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…

29. The Second Bracket

A/N: Hey there, everybody! Oh hey, whaddya know! Another Thursday upload! I know, I'm kind of surprised, too, but I ended up finishing this chapter a lot sooner than I had expected. Of course, I had a feeling that this one would be a bit shorter, but not THIS short. But hey, considering the next chapter is probably gonna be a long one, I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. Anyway, let's get on with these next few matches, shall we? This is…

Chapter 29: The Second Bracket

…..

After the rather recoiling events of the previous match, Optimus had decided to take a stroll through the stadium, mainly to collect his thoughts. With four matches down, it was now three thirty in the afternoon, and it had been announced that there would be a small intermission to clear the rest of the ice before the second bracket matches would begin. So, the Prime had taken it upon himself to undertake his own personal mission in that time; find the one who had created that massive ice mountain. He could see it in Shoto's eyes; there was something weighing on the boy's mind. 'I know he may think of me as meddlesome for doing this, but for his sake, perhaps a few words of wisdom would help alleviate whatever this is…'

Thankfully, he didn't have to search for very long. As he rounded the next corner, he could see the white-and-red haired boy walking right toward him, unknowingly so considering he kept his head down the entire time. He didn't even notice Optimus as he passed by, though the Autobot commander quickly rectified that. "I must say, that was quite the showing out there, young Shoto."

"Uh?" Shoto brought his head up and whirled around, his eyes slightly widened as they spotted the holoform. "O-Oh, it's you. …Orion was your name, right?"

"Indeed, Orion Pax." Orion extended his hand to the young man. "Apologies for the lack of a proper introduction earlier."

Shoto reciprocated, though he shook his head. "No, it's understandable. After all, you're Midoriya's mentor, so it was only natural that you'd greet him first."

"Hm, yes, of course." Orion tilted his head with a small grin. "Though again, I must commend you for such a… unique display you gave us. My associates and I were actually seated with your classmates, so we had a very detailed view of your creation."

The boy coughed and brought his head down again. "R-Right, sorry. That attack went overboard. I was just—"

"Had a lot on your mind?" Once more, Shoto's attention was caught, his eyes shifting up and staring at Orion through his bangs shamefully. "I could see it, you know. Your rather dark expression said it all down on the battlefield. And judging from the strength of your attack, your emotional state seemed… shaken." He raised a brow to Shoto. "Forgive me if I'm prying, but did something happen before the match?"

In truth, something HAD happened… but Shoto couldn't divulge that to someone he barely knew. He turned away from the disguised bot and muttered; "It's nothing. Just a bit of frustration is all."

"Hm, I see. With Izuku?" That took Shoto off guard. He peered over his shoulder to see Orion with a pondering hand on his chin. "I must say, I could sense it the moment I found you two earlier. You must consider my pupil to be a great rival considering how much of a fight you put up against him in the Cavalry Battle."

"Uh… yeah. You could say that."

Once again, the Prime tilted his head, feigning ignorance. "Though I must ask… why is that?"

"He was in first place, simple as that." Shoto replied. "And like many others here, I want to win the Sports Festival."

"Is that so? That's understandable…" Orion closed his eyes in thought before opening them again, this time wearing a more serious demeanor. "Though I sense that there might be more than meets the eye with this situation. After all, I heard that your father, Endeavor, is in the building." That got Shoto's eyes to widen more, and Orion knew he had his hook. "Perhaps that has something to do with—"

"ENOUGH!" Shoto clenched his teeth, glaring at the Autobot leader. "You don't have a DAMN thing to do with this, Mr. Pax, so stay out of it!"

There was a long pause as silence permeated throughout the hallway, though Orion's only reaction was giving a long sigh. "…So, it seems we HAVE reached the root of the problem."

Shoto stomped his foot forward. "Like I said, there IS no—"

"I heard much of your conversation with Izuku from earlier, Shoto." And just like that, everything stopped for the Half-and-Half Quirk user, his mouth falling open in shock. "Albeit by accident. While I was searching for my protégé, I happened to stumble upon the both of you while you were in the middle of your conversation." He bowed to him apologetically. "I'm sorry, and I know it is not my place to weigh in on your personal life."

At this point, Shoto was shaking, though whether in fear or rage, he couldn't quite tell. "Y-You can't tell ANYONE. If this gets out—"

"Don't worry, your information is safe." Orion reassured, raising his hand. "After all, after my first encounter with your father, the last thing I wish to incur is his wrath." He closed his eyes, crossing his arms. "Though to be honest, to say that of someone who calls themselves a "hero" is incredibly ironic." Once again, it was silent for a moment, but Optimus was patient. He knew that the young man before him still had words to say, otherwise he would've excused himself by now.

"…That man is a bastard." Shoto muttered, his fists trembling as he clenched his teeth again. "Abusing my mother… ignoring my older siblings… and all the bull crap he put me through… I have nothing but contempt for that man."

Orion's brow furrowed. "I can't necessarily blame you for that, young Shoto." The Prime reached out and took a firm hold of Shoto's shoulder, the boy flinching a bit but staying in place. "However, I would highly advise not taking out your frustrations on your peers as you did just now. Your ice is powerful, and in turn, it can also be dangerous if it gets too cold."

The young man closed his heterochromatic eyes, nodding at his words. "I know… and I'm sorry."

A smile came to Orion as he gave Shoto's shoulder a reassuring pat. "I know. I would also advise you going to your peers for help rather than declaring war on them." Shoto's eyes shifted down as he pursed his lips in frustration, Orion taking his hand away. "I'm aware that you see several similarities between Izuku and All Might, and that by defeating him with only your ice, you feel that you will prove a point to your father. But believe me, you would find it better to find an ally in Izuku and your other classmates rather than push them away."

