Luke arrived at the gym, dressed casually but with his power watch always strapped securely to his wrist. He had received a message from Carl earlier that day about meeting up for training, but when he entered the empty, dimly lit space, an eerie feeling crept up his spine. The locker room door was ajar, and faint voices echoed from within.
“Alex? Carl?” Luke called out, glancing around as he made his way towards the locker room. He expected to find his two teammates winding down from a workout, but as he pushed the door open, what he saw stopped him in his tracks.
There, sitting on a bench, was an overweight, gray-haired man, struggling to tie his sneakers. The fat, hairy, balding man had struggled to fit into a pair of far-too-tight gym shorts that were tearing at the seams. His enormous belly was exposed. Next to him, a small boy with messy blond hair bounced on his feet, his oversized gym clothes hanging awkwardly from his tiny frame.
“Grandpa! Hurry up!” the little boy whined, his voice high-pitched and full of childish impatience. “I wanna go to the park already! And maybe we can get ice cream!”
"Easy there, Buckaroo!" The old man gave a confused-sounding laugh. "Grandpa's gotta figure out how to fit in these clothes first."
Luke blinked, confused by the scene. “Uh… excuse me, have you guys seen two teenagers? One’s about my height, dark hair always dresses in blue, the other blond and athletic, wears a red shirt?”
The older man looked up at Luke, his brow furrowing as if trying to place the face in front of him. For a moment, his eyes flickered with recognition, but it was faint and distant, as though Luke were a forgotten memory. “Luke? Is that you?”
Luke’s eyes widened. He noticed the blue stripe on the fat man's torn shorts. “Carl? Is that you?” His gaze then shifted to the boy, tented in an oversized red tank top, and his heart skipping a beat. “And… Alex?”
The boy giggled. “Hey, I know you! You’re Luke, right?” He gave a small wave, as if greeting a distant friend from long ago. “Grandpa talks about you sometimes!”
Luke couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He rushed forward, kneeling in front of Alex, who was now just a child. “What happened to you? Alex, it’s me, your teammate! We fought monsters together just yesterday!”
Alex tilted his head in confusion. “Teammate? Nooo, you’re silly! I'm not old enough to be on the same team as you. I'm just a kid.” He laughed, the innocent sound completely at odds with the memories Luke held of the brave Red Cyber Space Warrior. “We’re going to the park. Grandpa said so!”
Luke looked at Carl, desperation in his voice. “Carl, what’s going on? How did this happen? We have to fix this!”
Carl scratched his head, looking puzzled. “Fix what, Luke? I mean, sure, I’ve put on some weight, and yeah, I’m not as young as I used to be, but what do you mean by ‘fix’? This is just how things are.”
“But this isn’t how things are!” Luke snapped, his frustration mounting. “You’re not supposed to be in your fifties! And Alex is—he’s not supposed to be a little kid! You’re both teenagers, just like me. We’re the Cyber Space Warriors!”
Carl chuckled awkwardly, his chubby face creasing into a grandfatherly smile. “Luke, that’s… that’s ridiculous. Look at me.” He patted his round belly, which jiggled. “I’m just your typical grandpa, slowing down a little. And Alex here—well, he’s my grandson! We’re just getting ready to head to the park.”
Luke stood, his heart pounding as he pieced it together. This had to be the work of some new monster. Some spell hadn’t just transformed their bodies—it had warped their minds as well. Both Carl and Alex were convinced that this was their natural state, that they had always been this way.
“Carl,” Luke said softly, trying to reach through the haze of the spell, “you’re not old. You’re 17. We’ve been fighting monsters together for months! You’re the Blue Cyber Space Warrior—you’re a genius with tech, remember?”
Carl’s smile faltered for a moment, a flicker of something passing through his eyes. “Blue Cyber Space Warrior… I… that does sound… familiar…” He frowned, rubbing his temple as if trying to grasp at a memory that kept slipping away. “But no, I’m just… I’m just a grandpa, Luke. Maybe we used to pretend that stuff, but now—”
Luke turned to Alex, kneeling down again. “Alex, please, you have to remember! You’re not an 8-year-old. You’re the strongest fighter I know. You’re the leader of the Cyber Space Warriors. We need you to help break this spell!”
Alex looked at Luke with wide, confused eyes, clutching Carl’s hand for reassurance. “I’m just a little boy,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “I don’t wanna fight monsters, Luke. I just wanna go play…”
Luke’s heart sank. The two of them were completely under the influence of some evil spell. Even their minds had been twisted to fit their new identities. “No… this can’t be happening,” Luke muttered, backing away. His mind raced, trying to think of a way to reverse the spell.
As if sensing his inner turmoil, Carl’s expression softened. “Look, Luke, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if it’s important to you… maybe we can talk about it at the park, huh?” He stood with great effort, groaning as his knees creaked under his weight. “I know I’m not as spry as I used to be, but I can still manage a walk with my grandson.”
Alex beamed, tugging at Carl’s hand. “Yeah, let’s go!”
Luke watched them, torn between frustration and sorrow. His teammates—his friends—were completely different people now, trapped in the wrong ages, and they didn’t even realize it. He couldn’t let them walk out of that gym like this.
“No,” Luke said firmly, stepping in front of them. “We’re not going anywhere until I figure out how to get you both back to normal. I mean look at you guys. These clothes don't even fit you!”
Carl frowned, his patience thinning. “Luke, you’re acting like a kid. Just calm down. We’re fine. I’m fine. Why don’t you stop worrying so much and come with us.”
Luke clenched his fists, knowing that arguing with them wouldn’t get through the fog of the spell. He needed a plan...