Mina and Camie both sprang into action as the recognizable (to the nerds) song started playing. The two got behind Izuku and started posing like statues. Camie had her hip cocked, chest stuck out, and head tilted back with the middle finger of her right hand touching her pouty lips. Mina was on his other side, legs spread out a little more than shoulder wide, leaning backwards with one hand swiping in front of her face.
There was a beat.
And then everyone started to laugh as Izuku's face turned scarlet. "Oh, come on! I'm not THAT muscular!"
Momo for once was clueless, "What is this song and what are they doing?" She was still giggling at the sight. Setsuna was going to be pissed she missed this.
Kirishima managed to answer through his cackles, "It-It's the Pillar Men Theme from Jojo's Bizarre Adventures! MANLY!" Momo casually shot off a text to her butler to go purchase the series for her to watch with her friends.
All Might bellowed out a laugh, "If you've got it, Midoriya-shōnen, flaunt it!" He vanished from sight, appearing behind the three and posing as well.
Izuku barely kept from facepalming, but managed to laugh. Alright then. "I am here!" He somehow mimicked All Might's shadowed face, and then got into a pose himself, reaching up to an imaginary hat while he flexed. Half the class fell over with laughter. The rest of them took pictures.
"Kero, it's a good thing Aizawa-sensei sat this one out, otherwise we'd be down a couple more members." Tsuyu giggled as she took a few pictures while also helping Ochako stand up, otherwise the gravity girl would be rolling on the floor right now. A very thin film of red graced her cheeks.
Ochako was laughing so hard she was wheezing, "H-How is he doing that face?!"
…
After the teachers broke up their merriment and got them back on task, the rescue training proceeded quickly and efficiently. Barring Kaminari's disqualification from the lake event (which Izuku jumped in and took his place for, making Kirishima nearly keel over while sobbing incoherently), the rest of the training continued pretty well. The only hiccup was all three teachers trying to get Todoroki to use his entire Quirk, and failing to do so. Which was noted down, and was something that most of the class noticed. Most of them got passing grades in every zone despite this.
As they were leaving the zone, Izuku noticed All Might wanting to speak with him, and Inasa was good enough to run interference for him with the girls. He managed to stay back and walk alongside his mentor, "What is it, All Might?"
Toshinori smiled at him proudly, "You proved me wrong, you know?"
Izuku blinked, opening his mouth, and clicking it shut, "W-what do you mean?"
"All day you've been proving me wrong. No Quirk and one arm, and your performance was one of the best in the class. You showed natural leadership ability and didn't let your current state hinder you physically either."
Izuku's eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at his mentor. Tears started prickling at his eyes, "A-All Might…"
Toshinori stopped the both of them and clapped a hand to Izuku's shoulder, "Quirk or no Quirk, you were always meant to be a fantastic Hero, Midoriya-shōnen. You're going to be the best of us." Izuku started to cry, giving his mentor a watery smile as the behemoth of a man walked away. When he joined the rest of his friends, he waved off their concerned questioning, telling them they were happy tears. It took him a few minutes to get himself under control, and when they got back on the bus, he didn't even manage to blush when he was squeezed between Momo and Camie. They chatted animatedly, but it became clear they were all exhausted in one form or another. For once, Izuku refused the invite of a group study session at Momo's house, heading straight home. He barely managed to eat dinner before his head hit the pillow and he was out like a light.
-]|[-
"I am here!" All Might declared, walking into Gym Gamma with his signature smile.
The three students in there froze exactly where they were. Mirio Togata was sunk up to his knee on one leg with his fists up in a boxer stance. Tamaki Amajiki had his arms transformed into octopus tentacles, one of which froze inches away from Nejire Hadō. His other arm had been cocked back, but he could not whip it forward at Mirio now. Nejire was upside down, her Quirk Wave Motion spiraling around her arms and ready to fire. "ALL MIGHT!" They yelled, quickly getting out of their fighting stances, and standing tall in front of him. Well, except Mirio. He was putting his pants back on.
"Ahahaha! I see you still have that issue with your pants, young man!" Toshinori greeted them with a smile, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you three!"
Mirio rubbed his head sheepishly, "Yeah, my costume doesn't do it!" He laughed despite his slight embarrassment. "What are you here for, All Might?"
"Well, I was told how all three of you are excellent future Heroes, and wanted to see it with my own eyes!" All Might grinned wider as Tamaki blanched, seeming to have an inkling of what was about to happen. He dropped his arms in a loose, ready way as he hopped on one foot a few times, "Care for a spar?"
"Oh boy!" Nejire beamed, lifting into the air while Tamaki trembled in fright. Even picturing All Might as a potato didn't help. He just ended up being a really muscular potato.
Mirio on the other hand, trembled with excitement, "A chance to spar with you, All Might? How could I refuse?!"
"That's the spirit!" Toshinori yelled, turning it up to twenty percent just as a test, and blitzing the blonde. "Oho, too slow, huh?" He asked in amused amazement. To any onlookers, Mirio would have simply vanished, though he had seen every move himself. Mirio had fallen out of his clothes directly into the dirt.
"Hey, hey! Let's have some fun, okay All Might?" Nejire was particularly bouncy, even in the air, "Hey, can you really change the weather with a punch? That's so totally cool! I heard you can be in two places at once!" She fired off a loose, spiraling blasty of Wave Motion at the older blonde, "Wow, you can be in two places!" She gasped as her golden attack blasted through All Might, and he reappeared next to Tamaki. "That's so cool! What's your Quirk, All Might?! I'm really curious! I wanna know!"
"Ahahaha! Not quite, Hadō-shōjo!" Toshinori laughed, performing a weak chop with about five percent active. "That was merely an afterimage. I understand how it would be confused, though."
Tamaki activated his Quirk, forming a crab carapace on his body and tanking the blow. The boy grunted as she slid twenty feet, a small smoke trail from the motion. He stopped…and quivered, laying down.
"Hey, hey!" Nejire flew over and started poking him repeatedly on the cheek. "I thought I told you to eat a lion heart today, Tamaki! You ate the flea heart again! Hey, come on!"
"All Might is too scary!" Tamaki quivered again, but obeyed the periwinkle-haired girl.
"That's what makes it fun!" Mirio called out, a blinding grin on his face as he jumped out of the dirt (completely naked) and decked All Might. Toshinori blocked with his arms, but Mirio's blow simply slipped through his defense like he had turned into a ghost. Toshinori felt his fist touch the tip of his nose, and then he was gone. "Woah!" Mirio had expected an impact even if it didn't do anything to the man, so he overbalanced and nearly fell over.
"Ahahaha! Your Quirk is fascinating, Togata-shōnen! I can see why Mirai speaks so highly of you!" Toshinori declared as he turned and swiped his hand at the other blonde with just a bit more power. A windstorm kicked up and Mirio sank down and lowered his center of gravity. He turned everything but the soles of his feet and one palm permeable and allowed the windstorm to simply pass through him.
"That means so much to me, All Might! Thank you very much!" Togata sank through the ground again, and popped up in front of All Might at dizzying speeds, aiming an uppercut for his chin.
