The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

The Quantum Mothman—no, even if Sienna called him that in her mind, she had to pronounce the name correctly—the Mothman was in this very room.

The thought of being in the same room as a real-life celebrity filled her with a mix of excitement and a touch of madness.

However, to be fair, Meraton is a minor celebrity in the area, but that's not the case.

Compared to the genius standing in front of the room, Meraton was insignificant.

“Um, that, ah,” Mothman said.

He turned to the blackboard as if seeking guidance, then turned back to face them, his antennae swaying with each movement.

"Yes, that's right. Please state your names and tell us about your abilities. This isn't a major or dangerous patrol mission, but it's always good to know."

He first pointed to Charm Girl, roughly starting from the far left. "My name is Charm Girl," Jezabel said. "I can create orbs of light. They have low kinetic damage and move slowly, but they are very bright."

Mothman nodded. "What about the unique attributes?"

Jezabel looked around. "What unique attribute?"

The scientist gestured with his hands, but it seemed no one understood what he meant.

"Abilities! All abilities are multifaceted. They have useful aspects and less useful aspects. Most abilities have a social dimension. This is called a unique attribute."

The name is rather silly and somewhat misleading. Some abilities are inherently social from the start, and over time, they often acquire some small, side benefits that match their inherent social attributes.

Other abilities arise from changes in the body. These are material abilities. The sphere of light you created is a material ability.

If they can make people fall asleep, then that's a unique property. You can see it as a distinction between the physical and cognitive levels.

Sienna found herself listening intently.

It's not every day that you get to listen to a lecture from such an amazing person.

She felt that her abilities were more materialistic.

Teddy's abilities are similar. Athena's abilities, on the other hand, might lean more towards unique attributes, but they haven't actually tested them yet.

“Okay,” said Charm Girl, “I don’t think I have any special abilities.”

Mothman shrugged. "It will come in the future. All my abilities have been developed in two aspects, just at different speeds."

"How can one acquire more than one ability?" the man in the trench coat and wrapped in strips of cloth asked.

“Winning the final battle,” Mothman said, his cheerful voice turning quite serious, “will grant you an additional ability. That’s it. What’s your name?”

“My name is Hindsight,” the man said. “If I concentrate, I can see things several minutes into the future.”

"Is it foresight? Simulation? Or some other mechanism?" Mothman asked.

“Ah, I think it’s a simulation?” Hindsight said, sounding somewhat uncertain.

Mothman nodded. "Hmm, that's possible. We'll have to test it. What about the organization?"

“I am affiliated with Ling Le Entertainment. I just signed the contract last week.”

The older hero snorted, his tentacles twitching. "We'll see. Heroes under the company don't get much opportunity to be studied."

There's more money, but less for research. It's a shame, but I can understand. Next!

The woman pacing behind the chair looked up. "My name is Cheat. I'm faster than most people. My, well, unique abilities allow me to cheat."

Mothman tilted his head to one side. "Interesting. But rather vague. Okay, you don't have to say for now, it's fine."

"Thanks," said the leopard, continuing to pace.

“Very good! Now it’s your turn, the one in that big armor,” the Mothman said, gesturing to the man three seats to Sienna’s left.

It was the big guy Isabella had talked to before.

“My name is Killer,” he said. “I am independent. I can strike my target hard.”

The Mothman tilted his head to one side first, then to the other. "Hmm, I believe you. And you, little one?"

“I’m not little anymore,” Teddy said. “I’m a bear. I, uh…” Isabella looked at Sienna, but before Sienna could speak, Isabella remembered her new name, “I’m Ursa Minor.”

Charismatic Supergirl exclaimed "Wow!"

“That’s pretty good,” said Mothman. “I don’t recommend getting too involved at such a young age. It’s best to take it slow, accumulate experience gradually, and become very powerful later on by using the points you’ve accumulated. But, let’s continue anyway. What about you?”

Sienna wasn't startled. She... had about a full minute to prepare. Although it wasn't as long as she'd hoped, it was better than nothing. "Hello, my name is, uh, Boss."

She was inwardly fretting. Saying it out loud like that felt so lame.

“Boss,” Mothman repeated. There was no judgment in his voice, but somehow, that only made Sienna feel worse.

"Um... what is it?"

