Transformers MHA, Arc 2: Earthrise

by The Omni-Remnant

After a rather intense adventure and the U.A. Sports Festival approaching fast, Izuku and his friends have two important things to do; improve their Quirks in time for the festival… and hide a bunch of giant alien robots. That proves to be easier said than done, especially when enemies on Earth and from beyond the stars end up coming for them…

23. Sports Festival: Start!

A/N: HELLO, EVERYBODY! I'm BACK, and I'm feeling pretty terrific, all things considered. I mean, how can I NOT be with how much of an awesome year it's been for Transformers? Earthspark's starting up and it's looking to be a pretty entertaining show, HasLab DEATHSAURUS has been fully funded (which I again pitched in for like with Star Saber), and JUST YESTERDAY, we got our first official trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. LEMME HEAR YA, BEAST WARS FANS! Some of our favorite Maximals are finally hitting the big screen, and I CANNOT wait! WOO!

But, aside from that, it's time to return to THIS Transformers story, where our young heroes from U.A. High are finally going to be entering the Sports Festival! So, let's get back into the swing of things, huh? This is…

Chapter 23: Sports Festival: Start!

…..

Izuku Midoriya wasn't sure if he was shaking from all of the apprehension or anticipation he was feeling. Maybe it was a little bit of both, he'd believe it. After all, today was the big day. After two weeks of training and getting into SEVERAL incidents involving giant evil space robots trying to kill him and his friends, it was finally the day of the Sports Festival. Well, technically it was the FIRST day. The festival itself was a three-day event, with each year getting a day to themselves. The first day always went to the first years, and as such, it meant that they had to make the biggest impression since this would be their debut to the public eye. That's where the apprehension was coming from… but at the same time, he was excited because he was feeling more prepared for this day than ever.

'Optimus, Bumblebee, we owe you and all of the other Autobots a big thanks once this is over.' Izuku thought to himself as he tied up his red shoes, ready to head out the front door. 'I probably wouldn't be feeling this prepared for the festival if it wasn't for them.' He clenched his fist with a smile. 'Now that I can use at least eight percent of One for All, I know that I'll at least stand a chance out there!'

Just then, a voice piped up from behind, garnering his attention; "Izuku, do you have everything? You haven't forgotten anything important, right?"

Izuku pursed his lips and craned his head around to see his mother, standing just a few feet away. Inko Midoriya was a short, somewhat plump woman in her late thirties, with her green hair tied back into a pony tail as she wore a pink cardigan, yellow undershirt and pale blue skirt. However, the stresses of raising her thought-to-be Quirkless son by herself had taken its toll on her, leaving her with wrinkles below her eyes and a few grey hairs along the side of her head. Nevertheless, she still cared for her son immensely, and the moment he had told her that "his" Quirk finally emerged, Izuku could see some of that worry weight come off of her.

…That said, it didn't mean she was free from concern for her son, which Izuku could find a little suffocating at times. "Yes, mom, I've got everything I need." Izuku reached for his backpack and went for the door. "N-Now I've gotta go. My friends and I are gonna meet up before the Festival starts."

"Izuku!"

"M-Mom, what's—" But Izuku stopped when he saw his mother's beaming smile, which struck a chord with him at that moment. He had always known his mom was proud of him no matter what… but at that moment, he could see her practically overflowing in pride.

"Do your best, son." Inko beamed, her fists clenched in determination.

Slowly, Izuku returned the smile and reached out, taking hold of one of her hands. "Thanks, mom, I will."

"I'll make sure to record the whole festival in HD so you can watch it back later." Inko winked. "I know how much you love taking notes on it every year."

Izuku blushed and scratched his cheek sheepishly. "H-Heh, yeah… though it still feels like a fever dream knowing that I'm ACTUALLY competing in it this year."

His mother reached out, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. "I know, honey, but I know you'll do great out there… just um… please be careful and try not to get hurt."

A chuckle escaped Izuku's throat and he gave her a nod. "Hehe, I'll give it my best effort not to."

"That's all I ask." BEEP-BEEP! Inko's eyebrows rose up at the sudden sound of a car horn, leading her to walk over to the living room window. As soon as she and Izuku peered out of it, they saw a rather familiar yellow Beetle parked right outside their apartment complex, with Brian standing on the driver's side while waving up. "Oh, there's you're ride!"

"Hehe, yeah…" Izuku smiled. When his mother had first met "Brian" several months ago, she had been very wary of him. After all, the idea of a mute stranger commuting her son around was definitely eyebrow-raising. Thankfully, after explaining that he and Brian were both part of an effort to start cleaning up Dagobah Beach, she had warmed up to him fairly quickly after that.

But then, the woman's eyes lit up as she saw some other faces poking their heads out the windows as well; a young woman with purple hair, brunette girl, and a young man with blue hair and glasses. "Ah! And are those your friends?!"

Izuku's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as his gaze snapped down, seeing Kyoka, Ochako and Tenya all sitting in Bumblebee already. '…What is happening? Bee usually comes HERE first!' As his sights went back to his mom, he felt his gut sink as she grew ever more excited. He had mentioned his friend group before, yes, but he had never introduced her to them officially, though it was obvious she wanted to meet them. "Er, um… y-yeah, they are."

"Ooh, Izuku, you really MUST introduce me!" Inko whirled around, taking her son by the hands. "Please, it's been so long since you've had any sort of friend group! Ooh, I'm so excited!"

On the one hand, it crushed Izuku to know that last part had been a reality for the past ten years of his life. Since word got out that he was Quirkless, that made him a nobody in every school he had been in… along with being the target of Katsuki's bullying. So yes, he had expected his mom to be elated at the news of him having new friends… but this wasn't the time or place for introductions. "I-I'd love to, mom, b-but we really need to get going. There's something important that we gotta do before the festival starts, remember?"

"Oh… alright." Inko said in disappointment, only to come right back with a serious gaze. "But Izuku, I DO want to get to know them at some point. How about after the festival, we arrange a little get together with some of them?" She smiled hopefully. "Doesn't that sound fun?"

"W-Well, I don't see why not." Izuku rubbed his neck sheepishly. In truth, he wasn't exactly nervous about his mom meeting his friends… except maybe the female ones. She would probably start pitching the idea of a relationship with one of them not long after, and that thought made him mortified.

"Fantastic!" Inko clapped her hands together joyously. "I'll be sure to whip up some of my best katsudon for the occasion." She waved for her son to start heading for the door. "But we can talk meal plans later. Right now, they're waiting for you down there."

"Hm, right." Izuku nodded, putting his arm around his mother's shoulders for a brief hug. "I'll see you later, mom."

Inko returned the embrace without hesitation. "Oh, best of luck, sweetie. Make sure to give it your all." With that, she watched as her son made for the door and dashed down the steps, leaving her to peer back out the window as he joined his friends. There, she saw the purple-haired girl open the car door for Izuku from the inside… and while Inko was still on the second floor, she could swear she saw her son's smile grow just a teensy bit wider when he saw that girl.

The sight was enough to make her tear up, though she held herself back to take the moment in. 'Oh my goodness… my baby boy's growing up.'

…..

Not long after Bumblebee pulled away from the apartment building, Izuku glanced around the Autobot's interior, wondering exactly why his friends had been picked up first. "Okay, um… not to sound jealous or anything, but Bee usually picks me up first, so…"

"Heh, yeah, well Prime wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything today, so he had the bots pick us up SUPER early." Kyoka replied, a yawn soon escaping her throat. "Earlier than expected…" She reached up and gave Bee's holoform a light slap on the head. "And ya didn't HAVE to use your horn to wake me up, ya dingus. Now my parents are seriously questioning our friendship."

