Chapter 14
Rest for the Weary
Before heading home, Class 1-A was brought to their homeroom, where Aizawa was waiting. Despite not doing anything but make the occasional comment, the man looked as exhausted as his students felt.
"Don't worry, I won't hold you up for long," he sighed. "I just wanted to let you know that you have the next two days off. You'll come back on Friday, but it'll be a light day; mostly, you'll just spend some time looking over your options for Hero internships."
There was a collective sigh of relief. Even if they had to come back for a day in the middle of the break, they were all happy to get some time off to recover. Midoriya and his friends were slower to leave the classroom, out of consideration for Yaoyorozu and Sero's injuries. Bakugo was the last to leave before them; to Midoriya's shock, Bakugo looked him straight in the eye and nodded almost imperceptibly, and then left.
"Man, Tenya is gonna be sad that he missed all that," Ashido said, and then covered up a yawn. "I'm so tired. Ochako, can you make me weightless and carry me home?" When there was no response, Ashido turned. "Ochako?"
The girl in question was giving Asui a hard look, as if she was trying to figure something out. "Tsu, are you okay?"
Asui glanced around to make sure that only her closest friends would hear her. "About Tenya, ribbit… I need to tell you what happened."
…
Tenya smiled as his parents slept in their chairs, and his brother slept on the hospital bed. After everything he had been through that day, he was ready for some rest of his own, but even with the police outside, he just couldn't cease his vigil.
He was almost glad when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at it and realized that it was his messenger app.
Ah. Tsu must have told them. The Sports Festival must be over. I suppose I should face the music, as it were.
All Might: Tenya! Is your brother okay!?
Tenya raised an eyebrow. It's only Izuku?
Glasses: My brother is going to recover. His injuries were severe, but not life-threatening. He will be discharged in about a week, and he will have to take a break from work for several more weeks. Thank you for asking.
Glasses: I mean no offense, but I assumed that Tsu told everyone, so I expected everyone to be messaging me.
All Might: We're all right here, so I'm speaking for all of us. Ochako and Momo are worried sick, Hanta is freaking out because it was the Hero Killer, Tsu feels guilty, and Mina wants to hit you for not telling us right away. She's also crying.
All Might: She just hit me for that.
Tenya smiled, touched by his friends' concern.
Glasses: I deeply apologize for not saying anything, but I had little information to go on at the time, and I did not wish to distract any of you from the Sports Festival. How did that go?
The pause that followed lasted several minutes, to the point that Tenya wondered if he had said something to offend them. He was honest enough to admit that he wasn't the most socially adept person in the world, so he might have said something wrong without realizing.
Finally, the messenger app began to ding again.
All Might: Sorry, Aizawa-sensei got mad at us and kicked us out of the classroom. Everyone is upset because the Sports Festival isn't important, your brother is.
All Might: Mina hit me again, and I don't know why.
Tenya made a note to bow to all of his friends for causing them such distress.
All Might: Momo is trying to defend you because you didn't know the details. I think she's right.
All Might: Mina tried to hit me again, but Ochako blocked her. Mina is now floating.
Tenya fought hard not to laugh.
Glasses: Once again, I apologize. I promise that I will not keep you out of the loop again. Obviously, I hope that something like this does not come up that requires such a predicament, but I make that promise all the same.
All Might: Hanta just said that he can imagine you bowing as you say that. So can I. Mina is laughing, but I'm pretty sure she's going to hit you when she sees you. Speaking of which, Momo invited us all to her house on Sunday. Can you come?
Glasses: I believe so. I will check with my family before then.
Glasses: Thank you for everything. I appreciate your kindness.
Glasses: Now, will someone please tell me what happened during the Sports Festival?
…
After everything that had happened that day, Shoto felt both strengthened and completely drained. Finally using his fire had felt like gaining something he had long missed, but there was still one more thing he had to do, before his newfound resolve possibly cracked.
His sister, Fuyumi, had been astonished when he asked where his mother was hospitalized. After all these years, he was finally going to see her. Fuyumi had asked if Endeavor knew what the youngest Todoroki was planning.
Shoto honestly didn't care.
And so, despite how exhausted he was, he found himself outside a hospital room. He opened the door, and saw a woman with snow-white hair staring out the window. She turned to him with shock in her eyes.
"Shoto?"
"Hi, Mom."
…
Izuku yawned as he walked up to the door. After everything he'd been through, both physically and emotionally, he was ready to do absolutely nothing for as long as possible. He opened the door—
"IZUKU!"
—and was immediately engulfed in a hug from his mother, followed by streams of tears that soaked his shirt.
"Oh, Izuku!" Inko sobbed as she half-dragged her son inside. "I'm so proud of you! You were absolutely amazing…"
Inko went on and on about everything she felt while watching the Sports Festival. Izuku tried to listen, but after a while, his mind began to wander.
