A/N: Hey everyone, hope you're all doing great! We finally picked a hero name for Ren, and like we mentioned during that poll a while back, credit for the winning name goes to Nasaguy. Thanks so much to everyone who jumped in on that one!
Now, let's get back to the story and see what else has changed... I wanted to bring up Ochako's situation again, I know it might feel repetitive at this point, but her hero internship this time isn't with the same hero she worked with before. She's actually heading to the agency of a heroine you'll meet in this chapter.
That's it from me for now, thanks for waiting. Let's keep pushing toward those 200 chapters! Don't forget to smash that like button and drop a comment.
Oh, and I'd love to hear what you think, how did the character interactions land for you in this chapter? I put a lot of work into this one since there's a ton of characters involved, and I'm curious if it came together the way I wanted.
P.s. 3,500+ Words
Lunch had ended a little while ago and Class 1-A's room was already chaos. Kaminari and Sero were shouting at each other about which of them had looked more ridiculous during the festival, Mina had climbed onto a desk to mimic the victory pose of some famous hero, and Kirishima was cheering her on from below with both fists in the air. In his usual corner, wrapped up in his yellow sleeping bag, Aizawa was doing his absolute best to pretend none of it was happening.
Ren watched the chaos from his seat, arms resting on the desk.
Another special class. If this were the anime, I'd already know what comes next, though this world always manages to throw in details the studio never animated.
"You know what we're doing today?" Ochako asked, sitting down next to him. "Ever since Aizawa-sensei said 'special class' I can't stop thinking he's gonna spring a test on us."
She brought her hands to her head.
"Oh no! What if it really is a test and he just lied so we wouldn't get nervous? I wasn't mentally prepared for this!"
"If it's a test, I'm throwing myself out the window!" Kaminari declared. "My brain's already running on empty."
"And when exactly has it ever been charged?" Jirō shot back without looking up from her phone.
"You're so cruel, Jirō!"
Ren let out a low laugh, but before he could say anything the classroom door slid open with a bang, and the figure that walked in made half the boys straighten up in their seats instantly.
Midnight strode to the front with her whip coiled around her arm and a seductive smile.
"Good afternoon, my little hopefuls," she greeted, propping a hand on her hip. "I hope you've all rested up, because today we've got something far more fun than a test."
"See? It's not a test," Sero sighed, sinking into his chair with relief.
"Today we're going to choose your hero names."
The whole room exploded. Mina shrieked with excitement from on top of her desk, Kirishima threw his arms up like he'd just scored a goal, and even Ochako sat up straight with shining eyes.
From his sleeping bag, Aizawa barely poked his eyes out.
"Listen up for a second," he muttered. "A lot of the names you pick at this stage end up sticking with you for your entire career. The whole country's going to know you by them, so don't take it lightly. I'm no good at this kind of thing, so Midnight's handling it."
"How romantic of you to hand me the stage, Eraserhead," Midnight purred, walking between the rows. "The point is simple, dears. When you give yourself a name, you take one more step toward the image of the hero you want to become. The name and the person end up resembling each other. So get creative."
Ren closed his eyes for a moment as everyone else started scribbling ideas.
Bald Hero. Ever since the festival, memes of my shiny head had gone viral all over the country, and there's even an account dedicated to editing my bald head with explosions of color. The internet already baptized me and didn't even ask. The question is whether "Bald Hero" is an actual name or I'm just resigning myself to what's already been decided for me.
---
"Let's start with the brave souls who already have something in mind," Midnight said, clapping her hands. "Who wants to go first?"
Aoyama jumped to his feet, a sparkle on his teeth.
"I shall go first! My name shall be 'I Cannot Stop Twinkling.'"
Half the room stared at him, not sure whether to laugh or be concerned.
"We'll drop the 'Cannot' so it flows better," Midnight decided without losing her smile. "'Can't Stop Twinkling.' Approved, mon ami."
"I want to be Froppy," Tsuyu said, a finger resting on her chin. "I thought of it years ago, when I was a kid. It sounds friendly, and the children will like it."
A murmur of approval ran through the classroom, and several students let out the breath they'd been holding, because suddenly the whole thing seemed less terrifying.
"Sweet and approachable," Midnight nodded. "Super approved."
Kirishima thumped his chest with pride.
"Mine's Red Riot! It's after Crimson Riot, the hero who made me wanna be one of the tough guys. I know carrying that name is a lot, but it's exactly what I want."
"Taking on a legend's name means you'll have a lot to live up to," Midnight warned him. "Are you sure?"
