"I am the one who runs at a breakneck pace to inherit the mantle of my brother Ingenium!" Said Iida.

"Great! I can really feel your sincerity!"

"I bring encyclopedic knowledge and a powerful memory to the table," said Yaomomo.

"So confident! I'm reassured already!" Mt Lady told her.

"Nothing feels too weighty when I'm around!" said Uraraka, floating her own helmet.

"Lightening the mood is a talent in its own!"

"No glory awaits those who know not of darkness," said Tokoyami.

"Loving those vibes, good stuff!"

"No blood's gonna shed behind this wall!" said Kirishima.

"Get it done, boss!"

"I ain't gonna waste time on sound bites! Just shaddup and follow me!" Shouted Bakugou.

"You're a better interview alone, got it? You just don't mesh at all with humans…." Said Mt. Lady.

"Sorry," Todoroki apologized. "I guess they cut you from the interview because I was there."

"You think you're hot stuff? As if I care what you say about me!"

"Maybe he should follow your lead and just avoid the media altogether," said Midnight.

"No," said Sensei. "I think there's someone better for him to emulate."

Midoriya didn't fare much better as he went up for his interview.

"You go by Deku, right? I saw you in action!"

"Hey, that's great! Really great!" He said, sweating like crazy.

"Any thoughts on your performance out there?"

"Hey, that's great!"

"He's mastered his hardening quirk!" Said Kirishima.

"He's so nervous," said Asui. "He isn't used to this sort of thing."

"Many of your moves seem to be homages to All Might. Is he a hero you admire?" Mt. Lady asked.

"YEAH!" He shouted.

"So that gets you going?"

"But - I'm not just copying him! I'm actually customizing All Might's moves in ways that suit me best like take my Delaware smash for instance, named for a state not in All Might's repertoire and recently improved to come up with the smash Air Force and aversion that -"

"ENDLESS MUTTERING!"

"What about that move that burst out of you?" Said Midnight. "I heard you've made some progress. How's that going?"

Midoriya raised his hands as if about to do something.

We all waited. Is he -

A tiny little whisper of black came from his fist. That was it.

"Admittedly, that was just a tiny one, but it's my first step towards controlling it, so little by little, I'll -"

"Seriously?"

"Next!"

At last, it was my turn.

"You go by Earphone Jack, is that right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Cool name, and costume! Good work out there today."

"Thanks..."

"Tell me, Earphone Jack, what kind of hero do you want to be?"

Big question. Everyone else had really cool answers to that...What kind of hero do I want to be?

"I want to be one who does the best possible job. Who takes care of the job, makes people feel reassured, and puts a smile on their faces when they're scared."

I caught Koda and Kaminari smirking at me in the crowd, and Yaomomo looking kinda proud, and tried not to blush.

"Very ambitious! Tell me, what are your current Ultimate moves?"

I did a demo of my Heartbeat Surround for her, taking care to aim it away from my classmates. She tilted her head as I returned to the stage. "Hm - good, but doesn't it take too much time to set up? What are you planning to do when you have to act fast?"

"Er-" I stopped, heart racing already from doing the move, and tried to think. I'd thought it was pretty fast. But maybe I needed to speed it up some?

"Well...I'm still learning," I said. "You're a more seasoned pro than me - what would you suggest?"

IT wasn't the kind of thing I was supposed to ask, but I couldn't resist - and Mt. Lady seemed flattered.

"Well - When I was first starting out, it took too long to get to maximum height. So I practiced, I timed it carefully, and even developed strategies to start size-changing sooner so I could avoid the time crunch. I'd recommend doing that to you!"

I nodded. "Thanks - that seems like good advice."

"Erm." Midnight sensei cleared her throat and Mt. Lady went back to the interviewing.

"And have you got any comments for the people at home?"

"Keep holding out hope. Things are gonna be ok." I had to resist saying some form of "I am here" to end it. Mt Lady nodded and sent me down; it was a heck of a relief to get back down there and watch the rest.