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…

28. The First Bracket

A/N: Hey guys, how're you all doing today? Well, with Izuku's win against Shinso in the books, it's now well and truly time to get into the MEAT of this tournament. The first round's gonna have a lot of interesting fights, though a lot of the different ones are gonna be in the SECOND bracket, so we've still got three matches to go until then. All of them happened in canon… but I think I can still mix a few things up here, plus we've still got the aftermath with Shinso as well. …But before that, how about we add in a certain tyrant's perspective on these matches, hm? This is…

Chapter 28: The First Bracket

…..

Several thousands of lightyears away from planet Earth, Megatron was walking through the hallowed halls of his Kaon palace, having just returned from a meeting with some of his most tactically efficient soldiers. Namely, he had spoken mostly with Onslaught, one of his best and most capable generals. His Combaticons had been tasked with flushing out whatever was left of the Autobot resistance in order to finally snuff them out, and for the most part, they had been highly effective in that assignment. However, as Autobots became more and more scarce, things hadn't become as easy…

"We know that there MUST be more of them, Lord Megatron." Onslaught had said, glaring at the holographic map of Cybertron as it pinpointed all of the locations where they had found Autobot scavengers. "But they've become increasingly more difficult to tempt out of their hiding places. We suspect that they've gone further underground."

"Into the depths of the planet itself…" Megatron had mused. "Very well, I will have Shockwave provide you with the necessary resources to deal with such a task. The best scanners and drilling equipment we have. I hope to see ideal results, Onslaught, so do not fail me." After expressing their gratitude, Onslaught, Brawl, Vortex and Blast Off had went to prepare for their next assignment. '…Side note; find out how that blasted Swindle scurried off-world.'

Next, though, Megatron would have to check in with his Decepticon scouts who had taken to the stars in search of energy to bring back to Cybertron. If the planet itself wouldn't provide Energon, then they'd simply TAKE what they'd need from others. However, just as he entered his throne room, he was greeted by the sight of his devoted scientist. "Lord Megatron." Shockwave bowed, his single yellow optic glowing with every word. "I have intercepted a transmission from our forces on Earth. Unicronus wishes to speak with you."

Megatron's metal brow rose in intrigue. "Unicronus… hm, very well. Though I was about to contact the away teams to assess their recent gains."

"Please, my lord, allow me to do that for you." Shockwave bowed his head once more. "From what Unicronus told me, he would like a bit more than just a moment of your time."

"Hm… I see. You may do as you see fit, Shockwave. You have my thanks." The cycloptic Decepticon placed a hand over his chest before walking out of the room, showing his leader respect. With that, Megatron sat down on his throne and brought up the transmission, being greeted by the visage of Unicronus himself. "Unicronus, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Lord Megatron, sir." Unicronus saluted. "I'm glad that you were able to answer. I wanted to tell you that the finals of these Earthling's "Sports Festival" are about to begin. It has been… interesting so far."

Megatron narrowed his optics. "Is that so? What KIND of "interesting"?"

Just then, of all bots, Nightra peeked out from behind Unicronus, which was impressive given his looming figure. "Oh, you know, just the fact that the Autobots' little green-haired pipsqueak has managed to keep and STAY in first place. No big deal." This earned a rather cold, scrutinizing glare from the Decepticon leader, leading the magenta bot to realize that her sarcastic attitude had gotten the better of her. "E-Erm, Lord Megatron, sir."

The former gladiator sighed, giving Nightra his full focus. "I will ignore your speaking out of turn, Agent Nightra, and instead return to the topic at hand. You're saying that the Autobots' ally has made it to the finals?"

"Not just him." Unicronus asserted. "But all NINE of them."

That gave Megatron pause for a second. ALL of the Autobot's allies had made it to the final round? Either that was a coincidence or… they had trained them well. "Hmph, I see. But the question remains…" He leaned forward slightly with an inquiring glare. "Why did you feel the need to inform me? You ARE cataloguing the festival, correct?"

"Of course, we are, my lord." Unicronus affirmed. "We simply thought you'd be interested to watch the finals live, in order to get a gauge on these humans first-hand."

If anything, this just made Megatron sneer more. "And why would I be interested, general?"

"These finals consist of one-on-one battles between the students." Unicronus informed. "They are competing in all-out combat, allowing their Quirks to be on full display."

…Admittedly, as this information settled in, Megatron had to admit, that DID intrigue him a little bit. After all, as someone who began as a simple gladiator within the deepest, most foul arenas in the pits of Kaon, he was no stranger when it came to combat. "…So you're telling me that these juvenile organics are going to be fighting one another for sport while ravenous spectators simply watch those younger than them break one another?"Unicronus gave a nod, to which Megatron raised his chin. "Hm… well, I find it hard to say "no" to that."

"Ah, willing child endangerment." Nightra mused as she typed in a command on the console. "Just when I thought these organics can't get any more screwed in the head." Within moments, the screen expanded to show all of the Decepticons within the Darksyde, much to Starscream's irritation. But then, another screen appeared, this one showing a live feed of the Sports Festival. "There you are, Lord Megatron. Enjoy the show."

Unfortunately, Megatron didn't have the best first impressions. "Hey sports fans! ARE YOU REA-DAY?!"

"GAH!" Megatron covered one of his audio receptors, pounding the arm of his throne with the other hand. "What in the name of Primus is THAT?!"

"Oh, my apologies Lord Megatron." Starscream smirked, lowering the volume of the feed. "That would be Present Mic, a hero who works at U.A. High and is the announcer for this event. I hadn't realized I had it so loud, but admittedly, the previous event WAS fairly exciting."

Of course, knowing Starscream, Megatron wasn't fool so easily by his excuse. That had been done on purpose. Still, even with the volume lowered, that didn't stop him from thinking that Present Mic was annoying as he went over the rules of the finals. As he did, Megatron saw two children take the battlefield; a boy with green hair, and one with purple hair. "Unicronus, is that the boy you spoke of?"

"Indeed." Unicronus confirmed. "Izuku Midoriya of Class 1-A."

"Hmph, this organic whelp doesn't appear to be THAT threatening."

"Please, don't be fooled by his appearance, my lord." Unicronus warned. "Believe me, he's stronger than he appears."

Megatron hummed in contemplation. True, he had encountered his fair share of enemies who's appearances were deceiving, but still, such thin and small beings couldn't be THAT powerful. …Though if these humans were capable of becoming powerhouses like this "All Might" that he had heard about, then that would make him reconsider. He focused back on the battle itself… or rather, lack thereof. After the purple-haired boy had said something to get a rise out of Izuku, the greenette had stopped and began turning around, per the boy's instructions. Eventually, the reasoning came to light as Present Mic explained that it was the work of a Quirk. "Hm, brainwashing…"

"That doesn't really make much sense, honestly." Skywarp commented. "The heck is he doing at a hero school when something like that is totally villainous?"

"Psh, search me." Swift shrugged.

The moments passed, and as Izuku grew closer to the boundary line, Megatron could feel the gratification about to hit him. He knew it; this boy was nothing special. …But then something happened. Megatron could see a brief glow down near the boy's hand before he flicked his fingers… and sent a huge pulse through the entire stadium, making the cameras shake. "Woah! What was that all about?!" Barricade asked.

"Dunno. But whatever it was, it seemed pretty powerful." Thundercracker noted.

Megatron had to do a double take. How… how did that just happen? He could've sworn he just saw a huge build-up of energy in that child's fingers, and that single flick was enough to kick up a gust of wind that managed to knock him out of his mind-controlled state. Megatron could see that Izuku's fingers had been broken, no doubt from the force of that one flick. '…His body cannot handle his power, and yet…' The gladiator watched as Izuku went charging toward Shinso, who was desperately trying to get him to talk again. 'He keeps going.'

The tyrant watched as the two boys scuffled, with Shinso punching Izuku in his broken fingers before going to push him out of the ring by force. However, right as he was about to reach him, Izuku's body began glowing with a green, sparking energy, before leaping up and over his opponent. The greenette then came flying down in a diving kick, pushing Shinso out of the ring and ending the battle. As the referee announced Izuku's victory, Megatron exhaled from his intakes, pondering what he had just seen.

