Disclaimer: Both Street Fighter and My Hero Academia belong to each of their respective franchises. I claim no ownership whatsoever.

After they finished their lunch, Toshinori deigned to postpone their return to his office until he felt they were done with the tour, knowing that young Midoriya would just love to see more of the Might Tower, as evidenced by the copious amount of photos they had taken even before they started.

Izuku was undeniably having the time of his life, absorbing everything he could from his excursion, befriending the employees and helping himself to the gift shop when his parents decided it was time to meet Gouki. He still didn't want to see the man, but with his parents' assurance, he swallowed his fear and decided that if he wanted to be a hero one day, as he dreamed, he couldn't let himself be afraid.

Toshinori wasn't too keen to meet with Gouki just yet, or at all, but any hesitation that had been weighing him down crumbled to dust as soon as they made it through the double doors and the sight that greeted them was none other than Gouki himself, sitting on a sofa across from the other one. His arms were folded tightly across his chest, and he stared ahead with the same scowl, barely acknowledging their arrival with cold silence.

"Sorry for the wait, Gouki," Toshinori apologized, keeping his voice steady. "We had to finish the rest of the tour. You understand, right?"

A low, gruff growl was his response, causing the Midoriyas to stiffen in fear if the man was displeased with being held by them. Gathering their courage, the family of three cautiously sat down on the sofa opposite the imposing man. Izuku couldn't help but steal a few glances at him, his blood running cold when he caught a brief glimpse of his scowl and feared that it was directed at them.

Gouki couldn't have cared less. What caught his attention was the state of the Satsui no Hadō within the boy and the fascination of how quickly it had grown. If the dark power was a water tank, then Izuku was a leaky faucet. Faulty and about to burst. In his estimation, the power would overwhelm him after at least two attacks, depending on the severity. If he perished or degraded into a wild beast, it would only prove that the boy was unworthy.

And yet…there was something faintly familiar to the boy's life force.

…Of course…

Minutes passed after they had settled, with Toshinori standing awkwardly to the side, and to the growing confusion of the family, the man known as Gouki had not said a word or made a sound. He just sat there in silence, keeping his eyes fixed on the wall ahead. That was until Hisashi tried to break the ice, and the man went rigid as those piercing red eyes passed over him and his wife before seeming to focus on their son.

Toshinori bit back a breath, passing a gesture of assurance to the Midoriyas as Gouki seemed to be appraising their boy from where he sat.

"The gym."

There was a pause, before Toshinori recovered first and asked, "You want to assess him?" The characteristic grunt was his only answer. Smothering his hesitation, he complied, motioning to the family to follow them as he and Gouki led the way, the latter having moved promptly.

Silently, they made their way to another set of double doors a few corridors down from Toshinori's office. Entering first, he turned on the lights, and from a better vantage point, the Midoriya family gazed at what they saw. The gym was stocked with the latest in training equipment one would expect a hero to have to stay in top shape, which the employees were free to indulge in at their leisure. Toshinori's only real use for the equipment in recent years was his private physical therapy routine.

Off to the side was a wide floor under a mat that spanned nearly every corner, leaving a two-meter gap from the wall. Taking off his geta sandals, Gouki stepped onto the mat, and it was this that caused the couple to gape at what the man might have been planning. Toshinori seemed to believe the same, as he sashayed over and whispered delicately, "Uh, Gouki, the Midoriyas are here to talk with you about your son's admission into your dojo. Not to watch him break down crying before he even starts."

"There will be plenty of that, I assure you," Gouki replied coldly. "But there is one thing I must be certain of."

Toshinori gulped, before swiftly facing the Midoriyas, squirming out, "Uh, Gouki-san simply wishes to-"

"To show them."

"...Eh?" The air between him and Gouki went cold. "Sh…Show them?"

"Boy," Gouki called frostily, his voice sending shivers down the spine of the now shaken family. Without facing them, he brought up a hand and motioned for Izuku to enter the mat. The child was far from what one would consider eager, looking more like he was close to releasing his bowels from the way he was quaking in his mother's protective hold.

