The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna disliked her current situation at all.

Athena frowned as she watched the man walk slowly and calmly toward them. "I'm sorry," she said.

“It’s okay, honey,” Sienna replied.

But this is not the case.

Sienna and Teddy have both changed into their uniforms, which is the only thing that's going smoothly so far.

She used "Sister Teleport" to teleport Teddy to her side, and then went through an awkward dress-up process in the alley.

She didn't like it at all. The thought of someone walking into the alley and seeing her with bare legs, half-hiding behind a trash can made her extremely uncomfortable.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She was currently on one of the less dangerous streets of Auclair, and a notorious and dangerous villain was slowly approaching her.

“Trinity, Athena, go to the alley to change your clothes,” she said.

The two girls nodded, then hurriedly ran away.

They would be safe there. She didn't want to say it to Athena's face, but Sienna was mainly worried about her.

She's not suited for direct combat, although she looks quite intimidating when not in combat.

That said, Sienna herself isn't suited for combat, yet here she is.

“Snake-tailed Serpent!” she shouted.

Her voice trembled.

Sienna even considered turning around and following the others into an alley. Maybe she would just keep running. How about leaving this town?

The villain stopped about twelve paces away. “I remember you,” he said, “and that bear girl too. Too lazy to remember your names, but you cost me a decent amount of money. And you didn’t even give me a proper fight.”

Sienna licked her lips. "What are you doing in Auclair?" she asked.

“I can do whatever I want,” he retorted. He grinned confidently, then reached up and hid his face behind the skull mask.

"Are you heroes going to stop me?"

Sienna clenched her fists at her sides. "We will."

“That’s right, you ugly, foul-smelling, beardless miser!” Teddy added. She made a few rude gestures at the rattlesnake, things Sienna certainly hadn’t taught her.

"How old are you?" he asked.

Sienna was grateful for the temporary delay. She had a plan.

Although it's not a great plan, it's still a plan, and she needs some time to make it succeed.

Or more accurately, Sam and the other girls needed time to get here. The whole plan rested on Maple Leaf and her anti-vibration device.

“She…is young,” Sienna said.

“Do you think I wouldn’t hit her just because she’s a child?” Rattlesnake asked. He puffed out his chest and walked toward them again.

She looked around, observing her surroundings, looking for something to distract him.

Behind the rattlesnake was a bar, and in front of it were several bicycles and a small motorcycle.

There are some old shops and several three-story apartment buildings nearby.

This area is mostly residential. There's a convenience store not far away, and a gas station next to it. That's about it.

Their location was not far from a main road in Eau Clair, which meant there was a lot of traffic about 100 meters away.

But there were hardly any people on the road they were on. There were a few old houses on her left, a road on her right, and a narrow alley behind her.

She couldn't think of any solution.

“Boss? Can I beat him up?” Teddy asked. She tried cracking her knuckles, but couldn’t.

“Wait, Ursa Minor,” Sienna said. “Just… wait a little longer.” Teddy looked up at her, puzzled, but didn’t move, like a taut spring, ready to spring out at any moment.

Rattlesnake chuckled. "Are you stalling for time? Waiting for your hero comrades to come to the rescue?"

Sienna's heart sank. Was she being that obvious? "I...I'm giving you time to consider surrendering," she said. "If you get beaten up by a girl, your reputation will be ruined. Isn't that right?"

“We’ll see!” Teddy shouted again.

The rattlesnake snorted. "So cute. So adorable."

“Of course I’m cute,” Teddy agreed.

“That’s not what I meant, kid,” said Rattlesnake.

"Then who are you calling cute, boss?" Teddy squinted and growled, "You're not good enough for her. You don't deserve to date her."

“What? No,” said the rattlesnake.

Sienna felt she should say something, but that had successfully bought her time, which she could use, so she kept her mouth shut and let Teddy continue.

"Fine, if you think neither I nor the boss are cute, then who are you calling cute? Yourself?" She snorted, a snort that clearly showed how absurd she found the argument.

