Hello again, everybody. So from here we go back into some familiar territory, and from there, we delve head-first into our first truly fully original story arc of this story. For those of you very familiar with the manga timeline, this arc will of course take place parallel to the events of the Hero Killer: Stain arc. Fans of that particular arc can breathe a sigh of relief that it's being almost entirely left untouched save for the most minute of alterations.
Much like the sports Festival Arc, I put a great deal of planning into how this entire arc is going to unfold, and as such, if you like what you see here and in future chapters going forward, I would like you all to take the time to write out an honest constructive review, letting me know your thoughts. Here, it would be especially appreciated, since I'm working with virtually no pre-determined material to work off of.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. The only thing I own is my original characters, original events and story arcs surrounding them, and the resultant alterations of established events that occur as a direct result of their existence in this universe.
I would also like to give another major shout-out to my Beta Reader, Mizu Hikikomori. Her assistance has been immensely helpful thus far, and I couldn't be more grateful.
A/N: [[]] denotes that characters are contextually speaking Russian.
Chapter 21
Names and Nominations
(Имена и Номинации)
The weather had changed drastically over the night from Sunday to Monday. Nikolay and Oleg had both woken up to torrential rain from practically out of nowhere. However, neither of them were going to let overcast skies and rain dampen their spirits. No, because today was going to be one of utterly monumental importance: Nomination Day!
Father and son alike had been quick in eating breakfast and getting dressed for school, and before long, they were both in their jackets and standing at the doorstep while Oleg was busily locking up for the day.
[[So, today's the big day at last, Kolya. All your efforts at the Sports Festival were for this day. Are you nervous?]] The young Russian boy simply gave his towering father an incredulous glance that couldn't have screamed 'do you really have to ask' any louder if he tried. The large man chuckled in clear embarrassment. [[Right, of course you are. How could anyone not be? I probably would if I was going through this at your age. So, have you perhaps done any research into any of the Hero Agencies that could have potentially nominated you over this break?]]
Nikolay grumbled in disappointed embarrassment of his own: [[No…I haven't. I mean, I'm not exactly holding my breath for any huge ones to have taken any notice of me, to be honest. Next to powerhouses like Todoroki-san and Bakugo, I wasn't really anything special.]] Oleg didn't know exactly how to answer that sentiment, as he would have been lying if he'd said the two boys in the finals hadn't proven themselves to be exceptionally impressive.
[[What about you, though, Dad? What are you going to end up doing if everybody in the classes you teach ends up getting nominated? You put so much time and effort into putting together this program, it seems like a waste. No offense, but I just can't imagine anyone would be willing to turn down a legitimate Pro Hero internship in favor of this.]] It was like a knife twisting in his own gut to say so to his father, but when Oleg finally turned back from locking the door, he still had that wise old smile on his face, even if there was only a shimmer of doubt upon it.
[[Oh, I'm not worried, Kolya. Considering how the vetting process of the Festival went, I can't imagine there wouldn't be at least a handful of students who didn't get any nominations, so if they don't want to spend the entire internship week relegated to regular schoolwork, they could just volunteer to train under me. And if I'm especially lucky, maybe the ones who only got a minuscule amount of nominations will find the small-time Agencies they got selected by to not even be worth the effort, and volunteer anyway. I know that's especially wishful thinking, but you know what; I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Now come, we don't want to be late.]]
With that, Nikolay and Oleg hurriedly jogged down the steps and up the road, ignoring the hard pattering of the rain against their jackets and faces. However, they were also completely unaware of something else; something far, far less pleasant than rain.
Hidden from view, but watching and listening intently from atop one of the neighboring houses, a single man dressed entirely in black silently watched the father-and-son duo take their leave, having followed a single invisible trail to their humble home overnight, like a man possessed by purpose. For all intents and purposes, that was exactly what he was, and when he had finally found that very purpose, he had to fight every single fiber of his being to make himself known to it right out the gate. Now, that euphoric giddiness had simply been replaced with a much more subdued sense of excitement.
[[Oh, Tunguska…at last; after over twenty years, at long, long last, I've found you. But oh, what have the years done to you? You've gotten…old…and careless. Years ago, you would have noticed me even from this distance in an instant. I must admit, I'm quite…disappointed. On the other hand, though…much more than that has changed since the last time we saw each other. You have a son now? How…intriguing. This hunt may prove far more challenging…more fun; than I had originally hoped. I need to listen more, observe.]]
With that, he swiftly descended from the rooftop and quickly began to go from one hiding place to the next, keeping the same distance from Oleg and Nikolay, and never once actually stepping out into the open, while still keeping track of them every single step of the way.
The atmosphere in Class 1-A, right from the moment Nikolay stepped inside, was nothing short of suffocating with excitement, and not just for the fact they were finally going to get their nominations today. Every step from the door to his and Minas' double desk, all he could hear from her, Tooru and Eijirou was chatter about one certain thing:
"I got tons of people shouting out my name on the way to school!" "Me, too! I got so embarrassed; everybody was staring at me so intently!" "Right?! I couldn't even walk down the street for a minute yesterday without somebody calling me out, wanting to take pictures!"
As Nikolay took his seat, he just listened as they, and pretty much everyone else he could hear even partially clearly, was going on about being recognized and cheered on by the public in the aftermath of the Sports Festival. Of course, some other students, like Hanta and Minoru weren't exuding nearly the same kind of enthusiasm: "At least you guys seem to be getting praise! Me? I've got a bunch of elementary school kids saying 'Don't Mind' to me pretty much everywhere I go! 'Don't Mind'! I mean, I know I got dropped pretty early compared to a lot of others, but come on, I didn't do that bad!"
"Hey, at least you're getting recognized for even participating in the first place, Sero! Nobody even calls out to me! You'd think I never even participated to begin with!" Unfortunately for him, Minorus' outrage was seemingly ignored likewise, as Tooru and Mina finally noticed Nikolays' arrival.
"What about you, Kolya-kun? With how far you got, I'll bet you were getting tons of shout-outs from people while out with Mina-chan yesterday." Nikolay instinctively put a finger to his mouth to signal the invisible girl to be quiet, only to realize Hanta and Minoru weren't even listening, as the lankier boy was trying to get his grape-haired classmate to stop fuming from his own lack of recognition. Fairly comfortable nobody had overheard that he didn't want to, Nikolay let out a sigh of relief as he returned his attention to Toorus' prying; all the while never noticing how Tsuyus' head had silently perked up in attention to hearing her offhand comment.
"Yeah, we both did, actually, especially at the amusement park. For the most part, it felt kind of…cool, I guess. But after a while, I will admit it got kind of embarrassing." He, of course, couldn't help but think back to some of the more specific commentary those people had been throwing around by the end, essentially acting like he and Mina had been out on a date, and comparing it and their display at the Festival to a fairytale.
Of course, his embarrassment hardly measured to Minas' off-the-wall excitement at the very same thing. "'Embarrassing'? Oh, Kolya-kun, I think you'd best get used to it now rather than later! That kind of popularity is exactly what life as a Pro Hero is like, and it's only gonna get bigger once we actually go out for the internships! Just think about it: us, out on the beat with REAL Pros! The eyes of the whole country are gonna be on us from now on! We're gonna become even more famous now! C'mon, let's see a smile, okay? It's a sign we're finally making it!"
Wanting nothing more than to avoid a repeat of the photo booth incident from yesterday, Nikolay thankfully managed to ride out the lingering sense of embarrassment and take Minas' encouragement to heart, giving his classmates a genuinely proud smile that seemed to just diffuse whatever ill air was hanging over his head.
Suddenly, the door opened, and like the waving of a magic wand, the very sound was enough to send everyone nearly teleporting back to their respective desks, just as the black-clad lanky form of Shota Aizawa stepped in; only now he was no longer adorned from head to toe in bandages. In fact, once he finally looked the class in the eye, from a distance, the only noticeable difference Nikolay could see was a single scar just under the homeroom teachers' right eye. "Morning."
The rest of the class immediately echoed his blunt greeting, but was immediately followed by Tsuyu chiming in: "Aizawa-sensei, I'm happy you were able to remove your bandages."