I should really watch the rest of the Sports Festival before I go to sleep. I know I missed part of the second-year event, but I can probably catch the rest, and I really want to see how Mirio, Hado and Amajiki do in the third-year events.
"Izuku?" Inko gently poked her son to get his attention. "Are you okay?"
Izuku nodded tiredly. "Yeah, Mom, I'm just really tired."
"Do you want to go to sleep? I know you probably want to watch the rest of the Sports Festival, but—"
Izuku rapidly shook his head to wake himself up. "No, I'm fine! I have a few friends in the third-year event, and I want to see how they do!"
"Okay, we'll compromise," Inko said with an understanding smile. "You take a nap, and I'll wake you up when the third-year event starts. And I've been recording the whole thing anyway."
"Thanks, Mom." Izuku looked down at the Ultimatrix. "You too, Ben."
Ben materialized and raised an eyebrow. "What did I do?"
"For…" Izuku pointed to the Ultimatrix, and then to the medal around his neck. "For everything."
Ben smiled at him. "All I did was get you started. Everything else was all you, buddy."
Izuku blamed the tears that followed on his exhaustion.
…
The next day, Midoriya did almost nothing. He had recovered physically, but he was still emotionally drained. The only thing he did, which he made sure to do only after his mother left for work, was research.
That wasn't unusual for him; he was always on the lookout for Hero-related events on the news, or delving into obscure information about Heroes that had retired or died long ago. Sometimes, however, he researched Villains. They rarely received as much attention, since only the most dangerous remained at large for more than a few days. Today, Midoriya was researching one Villain in particular.
The Hero Killer: Stain.
He had been active for a few months now, and had killed or severely injured nearly four dozen Heroes and Sidekicks. Honestly, Midoriya was amazed that someone so high-profile had not been the target of a massive Hero-led manhunt much earlier.
The problem, he quickly realized, was that Stain rarely stayed in one location for long. He would attack three or four Heroes, and then vanish. It didn't take Midoriya long to map out Stain's attacks; the only commonalities between each location were that they had a high concentration of Heroes, which made sense. Rural areas had never been hit.
Midoriya also took notes on how the Hero Killer struck—always in areas that favored close-quarters combat, and always with a high-speed ambush. His attacks were always with blades, ranging from small knives to a jagged sword.
Nothing he had found was new; if anything, he was just compiling notes from the many news reports he read. What had people stumped was Stain's Quirk; it had something to do with paralysis, but nobody was sure how it worked.
Thankfully, Iida had given him a clue. His brother had told him that Stain had ingested some of his blood, and that of his Sidekicks; after that, none of them had been unable to move for several minutes. What interested Midoriya was that each victim had recovered at different times. He had asked Iida to tell him the exact order of who had been attacked, and who had recovered first. While he waited, he began to pace his room.
"There are a number of factors that could be at play," he muttered. "It could be the amount of blood consumed, the number of successive uses of his Quirk, or maybe blood type…"
"Can I just say that any Quirk that involves drinking someone's blood is creepy?" Ben cut in from the Ultimatrix. "Also, isn't there a Quirk registry that would trigger some red flags, especially once Ingenium told the cops about this?"
Midoriya shrugged. "Some Quirks might have hidden effects some people don't know about, others evolve over time… and some people lie about their Quirks, like I did."
"Point taken. Speaking of 'evolving' Quirks, I have something for you; consider it a prize for doing so well in the Sports Festival." The Ultimatrix beeped, and the dial spun on its own. "Check it out, a new alien!"
Midoriya looked at the hologram of the alien in question. It looked like a battery with tiny arms and legs, big eyes, and a smile full of crooked teeth.
"What's this one?"
"He's called Buzzshock, and he's got all kinds of fun powers." Ben paused when Midoriya's phone buzzed. "I'll give you the rundown later; looks like Iida got back to you."
Midoriya went over what Iida sent him about Ingenium's team. He compared the notes of who got attacked first versus who recovered first. Iida had also gone above and beyond by giving an estimate of how much blood each victim had lost. With that information, Midoriya was able to come to his best conclusion.
"Going by this, I'm almost positive that the effectiveness of Stain's Quirk relies on blood type. I doubt Tenya could get me that kind of personal information, but I'll give him what I have."
"Hey, if it helps, it helps." Ben paused again, but Midoriya had a feeling he was shrugging. "What about that Vigilante who helped his brother? Any thoughts on him?"
Midoriya brought out a second notebook for just that purpose, but there was little written down. "Nothing new there. Healing Quirks generally work in one of two ways—either they're like Recovery Girl's Quirk and rely on the injured person's own stamina to recover, or the user's stamina is required, like a healing version of Hado's Quirk. Aside from that, I don't have anything to go on."
"Well, it's something," Ben said. "Better to have it and not need it, right?"
"Right." Midoriya smiled as he held up the Ultimatrix. "Now, about this 'Buzzshock'?"
…
All Might: Hey, guys, how is everyone?
