A/N: Good Morning, all! Welcome back to the story and our next two-parter! Yeah, needless to say, I'm pretty excited to bring Swindle into the story if I'm giving him his own spotlight two-parter for his introduction.

One thing I DID forget to mention about him last time, though, is how I think his voice would sound like. Now, of course, my casting WOULD be Nolan North, same as EarthSpark. HOWEVER… instead of the whole "city slicker cheapskate" voice he puts on in that show, instead, I'd portray Swindle here as a smooth-talking city bot who's been around the block a LOT. Essentially, I'd have Nolan pull out his Nathan Drake voice from Uncharted for Swindle here. I think Nathan's level of smarminess would definitely work for Swindle if it was twisted to the side of evil, don't ya think? So, without further ado, let's begin, shall we? This is…

Chapter 47: Have I Got a Deal for You! Part 1

…..

Before the team knew it, the final week before internships had nearly passed by. It was now the Friday before they would all depart on their respective escapades across Japan, and the students from 1-A and 1-B were all feeling the excitement. Granted, there were still some concerns, mainly from Kyoka's mysterious visitor known only as "Jinx". And because of that, the group were on alert a lot more than usual, keeping an eye out for anything that could've been a ninja in disguise observing them from afar. …Though of course, none of them could really tell if anything WAS a ninja or not from just a glance.

That day of school had come to an end, and the gang were reflecting on their situation as they walked to the parking lot. Once again, Tenya wasn't with them, having gone directly home to see his brother arrive home from the hospital. Neither were Setsuna, Ibara or Tetsutetsu, the 1-B students focused on prepping for their internships. Itsuka, though, was out on a ride with Flare Up, so they would be at base shortly.

"Damn, these ninjas must be REALLY good at hiding." Mina remarked whilst rubbing her chin.

"You think they know we're trying to look out for 'em?" Denki asked, scratching his head.

"Well, of course." Mina reasoned. "If they're watching us, they'd HAVE to be."

Kyoka couldn't help but roll her eyes at the whole exchange. "Way to share a braincell, you two. Keep up the great detective work."

"HEY!" the duo exclaimed.

The Earphone Jack user flung her hands up in the air. "Hey, forgive me for being snarky, but it's kinda how I cope with potentially being stalked by ninjas." Her eyes darted back and forth before swiftly ducking behind Izuku, much to the boy's surprise. "Green Bean, keep a sharp eye out for anything that's conspicuously red."

With a soft sigh, Izuku lifted his arm up and glanced back to his paranoid best friend. "Kyoka, I doubt that you've got ninjas on your tail 24/7. If these people ARE heroes, then they've gotta have other stuff to do during the day, right?"

"We're talking ninjas here, Izuku." Kyoka reminded. "They don't do their main operations in the daytime… meaning they're free to…" Without warning, she spun around and whipped an arm toward a bush, pulling the branches back. "HIDE IN PLAIN SIGH—huh?" …But all that was behind the shrub was a grey squirrel, its head perking up in alarm before it dashed up into a nearby tree. Kyoka could practically feel her entire friend group staring at her in pity. "…Alright, maybe not."

"Maybe it'd be best to not worry about this situation while we're out in the open, huh?" Ochako advised with a small, reassuring smile to Kyoka. "Let's go meet up with the bots and see what's going on at base, huh?"

Kyoka's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Hah, yeah, you're right. …Say, did anyone see Mei come out yet?"

"I think she actually left a bit early with Power Loader's permission." Momo recalled, having seen the pink-haired inventor earlier. "She said something about putting the finishing touches on a baby she was working on."

Eijiro gave a slight wince at that. "Hoo boy, hopefully it doesn't explode."

Izuku quickly pointed at the redhead. "H-Hey, to be fair, not many of her inventions have exploded recently. So she's got a good track record going there." Out the corner of his eye, Izuku could see Bee, Arcee and Bulkhead roll up into the parking lot not too far away. "But that said, we should probably get going back to base. Optimus no doubt has a few things he wants to tell us before we head out on our internships."

And so, after meeting up with their Cybertronian friends, the students were rolled out toward the school's training grounds, where they were immediately bridged to Autobot HQ. …All while blissfully unaware that someone was tailing them, and once again left frustrated by the sudden disappearance. "DAMMIT! Again, every time!" the large figure in the shadows growled before activating his commlink. "Jinx, this is Tiger Claw. It happened again."

"Seriously?!" Jinx exclaimed. "Ugh, what is with that girl and portals?!"

"No clue, but it's evident that she's at least told her friends about what happened." Tiger Claw growled… as a pair of feline ears folded back against his large, furry head, his tail swishing behind him irritably while his massive, paw-like hands gripped his radio. "I TOLD you that preemptively dropping in on her was a bad idea!"

"Well I didn't think she'd actually TELL anybody! Hmph, she is SO going to get an earful when she arrives."

…..

At Autobot HQ, Airazor was in her falcon mode, busying herself as she completed her week-long project; building a nest. Yes, it was a bit stereotypical, but Optimus had told her to roost, and roost she did! Of course, it wasn't a typical bird's nest. Because not only was it made of branches, but it was held securely by bits and pieces of scrap metal, too. And, as she inspected the bowl-shaped structure one final time, Airazor came to a satisfying conclusion. "Ah… perfect." she hopped up into it and shimmied herself comfortably into it, ruffling her feathers with a contented sigh.

…All while Sunstreaker and Sideswipe watched from below. "Ya know, I sometimes forget how uniquely Maximals operate." the elder Lambo brother remarked.

"Yeah, dude, it's like… they've got the mind of a bot but the spark of a beast." Sideswipe nodded.

As if on cue, Strongarm came over with a cannister of oil in one hand, the other placed firmly on her hip as she stared at the red bot with a deadpan expression. "Stellar observation, Sideswipe." She sipped her oil as Sideswipe whipped around and frowned at her. "Next you'll say a Titan is like a normal bot, but bigger."

"…You are VERY lucky that I'm feeling kinda sympathetic for you right now." Sideswipe countered.

Sunstreaker groaned and shook his head. "Alright, let's not get into a brawl, we've had enough of those lately." All the same, the yellow mech tightened his lips, his optics full of concern for his teammate. "But on that note… have you talked with Tenya today at all?"

Strongarm lowered her sights down to her oil barrel, swishing the liquid around with a downcast expression. "Yes… over comm." Her focus went back to Sunstreaker with a sigh. "I don't know, Sunny, I've tried to help him as much as I possibly could, but… no matter how much I try, I still see that darkness behind his eyes. He can't get what happened to Tensei out of his mind, which is understandable… but I have a feeling that he's letting his personal feelings against the Hero Killer take control of him."

"And you're worried about what he might do as a result, right?"

The cadet nodded. "…Yes. He may be by the book, but he's still a child. One who's prone to overwhelming emotions." With a growl of frustration, Strongarm knocked back the remainder of her oil, crushed the barrel, and then threw it over her shoulder into the awaiting dumpster. "GRAH! Primus, I just wish I could DO something to—"

"HEY GUYS!" All of a sudden, Mina's voice came shouting from the base, causing everybot to jump in surprise. "We're here!"

