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…

36. A Way Off Day Off

A/N: Good morning, one and all, and welcome to the start of a brand-new story arc! …Well, kind of. It's really more of a bunch of in-between arcs where we're gonna be seeing some more Transformers-centric stuff going on before we get to the Hero Killer arc, but hey, with the Sports Festival in the rear view mirror, I think we could ALL use a little more Transformers stuff after that. However, right off the bat with this chapter, it's time we get a proper introduction to a certain redheaded Class Rep of 1-B. This is…

Chapter 36: A Way Off Day Off

…..

*BZZT-BZZT-BZZT-BZZT-BZZT-BZZT*

*click*

"Mmmmuugh…" Itsuka Kendo groaned as her eyes flittered open, greeted by the harsh reality before her; it was morning, and she had to go to work. Her teal green eyes found her alarm clock after her hand did, the large, red numbers reading; "7:00". She had to be at her shift in an hour. Thankfully, the McRonald's she worked at wasn't far away from where she lived, so that wasn't a problem. 'But… a few more minutes wouldn't hurt—' SMACK! "AUGH!" The redhead yelped after her own hand had come crashing down on her face… the hit being doubly affective thanks to her Quirk. Her hand had subconsciously grown larger and got her up FOR her. "Ugh, alright ME, I get the picture."

For all her complaining, though, Itsuka didn't really have a reason to. After all, she had actively volunteered to take the morning shift on her two days off from school. Namely so that she could have her afternoons off for a change. She worked most days except Saturdays and Sundays, so a change of pace for a couple days off from school was something she was quick to take advantage of. She swung her legs over to the side of her bed and stood up, stretching from side to side as her muscles popped across her body. "Man, guess I'm lucky I didn't make the finals, otherwise that probably would've been worse…"

In about twenty minutes, she performed her morning routine; brush teeth, take a shower, do up her hair in her signature side-ponytail. By the end, Itsuka gave herself one last glance over in the mirror to make sure she was presentable. Granted, she didn't use much make up—one of the reasons she was often called a "tomboy"—but it never hurt to double check. She got dressed, putting on a simple white tee, a pair of black pants, her sneaker and a green, zip-up hoodie that matched her eyes. It was a bit plain, but it had to be considering she'd change into her uniform the moment she got there.

"Hah, okay, wallet; got it. Keys for my door and bike lock; got 'em…" As she ran over her check-list in her head, Itsuka's eyes trailed up to a picture that was tacked on the wall just beside her bed. It was a picture of her goal when it came to this job; a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. Ever since she was a kid, Itsuka had a thing for bikes—her dad had gotten her into them at a young age—and the Kawasaki brand was always her favorite. So sporty and streamlined, and also REALLY fast. It was her dream to own one in red or orange, her favorite colors.

The Class Rep of 1-B gave the picture a smile and nodded to herself. "Alright… off I go." She made her way to the door of her apartment, briefly unlocking it to open and relocking it again once she stepped out. Living on her own after moving to Musutafu so she could attend U.A., she had to learn to be cautious about locking her doors. After that, she went down to ground level and went over to her bike, unlocking it from the rack before heading off to the McRonald's a few blocks away.

…..

…On the opposite side of that same building, however, a certain pink sports car pulled up to the curb, honking its horn to signal a certain brunette. "Sadie" poked her head out the driver's side and whistled for her friend. "Helloooo, Ochako!" the disguised Autobot sang up to the apartment on the top floor. "I'm here! Time to get up, sleepy head!" From there, Arcee waited, and about twenty minutes later… a still half-asleep Ochako came lumbering out from her apartment, walking away from it… while the door was still open. "Uhh… 'Chako? The door!"

Ochako's half-lidded eyes sprang open in realization. "Oh, crap!" She zipped back around, locked and closed her door, and then rushed down the steps to meet Arcee. "Hah-hah, s-sorry if I made you wait, Arcee. I-I honestly almost forgot how early you were coming…"

"Ah, it's no problem at all!" Arcee waved off with a cheery grin. "Besides, after an eventful day like yesterday, I can't blame you for wanting to sleep in a little." She watched Ochako get in and strap herself up, the brunette ready to roll. "Okay, so where are we off to first?"

"Well, there's a grocery store that's not too far away from here, actually." Ochako pulled a flier from out of her purse as she explained. "In fact, I'd usually walk there normally, it's that close." She pointed to the flier with excitement in her eyes. "But they're having a sale on vegetables today, so I wanna take advantage of these deals when I can. That's why I wanted to get there early."

Arcee nodded in understanding. "I see. And anything else while we're there?"

Ochako glanced back to the flier. "Nothing else much, really. Just the bare essentials. Water, eggs, milk, some lunch meat, that kinda stuff."

The Autobot blinked in surprise. "…Really? Ochako, is that all you buy?"

"…I'm kinda poor, remember?" the girl deadpanned with pursed lips. "I can pretty much only afford to spend about a hundred yen a week on groceries. Trust me, Arcee, I've got bargain shopping down to a science."

"W-Well, yeah, but… hah, oh well, if you insist…" Arcee opened up her center console and reached in, pulling out a whole WAD of yen that made Ochako's eyes bug out of her head. "Guess I won't be able to use THIS today."

"ARCEE!" Ochako screamed in disbeleif. "W-W-What—when—HOW did you get that much money?!"

The pink Autobot smiled victoriously. "Oh, Merissa loaned it out to me. Told me to treat you well today on her behalf."

Ochako's hands flew up to her face in disbelief. "B-B-But… I-I don't—"

Arcee reached over and clasped a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Ochako, listen, I know that you might not feel like you deserve it, but after the performance you showed yesterday, you can't be any more wrong." She gave her a supportive wink. "There's nothing wrong with someone helping you out every once and a while, and besides, you earned it. Just make sure to thank Merissa when you next see her, 'kay?"

The brunette's lower lip trembled slightly. She had always been hesitant when it came to accepting things like this, especially when it came to money. She would rather work to earn it herself, but… it was still very touching to hear that someone cared enough to help her out. "Snf… okay." her voice cracked, giving Arcee a shaky smile. "Thank you, Arcee."

"No problem at all." the intelligence officer assured. "Now c'mon, let's get to the store and stock you up."

…..

A couple hours later, just across town, Izuku's eyes were cracking open as the light of the rising sun shined through his blinds. He let out a soft groan at his awakening, sitting up in bed while rubbing the remaining sleep away. 'Very rarely do I ever get to sleep in… and after yesterday, I'm REALLY grateful for that…' Even as he stood up, he felt his stiff muscles and bones popping with each movement, but that wasn't going to be enough to deter him. Especially after seeing his first-place medal hanging on the wall next to his bed. '…Wow, never knew something so simple could give me such a strong shot of dopamine.'

Wasting no time at all, he made his way out of his room, greeting his mother on the way to the bathroom so he could at least brush his teeth. Unfortunately, a shower would have to wait until he could take off his cast. "Let's see, I think Recovery Girl said I could take the wrapping off my left arm and the cast off my right… though my right one's gonna have to stay wrapped in bandages until at least tomorrow morning…" he muttered to himself.

Ding-dong!

"H-Huh?" Izuku craned his head toward the bathroom door at the unexpected doorbell ring… but it didn't take long until he found out who was there.

"Oh! Hello, dear!" he heard his mother exclaim before calling out to him; "Izuku, sweetheart, a certain Miss Jiro is here to see you!"

Izuku's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Kyoka was here… and he was still in his All Might pajamas. "AAAH! W-Wait, please, I'm not even NEAR ready!" He hastily went to charge back into his room, going so far as to charge up Full Cowling as he opened the door… only to trip on the doorframe on his way out. "AGH!" CRASH!

He heard his mother gasp; "AH! Izuku! What have I told you about running in the house?!"

"Shorry…" Izuku muffled into the carpet… before hearing a couple footfalls approach him. He dared not look up, he could already hear her usual snarky tone…

"Hehe, gotta say, Green Bean, you sure know how to welcome a girl into your home. Nice jammies, by the way."

