The world is in the Gourmet age; the age of incredible tastes and endless appetites. In this age food comes in all shapes and sizes. There are giant snakes with bacon for scales that shed them once they're fully cooked, flowers with pizza slices for petals, gardens that grow vegetables as tall as buildings, trees with bark made of pure meat, turtles who's shells house chicken noddle soup, sea's made entirely of soda, lakes made of beer, waterfalls of wine, lands where the clouds above them are cotton candy and above all else an abundance of wild beasts just ripe for the taking.
But not every ingredient or beast is known in the Gourmet age. There are some out there that only exist in legends or whispers. Some that only the most foolhardy of gourmet hunters would search for… and never return.
One such hunter found himself on a hunt for such a place that hid such a beast right now. Standing on the bow aboard a ship bounded for such a place was one of the Four Heavenly Kings. He took a deep breath as the smell of the ocean entered his enhanced nostrils, inflaming them. The smell matched the look of the ocean and sky around them. Dark and grey, encased in mist, and reeked of despair.
"Sure would've helped to have Coco here right now" Toriko thought to himself as he tried to peer through the mist. He could have found this "Skull Island" a lot easier than he could, his eyes trumping whatever his nose could tell him. But then he saw something in the distance; a dark peak of a mountain piercing through the mist. And even closer than that were sharp rocks close enough to pierce the ship.
"Stop the ship!" Toriko called back all the way to the bridge. Say what you want about the crew of the S.S Venture or their ship, they knew how to man it. As soon as they said that the Captain pulled on the engine order telegraph back to stop and reacted just in time to miss the rocks or running aground. Smiling at their good fortune Toriko turned around to view the bridge. "It'll probably be better if I go it from here!" he called.
"Go it from here?" Captain Englehorn repeated aloud.
"You guys stay here and out of harm's way! I'll be back when I'm done!"
"What does he-"and before the Captain could finish his sentence Toriko jumped off of the ship into the water and began swimming away, disappearing into the mist.
His sense of smell came in pretty handy as he swam. Land smelled distinctly different from the ocean so he was able to find it with relative ease. But even then it was covered by a steep rocky climb. So grabbing a hold of the rock he lifted himself up. Hand over hand and foot by foot he climbed this rock without even breaking a sweat.
Finally reaching the top he finally set two feet on dry land; the land of Skull Island. He looked around to view his surroundings. The mist and ocean was to his back and he wouldn't go back there after coming so far, after finally finding this legendary place, which even the greatest gourmet hunters before him couldn't find or died trying. Looking out into the distance he could see a giant wall built across the island and on the other side seemed to be huts, built for some inhabitants. But that was on the other side of the wall; on this side was a jungle, which was right where he wanted to be. Turning his head he could see a mountain piercing the heavens and right before him was a dense tropical jungle, no doubt full of some unknown tastes that no one in the human world had ever experienced. While he didn't doubt that many of these creatures tasted delicious, so much so that his mouth watered, he came here with a specific goal in mind.
For on this island was one beast in particular. Not much is known about him only that it was a beast of great power and brute strength, yet not unintelligent. Some even say that he had the ability to control electricity and that he grew stronger in lightning storms. He has yet to be classified by the IGO or any other governing body. Like the island itself, he has never been seen or captured and is told only in legends, until today. For Today Toriko the Glutton of the Four Heavenly Kings was determined to find this island, its king, unravel its secrets and then eat them. This is no doubt a beast worthy of his title, King of Skull Island. But he also has another; the Eighth wonder of the world.
This was just one of the many legendary animals still concealed within the world, each one of these legendary animals are great in size and strength. And while most are said to be on land another one that supposedly exists in the ocean is a great white whale, but Sunny already declared he would be the one to find it.
Drooling with anticipation Toriko looked to the jungle before "Alright!" he let out "Get ready Skull Island, here I come!" he roared and bounded off into the unknown.
After walking through the jungle for a few hours Toriko hadn't seen a single animal yet or even an ingredient worth trying, save for bugs which were as big as his hands. He swatted a branch away and kicked through the vegetation. He was sure there was something on this island worth eating; he'd just have to find it first. Then again people had been looking for this place for years and most came up empty handed, but he was determined to be the first.
