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…

59. Rocky Mountain Fights

A/N: Hey there guys! Welcome back to Transformers MHA Month, and right off the bat, I wanna apologize for the weird upload time on this one. I initially was going to delay this chapter by a day since it was taking a bit longer to get done… but then I got the news that a THIRD snowstorm was gonna come blowing through my area tonight, so I said "screw it" and put the bums rush on to get this chapter out to you guys. And thankfully, I didn't even have to sacrifice anything in order to get it out today! It pretty much went the way I intended it to, so I'm glad that's the case.

Before we start, though, glad to see you guys caught on to who I chose for the Joe's Voice Actors. Remember how a certain wrestling Sergeant was part of the G.I. Joe team back in the 80's? Well, I thought I'd keep that spirit alive by casting some current day WWE Superstars as the Joes here! So, with that said, here's a couple more for ya;

Tiger Claw – Voiced by Tomasso Ciampa

Kamakura – Voiced by Johnny Gargano

There'll be more to come, so make sure you keep an eye out! For now, though, let's get on with the story. This is…

Chapter 59: Rocky Mountain Fights

…..

When Optimus Prime had said "all hands on deck", Kyoka had figured that only meant those who were readily available. The ones who were prepared for combat and ready to take on the Decepticons at a moment's notice. …She didn't think that it literally meant almost EVERYBODY. The moment she and the other Joes followed Jazz through the GroundBridge—once the military men and women had recovered from their brief travel sickness, that is—she had been informed that they had yet MORE coming in soon.

There WERE a few exceptions, however. Unfortunately, Ochako and Itsuka wouldn't be able to come, as they couldn't tell their mentor, Gunhead, about the Cybertronians, under Fowler's orders. "It's time to keep a tighter lid on things around here." The Sector Seven agent had resolved. "No more unnecessary people gettin' dragged into this mess, we've got enough heroes around here already."

"We understand, Agent Fowler." Ochako affirmed over the comms.

"Still, I wish we could do at least SOMETHING to help." Itsuka added as well.

"Ochako, Itsuka, your support is more than enough." Optimus assured. "I promise, we will succeed in this mission.

Fowler piped up again. "If it makes ya feel any better, you're not the only ones who gotta sit out. Ibara can't make it either, since Kamui Woods is taking over operations in Edgeshot's absence. And of course, Tenya's still in the hospital with all his injuries."

Ochako let out a sigh and accepted. "Well, I guess that's a little reassuring. All the same, best of luck, guys."

After overhearing that call, Kyoka and the Joes were told to wait outside with Jazz while this process happened, and before long, Izuku, Mirko, Momo and Edgeshot were all exiting the base as well, escorted out by Bee and Windblade. Once they all met up at the beach, Izuku sent his best friend a sheepish grin. "Heh… so, I guess this is a situation that calls for EVERYONE, huh?"

"Yeah, apparently." Kyoka shrugged, craning her head up toward Jazz. "I mean, I'm kinda surprised myself. I didn't expect Prime to bring all of us in on this."

Jazz's expression was surprisingly quite serious, shaking his head down to her. "We're in dire straits here, Kyo. Prime'll explain more once everyone's here."

"Well, I'm honestly just glad that I FINALLY get to kick some Decepticon asses!" Mirko announced, slamming her fist into her palm. "Gramps is gonna regret missing out on this, lemme tell ya!"

"You can't necessarily blame him for not wanting to come, though." Edgeshot pointed out. "With everything that happened in Hosu, I believe Gran Torino's had enough action for one week. I just hope you take responsibility for your intern, as he wanted."

Mirko rolled her eyes at that. "Oh come on, I didn't let anything bad happen to the kid when we fought the Hero Killer and beat his ass, so I'm not about to start now."

Edgeshot narrowed his eyes at her. "And I take it you've already forgotten that that is classified information?"

"Psh, not around HERE, obviously." Mirko brushed off.

Standing in solidarity with the Rabbit Hero, Kyoka and Momo nodded in agreement. "She's correct, that's kind of an open secret around here, master." the Creation user said with a bow of her head, though she had to admit, it was still astounding every time she heard it. Momo eyed her green-haired friend with a shaky smile. "Though I will say, I still can't believe that you, Mirko, Iida and Todoroki managed to accomplish that, Midoriya."

Next to her, Kyoka seemed more peeved at the news than anything. "Yeah… it's just too bad those guys in the police department won't let ya take full credit for it. Think about how your hero career would SKYROCKET early if you did!"

But Izuku shook his head, not wanting to delve back into that topic. "Ah, it's best that I don't, really. To be completely honest, I don't want to be famous JUST yet. I-I've still got a lot to work on when it comes to… well, NOT being a nervous wreck in front of the public."

"Uh, sorry for interjecting here, but weren't you the kid who WON the Sports Festival?" Duke reminded. "And you're worried about the public after being in front of a crowd like THAT?"

"Yes, yes I am. And besides, there's a big difference between a bunch of screaming fans in a stadium and the press hounding me wherever I go." Seeing the Joes just staring at him, Izuku quickly realized something; "Though, uh… I guess you guys haven't really experienced either, have you?"

Roadblock shook his head. "Nope, none whatsoever…" He scratched his chin thoughtfully, though as he recalled something else. "Although, I guess I DID play college football, so that DOES technically count for the screamin' fans part."

Before the conversation could continue, however, the sounds of heavy footsteps garnered the group's attention, looking up to see Bulkhead, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe approaching from the base. And walking with them were none other than Crust and Gang Orca, the former waving over to them. "Heya, kids! And ha, YO, Joes!"

"Hm, good to see you all." Gang Orca addressed with a formal bow of the head to Hawk. "Especially you, general. It's been a long time."

"Gang, always a pleasure." Hawk reciprocated with a handshake. "Thanks again for helping us stop Cobra from blowing up that oil rig in the middle of the ocean a couple years back. That could've been a disaster."

"Woah, Crust and Gang Orca. Prime really IS bringing out the big guns" Kyoka observed, only to realize what that probably meant. "…But then that means…"

Sure enough, the two top pros moved out of the way, allowing them to see Denki, Setsuna, Eijiro, Mina and Tetsutetsu, all in their hero costumes. However… something was different about them. The five of them were keeping their heads low, their fists clenched to their sides, and were all grimacing seriously down to the ground. Not even Mina was wearing her characteristic smile, and Setsuna seemed to have no energy at all. Those two, in fact, seemed to be the sternest out of the group, which put the others off almost immediately. "Uh… hi, guys." Izuku greeted.

There was no response, leading Kyoka and Momo to grow quite concerned. "Are… are they okay?" the Creation user asked.

"You didn't BREAK our friends, did you?" Kyoka glared accusingly to the two heroes.

"Hah, what? No!" Crust assured, giving Eijiro a supportive pat on the shoulder. "These guys here have been nothing short of AMAZING over the course of their internships! You should see how much dedication they've been putting into their lessons, it's amazing."

Orca hummed, folding his arms over his chest. "Yes, their training has been very valuable to them." He glanced down to Denki and Setsuna, who were both shaking like leaves. "Granted, the first couple of days were somewhat trying for them, but they've risen to the challenge, to say the least."

"…Then why do they look like they've just gone through hell and back?" Kyoka questioned further.

Unexpectedly, the five students all broke their silence at once; "BECAUSE WE HAVE!"

"GYAH!" Kyoka stumbled back, but Izuku stopped her from tripping up. All the same, they and Momo were left astonished by just how ragged their friends were, clearly tired and sore from their weeks' worth of training. Still, that didn't earn Kyoka's sympathies as she shot back; "Guys, what the hell?! Don't do that, you scared me!"

"Oh, oh, you think THAT'S scary?!" Mina exclaimed, marching her way up to get right in Kyoka's face. "Try having to deal with swinging maces, walls covered in spikes and freaking bladed pendulums in EVERY. SINGLE. TRAINING EXERCISE!"

Setsuna quickly joined the pink-haired girl, adding; "Yeah, and the training that me and Kaminari have gone through?! We've had to fight Gang Orca HIMSELF several times. Along WITH a lot of his sidekicks. AT THE SAME TIME! It's like facing an ACTUAL freaking whale and his pod on land!" By that point, much to everyone's surprise, Denki actually broke down and sunk into the fetal position, sobbing into his knees and prompting Setsuna to go over and comfort him. "O-Oh god, not again. Kaminari, ssh, ssh, it's okay. We're not training. We're NOT training."

"S-So DARK! It was SO DARK!" The blonde's screams were muffled, but no less off-putting.

Setsuna pursed her lips and explained to the others. "He had us train in a pitch-black room once. One covered in rubber so that his Quirk wouldn't work as well."

All eyes went immediately to Orca and Crust, the former standing firm while Crust winced sheepishly. "Er… okay, maybe some of our training was a little overboard…" the latter admitted.

"No." Eijiro speaking up took everybody by surprise. He and Tetsutetsu kept their heads down for a moment as he went on; "It…"

"Was…" Tetsu picked up before both boys shouted;

"AWESOME!"

For their part, Mina and Setsuna were left slackjawed, seeing the redhead and silver-haired boys wearing similar energetic grins, pumping their arms high in the air. "Seriously! After Crust's training, I feel like I've only just gotten more and more durable by the day!" Eijiro asserted. "It's like Sideswipe's training, but on OVERDRIVE!"

Tetsu shared in his friend's enthusiasm. "I KNOW, right?! It's like my armor's gone from just metal to tempered steel! I feel like I can take anything on! Decepticons included!" He snapped around to beam down at Denki. "Kaminari, I know you've been put through the ringer, but be honest; do ya feel more powerful or not?"

