The boys crept along the edge of the warehouse dock. The call had come in minutes ago about injured workers, stolen equipment, and a villain still on-site.
Natsu's eyes gleamed beneath the brim of his beanie hat as he led the group toward the open warehouse. The air was heavy with the stench of burnt oil.
"I don't like this," Glowl muttered, clutching his phone like a lifeline. His horns pulsed faintly, reflecting the emergency lighting. "There's no hero tape, no police line. Just busted doors and, whoa, is that blood?"
Itsuki peered in. "Someone called it in and never made it out. The place looks ransacked."
Shou stepped forward, flexing his fingers. "We go in together. We can handle one villain."
"No," Natsu said suddenly, voice firm.
His friends turned to him, surprised. He pulled his hat lower, yanking down the ski-mask portion until only his eyes showed. He cracked his knuckles and took a step forward.
"I'm going in alone."
"Alone?" Shou blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Natsu didn't slow. "Too dangerous for you guys. He hurt workers already. I can take hits better than you. I'm faster. I don't need backup."
"Yakuto-"
" I mean it," he snapped, spinning to face them. His eyes burned with confidence.. "You guys wait outside, by the dock. I'll meet you there when I'm done."
"Are you sure? Glowl argued, though his voice shook, he held a baton he brought along, but he was clearly shaking "I am sure we can jump him."
" I can handle it." Natsu gave him a grin.
Reluctantly, the duo backed away, disappearing behind the crates, Natsu watched them walk away, before turning to the large warehouse at the edge of the docks.
The warehouse interior was a warzone. Shattered lights swung from the ceiling. Crates were smashed in, metal sheeting peeled back like tin foil. A few unconscious security guards were slumped against walls, groaning.
And then he saw him.
Towering over the wreckage was a beast of a man, actually a crab?. Easily nine feet tall, his chitinous shell gleamed under the flickering lights. Massive claws dragged across the ground, scraping deep gouges into the cement. His eyes, bulbous and uneven, scanned the room warily.
When he spotted Natsu, he turned fully, revealing a comically oversized crab belly beneath a studded black vest and a belt.
"The hell are you supposed to be?" the crab villain grunted, voice like wet gravel. "You don't work here."
Natsu tilted his head, lips curling into a smirk. "Nope. I'm the challenger."
The villain's eye twitched.
"I am the Great Demon Lord Dragneel," Natsu declared, arms spread wide.
"Dragneel?" the crab snorted. "You look like a dumb kid with a ski mask. Whatever. You've seen too much. I'm gonna squash you and steam the pieces!"
With a roar, the Crab man charged.
"I am the Crab King."
Natsu sidestepped with blinding speed, using a subtle burst of fire beneath his soles. Not enough to ignite anything, just enough to launch. His movements blurred, fluid and agile. The crab's claw smashed into a forklift, crushing it instantly.
"Crab King?," Natsu muttered. "Don't they serve you in restaurants?" He asked, enraging Crab ing. But inwardly, he was annoyed. He had been trying a new technique, but it was hard to perfect.
He ducked under a swipe and countered with a solid punch to the crab's midsection. It barely budged.
"Ow."
The crab villain grinned. "Shell's real, brat. It's harder than steel."
Another claw came, flying horizontal this time. Natsu flipped backward, using another quick burst under his heel to gain air, twisting as he landed behind a stack of crates.
"Okay, why does everyone I fight have skin harder than steel." he muttered, eyes darting across the space. 'Can't burn the place down. Gotta be smart. 'Damn villains and their hard skin.'
He darted out again, this time striking the villain's knee joint, a softer, more exposed section between armor plates.
The Crabman roared and stumbled.
"There we go." Natsu grinned again, breathing steady. "Let's rumble."
Natsu zipped between shattered forklifts and toppled crates, each step laced with carefully measured bursts of fire to keep his movement light and fast. The warehouse had become a battlefield of noise, grating claws, splintering wood, and Natsu's taunts bouncing off the metal walls.
"You're seriously this slow?" Natsu called out, ducking under a claw swipe. "I've seen snails move faster than you."
"RAAAAGH!" Crab King bellowed, his eyes twitching furiously.
The villain's arm swung wide, but Natsu had already shifted, sliding under the attack and delivering a snap kick to the back of the crab's knee. The giant stumbled forward with a ground-shaking stomp, nearly crashing into a steel support beam.
Natsu grinned behind his mask. "Keep swinging, Big Guy.
"You little maggot!" the villain roared. "Stop bouncing around and fight like a man!"
"Oh? So you're mad that I won't let you land a hit? Sounds like a you problem."