Bumblebee bit his lower lip as his radio replied; "Zrrkt—Sorry—zrrkt—Boss' orders."

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe how surprised I was to hear him honking his horn outside my apartment at like, six o'clock." Ochako added.

In the passenger seat up front, Tenya folded his arms and nodded as well. "Hm, yes, and even earlier for me. My brother was just on his way to work when he saw Bumblebee pull up to our building." He craned his head around, wearing a small grin. "It was… fairly interesting explaining to him and my parents why such a vintage car with a mysterious owner was just there to pick me up."

"I'll bet." Izuku sighed. "Makes you wonder… how long can we keep this a secret from our own families before they start getting suspicious?" The green-haired boy's question garnered their attention, all of them recognizing his concern. "I mean, my mom's bought it so far, but knowing her, she probably is gonna figure out something more is going on…"

Ochako chimed in first. "Well, I don't live with my parents right now, so you don't have to worry about them." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "I've been living by myself here in Musutafu since I enrolled in U.A."

"Psh, lucky." Kyoka scoffed in frustration. "My dad's like a blood hound when it comes to sniffing out suspicious stuff. If he finds out I've been hanging out with a bunch of alien robots, he's gonna FLIP."

Tenya took a deep breath, thinking over the situation himself. "Well, I don't suppose there's much we can do about it right now." He furrowed his brows at the group. "But, should any of our parents figure out what's going on, I believe it would be prudent to have Optimus himself speak to them directly."

That was something that the teens, and even Bumblebee, could all agree on. If there was one thing that they had figured out about Optimus Prime since they had met him, it was that he was fantastic at speaking, along with opening people's minds. Granted, it would be interesting and a little surreal if any of their parents WOULD end up speaking to Optimus someday, but thankfully, they didn't have to worry about that immediately. "Hm, good point, Iida." Izuku smiled hopefully. "If there's anyone who can explain the situation to our parents, it would be Optimus."

"All we gotta do is make sure that Agent Fowler doesn't get to them before Prime does." Kyoka added. "Probably best for them NOT to meet the feds right off the bat." Right as she said that, a set of car horns piped up on either side of them as they drove down the freeway, only for Bulkhead and Arcee to come pulling up not long after.

Bee immediately picked up an incoming transmission and opened up his comm for everyone to hear; "Goooood MORNING, sports fans!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Are you ready for the day's BIG extravaganza?! Lemme hear you say YEAH!"

"YEAH!" The group replied, with a few laughs in between. "Haha, Bulkhead, what's the deal?" Kyoka asked. "Usually it's Jazz who'd do something like that."

"Haha, what can I say? I'm in the sport spirit!" Bulkhead replied, the group seeing his frame shaking just outside the window. "Oh man, it's been a while since I was at a REAL sport event. Back on Cybertron before the war, watching and playing Cube with the guys was always my favorite pass time."

Arcee pulled ahead a little. "Hmhm, yeah, this should be a REALLY fun day, especially since we're finally gonna see you all compete! You all must be super excited."

Ochako put on her best determined face, her eyes practically blazing in fiery passion. "You betcha, Arcee! Today's the day we finally get to show everyone, not just in Japan, but the whole world, what we're made of." She clenched her fists as she cast her gaze straight up to the sky, not caring that the car roof was all she saw. "And lemme tell you what, I'm gonna do my best to win, win, WIN!" Ochako pumped her fist up and—BAM! "OW!"

Izuku and Kyoka gasped as Ochako hit the roof, with Bumblebee wincing up front. The purplette reached over to gently grasp the brunette's hand, hoping to calm her down. "Uh, how 'bout we save some of that enthusiasm for when we ACTUALLY get there, eh 'Chako?"

"Good idea." Ochako agreed, tearing up a little as she eyed the blonde holoform. "And sorry, Bee." She received an understanding thumbs up from him, along with a sympathetic smile. For the rest of the ride, everyone stayed relatively quiet until they got to the next off-ramp, where they made a beeline for the road that would take them to the base. Before long, they arrived at the hidden path through the woods and emerged at the shoreside warehouse that was Autobot Outpost Omega-1, where the three vehicles stopped and allowed their humans to disembark.

Mina was the first one out, wearing an ear-to-ear smile as she zipped up to Kyoka and the other girls. "EEEEE! Ladies, it's TIIIIIIIME!" She was practically bouncing as Momo, Mei, Kyoka and Ochako gathered around, the pink girl barely able to contain herself. "This is it, the big one! The event of the year! Where we get to make our first BIG impression!"

"I know, it's very exciting." Momo nodded, though she placed a hand over her chest. "But at the same time, I am still feeling a little anxious. So many people will be watching us…"

It was then that the boys came over, with Denki wearing a rather confident smirk as he rested his hands behind his head. "Ah, it's no big, Yaoyorozu. The audience is big, sure, but with so many people there, what's the point of worrying? It's not like they'll boo us out of the stadium or anything."

"Well, probably not, but still, ya probably wanna keep an eye on what ya do, Kaminari." Eijiro pointed out. "After all, this ain't just about showing off to people, it's about attracting the eyes of heroes. If we wanna get good internships, we're gonna have to impress."

"Same goes for all those investors who'll be watching as well!" Mei said excitedly, clenching her fingers with a big, toothy grin. "Ooh, just you wait! Once they see my babies in action, there's NO WAY they won't love what I've got to offer!"

"I'm sure." came the deadpan reply of Red Alert as he and the other Autobots came filing out of the base. Springer, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Strongarm and Jazz all congregated in the courtyard of the base as Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee transformed into their robot modes, towering over the students. Despite his dry tone, though, Red Alert cracked a smile of his own. "After all, we've worked hard on a lot of that over the past week, right?"

Mei winked at him and made a thumbs up. "That's right, Red! …Though honestly, it's kind of a shame that I can't credit ya since… well, ya know."

The Autobot medic raised his hand assuredly. "It's fine. Just make sure to… what's the human saying? "Knock their peds off"?"

"I think that's "knock their socks off", actually." Sideswipe corrected.

"What's a "sock"?" Sunstreaker asked.

"Hah, you expect ME to know?"

Strongarm rolled her optics, choosing to try and drown out the pointless banter as she grinned down to the humans. "Regardless of what socks are, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are heavily anticipating watching your performance in the festival."

Sideswipe cringed and leaned away from Strongarm, mumbling; "Yeah, speak for us in the most BORING way possible, why don't ya?"

Quick as a flash, however, Strongarm narrowed her gaze at the warrior. "What was that, Sideswipe?"

"N-Nothing! It's nothing!" Sideswipe held his hands up, trying to seem as innocent as possible. It was clear that Strongarm wasn't buying it, though, so he quickly changed the subject. "What I meant to say is that these guys really put in the work." He gave a thumbs up down to Eijiro in particular. "My man's gonna CRUSH it in the competition! Ain't that right?!"

The spikey redhead pumped his fist up in response. "Hell yeah, Sides! I'm gonna make sure our training doesn't go to waste!"

Sunstreaker also raised an eyeridge down to his own consort. "So, Denki, how good do you think you are right now? Think you can keep everything together even if you strain your powers a bit?"