'This boy's power… it is impeccable.' he thought to himself. 'If this is the type of power that one of these humans is able to generate… then perhaps I was too hasty to dismiss this race's uses.' The Decepticon leader placed his hand to his chin in contemplation. 'But if THIS is what a hero is capable of, then no doubt there must be villains that are equal or even greater in power…' Megatron narrowed his optics with a grimace. 'They could pose a problem if I wish to bring Earth down under my heel as well.'

It was then that Unicronus spoke up, noticing Megatron's silence. "M-My liege, I'm sorry if this battle wasn't to your liking. I-I was honestly expecting far more from—"

"It's quite alright, general." Megatron reassured with a wave of the hand. "In all honesty, this battle certainly helped to… open my optics a bit." He furrowed his brow as the camera focused in on Izuku. "If the Autobots insist on allying with these human heroes… then perhaps we may require some villainous allies of our own."

…..

Back on Earth, Hitoshi Shinso opened his eyes, his gaze directed up to the big blue sky. But he knew why he was staring straight up, and it frustrated him to no end. He grit his teeth and balled his hands into fists as he trembled there on the ground. Despite his best efforts… he had been beaten, as Present Mic had been so eager to remind everybody.

"And with that expertly performed kick, we have our first victor of the finals! CLASS 1-A's IZUKU MIDORIYA! Granted, it wasn't the most EXCITING first match we've had here, but both of them fought bravely!"

Shinso glanced up to Izuku, expecting to see a victorious smile across the lucky bastard's face. …But there was none. If anything, he seemed more exhausted than anything. And his eyes… they were staring down at him. Was that… concern behind his gaze? No, couldn't be. Who would take time to be worried about HIM of all people? Shinso got up with a groan, going to the center of the ring where both opponents would show respect. But all the while, Shinso simply kept his head down, ashamed of his loss after coming so far.

However, after bowing to him, Izuku said something that caught him off guard. "…Why do you want to be a hero?" Shinso's eyes shot up in surprise, meeting the greenette's. "What drives you?"

That gave Shinso pause, recalling all of the things he had heard his old classmates say in middle school; 'Wow, Shinso, imagine all of the cool stuff you could do controlling people!' 'Yeah, you could do any bad thing you want!' 'And no one would ever know it was you!' The very thought made Shinso wince. Even if they were compliments on how powerful his Quirk was… it still stung that people would assume he would do bad things with it.

"…You can't help the things your heart longs for." Shinso stated as he turned away, leaving Izuku in the ring as he went toward his entry tunnel.

'…I felt the same way.' Izuku said to himself. 'Before inheriting One for All, I was just like him. But nothing I say is gonna make him feel better…"

But, as Shinso was about to walk through the tunnel… a voice caught his attention. "You were awesome out there, Shinso!" The purple-haired boy's eyebrows shot up, his head moving up to see his classmates from General Studies all gathered around. In all honesty, he was shocked, especially since he hadn't devoted much time to getting to know them. But still…

"We're proud a' you!" one brunette girl said as she waved down to him.

"You didn't tell us you were that good!" another boy said.

"Yeah, you're the star of our program." cheered another.

One larger boy with a rather big chin walked up and sent Shinso a thumbs up. "I can't believe you put up such a great fight against the dud who's been in first place for the whole Festival!" He jerked his thumb back toward the other heroes spectating behind them. "Listen to 'em up there!"

Shinso perked up his ears… and what he heard sent him into an even further state of shock. "Hm, with a Quirk like that, it'd be very simple to capture dangerous villains." said a lizard-like hero. "Wish I had it."

Next to the lizard man was another hero who Shinso recognized more; Ms. Joke. The orange bandana on her head and her teal hair were unmistakable, and this was one of the rarer times where she was seen with her mask on. "I can't believe they put him in General Studies!" the Laughing Hero lamented. "Those idiots…"

"Well, there are a ton of applicants each year." Another hero spoke up, this one wearing a very cool mask. "Guess some people slip through the cracks."

Two heroes with gas mask-like heads were also conversing with one another about his performance. "If only he had more combat experience." the blue one said.

"Yeah, I bet he would've dominated." replied the green one. "What a waste."

The big-chinned boy smiled down to Shinso in approval. "Shinso, ya hear that? It's great! They think you're incredible!"

Shinso could feel his hands trembling again, though this time, for a much different reason. He was overwhelmed not by frustration… but joy. People were actually recognizing his Quirk not for its more nefarious uses, but for how it could be used for good. He took a deep breath before addressing Izuku, though he didn't turn around. "Depending on the results, they might transfer people into the Hero Course. Remember that." He clenched his fist in determination. "Even if it didn't work out this time, I'm not giving up. I'll get onto the hero track and get certified. And then… I'll become a better pro than any of you."

Izuku so desperately wanted to reaffirm Shinso's words. He himself was elated that the pros were praising Shinso's Quirk… but at the same time, after that battle, he knew he should reply to Shinso in a different way. He walked forward, taking Midnight by surprise as he followed Shinso. "Uh, Midoriya, your exit is…" The boy craned his head toward her and met her eyes, nudging toward his opponent. Eventually, Midnight cracked a smile. "I see. Well, do what you feel you must."

"Thank you." Izuku went down to meet Shinso, elbowing him slightly to get his attention.

"H-Huh? What?" Shinso was surprised by the sudden action, though he was met with a serious stare from the Quirk Inheritor. Izuku pointed toward him, then himself, before pointing back toward the tunnel, which Shinso quickly picked up on. "Hm, you want to talk, is that right?" Izuku raised a brow, keeping his stern demeanor, and the purple-haired boy raised his hands. "Okay, I get it, don't worry. The match is over anyways. Feel free to talk freely."

"…Good." Izuku stated, thankful to not be under mind control immediately. "Because we've got a lot to talk about." With that, the two opponents walked into the same tunnel, much to the confusion of the audience. Once they were away from preying eyes, Izuku leaned up against a wall, holding his injured hand. "…To tell you the truth, I can relate to a lot of what you've been feeling, Shinso." This earned him a confused look, understandably. "You probably won't believe this, but my Quirk didn't emerge until recently, around my fourteenth birthday."

That made Shinso's eyes widen. "Wait… seriously?"

"Yeah. You probably know how it breaks my bones." Izuku winced, glancing down to his fingers. "Well, the doctor's think that's part of the reason. My Quirk was so powerful that, if it had showed up while I was four, it would've blown my body to bits."

If anything, that made Shinso's gut sink a bit. "…Damn. I-I… I didn't think something like that was possible."

"No one did… not before me, at least." Izuku balled his fist, ignoring the pain in his fingers. "But as you probably saw in the race, I've recently been able to gain better control over it. …But honestly, I'm glad to have any Quirk at all. For so much of my life, me and my peers all thought I was Quirkless, which led to a lot of ridicule and bullying." He saw that Shinso's mouth was open, the boy no doubt trying to take all of this in. "But, even without a Quirk, I still wanted to be a hero. Sure, I got lucky, but I'm also working hard to get my power under control. I'm far from over the finish line when it comes to my Quirk." He gave Shinso a smile. "And I can tell… that neither are you. There's so much you can do with your Quirk, and I have no doubt that the Hero Course can help you."

Shinso's expression became a bit dower again. "Psh, yeah… but only IF they let me in. I've still gotta try and convince them of that first."

"No doubt about it." Izuku raised his fist to him. "And I wish you luck with that. I'll make sure to vouch for you when that time comes."

"…Even after what I said about your friends?"

"That, you'll still need to apologize for." Izuku pointed out. "I mean, I know you probably didn't mean it—"

"And I didn't." Shinso shook his head. "Believe me, it sickened me to even say that stuff, but… I knew I had to get a rise out of you somehow, and I became desperate…" He reached over, holding his arm in discomfort. "But insulting a woman is an unforgivable act, no matter what context. Any punishment I receive, it's deserved."

