Chapter 29: (Episode 26: Time to Pick Some Names)
"That lowkey kind of scared me…" Hanta awkwardly chuckled as the next episode started up, Eijiro nodding his agreement, while Denki voiced his with a sigh.
"Yeah, tell me about it. Went from the most heartfelt moment so far to Bakugo being… Bakugo."
"You said it."
Meanwhile, Katsuki huffed as it showed the final match between him and Shoto on the big screen - for people to see from the street view.
"-would start regular classes again today. That's what I thought, but…"
Standing in a packed train on his way to school, Midoriya scrolled on his phone as best he could with his bandaged hands, awaiting his stop. However, someone chose to break the tranquil silence once they recognized who this student was.
"Excuse me… Excuse me…! Midoriya-kun from the hero course…!"
Realizing the person was calling out to him, Midoriya, and others, perked up, looking to him, as the greenet glanced behind to find a man, around his height, sending him a thumbs up, and a big smile.
"Good job at the Sports Festival…! You were so close…!"
"Huh?" Midoriya panicked at just how many people recognized him now, sweating bullets as they all put their attention on him.
"You were in the top eight, right? You were so cool!"
"He's smaller than I expected."
"He reminds me of when I was young."
"Yeah, it's like he's trying really hard."
As the winner of the U.A. High first-year's Sports Festival was displayed, the passengers on the train collectively encouraged Midoriya, "DO YOUR BEST, HERO!"
"I-I will…!" Midoriya felt a surge in his self-esteem after their words.
The opening theme commences.
'That was too much for me…'
"Aww, those people on the train were so kind to you, Deku-kun…! I'm so glad!"
'I wonder if anyone would have recognized me… and maybe approached me… told me how good of a job I went up against Midoriya…' Hitoshi flushed at the thought of the people's praise, before he shrunk at this when he realized that he would have to interact with them, too.
"It's like we're freaking celebrities- That's so stinking cool!"
"Can you imagine how awesome that would feel…?! Man, I wish we could go back home now and live to see this moment!"
"I don't know, I feel like I'd be a little embarrassed if someone talked to me about the Sports Festival…" Eijiro scratched his cheek, blushing as he remembered what Minoru and Denki did to the girls, along with his own poor performance. His thoughts came to a screeching halt when Hanta's face was thrusted into his sight.
"Kirishima- Bro- Brother- Dude, my guy… Did you forget how my first match went…?"
"Pulling the pity card over here…!"
"I am not, Kaminari- Shut the hell up, man!"
Eijiro watched his two friends push and pull on each other for some time, until they eventually fell off the couch, much to his horror. He was then stunned to find them both laughing next when he went down to help them up. It was then that he thought he might never understand Denki and Hanta.
'Weren't they crying not two minutes ago…?'
"I don't think we got enough time last episode to appreciate Bakugo…" Mina giggled, while crossing her arms and legs, with Tsuyu blinking to see if her friend would evaluate on what she meant by that.
"Kero?"
"Him brushing his teeth in a hilarious way…!"
"I think that's the most normal thing anyone can do, Mina-chan."
"Yes, I do quite agree with Asui-san." Momo caught their attention next, as they watched her rest a hand on her chest, before wondering out loud, "I also feel that there are better things to ponder. For example- Why was the previous episode not the last of the day? The Sports Festival is over, correct? Therefore, what else could there possibly be?"
"Yeah, but maybe the voice's got something else in mind for us to see… I mean, I would have totally thought that was the last episode." Kyoka rubbed the back of her neck, before blinking as she remembered something, gasping out when she softly exclaimed, "What if this episode has to do with what we saw in the first episode…?! With Midoriya and One for All…?!"
"Holy shit, I forgot about that!"
"That could explain it, kero. Along with maybe showing Shoto-chan and Midoriya-chan's new costumes."
Overhearing their conversation, Shoto was interested to know what this new costume of his could include, as the image they scarcely saw didn't have enough details. He knew before that he had hated the idea of it, but now, he was sort of curious to see what kind of ideas he had for the new look. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought.
'Only one way to find out…'
"GONNA RAISE MY HAND WITH A PEACE SI~GN! OUR STORY WILL LAST FOR~EVER!"
"I love this song…" Hanta was gonna miss this opening theme, wiping a tear from his eye as it played for the last time today. At least Kyoka had his back, so they could jam to it later.
It was pouring rain as students made their way to U.A.'s campus, with a few unfortunate individuals having to run, as they forgot their umbrella. While calmly walking up the way into the school gates, Midoriya sighed to himself, nice and dry, while he thought of the gloomy weather.
'It's only morning, but I'm already tired.'
Watching someone run up behind Izuku, Denki started to chuckle, "Look at that goofy ass…"
"Kaminari…! That's Iida- Be quiet!"
"Oh shit- My bad…!"
Eijiro kept his eye on the two so they wouldn't get into another physical fight. Meanwhile, seeing how Tenya seemed to be acting like his usual self, Ochaco and Izuku looked at one another, before glancing at their friend.
"Shinso-kun, what was that word you said earlier back during my fight with Bakugo-kun…?"
"Huh?" Hitoshi went to register the question, as he thought back, before blinking, and whispered to her, "Masking…?"
"That's what Iida-kun's doing, right…?" Ochaco slumped back in her seat as her brown eyes turned to him, watching Hitoshi nod, his chin in the palm of his head.
"Majorly…"
"-arrive ten minutes early!" Iida decreed about how U.A. students should always be early and never late, even if it was only five minutes before the first bell, according to Midoriya.
While this behavior was normal for his friend, speeding off to quickly make it inside, Midoriya found it a bit strange, especially after what had happened in the previous week. He would check on Iida once he caught up with him inside.
Shaking off the rain from his umbrella, Midoriya awkwardly looked to Iida, who was putting away his rain boots, while he worked up the courage to say, "Iida-kun, um-"
"If it's about my brother, there is no need to worry. I apologize for worrying you needlessly." Iida's smile sent red flags to Midoriya, furrowing his brow as he watched his friend walk away.
He decided that now wasn't a good time to ask Iida about what was on his mind, so Midoriya chose to wait for a better time.
Title screen 'Episode 26. Time to Pick Some Names'
"Yep… He's masking, all right…"
"'Time to Pick Some Names'...? What, like… Huh?" Denki, like most of the other students, were a bit confused by that episode title.
'It's probably about hero names since the internships would be next…' Shota determined, ignoring the looks the five girls were giving him. They could figure it out for themselves if they wanted to know so badly.
"So many people talked to me on my way here!"
"Yeah, me too!"
"People were staring at me, too. It was kind of embarrassing!" Hagakure joined in the conversation, with Ojiro blinking up to watch her uniform sleeves shuffle, before he broke into an awkward smile.
