The semiannual hero billboard ranking.
Calling it well-known would make for a comic understatement. Each twice-yearly airing of it has broken previous television viewing records (always set by last year's billboard ranking) for nearly as long as it has been televised, and it shows no sign of slowing down. Sponsors and corporate partners have paid billions just for the privilege of providing the venue or advertising during the event, but in truth, the billboard itself is little more than an advertisement itself as well.
If you asked the Hero Public Safety Commission, they'd tell you that the product they deal in is hope.
But the hero toys flying off the shelves imply otherwise.
Gazes of people young and old turn to it time and time again, but this billboard ranking holds more weight than usual. The long shadow of Reaper still hangs over Japan, on top of the whole mess with 360, and glassy eyes glue themselves to screens national and international.
Are they looking for hope? Reassurance?
Who can say.
But one shot is all the Hero Public Safety Commission has.
"It's what we've all been waiting for, it's tiiiiime for the one! The only...! The variety-style mini-billboard updaaaaate!"
Canned applause buzzed through an on-set speaker as the camera finally lasered in on a couch resting in a gaudy golden set with a wide television, black and currently off, behind it. A fairly standard setup - maybe even a little low-rent given the importance of this year's billboard ranking.
Yet it's the couch's occupants that came as a real shock - on one side, top Hero Richard Wilkins out of costume, flanking the left of none other than Laser Hero Majestic. Off to Majestic's other side was an energetic, waifish woman with neon blue hair and a wide grin, holding a microphone in her hands.
"Thaaat's right! Everyone's favorite Billboard Ranking pre-show, featuring our own sneak peeks - former Top Heroes Hydro Hero: Splash and former #6 Top Hero Majestic!"
Though no one on set could see it, on the broadcast a #99 hung over Splash's head and a #11 over Majestic's. Of course, there was one former Top 10 who would not be mentioned, in this program or any other.
That got a twitch from Majestic's broad, grinning face, but the only thing that came out of Splash was a low, unheroic wail. "I mean, really, demoting me? Me? They've replaced me with some... some...!"
"Ahh, Wilkins-san, it isn't a demotion, the rankings are based on—"
"Ohhh, it just makes me wanna look up at the sky and shout: WATER they THINKING...!"
. . .
Crickets.
The announcer smiled, seguing as smoothly as possible. "Aha, and Majestic-san! I must imagine that the drop in rankings must have come as a shock to you after having graced the top of the billboard for so long."
"Hah! Hardly." Certainly, Majestic looks more suited to the role, sitting in just the right pose so that the simple one-camera view of the preshow captured his best features. "Listen here, reporter-missy, there's no shortage of losers and freaks out there willing to drag a strong man down. They see someone making his own way in the world, and instead of following his example, all they can think about is what's his secret? How can I take him down to replace him? Makes me sick, to be honest."
"Ahh, is that s—"
"A real hero always knows to roll with the punches! Even when he's drowned out by everyone else, he chooses to go forth! Just like the way I took on that freak Reaper! That's the real difference between the nobody chaff and a true hero, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they're trying to sell you something."
Majestic grinned broadly at the camera, folding his arms across his chest in typical Majestic bravado.
"Wow. Inspiring stuff! But I think it's about time we all get into the juicy stuff..."
Right on cue, a chime reverberated through the set, and those watching at home could see a graphic denoting the beginning of a new segment pop up on screen.
"Let's start this mini-billboard off with the ones you all really care about: UA's recent graduates! Inquiring minds have been wondering if they're who we should be keeping our eyes on, so without further ado...!"
Clap!
"Debuting at a strong 103rd and 102nd respectively, it's who else but High Tension Hero: Heartbreak and his team partner Heartbeat!"
Behind the couch, the television's screen blared to life with a paparazzi-style high-exposure photograph of Heartbreak, hair tousled slightly in the process of removing his helmet, smiling broadly while standing next to Heartbeat.
