300 years plus a couple universes ago
The land had been decimated by a war between the Alternians and the Gem Empire. Dust swept across the ruined homes where not a sign of life remained. Still, Froese crossed this deserted landscape, hoping for a single sign of life. But it was clear to any outsider that the pure white angel in the velvet dress was the only strong source of life here. As she turned around the corner of a half-building, she noticed a wood casket. It was ragged, but somewhat intact. Froese approached the casket and opened it. "Huh?"
There was a troll inside, about 12 years old. He wore a black top with gray shorts, but was dirty and starved. "…" Feeling the air of outside touch his weak skin, he cracked open his dark eyes. His first sight being that of a lovely, silver-eyed angel put him at ease. "Who are… you?"
"I'm Froese. Are you… the only one?"
"…I don't know."
"Do you have a name?"
"…Acacia. Nnnn…" He struggled to lift himself up.
"You poor thing. You haven't had a single bite in ages, have you?"
"I… No."
Froese was a year older than him and a head taller, not to mention well fed, so she could pick him up with ease. She put him over her shoulders and flapped her feathered wings, taking him away from the deserted town.
…
It was the warmest soup Acacia had ever tasted. She made it with simple ingredients… but it restored him to his very soul. "You see, Arceus?" Froese spoke. "I knew it wasn't pointless."
"I suppose you were right." Arceus smiled. And yet, the Supreme God thought to himself, But those who had perished can easily return. Death has little meaning in this chaotic realm…
"So, you're an attendant to God Arceus." Acacia said.
"A trainee attendant, but yeah."
"Well… thank you for the meal." The boy smiled. "But I… have nowhere to go back to, do I?"
"You can stay here! Stay as long as you want!"
"Is that really okay?"
"Absolutely. Eternity can fly by easily." Arceus said.
"Plus, you look like you can use some more nutrients." Froese figured. "I was actually going to search for some ingredients afterward. We're getting a little low, so…"
"Can I come with you?"
"Hehe, are you that hungry?"
"Well, no, but… I just want to be with you."
A tint of red appeared on Froese's face. "Okay!"
That was one of Arceus's fondest memories, the beginning of their travels. Froese drove a small clam carriage that was pulled by flying fish. They flew to Planet Duglas, the Land of Dew and Glass. It was a world of tall grass with colored ornaments, where civilization was built inside giant fish bowls under a sky of swirly blueness. Froese taught Acacia how to fish as they explored the grass woods. They caught a Christmas Koi, a Zipeel, and a blue Heptapus. The tastes of the fish pumped Acacia with adrenaline and inspiration. He wanted to travel some more, and Froese gave him the luxury.
A couple years later, they traveled to the Land of Pulse and Haze, a world with seas of blood and jagged rock islands, as well as lavender clouds. The beasts that lurked in the blood were vicious, but the meals Acacia had savored made his body stronger. He bested the beasts with sheer strength, but he had Froese's combat ability to help him. In time, Froese could hardly remember the frail little boy she found. One meal made him ready for the next, his muscles grew bigger and his spirit stronger.
And as they traveled, they didn't just reserve the food for their selves. There were many poor and starved orphans and families that Froese cooked for. They would bring the orphans to Froese's hometown and promise to bring them fair shares of their meals.
At one point, they discovered a couple of lost boys adrift on a boat on Hurricos, an oceanic world raging with mountainous waves. They were in their preteens: one had short hair and a gloomy face with red and green eyes, while another had very thick and wild hair that stretched everywhere.
"What are you kids doing out in a place like this?" Froese asked. "Did you have any parents with you?"
"We came here looking for the legendary Treasure Fish!" declared Midora, the wild-haired troll.
"It was probably a lie all along." sighed Majora, the glum-faced troll. "We're gonna get home and Sanula will say, 'bUt the real treasUre was the aDventUre!' I MMean, how could one possibly locate a fish that travels faster than light?"
"Faster than light? A fish?" Acacia asked with a smirk, unbothered as their boat violently rocked in the waves.
"You're not thinking of looking for THAT, are you?" Froese asked.
"But it sounds exciting, don't you think, Froese?! Even if we can't find it, we'll probably find hundreds of amazing fish on the way!"
"Okay, but let's get these kids out of here first. We can search for it a little bit, but I'm not spending the rest of my life in this sea."
