章 2286: 28
Chapter Text
"Alright. So maybe a giant bug clone shouldn't have been my first choice. But do you blame me? You wanted something complex!" Izuku pleaded, his words skittish.
Mandalay moved her head up and down the enormous length of the clone, taking it in all its glory. "Would you…show me again?" she asked.
Izuku nodded. At his behest, the mass of bugs moved.
Mandalay watched the motions of the giant. Something so big shouldn't be able to move so fast, but she reminds herself that its a swarm of millions, perhaps billions, of individual tiny bugs.
She watches the individual limbs of the swarm detach from the swarm's torso, separating into multiple pieces and forming their own miniature — albeit still fairly large — clones in their wake. The clones settled on the ground and stood in formation, unmoving.
"A Voltron-esque titan made if bugs isn't exactly what I was going for, Midoriya," Mandalay admitted. "I was thinking maybe a mass communication network. Where you have multiple groups of bugs pulled together to act as pseudo-headpieces that relay different messages. Or something. Just… not this."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Heh-heh. Yeah. I mean, I thought that it was pretty cool at first. Having a giant clone follow me around and stuff. And then it would separate into more clones if needed! But as time went on I eventually figured out that it was pretty useless. I mean, sure it's big. But it's still a giant swarm of bugs. It's not any stronger than my normal clones, and any of the swarming techniques it can use are the same as if I had a normal swarm that wasn't shaped like a giant version of me. But on the plus side, I noticed one of those supercolonies of Argentine ants within my range! Did you know that you had one here in your forest? I plan on taking a couple queens with me for my collection if you don't mind. Nevermind that though. Back on the topic of the clone, I suppose I can use it for intimidation purposes, I guess. I mean, everyone else got so freaked out that there were some screams. And then there was still…"
Mandalay watched for a moment as the giant swarm dispersed into an enormous black cloud that blotted out the descending sun as Izuku trailed on. She took a deep breath before responding back, cutting the boy off. "At least you recognize your own mistakes, I suppose." She shook her head in amusement.
"Come on then. We'll start dinner early today." Mandalay turned, motioning for Izuku to follow. "There's no use continuing with training for the rest of the evening. Especially since everyone else stopped as well."
Izuku looked around with his bugs, and noticed that almost everyone had indeed stopped their training. The few exceptions were the more isolated individuals like Tokoyami. Everyone else was more or less staring with disbelief in Izuku's general direction.
"Oh. Well," Izuku sighed. "Dinner it is."
"All right everyone!" Pixie Bob yelled to the crowd of gathering students. "Today's going to be different! We've set out all the ingredients for tonight's food already! The thing is, you'll have to make your own food! Good luck!"
Most of the students stood still for a moment before coming to realize the current situation. A couple students set right into action, telling others what they could do to help. Izuku was one of these people.
"I can cook if we don't have any else who can," he said to nobody in particular. "I've studied up a bit in cooking, so I think I can—"
"Oh, don't you worry about that 'zuku!" came a voice.
Izuku turned to find Setsuna's head floating beside him. Fixing his gaze around the floating mouth, Izuku found the rest of Setsuna already gathering up supplies while being led by Kodai.
"I'm sure that we have plenty of capable cooks here. Like Yaoyorozu! Or Kendo! Or me!"
"You sure?" Izuku questioned
"Please. Of course we do. Come over to my station! Manga, Pony and the others are already gathering around. Just get ready to have a mean plate of curry!"
"Alright. If you're sure. I'll be right there."
Izuku found himself with Manga, Pony, and the rest of Setsuna's group of friends. Izuku sat in between Pony and Kojiro, Komori, Yanagi, and Manga across from him. Some small talk sprung between them all, until they were interrupted from the arriving Setsuna and Kodai with the ingredients.
"So, Izuku," Setsuna began, "what was with that giant clone?"
Pony gave off a small giggle. "He already talked about that. It was just him being his oblivious self again."
"I'm not oblivious!" Izuku argued. "Just… focused."
"Sure you are," Setsuna said. "What were you trying to do anyways?"
"... Doing something complex."
"Surely there were other ways you could do that?" Kojiro asked from beside him.
Izuku shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to try something new, different. You know?"
"And utterly terrifying," added Manga.
The group laughed it off, Izuku included. The topic died off and conversation directed more towards more general things regarding camp and summer.
As the food cooked, Izuku's attention was suddenly on the boy hidden amongst the trees, watching the students' every movement.
