(I'm thinking I should write longer chapters)
...
"Oi nerd, you know your dumbass is basically signing up to be insulted all your life right?" Bakugo commented when Izuku stepped up to present his pro hero name which was, you guessed it, 'Deku'. Izuku laughed, knowing Bakugo had meant well, with the man seemingly became friendlier to his classmates in his own way after the Sports Festival.
"Nuh uh Midobro, we ain't letting no one calling you 'useless' out there, even if you had some deep meaning backing it up." Kirishima added. Midnight and the whole class nodded in agreement.
"Well I tried." He rubbed the small whiteboard, writing down a new name on the spot.
'Bruh, he had a backup in case that name didn't get approved? Talk about over-preparation.' Denki scratched his neck. His green haired friend could be a little weird upstairs once in a while, but he didn't mind, everyone has their own days of being freaky, especially someone like himself.
"How about... Vanguard." He had a calm smile as he flipped the board, presenting his new hero name to everyone. Midnight held a gaze that signalled him to go on, and so he did.
"I'd like to be the hero who steps in first, the one who opens the path so others can advance, the one that moves even when afraid. Because being a hero isn't about standing at the top, it's about stepping forward when things are uncertain, when people are scared, when the outcome isn't guaranteed."
"When everyone else hesitates, I'd like to be the kind of hero that becomes the spearpoint, the first to breach, creating space for others to follow. That's the kind of hero I want to be." Izuku explained, somewhat emotional due to the name being relatable with his run in with the Slime Villain all those months ago.
'You just had to use that day as inspiration huh.' Bakugo palmed his face, not wanting to remember his part during the Slime Villain Incident. Though he had to commend the nerd, there was no ego behind his name.
Midnight nodded, impressed with Izuku's explanation. There's something strategically mature about that name. The name implies teamwork, as a vanguard is part of an advancing formation. It assumes allies exist behind them.
"Very good, a lot of people look up to guys like that. But here's the thing, do you really want that pressure on you?" Midnight asked, giving him a chance to rethink his decision.
"In the pro hero world, vanguards, more often than not, take the highest risk. They get the short end of the stick basically, absorb the initial impact, test enemy reactions, probe weaknesses and all that jazz." Midnight explained. Izuku shook his head."
"I'm certain that this name is what I want, Midnight sensei." He smiled awkwardly before continuing.
"There was a time when I hesitated, when I thought I needed to be stronger before I could act. I don't believe that anymore, because I think courage isn't something we should wait for. It's something we choose. And if I can take the first step... maybe someone behind me will feel brave enough to take the second."
Silence ensued.
"I don't believe that you pulled that speech out of your ass. You must've planned this." Bakugo was the first one to comment. Izuku only laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, I'd say it's a good choice. Thank you for that wonderful presentation, now who's next?" Midnight asked as Izuku walked back to his seat. Sukuna sighed, standing up and walking to the front.
As Sukuna presented his hero name, Sero couldn't help but laugh. It's not because the name was funny, but the fact that he purposefully chose the name, knowing how he acts and how his Quirk was like was funny to him.
"Really dude, Cursed King? That's just as bad as Bakugo's King Of Explodo-Kills." Kirishima joined in the laughing. Sukuna shrugged.
"I didn't choose it to sound cool. I'm not the type of person to self mythologize myself." He reasoned. Midnight raised an eyebrow.
"Really now? We don't allow these types of names for a reason. But I'll hear you out first before I pass my final judgement."
Sukuna nodded. "I'm sure you already know that people view me as intimidating. Some admire me, some even resent me, some are just unsettled by me. The Sports Festival really built that perception." He began. Although he wasn't the type to search up his own name on Google to see how famous he was, there were talks about him, especially after the festival, and he always listened carefully no matter what.
"If people are going to fear me, I'd like to do it on my own terms. I put the word 'cursed' in it because my strength isn't warm, it isn't inspiring like certain heroes. I'm sure you all know that." He mentioned, as the class recalled what happened at the USJ.
'They still have no idea that I eat fingers in order to gain power. It's better this way. After the Sports Festival more eyes are on us, and if information about my Quirk gets out, that league would probably weaponize the info.' Sukuna thought to himself. The supposed 'traitor' of UA was still an unsolved mystery, so being cautious at the moment is better than sharing.
"I don't believe power is pure. Strength always carries cost. If I'm going to wield it, I accept that weight. The crown isn't glory, it's my responsibility, so I won't pretend my power is pretty, but I'll carry it anyway, because who else is going to step up in my place?" He continued. Midnight nodded, a finger on her chin, seemingly impressed with his reasoning.
