99tyguylerobot: Oh trust me way ahead of you. Might not be that soon but I had a similar idea.
Shin: Ridiculous is an understatement. In avanegers academy he grows so big so quickly he can fit the universe in the palm of his hand, Izuku won't be that op for awhile maybe down the line but not gonna lie I can't give him god like powers just yet.
Guest: Thank you I hope you stick around and yes that idea is still on the table.
Karlos1234ify: That's good, I hope this can keep it.
SpectacularSpidey: Math or not the idea is still on the table.
HLBRS-H: Maybe
AnimeFan13579: Those are some fun ideas I hope you don't mind if I barrow some and you are right a lot of characters are physically pathetic if their quirk is neutralized.
Zer0-Writer: Here you go.
Chapter 2 Research, Testing and Nemesis
Izuku opened the door to his room with a huge mug of coffee as he locked his door and quickly opened his computer, turning it on and opening up some video recording software. Izuku checked his cheap webcam, before turning it on. "Okay, okay. I know this is stupid to do as I am dealing with stolen equipment but this is also for the sake of research and science. SO this is somewhat needed." as he took a gulp of his coffee. " Also please forgive me for my jitteriness but this is coffee number… uh… I lost count after ten and I've been up for like 48 hours just freaking out about all the info I've got here cause this shit is crazy and I love it."
Izuku put down the coffee and rubbed his face. "Okay let me take you back to somewhat the beginning here, it all started a week ago. After I came back home, Meg and Yamada had a tearful reunion and I got paid, but the big thing was I stashed the suit in an abandoned apartment with cameras monitoring it just in case anyone was tracking it. While that was happening I was researching trying to figure out where the hell this thing came from. That wasn't so hard since I had the laptop that came with, and holy shit it is filled with so much, I will be working on that thing for quite awhile, but I'm getting off topic. I discovered that a lab in America, San Francisco to be specific, was robbed and lost several things including all of its database on all of its experiments and the destruction of an experimental suit. Well that's what the news says, in reality it was all stolen and from what I can piece together, that guy, Rubert, Rudy whatever his name is, stabbed his people in the back for the suit and everything else that was stolen. He probably wanted to use the suit to pull off several crimes, but he couldn't because the thing that powers everything that the lab was experimenting with, including the suit, is powered by these strange particles, Pym particles."
Izuku grabbed a vail and some notes he had on the vials. "Now these were a whole other monster to get information on. From what I could find a man named Hank Pym invented these particles after he retired and he apparently passed away before fully transcribing all of his research or he simply didn't want anyone to figure out how they were made. Make sense cause half of the stuff I found on the laptop is enough to make a doomsday weapon. Either way the formula wasn't completed and you couldn't properly use the suit or the equipment without knowing the proper formula, like a really complicated password, which leads me to believe that Mr. Pym really didn't want anyone to get their hands on his research, but he left enough of it."
"Back to the guy who brought it to Japan, he needed to find someone who can figure out the formula, he tries going to Meg's cousin who's quirk isn't good enough to figure it out but Meg's quirk was enough to do the trick. She unlocked it, and since the guy got his head blown off by Missile man and Missile Man is officially in a coma, no one knows who has the suit. No one knows I have the suit, no one knows I'm Ant Man."
Izuku leaned back letting those words sink in. "So the big question is what now? The moral thing to do is return the suit and forget this ever happened, but that could cause some issues since I've looked at the research and clearly people are killing for it, not to mention I broke the law by not only interfering with hero work but also pretending to be a hero,also I lied to All Might. Which sucks." Izuku didn't like lying to his hero. "So turning myself in might not be the best idea, not to mention on a personal level I don't want to. This here is my chance, a chance I never had before, a chance to be a hero, to do something right." As Izuku said the words he knew how selfish he was sounding but he pushed those thoughts down.
"Now I need to move forward and plan." Izuku brought some books about law. "Before I figure out what I can do with the research I need to cover my ass, one if the worst case scenario happens, how do I get out of it. One the worst case is death but aside from that if I get caught how to keep myself from getting into too much crap. Thankfully for once I'm quirkless, and every vigilante law I have seen all pertains to someone using their quirk outside of the law. Meaning there is no law against someone who doesn't have a quirk can do hero work. The only problem is when the suit comes into play cause that is definitely not legal equipment right there, so I need to figure out a way to make it legal, now how do I do that? Well one way is to get a mechanic license which is similar to a hero license, which I can get by going through school and getting into one of the support courses. There I would have the legal ability to make any equipment I want but I couldn't use it myself and all of it gets cleared by the teachers and they would obviously ask questions, questions that would lead me to get caught. So I can't do that, but I can do that if I was in college."
