As he watches Izuku scramble about their opponent, Aizawa can see flashes of the incident at USJ, his expression souring as he remembers. He could have done better back then, and really, he could probably do better here, too. Once again, others have to come to his rescue. The fact that All Might himself had to come and save him had left a bitter taste in his mouth for a long while afterwards. He was a hero, dammit--and even if he wasn't now, he could still defend himself...and Izuku. If he had to.

He looks down at the maine coon as he comes to a stop at his side. It would probably be best if he let him handle it, since he was big enough to take this leopard on. Hell, he was slightly bigger, so it shouldn't have been much of a problem. Except he didn't know how to fight as a lion. He had battle knowledge, too--even more than Izuku did, he'd wager--but he just wasn't sure how to use it now. It was better than starting all over, at least.

When he turns back to face them, the leopard is already rushing towards him, shoving into him and pushing him back. He feels the air leave his lungs, claws digging into the soft skin of his belly. He manages to catch his footing though, stumbling back and nearly falling onto his behind, struggling to catch his breath before they come at him again. Claws rake across his nose, blood trickling down over his lips. The metallic taste and smell makes his head spin.

He doesn't give them the chance to lash out again, thinking up his next move carefully. He needed to get some distance between them. Moving forward, he slapped them across the cheek, leaving bright red claw-marks. He took advantage of them regaining their bearings and grabbed them by the back of the neck, mustering up his strength and flinging them across the field, watching them land a few feet away.

"SPEECH"