A/N: Hey there again, everybody! It's Friday once again, and you know what that means! Time for more Transformers MHA! And this time, I've actually got quite the sizable chapter here for you. See? I knew it wouldn't be long before the chapters got back on to being a bit longer. In any case, this chapter is actually re-using a title from my Ben 10 RWBY fic, but hey, it definitely still applies in this sense, so I think it's all good. Plus, for those who know the reference, it's just a fun phrase to say. No time to adjust, because…

Chapter 7: Training Begins NOW!

…..

High in the skies over North America, specifically over the state of California, a pair of F-15 fighter jets flew through the air at top speed, the pilots of the twin aircraft currently on the look-out for something strange that should not have been out there. Exactly thirty minutes ago, they had detected something entering the atmosphere over their country, and while asteroids and the like were no strangers in the past… this was different. For just as the object broke into the stratosphere, it suddenly changed course so that it was now on a vertical plane, and not going down at all. That certainly counted as "strange" in their books, so a pair of experienced pilots were quickly dispatched to investigate.

Thankfully, these were no ordinary pilots. For on each wing of their F-15 jets, the Sector 7 logo was branded. This special government agency had branches practically all throughout the world, and they all had the same expertise; the investigation and identification of alien life forms. And, after receiving the knowledge of their Japanese branch having found and made allies with ACTUAL aliens, the other branches were all informed to keep an eye out for any more strange, robotic lifeforms that could potentially come to Earth… whether they were friend OR foe.

Soon enough, the pair of jets were almost on top of whatever it was they were pursuing, and one of the pilots managed to zeroed in on its frequency. "Attention unidentified aircraft, you are flying in restricted airspace!" the pilot spoke through his radio, attempting to contact the jet. "Land and identify yourself or face the consequences!"

The other pilot narrowed his eyes at the clouds, seeing absolutely nothing as they flew. "Bah! This is ridiculous!" he said as he shook his head. "I can't see a damned thing! And whatever it is, it's not answering back!"

"Oh no?" The two pilots gasped as they heard a sinister, metallic voice speak into their headsets. "Then perhaps THIS will constitute for an appropriate answer!" Without warning, a green beam suddenly shot out through the clouds above and then hit one of the F-15s, before then scanning it from its nosecone to its rear thrusters. "Ah, perfect…"

After that, the pilots were left astonished as, from the clouds, a grey, red and blue aircraft flew down. Initially, it looked like a triangular-shaped jet, but before their very eyes, it began to shift in shape before assuming the form of an F-15 with blue tail fins and rear thrusters, red and white stripes along the wings, a mostly red underside, and a blue nosecone. Also on the wings were a pair of purple insignias that had plenty of sharp points and triangular, evil eyes, which glared at them as they jet flew sideways alongside them.

"Well, as perfect as a lowly human aircraft CAN be, I suppose." Starscream mused as he performed a barrel roll and suddenly began flying behind the other two F-15s. "Thank you SO much for the new alternate mode, humans. But unfortunately…" A pair of missiles suddenly appeared from beneath his wings, his targeting systems locking on to the two aircraft. "I cannot have any witnesses."

CHOOM! CHOOM! With a sonic blast that rang throughout the sky, the two missiles fired, though the jets were quick to move out of the way. …Unforunately for them, these missiles were heat seeking, so it didn't take long for them to start chasing after the jets. And then… THWOOOOM! Both F-15s were struck in their fuselages and sent hurtling down to the ground below… though Starscream wasn't paying attention long enough to notice that both pilots had ejected and were falling to the Earth safely in their parachutes.

"Hahaha! Oh, excellent. This will do nicely." KA-THOOM! With a burst of speed, Starscream shot off toward the West, ready to fly directly to the nation where the Autobots supposedly were. …And apparently where his cohort already was. "Barricade, this is Starscream. I have obtained a suitable alternate mode and am on my way to your location. How are you faring?"

…..

In Japan, meanwhile, Barricade had arrived via the Darksyde's ground bridge, just so he wouldn't have to one; make an unpredictable landing in a pod, and two; have to land alongside Starscream. Thankfully, he chose his coordinates pretty well as he emerged alongside a rather busy highway. '…Oh scrap! A busy highway!' At this realization, Barricade ducked under the large brush along the side of the road, hoping no one saw him.

It was only then that he received Starscream's transmission; "Barricade, this is Starscream. I have obtained a suitable alternate mode and am on my way to your location. How are you faring?"

"As well as I can be." Barricade shrugged. "Came out near a road, so I can't say I don't have options for an alt mode."

Starscream gave an audible sigh. "I will never understand why some Decepticons would rather stick to the ground… when they COULD have flight."

"What can I say?" Barricade smirked. "Some of us like the way we look in steel belted radials…" The Decepticon officer scanned his optics along the busy highway, though he was taken aback when he saw a pair of vehicles go rushing past him, with one of them blaring a loud siren while flashing its red lightbar. This immediately caught his attention and he took note of the car giving chase to the other one, seeing that it was clearly law enforcement. It was a white and black Datsun Fairlady Z-100, and it looked brand new.

While the white and black color scheme made his optic twitch in annoyance at the thought of his… old chum, he had to admit that the car itself was sleek. And the fact that it was for law enforcement made it all the better. He quickly scanned the vehicle and transformed, his chest, legs and back all shifting as he went into his new vehicle mode. In the end, he was a slick, black Datsun Fairlady Z-100 with a dark grey hood and white doors that had the word "POLICE" on them in big bold letters. And to top it all off, along the rear of his car, there was a little blurb in white cursive that said; "To punish and enslave" with the Decepticon insignia right next to it.

"Oh yeah, now THIS is what I'm talking about." Barricade chortled before rolling out onto the highway, heading in the opposite direction. "Starscream, I've got an alt. mode. Ready to meet up with you."

"Excellent, now why don't we give those Autobots a proper greeting, hm? MWAHAHAHA!"

"Good idea. …But uh, where can we find them?"

"…SPAWN OF A—"

…..

Meanwhile, halfway across the country, a caravan on Autobots could be seen rolling along the road toward Korusan, with Bumblebee right in the lead as Arcee and Jazz followed directly behind. U.A.'s school day had finally concluded and that meant one thing; it was finally time for the promised training to commence, and the eight Class 1-A teens couldn't be more ready for it. …And of course, Mei was just as excited to continue tinkering with her new experimental babies to get them ready for the Festival as well. Everyone was conversing with excitement before the three Autobots turned onto the concealed road through the woods, bringing them to the cape where Outpost Omega-One was hidden.

There, Optimus and the others all stood in waiting… aside from Red Alert, who was no doubt still inside the base. The Autobot trio pulled to a stop and all at once, the students climbed hastily out of their escorts, all of them carrying backpacks and gym bags with them. Bumblebee, Arcee and Jazz all transformed and joined their compatriots as Optimus addressed the teens.

"Alright, alright, single file now!" The nine children all lined up before the Autobots, as Optimus stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Ahem, welcome children, to your first day of Auto-Boot Camp." The students all cheered at that before Prime continued. "Over the next two weeks, we hope to help you all achieve the best condition possible for the U.A. Sports Festival. I must warn you now; compared to the training you might be receiving in the school now, this boot camp will be MUCH more difficult." He balled a fist while describing it; "It will be grueling, arduous and…"

"Like going through hell?" Mina guessed with an excited smile.

Denki's shoulders slumped. "Please don't let it be THAT hard!"

Eijiro gave his friend a nudge to the shoulder. "Ah, don't worry, bro! We've got this! I mean, our class IS the one that survived a villain attack."

"Indeed." Windblade agreed. "And while your actions yesterday against the Vehicon were… less than favorable…" She saw the students all visibly wince at her words, so she hastily tried to steer back to her point. "Y-You guys all showed ingenuity and teamwork in that situation! If there's anyone who can get through Auto-Boot Camp, it's you!"

That made the kids smiles all return, though they still seemed a bit unsure. "Thank you, Windblade." Momo bowed her head. "Though I feel like I need to ask… just how WILL our training be handled?"

"That, I have left up to the Autobots themselves to decide." Prime said as he gestured toward his team. "I have set each of you up with an Autobot training partner, and they will help you hone your skills over the next several days. Now, each of you have been granted a separate spot for you and your respective partner to train. Strongarm?"

"Yes sir!" With a raise of her hand, Strongarm brought up a holographic list from her palm, which she immediately began reading off of. "Okay, here's the pairings; Momo and Windblade, you two will be taking to the new training room inside of the base."

Momo's eyes lit up in intrigue. "Oh, you guys managed to set up a whole training room in there?"

Windblade sent her a nod. "Yep. Had to remove a TON of defunct assembly lines, but it was worth it." She winked and gave her partner a thumbs up. "Now let's get you into come creative combat."

