The Marzipan Pirates followed Toriko and Komatsu into the Biotope entry. There was a fountain of white water, made from Sea Cloud, and two waterfalls of Sea Cloud to either side of the end side of the room. The interior was made of posh blue and gold marble, and the parallel stairs to the second floor were built around a proud, heroic statue. The Biotope caretakers turned to the strange new visitors with intrigue.
"The 0th Biotope…" Macarona said with awe. "I had no idea this place existed."
"You're not a gourmet." Rawberry inferred.
"You didn't know about it either!"
"Only a select few know this place." Toriko said, guiding the crew around the fountain. "That's because only the boldest hunters come to New Galaxia."
"Hey, look at this statue!" Augustus approached the proud monument between the stairs, Yuzu following. "This is Acacia, right? The legendary hunter."
"The man himself." Toriko grinned with admiration. "We have this statue at each of our Biotopes and Cooking Island itself. But this one is special. See that plaque at the bottom?"
There was a brownish-gold plaque that resembled an old, but refined menu.
Hors d'oeuvre: CENTER
Soup: PAIR
Fish: ANOTHER
Meat: NEWS
Main: &#*
Salad: AIR
Dessert: EARTH
Drink: ATOM
"Is this Acacia's menu?" Augustus asked. "I've never heard of any of these."
"These," began Toriko, "are said to be the Eight Holy Ingredients. Legends say they were born since New Galaxia's very creation, predating even our own universe. CENTER, a pizza that can be eaten infinitely, thus making it impossible to get to its fantastic center. PAIR, a soup that can unify two sides of a coin. ANOTHER, a fish that can travel faster than light. NEWS, a meat that will make your body feel new for years to come. AIR, a humongous fruit that contains as much oxygen as a planet. EARTH, an ice cream so delicious that it can give birth to a planet (oxygen sold separately). And ATOM, the most lethal poison you could ever taste, but should you survive, you can make out details down to the atoms. This plaque, and this Biotope were created by followers of Acacia."
"What about the Main dish?" Yuzu asked.
"Nobody knows… but they say that its identity must be too great for mortals to comprehend. All these ingredients come from New Galaxia, discovered by Acacia himself. None have ever been able to collect them and some haven't been found, but hunters have done thorough research on their supposed whereabouts."
"Of course, they only could've done this research following the New Big Bang." Rawberry said. "This is so confusing…"
"Let's not think about it." Macarona smiled.
"These things sound amazing!" Augustus beamed. "Hey, after we're done beating the Boss and stuff, I say we go on a new journey to collect these! Bring the whole crew, too!"
"You'll be spending the rest of your lives trying to collect them." Toriko informed. "Not even the most highly trained hunters have succeeded."
"A fish that travels faster than light does sound impossible to capture." Yuzu agreed. "But still…" she formed a smile, "if we got all the best operatives in on it, we would find those ingredients in no time!"
"Heh, you think so?"
"I know so!" Yuzu fist-pumped.
"Heh, that's the spirit! Come on, let's show you to the kitchen. We'll meet some of the staff on the way."
The Biotope cafeteria was filled with many diverse peoples. There was a Pumparian man with a dreary face with a light-blue mustache. "That man is Manan." Toriko pointed. "He's a mage that specializes with magical creatures."
"See that huge Goron with the scars?" Komatsu pointed to a beefy, muscular Goron with a head full of dark hair, his body riddled with scars. "That's Melk, the legendary knife-sharpener." Using an ordinary knife, Melk cleanly chopped a boulder to smaller pieces and peacefully ate them.
"There's Love!" Toriko indicated a short bee Faunus woman with hearts on her puffy cheeks. "She works at the Honey Prison on Mobius. She's still a little depressed over what happened during the Pirate War. The Golden Hive Colony was saved, but the prison's still in shambles."
"Hers isn't the only one." Yuzu sighed. "Oh, look!" She gasped, seeing a girl with honey-blonde hair in a school uniform. "That's Erina Nakiri! I saw her in articles, she's one of the top students of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy! I can't believe she's here!"
"Yeah, and look who she's with." Toriko pointed at the rainbow-haired man at Erina's table. "That's Sunny, one of my fellow Elites."
"My ear hairs tickled with the sound of my name!" Sunny perked up. "Ahh! I see Toriko has returned at last." He gracefully slipped out of his seat and approached his colleague, his oversized hair waving with a greeting. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
"Just showing some new friends of mine around the place." Toriko answered. "Gonna eat us some Universe Frog."
"Hey there!" Augustus approached Sunny with a hand extended. "Name's Augustus. It's cool to meet-"
"Show some respect, boy." Sunny smacked away his hand with hair. "I can't let just any child shake my hand. I'm much more fascinated by this!" He shoved Augustus aside and beamed at the sight of the galaxy-bellied amphibian. "Quite a beautiful capture. And what elegant colors."