Izuku supn his pen in his hand. "Now that asks another question, am I smart enough to get into college early, and my answer to that is maybe, cause one of my part time jobs I did was tutoring and not just other kids my age, I have tutored several highschool students before. To be honest it's somewhat difficult to know what grade I should be in, several teachers have told me before I could skip grades into highschool and that with me barley focusing on school, I've been more focused on clearing my families debt, so I never have really pushed myself in school and I'm already ace-ing all of my classes. But if I was to get into college and into a support course, I would have the freedom to work on several projects in the open without any teacher telling me to stop, you know as long as nothing goes wrong. Not to mention then I can just chalk up all of my ideas to being a child genius."
Izuku then wrote some stuff down on a piece of paper. "I do believe the college route is the best to take because it also let's me work as Ant Man somewhat legitimately in the quickest amount of time. Get to college, get a support license, and make things similar to the ant man suit to give the equipment legitimacy. That would also, maybe, throw anyone else after the suit off of my tail. I have a few ideas how I can pull it off, I know a few teachers and deans that have been clients for me before. So if everything goes right I can legitimize the suit in four months, one month to study, take the test if passed I can enter in the fall quarter."
"After that all I need to do is figure out a way to become a legit hero, by either becoming a sidekick, going through an agency or get permission from a high ranking hero to take the hero license test. Which seems to be the easy part."
Izuku nodded. "Okay I have somewhat of a plan, now is the time to get started."
~o~
Izuku left his apartment knowing the first part he needed to do and that was to get some help. Little help. "Okay here we have the hall of insects." announced the tour guide.
Izuku was currently at the mustafa zoo. After looking through the ant laptop, the stolen laptop. He found blueprints for an earpiece that could pickup one's thoughts, originally designed to control machinery but Izuku had another idea. After having to hide in bushes for his spying gig, he made a sonic machine that would send signals that only insects could picku telling them to leave Izuku alone. Izuku was able to make the earpiece with the modifications from his sonic machine, if worked in theory he should be able to control the ants. "Okay test number one."
Izuku focused on activating the ear piece, and suddenly all of the insects in the hall became agitated and destroyed their habitats, freaking everyone out in the hall. Several parents began to freak out and run out of the hall. "Okay everyone please stay calm and head to the exits." yelled the tour guide as they led everyone out of the hall of the insects.
Izuku took the earpiece out, stopping the insects. "Okay that was not what was supposed to happen."
~o~
"Okay so test one was a failure and I realize now trying to control all of the ants at a zoo might be too big of a first step," said Izuku as he was giving an update to his computer. "So I went a little smaller and bought myself an ant farm with a small colony of ants." Izuku then showed the small glass pan of the ant farm with some ants crawling around. He put it down in front of the computer and put his ant controlling ear piece on. Izuku focused and had thought of all the ants moving to the top of the farm. Slowly but surely they all moved upward. "Still got some work to do, but it's a start. This will be my focus for a bit."
~o~
(Four days later)
"Okay with some few modifications to the ear piece, controlling the ants has become super easy, and I've gotten the hang of it." Izuku focused and the ants began to march out of their hives bringing Izuku creamer packets for his coffee. "See I've successfully begun to control them long range and it seems that when the ants receive the order they will follow through despite the distance and number of ants, further research is needed but I think they are ready for the next part." Izuku took a sip of coffee. "I guess I should clarify what exactly I mean, I had to figure this project out first before I get started on making Pym particles because I'm going to need these guys to get me the things I need pym particles. They're going to help me rob a lab." Izuku brought out some blueprints. "This is Kurosu labs, they've been accused for years for dealing in illegal tech and giving villains support items. So I'm going to do some community service and clean house. How am I going to do this," Izuku brought out his shrinking and growing disks. "I have 15 shrinking disks left and 18 growing disks left, and to make the disks and pym particles I need 6 different pieces of machinery, including ingredients. Lucky the machines needed aren't that big, most can fit on a desk and the ingredients I can get elsewhere but I need to make this look like a big heist so they don't expect me, also it would give more of a reason for heroes to investigate. Now how do I do all of this, moving and taking the machines will be easy, just shrink them down and take them, getting in however….is a lot more easier than I thought." said Izuku in a dead tone. "Yesterday I shrunk down a case of cameras and had the ants do some recon. I know I'm rushing a bit but I am on a deadline here. Anyway under the lab is a sewer which I can use to sneak in, literally no security whatsoever down there. I already had an ant enter the security room and confirmed they ain't monitoring the sewer whatsoever. I know this isn't one of Kurosu's main labs but come on, I kind of want to try and see if I could break in without the shrinking tech." Part of Izuku really wanted to try it, but he knew better.
