It had been a busy patrol day. A villain had somehow managed to break past the police and some lower-ranking heroes, which was surprising in itself. Nowadays, it was rare for him to come face to face with a real villain; most of the time, he encountered hopeless thugs trying to rob convenience stores or jewelers.

Izuku walked along a quiet street, avoiding the hustle and bustle of regular city roads. There was no doubt he would be overwhelmed with fans if he ventured there, especially considering his recent return to the hero scene. As he strolled, the sound of muffled yelling caught his attention. He perked up and immediately went to investigate.

The sounds were coming from under a bridge. As he got closer, he faintly made out the shape of someone with a mutant quirk, holding a child hostage.

“Stop right there!”

He delivered a powerful punch to the villain's cheek, sending him flying off the kid. Izuku quickly outstretched his arms to catch the preteen and laid them on the ground for the time being in order to apprehend the fiend. Izuku managed to stuff the villain’s watery slush body into a milk carton nearby, but when he went to check on the child, they were passed out.

“Oh geez... come on, kid...”

He knelt down, gently patting their cheek in an attempt to rouse them.

“Hey... hey?”