The Shapeshifting Mutant

The Elements – Haruto, Moriya, Ikazuchi, Reito, and Daichi – and Teshii were standing in the university courtyard, facing Chameleon, who had taken the form of the supposed Element of Air, Sora Arashii.

Kai, better known as Chameleon, stood before them in a relaxed but defensive stance, his posture radiating confidence. A crooked smile spread across his face, daring the Elements to strike.

Then–

CRACK! CRACK!

Sparks burst from Ikazuchi's body as he charged forward, electricity dancing across his limbs. His eyes burned with fury.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, MUTANT! THUNDER PUNCH!"

Lightning surged through his arm like a living current. The air itself trembled, charged with energy. He threw his glowing fist straight toward Chameleon.

Just as the punch was about to land–

ZWWRP!

A swirl of green aura erupted around Chameleon, enveloping his figure. Ikazuchi's eyes blinked once, and when they reopened–

His fist stopped inches from the face of–

"Teshii?!"

Ikazuchi's eyes widened in confusion. The figure in front of him was now Teshii, standing there casually, his signature fleece and crimson sunglasses in place.

"What the f*ck?! How did you get here?"

"NO!"

Ikazuchi spun around at the sound of Teshii's voice – behind him.

There, standing several feet away, was the real Teshii, pointing at the doppelganger.

"That's not me!" the real Teshii shouted. "Chameleon shapeshifted into me!"

Ikazuchi turned back slowly, realization dawning in his eyes.

"If… you're back there… then that means–"

BAM!

"Gaaah!"

A gut-wrenching punch slammed into Ikazuchi's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He collapsed to one knee, clutching his abdomen, electricity crackling weakly around his body.

The fake Teshii grinned maliciously and stepped back, his green aura flaring once more.

ZWWRP!

The disguise melted away, revealing Chameleon's true form once again – blonde hair, green eyes, pale complexion.

"You Elements really are as gullible as I hoped," Chameleon sneered. "For someone with your power, you're embarrassingly easy to fool."

Then–

"LEAF STORM!"

Chameleon turned sharply.

"Huh?"

A cyclone of razor-sharp leaves surged toward him, twisting violently through the air.

But–

Chameleon leapt back with agility, dodging the storm of leaves. He turned his head, locking eyes with Moriya, who stood firm, his arm extended from unleashing the Element of Wood.

Daichi stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Chameleon. He raised a fist high above his head, then slammed it into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

A shockwave erupted outward as the earth split and cracked beneath them. Chunks of rock burst from the ground, forming into a boulder.

"EARTH SMASH!"

Daichi hurled the boulder with explosive force. It tore through the air, racing toward Chameleon.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion rocked the courtyard. Smoke billowed out, flooding the area in thick grey mist. The entire university was engulfed, though, somehow, the buildings remained untouched.

Inside the smoke, the Elements shielded their faces, their vision clouded.

"Damn it! I can't see," Haruto muttered, voice muffled.

"What happened to Daichi and Ikazuchi?" Reito called out, straining to peer through the haze.

Teshii scanned the smoke, lips tight, fists clenched. His crimson shades protected his eyes, letting him see more clearly than the others.

Gradually, the smoke began to clear.

And then–

"There's Ikazuchi!" Moriya shouted. "He's okay!"

Ikazuchi was upright now, standing weakly on his feet, still catching his breath.

But Daichi?

The group gasped.

Two Daichis were wrestling on the ground, locked in combat.

"Um…" Haruto blinked, confused. "Which one is the real Daichi?"

"I am!" both shouted in unison as they grappled furiously.

"One had the other in a headlock. The pinned one struggled, their face twisted in pain, teeth clenched. Their limbs flailed, desperately clawing for leverage or air.

"What do we do?" Reito asked. "How do we figure out which one's real?"

Teshii smirked and stepped forward.

"Don't worry, guys. I've got a gentle idea!"

Everyone turned to him.

Teshii pointed at the two Daichis.

"Can the real Daichi say 'what'?"

"What?!" both said in unison.

Teshii blinked, standing up straighter.

"…Okay. I guess my genius idea didn't work."

Haruto, Moriya, and Reito all stared at him in disbelief.

Ikazuchi, now steady on his feet, groaned and said, "We should just attack both of them. One's bound to change back once they're hurt."

Teshii turned toward him. "That's not a bad idea, Zeus. But we can't risk hurting the real Daichi."

Ikazuchi gritted his teeth. "Then what?! Your foolproof plan flopped, and mine's too risky. What are we supposed to do?"