A smile graced Momo's features as she returned the gesture. "Of course! It'd be a pleasure."

Strongarm continued as she smiled down to the brunette Gravity user. "Ochako, I've set you up with Arcee. She's going to take you over into the woods to do some gravity training."

"Wow, really?!" Ochako set a determined grin over to the pink Autobot, raising a fist eagerly. "Alright! I'm gonna do my best!"

"And THAT is what I like to hear!" Arcee crouched down and offered her own fist, which Ochako readily bumped with her own. "I look forward to seeing what you can do, Ochako."

"Denki and Eijiro…" Strongarm pointed to the two boys. "You guys are with Sunstreaker and the punk, as you might've guessed."

Sideswipe furrowed his metal brow in irritation. "Oh c'mon, REALLY?!" He saw Strongarm smirk as he got up in her face. "Do you ALWAYS have to throw shade at me, even during training?"

Strongarm merely shrugged. "What can I say? It's easy." Her optics focused back on her list, ignoring the nasty look that Sideswipe was glaring at her. "Anyways, you four will be training out in the front yard here."

Stepping forward, Sunstreaker gave a nod as he set his optics down to the two boys. "Sounds like a plan to me. So, you guys ready to get started?"

"Ready, willing and able, guys!" Denki saluted.

"Let's do this thing!" Eijiro said with a punch to his palm, hardening his skin in the process. "C'mon, Sides, don't let Strongarm get to ya now!"

With a heavy sigh, Sideswipe took his focus away from his rival and smirked down to his partner. "Yeah, you're right dude! We got this!"

Strongarm rolled her optics as she went back to her list. "Yeah, sure ya do. In any case…" Her sights went over to resident horned, pink-skinned girl, giving her a nod. "Mina, you and Bulkhead will be training on the beach's west side."

A gasp was elicited from Mina as she jumped for joy. "AH! Woooooo, yeah! Alright! That's just what I've been waiting for!" She spun around on her heel and sent Bulkhead an ear-to-ear grin, her fists shaking up and down excitedly. "This is gonna be so SWEET! I can't WAIT to see what kinda training you've got in mind for me, Bulk!"

"Hehe, alright, calm down, Mina." Bulkhead chuckled, ushering Mina to settle with his hand. "There'll be plenty of time to cut loose during training, but let's wait until we're ready, okay?"

"Gotcha!" Mina pointed finger guns at him with a wink. "But I'm warning ya now; I'm a pretty great crack shot when it comes to my acid."

"Really? Well, we'll just have to put those big words to the test."

As the two bantered, Strongarm shifted her focus down to Kyoka, though she had a feeling the girl already knew the plan she had in mind. "Kyoka, I'm sure I don't have to tell you who YOU will be paired up with."

Kyoka smiled knowingly as she wrapped one of her jacks around her finger. "Heh, nope, no you don't…" She set her eyes over to Jazz, who had set his hands on his hips as he returned the smirk that she was sending him. "So Jazz, you finally ready to get down to that sonic training?"

The Autobot Lieutenant shot a pair of finger-guns of his own at the punk rocker, clearly anticipating what was about to go down. "Oh, you know it, girl!" He nudged his head toward the sandy beach not far from the base. "You an' I will be doin' our thing down there on the East side o' the beach. Should be far enough away from anything… important, so we won't literally bring the house down."

"Haha! Yeah, that's a good idea." Kyoka laughed. "Let's do it."

"Excellent." Strongarm approved before finally setting her attention to her own training partner. "And Iida, you and I will be taking to the nearby field for your training. I hope you've come ready to run!"

With an instant salute, Iida stood at attention with as serious a face as possible. "Of course I have! I've made sure to eat a well-balanced breakfast and lunch in anticipation for this!"

"Good. The field is just a quick drive away… but just to make it interesting, I'm gonna make you run all the way there for a warm up."

If anything, however, this just made Iida's smile increase. "Ah-ha! Already testing me, eh? I welcome it! As soon as we all get changed, we'll head out!"

"Uh… e-excuse me?" Izuku raised his hand. "But what about me? I mean, I know I must be training with Bumblebee, but—"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Izuku." Strongarm smiled sheepishly. "I was so focused on Iida, I nearly forgot. You ARE paired up with Bumblebee, though… but that's not the only one who'll be coaching you in your training."

Izuku couldn't help but blink in confusion at that. "H-Huh? What does that—" THUMP-THUMP! The sound of heavy footsteps alerted Izuku not just to Bumblebee's approach… but Optimus Prime's as well, the Autobot leader looming over him with what the greenette could only assume was a determined gaze. He had to admit, it was hard getting a read on Optimus most of the time given his faceplate, but at that moment, he couldn't help but feel that Prime must've been smiling toward him. "O-Oh… hi Optimus!"

"Hello, Izuku." Prime returned. "I believe that now is the perfect opportunity to have that discussion I mentioned yesterday."

"Ah, right. I nearly forgot." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you have a few pointers for how I can handle my Quirk?"

Optimus nodded back down to him. "Indeed, and I believe Bumblebee and I will be able to help you accomplish what you want to do."

Kyoka stepped over and gave him a nudge in the side. "Heh, well aren't you lucky? Having the Big Bot helping you out."

"Yeah, right on, Midoriya!" Eijrio approved with hearty smack to the Quirk Inheritor's back, which made him double over. "Prime must have some great advice for ya if he wants to help ya out!"

"Hehe… th-thanks guys." Izuku stammered before noticing something was amiss. "W-Wait a minute, did anyone see where Hatsume went?" The eight students of Class 1-A all craned their heads around, searching for their pink-dreaded inventor friend, only to see that she was no where in sight. "She WAS here just a second ago."

"I think she might've went inside already." Arcee grinned. "No doubt to go bug Red Alert some more with her inventions." The intelligence officer winked down to the group of teens and nudged her thumb over to the base. "And if you guys wanna get started on training, I think you should head in as well to change. We'll be waiting for you out here, alright?"

Momo raised her hand up to the pink bot. "Right, of course, Arcee. C'mon guys, I'm fairly certain I know where the rest rooms are in this place…"

…..

Several minutes later, after the students had found the bathrooms, they all changed into their exercise gear, which mainly consisted of gym clothes that they had all brought from home. It almost felt a bit foreign to them after a full week of using almost nothing but U.A.'s gym uniforms, but it was still easy to acclimate to.

The boys emerged from the old restrooms first, with Denki and Eijro coming out first. The two were wearing yellow and red muscle shirts respectively, and they also had similar black gym shorts, though Denki's had a yellow stripe while Eijiro's was red. Tenya had emerged next, and he was wearing his blue and cyan track suit, his engines right out in the open.

However, the only thing the boys had taken notice of as they came out… was Izuku's ensemble. The greenette was donned in a pair of green gym shorts with a black stripe down the sides… and a white T-Shirt with the literal word "T-Shirt" on it in kanji. This had served as a major talking point… somehow. "Midoriya, dude, I CANNOT get over that shirt." Denki smirked.

"Yeah man, talk about stating the obvious, haha!" Eijiro added.

Izuku could only shrug, though his cheeks were a little red from embarrassment. "W-Well, uh… I just think it's funny."

"And it is quite humorous." Tenya admitted, bringing his hand up to Izuku in a chopping motion. "Though I also must ask… do you wear those same shoes everywhere you go?"

The Quirk Inheritor glanced down to his feet sheepishly, along with said red shoes. "Well… th-that's a whole other story…"

"Hey guys!" The boys' attention were all immediately brought up to the voice of Ochako, seeing the girls emerge from their own bathroom, all changed. Ochako herself was dressed in a navy tank top with soft pink shorts, the brunette approaching them with a rather intense stare. "You guys ready for this training?! LET'S DO OUR BEST!"

The four all did a doubletake at her as she raised her fist in the air, taking note of the familiar attitude. "W-Wow, she was like this last week, wasn't she?" Denki asked.

"Yeah, she's pretty pumped for the Sports Festival." Eijiro affirmed.

"That's an understatement." Kyoka piped up as she strolled up as well. The Earphone Jack's ensemble was somewhat simpler in color, settling for a black tank with white shorts. She placed her hands to her hips and smirked to the boys. "You guys had better watch your backs, otherwise 'Chako's gonna out do ALL of ya."

"HA! Not happening!" Denki balked. "You've got no IDEA how hard I'm gonna train!"

Kyoka rolled her eyes at that. "Psh, hope that works out for ya. I've seen you in class, Kaminari and from what I've seen over the past week or so, you're not much of a hard worker."