"Isn't that normal for you, Hagakure-san?"
'Why does it always focus on me whenever I ask Hagakure-san a question regarding her quirk…?' Mashirao sighed at the soft giggles that echoed around the room, hating the attention he was getting just for being curious about someone's power.
Watching the scene carry on, Hitoshi slowly began to tilt his head to one side, softly muttering out as he sighed, "Since the Sports Festival is over, does that mean the focus is back on these guys alone…?"
"I mean, Deku-kun's the main character, so I'm sure you'll come up again, Shinso-kun…!" Ochaco grinned, with the purplenet not expecting her to have heard him, while she went to pat Izuku on the back as she wondered, "Shinso-kun had a big impact on you, right, Deku-kun? Maybe you guys can be friends, too, like you are here…!"
"Ye-Yeah- Yeah, uh…"
'I'm not one to try to be the center of attention, but I would like to know how long it's gonna take to get me into the hero course… If what Eraser Head said was true…' Hitoshi didn't mind being friends with anyone here, but he still wanted a spot in the hero course. And he would fight anyone for it if he needed to.
"You think you're so funny, huh, Tsuyu-chan…" Hanta's eye twitched, watching the girl mock him about his match against Shoto.
"I'm glad."
"The old lady went overboard with her treatment." Aizawa replied back to Asui's comment about his injuries, scratching under his eye, showing that he still had bandages around his arm, but his face looked fine now. He had a new scar under his right eye that would cause problems for his quirk later, however, he was going to be okay for now.
Getting a first glimpse of his post-recovery, Shota ran his finger around the area of where his new scar would be. It wasn't as bad as what he had initially thought it would be, but he lived, so he couldn't complain. There was still no update on the injuries regarding his elbow, but seeing those bandages present, the pro hero figured it needed more time to heal.
Meanwhile, a few of the students began to tear up at the reminder of why he now would have that scar forever.
"Fucking sick…" Tomura only thought that made the hero look cooler.
"-we're having a special hero informatics class today."
Hearing that from Aizawa, of all people, sent his students straight into a panic, 'Here it is!'
''Special'? Is it a quiz? I hope not…' Kaminari wished he had studied over the break instead of playing video games all day.
'I'm bad at laws relating to heroes and stuff like that…' Kirishima gulped in fear, wishing that he too could go back in time, and slap his past self for not being more prepared.
Once he had their full attention, and they were all silent with fear, Aizawa finally decided to announce what the lesson of the day would be, "Code names. You'll be coming up with hero names."
"WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING EXCITING!"
"So that's what the title meant…!"
"Oh my god, I was actually scared for a second- Like I swear, every time Aizawa Sensei mentions something about a special class, villains attack or something."
"Don't jinx it, Ashido-san!" Toru squealed before latching onto Kyoka, who fell back into Momo's lap, the purplenette blinking up to the raven-haired girl, while Tsuyu blushed at hearing this.
"I've had my hero name in mind since I was a little tadpole, kero."
'I knew she was technically a frog, but I didn't know she experienced the life cycle of a frog as well… Does this mean that Tokoyami-kun also evolved from a chick…?' Izuku had several more questions to ask about his peers and their quirks.
"This is important information you all should keep in mind, so listen up." Shota called out to quiet the chatter that was happening around him.
"-that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often canceled out if that interest dies down after graduation."
Hearing this, it caused Mineta to shake in his seat, clenching his fists, before he banged them against his desk, huffing out, "Adults are so selfish!"
"So we'll have to prove ourselves once we get picked, huh?"
"That's right." Aizawa nodded in response to Hagakure's question, adding next as he pressed a button on his remote, "And here are the totals for those with offers."
"What happens if Shinso-chan gets offers, kero?" Tsuyu asked, causing Hitoshi to jolt at the question, while she rested a finger to her chin, a few students looking to Shota for his answer.
"He won't. Mic announced the courses you all are in at the beginning of the match, correct? I know all those pros before said good things about his quirk, but they know he's not in the hero course."
"But once Shinso-kun does get into the hero course, that means he'll be a step behind, right…? Depending on when he joins?" Ochaco leaned forward at Shota's nod, furrowing her brows at what this could mean for her friend's future career.
"Depending on when he joins is up to Principal Nezu."
"Which class would he join…? 'Cause twenty-one versus twenty doesn't seem like a fair thing."
"I mean, he's here, right? So doesn't that say anything?"
Listening to what his peers had to say about him, hearing all the good things being spoken, Hitoshi could feel his tears resurfacing, ready to fall. He's never had this amount of support towards him before, toward anything he wanted to achieve in life, which was why he stayed quiet. All these people looking out for him, and wanting to watch him succeed, it was a new feeling to think about.
"But like I said before-" Shota interrupted the sentimental moment and conversations once more, turning his eyes to glare at the students this time in order to quiet them down, "-this is important information."
"I hope you'll be in our class, Shinso…!" Hanta and Denki quickly whispered down to the purplenet, causing Hitoshi to find several of the students behind him raising their hands up to give him encouragement. Mezo even had thumbs up on all six of his hands.
All for someone they had just met.
'Me too…' Hitoshi wasn't gonna cry.
While all his classmates around him cheered for getting offers, even if only a few, Mineta shook Midoriya's shoulder as he pointed out to him, "Midoriya, you didn't get any! They're scared of you 'cause of the crazy way you were fighting."
"Hopefully somebody helps him with that…! You know, because we saw it at the beginning!"
"What…?" Hitoshi didn't remember anything that indicated someone helped Izuku learn to control his quirk.
"Before you came, Shinso-kun, there was this weird little segment of Deku-kun using One for All, but in a way we've never seen All Might or him use it. It was pretty cool, and hopefully we'll see it before this episode ends…!" Ochaco explained this to him, which Hitoshi very much appreciated.
"So, they give thousands and thousands of offers to Bakugo, even though he had to be chained up, but Midoriya doesn't get any offers just because he brought a few of his bones?"
"More like all of them…?" Eijiro really didn't want to talk about what they saw in the previous episodes.
"Well, those hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it…"
The door suddenly slammed open, with Midnight yelling out, "...you'll have hell to pay later!"
"Of course their faces immediately lit up…" Kyoka rolled her eyes at seeing not only Minoru, but Denki and Hanta as well, brighten up from hearing Nemuri's voice. She quickly widened her eyes at the next scene that played.
"Holy shit, she's got a fatass…"
"Dude…!"
"This is…" Rikido felt uncomfortable seeing close shots of Nemuri's breasts and behind, with some of the male students looking away or to the ground.
'This must be what heaven feels like…' Minoru was not-very-secretly enjoying the view.
"-professional hero names!"
'Midnight!' the male portion of the class grew excited at seeing the R-Rated Hero.
"Well, that's how it is. So Midnight will be making sure your names are okay."
