Chapter 4: Pufferwhale Arc: Part 2:
A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Honestly, I thought certain parts of Toriko could have gone differently.
Previously on Toriko:
"What do you mean you'll..." Kimiko started before she trailed off when she saw his skin turn to a dark purple again. Just like it did yesterday when she asked him about the Puffer whales. Kimiko had no idea what to say as she watched the man jump down towards a group of Scorpion Cockroaches, who suddenly scattered. They kept their distance from Coco as both Kimiko and Toriko made their way down.
"Despite having toxic poison of their own, these Cockroaches can sense the danger from Coco's poison." Toriko explained as Kimiko followed after the two men.
"Poison?" Kimiko asked herself softly as she stared after the two Bishoku-ya.
When the three of them got to the other side of the cavern, Kimiko watched as Coco's skin turned back to normal. The poison receding back into his body before he put the green wrappings back on.
"Sorry for scaring you, Kimiko-chan." Coco started to say as he turned to smile at the young woman.
"There's nothing to apologize for. I wasn't afraid. Just a little bit curious though." Kimiko said, noticing the surprised look on the man's face before it quickly disappeared.
"Coco has poison in his body." Toriko simply said as they all started walking again.
"I figured that much, but how?" Kimiko asked.
"Most of us Bishoku-ya can make antibodies against poison from living things. By injecting a tiny portion of poisons from snakes, insects, or plants regularly over a period of a long time, we can make antibodies in our own bodies." Coco explained. Kimiko seemed to understand before she thought of something that had happened.
"Toriko-san, back when we were getting the rainbow fruit, you were bitten by Zombie Taipans. Does that mean you had the antidote for their poison?" Kimiko asked.
"That's right. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands different kinds of poison, it's impossible to make antibodies for all of them. Even I have only 70 different antibodies." Toriko said before he looked ahead at Coco. "The amount of antibodies Coco has is 500. It's abnormal even in the Bishoku-ya." Toriko said. However, Kimiko didn't think it was strange at all. The young woman was quite impressed with the amount.
"By chance, my body can endure more poison than most people. Unfortunately, because I injected too much poison, they began to mix together and a new type of poison was produced in me." Coco said. Kimiko noticed the sadness in the man's eyes despite the smile he gave her. "I am now a 'Poisonous Human'. There aren't many beasts who would dare attack me, not even the Cockroaches." Coco added with a soft laugh before he started walking ahead.
"Coco-san looked so sad..." Kimiko muttered to herself, but Toriko seemed to hear her.
"Once, a lot of scientists and medics of the IGO chased him around in order to produce a perfect serum from his blood. He was also about to be isolates as a first class 'Dangerous Being.'" Toriko explain before he continued. "He has a lot of bad memories...It's the reason he dropped out of the Bishoku-ya business. He wanted to get away from all of that." Toriko said as he followed after Coco.
'That's just awful...' Kimiko thought to herself with a frown as she followed after the Bishoku-ya. The three of them continues deeper into the cave, the path eventually becoming steeper. At this point, Kimiko's shoes kept slipping off some of the rocks, aggravating her before she sat down for a moment, pulling her shoes off and stuffing them in her bag. She'd probably have a better chance going barefoot than with her flat shoes, despite the fact that her feet might be covered in scrapes and cuts by the end of the journey. The young woman wished she had brought along her hiking boots. She knew it was a poor decision on her part. The young chef hurried to catch up with the two men, seeing how they didn't realize she stopped following them for a moment.
"There's a huge hole about 100 meters deep." Kimiko heard Coco say as she caught up to the Bishoku-ya.
"Shall we go Abseiling? Is the rope going to be long enough?" Toriko asked as he took the rope from Coco before he turned to Kimiko. "Kimiko, you should cling to one of us...Where are your shoes?" Toriko asked when he noticed that she wasn't wearing them anymore.
"I put them away. Their not exactly made for walking around in a dark cave." Kimiko said with a smile before she turned to Coco, jumping onto his back and catching him by surprise. "I'll descend with you, Coco-san!" Kimiko said with a grin on her face.
"W-wait a sec, Kimiko-chan! I have poi-" Coco started to say as Kimiko wrapped her arms around his neck loosely, but the young woman interrupted him.