All Might dodged back, and Tamaki used his tentacle fingers to try to trip All Might up. He landed and immediately leapt up, where Nejire was waiting. Her Quirk was pulsing heavily around her in a spiraling aura, and around her arms twin helixes were rotating like drills. The energy was making an audible whir as if she really had energy drills around her arms, "Hey, hey, All Might! I wonder if you can block this! It's one of my strongest, you know!" She smiled brilliantly, making All Might wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to introduce her to Midoriya-shōnen even if she didn't get his Quirk. "50%! Drill Wave!" She cried, firing out the golden spirals at the teacher.
All Might spun in the air, curious to see how strong she was. He held his hands out, and both beams impacted. He immediately grimaced. They weren't tough enough to actually pierce him, but the spinning was actually starting to give his hands friction burns. He threw both arms out to the sides, and the Wave Motion attack followed, piercing through two rock faces. "Ooooh!" All Might waved his hands back and forth with a grin, "That's some Quirk you have, Hadō-shōjo. Color me impressed!" He gave her a thumbs up as he fell to the ground.
"Yay! I got praised by All Might!" Nejire did a happy flip in the air, "That's like, totally awesome!"
The three students realized the spar was over, and all of them lined up after Mirio got his clothes back on. "How did we do?" Mirio asked, still smiling widely.
"You all did excellently. A lesser opponent would have been caught off guard and beaten several times! That last combo move was inspired!" He gave them another thumbs up, "And I'm quite curious about your Quirk, Togata-shōnen!"
"Oooh, I know! I know! Can I say it? Huh? Can I say it, Mirio?" Mirio opened his mouth, and she just blurted it out instead, "It's Permeation!"
"Nejire, let Mirio explain his Quirk." Tamaki mumbled, exasperated.
"It's fine, hahaha!" Mirio waved him off.
Toshinori smiled indulgently, "Excellent knowledge, Hadō-shōjo, but I was thinking mechanics. Togata-shōnen's file was surprisingly sparse. His Quirk almost makes him seem like a game glitch!" Nejire pouted, and it almost made Toshinori want to headpat her. Almost. His grin widened, thinking he may actually throw her at Izuku just to see the nerd out.
"That's my cue, then!" Mirio declared, before proceeding to explain his Quirk, "Well, you probably know that when I activate it, it allows me to slip through anything and everything." He held a finger up, "So I fall through the floor, and my experience allows me to angle myself as needed! Two things can't occupy the same space, so when I deactivate it, I get shot out from the ground! But when it's active, I also can't breathe or see anything. Air passes through my lungs, and light through my eyes. I can't feel a thing, and only have this sensation of falling." He laughed a little, remembering all the incidents he had before Sir took him under his belt, "So if I want to do something like go through a wall, it's almost like I have to have my brain run a computer program. I had to turn everything but one leg permeable, step through, then turn that half of me solid and the other leg permeable to step through. It's pretty complicated and I used to be super slow at it!"
Toshinori nodded, "It certainly is a fascinating Quirk, but more fascinating is how you've turned a Quirk with so many downsides into a powerhouse!" He clapped Mirio on the shoulder, "Mirai always was good at helping students with complicated Quirks, but it is your effort that's gotten you here! You've done well for yourself, shōnen! You're going to be a fantastic Hero!" Mirio started to tear up, and All Might grinned wider, "In fact, you all are! And this spar has given me quite an idea! How would you like to help your juniors? They could use instruction from such excellent Heroes!"
"Oooh, that would be so cool! I really want to meet the new kids!" Nejire bounced happily, "I bet they have such cool Quirks! Hey, hey, do you think their Quirks will be really cool, Mirio? Tamaki?"
Toshinori laughed, and thanked them for the spar as Nejire started building up a head of steam. He left the building, smiling, 'I can see why you thought he would be a great successor, Mirai. That smile was almost like looking in a mirror. I'm glad Midoriya-shōnen convinced me to not just discard him.' He let out a sigh, 'Yet despite that, I can't choose him. One For All is a Quirk that envelops your entire body. It's not a Quirk that you partition off. Giving young Togata One For All would be like asking him to look left and right at the same time. He would struggle intensely to combine the two, because their usages are practically polar opposites. I'd be hurting him more than I'd be helping him.' His grin widened as he slipped into the school, 'Still, at least this wasn't a total loss.' He made his way to Nezu's office. The meeting had certainly given him ideas.
-]|[-
It had taken longer than expected for Recovery Girl to clear usage of his Quirk. One week had passed, and then two, and still no permission to use his quirk. It had Izuku feeling more than a little antsy, but he'd followed his medical instructions. The amount of brain bleeding he'd experienced from how hard he stressed his power fighting Nōmu had him minutes away from death. He likely WOULD have died if All Might hadn't brought him to the general hospital at maximum speed. Recovery Girl just didn't have the Quirk nor the equipment to help him. His mentor had left a swath of broken windows beneath him as he rushed at full tilt towards Musutafu General. Today was going to be the day, once he was examined one final time by the diminutive woman.
But that wasn't the only reason today was such a big day. Just earlier in the day, they'd all been at the gym. The regular gym, not a Quirk gym. As all of their teachers espoused, even Support Heroes needed to be fit and able to go from A to B. With all of them planning to be Heroes that performed physical labor in one form or another, it was a necessity to have dedicated training. Even Hagakure had started making some slight improvements. Unbeknownst to them, All Might had been there and observing from the upper floors, in his civilian guise. He had his eye on one student in particular, watching how they performed physically. He was rather shocked to see how much they could bench and curl.
Izuku and Inasa were the only ones who knew he was there, with Toshinori having caught Izuku's eye when he was on the treadmill. He shot his student a quick message. Bring her to my office once classes end.
Izuku read it loud and clear.
…
"All Might's office?" Momo asked curiously once Izuku pulled her aside, "Did he say why?"
"Class Rep stuff." Izuku managed to lie for once, keeping his voice even. No need for anyone to get suspicious.
"I suppose that does make sense." She nodded, "I didn't think such a new teacher would have any tasks for us."
"He didn't say much." Izuku shrugged. It was even true. All Might hadn't even texted a name to him. He just assumed Izuku would know who he was talking about. "Shall we? I want to get it over with so I can go get checked over by Recovery Girl!" He was excited to have his arm back once he was cleared to use his power.
"Ah yes, that is today, isn't it!" Momo bounced happily, making her assets do interesting things and making Izuku blush. "May I come with you?" She asked hopefully, and Izuku nodded with a smile.
A few minutes later, Izuku knocked on Toshinori's door, and All Might's voice greeted them, "Come in!" The giant man was wearing his cheesy yellow pinstripe suit rather than his costume. "Ah, welcome, you two! Thank you for meeting with me."
"Of course!" Momo said diligently, smiling at their teacher, "Izuku said you had some class representative material to go over with us?"
All Might chuckled, "I'm afraid that I don't actually have any such business with you both. I had Midoriya-shōnen bring you here for a different reason."
Momo blinked as (despite her trust in the two men) her heart started to beat a little faster, "S-something else?" She stuttered uncharacteristically, but got herself under control, "But why the subterfuge?"
All Might sighed, "We needed a little bit of secrecy because I did not wish to reveal this information to the rest of your class."
Momo blinked in shock at his words, "I… I am very confused." She said honestly,
"That's understandable." Izuku smiled gently at her, placing a (he hoped) comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's nothing bad, it's just… a lot."