"…I'm not exactly known for my social skills."

"Hah, well, I was very much the same at your age." Orion chuckled, jerking a thumb to his chest. "But I learned this lesson fairly early on… in a time where things weren't so good for me or the team of heroes that I was a part of. As such, I had to step up and become a leader in a most desperate time." The disguised commander began to move away from Shoto, but not before giving another pat to his shoulder. "If you wish to become a great hero, young Shoto, then I would recommend you remember that. For now, rest. You have quite a few fights left ahead of you, after all."

"…It was good talking with you, Mr. Pax. And thank you." Shoto acknowledged, his mind feeling much less clouded than it had been earlier.

"You are very welcome. I hope we get to talk some more soon." As he began walking away, Optimus smiled to himself. 'Even if he is still unsure of what to do next, I hope that my words were able to help him if only a little.' he thought on his way back to the stands.

…..

Several minutes later, the field had been successfully cleared with all the ice melted. However, upon the Autobot leader's return, he had noticed that there were now several empty seats. Ochako, Eijiro, Kaida, Momo, Kyoka, Mina and even Bakugo had all disappeared, with Denki being the only one to return. "Oh, hey Op—er, Orion!" Denki caught himself as he greeted the Prime, getting a few worried stares from the other Autobots. "Where did you go off to?"

"Oh… just a walk while they cleared the field." Orion answered, not being completely honest with the blonde boy or the others. He knew Shoto would want to keep that conversation between them on the down low for now. "By the way, you had an excellent showing out there, Denki. I was very impressed."

Denki's hand went to his neck sheepishly. "Ah, thanks…" His eyes trailed over toward Class 1-B's seats, though thanks to the wall, he couldn't exactly see them. Still, he imagined that Ibara was probably back over there with her class, too. "It would've been cool if I had won, but hey, Shiozaki beat me fair and square. She's pretty tough."

Sonny smirked and nudged Denki's shoulder. "Heh, yeah, she certainly threw ya for a loop… though I couldn't help but notice you and her having a bit of a chit-chat down there." He saw Denki flinch, his cheeks flushing just slightly. "Ha, knew it! So, what were ya talkin' about?"

"O-Oh, nothing!" Denki snapped his head away from his Autobot partner. "N-Nothing at all—AH!"

But Sid was directly on his other side, the faux-hawked Autobot smirking as well. "Oh really? Because if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were gettin' to know each other a little. Some witty banter, hm? Maybe a few pick-up lines—" BONK! "AUGH!"

At his side, Stella brought her fist down upon his head, sending him down under the seats much to the shock of the students. "Oh will you stop teasing him, Sid? Seriously, it's not helping." She pointed sternly at the punk's brother. "And that goes for you, too, Sonny. Stop picking on your friend."

"H-Hey, no problems here, Stella." Sonny raised his hands, attempting to appear innocent but failing with his nervous smile. "Besides, we're all friends here, right? Haha… please don't hurt me."

Stella rolled her eyes before sending an assuring smile to Denki. "Well, anyway, I think it's awesome that you made a friend with someone from the other hero class. Maybe this way, 1-A and 1-B WON'T be at each other's throats."

A sigh escaped Denki's lips as he slumped back in his chair. "Yeah, hope so… though let's see how Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's fight goes before we judge anything."

"Well, that's still a ways off." Buck said as he stood up from his seat and pointed down to the field, where a certain pink girl was coming through the east entrance tunnel. "Because now, it's HER time to shine! C'MON, MINA! Show these people what it means to be a WRECKER!"

…..

Even with the distance between them, Mina could still hear Bulkhead's words, and that made her grin widen with anticipation. 'I'll do my best, Bulk. Count on it!' She took to the battlefield at the same time as Kaida, the two girls locking onto each other's eyes with determination.

"Alright, Party People!" Present Mic piped up. "Now that all the ice has been cleared, we're gonna charge right along to the fifth match! Our next opponents are both wild childs in their own rights, and both of 'em have quite the unique looks to match! Coming in from the east… er, wait, do those horns in her head serve a purpose? From Class 1-A, it's Mina Ashido!"

"Hm! This match is gonna be a piece of cake!" Mina pumped her fist.

"And coming in from the west gate, it's the Prehistoric Pulverizer herself, KAIDA KIRYU!"

As the crowd cheered, Kaida flexed her neck, popping a few joints to loosen herself up. She was about to speak to her opponent when… "WOOOO! Go get 'er, Kadie!" A light blush came to her face and she snapped her head around, seeing her brother standing up and cheering loud and proud for her, much to her dismay. "WOO! Yeah! That's my baby sister down there!" Ice Age pointed right to her, with several other spectators staring awkwardly at him. "C'mon, K! Pinky over there's got NOTHIN' on ya!"

"Uuuugh!" Kaida facepalmed. "Whyyyyy?"

Mina placed her hands on her hips, giggling at Kentaro's antics. "Hehehe, starting to regret wanting your brother here?"

Kaida huffed, her attention going back to her. "Well, that's family for ya. But lemme tell ya, Mina, you're gonna regret those words. I'm FAR from being a "piece of cake"."

But Mina just took that comment and ran with it. "Girl, dat booty might wanna say otherwise."

"Ooh, at least take me out to dinner first before throwing out words like that." Kaida feigned embarrassment as she cupped her cheeks with her hands. "You're gonna make me blush over here."

"Ahem, ladies." Midnight piped up, patting her flog in her hand with her usual frisky grin. "As much as I would love to hear this flirtatious banter go on for a little while longer, we DO have a match to get to." She sent a wink to both of them. "Just try not to get too handsy, alright?"

