Episode 95: The True Identity of Bucky!

Once MJ landed next to Peter and Quill with Noirspi, followed by Gwen on her Greengob's glider, MJ pointed to the tree where she spotted the computer monitor.

"Ar-I is hiding over there," MJ said quietly.

"How can you be sure?" Steve asked.

MJ gave Steve a dubious look. "Seeing a computer screen behind a tree is not typical."

"Okay, I believe you," Steve said, giving in.

"We should take him out before he has the chance to wake White Wolf using his Brainwash attack," Peter suggested.

Steve and Quill looked surprised.

"You didn't tell me White Wolf was being controlled by Ar-I," Steve said. "Does that go for his Marémon too?"

"Look at Wintersol's eyes," Peter insisted. "They're a sickly green color, when normally they're dark-blue."

Quill and Steve looked carefully at Wintersol, who was still fighting Capmer. Indeed, his eyes were a sickly green color.

"If you're right, then we need to take down Ar-I and secure White Wolf before he regains consciousness," Steve said. "While Capmer will keep Wintersol distracted, I'm going to need Peter Parker's Spidermin to bind White Wolf's hands with Web Shot and Peter Quill's Starlure to give us extra protection in case Wintersol sees us."

"Dude, you don't need to pronounce our full names," Quill said. "Just call me Quill, and Peter's fine with people calling him Pete. Right?"

"Yeah," Peter said.

"Fine, Pete and Quill," Steve corrected before turning his attention to the girls. "MJ, does your Noirspi know Spider-Tracer?"

"He sure does," MJ nodded.

"Okay, have Noirspi use Spider-Tracer to pinpoint Ar-I's exact location and give me a signal when he's done that," Steve said. "Then Gwen, I want you to use Greengob's Pumpkin Bomb attack to keep Ar-I occupied. While Quill will stay with you girls, Pete should come with me."

"Got it," Peter said.

Then Steve ran off the path with Peter following him. Using the bushes as cover, they walked around the path from the opposite side of where Ar-I was supposedly hiding and creeped back towards where Capmer and Wintersol were sparring as Spidermin was busy wrapping White Wolf in webs.

"Looks like your Spidermin has the right idea," Steve noted.

"Actually, he still has his predatory instincts so he might be trying to eat White Wolf," Peter said.

Meanwhile, Quill's Starlure was flying over Wintersol and Capmer's fight using Aero-Jet waiting for the perfect time to strike. As for MJ's Noirspi, he used Spider Web to create a gigantic web to get himself between multiple trees as he was tracking Ar-I's exact location.

"When MJ gives us a signal and Gwen's Greengob throws Ar-I off using Pumpkin Bomb, we're going to move in and grab White Wolf," Steve said to Peter.

"And Wintersol?" Peter asked.

"Hopefully he'll be too tired from his fight with Capmer to go into his PDB without a fuss."

"So you wanted Capmer to fight Wintersol for as long as possible from the beginning?"

"Yep, because Capmer is using his Tactician ability to plan his battle several moves ahead of his opponent which is why he's able to counter Wintersol's strikes."

The two then waited in the bushes while Noirspi scaled the trees from his Spider Web. Abruptly, he stopped and made a loud chirping sound. In turn, MJ looked for Peter and Steve giving them a thumbs-up.

"Greengob, Pumpkin Bomb!" Gwen said to her Marémon.

Nodding, Greengob produced a pumpkin-shaped bomb and threw it in the direction Noirspi chirped from. There was a loud explosion, giving Steve and Peter the chance to get to White Wolf. Capmer and Wintersol, meanwhile, were at a standstill panting heavily while neither one moved. Without making a sound, Peter shooed Spidermin away before he could sink his fangs into White Wolf's neck. Steve then picked up a PDB hanging from White Wolf's belt and pointed it at Wintersol.

Instead of Wintersol going into the PDB, it was Ar-I who emerged from the PDB.

"Excellent work, White Wolf," Ar-I said as White Wolf casually got up and tore Spidermin's webs from his body. "You served as the perfect bait to catch our prey."

"But if you were in the PDB, what did MJ see?" Peter asked, looking at the direction of the smoke from Greengob's Pumpkin Bomb.

After the smoke cleared, it was revealed that what the Pumpkin Bomb hit was a regular computer monitor that didn't have Ar-I's digital face on it.

"What your friend saw was my old body," Ar-I explained. "I placed it there deliberately and put myself into an empty PDB White Wolf had, knowing one of you would be foolish enough to try to put Wintersol back in his PDB. Now I shall Brainwash the two of you and find out what you're doing out here."

"Spidermin, Acid Web!" Peter shouted.

Immediately, Spidermin shot green liquid at Ar-I and White Wolf. While Ar-I flew away in fear, White Wolf flinched as Spidermin's acid hit his mask and goggles forcing him to take them off. This revealed White Wolf had the face of a young man who looked no older than Steve with a stern explanation and eyes the same green color as Wintersol's.

Steve's eyes widened as he stared at White Wolf's face. "Bucky?"

White Wolf looked confused and said, "Who's Bucky?"

"Don't listen to him!" Ar-I commanded. "Wintersol, grab White Wolf and let's retreat for now!"

Hearing that, Wintersol used Knife Throw to pin Capmer to the ground before grabbing White Wolf by the throat and dragging him into the woods with Ar-I floating above them.

"So that's Bucky," Peter murmured, but immediately regretted it as Steve glared at him.

"You knew White Wolf was Bucky?" Steve said, grabbing Peter by the collar. "How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me right away?"

"I didn't know who Bucky was!" Peter said defensively. "When Thor incapacitated White Wolf and Wintersol with his Valrie's Battle Cry on the Xandar City train, White Wolf told me to tell you 'Bucky is still alive.'"

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't say anything earlier," Steve argued.

"He didn't know when to bring it up," MJ claimed while Gwen called back Greengob. "But I did do my own research and guessed 'Bucky' was the nickname for your childhood friend James Buchanan Barnes, who died during the Second Marémon War."

"He did," Steve said then corrected himself. "Or at least, I thought he did…."

To be continued…