A/N (IMPORTANT, Please Read): Morning one and all! Welcome back to Transformers MHA and… not gonna lie, this chapter ended up being a shorter one. After Ben 10 RWBY Month's final stretch of REALLY long chapters, I needed something a bit smaller to decompress with… which ended up being done over a single weekend. Don't know how that happened, but hey, makes settling back into this story all the easier.

On that note, though, that meant I had a lot of free time this week to do whatever I wanted… so for those who enjoy my OTHER series, you guys may wanna pay attention over the weekend. Ben 10 RWBY Month ends when I SAY it ends, dammit!

Before we get started properly, though… let's talk about Transformers One. Because, being completely honest; this is probably the best Transformers movie ever made. A GODSEND after the last couple Bay-directed movies that still leave a bad taste in my mouth to this day. To the point where they kind of affected my enjoyment of the movies that came after a little. …And I think the same can be said for other movie goers because unfortunately, Transformers One was a box office flop. Which sucks because this movie DESERVES a sequel and I'm pretty sure its marketing killed it. Fingers crossed we get one, but hey, I'm still extremely happy with what we got in the end.

But enough about the movie, let's get back into the story proper, shall we? This is…

Chapter 79: Metal Attraction, Part 1

…..

It had been nearly a week since the "Parent's Day Incident", as Class 1-A had taken to calling it, and since then, things had smoothed back out a bit for the most part. The students were in the midst of redoubling their efforts on their studies, all of them intent on passing so that they could take part in the Summer Training Camp. It was very clear that the whole class had no plans on missing out on this at all, so they were buckling down and studying as hard as they could. Momo had even offered to help tutor some of her fellow classmates, asking them to gather at her place for the lessons.

Among those who had taken her up on the offer were Mina, Toru, Ojiro, Sero, and finally, Kyoka. And, on the final Sunday of June—a week out from the final exams—the five of them had made their way to the rich girl's home. When they arrived, though, the former four were left slack jawed at the massive gate in front of them. "Wow! Can you believe this?!" Toru exclaimed, waving her arms excitedly.

Ojiro's hand went to his head, being able to see the Yaoyorozu mansion tower above the tree tops. "I dunno if I can. But it IS the right address…"

"Seems more like an embassy than someone's home, if you ask me." Sero commented.

"Oh my god, talk about MEGAMANSION!" Mina exclaimed in her usual giddy tone.

Kyoka, meanwhile, wasn't too surprised. After all, she had been there before. But, even as she reached for the intercom button near the gate, a part of her was still beating herself up for not taking Izuku up on his own offer to help her study. He had brought it up after the whole craziness that was Parent's Day… but ultimately, she had shot him down.

"Sorry, Green Bean, that sounds awesome, but knowing how we operate, we'd probably get distracted and caught up in conversation too much." she had reasoned.

"Ah… yeah, I guess you've got a point there." Izuku admitted, knowing how much they both liked their chats. "Well, that's perfectly fine! Besides, I'm sure that Yaoyorozu can offer a lot more insight into different subjects than I can. Let's both do our best!"

The memory made Kyoka smile with determination as her finger reached the intercom. 'I plan to, Izuku. Don't you worry about that.'

However, the very second her fingertip touched the comm button, Momo's voice rang out excitedly from the other end. "I've been waiting for you, everyone!" she said, taking Kyoka aback. "Please, come in!"

Once the gate opened for them, the quintet began making their way down the sidewalk, which was a surprisingly lengthy trek up to the stately manor. But, once they had made it, they were met with four people that Kyoka was all too familiar with. At the head of the pack was a certain pink-haired butler with stilt-like bird legs and pink wings sticking out of his back, and standing with him were a blue gorilla man, a blonde oni girl, and finally a tall, black-haired man, all wearing similar black suits. 'Oh boy… these guys.' Kyoka thought with a knowing smile.

The winged butler greeted the group first with a bow. "Miss Jiro! So very nice to see you again." Lifting his head, he nodded to the other teens. "And these are Miss Ashido, Miss Hagakure, Mr. Ojiro and Mr. Sero, I presume?"

"Uh… yeah." Sero blinked in confusion before leaning toward the punk rocker. "Jiro, you know these guys?"

"Heh, yeah. They're the heads of staff around here." Kyoka assured. "They're cool."

Mina's eyes immediately lit up. "Wow! A real-life butler! Never thought I'd get to see one!"

The teens nearly fell over at her blunt comment, as did the winged serviceman himself, but he made sure to keep his composure. "Haha… you're too kind." He cleared his throat and stood up straight. "All the same, I am Takeru Toriya. I will be in your service during your tutoring sessions here, so if there is anything you need, please feel free to ask."

The blue gorilla made his way forward next, giving the teens a respectful bow of his own. "I bid you welcome, one and all. My name is Maurice, and I'll be your guide around the mansion premises." He gave the teens a wink and a thumbs up. "If there's any place you need to go, bathrooms, telephone, or what-have-you, I will be at your service."

"Uh, thanks!" Ojiro smiled back, his eyes trailing over to the blonde woman and black-haired man. "…And those two?"

"We're mansion security, kid." The oni girl said, flexing her neck and popping it in several places, making the teens squirm. "Name's Toni Vista, and I'm Momo's personal body guard around here." She elbowed her taller partner in the ribs, though he didn't seem to flinch. "And this here's my partner, Jonny. Don't mind him, he's just a bit of a stiff."

Adjusting his glasses, "Jonny" cleared his throat, keeping his composure. "Ahem, I will choose to ignore that comment… for now." He sent a stern glare to the teens, making them freeze up. "And as for you, you may refer to me as "Agent Barker". And if I find any of you doing anything suspicious around the premises, I can assure you that your ejection will be swift. Is that clear?"

Raising a shaking hand, Toru saluted, though they were only barely able to tell. "Y-Y-Yes, sir! Understood, sir!" Ojiro, Sero and Mina all mimicked her, causing Kyoka to give a heavy sigh.

"Excellent. Now please, follow Mr. Davis and Mr. Toriya to the Grand Hall." Barker advised, all while Toni rolled her eyes. "The young miss will be waiting for you there."

