The rooftop of an abandoned parking garage was their secret place. The city skyline stretched before them, the golden hues of the setting sun shined upon it.
Even as children, this was where they always ended up. Two kids with the same dream.
Nathan Kain sat on the edge, legs dangling over the side, while Lucas Graves stood a few feet away, tossing a battered baseball in his hand.
"See that?" Lucas said, pointing at the tall glass headquarters of the Hero Association. His eyes lit up like they always did when he talked about being heroes. "One day we’ll be there. As the greatest heroes this city''s ever seen. No doubt about it."
Nathan scoffed, twisting a loose thread on his sleeve. "Easy to say when you can bench-press a damn car. Some of us weren''t exactly built for the hero life."
Lucas grinned, throwing the ball straight up. When it came down, he caught it with two fingers, barely putting in effort. His strength had always been ridiculous, even as kids.
"You’ll be right there beside me,” Lucas said. “I don’t care what anyone else has to say."
Nathan didn’t answer right away. He was different. While Lucas was gifted with overwhelming strength, Nathan’s ability was… strange. Weak.
He could replay moments of time, hear past conversations, mimicking actions, repeating movements. Just a trick, people called it, nothing more.
But even then, Lucas never treated him like he wasn’t cut out to be a hero. Never once.
The years passed, marked by new buildings, brighter lights, different shadows.
But the parking garage remained their place, even as they outgrew the baseball games and childish dreams evolved into real ambitions.
Up here, time just felt different.
Now they stood on that same rooftop, dressed in their self made combat suits. The fabric was still stiff with newness. Tomorrow they will have their first visit to the Hero Association. Their first test as heroes.
That glass building they''d stared at as kids was no longer just a distant dream, it was a reality waiting to judge them.
But Nathan realized nothing had really changed. Lucas still believed in him. And Nathan? He was still trying to believe in himself and his powers.
Nathan nervously adjusted the gloves of his uniform, scanning Lucas.
Across from him stood Lucas, now Vanguard, stretching his arms. He had grown into a giant, big shouldered and filled with confidence, his suit fitted perfectly for his frame.
Sleek black armor panels reinforced with blood-red trim, designed to withstand the force of his own strength.
His presence alone demanded attention.
And then there was Nathan, or Echo, feeling like a shadow.
Where Lucas was all bulk and power, Nathan was lean with quick reflexes. Shaped by years of dodging his friend''s superhuman strikes.
His own suit was built for agility rather than power. It had a lightweight graphene mesh in deep navy and silver.
Nathan rolled his shoulders, exhaling slowly.
Beneath his boots, years of weathering had left the concrete rough and cracked. The evening wind whistled through the support pillars, carrying the scent of rain.
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Across from him, Lucas cracked his knuckles, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You ready for this?”
Nathan smirked. "Try not to humiliate me too much."
"Hey, what kind of best friend would I be if I didn''t knock you around a little?"
Nathan watched Lucas''s stance carefully, noting the slight shift in his weight that always came before an attack. It was a tell he''d learned from years of sparring and getting beaten by his best friend.
The fight exploded in a blur of motion.
Lucas struck like lightning.
Nathan''s Echo activated on pure instinct. The world rippled around him as he rewound a few seconds, adjusting his stance in anticipation of Lucas’s next strike. The punch came again, he dodged, but barely.
It worked, but something was off. His body still struggled to execute the movement fluidly, like his reflexes couldn’t keep up with the information his mind had. He felt a lag, as if rewinding time didn’t translate to muscle memory instantly.
Lucas noticed. “You keep hesitating,” he said, shaking his head. “You sure that time trick of yours actually helps?”
Nathan didn’t answer, frowning. This wasn’t the first time he’d felt that delay.
Then Lucas unleashed his real strength.
The impact sent Nathan skidding across concrete, gravel spraying.
Pain flared in his arms from blocking. Even with good form, the difference in strength was overwhelming.
Nathan clenched his fists. This was the gap between them. The difference in power, in raw strength. Lucas could simply overpower any obstacle. Nathan, on the other hand, had to rely on strategy, timing, and creativity to stand the smallest chance.
He triggered Echo again, this time replaying Lucas''s movements from their earlier sparring sessions. If he could predict the pattern he could do something.
Lucas moved again. One second, he was standing by a graffiti-covered pillar, the next he was gone.
A sharp gust of wind followed as Lucas closed the distance, his speed overwhelming Nathan’s calculations.
Nathan tried to Echo, rewinding a split second back to adjust his stance, but Lucas had already adapted.
A fist drove into Nathan’s gut.
The impact stole the breath from his lungs. His feet lifted off the ground, and before he could recover
CRACK.
The sound bounced off the concrete walls as Lucas spun and delivered a kick to Nathan''s side, sending him flying across the rooftop.
Silence.
Nathan groaned in pain, holding his ribs. “Damn, that hurts.”
Lucas walked over, offering a hand, with a casual grin on his face. “You done?”
Nathan grimaced but took the hand. “Like I had a choice.”
The city stretched out below them, the same view they''d shared as kids, though now the sun had set and the buildings were lit up like stars.
Lucas pulled him up with ease, then dropped onto the edge of the rooftop, stretching his arms behind his head like he hadn’t just knocked Nathan halfway across the garage.
Nathan walked over to the ledge and sat beside him, still catching his breath. Below them, office lights blinked like tiny stars.
“You good?” Lucas asked, with a light tone.
Nathan let out a painful chuckle. “Barely. You know, most people hold back on their friends during practice.”
Lucas smirked. “Would you want me to?”
Nathan hesitated. “Well… I wouldn’t mind lasting more than a few seconds.”
Lucas laughed, shaking his head. “Look, man. I don’t do ‘holding back.’ Not against you.”
Nathan gave him a skeptical look. “Right. You’re saying you throw me around out of respect?”
Lucas''s grin faded into something more serious. “Look, you want to know why I don''t hold back? Because you''re not some random sparring partner. You''re the guy who showed up to train every single day, even when everyone said you should quit."
He met Nathan''s eyes. "You deserve my best, even if my best hurts like hell.”
Nathan stared at the city lights below, letting that sink in. "You have a weird way of showing support, you know that?"
"Hey, whatever works." The grin was back “Besides, one day you’ll be strong. And then you’ll thank me for not holding back.”
Nathan stared at the ceiling. “Doesn’t really feel like I’m proving anything when I keep losing.”
Lucas nudged his shoulder. “That’s ‘cause you don’t see what I see. You’re always analyzing, adapting. Even in this fight, you used Echo in a way that forced me to adjust.” He grinned. “If it was anyone else, they wouldn’t have lasted that long.”
Nathan snorted. “Wow. A whole ten seconds. Guess I should be honored.”
Lucas grinned. “You should.”
Nathan shook his head, but a small smile crept onto his face. Despite the loss, despite the overwhelming gap between them, Lucas never looked down on him.
And that is what made Nathan stick to his dream.