"I will be the Energy Hero: Nova!"
I smiled proudly at my peers, scanning the silent crowd for any reactions. However, the only reaction I was looking for was sitting right at the back, staring with wide eyes back at me. My E/C eyes locked with Shoto's stunned heterochromatic ones, never breaking contact once. My proud smile softened a little, seeing Shoto's eyes retract to normal size knowingly, and a smile of his own sprouted upon his lips.
"Wow, Y/N! That's such cool name!" My attention was drawn away from the heterochromatic boy, and towards an excitable Mina closer to me.
I blushed at her praise. "T-Thanks, but I must admit, I didn't come up with the name myself."
"Oh really?" Midnight asked, her arms folded expectantly. "Are you - like Kirishima - paying homage to someone?"
I shook my head, a faint blush still staining my cheeks. "Not exactly, but I decided on this name because someone once told me that my power reminded them of a supernova."
Intrigued murmurs rumbled throughout the room, those of agreement, and those of confusion. However, my gaze fell back upon Shoto at the back, whose soft, encouraging smile had broadened a little at my explanation. Probably thinking back to the moment he had said those words to me.
"When I heard that," I continued, my heart rate picking up with elation, "it made me feel powerful. It made me feel like... I could do anything! And, thinking about it now, supernova's are bright and extinguish darkness, and that's what I want to do. I want to be a pillar of light and hope for those shrouded in the darkness.
"So, I will don the name Nova, and I will become that beacon of light when I become a hero."
My excited and proud attitude quickly vanished at the sight of my stunned classmates; even Midnight was at a loss for words, it seemed.
I sweat dropped. 'I went overboard again, didn't I? '
I bowed deeply, rubbing the back of my head as an embarrassed blush rushed up my neck to my cheeks.
"B-But I still have much to learn," I tried to lighten the mood of the room, waving my hands around awkwardly in the air. "This i-is just what I aim to be, is all..."
A sudden screech of a chair resounded throughout the room, as Toru stood up, stunning everyone.
"That's such a cool name, Y/N," the invisible girl exclaimed, her uniform jumping about in an enthusiastic manner. "It suits you and your power so well!"
"She's right," Ojiro said from beside her. "Your big attacks in the Sports Festival definitely felt like something from out of this world. Supernova is definitely one of the things I think of when your quirk comes to mind, L/N."
"Especially in your fight against Todoroki!" I swung my head to the other side of the room, eyeing Ochaco as she looked at me with sparkling eyes. "You just all of a sudden exploded with a blinding light, and it blew us all away!"
The joy I felt building inside of me at my classmates approval made me all jittery, and a buzzing sensation raced through my body. The elated smile I had couldn't be torn from my face, whatsoever.
I suddenly felt a hand grip my shoulders, and turned to see that it was Midnight. I was taken aback at the gentle expression upon her usually sinister face, blinking a few times to see if I was dreaming, at all.
"That's a very good name, L/N," she said gesturing for me to return to me seat with her other hand. "I'm sure you'll become the hero you want to be if you just keep believing."
I nodded gratefully, finally making my way through the many seats and desks to mine, waiting for me at the very back. As I sat down in my seat, I could feel an intense stare drilling into the side of my head from my right side, and I knew exactly who the perpetrator was. Turning to face my icy-hot friend, I couldn't help an amused chuckle from escaping my lips.
"Close your mouth, Shoto. You'll be catching flies, soon."
Immediately, he closed his mouth and shook his head, causing me to laugh even more. Once I'd settled, I found his gaze back on me, his eyes squinted with amusement of his own.
"Nice name, Nova..." he chuckled, causing me to turn my head away from him. My embarrassment was so intense, that I could only imagine how red I was.
"Yeah, yeah..." I mumbled, fiddling with my tie, avoiding eye contact at all costs. "It was the only good thing I could think of in the heat of the moment. For some reason... that particular memory stood out to me, and it just made sense to me. So, thank you..."
I allowed myself a quick glance at the red and white-haired boy sitting next to me, and saw that the amusement on his face had melted into something else; he seemed more serious - sincere, really - as he nodded his head in a final confirmation. Turning back to the front, he quietly said, "You're welcome, Y/N."
For some reason, it made my heart flutter wildly inside of my chest.
Before I could answer - or even comprehend what had just transpired between us - a scuffle drew my attention back to the front, to see Mr. Aizawa finally awake, again. He stood at the podium in front of us, a few papers in his hand.
'I wonder what those are for? '
"Now that everyone's decided on their hero names," he croaked out, his voice still hoarse from his nap, "we can go back to talking about your upcoming internships. They'll last for one week. As for who you'll be working with, those of you who are on the board will choose from among your offers. Everyone else will have a different list."
