"Okay! First civilians up ahead, looks like they're stuck in a shop with a car all twisted up and smashed into the door frame. What do you guys think we should do?" Izuku watched Nejire as she landed, then looked at the group of people behind the car shouting for help. He started to think about how they could remove the obstruction without further damaging the building when Uraraka ran ahead and just floated the car, gently pulling it away from the building and setting it down in the knee-high water.
"Well I guess being reckless works too!" Nejire said, smiling as she flew over to the group and started pointing towards the storm shelter. Izuku ran a hand through his hair, maybe he should have shared his notes with Uraraka about assessing a situation quickly… or wait!
'She did assess it quickly! She's even more amazing then I thought!' Izuku smiled as the group of civilians walked by them. Uraraka was smiling as Izuku, Jirou, and Koda caught up with her and Nejire.
"Did you think about what might have happened if the car had been the only thing holding the building up, Astra? Cause if you just yanked it outta there like you did without checking, they could have been hurt." Urarakas smile disappeared and she rubbed her arm, her eyes downcast towards the running water. Nejire smiled even more brightly and patted her on the head, well on top of her visor, and shook her head.
"Hey, hey! Don't look down! It's my fault for not saying anything about it and just asking you guys what you think we should do! Next time I ask though, I'd like for you guys to tell me. I'm kind of ditzy sometimes and it's the only way I can think to show you guys what I know!" Izuku watched Uraraka's smile return, though only half-heartedly, as Nejire explained what she did wrong. Izuku still admired her decision though. He only thought about it because he'd been reminded by All Might's messages. He would have done exactly what she just did, and probably more poorly since he'd have used earth magic to more forcefully move the car.
"Okay! So rule number one when you're rescuing people from natural disasters or widescaled villain attacks or like a big ole bomb blowing up a building, um the list goes on." She laughed as she floated upside down, her hair falling down to nearly touch the ground as she started spinning in midair. She shook her head and righted herself before smiling at the four of them.
"Anyways, you need to assess the situation! Especially if they're not in immediate danger or need of medical attention! Like if you can wait, then wait and think about the best way to keep them safe while getting them out of the predicament they're in! Oh! But make sure to reassure them or they might panic and suddenly be in a lot of danger!" Izuku nodded, writing in his "Mini-Hero notebook".
'But what are the parameters for immediate danger? Serious injury in less than a minute? Thirty seconds? Fifteen? Medical danger is a contender too, a broken leg isn't in need of immediate medical attention in a situation where their life is in jeopardy, on the other hand if they're going to cause themselves or others to be in danger because of panicking could create a situation where—' Izuku flinched as someone patted his head while he was busy writing so fast his notepad was nearly smoking. He looked up to see his squad staring at him while Nejire smiled at him and floated down in front of him.
"You're super duper overthinking this. Just go with the flow! Like, act how you feel! There's no perfect way to do it! At least I don't think so! If you see someone in trouble, just think about how you'd feel if you were in their situation and go from there! Oh, but that contradicts what I'm trying to tell you guys. Um, do all that stuff, but still try and quickly figure out the safest way to help someone!" Izuku blinked slowly before nodding and putting his notepad away, locking it into one of his utility belt's pouches. Nejire smiled and floated away from him, spinning around their group before giggling.
"That muttering thing is kind of weird, but it's cute too! It's like you get so into your thinking that you forget about everyone around you right? Well it's nice to see that you take this super seriously! Kind of reminds me of Mirio, though he does it a lot more if he worried!" Izuku felt his cheeks burn as Jirou and Uraraka looked at each other before giggling silently. Even Koda seemed to be smiling at Nejire calling out his habit, making his cheeks burn even hotter.
"Yeah Midoriya, you get super into it and kind of forget everything that's around you till someone snaps you out of it huh?" Jirou teased. He saw Uraraka barely stifle another giggle before Nejire held up a finger and shook her head. She quickly floated over to Jirou and put her hands over the musicians mouth.
"Nope, nope, nope! You broke a big rule! We're doing hero work! We have to stick to our hero names while we're out operating as Heroes. They're like… hmm, they're supposed to bring us closer to who we want to be I guess? They show us who we really are ya know?" Jirou nodded and Nejire removed her hands while slowly leading them down the road towards more flooded sections of the city. Uraraka walked over to Izuku and let out a soft sigh, rubbing her shoulder as they walked.
"I feel so dumb. I mean, what if those people had gotten hurt cause I just rushed in blind like that and started touching everything?" She shook her head and put her hands behind her head, leaning back to stare at the sky. Izuku smiled and reached over to squeeze her shoulder. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he shook his head.
