HOME | DD

Description
Serena arrived in class late, her encounter with the twins having made her miss her train to the part of the city UA was at, and while the next train came soon after, it was enough of a delay to make her show up late. Still considering it was her first day back, and her explaining herself to Law in private, she wasn’t punished for it.

Once Serena took her seat at her desk Law went to the front of the room and turned to face the class. “Now then, it’s been a few days since the festival, and now that Serena’s family situation has resolved and we’re all present, we can properly discuss the aftermath and your next steps as a class.” He said

Serena was a bit irked that her situation was public knowledge in the class, but she supposed it was unavoidable once Ayane and the others had gotten wrapped up in it that at least some information was going to need to be circulated to prevent baseless rumors from cropping up. She’d need to confirm just how much everyone knew later.

“So, we’re going to talk about internships then” Kaya commented “I was wondering when you’d bring it up. Waiting on everyone being here makes sense though.”

“Exactly, straight to the point as usual Kaya” Law said “as you all know, the festival is primarily for the purpose of showing off your quirks to hero agencies around the nation, so you can get scouted by them and offered internships. And internships give you all chances to learn from pros in the field and market yourselves to the world. Eventually you may even get taken on as sidekicks there after graduation. It’s one of the most important parts of your education here.”

“Not too many of us really got to shine in the festival though” Mako said, “thanks to there only being two major events, and the first one being so chaotic, really the only ones who got to show off did so in the tournament matches.”

“Not exactly, a lot of attention was on us at the beginning because of us being 1st years” Ayane said “it was a bit too chaotic to notice in the middle of everything, but there’s a lot more footage of us than most of the other people. Also UA has an agreement assortment of agencies who will take on any students who didn’t get offered internships directly.”

“Ayane is correct on both counts” Law said with a nod “also, don’t underestimate me, Cor, and Shin. Remember this is the advanced course, and internships are one of the best tools for training you we have available. In addition to the normal offers you receive and the default ones available to everyone, we’ve also scouted out a few pro heroes for each of you based on your individual needs and secured internship offers from them as well.”

“Heh, leave it to Law to pull through for us when it counts” Onaka said, leaning back in her chair and grinning

“You’re not required to take the offers we secured for you if you see another that appeals more” Law continued, then put up a chart of how many internships everyone in the class got. “Normally I don’t like pointing out the gaps in strength or progress between you all, but my coworkers have insisted that sharing this is a sort of school tradition.”

At the top of the class list was Serena, with several thousand offers, followed by Ayane, whose offer count was also well over a thousand. Tyra managed to get in third, having around nine hundred. Everyone else in the class snagged over a hundred, with the exception of Bato and Kura, whose quirks had been exceptionally ill-suited to the first challenge. Bato’s armies of explosives had almost served him well in the battle royale, but he’d been unable to use them properly in such a chaotic setting without risking inflicting serious injuries on others. In single combat he could precisely control the strength and number of explosions to ensure he didn’t hit anyone too hard for safety, but with so many people fighting around him he’d had to hold back. Kura’s quirk was badly suited for a battle royale, since anyone he managed to mark wouldn’t stick around for a follow up strike, or another person would take the opportunity and expend the mark before he could use it.

“Tough luck there Bato” Tora said, patting the boy on the shoulder. “You’re pretty strong too, it’s no fair you didn’t get many offers because of the choice of event.”

“It’s fine, I’m used to not standing out” Bato said “I’ll show how strong I am during my internship and gain attention that way.”

“I’ll be alright too” Kura said, “to be honest my quirk works best when I have my support gear, but I didn’t get approval to use it since my quirk still has combat functionality without it, unlike Ayane’s or most of the support course contestants, I’ll be able to show off in the field more too.”

“If you say so” Seiya said, shrinking down a bit as she looked at her own rather low offer count. “I’m in trouble too, with Mt. Lady being so popular lately nobody was interested in a size changing quirk like mine.”

Serena looked to Tyra “good job getting so many offers” she said “I’m sure that’s because of your efforts at the end there. All those heroes want you to work with them in spite of the whole name thing.”

Tyra cracked a smile “I had planned to win the whole thing, and I probably would’ve gotten more offers if I had, but I guess failing that I should be happy about getting enough offers though.” She said.

“I’m passing out lists of your offers” Law said “you’ll need to select your internship by the end of the day tomorrow. Me and Cor will be available today for counseling, and you’ll get the first two periods to review it today, the afternoon will consist of your usual physical training.”

Serena took her list and passed the others back, then took a look at her list. Most of the heroes interested in her were small-time heroes looking to use the fame she’d received for her fight with Yabo in order to boost their own standing. Out of the hundreds of offers she received, only a few dozen were actually worth her consideration. Part of her was annoyed that so many so-called heroes were just looking to use her as a marketing tool for their own personal gain, but mostly she was relieved that she only needed to decide between a reasonable number of choices.

The next few hours were dedicated to sifting through offers and doing research on the heroes who made them. Laptops were provided to the class to look up information on the internet, and once Cor arrived he and Law went around to speak with everyone individually about their options.

Serena finally found someone who caught her interest after a while. Another teacher at UA named Eraserhead. In terms of quirk compatibility, they weren’t very similar at all, but is was his method of fighting crime that intrigued her. He wasn’t a fan of the spotlight and audience pandering many pros got caught up in. He was focused on fighting villains with ambush and assassination style tactics. It wasn’t flashy or glamorous, and so he didn’t have as big of a fanbase, but he got results. He only cared about stopping crimes and protecting people, and was active primarily in the slums where villains hid, terrorizing people outside of the spotlight, the same kind of area she wanted to work in.

