Chapter Thirty-Six : Walk Through the Woods
"Your feline fantasies are here!"
Something something…
"You can call us the Wild, Wild Pussycats!"
Clay could only do so much to hide his surprise. From the other students' reactions, this was less than normal.
"These are the pro heroes you'll be working with for your summer training camp…" Aizawa droned.
Four brightly dressed heroes, each sporting cat-themed outfits and wildly exaggerated poses. It was like someone had thrown a children's TV show and a rave into a blender. And then dressed the results in cat ears.
"I feel unsafe," Clay muttered, subconsciously scratching Skipper's ears.
Cats. Bad.
"Trust me, they're the best," Midoriya said, his notebook already out and scribbling furiously. "Their Quirks are perfectly suited for rough terrain. Mandalay's Telepathy, Pixie-Bob's Earth Flow, Ragdoll's Search—"
"Ugh, nerd," Bakugo groaned from behind them.
Clay felt himself unsettled, and not just because they were furries. He'd always been uneasy around cats. The reason why wasn't lost upon him.
It was about then that Mandalay's voice sounded in his head, crisp and clear despite Clay not paying attention. Something stupid and basic about hard work.
Clay's gaze drifted to some random kid with little spikes on his hat. Clay knew something for damn sure at that time. This kid is not interesting at all. He had some edgy 'nobody understands me' vibe that Clay knew he never wanted to waste his time on.
"You have until the bottom of the mountain to reach the training camp. Don't fall behind, kitties."
Clay's brow furrowed, his confusion mirrored by most of his classmates. "What the hell is she talkin' abou—"
The ground lurched beneath them.
Before Clay could even process what was happening, the earth itself rose up like a massive tidal wave, sweeping the entire class off their feet and tossing them into the air.
When the world around him calmed down, he found himself on his back, looking at foliage and clear sky above him. "Can someone tell me what she said? I was dozing off…"
"Lingering effects from the concussion?" Midoriya asked.
"Which one?" Clay muttered, finally sitting up, Skipper already on his shoulder.
"Clay…" Momo warned, brushing some dirt from her shirt. "Compounding concussions can cause serious—"
"It's alright," Clay said, using Sero's shoulder to supplement his bum leg so he could get to his feet. "Not like I got a lot of marbles left up there anyway."
"Ribbit."
"Sorry," Clay said, rolling his shoulders and glancing to the woods around him. "Well, we walkin' somewhere?"
"More like surviving somewhere," Kaminari grumbled, shaking dirt from his hair. "I think that Pixie-Bob lady just tried to murder us."
"That was just her Quirk," Midoriya explained, his voice rattling with excitement. "Earth Flow. She can manipulate the terrain however she wants. It's… amazing."
Clay looked around, taking in the sheer expanse of the forest. It was dense, wild, and from what he could tell, miles away from the training camp they'd been promised.
A loud explosion cracked through the air, and Clay turned just in time to see Bakugo blasting his way through the underbrush like a human missile.
"Later, losers!" Bakugo barked, tearing his way through the forest with all the grace of a rampaging bull.
"Well, let's get goin," he said, taking one step forward, then another. "That's why they wouldn't let me take my shotgun. There's probably some good game birds out here."
"Game birds?" Mina asked. "Like… Games?"
"Don't they hunt here?" Clay asked, weaving through some branches with ease despite his leg feeling like it was made out of lead.
"Hunt? Like… with guns?" Mina asked, her eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and horror. "Dude, Japan's like, super different from where you're from. Does like, everyone have guns there?"
"Makes for a polite society."
Kirishima barked a laugh.
Clay glanced back, it seemed like he was leading a group now. Tsuyu and Midorya right behind him, Sero, Kirishima, and Mina clumped up behind them, with Momo at the back. He turned forward again, his mind effortlessly calculating paths of least resistance. "Single file guys. Just because I'm moving the branches doesn't mean you have to either."