Izuku raused his hands with a sheepish smile. "Hah, w-well, I don't know if we should go THAT… far?" Suddenly, he saw three figures appear down the hall behind Shinso… and he paled when he saw that it was none other than Kyoka, Ochako and Kaida, the trio standing with their arms crossed. "…Oh crap."

Before Shinso could ask, Kyoka pointed and shouted; "There he is! Get 'im!" The three girls let out a battle cry and made Shinso gasp, but he couldn't even get anywhere before Kyoka herself lept in and put him into a choke hold.

"AAGH! AH! W-Wait!" Shinso pleaded. "I-I'm so—YAH!" He felt a jolt go through his body as Kyoka's jacks plugged into his funny bones, momentarily paralyzing him.

"'Chako, Kaida, NOW!" With one arm still around his neck, Kyoka raised her other arm along with her two friends, elicitng a scream from Hitoshi.

"AAAAAAGHH—"

Bonk!

Bonk!

BONK!

…But much to his surprise, he didn't feel the onslaught of fists he was expecting, but rather three simple yet swift chops to the top of his head. And even then, they weren't really hard chops either. He blinked in confusion and peered up, only to see the three girls wearing sly grins. "Hah, you shoud a' seen your face." Kaida smirked. "Priceless."

At this point, even Izuku had no idea what to make of what was happening, sharing the same awestruck stare as Shinso. "…Huh?" both uttered.

Ochako offered a bright smile as she brushed off Shinso's shoulders, leading to Kyoka hopping off of him. "Sorry about that, just wanted to make sure your lesson really hit home, ya know?"

"I-I… I don't understand." Hitoshi pointed at her. "I brainwashed you…" He trailed over to Kaida and Kyoka. "A-And it's obvious that you two heard my insults toward you… and all I get is three bonks on the head?!"

Kyoka rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. "Yeah, well, we were thinking of doing a much harsher punishment… but we came right as you and Izuku were coming in, and we overheard everything. Including how you feel you shouldn't be forgiven for insulting us."

Hitoshi bowed to them apologetically. "And I mean that. I shouldn't. I crossed an unforgivable line and—GAH!"

Kaida gave him a firm slap across the back, sending him straight to the ground. "Oh, get a hold of yourself, boy." She gripped the back of his shirt and hoisted him to his feet with little effort. "Like Kyo' said, we heard everything, including how you didn't really mean anything by it. Believe me, it's still an uncool thing to say, but knowing you don't really think that of us is at least reassuring."

Shinso's cheeks flushed a little, his hand going to his neck. "W-Well, you're right, and I'm sorry." He bowed to Kyoka and Ochako again. "Especially to you two. Uraraka, what I did to you… and Jiro, what I implied about you is—"

"Okay, dude, let's calm down there." Kyoka said, both girls giving his shoulders a small chop each. "Get too into this and we're gonna have to knock some more sense into ya."

"R-Right, of course." Shinso sighed, noticing Izuku walking up next to him. The purple-haired boy offered him a smile. "I've gotta say, you've got some great friends, Midoriya. Must be nice having so much supportive people to hang out with."

"It is, but they don't have to be just MY friends, Shinso." Izuku, with the three girls flanking him, all sent smiles to Hitoshi. "You can be our friend, too, if you want."

This threw the General Studies student for yet another loop. "…R-Really?"

Kaida sent him a wink and a thumbs up. "Just so long as ya don't pull any more tricks or say mean stuff, sure!"

"You'd be more than welcome at our table during lunch!" Ochako reaffirmed. "We'll tell the guys about what you're really like and then maybe they'll come around to you, too."

Shinso wasn't sure what he was feeling right now… but it was something that he definitely liked, he could be sure of that. He closed his eyes and smiled. "Hm, thank you, that… means a lot." He went to turn down the nearest hall, waving to the group over his shoulder. "I'll keep that thought in mind, but for now, I've gotta get back to my seat. …I'll see you all around."

Izuku waved back to him. "Sure thing—guh." His eyes glazed over for a brief second before popping back to normal, only to see Shinso's mirthful smile over his shoulder. Despite himself, Izuku couldn't help but chuckle. "…Hmhm, okay then—oof!" He snapped his head around, seeing Kyoka and the girls giving him a smirk. "W-What was that for?"

"Heh, what else, Celery Stick?" Kyoka reached up and pulled him into a headlock, giving him a good-natured noogie. "You won! You're moving on to the next round!"

"Yeah, congratulations, Deku!" Ochako raised her hand, putting her fingers in a flicking motion. "It was almost all over for a second there, but then—PU-THOOM! You knocked yourself back to reality just by doing THAT!"

Kaida wore an amused smile at the brunette's description of events, but still, it WAS fairly accurate. "Haha, yeah, and that diving kick attack was unexpected, but pretty cool." She gave Izuku a nudge on his shoulder. "You're lookin' pretty good so far, Midori. I can only hope we do well with our battles…" The grey-skinned girl pointed down to his fingers. "But uh, you might wanna get your fingers patched up before YOUR next match, eh?'

Izuku winced and placed a hand over his wrist, holding his injured hand. "Y-Yeah, you've got a point there. I'll meet you guys back at the stands, okay?"

"Gotcha, see you there, Izuku." Kyoka saluted before ushering the girls to follow her.

That left Izuku by himself, contemplating everything that had just happened. All things considered, everything had gone better than expected between the girls and Shinso, so that was a plus. But on the other INJURED hand… "Merissa and Recovery Girl are NOT gonna be happy with me."

…..

A few minutes later, he had been proven right. "Ugh, I swear, Midoriya, I don't think I've EVER had to heal a single person more within the span of two months." Merissa begrudged the One for All inheritor after using her Quirk to heal his fingers, the two digits going limp immediately after. "Hah, alright, there we go, just give it a few minutes, as per usual." the healer sighed.

"Thanks again, Merissa." Izuku smiled gratefully. "I know that this isn't something you look forward to at all…"

The woman shook her head. "No, no, it's fine… honestly, I should be a bit less frustrated. It's not good bedside manner—URK!"

Without warning, Recovery Girl had come in and wacked her former student over the head with her syringe-shaped cane, admonishing her for the exact same thing. "Yer darn tootin' it isn't! Merissa Fairborne, I thought I'd taught you better than that!"

"I'm so sorry, sensei!" Merissa lowered herself onto her knees and hands, bowing to her old teacher with respect. "Please, forgive my slip up!"

Recovery Girl let out a short breath, the tiny old woman raising her hand. "Now, now, no need to go doing that now. We're far from medical school, you know." Merissa raised her head, her expression apologetic. "Besides, if anything, I should be commending you, my dear. Your Quirk has only gotten stronger since you've exited medical school. I think it might be even stronger than mine was back in MY heyday!"

"R-Really?"

"Oh yes, if I had healed Midoriya's fingers, he would've needed some additional bandages, but…" She gestured to Izuku's fingers, which he had just gotten the feeling back in. "You're capable of healing broken bones without much effort. It's very astounding, dear."

Merissa bashfully put her hand to her neck, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "Oh, sensei, please. I just try to do my best with every patient I see…" At that moment, the door to the office opened and in stepped All Might and Optimus, the two men's sights going straight to them. "Oh, Optimus, All Might, good to see you."

"Miss Fairborne, always a pleasure!" All Might nodded to her. "And thanks for patching him up once again, it's much appreciated." He directed his attention straight down to Izuku, placing a hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling, my boy?"

Izuku brightened up, pumping his fists. "I'm feeling great, All Might! I'm moving to the next round, I managed to mend a lot of things with Shinso, and with my fingers all healed, I'm feeling ready to go!"

"Hahaha! Excellent! That's what I was hoping to hear!" the Symbol of Peace cleared his throat. "Although… I think that we both know that there's something else we should discuss."

