Disclaimer: I do not own neither My Hero Academia nor Street Fighter, obviously.

Chapter Summary

Izuku wakes up inside a dark room and painful stuff happens.

滅 METSU! 滅

Chapter 2: Learning the Meaning of Pain, Part One

You think you can be a hero, huh?

Pro heroes are always risking their lives.

When I get my quirk I want to be just like him!

He still can't face reality.

It's time to start thinking seriously about your futures!

You lack power.

Enough Kacchan!

I'm afraid there is no hope for him.

What can you even do?

I'm sorry Izuku!

You are Quirkless. You think you can rub shoulders with me?!

You lack power.

You need to be realistic, kid.

Don't you dare get into U.A. nerd!

I think that saving people is just about the coolest thing someone can do.

I cannot simply say 'you can become a hero.'

I can't breathe! I'm going to die?!

Why? BECAUSE YOU LACK POWER!

"GAH!"

Izuku woke up with a scream, cold sweat running down all over his body. He had been sleeping shirtless in a dusty futon for who knows how long. A dim light, a small iron lantern next to his ragged pillow, was the only thing keeping the surrounding darkness at bay.

What happened? Where was he? What time was it?

Izuku looked at his arms. They were covered with multiple leaves of various sizes and shapes; they were glued to his skin with the help of some smelly grey substance. His chest, back and face also appeared to be covered with the leaves. Then, Izuku noticed that something hard was covering his right hand and part of his forearm. It appeared to be some sort of improvised splint made of tree bark and strips of cloth tied together with numerous knots.

"What, what's going on? Did I get hurt? I, I don't remember how I got here."

But Izuku's question were met with complete silence from the shadows.

He was getting more nervous by the second. His eyes began scanning his surroundings, hoping to find someone or something that could calm the uncertainty growing in his heart. But the tiny flame was too weak to overpower the darkness for more than a couple of meters.

Ok Izuku, think, think! What's the last thing you remember? From what you can see, you were hurt somehow, and someone patched you up. They were kind enough to treat your wounds and let you sleep until you recuperated, and from the state of this futon and the fact that they use combustion-based lightning, it seems that they are rather poor, unless...

Izuku heartbeat accelerated as his mind went into overdrive, analyzing every bit of information available to him while doing his best to remember what happened. He hoped to reach a reasonable explanation to his current situation. But the dreadful thought of having been kidnapped by some human traffickers was slowly spreading its roots inside his heart.

Small tears began forming on the corners of his eyes as he grabbed the small lantern with trembling hands. Izuku knew that there was only one way to find answers. He will have to venture out into the darkness and explore the area. The mere thought of running into possible villains sent shivers down his spine.

Izuku shook his head and cleaned his eyes with his hand.

No. Stop being so pessimistic, Izuku. The worst thing you can do right now is to panic!

And with that, Izuku steeled his resolve and stood up.

Then he noticed he was only in his limited edition All Might boxers, and all his newfound determination turned into a deep red flush.

After managing to calm himself again, Izuku began wandering around the dark room, tiptoeing as to reduce the wooden floor's creak to a minimum. At first, he scouted the area around the futon, afraid of losing track of his only point of reference in the darkness. But after a couple of fruitless rounds he realized that the room must be pretty big, so Izuku chose a random direction and walked forward, hoping to find a wall or door that could direct his search.

As Izuku carefully made his way through the darkness, his sight shifted from side to side, occasionally looking back over his shoulder. He could not shake the thought that there was something watching him from the shadows. Maybe the gloom his meager light source provided was playing him tricks in his mind. But despite his best attempts at rationalizing an explanation, Izuku's heart refused to listen to reason, slowly but steadily speeding up its beating.

Step by step Izuku journeyed deeper into the never-ending darkness. His only companions being the rusty lantern that kept him sane, and the creaking floor that betrayed his very step which, in consequence, put Izuku's sense of fight or flight on the edge.

Izuku brought his free hand to his mouth, muffling the noise of his accelerated breathing. Although his light source was comforting, it also worked as a beacon that revealed his position. He couldn't help but feel like a small animal walking through a jungle full of shadowy predators. But Izuku kept on going forward, his hand with the lamp extended in front of him, guiding his steps as he told himself that everything was going to be alright.