Denki's jaw fell open and he stammered in disbelief. "Wha—I, hold on—that—THAT is not true!" He whipped his head around to the boys with a look of desperation. "C-C'mon guys, help me out here, huh? Anyone wanna… vouch for me?" However, judging by their awkward expressions, the rest of the guys didn't seem to be too quick to agree with the electric blonde, which only made his face fall even more. "…Oh come ON! Not you guys too!"

Eijiro rubbed the back of his head with a frown. "Sorry, bro. You're my friend and all, but… I have to admit, you ARE kind of a slacker."

"When it comes to training courses, you are better." Tenya admitted. "However, you don't seem to pay attention much when it comes to in-class activities." He folded his arms and set a serious gaze onto Denki. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you and Ashido about your lack of focus and—"

"WOAH, WOAH! Hold on a sec!" Without warning, Mina popped right up from out of nowhere in the middle of everyone, taking them all by surprise. She was wearing a purple tank top with teal green shorts, the colors matching her hero costume. Mina pouted her lips and narrowed her eyes at Tenya, making him flinch. "Since when did I become a subject in this conversation?" She raised her head defiantly, crossing her own arms. "I'll have you know that I DO focus in class."

Ochako winced a little at that. "Uh, no offense, Mina, but… I've seen your note book and it's half notes, half cute bunny drawings."

Mina's cheeks immediately flushed red with embarrassment. "H-Hey! How'd you know that?!"

"We sit in the same row." Ochako deadpanned before pointing to Eijiro, Denki and Tenya. "Pretty sure THEY know too since they sit even closer to you." The three boys all nodded at once, which made Mina lower her head in shame.

Izuku cleared his throat, re-entering the conversation. "Ahem, u-uh… Ashido, i-if you and Kaminari would like some help keeping track of notes and studying… m-maybe I could help?"

The two students all did a doubletake, all of them quite surprised at Izuku's offer. Kyoka was also visibly surprised, though for a different reason. "W-Woah, wait a sec." Denki pointed to Izuku skeptically. "So you're just… offering to help us study… with no strings attached?

The greenette coughed into his hand, letting out some of his nerves before taking a particularly big step. "W-Well, yeah. I mean, I-I know that we haven't properly known one another for very long, b-but since we're all in this together…" He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "…I-I'd like to consider ourselves friends. A-And friends help each other out, r-right?"

"You're absolutely right, Midoriya." Everyone perked up at the sight of Momo having finally joined them, the raven-haired beauty now donned in a white T-Shirt and red shorts. "And I must say, I'm liking the sound of what you're suggesting." Her eyes shifted over to Mina and Denki with a nod. "So I would also like to offer my services in helping you two study, along with anyone else who might want some help."

Mina had broken out into a big grin at this point. "WOW, you mean it?! EEEEE, YAY!" Within seconds, she and Denki had zipped up to Momo and Izuku, bowing their heads to them in thanks. "Wow, thanks you guys! This'll be so awesome!"

"Yeah, thanks." Denki nodded before wearing a confident grin. "I mean, we'd probably be fine regardless, but your help is appreciated all the same."

Kyoka pursed her lips in annoyance at that. "Wow, SO humble…" She shook her head before going back to Izuku, a proud smile adorning her features. "I have to say, though… I'm really proud of ya, Green Bean." Kyoka playfully nudged her best friend in the arm, making him laugh a little. "I can't believe ya actually OFFERED to help others study."

Izuku rubbed his arm with a nervous chuckle. "Hehe, w-well, like I said, we're all in this situation with the Autobots together, so… I wanted to make sure everyone feels welcomed."

"Either way, it's some great progress." Kyoka winked. "And I'm proud of ya for taking that step." However, the purplette placed her hands to her hips and glanced around curiously. "But speaking of "ALL" of us, where the HECK is—"

POOF! "HI JACKIE!"

"AH!" Kyoka sprung up into the air as everyone else jumped in surprise, too, though Kyoka had ended up jumping so high that someone had to catch her on the way down. Once she knew she was safe, however, she pointed her jacks up at the culprit; none other than Mei Hatsume. The pink-haired girl had returned, now in her usual work clothes of a black tank top, olive green overalls with the top half tied around her waist, thick work boots and a pair of gloves with the pointer finger exposed. She also was sporting her large, steam-punkish goggles again, which she had fixed over the weekend. "HATSUME!" Kyoka barked. "What the hell?!"

"Oh, sorry, did I surprise ya?" Mei wore a wicked grin as she lifted her goggles up to her forehead. "Good! Consider that a success for THIS baby right here!" From her belt, the mad inventor pulled up a small cartridge that was filled with tiny black spheres. "Smoke pellets! Just a little side project I've been working on. I'm hoping to enhance them a bit and re-engineer them into projectile weaponry, but I'm still trying to figure that one out."

The entire group stared at Mei for a minute before Ochako spoke up. "So… like literal smoke bombs, only weaponized?"

"Precisely! But I kinda want to up the ante since just having smoke projectiles isn't THAT big of a deal." Mei admitted. "What do you guys, think? Should I make them toxic, acidic or paralyzing?"

A shudder went through everyone before Momo stepped in. "Haha… w-why don't YOU decide on that, Hatsume? It IS your invention after all."

Mei tapped her chin and hummed to herself. "Hmm… good point! I'll just go for ALL the options!" That proclamation did nothing to settle the teen's worries, though Mei was quick to point something else out that managed to shock at least two certain people. "Also, Muscles, when're ya gonna let Jackie down?"

Green and deep purple eyes widened and snapped to the side, and all at once, an icy chill went through Kyoka's entire being. Izuku had been the one to catch her… and she was still sitting in his arms. …In front of their group of friends, who at this point, had noticed that as well. The color drained from both of their faces before the two immediately separated, breaking out into nervous laughter as they brushed themselves off. "AHAHAHA… ah-haha… th-thanks." Kyoka stuttered.

"N-No p-problem." Izuku returned before immediately marching off. "Well guys, we really shouldn't waist anymore time, let's go!"

The words had come out of Izuku's mouth so fast that they thought it was all one word. But still, most of the others had decided to shrug it off and just keep going… aside from a certain pink girl whose eyes lit up with joy. She began trembling as an excited noise came from her lips, slowly turning her head toward Momo for some hopeful confirmation. "PLEASE tell me what I saw really just happened." Mina squeaked out.

Momo's shoulders slumped, immediately recognizing where this was going. "Hah… yes."

ZIP! Without a moment to spare, Mina shot right up to Momo and grasped her by the shoulders. "Okay, I need every single detail listed in chronological order RIGHT NOW." Momo was about to argue… but then something else decided to happen.

WOOM! WOOM! WOOM! WOOM!

The duo's attention, along with the others, were all brought up to the ceiling as a green light began flashing throughout the base, accompanied by the unmistakable voice of Red Alert. "Attention all Autobot personnel; report to the control center effective immediately. We have a situation."

Mina sucked her lips in before raising a single finger. "Correction; I'll need every detail AFTER we find out if we're gonna die or not."

…..

Within moments, the entire team had gathered at the control center, the Autobots hastily entering through the main entrance while the kids came rushing through a small hallway. At the main console, Red Alert was standing and operating the massive machine, pressing buttons as the massive screens above it showed a map of Japan. He turned around as the Autobots and humans came to a halt. "Good, you're all here."

"What is the situation, Red Alert?" Optimus asked as he approached the medic. "Have you found something?"

"Indeed, I have." Red Alert went back to the console and punched in a few commands and suddenly, the map of Japan began glowing, specifically on a large island part of it that laid to the west. "I just finished up installing the Energon detection systems," He raised his left arm, pointing his laser tool at the flashing island, "and the moment I activated them, I received a strong signal from this part of the country."

The kids all immediately recognized which region he was referring too. "Kyushu?" Izuku spoke out loud. "You're saying there could be a ton of energon there?"

"I don't just think." Red Alert reinforced before typing in another command, the map zooming in on a specific part of the island of Kyushu. There, a large, blinking red dot could be seen, which Red Alert pointed to. "This spot, right here, is undoubtedly the location of an energon vein."

Momo set a hand to her chin. "I believe that's Miyazaki prefecture…"

Tenya stepped up, adjusting his glasses to make sure he could see the map correctly. "Hmm… yes, and if I'm not mistaken…" He raised his hand in a stiff, chopping motion. "Why that is none other than the location of the Takachiko Gorge! I suppose it would only make sense that there would be some Energon there!"

"A gorge, huh?" Windblade piped up. "Yeah, there's gotta be plenty of energon around there."

"And probably a lot more, too." Eijiro added. "Miyazaki prefecture is actually one of the least populated parts of Japan. It's really mostly wilderness, so if I had to guess, there's probably a TON of undisturbed ground there."

"Which makes it all the more likely for energon to grow without being hindered." Bulkhead concluded with a pump of his fist. "Haha, YES! This is great news! We'll be swimming in energon before we know it!"