Merissa seemed confused at the pro's wording, only for Optimus to extend his hand toward her. "Agent Fairborne, my apologies, but this is a private matter that All Might, Izuku and I must discuss. I know this is sudden, but—"

"It's alright, Optimus, I get it." Merissa cocked her head to the side, making sure to give Izuku a wink in support. "Gotta talk about Quirk-related stuff, yeah? Well, all the same, hope you do well in the second round, Izuku… and try not to break anymore bones, okay?"

"Hah, right, of course…" Izuku smiled back. "Thanks again, Merissa, I'll be seeing ya." With that, Merissa left the room, allowing All Might to poof out of his Muscle Form. The greenette met the eyes of his anorexic teacher with concern. "So… you figured it out?"

Toshinori raised a brow. "Hm? I was just going to talk to you about some of the things that Shinso said. I heard some of it, and I know it must've been painful, knowing how much you could relate to him."

Izuku blinked in surprise. So All Might hadn't figured it out yet? Well, whatever the case… "Y-Yeah, it was. I couldn't smile through that fight like you could… but I still couldn't go easy on him. Of course, like I said, we made up afterwards, but I've gotta keep my eye on the prize."

"Oh, you poor thing…" Recovery Girl shook her head again, sending a glare to the blonde man. "Have you been putting too much pressure on him again?!" WHAM! She slammed her fist into his side fairly hard, though thankfully not the side with the grave injury on it.

…Didn't stop it from hurting, though. "GAH! It was necessary, and that hurt!"

"I commend your resolve for victory, Izuku, truly." Optimus applauded, placing a hand on the boy's back. "But remember, win or lose, you've already come so far, and no doubt have garnered plenty of attention from pro-heroes across the country." He grinned happily down to his protégé. "If your performance is anything to go by, plenty of people are going to want to bring you to their agencies, I'm certain."

That gave Izuku plenty more confidence, without a doubt. "Hah, thanks, Optimus. That means a lot, really…" He trailed off as his sights went to his mentor once again. "But All Might, there's something you should know." The pro gestured for him to go on. "I had… some kind of vision in my match. There were people… about eight of them with glowing yellow eyes… and then a ninth one with bright red ones." Izuku furrowed his brow as he continued to recollect his experience. "When I was under Shinso's control, it felt like my brain was full of fog, but then the vision appeared and it completely cleared my head. That's when I was able to move my fingertips."

"By Primus…" Optimus muttered to himself, glancing toward the Symbol of Peace. "Could it be…"

"One of the figures had eyes like yours, All Might." Izuku continued. "Do you think… all the people who used One for All in the past were there, pushing me on? Like spirits?"

But all All Might got out of that was… "Spooky! I'm a g-g-ghost?!"

Izuku felt gutted at that reaction. "Huh?! I thought you'd have answers!"

One Toshinori collected himself, however, he scratched his head in thought. "Well, actually, I've seen something similar to that, too. In my younger days." He pointed down to Izuku's chest. "It's a clear sign that you're closer to making One for All your own power."

"Oh? What is it, then?"

"I think it's like a trace of the users' spirits that are left behind in One for All when it's passed on." Toshi answered, recalling how his master had told him the same thing. "My master and myself experienced the same thing, but don't worry, whatever you saw, it won't be interfering with you or your progress in the future."

Izuku sucked in his lips, finding the answer to not be satisfying. "O-Okay, so… what about that red-eyed figure? I thought you said that I'm the ninth user of one for all."

"And you are." Toshinori reassured, his eyes narrowing. "But… that thing… I've seen it before as well, and as far as my master and myself could figure, it wasn't a past user. Rather, I think it might be something that's attached itself to One for All in some way shape or form. It doesn't seem malicious, though at the same time, there's been no discernable way to get rid of it either." He scratched his cheek nervously. "And to tell you the truth, I've only seen it once. Any other visions I've had, it was never there."

"Huh… weird." Izuku rubbed his neck. "So… you really think this won't lead to anything?"

Toshi sighed and ruffled Izuku's hair. "Listen, kid, what you did out there, regardless of what you saw, I don't think what you saw is what got rid of the brainwashing." He prodded Izuku's chest with his finger. "It was your passion that allowed you to overcome Shinso's power, even if it was only long enough for you to wiggle your fingertips and expel some energy. Don't worry about it, honestly."

After hearing all of that… Izuku deflated a little. "Man, that explanation is so not satisfying."

Throwing his head back, Toshi let out a groan. "Forget about it!" He pointed to his student once more. "More importantly, shouldn't you be worried about who you're fighting next? Young Iida and young Hatsume are up next, ya know!"

"Ah! You're right!" Izuku sprung up and ran straight for the door, waving to his two mentors as he rushed off. "Thanks for the talk, guys! I'll catch you later!"

"Farewell for now, Izuku." Optimus returned before the boy left entirely. Once he was, though, he saw that All Might seemed to be in a state of introspection himself. "…So, he saw you there as well?"

Without facing him, Toshi responded; "…That's a good thing."

There was a long pause before the Prime went on. "You know, I have had similar visions myself in the past, where the Primes would briefly appear before me. I even saw Alpha Trion before HIS passing as well." Optimus tilted his head toward the Symbol of Peace. "I am not certain if One for All works in the same way, but if you're thinking what I assume you are—"

"Let's not talk about this right now, huh?" Toshi waved off, proceeding toward the door himself. "There's still a lot of the festival left to go… and I'd rather not be the downer here."

…..

It didn't take long for Izuku to get to the box where his classmates were seated, but when he did get there, he was met with an unexpected welcome. "HEY! There he is!" The first person to see him… was Sid, the disguised Autobot giving him a thumbs up as everyone's attention was brought to him. "Izuku, dude, awesome job out there!" Not far behind him, Brian was there as well, meeting Izuku with a bright smile and an arm around his shoulders.

"W-Whoa, Brian, Sid, what're you doing here?!"

"Oh, these are our seats!" Sid extended his arm toward 1-A's box, where Izuku was stunned to see Sonny, Buck, Sadie, Stella, and Jeff all gathered around, sitting with his classmates. "Nezu figured that we'd wanna be close to ya, so he let us sit here."

Jeff pointed over at Izuku with a wide grin. "Sho 'nough! An' the boys 're right! Great job down there, Izuku."

Next to him, Eijiro offered Izuku a handshake. "Yeah, we've been waitin' on ya, man! Congrats!"

"Yeah, things definitely seemed hairy at the start, but ya crushed it in the end!" Sonny echoed their sentiments as he stood up with Denki.

"U-Uh, yeah, thanks." Izuku returned, still coming to grips with the unexpected praise.

As he came over, Denki offered Izuku a fistbump. "Yeah, Midoriya, you totally nailed it. Only hope I can have some of that same luck in my match."

"O-Oh, of course. Best of luck down there, Kaminari."

"Thanks, man." Denki wore a confident smile as he then gave Sonny a thumbs up. "Alright, I'm off to the waiting rooms. After Iida's match, the show belongs to me!"

But the elder Autobot twin furrowed his brow at Denki, seeing that the blonde wasn't being more focused. "Okay, confidence I can get behind, but remember what happened just a few days ago? Back at you-know-where?" Instantly, he saw his friend's demeanor change, no doubt remembering the events at the Decepticon ship. "I think we both learned that overconfidence can be a hinderance, so make sure to keep a level head down there. And remember; don't underestimate your opponent either. She may be pretty, but her thorns aren't just for show."

Denki curtly nodded to his Autobot partner. "Right, gotcha. And don't worry, I won't just waste my volts, just like you advised."

Sunstreaker smiled proudly, giving the blonde a pat on the arm. "Good kid, no go down there and show her what you're made of." And with that, the Electrification user left, with Sonny saluting after him.

"Hey Midori, over here!" Izuku's attention was immediately brought to Mina as waved him over, pointing down to one of the empty seats near Kyoka and Ochako. "We saved ya a spot!"

"Hah, thanks guys." Izuku began making his way down the steps toward his seat, though not before seeing Ojiro giving him a thumbs up. No doubt Kyoka must've told him about what happened, but all the same, Izuku returned the gesture before sitting down with Eijiro. He then noticed that all of his friends were sitting in one big group… and it didn't take him long to figure out why.