Mina huffed as she pushed her way through some underbrush, clearly not used to the rough terrain. "Easy for you to say, Mr. Forest Navigator. Are you sure your Quirk isn't something like 'Human Compass' or something?"
"If it was, I'd be askin' for a refund," Clay muttered, ducking under a low-hanging branch. "Just grew up around enough trees to know which way's which."
"Yeah, man, you're moving like you do this all the time," Kirishima said, sounding impressed. "I thought you'd be slower with that leg."
Clay felt his shoulders tense but kept his focus ahead. "Ain't about bein' fast. It's about bein' smart. Look for paths where you can step firm, where the ground's solid. Less you waste energy, the longer you can keep goin'." Clay crossed another fallen log when he found what he was looking for. "Ya'll got deer out here? We're following some sort of game trail, so go ahead and thank a deer if you see 'em."
Midoriya's eyes lit up like he'd just been handed a goldmine of information. "A game trail! That's brilliant! Animals will naturally seek out paths of least resistance through rough terrain. If we follow it, it'll minimize our energy expenditure and increase our chances of reaching the camp faster."
"You really do have a Quirk for overthinking," Sero said with a grin.
"Maybe, but he's right," Tsuyu added. "Animals are good at finding the safest routes, ribbit. It's smart to follow them."
Clay smirked. "See? Someone gets it. Ain't complicated—just got to learn from what's already here."
"Well, I'm learning this sucks," Mina whined as she stumbled over a root. "Why couldn't they have just dropped us off at the training camp like normal people?"
"'Cause then it wouldn't be training," Kirishima said with a grin. "This is, like, survival practice or something. And we've got a head start with Clay here!"
Clay shrugged, continuing to lead them through the dense brush. "Don't get too comfortable. Game trails can lead you all kinds of places—water, food… or right into somethin' else's den."
Mina's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you mean like a bear? There are bears out here?"
Clay snorted. "Maybe. Probably not, though. Wouldn't make sense for 'em to be around here with all the racket we're makin'. The only thing worse than a bear is a surprised bear, so we're better off talkin'." He stepped over a little creek. "Are there bears in Japan?"
Midoriya nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, actually! Japan has two native bear species: the Asian black bear and the Ussuri brown bear. The brown bears are mostly found in Hokkaido, though—"
"Dude," Sero said with a laugh. "How do you just know that?"
"That's… one way to put it," Midoriya said, scribbling frantically in his notebook. "Though statistically, black bear attacks are extremely rare if you're cautious and avoid provoking them."
"Well, now I feel so much better," Mina deadpanned, clinging to Kirishima's arm as if a bear was about to leap from the bushes at any second.
"If it's black, fight back. If it's brown, lie down. If it's white, say goodnight," Clay said, almost in a sing-song voice. "Where's Momo anyhow? Did she go with another group? I thought she was with us."
Midoriya glanced over his shoulder, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Uh… no, I thought she was with us too."
"Great, we already lost someone," Sero groaned. "Ten minutes into survival training and we've already failed."
"She's probably fine," Kirishima said, his grin still intact. "She's smart. She probably found another group or something."
"Or she's lost," Mina said, her voice laced with worry. "I mean, Momo's super capable, but she's not exactly used to, like… roughing it."
Clay grunted, his gaze shifting back toward the path ahead. Then with a shrug, he turned around.
"Clay, what are you doing?" Mina asked, not moving as Clay moved passed her.
"Rule nine of hunter's safety. Never leave a man behind... Or that might have been rule ten. I dunno. Hunter's safety is mostly common sense anyway."
Midoriya perked up at that, his eyes glinting with curiosity. "Hunter's safety? So you've done survival training before?"
Clay kept walking, his shoulders hunched as he pushed branches aside. "Somethin' like that. You don't grow up where I did without learnin' a few things. Hunting's just another kinda training, I guess. Difference is, the animals don't care if you're tired or hurt."
Kirishima followed, his grin now replaced with a look of genuine respect. "Dude, that's so manly. It's like you're built for this kinda stuff."
