Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

Chapter 33: Adopting the Battle Wolf

"Is the bald Chief okay?"

"Don't worry about the Chief. An attack like that isn't enough to kill him," Toriko said calmly. Gourmet Cells were not to be underestimated. For Mansam, the number three man in the IGO, to be taken out by some nameless small fry? Don't be ridiculous. This green-haired robot was different from the one they had seen at the Cave Beach; its aura was nowhere near as strong.

Kenji's gaze was on the mother Battle Wolf and her pup. The mother was licking the pup's fur. The naturally proud Battle Wolves probably only showed this gentle side at times like these.

Biu!

The robot's pointed mouth opened, and it fired a laser beam that pierced through Mansam's neck, sending him flying.

"Die!"

"Battle Wolf!"

After knocking Mansam away, the robot's head didn't close. Instead, it aimed at the weakened mother wolf.

BANG!

A shadow flashed by, colliding with the laser beam. A cloud of dust instantly rose from the arena floor.

"Cough, cough... I can't just stand by and watch you kill it," a voice said.

As the dust settled, Kenji's figure was revealed. He stood with his arms crossed in front of him, having blocked the flesh-piercing laser. A round, charred mark was left on his arms, but the beam hadn't even fully penetrated his skin.

Kenji himself was a little surprised. He hadn't realized his defense was so impressive.

"Let's see you not dodge this time," the robot said, seeing its attack had failed. It began to charge another laser.

Dodge? I'm coming for YOU!

Kenji shook his head and instantly appeared in front of the GT Robo.

"You motherfu-!"

"Peeling Shot!"

Seeing Kenji so close, the robot rapidly swung its arms, sending a barrage of tiny energy slashes flying toward him.

Pfft, pfft, pfft.

The chairs in their path were sliced to pieces, and the concrete floor was covered in fine cuts.

"Knocking Breath!"

Kenji puffed out his cheeks and exhaled a powerful breath, which swept out like a small storm, performing Knocking on all the incoming slashes and stopping them in mid-air.

"Haha, that Knocking technique is terrifying," Mansam said with admiration, getting up from the rubble.

"Ch-chief! Are you okay?!" Komatsu was horrified by the sight of Mansam, who now had holes clean through his abdomen and neck.

"Haha, I'm fine! I just used Knocking to numb the pain," Mansam laughed heartily.

"Kenji, leave this anteater-faced thing to me," Toriko said, his face contorted in a ferocious grin, his body radiating a volcanic rage.

"Alright."

"Here you go─=≡Σ(((つ•̀ω•́)つ"

Kenji pulled back his fist, grabbed the robot by its pointed head, and threw it in front of Toriko.

The mother Battle Wolf, carrying her pup in her mouth, leaped up to the spectator stands, leaving Toriko room to fight.

Kenji looked at the mother wolf. She was weak now, but that was due to giving birth. On top of that, she had probably rarely eaten ingredients from the Gourmet World, and she looked down on the ingredients of the Human World. With her nutrition lacking, her body naturally weakened. If she were to eat her fill and fully recover her strength, reaching a Capture Level of a hundred would be no problem. She might even reach several hundred.

In the arena, Toriko seemed to be at a disadvantage. Even though he knew about the GT Robo's "Peeling Shot" attack, his opponent was too fast. Blood splattered from the numerous cuts that appeared on his body.

"Mr. Toriko!" Komatsu clenched his fists.

"The Gourmet Corp's research on this GT Robo is something else," Mansam remarked.

"Compared to a real Nitro, these GT Robos are far from enough," Kenji said with disdain.

"Haha, a Nitro is a truly dangerous creature. These GT Robos are just crude imitations," Mansam agreed with a laugh.

Toriko's footsteps were steady. Unseen by his opponent, he had closed the distance and was now right in front of the GT Robo.

"You'll never take my life with such childish techniques," Toriko grinned, his left hand already poised to strike.

The pilot, Bey, was enraged. The robot's pointed head opened, and the laser port began to glow, gathering energy.

"Toriko, die! I'll kill you right now and send you to hell!!"

"The one going to hell is you! Now!" Toriko roared, his left hand shooting out and plunging into the laser port.

"Focusing on one point... 5-Hit... Ice Pick Nail Punch!"

The recoil from the blocked laser, combined with the five impacts of the Nail Punch, sent the robot flying backward.

BOOM!

An internal explosion blew the anteater-like head to pieces. The remaining body sparked and crackled, looking like it was about to explode at any moment.

"Finally got through... blown up by its own cannon."

"But my left hand is almost done for," Toriko muttered.

Black smoke rose from his left hand, which was a bloody mess. The bones were fractured, and the entire hand had nearly been blown apart.

"Can you still hear me? The match is over. Go back and write a report for your termination review," Toriko shouted. "Next time, fight me for real!"

The robot's unprovoked attack on the Battle Wolf had enraged Toriko. Senseless killing, unrelated to survival, was the one thing he hated most.

"There won't be a next time. I'm taking you with me, Toriko," the headless GT Robo suddenly said, then charged at him.

"Oh no! It's going to self-destruct!" Toriko's face changed as he realized the robot's intention.

"Big Bang!"

BANG!

Kenji flashed in front of the robot and slammed his fist into its battered chassis.

BOOM!

The immense force of the punch ripped through the robot's body, shattering it into pieces. The core, which had been about to escape, was also destroyed.

"As expected of carbon fiber and titanium alloy. It's pretty tough," Kenji said, shaking his hand. Over on the side, Mansam relaxed his stance.

"Thanks, Kenji."

Toriko had been startled. If he had been hit by that close-range self-destruction, he would have been in serious trouble.

"It was nothing. Don't mention it."

"Unless you're absolutely sure it's safe, never let your guard down. Carelessness will get you killed. It's one thing in the Human World, but in the Gourmet World..."

"...you'll die."

Kenji said with a smile. Toriko fell into thought at his words.

"Damn Gourmet Corp. These new robots they've made are really troublesome," Mansam muttered. He was a little worried about the power of the GT Robos. Right now, they needed a pilot, so their numbers were limited. But what if they developed fully automated ones in the future?

"Awoo~"

The mother Battle Wolf came up to Kenji and let out a soft whine.

Although Kenji didn't understand other creatures' languages, he understood the meaning of this sound.

"You want to come with me?" Kenji asked, surprised. He had saved the Battle Wolf without any intention of adopting it. He just wanted to help.

"Awoo," the mother wolf whimpered, nodding her head.

"I understand," Kenji said. "Toriko, I'll leave the pup for you to adopt. As a Battle Wolf, they are proud creatures. A place like this, where they are put on display for others' amusement, is not suitable for them."

Toriko was slightly taken aback. He looked at the pup, who walked up to him and nuzzled him, showing its affection.

"Hahaha! Alright! From now on, your name is Terry. Terry Cloth," Toriko declared.

"Then... I'll call you Lotta," Kenji said after a moment's thought.

"Awoo," the two wolves replied in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~

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