He continued his trek through the jungle, passing under tall trees and even crossing one that had fallen over and conveniently connected two cliffs. Looking down he noticed a long drop for whoever took a wrong step. What lied at the bottom if you survived the fall, he didn't even want to imagine.
He continued his journey through the island even getting a nice change of scenery by walking through some rocky terrain but the jungle soon took over again. While walking he noticed tall bamboo sticks that were torn from the ground and eaten. But seeing eaten vegetation got his own stomach grumbling.
While still pleased with actually finding the island now he wanted to find something on it. Then he got to thinking, if he was at the top of the food chain what would draw him out. The answer wasn't hard; a predator of rivaled strength. Stopping he took in a deep breath and was ready to get a lot of attention.
He stood his ground and was prepared to release his intimidation hoping that the red demon would draw out the King of this island. But suddenly bursting from the trees came open jaws that were about to swallow him hole.
Jumping out of the way Toriko made it just in time before the Jaws closed. Toriko snapped his head around just as the jaws turned to him as did the body of the beast. It looked just like a dinosaur;specifically a T-rex with powerful jaws to match. He wasn't sure what it's capture level was, likely unknown just like this whole island.
"So finally something appears" Toriko grinned and stood to his full height, but was easily dwarfed by the V-rex. "Are you the King of this island?" he asked, but would receive no answer "I hope you are, because I've been wanting to find you for a long time" he said ecstatic to finally find something on this island and the prize of his journey.
The V-rex unleashed a roar just as Toriko unleashed his intimidation. The red demon faced off with the V-rex in the battle he was hoping for.
But then something stopped it. A booming roar through the sky. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and even the V-rex stopped to acknowledge it. This was the sound of another predator, the sound of something perceiving a threat. That's when Toriko realized that the King of this island wasn't the one before him, but out there making that call, acknowledging him and his challenge. And Toriko was more than ready to answer that call.
The V-rex had turned its attention back to him and was prepared to make him its next meal. He couldn't blame it for following its instincts, but he had no intention to eat this beast. So when it charged for him with open jaws again Toriko jumped up into the trees and bounded off away from the V-rex and onto a bigger prize.
He continued to make his way deeper into the island, hoping to find the source of that roar before. He passed some more creatures on his way into the island, herbivores that traveled in large groups so likely not what he was searching for. As he continued on his way and left them behind he couldn't help but feel he was being followed and had the feeling he was being watched. He didn't have great eyesight or hearing, but he had his nose and he knew when he got a new smell that something was close by. He now found himself in the open formed a brief gap in the trees of the jungle in the shadow of the mountain.
Then in swift sudden movements they made themselves known. Raptors swarmed from all around and surrounded him, snarling and snapping their jaws as they did. It wasn't long before he was completely surrounded and had few options on the table. It dawned on him quickly that he would have to fight his way out of this.
He unleashed his intimidation on the raptors letting out an aggravated growl as he did. This manifested aura towered over him in the form of his red demon. Bearing sharp nails and teeth it grinned at a possibility for a new meal. The Raptors looked him over and communicated with each other through vicious calls of their own. Unintimidated of him with their superior numbers, they made their move and closed in on him. But suddenly something stopped them dead in their tracks and made Toriko flinch.
Another thunderous cry spread through sky. Filling the air with the presence of pure strength and dominance. Ringing like the sound of terror approaching the raptors called to each other again.
A furious pounding sound was heard in the distance, something was beating against the ground and coming this way. The trees were parting, roots were being overturned and the ground shook as this massive force came their way.
Then bounding up and over the tree it finally appeared letting out another roar as it did. It landed on the ground with all of its force as the raptors backed away, but Toriko stood his ground.
Slowly the beast looked down at all of the creatures before it; carefully observing each one. It was a giant black silver back gorilla and he was as big as a house, easily dwarfing all before him now. Snarling it let out another boastful, angry roar and the raptors took one final look at him and they fled.
Content with this the beasts snarl ceased until he realized he was still not alone. Toriko stood there with wonder in his eyes. Letting out a rumble from its mouth it grilled Toriko down.
