Episode 97: Smokescreen of Mystri!

"Then you're just a glorified mercenary," Quill said bluntly, getting Kraven's attention.

Clenching his spear tightly, Kraven said to Quill, "Do you enjoy irritating people?"

"Oh, all the time," Quill responded. "You also talk too much."

"And that is a bad thing?"

"Because it gave me enough time to have my Gwespin get the drop on you," Gwen said as she emerged from her tent. "Now, Gwespin! Immobilize Kraven with your Web Shot!"

Hanging from a tree branch above Kraven's head on a thread made of webs, the white-and-purple insect Gwespin shot webs from its mouth which spilled onto Kraven making him flinch.

"How did Gwespin get over there without us noticing?" Quill asked Gwen.

"I had Gwespin use Dimension Jump," Gwen answered. "But she has to picture where she's going to go, so I had her sneak behind you to see the tree she just warped to."

Peter then recalled when Gwespin transported behind Noirspi earlier, and realized that must have been Gwespin using Dimension Jump. Meanwhile, Kraven was trying to get Gwespin's webs off while his Marémon stared at him unsure of what to do.

"Don't just stand there, you fools!" Kraven snapped. "Destroy the worthless bug and bring me the Capmer!"

Immediately, Doctus used its tentacles to reach for Gwespin. But seeing them coming, Gwespin used Dimension Jump to get back to Gwen's side. Mystri then covered itself in a gas that made it disappear. Spidermin looked around cautiously, before honing in on an empty spot in the field between Kraven and the camp. He tackled something to the ground, revealing it to be Mystri.

"That's right," Peter remembered. "Mystri is a master of illusion, and so Mysterio often used him to keep the authorities distracted when he and the other Sinister Six members were committing their crimes."

"It seems you know a lot about us, little boy," Kraven said, using a knife to cut the webs off of him. "But that doesn't guarantee you will beat me. Use Knockout Gas, Mystri!"

Obediently, Mystri detached his fishbowl head, where a clear gas poured from that enveloped Spidermin. But when the gas cleared a few seconds later, Spidermin was fast asleep but Mystri was nowhere in sight. Gwespin then twitched nervously and leaped onto thin air, which turned out to be Mystri again. But when Mystri tried using his Knockout Gas on Gwespin, she immediately used Dimension Jump to get out of the gas' range. Unfortunately, she was close enough to get grabbed by Doctus' tentacles.

"Gwespin!" Gwen cried. "Use Dimension Jump again!"

Even though Gwespin concentrated, she couldn't warp.

"Why can't Gwespin transport?" MJ said, looking at Steve.

"Every time a Gwespin uses Dimension Jump, they travel through multiple realities in the span of a few seconds to get from one point in our space to another," Steve said, looking concerned. "But according to Professor Banner, the more times a Gwespin uses this attack the more physically exhausted it becomes to where it's unable to move."

Steve then picked up his PDB and summoned Capmer from it.

"You guys should get out of here," Steve said to Peter, MJ, Quill, and Gwen. "I'll save your Marémon and catch up with you."

"And leave you alone, Gramps? I don't think so!" Quill objected. "You brought us along to help you, and that's just what we're gonna do."

"Yeah!" MJ agreed, summoning Noirspi.

"And I don't want to seem weak in front of my Marémon," Gwen added, using her second PDB to summon Greengob.

"No!" Peter snapped, causing everyone to stare at him. "Steve is right. Compared to White Wolf and Ar-I, Kraven is in another league when it comes to Marémon Wielding. The four of us don't stand a chance against him."

"Right again, little boy," Kraven said, having finally freed himself from Gwespin's webs. "Use Smokescreen Gas, Mystri!"

Mystri removed his goldfish bowl head again, but this time yellow-colored gas poured out. It encompassed the whole clearing and clouded everyone's vision. While Steve and Capmer stood their ground, Quill and Gwen wandered around in a panic. MJ, though, led Peter by the hand using Noirspi's Spider-Tracer to find Spidermin.

But Peter flinched in pain as his headache returned. He then instinctively pushed MJ to the ground as a tentacle came out of the gas in a striking position. Noirspi used Twin Revolver to shoot in the direction the tentacle came from, which was followed by shuffling sounds.

"That was Doctus," Peter guessed as he picked up Spidermin, who was still asleep. "I don't know how I knew one of his Tentacle Arms was going to strike, but I did."

Before MJ could respond, she heard Steve cry out in pain. This was followed by a whooshing sound as Capmer's shield pierced through the gas for a brief second, causing it to disperse long enough for MJ and Peter to see Kraven stabbing Steve with his spear.

"Looks like you need your eyes checked, Boy Scout," Kraven taunted as he removed the spear from Steve's side, causing him to keel over in pain.

"It's the Smokescreen Gas," Peter realized. "From what I've read, this ability dulls the senses of Marémon in battle. But maybe Mystri has been trained to use it to dull human senses too."

"But I am the exception, little boy," Kraven said, appearing behind Peter and MJ. "I have trained myself to withstand the effects of Mystri's Smokescreen Gas so it doesn't affect me the same way as it is doing to you."

"How did he get behind us so quickly?" MJ reacted, while Noirspi's pointed his pellet-armed legs at Kraven.

Peter looked from where he saw Kraven before to where he was now, which was a significantly large space. Then he thought about where Kamelio was standing before Mystri unleashed the Smokescreen Gas and came to a realization.

"This isn't the real Kraven," Peter said. "It's Kamelio pretending to be him."

"Are you sure?" Kraven said, holding up his spear. "I could kill you right here and now."

"Kamelios can only imitate Marémon and people, but they can't copy their abilities the way Super-Skruls can," Peter said as he stood in front of MJ. "So even if you hit me with that spear, it won't actually hurt me."

Frowning, Kraven lunged his spear at Peter.

To be continued…