A/N: Sometimes a prompt gets stuck in your head that you just cannot shift, and you need to write it. The whole 'UA Traitor' mystery is a gold-mine for writers everywhere, but have you ever asked yourself... what if there was a traitor, just not working for the League of Villains?
That's how this happened. Oops. I just had to get this down on paper and see what the interest was.
I hope you enjoy!
(***)
"Welcome... to your Hero Academia!"
The holographic projection from the little gold disc which had been sent through fizzled out, and the dark room was silent once again. The cheerily-waving image of the R-Rated Heroine Midnight had been the sole focus as the disc rested on the desk, and as she gesticulated on the hologram to emphasise the points she was making, the hologram had thrown weird shadows onto the walls of the room, strange patterns dancing in the dusk. It was an unexpected side effect, but not an unwelcome one.
Still, it couldn't distract from what had just been said on the hologram. UA High was prestigious, there was no doubt about it, but even more prestigious were the fabled hero classes of Class A and Class B. Forty students taken a year, more than enough failed or drop-outs along the way, but picked from a pool of nearly thousands every year, all screened through rigorous applications and strenuous physical and mental tests. It was hard enough to even get to the Entrance Exams, let alone into the class of elites, but each year when the new intake of first years was announced, the world's eyes were drawn to them. Following in the footsteps of All Might, Endeavor and so many more... these students were the future of Hero society, in the making.
So when the envelope had arrived, dropping through the letterbox onto the floorboards with a clatter, a sense of trepidation would have been forgiven from anyone. The hologram of a teacher appearing in front of their eyes would have been the focus of anyone's attention span, waiting to hear their results with bated breath, and the grand reveal that she had given? That out of all those applicants, there was a place waiting at UA, not just in the body of General Education but as part of the legendary Hero Course? Nothing in the rest of the room mattered on hearing that news, delivered by a flickering heroine on a desktop and turning the whole world upside down.
They would be pleased. They had wanted someone inside for a long time, but to have them in the Hero Course of all places, front and centre to the action? It was their best case scenario.
The last light on the disk flickered out, like the flame of a candle that had dissolved into wax and was simply counting down the seconds until it completely perished. No doubt the device only contained a small battery to prevent the device triggering itself in future, starting extensive replays at the worst possible time. It was... unnecessarily flashy. UA's Support Course students may have had a hand in its design, but the same exhilaration would have been achieved by a simple letter. That was always the way, though.
That was the issue with the system as it was. UA sat at the pinnacle, housing students with the most incredible powers and minds, and yet time and money and resource was spent on... this trinket. An extensive regime of testing and analysis ended with a battle against impractical giant mecha across five training sites which could have housed hundreds, if not thousands of Japan's homeless. The system's priorities were all wrong. They had been for some time.
UA could have been such a force for good, but as much as it claimed to be, it perpetuated the old ways. Faced with applicants who displayed a desire to do good, but with a power that seemed a little more challenging to manage, UA quietly declined them and cast them out of the process, rather than face the challenge of teaching them to better handle their abilities and gain an asset for society. Host to some of the brightest young engineers and manufacturers in the whole of Asia, it weaponised them, putting their minds to work on stronger explosives and armoured suits rather than anything which might help benefit the wider population. Free reign for the Heroes, and toys to play with, and nothing for the rest.
It needed to change, but... UA was a rock at the core of society, immovable, impenetrable. The only way to change it was with patience. Constant dripping wore away the stone- a war of attrition. And it really was a war.
The silence in the room, so heavy after the joyous voice of the hologram, was pierced by the ringtone of the mobile phone. There were only three items on the desk in front of the applicant: the hologram projector, nesting on top of its envelope, the book, and the phone. It was an older and less chaotic model, purposefully chosen that way; it didn't draw attention, and the applicant had no need for every single mod-con. It was a phone that made calls, and sent messages, and received phone calls with an annoying shrill ringtone that offended the hearing of the applicant; that was all it needed to be.
The applicant picked up the hologram projector, so light to the touch, and ran a finger over it as they picked up the phone and saw her name on the screen. The fact that she seemed to know exactly when they had received their envelope and finished listening to the message from UA didn't faze them one bit; she had enough sources to find that much out. "Hello?"
"Well?" She was trying to hold back, it was obvious. Her voice was usually so chipper, loud, manic; she spoke with such excitement about the most mundane things. Here, it was clear the suspense was killing her. "Did you get your results? How are we looking?"
"Hm." The applicant saw through it. Clearly she knew the results had arrived. She just wanted the scoop. "I made it in."
"YAY!" The speaker squawked as she cheered, and the applicant winced, lifting the phone away from an ear to cope with the feedback. "That's incredible, well done you! I know they've been looking to get someone into UA for ages now, but you're the first to break down that door! I can just see the headlines now-"
"I don't think he'd approve of headlines," the applicant said, the slightest tint of amusement in their voice now. "But thank you."
"I know, I know, I'm just pulling your leg!" You could almost hear the twinkle in her eyes from over the phone. "Still, our very first UA student. You're going to do just great, I'm sure!"
"I hope so."
"Just not too great. We don't want you drawing too much attention to yourself and ruining the surprise, do we?"
Drawing attention to themselves had been something the applicant had gotten used to on a daily basis. It was part of why they joined, after all. "There will be... a certain amount of attention. I cannot avoid it all."
"Huh? What do you..." The applicant didn't have to say anything; she was more than smart enough to figure it out herself. "Wait, SERIOUSLY?! Are you saying what I think you are-"
"I made it into the Hero Course. Class 1A."