"Well, eternity doesn't last forever~"
Froese cooked some food for their new friends, and Midora felt a sense of infatuation from her food. The young gravitybender chose to stay at her orphanage, having no real home of his own, and would await more of Froese's meals with hope. Majora scoffed at his friend's softness and would return to his own home.
Acacia was determined to confirm the existence of this legendary fish… until one day, they discovered a way to find it. There was a pitch-black region of the sea that was guarded by Moon, a tremendous whale that inhaled prey like a black hole. The only fish that could escape its vacuum was the Treasure Fish, ANOTHER. This was what they learned inside Giant Shell, an entire country inside of a gargantuan clam, at the bottom of the dark sea. The citizens of Giant Shell would aid the hunters in searching for the amazing fish.
It was their most fantastic adventure… and it made Acacia long for more. Together, they would find more amazing ingredients: digging through the endless pizza, CENTER, to find its center, searching for the lush meat, NEWS, on a country on top of a giant deer, and many more.
On the Land of Weight and Mountains, they challenged a powerful Monkey King and earned the right to take PAIR, a marvelous soup that was said to unite two as one. But on that same world, they found another amazing thing: a bed depicting a symbol that Acacia recognized. After they acquired PAIR, they returned to this bed.
"You're… going to become a God Tier?"
"Don't you see, Froese? This is what we have been building towards. This journey, these foods, and this wonderful feeling… I can easily become God Tier. And when I do, a whole new realm of ingredients will open to us! And if this PAIR joins us together, you'll be able to join me! But if not, we will find yours next!"
"I can't believe we've come this far…" Froese smiled. "All that time… just feels like a blur now."
"It all started with a single bowl of soup." Acacia raised the bowl in both hands. "So, let's start anew… with this bowl."
"…" Froese lay her gentle hands over his. "Yes."
As both put their mouths to the PAIR, two became one. The bowl was totally empty, but their joined hearts were filled with love and excitement. Two powers, two bodies that were composed of countless meals, were a single entity brimming with terrific power. Acacia was absolutely positive it was time. He lay on his Quest Bed, War Fork drawn. He stabbed himself with its seven prongs, equal to the amount of their most amazing meals.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH…" Acacia expected a dramatic surge of power to take place, and yet… it was more painful than he anticipated. He was flaring with red energy that ripped apart his very form. "NOOOO! I… wasn't ready?! It can't be! I…I… FROOOOEEEESE!"
The abomination that was born was a Giant, his form a pinkish-red and frail. He was completely bare and scrawny, with tiny, pale eyes, a round mouth, and an ovular bald head. The Giant mindlessly stomped around the planet, desperately slurping everything like a smoothie that was too thick to come up.
The sight of what had become of the two lovers made Arceus's heart despair. It was merely another example of the unbalance, the chaos, the mistake that was this universe. So, with his next action, he gave them mercy.
…
…
…
…
Whooooooooohhhhh…
It was almost like waking from an eternal nightmare. Was he sleeping? Was he dead? All he knew was that it ended, the moment his lungs breathed a most wondrous wind.
"F…Froese?!"
There was an angel, sweeping the landscape with a mystical green breath, transforming very bizarre landscapes back to normal. This angel had frizzy orange hair and a green toga. She was young and looked nothing like Froese, but in her quest to fix the landscape, it seemed she had not acknowledged Acacia. "Sigh…" The hunter rose, propping his hand to a bed. "?!" Upon seeing the Quest Bed, he remembered exactly what happened. "Froese!" He searched around, but could not find her. He couldn't even feel her presence mixed with his. "No… Froese… FROOOOESE!!!"
To travel the worlds, Acacia threw and surfed on his own War Fork with terrific speed. It seemed there was some kind of war taking place, involving ships and people he didn't recognize. Acacia would watch all these ships fly through a great portal… but near that portal was a station of some sort.
Acacia infiltrated that fortress and discovered a room labeled God Production. There were nine eggs with different colors and textures… and one of them looked especially delicious: the one that was made with salad, vanilla icing, pink cake, ham, pineapple, and lines of milk. "Maybe if I eat something… I will feel her again. FROESE!" He lunged for the food-made egg. "AAAAAAAAHHH…"
But it was then that everything was enveloped in light.