"I'm built for sittin' on my ass in a deer blind," Clay shot back. "Or at least that's how I'm feelin' now."
"Ribbit. Where should we go?"
"Momo's smart, so if she got lost and separated from us, she'd make a flare gun. She wouldn't wander to another group because she knows that we'd be concerned."
Midoriya nodded thoughtfully. "So we're looking for a signal?"
"Problem is, we ain't seen or heard anything like that," Clay said, his gaze sweeping the surrounding woods. "If she tried to signal, it either didn't work, or she didn't get the chance to try."
"But she's got her Quirk," Sero said, trying to sound optimistic. "She can make pretty much anything, right?"
"Yeah, but even her Quirk has limits," Midoriya pointed out. "If she's exhausted or panicking, she might not be able to make what she needs."
Kirishima clenched his fists, his expression hardening. "Then we've gotta find her before she ends up in real trouble."
Tsuyu looked at Clay, her expression calm but expectant. "If you were Momo, what would you do, ribbit?"
Clay chewed the inside of his cheek, considering the question. "If I was her… I'd hug a tree."
"What?" Mina squeaked.
Clay glanced back at the others, their confused expressions only making him feel more certain of his guess. "It's a trick my brother taught me. If you're lost in the woods and you're hurt, tired, or just plain freaked out, best thing to do is stop movin'. Hunker down somewhere safe and stay put. Someone's more likely to find you if you ain't wanderin' around."
"But Momo's not hurt… is she?" Sero asked, his voice laced with concern.
"Probably not," Clay admitted. "But this ain't her kinda environment. She's smart, but she ain't used to terrain like this. If she got herself lost or spooked, she'd hunker down. Best thing she can do."
"Then why hasn't she signaled us?" Sero asked.
But then, a sound deeper in the woods answered the question.
A dragon. Made of mud. A mud dragon.
The roar was low and guttural, rumbling through the trees like an approaching storm. Clay's head snapped in the direction of the sound, his instincts flaring to life. Even Skipper, who rarely showed concern for much besides food and safety, bristled on Clay's shoulder, his small claws digging into fabric.
"What… was that?" Mina asked, her voice wavering.
Midoriya's eyes went wide, his head whipping toward the noise. "That can't be—"
"Dragon," Clay interrupted, his voice steady. "Or somethin' like it."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Sero stammered. "There are actual dragons out here? I thought this was supposed to be a training camp, not Jurassic Park!"
"It's not a real dragon, ribbit," Tsuyu said, her gaze fixed in the direction of the roar. "Pixie-Bob's Quirk. She can create creatures out of the earth. It's supposed to make the terrain more difficult for us."
"Well, mission accomplished," Kirishima grumbled, his fists clenched and eyes darting between his friends and the unseen threat.
Clay's mind was already working through the possibilities. Pixie-Bob wouldn't make something like that just for fun. It was a test—an obstacle meant to scare them or drive them off course. But if Momo was nearby…
His eyes narrowed. "She's probably somewhere near that thing."
"Wait, how do you know that?" Sero asked, still rattled.
"If she made somethin' shiny like I thought, it probably caught Pixie-Bob's attention. And if she was tryin' to send a signal, somethin' flashy would be the easiest way to do it."
Clay then put his hand on one of the taller trees, spawning Alert, who climbed up towards the top. Clay then closed his eyes, resting his forehead on the rough bark.
Skipper twitched uneasily as Clay let his senses drift through Alert's eyes. The little rat scurried higher up the tree with all the ease of a creature meant for climbing, his claws finding perfect purchase against the rough bark. As Alert neared the top, Clay's view expanded, the forest spreading out below him like a wrinkled green blanket.
From up there, Clay could just make out the twisting, writhing mass of the mud dragon as it circled an area not too far off. And, just barely, he spotted a flash of something metallic.