"Go."
It looked like he was going to have a little chat with the boy later. Just after he had some food himself, of course.
As it turned out, Setsuna wasn't as good a cook as she boasted to be. It was a good thing that Kodai had her own pot, because what Setsuna had made was a mix of overcompensating spices and liquids that combined into an inedible soup. Izuku could already feel the onset of something bad coming along, but he determined that he could probably hold off until he returned back to the lodges.
So here Izuku was, making his way through the forest with curry in hand. The bowl ended up coming from Yaoyorozu's pot, (since Kodai's portion had already been eaten all up, and Yaoyorozu's cooking turned out to be delicious).
After a few minutes of travel with a small set of searching bugs, Izuku had found himself at the rocky outcropping Kota had isolated himself at.
Kota immediately scrunched his face in agitation at the sight of the older boy, but Izuku paid it no mind. He simply set the food on the ground and calmly found a seat beside Kota.
"What do you want?" Kota asked harshly.
Izuku took a moment to respond. "I… don't know actually. Just to talk, I suppose. I felt like it"
Kota scoffed. "I don't want to talk. Especially to someone like you."
Izuku looked over at the boy and sighed. "Yeah. I can see that. But I just wanted to let you know that it isn't good to block people out. I saw the way you interacted with your aunt and the rest of the Pussycats. They're just trying to help, you know? You shouldn't ignore that. And you shouldn't block out what people say without considering all the angles."
"And what would you know about any of that?!" Kota yelled. He swerved his head away from Izuku, facing towards the vast wilderness.
"Plenty," Izuku replied. "I've been through plenty of that for a good portion of my life. A lot of the bad things I've witnessed happened because I didn't listen."
Have I,? "Yes." Oh. oKay. .
"Everyone hurts," Izuku continued. "How do you think your aunt feels? She lost her sister. And I understand, you lost your mother. But you have to understand that your parents didn't just leave you."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Kota yelled, standing up and kicking the bowl of curry, launching its contents all over the ground.
Izuku let Kota calm down, the irate boy slowing his breaths and staring at Izuku, as if daring him to speak again.
"I lost my father, too."
That got Kota to still.
"But I got passed that… eventually," Izuku said. "For your parents… they were heroes. They let down their lives on the line, even knowing that they might not make it to see the next day. That's what true heroes are like."
That seemed like the last straw for Kota. "Go away! Now!"
Izuku didn't put up any resistance. He let out a nod and left. He had done what he could for the moment. There was always tomorrow.
It was the next day already, and Izuku was still feeling a bit of the after effects from last night. He was getting better, but the lingering feeling placed a constant reminder to never let Setsuna cook for him ever again.
Training was basically he same. The only true difference was held for Izuku, who took up a different challenge aside from the giant clone he had made the day before.
He took up Mandalay's advice and had set up a dozen or so different swarms around himself. He attempted to have the different swarms hold separate conversations, yet he failed to make a breakthrough.
Eventually, the evening came and Izuku was out of luck in his applications for his bugs. He decided that he would just continue his efforts tomorrow. Dinner rolled in and he went to eat with Yaoyorozu this time. The others from last night did so as well, much to the dismay of a pouting Setsuna. But even she could see the faults in her cooking, and delegated the role to Yaoyorozu.
And when everyone was done and had had their fill, the Pussycats announced their next activity.
Izuku had to admit that the test of courage was an interesting concept, even if it did seem a bit childish. In truth, the exercise would aid in stealth and ambush tactics, even if it didn't seem so at first.
Izuku was mostly content sticking back and waiting his turn. He played around with his bugs, flying them around to and fro; that is, until he noticed a huge swath of them dying deeper within the forest. A pinkish, ominous cloud of gas had filled in between the trees, vacating the area from bugs.
It was then that Izuku noticed a few other individuals, hidden within the forest and finally emerging from the woodwork.
And then Izuku remembered something that Aizawa had said earlier that day, and his mind caught itself confused.
"I thought that there weren't going to be any extra personnel arriving at the camp."
Mandalay turned towards Izuku. "What do you mean?"
"The extra people in the forest," Izuku said. "I don't recognize any of them, but they all just arrived. Well, within my range, at least."
"Extra people? But there shouldn't be—" Her eyes widened. "Everyone back to the lodge!"
Iida immediately kicked into high gear, unquestioningly following her command. "You heard her! Go! Go! Single file!" he said, articulating his words with air karate chops.
