’That shadow? Is it mine? What sort of ability is this?’ Teddy thought as he stared at the large mass of darkness shaped like a teddy bear.

The large shadow teddy threw a punch, carrying a powerful wave of air with it.

Teddy tilted his head to the side, dodging the punch by a hair’s breadth. He immediately threw a punch of his own. The attack went straight for the Shadow’s belly, but upon impact, his hand sank into its foamy body.

’It can use my ability as well? Damn it!’ Teddy thought, recognising the ability in an instant. An ability that allowed his foamy body to absorb impact without feeling the brunt of it.

Unlike most heroes who needed costumes, Teddy didn’t, his ability was his teddy form.

The large shadow bear twisted, throwing a roundhouse kick.

BANG!

The powerful kick slammed straight into his face, the sheer force throwing him into disorientation.

Teddy found his footing immediately, almost as though unaffected.

The large shadow bear didn’t give him a chance to recover. It lunged forward once more, its massive frame tearing through the street with surprising speed. Its fist shot toward Teddy’s face, but Teddy ducked beneath the attack and retaliated, driving both hands into the creature’s chest.

POW!

The shadow’s body compressed deeply inward before the force exploded outward. The giant creature staggered back several steps, its massive feet dragging across the asphalt.

A grin spread beneath Teddy’s mask.

"Too slow."

He shot forward again, throwing a barrage of punches. One after another, his fists slammed into the shadow bear, each impact sending waves of air through the street.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The creature continued retreating under the relentless assault. For a moment, Teddy felt hopeful. The thing looked terrifying, but it wasn’t invincible.

The shadow bear suddenly opened its maw. One of its arms expanded, swelling to twice its size

Teddy’s instincts screamed.

He crossed both arms in front of himself.

BOOM!

The enlarged fist crashed into him like a truck. The road beneath his feet shattered as cracks spread in every direction. Teddy slid backward several meters before finally stopping.

"Now that’s cheating..." he muttered.

The creature charged again. This time, the two collided head-on. Foam met shadow as their fists clashed in a blur of quick successive motion.

Every collision produced violent gusts of wind that swept across the empty street.

Neither side gave ground.

Then suddenly, Teddy felt a hand grab the back of his head.

His eyes widened.

"You have a bad habit of ignoring people, don’t you?"

Hexi’s voice whispered into his ear.

Before Teddy could react, Hexi drove the dagger forward with all his strength.

STAB!

The blade tore through the teddy suit, ripping through layers of foam before digging deep into Teddy’s side. Pain exploded through his body and a scream escaped his lips.

"Aghhh!"

He immediately twisted around, trying to catch Hexi, but the shadow bear had already moved.

BOOOOM!

Its fist slammed into Teddy’s face.

The force launched him across the street and straight through a brick wall. Concrete exploded everywhere as his body bounced across the ground before finally coming to a stop.

Silence fell over the area.

Blood slowly leaked from the tear in his costume, soaking into the white foam beneath.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Hexi’s footsteps echoed as he slowly approached the fallen hero, his hands behind his back and an innocent smile on his face.

"One down," he said cheerfully. "Fifty more heroes left on the list."

Teddy tried to move, but his body refused to obey him. His vision blurred as blood pooled beneath him.

Hexi crouched beside him, staring at the bear mask.

"Master says heroes are interesting. I wonder what your brain looks like."

He reached forward, but before he could do anything, the little girl tugged at his sleeve.

Hexi looked up.

Several apartment windows had opened. People stood watching from inside, some recording with their phones while others were already calling the authorities.

"The police?" Hexi asked.

The little girl nodded.

"Shadow says we should leave."

Hexi looked disappointed.

"But I wanted to keep this one."

The little girl folded her arms.

After a few seconds, Hexi sighed. "Fine."

The girl placed a hand on the giant shadow bear. Immediately, the creature melted into liquid darkness. The shadow flowed across the ground before merging with the girl’s own shadow.

A black puddle spread beneath their feet.

"Bye bye, Teddy."

The darkness swallowed them whole.

Within seconds, they were gone.

The street became silent once again, save for the distant sound of approaching sirens.

For several moments, Teddy remained motionless. Then slowly, very slowly, he raised his head.

His gaze settled on the spot where the children had disappeared.

A weak laugh escaped his lips.

"All I wanted was to be a good hero."

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"I guess that’s the death of Teddy."

----

"Damn that was close, why didn’t you call me?" Selena asked.

"Calling you wouldn’t help the situation" Nicholas replied bluntly.

They both sat across from each other in the association building. They had just been discussing Katie’s awakening.

But their discussion was cut short as shocked gasps escaped from the people around them and nervous whispers broke out.

"Another hero dead? Five in just two days, what’s going on?"

Selena turned her attention to the television mounted on the wall displaying the breaking news report.

[PDD NEWS]

The female reporter maintained a grim expression.

"Reports are coming in from several districts across the city. Multiple heroes have reportedly been killed in a single night."

Images flashed across the screen.

Destroyed streets.

Police tape.

Bodies covered beneath white sheets.

The atmosphere inside the Hero Association coffee room became noticeably heavier.

"This again." Selena frowned, as she saw the report.

Another image appeared on screen.

The battered body of a hero in a blood-soaked teddy bear costume.

"The latest victim has been identified as Teddy, an E-rank hero."

Nicholas narrowed his eyes.

The camera zoomed in briefly before the footage changed.

Selena folded her arms.

"It’s becoming more common lately."

Nicholas glanced at her.

She let out a tired sigh.

"Heroes die all the time," she said, her voice carrying frustration. "But this is different. Five heroes in a single night is a large number."

The screen continued showing images of crime scenes.

"No witnesses."

"No suspects."

"No useful clues."

"Just dead heroes."

She shook her head.

"The worst part is that every victim has already been confirmed dead before investigators even arrive."

Nicholas continued staring at Teddy’s image. Silent. Thoughtful.

Selena kept talking.

"It almost feels like someone’s hunting them."

She grabbed her cup.

"At this point nobody even knows where to start looking."

Nicholas suddenly stood.

His sharp blue eyes remained fixed on the television.

Nicholas narrowed his eyes, "Interesting."

Selena frowned.

"What is it?"

A moment passed.

Then Nicholas said with a calm and steady voice, "The teddy isn’t dead."