My normally boring train ride was much more interesting since everyone seemed to recognize me, congratulating me and Bakugou, shuffling around so someone else could do the same. It made sense now why All Might didn't really do interviews, even before his injury. People were just overwhelming.
I got to class a little earlier than usual, the only one in the room for once. Weird, Iida was usually here before anyone else, even Aizawa sensei. Well, if anyone had an excuse to be late today, it was Iida. After our match, he'd left to visit his brother in the hospital. Another victim of the hero killer Stain, although at least it seemed he didn't have enough time to finish the job.
Weirdly enough, Iida did walk in five minutes before the bell, looking a little tired.
"I had all these people talking to me on the way here!" Mina told us, excited by the newfound attention being in the third event had brought.
"Same here! So many stares... it was embarrassing!" Hagakure agreed, while Kirishima pointed at himself.
"Same here."
"All these grade-schoolers told me I made a good effort." Sero groaned, looking a little annoyed.
"Good effort." Tsuyu told him, his expression falling further.
"One little event, and suddenly the world's got its eye on us." Kaminari chimed in.
"That's U.A. for ya..." Kirishima nodded, the bell ringing and the talking and moving around over in an instant, everyone firmly planted and facing forward in their seats as Aizawa sensei walked in.
"Morming." He greeted, looking as tired as ever.
"Good morning!" Most of us chimed, Aizawa standing up at the front and picking his cuticle with his pinky.
"Today we've got a hero informatics class. And a special one at that. You'll be coming up with your hero aliases." He told us, the calm gone as just about everyone celebrated not having a pop quiz or learning about hero law.
Aizawa activated his quirk, his hair rising as his eyes glowed, the class calming down again.
"But first, concerning the pro draft picks I mentioned the other day. It is based on who the pros think will be ready to join the hero workforce after another two or three years of experience. So you could say that it's a way for them to show interest in your futures. But there's ample time for their interest to wane before you graduate. And any and all offers can be arbitrarily revoked. It happens quite often."
"Stupid adults and their whims." Mineta grumbled, slamming his fist down, but it hardly made any noise, and I'm not sure anyone else really heard him.
"So if we're picked now, that just means there'll be higher hurdles in the years to come!" Hagakure pointed out, Aizawa nodding in agreement.
"Yes. Now, here are the complete draft pick numbers. There's typically more of a spread, but our top three stole most of the spotlight."
On the board, my name was first with four thousand, one hundred, and twenty-three.
Bakugou was second with three thousand, four hundred, and fifty-six.
Todoroki was standing at a hefty two thousand, nine hundred and seventy-eight.
Tokoyami had three hundred and sixty.
Iida had three hundred and one.
Kaminari had two hundred and seventy-two.
Yaoyorozu had one hundred and eight.
Kirishima had sixty-eight.
And finally, Uraraka had twenty.
"Gah! They're in a whole other league!" Kaminari complained, leaning his head back with a sigh.
"These pros have no eye for talent." Aoyama agreed, looking upset his name wasn't up on the board at all.
"With that settled... whether you were picked or not... you will all have a chance to work alongside the pros. It's true that you all have already experienced more than most, but... seeing the pros in action and taking part yourselves will still be worthwhile training." Aizawa continues before Sato interrupted.
"That's where our hero names come in!" He spoke loudly, clearly pumped about the situation.
"This is really getting fun!" Uraraka cheered, and I set a mental reminder to talk to her later. I wanted to make sure she was okay after her festival loss.
"They're only tentative, but you still want to pick something appropriate." Aizawa tried to regain control, but Midnight walked in.
"OR ELSE YOU'LL KNOW TRUE HELL!" She stepped further inside, our attention on her.
"The name you pick now... may be what the world ends up calling you. That's happened to plenty of pros out there!!"
"Yes, true enough. And Midnight here will be assessing the sensibility of the names you pick. What future do you see for yourself? The name you choose will bring you ever closer to cementing a certain image... because names are capable of reflecting one's true character." He told us, passing out whiteboards.
Fifteen minutes later, Aoyama was the first one to go up, holding up his whiteboard.
"Shining hero: I cannot stop twinkling." He announced, looking proud of it, but still taking Midnights notes to heart.
Mina was next, holding hers up with a determined smile. "Alien queen."
"From the sequel!? Is it because her blood is super acidic?! That's terrible!?" Midnight told her, looking a little unnerved by the whole idea of it.
"Can I go next, please?" Tsuyu asked, walking up and holding her sign.
"I've had this thought put since elementary school. Call me Froppy." She told us, and Midnight approved.
"So cute!! It makes you sound like you'd be easy to get know!!" She told her, and I began to zone out of the conversation, staring at the board in front of me. Even though I'd spent years thinking about what I'd call myself, I had nothing now. Sure, I was supposed to be a new symbol of peace one day, but I couldn't just call myself All Might Jr.
Finally, I was the last one who hadn't even gone up. But my hero name was supposed to bring hope to inspire people. But what was I supposed to call myself?
"Midoriya, have you come up with a name yet?" Midnight asked, and I looked at my blank board. I'd take everything that came at me, fight for whoever needed me.
Making my way to the front of the classroom, I decided on my name, who I'd be when I was protecting people, writing down who I'd become.
"This is important to me. I want to be a hero who can handle anything and save everyone, just like All Might. So, with that in mind, I'll be the Enduring Hero- Atlas."
"And here I thought the ultimate fan boy would go with All Might Jr." Sero joked, and I bit my tongue. No one could know that I'd consider that as a name.
"Well, it's a good, strong name, one that people will remember. Well done, Midoriya." Midnight told me, Bakugou going back up and getting another name rejected.