…
…
…
…
…
Acacia woke up again, not even sure what state he was in. It felt like time, space, and reality altogether crumpled up and exploded. But the egg chamber he was in was completely ruined. None of those tasty-looking yolks remained. Nothing. "…" He noticed a hole broken open, underneath where the egg stands were.
…
…
Acacia returned to Froese's orphanage. It seemed that… it was still running. But there were new children of multiple races. Its old residents were likely all grown up by now.
"Where is Froese?"
Acacia turned to the solemn voice. He recognized Midora. He was well-grown and muscular, his hair wild as ever. "Froese and I fused into one, after drinking PAIR. We tried to become God Tier, but it failed. Now she's… gone."
"Hmm…" Midora bowed his head. "Well… what will you do now?"
Acacia stared at the orphans for a moment. A salamander was playing Tongue Tag with a black and white Carapacian, a young angel witch was making two Ziplups levitate with magic. "I feel… hungry."
Skaia; current time
Yuzu was rendered dizzy by the sudden events, plummeting into the unknown under K. Lumsy's weight. The grim scowl of Zebra's face eclipsed her vision. "WAAAAH!"
"Shut it, ya crybaby! You just got whiplash when I broke our fall. If anything's broken, I'll snap it back in place." He cracked his thick fingers.
"I'm okay! I'm okay!"
Yuzu helped herself up, seeing that Erina, Komatsu, Nono, and the Marzipans were still okay. "Where's… Haylee?"
"She's on that cloud over there." Erina pointed. Yuzu narrowed her eyes on the distant cloud, seeing Haylee's hatless body hanging limp on the edge of it. She had cuts around her clothes and skin, with pieces of licorice shrapnel.
"Nel go help her!" The cavewoman leapt across the clouds and reached Haylee. She lifted the Gilligan over her shoulders and leapt back, laying her on her back.
Yuzu put a finger to her wrist. "She has a weak pulse!"
"Leave it to me." Zebra pushed her aside and knelt down. His hulking hand covered Haylee's chest, and he smashed the other hand on top of it. BOOM!
"AAAAAAHH!" Haylee shot awake with the sensation of her heart pounding like a giant drum. The feeling quickly wore off, her body feeling limp as she gasped for breath. "God, I… what happened to me? Z-Zebra?!"
"You got some guts, being kicked by Acacia and surviving a fall like that. There's some broken bones in there, so don't move too much."
"Heh…well, I am a Raccoon Pirate at heart."
The group sat in a circle in rest, Stewie still unconscious from Acacia's attack. They recapped the situation to Haylee. "So, a God Tier… just like Cheren used to be." She said aloud. "And he took Augustus, Rawberry, and Macarona, too? This is terrible…"
"How did I… not see it?"
Komatsu's low voice drew their attention. It felt awful for Nono to see her boyfriend so distraught. "I should know Toriko better than anybody… I should've seen a long time ago… that it wasn't him."
"Don't get cocky." Zebra remarked. "I was in his class way before you were."
"!!" The statement triggered rage within the scrawny chef, standing to PUNCH Zebra in the ripped side of his jaw. "Then why did that guy say you betrayed him?! Why did you keep it secret all this time?! HUH?!"
"I don't need to justify myself to you."
"YES YOU DO! Always complaining about cocky people, you've been wanting to off Toriko all this time, haven't you?! Just like when you were a kid! Toriko once told me that when you were young, you-"
"SHUT IT!" Zebra shouted him into silence. "I'll tell my story, not you. I was banished from the Fanalis when I was nine years old."
"Why, did you fail a dance ritual?" Haylee asked.
"DANCIN'S FOR GIRLS!"
"Uh, beg to differ. Have you SEEN me??"
"No, what I did," Zebra began, "was far worse."
Planet Secco; 20 years ago
The clansmen were repulsed and enraged. They couldn't think of anyone more cocky and despicable than this nine-year-old boy. Zebra was tall for his age and strong-bodied, a wicked smirk on his features. He stood atop the body of a Red Lion with a cracked neck.
The goal of every Fanalis is to one day evolve into a Red Lion. Usually, that doesn't happen until adulthood, but this one lucky brat became the youngest Fanalis to evolve in years. He was 13 and always talked down on us tykes. A cocky son of a bitch, he was! And it REALLY pissed me off that he actually made it! I decided to prove once and for all that he wasn't so great… so, I fought him and snapped his neck.