"And how do you know about it?" She asked him curiously, absently reaching up and gripping his hand lightly.
Izuku chuckled, "I found out mostly by accident, and was the first one our age to know. Inasa was the second and in the same manner, and All Might needed to do quite a bit of glaring to make sure he understood he needed to keep it quiet." He snickered at the memory.
"Yaoyorozu-shōjo, you have been a level-headed and calm student, and that is exactly what we need from you right now. It is quite shocking, so try to keep that cool."
Well, that certainly didn't make her heart rate slow down at all. Toshinori relaxed, and the cloud of steam enveloped him. Momo let out a squeak of shock and backed up a step, with Izuku moving his hand to the small of her back to keep her from backing into the door. When the smoke cleared, her eyes bulged, and she clapped her hands to her lips to keep from screaming.
"Easy." Izuku said soothingly.
"A-All Might?!" The name fell from her lips, strangled in her shock.
Toshinori sighed, his fitted suit hanging limply and ruffled on his skinny frame, "Not a pretty sight, is it?" He laughed, sitting down heavily on a comfy office chair. She still just stared at him, wide-eyed in shock, "About six years ago now, I was involved in a fight with a Villain. Japan's deadliest supervillain, in fact." Izuku helped a trembling Momo to the sofa and sat down with her. She hadn't taken her eyes off Toshinori, "The fight went untelevised and unreported. We buried all information of it deep. The fight was the worst in my life, and in the end my enemy was defeated. But I didn't get out unscathed."
Izuku rubbed her back to help her breathe, and spoke as well, "The Villain got a good hit in as well. All Might was severely injured and had to go through multiple surgeries. The result after six years is this."
Toshinori looked down at his feet, "I'm old now, Yaoyorozu-shōjo. Old and injured. I can only use my Quirk for around three hours a day now."
Tears prickled at her eyes, "A-All Might…" She sniffed, contemplating how much this man sacrificed for them every day. And more than that, if Izuku knew about it and had been tasked with bringing her here, that meant that their relationship was more than just a fresh student and teacher. All Might must have used up all his time the day they were attacked. She couldn't even imagine how much he must have been castigating himself for letting Izuku get hurt the way he did.
Evidently Izuku had rubbed off on her more than she thought, because All Might grimaced, "You're right about that. I had almost never been angrier than I was when I flew into the USJ and discovered how injured Midoriya-shōnen was."
She must have mumbled her thoughts out loud. "I… I- thank you for trusting me with this, but-" She wiped the tears away, "But I don't understand why you're telling me any of this. I-" She trailed off.
Toshinori smiled at her, and it wasn't anywhere near as reassuring as his usual smiles. It was a gnarled thing, despite the warmth in his gaze, "We're getting there. Do you need a moment? Some water or tea?"
Momo licked her lips, "N-Not yet. Maybe once we're done, a calming brew would be nice."
"Very well." Toshinori pierced her with his gaze, and Momo's spine stiffened, "All Might's time is coming to an end." It wasn't some great revelation. She'd figured that out already, just from his injured form and time limit. All the same, hearing it with such finality made her feel cold, "And so I've been looking to the next generation for hope. Your classes have had some wonderful members, and you've been one of the standouts." Momo blushed despite the seriousness of the discussion, "All Might had to be a natural born Hero, but the truth is that there was nothing natural about my power."
Momo blinked in shock, "W-what is that supposed to mean?"
"He means that until he was around our age, he was Quirkless." Izuku said softly, looking at Toshinori.
Momo opened her mouth in shock, "W-wait! You mean he was a late bloomer, right? Like you?"
"No." Toshinori snorted, "You may have seen my interviews. I always get asked what my Quirk is. I always deflect, or make some sort of joke to take attention off of it. Because the truth is a secret generations old. My Quirk is named One For All, and it is a sacred torch that can be passed from person to person." Momo swore she felt her heart stop at his words, "It is a Quirk that stockpiles power, combined with the Quirk that allows you to pass on a Quirk. And after eight generations and decades inside of me, it grew to what you see every day."
"Oh my god…!" Momo managed to breathe out, utterly dumbfounded. She felt like she was short circuiting. She grabbed Izuku's hand without even thinking, drawing comfort from their clasped fingers.
Toshinori smiled a bit wider at the sight, "Because of my injury, I had been searching for a worthy individual to pass my power onto. I met Midoriya-shōnen just over a year ago and deemed him the ideal candidate. The little Quirkless boy with a gigantic heart who leapt into danger to save a boy who bullied him for years. Only Midoriya-shōnen wasn't quite Quirkless. It just took over a decade for his body to mature enough to handle his power. I was elated because I figured he was even more the ideal candidate. I immediately began training him, both for his own Quirk and preparing him to receive mine. But once we came here for Recovery Girl to examine him and his new Quirk, Principal Nezu learned how it had only awoken a short time ago and how powerful it already was. He feared that if his Phoenix Force combined with One For All, it could create something far too unstable. After hearing him, we all agreed it was too dangerous to risk."
"Izuku…" Momo squeezed his hand, looking towards him.
"It's alright." Izuku was blushing, but squeezed back, "I had my own Quirk. Something that was finally ME. I was alright with not taking Yagi-sensei's Quirk too. But I swore I would help him find someone." The yen coin finally dropped, and Momo's eyes bulged as she snapped her head back at All Might, and then back at Izuku, going back and forth. The two were grinning, "You're usually quicker on the uptake." Izuku joked.
"But why ME?!" Momo yelped at having her crazy theory confirmed.
"Multiple reasons, young lady." Toshinori smiled at her, "But it boils down to some simple reasons; your dedication, your sense of justice, your desire to help others, your leadership." He chuckled, "You were born in the lap of luxury unlike most of the rest of us, and yet you've chosen one of the most difficult and harrowing professions in the world. You've already seen darkness and you didn't break. And you didn't hesitate to throw yourself into harm's way to save Midoriya-shōnen. Something I couldn't possibly thank you enough for. Your actions bought him enough time to recollect himself."
"Mina, Setsuna, Camie, and even Shishida-san jumped in too." The words fell from her lips in an attempt to buy herself some time to collect herself.
"They did." Toshinori agreed, "And there were others we were considering as well. It has taken QUITE some time to deliberate." It was true, Momo realized. School started many weeks ago, and it had been almost three since the USJ Incident. "But we felt your more serious nature was a better fit, and Midoriya-shōnen had some ideas about how One For All would interact with Creation."
Izuku spoke for the first time in a while, "I'm quite eager to see if my theories were correct." He smiled and squeezed her hand once more. She squeezed back, before turning back to Toshinori.
Toshinori smiled at the obvious connection between both his successors, "You may not be my choice to take my place as the Symbol of Peace, and you may not have been my first choice to take my Quirk either." Momo felt a pang. She was just a replacement for Izuku, wasn't she? She wasn't sure if her quick thought showed on her face, because All Might continued, "But you are a fantastic Heroine in the making and will be amazing no matter what your choice is. You have so much potential, and I am offering you One For All because I feel you will be able to do the most good with it. And I've seen the way you work together. With you two side-by-side, I have no doubt that the future is secure." Never mind. Now her heart was hammering for another reason altogether, and she was sure her face was burning. He smiled at her, "What do you say?"