"GAAAA—URRRP!" Strongarm slapped her hand over her mouth in shock and embarrassment at her surprise belch… and she felt everyone's gazes upon her immediately. '…Scrap, I shouldn't have downed that whole thing at once!' Her optics darted between everyone—the kids, the twins, Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee and even Airazor—as they stared at her. After composing herself she pointed a finger to all of them and warned; "No one, and I mean NO ONE speaks about this. EVER. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Mina saluted, along with everybody else…

…With one obvious exception. "PFFTT—BAHAHAHA!" Sideswipe held his sides as he felt to the ground, laughing and kicking at the air in absolutely hilarity. "HAHAHA! A-Are you kidding?! That was hilarious! I-I should've recorded that for posterity's sake! Hehehehe! Think about the headline; "Crabby Cadet lets out Behemoth Burp! HAH-HAA!" Just then, Sideswipe felt a very tight grip around his foot… and was met with a very dark expression from Strongarm. "Haha…ha… i-it was a jo—OOOOOOKE!"

The crowd watched with slack jaws as Strongarm flung Sideswipe so far… that he splashed down in the nearby ocean. And NOT in the shallow part. "…Will he be okay?" Momo asked.

"He'll be fine… eventually." Arcee said as she eyed her blue and white comrade. "Provided you actually LET him be okay."

Strongarm raised her head up, folding her arms over her chest. "Don't worry, that was just a warning."

"Uh-huh." Arcee took a deep intake, trying to get things back on track. "Anyways, how's it going everybody?"

"Eh, you know, the usual." Sunstreaker shrugged. "Though I'm kinda stunned that we haven't seen much Con activity in a while."

Izuku furrowed his brow, bringing a finger to his chin. "Yeah, it is a bit odd that they've been quiet lately. M-Maybe they're waiting for Skywarp to get better before they try something new?"

Up on top of the base, Airazor gave a confident chortle as she hopped out of her nest, leapt off the roof and then transformed in mid-drop, landing in her robot mode in a crouch in front of the group. "Heh, well, if they have any smarts, they'll know to avoid me the next time we encounter one another." Placing her fists to her hips, she nodded down to the group. "So, kids, have another fine day at… er… skull?"

The teens all laughed a little before Eijiro corrected her. "It's "school" Airazor. But you were pretty close this time."

"Ah, sorry. Human concepts and traditions are a bit difficult to get a handle on." Nevertheless, the bird bot was quick to thrust her hand up to her completed nest. "But, on that note, I have finally finished building my personal quarters. You like?"

"Ooh, I like a lot, actually!" Ochako beamed. "I'm digging the mix of natural and metal construction on your nest, Airazor!"

"Aw, thank you." Airazor puffed out her chest. "I do take pride in my work. So, what is on the agenda for today?"

Denki placed his hands behind his head with a shrug. "Eh, not much outside of doing some final preps before our internships. Maybe a bit of training, some video games, stuff like—" However, the blonde was abruptly interrupted when an alarm unexpectedly went off inside the base, taking them all by surprise. "…And I spoke too soon. Guess we DO got some excitement going on."

"Come on!" Bulkhead ushered everyone to follow him. "Could be Cons. Let's hurry!"

As the others all rushed inside, though, Sideswipe was bringing up the rear… utterly soaked and crawling along the ground while covered in seaweed. "Hah… hah… oh, no please, DON'T wait up for me, I'll be there eventually!" he grumbled before spitting water out of his mouth. "Thanks a BUNCH, guys." *tap-tap* "H-Huh?"

Sideswipe craned his head up, seeing Eijiro grinning back down at him. "Hey man, relax. I'm still waitin' for ya." He jerked a thumb to himself, flashing his pointed teeth. "C'mon, let's go catch up with 'em."

The younger Lambo brother suddenly welled up with emotion, sniffling with happiness as he placed a hand on his human partner's back. "Snf—Eijiro… you're a real pal."

…..

After a few minutes, nearly everyone had gathered in the main control room, where all of them were met with the back of Red Alert as he stood in front of the computer console. The only ones they had to wait for were, ironically, Flare Up and Optimus Prime. The Autobot scout had to arrive via GroundBridge with Itsuka in tow. Thankfully, the redhead wasn't scheduled to work that day, so she was more than willing to come along. After coming through, Flare Up leapt up and transformed, catching Itsuka in her arms as both gave a hollar. "Woo! Cheers, luvs!"

"That cavalry has arrived!" Itsuka added with an excited smile. "And we're ready for the mission!"

Meanwhile, Optimus had been out on patrol, but was close to returning anyway. So thankfully, it wasn't a long before the Prime pulled into base, unhitched his trailer, and transformed. Roller dutifully exited the trailer as well, transforming and hopping on top of it before vaulting further up onto Prime's shoulder. "Apologies for the delay, everyone." Optimus said as she strode in.

"Hope we didn't keep ya waitin' too awful long." Roller added in.

"No, you both are sufficiently on time." Red Alert assure as he finally turned around, facing the rest of the team. "I'm glad to see that we have every available bot we can muster, if I'm being honest." Still, there were a few notably absent names. "…Well, aside from the other Mini-Cons, of course."

Flare Up gave a shrug. "Aw, let 'em have their fun with the gang. After pullin' off that last mission, they deserve it."

The medic hummed in agreement. "Yes, I suppose you're right. But, onto the matter at hand…" Red Alert pressed a button on the console and, on screen, a map of the planet Earth came up. And, right in the center of North America's eastern side, a red dot with rings pulsating around it popped up. "I've deciphered the location of yet another artifact from Cybertron."

A chorus of oohs and ahs echoed throughout the team as Denki pumped a fist up high. "Haha, alright! Way to go, Red!"

Momo looked at the map, placing a hand upon her chin as she recognized the location. "Hm, it would appear that it's somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains of North America. Quite the smart place for a hiding spot, I'd say."

"And why's that, Yaomomo?" Mina tilted her head.

"Well, not only is the terrain rugged, as many mountains are, but it is also very heavily forested." Momo explained. "So not only are we dealing with a tough area to navigate, but also one with very reduced visibility thanks to all the foliage. Finding this artifact won't be too easy this time, I'm afraid."

"A very astute observation, Momo." Optimus concurred, nodding toward the map. "In which case, I believe it would be prudent to separate ourselves into different groups once again for this venture. Everyone, pair up with your teams of four from the previous mission. This time, we will be going deep into the mountains, so be prepared for anything."

However, Flare Up raised her hand. "Eh, that's good an' all, Optimus, but…" She pointed between herself and Airazor. "Ya also got a couple extra heads 'ere this time."

Airazor saluted the Autobot leader respectfully. "Hm, I would greatly appreciate it if you let us join this mission, Optimus Prime, sir!"

"Are you certain, Airazor?" Optimus asked. "Remember, this would be your first mission out in the field."

"Of course, sir! I have to earn my stripes with the Autobots, and I would do anything to do so!"