"The legendary frog said to contain an entire universe?" Erina asked, strutting up to the group. "Quite a pity that their insignificance is our nourishment."
"Oh, I'm sure it's not like that." Yuzu replied optimistically. "I'm sure the universe is still safe somewhere else and we're just eating the gateway."
"The words of an amateur."
"I'm no amateur! I'm the KND's top chef!"
"And you're dressed like you were just on a walk through the neighborhood. You've probably only ever had fun with cooking."
"Is cooking not supposed to be fun?"
"You know what, both of you are just dicks." Augustus stated, taking out his next lollipop. "I don't even care to look at your Full Course-"
"BEHOLD!" As if tempted by reverse psychology, Sunny whipped out his menu.
Hors d'oeuvre: Beautiful Skin Caviar
Soup: Charis Lobster Soup
Fish: Skin Whitening Tuna
Meat: Perfect Beauty Cattle
Main: Jewel Meat (Regal Mammoth, Sauria)
Salad: Mochi Skin Bean Sprouts
Dessert:
Drink: Charis Dragon Scale Sake (Avalar)
Toriko knelt down to August and whispered, "Y'know, most of the things in his Full Course have no taste or nutritional value. He just likes them for cosmetic reasons." Augustus chuckled.
"They keep my skin beautiful!" Sunny shouted. "And we'll see who has taste after I get my Dessert dish!"
"This idiot is planning to hunt for the EARTH." Erina huffed. "Meaning the item on Acacia's plaque."
"Ooo, that's exciting!" Yuzu said. "Where is EARTH, exactly?"
"As if I would tell you and let you steal it before me!"
"Silence, Caveman." Erina ordered. "EARTH is located on the Land of Gardens and Snakes. It is most defined by the tremendous snake that wraps around the entire planet."
"You mean the Mother Snake?!" Macarona panicked. "I've seen pictures of it, that thing is horrifying! You'd be crazy to go near that planet!"
"I WILL taste the EARTH!" Sunny vowed. "With my Life Return ability, only I am worthy of basking in the sweet that can give life to a planet! Only I can handle its power!"
"Ah, let a man dream!" Toriko laughed. "Say, is Coco around? I'd like to introduce him, too."
"Coco hasn't been around for days." Sunny answered. "And by the way, my hair is far above that of a caveman's!"
"That response was delayed." Erina said.
"Crooooak…"
"Yuh-oh!" Toriko quickly chi-blocked the Universe Frog again. "This guy's getting impatient. Why don't you kids hurry to the kitchen?"
"Hai!" Komatsu eagerly hurried across the room with Yuzu following, the Normies traipsing behind in an almost programmed fashion.
"Whoa, is that Pac-Man?" Augustus gasped, seeing a yellow gumball-like creature with arms and legs. He was sitting across from an orange, blobbish chef as they were eating some ghostly food.
"Yep, the Ghost Hunter. He's got a lot of seniority here, and he started hitting New Galaxia five years ago. That guy across from him is Chef Kawasaki, a Cappy. He's… sort of a newbie, but they get along well."
"Cool. You think we can go around and meet 'em? How long does it take to prepare a Universe Frog?"
"They might be a while. Let's just keep the tour going!"
…
There were a couple cooks at work in the kitchen, such as a little Kateenian woman with two antennae planting magenta popcorn seeds, a Dryan frying snakes in a pot of sand, or a muscular Solaran preparing a cereal that looked like miniature suns.
Yuzu's eyes were then drawn to a portion of the kitchen that seemed frozen over with ingredients inside. The person standing beside the ice was a girl with short mint-green hair under a pink bandanna, blush marks on her soft face, red pants, and a yellow shirt under a pink apron with a heart on it.
When the girl turned to look at them, she gasped softly, a hint of surprise in her blue, half-closed eyes. "Komatsu-kun?" She approached the duo with a light jog.
"Nono-chan!" Komatsu beamed.
"Huh? Nono?" To Yuzu, it sounded like Komatsu was scolding her playfully.
"Yuzu, this is my girlfriend, Nono. Nono, this is Yuzu. We met her on Planet Fray."
"Hello there." Nono smiled sweetly and shook Yuzu's hand. "Are you here to cook?"
"Yep! Boy, your hand is really chilly. Did you make all those frozen foods?"
"Yes, I'm an icebender. I've trained to freeze ingredients and recipes in a way that maintains their original freshness."
"Cool! Uh, no pun intended. So, how did you two meet?"
"We met at her teacher's restaurant." Komatsu answered. "I got to cook with her, we liked each other's recipes, and we kinda visited her in-between travels… then we sort of hit it off."
"Of course, we don't really have time for much dating." Nono said. "With our busy schedules and all. And Komatsu's so small and frail, I'm always worried he'll get eaten by a monster."
"We're the same height!"
"I know. That's why I feel you would get eaten."
