24.06.2022
It's a-me and I'm back with another chapter of Stranded!
Let's dive into the comments right off the bat!:
Queztlecoatl - What can I say, I like flipping stuff upside down and watching the funny unfold.
SonicMax - Well, if they don't find birth control berries then they better pray for some abort-a-berries to appear! And now as I'm writing this response I've realized that I'm a genius and that the entire ordeal with pregnancy and hair not growing will be explained at the end of the story. Sometimes I scare myself lol.
PasiveNox - Momo big thinker.
BoB teh Snail - Yeah, I find the usual explanation of 'Ochaco is secretly a giant cuckquean and would love her bf to have his own harem' a bit annoying, so I decided to try something different. Let's hope it doesn't backfire on me!
CenturionEon - Nope, no Quirks in this fic, as 3rd year Izuku with One for All fully stacked would be too OP even when facing extinct predators.
Qhaq - Just trying my best!
SaintZeon - Mistah, Mistah, Mistah, I believe you know me not. You dare suggest I possess not the guts necessary to make the girls pregnant, but beware, for I am an absolute madman! In all seriousness though, the main premise of this fic is 'Izuku wants to go home, but gets a harem in the process' and not 'Izuku and the girls repopulate a tropical paradise' and as such I believe that pregnancy and eventual children would be a bit out of place here. At least that's my opinion.
And now let's get on with the chappie!:
Izuku was anxious about what or who he might find at the crash site that night, yet all his fears dissipated when he didn't spot anything out of the ordinary in the clearing.
He released a sigh of relief at that and got to work gathering everything that the Flaming Rock delivery service dropped off for them. It took him a couple of minutes to scour the area thoroughly, not wanting to leave something potentially useful behind, and his satchel seemed to burst at the seams from the load, but Izuku believed it'll hold out.
He was about to head back home when every single hair on his neck rose in perfect sync and his body seized up on the spot. All the wind died down and even the crackling of the fire seemed to deafen and give way to the snarl coming from behind.
Izuku turned around slowly, locking eyes with something as it stared at him from the brush ahead. The stand-off could've lasted mere seconds, but to him it felt like an eternity of anxiousness and pure fear.
The cave they lived in was located in a safe zone provided by the river that no predator was able to cross. That coupled with Momo's quality-of-life-improvement-turned-vital-infrastructure made Izuku forget about something very important - they weren't at the top of the food chain in these lands.
The snarl turned to a low, vibrating growl as the predator finally decided to step out of the brush and into the light of the aflame rock.
Gray fur, the size of a bear and a vaguely dog-like appearance were things that Izuku immediately noticed and knew right off the bat that he was dealing with something that definitely wasn't a saber-tooth, something new. It would be exciting if it didn't want to eat him!
Izuku took a few tentative steps backwards, afraid to even blink too fast in the presence of the clearly dangerous predator, his eyes never leaving the ones that stared at him.
Whatever this was, it was very big, but Izuku had a suspicion that it was also way faster than it might look at first. There was no way he'd be able to overpower that animal if it pounced on him and outrunning it didn't seem all that viable too. Hence he had to get a bit creative if he wanted to get out of this alive.
With painfully slow, but clearly telegraphed moves he slowly crouched down and picked up a loose twig that just happened to be laying at his feet before rising back to full height. The predator stopped growling as it observed him with interest. Izuku cocked his arm back before tossing the stick with all his might.
"Catch!" He yelled as he made the move and was stunned when the giant canine actually went after the stick.
As soon as it dived into the brush Izuku turned on his heel and made a mad dash for the river. He felt like true prey as howls, growls and snarls echoed all around him, being only a bit drowned out by the sound of his hammering heart. Fighting Muscular in his first year at UA didn't even come close to being on the same level of adrenaline rush as he was feeling right now!
He may have started seeing things as every flash of color he noticed in his peripherals looked like the eyes of a predator about to leap at him out of the bush. Izuku could almost feel the claws tearing at his back, but he pushed back the unnerving feeling and forced his legs to move even faster. He felt as if he could even outrun Iida at this point! And then he lost his footing and felt himself dive forward.
Fortunately his fall was softened by water. By the very river he wanted so desperately to reach. The liquid absorbed some energy from the impact, but it still left him breathless and panting. Gasping underwater to get some air back into his lungs also wasn't the best of ideas.
