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…

50. Welcome to Ninja School

A/N: Good morning, everybody! Well, despite me saying to the contrary, the Early Thursday Uploads keep rolling on. Not only because I managed to finish this chapter early (and REALLY enjoy writing it, might I add), but because, once again, my area is the ongoing target of REALLY heavy rainfall that ALWAYS seems to crop up on Fridays. So, better to be safe than sorry and all that. Oy, well, in any case, let's get to the chapter, shall we? We're gonna be seeing a LOT of what our other heroes are doing in this chapter, so let's get it started! This is…

Chapter 50: Welcome to Ninja School

…..

~Hosu Prefecture, Early Morning~

As the sun held high in the sky above Hosu City, Tenya Iida walked down the street, keeping pace behind his mentor for the week. …Granted, while he certainly respected the man walking in front of him, to say he chose this Hero Agency for its notoriety would be far from the truth. The Normal Hero, Manual, was… well, a fairly normal hero, as he himself proclaimed to be. He wore a fairly standard hero costume for someone with a hydrokinetic Quirk; blue, white, navy, a burst of yellow with his gloves and a helmet with a fin-shaped head crest and flip-down visor. His agency certainly kept the peace in Hosu, that he knew, but they were all fairly… normal heroes.

No, the reason why he had chosen this agency specifically was for a much more personal reason, one that he dwelled on even as he listened to Manual's mini-lecture. "On a normal day, I'd just be waiting for client calls to come in. Not really exciting" the Normal Hero said with a slight chuckle. "But things have been fairly hectic around here lately."

Tenya nodded in understanding, his voice echoing beneath his helmet. "So you're using street patrols to suppress crime."

"Yeah, exactly." Manual smiled happily. "Man, I still can't believe Ingenium's little brother is interning at MY agency. I'm sure you had offers from pros with MUCH bigger followings than mine."

"O-Oh, well, that is part of the reason I chose your agency." Tenya said with his head turned. "I didn't think I'd be too comfortable studying under heroes with more fame and notoriety when they are constantly hounded by press and hordes of fans…"

"Ah, a smart thinker!" Manual tapped the side of his head. "I get ya. Well, don't worry, Iida. By the end of this week, I can assure you'll be much more knowledgeable on the work we do."

Tenya gave another nod, but in his mind, he continued to think on the REAL reason he had come to Hosu. 'The Hero Killer. So elusive he's managed to avoid capture for his deplorable crimes…' he slowly came to a brief stop, scanning the streets for anything that stood out. 'I know that I might not find him, but still… I have to try to track the villain down.' His fists tightened at his sides. 'Because… I cannot forgive him for what he's done.'

Just then, for the briefest moment, Tenya suddenly saw a flash of bluish-green light come from a nearby alleyway, which made him gasp. "Manual! That alley!"

"H-Huh? What?" Manual came rushing back. "What'd you see?"

"A flash of light from over there." Tenya pointed. "It was brief, but something seemed off about it."

Manual's expression hardened slightly, motioning for Tenya to follow. "Stay behind me, okay? If there's something wrong, we call for help first." The two crossed the street quickly, with Manual pressing his back against the nearest building and peering past it. However, he saw nothing… at least at first. He motioned for Tenya to wait as he stepped into the alley, bringing out a flashlight from his back pocket. There, on the ground, he saw a set of tire tracks… which seemed to come out of nowhere before going straight down the alley. "Huh… curious."

"What is it?" Tenya called out. "What did you find?"

"Fresh tire tracks." Manual said. "Though they just kinda… appear from nowhere and leave."

Tenya's eyes widened, both in concern and fear. 'Is there an Autobot here in Hosu? …Or worse, a Decepticon?' He collected himself and made a suggestion; "P-Perhaps it would be best to put out a warning to watch out for any mysterious vehicles?"

"Yep, already on it." Manual confirmed, reaching for his helmet. "C'mon, we'll meet back at the agency."

As the two of them left, however… a certain white and blue police Jeep wasn't too far away, and she was keeping her sights glued to Tenya as he followed Manual away. "…I swear to PRIMUS, Tenya, I won't let you get yourself hurt." Strongarm silently promised to herself. "If that Hero Killer is ANYWHERE in Hosu, I'm making it my priority to find him first."

…..

~Harajuku, Tokyo – The Genius Office~

"…To be perfectly frank… I don't like you very much."

Those words took Katsuki Bakugo by surprise, though he uttered a simple; "Huh?" as his supposed mentor faced him. Best Jeanest, a man decked out entirely in the material of his namesake from his head to his boots… which were suede. The man ran his fingers across his perfectly combed bangs as he addressed the Explosion Quirk user.

"I know full well why you chose my agency. Because I'm one of the Top 5 most popular heroes."

Bakugo clenched his teeth with a gruff grumble. "Hey, you're the one who made an offer for me." he said irritably.

"Yes, recently all of my recruits have been perfect little angels…" Best Jeanest flicked his finger, pointing at Bakugo. "So you certainly stood out. I watched the way you fought at the Sports Festival. You have a good handle on your powerful Quirk, and a decent grasp of its application as well. You're an outstanding talent. I'd say you're already good enough to take on as a sidekick." The Number 3 Hero closed his eyes. "However, you do have a fatal flaw; you believe you're the best, and you display that belief without regard for how it reflects on you, your image, or even your fellow students. You have a ferocious nature, and all that combined proved to be your downfall at the festival."

Gritting his teeth, Katsuki began to approach the pro. "Don't tell me you brought me all the way here just to give me a lecture—AGH!" However, he was stopped in his stride when his own costume suddenly began pulling at himself, suspending him directly in front of the Fabric Hero. "W-What the…"

"I have to correct people like you." Jeanist went on, the fabric at the end of his sleeves having been reduced to strings to keep Bakugo in place. "It's part of my duty to society. Heroes and villains are cut from the same cloth. So, your job here is to watch me. I'll show you what makes someone a hero."

"…What the hell are you doing?" Katsuki growled defiantly.

Best Jeanist wore an unimpressed gaze. "I've been told by your principal that you need a bit of an attitude adjustment, after hearing that you aggravated your fellow competitors in the festival." He saw Katsuki huff and turn his head down at him, to which Jeanist pulled back on the Explosion user's mask with his fabric. "So, to that end, I will educate you in how to become an exemplary pro. That includes being aware of the way you speak, your appearance, controlling your emotions, your morals… and of course, the way you treat your peers." Katsuki could practically hear the snickering of Jeanist's sidekicks behind him, and it pissed him off as the hero concluded his lecture; "There are countless things you need to learn. But, in the brief period of one week, I will stitch these things into the fabric of your being."

…..

~Ehime Prefecture – Gunhead Agency~

Ochako bobbed from side to side in anticipation as she, Momo and Arcee had finally arrived at Gunhead's hero agency, pulling up to the curb outside of the very dojo-like building. The brunette had to do a doubletake at that to make sure the address was right. "Woah… so THIS is Gunhead's agency?" Ochako tilted her head. "Gotta say… I was expecting something a bit more modern from someone called "Gunhead"."

"Well, he DOES teach martial arts, so I don't suppose it's TOO surprising." Momo noted, though her own expression was somewhat unsure. "Though come to think of it, if this is what Gunhead's agency is like, I wonder what Edgeshot's is like…"

"Ah, you'll cross that bridge when you come to it, Momo." Arcee assured as she opened her back door. "Now go on, Ochako, you don't wanna keep this Gunhead guy waiting."

"Right! Thanks Arcee!" Ochako grabbed her things and was about to get out… when a familiar red and orange motorbike suddenly pulled up to the curb, and with it, a certain redhead as well. Ochako and Momo had to do a doubletake when they saw who it was, the Class Rep of 1-B wearing a similarly stunned expression as she yanked off her helmet. "ITSUKA?!"

"GUYS?!" Itsuka exclaimed in disbelief. "W-What're you all doing here?!"

Ochako pulled her luggage out the rest of the way and met her neighbor in the middle. "I-I'm here for my hero internship! Why're you here?!"

There was a long pause as Itsuka's eyes seem to widen even more. "…Um, same."

The Gravity Quirk user blinked a couple times as both of them pulled out tiny slips of paper from their pockets… and they had the same address written down. "No… way…" Ochako and Itsuka's eyes met only for both girls to point at each other and echo; "YOU'RE INTERNING WITH GUNHEAD?!"

"Surprise!" Arcee and Flare-Up shouted at the same time, with the latter's holoform appearing between the two. "Isn't this excitin'?" Tracy said as she brought both girls together. "The two of ya, learnin' martial arts under the same roof! It'll be great, I'm sure of it!"

"I-I had no… why didn't you tell any of us about your internship, Kendo?" Momo piped up as she too excited the pink car.

Ochako's eyes were somewhat upset as she pressed the matter. "Yeah, I mean, it would've been really nice to know, you know?" She gave the redhead a small smile. "After all, we're neighbors, so we could've planned this whole thing out together."