"Relax, Sunny, it's all good!" Denki quickly waved off the yellow bot, wearing a cocky grin. "Trust me, Saturday might've been a bit of an overload for me, but so long as I don't explode, I'll be good to go."

"Hm… here's hoping." Sunstreaker said skeptically.

"You'll be facing off with several other students, right?" Strongarm inquired, setting her sights on Tenya.

The bespectacled teen nodded up to her. "Indeed. The entire First Year student body will be taking part in the competition, from Class 1-A all the way to Class 1-K. That makes up the Hero Course, the General Studies course, the Support course, and the Business course."

"Though in all honesty, the business course students don't REALLY take part." Izuku pointed out, wearing a slightly apprehensive face. "They normally just stay on the sidelines and start judging how good you are based on a business perspective… and usually their criticisms are pretty harsh."

But Mina just shrugged it off, huffing as she put her hands behind her head. "Hmph, well who cares about what the Business classes have to think about us?"

"Mina, they're pretty much the ones who handle all business expenses FOR heroes when they graduate." Kyoka interjected, keeping her usual deadpan.

"That's right." Momo affirmed. "You WANT to be on their good side. They're the ones who handle the insurance payments on collateral damages that usually happen after a big villain attack."

The pink girl blinked at the facts listed for her and her eyes shifted off to the side. "Oooh… yeah, still don't care."

Everyone practically face-faulted at that. "Agh, Mina, seriously?!" Bulkhead exclaimed.

The only one really laughing about the whole thing was Springer, who was holding his gut as he did. "Ahahaha! Oh man, Mina, you really ARE a Wrecker at heart." He lowered his fist down and she bumped it with her own. "Not caring about the clean-up after a job well done. THAT is how ya know you're a Wrecker, by Primus."

"Aw, thanks, Springer!" Mina beamed up at him. "Means a lot!"

Just then, though, another set of mighty footsteps came from the base, and everyone knew that they could only belong to one Autobot. From the base's hangar door, Optimus Prime emerged, making his way over to the team as all eyes and optics were now on him. He stopped and lowered himself down into a crouch, getting closer to the students. "Good morning, everyone." The Prime bowed slightly. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Morning, Optimus!" Izuku greeted back, with the others echoing his sentiment. "And it's no problem. Honestly, after everything you've done for us, the least we can do is spare some time before the festival starts."

Beneath is faceplate, Optimus cracked a grin. "Thank you, Izuku. I trust that you are all well rested?"

Kyoka moved her neck to the side, stretching it to pop a few muscles. "As rested as we can be, Prime."

"Kind of." Mei piped up, with her friends now noticing the dark circles under her eyes. Granted, those were almost always present, but this time, they seemed a bit more prominent. "I worked up until one o'clock last night finishing up my brand-spanking new cute babies that'll be making their debut at the festival! Had to make sure I got everything juuuuust right, after all!"

Red Alert sighed and put a hand over his visor. "Of course you would, Mei."

Prime cleared his vocal processor before continuing. "Ahem, well, be that as it may, I believe that all of you have worked your hardest over the course of training in our Auto-boot Camp." The Autobot leader nodded down to all of them. "And I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we couldn't be prouder of your accomplishments in that time. The very fact that all of you managed to confront and handle a Decepticon at least once each is more than proof of that." Optimus stood up, placing his hands on his hips. "You are ready, children, so now, I believe it's time for all of you to take your places at the stadium. Win or lose, it matters not so long as you do your best."

"And we will, Optimus." Ochako affirmed with a determined fist. "Count on it."

"Very good. Now, Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee will accompany you to the stadium." Optimus received salutes from the three Autobots in affirmation.

Jazz then jumped in, jerking his thumb toward the base. "In the meantime, we'll be stickin' 'round here and watchin' everythin' as it goes down."

"Aw, the rest of you guys aren't coming?" Mina pouted. "But why not? You guys can pretty much blend it flawlessly."

The first lieutenant could only offer a shrug. "Hey, there's gotta be a team on standby in case the 'Cons try anythin' fishy, ya know?" At that reminder, the pink girl gave a frustrated grumble, irritated at Jazz's logic. However, the bot wore a smirk as he added; "…But who knows? Maybe some of us will get the itch to get out an' hop on over to see the finals in-person."

Bulkhead leaned forward to reassure Mina as well. "And the three of us will still be cheerin' for ya from the stands in disguise, so make sure to keep an eye out for us!" He offered her a thumbs up. "So don't worry, either way, you kids have all of our support."

"Well… yeah, I guess you're right." Mina relented, her yellow eyes sparkling again. "Now let's go do this thing, huh?!"

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Arcee said gleefully as she did a backflip and transformed, ready to roll. "I can't wait for the event to start, so let's get you kids back to Musutafu!" Following her lead, Bulkhead and Bumblebee transformed as well, all of them popping open their doors for the teens. "C'mon kids, let's roll out!"

Without hesitation, the teens said their farewells to their Autobot friends and loaded up in their rides, driving back up to the main road to head back to Musutafu. As they left, though, Jazz craned his head up toward Optimus. "So… not gonna tell the kids 'bout our little discovery yet, huh, Prime?"

Prime gave a sigh and shook his head. "No, I feel it's best not to distract them with such news before the event. Wouldn't want to distract them, after all." Optimus extended his hand toward the base, leading his Autobots back inside. "But I'm certain that there will be plenty of time after the event to tell them. Besides, I'm sure the exciting news will be even more exhilarating for them with the festival's conclusion. You know as well as I do that they WILL want to help us find Grimlock, where ever he may be."

"Very true." Red Alert admitted. "Begrudging as that may be, those kids are so stubborn, they wouldn't NOT want to help us."

"Hmhm, indeed." Optimus chuckled. "But that is only indicative of their strong wills. Now come, Red Alert, I have an important task for you…"

Red curiously tilted his head as they walked into the control room. "That being."

Optimus winced and gestured toward the command computer, which was only showing static. "…Please try and find out how to get human television reception on this. I haven't been able to figure it out." Red Alert and pretty much every other Autobot all face-faulted at that.

…..

Meanwhile, half-way across the world, Starscream sat fuming in the bridge of the Darksyde, fuming at his team's latest and most infuriating failure. The Autobots had been on THEIR home turf; INSIDE their base… and yet once again, they had bested them. They had taken their prisoners and left with little to no difficulty, much to his annoyance. Of course, this had been the most recent in a string of failures, with little victories here and there to keep them afloat. But THIS? It was simply embarrassing. 'If Megatron ever finds out about this, I'll be—'

"YO, Screamer!"

"GYAH!" Starscream fell out of his seat at the sudden scare, whipping his head up to angrily glare at… "SWIFT! For Primus' sake, can't you see that I am wallowing in my own self-loathing?!"

Swift cringed at the rather… pitiful scene before her, but didn't seem all that sympathetic. "Hm, yeah, my spark bleeds for you. Anyways, you've got a call waiting."

"Oh, OF COURSE!" Starscream stood up abruptly, furrowing his eyeridges as he towered over Swift. "Because there ALWAYS has to be something interrupting me at the WORST possible time, doesn't there? Well, out with it!" Unbeknownst to the Seeker, however, the computer had already put the call through, displaying a pair of rather angry, red optics on the monitor behind him. "Which feeble-minded, insignificant, low-ranking Decepticon WRETCH has decided to interrupt the great Starscream?!"

