Class 1-A
The class stared at the board in Tsubaki's hands, their eyes widening as they read the name written in clear, bold letters.
SUB-ZERO
For a moment, there was silence.
Then reactions began to ripple through the classroom.
"Sub-Zero..." Kirishima repeated, his eyes lighting up. "That's so cool!"
"It fits perfectly with his ice quirk!" Yaoyorozu said, nodding approvingly.
"Sounds like a video game character," Kaminari added with a grin. "In the best way possible!"
"It's simple but memorable," Sero agreed. "Easy to remember, easy to say."
The class seemed to like it the name was clean, direct, and obviously connected to his quirk. It had that perfect balance of sounding professional while also being distinctive.
But Tsubaki stood at the front, his blue eyes distant, his expression thoughtful.
Inside his head, the real meaning played out the reason he'd chosen those specific words.
'When I thought about starting from zero, I realized something,' he thought, his hands still holding the board. 'I didn't start from zero. I started from below that.'
His mind drifted to the scientific meaning behind the name.
'Sub-zero. Below zero degrees. In relation to my quirk, it's about temperature—the cold that goes beyond freezing, into the depths where most things can't survive.'
His grip on the board tightened slightly.
'But to me, it means something else. Something deeper.'
He thought about his childhood. About being five years old and hearing his father's cold dismissal.
"You're a failure. A mistake. You don't have what it takes."
About watching Shoto receive all the attention, all the training, all the acknowledgment while he was left in the shadows.
About his mother's breakdown, her hospitalization, and the guilt that maybe if he'd been stronger, better, more worthy of attention, things might have been different.
'I didn't start at the starting line to prove myself,' Tsubaki realized, the truth settling in his chest like ice. 'I was at a disadvantage from birth. My father saw me as inferior from the moment my quirk manifested. Before I could even try to prove myself, I'd already been judged and found lacking.'
He remembered the years of isolation. Of training alone. Of pushing himself harder and harder while being told it would never be enough.
'I was below zero. Beneath the starting point. In a place where most people would have frozen—would have stopped trying, would have given up, would have accepted what they were told about themselves.'
But he hadn't.
'Even in that environment—cold, harsh, telling me I was worthless—I pushed forward. I survived. I trained. I grew.'
His eyes refocused on his classmates, on their curious faces, on their genuine interest in his choice.
'I was once frozen in place. Held back by my family's expectations, by my father's dismissal, by everyone who said I wasn't good enough. By everyone who told me to stop trying, to accept my place, to just be grateful for whatever scraps of acknowledgment I could get.'
The Sports Festival flashed through his mind declaring his intention to win, backing it up in every event, standing on that gold podium with All Might placing the medal around his neck.
'But I didn't stay frozen. I didn't stay below zero. I surpassed every expectation. Proved everyone wrong. Climbed from below the starting line to the very top.'
A small, genuine smile touched his lips.
'Sub-Zero. That's where I was. And that's what I've overcome.'
Midnight had been watching Tsubaki carefully, her expression thoughtful. She'd seen hundreds of students choose hero names over the years, and she'd learned to recognize when a name had deeper meaning beyond surface level.
"Todoroki," she said, her voice cutting through the class's discussion. "Why did you choose that name?"
The room quieted, everyone turning their attention back to him.
Midnight's eyes were sharp, perceptive. "I can feel there's a reason beyond it matching your quirk and sounding cool. What does Sub-Zero mean to you?"
Shoto, who had been sitting with his usual distant expression, suddenly paid attention. His heterochromatic eyes locked onto his brother, waiting.
Tsubaki stood silent for a moment, considering how much to reveal.
Then he spoke, his voice calm but carrying weight.
"It represents where I started," he said simply.
The class leaned forward, listening.
"Heroes are normally at a disadvantage when they respond to situations," Tsubaki continued, his blue eyes meeting Midnight's. "They arrive after villains have already set up. After civilians are already in danger. After the playing field has been tilted against them."
He looked down at the board in his hands.
"My name shows that even if I'm at a disadvantage—even if the environment is against me, even if I'm starting from below the baseline—I'll still stand tall. I'll still push forward. I'll still win."
The class was completely silent now, the weight of his words sinking in.
Yaoyorozu's eyes widened with understanding. 'He's not just talking about hero work. He's talking about himself. His struggles. But what has he gone through to pick such a name.' She thought in curiosity.
Kirishima felt something tighten in his chest. 'That's... that's really manly. Turning your disadvantages into your identity. And it has a meaning like mine'
Even Bakugo's expression shifted slightly, something like grudging respect flickering in his red eyes.