Now a complete, blushing mess, Izuku hesitantly spared a glance up… and if his eyes hadn't bugged out earlier, they certainly were now. Above him stood what could only be described as a punk goddess, one who made his jaw open in astoundment. Kyoka was wearing a black jacket over a purple top with holes near the neck. It was almost like her hero costume, only this jacket was denim and not leather, and it had plenty of pockets and zippers. Her legs were adorned with black jeans that were frayed and worn at the knees, along with a pair of high-top sneakers on her feet. To top it all off, she had on a set of matching wristbands and a choker, all with metal studs going around them.

Izuku was at a loss for words… until Kyoka brought him back to reality. "You okay, 'Zuku? Not awake yet or something?"

"U-Uh, NO! E-Er, I mean, I am, it's just…" Izuku sat up, lowering his head to hide his blush. "I-I didn't expect you to be here THIS early."

"Yeah, well, Brian wanted to get an early start." Kyoka explained with a shrug. "Something about giving Prime and the others good time to get ready for their… outing."

"A-Ah, right." The One for All inheritor drummed his fingers on his cast awkwardly. "I wish I knew about that sooner so I could've… you know… CHANGED into my own clothes."

Kyoka giggled at that before helping him up to his feet. "Don't worry 'bout it. Trust me, if the roles were reversed here, I think I'd probably be WAY more embarrassed than you are right now." She couldn't help but smirk as she eyed his pajamas again. "Just be glad that your jammies don't have All Might's face on 'em or anything."

An awkward laugh escaped Izuku's throat. "AHAHA! Y-Yeah, thank god…" Inside his mind, meanwhile; 'Note to self, make sure she NEVER goes into my closet.' He made his way to his room, giving her a wave. "Well, I'm gonna go change, so I'll be out in a minute."

This made the punk rocker tilt her head. "You don't need help or anything? I mean, it probably won't be easy with that cast, at least with your shirt."

If anything, that only made Izuku's cheeks redden even more, which is when Inko stepped in. "I'll be helping him with that, sweetie." She waved her hand toward the living room. "Please, feel free to make yourself comfortable, and we'll be out in a couple minutes."

"Hm, gotcha. Thanks, Mrs. Midoriya!" As Kyoka left, Inko ushered her son into his room, where he gave a sigh of relief.

"Phew, thanks, mom. That could've gotten out of hand."

"You're welcome." Inko said with a knowing smile as she grabbed a green V-neck T-shirt out of Izuku's top drawer. "Now, while we're doing this… why don't you tell me a little bit more about Kyoka?"

That made Izuku freeze up, which Inko took as an opportunity to carefully undo his sling. "W-W-Well, uh… she likes music."

"Oh, does she?" Inko brightened up. "You know, there's a great retro music store just a couple blocks down, I think she'd like to go there." As she removed Izuku's nightshirt to pull the polo over him, she kept asking; "So, does she want to incorporate music into her hero work in any way? I can tell it'd be easy given her Quirk."

"A-Actually, yeah." Izuku smiled bashfully as he remembered what Kyoka's goal was. "She wants to bring smiles to people's faces through her music and hero work. I… find that really admirable, honestly." His hand went to his neck as he began raddling on… "She's really great, honestly. I don't think I've ever met anyone half as funny as her. She's got a quick wit and she's helped me a lot when it comes to coming out of my shell. I—" But his voice caught in his throat the moment he saw his mother's eyes glistening happily, and that's when he knew… "Oh, I've said WAY too much—"

"I KNEW IT!" Inko exclaimed, making Izuku shush her involuntarily. "Ah! Oops! Sorry… also, don't just shush your mother."

Izuku bowed his head. "I-I'm sorry, it's just I didn't want you to… you know…"

Inko sighed, lowering her own head back. "Hah, I know… but can you blame me for being excited?" She reached out, placing her hand over her son's. "My son's first high school crush… you know, your father would be really proud."

"…In what way?"

With a beaming grin, Inko waved her hand to her son. "That you managed to find such a punk rocker!" That made Izuku faceplant on his own bed. "Well, it's true! Hisashi often told me how he'd try to land all the rockstars only to be shot down at every turn." She placed her hand upon her cheek dreamily. "Of course, that's before WE met and fell madly in love, but that's beside the point." Inko put both hands on Izuku's shoulders. "What the point IS, sweetie, is that you should take the chance and ask her out."

"H-Hold on, I don't—"

"Of course, it doesn't have to be NOW, so don't feel obligated to do so just because I said so." Inko said with a wink. "When YOU feel the time is right, THEN you should ask her. It's never a good idea to rush into things, you know."

That made Izuku sigh in relief. "Hah… well, I can only hope I muster up the courage to even DO it."

Inko pulled him into an embrace. "Oh, you will, sweetie, I'm sure of it. You already said it yourself; she's helped you come out of your shell, so I think it's only a matter of time." She pulled away from the hug and shifted her focus down to the gauze wrapped around his left arm. "Now, let's see about getting this off."

After a few more minutes and two less-restricted arms, Izuku emerged from his room, ready to take on the day. He wore his green T-shirt with black shorts and signature red sneakers, walking straight out into the living room to see Kyoka watching TV. "Uh… h-hey."

Kyoka leaned her head back, looking at him upside down. "Hey yourself." she winked.

"You ready to go?"

"In a sec. Listen to this." Kyoka reached for the remote and increased the volume on the TV as Inko walked in, so that they could all hear the news report.

A rather familiar news woman, one who had been seen lurking around U.A. semi-regularly since All Might had taken his teaching position, was the one doing the talking; "Unfortunately for many citizens in Hosu, yesterday's Sports Festival for the First Years at U.A. High was completely upstaged by the attack on local hero; Ingenium." Next to her, a picture of Ingenium in his hero costume came up, a grave expression adorning her features. "The hero, who's true identity is Tensei Iida of the famous Iida Family, was struck down in one of the city's back alleys."

Inko placed a hand over her mouth in shock. "Oh gosh, the poor dear…"

Izuku's grip on the back of the couch increased. "Iida…"

"Fortunately, he is said to be in stable condition, though it is unknown if he will ever fully recover. He is thankfully surrounded by his friends and family as he recovers in an intensive care unit at the local hospital." The reporter's brow furrowed as the image changed to that of a certain silhouette with red eyes. "This young man's career was put into jeopardy no thanks to the infamous Hero Killer; the one called "Stain". This marks his fifth victim over the span of two months, and—"

The news was cut off as Inko switched off the TV, her expression soured. "Hmph, the Hero Killer. Such a despicable excuse for a human being." She turned to the teens and raised a finger at them. "Now you listen here, both of you, I'd be of much sounder mind if you don't go to Hosu for the time being. Until this Hero Killer is caught, that city is probably the most dangerous place to be in Japan right now, so keep that in mind."

"We will, mom." Izuku nodded as Kyoka stood up. "We'll make sure to keep things local."

"Yeah, don't worry, Mrs. Midoriya." The purplette affirmed reaching out to jab Izuku in the arm. "I'll make sure your boy stays safe." Kyoka smirked as Izuku's cheeks flushed a bit.

Inko bowed to Kyoka gratefully all the same. "I'd appreciate that, dear. Now, I suggest you all get a move on. The day isn't going to last long, you know!"

"Right, see you!" With that, the duo walked out of the apartment, where they saw Bumblebee waiting for them at the bottom of the complex. As they strolled down the steps to him, Kyoka snickered and said; "You know I was just kidding back there, right? I know you can take care of yourself well enough."

The greenette scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Hehe, y-yeah… say, there's a retro music store just a couple blocks down. You wanna head there first?"

That made Kyoka's eyes brighten up immediately, resisting the urge to yank Izuku by the arm to get there faster. "You read my mind, Broccoli Top! Let's go!"

…..