Ten steps had soon turned into over fifty. Just how big was this room? Was he inside some old warehouse? No, the floor was made of old wood planks, it did not make any sense. Maybe he was in some abandoned building like an old theater or Shinto shrine. If that was the case, who had brought him here and for what purpose?

Questions kept piling up in Izuku's head, and the lack of answers only served to feed the dread that, bit by bit, wormed its way into his heart. He wasn't the type of person who would often assume the worst, but his lack of recent memories and the ominous atmosphere were doing their best to chip away at his composure.

Am, am I dead?

And just like that, Izuku remembered the towering wave crashing down on him.

Horror took over Izuku's expression as the eerie thought struck his soul. The minuscule amount of courage he had built up vanished in an instant. Chilling sweat began racing down his body, and his heart, oblivious to common sense, threatened to break through his chest as its furious beating boomed in his ears.

Izuku began walking faster into the shadows, not caring about his step being heard anymore.

Where's the wall?! Where's the wall?! Where?! WHERE?!

Izuku felt something brushing the back of his neck, and with a yelp his dash turned into a frenetic sprint. Tears ran down his cheeks like furious twin rivers, and a burning pain spread across his lungs as they desperately tried to keep up with his stertorous breathing.

Crackling sounds could be heard from the shadows, surrounding Izuku from every direction. Something was stalking him. Izuku had never had the valor to face his bullies, but somehow, he would have even less of it when facing the supernatural. All that mattered to him right now was the safety of his immortal soul.

He had been running at full speed for a whole minute now, a feat only possible to him thanks to the adrenaline in his system. But now his skinny body was begging him to stop, despite the protests coming from his heart. So, as his sprint slowed down to a crawl, the weak Izuku did the only thing he could do, the thing he had always done in his life:

"Huf, please… huagh. Please, I beg you! Ah! Please don't hurt me!"

He pleaded.

What else could he do, really? A weak, Quirkless boy cursed by fate at birth to be mocked, ridiculed, used and abused by others. Most people would not blame him, arguing that surrendering to the strong would be better than facing their wrath. But nobody could deny that this method made the boy look both pitiful and pathetic beyond measure.

With hands on his knees, Izuku panted. Sweat mixed with tears soaked the floor as he tried to steady his breathing.

"Please, please no more… I can't… please, I just want to go home. I'm sorry, please let me go! I beg you!"

Izuku cried. His body and mind had resigned to their fate. Throughout his life, they had grown accustomed to surrendering to Izuku's abusers, noticing that appealing to the opposing party's sense of mercy and pity, more often than not, would lead to better results for his physical health than trying to stand his ground.

"... ing… ku…"

A faint voice could be heard coming from somewhere distant in the darkness. Had the sense of imminent danger not sharpened Izuku's senses to their max right now, he would probably have missed it. Izuku wished that had been the case, however. Hearing it only caused his body to start shivering as a cold chill ran down his spine.

"... uck… dek… ing… ku..."

"Stay, STAY BACK! WHO ARE YOU!? WHERE AM I?!"

Izuku yelled at the top of his lungs as the voice came closer and became clearer. Perhaps it was his instinct doing the talking, a last-ditch effort to shake his fear away and hopefully intimidate his attacker. Though, it was a laughable attempt. Anyone who knew Izuku, or had seen him at least once, knew that there was not even a shred of "intimidating" inside him. At most, he could be considered creepy, but that was mostly because of his constant muttering.

BOOM

Izuku froze at the familiar sound coming from behind him. This had to be a nightmare, how else could he be here with him? There was no other reasonable explanation, this terrible dream had to be a product of his imagination, a natural consequence from all those years of bullying. But why did it feel so real?

I must wake up. How do I wake up?!

"..king… eku…"

The voice was unmistakable. He was here, slowly approaching Izuku from behind. And going by the heavy thuds that accompanied his steps and the tone of his hoarse voice, he was pissed.

Izuku gritted his teeth, cursing that he couldn't escape his tormentor even in his own dreams. His dreams should have been his personal haven, a realm of fantasy and wish fulfillment that would grant him the necessary respite to endure his cruel reality. Yet here was this bastard ruining even that for him, as if to make sure that Izuku was miserable even in the fictional world.