"Your internships start in a week. For this all-important decision... I'll be handing out a personalized list to those who were drafted. You may choose from among those who drafted you. For those who were not drafted... the list I just passed out contains forty agencies from all over the country willing to accept interns. You will choose one from that list. Each has a different specialty and region. Give your choice some real thought." Aizawa told us, holding up the sheet.
"I'm going for major crimes in the big city." Kirishima told us, staring at the sheet in his hands.
"I'd like a place where I can deal with floods. I wonder if they've got that." Tsuyu spoke, looking at her own sheet.
"Submit your choices by this coming weekend." Aizawa interrupted before the conversations could get too loud.
"We've only got two days to pick!?" Sero asked, almost in disbelief at how little time we had.
As I scanned through the list, I noticed a few of my friends coming over.
"Hey guys." I mumbled, crossing out a few controversial hero agencies.
"Man, I thought I was gonna have it bad choosing from forty." Mineta spoke, standing on his desk and barely seeing over my shoulder.
"It's not too bad. I've been studying heroes and agencies for as long as I can remember. It's just a matter of whitling down my choices until I find someone who can help me grow the most as a hero." I mumbled, Mineta falling off his desk before getting back up and shaking me.
"You crossed out Endeavor?! You do understand that he's literally the best you can get since All Might can't do it now that he's a teacher!?" He rambled, and I nodded, still focused on my paper.
"That's because I want to work with heroes. Real heroes, I mean. One who isn't focused on being the most popular. Someone who just wants to help just because it'd the right thing to do." I replied, marking a few more out.
"Of course, every hero wants to go up in rankings, but I want to find someone who's content with their position, even if they went down in rank." Now I was just speaking to help me from getting too focused on my choices and getting lost in them.
I circled one, then crossed out a few more, listening to my friends speak before the bell rang, heading to our next class, most of my day spent doing work and then getting right back into the draft picks, until finally I had a list of several heroes who I wanted to work with, each of them would help me in different areas, but I could only choose one.
I opened the door to find All Might sliding into view.
"I-I-I am here... in a peculiar pose!!" He told me, the first sign he was troubled.
"Whoa! Why so jumpy?" I asked, looking his nervous expression.
"Hey, it's All Might!" One of my classmates called.
"Yes, it is. This way, kid." He told me, shaking slightly.
"Someone else has drafted you!" He was fidgeting with his tie, another sign.
"Huh, seriously? Who?" I asked, wondering who could have All Might of all people so nervous.
"His name is... Gran Torino! He was an instructor at U.A., just for one year... and he was my homeroom teacher. He knows all about the situation with One-For-All. That may also be the reason he reached out to you."
"Sounds like an amazing guy, but he'd be pretty old by now, yeah? Although, he's one more person in the loop. Who all knows about One-For-All?" I asked, watching All Might go from shaking to rubbing his chin thinking.
"Let's see. The principal, Detective Tsukauchi, Recovery Girl, Gran Torino, Sir Knighteye, and us. Like I said, it's a very closely guarded secret." He told me, looking down at me.
"Why do you ask, kid?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, holding up my sheet of heroes who'd I wanted to work with.
"Well, Sir Knighteye drafted me too, and I know he's the kind of hero I can learn from. I know this Gran Torino guy must be impressive if you're coming to tell me about him... I don't know. Between the two of them, who do you think could teach me more?" I asked him, and I knew I'd have to look up Gran Torino on the internet later. If he was as impressive as All Might made him out to be, he'd definitely have some videos or niche following online.
"That's a good question, kid, but if I'm honest, when I told him about you, Sir Knighteye was against you inheriting One-For-All. For him to draft you, he must see the potential in you I did, or he doesn't and wants to test you. But from a training point of view, Gran Torino can take you to new heights of speed, reflexes, and power control. Both will push you, but you must choose which challenge you want to face first." He was gentle with me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"I-I understand. I'll think about it." I finally managed to get out. The way he described them, like they were titans, it made me nervous.
"That's understandable. Take some time. But follow your gut. You'd be surprised how often it'll lead you to the right decision." All Might let go of my shoulder.
"You should be going. Your girlfriend won't wait forever." Teased the hero, walking off.
"Right! Thank you All Might!" Waving as I ran to get my things and meet Mina outside, my hands behind my back.
"Hey Pinky, sorry you had to wait, but I hope this makes up for it." I pulled the gift I'd ordered for her. It had saved me a good chunk of money getting it online.
"Oooh, what is it?" She asked, holding the box and looking at it curiously.
"Why ask me? Open it up." I laughed, holding the box while she got the ribbon off, the lid following soon after.
"Oh my god, Izuku! You didn't!" She cried, pulling out the pink and black tiger stripped jacket she'd been admiring on our first date.
"With the USJ happening, and then the sports festival taking up so much of our time, you deserve something nice." My voice was quiet, watching her take off her school jacket and try it on.
"How'd you know my size?" She asked, and it took a minute before I remembered how to speak.
"Mei Hatsume. I've had a bunch of ideas for gear for everyone, and she was more than willing to share your size for help moving stuff. Speaking of, full-size engines suck to move. The fact Iida can even walk is a miracle."
She laughed, grabbing my tie.
"I'll forget that you know my clothing size this time." She whispered, pulling me closer and kissing me. For the first time in so long, there wasn't any worry about being the next class or taking the mantle from All Might.
"How much time do you have today? Can I show you my favorite place?" She asked once she'd pulled away, and I nodded.
"Sure. Let me tell Kacchan and text my mom first." I was breathless, like she'd sucked the air out of me.
Clearing my throat I called out, waving to Bakugou, who looked over from a conversation he'd been roped into.
"Go on without me, I'll catch a later train!"
He rolled his eyes and walked off, a bit of spiky red hair visible as he walked off.
After a quick text to my mom and convincing Mina to do the same, she took my hand and led me to the unknown.