— — — — — —
Fujiwara estate — the private residence of the three younger sisters.
A heavy knocking broke the late-night silence.
"Chika… do you even know what time it is right now?"
Yawning as she stepped out of her room, Toyomi Fujiwara stared at the girl standing outside her door. Without saying a word, she held up her phone to show the lit screen. "Your big sister was in the middle of her beauty sleep, y'know."
"You sure 'beauty sleep' still works when your gene lock is already at Tier 4?"
Chika replied as she reached out and playfully pinched her sister's ridiculously smooth cheek.
"It's called ritual, thank you very much," Toyomi said proudly, brushing her hair back. "Besides, you still sleep every night, don't you?"
"…Well, technically, neither of you need sleep anymore to recover or function," came a sleepy voice from another door. Moeha Fujiwara rubbed her eyes and stepped out, her hair a mess. "But I still do. Can't this wait till morning? It's seriously the middle of the night."
"Then go back to bed. I'll just talk to big sis."
Chika was quick to offer an out.
"…Nah. If you woke us both up at this hour, you probably have a good reason."
Moeha sighed, slapped her cheeks to shake off the sleep, and perked up.
"Come to my room," Chika said, waving them in. "Mr. Veyron just sent me something amazing. I think it's worth sharing with you two."
...
Thirty seconds later — inside Chika's room.
The three sisters sat in a cozy circle. Toyomi held one of the bottles Chika had handed them, peering at the shimmering golden liquid inside. Even without any explanation, it was clear this stuff wasn't ordinary.
"…This was probably meant just for you, wasn't it?" Toyomi asked, sounding hesitant. "You sure it's okay to share with us?"
"Of course—wait, hang on, what are you implying?"
Chika squinted at her, instantly suspicious.
"…Nothing," Toyomi replied, suddenly very interested in a trinket on Chika's shelf.
I mean, obviously you and that guy are close. It's the middle of the night and he's still sending you gifts.
"Whatever."
Chika rolled her eyes and dropped the subject. Growing up, she'd always known her sisters—whether it was the sly Toyomi or the deceptively innocent Moeha—were no pushovers. She wasn't about to take the bait.
"Anyway, this isn't just for me. Everyone you met during that trip to the resort got a share. When Mr. Veyron handed it over, he basically implied we could give it to whoever we wanted."
"…Shouldn't we save some for Grandpa and the others?" Moeha asked from the side.
"They can't use it."
Chika shrugged. "The Tree that produced this 'Almighty Serum' grew in a world that was invaded by an evil god who controlled the Authority of… well, 'Lust.' In the end, it was thanks to Mr. Veyron and Miss Merlin that the goddess born from the tree was able to escape with a sapling and the last surviving villagers."
"So yeah, Almighty Serum only works on pure-hearted girls like us. Mom, Dad, Grandpa? Doesn't do a thing for them."
"..." Both Toyomi and Moeha flinched slightly. Just hearing the word "Lust" was enough to give them an idea of what kind of evil god they were dealing with.
"…Wait, doesn't that mean Mr. Veyron…" Moeha suddenly had a horrible realization.
"No clue," Chika said with a big grin. "Want me to call him for you? I think his phone's still reachable."
"No thanks!!" Moeha shook her head so fast she looked like a bobblehead.
A moment later, the three of them each peeled the seal off their bottles. With mock ceremony, they clinked their bottles together.
Then, they tilted them back and took a sip.
Gulp.
The moment that first mouthful slid down their throats, a rush of warmth and power hit them like lightning. Their eyes widened in amazement. Even as they drained the last drop, they were already licking their lips, reluctant to stop.
— — —
Gotham.
Selina had pulled three bottles of Almighty Serum. After a short pause, she decided not to hog it all for herself.
Of course, she wasn't as generous as Fujiwara Chika.
She stashed away two bottles for later and held onto the third. Then, she flicked her finger at a potted plant by the window.
A soft ping echoed.
"…Something up?" The plant suddenly twisted and grew, morphing into a vine-covered doorway. Out stepped Poison Ivy—Pamela—glancing at Selina with a raised brow.
"Yeah… can you go grab Harley for me? I'll explain everything once she's here."
Selina casually waved the bottle of Almighty Serum in her hand.
"Got it," Pamela nodded.
...
A few minutes later…
A woman with dip-dyed red-and-blue twin-tails, lugging a bloody wooden mallet in one hand and a big-ass revolver in the other, was gently lowered into the room by wriggling vines.
— — —
Rio de Janeiro — The Web Base
Fresh off the plane, Gwen had already checked in with the local contact. She made sure their target—one Bruce Banner—wasn't showing any suspicious signs, then gave the order to clear the area.
Now, only three people remained on the private airstrip: Gwen, Natasha, and a young girl wearing a red jacket and jeans.
"Here. Drink this," Gwen said, handing over one of the glass bottles she'd received. "Let's see if it helps awaken your powers."
"…Alright." The girl nodded, took the bottle, and began drinking it down.
With every gulp, a scarlet glow began to shimmer around her body, growing stronger with each breath.
"It works. I knew it," Gwen said, satisfied, watching the transformation unfold.
The girl's name was Wanda Maximoff—an experimental subject they had recovered during the mission to wipe out Hydra in Sokovia.
Back then, it had been Yelena who first entered the lab. Wanda, overwhelmed by fear and panic, lost control and unleashed a burst of power that sent Yelena flying across the room—revealing a gift far beyond the ordinary.
Later, after a period of communication and trust-building, Wanda agreed to join the Web. But no matter how hard she tried, she could never replicate that outburst—like it had been a one-time miracle, never to return.
Turns out, she'd just been missing a key. Or maybe… she just needed the right push.
"Natasha. This one's for you."
Gwen turned toward the redhead, who had been eyeing the scene with thinly veiled envy. She used her telekinesis to float the second bottle over.
Back in the Red Room, Natasha had learned all the seductive, manipulative tactics the instructors could cram into her. But the program had also preserved her—her 'first time' was too valuable a resource to be wasted on just any mission. And then, on her very first assignment after graduation… she defected.
Because of that, Natasha—Black Widow—also met the conditions to use the Almighty Serum.
She'd even taken first place in that internal Web competition—the one Veyron had carefully rigged to test candidates—earning herself the fast-track gene-lock upgrade straight to Tier 4. She was more than qualified.
"…Can I save this for Yelena?" Natasha asked, holding the bottle and hesitating.
"You can," Gwen replied, nodding. "But keep in mind… the effects might not be what you expect. Wanda could awaken her powers because she already had the talent for it. Yelena might not. So if you do give it to her, maybe just half. Use the other half for yourself."
.
.
.