Mina and Kaida narrowed their eyes at one another, reveling in the fun little back and forth they had before Present Mic gave the word; "Ready, BEGIN!" And just like that, both charged at one another, with Kaida belting out a roar before bringing out her Raptor Legs, while Mina sprayed acid through the holes in her sneakers to skate around.

Up in the stands, Izuku was silently taking notes as the battle went underway. 'I knew it. Both of them are more profiecient in close-quarters combat rather than ranged attacks.' He continued to observe as the girls went in, throwing a few punches before ultimately, Mina decided to back off and throw a bit of acid at Kaida. The Sauro-Parts user was able to dodge, though, thanks to a tail-assisted leap. 'Ashido's able to project her acid pretty far, but ultimately not anything from SUPER long range. She's gotta at least get within ten feet for it to be affective. Meanwhile, Kiryu has very little in the way of projectile attacks… unless there's a dinosaur that CAN do something like that, but none come to mind.'

Back down on the battlefield, Kaida was in hot pursuit of her target, wearing a playful smirk. "C'mon Mina, I thought you were gonna melt my butt!"

"Oh, trust me, that's comin'!" Mina spun around as she slid across the cement, before spraying the path in front of Kaida with even more acid. "For now, try some of this!"

Kaida stopped on a dime, causing her to nearly trip in. "AH! Woah, woah, WOAH!" After getting herself balanced, she took a deep breath and pulled her arms up. "Alright, if that's how you're gonna play… Pterodactyl Wings!" The wing membrane extended from her arms and sides within seconds, and with a single flap, Kaida was airborne.

"Ah… right. Forgot she could do that. AH!" Mina was back on the run with Kaida closing in from the air, the pink girl shifting her eyes back and forth as her thoughts ran wild. 'C'mon, c'mon, there's gotta be something I can—EEP!' Mina let out a yelp as a set of talons came down and scooped her up, bringing her high up into the air. She snapped her head up and saw Kaida smirking down, which made Mina grimace.

"So, enjoying the view from up here?"

"Yeah…" An idea finally popped into Mina's head as she grabbed Kaida by her ankles, expelling a low-power acid from her hands. "But I'd rather get down now."

Kaida's eyes snapped open at the sudden pain, which in turn lead her into a nosedive. "AGH! Ouch, ouch OUCH—" WHAM! Both girls crash-landed, Kaida's wings kicking up a cloud of dust as Mina tumbled away.

"Ha! Alright!" Mina made a glob of acid in her hands, rushing back in to deal the final blow. "Time to finish thi—huh?!" WHAP-POOM! Without any warning, Mina suddenly felt all of the air getting blown out of her as, from out of the dust, a massive Ankylosaurus tail came crashing into her, bringing her down to the floor coughing and hacking. "AGH! HAK-HAK! W-What?!"

"Gotta say, that was quite the impressive trick, Mina. I should've seen it coming." Kaida said as she emerged, her gym jacket now ripped as an entire set of Ankylosaurus armor plating had burst out of her back. Thankfully, she had worn her custom suit underneath the jacket, so that the armor would adapt without ALL of her clothes ripping. "So, let's keep this thing go…ing." But her smile was replaced with a look of concern as she saw Mina roll over, gripping her stomach. "Oh god, oh no, oh shit!"

All at once, Mina wretched, her lunch ejecting itself from her stomach after that impact. Thankfully, there was no blood to be seen, though that did little to relieve her pain. "Uuuugh-huhuh… oh god." The pink girl could feel tears in her eyes as she felt Kaida's hand on her shoulder. It wasn't rough, like she was about to attack, but more supportive as Mina composed herself.

"MINA! I am so sorry!" Kaida apologized, her armor retracting into her body. "I-I thought I held back enough, but even THAT might've been too much for you."

Slowly Mina brought her head up. "H-Held back?"

"Yeah… if that tail whip had been at full power…" Kaida clenched her teeth, feeling utterly terrible to her core. She punched the ground, covering her face in shame with her other hand. "Goddammit! I should've KNOWN better! The Ankylo-Hammer is WAY too much for any one person to handle!"

"Ashido." Midnight made her way onto the battlefield, kneeling down next to her student. "Are you alright? Can you continue?"

Mina's complexion was visibly pale, though she didn't feel like anything was seriously broken. Still, that hit was HARD. "N… N-No, I can't." she sighed. "I forfeit."

Midnight nodded and raised her hand, bringing the battle to a close. "Ashido can no longer continue! The winner is Kiryu!"

As the crowd cheered at Kaida's victory, Mina smiled up to the grey-skinned girl weakly. "Nice battle, Kaida. I really wasn't expecting that." It looked like Kaida was about to argue, but Mina reached up and took hold of her wrist, giving it a squeeze. "Now you listen to me, girlfriend, I don't want you to beat yourself up over this just because I got hurt. It's obvious that you're WAY more powerful than me, and this proves it."

"B-But… But I could've…" Tears of Kaida's own were beginning to brim her eyes, threatening to fall. "I could've—"

"But you didn't. That's the important part." Mina asserted softly. "Like you said, you held back. And an attack like that is gonna give villains a REAL run for their money. I'm sure a lot of people are gonna be impressed." She gave her friend a thumbs up. "Just keep practicing and you'll get it to where this doesn't happen anymore, okay?"

Kaida took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, nodding as she held back a sob. "Right, okay. I'll do that, for sure. But let's not waste any more time…" Kaida put her arms under Mina's legs and back, picking her up bridal style. "Right now, we've gotta get you to Recovery Girl. You need it."

"Miss Kiryu." Midnight reached out. "We have medical bots for that—"

"I know, but I'm the one who hurt her." Kaida pressed, insisting on doing it herself. "If I'm going to move on in this tournament, I feel like I should at least be responsible for making sure Mina's okay. …Please."