"I…" Momo took a deep breath to try to collect herself. It wasn't working. This- this was too much. This was such an honor. And she wasn't used to being praised. Not like this. "I…" She finally blurted out, "I think I'd like that tea now." Yeah, her face was burning. All Might and Izuku burst out laughing.
…
It had taken her fifteen minutes of relative quiet with her teacher and crush and a good cup of tea to get her thoughts in order. She'd asked a few questions between sips, which the two had answered dutifully. She was surprised to learn why he had created the Symbol of Peace, and it gave her much to think about. She also asked for details about the incident where Izuku gained his Quirk, and was a little disgusted. She was almost ready to make her decision, "Thank you so much for this opportunity, All Might."
Toshinori smiled, "You may call me Yagi-sensei or Toshinori when you see me like this, young lady."
Momo nodded at his words, "I- it astounds me that you think me worthy of inheriting something so vital."
"Do you doubt yourself?" Toshinori asked in surprise, and Momo nodded a little shamefully.
"I didn't have to get here the way everyone else did. Yes, I practiced and trained, but I just offhandedly mentioned one day to Mother that I had decided to become a Hero, and the next day Mother told me my recommendation to U.A. was secure." It frustrated her a little, "I wasn't even twelve at the time! I did my best to prove I belonged here, but it still made me feel inadequate. Like I didn't really belong."
"That's nonsense!" Izuku said, making her look at him in shock, "Hundreds of applicants get recommendations, but 99% of them end up in the general exams with the rest of us! You got in via recommendations, yes! That just means that you're the best of the best! You beat out EVERYONE else! And Inasa was there too! He told me about the test! You were competing against the likes of him and Todoroki! You don't give yourself nearly enough credit! You belong here, Momo!"
"Izuku…" She whispered, feeling hot all over again.
"Not everyone travels the same road, young lady. And every destination has many ways to get there. You were born in the lap of luxury, but you chose to be here instead of taking advantage of your high birth like so many others would have. Midoriya-shōnen is right. No number of recommendations or amount of money thrown at U.A. would have gotten you a seat in either Hero class if you didn't deserve it." Toshinori told her.
Momo took a deep breath, centering herself with her eyes closed. Then she opened them and smiled, "I think I've made my decision. I accept!" Izuku and All Might gave her brilliant grins, and she hurried before they could say anything, "It's a great power you've entrusted me with, but that's not the reason I choose to take it." She said, and they both looked at her with surprise, "It's pretty clear to me that no matter what you've said or who you chose to pass it to, Izuku is still your successor as the Symbol of Peace."
Toshinori nodded, "You're not wrong, although I believe you will be right there with him."
"But that's exactly what I'm getting at." Momo said, with just a bit of sharpness to her tone, "When you retire, that symbol is going to vanish, whether Izuku is ready or not." Toshinori grimaced unhappily, but she wasn't wrong, "I admire you so much, All Might. Everything you've done for us since before we were born! You weren't wrong to want to become who you became, but after everything I've heard, I'm not sure it was the correct path. You stood and still stand alone. Ever since you got injured, crime rates have been climbing with your declining appearances. Those make SO much more sense now."
"Villains still run scared…" He replied, "But you're right. Especially in the last two years, the crime rate has climbed. Three hours just aren't enough…"
She nodded, but moved on, "And those Heroes" She was uncharacteristically vehement as she recalled the Heroes Izuku told her about, "-who were going to let Bakugō-san drown because they lacked an appropriate Quirk… You grew too far away, and there was no one who could help you. You became a pillar of strength, and you're the only thing holding up the county. No one tried to catch up to you! Or at least not enough people! Everyone just expects you to solve every problem! I WON'T let that happen to Izuku. A pillar stands alone, and a pillar can crumble. All it needs is one fault, and the entire structure will come tumbling down. We need more than that. We need a foundation!" She stared at him with a determined gaze as she squeezed Izuku's hand tightly, "I'm accepting not because I want your power, but because I refuse to let him be alone at the top!"
Izuku's admiration of her turned almost into adoration. He was staring at her as if she were a goddess, "Momo…"
And Toshinori was nearly crying, "If any doubts ever existed within me, they were just extinguished." He smiled in joy as he covered his eyes to keep his tears at bay, "This really is such a great class. You are more than worthy, young lady. You are the right choice."
Momo smiled prettily, "Thank you for trusting me."
Izuku just shook himself and looked excited, "Are we doing it now? Is there some sort of ceremony?" He looked like a little kid in his excitement.
Toshinori's grin was a little more playful than normal, "Normally, no, we wouldn't be doing it now. One For All is a dangerous power, and an unprepared body wouldn't be capable of holding such tremendous power. It would blow her limbs off." Momo blanched. Hard. "So normally, I would spend quite a bit of time training her to be able to use it safely." Toshinori's grin widened, and then he buffed into All Might, "But…" He said teasingly, "In your own words… 'She can lift cannons.' Her fitness is already at a good level." He turned to Momo, "You are pretty slim for someone who can lift more than a ton." He said with an All Might smile, flexing his right arm and making his suit creak audibly and ominously.
Momo took it with good humor, "I weigh far more than I appear to, as well. I'm almost triple the weight of someone with the same body type as me." She giggled, remembering Ochako's comment during their first group session. The brunette had been right about Momo being heavy, even if her assumption had been incorrect as she thought Momo would be fat, not just heavy. Of course, Momo hadn't corrected her. She had no desire for the wider class to know her weight. It was an entertaining secret for her to keep, and she'd have to make sure Izuku wouldn't mention it.
"Ahahaha!" All Might laughed, reaching up to his head and plucking off a hair, "Indeed? Well, that makes this significantly easier. Now," And Izuku and Momo both recognized that he was having fun with something, "Eat this!"
"…huh?" Izuku and Momo both squeaked.
"The transfer works off of DNA. I figured this was the least nasty thing." All Might laughed.
"It's nothing like I thought it would be!" Izuku yelled, a grossed out expression on his face.
"Can't we just do a blood transfusion?" Momo asked, equally grossed out.
"Dangerous." Toshinori replied, "The transference might happen too quickly like that, without giving your body time to start getting used to it."
"Oh bother." Momo said, taking the hair with a grimace, "Well, at least it won't be the strangest thing I've ever eaten."
"…It won't?" Izuku asked, a little horrified.
"You don't want to know." She muttered, a shudder racing across her spine as she recalled some of the truly horrid 'delicacies' she had been forced to try at some fancy dinner parties. It was the one time she had ever gotten truly angry with her parents. She took her teacup and filled it again. Thankfully the rest of the tea was at least still warm. "Well, here goes." She said after scrunching up the hair as best she could. Once it was rolled in a nice ball, she tossed it into her mouth and chased it down with the tea like it was a pill, "Eurgh, that feels weird."
"Now, it should take a couple hours to digest-" Toshinori started to say, but Momo cut him off.
"Probably not." She swallowed heavily, starting to feel something bubble up in her core. It felt like something fiery. Or maybe something electric. It was warm and soothing. Almost like it approved of her. "Perhaps we should go see Recovery Girl?"