"Hehehehe!" Yuzu let out a giggle. "You better not let this one go, Komatsu. She's a keeper!"
"O-Of course not! But I'm stronger than I get credit for!"
"Not when I do this~" With that, Nono leaned over and pecked Komatsu's cheek. Goosebumps formed on his hands and his head turned red from cold. "See? He's so sensitive."
"W-Well, you're so cold." Komatsu stuttered, sparking another giggle from Yuzu.
"Hehe. Well, you two seem busy, so I won't keep you. See you later, Komatsu." Nono waved softly and walked away.
Komatsu sighed with a smile, placing a hand over his cheek. "But it's a gentle cold. So, ready to get started?"
"Sure, but tensing up to a 'gentle cold' doesn't really speak for your strength."
"Well, when you travel with a guy like Toriko, you don't know how lucky I am to even have a girlfriend." Komatsu said as they placed the Universe Frog on an empty counter.
"I kinda get what you mean." Yuzu replied, placing on her pink apron. "Augustus doesn't miss a chance to hit on a cute girl. …I'd be a little worried for her now."
"But you're a girl, too. Do you like him?"
"Augustus is a good partner, but I wouldn't date him. Still, if Toriko is anything like him, I can imagine how you feel."
"Toriko has gotten pretty show-bodey lately. Heck, he even made up his own version of the Gaston song."
"Oh, yeah…" Yuzu remembered that.
"But I still love working with Toriko. I've gotten so much experience ever since we started traveling!"
"Yeah, me too. So, how to prepare this thing?"
"Do you have Chef's Observation?"
"I do. Let me see…" Yuzu looked over the giant frog closely. Her senses drew her to the scales on its leg. She focused intently… her eyes reflecting off the glinting scales…!
Much like other occasions, Yuzu was in a surreal space, seeing various visions floating around her, playing like episodes of a TV series. Many of these images showed the original Brotherhood of Evil leaders, consisting of The Brain, Mallah, Madame Rouge, General Immortus, and… Johnny & Plank 2x4? She saw the Teen Titans in other images, and they were talking with the First Gen KND in some.
"Do I…Do I have to line these images up in order? Yes… that must be it!"
"I have no idea what's going on in them." Komatsu said, appearing beside her. "But it looks like some kind of story."
"It reminds me of a story we all learned in the KND. Similar, but very different. I think I can figure this out… follow my lead."
One of the screens played the moment Nigel Uno was accepted to GKND. However, Numbuh 362 was present at that moment, and she seemed to be confessing her love. Nigel decided not to go to GKND, but shortly afterward, Harvey McKenzie broke into the aliens' spaceship and ate some kind of super-powered cupcake. This caused him to turn into an alien monster, leading to a battle between him and the operatives. Harvey lost and was imprisoned in the same cell as Mandy and Chancellor Cole.
The trio was freed from their cell by Brotherhood agents. They and all the other villains were brought to Brotherhood H.Q. and officially recruited. When the Teen Titans caught wind of this, they met with the KND and gave them Titan Communicators, forming an alliance. They did the same with the Xiaolin Warriors, Avatar Gaang, and Code Lyoko kids.
The images after that were the Titans meeting a man called Red Star; foiling a plan concocted by Dr. Light and Toiletnator at the North Pole; the Xiaolin Warriors got into a Showdown against Harvey, Mandy, and Cole, but were defeated. Afterwards, that trio resurrected Grandfather to recruit him, but the Heylin witch, Wuya cast a spell to seal part of Grandfather's powers, making him more easy to manage. Afterwards, Hannibal Bean tried to feed Fanny Fulbright some Lao Mang Lone Soup and turn her evil, but was foiled. Raven had to protect a group of superhero kids from Mallah, Johnny, and Plank. Then it seemed that the corrupted Sector V Computer fell in love with X.A.N.A..
Then came the great race against Ding Dong Daddy, where the KND aided the Titans against the Brotherhood villains. During the race, Rachel managed to convince her brother to return to her side, forsaking the evil Mandy, and Sector W gave him some leftover cake they were saving for him. The rest of the images depicted the Brotherhood's invasion and the War of Heroes and Villains.
With each image they properly lined up, they carefully cut the corresponding scale off the frog's leg. They followed the pattern precisely and cut the Universe Frog into perfect, spherical pieces. After about an hour, they had several of these planet-like orbs prepared. "Gour…merry?"
"Yes, Gourmerry." Yuzu affirmed. "It's done. Let's call everyone from the ship!"
…
Once the news was delivered, the Baby Trio, Nel, and Haylee joined Toriko, Komatsu, Rawberry, Macarona, Augustus, Yuzu, and Gourmerry at a designated table. "So, that big frog… turned into these?!" Haylee questioned.
"They look like tiny planets." Nel poked hers out of curiosity.
"Everyone," Toriko clapped his hands, "let us give thanks to all the ingredients in this universe. And give thanks to the ingredients that compose this universe!"