Shoto stared at his brother, his hands clenched on his desk.
'Below zero. Starting from a disadvantage. Is that... is that how Tsubaki saw our childhood? While I was getting Father's brutal attention, he was... what? Below even that? Trying to climb from a place I never realized existed?'
The thought was uncomfortable, complicated, weighted with implications he wasn't ready to fully process.
Midnight studied Tsubaki's face for a long moment, then smiled approving of his choice.
"That's an excellent reason," she said. "A name with personal meaning and public appeal. It represents who you are while also being memorable and professional. Well done, Todoroki."
Tsubaki nodded once, then walked back to his seat. As he sat down, he felt... content. Not completely satisfied—there was still too much unresolved in his life for that—but content with his choice.
The name fit. It represented his past, his present, and his determination for the future.
'Sub-Zero,' he thought, setting the board on his desk. 'That's who I am. That's who I'll be.'
The presentations continued after Tsubaki returned to his seat.
Yaoyorozu stepped up next, showing her board with quiet confidence.
CREATI
"A play on my Creation quirk," she explained. "Simple, easy to remember, and it represents what I can do—create solutions to any problem."
Midnight approved immediately. "Lovely! Professional and creative. Perfect."
Tokoyami followed with TSUKUYOMI, the Japanese god of the moon, representing Dark Shadow's connection to darkness.
Jiro presented EARPHONE JACK, straightforward and functional.
Shoji showed TENTACOLE, embracing his mutation quirk with pride.
Sato revealed SUGARMAN, which made several classmates snicker but Midnight approved as memorable and friendly.
Ojiro chose TAILMAN, simple and descriptive.
Even Hagakure got excited presenting INVISIBLE GIRL, though Midnight suggested she might want something more creative as she developed her skills.
Throughout it all, Tsubaki sat quietly, his face-down on his desk, his mind already moving forward.
'Sub-Zero,' he thought again, testing how it felt. How it sounded in his head.
It felt right.
It felt like him.
Bakugo was still struggling, having had multiple names rejected. He'd tried variations of explosion-related names, all deemed too violent by Midnight's standards.
Finally, he scrawled something new and stomped to the front, his expression thunderous.
GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GOD DYNAMIGHT
"This is my FINAL offer!" he snarled before Midnight could even open her mouth.
She stared at the board, then at him, then back at the board.
"That's... that's way too long. And you still have 'murder' in there."
"IT'S NOT CHANGING AGAIN!"
"How about just 'Dynamight'?" Midnight suggested. "It's punchy, relates to your explosions, and has that nice connection to All Might while still being your own thing."
Bakugo glared at her, his jaw working. Then, grudgingly: "...Fine. Dynamight. But I'm not happy about it."
"You're never happy about anything," Jiro muttered.
"WHAT WAS THAT, EARLOBES?!"
As the class period wound down, most students had finalized their hero names. The boards were collected, the names recorded officially in UA's system.
Aizawa emerged from his sleeping bag like a butterfly from a cocoon if butterflies were exhausted and perpetually annoyed.
"Good. You all have names now. Don't make me regret approving them." He pulled out a stack of papers. "Take these home. They list all the agencies that sent you offers. Research them. Think carefully about where you want to intern. This decision will affect your training for the next week."
He began distributing the papers, each student receiving a list of agencies interested in them.
Tsubaki received his paper and scanned it quickly. The list was extensive over four thousand agencies meant pages of options. Big names, small agencies, specialists in ice quirks, generalists who wanted strong students.
It was overwhelming in the best possible way.
'So many choices,' he thought, his eyes tracking down the list. 'So many opportunities to learn, to grow, to prove myself further.'
His mind was already working through the options, analyzing which agencies would provide the best training, the most useful experience.
But beneath the analytical thinking was a simpler emotion.
Satisfaction.
He'd done it. Chosen a name that meant something. Received offers from thousands of agencies. Proven his worth beyond any doubt.
'Sub-Zero,' he thought one more time, letting the name settle into his identity like ice crystallizing into a permanent structure.
'That's who I am now. That's who the world will know me as.'
And as the bell rang and his classmates began discussing their hero names with excited energy, Tsubaki allowed himself a small, genuine smile.
He'd started from below zero.
But he was rising fast.
To Be Continued...
So Sub-Zero won and it was a landslide I saw the Eclipse and Northstar comments and I was tempted to agree to one of then but I decided to hold a vote and Sub-Zero won so whether it's obvious or not it's his name for now depending if I decide a change is necessary.