Chapter 65: CHAPTER 061(State Of Oppression)
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CHAPTER START---
'Why did I make this meeting so fucking early...' Horizon thinks as he struggles to stay awake, sitting in a comfortable leather chair, wearing his full Hero Costume, minus the sword of course.
Currently, he is in Tokyo, Detnerat headquarters. He is sitting on his chair with a small coffee table between him and the other chair, looking out over Tokyo through the wall of massive windows on the top floor of this forty-story building.
Behind him wash a large desk and a more formal setup, the entire far wall consumed by a well-stocked bookshelf.
The 9 AM sun was finally getting comfortable in the sky, keeping Horizon awake as he stretches and yawns.
'Where does Gild even find those girls...fucking animals,' he thinks with a small and tired smile on his lips, completely hidden beneath the visor.
Hearing a click behind him he stands up and turns around to see the massive double doors open, and in walks Rikiya Yosubashi, the CEO and founder of Detnerat.
Or as the members of his Meta Liberation Army know him, Re-Destro. A villain plotting the downfall of the oppressive Quirk society that most people are content with.
"Mister Yotsubashi," Horizon greets the man, giving him a firm handshake.
The man was of a muscular build beneath his black suit, white stripes running vertically along it. Standing at 6ft -182cm- tall, wearing a green tie and light green undershirt. His hair was orange and receeding with a prominent widow's peak, exposing two small moles on the left side of his forehead.
The support item genius who founded Detnerat, for the Meta Liberation Army to take a more prominent role in society and equip themselves. Under the guise of making Lifestyle Support Items to accommodate the variety of needs caused by certain Quirks, all while quietly making weapons for villains and their members alike.
"Horizon, it's a pleasure to meet you," Yotsubashi says, quickly breaking the handshake. "And please, call me Rikiya, I am hoping for this to be the start of a long and prosperous friendship."
"Well, I certainly hope so as well Rikiya."
Rikiya directs Horizon back to his seat and both men get comfortable looking out over the city. "Are you sure I can't have my assistant get you anything, maybe some tea?"
"No I'm quite fine, but I am very curious about why you asked for a meeting rather than simply making the delivery," Horizon says.
"Ahh, just as I assumed, you wouldn't want to waste time, we're both quite busy from what I understand," Rikiya leans back and reaches into his jacket, taking out what appears to be a candy bar.
A sleek white wrapper with Horizon's blue logo in the middle of it, nothing else on the package.
Horizon takes it and feels the weight of the bar in his hand, as large as a chocolate bar that only had four blocks, but almost as heavy as a small bottle of water.
"It's even smaller than I expected," Horizon says, fiddling with it in his hand.
"We managed to get the formula you requested down to half the expected size, but, legally I must advise against consuming an entire one of these bars within 48 hours, and the deal you signed also specified that these are not for resale, only personal use....if a child ate one of these it could literally kill them."
"I'll keep them on high shelves," Horizon chuckles.
"You never specified exactly what these are for," Rikiya mentions. "Does your Quirk need a fuel to trigger it perhaps?"
"No, I just got really sick of having to eat eight meals a day to bulk up, it made me start to hate food, this will solve that problem."
"Oh...that's not what I expected, either way, the first three shipments have been sent to UA," Rikiya just relaxes in his chair as Horizon puts away the bar. "Well I'm sure you can afford it, but does UA not provide these services through their legendary Support Department?"
"Not to these specifications," Horizon says. "If you want something simple like sugar pills they can handle that, but they don't cook or process food, any Quirk that needs to eat a lot is generally left to figure it out themselves."
"That makes sense since it's students working on the gear of other students," Rikiya says. "But you are quite far ahead of the others, your website went online and is already causing a bit of a stir."
Horizon chuckles at that, "people really got so surprised that I opened a website to sell merchandise, they act like you need a Hero License to do that. Once you aren't falsely advertising yourself as a hero it's fine, just trademark yourself and build a brand."
"People are also upset that you're undercutting their prices," Rikiya points out.
