The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna was quite certain that those large, formal hero teams had dedicated teams to help new heroes understand their own superpowers.

She had already seen a bit of this kind of thing, and had to admit, it was quite interesting.

Unfortunately, her sisters, who were helping her test her superpowers, were currently arguing over which cartoon to watch on her laptop.

She leaned back in her chair, staring at the description of her new skill. "Animal Family"—the name wasn't very helpful, and it was a pun; all her skills seemed to be like that, quite typical.

Are the other masked people's skills also puns? Could she investigate this without arousing suspicion?

Let's talk about this later.

This skill allows her to copy a sister's animal traits for an indeterminate period of time, after which she must wait an hour before she can use the skill again.

This left a bunch of unanswered questions. She opened her desk drawer and took out her notebook. It seemed like it had been a day or two since she'd properly made a list.

What animal traits will it replicate?

Is the cooldown time fixed, or is the cooldown time different for each sister?

Will these characteristics manifest as physical changes?

Does using this skill require physical contact with the sisters?

Will there be any negative consequences?

She tapped her lower lip lightly with the end of her pen, then nodded. "Girls, I'm going to test out my new superpower now."

"Oh, right, you've gained a superpower too," Teddy said. "What is it?"

Sienna almost ignored Teddy's question, but she held back. Teddy had once shown that she knew more about this superpower system than most people.

The other girls didn't seem particularly surprised by their newfound superpowers; they seemed to immediately understand what they were for and accepted them readily. "It's called 'Animal Family,'" Sienna said. "Do you know anything about it?"

"I don't know," Teddy said. "What's it for?"

“Wait a minute,” Sienna said. She brought up the skill interface and read the skill description to her sisters. Most of them were listening attentively, but Trinity had one body carefully typing on a laptop, while the other two were distracted. “Uh, it allows you to temporarily copy one of your sisters’ animal traits. The cooldown is one hour.”

“Hmm, that sounds pretty plausible,” Teddy said. “It should be one of those skills that lets you switch between different states. Does it say how long you can stay in bear form?”

“It didn’t say she’d turn into a bear, it said animal traits,” Athena said. “I hope the traits she copied from you aren’t your intelligence.”

"It, uh, is only said to be temporary. And, Athena, don't hurt Teddy's feelings."

"Hey, I'm fine," Teddy said.

Athena nodded. "Well, if it doesn't specify how long this trait will last before it disappears, you could probably maintain it for quite a while if you use the same trait."

"So, will my older sister always be like a bear from now on?" Teddy asked.

"Why does she have to be like a bear?" Athena retorted. "Who wants to just sleep all day and be lazy like that?"

"Anyone of sound mind would think so."

Sienna waved her hand, calming the two down. They'd been getting increasingly...argumentative lately, and she wasn't sure if they truly disliked each other, or if it was just a strange way for sisters to get along. "Alright, what kind of traits will this skill replicate?" Sienna asked.

“The bets will definitely be different every time,” Teddy said.

Sienna nodded, encouraging her to continue. Teddy usually had a good understanding of how superpowers worked.

"It would be so boring if it were always the same," the bear girl said, picking her nose.

Sienna stood up from her chair and walked to the middle of the room. "Alright, let's give it a try."

“That’s so cool!” Teddy said. “What kind of bear traits will you get? Polar bear? That’s pretty cool, almost as cool as a grizzly bear.”

“Actually, she should copy my traits first,” Athena said. “Bears are big, clumsy, and awkward. Owls are elegant, small, and incredibly powerful. So my traits would make her even more powerful, allowing her to adapt to the skill more quickly.”

Teddy glared at Athena, and Athena glared back without backing down.

“Hey! You should become a raccoon,” Trinity said. “Because then you’d be different from the other two.”

“You know what, Trinity, you’re right. I think these two need to calm down. Let’s start with your traits.”

Trinity raised six arms and cheered, "We did it!"

Sienna straightened up, took a deep breath, and wondered if testing her superpowers in her small apartment at midday was a good idea. Then she let out a long sigh, releasing some of the pressure in her heart.