"A real comeback story! Two Heroes fighting against their own bodies to save the populace, what could be more inspiring than that?! But! What everyone's been really wondering is if these two are sharing more than an agency together...! Or are the rumors of Heartbeat's involvement with an underground hero who graduated UA alongside her the true story here? Ooh, scandalous."
"Up next!"
The TV flickered again, showing a nervous young woman smiling at the camera, braces fully on display.
"Singsong Hero: Meadow! No points for creativity on the name, but she seems to have rocketed up in popularity regardless as of late as the new #92 Hero! Is it her flashy, battle-style quirk that people like, or just how much skin she's showing?! Maybe her former classmate Heartbeat should follow her example - or maybe Heartbreak should instead! Any thoughts on her, Majestic?"
The man frowned, humming thoughtfully.
"... 6."
"And THAT'S how many glasses of water a day you should be drinking, my friends!" Richard chimed in as well.
"Wow! You tuning in, Meadow? A former top 10 Hero thinks you could make it all the way to the top 10 yourself! But I guess it takes more than that to get past the top 5 barrier that is Wash, hah."
Another flicker, this time cutting to video rather than a still image.
A pink blur ducks and weaves between dozens of living statues, each of them returning to immobility as he passes by. With a sudden twist of his body, he pivots, slamming a leg into the side of a statue, indistinguishable from the rest, absconding with a sobbing child roughly seized in its arms. The moment the leg connects and the child drops into the hero's arms, the statues surrounding them freeze entirely and the wailing child clings to the hero.
"The last of our big breakout UA hits is none other than Smiling Hero: Top Smile!"
On screen, he tugs off his mask, smiling reassuringly at the sobbing boy.
... who cries even louder at the hero's rough, revealed face.
"The latest face of the Smile Hero agency, Top Smile's cheery attitude and incessant climbing of the ranks have earned him a lot of fans and a debut 67th spot on the billboard! But he's got a lot of legacy to live up to, so fight on, Top Smile! Ganbare!"
Clap-clap-clap. Without studio applause, the end of the UA segment ended with the announcer's polite golf-clapping and Richard's boisterous cheering.
Majestic remained impassive on the center of the couch, arms still crossed.
Another chime blared through the studio - time for another segment switch.
"Now we're due for a quick recap: the one-sentence update roundup for our most interesting leaps and losses of the season!"
With each name that came up, an image briefly flashed on screen behind the couch, showing the hero in question in all of their glory.
"Fair Marshal has leapt up several dozen spots to #60 for his tireless work in the aftermath of the night of the Reaper, putting out fires literal or otherwise!"
"H-2-Oh my goodness, it's like looking at a younger me..." Richard wiped a tear from his eye, before smoothly shaping it into a thumbs-up with his quirk.
"Though Heroes often actually lose ground when they take a teaching position, Skycarver has in fact increased his ranking to #52 after the details of his underprivileged mutant student program came to light!"
To the eagle-eyed, Skycarver didn't exactly look thrilled to be posing with 1-F in his picture, with several students covered in dirt, trash, goop, slime, blood, or all of the above in the case of a horrified-looking Beach Day.
"Rescue Ray, formerly 20th, tumbled several spots to #38 after announcing that he would need to step back from active patrolling in order to focus on ensuring his students' safety in these tumultuous times."
"Compound, after his strong collaboration efforts with both Saurus' agency and Endless Horizons Ltd. has at long last reached the top 30, just barely squeezing in at #30!"
The microphone just barely picked up Majestic's snort of contempt.
"Here's an odd one: the disappearance entirely of former Top Hero Sisyphus from the ranks, with his agency taking no questions, leaving many to wonder whether this is a prelude to retirement or if he's chosen to go underground!"
A picture of his face with a question mark atop it spun across the screen, before quickly getting glossed over by the next one up.
"Of course, who doesn't love Impakt - an increasing number of the population, apparently, as the hero loses a few spots but maintains a respectable #25 as doubtful citizens start to wonder hang on, he's been here a while, HOW long is this guy supposed to stay here for again?"
