MHA 13

As I emerged from the candy shop, a flurry of news agencies and reporters had already gathered at a safe distance, their eyes widening at the sight of my magnificent costume. Swiftly, their cameras turned toward me, anticipating another spectacular show.

"Officers," I called out with a playful tone, "What brings you here on this wonderful and quackful day?" Cheerfully, I greeted the two officers who stood before the shop, causing them to exchange amused glances.

The older officer, a gentleman with a seasoned cop's air, as evidenced by the countless gray hairs on his head, momentarily lost his composure and let out a genuine chuckle. "Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance," he said, sizing up my army of ducklings. At that moment, I sensed a connection with him, my [Mental Domain] already telling me that he had given up on the idea of arresting me, knowing I could handle tens of Heroes alone.

With my smile still intact, I fully embraced the theatrical moment. "Ah, you know me," I replied, pretending to be unfazed. "I always strive for the most quacktastic entrance imaginable."

As I cracked another duck pun, the response from the onlookers was a mix of groans and eye rolls, leaving me to wonder if I had perhaps overdone it with my feathered humor.

Besides the seasoned officer, the younger cop fumbled with his radio and nervously muttered something about the suspect matching the description of The Quacker. He then nudged his veteran partner, clearly seeking guidance on how to proceed.

"Alright, Mr. Quacker," the veteran played along, "We've received reports of a villain causing chaos in this candy shop. Care to explain yourself?"

I nonchalantly shrugged, "Oh, you know how it is," I waved my hand dismissively. "I couldn't resist the temptation of all these delicious sweets. But rest assured, I've paid for them with quacks, as any respectable villain would."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a currency the Japanese authorities approve of," he replied, thoughtfully.

"It isn't?" I said, feigning mock shock, widening my eyes and bringing my palm dramatically to my chest. "I've been scammed! I received these quack dollars as compensation for a duck that lays golden eggs!" I added, reaching into my pocket and theatrically conjuring a stack of dollars with a familiar disney duck face on them. "You're telling me all of this is worthless?" I said, casually walking up to them.

However, to my surprise, the younger officer nervously unbuckled his gun and aimed it right at me, his shaky hands preventing him from aiming correctly. "Stop right there!" he exclaimed. "D-drop the bag and place your hands on your head. G-get down on the ground slowly and keep your hands visible," he ordered, his voice filled with tension.

I turned to the older cop, dropping my act and asking, "Is this guy for real?" I pointed in the direction of the youngster, completely ignoring his threats and shouting in the background.

The veteran officer sighed and nodded, his expression turning serious. "Unfortunately, yes. Sometimes rookies get a bit too trigger-happy."

I couldn't help but ask, "How often does this even work?"

"Rarely," he shrugged nonchalantly, making me roll my eyes. He turned to his partner and with a wry smile said, "Takeshi, drop the gun. He could have killed us if he wanted already..."

The youngster, Takeshi, gave him a shocked look but continued to tensely aim in my direction as I kept getting closer. "So... Umm... I'm new to all of this. What's the plan? Do we have, like... I don't know, a grand chase? A fight or something?"

He shook his head, saying, "I'm too old for that, plus there is no reason for it. You'll just fly away or something," a wry smile plastered on his face. "I'm actually grateful you didn't just dispose of us."

A click made us both turn to my left, and I couldn't help but notice Takeshi's finger on the trigger. His arms were shaky, his aim all over the place, and I couldn't help but wonder how he even got his license. "For the love of God, lower that gun; you'll shoot someone by accident," I exclaimed, rolling my eyes.

My sudden shout startled him, and at that moment, a gunshot resounded, causing everyone, except for me, to take cover. Calmly, I waved my hand, summoning a reinforced rubber duck that effortlessly blocked the bullet, which would have missed me by a good meter.

"See? I told you so," I said, shaking my head at the youngster who had accidentally discharged his gun. His eyes were wide, his hands shaky, and he was clearly going through a mild panic attack. "Are you such a quick shot with women too?" I asked, making him look up, but I didn't let him defend himself. "You know what, don't answer that. Good night," I said, swiftly launching a duck at him with a speed he couldn't possibly dodge. The moment it impacted him, I used [Mental Domain] to knock him out.

