A/N: How's it going, everybody? Hope you're all doing well, because today's chapter's gonna be a short one compared to the past couple of weeks. But that said, it's mostly gonna be a casual affair this time, so I kinda expected that.

On an unrelated note, I kinda wanted to share some recent thoughts on something that I'm actually REALLY excited about! It's that time of year again, where we transition from one Kamen Rider season to another. Last Sunday, we bid farewell to Kamen Rider Geats and come Sunday, we'll be welcoming Kamen Rider Gotchard into our lives. And I've gotta say, for the first series that I've actually kept up with WEEKLY, Geats was a pretty amazing experience. If you're looking to get into Kamen Rider, that's definitely a season I recommend. Gotchard's got quite the shoes to fill, but honesty, I think I'm in the mood for a more chill experience after Geats and I think Gotchard's gonna deliver on that. Overall, looking forward to the next year… though my wallet certainly isn't.

But enough about my personal ramblings! On with the chapter! This is…

Chapter 51: Internships: Start!

…..

To say Hector Delgato was rudely awakened from his nap was an understatement. Between the roaring engines and sound of conflict coming from the island forest, how could he NOT have been woken up? The loud ruckus coming from the other side of the island was so intense that it prompted him to shoot up to his feet, grab his trusty flintlock, and start booking it toward where the action was happening. As he proceeded through the woods, though, a feeling of dread couldn't help but bubble up in his gut. 'To have this happen so soon after dropping off the little lady…' he grimaced to himself. 'Is this a bad sign?' But he quickly shook the notion off. 'Relax, Shipwreck, you're getting yourself worked up over nothing! I'm sure Snake has her nice and save in the castle and… and…'

His thoughts were cut off when he arrived at the forest path… and he saw something on the ground that caught his eye. There, abandoned in the dirt… was the walkie-talkie he had given Kyoka before she left his vessel. His eyes wide in horror, he knelt down and picked it up, his fear taking hold once again. "No… n-no, no, NO!"

And then… silence. The engines stopped, the sounds of battle ceased. Nothing. Whipping his head up, Shipwreck grit his teeth and pressed onward, now more than ever determined to get to his destination. After a brief trek, he had finally made it… and was relieved to see that everyone was in one piece. Kyoka, Snake Eyes, Jinx, Budo, Tiger Claw, Kamakura, Quick Kick, Agent Fowler, Matt Trakker, and a bunch of vehicles, all safe and sound.

"…Wait." Shipwreck did a doubletake at the sight of Fowler, Trakker and said vehicles, knowing that they were NOT supposed to be there. Sure, it was fairly normal for Sector Seven and G.I. Joe to interact and cooperate with one another, but they'd never drop in unannounced. "What the hell is going on here—"

*Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt*

And then, everything stopped for Hector in that moment. Because before his very eyes, all three of those mysterious vehicles began shifting and changing shape. Before long, they had transformed into a trio of very tall, and very BIG robots, leaving his jaw slack and eyes bugged out. The tallest one, a red and blue bot with a truck for a torso, stepped forward and approached his teammates, who were just as awestruck as he was.

…Unfortunately, Shipwreck came to the VERY wrong conclusion; "…Cobra."

…..

"Greetings, G.I. Joe. My name is Optimus Prime. And I believe now is a good time for us to have an important discussion of our own."

The robot's words left the Joes in front of him at a loss. Never before had they seen anything like this. Not from V.E.N.O.M., not from Cobra. These vehicles had just changed into giant robots before their very eyes and they were speaking to them. Even Snake Eyes himself was in disbelief, his hand going to his head while trying to comprehend everything. "…Uh." Jinx managed to utter before craning her head toward Agent Fowler with wide eyes. "Explanations? PLEASE?!"

Bill gave a short chuckle and straightened his tie, ready to make some formal introductions. "G.I. Joe, allow me to introduce—"

"YOOOO JOOOOOEEE!" All of a sudden, the sound of a loud battle cry took everyone by surprise, their head snapping around just in time to see a certain sailor come plowing through the brush and aim his flintlock at the Autobots. "Back off, Cobra SCUM!"

Kyoka's eyebrows snapped up at the familiar face. "C-Captain Delgato?!"

"Sh-Shipwreck!" Tiger Claw raised a paw to his comrade.

"Hold your fire, soldier!" Bill ordered.

However, the command came one second too late as Shipwreck was about to pull the trigger on his pistol. …That is, he WOULD have if Snake Eyes hadn't reacted faster. With a swift throw, he knocked the weapon out of Shipwreck's grasp and sent it clattering to the ground, making the man gasp and reel his hand back. "GAH! S-Snake Eyes! What the—oof!"

Kamakura went up and firmly slammed his forearm into Shipwreck's shoulders, pinning him against the nearest tree. "Hector, calm down!"

"C-Calm down?!" Shipwreck repeated in shock. "Calm down?! Are you loco, amigo?! Those giant bots have gotta be—"

Kyoka stormed up and pointed to the Autobots in quick succession. "Optimus Prime, Jazz and Springer. They're my friends." She then gave a narrow-eyed look to Hector, who flinched under her gaze. "Like I thought YOU were, Captain Delgato. Oh, wait, sorry, Shipwreck. But now here YOU are waving a gun at my friends like a madman!"

"I-I'm sorry, mija, lo siento!" Shipwreck lowered his head apologetically. "I-I wouldn't have ever guessed you'd have friends like… like these." He set his sights up to the robots, marveling at their stature. "But… where did they come from? A-And what are they?"

"Well, we know for a fact that they're not Cobra." Kamakura pressed. "They're… um…" The redheaded man craned his head up to Optimus with a brow raised. "What exactly ARE you, anyway?"

The Prime placed a hand over his chest and explained. "We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms, from the planet Cybertron. Also known as Autobots."

Kamakura nodded and turned back to Shipwreck. "Yeah, see? They're—wait, WHAT?!" Sean spun around, letting go of his companion. "You're aliens?!"

"Yep, sure are." Jazz said with a peace sign. "But don't worry, we're the friendly ones." The lieutenant pointed to the Autobot symbol on his chest. "If one of us has THIS symbol, they're a bot you can trust. It's the OTHER guys with the pointer, purple symbols that you gotta worry about."

"…Others?" Budo spoke up, his hand gripping his sword. "What do you mean by that?"

"Decepticons is what he means." Springer answered. "A.K.A. not the nicest bots you'll meet."

Optimus continued from there. "We Autobots have been at war with the Decepticons for eons. To the point where our home planet has been drained nearly dry of energon, the lifeblood of our race." Prime craned his head up toward the sky. "We attempted to send a reconnaissance vessel known as the Ark to find a world that DID have energon, and perhaps attempt to restore life to our world. However, we lost contact with the Ark when it arrived in this corner of the galaxy."

Tiger Claw scratched his chin, intrigued by the tale. "I see. So that means that you have come here believing that your missing ship is on Earth, correct?"

"Indeed." Optimus confirmed, lowering his head back down. "In fact, it is not just belief. We have a strong confirmation that the Ark IS somewhere on Earth. The only issue we have is locating it. We've been searching for it ever since we arrived…" He paused, sighing deeply as he arrived at the more unfortunate news. "And, to my dismay, the Decepticons were able to locate us on your planet."