Despite such nice sentiment, Aizawa was still as stone-faced as he ever was, only momentarily reaching up to touch his new scar. "The old lady got a touch over-dramatic with her treatment. But let's put that aside. Today's Hero Informatics period is a bit…special."
Nikolay, as well as the majority of his classmates, could feel a chill instinctively go up and down his spine. Knowing Aizawa as well as he felt comfortable thinking he did, it wasn't above the man to refer to something like a surprise quiz as 'something special', and with all the training up until the Festival, on top of the whole day of resting off his injuries afterward, and everything that happened yesterday, he had pretty much not studied at all. And the last thing he needed, on top of the remaining single week of detention he and Mina had left, was for his overall grade to get knocked down a peg just because Aizawa decided to commemorate his full recovery with a momentary bout of sadism.
"It's time to formulate your codenames. Your Hero names."
Like a spark and a powder keg, the entire classroom erupted into an excited cheer of "OH, GOD, YES!" the likes of which mere words could not do justice. Nikolay was the only one who didn't immediately fly up from his seat, simply because he hadn't even thought about such a thing, having been so focused on everything else up to this point. He could even feel a pang of regret, not being able to be a part of this wave of pure energetic cheer as he saw the absolute childlike excitement on nearly everyones' faces, especially Minas'.
Even in the face of such raw energy, Aizawa remained steadfast as he reached down and pulled out a sizeable stack of forms, which many could only naturally assume were their accumulated Pro Hero nominations. One could feel the anxiousness, the anticipation, hanging so thick and heavy in the air.
"This is related to the draft nominations by Pros I mentioned the other day. The nominations will truly start mattering only after you've gained some experience and your adaptable fighting ability is judged during your sophomore and senior years. In other words, the nominations you're all getting this year are more akin to expressions of 'interest' in your future potential. And it's not rare that that this interest dries up by graduation, or is simply unilaterally dropped." This declaration did actually manage to dim the overall mood some, as the cheering had dropped exponentially. Nikolay could even barely make out the likes of Minoru and Denki muttering grievances to themselves of their emotions being played with.
"So I guess the nominations we received are like personal hurdles, then!" Tooru guessed out of everyone, and the idea was admittedly pleasant when Nikolay thought about it. In a way, that's exactly what these were: written proof that they had pushed themselves far enough to gain the discerning eyes of certain Pro Heroes who saw the very same potential Aizawa was talking about inside of them. The idea couldn't help but instill a swelling of pride in the young Russians' heart, in fact.
"That's right. Now, the tally of nominations is as follows." With the press of a button, the blackboard suddenly projected a listing of every student, with their respective total tallies of nominations. Everyone immediately noticed that in the top two places, with nominations numbering in the thousands, were Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo. As immensely unsurprising as that was, it was still quite something to actually see the proof in writing. "Typically, the results are more balanced. But this year, all the attention leaned towards two of you."
Nikolay looked down the list intently, noticing the following instantly:
Shoto had just over 4,000 nominations in first place, just barely 600 more than Bakugo had in second.
The count from there drastically dropped to Tokoyami in third place with 360 nominations.
Nikolays' own name was in the projected top ten ranks, ranking in at fourth place with 301 nominations.
Mina, Eijirou, Ochako and Tenya had all managed to make it in the top ten rankings as well, going as followed: Tenya in fifth place with 272 nominations; Eijirou in seventh place with 68 nominations just behind Momo Yaoyorozu; Mina in eighth place with 31 nominations, and Ochako in ninth place with 20 nominations.
And lastly, Izuku Midoriya wasn't anywhere in the top ten at all.
Many of the rest of the class couldn't help but voice their thoughts and either relief or consternation in kind at seeing just who ranked above who, and who was even considered good enough to even be projected or not. Nikolay frankly couldn't believe he'd managed to rank at all, let alone so high. His disbelief was only broken when Mina gave him a playful elbow nudge to his arm, that good-humored cheeky grin on her pink face. "Just look at you moving so high up in the world, Mr. Superstar."
Nikolay could only give a slightly embarrassed smirk in response, but couldn't hide the sympathetic look in his eyes as he glanced towards Izuku at his desk. To think he had put his body through such hell, only to have virtually nothing to show for it. It just didn't feel right.
"Based on this…regardless of whether or not you received any nominations, I'll be having you all get some so-called 'work place experience'. Or, at least, I'm providing the option for those of you who aren't interested in volunteering for this…*sigh* 'Surrogate Pro-Hero Internship Training Program' you've no doubt been seeing fliers for all over school since after the Festival." Aizawa didn't even try to hide the skepticism and distaste in his tone. His tone was frankly enough to make Nikolays' skin prickle in nervousness, unsure if anyone here would even think of going for it after today.
"Well, you've all dipped a toe in the world of the Pros already, unfortunately. But I think experiencing the activities of Pros firsthand will prove to be more fruitful training than before." Once again, the overall spirit of the class began to rise as the memories of their impromptu real-life experiences instilled a new feeling of confidence and readiness in everyone. "Anyway, if you end up having trouble confirming a Hero name of your liking, placeholder names are fine, too. However, something appropriate—"BECAUSE IF NOT, IT'LL BE HELL FROM THERE!"
Aizawas' blunt way of speaking was suddenly and effectively silenced by the arrival of a female voice that, after the Festival, nobody could possibly mistake. Everyones' eyes went to the door as the 18+ Only Hero herself, Midnight, swaggered inside, a casual yet also unreadable smile on her face as she looked over all the students like little lambs in her presence. Of course, the way she walked seemed to really be putting an emphasis on the shape of her figure in her skintight Hero suit, as if she were actively trying to rouse a reaction from the boys, especially.
"The names you pick now! The names you come to be known by the world as now! In many cases, they stay that way after becoming Pros!" Her energy was through the roof; a rather humorous contrast to the always stoic and almost lackadaisical Aizawa, who simply sat himself behind his desk like this was absolutely nothing. "Well, she is correct. I'll be having Ms. Midnight here evaluate your naming sense."
As he sat himself down, he lifted his head to deliver another piercing glare to every single student in the room, emphasizing how serious what he was about to say really was, even in comparison to how serious everything else beforehand had been: "The way your futures end up will approach the image projected by the names you choose. It's all down to that old phrase: 'names and natures don't often agree.' For example, 'All Might.'"
Nikolay couldn't imagine what Aizawa was supposed to mean by such an outlandish example, but he couldn't even begin to think, before Midnight had swiftly planted a single white board and marker before every single student, all of them already hard at work writing down their titles and Hero names.
Even as everyone else was firing on all cylinders, Nikolay could feel a burning yet frigid sweat upon his brow as he switched the marker from one hand to the next, staring frustrated at the empty whiteboard in front of him. How could he have managed to go this far into the school year and not even think about a name for himself? And to think that whatever he chose would most likely be branded onto him for life only made the pressure feel so much heavier upon his shoulders.
Roughly 15 minutes had passed from the moment everyone had been given their whiteboards, when Midnight gave the announcement that practically lit a fire under everyones' tails: "All right, it's almost time! For those who're ready to present their names for the class, go on ahead and step up." There were some, Nikolay included, who were still busily trying to come up with names, but the majority had already gotten back to full attention as the first student decided to step up: Yuuga Aoyama.
"Here it comes…the name of the Sparkling Hero: 'I CANNOT STOP TWINKLING!'" The instant the sparkling blonde boy held up his written name and announced it out loud for emphasis, he was immediately met with a barrage of disbelieving decries typically revolving around: "That's not a name; that's a whole friggin' sentence!"
If this was an example of how the rest of the name announcements were going to go, Nikolay was doomed; he could just feel it with every letter he overly meticulously spelled out, either trying not to notice, or simply too stressed out to notice, that Mina was anxiously trying to look over his hunched shoulder to see what he had ultimately come up with.
