The five of you got into the limousine waiting for you, driving off to Kamino city centre.
"Oi kid, cheer up would ya?" Mandalay scoffed, turning around to face you. "What's gotten you in the dumps anyway?"
"Try literally being in the dumps," you joked, groaning.
"Oh," she sighed, realising her mistake. "Sorry kiddo, it'll get better soon. You'll find someone as dazzling as- OH MY GOD WE'RE HERE!"
Whilst most people assumed Mandalay to be the most mature of the Pussycats, they often forgot that the young woman still had a childish personality.
She was no where near as bad as Pixie Bob, but she was easily excitable and quickly distracted.
You snickered at her antics, following her into the huge stadium where heroes and sidekicks alike were making small talk, waiting for the big announcements to start.
Looking around for people you knew, you spotted a familiar face and instantly beelined towards her.
"Guess who?" You grinned, covering your mentor's eyes from behind.
"You're damn lucky I'm drunk, otherwise I'd have sent a kick your way," she laughed, pulling you off and into a tight hug.
"Go easy on yer intern Rumi-chan," Hawks smirked, leaning over the table to face her.
You glared at the winged man, though scoffed and softened slightly.
The three of you continued talking for a while, along with other heroes who came to greet you for formality's sake.
Soon, you got to the point everyone dreaded.
"It's crazy thinking that All Might won't be up here," Mirko smiled bitterly. "I've looked up to him since day 1, he was always number one on the billboard. But this time around..."
"Guess we'll have the fire lord as our new number one," you sighed, taking another sip of your drink.
"What did you say about me?" A voice boomed from behind you.
"Well, that's my cue to leave," you smiled awkwardly, sending finger guns his way before rushing off to find someone else you knew.
The first two you ran into were Bubble Girl and Centipeder, both who had eyebags reaching the floor.
"Hey Cloudy," Bubble Girl greeted, mustering up a small smile.
"You need sleep, you're way too stressed about the agency. I'll explain your absence, go home and take rest for christ's sake," you scolded, pushing them out.
"I promise we're fine," Centipeder interrupted. "Everything's under control, no need to worry."
You looked up at the sidekick, knowing it was a lie to not worry you. But at the same time, knowing that he'd mainly lied to convince himself.
Nothing was alright.
Nighteye was dead, they'd been left behind without a real plan, both under crippling stress, they had to work cases and manage both interns and an agency, it was too much for them.
You sighed, but accepted the answer.
"Ring me up if you need help," you offered. "I'm still a legally stated sidekick that can step out in emergencies."
Both smiled at you, grateful for your offer.
"Thank you, really, but we've got to work this out on our own," Bubble Girl declined. "If we're going to run this agency, we need to learn how to do it independently."
You nodded in acknowledgment, glad that they still had their determination.
Before you could talk much longer though, the PA sparked up, making all heroes settle down as the official biannual rankings would begin.
"Starting with the sidekicks," the speaker droned, starting all the way from 50.
You clapped politely for each one, eager to see when you and your friends would show up.
Everyone made a short speech as soon as they stood on stage, waved to the cameras and press, and then went back to their seats.
The pattern continued until you reached the top 10.
"Coming up in number 10, we've got Captain Selkie's sidekick, Sirius!" The speaker announced as the young girl made her way onto stage.
You waited with anticipation as the rest continued, waiting for your name to show up.
"In place 3 we've got Burnin', Endeavour's sidekick!"
At this point you were practically biting your nails with both excitement and anxiety.
"Our number 2 this year, a strong jump from being previously in the 100s, is Cloud Nine, sidekick to underground hero Eraserhead!" The speaker finally announced, making you release a sigh of relief as you stood up and made your way onto the stage.
"And finally, number one this year is Bubble Girl! Sidekick to the late Sir Nighteye and now to Centipeder," the speaker finished as all 10 of you stood on stage, smiling for the press.
But of course, that wasn't all.
You had to make speeches as well.
Things were going great until the mic was passed to you. You glared at the floor, thinking of words to say.
"U.A has been through a lot. The country has been through a lot. Us sidekicks are working on many cases, trying to do as much as we can. But we're going to need a lot of support as well," you began shakily, gaining confidence as you continued. "Stay safe and report any crime, we'll try to resolve them if the police can't. We need to track the villains down so our citizens can be safe again."
Once you finished your speech, you handed the mic to Bubble Girl as the auditorium was filled with silence.
Though mere seconds later, everyone in it, heroes and sidekicks alike, erupted into cheers.
"Wise words from the youngest sidekick on the panel this year. We've got high hopes for the next generation of heroes then!" The speaker commented.
You grinned, glad your words had reached their ears.
Now, they'd listen. They would do something about it.
Your friends could finally be safe and live the life they deserved.
"I agree with what Cloud Nine said," Bubble Girl began. "We rely on your support just as much as you rely on us. While we get alerts, it's better if crime is automatically reported. With All Might's retirement, crime has increased. We've gotta slow it down, so help us a bit, would ya?"
More cheers erupted as cameras flashed, taking pictures of all of you.
Once you got off the stage, you still had private interviews meaning you missed the whole hero charting.
Worst of all, you couldn't sleep tonight due to a social event and your classmates would know by morning that you were a sidekick.
Your interviewer was kind, a young lady who seemed she'd just recently gotten into the job.
"Cloud Nine," she grinned, shaking your hand. "I'm Momobami Yukie, I'll be interviewing you today. What should I address you as?"
You smiled at the lady, glad that she was considerate and respectful.
"Just Cloud Nine will do, Momobami-San," you responded.
"Please, take a seat," she gestured towards the empty chair next to her. "We can start whenever you're ready."
"I'm ready, what are your questions?" You asked her, waiting for the usual overly invasive questions you got.
This time, however, she was more concerned about your job than your relationship status.
"You mentioned the safety of U.A students," she recalled. "Why is this so important to you?"
"As a national hero school renowned for pumping out first class heroes, they need the most safety now. U.A's been attacked what, five times already? Students are worried, parents are worried. If they're going to become the country's next heroes, they need to be protected," you finished, watching as she scribbled down quick notes.
"How does it feel being number two when your employer is still in the hundreds?" She asked, referring to Eraserhead.
"First of all, he isn't my employer," you corrected. "We don't work at an agency so we were both underground heroes that worked side by side. I was his partner, though I was too young to get a hero license at the time. Now, I've got my provisional hero license and my sidekick's license so I'll be able to take the actual exam in maximum a year."
Getting too relaxed, you flashed both your licenses to the camera, forgetting you were on live TV. Your licenses had your name written on it, so if your classmates hadn't figured out who you were, they would've by now.
Not to mention, you'd announced to the entire country that you were a U.A student who was a sidekick.
While it was an accident, it could still lead to bigger misfortunes in the future.
"Thank you Cloud Nine, that'll be all," she grinned, closing her notebook.
"No other questions?" You raised an eyebrow sceptically.
"I already have all the information I need," the lady grinned, flashing you an eerily familiar smile.
You nodded, and stood up to leave, trying to figure out where you recognised those sharp canines from.
Sighing, you let it be, realising you were too tired to place it. But the thought never left your mind and stuck all throughout your return journey home.
Question of the day: who do ya'll think the journalist lady is?
Will I be ruining friendships in the next few chapters? Yeah, probably.
Have a good day/night