Several kilometers away in Hosu City, Strongarm was driving down the street back toward the hospital, her mind filled with thoughts of her friend and how he was taking everything. She had never seen Tenya so… vulnerable before. It was almost as if he was a completely different person, filled with sadness and anguish. Of course, she remembered just how much Tenya respected his brother as well, and she had to admit, Tensei DID sound very admirable. She had hoped to meet him after all the things Tenya told her about him…

…But under these circumstances, Strongarm only felt gloomy. Here she was hoping she'd get to discuss the Hero Code with Tensei and how he adhered to it so… but now, there was no such luck. Her eyes trailed up as she pulled into the hospital, where she made a beeline for the fourth floor. At the door to Tensei's room, she saw Mrs. Iida standing there… along with another tall man. She could see a lot of both Tenya and Tensei in him, albeit with a five o'clock shadow and bits of grey in his blue hair.

Mrs. Iida's next words were all she needed to affirm her assumption; "Oh, sweetheart, there she is."

"Hm?" The man looked up and saw Strongarm approaching, to which he greeted her with a bow. "Ah, so you must be Officer Stella Armstrong. Thank you for bringing my son here, yesterday. I know that it was very sudden, so I apologize if we interrupted your position as Sports Festival security in any way."

"Stella" made sure to return the bow, but made certain to assure the man. "O-Oh, no, it's quite alright, sir. Really, it was no problem bringing Tenya here."

"I appreciate your kindness." The man smiled. "My name is Tendou Iida, by the way. And of course, you've already met my wife, Tae."

Tae bowed to the officer as well. "I know my husband and I have said this several times already, but sincerely, thank you for being there for Tenya when he needed it."

Stella nodded to both of them. "You're more than welcome. And again, it's an honor to make your acquaintance." Her sights went to the door behind them in concern. "But speaking of your youngest… is he in there?"

Tendou craned his head toward the room as well. "Yes, Tensei's just woken up again. We were in there earlier, so—huh?" Much to their surprise, the Iida parents saw a masked-up Tenya open the door, taking them off guard. "S-Son, that was quick. Is everything…"

"Father, my apologies, but when I heard Stella out here, I wanted to see her in." Tenya bowed his head to his Autobot guardian, ushering her to follow him. "Please, I… would like you to meet my brother."

"Oh… of course, Tenya." Stella smiled in appreciation. "That's part of the reason why I came in the first place, actually." After giving his parents a brief "excuse me", she followed Tenya into the room. Thankfully, the atmosphere was much less oppressive and grave than when she was there last night, due in no small part to the natural light. Also, Tensei himself didn't have as many IVs in him, though he still only seemed barely conscious.

"Brother… she's here."

Tensei cracked open a single eye, smiling as he saw Tenya with their guest. "Little brother… so this is her, huh? Your officer friend who brought you here."

Tenya gave a brief yet sad smile as he began the introductions. "Yes. Brother, this is Stella Armstrong. She's been stationed as a security guard for U.A. several times over the past couple of months." He glanced over to Strongarm next. "And Stella, this is my brother, Tensei."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Strongarm bowed in respect. "Tenya's told me so much about you."

"Hehe, I'll bet he has." Tensei chuckled weakly. "Hah… I only wish our meeting were under better circumstances. But all the same, thank you for helping my brother." He gazed upon Strongarm with a great deal of respect. "Officers like you… do so much to help the heroes. I greatly appreciate it every single day."

If Strongarm could blush, she certainly would have. "O-Oh, you know, I always make sure to do my best to uphold the law. Of course, it's always good to have heroes such as yourself around to help us apprehend troublesome villains."

"Hm… yes… such as myself." Tensei's demeanor visibly changed, the man becoming crestfallen all of a sudden.

Tenya noticed immediately. "Brother… is something the matter?"

After a long, quiet pause, the elder Iida finally answered; "Tenya, I wasn't sure if I wanted to say anything yesterday… but I… I can't feel my legs. They're useless."

Strongarm felt her spark ache at the sight of Tenya's eyes widening in abject horror. Of course, she knew that it was unlikely that Tensei would walk again, she was told so last night… but she also knew that Tenya wouldn't take it very well. "What? No way! Th-That can't be!"

"I'm afraid so." Tensei mumbled out. "I think the hero Ingenium… is finished. …At least for me."

Tenya's eyes brimmed with tears, his glasses getting fogged up thanks to his intense breath going up through his mask. "No! You still have so many people to help and inspire, brother!" his voice cracked. "It CAN'T be true!" He felt Strongarm brace against his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"I'm sorry… I think it is." Tensei brought his eyes up, seeing his brother's tears. "But that's why… I want you to take the name." That made both Tenya and Stella pause in shock. "The name "Ingenium" deserves to keep being used to help and inspire people… and I think you can do just that. I know you will become a great hero one day… so will you do that? For me, Tenya?"

The Class Rep had no idea how to respond at first. His brother—his inspiration—was asking him to take on the name of Ingenium. It was hard to take in all at once. He set his eyes onto Strongarm, hoping for some advice or even a look of support. Thankfully, she was already smiling at him with a caring gaze, undaunting in her approval. "I think it's a fantastic idea." she stated wholeheartedly. "The name of Ingenium deserves to be continued, don't you think?"

"O-Of course, but…" Tenya softly clenched a fist. "It's just hard to imagine ME with the name. I feel like… I have so much to prove in order to earn it."

"Then do just that, brother." Tensei urged, reached his hand out only to find it grasped by Tenya within a second. "Continue your studies at U.A. Keep studying hard, keep training… and then one day, once you feel you have earned it, feel free to use the name "Ingenium". …I'm sure that you will carry it well."

With his lips pressed together firmly, Tenya brought his other hand up to give his brother's a reassuring squeeze. "I… I promise to try my best, brother."

"Hm, thank you, Tenya." Tensei smiled as his eyelids began to grow heavy again. "Now… I need to rest a little. It's taking a lot of energy to talk now, so…"

"Of course, brother. Please, get some rest… and I'll see you soon." With that, Tensei felt free to close his eyes and drift to sleep, leaving Tenya to let his tears fall freely. "Snf… S-Strongarm… do you think I can…"

The Autobot cadet put an arm over his shoulder. "I'm sure that you WILL, Tenya. You're going to make your brother so proud, I just know it." She smiled as she led him over to the door. "Earning the name of Ingenium will take lots of practice, though, and you know that I'm still willing to help you with your training, right?

"…R-Right." Tenya took a deep breath to collect himself, taking off his mask so that she could see his own grin. "Thank you, so much."

"You're welcome. Now c'mon. We're having lunch with All Might and Jazz today. There's a lot that we need to catch you up on from last night."

…..

Shoto Todoroki was feeling quite confident today, that was for sure. He had just gotten off the phone with Kaida not too long ago, relaying his plan to her and what exactly they were going to do. Of course, his best friend was on board, if a little concerned for the Half-Cold Half-Hot user, but that was understandable. After all, what he had in mind was something that he hadn't done in a LONG time…

He was going to see his mother.

It was something he HAD to do if he was going to start taking the necessary steps forward; moving on from letting his father bog down his mind and focusing on the hero HE wanted to be. But more importantly, he needed to reconnect with his mother, to make sure that she was safe… and then…

"Shoto?" the red and white-haired boy peered up, seeing a spectacled young woman with white hair—which had some red patches in it—standing in the nearby doorway. It was his older sister, Fuyumi, the only other one who was living in their home at the time. His father had taken to sleeping at his own agency in recent years. Shoto was thankful for her presence, of course, though he had to admit, her concern for him could be a little overbearing at times. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"…The hospital." Shoto answered, slipping on his shoes.

"What?" Fuyumi raised her head, her brother now having her full attention. "Hold on, why?" She reached out, taking a step forward. "Y-You can't just visit. Not without telling dad, right?"

Without turning to face her, he reached for the door handle. "Whatever—huh?" But before he could open the door, she dashed over and stopped his hand.

"But why go now? Why see her after all this time?"

Shoto pursed his lips, a bit miffed at his sister stalling him. "It's… complicated." He met Fuyumi's eyes, seeing just how worried she was. "But, if it makes you feel any better, I won't be going alone."

