Natsu cracked his knuckles, a fierce fire set ablaze within his eyes. He looked at the figure with a determined gaze.
"Now I'm all fired up!"
The hooded man ripped his cloak off, revealing himself to be a bulky, highly muscular man with short, spiky blond hair and a red tank top.
"The authorities gave me a nickname. Call me Muscular. It's the last name you'll learn before you die today! I wonder if your screams will bring in any heroes!"
Muscular grinned at Natsu, his muscles now protruding out of his skin, pulsing with excitement.
"Now, show me your blood!"
Fire erupted from Natsu's heels and Muscular leaped towards Natsu, shattering the ground behind him..
Muscular's right arm grew exponentially as he threw a punch straight at Natsu. Fire erupted from Natsu's hands as he shot forward like a missile, altering his trajectory to barely miss Muscular's arm.
He stopped himself mid flight, landing on the ground directly behind Muscular, his feet skidding across the concrete. Muscular turned around, swinging his massive arm at Natsu. Natsu jumped up, running across his arm. He kicked off with his right leg forward, fire propelling him.
"Fire Dragon Knee Attack!"
Muscular barely moved his head out of the way as Natsu's knee clad in flames went right by his head. Natsu landed behind Muscular just as Muscular wound back his other arm, swinging it like a whip.
Fire erupted from Natsu's feet, propelling him backwards as Muscular's arm struck the ground, creating a large crater. Chunks of debris went flying out of the dust cloud, one in particular grazing Natsu on the neck and causing a bit of bleeding.
Muscular emerged from the dust cloud, with Natsu sidestepping the hit as Muscular punched the ground where he was once standing.
At that moment, Natsu found his opening.
"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"
A stream of fire erupted from both of Natsu's arms, striking Muscular's open side. Muscular winced in pain as his muscles burned and pulled his arm out of the ground in a horizontal swing towards Natsu.
Natsu weaved under the arm, propelling his feet with flames to move Muscular's now open other side. In a fluid motion, he did a counter clockwise spin mid air, igniting his right foot.
"Fire Dragon Talon!"
Muscular winced in pain again as a searing foot struck his jaw. However, he quickly recovered and grinned at Natsu as Natsu was still in midair. Natsu's eyes widened as Muscular's left leg swole up, kicking forward at Natsu's head.
Natsu put his arms up to block, creating a makeshift shield of fire in front of him. However, Muscular simply struck through the fire, the resulting strike sending him soaring into the sky.
"Dammit!" Natsu grit his teeth as he tried to stop his aerial momentum by emitting flames from his elbows, the opposite way.
Muscular suddenly leaped towards him in the air, his right arm wound back for another punch. Natsu took a deep breath in, puffing out his chest as he took in as much air as he could.
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
Muscular's eyes widened as a stream of flames engulfed him completely. Natsu collided with the top of a nearby building as Muscular fell to the ground, his body covered in flames.
"AAAGGHH That burns you little shit!" Musuclar flexed his muscles further and spun around like a tornado, causing the flames on his body to disperse. The air around him smelt of burnt flesh as deep burns covered his muscles.
From the top of the building, Natsu jumped down with both hands clad in flame. He combined the two into one giant fireball above his head.
"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"
Muscular immediately jumped out of the way as the fireball slammed into the spot he was just in, vaporizing the ground beneath where he was once standing. Muscular looked at Natsu with an initially nervous grin but began to start laughing maniacally.
"Hahahahaha! I see now! That red hair! Your fire quirk! You're Endeavor's brat, arent you!!"
Natsu, panting heavily, grinned back.
"Wow, you just figured it out? "
Muscular's muscles began to swell and contort, ripping off into strands. Natsu's eye's widened as he suddenly closed the gap between them with speed too fast to react. Natsu put his arms up to block what he thought was an oncoming punch, only for both of his forearms to be grabbed by one massive hand.
Natsu winced in pain as a crack echoed through the air, his arms breaking from Muscular's immense grip.
"Die!" Muscular turned his body, flinging Natsu behind him and sending him flying through the street. Natsu's body went limp as the sheer air pressure from being thrown at that speed knocked the wind out of him. His body collided with a gas station pump, creating a massive explosion that engulfed the street corner.