“He’s a teacher here now though, why offer me an internship?” Serena mused aloud.

“He’s an odd case” Law said “he took a personal interest in you after a conversation we had in the faculty room. I guess you could say he’s an internship we acquired for you, but really all I did was tell him about your goal to clean up the slums as a vigilante style hero like he used to.”

“I see… and he thinks he can teach me even though our quirks are so different?” Serena asked

“It’s hard to tell what that man is thinking” Law said, scratching his chin “but I think he’d be a good fit for you. His quirk actually shares some more similarities with yours than you think.”

Serena looked up at Law in confusion, Eraserhead was similar to her? “How so?” she asked curiously.

“His quirk shuts down the quirks of others, allowing him to fight them using skill and tools alone.” Law explained “your quirk and fighting style often do the same. You shut down your opponents by absorbing all their attacks and building up energy. Then once you find an opening you counter. You both excel at shutting single targets down.”

Serena looked back at the info-sheet she’d pulled up for Eraserhead. Law’s analysis made sense, there were many differences between them of course. She fared better in longer endurance matches than Eraserhead, but that core premise of shutting down and countering opponents remained the same. What was more, Eraserhead was a skill-based hero, and that was worth taking into account. Serena was a natural fighter, but in terms of training she was significantly behind most of her classmates. She got by on the strength of her quirk and raw instinct. Her time at UA had refined her technique significantly, but getting personal training from a pro who relied entirely on technique for his combat would be valuable.

“Well you think it over; the others need help too.” Law said as he moved on.

----- a few hours later -----

With advice from the teachers and plenty of time to do their research, almost everyone had made their decisions on which internship to take by the end of the day. A few of them were on the fence but had narrowed it down to two or three main choices.

After a grueling afternoon of intense physical training, everyone was sent home to reflect on their choices.

“So, who’re you going with Ayane?” Onaka asked as she packed up her bags and got
ready to go.

“I’m going to be working with Gunhead, he’s a master of martial arts. The training I did with Serena honed my skills a lot, but I’ve got a long way to go.” Ayane said “Serena was a great trainer for getting me up to par quickly, but I need to master multiple fighting styles and get more combat experience, and Serena can’t teach me that. No offense Serena.”

“None taken, I know my failings” Serena said “I decided to go with Eraserhead for similar reasons.”

“I see, I’m going with Thirteen” Freya said “since I intend to be primarily a rescue and support hero, they’ll be a perfect person to work with. I’m already fully certified as a field medic, but I haven’t learned much about the other aspects of a rescue operation yet.”

“What about you Tyra?” Ayane asked, calling out to the green-skinned girl as she walked towards the door

“Kamui Woods” Tyra replied, stopping in the door for a bit. “Fighting Shuko made me realize just how much my fundamentals need work. So far the strength of my quirk has carried me through my fights. Kamui has abilities fundamentally like mine, if more limited in scope. I’ll spend a week watching and learning from him and practicing these basic abilities.”

“Not a bad plan” Ayane said “see you tomorrow then.”

Tyra nodded and waved as she walked out. One by one Serena and the others followed suit, heading home for the evening. Serena and Ayane made sure to get in a goodbye kiss before parting ways for the night, then they went home to rest up.

---- The next day -----

“By now most of you should know which agency you’ll be working with for the next week” Cor said “but to work in the field, you need to choose hero names. Today we’ll be picking those names and preparing you for your internships, then any remaining time in the day we’ll spend on combat training.”

Law went around and passed out dry-erase boards for everyone to write their names on, then returned to the front of the class “Shin will be joining us soon to review your names, since Cor and I aren’t your typical pro-heroes and can’t offer you the best advice on the topic of hero names.” He said

“Yeah, Law and Core aren’t exactly all that catchy” Onaka commented

“Of course, there will likely be opportunities to change your hero name down the line, provided you don’t get involved in anything big with the ones you choose now” Cor said “once you end up making a debut though, your name is going to stick whether you like it or not, so pick them carefully.”

There was a unanimous acknowledgement from the class as everyone got to work on their names. Shin entered the room a few minutes later once everyone was hard at work, going around giving some advice where needed.

Eventually it came time to present the names they’d chosen. Freya ended up going to the podium first. “My costume is based on the Norse goddess with my name” she said “so I decided to lean into that theme a bit more for the hero name, the angelic hero, Valkyrie”

“Very nice, an exotic name referencing foreign culture will be sure to get attention, and your running theme of divinity as a rescue hero will provide comfort and reassurance to those in disaster zones.” Shin said “approved.”

“I guess I’ll go next” Ayane said, stepping up to take Freya’s place “I’m the analysis hero, The Clairvoyant. I figure I’ll play up just how far ahead of the game my quirk makes me and try and play that angle of the untouchable hero who always knows the villain’s moves in advance.”

After that Tyra took the stand and shared her name. “I’ll play off my good for nothing mother’s name and stick with the nature theme. I’m the nature hero, Mother Gaia” she said “I know it’s a bold move considering I’ll be tying my name close to hers, but I’m already in too deep on that path to try and avoid that now.”

