Aaron's POV
"Gather in Ground Beta," said All Might, his booming voice carrying easily across the hallway. Soon after changing into our hero costumes, we walked to the training ground.
"Whoa, dude, you look badass! That's seriously manly." Kirishima grinned wide, flashing a thumbs-up.
I smirked. "You too."
Kirishima leaned in a little, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, tell me—how the heck do you get muscles like that? Your training must be insane!"
I chuckled. "Maybe I'll show you sometime. Could always use a sparring partner… or a punching bag." The last part slipped out under his breath.
"Huh? What was that?" Kirishima tilted his head.
"Nothing. I mean, yeah, we should definitely train together."
Kirishima's grin widened even further. "Heck yeah! That's what I'm talking about. Nothing's more manly than pushing past your limits!" He punched the air in excitement.
Once everyone gathered, they immediately began bombarding All Might with questions.
To everyone's surprise, the Symbol of Peace pulled out a small notebook and began explaining the combat drill in detail.
Everyone would be paired randomly into teams of two. Half of the teams would act as villains, hiding a nuclear weapon inside a building, while the other half would act as heroes. The heroes' objective: secure the weapon. The villains' objective: protect it until time ran out.
The teams were the same as in the anime, except where Mineta should have been—now it was me.
Team A: Izuku and Ochako
Team B: Shoto and Shoji
Team C: Momo and Aaron
Team D: Bakugo and Tenya
Team E: Mina and Aoyama
Team F: Sato and Koda
Team G: Kaminari and Jiro
Team H: Tokoyami and Asui
Team I: Mashirao and Toru
Team J: Sero and Kirishima
All Might drew lots in his dramatic fashion for the match-ups:
Team A vs Team D
Team B vs Team C
Team H vs Team J
Team G vs Team I
Team E vs Team F
"Only Team A and D will stay here. The rest, come with me."
As Team A and Team D squared off, we all watched the battle unfold through the monitors. Just like in the anime, Bakugo couldn't accept that Izuku had a quirk—let alone such a powerful one. He was furious, convinced that Deku had been lying to him all this time.
I was engrossed in the fight when someone spoke beside me. "It seems we're in a team."
I turned to my left and found Momo standing there.
"Ah… yeah. Aaron Black, by the way." I introduced myself with a polite handshake, which she returned.
"Momo Yaoyorozu," she said.
"You're not from Japan, are you?"
"Nope. Moved here from America three years ago. Why, you don't like foreigners?" I teased, grinning.
"I– ah, that's not what I meant." She looked flustered.
"I know, I was just messing with you."
She huffed but gave a small nod.
"You got a plan?" I asked, respecting her input.
"I was thinking I could guard the weapon and support you from behind. My quirk, Creation, allows me to create any non-living object as long as I understand its composition."
"That's a great quirk. My quirk's more of a body-strengthening type, so leave the fighting to me. You handle the traps."
"Shoto Todoroki could be a problem though."
"Don't worry about him. Just make sure the bomb doesn't get frozen, and that you don't get frozen either. We villains get a five-minute head start—let's use it wisely."
"Right. I'll set traps and protect the bomb while you keep Todoroki busy. Simple plan, but it could work. I heard how you crushed the Zero Pointer in the exam."
Before I could reply, All Might declared Team A's battle over. Just like in the anime, Izuku managed to pull through, it will certainly take Izuku some time to comprehend Full Cowling.
'A day isn't enough without guidance.' I thought
After All Might's feedback, it was finally our turn.
We entered the battleground. Momo began planting traps, carefully rationing her creations since they drained her stamina. She slipped inside the building while I hid outside.
The heroes appeared after five minutes. Shoto and Shoji slipped into the building cautiously, every step deliberate. Suddenly—
BOOM!
A small explosion echoed as Momo's trap went off. Dust and smoke filled the narrow hallway, but Shoto slammed his hand to the ground, raising a thick wall of ice that absorbed most of the impact. Shoji shielded himself with his extra arms but still caught a shallow cut along one forearm.
They both retreated outside, eyes scanning for danger. Shoto wasted no time—he stretched out his hand toward the building, cold mist curling around his fingers.
'He's about to freeze the whole structure,' I thought. 'Just like in the anime. Not this time.'
I burst out of my hiding place, my legs digging into the concrete. CRACK! The ground splintered under the force of my leap as I drove my fist into the already-frosted wall. Ice shattered like glass, spraying shards across the battlefield.
The sudden shock broke Shoto's concentration. His eyes widened as he and Shoji staggered back.
