Hero Name

(Kata POV – Outside of Library)

I waved goodbye to Momo as her sleek black car pulled away. 'What a joy it is to be rich.'

The wait had been surprisingly enjoyable. I'd always been curious about the true extent of her quirk, what it could achieve if she truly pushed it to its limits.

'I guess I'll find out if she decides to take my advice seriously.'

Shaking my head, I began the walk home. The evening air was cool, the streets relatively peaceful—if you ignored the lingering stares and whispers from passersby who recognized me from the Sports Festival. Thankfully, none of them approached me.

I stepped inside the house, half-expecting some kind of chaos, only to find Toga curled up on the couch, watching TV. 'I... didn't expect her to behave and stay put.'

"I'm back," I greeted her calmly.

Her head snapped toward me, eyes lighting up with excitement. "You're finally back! What took you so long?" she whined dramatically, stretching like a cat as he leaned over the sofa.

"Everything took a while to sort out," I replied, heading toward the kitchen. "I also ran into a friend on the way to the library and we talked for a bit."

At that, her expression shifted. Her smile didn't change, but it felt more mischievous and curious. "A friend?" she echoed, tilting her head in genuine confusion. "You don't seem like someone who'd have friends."

I kept my expression neutral, but inwardly… 'Ouch.'

She wasn't wrong. Outside of Class 1-A, I hadn't really made an effort to connect with anyone. Not that it's worth doing so.

"I agree," I admitted, shrugging as I gathered ingredients for dinner. "But they're nice people, and have been quite accepting of me this far."

'Although, would that change if they really got to know me?' I wonder as I continue prepping for dinner.

Toga curled up tighter, resting her chin on her knees as she watched me work. "I wonder if they'd want to be friends with me too?" she mused.

I glanced at her. Her voice was playfully curious, but I could tell there was genuinely longing buried within.

"I'm sure they would," I said, before adding plainly, "assuming you don't try to stab them for their blood. Not everyone is as... open-minded as me."

She hummed absentmindedly, gaze drifting back to the TV. A peaceful silence settled between us, punctuated by the cutting of vegetables and the sizzling of oil.

Once dinner was ready, we ate together, watching whatever was on, which was a rare moment of normalcy and peace.

Afterward, I retrieved the books I got from the library, letting them float around me as I read each one simultaneously at rapid speeds using radar.

An hour later, I had consumed all five, a small part of me regretting not bringing more. 'But these are enough for now.'

The biology books would help refine my regeneration. More importantly, they gave me the confidence to attempt things I hadn't dared to before.

The advanced physics book provided insights into physical force manipulation. The molecular chemistry book gave me some ideas to master my property manipulation. And then… the most important of them all—

The book on quirks.

Despite its simple title, it was an in-depth breakdown of quirk classifications, functions, and limitations. Pretty useless on its own, but depending on it's user...

'This is the most important step.' I take a deep breath and focus inward, isolating a few thousand cells in my body, analyzing them as I activate the quirk factors within each of them.

They begin generating Telekinetic Energy. 'I'm also an emitter type, so of I succeed here, there's a likelihood it'll work for other emitter types.'

I take note of which parts of my cells change when I do this. I then start systematically and forcefully deactivate segments of these genes, trying to pinpoint exactly which part is responsible for activating my quirk.

It's a slow process despite the rapid speed I was working at. Many cells died in the process. Not surprising as I was messing with their DNA structure.

I observed many interesting phenomena throughout the process as my quirk reacted to each change I made until I nearly made a fatal mistake.

I deactivated a segment of DNA that seemed to be a natural limiter. In an instant, that cell started generating larger quantities of Telekinetic Energy than should be possible.

'Almost 10 times the amount...'

It died violently as it tore itself apart from the sheer force it generated.

I momentarily stopped my experiennt, as I repeated the process in a few other cells. Without exception, they all violently exploded after generating vast amounts of energy.

I narrowed my eyes in thought. 'It could be very useful... And I think it might be a clue to quirk evolutions.'

But it's neither essential now, nor is it my main focus.

I continued, more carefully this time, until I found it—the exact genetic switches that controlled my quirk's activation.

When a cell just stopped generating energy and I failed to manually activate it, I realised that I had discovered how to disable emitter type quirks.

This accomplished 2 goals. If I know what deactivates it, I can keep prevent it from happening. 'I don't need to worry about my quirk being erased anymore.'

But more importantly, 'I can even disable quirks... permanently.'

I clench my fists with determination. 'All that's left is to act.'

(Kata POV – Class 1-A)

The next day, I left for school while Toga stayed home. 'Hopefully she'll behave.'

It was raining, so I grabbed an umbrella and walked at a normal pace. My aura could easily keep me dry on its own. 'But it's better to act normal and avoid drawing attention.'

When I arrived at class, I sat down quietly, listening to my classmates buzzing with excitement, discussing how strangers had been approaching them ever since the Sports Festival.

Then the bell rang, and Aizawa stepped in.

Instantly, silence fell over the room.

"Morning," he greeted, his voice as tired as ever. "Today's hero informatics class will be a special one."

Tension spread through the class as many became visible nervous.

"You'll be coming up with your hero aliases."

The room exploded.

"Hell yeah! This is it!" Kirishima cheered.

"It has to sound awesome!" Mina exclaims.

Many voices drown together as everyone starts sitting in excitement.

Amid the excitement, Aizawa activated his Quirk, his glowing red eyes scanning the room. The class instantly fell silent.

My heart skipped a beat.

'My radar is still on. But he might not have erased it quirks. I need to confirm it.'

Before arriving, I had ensured a few segments of my quirk factors wouldn't be deactivated if ever this occurred. About half the cells in my body, and all the ones in my brain.

I immediately tried to activate my quirk in cells I hadn't protected and... Nothing.

