Zero - A Vigilante Deku Story

Chapter 2 - An underground hero and a chicken are going to the police ...

POV Aizawa

He walked down the street and took a sip of coffee from the to-go cup which the barista had knowingly prepared for him. The oversized chicken ran after him, clucking.

»Now wait a minute, Eraserhead.«

Aizawa sighed. »Can you please not call me by my hero name when I'm in civilian clothes? Unlike you, I work in the shadows and not everyone needs to know who I am.«

»Crap, sorry, I keep forgetting that underground heroes work differently,« Hawks replied.

»And I still don't understand why I have to deal with you from now on. Why does the Hero Commission suddenly have an interest in Zero?« Aizawa asked.

»Because he's become too well known and they don't know enough about him at the same time,« the number 3 hero replied.

The black-haired man looked skeptically at the man next to him. He knew that behind closed doors and in the guise of national security, some shady things were being done by the Hero Commission. »What's your mission when we catch him?«

Hawks grinned cheerfully, but his eyes flashed menacingly. »There's no fooling you, my dear Aizawa.«

»What is your mission?«

»Recruit or eliminate - depending on the situation and Zero's willingness to cooperate.«

His expression darkened. »Recruit it is, then.«

»Would be my preferred option, too.«

»No, you've got that wrong, Hawks. There are no options here. I won't let you kill Zero.« Aizawa looked at the other hero with quirk activated for clarification.

»Whoa, okay, turn down the confrontation mode. I told you, I'd rather recruit him too. But now I want to know why you're so protective of a vigilante,« Hawks replied.

»Because his only offense is that he doesn't have a license.«

»He's using his quirk while taking the law in his own hands,« Hawks countered.

»In a district which is completely neglected by the commission and the heroes in the spotlight,« Aizawa said.

Hawks grinned mischievously. »Eraser, Eraser ... To hear you talk like that, one would almost think you weren't even trying to catch Zero.«

»He's not committing crimes, he's protecting the innocent. I can think of worse things to do. Besides, underground heroes sometimes work with vigilantes, which I don't expect you to understand.«

»Are you working with Zero?« Hawks asked.

The underground hero looked around. Just one more block and they were at the police station. He would rather talk to his new partner there than on the street. »No, we're not working together. In fact, I haven't even exchanged a word with Zero yet. As soon as he notices me, he takes flight. Thanks to his wings, he quickly manages to leave my field of vision and as soon as he's out of range of my quirk, he disappears as if he'd never been there.«

»Well, it's good you have me for air cover now,« Hawks said.

»Yes, really great. You're soo useful, as you successfully proved last night.«

»Ow, that one was low, Eraser. After all, I only saw him for a few seconds before he turned invisible.«

Aizawa sighed. »Whatever. We're here.«

Hawks looked up the building. »What are we doing here?«

»Briefing you on the case, as I was instructed,« the sleepless hero replied.