Midnight blinked and shifted her gaze over to Mina, who gave her a single nod, telling her that it was okay. "Well… if you insist." She directed her hand over to the gate. "Don't let me stop you, I suppose."

Kaida bowed her head as she began carrying Mina off, with Present Mic even commenting on it. "Well would ya look at that! Now THAT is true sportsmanship, ladies and gentlemen! Let's make sure that we give BOTH these girls a big hand!" Thankfully, the man's words were already being heeded, with chants for both Mina and Kaida rang throughout the whole place.

Mina, however, couldn't help but feel a little sad, even after assuring Kaida. Even after all those weeks of exercising her Quirk to near perfection, she still ended up losing. Granted, she knew that Kaida was probably in a different power class than her, but still, the sting of defeat didn't go away knowing that. "…Hey." Mina's eyes moved up to her friend, who was giving a supportive smile. "Don't YOU go getting sad on me now, 'kay? Your Acid Quirk really gave me a run for my money."

"Hm, thanks, but I still—"

"Mina, win or lose, you still gave it your all, and I don't think anyone here could ask any less of you." Kaida nudged her head behind her shoulder. "And those guys out there, our classmates, your trainers, I'm betting that they're proud of you regardless. You're lucky to have so many great friends, Mina…" She gave her another sly wink. "Also, I'm glad you think so highly of my behind. Cool to know I'm not the only curious gal in class."

Despite herself, Mina could feel herself tearing up again, though she still managed to laugh at the comment. "Haha… well what can I say? I'm just glad you went along with my flirty banter." She leaned her head against Kaida's arm. "But to tell you the truth… there IS someone I'm really interested in. Don't know if it's serious or not but—"

"Kirishima, right?" All at once, Mina's eyebrows snapped up in shock, making Kaida laugh. "Haha! Knew it. The moment I heard you two went to the same middle school, I knew something had to be up."

Mina blushed and scratched her cheek. "Haha… is it that obvious?"

Kaida chuckled as they finally made it to the nurse's office. "Well, if anything DOES come of that, lemme know, okay? I'll be the first to congratulate ya."

"Hm… thanks."

…..

Back up in the stands, after seeing Kaida take Mina to the back, Bulkhead immediately stood up and began walking toward the exit, though not without making his intentions known. "I'm gonna go see Mina. Gotta make sure she's alright after that."

"Of course, Buck." Orion approved. "Do what you have to do."

"Just be sure to go easy on Kaida, okay?" Kyoka piped up. "I'm sure she didn't mean it."

Buck waved to her with a grin. "It's alright, I know. Honestly, I'm glad that she was the one who brought Mina to the back. Shows good character, helping your opponents." He started sprinting toward the exit, calling back; "I'll be back as soon as possible!"

"Take your time!" Stella exclaimed before sighing sadly. "Wow, that really got serious for a moment there."

"Yeah, poor Mina." Tsuyu agreed. "And poor Kaida, too, ribbit. Both of 'em must've felt awful after that."

"It seems that Kaida's Ankylosaurus tail has the proportional strength of a full-sized one even though it's downsized to fit her body." Izuku mumbled as he continued to take down notes. "Knowing this, she's intentionally practiced to hold back that strength so that she doesn't kill anyone. If an Ankylosaurus' club is powerful enough to break a T-Rex's femur and do even worse to other dinosaurs, there's no question that anything worse would've resulted in—"

"Alright, Izuku, we get the picture." Sid interrupted, placing his hand on Izuku's head. "I think the last thing anyone wants to hear right now is the "D" word."

Denki coughed into his hand; "Hkk—that'swhatshesaid—hkhk!"

"Well, after that display, I say we shouldn't let this hot streak cool!" Present Mic announced as the next two competitors took the field. "Let's get on with the sixth match, shall we?!"

At this, Izuku and Tenya immediately perked up. "Oh, Yaoyorozu and Jiro are up next!" the latter exclaimed.

"WOO! 'Bout time!" Jeff rose out of his seat and cheered as he saw the two girls come out into the stadium. "C'mon gals, show 'em what you're made of!"

"Let's go, Momo!" Sadie cheered as well, with Brian standing to show his support for Kyoka. "And remember, Windy's back home rooting for you, too!"

…..

Back at the Autobot base, said City Speaker was watching intently from her seat, with Springer and Red Alert flanking her as the competitors took the field. Of course, they had been concerned for Mina before this, and they still were. But now, Windblade's focus was intently on what her protégé was going to do in this match-up. 'It's best friends versus one another.' she thought to herself. 'Kyoka, Momo, this is a competition, so it's best not to let personal feelings get in the way.' She smiled as Momo appeared on screen. 'And Momo, remember what I taught you about hesitation being a hindrance. Don't think BEFORE you act, think WHILE you act.'

"This match should be interesting." Red Alert muttered.

Springer gave a short chortle. "Heh, almost as interesting as Mei's little commercial for your inventions?"

Red cleared his vents and turned his head away. "Aherm, that was completely different. She was simply taking the advice I gave her to heart."

"What, to use your friends to your advantage?"

"Both of you, hush." Windblade laced her hands together as Present Mic started the introductions. "It's starting…"

…..

With both girls now on the battlefield, it was time to get things underway. "I'd argue that these two ladies going up against one another must've been fate dealing a trick card, given how they're such good friends!" Present Mic informed, generating a bit of murmuring in the crowd. "Coming in from the west side, we've got a young lady who I'm honestly a really big fan of! Of course, I respect anyone who uses sound as a weapon! From Class 1-A, it's the OTHER first-place contestant, Kyoka Jiro!"