Teshii turned his gaze back to the two Daichis.

Then – his expression shifted. A thought sparked behind his shades.

Wait!

Earlier, when Chameleon was disguised as Sora, he refused to stop the wind.

Maybe… he can't use the Element of Air. Because he isn't the Element of Air.

A smirk formed on Teshii's face.

"DAICHI! USE THE ELEMENT OF EARTH!" he shouted.

He Daichi who was caught in a headlock glanced up at Teshii.

"Huh?"

Haruto turned to Teshii, concerned.

"But won't the other Daichi use the Element of Earth too?"

"No," Teshii said, shaking his head. "Chameleon can shapeshift into us. But he can't use our powers."

The others widened their eyes in realization.

Silence fell.

Then–

"Sand Phantom."

The Daichi in the headlock began to crumble – his body dissolving into golden grains of sand.

Chameleon disguised as Daichi, still holding the headlock, blinked in confusion.

"Huh?"

Daichi's transformation continued. First his feet, then his legs, and finally the rest of his body crumble into a swirling current of golden sand, slipping through Chameleon's grip.

The sand twisted and spiralled through the air, pulled by Daichi's control, and reformed beside Teshii – rising limb by limb until Daichi stood again, whole and unharmed.

Teshii grinned, turning his gaze back to the remaining Daichi – the fake.

Chameleon's jaw clenched as he stood up from the ground. A green aura burst around him as his body shifted back into his true form.

ZWWRP!

Chameleon stood revealed once again.

He glanced at the university clock.

01:18 P.M.

Chameleon gritted his teeth.

Damn it!

I was supposed to meet with Sinister X at 1… to report what I found out about the failed Project X.

Earlier…

In a high-tech laboratory nestled within a sleek, secure facility, everything was unnervingly quiet.

Long rows of steel counters gleamed under the soft, cold glow of overhead blue lights. Glass beakers, pipettes, and vials were arranged in flawless precision – untouched, almost sterile in their stillness. Reinforced cabinets lined the walls, some pulsing faintly with embedded warning lights, others sealed tight with biometric locks that blinked red when passed.

In the far corner, a large digital screen flickered, streams of complex genetic data scrolling so fast they blurred into streaks – decipherable only by machines or individuals with superhuman perception.

Mounted in the corner of the ceiling, a small surveillance camera panned left to right in mechanical rhythm.

In the security room, two security guards sat in front of a console, observing dozens of feeds from throughout the facility.

Then–

One of the guards narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to one of the monitors.

"Who's that?" he muttered, pointing at the screen.

The second guard followed his gaze, squinting at the figure walking down one of the facility's halls.

"Oh, that's Dr. Suwa."

The first guard turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Dr. Suwa? What's he doing here at this hour?"

The second guard shrugged slightly, still watching the feed.

"Not sure. If I'm being honest with you… I didn't even know he was scheduled for a shift today."

As Dr. Suwa walked through the facility, he casually brushed his red hair back and adjusted his glasses with a flick of his fingers.

CHARACTER INTRODUCTION

Name: Dr. Suwa

Species: Human

Age: 51

Hair Colour: Red

Eye Colour: Purple

Height: 5'11

Weight: 165lbs

Occupation: Scientist

Then–

Zhhhht.

A nearby sliding door opened, and out stepped another scientist – this one with purple hair and sharp blue eyes. Dr. Suwa walked pas him without a word, but–

"HEY!"

The other scientist called out.

"What are you doing here?"

Dr. Suwa stopped. Slowly, he turned around to face the man.

The moment the other scientist saw his face, his expression shifted instantly.

"D-Dr. Suwa!" he stammered, bowing deeply in respect. "My sincerest apologies, sir! I didn't realize it was you."

"It's okay," Dr. Suwa replied calmly.

The scientist straightened himself looking directly into Suwa's purple eyes.

"But… what are you doing here?" he asked again. "Shouldn't you be meeting with President Irahara?"

"You're correct," Dr. Suwa said, nodding. "But I left some important documents in my office. I came back to retrieve them."

"I see," the scientist nodded. "Also, sir… we recently collected five dead mutants."

Dr. Suwa's eyes widened ever so slightly.

Dead mutants?

"Me and the others are currently preparing to experiment on them by combining their bodies," the scientist explained.

"I-I see," Dr. Suwa muttered. "Well, I must get going. I need to deliver those documents to President Irahara."