Toshinori deflated, "Most definitely. Let's go."
-]|[-
"You blockhead." Recovery Girl groaned when she was told what had just occurred. Momo blinked in shock, "Why didn't you just have me there with you? I already knew about One For All."
"It was a private moment between the three of us." Toshinori protested half-heartedly.
"Well, luckily, I sense nothing wrong, Yaoyorozu-chan. Please just sit here calmly and let me know if you feel anything wrong. I need to check on Midoriya."
"Yes, Ma'am." Momo nodded as she sat quietly, smiling at Izuku.
He smiled back as Recovery Girl laid him down and used a machine to examine his head and brain. Luckily imaging machines were MUCH better than the ones from hundreds of years ago. They were portable, for one, and didn't cost nearly as much. Recovery Girl let out a sigh of relief, "It looks like it's all healed. Enough that I feel safe letting you use your Quirk. Might want to use your healing flames on your head to start, just in case." She stepped back.
Izuku smiled brightly and reached inside himself for the first time in nearly three weeks. His power rose up with a responsiveness that shocked him. He barely grasped his flames when they engulfed his head, and every ache and pain he hadn't even been aware of vanished. "Oh, that feels so good!" He said almost manically, reaching out with his Telekinesis and grabbing a cup. He used FAR less than he thought he needed, and grimaced when the plastic crumpled a little. It made him grumble, "Damn… back to learning control." He bemoaned.
"Is it a lot stronger again?" Recovery Girl asked curiously.
"A LOT." He grimaced and took stock, "And I'm not even fully recovered. I can feel my… err… 'pool' still has quite a bit of room."
"It was the most you had ever strained yourself." Toshinori said, something Momo had guessed but hadn't known, "And the longest. It makes sense."
Recovery Girl finished unwrapping his stump, and Izuku engulfed it with his flames once more. Again, he felt the aches and pains vanish, but something was wrong. When he extinguished his flames to reveal his new arm, all that met him was the stump once more.
"NO!" Momo let out a wail as she witnessed the failure, and Toshinori looked like he wanted to turn into All Might and rip the Villains responsible for the attack apart with his bare hands.
Izuku stared at it, pale and lost.
Recovery Girl let out a disappointed groan, "I was afraid of this."
"But why?!" Momo hated how lost and broken Izuku's voice sounded. She had already started crying for her friend and crush.
"It's been three weeks." She replied heavily, "Your leg was a fresh wound. This one has cicatrized. Your body recognizes this as your 'default' state. Your flames work automatically. You don't have to know what you're doing to heal." She bowed her head, "I'm sorry, Midoriya-chan…"
Momo latched on to what she said. Anything to give Izuku some hope, "But what if he did?!" She blurted out. Recovery Girl turned to her with a raised eyebrow. Momo hurried to clarify, "What if he DID know what he was doing? What if he could give his flames more direction?" She stared at Recovery Girl with hopeful eyes. Something mirrored by Toshinori.
"You mean, like… learn anatomy?" Izuku asked, thankful for the suggestion.
Recovery Girl hummed, "…I'm not sure. It COULD work… but I don't want to give you false hope. It just as easily could not." She told him.
"Any hope is better than none." Izuku said, a spark of life back in his eyes.
Recovery Girl smiled a little, and Izuku felt a chill down his spine, "Well, it HAS been quite a while since I took a student. I hope you're diligent, Midoriya-chan." Izuku gulped at the look on her face.
"In the meantime," Toshinori cut in, forcing a smile onto his face, "Those flames are cold, aren't they? Or at least not hot enough to burn? Why not try to use your power to make yourself an arm? It would be good training, right? If I recall, they cost quite a bit of stamina before the incident."
Izuku hummed, and summoned the flames. It was important he didn't try to mix them. That was what created his… hellfire. The flames slowly but surely took the form of an arm, but flickered ethereally as flames tended to do. It wasn't perfect, and he grimaced, "This'll take some getting used to." He used it to pick up a plastic clipboard, which didn't start to melt at all. It was confirmation that it could work.
"You can do it." Momo got up and gave him a hug, "I believe in you." When his flames touched her, she gasped, "Oh my!" Izuku pulled back in a hurry, so she hurried to explain, "They felt so… soothing." She touched the arm, a happy look of wonder on her face. She totally missed Izuku's blush and the two teacher's smirks.
-]|[-
They were back in Ground Beta, making Izuku smile as he remembered their Battle Trials. They had been less than a month ago, but so much had happened it felt longer. He and Momo were standing in the middle of the street, with All Might, Principal Nezu, and Recovery Girl nearby. "I still find it super weird that U.A. can just casually build entirely disposable cities for training scenarios." Izuku couldn't help but mutter.
Momo lit out a refined little giggle, hiding her mouth behind her hand, "Yes, even for me, this is a bit much."
Nezu let out a little laugh of his own, "Yes, well, having Cementoss on the faculty has its advantages. It's much easier to do things like this when one of your teachers is capable of easily manipulating the most common materials."
Momo nodded with Izuku mirroring her, "Is this everyone who knows of One For All?"
"There are a few others that you need to know about." All Might said, "One of my personal friends on the police force knows. His name is Naomasa Tsukauchi. The other two were my only two sidekicks; David Shield and Sir Nighteye."
"I see." Momo said evenly, her heart beating a little faster, "Judging from how you said that, I'm assuming there's at least one other I don't need to know about."
Nezu nodded, "Rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to make sure that never becomes relevant."
But Momo had heard enough. Her mind whirred, and she pieced it together, "The Villain who injured you." She said flatly, making their eyes widen.
Toshinori let out a sigh, "I forgot your brilliance was one of the reasons I chose you." He grumbled under his breath, "Yes. My arch nemesis, you could say. I thought I killed him, but the Nōmu cast that into doubt." Momo and Izuku flinched, "There is no guarantee that it was truly him, but that creature at least pointed to someone familiar with his methods."
Momo looked at Izuku, and he shook his head. "I'll be honest. I don't appreciate being given One For All without all of the facts."
"Me either." Izuku said quietly.
"I'm sorry." Toshinori bowed his head to them, "But if he IS still alive, I will ensure neither of you have to face him. THAT is MY fight." He had such an uncharacteristic look on his face that Momo and Izuku merely swallowed heavily and nodded.
Nezu stepped up, "Now, we luckily have access to this giant playground for you to test your Quirk. And I'm certain Midoriya-kun would be grateful to be able to stretch his wings once more, as it were. We will be helping you train with One For All, as well as Creation here."
Recovery Girl cut in, "I am here for any complications. This blockhead has told you that there will be some blowback, yes?"
Momo nodded resolutely, trying to put the heavy subject behind her, "Yes, though he didn't give any specifics."
"As you know," Toshinori snickered a little, "My blows at full force are capable of causing cyclones and even changing the weather. I can also move faster than most vehicles ever created. Despite your impressive physical stats, a brick wall you are not." He flexed as All Might, and that got Izuku and Momo to laugh, and drew smiles from the other two educators. He deflated again, "As such, I still expect to see at least some internal bruising and microfractures, and perhaps some torn muscle fibers here and there. We will work to get you to a level that you're capable of using safely, and then you can build up to maximum from there."
