Two Days later
Two days after the encounter with Solderate, Izuku's life began to shift in ways he could never have imagined. The shadow energy that now flowed through him was far more potent than he initially understood. During those first 48 hours, he spent most of his time testing the new abilities he had discovered, cautiously experimenting with the shadow energy that coursed through his veins. He could conjure the dark tendrils at will, manipulate them into various shapes, and even make them extend across distances, but he knew there was more to this power than just its visible form.
It was during lunchtime on the second day that everything truly began to change.
Izuku had been keeping a low profile, hiding in the shadows as much as possible, afraid of drawing attention to himself. He knew that his newfound power made him different, but he wasn't sure how different until Katsuki, Shoto, and Kaminari approached him in the cafeteria. Katsuki, still holding onto the bitterness and superiority he had always felt toward Izuku, sneered as he walked up to his old target.
"Still hanging around like a lost puppy, Deku?" Katsuki's voice was laced with venom.
Shoto stood silently beside him, his cold eyes looking at Izuku as if he was nothing, while Kaminari chuckled, nudging Katsuki, waiting for the usual routine of bullying to unfold. Izuku felt the familiar surge of anxiety rise in his chest, but this time, something else accompanied it—a strange sensation at the back of his mind, almost like a second voice urging him to act.
Izuku's eyes darkened as he stared at the three of them. Without thinking, he extended a thread of shadow energy toward them, not visible to the naked eye but very much present in his awareness. As the energy reached their minds, Izuku felt something click inside him.
Suddenly, Katsuki's mocking grin faltered, and his expression went blank. Shoto's icy demeanor melted into an unreadable emptiness, and Kaminari's laughter abruptly ceased. The three stood frozen, their eyes glassy and distant.
"What... What just happened?" Izuku whispered to himself, realizing that he had tapped into a power far beyond simple shadow manipulation. Mind control.
He didn't know how it had happened, but he could feel it—their minds were under his command. For the first time in his life, he wasn't the one being controlled or mocked. He was in control. His heart raced as he experimented, commanding Katsuki to walk forward. Katsuki obeyed without hesitation, like a puppet on strings. Izuku ordered Shoto to sit down, and without question, he did.
It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once.
After the initial shock wore off, Izuku quickly left the cafeteria, leaving his classmates behind as he processed what had just occurred. The rest of that day was a blur, but by nightfall, he was in his room, staring at his hands, pondering the limits of this newfound ability.
Mind control.
Over the next few days, Izuku began to test the boundaries of this power. He started small, using his shadow energy to influence the minds of random passersby on the street. He could make them do simple tasks—pick up an item, walk in a certain direction, speak a certain phrase. The more he experimented, the more confident he became in his ability to control others.
Then, as if spurred on by the sheer thrill of it, he began pushing further. How many people could he control at once? How far could his influence reach? Every day, Izuku tested his limits, targeting groups of people—first a small crowd at a bus stop, then a classroom full of students, and eventually, an entire train station packed with commuters. To his astonishment, there didn't seem to be any limits to the number of minds he could control. Dozens, hundreds—even when he extended his reach to thousands, his power didn't wane.
There was no limit.
The revelation was staggering. With this power, Izuku could control anyone, anywhere, at any time. The more he used it, the more his confidence grew, and the darker his thoughts became. What if he could control his friends? His family? The very people who had abandoned him, belittled him, and made him feel like nothing?
He decided to test it.
Starting with his former friends, Izuku used his mind control to influence them, making them see him in places where he wasn't, making them believe they were having conversations with him when in reality, he wasn't there. The feeling of power was intoxicating. Next, he extended his control to his sister, Izumi, and then his parents. They, too, fell under his influence without resistance. Soon, his entire family was under his control, seeing illusions of him, obeying his every command without even realizing it.
But that wasn't enough.
Izuku's ambition grew. If he could control his family and friends, why stop there? He focused his mind control on larger targets—his school, his neighborhood, his entire city. Within days, Izuku had placed all of Japan under his control, using his shadow energy to project illusions of himself across the country. No matter where anyone was, they would see him, hear him, and feel his presence—even though he wasn't there. He was everywhere and nowhere all at once.
But even with that, Izuku wasn't satisfied.
The more he used his shadow energy, the more he realized that it wasn't just mind control that set him apart. He began to push the limits of his physical abilities, training in secret as he discovered the true extent of his powers. His strength had become unparalleled, his speed unrivaled. He could move faster than the human eye could track, his body flickering in and out of sight like a shadow. His punches could shatter concrete, his kicks could send shockwaves through the air. And, most impressively, he found that his body could become intangible, turning into pure shadow energy whenever he willed it. Any attack aimed at him would simply pass through him, leaving him unharmed.
There was nothing that could touch him anymore.
For five months, Izuku honed his skills, training relentlessly in the shadows while the world remained oblivious to the power he now wielded. He no longer felt like the weak, quirkless boy he had once been. He was something far greater—something unstoppable. The name "Deku" no longer fit him, and neither did his old life.
When he finally emerged from the shadows, Izuku made a decision. He wouldn't return to his former life. He had no need for it anymore. The people who had once scorned him, the society that had rejected him, were now under his control. They didn't even know it, but they were his puppets. He could make them believe whatever he wanted.
Instead of reclaiming his old identity, he forged a new one—one that reflected the power he had gained, the strength he now commanded.
He called himself Ash-born.
With this new identity, Izuku left behind the boy he used to be. He was no longer the powerless, quirkless Deku. He was Ash-born, the wielder of shadow energy, the master of minds, the unstoppable force that would reshape the world in his image.