"That's exactly why I'm picking it! So I never fall behind him!"
"Chargebolt for me," Kaminari chimed in, sparks flickering between his fingers. "Mix of charge and lightning bolt. Sounds cool, right?"
Mina stood up with her arms raised, determined to steal the spotlight.
"Alien Queen Ashido! She who melts her enemies and reigns over acid!"
Midnight tilted her head, skeptical.
"Mmm... I love your energy, sweetie, but that sounds more like a midnight movie villain. Try again."
"Whaaaat?" Mina deflated and fell back into her chair with a pout. "But it sounded so cool..."
Still stung by the rejection, she turned her head toward Ren and narrowed her eyes.
"And you, egghead, you got a name yet, or are you just gonna use whatever the internet stuck you with?" She crossed her arms. "'Bald Hero,' just your speed."
Ren didn't even move. He didn't need to lift his arms, and an invisible tug snagged the elastic of Mina's underwear and yanked it up without an ounce of mercy.
"Hng...!" The squeak escaped before she could swallow it, and she gave a ridiculous little hop in place, her face turning red.
The whole class turned toward her.
"Are you all right, Ashido-san?" Iida asked, alarmed.
"Y-yes! I just tripped a tiny bit on the chair, that's all!" she said quickly, brushing off her skirt with clumsy movements as she discreetly readjusted herself.
I swear on my acid, one day I'll make you pay, you damn egghead. Mina shot him a murderous look while Ren whistled softly, staring up at the ceiling, the very picture of innocence.
"Let's move on before Ashido trips again," Midnight said, amused, completely oblivious to what had just happened. "Who's next?"
Ochako stood up, cheeks a little red and her gaze steady.
"I've already decided. I want to be called Uravity."
"Tell us, honey," Midnight encouraged her. "Where's it from?"
"It's from gravity, because of my Quirk, but it's about something more too." Ochako brought her hands together in front of her chest. "I want people to look up when they see me, instead of staring at the ground. I want to inspire them to aim higher. And one day, from way up there, I want to earn enough so my parents never have to worry about money again."
The classroom went quiet for a moment, and then a couple of students clapped.
"Beautiful, with purpose and style," Midnight said, putting a hand to her heart. "Approved without a doubt."
"And you, Midoriya?" She turned to Inko. "A girl who scored ten million points on her head has got to have something big in mind."
Inko shifted in her seat, fiddling with the edge of the cast on her arm. She took a moment to stand up, and when she did she looked down before raising her eyes again.
"I... I've been thinking about it a lot," she began. "At first I wanted a name that sounded strong, something that would command respect. But I realized I don't want to inherit anyone else's name or hide behind a power I'm barely learning to use."
She took a breath, and when she spoke again the shyness had vanished from her voice.
"I want to be called Dawnbreaker. The one who breaks the dawn. My Quirk is a first light just starting to ignite inside me, and I plan to bloom with it in my own way, leaving behind everything I used to be and opening up my own path forward."
For an instant no one said anything. Then Kaminari let out a low whistle and Kirishima muttered something about how manly the name was even coming from a girl.
Dawnbreaker. Ren looked at her in surprise. And I thought the main heroine would settle for something modest. You've shown me up, Midoriya.
"Dawnbreaker..." Midnight savored the name. Then she smiled slowly. "Oh, what a marvel."
She brought a hand to her chest and sighed theatrically.
"That is exactly what a hero name should be! It's not there to describe you; it's there to make people remember you, to make villains uneasy when they hear it on the news."
Midnight pointed at Inko with a sharp smile.
"'The one who breaks the dawn.' Just look at that. The girl already has her introduction speech, symbolism, and personal brand built in. Some pros take years to put that together."
Then she clasped her hands and clapped several times.
"Super approved! I love it!"
While the class celebrated, Ren looked down at his own blank sheet.
Everyone has something that actually represents them, and I'm still here with an empty page and a meme nickname chasing me across the whole country. Wonderful.
---
Midnight turned to him with a mischievous smile and walked slowly toward his desk.
"All that's left is our festival star," she said, drawing out the words. "The boy with six thousand offers who still hasn't opened his mouth. Surprise me, baldy. Something with character, something that'll make the cameras swoon."
"Make the cameras swoon? Sensei, with all due respect, the only thing I make people do is sigh when they lose a bet against me," Ren answered.
The room laughed, and that only seemed to encourage Midnight, who leaned against the edge of his desk with a smile.
"Come on, don't disappoint me. You look like the type who could pick something provocative."