Gouki mentally rolled his eyes. "He will not be harmed."

Toshinori perked up at this. "O-Oh, so you…simply wish to appraise the boy's physicality. I-Is that it?" He had a feeling he knew what the man was really aiming for, and a subtle look from Gouki must have served as confirmation.

After some much-needed coaxing, Izuku was made to stand about four meters in front of the imposing man, now wearing only his white All Might t-shirt and black shorts, his hoodie and shoes left with his mother. Gouki ran his eyes appraisingly over the trembling lad's form, before saying in a gruff tone of voice, "Your…'headaches'."

Izuku swallowed some saliva as he listened, feeling anxious. "You and your parents must believe you are afflicted with some sort of illness."

As if only now remembering that detail, Hisashi stammered out, "Could you perhaps be willing to give our boy some time-"

"I will tell you this. It is no ailment," Gouki interrupted gruffly. "You may not recall it, but on that day, you had awakened to the power within you."

"...On…that day?" Inko repeated confusedly. "Power?" Both she and Hisashi exchanged looks, wondering what the man could be referring to.

Izuku blinked, slightly perking up at the mention of 'power'. "Huh? Wh-What do you mean, mister?"

"Release it," Gouki said, nay, ordered. Izuku flinched from the demand, as did his bewildered parents, not having expected it. What was this man talking about?

"R-Release…what?" Izuku's hands curled up to his chest, looking up fearfully at the tall man, who returned his gaze with the most intense scowl he had ever seen. Not even Katsuki's could compare.

Gouki bored into the boy's green eyes, his own red glowing with traces of the Satsui no Hadō. Faint red wisps began to emanate from his form, and Hisashi and Inko could feel a strange, almost suffocating shift in the air, a heavy sensation washing over them. Toshinori had felt the same pressure before. Not as intense as last, but more than enough to recognize it.

"Boy," Gouki began, "if you truly wish to learn under my school, then allow me to welcome your admission…with but a single warning. Assert control, or..." He stepped forward, drawing closer until he towered over the now terrified boy. "Allow yourself to be consumed by the power, and you will be reduced to a mere beast. Fit only to be put out of your own misery."

"Gouki!" Toshinori had heard enough. Dark power or no, Midoriya Izuku was just a boy who did not deserve to be talked down to or denigrated so harshly. Especially not in front of his parents. He marched up to the man and said quietly, "What are you doing?! This is far from the kind of conduct you should be presenting in front of people!" He was well aware by now of just the kind of man he was speaking to, but he had been under the impression that Gouki possessed at least a basic grasp of social skills.

But Gouki did not care about the man's prattling. "You felt it, did you not?"

Izuku was even more confused now, rattled as he kept asking, "F-F-Felt what? What... what are you..." He froze, collapsing as his hands clutched at his head, interrupted by another sharp throbbing pain. Hisashi and Inko were about to go to him when Gouki made a swift grab for the couple. It was so fast that Toshinori had to blink twice before catching sight of them at a far corner.

He had miscalculated or perhaps underestimated how receptive the boy was to the influence of the Satsui no Hadō. It was not an inherent power, as one would presumably believe at first, but a metaphysical force that existed independently of those who simply received its gift.

What one would do with the power was entirely up to their own desires. Provided they could handle it, for no mere mortal was ever meant to wield such a force of nature. Ryu, for all his aversions to the Satsui no Hadō, had been unable to fathom or accept this truth. A truth that even he, the self-proclaimed Master of the Fist, had taken the better part of his own life to grasp since his awakening and enlightenment. It was just as the old sage had blathered to him all those years ago. That power was what one would make of it, not the other way around.

