In the end, Mezo had actually been able to get away with it without repercussion through pure luck. The first police officer he had run into was none other than Sansa, and the feline had agreed that he would keep Shoji's involvement a secret, out of respect for the kid's work in helping the investigation. And so, he had gone to hand it off to his superiors under the story that he had discovered it himself while out on patrol. However, just because Shoji and Midoriya were off the hook, it did not mean that all was peaceful. Indeed, there was now a new threat that hung over them. The gun had been found near the dorms, under a balcony belonging to one of them. It was only a matter of time before the investigation proceeded, surely, and they would find themselves under further scrutiny. And, as for Izuku…

"It can't be him..." He mumbled to himself as he lay in bed, staring up to the ceiling. "It just can't be..." It made no sense. Someone like Kaminari? The bubbly, electric life of the party? It was inconceivable to think of him as a cold-blooded killer, as a servant of All for One. It was all completely ridiculous. And yet…

The book…

The gun…

How much more benefit of the doubt was he willing to provide his yellow-haired peer? There had to be a limit eventually. A point where excuses could no longer be made. It was then that he made his mind up.

Getting out of bed and pulling his dressing gown on once again, Izuku left his room and went down the hall. Finally, he reached his destination: Hanta Sero's room. Waiting outside in the corridor, he knocked on the door twice, trying to keep his raps as quiet as possible. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, some whispering could be heard. And eventually, the door popped open, just a crack.

"Oh, it's Midoriya." Sero's voice stated with relief and the door opened further. Looking in, Izuku saw a small gathering in the room. Sero, obviously, Jiro, Ashido, Koda, Shoji and Asui. They were all smiles as they looked at him.

"Hey dude." Hanta commented with a sly grin as he stood leaning against the wall behind the door. "Lemme guess, you're interested?"

"Well… Yeah… Maybe..." Izuku confessed as he hung his head slightly. "Is that okay?"

"Totally." Mina beamed from inside. "The more, the merrier, right?"

"I see no - ribbit - reason why not."

"Indeed." Mezo nodded, giving a small wink. "I think Midoriya could be a valuable addition."

"Well, come right in, then." As Midoriya entered, Sero closed the door behind him. "Sorry 'bout the mess. Just take a seat on the floor with the rest of us." Izuku obliged.

Moving to the centre of the room, Hanta clasped his hands together. "Right-o. So, I guess we've got a new member of our group, then. Midoriya-kun, welcome to the-"

"- Mystery Incorporated!" Ashido yelled with a slight giggle. "That's our name."

Jiro raised one of her eyebrows. "I thought we were the Investigation Squad."

"Was it not Investigation Team?" Koda pondered quietly.

"Team, Squad. Same thing."

"Actually..." Sero cut in with a sigh. "We haven't got a team name. Because we're tryna take this seriously, remember?" He then returned his attention to Izuku. "Anyway, for the last while, we've been working on trying to gather some evidence. Luckily, you and Shoji here finding that gun was a huge boost to our investigation. You said the weapon was a collapsible SIG type, with traces of blood?"

Izuku nodded weakly, not particularly eager to relive the event.

"Cool. And you say you found it just outside the kitchen?"

"Yeah. I did." Quickly, Midoriya saw his chance to add what he wanted to add. "Look, I've been thinking, and there's one more thing to bring to your attention. It's Kaminari-kun." He sighed sadly. This really hurt him to have to do, it felt like he was stabbing his friend in the back. "I found a copy of Destro's book in his room."

All at once, the atmosphere changed. Suddenly, things were no longer so light-hearted and playful. An icy silence that screamed volumes took over the scene. Looks were exchanged, looks of uncertainty and fear.

Finally, Jiro spoke. "Well, that's not necessarily a worry, is it? I know it's illegal, but it isn't unlike him to do something stupid like buying the book when it was okay to do so and forgetting to toss it afterwards. Idiotic, but I can't see any kind of malice in that." Mina nodded along with this.

"Maybe so..." Shoji muttered. "But when you take into account the fact that the gun was found below his window… and the odd behaviour he has been exhibiting recently. Surely you've noticed that."

Kyoka reluctantly nodded. "I won't say I haven't. It's weird to see him so dour. I thought that the stress was all just getting to him."

"Maybe it is." Koda mumbled. "If he is the killer-"

"Hey!" Ashido shouted as she shot up to her feet. Everybody else froze. "Shut up, okay? I'm not gonna sit here and hear you talking about him like that! Even you, Jiro? No way can it be him! That's totally ridiculous! You've gotta be joking! To even joke about that kinda stuff… No! He's not a traitor!"

"How can you - ribbit - be so sure about that?" Tsuyu muttered darkly. "We have no way of knowing..."

"Maybe we could go and see him right now?" Hanta suggested. Clearly, he was trying to be the one to keep a level head, alongside Shoji. "He probably won't be asleep yet at this time. If we went to go talk to him, maybe we could get this cleared up." He looked around at the others. "At least, I'm going. I won't force any of you to come."

Mezo stood up. "I'll come too. Truth be told, I'm a little put off that it's taking the police so long to properly investigate this. You'd think they would have pounced upon the dorms the second they got the weapon, but I have not seen as much as a bit of police tape around the bush. When I handed that gun in, I wanted it to be for something. If needs be, I'll seek more of the truth myself."

"Same here." Kyoka stood. So did Koda, and Midoriya. But Asui and Ashido were not as eager.

"I'm - ribbit - sorry." The amphibious girl expressed. "I just can't handle this tonight. I need some rest."

