The world swam back into focus with the taste of metal on my tongue and voices blurring around me. For a second, I thought I'd died—again. Then the ache in my bones reminded me: no such luck.
I opened my eyes to find a familiar pair of round, worried ones staring down at me.
"Renji! You're awake!" Uraraka gasped, relief flooding her voice. She nearly toppled over in her rush to sit me up. "Don't move too much, you—your body was…"
"You went down hard," Midoriya added, kneeling nearby with his notebook forgotten at his side. His hands shook. "That—your power—what was that? The giant… the—"
Bakugo cut him off with a snarl. "Cut the crap, Deku. The real question is, what the hell was that, Renji? Don't play dumb. You're no normal Quirk user."
I coughed, sitting up slowly. Every joint screamed rebellion, but I managed a weak grin. "What, you didn't like my little toy dinosaur?"
"A toy?!" Kaminari yelled from somewhere behind Bakugo. "Bro, that thing was the size of a building!"
"Yeah," Mina chimed in, eyes sparkling, "and it was soooo cool!"
Iida adjusted his glasses, though even his usual sternness wavered. "Cool or not, this raises serious questions. That… mechanism you used. That summoning. It doesn't align with any Quirk classification I know of."
I could feel everyone's eyes on me now—curious, suspicious, awe-struck. The weight pressed down harder than Nomu's fists ever had.
I exhaled. "Call it… Sentai. That's my Quirk. A system that lets me access different combat forms. And, apparently… Zords."
They blinked. Confused, skeptical. But Uraraka smiled softly, like she didn't care about the explanation, just the fact that I was breathing. Midoriya scribbled furiously, muttering about "multi-faceted Quirk systems" and "support equipment hybrids."
Bakugo, though—Bakugo's eyes burned. "You think you can stand on top with that flashy crap? Hah. Don't get cocky. I'll crush you, dinosaur and all."
I didn't bother arguing. His glare wasn't anger at me, not really. It was anger at the fact someone else had stolen the spotlight he thought was his by right.
Our conversation didn't last. Teachers arrived in force: Aizawa, battered but standing, Recovery Girl bustling in with her cane, and behind them, the towering figure of All Might in his true form, gaunt and bleeding, trying to hide his wounds behind a forced grin.
The class fell silent as Nezu himself waddled into the chaos, eyes sharp despite his cheerful voice. "My, my. What an eventful day. Everyone safe? More or less? Good. Now…" His gaze fell on me, and for the first time since I'd transmigrated, I felt truly seen.
"We need to talk."
The infirmary smelled like antiseptic and regret. Recovery Girl patched me up with that infuriating scolding-grandma tone, kissing away wounds until exhaustion nearly knocked me out again. But the room wasn't empty.
Aizawa leaned against the wall, arms folded, eyes on me like a sniper scope. All Might—back in muscle form for appearances—stood near the door, shadows under his smile. And Nezu sat in a chair too big for him, paws folded politely on his lap.
"So," Nezu began, voice deceptively light. "Care to explain the… ah… mechanized dinosaur that manifested under your command?"
I licked dry lips. "Quirk manifestation."
Aizawa's scarf twitched. "Try again."
His eyes glowed faintly red. My Morpher went cold. The room fell heavy. He had my power sealed in an instant. "I erased it. Yet the remains of that… thing lingered longer than they should've." His gaze sharpened. "What are you hiding, Sato?"
My pulse raced. If I told them the truth—about transmigration, the Grid, another world—they'd think I was insane. Or worse, they'd lock me up and dissect the Morpher.
So I lied, but with as much truth as I could weave.
"It's a system Quirk," I said carefully. "Sentai. It lets me swap between different combat states. And… under extreme strain, it produced that Zord. I didn't know it could. Not until today."
Nezu tilted his head, studying me like a puzzle. "Hmm. Fascinating. A Quirk that evolves like a video game system? Rare, but not impossible. And the dinosaur… a manifestation of that evolution?"
I nodded quickly. "Exactly."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed. He didn't believe me entirely, but he couldn't disprove it either.
All Might, though—his gaze was different. He remembered the moment our powers synced. The way my Grid had wrapped around him. His voice was quiet when he spoke. "Whatever it is, you used it to protect your classmates. That counts for something."
Nezu hummed. "Yes, but it also paints a target. If villains saw that… they'll want it." His eyes glimmered, too sharp for a creature so small. "Especially one like Shigaraki Tomura."
I swallowed hard. He wasn't wrong.
Later, when the teachers left me to rest, I lay staring at the ceiling. The Morpher rested on the table beside me, cracked but still faintly glowing.
[System Status: Repair Mode — Estimated Recovery: 72 Hours]
Three days. That's all I had before the Grid came back online.
I clenched my fist. Shigaraki's face haunted me—the way he'd looked at me, hungry and obsessed. He'd seen the Grid, felt it. And now he wanted it.
And worse… the dream still gnawed at me. The hand tearing through the circuitry. The eyes in the dark. The Grid wasn't just power—it was a beacon. And something was watching from the other side.
"Guess rest isn't an option," I muttered.
The Morpher pulsed weakly in reply.
Back in class the next day, whispers followed me like shadows. Mina wouldn't stop asking if she could ride the "dino-bot." Kaminari begged me to teach him how to summon "a mech girlfriend." Even Todoroki spared me a glance longer than usual, his mismatched eyes unreadable.
But Midoriya… Midoriya's stare was different. Not envy, not curiosity. Determination.
"Renji," he said quietly during lunch, clutching his notebook. "Your Quirk… it's incredible. But it looked like it hurt you. A lot."
I shrugged. "Power always has a cost."
He nodded, serious. "Then… I'll be stronger too. So you're not the only one hurting yourself to protect people."
For a moment, I couldn't find words. The Grid pulsed faintly, a warm hum at my wrist.
[Assist Node Resonance: Midoriya Izuku — 20%]
I smiled. "Guess we'll both have to push Plus Ultra, huh?"
His grin was shaky but bright. "Yeah."
That night, I sat alone by the dorm window, city lights flickering beyond the glass. My body still ached, but my mind was louder.
The USJ battle had changed everything. Canon was broken. Shigaraki had seen me. The teachers suspected me. And the Grid had awakened a Zord in a world that had never known them.
There was no turning back now.
The Morpher pulsed, a faint whisper of circuitry and light.
[New Directive: Assemble a Team.]
I stared at it, heart heavy but resolute.
"A team, huh? Guess that's what Sentai's all about."
The city glimmered in the dark. Somewhere out there, villains plotted, eyes watched, and destiny twisted.
And me? I was just one transmigrated kid with a broken Morpher, a secret bigger than the world, and a future barreling toward me at full speed.
But hey—if life wanted a Ranger?
I'd be the best damn one it ever saw.