"Aaaaand lastly at #14, but certainly not least - you know him, you love him, you certainly have gotten a plushie or action figure of him for a child in your life around last Christmas, it's none other than the most unexpected breakout Hero of the year, the one who knows strength is everything, the man putting in more hours than anyone else, the Shrimpy Striker Hero: Magnum Shriiiiimp...!"
The announcer stuck fingers in her mouth to wolf-whistle for him excitedly, sending a spark of blue electricity between the digits.
Richard nodded firmly. "He interned with me, you know! A man as wet as he was strong, even back then. Hydration is power!"
"Alright, and that's all the time we have for the small fries." The announcer smiled, and suddenly began to pat out a drumroll on her thighs. "Andddd now - dadadadadadada - it's finally time for the biggest stars in the show! The Heroes whose names have been on everyone's lips! The one! The only....!"
"Ja-jannn...!"
Welcome to the 21XX Hero Billboard Chart JP's Top 10 Heroes!
Finally.
The camera cut away from the dinky variety-style pre-show to a darkened stage.
It was unusual for Top Heroes to show in person for Billboard Chart updates, much less all 10 of them, but that was what the rumors swirling around the event keep suggesting. Reporters, family members, heroes and sidekicks alike all mingled in the crowd, but even their voices were brought to a hushed lull as fanfare began to slowly pick up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. The rankings will begin momentarily."
KA-CHUNK.
A spotlight suddenly thuds to life, falling on a broad-shouldered man who clearly has no patience for these theatrics. A voice from the intercom begins to excitedly MC the proceedings, echoing through the dusky room.
"Number 10, surging back from his surprise retirement with a surprise UNretirement, is the Goliath Worm Hero: Yamamotooo!"
"Hmph."
"How manly! The people seem to love him, so let's all see if this old-timer can still keep up in the age of modern heroism!"
A smattering of applause followed the announcement, with several of the heroes present in the audience clearly conflicted. If he really got going when things got rough last time, what was stopping him from doing the same again? Could he really be relied on?
Across the stage, the second spotlight glared to life, a little ways away from the first.
"Number 9 will be a shock to many after spending years defending her spot from dozens of contenders... Why, it's the former unbreakable top 10 wall, Motivational Hero: Rosethorn...!"
"I'm... a little conflicted about this jump, to tell the truth," Rosethorn said, waving out to the cheeeing crowd with her usual picture-perfect smile.
"As modest as ever! It's no wonder she's renowned for lifting others up rather than herself!"
KA-CHUNK. Another spotlight, this time illuminating... A gap in the heroes...?
"Number 8 is... hello? Hello? Has anyone seen #8? She appears to be missing from the—"
Suddenly, as though out of nowhere, the thin impression of a woman began to distort midair; in short order her camouflaged skin coalesced back into a tentacle-haired heroine grinning cheekily while fixing the camera with a peace sign.
"She's been here the whole time! Is it quirk profiling or just fate that she wound up in the 8th spot? Who knows! I'm just the announcer! But that's Ensnaring Hero: Akkoro for you, everyone!"
"Be sure to stick around after the rankings, everyone! I have a special announcement to make. ♡"
"How shameless! Moving on, to our shock, #7 is Suited Hero: Yoshizumi! Still an incredible showing - whoever thought a quirkless girl could become a hero - but she's falling down the ranks little by little, a far cry from her previous spot! Is the newbie sheen beginning to wear off?"
"Haah... all the legal battles have been dragging me away from hero work," she admitted with a breezy smile and a self-conscious rub at the back of her neck. Clearly Yoshizumi hasn't been in her borrowed Suit for long.
"She admits to it so easily! This is a heroine who's down but not out...!"
"Now it's time for the biggest shock of the evening: #6 is none other than... Can we get the March of the Gladiators going? It's Popsy! After her heroic display against a historic kaiju attack and putting on the circus of the century, it seems the little clown that could has finally climbed her way back up the ranks!"
