Chapter 85: The First Day at a Military Camp

U.S. ARMY MILITARY BASE — TRAINING CAMPFIRST DAY — TRAINING COURSE

At a U.S. Army training camp, around thirty new recruits had just begun their very first day. Most of them had barely turned eighteen, while a few others were slightly older.

From the moment they arrived, the rules of this new environment had been imposed on them without the slightest transition. All the boys, in particular, had been required to go through the traditional military haircut, leaving their old hairstyles behind for hair that was now short and perfectly regulation-compliant.

The few girls present had simply been required to tie their hair back into a ponytail or bun so it wouldn't get in the way during training. All except one young woman who hadn't even needed to worry about it, since she already had short hair.

And this first day was anything but a simple introduction. They had barely had time to discover their new surroundings before the recruits were led onto an enormous concrete training ground stretching for dozens upon dozens of meters, where they were given an order as simple as it was exhausting: run. Again and again, until they had completed every single lap demanded by their instructors.

In the summer heat, the sun beat down with crushing intensity, quickly turning the exercise into a true test of endurance. With every lap, their breathing grew heavier, their clothes became increasingly soaked with sweat, and their faces tightened further from the effort.

Yet no one truly dared to slow down. Every recruit did their best to maintain the pace imposed on them, despite the heat burning against their skin, their legs growing heavier with every step, and their lungs already begging for a break.

A few meters away, a military Jeep moved alongside them so the instructors would never lose sight of the group. Inside, one of them carefully watched the recruits before suddenly shouting at the top of his lungs, his powerful voice carrying across the training ground and cracking through the air like a whip.

— "I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYONE STOP! THE FIRST PERSON WHO STOPS WILL GET EVERYONE ELSE PUNISHED! UNDERSTOOD?!"

For recruits who had barely set foot in the camp, this introduction already felt more like collective punishment than simple training.

Several exchanged exhausted, incredulous looks, while a few irritated murmurs began spreading through the group. Still, they kept running, too out of breath to truly hold a conversation and, more importantly, far too aware of the consequences of even one person stopping.

— "Fuck, is this a joke?! It's our first day and look at what they've already got us doing?!"

— "Yeah, this is complete bullshit!"

— "Hey, why were you guys sent here?"

Despite the complaints, everyone continued hanging on as best they could, determined not to become the person who slowed down the entire group. Even Flash Thompson, who had always possessed a particularly athletic physique and a natural advantage over most boys his age, was beginning to seriously feel the effects of the exercise.

His breathing grew heavier, sweat poured down his face, and his muscles became increasingly painful as the laps went by. He was still keeping pace, but even for him, this first day was far from a walk in the park.

Then, suddenly, a cry rang out from among the recruits. Almost instinctively, several of them slowed down before stopping and turning their heads in its direction. A young woman had just collapsed onto the concrete, unable to keep going.

It was the short-haired girl. Lying on the ground, her breathing completely erratic, she struggled to regain her composure while her body trembled from exhaustion.

— "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! GET UP! NOW!"

— "I-I'm getting up…!"

She pushed herself up on her arms and immediately tried to obey, clearly refusing to remain on the ground for even another second. But despite all her determination, her legs were barely responding anymore.

The moment she tried to get back on her feet, they buckled beneath her own weight, forcing her to remain on the ground. At the sight of this, Sergeant Morasson's impatience only grew.

— "Seriously?! It's only the first day and we already have someone in this state?!"

Around her, the situation quickly became even more unpleasant. Exhaustion and the threat of collective punishment had rapidly erased the other recruits' patience.

Several of them began throwing remarks at her, more concerned about the consequences her collapse could have on their own training than about her condition.

— "Fuck, are you gonna get up already?!"

— "Yeah, hurry the hell up! I don't wanna get punished because of you!"

— "I don't get it, why is a girl even here?!"

— "Yeah, seriously!"

All eyes were now fixed on her, and certainly not with kindness. Still on the ground, she felt frustration rising inside her just as quickly as the humiliation.

As if simply being unable to get back up wasn't humiliating enough, she now had to endure the remarks and accusing stares of almost the entire group. Overwhelmed by the situation, she gritted her teeth, inwardly raging at the place she had just ended up in and at the sheer absurdity of her situation.

— "I can't believe that I, Amadeus Cho, the greatest of the great, am stuck in a training camp! Fuck, I should be building stuff from the future or getting praised for my genius instead of being here!"

While the recruits continued shouting at her, the instructors did nothing to intervene. From their Jeep, they carefully observed the scene, as though they were waiting specifically to see how the group would react to the first difficulty faced by one of their own.

