A screen was projected to the front of the class, featuring the names of the students and the number of agencies who sent out their offers.
Clearly, some students had brighter expressions while the others who had darker ones, clearly portrayed their disappointment at the difference.
To get things back on track, the pro spoke up. "I won't pretend that this year was normal; it wasn't, as offers are generally more evenly spread. That said, just because you don't see your name up here doesn't mean you won't be doing it. For everyone else, you'll be picking off a school-created list of agencies." At his words, those who didn't get offers seemed to relax a little. He nodded. "Now, before I hand out your offers. As I have just said, you're all going to work on your hero names," Vlad told them. "Like I stated earlier, you'll be scouted by pros who want to assist in your growth, and while you won't be considered or treated as sidekicks, you'll still have some responsibilities. Because you'll be working with heroes at their agencies, it would only be appropriate if you also had code names."
"So we don't feel or seem like bigger unmatched pieces than we already are?" Kendo guessed.
"Correct, but remember two things about hero names. Hero names aren't official titles or anything like that, so you can change them if needed. However, keep in mind-" Vlad's gaze got stronger. "-Hero names are what the public first think of when they think of you as a pro, so if you pick out a bad one, you might be able to change it, but-"
"The name you pick now may be what the world ends up calling you anyway!" He was interrupted when someone slammed the door open; a familiar someone as the Rated-R hero: Midnight, walked in, her hands on her head and her mask raised. "The names you pick now can easily end up being the ones you'll be using for your entire careers, so let's make sure that we put on our thinking caps and come up with great ones, boys and girls!" She told them as she strutted into the room, and while this wasn't the first time she had done so, plenty of the boys and some girls still blushed at her demeanor, kizuki being the exception.
"Midnight?" several of his classmates asked, as they loved to see her as a person, a heroine, and a person, but they didn't have a class with her yet.
Vlad explained to them as his colleague strolled up to the front, putting some sway into her hips, which he had long since stopped caring for. "She's the one in charge of aiding first years like you, I would, but my tastes for names tend to be rather bland." That said, he stepped aside for the dark-haired woman to take his spot at the podium.
"Thank you, Vlad, I can handle them from here." Midnight winked at him, which got a grunt from her fellow pro and intense blushes from some of his students, who he knew wished to be in his spot. "But you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Vlad King is basic, yes, but it's fitting, and you at least came up with it yourself." Oh yes, she loved to give Eraser grief about how he just let Present Mic pick his hero name for him as even as a student, his now colleague was too lazy to put in the effort.
"But I though Vlad King was a creative name..." Someone's nutter went ignored.
Turning to the students, her smile both aroused and scared them as it was playful, seductive even, but her eyes held something else, a steel that made it clear as it did every time they saw her that she took her job seriously, both as a heroine and as their teacher. They had learned the hard way from people goofing off in her classes earlier in the semester that she wasn't one to tolerate stuff, and getting punished by Midnight only sounded fun; it wasn't for those that had to run laps around the track field till she was satisfied they had learned their lesson.
"As entertaining as it would be to see history repeat, I'm here to see that it doesn't, so let's put on our thinking caps, boys and girls." She told them, an eagerness to her. "Though before we can get to the fun part, we must set some rules."
"Take what you think you know about hero names much like you think about pleasing your partner in bed, and toss that into the trash. What you see online is largely performative and unrealistic." The way she licked her lips made it clear what she was referencing when she worded it like that, making most of them red as they felt a little embarrassed for being called out for it.
'Does she have to phrase it like that?' They thought to themselves, with only Shiozaki unaffected by the mass embarrassment. Still, they could have expected that from her as she seemed confused about the innuendo.
Midnight, as usual, moved on before they could adapt, leaving them playing catch up. "Your hero names don't need to be cool, bad-ass, sexy, or whatever word you want to describe them. First and foremost, they need to embody your image."
"Our image?" Komori asked, to which she turned a smile to the mushroom-loving girl, her eyes softening just a little.
"The type of hero you want to be, the goals you have, what you want to achieve." Midnight explained, though that just left more confusion.
"Wait, aren't those two last things the same?" Tsunotori asked, wondering if she had just misread or was missing something about the Japanese language here.
"In this line of work, not at all." Midnight laughed, as that was part of why she loved it. "A goal, I suppose, for us, is the final destination; think of it as the final boss of a game, but achievements are things you get along the way. For example, when I decided on the name Midnight, I wished to become a top hero and save as many as I could. Still, I also wanted to freely express myself and help others learn to be more comfortable in their skin and accept that in others." Midnight continued to explain things by deciding to use an example. "Not just that, but a name needs to tell something about that. Take the names 'All Might' or 'Endeavour'. What do you think of when you hear those two off the top of your head." She used the remote to change the image projection from their offers to a dynamic picture of All Might; taken from the ground, as he soared overhead, mid-jump with his iconic smile.