Popsy traipsed forward to center herself better in the spotlight... but suddenly tripped, fwipping head over heel in an incredible pratfall! The crowd's hysterical laughter told one story, but to those close to the clown, her lack of words and body language screamed something else entirely:
She's dying out here. Drowning in publicity.
Whoever heard of a clown who couldn't handle crowds?
... well, in truth, it wasn't the crowd bothering her.
To be here, after all this time... so suddenly... Ugh, is this a dream or a nightmare?
She does another pratfall.
The crowd loves it.
"For #5, the beautiful women bloc seems to be over and done with at last! This might come as a shock to those viewing in from the east, but it's Brilliant Hero: Yunikon!"
"Rest assured, I haven't been resting on my laurels!" Yunikon thumps his chest with his fist, pointing up with his other index figure in his famous pose. "I'll work ten times as hard to make up for it!"
With half the stage illuminated, the revealed heroes begin to congregate together, milling at the side of the stage as they wait for the rest. Akkoro whispered something in Yoshizumi's ear, prompting a disguntled look back at her.
"You have to admire his spirit! Of course, EVERYONE knew this next Hero would be here tonight, but I'd wager you didn't expect to see him at this spot. The #4 Hero is... Wash! New guardian of the top 3!"
"Washaaa!" The washing-machine-man assumed a wide stance, spotlight illuminating the many iridescent bubbles floating around him.
"And that's why we love him, don't we folks? Make sure to catch his latest movie role in Scrub: A Clean Sweep of a Dirty Department!"
The audience went nuts for Wash. 'SIGN MY FACE,' one man wailed.
"Are you all holding onto your hats? You'd better if you don't want them to get washed away by his waves of adoring fans! #3 is the certainly the most popular Hero here in terms of fanbase, the inimitable Tsunami Hero: LOOOOOORD CHARYBDIIIIIIS...!"
Moments before the spotlight turns to him, a fist clenched tight in anticipation. One word in booming voice bellowed forth from the dark.
"CHA-RYB-DIS!"
KA-CHUNK.
He struck a pose, freshly-wet muscles glistening under the spotlight.
"CHA-RYB-DIS!"
Another pose, biceps flexing as the sound of the crowd's chanting joins in with him hyping up his own name.
"CHA-RYB-DIS! CHA-RYB-DIS! CHA-RYB-DIS!"
There's no other phrase for it other than one - bringing down the house. As Lord Charybdis assumed his final bodybuilding pose (you too can look as good as Lord Charybdis with his set of Hyperbolic Pressure Workout DVDs, currently retailing at a special price of only 3 payments of 2500 Yen for the whole set!) the crowd bursted into jubilation and cheered, sheer force of personality weighing down on everyone in the building like a hundred meters of water.
His face broke out into an ecstatic, toothy smile.
"But wait! Who's that...? Could it be- it IS! The #2 Hero, Cretaceous King: Saurus!"
KA-CHUNK.
...
Huh...? The crowd, barely settling down from previously being whipped up in a frenzy, could only react in confusion to the image on stage before them.
An understated, sober-faced Saurus, hands folded in front of him, wearing an all-black tuxedo. No boisterous wrestling talk, no dramatic poses. There were no words, not even from the announcer, and alongside the hushed silence that has befallen the auditorium a budding confusion joins it.
He moved.
A single crimson arm broke free from the grip it held over its twin's wrist, rising up. A single fist rose. And from it:
A single dark talon, pointing straight up in the air.
He took a deep breath.
And
ROARED.
The stage shook. The stretching and tearing sounds of fabric were drowned out by his sheer sound as suddenly a pair of leathery wings sprouted from the Hero's back, jaw still wide open and teeth on display in an animalistic display of sheer power. As the shredded remnants of his suit fell away, exposing the wrestling leotard beneath, Saurus' great wings beat once, twice, thrice, lifting him into the air as his roar came to an end.
Off to the side, Popsy fell over again.