After a couple sniffles, the electric blonde managed to pick his head up, his eyes puffy from the crying. "I-I mean… yeah, I do, but was it REALLY worth getting the crap kicked out of you?"

"Bro, you're GOING to get the crap kicked outta ya by even WORSE villains if ya don't toughen up." Eijiro reasoned, tightening his fist and thrusting it out to his best friend. "I dunno about you, but I'd rather be the one doing the ass-kicking. What 'bout you? You just gonna sit there and whine, or are you gonna take Gang Orca's lessons seriously and man up?!"

"I-I…" Denki trailed off, unsure how to answer at first. On the one hand, his mind was telling him to retreat back into his ball of safety. But on the other, his gut and his heart were telling him something VERY different. 'Dammit… I'll never be a REAL hero if I whine about stuff all the time.' His eyes drifted briefly up to Sunstreaker, remembering what had happened at the Decepticon's ship just a few weeks back. 'I've gotta stop complaining and try and channel the energy I felt after seeing Sunstreaker get hurt. I don't know if it was bravery or stupidity, but in that moment, I DID feel like a hero.' Denki tightened his lips and stood up, raising his fists in solidarity with the boys. "Y-Yeah, you're right! I'm not gonna whine, I'm gonna fight!"

Tetsu gave him a thumbs up. "Hahaha! That's the spirit, man!"

Meanwhile, Mina and Setsuna were left flabbergasted for a moment, though they were also left impressed with Denki's rapid turnaround. "…Sheesh." the green-haired girl rubbed her neck. "Now I feel kinda bad about complaining about all that." This earned her a surprised look from Mina, leading her to explain; "I mean, if Kaminari's willing to suck it up, then who're we to be total grouches about it? That and…" she glanced guiltily toward Orca and Crust. "…it's kinda disrespectful to our mentors, ya know?"

Mina's expression fell into a frown, feeling guilty after Setsuna made her point. "…Yeah, you're right." She immediately bowed apologetically to Crust. "I'm sorry, sir."

"And we're sorry, too." both Setsuna and Denki said in unison as they bowed to Gang Orca.

Surprisingly, Gang Orca nodded to them in approval. "Hm, apology accepted. You've finally figured it out."

All three of the students snapped their heads back up in confusion. "HUH?!"

"Kids, I feel like I shouldn't have to state the obvious, but the training was meant to toughen you up." Crust continued. "Your combat ability is one thing, but as a hero, your resolve has to be STEELED in order to truly commit—not just to your future career—but to confronting dangerous situations while helping people you swear to protect." He raised a finger and smiled down to the three. "Kirishima and Tetsutetsu realized that immediately, and deep down, I think you three knew, too. It just took some time for you to figure it out as well."

The trio blinked as the lesson settled in, with Mina glancing down at her hands. "So… this was all to test our resolve? To toughen us up more?"

Gang Orca let out a soft chuckle. "Hmhm, why do you think we put out offers to some of the most reckless students in U.A.? We saw how you all performed at the Sports Festival, after all, and we both resolved to want to help you be better." This managed to get a smile out of the teens, who began congratulating one another afterward.

Off to the side, however, Kyoka narrowed her eyes at the Orcinus user. "Hold on a sec. If that's the case, then why'd I get an offer from you, sir?"

"You… admittedly, were an exception." Gang Orca admitted. "I noted your skills with sound and thought that I would be able to teach you how I utilize my own sonic-based abilities." He craned his head over to Snake Eyes. "Though I had no idea that you of all people had put out an offer to her as well, Snake Eyes. Either way, Miss Jiro, you wouldn't have been losing out on anything."

"Hm, well, I can't deny that." Kyoka nudged her head over to her master. "Snake HAS been a pretty good teacher."

It was only then that Eijiro, Denki, Mina, Setsuna and Tetsutetsu finally noticed Snake Eyes… along with all of the military men and women who were gathered there. "WOAH! THAT'S Snake Eyes?!" Eijiro exclaimed.

"And who the HELL are all these people?!" Mina added before noticing someone else. "AND IS THAT MIRKO?!"

"Hiya!" was all the Rabbit Hero had to say to that.

Izuku couldn't help but sigh and run a hand down his face. "Here we go again. Introduction time…" The process took quite a few minutes, to say the least, but eventually, everyone was familiarized with one another. Once that was through, however, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker approached Kaminari and Kirishima from behind, each placing a hand on their respective partner's shoulders.

"Okay, so, everybody get acquainted well with one another?" the yellow Lambo brother asked.

Denki nodded up to him. "Yeah, pretty much."

"All good here." Eijiro affirmed with a thumbs up.

Sideswipe put on a wide, cheery smile. "Good! Then we can get THIS outta the way!" The very next second, both brothers knocked Denki and Eijiro together, taking everyone else by surprise as the boys fell to the ground in a daze. "THAT'S for tricking us into putting those gaudy clothes on our holoforms, you little sneaks!"

Sunstreaker pouted down to the stunned duo, their heads spinning in circles. "Yeah! What the pit, guys? I thought we were pals!"

Once the boys shook the dizziness from their heads, they quickly realized what the brothers were upset about. And surprisingly… Denki and Eijiro were also a bit disappointed, though not for the same reasons. "Aw, seriously?! We MISSED it?!"

"Gah, darn." Eijiro sat up, rubbing his head in frustration. "And here I thought we'd be around for that…" He glanced over to the rest of the group, who were stifling back their own laughter at the scene. "Okay, har-har, but did any of you guys get to see it at least? Was it funny?"

"Oh, hilarious." Kyoka assured, pointing back to base just as Strongarm, Springer, Airazor and Flare Up came strolling down to the beach. "Ask Strongarm, she got a pic of it."

The redhead and blonde lit up at the news, whirling around to the cadet. "Really?! Sweet!" Eijiro waved Strongarm over. "Yo, Strongarm! I heard ya got the goods on our little prank!"

Hearing him, the police bot smirked wryly and brought her hand up, ready to project the image for all to see. "Oh, you bet I do, Eijiro. I have to say, you boys really outdid yourse—AGH! HEY!" She was suddenly tackled straight to the ground by Sideswipe, the red Lambo brother pinning her onto her stomach and keeping a knee on her back. "AGH! Sideswipe, you little—"

"I am NOT about to be embarrassed in front of G.I. Joe's most prestigious members, Strongarm!" Sideswipe hollered, reaching for her hand. "Now delete that photo!"

"NEVER!"

"NOW!"

"Not a CHANCE!"

"Just DO IT!"

The two bots continued to bicker and squabble as they tumbled through the yard and the beach, kicking up clumps of dirt and throwing sand everywhere. All the while, the other Autobots and humans stood awkwardly off to the side, witnessing the chaos unfold. That didn't last, however, as Hawk came up to Kyoka's side and asked; "Are things… always like this between those two?"

Kyoka grimaced while replying. "Eeyup. Pretty much."

Hawk sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. "Hah, that's what I was afraid of. Hang back here, I'll break it up."

"A-Are you sure, general?" Izuku stammered. "If you're not careful—"

But the man raised a reassuring hand. "Don't worry, son, I've handled MUCH worse arguments than this. This'll be over in two seconds." Moving over to the rolling robots, Hawk stopped at a safe distance, took a deep breath, and then with surprising volume, roared out; "ENOUGH!" The deep, gravely bellow took the teens off guard, with the Joes all flinching slightly as Sideswipe and Strongarm finally stopped. "What the HELL is wrong with you two scrap bags?! Get offa each other and get to your DAMN feet, soldiers!" The two Autobots wasted no time following his orders, standing straight at attention.

"…Woah." Eijiro squeaked out.

"Yeah, you don't wanna be on the receiving end of that, kid." Duke encouraged.

Scarlett nodded in agreement. "Hawk used to be a drill sergeant in his early days. Ya don't wanna get 'im on your bad side, that's all I'll say."

Strongarm kept her optics forward as she saluted Hawk. "Sir! I apologize for my lack of decorum, sir!"

Sideswipe mimicked her. "What she said, sir!"

But Hawk narrowed his eyes up at the red bot. "A likely story! Drop and give me twenty!" Without hesitation, Sideswipe followed his order. "You too, cadet!" And just like that, Strongarm was back on the ground as well, both bots doing the acquired number of pushups. "Just be lucky we don't have time for more, otherwise I'd have you putting those servos to work!"

"Gah! Man!" Sideswipe bemoaned. "This—ugh—sucks!"

"Hmph! Must… respect… the general!" Strongarm advised between pushups.

As the bots did their exercises, though, a certain woman piped up from the side. "Hehe, seems like you haven't lost your touch, Uncle Hawk." The sound of her voice took the general aback slightly, along with the other Joes. Sure enough, coming down from the base with Arcee, was none other than Marissa, the brunette smiling down to the older man. "I remember when you used to try that with me whenever mom brought me to visit. And all I did was giggle…"

Hawk was utterly flabbergasted seeing Marissa, as were his troops. "Ma… Marissa." Slowly but surely, he smiled as he approached her, a short chortle passing by his lips. "Hah… it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Five years, if I remember correctly." Marissa confirmed before her eyes shifted over to Duke, Scarlett, Roadblock, Wild Bill and the others. "Heh… hey everybody. How're you—oof!"

"AAH! Mar-Mar, oh my god, it's been AGES!" Scarlett shouted, enveloping Marissa in a big hug.

For their part, Bill and Roadblock were left pleasantly surprised. "Huh, well, shine my boots… ya really ARE here after all!" Wild Bill went over and tipped his hat to the younger girl. "How've ya been, little lady? Er, well, I guess I can't exactly call ya "little" anymore, yeah?"

