The spaceship hummed softly, floating through the cosmic void.
Inside, the group was relaxing after their fight on the last fairy planet.
Naomi sat in her lab, running data scans on the energy signatures of their orbs.
Jim was at the control panel, adjusting their next coordinates.
Mike and Heidi?
Bickering.
Mike: "I'm telling you, my magic did most of the work back there!"
Heidi: "Excuse me? Who healed you in the middle of the fight?"
Jim sighed.
Jim: "You two never shut up, huh?"
But then-
A deep growl filled the ship.
Naomi's eyes widened in horror as she felt a cold presence behind her.
From her own shadow, the wolf monster emerged.
Naomi (shocked): "Impossible... We destroyed it!"
The wolf howled and leaped forward-slashing at Naomi.
She barely dodged, rolling to the side.
Jim (gritted teeth): "How did it get here?!"
The spaceship's alarms blared.
The wolf roared, smashing into the control room-sending screens and wires flying.
Mike and Heidi transformed and jumped into battle without hesitation.
Mike (grinning): "Round two, ugly!"
Heidi (cracking knuckles): "You're going down for good this time."
Mike blasted fireballs using his wand by observing its movements, forcing it back.
While Heidi as always, rushed without giving a thought, landing a meat cleaver smash to its jaw.
The wolf staggered, but quickly countered-slamming them into a wall.
They stood back up, arguing.
Mike: "You should've let me burn it first!"
Heidi: "And YOU should've let me smash it first!"
Naomi gritted her teeth.
Naomi: "You two-focus!"
The wolf charged again, its red eyes burning with rage.
Mike and Heidi fought back-using everything they had-
But this time, the wolf was even stronger.
Its body flickered, like a shadowy mirage.
Every time they hit it, it regenerated almost instantly.
Mike(thinking hard): "Tch! How can I take this thing down?"
Heidi: "Come on! Just go down."
Mike: "As if it will fall to your reckless charges. Without a plan, you will just become an extra burden to me."
Heidi (annoyed): "Then, why aren't your so called planned attacks working? You are basically wasting time with your plans while I am saving time so who is the burden?"
Mike (fists clenched but trying to maintain his calm):"You betterā"
Heidi interrupted."Plus, as a lady charmer, you are a walking trouble who needs to be continuously parented."
The argument raged on untilā
Jim (who was observing): "The Wolf! It's been feeding off your energy since the last fight... It's stronger because of you two!"
Mike and Heidi halted their argument and froze.
The ship shook violently as the battle continued.
Sparks flew, screens shattered-
Naomi immediately activated her lab's lockdown system to protect her research.
Mike and Heidi were exhausted.
The wolf, however, wasn't slowing down.
Heidi (panting): "This thing just won't die!"
Mike: "I need to come up with a new plan."
There was a tense silence between them...
Thenā
They exchanged determined glances.
For once-no arguing.
Mike used his Gravity magic, tossing his hat around the wolf, limiting its movement.
Heidi charged in, smashing the floor with her meat hammer, creating shockwaves that destabilized the beast.
It was working-but not enough.
The wolf broke free and attacked simultaneously.
They were cornered.
Then as it's claws were inches away from themā
Their auras flared violently except this time a dark aura surrounded them, sending the wolf crashing through the control panels making a huge crack.
The orbs inside them glowed violently.
Their eyes sharpened.
Their expressions darkened.
Mike (coldly): "Have to win...to prove I am better than the cook."
Heidi (enraged): "You are going down this time... can't lose to the magician."
Mike and Heidi entered Revenge Mode but it looked as if it reached yet another level.
With creepy grins, they moved faster, hit harder, and showed no mercy.
The wolf, once overwhelming them-was now on the defensive.
Mike's magic fire attacks became black flames, burning everything in sight.
Heidi's strength increased tenfold, her meat hammer sending shockwaves through the ship.
The wolf howled in agony.
It tried to escape-but this time, they wouldn't let it.
Mike (grinning darkly): "Not this time, freak."
Heidi (smirking sinisterly): "You're done."
With one final attack, they obliterated the wolf-before it could escape into another shadow.
The ship fell silent.
Mike and Heidi stood still, their bodies shaking as they slowly detransformed.
Their grins gradually faded.
Their eyes returned to normal-but something about them seemed... off.
Naomi, watching from the side, clenched her fists.
Naomi (thinking): "That wasn't even like there previous Revenge Mode... Their expressions... That was too cruel."
Jim exhaled deeply.
He could feel it too.
Something was changing in them.
The ship, now in complete disarray, needed urgent repairs.
Naomi unlocked her lab doors and released her repair robots.
Within 30 minutes, the ship was fully restored.
Naomi didn't say anything at first.
But deep inside, she knew-
This wasn't just a battle against monsters.
The orbs were slowly influencing them.
If they continued like this... Would they remain the same?
Jim noticed her troubled expression.
He didn't say anything.
But he was thinking the same thing.
The spaceship floated quietly through space.
Mike and Heidi sat in separate corners, not saying a word.
Their exhaustion was clear, but what weighed on them more was the unsettling feeling from their Revenge Mode.
Jim kept glancing at them, concerned.
Naomi, meanwhile, was back in her lab, analyzing their orb data.
She knew one thing for sure -
The orbs were growing stronger.
And so was their influence on their hidden rage.
Naomi (thinking): "They're losing themselves little by little. I need to be ready if the worst happens."
Next day...
The ship's navigation system beeped.
Jim: "We're approaching the next fairy tale planet. The story here is 'The Selfish Giant.'"
He pulled up a hologram of the planet.
It showed a massive castle surrounded by an endless, dead garden.
Jim: "According to the story, the Giant banished the children from his garden, making it a cold, lifeless place. Only when he learns kindness will spring return."
Naomi crossed her arms.
Naomi: "This story's supposed to be a lesson in compassion. If something goes wrong, it could throw the whole balance off."
Mike, slouching, scoffed.
Mike: "Great. Another heartwarming story. Just what we need."
Heidi: "Well, at least it's not another monster trying to rip us apart."
Jim: "Don't say that too soon."
The ship descended.
The bright atmosphere around the planet quickly faded as they entered a land of gray skies and a dead garden.