Kyoka rolled her eyes at the compliment. "Gee, what an honor to have HIM cheering me on…"

"Versus… the great creator! She was admitted because of recommendations, and I'm sure we can all see why! Also from Class 1-A, it's Momo Yaoyorozu!"

Momo stood tall and confident, knowing that there would be no hard feelings between her and her best friend no matter what happened. "Just so you know, Kyoka, I've taken your words to heart…" She extended her hand and activated her Quirk. "And I will not be holding back."

Kyoka brought up her jacks, ready for anything. "Good, because I won't either. You're just lucky I can't use any gear, otherwise you'd probably be in for it REAL bad."

"I don't doubt it." Momo had created a steel bo-staff in her hand, taking hold in a combat-ready stance. "In fact, in that regard, I suppose I'm at an advantage."

"Doesn't matter." Kyoka smirked. "I'll beat ya, with or without weapons."

"Ready… BEGIN!"

The two ladies gave simultaneous battle cries as they charged one another, going in immediately for a close-range attack. Momo went to strike first, twirling her staff to build up momentum before bringing it in at Kyoka's side for a hard swing. But then… CHNK! "AAH!" Momo's arm jolted back as one of Kyoka's jacks went right into her elbow, triggering her funny bone. "MMMPH! Really?!"

Kyoka dashed behind her opponent and immediately slammed into her shoulder-first, moving straight toward the boundary line. "Sorry, but all's fair in love and war!" THUNK! "Huh—AH!" But before she could make it, Momo prodded her staff into the ground and flipped over, causing Kyoka to trip up.

Once the punk rocker was on the ground, Momo wasted no time in whirling herself around and pointing the tip of her bo staff in Kyoka's face. "Hm! My thoughts exactly. Do you yield?"

"Hah, not in a million years." Kyoka shot her jacks up toward Momo's eyes, making her gasp and flinch. "HA! Made ya look!" And just like that, Kyoka wrapped her jacks around the staff and yanked it from Momo's grasp, tossing it out of the ring.

"Uh… d'ooh! You little trickster!"

"I know, right?" Kyoka winked back before kicking her legs up and slamming them into Momo's midsection, the creator stumbling back as Kyoka landed perfectly on her feet. "Now, take this!" Quick as a flash, Kyoka sent both jacks out at once, aiming for Momo's stomach.

'C'mon, Momo, get it together. Don't stop thinking. You need to cover your—THAT'S IT!' Momo activated her Quirk beneath her shirt mere seconds before Kyoka struck, causing the latter to recoil as her jacks plugged into something unexpected.

"AH! W-What the—Woah!" Kyoka flushed a little as Momo took the jacks out by hand. "B-Be careful! Those are sensitive!"

That made the raven-haired beauty crack a small grin. "Hmhm, sorry, but I figured you wouldn't want these in this…" She lifted her shirt, showing off the thick material she had just made covering her midsection. "Kevlar. Very useful, wouldn't you say?"

That took Kyoka by surprise a little, but nevertheless, she kept her own smile. "Huh, neat trick, Yaomomo. But you still might wanna keep your guard UP!" Kyoka moved both of her jacks and jabbed them into Momo's hand, taking her opponent aback and making her release them.

"Ah! Oh, so back to that one, are we? Well then…" As she shook the tingly feeling out of her hand, Momo created something else with the other… an item which made Kyoka's eyes widen. It was a rather large hammer with a long handle, almost like one of those comically oversized ones you'd see in an anime, only with a lot less yellow and pink. "Let's see how you handle THIS!"

Momo charged in once again, lifting the stainless-steel weapon high over her head before bringing it down. Kyoka was able to dodge-roll out of the way, but Momo wouldn't give up her chase, closing in on her with every swing. "Woah! Okay, did NOT take into account that you're your own hammerspace!" As Kyoka kept avoiding her, though, she noticed that they were slowly making their way toward the boundary. She smirked once they were close enough; one more swing and she could possibly trip Momo out. "Sorry, Yaomomo, but it's time to end this!"

Kyoka bowled out of the way as the hammer came down again, before sending one of her jacks down to wrap around Momo's leg and pull it out from under her. Sure enough, the creator tripped… but what happened next truly took the punk rocker off guard. Momo SLAMMED the hammer head into the cement floor and, using her momentum, she swung herself around the handle, bringing her foot in for a swinging kick straight into Kyoka's side and sending her toppling over.

"AGH!" Kyoka landed hard, but she knew that she could still go. "Oh-ho, not bad, but I'm not—"

"Jiro!" Kyoka gasped as Midnight spoke up, pointing her flog at her. "You're out!"

Kyoka's eyes widened as she looked down to the ground… and indeed, she had landed with her upper body over the boundary line. It took a few seconds for her to process this, a brief feeling of sadness and a bit of anger flowing through her. Though these feelings were directed more to herself than her opponent. 'Damn, wish I could've done more… well, there's always next year.' Just then, she saw a familiar hand extend down to help her out, making her smile up at its owner. "Hey, that was great, Yaomomo. Didn't see it comin'."

Momo grasped Kyoka's hand and helped her to her feet, reaching out to her shoulder with her free hand. "Thank you very much, but you were VERY impressive yourself. I was actually caught off guard by quite a few of your moves. You weren't even able to use sound in this battle and you were still quite impressive."

"Aw, shucks." Kyoka glanced away, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "Well, glad to know I managed to throw you off even a little. Honestly, you've really improved in terms of your combat."

"Well, Windblade's always telling me to keep my mind going and to not hesitate, even in high-stress situations. If I can't let my creativity flow constantly, then what chance do I have if I suddenly stall in the middle of something important?"

