Detective Midoriya

Chapter 18

All was not good in the woods. The longer Izuku ran, the more evident it became that they were in trouble. In the distance Izuku saw smoke rising above the trees with the faint sounds of battle. Kouta was squirming slightly in Izuku's arms, but Izuku didn't dare pause to readjust, or move the boy to his back.

He ran faster than he ever had before, grateful for all of the times he'd pushed himself beyond his limits. a part of his mind was telling him that his efforts were going to be futile without a quirk, and that part of his mind sounded suspiciously like All Might. But the weight of Kouta in his arms was grounding, giving him both the motivation to go on and validation of his efforts.

It wasn't long before Izuku spotted a figure in the distance, a mercifully, beautifully familiar figure. Impossibly, Izuku's feet sped up. "Mr. Aizawa! You're okay!"

"Midoriya? What happened, are you hurt?" the teacher demanded.

"I'm fine, the villain Muscular is somewhere out there though. I had some pepper spray, so we got away in one piece. Now if you'll take Kouta, I'll-"

"Hold up, Midoriya, you're not going anywhere. You're my responsibility, and I'm ordering you into the house to tend to any injuries."

"Technically I'm here under the authority of the legal police station, and as a trainee and a field medic I can act as I see fit. Legally you can't stop me, and I also can't be accused of vigilantism. I hate to pull that card, but I promise I'll do my best to stay safe," Izuku said, turning away.

"Wait," Aizawa said, looking like he already regretted his next words. "I clearly can't stop you, so give Mandalay a message from me. Tell her to tell the students I authorize them to fight, otherwise they might not make it out alive. I'll deal with the repercussions."

"Are you sure?" Izuku asked, gently setting Kouta next to the man.

"As much as I hate it, yes, I'm sure. Be safe, Midoriya."

Izuku saluted the teacher before jogging towards where he thought Mandalay was likely to be. Luckily, earlier in the day Kouta had shown him the path that the text of courage was supposed to take. With a vague idea of where he would find people, Izuku stood a better chance at actually being useful.

He came to find himself in a clearing filled with the sounds of fighting. No one had noticed him, so he took a moment to observe. He immediately recognized Magne, a notorious villain that had managed to elude Detective Tsukauchi for some months now, along with roughly half of Japan's police force. Tiger was busy with Magne while Mandalay was holding her own against a reptilian with the most absurd sword he had ever seen. However, Izuku was mostly concerned by Pixie Bob, who lay unconscious in a pool of her own blood.

She didn't look good at all. Almost against his will, Izuku found his feet moving towards the fallen hero as quietly as possible. He was cursing himself for not bringing his medical pack with him, and his movements were heavy with the knowledge that literally every important adult figure in his life would want him away from this entire situation.

If he got another sword to the thigh Tsukauchi would never let it go. He would be forced to live in a protective bubble.

He had just gotten to Pixie Bob's side to assess her wounds when he was thrown wildly off balance, lurching towards Magne.

"Oh look, a little mouse has found its way here. I don't recognize this one, though, you weren't on the list. I guess that makes it okay to crush it."

Izuku did his best to shield his head from the incoming impact with the giant magnet, but in a flash of green, the reptilian villain stepped in, hefting his conglomeration of blades so it was drawn to the magnet instead of Izuku.