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CHAPTER START---
"I'm famous!" Sero screams as he's running down the hallways.
Heading to the living room from his bedroom in Horizon's penthouse. So excited that he's running barefoot in only the pair of shorts and t-shirt he slept in, phone in hand.
"Guys I'm famous now!" he yells as he rounds the corner, only to be greeted by the sight of Horizon sitting on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table, scrolling the Hero Network on his phone.
Most likely checking his ever-growing list of team-up requests.
And beside him is Ryuko writing something in the notebook she brought with her.
"I'm famous," Sero says, calming down a bit as he walks over to them. Pacing back and forth on the other side of the coffee table, buzzing with excitement.
"You became a hero to get famous?" Ryuko puts down her phone to ask, giving him a skeptical look."Huh, no," Sero says. "I became a hero for the money!" an equally worse response.
Ryuko just glances over at Horizon, seeing the man put his phone down, "why exactly are you training him again?"
Horizon chuckles and pats her head, messing up her hair a bit more.
"Sero isn't good at talking to pretty girls---"
"Hey!"
"You're not," Horizon says. "Because if you were, you would have just said being famous helps you get more team-ups, with more people, which will result in you saving more lives. Didn't think you'd need me to spoon-feed you interview lines as well..."
"Oh, right," Sero nervously rubs the back of his neck, looking at Ryuko. "Yeah but she's your---"
"Friend," Horizon fills in, earning another side eye from her but ignoring it.
"Yeah, I figured she already knew why," Sero shrugs.
"She has nothing to do with our deal, so why would I ever tell her?"
"Oh, good point," Sero says. "But uh, yeah I'm basically just a hero for the money," he shrugs.
Ryuko looks at Horizon, "I thought you criticize people who become heroes just for money and fame?"
"No, I criticize people who aren't useful or effective, yet manage to somehow get a license and reap the rewards of being a Pro Hero, parasites and paper heroes."
"So the difference with him is?" She gestures to Sero.
"He is useful and effective. People who put their lives on the line should be rewarded, as Sero will be."
Ryuko looks at Sero, "so, just the money?"
Horizon cuts in, "and the women..."
"I have a girlfriend," Sero says.
"One more thing I'll have to teach you about," Horizon chuckles, earning an eye roll from Ryuko.
"And yeah, just the money," Sero shrugs. "It's just been my dad and I since...well, it's just us. And since we're pretty much poor and I don't have any skills and aren't that smart, why not throw myself at villains to get paid?"
"Well I see why this one took a liking to you," she gestures to Horizon. "Now, what's this about you being famous?"
"Oh, right, check this out!" Sero connects his phone to the TV and shows Cellophane's 'Yay!' page. "Nearly a million views already!"
"When did you upload this?" Horizon asks.
"Just a few minutes after I saved the guy, so around midnight!"
"Not bad," Horizon says. "But what exactly happened?"
"Ok, so. According to the report I just saw when I woke up. Some guys decided to kidnap this new rich guy at this big party. They shot him then got him in the helicopter, the cops called every nearby Pro and I happened to be nearby, so I rushed over."
"To chase a helicopter?" Ryuko asks.
"I know right!" Sero says. "It was so crazy, I had to cut through a building just to keep up!"
"The video is from your visor, right?" Horizon asks, cutting him off before he gets too excited.
"Yeah!"
"Edited?"
"I just cut the action and uploaded out of the entire day of footage, just like you said."
"Good, too much editing and people get suspicious, show us the video then you can explain what happened after..."
After watching the video Ryuko is shocked by how well Sero performed, not at all expecting such rapid improvement from him after seeing him at the summer camp.
Training with Horizon had certainly been paying off.
But Horizon didn't say anything, causing her to notice the nervous look Sero was giving him, waiting for approval.
She not-so-gently elbows Horizon in the side, "you did great, but what happened after?"
"Oh, I got interviewed and finally gave them my name, and people found my profile and all the other things on it within minutes, it was insane."
"Yeah the public goes crazy for new Pros, and what about the guy you saved, Mr. Law Matani right?"
Sero shrugs, "dunno. He didn't even use an ambulance, his people just showed up and took him away, jerk didn't even say thanks," he grumbles.