"Same here." Mina agreed. "You guys go on ahead. I'll just go back to my own room."

"Are you entirely sure?" Sero asked; He was greeted with two confident nods. "Alright then. As I said, I'm not about to pressure you. Take care."

"You too..." Mina replied softly as the group filed out of the room, into the corridor and from there, their paths split; Ashido and Asui went down to the right, approaching the nearest staircase to get back to their own places, while Sero, Midoriya, Koda, Jiro and Shoji took a left, towards Kaminari's residence. As he walked, Izuku couldn't help but lament on everything. He felt deep down that they simply had to talk to Denki. And, if he really was who he seemed to be and he knew that the gun had been found like everybody else did, then it was likely a ticking clock until he tried to do something drastic. And that was not something that any of them wanted to see, whatever it may be.

"I don't think he's capable of this..." Koda mumbled softly, most of the words inaudible, as they drew nearer. "There must be some sort of proper explanation. The gun could have been placed, the book could be a coincidence..."

Sero retained a grim tone. "Even still, we can't ignore it. We need to at least look into this." And those were to be the final words spoken before they reached Denki's room. For a moment, the small group crowded around just staring at it, the magnificent wood finish with the placard displaying the occupant's name. Sero's hand fell still for just a moment, but then he reached out, turned the knob. With a barely audible click, entry was granted; The door wasn't even locked.

Stepping inside, the first sight Midoriya was given was the visage of Kaminari standing, looking over the railing of his balcony, back to the rest of them. At first, he showed no sign of awareness over their entrance, as the cold breeze rushed in from the outside, prompting the newcomers, most of them in their pyjamas, to shiver a little.

"Hey, Kaminari?" Kyoka asked, as she took the initiative and stepped forwards. "You doing okay?"

"Huh?" That seemed to startle the young man to life as he flipped around to see them. His face was gaunt. To put it lightly, he looked sick, that same ill look he had held ever since that night with the book. He seemed to relax just a bit as he saw that they were his friends, one hand resting on the railings. "Oh, it's you guys. Sorry, how'd you get in? I swear I locked that door..." He smiled as he glanced around at them. "What's with the faces? You guys can't sleep either?" He took the chance to step back into the main room, shutting the balcony doors behind him. "Can't say I blame you. Things are real stressful here."

"Kaminari." Jiro made sure her voice was as firm as possible. "What do you know about that gun Shoji found?"

"What, that?" Suddenly, a realisation settled in Denki. "Ohhh. Right. You guys are all into this investigation, huh? Just like Mineta said. Well, I mean, what can I say? You found it, handed it over to the cat, not much more to it, is there?"

"There's one more thing." Mezo spoke up, folding all of his webbed arms across his chest. "I didn't tell anyone else outside of this room about where it was. When Midoriya and I located the firearm, it was in a bush, just next to the kitchen. And directly below a room."

It was hard to tell in the darkness of the room, but Izuku could swear he saw a faint bead of sweat develop on Kaminari's forehead, glistening in the blackness. "Really? Right, whose room was it?"

Sero leaned back against the door. "We all know full well what room is above the kitchen. And let me tell you, it's the one we're all in right now."

For a moment, there was silence as the enormity of the accusation appeared to be sinking in to all of them; It certainly was to Midoriya. "Kaminari-kun..." He stated softly. "When I found that book, you promised me it was a gift, or that you'd bought it yourself, or whatever it was, you weren't in league with the Liberation Front. Please tell me you're telling the truth."

"What?!" Denki's voice was one of shock and horror. "You insane?! Of course I told you the truth! I have nothing to do with those guys, I definitely don't agree with them!" Pleadingly, he looked over to Mezo. "Shoji, Jiro, you guys can back me up here. Sero?" It was clear that he was getting jumpy, nervous. "This is bonkers. I've never held a gun in my life."

"That may be true..." Mezo nodded. "But when the police get back with the DNA results, and that will happen sooner or later, then we'll have a definitive answer. Until then..."

"... Could you please just go and see the cops?" Kyoka begged. She sounded for all the world like she hated the words coming from her mouth. "It'll make things way easier, and if you're innocent, it'll clear you of suspicion-"

"IIf?!/i" Kaminari yelled with a sudden ferocity. "If I'm innocent?! After everything I did, at the villa! I risked my life on the front lines against those Liberation creeps!"

"I know, I know..." Jiro mumbled. "But just look at the evidence-"

Denki's gaze then harshly switched to Midoriya, his eyes unreadable in the shadow, but the betrayal and pain was clear to hear in his voice. "You told them about it, Midoriya-kun." Faint yellow sparks started to fly from his hands.

Izuku felt his heart shatter at the words. "Kaminari, I said that I wouldn't tell anyone unless it started to-"

"So, because of where you found the gun, you're gonna jump it?!"

"Not just the gun, dude." Hanta pointed out, trying his best to remain calm. "At that interview test thing. I saw that gesture you made. 'Course, back then, I didn't know what it meant..."

"The salute of the Paranormal Liberation Front..." Izuku mumbled. "Why?!"

Mezo pressed on. "Furthermore, at the USJ, when the communications went down… Who could've caused that? And again, at the Training Camp. Who just so happened to be out of the way of the action? Who tried to talk Kirishima down from going to rescue Bakugo more than anyone else? For every explanation you can come up with, there's more evidence that stacks against you."