Muscular approached the gas station, a few bystanders running away from him in fear. He stared at the looming smoke cloud and the rampant flames.
"Oops. Didn't mean to end the fun too early." Muscular sighed.
Suddenly, the flames began to shift and turn. All congregating to a singular point in a vortex fashion. Muscular's eyes widened at the spectacle. Natsu was eating all of the flames.
"You EAT fire?!" Muscular laughed.
The fires died down until only clouds of smoke remained. Natsu's eyes glowed a dim red color as his figure was barely visible in the smoke cloud. Natsu remained completely still within the smoke cloud.
'My arms are broken…maybe even a few of my ribs and some other stuff…I don't feel like I can move…yet I ate all that fire…there's a fire in my belly thats raging to come out yet…I'm gonna keep this one in me…' Natsu reached up to face, he was smiling. All these injuries and pain, but it didn't come close to the joy of a real fight.
Natsu exhaled, hot steam coming from his mouth. Within him, he could feel something had changed. The fire that he ate was now compressed, stoked to produce thermal energy that he could feel circulating through his body. Although he didn't quite understand what was going on at first, it didn't matter to him. The only thing that mattered, was taking down the foe in front of him.
"Urrrrraaaghhh!" Natsu let out a roar, tensing his body up. An immense pressure generated around him that sunk him into a small crater. Any remaining clothes not singed from the explosion were now burning off. The ground beneath his feet began to melt from the sheer heat.
Muscular laughed.
"You still had that much power left in you?! Was it from eating that explosion?"
Natsu flared up his power further, causing nearby light poles and fixtures to melt. The ground beneath Natsu's feet had started to turn into molten slag.
Natsu took a step forward, shattering the ground with sheer strength. He lowered himself down flames swirling around his body. Fire suddenly erupted from his feet and with blinding speed he launched straight towards Muscular.
At that point, Muscular didn't blink. He only remembered seeing the kid getting ready to charge at him but his eyes didn't process the speed at which he had lunged forward. He had a wild look and a massive grin on his face.
"Thanks for reminding me of what really matters!! Here's my gift for you!" Natsu yelled.
"Hidden Fire Form! Phoenix Sword Horn!"
Natsu rammed straight into Muscular's right shoulder head first. To Muscular's surprise, the force of the attack was enough that even he could feel it physically. Muscular attempted to grab Natsu with his right arm, only for the muscle fibers to burn away immediately upon touching him. He let out a shout as the very cells that made up his muscle fibers died, all the way down to the bone.
Natsu eventually launched through Muscular's whole right side, tearing up and burning away a major portion of his muscle. Muscular grabbed his right arm in pain, his muscles having been carbonized. He turned around and looked at Natsu who was now collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
"Fucking die brat!!" Muscular raised his remaining arm in the air, however, he tumbled. The damage was too much and he was starting to feel faint.
In the distance, he could hear police sirens getting closer.
"Shit!" Muscular grunted. "I won't get caught here!"
He focused the last of strength and his legs began to swell up before leaping atop a nearby building. He looked back down at Natsu one more time.
"Fucking kid!! I swear I'll kill you one day!!!" He yelled before wobbling away.
—--------------------
The heavy thud of Endeavor's boots echoed through the agency hallway as he returned from apprehending a low-level villain. His breath came heavy, a sheen of sweat clinging to his brow. Friday's were always intense.
He barely acknowledged the tablet shoved into his hand by a nearby aide. Just another police report, something near a gas station. His eyes scanned it lazily.
"Villain incident. Middle schooler placed the emergency call. Multiple civilian witnesses. One unconscious red-haired boy, approx age 10-12, was found at the scene. Surprisingly, No burns, but both arms fractured. Broken ribs and visible bruising all over his body. Gas station was levelled by an explosion."
Endeavor's grip on the tablet tightened.
Red haired… No burn injuries…
His heart skipped a beat.
No. impossible!
He re-read it. Again. His hand trembled now, adrenaline suddenly flooding back into his tired limbs.
