Masked from the smoke and debris, stood a looming figure at the centre of the explosion site. Beside him laid a body; a man in a dark suit. His eyes were rolled white, but he seemed to be breathing.

“My apologies, ladies.” The dust settled, exposing a large, bald man, with bulging biceps that had torn his dress shirt. The veins in his arms glowed orange, as he carried an arrogant smile. He had tiny black sunglasses that slid down his nose. “My friend and I couldn’t settle our dispute and things got out of hand.” The orange glow flickered as he bent down and grabbed the unconscious man by his collar.

But the Villain’s words were not acknowledged by Leya.

“Lettie, please,” she begged, holding her body closer.

The man tutted at the sight before him. “How unfortunate. All I wanted was to reclaim what was mine. Take back what this man had stolen from me.” He shook the body in his hand. “But instead, I got you both mixed up in this mess.” He stepped over the rubble, making his way towards the girls. “But don’t worry. I’m an honest man, and I’ll make this as painless as possible. Can’t leave any witnesses now, can we?”

“Scarlett,” the distress rose with her voice. “You can’t do this.” Leya’s body was trembling. Her breathing was shaky. It couldn’t be true. How could it be true? Her grip tightened. “You can’t tell me there’s 30 Godzillo movies and just leave it at that!” She grabbed her sister by the shoulders and shook her.

The man blinked; his foot remained in the air. Had this girl lost her mind? Clearly, the other girl had died. No one could survive with injuries like that—

—A soft groan escaped Scarlett’s lips. She could have disregarded the splitting headache. She could have overlooked the sharp pain encompassing her entire body. But being pestered by Leya? That was too much to handle.

“Leya, please stop shaking me,” Scarlett groaned. “You’re making my injuries worse.”

The man’s eyes widened. How was that possible? She was caught by the blast from his Quirk. It made no sense for her to even be conscious after dealing with a heavy blow like that.

“You idiot!” Leya growled. “Why are you just lying there?”

“Ugh, because I didn’t want to deal with him.” Scarlett gestured towards their guest.

“Huh?” Leya slowly turned her attention to the man beside her. Her scowl refused to dissipate at the sight of him. “Who are you?”

A bulging vein appeared on his forehead. Had she been ignoring him this entire time? He held back his rage, as irritability tugged his mouth into a snarl.

“I think we’ve passed the need for introductions now,” he huffed. Smoke expelled from his nostrils as his veins flared.

Leya cocked an eyebrow. The hairs on her arms stood up, as she assessed the person in front of her. Her eyes trailed to the rubble around her and the passed out man in his hands. “Huh,” she scoffed, understanding the situation now. “What d’you wanna do, Scarlett?”

She turned to face her sister. Only to see the back of the raven-haired girl, who had already brushed the debris off and was limping away from the two of them. “I don’t care, I’m going home,” Scarlett said, waving her hand dismissively.

“Alright,” Leya shrugged, before flashing her fangs with a grin. “I guess it’s just you and me now, big guy.”

“Huh?” His blood vessels brightened once again. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Oh, it’ll be alright.” Leya stood up. “I’d be more worried about you though.” She cracked her knuckles. “It's been a while since I’ve had some easy prey.”

“Easy prey?” the Villain scoffed. “Either, your arrogance makes you blind, or you’re too stupid to realise how much danger you’re in.” He dropped the unconscious man. His veins now flared red in Leya’s direction.

A fluttery feeling entered Leya’s stomach. She bounced on the balls of her feet. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation. With a smirk, she cocked her head. “Huh? Are you telling me that you caused this mess, then?”

“I guess you’re a little slow.” He chuckled to himself. “But that just makes things easier.” The blood capillaries in his neck began to glow alongside his arms. “I’ll admit, I made a mistake by not finishing you off quickly. But don’t worry, I can fix that. I do have a reputation to uphold.” He licked his teeth, before grinning. “I’ll make sure to mess up that cocky smile of yours. Then, I’ll kill you, and I’ll kill her too.”

Scarlett stopped in her tracks. “Huh? Kill me?”

She slowly turned to face the man, allowing him to view her injuries. Half of her face was crushed; the skin torn away, exposing muscle and bone. It continued to pour blood, further drenching her clothes. But she seemed unfazed.

“How funny…” she said.

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The sound of sizzling filled the air. Despite the chilly winter backdrop, heat began to emanate from Scarlett. A swirl of steam emerged from her wound. Muscle fibres began to form in the gaping hole in her head; binding and interlacing to form and replace the missing body tissue. The scent of iron filled the air, and before he could blink, the damage to her face was undone.

He took a step back. The moisture in his mouth had gone. A regenerative Quirk may not be common, but it wasn’t unheard of. Yet for it to be done to a head injury and for it to be done so quickly, it was beyond what he considered possible. His eyes darted back to Leya, whose smile widened at his distress. With a playful look in her eyes, she stepped forward.