An awkward silence spread over the scene, the veteran grimacing at the sight of his partner lying on the ground. "Don't worry, he's just unconscious," I reassured him, making him sigh and nod. "Although he might have a light headache when he wakes up, but that's about it."

"Serves him well, I did order him to lower his gun," he mumbled, turning back to me. "You know, you're one of the strangest villains I've met, and I've been in the force for 35 years."

"I get that a lot," I said with a chuckle. "By the way, I suggest you call for backup, then point your gun at me, so you don't get in trouble with your boss."

"Nah, don't worry," he said, waving his hand. "I was planning on retiring anyways."

"Yeah, but the cameras are pointed at us," I said, pointing at the news crew, who were far enough away to not hear the discussion.

A grimace appeared on his face as his eyes followed my finger. "Fine," he relented, then reached for his radio. Before he could call for help, I stopped him.

"Wait, could you call a few heroes from the association?" I asked, with a hopeful look in my eyes.

He nodded and used his radio, "1055, requesting backup to Sakura-dori 97. One officer down, The Quacker has overwhelmed us, send someone from the Hero Association."

"Understood 1055, help is on the way," replied a voice from the radio, and I mouthed him a silent 'Thank you'. He lowered the radio down, reattached it to his belt, and unbuckled his gun, pointing it straight at me while shouting, "On the ground! Now." Then with a faint whisper adding, "Make it gentle, my bones are not what they used to be."

"Alright," I nodded before a duckling hit him on his head, producing a barely audible quack and making him unconscious, while another duckling appeared just under him, and gently lowered him to the ground.

As I observed their thought patterns and delved into their minds during our little exchange, I discovered that the older gentleman, Ishibashi Yasuhiro, was a good man. He had a loving family with a wife and two older daughters, one of whom was pregnant. His Quirk, Power Estimation, allowed him to estimate the physical strength of a target, but it didn't account for supernatural or psionic abilities. Nevertheless, encountering me had almost given him a heart attack.

Feeling a sense of empathy toward him, I gently waved my hand, sending a stealthy pulse of healing mana. It repaired his bad hip and cleaned up his blood vessels, granting him an additional ten to fifteen years of healthy life.

On the other hand, Takeshi was a pushover and a genuinely bad person. His quirk was so lackluster that it wasn't even worth mentioning. He had deep ties with a villain faction and was recently ordered to infiltrate the police force. However, today his luck ran dry, quite literally. With another wave of my hand, I activated [Curse Creation], conjuring a curse that would drain his life force while also making him extremely unlucky.

To be honest, the curse didn't actually affect his luck, as I had no true way of manipulating that concept, at least not yet. A more accurate description would be that it invited misfortune. And the moment it took effect, its power was on full display.

A bird that flew over us just decided to relieve itself. The world seemed to slow down, and I watched in slow motion as it landed right into Takeshi's open mouth. He licked his lips with such gusto that it made me retch, yet a wicked smile still found its way onto my face.

"Yeah, he deserved that," I chuckled, propping myself up on the police car's hood and laying down with my arms under my head, sunbathing while awaiting the arrival of the heroes.

As the minutes ticked by, the news agencies continued to report on the amusing development, and my patience was wearing thin. Until finally, I sensed someone approaching at high speeds.

"Finally!" I exclaimed, propping myself up and looking in the direction where I felt the latecomers arriving, only to be massively dissatisfied with the lineup. "Really? They couldn't have sent someone more challenging? Do I need to mess up Endeavor or All Might for them to take me seriously?" I asked rhetorically, shaking my head in disappointment.

I knew I was playing a goofy persona with the most insignificant ability you could imagine, but come on... I fought tens of heroes alone, I've caused destruction in the town and even robbed multiple banks. Yet, they send these people?

"Well, I guess this will have to do," I muttered to myself, preparing for the lackluster battle that lay ahead.

I let out a sigh as I stood up, summoning a duck plane beneath my feet, and gracefully rose into the air, all the while forcing a smile on my face. Two ducklings took charge of dragging the unconscious policeman away from the scene, ensuring there would be no collateral damage, while I closely examined my opponents.