Comet: I'm good, Deku-kun! I had a really cool surprise when I came home, my parents visited me!
All Might: Wait, why did they visit? Don't you live with them?
Comet: Oh! I forgot to tell you guys! I live in an apartment while I'm at UA. It's easier than traveling all the way from home to school.
Crayon: wow, so grownup! Ooh, maybe Tsu, Yaomomo and i can visit for a girls nite
Tape: My fellow guys, I think we were just kicked out. Wanna see a movie or something?
All Might: There's a theater that plays old pre-Quirk superhero movies that I sometimes go to. It's cool to see how many abilities people could come up with before we actually had powers.
Glasses: My brother is a fan of someone called Quicksilver. Do you know him, Izuku? Oh, and he is doing better, and sends his regards to all of you.
All Might: I know who he's talking about. Both versions are good.
Frog: Girls, we should start a separate chat for a ladies night, ribbit. We've lost the boys.
Book: I'm conflicted. I want to have a girls night out, but I am also a fan of Scarlet Witch.
Comet: I have no idea who any of you are talking about.
Crayon: ^
All Might: First, to those of you who have never seen a Marvel movie, shame on you, and I will make you watch the entire franchise with me. Second, before Tsu creates a new chat, can I bring someone into our group?
Comet: I get worried when Deku-kun gets assertive.
Comet: Also, yes!
Snowflake: Hello.
Book: Todoroki-san?
Crayon: hey! Yaomomo, u no the rules, first names only!
Book: May we call you by your first name, Todoroki?
Snowflake: That's fine. Wait, Izuku, you watch those old movies?
All Might: Do you?
Snowflake: Yes. My favorites are the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Tape: Didn't figure you for a comedy guy, Shoto.
Snowflake: Drax is very relatable.
Frog: Okay, now we've lost the boys, ribbit.
…
When Friday rolled around, Midoriya was nervous; the schoolwork itself wasn't hard, but it was all a prelude to Heroics. That was when the students would find out how many internship offers they got; after that, they would have the weekend to choose who to sign up with for a whole week.
"Everyone sit down," a bandage-free Aizawa said. "This is important. Now, most years, we have a more even spread of internship offers, but a few of you made quite the impression. In addition, many of you likely received offers from the same agencies, so it's not as huge as you might think."
Aizawa pressed a button, and a screen slid down from the ceiling. On that screen was a list of 1-A students, with a number of offers attached.
Midoriya Izuku: 3,101
Todoroki Shoto: 2,582
Bakugo Katsuki: 1,033
Yaoyorozu Momo: 652
Iida Tenya: 437
Tokoyami Fumikage: 202
Kirishima Eijiro: 106
Ashido Mina: 92
Uraraka Ochako: 58
Sero Hanta: 50
Asui Tsuyu: 45
"Those of you who aren't on the board, don't worry. You'll still have internships; there are a few dozen agencies that always take a student or two. All of you have access to those agencies if you want, but those of you on the board were specifically selected. Choose carefully."
Midoriya barely heard him; he was too focused on his name at the top of the list. Over three thousand agencies had offered him an internship! How was he supposed to choose just one?
"Guys, look at that!" Uraraka was bouncing in her seat. "We all got offers! People want us!"
Iida nodded. "It is an honor to receive so many offers, despite only reaching the second round."
Yaoyorozu had one hand over her mouth, and looked to be on the verge of tears. "Over six hundred offers… I can't believe it!"
"Ribbit, I'm just glad I got any," Asui said. "I lost so easily, so I was kind of worried."
"Same here." Sero grinned at her. "Still, we all got something, and in our first year, too!"
"Just a few more and I would have broken a hundred." Ashido's smile was wide, but she still managed to sound disappointed.
Mineta, who had initially been peeved that he hadn't received any offers of his own, noticed something odd. "Hey, how come Bakugo didn't get more offers? He came in second place!"
Kaminari, who sat next to him, smirked. "We all saw how brutal he was during the whole Sports Festival. I guess a lot of agencies didn't want someone like that."
Bakugo sneered. "If they're scared of me, then they ain't worth my time."
"Before I hand out your offers, there's something else you need to do." Aizawa sighed. "You'll be going out into the field, which means that you'll need Hero names." The class immediately cheered, only to go silent when Aizawa's eyes glowed and his hair rose. "However, be very careful about what you choose, because if it's something you end up hating—"
"You'll regret it!" The door slammed open and Midnight walked in with a wicked smirk. "Plenty of Heroes choose names that they think are good, only to realize later that they're awful and try to change them, but everyone already know them by the name that they hate."
Aizawa nodded, and then handed out whiteboards and markers. "I'm not really that good with this sort of thing, so Midnight will be evaluating your choices. You don't have to listen to her advice, unless your choice is offensive, but I suggest you take what she says to heart."