"Not quite sure?"

Sienna nodded first, then shook her head, and finally said, "Yes, I'm sure that's my name."

"And what about your abilities?"

"I can, well, teleport the people around me to me, but only those close to me."

The hero snorted. "Interesting restrictions. Usually, this situation is compensated by even more powerful abilities. And it even comes with social attributes."

Sienna nodded in agreement.

He is indeed an expert in this area.

"Hmm, very good. Now that you know each other's names, please take a look at this map."

He flipped the whiteboard over, revealing a detailed map of the city of Eau Clair.

A route marked in red runs through it. "This is the route you need to take. The map is already on your devices, along with trackers. Don't get lost."

"What kind of situations will we encounter on the road?" Hindsight asked.

The elderly hero shook his head. "Nothing serious will happen. It's mostly just a publicity stunt."

The crime rate is currently quite low, making it unlikely that you will encounter any ongoing criminal activity.

You might encounter some minor villains or small-time thugs who have just gained their abilities and want to test their skills, but even then, it's unlikely to happen.

Just follow the route. Sign your name if you'd like. Smile for the camera. The main purpose of this event is for you all to get to know each other.

Sienna, on the other hand, was actually hoping for more criminal activity for them to handle.

That sounds much easier than chatting or social networking.

Mothman clapped his hands. "Alright, you should get going. The door's over there. Goodbye."

And so, the hero, with his hands in his coat pockets, head down, strode away with powerful strides.

For a while, all the heroes—along with Sienna and Isabella—sat there, an atmosphere of uncertainty hanging in the air.

Finally, Charismatic Superwoman broke the deadlock. "Okay," she said, jumping up, "let's go, shall we? I know this place pretty well, just follow me... Oh, before we go, does anyone want to use the restroom?" She bent down, picked up the box of cell phones that Mothman had given her, and held it in front of her.

“I don’t need to go to the toilet,” Isabella whispered to Sienna. It sounded more like a secret meant for everyone to hear.

Sienna felt incredibly embarrassed, forcing herself to endure the stares from the other heroes, and said, "We...we can go now."

“Alright,” said Charm Girl, grinning at them and gesturing to the other end of the room, “Come with me!”

"How do you know the way around here?" Hindsight asked as he followed Charismatic Superwoman.

The group lined up in a row. Charm Girl and Hindsight led the way, Sienna and Isabella were in the middle, and Killer followed closely behind. Leopard brought up the rear, somewhat isolated from the others.

"I'm going to join the side of justice. I've seen the whole place."

“The Humanitarian Aid Forces Alliance is not bad,” Hindsight said, “but the salaries they offer are a bit low, which doesn’t suit my taste.”

“It’s not about the money,” said Charm Girl.

“The marketing contracts aren’t very good either,” he added.

Charismatic Superwoman snorted and put her hands on her hips. "It's not for that. It's to set an example and make the world a better place."

Sienna stared at the back of the woman's head.

She had seen Jezabel before, and he was quite... rude, as he was when he was a lackey.

She actually had serious doubts about whether Glamour Woman really thought what she claimed.

They crossed several intersections, and the terrain gradually sloped downhill as they went.

Sienna sensed that they were going deeper and deeper underground, and the silence they had maintained throughout the journey only reinforced this feeling.

Finally, they arrived at a small room where two guards stood ramrod straight. It looked like they had just been playing on their phones.

The charismatic superwoman tucked the box containing the phones under her arm and began handing them out. "One for everyone."

“Thank you,” Sienna said, taking her own copy.

It turned out to be a small flip phone, so retro!

It looks pretty new, so maybe it's more durable than a regular smartphone? Or perhaps it's easier to discard?

"Does this phone have any games?" Teddy asked while fiddling with his phone.

“I don’t think so,” said Charm Girl. “This is a work phone so the manager can track your whereabouts, and you can call if you need help. Just press the red button on the side, no matter what.”

“Wait, this thing is a tracker?” Teddy asked. “This sounds like a capitalist trick to keep people working for low wages.”

Sienna patted Isabella on the back and pulled her aside to stop her from continuing.

After everyone had received their phones, the glamorous superwoman, looking quite pleased with herself for having arranged things so well, led everyone toward a door at the back.

"Alright, let's go!"