"Bingo," Clay muttered, snapping back to his own senses. He turned to the others, eyes sharp. "She's holed up over there, near where the dragon's circlin'. Probably tryin' to keep herself safe."
"Then let's go get her!" Kirishima said, already steeling his skin. "We can take that thing!"
"Maybe we don't have to fight it," Midoriya said quickly. "If Momo's stuck up a tree, we just need to get her down and away. Fighting that dragon would be a huge waste of energy."
Clay nodded. "Deku's right. We ain't here to win a fight—we're here to get her out. 'Sides, it ain't a real dragon. It's just mud."
"Just mud?" Mina squeaked. "Dude, that thing is the size of a house!"
"Big doesn't mean smart," Clay countered, starting to push through the underbrush. "Just look at me. Come on. We're burning daylight."
They moved quickly, their pace hurried but controlled. As they neared the dragon's territory, the ground grew slicker, the air heavy with moisture and churned-up earth. Clay's leg protested with every step, but he pushed through it, his focus locked on their goal.
The mud dragon loomed ahead, its massive, coiling body circling a tall tree. It bared its rocky fangs at something above it, rumbling angrily.
"Up there!" Midoriya hissed, pointing.
Sure enough, Momo was perched in the high branches, gripping her makeshift reflector like her life depended on it. Her face was pale, but her gaze was focused and determined.
"She's tryin' to blind it," Clay realized. "Smart… but it ain't workin'."
"Ribbit. What's the plan?" Tsuyu asked, her calm tone a much-needed anchor.
Clay looked at his friends, then back at the dragon. He had nothing.
"We split up. Some of us draw it away, the others get Momo down," Midoriya said.
"I can keep its attention!" Kirishima volunteered, his fists already hardening.
"And I can help you with that," Sero added, his tape stretching between his hands. "We can try to tie it down or trip it up."
Clay nodded. "Alright. Me, Midoriya, and Tsu'll go get Momo. The rest of you raise hell and keep that thing busy."
"On it!" Mina said, her smile returning as her hands began to glow. "Time for some flashy distractions."
They broke off into groups, Kirishima, Sero, and Mina charging toward the dragon with loud, taunting shouts. As expected, the beast's attention shifted, its head swiveling toward the noise.
Clay didn't waste time. He gestured for Midoriya and Tsuyu to follow him, their movements quiet and deliberate.
"Momo!" Midoriya called softly once they were within range. "We're here! Just hang tight!"
Momo's eyes widened, relief flooding her expression. "Midoriya! I—It's good to see you. I was trying to—"
"Signal us. We know," Clay cut in, glancing nervously at the mud dragon. "Ain't your fault that thing came sniffin' around."
Tsuyu was already scaling the tree with her tongue, her movements smooth and efficient. She reached Momo's branch with ease, wrapping her tongue around the other girl's waist.
"I've got you, ribbit," Tsuyu said, her voice calm. "Hold on tight."
Momo hesitated, her hands shaking as she clung to her makeshift reflector. But after a moment, she nodded and allowed Tsuyu to lower her from the tree.
Midoriya was waiting at the base, offering Momo his hand. "Are you okay?"
"I—Yes. Just… rattled." Momo's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry for causing trouble."
"You didn't cause anything," Clay grumbled. "That damn cat lady's screwin' with us."
"But it came because I—"
"Doesn't matter," Clay interrupted. "You're safe. That's all that counts."
They turned to leave, but not before Clay cast a glance over his shoulder. Mina, Kirishima, and Sero were still putting up a good distraction, their shouts echoing through the trees.
"Alright, let's get the hell out of here," Clay muttered, his eyes narrowing.
They made their way further into the woods, Momo limping slightly from exhaustion but otherwise unharmed. When they finally regrouped, Mina and the others stumbled out of the forest looking dirty but triumphant.
"Well, we didn't die!" Mina declared with a grin.
"But we didn't beat the dragon either," Sero groaned. "Just slowed it down."
"Didn't need to beat it," Midoriya said. "Just needed to get her out."