The crowd exploded into cheers. Saurus touched down, single digit lowering, pointing at the final empty area of the stage in unmitigated bravado. More than just a hype moment - an unspoken promise.
Number one. I'm coming for your crown.
Lord Charybdis was too much of an industry pro to let something like this rattle him, and his expression was just as pleased as everyone else in the crowd and on stage seeing Saurus work a crowd - jealous? Him? Never!
But boy was he feeling like he could go for a biblical flood to drive a few dinosaurs to extinction right about now.
Rap-tap-tap.
The thin knuckles of Jade Makura, also known as Flickfang, give a cursory warning to Karaburan before she lets herself into the office of Shiketsu's principal. A few sheafs of paper are held in one arm as the other turns the doorknob while Karaburan's breezy "Come in," sounds out.
"Ah, Makura. I was wondering where you'd gotten off to."
A pang of guilt nearly overwhelms Jade as she hears the amount of papers already being pushed around on her boss' desk. Maybe a different subject would help ease her into it; after all, there was one thing Jade couldn't seem to sense - a television.
"You're not watching the billboard ranking, Principal Nishima?"
Karaburan rolls her eyes, chair creaking as she leans back from the paperwork scattered across her desk like she was putting as much distance between her and it as she could.
"What'd be the point? That one from UA will obviously be..."
On the way back from training, a certain hero student pauses by an electronics store. His nose smudges the glass as he squints inside at the display TVs, doing his best to remember the moment even without sound on as he calls out to his friend wandering ahead.
"Hey, hold on...! I wanna catch this!"
The student he was calling back to glances over his shoulder, shrugging. "Ehh...? The Billboard? Why bother. The one at the top is obviously gonna be..."
In a smoky room someplace, a TV blares. A local hangout for villains and shady types alike. One of them glances at the TV hanging over the bar with disgust plain on his face.
"Ah, shut it off."
Another more dimwitted one pipes up. "Huh? Why?"
"Fuck, man. Isn't it obvious? The number one is always going to be..."
He had no need for spotlights.
A crimson blaze suddenly fwoomed to life, bathing the entire auditorium in its orange glow.
The other heroes on stage could do nothing but look on, now reduced to audience members themselves.
His face twisted into an unimpressed scowl.
ENDEAVOR
The post-ranking show lacked much of the drama and flare of the preceding countdown.
With the lights all back on, one-by-one the Heroes fielded softball questions from a on-stage journalist, obviously handpicked, who traveled between them one by one with a hand mic.
Everyone got their little moment. When asked about his sudden resurgence and if he would be taking any sponsorships, Yamamoto bristled as he answered.
"Is this a joke? Of course not. My motivations are precisely what they were when I was the fifth ranked Hero - to protect my family, my city, and to ensure the next generation has a fighting chance. That's all."
Oooh, how noble! The crowd tittered as the reporter moved on.
Rosethorn had little new to say - very humbled, it's an honor of course, though nothing about missing being up here with her coworker Majestic. Maybe there was something between the lines there, maybe not.
As much more of an image-focused hero, interviews were Akkoro's bread and butter, and as the mic reached her she couldn't help but take a throwaway question a little too far.
"What's an unexpected thing that people don't know about Heroics?"
"People long to be deceived."
Akkoro laced her hands together, holding up the knee of one leg jauntily crossed over the other as she sat back on a chair formed from her own tentacles.
"I mean, really. Why all the theatrics?" She flapped an extra tentacle in a causal wave. "The suits, the masks, the silly slogans... We could call it a remnant of a bygone age of vigilantes protecting their identities long past, but get real!"
"There is no trick to a takotsubo trap. No lid or sudden mechanism sprung within it. The octopus climbs inside of its own volition, out of its own curiosity."
"Playing along is all part of the fun! People engage with heroes the way they do fiction. They lull themselves into a beautiful dream, to only awaken if that hazy image of heroes becomes incongruent with the sight before their eyes."
"And really, what's the harm?" She winked at the camera, grinning just wickedly enough that the focus-testing determined to be optimal. "Who doesn't like to play make believe!"