"You're kind of on the right track, Aoyama-kun. If you take out the 'I' and abbreviate it to just a 'can't', it'll be easier to say." Midnights' interference was swift, concise, but undeniably effective, as Aoyama graciously exited with gratitude. The instant the podium was empty; Mina suddenly shot right up onto her feet and practically rushed up next; her smile of excitement utterly luminescent, while Nikolay thankfully managed to get his completely written down and slammed his marker down in relief just in time for her turn.
"Right! Hey, I'm next! You can all call me The Ridley Hero, 'Alien Queen'!" Her announcement was full of so much confidence and pride in it, it was hard not to get just as invested in it as she was. However, in an instant, the classroom was once again filled with jeers of consternation, confusion, and disapproval. "That's two for two now!" "Are you seriously naming yourself after that movie monster with the acid blood?!" "What the heck kinda Hero name is that?" "You're gonna scare people more than you're gonna save them with that kind of name!"
This time, not even Midnight stepped in to try and steer Mina in the right direction. To see that excitement on her face instantly vanish and instead fall into a childish pout of disappointment, was borderline heartbreaking as she stepped down and returned to her empty spot at Nikolays' side, grumpily erasing her whiteboard.
It frankly killed Nikolay to see Mina so crestfallen. Thankfully, what he had to say in response was nothing but the gods' honest truth: "I thought it was a cool idea for a name. And it's a nice reference, too. 'Alien' is actually one of my favorite western-made movies, honestly…and Ridley Scott's one of my favorite classic directors. It's an overall nice touch you were going for."
Nikolay immediately brought his eyes back down to his own whiteboard, in case Mina was simply feeling too down for a platitude, heartfelt or not. However, he was quickly answered with the warmth of one of her hands resting over his left, forcing him to lift his head to see a deeply appreciative smile on her face. "Thanks for saying so, Kolya-kun. But…they're right; I need to come up with something else. A Heroes' gotta be approachable in both name and look, after all…right?"
Nikolay gave her an affirming nod, which thankfully seemed to visibly encourage Mina all over again as she was already back to work writing out any alternative names that came to mind. All the while, he simply looked down upon his own name, going through a brand new round of self-doubt if it would be good enough.
"Also, you don't know how happy I am to hear that's one of your favorite movies, Kolya-kun. All my middle school friends can't stand scary movies, but I love them." The way she so proudly confessed that, without a shred of hesitation, was downright admirable. Nikolay couldn't imagine most girls would gladly admit liking scary movies.
"Well, then we need to remember to save that option when we finally manage to get that movie night idea off the ground," he immediately followed up, visibly surprised with himself just how naturally that old idea had come back to him, never mind just how thrilled Mina looked to hear him remember and bring up something as sociable of his own accord. "But if your original name was gonna be 'Alien Queen', which showed up in the sequel, then wouldn't calling yourself 'The Cameron Hero' be more accurate? Or even better: what about 'The Ripley Hero'? Even people who've seen the movies and don't pay attention to directors would still get it."
By this point, Nikolay was essentially thinking out loud, but swiftly shut himself up when he saw the look of realization on Minas' face, the rest of her body having frozen mid-writing. "Darn it…you're right!"
Of course, after a moment, the two couldn't help but break into another brief moment of mutual laughter at having managed to turn such a personal defeat for Mina, into something worth laughing about for both of them.
Shortly after this, Eijirou had been the next one to take his place at the announcers' podium, although once he was actually up, the eagerness on his grinning face had slightly faltered as he looked from his classmates to his whiteboard. "I, um…this is kind of embarrassing, but I…I-I'm kinda bouncing back and forth between them, but I've gotten my options narrowed down to two right now, but they're kind of based around the same general concept—"Just shut up and show us already, hair-for-brains!"
Eijirous' nervous stumbling had swiftly been smacked aside by an always impatient Bakugo, and so the red-haired boy sucked it up and finally held up his whiteboard, bearing two potential names upon it: The Hero of Hard Virility: 'Red Riot' and 'Red Sun'. To his surprise and relief, these drew some curious mutterings from the rest of the class. "Hmm, two interesting choices, Kirishima-kun. 'Red Riot', would that by any chance be out of respect for that man among Heroes, Crimson Riot?"
The instant Midnight asked, Eijirous' face practically lit up, almost the same when Izuku would when writing down about Quirks in his notebook, from what Nikolay had witnessed up until now. "T-that's right, it is! He's retro, yeah, but the kind of Hero image I'm aiming for is just like Crimson Riot!"
"Then what the heck is the other one for? You sound pretty dead-set on the first." That comment came from Hanta, but nevertheless, it visibly caught Eijirou off-guard, as he was now trying to think of how to answer right.
"Well…I mean there are all kinds of manly Heroes out there I wanna be like. For a while, Crimson Riot was the be-all-end-all for me. Lately, though…I've been debating between a few that strike me as the manliest." Many of the class were visibly at a loss, but Nikolay and Izuku were among the very few who knew exactly who else Eijirou was referring to. The young Russian could only imagine just how deeply touched his father would be if he were here to witness this right now.
"Well, make sure you've managed to narrow it down to one before the end of class, Kirishima-kun. The last thing you'll want is the media getting your Hero name mixed up by having you debating between more than one. Now, who wants to go next?" From there, the rest of the class was on fire, as one after the other went up to finally declare their names.
Everyones' names measured all across the board in terms of appeal, even from where Nikolay stood, observing it all. They ranged from the utterly derivative (i.e. Shoto simply going by his own name), the exceptionally creative (i.e. Denki calling himself 'Chargebolt', Kouji calling himself 'Anima', and Tokoyami calling himself 'Tsukuyomi'), the surprisingly simple (i.e. Momo calling herself 'Creatie', Kyouka calling herself 'Earphone Jack', Mashirao calling himself 'Tail Man', Rikido calling himself 'Sugar Man', Tooru calling herself 'Invisible Girl', Minoru calling himself 'Grape Juice', Mezo calling himself 'Tentacle' and Hanta calling himself 'Cellophane'), to the undeniably adorable (i.e. Tsuyu calling herself 'Froppy', Ochako calling herself 'Uravity', and Mina having finally come up with her much more widely-accepted new Hero name: 'Pinky').
"All right, kids, excellent! Keep them coming! Let's go!" Midnights' enthusiasm at everyones' increasingly acceptable Hero names was unmistakable, but now that it was essentially down to three (with Bakugos' original name idea of 'King of Explodo-Kills' being outright rejected right out the gate), Nikolay felt that frigid sweat upon his brow, clutching his whiteboard in a white-knuckle grip as he found himself rising up from his seat at last.
He felt like he had cinderblocks tied to his ankles as he put one foot in front of the other to get to the podium, his heartbeat practically deafening in his ears. But finally, he reached the podium, too nervous to look his classmates in the eyes. "Alright, and what kind of name have you managed to come up with after seeing so many of your peers' ideas realized, Bezpalov-kun?"
Midnights' question had managed to spur the beginning of an answer from Nikolay at last, before the sound of Minorus' voice suddenly called out from within the rows: "Since everybody elses' names were so cartoonishly simple or derivative, maybe Bezpalov should just call himself 'Vibrator'! I mean, it's accurate!"
Crack!
The purple-haired boys' attempt at a joke was instantly met with Midnight cracking her cat o' nine tails against the podium, barely missing Nikolay by a fraction of an inch, making him instinctively flinch, and thankfully rendering Minoru dead silent with fear that he'd be next if he spoke out of turn again. Needless to say, Nikolay felt utterly humiliated that he and his Quirk had now been rendered the recipient of such an awful joke. He had half a mind to step down from that podium and just let that be the end of it, for better or for worse.
"Go ahead, Bezpalov-kun." Midnights' supportive tone thankfully dragged him out of this momentary bout of self-pity, as Nikolay lifted his head to see, to his visible relief, that nobody was laughing, and were all instead looking to him earnestly, all visibly and genuinely interested to hear what he came up with for his very own Hero name.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Nikolay took a deep, steadying breath, and finally planted his whiteboard square on the podium, with the following Cyrillic written large and clear:
Частотный Герой: Соловей
"Chastotnii Geroi: Solovei. The Frequency Hero: Nightingale."