Most of the students whispered to each other, sharing their ideas and offering suggestions for changes. For his part, Midoriya stared blankly at his whiteboard; for years, he'd fantasized about being a Hero, and what his name would be. Most of his ideas had started out as homages to All Might; recently, he'd thought of a few names that were based around the Ultimatrix. However, none of them really felt right.
What's a good Hero name? I've only ever been called by my real name, or…
A name came to mind. At first, it had been a source of pain and ridicule, but then, someone wonderful had given it new meaning. When he thought about it in its new context, it felt… good. It felt like a name he could be proud to have.
With that in mind, he put his marker against his board, but at the last second, he added in one more thing. He had the name of who he was, but he also added what he wanted to become. It didn't hurt that Ben appeared, looked at what he had written, and grinned.
Even with the time it took to get feedback from friends, it didn't take long for the rest of the class to come up with their own names. Most of them had likely had names in mind for years, so it wasn't very surprising.
The names themselves were a mixed bag at first. Some, like Ojiro's 'Tailman' made sense, but others, like Aoyama's 'I Just Can't Stop Twinkling', were politely but firmly asked to be reworked. In the latter's case, he came up with 'Twinkling Knight', which was acceptable.
Kirishima caught Midoriya's attention with his chosen name. He knew about Crimson Riot, and he was excited to discuss with the newly-dubbed Red Riot the Hero who inspired him.
Another that was rejected was Bakugo's choice; he held up his board and proudly called out his name. "Lord Explosion Murder!"
There was silence, and then Midnight shook her head. "No."
"What? Why not? It's awesome!"
"It has 'murder' in it. Either take that out, or come up with something completely different."
Bakugo mulled it over for a second, then crossed out his first choice and wrote down 'Ground Zero'.
"Better," Midnight said. "Still aggressive, but it doesn't feel like a death threat."
Bakugo scowled and went back to his seat. Todoroki was next, and his choice was a bit confusing.
"Okay, why 'Triumph'?" Midnight asked.
Todoroki shrugged. "My father is Endeavor; his name literally means 'trying,' or 'effort'. I want to be a better Hero than him, so I chose a name that meant success.
"Just do your best to live up to your name," Midnight advised.
Midoriya wondered about Todoroki's Hero name. He knew his new friend wanted to lead a life without Endeavor hanging over his head, so he'd thought Todoroki would pick something completely unrelated to his father. Maybe he was trying to show that he could take everything he had suffered and make something positive out of it.
Now, the rest of UA's Rising Stars began coming to the front of the room. Asui was first, and she looked confident.
"I've had this name in mind since middle school," she said, and held up her sign. "The Rainy Season Heroine: Froppy!"
Midnight clapped her hands together. "Oh, that's adorable!"
Sero's 'Tape Hero: Cellophane' was also approved, as was Uraraka's 'Uravity'—it might have just been a combination of her name and gravity, but Midoriya liked it.
Iida held up his sign with pride. "The Boost Hero: Virtus!"
Midnight cocked her head. "My Latin is a bit rusty. Care to explain?"
"Ah, my apologies." Iida adjusted his glasses. "Ingenium, my brother's Hero name, translates to 'ingenious'. It is a name that has been used in one way or another for several generations in my family. However, since both my brother and I will be active Heroes at the same time, I have chosen a name that can mean courage and reliability, traits I see as the most important in a Hero. Perhaps, when my brother retires, I may take the name Ingenium for my own, but until then, Virtus will be the name of a Hero my family can be proud of!"
"Very nice," Midnight complimented. "And thank you for the explanation."
Ashido jumped out of her seat next, though she patted Iida on the shoulder as she ran up to the front and showed off her name. "The Pink Heroine: Alien Queen!"
Midnight frowned. "I'm not sure if 'Alien Queen' will send the right message. Some people might think of a certain movie franchise instead of a Heroine."
Ashido grinned at her. "First, I love those movies! Second, that's why I put in the title; people are more comfortable if they're told that someone is pink, it makes them feel safe."
"Okay, that shows some depth that I hadn't thought of," Midnight admitted.
"Yaomomo helped me." Ashido waved to the Class President, who smiled and waved back. "So, can I keep the name?"
"Fine, go ahead." Midnight pointed at Yaoyorozu. "Since you got called out, do you mind coming up next?"
"Of course, Midnight-sensei!" Yaoyorozu brought up her board, which she'd written on with perfect kanji. "The Creation Heroine: Genesis!"
"Ooh, so elegant!"
Yaoyorozu blushed at the compliment, and then went back to her seat. Midoriya leaned over to whisper to his friends.
"Those are all great names!"
Uraraka beamed. "Thanks, Deku-kun. You're up next, right?"
"Yeah, I'm the last." Midoriya took a deep breath, and then got up. He walked to the front of the class and held up his sign. There were murmurs of confusion, even from some of his friends.
"Are you sure about that, Midoriya?" Midnight looked concerned. "The first part is bold, and I like that, but the actual name…"
"I know," Midoriya said. "When I was young, this name was the worst insult to me. It… it really hurt to hear anyone say it. But then someone came up with a different way to look at it—now, whenever someone sees it, I want them to think of a Hero who can do anything!"