With a feral growl, the Crab King shifted tactics, lowering his body and planting his massive feet firmly. Natsu watched closely. He became wary.
Is this a trap?
Suddenly, the villain lunged with unexpected speed, feinting high before sweeping a massive claw low. Natsu leapt, but the second claw came from behind, slamming toward him with all the force of a wrecking ball.
"Gotcha!" the crab shouted.
But Natsu was already twisting.
He dropped one leg down, letting the strike barely graze his side, just enough to sell the hit without taking full damage. The impact sent him flying backwards, flipping in midair until he landed in a low crouch behind a row of damaged crates.
His side slightly ached where the hit had connected. He winced but smirked anyway.
"Almost.."
The villain snarled. "You think you're clever?! You think—"
Without warning, the Crab King reared back, opened his jagged mouth wide, and fired.
A massive, pressurized jet of water exploded out of his maw like a cannon blast, shrieking through the air and tearing across the warehouse floor. It smashed through crates like wet missiles, turning the sturdy wooden barriers into splinters.
Natsu's eyes widened.
"What the hell is that"
He blasted a small burst of fire from both palms and grabbed the jetstream of water.
"You're fast," the villain spat, "but you're not faster than this."
The blast slammed into its target or so it seemed.
A massive cloud of steam exploded into the air, swallowing Natsu in a hiss of white mist. The warehouse was instantly drowned in heat and fog. Visibility dropped to zero.
The Crab King stood still, claws ready, heart pounding. Why was the brat so agile and strong? How did he dispel his water?
Then... silence.
Nothing but the slow drip of condensation and the fading echo of his own attack.
He squinted, trying to peer through the swirling steam.
"I saw that," he muttered. "Was that fire?"
He stepped back, suddenly unsure.
The steam pulsed, and something moved.
WHOOSH.
A figure burst from the white cloud, cloaked in vapor and heat like molten lava. His mask looked soaked, his hat askew, Gray eyes locked on to him. His fist was was glowing red.
His shoes were gone, nothing left but scorched soles and bare feet smoking behind him. His socks had burned away mid-flight.
"You know, I fought this guy who had a tough hide, then another guy with weird steel muscles. I was really annoyed by how weak I was so I perfected this technique again to a new level for guys with thick hides. Let's see how much stronger I've become since then."
"FIRE DRAGON'S—" Natsu roared, His fist began to steam.
The Crab King's eyes went wide. "Wait, !"
"IRON FIST!!!"
The punch connected cleanly with the villain's chest, right at the hardest point of his shell. The impact echoed like a bomb going off, flames spiraling out in a wave that pushed back the remaining fog.
The Crab King's body lifted off the ground, claws flailing, legs curling — and flew across the warehouse before smashing through a stack of steel barrels and crashing against the far wall with a thunderous BOOM.
The wall cracked.
The villain slumped to the ground, unconscious. One eye still twitched, but otherwise... he was done.
Natsu stood still in the silence, steam rising off his fists, his hair slightly visible under the burnt sections of his ski mask. He rolled his shoulders, flexed his bare toes against the scorched floor, and muttered through the corner of his mask:
"Damn, the fire ended up leaking out. That was a bust." Natsu smiled. He flexed his fingers a bit, still happy with his progress.
–
Itsuki and Glowl stood anxiously behind a stack of cargo containers, trying to look casual. Their nerves weren't having it.
"He said wait by the dock," Itsuki muttered for the third time, arms crossed tightly. "He said he'd meet us here..."
"Yeah, and that was like ten minutes ago," Glowl snapped. "That's like, half an episode of a TV show. It's like 600 seconds."
Before either of them could spiral further, a pair of patrol cars skidded to a halt in the lot, red and blue lights flashing and sirens ringing.
Cops. Shit
Two officers stepped out, already halfway toward the warehouse before they noticed the pair of middle schoolers standing awkwardly nearby.
"Hey, what're you kids doing here?" one of them barked, hand instinctively resting on his holster.
Itsuki jolted. "I Uh—we, uh—we, uh - just wanted to see a hero! We saw the cops coming, and—uh—we thought maybe someone big showed up?"
The officer blinked, then just sighed. "Kids these days. Well, stay back. The pro should be arriving any minute. Don't cross the tape and leave as soon as possible. Is it just you two?"
"Yep. Just us." Shou blurted out.
The officer raised a brow but didn't pursue. "Alright then."
Relieved, both boys exhaled. But then, the other officer gestured, and suddenly half a dozen armed cops began heading into the fenced-off yard with rifles and riot shields.
The tension snapped back like a rubber band.
"Wait, armed?!" Glowl whispered.
"What if he's still in there?!"
That's when Glowl's eyes caught movement.
A dark shape.