The rocker gave a single nod. "Yeah, true that. Hah… well, guess my run at the top's been cut down."

Momo put on a sly smile and gave a wink. "Hey now, I thought you said no hard feelings." That earned her a playful jab from Kyoka, the duo laughing at their own banter before Momo politely bowed. "But really, thank you for the battle. And don't worry, there's always next year to look forward to."

"Yeah, and let's both keep giving it our all until then." Kyoka offered a fistbump, which Momo was all too happy to reciprocate.

And just like that, the crowd erupted with joyous cheering at the sign of respect, with Present Mic even weeping a little in the commentary booth. "Sniff—Ah, it's enough to bring a tear to your eye. Two best friends being great sports with one another and promising to keep improving themselves in the future." He blew his nose in a hanky before exclaiming; "ERASER, YOUR STUDENTS ARE AMAZING! This reminds me of OUR days back in school together, man!"

"You start reminiscing here and I'll mummify YOU."

…..

Back at the base, Springer pumped a fist high into the air, all while Red Alert smiled in approval. "Oh-ho, YES! Now that's what I call a pretty exciting match!" The Triple Changer craned his head over to Windblade, expecting her to be ecstatic. "So, Windblade, you must be feeling pretty… huh?" Much to his surprise, though, Windblade almost seemed close to… crying? She didn't seem sad, though, more like… proud.

Red Alert, though, didn't see this. "Windblade? Why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset, Red." Windblade put on a smile, trying to regain her composure as she stared at the two ladies on screen with utter happiness. "Far from it, actually." Once again, her focus was on Momo, all while thinking to herself; 'You've got a long way to go yet, Momo… but you're already off to a fantastic start. You WILL be a great hero, I'm sure of it.'

…..

Up in the stands, Izuku's shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. "Man, Kyoka lost…"

"Indeed, but it was quite the hard-fought battle!" Tenya reminded with a smile. "It's understandable to be upset, but we should all be quite proud of Jiro as well, along with Yaoyorozu, of course. They both gave an astounding effort, after all." He stood up out of his seat, ushering for Izuku to join him. "Come, let us give them our praise, and see if we can find Uraraka to wish her well before HER match, as well."

It was then that Izuku remembered something… Ochako seemed to be a bit out of sorts when she had left. He was honestly a bit surprised when she barely made a sound when leaving, not even asking them to wish her luck. They probably wouldn't have noticed if Kyoka and the others hadn't all gone with her. "Hm, yeah." Izuku nodded. "I wanna go see her and Kyoka, too. And besides, our match will be directly after Uraraka's, so probably best to get prepared."

But before they could leave, Sid piped up behind them; "Aw, c'mon guys! You two really ain't gonna stay to watch Eijiro's match?" He pumped his fist with an eager smirk. "He's gonna beat the snot outta that copycat, for sure!"

Orion gave the young man a disapproving glance. "Sid, I appreciate your rooting for Eijiro, but I don't necessarily approve of you wanting to see that other boy hurt."

"W-Well, it's not like THAT, Pri—Pax." Sid caught himself, making Stella facepalm at his near slip-up. "I just want Eijiro to win, especially since this guy's been steppin' on his toes all day."

"Okay, let's see what we got for ya next!" Sid immediately snapped his head down to the field when he heard Present Mic's voice, seeing his red-headed partner standing opposite the white-haired copycat. "The seventh match-up includes two completely redundant Quirks! One of 'em's a passionate, manly fighter made of steel! The Hero Course's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! Versus… a passionate manly fighter made of rock! The Hero Course's Eijiro Kirishima!"

To say that Sideswipe was galled at the announcement was an understatement. With widened eyes and slack jaw, he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Are… you… KIDDING ME?! Even their INTROS are the same?!" Without warning, Sid jumped down to the edge and placed his foot on it, shaking his fist up at the commentary booth. "And what the pit was that about his Quirk being redundant?! I'll make ya eat those words, ya LOUDMOUTH—URK!"

Stella had gotten up from her seat and pulled Sid back in a chokehold, sneering angrily at him as she forced him back down into a seat. "If ANYONE is being a loudmouth here, it's you! Now get back in your seat, you're causing a scene!"

Sadie and the others stared at the scene awkwardly as Sid squirmed to get out of Stella's grasp, the pink-haired young woman shifting her eyes to Izuku and Tenya. "Maybe it's best if you leave NOW so you're not lumped in with us."

"Right." both boys echoed before fleeing the scene.

…..

"Maybe we should go visit Mina in the med room, see how she's doing." Kyoka suggested as she and Momo walked through the halls.

"Oh, definitely, but since we're so close to the waiting rooms, perhaps we should wish Ochako luck first." Momo noted as well. "After all, she's been… very silent as of late."

Kyoka's eyebrows rose at that. "You saw, too, huh? Yeah, since we left the stands, she hasn't said much… it's kinda worrying me, honestly. I wonder if there's anything wrong?"

It wasn't long before the two girls found themselves at the waiting room where the brunette was, with Momo taking a deep breath as she reached for the knob. "Well, only one way to find out…" The two girls walked in, and were immediately greeted by Ochako's voice.

"Hey ladies! What a surprise! Both of you guys were awesome out there."

"O-Oh, hey Ocha—WOAH!" Kyoka did a doubletake and Momo gasped at the sight of their friend's expression. It was a combination of stress and nervousness, her brows furrowed as a shakey smile forced its way to her face. Her pupils were dilated, no doubt in fear, and even her complexion was a bit pale. "What's wrong with your face?!"

A bit of confusion became mixed in with all of her emotions. "M-My face? Oh, it's nothing… I think."