Marissa shook her head. "Hah, no, not really, Uncle Bill. But it's good to see you." She craned her head up, beaming to Roadblock with a big smile. "And Uncle Marv. It's so nice to see you, too."

Surprisingly, Roadblock seemed almost ready to choke up. "Hah… Little Mar." He wrapped his massive arms around her comparatively small form, which she did her best to reciprocate. "Good gosh, girl, how've you been? Jinx told us you were here last night and we were excited to see you! Where'd you go off to?"

"Yeah… sorry about bailing at the last minute." Marissa apologized. "I… needed to get back to something I was doing back at base."

"Hm… yeah, I'll bet." Duke said with slight suspicion, only to shake his head and brush that all off. "But ah, who cares? You're here now! And it's great to see you."

As she fell out of Roadblock's embrace, Marissa went over to Duke and gave him a brief hug as well. "Hah, the feeling's mutual, Duke. …At least now, anyways." Her confession took the Joes off guard, but she was quick to explain. "I won't lie… seeing you guys come here, it… it brought out a lot of memories. Both good and… not so good."

Hawk nodded in understanding. "Yes, I… I'm sure it did."

Noticing the sudden melancholy that had fallen over the moment, the students and Autobots were quick to inquire about it. "Uh… did we miss something?" Mina spoke up, raising a questioning brow to the Sector Seven medic. "Marissa, you know these G.I. Joe guys?"

"And you're close to them, at that?" Arcee furthered.

Kyoka narrowed her gaze a bit at Marissa. "Yeah… she DID mention something about "keeping Joes honest" yesterday. What was that all about?"

That earned Marissa a lot of scrutinizing looks, namely from Jinx and her team of Joes, while Hawk and the others fell into an awkward silence. The only one who didn't seem to be on either side was Snake Eyes, who approached Marissa and set a hand to her shoulder, giving her a supportive nod. "Hah… you're right, Snake. I can't keep running from this anymore." She took a deep breath and faced the teens head on. "Guys… the truth is that my roots are tied pretty firmly to G.I. Joe, as hard as that is to admit. For the first ten years of my life, though… I had no idea about that."

"What do you mean by that, Marissa?" Momo asked, suddenly feeling a bit worried about what they were going to find out.

"Young lady, when someone becomes a member of G.I. Joe, they're sworn to complete secrecy." Hawk explained, his gaze sympathetic toward Marissa as he did so. "They have to leave their old life behind in order to protect their loved ones, lest Cobra take advantage of them for their own gain." He gestured around to the rest of the Joes. "Almost everyone you see here has either disappeared under mysterious circumstances… or fakes their deaths entirely."

Marissa continued from there. "For me, it was the former category. The truth is, guys… both of my parents are in G.I. Joe." The revelation earned several shocked expressions, even a few gasps from the teens, while the Autobots simply stared at her in surprise. "Yeah, I know. That was my reaction."

Setsuna began putting two and two together by that point. "H-Hold on, so if you didn't know this for the first ten years of your life, then that means—"

"They left when I was a baby, yes." The brunette confirmed, keeping a stiff upper lip to keep herself together. "I was raised by my aunt and uncle, who they entrusted me to before they disappeared… though like I said, that only lasted until I was ten years old." Her fists tightened at her sides. "Somehow… Cobra managed to find out about us, and one day… they kidnapped me, taking my aunt and uncle hostage. You can imagine the rescue effort that was mounted after THAT happened."

"Almost every Joe at the time stormed Cobra's base of operations to get them back." Duke emphasized, jerking a thumb between himself, Scarlett and Snake Eyes. "Hell, us three were mostly newbies at the time, but even WE knew how important this was. The daughter of Flint and Lady Jaye was on the line… and they were at the VERY front of the pack."

"Hah, ya shoulda seen 'em." Scarlett said with a breathy chuckle. "I don't think I've seen anythin' more intense an' brutal than when Jaye ran through several Cobra grunts all at once. It was a massacre."

Roadblock shook his head. "Yeah, well, we had no sympathy for anyone associated with Cobra on that day, I can tell ya that much." He nodded over to Marissa. "Thankfully, when we found her, she and her family were okay… but the aunt and uncle let it slip when they saw Jaye and Flint alive and well."

Hawk shrugged at that. "Which, to be fair, we can't blame them. Missing family suddenly appearing in the most unexpected places DOES tend to get reactions like that." He took in a deep breath and let out an even deeper sigh. "Hah… still, what happened couldn't be taken back. The family now knew exactly what happened to Jaye and Flint… and let's just say that none of them were happy about it." His gaze traveled over to Marissa once more. "…Some more than others."

"Hmph, that's an understatement." Marissa clarified. "I was pissed at BOTH of them for an entire YEAR after that…" She trailed off, however, as a smile managed to curl to her lips. "But… damn, my mother was stubborn as hell to earn my trust back. She showed up to EVERY special occasion, Christmas, Easter, freaking HALLOWEEN—she was dressed as an astronaut, by the way—she did it ALL. …It was only on my eleventh birthday when I finally broke down and forgave her."

"Oh? What'd she do that finally earned your forgiveness?" Kyoka inquired.

Pulling back the collar of her shirt, Marissa revealed the necklace she was wearing and pulled up, revealing a locket hiding inside her clothes. "She gave me this…" Marissa opened the locket, showing the teens a picture of a woman holding a little baby in a hospital bed, wearing a bright smile. "This was taken on the day I was born." she explained. "My mom kept this with her everywhere she went to remember me by, and she wanted me to have it so that I knew that she would never leave my life again. After that, I… let out a lot of pent-up emotions, and she just let me. I said a LOT of crap about her until I started bawling my eyes out. We hugged, we both cried, and long story short, fences were mended with her that day."

Almost in unison, Mina, Setsuna, Momo and even Kyoka all went; "AAWWW!" The Acid user in particular couldn't help but clap her hands together happily. "That's SO freaking sweet! I'm glad that you were able to repair your relationship with your mom." There was a brief pause before Mina went on. "So… what about your dad?"

Almost immediately, Marissa's expression soured, and the teens quickly figured out that they had touched a nerve. "My dad's a workaholic stick in the mud who's spent the last decade and a half avoiding me whenever possible."

"ACH! Fer god's sake, Marissa!" Scarlett shouted, the other Joes all groaning and shaking their heads. "We've been over this! Yer da's not avoidin' ya, he's just tryin' to—"

"Nope! Don't wanna here it." Marissa shut down immediately. "I don't want any more of his lame excuses. The fact that he's worked almost non-stop for the last several years makes me thing that he's more married to his job than my mother half the time."

"Marissa, if you'd just hear him out—"

"WHEN?! When would I have the time to hear him out? He doesn't show up for holidays, he's ONLY sent me birthday cards, I barely EVER see him!"

Hawk interjected at that point. "Marissa, you have to understand. Your father does all of this so—"

But Marissa stopped him again. "Uncle Hawk, with all due respect… I want answers from him. IF he can even make the time, that is."

Before the conversation could get more heated, however, a certain Autobot chimed in from further up the hill. "Ahem." Everyone whirled around, seeing none other than Optimus standing before them all. Red Alert was by his side as well, with Longarm, Mei, the Street Action Mini-Cons and the Mini-Con Council all subsequently standing by him. "I apologize for interruption…" Optimus said hesitantly. "I can tell that this discussion is rather important, but we are finally ready to begin."

"O-Of course, Prime." Hawk waved. "Please, continue." However, he made a point to lean over to Marissa, murmuring under his breath; "This discussion isn't over. We'll finish this later." He received an irritated hum in response.

"Thank you, Hawk." Optimus nodded back to him before setting his attention out to his Autobots, the students, their Hero mentors and the rest of the Joes. "Firstly, I am sorry that things took a while to get underway. We were anticipating a certain arrival and the wait ended up being much longer than we had expected…"

That made Izuku tilt his head. "Hm? What do you mean, Prime?"

Beneath his faceplate, Prime wore a knowing smile and chuckled a little. "Hmhm, well, in light of some of our usual friends not being able to make it, I reached out to a new ally to see if they would be willing to help. And fortunately… he answered." Optimus stepped to the side, revealing who this ally was… and immediately, every student in the Hero Course was left gob smacked. Even Izuku and Kyoka, who had a good idea of who Optimus was talking about, were still stunned by his appearance.

But there he was; Shoto Todoroki, dressed in his Hero Costume and with his arm pretty much fully healed up. He stared resolutely toward the group, nodding curtly toward Izuku first. "Midoriya. Everyone. How's it been?"

"T-Todoroki." Izuku acknowledged. "You're looking well. That's great."

Eijiro, however, was MUCH more willing to speak the minds of his peers. "TODOROKI?! What the flying hell?!"

"W-W-Wha—How?! When—Where—for WHAT reason?!" Denki managed to jabber out.

On the other hand, Mirko seemed to be fairly calm about the whole thing. "Hey, Fire and Ice!" she saluted over to him. "How're your arm doin' after that spat with the Hero Killer?"

And just like that, the students exclaimed; "THE HERO KILLER?!"

Momo and Kyoka eyed one another, realizing only then that the group hadn't been filled in on all of that. "Ah… yeah." The purplette uttered. "…Remember when Izuku sent us all his location in the group chat? When he was in Hosu during the Nomu attack?" One by one, she could see the math being done in her friends' heads, all of them staring incredulously at their green-haired friend. "Yeah… you can probably guess what happened."

"Dude… did you fight the FREAKING HERO KILLER?!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed.

"B-But all the news reports are saying it was HER!" Setsuna pointed over to Mirko erratically, her hand shaking and threatening to pop off.

