Chapter 7: Junior Military Campout
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Honestly, this is not my best chapter. Oh well, I guess they can't all be winners. Plus, this moves the story along and gets us where we need to be.
(((Saturday, Early July)))
It was nearly the end of Izuku and Katsuki's first semester of military school, with only three weeks left until summer break. The best part, Izuku and Katsuki had finally finished all seven essays.
"Are you excited for the summer, Cadet Bakugo?" Izuku asked.
"I kinda feel like it's gonna feel weird being back home." Katsuki admitted.
"What do you mean?" Izuku question.
"Well, for one thing, here at Irohama, we've gotten used to sharing a bedroom with dozens of other students. I'm sure it's gonna feel weird having our own rooms again." Katsuki explained.
"Yeah, you make a good point there." Izuku admitted with a scratch on his cheek. "I'd imagine there'd be similar funny feelings with the bathroom situation."
"Cadet Midoriya! Cadet Bakugo!" A voice called out to them.
The two boys turned around and saw Mikadai running towards them.
"Hey, Cadet Orotaka." Izuku greeted.
"Is something wrong?" Katsuki asked.
"Since it's your first year at Irohama, there is a school activity I need to tell you about; the junior military campout." Mikadai informed.
"Junior military campout?" Katsuki asked.
"On the last week of the first semester, we have our first semester final exams; the two weeks prior to that, we go for a two week long campout in the woods behind the Irohama campus." Mikadai explained.
"That actually sounds kinda nice." Izuku noted.
"Nice?" Mikadai asked. "It's pretty much everyone's least favorite part of the year."
"Why would everyone hate camping?" Katsuki asked.
"Let me give you a full explanation of the experience. First of all, we aren't allowed to bring tents or blankets, we have to sleep in the open air. That's why the do it this time of year; the nights are warm and the rainy season just ended." Mikadai explained.
"Okay, I can see why people would be upset about that." Izuku stated.
"There's more; we're provided with cookware, but no food or water. We have to collect our own water from any of the nearby rivers or streams and go through the trouble of boiling it ourselves. As for food, the forest is filled with rabbits, ducks, even wild chickens, and, as I mentioned, there are rivers and streams that are abundant with fish." Mikadai explained.
"What about predators?" Katsuki asked.
"If there were dangerous animals, then we wouldn't go into the woods at all, let alone camp there." Mikadai replied.
"The lack of carnivores aside, this camping trip does sound pretty awful." Izuku conceded.
"You haven't even heard the worst part." Mikadai stated, going into an ominous tone; the same one he used when he explained Saturday detention to Izuku and Katsuki when they first arrived at Irohama. "The bathroom situation; there are none. That means, for two weeks, we can't bathe. As for doing your business, you're just gonna have to pick a tree."
'I can really see why everyone hates this campout.' Izuku and Katsuki thought at the same time.
"Hold on, is it okay to just remove us from our classes for two weeks? Especially so close to our final exam?" Izuku asked.
"Our teachers will come by daily to continue our scheduled classes, and our Sergeant oversees us during the campout full time, so we'll still be able to do physical education." Mikadai answered.
"Hey, Cadet Orotaka, we don't have to wear our school uniforms do we?" Katsuki asked, knowing that spending two weeks in the woods wearing their school uniforms would be an absolute nightmare.
"We'll be wearing our P.E. uniforms." Mikadai answered. "Though, we can only bring the uniform we're wearing when we go; no spare uniforms."
"Seriously?" Izuku asked.
"Cadet Orotaka, you said this campout takes place during the two weeks right before the last week of the first semester, right? Doesn't that mean we leave the day after tomorrow?" Katsuki asked, dreading the answer.
"No, of course not." Mikadai clarified.
Izuku and Katsuki released breaths that they didn't know they were holding.
"Weekends count, so we're leaving tomorrow." Mikadai stated.
Izuku sulked at that. Katsuki just groaned.
(((Day 1, Sunday)))
The students had just woken up, had breakfast, and had finished changing into their P.E. uniforms. A white muscle shirt, a pair of baggy cargo pants colored the same dark blue as the Irohama Gakuran uniform, and the standard Irohama black combat boots.
