Chapter 3: Bear Fight || 1.57k

Logan stared at the five claw marks that were etched near the entrance of the cave. They were fresh, he could tell by the way they glistened in the faint light.

No signs of moss or natural corrosion. Something else was in this cave with him, and it was not friendly.

He took a cautious step closer, hoping to find some clues about the creature that made them. He wished he had brought his flashlight, or better yet, some backup. He was not afraid of much, but he knew he was outmatched by whatever lurked in the shadows.

He never saw it coming. One moment he was scanning the walls, the next he felt a powerful blow on his back that sent him flying across the room.

He slammed into the rough cave wall with a loud thud, feeling his bones rattle and his breath knocked out of him. He heard a deep voice taunting him from behind.

"Quite brave of you to come here by yourself." The voice said, sounding amused and angry at the same time. "Did you really think you could stop me?"

Logan blinked his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He felt a surge of adrenaline as he pushed himself off the wall, ignoring the pain. He had to get up, he had to fight back. He had a mission to complete.

His muscles tightened as he saw the towering figure in front of him. It was a man, if you could even call it that. It was over six feet tall, with bulging muscles that rippled under its thick brown fur. Its head was shaped like a bear's, with a snout full of sharp teeth and small black eyes that glinted with intelligence.

It wore a leather vest and pants, but no shoes or gloves. Its claws and feet were bare, ready to strike at any moment. It looked like a hybrid of a human and a grizzly bear, and it was BIG.

"A kid? Is that all they sent?" The man-bear sneered, looking down at Logan with contempt. "Well, that just makes things easier for me."

Logan felt his anger rising as the man-bear spoke. He was not a kid, he was a soldier. A trained soldier. He had been trained by the best to fight against enemies like this. Enemies who wanted knew nothing but evil.

"Get out of here kid, you don't know what you're getting yourself into." The man-bear growled, his voice low and menacing. He took a step towards Logan, closing the distance between them. Logan felt his back press against the wall again, he was trapped.

He glanced behind the man-bear and saw two other campers lying on the ground. They were unconscious, but still alive. They were his targets, his mission. He had to rescue them from this madman and his cronies.

He made up his mind in an instant. He clenched his fists, feeling a familiar pain in his knuckles. A metallic sound rang out in the cave, announcing his secret weapon. He extended his arms, revealing six razor-sharp claws that emerged from his hands, three on each side. They gleamed in the dim light, ready to slice through anything that stood in his way.

The man-bear snarled, unimpressed by Logan's display. He had seen military personnel before, and he had killed them before. He wasn't going to be stopped by some kid with claws.

"Fine, suit yourself." The man-bear said, as he charged at Logan with a ferocious roar.

He slashed at Logan's abdomen with his huge claws, hoping to gut him like a fish. Logan had no room to retreat, so he twisted his body to the side, barely avoiding a fatal wound.

His left shoulder was torn open by the beast's attack, but the blood quickly stopped flowing as his healing factor kicked in. He felt no pain, only rage.

The man-bear was relentless and pounced on Logan again, pinning him to the ground with its massive weight. It snapped its jaws and swung its claws wildly, trying to rip Logan apart.

Logan raised his arms and crossed his claws in front of his face, blocking some of the strikes. He felt the pressure on his shoulders as the man-bear pushed down on him, trying to crush his bones.

Logan knew he had to fight back or he would be torn to shreds. He gathered his strength and pushed up with his arms, creating some space between him and the beast. He then reached out with his right hand and plunged his claws into the man-bear's shoulder blade , digging deep into its flesh and bones.

He felt the beast's blood spilling over his hand and arm. He also heard its scream of agony.

"ROOOOAR!"

The man-bear recoiled from the pain, releasing Logan from its grip. It quickly backed up, clutching its wounded shoulder and glaring at Logan with hatred.

It saw Logan's injuries healing before its eyes, and it felt a surge of anger and frustration. It had underestimated this kid, and it was paying the price.

"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY SOME KID!!" The man-bear shouted, as it prepared for another attack. It was not going to give up, not until it had killed Logan and completed its mission.

Logan got up from the ground, wiping the blood from his face. He stared at the man-bear with determination, ready for round two. He was not going to give up either, not until he had rescued the campers and completed his mission.

They both lunged at each other, claws and teeth bared, ready for the final showdown.

The man bear yelled as it unleashed its full power and transformed into its true form.

Logan saw its muscles bulge and expand, as it tore its own clothes apart. Its fur grew thicker and darker, covering its entire body. Its face stretched and elongated into a full-on snout, with a black nose and sharp fangs. Its ears became more pointed and furry, enhancing its hearing. Its eyes turned yellow and wild, losing any trace of humanity.

Its nose twitched and sniffed the air, picking up Logan's scent. It dropped to all fours and shook its massive body, making the ground tremble. Its claws dug into the dirt, ready to strike.

It was no longer a man-bear. It didn't even look like a man at all. It was a bear. A monstrous, 8-foot-tall ferocious bear with saliva dripping from its mouth. It roared at Logan with ear-piercing loudness, challenging him.

You'd expect Logan to be scared, facing such a monstrous opponent, but instead of fear, he felt pure adrenaline. He hadn't had a good fight in a while, and this was the best he had in a long time. He didn't care if the beast was bigger and stronger than him. He had his healing factor.

He could break his body as many times as he needed, besides he already knew what to do…

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|| military Academy 5th March, 21XX||

General Steele scanned his students with a stern gaze. He was about to teach them a valuable lesson in combat.

"When fighting an opponent bigger and stronger than you, you need to analyze their fighting style and adapt accordingly." He said, his voice low and commanding.

He projected two images on the screen behind him. One showed a muscular man with a scarred face and a tattooed arm.

The other showed a man-elephant hybrid with huge tusks and giant arms.

"In the first scenario, the perpetrator is a seasoned fighter, who has faced darned how to counter them. Going against him head-on would most likely be suicidal. Your best chance of survival would be to endure his attacks until backup arrives, or find an opening to escape." He said, his voice serious.

"In the second scenario, your opponent is a wild beast, who has no prior experience in fighting. His attacks would be based solely on instinct and the intent to kill." He said, his voice rising.

"How do you think you'd beat such a monster?"

He looked each student in the eye, trying to gauge their reactions.

Steele then pointed at his head, "you outsmart it". He said, his voice firm.

"You use your quirk, your environment, and your wits to gain an advantage over him. You exploit his weaknesses and avoid his strengths. You don't fight him on his terms, you fight him on yours."

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A huge smile could be seen on Logan's face as he taunted the bear.

"Is that all you got, furball? Come on, give me a challenge!"

Logan taunted, his voice loud and confident. He wanted to provoke the beast, to make it angry and reckless. He knew that was his best chance to win.

He enjoyed it!

The thrill of danger!

The rush of blood!

The sound of metal clashing with flesh!

As Logan was taunting the bear, he revised the previous exchange in his head. His eyes darted around the cave as he began concocting a plan in his mind.

Interrupting Logan from his thoughts the bear started sprinting towards him.

Each step like thunderous booms echoing and reverberating into the walls and floor. The air vibrated and the walls shook. Logan knew what he had to do. He ran to the cave entrance waiting for the bear to arrive.

The first part of his plan?

Lure the bear away.