That made Kenzie furrow her brow a bit, crossing her arms over her chest. "So what you're saying is that you brought your war to our planet."

The Prime gave a solemn nod. "Yes. And I am truly sorry for doing so. I had thought we would be ablet to find the Ark fast enough… but that was not the case." His optics shifted down toward Kyoka and Bill, extending his hand toward them. "However, we have thankfully been making good progress with the aid of our allies in Sector Seven and U.A. High School, such as Special Agent Fowler and Kyoka. What's more, they have also been aiding us in combatting the Decepticons."

Jinx did a doubletake a that. "W-Wait, hold on…" Her sights landed on Kyoka, eyes wide with astonishment. "Kyoka, you mean to tell me you've taken on giant robots and won? Without a hero license?!"

There was a long silence as all eyes were on the purplette, who wore a sheepish grin and shrunk back. "Uh, hehe… surprise?"

"Orale, chica, you're one gutsy kid!" Shipwreck exclaimed as he gave her a thumbs up. "I knew from the moment I saw you that you were Joe material!"

"W-What?! Hold on, I do not plan to join G.I. Joe." Kyoka emphasized before pointing an accusing finger to the sailor. "Also, YOU were in on this the whole time?! Why didn't you give me a heads up on this whole thing?!"

Shipwreck could only give her a shrug, raising his hands defensively. "H-Hey, to be fair, I was only following the rules. First rule about G.I. Joe; you don't talk about G.I. Joe."

"…Okay, fair, but ya could've at least not have been so vague on whether you knew the people at the ninja school or not."

"That, I will not argue."

Jinx let out a sigh, rubbing her temple as she tried to take this all in. "More to the point, I think it's important that we discus what's really important here…" Her attention went back to Prime, her countenance quite serious. "That being what would happen if your kind were discovered on this planet."

Optimus nodded in agreement. "Indeed. We are robots in disguise for a reason, Jinx. I am well aware of the public outcry that would occur if our existence were to be discovered."

However, the kunoichi shook her head. "No, not just the public's reaction. I'm more worried what Cobra would do if they discovered your existence. Their forces are fierce and their leader is said to be incredibly ruthless, even though no one has seen his face."

"Hah, Cobra Commander?" Trakker balked, throwing his head back with a laugh. "You've gotta be kidding me. That cowardly serpent's always quick to yell "RETREAT!" at the first sign of trouble! You can't seriously think he'd be that much of a threat to the Autobots."

Budo knit his brows together at the blonde man, frowning deeply at him. "For one, Trakker, you're considerably underestimating the threat that the Commander presents. He has gotten much bolder over the years, though Cobra's strikes have become more infrequent." With a heavy breath through his nose, Budo lowered his head. "But even then, the Commander is not who we are referring to."

"There is rumored to be a higher power within Cobra, one who has gone unseen." Jinx continued, with Snake Eyes nodding in affirmation. "It is said that this person has been pulling the strings behind Cobra for as long as it has existed… even during the early days of their conflict with G.I. Joe over one hundred years ago."

That made Matt recoil in surprise. "Woah, back during the Joe Colton days? That's kinda insane… who could live that long, though?"

"That's the thing, we don't have enough info to go on." Fowler piped up, folding his hands behind his back. "Even our best spies haven't been able to confirm these rumors. It's as if Cobra's bein' run by a shadow…" He craned his head up to Optimus, who had been listening intently the whole time. "To that point, Prime, it's essential that you tighten up you and your bots' disguise game. No telling where Cobra could be watching."

"I understand, Agent Fowler." Optimus confirmed, his optics shifting back down to the Joes. "I will inform those under my command of our meeting here, and tell them the risk that Cobra presents to our mission." He lowered his head in contemplation. "It is just as well… as if Cobra were to ally with the Megatron and the Decepticons… it could prove to be quite dangerous."

"Megatron?" Kamakura repeated with a slight smirk. "Heh, that's what the leader of the Decepticons calls himself?"

Shipwreck snickered and leaned over to Snake Eyes, muttering; "Sounds like someone who's overcompensating for somethin', if you catch my drift—oof!" The commando elbowed him in the gut for his remark.

"I can assure you that Megatron is a threat to be taken quite seriously." Prime asserted, a clear weight behind his voice.

Springer was also with the Prime on that one. "Yeah, ol' Bucket Head's got a very lengthy rap sheet. The amount of Autobots he's killed… that's a list that could wrap around this planet, it'd be so long." Kamakura and Shipwreck's attitudes clearly changed when they heard that, with Springer's fist tightening at his side. "That monster has killed some really close friends of mine, and he's ordered his Cons to kill several more."

"Believe me, Joes…" Jazz shook his head. "You do NOT want Megatron on your planet. It's kind of a miracle he hasn't even come here yet." He cocked his head and scoffed; "Tch, probably too comfortable sittin' in his ivory tower on Cybertron to bother… but lemme tell ya, if Starscream messes up here one too many times… he might just consider comin'."

Snake Eyes lowered his head, considering all of the information that he was told. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Jinx and then made a phone symbol with his hand, holding it up to his ear. "Call…" Jinx uttered in understanding, which Snake Eyes followed up by putting his hands up to the sides of his head, pointing them straight up.

This confused Kyoka greatly… and almost made her laugh. In her opinion, it made Snake Eyes look kinda goofy, almost as if he had dog ears. She held back her giggles, though, and instead asked; "Hmhmph! W-What's that supposed to mean?"

Kenzie didn't seem to impressed with the punk girl's attitude, rolling her eyes. "That is the sign for Duke. He wants us to call Duke and tell him about all of this."

"Duke… that being who, exactly?"

"Lieutenant Duke is the field commander for the main American branch of G.I. Joe." Jinx answered. "He's a highly respected leader over there, without question. Snake Eyes is saying that we should warn Duke about the dangers that the Decepticons pose to our planet."

Shipwreck pointed at his companions. "Now THAT is a great idea. Duke's got a lot of resources over there that'd be able to help out in a pinch if we should ever run into those freaks."

Optimus wholeheartedly agreed. "An optimal plan. I personally would like to meet this "Duke" if he holds the level of authority of which you speak." Once again, his sights traveled down to Fowler. "Would you be able to arrange such a meeting, Agent Fowler?"

"I certainly can." Fowler nodded, though he tapped his finger to his chin. "As a matter of fact, it'd probably be good to arrange for General Hawk to join us as well. He's the main man behind G.I. Joe nowadays."

Springer couldn't help but chortle at that. "Heh, man, the Joes must have a TON of people runnin' things. Anyone else we should know about?"

At the question, Fowler's lips curled into a wince. "Well… there is Flint, but it's probably best not to bring him here." He glanced briefly over to the Joes, who seemed to understand what he meant immediately. "Let's just say that there's someone in Sector Seven who's… not exactly on good terms with him right now."

The Autobots weren't certain what to make of the implication, but Prime accepted it nonetheless. "Hm, very well. Then we will meet with General Hawk and Duke, then. I greatly anticipate the opportunity." Going back to the Joes, the Autobot leader gave them all one final nod. "Until then, I believe it would be prudent to take our leave. After all…" He shifted his sights down to Kyoka. "You have MUCH to learn from them in this week, Kyoka."

Springer nudged his head toward the Joes. "We're countin' on you to take care of her this week, don't forget that!"