Momo nodded resolutely, and started walking deeper into the city. The other four stayed back, mostly so that they wouldn't be anywhere near her when she used One For Allfor the first time. They had no idea what her 100% would look like. The transference wasn't total as Toshinori would have become immediately Quirkless if that were the case. So, she could be significantly weaker. But One For All was a power that was always growing, so they weren't sure.
Momo stood in the middle of an intersection, and took a deep breath as the wind blew her hair around. She was in full costume because no doubt she would need some revisions. Precautions she may have for it, but moving at the speeds she knew All Might was capable would doubtlessly have her girls flapping in the wind, if it didn't tear her costume completely off her body. She made a mental note to get her parents to get her and her best friends some tickets to the upcoming I-Expo. U.A. even allowed students to miss class physically if you had the opportunity to go there, as it was such a tech and support tech haven. No doubt all of them could use some costume upgrades, or gadgets.
Plus, getting to spend time with Izuku, Camie, Mina, and Setsuna on an island with really nice weather sounded quite appealing.
She exhaled and took a fairly amateurish kickboxing stance. She was a much better armed fighter than unarmed, though she wasn't entirely untaught in that field. That would be something she would likely need to put more focus on.
She reached down, ignoring Creation for the first time in her life and reaching for One For All instead. She allowed it to engulf her right arm, and immediately realized that was silly and spread it through her entire body. Immediately, red lightning started crackling around her body as if she were a Dragon Ball character. They gave her body a reddish hue, and she quite liked the aura. It looked cool and was even her favorite color! She let out a strong right cross down the street.
A gigantic shockwave emanated from her fist. The wind from the attack shattered windows as it surged and bent light posts. Cars were picked up and thrown down the street. Even a small cyclone seemed to form in front of her and travel down the road.
Back where she had left the other four, there were smiles all around as they saw the result of her first attempt. And then they heard her scream in agony. Their smiles dropped off and before any of the other three could even think, Izuku was gone in an emerald flash, "Momo!" He yelled as he appeared next to her, gasping as he did so. Momo's entire arm from shoulder to fingers was shattered. The skin was a dull red with multiple tears down her arm, leaking blood. The limb was spasming and he realized her bones had to be shattered as well. It looked like a bomb had gone off under her skin.
And she was howling in agony, tears pouring down her beautiful, but milk-white face. Izuku jumped at her in a panic, trying to get her to Recovery Girl. His control lapsed as he reached out to grab her and get her back to Recovery Girl, not even thinking that All Might would be here with the diminutive woman faster than he could fly her there. And then the psychic shell he had around his healing flames holding them in an arm shape burst. Instantly, she was bathed in his flames, and her screams petered off, replaced by a long, drawn out moan of relief.
"Yaoyoro…zu?" All Might and Recovery Girl blinked, their shout trailing off as they sped into the area. They both saw how damaged her arm was whenever the flickers showed it off. But it was visibly getting better. Izuku forced it tighter around her, totally enveloping her entire right arm as he closed his eyes. To his shock, he could feel the flames repairing the damage. It was slow. MUCH slower than using it on himself, and just as stamina-draining on him… But it was working! They watched in awe as Izuku got his flames back under control, reforming his arm and unveiling Momo. Her costume was totally torn. Only one strap was still holding it up, revealing just enough breast that Izuku was a blushing mess. But she was cradling her arm (and absently keeping her costume from totally malfunctioning) in dumbfounded awe.
"It… it's healed?" She asked in wonder.
"YOU CAN HEAL?!" All Might yelled at Izuku in shock.
"I CAN HEAL?!" Izuku himself was no better.
Recovery Girl looked like she was about to sob and/or squeeeeee, "He can heal!"
Izuku felt a chill go down his spine.
…
Toshinori had his head in his hands as Izuku and Momo finished recounting what had happened and what he had seen, "That is FAR above and beyond the blowback I expected. My word, your arm was all but ready to come off!"
Recovery Girl had finished checking on Momo, and the younger girl had created a blanket for herself. If only to keep Izuku from passing out. She had a calming cup of tea in her hand, which was doing wonders for her nerves, "I… I don't think I've ever been so scared." She admitted with some shame, "At least the Nōmu was something I could fight against… It was just… so exhilarating… and then it wasn't. I was feeling the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. I couldn't create anything to help me… I couldn't even thinkdue to how much it hurt." She reached out to Izuku, "You saved me again…" There was no mistaking the adoration in her voice. Izuku went atomic red as she weaved her fingers together with his.
Toshinori almost smiled, but her words weighed heavy on him, "I'm sorry, Yaoyorozu-san… I truly never intended to have you hurt like that."
Nezu seemed to know what was on his mind, "Our students' safety is our number one priority." He said, sympathy in his voice. There was no sign of his occasional sadism apparent.
Toshinori sighed, "No one would look down on you if you wished to rid yourself of it after such an ordeal. Maybe… Maybe One For All has just grown… too strong. Perhaps it should die with me."
Momo swallowed, but shook her head, "If I did, my words to you would be meaningless. I can't let myself fall after my first hurdle." The light of Creation shone as she repaired her costume, and she stood, walking away. She trembled for a moment, but reached out to One For All again. 'Less!' She screamed in her own mind. She was familiar enough with Emitter Quirks due to Creation that she was able to take control much faster than others would have. She couldn't even imagine handing this power to a Quirkless person. They would have been a person adrift in the sea. Maybe even at Point Nemo. She grabbed just a single percent, dialing it WAY back.
This time, her skin just started to glow with an inner light. There was no lightning around at all. Just some glimmering veins shining. She breathed out, took a few steps, and began to run. She moved a little bit faster than she was accustomed to, so she stopped for a moment and increased it by another percent. The shine emanating from her increased, and again, it was totally manageable. So, she doubled it to four percent. Here was where she started feeling some strain, and it was where she capped things off. The crimson lightning was back, crackling merrily around her. She leapt forward, and felt the world blur around her. She covered a hundred meters in a flash, coming to a stop and stumbling, almost faceplanting before regaining her balance. An exhilarated, somewhat shaky giggle escaped her.
Toshinori and the others either gaped or smiled proudly, "Oh my… oh MY…" He buffed up and roared happily, "GOODNESS!"
"That was fantastic, Momo!" Izuku sped toward her and wrapped her up in a hug, "Congratulations!" She hugged him back happily, pressing into him tightly. And she knew exactly what she was doing as he stiffened.
'I know we agreed to do it together,' She thought to herself, 'But you're making it really hard not to jump ahead, Izuku…' She pulled back reluctantly. "Thank you." She smiled brilliantly at him.
He smiled back despite the red on his cheeks, "The lightning was really cool too!" He stepped back, "I wonder if you can do anything with it."
She blinked, having not thought of that, "Any ideas?"
"Just a crazy one." He smiled eagerly, "And it would for sure confirm if my theory on Creation is right."
She blinked, wondering what he meant. But he didn't elaborate, merely continuing to smile at her. She let out a little pout, before thinking it through. It only took a few seconds, and her eyes widened until she was gaping at him with a dropped jaw, "Wait, you don't think-" His smile turned into a smirk. She bit her knuckle, before holding her arm out, "Nothing for it, I guess." She activated One For All and the lightning engulfed her, before she also used Creation. The lightning started focusing on her hand and elongated into a long rod before the glow disappeared, revealing both her utterly flummoxed face and a perfect Bō staff held firmly in her hand.