He coughed violently to get rid of the water clogging up his airways and took huge breaths as soon as he could. His vision took a few seconds to focus and clear out and his heart was still racing but at least he made it to the river. Izuku looked up to where he fell from and immediately spotted at least thre- four, four bear-sized predators snarling down at him.
They soon left, but Izuku decided to sit in the river for a minute or two longer, hoping to regain some more strength before making his way back home. He spent the entirety of his trek thinking about one thing.
"I need a weapon."
Izuku decided not to mention his near-death experience to the girls, since he already scared Mina to death not that long ago and she might become even more hellbent on making him forget about collecting the weekly supplies.
It's not like not mentioning the appearance of a completely new threat in their vicinity will come back to bite him in the ass or anything, right?
Well, maybe he should say something? Not lie outright just omit the moment he almost died and everything should be good. But first he should go get some sleep. All Might knows he deserved it after what he'd pulled off tonight.
As per usual he was the last one to wake up which wasn't that big of a deal since the twin suns were still busy scorching the very land they found themselves in to a crisp. He was the last one to wake up yet only Momo was present in the cave, busy rummaging through the contents of his satchel.
She seemed disappointed with the spoils as she sighed and her shoulders sagged when she was done. A second later however she noticed him leaving his room and her entire demeanor changed. The shoulders shot back up, her back straightened out to the point of almost bending the other way and a smile appeared on her face.
"Good morning!" She welcomed him happily. "How was your night?"
"Er, good. It was good. Yup. Kind of boring and as I've noticed, not really worth writing home about, right?" He may have gotten more confident over the last two years, but he was still as bad at lying as he was back then, so instead of trying to outsmart THE Yaomomo he decided to redirect her focus towards something else.
"I mean it'll definitely be useful one day, at least I think it'll be, but I need to do some thinking first." Thankfully her unexpected stay here seemed to alter her somewhat.
Midoriya was afraid to say it out loud, but Yaoyorozu was showing similar behaviors as his personal support technician - Mei Hatsume. He shuddered at the prospect of having to deal with another Hatsume. He was hoping that he was just jumping the gun with his assumptions, or that at least those changes weren't irreversible.
"Where's Mina anyways?" He asked, sensing a chance to discuss his newest need in private.
"Oh, she left just a moment ago to go for a swim. I prefer not going out until the heat dies down a bit, so I'm just sitting here and thinking about our next major project!"
And now he was torn. On one hand he could easily explain everything to Momo and direct her focus towards creating something for self-defense or he could chase down Mina. Request a weapon from one of the smartest people he knew or skinny dip with one of the hottest women he knew. He hated to admit it but sex sounded way better than self-defense.
"Maybe if I'm brief I'll still have a chance to catch her?" He wondered and decided to take action before his inner horni made him act up.
Making a request wasn't nearly as straightforward as he hoped it'll be, as Yaoyorozu kept asking question after question after question regarding the weapon he'd like. She never asked why he'd need a weapon which was yet another Hatsume-red flag.
He didn't know how long it took but as soon as they were done talking he rushed out of the cave and made an even madder dash towards the river than the one last night, hoping to make it on time.
Spoiler alert - he made it.
"I can't even begin to imagine how bad it'd be if the river water wasn't cool." Mina stated with a wide smile on her face.
The two were currently on their way back to the cave where they'd wait out the scorching heat of the day and get to work once night came around.
"You got that right. I don't know about you, but I could've sworn that the water actually got colder since the heat wave hit us. It's almost as if this world was challenging us while at the same time making sure we can survive." Izuku agreed and shared his own thoughts on the subject.
"I think I'm well beyond the point of trying to understand what's going on and how anything around here functions."
"Yeah, I'm with you on that one. Besides, we have Momo here with us and I'm sure she'll be more than able to figure this out on her own." Izuku pointed out with a smile.
However, as soon as he mentioned Yaoyorozu's name, Mina experienced a brief flash of their exhausting conversation from yesterday. Momo was acting a bit hectic and all over the place so she didn't understand everything that was said, but was confident enough in her ability to read people to say that Momo was being hot and bothered for her man.
"Speaking of Momo, I need to tell you something."