Mr. Aizawa raised up one of the papers in his hands, displaying a huge list of - I assumed - hero agencies that our class would choose from. 'That is such a long list! '
"You'll have a lot to think about,' he continued. "There are around forty agencies from across the country who have agreed to take on interns from your class. Each agency has a different specialty that its heroes focus on. Keep that in mind."
"Imagine that you were Thirteen," Midnight chimed in. "You'd want to choose a place that focusses on rescuing people, not fighting villains. Understand?"
'I guess that makes sense...' I mulled it over in my mind, trying to let all of the information sink into my half asleep brain.
"Think carefully before you decide," Mr. AIzawa finished, his warning tone definitely not going unnoticed by any one of us.
"Yes sir!"
A piece of paper was placed in front of me, and I quickly started scanning all of the names that I saw before me. My eyes widened with the amount of hero agencies I saw, all mixing and melting together before my very eyes.
"There's so many..." I breathed out, eyes frantically going between the top and bottom of the sheet. "How am I supposed to pick just one? Each agency seems really good..."
"Turn in your choices before the weekend," our homeroom teacher muttered, leaving with a waving Midnight out the door as the lunch bell rang, sleeping bag in tow.
"We've only got two days?!" Sero exclaimed, expressing everyone's sudden anxiety.
"Yeah, so you should start now. You're dismissed," was the only response we received from the erasing hero. "Oh, and please be out of those horrendous cheer uniforms, Kaminari and Mineta, by the time I get back. Or it's cleaning duties for a whole week."
Everyone laughed at that, watching as the two wailing boys sprinted out of the room to get changed.
"Hey, Shoto," I turned to see what my friend was doing. "Have you decided on a hero agency yet? You got tonnes of offers, so there must be some extremely good agencies after you."
He just hummed in agreement, his eyes trained on the page in front of him. However, he suddenly blanched a ghostly white, his eyes pausing on one point of the sheet.
"What is it?" I asked, leaning over to try and see what had caught his attention. All he did was point at on name on the page, and I, too, froze at what name I saw staring back at me.
"Endeavour Hero Agency..." I whispered, tearing my eyes away from the words, and up to Shoto's wide eyes. "Your dad's agency?"
"Yeah..."
Shoto kept staring at the sheet in front of him, but he seemed unfocussed; as if he was having an internal conflict within his head. I had to admit, I was baffled that his dad had offered him an internship after what went down at the Sports Festival, but still...
'Shoto's his son, and maybe he just wants him to see how he does things...'
However, my thoughts went back to Shoto's retelling of his past to Midoriya, and suddenly, I wasn't so sure. Based on the conflicted look on Shoto's face, I could tell he was in the same boat - probably even more so.
I gripped Shoto's shoulder, breaking his staring contest with the paper in front of him.
"Stare at that any longer, and I think you'll burn a hole through it," I chuckled out, trying to get him to loosen up. I sent him a cheerful smile, my eyes squinting slightly. "Remember, you have a few days to decide, it doesn't have to be by today. So, don't bend your brain around it too much, okay?"
Giving the matter a break - seeing as there was nothing else I could do to help him out - I turned back to my own paper, a steady calmness washing over my senses. My eyes didn't mix the words together, and I could see each name clearly, now.
All of these agencies wanted me?
I stared in awe of all the names before me, names like Gunhead and Best Jeanist, and even Mount Lady were on there. I certainly was not going to have an easy time picking just three to put on my preference sheet. My breath got caught in my throat at the sight of Endeavour Hero Agency on the list, pausing my scan briefly.
'He offered me an internship, too? ' I couldn't quite understand why the Hellfire hero would want someone like me at his agency; I made the top four at the Sports Festival, but I wasn't crazy powerful like his son or Bakugou. And even if I was like them, I certainly did not make a good impression on him when I encountered him in the hallway.
I shivered at the memory, remembering how intimidating and commanding he seemed, taking up the whole hallway with how huge he was.
'I can't believe I gathered enough balls to retort back at him,' I mentally facepalmed at the thought. 'He must've been so mad when I told him off like that...'
So why had I been sent an offer from the fiery hero, then?
"...you were chiding him, instead of supporting him like a parent should..."
I'd said that to him, not even thinking about anything other than defending Shoto against his father.
"...I know he's a talented student, with an incredible quirk, but I know that his power hurts him, too..."
I recalled how he'd softened at that, his anger and rage towards me seeming to fade into curious contemplation. Remembering his reaction, I could tell that he cared; he cared about his son more than he liked to let on.
'Maybe he's not such a scary guy...'
