Wings of Awakening

Part 45

The training camp began early the next day with Aizawa waking everyone up at 4 a.m., prompting complaints from the late-risers. However, for Izuku, it was routine—he'd grown used to early starts at Hawks' agency.

"Why does Aizawa-sensei have to torture us like this?" Kaminari groaned.

"Be thankful we even got six hours of sleep," Sero added. "Knowing Aizawa, it could've been worse."

Aizawa joined the group alongside the Pussycats and addressed them. "Good, you're all awake. This will be your routine during the training camp. We're here to strengthen your Quirks for the upcoming provisional license exams," he announced.

To demonstrate their starting point, Aizawa instructed Katsuki to perform the pitch from the Quirk Apprehension Test. Katsuki wound up and threw his pitch, managing 709.6 meters—a small improvement over his last record.

Some of Class 1-A looked disappointed, expecting a more significant difference. Aizawa explained, "You've all gained a lot of experience, but most of your growth has been emotional and technical. It's time to focus on physical growth now. As you saw with Katsuki's pitch, your Quirks themselves have only improved a little. From today onward, we'll be focusing on upgrading your Quirks."

The students were then split up for specific training sessions with individual instructors:

Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were placed in a cave, training to control Dark Shadow's power without it going berserk.Katsuki had to immerse his hands in boiling hot water and continuously release explosions in the air, aiming to increase his range by opening his sweat glands more.Todoroki sat in a tub, switching between his fire and ice sides, working to balance both since he'd mostly relied on ice until recently.Lida was tasked with nonstop running around the camp until his engines overheat to increase his speed.Uraraka practiced making more items float, increasing both weight and quantity until she was throwing up.Sero continuously shot tape from his elbows to build endurance.Momo continuously create items with her quirk while fueling it.Toru and Shoji worked on stealth exercises, trying to sneak up on each other.

Most students were instructed to use their Quirks until they could tolerate their drawbacks or build immunity. Meanwhile, Izuku was put through intense sparring sessions with Tiger and Pixie-Bob, building speed in avoiding attacks from multiple opponents until he could get a headache from flying around and using telekinesis.

Later in the day, Class 1-B joined them, led by their teacher Vlad King. The two classes occasionally paired up, training with students who had similar Quirks. Monoma, of course, took the chance to taunt Class 1-A's exhausted state, which Kendo quickly put an end to by karate-chopping him into silence.

As part of the camp, those who failed their final exams had supplemental combat classes with Aizawa.

During dinner, Izuku noticed Kota walking away from the table, pointedly avoiding the meal prepared by the hero trainees. Mandalay sighed, watching him go, and explained his feelings. Kota's parents had been the hero duo Water Hose, who lost their lives while saving civilians, killed by the villain Muscular. In Kota's eyes, they'd abandoned him for the sake of strangers.

After hearing this, Izuku quietly prepared a bowl of curry and followed Kota's footprints to a nearby cliff. When he found him, Izuku approached slowly, holding out the bowl. "Hey, you didn't eat with us. Thought you might be hungry," he said, gently offering the food.

Kota scowled, turning away. "I don't want anything from you or the other wannabe heroes. Just leave me alone," he snapped, his voice thick with resentment.

Instead of leaving, Izuku sat down beside him, patient and calm. "I heard what happened to your parents," he said, his voice soft and understanding. "I can't imagine how hard that must be."

Kota's expression twisted in anger, his hands balling into fists. "So, what? Are you going to tell me they were heroes, and that makes it okay they died?"

Izuku looked down, taking a deep breath. "No, Kota. Losing them like that wasn't fair at all, and it wasn't what they wanted. Heroes don't go out planning to sacrifice themselves. But sometimes... things go wrong, and they have to make impossible choices. They're human, like everyone else."

Kota's shoulders hunched, his fists shaking. "So, you're saying it was okay for them to leave me alone? That saving strangers was more important than being with me?"

Izuku shook his head, his voice thick with empathy. "I don't think they wanted to leave you, Kota. I think they fought as hard as they could so you would be safe in a world with less danger, a world where people could have families and live without fear. That's why I want to be a hero too—not to be a legend or some symbol, but to protect people and their happiness. I don't want anyone to have to go through what you did."

Kota's expression softened, but the hurt and anger were still there. "It's still not fair. They shouldn't have to die just because villains are out there."

Izuku nodded. "You're right. It isn't fair, and it's okay to be angry. But heroes don't do it for fame or because they think it's easy. They do it because they want a world where fewer kids have to go through what you're feeling right now. And I know your aunt worries about you. She loves you, Kota. Talking to her, letting her know how you feel... it might not fix everything, but it could help."

Kota was silent, his gaze falling. Izuku rose, offering him a gentle smile. "Just know, if you ever want to talk, I'm here." He turned back toward the camp, glancing back with one last look of encouragement.

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Am really bad with motivation speaking lol