That made Fuyumi tilt her head. "Huh? What're you—"

Ding-dong!

"Ah, and there she is." A soft smile came to Shoto's face, gently tugging his hand away from Fuyumi to open the door… where Kaida was standing on the other side.

"Mornin', House of Todoroki!" Kaida saluted with a cheeky grin. "How's it goin'?"

All at once, Fuyumi's concern melted away in favor of a happy smile. "AH! Kaida!" The young woman stepped out as Kaida opened her arms, the two meeting in an embrace. "Oh my gosh, it's been FOREVER since you've been over! I saw you compete in the Sports Festival yesterday, you were awesome!"

Kaida couldn't help but laugh a little as she returned the hug. With Endeavor out of the house more often than not, it allowed her to come and visit far more often, and in that time, her and Fuyumi had become well acquainted. "Oh god, Fuyumi, it's good to see you, too. Sorry I haven't been over in a bit. Between the Sports Festival and my studies, my plate's been chock full." They two pulled apart, only for Kaida's expression to turn sheepish. "And while I'm glad you enjoyed me in the Sports Festival… I kinda wish I hadn't dropped the ball near the end."

"Oh, right… that." Fuyumi recalled the whole Triceratops incident with a wince. "Sorry about that. Didn't think THAT would be the moment when you'd finally transform into a full dino. B-But hey, being in the Top 3 isn't bad at all!" Her eyes shifted to her brother, giving him a wink. "Especially since you share that honor with Shoto, am I right?"

The two teenagers flinched at the implication, with Shoto lowering his head while Kaida scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "U-Uh, yeah… of course." After a few seconds, she looked to Shoto with urgency in her gaze. "S-So, uh, you ready to head out, Shoto? The hospital's in the next town over, yeah?"

"R-Right." Shoto affirmed, ready to move on from this conversation. He stepped out of the house, but not before giving his sister one last affirming nod. "It's okay, sis. I know everything will be alright."

Fuyumi brought her hand up to her cheek with a sigh. "Well… okay, if you say so. Best of luck, Shoto, I'll see you soon."

And with that, the duo were off to the station, boarding a train in no time. On the way there, however, Kaida decided to ask the ultimate question; "So… you think you're really ready for this?" Shoto's eyes shifted to her, to which she leaned in with a serious gaze. "Listen, Shoto, I know we talked about this over the phone and all, but this is something you've gotta make sure you're all set for. How many years has it been since you've seen her?"

"…Almost eleven." Shoto furrowed his brow. "But I won't let that time gap get in my way."

"I like your conviction, that much I can say." Kaida smiled fondly. "If it were my mom in there, I'd go in a heartbeat… but I do have to ask; why now?"

Shoto remained silent for a moment before giving his answer. "Ever since that day… I thought the sight of my left side would cause my mother nothing but pain. So I never visited." He met Kaida's eyes, bringing his hand up to the scar across his face. "But we will always be bound to each other by blood… by our history with my father." He closed his eyes as he faced forward once more. "That's why… if I'm ever going to use this body and these powers to become a hero, if I'm going to give it everything I have…" He felt his voice hitch a bit as Kaida gently rested her hand on his shoulder, but he kept going. "…If I'm going to become the hero I want to be, I need to see her. There's so much we need to talk about."

There was another brief silence before Kaida began gently rubbing Shoto's shoulder, their train pulling into the station. "I think that's great, Shoto. I… hope you can reconnect with her in some way."

"So do I. Now come on, we're here." With that, the duo got up and left the train, walking toward the hospital with purpose. "So, elaborate on something for me…"

"Oh? Watchya need explaining?"

"Earlier on the phone, you said your parents were going to be catching a flight tomorrow." Shoto elaborated. "But I didn't get the full details. Is it a new dig?"

Kaida's eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, yeah! Dude, you won't believe it; they've been called out to the dig site of a potential NEW find! A prehistoric creature that we've possibly NEVER discovered before now!"

Shoto's eyebrows rose up, intrigued to say the least. "Really? Sounds cool. Is it a dinosaur?"

"That's the thing; no one knows yet." Kaida replied eagerly. "From the scans they took, it seems to be about as BIG as a dinosaur… but some are saying that it's got an upright, bipedal stance, almost as if it was some sort of giant person. It's really nothing like any dinosaur that's been discovered."

"Huh… neat."

"NEAT?!" Kaida spun around and grabbed Shoto by the collar, shaking him frantically. "We're talking about the discovery of the CENTURY here and all you can say is NEAT?!"

"He-He-Hey, look! The hospital!"

Kaida's lips soured as she saw the building in the corner of her eye, letting go of her best friend with a narrow-eyed glare. "You win this one, Mr. Cold Brew." With a sigh of relief, Shoto led the way into the hospital, where the attendants were all quite shocked to see him. They were left doubly astonished when he asked for his mother's room, but all the same, they got the room number. Once they reached the third floor and room 315, Kaida gave her friend a single nod. "Okay, I'll be out here if you need me. Good luck in there, Shoto."

"Thanks." Shoto grinned to her briefly before taking a deep breath, reaching for the door handle. With a soft tug, he gently pulled the door open… and there she was.

Rei Todoroki, the woman sitting on the edge of her bed and gazing straight out the window. Her white hair shined in the daylight, and while Shoto felt a brief hint of hesitancy pass through him, that quickly disappeared as he spoke the only two words that came to his mind; "…Hi, mom." Her reaction was subtle, but immediate, her head lifting just slightly before she slowly turned toward him. Her dark eyes met his, and he could see that she was left mesmerized by his presence… and yet, there was a twinkle of happiness behind those dark orbs.

'…I'll rescue her from this place.' Shoto promised himself as he walked in. 'No matter what. That's my first step to getting back on track. It's what I HAVE to do.'

…..

"Thanks again for picking me up, Bulkhead." Momo said as the Wrecker neared Mina's house, the Creation user sitting in the back of his vehicle mode. They could see the aforementioned pink girl standing out at the end of her driveway… well, more like BOUNCING, really. It was obvious to them that she was extremely excited.

"Ah, it's no problem at all, Momo." Bulkhead waved, his holoform glancing up at her through his rearview mirror. "Besides, I know how weird it'd look if Windblade came to pick you up herself."

Momo sheepishly smiled, scratching her cheek with a small laugh. "Haha, yes, you're right… although, to be fair, private jets landing on our front lawn isn't COMPLETELY out of the ordinary. Though father would probably question why it's a combat jet."

Bulkhead nodded as he pulled up to the curb and opened his door. "Heh, yeah, and the last thing we need is your parents asking questio—" But then he cut himself off when he realized what Momo said. "…Wait what?"

"Hm? What're we talking about?" Mina popped into the Hummer, taking the passenger seat.

"Oh, we were just talking about how Windblade wouldn't be conspicuous at my house." Momo explained. "And how father would have several questions about why a combat jet would be picking me up instead of one of our private ones." With a happy smile and a casual tone she added; "After all, only those planes are cleared to land on our private runway in the front yard." After that, she saw Bulkhead's eyes widen, putting on a rather shocked frown while Mina's jaw dropped all the way to her seat.. "…What?"

"…Yaomomo… has anyone ever told you that you are OBSCENELY RICH?!" Mina exclaimed.

It then hit Momo in that moment; she had inadvertently flaunted her wealth… again. "Ah! I-I'm so sorry!" She pressed her hands together and bowed her head. "I often forget just how different my sense of normal is compared to yours. Please forgive me."

"H-Hey, there's nothing to be upset about on our end!" Bulkhead reassured, shutting his doors and pulling back onto the road.

Mina reached back and took hold of one of Momo's hands. "Yeah! I mean, sure, it's kinda astonishing just how rich you are, but that doesn't make you any different from us." She punctuated her point with a wink. "And besides, it's not like you're flaunting all that money in our faces like some prissy, stuck-up know-it-all, right?"