"Grr…"

Starscream's optics widened at the low growl, a chill going up his metallic spine. "Uh…"

Swift pointed over his shoulder, the femme now visibly shaken. "…You tell me."

With a sharp gasp, Starscream whipped around, only to double back and fall into his chair at the sight of... "L-L-Lord Megatron!" He bowed his head in fear and respect… though it was mostly fear. "W-What an unexpected surprise! M-My apologies for going off there, if I had known it was you, I would've been far more restrained." Starscream put on his best "sucking up" smile. "You're looking well, by the way. Have you had a polish done—"

"SILENCE, Starscream!" Megatron bellowed, immediately shutting the Seeker up effective immediately. "I have not contacted you to hear your sycophantic prattle." He leaned forward menacingly, his optics narrowing. "I require a report of your progress, so if you would please give me one before I lose my patience…"

"W-Why yes, of course, my liege!" Starscream hopped back up, placing his hands behind his back as Swift stood at attention as well. "Ahem, in terms of progress, we have made significant strides in our time here on Earth. We have set the Darksyde down at a location that is simply RICH with energon, quite a bountiful deposit, if I must say." Starscream typed on the console, bringing up Skywarp, Thundercracker, Shadowstriker and Nightra's profiles. "Also, I have summoned some additional Decepticons to assist us in combating the Autobots and their human allies."

Megatron hummed at the sight of the four Decepticons, particularly the two other Seekers. "Hm, why am I not surprised that you contacted your immediate relations before any other Decepticons, Starscream?" But the commander shook his head. "Still, a bold decision that I'm certain is not without reason. I take it that the Autobots initially out-numbered you?"

"Indeed, there were ten total… and unfortunately, one of our own, Makeshift, was taken out by an additional Autobot that arrived on the planet recently."

"…So there are more of THEM arriving on the planet as well." As much as he wanted to chew Starscream out for losing a valued spy, the revelation of more Autobots potentially finding this insignificant rock was a far more pressing matter. Especially given that Optimus Prime WAS alive. "Starscream, I believe I shouldn't have to stress the importance of eliminating any further Autobots who may arrive on this planet. If Optimus Prime is allowed to rebuild his forces on that rock, he could successfully create a force strong enough to retake Cybertron from the Decepticons." He furrowed his eyeridges at his Second-in-Command. "And we do not want that… do we?"

Starscream straightened up and saluted. "O-Of course not, Lord Megatron! I will see to it that any further Autobots who may find this planet are immediately dealt with."

Megatron raised his chin at the statement. "You had better. Now, what of the Autobots' human allies?"

A frustrated grumble escaped Starscream's vocal processor as he clenched a fist. "That, unfortunately, has proved to be a rather vexing point of contention for all of us, my lord." He swiped his hand in front of him as he vented. "Not ONLY have they managed to ally themselves with other so-called "heroes", but in addition to those children, their most powerful ally happens to be this world's champion!"

"Explain."

"He calls himself "All Might", my lord." Swift piped up, typing into the console again to bring up an image of the Symbol of Peace. She could see Megatron's interest piqued as he raised a single eyeridge at the image, so she continued; "This hero not only has immense strength and speed, but he seems to have a personality befitting of any heroic Autobot. Bleh, it's disgusting to even think about."

Starscream sneered, spitting in distaste; "And what's worse is that he is also good friends with Prime himself."

Megatron grit his teeth into a snarl, his fists balling up as he struggled to contain his rage. "…Of course he is." He took a deep intake of air, getting a handle on his anger the best he could. "This is VERY unfortunate news, Starscream. You should have LED with that to begin with!"

"M-My apologies, Lord Megatron!" Starscream bowed immediately. "I-I only wanted to—"

"I care not for your excuses!" Megatron snapped, his voice echoing through the bridge and making all Decepticons working there stop in sheer terror alone. "All I wish is for you and your team to get. This. DONE. Or must I send my OWN away team in order to assist you?"

Starscream's eyes widened in horror. If Megatron sent HIS away team, then that meant that he'd have to deal with… him. 'The last thing I need is to be dealing with that walking audio-mixer.' He quickly shook his head, denying the "offer". "Th-That won't be necessary, my lord. Despite our setbacks, we HAVE still made quite the progress. For you see, not only do we have the energon…" He typed into the console again, bringing up profiles for the Air Assault Mini-Con team. "We have also located three Mini-Cons on this planet that have proven very useful to our cause, and we suspect that there are several more on this planet from the Ark's crash."

It was Swift's turn to pipe up again. "A-Also, we've figured out that there are SEVERAL Cybertronian artifacts on this planet, possibly sent here by Alpha Trion himself. We're currently working on locating them, but we know that there are many here."

Megatron's anger seemed to dissipate somewhat as he saw the Mini-Cons, becoming more intrigued once again. "Hmm… I see. This IS very interesting, I will admit… but what of the humans?"

"I-I actually have an idea for that, too, Lord Megatron." Swift spoke quickly, even taking Starscream off-guard as she patched into a human television broadcast, showing the exterior of U.A. High School. "I've been doing some research and apparently today is the beginning of a three-day Sports Festival that the heroes put on, showcasing their future generation of heroes." She saw her leader growing more interested as she explained, which she was thankful for. "I think, through observing this event, we will be much more prepared for whatever these humans have to through at us, especially since the Autobot's younger allies will likely be participating in the event as well."

"Y-Yes! Of course, that is exactly my thinking as well, Lord Megatron." Starscream jumped in, causing Swift to roll her optics. Of course the Seeker would be quick to try and "share" the credit. "Through this observation, I am sure that we will be much better prepared for whatever the humans have to throw at us."

The silence was palpable for a good few seconds as Megatron thought over the suggestion. However, it wasn't long before he gave an approving nod. "Hm, an admirable proposal… Agent Swift." Starscream quickly deflated as Swift put on her best grin and saluted her leader. "I wish to see this festival for myself so that we may analyze the skill of these young creatures ourselves, if you would."

"Of course, my lord." Swift replied amicably. "I'll be sure to keep a record of the footage."

"Excellent." Megatron's scowl then deepened at his Second-in-Command. "And as for you, Starscream, I would suggest not trying to take the credit away from your cohorts. It is very unbecoming."

Starscream held his tongue, instead choosing to simply take the light verbal punishment. It stung, but he didn't want to risk his position by arguing. "…Yes, Lord Megatron. My apologies."

With that, Megatron raised his head up, moving away from his monitor. "I expect a full report following the conclusion of the festival. Megatron, out." The monitor shut off, the call cutting out and leaving Starscream and Swift to themselves… which was when the Seeker let it all out.

"GRRAAAAAAHHH!" PEWPEWPEWPEW! Starscream fired his Null Rays at the chair he was sitting in, melting it partially before he pulled it straight out of the floor and tossed it across the room. "He makes me SO MAD!"

"Wow, shocker." Swift said sarcastically, only to give a pat to her boss' shoulder. "Listen, I get it, you don't like Megs and we ALL know that you wanna be the one to end him. But if you look at it from another point of you… Megatron can kind of kick ALL of our afts at once, so it's probably best to NOT do that."

Starscream kicked the floor, huffing as he folded his arms. "D'oh, I know… won't stop me from dreaming it, though." With a heavy sigh, Starscream went back to the console, inputting some new commands. "Well, better pull up that live feed of the festival and get to documenting. I have a feeling we'll be here for a LONG while."

