Episode 103: Rematch!
Peter wasn't sure whether to be offended by MJ's statement or not. "Does me being a Mutant make me seem different to you?"
"Yes, but not because I have anything against Mutants," MJ said in a flustered tone. "I'm worried about you and how you're dealing with your condition."
"I'm fine, MJ."
"No, you're not! I've known you long enough to know when you're putting on a brave face to hide how scared you really are."
Clenching his hand briefly, Peter said, "What do you want me to do instead? Cry about it?"
"That's not what I'm suggesting at all! But how are you going to cope with being a Mutant? Do you want to stay here at Xavier's school?"
"Would it bother you if I did?"
"But is that what you really want? Think about your aunt May, and your dream of being a Marémon Hero."
"How can I be a Marémon Hero when I'm a Mutant?"
MJ opened the door, causing Peter to step back. "The current Marémon Hero, Carol Danvers, is a Mutant. So that shouldn't stop you."
"She's not a Mutant!" Peter argued. "Danvers is a human occupied by the spirit of an Extraterrestrial named Mar-Vell who had cosmic powers, which is why she has them too."
Sighing, MJ said, "Aren't you being a little pedantic? By that logic, you're not a Mutant either since you weren't born one."
Watching MJ and Peter argue, Spidermin flinched and crawled away.
"No, Spidermin!" Peter said. "Come back!"
But Spidermin didn't listen and used Web Shot to climb onto the walls. Peter flexed his fingers and tried to climb the walls too. He slipped a couple of times before getting the hang of it. Though by the time he got to where Spidermin was, the blue-and-red spider had taken off. Unsure of where to go, Peter closed his eyes.
Remembering what he learned about the Spidey-Sense ability in class, Peter focused on the environment and what was happening around him. A tingling sensation came from the back of his neck, causing him to move a certain direction. Ignoring the gasps and footsteps of the students below, he followed the feeling until he came into a large attic where Spidermin was nestled in a corner.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Peter apologized. "But I don't want you to feel bad about what you did to me."
Spidermin turned his eyes downward.
"Veneo would have taken over my body if you hadn't used your venom to counteract him. So I'm grateful to you for saving me."
Looking back up at Peter, Spidermin leaped onto Peter's chest causing him to fall backward.
"Maybe I am scared, after all," Peter admitted. "But with you by my side, I know I can work this situation out."
In the days that followed, Peter and Spidermin spent every free amount of time between classes trying to pull off a Synergy Attack in the hedge sculpture garden. But it was harder than Thor and Thunderthor made it look when they attacked the Korg back in Sakaar because neither Spidermin nor Peter were able to move in complete unison, let alone trigger a Marémon-style attack they could only do together. And the longer they practiced, the more tired they became.
"You know what you need to get out of your funk, Pete?" Quill said to Peter one day, who had been watching him and Spidermin for the past hour. "A good old-fashioned Marémon Match."
Peter took a few deep breaths before saying, "Yeah, I guess we never did have our rematch. Are you sure you can control your Marémon this time?"
"Hopefully," Quill said, hiding his nervousness with a smile before he took out a PDB. "Name the time and place."
"Let's do it tonight, over there," Peter suggested, pointing to a basketball court that was to the right of the hedge garden with the windows to the dining hall overlooking it.
"Sounds good to me!"
After Peter's classes were over for the day, he gathered his other Marémon who had gotten brave enough to wander around Xavier's school and waited till the lights turned out at 10 PM. Once that happened, he put all but Spidermin in PDBs before he and Quill snuck out of their room and onto the basketball court. There was a chilly breeze coming down from the mountains nearby and a half-moon shined above.
"Nice night for a Marémon Match," Quill remarked as he shivered. "Wish it were warmer."
"Me too," Peter concurred. "So let's get this over with quickly."
"Kay. Starlure, I choose you!"
From Quill's PDB appeared the crawfish-shaped Marémon with guns for claws.
"All right. Hornetech, go!"
Peter then summoned the robot cicada-shaped Marémon that he got from Edward 'Eddie' McDonough outside of Vanaheim Forest.
"Really?" Quill chuckled. "You're going to lead this battle with that? What is it?"
"A newly created Marémon I got from a friend I met on my journey," Peter replied cryptically. "Now Hornetech, use Stinger Blast!"
From Hornetech's wrists shot electrical blasts that made Starlure take to the air using Aero-Jet, which was propulsion energy coming from its back.
"Nice try, Pete, but two can play at that game," Quill said. "Starlure, Quad Blast!"
Unlike previous times, Starlure actually listened at fired blasts of energy from its gun-shaped claws at Hornetech. While Hornetech managed to dodge most of the blasts, one shot managed to singe one of the Hornetech's wings causing it to falter.
"Hang in there, Hornetech," Peter said encouragingly. "I know can do it! Use Sonic Flight and Super Strength!"
Immediately, Hornetech's limbs buffed up as it flew at top speed towards Starlure.
"Starlure, Hadron Beam!" Quill commanded.
Placing its two gun-shaped claws together, Starlure unleashed a powerful energy beam that hit Hornetech dead center. As the light died down, Hornetech had fallen to the ground with its wings completely fried.
"Looks like my Starlure's Hadron Beam was faster than your mechanical bug," Quill sneered.
To be continued…