Three individuals, two men, and a woman, swiftly appeared on the scene, striking heroic poses right next to each other. As I observed them, I couldn't help but wonder if they were all on some kind of mental spectrum.

The first one appeared to be a cheap imitation of a speedster in a knight's armor. He was the older brother of a stuck-up white knight, supposedly starting the hero course soon. He donned a black skin-tight suit with a full plate chest piece armor, along with gauntlets and a helmet. Oddly enough, exhaust pipes emerged from the ends of his elbows, to my knowledge, fueled by grapefruit juice, which supposedly granted him super speed. It sounded ridiculous, I know.

The second person seemed to be dressed in a rather questionable outfit, resembling a PG-13 dominatrix. She wore a breastless, black leather corset over a thin, skin-tight, flesh-colored bodysuit that accentuated her voluptuous figure. Her attire was completed with translucent, black, thigh-high garter stockings attached to a burgundy utility belt decorated with gold studs around her hips. A matching pentagonal buckle adorned the center of the belt, and she sported black knee boots. With a small red mask outlining her eyes and handcuffs on each wrist, her appearance was quite unconventional.

Lastly, there was someone I didn't recognize, a muscular, bald black man, sporting a rather striking red speedo. He stood at the center, flanked by the previous two heroes. With his back straight and his arms crossed, he clenched his muscles, causing them to bulge and pop. His intimidation factor was high, however, i didn't sense even a hint of danger from him.

As the three heroes arrived, I forced a smile on my face and greeted them with spread arms. "Ah, I see, the Association sent their finest heroes!" My words made the three of them sprout proud smiles, but their expressions swiftly turned into grimaces as I continued, "Welcome Exhaust Knight, Lady of the Night, and... Black Dude." I welcomed them with a grin.

"Hey!" protested the domina, "At least get our names straight. I'm Midnight, this is Turbo Hero: Ingenium, and this is..." Confusion spread on her face as she squinted her eyes, looking at the black dude. "I'm sorry, what was your hero name?" she asked in an apologetic tone.

"... Black Wall," he replied with a hint of hesitation, giving her a wry smile.

I almost burst out laughing, but with [Mind Discipline] and [Acting], I successfully clamped down on my chuckle that threatened to escape my throat.

I awkwardly cleared my throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence that descended on the scene and pulling their attention. "I called you all here— Wait, I can't do this; the suspense is killing me." I looked at the buff black dude and asked, "I really hope your quirk isn't 'being black,' is it?"

He made a pointed gesture and said, "That's racist..."

"Nu-uh," I shook my head, "It's a genuine question."

"Enough!" Exclaimed Turbo Knight, interrupting our conversation. "Quacker! Your regime of terror ends now!"

"What terror?" I asked in confusion while rolling my eyes, but ultimately I clapped my hands and nodded. "You're right, I have places to do and things to be, or wait... Was it the other way around? Whatever, we shouldn't stretch this out any longer. Let's give the people a show they deserve!" I exclaimed raising a fist into the air with a cheerful tone.

"Is all of this just a game for you?" Retorted Turbo Knight, taking up a fighting stance. "People's lives are at stake!"

"Well, duh... Took you a while to notice... If the association can't take me seriously, even after all the chaos I've caused, why would I take their people seriously?" I raised an eyebrow giving him a pointed look. "Also, against the likes of you, I really don't need to go all out," I said, making him grimace before he sprang into action.

With surprising force, he moved like a speeding car, but the speed was slow enough for my heightened perception to allow me to watch a full season of Friends before he even made it off the ground. He launched himself into the air, deftly maneuvering while attempting to dodge my duck and reach me. Swiftly calculating his trajectory and speed, I instantly realized he wouldn't have enough power to reach me. However, just as he reached the apex of his climb, his exhaust pipes flared up, giving him a second wind. As I stood there awkwardly in the air, munching on some popcorn, my trusty old floating duck platform moved slightly to the right, causing him to fly by and miss me by a good five meters.

