Chapter 186: Springtime Snowy Mountain Camping (4)
~Third POV~
[Snowy Mountain – Tents, Japan]
After the boys recovered from Ren's antics, possibly giving them trauma for life, they tried to calm themselves. Then Ida remembered something as he said, "Ah, Bakugo's illness made me forget an important discovery."
Listening, Ren asked curiously with a raised eyebrow, "Oh? What is it?"
Returning to what Ida saw, he explained to the boys, curiously gazing at him as he said calmly, "While gathering kindling earlier, I came upon evidence of an animal in the forest. Something rather large."
Ren blinked, genuinely surprised as he asked, "There're animals in here with us?"
Ida nodded his head as he continued explaining in a curious tone, "Apparently so. I observed claw marks on trees and found bits of fur… Look."
He extracted a handkerchief from his pocket and unfolded it for his campmates. Within the cloth sat a clump of tangled white fur. Midoriya took a closer look at the light of the fire as he said in a confused tone, "It's awfully long fur… What sort of animal, I wonder?"
Kaminari's eyes widened as he gazed at the evidence in a stunned tone, gasping in pure shock, "What the heck? Wouldn't Sensei have said something if there was a huge beastie stuck in here with us? Or d'you think they're trying to make the snowy-mountain simulation extra deadly?"
Raising an eyebrow, Sero asked, "Deadly how?"
Ren bluntly answered with a deadpan expression, arms crossed, "Like, by filling it with monsters. I wouldn't pass that Aizawa-Sensei would pull that crap."
The boys paused before slowly nodding as Ida said curiously on the topic, "Hrm, a hibernating bear or two wouldn't be out of place on a true-to-life wintry mountain."
Todoroki suggested innocently, "Polar bear fur, then?"
Ren placed a hand over Todoroki's shoulder as he explained, but then, with an unusually curious look on his face, he said, "Todoroki, my man… Polar bears live at the North Pole. Oh, actually…"
Seeing the shift change in his expression, Sero asked with a suspicious expression, "What is it, man? You have that I know something face, and not in the good way."
Ren blinked as he rubbed the back of his head as he sheepishly said, "Well, before we trekked out here, Nejire Hado told me a bonkers rumor about this place when she came over to… 'visit' like usual."
Kaminari, leaning forward, fully invested, said excitedly, "Yeah? Fill us in!"
Clearing his throat, Ren began to explain the tale in a grand tone, "They say the magnetic field is all out of whack somewhere in this facility. It's a place where space-time gets warped, forming a connection to other dimensions."
Kaminari chuckled as he added, listening to Ren's story, "Tokoyami would go gaga over a story like that."
The mention of this spooky sci-fi concept brought a scowl to Kirishima's face as he said with a serious expression, "I heard about that too. Some kid said they saw a freaky monster pop out. Something not of this world…"
Kaminari, taking a moment back, asked in a doubtful tone, eyeing Kirishima, "Wait, you think that fur came from an extra-dimensional eldritch terror or something?"
Shaking his head, Kirishima explained, waving his hand at Kaminari as he said bluntly, "Not saying I believe it, dude. Only, it's funny that I just heard about it too."
The boys stared at each other as an eerie silence descended over the group until Kaminari and Sero burst out laughing.
"Nah, not a chance!"
"What're we, five?"
"Hey now—I was actually hyped for a second there!"
Midoriya started chuckling, too, but a grave expression remained on Ida's face as he said in a cautious tone, "If the magnetic field is truly disrupted somewhere within the facility, then we ought to inform Sensei tomorrow. In fact, we should take it upon ourselves to verify the rumor during our time here. What do you say? Who's up for an expedition tomorrow morning?"
Kaminari, getting hyped up again, said excitedly, "Seriously? I mean, I never say no to an adventure!"
Feeling pumped up with adrenaline, Kirishima turned his back at the Tent as he asked his good old friend Bakugo, "Let's just hope Bakugo is back in top form by morning. Yo, Bakugo! Think you can stomach some fish yet?"
*WOOOSH*
Just as he got up to peek into Bakugo's tent, a powerful wind began to blow. Before the boys knew it, the simulated stars were hidden by virtual clouds, and snow began to dance on the wind.
Kaminari said as the weather changed in an enthusiastic tone, "Heck yeah, it's snowing!"
But his enthusiasm didn't last long when the tame snowfall quickly grew into a ferocious blizzard. Sero shouted in a concerned tone, "What's with this weather? There was no warning or anything!"