“Let’s see here,” she said, shuffling through her pockets. “We’ve got property damage, assaulting civilians and threatening to cause further harm. And we even got a confession here.” She shook her head, tutting and feigning a frown. “Well, that’s not gonna go well with the boys back at the station.”

The man struggled to swallow. There was something wrong. They should be fearing him. Begging him to spare their lives. And yet, they were both unshaken. He clenched his jaw. There must be something hidden up their sleeves. Something he didn’t want to find out.

Leya continued to walk towards him. “But lucky for you, you’ll be dealing with me instead.”

She flashed a photocard that reflected in the streetlight. The man’s eyes widened. The words on the card shone before him.

> Provisional Hero Licence

>

> Name: Leya McCoy

>

> Affiliation: Hope Agency

>

> Iss.: 20XX-XX-XX

>

> Hero Name: PANTERA

His heart dropped. He knew that name. Or at least he knew what was associated with that name. Every Villain in the area had an idea of who she was. The up-and-coming Hero-in-training, who had begun wiping out Villains as soon as she left the provisional licence exam centre. The same girl who was supported by the newly formed, but reputable, Hope Agency.

He gulped.

And now, that person was approaching him.

“So, why don’t we do this the easy way,” Leya said, twirling her licence in her hand. “Just follow me to the station and no one has to get hurt.”

The sound of sirens filled the air. Summoned by the blast, it wouldn’t be long until the authorities arrived. His heart began to race. There was not enough time to deal with them both before the police showed up. Quickly glancing down at the unconscious body, he gritted his teeth. He had worked so hard to enact his revenge. But now it was going to be wasted because two teenagers just happened to be nearby.

He couldn’t let that happen.

Flaring his nostrils, he brought his fists into the air. His glowing veins were now bulging as he swung his arms. Leya’s cat-like agility was enough for her to dodge out of the way. But the man was never aiming for her. He brought his clenched hands down, releasing a shockwave into the ground. Dirt and rubble were flung into the air. The blast caused the girls to lose their footing. But that moment was all he needed.

He turned on his heel and ran.

“Oi!” Leya called out, as she quickly regained her balance. “Come back here!”

She readied herself to give into the chase, before stopping in her tracks. She turned towards her sister, who was rubbing her arm after colliding with the wall.

“You good?” Leya asked. Scarlett groaned in response. Yeah, she’s fine.

Leya made her way towards her, giving Scarlett her leopard-printed coat. “Here, take this and go home. You remember the way back, right?”

Scarlett nodded, looking disgusted as she held Leya’s coat. “Do I have to take this?”

“Yeah, it’s my favourite. I don’t wanna ruin it when I deal with that guy.” Leya began to roll her shoulder, taking note of its injured state. But that was not enough to stop her. “Let everyone know I’ll be home late!”

Jumping on the balls of her feet, Leya sprinted towards the direction the Villain left. Her Quirk, Cat, not only made her extremely agile, but also enhanced her speed. She bolted between the buildings and meandered through the backstreets nearby. Even if the Villain had a head start, he couldn’t outrun Leya. She only needed to have her sights on him.

Twitching her ears, Leya dashed and vaulted up a large construction site to find higher ground. She scanned the horizon, searching for a sign. But the hustle and bustle of the festive season was making it hard for him to stand out. Leya let out a curse, her eyes darting between the civilians below. Until a glint of orange scuttled by, retreating into a dark alley.

Leya leaned forward. Her Keen Senses took control of her body. Her vision became sharper. Her hearing became clearer. She focused on the figure, before letting out a grin.

Found you.

She took off, leaping off the scaffolding and running on all fours. A rhythmic throb covered her ears, as her heartbeat pounded inside her chest. She hopped between the rooftops and railings. The distance between them was closing. She continued to charge forward, until he was within range and she could reach him.

With her muscles screaming, Leya launched herself off the rooftops. She raised her fist and connected her knuckles with his back. Adding her body weight behind the strike, the Villain tumbled forward, slamming against a wall. His sunglasses shattered from the impact, while blood began to pour from his busted lip.

He whipped around to see his attacker, before trembling and freezing in place. Leya extended her claws, placing them against his neck.

“I warned you.” Her voice was low. “If you’d listen to me, it wouldn’t have gotten nasty.”

The Villain snarled. He couldn’t let her have her way. He flared his arms red, readying for another shockwave. But he couldn’t match Leya’s speed. She struck his neck with an open palm, aiming for the main artery. Before alternating with two more strikes.

The man’s eyes rolled white, as he slumped to the floor.

“Tsk,” Leya muttered. “They never listen.”

She grabbed the Villain by the collar, hoping to drag him to the nearest authority figure. But an obscure mark on his chest caught her attention. As her Keen Senses kicked in, the discolouration became clearer. It was a faded blue tattoo that resembled a barcode.

Leya’s eyes widened. Her breathing hitched. The last time she saw a similar tattoo was when she was aboard the Veiled Duchess.