At the class, Midnight announced that we would be discussing the names of our quirks. Heroes, as is well known, are public figures, and their quirks, along with a couple of well-known moves, are their calling cards. Perhaps some of us should change the names we received as children or the ones we recently chose (at this point, she glanced in my direction) to better align with the essence of the image, the overall pro-hero persona each of us will be shaping over the next three years of study.
In a sense, this image is our final project. UA teaches students not only to effectively save people and fight villains, but also to successfully promote their bread. I mean, brand.
To some extent, every professional hero is an actor playing their part in a global reality show.
But the stakes in this show are the real lives and deaths of people.
And I really didn't like this aspect of my possible future career.
However, remembering what I wrote in my application form, I put on a poker face.
Time for jokes!
Well, everyone was given small chalkboards—sort of like regular classroom chalkboards, just miniaturized. They could have used tablets or regular markers, of course, but complaining is pointless because this is standard practice in schools. Due to hieroglyphic writing, both names and surnames, and other titles, can be written in katakana, kanji, and there can be various interpretations. Often, the sound alone is unclear, so it's better to just write it down immediately.
At the signal from the playful Midnight, who winked at everyone and stretched… gosh, her hair was stunning—down to her hips—our session began.
In a way, we were participating in a role-playing game: each of us introduced ourselves as a young aspiring pro-hero being interviewed by reporter-Koyama. Whatever I might think of Nemuri, she was in her element during public appearances, and she handled yesterday's schoolkids with virtuoso skill.
We didn't have to go to the front of the class to present, but we did have to stand up, announce our quirk's name out loud, explain why it was called that (as if answering an interview), and listen to the criticism from Midnight, who momentarily stepped out of character.
I was particularly interested in what Izuku would say. And since we were called up in order of our student numbers, he was supposed to present just before me.
That's how I found out that Aoyama had the "Naval Laser" (and the guy really thought—or at least pretended to think—that he was the "supernova" of our class), and Ochaco Uraraka had "Zero Gravity." What both quirks had in common was the recoil from overuse—Uraraka got nauseous, and even vomited, while Aoyama got a sharp pain in his stomach.
Moving on. As it turned out, Yui ultimately chose nothing other than "The Rule." It sounded ambitious, made sense, but didn't fully convey the essence, though it definitely suited the girl's image. I smirked to myself. It seemed my discontent with obvious names hadn't gone unnoticed by someone with refined ears.
Then Kaminari tried to make a joke, saying, "If it's 'The Rule,' do you like to dominate?" Kodai simply looked at him in response. But how! She turned slowly, gave Denki a look as if wondering what he was and why he was here, and raised an eyebrow. Midnight had nothing on her! Kaminari was so thoroughly crushed by that look that kind-hearted Kirishima had to scrape him off the floor afterward.
Denki himself didn't have "Electricity" but rather "Electrification." As we learned, he wasn't able to direct electricity in a specific direction; he could only accumulate and release it. This gave him two abilities, one passive and one active.
First, in battle, he had a sort of defense that shocked anyone who touched him or whom he touched, knocking out electronics and temporarily paralyzing living enemies. Apparently, he subconsciously lowered the voltage when it came to people, though he wasn't aware of it himself, being neither academically gifted nor knowledgeable in general.
Second, he could consciously release all the accumulated electricity in one powerful burst, creating an almost deadly lightning wave in all directions.
Altogether, this sounded like a very powerful quirk, but it had three significant drawbacks. First: due to poor control, Denki was simply a danger to those around him, something he was aware of, which is why he didn't rush into battle. Second: he had no long-range attacks—though here, Kaminari hesitated and mumbled that he had a few ideas. And finally, third: if he exceeded the safe voltage limit, as he put it, it "shorted out" his brain, turning him into a harmless idiot for a whole hour.
In general, heroes who control electricity are in high demand in modern society—in manufacturing, repairs, security services, and industry—and are even rarer than those with enhancement quirks, l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶ like Midoriya. So Denki's career was practically set. He understood this well and wasn't stressed about it. I'm not sure I could blame him, especially considering the limitations of his quirk... but I don't like that kind of attitude or the people who hold it.
Setsuna also decided to rethink her image and, instead of the old quirk name "Self-Amputation," which Yui and I once found unappealing, she took "Omnipresence." Which, in my opinion, suited her perfectly.
The hiccup came with Kyotaka. As usual, he played dumb and answered reluctantly and monosyllabically, but this time, unexpectedly, it didn't work. As Midnight dug into the details of his quirk "Mist" during the "interview," she discovered that their powers were strikingly similar. Check this out: both involve a purple gas that emanates from the user's body and instantly puts people to sleep at a distance.
The only difference was that Midnight was immune to her own power, while Kyotaka wasn't. At the same time, his gas covered a larger area, spread faster, and, considering the "boost" he had learned to apply to himself and his sliding on condensed mist... which sounded a bit absurd, but whatever. In short, as I've said before, the guy looked very promising. Possibly the most promising among us, on par with Todoroki, given his versatility.