The Prime grinned beneath his faceplate at her enthusiasm. "Hmhm, very well, then I believe a slight change in teams will be in order. Now that there are twelve of us, it'd be best to keep the number of squads as small as possible."

"Meanin' that now, the bot's will be goin' in trios!" Jazz announced, clapping his hands together.

The kids were taken aback by the sudden change, but were still excited to see how the teams would be handled now. It took a few minutes, but after the mass shuffling, the teams ended up as follows; Windblade, Jazz and Airazor. Optimus, Strongarm and Springer. Flare Up, Arcee and Bumblebee. And finally, Bulkhead, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

"Wow, this setup really IS different…" Ochako whispered, only to feel a tapping on her shoulder.

There, she was met with a beaming Itsuka, raising a hand to her. "Hey, you ready to head out together, neighbor?"

"Y-You're coming along, Itsuka?!"

Red Alert gave a grin and an affirming nod. "Hm, she and the other 1-B students showed that they're more than capable of fending off a Decepticon, so we figured it was only fair."

Ochako brightened up and shared a laugh with Itsuka, the duo doing a double high-five. "Haha, awesome! I won't be the only human on my squad, then!"

"Yeah, let's find that relic!" the redhead shouted.

Kyoka and Momo both stared up at Airazor eagerly, the former giving her a thumbs up. "Hope you're ready for this, newbie!" the Earphone Jack user smirked. "Don't worry, we'll show ya the ropes."

"Hmhm, I look forward to it." Airazor chuckled.

Momo rolled up her sleeves and started producing cans of a certain spray from her body, handing at least two to each of her friends. "We'll also be in a place where wild animals are around every corner, so here's some bear spray in case any approach you."

Izuku grinned as he and the others took their cans. "Wow, thanks, Yaoyorozu. This'll help a lot!" However, as he spoke, Izuku couldn't help but notice that everyone's sights were glued to him, bots included. He glanced left and right between them all and uttered; "Uh… everyone alright?" Their response was all of them pointing behind him, which made the greenette slowly shift his gaze past his shoulder… and he was met with a pair of gleaming, yellow crosshairs for eyes.

"Muscles…"

"Eep!" Izuku was too late. He couldn't stop Mei as she grabbed him by the shoulder and forcefully spun him around, stopping him with both hands when he faced her.

"I've FINISHED it!" the mad inventor cheered.

The boy shook in her grasp, afraid of what "it" could possibly be. "R-Really? W-What's "it"?"

"IT is the final addition I wanted to add to your hero costume!" Mei pulled out Izuku's briefcase from behind her back and shoved it into his arms, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "Here, go put it on and I'll show you!"

"B-But how'd you even get—"

"Less talky, more change-y!" Shoved into a nearby closet by force, the group had to wait as Izuku changed into his hero costume, all while the others were left very confused as Mei shimmied in place excitedly.

Eijiro craned his head up to Red Alert with a raised brow. "Uh, Red, you're usually helping Hatsume build stuff. So, any idea what THIS is about?"

The medic wore a knowing smile and held up a single finger. "Oh, trust me, Eijiro, once you see it, you'll understand why she's excited."

It wasn't a satisfactory answer, but the group didn't have long to wait since Izuku came out right at that moment in his Beta hero costume. For the most part, it seemed normal, though there were two notable absences; one being the bunny-hood that Mei had already removed entirely from the Alpha design. Though of course, that had been gone from the moment he got that version of his costume. More prominently, though… his mask was missing. The metal respirator that tied off around his neck was no where in sight. "U-Um, Hatsume?" Izuku asked with concern. "Where's my mask?"

"Heeheehee, right here!" Mei once again reached behind her and pulled the mask seemingly out of nowhere, though there was something very different about it. "Here ya go!"

"Um, thanks… but where're the ties?" Izuku held it in front of his face. "I-I can't wear it without them."

Mei quickly waved that off. "Ah, ya don't need those anymore." She winked and pointed at the mask. "Red and I added some new features to it that'll not only make for a better wearing experience, but make it even MORE practical, too! Slip it on and it should do the rest."

Izuku was hesitant to say the least. He wasn't much of a fan of surprise upgrades, especially if it messed with his mother's original design. …But on the other hand, the Beta suit WAS a lot more practical, so if Mei and Red Alert did something to make even his MASK more practical, it could prove useful. He glanced up to Red Alert and he gave a nod of approval. "It's alright, Izuku. We've made sure that it won't explode."

"…Not quite the reassurance I was hoping for, but thanks." Izuku took a deep breath and then placed the metal respirator over his mouth and nose… and then…

*ker-chink*

Chkt-chkt-whrr-tszk-tszk!

Izuku let out a gasp as the back of the respirator suddenly shifted around and clamped behind his head, securing itself in place. And then, much to his and everyone else's shock, a set of metal panels began to shift up and out from all sides of the mask, forming a round dome around Izuku's head. The Autobots and students watched as Izuku staggered back, his hands going up around the forming panels as they compressed into a protective, emerald green helmet that fit Izuku's head and matched the rest of his costume perfectly. The only part that was still exposed were his eyes… and it didn't take long for that to be rectified as a red, one-way visor popped up in front of them. The visor itself was very round at the edges, and they seemed to be modeled after insectoid compound eyes.

And, to finish things off, a set of green chevrons extended out from the center of the visor, extending up to resemble Izuku's old "bunny-eared" hood. There was also a small, red jewel between the two chevrons, as well as a strip of silver paint that extended from the center of the forehead to the back of his helmet, just to add some color division. By the time the helmet finished forming, the One for All user was left utterly confused. "U-Um… can someone just tell me what the heck just happened?" he asked with a soft echo thanks to the helmet.

"Dude…" Denki muttered, he and Eijiro sharing a grin. "You just got a VERY badass upgrade!"

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't exactly see myself right now." Izuku patted around the new helm, noting the large chevrons and his visor. "A-Anyone have a mirror?"

Momo took out her compact and offered it to him with a smile. "Here, Midoriya. You'll definitely like what you see."

Izuku was about to state how he'd be the judge of that… but by the time he saw himself, it was far too late. He already agreed with her. The helmet was sleek, streamlined and most importantly; amazingly cool. Of course, the fact that it was built into his respirator was already amazing, but it also blended in with the mask so seamlessly, which only accentuated the helmet's design more overall.

Mei leaned in with a hopeful grin. "Well… do ya like it, Muscles?"

"I… I-I don't know what to say." Izuku admitted, turning to his mad inventor friend. "Hatsume, you somehow took my mask and made it spectacular…." By this point, he was choking up, and he went to rub the tears flowing from his eyes… but the visor was still in the way. "Th-Thank you…"

"No problem! Oh, and by the way, if you wanna raise the visor up, there's a button toward the back of your mask that does that." She watched Izuku press the button and the red visor popped up, revealing his teary eyes to everyone. "There ya go! Also, on the other side, there's a button that lets ya toggle different eye colors if ya don't like red."

