Third person POV

Izuku sighed and cleaned the cafe before the other customers arrived. Serving the old and the kids always made him happy. Hasegawa-san, a fairly tall old man with the smile of an angel, was his regular customer. He was, supposedly, in his early 80s but appeared to be around late 60s. The old man was an amazing martial artist in his times and possessed a fairly weak yet amazing quirk- sound. Hasegawa-san's quirk allowed him to detect even the smallest sounds, like that of a butterfly's wings flapping or the faint sound of breeze. That, apparently, aided him in his battles, giving him the privilege of fighting even with his eyes closed. Now that he's grown old, his quirk significantly weakened, rendering him normal- quirkless in a sense. The old man always loved and considered him his grandson in all but blood.

The greenette smiled sweetly, passing the cup of hot tea to the elderly man who took a seat beside Izuku, behind the counter. Izuku didn't mind because he loved Hasegawa-san's company.

Izuku: Did you sleep well, Ojiisan?

The old man looked at him with a wrinkled smile :As well as an old man could. What about you, Izu-kun?

Izuku: Ah, I slept well, very well, actually

Hasegawa-san stared at Izuku's face for a few moments : You look a little disturbed. Is everything alright?

Izuku sighed and set the plates down on the counter: I can't really hide things from you now, can I, Ojiisan?

The elder chuckled, causing Izuku to smile at him fondly

Izuku: It's nothing, Ojiisan. I've came across a rather rude customer this morning and it's kinda irritating to start my day off with that

The old man smiled softly and patted Izuku's arm: Happens, Izu-kun. When your work deals with tons of people, you'll come across different personalities and not all of them are pleasant. You'll just have to get over it

Izuku: ('This is a little different, Ojiisan but thank you. You're the best) Izuku thought to himself before giving the old man a gentle hug.

Hasegawa-San: Well, I better get going now. Shiko must be whining

Izuku(giggling): You should bring her over sometime. Although I doubt the cats will be okay with that.

Shiko was Hasegawa-San's dog. She was a lively bundle of golden fur that loved bouncing around and chasing cats. Her first visit to Emerald Cafe was disastrous, which ended in Hasegawa-san dragging her away from the cats which were hissing and whining in anger.

Hasegawa-san's visit instantly brightened Izuku's mood and so the rest of the day passed by quickly, filled with warm smiles and loads of dishes.

The greenette sighed, pulling his suit on and placing his mask. He had dyed his hair black and opted for yellow contacts. As he skipped over the rooftops, he heard a commotion roughly three lanes away and sneaked closer to find a young teen cornered by three men.

Man 1: Give up, kid. You can't escape us.

Man 2: Give us the money, kid.

Kid: B-but I only h-have enough for f-food. Please l-leave me.

Man 3: He isn't gonna budge! I guess we'll have to force him to gi-

But before he could finish, a foot connected with his side, knocking all three men down. Karma stood before the boy and tilted his head.

Karma: Are you okay?

Kid: Y-yeah

Karma: Get out of here.

The kid did not need to be told twice as he sprinted away like Iida. Karma then turned to the goons who were taking steps back from him.

Man 2: H-he's that crazy Vigilante!

Man 3: What should we do?

Man 1: R-run!

Just as they started running, Karma outran them by jumping on the walls, and landed before them.

Karma: Ah ah ah…. Not so soon.

Man 3 whipped out a knife while the other two were supposedly starting their quirks. Luckily, Karma was quick enough to stop Man 1 from growing his nails- which apparently was his quirk- and hit his pressure point, knocking them out. Man 2 shivered in fear and tried to make a run for it as Karma dealt with the knife-equipped goon. His legs froze when he felt a gloved hand on his shoulder and the last thing he saw before blacking out was the sky.

Man 3: You…

He hissed and tried to stab Karma with his knife but the Vigilante easily blocked the attack. The man tried again, aiming for his opponent's leg but the Vigilante jumped, avoiding contact- not that it would matter anyway. Flipping his body in a swift turn, he backhanded the man, knocking him out.

Karma took his phone out after tying up the men and sent the location to the detective who, in the other part of the town, groaned and cursed Karma.

The moon looked pleasant, the soft night breeze caressing his suit due to which he couldn't feel the soft brushing. Karma sighed and crossed his legs, watching the road with attention. A few moments later, he felt soft footsteps on the roof and he didn't need to turn to know who it was.

Izuku's POV

Karma: I see you're up and good, Eraser?

He heard a sigh escaping his lips before he stood beside me.

Eraserhead: Karma

Karma: Did Recovery Girl not let you out of bed yesterday?

I heard him groan, which made me chuckle. He sat down beside me and started watching the streets.

Karma: Aren't you gonna try and arrest me?

Eraserhead (Chuckling): Not today.

I relaxed a little but didn't drop my guard. We both stayed silent for a while before I got up.

Karma: This place seems safe for now. Maybe I'll move two lanes further.

I jumped onto the next roof and judging by the sound behind me, so did Eraserhead. We landed on the nearby roof only for me to stop and duck. Confused, Eraser did the same and thankfully, didn't voice his confusion.

A minute after my fake retreat, a masked man came out of the shadows with a bag in his arms. Drugs. I did not have to see to know Aizawa's eyes widening as he realised my actions. Without warning, I snuck into the back alley and slipped past the poles. It was to my advantage that I was kinda skinny and the gaps were wide enough. I crouched and took out my rope gun- it shoots rope with a clamp or can be used like a lasso I guess- and fired it at the man. The rope twisted around his ankle, bringing him down. I scanned the areas around carefully before approaching the man, with Eraser perched on the nearest roof. I took the bag from him and tossed it to the underground hero before kneeling before the fallen man.