"Aizawa Sensei, can you elaborate on what you mean by that?"
"Since you're just teenagers and are first-years, your first pick on names won't be the brightest, so Midnight's there to make sure they're not inappropriate and to give feedback. Because your names are supposed to be a reflection of who you want to be as a hero." Shota explained to Momo, who nodded with understanding.
Meanwhile, the rest of the students softly chuckled, getting a glimpse at their future teacher's past as they watched how he got his hero name. Apparently, he too had decided from a young age to not get media attention, so letting Hizashi choose his name on a whim was the solution for being indecisive.
"I've never wanted to know more about Aizawa Sensei's past until now…!"
"Man, I should have thought up a name for myself, too… 'Shigaraki Tomura' is so bland as a gamer tag."
"But Shigaraki isn't your real name, right…?" Rikido turned around to face Tomura, while Koji freaked out, waving his hands before shaking his head, as he covered his face in fear.
"It's not…?" Hitoshi hated being left in the dark.
"So what if it's not? Doesn't bring any of you little brats fear like… All for One does."
Toshinori stiffened after hearing what Tomura said, trying not to show his fear. Shota also froze up in his seat, remembering what he had been told earlier about that name, while Enji glared over to the villain, as he began to laugh.
'How does this criminal know that name…? Is he affiliated with this supervillain?'
"Who's All for One…?" Rikido was unaware of the weight that name held, same with the other students, as they remained confused, and without any answers, by how Tomura didn't elaborate, but the three heroes were grateful for that.
'-I want to be like in the future, huh?' Midoriya thought about the kind of hero name for himself, while he passed back the whiteboards to Mineta.
Given some time to think up their future alias, the students of Class 1-A thought long and hard about the kind of hero they wanted to be, and what name would reflect that. This would be the name they would be called for the rest of their career, so it had to be something that was just right for them.
After around fifteen minutes, with Aizawa fast asleep against the wall, Midnight called time as she announced, "Okay, let's start presenting names starting with those who are ready."
'We're presenting these?!' Kirishima's jaw dropped at this information.
"I mean, it makes sense that we would…" Minoru murmured as they watched the first person go up to present, which made Yuga excited to see what he had come up with.
As they grew anxious, while watching Aoyama walk up to the stadium, they nervously waited to see what the blond had in mind for his future. Wanting to see what the expectation and criteria was, before they went up themselves.
"Here I go…" Aoyama gleamed, raising his board above his head, as he spoke with pride, "Shining Hero: I can not stop twinkling! Which means, you can't stop my sparkles."
'Perfect.' Yuga approved.
The others did not.
"Aoyama-chan, that's a sentence, kero."
"It's supposed to be a name- What the heck is that…?!"
"My hero name." Yuga persisted, but all he got in return was Tomura's hysterical laughter, and some weird looks thrown his way.
"You can't possibly approve that, Midnight Sensei!"
"How many languages do you know, Aoyama…?" Rikido had overheard the previous night that Yuga also spoke French, and now hearing him speak a little English, too, it got him curious.
'English or French!' Sato was amazed, but also annoyed at Aoyama's constant switch between the different languages he knew.
"Then, I'll go next!" Ashido skipped up to the front after their teacher's approval of Aoyama's hero name, slamming her board onto the podium, as she grinned with enthusiasm, announcing, "Hero name, 'Alien Queen'!"
"Two!" Midnight gasped, immediately thinking of the fictional villain from a popular sci-fi movie, shaking as she quickly disapproved, "Are you trying for the thing with acidic blood? I wouldn't if I were you!"
"Dang it."
"Oh, come on! You let Aoyama's freaking hero name be a whole sentence, but I can't be 'Alien Queen'?!" Mina exclaimed in protest, jumping out of her seat, as her cheeks puffed out in anger.
"Mina-chan, your hero name is the villain name for a fictional character, kero."
"Let's see you do better, Tsuyu-chan…" Mina groaned as she slumped back in her spot, folding her arms over her chest, while she narrowed her eyes at the screen, the pout still prominent on her expression. Like her friend, Tsuyu was also excited to watch herself present, as the hero name she had in mind was one from her childhood, and she wondered if it would be the same.
"-Tsuyu-chan." Midnight called on the student, Asui walking up the steps, as she held the board close to her, looking over it once more, before she showed it to the rest of her classmates.
"I've had this in mind ever since I was in elementary school. 'Rainy Season Hero: Froppy'."
"That's so cute!" Midnight immediately approved with a squeal, causing the rest of the class to relax as she went on to say, "It seems friendly. I like it! It's a great example of a name that everyone will love!"
'That's usually how this starts off.' Shota may be asleep during this lesson, but he gets the gist of it from Nemuri after they leave the classroom. Tuning out the kids as they cheered for Tsuyu's chosen hero name, he closed his eyes to think better while he sighed, 'I kind of wish Midnight was here to watch this and give the kids some feedback, because All Might's advice is not the best, and there's no way in hell I'm letting Endeavor talk with them… But the names aren't permanent and this is the future. These kids have time to think about their names.'
Now with that in mind, Shota suddenly inhaled through his nose, catching Shoto's off guard, while the pro hero grumbled, 'But having said that, thank God Midnight isn't here…'
"That is literally the cutest name ever…!" Mina squealed as she hugged the greenette, the other students chattering having died down, with Tsuyu blushing at their agreement.
"Kero!"
Showing the next student to go after Tsuyu, Eijiro gulped while his friends grinned in his direction, 'Oh no…'
It was his turn to present.
"Then, I'll go too! 'Sturdy Hero: Red Riot'!"
"'Red Riot'? You're paying homage to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot, right?" Midnight asked after reading over Kirishima's choice of name, smiling, as the redhead brought his arm up to rub the back of his head.
"Yes. It's pretty old-fashioned, but the hero image I'm going for is Crimson himself." Kirishima admitted, sweating just a little while he waited for his teacher's feedback.
"If you're bearing a name you admire, it'll come with that much more pressure."
"I'm prepared for that!" Kirishima nodded after her approval, voicing his spirit and determination to uphold his hero's name.
'Kirishima-kun's so cool.'
"He's right- Midoriya's right- You're so flipping cool, Kirishima…!"
"Hell yeah, you're gonna make the coolest hero out of all of us, Kirishima!"
While Izuku felt a little self-conscious for letting his thoughts be known, Hanta and Denki were busy trying to engrave that thought into the redhead himself. Eijiro didn't believe either of his new friends, but he did admit that he liked the name that he came up with, if he could only live up to it, that was.
'Taking a part of Crimson Riot's name for my hero name doesn't sound right, but if Midnight Sensei approves it… I might think of something else, though, if I get into the hero course…' Eijiro thought, while his two buds lightly punched his arm, or nudged his noggin, before he waved his hands around at them to eventually stop.