His announcement was met with an especially heavy silence, leaving him momentarily petrified that it had been an awful choice for a name after all. "Ooh, an unusual idea, considering your Quirk, and with a little homegrown exotic touch as well; very interesting. Is there any particular significance behind it?" Once again, the fact Midnight was taking the effort to break the tension was a godsend, as Nikolay found his answer come to him with surprising ease.
"Y-yes, actually…er, two reasons. One, there was one time…relatively recently, where I found I was actually able to produce an especially powerful shockwave through my own voice. I've only done it the one time…unintentionally, of course, but it has been on my mind ever since then. And second, it kind of ties into an ancient Russian byliny, or narrative poem, about a mystical brigand or highwayman or monster, depending which translation you look at, called 'Solovei Razboinik', or 'Nightingale the Robber', who possessed a magical whistling ability that could either become too loud for normal human ears, or produce gale force winds; and who was ultimately defeated by the legendary bogatyr, Ilya Muromets. I know picking this specific name doesn't sound right, since it's of the antagonist and not the hero, but considering how I know my Quirk works so far, it just sounded appropriate or fitting."
Nikolay could feel discerning or disapproving eyes on him the further he went, feeling himself shrink down more and more under the pressure. "Hmm…true, it is an unusual idea, naming yourself after a villainous character…but you're not wrong that picking the name that more closely connects to your specific Quirk is thematically appropriate. Plus, considering you're not in Russia anymore, people are far less likely to associate your name with a villain. If anything, they'll simply refer to you as 'Nightingale' and not the original name, so you do have that circumstantial advantage. A very unique and poetic idea for a Hero name. Very nicely done, Bezpalov-kun."
Midnights' ultimate approval took all the weight of the world off Nikolays' shoulders as he let out a sigh of immense relief and hastily returned to his spot, feeling like he was about ready to collapse from such a close call.
As Tenya now took his place at the podium, Mina quickly leaned in to whisper to her desk partner: "That is a really pretty-sounding name, Kolya-kun."
Nikolay leaned back in his seat, still technically reeling, as he met her approval with an instinctive comment of his own: "Thank you. Your new name is really cute-sounding, too, Mina."
The instant the last syllable left his mouth, his mind finally caught up and he instinctively slapped his hand over his mouth, eyes wide as dinner plates as he nervously glanced over to see Mina was keeping her black-gold eyes glued to the desk, likewise wide while the rest of her pink face was turning bright red in similar realization. Of course, with it all came the unforgettable memory of her impromptu kiss on his cheek in the photo booth yesterday. 'Oh, God, Nikolay Olegovich, what were you thinking? Things were feeling normal again and you just had to throw that out there, after what happened? How do you even backtrack from that? You can't!'
Before either of them could say anything more, the resultant mutterings of the rest of the class spurred their attention back to find that not only had Tenya already descended, with his actual name visibly written upon his whiteboard, but that now Izuku had finally taken his place at very last, and had his board raised to read one simple name: 'DEKU'.
All at once, every trace of Nikolays' previous embarrassment had vanished, and had now been replaced with a deeply-rooted sense of understanding, knowing what he did about everything that name meant to the freckled boy ahead. "Are you sure you're okay with that, Midoriya?" Mashirao was the one to finally break the silence, while Izuku stood as resolutely as he possibly could.
"Yeah. Up until now, I didn't like it at all. But a certain somebody…changed the meaning of the word for me…and blew my world wide open…I was so happy. That's why…this will be my Hero name." One could practically feel the sense of hope and resolution this reveal instilled in the entire class, even in those who knew nothing of his history with that name. Among them, those happiest to hear his declaration were Ochako, Tenya, Eijirou, Nikolay and Mina (who looked especially adoring, knowing exactly who it was that had changed that word for him in the first place, practically squirming with delight in her seat.) Of course, there was also one, Bakugo, who was rendered a visibly seething enraged mess at such a display, as well.
The faculty office had been considerably peaceful, considering what a big day this was for all of the students. Tunguska had taken to waiting out the time until his first Quirk History class of the day, simply looking over all the numerous listed nominations for nearly every student in Yuuei alongside Cementoss, who had been given the frankly unenviable task of organizing them.
"Just look at them, there must be nearly 100,000 nominations in total. And every single one is an entire Hero Agency unto itself?" Cementoss' resultant amused chuckling left the burly Russian Hero beside him visibly embarrassed at what now felt like such an obvious question.
"Heavens, no. Every individual nomination is linked to one individual Pro Hero, and considering they could nominate more than one student to take on as an intern based on how they thought they performed, you end up getting a lot of overlap, hence why it looks like there's so many. There's also the fact that handfuls of the Heroes that gave these nominations work under the same Agency, so once I organize those into their own category, trust me, the numbers will go down considerably."
It certainly felt less overwhelming, but it still didn't change the fact that after all was said and done, they were still looking at up to nearly 8,000 individual Pro Heroes looking to take the students of this school under their wing. It was still quite a lot to take in, and in Tunguskas' case, simply not knowing just how many were specifically looking to take in his son added a whole new level of pressure of its own.
At that moment, Toshinori had suddenly stepped in, looking considerably unstressed despite what was no doubt going on in the classrooms at this very moment. As he began to pass Cementoss and Tunguska by with a casual 'good morning', an electrical chime suddenly emanated from the computer. "Oh, look! A new nomination's just come in for the freshmen! Just one…for Midoriya!"
This brought Toshinori and Tunguska alike to a frozen halt, before they both instinctively leaned in over Cementoss' shoulders to get a better look. "Wow, seriously? Who is it-!"
The instant the name came up, Toshinoris' sunken eyes went comically wide with shock, visibly catching both his fellows by total surprise: "WHAT?! BUT—BUT THIS IS-!"
"What is it, Toshinori-san?! What on earth could get such a reaction out of YOU, of all people?!" Tunguskas' equally over-the-top reaction could only have come from something as downright unnatural as Toshinori Yagi nearly exploding with his own disbelief.
As he grabbed onto the scrawny mans' shoulders to try and snap him out of it, he saw a look of what almost resembled…fear in those sunken eyes. "It's…it's my old mentor…Gran Torino."
Tunguska instinctively let go of his colleague as he tried to process this. He had never met the Pro Hero Gran Torino, but he had certainly heard the name, and of only a few of his exploits and accomplishments back during the first time he had ever set foot in Japan. He had simply never known that he was the mentor of the one and only All Might. If the Symbol of Peace was already such a monumental figure in the world of Heroes, then what on earth was the Hero who actually helped mold him into that image possibly like?
And better yet, he was the one who wanted to personally train Midoriya? The possibilities for why might have seemed endless to anyone else, but he and Toshinori could only imagine it was for one reason, and only one: had he somehow managed to recognize One For All in the boy during the Festival? Why else would he have managed to catch such an experienced Heroes' eye this late in the game? "Do you think perhaps I should help you in telling malenkii Midoriya later?"
Unlike many other times, Toshinoris' answer was swift and firm, only further accentuated by a very distinct trembling going on all over his lanky body. "No. No, this is…this is something I need to prepare Midoriya-shonen for myself. I know Gran Torino better than nearly everybody…it'll do him more good in terms of preparation if he knows what to expect, coming from me. You…you no doubt need to work on preparing everything for your surrogate training program for the students who'll no doubt jump on it once they have all the information and options they need. And Bezpalov-shonen…I have no doubt he'll need your help in getting ready for his own internship once he makes his decision."
With everyones' Hero names having finally been decided upon (with Eijirou having ultimately settled for 'Red Riot'), the clamor had finally died down enough for Aizawa to get back up, a listed form in his extended hand. "Your field training will be one week long. These are all good workplaces. But those with nominations will receive a personalized list. PICK ONE. Those who don't, get this list of participating workplaces from across the country. Choose one from the list. Their areas of operation and expertise all vary. So put a lot of thought into it before you choose."
"Hang on a minute, Shota-kun. Aren't you forgetting a little something we were supposed to let these kids know? I'm sure the other homeroom teachers haven't." Midnights' tone was clearly teasing, but Aizawas' resultant grumbling was just as clearly far from amused.