"As I eat this little froggy," Rawberry said, "I will savor the taste of every denizen of this universe traveling to my tummy."
"You're making me less and less hungry…" Macarona replied.
"It's okay." Yuzu assured. "Remember, these Universe Frogs are born from the creation of smaller universes. By preparing it properly, Komatsu and I were able to see into its very world. It exists in our memory, which means the frog will be born all over again. That memory will certainly go to you guys, too."
"That means you, too, Gourmerry." Augustus smiled. "You may have the first bite."
"Gour-me!" She nodded affirmably. With that, she picked up the little world and bit a little bite. "GOUR!"
With just that little taste, it seemed like a Big Bang went off inside her! She took more bites, and with each one, those same visions played, from Nigel rejecting the GKND, Harvey joining the Brotherhood, the Titans meeting the KND, and all the others! It was a whole universe playing out inside her! Her friends experienced this same sensation, even feeling the urge to vomit like never before, but they wouldn't dare expel such a thrilling taste!
"Ahh! This taste!" Toriko exclaimed. "Is this how a god feels as it creates their world?!"
"Even if it's a lesser universe, it's so good!" Augustus cheered.
"Gourmerry! Gooouurmerry!"
"There's no doubt about it, Gourmerry!" The captain pulled out the menu with conviction. "This is your Main Course! Let's mark it, and let the miracles happen!"
His pen flew to the booklet like a firework lighting the flash of victory! It would strike the empty slot next to "Main" and work its way across, filling out the letters… until Gourmerry smacked it away.
"Wh-…Gourmerry?"
"…" The Firstborn was now frowning. …She stared at what remained of her orb… ponderingly.
"Hm? Something wrong?" Toriko asked.
"Gour…merry…"
Yuzu curved her brows with sympathy. "You think… something is wrong with it?"
"What's wrong with it?" Komatsu asked. "I thought we did a good job."
"Gourmerry, Merry…"
"She says that, even though it tastes like nothing she's ever tasted… there's just something missing."
"Is it because our other friends aren't here?" Haylee asked.
"Merry…" she shrugged.
"Hmmm…well, nothing we can do about that." Toriko figured. "A true gourmet can't just choose all their items on an impulse. Sometimes, they have to be selective. Think wisely."
"We've already failed that." Stewie inferred. "We practically went after all the first items we found."
"W-Well, I felt like we were pressed for time." Yuzu said.
"Yeah, well buff you, Gourmerry!" Augustus pulled out his menu. "I decided to add this to MY menu!"
And so, in the same, celebratory fashion, his pen struck his menu and added 'Universe Frog' as the Main dish. "Hah hah!" Toriko slapped his back. "At least someone's satisfied!"
"But what're we supposed to do now?" Yuzu asked. "I mean… this is the first time Gourmerry was actually picky about something. How are we supposed to know what'll satisfy her? Does she even know?"
"Gourmer…" She shook her head.
"You're making this sound like a pretty big deal." Komatsu said. "Didn't you say you were taking her on this trip for fun?"
"W-Well… yeah, but…" Yuzu still wasn't sure about divulging that Gourmerry was a Firstborn… but even then, their reasons for developing this Full Course have only felt like speculation. Was it really that imperative that they complete it? Or maybe there was some bigger reason as to why she was picky on the Main Course.
"SOMEONE HEEEELP!" They were startled when a dark-skinned chef in pink clothing charged into the cafeteria.
"Who dares interrupt my combing?!" Sunny shouted.
"Tylan, is that you?!" Toriko asked.
"Toriko! It's Coco! He's at the entrance, he needs help!"
Several staff members rushed into the entrance, including the Head Chef, Kuromado. Kuromado wore a black and purple robe with a tall, purple chef's hat, and sported a wide black mustache. "Nobody get close!" Kuromado yelled. "I'm sensing a foul odor!"
Coco was hunched over at the entrance, a ghastly black aura around him. "Coco! What's the matter?!" Toriko called.
"Toriko… I…" Coco weakly rose up, revealing a glass container in his hands and the mass of poison inside it. "I've done it! I've captured a sample… of ATOM!"
"ATOM?!" Yuzu screamed. "Th-The dangerous poison?!"
"Oh, my!" Nono gasped, backing away while Komatsu stood beside her in comfort.
"You're kidding me!" Toriko said.
"I'm using every ounce of my poisonbending… to restrain it! I can't… hold on…"
"Do we have a container strong enough to hold it?" Komatsu asked.
"We have some ready in case this ever happened." Kuromado said. "Someone hurry and-"
"Gourmerry!" Yuzu yelled.
The spirit raced across the polished floor on her little banana feet. Coco looked at her with worry and curiosity. "Gour…merry!"