…..

Back in Japan, Izuku, Kyoka and the others had arrived at U.A., which was already hustling and bustling with activity. Of course, given that it was a festival, there were several food vendors beginning to set up shop all over the place, mostly near the stadium where they'd be competing. However, that didn't mean the school grounds were any less busy. It was obvious that the next three days were going to be exciting for everyone… especially the students since they didn't have classes.

Mei had already gotten a head start in heading to her class, which left the 1-A students to meet up with theirs, though not without one last piece of advice from their trainers. "Alright, this is it; the big time." Bulkhead had said, the three Autobots standing before the kids in their holoforms. The large man clapped his hands together with a determined grin. "It's time for you kids to head in there and show the world what you're made of."

"Just remember, we believe that you can and WILL do your best." Arcee added, with Bumblebee giving a supportive thumbs-up next to her. "We're all extremely excited and proud that you've made it so far, so go out there and kick butt!"

"Will do, Arcee!" Ochako exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air as she spun on her heel toward the school. "C'mon guys, let's do this!"

"Uh… 'Chako?" Kyoka called out as she pointed to the massive stadium. "I think we're all meeting up right in the stadium." The brunette abruptly stopped mid-stride and spun again, pointing to the massive structure.

"Hehe, r-right, silly me!" the Gravity user sweat-dropped, feeling a bit of nerves creep up on her. 'Relax, it's just a simple mistake, you'll be fine. …I hope.' And just like that, the teens were off toward the stadium, leaving the three Autobots to go find a place to park.

After they found some free spaces, the three Autobots decided to take a stroll to see what the vendors had to offer. However, not long into their walk, Arcee spotted a certain pair of familiar people out the corner of her eye, causing her to wave and call out; "H-Hey! Kamui Woods! Mt. Lady! Is that you over there?!"

Across the way, the blonde heroine and the wood-clad hero both stopped, along with a rather large, muscley man with a big chin in a blue body suit. He had large cuffs on his wrists as well as a matching forehead piece that all had hazard striping on them, as if to warn people not to get too close to either body part. Mt. Lady's eyes immediately lit up after popping a ball-shaped piece of food into her mouth. "O-Oh! Hey, Sadie! Good to see ya!"

"Brian, Buck, what a surprise to see you here as well." Kamui said as he and his teammate approached the three, with the larger man remaining in the back. "What brings you to the festival?"

"Here to cheer the kids on, of course!" "Buck" replied, only to take notice of the man who he stood eye-to-eye with. "Huh… who's yer friend here?" He smirked as he began sizing him up. "Didn't think I'd find another guy as big as me here."

The hero returned the toothy grin whole-heartedly, seemingly happy to see someone stepping up to him. "Name's Death Arms, pal. Got a problem wit' dat?"

Buck threw his head back and laughed. "HA! Death Arms! Now that's a name. Honestly though, no, I've got no problems." He offered his hand. "It's just you look like a guy who knows how to wreck, and I can respect that."

"Heh, now DAT'S a compliment I don't get often." Death Arms went to return the handshake… and found that Buck's grip was surprisingly just as strong as his. "Woah! Hah, an' YOU'RE a guy with pretty strong hands yerself!" The man craned his head down to the two other heroes. "Kamui, Mt. Lady, who exactly ARE dese friends o' yours?"

"Oh, Sadie, Brian and Buck are actually a trio of people who we've been working closely with for a while now." Kamui explained before shifting his eyes left and right, making sure no one was listening in before whispering to Death Arms; "Keep this under your hat, but they're actually a group of covert heroes from America working on an undercover mission with the rest of their team in Japan."

That made Death Arms' eyes widen. "Woah, seriously?"

Mt. Lady winked, zipping her finger along her lips. "Yep, but that's as much as we can tell ya. And make sure you keep hush about it, alright? We don't need anyone else findin' out about this, especially when their enemies could be anywhere."

Death Arms raised a hand to swear his secrecy. "You got it. Won't tell a soul."

Sadie and Brian bowed their heads gratefully. "Thank you, Death Arms. We greatly appreciate it." The pink-haired woman tilted her head to Kamui and Mt. Lady. "So, what brings you here? Scoping out potential interns?"

"Heh, I wish." Mt. Lady rolled her eyes as she munched on another ball of human food that Sadie couldn't quite place… though it appeared to be oddly appetizing. "Hmph, you've got no idea how much I'd love to scoop up one of these brats and train 'em into well-oiled machines."

"And by that, you mean "well-oiled machines that do your housework FOR you"." Kamui deadpanned, earning him a stuck-out tongue from the heroine. The pro shook his head before flashing his security card. "But no, unfortunately we are on security duty. Normally pro heroes wouldn't be doing that, but after the villain attack…"

Sadie waved her hand. "Say no more, I totally get it."

Buck and Brian both sent sympathetic gazes to the three. "Man, sorry 'bout that guys. Sounds like it sucks."

Death Arms merely shrugged. "Eh, a little, but it ain't all bad." He jerked his thumb toward the stadium. "Sure, we don't get to sit an' enjoy da show, but we're etting' paid fa' dis so dat's a plus." The man raised a brow at the three. "Speakin' o' which, you three might wanna start etting' in dere yerselves. Wait too long an' all da seats'll be taken."

"Ooh! That's right!" Sadie eyed Buck and Brian, all three of them in a mild panic. "C'mon guys, we've gotta hurry!" The trio dashed off while waving back to the three pro heroes. "Nice talking with you guys! We'll see you later!"

"Take care, guys!" Mt. Lady waved back with a bit of a sigh. "Hah, man… wish that was us."

Kamui crossed his arms, closing his eyes regrettably. "Yes, but a hero's work is never done. Come on, let's patrol the west side."

…..

Inside the stadium, meanwhile, the group had just finished getting changed into their U.A. gym clothes and were on their way to their class's waiting room, where no doubt everyone was already there. Well, at least they HOPED they wouldn't be the last ones there, especially Tenya. "Good lord, what kind of message would I be sending if the Class Rep showed up LAST to such an important event?!" the spectacled student asked himself as he jittered during their walk, pumping his arms nervously. "I can't imagine how disappointed everyone will feel…"

"Iida, I doubt they'll really think any less of you." Kyoka said dryly, peering past the tall boy to eye his nervous face. "Seriously, they probably know we'll all show up together at this point."

"That IS true." Momo recognized, placing a finger on her chin. "After these past couple of weeks, they pretty much know that we ARE a friend group, so it's likely expected that we show up all at once."

Izuku couldn't help but squirm as a thought entered his head. "Y-You don't think they'll find it suspicious that we're all hanging out together… right?" This statement drew some curious eyes from the others, so he explained; "I-I mean, we're not exactly what you might call an "expected" group of friends. I mean, we all come from such different walks of life, you know?"

If anything, though, Ochako didn't really see a problem with that. "Yeah, so? So does everyone ELSE in class, Deku, and everyone's got THEIR own friend group, too. Even Bakugo…" She spared side-eyed glance over to Eijiro and Denki. "…Kind of."

The red and yellow duo suddenly felt all eyes on them before Denki raised his hands in defense. "Woah, woah, c'mon guys, it's not like we hang out with Bakugo twenty-four seven, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, in terms of hang-time ratio, we hang out with all of you WAY more." Eijiro added, scratching his face. "And I mean… is there really anything WRONG with tryin' to be pals with—"

"Kind of, yeah." Kyoka answered without missing a beat. "The dude's a jerk-ass and you're too blinded by "manliness" to see it."