"Dammit!" From the sound of his tone, it was made clear in an instant that Kaminari had lost all sense of control. He arched himself back as he brought his hands up, with sparks flying freely. He didn't get far however, as Jiro shot one of her earbuds towards him. It zipped with alarming speed and jabbed him in the underside of his chin, snapping his head backwards as his eyes glossed over. Seeing the opportunity, Srro burst forward and unleashed a volley of tape from his elbows, pinning Denki's arms to his side and restricting his movement. Dazed and hurt, the electricity died down and Kaminari sank to his knees. The only sound to come from his mouth was a dull groan and then, he slumped over.

"Jesus, man." Shaking his head, Hanta cut the tape from his elbow, ensuring Kaminari was fully ensnared. "I really hope we're doing the right thing here..."

"We don't have much of a choice." Shoji nodded as he put a hand on Kyoka's shoulder. "The best we can do is turn him over to the police. With a bit of luck, we're wrong in our assumptions here."

{--}

Two Months Prior, The Former Creature Rejection Clan Mansion

As they stepped through the front door of the decrepit old manor house, the first thing to greet them was the stench of rot and decay. Judging from its appearance, this had once been quite a grand place. But soon, it had fallen to disrepair and to the scum who had inhabited it. In any other situation, they would not have wanted to have ever entered such a place. But the need for it had called.

"Well then..." As they stepped into the lobby's main floor, they became aware of a voice from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. A powerful, dominant voice. The voice of the angel of death. "... It's good to meet you." A chuckle followed this, as they instinctively looked around. "Now, now, my little betrayer, unfortunately, I cannot make my physical presence known at the time. Only one room in the house contains the… necessities for my survival."

Unimpressed, the traitor placed their hands in their pockets. "I can do without the condescending attitude."

This was something that All for One seemed to take great delight in. "Oh, of course. My apologies. No, you aren't Aoyama. Limited as my vision is, I can tell that much. You are the true centrepiece of my strike on UA."

"I wouldn't get too enthusiastic." Was their response. "My allegiance is to the Metahuman Liberation Army. Not the League of Villains and not you. It's simply a happy coincidence that Skeptic is currently acting under you, so I too shall follow."

"Wonderful. I can appreciate somebody who is willing to be honest, while still making clear their intent to support me." A brief cough could be heard, echoing around the dying mansion. "This house once belonged to quite the unruly lot. Even by my standards, the men living here were not exactly upstanding citizens. I'm sure you, with your genetic abnormalities, feel that even stronger than I do. All Quirks are meaningful, all can be put to good use in the right hands. What is it with all this judgement and bias nowadays? And the government calls me evil..."

"I'm sure your thoughts on Mutant rights is fascinating." The traitor answered. "But I'm not here for that right now."

"Of course, of course. Your mission. Yuga Aoyama is a useful pet, no doubt about it. But I look forward to exercising the full potential of a far more willing friend. I hear that oh so irritating rat of a principal has been hard at work with his new security measures. You will carve your way for your friends in the Front to make a mockery of this security. Learn its inner workings, its strengths, locate its weaknesses and widen the holes. You have hundreds of soldiers across the country, plus those friends I have introduced to you. The gunslinger and the cannibal in particular. You'll let them all come flooding in sooner or later."

"I see." It was about what they had expected. A question in their mind was just what All for One hoped to gain from this, since it would be an attack largely carried out by and credited to the PLF. The emperor of evil was one to bask in the glory of his plans. But he refrained from asking.

"Mhm. And if the time comes, I'm sure you will stop at nothing to keep your identity under wraps."

"I would do anything on this planet to ensure I am not exposed, I promise you that."

"Good little soldier. Very good."

{--}

Present Day, Height's Alliance Dormitories

In the end, what more could they do? What more could Midoriya do? In the minds of all, the second Denki had tried to fight back was the second he had cemented his guilt. It had reached a point where tying him up had originated as a method of self-defense, as the young man had clearly been at the end of his tether. But not that it was all gone in a flash, Izuku could not help but feel a heart full of uncertainty as he looked out over his own balcony two mornings later. Something about it all was deeply unsettling. He had not mentioned, nor even thought of this, at the time, but the more he pondered, the more he began to feel as if the explanations had been all too flimsy. Almost every accusation levelled at Kaminari had some sort of potential alternate explanation that was more than reasonable. At the USJ, any of the villains who had arrived could have blocked communications, even Aoyama himself could have been responsible for all they knew. At the camp, he had been safely out of the way, but it was not as if he were the only one to do so, and Sero and Ashido, both of whom had been with Denki for the duration of the attack, had seen nothing that appeared suspicious. All of it just seemed like it was based on the group wanting to point fingers. They were all tired, they were all hurt and they were all scared. Maybe they just wanted any excuse to at least feel like they knew the identity of their second traitor.

Mayne Midoriya felt the same way.

But it was not as if it mattered at all anymore. Word had spread. Kaminari had been kept locked in his room, under a sort of civilian's arrest, so to speak. As far as most people were concerned, he was the traitor and that was the end of it. The police had already been notified after a day of deliberation and it was just a matter of waiting until they arrived for questioning. But it didn't feel like it was over. It just felt hollow.

Leaving the balcony and indeed his room, Izuku went out into the hallway and started to head down to the common room. As he did, he came into the path of Kirishima, who was heading in the opposite direction. The two exchanged glances.

"Hey." The redhead finally said, his voice sullen and dull. Not that Midoriya could judge, for his own returned greeting was equally so. "Mhm. You doing okay?"