Izuku then grabbed a small box of fireworks. "So here's the plan. Sneak in from below have the ants move in, sabotage the security system and the feed, while there doing that enter the lab and shrink the machines and blow the wall and the fence to make it look like someone broke in from the outside." Izuku knew the plan was simple but it worked for him. "Easy."
~o~
Izuku was below the lab in the sewer, "God, it reeks down here." said Izuku making his way through the sewers. He found the small pipe leading up to the lab, it was small but Izuku could fit into it at his regular size.. Izuku then brought out his phone and saw the security cams on his ants. "No scientists are in the building, and the two security guards on duty are, playing a video game and sleeping, and the last janitor is clocking out for the day. It's one am, let's get out by two." Izuku put his hoodie on and a gas mask. Right now he wasn't Ant Man, right now he was a thief. Izuku checked all the bomb ants were in position. "Bomb ants one through three, GO"
Inside the building Izuku had shrunken down explosives boxes to the size of sugar cubes and had a few ants carry them to key positions around the lab, one in the server room, one at the generator and one to destroy the main hallway leading to the lab. The ants used the blue disks and grew the bomb boxes, after waiting sixty seconds they went off blowing up.
Izuku quickly climbed the pipe, it was slippery but Izuku was able to get up to the metal lid separating him from the lab. 'Okay just need to cut through this and I'm in.' Izuku brought out his hand blow torch, ready to cut the metal. Izuku placed the torch onto the metal when he felt something off. Izuku pushed on the metal realizing it wasn't even locked, "Oh you've got to be kidding me, they didn't lock this." Izuku pushed up and was able to open the panel. "It's like they're asking to get robbed."
Izuku quickly moved and started using the shrinking disks and shrinking the machines he needed and putting them into a case. He looked around and stole a 3D printer as well, and ordered the ants to move around the room and mess with some of the things on the desk to make it look ransacked. Izuku then took out a small box before regrowing it, inside were several explosives, he then tossed three enlarging disks growing three ants. "Okay, put those bombs around the lab and let's get out of here."
Izuku then looked at his watch, 1:20 am, "Ahead of schedule, did I miss anything?" Izuku looked around and noticed his ants were making a circle around a desk, none of them were getting close to the desk, Izuku slowly approached the desk, looking over it to see what was making the ants act so weird. He found nothing, the desk had a single computer on it along with several papers and a small cage in the corner with a single red beetle inside, looking directly at Izuku. "Are you the reason the ants are acting so weird?"
The beetle twitched. "You speak insect human?"
Izuku's eyes went wide as his mind stopped for a moment before it fully registered that the beetle was speaking to him. "You can talk, a talking beetle, is this your quirk, is that why you're here?"
"Free me human, now." demanded the beetle in a very aggressive tone.
Izuku raised an eyebrow at the beetle. "And why should I do that?"
"I shall grant you human the swiftiest and painless death possible."
Izuku looked down at the beetle unfazed by the beetle's words, "Yeah I'm not going to do that."
The beetle then snapped his mandibles at the cage. "I am your superior human, you shall do as I say." Izuku just kept looking down at the beetle. "Please."
"Pfft" Izuku kept himself from laughing. "Wow way to cave in so quickly."
"Oh come on, don't you atleast want my help to kill the other human."
"Other human?"
Izuku wasn't able to ask any further questions when suddenly the lab door burst open revealing one of the guards with blood on his uniform. He saw Izuku and instantly drew his weapon. "Who are you? Are you with him?" Izuku was about to raise his hands and calm the guy down but it was too late, as a sword pierced the guards chest from behind, killing him.