Onaka was next, looking uncharacteristically nervous as she prepared to present her name to the class. Normally her extroverted personality and charisma made her utterly fearless in situations like these, but something about choosing a hero name struck her as special and a tad embarrassing. “Well… I picked a name a while ago… as a promise to a friend in elementary school after some stuff happened and he got hurt. So it might sound a bit childish but… my hero name is the porcupine hero, Quillion.”

Shin smiled and nodded reassuringly at Onaka, as did Cor and Law in turn. “That’s an excellent name Onaka” Shin said “short, cute, clearly painting a picture of your powers, and whether you realized it or not, it has some deeper referential meanings for those who know to look for them. Such as a reference to an old kind of cross-guard on a sword. It’s a superb hero name.”

Onaka seemed overjoyed her name was accepted as she returned to her seat. Serena leaned over from her chair to talk with her as she sat back down.

“So a promise to a childhood friend huh? Do I smell a chance to tease you about romance at last?” Serena asked, winking to indicate she was joking.

Onaka shook her head “fat chance, I’ve got the monopoly on romance teases in this friend group missy. But no, this story isn’t a laughing matter. I don’t really wanna talk about the details too much.”

“Oh, I see, sorry to pry” Serena said, she knew better than anyone how it was like having things she didn’t want to talk about openly.

“No worries, you’re my friend so I can give you the concise version. It’s a boy who used to go on adventures with me as a kid, I was even more reckless back then. So we often did some dangerous stuff and one day he got hurt.” Onaka said “it was only partially my fault and he didn’t blame me, but I felt guilty and insisted I make it up to him. Choosing my eventual hero name was the promise he had me give as my apology.”

“I see, I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed to know you remembered, you should let him know after school” Serena said.

Onaka nodded and smiled “I plan to, I’m just glad it was a good enough name to actually follow through with.”

One by one the others came up to present their name choices. Tanzo became the forge hero Hephaestus. Kaya chose the name Shadow Fist. Tora went with Tigress. Seiya grudgingly settled on Gigantes, despite her desire to differentiate herself from Mt. Lady as much as she could. Ryu picked the name Gloopy. Eneru decided to play it safe and go with Raijin to play of the god of lightning. Daiki became the crystal hero Diaman. Mota became the gadget hero Gearhead.

Bato had some trouble with his name, needing to pick one that embodied his explosions and his ability to create minions for himself without seeming too violent or scary, but eventually ended up with the hero name of The Sculptor, with the understanding that he’d need a better name later on. Kura and Mako also had a hard time coming up with their names. In Kura’s case, he didn’t have a clear vision of the kind of image he wanted to present, eventually choosing to settle on Impactor, keeping things simple and to the point. Mako on the other hand needed a way to convey her ability to embody any character she wished. With Shin’s help she decided to take a page from video games and use the name Avatar, playing off the concept of a player’s avatar being able to represent any character they could imagine.

Eventually it was Serena’s turn to present, and she took to the podium with her board and faced the class. “I’ve had this name in mind since I was a little kid. My hero name is Karma.” She said.

“Hm, it’s simple but catchy, it doesn’t really convey much about your powers or appearance though, so it might be tough to make catch on” Shin mused aloud

“It’ll catch on because of my methods.” Serena explained “I never intended to become a hero for popularity or wealth. My focus will be on cleaning up the slums of all the small-time villains and underground crime lords who terrorize the weak and use their obscurity and insignificance to avoid the attention of the top heroes. I will deliver karmic punishment on them for all their villainy. My costume is designed to be intimidating and impersonal for this reason. I’m not going to be a celebrity like All Might, rather I will be an ever-present protector, striking fear into their hearts as the embodiment of karma. Hence the name.”

“I see, so your hero name is what you intend to embody, it’s not for the presses, but for the villains hm?” Shin said “well I suppose that might actually work out in your case. Since you’re not concerned with the spotlight to begin with. It might even catch on anyway, if you’re successful enough at striking fear into the villains.”

Serena nodded and returned to her seat. A bit longer was spent going through the final review process for the hero names, but soon enough everyone had settled on a name.

“Now some ground rules for your internships. You will be permitted to wear your hero outfits out in the field while accompanied by the pro in question and will be legally treated as a sidekick in most capacities” Law explained “however you are to defer to the pro in matters of how you utilize your quirk and are under no circumstances are to act independently without their express permission.”

“What if we see someone in trouble and need to step in to help though? Waiting on permission might cause issues if it’s a time sensitive thing.” Freya asked

“In those cases, you will defer to civilian rules on quirk usage in public places.” Law said “namely, you aren’t allowed to use your quirks to cause harm to others or destroy public property. If you were to just, for example, use your quirk to save someone from falling and getting hurt, you’d fall within your legal rights. But if you were to engage a villain in battle and injure them without permission, there’d be complications.”

“In most cases the police tend towards lenience in cases of defense against a villain, even when its just a civilian stepping up during a villain attack.” Shin added “officially they aren’t allowed to reward or praise people for doing such things, but they usually don’t give much more than a slap on the wrist.”

“Headmaster, I think you might be giving the wrong sort of encouragement here” Law protested “the law clearly states…”

“I am aware of the importance of laws my friend” Shin chuckled, putting a hand on Law’s shoulder and shaking his head, “and how much of a stickler you are for them. However, do remember these are heroes in training, to tell them to look the other way in a crisis would be irresponsible of us as teachers.”

“Even so, their compliance with the law is important here, a black mark on their record at this stage could severely damage their careers in the future.” Law countered, shaking off Shin’s hand and standing his ground.