Izuku shut his eyes with great force, to the point one would worry he might accidentally turn them into a bloody pulp, and he began grinding his teeth together. Fear and terror were being pushed out of his heart by an unnatural force, leaving room for much more destructive emotions.

A terrible headache now relentlessly assaulted Izuku. It felt like if he had something pummeling the walls of his skull from within, desperately trying to free itself from the prison of bone and brain in bloody fashion.

The lantern creaked, its rusty iron was being crushed under Izuku's ever increasing grip pressure, causing a thin stream of blood to begin dripping from his hand. With his other hand Izuku covered his face, his fingernails digging into his skin and flesh as veins began to bulge.

"Why, why the hell are you here, you… you damn bastard!"

Something was clearly wrong with Izuku. The boy that had been a wimp his entire life was now exuding a terrifying amount of killing intent, one that would freeze even the wildest of rampaging beasts on their tracks. But to his intruder such thing meant very little, after all he was here to finish the job, to finish what the wrath of nature had not.

The heavy steps have finally stopped. Izuku could tell that his tormentor was just behind him, and it pissed him off to no end. What the hell does he want? Why does he insist on torturing him even in his sleep? Was it not enough to make every conscious moment of his life miserable? Just how shitty Izuku's life had to be until he was satisfied? Was it some sort of fetish, some sort of twisted pleasure to feed his ego that pushed him to ruin Izuku's already wretched existence?

Whatever it was, Izuku had had enough. Overtaken by an unholy force he turned around with the rusty lamp in his hand, ready to crush the bloody metal into the damn face of his torturer, his tormentor, his source of pain and suffering, his bully: Katsuki Bakugo, a bastard that only a mother could love.

"GO TO HELL, KATSU—!"

But instead of meeting his aggressor face to face, all what Izuku could see was a dark hand, or to be precise, an open palm just millimeters away from his face. Izuku's eyes widened, he knew the terrible outcome that was to come, yet he could not stop his furious momentum.

"Fucking Deku."

"SHI—!"

BOOM

A point-blank explosion struck Izuku, knocking his head back with a snap. A scorching feeling embraced Izuku's face as the smell of ash, smoke and burnt flesh overwhelmed his nose and mouth.

In an instant Izuku had been knocked out, the force of the explosion rattled his brain back and forth causing a concussion. However, his aggressor was not quite yet satisfied, so before Izuku could fall backwards he grabbed Izuku on the shoulder, pulling him closer just to plant a heavy palm strike right on Izuku's guts.

"Gurgh!"

Izuku's eyes rolled backwards and he began puking a vile mixture tainted with blood. His forehead was planted on Katsuki's shoulder, ironically using his bully as a support pillar. A fragment of Izuku's consciousness was still told him to fight, to ignore the pain and to enact his just retribution.

"Die."

And another explosion detonated, crushing Izuku's insides and blasting the boy across the dark room. Despite being muffled by Izuku's own body, one could tell this explosion had been far more devastating than the previous one, as the choking cloud of smoke and the blinding flash of light betrayed the deadly nature of Katsuki's quirk.

Excruciating pain spread within Izuku, violently waking him up as he soared into the darkness. He now understood that this was not a dream or reality. This was Hell, his own personal Hell. Perhaps a punishment for his attempt on his own life?

Tears began to flow once more, covering his charred flesh, and regret took hold of Izuku's heart. Part of it was because of his own weakness, because now he fully understood that even if he had stood up to Katsuki back then, this would have been the result most likely. But the real reason was because he thought he would never be able to see his mother again, and the idea of his mother crying over his tombstone tore him apart.

Please don't cry mom… please forgive me for always being so reckless.

And suddenly Izuku felt something hard colliding with his shoulders and the back of his head. The smell of fresh air followed, and Izuku's eyes were filled with light.

Somewhere near the misty mountain top, a man with red hair wearing a black sleeveless karate gi stood on a horse stance. His eyes were closed, and his head was slightly tilted downwards. Each hand like hammers rested on his sides just above his waist. He was in deep meditation, perceiving his surroundings with something akin to a sixth sense.

He could not rely on his eyes right now, as the thick mist would barely let anyone see beyond a few meters. But a warrior of his skill would know better than to depend only on what he could see.