"Really?" Izuku popped the visor back down and then went for the other button, holding Momo's compact up to see his eyes change from red, to blue, to gold, to white and finally to bright green before cycling back again. "Hah, wow! Hatsume, you thought of everything!"

Ochako pressed her hands together gleefully. "She really outdid herself this time, that's for sure!"

However, Itsuka couldn't help but tilt her head. "Still, I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like I've seen a helmet design similar to this one before…"

"Heh, isn't it obvious?" Kyoka smirked, earning her some inquisitive glances before she leaned over and whispered something into Momo's ear. Initially, the Creation user was also perplexed by the request, but once the punk rocker explained her plan, Momo was all for it.

"Oh! Haha, of course! Why didn't I realize it sooner?" Momo extended her arm and, from out of her hand, she created a long, red scarf. Not a thick, winter scarf, but one that was made out of a very thin material, with pointed tips on each end.

She handed it to Kyoka, who beckoned Izuku over to her. "Come here, Green Bean, we gotta complete the look!" Initially hesitant, Izuku slowly made his way over to Kyoka before she signaled for him to turn around. Once he did, she reached around his neck, going up on her tip toes to tie the scarf securely. "And… there! Well, seem familiar now?"

Judging by the looks of realization on the team's faces, the tied-off scarf was all they needed. "AH! Oh my gosh, Midori's a Kamen Rider!" Mina exclaimed.

"…A what-now?" Bulkhead asked.

"A Kamen Rider!" Itsuka slapped her forehead. "Gah, I feel dumb now." She craned her head up to the bots as she explained; "Kamen Rider is a long-running superhero TV series here in Japan that was around FAR before Quirks became a thing. The usual plots involve masked heroes that resemble grasshoppers fighting against the forces of evil… usually after being transformed INTO said hero thanks to whatever the evil force had planned."

Optimus hummed in intrigue, placing a hand to his chin. "Hm, I see. So they are heroes that are created by evil who then fight against that evil. Interesting." He set his optics onto his protégé, giving him a thumbs up. "Well, in my opinion, you would make a fine Rider, Izuku."

"Ooh, yeah; "Kamen Rider Deku" has a neat ring to it!" Ochako agreed.

Izuku was very thankful that no one could see him blushing underneath his helmet, though that didn't stop his hand flying to his neck bashfully. "A-Aw, you guys… no need for that. Though I do have to ask…" The One for All user focused on Mei once again. "Did you intentionally design this to resemble a Rider helmet?"

Mei rocked back and forth on her feet, shifting her eyes up and away with a knowing smile. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't! Heck knows I wasn't inspired when I saw a girl from 1-B have an Ultraman-inspired get-up…"

"Oh, you mean Kodai?" Itsuka said with a cheeky grin. "Heh, yeah, she's a BIG Toku fan…"

Springer suddenly coughed into his hand, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Ahem, while this whole talk about TV heroes is fascinating and all—and that helmet IS pretty sick—I think we shouldn't let it distract us from the mission, right?"

"R-Right, sorry for getting off topic." Izuku apologized, though there was still one more question on his mind. "Um, by the way, Hatsume… how do I NOT wear the helmet?"

Lifting her chin, Mei pressed her thumb underneath it. "Oh, there's a third button under the respirator's front faceplate. Right in front of your chin."

Izuku reached for the spot in question and found the button in no time, pressing it and allowing the helmet to decompress from his head and then fold back in on itself until it was in the respirator again. The only part that was still out was the metal clamp around his neck, and even then, it loosened up so that the mask hung just below Izuku's chin. "Hah, thanks, Hatsume. Really, this is an amazing addition to my costume." He went to take off the red scarf as well… but Kyoka stopped him at the last second.

"Why not keep the scarf?" Kyoka suggested. "You've got so much green going on that your shoes shouldn't be the ONLY bit of red to break it up, right?"

"…You know what? That's not a bad idea." Izuku approved. "Thanks, Kyoka… oh, and thank you for creating it, Yaoyorozu."

Momo bowed her head to him in return. "You're very welcome, Midoriya."

However, Denki couldn't help but deflate a little seeing Izuku in his costume. "Man, wish we could head out in OUR gear. It's probably all still back at U.A."

"Um, actually…" Mei reached into her pocket and took out a remote control, pressing a big, red button in the middle. "I might've thought ahead on that." Much to everyone's surprise, a set of panels in the floor began to open up, and from out of it raised a large shelving apparatus that held eleven more suitcases, each one with a different number on them. "I actually took the liberty of asking Mr. Aizawa and Mr. King to have some costumes on hand at base for you guys, just in case a mission like this popped up."

"Woah, seriously?!" Eijiro pumped a fist as he and the others quickly nabbed their own briefcases. "Hatsume, you rule! Alright, Optimus, NOW we're ready to roll!"

"That was what I was hoping to hear. Red Alert, if you'd please." Red Alert gave an affirming nod, wasting no time in opening the GroundBridge. Raising his fist into the air, Prime assembled his Autobots to his side, giving his usual rallying cry as they all entered vehicle mode; "Autobots, Transform and Roll Out!"

…..

Thankfully, the moment the team emerged from the portal, they were greeted by a conservation club building, where the teens proceeded to change into their hero costumes. There didn't seem to be anyone there that day, so there wasn't any risk of them being discovered, and from there, the groups divided up and went their separate ways. As they walked through the woods, Ochako couldn't help but admire Itsuka's own hero costume, being the first time she'd ever seen it. "Wow, Itsuka, you really hit the ball outta the part with your costume! It's so stylish, and I love how it matches your eyes!"

"I agree." Izuku concurred. "It's so practical for your form of combat, too. Very appropriate."

The redhead blushed a little at their praise. "Aw, guys, no need to heap on the praise. I just wanted to go with what fit my style is all…" Itsuka glanced over her costume, feeling proud about what she had gone with. It was a traditional turquoise qipao with gold trim, which she wore a black corset over the midsection that ended just under her chest. She had a brown leather belt strapped around her hips that had a satchel hanging at the back, and on her feet, she wore a set of navy-blue boots with white heels and long, wide vamps that almost reached her toes, which had white inserts to finish them off. Finally, she wore a simple, black domino mask over her eyes, which was tied off on the back of her head. Overall, in her opinion it was rather simplistic… 'But it still feels great hearing their praise about it.' she thought bashfully.

Peaking over her shoulder, Arcee smiled down to the greenette. "So, Izuku, how're you getting used to YOUR new hero costume?"

"Oh, it's amazing." Izuku answered, rolling his arm and shoulder to emphasize his point. "I will say that it's come a long way from my mom's original design, but overall, I think it's better than ever before."

Itsuka tilted her head at what he said. "Wow, your mom designed your original costume, Midoriya?"

"…U-Um, yeah." Izuku squirmed with a slight redness in his cheeks. "It was… something."

Ochako tapped on Itsuka's shoulder and whispered into her ear; "Heehee, it had the cutest pair of green bunny ears you could've ever imagined, Itsuka! Deku looked adorable in it, trust me."

With a yelp, Izuku tried to break up the conversation. "U-Uraraka, please!"