They were forming a protective barrier around him… because Bakugo was sitting on the opposite side. Even Brian had chosen not to sit with his fellow Autobots in favor of adding further protection to the green bean. Granted, it seemed like Eijiro and maybe Denki were sitting closer to the explosive blonde, but if anything, they were attempting to be the bridge between the gap of the two boys. …That or they were the first line of defense. Either way, how successful that would be remained to be seen.

But just then, Izuku was brought out of his thoughts when a voice he had heard only a few minutes earlier piped up. "Apologies for the wait, my friends." The greenette snapped his head back quick as a flash, seeing Orion walking over to the seats. His presence was immediately felt by the students, his grizzled voice successfully garnering their attention. "I was catching up with an old friend of mine who I haven't seen in quite some time."

"Woah, who's that?" Sato murmured.

"I dunno, but anyone else getting chills from his voice alone?" Sero whispered.

Buck quickly answered their questions, jerking his thumb toward his leader. "Heh, boys, THAT… is our leader."

The rest of 1-A were left staring at the man in awe, all while those in the know smirked at their reaction. "Indeed, students. My name is Orion Pax." the Autobot leader introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"With a voice like that, the pleasure should be all ours." Toru muttered.

"Alright, everybody, enough waiting around!" Present Mic's voice once again echoed through the stadium, bringing the focus back down to the battlefield. "It's time for the second match! Get ready to watch two new players duke it out!"

Orion sat down in the nearest seat, his height still making him tower over everyone even as he sat down. "Ah, perfect, iTenya and Mei are up next, if I'm not mistaken. This should be interesting, Hero Course versus Support."

"Yeah, who can guess what this fight's going to look like?" Sadie concurred with her commander.

Down on the battlefield, Tenya and Mei took to their respective sides, all while Present Mic introduced them. "He's the kid with engines in his legs, it's Tenya Iida from the Hero Course! Versus… a fully-equipped gadget dynamo! The Support Course's Mei Hatsume! Let's see which smarty-pants will come out on top!"

From what the rest of 1-A could see, Iida seemed a bit perturbed by Mic's comment, but nevertheless, he was ready for battle. …But then something weird happened. He pulled something out from behind him and began putting it on his body. "Huh? What's up with Iida?" Sato muttered. The spectacled boy was now wearing some sort of brace and on his body, his legs now armed up with struts and vented knee covers. He also had a strange shoulder-mounted apparatus that resembled a pair of small wings, with three tiny tubes on each one all dangling from the ends. "Where the heck did he get all that gear from?!"

"I dunno, kid." Buck answered, offering Sato a shrug. "But I do know this… he looks freakin' ridiculous."

Stella slapped her forehead in frustration. "Ugh, Iida, what did she get you into?"

Midnight had also taken issue with Tenya's strange gear, giving him a serious glare. "Hero Course students can't use support gear unless they absolutely need to. And you didn't fill out the any of the proper paperwork for that."

Tenya let out a gasp. "AH! W-What?! I didn't know that was the rule!" He snapped his hand over to the stands in his usual stiff manner. "Aoyama got to wear his belt, so I thought it was fine!"

"He filled out the proper forms." Midnight stated, raising a brow at Tenya.

"I apologize, ma'am!" Tenya bowed remorsefully, but felt compelled to give his reasoning for wearing the gear. "It's just… my heart was moved by my friend and opponent's sportsmanship. She wanted to be as even a match as possible since she made it this far using her gear, so she felt it was only fair that she'd lend me this equipment as well. To have a fair fight!" Tenya snapped up and placed his hand over his chest. "So to honor her, I would like to wear this gear!"

The only way Midnight's face could be described was… eager. "SUCH YOUTHFUL VIGOR! Ooohoohoohoo!" She practically squirmed in place as she giggled, only for her to regain her composure to give her ruling. "I'll allow it!"

"Er, really? …Well, if everyone's on the same page, let's begin the third match!"

With Present Mic's signal, the match was officially underway, but back up in the stands, Izuku felt a bit uneasy about the whole situation. "Weird, that doesn't seem like something that Hatsume would do, even if we're her friends… unless…" He quickly took notice of the small ear-mounted mic that Mei had, and the fact that she was smirking giddily. "…Oh no, Iida's done for."

Ochako and Kyoka tilted their heads. "Hm? Whaddya mean, Deku?"

"Just watch." Izuku facepalmed.

After getting into his ready position, Iida dashed off, the engines in his legs blasting him forward for a running start. However, Mei didn't move an inch… and instead began speaking. "Betcha love how fast that gear makes you, huh, Iida?!"

Her voice echoed through the whole stadium, taking her opponent aback. "Wait, she has a mic? Is she wearing speakers?!"

"Don't your legs feel lighter than usual? That's to be expected! I designed those leg parts specifically to increase the wearer's speed and mobility! But of course…" Just as Tenya was about to make contact with her, he heard a beeping noise and, without warning, a extending strut suddenly came out of Mei's backpack at a diagonal angle, sending her straight up into the air. …This also had the effect of tripping the Engine Quirk user, too. "I can easily evade you with my hydraulic attachments!"

As she fell to her feet, Mei used her Quirk to zoom in on a certain set of boxes on the upper part of the stadium. 'Heehee! Those are boxes for support companies!' And once she saw their surprised and awestruck faces, she knew that they were VERY interested in her devices. 'Yes! They love my babies! I've got this in the bag!'

Tenya miraculously hadn't fallen when he got tripped, so he went back around to try for a sneak attack, only to hear another beep. Mei was lifted up by her other hydraulic pole, much to Tenya's dismay. "Since I've got sensors in every direction, it's impossible for an opponent to sneak up on me!"

"GAH! AUGH!" Tenya tripped again, but the dangling tubes on his wing-like apparatus began puffing out small bursts of air, keeping him from falling and getting him repositioned. "What' the heck is going on?!"

"Look at how adeptly Iida just changed his course! It's all thanks to the genius auto-balancer I created. Best of all, there's absolutely NO lag time!" After a repeat of events that resulted in Tenya tripping toward the boundary line, the auto-balancer made him start spinning like a top and away from the line. "The auto-balancer is equipped with a custom 32-axis gyro sensor! As you can see, it can keep the user from falling unless they actually want to!"

After recovering from his dizziness, Tenya blasted forward again, growing more and more frustrated with his friend. "I thought you wanted this to be a FAIR fight!"

But Mei just smirked as she widened her stance, the metal disks in the ankles of her boots beginning to glow and spin at a fast rate. And, just as Tenya was about to close the distance, she jumped… WAY higher than he expected. "Haha! That's right, I'm practically flying through the air!" She pointed down at her footwear. "These Electro Shoes use electromagnetic induction on both feet. They're perfect for evasive maneuvers or just keeping things light!"

Back up in the stands, the entirety of 1-A and the Autobots were staring on in disbelief at what they were seeing. "…Is this seriously happening right now?" Kyoka asked.

"I'm afraid it is." Momo affirmed. "Hatsume tricked Iida and now she's using him as her own personal test subject."

"More than that, she's turned the Sports Festival into one giant commercial." Izuku deadpanned.

"Well, on the bright side…" Sid piped up. "Pretty sure Red's getting a kick out of this."

Tenya made a sharp turn and went for Mei again. "As soon as she lands, I'll stop her!" But the very second her feet touched terra firma, Mei pulled out a small handheld weapon and pointed it at her opponent, blasting out a small capsule that exploded into a large, red net. Now fully entangled, Tenya fell face-first into the dirt, all while struggling to escape. "AGH! What is this?!"

"A capture gun to use against villains!" Mei explained, winking as she held her gun up. "The nets are loaded into small cartridges. You can fire up to five before having to reload!" She spun around, making sure she was facing the boxes with the support companies in them. "And all of these items were developed by yours truly—Mei Hatsume! Support Course prodigy!" She spread her arms out to present herself. "So, to any support companies out there searching for strong, new recruits, the choice is clear; you want ME! Again, I'm Mei Hatsume, that's H-A-T-S-U-M-E!"