"An' Kyoka, try not to give 'em TOO much trouble, ya dig?" Jazz grinned.

"Haha, yeah, yeah, I won't." Kyoka waved off. "Now go on, the mission's over. I can handle things from here."

"Very well." Optimus reached up to his temple, activating his commlink. "Red Alert, the situation has been resolved. Activate the GroundBridge so we may return to base, please." Not a moment later and the vortex reappeared behind the Autobots, prompting Springer and Jazz to walk through while waving back to their human friend. Before Prime went through himself, though, he knelt down and extended a hand toward Kyoka. "I shall inform the others that there is nothing to worry about. You have my word."

Kyoka's smile widened and she placed her hand on his. "Thanks, Prime. I'll see you in a week."

"Maybe a bit sooner if I can get that meeting with the big dogs at G.I. Joe over before long." Fowler piped up, offering Snake Eyes a handshake. "But until then, it was good to see you again, Snake, even if it was under some strange circumstances."

Snake Eyes nodded silently and returned the handshake, all while Jinx and the others bowed. "It was a privilege to see you as well, Agent Fowler. And Optimus Prime, do not worry, we will take good care of Kyoka."

"Thank you, Jinx." Optimus rose back up, stepping into the GroundBridge with one final; "Farewell."

"Well, see ya soon, friends!" Trakker saluted as he jumped through the vortex after him, with Fowler tailing the two of them. Once they were all gone, the GroundBridge closed, leaving Kyoka with the Joes in the middle of the forest.

Taking a deep breath, the punk rocker steadied herself as she turned to face the Joes, ready to restart this internship properly. "So… where do we get started?"

Jinx was about to respond… when a loud growling could be heard, taking everybody off guard. All heads immediately turned to Tiger Claw, the feline humanoid recoiling at their stares. "…H-Hey, that wasn't me!" he raised his paw-hands defensively. "Really, it wasn't."

"Really?" Kamakura placed his hands on his hips in disbelief. "Then who was—"

*Grrrrglglglgl*

Once again, the growling came, though this time it had a more distinct rumble to it. Kyoka's Earphone Jacks perked up and she turned her head… toward Kenzie, who was sheepishly trying to make herself not stand out. But the second she saw Kyoka's eyes on her, the karate girl let out a gasp and backed up, getting the attention of her teachers. "I-It's not what you think! I-I'm—" *GRRRRGLGLG* "Mmmmph!"

"…Hungry." Kyoka deadpanned, though she kept a smile on the whole time. "You are extremely hungry."

"D-Doh, I-I-I just—I haven't had anything to eat since early this morning, okay?!"

With an amused chuckle and a shake of her head, Jinx sent her pupil a sympathetic smile. "Mackenzie, you really should've said something. No need to get defensive about it." She walked between the two girls and put her arms across their shoulders, leading them back toward the castle. "Come on, we'll get some food into you ladies and then we'll begin our training proper."

Budo couldn't help but lick his lips with anticipation. "Oh, dearest, if it's your cooking, I'm sure we'll all be in for a treat."

Snake Eyes, Kamakura and Tiger Claw brought up the rear as they journeyed back, but Shipwreck practically shot up to the front to join the ladies. His eyes landed on Kyoka, the man quite visibly distressed. "Kyoka, listen, a-about not being honest with you off the bat, I-I've gotta apologize to you. I should've given you more of a warning about this place and I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, it's alright. Water under the bridge, as far as I'm concerned." Kyoka waved off. "Better to move past it at this point… but on a different topic…" She smirked and raised a questioning brow to the sailor. "Shipwreck? That's what you call yourself?"

The Latino man wore a nervous smile and glanced away from her, rubbing his neck fiercely. "Uh, heh… well, not exactly by choice."

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Kyoka pointed. "I had a feeling that wasn't the ONLY time you almost had a boat accident!"

Her statement took the rest of the Joes by surprise… with some of them shooting dagger-like glares at Shipwreck. "Hector… what did you do?" Jinx asked.

Before Shipwreck could even respond, Kyoka did it for him. "Oh, you know, only nearly ran the entire FERRY aground when we got here." She jerked a thumb toward him as he tried pulling his sailor's hat down over his eyes in shame. "He was too busy talking to me to notice. I had to practically scream my head off to get him in gear."

"For the love of—REALLY, Shipwreck?!" Kamakura facepalmed.

"That boat is a RENTAL." Budo snapped. "You were told to be absolutely careful with it!"

Backing away, Shipwreck once again brought his hands up, pleading his case. "H-Hey, hey! In my defense, the freight didn't make landfall, capsize or blow up, so hey," he gave two thumbs up, "th-there's something, right guys? Hehe…" While the others didn't seem too impressed, they shrugged it off and simply continued on their way, leaving Shipwreck to give a sigh of relief.

…Which is when Kenzie came up and elbowed him in the side. "You're lucky that you're here on vacation, Hector." The girl couldn't help but snicker a little. "If you were on duty back in America, Duke would have your hide."

"…That I cannot argue."

"So you're just here on vacation?" Kyoka tilted her head.

"Yeah, bringing you hear was a favor to Snake Eyes." Shipwreck nudged his head over to the ninja commando, who gave a thumbs up in response. "A ferry was pretty much the only way you could even get to this island, and they needed someone who they could trust to run it." He placed a hand on his chest with pride. "And yours truly just so happened to be in the area. That said, I can't stick around for long. Mi amor is expecting me back on the mainland in Tokyo."

Jinx nodded to him, her smile reappearing. "Yes, please, make sure to give Courtney our best."

However, Kyoka's interest was effectively piqued hearing that. "Ooh, a romantic getaway in Tokyo? Very nice."

"Hah, yeah… Japan is where we both met when we were first deployed. It's a special place for us." Taking a deep breath, Shipwreck pat down on his shirt, collecting himself before taking off. "Well, on that note, I really should be going. Snake, a pleasure as always." Extending a hand toward Snake Eyes, the ninja commando reciprocated the gesture, putting his other hand over Shipwreck's in solidarity. "Heh, gracias. And uh, Kyoka, make sure you stay on your toes." He winked down toward the punk rocker. "You never know when Snake here will spring a test on you, comprende?"

Giving a slight chuckle, Kyoka shrugged back at him. "Yeah, yeah, I kinda figured that. Thanks for keeping me in the know, though."

Pointing finger guns at her, Shipwreck replied; "And knowing is half the—gyah!"

He didn't get to finish before Kyoka jabbed him in the shoulder with one of her jacks. "Nope! You already said that. We're not turning it into a running gag."

"…Duly noted." Shipwreck squeaked out as he started back toward the shore, holding up a peace sign. "I'll see you in a week… provided your robo-buddies don't pick you up first."

As they watched him stumble back to the ferry, Jinx couldn't help but give a disappointed look to their new student, placing her hands on her hips while Snake Eyes crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, I don't believe that was completely necessary."

"Well, okay, maybe it wasn't, but I've already been fed the same Saturday Morning Cartoon advice from him earlier." Kyoka retorted, clearly unamused. "I'd rather keep my sanity and not get fed that same advice over and over again."

"FINALLY, something we can agree on." Kenzie groaned, not even hiding the fact that she rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you have NO idea how annoying that catchphrase is."

