Chapter 50

"Your limits will be tested," Aizawa stated. "This camp is designed to push you beyond your current abilities. Be prepared."

Ochaco leaned in toward Izuku, her eyes bright. "I'm so excited for camp!" she exclaimed, but then suddenly, Yuga's words about her liking Izuku echoed in her mind. She stumbled back a bit, nervously chanting, "Camping, camping, camping," as she tried to hide her flustered state.

Amelia, standing nearby, couldn't help but notice the interaction. A strange feeling twisted in her stomach as Ochaco got a little too close to Izuku for her liking. Her brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly shook off the odd sensation. It wasn't like she hadn't already figured out her own feelings for him.

But what she didn't expect was Izuku's reaction. He barely seemed flustered by Ochaco's awkward behaviour, and instead of engaging with her, he subtly moved away. His eyes searched the around, and Amelia felt her heart skip when his gaze landed on her, or maybe its the memory of yesterday. She gave him a soft smile, which he returned before leaving Ochaco to chat to herself, turning to look for Iida and Todoroki to talk to. 'Ouch Izu didn't know you had it in you man', that made her happy though.

Before she could dwell on that any longer, as Neito Monoma from Class 1-B appeared, a smirk on his face. "Looks like some of you failed your exams. Typical Class 1-A, always messing up." His voice dripped with condescension.

"Well, well, who do we have here? A new addition to Class 1-A, I presume? I didn't realize they were recruiting extras now. Not that Class 1-A is short of attention-grabbing types."

Amelia raised an eyebrow, amused by his awkward attempt at a greeting, while the Class 1-A boys—particularly Izuku—kept an eye on the interaction.

Amelia smiled lightly, "I wouldn't call myself an extra, but... nice to meet you too?"

Monoma flounderingly responded, "Ah... yes, well, you must be special if you've been brought into Class 1-A. Don't let it go to your head, though. They're full of show-offs who think they're better than everyone else just because they've had a bit of fame."

Amelia could sense the tension in his voice, the envy creeping through. She had seen this sort of attitude before and recalled what she had learned about Monoma's insecurities. He was competitive to the core, and his bitterness toward Class 1-A wasn't really about them. It was about him.

Amelia rolled her eyes and giggled softly, "Maybe you just need to give them a chance."

Monoma stared at her, surprised by her unexpected warmth. He tried to come up with something to say, but instead, his usual bravado faltered.

"I—well, we'll see about that... maybe. Just—don't get used to Class 1-A's popularity going to your head. Class 1-B will always be right behind!", Monoma responded awkwardly attempting to recover.

Before Amelia could respond, Itsuka Kendo, noticing the awkward interaction, sighed and dragged Monoma away by his collar, apologizing for him once again. "Ignore him," she sighed, dragging Neito away as the rest of Class 1-B boarded their bus.

Minoru Mineta, however, perked up, eyes gleaming. "Wait, Class 1-B girls are coming to camp too? This is going to be great!"

"Focus, Mineta," Tenya Ida barked, ushering everyone toward their own bus. "We have important training ahead!"

As they boarded, Aizawa gave his students one last piece of advice. "Stay focused. This is serious training." But his words were drowned out by the chatter and excitement filling the bus as they headed to the camp.

The bus pulled up to a mountain top, and the Class 1-A students spilled out, ready to begin their summer training. Standing before them were the pro-hero team that would be training them: the Wild, Wild Pussycats.

Izuku's eyes lit up with admiration. "The Wild, Wild Pussycats! They've been pro heroes for over a decade. I remember reading about their work—"

Before he could finish, Pixie-Bob grabbed him by the head, ruffling his hair. "We may have been heroes for a decade, but we're still young at heart!" she declared proudly.

Denki and Eijiro exchanged glances. "That's kinda... sad," they thought internally, but said nothing aloud.

Mandalay stepped forward, pointing down the mountainside. "The lodge is at the base of the mountain. If you want to have lunch, you'll need to get there by noon." She smiled, but the challenge was clear in her voice.

The students, seeing the daunting terrain ahead, tried to rush back onto the bus to avoid the impending hike. But Pixie-Bob wasn't going to make it that easy. She raised her hands, using her Quirk to manipulate the earth, sending the students tumbling down the mountainside.

All except one.

Amelia hovered in the air, her arms crossed and a teasing smirk on her face. The earth beneath her dropped, but she stood still, levitating effortlessly. She gave her classmates a playful wave as they fell, her golden hair catching the sunlight as she watched them tumble.

Aizawa looked up at her, his expression blank but resigned. "Show-off," he muttered under his breath before entering the bus, leaving her behind.

Amelia chuckled softly before deciding to beat them all to the destination. She activated her super vision, scanning the forest until she spotted the lodge far in the distance. With a smirk, she shot off at the speed of sound, the wind whipping around her as she sped toward the camp.

It didn't take long for her to arrive at the lodge. She landed gracefully on the porch, brushing off the dust from her clothes. As she looked around, she noticed a small boy sitting on the steps, his cap pulled low over his eyes.

"Hi there," Amelia greeted cheerfully. "You must be Kota."

The boy didn't even glance up. He stood abruptly and walked past her without a word, heading into the lodge.

"Okay... nice talking to you," Amelia mumbled, watching him go. She had heard about Kota from the teachers—Mandalay's nephew, with a disdain for heroes. It didn't take long for her to figure out why he wasn't keen on chatting. Lest she forget how he was in the anime.

With a shrug, Amelia decided to wait for the others to catch up. It wouldn't be long before the rest of Class 1-A showed up, and she was looking forward to seeing how her classmates would handle the trek. 

Back in the forest, Class 1-A pushed forward through the dense forest, battling the dirt monsters created by Pixie-Bob's Quirk, their exhaustion was apparent. Izuku, Shoto, Tenya, and Katsuki led the charge, working together to bring down the beasts with precision and determination. The sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows that made the eerie forest seem even more daunting.

While the students fought, they couldn't help but notice the absence of Amelia.

Denki panting, swinging a fist at a dirt creature, "Did Amelia just leave us like that? She's probably already at the lodge, relaxing!"

"Honestly, if I could fly, I'd be doing the same thing right about now," a grinning replied Mina. Ochaco sending a chunk of debris hurtling at one of the monsters couldn't help but think and voice her thoughts, "But… it kinda makes me want to train harder. We need to be able to keep up with her, right?"

The rest of Class 1-A nodded in agreement as they continued fighting. They understood Amelia's strength and versatility, her quirk making them envy her a little, but they couldn't rely on her to carry them through tough battles. They had to improve on their own to stand by her side as equals.

Katsuki, already blasting through another dirt monster, scoffed as he heard the others. "Tch, stop whining. If you want to be by her side, get stronger. If you're not, you'll just get left behind." He smirked, casting a sideways glance at Izuku.

"And you, Deku. Vanilla's already flying laps around you. Better catch up before she leaves you for someone else." Katsuki grinned, mischievously.

Izuku stumbled slightly at Katsuki's words, he frowned at the nickname "Vanilla" Katsuki called Amelia. He glanced up into the sky, where Amelia had disappeared, and clenched his fists. He knew Katsuki was teasing him, but part of him felt the sting in his words.

Izuku didn't respond as his thoughts drifted to Amelia, "I have to get stronger. For her… and for myself."

The determination ignited a fire in Izuku, and he pushed forward, blasting through the next wave of monsters with renewed energy. He wasn't the only one. The rest of Class 1-A, inspired by Amelia's early departure, fought harder, faster, and with more purpose. After all she was the only qualified hero among them and they knew that.