"HOLY SHIT!" yelled Izuku as he saw the guard fall. Izuku looked up and saw a man in a white cloak, wearing a skull mask on his face and sword in his hand. Izuku also noticed that parts of the man cloaks were burnt. "Who are you?"
The man looked at Izuku. "They call me Taskmaster, are you the one that blew up the server room?" Izuku gulped. "Easy job, just steal some data and now it blew up in my face. You're going to die now." As Taskmaster raised his blade.
Izuku ducked down and rolled undered the desk. It gave little protection as Taskmaster cut it in half with ease. "You'll pay for burning me." As he stood overlooking Izuku.
"FREEEEEDOOOOOM!"
Taskmaster stopped as he looked around the room. "Who said that?"
"You will pay humans, vengeance will be mine," Taskmaster looked down to see the red beetle on the ground on top of a broken cage. "You all will bow down to the insect race."
"What the…" as Taskmaster was distracted Izuku took out his remaining disks forming a plan, as the beetle ranted on about his supremacy. "Shut up." He kicked the beetle towards Izuku, hitting his hand.
Izuku dropped the disks. "Oh no."
Taskmaster slammed his boot on Izuku, forcing him down. Prepare to...die…"
Izuku followed Taskmaster's sight and saw that the beetle had hit the enlarging disk and was now standing on its hind legs, seven feet tall and looking at them. "Now die lowly human." yelled the beetle as he expanded his mandibles, Taskmaster used his sword as a wedge keeping the pincers from crushing him. The beetle then tossed the sword away before hitting taskmaster with the outside of its pincers sending him flying toward the wall.
"Whao, way to go red beetle." said Izuku standing up.
"No, I will not accept being this red beetle, from henceforth you shall call me uh call me uhhh. One moment I need to think of a proper name for my grandeur." said the beetle.
While that was happening Izuku knew it was a bad idea to let this beetle stay big so he called his ants to pick up the disks he dropped without activating them, the only problem was that they were still trying to avoid the beetle. 'He has some sort of ability to make the ants to avoid him, even the big ones don't want to go near him, so keep him talking.' Izuku thought. "How about king beetle."
"Nooo"
"Bob."
"Absolutely not."
"The great insectoid."
"Oh come on now, that's worse than Bob, wait I got it, from now on call me the Scarlet Beetle." said the Scarlet Beetle causing Izuku to give the insect a deadpan stare under his gas mask. "Yes, I can see it now, the Scarlet Beetle topples man kind and leads the rise to the insect revolution. Now as thanks human, you shall be the first to die for my kind."
"WHAT?!" Izuku instincts took over and tried to kick the giant bug. Izuku's foot merely bounced off of the bug's exoskeleton. "Oh crap."
"HAHAHAHA. See human this is one of the many reasons why the insect race is superior. Your kick is nothing compared to my tough exterior." boosted the Scarlet Beetle as it grabbed Izuku. "Don't worry, human, I will remember you."
"Then you're never going to forget me." The beetle looked in time to see Taskmaster aiming a flying kick directly to the bugs head, causing him to drop Izuku and topple to the ground.
Izuku quickly got up and saw the beetle was having a bit of trouble getting off of its round back.. "You saved me, why?"
"I would never get another client if they heard I got tossed by a bug, not to mention I would not accept it, but don't mistake this as….YOUR A KID!" Izuku felt his face, realizing that his mask fell off when the beetle dropped him. "You're as young as my daughter, what the hell are you doing?" asked Taskmaster now greatly surprised by the turn of events.
Now it's Izuku's turn to be surprised. "Why do you give a shit?" As he grabbed his gas mask.
Taskmaster actually had to think for a second. "I don't, I'm just a little surprised by the fact a brat is here."
"Age does not matter" said the Scarlet Beetle as it rolled on to its legs, before standing back up. "You both will die for harming the future ruler of insect kind."
Izuku looked down seeing that his ants had grabbed his disks but were trying to avoid the giant beetle. "Okay game plan, you distract the big bug and I take it out from behind."
"No" said Taskmaster as he picked up his sword. "I do not need your help squashing this bug."
Scarlet Beetle eyed the two. "You are by far more skilled but," the bug jumped at Izuku. "You're the one that I must stop."