"I see. What a mature outlook, though I have one question. Civilians would definitely ask why you didn't choose something lighter, what would you say to them?"
"Because I don't want civilians expecting comfort from me. I want them expecting results." Sukuna answered quickly, too quickly. Midnight nodded, sighing in the end.
"Well I suppose I have no choice. You can keep the name."
"My turn!" Mina skipped towards the front of the class, presenting her name.
"Alien Queen!" She grinned at them.
'What's with all these edgy names?' Midnight asked herself in amusement.
'And this girl isn't even trying to hide it. I know she put 'Queen' in her hero name to match with Sukuna's, but I can't prove it.' She added as Mina continued.
"My whole life I've always looked different than others, people stared before they knew my name, but I refuse to let 'different' mean 'less'. So I wanna lean into it, make it my own brand as a hero, ya know?"
"I don't want people like me to feel weird or out of place. If I'm going to stand out, I'm going to stand tall. A queen doesn't apologize for taking up space." She continued.
"Yaasss queen slayyy!!!" Uraraka jokingly shouted while snapping her fingers. The class followed her, snapping their fingers while some were laughing uncontrollably. Sukuna, with a small smile, shook his head at their antics, though he did snap his fingers a couple of times in support of the laughing Mina.
"Haha! Yeah so, that's kind of the reason I chose Alien Queen. Plus..." She winked at them. "Acid is kind of terrifying, so I figured I might as well make it stylish."
"Well, when you put it that way, we can definitely make this work." Midnight applauded her a little, nodding her head. Mina cheered, walking back to her seat. She sat down, glancing at Sukuna.
"Alien Queen and the Cursed King make a pretty good tag team, right?" She whispered. Sukuna snorted, though he didn't disagree.
As the class moved on, a bunch of hero names were decided such as Red Riot, Uravity and Can't Stop Twinkling ✨. Todoroki's hero name was Sho-to, a play on his name with a hyphen in between, giving the meaning of Burnt-Frozen.
"Your field training would be one week long." Aizawa started after the naming session was over. "All of you have received a personalized list. These are all good workplaces, but their areas of expertise all vary, so put a lot of thought into it. I've seen countless students make the wrong choice and didn't learn anything that benefitted them from the training, and I don't want you all to make the same mistakes."
"Turn them in by the end of the week." He added, giving the lists to Sukuna and Momo who in turn handed out to their classmates. The class didn't notice Aizawa silently sneaking out of class with Midnight until a couple of minutes later, which led them to start discussing about the internships.
"You're picking Dragon Hero: Ryukyu's office?" Izuku tilted his head at Uraraka who nodded. Uraraka nodded, a proud smile on her.
"Yup! I guess she saw what I can do from the other competitions. Originally I wanted to go with Battle Hero: Gunhead so that I could learn how to fight without relying purely on my Quirk, but then I realized that our school's combat electives already covered that department, so there's practically no point." She started ranting, while the green haired boy listening with a smile.
"And you've seen Ryukyu's work before right? She's super composed under pressure, competent, and very respected. You've seen the video where she calmly coordinated large-area rescues while engaging the threats?" She asked, Izuku nodded silently in response.
"I think that kind of person can help me a bunch ya know? The more I study here at UA, the more I realize that being a hero is much more than just fame and fortune. It's more about responsibility and consequences so.... yeah, I think working under her can help me a lot, even if it's just for a week." She grinned awkwardly at him.
"Did I say too much?"
"No, no. I don't mind." Izuku shook his head as they continued to talk. There was one question in Izuku's mind.
Which hero should he go with?
"So uh... Who are you choosing?" Mina asked Sukuna who was lazily looking at his list.
"It's either Hawks or Aizawa sensei, though I'm not sure why sensei put his name on here because he doesn't have an agency at all." Sukuna muttered. Endeavor's name was on the list too, but he was definitely not choosing him, considering his stunt during the Sports Festival when Todoroki first used his fire side, he just knew their personalities would clash. He wants to learn, not to compete with another pride-heavy force.
Mina shrugged as she looked at her own list. "I'm probably going with Midnight sensei, she's strong in how she handles people and could probably teach me a lot on how to control the situation." She grinned.
"Just imagine the villains start regretting their life choices the moment they hear my footsteps, hehe~" She joked. Sukuna nodded, silently thinking that this was so Mina.
"I think she'd be great to work with. Just don't play around too much, will you?"
"Heyyy, what do you take me for huh?"
To be continued....
(Who should Sukuna intern with? And who should Izuku intern with? I don't think Gran Torino is a good idea considering he's already past the point of breaking bones when using OFA. Sir Nighteye is probably a good choice.)