The remaining members of class 1-A immediately fell into line; all except Izuku. He was still caught up with the bugs dying in the pinkish gas. And then there was the slowly advancing, greenish sludge and its noxious fumes coming in from the west, slowly spreading and killing everything in its way. And then there was the last problem: Kota.
"Midoriya? What are you doing? We need to go!" Iida said, shaking him.
Izuku spurred back into attentiveness. He looked Iida in the eye. "Just go. I'll be right behind you."
"What!? You aren't serious, Midoriya! You can't fight! You told me this yourself! We're inexperienced against these things!"
"I'm not! I mean, I'm not going to fight! It's just— Kota. The boy, he's still out there. I can sense him with my bugs."
Iida opened his mouth to retort, but he closed it in defeat. "Okay. Fine. Stay safe, Midoriya."
Iida moved back towards the rest of 1-A who were further ahead standing in wait. After a few words and a few concerned glances, they left.
At that moment with his bugs, Izuku sensed two individuals coming their way, sprinting their way through the woods. The first was a women, thin and spindly with tall stature. She was wearing a simple brown cloak adjourned with a black faceless mask.
The other was a strange looking man — if he even was a person, and not another one of those Nomus. An eyepatch laid flat on his exposed face, contrasting with his pale blond hair. His arm ended in a stump, yet two other arms split off from the appendage, branching from above his elbow.
And before Izuku knew it, the two figures burst the trees, standing before the gathered group of pro heroes.
Izuku saw it happen in the blink of an eye. Three sets of ethereal limbs arose from the ground and wrapped themselves around the Pussycats' legs. One set of tentacles, one set of arms reminiscent of a bodybuilder's, and one set of paws complete with long, sharp claws.
They weren't too strong — if the quick escape of Tiger, Mandalay, and Pixie Bob were any evidence. However, they did their apparent job by allowing the monstrous figure to close in and land a few hits on the Pussycats.
"Nice one, Harrow," bellowed the monstrous figure. His words meant that he was capable of speech and therefore intelligent. And thus, not a nomu. Not that that eased Izuku's worries all too much so.
Harrow didn't respond verbally, but did nod to show she appreciated the compliment.
Tiger turned, catching a glimpse of Izuku. "Midoriya! What are you still doing here? Go!" he yelled, his body stretching ready for combat.
"Yeah! This isn't a fight for you!" Pixie Bob exclaimed. "Go! Go!"
Mandalay was last, and she looked back at Izuku in worry. Izuku could tell, it was both for him and someone else, hidden deeper in the forest.
"Don't worry. I'm going to go get Kota for you."
Mandalay's face morphed with fear and worry. "What?" she questioned. "No! There's still—"
Another arm shot out of the ground. Mandalay dodged the appendage, jumping in the air to avoid it.
That was Izuku's cue to leave. He formed a small swarm as he left, informing Mandalay that he was going no matter what. She didn't have a chance to stop him.
With the mini swarm he had left, Izuku watched the battle. Izuku noted that the Pussycats were holding off the two villains with some difficulty. The unnamed monstrous villain held Tiger back with ease, the two coming to a standstill in terms of strength and durability. Harrow held both Pixie Bob and Mandalay back, ghostly arms sprouting from the ground to aid her as she fought.
And Izuku found that he couldn't help. The sludge from earlier had spread throughout the surrounding area. A barrier of the stuff appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The sludge emitted noxious fumes all over, preventing any bugs from passing.
Bugs were dying left and right, and their numbers were dwindling. Now dangerously of course, given the high number present in the forest, but they were lowering nonetheless. There wouldn't be enough to help the others.
And he had another task at hand. And thus, he ordered as many bugs as he could towards Kota to warn him of the attack.
He ran.
It didn't take long for Izuku to spot Kota, and neither did it for him to see the villain.
Muscular was easily identifiable with the signature scar on his left eye and his imposing physique.
Nothing had happened yet. The villain was still a little ways off from Kota's position, though it was obvious that Muscular was making his way directly for Kota.
It was only a matter of time before the two would meet, and so Izuku did all he could for the moment.
The millions of forest bugs capable of doing so within range began to converge onto Muscular. The villain roared, attempting to shake off the bugs as they swarmed and bit and stung and crawled and scratched.
But then his quirk activated, layers of exposed muscle expanding over his entire body. Suddenly, the bugs were useless. And Muscular continued his way on to Kota.
Izuku quickened his pace, pushing through the heavy underbrush.