"YES!" Izuku cheered, pumping his (not-twin) fists into the air.
"Oh my god!" Momo cried out in shock, "I didn't even feel a tiny drain on my lipids!" She rounded on Izuku, "What was your theory?!"
Izuku laughed gaily, "You remember how the classic example of mischaracterizing Quirks is hydrokinesis? How some people have Quirks that allow them to draw moisture from the air, rather than producing it from their bodies?"
"Of course!" Momo was still mystified. She was so used to what her Quirk was that she was struggling to connect the dots. "It isn't surprising. We don't have machines to tell us what our Quirks are. We can only go by our experiences with them."
"Right! Since you lost weight, it was natural to assume it worked via direct conversion of lipids to whatever you needed." He agreed, "But that's just the thing; You weren't turning lipids into matter at all! You never were! I think (and I feel like you just proved) that the lipids were just the fuel in some sort of high-energy reaction that gave off extreme amounts of power! Like how fusing two Hydrogen gets you one helium and a lot of excess energy! You then use that energy to reconstitute matter! Like a mini big bang every time you use your Quirk! That was why you could make something like a cannon when you don't weigh anywhere near that much! And we just gave you a gigantic source of energy." He started to laugh harder, "If only you absorbed sunlight! We could rename your Quirk to 'Star Forge!'"
Momo stared at him, agog. Dimly, she realized the Principal was cackling over by All Might and Recovery Girl.
-]|[-
It was a testament to Aizawa-sensei's reputation that his opening words, "I hope you've all been preparing diligently." Put the fear of god into the class.
"Preparing for what, Sensei?" Kaminari chanced asking, getting an aside look from the perpetually grumpy man.
"Why, the sports festival, of course." Aizawa responded, getting the room to fill with quiet energy. If they had announced it close to the USJ, they certainly would have been panicking. But time does heal all wounds, as it were. "I hope you weren't thinking the word 'fun,' just now." He added blandly, as several students flinched, "Don't forget, your performance in the festival makes up the physical portion of your midterm grades." There were several groans at his words as they were reminded that they still would have tests before the festival began in full.
"Sensei?" Momo raised her hand, "They are approaching, but I thought it was customary to announce them two weeks prior? We still have a month to go."
Aizawa nodded, "That's due to a change in the curriculum. Your syllabi have not been updated yet to reflect the new information." Iida looked like he was going to spontaneously turn into a teakettle and was having to restrain himself from beginning to chop the air. "Due to the Villain attack, we have decided to do something important before the festival rather than a-"
"HERO NAMES!" Miss Midnight all but kicked the door down as she sashayed into the room, grinning broadly. Several male members of the class went brick-red, and then the class parsed the statement and started to cheer..
"You missed your cue." Aizawa drawled as he grabbed his sleeping bag, not bothering to settle the kids down.
Midnight gasped, "Wait, let me go agai-"
"I will string you up and leave you hanging." His glare should have turned Midnight to stone, but she was unaffected. The class shut up though. "As you can see, Miss Midnight will be helping you as I'm useless at stuff like this."
"Promises, promises." She said silkily. Poor Kōda looked like he was going to pass out. Aizawa rolled his eyes as he got into his bag and she walked behind his podium, "Now! Hero names are an important part of your future careers, and due to the events of last month, we decided that we should do them early to give you all at least some level of anonymity during the Festival. The names you present today do not have to be final per se, but you WILL need one for the Festival itself." She smirked a little maliciously, "Of course, if I decide you clearly can't come up with anything good, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands." She licked her lips eagerly, and most of the males were really glad they were sitting down. "And keep in mind that this name might end up being what you get labelled as permanently. If the public latches onto a name too tightly, nothing will get them to change it."
She handed a stack of whiteboards to Aoyama, who quickly started passing all of them around. Soon, each teen had a whiteboard in front of them, and they were all agonizing over names. Well, most of them were. Some like Tsuyu had a name almost immediately, and calmly just sat with her fingers clasped. There was some light discussion, but not much. Everyone was mostly just thinking to themselves, with some nudging from friends. Finally, fifteen minutes elapsed, and Midnight called for time. And then they learned they were presenting.
"Wait, what?! We have to present these?!" Some of them roared.
"Of course." Midnight looked confused, raising an eyebrow, "If you can't proudly declare them in class, how will you declare them to the world?" And that certainly got them to understand.
Aoyama tried to stand and be first, but Inasa shot right ahead of him and kicked up some papers as he flew out of his seat and behind the podium, "Right on!" He cheered, "Me and my man Izuku started going over Hero names ages ago, and he helped me pick out a hot-blooded knockout!" He flipped the whiteboard and slammed it down, "Gale Force!"
Cheers rose up amongst the class. "Fantastic reference to your Quirk!" Midnight smiled approvingly, "And I'm sure you'll be knocking down your foes just like one!"
"Right on!" Inasa cheered, punching the air.
Aoyama scrambled to be second, since first had been stolen from him, "Here I go…" He took a breath, "Shining Hero! I Can Not Stop Twinkling!" He announced, holding the board over his head. In full English.
He was met with dead silence. "That's a sentence." Midnight said flatly.
"Ah!" Aoyama quivered, looking disappointed, "Bu-"
"Sorry Aoyama-kun, back to the drawing board, for you." The blonde sulked as Midnight told him to go take his seat.
With the first failure, several students started to sweat. Finally, Mina worked up her nerve and shot to her feet. She rushed over to the podium and put a massive smile on her face, "I will be… the Acidic Hero: Alien Queen!"
Midnight pictured Mina as an Alien with a very long extending tongue with a second set of jaws on it, hissing, "From the sequel?! Because her blood was super acidic?!" She shivered a little, "That's a little scary, don't you think? I wouldn't!"
"Dang it!" Mina groaned, dejectedly going back to her seat. Izuku patted her on the shoulder as she passed by, earning him a smile.
"I'll go then." Tsuyu got up, "This has been my name since Elementary." She presented the board, "The Rainy Season Hero: Froppy!"
"YEAH!" The class cheered, getting a small smile from the normally stoic girl, "Froppy! Froppy!"
Midnight laughed, "Well I can hardly say no to such an excellent name! Next!"
Kirishima shot up, "Red Riot!" He called out, with the extra bit 'the Sturdy Hero' written on the board before the name.
"Oh, named for Crimson Riot? Do we have our first homage?" Their teacher asked.
"That right!" Kirishima pounded his chest, "He's my Hero, and I'm honored to be able to honor his name!"
"Names like these carry a lot of pressure! It's a good thing you'll be able to endure!" She nodded, sending him back. And so a string of good names followed, with Ochako going up and becoming Uravity, Shōji taking Tentacole, and Kōda taking Anima. And then it was Katsuki's turn.
"King Explosion Murder." He growled out, a shadow over his face.
"You're kidding me with that, right?" Midnight stared at him blankly.
"What?! No! Why the hell would I?!" He turned and yelled at her. She had to fight to keep from smacking herself.
"Jus-" She didn't even finish her sentence, pointing to the chair. The explosive blonde stomped away, "Next?"