Uraraka stared at Midoriya's sign with glistening eyes. She'd had no idea that something she'd said to justify a cute nickname had impacted him so deeply. Now, it would be more than a nickname; it would be the name of a Hero.
The Ultimate Hero: Deku
…
The students were allowed a few minutes to talk amongst themselves. Midoriya tried not to blush when Uraraka gave him a quick hug, and failed miserably. Still, no one teased him, and even let him change the subject to the others' Hero names.
"Your name was awesome, Todoroki," he said to the boy in question. "But, um, no offense, I thought you wanted to be different from Endeavor?"
Todoroki shrugged. "It's like you said, back in the Sports Festival—it's my Quirk, my life, and I get to decide what to do with it. I decided that I want to be better than Endeavor; I want to be a great Hero not because he wants me to be, but because I want to be." His smile was tiny, but it was there. "Also, thanks for including me, before. I'm not used to having… friends."
Midoriya's smile was bright. "Trust me, you'll love it."
"Just don't give me a nickname."
"No promises if I come up with something cute," Ashido said. "Uraraka calls Midori 'Deku-kun', and it's adorable."
"I was wondering about that," Todoroki said. "I like the name, Midoriya."
"Thanks." Midoriya spotted their homeroom teacher climbing out of his sleeping bag. "I guess it's time to see who gave us those offers."
Aizawa started handing out sheets of paper to each student. Some received large stacks; Midoriya could barely see over his.
"You've got the rest of class and the weekend to look over your offers and select one," Aizawa said. "It would be a good idea to mark a few, in order of what you want; occasionally, agencies withdraw their offers at the last second, in case something comes up. Since that's a possibility, better to send in your choices sooner than later."
The offers were organized by their national rankings, from highest to lowest. The students with more than one page generally focused on the top pages, and excited exclamations began to echo through the room.
"Oh, cool!" Ashido held up her paper and waved it in Uraraka's face. The highest-ranking offer was already circled. "Look, I got an offer from Sky Dancer! She's in the top thirty!"
"Wow!" Uraraka shared a fist-bump with the other girl. "Hey, Deku-kun, what kind of offers did you get?" There was no answer. "Deku-kun?"
"HA!" Bakugo made the whole class jump as he leapt to his feet. "I got an offer from Best Jeanist! How do you like that, Deku? The Number Four Hero chose me! Deku? Hey!"
More and more people started to turn in Midoriya's direction. The boy was trembling in his seat as he stared at his top offer.
"Muh," he managed. "Uh."
Finally, he held out his paper, though not to anyone in particular. Todoroki was the one who took it, and when he read the top name, his eyes widened.
"Wow. Impressive."
Ashido gave him a look. "You don't shut down like that for an 'impressive'. Gimme that!" She snatched the paper from him; as soon as she read the name, she almost dropped it. "Holy crap! Midori, you got an offer from Hawks!"
The class went silent. Hawks. The Number Three Hero. His rise through the ranks had been nothing short of meteoric, and at only twenty-two years old, he was one of the youngest Heroes to make it into the top ten, and the youngest to make it into the top three.
Yaoyorozu briefly put her arm around Midoriya's shoulder in a sort of half-hug. "That's an incredible honor."
Midoriya nodded slowly. "Y-yeah… hey, did you get any interesting offers?"
"Yes, I was surprised by mine." Yaoyorozu held up her top page. "I received an offer from Ryukyu."
"Whoa, the number-nine Hero!? That's awesome!"
Uraraka was very careful not to let her smile fade. She was genuinely happy for all of her friends, but sometimes, seeing Yaoyorozu getting so close to Midoriya made her stomach twist into knots. She tried not to dwell on it; after all, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were good friends, and she was good friends with both of them; she wasn't jealous or worrying that they might fall in love and forget all about her—
She was jolted out of her spiraling thoughts when Asui tapped her arm.
"So, Ochako, do any of your offers look good, ribbit?" Uraraka couldn't be sure, but she thought there was a knowing gleam in Asui's eyes.
"Uh, a few," she said. "I'll have to look up some of them, though."
Asui nodded. "Hey, Midoriya, can you help with that, ribbit? You probably know every name on her list."
Finally, Midoriya snapped out of the last of his stupor; if anything, he looked relieved. "Sure! I could probably help compare each agency's popularity with their notable achievements, so you can find the best balance of attention and work done."
Sero chuckled. "Because of course he would know that off the top of his head."
Yaoyorozu sat next to Todoroki. "Were there any offers that caught your eye?"
"A few," Todoroki admitted, "but most of these are probably because my father is Endeavor. Too bad for them, I'm taking an internship with him."
Midoriya's head snapped around so quickly he almost got whiplash. "What? Why?"