Tiger Claw cleared his throat, interjecting on the conversation. "Ahem, that aside, I think now is a good time to give our new arrival a proper tour of our sanctuary while lunch is being prepared." He gave a respectful bow to Kyoka, placing his massive paw over his heard. "I would be more than happy to be your guide, Miss Jiro."

"Oh, um… thanks." Kyoka accepted, allowing the tiger man to lead her up toward the castle with the others behind them. As they all reached the door, though, a question immediately entered Kyoka's mind when she saw the red line symbol once again. "Say, uh… what's with the six lines on that door?" She nudged her head over to her new mentor. "I saw the same logo on Snake Eyes' shoulder. Is that some sorta sign for G.I. Joe?"

"Ah, no." Tiger Claw shook his head. "This is—"

"A symbol that has a very weighted history behind it." Jinx cut him off, giving the tiger man a stern look. "One that we do NOT have to go into right now." Leaning in, she whispered as low as she could to him; "She will learn about it when she is ready. Am I clear?"

Understanding immediately, Tiger Claw swiftly moved away from the subject. "Uh—um, yes, of course." He pushed the doors open, ushering for Kyoka to follow him. "Jinx will tell you that information when you are ready to learn it, Kyoka. For now, let us tour the rest of the facility, shall we?"

The punk rocker couldn't help but shoot Jinx a perplexed eye, wondering exactly what she was hiding. The amount of seriousness behind the woman's voice, especially when she was whispering, hadn't gone unnoticed by Kyoka. Still, she knew better than to question her new teachers, especially since it seemed rather important. Besides, she had just spent the first hour of her internship earning their trust, so the least she could do was respect their privacy. But, as they walked further in, Kyoka finally noticed something about the large room where Snake Eyes had chased her in the dark. "Hey… this is a dojo."

"Exactly." Kamakura confirmed, placing his hands to his hips. "We wanna make sure that the first thing you understand about us when you walk through that door is how training-oriented we are." The redhead spread his arms out. "Hence, dojo."

"Though we have several more in the upper levels of the castle." Budo continued. "Each one specially crafted to train in a certain type of martial art. You will be primarily using this one, though, as this one is basic training." The samurai raised his hand toward the ceiling. "However, if you wish to try your luck and observe our training, then please feel free."

Kyoka couldn't help but shift her eyes down to the katana on his hip, wearing a shaky smile as he gripped it. "Uh, thanks, but I might be just a tad out of your league. I-I'll stick with basic training for now."

"Understandable." Jinx affirmed, with Snake Eyes craning his head over to Kenzie. "However, you will not be alone throughout your internship, as Mackenzie will be assisting you down here with us. Isn't that right, Kenzie?"

The news, however, took the karate girl off guard. "W-Wait, what?! I-I never agreed to—"

"Ah-ah, I have audio and visual evidence!" Jinx wagged her finger and pulled out her cellphone from her back pocket, playing it for all to hear. On the screen, everyone could see Mackenzie… who was herself on her own phone and only half paying attention when Jinx asked;

"Mackenzie, would you be willing to help us train the new intern this week?"

Without even glancing up from her phone, Kenzie replied;

"…Yeah, sure, whatever."

The video ended there, leaving Kenzie slack-jawed and Jinx with a victorious grin. "See? You yourself promised."

"B-But I… I-I was…" A slew of emotions were spiraling through the young woman's mind. Disbelief that she said yes to something without even knowing, frustration at herself for not paying attention… but most of all, anger at her teacher for having her locked into it. Mackenzie's expression twisted rageful glare and she spun around, belting out a groan as she sped walked over to the other side of the room. "GAAAUUUGH!"

"Mackenzie!" Jinx snapped, pointing a stern finger down at the floor. "Get back hear this inst—"

*SLAM*

Too late. With a powerful thrust, Mackenzie banged the door shut, emphatically making her opinion on the matter known. There was a long, awkward silence as everyone simply stared at the spot where she left… that is, until Kyoka could hear quiet sobbing coming from Jinx herself. The kunoichi brought her hands up to her eyes and wept silently, with Budo rushing up to grasp her gently by the shoulders. "Shh, it's okay, darling. Everything will be okay."

"Snf—no, no it won't!" Jinx choked out. "This is the fifth time she's gotten upset with me and I can already tell it won't be the last time."

Kamakura huffed, placing his hands on his hips. "Jinx, she's a teenager. Of course she's not gonna respect our authority." Just then, the green ninja suddenly felt like he was being watched, which made him slowly crane his head around until he saw Kyoka… glaring straight at him. "O-Oh, uh… no offense, Miss Jiro, b-but—"

"Oh no, you've made your view on this QUITE clear, dude." Kyoka retorted, turning her head up at him as she too made for the door, intent on following Kenzie. "Jinx, where would she have gone?"

"H-Her bedroom and training dojo is on the third floor." Jinx replied, composing herself for a moment to try and follow the Earphone Jack user. "Wait, please, I'll show you where—"

But Kyoka spun around, holding a hand up. "Hold on. You're probably the last person she wants to see right now." Jinx stopped in place, leading the purplette to give her a sympathetic look. "Listen, I know you want to make things right, but if something like this has happened five times, then maybe she need somebody else to talk to right now. Lemme ask… has Mackenzie had anyone else to talk to around here besides you guys?"

Jinx pursed her lips at that. "…No. Mackenzie has been with us for a year now… and she hasn't had anyone else to speak to." She gestured toward Snake Eyes and the others. "We are the only ones."

Kyoka smiled softly to her new teacher. "Then maybe having someone her OWN age to talk to would be good for her."

"I… I can see your point there." Jinx nodded, allowing her to go. "Good luck, Kyoka." Once Kyoka left, however, the woman let her shoulders slump and her head fall in shame, feeling her husband embrace her from behind once again. "Kyle… is it me that's the problem? Am I being too strict with her?"

The samurai sighed, lowering his chin down to rest on his wife's shoulder. "That, my love, is something I'm not entirely sure about. Perhaps it's best if we wait for Kyoka to talk to Mackenzie before we start assuming." Taking her by the hand, he led her toward the back of the castle, headed toward the kitchen. "Come, let's get you something to drink. It's been a very long day for all of us."

…..

~Tokyo, Japan. Endeavor Agency~

Shoto Todoroki had finally made it to his internship… or rather, the other way around. His father had been out for the ENTIRE morning, performing his usual hero duties, leaving him to sit and wait for about six hours. 'Typical.' the Half-Cold-Half-Hot user thought to himself with a roll of his eyes. 'You'd think he'd be so ecstatic about having me here that he'd push everything to the side to be here.' But no. Of course, a "hero's" work is never done for Endeavor, not if he wanted any hope of beating All Might for that Number One spot that he cared about oh so much.

Thankfully, Shoto had plenty to do to pass the time… namely with his phone. He had gotten the occasional text from Kaida over the course of the morning, and just by what she was saying, he could tell that she was ecstatic about her internship. Sending things like;

"OMG! Ryukyu remembers us! She's so cool!"

"We're out on patrol! It's like a dream come true!"

"…I just got asked if my hair changes into feathers when I transform. Our upperclassman is kinda odd."

No matter what she sent him, though, Shoto couldn't help but smile. 'She's living out her greatest desire. That's all I can ask for.'

Of course, he'd been bugged a few times while looking at these texts… namely by Burnin', but that was the norm for her. "Ooh, whatcha lookin' at, Shoto?"