"AAH!" Coco screamed when she jumped up, grabbed the glass, and pulled it down. Everyone's hearts nearly stopped with suspense. The glass tipped over and poured the poison directly down her little throat. Gourmerry seemed to cringe at the strong taste, turning completely murky black. They were surprised she hadn't melted by now, let alone still alive.
Gourmerry seemed to be swishing her mouth around, holding the glass in her stubby hands. And like a child spitting out juice, she spat a black liquid into the glass. "…" Coco felt at ease with no need to exert his chi, picking up the glass carefully. The drink was now far less dense, as light as water. There was a small, purple light within its blackness, providing a sense of comfort.
No longer sensing danger, Toriko and Augustus approached them. Gourmerry's colors were faintly returning. "What the heck was that…" Toriko said.
Coco tipped the glass up and sipped the ATOM. "OOOOOOOOOOOGGG!"
He nearly dropped the glass, but Augustus caught it—some of ATOM splashed on him. "AAAAAAAHHH!"
"Captain!" Yuzu gasped.
"It's so incredible! I feel like I can see… EVERYTHIIIIIING!"
The very area around them was replaced by air molecules, and those molecules replaced by atoms, which were replaced by quarks. They could almost feel their own atoms ripping!! "So intense…so intense…SO INTENSE! I feel like… I need something to wash this down!"
"The soda!" Kuromado yelled. "Get the emergency soda!"
"Captain, h-hang there!" Yuzu panicked from the sudden events.
"I've decided!" Coco declared. "This… is going to be my DRINK!" Coco's Full Course was opened for all to see:
Hors d'oeuvre: Sandoriko (Land of Weight and Mountains, New Galaxia)
Soup: Lee Dragon's Tears (China, Earth)
Fish: Breo Swordfish (Mobius)
Meat: G2 Phoenix (Halcandra)
Main:
Salad: Neo Tomato (Poké)
Dessert: Domlom Fruit (Aquaria)
Drink: ATOM (Land of Lav' and Smog, New Galaxia)
"Congratulations, Coco!" Komatsu clapped. "You're the first hunter to taste one of Acacia's items!"
"And I'm the second… EEEEAAAAAGH!" Augustus cried.
"Nel bring soda for Aughsucks!" Nel scampered over on her tiny feet, the open can swaying above her as some spilled out. "Drink it!!"
Yuzu took the can and quickly poured it down his throat. "I wonder if this is even healthy!"
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…BUUUUUUURP!" He belched in Yuzu's face.
"GROSS!!"
"Huff, huff…sigh, that's better." Augustus felt his enhanced vision dying down. "Man, that stuff is strong…"
"NOOOOO!" Sunny cried. "I was going to be the first! I was going to find EARTH and become a Gourmet King! You'll rue the day you bested me, Coco!"
"Great, now you've made him worse." Erina sighed.
"Gourmer…" The Firstborn smiled at the silly moment, left on the floor by everyone's shoes. "…ry?"
After glancing up… she found Toriko staring at her. The burly hunter stood directly over the tiny spirit… with a narrow, shaded gaze. "Gourmerry…?"
"Oh, sorry, Merry." Yuzu picked her up. "Um…one thing we forgot to mention, she can… filter out poison. Heh…"
"I see…" Toriko said. "…That's pretty darn handy!" And he perked up with a grin once more.
"My, that was rather unnerving." Kuromado said as he calmly took the glass and sealed it. "We'd best be careful with this. I don't even know if it's safe to serve at the festival."
"Well, why not?" Toriko asked. "Selling one of Acacia's Holy Ingredients would really fill the house. We'd just have to have plenty of sodas handy."
"Hm…if you say so."
"Come on, I'll take you to the lounge." Toriko took Augustus's shoulder and helped him walk. "We can rest while that taste wears off. Komatsu, why don't you show the others around?"
"Sure!" Komatsu nodded. "Nono, you wanna come, too? I saved a piece of frog for you~"
"Hehe!" Nono giggled. "Well, I've heard of stranger gifts."
Kuromado waited as both groups wandered off. …A smirk formed under his 'stache as he gazed at Gourmerry.
The Red Licorice
Following his retreat, Zebra returned to Lord Licorice's ship, built with a lush red wood that tasted as one would expect. He stood by the railing, melancholic as he gazed into the surreal space. They were drifting by the Land of Wind and Shade, seeing a huge tree growing from the surface with a lush, white fruit. "Why so downtrodden, my fair brute?" Licorice asked with an approach, dwarfed by the Fanalis. "You weren't honestly hoping to defeat him, were you?"
"Hnnnn…"
"Oh, grunt all you like. The Firstborn is already in his possession. To think those brats entered Biotope 0 at the perfect time! Ah, and speaking of which…" Licorice's cellphone rang. The lord reached in and answered.
The screen displayed Kuromado on the other end. "Lord Licorice, the target is here. Shall I alert our agents?"
"Yes, Kuromado. We will be arriving in an hour. The operation will begin. Today… the Boss will become a god."