"Good god, how many inventions did Red help her make?" Mina wondered.

"And now, let me introduce you to a few more of my babies!"

Mina immediately regretted saying that out loud. "I'm sorry I asked…"

…..

A full TEN MINUTES had passed before Mei was finally done with her presentation… and she ended it by stepping over the boundary line, wearing a bright smile as she willingly eliminated herself. "Whew! Well, that was fun, but now I think I've shown off everything I wanted to." She wiped the swear from her brow and stated with finality; "I suppose it's time for me to wrap things up!"

Midnight blinked in surprise, but raised her hand nonetheless. "Um, Hatsume stepped out of bounds. Iida advances to the next round!"

"YOU TRICKED ME!" Iida bellowed, the boy in a fervor as his signature chopping motions were almost at blinding speed. "I can't believe I let you do that! I should've known!"

With a sly smirk, Mei glanced away from her friend. "Sorry, Specs, but I had to make a name for myself somehow…"

"I looked like a fool!"

"A very HELPFUL fool!"

"GAAAAAAHH!"

…..

On the Darksyde, meanwhile, the Decepticons had been… rather silent throughout the whole match. They could only watch completely dumbfounded as Mei used Tenya as her personal toy to test out her inventions, though they were admittedly amazed at all of the new and unique ways she could torture him with her devices. …And they weren't even MEANT for torture! Even Megatron himself was perplexed at all that was going on. "Well, that was… interesting." The Decepticon leader commented.

The only one making any noise was Blastwave, the Decepticon bruiser finding great amusement in watching Tenya be toyed with. "AHAHAHA—Hohoho! Oh, that slaps me on the knee! Puny little man spun like blown off wheel! AHAHAHA!"

"Vell, I vill admit, it vas rather interesting to see ze Autobots' human mechanic displaying her inventions." Flatline pointed out. "Now ve know exactly vhat she is capable of creating for zem."

"Yes, and zey are all useless compared to our technology." Shadowstriker pointed out. "What a waste of time."

Barricade crossed his arms and grumbled. "Yeah, even I'm starting to get a bit bored with all this. Where the hell is the violence?!"

Frenzy echoed his partner's sentiments. "YEAH! I tuned in specifically to see human children get hurt! Heehehehehe!"

"…First off, wow, dark." Thundercracker piped up. "And secondly, you two really gotta have more patience. It's only the first round of the tournament, after all, and you gotta make sure the weak links are weeded out before getting to the REAL action." He lowered his head toward Megatron on the screen. "Of course, no doubt our renowned leader knows well about that given his time in the arena."

Megatron grinned internally, especially as he saw Starscream sour at his brother's compliment, yet he kept a straight face. 'See, Starscream? THIS is how you grovel properly.' Still, he gave Thundercracker a nod. "Indeed, Thundercracker. Let us be patient and wait out the first round. The remaining contestants must have SOME value."

…..

Tenya sat in his seat after returning to his class's box, still visibly frustrated by what had happened. His friends were all giving him words of encouragement on his way in, but that did nothing to lighten his mood after being used as a plaything. "I feel so humiliated. So USED!"

"Well, on the bright side, you ARE moving on to the next round." Stella reminded, the Autobot cadet giving her charge a pat on the back. "And honestly, if this had been a real fight, you probably would've moved on anyway. Mei's many things, but I think SHE'D even admit that she's not a fighter, even IF she used plenty of her inventions."

"Hmph… I suppose."

"But if anything, this HAS been an enlightening experience."

That made Tenya tilt his head at Stella. "Hm? In what sense?"

Stella pointed upward. "When it comes to the horizontal, you're pretty fast and quite capable… but Mei had you beat when it came to the vertical. We'll need to start working on getting you into the air a bit more."

Tenya clenched his teeth worriedly. "…Please don't make me fly." His reaction got his whole friend group, and even the rest of his class laughing, though that didn't last long as Present Mic began announcing the next match.

"Ahem, well, after that… er… DIFFERENT kind of match, let's move on to the third!" On the right side of the stadium, Ibara Shiozaki appeared through the tunnel, taking her place on the concrete battlefield. "Even beautiful flowers have thorns! It's the assassin from Class 1-B; Ibara Shiozaki!" And on the left, Denki entered as well, wearing his usual cocksure grin. "Versus the boy with the electrifying personality! Another hero in the making; Denki Kaminari! Keep those eyes peeled, because I wanna see a SUPER flashy battle this time!"

Sonny immediately shot up out of his seat and started cheering for his boy. "WOO! Go get 'er Denki! Just remember, don't get distracted by your hormonal urges! This is a competition, not a dating sim!"

Kyoka deadpanned at the rather… odd encouraging words. "The fact that Kaminari has to be reminded of that isn't something I'm surprised by. Huh? Hey, what's she doing down there?"

"Excuse me!" Ibara had walked to the edge of the battlefield and called up to Present Mic in the announcer's booth, taking the teacher off guard as she raised her hand to him. "Please pardon the interruption. I'm not sure why you called me an assassin just now. I've come to the festival in search of victory, not to take my opponent's life! That wouldn't be in line with the values of a hero at ALL, sir!"

"Er, r-right." Present Mic sheepishly replied, with Aizawa looking perplexed at what was going on. "Sorry 'bout that."

But Ibara felt compelled to say more. "Gentlemen, I didn't enter U.A. for wicked or selfish reasons, but to deliver salvation to others!" No one could explain it, but it almost seemed as if an ethereal, heavenly light was being shined onto Ibara as she cupped her hands, almost like she was praying. "It's my humble quest to spread true good across this world!"

"Listen, I said I was sorry!" Present Mic repeated. "My bad, okay?"

The vine-haired girl smiled, finding this satisfactory. "I thank you for your kind understanding."

Up in the stands, though, the Autobots had no idea what to make of this. "Well, she certainly seems like a nice girl." Orion commented. "Very polite as well, though a bit heavy-handed on her explanations."

Tsuyu decided to give her thoughts on the matter. "Ribbit, I heard that Shiozaki comes from a very religious family. Maybe that's why she's so well-mannered and well-spoken?"

"Could be." Mezo Shoji mumbled behind his mask. "Though it would be rude to assume."

"Hm, agreed." Tokoyami lowered his head. "Simply judging someone based on their background is rather close-minded, we should remember that."

Back on the battlefield, though, Denki was left fairly surprised at Ibara's kind demeanor. 'Man, here I thought everyone in 1-B were jerks, but I was totally wrong.' …And it wasn't long before he was starting to get entranced. 'But wow, look at those big, beautiful eyes. And she seems pretty strong, too.' Within a split second, however, Sunstreaker's words rang through his mind again, snapping him out of the spell. 'Gah, c'mon you idiot. Remember, this is a competition. She may be cute, but you've gotta FIGHT now… and THEN you can potentially ask her out.'

"So, anyway—BEGIN!" Present Mic gave the word.

Denki offered a small smile to start out with, going for some witty banter. "So, I gotta say, I'm honestly kind of surprised."

"Hm? By what?" Ibara asked.

"What you did just now." Denki pointed up to the booth. "Honestly, given the attitudes that 1-B displayed so far, I was worried that everyone in the class was—"

"Oh, yes, I'm so sorry!" Ibara bowed briefly in apology. "As you might've guessed, a lot of my classmates have been rather jealous of your class after the USJ incident. With you all getting a lot of attention and all." She placed her hand over her chest. "But I feel no such envy. I think the best course of action would be to maintain peace between our classes, in all honesty."

That made the electric blonde's smile widen. "Hey, I'm all for that, honestly. Better than being at each other's throats all the time." He popped a few muscles in his neck and began pouring some electricity into his arms. "But let's keep in mind; this IS a competition, so let's give it our all here and THEN make peace."

"Right, of course!" Ibara's vines began moving on their own as she widened her own stance, prepared for anything her opponent would throw at her. "As they say; bring it on!"