Shoto rolled his eyes at the green-flame-haired woman's question. He had known her for a few years now and she was a fan of poking fun at him. "…Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You talkin' to a girl?"

"Can neither confirm nor deny that."

"You're totally talkin' to a girl." Burnin' teased, turning away from the boy while peering over her shoulder. The Burning Hair user winked down at him. "Don't worry, I won't tell your old man."

"Gee, thanks." Shoto muttered, slipping his phone back in his pocket.

Finally, however, Endeavor returned… and it was exactly the type of welcome that the young man was expecting from his father. "I've been waiting for you, Shoto." Enji said, spreading his arms out as he stood behind his massive desk, the two standing in his office. "You're finally ready to walk down the path of the mighty."

Shoto narrowed his eyes slightly. "I have no intention of following any path you've created. Only I can decide my future."

"Heh, is that so?" Endeavor chuckled, not bothered by the backtalk in the least. He moved from behind his desk, walking toward the door. "You should go get ready. We're going out."

This managed to pique Shoto's curiosity. "Where to?"

He couldn't see it, but Endeavor's smile widened. He knew his son would be interested. "It's time I show you what it means to be a hero. If the Hero Killer is following his pattern, trying to kill at least four heroes in one place, we know where he'll show up next. And we'll be there to stop him." Opening the sliding door, Endeavor raised his voice to address his sidekicks; "We're taking a work trip to Hosu!"

"YES SIR!" they all responded.

Shoto, though, couldn't help but contemplate on that. 'Hosu… that's where Iida is.' His brow furrowed in suspicion, the dots connecting in his head. 'Dear god… please don't tell me he took an internship there JUST for that.'

…..

Back north in Hokkaido, Kyoka had quickly picked up on where to go just based on all the noise that Kenzie was making alone. Whatever she was training with, it was getting BATTERED by something, and her screams only made that more apparent. When she reached the third floor's training room and opened the sliding door, she gasped at what she was met with. Mackenzie was kicking the ever-living hell out of a wooden dummy… with one leg… which was currently a complete blur. The strikes were so hard and so fast that Kyoka could only see the SPLINTERS flying off the wooden dummy. And the most astonishing part about it was that the karate girl was doing all of this not just while balancing on one foot… but also in bare feet.

"AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT-AT—CHA!" With one final kick, Kenzie sent the dummy hurdling across the room, crashing it straight into a wall and breathing out a steady breath… only to fall to her knees, clenching at her hair in frustration. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN it all!"

"That… was so COOL!" Kyoka's unexpected outburst made Kenzie gasp and spin around, landing on her rear as a result. "Girl, you freaking PUMMELED that thing into oblivion!"

Now fully flustered, Kenzie struggled to get her words out. "H-How long were you standing there? A-A-And how did you even FIND me?!"

Wincing at the question, Kyoka pointed over to the now wrecked training dummy. "Well, you were kinda hard to miss, ya know? Considering how hard you were beating on that thing and all the screaming…" The karate girl seemed like she was going to respond at first, but she stopped herself short, reserving to just stay quiet and turn away from Kyoka. "…U-Um, so, hey… I-I just wanted to know… am I an inconvenience to you?"

Mackenzie perked her head up, whipping back around to Kyoka. "What?"

"I just… i-if I'm the whole reason for what happened down there—"

"O-Oh, god, no!" Standing up, Mackenzie shook her head vehemently. "Jiro, this has absolutely nothing to do with you. You're far from an inconvenience, really." She shifted her eyes to the side and shrugged. "I mean, sure, our first meeting could've gone a bit better, but I don't hold anything against you for that." A small huff escaped her lips as she went over to a nearby bench and sat down again. "It's just… Jinx."

Kyoka jaunted over and sat down next to her. "Lemme guess, strict teacher?"

"WAY more than that." Kenzie rested her chin in her hands, propping her arms on her knees. "It's like she thinks she can run my life when I'm freaking eighteen! I'm practically an adult and she's acting like she's my mom!"

Sucking on her bottom lip, Kyoka took a chance. "Well, to be fair, you DID kinda agree while not paying attention to what she was asking, so I don't think she's the only one at fault here."

Mackenzie was about to argue… but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much Kyoka was right. "…Ugh, yeah, okay, I was being pretty dumb and selfish there." Scratching her head awkwardly, Kenzie brought her gaze back down silently.

This prompted Kyoka to try and take things further. "I get the feeling that there's a lot more to this situation than JUST Jinx, though." Bringing her legs up, Kyoka wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them close to her chest. "You wanna maybe talk about it? It could help."

"…You're not gonna judge me, are you?"

"Nope. Just wanna lend a helpful ear if I can. And trust me…" With a playful smirk, Kyoka raised her jacks. "I'm a good listener, if ya catch my drift."

That managed to get Kenzie to crack a smile. "Hahaha! Okay, okay, I'll grant you that one." Leaning back in her seat, she took a deep breath and began to explain. "Well, to start off… I wasn't exactly all that excited to come here. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to hone my skills and join G.I. Joe for a long time, especially since my dad was part of it. …But I wanted to do my training back in the States so I wouldn't have to leave my friends." She rolled her eyes and kicked the floor. "Instead, my mom and Duke recommended I come HERE to train with Snake Eyes. So I had to leave my school, friends, family, everything…"

"I see…" Kyoka nodded in understanding. "I can get that. I'd probably be upset too if my parents suddenly decided to uproot everything so we could move across the world."

"Yeah, but I don't even have my family here." Mackenzie reminded. "Which sucks even more, honestly. I mean, I've known these Joes long enough for them to feel like family, but… it's not the same."

Kyoka tilted her head at that. "Well, what about your dad? You said he's part of G.I. Joe, too, right?"

"…No, I said he was." That made Kyoka's eyes widen considerably, with Kenzie's lips tightening with a solemn nod. "MacArthur Ito, the original Quick Kick… he died fighting for what he believed in. He stopped Cobra from unleashing a catastrophic weather control device onto the world… at the cost of his own life."

There was a long, quiet pause, with Kyoka's hand covering her mouth in stunned silence. "I… I-I don't even know what to say. I'm… sorry, Mackenzie."

A sad smile graced Mackenzie's face while she shook her head. "It's okay. This happened a while ago… close to three years now." Inhaling deeply, she collected herself and continued on. "I've come to grips with it since then. My dad was my hero… heh, even if he was a total goof." Her grin became happier as nostalgic memories went through her mind. "Hmhm, he used to quote REALLY old movies and junk. It was hysterical." She and Kyoka shared a laugh, but her demeanor became a bit more serious again soon after. "But the thing is… everyone keeps comparing me to him. You yourself heard it when Trakker said my dad would be proud of where I am now."

"Hm, I see… and you wanna do more of your own thing, right?"

"Exactly!" Mackenzie shot up out of her seat, balling her fists up. "I'm more than happy to take on the name Quick Kick, especially since I inherited my dad's Quirk that shares the name. But I wanna be my own hero, not adhere to some legacy he established."

Standing up with her, Kyoka leapt to her feet and offered Kenzie a fist bump. "Oh, girl, I can SO get behind that. Just because you share your father's codename doesn't mean ya gotta be exactly like him." She sent a wink to the older girl. "And ya know something? I think he'd totally support that idea, too."

"You… really think so?"

