To distinguish the characters Edward "Eddie" McDonough and Eddie Brock, I'm referring to Eddie Brock by his last name instead of his first name like I did with Peter Quill in relation to Peter Parker.
Episode 52: Underground Marémon Fight!
Reluctantly, Peter told Aunt May about everything that had happened to him and his friends since he left Yortown.
"Well, I'm glad you've made some new friends along your journey," May said after a pause. "But knowing you were threatened by assassins, Dark Elves, gangsters, and terrorists scares me! You and your Marémon could have gotten killed!"
"I know, May, but I couldn't just stand back and let bad things happen to the people I've met."
"You're just like your Uncle Ben. Always not thinking before acting!"
This last statement stung Peter. "Are you saying Uncle Ben's death was in vain?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying!"
"Then what are you trying to say?"
Sighing, May said, "Look, just…try to keep in touch with me more frequently. And be careful. You're the only family I have left."
"Right." Then Peter hung up and went into an uneasy sleep despite Spidermin nuzzling his fuzzy chin next to Peter's head.
"It sounds like your aunt wasn't too happy," MJ said after Peter told her the gist of May's conversation the following morning. "But I'm sure she's just worried about you."
"Maybe she has a right to be," Peter said in a sulky tone. "All I do is poke my nose into other people's businesses and put myself in danger."
"But you were helping people," Thor said. "Doesn't she understand that?"
"Yes, though she doesn't want me to potentially get killed like my Uncle Ben. He died stopping a Marémon robber."
"Then he died a warrior's death, which is the highest honor among my people," Thor said. "So I guess it's better to risk your life for the sake of others rather than yourself."
"You're not helping!" MJ glared at Thor. "At least your parents are still alive. Peter's died in a plane crash when he was a toddler, and then he had to watch his uncle die."
"Sorry," Thor apologized. "I didn't know."
An awkward silence followed the rest of the continental breakfast the three had in the hotel dining area. Peter then saw Eddie Brock, the waiter from last night, walking out with a suitcase in hand. He was also no longer wearing a waiter uniform, instead wearing a dark-blue hoodie with black jeans. MJ followed Peter's eye and immediately got up to follow Brock. Concerned, Peter followed MJ with Thor still eating at the table.
"Hey!" MJ said, getting Brock's attention.
Brock turned around with an annoyed expression. "Do I know you?"
"Of course you do!" MJ stated. "You're the waiter who brought the trolley with the Hamder on it to me and my friends' room. Now what did you do with the Hamder?"
Looking away, Brock rubbed the back of his neck. Peter briefly noticed a black mark on Brock's neck that looked like a spider, but he didn't say anything as Brock put on an embarrassed smile.
"Can we talk somewhere privately? I know a place down the street that serves way better coffee than the kind they serve here," Brock offered.
"Why do we need to talk somewhere other than here?" MJ asked.
"Because I just quit working for this hotel, and I don't know how the boss would feel about me still being present," Brock explained.
MJ paused and said, "All right, but my friend's Spidermin will keep a good eye on you to make sure you're not up to any funny business. Right, Peter?"
"Right," Peter said, and looked at Spidermin, who had been perched on his shoulder this entire time. But Spidermin's fur was on edge, like he was afraid of something.
"Do you want me to come along?" Thor offered as he was finishing up his massive breakfast. "My Thunderthor and I could—"
"That won't be necessary, Thor," MJ interjected. "Just make sure to grab our things and meet us at the coffee place when you're done eating."
"If you say so," replied Thor.
Peter and MJ then followed Brock out of the hotel down the street. At the coffee place, Brock ordered an extra black coffee for himself while MJ and Peter ordered their own drinks. While MJ drank a strawberry-flavored smoothie, Peter was having a regular coffee.
After taking a long sip from his coffee, Brock said, "The truth is…I'm not really a waiter. It was actually a cover."
"For what?" Peter asked. "Are you a SHIELD agent too?"
Confused by Peter's question, Brock responded, "No! I could never be a SHIELD agent. What gave you that idea?"
"Don't pay attention to him," MJ grinned while secretly jabbing Peter in the ribcage. "He doesn't always think before he says stuff. What is your real job?"
Brock paused and then answered, "I'm a reporter for The Daily Bugle. They sent me here to cover a story about some illegal Marémon fights."
"Like the kind in Sakaar?" Peter guessed.
"Something like that, but rumor has it these fights are being run by Ronan, a former Kree Accuser who went rogue," Brock explained.
"Didn't the current Marémon Hero Carol Danvers fight him?" MJ said, recalling a news story she read when she was younger.
"Yeah, but that was before the Infinity War," Brock replied. "He was sent to the Marvo Region to punish us for refusing to be part of the Kree Empire, until Miss Danvers sent him packing. But since Kree and Xandar agreed to a peace treaty with several other alien planets as part of SHIELD's condition to allow Xandar City to be built here after the Infinity War, Ronan left the Kree Empire and has been running these illegal Marémon fights. Some say he's doing it to show his distain for Xandar, but others think he's trying to build a secret Marémon army."
"Why do these people think that?"
"Because the chief rule of these fights is the loser has to give their Marémon to the winner, and they fight Ronan himself. So far, no one has won against Ronan."
"How do you know all this?"
"I participated in one of his fights last night, and lost the Hamder you gave me."
To be continued…