'Oh no- PLEASE- Anything but this!'
Now it was Izuku's turn to think up a hero name, but being the main character to this show meant a flashback to when he was young, which the girls squealed out. While Ochaco giggled, shaking his shoulders in excitement, Hitoshi wondering what could come out of this, the freckled greenet just hoped the scene would end quickly.
"Gross- Of course the piece of shit would have a fucking All Might suit." Tomura gagged at the atrocious apparel.
"Let's see… 'Mighty All Man', 'Mighty Boy', 'All Might Jr'."
"Junior!"
"I want him- He's just too pure for this world…" Toru sniffed, her sleeve coming up to what Kyoka and Momo guessed was her face, to wipe a tear from her eye.
"Dammit, Bakugo, why'd you have to ruin something that was so pure and innocent?!"
'This idiot better not even consider one of those fucking names for his hero name…' Katsuki, completely ignoring Mina and the world around him, scoffed at the stupidity of the flashback, hoping that Izuku wasn't dumb enough to actually use one of those names.
"At least Kirishima's choice was better…"
"Yeah, you can't reuse 'All Might' like you can 'Crimson Riot'."
Izuku was beet red, his body temperature heating up intensely, as he overheard Denki and Hanta. But that wasn't even the worst part about all this. Toshinori, All Might, the current number one hero, the person who deemed him worthy of a quirk, was standing right there, watching all of this!
'Oh Young Midoriya, you were an adorable child.' Toshinori softly chuckled at his successor's antics.
"No, because I totally did the same thing with Thirteen…! But I could literally come up with nothing!" Ochaco spoke while elbowing Izuku, acknowledging how she too tried to create a hero name with her idol somewhere in it. Seeing how the greenet wasn't being responsive, she then turned to Hitoshi while asking, "What about you, Shinso-kun? Do you have any hero names in mind?"
"Uh… Not really…? I mean, I'm not too sure at the moment…"
"Oh, come on…! Don't be like Aizawa Sensei!" Ochaco playfully whined while gently pulling on his arm to get an answer out of him.
In the end, Katsuki was just glad to hear that Izuku had some sort of common sense left.
"-of a name yet…"
Overhearing her classmate's agonizing cry of help, Jiro decided to come to his aid, tapping on Kaminari's shoulder, before she offered, "Why don't I give you one? How about 'Jamming-Yay'?"
"It's like Hemingway, who wrote A Farewell to Arms!Sounds smart! It's cool!"
Denki also found himself liking the name Kyoka came up with, opening his mouth to yell down to her, "Thanks for the-"
"-because even though you're strong… you always end up like that…!" Jiro held back a chuckle, thinking about the reason she gave Kaminari the name 'Jamming-Yay' was because of his yee mode, sticking out her tongue at getting under Kaminari's skin.
"Hey, Jiro! Stop messing with me!"
Hearing her laughter from the front of the room, echoed by a few others, Denki slumped into his seat, sulking, until he heard Hanta's cheeky taunt, "You totally liked the name, though."
"No I didn't! Shut up, Sero!"
"Earphone Jack! That's such a cool quirk and hero name…!" Toru approved, wrapping her arms around Kyoka, who wasn't expecting it, but she didn't push the girl away either.
"It appears to be another lightning round of sorts…" Fumikage observed, the others noticing that as well, as their cheering volume went down to a minimum, saving it for after everyone had their turn.
"'Taping Hero: Cellophane'."
"Nice and simple! That's important!" Midnight noted with a thumbs up, causing Sero to break out into a blush at her approval.
"'Martial Arts Hero: Tailman'." Ojiro flexed his tail to emphasize his hero name, which Midnight loved to see.
"Your name reflects your body!"
"'Sweets Hero: Sugarman'!"
"So sweet!"
'Copycat…' Mashirao jokingly thought to himself after hearing Rikido's hero name, noting that they both went the simple route of using a noun and adding the word 'man' at the end.
"Pinky!" Ashido proudly declared, squeezing her eyes shut at the thought of being turned away like before, but luckily, Midnight approved her choice of name this time around, with a big thumbs up.
"Peachy pink complexion!"
"'Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt', combining 'charge' with 'lightning bolt'!" Kaminari announced, pride showing in his smirk, as he tapped his hand against the board, almost as if to show he could come up with a name on his own.
"Oh, I feel tingly!"
"So much better than 'Jamming-Yay'..." Denki grinned, wondering how Kyoka thought of him now that he was able to come up with his own hero name, and a good one at that.
She didn't really care at first to hear Denki's hero name, but after seeing their interaction, she was a little interested to see if he could come up with anything. And Kyoka had to admit, the name honestly wasn't bad, guaranteed, her suggestion was terrible in itself, but he could at least come up with something decent.
"That's great!" Midnight praised after another student gave their hero name, Hagakure proclaiming hers as 'Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl'. Raising her hand up, the teacher blushed as she encouraged the rest who hadn't gone yet, "Come on, let's keep right on going!"
"More than half of these gamer tags are terrible." Tomura argued with the pro hero, spitting on the teens' creative choices, as he evaluated each one, "Sparkles kid doesn't even know what a fucking name is, Acid Girl has no idea what movie media is, and who in their right mind thinks naming yourself 'Thing' and 'man' was a smart idea? 'Tailman'? 'Sugarman'? Really? Is that the best you shit brats could do? At least 'Red Riot' isn't as bad for being named after someone else. Seriously, the only good ones I've heard is Electric Kid's and the Frog Girl."
With his rant getting the attention of a few students in the back, his words raising some questionable brows, Rikido was brave enough to say out loud, "I know I should feel insulted, but it's concerning, and weird enough, to hear Shigaraki complimenting us like this…"
Koji vigorously nodded in agreement, while Katsuki agreed on a few of the points the villain was making, before he grinned at watching himself present his hero name, 'King Explosion Murder'.
"You probably shouldn't use something like that."
"Why the hell not?!" Katsuki and Tomura exclaimed at her rejection to the name, causing a few to flinch at the volume, while the latter added to his outburst, "It's better than all of these pathetic names!"
"I don't like how supportive Shigaraki is of Bakugo-chan."
"Yeah… Tell me about it." Kyoka didn't like it all that much either, appearing terrified at Tsuyu's statement.
"Kirishima, every time you're shown getting closer and closer to Bakugo is making me question your sanity. I hope future you is doing okay…" Hanta rested a hand on his friend's shoulder as he told him this, Eijiro blinking at his twin, before looking over the raven-haired to see Denki also nodding along somberly.
'Midnight Sensei is right, 'Uravity' does sound pretty stylish…!' Ochaco, ignoring her surroundings, was delighted to hear and watch her hero name being approved. She hadn't had many ideas before, but she really liked the name, and was glad to know her future teacher did too.