After morning inspection Sergeant Fuko made an announcement.
"Today, you boys enter the woods. In two weeks, you return here to take the first semester final exams. During your time in the woods, you will follow standard survival protocol. Failure to do so will result in Saturday detention."
"Yes sir." All the students responded with a salute.
"Remember boys, no using your Quirks. Yes, the forest is private property and Quirk usage would normally be allowed in such a case, it is not in the spirit of good old fashioned wilderness survival. You may only use your powers if you have the permission of a faculty member, or in the event of a genuine emergency, like if someone is seriously injured." Sergeant Fuko explained.
"Understood sir." The students responded in unison, still saluting.
"Good, now let's move out. All supplies are already at the campground." Sergeant Fuko ordered.
Sergeant Fuko walked out of the barracks as all sixty students followed behind him.
They walked out of Irohama's front entrance, passing a few of the other classes who were headed for their own campgrounds along the way. The students continued their march around the school grounds to the woods behind the school.
Each school grade had their own campground, with all twelve campgrounds forming a giant circle. The higher the grade, the farther into the woods the campsite was located. For example, the elementary first year campground was only a few tens of meters in, while the high school third year ground was on the opposite side of the woods.
Izuku and Katsuki were with the middle school first years, meaning that they were only going halfway through the woods to get to their campsite.
The trip there wasn't as treacherous as they were expecting. Not surprising though; considering that the students of Irohama visit this campsite every year, it only makes sense that there would be an unofficial trail established.
By the time they reached the campground, it was already 9 a.m.. Izuku and Katsuki were awestruck at the natural beauty. It was an open area surrounded by trees and large rocks on almost all sides. The edges of the clearing were lined with light blue flowers. The only man-made structure was a small shack on the opposite end of the clearing of the entrance where the students just came from.
"Listen up, Cadets." Sergeant Fuko ordered.
The students all stood at attention.
"Before we can even thinking about nature walks and bird watching, there are a few things that need to be taken care of first." Sergeant Fuko stated.
"You, Cadet Amenaru, what is the first thing we need to do?" Fuko asked while pointing at Yugi Amenaru of class A. His Quirk is called 'Bitter cold': He can create and launch a spinning buzzsaw made of snowflakes.
"Sir, our first priority is to survey the area in order to locate sources of food and water, as well as possible dangers if there are any, sir." Yugi answered.
"Correct." The Sergeant stated.
"You, Cadet Gaido, what do we do after surveying the area?" The Sergeant asked while pointing toward Hotoro Gaido of class C. His Quirk is called 'Hotfoot': He can generate power blasts of fire from the bottoms of his feet.
"Sir, yes sir, our second step is to set up our fire pits. First we build a ring of rocks so the fire doesn't spread, then we gather up firewood; only the wood found on the ground, not on the trees." Hotoro answered.
"Correct." The Sergeant replied. "Although, I had been planning to ask someone else the fire pit building process."
"My sincere apologies, sir." Hotoro offered.
After going over the necessary requirements, the students began making the preparations that Sergeant Fuko had instructed them to make.
The rest of the day, the students, when they weren't collecting food and water, were exploring the surrounding forest.
That night, the students laid on the ground under the stars, while Sergeant Fuko went to bed inside the small shack.
'Two weeks out in the woods.' Izuku thought. 'Maybe it won't be as bad as Cadet Orotaka said.'
(((Day 2, Monday)))
The next morning, Izuku and Katsuki woke up early, having gotten into a habit of doing so, courtesy of the incredibly annoying 'alarm clock' in their barracks. (Emphasis on 'Alarm')
"Argh, my back." Katsuki complained.
"Huh, where am I?" Izuku asked before remembering the events of yesterday.
Izuku tried to get up, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.
'That must be what happens when you sleep on the ground without the proper gear.' Izuku thought.
Izuku looked around to see that almost all of the other students were dealing with back pain as well. The only exceptions were those whose Quirks protected them from said pain, and those who had chosen their sleeping location and position more carefully.