"Simple." Todoroki held up his left hand. "I've been neglecting how to use my flames. If I want to be a Hero, I need to be able to use both parts of my Quirk as well as possible, and Endeavor is the best fire-Quirk Hero out there."
Midoriya couldn't argue with that logic, and Todoroki did seem at ease with his decision, so he didn't try to fight it.
"I wonder who I should pick," he muttered.
Sero gave him the most incredulous face he'd ever seen. "Dude, why are you even asking? Hawks offered an internship! You take that and don't look back!"
"W-well, I still want to go through all the other offers!"
Ashido rolled her eyes. "You can look, but if you even think about accepting anyone else, I will… uh… darn it, I can't threaten someone so adorable! Ochako, pout at him or something."
Uraraka blushed, but then surprised everyone by tilting her head up at him, sticking out her lower lip, and giving the most pitiful expression any of them had ever seen.
"Come on, Deku-kun," she said. "Please?"
Midoriya, red-faced and sputtering, just circled Hawks' offer. "O-okay."
Ashido leaned over to Asui. "So, that was the cutest thing in the world, right?"
"Yep, ribbit."
"Okay, enough of that, you need to pick an internship, Froppy!"
"Well, since you already picked one, Alien Queen, maybe you can help me, ribbit."
"Sure thing." Ashido turned back to the resident Hero-expert. "Hey, Midori! After you help Ochako, help me help Tsu, okay?"
Midoriya had already pulled out a fresh notebook. "No problem!"
…
Unlike most students, Midoriya didn't get the entire weekend off. He came back on Saturday for his weekly training session with the Big Three, though before they started, there was a round of congratulations.
"That's so awesome, Izu-kun!" Hado held up her own bronze medal and grinned. "I'm just glad that I finally made it to the final round of a Sports Festival, but you won on your very first try!" She pouted in Amajiki's direction. "Maybe I could have made it to the finals if someone hadn't fought so hard in the semifinals against me."
Amajiki suddenly found the floor very interesting; unfortunately, he still got an eyeful of his silver medal. "I just wanted to prove that I could do well. I still lost to Mirio."
Now Hado pouted at the last member of the Big Three. "Yeah. Did you see him, Izu-kun? He practically walked through almost every part of the Sports Festival!"
Midoriya thought back to one fight, where Togata had phased through every defense his opponent had come up with. Togata had ended up naked, but he still won. "Literally, I think."
He still couldn't stop blushing every time Hado called him by her new nickname for him. He suspected that was why she used it in the first place.
Togata laughed. "Yeah, that new strength and speed made it a little unfair, huh?" He threw an arm around Amajiki's shoulders. "Sorry about that last punch, man, but you just kept getting back up! And that porcupine-crab combo almost had me at the end."
Amajiki failed to hide the embarrassed smile on his face. "Thanks. Anyway, Midoriya, you got your internship offers, right? Did you get any interesting ones?"
"Y-yeah!" Midoriya grinned. "From Hawks!"
The Big Three froze and stared at him.
…
Up in the observation room, Gran Torino made a noise that sounded like a surprised grunt. "Damn, that's impressive; most first-years don't get picked by Heroes in the top ten, unless I've missed something lately."
Nezu laughed. "Actually, Midoriya-san's class had plenty of offers from the best. Todoroki-san is interning with Endeavor, Bakugo-san was selected by Best Jeanist, Tokoyami-san was given an offer by Edgeshot, and Yaoyorozu-san…"
Nighteye raised an eyebrow when Nezu trailed off. "The girl who can create objects? Her planning and skill were evident. Who did she accept an offer from?"
"Ryukyu." Nezu shrugged when the three men blinked. "It seems the Dragoon Hero is taking on more interns lately."
"All of the students who made it into the final event had interesting offers," All Might added, and then looked down at the students wistfully. "Right now, I only have one regret about becoming a teacher and passing down One For All—that I can't take those four on as interns myself, or eventually bring them in as official Sidekicks. Could you imagine what we could accomplish as a team?"
All Might's former teacher and student allowed themselves to be lost in possibilities for a moment, until Nighteye shook his head.
"As idyllic as that sounds, that opportunity has passed. Now, it is Mirio's turn to shoulder the responsibility as the future Symbol of Peace. And all the others in his generation will be inspired to shine as brightly."
Nezu kept his thoughts on that matter to himself; while he appreciated All Might for all that he had done for society over the last three decades, there were some parts of the man's ideology that he disagreed with. In his opinion, the humans had become too dependent on All Might to save them; a single pillar could too easily fall if too much weight was placed on top of it. It was far safer to balance a load on multiple pillars. That was why he placed so much emphasis on his teachers to not let some students fall to the wayside in favor of those with powerful Quirks.
That was another reason why he had the Big Three training together as often as possible, and why he had included Midoriya. The Hero industry encouraged competition to improve individual growth, but there were times—suppressed by the government, but Nezu knew it happened—when Heroes placed their own success so far ahead of everything else that they sometimes sabotaged each other. In those times, criminals could escape, and innocent people would suffer. Nezu had seen those cracks start to widen in recent years, and hoped to create a better example with this generation.