Mirko was the one to clarify that. "Yeah, I did! …Though the media's saying that I did it alone." She jerked her thumb over to the two boys. "But in reality, I couldn't have done it without these two and your friend, Engine Legs, by my side."

"H-Hold on, so Todoroki, Iida, AND Midoriya all helped you take down Stain." Mina reiterated, with Mirko giving a confirming thumbs up. The pink-haired girl stared off into the distance along with her friends, trying to let the information sink in. "I… my whole world's been turned upside down."

Shoto couldn't help but roll his eyes, nudging his head over to Bumblebee. "Yeah, well, we can't take ALL the credit. After all, it was your yellow friend over there who pummeled Stain into the pavement after all was said and done."

Everyone's heads snapped over to Bumblebee, who rubbed his neck and buzzed sheepishly. "Zrkt—What can I say? Zrkt—I'M AN ANIMAL!"

"You're somethin' alright, Bee." Eijiro smirked before addressing Shoto again. "But hey, this is awesome! Now we've got Class 1-A's top student in on the secret! The Cons don't stand a chance, now!"

"Yeah! But um… how're you even here?" Denki inquired. "How'd you convince your dad to do this?"

"Well, that's the thing… he doesn't know I'm here." Shoto answered bluntly. "He had to leave on an important mission that he couldn't take me on as an intern. "Too dangerous", apparently." He glanced off to the side. "So, what better way to spend the rest of my final day at my old man's agency than to just blatantly go out and fight in a situation that's potentially even MORE dangerous?"

Optimus knelt down next to him, placing a hand upon the boy's back. "Normally, Shoto, I wouldn't approve of that sort of thought process in decision making. However, given that your father has been… rather rude to us, to say the least, I cannot exactly say that I disapprove of it either." He could see hints of a smirk on the boy that disappeared almost as quickly, as if to say "thank you" silently. The Prime gave him a simple nod in return before rising to his feet once again. "Now, Autobots, heroes, students, Joes… we are ready to begin."

As if on cue, the members of G.I. Joe all lined up with one another. Seeing this, the heroes and their protégés all did the same, with the Autobots doing so as well behind them. All the while, Optimus began laying out his battle plan. "Now, to be perfectly clear; we are about to confront a sizeable battalion of Decepticons. Likely the largest that we have faced so far. Starscream is quite serious about collecting this Energon, so it makes sense that he's bringing every asset he has to make sure nothing gets in his way." He paused and craned his head back to the troops. "Of course, I will still attempt for a diplomatic solution first. If peace is still an option, I will strive to reach it. …But if it cannot be reached…"

"Then we go in prepared for conflict." Tiger Claw concluded.

Kamakura gave a shrug. "Pretty much just like any confrontation with Cobra, really. Except, you know, these guys are big robots that could turn into war machines."

"Not "could", but "definitely"." Bulkhead corrected. "Be ready for anything, boys."

Roadblock gave a laugh, tightening the grip on the machine gun that was strapped to his shoulder. "Oh, you'd best BELIEVE that we're be prepared, Bulkhead! We're gonna kick those Decepticon punks all the way to Timbuktu and BACK!"

Mina couldn't help but smile excitedly at his declaration. "Ooh, I'm likin' this guy already. He speaks my language!"

Meanwhile, Red Alert gestured down to Mei, Longarm, and the other Mini-Cons at his side. "We will be remaining here to observe the battle and dictate strategies through the Sky Spy. If necessary, I will send the Mini-Con teams into the battle for further aid." With that as the given word, Mei threw her invention up into the air and it instantly unfolded its satellite panels, taking off and floating high above the group. "Marissa will be your acting medic on the battlefield, but should any Autobot be hurt, I'll create a GroundBridge and get you out as fast as I can."

"Just make sure that no Cons get through, though, okay?" Mei said with a surprisingly amount of seriousness, pointing a finger straight at the team. "Otherwise, you'll have to answer to ME if any of my babies get broken!"

"Hah, we here you loud and clear, Mei." Izuku affirmed, his sights trailing back to Optimus. "But uh… will All Might be joining us on this mission?"

Optimus shook his head, much to his disappointment. "No, unfortunately. All Might has been responding to troubles all across Japan today. It wouldn't be right to take the Symbol of Peace away right now." Still, he stood firm and clenched a determined fist. "Even so, I have faith that we WILL succeed. Oh, but one more thing. Roller!"

Driving down the hill from the base, Roller came over to the group, towing what appeared to be a large, white container on wheels on his hitch. "Here they are, Prime! Just as you requested."

"Thank you, old friend." Optimus gently pulled open the top of the container, revealing—to everybody's astonishment—an array of human-sized laser rifles and pistols. "I requested these from Agent Fowler ahead of time. Those of you who do not have a Quirk sufficient enough to do damage to Decepticons, take one of these. It is important that you have something that can defend yourself."

Duke smiled and eagerly rubbed his hands together. "Oh-ho-ho, NOW we're talkin'!" He reached down and brought the weapon into his arms, pulling back on the cocking mechanism to make it light up with bright blue energy. "…Yeah, this'll do plenty of damage. At least until the Air Support team comes in."

Hawk, Wild Bill, Tiger Claw and even Jinx followed suit, the latter observing the small weapon in her hand. "Normally, I wouldn't use ranged weapons, but between this and my Quirk, I think I'll be fine."

"Hmhm, yes, this WILL be sufficient." Tiger Claw chuckled, holding two rifles in his paws as he offered one to Kamakura. "Want one, old friend?"

"Nah, I think my Quirk will be enough." Kamakura turned down, giving him a knowing smirk. "Heh, those Cons don't stand a chance when I bring out… the Lightning Swarm."

"Yeah, same here." Roadblock assured, taking his machine gun off his shoulder with a proud smile. "Don't care what the enemy's made of, ol' Ma Deuce here'll shred 'em to pieces. And if she don't… I'll do it personally."

Scarlett took a rifle as well, though only as a precaution. "Just in case. Kenzie, I suggest you take one, too. Don't wanna get caught in a sticky situation."

Quick Kick didn't seem too thrilled about it, but she took a pistol and holstered it at her hip. "Hm, yeah, 'kay. I'm gonna pulverize those Cons, though, even if it's just below their knees."

Once all of the Joes were armed and ready, Optimus gave one final nod to the group. "Alright, now… are we all clear on the plan?"

"YES SIR!" the crowd shouted all at once.

"Good. The time for preparations has ended then. Autobots, Heroes, Joes… Roll Out!"

…..

~Rocky Mountains, Colorado~

In one of the most remote regions of the Rocky Mountain range, the Autobots' GroundBridge opened up, allowing the team to roll through into their destination. Of course, everyone was riding with somebody, with the bots' vehicle modes at near max capacity. The only one who wasn't technically inside of one of them was Roadblock, and that was because he was riding on Bulkhead's truck bed… with Betsy mounted on the Wrecker's roof. Windblade, Airazor and Springer came walking through behind the others, the City Speaker already on high alert.

"Keep your optics and audio receptors sharp." she warned, the Autobots pulling to a stop. "The Decepticons could be here any—" *SHYOOM* "…minute." As if on cue, several Vehicon jets went screaming overhead, though oddly enough, they didn't even attempt to turn around after seeing them.

The move made Airazor confused. "Why do they not attack? We're out in the open."

Optimus opened his doors, prompting Hawk, Duke, Scarlett and Shoto to disembark before he transformed. "…If I had to guess, I would say that Starscream likely already knew we would arrive." he stated.

"Which means he's waitin' for ya, Prime." Jazz pointed out. "How d'ya wanna go about this?"

"As I said, Jazz, diplomacy comes first." Prime avowed, beginning his ascent up the rockface toward where the jets had come from. "And, if things do not go well… you know what we must do." Receiving a nod from all the humans as they themselves emerged from their rides, Optimus steadied himself and continued up over the ridge. "Wish me luck."

Once he was gone, however, Springer shook his head. "Listen, I appreciate Prime's dedication to peace and all… but we all know how this is gonna go, right?"

"Such is the nature a' things." Wild Bill said with a tip of the hat. "But ya gotta admit, Prime's one hell of a leader. He's got a good head on 'em shoulders."

Hawk smiled at that as well. "Hm, you're quite right, Bill. Now come on, troops. Let's prepare ourselves as best we can here."

Just past the ridge, Optimus stood tall and defiant in the presence of tens of dozens of Vehicon troopers, all of them either on the ground or in the air circling around their leader. High in the air with his arms crossed and rocket thrusters keeping him aloft, Starscream wore an insidious smirk toward Optimus, keeping his chin lifted in superiority. "Hmhmhm, well, well, if it isn't the bot of the hour!"

Prime was about to speak his peace, but swooping down from the sky, a certain flying shark went rushing past the Autobot leader, snapping his jaws in hopes of making his enemy flinch. However, all Optimus did was narrow his optics after Sky-Byte as he flew up next to Starscream, transforming into his robot mode. "…Ugh, seriously, Prime?" the Predacon bemoaned. "Not even a little frightened? Seems you never change, do you?"

"I am not here to play games, Sky-Byte." The Prime asserted with a calm swipe of his hand. "Simply to broker peace."

"Ha! Yes, of course, Optimus." Starscream rolled his optics, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because I'm sure that your dozens of troops aren't armed and prepared for battle." He thrust his hands out toward the Vehicons around them, all while Thundercracker and Skywarp flew in as well. On the ground as well, Barricade, Flatline and Blastwave were also present, the latter glowering straight at Optimus. "As you can see, MY Decepticons are ready to fight."

