Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
"What?!" several of them shouted in a panic, very, very alarmed. I suppose that was the normal reaction when someone mentioned that multiple S-ranks were going to die.
"That kind of strength, you mean, that the ant queen created a monster with the strength of a national rank?" Nezu asked solemnly. I grimaced.
"No," I said immediately. "At the top of the S-ranks? Sure, but not quite national rank." That didn't seem to calm them down, so I just sighed. But it wasn't like I could say anything else to soothe them. Ant-King was a truly dangerous monster, and if he hadn't been stopped by Jin Woo, he might have reached national rank.
From what I recall, it could eat and absorb people's power. While its growth in brute strength was almost negligible, it could accumulate, but what it could fully absorb were powers, quirks, and just absorbing the quirks of hundreds or thousands of people would be enough to have another kind of AFO roaming the world.
"Was he stopped?" All Might asked seriously, and I nodded.
"After killing seven S-rank Japanese hunters and I think only one or two Koreans, yes. Although I don't know how or who did it." I said softly, even though I was lying. At this point, I didn't know if monarchs existed, I didn't know if Sung Jin Woo was strong enough to stop the Ant-King.
"Nothing?" Aizawa asked urgently, I snorted.
"Considering that the people whose future I saw died, no, I didn't see anything. I was lucky to see the aftermath of Jeju and know that the monster was dead, but nothing more." I lied dryly, and Aizawa grimaced. I sighed wearily. "And this, obviously, is if it happens exactly as I saw it." I reminded them reluctantly. "As the principal said, the ants are evolving."
"So it's safe to assume that winged ants will exist, and maybe that monster I saw too, but it's possible that this time, no one will stop it. And if no one does, it's safe to say that all the S-ranks on Jeju are going to die." I said solemnly.
"I'll say it again, why don't we warn the hunters?" Taylor asked, her foot bouncing anxiously. "I don't like it at all, especially since Goto and the president of the Hunters Association want me dead."
"But for Japan to lose seven S-ranks at once, after losing its National ranks, even I know that's a very bad idea. And most importantly, that monster has to be stopped, no matter what," Taylor said solemnly. "Izumi, has that monster already been created?" Taylor asked immediately. I stopped and shook my head.
"I have no idea," I said honestly. "I know the queen ant created it to lead the ants, but I have no idea when. From what it looked like, it might have already been incubated, but it hasn't hatched yet. It must have hatched just a few days before the raid, or even hours before. Otherwise, that monster would have already left Jeju and started its massacre." I said honestly.
"Does that mean that if they send the hunters now, they'll be able to kill the queen before it's born?" Taylor asked hopefully.
"That monster could hatch prematurely, perhaps not fully developed, but still very dangerous." I gestured with a grimace.
"Even so, it's better than nothing, it's an option," Taylor said firmly.
"It is, and we could do it, we could warn everyone." Nezu said as he nodded.
"Then-" Taylor said excitedly, Nezu frowned before sighing.
"Tell me... Izumi, how confident are you in defeating that monster?" Nezu asked directly.
""Principal?!"" exclaimed All Might and Aizawa in shock.
"Nezu." I said slowly, my grandfather narrowing his eyes dangerously. Nezu barely reacted, just stared at me.
"You want to send me?" I said simply, looking at Nezu. Nezu nodded.
"Yes," Nezu said without hesitation. Then he tapped his fist on his desk. "We could warn the hunters, the Association, Korea, and make the knowledge about the monster public. We don't have as many thinkers and people with mental quirks as the United States, but we could confirm this information quickly."
"I know the raid could be moved up to next week without any problem," Nezu said honestly. "But... that doesn't solve everything else," Nezu said disdainfully. "The only way to save the Korean hunters from Goto and Draw Sword's clutches is by making the attack public or even warning the Koreans."
"And although I'm inclined to do so, since the hunters' plans are an abomination, the truth is, we have no proof. We've already seen that both Madam President and Matsumoto are working together."
"If the Japanese hunters don't act, that means it's just our word against that of practically the entire Japanese government. We won't win. It's that simple. We can warn the Koreans, but the question is whether they believe us and what they'll do."
"I don't mind if they make it public after they've defended themselves, even if it severely damages the trust and credibility of Japanese hunters; they brought it on themselves. But the problem is if they decide to retaliate."