“Law, do you honestly believe any of your students would be foolish enough as to act in a way where the police would do anything more than scold them for their actions? Surely no student trained by you would be so irresponsible, would they?” Shin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… no… but I don’t want to encourage them to test their luck” Law said sheepishly

“Then there’s no issue” Shin said “everyone, just use your best judgement, defer to the decisions of the professionals, and do your best. Now then, everyone head down to the training grounds with Cor for your combat training.”

Law looked like he wanted to argue more, but everyone simply went along with Shin’s instructions and followed Cor out of the room, forcing him to hang his head in defeat. Once the students had all left Shin turned to Law. “Now that they’re gone, we need to use this week without them being here wisely. Did you read the report?” he asked, his posture changing as the room darkened. His usual laid-back demeanor was gone now, he was deadly serious.

Law nodded “An infiltrator snuck in last night, managing to sneak past several layers of security and break into the main campus building before being caught, but they have no recollection of doing so or any idea why they would attempt such a thing. You said in the report the man’s mental state resembled that of the guard who deleted surveillance footage back at the entrance exam incident.”

Shin paced back and forth across the room, hands behind his back as the room darkened further, a subconscious illusion he generated when distressed, concerned, or angry. “Villains are making moves on the school more and more often lately. First the entrance exam incident, then that time the wall was destroyed to let the press in, then the USJ incident, and now this.” He said, “we know someone is leaking information to villains somehow, but psychic analysis proves nobody is a traitor. We’ve doubled down on our information security policies multiple times now and it’s still happening.”

“It does defy explanation, and these incidents with individuals compromising security without memory of doing so all appear to have no clear objective” Law said, nodding in agreement as he leaned against his desk. “It seems more like whatever group is behind this is experimenting with our defenses, seeing how far they can push it.”

“My thoughts exactly, I’m guessing its preparation for a large-scale offensive. Last night’s infiltrator showed they’re at a point where only our final layers of security can hinder them right now. If they wanted to attack, they probably could.” Shin said, “right now we have a week where all the students are away from campus. There will be no reason at all to attack us until the students return. We need to take this time and prepare for the eventuality that this school may become a battleground.”

“Who would risk a direct attack on this academy though?” Law said “it’s one of the most unassailable places on Earth, between you, All Might, Cor, and all the other pros teaching here, not to mention the students themselves.”

“That’s what worries me, either the villains in question are unbelievably powerful, unbelievably foolish, or they don’t especially care how well the attack turns out so long as they make a scene.” Shin said, “it could be an effort to undermine our reputation and take down as many students as possible.”

“Or they may be like the League of Villains and they’re after All Might, if our information leaks are bad enough they may have learned of his condition.” Law said, “a drawn-out battle on campus would force him into the open and to fight for extended periods of time.”

“Regardless of their goals, we need to make sure we’re ready for them” Shin said “and we need to keep this under wraps as much as possible, sticking to smaller companies we can trust to keep secrets.”

“That does bring up an interesting point I’d been meaning to bring to your attention.” Law said, his face lighting up as he got an idea “Ayane’s company, seeing and using her technology in the field against Darwin was impressive. She’s assembled a lot of talented individuals there, I was going to suggest we have the support division work with them moving forward for both internships and tech development for the school. This may be a good time to establish good working relations with them with a large contract for new security technology.”

Shin nodded, the room brightening a bit as his mood seemed to improve. “I like the idea,” he said, “go to Ayane and begin the business negotiations first thing after classes end today. Keep the details as secret as you can and sign non-disclosure agreements with your quirk. I’ll approach some contacts of my own and see what they can provide us. When the villains come, we’ll be ready for them.”

“One more thing Shin” Law said, lowering his voice as he spoke “considering the lengths the enemy is going to in order to counter your psychic probing… there’s a very real possibility they know about your condition… their target may very well be you… I hope you’ve considered that.”

Shin paused, the room darkening significantly once again. “I have, if my inner circle is the source of the leak, its entirely possible I might be the target here. But the odds of successfully breaching that far into the school are as close to zero as one can get. We will focus on the safety of the students. If I am the real target, so be it.”

“But if they breach the inner sanctum while you’re out fighting…” Law protested

“We will not discuss this further. Our priority will be assuming the students are the targets. I will not take any risks with their safety over mere speculation about my own.” Shin snapped, his voice turning harsh as he whirled to face Law. “I am replaceable, even in a worst-case scenario where my safety is compromised, and I am killed, another headmaster can take my place. It is far more important that the students are protected at all costs. Are we clear Hoya Ritsu?”

Law flinched at the use of his birth name, looking down at the ground sorrowfully “I don’t want to lose you or any of our students… that’s all.”

Shin sighed, and the room brightened as he walked over and placed his hands on Law’s shoulders, staring at him until the man met his gaze. “Trust me my friend, I have no intention of dying. But we must always put our duties above our personal desires. You should understand that better than anyone.”

Law nodded, a complex series of emotions crossing his face as he took a deep breath and composed himself. “I’ve believed you would succeed at anything you put your mind to so far. I’ll choose to believe in you here too,” he said firmly, resolve replacing the hesitation in his voice.

Shin smiled and pat Law on the back as he spoke “That’s what I like to hear, now get to the training grounds, there is still a class for you to teach.” With that Shin took a step back and vanished into thin air, leaving Law alone in the room as the lighting returned to normal.