"I mean they could have, but they didn't… You know how I've been… spending a lot of time training with All Might after classes?" Uraraka raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly as they walked. Izuku looked away from her and watched Koda talking with some birds for a moment as he carefully considered his words. He didn't want to give anything away about One For All… at least not yet, eventually he would tell her. Licking his lips, he briefly sucked them into his mouth under his faceplate before letting them out.
"Well, one of the things he told me was that the top pros all have something in common. When they were all young and growing heroes, they moved without thinking to save people. Like, their bodies moved without any input from themselves at all. So… I think you must be one of the top pros of our generation… ya know?" He looked down at his hands and rubbed them, scared to see how she reacted to something people might consider corny All Might had told him. Well, it might be corny-sounding, but Izuku believed it, and he really believed that Uraraka was already on the way to being one of the best Heroes ever, with or without her magic.
"You're kind, and you're always thinking of others. I've never seen you slack off during Hero courses, and I know Shockwave just said that I take what she's saying seriously, but I think you take it just as seriously as I do. You just wanted to save those people and everything worked out Urara-, Astra!" He took in a deep breath, acutely aware of how fast his heart was pounding. He didn't understand why it was beating so hard though, he was just trying to make his friend, his best friend, feel better after a little mistake she made. He stopped as he felt Uraraka tug on his arm. He turned to look at her and blinked rapidly as he saw her eyes sparkling and her quivering lips.
"W-woah I-I didn't mean to make you cry, Astra! I-I was just—" He stopped as she shook her head and quickly started walking so the others didn't stare at them or worry about the two of them.
"You didn't Deku, you really didn't. Thank you." She pressed a button near her chin and reached up to rub her eyes, a muffled sob coming through her hand as she held it over her mouth. Izuku couldn't wipe the worried look out of his eyes as she walked ahead and pressed the button again to bring the visor down. Izuku stared after her as she caught up with the floating Nejire and started talking.
"Everything okay there, Deku?" Jirou prodded his ribs with her elbow lightly, a small smile on her face as they walked. Izuku just shrugged as Nejire pointed out another group of civillians standing on top of a bus, holding up a hand as Izuku and Jirou both ran towards them, obviously wanting Uraraka to do this. He let out a sigh and kept his eyes on the scene as he saw Jirou's shoulders relax out of his peripherals.
"I don't know, Earphone Jack. I mean, we're always fine around each other, but lately it's like, well to be honest, I've been distant from everyone besides Astra lately. Sorry for that, just… dealing with some stuff. But she's always there for me and… I feel like I keep messing up around her." His shoulders drooped as he stared at the people and Uraraka examined the situation. His eyes darted around, noticing that there was a winch attached to the bus holding it in place from sliding backwards into a deep-looking, based on the color of the water, hole. It looked like if the people on the bus tried to exit, it would snap and send the bus, and anyone near it, into the pool of water.
"Well, I mean you guys have been super close since day one. Plus it's not like you crowd her, I mean you practiced your guitar, badly, with me the other day." Izuku actually smiled at her mock insult as she stared at Uraraka near the bus reaching out with outstretched fingers. He turned to look at Jirou with a smile when he heard a loud group of screams. Instantly, One For All coursed throughout his body as he saw both the bus and Uraraka slipping under the water. Nejire looked like she was panicking, her head darting between the people and Uraraka. Izuku's enhanced senses noticed the sliding winch broken off from the towing truck. He shot his arm out to reach for it when he saw Uraraka sliding with the bus, her arms swinging wildly to latch onto something to grab as the undercurrent pulled her towards the hole. Both she and the inhabitants of the bus looked horrified.
'Okay stay calm! You can do this, just think. There's a way to save everyone here, All Might could do it and he's counting on me to do the same!' Uraraka started to tilt backwards, determination replacing her horrified expression as she raised her arms and fired her grappling hooks… all at once, and they got tangled as they hit the side of the bus. Her determination faded away as she looked at Izuku and even through her visor he could see her eyes growing watery.
His heart stopped for a moment as fear overtook the small boost of confidence she'd just given him, replaced by a soul-crushing thought. Memories of Uraraka flashed through his mind. The late night study sessions, the laughter over Iida's seriousness… their survival of the USJ incident and the nights where they comforted one another.