Momo smiled as she got to the front, "I originally had another name in mind, but…" She trailed off, smiling at her three closest friends in the class, "We actually had a brainstorm session on Monday. Quite lucky, no?" She flipped the board, "Izanami, the Creator!"
"Ooooh!" The class clapped, and Midnight smiled, "Clever. You DO have quite the wonderful Quirk! Approved!"
Tokoyami got up, "I almost wish you had picked whatever your first choice was, Yaoyorozu-san."
Momo blinked, "What? Why?"
"I'm not calling you mother." He flipped his board, revealing his name, 'The Jet-Black Hero, Tsukuyomi.' The class burst into laughter. Midnight almost fell over from laughing, holding herself up via the podium. Tokoyami himself merely smirked a little sardonically. Momo was giggling delightedly with her friends.
Mina leapt up with a giant smile as he sat back down and practically ran to the podium, "This one is really clever!" She cheered, "XenomorpH!"
Midnight groaned, "That IS really clever, but it's the same problem as last time!"
She grumbled, now officially in a bad mood. As Mina was about to walk dejectedly to her seat, Momo stood up and, curious, the entire class froze. Momo smiled the entire time as she went up to Mina, erased her last try, wrote something down, and handed it face-down back to Mina. She went back to her seat and smiled beatifically at Mina.
Mina blinked, and flipped the board over to read it. She twitched, making Momo's smile widen, "Yaomomo, you're ENTIRELY too cute to be sitting there so smugly!" Momo blushed a little and whistled innocently. Mina flipped it and showed the class, "Amina Acid!" The class started to cheer.
"That was lit, Yaomomo!" Camie high-fived the heiress.
"It was really clever!" Izuku smiled at her, and blushed just a little bit when Mina started hugging the three, starting with him.
Kyōka got up and presented her own, "I didn't really have many ideas that didn't have to do with my Quirk." She admitted, "But I overheard Green and Yaomomo talking and nerding out," She smirked a little at them, drawing smiles and chuckles from the class, "So I decided, why not nerd out a little myself?" She showed them her name, "Symphony Regalia!"
"YEAHHHHH!" The class cheered.
Camie high-fived Kyōka as they walked by each other, "Kill La Kill was totally the best, fam! I'm going with Discordia, cuz I'm totally gonna cause chaos on the battlefield, ya dig?!" She shot them a peace sign.
"The Roman Goddess?" Midnight asked, though she was smiling, "I suppose your illusions would indeed be worthy of that name."
"Hell yeah!" Camie cheered, pumping her fist, and returning to her seat.
Finally, Aoyama got up again. "I am disappointed that I had to dim my sparkle." He said, and ignored the several eye-rolls not all his classmates tried to hide, "But this name will reignite them!" He took his lessons from both the failed and successful names, "The Starlit Hero: Polaris!"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Midnight clapped approvingly, "Taking the name of the brightest star in the sky is more than appropriate! Good job, Aoyama-kun. Kaminari-kun, you're up!"
Kaminari grinned as he presented, "The Thunderstruck Hero: Conduit!" Sero went next, becoming 'Spoolerman' and then Hagakure becoming "Prism."
"Excellent! Iida-kun!" She pointed at the taller boy.
"Jet Drive!" Iida's name was accompanied with a firm chop.
"Genos!" Kaminari made a voice, getting the class to chuckle, "You certainly act robotic enough for it!"
"Huh?!" Iida started chopping, "I do not know what you mean? I said Jet Drive, not Genos!"
"We need to get some anime in you, Iida-kun." Izuku let out a little laugh. He tried to stand, but Katsuki shot up and tried again.
"Lord Explosion Murder!" He growled, a vein pulsing.
"You missed the ENTIRE point!" Midnight couldn't keep the facepalm from happening this time, the loud smack ringing in the classroom. "You can't call yourself 'Murder!' How did you even make it into 1-A?"
"Hey, you should totally call yourself the Nitrogremlin. Fits like a glove." Camie sneered at the blonde.
"Ehh?! You wanna fucking die?!" Katsuki looked like he wanted to start exploding.
Midnight cracked her whip, "Don't make me break out my Quirk." She warned, "Bakugō, since both of your names were so horrible, your name is Blast until further notice. Now go sit down." Katsuki's head appeared like a mass of pulsing veins from how angry he was. "Todoroki-kun."
"I haven't… really thought of one." Todoroki said quietly, making no effort to get up.
Midnight grumbled internally, 'Always has to be one, doesn't there.'
"Oooh, I know!" Mina waved her arm in the air, "He should totally be Frozone!" That got blinks, and then cheering laughs. Even Todoroki smiled a bit at that.
Midnight laughed, "Where's my Super Suit?!" The class burst out laughing at her attempt at Samuel Jackson's voice, "Luckily, even the Mouse can't do anything about such a long-expired copyright! I approve if you want it!" Todoroki nodded, though Aizawa (who wasn't really sleeping. How could he in this noise?) frowned. "And then there was one… Midoriya-kun!"
Izuku stood, smiling sheepishly, "Let me say quite clearly how glad I am that we don't pick Hero names as toddlers, otherwise I'd be stuck with Mighty Might Jr." Everyone started to laugh, and Mina almost slid out of her chair like a puddle of goo. Even Aizawa cracked a smile. "I've had months to think on this, and thanks to Momo, Mina, Camie, and Setsuna for helping me with it! Inasa too, even if I didn't go with any of our original ones." Inasa gave him a thumbs up anyway as he revealed his name, "The Cosmic Hero: Eon!"
"A manly name for our manliest Hero!" Kirishima yelled, standing up and throwing his fists into the air.
They all ignored Katsuki's, "EHHHH?! WHO THE FUCK DID YOU SAY IS THE MANLIEST?!"
"Wonderful!" Midnight cheered as well, mimicking the rest of the class, "This was one of the most fun groups I've had in years! Very few hiccups, and some incredibly clever names! Excellent work, everyone!"
Aizawa stood, "Now remember, if you end up coming up with something better between now and the festival, please submit it to Midnight for approval." He sounded as tired as usual, "And with that, it's almost time for you to go home." The class froze, hearing a record scratch. Almost? But this was the last class of the day! Aizawa smirked behind his capture weapon, "I have one final announcement for you all before I let you go." A nervous energy rose up in the class, "For once, All Might had an excellent idea, which Principal Nezu approved. Tomorrow afternoon, your classes will be all Foundational Heroics. One of our best third year students is being assigned to each class on a semi-permanent basis as a Teaching Assistant and trainer. Well, when they're not on Work Studies, anyway."
"Ooooh, that's awesome!" Ochako cheered happily, "I can't wait to meet them!"
"Ahahaha…" Both Aizawa and Midnight let out chilling laughs, freezing their excitement in their spines, "Ah, I remember being that innocent." Midnight licked her lips again, and this time they were too frightened to react.
"I don't." Aizawa said, glancing at her with dead eyes. She scowled at him, "Regardless…good luck." Aizawa told them as he and his fellow teacher started to walk out, "Oh!" He leaned back in, spearing them with his gaze. One of his sick smiles was wide and bright on his face, "And try not to die!" He left and closed the door.
As one, the class whimpered.