"I guess." It was a lie and both of them knew it, but Izuku was not exactly sure what else he could say given the situation. For a moment, they just stared at one another.

"Do you really think it's him?" Kirishima finally asked, a hint of venom on the tip of his tongue. "He's the one behind all this?"

There was no answer in the world that he could possibly give to this. He simply remained silent.

The other student nodded. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. Cops are here now. Not much else that can be done about it."

That was a surprise to hear and as he registered it, Midoriya was overtaken by the compulsion to head downstairs and see for himself. And so, that he did, wondering why he hadn't been told until now. Sure enough, in the common room, the vast majority of the students were already gathered. This included Denki, the tape replaced with more professional restraints as he stood alongside Tsukauchi with his head held low. Aizawa, Yagi and Nedzu stood by, watching. Silently entering the room, Midoriya moved to take a seat. The downbeat atmosphere was thoroughly suffocating.

Naomasa nodded in acknowledgement of the new arrival. "So, you kids were able to figure it out, then? Or at least come close." When he was replied to with nothing but dire silence, he again nodded. "I understand. You've done the right thing. If you even slightly suspect that someone is acting in bad faith, you should at least notify us, as you did here."

Asui kept her forlorn expression, which was odd to see on her typically placid face. "This is just how it - iribbit/i - is. I don't want to believe Kaminari-kun's a bad guy, but..."

"... But the evidence adds up." Sero continued. "The circumstantial stuff, the gun-"

But he was to be interrupted by a perplexed Inspector Tsukauchi. "Wait a minute." He asked politely as he exchanged a confused look with the teaching staff behind him. "What gun?"

Those words. Those two words. Izuki felt as if a sudden weight had been forced upon his shoulders. His entire body froze up. What had Naomasa just said? Surely not…

"W-what gun?" Ochaco responded, taking some of the initiative. "The one that Sansa-san found outside Kaminari's window..."

Once again, the officer looked at the teachers. All they could do was shrug ineffectually. And then, with something resembling fear on his face, he turned back to the kids. "I never received any kind of evidence from Officer Sansa. In fact, none of us have been able to find anything at all."

"What?!" Shoji's eyebrows shot up as he leaned forward in the couch. "You cannot be serious, Inspector. I-" He cast his gaze down with a pained look in his eyes. "I handed that gun to him personally. He said he would give it to his superiors."

Aizawa-sensei's eyes narrowed. "You found this weapon? In that case, did you leave the building to retrieve it?"

"I-" Staring down the brunt of Shota's anger, Mezo was left with little else to do. And that was when Izuku stepped in.

"I'm the one who found it, sir." He confessed, feeling in that moment like this was the best thing he could do. Better than watching Shoji suffer for his kind actions. "It caught my eye, I went to go and collect it. Shoji then offered to give it to the police for me."

Uraraka nodded along. "It's true." She insisted. "I was there. I saw it all."

Class A's teacher was clearly not left impressed at all. "We had these rules in place for a reason..."

"But for the time being..." The principal spoke up as he walked through Aizawa's legs, hands behind his back. "... We can have more pressing matters at hand. Shoji, did you say it was Officer Sansa you handed the firearm to."

"Yes." Mezo agreed. "One hundred percent. He's quite a recognisable figure."

"I see." In a sudden twist of personality for the typically level-headed detective, he snarled. "Shit. That son of a bitch… Look, I need to go see him about this, right now." He snapped his head to one of his colleagues. "Kawajiri, where's he stationed right now?"

"Sansa-senpai?" The cop asked, keeping an eye on the defeated Kaminari, who had not seemed to be paying any attention at all to the world around him. "He's over in the main hall, taking care of the civilians."

"Goddammit. I'm going to have to speak to him about this." Then, Tsukauchi's eyes fell on Denki. "Look, kid, you aren't out of the woods yet here, but if this is true, then..."

"Someone was framing Kaminari?" Mina inquired, subconsciously chewing on one of her fingernails. "Is that even likely?"

Midoriya took a moment to stroke his chin. "If they already knew Aoyama was compromised so easily and that everybody was on the lookout for a second traitor, it would make sense that they would start to find someone to put the blame onto, so that things could settle back down again. Maybe that was why they killed him in the first place. To stop their identity from getting out."

"But if that's true..." Mezo wondered aloud. "... Then doesn't all evidence point to Sansa-san being the traitor..." He looked over to Tsukauchi, who had gone very, very pale.

"In the wake of the attack on the USJ, some of us in the police were given access to the files on the inner workings of UA, to help decipher how the villains could have struck so swiftly. Not many. Just myself and a few senior colleagues, and Sansa..." He noticeably clenched his fists. "He's going to have to pay for this…"

It was at that point that Nedzu came up and tugged on Naomasa's trouser leg. "Can we be so bold to assume that your officer is the one? If they were willing to frame Kaminari, then who is to say they would not try the same again? It is clear that we are dealing with somebody who is an expert in manipulation. We just need to be very careful with how we tread here..." Shaking his head, the rat-bear-canine hybrid turned to address the students. "I thank you all very much for how far you have all come. You've proven yourselves remarkably resilient. Now, would you like me to come with you to talk to Officer Sansa, Inspector?"

"Yeah, it would be appreciated." Tsukauchi agreed. "If this is him, I'm going to wrap that stupid bell around his throat until he chokes out…" And with that, they left the common room, leaving the teachers, a completely despondent Kaminari and the rest of the students. They all shared expressions of anxiety and terror with one another.

If it wasn't Sansa… If he were to be innocent as well… Then who?