As the group proceeded into the mansion, Kyoka took a moment to address the two security officers. "…I see that security's been upped significantly."

"Of course." Barker stated bluntly. "Following the events from the week prior, it's more than necessary."

"Question, though…" Kyoka shifted her eyes left and right, making the duo raise questioning brows. "…Is Momo's uncle still around?"

Understanding immediately, Toni belted out a laugh. "HA! Oh, you don't gotta worry about Jiro showin' up, Miss Jiro." she said with a wink, making Kyoka groan in embarrassment. "He's goin' around Japan lookin' for crime to stop. My guess is he'll be trapsing around for at least a few more days before he comes back home."

Taking a deep breath, Kyoka felt relief wash over her. "Good. The man's cool and all, but the last thing we need is him around while we're studying."

"Isn't that the truth?" Barker concurred, ushering her to move forward. "Now go. The young miss is waiting for you."

Following his instructions, Kyoka followed the bird butler, the ape attendant, and her friends to the Grand Hall… and grand it certainly was. It had to be about as long as three U.A. classrooms put together, with ceilings about twice as high. There were multiple chandeliers, a fire place, fancy rugs, and a long dining table right in the center, which they were all seated at once they arrived. Needless to say, the teens were feeling a bit intimidated. "Man… I knew Yaomomo was rich…" Toru raised her hands. "But not THIS rich!"

"I feel so out of place." said a sheepish Ojiro. "It's making me nervous."

"Yeah, same…" Sero agreed, looking around the room with a shaky grin.

Mina, however, was incredibly curious. "So, if you're the butler around here, does that mean that this place has maids, too?"

"Gah, Mina!" Kyoka snapped. "You don't just ask questions like that!"

Takeru, however, didn't seem at all phased. "Haha! It's not an issue at all. Besides, it's no secret that we have a whole TEAM of lovely maids who help keep this mansion in tip-top shape!" He raised his hand to his mouth and called out; "Right, ladies?!"

As if on cue, a whole battalion of maids in identical black and white outfits filed into the room, with many of them carrying platters full of food and snacks for everyone. The teens left with mouths agape as the maids all replied; "Yes, sir, Mr. Toriya!"

Then, for the finishing touch, Momo herself came into the room, rolling a little wooden tea cart around with incredibly ornate porcelain cutlery upon it. And one look at her bright, bubbly smile was all it took for the group to relax, her bouncy disposition spreading across the group like a calming wave. "Hello, everyone! Is everything to your liking?"

"Oh, yeah…" the teens said in unison, feeling completely at ease. "Everything's just great…"

In the back of her mind, though, Kyoka couldn't help but wonder to herself; 'I wonder how Izuku's doing right now…'

…..

Izuku was BORED.

Not the kind of bored that was associated with studying, though. Oh no, that subject came easy to him, especially in his own abode. After all, he wanted to make sure that his grade didn't slip on the semester's final exams, lest he be denied the chance of attending the Summer Training Camp with his class. With pencil in one hand, exercise gripper in the other, and his All Might poster encouraging him on with the words; "Respect, Reassurance, Rapture", he buckled down and got straight to it. …But even then, he had to push the little voice inside his head to the back of his mind. The one that sounded vaguely like the gorgeous tones of a certain rocker.

It wasn't until Kyoka had turned him down on his tutoring offer did he realize how… reliant he had become on her presence. Nearly every single day since they had met, they had spent it together, and it showed. They'd fitted themselves together, their friendship like two pieces of a puzzle neither of them had known needed before then.

…Which was why Izuku was feeling the way he was at the moment. He was having Kyoka withdrawal. He had only felt it a little bit during the internships since there was a LOT of other exciting stuff to distract him, but now? It was nagging at him in full force. 'It's probably not healthy to rely on one person all the time, though.' Izuku said, realizing himself that it wasn't the best stimulant to have.

After about four hours of studying, Izuku let out a sigh and put his equipment down, pushing himself away from his desk. He glanced up to the clock, seeing that it was still only 1 o'clock in the afternoon. "…I could probably afford a break." he resolved, pushing himself away from his desk and taking out his cell phone. Scrolling through his contacts, Izuku found the one he was searching for and made the call, which was picked up instantly. "Hey, it's me. Just wrapped up my study session for the time being. Think I could hop over?"

"Zrkt—That's a big 10-4, good buddy!" Came Bumblebee's response, which Izuku laughed at.

"Haha, great! I'll be ready soon. See you in a bit." After putting on a simple green t-shirt, a pair of black shorts and his signature red shoes, Izuku grabbed his duffel bag and made his way out the door, telling his mom goodbye and where he was headed.

"Just be sure to come home early today, okay?" Inko advised, giving her son a parting kiss on the cheek. "You do still need to study hard for your finals, after all."

The boy nodded to his mother with a reassuring smile. "Right, I will. Does six o'clock sound good?" After Inko approved, Izuku was straight out the door and down the stairs, where Bumblebee was currently waiting for him. …As was another duo that took him by surprise.

"Yo, Midoriya!" Kaida waved, giving a big, cheery smile.

"Hey." Shoto added simply, his hands shoved in his pockets.

Izuku's eyes widened at their presence. "W-Woah! Kiryu, Todoroki? What're you two doing here?"

Kaida placed her hands on her hips with an eager smirk. "Hehe, why d'ya think? We're headed to Autobot HQ for the afternoon. Got nothin' much better to do since we finished our first study session this morning."

"Oh, heh… same, actually."

Kaida reached down and opened Bee's back passenger door, ushering the boys to follow her. "Sweet! Well, c'mon, let's head over!" After Kaida and Shoto scooched their way into the back seat, Izuku took his place in Bee's passenger side, the two partners sharing a brief greeting before they were on their way. And, once they had found a secluded alley, a GroundBridge opened up for them, whisking them the rest of the way to Autobot Outpost Omega-1.

…Where they were immediately greeted by pink. "HEY GUYS!" Mei's greeting made them all cry out in unison, the inventor practically throwing herself against the windshield.

