"Alright, next, let's have 'Midnight' comment on your hero names!"
Aizawa Shouta, with his usual deadpan face, wrapped himself in a sleeping bag and lay down on the floor. At this moment, the 18+ hero "Midnight," who served as the main referee for the first-year students at the U.A. Sports Festival, stood in front of Hero Course Class A, looking very enthusiastic.
"Hero names," the main purpose of this Hero Course Class A lesson, was for students to come up with their own hero names, which would be used during their upcoming hero internships.
However, Aizawa Shouta didn't have many good suggestions for hero names. Even his own hero name was the simple and unremarkable "Eraserhead."
So, Midnight was here to give aesthetic feedback on the students' hero names. After all, having a good hero name was important these days. A tongue-twisting and obscure hero name was hard for people to remember.
"So, who wants to go first?"
"Me! Me!!"
When Midnight asked the question, the pink-haired girl Ashido Mina excitedly raised her hand, eager to go first.
"Hero names, huh..."
Midoriya looked at the writing board in front of him, deep in thought. Midnight had asked the students to write their hero names on the board and bring them up for feedback, but Midoriya still didn't have a clear idea for his hero name.
By the way, as a prerequisite for hero internships, coming up with a hero name was essential. So, Midoriya Izuku was also in Class A with everyone else.
"Midoriya, have you thought of your hero name?"
Takeyama Urei, sitting next to him, tapped his desk and asked with concern. Midoriya came back to his senses and saw the girl's curious expression. He shook his head helplessly:
"Not yet. I'll think about it after the other students go first..."
Midoriya Izuku, who hadn't decided yet, was like many other students deep in thought. Meanwhile, Ashido Mina happily ran up to the podium and showed her writing board to everyone.
"Alien Hero 'Alien Queen'! How about it, cool, right?!"
"Rejected! That's already at the level of a horror movie. Are you planning to recreate 'Alien'?!"
Midnight fully rejected Ashido Mina's unreliable hero name. This was why Aizawa Shouta had her host the naming event. Most of Class A's students were quite unreliable...
After Ashido, the second person to go up was Bakugo Katsuki, who always looked like someone owed him millions. He showed his writing board to the classmates with a fierce look in his eyes.
"King Explosion Murder!"
"...You should change that name..."
Midnight-sensei looked speechless. Does Hero Course Class A have so many troublemakers? Why do their hero names sound like villain names?
"Rainy Season Hero [Froppy]"
"Very nice, it gives a friendly feeling!"
The third student to go on stage after Bakugo was Asui Tsuyu. Midnight-sensei finally felt relieved; at least there were some good students in Class A.
"My turn! Sturdy Hero [Red Riot]!!"
"[Crimson Riot]? I see, this is a tribute to the hero [Crimson Riot], right?!"
Kirishima Eijiro, holding a name board on the podium, had his hero name's meaning seen through by Midnight-sensei at a glance.
"Yes!" Kirishima, feeling a bit embarrassed that his idea was seen through, said, "Because my most admired hero is [Crimson Riot]. It may be a bit old-fashioned, but the hero image I aspire to is [Red]!"
"Well... Carrying the name of your idol comes with great pressure!" Midnight teased Kirishima with a hint of intimidation.
Kirishima clenched his fists and confirmed with determination, "I've been ready for a long time!!
"A name similar to your most admired hero..."
Midoriya Izuku looked at Kirishima with envy. He had also thought about taking a name similar to [All Might]... but in the end, he gave up...
"A hero name is more important to me than life itself. It represents everything about me..."
All Might's recent words echoed in Midoriya's ears. He fell into deep thought... For him... was there a name that could represent everything about him?
While Midoriya was thinking, the naming event continued. The students went on stage one by one to show their hero names to everyone and received comments from Midnight-sensei.
...
...
"Uravity!"
"Good! Very nice name!"
Uraraka Ochako, whose hero name received praise, noticed Midoriya Izuku deep in thought as she walked off the stage. It seemed he hadn't decided on his hero name yet.
"Giant Hero [Goliath]!"
"Very good, named after the famous giant in the [Bible], but be careful of King David!"
Takeyama Urei's hero name also received praise from Midnight-sensei, but she added a flag with a hint of malice.
The story of [Goliath]:
One of the famous giants in legend. According to the [Bible], Goliath was a Philistine general who led an attack on the Israeli army. He had immense strength, and everyone who saw him retreated, not daring to fight. In the end, the shepherd boy David hit Goliath's head with a slingshot and cut off his head.
"Shoto."
"Using your real name directly, are you kidding?"
"Yes!"
The very unique Todoroki Shoto made Midnight-sensei hold her head in frustration. Using one's real name as a hero name was almost extinct these days.
After that, almost everyone in Hero Course Class A went on stage to show their hero names. Midnight-sensei counted and found that only two people hadn't gone on stage yet: Iida Tenya and Midoriya Izuku.
Knowing he was the last one, Iida Tenya walked up to the podium with a conflicted expression and showed his hero name.
"Tenya..."
"You are using your real name too? Whatever... I don't want to say anything!" Midnight was speechless. The students in Class A were too quirky.
At this moment, Midoriya Izuku noticed the expression on Iida Tenya's face, a mix of worry and frustration... He was recalling the news he saw after the sports festival.
"Pro Hero 'Ingenium' was severely injured by the Hero Killer and is hospitalized—according to the hospital, 'Ingenium' may no longer be able to work as a hero."
"Is it because of his brother's accident..."
Midoriya Izuku felt very sorry for 'Ingenium' and was also very worried about Iida Tenya. This upright classmate's most admired person was his brother.
No matter what Midoriya was worried about, now the entire Class A was looking at him. Everyone else had already presented their hero names, and he was the last one.
Hurriedly writing his hero name on the board, Midoriya Izuku stood on the podium.
Midoriya Izuku had thought a lot about his hero name. He had rejected all the names he had previously come up with in All Might's style; they didn't fit...
"A hero name is more important to me than life itself. It represents everything about me..."
All Might's words were deeply remembered by Midoriya Izuku. What name could represent him?
That was the name he told his most admired person, All Might, when they first met, the name he used to disguise his identity at that moment.
"Akaya Kaiun!"
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