The rattlesnake glared angrily. "Kid, are you saying I'm ugly?"

"I told you before that you were ugly. Now I'm going to tell you that you're stupid because you don't remember. And then I'm going to say you're ugly again so that you'll remember."

"Alright, that's enough. Are you two planning to run away like cowards, or are you really planning to do something?"

I haven't broken your ankles yet; I'm just giving you a chance to get out of my city as soon as possible.

Teddy looked up at Sienna. She nodded slightly.

“This isn’t your city, Rattlesnake,” Sienna said. “It’s mine. Ursa Minor, execute Plan B!”

Teddy's eyes lit up. "Finally!" she shrieked first, then roared, transforming into a giant grizzly bear. "Project Bear!"

This sudden transformation startled the rattlesnake, and Teddy took the opportunity to rush towards him. Relying on the bear's strong muscles, he swung out a claw that, if it hit, would be enough to overturn a car.

The rattlesnake ducked down and dodged.

He dodged backward, avoiding Teddy's bite. Then, the villain raised a foot and stomped down hard.

The whole street shook, and a wave of cracked asphalt slid down Sienna's feet, nearly causing her to fall.

Several windows shattered due to the shifting of the window frames, forcing Teddy to quickly adjust his posture and spread his feet wider to avoid being knocked to the ground.

The rattlesnake leaped backward, completely unaffected by the ground shaking, and with each step he took, the entire street continued to sway like jelly.

Despite his efforts to stay upright, Teddy swayed like a drunken bear, while Sienna stretched out her arms and waved them like a windmill to maintain her balance.

Rattlesnake chuckled, "You're still a long way off, Teddy Bear."

Sienna's already pounding heart jolted. Did he know Teddy's real name? No, no, that couldn't be. It was just a coincidence.

Sienna watched as the villain jumped around outside Teddy's attack range.

Then he casually kicked out, hitting Teddy right in the nose, and Teddy groaned in pain.

Seeing Teddy stagger backward, Sienna frowned. "Are you alright, Ursa Minor?"

Teddy roared and shook his head to clear his head. To Sienna, this was practically equivalent to "everything being fine." She'd have to give Teddy a good pat later.

Rattlesnake sneered, "How pathetic. You're not even close to being heroes. You just stand there dumbfounded, looking utterly useless. This bear is more frightening to look at than capable of fighting."

A car honked its horn, and Sienna turned around to look.

There was a familiar van at the other end of the street. It made a sharp turn and stopped behind a small truck, hiding itself from the traffic.

It seems Sam doesn't want another vehicle involved in the super battle.

Sienna turned her head and looked at the rattlesnake again. In a few more minutes, it would all be over. It wouldn't even take that long.

Then, a little miracle happened.

"What on earth is going on?" a woman shouted as she rushed out of the bar.

Behind her followed a dozen or so elderly men and women in worn-out leather jackets, a few plainclothes officers, and Athena with a smug look on her face.

Was she going around looking for help? Sienna hadn't noticed her before, but she wouldn't refuse this help now.

“Oh, now we have an audience. Great,” Rattlesnake muttered. He turned around, opened his arms, and faced the small group of people. “Looks like you’re all here! My name is Rattlesnake, and I’m hiring.”

“I’m now in charge of Eau Claire. But I need more people.”

I have money, and this job offers all sorts of fantastic opportunities. Like, beating up those two little heroes.

The bartender spat to the side. "All I see is a rich slacker with nothing better to do than a brainless hoodlum. People like you are everywhere."

Rattlesnake gritted his teeth. "Hmph, I haven't even hired you yet, and you've already been fired."

Anyway, I don't want you, an old woman, doing chores for me.

That might be a misstatement. Sienna wasn't very good at reading people, but even she noticed that all the motorcyclists straightened up after hearing that insult.

Hearing footsteps on the asphalt, she turned back. Maple Leaf and the other two Trinity had arrived, and Maple Leaf was carrying her device.

It's time to turn the tide.