And it was at that point, as the students of Class A discussed the coming repercussions amongst themselves, that Mezo Shoji stood up from the couch. And as he did so, he chuckled, a low, raspy and utterly, entrancingly sinister noise that drew all the attention his way.

"Are you… You alright?" Hanta asked, concern in both his voice and features. "You're acting kinda weird, here."

"Right, right… Maybe I am..." As he spoke, the heteromorphic student pulled down his scarf for the first time anyone in the school had seen, revealing a lower face that could only be described as horrifically scarred, twisted and contorted beyond belief. And his small, thin mouth, malformed by the state of the surrounding skin, was showing a sadistic little grin. "It's twelve o'clock, my friends. High noon."

And that was when, out of nowhere, the door to the common room was kicked right down. Aizawa, Yagi and Kawajiri spun to face the disturbance, but were greeted with a bullet each, sending them to the ground. Nothing vital appeared to have been hit, but they were both wounded. And, from the doorway, a figure stepped into view. A figure of short stature, wearing an old battered duster coat and a wide-brimmed hat of similar colour. He held a revolver in each hand and as he tilted his head, the students were given the sight of a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Good… Bad..." The newcomer muttered in a distressingly disturbed and low tone as another fellow stepped in, a heinous, malnourished beast of a man, bound by a straightjacket and propped up by his own extended teeth that resembled blades more than anything else. "... I'm the guy with the gun."

Shoji smirked. "Mustard. Moonfish. I presume we can say the fun and games have begun."

In all of this confusion, Izuku could not hold himself back any longer, letting out a vicious shout. "Shoji-kun! What the hell are you doing?"

And with that sickening grin, Mezo looked over his shoulder. "You've found your traitor, Midoriya. Unfortunately, it's too late now. Too late for you to do anything."

{--}

Two Weeks Prior, An Unspecified Dive Bar In Musutafu

As Mezo Shoji took a seat at the booth, he couldn't help but glance around at the room with a sense of barely disguised disgust. Some people would be inclined to refer to the bar as rustic. The heteromorph could think of a few extra words that were far, far less polite. The place smelled to high heaven of dank mildew, even he with his utterly disfigured nose, could tell that much. The seats were damp and uncomfortable, the floors appeared to be partially rotted and the only other occupant was a one-eyed old man muttering away to himself in the corner. The music that drifted through the air came from a barely-functional Ipod sitting on the main bar and was tinny and generally unpleasant. He wasn't in the best of moods to start with anyway, and almost all of that was owed to the people sitting just in front of him.

"So, did you have no trouble finding us, then?" The former Vanguard Action Squad henchman turned freelance bounty hunter and PLF contract boy Mustard asked as he twirled his revolver around his finger. Ever since he had been sprung from the juvenile corrections facility a few months prior, he had abandoned the military aesthetic and gone with one more reminiscent of an an old Wild West gunslinger, complete with a duster coat and, inexplicably, a noose around his neck that served as a makeshift tie of sorts. It was an absurd look, not helped by the fact that he clearly thought it was extremely cool. "This place isn't exactly simple to locate."

"No, I had no issues." Mezo answered with a glare of steel. To this, Mustard chuckled and stroked the head of his partner. Moonfish was an animal, a true lunatic with no sense of purpose other than consuming whatever fell in his path. Currently, he sat just next to Mustard with his head flat on the table, chomping on a live hare that must have been poached from somewhere. "At least, not in deducing the location of this place."

"Good, good." The teenaged villain let out a dull sigh. "Look, I'm sorry we aren't exactly the contacts you would've wanted to see right now. I understand you would have preferred to meet with some guys from the actual Heteromorphic Liberation Division, but according to All for One, they're totally booked up right now. So, you're stuck with us."

"I see." Shoji knew the best thing he could do was act civilised, even if these two would not. "Either which way, that does not matter to me. What matters is if you can do this properly."

Mustard finally put his gun away. "My guy, the big lug here and I were in the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains. We know how to handle these things."

"If I recall, you were both taken out of the equation without chance for escape, though."

For just a second, the young villain's cocky smirk fell into an annoyed, petulant scowl. "Back then, we were different. Well, I was, I'm not sure if this luantic has grown much. The game has changed. We went in solo and, with the exception of those documents your buddy provided us with, we weren't sure who we would encounter. We hadn't banked on UA letting their students use their Quirks. At the USJ, they'd been instructed to stay out of it… This time, we won't make those same mistakes."

"You would be incorrect in assuming Yuga Aoyama is any friend of mine." Was the first answer for Mezo to give. "It would not even be accurate to refer to us as mere coworkers. I had no involvement with your League before the Liberation Front was formed."

"Right, right, gotcha." The pint-sized gunslinger cast a side glance to Moonfish, who had finished off the hare and was now eying up Shoji, the saliva-coated bones of the formerly fluffy animal lying on the table in front of him. "Don't get any ideas in your head, Blade-Tooth. Anyway, I've gotcha. You wanna get down to business, then?"

"Yes, let's." Shoji wanted nothing more than to do just that and get out of the place as fast as possible. Reaching down and clicking open his bag, he produced a series of hefty files. "This is everything I've been gathering over the last few months." He commented as he slapped the files down on the table, kicking up dust. "Intelligence on Nedzu's various security systems, the number of police officers and heroes posted around the place. Most everything that you could possibly need."