Momo came forward and immediately sat next to her friend, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Okay, Ochako, let's take some deep breaths. It's obvious that you're incredibly stressed, but you need to calm down before you pass out. Breath in…" Ochako followed her instructions. "Good, now release."

"Hahhhh… wow, thanks, Yaomomo." Ochako placed her hand on her forehead. "I didn't realize how lightheaded I was getting. Heh… I guess I'm not great at hiding how nervous I am."

Kyoka approached the table, leaning against it. "Yeah, I get it. After all, you're facing Bakugo." She sneered at the very thought of him. "Not exactly what I'd call an easy match."

"Yeah… I'm kinda scared." The Gravity user put on a hopeful smile. "But after watching all of your matches down here, I feel a little better."

Instantly, Kyoka's lips curled into a smirk. "Especially Iida's, right?"

"Hahaha! Yeah, that was great… just don't tell him I said that, okay?"

Just then, the door clicked open again, where the topic of conversation came strolling in. "Don't tell what to who now?" Tenya asked, with Izuku following him in.

"O-Oh! Iida, Deku, you guys're here!" Ochako and the girls stood up to greet them.

"Yeah, we wanted to see you off before your match." Izuku nodded before his attention went to Momo and Kyoka. "And we wanted to congratulate you two on your match. It was very good, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time."

Kyoka's smile became somewhat sheepish as she twirled a jack around her finger. "Aw, thanks Green Bean. That means a lot… kinda sucks that I lost, but hey, there's no shame in losing to a friend."

"My thoughts exactly!" Tenya supported. "And besides, both of you fought incredibly hard, so there's no shame in that, either."

"Yeah, you were awesome out there, Kyoka." Izuku affirmed before bowing his head to Momo. "And so were you, Yaoyorozu. Good luck against Kiryu in the next round."

Momo kept her smile, though felt a bit of nervous sweat trickle down her head. "Hah, thank you, Midoriya… something tells me I'll need it."

Ochako tilted her head to the boys. "So why aren't you guys up there watching the matches?"

"Well, other than our own match being after yours… let's just say that Kirishima's fight is gonna drag on for a while." Izuku reached for a remote and turned on the TV hanging on the wall, where they were immediately greeted by the sight of Eijiro and Tetsu punching the crap out of each other, with sparks flying off of them with every hit.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE STRONG!"

"Funny, I heard the same LIE about YOU!"

The five teens deadpanned at the two hardened boys and their screaming banter before Ochako brought her hands together. "That means I'm next. This is it… my fight."

Momo reached out once again, placing a hand on her friend's arm. "Ochako, I'm sure it'll be okay." she reassured before looking to Izuku hopefully. "I mean, there's no way that Bakugo would use the full power of his explosions on her of all people, right?"

"No, he would." Izuku said bluntly, making Ochako whimper.

Kyoka was horror-struck at Izuku's answer. "That response was WAY too sudden, Izuku."

"Sorry, but it's the truth. Besides, everyone's gunning for the top spot in these games." The greenette's expression hardened at the thought. "Even if she wasn't fighting Kacchan, I don't think anyone would hold back." He approached Ochako and brought out his notebook, much to her confusion. "Uraraka, you and the others have helped me so much in these past couple of months, so now it's time I return the favor… and maybe I can do it with this." He went to hand her the notebook. "I've got a plan for how you can use your Quirk against Kaachan, it's all in here. I know it might not be much, but I did my best to put this together, so please…"

That brightened the mood a bit in the room, with Tenya giving two thumbs up. "Hey now! What a way to think ahead, Midoriya! This is perfect, right, Uraraka?"

There was a momentary pause before Ochako gave her answer. "Thank you so much for doing that." She pressed her fingers together, giving Izuku an apologetic smile. "But no. Sorry." A collective gasp went through the room, her friends all visibly stunned at the answer.

"W-What?! But why not?" Kyoka exclaimed. "This could be your best bet to get that asshat outta the competition!"

"I know…" Ochako bowed to Izuku. "And I can't thank you enough for putting that plan together, Deku, really. You… ALL of you have been nothing but wonderful to me since we became friends. I keep seeing that over and over again." She raised her head back up, her sympathetic gaze reaching all of them. "Over the course of these past couple of weeks, we've been training and relying on one another… but now that I think about it, I might've been relying a bit TOO much on you guys." Her eyes shifted over to Tenya. "That's why… when I overheard Iida say that he was trying his best to beat you, Deku, I actually felt kind of embarrassed for myself."

The four teens were silent as Ochako made her speech, with Izuku merely muttering her name. "Uraraka…"

"So it's fine, really." Ochako made her way to the door, ready to confront whatever Bakugo had in store for her. "Everyone's facing their future and giving this their best. That means we're all rivals. So, Yaomomo…" Hearing her nickname made Momo give Ochako her full attention. "I'll see YOU in the semi's. And Deku…" She turned around and gave both of them a thumbs up. "Guess I'll see you in the finals."

The duo were surprised by Ochako's confidence, even as they saw her shaking like a leaf. She was scared, but she was also determined to see this through. In that respect, Momo felt quite proud of her, and decided to give a retort. "Hm, I see. Well, not if I see him in the finals first."

"Heh, I'm not gonna lose to you, Yaomomo." Ochako returned. "Or you either, Deku. Let's give it our all." And on that, the group could wholeheartedly agree.

…..

Several minutes later, Momo and Kyoka had returned to the stands… along with Izuku and Tenya. After what had been said down in the waiting room, there was no way the boys were going to settle for just watching Ochako's match on television. …Of course, they had to get through the CURRENT match to get there. Indeed, Eijiro and Tetsutetsu were still throwing fists and punching one another with everything they had.

"Ugh, will this EVER end?" Sonny groaned.

