Story of a shifter

The gates of U.A. High School were more than just a physical barrier; they were the threshold between being a regular teenager and becoming a legend. For Hanta Sero, they were also the place where he had to endure his best friend’s constant commentary.

"Hanta-kun, seriously, the vibes here are just, like, totally immaculate," Camie Utsushimi said, twirling a strand of her fawn-colored hair. She adjusted her school bag, looking around the campus with wide, sparkling eyes. "I feel like I’m about to have a major glow-up just by walking through the door. Can you feel the aesthetic? It’s very 'future hero' chic."

Hanta chuckled, his elbows resting behind his head in his signature relaxed pose. "I’m just glad we both made it, Camie. Although, I’m still tripping over the fact that they put us in different classes. 1-A and 1-B? It’s like they’re trying to start a rivalry before we even get our costumes."

Camie pouted, a playful, exaggerated expression. "Totally tragic, right? But hey, it means we can, like, spill the tea on both classes. You give me the deets on the 'A' squad, and I’ll tell you if anyone in 'B' is a total snack."

"You haven't changed since middle school," Hanta said, shaking his head.

They had been a duo since their days at their local junior high. Hanta, with his plain face and tape-dispensing elbows, and Camie, the girl who could turn a room into a dreamscape or turn into anyone she saw. Most people found Camie’s second Quirk—the ability to shapeshift and mimic powers—to be her most formidable asset. But Hanta knew her best; her real power was her ability to remain completely unfazed by anything the world threw at her.

"Welp, this is my stop," Hanta said as they reached the hallway where the paths to the 1-A and 1-B classrooms diverged. "Don't get lost in your own illusions on the way to class."

Camie blew him a kiss, a wink accompanying her grin. "Stay iconic, Hanta-kun! Catch you at lunch!"

***

The first few weeks at U.A. were a whirlwind of adrenaline and exhaustion. Class 1-A was immediately thrown into the deep end by Shota Aizawa, facing the threat of expulsion on day one. Hanta found himself surrounded by powerhouses: a boy with ice and fire, a human explosion, and a kid who broke his fingers just to throw a ball.

In contrast, Camie’s experience in Class 1-B under Vlad King was slightly more structured, but no less intense. She quickly became the social butterfly of the class, much to the chagrin of Neito Monoma, who found her lack of "class pride" and obsession with slang deeply confusing.

"Camie, why are you talking to that 1-A student again?" Monoma asked one afternoon, pointing a dramatic finger toward the cafeteria where Hanta was waving her over. "They are our rivals! We must prove our superiority!"

Camie blinked at him, popping a piece of gum. "Neito-kun, you are being, like, super extra right now. Hanta-kun is literally my bestie. Plus, his elbows are so unique. It’s a look, honestly."

She bounced over to the 1-A table, sliding in next to Hanta. The table was a chaotic mix of personalities. Denki Kaminari and Minoru Mineta were already staring at Camie with wide, star-struck eyes.

"Who is this goddess?" Kaminari whispered, leaning over to Hanta.

"This is Camie. We went to middle school together," Hanta introduced her, though he looked a bit sheepish. "Camie, these are the guys. That’s Kaminari, Mineta, and the angry one over there is Bakugo."

"Who the hell are you calling angry, Tape-Face?" Bakugo barked from the end of the table.

Camie leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. She studied Bakugo for a moment, her eyes shimmering with a faint, iridescent light—a tell-tale sign of her Illusion quirk. "Wow, you’re like, really loud. It’s kind of a vibe? Like, a 'don't touch me or I’ll explode' aesthetic. I dig it, but maybe try a moisturizer? Stress is totally bad for the pores."

The table went silent. Kirishima let out a muffled snort, while Bakugo looked like he was about to undergo spontaneous combustion.

"You want to die, girl?" Bakugo growled.