"If it turns into an open, full-blown fight, that would be truly awful. In the worst-case scenario, there are casualties on both sides, and we'll have a war on the verge of breaking out at any moment," Nezu said with a grimace. We all shuddered slightly. "Yes, so we need ways to stop the Draw Sword, Goto, and Matsumoto."
"So you need someone other than the Koreans to catch them red-handed and arrest them if necessary," Grandpa said with a grimace. Nezu sighed and nodded.
"Unfortunately, yes," Nezu said, massaging his temple. "If young Izumi manages to stop them, to catch Goto and Matsumoto red-handed, then this could all end up as an internal problem for Japan."
"And most importantly, we can use this accident to remove Matsumoto as president of the Hunters Association. As long as Matsumoto remains president, she will continue to be a danger to young Taylor. She must be stopped, and this, unfortunately, is the quickest way to remove her from her position."
"If I were any other student, I wouldn't even think of suggesting this option, but you are strong, Young Izumi, strong enough to decide for yourself."
"So I'll ask once more. Can you defeat that monster? Prevent the loss of the S-ranks, whether to that monster or Goto's schemes? Stop the murder of the Korean hunters?" Nezu asked seriously. I stopped.
"Izumi," Taylor said worriedly, but I barely heard her. That... was a good question. Fighting any S-rank fighter, I'd be confident I could beat them, of that I had no doubt. But against Ant-King? I had no idea... but there was only one answer to that question, wasn't there?
"Why don't we find out?" I asked with a wild grin on my face. I could feel my blood pumping at the thought of fighting Ant-King, and if necessary, Goto and the entire Draw Sword. I could hear Grandpa laughing his head off.
"Are you sure?" All Might asked worriedly from the side.
"Honestly, I have no idea," I said honestly, still smiling. "From what little I could see, I should be matched with the monster at best. And besides, I have a month to prepare."
"I'll have to ask Mai, but if she comes with me, then I'd have a much stronger hand up my sleeve, given her sword-making abilities," I said easily. I wasn't going to force Mai to come. Not a chance. It was one thing to risk myself, but quite another to send Mai to fight something stronger than an S-rank opponent without her consent.
"Let the boy do it," Grandpa said with a broad smile. "If he says he can, he will." Grandpa said confidently. Nezu didn't move, just stared at me before sighing and nodding.
"Very well." Nezu sighed wearily as he nodded. He almost seemed to be aging. He didn't even know how a mouse/bear/dog could look older, but Nezu managed it. Finally, he sighed wearily.
"I'll go too," Taylor said suddenly.
"You don't need to go," Aizawa said immediately.
"I know. But leaving Izumi in the middle of that mess?" Taylor asked, almost bitterly, before her gaze hardened. "I know I'm weaker than him, and I might slow him down, but Madam President was right, my quirk is ideal."
"On an island full of ants? I'll be more than capable of defending myself," Taylor said firmly.
"I don't know if it's a good idea," I said slowly. Taylor glared at me.
"So you can go fight monsters while I stay here?" Taylor asked dryly. I grimaced.
"I didn't mean it like that," I said with a grimace. "I seem to recall that the Koreans used a weapon to disrupt communication between the ants and the queen, to prevent the former from helping the latter regroup, and I have no idea if it actually exists, or how it works, and... in fact, I have no idea how your quirk works? Is it transmitted through waves? No clue..."
"I mean... the Koreans had communications and were broadcasting everything live at the same time, so it seemed like something very specific. But again, I don't know how your quirk would react if it worked in a similar way?"
"So no, I have absolutely no idea how that will affect your quirk. It's quite possible that while you're on Jeju, your quirk will be completely useless." I said solemnly. Everyone stopped stiffly.
And I wasn't lying. I don't think they ever explained, or at least I don't remember, how that wave blocking worked. Were they mana waves? Electromagnetic waves? A unique monster frequency? A mix of both? Possibly the latter.
And as I said, it had to be something specific to the ants; the Koreans were broadcasting the Jeju raid live, and the Japanese still had communications, which meant it ONLY affected the signal the ants were transmitting.
If it had been the Taylor from canon? I'd definitely say no. The Shards gave Taylor her power; they functioned far beyond anything humans could understand. But here? Her quirk should be more biological. She'd need a real way to transmit her quirk, something other than worm-like space magic.
"Oh," Taylor said, blinking slightly and remaining silent for a few seconds. "I still want to go," she said, her gaze hardening. I could only sigh.
"I'm not going to win this one, am I?" I asked dryly. Taylor just raised an eyebrow. I sighed once more before looking at Nezu, who seemed contemplative.