But it was too late. Itsuka was already imagining it in her head, and she couldn't help but flash a cheeky grin to the One for All user. "Oh… oh, I see." It was clear that Izuku would rather move on from the subject, though, and since she was a Class Rep, she knew it was only fair. Itsuka cleared her throat and changed the topic. "Haha, well in any case, why don't we focus on searching for that relic now, huh? Any idea where it could be?"

"I wish I did." Arcee said as she took out a tracker, trying to calibrate the coordinated that Red Alert deciphered. "Unfortunately, there's no prominent landmark or anything to give us a clue unlike the previous relics. If there were, this investigation would be over in a manner of minutes…"

Bumblebee scratched his helm. "Zrkt—Like lookin' fer a needle in a hay stack!"

"So I guess we'll just hafta hoof it 'til we find somethin' then!" Flare Up exclaimed vigorously. "C'mon ladies, let's fan out an' start searchin'!"

…..

~Two Hours Later~

Flare Up was lying face down on the ground, bored out of her mind. "Mmph… Have we found it yet?" she muffled in the dirt.

"YOU'RE the one who was excited about this expedition!" Arcee snapped, knocking on the back of her friend's helm. "Get up, lazy-struts!"

Bumblebee hastily got between the two, gently touching Arcee's arm while also helping Flare Up to her feet. "Zrkt—Hold on there, ladies—zrkt-Let's bring this down a notch. Zrkt—Over there!" The Autobot scout pointed down to the girls and Izuku, who also seemed rather tired as they reunited after a long search. Zrkt—They're plum tuckered out—zkrt—so let's catch our breath." The two femmes all mumbled in agreement and sat themselves down next to their respective human partners, much to Bee's relief.

"Phew, thank goodness." Ochako slumped against a tree, taking her boots off to rest her sore feet. "I was about to collapse from exhaustion."

Arcee raised an eyeridge down to her. "I think it'd be good for you to raise your stamina a bit, Ochako. Otherwise, hero work might be a bit much for you."

The brunette seemed absolutely stunned to hear that. "A-Arcee! Come on, it's been two hours of non-stop walking!" But the pink femme didn't let up her gaze, which made Ochako pucker her lips and look away. "No fair, you're being a meanie."

"H-Hey, let's not start an argument." Izuku raised a hand to Ochako with a reassuring smile. "I will say that it WOULD be a good idea to increase our stamina, but at the same time, two hours of non-stop walking through the woods IS exhausting work." He shifted her focus up to Arcee curiously. "On that note, do you think we're any closer to the relic, Arcee?"

With a soft sigh, Arcee crossed her arms. "Hmph, I genuinely don't know. I mean, we would KNOW if we found it since there would very likely be some sort of indicator of its resting place."

Itsuka shook her head. "Gah, but we haven't stumbled across anything that obvious yet. Maybe we should call the others, see how they're doing?"

"It's worth a shot, I suppose… honestly I'm kind of surprised that none of them have tried to contact us yet." Arcee was about to activate her commlink… when she heard something go THOOM off in the distance, and the ground shook beneath her feet. She snapped to attention, as did the others, meaning that they also felt whatever made that tremor. Not long after, there was another… and then another… and it was making the earth quake enough to make a nearby puddle ripple. That told Arcee all she needed to know. "Everyone, hide. NOW."

Izuku, Bumblebee and the ladies didn't need to be told twice. Diving down into a ravine close by, the Autobots and students ducked their heads behind a log near the edge. The human girls peeked their eyes out only slightly, to see just what was doing all that shaking. "S-S-Something's coming…" Ochako whispered.

"Keep your voices low." Arcee advised.

"Whaddya think it could be?" Flare Up wondered.

Biting her lower lip, Itsuka feared the worse. "W-Well, I've heard the Appalachians are home to a BUNCH of cryptid creatures. Wolves that expel smoke, multi-legged mountain cats, Mothman. We could be dealing with any of them…"

This made Ochako grow increasingly pale, while Izuku deadpanned to the redhead slightly. "K-Kendo, please, that's all just superstition. I doubt we're dealing with any sort of—" *CRUNCH* A chill went through the six of them as they slowly brought their sights back over the log… and were met with an absolutely terrifying sight. "…creature?"

There, squatting in the forest path they once stood in… was an absolutely ENORMOUS crocodile. …A giant, metal, half-green-half-magenta crocodile. The beast, from its nose to the tip of its tail, had to be at least thirty feet long. Its green front legs were big and muscular compared to its rear legs, which was only accentuated by the spiked, magenta shoulder pads it had. Its magenta tail was long and pointed at the end, and the top of its green head had a strip of magenta paint going down its snout and eye ridges. And, at the top of its head, it had a purple insignia resembling a glaring insect head. Its sharp, silver teeth gleamed in the sunlight, and its red optics glowed with malice behind them as it plodded along.

The 1-A girls were left quivering with each step the beast took, Ochako getting goosebumps as it hissed a low growl. "W-W-W-What the heck is that?"

"Zrkt—Crocs—zrkt—why'd it have to be—zrkt—crocs?" Bumblebee grimaced.

Arcee grit her teeth, realizing that they were now in an emergency situation. "…It's a Predacon."

"A Preda-what?" Itsuka questioned.

"Predacon, luv." Flare Up corrected. "They were Maximals native to Cybertron who sided with Megatron during the war. Felt the need to rename themselves accordingly." She peeked over the log, glaring at the beast. "An' that one's one a' the worst of the lot. A Croctobot by the name o' Skullcruncher."

By this point, even Izuku's resolve was beginning to dip. "I do NOT want to know how he got that name."

On the main path itself, Skullcruncher was sniffing at the air, growling in frustration as he pad the ground with his massive claws. "Grr… I coulda sworn I smelled a couple Autobots out here!" he said in a deep, guttural and gravely voice before taking another deep whiff. "Hmm… an' somethin' else, too. Somethin'… fleshy."

The five ladies and Izuku quickly ducked down into the ravine, hoping that the Croctobot wouldn't come over there. "Scrap, what do we do?" Izuku muttered, his eyes darting between his teammates. "Should we call Optimus?"

"That's the best idea, for sure." Arcee reached up and activated her commlick. "Optimus, this is Arcee, can you read—" *KKSSSCCCCHHHZZZ* "…You have to be fragging kidding me. Interference? Out here?!" She quickly went for her wrist-mounted radar, but the moment the hologram came up… it was nothing but a bunch of static. "Scrap! That's why we haven't heard from anyone yet. There's something jamming the signal."

"Again? Seriously?" Flare Up facepalmed. "How does this keep happening?"

Arcee shook her head and deactivated her radar, thinking up a new idea. "Okay, new plan; we're going to sneak away through this ravine and find Prime and the others. So long as Skullcruncher doesn't notice us, we should be—"

"Snf-snf!" Just then, Skullcruncher's sniffing caught their attention again… and when the group peeked over the log again, they could see why. The Croctobot had located Ochako's pink boots, and he was taking in their scent thoroughly. "Hmph, ugh… somethin' smells… sweet. Kinda fruity almost."