Curious, Mustard leaned over and picked up one of the folders, beginning to sift through it. As he did so, he occasionally peeked his eyes up over the top of the pages, staring into Mezo. "Hmm… Good stuff, good stuff… What was the date that All for One wanted us to do this again? The Twentieth?"

"I believe that sounds correct to me."

"Well, then, in that case, I guess we best get cracking soon enough." Surprisingly, the villain was shaping up to be quite a diligent reader, it was obvious that he was actually paying attention to what he read and not just skimming the text. "Hmm… The Eastern Wall. At exactly five to twelve, there's a moment where no patrol paths cross this area. The wall is electrified..." He looked at Moonfish. "You reckon you could lift us right over the wall, buddy?"

"Anything… Must serve the job… Must have the flesh..."

"I'll take that as a yes." Then, Mustard's focus returned to Mezo. "And you're certain about all of this? I don't want to go back to prison ever again." A curt nod was the reply he received. "Right. And all the extra security measures only kick in if the attack is obvious? In other words, sneaking in is our best bet."

"That makes sense to me."

"Alright then. How 'bout this?" Setting down the files, the pseudo-outlaw went back to spinning his gun. "You try to keep yourself and that Aoyama kid on the down low. On the Twentieth, at exactly twelve PM, we'll get into those dormitories, we'll clear the place out. These kids are the biggest trouble. Once they're all pacified, we can get on with the next stages." Smiling, he steepled his fingers on the table. "If you ask me, things are about to get pretty interesting."

{--}

Present Day, Height's Alliance Dormitories

"I don't- I don't understand…" Midoriya muttered even as the truth was sinking in, tearing into him like a hail of gunfire. "Shoji, what are you saying here?"

The one known as Mustard let out a chuckle that was muffled by the gas mask he wore. "Heh. What does it look like, dumbass? Use your brain every now and again, lord knows your parents pay enough for this education you receive."

"No, no, let's not be so rash to blame them." Mezo noted, as he grinned like a madman. "It took them more than a year to figure out that Aoyama was selling them out."

"So, it really was you." Jiro notably clenched her fists, although she remained seated. "You provided information to All for One. You killed Aoyama. You attempted to frame first Kaminari-kun and then Sansa-san for your crimes. And all for what?" Her voice was dangerously low, the rage she must have been feeling made perfectly evident. But Shoji gave her no more than a brief glance and a sigh.

"To tell you the truth..." He admitted, raising one hand up. "I don't work for All for One. Not for the longest time, at least. My alliance and my loyalties lie not with a God of unspeakable destruction, but with the freedom for us all. For the whole of Japan and the whole of the world."

It was at that moment that Katsuki Bakugo lunged forward. "Like hell we need to hear your damn life story!" He yelled, aiming one of his arms to land what would hopefully be a direct blow on the secondary traitor. But Mezo simply stared down the attack with a glare of steel.

"You always lead with your right." He noted as he stepped to the left, avoiding the blow and reaching out, grasping Bakugo's fist. For just a second, the top-ranked student was left in total awe, before Shoji forced his arm down onto his own knee, snapping it all the way back, even as he used another hand to grab him by the neck, and hurl him in the direction of Mustard. "Because you see, I have been observing all of you from the very start."

"This is my boomstick!" The demented gunslinger announced as he sank four rounds into Bakugo's shoulders, left knee and chest, bringing him down to the ground. Cordite's sickly smell travelled through the air. "And if any of the rest of you are interested, I've got a real hungry pal here to introduce you to."

"Flesh..." The villain known as Moonfish mumbled, his gaze focused on the downed student. "This one… Made the job harder..."

And all the others could do was watch on. Shoji had made his move. There were still so many questions left to be answered, however. "Shoji..." Izuku muttered, his head low, making no sudden moves. "You wanted to be a hero. You wanted to help others. Was that all a lie? Did none of it mean anything?"

Silence. And then:

"What a narrow-minded viewpoint, Izuku Midoriya." Shoji replied, sounding almost astounded. "I- Why don't you try and get off your high horse for a second? Just for a bit." Bitterness on his tongue, he spread out all his arms. "You speak as if my goal is not to help people. Do you know where I came from? Do you know what I've gone through?" He gestured to his mouth. "Do you truly believe that this is natural? That I was born with the face of a freak? No. I wish to help. I want a world where no heteromorph goes through the kind of thing that I went through. But it's just not going to happen, is it?!" His pupils distilled as he pressed on. "The world is filled to the brim with rot and decay! Everywhere you look, the heroes of this society have their images plastered everywhere, they have their multimillion sponsors and brand deals. They live up in the sky, in their ivory manors, and do they give a damn about those who cannot help fulfill their goals?"

"Heroism has become a commodity." Mustard noted with a low tone as he polished the end of one of his revolvers. "A trend, a craze. And like with any craze, you get a bunch of aimless children imitating. True heroism is dead..."

Shoji appeared to agree. "And while these heroes make their millions and have their photoshoots, the despondent are left in the sewers. Heteromorphs, those without Meta Abilities, people who are just plain weird by the world's standards. But no, I suppose that doesn't matter. As long as kids like us get to live our fantasies, who cares about the truly downtrodden?"

It was at this point that Kirishima spoke up. "That's a whole buncha bull!" He shouted, getting to his feet. Mustard fired off a shot, but it bounced right off his hardened skin, as he approached Mezo. "Actin' like we don't care about the despondent. You know that ain't true. We're working to help people!"