Muscular happened upon Kota, and the boy froze in fear.
Izuku was nearly there, just a few more strides and he'd break through the treeline and onto the open cliff.
Muscular took off his mask, and Kota's eyes widened even further. And then he fell to the ground, convulsing in a panicked frenzy.
Izuku crashed into the clearing, and he finally saw the scene with his own eyes.
"W h at did yo u d o t o him? !?" came the mixed chorus of Izuku and bugs.
Muscular turned with a widened grin. "Oh ho!" he roared. "There you are, ya little punk! Those bugs were a real pain, ya know? You're lucky that you're on the list, boy!"
"List?" Izuku questioned. "What list? No, that doesn't matter! What did you—"
And Izuku fell to the ground too, just in tandem to the growing screams of Kota.
The entity watches in place, high in the sky, listens. Watches the beam fire off into the distance. It collides, collapses, and the landmass falls. The island crumples, clumps of rock and stone pelting into the surrounding water. A population of millions, sundered.
Izuku took a gulp of air. Before he could do anything, an enormous hand wrapped itself around Izuku, pummeling him into the ground.
Suddenly, everything hurt. He could feel his body entrapped within the small crater, pieces of rock covering his face as the enormous strength of Muscular pinned him down.
"I don't know what you two think you're playing at, but it's really pissing me off!" Muscular yelled. "Why don't you actually try and fight?!"
Muscular lifted his arm again, and slammed down onto Izuku's chest.
It hurts! Bugs. Bugs. Need. Atta—
The beast arises from the ocean as the rain pelters down around the entity. Breaths are held, everyone stills. Fear. Terror. The beasts moves forward, striking down the first row of gathered individuals. Injury. Death. Instantaneous. Demise. The gathered react, laying down their powers against the beast. Little works. The entity intervenes.
A moment of clarity, and suddenly everything hurts again. The bugs are biting, flying, injecting their venom into the villain's thick hide.
Izuku's head is bleeding, and his arm might be broken. His vision blurs again.
The entity waits. It views the landscape below. Events transpire. But the entity stays. And waits. And waits. And waits.
There are squirrels now. Mice too. Izuku isn't sure if he's hallucinating or not, but suddenly the tiny little furballs are joining in on the attack. Muscular becomes more feral, more sloppy, roaring and ripping at his own muscles. Voles and rabbits join the fray, biting, scratching, and digging into his flesh. Muscular's roars of pain echo through the forest.
The entity moves. Breaks the barriers in between. Enters a space, falls into another. The Keeper follows. The Collector follows. The entity faces them.
There's a large distance between Izuku and Muscular now. The villain scratches at his back and arms, throwing off the rodents. The insects continue to swarm in attack, but they too do little damage.
Izuku slowly rises from the crater in the ground. With his own eyes he sees the rampage, Muscular running into trees launching rocks from the face of the mountain all over
Izuku's legs are fine, thankfully. He slowly makes his way to the downed Kota, who continues to twitch and convulse at small, minute intervals.
Izuku picks him up and slowly retreats to the treeline. He looks back, and Muscular continues his rampage, showing no sign of stopping.
"There's only one way to stop him."
Izuku faces away from the villain, and goes deeper into the forest. The bugs swarm Muscular's mouth. They invade the space, and enter his throat, his lungs.
"He'll be fine. Just take them out before he suffocates and dies."
Izuku ignores the muffled screams. He runs with Kota in his arms, bloodied and haggard as bits of clothing hanging off his skin, blown off by the sheer force of Muscular's attacks.
And then he stumbles, one last time. And he sees her.
The girl. The queen. She hovers beside the entity, flailing her arms about and yelling in frustration. The female bearing the administrator asks the entity to leave. The entity watches her form connections to implant her control over her subjects. They form a cloud to block the entity's view. It doesn't matter. The entity stays. And watches. Too lost in the events below. The girl leaves.
Notes:
I'm sorry. (Not really ;) Yes, those of you who don't understand won't understand. But trust me, I'm writing this in a way where that doesn't matter. You'll all find out what this all means eventually. In that note, reading Worm is still an option at this point if you want to avoid possible spoilers. (I'm sorry. I just really like Worm . I recommend it to those who haven't read it yet).
And for those of you who do know what's happening and are seeing indiscrepancies: trust me. I know they're there. Things are how they are for a reason.
Anyways, I hope you all still had a fun experience reading this. More on the attack next time! Hope to have you all reading next week! Ta ta.
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