Izuku was particularly petrified, his complexion turning beet read as his eyes rolled backward. Mei had landed on his side of the windshield, and while her face was plastered more toward the middle… her chest had been smooshed against the glass directly in front of his face. He fell limp in his seat while Kaida and Shoto gasped, leaving Bee completely unimpressed with her behavior. "Zrkt—Do ya mind?! Zrkt—I just got that washed!"

"Oop! Haha, sorry!" Pulling herself off the glass, Mei beamed to the four of them and winked, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "But I've got something super awesome to show you guys! Come on!" The group eyed one another before disembarking, with Bee having to shake Izuku out of him since he was still only partly conscious. Once he was out, though, he was knocked back to his senses and Bumblebee transformed, allowing Mei to lead the way. "I've been working ALL week on this baby…"

"And what kinda "baby" is that, Hatsume?" Kaida raised a brow as they were brought outside. Once there, however, they heard a low chortle directly from their left, and were greeted by a certain towering Autobot.

"Haha, the kind that I'm certain you'll get a kick out of, Kaida."

Instantly, the grey-skinned girl brightened up at the sight of her Dinobot friend. "Grimlock! Hey, what's going on?" She raised a hand to him, looking for a fist bump.

A gesture that Grimlock was more than happy to reciprocate. "Oh, something pretty big, I can tell you right now." He extended his hand down toward Mei as he explained. "As Mei said, it's something that she worked hard on all week, and all for my benefit… even if I probably won't use it much."

"Ah, don't say that so soon, Grim!" Mei wagged her finger at the Dinobot. "You never know! There may be SOME opportunity that'll come around."

"An opportunity for what, exactly?" Shoto questioned.

Grimlock eyed Mei and asked; "Well, shall I show them?"

"Go for it!" Mei approved with a thumbs up.

Standing to his full height, Grimlock, began concentrating, making sure that he was calm and centered. "Alright… here goes." All of a sudden, his visor went dark and his body became perfectly still, initially sending a wave of fear through the three 1-A students. But then… something began to flicker into existence in front of them, projecting itself out of Grimlock's right foot.

Eventually, the projection took shape and solidified… into what could only be described as a T-Rex Man. He had a humanoid body build, particularly in the upper torso. His legs were strong and powerful, though while his knees bent like a normal man's, his feet were that of a theropod. He had broad shoulders, muscular arms, and only three fingers with a long claw at the end of each. A long tail stuck out the back of his black pants, and finally, he had a Tyrannosaurus head that was proportional to his body… which was comparative to that of All Might in terms of stature. His skin was a dark shade of grey, and he wore a gold muscle shirt over his torso, which allowed everyone to get a good look at his body structure.

The holoform—Grimlock's holoform—raised his hands and grinned down to the children. "Hahaha! Well, whaddya think? Pretty spiffy, wouldn't you say?"

Kaida, Izuku and Shoto were all similarly slackjawed while Bumblebee's optics went wide in amazement. "Zrkt—Woo-wee! Now that's—zrkt—a neat new look for you!"

"T-Tell me about it!" Kaida agreed, running a hand through her hair. "I thought you said that Shockwave gutted out most of your original hardware to make room for your dino mode!"

"Mostly, yes." Grimlock confirmed, clenching one of his clawed hands. "However, Mei was determined to restore at least something, so she decided that my holoform projector would be the perfect choice."

Mei crossed her arms, lifting her head proudly. "Nothin' to it, really. With some help from Red and Signal Flare, it was pretty easy to piece together a new one from what was left over inside him." Even so, though, her shoulders sagged a little. "Hah, just kinda wish I could do more than JUST that. Just seeing what Shockwave's done to you makes me ill!"

Another chuckle passed Grimlock's saurian lips as he reached down and pat Mei's shoulder. "Haha, don't beat yourself up about it, Mei. If there's one thing that I can appreciate, it's giving at least a little part of myself back. And don't worry… I'll see to it personally that Shockwave pays for what he's done… someday."

"You bet he will!" Mei pumped her fists, staring back at the T-Rex man with determination. "And once we find your team, I'm gonna make them their own holoforms, too!"

Izuku raised a hand, curious about something. "Question, though… why DO you have dino aspects in your holoform? Shouldn't you be able to make it look like however you want?"

The question made Mei bristle a little. "…Ugh, blame the dino mode programing put in by Shockwave. Apparently, it's affecting the holoform generator, and I CAN'T do anything to override that."

"Well, it's a good thing that he still wouldn't seem too out of place in society if people were to see him like that." Shoto pointed out. "He could just say it's his Quirk and that's that."

"Exactly, young man." Grimlock affirmed, peering down to his saurian-humanoid frame. "But we'll see if that ends up happening. Right now, how about we—"

"Ahem." The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader strolling out of the base with his optics focused down to them. "Hello, everyone. My apologies if I'm disturbing anything…"

Seeing his friend arrive, Grimlock sent him a reassuring wave. "Oh, no trouble at all, Optimus…" The holoform flickered out of existence and the Dinobot's visor came back on, craning his head down to Prime. "Did you need something?"

Optimus nodded back. "Indeed. Red Alert would like to have a word with all available Autobots. And seeing as everyone else is out on patrol…"

"Zrkt—That means us!" Bee saluted before making his way back into the base, ushering the teens to follow. Once they made their way back to the central control room, they saw Red hunched over the computer terminal, typing in commands with one hand while giving brief glances up to the screen. The computer itself seemed to be displaying some sort of moving cone-shaped… thing, which only piqued their interest. "Zrkt—Eh, what's up, doc?"

A short hum passed through Red Alert's vocal processor, all while taking in what he saw on screen. "It's curious. I've detected an extremely unusual magnetic flux. This is quite the oddity… for any planet."

"Have you pinpointed its origin?" Prime inquired.

"I have. It's in the middle of the Arizona desert. North America."

That news made Kaida's eyes light up. "Ooh! Sweet! I'm sensing a field trip coming—"

*Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt*

The grey skinned girl was cut off when the sound of stereo transformations could be heard outside… along with the unmistakable noise of bickering. "Do you SERIOUSLY have to be this difficult?!" came Strongarm's clearly annoyed shout.