Wearing a sheepish grin, Itsuka rubbed her neck. "Well… I honestly wasn't really going to go for Gunhead at first." she admitted. "Initially, I submitted a form to intern under Uwabami, but something came up at the last minute for her so I had to change."

"Woah, that's crazy." Ochako blinked. "Betcha none of the teachers were happy about that."

Itsuka winced and shook her head. "Nah, they weren't. Especially when they heard that she had to leave the country for an American Magazine photoshoot." The Big Fist user gave a shrug. "Though honestly, I'm kinda glad I dodged that bullet because I spoke with some upperclassmen who interned under her before and they did NOT have many nice things to say about her." With a grimace, she explained; "…She likes going for the pretty girls to stand alongside her in photoshoots."

Momo and Ochako simultaneously deadpanned at that, while Sadie and Tracy grimaced alongside them. "Ooh, yeah, I think you dodged a bullet on that one." the pink femme agreed. "Sounds like that woman thinks more of her life as a celebrity than an actual hero."

"But, fortunately for Itsuka, I suggested the PERFECT replacement internship for her!" Dashing up to the front of the dojo, Tracy jumped up high and threw her hands in the air. "THIS lovely place!"

"Hehe, yeah, it was honestly great thinking on her part." Itsuka rubbed her neck bashfully. "Honestly, I really don't know why I didn't go for this one in the first place, especially since Gunhead sent me a request."

That made Ochako's jaw drop. "You mean to tell me Gunhead sent you a request and you DIDN'T jump on it?!" She flailed her hands at the redhead dramatically. "I mean… your whole hero aesthetic is martial artist! And your Quirk would go perfectly with Gunhead martial arts. A whole lot more than mine, that's for sure."

Itsuka chuckled and scratched her cheek, trying to search her emotions for a reason why she hadn't gone with this agency in the first place. "Haha, yeah… I guess… I was just too hung up on my performance at the Sports Festival, I think." Seeing everyone's confused gazes, Itsuka continued; "I… honestly wished I could've done better, you know? I didn't place very high in the obstacle course race and while my team DID get enough points to earn a shot in the finals, we didn't really perform the best. That was Tetsutetsu's team." Itsuka rubbed her arm, pursing her lips in frustration… all while unaware that the door was opening behind her. "I just kinda… felt inadequate, you know?"

"Well, we're just gonna have to fix that, aren't we?"

"WAH!" Jumping at least five feet in the air, Itsuka rounded about when she heard a gravelly voice come from behind her. However, she and the other ladies were immediately met with quite a sight, to be sure. Standing before them was a very TALL and muscular man, almost as tall as All Might, at least. He wore long, fingerless gloves that went almost up to his shoulders, with gun revolver-shaped gauntlets on each arm, and his chest was bare save for an open bulletproof vest. He wore standard brown pants and thick, black combat boots, but his head was where things got… odd.

He had long, pale minty-green hair, which went wild and untamed as it spiked toward the back. But he didn't show his face. Instead, he wore a smooth, metal mask with four gun barrels sticking out of the front in a square formation, all of them protruding out from the mask aside from the bottom left one. Overall, he was rather intimidating in appearance… but actually fairly friendly. "Hiya!" he waved.

The ladies all glanced to one another before Itsuka hesitantly waved back. "Um… hi?"

"You must be the new interns!" the masked man pumped an eager fist. "Ochako Uraraka and Itsuka Kendo, right? This is great, I was hoping we'd get started soon. Welcome to my agency, ladies." He extended one of his hands, which easily dwarfed all of theirs combined. "The name's Gunhead, though you've probably figured that out by now."

Ochako and Itsuka flinched and bowed simultaneously. "O-Oh, it's nice to meet you, sir!" the Gravity user greeted first.

"Thank you so much for taking us on." Itsuka continued. "Especially considering I was such a last-minute addition."

However, Gunhead brushed it all off. "Ah, don't worry about it, really. I was more than happy to add you in so soon, especially after hearing the situation from the school's end." He placed his hands on his hips as he took a more annoyed tone. "If you as me, that Uwabami lady has no idea what it takes to be an ACTUAL hero…" He leaned down toward the girls and held his hand up, whispering; "But ya didn't hear that from me, 'kay?"

The duo gave a short giggle at the man's antics, but nodded in affirmation. "Hehe, right, of course."

"Great! Now, let's make this week the most productive one of your young lives, shall we?" Once again, Gunhead lifted his hand. "Shake on it?" Once both girls shook his hand, the hero set his attention over the femmes as well. "Oh, and what about you ladies? Are you perhaps their guardians?"

Sadie gave a small grin and waved at him. "O-Oh, we're just dropping them off here. We're more like their… personal trainers."

"Ah, is that so?"

"Yessir!" Tracy confirmed, placing her fists on her hips and puffing out her chest. "We make sure to keep these lasses on their toes, that's for sure."

"Hehe, I see. Well, you two have nothing to worry about." Gunhead bowed politely. "I can assure you that your students will be in capable hands this week. I'm gonna make sure that they learn my techniques from top to bottom… well, at least a lot of 'em." He reached a hand up and rubbed his neck with a sheepish chuckle. "Hehe, if I wanted to teach them EVERYTHING I know, they'd have to be here for at LEAST an entire year! Haha!" He clapped his hands together and addressed his new interns once more. "Now, why don't you two go get changed into your hero costumes and we'll start things out with a patrol, huh? Sound good?"

Ochako and Itsuka saluted with matching smile. "Yes, sir!" As they went inside, they both waved off to their respective guardians. "I'll see you in a week, Sadie!" Ochako called out. "Bye, Yaomomo!"

"We'll make sure to tell you guys EVERYTHING when we get back!" Itsuka said with a thumbs up.

"Haha, and we'll be looking forward to it." Momo reciprocated as her friends and Gunhead walked into the dojo, leaving her and the two femmes out front. With a short sigh, Momo turned back to Arcee. "So, shall we head to Tokyo?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sadie approved, the two climbing back into her alt mode as Tracy climbed onto hers. "Let's roll out!"

…..

~Okinawa Prefecture~

Kaida Kiryu had never been so nervous in her life. There she was, standing in front of the goal she had set for herself… and her legs wouldn't move an inch. In fact, she was trembling at the thought of even stepping into the literal dragon's lair before her. Ever since her early teens, she had been a MASSIVE fan of the Dragoon Hero, and she had been overwhelmed with emotions when she saw that Ryukyu herself had scouted her for an internship. But, as she neared the brown multi-story building with her hero's magazine cover on a billboard on the outside, she couldn't help but second guess herself before crossing the threshold.

'Could… could she have made a mistake?' Kaida thought back to her rampage at the Sports Festival, her nerves beginning to act up as she brought a hand over her chest. 'What if… what if she meant to reach out to a different student? What if I got her name by mistake?!' Her teeth grit with uncertainty as her hand gripped her collar tighter, her nails almost ripping into the fabric. 'What if I'm not cut out for this!?'

That last thought made her tear up. It had been her dream to become a hero as great as her idol, but the incident at the Festival still weighed on her mind like a ton of bricks. Who would want someone like her, who's Quirk could be dangerous at best and unpredictable at worst? She swallowed hard, choking back a sob as she spun around on her heel, her head hung low. "…Maybe I should just go home." she croaked.

"Aw, but what would be the fun in that?"

Kaida snapped her head up and looked around, wondering where the chipper voice had come from. "Wh-Who's there?"

"Yoo-hoo! Up here!" Perking her head up, Kaida was taken aback, seeing a young woman flying in the air… on what seemed to be yellow springs made of pure energy coming from her feet and hands. Her long, indigo-colored hair—which matched her eyes—was big and bouncy, and a couple locks of it were styled into similar curly-q's that her powers were. She wore a minty green hero costume with accents of white along her chest, with dark blue sleeves and pants. Her boots were the same minty green while she wore yellow gloves, with her arms and legs decorated with spiral shaped ribbons that were a darker green. …She also seemed vaguely familiar to Kaida somehow.

"W-Woah! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Kaida took a step back, allowing the girl to land as she stared at her in confusion. …Silently. …For about ten seconds. "…Uh, I'm sorry, but do you work here?" …Nothing. "Uh, hello?"

What she got next was something she never would've expected to hear from anyone. "Can your teeth bite through rocks?"

"…H-Huh?"

"Because they seem pretty sharp. Do you sharpen them yourself or do they just stay that way?"

"I-I, um… they pretty much have always been like that."

"Neat! Oh! Is it part of your Quirk? Because I have a feeling the grey skin is part of that, too."

That made Kaida furrow her brow a bit. She was always cautious whenever the topic of her rough skin came up, namely because it was always what she was teased about back in elementary school. "…Yeah, you'd think that'd be obvious. I have a dinosaur Quirk, so the skin kinda comes with it."

The blue-haired girl just seemed to smile that off. "Aw, I shoulda guessed!" She rubbed the back of her head. "But ya never know. These days, you see all KINDS of people around. I think it's pretty fun, don't you?"

