Episode 7: The Pledge of Friendship!

Thor gripped his PDB tightly. "I'd rather die than give Thunderthor to the likes of you."

In response, Ar-I sighed. "So be it. Attack them!"

So Thor summoned Thunderthor while Spidi jumped onto Peter's shoulder and MJ used her PDB to summon Noirstel. Meanwhile, three Team HYDRA members took their PDBs off their belts and pointed them at a downward angle. What appeared were short green creatures that stood at three feet with pointed ears and skin folds in their chins.

"Really?" MJ chuckled. "Skruls?"

"Do not underestimate them, fräulein," Ar-I warned.

"Morph!" The three HYDRA men said in unison.

Then in the blink of an eye, the green creatures called Skruls transformed into exact duplicates of Thunderthor, Spidi, and Noirstel.

"Now, Weaponize!" Added the three HYDRA men.

As the Skruls' eyes glowed green their left limbs transformed into an axe, a blade, and a small metal spider. They then rushed forward, causing Spidi to instinctively created a giant Web Shield. But the Skruls cut through it like it was paper.

"Thunderthor, Lightning Blast!" Thor ordered.

From Thunderthor's hammer came a surge of electricity which shocked the three Skruls and knocked them out completely. However, Ar-I didn't seem concerned.

"I'll admit that Skruls are not the most powerful Space-Type Marémon, as they can only take on the appearance of other Marémon without being able to copy their abilities," Ar-I stated. "But that is why my men have come prepared with reinforcements."

So the three HYDRA men returned the Skruls to their PDBs while taking out new ones. From these emerged taller Skruls that wasted no time morphing into copies of Thor Peter and MJ's Marémon.

"Meet the Super-Skruls," Ar-I introduced. "They are Matured from Skruls, and unlike their weaker counterparts they can replicate the abilities of the Marémon they morph into."

As if to demonstrate, the Thunderthor-lookalike threw its hammer at the real Thunderthor.

"Use Whirling Hammer to block it!" Thor insisted.

Thus, Thunderthor spun its hammer in a constant circle in front of it thus creating a makeshift shield that made the Thunderthor-lookalike's hammer bounce off.

"You may have copied Thunderthor's looks and powers, but yours doesn't have the spirit of mine," Thor proclaimed. "Now, Lightning Blast!"

Thunderthor immediately shot lightning from his hammer, but the Thunderthor-lookalike used Whirling Hammer to block it. Next, the Spidi-lookalike used Web Shot to blind Thunderthor but the real Spidi leaped into the air and cut the web with its stingers. Before Spidi fell, though, Thunderthor caught him.

"Hey, Thor, I have an idea," Peter said. "You're also included in this, MJ."

"What did you have in mind?" MJ asked.

"Just follow my lead," Peter insisted. "Spidi, stick to Thunderthor's hammer."

Nodding, Spidi did this.

"Okay, I assume you want Thunderthor to throw it," Thor guessed, causing Peter to nod. "I hope whatever you're planning works. Thunderthor, throw your hammer!"

Then Thunderthor threw his hammer with Spidi hanging onto it.

"Oh, I think I know what to do!" MJ realized. "Noirstel, Invisible Web!"

From Noirstel's mouth shot a partially translucent web that covered the hammer and Spidi which rendered them invisible. As a result, the Super-Skruls were completely caught off-guard as the invisible hammer flew past them and knocked out the HYDRA men. In addition, they were paralyzed by Spidi's Stinger attack. Even Ar-I was knocked to the ground by Thunderthor's hammer, though he didn't seem to be paralyzed.

Meanwhile, the masked brown-haired young man that stood next to Ar-I was now reaching into his leather jacket pocket. "Do you want me to take care of these three?"

"No, White Wolf," Ar-I responded as he floated back up revealing a cracked monitor screen. "Our men are down and my present body is damaged. I must transfer myself to a different vessel or I will perish, so let's retreat for now."

Nodding, the masked young man called White Wolf took a grenade-shaped device from his belt and threw it down. A cloud of smoke burst forth, obscuring everyone's view.

###

By the time the smoke cleared, Ar-I and White Wolf were no longer present. So MJ called the Yortown Police Department, since they were the closest one in the area, and a female patrol officer with strawberry-blonde hair soon arrived on a motorbike wearing a blue Yortown Police uniform. Her name was Jean DeWolff, and she naturally questioned Peter Thor and MJ before calling for backup. A few minutes later, a police van arrived with an escort of other cops and they proceeded to place the HYDRA men in the van along with their confused Super-Skruls.

"You kids sure are lucky," Jean remarked. "Going against grown men with Marémon is one thing, but Team HYDRA's another."

"Actually, Officer DeWolff, we survived because of Peter's brilliant plan," MJ claimed.

"Please, call me Jean," Jean insisted. "Still, it's a good thing you called me when you did. Otherwise, the men would have recovered and given you more trouble."

"That is true," Peter agreed.

"Oh, I think we could've taken them on," Thor said confidently while Thunderthor nodded.

"Uh-huh," Jean responded doubtfully. "Now I gotta go and make a report about this. My advice to you three is that it might be safer to travel together for now. I've got a feeling this won't be the last time Team HYDRA shows up again."

So Jean walked back to her bike, while Peter and MJ went to their tents to pack those up. Then they met up with Thor, who had summoned Thunderthor back to his PDB.

"Thanks for helping us deal with Team HYDRA," MJ said after a pause. "And I'm sorry for calling you a coward."

"Your apology isn't needed," Thor claimed. "Because you're right: all I've been doing is running away from my siblings. As New Asgard's true Realm Champion, I should never have underestimated them. But more importantly, it wasn't right for me to just leave instead of facing them again for a rematch. So to make up for my cowardice, will you let me come with you? I'll help you in any way I can."

Thor then got down on one knee before MJ and Peter with his head bowed low.

"Okay, you don't need to go that far," MJ insisted. "But we'll accept your offer to come with us, so long as you promise to do everything I say to improve yourself for the rematch with your siblings."

To be continued…