Description
Serena arrived in class late, her encounter with the twins having made her miss her train to the part of the city UA was at, and while the next train came soon after, it was enough of a delay to make her show up late. Still considering it was her first day back, and her explaining herself to Law in private, she wasn’t punished for it.

Once Serena took her seat at her desk Law went to the front of the room and turned to face the class. “Now then, it’s been a few days since the festival, and now that Serena’s family situation has resolved and we’re all present, we can properly discuss the aftermath and your next steps as a class.” He said

Serena was a bit irked that her situation was public knowledge in the class, but she supposed it was unavoidable once Ayane and the others had gotten wrapped up in it that at least some information was going to need to be circulated to prevent baseless rumors from cropping up. She’d need to confirm just how much everyone knew later.

“So, we’re going to talk about internships then” Kaya commented “I was wondering when you’d bring it up. Waiting on everyone being here makes sense though.”

“Exactly, straight to the point as usual Kaya” Law said “as you all know, the festival is primarily for the purpose of showing off your quirks to hero agencies around the nation, so you can get scouted by them and offered internships. And internships give you all chances to learn from pros in the field and market yourselves to the world. Eventually you may even get taken on as sidekicks there after graduation. It’s one of the most important parts of your education here.”

“Not too many of us really got to shine in the festival though” Mako said, “thanks to there only being two major events, and the first one being so chaotic, really the only ones who got to show off did so in the tournament matches.”

“Not exactly, a lot of attention was on us at the beginning because of us being 1st years” Ayane said “it was a bit too chaotic to notice in the middle of everything, but there’s a lot more footage of us than most of the other people. Also UA has an agreement assortment of agencies who will take on any students who didn’t get offered internships directly.”

“Ayane is correct on both counts” Law said with a nod “also, don’t underestimate me, Cor, and Shin. Remember this is the advanced course, and internships are one of the best tools for training you we have available. In addition to the normal offers you receive and the default ones available to everyone, we’ve also scouted out a few pro heroes for each of you based on your individual needs and secured internship offers from them as well.”

“Heh, leave it to Law to pull through for us when it counts” Onaka said, leaning back in her chair and grinning

“You’re not required to take the offers we secured for you if you see another that appeals more” Law continued, then put up a chart of how many internships everyone in the class got. “Normally I don’t like pointing out the gaps in strength or progress between you all, but my coworkers have insisted that sharing this is a sort of school tradition.”

At the top of the class list was Serena, with several thousand offers, followed by Ayane, whose offer count was also well over a thousand. Tyra managed to get in third, having around nine hundred. Everyone else in the class snagged over a hundred, with the exception of Bato and Kura, whose quirks had been exceptionally ill-suited to the first challenge. Bato’s armies of explosives had almost served him well in the battle royale, but he’d been unable to use them properly in such a chaotic setting without risking inflicting serious injuries on others. In single combat he could precisely control the strength and number of explosions to ensure he didn’t hit anyone too hard for safety, but with so many people fighting around him he’d had to hold back. Kura’s quirk was badly suited for a battle royale, since anyone he managed to mark wouldn’t stick around for a follow up strike, or another person would take the opportunity and expend the mark before he could use it.

“Tough luck there Bato” Tora said, patting the boy on the shoulder. “You’re pretty strong too, it’s no fair you didn’t get many offers because of the choice of event.”

“It’s fine, I’m used to not standing out” Bato said “I’ll show how strong I am during my internship and gain attention that way.”

“I’ll be alright too” Kura said, “to be honest my quirk works best when I have my support gear, but I didn’t get approval to use it since my quirk still has combat functionality without it, unlike Ayane’s or most of the support course contestants, I’ll be able to show off in the field more too.”

“If you say so” Seiya said, shrinking down a bit as she looked at her own rather low offer count. “I’m in trouble too, with Mt. Lady being so popular lately nobody was interested in a size changing quirk like mine.”

Serena looked to Tyra “good job getting so many offers” she said “I’m sure that’s because of your efforts at the end there. All those heroes want you to work with them in spite of the whole name thing.”

Tyra cracked a smile “I had planned to win the whole thing, and I probably would’ve gotten more offers if I had, but I guess failing that I should be happy about getting enough offers though.” She said.

“I’m passing out lists of your offers” Law said “you’ll need to select your internship by the end of the day tomorrow. Me and Cor will be available today for counseling, and you’ll get the first two periods to review it today, the afternoon will consist of your usual physical training.”

Serena took her list and passed the others back, then took a look at her list. Most of the heroes interested in her were small-time heroes looking to use the fame she’d received for her fight with Yabo in order to boost their own standing. Out of the hundreds of offers she received, only a few dozen were actually worth her consideration. Part of her was annoyed that so many so-called heroes were just looking to use her as a marketing tool for their own personal gain, but mostly she was relieved that she only needed to decide between a reasonable number of choices.

The next few hours were dedicated to sifting through offers and doing research on the heroes who made them. Laptops were provided to the class to look up information on the internet, and once Cor arrived he and Law went around to speak with everyone individually about their options.

Serena finally found someone who caught her interest after a while. Another teacher at UA named Eraserhead. In terms of quirk compatibility, they weren’t very similar at all, but is was his method of fighting crime that intrigued her. He wasn’t a fan of the spotlight and audience pandering many pros got caught up in. He was focused on fighting villains with ambush and assassination style tactics. It wasn’t flashy or glamorous, and so he didn’t have as big of a fanbase, but he got results. He only cared about stopping crimes and protecting people, and was active primarily in the slums where villains hid, terrorizing people outside of the spotlight, the same kind of area she wanted to work in.