But Optimus shook his head, adamant in his stance. "While it is true that my Autobots are armed, Starscream, it is only out of precaution. It doesn't HAVE to be this way!" He raised his hands imploringly. "Let us put aside this pointless conflict. Enough energon has been spilled already, and we don't need to risk more being destroyed."

Sky-Byte was just as obstinate in his view on the matter as well, though. "Then step aside, Prime. You have tried SEVERAL times to get Decepticons to abandon their dedication to Lord Megatron's cause in the past, and—by my count—it has only worked ONCE." His smile widened and he spread his arms out jubilantly. "And guess how THAT ended up, eh? Do I need to remind you again of who destroyed your former right-hand bot? That TRAITOR to the cause?! Oh, right! It was ME! AHAHAHA!"

'…By Primus, he is WAY over-selling this.' Starscream thought to himself.

Despite himself, Optimus could feel his fists tighten. Many bots thought that he never got angry, always keeping a level head even in the worst situations. And while that was true most of the time… hearing his friend received such slander would NOT go unavenged. "Sky-Byte… Starscream… I am giving you one last chance. Let us split the energon fairly, and we can go our separate ways on this day without anyone getting hurt."

"Hmmm…." Sky-Byte tapped his chin in mock pondering, but quickly thrust out his claw hand with Dragonus already inside. "No." *POW* The torpedo Mini-Con shot out straight toward Optimus… but much to Sky-Byte's shock, the Autobot leader caught the projectile with one hand, reeling his fist back to punch it down to the ground.

Prime allowed Dragonus to transform and flee, slowly craning his head back up toward a very intimidated Sky-Byte. "…Never let it be said I didn't try. Autobots!" Almost all at once, the Autobot team transformed and rushed onto the ridge with their leader, all while Windblade, Springer and Airazor took to the skies in their vehicle modes. "Heroes!" Once again, leaping from below, Gang Orca, Crust, Mirko, Edgeshot and the U.A. Students came to Prime's side, all of them readying themselves for battle. "JOES!" Finally, with Hawk leading the charge, the G.I. Joe team charged in, with Prime pointing straight toward the Decepticons. "Engage the enemy!"

"You heard him, troops!" Hawk encouraged, raising a fist to the air. "YOOOO JOOOOEEE!"

"YOOOO JOOOOEEE!" the others echoed.

…And before long, the Hearing Hero; Earphone Jack, gave a shrug. "Eh, why not? YO JOE!" Before long, her friends were echoing her sentiment. "YOOOO JOOOOEEE!" they all cried out, following the soldiers into battle.

The only exception was Shoto, who watched in bafflement as his peers ran into the fray. "…Is it always like this?" he muttered.

Flare Up knelt down and gave him a wink. "Ah, you'll get used to it, luv. Now c'mon…" Flicking her arms up, she pulled out her twin pistols as the energy core in her chest lit up. "Let's go kick some Decepti-chumps!" And just like that, she sped off at incredible speeds, leaving Shoto with his hair blowing in the wind.

"I hear that, Flare!" Bulkhead said as he transformed back into vehicle mode, calling out to Roadblock and Mina. "Hey! You two!" He pulled up to the duo before they could get too far, bringing them to a halt. "Instead of going in on foot, how 'bout we get you two a bit more mobile in a DESTRUCTIVE way?"

"Ooh, I LIKE the sound of that!" Mina clapped her hands together, getting into Bulkhead's driver's seat. "Let's do this!"

Roadblock returned to where he once was as well, mounting Ma Deuce on Bulkhead's roof. "I'm on your back, Jack! Let's take these Cons DOWN!" Not needing to be told twice, Bulkhead stepped on the gas and rolled into battle, all while Mina and Roadblock rained acid and shells respectively onto the Vehicons that got in their way.

Following them in the sky, Springer couldn't help but laugh at the devastating force that his fellow Wrecker had put together. "Haha! Genius! Acid, bullets AND a battering ram. Bulk WAS always pretty creative when it came to wreckin'." His attention diverted to the passenger that he had partnered with for this mission. "Let's not let 'em outdo us, though. Ya hear me, Wild Bill?"

"Heehee! That's a big ten-four, good buddy! YEAH!" Bill gave a thumbs up before putting both hands onto Springer's controls. He had to admit, at first he was overwhelmed after touching them, receiving a glimpse into the ins and outs of a Triple Changer. But, once he had calmed down, things began to make a bit more sense. "Gotta say, yer one helluva loaded gun there, Springer. Hope yer ready to have an equally helluva flyin' ace as yer pilot!"

"Hah, so long as you can Wreck and Rule with the best of 'em, it's an honor to have you behind the controls!"

Wild Bill smirked eagerly. "Well, guess that's settles it! LET'S GO IN!" Pressing a button on Springer's control stick, the cowboy activated twin guns that came unfurling from the chopper's side stabilizers, which locked onto several Vehicons almost immediately. "YEEEEHAAWW! YOOOO JOOOOEEE!"

…..

Across the battlefield, Starscream was… baffled, to say the least. He had expected the Autobots, he had expected the children, he had even expected at least a handful of heroes… but a human military force? Where had THEY come from all of a sudden?! "This… is this some sort of joke?" Starscream questioned his brothers and Sky-Byte through clenched teeth. "Is Prime really so desperate as to bring in, not more heroes, but human soldiers?"

"I doubt it's desperation." Thundercracker denied. "Knowing Prime, he might be really confident in… whoever these "Yo Joe" people are if he brought them to the front lines."

"They could have powerful Quirks as well." Skywarp advised, cocking his shotguns. "We should be careful with these ones."

Sky-Byte spun around to them in midair, throwing a hand up theatrically. "Agreed! I suggest we break up into groups and attempt to overwhelm them with our sheer numbers. Surely they cannot take us ALL at once."

Starscream hummed, feeling the plan to be sound. "Agreed. Decepticons! Break up into pairs and take a battalion of Vehicons! We must NOT allow the Autobots anywhere NEAR the Energon!" He thrust a finger down and shouted; "ATTACK!" before transforming into his jet mode, passing straight over a certain police Con. "Barricade! You and Frenzy are with me!"

Needless to say, the cop wasn't too thrilled. "Oh, fantastic. Hopefully this goes better than the LAST time!" Nonetheless, Barricade transformed and drove after Starscream, ready to trounce any Autobot who stood in his way.

"Come, brother." Skywarp beckoned, transforming into his own jet mode. "I've spotted those annoying twin Autobots! Let's destroy them."

A simple hum was all Thundercracker had to respond with, but before he departed, he took note of Sky-Byte, who hadn't moved from his spot. In fact, the Predacon seemed to be glaring toward the ground for some reason. "So, what're you gonna do?"

"…I am going to do what Megatron asked of me." Sky-Byte replied, shouting; "BEAST MODE!" before shifting back into shark mode once again. "And bring Optimus Prime back to Cybertron IN CHAINS!" Wasting no time, Sky-Byte rocketed straight down to Prime, interrupting the Autobot leader as he shot at several incoming Vehicons.

"GAH!" A pained yell escaped Optimus' throat as Sky-Byte bit down hard on his arm, his teeth piercing through his armor with relative ease. "Agh, no you DON'T!" Dropping his Ion Blaster, Prime's hand pulled into his arm and he brought out his Energon Axe, swinging it down toward Sky-Byte's head.

The Predacon gasped and immediately let go, just barely getting out of the way of the incoming cleave. "TERRORIZE!" Going back into robot mode, Sky-Byte caught Optimus' axe with his claw hand, his other hand slamming into the Prime's as they grappled for supremacy. "We will NOT lose this battle, Optimus! Megatron is counting on ME to bring you back as prisoner! You WILL face him!"

"Perhaps, Sky-Byte, but not in shackles!" Optimus countered with a sweeping kick, throwing Sky-Byte off-balance and getting in a punch to the head.

After tumbling away, Sky-Byte growled and raised his arm, firing off Standsting at Optimus. The Autobot leader went to roll away, but the torpedo Mini-Con redirected itself, making impact with the ground near him and blowing Prime away several feet. He stopped when his back hit a rock, which allowed Sky-Byte to come in and SLAM his foot against Optimus' chest. From there, Sandsting and Dragonus came in and transformed, clamping down on Prime's hands to keep him in place. "Hmhmhm, excellent! This situation actually brings my latest work to mind! Would you like to hear it?"

"Oh, please no." But despite Optimus' pleas, Sky-Byte recited it anyway, craning his head up to the cloudy sky.

"The darkened sky roils,

Zephyrs blow cold,

And another hapless foe is CRUSHED beneath my heel!"

Throwing his arms up, the Predacon declared; "It's a vision of the future! The very NEAR future, in fact!"

However, as he rambled on, Optimus noticed a certain head of white and red hair sneaking up from behind Sky-Byte, prompting him to smirk under his faceplate. "…You might do better with limericks."

"Huh? What?"

From there, Prime REALLY laid on the heat. "Your imagery is derivative. It lacks semiotic cohesion. And the hapless foe is you!" It was obvious that Sky-Byte did NOT like that and he went to stab his claw down into Optimus' chest… but he and his Mini-Cons were all blown away with a wave of ice, sending them straight over Prime's head. "Hah… good timing, Shoto."

The Half-Cold, Half-Hot user came up and gave Prime a nod. "Thanks. Thanks for keeping him distracted for just a bit longer."

"Of course." Prime picked himself up off the ground, retrieving his Ion Blaster in the process. "Now, what say we—incoming!" Optimus ducked down, as did Shoto, as several laser blasts went shooting over their heads. The source was, of course, Sky-Byte, who had recovered fairly quickly. "Hah, leave it to a poet to not handle criticism well. Shoto, shall we take care of this?"