The interviewer nodded gratefully, preparing to begin turning away before - fwip!
The mic slipped right out of her hands, tugged gently away by a prying tentacle. Akkoro waved cheerily at the camera, laughing at her own mischief as she passed the mic from tentacle to hand. "Oh, I nearly forgot! My big announcement!"
She cleared her throat dramatically, tapping at the mic's head with a tentacle. "Hello~? Helloooo...? This thing on? It better be, because guess what, everyone?"
"The Takotsubo office is headed south for the spring! Hokkaido has treated us lovely, but I can't wait to get to know all the lovely new faces of Kyoto as we work to establish a branch office there...! Isn't that just great? Wow!"
Akkoro's skin began to strobe through vibrant color after color, sometimes forming a heart here or there. Her head turned, grinning cheekily at several other Pro Heroes both on stage and in the crowd, unspoken threat-or-compliment coming across loud and clear - we'll sure be seeing a lot of each other soon!
For better or worse.
Perhaps they valued the illusion of strength over anything else. As easy question after easy question, meaningless fluff, passed by the Heroes, an uncomfortable feeling stirred within the hearts of onlookers.
Why aren't they talking about the Wild Hunt?
Not even a sideways gesture to its existence has been made. Nothing about the Night of the Reaper. The closest thing had been an offhand comment by Majestic of all people, in the pre-show. Apparently Akkoro got so bored that she skipped over to Saurus to begin chatting with him off-mic, gaze obviously flicking between the #1 Hero and the interviewer approaching him.
The reporter's mouth opened, and -
"I'LL BE TAKING THAT!"
In true wrestler fashion, Saurus apparently couldn't resist an unattended mic, gently pushing the interviewer out of the way. His throat rumbled, a low and thoughtful sound, as a reptillian gaze swept over the crowd.
"CALL IT A HUNCH, BUT IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING'S BEEN SORELY MISSING UP HERE. NOW, MAYBE IT'S JUST ME! NO ONE'S EVER ACCUSED THE KING OF ALL REPTILES OF TACT. BUT I'VE GOT A RAZOR-SHARP INSTINCT AND A SENSE OF SMELL ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION YEARS IN THE MAKING, AND YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SCREAMING AT ME? YOU WANNA KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M SMELLING?"
Saurus began to pace, holding a hand up to his earholes. A few members of crowd rose to his demands, all shouting, screaming like it was the only way to rid themselves of the dread building in their gut - Reaper! Reaper! What about Reaper?
"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! SEEMS LIKE THE GOOD PEOPLE OF KYOTO CAN SMELL IT TOO - A TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUND PILE OF BURNIN' BULL!"
"OR MAYBE IT'S THEIR HOMES THEY'RE SMELLING! THEIR LOVED ONES! SO I'M GONNA ASK THIS ONCE, AND I'M GONNA MAKE IT LOUDDDD AND CLEAR FOR YOU!"
THUD. THUD. THUD. Saurus' boots fell heavy on the ground as he approached Endeavor, staring him down face-to-face.
"WHAT NEXT? I'VE SEEN EVERY FORM OF LOWLIFE CRAWL OUTTA THE GUTTER OF EVOLUTION TO TAKE ME DOWN, AND GUESS WHAT? THE KING. STILL. STANDS."
A cheer went up, and a hundred phone cameras flash as Saurus gestured back at them.
"SO WHAT ABOUT YOU, MR. ALLEGED NUMBER-ONE? THE PEOPLE DEMAND AN ANSWER! AND YOU BETTER MAKE IT SNAPPY, BEFORE I TAKE THAT CHAMPION TITLE FOR MYSELF AND SHOW THE PEOPLE HOW IT'S REALLY DONE!"
He shoved the microphone forward.
A moment passed before Endeavor accepted it, face placid even as his flames burn ever brighter. He stepped past Saurus. Narrow eyes swept over the people the #1 Hero was now facing directly, mere feet away from the edge of the wide stage.