With that, Denki sprinted forward, ready to throw down. "That's what I plan on doing! GYAH!" He thrust a hand forward as he went for a shot at Ibara's shoulder… only for his hand to get engulfed by the thorny vines. "…AAAAAGH!"

"An excellent first move, but I believe your lack of research shows…" Ibara saw his other hand coming in for a swift chop toward her midsection, but her hair just managed to entangle that one, making him scream again. "I am able to control my vines in any way I chose, as you can plainly see." The girl from 1-B began feeling a slight tingle a moment later, watching as Denki's hands continued to spark.

"Guh, c'mon, why isn't it working—GYAH-HOUCH!" Without warning, Ibara twisted her body so that she actually threw Denki over her head using her vines, detaching them at the last minute as she slammed him on the ground. And, in mere seconds, more vines grew out of her head.

This got Present Mic reasonably hyped up. "Woah-ho! Get a load a' that, folks! Shiozaki's vines are the real deal! Able to hold onto a person even as she throws 'em around! Talk about Plant Power!"

Ibara watched as Denki carefully removed the vines, though it didn't relieve the pain all that much as there were still thorns stuck in his arms. "If you're curious as to why I wasn't affected by your electricity, it's because plant matter isn't a natural conductor." She took a battle-ready stance once more. "In other words, you are at a disadvantage when it comes to me."

"Hah, yeah, I see that. Impressive." Denki removed another needle from his arm and flicked it away. "Well, now that you've made your point…" His gut did a flip when he saw his pun get a reaction out of her, Ibara sucking in her lips as she stifled a snicker. '…I almost got her to laugh. Even if I lose, I'll consider THAT a win.' His smirk returned as his entire body began to surge with lightning. "Let me prove MY point! Indiscriminate Shock… 1.3 Million VOLTS!"

All at once, a powerful lightning blast burst out and went straight for Shiozaki, though she didn't seem to perturbed. Instead, she simply turned around and made a large chunk of vines fall out of her head, planting them straight into the ground. In an instant, the vines grew out into a thick, thorny wall that blocked the blast, all while Ibara kept complete control over them.

"…Okay, should've seen that coming." Denki admitted, only feeling a little fuzzy in the head. 'Training with Sunstreaker's FINALLY paying off!' But, a few seconds later, the cement floor began to rumble and crack, taking him off guard. "W-Wait, what the—AH!" All at once, a bunch of vines shot out of the ground at Denki, entangling him and raising him straight up into the air. The sudden impact was enough to stop him from blasting more electricity, the pain of thousands of thorns proving to be too much for him. "AAAGH! Crap-crap-crap—OUCH!"

Midnight craned her head up to Denki, wearing an amused smile. "Ooh, lucky boy, experiencing THAT much pain. But nevertheless, Kaminari, can you move?"

"I-I think I—AAAGH! No, no, can't do it! CAN'T DO IT!"

"Very well then." Midnight waved her flog over to Ibara. "The winner is Shiozaki! She advances on!"

"There ya have it, folks!" Present Mic declared. "Kaminari is immobilized! He gave a good fight, but it was over in an instant!"

As Ibara's hair grew back and her vine shield went down, she bowed to her teacher as she set her opponent upon the ground. "I'm just so thankful I was able to make the most of this opportunity." She immediately jogged to Denki's side, kneeling down to bow her head to him. "And thank you for the rousing battle, truly. You gave a good fight."

"Hah… I can say the same for you." Denki nodded back. "Thanks for not holding back."

"Hm… what was your name again?"

"…D-Denki Kaminari. Nice to meet you."

Ibara's smile increased. "Ibara Shiozaki. Likewise."

…..

Up in the stands, Sunstreaker gave a sigh as he watched Denki be helped to the back by a couple of medical drones, with Ibara waving him off. As unfortunate as it was that his charge had lost… he didn't view it as a complete loss. 'Hehe… I've got a feeling that he's gonna be just fine.' He himself had to admit as well, that Shiozaki girl was pretty talented, and from the sounds of it, her class agreed.

"Oh YEAH!" Tetsutetsu shouted in the box next to 1-A's. "Way to represent Class 1-B!"

"I'll admit, she's pretty good." Kyoka concurred.

"GLAD YOU THINK SO!" The Autobots and the entirety of 1-A all jumped at the sight of Monoma popping his head up over the divider between the boxes, wearing the most haughty, arrogant grins that any of them had ever seen. "Guess Present Mic was right, the match really WAS over in an instant! Hey, wasn't Class 1-A supposed to be so much better than us? Your boy might be electrifying, but I think he's only just killed his OWN buzz! AHAHAHAHA—gurk!"

Much to everyone's shock and confusion, Monoma's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he lost conscious, no doubt because of the hand that chopped him right in his neck. The hand grabbed his collar as he fell down, with its owner popping her head up over the divide. "Sorry about him." Itsuka Kendo said, the redhead smiling in apology. "He doesn't speak for all of us."

Kyoka, Momo, Mina and Kaida were still rather disturbed by that, though. 'I really hate that guy.' they all thought to themselves.

"Man, it's too bad that Kaminari couldn't advance." Ochako lamented… only to notice Izuku jotting something down in a burnt notebook next to her. "Hm? Deku, whatcha got there?"

Izuku snapped his head up at the question, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. "O-Oh, sorry, I was just writing down some notes about Ibara in my notebook. After all, it's not everyday I get to see so many incredible Quirks from people outside our class."

"Hm, not a bad idea, Green Bean." Kyoka peered over his shoulder at the book… only for her jaw to drop. Not only did Izuku managed to take down SEVERAL notes, but he pretty much just drew Ibara's face and hair pretty much flawlessly. There were a few arrows with little notes scribbled near them, pointing out certain things about the girl's hair and how it worked, but that wasn't what Kyoka was focused on. "IZUKU!"

"AH! W-What?!" Izuku closed his book instantly. "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't—"

"Don't be sorry! I had no idea you knew how to draw THIS good!"

And just like that, the boy was left baffled, his grip loosening and allowing his book to open again. "…Huh?"

Ochako, Momo and several others were then able to see the drawing itself, and were also left awestruck. "Deku! Oh my gosh, that's amazing!"

"More than that, it's astounding!" Momo complimented. "How did you get so good?!"

"J-Just practice, I guess." Izuku blushed, hiding behind the notebook a little. "I've drawn heroes basically all my life, so I guess I have a small talent for it."

"Dude, that's so cool!" Kirishima knocked a fist against Izuku's shoulder. "So, have ya drawn any of us?"

Izuku twiddled his thumbs. "W-Well… not exactly. I didn't know how you guys would feel if I just drew any of you. I-I've got lots of notes on you guys, but…" However, just from their shining eyes alone, he could tell that it must've been something they all wanted. "…I-I take it you guys DO want me to draw you, right?" He received several nods, leading him to sigh and crack open his notebook. "Well, no time like the present."

…..

Down on the lower levels, Shoto Todoroki was moving through the halls, ready to get his own match underway. "No surprise that Midoriya advanced." he said to himself. "I knew he would…" The second he went around the corner to his entry tunnel, however… he saw probably the most unwelcome sight he could ever be met with. "…What do you want?"

There, leaning up against the wall, was Endeavor. The Flame Hero glared at his son out the corner of his eye as he approached, though Shoto kept his eyes straight forward as he did. "You're acting disgracefully, Shoto." Endeavor stated bluntly. "If you simply used the power in your left side, you would've had an overwhelming victory in both of the past rounds." He watched as Shoto passed him, not even sparing a glance. "It's time to stop this childish rebellion of yours. You have a duty to surpass that imbecile All Might. Do you understand what I'm saying? You're different from your siblings. You're my greatest masterpiece."

Without even stopping, Shoto spoke back to him. "…Is that all you have to say to me, you bastard?" Endeavor didn't seem to have much of a reaction, as if he had heard that insult used several times already. "I'll win this match and advance using only mom's Quirk. I won't give you the pleasure of seeing me use yours."

