Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

Chapter 40: Alfaro

The falling Regal Mammoth was finally noticed by Sunny. Even for a seasoned member of the Four Heavenly Kings, the sight was enough to make him turn pale with fright.

Bad luck! Bad luck! Legs, get moving!

The usually calm and confident Sunny grabbed Komatsu and turned to run. Komatsu looked back and his face contorted into a cartoonish mask of terror.

Behind them, a new threat had emerged. The Cliff Snakes, startled by the mammoth's fall, had crawled out of their caves. Mistaking Sunny and Komatsu for the cause of the commotion, they were now charging toward them.

The Cliff Snake was a mammalian beast with a Capture Level of 30, the apex predator of the Regal Wall. Once disturbed, they would attack in swarms. Their flesh was inedible, and their attack and defense were enhanced by the ability to harden their muscles. On Regal Island, they were a top-tier beast.

Dragging his exhausted body, Toriko used his Fork and Knife to dig a deep pit in the ground. It was too late to run, especially with Sunny and the others behind him.

"Sunny! Over here! Jump in!" Toriko yelled, then jumped into the pit with Rin. If they were hit squarely by the Regal Mammoth, even they would be turned into pancakes. Its incredible weight was no joke.

"Aaaah!" Sunny roared, using every last ounce of his strength to pull Komatsu into the pit at the last possible second.

BOOM!

Just as they got in, the Regal Mammoth crashed down. The freefall from the Regal Plateau triggered an earthquake of several magnitudes.

From his vantage point, Kenji could clearly feel the tremors. The resulting gust of wind kicked up a small, localized sandstorm that swept out in all directions.

"What a beast," Kenji said, in awe. This Regal Mammoth was the largest creature he had ever seen. Even some of the whales in the sea couldn't compare to its sheer tonnage.

Rumble...

The Regal Mammoth, which had landed on its back with its six legs in the air, rolled over and got back to its feet. The pair of small wings on its back looked rather comical; there was no way it could fly with those.

Thump, thump, thump!

Searching for its calf, the Regal Mammoth began to charge around, leaving a crater in the ground with every step. Besides the Battle Wolf, it was the strongest beast in the 1st Biotope.

"Hey, hey, hey! At this size, my feelers can't perform Knocking on it," Sunny said, his face grim. The size of the Regal Mammoth was beyond his expectations.

"Who said you can't? Impact Knocking."

Kenji descended from the sky, unleashing a punch that seemed to fall from the heavens. It slammed into the Regal Mammoth's body, the powerful force penetrating its tough hide and instantly immobilizing the rampaging beast.

"Amazing!" Sunny exclaimed. Then, his expression changed as he glanced at the black rocks emerging from the ground. It was the Cliff Snakes that had been chasing him and Komatsu. By huddling together and hardening their muscles, they had survived the impact of the mammoth's fall, seemingly without a scratch.

Kenji stood on the mammoth's back. Kiss, carrying Coco, flew at the same height.

"Coco, it's all yours!"

"Got it. You've already taken care of the Regal Mammoth. If I still need your help with the Cliff Snakes, then we Four Heavenly Kings would be pretty useless," Coco said with a smile. He gripped his right arm, and the skin of his hand turned a deep, venomous purple.

Streams of purple venom shot from his fingers toward the tensed-up Cliff Snakes like a machine gun. The neurotoxin instantly paralyzed them.

After administering the anesthetic, Coco leaped down, his movements swift and stylish.

Komatsu, tears streaming down his face, ran toward Coco, repeatedly calling his name. In Komatsu's eyes, Coco was, at times, more reliable than Toriko, especially after having just faced a life-or-death crisis.

"What a magnificent entrance! He stole all the glory! The timing was impeccably beautiful," Sunny said, covering his face, his voice filled with envy and jealousy. Why can't I ever get such a perfect opportunity? I want to make a magnificent entrance too!

"Something has already entered the Regal Mammoth. It's a Gourmet Corp GT Robo," Kenji said, jumping down and looking at the mammoth.

"There's indeed a special electromagnetic wave inside the Regal Mammoth. It must have entered the mammoth's body when it was on the Regal Plateau," Coco said, narrowing his eyes and confirming Kenji's statement.

"The mammoth's mouth is open. You can enter through there. The Knocking will last for half a day," Kenji explained. There was no need for everyone to go in. Even if the Gourmet Corp got their hands on it first, it wouldn't matter.

"I'll stay out here. There are other Gourmet Corp members outside," Coco said.

Toriko and the others nodded and, without hesitation, entered the Regal Mammoth's mouth to prevent the Gourmet Corp from stealing the Jewel Meat.

"Plate Shuriken!"

"Swish—"

Suddenly, a white plate flew from the distance, spinning at high speed like a buzzsaw, its target Kenji.

"Crack!"

Kenji threw a punch, shattering the plate into a cloud of white powder. The force of the impact pushed him back a step.

"Coco, this one's a bit tough," Kenji said, looking at the bloody scratch on his fist. He felt a slight stinging sensation. The Gourmet energy in his body surged, and the wound healed instantly. But it was a testament to his opponent's strength; this was no ordinary Gourmet Corp member.

Thud!

A giant, pink GT Robo landed from the sky. It was much larger than a normal robot. On its shoulder stood a white-haired robot, holding two white plates in its hands.

"Gourmet Corp's waiter, Alfaro. I didn't expect you to come," Kenji said calmly, somewhat surprised.

As far as he knew, the only person in the Gourmet Corp who could use plates as a weapon with such power was Alfaro. He had appeared during the Century Soup arc, effortlessly killing two beasts with Capture Levels of seventy or eighty. This Alfaro was a powerhouse who could enter the Gourmet World, on par with the members of Biotope 0. In the Gourmet Corp, he was the waiter who exclusively served the Boss, Midora. His status was very high. Even piloting this GT Robo, he should be able to capture beasts with Capture Levels of seventy or eighty.

"What a terrifying electromagnetic wave," Coco broke out in a cold sweat, a blackish-purple poison oozing from his skin. This was a deadly poison, a sign of how seriously he was taking this. The giant pink robot was one thing, but this white one was incredibly strong.

"Grinpatch mentioned that you destroyed a new model GT Robo. That kind of strength is not that of an ordinary Gourmet Hunter. I was bored, so I came to see for myself," Alfaro's voice came from the robot.

If he's a real threat, I'll just eliminate him.

A young man... how strong can he be?

The advantage is mine.

~~~

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