"Well do YOU have to be such a stick in the mud?" followed Sideswipe's retort.

"I'm sorry, but YOU were the one who chose to run that stop sign!" It wasn't long before they saw the squabbling duo come stomping around the corner, though they weren't looking where they were going. Instead, their optics were locked on one another with equally annoyed glares. "So as far as I'm concerned, you deserve this chewing out!" Strongarm said, prodding Sideswipe's chest with her finger.

"I thought I saw a Con ahead of me!" Sideswipe argued, raising his arms at her. "What would you want me to do, let it get away?!"

"You seriously thought that hatchback was a Decepticon?"

"It was black and purple!"

"Not EVERY Con wears black and purple! And no self-respecting Vehicon would use a hatchback alt. mode, punk!" Strongarm prodded Sideswipe's chest again, this time a bit harder.

And that's when Sideswipe began pushing back. "Who're you calling "punk", narc?"

By that point, Strongarm pushed back, too, their arms locking up in a struggle even as they kept walking. …Though because of that, they weren't watching where they were going, either. "Narc?! Why you little—"

"STOP!" And, just like that, everything came to a screeching halt. Because Optimus Prime raised his voice. In a split second, everyone's focus went directly on him, completely stunned at the volume and aggravation behind his tone. And the Prime's body language followed suit, firmly taking hold of Sideswipe and Strongarm by the shoulders like they were misbehaving children and forcing them apart. "That will be quite enough, from both of you."

The duo stiffened up straight in seconds, the cadet giving her superior a salute. "O-Optimus Prime, sir! M-My sincerest apologies, sir!"

Sideswipe did the same, not wanting to be punished. "Y-Yes, sir! Sorry, sir! We didn't mean any—"

"Your intentions, Sideswipe, are not the main subject here." Prime stressed, thrusting his finger down to the floor. "It's what the two of you almost did that matters." The younger Autobots were confused… until they craned their heads down, seeing that their feet were only mere inches away from Izuku and the others. "If you had taken a single step further, or worse, got into a fight, you could have crushed our friends."

Needless to say, Sideswipe and Strongarm were horrified by what they had almost done. "G-Guys… jeez, I can't even begin to say how sorry I am…" the former lowered his head.

Strongarm clenched a fist at her side, frustrated at herself for not noticing either. "I should've seen you sooner, too. I never would've forgiven myself if I'd hurt you." She shifted her optics back to Sideswipe. "Then again, if we'd never gotten into an argument in the first place, maybe this could've been avoided."

The red Lambo brother's expression soured at that. "You implying that I started all this?"

"If the tire fits—"

"ENOUGH." Prime asserted once again, causing the duo to seal their lips and fall back into line. Optimus sighed and shook his head disappointedly. "Strongarm, Sideswipe, I have tolerated your arguments up until this point, going so far as to even attempt to cultivate the both of you to try and curb these quarrelsome tendencies." He closed his optics, contemplating what to do next. "However, it has become clear that neither of you are taking my guidance to spark. To that end… I have a mission for you both." He pointed to the monitor screen. "A simple recon mission to investigate the source of the magnetic anomaly that Red Alert has detected."

The assignment took the duo by surprise, eyeing one another skeptically. "…That's it?" Sideswipe scratched his head. "That's the punishment we get? Sounds pretty easy to me."

Prime raised his optic ridges at that. "Really, now? …Grimlock?" The Dinobot commander peered down to the Autobot commander. "Would you care to accompany these two? Perhaps you can drive the lesson I intended on teaching them in a way that I cannot."

"Hmm…" After exchanging a knowing gaze with Optimus, Grimlock nodded and accepted the task. "Hm! Very well, then! Sounds like an enjoyable time to me." He stalked his way over to the duo, casting a shadow over them as he made his visor turn blood red. "I hope the two of you are ready. Prime may give out guidance and wisdom, but me? I tend to involve a LOT more discipline in my lessons." He pointed between the two, causing them to flinch. "So I don't want to see either of you acting like protoforms out there, is that clear? Otherwise, I'm gonna make you regret it."

"Y-Yes, Grimlock, sir!" Sideswipe and Strongarm echoed, saluting their mission's superior dutifully.

"Excellent." Grimlock nudged his chin toward Red Alert. "Red, get the GroundBridge warmed up. Time to take a little road trip."

Kaida was all too keen on joining in when she heard that. "Haha! YES! I'm all for that, Grim! Let's—"

"Ah-ah, hold it right there, Kaida." Grimlock denied with a swipe of the hand. "Can't let you on this one. And that goes for the rest of you as well.'

Just like that, Kaida's exciting afternoon plans all went up in smoke. "Aw! But why?!"

"Better to make sure that Sides and Strongarm stay focused. Having more than just the three of us along would distract from the lesson." Grimlock sent the girl a two-fingered salute. "But don't worry. Next time, we'll go on a mission together. For sure."

As annoyed as Kaida was with the decision, she still understood. Still, that didn't stop her from expressing her dissatisfaction, folding her arms over her chest. "Hmph, I'll hold you to that, Grim. …Good luck with the disciplinary action, though."

Grimlock gave her a thumbs up. "Oh, you know it." He reached to the back of Sideswipe and Strongarm's necks, hoisting them up despite their protests. "Now… shall we begin?"

…..

Little did the Autobots know that, out in the Arizona Desert, a certain pair were already investigating that same magnetic flux. Shadow Striker and Skywarp had been informed of the odd reading earlier by Nightra, and they were keen on finding the source of what it was. …Though, of course, neither of them had informed Starscream or Unicronus about it. Just like Thundercracker and the others had, they weren't about to let the latter in on anything that might've even related to trying to get Starscream back in charge. Even if Shadow Striker wasn't all that sure about it. "You are certain zat zis is ze best course of action?"

"Positive." Skywarp assured, scanning his optics around. It was late in the night, though fortunately, the full moon was enough to make it at least bright enough to see clearly. "If what Nightra said is true and this is the doing of a certain relic, it'd be a bad move to tell Unicronus about it. He'd only use it as more leverage for Megatron's approval."