The two boys recoiled at her bluntness, but Eijiro kept smiling regardless, though now he was a bit more nervous. "W-Well, I admit, he does have a pretty rough exterior."

"And interior." Denki scratched his cheek sheepishly. "And pretty much ANY-terior."

Eijiro pushed the blonde with a light shove. "Dude, not helping. Point is, he can't be THAT bad of a guy if he wants to be a hero, right?"

Momo, however, didn't share his sentiments. "I don't know, Kirishima… you'd be surprised to know how many heroes solely do what they do not because they're good people, but because of the fame or the money." She wore a disgusted sneer. "It honestly makes me sick to think to even think of the way they act because of they don't care about the people."

The redhead breathed out a sigh, knowing that he probably wasn't going to get far in this debate. "I hear ya… but still, I don't think Bakugo's far from a hopeless case. Sure, he's pretty brash, but who knows?" He glanced over to Izuku with a serious stare. "But uh… Midoriya, don't think I haven't noticed how he treats you." Izuku was about to speak up, but Eijiro stopped him. "I don't wanna pry or anything since I know you guys have known each other the longest and it's your business… but if he starts doing REALLY bad stuff to you, I won't hesitate to come help ya, bro."

That took Izuku and the others aback, especially Kyoka. "W-Wow… really?"

"Huh, now that's a surprise." Kyoka said in confusion. "Kinda sending mixed messages here, dude."

"Hey, I'm kinda in both camps here." Eijiro rationalized, smiling to Izuku. "I wanna be both your friend AND Bakugo's friend… I only hope I can make that work."

Izuku's smile slowly returned, the greenette now feeling a bit more assured. "…Thanks, Kirishima. And if you think you can do that, I won't try and stop you. All I can say is good luck… because we're both going to need it." At that, the group finally made it to their waiting room, and they could hear the chatter of their classmates on the other end. "Well, here we are. Class Rep, do you want the honors?"

Tenya nodded and stepped forward. "Thank you, Midoriya, I appreciate it." Without wasting any more time, he opened the door and exclaimed; "CLASS 1-A! Apologies for the delay, but we have arrived!"

To say that his shout took everyone off guard was an understatement. The only one who didn't act startled was Katsuki Bakugo himself, lifting his head up from the table to shout back; "WOULD YA PIPE DOWN, FOUR-EYES?! No one freaking cares what time you get here as long as it's before things get started!"

"Oh, would you zip it, Baku-Breath?!" From one corner of the room, Kaida Kiryu came forward with Tsuyu and Toru flanking her, the latter two looking on with concern as the Sauro-Parts user glared down the ashen blonde. "He's the Class Rep, ya know. Of course he's gonna make a big deal out of it." She made sure to shoot Tenya a reassuring smile. "Which, by the way, don't worry 'bout it, Class Rep. You're good."

Tenya bowed graciously. "Thank you, Kaida. Much appreciated."

"Tsu! Toru!" Ochako came forward with Mina and Momo, the girls all grouping together excitedly. "Oh man, it's almost time! Are you just as psyched as we are?!"

"More nervous than anything else, really." Tsuyu placed a finger to her chin, the frog girl sticking her tongue out slightly in apprehension. "I've never been out in front of so many people before…"

Toru was quick to give some encouraging words, however. "Aw, don't worry, Tsu, it's really easy, trust me!"

Mina, however, raised a brow at the invisible girl. "Easy for you to say, Toru. No body can see you."

They couldn't see it, but Toru was making the poutiest of pouty-faces. "Hmph! That's beside the point! The POINT is that nerves are just like annoying little bugs that can be easily taken care of by just…" She brought her hands up and slapped her cheeks. "Slapping them away!"

"Hm, nice strategy." Mina admitted before giving a sad sigh of her own. "Well, anyway, I'm just bummed that we have to do this in our gym uniforms. I was really hoping I'd get to show off my costume."

"Well, at least everyone will be in their uniforms." Ojiro pointed out, the tailed boy piping up. "That'll keep things fair, right?"

Meanwhile, Sato was anxiously fidgeting against the wall, wondering what they'd have to do when they got out there. "I wonder what they'll have in store for us in the first round. Any ideas on what that could be?"

"Whatever it is, we must persevere." Tokoyami stated, the bird-headed boy keeping his eyes shut and his arms crossed. "We've trained too hard for this day to just crumple in the first round."

Kaida came up to Izuku and Kyoka, placing her hands on their shoulders with a big, toothy grin. "Hope you two are ready to scrap, because lemme tell ya, I'm rip-roarin' and ready to go! How 'bout you guys?!"

"Heh, well, ready as we'll ever be, I guess." Kyoka shrugged, eyeing Izuku with a head-tilt. "Right, Green Bean?"

Izuku's cheeks flushed red a bit as he rubbed his neck. "Haha, yeah, I guess…"

"Midoriya."

The green-haired boy suddenly felt a chill go up his spine at the sound of his name, which came from a voice that sounded just as cold. Izuku craned his head around and was met with the half-scared face of Shoto Todoroki staring back at him. Shoto's blue and brown eyes seemed to bore into his soul as he glared softly at him, which only made Izuku more apprehensive. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Kyoka slowly get a bit more defensive, which was his cue to answer the Half-Cold-Half-Hot Quirk user. "H-Hey, Todoroki. What's up?"

Shoto took a few seconds before replying; "From an objective standpoint, I think it's fair to say I'm stronger than you."

The words took Izuku off guard, along with pretty much everyone within hearing distance. "Um… yeah, I guess…"

"However, you've got All Might in your corner helping you out." Shoto stated, which made several of the 1-A students double take, especially those who were ALSO connected to All Might through the Autobots. "I'm not here to pry about what's going on between you two…" He glanced toward Tenya, Momo, Mina, Ochako, Eijiro, Denki and Kyoka as well. "Or where you and the others go with those people every afternoon…" He brought his attention back to the greenette. "But know that I WILL beat you."

There was a long silence after that as the tension in the room was heightened considerably, leaving everyone uneasy. …So of course, Denki decided to break it. "Woah, man, what's with all the declarations of war lately, huh?"

"Yeah, man, what's the big deal?" Eijiro came forward, placing a hand on Shoto's shoulder. "Why're ya picking a fight all of a sudden? We're only just about to get started, ya know?"

"We aren't here to be each other's friends." Shoto coldly said as he wrenched himself away from Eijiro's grasp. "Don't forget, this isn't a team effort." Without saying anything else, Todoroki started walking away, no change in his expression whatsoever.

"Why you—get back here and apologize!" Kyoka shouted after him.

But Izuku quickly tried to defuse the situation. "Wait, Kyoka… please." This earned a confused gaze from the punk rocker as he turned toward Shoto once again. "Todoroki… I don't know what's going through your head or why you think you need to tell me that you'll beat me." He saw Shoto crane his head back a little, indicating that he was listening. "And yeah, I know you're better than me. In fact, you probably have more potential than anyone in the Hero Course. That's why you got in so easily, after all."

At that point, everyone was staring in stunned silence at Izuku, surprised that the normally very reserved boy would be saying stuff like this. Kaida, while also fairly shocked, did her best to try and bring the situation down a little. "H-Hey, c'mon Midoriya, don't ya think you're bein' a bit harsh on yourself… and us?"