Titan's Pulse — 100%.
I launched forward in a blur. The air whistled past my ears as I closed the distance. Shoji reacted fast, multiple arms snapping outward like a shield, but the impact was too much. WHAM! The sheer force of my punch sent him flying across the pavement, his arms flailing like a ragdoll before he slammed into the ground with a grunt.
A massive column of ice erupted toward me—Shoto's counterattack. The jagged mass carved through the air with a freezing hiss, but I was already moving, rolling aside as frost coated the ground where I'd just stood.
From above, Momo appeared at a window. She hurled a weighted net laced with metal filaments. It dropped over Shoji like a predatory trap, sparks flashing the instant it touched him.
"Ghh—!" His body convulsed violently as the current surged through him, then fell limp.
I glanced up and gave Momo a quick thumbs up. She smiled faintly before ducking back inside.
......
Third Person POV
"STOP UNDERESTIMATING ME!" Shoto's voice cut through the training ground like ice itself.
Aaron stood calmly, brushing frost off his arm. "I'm not underestimating you. You're just… weak." His smirk was deliberate, calculated.
Shoto's teeth clenched.
"Show me more. That's not all you've got, right?" Aaron taunted.
Shoto's patience snapped. With one sweeping motion, his arm unleashed an avalanche of ice. A roaring crack split the ground as a glacier erupted forward, swallowing everything in its path. In seconds, a frozen fortress of jagged ice dominated the arena.
Shoto exhaled sharply, certain he'd encased Aaron. He turned, heading for the building—
THUD!
The sound of impact cut him off. His body was suddenly airborne, his side screaming in pain as he was hurled across the field.
CRASH! He tumbled through debris, sliding to a stop in a heap of broken concrete.
Aaron stood where Shoto had been moments earlier, frost steaming off his shoulders. His fists trembled faintly from the sudden burst of power.
"Who's underestimating who now?" he asked, voice low but sharp.
He'd activated Double Up just for a split second, pushing Titan's Pulse to dodge the ice and counter at blinding speed.
In the observation room, the class stared in silence.
"That speed…" All Might's eyes narrowed, muscles tense.
Bakugo's nails dug into his palms, his fists trembling. 'Damn it… not even I could've dodged that.'
Midoriya swallowed hard, his thoughts racing. 'Aaron-san's advice… he's on another level. If I don't figure this out soon, I'll be left behind.'
Shoto groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. His heterochromatic eyes locked on Aaron with newfound seriousness. "I underestimated you. I'll go all out now—so be careful."
Frost spiraled around him like a storm, his ice erupting in rapid-fire barrages. Shards cut through the air like knives, whistling as they closed in.
Aaron met them head-on. His fists blurred, smashing through the ice. CRACK! CRASH! Shards exploded into glittering fragments around him, catching the light as he charged forward. His footsteps thundered, each one closer, faster.
Kirishima leaned forward, fists clenched tight as Aaron shattered another wall of ice.
"Whoa, are you seeing this?! He's just plowing through Todoroki's ice like it's nothing! That's crazy manly!"
Another massive crack tore through the frozen floor as Aaron's punch sent shards flying everywhere. Kirishima practically vibrated with excitement.
"Dude, this is what it means to fight like a real man! Power against power, no holding back!"
As Aaron dodged a spike of ice at the last second and countered with raw speed, Kirishima slammed his hands on the monitor table.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about! Straight up guts and strength—man, I gotta train way harder if I want to fight like that someday!"
On the monitor, Aaron's silhouette plowed through the icy onslaught, an unstoppable force closing in on Shoto. The glacier crumbled faster than Todoroki could rebuild it.
Finally, Aaron reached him. His fist rose—then stopped, hovering just inches from Shoto's chest.
"Alright. That's enough."
All Might's voice echoed over the comms. "Villain team wins!"
The ice user blinked, realizing the timer had run out. His shoulders sagged as the frost melted around him.
"You're strong," Shoto admitted quietly, brushing ice off his uniform.
"You're not bad either." Aaron extended a hand. "But if you think half your strength is enough, you'll never surpass anyone."
Shoto took the hand, pulling himself up. His eyes narrowed, silently taking the words to heart.
Aaron turned to Momo, who emerged from the building.
"That net was perfectly timed," he said.
"Well, I had to contribute too," she replied with a small smile.
The two rejoined their classmates, who immediately surrounded them with praise and questions.
The rest of the matches felt lackluster in comparison, short and uninspiring. Eventually, All Might dismissed the class, saying he had to check on Midoriya's injury.