Her words only confused Kaida further. This girl appeared older than her, but… she seemed a lot more oblivious to things. She was about to speak up when, without warning, the young woman took her by the hand and began leading her inside. "W-Woah, wait a minute, what're you—"

"C'mon, we're gonna be late!" the girl ushered. "You don't wanna keep Ryukyu waiting, do ya?"

"W-Well, no, but—wait! That means you DO work here!"

The girl gave her a wink. "Yep! Sure do… well, actually no, technically. I'm also on an internship here, but I'm hoping to do my work study here later on in the year." Once the two were inside, the girl spun Kaida around to face her once again. "You go to U.A., right? Well, so do I! I'm a third year."

Kaida's eyes widened in shock, now realizing where she had seen this girls' face before. "H-Hold the phone! Oh my god, you're from Class 3-A, aren't you?!" Receiving a joyful nod from her upperclassman, Kaida continued; "And… you're not just any third year… you're part of the U.A. Big Three!"

Giving a salute, the young woman introduced herself. "That's right! Nejire Hado, at your service." She winked again and pointed at her junior. "You're Kaidy, right? We've been expecting you!"

"I-It's Kaida, actually." The Sauro-Parts user corrected. "Kaida Kiryu."

"I know, but I think "Kaidy" sounds WAY cuter, dontcha think?" Nejire beamed from ear to ear, which managed to lower Kaida's defenses a little bit.

"Well… I guess you could call me that, Hado." she blushed.

Nejire clapped her hands together and then began leading Kaida further into the building. "Great! Also, feel free to call me Nejire. We're internship partners, so no need to be formal! Now come on, Miss Ryukyu is waiting for us. She's been super excited to start your internship, ya know? She's thrilled that she managed to get you, and—hm?" Just then, she noticed Kaida stop dead in her tracks, the grey-skinned girl staring straight ahead in shock. "…You okay? Ya didn't break on me, did ya?"

Kaida shook her head, raising her arm up to hug her side. "N-No, it's just… I'm really not sure if I even BELONG here." Seeing Nejire raise a brow, Kaida expressed her doubts to her. "Do you… do you really think Ryukyu would want ME? After what I did at the Sports Festival, I—"

"Hehe! Is THAT what you're worried about?" Nejire giggled cheekily before going behind Kaida and ushering her forward, taking her by the shoulders to do so. "Because if that's the case, then you've got nothing to worry about, girl! C'mon, this way!"

"W-Wait, hold on!" But it was too late. Nejire pushed Kaida straight into an elevator and pressed the top-most button, which would bring them to the highest floor. As she watched the elevator lights flash and bell going off with every floor they passed, Kaida's apprehension grew. And right as they reached the second floor… "GAH! I can't do this!" She curled up in the corner, staring fearfully as the doors opened for them. "It was a mistake to come here!"

"No, it was not." Nejire pressed, suddenly taking on a very serious countenance as she brought Kaida too her feet, leading her out into the hall. "Kaidy, You gotta have more confidence in yourself if you wanna be an intern here, let alone a hero." Her smile came back as the two girls neared a pair of double doors near the end of the hallway. "That was one of the first things I learned when I interned here last year! And with time, I'm sure we can get that confidence built-up in you in NO time!" Much to Kaida's dismay, Nejire reached up and knocked on the door, calling out; "Ryukyu! It's Nejire! I brought the new intern!"

"Ah, good! Come in, Nejire-Chan!

Kaida felt a surge of fear go through her, hearing Ryukyu's voice… but also a slight bit of confusion as well. "…Nejire-chan?"

"Yep! That's my codename!" the blue-haired third-year confirmed. "Pretty cute, right? Now…" Without warning, Nejire flung the door open and then used her spiral Quirk to propel Kaida inside, taking her off guard. "In ya go! And best of luck!"

Skidding to a halt, Kaida spun around on a dime to try and leave. "N-No, wait, I'm not ready—" *SLAM* "…Ugh, great."

"Oh! There you are."

All at once, Kaida's throat hitched up and her back straightened up, the grey-skinned girl paralyzed with fear. It took all her power to shakily turn her head toward the other end of the room, and there, sitting at a large work desk, was her idol. The Dragon Hero, Ryukyu. "…I …I-I—I'm…"

Ryukyu smiled gently and stood up, circling around her desk. "Kaida Kiryu from U.A.'s Class 1-A. I've been expecting you, hon."

Kaida's lips parted, stunned by the woman as she stopped right in front of her. "Y-You… you were?"

"Of course! I sent you and several other Hero Course students requests for internships, didn't I?" The blonde heroine sent Kaida a wink. "Of course, I expected Nejire to respond since she interned here last year, but you're the only other student who signed on." She spread her arms out and declared; "So, on behalf of my agency, I welcome you. I hope you'll find your time here informative and enjoyable."

"…So it wasn't a mistake." Ryukyu's eyebrows rose in surprise as, right there in front of her, tears were falling down Kaida's cheeks, a relieved smile spread across her features as she clutched her chest. "You… you really wanted me here."

Seeing the vulnerable state she was in, Ryukyu sent her a reassuring smile, bringing a comforting hand down on her shoulder. "Of course, I did, Kaida. Here…" She reached into her pocket and took out a handkerchief, handing it to Kaida. "Dry your tears. There's no reason to cry, after all."

"I-I'm sorry." Kaida sobbed lightly as she dried her eyes. "It's just… you're my all-time favorite hero and… when I saw your offer, a-a part of me felt like it had to be—"

"A mistake? No, my dear, it wasn't." Ryukyu shook her head. "I was amazed by what you did in the Sports Festival, and I knew that you were a worthy candidate to come train and learn under me. That and…" She brought her fingertip to Kaida's nose, making the girl flinch. "…I rarely forget a face, you know?"

That only made Kaida's eyes widen more. "YOU REMEMBER ME?!"

With a chuckle and a nod, Ryukyu confirmed; "Hmhm, a year or two back, I remember saving a young girl with grey skin and black hair. So to say you stood out to me is an understatement." He scratched her chin curiously. "Still, I'm surprised that your friend with the white and red hair didn't come with you, since I made an offer to both of you…"

…And Kaida's jaw dropped. "You made an offer to SHOTO, too?!"

"Indeed, though if anything, I wouldn't be surprised if he went to his father's agency instead." Ryukyu shrugged. "After all, he IS the number two hero."

"…More like Number Two Asshole." Kaida mumbled with a scowl.

"Hmph, on that, we can agree."

A scream came from Kaida's throat and she covered her mouth. "AH! I'm sorry! Y-You weren't supposed to hear that, I—"

"Hahaha! Relax, Kaida. Trust me, not everyone is Endeavor's biggest fan, and that includes me." Ryukyu placed a gentle hand on Kaida's back, leading her toward the door. "Now come on, let's get you changed into your costume and start our first patrol. …Oh, and also, apologies if Nejire came on a bit strong." the blonde gave a sheepish smile. "She's got a good heart, but her curiosity gets the better of her often."

Kaida cleared her throat and giggled a little bit a that. "Ah-hehe, yeah, she's… quite the character. But I guess I'll just have to get used to her." Taking a deep breath, Kaida gave one last glance around the office, wearing a bright smile. "…I honestly can't believe I'm here."

"Well, believe it, Kaida." Ryukyu affirmed as she opened the door. "Because this is your first BIG step on your road to becoming a hero."

…..

~Kyoto Prefecture, Orca Offices~

Denki Kaminari took a deep breath as he arrived at the office door of his mentor, Gang Orca. Upon arriving at his agency, he had been told to change into his hero costume immediately and then head straight to the chief's office, which thankfully he had been given directions for. 'This place is so big, I probably woulda gotten lost without 'em.' the Electrification user thought to himself, wearing a determined smile. 'But now, the time's come to take my first major step in becoming a hero! Watch out, world, here comes Chargebolt!' Just as he reached for the door handle, though, another hand brushed against his, making him flinch and leap back. "GAH!"

"Woah! Slow your roll there, Sparky!" came a familiar, snarky tone. "Not gonna bite or anything."

After regaining his bearings, Denki took a second look at who was there… and his jaw dropped in shock. "T-Tokage?!"

"That's my name!" Setsuna exclaimed with a wink. "But please, while we're here, call me "Lizardy". It IS my hero name, after all."

"W-W-What're you doing here?!"

Setsuna crossed her arms with a sarcastic grin. "Uh, I'm here for my internship. Duh."

This only made Denki even more stunned. "You got an internship request from Gang Orca, too?!"

"Sure did!" the Lizard-Tail Splitter user winked. "You'd be surprised how many Pros go for students who got in on recommendations."

"Ugh, I should've guessed—oof!" the blonde suddenly got the wind knocked out of him, Setsuna having slapped him on the back a bit more forcefully than he was prepared for.

"But hey, look at you, huh? Getting a request from one of the Top 10 on your own hard work in the festival!" Setsuna placed a hand on her hip, her smile ever present. "You musta really impressed him, that's for sure. And I hear with Orca, that's no small feat."