"Hmph…" Endeavor grunted, closing his eyes as his son walked away. "Even IF that works for you in this tournament, you'll soon find the limits of that power." But what the Number Two hero didn't see… was the dark expression on his son's face. One full of pure, unfiltered, disdain.

…..

"ENOUGH STANDING AROUND!" Present Mic's cry got everyone cheering again, which only increased in volume as the next two competitors took the field. "It's time for the first bracket's fourth match! Please, welcome our next players; He's got skills, but at the expense of some creepy-lookin' elbows! From the Hero Course, it's Hanta Sero!"

Sero, who was doing a bit of stretching before the match got underway, kept his grin even at the backhanded comment. "Heh, well that was uncalled for."

"Versus an early forerunner in the competition who's way too strong for his own good! Someone who rightfully got into the hero course based on recommendations! It's Shoto Todoroki!"

From the stands, the rest of 1-A noticed that Shoto seemed a bit… off. He was keeping his head low so that his hair covered his eyes, almost as if a shadow had been cast over his vision. He kept his fists at his sides, and he didn't seem to move an inch after he got out there. "Man, that dude's giving me even colder vibes than when I saw him on TV." Sid uttered, rubbing his arms as a chill went through him.

"On this, we can actually agree." Stella concurred, her sights moving down to Izuku. "Isn't that the boy who you said declared war on you?"

"Yeah… but something doesn't seem right." Izuku furrowed his brow. He wasn't entirely sure, but… it almost seemed as if Shoto's chilling determination from their conversation earlier had been replaced by something much darker. It was unnerving, to say the least.

"Ready, BEGIN!"

Once the word had been given to start the match, Sero groaned. "Well, I don't feel like I can win this fight…" SNAP! In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, he thrust his elbows forward and sent two long strands of tape out, wrapping them around his opponent and then whipping him around straight toward the boundary line. "But man, I don't feel like losin' either!"

"Woah, that was fast!" Kaida exclaimed.

"No kidding." Sadie breathed out. "He's got some quick reflexes."

Present Mic certainly thought the same thing. "That attack could through Todoroki out of bounds! A brilliant surprise opening from the underdog! Way to start off strong, Sero!"

It was only then that Shoto brought his head up… and what Izuku and Orion immediately noticed were his eyes. There was a darkness behind them, a gaze full of such sorrow and anger that there was no mistaking it. Shoto was upset at something… and he was about to take out his frustration on Sero. "…Apologies." Shoto stopped himself with an ice construct before immediately freezing the tape around him, the ice traveling up and toward Sero… and then it happened.

With one swipe of his foot, Shoto Todoroki created an ENORMOUS mountain of ice that went FAR past the battlefield at a diagonal angle. It went up so high that it went PAST the central part of the stadium and over the roof, getting in the faces of audience members, students and even the announce booth. Present Mic was left slack-jawed as he could feel the cold coming through the glass window in front of him, while the students below were all screaming in fear as the ice practically shielded them from the sun itself.

The Autobots, however… were all left shaking. That child—that HUMAN child… had just done that. "Holy scrap." Buck muttered. "What even IS this kid?"

Even Optimus couldn't believe what he was seeing. He craned his head down toward the battlefield to see Sero encased at the very base of the ice mountain, only his upper half just barely remaining unfrozen. Even then, his arms were useless, and he was no doubt freezing. His eyes trailed to Shoto, who broke free of the frozen tape easily.

…..

Inside the main bridge of the Darksyde, even the Decepticons were left completely stunned by what the Half and Half Quirk user had just done. Starscream was rubbing his optics to make sure he had seen everything correctly, and indeed, the ice mountain WAS there. "By Trion's BEARD!" the Seeker Commander shot out of his seat. "What the PIT just happened?!"

"I'll tell you what happened." Skywarp pointed to Shoto. "That kid just let off some MAJOR steam! How the pit did he not pull out THAT trick in the last couple a' rounds?!"

"Dunno, but he looks pretty whipped." Unicronus noticed that Shoto's whole right side was covered in a fine frost, no doubt from using his power in such capacity. But then, he also saw that even Megatron was at a loss for words, the Decepticon leader staring at his screen as he processed what just happened. "…Lord Megatron?"

Megatron blinked and directed his attention to his general. "Unicronus… that boy, is HE an ally of the Autobots?"

"No, sir, not from what we can tell." The dark Decepticon replied. "We've never seen him before today."

"Good. Best we KEEP it that way." Megatron growled. "If a youngling as strong as HE were to ally with the Autobots, there's no telling what he could bring to the table."

…..

Midnight was trembling in her thigh-high boots, standing with her right side frozen in ice, in the referee position. All the same, though, she continued to do her job. "Be honest, Sero, can you move at all?"

"A-A-Are y-you k-k-kidding me?!" Sero stuttered in his fridged position. "Obviously n-not! My body is f-f-freezing!"

"Sero has been immobilized! Todoroki advances to the second round!" At her announcement, the crowd began cheering… but not exactly for Shoto. But rather, for Sero's efforts… though it wasn't exactly the kind of "support" the Tape user would've wanted to hear.

"Er, um… nice try, kid!"

"Yeah! Nice try!"

"NICE TRY! NICE TRY! NICE TRY! NICE TRY!"

With the battle over, Shoto began using his left side in the smallest capacity possible, in frosting himself before going up to Sero and placing his hand on his classmate's chest. "Sorry about going overboard, it was a bit much…" Shoto lowered his head as he began thawing Sero out. "…I was just angry, is all."

Up in the stands, however, Izuku and Optimus had taken notice. Something had changed in Shoto from the last time they saw him… and NOT for the better.

…..

A/N: And there we go! First bracket done and a bit more Decepticon-mentary added for good measure. …Please forgive the pun, it was too good to pass up. Also, yes, we're getting some of Megatron's thoughts here now! There were plenty of people in the comments who made great points in how, being a former gladiator, Megatron would be interested in watching the battles, so hey, why not? And hey, gave me an excuse to give my favorite Decepticon subgroup a cameo, so I see this as an absolute win!

But yeah, a lot of what happened in canon still happened here; Iida gets used as a toy by Mei as she advertises to support companies, and Shoto freezes Sero in probably THE biggest act of stress-relief ever. Not much change there. But what DID change was fairly significant.

For one, Izuku actually talked with Shinso after the match, expressing just how alike they really are instead of just letting him walk off. If you couldn't tell, I wasn't exactly sure why we just DIDN'T see Shinso for a good while after the Sports Festival, and I know, different classes and all that, but still, you'd think we would've seen a tiny bit of him between then and Season 5. Plenty of good development could've been had in that time, but hey, that's what stories like these are for, yeah? And hey, he even got off easy with the girls' "punishment" after they overheard his and Izuku's talk, so there's that.

But then of course, there's also the whole talk about One for All that went down, and we get a bit more light shed on what that figure with the red eyes is. Not really a former user of One for All, but some sort of… ethereal tailgater for lack of a better term, something or someone who's along for the ride. But who the heck could it be? Answers to come in the future, because it's safe to say that something WILL come out of this.

Also, I changed up Denki's match with Ibara a little bit from canon as well! Given his experience at the Decepticon base where Sunstreaker almost bit it, I think it's understandable why he'd take things a little more seriously this time around, going for more calculated attacks BEFORE trying for an all-out one. But, in the end, Electric still isn't very effective against Grass and he goes down… albeit with more respect earned from Ibara thanks to his generally nice attitude and respectful sportsmanship. …Hmm… but yeah, it's gonna take a while to melt all that ice, but when it IS gone…

And now, the Preview! With the first bracket's first round matches done, it's time for the second bracket! We've got Kaida and Mina seeing which can hold up better; natural armor plating against powerful acid. Then, it's friend against friend as Kyoka and Momo square up, should be interesting. And of course, the copycat battle between Tetsutetsu and Kirishima… it goes about as well as you'd expect. But all the while, Ochako's nerves are getting to her about HER fight with Bakugo. Will she steel herself in time for her match? Next time; the Second Bracket! Thanks for reading, everybody and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!