"Choosing hero names is going more smoothly than I thought it would!" Midnight smiled as the class' cheering died down. Looking around the room with her hand resting against her forehead, she scanned the classroom, while thinking out loud, "All that's left is Bakugo-kun, who needs to rethink his, and Iida-kun."
"Bakugo's was great- You're a terrible Grand Master!"
Tenya stiffened as his name was called, clenching his fists, shaking, until Toshinori's hand landed on his shoulder. The boy understood what the number one hero was trying to do, trying to say, but he didn't want to listen. He could feel the eyes of his fellow peers watching him, looking upon him in pity, but he wished that they would just disappear. He would give anything to talk to Tensei right now, to see his older brother, well and okay. He wanted to go back home; he didn't care about this stupid show anymore.
'Brother…'
"Tenya."
His head shot up at hearing that voice, his brother's voice calling his name in a tone of endearment that almost brought Tenya to tears. He was fooled for a second that his wish came true, but he knew better than that.
"I wasn't sure if I wanted to say anything yesterday…" Ingenium gravely spoke, his younger brother sitting by his bedside, with a mask on, as his hero continued to say with regret, "...but actually… I don't have any feeling in my legs."
That statement broke Tenya's heart. But he couldn't find the voice to scream, only slipping to his knees, as Toshinori crouched down to catch him. It was worse than he had thought.
'At least he's alive…' Shota, who could easily see how bad this situation was, especially for Tenya, was just overly relieved to know that Tensei had somehow survived his encounter with Chizome. He had his hands folded together, gripping them hard as he bit his bottom lip, praying his friend would see another day.
"Iida-kun…" Ochaco worried for him, wanting to go and comfort him. She hoped by tomorrow, he would want to talk, but for now, letting him know Tensei would be okay from his own voice should be more comforting.
"The hero… Ingenium… will probably end here."
'No… No- I refuse…! I refuse for this to be the end! Brother…' Tenya could feel his tears resurfacing at that statement, dipping his head, as they slowly began to run down his cheeks. He didn't want to accept this, not for a long, long time.
"No! You still have so many more people to lead! I don't like this!"
"I don't like this either…" Ingenium agreed wholeheartedly, not wishing this fate on anyone, but he and Iida had to accept the truth. But, just because he couldn't be a hero anymore, didn't mean that his younger brother had to give up on his dream, carefully suggesting to the teen, as he opened one eye to gaze upon his sibling, "That's why… If you're up for it… Will you take this name for me…?"
Thinking of the words his hero had asked, Iida, back to the present setting, slowly began to write out the kanji for 'Ingenium' on the whiteboard. However, he suddenly stopped, his shaky hands pausing on the next symbol. Something inside telling him he shouldn't, that he can't bear the name of his idol, not yet.
'I am still…' Iida thought, closing his eyes as his whole body began to shake, before erasing the name that was supposed to be someone else's.
Writing something different, Iida walked up and presented his hero name in silence, letting his classmates and teacher read it, as Midnight commented, "You're using your first name, too?"
No one objected as it was approved, and Iida sat back down to let one of the other two present their hero names in order to wrap up the lesson. Neither Bakugo or Midoriya made a move to walk up to the podium, the former appearing furious, as he scratched his brain for another name. So Midnight took the initiative.
"Midoriya-kun, are you ready?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Ah yes, the main character's dramatic reveal time…!" Denki maliciously laughed, until Hanta smacked him lightly across the back of his head, the blond's tease causing Izuku to sink into the cushions.
"I'm sure your hero name will be great, Deku-kun…!"
"If not, can always change it…"
Izuku didn't know what he did in life to gain friends like Ochaco and Hitoshi.
"What's wrong with Midoriya's name for a reaction like that…?" Eijiro mumbled under his breath, the same question echoing from everyone else's mind, while Hanta was getting nagged by Denki about his 'main-character-dramatic-reveal-time' statement.
"-you know."
"Yeah." Midoriya answered when his classmates' became concerned about his hero name, glancing down, as he began to explain his reasoning for choosing such a name, "I didn't like this name until now. But someone changed the meaning of it, and that had a huge impact on me. It made me really happy."
'Oh…' Izuku knew where this might be going, her voice running through his head, as his cheeks flushed red, and hid behind his hands, leaving the rest of his peers to figure it out by themselves.
But Toshinori had already made his guess, finding himself smiling just as Izuku did on screen, while speaking highly about a name that was once an insult.
'My 'Deku' isn't always going to mean 'useless'...! My 'Deku' means 'You can do it'!'
But soon enough, the others began to realize the hero name Izuku had chosen for himself.
Breaking out into a nervous smile, Midoriya presented his hero name to his classmates, them reading the rough kanji on his whiteboard as 'Deku', while he proclaimed, "This is my hero name!"
While positive feedback came pouring in after Midnight's approval, two students had varying reactions to Midoriya's choice of name, with Bakugo glowering at the sight of it, while Uraraka's smile couldn't have been brighter.
Two students that shaped Midoriya's hero name.
As some of the kids started cheering for Izuku's hero name, a few glanced over to either Katsuki or Ochaco, wondering what their reactions were.
The blond remembered the days where he would spit that name at the greenet, every single chance he got, making its meaning clear with each time he said it, but seeing this, Katsuki couldn't think. A part of him didn't care, but a part of him wondered how years of excruciating that name could go away just like that. All because of someone, who had nothing to do with either of them.
'Deku… kun…' Ochaco didn't know what to say, or think as a matter of fact. Whatever name Izuku had come up with, she most certainly would have never come to this conclusion. And by the looks of it, it didn't seem that her friend liked it either.
"Hey, maybe chill on the shouting…" Hitoshi grumbled, also noticing Izuku's stressed out state, as he continued to say, "We don't know if Midoriya wants that name…"
"Shinso-san does appear to be correct, judging by Midoriya-san's response…" Momo observed as they started to quiet down, both from what Hitoshi said, and also due to the setting change, Toshinori and Ken in the teacher's offices discussing first-year offers.
"There's one more."
"Who's it for?" All Might asked his coworker, Cementoss taking another look through any other offers from pro heroes for their students.
"Midoriya-kun."
Hearing his name, and at the chance of a hero wanting him for an internship, Izuku broke out of his distressed state as he, and the others, became interested to know who this hero might be. A few were stupid enough to believe it was their very own Symbol of Peace, who had put in the offer at the last second. But Toshinori knew better, and as he got to thinking, his mind strayed to how the first episode of the day had started.
'Oh… no…'
"Really? Who is it…?" All Might peeked over his friend's shoulder to check out the hero himself, knowing he was Midoriya's mentor, and it would be wise for him to have a say in his successor's internship. But, as his eyes focused on the screen, he narrowed them at the computer, before gaping at the offer, almost choking on his tongue as he gasped, "THIS PERSON IS…!"