"Hak-hak! Gee, thanks." Denki rolled his eyes.

In response, Setsuna gave a pout and put on her best sad eyes. "Aw, what's wrong? Were you hoping to see a certain other green-haired girl from 1-B be here?" Her pout returned to being a smirk when she saw Denki's reaction, the boy breaking out into a massive blush and stuttering like a cartoon pig. "Bahaha! Relax, Sparky, just a bit of teasing. I may know how much you like Ibara, but I ain't about to go yammering about it to her."

If anything, this just got Denki to sober up and narrow his eyes at her. "Really? Because from what I hear, you're your class's Mina; always the gossiper."

This made Setsuna put on a serious face, pointing up at Denki. "Hey, Ibara's one of my best friends, so getting to see her happy is something I hold in higher regard than spreading drama." Setsuna moved past him and went to the door. "So I'd be more worried about yourself right now, because if you make Ibara unhappy…" She detached her head and spun it around to glare at the blond. "…We're gonna have a problem. Capiche?"

"Urp, yes ma'am." Denki swallowed fearfully.

"Good!" Setsuna resumed her good mood and put her head back on, only to smirk back to him once again. "And hey, if anything, this week'll be a good way for you to test your faith to Ibara. …Just try to keep your eyes off me, 'kay?"

Denki furrowed his brow again. "W-What? What do you mean—uuuuhhh…" It wasn't until he took Setsuna's appearance in completely that he finally noticed… her hero costume was tight. It was dark blue and had a lizard-scale pattern to it, which went the same for her domino mask. The only exception were her black boots, but all the same, her costume just accentuated her physical form. His eyes quickly darted away and he began coughing again, choking on his own spit.

Wearing a victorious grin, Setsuna chuckled nefariously. "Hmhm, that's what I thought." With that, she opened the door and announced; "We're here!" into the room, all while taking Denki by his jacket and dragging him here.

Sitting at his desk, Gang Orca craned his head up from the paperwork he was doing to address them. "Ah, excellent. Good to see you both have arrived in a timely manner." He stood up and walked around his desk to meet him. "Now, before I say this; know that we are in a soundproof room. No one can hear us, and there are no cameras to record us, so all secrets stay safely in here." He placed his hands behind his back, his words garnering the two students' attention. "With that said, I'd like to make this clear; my decision to recruit you two has absolutely nothing to do with any Autobot-related biases. I chose you specifically because I thought you two would be well suited to my form of training." He extended a clawed hand to them both. "Now, with that in mind, shall we begin?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." Denki nodded.

"Ready when you are!" Setsuna beamed

…Only for Gang Orca to change his attitude on the spot, his eyes widening and becoming bloodshot. "NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" he bellowed. "YOU WILL BOTH ADDRESS ME PROPERLY WHEN WE ARE OUT ON BUSINESS! AM I CLEAR?!"

A chill of fear spread through the duo as they immediately straightened themselves out. "SIR, YES SIR!" they saluted.

…..

~Shinjuku, Tokyo – Deep Crust Agency~

"WOOAAAAAHH!"

Mina covered her ears as they were assaulted by the dueling screams of two very surprised boys. She and Kirishima had been dropped off by Bulkhead and Sideswipe not too long ago, and they had been told to get changed into their hero costumes as soon as possible. However, what neither of them had expected was to run into a familiar face.

"Tetsutetsu?!" Eijiro shouted.

"Kirishima?!" Tetsu exclaimed.

Then, at the same time, both boys smiled and clasped their hands together in excitement. "Hey man, what're you doing here?!" they said.

For her part, Mina couldn't help but roll her eyes. 'Wow, they really DO share a braincell.' A part of her was happy to see the duo getting along, especially considering the rivalry they had. …But at the same time, she was slightly disappointed. 'So much for getting to spend the whole week with JUST Kirishima, I guess…' Even so, it didn't damper her mood too much, nor did it prevent her from leaning in and inserting herself into the conversation. "Uh, hello? I'm here too."

"Woah! And Ashido, too?" Tetsu rubbed his head. "Man, how many requests did Crust send out?!"

"Knowing him, probably a lot." Eijiro clenched a fist. "After all, he IS the manliest hero out there! …Well, apart from Fourth Kind."

Tetsu pointed to his redheaded rival. "Ah, you know, I was considering doing my internship with him, but then when I saw Crust sent me a request, I was like; "Oh, I can't pass up a chance like this!"."

"I know, right? That's kinda the same reason why we joined up." Eijiro turned his attention to his pink friend. "Right, Ashido?"

Mina nodded happily. "Mmhm! Once we saw Crust, it was honestly a no-brainer who we should go with. One of the Top 10? Heck yes!" It was then that she noticed Tetsu's costume, and she had to admit, it was pretty cool. "Wow, I think this is the first time I've seen you in your hero costume, Tetsutetsu! Not bad."

The Metal Quirk user glanced down to his outfit. Granted, it wasn't the most complex costume out there, but considering he didn't need much in the way of armor, it suited his style just fine. He went shirtless and wore a metal harness over his torso, with metal arm bands on his biceps and a metal headpiece that clasped over his jaw and cheekbones, which was secured to his head by two pieces on his ears that had the chemical symbol for Iron on them. He wore simple dark green pants and steel-toed boots with metal bindings securing them to his legs as well. "Heh, thanks, Ashido. I think it's pretty sweet myself."

Eijiro wore a cocky smirk and jerked a thumb to his chest. "Heh, yeah? Well it's got nothin' on MY hero costume."

"Ha! Please, sleeves? With a Quirk like yours?" Tetsu challenged as he poked at Eijiro's sleeves. "Why would ya cover up when your goal is to TRY and hurt villains?"

"Well, obviously so that I don't hurt any civilians who might accidentally get in my way, man."

Before the duo could devolve into an argument, the teens all heard a firm clap coming from the other side of the training room they were in, garnering their attention. "Now, now, let's not get heated!" Crust said as he approached the group of three. "At least, not yet. Save the headbutting for the training, hm?"

"AH! Mr. Crust!" Tetsu and Eijiro both straightened up and bowed to the man, with Mina joining in as well. "We look forward to working with you."

At this, Crust… suddenly began tearing up. "Snf… what polite young students! It's almost enough to move a man to tears…" He rubbed the water from his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, clenching his fist. "But no! Not now! Not when we have so much to do!" Crust put on a smile and gave them a nod. "Well, I'm glad that I could have all of you at my agency. After seeing your chivalrous performances at the Sports Festival, I'll admit, I was quite moved." He gestured toward the hardheaded boys. "Particularly at your amazing tie…" and then he moved to Ashido. "While your perseverance against Miss Kiryu was simply amazing! I like you three, and I believe you have great potential!"

"Th-Thank you, sir." Mina stammered, unprepared for the praise.

"However, being a hero isn't easy, and you cannot rely on valiance nor brute force alone." Crust said with a wink. "I'm sure you've all learned that with your time with you-know-who." The three nodded again as he raised a finger into the air. "BUT this week, you'll be learning from my experience! So, be prepared to listen and to train hard, because I won't be going easy on you!"

"We wouldn't expect anything less, sir!" Eijiro pumped a fist. "When do we start?"

With a cheeky grin, Crust pulled out a remote control and pressed a button on it… which activated several weapon platforms to suddenly come out from the walls. Metal spiked balls on chains, laser cannons, entire spiked walls and spinning saw blades galore. The students' moods did a one-eighty and they went slack jawed at what might as well have been a torture chamber of a training room, all while Crust crossed his arms. "Right now. This room is specifically designed for me to enhance my Quirk, which as you know, is nearly invulnerable shields." He nodded to Tetsu and Eijiro. "You two are very much the same; impenetrable humans walls…" And then, he craned his head to Mina. "While you are capable of melting anything in your path. This week, we will focus on enhancing all of your Quirks until you truly are capable of breaking down anything in your way. So… let's get started!"

"…We're all gonna die." Mina muttered.

…..

~Asakusa, Tokyo – Edgeshot Agency~

Just as Momo had imagined, Edgeshot's agency was styled appropriately to his ninja theme. She and Arcee stood before a tall and ornate Japanese castle, one with ornamental lanterns hanging from its rafters. It was rather beautiful, though admittedly, it was a bit offset by the fact that so many people and heroes were walking in and out, presumably all people who worked for Edgeshot himself. "Wow, busy place." Sadie noted, her holoform scanning the whole castle. "Though I guess I really shouldn't be surprised…"

"Of course. Edgeshot IS in the Top 5 pros for a reason." Momo muttered to herself, suddenly feeling a little antsy standing there. "It makes me wonder… would he really have time to teach me anything with how busy he is?"

Sadie gave her friend a hopeful grin. "Aw, c'mon now, Momo. He probably wouldn't have made that offer to you if he DIDN'T have time, right?"

"…Well, I suppose that IS true."

Reaching around, Sadie brought an arm across Momo's shoulders with a reassuring squeeze. "Just remember, Windblade and I are rooting for you. I'm sure you'll do great here, without a doubt."