He allowed himself to feel a tiny bit guilty for manipulating the students like that, but if it created strong bonds and promoted cooperation, he would bear it happily.
…
When Sunday came around, the Rising Stars—including their newest member—gathered at the Yaoyorozu home. Uraraka, Sero and Iida were the only ones who hadn't submitted their choice of internships, and everyone else wanted to make sure they were ready.
Midoriya had also asked Yaoyorozu for a favor, and she had gladly granted it.
"Okay, Deku-kun, I think I've made my choice." Uraraka held out one of her papers. "The Battle Hero: Gunhead!"
Midoriya's eyes sparkled, and he pulled out a notebook, one of twenty he'd brought with him in his backpack. "That's a great choice! He might only be in the top forty, but he has a flawless record when it comes to combat-related missions. He's also one of the best freeform martial artists in Japan, and has commendations from a dozen police precincts!"
Uraraka blinked and leaned against him to get a better look at his notebook. "Wait, really? I looked him up and I know he's good, but wow!"
"Yeah, the only reason he isn't higher on the rankings is because he's more about working with the police than doing much advertising." Midoriya flipped a page. "Oh, and his Quirk is called Gatling; he has gun-like organs on his arms that can fire keratin bullets, but they're more effective at closer range. Since you both have Quirks that require you to get closer, he'll be a great teacher."
"Wait, I thought you wanted to be a Rescue Hero, like Thirteen?" Sero idly scratched at his scar. "Why would you want to sign on with a Battle Hero?"
Uraraka shrugged. "Between the USJ and the Sports Festival, I know that I'm just not that good at fighting right now. Even if I want to focus on rescuing people, I'll probably have to fight someone at some point. I'd rather I actually win when that happens."
"An excellent idea, Ochako!" Iida started chopping at the air excitedly. "It is always wise to improve on your weaknesses."
"I don't suppose you have a notebook on Ryukyu?" Yaoyorozu asked. "There is plenty of information on her that is publically available, but you might know something that most don't."
"Sure thing." Uraraka had grabbed the arm holding the notebook with Gunhead's information to hold it steady, so Midoriya used his other hand to rifle through his backpack and found the right notebook. "Here you go."
Everyone briefly shared knowing smiles; Midoriya was a bit red-faced, but he hadn't tried to free his arm. Uraraka, on the other hand, didn't seem to realize what she was doing at all.
"What about you, Hanta?" Asui grabbed Sero's papers, and then fended off his hands with her tongue when he tried to take them back. "Did you decide on anyone yet, ribbit?"
"Well, I want to focus on Heroes that specialize in mobility," he said, even as he tried to get around Asui's tongue. "Air Jet is on that list."
"Wait, what!?" Midoriya's head snapped around to look at him. "I'm a huge fan of Air Jet! His Agency used to be in my neighborhood, before he moved! I wish you'd told me about this earlier, I have an entire notebook on him."
Sero grinned. "Sorry, dude; I didn't even consider him at all until last night. Do you think you could email me those notes?"
"It'll have to be kind of late, but I can do it."
"Huh." Todoroki tapped his chin. "I think Endeavor worked with Air Jet a few days ago. Something about a drug bust. If it helps, I could probably get any recent news about him."
Sero held out one hand for a high-five, which was tentatively returned. "That is so cool! Okay, I'm definitely signing on with him."
"All of your choices are pretty inland, ribbit." Asui was as close to pouting as anyone had ever seen. "I chose Selkie for my internship, and he works off the coast. I mean, I figured we wouldn't see each other during the internships, but I guess I'm so used to spending time with you all, ribbit."
"Don't worry," Ashido said, and hugged Asui. "See, they have these awesome inventions called 'cell phones'. We can even video-call!"
Asui ducked her head. "Right. Sorry." She noticed that Sero was staring at her, and she smirked. "Ribbit."
Sero, slowly and deliberately, put his head in his hands.
Todoroki shifted closer to Yaoyorozu. "Is this sort of thing… normal? I don't want to assume."
Yaoyorozu smiled, but didn't look up from her reading. "Mina isn't teasing anyone about potential romance, so this is actually quite mild."
Todoroki glanced at Midoriya and Uraraka, who were back to reading the notes on Gunhead and talking quietly. "What about—"
"I'm fairly certain that they either haven't recognized their feelings, or are too afraid to say anything yet." Her smile turned a tiny bit mischievous. "Besides, if something does happen between them, it will absolutely adorable."
I'm starting to wonder if everyone here is a little bit crazy, Todoroki thought. Still, everyone is being so open. It's… nice.
"What about you, Tenya?" Yaoyorozu asked. "Have you chosen an agency?"
Iida nodded. "I was originally going to choose my brother's agency, but that will not happen now, for obvious reasons. Instead, I believe that I will accept the invitation from Manual."