Everyone's sights honed in on the Gravity user, who wore a shaky smile. "Uh, hehe, w-what can I say? …I-I like strawberries." As quick as a flash, Skullcruncher whipped around toward the ravine, and Ochako let out an "EEP!" before ducking behind the log.

The Autobots and students immediately began descending down into the ravine, with Arcee shouting; "Retreat!"

But it was far too late for that. "GOTCHA! GRAAAAWWWRR!" Skullcruncher blasted into a full-on sprint and then vaulted over the log, sailing over the group's heads before slamming down on all fours at the bottom of the ravine. The Autobots stopped their downward plunge, the humans gasping at just how fast he was. "You think you can outrun ME? You all are sorely mistaken. Skullcruncher… TERRORIZE!"

Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt!

With a powerful roar, Skullcruncher transformed, his croc head lifting up and then spinning 180 degrees before folding down into his back. From there, his shoulders and forelegs shifted down as the croc feet folded up onto his fore arms, allowing a pair of clawed robot hands to pop out and make his arms. His tail compressed into his body before the rear of his croc mode unfurled into a pair of strong legs, revealing his white pelvis and thighs while a pair of black, two-toed feet popped out as well.

He stood up straight, showing off his very broad-shouldered robot mode torso. Each of his pectorals seemed to resemble an angry eye, complete with a glowing optic in their centers. And, in the center of his chest, there was a piece of white armor that extended from his collar down to his abdomen. Finally, his head popped out, revealing his spikey, square-shaped helmet and his yellow-painted face with a jagged chin, prominent nose, and glowing red optics.

Skullcruncher stomped his foot in front of the team and reached behind him, taking out his tail which had transformed into a sharp, lance-like weapon. "Yer goin' nowhere, you hear?" the Predacon bellowed, his voice a lot less deep now that he was in robot mode. "My boss is gonna wanna see you."

"What? "Boss"?" Izuku echoed.

"That's what YOU think, Skullcrucher!" Flare Up took out her pistols and then blinked away, appearing directly behind the Croctobot to blast him in the shoulder. "Kids! Get back up on the trail! We'll hold him off for ya!"

Arcee and Bumblebee took out their respective weapons as well, approving the idea. "She's right, that's the safest place you can be right now." Arcee took aim and started shooting at Skullcruncher as well, with Bumblebee joining right in with his stingers. "Go, find help! We'll be right behind you!"

Ochako was about to protest that. "W-What?! No, we—AH!"

But Izuku quickly grabbed her and Itsuka, placing them on his back. "No time for arguments! We've gotta go, NOW!" Bringing Full Cowling up to ten percent, Izuku shot right out of the ravine with the girls on his back, dashing straight over to Ochako's boots first. "Uraraka, quick, grab your boots and let's go!"

"O-Okay…" As she put on her boots, though, Ochako tried to convince Izuku otherwise. "Deku, we can't just leave them here, and you know that."

"She's right." Itsuka agreed, balling up a fist. "We have to do at least SOMETHING to try and help them!"

But Izuku shook his head, wanting to follow orders. "Girls, I know, and I understand where you're coming from, but we're up against an unknown foe that we have no experience with. And judging from how they talked about him, I get the feeling that Skullcruncher is NO joke. And even beyond that, there may be another Decepticon around here since he said he had a "boss"." His sights went back toward the ravine, hearing the sounds of conflict down below. "Besides, I'm sure that they can handle him long enough for us to find Optimus and—"

*PSSSSSSSTTT*

"WAH! HAK-HAK-HAK!" Izuku, Itsuka and Ochako gave a shout as… something was sprayed directly in their faces. Some sort of… gaseous, purple substance that wafted through the air with a strange scent accompanying. "Hak-hak! W-What the heck is this?" Ochako coughed out.

"Oh, no need to worry about it, humans." The group doubled back with a gasp as they saw another bot approach through the purple fog… and they knew for sure that THIS one was a Decepticon thanks to the prominent symbol etched into his leg. He was a mustard-yellow bot with a mostly purple torso, his blocky helm and bright purple visor giving him a distinct appearance. What's more, his smarmy grin gave him a very distrustful vibe the moment the students saw it. Unfortunately, he was also heavily armed with a large, black cannon on his right arm. The Con spun a small hand-held weapon in his hand before holstering it at his side. "That was simply my patented knock out gas. Should put the three of you out for at least thirty Eee-arth minutes."

The Decepticon's words left the teens horrified. "W-What?! Thirty minuuuu—oh." Itsuka didn't even get to finish her sentence before she was out like a light.

"No! Itsuka!" Ochako charged out at the Con with her hand raised, ready to touch him and use her Quirk. "Don't you dare… do this… to… unf." Just like clockwork, Ochako followed her neighbor's example, already having inhaled a fair amount of the gas.

With his lips curled into a snarl, Izuku pulled his mask up and his helmet came up over his head, the access gas from inside expelling through the holes on his mask. He brought up Full Cowling and leapt up above the purple haze, sailing straight toward the Decepticon with a right hook ready. "You're gonna pay foooorrr—zzz…" But even then, it was too late. Izuku had also been exposed to the gas far too long, and he slipped into unconsciousness as well.

Lifting his hand, Swindle grabbed Izuku as he fell down, before picking Ochako and Itsuka up from the ground. With all three humans piled up on one another, the conbot reached for his abdomen and pulled it out, revealing a hidden compartment that hid his own subspace storage unit. From there, he retrieved a small spherical device and placed it above the humans, pressing a button that activated a spherical forcefield that trapped them inside. "Hm, well, that was easier than expected."

Back in the ravine, Flare Up, Bumblebee and Arcee continued to lay down as much firepower as possible against Skullcruncher, though the most they did to him was singe his armor somewhat. "Grrah! You Autobots are a pain in my tail!" He swiped his lance-tail weapon around and managed to catch Bumblebee with it, sending him sprawling back. "So HERE! Lemme return the favor!"

"BEE!" Arcee cried out, leaping up to catch her flying friend. The duo came down hard, but alive nonetheless. "Hah, are you okay?"

"Zkrt—Alright, now I'm MAD!" Bumblebee sprang up onto his feet and united his stingers, charging them up and letting lose a full blast of electricity toward Skullcruncher. With Flare Up serving as a distraction, his attack managed to score a direct hit onto the Croctobot's back, severely electrocuting him and making fall to his knees in pain. "Zkrt—SHOCKING, isn't it?!" the yellow Beetle glared.

"Nice work, Bee!" Arcee pulled out her twin swords and rushed the Predacon bruiser while he was down, more than ready to take advantage. "Now, try THIS on for size!" She bounded over Skullcruncher's back and did a midair flip, slicing through his shoulder pads and making him scream in pain.

And on top of that, Flare Up blinked in again and delivered a kick right to the Predacon's head, making him fall flat on his back. "An' THAT'S for stalkin' us in the woods!"

Gritting his teeth, a feeling of pure rage pounded through Skullcruncher's processor, making him bellow; "BEAST MODE!" before roaring and reverting back into crocodile mode. He grabbed a nearby rock with his jaws and hocked it right back to Bumblebee, the scout taken off guard and forced to duck… only for Skullcruncher to charge directly into him.