Covering themselves for safety from the unsuspected blizzard, Ida spoke up in a serious tone, "Perhaps it's a deliberate function, meant to provide us with blizzard training!"
Kaminari was genuinely annoyed by the blizzard and groaned in an annoyed tone, "Gimme a break! So much for my laid-back camping trip!"
Covering his face with his winter clothing, Ren spoke up in a serious tone, "In any case, our tents should provide adequate shelter for now."
*WOOOOSH*
The fierce wind battered the sides of the tents noisily, and Todoroki hastily used his ice to extinguish the raging fire before the wind could spread it to the flammable tents. Ren spoke up loudly, "Kirishima! How is Bakugo faring?"
Kirishima checked as he said, "Sleeping like a baby!"
Ren sighed a breath of relief as he spoke to the boys in a calm tone, "Good. I'll check on him later, then. I believe it's time for bed, so good night!"
The boys murmured 'Good night' to each other and crawled into their respective tents, eager to take shelter from the blizzard, which only grew worse as the night went on. The violent snow and wind lashed and howled, enveloping the boys in a world of white without light. A winter storm is indiscriminate and bares its fangs at one and all.
As the wind slammed the tents with aplomb, Midoriya's brief and fitful sleep was interrupted by the sound of someone calling his name.
"… riya! Midoriya!"
Midoriya, rushing to open the zipper on his tent, said in a tired tone, rubbing his eyes, "Ida? What's going on?"
He found Ida squatting and scowling on the other side as he explained in a troubled tone, eyes narrowing, "Several minutes ago, Sero announced that he needed to relieve himself, and Ren accompanied him as a precaution, but they still haven't returned."
Midoriya raised an eyebrow as he asked, concerned, "You think they're in trouble?"
Ida paused, considering the idea before he slowly nodded his head as he said calmly, gazing at Midoriya's support gear wristband, "Well, it's hard to imagine that they went far or got lost. Anyhow, I'm off to locate him, but I thought I ought to inform someone first. New support Gear, I suppose?"
Midoriya grinned, showing his new suitcase for his 'Iron Deku' in a confident tone, "Yeah. A new way to always have my Hero Costume on me, just for safety precautions, of course. But let me come too."
However, Ida shook his head as he explained in a confident tone, "Nonsense. I alone should suffice. I'll let you know when we've returned."
With that, Ida vanished into the blizzard. Midoriya was uneasy about it, but he had to have faith in Ida. He waited in his tent for what felt like forever as he thought, concerned, 'Still not back yet?'
Midoriya checked his watch. It had only been five minutes, but what could possibly be taking those guys so long?
*Wooosh*
A nasty gust of wind blasted the tent, threatening to twist and crumple it, and Midoriya realized that wind like this wouldn't allow footprints to stick around for long. Just as he was gearing up to go after Ida, he heard a far-off scream.
This alarmed Midoriya, who immediately armed himself with his Support Gear Gauntlet in a startled tone, "Is that you, Ida?"
*Click*
Armed with a gauntlet cannon on standby, Midoriya flew out of his tent just in time to spot Todoroki, Kirishima, and Kaminari popping their faces out of their own tents.
Kaminari asked, seeing his friends out in an alarmed tone, "You guys heard that too?"
Midoriya, gazing at the blizzard ahead, explained swiftly, informing his friends in a determined tone, "I think it was Ida! He went off to find Sero and Ren, who were taking an awfully long time going to the bathroom. I think I'd better look for them!"
Todoroki nodded determinedly and said, "Count me in."
Kirishima grinned, raising his fist up in a determined tone, and asked Kaminari, "Me too! Kaminari—you keep an eye on Bakugo for us."
Kaminari grinned, giving the group a thumbs up in a confident tone, and said, "Sure thing! Careful out there, guys!"
The three boys set off in the direction of the scream they had heard. The small flame in Todoroki's hand was whipped by the wind, and the freezing snow pricked the boys' cheeks like a barrage of tiny needles.
They could only see a few meters ahead as they struggled to push forward through the monstrous blizzard without losing each other. The boys yelled out loud, hoping to get a reaction from their friends.
"Ren! Ida! Sero!"
"You out there?"
"Give us a shout!"
No response. They continued to cry into the darkness until something smacked Midoriya in the face.
"Bwuh?"