"See?" Camie turned to Hanta, completely ignoring the threat. "So intense. Anyway, Hanta-kun, I heard your class did that USJ thing. That sounded like a total bummer. Was it scary? Did you get any cute photos of the villains?"

Hanta’s expression sobered. "It wasn't a photoshoot, Camie. It was serious. We almost lost Mr. Aizawa."

Camie’s playful demeanor softened just a fraction. She reached out, patting Hanta’s arm. "I know, I know. I’m just trying to keep it light. I’m glad you’re okay. If anything happened to you, who would I vent to about my hair days?"

***

The Sports Festival was the first time the school truly saw what Camie Utsushimi could do. While Hanta was making headlines for his valiant, if doomed, effort against Shoto Todoroki, Camie was weaving through the obstacle course with terrifying efficiency.

During the cavalry battle, she had been a nightmare for the other teams. She didn't just use her illusions to hide; she used her second Quirk.

"Wait, is that... Shiozaki?" Itsuka Kendo shouted as she saw a second version of the vine-haired girl running toward the finish line.

"Nope! Just me, being a total copy-cat!" Camie’s voice rang out. She had transformed into Ibara Shiozaki, sprouting vines from her head to snag headbands from unsuspecting students.

Watching from the sidelines after his defeat, Hanta couldn't help but grin. "She’s really going for it."

"Your friend is terrifying," Kaminari said, sitting next to him with a bandage on his head. "She can turn into anyone and use their Quirk? That’s totally OP."

"It has limits," Hanta explained, his eyes fixed on the screen. "She has to know the person well to mimic the Quirk perfectly, and it drains her way faster than her illusions do. But yeah, she’s a beast when she wants to be."

As the festival progressed into the one-on-one battles, Hanta watched Camie face off against a student from the General Studies course. She didn't even use her shapeshifting. She filled the arena with a thick, shimmering mist that smelled like strawberries. Within seconds, her opponent was wandering aimlessly, convinced he was walking through a field of flowers while Camie simply tapped him on the shoulder and guided him out of bounds.

"Winner: Camie Utsushimi!" Present Mic yelled. "Talk about a hazy victory! That girl is a dreamweaver!"

***

The true test of their bond and their growth came during the summer camp. When the League of Villains attacked, the chaos was absolute.

Hanta was with the group in the clearing, struggling against the blue flames and the encroaching gas. His mind immediately went to Camie. Class 1-B was out in the woods doing their courage test.

"We have to get to the others!" Hanta yelled, firing a line of tape to swing over a fallen tree.

Deep in the woods, Camie was facing a different kind of horror. She had been separated from Kendo and Tetsutetsu. A figure emerged from the shadows—a girl with messy blonde buns and a manic grin.

"You’re pretty," Himiko Toga chirped, tilting her head. "I want to be you. Can I have some of your blood?"

Camie didn't respond with her usual slang. Her face was set in a rare look of grim determination. "You’re, like, totally ruining the mood of this camp," she whispered.

As Toga lunged, Camie flickered. Suddenly, there were five Camies, all moving in a dizzying dance. Toga slashed at them, but her knife passed through nothing but air and shimmering light.

"Illusions!" Toga laughed. "I love games!"

"It’s not a game," Camie’s voice came from behind her.

Toga spun around, but instead of Camie, she saw a massive, towering figure. It was a perfect replica of All Might, his fist pulled back. Toga shrieked and leaped away, but as the "All Might" swung, it dissolved into a cloud of pink smoke.

Camie was already running, her heart hammering against her ribs. She wasn't a direct fighter; she was a strategist of the senses. But as she rounded a corner, she saw a group of Class 1-B students trapped by the mustard-colored gas.

She didn't hesitate. She shifted. Her body blurred and expanded, her skin turning into a familiar shade of orange and black. She took on the form of Tetsutetsu, her skin turning to steel to give her the durability to charge through the gas and pull her classmates to safety.

