"Hahaha! Feel my power, Peter!" As the Avengers looked on with concern at Peter Parker's new, villainous appearance, Venom sprouted a head from Peter's back and laughed maniacally. This grotesque image and voice made Peter and Venom look more like villains than ever.
"Shut up!" Peter barked, noticing the uneasy stares from his teammates. Even though he couldn't see his reflection, he could imagine what he must look like. At his command, Venom's head retracted, and he quickly regained composure, realizing their situation.
It was clear that Venom's personality wasn't as timid as when Robert had initially restrained him. Venom had only been docile because he recognized Robert's overwhelming power. Now, bonded with Peter, Venom's true, more exuberant nature began to show. However, Peter's stern words quickly reminded him of where he was, prompting Venom to quiet down and blend back into Peter's body.
"How do you feel? How much stronger are you?" Pietro asked, his eyes keenly observing Peter. "But honestly, you can't go around looking like that. Even if he boosts your power, no one will recognize you as Spider-Man. They might think you're a monster and try to catch you!"
"My strength has increased significantly. As for my appearance, it seems that can be adjusted. Venom wasn't entirely lying…" Peter said thoughtfully. After sensing his own power and Venom's capabilities, he began to speak.
"We're indeed in a symbiotic relationship that benefits both of us. Venom can read some of my memories, and I can also access some of his."
As Peter spoke, his grotesque black armor started to morph. It gradually transformed to resemble his original Spider-Man suit, but in black instead of the usual red and blue. With this change, his once chaotic aura stabilized, and he appeared far more normal. Though slightly different from his original look, he now seemed like Spider-Man in a new costume rather than a monstrous creature.
"This ability…" Tony Stark watched in awe as Peter's suit adapted. His eyes sparkled with intrigue, pondering the potential of such a versatile form.
"Alright, you look a lot better now. But how much stronger are you compared to before? Can you compare to when you had Mjolnir?" Johnny Storm asked, his interest piqued. Seeing Peter looking somewhat normal again was a relief, but Johnny was curious about Peter's new power levels.
In the Avengers and the original Z-fighter squad, competition was always fierce. Knowing each other's strength was important. When Peter wielded Mjolnir, he was among the strongest. But once Thor reclaimed his hammer, Peter's power dropped significantly.
To Johnny, this meant Peter's post-Mjolnir strength was lower than his own. Although Johnny's destructive power was greater, he couldn't land a hit on the quicksilver-fast Pietro. Now, with Peter's new upgrade, Johnny wanted to know if Peter had just barely surpassed him or if he had rocketed back to the top tier, like when he wielded Mjolnir.
"Why don't we find out?" Peter smirked at Johnny. He understood Johnny's intent and was ready to test his newfound strength in battle.
However, just as Peter prepared to fight, his suit seemed to hesitate. It shrank slightly, and Peter suddenly froze, arguing with Venom. He grew increasingly agitated as he spoke aloud.
"What do you mean you don't want to fight Johnny? I'm not asking you to fight, just provide me with power! Now shut up, the battle is about to start, don't distract me!"
The Avengers couldn't hear Venom's side of the conversation but gathered that Peter and Venom were not seeing eye to eye. Their first battle together hadn't even started, and already there was tension.
"Uh, should we still do this? Maybe you need more time to talk it out?" Johnny suggested, hesitant. While eager to test Peter's new strength, Johnny preferred to fight someone in full control of their abilities.
"No need! Let's go to the training room!" Peter insisted, shaking his head firmly. He didn't fully understand why Venom was reluctant to fight Johnny. Peter hadn't sensed anything wrong with his abilities. With the newfound power and the suit's defensive capabilities, Peter was confident he could reclaim his position as the strongest in their group.
"Alright then," Johnny agreed, following Peter to the training room.
The training room at the Avengers' base was designed with Tony Stark's advanced technology. It was sturdier than even his Iron Man suits. Capable of withstanding a nuclear explosion without affecting those inside or outside, it represented the pinnacle of Stark's defensive capabilities. Unfortunately, he hadn't yet managed to miniaturize this technology for use in his suits.
"You take the first move. I worry that if I go first, you might not get a chance to strike back," Peter said, exuding a newfound confidence as he faced Johnny across the room.
"Hey, have you been affected by Venom? You seem a bit more aggressive than usual. And are you sure your strength has increased that much? Without your thunder powers, can you really match up?" Johnny questioned, his tone both curious and concerned.
"I haven't influenced him… Okay, maybe a little, but this is more of his own shift. And Peter, really, you shouldn't fight Johnny!" Venom's head emerged again, imploringly addressing both Johnny and Peter.
"Shut up! Don't interfere with my battle!" Peter snapped, pushing Venom's head back down. Venom kept insisting on avoiding a fight with Johnny but refused to explain why, only suggesting they find another opponent.
Peter had plenty of potential opponents, including Barry Allen, who was currently the weakest among them. But he wanted to face Johnny first, driven by a powerful desire for battle and confidence in his enhanced strength.
"This is interesting. Peter seems to have developed a greater urge for combat. It's like Venom has amplified all his emotions," Robert observed from outside the training room. He sensed a familiar energy from Peter—a deep-seated desire to fight, far more intense than before.
"Alright then, let's begin!" Johnny finally relented, exhaling as he gathered flames in his hand. Still unsure of Peter's full power, Johnny decided to start with a probing attack.
"Buzz!"
"Whoosh!"
Johnny launched a small fireball at Peter. Initially, Peter felt no alarm. His spider-sense didn't react, and he assumed his new black suit could easily withstand the fireball.
"Hmm?!" But as the fireball neared, Peter's spider-sense exploded with warnings. Instinctively, he dodged the attack, his body reacting faster than his mind could process.
Peter thought Johnny had developed a new trick to conceal the fireball's power, but as he landed, he noticed something was wrong. His black suit had shrunk significantly, and the power boost it provided was rapidly diminishing.
"Boom!" The fireball exploded, echoing through the training room. With the explosion, the black suit vanished completely, leaving Peter standing in his normal attire, devoid of Venom's enhancements.
"What just happened?" Everyone froze, unsure what to make of the sudden turn of events. Thankfully, this was a sparring match, so Johnny had stopped his attack, perplexed by Peter's sudden transformation. If this had been a real battle, such a vulnerability could have been fatal.
"So, Venom has a weakness, huh?" Robert and Kara exchanged glances, recalling how Venom had reacted to Peter's thunder powers and had concealed itself. They realized that Venom might be vulnerable to elemental attacks, particularly those involving heat or fire.
"Afraid of both lightning and fire. This thing has a lot of weaknesses," Kara commented wryly. "If he runs away every time he sees fire, Peter's going to have a tough time."
"Interesting, there's another entity out there that's also scared of fire," Robert mused, thinking of Martian Manhunter, who had a similar aversion. Venom could dodge flames, but Martian Manhunter would lose his abilities entirely in their presence. Such vulnerabilities could be devastating in battle.
"Venom! What's going on?" Back in the training room, Peter demanded answers from Venom, who now reappeared, looking sheepish.
"I told you we shouldn't fight Johnny! Why didn't you listen?" Venom pleaded, emerging timidly. He had hoped to keep his weaknesses hidden but now had no choice but to come clean.
"You're afraid of fire?" Peter exclaimed, frustrated. He had finally gained new power, only to discover it came with significant limitations. How was he supposed to avoid Johnny in future fights?
"Not just fire. Sound waves too. The explosion was too loud…" Venom admitted reluctantly, listing his weaknesses. With the truth out, he resigned himself to whatever would come next.
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