'Shit.' Thought Izuku as he jumped away, 'He knows the disks will shrink him down, so he's putting distance between me and my ants, and he knows my ants are avoiding him.' Izuku began to run avoiding the raging insect. Jumping over a desk that the bug just went through as if it was nothing. Izuku quickly grabbed a long broken chunk of desk and swung it at the bug who didn't even register the strike. "Oh come on."
"Your attacks are futile."
"Yeah but his isn't." said Izuku, causing Scarlet Beetle to turn to Taskmaster, who was just standing there, doing nothing. "Well aren't you going to do something."
Taskmaster just stared at Izuku. "Is that it?"
"Is what it?"
"Is that really all you got, cause that's just sad." said Taskmaster, feeling a little bit of pity for Izuku. "I don't believe, the person that was so close to blowing me up and killing me is a stupid child."
Izuku ran as the beetle began chasing him again. "Uh hello this thing here is planning on killing you as well."
"That doesn't mean I should help you," said Taskmaster who was right. "Honestly the best strategy for me right now, is to hang back and wait for you two to kill each other. Study your strategies and make a plan to counter the victor but, I'm dealing with a stupid child and a dumbass bug." causing Scarlet Beetle to stop. "I like my odds."
Scarlet Beetle slowly walked towards Taskmaster. "Are you looking down at me?" Stopping in front of Taskmaster. Izuku took this opportunity to go to his ants with his disks.
"How else are you supposed to look at a bug." Scarlet Beetle roared in rage as it tried to attack Taskmaster who jumped and kicked the large bug in the eye, causing the beetle to yell in pain. Taskmaster then made several quick strikes in between the exoskeleton, causing damage to the bug, who roared in pain. "If you think you can beat me then you're quite mistaken."
"You will die you insignificante human." Before the insect could do anything else, Taskmaster used his sword and cut across the bugs head, leaving a nasty scar.
My head!"
"You got lucky the first time, and it won't happen again." Taskmaster was about to cut the beetle's head clean off until it suddenly shrunk down to its normal size, revealing Izuku a few feet away. "You can shrink it, why the hell didn't you do that sooner?"
Izuku glared at Taskmaster. "Fuck you man, you could have ninja chopped this thing forever ago."
"No return me to my big size you filthy human." They both looked down to see a regular size Scarlet Beetle. "Restore my size and I won't kill you immediately." Izuku reached down and grabbed a beaker and put it over the beetle trapping it inside.
Taskmaster then pointed his blade at Izuku, who smiled. "Before you do that I should inform you that I can do more than just shrink things." Izuku focused his thoughts causing the ants he enlarged earlier to drop from the ceiling. 'So that's where they were hiding, with Scarlet Beetle trapped the ants are listening to me again.'
Taskmaster looked around at the ants, 'Three of them I could probably take them, but the police and heroes are most likely on their way.' He sheathed his sword. "Fine kid, just this once I'll let you go, but if I ever see you again, I'll have your head."
Izuku didn't want to back down. "If i ever see you again, i'll kick your ass."
Taskmaster eyed Izuku before laughing. "An untrained brat like you kick my ass, that's hilarious. You'll have quite a ways to go before you become a serious threat to me."
"I will thank you," said Izuku, causing Taskmaster to tilt his head in confusion. "You just set the bar, next time we meet I will defeat you."
Part of Taskmaster told him to treat Izuku like a serious threat and to take him out right then and there but 'I must be getting rusty if this kid is setting off my instincts. He's just a brat, there's no way he can become a threat.' Taskmaster then pressed a button on his arm causing part of the wall to explode, revealing an airship on the other side. "Farewell foolish child." as he boarded the airship and left.
Izuku watched him leave as he shrunk his ants down to their regular size as he ordered them to leave. Izuku hopped down the pipe and ran, pressed his detonator causing his explosive to cover his escape. "Next time, Taskmaster I will defeat you….. Did I just get a nemesis?"
Next time: Suits and Red Tags | You want to read this now just head over to my page. ~P-A-T-R-E-O-N~ Lorenzo the story teller. There you can read all chapters a head of time and my exclusive stories.
A/N Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to show Izuku's progress and give him a bit of motivations to reach for that's less vague than become a hero. Now he has a goal to challenge Taskmaster and how could I not include Ant Man's Nemesis. Also if you can't tell I'm not going to follow the MHA story directly as I wanted to put a different spin then Izuku going through the story with a different power, but don't worry the rest of the cast will show up eventually, so stay tuned for some more fun from Ant Man.
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