After much debate, I shakily wrote his agency's name in my third preference slot, quickly going back to the list. Thinking abut it, I wanted to get better control of my quirk, and to try and use it as an extension of myself. 'Who could relate to that... Yes! '
I quickly jotted down in the second preference slot the Dragon Hero Ryukyu's agency, thinking about how she would understand where I was coming from. 'She's managed to completely own her quirk, so surely she would be able to help me out, too.'
Taking a break from my search, I looked around my classroom to see how everyone else was going. Midoriya was being crowded my Tsu, Mina, Ochaco, and Ojiro, who seemed to be excitedly talking about something. Everyone else seemed to be well into their lists of choices, sitting by themselves or with others as they tried deciding on which agency would be the best for them.
However, one classmate of mine caught my eye; Iida was sitting by himself at his desk, silently staring at the his piece of paper in front of him. I tilted my head curiously, finding his silence unnerving.
Usually, he'd be the one to round everyone up, making sure that they were picking the right agencies because that's just who Iida was. But this Iida... was quite scary.
The navy-haired boy suddenly picked up his pen, and scribbled down one name on his preference list. He placed his pen back on the desk and didn't move again. I squinted my eyes suspiciously. Only one?
"I'll be back," I notified Shoto, standing up quickly, not even waiting for a response. I quickly made my way over to where Iida sat, standing in front of his desk to catch his attention.
"Hey, Iida!" I greeted cheerfully. "How's it going?"
"Oh, L/n..." he replied drowsily, lifting his head to look at me properly. "Sorry, I was just... thinking..."
I sent him a reassuring smile. "Thats okay, Iida. Just wanted to see if you'd decided on any agency, yet. You got quite a lot of offers, too, you know."
Before he could respond, I bent over the desk more to look at his paper, only seeing the one name in his number one preference slot.
"Normal Hero: Manual Agency?" I asked, a slightly confused expression crossing my face. "You've only put the one down? Why this one?"
Iida didn't repsond straight away, only averting his eyes away from my prying ones. He clenched is hands into fists tightly, making me flinch slightly.
"Iida...?"
"I just..." he started, his voice shaky, as if restraining himself, "have a familial connection with that place, is all."
Taking another glance at the paper, I saw that the agency was based in Hosu City, Tokyo. 'What's so special about Hosu City? ' I wondered, leaning back upright. 'Maybe he has family there or something... '
Seeing how Iida wasn't going to talk to me anytime soon, I decided to let the unnerving matter slide.
"Well," I patted his shoulder softly, making him turn back to me, "I wish you good luck there. I'm sure you'll do great."
My friends dark-blue eyes shined with awe, staring at me flabbergasted as I walked away, worry beginning to settle in my stomach.
'Something's not right with Iida.'
~~~
Over the next few days, I quickly found out why Iida said he had a connection with Hosu City.
His brother, Ingenium, was all over the news, the almost fatal attack on him being broadcasted everyday. They said that some guy - dubbed the Hero Killer: Stain - was behind the brutal attack, and that he'd killed seventeen other heroes already, all across the country.
It made me sick, seeing photos of Ingenium and other injured or dead heroes in the hospital, looking so vulnerable and lifeless. Who would do such a thing?
What made matters worse, was where Ingenium had been attacked: Hosu City. My stomach dropped when I'd learnt that, the unsettling worry in me growing even more so when I realised what it meant.
'That's why Iida wanted to go there for his internship. He wants to see the place his brother was attacked in...' Another sickening thought entered my head, but I blocked it out, not wanting to believe the possibility that it was the truth. 'Iida isn't that reckless... right? '
I still hadn't decided on a first preference for my internship, but looking back on my list, I saw that I'd been sent an offer from the same place Iida had put down as his first preference. It was a relatively small agency, no big names running it, but it had a good track record for interns.
'I bet no one else has put this down, apart from Iida,' I thought, picking up my pen to write the agency's name down. 'Which means he'll have no one to look after him. No one to make sure he's okay. But I will. I'll make sure he won't do anything reckless.'
I had faith in my Class Rep, but something about the whole situation put me on edge. Choosing Hosu City for his only internship choice couldn't be a coincidence, meaning that something more serious was going on.
And I was going find out what it was.
~~~
"Everyone has their costume, right?"
My classmates and I were currently at the train station, ready to depart on our internships for the week. Mr. Aizawa had given us our hero costumes to take with us, as we'd be working with Pro Heroes, meaning we had to look the part, ourselves.
"Remember," he continued, "you don't have permission to wear them out in public, yet. Don't lose them, or anything."
"Gotcha!" Mina cried out excitedly, waving her suitcase around quite dangerously.