'Wonderful. That proves my hypothesis. I'm immune to Erasure.'

I kept my face neutral, but the discovery made me elated despite having suspected as much.

While all this occurred, I checked the other emitter type students. Identifying similar changes in their quirk factors as mine, which further confirmed my method was universal and would work in all emitter types.

Aizawa continued as if nothing happened, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Before that, let's talk about the pro draft picks I mentioned the other day." He pulled up a list on the board. "Remember, these offers aren't set in stone. Agencies are simply showing interest in your futures... but this interest can increase or decrease based on your performance for the next 3 years."

The screen displayed the rankings, and unsurprisingly, I was at the top.

1st: Kata – 4,832 offers

2nd: Todoroki – 4,123 offers

3rd: Bakugo – 2,857 offers

4th: Yaoyorozu – 761 offers

...

"The numbers are usually more spread out," Aizawa explained, "but our top three took most of the spotlight this year."

A few heads turned toward me, Todoroki, and Bakugo—but mostly me.

"Gah! They're in a whole other league…" Kaminari groaned, slumping in his seat.

I sighed. 'Todoroki and I have similar numbers. Not because of our skills—but because there are only about that many heroes in Japan to begin with.'

"With that settled…" Aizawa continued, "whether you got offers or not, you'll still have the chance to work alongside the pros."

"They're only tentative, but you still want to pick something appropriate—" Aizawa was abruptly cut off.

"—Or else you'll know true hell!!"

A dramatic voice boomed through the room as Midnight strode inside, arms behind her head in a seductive pose, and a sly smirk on her face.

"The name you choose may be what the world remembers you by," she added playfully.

"Midnight!"

The class, especially the boys, echoed in excitement.

Aizawa sighed. "She'll be evaluating your choices. Pick something that reflects who you are and what you want to become."

A stack of whiteboards was passed around, and we were given fifteen minutes to decideon a name.

'A name that represents me…'

I tapped my marker against the board, watching as my classmates debated over their names.

Once time was up, people started presenting their names. Midnight gave everyone sincere feedback, encouraging some while tactfully shutting down the more questionable choices. None of her usual sensuality on display.

I watched as Midnight seriously discussed Kirishima's chosen name, Red Riot.

'She's really reliable when she's like this…' I mused absentmindedly. 'She's more attractive like this than when she's overly sexual.'

I didn't realize I was staring until our eyes met. Midnight's lips curled into one of her playful, sultry smiles, and she shot me a teasing wink.

I immediately looked away, pretending I hadn't noticed.

'When did I space out? How embarrassing…' I groaned internally, forcing myself to refocus. With the moment gone, it was time to get back to the task at hand—picking a name.

As the class continued tossing out names—some being approved, others brutally shot down—I settled on my choice.

I wrote it down with a sigh, and Midnight, noticing, smirked mischievously.

"Okada, your turn!" she called theatrically.

The glint in her eyes told me everything. This was payback for what happened during the Sports Festival.

I exhaled and rose to my feet, walking to the front of the room with my board in hand. Excitement buzzed through the class as they watched, eager to see what name I'd chosen.

I raised the board, revealing my chosen alias.

"Apex Hero: Zenith." I said calmly.

Silence.

Eyes widened. Mouths gaped. And then—

"What kinda bullshit name is that?!" Bakugo shot up, slamming his hands into his desk, his face twisted in anger and frustration. "Apex?! Zenith?! You tryin' to say you're above me?!" His palm crackled with small explosions, his rage barely contained.

'He's frustrated because I've already proven that.'

Izuku muttered furiously under his breath, trying to decipher my reasoning. "Apex… Zenith… Is he just confident…?" Then, his fists clenched, and he looked up, determination blazing in his eyes.

'He probably thinks he has to surpass me to live up to OFA.'

The most surprising reaction, however, came from Todoroki.

He didn't look frustrated. He didn't even seem shocked. Instead, he just… smiled. It wasn't smug or mocking... just calm. But his gaze spoke volumes, and for once, I couldn't completely understand it.

'What's he thinking?' I wondered, before the chatter of my classmates pulled me back.

Excited whispers, exclamations of disbelief, and confused murmurs filled the air... until Midnight spoke.

"Apex Hero: Zenith, huh?" She tilted her head, giving me an amused look. "That's quite ambitious."

She took a step closer, scrutinizing me with a curious glint in her eyes.

"Are you saying you've already reached the top?" she teased. "Or that you're aiming to get there?"

Her tone was playful, but I could tell she was serious. She would not tolerate it if I was just being arrogant or messing around.

The room went silent, all eyes locked onto me.

I shook my head. "Neither."

The class stilled.

Midnight's brow furrowed slightly. "Then what do you mean?"

I met her gaze. "To everyone here, the 'top' means being Number One—the position All Might holds, right?"

Around the room, heads nodded instinctively.

"That's the problem." My voice remained steady and matter-of-fact. "You've already set a limit for yourselves."

A flicker of confusion passed through them.

"You see All Might as the peak. The goal. The finish line. The apex of strength and heroism." I exhaled lightly. "But what happens when you reach it? Will you still there?"

The question hung in the air.

"I don't think like that." I gestured slightly. "I'm not chasing the title. I'm not aiming for the rank." My gaze swept across the room. "I don't need to. If I keep growing, they'll come on their own."

Some students stiffened. Others frowned, deep in thought.

"I'll keep pushing forward. Beyond rankings. Beyond titles." I let the words settle. "And when I reach my peak—my Zenith—it won't be on the mountain All Might built."

Silence.

I turned back to Midnight, my expression calm. "That's what it means to be the Apex—to reach the Zenith."

I let the silence stretch, then spoke, my voice quiet but firm. "Why stop at the peak of someone else's mountain... when I can build my own and rise beyond it?"