"Hmph…"

The black and purple Seeker peered back to his partner. "What? You got something to say, then spit it out."

"I merely find it fascinating that you are so keen on keeping your brother in power." Shadow Striker explained, pointing up at him. "If anything, I believe you would make a much more effective second-in-command zan either him or Unicronus. Why not find ze relic and claim all ze credit for yourself?"

Skywarp pursed his lips, thinking about the proposal. "I won't lie, I have considered that. …But seeing my brother in the state he's in… it's jarring. I am the eldest of our trio, so it WOULD make more sense for me to be in charge." He glanced down to the shotguns that he held, his grip on them tightening. "But I'm more of a soldier than a commander. Always have been."

Shadow Striker rolled her optic at that, finding it a poor excuse. "Our previous missions together would say otherwise." She knocked her elbow against his arm as she proceeded forward. "Just consider it. If anything, you would have my vote."

In what would be considered a rare sight, her words got the normally stoic Seeker to crack a smile. "Hah… appreciated. But let's focus on the mission for now, shall we?" After a bit more walking, the duo eventually came upon a large rock formation, one that seemed to be holding together rather loosely. And, sure enough, the reading they were getting was coming from that exact spot. "Hmph, all too easy. Stand back" Raising his shotguns, Skywarp unleashed a barrage of blasts upon the craggy outcropping, reducing it to rubble and revealing what lied beneath.

The object appeared to be an oversized knuckle duster of some sort, with huge, ridged edges. It had two handles; one for larger bot hands and a smaller one for daintier digits. It seemed relatively simple in design, but it was something that the two Cons recognized as something incredibly powerful. "Mon dieu…" Shadow Striker said in awe. "Nightra was right."

"The Polarity Gauntlet." Skywarp smirked wildly as he reached down and plucked it out from the ground, inspecting it closely. "And it seems in good shape, too. Megatron will surely be please we found—GAAAAAHH!"

"AAAAUUUGGH!" Unfortunately, both of the Cons were suddenly besieged, surrounded by several floating disks that unleashed a powerful shock upon them. The duo were forced to their knees as the disks closed in, upping the intensity of their attack and forcing Skywarp's grip to loosen on the artifact. "W-What… is… happening?!" Shadow Striker screamed.

However, as the attack halted for a moment, they got their answer. "Hehehe… well, well, what a fortunate turn of events!" The Cons snapped their heads up at the two sets of approaching bots, their optics widening in astonishment as one of them picked the gauntlet up. "I must thank you both for procuring this for me."

"SWINDLE?!" Skywarp barked, his sights shifting to the Croctobot standing with the con artist. "And Skullcruncher?!"

Skullcruncher pulled out the cy-gar in his mouth, giving a low chortle. "Heh, guilty as charged. Been a while, Warp."

"And what a fortunate meeting this is!" Swindle said as he examined the gauntlet himself. "You just saved us an incredible amount of time." He reached up to his commlink and said; "Swindle to M.E.C.H., we've retrieved the source of the fluctuations. Will be returning to base soon…" He deactivated his comm… and then raised his arm cannon straight at Skywarp's head. "…Just as soon as we deal with you two. Can't have you squealing about this to Megatron, after all—"

*VWOOM*

"AH!" Swindle gasped as Skywarp disappeared from view, only to then reappear high in the air above. The Seeker whipped out his shotguns again and started blasting at the floating disks, destroying them all in an instant.

This gave Shadow Striker the opportunity to kick up and bat the gauntlet out of Swindle's hand, using her grappling hook to reacquire it. "I believe we found zis, so it is not yours for ze taking!" She sneered at the two, taking out her rifle and aiming it right at them. "I had heard rumors of a pair of rogue Cons on zis planet, but I did not think it would be you two."

Skywarp lowered back down, keeping his guns trained on their former comrades. "If Megatron will be pleased at this gauntlet's retrieval… just think of how elated he'll be when he sees the two of you!"

"W-Woah, woah, woah, l-let's not get too hasty now, shall we?" Swindle implored, quickly going from escalation to de-escalation at the drop of a hat. He raised his hands to his fellow Decepticons with his signature businessman smile. "After all, we're all Cons here, aren't we? Some more than others, granted, but I'm sure that we can cut a deal…"

"After you nearly took my head off?" Skywarp grumbled.

"Ah, what Con HASN'T shot at his or her teammates, am I right?"

The con bot received several deadpan stares at his remark, including from Skullcruncher himself. In the end, though, Skywarp had to admit… "…Eh, fair. But I'm afraid it'll take quite a bit to make US stay quiet. You have any idea how long Megatron's been lookin' for your sorry aft?"

"To say ze least about your team." Shadow Striker added, which made Swindle flinch a little. The sniper noticed it immediately, though, and decided to taunt him. "Ah, hit a nerve, did I? I suppose I cannot blame you… I for one would not care to be under ze command of Onslaught myself…" She raised the Polarity Gauntlet, wiggling it in her hand teasingly. "Zat said, we require zis little trinket, so if you wish to have it, it is out of ze conversation."

Swindle's jaw clenched, fighting hard to not show his frustration. Skullcruncher, though, leaned down to share some advice. "Kid, listen, as much as gettin' that gauntlet would be a helluva boon, if ya wanna stay on the lamb, we can't risk our presence on this planet gettin' out to Megatron." He nudged his hand toward the purple duo. "I say we let 'em have it in exchange for their silence. Whaddya say?"

Skywarp could still hear the Predacon, and what he gleaned was something he'd be willing to work with. "Sounds like a decent deal to me. We take this gauntlet and we don't say a peep to Megatron. Whaddya say, Swindle?"

"Hmph… well—"

*KER-POW*

"AAAAAGGH!" Unfortunately, all negotiations were cut off by the arrival of a rocket that came crashing down between the two Con groups, sending them sprawling backward as it blew up. Skywarp activated his jets and stopped himself midair while Shadow Striker did a backflip, landing in a crouch. Skullcrucher barely moved at all, though Swindle careened backward into a massive boulder, much to his irritation. "GAH! LIARS! This was a setup!"