'I definitely don't think I'm gonna enjoy the next two weeks out here.' Izuku thought.
(((Day 3, Tuesday)))
Izuku and Katsuki were in the middle of exploring the surrounding woods.
"Uh, Cadet Bakugo, I really gotta go!" Izuku uttered.
"Yeah, so do I." Katsuki stated.
"Let's go find some good trees." Izuku suggested.
"There's a good tree over there we can use." Katsuki said as he pointed towards a nearby tree.
"Wait, we?" Izuku asked shocked.
"What's the big deal? It's nothing we haven't seen before." Katsuki stated.
"We were 3." Izuku countered. "And I know what you're gonna say; the Irohama barracks bathroom doesn't count. We never showered at the same time and those toilets have dividers."
Katsuki only laughed and said "Come on, Cadet Midoriya, we're best friends, aren't we?"
"Of course we are." Izuku confirmed.
"Then let's undergo the ultimate form of brotherly bonding together." Katsuki said before walking over to the tree.
Izuku follow him over to the tree and they both unzipped their pants and proceeded to relieve themselves. Izuku blushing with embarrassment all the while.
(((Day 4, Wednesday)))
"Uh, what's that awful smell?" Izuku asked while squeezing his nose shut.
"The 'awful smell' you speak of is all of us." Mikadai answered. "That what happens when people aren't allowed to practice hygiene."
"It's only been half a week. We're all dirty, we haven't gotten to change our clothes, and haven't even gotten to brush our teeth." Izuku complained.
"And since we're all twelve and thirteen years old, we've only just hit puberty. We're not used to all the smells our bodies are going to be producing from now on." Mikadai added.
"Great, just great." Izuku said sarcastically.
(((Day 5, Thursday)))
It was mid-morning and Mr. Orotaka was teaching his science class. He was writing on a whiteboard that was kept in the shack and all the students were sitting cross legged on the ground.
"...And if the male snake wakes up from hibernation late, then it won't have enough time to find a mate because its body temperature is too low. Snakes are cold blooded, meaning that cold temperatures slow it down." Mr. Orotaka explained.
"There is, however, a way for the male snake to warm up quickly, giving it the opportunity to find a mate. Does anyone know what that method is?" Mr. Orotaka asked.
Some students put their hands up.
"How about… you, Cadet Bakugo." Mr. Orotaka said while pointing toward Katsuki.
"Yes sir, the snake tricks other males into believing its a female. While the other males try to mate with it, they end up sharing their own body heat, raising its body temperature." Katsuki answered.
"Exactly right." Mr. Orotaka stated. "Now, can any of you explain how the snake passes itself off as female?"
(((Day 6, Friday)))
It was mid-afternoon and martial arts class had just concluded. Sergeant Fuko had instructed all the students to start doing push-ups.
Having been on the Irohama middle school first year exercise regimen for nearly four months now, Izuku was seeing real definition in his muscles. If you saw him now, there's no possible way you would believe how scrawny he used to be.
(((Day 7, Saturday)))
There were no classes today, but that didn't mean the students didn't have work to do.
Izuku's task was to catch some fish. He, and nine other students, had gone in multiple directions to the various lakes and rivers in the area.
Izuku in particular was fishing in a stream that was relatively close to the camp ground.
He was using a makeshift spear that he made from a fallen tree branch, a sharp rock, and some tree sap to hold the two pieces together. So far, though, Izuku was not having much luck.
The low point of his day was when he came face to face with a fish that was a rare example of an animal with a Quirk. The fish's Quirk was called 'Tigershark'. It had the power to transform into a fish-tiger hybrid. Not only did it gain predatory attributes, it also gained the ability to walk on land and breathe air.
Izuku probably would have been killed if wasn't for the fact that the creature was still a fish, and thus only had a two second attention span.
"Argh! I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?" Izuku shouted.
The green haired boy pondered out loud. "I followed all of Cadet Orotaka's suggestions. I kept an eye on the insects so I would see them fly down towards the water and know when the fish would come out to eat them. I plunged my spear into the water in the same direction as the current so the fish wouldn't detect it. Why can't I catch any fish."