“He’s a teacher here now though, why offer me an internship?” Serena mused aloud.

“He’s an odd case” Law said “he took a personal interest in you after a conversation we had in the faculty room. I guess you could say he’s an internship we acquired for you, but really all I did was tell him about your goal to clean up the slums as a vigilante style hero like he used to.”

“I see… and he thinks he can teach me even though our quirks are so different?” Serena asked

“It’s hard to tell what that man is thinking” Law said, scratching his chin “but I think he’d be a good fit for you. His quirk actually shares some more similarities with yours than you think.”

Serena looked up at Law in confusion, Eraserhead was similar to her? “How so?” she asked curiously.

“His quirk shuts down the quirks of others, allowing him to fight them using skill and tools alone.” Law explained “your quirk and fighting style often do the same. You shut down your opponents by absorbing all their attacks and building up energy. Then once you find an opening you counter. You both excel at shutting single targets down.”

Serena looked back at the info-sheet she’d pulled up for Eraserhead. Law’s analysis made sense, there were many differences between them of course. She fared better in longer endurance matches than Eraserhead, but that core premise of shutting down and countering opponents remained the same. What was more, Eraserhead was a skill-based hero, and that was worth taking into account. Serena was a natural fighter, but in terms of training she was significantly behind most of her classmates. She got by on the strength of her quirk and raw instinct. Her time at UA had refined her technique significantly, but getting personal training from a pro who relied entirely on technique for his combat would be valuable.

“Well you think it over; the others need help too.” Law said as he moved on.

----- a few hours later -----

With advice from the teachers and plenty of time to do their research, almost everyone had made their decisions on which internship to take by the end of the day. A few of them were on the fence but had narrowed it down to two or three main choices.

After a grueling afternoon of intense physical training, everyone was sent home to reflect on their choices.

“So, who’re you going with Ayane?” Onaka asked as she packed up her bags and got
ready to go.

“I’m going to be working with Gunhead, he’s a master of martial arts. The training I did with Serena honed my skills a lot, but I’ve got a long way to go.” Ayane said “Serena was a great trainer for getting me up to par quickly, but I need to master multiple fighting styles and get more combat experience, and Serena can’t teach me that. No offense Serena.”

“None taken, I know my failings” Serena said “I decided to go with Eraserhead for similar reasons.”

“I see, I’m going with Thirteen” Freya said “since I intend to be primarily a rescue and support hero, they’ll be a perfect person to work with. I’m already fully certified as a field medic, but I haven’t learned much about the other aspects of a rescue operation yet.”

“What about you Tyra?” Ayane asked, calling out to the green-skinned girl as she walked towards the door

“Kamui Woods” Tyra replied, stopping in the door for a bit. “Fighting Shuko made me realize just how much my fundamentals need work. So far the strength of my quirk has carried me through my fights. Kamui has abilities fundamentally like mine, if more limited in scope. I’ll spend a week watching and learning from him and practicing these basic abilities.”

“Not a bad plan” Ayane said “see you tomorrow then.”

Tyra nodded and waved as she walked out. One by one Serena and the others followed suit, heading home for the evening. Serena and Ayane made sure to get in a goodbye kiss before parting ways for the night, then they went home to rest up.

---- The next day -----

“By now most of you should know which agency you’ll be working with for the next week” Cor said “but to work in the field, you need to choose hero names. Today we’ll be picking those names and preparing you for your internships, then any remaining time in the day we’ll spend on combat training.”

Law went around and passed out dry-erase boards for everyone to write their names on, then returned to the front of the class “Shin will be joining us soon to review your names, since Cor and I aren’t your typical pro-heroes and can’t offer you the best advice on the topic of hero names.” He said

“Yeah, Law and Core aren’t exactly all that catchy” Onaka commented

“Of course, there will likely be opportunities to change your hero name down the line, provided you don’t get involved in anything big with the ones you choose now” Cor said “once you end up making a debut though, your name is going to stick whether you like it or not, so pick them carefully.”

There was a unanimous acknowledgement from the class as everyone got to work on their names. Shin entered the room a few minutes later once everyone was hard at work, going around giving some advice where needed.

Eventually it came time to present the names they’d chosen. Freya ended up going to the podium first. “My costume is based on the Norse goddess with my name” she said “so I decided to lean into that theme a bit more for the hero name, the angelic hero, Valkyrie”

“Very nice, an exotic name referencing foreign culture will be sure to get attention, and your running theme of divinity as a rescue hero will provide comfort and reassurance to those in disaster zones.” Shin said “approved.”

“I guess I’ll go next” Ayane said, stepping up to take Freya’s place “I’m the analysis hero, The Clairvoyant. I figure I’ll play up just how far ahead of the game my quirk makes me and try and play that angle of the untouchable hero who always knows the villain’s moves in advance.”

After that Tyra took the stand and shared her name. “I’ll play off my good for nothing mother’s name and stick with the nature theme. I’m the nature hero, Mother Gaia” she said “I know it’s a bold move considering I’ll be tying my name close to hers, but I’m already in too deep on that path to try and avoid that now.”