"Poison? I don't care if you do or not. I trust you." Kimiko said with a small smile. Coco looked surprised.
"How can you trust me so easily?" Coco asked.
"Women's intuition. Besides, like I said before, I'm not afraid." Kimiko answered as Coco fell silent for a few moments before he smiled a true smile.
"All right. Let's go, Kimiko-chan." Coco said before they started to descend. 'She's really not afraid of me. She's even trying to comfort me...Her kindness knows no bounds..I will definitely protect her.' Coco thought to himself when the darkness was lit up by dozens of fireflies.
"Fireflies?" Kimiko wondered as she reached out to touch one of them, only for the creature to land on the tip of her finger.
"Sea fireflies. They probably got here from the beach, which means we're getting close." Coco answered.
"They're beautiful..." Kimiko said, marveling at the creatures flying around before a scream from down below scared them away.
"That was a scream from another Bishoku-ya..." Coco said, answering the question Kimiko had in her mind before he was distracted for a moment. "Toriko! There are Swallow tail Bats! We'll descend right away!" Coco suddenly called out to the blue-haired man above them.
"I know! I just caught one!" Toriko called back down with one of the bats in his mouth.
"Is he seriously going to eat it?" Kimiko wondered to herself.
"Kimiko-chan, hold on to me tighter." Coco said. Kimiko nodded before she tightened her hold, making sure she didn't choke the man. Before she knew what was happening, Coco started descending at a rapid speed until they reached the bottom. Kimiko thought Toriko might have broken the ground a bit when he landed as the young woman released Coco. The young woman didn't miss the fact that there were human bones scattered around before she was distracted by a shrieking sound that was getting closer to the group. Kimiko looked up to see a whole bunch of bats coming towards them. Although, she noticed that Toriko seemed to be excited by that fact.
"That's a good attitude, Bats!" Toriko yelled before he clapped his hands together, bowing his head. "Thanks for this meal." Toriko said as he drooled a bit. Kimiko watched as the blue-haired Bishoku-ya killed three bats with his mouth and forked three more, using his hand as a skewer before he started eating them.
"Toriko-san, wouldn't it taste better if you cooked them first?" Kimiko asked with a sigh, not noticing the man approaching her from behind as she watched Coco shoot down the rest of the bats with his poison. Before Kimiko knew what was happening, the man that was creeping up behind her covered her mouth, restraining her before he took off down one of the tunnels before the two kings knew what was going on. The young woman struggled in the man's grip unable to break his hold on her. The grip he had on her was painful, he was obviously a lot stronger than she was and bigger too.
'Damn it! What do I do?' Kimiko thought to herself as she struggled, which seemed to only annoy the man further.
"Stop struggling, Girly. You'll only make your situation worse." The man said. Kimiko glared up at the man, like she'd listen to him.
"Something's wrong here. Why would the bats attack you?" Toriko asked with a mouthful as he stared down at the fallen bats.
"I don't think they were attacking me. They looked like they were fleeing from something." Coco said as he turned around. "Wait...Where Kimiko-chan?" Coco asked as he looked around. Toriko looked around as well before they started calling out to her.
"Kimiko!" Toriko yelled as he sniffed the air.
"Kimiko-chan!" Coco yelled as he looked around, but he didn't see any sign of her.
"Kimiko!"
"Kimiko-chan!" Before the two of them could call out for her again, a giant snake-like beast appeared from one of the tunnels.
"I-It's the Devil Python!" Toriko said as the two kings stared up at the creature.
'Damn! We don't have time for this! Kimiko-chan is in danger!' Coco thought to himself as the kings prepared themselves for a fight. The giant beast gave off a loud screech that reverberated around the cave.
"How can he give off such a sound!?" Toriko asked as the heavenly kings covered their ears until the beast stopped screeching. That's when the two Bishoku-ya noticed the Python's arm retracting back into his body before it extended towards them in an instant, surprising the kings. Neither man had time to react in time as the Devil Python grabbed Toriko, slamming him against the cave wall with enough force to make the man cough up a bit of blood.
"Toriko!" Coco called out to him as he turned to see if he was okay. That is until the Devil Python hovered above Coco with something in its mouth before it spit at the Bishoku-ya. Coco quickly dodged out of the way. 'It spit out its own digestive acids!' Coco thought to himself as he looked at the spot he was just standing, which happened to be dissolving because of the acid before he looked over at Toriko when he grunted.