"C'mon man, have faith!" Sid insisted, even as everyone else moaned in boredom. "I'm sure that Eijiro's gonna—" CLANG! "Huh?" The young man's eyes were brought down to the battlefield, where both spikey-haired teens had just punched each other right in the face at the exact same time. Both of them fell and unhardened, their mouths hanging open as their eyes rolled into the back of their heads. Midnight took to the field, all while Sid watched in disbelief. "N-No… don't tell me…"

"Wow, that hurt me and all I'm doin' is watching these guys! Is it over?!" Present Mic waited with baited breath as Midnight checked them over, though he could just tell that neither boy was about to move or get up. "The hardheads look like they're KO'd! But the question remains; who's the winner?!"

It wasn't long before Midnight gave that answer, raising her hand and declaring; "They're both down! It's a draw!"

Sid, understandably, wasn't too happy with the ruling. "Oh, come ON! I call shenanigans!" Practically everyone within earshot was once again staring at the disguised Autobot as he shook his fist in ire. "I demand a do-over so Kirshima can show that copycat punk what's up!"

As if to answer him, Midnight followed up. "When the contestants recover from the battle, the winner will be determined by a simple contest. Perhaps arm wrestling."

"THAT will suffice! Thank you!" As Sid plopped back down in his seat, though, he couldn't help but overhear what some of the pro heroes themselves thought of the match…

"Weird, they're basically copies of each other, but they both proved how determined they were to win."

"Yeah, you gotta appreciate the passion they brought to the ring. It's inspiring, really. I could use a sidekick like that."

This made Sid smirk to himself, nodding in approval. 'Hm! Of course, they'd see how awesome Eijiro is. Dude's Quirk is totally off the chain, and his hairstyle's eye-catching.' He opened his eyes, balling a fist as he stared hopefully up at the sky. 'Kirishima, don't worry, there's still hope for ya yet!'

The crowd watched as Eijiro and Tetsutetsu were carted off to the back by the medical bots, leaving the field clear to begin the next match. "While we wait for Tetsutetsu and Kirishima to recover, we'll move on to the next battle…" Up on the big screen, Ochako and Bakugo's pictures appeared and they themselves entered the stadium, much to the crowd's excitement.

However, the same couldn't be said for the rest of 1-A. "Ribbit, this might be the most disturbing match up." Tsuyu croaked.

"I know. I kind of don't wanna watch it." Toru hugged her arms, rubbing them in discomfort.

Kyoka, for her part, was clenching her seat's armrest nervously, pursing her lips as Ochako took her place down on the battlefield. She was startled a bit when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but once she saw it was Izuku, she let down her guard. "I know… I feel the same." The One for All user affirmed. "But we're still gonna make sure Uraraka knows we believe in her, right?"

The punk rocker blinked a couple times before giving him a resolute nod. "Yeah, you're right." She cupped her hands and called out to their friend; "OCHAKO! You got this!"

"Take him down, Uraraka!" Yaoyorozu waved as well. "You have our support!"

"Do your best." Izuku said. "You got this."

On the field, Ochako could hear the shouts of support that were coming from her teammates, and it made her feel a bit better… even as she was facing down the ashen blonde giving her a death glare. 'You guys… I won't let you down.'

"The eighth and final battle of the first round of match-ups is about to begin!" Present Mic exclaimed, focusing on Bakugo first. "Now for our fighters; he was kind of a hot head in middle school, and just look at that determined face! From the Hero Course, Katsuki Bakugo! Versus… the gravity gal herself—and who I'm personally rooting for—also from Class 1-A,; Ochako Uraraka!" As the intros were finalized, Ochako took a deep breath and put on her own resolute expression, matching Bakugo's as Present Mic gave the word…

"Let the eighth match… BEGIN!"

…..

A/N: Yep, cutting it off right where Ochako and Bakugo start their match. Is it a tease? Yes, but I feel like that whole thing deserves more time to be focused on, especially since it had nearly an entire episode centered around it originally. But of course, that's for NEXT time.

But let's shed some light on the stuff that happened HERE before we get to that, hm? Firstly, Optimus having a little conversation with Shoto regarding his rather jaw-dropping move. Of course, it's certainly in-character for Optimus to try and help wherever he can when he sees that something's wrong… but considering that this whole situation involves Endeavor, someone who isn't the biggest fan of him… could he come to regret this later on if the Flame Hero finds out? And will this lead to Shoto possibly finding out about the Autobots? Only time will tell.

On the other hand, the matches proved to be quite exciting to write this time around, particularly Kyoka vs Momo. Not to say that Kaida vs Mina wasn't any less fun, but given how worried I was that I wouldn't be able to use any sound-based attacks when it came to Kyoka, her match with Momo turned out better than even I expected. And yes, I always planned on Momo winning the encounter, especially after her special training with Windblade. And as for Kaida and Mina… yeah, when you get hit with an Ankylosaurus Tail, you're out, no matter HOW hard you get hit with it. Thankfully, Kaida took that as a learning experience and helped Mina to the back to make up for it. Between that and Momo and Kyoka's promise to one another, we've got some great sportsmanship going on at this festival!

…Oh, and yeah, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's fight was just as redundant here as it was in the anime. Let's face it, there was no way I was changing THAT comedy gold. But, with Ochako being given her words of encouragement, it's time for her and Bakugo's match, which leads us to…

And now, the Preview! The first round concludes with a fight between gravity and explosions as Ochako and Bakugo rock the stadium! Then, moving into the next round, Izuku and Iida face off to see who will be moving onto the Semi's! It's a battle of speed and wits to see which of these two friends moves on! Next time; Uraraka vs Bakugo, Midoriya vs Iida! Watch out for falling rocks! Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!