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CHAPTER START---
Sitting in his observation box high above the arena, Horizon relaxes in his seat while the crowd fills the stadium seats.
Beside him is Tokoyami, wearing his PE Uniform, the same as Horizon. Although the latter is only wearing the pants and shirt, leaving the shirt open to show his body glove beneath.
"I don't see what the big deal is. The money is good. You should go," Horizon says.
"The problem isn't the money," Tokoyami says. "Don't you think it's a bit too early?"
"Who cares about that? It's not like they actually want you to do any fighting. Plus, you're stronger than all but one percent of the Pro Heroes in the world, you'll be fine."
"That's part of the problem. They extended this offer because I'm part of Team Horizon, not because I'm Tsukuyomi.""That's not entirely true," Horizon says. "Yes, me having a handshake deal with President Skyline helps. But they wouldn't have sent those offers if they didn't see some value in all of you. Think about it. They sent you, Sero, Shinso, and Juzo five-year contracts. What contract do I have with them?"
"None. You said you're still working on one for Japan."
"Exactly. So America doesn't know if I'll ever join them officially. And if I do, we've only been 3rd years for a month. It'll be 10 months until we graduate and I can leave, but they want all of you to move to America before the end of summer."
"And the pay is good too," Tokoyami says. "Almost two million a year for me, and I'm by far the lowest."
Horizon shrugs. "If your Quirk was more than just punching things, you'd get paid like Shinso…now that's money."
"His value went up a lot since learning to make people answer questions with his Quirk, I'm jealous."
"Eh, Brainwashing and interrogating is overrated. Nothing wrong with breaking arms. It's been working for ages."
"You also rip information out of people, killing them in the process."
"I only do that on the really bad people, with valuable intel. But I haven't had to do it much since Shinso can just ask them questions now."
"I really should work on the shapeshifting aspect of my Quirk more. Dark Shadow has more than enough power, for now."
"You can work on that in America, because you're taking the deal."
Tokoyami looks over at Horizon. "But what about Japan? If you leave, the villains will start acting wild again. And if the entire team leaves with you, then th—"
"The country will be fine," Horizon says. "Endeavor and the other heroes can keep the country together. Plus Lemillion, Suneater, and Nejire-Chan are working their asses off too. Not to mention Shoto, Deku, and Bakugo, those three will be able to clean up a small country themselves by the time they graduate."
"Hmm, it feels wrong to hear you speak so highly about Midoriya."
Horizon shrugs. "His power is a fact. Besides, with me gone… He'll be Japan's #1 Pro Hero in no time, if he stays."
"He's gotten so much better since we first joined UA. Almost like he's an entirely different person."
Horizon chuckles. "Nah, he's still the same loser. Now he just knows how to punch without breaking his arms, and he has a girlfriend. But it's still the same Deku. As delusional as always. But I'm not surprised by that anymore. He's just like All Might after all." ℟ἈＮǑβЕȿ
"Only you say that like it's a bad thing."
"Yeah, most people dream of being like All Might, because they can't imagine ever achieving that. But if I ever woke up like All Might, I'd put a gun in my mouth. And sadly, since I wouldn't be Horizon, it would actually work."
"Sheesh."
"If you could live a day as me you'd understand," Horizon says. "Anyway, do you have any more concerns about moving to America this summer?"
"Mostly about what happens to Japan after Team Horizon leaves, then after you graduate and leave next year."
"Japan won't be our problem anymore. But Pantu will keep things stable. I finished making this year's shipment of Panacea, so that's handled. And the villains know better than to do anything too dramatic, because I can always return at a moment's notice."
"I guess I'm worried about nothing. All For One and Shigaraki are locked up, and most of their people are dead. After we find the person creating the Nomu, that'll be the end of it."
Tokoyami looks out at the stadium for a moment before he makes his decision. "Alright, I guess I'm moving to America. You will be joining us after graduation, right?"
"Yeah, don't have much of a choice," Horizon says. "Star' would take it personally if I didn't move there. She doesn't have any other friends."
"Well, you always tell us it's lonely at the top."
"That it is," Horizon stands, and Tokoyami joins him. "Now, remember, you're the only member of Team Horizon with a public identity, so you'd better make us look good out there."
"I won't let you down…"
SHAMBLES!
They both appear in the 3A locker room.
All around them, their classmates are preparing for the opening ceremony of their last UA Sports Festival.
So used to Horizon's antics by now, they don't even respond to his sudden appearance.
Well, all but one.
"Horizon!" Mina rushes over and gives him a bear hug. "Here to wish me good luck, right?"
"No," Horizon doesn't react to the hug, and she takes the hint to let go and step away. "But do take this seriously."
"I always do, but," she leans forward and lowers her voice. "It would be easier if you gave me a little hint about what you planned for us. Since I did grow out my hair like you wanted…"
Horizon takes in her appearance, with her curly hair now flowing just past her shoulders down her back, but shakes his head. "You look good, but not that good. I promised not to play favorites."