The Seeker vehemently shook his head, denying any involvement. "Say what?! That wasn't us!" *CHOOM* All of a sudden, four bright beams of light cut through the dim nighttime light from the moon, shedding a spotlight on the Cons. "Agh! What the—"

"Nah! It was us!" The four whipped around, seeing Sideswipe and Strongarm high up on a nearby ridge. The former's shoulder mounted missile launcher was being reloaded as he spoke, an excited smirk upon his face. "And whatever deal you Cons were working you, it's over!"

Strongarm trained her crossbow on the quartet with a serious gaze. "You all have the right to remain silent. Put down the gauntlet and back up to the rocks, NOW."

"Grah! Autobots!" Skullcruncher growled, he and the others bringing their guard up. "Keep sharp! There may be others around!"

Thrusting a finger at them, Sideswipe debunked that. "Ha! Sorry to disappoint, Big Green, but we're the only ones you'll be dealing with tonight. So you might wanna do what my teammate here says while we're feelin' generous. Otherwise…" He slammed his fist into his open palm. "We'll have to rough you up a bit."

The four Decepticons eyed one another, paused… and then the mechs all broke out into hysterics. "AHAHAHAHA!" Sideswipe and Strongarm were left equally perplexed as Swindle pointed at them and laughed; "Hahaha! YOU?! You little scraps actually expect US to be intimidated by that? I've heard worse threats from petro rabbits!"

"Hmph, I do not see what is so amusing about it." Shadow Striker shook her head at the Autobots, who were left wide-eyed at the insults. "I find it rather sad, to be honest."

"…Wow, they really think that low of us?" Sideswipe twiddled his fingers, suddenly feeling much less boisterous.

Strongarm rolled her optics and scoffed. "It's almost like they see anything less than Optimus Prime as a threat. But don't worry…" She smirked down to the Cons with a sense of superiority. "We'll make you take us seriously soon enough."

"HAHAHA! Yeah, sure." Skullcruncher guffawed. "And what do you youngin's think yer gonna—huh?" Just then, a sharp glint of light caught the Predacon's attention from above. Something that was glowing bright orange… and careening down at them at high speeds. "WATCH OUT!" His warning was heeded by the other Decepticons, who dashed away just in time… to avoid a huge sword that plunged straight into the sand. And it was a sword that they all recognized fairly well. "…No slaggin' way."

Swindle was particularly horrified, stumbling away and nearly tripping over his own feet in the process. "H-Hold on… is that…"

"…Oh scrap." Skywarp's internals began to twist into knots, knowing full well who this sword belong to. His youngest brother had informed nearly the whole crew of what had happened, and this only confirmed it. His head snapped back to where Sideswipe and Strongarm were… and sure enough, there he was, stomping his way up from over the ridge. The towering bot's shadow loomed over them, which caused his blue visor to pierce through the darkness of his silhouette and send chills of fear throughout them all.

"Hehehe… well, well… what do we have here?" Grimlock chortled, crossing his arms confidently. "A bunch of Cons trying to broker a deal, eh?"

"G-G-G-Grimlock?!" Swindle cowered behind Skullcruncher, knowing that he didn't have a chance against the Dinobot.

The Croctobot himself narrowed his sights at the familiar adversary. "Grimlock."

"Skullcruncher! Been a hot nanocycle, hasn't it?" Grimlock nudged his chin toward the green Con. "One moment, please…" He raised a handheld scanning device across the area and it began beeping once he passed it over Shadow Striker, leading him to see the Polarity Gauntlet on her arm. "Ah, so THERE'S our point of interest."

"Yeah, one of the relics that Alpha Trion sent here." Strongarm confirmed.

"So, what's the play on this, Grim?" Sideswipe asked eagerly.

Peering down to the smaller bots, Grimlock wasted no time in relaying his plan. "Heh, well, I dunno about you, but I'm going to be holding off Skullcruncher. He's undoubtedly the biggest threat."

Skywarp took offense to that. "HEY! What does that make me, then?! I'm not your garden variety Seeker, you big lummox!" He raised one of his shot guns and blasted straight at Grimlock's head… only for the Dinobot to bring out his massive energon shield and block it entirely. "…Okay, message received.

"Glad you see it that way." Grimlock started his way down the ridge, leaving the two confused. "I'll leave the gauntlet to the two of you. Create a strategy and work as a team to retrieve it." He made sure to punctuate his point by changing his visor to red and glare at them. "And if I hear any arguing, any at all… there WILL be consequences. Is that clear?"

Sideswipe and Strongarm both stood as straight as an arrow and echoed; "Sir, yes sir!"

"Good, now… hup!" With a surprising bound, Grimlock had closed the distance between himself and the Cons, plucking his sword from the ground as he faced off against Skullcruncher. "Still got some of those moves, old timer?"

With a gnarled grin, Skullcruncher took out his own sword, which appeared to have been sharpened quite recently. "Oh-ho, it's been years since the gladiator days, but you bet I do. BRING IT! GRRRAAAAH!" On that note, the two large bots began clashing their blades against one another, sending sparks flying with burst of light illuminating the area with each strike.

As their conflict went on, though, the two remaining Autobots were, of course, dealing with their own conflict of interests. "So… DIBS ON THE—"

"NO, no, that is NOT the point of this mission." Strongarm asserted, clasping her hand on Sideswipe's shoulder firmly. "Dibs isn't something you call on something this important. What we need is a proper strategy. So please… let's not screw this up. Because I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be punished."

"…Yeah, fair enough." Sideswipe concurred, reconsidering the situation entirely. "Let's see, what can we—"

Strongarm cut off his train of thought as she pointed out toward the battle. "Also, you might wanna hurry! MOVE!"

The red Lambo brother could only get out a "Huh?!" before he saw what she was talking about. Skywarp had transformed and was diving down from above straight toward them, unleashed a barrage of laser fire. "WOAH!" Taking the advice, Sideswipe rolled out of the way… only to then be targeted by Swindle and his arm cannon. "Gah! Jeez!" *Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* Transforming into vehicle mode, the young warrior sped off as fast as his tires would let him, which prompted Strongarm to do the same as she was targeted by Shadow Striker.