"That's horrible!" Yuzu yelled.
So, the clan was gonna execute me, but like, screw that! So, I said, "Screw you guys, I'm outta here!" and marched away proudly.
"You high-tailed and ran." Haylee said.
Shut up!
Zebra trudged across the sandy wastes for 10 days and nights. Clothed in nothing but the tunic on his hip, he was scorched and he was frozen. But Zebra was too proud to let himself fall to the natural elements. He was a skilled soundbender and relied on his element to fend off the predators of the sand. The Molgeras made a decent meal.
Eventually, Zebra located a decrepit town of wood houses… well, decrepit was overselling it. Right now, it was being devastated. Monstrous creatures known as Rancores were crushing the town, trying to snatch the Dryan citizens for a snack. "Heh! And I thought the Red Lions were cocky! I hope they won't banish me for saving their butts!"
Zebra bellowed soundwaves into the Rancores' big mouths and knocked them on their backs. He then jumped inside and ripped them apart, grabbing some of their teeth and using them to stab the other beasts. The Dryans were able to hide in a safe area, watching worriedly as their Fanalis visitor battled the monsters. But after some time, he was able to kill them all. "Phew, that was a workout!" Zebra brushed his hands. "So, who's hungry?!"
The Dryans hailed me as a hero and I became their king for all eternity!
"No you weren't." Komatsu said.
Fine, but they did thank me and they let me crash at their village for a few days. Unfortunately, Rancore attacks were common, and I ended up having to fight them each day. It started to get pretty tiring… so, I decided to travel to the Rancore Nest and slaughter every one of the bastards. Didn't leave a single one alive. After that, I led the villagers to the nest, and they never went hungry again! …For about a year, anyway. They actually traded some of the meat for supplies. Gotta rebuild that village somehow. But I felt that my duties were done, so I left Sand Garden behind me. Not long after, I ran into another cocky-looking bastard.
"Huff, huff, huff…" A blue-haired boy in an orange top and khaki shorts was on a jog through the desert, sweating intensely.
Zebra was half a mile to the boy's left, but could make out the sound of his panting. Cocking a brow, Zebra amplified his voice and asked, "What are you running from?!"
"Eh?" The boy looked over. Amidst the haze of the desert, he could make somebody's shape. He jogged in that direction and approached a magenta-haired boy about his age. He was a few inches taller and wore nothing but a tunic. "Hey, dude! Hah, what're you wearing a skirt for?"
"ALL FANALIS MEN WEAR THIS!"
"Oh, you're a Fanalis? Cool! I'm an Imuchakk! Well, one-fourth Imuchakk."
"Oh, really? I guess that makes us enemies."
"W-Wait, what?! But we only just-"
"AAAAARRRGH!" Zebra blasted him back with a soundwave, but the boy recovered and dashed back for vengeance. He dodged Zebra's other waves and lay a punch to his jaw, but the Fanalis kicked him in the hip and flung him away. Zebra leapt in the air to smash the part-Imuchakk, but he dodged and lay a karate chop to Zebra's stomach. He jumped Zebra's next kick and got behind to lock him in a chokehold. Zebra yelled so loud that it hurt the Imuchakk's ears, forcing him to close his ears as Zebra then pelted him with rapid punches.
The two fought for a whole hour before they were approached by an old, tanned man with blonde hair and a dark-red cape. "Toriko, I thought you were taking a while! Why are you beating up this poor boy?"
"Don't talk down on me!" Zebra shouted.
"This kid just started beating me up, Boss Ichiryu!" Toriko explained.
"CHOPSTICKS!" Ichiryu's Haki assumed the form of giant chopsticks, gracefully binding the boys in place. "If you boys are gonna fight, you're gonna work up an appetite! Why don't you kids go eat before ya fight any more? Look, I see some Sand Sharks over there!" He pointed to a circle of fins sticking out of the sand.
Toriko and Zebra exchanged smirks. "I'll catch the biggest one!" Zebra declared. After being released, the boys raced for the sharks in the hopes of proving their strength.
"Awe, and Toriko and his master adopted you and you became best friends!" Yuzu deduced with adoration.