Biotope 0
The Marzipans split into two groups, with Nono taking the children down to see the animals, and Komatsu taking the girls to meet the staff. The fourth sub-level of the Cloud Tree was an aquarium. The Baby Trio and Nel observed a baby octopus whose tentacles looked like train cars, an eel that looked like piano keys, and a large crab with bulldozer claws. A chubby human chef with a thin mustache was studying the crab quizzically. "Quite a fascinating specimen." Chef Louis said (from Little Mermaid). "It can carve out stones and use them as shells."
"Don't get ahead of yourself." said Victor Quartermaine, a pudgy hunter in a brown coat and tall black hair (from Wallace and Gromit).
"Ah, who are these children?" The visitors were approached by an alien with four arms, bluish-green skin, yellow eyes, and no mouth.
"Hello, Kaitora." Nono greeted. "Kids, this man is a caretaker for the Biotope. He's a Tetramand. Kaitora, these kids were with some new hunters."
"This Biotope is usually not reserved for tours. You know that, right, Nono?"
"Yes, I do. But Toriko seemed good friends with them, and he said it…"
There was a buzz in Kaitora's pocket. He picked up his phone and turned to look at it. "Well… you mind yourselves." The Tetramand walked away on that note.
"Oh…I wonder what's up?"
The kids cowered when a man with a spider body walked by. He had a humanish head with a pig nose and his hair tied into several spikes. "That's Mohyan." Nono said. "He's an Arachnimorph. Yeah, he is pretty scary."
"Nel think there a lot of scary people here." Nel replied.
There was Gur, a muscular turtle Mobian with no shell; Faram, a black alien with a bottle-like body and a white ring around his hole-like face; Bei, a spike-headed Namekian wearing only black shorts. "Hey Stewie, it's yo' brother." Rallo joked, pointing at Bei.
"WHO'S POINTING AT ME?!" Bei shouted.
"YIPE!" Rallo hid behind Maggie. Bei snarled and returned attention to his phone.
"As terrifying as they are," Stewie replied, "they can't keep their eyes off their phones."
"I wonder if we're getting a company message?" Nono said, checking her phone. "None for me… Well, let's check out the other floors!"
Upstairs, Komatsu introduced the four teenage girls to Tommyrod, a pink-haired man in jester clothes and bug wings; he was a chef who specialized in raising and working with insects. Yuu was a White Carapacian with lavender hair, and served as an info gatherer. Alfaro was an eight-armed man who served as a waiter. These men each received texts that they read in private.
"Hmm…I'm not getting any messages." Komatsu checked. "I wonder if Nono did." He texted his girlfriend. "She says 'no.'"
The trio walked out onto a cloud balcony on the side of the tree's "leaves." They were within a huge cage where avians were flying around, such as a two-headed Water Phoenix, a butterfly with marble wings, and a Moge-bird (a yellow cat-bird) racing a Kittentia. "There's some friends of mine in here I wanna introduce you to." Komatsu said. "I'll be right back!" He mounted a blue Yoshi with wings and flew off.
Haylee smiled, marveled by the exotic creatures. However, she noticed Yuzu frowning in thought. Gourmerry also seemed curious as she peeped from her backpack. "Everything alright, Yuzu?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm just wondering about… what we should do next."
"Maybe Gourmerry just doesn't need a Main Course right now. Why don't we just focus on finding the Boss?"
"That's better than muffin." Rawberry replied. "Not really 'cause muffin's amazing. I'm not really sure what's wrong with Gourmerry either. But I have been wondering…"
"About what?" Macarona asked.
"About those Holy Ingredients. I sort of recall… something Arceus once told us."
"Arceus?!" Yuzu gasped.
"It was back before the Apocalypse. We brought him some cake one day. As he ate it, he told us…"
"In my existence, I have only ever known seven tastes that compare to no other in the entire universe. But this…this is the eighth." The Supreme God beamed with such gratitude.
"Arceus said that?" Haylee asked.
"I remember that." Macarona said. "He was so happy…"
"Seven tastes…" Yuzu thought aloud. "On that plaque, there were only seven known items. Rawberry, what was in that cake?"
"Nothing unusual. Some flour, eggs, icing… maybe a wittle-bitty-bit of blood…"
"I knew it! Ew!" cringed Macarona.
Yuzu's face shrank in disgust as well. "But…" but her face grew back in shock, "that almost reminds me of the Linlin cake. But that couldn't be Acacia's Main Course, could it?"
"I mean, the Big Mom Pirates were around more than 200 years ago." Haylee said. "It's possible they made their cake one time back then, and Acacia procured it… somehow."
"There would definitely be something like that in the history books!"
"What I find weird," Rawberry began, "is that Acacia was able to find these seven amazing items at all. Assuming they're the same ones Arceus implied… if they're really that difficult to obtain, just how good was Acacia? And, more importantly… how long did it take him to collect them?"