"You'll go, only if your quirk works." Nezu finally said, and Taylor's eyes widened.
"Wait, how will I know if it works before I go?" Taylor asked, surprised.
"We'll ask the Koreans," Nezu said easily, shrugging. "You'll go as Skitter, as a hero, and that means, as part of UA, I'll still have influence and weight to deal with the Koreans. And that means asking about their plans and the 'communication wave jammer' the ants are preparing." Nezu said with a broad smile.
"Oh, the Koreans are going to go crazy trying to figure out how you knew about that weapon they never announced," Grandpa said playfully. Nezu just laughed out loud.
"Yes, it'll be fun!" Nezu said cheerfully. "Even so, Young Taylor, you'll have to undergo several tests. As your husband said, we need to know how your quirk works properly and what signals it sends out."
"We'll work with Power Load and the support department; they should be able to create something similar to nullify the Jeju insects, but much smaller, before the end of the month. Then we'll see if you can use your quirk or not."
"If your quirk stays, I'll let you go to Jeju, deal?" Nezu finally said, nodding. Taylor almost looked like she wanted to argue, but ultimately agreed.
"Very well," Taylor agreed. "Only because I know that, without my insects, I'll be an even bigger problem for Izumi," she said ruefully.
"Look on the bright side," I said to Taylor with a smile. "I'm sure we can convince the Koreans to let us take some of the Jeju ants. I'm almost certain they're all A-rank." I told Taylor excitedly. Taylor's eyes shone brightly with excitement.
"You're not helping by mentioning that they're going to fight a swarm of A-rank monsters," Aizawa said dryly before massaging his temple. "Do you need me to remove you from the festival plans so you can train and prepare?" Aizawa finally asked.
""No."" we said at the same time. I looked at Taylor and she shrugged.
"I'm the class representative and part of the stage team. My job mainly consists of making sure everything is in order and coordinating everything with my insects and using them to make them visually appealing during the presentation."
"Nothing that takes me a lot of time, really. So it's not necessary," Taylor said honestly.
"And I promised Eri I'd sing. Making her happy is more important than spending hours training to thwart an assassination attempt, prevent a war, and fight a super-strong ant," I said, shrugging. Everyone stared at me before Grandpa, All Might, and Nezu burst out laughing. Even Aizawa chuckled.
"Well said, Young Miyamura!" All Might said cheerfully as he came over and patted me on the back. "A little girl's smile is more important than anything else. I've never heard truer words in my life. You really will be a great hero!" All Might said with a wide grin. I snorted playfully.
"Very well, now you both may leave. I'll take care of the rest. Keep an eye on your Scrolls; we'll have much to discuss in the coming days to coordinate everything," Nezu said with a nod. We both nodded immediately.
"Of course, Director Nezu," Taylor said easily. Nezu nodded contentedly. After exchanging a few more words with everyone, we both left Nezu's office and started walking together toward the dormitories.
"So we're going to fight a monster stronger than S-rank," Taylor said gently. I hummed.
"Worried?" I asked gently. Taylor just blinked before sighing.
"Maybe, but... I trust you," Taylor said with a small smile. I smiled broadly.
"Good, because I won't lose." I said, my eyes shining with excitement.
"We'll have to tell the others," Taylor said with a grimace, something I echoed.
"Yeah, that's not going to end well." I sighed wearily. Taylor laughed amusedly.
"You know this isn't going to go well, right? When you tell Mom." Taylor said with a sly smile. I stopped stiffly.
"Oh, shit." I groaned loudly as Taylor laughed. "She's going to blame everything on me!"
"Yes, she will; she'll be terribly angry."
"I know, you can come and we'll tell her together!"
"She'll be angry because you dragged me with you to Jeju."
"Why don't you tell her yourself? And by the way, was it all your idea and I'm just going to protect you?"
"She'll be angry with you because you didn't stop me from going to Jeju."
"Oh come on! It's not fair! I always lose out!"
"That's what happens when you're Mom's least favorite."
"Fuck you!"
"That's why I have you here, my husband. I hope you remember your marital duties."
"Is that all I'm good for? As a shield to receive my mother's anger and as a cute sex toy? I feel so objectified, this has to be abuse."
"I'm glad you understand; it seems you can learn after all."
"Oh, go to hell."
"..."
Author's Notes: Uff, well, I thought this would take me one chapter, but it took much longer, even so, with this everything is ready for Jeju.