"'LORD EXPLOSION MURDER'!"
"No, that's still no good." Midnight sighed, objecting Bakugo's hero name twice now.
"FUCK THIS HERO NAME SHIT-"
"All Might…?" Izuku spoke softly as he blinked at Toshinori, who was stiff - even more stiff than before - next to Tenya, both still crouched on the floor.
'If it is who I think it is, does that mean he has come out of retirement…? Just for this reason? Does he doubt my teachings to Young Midoriya…?' Toshinori could feel a chill run up his spine from these questions, and the possible sight of his old teacher.
"-decided on their hero names, we'll go back to talking about the internships."
"So I guess Bakugo's hero name is just 'Katsuki'...? Like Shoto and Iida's?"
"'GOD EXPLOSION MURDER'!"
'That is basically the same name as the others…' Rikido thought, digging his finger through his ear after losing his hearing for a second.
"-so you can choose from those yourself. Those who didn't have offers will choose from among forty agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialities."
"For example, Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting villains."
'Thirteen Sensei…!' Ochaco really hoped she got an offer from her favorite hero.
"Think carefully before you choose."
"Yes, sir!"
As the teachers handed out papers for the students, letting them look over it to decide where they wanted to go for the week, the bell rang to say students were dismissed from the first period. While they patiently waited to receive their slip of paper, some made a few comments as they looked over the offers provided by the pro heroes of Japan.
"I want to fight crime in urban areas!"
'I honestly don't care, just as long as I got good offers…' Eijiro felt bad for thinking the word 'good', but he did have offers, so it would be redundant to say if he got any offers at all.
"I hope I can intern at a place with floods. I wonder if there are any?"
"There will be." Shota hummed, sitting back in his seat just as he caught Tsuyu's reaction, looking to find a glimmer in her eyes that brightened as she smiled.
"Kero…!"
"-before the weekend."
"We've only got two days?!" Sero exclaimed as they watched the two leave the classroom, Midnight waving while her smile spelled out 'good luck', with Aizawa walking away, his sleeping bag draped across his shoulder.
"Make your decision efficiently. Dismissed."
Groaning about the closing deadline, Todoroki ignored his classmates in favor of skimming through his stack of papers. He had the largest number of offers, being in the thousands, so it was going to take him a while to look through each one of them just to come to a decision. That was, until his eyes caught one specific name.
'Endeavor Hero Agency'
"BITCH-"
"Kaminari!"
Shoto shouldn't be surprised that his father would have requested him for an internship, especially remembering what he said after his fight with Izuku. But, here he was, surprised to see it.
"I'm sure you know this, but you don't have to choose his agency… It's your choice, Shoto…"
He knew this, Shota didn't need to tell him this, but it felt wrong for Shoto to go anywhere else aside from his father's agency. Clenching his fists, the two-toned boy knew he would need to think this decision over, even though he wasn't actually living it.
'You better not choose elsewhere for your internship, Shoto.' Enji would be furious to see any other kind of result.
"-going to yet?"
"I'm going to Mt. Lady!" Mineta announced proudly after Ashido wondered if anyone had decided on where they were going for their internships, even though their homeroom teacher's advice was to think carefully on their choice.
Which Mineta obviously had not, with Asui pointing this out as she walked by her shorter classmate, "Mineta-chan, you're thinking about something perverted, aren't you?"
"Of course not!"
"Huh-uh… Super believable there."
"Oh, who would Mineta be without his gross and disgusting provocative thoughts… I wonder…"Kyoka grinded her teeth, as she spat out the last part of her sentence.
'I understand why I want to intern at Mt. Lady's agency, but because I don't know anything about it besides her quirk, why do I want to intern at her agency…?' Minoru wondered if Izuku's notebooks would have the answer.
Shota pondered if he should have another talk with Minoru, or let him try to figure this one out on his own.
"No, but Ojiro, you're so right on that one!" Mina leapt out of her seat, spinning around to face Mashirao, who slightly jumped at the fast action, while she ranted, "Sero didn't do anything in his fight against Shoto, but I completely wiped the floor with Aoyama, and I didn't get a single offer?!"
"Tearing those down to build yourself up will only cause the tower to crumble underneath you…" Fumikage mused, as around him, Yuga and Hanta made offending gasps to Mina's accusations.
"Gunhead…?! You want to go to Gunhead's agency, Uraraka-san?!" Izuku, just like Ochaco herself, was surprised by this information, while Hitoshi didn't have any kind of reaction.
"Maybe she changed her mind…"
'No, but, Thirteen is my favorite hero…! It would… It would literally be a dream come true to work under her! Why did I…?'
"I got an offer from them!"
"Really? I thought you were trying to be a hero like Thirteen Sensei."
"Ultimately, yes." Uraraka didn't disagree with what Midoriya said, as that was her original plan when she came to U.A., but taking a fighting stance, the brunette declared to her gathered peers, "But fighting Bakugo-kun at the Sports Festival made me think… The stronger I get, the more possibilities I'll have! If I only do what I want, I'll have a narrower perspective!"
'Oh, that… makes a lot more sense…' Ochaco wanted to help her parents by becoming a hero, making money, so they could rest. If she limited herself to only rescuing, she could lose opportunities that would cost her parents thousands. It was only a shame that Katsuki was the one that had to make her realize this, but she didn't regret fighting him in the Sports Festival.
"G-Gunhead might be a little intense, from- from what I know about his agency, but it's not a bad start…!" Izuku encouraged his friend, and Ochaco couldn't let him down, so she took his words to heart, and hoped her future self knew what she was doing.
"You're trembling, aren't you?"
"Oh, this?" Midoriya blinked at the question, Uraraka having noticed the slight shake in his stance before he went to explain the reason why that was, "It's the air chair exercise."
"AIR CHAIR?! Don't tell me you do that all through class?!"
"WHAT?! That's gotta be impossible!"
"Damn, Midoriya, that's impressive…!"
"But for hours…?! He's got to have muscles of steel by now!"
Izuku had a vague idea of what he, and the others, were referring to, but at the same time, he didn't know doing that exercise for hours was possible. He got exhausted just from doing it for ten minutes in physical education class, and by Ochaco's wording, this wasn't his first attempt. But, along those same lines, it made sense why he was doing that, if Mashirao's helpful explanation had anything to say about that.
'Should I try it now…?' Izuku went to straighten his posture, but sitting in the same position for a while made his body creak, causing him to fall back into the sofa with a heave.
"Deku-kun- Are you all right…?!"
"Did you try to do the air chair exercise just then…?"
"Um…" Izuku gulped, embarrassed that he had been found out so easily, and that his future self made it look so easy.