Onaka was next, looking uncharacteristically nervous as she prepared to present her name to the class. Normally her extroverted personality and charisma made her utterly fearless in situations like these, but something about choosing a hero name struck her as special and a tad embarrassing. “Well… I picked a name a while ago… as a promise to a friend in elementary school after some stuff happened and he got hurt. So it might sound a bit childish but… my hero name is the porcupine hero, Quillion.”

Shin smiled and nodded reassuringly at Onaka, as did Cor and Law in turn. “That’s an excellent name Onaka” Shin said “short, cute, clearly painting a picture of your powers, and whether you realized it or not, it has some deeper referential meanings for those who know to look for them. Such as a reference to an old kind of cross-guard on a sword. It’s a superb hero name.”

Onaka seemed overjoyed her name was accepted as she returned to her seat. Serena leaned over from her chair to talk with her as she sat back down.

“So a promise to a childhood friend huh? Do I smell a chance to tease you about romance at last?” Serena asked, winking to indicate she was joking.

Onaka shook her head “fat chance, I’ve got the monopoly on romance teases in this friend group missy. But no, this story isn’t a laughing matter. I don’t really wanna talk about the details too much.”

“Oh, I see, sorry to pry” Serena said, she knew better than anyone how it was like having things she didn’t want to talk about openly.

“No worries, you’re my friend so I can give you the concise version. It’s a boy who used to go on adventures with me as a kid, I was even more reckless back then. So we often did some dangerous stuff and one day he got hurt.” Onaka said “it was only partially my fault and he didn’t blame me, but I felt guilty and insisted I make it up to him. Choosing my eventual hero name was the promise he had me give as my apology.”

“I see, I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed to know you remembered, you should let him know after school” Serena said.

Onaka nodded and smiled “I plan to, I’m just glad it was a good enough name to actually follow through with.”

One by one the others came up to present their name choices. Tanzo became the forge hero Hephaestus. Kaya chose the name Shadow Fist. Tora went with Tigress. Seiya grudgingly settled on Gigantes, despite her desire to differentiate herself from Mt. Lady as much as she could. Ryu picked the name Gloopy. Eneru decided to play it safe and go with Raijin to play of the god of lightning. Daiki became the crystal hero Diaman. Mota became the gadget hero Gearhead.

Bato had some trouble with his name, needing to pick one that embodied his explosions and his ability to create minions for himself without seeming too violent or scary, but eventually ended up with the hero name of The Sculptor, with the understanding that he’d need a better name later on. Kura and Mako also had a hard time coming up with their names. In Kura’s case, he didn’t have a clear vision of the kind of image he wanted to present, eventually choosing to settle on Impactor, keeping things simple and to the point. Mako on the other hand needed a way to convey her ability to embody any character she wished. With Shin’s help she decided to take a page from video games and use the name Avatar, playing off the concept of a player’s avatar being able to represent any character they could imagine.

Eventually it was Serena’s turn to present, and she took to the podium with her board and faced the class. “I’ve had this name in mind since I was a little kid. My hero name is Karma.” She said.

“Hm, it’s simple but catchy, it doesn’t really convey much about your powers or appearance though, so it might be tough to make catch on” Shin mused aloud

“It’ll catch on because of my methods.” Serena explained “I never intended to become a hero for popularity or wealth. My focus will be on cleaning up the slums of all the small-time villains and underground crime lords who terrorize the weak and use their obscurity and insignificance to avoid the attention of the top heroes. I will deliver karmic punishment on them for all their villainy. My costume is designed to be intimidating and impersonal for this reason. I’m not going to be a celebrity like All Might, rather I will be an ever-present protector, striking fear into their hearts as the embodiment of karma. Hence the name.”

“I see, so your hero name is what you intend to embody, it’s not for the presses, but for the villains hm?” Shin said “well I suppose that might actually work out in your case. Since you’re not concerned with the spotlight to begin with. It might even catch on anyway, if you’re successful enough at striking fear into the villains.”

Serena nodded and returned to her seat. A bit longer was spent going through the final review process for the hero names, but soon enough everyone had settled on a name.

“Now some ground rules for your internships. You will be permitted to wear your hero outfits out in the field while accompanied by the pro in question and will be legally treated as a sidekick in most capacities” Law explained “however you are to defer to the pro in matters of how you utilize your quirk and are under no circumstances are to act independently without their express permission.”

“What if we see someone in trouble and need to step in to help though? Waiting on permission might cause issues if it’s a time sensitive thing.” Freya asked

“In those cases, you will defer to civilian rules on quirk usage in public places.” Law said “namely, you aren’t allowed to use your quirks to cause harm to others or destroy public property. If you were to just, for example, use your quirk to save someone from falling and getting hurt, you’d fall within your legal rights. But if you were to engage a villain in battle and injure them without permission, there’d be complications.”

“In most cases the police tend towards lenience in cases of defense against a villain, even when its just a civilian stepping up during a villain attack.” Shin added “officially they aren’t allowed to reward or praise people for doing such things, but they usually don’t give much more than a slap on the wrist.”

“Headmaster, I think you might be giving the wrong sort of encouragement here” Law protested “the law clearly states…”

“I am aware of the importance of laws my friend” Shin chuckled, putting a hand on Law’s shoulder and shaking his head, “and how much of a stickler you are for them. However, do remember these are heroes in training, to tell them to look the other way in a crisis would be irresponsible of us as teachers.”

“Even so, their compliance with the law is important here, a black mark on their record at this stage could severely damage their careers in the future.” Law countered, shaking off Shin’s hand and standing his ground.

