Musutafu Nature Park.
Two Weeks After Izuku Midoriya Vanished Into The Wilderness.
A Random Clearing.
"Argh, man, it's been two weeks since we've attempted to find our lost listener," Present Mic was resting on the grassy floor of the random clearing whilst his colleagues laid against some of the nearby trees. "And all we've got to show for our efforts are some random animal bones that she didn't even bother to finish eating." The radio show host picked up one of the broken bones they found during their search and examined it with the help of the moonlight. The small skull looked like it belonged to some kind of small rodent; however, what sort of rodent Present Mic couldn't say as he wasn't an expert on animals.
Midnight glanced at the skull that UA's English teacher was holding and tried not to grimace at the hollow sockets that gaze uncaringly back at the R-rated heroine. She'd thought that this assignment would've been an easy search and rescue operation that would've taken at least a few hours of her time. However, reality had other plans as Izuku Midoriya, a mutant type that lost control of her quirk instincts, possessed an annoying talent for avoiding the UA faculty members. It was like the Chimera Ant somehow knew when they were coming and which way to run to avoid them.
"At least the number of bones we've found today show that she's still within the forest." Midnight told her colleagues while the echoes of crickets chirping filled the musutafu nature park. "The only real question is where does she go to hide during the night?" For the past two weeks, Midnight had been observing her prey's behaviour and hunting patterns in the hopes of coming up with an effective plan to capture the girl without harming her. During those observations, Midnight realised that the Chimera Ant never hunted for prey during the night.
All Might, currently in skeletal form, hummed softly as he pondered the R-rated heroine's question. "Probably a cave or some other form of shelter that's well hidden from natural predators." The no.1 hero reached downwards and retrieved a water bottle from a large backpack. The heroic trio had, during the second day of searching for Izuku had left the nature park to buy supplies so they could better survive in the wilderness since it was relatively clear that catching the Chimera Ant wasn't going to be an easy task.
Present Mic groaned in frustration while placing the broken skull back with the others and turned to face his fellow heroes. "There's gotta be around a hundred cave systems in musutafu nature park." And that wasn't even counting the other places that their target could be taking shelter in. "How are we gonna find our lost listener before Nezu runs out of ideas to keep the public away from the forest." All Might and Midnight looked to each other with worry as the group had contacted the UA principal during their run for supplies and informed him about the situation.
The mouse/bear had taken in the info provided by the UA teachers and told his employees that he'd keep the general public and the other heroes away until the problem was resolved. The last they heard about the situation outside the forest was that principal Nezu had told the local news outlets that barrels of toxic waste had been found inside musutafu nature park. It was apparently closed off to the public until the specialised heroes sent into the forest had adequately disposed of the toxic chemicals. The lie will buy them much needed time, yet it wouldn't be long until someone tries getting into the forest in an attempt to discover the truth.
"I'm afraid that's a question that I currently lack an answer to Present Mic." All Might pulled a map of the forest out of his backpack. The map in question had circles drawn on it and small notes detailing where they found the remains of the creatures that the Chimera Ant had eaten. "Hopefully, we'll find a clue to young Midoriya's whereabouts before the press decides to investigate the nature park to confirm the existence of the toxic waste." All Might was grateful that principal Nezu hadn't mentioned his involvement in this whole mess; otherwise, the media would've swarmed the area, consequences of disturbing pro heroes during a dangerous operation be dammed.
Midnight nodded in agreement while also studying the map. "The girl's lair has to be pretty close to the lake since that's where we've found the most signs of her presence." The R-rated heroine tapped the image of the lake with a finger. "Judging by the amount of bones we've found in the lake's general area and taking in the length of Miss Midoriya's flight patterns, I'd hazard a guess and say her lair is somewhere in this location." The heroine moved her finger towards the southeast and stopped at a patch of the forest two miles away from the lake.
The no.1 hero frowned at the location Midnight pointed out since it would take them a few hours to reach that part of the forest and even more to find where young Midoriya was hiding. "It's the best lead we've gotten so far," All Might roll up the map and returned it to the backpack. "We'll rest here for another hour and then head for that area." The walk would take a while since they'll have to go the long route to their target destination since the predators that lived within the forest have been moving to new territories as of late. The symbol of peace had a sneaking suspicion that the Chimera Ant was responsible for their strange behaviour.
Upon hearing of their next course of action, Present Mic couldn't help pointing out a serious issue with the plan. "Yo, not that I'm against the idea of rescuing our listener," especially when it meant he could finally leave this bug-infested nightmare. "But, the last time we tried to capture Midoriya, our group got hit by Midnight's quirk." The mentioned heroine winced at the reminder; she had tried to put the Chimera Ant to sleep using her quirk. However, Izuku countered the attempt by using her wings to create a powerful gust of wind to send the sleeping aroma right back to its point of origin.
