Chapter 32
Jet Spin collapsed after two more rounds . Initially, Zero worried about the snake gentleman but after the doctors declared that he fell into a food coma, he relaxed a little . The lady looked slightly pale and was sweating but she successfully made it into the next round .
Chow Chow Pow and Egui proved to be strong competition . They showed no signs of discomfort even after progressing to the fiftieth round . Ms Wormhold had forfeited at round forty-eight . The emcees were highly impressed as this was considered a new record for Mega Gourmet .
From the crowd, Sedna and Freya watched on with high spirits . They called Gaia and Isis to inform them of the competition . Isis ran over with a newly bought camera, clicking away every five seconds . Gaia grew the goddesses a tree so that they could observe from a comfortable place without having to squeeze with the crowd .
"It's good to know that Zero is doing well," Mother Nature smiled .
Isis squealed and clicked the shutter just as Zero took another mouthful of the Cannibal Banana Fritters .
Freya's expression was crooked . While she was proud of how well Zero was doing, she could also imagine the bill it would rake up just to feed the growing boy . She knew that raising a child could be expensive in the human world and worried about how Zero would cope during his travels .
Seeing her worried expression, Sedna patted her shoulder . "Don't worry too much about it . I'm sure he can win this competition . If he wants to, he can teleport back here at any moment . He'll never have to suffer starvation . "
As they watched the competition progress towards the sixtieth round, Chow Chow Pow raised his hand with the most serene expression .
"Yes, contestant 999?"
"I'd like to forfeit . "
The calm reply brought waves of shock and the news spread throughout La Boutique very quickly . From the audience in the plaza to the people sitting at home watching the broadcast, nobody could believe what they were hearing . History was probably going to be rewritten .
Numbly, Uni Corn approved and helped Pow walk off the stage . Now, only a frail boy and a hungry ghost were left . Neither looked like they could eat a lot but nobody should judge a book by its cover . The contestants seemed unaffected and shovelled down the next meal effortlessly .
Jack laughed nervously . "It's hard to tell who will emerge the winner for this year's Mega Gourmet . The ever-hungry Egui or Zero who shows no sign of slowing . We will now ask them a few questions so please stay with us, ladies and gentlemen . "
Uni Corn approached Egui and the ghost trembled .
"Egui, how are you feeling? We've passed the halfway mark of this hundred course meal now . DO you have any favourite dish?"
Egui frowned . "Hungry . . . so hungry . . . want more . . . give me more food!"
"Zero!" Jack smiled . "I understand that this is your first time participating in the Mega Gourmet . How did you find the food? Anything noteworthy?"
The young boy paused and thought seriously for a while . Many ladies and some men cooed at the adorable tilt of his head . Even though his mouth was stained with purple juice, it did nothing to hide the cuteness .
With his high pitched voice, Zero announced, "I liked Ureh Pheasant Tenders in Pom-pom Fruit Sauce! I also liked Comph Blood Sausages . . . also liked Weq Lormal Dumplings! I like everything!"
Isis held her nose at the declaration . "So cute . . . "
Gaia gave her a leaf . "Wipe away that blood please . . . you'll scare Zero if he sees you like this . "
Sedna shook her head and Freya chuckled . "Good job, Buddha!"
The camera clicked again and the Gaia asked Isis to forward her the picture of Zero stuffing his cheeks . "I'm going to forward this to Zeus and the rest . They don't know what they're missing out . "