"Just go with 'Bald Hero' and let's get this over with," Mina muttered from her seat, still bitter.
Ren ignored her and thought for a second.
Okay, Ren, think. You can't call yourself "Bald Hero" and hand the internet the win. Can't go too solemn either, because I know myself and I'll wreck the serious vibe on the very first patrol. He glanced down at his own arms, remembered the cape that was part of his costume, the bald head the entire country already had memorized. Bald guy with a cape, just like Saitama. Why complicate my life?
He stood up, gripped the back of his chair, and let half the room hold its breath.
"Caped Baldy," he announced with a calm smile. "The Bald Guy with a Cape, simple as that."
There was a pause. Kaminari blinked a couple of times.
"My costume has a cape, I'm bald, and I don't see the point of overthinking it," he explained, shrugging. "Plus, it's a nod to a hero I really admire."
Please don't anyone judge me for being unoriginal. Lucky for me, in this universe nobody has the faintest clue who the heck Saitama is, so the secret's more than safe.
Midnight brought a finger to her lips, sizing him up with a playful smile.
"Caped Baldy..." she repeated, savoring the words. "It's honest and rather charming, exactly the kind of name kids will adore. Approved."
"Wait, WHAT?! How does 'Caped Baldy' get through but 'Alien Queen' doesn't?!" Mina slumped against the back of her chair with an exaggerated groan. "That's blatant favoritism! I demand an investigation!"
"The difference, dear, is that his doesn't scare children," Midnight said with a wink.
"MY NAME IS KING OF MURDEROUS EXPLOSIONS!" Bakugo suddenly bellowed, standing up so hard his chair flew backward.
"Absolutely not, sweetheart," Midnight replied without flinching. "Sit back down and think again. And this time without the 'murderous' part."
"HAH?! Why does everyone get to pick whatever stupid thing they want except me?! Even the egghead got away with it!"
Ren went back to his seat without losing the smile, and over Bakugo's tantrum he gave Midnight a small nod.
Caped Baldy. May the universe have mercy on my originality.
---
The end-of-class bell rang, but instead of running out, half the room crowded around the desks with their stacks of offers, comparing agencies and debating destinations.
"How the hell does the egghead have six thousand offers and I'm not even number one?!" Bakugo exploded, slamming his stack against the desk. "I should've won the festival! ME! Where's the justice in this garbage world?!"
"Bro, bro, take it down a notch," Kirishima tried, patting his shoulder while taking great care not to lose his hand. "You've got a ton of awesome offers anyway. Look at this one, it looks super manly..."
"I don't want a ton! I want to be first, you dumbass!"
A few desks over, Ochako had her stack open and was staring at it with a panicked face.
"There are too many," she murmured. "How am I supposed to pick? They all sound super important..."
"Don't worry, I've already gotten a head start on the research," Momo said with a small smile, sliding her tablet closer. "I classified the agencies by different criteria: rescue experience, professional reputation, learning opportunities, and location. If you tell me what you value most, we can filter the options right away."
"After all, choosing an internship is an important decision. It would be a shame to waste a good opportunity."
"The thing is..." Ochako scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed. "I used to think rescue was my whole thing, but I'm not so sure anymore. After fighting Inko-san, I realized I want to get stronger at combat too."
She looked down for a moment before continuing.
"If I can defend myself better, I can save more people when things get rough. And, well... it'd open up more opportunities for me as a heroine too. I don't want to always depend on someone else having my back."
Then she lifted her head and smiled with determination.
"I wanna be a heroine who can do both. Rescue people... and fight when I need to."
Ren, listening as he leaned against the back of his chair, reached out and pinched Ochako's cheek.
"Look at little Ochako wanting to become a war machine," he said, amused. "Not long ago you'd turn green just imagining a fight, and now you're asking for lessons on how to throw punches. I'm proud of you, little one."
"Lemmego!" Ochako protested with her cheek stretched, swatting at his hand. "And quit saying it like that! It's not like I suddenly turned into some brute or something!"
She puffed out her cheeks.
"Besides, learning to fight is normal for a heroine! It's not that weird!"
Momo slid her finger across the screen until she stopped on an agency and turned it so Ochako could see.
"I found something perfect for you," she announced. "Ryukyu's agency. With your Quirk awakening, now that you can move objects at a distance, they'd teach you aerial combat and team attack tactics there."
Ren sat up suddenly, eyes shining.