By the time the pros arrived and the villains retreated, Camie was exhausted, her Quirk pushed to its absolute limit.

Found by the rescue squads, she was sitting on the back of an ambulance, wrapped in a blanket. Hanta found her there, his own hero costume torn and singed.

"Camie!" he called out, rushing over.

She looked up, her usual bubbly mask slightly cracked. "Hanta-kun... that was, like, a total zero-star experience. Very much not 'slay'."

Hanta let out a breath he felt like he’d been holding for hours. He sat down next to her, bumping his shoulder against hers. "You’re okay. That’s all that matters."

"I had to turn into Tetsutetsu," she muttered, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Do you know how heavy steel is? It’s totally bad for the posture. I think I have a literal backache."

Hanta laughed, a tired, relieved sound. "I’m sure you still made it look good."

"Obviously," she sighed, closing her eyes.

***

Months later, the Provisional Hero License Exam arrived. It was the first time Class 1-A and 1-B were truly competing on the same stage again.

The tension was high, but as the students gathered in the waiting area, a familiar voice cut through the noise.

"Hanta-kun! Over here! Check out the fit!"

Hanta turned to see Camie in her hero suit—a sleek, dark bodysuit with a high collar and a glamorous hat. She looked every bit the professional, even as she waved frantically with a peace sign.

"Looking good, Camie," Hanta said, walking over. He was wearing his updated suit, the tape dispensers on his elbows shined to a mirror finish.

"You too! The helmet is very 'retro-chic'," she complimented him. She then leaned in, lowering her voice. "Hey, did you see that guy from Shiketsu? The one with the wind Quirk? Inasa, I think? He is, like, a total ten. Do you think he likes girls who can create fake auroras?"

Hanta rolled his eyes, but he felt a sense of normalcy returning. "Focus, Camie. We have to pass this. If I get my license and you don't, I’m never letting you hear the end of it."

"Ugh, as if," Camie scoffed, though her eyes were sharp with focus. "I’m gonna be the most iconic hero out there. Just watch me."

The exam was a gauntlet. Hanta used his tape to maneuver through the simulated disaster zone, rescuing "victims" and pinning down rival students with practiced ease. He stayed calm, calling out instructions and keeping his team's spirits up with his dry humor.

Camie, meanwhile, was a phantom on the battlefield. She used her illusions to create fake exits and obstacles, leading other schools into traps where her 1-B classmates were waiting. At one point, she encountered a group of students from Ketsubutsu Academy.

"Wait, is that our captain?" one of them shouted, seeing their leader standing in the distance, waving them over.

They ran toward him, only for the figure to dissolve into a cloud of glitter. Camie stepped out from behind a pillar, blowing a bubble with her gum. "Gotcha. That was, like, way too easy. You guys need to work on your vibe checks."

By the end of the day, both Hanta and Camie stood among the crowd of passing students.

"We did it," Hanta said, looking at his provisional license. It felt heavy in his hand, a tangible piece of his dream.

Camie held hers up, framing her face with it for an imaginary selfie. "We look so good on these IDs. Look at my hair! It’s giving 'licensed professional'."

As the sun set over the exam stadium, the two friends stood together. They were from different classes, with different powers and different ways of looking at the world, but they were headed in the same direction.

"Hey, Hanta-kun?" Camie said, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for, you know... being there. In middle school, I thought being a hero would be all about the fame and the outfits. But seeing you work so hard in 1-A... it made me want to actually be good at this. Not just look good."

Hanta smiled, a genuine, warm expression. "You’re already good at it, Camie. You’re just the only one who does it with a strawberry-scented mist."

She laughed, the sound bright and clear. "True. Now, come on. I heard there’s a crepe place nearby that’s totally trending. My treat—since I definitely scored more points than you in the rescue phase."

"In your dreams, Camie!" Hanta shouted, chasing after her as she skipped toward the exit.

"Exactly!" she called back over her shoulder. "And I make dreams come true!"