"So it's you" Toriko said in awe. "It has to be" The ape huffed air from its nostrils "The King of Skull Island"
King Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World- Capture Level Unknown
"I expected sooner or later you'd show up if you felt my intimidation for too long" he grinned as Kong continued to watch him over. "I guess you don't like it when someone else comes in and messes up your food chain" Toriko tensed up, clenched his fists and his veins began to pop out. "I don't blame you. I'd be pretty angry if someone came into my home and messed things up" he paused, looking over the top of the food chain of Skull Island. "I gotta say you are impressive and I can tell you've seen battle before" he commented noticing the many scars he adorned on his body as Kong put his weight onto his knuckles. He probably didn't even eat meat despite its abundance on this island "I have nothing but complete admiration for what you've accomplished and I've been dreaming of something like this… so from one King to another" a bit of drool escaped from the corner of his mouth "I want to taste you King Kong! King of Skull Island! Eighth wonder of the world!" Toriko roared out to Kong and his intimidation did with him; growing in height to rival that of Kong's.
But like all the creatures before him his intimidation did little to affect this animal; just what he'd expect from a creature of this magnitude.
Kong picked himself up, raised his arms from the ground and beat his chests with his palms letting out the most vicious roar he had ever given to an opponent in years. Toriko responded with one of his own.
Kong slammed his arms down to the ground and with his arms and legs sprinted towards Toriko.
Standing his ground Toriko prepared for Kong's assault. Kong raced forward, raised his arms and slammed them down at Toriko who jumped out of the way dodging them. Landing on the ground to the right Kong swiped his arm out to hit Toriko, but he again evaded by jumping back. Kong now turned to face him letting out a small roar as he did. Prepping himself Toriko prepared for another assault which came in the form of another charge form Kong. He stampeded towards him and Toriko jumped into the air to meet him head on. But before Toriko could attack him Kong swatted him away knocking him into a tree. Kong let out another roar and beat his chest again.
Groaning Toriko pulled himself up. "Damn" he looked down and felt his chest "I really felt this one, you really are strong" he looked up towards Kong who visibly couldn't understand how he was still alive "I wouldn't expect anything else. Your strong" he said putting his hand down and clenching his fist "So come over here and let me show you my strength!" he yelled. Kong banged the ground with his large forearms and came at Toriko again.
Toriko said nothing as he stood his ground. Prepared to finally test his strength against Kong's. He didn't have any ranged attacks so this battle was going to be decided by hand to hand, blow for blow, brute strength. He started to build up power in his arm waiting for the right moment to unleash one of his signature attacks.
Kong was now right before Toriko and he raised his arms again, this time to crush him. He brought his arms down with fury and Toriko snapped his arm up and their fists collided.
They were even at first but Toriko's blow sent Kong's arm back.
Kong regarded his arm and then looked down to Toriko. Right as he laid his eyes on the gourmet hunter his arm was propelled back over his shoulder and away from his body. It happened a second time and this time his body followed. His arm was knocked back one more time dragging the massive body with it through the ground away from Toriko. Although impressively he had managed to remain on two feet.
Bringing his arm forward he looked it over with a snarl as his other arm supported him on the ground. He sniffed his palm and rotated it, analyzing his movements to try to figure out what just happened. Drawing a simple conclusion he glared at Toriko who was a reasonable distance away.
"My Spiked Punch" Toriko gloated "Three fold" he told. "I'd say my strength is just about equaled to yours" he said and Kong growled at him "But don't think that's all I got. I've got some other tools to match your fangs" he said as he formed he stretched his arms out to create his fork and knife.
Kong charged him again with Toriko prepared to meet him with more attacks. Kong raised his right arm to grab Toriko but Toriko slashed forward first with his right hand. A blue light appeared as he did it and he hit Kong. A long slash mark went down Kong's torso, running vertically from his chest to his belly.
Pain suddenly entered Kong's eyes, retracting his hand from Toriko he brought it to his newest wound and saw red on his fingers. He turned back to Toriko with a new found determination. He reared his right arm up and swatted at Toriko. Toriko jumped up and over Kong's arm and then snapped his left arm forward.
