Episode 71: Free Ride!
Back at the hotel, Peter and MJ gave their MarGuides to Peni, who was able to create an entry on her Marémon SPDR for each of them. She then had to get to her uncle Ben's workshop, and said her goodbyes to Peter and his friends. After she was gone, Thor decided to check on the train to see if it was repaired. But he soon came back with Felicia accompanying him.
"Guys, you're not going to believe Felicia's offer!" Thor said. "It's too good to be true!"
"What is?" MJ asked Felicia. "Besides, I thought Felicia was kidnapped by Hammerhead."
"I was, but Black Cat rescued me after she and Spider-Man escaped the Nova Corps Headquarters," Felicia explained, glancing awkwardly at Peter.
"But why would a thief save you?" MJ said, noticing Felicia's gaze.
"She and I are close friends," Felicia lied.
"How can you be friends with such a person? Black Cat has stolen priceless art, jewels, and a flash-drive that belonged to a Maggia gangster!"
"All of her thefts have been done for my sake, because she's hoping to get enough money to help bail my dying father out of jail."
"Yeah, we heard from Pete," Thor interjected. "And while I do sympathize with your position, your friend doesn't have to steal to get bail money."
"That's what Spider-Man told Black Cat, and she suggested that I enter the Marémon Lovers Festival because she heard there's a huge cash prize," replied Felicia.
"But you don't have a ribbon from New Asgard Town," MJ pointed out.
"Oh, I took care of that," Felicia said, opening up her leather jacket. Pinned on the inside was the lime-green Encouragement Ribbon. "A friend of mine had to drop out of the competition due to personal reasons, so she gave this to have me continue in her place."
"Well, that's convenient," Thor remarked. "So I guess we'll be seeing each other a lot."
"Yes, it would seem so," Felicia said.
She must have had Blaccet use Swipe on another competitor's ribbon to create a fake one for herself, Peter thought. But I need to check to be sure.
"Hey," Peter said to Felicia. "Mind if I take a better look at that ribbon?"
"Um, sure," Felicia responded and gave the ribbon to Peter.
To Peter's surprise, the ribbon felt soft and not rubbery like the pebble Blaccet gave him the other night meaning it was real. So Peter guessed Felicia switched the fake ribbon for the real one, but which competitor she stole from was a mystery.
"I'm sure you'll make your friend proud," Peter said, giving the ribbon back to Felicia.
"Aw, thanks!" Felicia smiled.
"By the way, I forgot to give this to you last night." Thor reached into his blue vest pocket and gave Peter the PBD with Prodiwing in it.
"Wait, you're giving me Prodiwing?" Peter was surprised. "But you won him, so isn't he rightfully yours?"
"According to Ronan's decree, yes, but that doesn't mean I have to keep to his decree outside of his fights," Thor said. "Besides, I think Prodiwing would make a great addition to your Marémon team."
"Okay." Peter glanced down at Prodiwing's PDB.
"Now about that offer Felicia had?" MJ reminded Thor.
"Right, I almost forgot!" Thor paused and said, "Felicia has offered to pay for our fare on a Transport Ship bound for Eastview."
"What?" MJ cried, eyeing Felicia suspiciously. "How can you afford to pay for all of us?"
"Let's just say I have some 'backup funds' to cover trips like this," Felicia answered.
Peter immediately guessed she was referring to the money she accumulated from her previous thefts as Black Cat.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Thor said. "Let's head out before the sun sets!"
At the Xandar City Airport, Peter, MJ, Felicia, and Thor boarded one of the futuristic Transport Ships. It hovered into the air and then took off faster than a jet plane. MJ almost got sick, but she got through it by the time the ship slowed down to a reasonable speed.
"How do you feel about Hamder?" Peter asked MJ, who was staring at the PDB with Hamder inside. "Do you think it was worth getting him back? I mean, he did eat our food."
"Yeah, but he was hungry," MJ said. "Ever since they appeared from a dimensional rift a few years ago, Hamders have been treated as pests and Wielders typically avoid catching them due their perceived weakness. Sure, I was mad seeing a Hamder eating the food we paid for. Though after I gave the Hamder away to Eddie Brock, I was suddenly wracked with guilt and realized while sleeping that it was my job as a Supporter to give any Marémon I caught a chance. Because every Marémon has untapped potential, no matter how weak they seem."
"Wow, what a speech!" Felicia complemented. "Though it will be interesting to see those words put to the test when you actually start taking care of Hamder."
Felicia then got up and bought food from one of the dispensers on the ship. They were similar to boxed lunches, only filled with Extraterrestrial foods that were unfamiliar to Peter and the others. But just as they were about to eat, Hamder suddenly popped out of his PDB and started eating MJ's food ravenously.
"Hey, knock it off!" MJ exclaimed, putting Hamder back in his PDB. "Looks like I got my work cut out for me…."
Peter looked over at Felicia. "You bought the food to see Hamder's reaction, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Felicia said, eating Zarg Nuts.
After that, the rest of the flight was silent. The Transport Ship flew over a set of mountains west from Xandar City, leading into a large green valley. On the eastern side was a small town, while the western side was covered by a large red structure that resembled a hexagon.
"Hey, is it just me…or did the Anomaly get bigger since you showed us that picture?" Thor said to MJ.
"Yeah, I think it has," MJ said.
To be continued…