As Haylee tried to connect the dots in her logic, a large mosquito buzzed around her. "Euh!" She tried to shoo it away. "Hey, get away! I want none of your crap!" She kept it away from her head, so the bug flew behind. "Hey, get off my butt! Get off my butt!" She spanked the insect off her rear, and it finally flew away.
"That was so awkward that I lost my train of thought." Rawberry said.
"I've never been so humiliated!" a despairing voice yelled. The group looked as Chef Kawasaki came running in, Pac-Man following. "Erina and Sunny are so mean!"
"Cheer up, big guy!" Pac-Man consoled. "Some people are just too picky."
"Sigh, if only everyone had tastes as broad as yours, Pac-Man. You and Kirby will always be my top customers."
"Hey, it's Pac-Man!" Haylee cheered, running up.
"Oh, hiya!" Pac greeted. "I think I saw you guys earlier. Are you a fan?"
"Yeah, I have this super old game thingy." Haylee withdrew a small, orange device labeled Pac-Man. The graphics depicted black dots, lines, and ghost shapes against a greenish background. "It's sort of addicting."
"Ahh, that takes me back." The Pac-Person sighed reminiscently. "By the way, what kind of creature is that in the backpack?" He pointed to Yuzu. "I saw what it did with ATOM; it was unbelievable! I'm surprised you aren't being interviewed nonstop."
"Eh hehe." Yuzu laughed nervously. "Well, it seems like everyone's just going about their business."
"Maybe ATOM just isn't a big deal!" Kawasaki expressed cheerily.
"I dunno… the staff have felt unusually quiet." Pac-Man noticed. "Hmmm…"
The mosquito that had bothered Haylee buzzed back over to Tommyrod. He cracked a smirk on his noseless face. "Patience, my pet. We'll have our feast momentarily."
…
Toriko invited Augustus into a private room, the younger hunter chilling on a couch made of bread. He chewed on some Doughnut Snails and washed them down with some Dragon Water. "Gourmerry really came through for us." Toriko said, slouched on an opposite couch as he drunk some wine. "I don't think Coco would've survived on his own. After all… no one's ever been able to claim one of Acacia's items." His gaze narrowed as he spoke lowly. "No one."
"Not true~" Augustus sang. "Acacia claimed them. If he could do it, so can we!"
"Hah, got that right!" Toriko perked up. The hunter pushed himself up and paced about the room. "You know… sometimes, I wonder why we even make Full Course Menus. Well, when I first started mine, I guess I just thought that those foods were a gift. Special gifts made for me and only me. And maybe that's how other hunters feel, too. But you know what I learned, Augustus? The cosmos is filled with gifts. It's filled with wonderful things… just waiting to be eaten."
"Heh, I can get behind that." August nodded, pulling off a piece of the bread couch and dipping it in some space-jellyfish jelly. "Mmmmm!" He savored the taste. "Y'know, I used to only be obsessed with candy. But after a little crazy business with my family, I decided to open my tastes up to much more. And I'm glad I did."
"That's the spirit!" Toriko stepped up and ruffled his hair.
"Haha! Oh, and I was wondering, are you an Imuchakk? You really look the part."
"Mmm, I think I have some Imuchakk lineage, but I can't really do what they can."
…
"Yuzu-chan! Guys!" Komatsu called, garnering their attention. The young chef was riding on a small, pink penguin with a heart on its chest. "This is Yun! She's a Wall Penguin we found on Glacia!"
"Hi there, Yun!" Yuzu greeted.
"Ack, aaack!" Yun cawed cutely.
"And look at this!" Just then, a round golden bird with rotational wings zipped around the girls.
"Yah!" Haylee yelped. "Well, you're much nicer than a mosquito!"
"That's a Golden Snidget!" Komatsu said. "It used to be the target for the Quidditch game the wizards play. They ended up going endangered. I think some of them were found and brought here by Manan."
"Cool!" Yuzu beamed as the Snidget flapped around Gourmerry, who tried to catch it.
"Ouchie!" The Snidget then flew to peck at Kawasaki. "What do birds got against me?!"
Tommyrod, Yuu, Alfaro, and others stood outside the balcony. They picked up their phones and read a simple message from Kuromado: Proceed.
…
"But you know what the most aggravating part is?" Toriko asked. "The waiting. Waiting for the cooking to be done… waiting for the ingredient to become ripe… waiting for the perfect time to eat. But after I've done my waiting… I won't miss my chance."
…
As Nono was guiding the children through an exotic greenhouse floor, the staff members from the aquarium had followed them up. After receiving the message, they approached the five calmly. "Huh?" Hearing their footsteps, Nono turned. "Kaitora?"
"Sorry… Nono…" Kaitora spoke lowly. Behind him, Chef Louis was morphing into a large crab, and Victor Quartermaine was turning into a hulking rabbit.