With that in mind, the problem that arose at that moment was what the power would make of the boy, as the tiny form of Midoriya Izuku writhed and convulsed on the mat like a wounded animal, his head pounding like never before.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Inko addressed Gouki in a panic as soon as he let go of her and her husband, the two of them ready to fight him off, for they weren't about to let anyone come between them and their son. Oh, they were more than afraid of the man, that was for sure, but the adrenaline of the situation had granted them some courage, Hisashi's mouth already heating up to fire.

Instead of answering, Gouki looked at Toshinori who was about to rush over to the boy when the lights in the room suddenly flickered, stopping him in his tracks as he looked up. "Wh-?" His heart became caught in his throat as he then picked up a faint vibration in the atmosphere that soon spread to the floor.

Izuku was in pain. The most pain he had been in since the beginning of his headaches as he feverishly flailed around in vain, wishing more than anything that the throbbing would stop. It was as if his brain was trying to free itself from his skull, his teeth gnashing hard enough to crush them before they had a chance to fall off. Toshinori could feel the sweat on his forehead, the pressure, the integrity of the air itself, alternating sporadically between thick and thin. His sharp hearing, honed by years of heroic work, could pick up the cracking of glass and mirrors as he kept his focus on the boy, the equipment and instruments soon joining the rumbling.

All except Gouki were beside themselves, Izuku's parents watching in shock as they too could see what was happening to their son when weak wisps of energy began to emerge from his curled up position on the mat. Their hearts stopped at the same time he suddenly ceased in his movements. They waited, fearing the worst, when Izuku slowly pulled himself to his feet. Toshinori, who was closest to the young man, took a step back in shock when he caught a glimpse of the boy's face.

Izuku lifted his head, his normally green pupils now an unnatural red as he looked ahead to where Toshinori happened to be standing, his eyebrows knitted together in a glare that sent a shiver down the hero's spine, his once exuberant and youthful smile replaced by a glower. Regaining some of his composure, Toshinori gently began to address the boy, "Y-Young Midoriya?" Alas, upon taking a step closer, something seemed to change in Izuku's expression, his glare deepening and his lips peeling, the faint wisps of energy he had been emitting suddenly exploding in intensity. His hair and clothes billowed as his hands clenched tightly into fists, his chest rising as he took in a sharp breath.

Toshinori instinctively braced himself.

The boy let out a scream, a deafening wail that caused his parents to cover their ears. The vibrations in the room followed, their surroundings trembling as mirrors began to shatter, large and small pieces breaking off the wall as the lights in the room flickered faster and faster until they burst. Toshinori looked at Izuku in alarm, afraid that the shards would hurt him, but to his shock, they flew harmlessly away from him before they could even reach the hairs on his head.

Toshinori steeled himself, struggling to maintain his muscular form under the pressure. "Young Midoriya, stop!" But his cries were drowned out by the air ripping roar, and soon, the mounting pressure seemed to reach some sort of peak as an invisible force exploded from Izuku, cratering the immediate area from top to bottom, the floor and ceiling where he stood giving way and scattering even more debris everywhere. Gouki stood protectively in front of the Midoriyas, though whether he did so on purpose was the least of their worries. The whole building began to shake, the residents panicking at what they thought was a sudden earthquake. Emergency services were immediately deployed as tourists and guests were evacuated first by the staff, with some local heroes responding to the disturbance.

None too soon, Izuku relented in his outburst, but it was anything but a reprieve as there was now a visible ring of Ki now permeating his surroundings, winding and dancing like flames. Toshinori could only wonder to himself what in heaven's name was even happening as Izuku raised his right arm just enough so that his hand was parallel to his waist. What happened next made the hairs on the backs of Izuku's parents and Toshinori to bristle as all of the energy began to gather in the boy's palm, forming a globule no bigger than a softball. In the now dimly lit room, the light from the fireball, which was an ominous mixture of purple and red, cast an almost ethereal glow over the young man's face. Toshinori locked eyes with who, only hours ago, was a young fan that was the happiest he could be from spending time with his hero, hoping to find some semblance of his mind that could be reached, but all he could see was a burning hatred that he had never seen in a child before.