Before he realized what his body was doing, he was leaping towards her. He felt a shower of water crash down on his body from the water his kick off shot up into the air. His arms wrapped around Uraraka's waist and he kicked off the very edge of the road under the water right before the hole. As they flew, he twisted his body right before they slammed into a stone wall, shielding Uraraka from the impact. His eyes darted back towards the bus, holding up a hand to try some kind of spell.
"Oh, what a close moment for those people and your friend. I'm glad I saw what was happening!" Izuku let the spell fall away from him as the bus rose on a dry patch of land, the hole seeming to close itself up. His eyes continued over to see a man with blond hair and a fedora walking towards the bus. His long coat trailed in the water behind him slightly as he reached up to pry open the doors of the bus. He pulled gloves back onto his hands as he walked, helping people off the bus with a charming smile. Izuku felt Uraraka's arms squeeze tightly against hers as she looked up at him, shock and tears welling up in her eyes.
"D-deku. D-did y-you pick me o-over…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes left his and stared at the man helping people get off the bus. Izuku's arms were shaking around Uraraka as he stood up, water pouring off his now soaked costume. Helping Uraraka stand, he quickly let go of her and backed up, his hands clenched into fists as he looked away from the entire situation. He'd been ready, no, not just ready, he had been about to give up all those people the mystery man was helping off the bus just to save Uraraka.
He felt sick to his stomach as he played the events over and over again in his mind. There had to be at least one way he could have saved both groups at once, but for the life of him he couldn't stop thinking about the horrified expression on Uraraka's face as she started to get sucked into the hole, heightened by her grappling hook malfunction. What scared him, what frightened him so greatly, was that his mind refused to give her up. Every scenario he played over in his head ended the same way: the bus sinking into the water and his body moving to save Uraraka. He felt his eyes burn as they blurred, unable to be disgusted with himself despite what he'd been willing to sacrifice to save her.
"Deku…" He turned to see Koda putting a hand on his shoulder. The large, kind man was staring at him with an understanding look, which made Izuku's heart clench up even more. He felt tears slide down onto the top of his faceplate. Quickly rubbing them away, he started breathing heavier as he thought about the choice he'd just made. He took in a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. So he'd chosen Uraraka over a bus full of people…
He felt a hand gently touch his shoulder, and he looked towards the hand that touched his shoulder before letting out an inward sigh as he saw Nejire staring at him. Out of his peripherals, he saw Uraraka staring at her hands before hugging her shoulders and shaking.
"Hey… Um, I'm gonna talk to that Hero, but before I do… are you okay Midoriya?" Izuku raised an eyebrow at her breaking her own rule she'd just chastised Jirou over. Izuku nodded, staring at the block they'd just walked down, faintly able to hear other Heroes working to save people.
"I'd do the same thing you did if Tamaki or Mirio was about to die. They'd probably be able to save me and everyone else, but I don't think as fast as Mirio does in a crisis, and Tamaki's quirk is just so versatile as long as he has food with him." Izuku turned and looked at her while she smiled at him, her own eyes gazing towards where he'd just been staring. She shrugged and turned around, poking his cheek and smiling brightly at him.
"Besides, it all worked out! So don't beat yourself up over it, Deku. Just take a minute to get your thoughts together and then come join us! I'm gonna go check on Astra really quick too!" She floated away from him, leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts again. He let out a sigh and squeezed his hands into tight fists a few times to make his muscles tense up and relax, hoping they could help his brain do the same.
'Yeah it all worked out this time, but what about next time?' He turned around and started walking back towards the group, noticing Uraraka staring at him for a moment before she too walked over towards the group surrounding the mystery man. His eyes drifted down towards the water rippling as he walked. He wouldn't know the answer to that question until another situation like that one happened again.
"Hey! Your quirk was really useful back there! I'm glad everything worked out, but you're not really dressed like a Hero! You look more like a detective! Which is weird because squad leaders were briefed that most police would be working security at the storm shelter except for emergencies!" Izuku looked at the man staring at her, a small smile on his lips as he took off his fedora and twirled it in his gloved hands.
"Afraid I'm from out of town, I just happened to be passing by and noticed that young Hero there struggling with quite a terrible predicament! I'm just lucky my quirk was the perfect solution for that situation." Izuku kept examining him; a man with a quirk like that just being a police officer seemed like a waste unless there was an extreme drawback to the quirk, but based on how he was acting now, there didn't seem to be one.