Pulling up along side each other, they tried once again to come up with a strategy. "I propose we split off and try to deal with them individually!" Strongarm suggested.

"Yeah, probably best to not have 'em ganging up on us." After a moment of thinking, Sideswipe finally settled on something. "Okay, so how about this? I'll distract Skywarp and Swindle while you go after Shadow Striker and the gauntlet?"

"Really?" Strongarm exclaimed in surprise. "You think you'll be able to handle them both?"

"Hah, come on, Strongarm, I thought you knew me better! I'm probably the most distracting bot to ever emerge from Cybertron. I've got this."

Admittedly, the cadet couldn't argue with that. "…You know what? Fair enough. Let's do this!" On that note, the duo parted off and headed straight for their targets, with Strongarm doing her best to avoid Shadow Striker's shots before transforming and tackling her to the ground.

"AGH! Why you—ACH!" Pulling her legs back, Shadow Striker kicked up and pushed back against Strongarm, the two struggling for supremacy. …Which was when Shadow Striker got an idea. She reared the gauntlet back and BASHED it against Strongarm's chest, forcing the cadet to back off. "Hah… I am not certain how zis device works, but it still has its uses!"

Even so, Strongarm wasn't about to back down. "Yeah? Well, it isn't yours to use!"

As that was happening, Sideswipe was still in his Lamborghini mode, closing the distance between him and Swindle by the second. The con artist kept blasting, but unfortunately, the Autobot was far too fast, which was only getting him more annoyed. "Would you ju—AGH! HOLD STILL!"

"What would be the fun in that, then?!" Sideswipe taunted as he finally closed in and transformed, sliding past Swindle with a smirk. "Then I wouldn't be able to make THIS happen!"

"Huh?! What're you—"

"INCOMING!" Swindle gasped as he remembered… Skywarp was still chasing the Autobot down. He whirled around and let out a frightened yell as the black and purple Seeker dove in and transformed, relentlessly shooting at Sideswipe with his shotguns.

…Even though Swindle was still in the line of fire. "AGH! What the frag?! I don't recall THIS being part of the deal!"

Skywarp glowered back at him without any sympathy. "You still want that deal? Then stay OUT of my way!"

Swindle thrust an accusatory finger up at his fellow Con. "Well that goes double for you, then, ya halfwit wingnut!"

"What'd you say, ya shanix-pinching wire weasel?! I outta—ACK!" Skywarp's threat was instantly undercut by Sideswipe jumping up onto his back, clinging his arm around the Seeker's throat.

"Hey, might wanna focus on ME instead of trying to rip into each other!" the smaller bot taunted, wrenching backward with all is might to take Skywarp down.

Even as Skywarp teleported all over the place, Sideswipe held on, much to the former's irritation. "Ach… AUGH! SWINDLE! Get him—HACH—OFF of me!"

Before he could hesitantly comply, however… Swindle caught something out the corner of his optic, his gaze trailing over to the squabble between Strongarm and Shadow Striker. The two femmes had been engaged in a mixture of fisticuffs and close-ranged gunfight, with the Decepticon assassin having a fair edge over the Autobot cadet. All the while, Shadow Striker not once let her grip on the Polarity Gauntlet loose, swinging it like a bludgeoning weapon. That method was proving effective as, with a rather potent uppercut, she sent Strongarm flying backward and crashing into the ground, leaving her rather dazed.

"Hon-hon, well, it would seem zat ze more experienced combatant proves superior." Shadow Striker chortled as she approached Strongarm, aiming her rifle up against the cadet's forehead for the finishing blow. "As if zere was ever any doubt—" *PEW* "AH!" But just then, Strongarm's crossbow went off, shooting the gauntlet out of Shadow Striker's hand. The sniper was about to go get it… but she quickly found herself tripped up and trapped in a leg lock.

"Hah… you like that?" Strongarm taunted with a grin of her own. "That's what the humans call "playing possum"!" She delivered a stiff punch directly at Shadow Striker's head, though the Decepticon retaliated in kind, leading to another battle of fists.

Shadow Striker sneered as they kept battering one another, all while rolling across the ground in an attempt to get to the gauntlet first. "Agh! I do not know what a "possum" is, but it must be a vile creature if ZIS is your idea of fighting like one!"

Eventually, the two adversaries had managed to roll their way to the gauntlet… only for Swindle to pick it up before they could. "Ah-ha! Thank you very much."

"Gah! Swindle!" Shadow Striker snapped, trying desperately to unlock her legs from Strongarm as Swindle ran off. "We had a deal!"

"SIDESWIPE!" Strongarm yelled, managing to pull herself free at the last second. "Where in the pit ARE YOU—" *VWOOM* "Huh—AH!" The young bot soon found her answer as Skywarp teleported in and managed to swing Sideswipe over his shoulders and straight onto her, leaving them in a heap. Unfortunately, this did nothing to temper Strongarm's thinning patience. "Gah! I thought you said you could HANDLE them!"

"Okay, so maybe I was wrong!" Sideswipe admitted, working his way up to his knees. "It happens sometimes!"

"SOMETIMES?!"

As the two quarreled, though, Skywarp and Shadow Striker went in pursuit of Swindle, who found himself cornered… but not defenseless. "Hehehe… I think it's time I showed you all how this baby REALLY works!" Pressing a button near the handle, the Polarity Gauntlet lit up with holographic Cybertronian symbols around his hand, all while a powerful orange energy began emitting from the business end of it. Raising his hand, the energy began to expand greatly, attracting every stray piece of metal within the vicinity… which included the Autobots and Decepticons themselves.

Sideswipe, Strongarm, Skywarp and Shadow Striker were easily plucked up and raised high up, rendered completely immobile by the weapon. Grimlock and Skullcruncher, though, being much heavier, were being pulled towards it much slower. "W-What?!" Grimlock stabbed his energon sword into the earth, digging his feet into the dirt as hard as he could. "Is he doing what I think he is?!"

