Chompy (ONC 2021)

~14~

"Bakers, you have one hour to prepare your dish. Remember to use all the ingredients provided in front of you, and remember to have fun and be creative."

I turned off my microphone and took a seat beside Chompy at the judges' panel.

"Being a food show host is so hard. I prefer to be out there baking," I whined.

Chompy shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, you're only standing here because you're already a world-famous baker. You already won all the competitions there are to win."

I pinched the bridge of my nose as all stressed adults and monsters do. Chompy and I graduated university with a degree in the culinary arts, signing up for all the TV cooking contests out there. Chompy became the reigning champion of cooking show Sliced, and I earned my own baking show after winning The Great Cake-Off. I often invited Chompy to my show until he became a permanent cast member, and we renamed the segment to Chompy and Isa's Corner. But of course Chompy had to drag me to Dessert Dash to work as the show's host while he got to sit comfortably in his seat and taste all the yummy food the contestants whipped up.

"You have it so easy," I laughed.

After Chompy and I finished tasting the different desserts and crowning a winner, we hopped into my car and drove to the soccer stadium at the heart of the city.

"Do you think we'll make it in time?" Chompy asked, constantly glancing at his wrist watch.

I urged the car to go a bit faster as we rocketed down the highway. Luckily, the game had just started, and the two of us could make out Luca from a mile away. He had grown out his hair, but it was raked back into a man bun, now,  as he dashed from one side of the field to the other.

"Go Luca go! Go Luca go!" the fans cheered while the band blared in the background.

We chanted along, cheering on my brother who was captured on every monitor stationed around the arena. Monsters and humans alike praised him for his quick footwork and insane reaction time. He dribbled the ball down to the goal and used his signature backflip kick to score the final point of the match. Of course he had to show off a little. Luca panted heavily as he let his hair down, and the crowd went crazy.

"Love you guys!" Luca made a heart with his hands and flashed a wink at the camera man while he ran a victory lap.  Eventually, he reunited with us behind the stadium, and we endlessly teased him about his love for the public eye.

"What? I'm just enjoying the spotlight a little," he teased. "How was Dessert Dash?" 

Chompy grimaced.  "I'm going to be super honest.  One of the contestant's chiffon cake isn't sitting well with me," he held his stomach.  "But enough about me.  Let's get you to Dr. Nightcrawler so he can tend to that pesky knee of yours.  I don't understand why you insist on playing when you have an injury.  And of course you just had to show off with your backflip.  Toothy isn't going to be happy."

Luca pulled his knee brace down, revealing black and blue bruises peppered across his skin.  For someone who studied medicine and science for so long, I would have figured he would know how to take better care of his body.  Looks like we were all sorely mistaken.

The drive to Toothy's clinic was short.  It took longer to help Luca limp up the front steps and into the treatment room.

"Are you kidding me?" Toothy groaned.  "I told you not to push it.  And what did you do?"

"Push it?" Luca tried for a smile.  "Listen, doc.  You know how I feel about my signature move.  I'm not Luca of the Roaring Thunders without my backflip."