"I won't be using my quirk this time, Mic." Midnight reassured her colleague as she helped gather up the supplies which lay scattered around the clearing. "I'll only use my whip to subdue the girl when we find her lair." The whip in question was reinforced to handle power types, so it would help restrain the Chimera Ant. Midnight would've preferred her quirk. However, Izuku's ability to counteract the sleeping aroma meant it wasn't an option, especially when the heroes had to hold back during their encounters with the girl as they didn't want to harm the instinct-driven teenager.
"That still doesn't solve our little capture problem." Present Mic sprayed the clearing and his belongings with an oversized canister of bug spray. "Our out of control listener can still bolt if she detects our approach." The radio host knew that unless they found a way to sneak up on the Chimera Ant, it wouldn't matter how much they've planned as the girl would be long gone before they had time to properly set up some kind of ambush or trap.
All Might paused in his cleaning of their makeshift campsite and gazed thoughtfully towards the night sky. "If young Midoriya's lair is near where Midnight pointed out, I'm doubtful she'll simply abandon it." The other UA teachers stared towards the no.1 hero with interest. "She's currently guided by predatory instincts, and predators don't usually abandon their territory without a fight, so after we find her lair, we should expect that young Midoriya shall come out to confront us." The Chimera Ant will undoubtedly be hostile since her instincts will interpret them as invaders and try to remove them from her lair.
"Wow, since when are you such a big nature expert, All Might?" Present Mic amusedly asked the symbol of peace while continuing to spray the clearing.
The no.1 hero coughed into his hand before answering. "I watch a lot of nature documentaries." He admitted with a hint of embarrassment as watching the wonders of nature was a fun hobby for the symbol of peace. All Might blamed his old sidekick David for getting him hooked on those kinds of documentaries after the two watched a few during an off day at college. Present Mic grinned with amusement at the detail as not many knew much about the personal life of the greatest hero of their time. Midnight, on the other hand, just shrugged and got back to packing up their supplies.
"If you're right about Midoriya confronting us once we've found her lair," Midnight secured her hero equipment to her shapely hips. "Then that means we don't have to worry too much about her making an escape attempt." The R-rated heroine wasn't going to relax her guard since the Chimera Ant could still choose to abandon her lair if she believed it wasn't worth the effort to protect.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Present Mic stopped spraying and threw everything into his backpack. "The faster we get moving, the sooner I can get out of this hellhole." Once everything was packed away, the heroes picked up their respective backpacks and headed off towards their next destination. However, Midnight couldn't help needling Present Mic on his fear of bugs before leaving the clearing.
"Yeah, know Mic, since Midoriya has an insect-based quirk, maybe she'll give birth to a horde of monstrous bugs who'll stalk the forest seeking fresh prey." The R-rated heroine made creepy bug sounds next to Present Mic, who shivered at the thought of monstrous bugs running around the nature park. All Might frowned with displeasure as he didn't like how Midnight was messing with Present Mic. It took great courage for the man to enter a place filled with the creatures he feared above anything else.
"Hey, don't go saying things like that, Midnight!" Present Mic's tone went squeaky while nervously gazing around their surroundings. "I'm having a hard enough time staying within this nightmare infested forest, and I don't need you tempting fate like that!" Midnight's eyes softened at seeing the frightened expression on her colleague's face and knew that she had taken her joke too far this time.
"You're right. I'm sorry, Mic." Midnight apologised to UA's English teacher. "I should've been more considerate of your phobia and the strength it took for you to willingly entire this place." The loud voice hero grinned at the R-rated heroine and nodded in acceptance of her apology. All Might smiled at the duo's friendship. Without further delays, the heroes headed off towards their next destination, unaware that Midnight's little joke was about to become a reality as the first set of Chimera Ant eggs were about to hatch.
Meanwhile, At Izuku's Temporary Nest.
Excitement flooded through the Chimera Ant Queen's veins as the first patch of eggs, which were hanging above the cave's ceiling, began to pulse rapidly as the mature Chimera Ant warriors, who could be seen through the translucent membrane of the sacs, started to stir from their slumber. Within minutes the sacs burst open, allowing the ten Chimera Ants to fall down to the cave floor. Each Ant appeared healthy and ready to serve their queen, who beamed at their kneeling forms with maternal pride.
"Arise my children!" Izuku commanded the kneeling warriors via telepathy. The Chimera Ants obeyed their mother and rose up into stand positions; each of the Ants appeared to be hybrids of sea creatures which wasn't unexpected since marine life had been her mean diet since coming to musutafu nature park. "The time had come for you to serve our hive and bring back food for not only myself but for your siblings that haven't been born yet." The Chimera Ant Queen pointed upwards where one hundred and twenty eggs were hanging, each containing a future worker or warrior of the Chimera Ant Hive.