"I suppose I should remind you all that…should you consider either your nominations or the listed workplaces either too high profile, difficult, or generally not what you were looking for…the headmaster has given official approval to the…*sigh* Surrogate Pro-Hero Internship Training Program, put together by your Quirk History teacher, Tunguska. It does not entail official field work where you'll be in the heat of combat, depending on what you're looking for, but will rather focus on sharpening your combat skills, as well as testing your understanding of what goes into official Pro Hero work, including the running of a Hero Agency. It's a complete waste of time and effort for everyone involved, if you ask me. Doesn't carry nearly the same kind of credit as actual internship."
While it was clear their homeroom teacher had meant those last parting sentences to be to himself, it was also hard not to imagine he said it so clearly on purpose, in order to dissuade anyone from actually jumping on board with it. Nikolay honestly couldn't help but feel bad, even when he and Mina finally received their personalized nomination lists. It was like Aizawa was effectively throwing his father and his hard work under the bus, and for what? It simply brought back the painful reminder of what he had even said to his father that morning, how nobody who got a nomination in their right mind would turn the chance down in exchange for a substitute training program.
"All right, you all have your nominations, make sure you've made your official pick and turn them in by the end of the week. With that, class is dismissed." As soon as the announcement had been made, for once, nobody was actually rushing out the door, but was busily poring over their respective lists. Nikolay simply ran his gaze down the over three-hundred nominations he had personally received, honestly feeling utterly overwhelmed by his options by the time he got to the bottom of it.
"You okay, Kolya-kun? You look more stressed than usual." Mina chimed in as dependably as an alarm clock, eagerly trying to get a peek of his list while still holding her own tight. "Yeah…I'm just wishing I'd taken the time to actually look up some of the Hero Agencies beforehand, then I'd at least have some idea what I'd be getting into. I don't know who's higher up in terms of experience or fame compared to any other."
Mina suddenly put a reassuring hand on his trembling wrist, thankfully making him still, as she had a truly confident smile on her face, as always. "Well, nobody ever said you had to pick alone. I mean, we both got lists; why not see if we got any crossover nominations and work with those?" All at once did her excited idea of them sharing an agency to intern under come right back to memory, and just as quickly did Nikolays' anxiety fade. This girl was like magic when it came to bringing him back down to earth.
"Yeah…yeah, you're right, that's a great idea! I mean, going out into the field's gotta be a lot less scary with a familiar face, right?" His attempt to copy Minas' natural upbeat energy got an instant laugh out of her, but even as she tried to wipe the amused tear from her eye, that permanent smile still showed all the gratitude for his change in mentality she ever could have expressed with words. "Now you're getting it, Kolya-kun! Come on, let's have a look."
As soon as they had gotten started looking down their respective lists, Minas' eyes had grown wide with surprise. "Wow, you actually got a nomination from The Wild, Wild Pussycats AND Mt. Lady? Those are some of the bigger Agencies in town. You're really making an impression!" Nikolay had no other idea but to take her word for it, and with that excitement with which she said it, he once again felt a measure of pride in his chest that he had actually gotten the eyes of some apparently well-known Pros.
Of course, just the fact that he had so many nominations, likewise, couldn't help but inspire a feeling of regret for his pink best friend as he looked over her comparatively minuscule list of barely over thirty nominations. "It just doesn't seem fair. You worked just as hard as everybody else. Why would so few Pros nominate you?"
He couldn't hide his disappointment in the Pro community itself if he tried, but Mina just chuckled at how serious he was coming across. "It's not a big deal, Kolya-kun. I'm just happy I got nominated at all. This many is certainly better than what Mineta got over there." With a single nudge of her head, Nikolay looked up to see the tiny boy was on the verge of throwing a fit at his desk, with a listing of only one nomination, barely the size of a ticket stub in his hand.
While he initially felt sorry for his diminutive classmate, Nikolays' mind quickly returned to just how optimistic and upbeat Mina was still managing to be, even when seeing how low she scored compared to him. He never even realized he had started staring at her in admiration of it, until he heard her call his name in confusion, and finally realized she was staring back, clearly perplexed by what could've possibly been on his mind.
From there, they continued poring over their respective lists, and by the time they had both reached the end, they had only managed to find one single Pro Hero Agency shared between them: "The Kamuron Hero Agency? Does that ring a bell to you?" Nikolay was of course inherently clueless, but he at least felt a tiny bit better when Mina shook her head in confused denial as well. "They must be pretty small time. I've been through the city they're located in a couple times, though; Erubi City*. It's a lot smaller than Musutafu, just under an hour train ride northeast, actually."
Nikolay couldn't help but feel a touch disappointed that it was only a tiny Hero Agency that was giving them the opportunity to intern together, but Mina wasn't nearly as weighed down by it, as she had already written it down on her selection form, and upon seeing the ecstatic glimmer in her eyes, he finally put his qualms aside and wrote it down on his first pick slot as well, and without another moment wasted, they had both joined the majority of their classmates in turning in their forms to Aizawas' desk.
Nikolay and Mina both felt utterly elated, knowing that from this moment on, they were officially going to be spending their internship week together, bound in writing. Of course, that nagging little voice in the back of the young Russians' head couldn't help but remind him how unlikely it was they would get to intern under the same individual Pro Hero, but he knew he had to at least enjoy the thought of them working together while it lasted.
Later that night after they had both returned home, Nikolay had filled Oleg on everything, from his Hero name (the symbolism of which was far from lost on him, as he gave one of the heartiest laughs the boy had ever heard his father give when he heard it), down to the fact that he now not only had an official Hero Agency to intern under next week, but that he and Mina were going to be interning there together to boot, if not at least under the same specific Pros. Needless to say, it warmed the larger mans' heart indescribably to see and hear the anticipation and childlike excitement in Nikolays' body language.
Of course, his happiness for his son was equally balanced by his now admitted nervousness in regards to his own plans for that same week, especially after Nikolay had told him of the utter callousness Aizawa spoke with when mentioning it both times.
[[If Aizawa-san and the other homeroom teachers are telling students the program doesn't carry nearly the same kind of credit, if any at all…dammit, I'm not so sure anyone will even go for it at all anymore, even the ones who didn't get any nominations.]] Oleg was primarily talking to himself as he and Nikolay quietly ate across from each other, listening to the pitter-patter of the still persistent rain against the windows. [[If I didn't know any better, I'd almost want to think this is just another way for that man to spite me. Even after everything I've done since coming here, he still looks at me with those distrustful eyes.]]
Oleg now spoke with a particular bitterness, but when he saw the concerned glance in his sons' eyes to hear him talking like this, Oleg thankfully calmed himself. [[Like I said, Kolya: 'if I didn't know any better.' Aizawa-san surely can't be that petty. I need to remember that this is still a very unorthodox idea suddenly getting introduced. I mean, Yuuei has been conducting its educational process this specific way for god-only-knows how many years. Drastic upsets to the structure like this rarely ever get greeted with open arms all-around right out the gate.]]
It was admittedly a relief to hear Oleg accept the situation as it stood for what it was. Of course, that acceptance still didn't help with the underlying emotion sitting restlessly in the older mans' gut. [[I just…I wanted to go into this program and whoever wanted to volunteer for it with everything I had. I want to live up to the responsibilities and expectations this school has for me; what those very same students have for me to impart on them. If nobody goes for it and I'm left to myself while you're interning with everyone else…I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself for that kind of stretch of time.]]
At this, Nikolay set his fork down and met his fathers' gaze with an especially strong glimmer of belief: [[You're more resourceful than you're giving yourself credit for, Dad. The fact we're sitting here right now is proof enough of that after everything else. I mean, if nothing else, you can at least still get some of that experience across with any volunteers for the rest of this week, right?]]
Oleg let out a deeply amused yet grateful chuckle as his son smiled in satisfaction at his words getting through. [[What a changed young man you've truly become over all this time, Kolya. I know you're going to do astoundingly out there next week.]] With that, father and son alike were able to continue eating in a much more comfortable air of peace amongst themselves.
