Back home again, Gambit was called in by his father, since a mind-sapping gas emitting mutant boy, Shirow, was kidnapped by the Pig from the Thief Guild. Shirow and Zoe were members of the Tokyo branch of the Thief Guild. Gambit tracked the boy, whose powers were growing out of control, but couldn’t prevent him and Zoe from being kidnapped by the Mengo brothers, who caught them all. The Pig planed to use Shirow’s mind- and skin-altering gas to create world peace (in his own way). Zoe managed to break free and release Remy, who confronted the Pig, goading him and reminding him that he was the one who took his eye years ago. After a fight, he used the remaining gas on the Pig, ordering him to walk off a cliff. [Gambit (3rd series) #6-7]

When, during a training session, Marrow accidentally stabbed Gambit through the chest with one of her bone daggers, they found that his body reacted by channeling a biokinetic charge into it prior to detonating it (after Remy pulled it out). Miraculously, he wasn’t injured. After Xavier pressed him, an examination revealed that Gambit’s body had been pushed to work at highly elevated level of biokinetic activity – his power was being charged to dangerous levels, nudging them in a specific direction.

The responsibility lay with the second biosignature within him – the green ghost being. At that moment, the ghost showed her face and disappeared with Gambit. A short time later, he woke up in a small town, Manhattan, Indiana, recalling some of the ghost’s memories. Both Gambit and the X-Men researched in their own way: The ghost, Mary, had been a sickly girl who seemingly died when her mutant powers kicked in transforming her to an energy being. Later, she was discovered by Magneto, who brought her to his Antarctica base, which is where she met Remy.

Mary wanted to do something to make her life worthwhile by creating a new superior lifeform, though that would cost both her and Gambit’s life. At the last moment, Beast managed to adapt Magneto’s containment unit to drive Mary out of Gambit’s body. Mary was close to dying and Gambit tried to save her by charging her up. Her energy form exploded. It is unclear whether she died or something else happened to her. [Gambit Annual ‘99]

Shortly afterwards, Xavier dissolved the X-Men, apparently without reason. While some of the others went vacationing together, Gambit left on his own, only to later secretly break into the mansion to find out what was wrong with the Professor. [Uncanny X-Men #372] It turned out that the Professor had found hints that one of the X-Men might indeed be a traitor and, not being able to tell which one, he had been forced to make this radical move in order to single out the threat among their own ranks. Resolving to help, Gambit remembered a certain device in Sinister’s possession that would be of use. Though to bargain with him, Gambit first needed to enlist Sabretooth help find him. Eventually, Gambit double-crossed the mad scientist and left with what he came for. [Gambit (2nd series) # 8-9] With the device, the X-Men were capable to prove that “Wolverine,” who was killed only a few hours before, was actually a Skrull imposter. [Uncanny X-Men #375]

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