"Lemillion to save a million!"

Mirio and Tamaki were enjoying a pleasant afternoon at the park. They had stopped at an ice cream truck on their way home from school, and after they finished their treats, Mirio was suddenly struck with inspiration to practice some hero poses and catchphrases. Tamaki sat on a nearby bench, happily watching his best friend as he leapt about and shouted various Lemillion puns at the sky. Maybe he was hopped up on sugar, maybe his misshapen All Might popsicle with gumball eyes had somehow sparked a few ideas, or maybe he was just being his regular old enthusiastic self—either way, he was certainly putting his heart into it. In fact, he'd been at it for an hour or two now, and the sun was close to setting.

"Ooh, how about this one? Okay, pretend this is a wall..." Mirio held his bookbag in front of his face. "You know what they say—when life gives you... Lemillion!" he boomed, thrusting his face through the bookbag.

Tamaki chuckled. "That's a good one, Mirio."

"You think so?" Mirio beamed as he lowered his bookbag. His smile changed to a look of confusion as he realized his ponytail had come loose, and he looked down to see his hairband in the grass. "Ah, dang it, not again," he muttered, bending down to pick it up.

Mirio... he's so cool, Tamaki thought to himself, looking on as Mirio jumped straight back into posing after putting his hair back up. He's already got the makings of a great hero... and he's got a really clever hero name to boot!

"The man with the strength of... Lemillion men!" Mirio announced with gusto, putting his hands on his hips. He paused for a moment, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, maybe that one's a bit much..."

Tamaki smirked. "You don't always have to introduce yourself with a pun, you know."

"But I like puns!" Mirio flashed a cheeky grin.

Tamaki smiled softly at his friend, who seemed to have boundless energy, even after all the time he had spent posing and cracking jokes. He was impressed with how many puns Mirio was able to make with his hero name—heck, the name itself was several puns rolled into one! He knew he'd have to choose a name for himself pretty soon, since it wouldn't be long before he'd be applying to a hero school, but he was quite sure he'd never be able to come up with anything even half as good as Lemillion. In fact, he was having a hard time coming up with anything at all...

So many of my classmates have known what their hero names would be since they were little. Tamaki's smile faded, his eyes wandering to the grass beneath his feet. But here I am in middle school, and the only name I can think of is... Eater... That's such a lame name!

Tamaki sighed. He glanced up briefly at Mirio, who was still enthusiastically posing. I wish I was good at coming up with names like Mirio... he's so good at everything. His gaze dropped downward yet again, a wave of self-doubt washing over him. At this rate, I don't know if I'll ever be able to come up with a good hero name before—

Tamaki's thoughts were interrupted by Mirio sitting down on the bench next to him and gently putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Hey... everything okay?" Mirio asked.

Tamaki lifted his head. "Oh... yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled, averting his gaze.

"You sure? If there's something you wanna talk about, I'm all ears!" Mirio winked, tugging at his ear with his free hand.

"Well, it's just that..." Tamaki sighed. "I've never been able to think of a good hero name for myself. It seems like almost everybody knows what their hero name is going to be early in life, and you especially have a really good name..." He hung his head. "I just don't know what to do."

"Hey, coming up with the perfect name takes time! Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"But, Mirio, that's just it—I'm running out of time! I'm in middle school now, and I'm going to be applying to a hero school soon!" Tamaki ran his hands through his hair. "I feel like I should have at least some idea for a name by then, but I can't really think of anything better than... Eater..."

"Simple names are good! They're snappy and to the point!" Mirio gave Tamaki a thumbs-up.

"I don't know... I feel like it's a little too on the nose. It's lame... not clever and nuanced like yours. You're just a natural-born hero, right down to the name, and I don't think I'll ever be able to shine as brightly as you..."

Mirio's brow furrowed. "Buddy... you don't have to be so hard on yourself."

"But I don't... I don't know if I'm even cut out to be a hero after all. I can't talk to people, I can't show off my quirk in public, I can't even choose a good name for myself..." Tamaki fidgeted with one of the buttons on his uniform. "Maybe I should've just... studied to become an entomologist instead. At least I know I'd be good at that..."

"Hey." Mirio gently lifted Tamaki's chin, turning to him with a warm and reassuring smile. "I'm not the only natural-born hero around here, you know."

Tamaki blinked, not fully grasping Mirio's words.

"No one becomes a great hero overnight, not even the most natural-born heroes," Mirio continued. "I had to overcome a lot of obstacles to get where I am today, and I know I'm not the only one! You shouldn't give up so easily... I see a lot of greatness in you, Tamaki."

Tamaki's mouth was agape in disbelief. "M... Me?"

"Heck yeah! You've got everything it takes to be an amazing hero—you've got passion, you've got heart, and you've got the coolest quirk ever!"

"Maybe... but..." Tamaki fidgeted with his button once more. "I don't have confidence like you, Mirio. You're not afraid to put yourself out there and shine bright for everyone to see." He sighed deeply. "You're amazing... and I'm not."

"Hey, now, don't sell yourself short like that!" Mirio rubbed Tamaki's shoulder encouragingly. "I know you've got what it takes to fight through your struggles and become one of the greats—after all, heroism is your passion, isn't it?"

"Yeah... it is. I've always wanted to be a hero, ever since I was little." Tamaki looked back up at Mirio. "It would be so cool... to be able to save people, and use my quirk for good..."

"And I can't think of a cooler person for the job! You're amazing, Tamaki." Mirio smiled brightly at his friend.