Midoriya perked up. "The Normal Hero? He's a great choice. Lots of people like him because he's so approachable. His agency is in… wait… his agency is in Hosu."
Everyone paused and turned towards Iida. Even Todoroki, who had only found out about the attack on Ingenium through the news, looked concerned.
"Tenya, dude." Sero grabbed the other boy by the shoulder. "Please tell me you aren't going to do something stupid."
Ashido bit her lip. "Yeah, I know that your brother was hurt, but you aren't planning on picking a fight with the Hero Killer, are you?"
Iida was quiet for a worryingly long time before answering. "I… do not know. My brother would not approve, nor would my parents—"
"And we certainly do not!" Yaoyorozu cut in; for the first time, she looked genuinely angry, and looked ready to throttle Iida. "Tenya, you are one of the most responsible people I know; chasing after someone who has maimed and killed dozens of Heroes is a horrible idea!"
Iida leaned back in his chair. "I know, but…" he looked down at his hands, and then back up at them with anguish in his eyes. "I'm just so angry! Stain hurt my brother, the person I respect more than anyone else, a Hero who has done nothing but help others! And it was only luck that kept him from being permanently crippled! How should I act?"
To everyone's surprise, it was Todoroki who responded first. "I know how you shouldn't—you shouldn't bottle up all that anger. Believe me, I've spent years doing that, and it didn't go well. Try to find some way to release that anger that isn't going to send you into a death match with a serial killer."
"That… is sound advice," Iida admitted. "But I fear that I will not have any sort of closure until the Hero Killer is behind bars."
"And you want to be the one who puts him there," Todoroki guessed. When Iida nodded, he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If I tell you guys something, can you promise not to spread it around?" Everyone nodded, so he continued. "I spoke to my old man about my internship with him. Apparently, we're going to Hosu for that week; it looks like Endeavor wants to be involved with hunting down the Hero Killer. Endeavor may be a bastard, but he's good at his job; if he finds Stain, I'm sure he'll stop him."
"Hosu will be on high alert after Stain's attack on Ingenium," Midoriya added. "Heroes from all over will flood the streets to find him, and each attack has drawn a bigger manhunt. He will get caught, Tenya."
By now, confronted with one logical reasoning after another, Iida started to relax. "I still want to intern with Manual. At the very least, it is my duty to pick up where Ingenium left off and help keep Hosu safe."
"Just don't forget that you won't be alone out there," Yaoyorozu said kindly. "Heroes and the police will be doing everything they can to bring Stain to justice."
Finally, Iida smiled; there was pain and frustration there, but it was no longer overwhelming. "Thank you."
With that, the tension dropped, and Uraraka let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Please, Tenya, remember that we're here for you. If you need anything, we'll be there. Right, everyone?"
"Heck yeah!" Ashido jumped over to Iida and hugged him. "Us Rising Stars have to stick together!"
"We'd be a terrible constellation if we fell apart," Sero added, and got a high-five from Ashido for the joke.
Yaoyorozu smiled at everyone and clapped her hands together. "Say, why don't we take a break for now? Izuku and I have a surprise for you all."
Eager to leave the dreariness behind them, they followed Yaoyorozu to another part of the mansion—specifically, the in-home theater. It looked just like a regular movie theater, but instead of individual seats, there were several large couches.
"We don't have too much time before everyone needs to go home," Yaoyorozu continued, "but there's still enough time left to watch the first movie."
Uraraka looked at the tall girl, and then at Midoriya, who was smiling. "First movie of what?"
"The longest connecting cinematic universe ever!" Midoriya said, and then shared a fist-bump with Sero, who had figured out what was happening.
"I'll set up the movie, and have snacks brought in." Yaoyorozu headed over to a projector in the back. "I hope you enjoy Iron Man!"
By the time the movie was over, Uraraka was sure of two things. First, that Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were both secretly huge movie nerds.
Second, she needed to speak with the Support Department about adding thrusters to her costume.
…
In the shadows of Hosu City, a man crouched on a rooftop, looking down at the streets below. His black clothes were rugged and worn, while his white mask and red scarf were dirty and more than a little ragged. He had more than a dozen knives strapped to his body, and a jagged katana slung over his back.
To the casual observer, he looked like trouble; to anyone who knew who he was, they had a good reason to turn around and pretend they never saw him.
Stain brushed his unkempt hair out of his eyes, which focused on the tiny figures moving around on the streets. He knew his time in Hosu was limited; every time he made a move, more and more Heroes flocked to his latest hunting ground to find him.
He sneered; so far, none of the people he'd attacked deserved to call themselves heroes. Those who were misguided or unfit for the role, he left alive, but unable to tarnish society further. The ones who were little more than glory-hounds had a much more severe punishment in store.
Stain shifted his sword to a more comfortable position, and then leapt to another rooftop. The night was young, and there were so many opportunities in store.