Arcee cleared her intakes, garnering everyone's attention. "Well yeah, it's great, but… aren't we forgetting something?" She pointed down to the humans, who all stared right back up at them. "We've made some commitments today, remember?"

"Wha—oh! Don't worry about us, guys, really." Izuku assured.

Kyoka nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, I mean, we know how important gathering energon is for ya. We can wait until you get back."

"Hm, I am afraid that will be complicated, Kyoka." Optimus said with a shake of his head. "Mining energon can be a daunting task, especially with a vein that's as big as Red Alert believes it to be."

"We're lucky that the small vein we found the other day was so easy to mine up, honestly." Strongarm jumped in. "But with one like this, it's going to take hours…"

"So what do we do?" Sideswipe asked. "Just leave it there for later?"

Optimus shook his head. "No, that is not an option. We must at least scout the location so that we can assess just how much energon is there…" The Prime tapped his chin in thought before an idea struck. "Hm, actually, I believe I have a solution." He set his optics down to Izuku, who immediately met his gaze. "Izuku, I believe a change of plans is in order. How would you like to accompany Bumblebee and I on this mission?"

This garnered Bee's attention as well, while Izuku's eyebrows rose up in surprise. "W-Woah, really? You'd really let me come with you?"

"Aw! Lucky!" Mina pouted.

Optimus extended a hand down to Izuku. "Well, considering what I wanted to speak to you about concerns both you and Bumblebee, I think it would be the best way to have our conversation in private." He raised a single finger to make another point. "Plus, given the nature of your Quirk, training a fair distance away from the base would probably be prudent."

"Zrkt—Understatement of the century!—zrkt" Bumblebee proclaimed through his radio. "Zrkt—ONE PUUUUUNCH—zrkt—make everything go BOOM!"

Izuku couldn't help the nervous sweat on his forehead as he waved Bumblebee off. "W-Well, I don't know if it's THAT bad…"

"Izuku, you almost leveled a building in our first training exercise." Kyoka pointed out. "It kinda IS that bad." The brutal honesty was enough to make Izuku double over, but all the same, Kyoka put a supportive hand to his shoulder. "Hmhm, but I think you should still go with Optimus and Bee. Maybe out there, there'll be enough space for ya to go all out without worrying about hurting anyone."

The greenette picked his head up and sent a grin over to his best friend. "Y-Yeah, you've got a point, Kyoka…" Izuku's focus shifted back up to the Prime. "Alright Optimus, I'm ready to go if you are."

"Excellent. Climb aboard." Optimus offered his hand and while Izuku was taken aback a little, he eventually climbed on and Optimus brought him up to his shoulder, allowing Izuku to sit on it. "Red Alert, set the coordinates and activate the Groundbridge."

"On it, Optimus." Red Alert confirmed before everyone set their sights over to the Groundbridge platform. The group watched as Prime, Bumblebee and Red Alert stepped onto the platform, the latter going to the controls to activate the device. Once he entered the coordinates, he pulled on the lever and within seconds, the Groundbridge fired up, creating a huge, spiraling blueish-green portal before everyone's eyes.

Those who hadn't seen it in action before marveled at the large vortex with slacked jaws. "Woah… that's amazing…" Ochako muttered.

Tenya had to adjust his glasses to make sure he was seeing things correctly. "How is something like this even possible?"

"Transwarp tech." Bulkhead answered. "Though I think it might be just a bit too complicated for you guys to understand. Er… no offence."

However, if anything, that just made Mei all the more determined. "Forget that, Bulkhead! One day I WILL understand how Spacebridge technology works! And then I will make my own PERSONAL one for easy transportation around the world! AHAHAHA!"

Red Alert rolled his optics under his visor. "Yes, good luck with that. Anyway, you're ready to go, Optimus. I'll be waiting for you to contact us as soon as you find something."

"Good, we will stay in touch." Optimus affirmed before turning to his companions. "Izuku, Bumblebee, let's roll!" Bumblebee buzzed in approval while Izuku gave a single nod, prompting the three to go through the Groundbridge. Once they were all gone, the portal closed, leaving the others to go about their business.

Sunstreaker clapped his hands together, garnering everyone's attention. "Okay, so now that we've got all of that outta the way, what say we get started on that training, eh?"

"HECK YEAH!" Eijiro pumped a fist. "I've been waiting all day for this, are ya kidding me?!"

Denki gave a thumbs up as he and the others all began following the other Autobots outside. "Let's do it, guys!" He received a collective "YEAH!" from the entire team as they filed out of the base, all except for Windblade and Momo, who went to the inner training room.

The only one left in the room was Red Alert, who sighed to himself as he went back to the console. "Ah, thank goodness for some peace and quiet—" Thunk-thunk-thunk! "H-Huh?"

"Yoo-hoo!" Red Alert craned his head down… and saw Mei standing next to his foot, knocking her hand on his leg with a bright, happy smile while holding up what looked like a jetpack. "Okay Red, time to get to work! I'm gonna need your help with the propulsion on this baby!" The Autobot medic groaned and facepalmed at his misfortune. "Ah, don't be such a Grumpy Gus! This'll be fun!"

"Define "fun"."

…..

Several kilometers away, on the island region of Kyushu, a large portal opened up on the back of a river that was nestled at the bottom of a massive gorge, the entire area composed of massive rock walls and overgrown vegetation. The banks themselves were composed mainly of small, individual rocks, the tiny stones making the rolling waters babble as the river flowed. It was here that Optimus, Bumblebee and Izuku all emerged, the two Autobots landing on their peds and making the Earth tremble slightly. All the while, Izuku couldn't help the slight feeling of nausea begin to overtake him after exiting the portal.

"HMPH!" Izuku had to cover his mouth as his complexion became an unhealthy shade of green for a moment. "Ugh, I forgot how disorientating going through that is."

"Hm, yes. Unfortunately, organic beings do not take to going through Spacebridges all that well, I'm afraid." Optimus' optics trailed upward, and it was then that they widened in astonishment. Bumblebee was also visibly captivated by the environment around them, composed of stunning greenery, massive mountains, and the blue waters and sky above. If they could breath, their breath definitely would've been taken away. "This is… incredible."

"Zrkt—You're beautiful… you're beautiful… you're beautiful, it's true!" Bumblebee emphasized.

Izuku nodded and craned his head up toward the sky. "Yeah, Kyushu is a natural wonder, that's for sure. It's why plenty of tourists come here."

Optimus and Bumblebee began to walk as the conversation went on. "I can imagine so." Prime agreed, taking in more of the natural wonder. "I've always been astounded by organic planets and the sights they have to offer."

"Yeah, but I'm sure Cybertron must have sights that're similar to this…" Izuku trailed off when he noticed a look of silent sadness overtake Prime and Bee's faces, and he instantly began apologizing. "O-Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, no, Izuku, there is no need for apologies." Optimus insisted. "It's just… there are many things that I do miss about Cybertron. And you're right, there are plenty of beautiful sights that it has to offer…" They heard Bumblebee let out a sad buzz before Prime went on. "Hah… but, as you can imagine, Cybertron is not what it used to be."

Izuku lowered his head a bit. "Yeah… given how you talk about it, I'm not surprised to hear that. I hope… I hope one day, you guys can go back to it."

"We will, Izuku." Optimus nodded. "One day, when the war is over, I vow that we will go back to Cybertron and restore it to what it once was before…" In his mind, Optimus added; 'At least… that's what I hope.' He shook his head before changing the subject. "But let's not dwindle on such things. Right now, I would like to finally discuss the nature of your Quirk with you."

Izuku brightened up at that, excited at the idea of whatever wisdom Optimus had to impart onto him. "Oh yeah, sure! What did you wanna talk about?"

"Namely… the fact that I know it isn't entirely your Quirk." Not even a second later, Optimus saw Izuku's demeanor perform a complete one-eighty yet again. The boy's lips moved down as his featured morphed into a stunned state, his eyes almost bulging out of his head at how wide they had gotten. He was also shaking slightly as well, and the Prime could sense his anxiety levels shooting through the roof. Out of the corner of his optics, Optimus could see Bumblebee in a similar state, and it occurred to him that may have been a bit too forward. "Er… perhaps that was more blunt than I meant it to be."

Izuku forced a nervous smile as he tried to deny it. "AHAHA! W-What're you talking about, Optimus? O-Of course my Quirk's one-hundred percent my own, I-I mean, w-why wouldn't it be, right? Hehehe…" He saw Prime raise an eyeridge at him, and in an instant, Izuku knew it was futile to try and fake it. "…You don't believe any of that, do you?"