In the end, Midnight told Kyotaka to speak with her privately after class (Kaminari, who never learned from his mistakes, whistled), and I had the honor of seeing a at least some expression on Shinya's face—annoyance.
I liked Yaoyorozu's quirk name—"Creativity." Creative!
Fumikage's quirk name was "Dark Shadow." A few people raised their eyebrows at the tautology, but the black bird remained completely unperturbed, which deserves respect: if you choose to play the role of a dark sorcerer, stick to it to the end. Otherwise, you'll end up no more than a clown.
His quirk was also interesting. If he simply summoned a shadow puppet, or a monster, or a clone, I wouldn't have any questions—this world is full of stranger and more absurd things. Take, for example, the abilities of Star and Stripe, All Might's official student from the States, or that grape dwarf over there.
However, the construct he summoned was sentient. It was self-aware, understood its surroundings, could solve tasks, hold a conversation, retained memories of each summoning, had its own character and opinions on various matters, and could even argue with Tokoyami himself, which was a bit beyond what you'd expect from a quirk-created shadow clone. Of course, there's always the possibility that it's just broadcasting Tokoyami's hidden desires, and in reality, he's just arguing with himself.
However, I had another theory. Maybe it's some special version of a twin? Let's say they both grew in their mother's womb, and one had a quirk to enter some "phantom" state, while the other could release some sort of… dark energy, like Aoyama, also from the stomach. But then both quirks fused into one, and there was only one brother left, who could summon the second one temporarily. A very strong brother, I'd say, even though his quirk was completely new and the first of its kind.
Especially since the connection between the bird-headed guy and his clone is through the navel, which externally also resembles an umbilical cord. And especially since his shadow actually looks like his shadow—the same bird head...
Interesting. Tokoyami didn't say anything like that, of course, and he's unlikely to answer a direct question—it's too personal. So, I might never learn the truth.
Oh well. "There are disappointments in life—sometimes you eat cookies instead of bread!"
That's what my grandmother used to say. Grandmother from my previous life, I mean.
Midoriya's turn came, and he once again slipped into his mode of a nervous, shaking, blushing nerd—he practically had a fear of public speaking. However, his green head was still working, so he called his quirk nothing other than "Super Strength Boost," which was quite clever.
"What's clever about it?" you might ask. The cleverness lay in the fact that, surprisingly, Izuku was joking. The thing is, the name of All Might's quirk is unknown to anyone on the internet, and it's one of the most intriguing mysteries, sparking many debates. One of the most frequently suggested names that comes up in fan discussions is exactly "Strength Boost," along with "Super Strength," "Super Enhancement," and "Power Surge."
What? I have a personal life too! I can visit All Might's fan sites! Sometimes… well, I did visit once…
It was even amusing to think that I was one of the few, maybe only a dozen people on the planet, who knew the true name of the Symbol of Peace's quirk.
Midnight remarked to Izuku that the name was too unoriginal—he should think more carefully about his image because even in Japan alone, she knew at least five active pro-heroes with very similar quirk names.
What was notable about quirk registration and their study: due to the vast diversity—eighty percent of the planet's population has quirks!—all democratic countries could afford to control and track only the most dangerous quirks with strategic significance. Like Todoroki and Yaoyorozu in our class.
Or Star and Stripe, yes. Not much is known about her quirk, but it's believed that it allows her to somehow manipulate reality directly. When the U.S. government learned about Kathleen's quirk, she immediately received the maximum possible support, from financial aid, education, and secrecy surrounding the details of her quirk and its study, to even a small research facility in the military dedicated solely to studying her quirk.
But that's a special case. Usually... everything is business as usual.
This was one of the biggest problems of this world—there's no control over quirks, and such control is fundamentally impossible because superpowers are inherited, mutate, evolve, and develop. And society isn't authoritarian. Take Koichi, the Crawler—he turned out to be a real monster in terms of power, but they simply didn't notice him in time. The guy first worked as a vigilante and then suddenly became a top hero in another country.
Moreover, if such control existed, there wouldn't be dangerous and truly powerful villains popping up every month here and there... and there wouldn't be such a need for professional heroes.
In the end, everyone is fine with this, and no one wants to change anything.
I frowned. Something is fundamentally wrong with this world.
If you think about it, even Tomura could have been saved from himself if the state had done a better job. But—no. Even if we imagine that all dangerous and powerful quirks could be registered in time, and people were willing to work on it, the bureaucratic system is imperfect and allows for glitches and mistakes. Besides, All For One surely had access to social services through which he could have deliberately prevented the boy from being helped in time.
Not to mention the non-zero probability that the evil guy might have gotten his powers directly from the final boss himself
... Meanwhile, it was already my turn to present my quirk.
I stood up.
Midnight looked at the tablet, which apparently had our data, sighed heavily, and asked a question.
I mustered all my strength to keep a poker face and replied:
"My quirk is called simply! Double Penetration!"
A second passed...
And then it became obvious who among the students had unrestricted access to the internet.
I proudly surveyed the fruits of my labor.
Some of us, like Bakugo, Tsuyu, Aoyama, Kirishima, and Tokoyami, barely reacted.
But others...