As he exhaled, some of the mist in front of him dispersed, revealing a humanoid figure. It was about 175 centimeters tall, made of wood, lacked limbs, and had a monotonous expression carved on its face. A simple mannequin that served as target practice for the man.

However, it was not the only one. There were countless mannequins surrounding the man, hiding within the mist. But the man was sure that they were there, he could feel it, and he knew they were all facing his way, no matter where he positioned himself it had always been that way.

The earth began to rumble underneath his sandals and a blood red aura manifested around his body, stimulating every single muscle fiber in his body.

"Fuuuuh…"

The man exhaled once more, having identified the targets around him, he made up his mind on which devastating technique to put into practice.

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide, their crimson red shine pierced through the mist like twin lighthouses, and in the blink of an eye he spun 360 degrees around with an extended leg. A shockwave of purple energy extended around him at incredible speed, cutting through everything in its path and blowing the surrounding mist away.

In an instant, every single mannequin in an 80-meter radius had been torn to shreds, completely covering the dirt and stone with splinters of various sizes.

Never satisfied with the scale of his destructive power, the man simply grunted and began walking towards another area with more mannequins. He did not care a single bit about destroying all those wood figures, after all they would repair themselves over the night thanks to some ancient magic he never really cared to learn about. But having to wait until the next day for the figures to be usable once again was a constant test to his short patience.

As Akuma made his way through the mist that once more controlled the area, he felt a distant presence pulling his attention.

"Hmph, the boy must have finally awakened. That damn brat took his sweet time sleeping."

Akuma grunted in annoyance as he changed his direction. His never-ending training would have to be postponed for a while. This, of course, angered him.

To most, a break to replenish one's strength after a long session of training would be more than welcomed. It was common sense, nobody could keep on going forever, at least not without the help of a quirk. But to Akuma the need for rest was merely a human limitation, a barrier only mortals should be concerned about.

It had been decades since the last time he had slept, ate or drank anything. His mastery over the Satsui No Hado had allowed him to turn the dark power within him into nourishment. He had reached such a level that he could even spend an entire week without breathing, though Akuma still consciously did so because his breathing exercises were fundamental during meditation and to develop his Hado.

After about a minute of walking through the mist while effortlessly avoiding the mannequins, Akuma reached an old red torii of about 4 meters tall and 3 meters wide. He walked through the gateway into a stone stairway that lead down the mountain.

As Akuma began his descend, he mused about that weak boy. It had been four entire days since that brat was spat out by the ocean, during which Akuma trained near the top of the mountain in a place he called The Purgatory. He wondered about the kind of life that boy had been living so far. Of course, it must have been something pathetic like going to "school" and hoping to get into "college." Something along those lines. Or perhaps he wanted to be one of those so called "heroes"?

Akuma laughed internally at the ridiculous thought. It had taken him a single glance to understand that the boy was incredibly weak. In his eyes, a mouse or a dog had a better chance at becoming a "hero" than that boy. The idea that someone would seek a position that required power without a pinch of it was as absurd as it was infuriating.

It was against the order of things for the mouse to go against the cat, the result would be painfully predictable. If one wanted to survive in this world, one must seek strength, for it is the ultimate truth. Neither good or evil, strength and power ruled supreme over this world, and to think you can decide your fate or change the world without them was utter foolishness. If one was weak, then it was their obligation, their duty to seek strength.

Whatever the boy's past was, it did not matter now. His fate had been sealed the second his Hado manifested, and Akuma was going to make sure he reached his true potential.

Akuma sneered, it had been years since the last time he felt the satisfaction of a plan coming together. Though his contentment would be short lived as a surge of murderous intent in the distance brought him out of his thoughts.

"Damn it!"

Akuma frowned as he rushed into the forest in the direction of the dark aura, opting to abandon the stone stairway in favor of a more direct route. Although the forest was leafy and full of vegetation, Akuma's speed seemed unaffected, to the point one could say he was gliding through the woods as if they had not been there at all.

A single thought now ran through his mind: to reach the Hall of Hell, the shrine he had left the boy in, as quickly as possible. In his musings he had not noticed the appearance of a second Hado presence, and if his theory was correct then that feeble boy would not last much longer.