Taking that as his cue, Shoto's left side lit aflame, ready to follow the Autobot commander into battle. "Right. Let's light 'em up."

…..

Not far away, the G.I Joe team was joined by Mirko, Deku, Earphone Jack, Bumblebee and Jazz, all of them mowing through the Vehicon ranks. Armed with laser rifles, Duke, Hawk and Tiger Claw stood alongside the two Autobots, laying on the primary fire. Meanwhile, Scarlet and Kyoka remained more on the defensive, taking care of Vehicons that managed to get too close while Kamakura kept their backs guarded. And finally, Deku and Mirko, Snake Eyes and Budo were going in for close combat, smashing and slashing their way through the opposition.

Budo, in particular, had actually charged his sword with a powerful-looking energy that came from his body, passing through his arms and into his blade to boost its effectiveness. One swing of his sword sent a massive wave of silver light out at the Vehicons, managing to cleave through them all cleanly before they all exploded in a blaze of glory.

Deku, for his part, was amazing. "That… was… AWESOME! What kind of Quirk is that?!"

"Hmhm, my signature, young man." Budo answered, the samurai tipping his helmet. "I call it; "Sword Surge". My body is capable of producing energy that I can transfer into any bladed weapon…" Just as another Vehicon came charging at him, Budo swung around, putting more energy into his sword so that he could slice through its leg in one go. "Hah… though I probably should conserve it at this point. My body can only build up a limited amount, and it takes a day to accumulate again…"

"Don't worry there, shogun man!" Mirko sounded off, spinning rapidly through the air in a circular arc. "We'll take some of the heat offa ya! LUNAR CRESCENT!" Much to the dismay of several Vehicons, they all quickly found themselves being smashed through by the Rabbit Heroe's feet, mainly at their joints and any other exposed parts that their armor plating didn't cover. "C'mon, Deku, get in the game!"

"R-Right!" Activating his helmet, Izuku leapt up and performed a midair somersault, bringing One for All to 15% for his next move. "PRAXUS… SMAAAASSHH!" All of a sudden, Deku went blasting forward through the air, creating a large gust of wind behind him that propelled him into a Vehicon's midsection foot-first. The trooper landed on the ground, injured… but that wasn't to say Izuku didn't hurt from that either. "Gah! Ow, ow, ow!"

Nearby, Marissa had taken cover, but quickly came out the moment she heard Izuku's cries of pain. "Deku!" Sliding to a halt next to him, the Sector Seven agent removed his helmet and lowered her hands to the leg he was clutching, putting her healing Quirk to good use. "Hah, I swear, it's always you, isn't it?"

Izuku winced and gave a breathy chuckle. "Ah, hehe… well, I guess this helped me realize something…"

"And what's that?"

"I need protective leg gear made as soon as possible."

Marissa didn't get to quip back at him before even MORE Vehicons came charging, but they found themselves stopped when a certain sound-based heroine got in their way. Plugging her jacks into her wrist speakers, Kyoka knelt down and slammed her hands into the dirt. "Not a chance! HEARTBEAT DISTORTION!" The soundwaves from her speakers created tremors in the ground that took the Vehicons off balance, which is when Scarlett came in next. "Now! Do it!"

Pulling out six locks of hair from her ponytail, Scarlett knocked them into her crossbow one by one as they stiffened into arrows, shooting the Vehicons directly in their optics. With all of them blinded, the Cons could do nothing but stumble into one another in a panic, knocking themselves down only to writhe painfully in the dirt. "Hah, enjoy yer gift, lads!" Scarlett teased. "That's the only one you'll be gettin' from me!"

"Haha! Nice!" Kyoka high-fived the sharpshooter. "Not bad, Scarlett."

"Oh, that wasn't even my best shot, Kyoka." Scarlett winked… before pulling another strand of hair out and knocking it into her crossbow. Without even turning around, she slung her weapon back and shot an incoming Vehicon straight in the knee, the arrow jamming into its internal mechanisms and making the Con trip. "Trust me."

Duke couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Psh, yeah, yeah, always gotta show off, don't ya? At least Snake over there ain't braggin' about what HE'S doing."

It was only then that the teens saw what the silent commando was doing… and they were amazed. Snake Eyes was swiftly dodging and ducking through everything the Vehicons were throwing at him, be it laser fire or swiping at him with their clawed hands. In turn, Snake Eyes was deftly swiping his blade at every joint he could get to, going so fast that the students could only barely process what was happening. By the end of it all, Snake Eyes had made it through his targeted Vehicons and slid his sword back into its holster… where in the Cons all collapsed into a heap of dismembered bodies and broken parts, screaming in shock and anguish.

The students were left completely flabbergasted, though Bumblebee managed to speak their minds for them; "Zrkt—Um, okay, HOW?!"

"Hah, excellent work as always, Snake." Hawk commended, the ninja's actions bringing being a brief respite in the battle as the remaining Vehicons ran in the opposite direction.

"Woo, boy…" Jazz whistled, impressed with the outcome. "That sword must be as sharp as a razor to cut through all that circuitry an' armor platin'."

But Kamakura shook his head. "Not entirely. If you notice, Master Snake Eyes specifically targeted their joints, just as many of us have been doing. His technique is what grants him such great focus, which he then converts into strength that flows through his body and into his blade, allowing him to slice through even the thickest of metals."

Izuku nodded in understanding. "Ah, so THAT'S what his Quirk is, then!" Not a second later and every Joe present was staring at him incredulously, almost as if he had said something weird. "…Uh, what?"

Kyoka furrowed her brow at him in confusion. "Uh… no, Izuku. It's like Kamakura said; Snake Eyes' technique is what lets him do all of that. It's a form of active meditation, which he uses to channel chi energy and strengthen his strikes."

But this only made Izuku more perplexed. "W-Wait, are you saying that Snake Eyes is able to use ANOTHER power in addition to his Quirk? I mean, I guess that'd make sense, being able to enhance a strength-enhancing Quirk through meditation isn't unheard of, so—"

"Ugh, KID!" Tiger Claw exclaimed, breaking Izuku out of his muttering ramble. The tiger man holstered his laser rifles so that he could point over to his master. "Read my furry lips; Snake Eyes does NOT have a Quirk!"

"…He… he doesn't?" Izuku slowly craned his head over to Snake Eyes, who simply stood there with his arms crossed. "Snake Eyes… you're Quirkless?" The ninja gave a single nod over to him, and Izuku slumped down flat on his back. "…He's Quirkless… and he managed to dismember at least eight Vehicons with just a sword and his meditation technique."

"Yeah, I learned this at a young age, kid." Marissa gave Izuku a pat on the shoulder. "Snake Eyes is a badass, and don't you forget it."

If Izuku was being honest, though, his world had been completely shaken. A Quirkless man had just taken down multiple Decepticons in front of his very eyes without any natural superpower to speak of. Just a meditation technique and a sword. '…The more Quirkless people I meet, the more I start questioning if I was just utterly selfish.' The green-haired boy thought to himself, clenching his teeth. 'I may have gotten One for All in the end, but… did I just manage to land the easy way out? Could I have been like Fowler or even Snake Eyes if I had gone down a different path? What if—'

*SHHYOOOM*

"AGH!" Everybody yelped in unison as, from high overhead, Starscream came shooting down and pulled right up at the last minute, transforming in midair and hovering just in front of them all. Not soon after, Barricade also screeched to a halt, doing a flip as he transformed while Frenzy ejected from his chest.

Starscream threw his head back with a boisterous laugh. "AHAHAHA! Well, well, perhaps I was too quick to judge you "Yo Joe" people after all." He sneered down to his Vehicons with disgust. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves! Falling to a simple human blade. If I didn't have more pressing matters, I'd kill you all myself." Still, his primary focus remained on the humans, scanning his optics across the group. "Now, who's in charge around here?!"

Hawk, keeping his laser rifle at the read, narrowed his eyes up at the Seeker commander. "That'd be me! General Clayton Abernathy. Most folks call me Hawk." He raised his chin defiantly up at Starscream. "And YOU, visitor, should be careful about how you speak. You've garnered the attention of G.I. Joe, and trust me, you don't want to know what happens to evil that crosses our path."

Throwing his head back, Starscream gave a haughty; "HA! You think I can be intimidated, general?" He pointed down at Hawk with his optics narrowed. "Well, think again. You should know that there is a significant difference between taking down a bunch of useless Vehicons compared to the Decepticon Elite! And we are going to make certain that you ALL know that by the end of this day."

"Ya'll ain't doin' NOTHIN', Screamer!" Jazz and Bumblebee brought their weapons out, aiming right at Starscream. "We're not gonna let ya hurt—"

But the Autobot was cut off and Starscream's attention was garnered by another loud laugh… from Mirko. "HA! You don't scare us, Decepti-chump! I bet I could defeat your sorry as with my EYES closed!"

"M-Mirko, don't—" Izuku started, only to be cut off by Starscream.

"Is that a threat, Earth woman?" Aiming his Null Ray down at her, Starscream's mouth curled into a superior smirk. "Well then, let's test that." *PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW* He fired off at the heroine, but she leapt up so high that he thought he was seeing things. "What?!" He redirected his arm, but by the time he did, she was already closing in… to the point where she actually landed on his wrist. "AH!"

"Hi." Mirko grinned widely and maliciously. "Can ya guess what I'm gonna do next?"

Starscream swung his arm around violently, even going so far as to swing it against a rock. "Get off of me! GET OFF!" Mirko did hop off… but only after he smashed his hand on the rock, causing sparks to fly from his wrist. "AUGH! Why you—URK!"