"Oh." Shoji remained fully calm as the hero-in-training marched towards him. "Well, if that's the case, what about Jin Bubaigawara? What about Toya Todoroki? Himiko Toga, perhaps? Are they not the exact kind of people you want to help?" he paused to think. "No, I suppose they're just too creepy to be worth protecting. Who cares if some hero stabs them right in the back, on a very much literal level? They deserve it, right? Fuck 'em?"

Kirishima did not respond in any verbal manner to this as he threw a punch at Shoji's head. In turn, the traitor dodged it with relative ease. "You telegraph yourself far too easily. At this rate, the only fight you'll ever really win is a battle of the hypocrites." He walked a few paces away from his redheaded former peer. "You call yourselves heroes. And so do I. I may not fit into it in the popularly accepted sense, but I will create a beautiful new horizon for those who live in fear." With his raised hand, he formed the symbol of an L on his forehead, the salute of the Liberation Army. "I, Mezo Shoji of the Paranormal Liberation Front's Heteromorphic Liberation Division, will help to tear down the hypocrisy and lies of UA. And once all is done, we shall move onto what remains of the Commission."

"So, that's what this is all about?" Midoriya asked. "Tearing us all down?"

"I knew you indoctrinated idealists would word it like that. What an ugly way of describing things. I'm disappointed, but sadly, not surprised. I'm tearing you down? What about how you've torn down so many others?""

"You're totally insane..." Sero whispered. "We've never torn down anybody-"

"You continue to support a system that allowed your number one to abuse his family for years and, more recently, allowed the number two to murder a helpless man in cold blood. You belittle and you battle and you refuse for even a second to listen to the other side of the story." He glanced up to the ceiling, sweat beading on his forehead. "I suppose you all truly despise the man who murdered Midnight, correct?" The silence was the only answer he needed. "Well, I happen to know Skullcutter. Were any of you aware that he is beyond terminally ill? It takes all he can pull to stand up straight in the morning and even then, he needs the assistance of Detnerat's technology. He wanted to be a hero once. But he was rejected. No one wants some sickly, gangly skeleton who needs to be constantly wired up to life support to act as the face of the new generation of heroes. Midnight-sensei held the deciding vote amongst UA's staff as to whether they should reject him or not. This was... five years ago, maybe. He's only gotten even more sick, even with Re-Destro's help."

"You think we give a damn about some psycho's sob story?!" Kirishima shouted as he ran up from behind, hoping to get in any kind of punch. "Quit wasting our time, already?"

"This circus has gone on long enough. Should I release the toxin?" Mustard asked.

"No, it's quite alright." Shoji shook his head as he turned to face the redhead. "I want to hear these people dig themselves into an even deeper hole."

"Are you expecting to win us over?" Jiro asked, her stare resolute.

Shoji dismissed this. "No. I believe you are all far too entrenched in the current way of doing things for words alone to convince you. Maybe some of you might start to see reason once you are left with no other choice." Turning around, Midoriya saw the small black cube appear in his hand and as it formed into the firearm, he planted the barrel under Kirishima's chin as the young hero went in for the strike. "Take care."

With another guttural blast of cordite, Kirishima's head snapped back and he fell to the ground. It was clear even from this early point that he had hardened his chin in time, but it had been enough to throw him off his balance.

"Well, that was underwhelming." Mezo blew the smoke away from the barrel, even as the hand that held it visibly trembled. "If there is one thing I despise, it is having to resort to this kind of violence…"

"You killed Aoyama..." Izuku couldn't help but repeat this, absurd as it sounded in his head. "After everything we've been through together… Just to silence him?"

"No." Shoji corrected as he pocketed the gun again. "The intent was by no means to silence him. That fool knew nothing, All for One never directly contacted him in person. I was instructed to kill him for just one reason. To send a message. To ensure that nobody else steps out of line. Aoyama failed. This was his punishment."

"But you didn't want to kill him, did you?" Midoriya asked, starting to get up off of the chair. He ignored that Mustard's guns and Moonfish's teeth were now trained on him, the time for fear would come later. Now, he just felt determination. "Now that you aren't covering your face, I can see your expressions when you talked about his death. You don't want to kill people, hurt people, do you?"

"So, now you're starting to understand." Shoji nodded. "His death was a necessary evil. I do not regret killing him, but I wish I did not have to do it. Maybe there could have been another way…"

"There's always another way-"

"Don't give me that idealist bullshit, I'm not five years old." Mezo seemed outright offended by this. "You're following your sense of justice and I am following mine and we each consider the other's to be reprehensible, but now you're just getting annoying. Now, sit the hell back down or-" He was cut short as a body rammed into him. A body he had not expected. The restrained and until then limp body of Denki Kaminari. So forceful was the collision that both were sent to the floor, even as Mustard leapt back.

"This farce has gone on long enough." He realised, as he spread his arms out, presumably intending to release the toxin that he was so infamous for.

But nothing came out.

"The hell-" He muttered as he glanced over and saw Shota Aizawa on the ground and in a pool of his own blood but still conscious, staring with the power of a thousand suns at the young villain.

"I'll advise you leave my students alone." He muttered, the docile rage playing in his tone. "They've been screwed over too much recently for a brat like you to endanger them any further."

"How annoying-" Mustard started as he aimed one revolver at the teacher's head, but a full-blast explosion caught him in the side of his face and sent him spiralling, dropping the gun he had aimed at Shota. Upon hitting the ground, it discharged, sending a bullet straight into his own leg. "Argh, Goddammit!" He grunted, sinking down to one knee, one of the lenses of his gas mask shattered to reveal an eye filled with pure hatred beneath. He cast his fury towards Bakugo, who had managed to get back to his feet while everybody was distracted and launch the attack. "This is what I get for not making sure you're dead..."