"I… will admit, that's true." Momo nodded in resolve. "I never wanted to be like those uptight, spoiled brats."

"And THAT is definitely a good thing." Mina gave her a thumbs up as they shared a smile, before giving Bulkhead a nod. "Alright, Bulk, let's do this thing!"

Bulkhead gave her a salute before his holoform disappeared. "I hear that! Red, bridge us to base!" Along the open road, the GroundBridge portal appeared and the Wrecker drove straight in, bringing them all right into Autobot HQ. There, Springer, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Windblade were already gathered up, with Eijiro and Denki waiting by their sides. Bulkhead came to a stop and opened his doors, allowing Momo and Mina to get out before transforming. Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! "Ah, good everyone's here, I… er, wait, where's Red?"

"Making some final preparations with Prime." Springer explained, closing the GroundBridge. "Apparently, it's something about a… "contingency plan" incase the Cons show up."

That made Mina's eyes light up in curiosity. "Ooh, can't wait to see what THAT is! Either way, we made pretty great timing!"

Sideswipe gave a short chuckle. "Hah, I'll say. We literally JUST came through a couple minutes before you did…" He glanced over to his brother. "Would've been a bit sooner if SOMEONE hadn't found a freaking wall-sized mirror!"

Sunstreaker crossed his arms with a; "Hmph! Come on, bro, you KNOW I gotta make sure I look good consistently throughout the day." He gestured to his glossy finish. "Paint like this doesn't come easy, you know! You should learn to take pride in that."

"Oh, please." Sideswipe rolled his optics. "If you were any vainer about your paintjob, your name would be changed to Tracks."

"AH! Well, at least TRACKS had great taste—AUGH!"

"ACH!"

CLANG! Both brothers' heads were bashed together thanks to, of all bots, Windblade. The City Speaker got between the two and jumped up, bringing her legs together in a clamping kick to knock some sense into them. Everyone watched as the Lambo Brothers slumped to the floor, both in a complete daze. "There, that oughta get their heads back on straight."

"Uh… Windblade?" Momo raised a brow up to her friend. "Don't you think you might've got a teeny bit overboard?"

Lowering herself down in a crouch, Windblade picked Momo up in her hand. "Ah, don't worry about them, they'll be fine. Not the FIRST time they've been given the hard treatment." She gave her partner a wink. "So, you ready for this mission?"

Momo gave an eager nod. "Oh, yes, completely. I'm very glad that we decided that we'd all get to go last night."

"Yeah, a LOT easier than arguing about who'd have to stay." Eijiro added, shouldering a backpack that he had prepped for the trip.

Denki, standing casually with his hands behind his head, gave a shrug. "And besides, it'll be a lot easier to cover more ground in the outback with more heads." His eyes searched around for a certain red and blue Autobot. "Speaking of which, wonder what's taking Big Bot? You'd think he'd wanna get this started ASAP, right?"

All of a sudden, a loud laugh came echoing through the room… and right in the doorway was it's source. There stood Mei with her goggles over her eyes and a big, toothy smirk on her lips, the young genius standing proudly with Red Alert right behind her. "AHAHA! Ask and you shall receive, Sparky! Make way… for Optimus!"

The two stepped aside and allowed the Prime to enter the room… while hauling the large trailer that he had used a few times before. Now, however, it looked much different. Rather than appearing old and a bit rusty in some places, it was now completely fixed, with a sterling silver finish and a long, blue stripe down both sides. The stipe went up at an angle toward the back before flattening out again, with the Autobot insignia emblazoned on the plateau. The teens and Autobots all stared at the trailer in surprise as Optimus pulled up between all of them. "Greetings, everyone. I take it you like the new addition?"

"Y-Yeah, Prime!" Eijiro beamed. "I love what you've done with your trailer!"

"It's so cool!" Mina complimented. "It does WONDERS to complete your overall aesthetic!"

"Thank you very much." Prime returned. "I rather enjoy it myself, especially after what Red Alert and Mei have done with it."

That made everyone all the more intrigued. "Woah, whaddya mean by that, Prime?" Bulkhead asked.

Optimus merely chuckled. "Hmhm, it's a surprise. One that I'll be saving for later." He pulled himself forward to face the GroundBridge. "But for now, let's begin our focus on the mission. Red Alert, you have the estimated coordinates entered into the GroundBridge, correct?"

"Indeed I do, sir." Red Alert went over to the control panel for the device, switching over to the correct coordinates before opening the portal back up. "You should emerge roughly a mile or so from your destination. Simply head west and you should arrive there shortly."

"Thank you. Alright, let us begin the mission! Autobots… Transform and Roll Out!" Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! All at once, Bulkhead, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Windblade and Springer all transformed, allowing their human companions to board them once again before going through the GroundBridge, leaving Red Alert and Mei by themselves.

The duo couldn't help but share a smirk. "So, on a scale of one to ten, how badly do ya think the Cons will soil themselves when they see what we did to that trailer?" Mei snickered.

"Oh, I can only hope it's an eleven." Red expressed his own confidence before moving over to the work table. "Now, I think you said that there was something else you wanted assistance on?"

Mei gave a nod before pulling out some blueprints from behind her back. "Yessir! And lemme tell ya…" She unfurled the plans, revealing a schematic of a pair of leg-length struts with a pair of boots serving as the base. They seemed designed to hook around the waist, and there was an additional piece on the waist strap that somewhat resembled a spinal cord. "…It's gonna be pretty big this time."

…..

Flare Up was beginning to worry. She had been on Earth for almost an entire night and she hadn't found a SINGLE Autobot signal. Had she gotten the wrong planet? Did they pull an emergency evac? It was almost enough to send her into panic mode, but she kept herself calm. She had to, after all, if she was going to maintain her disguise. She had made planetfall just outside of a building with a TON of fast-looking two-wheeler vehicles, and after finding the sleekest one she could find and creating a helmeted holoform based on the local inhabitants, she raced off across the small island country to try and find her Autobot comrades… and she was having absolutely no luck.

"Okay, okay, take a chill capsule, Flare." The femme said to herself as she turned the next corner and pulled into a parking lot. "Just make a quick pit stop and think." Flare Up went into a parking space directly in front of the building, which appeared to be some sort of human sustenance outpost. "Take five, Tracy." When no one was looking, she deactivated her holoform, putting her kickstand up as she went through her options. "Okay, now why would there be absolutely no Autobot signals here at all? They wouldn't just up an' leave the place this soon, would they? No, not Prime's style at all…"

After a couple seconds, a possible conclusion reached Flare Up's mind. "Oh! Maybe they're just maskin' their signals so that the Cons won't find 'em 'ere! Yeah, that must be it!" Chk-kling! A sudden ring caught her attention, seeing someone coming out of the establishment's front door. 'Oh, nuts n' bolts! Gotta shut it for a sec… just play it cool, Flare…'

…..

Noon time. Shift done. Thank GOD. "Ugh, I can't believe how busy breakfast is…" Itsuka moaned, her legs already feeling achy from going seventy miles an hour all morning. She had no idea if she would even be able to pedal her way back home just so she could crash. "You'd think that things would be a bit LESS busy today thanks to the Sports Festival, but I guess that's out the window…" Itsuka leaned against the McRonald's, craning her head up toward the sky. "Ah well, at least now I get most of the day to myself. Wonder what I should do first…" She faced forward again and began making her way around toward the bike rack. "Well, resting at home should be priority one so… so…"

Itsuka trailed off after seeing something in the corner of her eye, and from there, she was left completely wide-eyed and entranced by what was in front of her. …It was her dream bike. A Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle, current model and everything… with a red and orange paint job. She blinked a couple times to make sure that she wasn't seeing things, and when her thoughts were confirmed, she felt weak in the knees. It was here. The bike she wanted so badly… and it likely belonged to someone else.

