A Hero and a Villain

Scene 24: Flashbacks

[Shinso]

It was a bright day at the local aquatic center. The sunlight streamed from the glass roof, sparkling on the surface of the crystal clear water of the pools. Today would be a great day, he was sure of it.

Hitoshi walked along the side of the pool with his towel wrapped around his neck, looking around. There were only a few people, as it was pretty early in the morning, but most of them were either doing laps in the bigger end or talking in the bleachers.

But there was something that caught his eye. One person was in the diving end.

It was a young boy that looked to be around his age with pale white skin that glistened with drops of water and short black hair that clung to the back of his neck. He was thin and small, but he looked strangely balanced. He was standing on the edge of the 10-meter high diving board, right in front of the white climbing tower.

He watched in shock as the boy crossed his arms in front of his chest and jumped off the board, crossing his ankles as he went down. He hit the water with a crash and shot downward like a missile, leaving a thick white trail of bubbles in his wake.

Hitoshi jogged over as the kid swam to the side, grinning and coughing. As he climbed out, Hitoshi said, "Oi, you okay? That's a really tall jump." The kid looked at him and smiled, "Oh, I'm fine. Tombstoning is one of my many talents."

He flinched, "T-Tombstoning?" The boy laughed, "Oh, sorry. Probably sounds ominous. It just means jumping or diving from a really high place." Hitoshi sighed, "Oh, that's cool. I don't know many professional terms." The kid stood up and extended a hand, "Name's Heishi. Heishi Andeddo. What about you?" Hitoshi shook it, "Shinso Hitoshi. Pleasure to meet you."

Andeddo smiled at him, "So what's a boy like you doing around here on a weekend?" Hitoshi chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, "Oh...I...uh....." He looked him in the eye, trying his best to show a grin, "I'm just doing some extra exercise. I plan on trying out for the UA Entrance Exam." Andeddo's eyes widened, "Whoa, you mean that big shot Hero school everyone's been talking about? A couple guys in my school mentioned it. I heard it's insanely hard to get into unless you have a really powerful quirk."

Hitoshi nodded, "Yeah, which is why I'm training. My quirk isn't very strong....." Andeddo smirked, drying his shaggy hair with a towel from the nearby bench, "Really? What's your quirk?" Hitoshi sighed, "Oh.....uh, I can.....I can brainwash people if they answer my questions. Actually, sometimes it works if they just talk to me in general....."

Andeddo eyes were sparkling in awe, "That's so cool! Can you use it on me?!" Hitoshi flinched, "H-Huh?! Are you sure?" Andeddo nodded enthusiastically, "Hell yea—"

He suddenly stopped short, his eyes turning milky white and his face going blank. Hitoshi immediately felt guilty, stepping back with his hands shaking.

Andeddo's eyes then returned to normal, and he shook his head wildly, "Whoa.....that felt so weird....." Hitoshi twiddled his thumbs, "S-Sorry. You weren't ready....." Andeddo full on laughed, "Are you kidding?! That was awesome! Your quirk is amazing!" Hitoshi's looked up in surprise, "W-What? Are you serious?" Andeddo smiled, giving him a thumbs up, "Totally! I mean, just imagine how many bad guys you could take down with a power like that! They'd never see you coming!"

Hitoshi blushed lightly, flustered by the sudden praise. "Th-Thanks. That's really nice of you to say." Andeddo clapped him on the back, "No problem, my dude." He glanced over at the pool, "Hey, why don't I teach you a couple of moves. You know, for your Hero thing." Hitoshi's froze, "You would do that?" Andeddo snorted, "Why not? It's not like I have anywhere else to be."

(I'm too brain-dead to write this out, y'all)

For the next three hours, Andeddo showed Hitoshi all kinds of neat high-dive skills and overhead take-downs from the top of the diving tower. Each move was more complicated than the last, but Hitoshi somehow managed to perform them all, following the close instructions of his impromptu mentor. By the time they were finished, they were both worn out.

Andeddo wheezed hoarsely, leaning against the wall of the diving tower, "Hey, Shinso. Whaddaya say we call it a day? I think you've mastered everything well enough." Hitoshi smiled, coughing, "Yeah, maybe. Thanks for everything, Heishi." Andeddo held up a fist, grinning from ear to ear, "Anytime, bud. Just call me up if you ever need someone to hang out with." They fist-bumped and Andeddo turned to the bench where he'd left his gear, gathering it up and heading out the front entrance.

Hitoshi watched him go, a look of pure joy plastered across his face along with strange new feeling burning in his chest.