"No, I do not." Optimus reached up and scooped Izuku up, lowering him down to the ground. "Izuku, I had my suspicions about your Quirk since I first saw it in action. The moment you blew Shatter away with just a flick of your finger, I felt a similar feeling when All Might and I were fighting Dropkick just moments before. And after a few days, I can finally confirm my thoughts." He crouched down and tilted his head to Izuku. "You and All Might… you not only share the same Quirk, but it's the EXACT same. He passed his power down to you, didn't he?"

The greenette was left stunned, and he whipped his head around to Bumblebee to see how shocked he was as well. The yellow bug gave a shrug and beeped in confusion, indicating he had no idea. "Zrkt—I'm just as surprised as you!"

A sigh escaped Izuku's lips and his head hung low. "Hah, well, I guess there's no denying it…" He swallowed hard and then let it all out. "Yes, you're right, Optimus. All Might… he passed his own Quirk down to me. It's called "One for All". It's a Quirk that accumulates power the more times it's passed down from user to user… and I'm its ninth holder."

"I knew it…" Optimus lowered his head down to his chest, placing a hand over it. "I had a feeling that your Quirk was similar to this…"

"S-Similar to wha—" FLASH! "Woah!" Without warning, the windshields on Prime's chest began to glow with an intense, blue light, which only grew brighter the moment he opened his chest panels up. What Izuku saw next left him completely taken aback. From Optimus' chest, a secret compartment was revealed, one that held some sort of crystalline orb within it. The orb was encased in some sort of round container that was plated with gold, along with a pair of sterling silver handles on either side of it. Izuku couldn't help but stare into it in silence, almost as if he was in a trance. And, while this could've been his mind playing tricks on him… he could've sworn he could hear voices speaking out to him from the object. "W-Wha… what IS that?"

"This, Izuku, is the Matrix of Leadership." Optimus reached in and grabbed the Matrix by its handles, taking it out of his chest so that Izuku could see it better. "It is an ancient vessel that contains the wisdom and power of the original Thirteen Primes, along with the other Primes who came after them and before me."

Bumblebee buzzed in awe while Izuku was still comprehending what he was seeing. "Woah… you know, I think Windblade actually mentioned this to me. She said that you went down to Cybertron's core to retrieve it, right?"

"Indeed." Optimus confirmed. "That is when I took on the mantle of Prime. But Izuku, it is through this that I realized that the Quirk that you and All Might share is similar to the Matrix. Often times, I receive visions from the Primes that help guide me, and recently, I experienced one that informed me of a power that was just like it on Earth. And it would seem now that I have found the source of that power." Optimus reached down and pointed to Izuku's chest. "That would be you."

"Hah… wow, that's incredible." Izuku smiled, only for his expression grew quite serious just a few seconds later. "But Optimus, you have to swear that you won't tell anyone about One for All. Not even everyone back at base."

Optimus tilted his head as he placed the Matrix back into his chest. "Do you not trust them?"

"Huh? N-No, it's not that I don't trust them. That's not the reason at all." Izuku assured. "It's just… if the secret got out that I had All Might's Quirk, things could end up really, REALLY bad for everyone. Not just for my friends, but for you and the other Autobots, too."

Those words left Optimus to ponder on his response, realizing that Izuku made a good point. "Well… while I do not approve of keeping a secret from my Autobots, I also understand that All Might must have made some powerful enemies. And I admire that you wish to protect your friends as well…" The Autobot leader thought over it for a few moments more before coming to a conclusion. "Alright, I will keep your secret. But at the same time, I think it would be beneficial to eventually let the others in at some point down the line."

"W-What? But Optimus I just said—"

"I understand your concerns, but you must remember that you are part of a team now." Optimus pressed. "And it is unhealthy to keep secrets from other teammates, especially when they're your friends." He pointed to him once again. "I'm not saying that you should come out with it right away, but take time to build trust between yourself and your friends, and then consider telling them."

'…We're in this together…' Izuku heard his own words echo through his mind, as he thought back to the faces of his friends… which of course made his mind go back to Kyoka. 'I want to tell her, for sure. …But maybe letting the others in on it too wouldn't be so bad either.' With a small sigh, Izuku craned his head back up to the Prime before him "…Yeah, you're right, Optimus. I'll… I'll think on it, and hopefully one day, I can trust all of them to keep this secret, too."

Optimus nodded back down to him. "Good, that's exactly what I want to hear."

"Zrkt—Secret, secret! I've got a secret! Zrkt—OUT WITH IT!" Bumblebee piped up, making Izuku and Optimus chuckle a bit.

"So, uh… is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" Izuku asked. "Just the fact that the Matrix and One for All are alike?"

The Autobot leader shook his head. "Oh, far from it. You see, I believe that I may be able to help you harness your power so that you no longer have to worry about breaking your bones every time you use it."

Izuku's jaw fell to the floor when he heard that. "WHAAAT?! W-Why didn't you say that earlier?!"

"Well, I had assumed that learning about the Matrix first would be interesting to you."

"Oh… I mean, it IS, but I've been trying to figure out a way to balance my power without breaking anything for MONTHS now and I haven't gotten anywhere!" Izuku fell to his knees and bowed before Optimus. "Please, Optimus, you HAVE to teach me how!"

A laugh came from Optimus as he pat Izuku gently on the back. "Hahaha! Don't worry, Izuku, I will help you in anyway I can, I promise you that." Without warning, Prime scooped Izuku back up into his hand and set the greenette on his shoulder again. "But before that, we should proceed with our mission. That energon isn't going to find itself, after all."

Izuku smiled and pumped a fist. "Yeah, let's go!"

"Zrkt—Let's do it, to it!" Bumblebee agreed.

…..

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, something big was going on outside… at least in the minds of Eijiro and Sideswipe. The two training partners were standing on opposite sides of the small field in front of the base, their stances wide and ready for anything that the other had to throw at them. Eijiro wore an eager smirk as he popped a few muscles in his neck. "I gotta warn ya now, Sideswipe, I don't think you're ready for me." He said somewhat cockily. "You sure you're not underestimating me?"

"Ha! C'mon man, whaddya take me for?" Sideswipe fired back. "Of course I'm takin' ya seriously. I mean, with a hairstyle like yours, who wouldn't?"

"…I feel like that was a subtle burn."

"Well, it wasn't!" Sideswipe raised an eyeridge. "It was a compliment. Now, you ready to harden up or what?"

With a determined gaze, Eijiro brought up his fists and hardened them up considerably, ready to begin. "Hell yeah, man! Let's do this!"

"Alright, hope you're at Max Hardness!" Sideswipe retracted his hands and pulled out his pair of jackhammers, the stainless-steel tools already moving at top gear. "Because you're in for a poundin'!"

Off in the distance, the two heard Kyoka laughing for some reason, but wrote it off the moment they charged at one another. Eijiro roared as he raised his arms up, taking a defensive route as Sideswipe slammed his jackhammers into the hardened limbs. The redhead had to dig in his heels to stand his ground as the tools beat themselves repeatedly into his arms, doing all that he could to not buckle under the intense hammering. Eijiro grit his teeth and peaked one eye past his defensive line, seeing just how fast the jackhammers were going.

'Holy crap! These things really ARE no joke! Better start putting on more of an offense before I'm screwed!' With a slight movement of his leg, Eijiro allowed the jackhammer to send him back about two feet, giving him enough space to bring his arms back and send one forward in a punch.

What happened next was something he couldn't have predicted. The collision not only hurt, but it sent him flying back several feet, leaving both him and Sideswipe stunned. "GYAAAAAAH—" BAM! Eijiro didn't fly far before he collided with a nearby boulder, and it was at that moment that he was grateful for hardening his entire body up in midflight.

Sideswipe gasped and sprinted for him as fast as he could. "EIJIRO!" He slid to a halt as the redhead fell from the boulder, only to catch him in his hand. "Dude! What were you thinking?!"

Eijiro blinked in shock at his partner's words. "W-What? Sideswipe, I was hitting BACK. What were you expecting me to do?"

"Uh, stay on the defensive, of course!" Sideswipe set Eijiro to the ground gently. "Eijiro, the point of this training is to help you build UP your Max Hardness so that you CAN counter an attack like that. Don't get me wrong, the point where you're at right now is good, but it's got a long way to go until you can push ME back." He sent a wink down to him. "Remember, I'm not a Vehicon. I actually have the processor necessary to fight back."

Eijiro grimaced slightly at that analogy, but nonetheless, saw Sideswipe's point. "…Yeah, I get ya Sideswipe. I guess you really know what you're talking about here."

"Thanks, now do you mind telling Strongarm that?" Sideswipe's quip instantly made him and Eijiro laugh, leading the two to stand back up. "Now c'mon, let's get back to it, and NO hitting back this time."