Man: W-who are you?

Karma: Irrelevant. Who are you?

Man: Irrelevant

Karma (smirking): Haughty. I like it. Too bad this ain't an informal conversation. Now, who are you? What's in that bag?

I was glad that Eraser knew better than to open the bag immediately. For all we know, it could be a bomb.

Man: I am not obligated to tell you anything about it. I have sworn to keep it a secret.

Karma: You know, for someone secretive, you sure talk a lot. Anyway, I have other ways to make you spill the beans.

From the quiver in his voice, I could tell that he was nervous- must be a rookie. Like that matters anyway. I took my trusty rope and tied him to the pole. I knew for a fact that Eraser was using his quirk to make sure the man didn't use his on me. God, I respect Aizawa so much. I sighed and texted the details to Tsukauchi and started coughing almost immediately. Damn Tsukauchi must hate me.

Feet dangling from the roof, I sat with Eraserhead, waiting for Tsukauchi to show up.

Eraserhead: So, your quirk is creating barriers?

Even though I was tempted to tell him everything about my mutant quirks, I barely nodded.

Eraserhead (sighing): You never used your quirk in battle or when I was chasing you. A quirkless person stomped over me

I would've been offended if it weren't for the slight chuckle at the end and it wasn't sarcastic. Rather, it had an undertone of pride. I've been meaning to ask this question ever since I met him. Maybe I can…

Karma: Hey, Aizawa, can I ask you something?

I felt him stiffen. I've never used his civilian name unless things were really serious so I could understand his apprehensions.

Eraserhead: What?

Karma: Do you think a quirkless person or a person with a weak quirk can become a hero?

Eraserhead POV:

This person is actually really clever. I'm not sure why but I always feel a hint of pride whenever he succeeds in something. Though I'll admit, I'm not really satisfied with his response to my question about his quirk. It almost seemed like he did not want to admit it. Did he not like his quirk? But as far as I can say, it's actually an amazing ability. I see him freeze ever so slightly when I commented about how I was bested by a quirkless person.

Karma: Hey, Aizawa, can I ask you something?

I felt my heart pick up its pace. Whenever Karma used my civilian name, which was very very rare, it always meant something serious. I'm not sure what trouble he's sensed now but I hope it isn't worrisome. I don't even know why but I didn't want Karma to be hurt in any way. Is it weird that I feel an almost parental instinct towards a possibly adult man? I'm not even a parent!

Karma: Do you think a quirkless person or a person with a weak quirk can become a hero?

Wait…. What? Why would he ask that? I mean, his quirk is by no standards, weak- at least in my opinion. His tone, however, was intriguing. I mean, I know that he's using a voice modulator but it transmits ever intonation clearly and for some reason, he sounded… desperate? I replied almost immediately, the answer straight from my heart.

Aizawa: Yes. Anyone can become a hero. If I'm being honest, quirks are irrelevant. I mean, look at me. My quirk does not work on physical quirk mutations and I basically fight without it. Quirks don't matter if you truly have the will to save someone.

He looked at me and though I couldn't see his face, his body language screamed relaxation. Did I soothe something? He stood up abruptly and turned away, ready to jump. However, before he leaped, he turned his head and said something that I never knew would make me happy.

Karma: That's why you're my idol, Aizawa-san.

I couldn't help but smile as he hopped away from me. I'm his idol? I'll never admit it but I'm so darn proud of myself now. If I was able to inspire someone this good to save people, then maybe I did succeed in my profession.

But the question remains… Why did he ask me that? I know that people with weak quirks are bullied. The quirkless have it worse as is evident from their suicide rates. Maybe he saved someone who tried to… or maybe he failed to… Either way, Karma and I are alike.

I sighed and looked around to spot possible crimes. Fortunately, there weren't many. Tsukauchi arrived moments later to confiscate everything related to the drug dealer. After a few more hours of patrolling, I retired home. All the while, Karma's words never left my mind.

I am well aware of the harsh reality of being quirkless in a world full of quirks. Heck, as a kid, I faced a lot of discrimination for my 'Villainous' quirk. Apparently, people deem flashy quirks to be safe but not mild yet effective ones like mine. I honestly never understood their reason for that. Look at Endeavour, his quirk is flashy and cool to look at but it's really harmful. Yet, people would kill to have Hellfire than have Erasure. The bitter reality always made me chuckle- the human mind is messed up in many ways.

That made me ponder. Though I'll be honest that I don't really know just how much more horrible the quirkless' lives are, I do know their outcome. I've heard about kids offing themselves just to escape the growing torture. I've never encountered them- only the ones with weak quirks who didn't want to be bullied more. Karma's words had me deep in thought. I know I'm right that anyone can be a hero and I'm also aware that it'll be harder for the quirkless to achieve it- but in the end, all it takes is the heart. What's the use of having a powerful quirk when you can't save anyone?

No one cares about the quirkless- it was crystal clear. Somehow, I want to change it. The population may be reducing exponentially with each new generation but there are still some out there. A hero's duty is to save everyone without prejudice and I know one thing for sure, Karma is on it.

But everything just makes Karma all the more intriguing and my instincts to protect him are not helping. I'll have to join forces with Nezu. That's the only way I can get to know who exactly this Vigilante is.

(2265 words)