Kai and Rin went to the hospital where their mother was. Kai stood in awe at the view of the vast city from the train. The ride wasn't very long just about twenty minutes until they arrived at a relatively large hospital.
Upon entering, Rin took the lead, speaking with the nurses who guided them to their mother's room.
'Careful… intensive care…'
When Kai opened the door, a jolt of reality hit him: his mother was connected to a machine through a tube in her mouth, with several IV lines in her arms, and a monitor tracking each of her vital signs.
'She… she's in a coma…'
As Rin excitedly explained that Kai had been accepted into U.A., memories began hitting him like an unstoppable river: his mother without a Quirk, the stroke she had suffered, his father abandoning them after buying the house, and how his mother's insurance covered all hospital expenses, daily life, and the education of him and Rin.
His sister finished speaking and looked at him with a soft smile.
"Well… I'll let you talk to her, okay?"
Kai was left alone in front of his mother. He didn't know what to say. His mind was a mess; he had just reincarnated into this world. He sat for a moment, took a deep breath, and finally said:
"Well… I'll do the best I can in this second life… Mom."
After Rin finished talking with the nurses, they returned home. On the way, Rin talked excitedly about what she wanted to prepare for tomorrow, but Kai barely listened, lost in his thoughts. Then he turned to Rin.
"Don't worry, Rin. I got accepted into U.A. Don't worry, I'll become a hero," he said with a smile.
'I hope being a hero pays well…'
"Of course, that's the least I expect from my brother."
With that said, Kai headed to his room. He sat on the floor, letting the recent memories settle as he reflected on his new life.
"So I'm receiving this body's memories little by little… interesting," he murmured, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.
"Good news, stupid shadow… I got a reaaally good memory," Glancing at the shadow at his feet.
The shadow trembled slightly, as if it were alive.
...
Kai was trying to recall something from his memories that had caught his attention. He realized that the previous Kai, before he had reincarnated into this body, would talk to someone whenever he went out… but there was never anyone around. It had to be his shadow. He was sure of it, but he called it by a name.
'Ahh, damn it… it's on the tip of my tongue. I can't let it slip.'
Suddenly, Kai shivered and a wicked smile spread across his face as he fixed his gaze on the shadow. The shadow trembled slightly.
'What's up with this bastard? He probably realized I'm not the same Kai since this morning… Hah… I don't care.'
Kai's smile widened.
"How's it going, Gon?"
His shadow had no facial features, yet Kai could feel its irritation clearly. It crossed its arms, looked away, and made a gesture as if it were whistling.
'Hahaha… what is it doing?' Kai thought, unsure what to say.
'What can I order this stubborn thing? I need to test my abilities before tomorrow at U.A.'
Kai stood up, his eyes gleaming, and gave the command:
"Gon, go and see what Rin is doing."
The shadow struck a defeated pose but obeyed. It detached from him, slipped through the doorway, and moved toward the living room where Rin was.
'Why does it only obey when I call it by name? And… why the hell does my shadow even have a name? What a bizarre Quirk.'
When the shadow reached the living room, Kai felt an odd sensation. He could sense everything his shadow perceived… as if his consciousness had split into two.
Closing his eyes, he was astonished: his vision became that of the shadow. Even though it had no eyes, he could see through it. The world was gray, yet he could perceive nearly as clearly as with his own sight.
'Whoa… didn't expect this… but alright, let's see what else I can do.'
As he experimented, Kai discovered several things. There was a limit to how far he could send his shadow roughly a few hundred meters. Beyond that, the connection would break, and the shadow would snap back to him.
He also realized that his shadow could jump from one shadow to another to move. In other words, it couldn't go anywhere without a nearby shadow to leap to.
'Alright… got it. Know the limits.'
What he tested next sent shivers down his spine.
Kai wasn't entirely sure about doing what had come to mind; he had a feeling it could get out of control.
'Whatever… I want to know everything about my Quirk. If I want to become a hero in this world and, above all… make money,' he said with satisfaction.
'Now that I think about it… what kind of hero would I be if I used my shadow abilities to save people or fight villains? My ability seems more suited for someone… evil. Well, whatever.'
Shaking off his doubts, Kai took a deep breath. He focused, staring at his shadow, feeling a bit of fear.
"Gon… arise."
Gon began to emerge from the shadow like a being from the underworld, materializing and growing until he reached Kai's height. He looked like a clone of him, but entirely made of darkness. The shadow lifted its head, radiating an almost tangible sense of superiority.
"Why are you looking at me like that, idiot?"
Well… I didn't see this coming. Kai tried to touch his shadow, and strangely, he could. It had materialized; it felt like some kind of clay, but firmer—like soft skin that was also hard at the same time.
"What a strange sensation… let's see what you can do. Gon, bring me that notebook."
His shadow grabbed his waist and looked down at the floor. After a few seconds, it lowered its shoulders and, resigned, obeyed. Kai was amazed that his shadow could interact with physical objects. This opened up countless possibilities for what he could do.
When it brought him the notebook, Kai looked at it and said:
"Gon, return."
And the shadow reverted to its normal form, becoming his shadow again.
"Uh… Gon, do you think you can change shapes too?"
The shadow looked to the right, crossing its arms and ignoring him.
"So you're not going to change, huh…"
"Well, whatever… you're still going to do what I say."
Kai thought of several ways to use his shadow.'Let's see if I can change its shape.'
"Gon, turn into a gun," Kai said, his voice tinged with excitement.
His shadow stared at him for a few seconds, then tilted its head in confusion. Without another sound, it dissolved into a dark mist that slowly drifted toward his hand. After a short moment, a gun formed in his grip… but something felt off.
Without thinking, Kai pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.
"I knew it…" he muttered.
'I suspected that once Gon materialized, he could also change shape. After all… he's a shadow.'
'I think it depends on how much I know about the object I want him to become. I know what a gun looks like, but I don't know what it's made of or how its parts fit together. Without that knowledge, all I get is a hollow silhouette made of shadow.'
He took a moment to think before giving his next order."Gon, now turn into a dagger."
This time, he was almost certain it would work. He knew a dagger was made of iron, and its shape was easy to imagine much less complicated than a firearm. The shadow molded in his hand, forming a detailed hilt and a dark blade that looked razor-sharp.
"Alright… I imagined this to be extremely sharp. Let's test it."
Kai stood up, walked over to his desk, and picked up one of his figures. With a swift motion, the blade sliced through it effortlessly.
"Okay… this works. I imagined this blade could cut through anything… but the question is, can it really?"
He stepped toward the wall and, without hesitation, stabbed it. The strike left only a small mark; it didn't pierce through.
'Okay… even if I imagine it as the sharpest dagger in the world, I guess it can't be sharper than a real one… or maybe it can. Depends on my Quirk. If I train enough, I might be able to make higher-quality shadow weapons.'
"I guess it all comes down to how I train this ability."
Letting his shadow return to its normal form, Kai stretched, paced around the room, took a deep breath, and nodded.
"Alright, Gon… time for the final test. Gon, merge with me."