A shadow ducked behind the far side of the neighboring building, short, tiptoeing slightly, but with an unmistakable black outfit and red hair peeking out.
He elbowed Itsuki sharply.
"Look! There, by the maintenance shed!"
Itsuki turned, locked on. He turned to Glowl. "Man, looks like a hero isn't here yet and i have to get back home. Lets just goo." He took off towards the shed with Glowl. The cop's didn't think much of this. The Hero craze in today's era was common.
They rounded the corner, and there he was.
Natsu leaned against a wall, pulling his half-scorched ski mask off his face. He would look normal, if it weren't for the fact that his feet were bare, toes blackened with soot. The bottom half of his pants were tattered, burned up to the shin. His black turtleneck clung to him, one sleeve half incinerated, the other also with holes and burnt marks, revealing parts of his arms.
But he was smiling.
"Yo." Natsu gave a cocky grin. "Miss me?"
"You idiot!" Glowl wheezed, clutching his friend's leg. "You're barefoot! Are you bleeding?
Shou looked him up and down, eyes widening. "Dude... what the heck happened to your clothes."
Natsu shrugged. "Don't worry, it was mostly my quirk that did this to my clothes."
He tried to play it off, but when he took a step forward, he winced slightly and clutched his side where the crab villain grazed it.
Glowl immediately crouched down and dug in his backpack. "Here, I got your extra shoes."
Natsu blinked. "Why do you have my shoes in your bag?"
"On the off chance you needed to change. Looks like it was needed right?" Glowl shot back.
Itsuki shook his head and looked toward the warehouse yard where the cops had entered. Sirens still blared, and a few news vans had begun to pull in near the fence.
"C'mon," he said. "Let's get out of here before they figure out the 'hero' already left."
The three of them turned, Natsu slightly rubbing his side softly with his hands. He tried to finish it without using too much of his quirk, but it looked like it was still too tough to fight without. 'More training.'
As they disappeared down a side street, Natsu quietly muttered:
"Well… that was fun."
—
The flashing red and blue of patrol cars lit the cracked pavement as a patrol unit surrounded the shipping yard. A licensed Pro Hero, clad in a streamlined yellow-and-black suit with reflective plating, stepped out of his vehicle. He was known locally as Pierce, a spear-wielding specialist known for keeping this town safe. .
"Status?" he asked curtly as he joined the two officers near the gate.
"Disturbance report came in twenty minutes ago," one of the officers replied. "Some employees tried to stop the suspect from stealing inventory. Got injured. One managed to call it in before passing out. The warehouse is just past that dock."
"Any signs of movement since?" Piercer asked.
"None. Been quiet. We were waiting for you."
Piercer gave a quick nod, signaling the rest of the squad. "Let's go." Although heroes worked alone or with sidekicks, in this small town, Pierce usually assisted the cops or allowed them to assist.
The team moved in, boots crunching against gravel. Guns ready, eyes alert. They stepped over the busted lock and splintered wood of the entrance gate, creeping around stacked crates and half-unloaded pallets.
Then… silence.
Inside the warehouse, the air was hot and strangely humid. They passed rows of toppled shelves, scorch marks across the floor. A few guards lay unconscious in the corner, but none appeared critically injured.
And there, lying in the center of a darkened aisle beneath a broken skylight, was the villain.
Massive. Nine feet tall. A monstrous crab-like figure with a hardened shell glistening under the emergency lights. However, what was shocking was that the shell looked caved in and charred.
"A single blow, by the looks of it." Piercer's eyes narrowed. He crouched, knocking lightly against the villain's chest shell.
"Dense.I don't think even my spear could damage something like this.."
"Looks like a B-tier at the very least," another cop murmured. "Maybe borderline A. And he was taken out so quickly?"
"No signs of restraint, no backup call. Whoever did this is gone." Piercer stood. "This wasn't a brawl. It was an ambush. Maybe someone with a fire quirk? Is there any explosives in the warehouse that can cause these scorch marks."
"No, but we found oil barrels brought in from other docks. Those were loaded separately in a different station. Could it be from that?"
"Maybe, but some of these burns are recent, its still hot to the touch. The scorch outside already cooled."
"Then?" The officer asked.
Then it was likely one individual with a fire quirk. I don't know any fire quirk users stationed here." Pierce nervously stated.
They exchanged glances, unsettled.
"Pack him up for Tartarus," Piercer muttered. "And start scanning for any possible witnesses or recordings. I want to know who took out this guy."
"Damn, was there a pro hero of this level in this town?"