"Wait, wait. You're telling me little Ochako's gonna learn to fight while floating in the sky?" A smile spread across his face. "An Ochako version of a fighter jet, dropping debris from the clouds onto the poor villains who won't even see her coming. I need to witness this. It's the most beautiful thing I've heard all day."
Ochako rolled her eyes.
"Why do you always end up imagining me as a weapon with legs? First war machine, now fighter jet. Someday you're gonna have to explain to me what exactly goes through that shiny head of yours."
"It's a heartfelt compliment, I promise," he said, not losing the smile.
While Momo kept filtering options for Ochako, Ren looked down at his own mountain of envelopes and started sorting them one by one, until he came across one in particular and a shiver ran down his entire back. The envelope from Mt. Lady's agency was still there, with the note written in cursive that was way too flirty.
That woman scares me more than any villain I'll face all year. And she's still demanding a takoyaki that wasn't even my fault... Okay, maybe it was. Ren shoved the envelope to the bottom of the pile very carefully, like it might explode.
---
I've got a pending appointment with the mentor All Might mentioned. Ren stared at some vague spot on the ceiling. A woman who understands Quirks like mine doesn't come along every day. As much as fame is screaming at me from six thousand different envelopes, I can't afford to turn down someone who can actually teach me how to grow. Fame comes and goes; learning to control this thing in my head is the only thing that'll keep me alive when things really get ugly.
"Hayashi-kun!"
Inko's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She had come over with a smile, both arms still wrapped in casts.
"You look way better than last time," she said. "You've got some color in your face now."
"Look who's talking, the girl walking around with mummy arms," Ren replied, pointing at her arms.
Inko let out a little giggle, covering her mouth with the back of her plastered hand.
"Hey," Ren tilted his head, "the whole 'Dawnbreaker' thing caught me completely off guard. I seriously wasn't expecting that from you. Sounds epic, sounds like a heroine off a magazine cover. Next to that, 'Caped Baldy' sounds like the name of a mascot at a theme park."
"I thought yours was sweet," Inko said between laughs. "It has your style. It's honest."
"'Honest' is the polite way of saying 'completely effortless,' but I'll take it."
"Hold on a second." Mina jumped in between them, narrowing her eyes like a detective from a cheap novel. "Since when are you two so chummy? Inko, you barely talk to anyone, and now you're suddenly laughing with the bald guy like it's nothing."
Toru appeared out of nowhere and threw her arms over Ren's shoulders from behind.
"I wanna know everything too," she said. "Don't leave out a single detail, spill, spill."
"It's really not that big a deal," Inko said, going a little red. "I ran into him at the supermarket the other day. I couldn't carry the bags properly with my arms like this, and he offered to help me with the groceries. That's all that happened."
Tsuyu came closer, a finger on her chin.
"A boy helps you with your groceries, walks with you through the whole supermarket, and carries your bags outside," she listed without changing her expression. "That sounds a lot like a date, Inko-chan."
"A DATE!" Mina shrieked, jumping so hard she nearly took Toru down with her. "I knew it! Hayashi's going around playing Casanova all over UA! Although you," she jabbed her finger into Ren's chest, "still owe me the cakes you promised, you cheap heartthrob."
"Your cakes?" Ren looked at her like she'd betrayed him. "Excuse me, but loser pays up, and the one who ended up sprawled on the stadium floor at the festival was you, not me. If anyone owes cakes around here, it's you, Ashido."
"That's cheating and you know it!" Mina shrilled, going red again for entirely different reasons.
"I-it wasn't a date," Inko insisted, hiding half her face behind a cast. "He was just being nice, I promise."
Toru leaned close to Ren's ear and dropped her voice just enough that only he could hear.
"Hey, seriously, are you going for every girl at UA or what?" she whispered, thoroughly amused. "Nejire, Momo, now Midoriya... when's it my turn on the list?"
Ren brought a hand to his chest with all the dignity he could muster and raised his voice so the whole group could hear.
"I am a gentleman of impeccable conduct, and my intentions are always as pure as spring water. The fact that the universe insists on surrounding me with such fine and lovely company is hardly my responsibility."
"That didn't answer anything," Tsuyu commented.
"Exactly, and that's how I plan to leave it," Ren said.
The group started to scatter amid laughter and half formed plans, Mina dragging Toru off to keep interrogating her, and Ochako going back to her tablet with Momo. Inko, however, lingered one step closer to Ren and dropped her voice into a murmur no one else could catch.
"Hayashi-kun... before you go," she said. "All Might-sensei asked me to let you know. He wants to talk to you."
**********
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