Clay took back his spot at the front of the pack, weaving through the woods just like before, though now he had mud all over him.
"Clay…" Tsuyu croaked, walking just behind him.
"I'm fine."
"You don't have to act tough for me, Ribbit."
Clay gave a weak nod but didn't say anything. It didn't feel right. His gut twisted, his own rule echoing in his mind. Never leave a man behind.
The forest felt heavier now, its twisted roots and tangled branches pressing in on them like the judgmental eyes of an unseen audience. Clay kept his head down, pushing forward with a determination that bordered on stubbornness.
Skipper was jittery, his small claws digging into Clay's shoulder as he perched there, broadcasting faint, unsettled thoughts. Guilt. Worry.
Clay's leg was throbbing, every step sending sharp pains up through his calf. But he ignored it. He'd ignored worse.
"I bet Momo could make a stretcher for you if…" Kirishima trailed off.
"Hell no," Clay replied flatly.
"Dude, your leg partially disintegrated," Sero posed.
"Yeah, and it's still attached, ain't it?" Clay snapped, his voice more acidic than intended. He could feel the others flinch, but he didn't stop moving. The last thing he needed was everyone babying him like he was on his deathbed.
"Clay, they're just worried about you," Midoriya said gently.
"Worry about yourselves," Clay shot back, limping over a particularly tangled root. "Ain't like we're out of the woods yet. Literally."
Tsuyu's eyes narrowed as she watched him struggle forward. "You're stubborn, ribbit."
"You're lashing out at your friends," Midoriya said flatly.
"It's a sign of PTSD," Momo said grimly.
"PTSD's for the heroes," Clay muttered, snapping a branch and ducking under another one. "That ain't me."
"That's a load of bull," Kirishima said, his voice suddenly sharp. "And what the hell do you think we're doing out here? What are we in school for?"
Clay kept his gaze forward, his shoulders tense. "I don't need a lecture, alright? Just keep walkin'."
"But you're hurting yourself, ribbit," Tsuyu added, her voice steady but concerned. "And us. You don't need to act like nothing's wrong."
"I can act like somethin's wrong when ya'll are safe," Clay said, ignoring Skipper's squeaking. "I let Momo get attacked because I was too busy showin' off everything I knew."
Momo's expression twisted with guilt. "Clay, that's not fair. I got lost because I wasn't paying attention. I should have stuck closer to everyone."
"You ain't the one that's supposed to know better," Clay snapped before he could stop himself. "I've been actin' like I know what I'm doin' out here, and the second I let my guard down, you got attacked by a damn mud dragon. Ain't nothin' smart about that."
"Dude, no one could've predicted that thing," Sero argued. "Pixie-Bob's Quirk is insane. You did what you could."
"Didn't do enough." Clay's fists clenched at his sides, his shoulders drawn tight. Every ache in his leg felt like proof of his own failure. Skipper's claws dug into his shoulder, broadcasting more anxious thoughts.
"Ribbit. I think I understand," Tsuyu said, her voice calm but unyielding. "You're afraid of failing us. That's why you keep pushing yourself, even when you're hurt."
"Course I'm afraid of it," Clay growled. "I screw up out here, and it ain't just me that pays the price. I was supposed to be leadin' ya'll, and I let Momo get left behind. Now I can barely keep up myself. Just a damn liability."
There was a stretch of silence. "Ribbit."
Clay finally let himself stop, leaning on a tree to catch his breath. "Listen, I'm sorry. I'm fine. I let ya'll down doin' somethin' that I've done my whole life. I ain't earned a damn break."
"That's not true," Midoriya said, his voice firmer than before. "You've been guiding us this whole time. We found Momo because of you. You saw that she was missing before anyone else even noticed."
Tsuyu put a hand on his shoulder. "Clay…"
Clay sucked a deep breath in, then he finally let an arm down to rub his sore leg. "Alright… Who's takin' the lead?" he asked, as close as he would allow himself to get.