'What an amazing power...' Toriko thought to himself before he realize the snake was about to spit acid on him and its own arm. "Don't you get cocky!" Toriko growled as the muscles in his arms grew bigger, ripping part of his shirt. The blue-haired Bishoku-ya escaped the Python's grip with brute force before he cut off the beast's arm with knife. The Devil Python shrieked in pain before his arm grew back, surprising both Toriko and Coco. Before either one of them could utter a word, the Devil snake swatted Toriko away like he was a fly. The blue-haired man was sent flying backwards into the wall again, but this time part of the wall collapsed on top of him.
"To-Toriko..." Coco said surprised before he quickly turned his attention back to the giant snake with a frown. 'He can regenerate any leg like a newt, huh? And at an incredible speed too.' Coco thought to himself before Toriko unearthed himself with a yell.
"Hey, Devil Python! Want me to eat ya, huh!? Cause I know full well how tasty your meat is!" Toriko yelled at the beast with a grin.
'Toriko is at a disadvantage here in the darkness since he relies on scent. Even Kimiko-chan's flashlight won't help him. Not only that, but the Devil Python probably has pit organs.' Coco thought to himself before he began to unwrap the green cloths again. 'I guess I should be the one to fight here since I have no disadvantage. Toriko can go rescue Kimiko-chan and make sure she's safe.' Coco thought to himself again as his skin turned purple from the poison in his body.
"Toriko, do you know which way Kimiko-chan went?" Coco asked.
"Yeah. I just need to follow her scent." Toriko answered, confused by the sudden question.
"Go after Kimiko-chan. I'll lead the Devil Python away." Coco stated.
"Sorry, but I'm staying." Toriko replied, surprising Coco.
"Huh?" Coco asked.
"I didn't force Kimiko to come here with us. She came here of her own free will. I warned her of the danger and she understands that it's risky. Besides, she's shown me she can handle herself better than most people." Toriko explained, but that didn't help Coco's worries.
"Toriko, Kimiko-chan..." Coco started to say, but the blue-haired man seemed to understand what he was going to say.
"You saw the shadow of death on her, didn't you? You should have told me earlier. I would have kept a closer eye on her. Either way, she'll be fine. Every time she comes with me on a hunt, she claims that she still has unfinished business and can't die just yet." Toriko said with a grin, remembering the confidant smile on her face each time she said it before a hunt.
"Unfinished business?" Coco questioned.
"Anyway, can you see the shadow of death on this guy?" Toriko asked gesturing towards the Devil Python. Coco looked towards the giant snake before he shook his head.
"...No..." Coco replied.
"That means you won't be able to take it down on your own. We'll just have to take it down together." Toriko said with a grin. "Don't worry. I won't hold you back."
"I know." Coco said with a sigh as both kings released their intimidation. However, the Devil Python wasn't scared away by Toriko's intimidation or Coco's poison.
"Looks like we're in for a real fight." Toriko said as the giant snake retracted all four of its limbs again into his body before it extended them again, attempting to capture the kings, who dodged out of the way. Toriko went to use knife on the snake's body, but somehow it didn't work.
"It hardened the endurance of its skin by contracting its flexible skin to the limit!" Coco called out to the blue-haired Bishoku-ya as he gathered poison in his right arm before he aimed at the Devil Python. "Poison cannon!" Coco yelled as he shot a giant ball of poison at the beast, who dodged it like it was nothing. Coco was surprised when the beast suddenly shot poison from its hair as he flipped backwards before landing in a crouch as Toriko walked over to him.
"I had no idea it could spit poison from its hair." Coco said as he stood up.
"I really can't see in this darkness...Can you stop its movement, Coco?" Toriko asked as he wiped some blood away from his face. "It doesn't matter how hard its skin can be. I will break its innermost organ with my five consecutive nail punched!" Toriko said with a smile.
"I got it. My poison and the Devil Python's poison...Let's see which one is more toxic!" Coco stated as they both prepared to end the battle.