Unbeknownst to them, however, a good distance away atop another distant roof in the rain, the very same stranger who had been watching them that very morning, was once again sitting vigilant, with a single long-distance dish-microphone device held up to his ear in the direction of their very dining room window; his all-black attire managing to perfectly camouflage him against the nighttime sky in this quaintly lit little neighborhood. 'Say what you will about the government and their over-reliance on these little toys…but they do have their uses sometimes.'
As he continued to listen in on them, receiving every word crystal clear, his mind was already racing a million miles a minute. 'Today has proven most enlightening. Not only do I find out Tunguska has gone and raised a son over all these years…but that they will soon be parting ways; next week, as a matter of fact. This could prove quite useful for me. That school they both go to, Yuuei Academy, their security is clearly top notch. I could only manage to glean what information I could thanks to this little piece of plastic there as well.
'Normally I would have taken my chance and tried to take my prey out as soon as I'd found them, but no, not Tunguska. Not after all this time. I want…I need to savor this. It's what he deserves, more than anyone else. But the fact they live in such close proximity to Yuuei presents a considerable obstacle to that. There's no doubt they must have security measures put in place in the event one of their own were to get attacked by a Villain, and the fact remains that there are simply too many Heroes coalesced in that place whose Quirks I don't know just yet, so attacking here is a bad idea.
'However, these internships they've been talking about…if Tunguskas' son is going out on his own, even with one of his little friends, that provides a far lesser challenge for me. And besides, for this hunt to truly be worth it, Tunguska needs to come at me with everything he possibly has, prove to me he's not as old and dulled as he sounds…and what better way to bring your desired game to you with full intent…than to go after their young?
'The boys' internship starts in one week, and he's going to the Kamuron Hero Agency in Erubi City. That gives me plenty of time to scope out the local area, figure out what is where, and how to plan around it. That should take me hardly any time at all. And as for the boy himself…I need to observe further, get an idea just what he can do, and how well he can do it. If he can somehow measure up to Tunguskas' kind of power…oh, god, this could prove to be the hunt I've longed for…for sooo long!'
The immeasurable anticipation for the internship period made the rest of the week practically fly by unnoticed for virtually every student in Yuuei. Now, the following Monday had at long last arrived, and the beginning of the internship period was finally going to be upon them. Nikolay and Oleg had both woken up particularly early to make sure the boy had everything he was potentially going to need for the week. In the interim time, Aizawa had made sure to inform the students that they would not be coming to Yuuei or home for the entirety of the week; they were to stay by their mentors' sides for the entire time, so for Nikolay, it was essentially going to be the same as camping, as Oleg had been sure to pack away his Hero costume and a new sleeping bag for him personally.
Of course, with the preparations also came the hustle and bustle of morning preparations, and this particular morning brought with it something new for young Nikolay, something that ultimately ended with the boy letting out an especially painful hiss, as Oleg carefully applied a band-aid to his cheek.
[[The first time is rough for everyone, Kolya, but you will eventually get the hang of it. Frankly I'm surprised you managed to clean up this good for your first time without getting cut sooner. But still, I am so proud. My son is finally showing his first sign of becoming a man.]]
Nikolay had greeted the morning with the itchiest yet faintest beginnings of honest-to-god facial hair, but not wanting to get in trouble or be mocked by his more loud-mouthed classmates, he had taken it upon himself to shave for the very first time, and now he was reeling in the natural conclusion of that, as Oleg finished placing the final touches. [[It's not just that, either, Kolya. I'm just…I'm so proud of you for making it this far with your head held high. And I know your mother would be, too.]] Nikolays' once pained wincing gave way to a deeply grateful smile for his fathers' words; feeling equally proud of both himself, and his father for having managed to carry out his desired training program for the previous week without a hitch, just as he had hoped he would.
As soon as he was finished, Oleg looked to the wall and nearly shot up to his feet when he saw the time. [[You'll have to eat breakfast on the go, Kolya, we need to get to the station and meet the others! Come on!]] Nikolay took off like a shot, barely remembering to grab the suitcase with his costume, as well as his sleeping bag and sling them over his shoulders before dashing out the door, with Oleg close behind while still remembering to lock the door. Within less than a minute, both Oleg and Nikolay were long since out of sight, leaving the house in utter silence.
A silence that was just as soon broken by the sudden unlatching of a window lock; the window to Nikolays' bedroom.
More than certain that both occupants had left, but still exercising the utmost caution, the black-clad stranger slowly but carefully inched the window open and expertly climbed inside; his hands and feet alike adorned in thick plastic sacks to prevent leaving any fingerprints or boot prints, or even any dirt or residue that would have shown one with a discerning eye that there had ever been an intruder in the house.
His most anticipated day of all had finally, finally arrived. The previous week had proven to be more than fruitful for what he intended. He had spent a good portion of his time travelling all the way out to Erubi City to get the lay of the land, made especially easy with the naturally helpful dispositions of the people in this country towards a clear-cut foreigner out on his own. The rest of the time after school hours, he had gotten the opportunity to listen and observe from afar just what exactly Tunguskas' sons' Quirk actually was, and better yet, how skilled he actually was with it, thanks to some regular training sessions they held in their backyard every day for the past week, with a handful of other students in accompaniment, as well.
His excitement had been reaching its peak, and now today its inevitable fulfillment would finally begin.
As he stepped into the hallway leading from Nikolays' bedroom, his nose caught the unmistakable scent of something he hadn't even been looking for, but now felt so grateful to whatever force in the universe was in control, for giving him access to.
He crept into the nearby bathroom, following the scent like an over-eager bloodhound, to ultimately find exactly what he was hoping it would lead him to: a few carelessly neglected spilled drops of blood in the sink, and still perfectly fresh, too.
The stranger had to resist his more base impulses as he carefully touched the tip of one wrapped finger against one drop. It was all he would ultimately need in order to efficiently pull off his ultimate goal. With a steadying breath, he ran his tongue against the blood on his finger, and nearly felt his body go into euphoric convulsions as every fine little detail of its taste nearly overwhelmed his senses.
'Oh, God, yes….YES! Oh…oh, my boy…you truly ARE your fathers' son! You taste…JUST like him in his prime. In his prime…and SO MUCH MORE! Oh, I am going to enjoy…and SAVOR every last moment of this hunt. I've got your scent locked in now, boy…you and Tunguska. There's nowhere either of you can hide from me now. Now, the greatest hunt of all can finally commence. Now, it's time for the Vukodlak to finally set out and take its prey!'
As soon as they had arrived at the foot of the steps to the main train station in Musutafu City, Nikolay looked back to Oleg, who simply extended his hand towards the stairs. [[I assumed you wouldn't want me making a scene in front of all your classmates when it's time to head out, so perhaps-!]] Before Oleg could even finish trying to explain himself, Nikolay dropped his things and suddenly brought his arms around his fathers' sides, rendering him speechless.
[[Thank you, Dad. I…I know I wouldn't be feeling nearly as ready for all this if it weren't for you. I wouldn't even be here right now if it hadn't been for you and everything you did to get us this far. Thank you for everything.]] Oleg tried not to make a sound, but Nikolay could feel his body trembling against him, trying to hold back the urge to start shedding tears.
Finally, he was able to bring himself as far as putting his large hands on his sons' shoulders in return. [[I only did what any father would do for his child, Kolya. Don't forget, you played the biggest role in getting yourself to this point. Thank yourself for that, because you developed the strength that got you here on your own, I just tried to help nudge you along where I could.]]
Before they could say anything, an electric chime suddenly sounded from the platform, causing Nikolay to instinctively flinch in realization. [[Go, Kolya. Call me as soon as you and malenkaya Ashido get there, all right?]]
[[I will, Dad. Please, take care of yourself while I'm gone! I'll try to keep in touch as often as I can!]] Nikolay hurriedly picked up his things and hurried up the steps as he gave his final goodbyes to Oleg; the two of them waving each other off before finally cutting off from each others' sight by the time he reached the top.
[[Oh, Lyuda…our boy is finally stepping into his own.]]