Momo turned as red as a tomato and hid behind her textbook.
Mina froze with her mouth open and eyes wide as saucers.
Iida yanked off his glasses and started frantically wiping them.
Uraraka, standing behind him, hiccuped and blushed bright red like a poppy flower.
Kaminari crashed off his chair with a loud thud.
Yui slowly covered her face with her hands.
Judging by the sounds behind me, Himiko was losing it too.
Kyoka quickly turned away, but even her jacks turned bright red.
Setsuna... burst out laughing. Well, that's Setsuna for you.
Even Midoriya—sweet, innocent, naive Midoriya—turned bright red and scattered his notebooks, pencils, and pens all over the floor.
And get this—I even saw emotion on Shinya and Todoroki's faces! The former widened his eyes and seemed to be suppressing a chuckle, while the latter averted his gaze and blushed ever so slightly. It's enough to melt your heart, it's so cute!
Hehe, I've marked all of you, you perverts! Now I know everything!
Midnight threw up her hands in despair. I squinted. I was starting to think she was actually enjoying the awkwardness and embarrassment of this situation—otherwise, there was nothing stopping her from immediately telling me to choose another name and moving on.
But that's what I thought. In reality, the "stern and incorruptible prosecutor" Nemuri Koyama asked sternly:
"Why that name?"
If you choose to play the dark sorcerer, play it right, or you'll end up a clown!
If you choose to play a clown...
I straightened up, widened my eyes, and reported clearly:
"As the owner of an enhancement quirk, my ability allows me to move quickly, which means I can penetrate effectively, sir! I mean, ma'am!"
"Penetrate where?" Midnight asked sluggishly.
Tsuna began to softly wail, and Mina started to echo her.
"Into the ranks, ma'am!"
From behind Yui's covered face came a giggle.
I was holding on for dear life, trying to suppress the twitching corners of my mouth.
"Whose ranks... do you want to penetrate..."
"The enemy's ranks, sir! Ma'am! From behind and..."
Setsuna choked with hysterical laughter and began to slide under her desk in pieces.
***
I did get a little scolded, of course, but without much enthusiasm. Perhaps because Midnight herself wasn't averse to making a dirty joke now and then, and though she wasn't used to hearing such things from students, she could barely keep a straight face by the end.
And she's cool, really! I don't get why Kyotaka looks down his nose at her. Any guy would be thrilled to have a teacher like her—well, if they had something in their pants and not just foggy prospects.
Anyway, at first, Nemuri wanted to make me think of a new name in my spare time, but I countered by saying I already had a backup. "No, of course my first name was my main one! What jokes? But I always try to prepare a backup plan, just in case..."
So, as an administrative punishment, my second name was subjected to all sorts of critique from every classmate Midnight could rope in. Yaoyorozu, in particular, seemed really into it. Probably got all aroused.
But the name was solid, original, and well thought out, so it was deemed acceptable, and they moved on to grilling Himiko about her transformation quirk, "Metamorphosis."
I glanced down at my chalkboard.
"Battle Multiplier," read the words written in white chalk on the green surface.
That name, like "bounce," was a relic from my past, from another life. Somewhere in another world was the fragment of childhood where I borrowed a pirated disc with a game called "Fable" from a funny, awkward boy with glasses and a bowl cut.
That game had been a revelation for me, providing many challenges, fun, and even some sadness... and now, once again, I was experiencing very unusual feelings as I decided to use one of the terms from… how was it called… "Fable: The Lost Chapters" to describe my power.
"I multiplied the hit with my left," I kept running the unusual phrase through my head. But it was accurate and described perfectly what I did with my quirk. And a proper name for my quirk—my Combat, err, Battle Multiplier—was long overdue.
It'll do.
Let them think my powers multiply in battle.
"Can you raise your Combat Multiplier even higher?"
I can, old man, oh, I definitely can.
Although in that first childhood, everything was simpler, of course. You could play games and relax... I remember there were many mini-games in Fable, the funniest of which was "chicken kicking"—a rather inhumane version of football where the ball was replaced by a chicken.
I'd love to play something like that now, to blow off some steam... well, not necessarily kicking chickens, a regular ball would do... still better than kicking around...
The bell rang.
I looked around at my chattering classmates, among whom stood out a few independent and strong loners who spoke to no one... and then it hit me.
Why don't I organize a sports match for our class?
Something competitive to challenge Bakugo, interest Kirishima, get support from Iida, and spark curiosity and excitement in most of the class? Something more dynamic and easier to organize than baseball. More accessible and interesting for the girls than football. Say, volleyball or basketball, so there would be more opportunities to use quirks! That way, the students with strong quirks would participate and feel more integrated into the group...
I remembered playing basketball with Tsuna.
Yes. Basketball.
Why not?
Author's Note:
I sincerely hope you found this as funny as Setsuna and I did! Yes? No?.. :(
P.S. By the way, I have started to publish two new fics on noertaP (will get them here too at some point). One is based on Naruto world, another one is, unexpectedly, takes place in Oshi No Ko anime. First chapters are free and available for everybody, so you are more than welcome to check it out. Thank you.