AT LATE EVENING
MICHAEL
I had done it. Last circle, storm closing, three left. My fingers flew over the keys, edit, wall, ramp, shotgun flick, boom. One down. Another tried to build sky high, but I'd already tossed grenades up there like confetti. He dropped, spinning, panicked. Headshot. Victory Royale.
I leaned back, grinning at the glowing words on my monitor. Finally. After weeks of losses, lag, and controller throwing rage, I had won.
"Let's gooo!" I yelled, and that's when the screen flashed white.
Not the usual kind of flash, either. This was real. I blinked once, twice and suddenly, the air felt too clear, too sharp. My ears popped like I'd just left a plane. The smell hit next, summer grass, asphalt, chalk dust, something electric in the wind. I wasn't in my room anymore. I looked up. Massive bronze gates. The letters gleamed in the sunlight like something out of a dream. U.A. HIGH SCHOOL.
I froze.
"No way…"I whispered.
Behind the gates, students in bright costumes ran drills, bursts of ice and flame painting the courtyard like fireworks. I recognized faces, Midoriya, Bakugo, Uraraka. Real. Breathing. Moving. I checked myself. Hoodie. Jeans. No weapons. No Quirk. Just… me. Aizawa's voice cut through the air.
"You. New kid. Why are you standing there like an NPC?"Aizawa asked.
My brain short circuited for half a second. NPC? Excuse me?!
"Uh- Michael." I stammered. "Transfer… student?"
He stared, deadpan, eyes half lidded.
"Then move before Bakugo levels the front gate."Aizawa said.
And just like that, boom. Explosion shook the ground, smoke everywhere, students shouting, heroes shouting louder. I dove behind a bench as debris flew past. No Quirk, no powers, no plan, but my instincts kicked in. Observation. Timing. Strategy. Fine. I might not have a Quirk. But I had just won a war in Fortnite. The smoke cleared, and I stood, brushing dust off my hoodie like that made me look less terrified. Aizawa was already walking toward me, scarf floating in that creepy, lazy way that somehow screamed don't mess with me.
"Name." He said flatly.
"Michael." I answered. "Uh… transfer student."
His eyebrow twitched.
"Quirk?"Aizawa asked.
I hesitated for a second, then told the truth.
"None."I said.
The silence hit harder than the explosion. I could feel other students stop mid-conversation, eyes sliding toward me like I had just admitted to being an alien. Aizawa only sighed.
"Figures. Another problem child. Fine. You'll register as Michael, Quirkless transfer student. Try not to die before homeroom."Aizawa said.
That's how it started, a name and a label. Quirkless. He handed me a tablet and pointed toward the administration wing. I followed the on screen prompts until my name appeared in the U.A. system.
Student ID: pending. Quirk: none. Evaluation: incomplete.
When I stepped out, green hair caught my eye. The kid I had seen a hundred times on screen, Izuku Midoriya, stood near the main path, muttering notes to himself while flipping through a worn notebook. I took a breath and walked over.
"Hey, you're… Midoriya, right?"I asked.
He looked up, startled.
"Y-yeah! You're- I haven't seen you before. Are you new?"He asked.
"Transfer student." I said. "Michael. No Quirk."
His eyes widened, not with pity, but recognition.
'FIRST-YEAR ENTRANCE EXAM CANDIDATES - REPORT TO TEST FIELD ALPHA!"He shouted.
Midoriya jumped, clutching his notebook.
"That's us!"Michael said.
"Us?" I asked.
He smiled nervously.
"If you registered today, you're in the exam too. Come on!"He explained.
So I followed him, through the gates, down the path lined with banners reading Plus Ultra!, into the heart of the arena where heroes were born. Robots roared in the distance. Students stretched, powered up, ready to show the world what they had. Me? I rolled my shoulders, cracked my knuckles.
"Alright. No Quirk. No problem."I whispered.
If I could win a game where everyone else had building skills and legendary loot, I could handle this. The exam gates opened. Robots. Everywhere. Level 1s, clanking metal, glowing red eyes, and the rest of the students scattered like pins. Some were trapped under rubble, others were scrambling with blasts and Quirks going off all around me. I didn't have a Quirk. I didn't have powers. But I did have one thing: timing. Observation. Strategy.
I scanned the field. There, a long metal pole was lying half buried in dirt. Perfect leverage. Perfect reach. Fortnite had taught me to improvise with props, to turn the environment into advantage. I grabbed it, feeling the weight in my hands. Heavy, but manageable. A Level 1 charge at a girl pinned under scaffolding. Heart racing, I planted my feet and swung the pole like I had been training for this all my life. First strike, joint exposed. The robot staggered, sparks spraying. I twisted, slammed it into the dirt, and it toppled over, crushing another behind it. One down, two down, three down in seconds.
"Over here!" Someone shouted.
A kid trapped under a banner looked terrified. I hooked the pole under the edge, lifted, and shoved. She scrambled free, eyes wide. I gave a quick nod.
"Go!"I shouted.
And then a Midoriya. The green haired kid I had seen online, notebook clutched tight, eyes wide but sharp, analyzing everything.
"Michael! That lever move, where did you-?"Izuku asked.
"Game sense." I muttered, trying to sound casual while dodging a clumsy robot swing.
Timing. Always timing. He grinned like I had just leveled up his day.
"I'll distract their sensors! You hit the joints!"Izuku smirked.
It clicked. Coordination. Strategy. He called weak points while I executed. We moved like a unit, me swinging, deflecting, tipping, him darting, yelling, drawing attention, and dodging just like a pro. A missile arced toward me; I angled the pole, sent it ricocheting into another robot, sparks flying in a mini explosion that took down three more. Students around us began to move more freely.
"Nice call!" A kill yelled and my chest swelled, that victory buzz, different from any Fortnite win, but even better.
When the last Level 1 fell, smoke curling, sparks dying, silence blanketed the field. Students panted, some staring, some muttering my name under their breathing.
"Michael… Quirkless… that move…"One of them whispered.
Izuku came up beside me, chest heaving, eyes bright and sincere.
"Michael." He said, voice low, almost reverent. "That was… you saved them. You're strong, not with a Quirk, but with… with you."
I blinked, a little dumbfounded. Then I bumped my fist against his.
"You kept me alive with the intel, Deku. We make a hell of a duo."I said happily.
He grinned like he'd just solved some puzzle.
"We do! Let's study together, tactics, strategy, everything! Wait how you know Deku?"
"I noticed Bakugo."I said.
Even Aizawa was watching from the sidelines, expression unreadable, but I caught a flicker of… curiosity? Respect? I couldn't tell, and I didn't care. For the first time since the flash, since I'd appeared in this insane world, I felt like I belonged. I tucked the pole into the rack so it wouldn't become a souvenir and looked at Izuku. Around us, students whispered, replayed the fight in their heads. And I realized, being Quirkless here didn't mean invisible. Not if I had timing, observation, and someone who believed in me.
"Plus Ultra?" He asked, hopeful.
"Plus Ultra." I said, and I meant it.