"Given how you described him to me, yeah, I'm fairly sure." At the same time, though, Kyoka sent a glance over to the doorway. "But still… I really think that you and Jinx should really have a talk. Maybe if you were more honest with her, she could see where you're coming from and you two wouldn't get into arguments so much." The punk rocker turned back to Kenzie, who wore a guilty expression. "She might be overbearing, but it's because she cares about you, Mackenzie. And if you tell her the truth, I think you two can work something out."

Mackenzie bit her lower lip, knowing that there was truth behind Kyoka's words. "Well… yeah, you've got a point." She rubbed her arm sheepishly. "I should probably try and work things out. …Would you be there to help me?"

"Sure!" Kyoka gave a thumbs up. "I'd be glad to."

With a relieved bow, Kenzie thanked her graciously. "Hah, thank you, Jiro. And thanks for the talk in general." She raised a fist to the purplette. "You're alright."

"It's cool." Kyoka returned the fist bump. "You're alright, too, Mackenzie. And hey, feel free to call me Kyoka if you want."

The karate girl wasn't expecting that… but then she grinned. "Well, if that's the case, then you can call me Kenzie. Like I said, all my friends call me that."

That news made Kyoka brighten up. "Hah, I'm honored!" She bowed back without hesitation. "Thanks, Kenzie. I won't forget this." With a nudge toward the training room door, the purplette asked her new friend; "So, shall we head down and get some of that food you were hoping for?"

*GRRRRRGLGLGLG*

Kenzie's face broke out into a heavy blush and a nervous laugh escaped her throat, trying desperately to hide behind her bandana. "Ah-haha! You read my stomach! Now let's go before I die of embarrassment." The two left the training room and headed back downstairs, both of them now understanding one another just a little bit more.

…..

~The Next Day~

Izuku Midoriya was in so… SO much pain, it wasn't funny. He was SO exhausted from the first day of combat training that he didn't waste ANY time getting to bed after supper. It was probably the only form of respite he would get considering how much both Gran Torino and Mirko had pushed him in the first day. Nothing but hand-to-hand fighting from the moment he got there until the sun went down. …Or, in their case, it was more hand-to-foot fighting since both Gran Torino and Mirko mainly used kicks as their main form of attack. The result was a battered and bruised Izuku whose arms were achy and whose body was left utterly spent.

…And he was about to receive the rudest awakening possible. From the edge of his bed—which as it turned out, was the couch—a long-eared silhouette slowly rose up from the back, peering down at him with mischievous red eyes and gleaming white teeth smirking in the darkness. In her hand… she held a bugle, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what happened next. She took a deep breath, put the instrument to her lips and…

*Insert Reveille*

"GAAAAAHH!" Izuku screamed and fell right to the floor, the horn blasting right in his ear and waking him up instantly. He clutched his hands over his ears as his head pounded, both from the fall and from the loud noise. "What the actual FU—"

"Hey, potty mouth!" Mirko admonished, cutting him and her bugle playing short. She was in a pair of sweat pants and a short-sleeved shirt, seemingly having just got out of bed herself. "I thought we told ya to quit swearing like a sailor."

Izuku shot up, still sprawled on the floor but much more irritated now. "Well sorry, but getting THIS sort of wake-up call can kinda make someone angry, you know?!"

But if anything, that only made Mirko's smirk widen. "Good! That means your blood's already pumpin'! Just in time for us to start our early morning training!"

Grumbling to himself, Izuku rubbed the remainder of sleep from his eyes and looked at the clock… which made his jaw drop. "4:30 A.M.?! …Wait, how did Gran Torino not wake up from all that?!"

"Ah, don't worry, Gramps is a heavy sleeper." Mirko brushed off. "And to be honest, you're lucky that I let ya sleep that extra half hour." Mirko tossed the bugle over her shoulder, discarding it and placing her hands on her hips. "Why'd ya think we had ya go to sleep at eight last night?"

"Ugh, why the early start, though?" Izuku faceplanted on the couch, burying himself in the cushions… only for Mirko to pick his head up and stare into his eyes eagerly.

"Haven't ya heard the old expression, kid? Evil NEVER sleeps! Which means heroes gotta be ready at anytime to fight it!" She picked him up by the back of his shirt, standing him up on his wobbly feet. "Now get yourself in that hero costume of yours. We're goin' out on patrol!"

Izuku looked down at the woman with chagrin… which was something that still astonished him. Of course, he had initially been excited to meet the Rabbit Hero, as he had been keeping an eye on her meteoric rise over the past couple of years. However… he quickly realized that she looked a LOT taller on TV than she actually was. Not including the ears, she was actually a couple centimeters shorter than him… which actually put her at about Kyoka's height.

But as he got to know her, her height didn't exactly do anything to endear her to him. Not when her "teaching" technique involved belittling and even almost bullying him into doing better. 'It's like having a female Kacchan as a drill sergeant.' he grimaced to himself. '…And now I have that image in my head. Why does my sleep-deprived brain do this to me?'

Staring back at him, Mirko sighed and shook her head, though her grin persisted. "Still half-asleep, eh? I think I know somethin' that'll wake you up."

"What, are you going to play that dumb bugle agai—AAAAH!"

Without any warning whatsoever… Mirko whipped off her t-shirt, followed swiftly by her sweat pants. Initially Izuku panicked and covered his eyes, retreating to once again hide in the couch. But then, he heard the woman give a mighty guffaw and he felt her hand clasp his shoulder. "HAHAHA! You actually fell for it! Good god, kid, your reaction was priceless!" Pulling Izuku up, Mirko revealed to him that she had been wearing her hero costume under her other clothes. She was in a white and purple one-piece with a yellow crescent moon on her chest, complete with a fuzzy collar. She had slipped on a pair of white gloves with fuzzy cuffs as well, and her legs were adorned with thigh-high purple leggings which had rabbit foot-styled boots.

…But that didn't really do anything to stop Izuku from gawking. Izuku didn't see himself as overly perverted like SOME certain fans of female heroes… but his teenaged hormones couldn't be silenced. And it didn't help that Mirko's rippling muscles were now on full display either. "I-I-I…I-I-I—"

"Yeah, I know, I get that a lot." the Rabbit Hero winked. "Now c'mon. Get washed up and put yours on, kid…" She walked past him, making sure to tease him by wiggling her bunny tail that stuck out the back of her costume. "Or do you not wanna chase this white rabbit around the city a little?"

Now completely red in the face, Izuku was left on his own devices as Mirko waltzed out of the building. He would've gone completely numb if he hadn't slapped himself in the face, breaking his shocked state. "Focus, Izuku, FOCUS. She's your teacher and she's just trying to get a rise out of you." In his mind, however; '…And it's working.' Izuku shook his head vehemently. 'No! Stop it! Just think of Kyoka and… you know what, no, because then your mind will go OTHER places.' In the end, Izuku simply resolved to get himself ready… and he made sure to take a cold shower in the process.

…..

Once he had chanced and cleaned himself up, Izuku joined Mirko outside, where he was met with a derisive comment. "Hah, 'bout time. I was wondering if you'd ever get out here." Ignoring the irritated grumble from her student, Mirko pointed straight up to the roof of Gran Torino's building. "Alright, patrol starts NOW! Follow me, kid!" With one mighty leap, Mirko jumped up and landed on top of the building, taking Izuku by surprise.