I completely ignored the guy and turned my attention to the other two who were still in their heroic poses. "Are you two going to join in the fun?" I asked, with a hopeful look in my eyes, while Turbo Knight kept running around, jumping and flailing his hands, trying to catch onto my platform.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait for too long, and the scandalously dressed night worker join the game of cat and mouse.

I could see the air around her slightly distort as she activated her quirk. She made a pushing motion with her arms, aiming them right at me, and after I patiently waited for a second, I was hit with an odorless, almost translucent mist that would have made me fall asleep if I didn't have [Unwavering Resilience].

I yawned from boredom, which seemed to spark excitement in her eyes. However, as time progressed and I deftly dodged the speedster with minimal effort, the spark in her eyes disappeared, replaced by genuine confusion.

"Try it again. Maybe the second time it would work," I offered a suggestion.

She nodded in response, catching herself and squinting her eyes at me in annoyance. While she diligently worked on conjuring another dose of her sleeping powder, I sat down on my platform and left her to it. Then, I turned my attention to the buff dude who still stood in the same place, arms crossed.

"So is your power related to standing still?" I asked in confusion, unwilling to read his mind and uncover the truth. Considering his hero name had "Wall" in it, it was a pretty good guess. However, to my dismay, he didn't answer, only continued to stand there and look at me menacingly.

"Alright, suit yourself," I said, shrugging and waving my hand, making part of my duck army fly his way.

Like a tidal wave, they washed over his body, quacking with each hit. However, as they came in for a second wave, I stood there more shocked than surprised. "Huh, this is fascinating," I muttered, making him smile.

He was levitating in the air, the ground under his feet washed away, undamaged and unmoved as if he was rooted in space. But I knew that was impossible, as I felt no fluctuation in the surrounding space-time continuum, nor could he be anchored to a spatial location. With all the motion happening in the environment—the planet's rotation, its orbit around the sun, the sun's orbit around the center of the galaxy, and even the universe's expansion—anchoring himself into a spatial location would fling him off the planet almost instantly.

So there had to be another explanation. My scientific instincts were tingling, and I couldn't help but theorize what his power truly was.

My theorizing was, however, absurdly cut short. Taking advantage of my momentary distraction, the speedster finally caught onto my platform. He tried to pull himself up, grinning victoriously, but I quickly conjured an oversized rubber duck hammer and swiftly hit his fingers, making him yelp in pain and release his hold, causing him to fall a good fifty meters to the ground.

A sigh left my lips as a duck appeared under him and was momentarily enlarged to cushion his fall. Annoyed by his relentless attempts, I pointed my finger at his forehead and fired off a supersonic duck.

The sudden change in pressure caused by the sonic boom shattered windows and storefronts. The impact's quack was almost instantaneous, knocking the speedster out immediately and giving him a larger concussion.

This made the rest of the onlookers freeze up, as it was the first time I displayed power that could seriously damage an opponent. A stealthy wave of mana entered his being, healing his fractured skull and internal bleeding.

There was no need to make The Quacker a murderer, but my display was beneficial to make them take me seriously and realize that this persona could be an actual threat.

I turned my attention to the girl, who was waving her hands frantically, trying to dose me with her sleeping powder, and repeated my earlier stunt, knocking her out instantly.

Then I turned my attention to the last guy standing. A grimace was plastered on his face, but he was still unwilling to move. "So, I've been wondering. How do you even fight villains?" I asked in genuine curiosity. "Do you just like, stand there, and wait for them to tire themselves out, or do you actually do something?"

His eyes moved to the side, unwilling to make eye contact with me, and I couldn't help but shake my head. "Dude, you need to get your act together," I said with a disappointed tone. "What if I had, like... I don't know... Water powers and made a bubble around you? You would suffocate pretty quickly." I sighed and offered a suggestion, "Try training that ability, learn how to move under the skill, or get a sidekick whose power could complement yours." He looked downward, disheartened, finally dropping his hands, and nodded. The moment he moved, I knocked him out.

"Well, these guys are idiots..." I shook my head and prepared to leave. But before I did, a wild idea sprang up in my mind. "Let's give them a little souvenir from their first fight with The Quacker," I said with a grin, lowering myself to the ground and activating [Overhaul].