Don't be stupid! I hated his cocky attitude and felt no emotional feeling towards him! But I told them what happened with the Fanalis and the Rancores… and while he didn't really agree with what I did, Ichiryu was impressed by my skill. He asked if I wanted to train with Toriko and become a Gourmet Hunter. I had nothing better to do, so I figured, why not? And as the years flew by, Toriko and I made the Elite Four.
"And you abused your position by demonstrating needless brutality and brought extinction to 26 species." Erina reminded everyone.
Damn right I did. Because those species were gonna kill a bunch more! You kids ever heard of the Formics? They were an intelligent insect species that made home on Pumparia. They reaped Pumparia's resources and even invaded Harnita and other nearby worlds. The army and KND were able to fight them off, but they were too afraid to do the job right. So, I invaded the Formics' colony and squashed every one of the bugs!
"But there had to have been SOME good Formics among them!" Yuzu reasoned.
They were a hive mind, stupid! The queens were evil, so they were all evil! Just like I did with the Rancores, I researched and hunted for all the worst species out there. On Kateenia, the puny locals had to deal with these oversized bacteria called Giganteria. I found where the vermin originate from and crushed every one. And you kids ever heard of Newfu? It's some freaky race of alien tofu that tricks people into eating it, so it can harness their organs. I found all the Newfu Sources and devoured them. Then I just washed them down with water to avoid my organs being eaten. Easy.
"So, that's why those guys never appeared in the Brotherhood again." Haylee figured.
And even if you try to say genocide is wrong, Ichiryu made sure to collect specimens of all these species. That's what they use the Biotopes for. They're planning to repopulate these species on unpopulated planets, and hopefully raise them to be good. So, the fact is, I did the universe favors. And I was gonna do the same in New Galaxia. The other Elite Hunters and I entered the realm together and explored it for a full half-a-year. Managed to find a good dessert for my menu.
Hors d'oeuvre: Kishin Intestines (Boiling Isles, Etheria)
Soup: Equator Soup (Sword Valley, Mira)
Fish:
Meat: BBQ Island (Halcandra)
Main:
Salad: BB Pill Bug (Land of Weight and Mountains)
Dessert: Daruma Hermit's Tribute
Drink: Mellow Cola (Sand Garden, Secco)
And by the way, I'm saving the Treasure Fish, ANOTHER for my Fish dish.
"Don't go off topic! How did you end up meeting the Boss?!" Komatsu questioned.
Every now and then, I pay a visit to Sand Garden to see how the people are doing. They still treat me like family, and I kinda started to think of it as a second home. I would send them money and the heads of animals I ripped off… but when I returned to them one night, a few months after the New Galaxia visit…
The night blanketed the desert with a cold, but calm atmosphere. But as Zebra approached the village, a shadow whisked past in his peripheral vision. It flew across the desert and behind a rock. Glaring, Zebra ran in the shadow's direction and peeked around the rock. "…?!" Upon turning, he spotted Alfaro. The eight-armed waiter stood 20 feet away, holding an unconscious Dryan kid in one hand and a gun in the other. "What… Who the hell are you?!"
"We have been monitoring you, Zebra. You send items to this region every so often. These people are important to you."
"I said who the hell are you?!"
"I will be taking this child into my custody." Alfaro raced away.
"COME BAAAACK!" Zebra fired a concentrated, curving soundwave, but Alfaro managed to evade and escape. "?!" The waiter seemed to have dropped a note attached to a rock.
If you want this child to survive, bring Toriko to these coordinates within seven days. If you disclose this information to anyone else, we will kill him. If you come alone, we will kill him. We will be watching.
"Hmph…cocky bastards. Be careful what you wish for."
…
The Leviathan's Graveyard was a deep canyon filled with the bones of giant beasts. The dust of their decaying bones fogged the canyon. "So, your tribe used to live down here, you say?" Toriko asked.
"No, a rogue branch of the Fanalis left our homeland and made base here. It was a long time ago and I don't really care about the details. But these bones make good snacks."
"Too bad we didn't bring Komatsu. He would definitely think of a good use for 'em. So, how come you wanted to hang out with me, Zebra? Decided it was time for some bromance?"
"Ugh, gross. But I… just needed a favor from you."
"What kind of favor?"
"I…?!" Zebra stopped and looked up left. Toriko looked with him. There was a shadowed figure standing atop the tip of a bone.
"The Top Two Hunters… Zebra and Toriko. What an honor."