"Okay. Animal family: Trinity."

Sienna felt a burp-like sensation rising up her esophagus, but there was no other reaction. Then she felt dizzy.

“Uh,” she said.

Animal Family

You have acquired the Raccoon's traits!

Now you can eat junk food without any negative effects!

"How is it?" Trinity asked, staring at Sienna with her three raccoon eyes, wide and anxious.

“I can eat junk food now,” Sienna said.

Trinity gasped and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "You did it!" she said. "Now you're just like me."

“Hmm,” Sienna replied.

“We need to test it,” Trinity said. “I have a piece of chocolate I found here.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a half-wrapped chocolate bar. The chocolate was slightly melted and had a few hairs stuck to it.

“No,” Sienna said. “Please throw it in the trash.”

"I was picked up from a trash can."

“I… okay, then please put it back.” Sienna walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn’t see any changes until she opened her mouth and noticed that her canines seemed to have become sharper… maybe.

She licked her teeth with her tongue, but she wasn't quite sure if it was different from before.

“Okay, now copy mine!” Teddy said.

Sienna walked back to the center of the room and nodded. "Okay, sure. Do you think I can switch directly from one trait to another, or do I have to cancel the current trait first?"

“We should be able to reuse this skill directly,” Teddy said.

"I think we need to test both scenarios. Animal family: Teddy."

That hiccup-like feeling returned, but this time it was the opposite, strangely unsettling. Soon, she felt a jolt throughout her body, as if all her muscles had twitched slightly at the same time.

Animal Family

You have acquired the Bear trait!

You're stronger now!

Sienna looked down at herself. There was still no obvious change, unless… she raised an arm to look at it.

She's never had this much hair before, right?

“So, aren’t you cooler now?” Teddy asked.

“I’m obviously stronger now,” Sienna said. “And I might be a little warmer in the winter.” She touched her teeth and was pleased to find that they weren’t as sharp anymore.

It seems the special ability has disappeared. That means she won't need to shave after using Teddy's special ability.

“Hey, big sister, lift me up!” Teddy said. She walked over to Sienna and stood there with her arms outstretched.

Sienna shrugged, bent down, put her hands under Teddy's armpits, and then lifted them up.

She felt the veins on her forehead were about to burst, and her muscles were tense, but little by little, she finally managed to lift Teddy up.

She might be stronger, but that probably depends on her original strength, and as a young adult woman whose main activity is getting up from the sofa to get potato chips, her strength is just so-so.

“Okay, I am a bit stronger. It might come in handy in an emergency.” She didn’t yet know how to best utilize this strength, but at least she was stronger. “Cancel Animal Family: Teddy,” she tried.

After a while, that strange feeling returned, and suddenly, Teddy felt much heavier than before. She put Teddy down and looked at her arms again.

She doesn't consider herself a beauty-conscious person, but if she became even hairier than those testosterone-fueled men, she might still care a little.

"Alright, that's pretty good. Uh, next I think it's time to copy Athena's. Maybe I can keep your traits overnight and see how long it lasts? Do you think there will be any side effects?"

“It’s just because you’re not planning to use the coolest features,” Teddy said.

"Alright then. Animal family: Athena."

This time, the strange sensation was concentrated in her eyes and head. It was as if someone was giving her a very enthusiastic but poorly executed head massage, and the sensation extended all the way to behind her eyes.

She shuddered, then blinked.

The room suddenly became much brighter. She turned her head, and the sound of her neck brushing against her clothes almost startled her.

"Big sister?" Athena exclaimed, "Oh, your eyes have become even more beautiful!"

Sienna frowned. It wasn't that Athena was screaming, but rather that her hearing had become much more acute. Her eyesight had also changed; not only had her perception of light altered, but... well, perhaps years of staring at screens had meant her eyesight wasn't always that good.

Animal Family

You have acquired the Owl trait!

Your perception has improved!

“Ha,” Sienna said, “Well, I can still use this trait.”