"…Hello, gorgeous." Thankfully, that someone didn't seem to be here at the moment. …So it couldn't hurt just to touch it a tiny bit. "Hah… if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up." Itsuka approached the bike and ran her hands across the leather seat, smooth as silk. "Oh, that's nice." Taking another quick glance around just to make sure, Itsuka swung a leg over the seat and grasped the handles. This was everything she thought it would be. "It'll take a few McRonald's paychecks… but I am going to own one of you someday."

"Yo, Class Rep!"

"AAAAHH!" Itsuka nearly fell off the bike as she swung her whole body around, clearly startled, only to come face-to-face with none other than Setsuna Togake. The green-haired girl was on her own mountain bike, and she wore a mirthful, sharp-toothed smirk. "S-SETSUNA?!"

"Heya, Itsuka. Whatcha doin'?" Setsuna pointed down to the bike. "Thinking of taking off with that beauty?"

With a mad blush, Itsuka quickly got off the bike. "I-It's not what you think! I'd NEVER steal a motorcycle! …As bad as I want one."

Her classmate gave a laugh and sent a reassuring wave. "Haha! Relax, I'm kidding. Sheesh, you act like you just got caught by your mom with your hand in the cookie jar." She stuck her tongue out with a wink. "Besides, I just wanted to spook ya a little."

Itsuka puffed her cheeks out with an annoyed glare. "Hmph, well, I hope you enjoyed your little "spook". Anyways, where are YOU off to?"

"Oh, yeah! Tetsutetsu, Ibara and I are gonna head off to the mountains today to do a little exploring. I swung by to see if you wanted to come along with us."

With a soft sigh, Itsuka shook her head, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, Set, but I don't know if I've got THAT much energy left in me after the breakfast rush this morning. But hey, thanks for the off—wait." The redhead cut herself off as she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Tetsutetsu I can see you going with, but… how the heck did you talk Ibara into going with you?"

Setsuna shook her head. "Oh, I didn't. She talked herself into going with us. Said something about "making sure we don't get into trouble". Psh!" The green-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Can you believe it? She thinks WE will get into trouble, hehe…" The deadpan stare she was receiving from her friend made it clear that Itsuka wasn't exactly agreeing with her. "Oh… I see." Setsuna put on a faux pout, sticking her chin up as she turned her head away. "Taking her side, eh? I can take the hint."

"S-Set, wait." Itsuka reached out. "I didn't mean—"

"Psyche!" Setsuna laughed as she winked and stuck her tongue out again. "Made ya feel bad, Class Rep!"

A sour pout made its way to Itsuka's lips. "Grr… should've seen that coming. Just be careful, please."

Kicking up her stand, Setsuna put her feet on the pedals, getting ready to dash off. "Yeah, ya probably shoulda! But don't worry, we'll be fine. I'll catch ya later, Itsuka!"

"Yeah, see ya." After waving her friend off and giving another hefty sigh, Itsuka's hands found themselves back on the handlebars of the bike… without noticing that someone was standing in front of the vehicle. "Man… if I could only ride you just once."

"Oi, 'scuse me, luv!" Kendo gave another gasp and snapped her head up, coming face to face with another girl. This woman was a bit older than her, though, a Caucasian brunette with wild, wind-swept hair and blue eyes who was probably early to mid-twenties. She was decked out in a brown aviator jacket with a pair of matching gloves, a set of goggles hanging around her neck along with a black undershirt, bright orange leggings and… white crocs.

'What is this, the early 21st century?' Itsuka wondered. 'Who wears CROCS anymore?'

The brunette wore a knowing smile, raising a single brow at her. "Sorry to interrupt your lit'l "talking to yourself" sesh there, luv…" She spoke with a British accent as she leaned in closer with a feisty glint in her eye. "…but there any particular reason why you're straddlin' my bike like it's a handsome young lad?"

Itsuka immediately broke out into a blush and screamed, jumping off the bike quick as a flash. "AH! I-I'm so sorry, you've got it all wrong!"

"Oh, I see! …You're more into gals!"

"AAAH! N-NO! WRONG thing to get wrong!"

At this point, the woman couldn't contain her laughter anymore and she broke, leaning against her bike as her guffaws escaped her throat. "HAHAHA! Oh, oh dear, it's okay, I was just messin'!" She spun around and got closer to Itsuka, nudging her with her elbow and giving a small wink. "I just had to play around with ya a lit'l. When I saw you on my bike, I thought; "oh, this gal's totally in love wit' it, gotta make a strong impression"!"

"U-Um… thanks, I think?" Itsuka tilted her head in confusion.

"Hmhm… so, you DO like my bike, eh?"

Itsuka lowered her head and twiddled her fingers a little. "Uh… yeah, I-I do. Sorry for getting on without permission, I just… you have my DREAM bike and I just—"

"Okay, okay, let's just slow down there, luv." The young woman extended a hand toward Itsuka. "First off, how 'bout we start things over an' get some proper introductions outta the way, eh?"

That made Itsuka do a double take. She really HADN'T introduced herself, had she? "O-Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." She gave the woman a bow. "Where are my manners? My name's Itsuka Kendo I'm a hero in training at U.A. High School."

Her words caught the brunette's interest, for certain. 'A… hero in trainin'? Wait, are THOSE the costumed people I kept seein' walkin' through the streets all night long?' She'd have to ask her contacts about that later, instead bowing her head back to the younger girl. "It's a pleasure to meet ya, Itsuka. The name's Tracy."

"Tracy… an English name. Though I guess that should've been obvious with your accent." Itsuka said with an awkward grin. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Tracy. And again, sorry for being a bit… forward with your bike without asking permission."

"Ah, like I said, it's no biggie." Tracy smiled it off. "Besides, it's obvious that we've both got the same taste in motorbikes if this is your DREAM one."

Kendo gave a small sigh, staring wistfully at the Kawasaki. "Hah… yeah. Though at this rate, I'll probably only be able to buy one when I'm your age." She nudged her head toward the McRonald's. "Working here is a bit of a drag and only pays decently. And after my rather wanting performance at the Sports Festival, I'm probably not gonna get many hits with pro heroes for the upcoming internship draft."

Now that REALLY piqued Tracy's interest. 'Sports Festival? Drafts for Heroes? Prime, what kinda world didja even bring us to, anyway?' Nevertheless, Tracy felt compelled to give her own bit of advice on the matter. "Well… you know what I say?" Having garnered Itsuka's attention, the brunette raised a fist, declaring; "I think you've got some potential there, lass. It might take some doin', but you'll get to where I'm at sooner than you might thing." She ran her hand across the hood of her bike. "An' before long, you'll be driving one a' these babies. But for now…" Tracy gave another wink. "You wanna go for a jaunt 'round the city?"

All at once, Itsuka's eyebrows shot up, almost flying off her face at the offer. "W-What?! Really?!" She beamed from ear to ear in excitement. "Y-You'd REALLY let me ride on your bike with you?! B-But we only just met, I—"

"Hahaha! Oh, please, don't gimme that." Tracy waved off. "You're a good gal, Itsuka, an' after seein' how much you appreciate my bike, I think it's only fitting." She reached up and booped the redhead on the nose. "However, I don't got any helmets on me right now, so you'd better hold on tight, got it?"

Itsuka's excitement went from one-hundred to fifty percent in a single second. "W-Wait, you don't wear a helmet?"

Tracy blew a lock of her wild hair out from her eyes. "Well, yeah, ya don't get hair like this by wearin' a helmet, luv." She reached down and pulled her goggles up over her eyes with a reassuring grin. "But don't worry 'bout nothin'. I've been drivin' motorbikes for my entire life an' not ONCE have I gotten into an accident."

"…You're sure."

"Yeah! We'll just go for a quick jaunt an' we'll be back before… you…"

VROOM! VRRM!

The loud roaring of engines and seeing Tracy's horror-struck visage made Itsuka spin around, just in time to see two very sleek yet intimidating black and purple cars come pulling around the bend. They had paused across the way from the McRonald's… before then making a beeline straight for the restaurant. Itsuka felt her blood run cold as their headlights shined in her eyes. "AAH! W-What in the world is—"

"CHANGE OF PLANS!" Tracy grabbed Itsuka by the arm and pulled her aboard the bike, forcibly hooking the girl's arms around her waist before hitting the ignition. "Stay still, hold on, and for the love of Primus, PLEASE keep your hands where they are!"