"Hey, who's this guy?" Toriko asked.
"I'd like to know myself." Zebra said.
"Huh?"
"Ah, yes, Zebra… rest assured, the Dryan child has not been harmed. I intend to uphold my promise… so long as you don't interfere."
"Zebra… what's he talking about?"
Zebra sighed. "This creep with eight arms kidnapped Soren, one of the kids from Sand Garden. He asked me to bring you here. I have no idea what he wants, but…"
"Oh, is that it? Yeah, I didn't think you were trying to bond with me." Toriko smiled passively.
The strange figure cocked a brow. "You are not angry with him?"
"Why? Zebra was just trying to help someone he cares about. So, he'd have no problem putting me in danger." Toriko confidently approached the stranger. "Leave it to me, Zebra. I'll give this guy what he wants."
Zebra returned the look to his colleague. "I expected you would." With that, Zebra stepped away.
"So, why did you want to-"
Toriko couldn't finish before a giant fork shot down, missing the hunter by an inch. The shadow dropped down for a punch, Toriko evading and punching back. He and Acacia exchanged Fork attacks, their fingers interlocking and cancelling each other. Toriko dealt a kick, Acacia leapt, and Knifed Toriko's shoulder. Toriko grabbed his arm, swung him around, and tried to twist it, but Acacia hauled and slammed Toriko to the ground. Acacia reclaimed his War Fork and swung it from multiple angles, Toriko evading. Acacia suddenly threw the fork with great speed, cutting Toriko's right hip and piercing through several giant bones. He resumed countering Acacia's attacks, but the fork suddenly returned and pushed Toriko forward, allowing Acacia to score a kick to the jaw.
Toriko mustered more chi to his hands and sliced the air with Knife attacks. The cuts flew through Acacia, but only left small injuries, while causing the bones behind him to crumble. The giant remains fell over on Acacia, but he either pushed some off or grabbed them to throw at Toriko. The part-Imuchakk easily swatted them away, but Acacia shot through for a sudden punch that blasted Toriko through several bony masses. Acacia leapt to kick the spiked ends of the bones toward him, but Toriko evaded them. When Acacia threw the War Fork down, Toriko leapt to kick off the weapon and fly up to Acacia.
Acacia dropped to return the punch, socking Toriko in the face, but this allowed Toriko to land his charged punch to Acacia's gut. His Haki coursed through Acacia's body, scrunching his body from all directions with the force of 20 punches. Even with this technique, the villain persisted, and the fight drew on for the full hour.
By the time that all the giant bones fell to dust, Acacia had leapt overhead to throw his fork down again. Toriko dodged as it burrowed through the ground, the hunter defending against an array of Knifes that cut the air. "GYUUUH!" The War Fork returned through the ground, its prongs aimed up as they pierced him up the spine.
"Toriko?!" Zebra hadn't expected such an outcome. Knowing how strong Toriko was, he hadn't considered the possibility of him being injured like this. He was about to yell a soundwave-
Click.
Zebra heard the gun cock from about a mile away. It was followed by helpless whimpering. He sensed that Alfaro was ready to shoot Soren should Zebra make another move.
"Ahh…" Toriko grunted. "Not… bad… Sorry, Zebra." He struggled to crack a grin at his childhood classmate. "'Guess I… got too cocky."
"Thank you for this meal." Acacia folded his hands. Zebra watched with utmost horror as Acacia devoured his fellow hunter. He didn't leave a single piece behind, or a single drop of blood. "Mmm…he was truly… delicious."
"What… kind of demon are you…"
"Zebra… you're a monster yourself. Twenty-six species… that's how many you've killed. You may have had your justification… but just think of all the meals wasted. All the friends and families crying. But even a wild beast like you can be tamed. Now that I've finished Toriko, I will return the boy to his home. But you daren't attack me. You wouldn't reveal what happened today. Because if you do, the same fates will befall those you cherish."
"…" Zebra wouldn't admit that he was right. He was ashamed for it… but he had a soft spot, not just for Sand Garden, but kids in general. The small and weak ones who were unable to be cocky… "Who are you? What kind of monster are you?"
"Who I am no longer matters. All that does is… I am hungry. For the longest time, I've been eating, but every meal that I finish gets me excited for the next. I am forever excited… and forever hungry. But I also have a tight schedule, so I'll be going now. So, farewell, and remember my words." Acacia threw his fork to the sky and surfed atop it, leaving Zebra alone in the dusty wastes.
