Amelia's mind was on high alert. Today was the day; her training with Mandalay had been gruelling, pushing her limits further. Each exercise honed her focus, her ability to resist mental interference, and strengthened the barriers in her mind. She was improving, but the exhaustion weighed on her shoulders like a heavy cloak. Every time Mandalay's voice slipped through the cracks, Amelia bit down her frustration and forced herself to try again.
She had to be better.
She had to be prepared.
Because if her memories from the anime were correct, then the League of Villains was already planning their attack.
Amelia's grip tightened around her arms as she watched Class 1-A and 1-B continue their Quirk-strengthening training under Aizawa's guidance. She could see how hard her friends were pushing themselves, unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. Every second that ticked by sent her stomach twisting into knots.
Her gaze flickered toward Izuku. He was deep in thought, likely about Kota, whom he had spoken to the previous night. She knew he wanted to help the boy, to get through to him, but Kota's pain was deep-rooted. Just words wouldn't be enough.
Aizawa's voice pulled her attention back to the lesson. "Stay focused. If you forget your fundamental drive, you'll never progress."
Amelia clenched her fists. My fundamental drive.
Her drive was to protect them. To stop what was about to happen.
That evening, after dinner, Class 1-A and 1-B prepared for the Test of Courage, an event meant to be a fun break from their intense training. But Amelia couldn't shake the foreboding weight in her chest.
As the game began, pairs of students ventured into the forest while Class 1-B schemed to scare them. Laughter echoing under the stars, firelight dancing across eager faces. But Amelia couldn't relax. Her eyes scanned the darkened treetops while her friends joked about scare tactics.
She knew what was coming.
Her heart thundered with dread as she stood on the outskirts of the forest, watching the first pair disappear into the trees. A knot tightened in her stomach. Any second now...
And then—
Smoke.
Thick. Black. Rolling over the treetops like an approaching storm.
Gasps followed as it became visible from the camp, but Amelia was already moving. The trees blurred past her. Her super-hearing caught Mandalay's sharp voice issuing orders, Tiger's boots pounding against the earth, and—beneath it all—the subtle hiss of a gas canister.
Mustard.
He was here.
Then, chaos erupted.
Screams and shouts pierced the night as League of Villains' members emerged from the darkness. The Vanguard Action Squad had arrived. Dabi's chilling voice cut through the air, issuing the command to attack. Himiko Toga slinked through the shadows, Spinner and Magne ambushing the Wild Pussycats.
Amelia's pulse raced. She had to move.
Her mind snapped to one horrifying realization—Kota was alone. And Muscular was coming for him.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to think. Rushing in blind won't help. Prioritize.
Her enhanced hearing caught a pattern in the chaos—where the ambush was hitting the hardest. She pinpointed the danger zones, her mind already calculating who needed help first.
Neutralise the poison user. Mustard's gas will disable everyone if I don't stop him.
In a blur, she took off, using her flight to avoid inhaling the toxic fumes. Pinpointing Mustard's location through his movements, she shot toward him at supersonic speed, slamming into him before he even realized she was there. His gas-spewing mask shattered from the impact, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Her eyes snapped toward the cliffs—Kota.
Muscular was already on the move.
For a split second, Amelia tensed to launch herself—but she stopped.
Her breath caught in her throat, not from fear, but from faith.
No... not this time.
She closed her eyes, honing in on two heartbeats. Kota—rapid, afraid. Izuku—steady, determined. Already closing the distance.
She exhaled slowly.
"I trust you, Izuku."
Her attention shifted.
Another scream pierced the night—this one deeper in the forest. Wild. Sharp. A woman's voice.
Ragdoll.
She refused to let that happen.
In seconds, she zeroed in on the disturbance. A shockwave cracked through the air as Spinner and Magne barreled through the underbrush, already engaged in a brutal fight with Ragdoll. Tiger was out of reach, dealing with other attackers. Ragdoll, fierce as she was, had been caught off guard.
Magne lunged, her magnetic field twisting nearby debris into lethal projectiles. Spinner swung his massive serrated sword in wide arcs, keeping Ragdoll on defence.
Amelia landed with meteoric force, the impact sending a ripple through the earth. Dust flared around her boots as her cape settled.
"Back off," she ordered, stepping between Ragdoll and the villains.
Magne grinned. "Ahh, the girl with the god complex."
Spinner's eye twitched. "She's the one they warned us about…"
"Well, it seems they did not warn you enough." Then Amelia moved first.
With lightning speed, she closed the gap between herself and Spinner. Her punch cracked his sword in half and sent him crashing into a nearby tree. Magne responded instantly, flinging scrap-metal shards toward Amelia's back.
Amelia's heat vision scorched through the air, melting the incoming barrage mid-flight. She grabbed a rock slab—thrown from one of Pixie-Bob's earlier tremors—and hurled it like a cannonball at Magne.
Magne raised her pole in defence, but it wasn't enough. She was launched backwards with a gasp, crashing through the trees and disappearing into the brush.
Ragdoll slumped to one knee, wincing.
"You okay?" Amelia asked, helping her up.
"I… I think so. Damn, you're strong."
Amelia smiled tightly. "Stay hidden. They'll come back if they realise you're still conscious."
Ragdoll touched her arm. "Wait, where are you going?"
Amelia's eyes flashed toward the forest. "I'm not done saving yet."
Her focus snapped next to the southern woods. She saw flashes of violet and heard the telltale lilt of a knife-wielding predator. Toga.
She arrived just as Toga lunged at Ochako with a crazed smile, knife gleaming. Amelia intercepted her mid-air, grabbing her wrist and slamming her into the ground.
"Enough," Amelia snapped.
Toga giggled even through the pain. "You're really strong. You smell like blood and sunshine. I want you."
Amelia's eyes narrowed, hand tightening just enough to make Toga stop squirming. "Not today."
With one blow, she knocked Toga unconscious, then turned to the girls.
"You two okay?"
Momo nodded shakily. "Thank you… I didn't even see her coming."
"Stay together. I still need to do something so I won't be back."
Then she turned, heart hammering.
Bakugo.
He was the real target.
Amelia soared through the trees, spotting him mid-battle. He was holding his own, but Twice and Dabi were already closing in. Time was running out.
She crashed into Twice like a thunderbolt, sending him sprawling, and landed in front of Bakugo.
He blinked. "What the hell—"
"No time. We're getting you out of here."
The two of them shot into the sky, high above the forest. Bakugo looked shocked, but didn't argue.
They were almost clear of the smoke, almost—
That's when she felt it.
A sudden, sharp sting in her lungs.
The gas.
It wasn't Mustard's.
This was different.
More refined. Targeted.
Her flight wavered as her vision swam. Bakugo yelled something, but it was muffled now, distant.
And then—
A flash of light. A vortex opening in midair.
A black, warping mass of energy crackled to life in front of them.
Amelia turned, trying to dodge — but her limbs were sluggish. Whatever was in the gas was laced with something stronger than knockout agents. She tried to shift her course, but the portal widened, pulsating unnaturally. Bakugo slipped from her grasp.
Hands reached through the portal — not for him.
For her.
"No!" she gasped, trying to tear herself away.
But it was too late.
The villains hadn't come for Bakugo.
They'd come for her.
She disappeared in a swirl of black mist, leaving only echoes of shocked screams and the crackle of broken leaves behind.
Then silence...