"Well, I'm sure that she's still busy with- Er, with whatever she might be doing, so I think we have some time before she comes looking for us."
"Perfect!" She exclaimed and then explained thoroughly that she was not the only one with a crush on him and that Momo also belonged to the group smitten by Izuku being, well, Izuku. On top of that she also brought up what Momo said last night about her feelings.
Needless to say Izuku was quickly overwhelmed with this onslaught of shocking revelations that he had no idea about. He questioned how all of that even happened, but Mina only stated that he was apparently much more attractive and helpful than he thought himself to be. As it turns out, having abs and being able to lift a fridge effortlessly earned him bonus points with women.
After the conversation was over Izuku was left in a nearly catatonic state as he came to terms with having fangirls, ones that he actually knew and could even see in a romantic light, because he was sure that all of his previous exploits have earned him a lot of fans already.
"What am I supposed to do now?" He sighed in despair.
"What do you mean?" Asked a confused Ashido.
"Well, aren't we together? You're acting way calmer than I'd expect you to."
"Oh, I've already known all about this, so it's not exactly new to me. And I know that we've already said the 'L' word, but we didn't really discuss our relationship, did we?"
"We may have been too busy freaking out about you possibly being pregnant…" Izuku realized with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, that and trying to keep up with Momo coming up with new ideas non-stop." Mina added and the two chuckled. "But, I guess it's a good thing that we've waited with confirming what we are for so long." She continued after they calmed down from their short fit of laughter earning herself a confused response from Izuku.
"And why is that?" He asked with interest.
"Because… I was… Ugh!" Mina got easily frustrated whilst trying to figure out what she wanted to say and eventually decided that being blunt would be the best. "We've been stuck here together for a month, with absolutely no one else and I've used that chance to get closer to you. I basically took advantage of the situation to get what I wanted and after that was done I realized that I was unfair to the girls. It's not like I forgot that we all like you, but just got so focused that I kind of pushed that thought back for some time."
"I think I understand where you're coming from, but it's not like you chose to come here, right? So I don't think you've done anything wrong really." Izuku reasoned, trying to wrap his head around yet another new piece of information.
"That's what I thought too, but then Momo came and now that she's here I'm starting to feel bad again. Especially after what she told me last night. She reminded me that we all liked you for more or less the same reasons and now I realized that she's as serious about you as me, so it doesn't seem fair if I just take you all for myself without giving her, or the rest of the girls, a chance." Mina explained as Izuku started piecing together where this might be headed.
"I think I know what she's about to say…" He thought to himself as slight anxiety creeped into his mind.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe you could spend some time with Momo and see if, I don't know, you… click? better than us?"
Silence settled for a bit as Izuku minced over her words.
"So what you're saying is that I should try 'dating' Yaomomo and see which one of you I like more?" He finally spoke up before the anxiousness could get to him.
"More or less, yes." She nodded to confirm.
"Well, I'm not a playboy, so I'm not sure if I can do it, but if you want it then I guess I might as well try, right?" Izuku responded with a small smile.
"That's all I'm asking Mr. Not-a-playboy, who managed to swoon not one, two or three but FOUR of his classmates." Mina teased to lighten up the atmosphere and redirect the conversation away from the topic they just finished discussing.
All he could do in face of such a based accusation was laugh and scratch his neck as he himself had no idea how he managed to garner the attention of so many girls.
Although Izuku left in a hurry as soon as he was done relaying his request to Momo, she paid him and his departure no mind as she was already in the middle of a serious brainstorming session. All idle thoughts seemed to vanish from her head as she entered a state of focus which easily rivaled the one she achieved while creating complex things with her Quirk.
Using Creation to produce a long stick from a uniform material was a child's play to her, having to only imagine layers upon layers of atoms sprouting from her skin until she was satisfied with the length. More advanced creations required her to focus solely on the feeling of atoms forming just beneath her skin as even a single mistake might make the object useless.
What she felt now was similar in many ways, but at the same time a completely separate feeling. It was the same kind of focus as the one she entered when using Creation, but instead of being directed at the object she was weaving into existence, it was chaotic and erratic, very much unlike what the word 'focus' meant. Yet despite all that chaos she was able to make sense of the stray ideas, wild thoughts and images floating inside her mind.