I never cared for Toriko, and I didn't care that I was leading him into a trap. But seein' him killed like that… and being too worried to fight…sigh, it left a nasty taste in my mouth. Felt like I needed to take a vacation and rest awhile. So, I turned myself into Zordoom to give myself peace and luxury.
Current time
"But then Gourmet Corp. broke me out of prison and threatened Sand Garden again. Next thing I know, I'm wrestling with you cocky brats. You put me through a lot of shit, you know?!"
"That isn't our fault!" Yuzu shouted. "And why did you decide to help us now? If your village is being threatened…"
"I was sick of that bastard, that's all there is to it. The man himself… the real legend, Acacia… and all those wannabe hunters and chefs hailing him like a god!"
"You're a coward." Komatsu stated.
"Yeah, well you should've been the first one to point out his ruse. I guess you didn't know Toriko that well at all."
"Please don't fight." Nono said considerately. "We have to find a way off this planet. They could come look for us at any minute."
"I agree." Erina nodded. "Cooking Fest will be in danger if that man has his way. We must evacuate the festival."
"Um, gang?" Rallo spoke up. "Are black birds common on this world? 'Cause there's one flyin' right toward us."
The crew faced up at the sky, seeing a bird-shaped black mass gliding their way. "Th-That thing's enormous!" Yuzu exclaimed.
"It must be with Gourmet Corp.!" Haylee deduced. "Zebra, take it down!"
"No, don't!" Komatsu said. "That bird is…"
"CAAAAW!" The huge black crow descended to their level and flapped its wings in place. There was a purple sheen to its feathers, and a familiar pink penguin on its head. "Aaaack! Ack!"
"Yun!"
"Whoa!" Yuzu gaped. "I didn't know your little penguin was friends with a giant crow!"
"This is Kiss." Zebra said. "He's Coco's pet. I guess he sent him down to look for us."
"Caw! Caw!" ("Ack, ack, ack!")
"They sound worried." Komatsu said. "Thank you for coming to help us. Will you be able to lift all of us?"
"It'll be easy if I fit some of us in the Infi-Cube." Yuzu figured. "We need to fly to Alternia or somewhere and get the KND."
"Yeah, 'cause I sure like to rest my injuries in a tiny box." Haylee remarked. "It won't be able to hold the big guy though."
Yuzu approached K. Lumsy, the scaled giant seated on the edge of the cloud. "Sniffle…the cabain got captuwed… I couldn't make it in time. I prombised to protect my fwiends with my big, strong hands… but I was too slow."
"Klumsy, quit blaming yourself. It's a miracle that we could even get away at all. We're upset about it, too, but we're going to save Augustus. Are you going to help us or not?"
"Sniff…but I can't even fight good. I'm just gonna slow you dow-"
"GOD, your voice is KILLING ME!" Zebra shouted. "Listen, either you come with us or I'll pound you so hard that guts will form in your body, and be shot out! Then I'm gonna shove those guts back into you, so you'll man up and quit whining!"
"Baaaaahhh! Okay, Mistew! Pwease don't hurt me!"
"If you can't stand his voice, why would you want him to come at all?" Komatsu questioned.
"Irritating as he is, we need all the help we can get." Erina said. "Let's make haste. Everyone, into the cube."
"I ain't riding in that tiny thing!" Zebra stated.
Rallo and Maggie helped Stewie into the cube. Nel, Haylee, Nono, Komatsu, and Erina joined them. Yuzu and Zebra climbed onto Kiss's back, and the giant crow clutched Lumsy's arms in his talons. Kiss cawed and took flight to the heavens as fast as he could, leaving Skaia's atmosphere.
Biotope 0
Coco and Sunny were panting in exhaust, unable to find the strength to continue the battle. Acacia was sealing Sunny in a large ramen box that he had conjured, and Coco was going into a soup can. "Huff…the Elite Hunters live up to their title." Acacia panted. He glanced to his right as Pac-Man and Melk marched toward him, looking exhausted from their own battles. "God Tier doesn't make me completely invincible, it seems. I will need to be cautious when I return to Cooking Island. Subduing that many strong fighters won't be easy. But that's all the thrill of the hunt~"