(A/N: And now the plot will begin to reveal itself.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 4: The Gluttons Return

The sight of the giant statue of King Gorge was slightly unnerving. However, the gang decided not to panic. Perhaps the place was abandoned and simply left standing after the Gluttons failed at their attempt of world domination.

Pie Tin cut his eyes at Ann Chovy suspiciously. "So, what's up with the statue of King Gorge? I don't see any other signs of civilization. Surly that place isn't still working."

Hidden by her hood, Ann Chovy's expression couldn't be seen. "Oh, but it is. It's our destination." She noted her guests' uneasiness. "My master took up residence there after the Gluttons fell. It was going to be demolished, but my master figured why waste a perfectly good place to stay. It's a good base of operations."

It sounded good enough for Chase. "I guess that's true. Most people would want to get rid of them to get rid of bad memories. But I guess there's no point in getting rid of perfectly good buildings like that."

Coco on the other hand was still suspicious. Being a former secret agent, she learned to rely on her instincts. And her instincts were telling her that something was wrong. She decided to keep a closer eye on Ann Chovy.

The yacht reached the dock and the gang got off. There was no one to greet them, which Coco also found strange. Surely the "greatest master chef" would have servants. And surely he would send someone to greet the King of Food.

The entrance to the statue of King Gorge were a pair of large double doors, revealing a large room inside. Ann Chovy led them through the building, not saying anything to them. Coco continued observing her surroundings, becoming more suspicious by the minute. The place looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. There were no servants around. On top of that, the place didn't look like it had been improved to be anything more than all the other Glutton bases she'd been too.

They came to a stop inside a large guest room. Ann Chovy motioned for them to take seats. "Please make yourselves comfortable. I shall go report to my master. He shall be with you shortly."

And she left them alone. All but Coco made themselves at home while she continued scanning the room for signs of anything suspicious.

"Hey, Coco, what's wrong?" Pie Tin asked.

She took a quick look around again before answering. "Don't you guys find it strange? Why would the so-called greatest master chef stay in a former Glutton base?"

"Didn't you hear what Ann Chovy said?" Kayla replied. "Why just tear down a place like this when it could still be useful?"

Coco nodded. "That is a fair point. But what I'm curious about is why this place still looks like a Glutton base. It's been months since the Glutton Empire fell. Surely that world's greatest chef would have redecorated by now. And I would assume he would have some servants. On top of that, has anyone ever heard of this master chef?"

Chase just waved it off. "Aw I wouldn't worry about it, Coco. Maybe he doesn't have any servants or a bunch of fame because he doesn't want all the attention. Ann Chovy did say he likes his privacy."

Coco sighed. 'Oh Chase, I love you, but you can be so naïve at times.'

Movement suddenly caught her eye and she reacted immediately, tossing one of her ninja stars at it. The creature jumped out of hiding, revealing itself to be a Foodon. It was small, only about six inches, and its body was a candy bar with the legs and head of a cockroach. It hissed at them before disappearing into the shadows again.

"What was that?" asked Dia.

Coco's eyes narrowed. "That was a Chocoroach. Look, there's more of them."

A few others scurried away into hiding.

Albert shrugged. "So there's a few creepy Foodons running around. What's the big deal?"

"Chocoroaches are mostly used for spying." Coco explained. "Why would the greatest master chef need spies? And did you notice that Ann Chovy called King Gorge King Gorgeous Gorge. Who else besides Gluttons calls him that?"

"So you think Ann Chovy's a Glutton?" Pie Tin asked.

Coco crossed her arms. "I'm just saying we shouldn't let out guard down. Chef Jack taught me to trust my instincts."

"I agree with Coco!" Albert cried at hearing his hero's name. "If it was Chef Jack's suggestion, then we know it's good advice."

Kayla cut her eyes at him. "Sometimes I think your admiration for our father is close to obsession."

They waited in silence for a good fifteen minutes. Coco's warning had Chase on his guard, though he wasn't as tense as she was. The others seemed more relaxed, although Pie Tin was getting a little irritated with the wait.

"Come on, this is ridiculous!" he shouted. "Where is this so-called master chef? We're guests here! How dare he keep us waiting so long like this?"

Laughter rang out around them as a familiar voice spoke to them. "I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry if I were you."