As the Red Duo were training, the Yellow Duo were on the other side of the field, getting ready to do the same. Denki was taking in some deep breaths in order to prepare himself for what was to come, all while Sunstreaker stood patiently not too far away. "I'm ready whenever you are, Denki!" the yellow Lambo brother waved, bringing out his energy absorption panels from his right wrist. "Just say when!"

Once he was ready to go, Denki set his sights over to Sunsteaker with a wicked grin. "Heh, "Ready" is my middle name, Sunstreaker!"

"Humans have middle names? I didn't know that."

Denki couldn't help but wince a bit at that before charging himself up. "Okay, so my goal here is to get it so my brain isn't fried after using my Quirk too much. So to start out, I'm gonna go with a million volts! That sound good?" Sunstreaker gave him a thumbs up and Denki nodded back. "Okay! Let's do this!" The electric blonde raised his arms and proclaimed to the sky; "Indiscriminate Shock; 1.3 MILLION VOLTS!"

From Denki's body a huge surge of lightning erupted, almost exploding from his arms and out toward Sunstreaker. The yellow bot's optics widened in shock, only to gasp the moment he realized his arm wasn't up. Thankfully, he raised it just in time and all of the lightning was drawn to the absorption panels on his wrist. Sunstreaker held his ground for about a solid thirty seconds before the electricity stopped, so he moved his head to see Denki's condition. "You okay there, Denk—oh my."

Standing across from him, Denki was making the dopiest face imaginable while holding two thumbs up, a rather dumb laugh coming out of his throat at the same time. Sunstreaker deadpanned and slapped his forehead. "We have SO much work to do…" But then, an idea struck; 'Wait… I think I've got an idea on how to get his head in the game.' Now that he had efficient energy levels, Sunstreaker retracted the panels and instead brought out his solar-flare cannon, aiming it right at Denki. "Yo dude! Heads up!"

"Uh…?" BLAM! "AH!" Within moments, Denki was brought back to reality as Sunstreaker fired a flare at him, making him jump several feet in the air. "DUDE! Sun, what the hell?!"

"Hey, you were staring off into space, my man." Sunstreaker shrugged. "If ya wanna get your mind in the game more often, you're gonna have to WANT it!" A smirk came to the bot's face as his flare gun lit up once more. "Now dance, my puppet! DANCE!"

"GYAH!" BANG!"AH! HEY!" BOOM!"C'mon man! This isn't funny!"

…..

"This is freaking hysterical." Kyoka snickered as she watched what was going down from the beach. She held her phone up to record as Sunstreaker continued to fire his solar-flare gun, with Denki doing the most hilarious jig she'd ever seen in a vain attempt to get away. The punk rocker was NOT about to let this opportunity slip by. "Hehe, how soon do you think it'll take Kaminari to realize Sunstreaker's not trying to hit him?"

Jazz stood behind her with his arms folded, shaking his head with a small smirk of his own. "Eh, probably gonna be a while." He craned his head down and tilted it at his training partner. "But I gotta ask… you got somethin' against him or what? Ya seem to like pickin' on him."

Kyoka set her sights back up to him and shook her head. "What? Nah, I just think it's fun." She glanced back the moment she heard Denki belt a high-pitched scream and gave another chuckle. "Besides, he's a bit of a goof, so someone's gotta keep him in line, right?"

"Heh, kinda like Strongarm and Sideswipe…"

"Only less malicious." Kyoka pointed out. "Those two have some problems that they need to work out."

Jazz shrugged, conceding to her point. "Ya got me there, Kyo. Now, how's about we get to that trainin'?" Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! Within moments, Jazz transformed into his vehicle mode and his sonic amplifiers emerged from his trunk, the Porsche aiming himself toward the ocean before them. "Now c'mon, let's try ta help ya up your volume!"

"Oh, I'm so there!" The Earphone Jack user put her phone away and climbed on to the back of Jazz's vehicle mode, bracing herself against the rear window and planting her feet firmly on his bumper. Her jacks then went out and plugged into the sonic amps and she gave his roof a pat. "Okay, you good to go? This may get a little loud."

"HA! I've DJ'd some o' the most hoppin' nightclubs on Cybertron, little lady." Jazz assured. "I can handle a bit o' noise. Just gimme the word an' I'll turn 'em on."

"Okay. Three… two… one… LET IT RIP!" At Kyoka's word, Jazz turned on his speakers. And then…

VVWWWWOOOOAAAAAAAUUUUUMMM!

Two powerful sonic blasts erupted from Jazz's speakers and shot out across the ocean, taking both of them by surprise. Kyoka barely had time to comprehend the absolute power that she managed to unleash… before realizing that both she and Jazz were being pushed back through the sand. "AAAAAAAH!" Both of them belted out screams, which only grew louder when they saw that they were being pushed toward a massive boulder. "Unplug!" Jazz advised. "UNPLUG!"

Kyoka dislodged her jacks and the blasts immediately stopped… though that didn't exactly stop Jazz' momentum. He and Kyoka were sent hurdling into the air and in the nick of time, Jazz transformed, catching Kyoka in his arms as he slammed back first into the boulder. A pained groan came from Jazz's throat as he slumped to the ground, both he and Kyoka breathing hard in disbelief of what had just happened. "Hah… okay… we're never…" Kyoka swiped her arm for emphasis. "And I mean NEVER doing that again."

"Yeah, not in vehicle mode at least." Jazz added. "Gonna need more traction for somethin' like that." He grinned down to Kyoka and helped her stand up. "Why don't we just focus on buildin' up the strength o' your jacks themselves instead o' tryin' to get ya louder, huh?"

"Heh… yeah, sounds good."

On the other end of the beach, however, a certain other pair had taken notice of the scene and were left stunned by what happened. Bulkhead and Mina were staring wide-eyed at the sonic blast that Kyoka and Jazz had unleashed, and it was then that the pink girl was grateful that they weren't doing something THAT intense. "Man, good thing we're keeping it simple for now, eh, Bulk?"

"Ha, yeah, would rather not end up like that, thank you." Bulkhead agreed before taking up a bunch of rocks in his hand. "Okay, so, target practice!" He grinned down to her as he tossed a rock up and down in his hand. "I'm sure you're no stranger to this, right?"

"Oh, you betcha!" Mina balled her fists eagerly. "I do this kinda stuff all the time!"

"Good… but I bet you never try to control the strength of your acid while doing so." He saw Mina raise a brow at him, so the big Autobot explained; "See, your goal through our training should be to increase the acidity of your… well, acid. So hopefully, we can get to a point where these rocks will be gone before they even hit the ground."

Mina placed a hand on her hip and scoffed. "Pssh, piece of cake, Bulk!" Her grin returned and she raised her hands up in preparation. "Let's do it! Just… try not to hit me, okay?"

"Of course… though I hope you won't hit me either, hehe."

"Perish the thought!" Mina brought up her hand, filling it with acid. "Now let's go!" At her word, Bulkhead threw the first rock and Mina flung her acid at it. SPLAT! The corrosive substance made contact and immediately began melting the rock… but not before it came falling to the sand with a hard THUMP! And it was only then that Mina realized… these rocks were HUGE. "W-Woah! I didn't realize they were THAT big!"

Bulkhead took the opportunity to chuck another rock at her. "That's the point!" Mina yelped and blasted more acid at the next rock, which once again fell to the earth before it melted all the way. "We're gonna get your Quirk to the point where you can melt through something huge in seconds, so stay on your toes!"

As the big green bot continued to throw rocks, Mina suddenly found herself beginning to sweat a bit, both in nervousness AND trying to up the intensity of her Quirk. Each time she flung acid toward the not-quite boulders, she tried focusing on how fast each and every one of them seemed to melt, only to see that they were pretty much all going the same speed, and none of them were gone before they hit the ground. '…Okay, maybe I overestimated myself on this one. I only hope the other gals are doing better.'

…..

Meanwhile, back inside the base, Momo and Windblade had arrived at the Autobot's new training area, which was actually one of the biggest rooms inside of the old abandoned manufacturing warehouse. The room was so huge and the ceilings were so high that one would think an entire HOUSE could fit in it. Momo was surprised, to say the least. "Oh my word! How did you guys clear out that entire assembly line so quickly?"

"Oh, we mostly sliced it up for the most part." Windblade answered as she led Momo further in, the two standing in the middle of the vast floor. "Any parts we found useful, we saved, and the rest we had Sector Seven dispose of." She faced her new pupil and clasped her hands together. "Okay, so let's get to it, shall we?" Windblade smiled as Momo gave her full attention to her before she transformed into her vehicle mode, activating her holoform "Windy" in the process. "Now, let me see if I understand your Quirk correctly; you can make ANY inorganic substance that you want, right?"

"Yes, so long as I know what it's made of." Momo nodded before lifting her arm and creating something out of her elbow. It appeared to be a metal handle, and the moment she pulled it out, she revealed that it was a steel replica of Windblade's Stormfall sword, right down to the shape of the blade. "I also create everything out of the lipids of my body, so I need to eat plenty of food in order to use my Quirk."