" RED HAIR - aged 10-12"
The tablet clattered to the floor.
Without a word, Endeavor turned on his heel and bolted, flames erupting around his feet as he rocketed out of the agency. Sidekicks barely had time to register what happened.
"Wait, was that another mission?" Burnin asked.
"Sir? Do we deploy?"
But he was already gone.
The report continued blinking on the fallen tablet screen. Civilian witness statements rolled in:
"Massive guy. Muscles like a tank."
"He had these freaky tendrils coming out of his arms—saw him toss the kid like a ragdoll."
"Then—BOOM—the whole station went up in flames. There was smoke everywhere. The fire disappeared and then there was an explosion."
Muscles. Tendrils. Massive.
Muscular.
Endeavor's blood ran cold.
That wasn't a petty thug. That was A-Rank. A villain known for his brutality.
The wreckage smoldered, black smoke curling toward the sky. Fire crews were already clearing debris, and police had cordoned off the area. Ambulance sirens wailed distantly.
A deafening roar of flame announced Endeavor's arrival as he crash-landed in a burst of embers, eyes wide, scanning the chaos. Panic clawed at his chest, it was too late.
A pair of officers rushed toward him.
"Endeavor! Sir, we've got the situation under "
"WHERE IS HE?!" he barked, voice cracking with something deeper than anger, fear.
The officer straightened. "The boy? Paramedics already arrived. He was unconscious but alive. Serious injuries — both arms fractured, possible rib breaks, but no burns. They're transporting him now."
Endeavor's eyes flared, heart hammering. "The villain?"
"Fled the scene. We think the explosion may have injured him — he ran before backup arrived. Civilian witnesses described the villain. And it strongly resembles Muscular."
That name made his blood run colder.
No more words.
He turned and blasted toward the ambulance, smoke trailing behind him. His boots skidded as he landed beside the open vehicle.
And there he was. His youngest son.
His crimson hair was spiky and unruly. His face, scraped and bruised. Oxygen mask over his mouth. His arms, wrapped in crude splints and bandages. He was still breathing..
But only barely.
He noticed some kids near the ambulance, quiet and rattled, bruised but intact. They said nothing, all eyes were on his son.
Endeavor's flame flickered low.
"…Yakuto," he whispered. Endeavor was in disbelief.
–
The sterile scent of disinfectant filled the air as sliding glass doors whooshed open. Endeavor walked in first, his jaw clenched, eyes shadowed. Behind him followed Rei, Fuyumi, Natsuo, Gray, and Shoto, the whole family rushed from home, faces pale and drawn.
A nurse pointed them down a hallway, and they followed in tense silence until they reached the emergency wing.
Endeavor finally spoke, voice low and tight:
"It was a villain attack… near a gas station. The explosion brought in the police. The villain fled before any heroes could arrive. One of Yakuto's friends called it in, "the owl boy."
He paused.
"Yakuto was found at the scene. Unconscious… but alive. No burns. Just "
He faltered, his throat tightening.
"Broken ribs. Fractured arms. They are saying the explosion probably scared the villain off."
Rei gasped and clutched her chest. "Explosion?"
Her voice cracked.
"But he.. he's fireproof, right?"
Endeavor nodded. "That's what saved him. If it weren't for that…"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Fuyumi looked like she might collapse. "Is he awake? Did he, does he know we're here?"
Natsuo was pacing now, fingers running through his hair. "How the hell did he end up in something like that alone? He's twelve!"
Gray stood rigid, his fists clenched at his sides. "What villain was it?" he asked, voice cold.
Endeavor shook his head. "We're not sure yet. Witnesses said he was huge… muscular… but details are unclear. We'll know more once the police dig into the surveillance footage. But that's for us to handle."
Shoto hadn't spoken, just stared at the closed ER doors. Finally, in a voice barely above a whisper:
"...Can we see him?"
A nurse emerged then, noticing them. "Family of Todoroki, Yakuto?"
They all looked up.
"He's stable. You can see him, but only a few at a time."
Rei didn't wait. She walked quickly toward the room, shoulders trembling.
Endeavor didn't follow. He stayed in the hallway, eyes dark.