After a moment to take everything in, her words managed to make Momo smile, the Creation user giving a bold nod. "Right! Okay, I've got this. I've totally got this." Taking up her rather large suitcase and the briefcase containing her costume, she gave Sadie a hug before she went inside. "I'll see you in a week. And thank you for your support."

"You're more than welcome." Sadie hugged back, giving her friend a gentle pat. "Now go on, I'm sure he's waiting for you." With one final wave, Sadie watched as Momo sent into the agency building, leaving her to sigh and climb back into her alternate mode. "…And there they go." Pulling back her hair, the femme had to take a deep breath, letting it all settle in. "Primus, if I was human, I'd probably be crying at this point. But, we've done everything in our power to get them here, so now it's time to let the heroes train them for a while." Arcee started herself up and proceeded down the road, intent on returning to base.

Meanwhile, Momo was strolling into the main foyer of the building, walking right to the front desk to check in. "Um, hello, I'm Momo Yaoyorozu from U.A. High. I'm here about my internship with Mr. Edgeshot?"

The teller at the front desk brightened up immediately. "Oh, Miss Yaoyorozu! We've been waiting for your arrival." She gestured over to the nearby elevator. "Mr. Edgeshot should be in his office at the moment on the fifth floor, though he's currently in the middle of a meeting. He should be done soon, but I've been told to tell you to change into your costume as soon as possible, okay?"

"Yes, thank you very much." Momo bowed politely before heading right toward the elevator, taking a quick ride up to the fifth floor. Once she was there, it didn't take her long to find out which office was Edgeshot's, as the large, oak door with golden ornaments grafted onto it was more than enough of a tell. However, what she DIDN'T expect… was the girl who was also standing at that door. "Sh-Shiozaki?!"

Indeed, standing directly at the door was Ibara, the 1-B student wearing what must've been her hero costume; a white silk robe with open-toed sandals. Rather simple, in Momo's opinion. Ibara's eyes widened when she saw her schoolmate as well, though she seemed more prepared to see her. "Ah, Yaoyorozu! I was wondering if I would get to see you today."

"Don't tell me… are you interning under Edgeshot, too?"

"Oh, haha, no, no I am not." Ibara shook her head, pointing to the large door. "Rather, I'm interning with Kamui Woods. He's in the middle of a meeting with Edgeshot and Mt. Lady as we speak."

Momo nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. That makes sense. Your and his Quirks ARE somewhat related." She gave a smile to the Vine user. "So, do you all plan on staying here for a while?"

"No, Woods has plans to take me on my first patrol soon." Ibara explained, taking a deep breath. "Hah, I'm so nervous, if I'm being honest."

"So am I." Clenching a fist, Momo raised it over her chest. "But we must have confidence in ourselves. After all, we're being rooted for by… you-know-who."

"Hmhm, yes, you have a good point." Ibara winked knowingly.

At that moment, the duo heard the door click and heavily move open, wherein Kamui Woods emerged from the other side. Next to him, Mt. Lady strode with a much less eager step, the blonde heroine almost seeming deflated. "Alright, Shiozaki, it's time to—oh!" Kamui cut himself off when he noticed Momo, which garnered Mt. Lady's attention as well. "Yaoyorozu, it's good to see you again."

Mt. Lady managed to put on a smile and wave to the student. "Heya, girl, what's going on?"

"Oh, just arriving for my internship." Momo answered, nudging her head toward Ibara. "Shiozaki and I were just discussing what our internships will entail, seeing as you two and Edgeshot do tend to work a lot together with your team and all."

The Wood user folded his arms. "I see. Well, I'm sorry if this comes as a disappointment, but I don't think you two will be seeing much of one another this week." He craned his head toward Mt. Lady, who gave a small shrug. "You see, when it comes to the Lurkers, we usually group up together when there is a very serious threat, and we want to keep you girls as far away from those as possible." Kamui clenched a fist over his heart. "After all, this week, you are our responsibility, and if anything were to happen to you, not only would we feel terrible, but the school would be very cross with us as well."

"Hm, yes, I can see your point there." Momo hummed in thought.

Mt. Lady leaned forward, holding up a finger to them. "Ah, don't worry! Once you ladies get into your second years and get your provisional licenses, you'll be able to mix it up with villains officially." She sent them a knowing wink. "And until then, you girls can always get away with thrashing some Decepti—MMPH!"

Without warning, Woods suddenly used his Lacquered Chain Prison to cover Mt. Lady's mouth, the woman struggling to break free. "Yu, would you keep quiet?!" he harshly whispered. "We're in a public place, we cannot go speaking about that here!" As Mt. Lady pouted and crossed her arms in his grasp, Kamui raised his hand to Momo in farewell. "In any case, best of luck to you on your internship, Yaoyorozu. I'm certain you will learn many things under Edgeshot. I certainly know I have."

"Thank you very much, Kamui Woods." Momo bowed. "I appreciate the vote of confidence." She then gave a smile to Ibara as they all walked away. "And good luck to you as well on your internship, Shiozaki!"

"Likewise, Yaoyorozu. See you later." And with that, the trio had boarded the elevator and left, leaving Momo to herself.

With a deep inhale, the raven-haired beauty faced the main office of the man she'd be learning under and stepped inside. What she found was… rather unsurprising. The entire room was styled like the interior of a martial arts dojo, and there was a little table with cups of tea that were still piping hot. But oddly enough… no one was there. "…Hello?" Momo called out, coming closer to the table. "I-Is there anyone—"

*THOOM*

"AH!" Momo gasped and whirled around in time to see the heavy door suddenly SLAM shut, much faster than she had anticipated it could. And with a heavy KERCHUNK, she was convinced it had locked itself. She pursed her lips, taking on a more serious demeanor. The Creation user had seen enough scenarios like this to know that, at any moment, from anywhere in this room… an attack was about to come at her. 'This is a test.' Momo dropped her things and flung her blazar off as quick as possible, rolling up the sleeves over her undershirt. 'It HAS to be.'

Her eyes darting from side to side, Momo scanned the room, but couldn't see anything. Which, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. 'His Quirk, Foldabody, allows him to fold and compress himself into a form so thin that he's sharp enough to cut anything.' Her forearm glowed with power, preparing to create something should Edgeshot suddenly come flying out of nowhere. 'And as a result, he can hide anywhere without being noticed. Concentrate, Momo, concentrate…'

Closing her eyes and taking a calming breath, Momo focused on the stillness around her… only until she felt her hair move with a slight breeze. Her eyes snapping open, Momo rounded around and created a shield, which was met with a loud CLANG! There, opposing her with the lower half of his body folded up, was Edgeshot. His head, upper torso and arms were all visible, and he was holding a wooden sword that he had went to hit her with. His gaze remained stoic, but just from his tone, she could tell that he was impressed. "Hm, excellent. About as good of a reaction time as I saw at the festival." He pulled himself back and the rest of his body reformed. "Windblade has taught you well, it seems."

"She has." Momo said proudly, relaxing her stance. "And I hope to learn more from—AH!"

In one, swift movement, Edgeshot had folded his right leg and wrapped it around Momo's, pulling her straight to the wooden floor. Knocking her shield away with his wooden sword, he hovered the tip of the weapon over Momo's face, her eyes wide with shock. "Hm, but not good enough. You must never let your guard down around an enemy, not even when they're your ally."

"Th-That… I-I wasn't expecting—"

"No, you weren't." Edgeshot tossed the wooden sword up and flipped it, catching it on the other end before handing it to Momo. "But we're going to change that this week. Momo Yaoyorozu… welcome to ninja school."

Momo took the weapon with a sigh, a feeling in her gut telling her that it would be a LONG week. But through all of this, Edgeshot's statement made a thought cross her mind. 'Hm…I wonder how Kyoka's doing?'

…..

~Hokkaido Prefecture – Present~

"Kyoka Jiro… meet Snake Eyes."

As Jinx's words continued to circle within Kyoka's mind, the young punk girl couldn't help but gawk at the man before her. This… was Snake Eyes. …And he was so much cooler than Kyoka had ever thought he would be. She had been expecting some creepy dude with literal snake eyes, but instead, she got a badass ninja dude donned in all black and with the coolest visor she had ever seen in her life… and that was saying a lot, since she knew a LOT of people with awesome visors. But, if there was one thing that she had gotten right about Snake Eyes, it was that he had a very mysterious aura to him, one that made her feel like she shouldn't even be SEEING him right now. It was very strange, but at the same time, quite exciting.

…Of course, she thought this all to herself without saying a single word to the man, prompting Jinx to lean in with a curious brow. "Um, aren't you going to say hi? Snake Eyes is waiting for you to make the first move."

"R-Right! So sorry." Kyoka bowed respectfully. "I-It's an honor and a privilege to meet you, sir. Thank you very much to taking me on as an intern this week." She rose back up in time to see Snake Eyes return her bow, and then he extended her hand to her without a word. Confused, but not willing to be rude, Kyoka shook his hand back. "It's a pleasure, sir." Once again, no words, just a single nod from the man in black. "…Uh, is there something I'm missing? Why the silent treatment?"