Tamaki was so touched by Mirio's kind words, he felt like he was going to cry. "I-I..."

"You're always saying I'm like the sun, but you know what I think?"

Tamaki shook his head, too overwhelmed to say anything else.

"I think you're even more like the sun! You shine brighter than anyone I know..." Mirio placed his hand on top of Tamaki's, smiling softly at him. "I'm glad to have a friend like you."

A warm and grateful smile spread across Tamaki's face, his heart overflowing. "Mirio... thank you."

"Heyyy, now there's a smile that shines brighter than the sun!" Mirio grinned and playfully gave Tamaki's arm a gentle punch.

Tamaki's smile grew even bigger. Then all of a sudden, the glimmer of gratitude in his eyes changed to a spark of inspiration, as Mirio's words of encouragement had given him a burst of confidence to try coming up with an even cooler hero name—now he had no doubt he'd be able to think of one eventually, if he put his heart into it.

"Eater... Eater... I wonder what else I could call myself?" he mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Mirio's ears perked up—hearing the last word of his sentence in conjunction with the first word of Tamaki's had given him an idea. "Sun... Eater..." he muttered to himself, tilting his head from side to side.

Tamaki looked up. "Hmm?"

"Sun... Eater... Suneater..." Mirio's face lit up. "Suneater! Hey, that sounds kinda nice, doesn't it?"

Tamaki sat up a little straighter, his eyes sparkling. "Yeah..."

"Suneater..." Mirio snapped his fingers. "Hey, yeah, that's perfect! 'Cause you're brighter than the sun! Heck, you could eat the sun! How about that, eh, Tamaki?" he chirped, playfully elbowing his friend.

Tamaki chuckled. "Mirio, I can't eat the sun... I'd be burnt to a crisp."

"Eh, you know, figuratively speaking. 'Cause you can do anything you put your mind to! And your quirk has endless possibilities!" Mirio stretched both his arms out in the air. "Heh... imagine what powers you could manifest if it actually was possible to eat the sun, though."

Tamaki laughed. "Yeah, that would definitely be interesting. Maybe I'd have glowing fire hands or something... that'd be cool."

"Hey, and now that I think about it, doesn't your family name mean something like 'sun-eater' in English?"

"Well, not exactly... I think the translation is closer to 'heaven-eater'."

"Eh, close enough! The sun is in the heavens, right?" Mirio waved his hand.

Tamaki shook his head in amusement. "Mirio..."

"Well, I think Suneater is the perfect name for you! What do you think, Tamaki?"

"Suneater..." Saying the name made Tamaki feel warm inside. "It does have a nice ring to it. You think the other kids at school will like it?"

"Buddy, I know they will! It's the name of a true hero! And you thought Eater was a lame name," he chuckled, gently nudging Tamaki. "Turns out it was just incomplete!"

"I like it." Tamaki smiled warmly. "You're really good at coming up with stuff, Mirio."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help!" Mirio gave Tamaki a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Oh, man, I can see you now... a pro hero, coming on the scene, announcing your arrival for all to hear..." He looked up and dramatically pointed his finger skyward. "The hero who eats even the sun! Suneater!"

"The hero who eats even the sun... that's so cool..." Tamaki's eyes sparkled. "And if you think it's cool, too... well, who am I to argue with that?"

"You bet I do! The coolest name for the coolest hero!" Mirio beamed.

Tamaki grinned from ear to ear. "Mirio... From now on, I'm going to wear the name Suneater with pride. Because..." He got up off the bench, stood up straight, put his hands on his hips, and looked triumphantly into the sunset.

And for the first time ever, he proudly declared for all to hear...

"I'm the hero who eats even the sun! Suneater!"

"HECK YEAH, TAMAKI!" Mirio yelled, jumping off the bench with so much force that he almost knocked it over. "You got it! That's the stance of a true hero right there!" He held up his hand for a high-five. "Up top, man!"

Tamaki barely had time to return the high-five before Mirio barreled forward and wrapped him up in a big, warm hug.

"I'm so proud of you, buddy!" he laughed gleefully, ruffling Tamaki's hair.

Tamaki happily returned the hug, feeling warm and fuzzy both inside and out. "Thank you..."

Mirio sighed contentedly, squeezing Tamaki just a little tighter. He glanced up at the setting sun... wait, the setting sun? How did it get so late? He got so into this hero stuff, he'd lost track of time...

"Oh, geez, it's about to get dark soon," he said, pulling away from the hug. "Guess we better head home, eh, Suneater?" Mirio winked at Tamaki.

Being called by his new hero name for the first time was like music to Tamaki's ears. "Yep... I guess so," he replied with a soft smile.

And so the boys headed down the path back home, Mirio with an arm slung around his best friend's shoulder, chatting excitedly with him about what it would be like when they were pro heroes someday. They discussed teamups and special moves and costume ideas with stars in their eyes, the warm orange glow of the evening sky dancing on their hair.

Now that Tamaki finally had a hero name to call his own, he felt a newfound confidence going down the path of heroism that he had chosen so long ago. He had no doubt that with his best friend by his side, there was nothing he couldn't get through, no obstacle he couldn't overcome. He was really grateful to have a friend like Mirio—someone who always loved and supported him no matter what, someone who was always able to cheer him up even at his lowest point... and someone who could see the potential in him when he couldn't see it in himself.

Tamaki could see a bright future ahead of him... because the name his friend gave him was lighting his way.