Episode 59: Finders Keepers!

Ronan then gave Thor a cold stare and said, "Since your race is honorable, Asgardian, will you agree to not speak of these illegal Marémon fights to the authorities on the condition that you leave with your Marémon, including Hamder, in peace?"

Thor hesitated and then bowed. "I will honor that condition, Ronan the Accuser."

Flattered upon hearing a title he hadn't heard in so long, Ronan briefly smiled before returning to his serious expression as he stomped his hammer creating an echoing ring sound in the basement.

"Very well," Ronan said. "You may go, Asgardian. As for you, Ritchie Gilmore, you will be punished for failing to honor our fights' chief principles: to value the strong over the weak, to not kill or even threaten to kill an opponent's Marémon, and respect the conditions of the fight itself. Therefore, you must give every Marémon you've won back to their original owners and your Prodiwing shall be given to the Asgardian to further insure that he does not speak about these fights to anyone outside of the lounge. Only when you have served your punishment may you come back to the lounge to participate in the fights again. Have you anything to say in your defense, Ritchie?"

In response, Ritchie shook his head. Ronan seemed satisfied as he stomped the hammer again. While Thor left with Noirspi still perched on his shoulder and Prodiwing's PDB in his possession, the Japanese girl decided to return her Marémon to its PDB and followed Thor.

"Your speech about the value of Marémon was really inspiring," the Japanese girl said. "It made me realize that I shouldn't consider giving up my Marémon unless the Marémon wanted to leave on its own terms."

Thor looked down at the Japanese girl. "So what brought you to these fights in the first place?"

The Japanese girl looked embarrassed. "Well, I was hoping to win the five required fights and beat Ronan so I could get enough money to help my uncle Ben get the parts he needs to modify my Marémon SPDR."

"You have an uncle named Ben?" Thor was surprised. "I have another friend who had an uncle of the same name."

"Really? Is he a Marémon Modifier too?"

Before Thor could respond, he became distracted by the strange sight he noticed upon reentering the lounge from the trapdoor. Not only was MJ gone, but also Nebula and her Marémon Nebolt were trapped under a black sticky substance that resembled webs.

"What happened?" Thor asked Nebula. "And where's my friend?"

"A Symbiote took her," Nebula responded as she struggled against the webs. "He said something about looking for another friend of yours."

"Sym what?" The Japanese girl looked at Thor, who had a concerned expression. "Do you know what she's talking about?"

"Not exactly, but I think it relates to a dangerous Marémon that my friends encountered before they met me," Thor responded and turned his attention to Nebula. "Have you ever heard of a Marémon called Symbio?"

"Does it look like a black blob and react badly to heat or sound?" Nebula asked.

"Yes, that fits the description of the Marémon my friends dealt with. It tried to copy the DNA of their unborn Marémon before being scared away by a fire alarm."

"Who called this creature a Symbio?"

"Professor Banner gave it that name."

"Sounds like he found a Symbiote. They're an invasive alien species that have conquered many planets in the galaxy by bonding to the planets' natives like parasites and creating corrupted versions of them. My home planet had to deal with the Symbiotes for a time before we drove them away with our electricity, which generates intense heat in case you don't know. But if a Symbiote has found its way to this planet, there may be more of them out there."

"Did the Symbiote say where he was going?"

"No, he didn't."

Thor tried to think, but he could only come to conclusion that this Symbiote was probably heading back to the hotel he and the others were staying in. So with all his concentration, Thor managed to zap the webs with his lightning without hurting Nebula or Nebolt. Immediately, the webs shriveled allowing the two to free themselves while Thor and the Japanese girl left the Dark Aster Lounge.


Just as Blaccet was about to lift the glass case over the Infinity Stone in the evidence room, the wall behind her suddenly bursted open. The flying debris sent Blaccet flying off the vent she was attached to, while Black Panther shielded himself and Peter. Standing on the other side of the busted wall was a bipedal dinosaur-like creature with a square metallic head, blue-and-black stripes, small clawed hands, and muscular clawed feet. Behind this creature stood the flat-headed man Peter saw harassing Felicia.

"Blaccet!"

Peter looked over his shoulder and saw Black Cat run into the evidence room and over to Blaccet, who was lying on the ground looking hurt. She knelt down and gingerly picked up Blaccet, glaring at the flat-headed man.

"I thought we had a deal, Hammerhead," Black Cat said.

"Well, I changed my mind, sister," the flat-headed man responded. "You may have promised to give me the flash-drive and the Infinity Stone, but why should I care about money when the power to change the world is right here."

"The stone does not belong to you!" Panther said, stepping in front of Peter. "It was originally given to T'Challa, the Realm Champion of Wakanda City, after the Infinity War."

"And why should I believe you, Cat Man?" Hammerhead asked.

"Because T'Challa sent me, the Black Panther, to retrieve it after he absentmindedly dropped the stone when his father T'Chaka was assassinated recently," Panther responded.

So that's how the store owner got the stone, Peter realized. But why didn't he give it back to T'Challa? Unless he didn't know what it was.

"Funny you mention that," Hammerhead chuckled. "Because the Collector, who owns the Knowhere antique shop in Wakanda City, said he was planning to give the Infinity Stone to his brother the Grandmaster. Then some Starelure took the stone after getting in through the shop's open door, before ending up in the hands of a former Ravagers kid until he gave it to the Nova Corps. So what gives you the right to take the stone back to its so-called 'rightful owner' when it's passed through so many hands by this point?"

To be continued…