"Well, I've got the money to afford it. I don't care about profits, just building the Horizon brand."
A short and oddly comfortable silence befalls the room as Rikiya leans forward, nodding quietly as he finds his words, knowing the next few moments could either guarantee absolute victory for his movement, or completely destroy it. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to sway a Mystery Class to their side.
"May I ask a more personal question?" Rikiya asks politely.
"I assume that's why you wanted to meet in person, I hope you aren't going to offer me a Support Item sponsorship, I'm not really allowed to use outside stuff while studying at UA," Horizon taps the side of his visor.
"Nonono, the last this I need is Nezu destroying my company. But...I will admit now that your public file is no longer hidden, very sparse but still public to companies like mine. I do have some people very excited to make a better version of your visor, maybe one that's a bit smaller while still keeping you alive," Rikiya suggests.
"I prefer this style, but thanks for the offer," Horizon says, playing along with the info on his public file that his visor was a Lifestyle Support item, making it illegal for any authority in any country to force him to remove it.
"Well if you change your mind, you have my number, but now I'd like to ask a more serious question."
"I'm listening."
Rikiya pauses for a moment, feeling his heart rate steadily increase before he takes a deep breath and calms down a bit, "how do you feel about people not being able to use their Quirks freely? I have a theory that you're becoming a hero partly so that you may legally warp about, otherwise Quirk use is illegal without a Hero License. Do you have any opinion on that legal system?"
"Hmmm, well, that's a bit complicated..."
"How so?" Rikiya asks, leaning forward to listen carefully.
"Well, on one hand, yeah I think people should be able to use their Quirks. It's kinda like a few hundred years ago when people weren't allowed to be openly gay, right? Quirks are part of you that you can't deny and should be free to express."
"Right, exactly."
"But..." Horizon gestures to the city. "If someone is gay they don't develop possibly city-destroying abilities, they're still just a regular person. So on one hand, sure it'd be great if people could just be themselves in regards to Quirks...but on the other hand, anyone who thinks there shouldn't be any Quirk regulations clearly underestimates how stupid the average person really is.
People can't be trusted to use power responsibly, they need a rigid rule structure or else everything will quickly devolve into chaos. And in the cases of Quirks, everyone has to be held down the same way unless they have a license, because if we say something like 'harmless Quirks can be used freely but offensive Quirks can't be,' then that's a whole other discrimination problem, and that's how current society makes villains. By putting stupid Hero-Villain labels on everything.
For every person that gets to freely fly around the sky, you've got to consider some idiot with a fire Quirk accidentally burning down a house, it's best for everyone if nobody but the Pros can use Quirks."
Rikiya sits back and taps his chin, considering Horizon's words very carefully. Atleast on the outside he was, internally he was absolutely outraged that Horizon would agree with the government, now knowing that this future Pro would likely be the greatest threat to their revolution.
"And how do you treat unauthorized Quirk use?" Rikiya asks.
"Just between us, generally if you aren't causing a commotion or bothering people, I don't really care, but---" Horizon raises his hand to halt Rikiya's response. "But, I'm only one person, if I take that stance it's one thing, but if the government takes that stance it will cause chaos. Plus honestly since I'm gonna be a hero I should be more strict with the laws, give people an inch and they'll take a mile and all that," he shrugs.
Rikiya considers how to best use this information to push the agenda of his movement, and the gears finally click into place.
Horizon is building a brand.
He's not afraid to speak his mind.
Legally he's essentially untouchable.
And he has strong beliefs that he will gladly tell people about...all he needs is a few cameras on him.
"I see, and would you be willing to speak openly about the points you just made, regaining Quirk use, and the statement you made about society creating villains?"
"Huh?"
"Well... have you heard of Chitose Kizuki?" Rikiya asks.
"President of Shoowaysha, obsessive journalist, impossible hot blue lady, yeah," Horizon sees Rikiya's brow twitch slightly at that last descriptor. "Oh...and the secret girlfriend of Rikiya Yotsubashi?"