"Mina..." I warned, stepping back a little to avoid being hit.
"Speak properly! It's 'Yes sir,' Ashido," Mr. Aizawa scolded.
"Yes, sir..." Mina corrected herself dejectedly.
"Make sure you mind your manners with the other heroes during your internships. Now get to it."
"Yes sir!"
"Well, I guess I'll see ya in a week's time, huh?" I turned to face Shoto, about to bid him farewell. "Good luck with your dad's agency, I'm sure it'll be an... interesting experience."
"Thanks," he replied tiredly, his face not giving away any inclination of what he was thinking. "You too."
"Thanks..."
Shoto's gaze left mine, and looked beyond me, locking onto something behind me. I turned to see what he was looking at, and saw that it was Iida. I saw Midoriya and Ochaco follow him, getting him to stop in his tracks for a moment.
Turning back I saw the cautious look on Shoto's face crease even more so, obviously thinking about something. I sighed, knowing exactly what was going through his head.
Shoto had called me over the weekend, telling me he had decided on his dad's agency for his internship. To be honest, I was completely surprised, but congratulated him on his choice nevertheless. However, when I told him about my own choice, he immediately rejected the thought.
"That's in Hosu City, Y/N," he'd said, his voice holding serious warning within it. "That's where the Hero Killer was sighted last. He could still be there!"
"I know," I'd replied back. "Trust me, I know. My parents have already berated me about it."
"Then why are you going through with it?"
"Because Iida isn't okay. And I'm going there to make sure he doesn't get himself into any sort of trouble if that creep is still around," I'd explained, earning a prolonged silence from the other end of the call.
"It's not like I'm not going there for myself at all. I was sent an offer by them, too, and starting in a smaller agency may help me start to control my quirk better. Keep it contained in a civilian setting."
Shoto had sighed, and begrudgingly let the whole matter slide, but he'd still sounded on edge about the idea.
'Aw, he cares...'
I grabbed Shoto's hand, pulling his attention back to me. I chuckled at how adorable he looked, concerned about Iida and I.
"I'll be fine," I squeezed his hand tightly, flashing him a confident smile. "And I'll make sure Iida is, as well. Don't worry so much, okay?"
The icy-hot boy in front me sighed exasperatedly, closing his eyes briefly before letting them open to meet mine.
"I know you will be," he submitted to my insistence, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry, I just don't like the whole idea of it all. It all seems too coincidental, to me."
I nodded grimly. "I know what you mean. I don't like it either, but I'd rather there be at least two of us going, than only one, if anything were to happen."
Shoto hummed in agreement, and squeezed my hand in return. It was his left hand, and the warmth radiating from it relaxed me a little.
Suddenly, my name was called out, drawing my attention to our homeroom teacher who was still standing at the station doors.
"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Mr. Aizawa asked.
I nodded silently, finally letting go of Shoto's comforting hand, and walking towards my teacher.
"I'll see you soon, Shoto. Have fun!" I called out, waving enthusiastically as I walked away from him.
"You too..." I heard him reply, but his serious stare told me something else. 'Please be safe.'
'I will. I promise.'
"L/N," Mr. Aizawa addressed me, sobering my spunky attitude right up. "I hope you know what kind of strings I had to pull to convince your parents that it was okay to go to Hosu City."
I nodded, and bowed slightly. "I do. I thank you, Mr. Aizawa."
"Are you sure this is where you want to go? Your other two choices probably wouldn't mind you going to their agencies today unexpectedly-"
I shook my head, determined with my choice. "I'm going to Hosu City, sir. I'm sure that this is where I want to go."
"Why?"
"Because I can learn just as much - if not more - from a little agency, as I can from a bigger agency."
"Anything else?"
I paused for a moment, thinking about my next words carefully. I didn't want to come across as careless and stupid in my decision to go to the Manual Agency.
"My friend also needs me, and I'd rather go there knowing that he had someone with him, rather than face any potential danger by himself."
Silence ensued between us for a split second, the unnerving quiet almost suffocating me. Finally Mr. Aizawa grunted in response, flicking his head in the direction of Iida and the others.
"Fine. Go, or you'll miss your train."
I flashed a grateful smile at my teacher, turning to go join Iida as he finished his conversation with Midoriya and Ochaco.
"Are you ready to go, Iida? This is going to be so much fun!" I jumped around excitedly half from genuine excitement, and half from just trying to lighten the mood around us.
"As ready as I'll ever be..." he responded dryly, marching on towards our train. My smile dropped slightly as we found our seats, and sat in silence. The worry and nervousness I felt within me threatened to swallow me whole as the train took off, taking me away from everyone and everything I knew.
It certainly was going to be an interesting week.