As soon as Nikolay reached the main platform, he immediately spotted the gathering of Aizawa and his classmates, and they just as quickly noticed him, as most of them eagerly waved him over. "Morning, everyone; we haven't started departing yet, right?" he asked as he tried to catch his breath from running up the entire stairs.
"Not yet. But the first trains should start leaving for us pretty soon, so—"Whoa, Kolya-kun, what happened to your face?!" Izuku was promptly cut off when Mina suddenly leaned in, eyes wide, to see the band-aid still adorned to their foreign classmates' otherwise fair face.
"Oh, this. I, uh…I actually tried shaving for the first time this morning. It obviously went pretty well…until the end." Nikolay couldn't help but let even the slightest hint of embarrassment out while still trying to play it off, all while Eijirou was on the verge of biting his knuckles to try and hold in the groan of sheer admiration in his throat. 'Oh my God, the threshold of manliness! He really IS coming into it! Dammit, whiskers, why won't you come out, already?!'
As everyone began to pick up in idle morning chatter, himself included, Nikolay couldn't help but take in the looks of absolute excitement on all their faces. He could feel it finally building up in him, as well. Today was going to be the start of one of the most important periods in their collective school lives. It was no longer an upcoming day on a calendar, it was finally really happening. In a way, it almost felt unreal.
However, as he took in everybody's expressions, not the least of all Mina and Eijirous' mutual through-the-roof excitement, he soon noticed there were three or four faces actually missing from the gathering, the most noticeable of which being Ochako. He would have sworn she would have been here before anybody else, especially at Izukus' side before they would all have to part. What was more, he could tell from the look in Aizawas' eyes that he had long since noticed the missing students as well, but his face reflected less concern, and more disappointment.
Finally, after a minute or two of the students getting themselves properly pumped for the day, Aizawa stepped forward, immediately regaining their attention. "All right, everybody listen up. You've all got your costumes with you, right? Obviously, wearing them in public is prohibited; and don't lose them, either."
Everybody instinctively lifted up their matching suitcases to alleviate their homeroom teachers' suspicion, while Mina was especially animated among them, practically hugging her suitcase to her chest and emphasizing with an almost musical-sounding "Got iiiiit!"
Of course, as wholesome as such a display of eagerness was; it did nothing for Aizawa as he simply met her with that same stoic glare. "Don't stretch out that 'got it', Ashido. And all of you be sure to mind your manners, too. Okay, you all have your train numbers and tickets, so let's see you all off."
As the students all began to give their goodbyes and ideas of where they were going to each other, Nikolay found himself glancing wayward to Izuku and Tenya. If this was going to be the last time he would be seeing two of his other closer friends for the entire week, it simply wouldn't be right to not say something. After making sure Mina would wait for him in front of their specific train, he hurried over to the green-haired boy, who was likewise looking back at Tenya in particular, before noticing the Russian boys' sudden arrival.
"Oh, Kolya-san, good luck on your internship. I'm not as familiar with the Kamuron Agency as the others, so it must be a pretty recently established one. Be sure to let me know what the Heroes there are like next week, okay?" Nikolay couldn't help but smile at just how earnestly eager to learn everything he could Izuku always was, even in the face of his own internship.
"Yeah, I will. Congratulations on getting yours, too. You more than earned it." All Izuku had told him in the time before today was that he had been nominated by a Pro Hero who didn't have an official Agency of his own anymore. It was certainly unusual, but Nikolay had simply given up trying to cement how the finer details of this kind of scenario worked.
Of course, once that was said, both boys couldn't help but finally acknowledge the most obvious absence between them. "You haven't heard anything about where Uraraka-san is going for her internship, have you? I would have thought she'd be here before anyone else."
Just as he had worried over, Izuku looked just as clueless and concerned. "When we got our nominations, she had said she was considering joining The Combat Hero Gunheds' Agency, but she didn't seem 100% sure about it, either. I don't get why Mineta-san, Kaminari-san and Hagakure-san aren't here, either. I hope they're at least just late from sleeping in, and not something more serious. Maybe they'll still be able to make it at the last second…again, I hope."
Another warning chime from the platform spurred both boys to action as their attention quickly returned to the currently departing Tenya. The two quickly took off after their class president, the same unspoken worry hanging over both their heads.
"Iida-san, wait up!" Nikolay instinctively called out, thankfully bringing the rigid boy to a stop, only looking back to his sudden company over his shoulder. As tall and formally as he always stood, and as serious as he always looked, there was a strange, unusual air about him that Nikolay and Izuku both immediately felt as soon as they got close. Of course, there was no question as to why that was. It had been hanging heavy between the three of them ever since the two latter boys had found out.
Over the previous week, the news had officially been given that his older brother, Ingenium, had officially been left in such a thoroughly injured state, that he would never be able to fully recover, and would therefore have to retire from Pro Heroism. Frankly, such knowledge had made talking earnestly to their class president more than a little awkward, knowing just how much his brother had meant to him. To have that icon cut down so cruelly, there was no telling just what had been going through Tenyas' head this past week, and even now. But still, they weren't going to let that stop them from saying what they knew needed to be said; what they knew he needed to hear now more than ever.
"If…if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always talk to us. We're friends, after all." Izukus' outreach was as heartfelt as could possibly be, while Nikolay emphatically nodded in kind. "That's right, Iida-san. Please, take it from me, holding in whatever…whatever might be going through your head right now…it's just poison. Please, don't shut the rest of us out."
For a few incredibly tense moments, Tenya didn't say anything. It was impossible to tell if he was even taking their words into consideration, he was so stone-faced. But finally, in the end, he lifted his head to meet both his classmates' and friends' gazes and answered them with a simple: "Sure."
With that, he once more turned his back on them and continued on his way, leaving Izuku and Nikolay speechless, and both visibly concerned. Neither of them had been left assured by that non-answer, and the fact they knew there was currently nothing either of them could do about it only made it that much worse.
However, they knew there was no longer any time to stand around and worry about their president, as yet another and final warning for all passengers to get on board sounded. Bidding each other farewell with respectful and acknowledging handshakes and nods, the two boys finally parted ways, and Nikolay quickly reunited with a bouncing Mina before they hurriedly got onto their train just at the last second before the doors shut, and they were soon on their way.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, it's finally happening, Kolya-kun! Internship week! Oh, I'm so excited! This is going to be so cool! So much fun! I feel like my heart's racing right now! Can you hear it? Oh, I'll bet you can feel it in the air with that Quirk of yours, what am I talking about? What do you think the Heroes there are gonna be like? You think we're gonna get to go out and actually fight crime on our first day? I mean, Erubi City is pretty small, but if they've got their own Hero Agency, then surely that means there's crimes to stop, right? Oh, my god, I wish we were there already!"
Mina was over the moon with excitement, practically running her mouth a mile a minute. It was frankly just as precious to see from her as nearly anything else she did, but as excited as he likewise was, Nikolay also couldn't help but feel his hands begin trembling with nervous anticipation. They were officially on their own with a bunch of Heroes they'd never met or even heard of before from this point to the end of the week. To know that his father wasn't going to be there left him more than a little bit nervous.
However, once again seeing the complete glow of hopefulness and optimism that was the pink girl sitting right next to him, Nikolay took a steadying breath and brought his trembling to a stop. This was their time to finally take the next step up and really start to shine. He needed to look to it with the same kind of hope that she was, and he knew it.
What neither of them knew, however, was that every word between them for the rest of the hour-long train ride to Erubi City, was heard loud and clear from the next car over, by an inconspicuously-dressed foreign man sitting unseen among the other passengers with a newspaper over his barely smiling face. 'All is starting off smoothly. The prey doesn't even know it's prey yet. Perfect.'
As proud as Oleg had been of Nikolay when seeing him off at the train station, it still didn't make returning to their now empty house any more appealing. Faced with the silence of being by himself for essentially the first time in years, Oleg was at a legitimate loss as to what to do with himself. Yes, over the previous week, his students from the first time had kept coming back every day after school for more of his off-the-clock training, but now that the official internship week was here, he had been given no confirmation that anyone had genuinely signed up for it.