"Awe," Mina pouts and walks back to her locker.
Across the room, Midoriya is discussing potential plans for a team-up with his girlfriend. Their previous experiences offered the participants a chance to team up. So he and Uraraka figured they'd simply formulate a plan before people were forced to find teams.
"Deku, Bakugo." Everyone in the room stops to look at Horizon. "Outside, now." He steps out of the room with both of them following him.
In the hallway, Monoma was already there, leaning against the wall, scrolling idly on his phone. But he pocketed it and got serious when Horizon stepped out of the room.
"What's this about?" Monoma asks. "A pep talk?"
"Something like that," Horizon says as they get a bit farther away from the locker room.
Horizon turns to face the trio, all of who were now taller and more muscular. Particularly Bakugo and Deku, while Monoma wasn't far behind.
Horizon notices they're barely a head shorter than him now.
"When did everyone get so tall?"
Bakugo scoffs. "You'd notice if you spent more than one day a week at UA."
"I have more important things to do," Horizon says. "Like talking to foreign scouts and diplomats about you three idiots."
The three boys look at each other, but wait for Horizon to continue.
"There are some special scouts here this year. This is very, very classified information, understood?"
Then all nod.
"Good. They came to sort out some of the specifics for Team Horizon. They all got some pretty big offers to go abroad and work. But some countries are smart enough to hire them before we all graduate next year.
They're concerned about what happens to Japan after I leave next year and want to hire out as many Pro Heroes as possible before that time. Capitalizing on the current peaceful climate to get better prices.
Plus, with me here, a lot of Pro Heroes are struggling to get work and support themselves, but that will change when I leave. So right now a lot more people are willing to leave Japan than this time next year."
Deku frowns. "I knew you'd leave, but not that soon after graduation. Are you going to America?"
"Yeah, they made the best offer. And they let me do whatever I want."
"That means Japan will need us more than ever after you leave," Bakugo says. "If we accept an offer, that would mean abandoning Japan. And when a new wave of Villains hits after we graduate and you leave, they'll feel our absence more."
"But they won't be as wild as the League Of Villains," Monoma says. "They won't risk giving Horizon a reason to come back here. A lot of our national villains already joined organizations abroad. Even after Horizon leaves, they'll probably avoid Japan as a precaution."
"Tch, which means getting to the top in Japan will be a pain in the ass," Bakugo says. "There won't be enough Villains for me to blow up. All high-ranking people will easily maintain their rank."
"Mirio told me about that," Deku says. "He mentioned that the only way The Big Three agency was able to climb that quickly was by constantly doing team-ups and investigations with other Hero Agencies and Pro Heroes. Otherwise, no city has enough crime for anyone to notice new Pro Heroes."
Monoma crosses his arms. "So Horizon killed the supply of Villains, which means there is hardly any demand for new Pro Heroes, like us."
"You also have to consider what kind of Pro Hero you want to be," Horizon says. They all look at him to continue. "The world has changed a lot since Tech. London is gone. That was the biggest loss. But that entire situation opened our eyes to a lot of things.
Mostly due to the fact that the slow and reactive nature of Pro Heroes doesn't work anymore. For better or worse, my existence was the final push in the wave All Might started. Villains are working together better than ever to avoid direct conflict.
The Villains you'll find on the streets are hardly worth the time of people as capable as you three, much less my attention. So, you can either run around stopping every purse snatcher you see for the sake of boosting your ranking on the scoreboard, or you can do some work that matters."
"And what would that be?" Bakugo asks. "If we go to another country, we'd still be running around doing patrols."
"Not if you qualify for the United Nations' new task force. They're still working on the name and infrastructure. But since Tech, we've been concerned that other attacks of that nature can happen. And they don't want to rely exclusively on me pulling a miracle out of my ass again."
"So we'll be going after big international Villain organizations huh," Monoma smiles. "That sounds a lot more impactful than patrolling the streets to me."
"Do we even qualify for that?" Deku asks.
Horizon shrugs. "Juzo got in because he runs all the investigations for Team Horizon, and he's been working closely with a few governments on a big case we stumbled across. He's a prodigy at detective stuff.
Shinso got in because his Quirk is ridiculous, and since he awakened it, that thing is a lot scarier now.
But Sero and Tokoyami didn't qualify for the task force. They're considering Tokoyami, but Sero likely won't get it unless I give him a little help. He doesn't have the necessary expertise or the outright power to make the cut. But he is moving to America with them at the end of summer."
"Power, that's what they want," Deku says. "I mean, Kachan and I are strong. Stronger than a lot of Pro Heroes, even stronger than a lot of countries #1 Pro Heroes."
"And we're unranked," Bakugo says. "Which means they can poach us without affecting the Hero-Villain ecosystem of a country, since as students, we aren't officially part of it."