Exclamations of 'Power', 'Strenght', 'Hardwork' and other variations of the words popped up.
"And that, by little cuties, is the power of a hero name. It can say so much in so little." Midnight told them, a smile blossomed on her face as the realisation slowly dawned on the class.
Both are top heroes and both have the attributes that the class has just provided. And yet, the two of them couldn't be anymore different than night and day.
One was an enforcer of the law, the other the protector of the innocent; it was just by the nature of their work that they stepped into the other's domain but could never master it. Villains feared All Might, but that was just because he was the strongest. Endeavor was feared because he hunted them like a predator hunted its prey and wasn't gentle about captures or take-downs. Meanwhile, Endeavour, being in the area, didn't instill the same peace of mind that All Might did.
The students began to rack their minds for a good name as they were given a whiteboard and a marker to write on. Some have already decided on one, chosen when they were still little and others seem to write something down, only to erase it moments later.
Minutes pass and Midnight clapped her hands. "And that's enough time for some of you, right? Come up and present them to the class!"
Like a bolt out of the blue, her words rung like a true nightmare came to life. Midnight raised an eyebrow when no one rose to the challenge, as she always found it odd, if not fascinating, how teens worked. These kids could fight one another on a global stage and face off against villains but couldn't beat the idea of being made fun of by their peers.
Truly, one's teenage years were odd, but right as she was about to call someone at random, someone worked up the courage to go first.
Pony broke the ice as she strode to the front and placed her whiteboard on the podium.
[The Launching Hero: Rocketti]
"Oh, what an adorable name!" Tsunotori blushed at her teacher's praise but smiled all the same. She gave a v-for-victory sign and returned to her desk. Seeing that someone has already initiated, Tokage didn't allow her self to fall behind.
[The Splitting Hero: Lizardy]
"Simple and cute." Tokage became smug at the compliment. Not to be outdone by his childhood friend, Tetsu came up next.
[The Solid Hero: Real Steel]
"That's tough, rugged and reliable. Those qualities fit you, Tetsutetsu!"
"Thanks! I got it from a movie I watched from my grandpa's collection!" He said as he went back down to his seat.
As if to make it a competition, Kamakiri came up next and presented his board.
[The Bladed-Edge: Jack Mantis]
"A combination of Jack the Ripper and a praying mantis? Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah." Kamakiri steeled his gaze for a rejection.
"That's a heavy name you'll bear, Kamakiri. Mysterious and Dangerous, but be sure to not fall wayward by giving the wrong image with it." The green boy grunted, surprised but pleased that it was accepted so easily.
Surprisingly for many, Yanagi came up next.
[The Haunting Presence: Emily]
"Af-fter the horror classic, 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose'." She explained with a light dusting on her cheeks. She spoke quickly to end the presentation as soon as possible.
"Well, it certainly shows personality at least... I'll allow it."
Seeing Yanagi, a shy girl, go up first before them, her friends decided to go next.
[The Martial Arts Hero: Battle Fist]
"A good name! It speaks of dedication and effort, like a master of the arts!" Kendo blushed at the compliment.
[The Scheming Hero: VantaBlack]
"I shall be the master of darkness, he who heralds the nothingness of the void. May my plots subsume all evil and my likeness strike fear in all who bear witness!"
Silence... Other than that one person who coughed.
"Sounds tricky and elusive. Try not to be too Scheming~" Midnight winked to try and save Kuroiro some of the embarrassment.
Manga came up quickly while frantically writing on his board.
[The Great Artist: Comicman]
"Safe! That's a good name!"
Kizuki gave Manga an odd look but the kami just gave a thumbs up of encouragement to the rokurokubi. Kizuki bit his lip, anxious about the reactions but nevertheless, seeing his close friends go up gave him a bit more confidence. So he still stood up to present his board next.
[The Fate-Breaker: Pariah]
"Err, You are aware about what Pariah means, correct?"
"Yes. It is a nickname my sister gave me when I was little after all." Kizuki said with a smile, but upon seeing their expression shift into something troublesome, he thought that he might need to elaborate further. "She was pretty big on the whole 'Lone wolf' thing. Taught me a bunch of stuff like running along rooftops, hiding in people's blindspots, how to disguise myself... those sort of things."
"I... See that the name carries sentimental value." Said Midnight, internally debating with herself.
"It does. A lot." Kizuki tried guilt-tripping her, in front of the class.
"..." She still looked conflicted but ultimately- "I'll allow it." -her heart won out.
Kizuki, elated and proud of his victory, kept his pokerface as he made it back down to his seat with the class continuing on with their Hero names.