Windy stepped up and stared at the replica in amazement, reaching out as Momo handed it to her. "Well, I have to say, that IS quite impressive. You must be able to get pretty creative in a fight then."

Momo faltered a bit at that, biting down on her lip. "Well… I suppose you could say that. I—WOAH!" Without warning, Windy brought the Stormfall replica up in a swing, which Momo quickly blocked by creating a shield on her forearm. "AH! Windblade, what was that—"

"First rule of combat; never let your guard down." Windy smirked. "Good reaction time, by the way. You blocked my strike the moment you saw it coming. The question now, though… is what comes next?"

"W-What? What do you—" THWOMP! "AUGH!" Windy's knee suddenly came up and socked Momo right in her stomach, making her stagger back as the air was pushed out of her lungs. From there, Windy kept putting the pressure on with more strikes, some of which Momo managed to block, others that left a new bruise. This kept going until finally, Momo was left with nowhere to go, backed right into a corner with Windy having knocked the shield clean off her arm with a strong kick. The Autobot's holoform then rushed in and put the flat of her blade up close to Momo's throat, keeping her pressed up against the wall behind her. Windy narrowed her eyes before stepping away from her pupil. "Momo, you need some serious work."

"I-I, I wasn't ready for ANY of that!" Momo argued.

"Exactly." Windblade handed her sword back to Momo before her holoform disappeared and she transformed back into robot mode. The City Speaker walked back over to her and crouched down. "Momo, you were on the defensive for that entire thing. In battle, you cannot hesitate to lower those defenses and actually attack. Even when the attacker is putting pressure on you, you have to find a way to turn the tables so that YOU can have the advantage."

Momo blinked in stunned silence, allowing Windblade's words to sink in. "I… I WAS trying to think of my next move, but… I couldn't come up with anything. There were too many options going through my head, I…"

Windblade smiled and reached down, putting her finger under her chin to make her look up at her. "And that's exactly why we're going to work on with our training. You have a creative Quirk, Momo, so now it's time to help you gain a creative mind for battle." She saw the girl give her a small, if somewhat reluctant smile, which Windblade reciprocated. "I know it's a bit nerve-wracking, but I promise, by the end of this, you'll be in top fighting shape."

With a deep breath, Momo nodded and balled her hand into a fist. "Okay… let's try again."

…..

"Uh… Arcee? I don't think I see the point in this…" Ochako was currently hanging upside down from a tree branch by her legs, her hair and arms falling limply toward the ground. Weirder still, Arcee herself was the reason why she was in this position, having done so without warning and freaking her out. "Remind me, why the heck are we doing this again?"

Arcee was doing the same on a different tree, though she was higher up and on a much thicker branch. She set her sights down to Ochako and explained; "Hehe, well, I've been reading up on human physiology, and in my studies, I've found that when you hang upside down, all of the blood in your body rushes to your head."

"Okay, so…"

"So, when that happens, you get dizzy, and you have to deal with a nauseating feeling." Arcee went on. "What I'm thinking is that if you can handle hanging upside down for an extended period of time without getting sick, then maybe that can extend to your Quirk making you nauseous, too." She sent a wink down to her training partner. "Plus, if you float yourself, you'd probably have to deal with blood rushing to your head anyway, so this makes for good practice in those situations."

Ochako blinked a couple times as she let Arcee's form of training settle into her head, and it wasn't long until her smile returned. "Oh hey, I get it! Yeah, I think I can see where you're coming from." There was a small pause before the brunette asked; "So, uh… how long do we do this for?"

"About ten cycles or so…" She saw Ochako raise an eyebrow at her and Arcee realized that measurement made no sense to her. "Oh, uh, sorry. The Earth equivalent of that would be about ten minutes."

"Oh, phew, that's good." Ochako sighed in relief. "Okay, time to get focused!" The Gravity user began to clear her mind and concentrating, all while feeling more pressure build in her head. However, her face eventually began to turn red, and before long, her eyesight began to grow somewhat fuzzy. Finally, by the five-minute mark… "Eh… hehe… hehehe…"

Arcee's metal brow furrowed in concern. "Uh… 'Chako? You okay?"

"Hehehe, the room is spiiiiiniiing! Woooo!" Ochako's goofy grin almost made Arcee crack up… but that was quickly negated when she saw Ochako's legs begin to tremble. And within moments… she couldn't keep her legs hooked on the branch anymore. "Hehehe—huh? WHA—AAAH!"

A gasp came from Arcee's throat as Ochako went tumbling toward the ground. "NO!" With incredible speed, Arcee unhooked her own legs and did a backflip, her feet landing on her tree before she thrust herself out and caught Ochako just before she hit the ground. Arcee slid to a halt and sighed, resting her head against a nearby trunk. "Hah… okay, I think that's enough of that for today, Ochako. …Ochako?"

Ochako shakily stood up, her eyes spinning before resting against Arcee's finger. "Mommy, I wanna get off Mr. Bones' Wild Ride…"

…..

A few miles away, Tenya slid to a halt as he and Strongarm finally arrived at the field they were to train at, resting his hands on his knees as he took in a few breaths. His eyes scanned across the whole place and he had to admit, Strongarm had found a pretty good place for training him specifically. The grassy area was about the size of an American Football field with trees surrounding its entire diameter, giving him plenty of room to run at top speed. Plus, because of the trees, they were hidden fairly well from prying eyes, meaning he could use his Quirk without consequence.

Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! Strongarm transformed into robot mode as she pulled onto the field, stepping up to Tenya as she outstretched her hand. "Well, Tenya? What do you think? This enough room to stretch your legs?"

"Yes, it is!" The blue-haired boy affirmed. "You certainly have an eye for efficiency, Strongarm. A place that's both hidden AND acclaimable to my Quirk. It's perfect."

"Oh, stop." Strongarm waved off. "It was nothing, really." She raised her palm up and brought out a holographic diagram, showing the stats of Tenya's run time. "You did very good on your run here, by the way. Your time was amicable and you did it all without breaking the speed limit. I'm quite proud of you on that."

"Thank you." Tenya bowed. "I try my best to stay in line with the rules, of course." The Engine user then began to stretch his legs out, ready to run some more. "But, now that we're here, I can really cut loose! So, what shall we do first? Combat, or simply running?"

Strongarm brought up another hologram, this one of what Tenya could only assume was a stop watch. "I think it'd be best to start on your stamina. With all the running you do, I imagine that you must get tired eventually. So to work on that, you'll start by running laps around this entire field. And of course, I'll be keeping your time."

With an eager grin, Tenya began doing some more stretches, this time focusing on his upper body. "Excellent! A few laps to start things off will surely—"

"Fifty."

"…What?"

"You'll be doing fifty laps to start off." Strongarm repeated with a knowing smirk. "Remember, this isn't JUST a training camp, this is Auto-BOOT Camp. And as you can imagine, we don't take things lightly here." Her finger grew nearer to the timer as Tenya's eyes widened. "Now, I suggest you get ready…"

"AAAAH!" Tenya screamed before practically scrambling to get into a ready position.

"Get set…" The engines in Tenya's legs kicked on, ready to run the moment Strongarm gave the word. "…GO!" SHOOOOM! With a blast of wind that Strongarm was only barely prepared for, Tenya went off like a shot, sprinting along the diameter of the field like his life depended on it. Strongarm steadied herself and grinned at the sight of her partner dashing around the field, nodding in approval. "Hm, excellent. He'll be the perfect trainee!"

…..

Back in the base, Red Alert couldn't believe what he was doing. He was initially going to just brush Mei off like so many times before… but the moment he saw her begin to work on her jetpack, he couldn't help but notice something that seemed… off to him. And he knew that no matter how much he tried, it'd bother him until he pointed it out, so… "And that is why you should reroute this wire into this component." The medic explained. "That way, you'll received twice the amount of thrust instead of whatever you've been getting up to this point. Understand?"

Mei's jaw hung to the floor as she realized that Red was actually correct, her hands flying up to her head in shock. "Oh my gosh, so THAT'S why I haven't been getting the amount of thrust I wanted! I cannot BELIEVE I missed that!" Within moments, she began to tinker with the backpack, doing just as Red Alert instructed before pressing the test button on the top of the pack. And just like that, the thrusters kicked to life with a renewed energy that made Mei smile widely at its success. "HAHA! Amazing! It works!"

"Hm, of course it does." Red Alert concurred. "All it takes is a little ingenuity and… um…" He trailed off the moment he noticed Mei sending her ear-to-ear smile up to him, leaving the medic confused. "…Is there something wrong?"