–
Meanwhile…
The three boys sat in the last car of the train as it rumbled across the city. Natsu leaned back, relaxed now in his usual morning attire, jeans, and a red t-shirt, and a grey hoodie tied loosely around his waist. His backpack rested between his feet, his black gear tucked away inside.
Glowl glanced down at Natsu's feet. "So, uh… your shoes melted?"
Natsu shrugged like it was no big deal. "Happens sometimes."
Shou snorted. "You didn't leave them behind, did you??"
"No, they went poof into ashes. Sorry"
"That's fine. As long as you're safe. And there's no evidence" Shou relaxed finally. Same with Glowl.
A few moments later, the duo couldn't hold it anymore. They both leaned in with eyes wide. The adrenaline had worn off, and now the excitement was setting in.
"So what was it?" Glowl asked. "The villain, I mean."
"Some big crab guy," Natsu said nonchalantly. "Nine feet tall, armored chest. He was stealing stuff from the warehouse. Guards tried to stop him and got clobbered."
Shou whistled low. "And you beat him?"
Natsu stretched his arms behind his head. "Well, yeah. I mean, that's what this whole trip was for right?"
"You're crazy," Glowl said, half in awe. "But also—dude—that's insane. You actually beat a villain.
Shou nodded vigorously. "Seriously. You're totally pro material. You'd be a shoe-in for U.A. or Shiketsu. Hell, even better than that Katsuki Bakugo guy from class 3-B."
Natsu blinked. "Who?"
"Yeah, you haven't heard of him? He's loud, has an explosion quirk, and thinks he's hot stuff. Pretty famous around the school."
"Not ringing any bells," Natsu said. He didn't pay much attention to school rumors. He wasn't interested in fighting kids.
The boys laughed as the train rattled into another tunnel.
Behind them, the city rolled by, Natsu looked out of the window, excited at the prospect of fighting more villains.
And somewhere in a secure prison transport, a crab-like villain groaned in his restraints, his bruised jaw throbbing, still seeing that fiery fist in his nightmares.
–
By the time Natsu reached his house, the sun had already begun to set. The warm orange glow caught on the tiled rooftop, bathing the house in an amber hue. He slipped in through the side door. The house was quiet. From the faint clatter of pots in the kitchen, Rei was likely finishing dinner.
"I am home!" Natsu yelled out as he took off his shoes. He lazily chucked them to the side of the entrance.
"Welcome home, dinner is almost ready. Go shower!. He heard Rei's coming from the kitchen. .
Natsu crept upstairs, his movements stiffer than usual. Once he reached his room, he shut the door behind him and immediately dropped his backpack onto the floor. With a low grunt, he tugged off his clothes and winced when the motion pulled at his side. Pulling up his shirt, he glanced at the bruise spreading across his ribs—faint purple and swelling where the crab guy had clipped him.
"Hah… bastard got one in." Natsu chuckled.
He didn't sound upset. It was a remnant of his battle.
Natsu opened his backpack, took out his tattered "vigilante gear" and put them in the back of the closet under a bunch of his comics and action figures, he'd deal with it later, and headed to the bathroom. The heat was set to the maximum and water slowly ran over him. Thanks to his quirk, he didn't feel extreme heat, but it still felt nice. Steam rose around him as he stood under the spray. He breathed out slowly, letting the tension in his muscles unwind. The fight replayed in his head, and his smile widened.
He'd done it. He'd really done it. A fight with a villain. It was easy, but it was fun nonetheless.
Back in his room, he changed into a clean T-shirt and red sweatpants. He made his way downstairs just as Rei was setting bowls on the table.
"There you are," Rei said with a gentle smile. "I was about to call you."
Natsu grinned as he slid into his seat. "Just showered."
Rei just smiled warmly. "Did you have fun today?"
"Yeah." Natsu said, thinking back over his day.
Across the table, Shoto raised an eyebrow as he looked at the smiling Natsu.
"You look happy. Did something good happen?" he asked dryly.
Natsu's smile widened. "Something like that."
Gray just continued eating, but threw in a jab anyway. "Well, stop smiling so much, its creepy."
"Shut up, pervert." Natsu shot back.
"What the hell did you call mee?." Gray stood over the table.
"So you're a pervert and deaf huuuh?" Natsu stood up as well.
Shoto just sighed.
"Alright, that's enough from both of you. Haise dear, put your clothes back on." Rei sighed as well.
"When did that happen?" Gray scrambled around to put his clothes back on.
Natsu just laughed and sat back down.
Natsu shoveled rice and grilled salmon into his mouth with the kind of hunger only a post-fight high could bring. Every bite tasted amazing. He let out a satisfied hum, leaning back slightly as he chewed. And damn, the miso soup hit the spot. What an amazing day.
"This is going to be a good second year."