For the average human, it would take them about 3 hours to travel from The Purgatory to the Hall of Hell. 5 hours if they decided to venture through the thick forest instead of using the stairway for some reason. But Akuma had cleared the distance in merely a second and a half, and without even breaking a sweat.

When Akuma approached the front door of the shrine, his suspicions were validated. He perceived two Hado sources inside the Hall, and the tremendous amount of murderous intent coming from each of them. The boy was undoubtedly fighting a shadow, and he would certainly die or lose his sanity if Akuma did not step in.

Yet before Akuma could smash through the door, he heard the sound of crashing wood and a green blur flew by the corner of his eye. The boy had been blasted through the old wooden wall, right next to the main door. As quick as lightning he rushed towards the boy and grabbed him midair, placing him over one of his shoulders.

Akuma made sure the boy was still breathing before looking back into the hole in the wall. Inside of it he saw two red dots shining in the darkness, staring at him with palpable hatred. Smoke began to flow out of the hole, and a constant crackling filled the atmosphere as if foretelling an impending attack.

Not intimidated in the slightest, Akuma raised his aura and glared back with bloodshot eyes.

"You dare challenge the Master of the Fist? You are at least a hundred lives too early!"

With a stomp that crushed the earth beneath, Akuma took a fighting stance, still carrying the boy. It was evident from his tone and scowl that he was beyond furious. His blood-red aura flared over his shoulders, forming the kanji of destruction (滅) above his red mane.

The red dots within the hole flickered, and with an unintelligible curse they banished into the shadows.

"Hmph, that's what I thought. Now…"

Akuma dropped the boy to his side like a potato sack and cursed. The boy, still conscious somehow, groaned in pain while clutching his stomach. He was coughing blood as he desperately gasped for air.

It was pathetic.

The boy's body was covered in second- and third-degree burns, and he probably had broken bones piercing his organs causing internal bleeding. He was not going to last much longer.

Damn it, now I'll have to unleash some of his Hado, but I refuse to be the nurse of this brat again… Well, I suppose this will be his first test. If he goes mad just from this, then he wasn't worth my time to begin with.

With his palm raised, Akuma projected some of his own Hado and sent it towards the suffering boy, enveloping his body for a few seconds. A dark green aura manifested around the boy, who began to convulse and claw at the earth. Foam formed on the boy's mouth, accompanied by guttural noises. Even though his broken bones and burnt flesh were lazily being healed, it was obvious to anyone that the process was awfully painful both physically and mentally.

Yes. Heal, heal your wounds and achieve your true potential! You survived your first encounter with a deadly shadow, if barely, proving that your body has begun its transformation. Now let's see if you can handle the mental strain that comes with your blessing.

Once fully healed, the boy went limp and his aura disappeared. Akuma noticed he was still breathing, so the only unknown was the boy's mental state.

A whole minute passed.

"Damn it, wake up!"

"M-Mom?! K-Katsu— Kacchan?!"

The boy's eyes opened wide, meeting Akuma's soul-piercing red gaze.

"Wh-Who a-are y-you?! A-And where am I?! What happened to Kacchan?!"

"Shut your mouth brat! Now, sit properly."

"... W-What…?"

"I said. Sit. Properly."

"Guh—!"

The boy felt an immense pressure, a tremendous amount of killing intent directed to him. So he sat on his legs, seiza style, as quickly as humanly possible.

"Now, state the name that was given to you by your father."

"It's I-I-Izu-zuku..."

"Iiizuzuku?"

"N-no… it's Izu-zu-k-ku…"

"Izuzukku?!"

"Uh, n-n-no… it's I-I-I—"

"DAMN RUNT ARE YOU MOCKING ME?! SPEAK CLEARLY!"

"IZUKU! IZUKU MIDORIYA, SIR!"

Akuma gritted his teeth, reining back the thirst for violence growing inside of him that was causing his eye to twitch, but Izuku's constant trembling only fanned the flames of his anger. After a few seconds to regain his composure, Akuma continued.

"Well from now on your name shall be Worm, at least until you prove to me your worth, and you will address me as Shishou or Master, whichever you prefer."

"I, I don't understand… "

"It means you are going to be my apprentice, so rejoice! Barely anyone can claim they have studied under the tutelage of the Supreme Master of the Fist! The only one to ever surpass Heaven! The great Akuma!"