"No, he's right, Kaida." Izuku replied, putting his head down further. Kaida was left speechless as Izuku clenched his fists. "All of the other courses… they're coming after us with everything they've got. We're all gonna have to fight to stand out." He paused as he lifted his head, staring directly into Shoto's eyes with determination. "And I'll be aiming for the top, too."

"…Fine." Shoto replied before heading for the door. And, if Izuku listened closely, he could hear Katsuki giving a scoff. It wasn't much, but it assured the greenette that he WAS listening.

Tenya cleared his throat, thankful that the scene was seemingly over. "Ahem, well, I will say that was quite the… interesting motivational speech, Midoriya." The Class Rep clapped his hands together, wanting to get everyone's attention. "But, with all that said and done, it's about time we head into the arena. Single file, if you'd please."

The students followed Tenya's lead, with Izuku initially wanting to head out right away… only to feel a strong pull on his arm. He whipped his head around and was met with a very serious gaze from Kyoka, her next words making him shudder; "We need to talk." Kyoka peered past him and nodded to Tenya. "We'll be right there, Slim." The bespectacled teen was hesitant at first… but he could tell that whatever she needed to say to Izuku, it was important, so he allowed it.

Once the class was gone, Kyoka's eyes widened in disbelief as she thrust her hand toward the door. "Just what the hell was THAT?!"

"K-Kyoka, I know I might've sounded harsh back there, but—"

"Oh no, I'm not talking about the whole "giving it your all to aim for the top" stuff." Kyoka denied, shaking her head. "That, I'm kind of all for, and I'm pretty proud of that confidence." Hints of a smile formed on Izuku's features, but were quickly dashed as Kyoka chopped him on the shoulder. "What I'm talking about it how YOU think it's a good idea to encourage the thoughts of Endeavor's kid!"

"…Alright, that might've been less wise, I'll admit." Izuku shrunk back, wringing his hands nervously. "But what else am I supposed to do? I want to win just as much as everyone else does, you know?"

"Yeah, but… Endeavor's kid."

That did give Izuku some rather unsavory thoughts, for sure. Shoto Todoroki had always been fairly enigmatic throughout the last month or so of class, never one to speak up or actively engage with anyone else. Always seemed like a loner. However, there WAS one thing that was sure; he was the son of THE Number Two hero in all of Japan, and that meant that he must've been pretty dangerous. Izuku took a deep breath, giving Kyoka a nod. "Yeah… I can see where you're getting at."

Kyoka gave him a jab in the arm for that. "Oh, so NOW you realize how badly you screwed yourself, eh?"

"Maybe so… but even then, I'm not going to give up that easily." Izuku closed his eyes and clenched his fists again. "I'm not exactly sure what Todoroki's problem is with me, how he might know about All Might and I, or how much he knows about Bee and the others… but even if we end up facing one another, I'm not going to give up." He opened his eyes, meeting Kyoka's once more. "He called me out, so… last thing I want to do is disappoint him, I guess."

"Ugh… dear god, you are hopeless." Kyoka groaned before leading Izuku to the door. "Well, if that's the case, then I'm gonna do the same." She put on a smirk and winked at him one more time. "After all, you're not the only one who wants to win this thing."

Izuku brightened up at that, offering his hand. "If we meet up in the final round… no regrets?"

"No regrets." Kyoka shook his hand happily, knowing that no matter what would happen, they'd still be friends. "So, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's." And like that, they were off, ready to make their debut to the world.

…..

Back at Autobot headquarters, Red Alert had just finished setting up the television signal, which hadn't been so much hard as it was irritating. 'I swear, this race has figured out holograms, but NOT data streaming through laser beams?' His criticisms of human technology aside, however, things were finally ready in the command center, and it was almost time for the event to start. "Everyone, gather 'round! I've got the broadcast set up and it's set to begin any moment!"

"Woo! Awesome!" Sideswipe cheered as he and Sunstreaker dashed in, followed by Springer, Strongarm and Windblade. "Can't freaking wait to see our boys out their kickin' skidplate!"

"Oh, yes!" Sunstreaker rubbed his metal palms, sitting in a chair. "This is gonna be quite the show, I can tell."

As Springer got closer, however, he paused as he realized something. "Oh, wait a sec…" POW! POW! With a flex of his arms, Springer deployed Sawback and Fangblade off of his shoulders, the two animalistic Mini-Cons staring up at the giant screen as they landed. "You guys should get a front row seat, too. Remember to cheer for the kids, okay?" Sawback barked enthusiastically… while Fangblade mewled and curled up on the floor, seemingly more interested in taking a nap than anything else.

Not long after, Optimus and Jazz also filed in, the leader going straight for his chair at the very front. He was met with a waiting screen that said; "Your broadcast will begin momentarily", which only served to build the anticipation. '…Izuku, everyone… good luck.' Within seconds, the screen shifted to a brief intro sequence with the U.A. logo, complete with epic music… before the group of Autobots were nearly deafened.

"HEYOOOO, EVERYBODY!" The bots did their best to cover their audio receptors as Present Mic practically screamed into the camera. If their full attention wasn't on the broadcast, it certainly was now. "Make some noise, you rabid sports fans! Get those cameras ready, media hordes! This year, we're bringing you some of THE hottest performances in U.A.'s history, guaranteed!"

"Agh! By Primus!" Strongarm exclaimed. "Does he EVER tone it down?!"

Jazz let out an amused chuckle. "Hah, probably not. Dude's loud n' proud, an' that's somethin' I can respect."

"I've only got ONE question before we start the show; ARE YOU READ-AY?!" As Present Mic said that, the footage changed to a panning shot across the stadium, showing the thousands of screaming fans all in attendance.

Windblade's optics widened in shock. "Woah, I knew the crowd would be huge, but I didn't think it'd be THAT size."

"Not surprising, really." Springer shrugged. "Back on Cybertron, we'd get about that many bots in attendance for Cube games on the regular." The Triple Changer smiled fondly. "This even must REALLY be something that people look forward to, that's for sure."

The Autobots watched on as the camera panned back down to the main field, stopping near one of the entry gates. "Lemme hear ya SCREAM as our students make their way to the main stage!" Not two seconds later did Class 1-A step out onto the field, earning an uproarious cheer from the audience, as well as the Autobots themselves. "This first group is NO stranger to the spotlight! You know 'em as the ones who survived the USJ villain attack; they're the dazzling students with mad skills and iron wills! That's right, it's the heroic students of Class 1-A!"

"HAHA! There they are!" Jazz pointed up to the screen, spotting their friends immediately. "An' would ya look at that? Our guys're down in front!"

"Yeah… though Izuku seems as if he's going to fall over at any moment." Strongarm pointed out, the camera catching the greenette shaking like a leaf.

Optimus couldn't help but crack a small smile beneath his faceplate. Of course, he hadn't expected Izuku to get over his nerves that quickly, but just by seeing the young man's eyes, the Autobot leader could see that there was still determination behind his gaze. 'It's alright, young man. Simply play it by year and you will be fine.'

As 1-A took the field, another group of students also came filing onto the field. A few notable ones that caught the bots' optics were a young woman with long, red hair tied into a pony tail, as she was taking the lead. Another was a young man white stark white hair with matching thick eye lashes, and another appeared to be a girl with thorny vines for hair. "This next group hasn't been given nearly as much screentime, but they're still chockful of talent!" Present Mic went on. "Please welcome Hero Course 1-B!"