"I've been chasing the rumors of a kidnapped girl, which led me here to this city. Apparently, according to my most recent intel, the people who kidnapped her were part of a quirk trafficking group. They were cruising the coastline near this city before the tsunami hit, so…" He held out his hands and made motions gesturing for the group to discern the rest themselves. Izuku nodded; if this man's intel had somehow been able to pinpoint the location of the group while they were out at sea right before a tsunami, then it would only make sense that he could figure out where the most likely location the ship would land if the tsunami caught it.
"I-Is that boy okay?" The man asked, pulling his hat back on. Izuku looked up, shutting his mouth but still running over the information in his head before nodding.
"He's fine! He just mutters to himself when he's thinking about something, or when he's going over details of people's quirks." Izuku looked at Jirou with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged and crossed her arms as the detective let out a cough. Looking back at him, he looked like he was getting impatient, tiny things like clenching and unclenching his fist under his hat based on the movement of his sleeve.
"What district is your station located in, detective… guess I didn't hear your name when you introduced yourself! Super sorry about that, just worried about my juniors after one of them almost fell in that hole you sealed up, thanks for that again, but uh. Well, is there a reason you're telling us all this? Cause it sounds like you've got it handled." Izuku watched his eyes tremble for a moment before he took in a short breath and glanced at the group in front of him. Pulling his fedora back on he shrugged out a wallet and flipped it open to show them his badge and ID.
"From the Vos precinct, I'm detective Kai. I'm here on a request from a family that asked me to find their daughter. I told you all of that because not only is there certainly other people on that QUIRK TRAFFICKING SHIP, but because they might, while they find a new way to transport all that "merchandise", go after the people in danger here under the pretense of being a Hero or police officers. I am asking that you do your duties as Heroes to save the people kidnapped by the quirk trafficking ring while we leave saving people to your peers." Izuku stared at him for a minute while the others muttered to each other and Nejire looked like she was hyper focused on processing the information they just received. This was dangerous no matter how you looked at it, quirk trafficking groups weren't exactly unheard of in the world, but they were usually nearly impossible to catch.
Keeping, as the detective called, their "merchandise" under control generally meant one of two things. Either they had access to government-level quirk suppressing tech or, the much more intimidating option, the people in charge of the quirk trafficking group were so strong that people with powerful quirks couldn't escape. Well, them or their subordinates.
"Okay, we'll help. I'll radio in and our backup should be able to catch up in under an hour. Any other information we should know about?" The man stared at Nejire for a second before shaking his head, running a hand through his hair.
"No. I pride myself on being knowledgeable about most quirk trafficking group routes, even if I can't ever seem to actually catch them. No recorded group passes near this coastline. Even if the tsunami actually caught them very far out to sea, there's no known quirk trafficking group that passes near enough to get caught up in that tsunami." Izuku nodded, that would make sense on why he seemed to be stringent with the details. But he still couldn't get over the fact that someone with a quirk as ridiculously unique as his.
"Hmm, we'll have to wing it then. Okay, listen up squad Shockwave!" Nejire floated up into the air and spun around. Her smile not quite reaching her eyes, she pointed at Detective Kai.
"We're gonna follow this detective and recon this quirk trafficking ship. If it looks like we'll need to, then we'll wait for backup. But we are probably going to start pushing into the ship, leave some markings for our backup to follow, rescue anyone we see, and cordon off any escape routes for the monsters in charge of the ship!" Izuku actually smiled as she told them their new orders. He felt his shoulders tense up as he felt a sense of dread overcome him. Meeting this guy, being here at the right time, and he still hadn't lost that feeling he'd had since they first entered the city. He shook his head and tried to shrug off the feelings he had.
'This is already going to be very dangerous. The people on that boat have been in danger for a long time, and they need help.' He shook off his feeling of dread and followed the others as they walked, half-listening to Nejire call for back up. His eyes slid over to Uraraka, and despite his resolve to ignore his feeling of dread, he couldn't help but remember the bus now. He dropped his head in shame as a beached cruise ship finally came into view.
"That must be the ship. Are you all ready?" Kai turned back to stare at the group. Izuku nodded and once again looked at Uraraka, who was finally looking at him. Her eyes met his for a moment before she averted her gaze and checked her grappling hooks in her gauntlets. He closed his eyes and let out an inward sigh. Great. He wished he had an idea of what was going through her head, because right now he was thinking that he'd messed something up.
He felt a warmth on his wrist and he pulled his sleeve up a bit to see Amelinda glowing a brilliant orange, warming his wrist with a reassuring heat. He let his sleeve drop as the bracelet vibrated reassuringly against his wrist.
'Thanks Amelinda. We'll get through this and then I'll talk to Uraraka about… my decision.'