Meanwhile, Kimiko continued in her struggle to free herself from the Bishoku-ya that took her, who only tightened his grip with each movement she made. That is until the Bishoku-ya suddenly stopped in his tracks. Whatever he was distracted with gave Kimiko an opportunity to bite the hand that was covering her mouth as hard as she could. Unfortunately, it didn't give her the outcome she wanted. The man cried out in pain before he glared down at the young woman before he suddenly tossed her over the ledge into the cavern below.
"I'll let you distract the beasts so I can get to the beach cave." The Bishoku-ya said before he started running again as Kimiko sat up with a groan of pain. However, she jumped when the Bishoku-ya suddenly screamed in terror. She looked up to see another Devil Python grab the man. The said man struggled like she had moments before, his head lamp falling to the ground in the process before the beast completely devoured him whole. Kimiko was terrified and she wasn't afraid to admit that to herself, but being frozen probably wouldn't help her at the moment. The young woman quickly started digging through her bag, thankful for the light from the head lamp as the Devil Python turned its attention to her.
Kimiko felt like time was coming to a stand still as she pulled out a vial with an icy blue liquid inside and a container filled with a bright blue powder. She quickly put the liquid in her mouth, careful not to swallow it just yet as she opened the other container and dumped out it's contents. The blue powder looked like it had a mind of its own, seeing how it spread around the cavern quickly, covering everything. However, it didn't stay that way for very long. After a minute or two, the powder dissolved in the air, leaving nothing left. It did something though, seeing how both Kimiko and the Devil Python were knocked out cold. However, after a moment, Kimiko suddenly sat up coughing harshly before she looked over at the Python with a sigh of relief.
'I'm so glad that actually worked...It's a good thing I decided to bring this stuff in the first place.' Kimiko thought to herself, unaware of the old man from the train walking towards her. He had been watching from one of the tunnels where the blue powder didn't reach.
"That was quite a show, young lady." The old man suddenly said, startling the young chef. "Mind if I ask what kind of powder that was?"
"I remember you. You're from the train." Kimiko muttered to herself mostly before she added, "It's a special mixture from my hometown. Unfortunately, I can't give out any recipe for it nor can I give any out to other people." The young woman said with an apologetic smile.
"That's alright." The old man said with a smile. "I just hope you don't use that powder all the time." He said as Kimiko shook her head.
"No. It's too dangerous to use all the time and very hard to make." Kimiko explained. "I only use it when I absolutely need to." Kimiko said with a smile.
"Good." The old man said with a nod. "It's good to know, you'll be alright." The old man said before he started walking away, waving good-bye to the young woman, who noticed all the Pufferwhale he had in his huge metal pot he had dragging behind him.
"I didn't expect you could go up to five hits with the nail punch." Coco commented as Toriko started gathering some energy into his right arm.
"The drawback is I need some time to gather my strength and my muscles get sore afterwards." Toriko replied with a grin.
"I see you haven't been just devoting yourself to the Gourmet line of work. You're still after THAT ingredient for you main dish, aren't you?" Coco asked with a grin right back at the other Bishoku-ya.
"What about you, Coco? Hasn't your poison's strength weakened after not using it for so long?" Toriko said as the two joked around with each other.
"Hmph, if you have time to worry about me, then you should concentrate on gathering your strength properly!" Coco said as he launched himself at the Devil Python. 'Before I do anything, I have to seal this thing's pit organs.' Coco thought to himself before he used his poison rifle attack, aiming for three spots above the nose. The giant snake screeched at the sudden attack.
"It's a small amount, so it'll take time for it to take effect. However, with the adhesive poison, I've completely sealed it's pit organs!" Coco said to no one in particular as he went in for another attack. "It can't see me right now!" However, Coco was apparently wrong, seeing how the Devil Python captured the Bishoku-ya in its claws.
"What!?" Coco asked with surprise. 'Damn it! This guy has more than three pit organs! He's just been hiding the others!' Coco thought to himself before he realized the Devil Python was about to spit acid on him.
"Poison membrane!" Coco quickly said as he made an armor of poison to protect himself as the beast spit acid on him. 'This is getting bad. My poison is running out and we still need to go after Kimiko-chan.' Coco thought to himself before he glared at the beast, taking a risk by shooting off a shot of poison at the giant snake at such close range. Unfortunately, the snake was able to dodge. Before Coco knew what was happening, the Devil Python used it's hair to stab Coco. The Bishoku-ya cried out in pain, causing Toriko to turn around.