"Huh, so these must be that OTHER class of hero students that the kids kept mentioning, huh?" Sideswipe tilted his head, his interest piqued as he saw a student covered in thick, brown hair and wearing glasses. "They sure seem unique, I'll say that much."

Sunstreaker had to do a double take as he saw another student whose entire head seemed to be a massive glue dispenser with a large mouth and several holes in the face, though they didn't seem to be eyes. "…Yeah, unique is a good word to describe them."

After the two hero courses, several more students made their trek onto the field, with Present Mic announcing them accordingly; "Next up, General Studies classes C, D and E! Support classes F, G and H!"

Windblade gasped and pointed up to the screen. "Red! Red! There's Mei, up in front!"

"I see her, Windblade, don't worry." Red Alert assured, smiling as he saw the pink-haired inventor walking at the front of her class. She was also decked out in her inventions, making her impossible to miss. "Hm, hopefully her mobility won't be hindered by having all of those on at once…"

"And finally, the Business classes I, J and K! Give it up for these First-Year contestants!" With Present Mic's conclusion, the classes all lined up in front of the main stage at the west side of the field… where a certain someone was standing in her dominatrix-like hero gear. "Now, put your hands together for our chief umpire! Ya know her, and I've got a feeling that MOST of you fans love her! It's MIDNIGHT!"

The sight of the R-Rated hero standing up on the stage, striking a rather sultry pose, took several of the Autobots back. "Woah, SHE'S the chief umpire?!" Springer said in disbelief. "Huh, guess it's a good thing we rescued her, then. Otherwise they would've had to find a new one on short notice." The bots all sent questioning glares at the Wrecker, who raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just saying…"

"SILENCE, everyone!" Midnight suddenly shouted, whipping her flog to get the attention of the crowd of kids in front of her. "It's time for the introductory speech! And for this year's student pledge, we have… Katsuki Bakugo!"

The sound of the familiar name caught the Autobots' attention, the team watching as a spikey-haired ashen blonde came skulking up onto the stage with an indifferent expression. "Woah, that kid seems a bit… brazen." Springer noticed.

"Is that really that Bakugo guy that Kyoka mentioned?" Sideswipe questioned.

Windblade furrowed her metal brow, crossing her arms with narrowed eyes. "It is, which means he's the same guy who picked on Izuku in middle school." She rolled her optics as Katsuki stepped up to the mic. "This oughta be interesting…"

There was a short pause throughout the stadium before the young man finally spoke; "I just wanna say… I'm gonna win." And just like that, Katsuki was being rained down upon by boos and jeers from his fellow students, with several going so far as to swear at him for his shameless words.

Several Autobots all winced uncomfortably as they saw Katsuki get into a verbal altercation with Tenya, leading Windblade to smack her forehead. "Wow, he managed to make an enemy out of EVERYBODY within TWO seconds. That's kind of impressive, not gonna lie."

"Can't imagine the rest of 1-A's gonna get off scot-free from that either." Jazz remarked, noticing how plenty of students were glaring at 1-A in general. "Guilty by association an' all that, ya know?"

"Hm, it is quite unfortunate." Optimus muttered, noticing the rather angry demeanor that Bakugo seemed to carry. "That boy… he wants to be a hero, yet he cares not of what others think of him, even if he is hated by his peers."

Once the hateful taunts toward Bakugo died down a bit, Midnight cleared her throat and drew everyone's attention up to the big screen. "Ahem, well, without further ado, it's time to get started! The first game is what it's all about… as it's where you'll REALLY begin feeling the pain!" She licked her lips in anticipation as a slot machine wheel came onto the screen, spinning at high speeds to decide the first game. "The first fateful game of the festival—what COULD it be?!" Not long after, the wheel stopped, and the answer became clear to everyone; "Ta-da! An obstacle race!"

"Ooh, NOW we're talkin'!" Springer rubbed his hands eagerly. "This kinda stuff is what'll separate the Wreckers from the whiners."

"All classes will participate in this treacherous contest!" Midnight pointed up as the screen changed to a map of the stadium, or more specifically, a map of the course around the stadium. "The track is four kilometers around the outside of the stadium. I don't want to restrain anyone, at least not in this game…" Once again, she licked her lips, a lustful grin forming as she waved her hand out to the students. "So, as long as you don't leave the course, you're free to do whatever your heart desires! Now, take your places, contestants!"

"Wow, this will be quite the test." Strongarm noted as the students began taking their places. "We've done several obstacle courses in the academy, but I have no idea what these kids could be in for here…"

"Me either." Red Alert admitted, placing a hand on his chin. "They likely have no idea what these obstacles are, so it'll be a surprise either way." He craned his head toward Optimus, seeing his leader still keeping his optics locked on the screen. "What do you think, Optimus?"

There was a short silence before Prime replied; "I believe that the school wouldn't prepare any obstacles that these children wouldn't be able to get past." His focus was intently set on their charges, knowing that they'd be prepared for whatever lies ahead. "No matter what waits for them beyond that gate, I have a feeling that they will be alright. Though I doubt it's the obstacles that they'll have the most trouble contending with."

Sunstreaker raised an eyeridge at that. "Whaddya mean, Prime?"

"I mean that they'll likely have to worry more about the competition than anything else." Optimus stated, right as the camera panned over Izuku. "These kids are all intent on getting an early victory. After all, in their mind, they've got to go to the next round strong." As he said this, a display of lights came up on the big screen, with Midnight raising her arm. "At this point, all that matters to them… is going for the win."

Several beeps sounded through the stadium as the lights lit up red. "On your mark…" Yellow… "Get set…" And then finally, green as Midnight waved her hand down. "BEGIN!"

…..

A/N: And there you have it! The festival has finally begun! Now, as you can probably guess, the Autobots and Decepticons won't be a HUGE factor going into this part of the arc. They've pretty much taken the role as observers for the upcoming games and will likely remain that way until things come to an end. But don't worry, I can assure you that their color commentary will be well worth while, especially since we're still going to get all of the action that was in the canon Sports Festival AND more!

Because let me be clear; I do plan on shaking up where certain students fall within the rankings in these events, leading to a few different outcomes. What will those be? Well, we'll just have to wait and see on that. Speaking of the festival, though, apologies if Present Mic's dialogue isn't exactly like how it is in the show, I can't for the life of me find accurate subtitles for his dub lines…

But oh, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I've FINALLY brought Inko Midoriya into the story. Good god, how it took me THIS long to find a good opportunity to introduce the main character's OWN MOTHER is beyond me, I swear. Same goes for Death Arms, honestly. Dude was the FIRST hero we saw in the show and only NOW is he appearing… though considering his general attitude, maybe it's a good thing. But what's REALLY good is that Todoroki's now in more of a spotlight, which is good because I've got plans for him involving our group of in-the-know Autobot allies, hehe…

On the flipside, though, we got yet another cameo from Megatron and he's far from happy with Starscream's lackluster report. Sure, there was some good news here and there, but… well, it's Starscream. You KNOW Megatron wants to get his most loyal "Walking Audio Mixer" onto that planet to start getting some REAL work done as soon as possible *wink-wink-nudge-nudge*.

And now, The Preview! With the festival now underway and the race on, the students find their first obstacle to be… the doorway. Complete with frozen feet thanks to Todoroki. However, several are able to keep pace… including something that I don't think anyone watching the festival will see coming. Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope to see you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!