"GRAH! Stop, kid!" Skullcruncher bellowed, plunging his own sword down to keep himself stable. "We had a deal goin'!"

"Relax, Skully! We're just renegotiating!" Swindle assured as the trapped Autobots and Decepticons drifted closer, allowing him to get right in their faces. "Now… if I hear ANYTHING about you squealing to Starscream or Megatron about me being here… just know that this little baby will make it so that I can control whatever you do." He flexed his gauntlet hand a bit, pulling the Cons and Bots closer together. "I can dismantle you bit by bit if I wanted… so not one peep. Understand?"

"S-Swindle…" Skywarp seethed through gritted metal teeth. "You're… gonna go in the SCRAPHEAP for this!"

The duplicitous business man simply chuckle and said; "…I don't think so." before flicking his wrist, sending the four bots flying off into the nearby mountainside, causing a small avalanche that buried them in rubble.

"NO!" Grimlock bellowed, transforming into his Tyrannosaurus mode the very second that the gauntlet's effects stopped. With a loud, thunderous roar, Grimlock charged straight at his target, who was left wide-eyed and slack jawed at what he was seeing. "SWINDLE!"

With a loud yelp, Swindle dove out of Grimlock's path and hastily transformed, the Polarity Gauntlet going right into his subspace storage for safe keeping. "Skully, let's get outta here!"

Skullcruncher grumbled, but complied nonetheless, hopping onto Swindle's rooftop to beat a quick retreat. "We'll settle the score later, Grimlock! Oh, and welcome to the "Big Ugly Reptile" club! HAHAHA!"

Grimlock let loose another angry roar and planned on giving chase, but he stopped himself when he remembered his charges buried beneath the rubble. Despite instinct telling him to hunt down his pray, he instead transformed and rushed over to help his teammates. "Sideswipe! Strongarm! Speak to me! Are you—ah!"

"GRAH!" Unfortunately, Grimlock got neither of them. Instead, Skywarp was the first one to break his way out, huffing and coughing out dust all the while. "HAK-HAK! Grrr… that blasted Swindle! I'll make him pay for… oh." The Seeker's optics grew fearful seeing Grimlock loom over him, the Dinobot's visor shifting from blue to red in contempt. "Uh… alright, I think we can both agree that we've got a common problem here—erk!"

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't rip your head off right here, Skywarp." Grimlock glowered, lifting him out of the ground and high above his own head.

"Wait, wait, please!" Skywarp pleaded, his bravado all but forgotten about. "Don't do it! My partner, Shadow Striker, sh-she can vouch for my word! We'll call a truce until we make Swindle pay for what he's done!"

The gladiator wasn't too quick to buy it, though. "That so? Then tell me, where IS Shadow Striker?"

As if on cue, they heard the sniper speak up… though she didn't sound too thrilled. "Oh, I am here… unfortunately."

Skywarp and Grimlock were taken off guard, seeing no sign of Shadow Striker anywhere. "Huh? Shadow, where ARE you?"

"Closer than you think." Raising her hand, Shadow Striker caught Grimlock's attention, leading him to turn Skywarp in his grasp slightly.

The black and purple Seeker was still confused, though. "What?! What're you talking about?"

"Uh… let's just say that she has your back." Grimlock explained, revealing that Shadow Striker… was stuck to Skywarp's back. "Literally."

Whipping his head back, Skywarp was astonished to see he and his partner were magnetized back-to-back with each other. And judging by the femme's fed-up expression, she wasn't happy about it in the slightest. "…Well, this is a problem."

"Understatement of ze millennia."

"Wait a minute." Grimlock interrupted, his audio receptors picking up a rustling sound. Their attention went straight back to the rubble, where the rocks and dirt gave way to something rising up from below. And what they saw next… was something that would've made Grimlock wince if he could. "Oh… oh no."

It was Sideswipe and Strongarm, similarly stuck at each other's backs just like the Decepticons. They didn't seem to realize it at first, struggling against one another thinking that they still had something on them. "Augh! This rubble's a pain in the aft!" Sideswipe bemoaned.

"Quit complaining! We've gotta shake this off and get after—AH!" But when Strongarm turned her head, she was met with Sideswipe's gaze, leading him to gasp as well. Slowly but surely, they realized the situation they were in. Stuck together with no way to break apart. Their features twisted in horror, and their echoed sentiments only reinforced their feelings;

"Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!"

…..

A/N: Welp… that's quite the pickle to be in. Strongarm and Sideswipe, stuck back-to-back, with no way of getting unstuck. I mean, on the plus side, now they've got no choice but to work together to get out of this mess… but now the problem becomes capturing Swindle before he and Skullcruncher escape back to M.E.C.H. with the gauntlet. Granted, they do have Grimlock, so that's a plus… but there's also Skywarp and Shadow Striker, who're ALSO stuck to one another. Will there be more conflict between these groups… or can they actually come together, if only briefly, to fight a common enemy?

Meanwhile, on the human side of things, it seems that everyone's really buckling down and hitting those books! With Final Exams coming up, who can blame 'em? Also, you'll notice in the scene at Momo's family mansion that I replaced Denki from the original events with Toru. Of course, that's because I gotta keep in-continuity, since I DID say that Ibara would be helping him out with HIS own studies beforehand. Otherwise, though, we once again got to see the mansion's staff again, so that's fun!

Oh, and of course, Mei rebuilt Grimlock's holo-avatar projector! And now… he can become a T-Rex man. I mean, hey, in a world full of body-altering Quirks, that's not totally out of place, so hey, it works! Not sure how often he'll use it considering he doesn't exactly have a "disguise", but it's the thought that counts! On that note, though…

And now, The Preview! Our magnetized heroes give chase, intent on hunting down the con artists before they can escape with the Polarity Gauntlet. But, of course, they'll have M.E.C.H. to contend with as well, so it won't be easy… especially since Grimlock isn't used to fighting flesh creatures and he's pretty used to the whole "ruthless" battle style. And what of the Decepticons? Will they retrieve the gauntlet for themselves in the end… or will they take a DIFFERENT prize? Find out next time with Metal Attraction, Part 2! Until then, I'll catch you later, guys! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!