Then, in a moment that felt like slow motion to Arcee and Flare Up, they saw Skullcruncher latch on to Bumblebee's arm. Flare Up immediately went to dash over and help… but it was too late. Skullcruncher lurched to his right and performed a deathroll, pulling Bumblebee with him as they tumbled across the dirt. The yellow bug was practically trampled by Skullcruncher's whole body, leaving him considerably dented and scrapped up. And, right at the very end, Skullcruncher pulled Bee's arm out of its socket, thrashing it about as energon leaked everywhere.

"NO!" Arcee charged at Skullcruncher as Flare Up finally made it, both of them shooting at the beast's head. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she cried desperately.

"GRAH! He had it comin'!" the Croctobot spat out Bumblebee's arm and went to swipe his tail at the incoming femmes… only for a familiar voice to put a stop to it all.

"WAIT!" Within seconds, Swindle came sliding down into the ravine, holding a hand up to stop not just the ladies, but his associate as well. "Skully, what in the scrap are ya doin'?! I told you; apprehension only!"

Skullcruncher growled and transformed into robot mode, clenching a fist at the smaller bot. "Kid, THIS little bot tried to offline me! What else was I supposed to do?!"

Arcee and Flare Up, meanwhile were aghast by who they saw… as well as the fact that he was holding their human partners in a sphere. "SWINDLE?!" Arcee snapped. "What in the 13 Primes are you doing here?!"

Flare Up stomped her way toward the taller bot. "Let go of our friends, you back stabbin', two-timin' shanix-grubbing—"

"Ah-ah, ladies, ladies, please." Swindle held up a hand, giving them both a serious face. "For one thing, I can't be bought with flattery. Secondly, I would like a moment to settle somethin' with my friend here. Patience, please" Swindle raised a finger, pointing right at Skullcruncher as Arcee and Flare Up glared at him. "Skully, listen, I know that back in your day, things were WAY different when it came to wheeling and dealing, but we're trying to run a respectable business!" He thrust a hand toward Bumblebee, who was having a panic attack at the sight of his arm being ripped off. "Ya can't just go an' do THIS to potential customers! Now please, go get him so we can take him back to the ship and fix him up."

Flare Up did a double take at that. "W-Wait, what?"

"After all, we can at least charge them for fixing him up."

The Autobot duo deadpanned at the same time. "And there it is." Arcee frowned. "Let me guess, you're going to barter with US so we can get our human friends back as well?"

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not in the human trafficking business, miss." Swindle raised the unconscious humans up in their prison sphere with a knowing smile. "Rather, I would like you to follow me back to my ship, and I'm sure that me holding your little human friends would make for the perfect incentive."

Arcee narrowed her optics. "And if we refuse?"

Swindle winced and eyed down to the mutilated Bumblebee. "Well, for one, your friend down there will lose out on the medical attention he desperately needs. And for the other…" He snapped his fingers and the bubble expanded slightly in his hand, which made the kids roll around inside. "I can control the size of this forcefield sphere to my liking. Be it making it substantially big… or incredibly small."

"…You wouldn't." Arcee muttered with dread.

"I may not be entirely copacetic with Megatron's ambitions, but I AM still a Decepticon." Swindle smirked. "Anything to get a good deal."

Flare Up went to lift her pistols up. "You're BRIBING us with our friends' lives, you—AH!" The scout quickly rescinded her move as Swindle snapped his fingers again, making the sphere shrink so that it only got slightly more cramped within.

"See? We understand each other, don't we?" Swindle motioned for them to follow with two fingers. "Don't worry, no one's gonna get hurt if you follow me. I've got something amazing to show you all."

With a deep scowl, Arcee had to grit her teeth and bear with the situation they were in. Bumblebee was down and needed to be patched up fast, and they foolishly let their human friends get captured. 'Optimus isn't going to like this…' With a short sigh, Arcee begrudgingly accepted the terms. "Fine, but you had better keep your word on BOTH terms, Swindle. I know how you operate."

Swindle responded with a shrug. "Guilty as charged, but don't worry, Arcee. I'd never skimp out on potential clients. Skully? Please pick the pieces of our little yellow friend up." Grumbling but compliant, the aged Croctobot hoisted Bee onto his shoulder and skulled up out of the ravine, with Swindle gesturing for the two femmes to follow his lead into the nearby woods. "My ship isn't far from here. And let me tell you, I've got a deal you're gonna love."

"…We'll see about that." Arcee and Flare Up proceeded forward, following the Decepticon with wary optics. However, just before they went into the forest, Arcee caught a glimpse of a familiar pair of wings beating overhead.

There, flying high above in the sky, was Airazor… and she seemed ready to stoop down upon them. Flare Up nearly gasped, but Arcee swiftly covered her friend's mouth while silently signaling to Airazor not to attack. Stopping on a dime, Airazor watched as Arcee thrust her arm and pointed vigorously away, hoping that the bird bot would understand her message; 'Do NOT engage! Go get help!'

Thankfully, it seemed Airazor got the picture, nodding once before flying off in a different direction. "Hah, thank Primus…"

"Hm?" Swindle peered over his shoulder at her whisper. "Something the matter?"

"Nothing, just… thankful that you're willing to repair our friend at all, considering you're a Decepticon." Arcee faked a hopeful grin. "Don't suppose you'll allow our human companions a similar luxury? They really have nothing to do with this, you know."

Swindle's lips curled into a smirk as he gave a shrug. "We'll see. Once we get to the ship, I'll let you in on what I'd like in exchange for your friends' safety, among other things. It'll be a sweet deal, let me tell you."

The two femmes scowled at the conbot as he turned back around. 'There'll be no deals going on if we have anything to say about it.'

…..

Meanwhile, back in Japan, the Hero Killer, Stain, wasn't exactly having the best of times. He was just about to go after his next target in Hosu when some weird cloud man with glowing eyes asked him to come through a portal… which was actually his entire body. The cloud man, whose name was apparently "Kurogiri", had taken him to an abandoned dive bar in some secret location that he wasn't clued in on. That was one red flag that managed to piss him off… the other was when he met the man with a dismembered hand covering his face.

This man's name was "Shigaraki", a name that Stain could swear he had heard before. Also, there was another one present, though not physically. Near the back of the small bar, there was a TV monitor on that had the words "SOUND ONLY" in text on the screen, indicating that someone was listening in. They didn't give their name, but it was evident that they were the one in charge of the other two, given how they referred to him as "Master". That was another big tip-off for Stain that this was no run-of-the-mill villain group.

It wasn't long until Stain's thoughts were confirmed, though, with both Shigaraki and Kurogiri explaining why he was brought here. And from there, things began to click. "Now I get it." Stain remarked, his scarred face twisting into a sinister grin. "You must be the ones who attacked U.A. And you wanna recruit me to rebuild your little group again."

"Yeah, it'll be great!" Shigaraki said with enthusiasm. "You've got so much experience after all."