"Wh-Who the heck is Pri—MUS!" Without any warning, Tracy backed her bike up in one of the cleanest turns that Itsuka had ever experienced before revving her engine and blasting forward, bounding over the curb and pulling off a wheeling between the two black cars. "AAAAAAHH!" Once they were fully on the road, Itsuka shouted out; "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Sorry, luv, didn't mean for that to happen!" Tracy checked in her rearview, and sure enough, both cars had performed U-turns in the McRonald's parking lot and started straight after them. "Didn't expect 'em to find me this fast…"

"Who's THEM?!" Itsuka peaked her head over Tracy's shoulder. "Who are those guys and why're they chasing after us?!"

Tracy pursed her lips reluctantly. "Well, firstly, they're mainly chasing me. And secondly… those are no "guys"." Tracy scanned her eyes around the general area before seeing a sign that read; "Off Ramp: East". "Ah-ha! Bingo! There's our getaway! Better hold on there, Itsuka. It's gonna be a bit bumpy!" She could hear the redhead screaming her head off as she gunned it straight for the highway… without realizing that she had passed a certain yellow bug on the way there.

…..

Meanwhile, inside of Bumblebee… Izuku and Kyoka were busy jamming out. As expected, they had found SEVERAL CDs in that retro music store that had caught their interest. They had purchased few to listen to, namely because Kyoka wanted to "expand Izuku's musical horizons" as she so put it. However, out of all the CDs they came across, there was one that caught both of their attentions. It was called "20 Rider Kicks; A Collection of Themes from the Heisei Era".

Of course, both of them knew what the Kamen Rider series was, even if it wasn't AS popular anymore thanks to the advent of real-life heroes thanks to the emergence of Quirks. That didn't stop the franchise from being one of Japan's biggest icons, though, and the fact that they had found a disk collecting all the themes from the Heisei Era Riders was something they weren't about to pass up. It was music from a little over a hundred years ago, after all. …And judging that they had just repeated the last song they had listened to, they were obviously enjoying themselves. Even Bumblebee couldn't help but bang his head to the fast, high-intensity beat, which gave him the feeling of racing through the streets…

(Insert: SURPRISE-DRIVE)

And before long, both of them started singing, with Kyoka starting out; "~Ameagari Break Cloud sukima-kara, Aozora ga te maneki shiteru, Alright… sorosoro ikou ka~"

Izuku picked up the next line from there; "~Dareka ga iu Logic shinji nai, Chokkan was shinjite itai, High Time… hajimari wo sagashite! FIRE UP, IGNITION!~

With a high five, he passed the Baton to Kyoka again; ~Heavy-na Pressure bukkowashite, Accel fumikome!~" And, in synch with one another, they both sang the chorus…

~Surprise sekai-chu ga Drive~

(It's faster than ever!)

~Feeling High mezameru you na~

(Driving show me!)

~Hajimaru unmei ni wa~

(Keep chasing forever!)

~Back Gear wa nai…~

~All We Need is "DRIVE"!~

It was times like these where Bumblebee WISHED he could sing along. He would've been ALL over that chorus. However, right at that moment, his mind was dragged out of the music when a small "blipping" noise could be heard in his systems. The blond holoform's eyes widened and he brought the music to a stop, shifting his middle console to bring up his tracking radar.

"H-Huh?! Bee, what the heck?!" Kyoka grimaced. "We were just getting to the second verse!"

"Yeah, Bee, what's going on?" Izuku asked, his concern rising as he saw the serious countenance of his partner. Their eyes focused on the radar as well… where they saw an Autobot signal approaching their location. "H-Huh? An unmasked Autobot signal?"

That made Kyoka tilt her head. "Wait, didn't Optimus order ALL Autobots to mask their signals around Musutafu so that the Cons wouldn't be able to track us to our base?" It was then that two Decepticon signals became visible on the radar as well… and they were in pursuit of this Mystery Autobot. "…Yeah, like that. Hold on… are they coming this way—"

SHHHOOOM!

The trio snapped their heads up at the sound of a zooming engine going straight across from their point in the intersection, where they saw a red and orange motorcycle with two people go through. Thankfully, the light was green on their end… but right behind them were two Vehicons in hot pursuit, all three of them going straight for the freeway. "…This situation feels WAY too familiar." Izuku muttered.

"Ugh, great, the newbie isn't on Earth for a day yet and already they're being chased down by… hold on." Kyoka's eyes widened as she saw a familiar head of redhair on the back of that motorcycle, the girl's ponytail whipping through the air as they were being chased down. "Is… is that Kendo from Class 1-B?!"

"What?!" Izuku's eyes caught the redhead in question as she and the new Autobot drove onto the freeway. "Oh god, this IS way too familiar! Bee, we need to go save her… and then hopefully make it so that she doesn't see either you or the new bot in robot mode."

"We're gonna have to break a few speed limits… again." Kyoka muttered, only for Bee to give a smirk. "Uh… Bee, what're you—"

"Zrkt—START YOUR ENGINE!" With that announcement, Bumblebee started "SURPRISE-DRIVE" over again and, once they light turned green, they sped off after the three, making Izuku and Kyoka cry out in… well, surprise.

…..

As that was going on, Itsuka was now going into panic mode. "This is insane!" she cried out as she glanced up to Tracy. "Why are we running from them?! A-Are they villains? Are you some kind of undercover hero or something?!"

Tracy pursed her lips, reluctant to give away too much information. "…You're half right." she confirmed at the least. "I am undercover… but I'm not really a "hero" in the sense that you're familiar with." She gave a brief smile with a small head tilt. "I do like to consider myself one, though…"

"…You're a vigilante?"

"Again, not quite." Tracy nudged her head back. "But those ones behind us ARE bad guys. Don't worry, luv, I'm gonna get you outta this… somehow." CLASH! "H-Huh?!" Tracy whipped her head around to see a little yellow car speeding past the Cons on their tail, going so far as to bump into one of them to veer them off course. That was all she needed to see to make her smile, knowing that no ordinary driver would risk getting into a road battle like this. "Haha! Bingo! The cavalry's 'ere!"

"W-What?" Itsuka's eyebrows rose in shock as a VW Beetle came right up next to them, one that seemed vaguely familiar… "Wait, I've seen that car before!" Sure enough, the rear windows rolled down and some of her fellow schoolmates could be seen in the back, a certain green-haired boy going so far as to lean partially out the window. "M-Midoriya?! Jiro?! What in the world are you—"

Izuku reached his hand out to her as the front passenger door opened. "No time to explain! Come on, get inside and we'll get you to safety!"

"Do it, Itsuka." Tracy peered over her shoulder to the redhead. Trust me, the lad in that front seat is a friend of mine."

Her words made Itsuka come to a conclusion, putting the pieces together after seeing the group that was sitting with 1-A yesterday at the games. "Then that means… you're part of Orion Pax's team, aren't you?"

…Unfortunately, Tracy misunderstood the context of that, doing a double take in shock. "Wait, so you already KNOW Optimus?!"

"…WHO?!"

Kyoka and Izuku both facepalmed. "Gah, so close—WOAH!" All of a sudden, Bumblebee swerved out of the way as the Vehicon got in between him and the biker, boxing the latter in. The two teens were sent sprawling back onto the seats, with Kyoka shouting; "Oh, crap! Kendo!"

"We're not about to let the same thing happen TWICE, Autobot!" the Vehicon barked as its hood-mounted blasters emerged and swung toward the bike. "Now take THIS!"

The girls gasped as Tracy hit the gas, getting herself out of the way as the blasts hit the rail guard for the highway instead. "Bloody pit!" She called back toward Bumblebee; "We need to get offa' this road an' outta the way!"

Izuku poked his head back out and pointed to the upcoming bridge. "There's a ravine coming up! Jump down there, we'll catch up!"