"I can get you an interview with her," Rikiya says, completely ignoring the last insinuation. "She'd love to have you on her talk show and it would help to build your brand, I can't imagine it will be easy to build any Hero reputation before you get your Provisional License next year."
"Hmm," Horizon considers it for a moment, knowing an interview with her would put more eyes on him, good or bad he just needed people watching him. "Can the interview be at the start of summer?"
"I'm sure she won't mind, although I don't---" Rikiya pauses, then sighs, feeling like an idiot. "Because you'll have your Provisional License after June..." he mutters.
"I'm already better than most pros, why waste time when I could be helping people," Horizon shrugs, chuckling quietly as Rikiya shakes his head.
"I'll have her call you, assuming it's alright if I give her your number?"
"Pretty ladies are always welcomed," Horizon sees Rikiya give him an annoyed look. "I'm kidding, I won't flirt with your girl, not like I could do anything even if I wanted to," Horizon raises his gloved hand to tap the side of his visor.
"Oh, right," Rikiya gives him a sympathetic look, unable to imagine what it must be like to always wear that visor and body glove. According to Horizon's file they were both needed for him to properly function.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Rikiya's phone immediately goes off before the conversation can get started again. Taking it out he gives Horizon an apologetic look. "I'm sorry but something has come up at the lab, I'll have to cut our meeting short."
Both men rise and Horizon gives him a polite handshake, "it was a pleasure meeting you."
"Well if you ever want to set up another meeting you have my number," Rikiya says, "and please just call if you need a different flavor for the meal bars."
"Will do."
SHAMBLES!
Horizon disappears from the office, and swaps for one of his metal cards before that too disappears.
Rikiya grits his teeth at that and begins walking out of his office toward his research lab, taking out his phone and calling Chitose, or as the Meta Liberation Army know her, the villain and head of their public relations and propaganda department, Curious, the queen of their army.
Before the first ring can finish she answers.
"Rikiya?" Her cheerful and excited voice flows through the phone, "what's going on?"
"I just got you an interview with mister miracle himself," Rikiya immediately pulls the phone away from his ear before her excited screech can start.
"When?!" She asks after settling down.
"July, he wants to get his Provisional License first, of course this is all to be kept quiet."
"I know that, obviously," he can just feel her eyeroll through the phone at this point. "Did you get a number?"
"Yes, but you won't be getting it, I can't trust you not to get excited and badger him with questions."
"Will you give it to Skeptic to track it, maybe bug his phone?" she asks.
"Absolutely not," Rikiya says. "I had Skeptic do a very light check on the number, it flows through Swiss Vault."
"Oh, Nezu's security program..." Curious mutters. "Well anyway, what's he like, did he agree with us?"
"Mmm, not exactly. He doesn't particularly care about abiding by the laws of this oppressive society, he even uses his Quirk to warp about, but he also doesn't care about the people who, unlike him, aren't above the law. The people like us who live without being able to fully express what makes us special."
"So he's a selfish jerk," Curious says.
"Essentially, yes. But he does have some opinions about this society and hero-centric culture that we can certainly use to stir up the people."
"Ohh, that's good, what about his Quirk, did you get anything about that?"
"I decided to not push my luck and ask," Rikiya sighs. "Being what is technically a villain sitting across from one of the most powerful people on that planet that is clearly itching for a chance to make a name for himself as a hero...that was stressful enough. The last thing I need is him being suspicious of me poking around at his Quirk."
"But you could have just taken him out there right, if you were that stressed out, yes?"
Rikiya stops walking, considers it, shakes his head, then keeps walking. "My Quirk converts stress into power, but there isn't enough stress in the world to beat him, but I do believe with the right incentive he can be swayed to our side."
"But what can we offer someone like that?"
"That's what we need to figure out, but he certainly doesn't seem like one of those golden-hearted heroic types, he clearly wants to be famous and influential, he has some hidden motive."
"Hmm, but is it worth the risk, he is super dangerous after all," Curious mutters quietly, not liking the idea of having to fight Horizon.
"Yeah, it's worth it, because it's Horizon, he's invincible..."
END CHAPTER---
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