"W-Wait, we're going up there?!"

"Yep!" Mirko peeked over the edge. "Ever heard of a rooftop run, kid?! Well, we're doin' one, so get your butt up here and let's get started!"

"Well… alright." Activating Full Cowling, Izuku propelled himself straight up to the overhang above the front door before taking that momentum and jumping the rest of the way up. But then, from out of nowhere… *WHAM* "AUUGH!" The wind was blown out of Izuku's lungs and he was sent hurdling back toward the ground, courtesy of an emphatic kick to the gut. When he landed, all he could see were stars for about a minute before he regained his breath… which is when he saw Mirko's foot sticking out from over the ledge. "H-H-HEY! What was that for?"

Wearing a smirk, Mirko sent him a challenging glare. "Sorry, kid, not fast enough! Try again, and this time get serious!"

A growl escaped Izuku's throat. 'You've gotta be kidding me. Well, I'll just go higher then!' Reaching for his respirator, Izuku pushed it up over his face, allowing his new helmet to enclose around his head. 'She wants serious… she's got it!' Mustering all the power he could at his current level, Izuku this time performed a MASSIVE leap, one that carried him high above the roof itself. He was about to course correct and land…

…When Mirko jumped up and performed a spinning axe kick on his head. "LUNA ARC!"

"AAAAAGGH—" *CRASH* "Uuuuugh." This time, Izuku's landed so hard that he left an imprint of himself in the sidewalk. It made him grateful that he had put on his helmet that time.

"Hah! Okay, now I'm seeing the effort!" Mirko landed on the roof again, poking the side of her head. "But ya gotta think ahead more, kid! If ya wanna get up to me, you're gonna have to fight your way here!"

Beneath his helmet, Izuku clenched his teeth. He was NOT having a good time. Staggering to his feet, he balled his fists, ready to counter her attack. "You want me to fight to get up there?! FINE!" Once more, Izuku launched himself up, reeling his fist back as Mirko entered his sights. …And just for affect, he changed his visor's color from green to red. "SMAAAAAASHH!"

"Perfect! GRAAAH!" With a powerful kick, Mirko met Izuku head on, their attacks colliding and whipping up a powerful wind between them. But ultimately, Izuku was blown backwards, though he was stopped by the edge of the rooftop itself from falling back down again. Even so, he gripped his arm, feeling a bit numb after the collision. Approaching him directly, Mirko placed her hands on her hips, disappointment written across her features. "Kid, can I be straight up with you?"

"Gah… wouldn't be the first time."

"Your fighting style kinda sucks."

Under his helmet, Izuku's eyes widened, stunned that he heard her say that without the least bit of hesitancy. "…W-What?"

"You heard me." Mirko placed her hands on her hips. "The way you fight? It stinks! You're going about this all wrong." She pointed down to the boy, who stared back in utter shock. "You remember what Gramps told you yesterday, right? That thing about All Might?"

Removing his helmet, Izuku thought back to the day before. Indeed, Gran Torino, after an intense training session that saw the greenette get beat MULTIPLE times, had told him word for word; "Your admiration for All Might and sense of loyalty to him are shackles on you." And later, while Mirko was out, the old man added; "You believe One for All is more special than it really is". Both statements weighed heavily on his mind, and he wasn't sure what to make of either one of them.

"…Yeah, I remember."

Mirko sighed, recognizing how frustrated he seemed to be. "Listen here, kid, I think I get where Gramps is coming from. Don't get me wrong, you've done some spectacular things with your Quirk, and I'm not surprised that All Might's the one helping you hone it." She poked his chest with her finger. "But there's a big difference between you and him that's pretty evident. While you're no slouch when it comes to staying in shape, you're ultimately not as jacked as All Might. So when it comes to your "Smashes", they're not as effective. And that's why when you try to go all out, you end up breaking your arms."

"…So what do you think I should do?" Izuku asked, a bit of anger present in his voice. "I don't see how hitting me over and over and belittling me for it is gonna get anywhere." He rested his forehead against his knees, muttering under his breath; "Might as well be junior high all over again."

That made Mirko's eyes widen. "…What?"

"Y-You heard that?!" Izuku shot his head up in a panic.

"I've got these big ears, kid. I can hear almost anything." Mirko sat cross-legged across from him, staring into his eyes seriously. "Now what do you mean by "junior high all over again"?"

Biting his lip, Izuku could see that there was no going back from here. He was still a bit hesitant, but eventually, he spilt the beans to her. "Before I turned fifteen, I was considered Quirkless for my whole life. My Quirk was so powerful that it couldn't manifest until my body was strong enough to handle it. Before then… I used to get bullied by all my classmates pretty bad… and sometimes things got physical, too." His gaze shifted down in shame. "So… w-with you saying my fighting style sucks and that you were doing this as a favor to Gran Torino… I-I may have got the idea you saw me as an inconvenience."

'…Oh god, I went too far.' Tightening her lips, Mirko thrust her arms forward and gripped Izuku's shoulders, making him look directly at her again. "Kid, I want to make one thing perfectly clear; I was doing what I did to try and motivate you, not because I hate you or anything like that."

Izuku's eyebrows rose up in shock. "M-Motivation? You were trying to motivate me?"

"Yeah. I mean, listen, I've learned from experience that kids are spoiled with positive reinforcement these days." The Rabbit Hero stood up, helping hoist Izuku to his feet. "I didn't wanna give ya praise unless you earned it, you know? I may be doing this as a favor to Gramps, but I DO genuinely wanna help you get better. I just don't want ya to get a big ego from it, ya know?"

'…Like how Kacchan did.' Izuku realized, feeling the weight start to lift off of him along with it. Composing his thoughts, Izuku stood up straight and kept eye contact with the athletic rabbit woman. "If you wanted to motivate me, then all you had to say was that."

"H-Huh?" Mirko tilted her head. "Whaddya mean?"

Izuku raised his fists, his lips tugging up into a small smile as his adrenaline started to kick in. "Getting the chance to learn under a hero who's rising to the top at a meteoric pace?! Hah, that's honestly ALL I need to be motivated!" He bowed his head to her respectfully. "Please, Mirko, teach me everything you know!"

Her red eyes blinking in disbelief, Mirko could feel her own smile coming on, though this one was much kinder and more relaxed. Reaching a hand down, she ruffled Izuku's hair, much to his surprise. "Hah, I thought I told ya to call me Coach Usagiyama."

"C-Coach Usagiyama! Please teach me!"

Flashing her teeth, Mirko yanked Izuku back up and slapped him on the chest eagerly. "Haha! Now that's what I like to hear!" Her tone grew softer as she also bowed her head. "And hey, sorry again for taking it too far there."

"N-No problem, really." Izuku reciprocated before widening his stance, keeping his fists balled at his sides. "Water under the bridge. Now please, I want to know how I can improve my fighting style."

"And I'd be happy to teach you…" Just then, Mirko lowered herself into a crouched position, almost as if she were about to break into a full sprint. Izuku could practically see her leg muscles tightening in preparation. "…Right after our rooftop run. Think you can keep up, Kamen Rider Boy?"

The challenge managed to spark something inside Izuku, and without a second to spare, he pushed his helmet back up. The visor's eyes went back to green as he activated Full Cowling, causing the helmet's antennae to light up the same color. "Hah… I thought you'd never ask."