“Law, do you honestly believe any of your students would be foolish enough as to act in a way where the police would do anything more than scold them for their actions? Surely no student trained by you would be so irresponsible, would they?” Shin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… no… but I don’t want to encourage them to test their luck” Law said sheepishly

“Then there’s no issue” Shin said “everyone, just use your best judgement, defer to the decisions of the professionals, and do your best. Now then, everyone head down to the training grounds with Cor for your combat training.”

Law looked like he wanted to argue more, but everyone simply went along with Shin’s instructions and followed Cor out of the room, forcing him to hang his head in defeat. Once the students had all left Shin turned to Law. “Now that they’re gone, we need to use this week without them being here wisely. Did you read the report?” he asked, his posture changing as the room darkened. His usual laid-back demeanor was gone now, he was deadly serious.

Law nodded “An infiltrator snuck in last night, managing to sneak past several layers of security and break into the main campus building before being caught, but they have no recollection of doing so or any idea why they would attempt such a thing. You said in the report the man’s mental state resembled that of the guard who deleted surveillance footage back at the entrance exam incident.”

Shin paced back and forth across the room, hands behind his back as the room darkened further, a subconscious illusion he generated when distressed, concerned, or angry. “Villains are making moves on the school more and more often lately. First the entrance exam incident, then that time the wall was destroyed to let the press in, then the USJ incident, and now this.” He said, “we know someone is leaking information to villains somehow, but psychic analysis proves nobody is a traitor. We’ve doubled down on our information security policies multiple times now and it’s still happening.”

“It does defy explanation, and these incidents with individuals compromising security without memory of doing so all appear to have no clear objective” Law said, nodding in agreement as he leaned against his desk. “It seems more like whatever group is behind this is experimenting with our defenses, seeing how far they can push it.”

“My thoughts exactly, I’m guessing its preparation for a large-scale offensive. Last night’s infiltrator showed they’re at a point where only our final layers of security can hinder them right now. If they wanted to attack, they probably could.” Shin said, “right now we have a week where all the students are away from campus. There will be no reason at all to attack us until the students return. We need to take this time and prepare for the eventuality that this school may become a battleground.”

“Who would risk a direct attack on this academy though?” Law said “it’s one of the most unassailable places on Earth, between you, All Might, Cor, and all the other pros teaching here, not to mention the students themselves.”

“That’s what worries me, either the villains in question are unbelievably powerful, unbelievably foolish, or they don’t especially care how well the attack turns out so long as they make a scene.” Shin said, “it could be an effort to undermine our reputation and take down as many students as possible.”

“Or they may be like the League of Villains and they’re after All Might, if our information leaks are bad enough they may have learned of his condition.” Law said, “a drawn-out battle on campus would force him into the open and to fight for extended periods of time.”

“Regardless of their goals, we need to make sure we’re ready for them” Shin said “and we need to keep this under wraps as much as possible, sticking to smaller companies we can trust to keep secrets.”

“That does bring up an interesting point I’d been meaning to bring to your attention.” Law said, his face lighting up as he got an idea “Ayane’s company, seeing and using her technology in the field against Darwin was impressive. She’s assembled a lot of talented individuals there, I was going to suggest we have the support division work with them moving forward for both internships and tech development for the school. This may be a good time to establish good working relations with them with a large contract for new security technology.”

Shin nodded, the room brightening a bit as his mood seemed to improve. “I like the idea,” he said, “go to Ayane and begin the business negotiations first thing after classes end today. Keep the details as secret as you can and sign non-disclosure agreements with your quirk. I’ll approach some contacts of my own and see what they can provide us. When the villains come, we’ll be ready for them.”

“One more thing Shin” Law said, lowering his voice as he spoke “considering the lengths the enemy is going to in order to counter your psychic probing… there’s a very real possibility they know about your condition… their target may very well be you… I hope you’ve considered that.”

Shin paused, the room darkening significantly once again. “I have, if my inner circle is the source of the leak, its entirely possible I might be the target here. But the odds of successfully breaching that far into the school are as close to zero as one can get. We will focus on the safety of the students. If I am the real target, so be it.”

“But if they breach the inner sanctum while you’re out fighting…” Law protested

“We will not discuss this further. Our priority will be assuming the students are the targets. I will not take any risks with their safety over mere speculation about my own.” Shin snapped, his voice turning harsh as he whirled to face Law. “I am replaceable, even in a worst-case scenario where my safety is compromised, and I am killed, another headmaster can take my place. It is far more important that the students are protected at all costs. Are we clear Hoya Ritsu?”

Law flinched at the use of his birth name, looking down at the ground sorrowfully “I don’t want to lose you or any of our students… that’s all.”

Shin sighed, and the room brightened as he walked over and placed his hands on Law’s shoulders, staring at him until the man met his gaze. “Trust me my friend, I have no intention of dying. But we must always put our duties above our personal desires. You should understand that better than anyone.”

Law nodded, a complex series of emotions crossing his face as he took a deep breath and composed himself. “I’ve believed you would succeed at anything you put your mind to so far. I’ll choose to believe in you here too,” he said firmly, resolve replacing the hesitation in his voice.

Shin smiled and pat Law on the back as he spoke “That’s what I like to hear, now get to the training grounds, there is still a class for you to teach.” With that Shin took a step back and vanished into thin air, leaving Law alone in the room as the lighting returned to normal.