"Fork!" he cried out.
Kong raised his left arm just in time to shield his face as a blue fork appeared and punctured his arm along four points. Then he unleashed his arm and hit Toriko, swatting him away.
Flying through the air Toriko skid across the ground picking up dirt as he did. He reached his arms out to grab the ground and stopped himself. Then he picked himself up just as Kong hit him away again.
Quicker to rebound this time Toriko landed on his feet. He spat out some blood. He saw Kong across the clearing uprooting a mighty tree. Then he picked it up, turned to Toriko and launched it at him. Without flinching Toriko swung his knife hand forward easily cutting the tree in half. But what came after the tree surprised him. Kong was right there!
He slammed his fist down on top of Toriko who wasn't able to dodge him. Kong's force came down onto him, impaling him into the ground. He picked up his arm again and slammed it down again on him. Pinned under Kong's hand Toriko couldn't move.
He looked up at the great ape as he looked down at him.
"You threw that tree and didn't expect me to react in time for you. Hmph. You're not strong you're smart" he managed to smile "You can use this environment to your advantage" Had Kong been able to speak he would have agreed, but since he could not he only grumbled. He wrapped his fingers around Toriko and picked him up and brought him towards his mouth.
Although most of his body was trapped in his grip Toriko's left arm was free and with it slammed it forward into Kong's chest. The fork hit him four times across his chest and Kong let out a painful cry. In this moment of pain he loosened his grip and Toriko managed to free his other arm.
Recovering Kong squeezed on him even harder and rushed to bring him towards his open mouth. Toriko reached his arms out to stop him. He grabbed a hold of his teeth and pushing against his mouth was able to stop from being shoved down his throat. Struggling against the weight of the closing jaws and the hand pushing him in there Toriko strained his muscles. Then with one mighty push from behind Kong shoved Toriko into his mouth. Quickly planting his feet on the bottom of his jaw Toriko held his arms over his head to stop the top ones from coming down on him.
Kong began to stagger around finding great difficulty in trying to crunch down on something so small. Being the first time he had to do anything like this it wasn't surprising when he slammed his fists down and reached then up to push him into his teeth. Seeing his hands approaching Toriko knew he didn't have much time he jumped out of his mouth and towards the approaching hand.
He slashed forward with his knife cutting the hands which moved out of his way allowing him to land on the ground. Right as he landed he had to dive away as Kong slammed both hands onto the ground. Toriko dove back to his legs and quickly round up a spiked punch.
He swung his fist forward and hit his leg just as Kong reached back and punched him away. As Toriko was knocked away so was Kong who's leg came out from under him and dragged him across the ground three times.
Shaking his head and groaning Toriko picked himself up from the ground. Looking over he saw Kong doing the same, examining his back left leg as he did to his arm before. Panting and wiggling the leg he looked back to Toriko. He stood up on his legs which supported him even after being hit. He beat his chest and roared at him.
"You're impressed by me?" Toriko asked, speaking for Kong who brought his arms back down and leaned forward on his knuckles "I'm impressed by you too. So much so that I think I'm gonna have to use some extra force to take you out" he said as he brought his left arm to hold his right. He started to build up his power into his right arm. The muscles in his arm began to bulge out and become larger until they were even larger than his left arm and just as big as his entire body. "Are you ready to end this?" Toriko asked. Kong let out a roar. "Good me too!". Kong charged Toriko both of them ready to end this battle. Toriko's right arm was twitching and his veins were bulging from the amount of power surging through it.
"Five Fold Spiked Punch!"
Kong raised his arms before Toriko ready to hit him. Toriko jumped up to Kong and they both swung their arms at each other. Toriko slammed his arm forward hitting Kong in his chest. The force that followed was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. An indent formed in his chest from the impact and he was propelled back. Then again and again as each consecutive blow hit him.
By the third blow was lifted up off of the ground and the fourth sent him into the air and the final strike sent him flying away.
Toriko grinned at his victory. "Alright! I won!" he said grinding his fork and knife against each other, but now came a new task. Finding Kong for although he was beaten that five fold punch sent him far away from him. Up to the mountain by the looks of things so he had no time to waste.