"Awesome!" Rumi beamed as Izuku took the same ready position as her. "On your mark… get set… DASH!" And with that, both of them zoomed off across the rooftops, keeping pace with one another across the city skyline. And all the while, Rumi could feel her excitement bursting with every leap, watching Izuku run alongside her. 'Oh yeah, this kid's got spunk.'

…..

As he descended the stairs down into the living area, Gran Torino gave a loud yawn, feeling his old bones pop and snap as he walked. Of course, he wasn't as spry as he used to be, but he could still go with his Jet Quirk without issue. 'Which reminds me, gotta plan out today's training with the boy. Now doubt Usagiyama's already—' He was pulled out of his thoughts suddenly when he heard the front door click shut, bringing his eyes open to see the very two people who were on his mind. "Hah, well, well, I was right. You two did get an early start."

Mirko flexed her right arm, putting her left hand on it with a grin. "Sure did, Gramps! And lemme tell ya, Izuku can go." She reached up and put a hand on the One for All user's helmeted head, which swayed from side to side in her grasp. "He might've had a few stumbles across the roofs, but he was able to get right back up and keep goin'."

"Hehe, yeah…" Izuku rubbed his neck. "It was quite the experience."

"Hmph! Sure was!" Mirko agreed as she stretched her arms up, loosening up her muscles before walking toward the stairs. "Well, I'm gonna hit the showers for a bit. Get yourself ready there, kid, because next is revamping your combat training."

"R-Right, gotcha." Izuku nodded dutifully. Once she was gone, though, Izuku sighed and removed his helmet, revealing his scuffed-up face and tired eyes. "Oh god, I feel like my everything is on FIRE."

That made Torino give out a laugh, walking up to Izuku with a hand outstretched. "Haha, ah, it's your first time, kid, so that's to be expected. That's just how things work when you've got One for All." He rubbed his thumb past his nose as he reminisced about the good old days. "Though of course, I suppose All Might can't wrap his mind around that. He was pretty much able to use One for All right off the bat." He hobbled past Izuku toward the kitchen, intent on making breakfast. "'Course, he had the body going for him, so there's that."

Instantly, the idea of All Might's early days made Izuku snap awake, intent on learning more. "Woah, All Might as a student, huh? Come on, what was he like back then?"

"Hm? Huh… well, it was all combat training for him." The old man couldn't help but wear a mischievous smirk. "That said, given your stature in compared to his, I gave him a lot more hell. Hehehe…"

Izuku felt the blood drain from his face at that. 'Woah, no wonder All Might was so scared of him!'

"The training was difficult, but I couldn't hold back on him." Torino continued, now taking on a more serious demeanor. "He was entrusted to me by a sworn friend who had just passed away."

Izuku had a gut feeling he knew who he was talking about. "All Might's predecessor, you mean? Wow, do you think you could tell me more about the guy?" Gran Torino seemed taken aback by the question, but he didn't get to answer before the front doorbell rang.

*ding-dong* "Package for you!" came a voice from the other side.

"O-Oh, here, let me take care of that." Izuku said, headed straight for the door.

Gran Torino's lips tightened, thinking over what Izuku just asked of him. '…So you haven't told him about the seventh holder yet, eh, Toshinori?' That, however, would have to wait for another time. Because even from his vantage point, Torino could see that the box that was being delivered was BIG, and he knew exactly what it was. And, once it was brought inside and unpackaged, the old man was extremely excited to see…

"…A microwave?" Izuku uttered.

"Yep! Since Usagiyama destroyed my last one yesterday, I ordered a new one!" Gran Torino gleefully pat the top of the appliance, beaming hungrily while Izuku just stared awkwardly. "So, whaddya say? How 'bout we eat some of that frozen food I bought yesterday? It'll be good!"

Just then, Mirko's voice piped up from the staircase, the duo seeing the woman come down in a black tank top and sweats with a towel around her neck. "I'll second that, Gramps! Bring on the grub!"

"B-But the only thing you bought was dessert!" Izuku pointed out.

Without a care, Gran Torino simply marched into the kitchen, ready for a sweet breakfast. "What can I say? I like the finer things in life! Now c'mon, hook that sucker up an' let's put those puppies in! It'll be easy, trust me."

It wasn't easy. That morning, Izuku would receive proper instructions on how to use a turntable microwave. …The hard way. "GAAAHH! THESE PASTRIES ARE STILL ICE COLD!" Torino wacked Izuku on the head with his cane. "Jeez, kid, ya put the whole plate in there, didn't ya?! It didn't have enough room to turn!"

"I-I'm sorry! I-I had no idea it was the turning type!"

Watching the two guys devolve into a match of shouting and apologizing, Mirko sighed as she buried her head into a magazine. 'This is gonna be one interesting week.'

…..

A/N: Indeed, it will, Rumi, indeed it will. But hey, at least things ended up working out overall in this chapter. Izuku got to experience what it was like to have Rumi as a teacher, Kyoka's managed to get past some of Kenzie's defensive walls, and of course, the Autobots have officially met G.I. Joe, with both sides comparing notes on their respective conflicts with their enemies. Cobra's an active threat, even though their attacks are more intermediate nowadays, and they've got eyes in all sorts of places. Might make it more difficult for the bots to operate if they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time…

With that said, though, we also got a more proper introduction for some characters this time! Including one Hector Delgato, a.k.a. Shipwreck! A member of G.I. Joe's North American branch who's currently on vacation with his respective other. Makes sense that Snake Eyes would ask this favor of him to bring Kyoka to the island… though he'd better be careful bringing that rental ferry back to the mainland if he knows what's good for him.

Speaking of, we also got mentions of certain other Joe characters, which includes Shipwreck's lady love. Her name is Courtney, so that should give you a clue as to who THAT is. But we also got a more direct mention for the likes of Duke, Hawk and Flint! …The latter of which seems to not be too popular with a certain person in Sector Seven. Hm, wonder who THAT could be…

But indeed, Mackenzie IS the daughter of the original Quick Kick, who tragically died while on a mission. And it seems that Kenzie seems to not really be much of a people person either, and being compared to her father hasn't really helped much either. Thankfully, Kyoka managed to get her to open up a little, but we'll see where their relationship goes from here.

And we're two for two when it comes to getting women with rough exteriors to open up because Izuku and Mirko have had quite the bonding experience in this chapter. As expected, Rumi has some… interesting tactics when it comes to teaching, which Izuku didn't really reciprocate to well. However, the two were at least able to find some common ground after Izuku aired out some grievances, finding out that Mirko's just trying to motivate him to do better. A bit unconventional, but at least they worked things out.

Meanwhile, it seems that Shoto's off to a rousing start with his internship at his father's agency… complete with a cameo from Burnin'! Man, I'm just pulling out ALL of the later-appearing characters, aren't I? But yes, Endeavor plans on heading to Hosu to try and crack down on the Hero Killer's path. Which brings us to…

And now, the Preview! Internships continue as Kyoka starts getting used to the daily grind, but back down south, things are about to take a pretty grave turn. Stain prepares to make his next move… as does the League of Villains. With things convening in Hosu, including Izuku and his own mentors, how will things shape out? Next Time; Assault on Hosu. Autobots… Transform and Roll to the Rescue! Thanks for reading everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember…

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!