"W…what…" Nono gasped.
"Devil Fruits!" Stewie recognized. "Rallo, call the captain!" He and Nel morphed into their larger forms, and in the next moment, a brawl broke out in the garden. Stewie traded punches with Bei and Nel stomped her feet against Victor. Louis tried to snap her legs in his claws, but Nel dodged and kicked his gut, only to be grabbed in Kaitora's four arms.
…
After exiting the bathroom, Coco was approached by a four-armed human with a grim face and green bandanna. "You need something, Grinpatch?"
In the cafeteria, Sunny and Erina were approached by a muscular tan-skinned man named Jerry Boy, and a black-haired woman with purple ooze leaking from her eyes named Limon. "Erina… I'm sensing malicious intent." Sunny's hairs wriggled in preparation.
"What is the meaning of this?" Erina glared.
The Red Licorice was docking at the Biotope pier. Lord Licorice recognized the Jolly Roger on the Ace Hunter far too well. "Let this be the hors d'oeuvre." With that, Licorice bombarded the ship with his licorice cannonballs.
…
"And today couldn't be a better chance." Toriko stated. "After all…" he turned to Augustus with a twinkly grin, "did you think I wouldn't know a Firstborn when I see one-"
"CAPTAIN! Captain, my captain!"
Augustus growled, answering his communicator. "Rallo, you trying to freakin' prank me or some-"
"We're under attack! The scary-looking workers are attacking us! The teachers were lying! They said you can't judge someone based on appearance, but they're wrong!"
"Captain, guys, it's Yuzu!" her voice called next. "We're being attacked on the Bird's Balcony!"
…
"AAAAAHH!" Haylee cried, hurriedly building wood houses to trap swarms of insects. "There are bugs everywhere!!"
"Yes! Eat, my pretties!" Tommyrod commanded. He spewed an egg from his mouth, and it hatched into a large bee. "The Nest-Nest Fruit has turned my body into the ultimate breeding ground!"
"Did you say I could eat your pretties?" Rawberry asked. "Okay!" The bat-troll happily tried catching bugs in her mouth. Macarona flew to engage Tommyrod, who took flight with his own wings. She was able to break his jaw and dent his knee, but Tommyrod flew above and stomped down with his other leg, Macarona crashing on the cloud. Yuu was attacking Komatsu with lightbending, but Yun hastened to carry and help his master evade. Alfaro stretched his arms at Yuzu in attempt to seize Gourmerry, the chef dodging and shooting Soul Arrows back.
Kawasaki grabbed a slingshot and shot a sunny fruit into Pac-Man. With one gulp, Pac-Man grew muscles and a red cape as he flew to pound the villains.
…
"Oh, man! Toriko, we have to go!" Augustus yelled, dashing out of the room. "The base is under attack!"
He was stopped by a flood of poison that blotted the hallway. Coco and Grinpatch were locked in a toxic battle, one that Augustus dared not cross. "Grrr! We'll have to find another way!" August turned and ran past Toriko, who merely looked nonchalant.
After maneuvering around the halls, Augustus arrived at the palace entry, rushing down the stairs. "Huh?!"
None other than Zebra stood in the center of the room, his glare fierce as ever. "Ahem, excuse me. I'm down here, too!"
Oh, my mistake, there was someone other than Zebra. He was so short that Augustus hadn't noticed him at first. "We meet again… Augustus Fizzuras!" Lord Licorice sneered. "Fate is a lovely thing, is it not?"
"Uhhhh…who're you?"
"WHAT?! Surely, you remember me! Lord Tyrone Joshua Licorice! Lord of the candy underworld!"
"You kind of look like this one pushover I know."
"Why you…AHEM! Feign ignorance all you want. Revenge will be sweet all the same."
"Like I'm afraid of you ninnies." Augustus flicked his lolli stick away. Toriko was marching down behind him. "See this big guy behind me? That's right! It's the legendary Toriko! And we're about to rip you a new one!"
"Peh! The legendary Toriko~" Zebra drawled. "Drop the act, you phony."
"What, 'cause I'm an amateur?" Augustus cocked a brow. "Big whoop. So, Toriko, ready for some two-on-two? I'll take the skinny guy, you take the big guy?"
Licorice passed a smirk up to the boy. He truly hadn't a single clue. "I hope I'm not too late… Sir."
"…" Augustus blanked out at this statement.
"It's okay." Toriko replied. "We were just about at the good part."
"…" Augustus cautiously turned to the hunter. Toriko's peach skin began to morph into a sleek gray color. Orange horns sprouted up on his head of black hair. When Augustus fully turned… he was met with the cold, shaded stare of the hunter's looming eyes. Although the young captain felt dwarfed in his presence before… he was truly terrified now. "Toriko… you're…"
"Yes… Augustus…" Toriko held his arm to the side as the seven-pronged fork appeared. "I am the Boss… of Gourmet Corp.."