The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

“I told you before that this was a bad idea, didn’t I?” Aleya Iqta asked.

Teddy rolled his eyes. This wasn't the first time he'd said something like that.

In fact, it wasn't the second time. She didn't bother counting how many times he said it, but she was sure that if she had, she would have been amazed at how frequently this lackey repeated the same phrase.

“It’ll be alright,” Teddy said. “You know what everyone’s saying. Bear always knows what’s going on.”

Aleya Iqta frowned above her large sunglasses. "I don't think anyone has ever said that."

“Yeah, they would say that if they knew how powerful the bear is,” Teddy said. “Besides, if anything goes wrong, the boss can use ‘Sister Teleport’ to get me out of trouble.”

Aleya Iqta looked down at her. "And what about me?"

She shrugged. "Hounds can be sacrificed. That's basic villain common sense. That's why we're recruiting more henchmen today."

Think about it, these new underlings are below you in the hierarchy. So when it's time to sacrifice one of them, they'll be the first to go.

"Are you even speaking human language?" he muttered. No, she really didn't seem human...

However, Aleya Iqta could only continue moving forward.

They emerged from the city's underground subway network and arrived at a place not far from the base and the school. This is a classic example of the failure of capitalism.

There is a row of shops here, a quarter of which are closed, with "For Rent" signs hanging on the windows.

These were originally small, family-run local shops, but they were squeezed out by the opening of several larger, more standardized stores.

That's how capitalism works.

The remaining shops were a mixed bag. There was a Chinese restaurant, a flower shop, then another Chinese restaurant with a different name, and finally, at the far end, an ice cream shop with a large terrace.

But none of these were their destinations.

“That’s the shop,” Aleya Iqta said, pointing to a store across the street sandwiched between other shops.

The store is called "Silver Ghost - Comics and Merchandise". There are several cardboard standees of strange characters that are larger than life-size at the entrance.

A woman in revealing fantasy clothing, a large man in power armor. And so on.

“It looks weird,” Teddy said. She didn’t think it was a normal store. They mainly sold card and board games, and things like dice.

“It’s really strange,” Aleya Ikta said. They reached an intersection, and as they crossed the street, Teddy grabbed his hand. He sighed, but it was the rule, so he didn’t complain any further.

"This is the most nerdy shop around. You won't find people more desperate or less sociable than here. At least, this is where these kinds of people congregate most when they step out of their bedrooms."

“Mmm,” Teddy replied. “I think it would be easy to recruit them this way, but I’m not sure if I want weirdos as henchmen.”

"Because you and your sisters are weird enough?" Aleya Ikta asked.

He then hissed softly as Teddy kicked his shin. It wasn't a hard kick, but it hurt enough. "We don't blame you. We're dangerous."

"Yes, yes, yes. In short, this group of people is incredibly nerdy. Extremely, extremely nerdy. Perhaps, uh, it might be a little difficult to communicate with them."

“Aren’t you like that?” Teddy asked.

"What? No. I'm not some geek or nerd or anything like that."

“I remember you were in the drama club,” Teddy said.

Aleya Iqta sighed deeply. "That's too hurtful," he muttered.

They crossed the parking lot (Teddy wasn't sure if it counted as a road, so just in case, she didn't let go of his hand), and then slipped into the store to the sound of the bell on the door.

There was a smell in the store that Teddy didn't recognize. It was the smell of warm cardboard, flat soda, and sweat, mixed with a strong perfume scent.

The store is divided into two areas. In the front are several shelves displaying games, figurines, and a bunch of toys, while along the length of the room is a long counter, behind which are more display shelves holding card packs.

Another area is right next to the main area. It looks like they knocked down the wall between it and the shop next door, turning that space into a game area with a few tables.

Four people were sitting at one of the tables, seemingly busy playing cards.

A man stood behind the counter, tidying up a box and placing new card packs on a shelf on the wall.

He glanced back and seemed a little worried when he saw Alaya Iqta, but relaxed when he saw Teddy.

really weird.

"Hey, we're here to meet up with the rest of the group. Uh, is there an entrance fee or something?"

"Are you new here?" the man asked. "No need, make yourselves at home. Just keep an eye on your daughter." He turned back to put more cards on the shelf.

Teddy looked up at Aleia and noticed his expression had become very strange. It was as if he had just taken a bite of a lemon, or something Trinity had picked up from the ground.

"Is it them?" Teddy asked, pointing to the four people playing cards.

“Yes, that’s them,” Aleja Iqta said. “I found them online. They’re a group of mask enthusiasts. They’re fascinated by the world of heroes and villains.”

"They work for heroes?" Teddy asked.

"No, no, they'll go to places the heroes have been, take selfies and stuff, and spend hours online speculating which hero will defeat which villain, or vice versa."

Oh, and they'll also pester people for autographed merchandise and stuff. Basically, they're the active members of the Mask World fandom.

“Oh,” Teddy responded, nodding as if she understood. These people knew a lot about heroes and villains, which meant they were practically perfect candidates.

They must already know that the leader is the most powerful. "This will definitely be easy," she said confidently as she walked over.

When Teddy approached, the group stopped, but that was fine; it gave her time to take a good look at them.

There was only one girl among the four. She was petite, about the same age as the eldest, with bright green eyes and a face full of freckles. She was wearing a t-shirt with a smiling silver fox print.

Next to her was a short, chubby boy wearing a hoodie and jeans, with messy black hair. He had almost as many pimples on his face as the girl had freckles.

Opposite them were two other boys. One was a slightly taller boy with dark skin, wearing a cardigan.

He smiled at Teddy, but looked just as confused as his friends. The boy next to him was taller, and his shirt seemed a size too small for his muscular physique.

Teddy squinted, sizing them up for a moment. Then she shrugged. Whether or not they were needed was up to the boss. "So, who wants to be a henchman?"

The boy with a face full of acne chuckled. "Hey kid, that's a pretty explosive opening line."

Teddy crossed her arms, staring blankly at the group, unmoved by the boys' laughter. "I'm serious," she said firmly. "We're recruiting henchmen."

“Hi.” Aleya Ikta walked up behind her and waved gently. “Hello? She, uh, is completely serious.”

“Yes, I’m serious. The boss is looking for help. Aleya Ikta said you guys know a lot about heroes and such. So if you want to join us, now is your chance.”

The group exchanged bewildered glances, trying to determine if Teddy was joking. A girl with freckles leaned forward curiously, her eyes filled with a mixture of doubt and excitement.

"Are you serious?" she asked, her voice a mixture of doubt and anticipation.

“Of course.” Teddy nodded firmly. “So, who wants to join?”

Then they laughed even harder than before, and Teddy felt her face burning with anger. She turned to Aleja Ikta and met his gaze. Things weren't at all what she had imagined!

He sighed. "I don't think they believe you," he said.

Teddy held back her cry, then turned to the four people. "Do you think I'm lying?" she asked.

"Kid, who are you anyway?" the muscular man asked. "Unless you brought a deck of cards and want to join the next round... we're a bit busy right now."

Teddy gritted her teeth. This simply wouldn't work! She'd thought they'd be scrambling to serve their boss, not... like this. No, this was so unfair! She had to make a good impression on them.

So she did something obvious: she turned into a bear.

“Oh my God,” Aleya Iqta said.

Everyone stared in shock and disbelief at the enormous apex predator before them. Those around the table jumped to their feet in a panic, knocking over their chairs in their haste.

Teddy remained in bear form, standing on her hind legs, and let out a roar. "Now," she said, her voice low and hoarse, "who wants to be a lackey?"