Noticing this, Todoroki asked stoically, "You okay, Midoriya?"
Kirishima approached the two, but then his eyes wandered to a piece of clothing as he said in a stunned tone, "Yo, what is it? Hey, ain't that Ida's…?"
Kirishima was right; it was Ida's heavy coat, or at least a torn shred of it. Noticing this, Midoriya's eyes widened as he muttered in disbelief, "His coat's been all ripped up…"
Todoroki wondered out loud in disbelief, "How, though?"
The boys didn't get the chance to talk more as Kirishima's voice brought their attention to his concerned tone, "Um, dudes? What's that?"
Kirishima, pointing to a depression in the snow. A closer look revealed it to be a massive animal's footprint—a footprint that was easily one meter across. They muttered amongst each other in confusion.
"That's big—way too big…"
"The monster, you think?"
"What, like the one from the stories?"
The boys locked eyes. Recalling the earlier stories, looking grim and cursed, Kirishima said, "Aw, hell no!"
Midoriya, gripping the scrap of Ida's coat, yelled concerned, "We'd better find Ida and Sero. Quickly!"
Todoroki raised his hand, starting a fire as he spoke in a concerned tone, "Shouldn't we tell Kaminari and Bakugo firs—"
"AHHHHH!"
Todoroki started to speak, but he was interrupted by Kaminari's scream, which came from the direction of the tents. They spun around to race back, but Midoriya tripped over his own feet and fell.
"Midoriya?"
"I'm fine! Let's hurry!"
*Clang*
Midoriya activated his Support Gear, transforming into Iron Deku, and fought through the blizzard back to the tents, with Todoroki and Kirishima just behind him. But what Midoriya saw made him say in disbelief, "What on earth…"
Midoriya was the first to see what had become of their campsite; the tents were torn to ribbons, and those same giant footprints dotted the area. Midoriya, coming to his senses yelled in concern, "Kacchan! Kaminari!"
He raced over to Bakugo's tent—which was somehow still intact—and found a very much alert Bakugo, alone and bundled in his winter-weather gear as Midoriya asked, "Where's Kaminari, Kacchan?"
Bakugo, looking at Midoriya in his armor, realized the situation as he replied bluntly, surveying the area cautiously, "We heard some kinda noise out there, so he popped out to take a look. Then he screamed, but he was gone by the time I got up to check."
Midoriya muttered in concern, "Oh no…"
Kirishima and Todoroki had finally caught up as they yelled, "Yo, Midoriya! Bakugo!"
Bakugo, glaring at the three others as he yelled, "The hell's going on here?"
Midoriya explained the events of the past few minutes, though none of the campers could quite believe what was happening to them. It felt like something out of a dream or a movie.
They had to accept reality, though: Sero, Ida, Ren, and Kaminari were gone, their tents were trashed, and they were stuck in an unforgiving blizzard. For the time being, a makeshift ice structure from Todoroki sufficed to shelter them from the cruel wind as Midoriya finished his explanation in a serious tone, "Assuming there really is a monster. It has a habit of abducting people. We'll figure out why later. Right now, we need to focus on finding the other guys ASAP."
An impatient Kirishima fidgeted and said, "Yeah, no time to lose!"
However, the calm Todoroki asked with his arms crossed, expressing his concern, "But where do we look? There's so much ground to cover."
Midoriya pondered the monster's location that took their friend, and he muttered absentmindedly, "Likely the forest, since the monster needs a place to hide. Or if it's coming after us, it could be lurking in wait somewhere nearby..."
Midoriya gasped as he realized something as he shared his discovery with his classmates in a serious tone, "Wait. Since it's been picking us off one by one, it probably needs to stash its victims somewhere before coming back for the rest of us. I bet it sensed Kacchan's presence when it took Kaminari, so there's a decent chance it's on its way back."
Bakugo looked at the group as he made his suggestion with a feral grin as he stated, "Wanna make me the bait, huh? Works great for me. Best chance I got of blowing this thing to hell and back."
However, Midoriya countered Bakugo's words with a frown as he said his opinion calmly, "Still, it's possible that the creature is satisfied with three victims and won't be back for more."
Agreeing with Midoriya's plan, Kirishima spoke up in a cautious tone his idea, "Sounds like a job for two teams, then. One of us should hang back with Bakugo while the other two hunt down our pals."
With that, the group began to discuss amongst each other who would be the bait and the ones who would be the search team…