"Oh, hah, that's right, I forgot to mention." Jinx piped up with an awkward smile. "Snake Eyes… can't speak."

This made Kyoka raise an eyebrow to her in suspicion. "Can't… or won't?" Out the corner of her eye, she saw Snake lift his head slightly and, as if in response, he reached up to the base of his mask and pulled it up so that his neck area was exposed. What Kyoka saw next made her jaw almost drop to the floor. His entire trachea had one massive scar going across it, almost as if it had been sliced and burned at the same time. It was enough to make Kyoka gasp and double back. "Ah! O-Oh my god!"

Jinx took on a more solemn look as Snake Eyes pulled his mask back down. "I believe that should satisfy your answer. As you can see, my master was injured a long time ago by… an old adversary." Her lips seemed to tighten at that, something that didn't go unnoticed by Kyoka. "Ever since, he has been rendered voiceless. Not only am I his student, but I also serve as his interpreter."

"Oh… my gosh, I-I'm so sorry if I offended—" But Kyoka was cut off when Snake Eyes raised a hand and shook his head.

"It's alright, you didn't know." Jinx translated before Snake Eyes gave a thumbs up to Kyoka. "Hmhm, I think you can decipher what that means."

"Hah… okay, so we're cool, then." Kyoka said in relief, her arms flopping down to her sides. "Hmph, well, this week oughta be interesting. Being trained by someone who has no voice in the art of ninjutsu…" This, however, brought another question to mind. "Say, about that… why do you think I'd make a good ninja? My whole Quirk is kinda related to… you know… being loud."

That got a chuckle out of Jinx and Snake Eyes nodded, before pointing to his own ears, eyes and nose. Jinx interpreted shortly after. "Hmhm, indeed, but we aren't referring to the type of offense you excel at. Rather, we're hoping to expand your horizons into OTHER forms of offense by taking advantage of your Quirk's secondary effect on your senses."

This made Kyoka tilt her head. "Uh… okay, and what'd that be?"

"There is a ninjutsu technique—one that I so happen to be proficient in as well—called the "Blind Master's Kata", which consists of Seven Silent Techniques." Reaching into her pocket, Jinx pulled out a red band of fabric and put it over her eyes, tying it back as a blindfold. "This martial art, which primarily used without the use of one's eyes, relies heavily on your other senses. Namely hearing and feeling." She motioned for Kyoka to come at her. "Go on, try and attack me."

Glancing toward Snake Eyes hesitantly, Kyoka got another nod from him, which only made her more hesitant. "…Really? Any attack at all?"

"Yes, any."

Pursing her lips, Kyoka pulled back on one of her jacks. "Well… if you say so." Flinging the jack forward, Kyoka… missed Jinx by a mile. However, the woman remained still, even as the Earphone Jack came curling back around to jab Jinx in the back.

…And that's when she leapt into action, quite literally, with a massive jump that Kyoka wasn't prepared for. The red-clad ninja came back down as the jack flew past, only to grab it and give a tug, sending Kyoka to the floor. "Hm. Very clever." Jinx commended, pushing up her blindfold. "You thought you could get the drop on me with something unexpected. I commend your effort."

"Woah… how did you know?"

Jinx winked and crouched down to help Kyoka up. "I've learned this kata from the Blind Master himself, and trained with Snake Eyes for years to perfect it. We think that you will be able to learn it with ease." Approaching the ladies, Snake Eyes bowed his head once again. "Between that and some mixed martial arts training, you should see a significant bolster to your repertoire of techniques."

All at once, Kyoka was beginning to get excited all over again. "A-And you think that'll help me become a better hero?" she asked hopefully.

"With any luck, it very likely would—" *blip-blip* Just then, a beeping noise rang in Jinx's ear, cutting her off. "Oh, my apologies. Give me a moment." She and Snake Eyes both reached up to their ears and pressed down, activating their own commlinks. "This is Jinx, go ahead."

"Chzz—Jinx! This is Budo. We have an intruder on the run!"

The two ninjas snapped their heads up in shock… and despite herself, Kyoka couldn't help but grow pale as she overheard. "What? An intruder?"

"It's just as we suspected! They came in through a portal and attempted to blend in with a camouflaged vehicle! Kamakura, Tiger Claw and myself are in pursuit, and I sent Quick Kick to your location. More than likely, the girl is the source of this attempted espionage."

Jinx's expression went from concerned to serious in a flash… and all excitement drained from Kyoka at that point. "…I see. Well in that case, we—KYOKA!" The moment the red-clad ninja turned, the Earphone Jack user booked it straight into the dark room once again, sprinting straight for the other side with her briefcase in hand. "Don't run, PLEASE!"

Kyoka screwed her eyes shut, not daring to look back. 'Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! I screwed up! I screwed up BIG time!' However, at the sound of the door opening, Kyoka peered up to see someone having flung it open… a young Asian girl about her age, maybe a couple years older. She was wearing a white karate Gi and had a black belt strapped around her waist, the hems of her pants in tatters with her feet completely bare. Beneath her Gi, her chest was done up in wrappings, as were her hands. Over her forehead, she had a white bandana with the Japanese Rising Sun on it, and her long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

The girl's eyes widened and she went into a defensive stance, her features twisted into a glare. "YOU! Stop right there—AUAUAUAGH!" But she didn't even get the chance to attack as Kyoka flung her jacks forward and jabbed her right in the shoulders, making her fall to the floor.

"Sorry! So, SO sorry!" Kyoka hollered as she jumped over the girl's body.

Jinx gasped and dashed forward, sliding in next to the downed girl. "Mackenzie! Mackenzie, are you alright?"

"Mph… I will be…" the young girl rolled her shoulders, shuddering as she got the tingly sensation out of them before balling her fists. "Just as soon as I get my hands on that good-for-nothing spy—"

"Now hold on." Jinx stressed, furrowing her brow. "None of us know the full story about what's going on… maybe not even SHE does." She took a deep breath and sighed. "…Honestly, this was probably our fault in the first place for not being so forthcoming with her." She set her sights up to Snake Eyes, who craned his head low back at her. "I know, I know, we HAVE to remain secretive for a reason, but… come on, she's a teenager. Of course, she was gonna be suspicious." This made Snake Eyes move his head back awkwardly, only to then nudge his chin toward the exit. "…You're right. We need to get after her. God only knows who she might run into out there…"

…..

Jazz had to admit… not one of his best spy moments. Never before had he been caught so easily and so quickly, it was honestly kind of a shock to his system. He had trained in the way of being a Cyber-Ninja for centuries, and in that time, he was rarely caught, if ever. Usually, back on Cybertron, bots would have to work HARD to find him, and even then, that was on one of his off days. This? This hadn't started as an off day. 'Damn Ninjas. Master Yoketron would've been REALLY impressed with these guys.' He couldn't let his focus faulter, however, as he currently had a big-aft cat-man on his tail.

The person—at least he ASSUMED it was a person—resembled a large big cat, a tiger, to be specific. However, rather than go on all fours all the time, he only did that when he ran. In reality, he was mainly bipedal, and wore a black combat suit over his large, powerful body. He also went barefoot to allow better use of all four of his "paws", and the only other part aside from his head that was exposed was his long tail.

The tiger-man paused and reached up to his ear. "This is Tiger Claw, are you all in position?"

"Affirmative!"

"Ready to intercept!"

"Ooh, I don't like the sounds a' that." Jazz said to himself, thankful that he had activated his holoform beforehand. Just then, two figures suddenly came lunging down from above, slamming down hard on Jazz's hood. One of them seemed to be a normal man, dressed in green ninja gear complete with a green hood. The other, however, was a full-blown Samurai in heavy, metal armor, one with sword already in hand and a grimacing mask over his face.

"Stop right there!" the Samurai lowered his sword, keeping balance on the hood. "Or face the wrath of Budo…"

"And Kamakur—AH!"

The duo didn't get to finish their threats as Jazz came to a screeching halt, throwing both of them off and into the dirt and foliage. Unfortunately, doing that only helped Tiger Claw catch up, the tiger-man SLAMMING down hard on Jazz's roof. "AGH! Yo, man! Watch it!" Jeff peered up through his windshield, meeting the man's gaze. "You got any idea how long it's gonna take to—eep!"

Tiger Claw didn't seem to care as he scraped his claws along the glass, with Budo and Kamakura approaching with blades in hand. "Step out of the car, intruder." he growled. "And you may yet live to see another day." But, just as the three were about to close in…

*WOOOOOAAAAAAMMMM*

The group of warriors all screamed and clutched their ears, falling back as powerful ripples of sound blasted through their eardrums. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Jazz snapped his head around to see Kyoka come jogging down a forest path, having armed herself with her wrist speakers. "Jazz! You're okay!"

"Kyo, get back!" Jazz yelled. "It's not safe here!"