"Yes, of course, sir," the scientist said, bowing again before turning away.

As Dr. Suwa watched him leave, a strange shimmer crossed his eyes – his normally purple irises flickered green for a second, then quickly shifted back to purple. Without another word, he turned and continued down the hall.

Later, Dr. Suwa stood in front of his office. Mounted beside the door was a high-security iris scanner – designed to verify identity using the precise patterns of the eye.

Dr. Suwa removed his glasses and leaned in toward the scanner. The machine beeped softly as it scanned his violet irises.

BEEP!

The scanner lit up green.

Access granted.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss. Dr. Suwa placed his glasses back on and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, then glanced around the dim, pristine office.

Suddenly–

A green aura flared around him.

The red hair melted into blonde.

The purple eyes shifted into bright green.

And within seconds, the illusion dissolved – revealing Chameleon.

It had been him all along.

Okay!

Let me get those documents for Sinister X!

Chameleon strode across the room toward the sleek black desk. He dropped into the office chair and powered up the terminal. The screen blinked awake as his fingers danced over the keyboard.

I must find those documents before I get caught.

Then–

His eyes widened.

There it is.

He pulled a USB stick from his pocket and inserted it into the terminal's port. With a click and a tap of the Enter key, the download began.

The progress bar filled slowly. Chameleon leaned back in the chair, watching the stream of classified data fill the screen.

The Failed Project X, huh?

I wonder why Sinister X wants this…

I mean… it shouldn't mean anything. It failed, right?

Curious, he clicked into the Project X file and began scrolling through the documents.

Wait a minute…

Mutants have been around for many years.

But nobody knows where they originate.

So scientists – and President Irahara – created the Mutant Facility 25 years ago to capture mutants and study their ability and their origins.

Chamaleon's green eyes narrowed.

So… that's why, huh?

He kept reading, jaw clenched.

One scientist, ??? wanted to create the strongest mutant. He constructed a battle arena beneath the Mutant Facility.

Chameleon's eyes widened.

The Facility forced two mutants to fight in the arena. The winner lived to fight another day. The loser? Killed. Then used for experiments.

Chameleon gritted his teeth.

Damn those humans!

He scrolled farther.

In 2010, ??? created a mutant called Project X – a horrifying fusion of five mutants who had died in the arena. But Mutant #170…

Chameleon froze.

Sinister X?

…destroyed the facility, killing the scientists and the mutant, Project X – rendering it a complete failure.

Chameleon stared at the screen.

So that's where that mutant came from, 10 years ago, huh…?

His fingers trembled slightly as he continued reading – until he found it.

A list.

A list of all the mutants who were captured… mutilated… combined. The ten whose lives were taken to create Project X.

Chameleon's eyes scanned the names–

And widened in shock.

As he continued reading through the list, Chameleon's expression darkened. His breath caught. His eyes scanned the names of the mutants – those who had been captured… slaughtered… and used to create Project X.

1: Tora Shinohara – Ability: Claws

2: Kimi Yamagishi – Ability: Hair

3: Yuta Miyamoto – Ability: Plasma

4: Okami Yamaguchi – Ability: Wolf

5: Satoru Himura – Ability: Dissolve

Tears welled up in Chameleon's eyes, trailing silently own his cheeks.

"T-Tora…" he whispered, his voice breaking.

Tora had been his and Shifter's cellmate in the Mutant Facility – before Molecule joined them in that steel-barred hellhole. They had laughed together. Starved together. Fought to survive together.

Chameleon clenched his fists, shaking with rage and grief.

How did I not realize this… nine years ago?

When I saw Project X, I didn't even recognize it. I didn't sense Tora in it…

He took a slow, trembling breath.

Now I see why…

Why Sinister X wants this information.

He wants to know what those heartless humans are planning next.

Then–

BEEP!

The download was complete.

The bar on the screen turned green.

The USB blinked softly.

Chameleon reached forward to remove it…

But his eyes caught a final folder.

File Name: ZERO

Chameleon's brow furrowed.

Zero?

His hand hovered over the mouse. For a moment, curiosity flared in his eyes.

But then he shook his head hard.

No!

I don't have time. I need to deliver this to Sinister X by 1.

He stood quickly, slipping the USB into his coat pocket.

A flash of green aura surged around him–

His blonde hair melted reformed.

Red strands reformed.

His face reshaped.

Glasses returned.

Within seconds, Chameleon was gone.

Dr. Suwa stood there once again.

TO BE CONTINUED!!!