Episode 3: Unexpected Company!
"As you saw in the lab, Mister Parker, the Symbio has no true form of its own," Banner elaborated to Peter. "But it has the remarkable ability to attach itself to another Marémon like a parasite and copy their DNA before evolving into a corrupted version of that Marémon. It does have two primary weaknesses, though, which are heat and sound."
"That's why it ran away when I pulled the fire alarm," MJ realized.
"Yes, exactly," Banner affirmed. "But I was going to test the Starlure's Quad Blast on Symbio to see if it had any effect and caught a wild Starlure for the experiment, which obviously didn't respond well to commands as Quill demonstrated."
In response, Quill covered up his burn by zipping up his burgundy jacket.
"What about the Spidi and Noirstel eggs?" Peter asked.
"I was going to have Symbio consume them to see if it could copy the DNA of unborn Marémon," replied Banner.
This made MJ cringe.
"Sorry," Banner apologized. "I know that sounds cruel, but I wasn't going to let Symbio harm either of the eggs in the process."
"But still, it's not like they had a choice in the matter," MJ pointed out as the Noirstel crawled over her arm. "I mean, look at them. Why would you ever think to expose these cuties to that creepy-looking Symbio?"
"Comes with the territory of being a Marémon Professor, Miss Jones," Banner claimed as he adjusted his glasses. "With that said, this incident confirms my notion that Marémon should be studied in the field instead of in a lab. Hence, the giveaway for academy graduates such as yourselves."
"Wait, how is giving away Marémon supposed to help you study them?" Quill inquired.
"Because if you had passed the License Exam and my Hulbear didn't get loose, you would've gotten this." Reaching into his lab coat pocket, Banner held up a card-shaped device that projected a hologram of a PDB.
Seeing this made Peter's eyes widen. "Is that—
"Yes, it's a Marémon Guidebook or MarGuide for short," Banner proclaimed. "Every known Marémon has been documented on this device, but as the Symbio proved there are still plenty more waiting to be discovered. So, can I trust the three of you to not only take care of the Marémon you have right now but also help fill out the MarGuide?"
Peter and MJ stared at each other before nodding. Meanwhile, Quill seemed to hesitate when looking at the PDB in front of him but he nodded as well.
"Good," Banner smiled. "Aside from a MarGuide, each of you will get five PDBs as well."
After leaving the Marémon Lab, Peter went back to his home with Spidi hanging onto his shoulder. There, Aunt May presented him with a red backpack full of various provisions and camping equipment which he put over his shoulders.
"Don't hesitate to call me when you can," May said as she hugged Peter. "And good luck on becoming a Marémon Hero."
"Thanks, Aunt May," Peter murmured. "I'm sure Spidi and I will make it just fine."
"Oh, you won't be going alone," May claimed. "Didn't MJ tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
The front door to May's apartment suddenly opened and MJ stepped in carrying a black backpack with Noirstel resting on one of the straps.
"Hey, Peter," MJ said. "Ready to go?"
"You're coming with me?" Peter realized.
"Yep," MJ nodded. "Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but after the whole Quill thing it completely slipped my mind. Besides, I'm going to the same places you are so I might as well tag along."
Peter looked surprised. "But in order to become a Marémon Hero, you have to go through the Avengers League. And to do that, you have to get the six Infinity Stone Badges from the Realm Champions in their respective towns before facing off against the current Marémon Hero."
"I know, except I'm not planning to participate in the Avengers League," MJ clarified. "My plan is to become a Marémon Supporter, and I have to head for theaters in different towns to compete for Affection Ribbons."
"Right, and those will let you compete in the Marémon Lovers Festival for the Affection Heart Cup," Peter concluded.
"Exactly," MJ replied. "Now let's get going while there's still daylight."
"Okay." Looking back at his aunt, Peter hugged her before stepping through the front door of the apartment with MJ walking beside him.
At the outskirts of Yortown, MJ turned to Peter and said, "By the way, did you activate your MarGuide yet?"
"No, I should probably do that," Peter responded and took out the card-shaped device MJ was referring to.
When he pressed the main button, the PDB logo appeared once more in holographic form followed by a female voice. "Hello, my name is EDITH and I serve as the AI for all MarGuide devices manufactured by Stark Industries. If you are a new MarGuide user, please point your device at the nearest Marémon to properly demonstrate my capabilities."
This made Peter look at Spidi, who was currently spinning a web in Peter's hoodie, and point the MarGuide at him. A short beep was heard, followed by a holographic image of Spidi appearing.
"Spidi, the Homemade Marémon," EDITH's voice stated. "Once an ordinary spider, it was affected by radiation and given amazing abilities which include greater agility a heightened sense and strong webs that can trap just about anything inside them. Thus, Spidi is considered a Mutant-Type despite not being born with its powers like other Marémon of the same type. Personality-wise, Spidi are generally shy but can be incredibly helpful to the point of being reckless at times."
"Well, I'll keep that in mind," Peter noted. "Did you activate your MarGuide, MJ?"
"Of course," MJ smirked and took out her MarGuide while Noirstel was still resting on the strap of MJ's pack.
Showing Noirstel's holographic image, EDITH's voice spoke from MJ's MarGuide as MJ pressed the button. "Noirstel, the Stealth Marémon. Believed to have come from another dimension, this Mutant-Type has the ability to become invisible by warping light and sound around its body. Though like the Spidi, it too is shy but can be friendly to those it trusts completely."
"So that would explain why Noirstel is pretty comfortable around you," Peter commented.
"Hey, Pete!"
Peter and MJ turned around and saw Quill running towards them.
He briefly stopped to catch his breath before pointing at Peter. "I want…to challenge you…to a Marémon Match!"
To be continued…
