Honestly, Katsuki had shrugged off the news coverage he'd seen on TV on Saturday.
People would think what they think about him. There wasn't much he could do to change that but keep doing what he was doing. Become a licensed hero, and prove the people that doubted him wrong.
But over the past couple days, the furor hadn't really died down all that much.
He started to take it a bit more seriously when people started staring at him on the train to UA on Monday.
Some of them came up to congratulate him, but others just stood back and whispered to each other.
"-Really quirkless?"
"-Insane stunts-"
Katsuki thanked the people who congratulated him, then got off at his stop.
Stepping onto UA grounds while holding an umbrella over his head to keep off the rain, Katsuki hoped this would calm down a bit soon.
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Inside the main entrance, Katsuki put his umbrella on the rack after shaking it dry.
Walking into the classroom, the rest of his classmates were buzzing.
Mina was by far the loudest.
"It's different when they broadcast you on TV huh? So many people talked to me on the way here!"
The others kept talking about it until Aizawa entered the room.
Everyone took their seats as Aizawa turned to them.
"Today we're having a special hero informatics class today."
Everyone tensed up, prepared for the worst.
Aizawa let that silence sit for a second, then spoke up.
"Code names. Today you all will be choosing your hero names."
Everyone in class stood up to celebrate. A quick flash of Aizawa's eyes had everyone sitting down perfectly poised in an instant.
"This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day. The drafts may begin in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros."
Aizawa cleared his throat.
"In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often canceled if that interest dies down by graduation."
Aizawa pulled out the remote for the projector and stepped aside so the board was easily visible.
"Here are the totals for those with offers."
Katsuki looked at the board to see that the offers were fairly spread out, with one exception.
"You got so many offers Shoto!"
Shoto shifted in his seat.
"It was probably because of my dad."
Katsuki looked back at the list. He'd attracted around 150 offers in total. Still a decent number, even if far less then those in the top spots.
Aizawa drew everyone's attention back to himself.
"Keeping these results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with the pros. At USJ, you already got to experience combat with real villains, but it will still be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand."
Sato spoke out, with Kirishima following up.
"So that explains the hero names."
"This is gonna be awesome."
Aizawa continued his droning explanation.
"Well, these hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it-"
The door to the classroom slid open, Midnight strutting in.
"-You'll have hell to pay later!"
Several of the boys in the class sat up straighter, adjusting their posture.
"Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognized by society, and they end up becoming professional hero names."
Aizawa spoke up.
"Well, that's how it is. So, Midnight will be consulting with you on your hero names. I'm not good at that, so I'll be sleeping."
Aizawa pulled out his sleeping bag and laid down on the floor while the class looked on awkwardly.
"Names give you a more concrete idea of what you want to be in the future, and help you get closer to it. That's how most hero names work, while also evoking what you represent in some cases."
Immediately after Midnight began passing out whiteboards for students to write their new hero names on.
Katsuki accepted the white boards that were passed to him along with the markers. He took one of each and continued passing them back.
Staring at the empty board, Katsuki thought about different possible names.
There were names that spoke to who he wanted to become, like Pinnacle, Peak, and Apex. Stuff like that. But more then that, Katsuki wanted a name that also referenced where he came from. So any time someone used it, they would need to acknowledge what he's done…
Katsuki thought about it for a while. Everything he'd had to overcome to reach this point. The training, the exam, the festival. The jeers. The support. All of that had helped shape Katsuki into who he was. Then Katsuki knew what he wanted his hero name to be. Katsuki wrote it down on his board.
After around 5 minutes, Midnight called for students to start presenting.
Aoyama was first to go to the front, holding up his plaque.
"Here I go. The Sparkling Hero: I Can Not Stop Twinkling!"
Everyone was a bit confused, as the name was entirely in English.
Then Midnight stepped up.
"Better to drop the 'I' and shorten 'can not', to 'can't'."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Everyone in class was shocked that that name passed.
The rest of the names were fairly standard, with Mina's suggestion getting vetoed.
Most of the other names were fairly standard.
Finally, it was Katsuki's turn to present his hero name. Standing at the front, Katsuki revealed it.
'The Resolute Hero: Dauntless'
"That's a pretty cool name Katsuki."
"Yeah! It's got this cool vibe to it you know?"
Midnight nodded thoughtfully at the suggestion.
"It has a bold and unrestrained feeling to it. I approve!"
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After Midnight had left with a wave to the class, Aizawa finally woke up from his nap.