"We gladly serve the hive, your Majesty." A deep rumbling voice echoed throughout the cave. Izuku gaze shifted towards the speaker, revealing a massive spider crab, Chimera Ant, bowing deeply in respect. The Ant stood on six spindly legs that were attached to a humanoid torso. Two long, extremely thin arms brushed against the floor whilst another set of muscular pincers branched out of the creature's shoulders. The head appeared crab-like, with what appeared to be layers of chitin overlapping the top of its skull into the shape of a samurai helmet. The Ant's colouration was a dark red with a yellow underbelly. A brighter shade of red fur also covered its chest area, much like a naturally forming jacket.
Izuku was quite surprised as she hadn't believed that the first batch would've been capable of human speech. The spider crab Chimera Ant must've gotten more of the human genome than the rest of its brethren. The speech capable Ant was also the biggest of its siblings, standing at 8.1ft tall, with most of that height belonging to its spindly legs. The Chimera Queen noticed that the others instinctively submitted to their wiser sibling as they followed its lead and bowed so low that their heads were touching the ground.
"I'm glad to hear that, my child." Izuku finally said after coming to terms with the fact that one of her firstborns possessed human levels of intellect. "As a sign of recognition for your intellect and loyalty to our hive, I hereby grant you the title of Squad captain." The spider crab Ant's chest rumbled with pleasure upon being recognised by the queen. Its siblings cheered for their brother as they to acknowledged his superior intelligence and strength. Squad officers who'd directly answer to their new leader would've to be selected at a later date to help keep the chain-of-command stable.
"I'm humbled by your confidence in my abilities to command your Highness." The crab Chimera Ant raised to his full intimidating height. "Rest assured that I shall do everything in my power to serve our glorious hive." He slammed a fist where his primary heart was located, an action copied by the other Ants, whose hybrid appearances of sea/insect life would give Present Mic nightmares if he ever met them in person. Izuku nodded in satisfaction as these warriors would now be charged with gathering food whilst she handled the responsibility of taking care of the Chimera Ant eggs.
"Then go my children, hunt and bring back food so that I may birth more of our kind!" The crab Ant bowed once more before heading for the cave's exit; however, before he followed his subordinates to the outside, the Chimera Ant Queen ordered him to wait for a moment as she had one final thing to say to her firstborn child.
"Captain, before you leave, know that I gift you the name Nami ga oshiyoseru," Izuku smiled lovingly at her far larger offspring. "Show the world that like a surging wave, you shall overwhelm all that foolishly challenge our might." The crab Ant stared unblinking at his queen and mother for a moment before once again slamming a fist to his primary heart, only this time it was a far more brutal strike than the previous one. Nami ga oshiyoseru's black eyes blazed with conviction, and the desire to make his mother proud of him roared unstoppably within his heart.
"Fear not, my Queen!" Nami ga oshiyoseru roared with determination whilst seawater began pouring out of his carapace. "I shall never fall to anyone, and once I've returned with a suitable feast, my squad will regale you with tales of our victories!" The squad captain vowed before leaving the cave. Izuku glanced curiously at the seawater that her child produced and silently wondered if he inherited a quirk from her and the Sludge villain she ate two weeks ago. After a few minutes of thinking about the ramifications of her offspring gaining quirks, the Chimera Queen simply shrugged off the matter and went back to caring for her unborn children.
The work of the queen was indeed never done.
The Outskirt Of The Musutafu Nature Park.
A few Hours After The First Chimera Ants Were Born.
"Dammit, where the hell did that damn nerd run off to?" Katsuki Bakugo was unbelievably pissed off at the moment since he's not seen any sign of Izuku since two weeks ago after the teacher had talked about their future careers. "First, she's got the nerve to mouth off about becoming a hero in front of the entire class and then doesn't even show up for school! What?! Does that damn moth think she's better than me?!" Tiny explosions sprang forth from Bakugo's palms as the explosive teenager tried to control his temper, the keyword here being tried.
"Well, she's not better than me, not by a long shot!" Bakugo headed towards musutafu nature park, where he'd usually go to train his quirk without worrying about accidentally hitting anyone. The violent teenager had heard of a rumour from his friends that toxic waste was found in the forest, which was a load of shit since he's explored the forest for years and hasn't seen anything that might indicate chemicals were dumped there. Something fishy was going on, and Bakugo was planning on finding out what the hell was happening within his training grounds.
The explosive teen uncaringly jumped over the yellow police tape to keep out the civilian population and headed straight for the lake within the centre of the forest. Once there, he planned to patrol the lake's edge and gradually expand his search area until Bakugo found the real reason why the nature park was quarantined by the general public. After he found the bastard or bastards responsible for cutting into his training time, Bakugo was gonna blast them straight to hell.
Katsuki Bakugo was gonna be the new no.1 hero, and nobody, not even that damn moth-nerd, was going to stop him. The determined teen marched towards the lake with the full intention of discovering the truth, unaware that he was heading straight towards the hunting Chimera Ants who'd chosen to start their search for food at the lake. The pro heroes looking for Izuku Midoriya's lair would bypass the lake entirely, leaving them utterly clueless about the fight about to take place between Bakugo and Nami ga oshiyoseru's squad.
The explosive battle at musutafu nature park lake was about to begin.