"LUNAR LANDING!" Coming in with a double dropkick to Starscream's face, Mirko sent the Seeker toppling over, pushing off his head for a perfect dismount. "Hmph! How'd you like THAT, Mr. "Decepticon Elite"?"

With her footprints firmly dented into Starscream's visage, the Decepticon air commander began twitching in irritation, his fists clenched at his sides. "Enough… THIS IS ENOUGH!" Returning to a vertical base with a violent jerk, Starscream made everyone back off of him and her spun around, going to his hands and knees with a vengeful expression. "I have had it up to HERE with you humans getting the better of me! This. Ends. TODAY! BARRICADE!"

The Decepticon cop pulled out his gun and took aim, with Frenzy doing the same with the small guns on his back. "Alright, listen up, humans. It's obvious that we're gonna do this the hard way, so let's get it over with, shall we?"

"Hehehe, yeah, we're gonna slice n' dice you to RIBBONS! HEHEHE!" Frenzy cackled before noticing Izuku on the ground. "Oh-ho! And what do we have here? The same cowardly little BRAT who suddenly got all big and tough the moment his friends arrived!" He clenched his metal teeth at him. "I still owe you one for leaving me broken after that encounter."

Izuku's gaze hardened toward the Mini-Con, picking himself up and putting his helmet back on despite Marissa's protests. "Deku, wait! I wasn't finished."

"It'll have to do." The green-haired boy asserted, keeping his sights locked on Frenzy. "I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work! You may have had the advantage before, Frenzy, but this time, I won't hesitate to fight back!" As Deku brought Full Cowling back up, he could see Kyoka out the corner of his eye, smiling proudly at him.

"Exactly." the Earphone Jack user stood in solidarity with him. "We'll keep fighting! We're not afraid of you…" She shot a pointed glare at Starscream. "Either of you!"

Starscream balked at the declaration. "Bah! Do you think I am intimidated, girl? You humans may be strong, but I do not fear ANY of you, do you hear?!"

Out of all the Joes there… it was probably the most unexpected one who responded to the Seeker. "Oh yeah?" stepping out from behind Tiger Claw, Kamakura approached Starscream, much to Kyoka and Izuku's surprise. "Well, you WILL be. I can guarantee you that."

"K-Kamakura?!" Kyoka exclaimed. "What're you—"

But Scarlett put a hand to the purplette's shoulder. "Don't worry, lass. He knows what he's doin'. Just… prepare yourself to see somethin' unsettlin'."

Meanwhile, Starscream, Barricade AND Frenzy all let out boisterous laughs at the redheaded man's declaration, not noticing that Kamakura was in the process of taking his gloves and boots off. "Hahaha! Oh, now THAT'S rich." Barricade cackled. "What, you gonna petrify us with how generic you look?"

"Bahaha! Indeed!" Starscream agreed, pointing mockingly at Kamakura. "You seem to be the most normal out of everyone here! What hope do you have against us?"

Despite the derisive comments, however, Kamakura kept a smile on. "Oh, trust me… you're in for a few surprises." On that note, the man began to… clench his whole body, doubling over while tightening his fists, arms and legs. "GRAAAAUUUGH!" The sudden, loud yell made everybody step away from him, giving him some space to do… whatever it was he was doing.

"…Uh, guys?" Jazz winced. "What's happenin'?"

"Kamakura's Quirk is… pretty potent." Duke explained. "He sometimes needs a minute to get it going—"

"AAAAUGHH!" All of a sudden, a pair of long, jagged, black horns jutted out from Kamakura's forehead, spewing green, vicious liquid all over.

The students and Autobots gasped in horror, though the Joes weren't as bothered, having seen it before. "And… there it is." Duke pointed out.

The screaming continues as Kamakura's body began to change drastically, his skin hardening into a thick, green exoskeleton. His fingertips sharpened into deadly claws as, from the back of his wrists, a pair of long, mantis-like forelegs came bursting out, bringing more green liquid with them as they extended out past his elbow. His facial structure also changed drastically, his eyes rolling into the back of his head and growing out into a pair of massive, orange, bug-like eyes. A pair of mandibles extended out from his mouth and his teeth sharpened into fangs, his back growing a black carapace that contained a pair of beetle-like wings. Finally, his legs bent backward at the knee and his heels extended out, becoming grasshopper-like with two clawed toes on each.

By the end of the transformation, Kamakura had changed into a horrific hybrid bug creature, his mandibles clicking and clattering as he spoke with a new, reverberant tone; "So… how do ya like me NOW?" he asked Starscream… while the stag beetle horns on his head seemed to crackle with green electricity.

With the Autobots, Izuku, Kyoka, and even the Decepticons stunned into silence, there was really only one response that Starscream could give; "WHAT THE FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"

…..

"—AAAAAAAAAAAG?!"

"Hmph… crybaby."

Far away from the main conflict, Shadow Striker had perched herself in a solitary hiding space upon a lone rock outcropping, keeping her sights on the battle and waiting for a good opportunity to pick off any Autobots. Unfortunately, they were all constantly moving everywhere and the Vehicons were only getting in the way, meaning she couldn't get a clear shot. Thankfully, though, the group that Starscream was with were all staying perfectly still, so that meant it would be easy pickings. 'I will start with the insectoid freak…'

Shadow Striker took aim at the newly transformed Kamakura's head and, with a sadistic grin, pulled the trigger. *click* …Nothing. *click* Still nothing. *CLICK-CLICK-CLICK* "Quoi?!" The sniper pulled her head away from the sights and investigated her rifle, only seeing now that a red light was flashing on the side. "A quasar jam?! But how? I tuned it up ze other day!"

"Oh, uh, yeah. That's probably me."

A gasp escaped Shadow Striker's throat and she whirled around, pulling out her laser machete as a substitute weapon. However, what she was met with was… not what she expected. A lone woman with long, black hair and donned in a red ninja outfit stood behind her, leaving the femme confused. "How did you find me?! Who are you?!" She lifted up her rifle for emphasis. "And how did you sabotage my weapon?!"

The kunoichi raised a single finger. "In reverse order; your weapon stopped working thanks to my Quirk taking affect. I have the power to alter outcomes, or "change someone's luck" as some would put it. Hence why your weapon was jammed." She placed a hand to her chest. "As for my name, I go by Jinx. And for how I found you, well…" Jinx pointed up to the sky and Shadow Striker craned her head up… where she was met with an unfortunate side.

"Ach, merde." The assassin raised her machete just in time to counter the incoming Windblade, who had transformed and took out her own energy blade to strike at her.

"Well, well, Shadow Striker." Windblade glowered at her. "We meet again."

"And it will be ze last, City Speaker!" Shadow Striker kicked her leg up and pushed Windblade back, allowing her room to raise her hand and launch a projectile. "Let's see how you handle—" *POW* "AUGH!" Much to her chagrin, the energy net launcher exploded out of her arm and tangled it all up, forcing her to drop her rifle entirely.

Jinx put a hand to her lips in faux surprise. "Oops! Sorry, did I do that?"

Now thoroughly upset, Shadow Striker let out a scream and swung her machete down at Jinx, who expertly dodged out of the way. "Get back here you little—oof!" But she couldn't even give chase when, from out of nowhere, a bright blue light slammed right into her side, bringing her down to the ground. And then… she heard a certain voice.

"Sorry, luv, but you need to pay more attention." The purple femme whipped her head up, her lips parting in stunned silence. She knew that she had been on Earth for a while, but… it was still rather jarring for Shadow Striker.

"…Flare Up." she whispered.

The Autobot scout narrowed her optics, placing her hand on her hip. "Oh, so you actually remember my name. 'Ere I thought Shockwave deleted THAT from your programmin', too." Before Shadow Striker could say anything else, though, Flare Up shook her head. "But that doesn't matter anymore anyways. …You have a LOT to answer for, luv… just not to me."

Moving out of the way, Flare made room for Arcee to come walking up to the Decepticon sniper, her swords drawn and with Jinx and Quick Kick flanking her. With an absolutely spiteful glare, Arcee STOMPED down on Shadow Striker's midsection, making her cough up a bit of energon before taking one of her swords and bringing the tip to her enemy's chin. "…You know, I could do several things to you right now." Arcee started, not allowing Shadow Striker to break optic contact for a moment. "I could slice your head off your neck and be done with it, or even plunge my blade into your cold, hardened spark… but no. You must face justice for what you did. And once we get back to Cybertron—"

"IF you can get back at all." Shadow Striker interjected. "Megatron still controls ze planet, you know. Unless your small resistance can ultimately overthrow him, you will be returning me to a Cybertron where Megatron's word is law."

"Which is why I'm going to keep you imprisoned here on Earth until we CAN overthrow him." Arcee pressed her foot down harder on Shadow Striker, eliciting a pained grunt from the assassin. "Now shut up. For every Autobot you killed, INCLUDING Tailgate, I'm bringing you in—huh?" *rumble-rumble-rumble* The ground beneath the ladies began to shake violently, throwing many off balance.

Flare Up was on her guard, but even she couldn't guess what was going on. "W-What's happening?!"

Kenzie could feel it just below, though; the rumbling was growing closer by the second, and it was FAST. "Everybody, MOVE!" The group followed her cue just as whatever it was came BLASTING out of the rocky terrain, sending large chunks of debris flying in all directions.

To the surprise of everyone, though, it wasn't what any of them could have expected. Flying straight out of the new hole in the ground… was a certain green helicopter. …And she had some sort of drilling device attached under the cockpit of her vehicle mode. "Hahaha! Hellooooo, LADIES!" Swift exclaimed as she transformed and landed on her feet, the drill having moved onto her right arm. "So, did ya like my entrance? I'd say my new partner here really helped make it extra special!"

