Hey, guys, I just wanted to say that if you feel like I'm taking too long to get to the second Marémon Realm/Gym in Sokovia City, I apologize. I just keep getting caught up in all these mini-story arcs that introduce new characters from Marvel and their respective Marémon that it ends up derailing from the main plot more than I initially intended. But if you guys have no issues with the pacing, that's cool too. With that said, I plan to wrap up the current X-Men arc as soon as possible so we can finally get to the Sokovia City Realm battle and ribbon competition.

Episode 107: Gambug's Gamble!

As Peter and MJ followed Noirspi to where Betsy and Spidermin were, they ran into some familiar kids and their Marémon in a hallway below the one where the infirmary was.

"Jubilee, Kitty, Laura, Kurt!" Peter exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing," Jubilee retorted.

"We were all just sleeping in our beds when these two ugly guys showed up and dragged all the students down to the dining hall where they locked us up," Kitty explained.

"I think they were members of the Brotherhood," Kurt said. "One guy had a Juggernaut and the other was using a Sabyr."

"Sounds like Cain Marko and Victor Creed," Peter realized. "They're well-known members of the Brotherhood, because Cain is Professor Xavier's stepbrother and Victor is Logan's biological brother. Was Raven Darkhölme with them?"

"Oh, you mean the blue shape-shifty lady?" said a voice with a Cajun cadence. "She wasn't with Cain and Victor when they dragged us to the dining hall."

From the shadow of the hallway emerged the young man with the dark eyes that Peter saw at lunch on his first day at Xavier's. Beside him stood a bug-like creature with a helmet-like head of brown fibers and its body was wrapped in a tan cloth-like material that had pink stripes.

"You must be Remy LeBeau, Anna's boyfriend," MJ guessed and looked down at the bug with the pink stripes. "Is that a Gambug?"

"It sure is, cher (sweetheart)," Remy nodded.

To make sure, Peter took out his card-sized MarGuide and looked up the bug-like creature.

"Gambug, the Gambit Marémon," the AI voice EDITH said from Peter's MarGuide. "A Mutant-type, it has the ability to transfer kinetic energy into objects and explode them remotely for easy getaways from predators."

"Yes, it's definitely a Gambug," Peter confirmed. "So how did you guys leave the dining hall?"

"My Jubli gave Victor and Cain a little fireworks show, which distracted them long enough for us to get out," Jubilee explained. "But no one else followed us, so I think they're still trapped in the dining hall. Did either of you see Anna, by chance? She wasn't captured with the rest of us."

MJ paused before saying, "Anna helped the Brotherhood break into the school."

"What?" Remy exclaimed. "That can't be true! My cher would never betray us to those monsters. Did you see her do this?"

"Sort of," Peter replied. "Quill and I were doing a late-night Marémon Match in the hedge garden, when MJ and Gwen showed up. Professor Xavier caught us, and he took us to his office. After he scolded us, Anna and Tabirog appeared out of hiding. They stole Xavier and Proffix's powers before putting us to sleep. When we woke up, all four of us were tied up in the infirmary where the Brotherhood's assassin Betsy Braddock told us Anna used the Cerebro Helmet to let down the mental barrier around the school in exchange for the Brotherhood's help to cure her inability to touch people."

Remy suddenly looked guilty. "It's all my fault…."

"How?" Kitty asked. "You couldn't have known your girlfriend would do something like this."

"No, but we had a lovers' quarrel recently," Remy said. "I told her I was frustrated that we couldn't be more physically intimate because of her power, and she got upset wishing she had never been born a Mutant. Erik must have persuaded her to help…but how could he have gotten in touch with her?"

"Maybe it was through Raven," Kurt suggested. "She has the ability to change shape, so she could have posed as a student to infiltrate the school and make contact with Anna to get her to aid the Brotherhood."

"I remember we had a girl I didn't recognize in Homeroom a few weeks back," Kitty recalled. "Then the next day, she was gone and I checked the records to be sure — though I couldn't find anyone matching her description. Her name was Misty Tique."

"Miss…Tique…Mistique! That's what the media called Raven after the Battle with the Brotherhood event," MJ discovered.

"Even if Raven did talk to Anna, I must find her to prove her innocence," Remy decided.

"And leave us all defenseless?" Kitty folded her arms. "I don't think so."

"You have Marémon, right? Use them to get out of the school and find the X-Men," Remy suggested before glancing at Peter and MJ. "The same goes for you two, assuming you also escaped capture."

"We're not leaving until we find my Spidermin," Peter said. "He was hypnotized by Betsy's Marémon Psylocke and left the infirmary with her."

"How do you plan to find Betsy?" Remy asked.

"Noirspi's Spider-Tracer is currently tracking her whereabouts as we speak," MJ said while Noirspi chirped in response.

"Then let me help you," Remy offered. "Gambugs are naturally attracted to Tabirogs, so if Anna is in the same place where Betsy is then we'll be able to find them together."

"I guess it's worth a try," MJ shrugged. "What about the rest of you? Quill and Gwen are back in the infirmary guarding White Wolf and Wintersol of Team HYDRA."

Kurt's eyes widened. "Team HYDRA is working with the Brotherhood? Heilige scheiße!"

"All the more reason we need to find the X-Men," Kitty said, taking Kurt's hand. "You could use your Mutant power to teleport us past the barrier."

"Yes, but I need to see where I'm going," Kurt said. "And to do that, we need to get as close to the barrier as possible. But if Raven is out there — "

"Don't worry, Kurt," Jubilee said confidently. "We'll cover for you. Right, Laura?"

Silently, Laura nodded.

To be continued…