Mei placed a hand to her hip, raising an eyebrow at him. "Was that so hard?"

"Was what hard?"

"Helping me out with my baby!" Mei pat the jetpack for emphasis. "I mean, since we first met, it feels like you've done nothing but refused anything I asked, and now you just HELPED me." Red Alert craned his head away from her, but all the same, she reached out and gave him a pat on the arm. "Thank you."

"…You're welcome." Red Alert returned. "Listen Mei, I—"

WOOM! WOOM! WOOM!

The duo were taken off guard when the base's alarm began to ring out again, their heads snapping toward the control console. "What's going on now?" Mei asked as she and Red Alert moved toward it. "Is it Prime?"

Red Alert's optics went toward the control panel, only to immediately saw the words; "Incoming Transmission: AGENT FOWLER" on the screen. "No… it's Fowler." The medic felt a hint of concern flow through him as he answered the call, with Fowler's face appearing on the screen. "Agent Fowler, to what do we owe the—"

"Red Alert?! Where's Prime?" Fowler interrupted. "We've got a SERIOUS situation here and I need him STAT."

Choosing to ignore the man's blatant disregard for even a hello, Red Alert answered him. "He's off in Kyushu investigating an energon vein we've discovered earlier. He's also taken Izuku and Bumblebee with him."

Fowler's eyes widened immediately. "KYUSHU?! So THAT explains why it's headed there…"

"What's "it"?!" Mei hollered from the ground.

"Earlier today at twelve-hundred hours Pacific Time, some of our boys in the States got blindsided by an unidentified flying object." Fowler explained. "They managed to escape with their lives, but not before their birds got shot down… and the U.F.O. managed to take on the form of their jets." The agent raised a brow to Red Alert and Mei, their expressions both clearly shocked. "Yeah, sound familiar to you? What's worse is that this bogie's headed straight for Kyushu, so if I had to guess…"

"Oh no…" Red Alert frantically began typing in a command on the console, sending a signal to Optimus and Bumblebee's commlink. "Optimus, come in! We have an emergency situation and you are right in its path!"

…..

Back in Takachiko Gorge, Izuku was staring in awe at one of the most amazing things he had ever seen. He was no stranger to what crystalized energon looked like since they had found a small surplus of it just a few days ago… but to see a significant amount of it was something else entirely. After eventually finding a small, hidden cave in the massive gorge, he, Optimus and Bumblebee were quick to go exploring inside of it, and after a few minutes, they ended up stumbling into a spacious grotto… which had huge energon crystals sticking out of each and every wall, and even the floor.

Optimus and Bumblebee were left speechless at the discovery while Izuku dashed around the place, marveling at how massive the crystals were. And the fact that they glowed and that there was a small reservoir of water in the grotto only served to make the scene more splendorous. "Haha! This is incredible! Optimus, please tell me you're seeing this."

"I am, Izuku…" Prime assured as he and Bumblebee stepped toward the crystalline energon. "But I'm still comprehending it. I had hoped that this discovery would be plentiful, but this… this is…"

"Zrkt—THE MOTHERLODE!" Bumblebee proclaimed with his hand up high.

Izuku reached out to touch one of the crystals, his breath taken away. "Wow… how much do you think is here?"

"Enough to power Polyhex for a month, I'd say." Optimus wagered, putting a hand to his hand to his chin. "The problem is, I have no clue how we're going to mine all of this. Perhaps we should contact Sector Seven for some assistance—"

"KSSH—Optimus, come in! We have an emergency situation and you are right in its path!"

Prime's head snapped up as he heard Red Alert's voice suddenly ring through his commlink, putting his finger up to his helm to respond. "Red Alert? What's happening? What's the situation?"

Bumblebee tuned in his own comm to hear the medic as well while Izuku ran back toward the bots to listen in. "Wherever you, Bee and Izuku are, you all need to leave RIGHT NOW. Agent Fowler has contacted me and said that an unidentified object appeared recently, took the form of a jet and is headed straight for you in Kyushu RIGHT NOW."

All at once, Prime and Bee's optics widened in realization, which Izuku quickly caught on to. "Oh crap… please tell me this isn't what I think it is!"

And then… BOOM! At the sound of an explosion from outside, the cave walls around them began to quake, causing debris to break off from the ceiling and fall. Some of it almost hit Izuku in the process, but Bumblebee was quick to protect him. "…Decepticons." Prime grimly uttered before speaking to Red Alert once more. "Red Alert, ready the Groundbridge! Once we're out of the cave, I'm sending Izuku back to you immediately!"

"Affirmative, Optimus." Red Alert replied. "It'll be ready soon, just be sure to get back in one piece!"

"Of course, Prime out." The moment Prime deactivated his comm, another explosion suddenly rocked the cave, making the ground shake beneath everyone's feet. "Gah! Quickly, we must move!"

"B-But Optimus, what about the energon?!" Izuku asked.

But the Prime just shook his head. "Izuku, it is of no use to us if the cave is collapsed. This Decepticon is after US, not the energon. It's likely they have no clue it's even here… and it's best to be kept that way. Now hurry!" Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! Without wasting anymore time, Prime and Bee transformed into their vehicle modes, with Izuku falling into the latter's passenger seat immediately. "Let's roll out of here!"

The two Autobots drove out of the cave as quick as they could, dodging falling debris as they did while Izuku braced himself against Bumblebee's seat. Finally, they could see daylight, and with a burst of speed, the semi-truck and Volkswagen Beetle burst out of the cave. Their tires skidded across the ground as they landed before both transformed again, the two taking battle-ready stances. "Zrkt—Where are you?! Show yourself!" Bumblebee declared.

"Oh, I would be HAPPY to!"

Within a single second, Bumblebee had instantly regretted saying that. He and Optimus felt a chill go through their circuits at the sound of that familiar voice, and before long, they saw an Earth jet coming straight for them… and it sported a rather familiar color scheme. Izuku's eyes went wide as the incoming F-15, and he could only make one guess at who it was. "Is… i-is that—"

Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk!

The jet began transforming as it zoomed in toward them, its underside coming undone as a pair of massive arms unfurled from it. Its fuselage extended down, transforming into a set of legs as its thrusters unfolded into a pair of blue feet. Its tailfins folded in on themselves and into its legs while the main wings rotated up and onto its back, all while the nose cone began compressing in on itself and folded down into the bot's red chest. The air intakes were propped up on its shoulders and a set of laser guns emerged from its arms, which immediately began lighting up with purple energy. Finally, the robot's head slid up from the jet's cockpit, its helm painted black with a somewhat angular shape to it with small air vents on the sides. The bot's chin, however, was very pointy, and his optics were gleaming red the moment they spotted the group. He raised his arms up and immediately fired his weapons.

"IT'S STARSCREAM!" Optimus belted out before tackling Bumblebee and Izuku behind a nearby boulder. "Hit the dirt!"

PEWPEWPEWPEW! Violet laser fire rocked the entire area around them, scorching the earth and making it shake with a mighty tremor. By the time things had quieted down and the trio peaked out from behind their hiding place, they saw that the ground itself was littered with tiny fires, and Starscream himself was hovering in midair via the jets in his feet. "Greetings, Autobots!" the Decepticon Air Commander said with a smirk. "Mind if I crash the party?"

…..

A/N: And with that Animated reference, we come to the end of our chapter, ladies and gents! And my, what a chapter we had. Starscream and Barricade have come to Earth and scanned their vehicle modes (an F-15 and Datsun Fairlady Z-300 respectively, the latter of which is made up to line up with the Earthrise figure and how it looks just slightly different from the original Fairlady), and we got to see the humans training with their respective Autobot partners! …Admittedly to mixed results, but still. And not only did we get to see bonding between bots and humans, but the group of teens themselves got a little bonding time as well! Very nice.

But undoubtedly, the most shocking thing that happened in this chapter was without a doubt Optimus telling Izuku he knew about the nature of his Quirk… and the reveal of the Matrix of Leadership. Indeed, the Matrix itself and One for All are VERY similar in nature, accumulating not just the wisdom, but the power of their respective past holders. And of course, I intended to capitalize on that similarity by having Optimus be the one who mentors Izuku to hopefully get a hang of One for All before the Sports Festival, so let's see if he can do that, huh? That said, our main concern now is dealing with the recently arrived Starscream, and you know what that means! FIGHT TIME!

And now, the Preview! With Starscream confronting Prime, Bee and Izuku at the gorge, our heroes scramble to Groundbridge to their location as fast as they can. But unfortunately, the Decepticons are just a bit faster as Barricade soon arrives on the scene… and he's not on his own. Will the Autobots be able to fend off the Cons? Or will this fight Swiftly be turned… into a Frenzy? Next time; Decepticons Attack! Thanks for reading everyone and I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter. Stay safe out there, and as always…

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!