Despite his warning, Kyoka hugged his hood, staring at his holoform through the window. "No! This is my mess. I made a horrible mistake and I need to be the one to fix it!" Her keen hearing suddenly picked up slowly approaching footsteps from behind, causing her to whirl around and point her speakers back at the warriors. They stopped in place, but kept their weapons at the ready. "Please, stop! I'm not a spy! …Well, I guess I technically am, but I'm not working for any bad guys or anything!"

"A likely story, young lady." Kamakura narrowed his eyes. "How do we know you're not working for Cobra? Or maybe even V.E.N.O.M.?"

"…I have no idea what any of those are, but man, bad guys really like naming their organizations after poisonous things."

Budo gave a blunt; "Hmph, on that, we can agree. But we still cannot take any chances with you." He leveled his sword toward her nose. "You were specifically told by Jinx to NOT share your knowledge of this school with ANYONE and yet—"

"Well, what'd you expect me to do?!" Kyoka interrupted with a snap. "You guys haven't been transparent with ANYONE about ANYTHING, not even the school you sent my internship request to!" She placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you think ANYONE would be just a bit suspicious about all of that?"

The Samurai was about to argue, but someone beat him to the punch. "Love, please." Everyone's attention went back to the path as Snake Eyes, Jinx and Mackenzie came dashing in, with Jinx moving between Budo and Kyoka. She placed a hand on his chest plate and gave him a warning glare. "Let's not make this situation any worse than it is. After all…" She glanced back to Kyoka with sympathy in her eyes. "She's every right to be wary of us. We haven't been very clear, that is true."

Budo reached up, putting his hand over hers. "But for a very good reason, my dear, as you know."

"Yes, but she doesn't." Jinx stressed before bowing to the student. "Kyoka… I must profusely apologize. I should've been more upfront with you from the start." She approached, but Kyoka backed away, almost bumping into Jazz's hood. "…You have every right to distrust us, I cannot blame you for that. However, it was still a mistake to bring an outsider here. Please, just tell us who this man is and we can get everything straightened out."

"I… I-I—" *CHOOM* "HUH?!" Without any warning whatsoever, a bright light came bursting into existence just a few feet away from the group, leaving Kyoka and Jazz stunned as the familiar vortex appeared. "W-What?! But we didn't—"

"The portal!" Tiger Claw bellowed, taking a combat stance with his teammates. "They've sent for backup!"

Jazz opened his door, bringing his holoform out to try and stop the warriors from doing anything rash. "Woah, woah! Hold up, let's not—"

*HONK-HONK*

But it was too late. The very second he saw a massive semi-trailer truck come rolling through, Tiger Claw pounced right for the truck… only for Snake Eyes to leap into action faster than even he. He ran forth at a blink-and-you'll-miss it speed and swiftly delivered a precise jab to Tiger Claw's neck, hitting a nerve and bringing him straight down to the ground, allowing Optimus through. Tiger Claw was breathing heavily, staring up at his teacher in shock. "M-Master… why?"

In a clear response, Snake Eyes brought his hand across his neck, signaling for the tiger-man to cut it out. He then nudged his chin toward Kamakura, to which the green ninja understood. "Y-Yes, master, of course." With impressive strength, the man hefted Tiger Claw up and onto his shoulder, leading him over to a nearby rock to recover.

All the while, Snake Eyes turned back toward the truck, which had recently been joined by a strange green and yellow vehicle which drove through the portal as well. In reality, Snake Eyes had done what he did because he saw a certain someone in the truck's driver seat, who was now making his way out with desperate, heavy breaths. "Hah… hah… STOP… EVERYTHING!" Agent Fowler called out.

Jinx, Budo and everyone else were left wide-eyed by his presence. "Agent Fowler?" Then, from the green vehicle, another familiar face emerged. "And Matt Trakker? W-What is this?"

Kyoka was left just as baffled as well, mostly by the new guy who came out of Springer. "Who's the blonde pretty-boy?"

"I ain't got no clue." Jazz admitted.

"Jinx! Good to see you." Matt greeted, sharing nods with everybody. "Budo, Snake Eyes, always a pleasure and—oh!" He brightened up when he saw Mackenzie in particular. "Little Kenzie Ito, is that you?! Haha, you've shot up like a weed!"

A soft blush came across Mackenzie's cheeks, but she turned away in embarrassment. "Hi, Mr. Trakker. It's been a while."

"I'll say. Last time I saw you, you were probably this tall." Matt put his hand down toward his knee for emphasis. "Ah man, and look at you now, a black belt already! Your father would be so proud, I swear."

Kenzie seemed to roll her eyes at that. "That's what everyone keeps telling me. …Also, how the HELL did you get here?!" She thrust a finger over to the portal as it disappeared. "And what's even with THAT?! And how do you even know this girl?"

Kyoka raised her hands defensively. "H-Hey, don't look at me, I'm only just SEEING this guy for the first time. …On that note, who are you?"

"Explanations on THAT can come later." Fowler said firmly, having regained his breath as he stormed up to Kyoka. "Right now, we've gotta discuss what the hell YOU were thinking with this hairbrained scheme of yours!" He thrust his arm out toward the other heroes. "Using your internship to SPY on a bunch of highly trained heroes? Who, might I add, are SUPPOSED to remain secret?!" He gave a pointed glare to Snake Eyes and Jinx on that last part. "And NOT asking for internships at normal hero schools? This is a MASSIVE breach of security we're talkin' about!"

Snake Eyes reached up, rubbing his neck awkwardly as Jinx shuffled in place. "…Alright, admittedly, we should've been much clearer with the school about our intentions." the red-clad ninja conceded. "But Principal Nezu was more than happy to—"

"Ugh, Nezu, of course." Fowler facepalmed. "He must've been allowin' this for YEARS behind my back. Need to have a talk with HIM about this, too."

Kyoka stepped in and held up her hands to both sides, hoping to calm everything down. "Okay, could we maybe all take a deep breath here and get some proper explanations before we start yelling at each other?" She faced the ninjas first and foremost. "Because from what it sounds like… you guys aren't the villains that the school teachers assumed you to be."

That managed to take master and student aback a little. "W-Wait, villains? They thought we were… Nezu didn't inform the rest of his faculty, did he?"

"Oh gee, it's almost like all of you are supposed to remain hidden from the rest of the world." Fowler added with arms crossed.

"And why is that, anyway?" Kyoka continued, craning her head toward the agent. "What is it that you haven't told us, Fowler?"

Despite the frustration etched on Fowler's face, even he could see that the jig was up at this point. He glanced to the group of warriors across from him, where they all collectively nodded in agreement. "Hah… alright, Jiro, it's time to clear the air." Fowler walked over to Snake Eyes, Jinx, Budo, Kamakura, and the now recovered Tiger Claw, who was shakily standing with them. "The people you see before you are part of the Japanese branch for a secret global special mission force, made up of highly trained individuals from all subdivisions of the military." He sent a serious gaze to the punk rocker. "Collectively, they're known as… G.I. Joe. Their purpose is to defend human freedom against villains that go beyond the level of what you see on the streets of Japan, even beyond the ones that THINK they lurk in the shadows. We're talkin' about villains that are a national security level threat."

"So, like… terrorists?" Kyoka guessed.

Budo nodded to her. "Indeed. Terrorist groups such as the ones we mentioned to you before; Cobra and V.E.N.O.M."

Trakker cleared his throat and raised a finger. "Ahem, though to be fair, V.E.N.O.M is more of a M.A.S.K. problem that we deal with. Though of course, we've collaborated with G.I. Joe several times in the past." Matt wore a wistful smile and chuckled to himself. "Hehe… that Sky Stryker is still a thing of beauty."

"More to the point, yes, we are to remain just as much of a secret as Cobra and these other groups." Tiger Claw went on, clenching one of his mighty paws into a fist. "Because if the world were to ever discover their existence… the relative peace that All Might worked so hard to create would come crumbling down within days."

"And even then, that peace is more a façade than anything." Kamakura shrugged off. "It is very delicate, and we hope to bolster it so that it can be stronger than it is." His eyes shifted to Kyoka, who was left visibly shellshocked by his words. "I know this is a lot to take in, kid, but… this world is not as peaceful as your government wishes you to believe."

Kyoka leaned against Jazz's hood, supporting herself as she took everything in. "I… woah, I-I need a second." After a few moments respite, she managed to bring her gaze up to Fowler, who still didn't seem all that impressed with her. "So… you knew about all this, too?"

The agent bit his lower lip, his frustration giving way to a bit of guilt. "…Yes, I did."

"…Does All Might?"

"He does." Fowler grimaced. "He knows about the Joes and Cobra and the like, but he's never gotten in on their conflict himself."

Jinx closed her eyes with a sigh. "Yes, it's true. But All Might has done a wonderful job managing to keep the peace so that no OTHER villains get the idea of joining Cobra in mass. If that were not the case… we'd be living in a MUCH different world right now." She slowly approached Kyoka, who thankfully didn't back away, allowing Jinx to gently touch her shoulder. "And that is why we're hoping to personally train young heroes like you, Kyoka. To prepare you for if a day like that DOES come. Because if it does… everything is liable to change."

