Awkward Energy - MinaDeku

Tear

So many times, Izuku had been told that his altruistic tendencies to launch himself into danger to protect others was going to get him damaged beyond all repair if he kept doing so with the reckless abandon he had been since he first got his Quirk. Being a Hero was choosing to be willing to throw oneself into danger, that much was true. But doing so with such disregard for oneself was only ever a one-way trip to not only breaking oneself, but by extension, letting down all the people that Hero hadn't saved yet.

If a Hero were to save a hundred people in their career, but was so reckless, they crippled themselves, or – All the various Gods forbid – died around rescue twenty, that was eighty people who would never be saved. Eighty people who that Hero let down.

It was rhetoric, and it was incredibly subjective – But it made sense. What that rhetoric was trying to say made sense.

That was the harsh logic Izuku had been forced to learn about Heroism. That putting himself in danger over and over, without even remotely thinking about the consequences, was something that would in the long term, make him a worse Hero. It was something that could get him killed.

He wasn't All Might. He couldn't do what All Might had done in his career. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

All Might could do these things. He could throw himself into the fray without consideration for himself. He could recklessly charge in, and just punch things until the situation sorted itself out. He could afford to let his heart rule his head.

....And for that, he had ended up crippled. Without a stomach. And had had to give up his amazing Quirk so much sooner than he would have wanted. Frankly, he was lucky to still be alive.

If All Might had died there, the situation in society could be so much worse. And his successor would be left without a teacher.

This was the lesson Izuku needed to learn. It was something that he knew. Even if he couldn't force himself to act on that, he knew deep down, that the harder lessons were going to be the lessons that he had to learn. Just like everything else about Heroism.

Yet there was something about seeing a little girl in danger, being towered above by a gigantic, reckless, rampaging lunatic that made all that knowledge throw itself right out the window.

All sense be damned.

One For All seemed to activate on its own, fueling the entirety of Izuku's body, and maybe even his soul, as his body moved to rescue the child in his sights. His entire vision seemed to focus in on this petrified child, and his brain focused on nothing more that how he was going to get her out of the danger zone, and to safety. Could he leap in, grab her, and leap out? Was he fast enough to get away with that? Did he need to deal with the attacker first, and knock him out, or just get him out of the way? Would that cause damage to the surrounding area, and harm the child he was trying to protect? Did he have time to assess all of this before he launched?

No, he didn't.

All those ideas shot through his skull in just a few seconds, before his legs shot out, and fired him towards the girl. Snap decision – He would grab her, and leap away immediately. He would use his body as a shield, to do what little he could to defend her should he fail. Assuming he got away without getting smashed up himself, he would leap away, get the child outside the battle zone, and then jump back.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea, but he didn't have time to think anymore.

As he launched, he heard "Izuku!" being yelled by Mina behind him. He already knew for a fact that he was going to be given a stern lecture from her, even if this didn't go horrendous in some way. He couldn't help it though.