Tracy pursed her lips, furrowing her brow back toward the boy. "I'm not sure who you are, lad, but thanks for the heads up! We'll see you down there." Giving her throttle a couple twists, Tracy revved her engine up and sped straight toward the bridge. "Itsuka, hold on tight, do you hear? DON'T LET GO!"

"Wasn't about to do that anyway!" Itsuka screamed as she felt her stomach get left behind. The swerving of the bike didn't exactly help, but it was necessary to avoid the lasers, which thankfully helped blow a hole into the guardrail that allowed them to get off the road. Itsuka dared not to look down as they briefly went off the ground for a moment… but then, something incredibly happened that made her open her eyes…

"Don't worry… I gotcha."

Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk!

Itsuka saw Tracy's body disappear in a flicker of light and, much to her shock, the bike began changing shape. The rear wheel split in half and shifted up as the underpart of the bike unfurled, revealing a waist and pair of legs which the wheel halves settled into the calves of. From there, the rear end of the bike split as well, shifting up toward the front to form a pair of arms. The exhaust pipes settled onto the forearms as the hands popped out.

The bike's side panels then rotated up as the front end rotated down toward the bottom, with the front wheel folding through the seat, which was now the robot's lower back. The side panels then folded in on themselves, revealing a pair of thrusters that mounted themselves on the bot's shoulders, all while the front of the bike became the robot's chest. The gas can, which was now on the robot's upper back, flipped open briefly so that her head could rotate up into place.

Finally, the motorcycle's windshield retracted to reveal her Autobot insignia, and from her midriff, her blue energy core emerged and took its place in the center of her torso. Her transformation now complete and with Itsuka safe in her hands, Flare Up's core and thrusters ignited into bright blue and she blinked down to the bottom of the ravine in a split second, landing in a crouch.

"Hah… phew." Flare Up gently set Itsuka down on the ground, the girl's teal eyes staring up in utter shock and disbelief. "There we go, safe and so—"

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!""

"AAAAHH!" Flare Up and Itsuka's screams became unified, the Autobot stumbling back in fear. "W-What? What's going—"

"Who are you?!" Ituska raised her fists and, instinctively, made them grow much larger to protect herself. "Where'd Tracy go? What's going—"

"Woah, woah, slow down, luv." The femme said, giving the redhead a reassuring smile. "It's me! I'm Tracy."

That managed to get through to Itsuka in her moment of fear, blinking a couple times as the familiar voice resonated within her. "T…T-Tracy?" Her hands shrunk back to normal as they flew up to her head. "YOU'RE A ROBOT?! Wait, you're the BIKE?! The bike's a ROBOT?!" Before Flare Up could start explaining, though, the Class Rep started pacing back and forth, trying to reason with herself. "Nonononono, this HAS to be a dream, it's GOTTA be! There's no way giant, transforming robots could EVER be real, right?! Hahaha! Yeah, that's gotta be—oof!"

With a sympathetic grin, Flare Up stopped Itsuka with her finger, placing it directly on top of her head. "Sorry, dear, but I'm afraid this is VERY much real." She bowed apologetically to her. "And… sorry for not bein' a hundred percent honest with ya earlier. I'm supposed to keep cover on this planet… but I guess I just ruined any semblance of THAT by assumin' you knew already."

Itsuka took a deep breath, slowly coming to terms with what was happening. "So… I'm guessing that "Tracy" isn't your real name?"

"Heh, nope. Made that up for my holoform." The speedy Autobot gave Itsuka a thumbs up. "Name's Flare Up. An' I'm from a planet called Cybertron."

"…A giant ALIEN robot." Itsuka brought a hand to her head. "Just how could this day get any weirder—" VROOM! The sound of engines brought the duo's attention upward as the black and purple cars from before game zooming down the ravine before transforming themselves, the Vehicons stomping down with their blasters at the ready and pointed directly at them. "…I'm sorry I asked!"

"Grr, Decepticons." Flare Up spat as she stood up, facing the threat without fear. "Itsuka, you'll wanna get back as far as you can." She flicked her wrists and a pair of energy pistols came out from under her arms, catching them in her hands with a twirl as her orange visor came down over her optics. "Don't worry… I'll protect you." And with those words, Itsuka could only watch as Flare Up dashed into battle, her thrusters creating a blue energy trail as she ran. "This ends HERE, Cons!"

…..

A/N: To be continued… yep, we're back to multi-chapter arcs, and this one's starting off with an… admittedly familiar bang. Talk about Déjà vu, am I right? Well, don't worry, this isn't gonna go EXACTLY how it did with how the others got introduced to the Autobots, so there's that. Besides, with everyone out doing their own thing, it's gonna be pretty hard for back up to get to the action in time.

Speaking of everyone, let's see how things are going so far, eh? Ochako and Arcee are going on a little shopping trip and having a bit of a bonding moment, very nice. We got Strongarm meeting up with Tenya and Tensei where she witnesses the latter passing down the name Ingenium to his reluctant younger brother (which is gonna come back later). And there's also Shoto and Kaida going to the hospital to visit the former's mother so he can reconnect with her while shed the burden of his father from his mind. …That's both very wholesome AND very sad, honestly. Oh, and of course the rest of the team are on their way to Australia… while Mei seems intent on working on a new little project… hm…

Oh, and we CAN'T forget Izuku and Kyoka continuing to bond… through one of the most awkward situations for the Green Bean yet. Hehe, poor kid, but hey, at least he's got his mom as moral support! Can't beat that… but speaking of beat, nothing better than listening to some "retro" (by their standards) music! Continuing Izuku and Kyoka's trend of singing together while in Bumblebee!

Now you might be thinking; "wait, why choose THIS song for them to sing?" Well, there's two reasons; one, I've been on a Kamen Rider kick lately (as you've probably guessed) …And the second reason is that I'VE HAD SURPRISE-DRIVE STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR FOUR DAYS AND NOW YOU GUYS GET TO SHARE THAT WITH ME! MWAH-HAHAHA! …Also, for those wondering no, unfortunately there's no "20 Rider Kicks" album. But I WISH there was one! …Side note; watch Kamen Rider Drive. Twelve episodes in and I'm very much enjoying it.

But, onto the MOST important stuff; Flare Up's on Earth now and she's got a badass motorcycle mode to boot! Of course, recent series have always had at least ONE two-wheeler bot in the main cast, and I wanted mine to be no different. But instead of Arcee (like how it USUALLY is), I decided to bring in a lesser-known name and flesh her out a bit more. Yes, obviously, she borrows a lot of personality from Overwatch's Tracer (right down to the name for her holoform), but you'll come to learn that there's a lot MORE to Flare than that.

Also, Itsuka Kendo! I'll freely admit, I'm one who sincerely wishes that Class 1-B just got more to DO in the series. Feels like after the Joint Training Arc, they haven't had much urgency in the plot. And I get it, the story is mostly about 1-A (and technically ALL about Izuku), but still, throw the members of 1-B who AREN'T Monoma a bone once in a while, yeah? But yeah, Itsuka; a tomboyish girl who loves motorcycles and martial arts, and is willing to work part-time so she can earn what she loves, very respectable. …Also, yes, I borrowed the name "McRonald's" from a certain anime. If you know, you know. But now that she's caught up in this whole mess, how WILL she cope with knowing that alien robots are a thing?

And now, The Preview! Once the Cons have been dispatched thanks to Flare Up (with a little help from Bee), Itsuka is able to finally get some answers as to what's going on. Thankfully, Izuku and Kyoka are more than happy to provide some answers. …But as everyone goes to gather up at base… something ends up happening in the mountains that gets the Bots' attention. Remember how Setsuna said she wasn't gonna get into trouble? …She might've jinxed it because turns out, she, Tetsutetsu and Ibara have found something rather interesting. Something powerful enough to get on the Cons' AND Bots' radars. Next time; Mini Big Problems. How did three tiny robots come out of those tiny green plates?! Thanks for reading, everybody and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!