A Grundo Chef's Legacy

Everyone who has eaten at Grundos knows how much Gargarox adores cooking, but that is pretty much all that anyone really knows about him. What is this gentle giant's story? Many Neopians have just been dying to know, and lucky for you, I have the full dirt that Gargie's friends and family were happy to dish out.

Gargarox was born into a loving, yet competitive family of green Grundos. The youngest of four brothers, Gargie (as his mother came to call him) always aspired to be just like his older siblings. His father, Horace Isafuhlarg, had been a Gormball champion in his day, as had his father (Gargarox's grandfather). All three of Gargarox's older brothers were star Gormball players, making Horace the proudest Grundo dad in Neopia. Naturally, Gargarox wished to follow in his siblings' and father's footsteps to make his family name proud by becoming a star Gormball champion, but sadly, it was not to be.

Up until the age of ten, Gargie strived with Little League Gormball practices and tried his best at all the home games, but his hand/eye coordination was terrible, and the coach often kept him seated on the bench. Still, being benched did not dampen little Gargie's spirits. He always cheered his teammates on and congratulated them on their wins.

One day, around mid-afternoon, while Gargie and his team mates were out on the field practicing for the upcoming Gormball Championship, a strange looking delivery truck pulled up in front of the coach's office. Gargarox grew suspicious, as he saw a tall, cloaked figure jump out of the cab and rush into the office. Quietly and cautiously, Gargie approached the office door and put his ear to it. At first, all he could hear was muffled conversation, but it soon turned to shouting, and Gargie, fearing for his coach's safety, pushed open the door and ran in. Gargie to the rescue, he thought, but how very wrong he was!

Standing before him, with an iron grip around his coach's neck, was none other than Dr. Sloth himself! Gargarox, who had only read about the evil scientist in books, screamed in horror and turned to flee. Dr. Sloth, who had been attempting to once again put together a strong Grundo army, quickly pulled a strange vial from within his cloak and tossed it straight at poor Gargie, just as he reached the door. The vial smashed over the top of Gargarox's head, and a putrid, green liquid washed over his skin. Both Gargie and the coach screamed as a green cloud of smoke engulfed Gargarox. Dr. Sloth fled to his truck, jumped in and sped away.

The coach rushed toward the large green cloud , ready to pull Gargie out, but sickening gurgling sounds stopped him dead in his tracks. "G..Gargie? Are you alright?" the coach stammered. Silence ensued. The coach grew nervous. What had Dr. Sloth done to the boy? "Gargie? Answer me!" he demanded. A deafening roar ripped through the silence, shaking the walls of the tiny office. The coach shouted in fright, ran past the cloud and out the door. The rest of the young Grundos had fled at hearing the terrifying roar.

Back inside the office, the putrid, green cloud had begun to dissipate, revealing a monstrous figure standing in its midst. Authorities arrived on the scene immediately, and were shocked to find a green mutant Grundo curled up in the corner of the room, crying like a frightened child. Gargie's parents, having heard about the incident, had rushed to the playing field to make sure their youngest baby was okay.

"Momma!" the mutant hollered at seeing Mrs. Isafuhlarg enter the room. Everyone gasped, as they realized that the hideous mutant was, in fact, Gargarox! The evil Dr. Sloth had heartlessly poisoned the young Grundo with a transmogrification potion. Now three times the size of a normal Grundo, Gargarox stood at a good nine feet tall. His face was the scariest of all. His red eyes seemed to glare menacingly at everyone, striking fear into the hearts of all he cast his eyes upon, but their fears were soon assuaged when they saw the fat tears leaking out of those red eyes. Gargie sobbed and sniffled, instantly breaking everyone's heart. He was a boy trapped in a mutant's body. "What is to become of our son?" his father wailed. No one could provide him with an answer.

Because of his frightening appearance, Gargarox was taken out of public school and placed in a homeschooling program. At first glance, he looked like a blood-thirsty monster ready to rip someone apart limb from limb, but then he'd give his sweet, lopsided grin and everything would be fine. Over the years, while his brothers and friends would go out to play Gormball, Gargie would remain indoors and watch his mother cook. He'd occasionally help out with a recipe or two, and after a while, he came to realize how much he enjoyed cooking. His mother would hand him a clean apron and a wooden stirring spoon and let him go to work. His size made him clumsy, but he was always as gentle as he could possibly be.

He'd occasionally join his brothers and father outside for a family game of Gormball, but cooking became his real passion, and he no longer cared whether or not he could play Gormball professionally. For his 15th birthday, his mother gave him The Book. Passed down for many a Isafuhlarg Grundo family generation, The Book contained hundreds of recipes that were both odd and delicious.

Presently age 32, Gargarox runs Grundos, a quaint little cafe on the Virtupets Space Station. He has come a long way from a little Grundo who loved to play in his mother's kitchen and has since introduced many strange, yet surprisingly popular dishes to the pets of Neopia. He still has The Book, which he plans on passing down to his own children some day, and turns to it for inspiration from time to time. He likes to call his creations Gargarox's Delights, and when Neopets ask him what his favorite dish is, he smiles his lopsided smile and proudly says, "My very own Spotted Pudding!" Gargie's legacy is truly one to be remembered for always and will most likely be added to little Neopets' history books some day!

What are Gargarox's future plans? Smiling mischievously, Gargie only reveals two projects which he is working on for the future. One is to publish his very own recipe book entitled Space Delicacies and the other is to cater for the upcoming Gormball Championships! He still plays with his brothers and friends when he's not in the kitchen whipping up some Spotted Pudding, and he is content because his father is very, very proud of him! Here's to Gargarox and his Grundo Chef legacy! *digs into Spotted Pudding* (Yum!)