Chase looked up. "Hey, I know that voice."

"Come out, whoever you are!" Albert demanded.

The speaker gave in to the blond boy's demand and jumped out of the darkness, revealing them self to be none other than Mussels Marinara.

There were shocked gasps from everyone. They hadn't seen Mussels Marinara since Chef Jack had crashed Spring Roll Chicken into the Glutton secret base.

Pie Tin recovered from his shock first. "Hey, that's…"

"Mussels Marinara!" Chase finished.

Both Coco and Dia looked confused. "Who's he?" the latter asked.

"He's one of King Gorge's top soldiers." Said Chase. "I haven't seen him in months. We thought he was dead."

Mussels Marinara laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, Chase, but I'm very much alive. You surprised?"

Chase nodded. "You bet I am. It's great to see ya."

Mussels Marinara fell over anime style. "What do you mean it's great to see me?" he demanded angrily.

Chase blinked. "Well I was afraid you'd died in the explosion. I'm sure glad you're alright."

Mussels Marinara grinded his teeth together angrily. This was not the reaction he had been hoping for. "You may be glad to see me now, but you'll be having second thoughts once you see what's in store for you."

Chase cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? You're not still causing trouble, are you? The Glutton Empire fell long ago."

Mussels Marinara laughed. "Foolish boy. You may have won the first course, but the second helping is underway. The Gluttons shall return stronger than ever."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kayla. "King Gorge isn't causing anymore trouble."

"There are others." Mussels Marinara explained. "And there here now, ready to meet you. But first you're going to have to get through me if you want to beat them." He took out three Meal Tickets. "These Foodons are freshly cooked and ready for action. Now serving Buffalo Wings!"

The first Foodon appeared. It was a large buffalo with wings growing out of its back. But these were not regular wings like a bird or a bat, they were actual 'buffalo wings', being the actual food, though they didn't seem capable of giving the large Foodon flight.

"Next up, I'll be serving Panda Bearger!"

The second Foodon appeared. As its name suggested, it was a large panda bear whose head was a cheeseburger with the eyes and ears of a panda bear. The mouth opened, revealing rows of sharp teeth and a slice of a tomato for its tongue.

"And last, but not least, I'm serving up Hamadillo!"

A third Foodon appeared, smaller than the other two. It had the body of a ham with the head and legs of an armadillo.

Mussels Marinara laughed as he presented his Foodons to the group of Rebel Chefs. "So, which one of you wants to face my newest Foodons?"

Chase took out his Meal Ticket containing Fried Ricer. "I'll take you on."

"Wait!" cried Coco. "Chase, let me handle this. You're Foodons are stronger than ours and we may need them later to face this master chef."

Chase hesitated, but admitted that she had a good point. "Alright, but be careful."

Coco smirked. "Don't worry, I'm no amateur. Now serving Doughnut-So!"

Her adorable Donut Foodon appeared. Resembling a mouse with donuts for ears, the others knew that this Foodon may be cute, but could pack quite a punch.

"Next I'll be serving Tater-Tons!"

Her giant Tater Tot Foodon appeared, towering over its opponents, ready to battle.

"And now for my third Foodon, now serving Ham Scam-Witch!"

Her third and final Foodon appeared. A Ham Sandwich Foodon who used her power to make male Foodons fall in love with her then attacked.

"Hello boys." She said, winking at her opponents.

Panda Bearger, Hamadillo, and Buffalo Wings all stared at Ham Scam-Witch with hearts in their eyes, falling prey to her magical charm.

Coco smirked, confident that her Foodons could handle the upcoming battle. "Alright Mussels Marinara, I'm ready for you."

Mussels Marinara snickered. "You think your pathetic Foodons can beat mine? Well you're wrong. My Foodons will wipe the floor with yours."

"Only one way to find out." said Coco. "Doughnut-So, Tater-Tons, Ham Scam-Witch go get them."

"Panda Bearger, Buffalo Wings, Hamadillo, show her whose boss!"

(A/N: Another battle has begun.)

Chocoroach-Food: Chocolate bar. Its name is a pun on cockroach.

Buffalo Wings-Food: Buffalo wings.

Panda Bearger-Food: Hamburger. Its name is a pun on panda bear.

Hamadillo-Food: ham. Its name is a pun on armadillo.