"... Oh my god."
They had never heard her so stunned, almost speechless. "Is... there a problem?"
"Problem? Ha! Kid, you've just given the top dog a month of birthdays in one! You're seriously in the Hero Course?"
"That's what Midnight said-"
"Oooh, Midnight! Lucky kid. She's really got it going on for an older lady, don't ya think-"
"That's not appropriate."
"Hey, you're thinking it too. I just had the balls to say it aloud." She was right, but the applicant wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "What a story, though! Just a few months ago you were just another Fukuoka student starting to prove yourself as a foot soldier and now... you're in among the next generation of Heroes! How does it feel?"
"I am... pleased." That much was true. "We can learn more, this way."
"Absolutely we can! All those bright young things who made it through the exam, the future generation- for all we know there may be more recruits in there! More wannabe firestarters who understand the cause! And if they don't..."
"Then we learn enough to adapt for the battles to come." The applicant nodded, reaching over to the book. "We will know their weaknesses. And they won't know about us until too late."
"Keep up that line of thinking, and you'll make a lieutenant in a year at this rate! Hell, he may even promote you before you even start at school when he finds out the news!" She made a little noise, and the applicant knew from experience that she was smirking, that dazzlingly-white smile she made when she had suckered someone into an admission they were trying to avoid, or when a joke she made tipped the balance of getting under someone's skin. "I'm proud, kiddo."
"Thank you." The applicant stroked the spine of the red book, the well-worn cover of one of the most important things they owned, and traced a finger over the kanji for 'War'. "Every day, we learn more to prepare ourselves for the day we emerge, and start the war again."
"Exactly. Hey! You know what? I'm gonna cancel my three-o-clock. This calls for a meet-up!"
"What are you planning-"
"Don't panic, I'm not sorting anything embarrassing to celebrate with ya!" That would be a first; her fanatic ways meant she didn't believe in half measures. "I'll come pick you up in the car, and take you to the big man myself right now! We can all talk together about how to handle the Hero Course, and what to keep an eye out for so that we get the most out of your reporting back. Sound like a plan?"
"... Sure." The applicant slid the holographic projector back into its envelope, and nodded. "I assume you will send me a message when you're outside?"
"Just like I always do." There was a pause, and a noise which sounded like she had made a more genuine smile. "I'm real proud of you, ya know?"
"Thank you. It means a lot... Curious."
The woman laughed out loud, part manic and part chaotic, and entirely on brand. "Geez. What's it going to take to get you to call me Kizuki-senpai one of these days?"
The applicant rolled their eyes at her antics. "In your dreams."
"We'll see! We know I'm your favourite." Curious chuckled to herself on the other end of the phone, a tinkling laugh, and it was clear she was about to end the call. "This is gonna be great. One step closer to Liberation, kid."
"Whatever I can give to the revolution, I will." The applicant lifted another hand to their forehead to make the sign of the 'L', as they had been doing for some considerable time, and they didn't need to be present to know that Curious was doing the same. "I'll see you soon, Curious."
"Ciao, my little cuckoo! See ya in a few minutes!"
The phone line cut off as she hung off, the screen lighting up for just a few seconds, until the applicant locked the device and placed it back on the desk. Curious had been a force of nature from the very first day that they met, but her interest in their abilities had been a driving force behind the decision to try to apply to UA, to get an insider in the campus to feed back to the hierarchy. Some may have said that planting an agent inside a school was unfair, but... this was war.
The Meta Liberation Army needed intelligence, and the applicant would happily provide.
"All for a better world." The applicant reached down to the side of the desk and grabbed the handle of the rucksack, pulling it up onto their lap as they sat down on the chair at the desk. At the same time, another arm reached to pick up the phone and place it into an inside pocket, while another gently folded the envelope around the projector and slid it into the cover of the worn copy of Meta Liberation War. The book was gaining traction again, but it wasn't wise to take it out in public. To fix that the applicant reached with another arm, teeth grabbing the handle of a drawer to open it and allow for the book to be placed inside, before locking the drawer and pocketing the key in their khaki trousers.
Better safe, than sorry.
The applicant rose, making no effort to put on the rucksack once it was zipped up; it wasn't fitted at all for their body, and their arms would never have fitted through the handles. Instead, the handle was clasped in one hand, as another went up to carefully sweep some grey hair out of their face and adjust the mask to ensure they looked presentable. They had a meeting to attend, after all. Nothing but high standards where the Grand Commander was concerned.
Mezo Shoji looked down at the drawer containing his copy of Destro's autobiography, before nodding to himself and turning towards the door. "Class 1A... this will be interesting."
(***)
A/N: Shoji needs more love generally, but... there was potential here with this idea that I couldn't resist. I have a whole explanation planned out for the future of this fic if it goes anywhere for how MLA Shoji came to be, don't worry.
I love the MLA to bits, as anyone reading my main fic Incident Zero can tell you, and I just wish they'd been teased more before season 4. Having brief unknown references in the background would have really cemented them as a brilliant, insidious group in canon. Giving them a UA traitor might just enable that to happen.
If you liked this, please feel free to show it some love. I want to test the waters for interest and see who likes it, and so if you want to throw this a favourite or follow, I'd love that. Likewise, I'd love any reviews- just not flames, please. It's a small ask to be civil and constructive, honestly.
And if you like this and haven't tried my other work, please do consider having a look. My main story Incident Zero has taken off more than I expected, and I love it, but I've got plenty of one-shots too to take your fancy.
Anyway, until next time. Ya boy, out.