Anyone on the outside would have no doubt told him he deserved the time to really kick back and rest himself, but that simply wasn't an option for a man like Oleg. He thrived when he had something to look forward to, a goal to accomplish. Without that, he felt like he was essentially in a state of stasis. As he forlornly collapsed onto the living room couch, his mind began to speak up: 'Maybe this is a sign. Maybe I was just fooling myself, thinking students who got honest nominations would actually go for this instead. The fact remains I'm not a working Pro anymore, no matter how much I try to convince myself with all the studying I've been putting in for a license. Those kids deserve to be taught by someone who goes out into the field every single day. Not me.'
Knock, knock, knock
The sudden wrapping at the front door brought Oleg to his feet faster than he thought it would, as he dashed over and nearly tore the door off its hinges in its eagerness, only to be met with the sight of Headmaster Nezu standing in his doorway. "Good morning, Tunguska-san. I trust you are well rested and alert after having seen your son off for the internship period?"
"Y-yes, I am, Headmaster Nezu-san. Forgive me, but what are you doing here?" The bipedal mouse momentarily straightened his tie, still smiling as always as he craned his neck back to meet the towering mans' eyes. "Well, I've been hearing word going around the school that your Surrogate Intern Training Program is markedly worth no curricular credit compared to the actual on-field workplace experience that the majority of our students have by now departed for. Were you aware of this?"
Oleg knew the headmaster would have gone straight to the point, no matter what the topic was. He simply rued it had to be this one. "Unfortunately, yes. Kolya informed me that Aizawa-san had informed the class that my program was essentially worthless compared to working with the actual Hero Agencies. I never intended to uproot that whole portion of their education to begin with, I had no delusions it would be worth as much. I was simply trying to extend a helping hand to the students that wanted it. I just wasn't aware that even the students who didn't get any nominations were given the option to choose a workplace to intern at anyway. Now I'm just sort of left with no idea what to do with myself for the rest of the week."
However, even in the face of the massive Russians' morose demeanor, Nezu actually began to chuckle with genuine good-humored amusement. "Well, with that all having been said, then, I believe you'll be most interested to hear what I came here to say, Tunguska-san." As soon as he lifted his bearded face to look the headmaster in the eyes, he cleared his tiny throat to proceed.
"You see, Tunguska-san, over the past week, I had actually been approached or written to by a fair number of students who had taken interest in your impromptu training program. They had actually made particular mention of their homeroom teachers writing it off as a 'waste of time and effort', and expressed their shared opinions of how unfair that assessment was to you and what you're trying to do. They all claimed the firm belief that you're working just as hard to prepare them for the work of being Pro Heroes, just as much as any actively working Pro is at this very moment.
"You'll hardly be surprised, but no less grateful; I'm sure, to hear that I strongly agree with their sentiments. So, I wanted to personally inform and confirm with you that as of this morning, I've officially added your Surrogate Internship Training Program to the roster for this week, as well as its own legitimate curricular credit value. Granted, it still isn't exactly as much as actual on-site workplace experience, but it's far from worthless."
Oleg looked genuinely thunderstruck that the headmaster had actually just gone and done this for him. Had he not been so certain he would have crushed Nezu doing so, he would've wanted to hug the little rodent in gratitude. "You didn't have to go to all that trouble for my sake, Nezu-san…but I'm grateful, all the same. I just hope this might perhaps give some of the students with less or no nominations some incentive to volunteer now."
Once more, he was surprised to hear Nezu laughing in knowing amusement, an especially anticipatory smile on his snout. "Well then, you'll be very pleased to know that I have actually brought the very same students that brought this whole issue to my attention to begin with. As it turns out, they actually turned in their internship papers the very same day they had been given, and they all specifically chose your course. Quite surprising, I must say, as they all…well, most of them, actually had a decent number of nominations as well. I thought perhaps you would like to know just which of your students went so far to express their faith in your capabilities as a teacher, and their willingness to train under you."
Oleg could feel his heart catch in his throat in anticipation, especially when Nezu motioned for him to step out onto the entryway to see them. When the burly Russian stepped out into the open, he felt a jolt of surprise, quickly followed by an overwhelming sensation of sentimentality, gratitude, and overall pure emotion.
Gathered together at the foot of the steps, all looking up to him with the most excited and supportive smiles on their faces, were Ochako Uraraka, Tooru Hagakure, Denki Kaminari, Minoru Mineta, and Setsuna Tokage, all with their costume suitcases and other baggage in hand, all clearly ready to go at his word.
"Kirishima-san had gotten in on telling Headmaster Nezu about it with us, but he was afraid he'd be overcrowding you with students if he joined up with us for the whole week. It really looked like it physically hurt the dude to turn it down, too." "Tetsutetsu-kun was just the same! You'd think those two were twins separated at birth!" Denki and Setsuna mentioned right off the bat, but Oleg was simply too wrought with emotion to even find an answer to that.
"I believe it unfortunately goes without saying that among the teachers, Aizawa-san was the one most against my giving your course this kind of value. But as educators, who are any of us to say one form of educating these bright-eyed students is any more or less valid than another? I know you'll do wonders for these students, Tunguska-san. As do they."
It took every last bit of willpower Oleg had to not start shedding grateful tears of his own, to simply know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that even this many of his students had the kind of faith in him, to actually pick training under him instead of with actual working Hero Agencies. Standing there, he made a silent yet unbreakable vow that he was going to do just as much for them as any Agency would for any intern, no matter what.
The train ride to Erubi City had come and gone in seemingly no time at all. It was by far a much smaller city than Musutafu, but there was an inherent quaintness about it, perhaps because of the more mountainous landscapes it was built upon. Either way, it was far removed from the typical big city hustle and bustle, but it was still far from a nothing little podunk village.
Thankfully, the city not being so massive had made finding the Kamuron Hero Agency relatively simple for Nikolay and Mina. It was certainly small compared to the towering buildings of some of the most popular Heroes. Hell, it was small even compared to mid-level agencies like the Agency Mt. Lady was a part of, based on the photos Nikolay had seen on the trip over.
Nevertheless, they were finally here. Just as he had promised he would, Nikolay hurriedly took out his phone and called home, only to receive no answer and be forced to leave a message. He could only imagine Oleg had either gone and taken a shower, or had simply gone back to bed. Regardless, the man deserved to know the time had finally come. [[Hi, Dad. It's me. I'm just letting you know that Mina and I made it to Erubi City, and we're standing in front of the Kamuron Hero Agency now. I have to admit, I'm nervous just looking at it…but I feel good at the same time, too. I'll try to keep in touch with you every day for the rest of the week. I'll let you know how everything goes every step of the way, Dad. I hope your training program manages to come through, as well. I'll see you next week. I love you. Bye.]]
Hitting the button to end the call, Nikolay looked to the frankly quaint two-story office building before them, feeling that trembling begin in his hands again.
However, he just as quickly felt Minas' soft, warm hand take his, and looking over, saw a similar shimmer of nervousness in her black-gold eyes as well. When she turned to look into his eyes in return, though, both teens felt their respective nervousness disappear, and instead be replaced with a mutual sensation of confidence and faith that as long as they faced what was going to be waiting for them side-by-side, there was nothing they couldn't handle.
And so, with a resolute breath in their lungs, Nikolay and Mina strode forward with courage into the Kamuron Hero Agency; neither of them once aware of the stranger watching them enter from behind a distant corner; that same anxious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, while still remembering to duck back and keep himself out of sight. [[At last…all the pieces from this past week are finally in place. Time to see what kind of Heroes I'll be contending with…before the true game finally arrives.]]
And there you all have it folks, the official beginning to the Vukodlak Arc! It's all 100% original storyline from here.
If you like what you read here today, please be so kind as to leave an honest and constructive review to share your thoughts.
Stay safe, have a great week, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 05/08!
* Everybody gets the 'Alien'/Ridley Scott reference with Minas' original proposed Hero name, so I decided to keep up with the Alien references with the name of hers and Nikolays' chosen Hero Agency and the city it's located in, with the Kamuron Hero Agency obviously being named after James Cameron, who directed 'Aliens', and Erubi City being named after 'LV-426', the setting of said movie, going by the Japanese pronunciation.