No one seemed to realize it, but their attention was no longer focused solely on Amadeus. They were watching the others as well. Would they keep putting pressure on her? Would someone eventually step in to help her? Or would they simply leave her to deal with it on her own?

The seconds passed without anyone moving. The complaints continued, Amadeus remained unable to get back on her feet, and the instructors stayed silent. Until one recruit finally stepped out from the group.

Flash Thompson.

He was exhausted too. His breathing was short, his body was drenched in sweat, and the previous laps had already put considerable strain on his muscles. Yet instead of staying with the others, he walked over to Amadeus without really caring about the eyes now fixed on him.

Once he reached her, he simply held out his hand. The gesture, ordinary as it was, was enough to surprise almost everyone. The recruits fell silent for a moment, the instructors watched even more closely, and Amadeus herself looked up at him, visibly caught off guard.

— "You gonna be okay?" Flash asked.

— "Uh… yeah, yeah…"

Still surprised, Amadeus took his hand and tried to stand with his help. Flash gently pulled her up, but the moment the young woman was almost back on her feet, her legs gave out beneath her weight once again.

Around them, the protests immediately resumed. The other recruits were losing patience, but the instructors discreetly exchanged intrigued looks.

— "Sergeant Morasson… how many laps are left?"

— "Two. Why?"

Flash didn't answer immediately. Without the slightest hesitation, he crouched down slightly in front of Amadeus before lifting her up and hoisting her directly onto his back.

A murmur of surprise immediately spread through the group. No one had expected him to do something like that, least of all Amadeus, who nearly cried out when she suddenly felt her feet leave the ground.

— "H-Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!" she asked, embarrassed.

— "What? I'm just helping you."

— "Yeah, but I didn't ask you to—"

— "Mind telling us what you're doing?" Sergeant Morasson asked.

The sergeant's tone immediately cut their exchange short. Seeing two recruits talking like this while the training had been interrupted was clearly testing his patience, even if his gaze also betrayed a certain curiosity. Flash turned his head toward him, Amadeus still on his back, then answered with surprising calm considering his own exhaustion.

— "We can keep going, Sergeant. I'll run while carrying her."

A brief silence followed his answer before several recruits burst out laughing. To some of them, the suggestion seemed so absurd that it almost sounded like a provocation.

Flash was already exhausted like everyone else, yet he had just announced, with complete seriousness, that he intended to complete the final two laps with an entire person on his back. The only ones who weren't laughing were the instructors still sitting inside the Jeep. They simply continued watching him.

— "You're telling us you plan on finishing the training with this girl on your back? Don't you think you're overestimating yourself a little? And why would you even do that?"

— "Why wouldn't I?" Flash replied.

This time, the laughter died almost immediately. His answer had been so simple, so spontaneous, that it caught several people off guard. Even the instructors seemed slightly surprised.

Flash, however, didn't try to justify himself any further. He slowly looked over the recruits, and his expression gradually became far more accusatory.

— "All of you are yelling at her and putting pressure on her instead of helping her."

Still holding onto him, Amadeus remained silent. Ever since he had approached her, the way she looked at Flash had begun to change. A few minutes earlier, he had been nothing more than another recruit among all the others.

Now, he was the only one who had stepped forward when she was on the ground and everyone else was shouting at her. Something had changed among the instructors as well. Without making a single comment, they seemed to be watching the young man with newfound interest, and this time, it was noticeably more favorable.

— "Oh… looks like someone's got balls." one of the recruits said.

The remark was enough to trigger another wave of laughter among the recruits. But it only lasted a few seconds. Sergeant Morasson abruptly raised one hand in a sharp, authoritative motion, and silence fell almost instantly without him even needing to raise his voice. His gaze then returned to Flash, then to Amadeus still on his back.

— "Alright… we'll do it your way. But if you can't finish the remaining laps with her on your back, you'll both run five extra laps."

The threat was clear. Flash had voluntarily made an already exhausting exercise considerably harder, and if he failed, both he and Amadeus would pay the price.

Yet he didn't protest or even consider backing down from his decision. Despite the exhaustion already weighing on his body, he simply tightened his grip to keep Amadeus securely on his back before raising his head toward his superior.

— "Understood, Sergeant!"

A subtle smile appeared on Sergeant Morasson's face at such a spontaneous yet confident response. Flash had accepted the potential punishment without the slightest hesitation, as though the possibility of having to run five additional laps changed absolutely nothing about his decision. At that moment, the other instructor sitting in the Jeep, who had remained silent since the beginning of the incident, finally decided to step in.

— "ALRIGHT, ENOUGH TALKING! START RUNNING!"

TO BE CONTINUED.