"Coco!" Toriko yelled as he tried to run over to help, but the other king stopped him before he could.
"Don't come, Toriko!" Coco yelled at the other man, causing him to stop in his tracks. "Didn't I tell you to focus on gathering your strength?!" Coco said as Toriko looked up at him with a bit of worry.
"Coco...You have the antibodies, right?" Toriko asked before the Devil snake started to inject poison into Coco threw its hair. The Bishoku-ya groaned in pain. "Coco!" Toriko yelled.
"Don't have it..." Coco said, gritting his teeth. "If I don't have them, then I'll make them..." Coco added, which seemed to surprise Toriko. After a few moments, Coco managed to create an antibody from the Devil Python's poison. It was at that moment when the beast roared and stopped its movements.
"The poison I shot at the pit organ has finally started to take effect..." Coco said with a sigh. "Your turn, Toriko." The Bishoku-ya said with a smile as he looked over at the blue-haired man.
"Nice job, Coco." Toriko said with a grin as he prepared to punch the giant snake.
"Oh!" Coco said as he finally noticed the shadow of death on the Devil Python. "At last, the shadow of death appears..."
"5-HIT NAIL PUNCH!" Toriko yelled, punching the snake before he started the countdown. At five, the Devil Python scattered into pieces, freeing Coco, who Toriko easily caught in his arms. "You tired, Coco?" Toriko asked with a grin.
"Yeah...The body does grow dull after only fortune telling for so long." Coco replied.
"I wanted to eat this thing, but your poison got in it..." Toriko said a little disappointed.
"If you heat it over a flame, my poison will cook out of it." Coco said with a smile as the blue-haired man set him down on the ground. "Let's get going, Toriko. We need to-The hell? Are you planning on carrying that around!?" Coco asked surprised when he saw Toriko trying to carry a piece of the Devil Python.
"Yeah. We can't leave it here. Other beasts might come and eat it." Toriko replied.
"It'll be fine. It has my poison in it." Coco said as he tried to reason with the other king. "Hurry up! We have to go after Kimiko-chan!" The poison man said impatiently.
"You don't have to panic. Kimiko will be fine." Toriko said as he tried to reassure the other man as they both started down the path in the direction Kimiko was. However, they both started running when they heard a noise that sounded a lot like gunfire echoing throughout the cave. They only hoped that Kimiko wasn't involved.
'The probability of my fortune telling is 97%. It's a high probability, but It's not 100%!" Coco thought to himself as they hurried down the tunnel. 'Please be okay, Kimiko-chan!" Coco prayed to himself as they ran into the cavern.
"Kimiko!"
"Kimiko-chan!" The two kings yelled, only to see Kimiko standing in the middle of the cavern perfectly fine. Except for the fact her feet were completely covered in scrapes and cuts along with the fact, she was standing close to a knocked out Devil Python.
"Toriko-san. Coco-san." Kimiko said happily as she turned to the two of them with a smile as Coco stared at her.
'Kimiko-chan's shadow of death is gone...How is that possible?' Coco asked himself as he turned to stare at the Devil Python.
"What happened to this guy? It looks like he sleeping.." Toriko asked as he stared at the snake as well.
"That's because he is. He won't wake up for a few hours." Kimiko replied with a smile. The two kings looked at the young woman with confusion.
"You mean you did this?" Toriko asked, surprise clearly seen in his eyes.
"Yeah. I used a special mixture from my hometown. It's super effective. Unfortunately, it's also very dangerous if not handled with care." Kimiko explained.
"What kind of mixture was it?" Coco asked.
"I'm sorry. I can't say anymore about it. It's a village secret." Kimiko said with an apologetic look. "Anyway, the beach cave is up ahead." Kimiko said as she pointed to another tunnel. Toriko seemed to be excited as he hurried towards the tunnel, the others following close behind.
'I'm glad Kimiko-chan's safe, but I wonder what kind of powder she used…'' Coco thought to himself, looking over at the sleeping beast. 'I guess it makes no difference. I have to admit though, it's been fun having her around.' The poison Bishoku-ya thought to himself as he smiled slightly.
"At last! We made it to the beach cave!" Toriko said excitedly as all three of them stepped out of the tunnel onto the soft sand of the beach cave.
4 CHAPTERS. CHAPTER 11-14.