The 1-A Student stared at Jinx with astonishment, her eyes moving to Snake Eyes to see him nod grimly. "…I see. So you ARE the good guys." She stood up straight and bowed to them profusely. "I'm so sorry for causing so much trouble for all of you. I can only hope you'll find a way to forgive me."

But both Jinx and Snake Eyes shook their heads. "There is nothing to forgive or feel sorry for, Kyoka. You were right to be suspicious of us." The group of warriors all shared guilty looks, aside from Mackenzie who rubbed her neck and kept her head down. "We were not clear enough in our motives, and gave you AND the school the wrong idea about us. We've particularly been doing it with the school for years now, and in that respect, we are at fault." All at once, they all bowed to Kyoka in return. "We are the ones who ask forgiveness from you, Kyoka Jiro."

"I… hah, I don't know what to say." At her words, Snake Eyes rose back up and strode over to Kyoka, giving a firm yet friendly pat to her shoulder before gesturing to her, then placing his hand on his chest. Then, he extended his hand out toward the other members of his agency, which only left Kyoka confused. "Uh… translation, please?"

"Hmhm, he's saying that you still have a place here with us at the castle." Jinx interpreted, putting a hand over her own chest. "If that is alright with you, of course."

"…Getting the chance to learn martial arts from REAL ninjas?" Kyoka's excitement came back tenfold. "Who WOULDN'T jump on that chance?! My friend's already interning with Edgeshot in Tokyo, so this should put us on even footing."

Snake Eyes perked his head up at the name, beating his chest with a fist twice, and then gave a thumbs up. "Ah, I see." Jinx grinned. "Edgeshot is actually an old friend of Snake Eyes, so yes, you two WILL be on quite even footing." The woman extended her hand to Kyoka, who was all too eager to shake it. "With that in mind, welcome to the Snake Eyes Ninja School, Kyoka Jiro. Now, for some introductions…"

"Ahem…" Stepping up, Tiger Claw lowered his head respectfully to Kyoka, placing his paw over his heart. "I sincerely apologize if I scared you before, young lady. My name is Chadwick Johnson. However, you may refer to me as "Tiger Claw"."

"A bit on the nose, but I like it!" Kyoka approved, only to raise a snarky brow at him. "But… is your name seriously "Chad"?"

Rolling his golden eyes, Tiger Claw sighed and waved her off. "Yes, yes, feel free to hit me with any of your memes, I've heard them all."

"Thankfully, you won't have any ammo to use with MY name." Kamakura removed his mask, revealing a young, redheaded Caucasian man underneath with stubbly facial hair and brown eyes. "Sean Collins, codename: Kamakura. Pleasure to meet ya, kid."

Reaching up, Budo removed his helmet, revealing his face. He was Japanese, Kyoka could tell, though he also had some American in him. He had long, black hair that he wore in a man-bun, as well as a wispy mustache and short beard. "And I am Kyle Jesso. My codename is Budo." He reached around and rested his arm around Jinx's shoulders, the woman brightening up as he pulled her into an embrace. "I am also this beautiful woman's husband, for the record."

"Aw! How cute!" Kyoka gushed as she turned her attention to said woman. "And speaking of, what's your name, Miss Jinx?"

"Hm… I suppose I could tell you." Jinx winked knowingly. "I am Kim Arashikage. But most just call me Kimi. You can use my real name or my codename if you'd like."

Kyoka nodded affirmatively. "I'll keep that in mind…" Finally, Kyoka's eyes trailed over to Kenzie, who seemed to be keeping to herself. "And then there's you… and for starters, I'd like to apologize for jabbing you with my jacks earlier." That managed to get the pony-tailed girl's attention, though she kept her arms crossed. "We REALLY got off on the wrong foot, so… hi! My name's Kyoka Jiro."

Seeing Kyoka bring her hand up, Kenzie gave it a skeptical look. However, out the corner of her eye, she could see her master staring at her expectantly, ushering her to be polite. "Hah… Mackenzie Ito. Codename; Quick Kick."

"Ooh, I like it!" Kyoka complimented. "Has an awesome ring to it."

"Thanks…" Kenzie reciprocated dryly. "But you can just call me "Kenzie" if you want. But what I wanna know is…" She thrust her finger over to Jazz, who had moved back over to the other vehicles. "Who the heck is your friend over there? He's the whole reason you got caught and yet no one's addressed who HE is yet."

Seeing the other members of the agency also directing their eyes to the Autobots, Kyoka's attention went back to Agent Fowler, raising a brow at him. "Well… turnabout IS fair play and all that. Now that I know their secret…" She pointed over to the bots. "We should probably fill them in on the rest of ours, right?"

Fowler was somewhat hesitant… but at the same time, he couldn't argue with the girl's logic. "…Yeah, you know what? Why not? Not like G.I. Joe is gonna go leakin' something like this." He spun around and called out to the Autobots; "Alright, bots, make somethin' of yourselves!"

Kyoka skipped over to the group, nudging Kenzie in the shoulder. "Oh-ho, you guys are gonna get a kick outta this! Do it, Prime!"

"…Autobots." Optimus spoke up. "Transform!"

Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt!

The confusion at Fowler's statement only lasted a fraction of a second for the Joes as, before their very eyes, all of the vehicles began changing and converting. The whole group went slack-jawed while Kyoka and Agent Fowler both smirked, and Matt Trakker simply stared on in amazement. Before long, the Autobots had taken on their robot modes, with Jazz and Springer hanging back as Optimus Prime approached the group. "Greetings… G.I. Joe." The Autobot leader greeted as he knelt before them all. "My name is Optimus Prime. And I believe now is a good time for us to have an important conversation of our own."

…..

A/N: Well, there you have it. Things did seem to look pretty hairy for a second there, but thankfully, Agent Fowler managed to help get everything straightened out. Of course, most of the heavy lifting was thanks to Kyoka talking things out with her new teachers, but at least everything worked out in the end. …Oh, and of course, had to save the Autobot's introduction to the Joes for the stinger at the end. Gotta wait on their official meeting just a bit longer.

But yeah, LOTS of martial arts related Joes to fill up the ranks of Snake Eyes' agency here! You got Tiger Claw (who was introduced in an earlier chapter), Kamakura, Snake Eyes' most recent apprentice, and Budo, who isn't technically a student of Snake Eyes, but he IS very close with Jinx, so he works here.

And… well, as you've no doubt noticed, I've pulled a spin on a classic Joe character. That being Quick Kick. Now, I want to make this clear; I didn't take MacArthur and flip his gender. If you've noticed Matt Trakker's dialogue, he said that MacKenzie's father would be proud of her, so you can probably infer what that means just from that. We'll be learning more about MacKenzie's deal very soon, though, so don't worry.

So, with things all straightened out with the Joes, Kyoka still set to learn from Snake Eyes and the Autobots meeting them, where does that leave the rest of our heroes? Well, they're gonna be put through the wringer as well, that's for sure. Especially Kirishima, Mina and Tetsutetsu. Seems like Crust has some BIG plans for toughening them up… with a medic on standby, I'm sure. And it seems Denki's stuck with Setsuna for a week under Gang Orca. Needless to say, I'm sure those two will definitely get some strict training from him.

And hey, would ya look at that! Itsuka's gone to Gunhead with Ochako instead of getting stuck with Uwabami! Of course, that seemed like a no-brainer to have happen since Itsuka learning Gunhead martial arts would be pretty beneficial for her. As for Momo, she may not be sharing her internship with Ibara, but at least she got to see her for a little bit. …Though it seems like Edgeshot's quick to prove how hard HIS form of teaching's gonna be. Here's hoping Momo's prepared…

Finally, we've got two that REALLY stand out, the first being Kaida at Ryukyu's agency. …You know, out of all the Big Three that I thought I'd have to write for first, I never would've guessed that it'd be Nejire. I hope I got her mannerisms down right, because extrovert energy is kinda hard for me to channel through writing. But aside from that, it seems Kaida's introduction to Ryukyu went a lot smoother than she thought it'd be! The Dragoon Hero even remembers her from way back when, so that's a plus!

And finally… Iida. Yep, he's still on the hunt for the Hero Killer… though this time, it seems he's got some unexpected backup. Strongarm ain't stupid, Tenya, she knows exactly what you're up to. But will she be able to track the Hero Killer down in Hosu? We'll just have to wait and see. …Oh yeah, and of course Bakugo is stuck at Jeanist's for a week. Only this time, his training is SURE to be stricter. How fun! But, with all that said…

And now, the Preview! Optimus introduces himself to the Joes before Kyoka's training gets underway, going on to explain why the Autobots and Decepticons' are on Earth. Meanwhile, Izuku gets put through the wringer back at Gran Torino's by a very tough rabbit woman who refuses to let up on him about how his fighting technique sucks. Will he adapt and overcome? Next Time; Internships: Start! Wait, WHERE does Endeavor plan on taking a work trip to?! Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll see you all later. Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!