long followed was on the list, so I shall consider their offer over the rest."
Izuku nodded. The choice was rather simple, when he broke things down. He would either continue with his original plan and intern with Endeavor's office, or allow Todoroki and Katsuki's decision to enter said office to force him to go elsewhere.
"Yes yes, it's all exciting," Aizawa said, interrupting his class once again. "However, before we can register you with your office of choice for your internship, there's one more thing that has to be done." He paused, scanning the room. "While you all call me Aizawa-sensei, I'm known at large as Eraserhead. That name is a recognition of what I can do as a hero."
"You mean…" Kirishima began, leaning forward.
"It's time to decide on your hero names." With that announcement, the door slammed open and Principal Nedzu entered, stopping the few cheers that had come forth. The class was shocked by his entrance and watched him closely as he crossed the room to stand beside Aizawa.
"I imagine you're all shocked by my appearance," he said, almost smug. "While we typically have on of your other instructors oversee this most important occasion in your development as heroes, I thought it would be interesting to be directly involved this year. That means, of course, I will be working with your counterparts in Class B once we are finished here."
"All of you should have boards that slide in and out of your desks," Aizawa said. "Use those to write down your hero name. Nedzu will be approving them all."
The class rustled, pulling out the boards. Izuku tapped his, glancing around the room as several people wrote theirs down. Many already know theirs. But me? He sighed, stopping his tapping. If he was honest, he had been so focused on preparing to become a hero that his mind had skipped over the name. Sure, he had written several as he grew up, but they were all as bad as the ones he had heard that morning.
His thoughts went on pause as Aoyama strolled up to the front of the class, smiling in that way were he clearly believed his name was the best. "This is mine. I am," he turned the board and said, "I cannot stop twinkling!"
The class grumbled as Nedzu rubbed his chin. "I don't know if I would've used twinkling based on what I've seen, but there isn't any heroes called 'Twinkler'. Perhaps Dazzler could work…"
"Dazzler would work perfectly," Aoyama said, brushing his hair back. "I am quite dazzling!"
He went to sit down and Ashido popped up, grinning.
"Here's mine!" she said, displaying 'Ripley's Hero: Alien Queen'.
Aizawa frowned. "Isn't that the name of a horror monster?" He glanced at Nedzu. "What do you think?"
"It fits her abilities and there are several heroes with more villainous appearances or names out there. Consider it approved."
Ashido rushed to her seat, grinning madly as Tsuyu replaced her at the front. Her hero name of Froppy got the class chanting her name, Izuku going along with it. I definitely hit it on the head. She's going to be popular among children.
Tenya went next. He set his board on the podium and scanned the room. "I put a lot of thought into this and with everything that's happened, I…I need to do this. For my brother." He turned his around and displayed 'Ingenium' for the class to see.
"I take it Tensei asked you to assume his hero name?" Nedzu asked. Tenya nodded and the principal smiled. "You will do that name – and him – proud." He flushed and returned to his seat, pensive yet pleased.
Izuku continued pondering his hero name as several more students went up and presented theirs. Some, like Satou, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou, went with names that emulated Tsuyu: good names that highlighted their quirk and would make for good branding, should they reach the heights nearly every hero-in-training aspired to. Others went with names less obvious, yet were as good as the others.
Kirishima had strutted up to the front before presenting 'Red Riot' to the class. He then explained, "Crimson Riot inspired me to become a hero. As such, I felt it was extremely important for me to pay homage to him and his legacy as a hero."
Nedzu had only nodded, but Izuku had an odd hunch that the principal was feeling almost, reminiscent about Crimson Riot. If he remembered correctly, the two had been at U.A. around the same time, many decades ago. Nedzu's age is hotly contested on forums across the web.
Fumikage had left 'Tsukuyomi' crossed out on his board, with 'The Raven' underneath it. He glanced at Izuku, smiling the best he could with a beak, and then offhandedly mentioned that the name had been used during a training session and he had liked it. Half the class, primarily the more academically successful, accused him of taking it from the poem he had recited early in the semester.
As they approached the last few, there was only a couple that Nedzu rejected. The first was with Todoroki, who tried his best to insist upon 'Shouto' as his hero name. After several minutes and as many suggested names rejected, the principal sighed, disappointed, and let the name go with the promise that Todoroki consider changing it before he graduated and became a full time hero. After that was Katsuki and Izuku almost laughed when he saw the first name. While he had mellowed out over the years, there were times where the boy's vicious side emerged. With 'King Explod'o'Kills', this was clearly one of those times. Aizawa shot it down before Nedzu could comment and it slowly morphed. First it was changed to 'Baron Explod'o'Kills', then to 'Baron Explodio', (where the sudden 'i' came from, Katsuki never said) and finally the three were willing to agree on 'Explodio' as Katsuki's hero name. He grumbled about it returning to his seat, but it was probably for the best.
"I believe we have one more left," Nedzu said, grinning. "We've had a lot of good names today, with a few rough ones that have been mostly ironed out." The principal glanced at Todoroki, who frowned. "Now, Midoriya let us see what you have prepared for us."
Izuku, in between Ochako's 'Uravity' and Mineta settling on 'Grape Rush' after 'Grape Juice' was shot down, had written down a name he liked. He walked up to the front, board close to his chest and the class focused on him.
"I have to thank Kirishima for the inspiration. With my status as All Might's protégé now in the open, I've also decided to acknowledge my inspiration through my hero name."
He turned and presented his board to the class, showing two words.
'Green Might'