The Number One Hero spectated in equal parts awe and dread as Izuku, with a snarl, pulled back the same arm before chucking the fireball directly at him.

To Toshinori's growing surprise, it zoomed through the air with baffling speed, more than someone of Izuku's age was capable of, and was only inches away from him before he hastily twisted his upper body to let it pass. He then lunged at Izuku, grabbing him in a bear hug and ducking protectively when an explosion sounded behind him. He could hear the boy's mother screaming in the background as he looked down to see if the young man was alright, regardless of whether he was still in a trance or not. To his relief, Izuku had lost consciousness, his tiny form now limp in his grasp.

The following hours were practically a fever dream for the family. Inko was beside herself with hysterics, with an equally shaken Hisashi desperately trying to comfort her as Toshinori hurriedly led them to the infirmary. Once they were settled, with a still unconscious Izuku laid on the cot, he left with strict instructions that they were not to leave or open the door for anyone, as he was to lock it from the outside. Wordlessly, Gouki voted to stay behind. Both to keep an eye on the family and to handle the situation in case the boy wakes. With great haste, Toshinori went through the descending floors of his agency to make sure that the building had been cleared. He then made a stop at the locker room, switching his suit for his costume just in case.

His phone rang in his pants pocket as soon as he hung it, promptly fishing the device out and answering. He didn't even need to read the ID to know who it was as he headed for the stairwell. "Mirai, how close are you?"

"I got in my car as soon as the alert in my office went off. And yes, more on that some other time," Mirai replied, driving as quickly as he could to reach his former workplace. "Explanations after everything has calmed down. I'm on my way."

As soon as the call ended, Toshinori took a deep breath to steel himself again. This time, instead of a child losing control of an unfathomably dangerous power, what he had to deal with was more routine, but no less grueling. He had to err on the side of caution though, lest he find himself having to weather through some very unwanted questions.

Toshinori, now adorned in his signature red, white and blue costume, went to address the ever-present swarm of reporters who practically mobbed him as soon as he appeared, with police and emergency services now teeming the perimeter of his building. Maintaining his best smile, he went about reassuring the crowd that all was well now that the worst was over, that it was just a small earthquake and that the damage had been minimal.

A few local heroes were present, some of whom he spoke to in order to find out if other areas had been affected. Observing the damage from outside, he looked up at his tower and had to catch himself once he saw a gaping hole on the window of the floor where the gym was, still giving off smoke. He feared that the fire department and police would reach it before all was said and done, or worse, find the Midoriyas. However, once Mirai had arrived, and with Naomasa having dropped in earlier with his squad, he felt more at ease, the three of them leading the charge in checking the building. Once they made it to the gym, Toshinori could only brace himself for the worst.

After getting a good look at the sorry state of the room, the firefighters and police with them quickly determined that the damage couldn't be attributed to the earthquake, that it looked more like a villain attack. Toshinori, stirring up some of his confidence, dismissed such an assumption, that no villain in their right mind would ever dream of mounting an assault on the agency of the Number One Hero of Japan. He also revealed the Midoriyas that he invited in order to corroborate his statements in case his employees were questioned as well.

Naomasa, playing along, prodded the hero if he sensed or caught anything suspicious prior to the earthquake, and Toshinori answered in the negative.

"We were in my office when the earthquake started, and I was too busy helping the Midoriyas evacuate before I even knew what the blazes happened here," Toshinori answered in a convincing tone, but not convincing enough for Naomasa, who didn't betray the lie for what it was.

"I understand All Might, but this is now a potential crime scene, and I'm afraid we're going to have to cordon it off for the time being," Naomasa explained, being the inspector he was. "With your permission, of course."

"You have it," Toshinori conceded, having little choice. He glanced subtly at Mirai, who pushed up his glasses to hide their exchange, his signature glare sharp as ever. They couldn't tamper with the scene, or worse, bribe the police to keep quiet. All they could do was give vague enough answers and play dumb, hoping that the whole fiasco would sink into obscurity. "You think it's possible that whoever did this used the earthquake as a cover?"