For a moment, the people in the front row started to feel sweat pour down their necks, like they'd been outside on a hot summer's day.
The entire auditorium seemed to hold its breath for a moment.
"Seven minutes. That's the average response time of the Tokyo metropolitan police."
Immediately, murmurring burst out amidst the civilians. What's he talking about? Endeavor's hand, clutching the mic, clenched into a tighter fist as his flames began to intensify.
"The Special Wild Hunt Taskforce can reach any point in Japan within sixty seconds."
Shock. Curiosity. The what? I don't know. First I'm hearing of it!
"We are, even now, conducting an extensive search of the country in an international collaboration with heroes from across the world."
Hmph! Endeavor's face scowled in public contempt, determined confidence rolling off of him in waves of blistering heat.
"And if that scum happens to be watching this..."
His gaze locked directly with the camera.
"You're finished."
Halfway across the stage, Rosethorn's expression flooded with guilt.
Ahh, wow! You nailed that! I mean, with the statistics and the personal-
"Explain. NOW."
In one of the auditorium's nondescript back rooms, a fuming Endeavor glared at the #2 hero. "Do you think squabbling between Heroes is what the people need to see-"
"It's fine."
If he didn't have perfect control, one of the nearby changing booths could've gone up in smoke.
Yikes. Mister #1 must not be used to being interrupted - I think the temperature just went up 4 degrees in here.
Of course, Akkoro was eavesdropping. But she liked to think along during times like these - it helped keep her brain sharp, she liked to believe.
... or maybe she was just such a chatterbox she couldn't even keep quiet in her own head.
Endeavor, glaring down his nose at Saurus, scowled even deeper, but waited for an explanation. "Don't think I didn't notice that octopus egging you on."
Aww, you recognized that? I'm flattered! It's just show-biz, you know.
Saurus sighed deeply, shaking his head. "It was worked out at the inception of the ceremony."
Yup! It'd look really pathetic if we spent the whole time up on stage all doom-and-gloom about the bad boy still at large... Good thing we got Saurus' jobber expertise on board to really sell it!
"The Hero Commission were willing to take a small black eye if it meant that the taskforce and their #1 Hero could maintain credibility for such an important announcement. People aren't positive on them after the 360 debacle."
They lulled into silence for a moment, all of them reflecting independently on that PR disaster. What a mess.
"But it had to look good - look real. And how much realer does it get than professional wrestling?"
Certainly, nobody would have called the interview questions from before the confrontation at the end hard-hitting journalism. It had been plenty obvious there was coaching being done beforehand by the Commission.
Eeeeeeeexactly! It seems so much more impressive if it looks like it came from your heart, spur of the moment! You were probably fed lines and ordered to announce the taskforce thing anyways, right? Just had to make sure you had the best stage possible, Mr. #1 Hero! Makes you look like a real trailblazer, huh?
Endeavor glowered, hands only relaxing slightly as his flames began to simmer down.
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I don't approve. This taskforce was both my idea and my responsibility. Don't expect any further details unless you're called on to handle the situation."
Ahh, I get it... all hush-hush.
Despite Saurus' nod in affirmation, he seemed quietly disgruntled in needing to have worked a crowd with Endeavor. "Of course. You have your duties. We're all pitching in, in our own ways."
...
Awkwardly trapped in the backstage room's dressing booth, a certain clown couldn't help but cringe as she overheard the whole conversation.
... I need a damn drink.
"Yeesh, those guys sure are intense! Makes my skin get all on pins and needles."
And nearly jumped out of her costume as a tentacle lolled over Popsy's shoulder, one of the walls of the booth revealing itself to have been a certain #8 Hero the whole time as she whispered into the smaller woman's ear.
Akkoro grinned down at Popsy, all teeth and mirth.
"Shhh! Us Top 10 newbies gotta look out for each other!"
Popsy half-smiled back, half-grimaced.
A drink? Screw that.
Make it a six pack at this rate.