"I must admit, I was wondering where you all disappeared to after your failed attack." Behind his bandana mask, Stain's eyes narrowed at the duo. "Just where have you all been this entire time?"

"Our absence from the public eye was… unplanned, so to speak." The voice from the TV spoke up, with Kurogiri and Shigaraki turning to it dutifully. "There have been… certain events recently that we have been investigating."

Stain raised an eyebrow at that. "What kinda events?"

"It began not long after our attack on the USJ." Kurogiri revealed, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a set of pictures, sliding them across the table over to Stain. "The meteor shower that fell upon Musutafu was where things started to get suspicious." Stain picked up the photographs and began going through them, seeing several different cars and trucks of all shapes and sizes, including a set of black ones that seemed very inconspicuous. "From there, we've seen these vehicles appearing all over Japan, getting into highway chases that often lead to them disappearing as if they never happened. And we have no idea where they go afterward."

Shigaraki pointed at the photos. "One of 'em belongs to the idiot who was partially responsible for taking out our Tank, Nomu. The little retro yellow Beetle."

When Stain got to that photo, he did indeed see a young, blonde man sitting behind the wheel of the old model car… and he had several children in his passenger seats. "…And they're associated with U.A. students?"

"Indeed, it would seem so." On the TV screen, the text was changed to another photo, this one seemingly taken at the Sports Festival. It was angled directly behind the Class 1-A box, where the students were joined by several other adults, including the blonde man. "My mole on the inside sent me these pictures, and we firmly believe that these are the ones who own these mysterious vehicles… at least, the ones seen most around the area. The black cars remain a mystery. They say that they are international heroes who are investigating a threat that has come to Japan… one without my knowledge."

"Hmph, sound like you must have your fingers in a lot of places." Stain mused as he tossed the pictures back on the bar. "Well, if you're looking for information on 'em, I don't know nothin'."

Shigaraki shook his head. "Oh, no, no, we don't wanna get info outta you. Our investigation into all of this has nothing to do with you. What we ARE interested in you for is to try and recruit you to our mission. So, whaddya say?"

Stain raised a brow to the hand-masked man. "…What IS your mission, exactly?"

"For now? I really wanna kill All Might." With a short cackle, Shigaraki pulled out another picture from his own pocket, one of the Sports Festival winner, Izuku Midoriya. "I like to destroy anything that pisses me off. Like this little brat here and his Beetle-loving friend. Game over."

The younger man's words disgusted Stain to his very core the moment he heard them. "…I was a fool to thin you could offer me anything." He reached down to either side of his body, where at least four pairs of swords were mounted and ready to be used. "It turns out, you're the type of person I despise most in this world. The goals of your "league" are those of a child. What meaning is there in killing if you don't have real conviction?"

Kurogiri narrowed his glowing eyes at the mass murderer. 'The Hero Killer, Stain… Tomura Shigaraki cares only about wanton violence, so we brought this man in to guide him. …Perhaps we've made a mistake.' When he saw Stain start to pull out his blades, Kurogiri turned to the television once again. "Master, should I step in?"

There was a short pause before the "Master" replied. "…Let it happen. It's possible this is the only way he'll learn anything." While no one could see him, the "Master" could easily see the stand-off that was about to happen between his protégé and the Hero Killer, and he was more than willing to not to anything about it. "He needs to think about the ways he must grow. How he can mature. Only then, will he reach his true potential." And with that, Shigaraki and Stain lunged at each other, beginning the barroom brawl.

…..

A/N: And thus, the League of Villains FINALLY steps back into the spotlight here in Transformers MHA. Like I said before, it's been LONG overdue, and I'm sorry that they haven't appeared sooner. But, for the sake of establishing the Autobots' conflict with the Decepticons, I felt it was necessary to focus primarily on that for a while before ultimately circling back to them. …That and Season 2 doesn't really feature the League as prominently as later seasons, so that's something else to consider. But, as you're probably aware, Shigaraki WASN'T heavily injured after the USJ Attack, so the reason for their long absence here is that a certain man in charge of the league has been running an investigation into the mysterious happenings around Musutafu. The Big Man hasn't figured out who the Autobots or Decepticons really ARE, thankfully, but he's certainly getting closer, especially since the Autobots attended the Sports Festival. How long will it take until the League find out, though? We'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, Shigaraki's throwing his hissy-fit with Stain, as per what happened in the original.

But, as for other big happenings, we've got confirmation that yes, Kyoka IS being observed by Snake Eyes' people to keep tabs on her. We got a little sneak preview of Tiger Claw here, and yes, he resembles pretty much exactly like what you're picturing. But we'll talk more about him when he and the other members of that hero agency become relevant.

In other news, a certain One for All user has some brand-new headgear! I'm going to be completely honest here, and this is probably gonna be VERY controversial, but… I always disliked the bunny-eared hood that Deku has. Even when it's made to appear menacing, it just comes off as silly. And I get it, it's supposed to be a tribute to All Might, but there are MUCH more practical alternatives. Case in point; Collapsible Helmet! And I CAN'T be the only one who saw Izuku's facemask with those long, pointed front pieces and thought; "Huh, if that were a helmet, Izuku would look a LOT like a Kamen Rider." So, that's essentially what I did with his new helmet, compound visor and all! Oh, and I added a red scarf just for a more heroic affect. Just another step in Izuku's costume evolution for this story.

…Unfortunately, he didn't really get to have it ON when it counted since Swindle got the drop on him, Ochako and Itsuka. They probably shouldn't have stopped to get Ochako's boots. And now the conbot has the leverage he needs to get Arcee and Flare Up to comply with him… not that he NEEDED it necessarily since getting Bee the treatment he needs after that evisceration would probably be enough.

On the topic of the one who assaulted Bee, though, SKULLCRUNCHER! Indeed, in light of the surprising amount of attention he's been getting lately, I decided to bring in the most prominent Decepticon Headmaster into the series! And heck, here, he's even a Predacon! It's kinda crazy how, ever since Titans Return, Skullcruncher's made appearances in TWO Transformers cartoons… but he's never had a voice. Let's fix that, shall we? And considering I said a the top of this chapter that Swindle is an evil Nathan Drake, I think this is only fitting;

Skullcruncher – Voiced by Richard McGonagle

If you've ever watched Ben 10 as a kid, you know Mr. McGonagle VERY well, since he was the FIRST voice of Four Arms! But, more relevant to this casting, he's also the voice of one Victor "God Damn" Sullivan from the Uncharted series! And honestly, he's got the perfect voice to play a giant crocodile already, so why not, right? But, with all that said…

And now, THE PREVIEW! Airazor reports back to Jazz and Windblade, telling them about the situation that the others have found themselves in. Once they resolve to mount a rescue mission, though, we get to see what "deal" Swindle has got for our intrepid heroes… and it's not exactly a fair one to say the least. And of course, we'll be checking in on how Stain's meeting with the League went as well. How will our heroes make it out of THIS mess? Tune in next time to find out! Thanks for reading everybody, and I'll see you all next time. Stay safe out there, and remember…

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!