"Alright, now that everyone's decided on their hero names, we'll go back to talking about internships. They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them, those who had offers from pros will be given their own lists, so you can choose from pros yourself.
Those who didn't have offers will choose from among 40 agencies scattered around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties. Think carefully before you make your decision."
With that, the lists were handed out, everyone looking them over as the period ended.
"Make sure to turn in your choices before the weekend. Make your decisions efficiently. Dismissed."
Katsuki shuffled through the offers he had gotten.
Most of these agencies were ones he'd never heard of. Still, he'd have to give all of them at least a glance while he was sorting them out.
As the day finally finished up, Katsuki headed down to the gym with Ochaco.
After getting changed, the headed in and met with an excited Nejire once more.
Midway through the exercise, Ochaco asked Katsuki a question that gave him pause.
"Hey Katsuki?"
"Yeah?"
"All these articles and journalists talking about you has made me curious. Why do you want to become a hero?"
Katsuki paused his set and put the weight he'd been benching back on the rack as he thought about how to answer that.
"…When I was a kid, I learned pretty fast that the world wasn't equal or fair. I figured it out when I first started watching hero videos, actually. But even once I figured it out, I was kinda fine with that. Because I always figured I would be one of the guys at the top, y'know?
"Then after a couple years, my quirk didn't come in with everyone else's, so my mom took me to see a doctor."
Ochaco stayed quiet as Katsuki continued.
"It was like my world fell apart. Everything was suddenly tilted. The world wasn't simple anymore. I wasn't going to be at the top, I was at the bottom. And I would always be at the bottom.
"And I couldn't accept that. I couldn't accept that just one thing meant I would be a nothing or nobody for the rest of my life. Now that I'm older I get that some people could be satisfied with that. But I can't. So I'll train. And train. And keep training. Until I've forced my way beyond what anyone thought possible, and tell the world, that 'I am here', and 'This is who I am'."
Ochaco, rubbed an arm, looking away.
"Well now I feel a bit embarrassed about mine."
Katsuki gave her a raised eyebrow. She continued.
"See, I became a hero to make money. My parents run a construction business, but it hasn't done super well… My parents didn't want me to just dedicate my quirk to helping out in construction, so, I decided to become a hero so I can help give them the life they deserve."
Katsuki got back to benching.
"Why the hell would you ever feel embarrassed about that?"
Ochaco gave a confused sound, so Katsuki continued.
"My reason, even if it sounds noble, is pretty fucking selfish. You, on the other hand, are doing all this for your family. My parents have been great over the years, but I know me training to become a hero has been hard for them. So when I strike it big, I want to help them out too."
Suddenly Ochaco was glomped from the side with a squee.
"AWWWWW! My kohais are so cute! I'm sure you both are going to be great heroes! Speaking of which, are you two picking out your internships? I remember when I was picking out my internship. I was actually sent an offer by Ryukyu! She's been my mentor ever since! She's the best!"
Ochaco paused for a second.
"Wait, were you the reason I got an offer from Ryukyu Nejire?"
Nejire finally released Ochaco from the hug. She waved off Ochaco's concerns and took her hands.
"Naw, I just mentioned that my two Kohais were awsome so she paid extra attention to the sports festival. She was actually really impressed by both of you, but it seemed like your style fit our agency better Ochaco."
Katsuki sat up at that.
"Wait a sec, you said her name! Are you just avoiding mine on purpose?!"
Nejire backed off, tilting her head in faux confusion.
"Would I do that to my adorable little kohai?"
Ochaco started giggling.
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The rest of the workout session involved Katsuki challenging Nejire to another workout competition while Ochaco cheered them both on doing her own exercises.
When Katsuki finally got home, he started doing research on his offers.
Midway through, Katsuki leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.
Most of them were crap, just small agencies with nothing to offer. Hell, Katsuki could bet that they didn't even want him, just all the media attention he had.
Still, there were a couple smaller agencies that seemed useful and he hadn't finished going through all of them yet. Letting out a sigh, Katsuki continued going through his offers.
Then Katsuki froze as he spotted a name he recognized.
'Musha Hero Agency'
Katsuki was very familiar with 'The Equipped Hero: Yoroi Musha'. The man was the number 8 top hero in the most recent rankings. He'd never really been a big fan of the hero, but what he'd seen in clips on the internet showed the older hero was very effective.
Not to mention, Musha's focus on using his tools and support equipment effectively made him an excellent choice for someone as close combat focused as Katsuki.
Katsuki gave the rest of his offers a read-over, but without any other stand-out offers, the choice was obvious.
Turning to his form, Katsuki filled it out.