The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

The next day, Sienna developed some strange aches and pains on her body.

She was pretty sure it was related to the exercise, but she couldn't help complaining about the strange stretching exercises Yezebel made her do.

Throughout the day (a school day), she tried her best not to limp too noticeably when walking from one class to another, and sitting down was also much more difficult than usual.

She felt as if she had aged a hundred years in an instant.

Her sisters, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected, even though their enthusiasm for exercising far surpassed Sienna's.

Regardless, she managed to finish another day of classes.

If she hadn't gained superpowers and didn't have a bunch of sisters to take care of, her grades might have been better, but they weren't actually that bad.

So far, they don't have to worry about major exams, so they mainly write a few papers and read some supplementary reading materials.

Unlike high school, universities seem to assume that students have their own lives outside of school, so the academic burden is not too heavy.

Perhaps it was just that the courses she initially chose were like that.

Anyway, Sienna felt she had done alright...not bad. She didn't expect to graduate first in her class, and her initial goals weren't that high.

After taking her sisters back from Miss Hydeson and bringing them to the basement, she cooked noodles on the stove while looking at her textbook and taking notes.

Then, while cooking the canned pasta sauce, she cursed because a few drops of sauce had splashed onto her textbook.

That book was one of the most expensive things she had ever bought, and she didn't want it to get stained!

After the children finished eating and were threatened to take a bath, Sienna finally, finally had a few minutes of time to herself.

She decided to take a few minutes to look at the USB drive that Yezebel had given her.

However, first she had to make sure it wasn't a trap.

Sienna pulled out an old laptop, a computer she had never cared about, which had been gathering dust in a closet in the basement.

This computer is at least ten years old, and as far as she knows, its data was wiped a long time ago.

After confirming that the computer was not connected to the internet, she inserted the USB drive and opened its contents.

There are several files inside. Some are text files, others are images, scanned copies of documents, and dozens of photos.

She naturally started by looking at the photos. Most of them featured a young man, and they all seemed to be dated. Clearly, these photos were of Rattlesnake, but before he used that name.

The first photo is a portrait in the style of a high school yearbook.

A somewhat clumsy, tall and thin boy with his hair styled into sharp spikes with hair gel, and bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in a long time. He looked... very ordinary.

He was just an ordinary boy Sienna might encounter at school. He didn't have an evil aura, his eyes weren't fierce, and he was nothing special.

She continued clicking through the photos and found a picture of Rattlesnake appearing as... another villainous character who wasn't Rattlesnake.

It was clearly the same boy. Same chin, same eyes, same hair color, but now his outfit looked like it had been hastily put together.

He was wearing gloves, a ripped shirt, and several pairs of work pants. He was carrying a large sledgehammer, but it was clearly just an ordinary sledgehammer that had been bought from a store and spray-painted.

In another photo, he is wearing similar clothing, this time with a rough faux leather jacket over it. He is with a group of masked men whom Sienna does not recognize.

However, it's obvious they're villains. Heroes don't wear so much leather or so many spikes.

The last few photos are taken about a year apart. Rattlesnake is now wearing a brighter outfit and looks more professional.

He threw the hammer away at some point. However, the photos are blurry, as if taken from a distant, low-quality surveillance camera.

The last photo shows the Rattlesnake that Sienna knows well, wearing a leather jacket, with a slender yet powerful figure, wearing a half-mask, and with all her hair combed to one side.

He… wasn’t Sienna’s type (she wasn’t interested in bad boys), but she had to admit he had a kind of “rock band” charm. She guessed he was probably quite popular online.

Next is a text file. The first few are incident reports from several years ago. Rattlesnake is only mentioned incidentally, listed as a related person, a minor character among a group of villains.

Then she found the latest document about rattlesnakes.

[Human Resources Foundation Case Report]

[Category: Confidential]

This document is the property of Heroic Response Force (HRF) and is for official use only. Its content is categorized according to HRF Information Security Protocol 102. Unauthorized access to, copying, or distribution of this document or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including criminal prosecution.

[Document Number: 2357 - HRF - CAN - 578]

[Target: Rattlesnake]

Other names: "Bone", "Shivering"

[Real Identity: Kevin Leboeuf]

[Ability: Confirmed Level 1. Possesses kinetic energy manipulation capabilities; specialty is vibration amplification.]

[Affiliation: Formerly: The Reapers]

Former affiliation: Skiffer Gang

Currently belonging to: Independent Villain

Level: To be confirmed

[Detailed Assessment]

1. Object Introduction and Behavior:

Kevin Leboeuf, 21, is an unregistered superhuman whose ability is to control and amplify kinetic energy, with a particular skill in manipulating vibrational forces.

At the age of 19, shortly after Superpower Day, Leboeuf joined a small criminal organization called the Reapers (GOI-146-HRF-CAN). Subsequently, due to his escalating involvement in criminal activities, he parted ways with the Reapers and allied with the more sophisticated criminal group, the Skiffers (GOI-159-HRF-CAN).

Throughout his criminal career, Leboeuf primarily played a supporting role, using his unique abilities to support larger-scale criminal activities. He never sought or accepted leadership positions in these organizations and therefore was not considered a primary threat prior to the recent events. Consequently, a comprehensive personality assessment of this individual was not deemed necessary until recently.

Leboeuf exhibited a clear aversion to authority figures and a tendency toward eventual independence. This behavioral pattern is presumably the primary reason for his voluntary departure from both the Reaper Gang and the Skiffer Gang.

In his independent operations, Leboeuf was known for his unpredictable and erratic behavior, which posed a significant challenge to surveillance and capture. Although the scale and impact of his crimes varied, they were consistently characterized by disruption and chaos—a hallmark of his extraordinary abilities.

2. Competency Assessment:

Kevin "Rattlesnake" Leboeuf possesses the superpower to manipulate and amplify kinetic energy, with a particular focus on vibrational frequencies. This ability allows him to generate and control vibrations of varying intensities and scales, from the microscopic to the powerful enough to destroy macroscopic structures.

Depending on the level of kinetic energy he chooses to utilize, the range of his abilities can be from minor disruption to catastrophic destruction. At lower intensities, he can generate vibrations to disorient opponents or emit infrasound to induce discomfort and fear. At more destructive intensities, the Rattlesnake can amplify vibrations enough to damage the structural integrity of buildings, cause vehicle malfunctions, and even, in some cases, inflict physiological harm on living organisms.

While his energy output appears to depend on his focus and emotional state, it's noteworthy that Rattlesnake has demonstrated a remarkably precise control over his abilities. This level of control, combined with his understanding of material physics, allows him to target and exploit specific weaknesses in buildings or individuals, launching highly efficient and destructive attacks.

Please note that, in accordance with HRF Information Security Protocol 102, this capability assessment must be kept strictly confidential and is only accessible to authorized personnel.

[HRF Recommendation]

Given Rattlesnake's unpredictability and the serious threat his abilities pose to infrastructure and human life, he is classified as a Level 3 threat. Surveillance and intelligence gathering efforts are strongly recommended to effectively predict and disrupt his activities.

Without a dedicated response team to counter vibration-based attacks, proactive engagement is not recommended. A special squad of heroes with energy absorption or manipulation abilities would be best suited for direct confrontation.

It is of paramount importance that all contact with this object be reported immediately and handled with extreme care.

Commander P. Sullivan, Heroic Response Force (HRF)

Sienna put down her laptop and rubbed her eyes. This report... seemed to contain a lot of useless information, but it also filled in some gaps.

She didn't know how to use this information to help herself.

But she knew exactly how to use that information to fight the rattlesnakes.