Akuma crossed his arms and puffed his chest out. A faint red aura emanating from his shoulders caused the atmosphere to grow even heavier, as if foretelling the arrival of an imminent calamity.

Despite the exceedingly pretentious introduction, Izuku knew that this man was serious, and that he was extremely dangerous.

Izuku gulped. His instincts told him that resistance would be futile, that if he went against this man, he would know Hell, or worse, he would be brutally murdered on the spot. Yet, there was something that he did not understand (apart from where he was and how he got here). Something that baffled him and that was bothering him to no end.

With sweat rolling down his forehead, Izuku swallowed his fear, if only briefly, and asked:

"E-Excuse me sir, but—"

Akuma gave Izuku a scowl that could kill, causing Izuku to wince.

"I, I mean Master… there's something I don't understand… why? I mean, why me? I am just a weakling. A nobody. A useless, Quirkless—"

Akuma raised his hand, prompting the boy to shut up. Izuku noticed a vein bulging on Akuma's forehead, and dread began to flood his heart.

"If you think that I would be interested in such an insignificant thing, that you only caught my attention thanks to the silver spoon you were or were not born with, then you are far more foolish that I initially thought."

Izuku looked at Akuma with wide eyes. The dread in his heart began to crumble, turning into something much warmer. A feeling Izuku had not felt in what seemed like an eternity.

"Yes, you are weak, and a nobody, and probably unskilled, and pathetic, and a wimp… but you have been blessed with something grand. A power far greater than any of those petty quirks."

Izuku felt a sting on his eyes and tears began leaking down his freckled cheeks. He brought his hands to his chest, shielding his heart which would not be able to handle another disappointment. However, he soon found out that his fears were completely unfounded.

"You got power."

It was hope. An overwhelming feeling of hope that made Izuku feel like his life might be worth living after all. It was so strong that it easily overpowered the sudden feeling of rage, hatred and resentment that had manifested after hearing the oddly familiar words, giving him a slight headache due to the emotional whiplash.

"That said, it's still lying dormant within you, but not for much longer. You most likely aren't aware of its effects, but make no mistake, you are already experiencing them, and there is no going back. Once the Satsui No Hado manifests within someone, that person is forever cursed to either madness, death or to an eternal quest for power. Whether you like it or not, it is your destiny to embrace it, and—"

But Izuku was not paying him any attention. Instead he sobbed and brushed his eyes with his dirt-stained hands.

"I-I am so gl-glad… to, to f-f-finally he-hear th-th-that—"

And then Izuku's vision was darkened by the figure of a wood sole coming towards his face at an unbelievable speed.

With a crunch, the boy's body was launched fifteen meters away, bouncing a couple of times on the dirt before colliding with a tree trunk.

"DON'T YOU EVER INTERRUPT YOUR MASTER, WORM!"

Akuma was fuming. The impudence of this brat to speak without permit demonstrated a lack of discipline that was beyond infuriating. Completely unforgivable. He ground his teeth in his frustration, thinking how he would have to pummel even the most basic of manners into this foolish boy. He then looked at Izuku who laid on the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"AND STOP CRYING, DAMN IT. YOU ARE NOT A BABY ANYMORE!"

And with that, Izuku's rigorous training commenced.

AN: I want to begin this author's note by thanking everyone that favorited and followed this story. This is my first fanfic ever, so knowing that there were other people interested in it gave me a lot of motivation.

I originally wanted this chapter to be much longer, but ultimately decided to cut it around 5k words because I've been neglecting my studies and I didn't want to leave everyone hanging for another month while I focused on college.

So yea, Akuma and Izuku finally had a conversation, and Izuku is showing the first symptoms of the Satsui No Hado awakening within him. I feel like this chapter focused mostly on psychological pain, though Izuku wasn't battered maybe a tad bit too much, so sorry (not sorry) if it was too much.

Also, I wasn't expecting to write a some-what wholesome Akuma when I first began writing this. Don't worry, he's still a jerk and painfully honest, and as you'll see next chapter he is a terrible teacher.

That's it for now, the next chapter will probably come next month, and it will focus on Izuku's painful physical training and more Hado corruption. I hope everyone has a happy holidays.

Cheers! And remember…

滅METSU! 滅