Izuku's request was simple. He desired something he might use to defend himself if the need ever arose. She questioned not the suddenness of his worries, but got to work right away.
When one thought of defense the first thing that came to mind was probably a shield, yet Momo instinctively knew that a shield was not something Izuku would want. Next best thing after a shield was a weapon. A tool for both offense and defense.
But what kind of a weapon? Swords were the most common thing, yet one wouldn't be able to utilize it fully without proper training. A spear offered a reach advantage, but required even more training to use. Momo had trained with a staff and even some polearms before, but didn't consider herself competent enough to teach someone. Through a process of elimination Momo concluded that a knife might be the best choice.
Now comes the question of material. They already knew that those glowing crystals were very durable, but that made them a hassle to sharpen. And creating an actual blade out of it seemed almost impossible. As such she'd need to come up with a different idea. It wasn't that big of a deal though, she already had countless solutions floating inside her chaotic mind, so all that's left to do was try and make sense of them.
Eventually she decided that establishing a proper workspace would be a good place to start. Placing it inside the main cave wouldn't be a bad idea since it was about the size of their classroom back at UA, but shaped in a more circular manner, akin to an oval. However for all that she'd already planned to include in the makeshift workshop, an outdoor area was a far better choice.
Since Izuku and Mina had yet to come back from the river, Momo decided to get to planning out her workspace right away.
Her two friends eventually returned and she was more than eager to explain her grand plan to them. It was a good thing to do, because they provided her with a probably much needed reality check when they reminded her that they have yet to complete the previous project.
She was a bit dejected at first - for like five seconds - before she realized that she had even more time to expand the workshop layout, not like she could add much.
The workshops of UA's Support Course had all sorts of machines that made crafting their inventions a cakewalk, Izuku would no doubt agree as he'd spent countless hours getting his gear sorted out.
The three of them would have to make do with something way more basic, a fact that Momo was well aware of despite the chaotic status of her thoughts. It didn't make her feel discouraged however. It was the opposite actually. She was excited to test her ingenuity in the challenges to come.
Momo looked up to see that both the suns were already starting to set, as an orange hue dominated the sky. The heat was slowly dying down and the leaves over their heads would shield them from the sunrays, so it was about time to set out to work, the berries - as amazing as they might be - won't pick themselves.
It took Izuku two more days and a lot of bamboo to finalize the construction of the waterduct and Momo managed to find an actual tap in their pile of unsorted-but-most-likely-useful stuff and attached it to the last segment of the pipeline so that they don't drown in their sleep. Unsurprisingly neither Izuku nor Mina remember ever seeing a tap in the pile and Momo was starting to suspect that it was a sentient being with a power similar to her Creation.
Nevertheless their project has been completed and they could now enjoy a cool and refreshing drink without having to go all the way to the river. They finished just in time it seemed as not only did the heatwave not pass already, but it actually got even more intense! It quickly got to the point that even standing in the shade was making them sweat bullets.
A logical thing to do in that circumstance would be to partially undress to better deal with the temperature, which is exactly what Izuku did without second thought. At first he didn't realize how the sight of his exposed torso might do to his female companions, but was quickly educated on the subject once Mina followed his example with Momo right behind her.
Now Mina's breasts - as excellent and perfect as they were - were not that difficult to deal with, especially since he had quite the amount of hands-on experience with them. Momo though was an entirely different story. Her breasts were absolutely massive, yet despite their size didn't look saggy at all! Not that he was looking at them that much! Although it was hard to keep his eyes from drifting towards her elegant, black lace bra, that was clearly noticeable on her fair skin.
Now Izuku knew that he had to prepare himself mentally, because the atmosphere was clearly getting hotter. And the weather had nothing to do with it.
Something seems to be rising and it's not the Shield Hero. It's the temperature!
To start me rant off - I'm not 100% content with the Mina and Izuku conversation, but as I've already said earlier I didn't want to make Ashido a cuckquean that wants nothing more than to see a bunch of girls humping her boyfriend's shlong and as such came up with my own reason behind her reasoning. Now all that's left is cross my fingers and wait for your eventual opinions.
Also, plot twist! Another month passed, but there's no new girl! And a new predator shows up. Also Momo.
That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next update!