"What's the pay?" Monoma asks, earning an annoyed glance from Deku and Bakugo.
"That depends on how well you show during this Sports Festival. But I already recommended the three of you. They want people who aren't part of the Hero-Villain crap in any country yet, which pretty much means recruiting students before they graduate from a Hero Course. You will be working under the United Nations after all."
"Will you be part of this?" Deku asks.
"No. I'll be entering a soft retirement after I graduate. Unless the world is ending, I'd rather not have to play hero again."
"You still never gave me a number for the pay," Monoma says.
Horizon sighs. "Well, with your Quirk probably around 2.5 Million a year. I expect you'll be among the highest paid."
"Damn, that's…wow," Bakugo could barely find the words.
That amount of money was only seen by the absolute best Pro Heroes in a major country. Not as much as someone like Endeavor, after counting all the brand deals and other income sources.
But for a student's first contract.
Almost unheard of for a student. Only because the best-paid student and hero in the world was standing in front of them.
"That's just the base he can get," Horizon says. "There will be other bonuses and considerations, plus you'll have barely any life expenses. And you can always do merchandise and sponsors, but that will be tricky without a Pro Hero ranking."
"It is a lot of money," Monoma says. "But this is more like a military unit than a Hero Agency where we can run it ourselves. Plus, this is a lot more political considering we answer to the United Nations."
"Is that a problem?"
Monoma thinks about it, then smiles. "Nah, this might be the biggest stage in the world. We'll be the people they call for when someone like Tech or All For One shows up again. And the money is a good motivator."
"Bakugo?"
Bakugo squeezes his eyes shut before groaning and throwing his hands in the air. "This is so annoying! All I wanted was to be the #1 Pro Hero on the charts…but that doesn't matter with people like Tech out there. The only way I'll prove I'm the best is by taking down someone like that. And if I'm not on this new team, I won't get a chance to do that."
"I'm glad you feel that way, because honestly, you're the only person here who might not get in."
"What?!"
Horizon chuckles. "Explosions are easy to replace. But Copy is a guaranteed spot on the team."
"What about him?" Bakugo points to Deku.
"I told them he'll be stronger than All Might, that's a guaranteed spot as well."
'This is bullshit!" Bakugo yells before grumbling under his breath.
While Monoma calms him down, Horizon notices Deku staring at the floor, muttering to himself. "If you're worrying about Uraraka. I can just tell them to offer her a job at a Hero Agency in Manhattan. That's where the United Nations headquarters is. And they want this task force to be close to that."
"Huh," Deku snaps out of his daze. "Oh, you'd do that for me?"
"It would cost me nothing, really. And the better this team is, the less work I'll have to do in the future."
"I guess that makes sense," Deku says. "But that's actually what I was worried about. I mean, what kind of team would we need to solve a problem like Tech without you?"
"I have no idea."
"That doesn't inspire confidence," Deku says.
"I know. My shoes are impossible to fill. I mean, you could put all the Pro Heroes in Japan together and you'd struggle to match Star and Stripe, and that's second place…by a lot."
Horizon sees Deku get even more worried about the pressure they'd be under after joining this team.
"But…" he reaches out and pats Deku's arm. "Just between the three of us. After I graduate, there will be a Horizon Tower in Manhattan, so I won't be that far away. You'll be in the same country as the two Mystery Class Quirks. You'll be fine."
"Yeah, you're right" Deku smiles up at Horizon.
"Always am. Now I need to go start the Sports Festival. Lets try to start our final year in UA with a good show. And remember, the world is watching…"
Horizon warps away, leaving the three young men in the hallway.
"Well, I need to get back to my class. See you guys on the field," Monoma quickly excuses himself.
Leaving Deku and Bakugo to walk slowly back to the locker room.
"Ok, what's really eating at you?" Bakugo asks.
"I'm just thinking. All Might gave me this Quirk to help people. But, it sounds like we'll only be called to help for big stuff."
"So you're worried about them keeping you on a base or compound until they need you. And about all the smaller crimes that will hurt people because you're there instead of patrolling."
"Yeah," Deku chuckles, bitterly. "All Might says I can't save everyone, and that I should stop destroying myself trying to do exactly that, but…"
"You can't shake the thought that if you were good enough, you could save everyone."
"You too?"
"Yup," Bakugo says. "But you're also a nerd—"
"Your grades are better than mine."
"Not the point," Bakugo says. "Besides, that means you should trust my math when I say, stopping one Tech is worth a lifetime of patrolling. If they bench us but only bring us out for one incident like that, we'll have more than made up for all those people."
"Still won't feel good."
"Think about the alternative. You refuse and do the regular hero thing. Patrolling and stopping random villains whenever they pop up. Then someone like Tech shows up and we need you, but because we don't have you, we fail. Are the billions that die worth the same as the ten thousand you save on the street?"
"Well, when you put it like that. I don't have much of a choice…"
END CHAPTER---