Moonfish snapped his head over in the direction of his partner in crime. "Mustard… Feeds me… Cannot let harm come to him..." He garbled as he shot forwards, using his lanky body and sharpened teeth to stand between Katsuki and Mustard. But by this point, it was starting to become clear who had gained the upper hand, with both the gas villain and Shoji on the ground and vastly outnumbered.

"Some plan this was, dickhead." Kaminari growled as he tried his best to keep Mezo pinned to the floor. "Guess you shoulda let the kid use his Quirk the second he arrived. But nah, you just had to monologue, didn't you?"

"As if you could begin to comprehend." Shoji responded. "I'm up against the world here. The least I can do is explain why I've done the things I have done. Not that I consider this anymore than a mere setback." As he lay there, he revealed the knife he had kept concealed in one of his folds and thrust it up, through Denki's stomach, and twisted. The electric student spluttered but remained steadfast, even with his blood leaking loose. However, it had weakened him enough and after some more of a struggle, Mezo was able to push him off, getting back up to his feet. Even ashe did this, he was greeted with a sharp strike to the cheek, courtesy of One for All, twelve percent. His jaw going slack, he stumbled, even as Hanta's tape shot towards him.

"Up against the world..." He muttered. "As it's always been..."

The tape made contact and all arms were swiftly fastened to his sides. He was left without access to most of his upper body, even as he stood unsteadily on his two feet. "But having the whole world up against me has never been a deterrent in the past… No, I've been through more than these pitiful restraints, more than your types could ever begin to believe. This is just another day in my life."

"Well, to us, it's so much more." Izuku cut back as he readied another punch, acting at blistering speeds. "You were our friend, and I don't care, nothing will ever change that. Maybe you're right. To you, we're the villains. Maybe that's it. But that's all just a matter of perspective, isn't it?" He slammed his fist into Mezo's gut, toppling the boy while trying to inflict as little pain as possible. "And we won't stop fighting for what we consider right!"

As he hit the ground, Shoji's eyes rolled back. And, as Midoriya stood over him, nursing his arm, he simply lay there for a moment. And then, a small, dry chuckle rose from his throat, a hollow, tortured sound.

"Heh… Heh… Yeah… Not that it matters anyway..." He let out a dull croak. "You can beat me down, lock me away for the rest of my days… It doesn't matter. They're on their way."

"Who are on their way?" Jiro enquired as she, Sero and Ashido ran to help Kaminari.

"Heh… Did you think the Liberation Front is in such a pitiful state that they would only send a kid and a lunatic to wipe out UA? No, those two were insurance. To keep you lot busy." With a deep lurch in his stomach, Izuku could already tell what was to come next. "Soon, you'll see our full power in its completed state. It could be weeks, could be days, could be hours… But the floodgates are open. The Paranormal Liberation Front knows UA's weaknesses. I win." His voice was lost to the chuckling fit. "I win. I win. You wouldn't believe how long I have waited to say those words with such sincerity. I suppose… it was quite the experience knowing you all. So go ahead. Try and fight for your beliefs, put them to the ultimate test… Heh..." And then, he was gone, passed into the world of unconsciousness. He must have been totally wiped out from the events of the past week or so. Maybe this was the first proper rest he had gotten since Aoyama's death.

And as Izuku Midoriya stood over him, tears softened his cheeks.

"So, what do we do now?" Kirishima asked as he started to get back up to his feet, rubbing his chin. "Everything seems to have gone to Hell in a handcart real quick."

"I guess the best thing we can do is alert Inspector Tsukauchi..." Uraraka mumbled mournfully. "... And tell him that Officer Sansa isn't the one he's looking for after all. And from there?"

"From there, we'll do just what Shoji-kun said." Tilting his head up, Izuku looked over to where Moonfish and Mustard cowered. "We'll be ready when the PLF arrives and we'll fight for what we believe in. Maybe it's the wrong belief, maybe it's not. Maybe Shoji's right. But we'll fight it no matter what."

{--}

Three Months Prior, Somewhere Between Gunga and Jaku

"God no..." Mina Ashido whispered as she kneeled over the body of her former teacher in the woods, the tears welling up in her eyes. "This isn't… This can't be..."

"I found her like this." Shoji answered, standing a good few paces behind her and the other students who were gathered by the corpse. "Whoever did this… is the purest, most distilled form of evil one could find on this planet."

Koda could only shake his head silently; And as the sobs of the pink-skinned girl hollered through the trees, Shoji looked up at the clouded sky. By now, Skullcutter and the other PLF soldiers with him would be well out of the grasp of any heroes. All going well, they would be among those to fight another day. From what he heard about the state of the Front itself, there was not much celebration to be had. Re-Destro, Trumpet, Geten and several of the League's key leaders, all down for the count. The coming few months were not going to be simple, he knew that much. But he decided to himself beyond any doubt that he would continue his mission, his path.

"Tsuyu Asui, right? That's the girl you were partnered with?" The voice of Skullcutter from a few minutes prior echoed in his mind. "You made a pretty good team with her. Hell, I'd swear a part of you had gotten to care about these kids. That would be reckless speculation on my part, though."

Yeah. Reckless speculation. That was how it was, surely.

He certainly hoped that none of his peers had formed any bonds with him. Because for Mezo Shoji, he was starting to have to remind himself that this was nothing more than one more betrayal.