"Expecting rich people not to treat civil servants like shit huh," Horizon says. "They're all assholes, get used to it..."
"Momo is nice," Sero argues.
"She also isn't that kind of rich," Horizon holds up his phone. "Did a little search on him in the Hero Network just now, just another young rich asshole that got so used to All Might that he takes Pro Heroes for granted," he shrugs.
"Well atleast you saved him," Ryuko says. "And you looked super cooling doing it!"
"Just don't expect to get paid much," Horizon says. "You used a helicopter like a grater down the side of a skyscraper, plus whatever the debris fell on. Hero Insurance will only cover so much, you'll probably have something deducted from this month's pay for this stunt.
You need to improve efficiency in your swings and how quickly you subdue people. Plus the way you hesitate to engage against guns, then the issue of your tape needing to be stronger with heavy weight attached to it."
"Right," Sero nods. "I'll work on it..."
"What about the rest of your profile, anything good?" Ryuko quickly tries to move the conversation along.
"Oh yeah!" Sero taps his phone a few times and arrives at his profile picture. An image of him sitting atop Horizon tower with his feet off the edge, and in the background is Horizon sitting on his hoverboard. "The likes and comments on this are insane. People put it together pretty fast that we're working together since we've got a few pictures together on my profile and from on the street."
"Good," Horizon says. "That means atleast a few high-ranking Pro Heroes will try to sign you, thinking we come as some kind of package deal. They're mostly wrong but if it gets you into their agency then take it."
Sero nods, giving Horizon a cheerful smile, "this is the first real feeling of progress man, can't believe I'm gonna be working with a big agency soon!"
"Mhm, great work hero!" Ryuko cheers him on. "But you'll need to stay strong, so why don't you get some breakfast, it's already in the kitchen!"
"A fast breakfast," Horizon says. "We need to be on the streets in an hour, we've only got today to do hero work in Tokyo. Summer ends tomorrow and school starts the next day, you need to make this last day of Hero Work count."
"Are we going back by car?" Sero asks.
"I don't do public transport Sero, but you'll be going back ahead of me so you can if you want. I have some business to take care of tomorrow so I'll be getting back to UA fairly late."
"Guess I'll take the train, alright I'm gonna get breakfast now," Sero says before walking toward the kitchen.
"Enjoy!" Ryuko says, waiting for him to get completely out of earshot. Then she elbows Horizon hard in the side.
"What the hell?" he asks with a groan.
"I should be asking you that," she glares at him. "Your friend just made his big debut and you can't even muster up a 'good job' for him, he was clearly waiting for it."
"But it wasn't a good job..."
Ryuko groans and throws her hands up. "Not everyone is perfect like you, Sero did incredibly well for this being his first big incident, you could atleast tell him that."
"What? But that's what was expected of him," Horizon seemed genuinely confused by what she said, which somewhat scared her.
"Uhh, what do you mean?"
"Why would I congratulate someone for what is expected of them, if I'm training you then saving someone from a helicopter is expected, nothing worth being praised over," he says as if its obvious.
"How is that possible sane?"
"Because that's what training does Ryuko," Horizon says. "Look, when I was 7 I performed my first successful spinal reconstruction solo. I didn't get a stupid medal, a special treat, or a pat on the back. I just walked into the next room and fixed the next patient...
Because it's what was expected of me, as a doctor and their son. If you train for something why would you be specially rewarded for doing what's expected, and in this case, he made a mess of the side of a building, nothing exemplar about it."
Instead of immediately responding, Ryuko just gives him a sad and sympathetic look. Now worried about the clearly broken man sitting beside her, and what her dream life could become if he were involved as much as she'd like.
Eventually, she just sighs and leans against his arm, "people aren't robots like you. We need to be told when we do something well, even if it's what's expected of us. It helps us feel good."
"Rewarding the bare minimum is encouraging the bare minimum, that's disgusting."
"And do you plan to be like this with your own kids?"
"Of course, my parents were like this, and I turned out perfect..."
Ryuko just slumps her shoulders and exhales deeply, 'what the hell have I gotten involved with...'
END CHAPTER---