"Swift!" Windblade brought up her sword and went in to strike the lieutenant, but Swift simply raised her arm, blocking the blade with her drill… which then glowed with the same green energy as her hands.

"Step off, toots!" the drill spoke, making Windblade gasp as it spun around and knocked her back with a powerful blow. The drill—which in reality was a tiny mining vehicle—detached from Swift and transformed, hopping up on her shoulder and leaning against her helm. "WE'RE runnin' the show 'round 'ere now!" the Mini-Con said, jerking a thumb to himself as Swift nodded.

"No… NO!" Windblade shot up to her feet, glowering at Swift as she helped Shadow Striker out of her predicament. "You corrupted ANOTHER Mini-Con!"

All that did was make the copter bot scoff back. "Pfft! "Corrupt" is a strong word, Windy. Besides, you got it all wrong!" Once Shadow Striker was standing again, Swift reached up and pat her new partner on the shoulder. "Drill Bit here? He actively CHOSE to side with us. He called out to me from inside his panel, after all."

Drill Bit all but confirmed that. "Yes ma'am! Our mutual love of DESTRUCTION really sped the process along, an' lemme tell ya, the boys 're gonna get a kick outta her as much as I do, I guarantee it!"

"The… the boys?" Arcee uttered.

Swift sent her opponents a toothy grin, raising her closed hand up to show them. "Yep…" She opened her fingers, revealing two glowing Mini-Con panels in her palm. "…The boys."

"INCOMIN'!" Drill Bit bellowed. "Left side!"

Spinning out of the way, Swift managed to actually dodge Flare Up before she could swipe the panels away, closing her hand back up. "Ah-ah! Nope! Not happening, chickee!" The lieutenant denied. "These little dudes are just itchin' to cause some mayhem! And you know what? So am I!" She tightened her grip on the panels and, before any Autobot could stop her, an eruption of green light shined over the whole area, signaling the Mini-Con's awakening.

Once the light faded, the two new little bots were revealed, though Swift had to set them down given their combined weight. Both of them were heavily armored and just as bulky for their size, just like Drill Bit, though in contrast to his vibrant red, both of them were quite dark in color with bright pops of yellow detail.

The Mini-Con on the left was mostly black and his right arm was entirely yellow, along with his waist, upper legs, feet, and his dome-shaped helmet. He had a green visor and silver faceplate, and both of his legs were actually the treads of his vehicle mode. His left arm, however, was VERY different from his left. It was grey and he had no hand, instead replaced with a massive, yellow bucketwheel that somewhat resembled a circular saw blade.

On to his right, the other Mini-Con had a much blockier build, probably the most heavily armored out of all three. His vehicle mode treads were on the sides of his legs and hanging off his shoulders, and the large turret on his back indicated that he must've transformed into a tank of some sort. Though instead of a single barrel, there were TWO long, yellow barrels sticking up behind his square-shaped helm. Said helmet had a prominent forehead crest and a blue visor, which was the only pop of color on him besides his yellow waist and upper legs.

"Grrmpph…" The tank Mini-Con grumbled, putting a hand to his head as he came online. "What the… where are we?" he said in a surprisingly deep voice

"Eh… I dunno, boss." said the bucketwheel Mini-Con, his voice much higher and a bit more nasally than the others. "Feels like we've been asleep fer a while…"

"Haha! Yer right about that, Landslide!" Drill Bit shouted, dropping down from Swift's shoulder to raise his arms in celebration. "Welcome back, boys!" He gave a salute over to the tank Mini-Con. "Dualor! Boss! Hope yer wide awake, 'cause we've got some DESTROYIN' to do!"

Dualor, now fully awake, did a doubletake along with Landslide. "Hah, Drill Bit?! That you?!" The three Mini-Cons all came in and bashed their fists together, laughing together at their reunion. "Hahaha! Fantastic! Been hopin' to get outta those panels fer a while! So, I'm guessin' we've got you ta thank fer that?"

Drill Bit shook his head. "Not just me, boss. I, uh… know ya might not like this at first, but trust me, I've found us a GOOD one." He raised his drill arm, pointing up to their new Decepticon partner. "Boys, meet Swift! She's a feisty Con who's got an addiction to destruction!"

"Hiya, chief!" Swift sent a salute down to Dualor… who didn't seem too impressed. "…Ah, heh… reporting for duty?"

With a sour expression, Dualor glowered at his subordinate. "Drill Bit… what the Pit are you doin' galavantin' with a freakin' BULK?!"

The partners winced at the term, with Drill Bit letting out a groan. "Ugh, should've known it wouldn't be this easy. Boss, listen, I—"

"You know EXACTLY how I feel about big bots, Drill!" Dualor admonished with a pointed finger. "They ain't nothin' but trouble!"

"But Swift's DIFFERENT, boss!" Drill Bit insisted, defending the femme vehemently. "I swear, she's got the same passion for breakin' and destroyin' stuff as we do! Give her a chance, and I KNOW we'll get what we all want!"

The idea seemed to excite Landslide quite a bit. "Ooh! OOH! We can go back ta doin' what we do best?! No more Autobots tryin' to get in our way?" He turned to Dualor, who still seemed hesitant. "Boss, DIS is da chance we've been waitin' for!"

Another grumble passed through Dualor's vocal processor, giving a scrutinizing look up to Swift. "…Alright, listen up, lady. I just wanna know one thing an' ONE thing only…" He pointed to her and asked; "Can ya at least blow up an entire structure in less than a minute?"

"…Oh! Ha! Of course I can!" Swift proclaimed confidently with a flex of her arm. "I can bring any kinda building down in seconds. You have my word."

Dualor huffed, somewhat impressed with her bravado. "Hmph… okay, rookie. I'll give ya a chance. Besides…" He stepped around to glower at the Autobots, who were standing defensively in front of Jinx and Quick Kick. "It's better than goin' back to THOSE idiots who shoved us into those panels in the first place!"

Windblade tried to reason with him, though. "B-But it was for your safety! Roller said—"

"Roller's a FRAGGIN' PATSY!" Dualor roared defiantly. "We shoulda stayed an' fought in the war ourselves, but NO! Our so-called "leader" decided to chicken out. Well, guess what? …Time to change our tune. Destruction Mini-Cons! POWERLINK!" On cue, the trio all transformed, with Dualor entering tank mode and Drill Bit going into his mining drill vehicle mode. Landslide's alternate mode was a tiny bucketwheel excavator, his arms making up the apparatus that kept said wheel aloft. Then, all at once, they flew up into the air and began attaching to Swift. Drill Bit and Landslide linked up to her arms while Dualor linked onto her upper back, his turret swiveling around and the two barrels lowering down on either side of her head.

Once they were all linked, a massive surge of power could be seen flowing through Swift's very being, the Mini-Cons' weapon modes all taking on her characteristic green glow. "Oh-ho-ho! NOW we're talkin'!" the lieutenant shouted, grinning maniacally toward the opposing Autobots. "So, ladies… who wants the FIRST taste of Swift… in SUPER MODE?!"

…..

A/N: Well… that ain't good. Now Swift's got the ENTIRE Destruction Mini-Con Team on her side, getting herself a "Super Mode" in the process. One can only imagine how well THAT'S gonna go for the Autobots. Oh, and also, yes, I renamed "Landslide" from Armada Buzzsaw since, well, "Buzzsaw" is pretty much associated with one Decepticon nowadays, unlike back in the 2000's where it was the name of eleventy-billion bots. On that note, VOICES!

Landslide – Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson

Dualor – Gary Anthony Williams

Yep, another repeat voice for a Mini-Con! That said, this voice WOULD be different from Kevin Michael Richardson's Bulkhead voice. Think Emperor Milleous from Ben 10 Omniverse, where he goes high-pitched. And of course, Gary Anthony Williams needs no introduction, having played a Mini-Con in Transformers in the past. Illumination through Acceleration and all that!

But yeah, this chapter had a LOT to go through, what with so many characters coming in for this massive battle. We got Mina, Eijiro and Tetsutetsu, along with Setsuna and Denki, showing up with their respective mentors; Crust and Gang Orca. We got Momo and Edgeshot, Izuku and Mirko, and of course Kyoka and the members of G.I Joe, both from the American AND Japanese branch. Yeah, a LOT of characters.

…And that included Shoto as well! First mission with the Autobots and he's already getting out into the field. Even managed to throw Sky-Byte off his game a bit there, too. He'll fit right in, I'm sure… so long as he can keep sneaking under his dad's nose.

And yep, it's here where we get some light shed on Marissa's backstory. When someone becomes a Joe, they have to leave their old life behind, and unfortunately, that included Marissa's parents. …At least for a time until Cobra found out about her. After that, there was no keeping it secret anymore, and overtime, while Marissa and Lady Jaye managed to repair their relationship, things are still shaky between her and her father, Flint. Wonder how it's gonna go once HE shows up?

So yeah, pretty hectic start to the battle, that's for sure, but there's MUCH more to come! And now, the Preview! The battle in the Rockies continues as the heroes fight back against the Decepticons with everything they have, including the two Autobot-aligned Mini-Con teams being sent in to help. However… Red Alert has detected something in Earth's upper atmosphere, and it's coming in FAST. It's a Cybertronian signal, but it has no Autobot or Decepticon distinction to it. So… is it friend or foe? Next Time; Rocks Fall, Everybody Flies. And you know what else flies? A fleet of Sky Strikers courtesy of a call from Hawk! Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you guys next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!