"If you want to try a form of exercise, Midoriya, you have to start out small." Mezo softly called from behind the trio, gaining their attention, as he continued, "We can talk more about this afterwards, but you don't want to strain your muscles when starting to workout. You start with something small that you can handle, and could challenge you, that way, your body isn't too sore."
Izuku went to write this down as Mezo said it, nodding along with the words that were spoken, while Ochaco and Hitoshi widened their eyes, making mental notes to themselves to remember this. By the end, the brunette was looking over his notebook, as he furiously jotted this information down.
'I'll talk with All Might about this as well…' Izuku had a lot to think about.
At the end of the school day, with the sun beginning to set with the bright colors of orange, students walked through the halls on their way home from classes. In Class 1-A's room, most were already gone, with a few either packing up or waiting on a friend in order to leave, and come back the next day; hopefully with their choice of internship made up. Standing by the front door, Uraraka called out to Midoriya before he could open the door to go home.
"Deku-kun, let's go home together!"
"Okay." Midoriya nodded as she ran up to his side, smiling at the offer.
"Iida-kun, you too-" Uraraka turned to bring along their friend, but they both found to their disappointment that Iida had already left, his desk empty, which faintly surprised her, "Huh?"
The tension from earlier came back, causing a few of the students discomfort from seeing the silent conflict between the three friends. Ochaco and Izuku could feel it too, growing uncomfortable as well, as they glanced over to Tenya, before looking back to one another. While they weren't all that close with the blue-haired boy, they felt responsible to try and help him, seeing as they were friends. Even if it had only been two days that they knew each other. Because helping someone in need is not only what a hero does, but a friend, too.
"Deku-kun, we should talk to Iida-kun when the episode's over…" Ochaco decreed, and Izuku wasn't far behind with that decision, nodding as his gaze strayed back over to Tenya.
Izuku wondered what he might be feeling in this moment.
"-and went to turn it into the staff room-" Midoriya figured that could be a reason why Iida wasn't in the classroom, saying this while sliding open the door, before he slightly jumped at All Might appearing out of the blue.
"I am here! In a bizarre position!"
"Wh-What's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Come with me for a moment." All Might nervously gestured for his successor, Midoriya realizing this was a possible talk about their shared power.
"R-Right…"
'Sorry, Uraraka-san…' Izuku assumed that this meant they wouldn't be able to walk home together either, biting his bottom lip out of guilt.
'Why are they having this talk in the hallway…? The teacher's lounge is usually empty by this time…' Shota couldn't believe the decision Toshinori was making with his own eyes, running a hand down his face.
"Getting to the point, you've got an offer from a hero!"
"Huh?" Midoriya came to a halt from what he heard, taking a moment to register what he heard, before he exclaimed through the shock, "What…?! Really?!"
"Yes. The hero's name is Gran Torino."
'I knew it…' Toshinori tried to hide the panic that rose on his expression, quickly coughing into his hand, before resting a hand back on Tenya's shoulder.
''Gran Torino'... I don't think I've heard of a hero by that name before…' Izuku closed his eyes to help himself focus, thinking back to his notebooks, and trying to remember all the heroes he had taken notes of through the years. Once he got back to his room tonight, he decided to take a deep dive through his journals to find this hero, since the internet was an obvious no-go.
"You think this hero will help Midoriya with One for All…?"
"Guess so, since he trained All Might, it seems…"
"That's so stinking cool… Imagine training the number one hero!"
"I wonder why I've never heard of him up until now, though. I'd expect him to have bragged about this for years."
'No… Not Gran Torino…' Toshinori knew his teacher understood the value of fame and glory, which was why he trained him in the ways that he did. The blond just hoped his old mentor would go a little easier on his student, for old time's sake.
"Wait, there was someone else who knew about the quirk?" Midoriya paused in his excitement to meet the man who made All Might the hero he is today to ask the question after hearing all this information.
"Gran Torino was the sworn friend of my predecessor. He retired a long time ago, so I forgot to count him…"
Toshinori winced at the sight of his former teacher appearing on screen, back in his prime, and with that strict glare in his eye. Just a number of students caught the hero flinching, causing them to wonder why he did so, while Enji's gaze narrowed at this.
"Heroes can give offers, even though they're retired…?" Kyoka raised an eyebrow, questioning just how old Sorahiko was, then digging deeper as she wondered how old Toshinori might be.
"All Might, why are you so scared of this Gran Torino, kero?" Tsuyu leaned forward to get a look at the number one hero, who was also shaking like his future counterpart, which confused the students.
The Symbol of Peace, who they had watched him fight with his fearless smile, and strength mighty enough to take down any villain, was trembling at the sight of his former teacher. While they didn't know why this was, it was very unsettling to see, especially after what had happened yesterday in the show. It took everyone by surprise and made them a little stressed for the greenet's internship, but all Izuku could think was that he didn't want to be scared of Toshinori. Ever.
"-teaching…? If he went so far as to use his old name to make an offer… It's scary… too scary…! Stop trembling, legs!"
'All Might's seriously shaking…!' Midoriya was getting a little concerned, and nervous, about this Gran Torino, seeing as the number one hero was quivering just at the mention of his name, hitting his legs to make them stop.
"A-Anyway, it is my duty to train you, but since you got an offer, you should go work to your heart's c-content-t-t-t-"
'Just how scary is this guy…?!'
Izuku was thinking the same thing, his hands shaking slightly, as he gripped his notebook. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to choose another hero from the other list, but at the same time, none of them would be able to help with One for All.
'Oh, that remembers me…' Izuku gasped, flipping through the pages before he came to one explicitly for the transferable quirk, making a note on Sorahiko for a possible candidate of possessing One for All.
'If you are supposed to train him, All Might, then putting in your own offer to Midoriya should be fine…' Shota knew teachers could take on their own students for an internship, so maybe he'd tell Toshinori this since it appeared he didn't know this.
While some students and faculty members were heading to leave the school building, some stayed behind, notably Aizawa, as he sifted through papers for his class. A few of his kids had already sent in their forms for their upcoming internships, reading them over, before going to approve them for the week.
"Internships, huh?" one of his coworkers walked up behind Aizawa, observing his task.
"Yeah. A few already decided."
"It's an important event. Make sure they think about it properly. There are some third years that still have regrets about it."
"Yeah…"
"What, really? But it's our choice…"
"Maybe it's because they didn't do enough research on the hero or something."
Seeing Tenya's chosen agency, and hearing his own internal dialogue, Shota knew he was going to have to make an announcement about this to all the students. Just to really make sure they understood why some still regretted them to this day, and he could only hope the kid was listening.
'I don't want to have to resort to Iida learning this lesson by watching this show… There's no guarantee that it'll show Iida's experience.'