Naomasa hummed in thought. "Possibly, and when it was over, they bailed. This might simply have been an attempt on their part."

"You mean a message?" Mirai insinuated with a scoff. "That All Might isn't as untouchable as people believe?" He had also been taking keen stock of the room and the damage it had sustained. He easily came to the conclusion that it could only have been Midoriya Izuku. That someone; a boy no less, who was supposed to be Quirkless was capable of such carnage was…unsettling. That he had even caused a small earthquake was just as much a cause for concern.

"We would rather not have this go to the press," Mirai added. "It would only serve to embolden whoever did this and the rest of the criminal element."

"I wish I could guarantee that, Sasaki-san," Naomasa remarked ruefully. "But we will keep as many details as possible to ourselves. That much I can promise."

Mirai held the man's gaze before nodding, and ignoring his sigh when he turned to Toshinori, who made a subtle motion of his hand to be patient.

After the police had finished and the fire department had determined that the building was still structurally sound, Toshinori sent them on their way, with the exception of Naomasa, who elected to stay behind just in case. He made a few final remarks to the press, thanking his employees and the first responders, before sending them off as well, with the guarantee that the people of Japan would sleep well as long as he was around.

"All Might! All Might!" One of the reporters, a woman with neck length black hair and thick rimmed glasses, called out to him. "Could this have been a villain attack?"

"A villain attack?" Toshinori scoffed. "What makes you say that…?"

"Wakita," the reporter answered. "Witnesses said that they heard an explosion that went off in the building during the earthquake. Not only that, a window was shattered where smoke was seen coming out."

Toshinori didn't dare hesitate, keeping his cool. "Whether there had been a villain attack or not, the priority was the safety of the people, Wakita-san. I can take care of any villain daring enough to pick a fight with me, but the safety of the people should always come first for a hero."

"So, it was a villain attack?"

Mirai, who was standing to the side, made a subtle gesture for Toshinori to cut things here. "That is yet to be determined, Wakita-san. But let me assure you, and the citizens watching, that I am here." He delivered his signature statement with such emphatic conviction that the reporters present couldn't help but be awed, even Wakita. "If any villain out there is brazen enough to cause trouble at my agency at the expense of the good people who come here," he glanced at the camera, making sure to project a balance between intimidation and heroic grit, "then they will answer to no one else but me."

Mirai hid a nod; that ought to serve as a deterrent for a good while. But he knew how villains worked, and if word got out that 'someone' actually managed to give the Number One Hero of all people a bloody nose, there's bound to be upstarts. Naomasa knew this just as well, which only meant more work.

Once the excitement had finally died down, and Toshinori personally bade his employees a good night as they went home, he led his two cohorts to the infirmary. It was fortunate that out of all the other rooms and offices, the infirmary was one of the few places that wasn't checked. Toshinori, having finally reached his time limit, deflated as they were only a corridor away.

"Should you…?" Naomasa began asking.

Toshinori, now two sizes too small for his suit, sighed. "I would want the Midoriyas to trust in me, Naomasa, for what we are about to tell them will undoubtedly upend their lives. All we can hope for now is that it won't be for the worst."

Mirai didn't object. He would have, and still wished he did, but he knew that trust would come a long way in getting the Midoriyas to cooperate. He just hoped that they were making the right decisions going forward.

When he unlocked the door, they found the Midoriyas huddled close to their son on the cot, who had awoken in their absence and was now crying. From the other side of the room, Gouki stood watching them, or rather Izuku, perhaps to make sure that he would be there to calm the boy in case of another attack.

"Y-Yagi-san?" Inko looked up from trying to comfort her son, eyeing the man in recognition, when her eyes widened when she took note of the odd manner of clothing he wore. Hisashi followed her gaze and he too gaped in surprise.

"Inko-san, Hisashi-san…" Toshinori looked both parents in the eye, his gaunt expression set in a solemn frown. "We…have a lot to discuss."