Izuku punched a nearby tree in frustration. "I. Will. NOT be bested by a bunch of fish."
Izuku kept trying, and by the end of the day, he had caught three fish. The other nine Cadets who had been fishing had each caught around twelve fish.
Izuku was absolutely frustrated to no end.
(((Day 8, Sunday)))
Katsuki had decided to spend the day exploring the forest.
"Ya know, it funny! Before meeting All Might, I never would've even thought about stopping to smell the roses." Katsuki said as he knelt down and took a whiff of some nearby flowers.
After walking a little ways farther, Katsuki found grassy hill, completely devoid of trees. He climbed about halfway up and layed down. He was just watching the clouds go by.
"Heh, look at yourself, Cadet Bakugo." Katsuki chuckled to himself. "Smelling flowers, cloud watching, and being best friends with Cadet Midoriya. My past self would hate me right now."
"But then again, he's not around anymore, is he?" Katsuki asked. "Hm, well good riddance to him."
Katsuki stayed there until it got dark.
(((Day 9, Monday)))
It was early in the morning and Mr. Tarukujo had arrived to teach his math class.
"Can anyone give me the answer to this equation?" Mr. Tarukujo asked, referring to the math problem he just wrote on the whiteboard.
A number of students raised their hand.
"Mmmmmm… Cadet Midoriya." Mr. Tarukujo chose.
"Sir, the answer 32.674 with a remainder of 4." Izuku answered.
"Correct." Mr. Tarukujo confirmed.
(((Day 10, Tuesday)))
"Students, tell me which of these sentences is wrong." Mrs. Kyuhana requested while teaching her English class.
She had written four sentences on the whiteboard.
1. The large boat docked into the harbor.
2. We went to the carnival rode the roller coaster, and got some cotton candy.
3. It's a long way back, but we have the time.
4. You must be very careful when changing a lightbulb.
'The second sentence is missing a comma; between the words carnival and rode.' Izuku thought.
(((Day 11, Wednesday)))
Mr. Fusaki was giving the class a history lecture… then started talking about the importance of Japanese patriotism.
Most of the class zoned out for the patriotism speech. They had heard it before… many, many, MANY times.
(((Day 12, Thursday)))
Mrs. Hanzokari was just finishing teaching the class the importance of doing the dishes after using them.
"... And that, boys, is the full list of diseases you can get if you don't wash the dishes." Mrs. Hanzokari finished.
"And remember students…" Mrs. Hanzokari started.
"There's a recipe for a reason." All the students finished in unison.
(((Day 13, Friday)))
Mr. Suikara arrived to give the students their Japanese class. And scold them for doing something wrong.
Mostly scold them.
He started with how the students backs weren't straight while they sat cross legged on the ground; then he scolded them for just sitting in various places, rather than arranging themselves properly: separated by class, sitting in twelve lines of five, and in alphabetical order by their last name.
(((Day 14, Saturday)))
The students had just woken up, eaten the last of their collected food, and had cleaned up their campsite, making sure to smother the fire pit with dirt. They didn't want to start a forest fire after all.
The middle school first years began their march back to military school. By the time they got there, they saw some of the other grades returning too.
They all looked just as worn out and dirty as the middle school first years.
That day, every student of Irohama, regardless of their grade, had the exact same thought. 'I can't wait to brush my teeth, take a shower, and sleep in my own bunk.'
The following week, the students took their first semester final exams.
With that, Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo had completed their first semester of military school.
It was now time to head home for summer break.
Admittedly, I fudge the dates on Japan's rainy season a bit. The rainy season in Japan can end between the 13th and the 27th of July, depending on the region.
You gotta remember though, MHA takes place about 200 years in the future, right? I think I can get away with saying that the rainy season end date is different due to climate change.
I was originally planning on making this chapter longer, but let's be honest; you guys wouldn't have been interested in specific details of each day.
I've received a few complaints about how I plan to make military middle school last so many chapters. Those people did acknowledge that this is my story, and I thank them for respecting that.
The reason I plan to do so many chapters before we get to the canon is because the whole point of a military middle school fic is to see them in military middle school.