'-offers from better places.' Aizawa thought, scanning over Iida's application, and taking a closer look at the agency he chose, the man noticed, 'A hero agency in Hosu… Don't tell me…'
'Oh no…!' Toshinori came to the same conclusion Shota did, looking down at Tenya, whose body had gone stiff as several pairs of eyes landed on him.
"Iida-kun…"
"Why would he choose the same city his brother almost died in…?"
"Kaminari, shut up…!"
"Don't do this, Iida-kun…"
Tenya wanted to drown out their words, clenching his fists, as he bit his bottom lip to keep himself in check. He didn't want his emotions to get the better of him, and say something that he would regret later. He wasn't in the mood to apologize to anyone right now.
"Young Iida…" Toshinori's soft voice came, and for whatever reason, Tenya glanced up to meet the pro hero's azure gaze, his eyes calm and his words gentle, as he asked, "Would you be willing to talk after you've eaten…?"
Tenya almost wanted to say yes, but he gulped down the word, turning his sights back down to the floor as he refused, "No. Not now. I want to be alone."
"I understand, but do remember that you are surrounded by people who want to help you… Do not let those negative thoughts consume you, Young Iida."
After hearing that, Tenya found it easier to tune everyone out in order to get lost inside his mind.
"-news. The incident involving Ingenium in Hosu City, Tokyo. The escaping culprit had already killed seventeen heroes in the past and hurt twenty-three heroes beyond recovery… The elusive hero killer. Villain name: Stain."
Tenya glowered at the image of Chizome, letting his thoughts grow darker at just the sight of the man who dared hurt his beloved hero.
'If it's about my brother, there is no need to worry. I apologize for worrying you needlessly.'
"Iida-kun didn't say anything to me. Later, I was surprised to find out that Iida-kun's internship would be in Hosu City, where Ingenium had been attacked. But I couldn't say anything to Iida-kun, since he hadn't said anything to me. And so things remained as we approached the first day of our internships."
The ending theme commences.
"I don't like the sound of this."
"That music really makes me worried for the future…"
Izuku didn't like what was being said by him, but with it being formed into words, it made him realize that he is essentially doing the same thing. Tenya didn't want to talk, so he didn't try to force it out of him, and decided to wait when he could try again with Ochaco. He didn't like seeing that his friend was being distant toward them. He didn't like that the internship he chose to go to would be in Hosu City. He didn't like what he thought the blue-eyed teen could be capable of doing.
"We have to stop him…"
"We have to talk to him, Deku-kun." Ochaco disagreed, making the greenet jolt from his thoughts as she stood up, saying, "Come on, I've let this go for too long-"
"Students, I need you to listen to what I have to say, so cease your conversations." Shota announced, gaining all eyes and ears when he stood up. Ochaco hesitated in her decision to compile or to head over to Tenya, but she eventually sighed, taking her seat again, as the underground hero spoke, "I hope you all were listening, but if you were not, let me say it again for good measures: Be very, very careful when choosing your internships in your first year. As Snipe said, there are still third years to this day that still regret the agency they had chosen, and I understand that this does not quite concern you students yet, but I need you to understand that this is an important time for- of your lives. Try to remember as well, what was being said before you all chose your hero names."
"About the interest and how the heroes that chose us recognize us for our abilities?" Hanta raised his hand as he spoke, which earned a nod from Shota.
"Oh, and also that we'll have to prove ourselves! I remembered me saying that now!" Toru excitedly exclaimed just as he had opened his mouth, Shota closing it to nod again, while the invisible teen went on to say, "And just because we were chosen by heroes doesn't mean that they can automatically help us af- once we graduate, because they need to know that we can handle it."
"Yes, most of you have a general idea of what these internships are supposed to do as first years, and I'm glad to know this." Shota could say that much for the students, but he needed Tenya to show that he understood this as well, glancing toward the younger Iida son, as he finished off to say, "If you have any questions or concerns about these internships, talk to me. I'm sure we'll see what happens tomorrow, but there might be some things that you can't see for specific reasons."
"Yeah, like our internships."
Izuku flinched at the implication from Kyoka, but Ochaco snapped him out of it, hearing his friend say as she looked at him, "Come on, Deku-kun, while we have the chance…!"
The song was close to ending, and Ochaco knew Tenya was going to head to his room once it did, so they needed to catch him before he could make it to the door. With Izuku scrambling out of his seat, they were on their way over towards their friend.
"I-Iida-kun-"
They paused when they heard something come from the speakers.
"You all have your costumes, right?" Aizawa asked his students, standing with them inside the train station close to U.A.. He was about to send them on their way for their internships, but he had a few words to say before he let them go, "Remember, you aren't allowed to wear them in public. Don't drop them or anything."
"Yessir!" Ashido jumped up, raising her case above her head, as she interrupted their teacher.
"Speak clearly! It's 'yes, sir', Ashido."
"Yes, sir…" Mina huffed in the pro hero's direction, but Shota wasn't paying attention, focused on the screen above.
"Make sure you mind your manners with the heroes at your internships! Off with you, now."
"Yes, sir!" the students exclaimed after Aizawa's dismissal, Iida immediately breaking from the group, with Todoroki catching him leaving, while the rest discussing where they would be heading towards with the others.
"I can't wait!"
"Tokoyami, you're going to Kyushu? That's in the opposite direction."
Iida had made some distance before his name was suddenly called.
"Iida-kun!" Midoriya chased him down, followed closely by Uraraka, as they caught up to their friend, who had stopped to let them. With Iida's back to them, the greenet quickly caught his breath, before telling him, "If it ever gets to be too much and you need to talk, just say something. We're friends, right?"
Uraraka nodded right along with what Midoriya was saying, agreeing, with Iida's back still to them. It took a moment before the blue-haired boy eventually turned around, sending his friends a smile as he dipped his head.
"Yeah."
They watched him leave after they said their part, however, his response only concerned them more, with Midoriya stating ominously, "At that time, I should have been more emphatic. Because I would eventually regret what happened on that day."
The look that Tenya wore sent a few shivers down their spines. It made Izuku hesitate to talk to his friend, but Ochaco wasn't going to let this chance slide.
"Iida-kun-"
Hearing a door slam caused her to wince, stepping back into Izuku, jolting him from his thoughts, as the two of them stared in the direction of Tenya's room.
"It appears Young Iida does not wish to conversate right now…" Toshinori walked up toward the pair, Izuku and Ochaco both turning their eyes over to the hero before looking back over to Tenya's door.
"But… Iida-kun…"
"What about dinner…?"
Toshinori rested a hand on both of their shoulders, squeezing them as he sighed, "Let us give him some space, for now. I understand what Young Midoriya said is something you didn't want to hear, but do remember there is still time to right these wrongs. Remember why we are here in the first place."
Izuku and Ochaco, taking his words to heart, glanced over to one another, as they both hoped that they would be able to help their friend when he was ready.