Toriko raced to the top of the mountain to find Kong. The higher he got, the closer he got; Kong had a distinct smell that he would not be forgetting anytime soon. He made it to the top of the mountain and entered a small cave. Inside he heard painful groans and cried coming no doubt from Kong.
"Still alive huh?" he said aloud "You're a tough one King Kong" he said as he entered the cave with an enthusiastic smile. But with each step he took into the cave his enthusiasm began to fade. Making his way through the cave he saw bones lying around. Not from fallen foes, V-rex's, raptors or giant bats. These were the bones of giant apes just like Kong.
Toriko came up to the end of the cave but came to a cliff. On this cliff was a weakened King Kong braced up against the mountainside. He let out painful breathes as he sat on the cliff, amongst the remnants of his family.
Toriko reflected on the situation. King Kong was a legendary beast of a legendary island. He was the last of his kind and when he died, there would be no other like him. He couldn't control lightning as some rumors had said, but at the same time he was strong, intelligent and proud. He deserved to be the last King of Skull Island. Toriko ultimately decided in that moment that he would not be the one to end that legacy.
He looked up to Kong who looked down to him in pain.
"Don't worry big guy. I'm not here to eat you.. not anymore" he said solemnly. "This island has an ecosystem and it needs you at the top to keep it in check" Kong's breathing seemed to normalize. The great ape picked himself off of the mountain and stood up tall. He winced from pain at first but struggled through it to remain strong in front of Toriko and his home. Toriko took in the final image of Kong before backing away from him.
Toriko left from the mountain to make his way back to the Venture. Without issue, he walked all the way back to the cliff on the edge of the sea where he first set foot Skull island. Before he left the island for good he took one last look at this legendary place; he would likely not be able to find it again. To his delight it was a silent moment. Instead it was a strong, proud roar coming from King Kong atop his mountain, overseeing his kingdom and seeing Toriko off. He couldn't help but smile at that.
Elsewhere, far away from Skull island was another island all together. Like Skull Island it was a mysterious place thought to exist only in legends, a place that housed giant, ferocious beasts of unimaginable size and strength. And just like Skull Island there was a Heavenly King on it although he was much different than Toriko. He was much larger with scars covering his body, a permanent scowl always adorned his face and on the left side of his face was a scar running from his mouth up to his ear, revealing his teeth and his own power.
Zebra stomped on the ground as he walked uphill, hoping to get a better vantage point on this god forsaken piece of rock. It had taken a while to find this mysterious island and while he wasn't afraid of what creatures called it home he relished the opportunity to find them, but so far his search across this island was uneventful. With a few more steps though he would find his journey worthwhile as he finally made it to the top of the hill and the view he got was incredible.
There was a valley below him and beyond were mountains, rivers and waterfalls, with lush green forests running as far as the island stretched. But this beautiful sight isn't what interested him.
What put a twisted grin on his face was the sight of numerous giant animals that were finally revealed to him. Some of them were on the ground on all fours, others stood on two legs and some even flied. Making his presence known he enacted his intimidation, enacting the Appetite Demon that dwelled inside him. It manifested atop the hill as a larger form, getting the attention of the animals on the island. One by one each turned its head to view him, but they were not afraid. Instead they let out a roar to cement their own strength against his.
Anguirus- Capture Level Immeasurable
Mothra- Capture Level Immeasurable
Rodan- Capture Level Immeasurable
But one monster made itself known more than all the others. It looked reminiscent of a dinosaur. Standing on two legs, with dark scales for skin and dorsal plates running down its back and tail. Seeing Zebra as a potential threat to himself he let out his iconic roar in response.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters- Capture Level Immeasurable
Zebra took each of their boasts with eager determination.
"C'mon you cocky Bastards!" he roared down to them "You better adapt to me or get ready to die!"
Comments/reviews are appreciated
AN: Just for the record the comments about Kong being able to control lightning is a reference to King Kong vs Godzilla in which he actually could control and get empowered by lightning,which actually originated because he was originally supposed to be Frankenstein. The More You Know.