Gantu is still trying to get the hang of this whole beach bum thing, but hey, at least he's got a spare beach ball now. Enjoy, and check out the rest of Gantu's growth here at Big Stories!

Art ©  silver-stag

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His name was Chad. Gantu had been wondering about that for weeks now, but he finally figured out the blond, tanned man that kept smiling at him and offering him ice cream. What was his motive? The burly Kreplokian had dealt with plenty of shifty individuals in his time as a Galactic Federal Captain, and so he knew what these constant bribes meant— he wanted something. Was he a disguised alien? A member of one of earth's government, like that meddlesome agent Bubbles?

But he had learned his lesson about charging in, after his failed capture of the abomination. He would watch and wait until Chad gave something up— and see if he could figure out what the meaning of all these ice creams and frozen treats meant. He kept accepting them, hoping to gather something from the human, but he just kept giving Gantu… compliments.

"Looking great, big guy!"

"Hey dude, love to see you around again!"

"Anyone ever tell you you got a great smile?"

Then there was the most recent one. "Love the confidence, big guy. You keep letting it all hang out— you wear all that way too well. I'm gonna have to keep getting you more treats, y'know?"

What was he supposed to make about that? Gantu mulled it over still as he plunged for another ice pop— he was lounging on the beach in his now-usual spot. He couldn't let the ice cream go to waste, so he had kept eating it all. The alien's burly body had certainly been affected by all this earth food and its obsession with sugars and fats— the alien's beefy, military-grade build had ballooned an enormous beachball of a gut, and he could feel some of the weight piling on his already thick hips. The way Gantu saw it, he was lulling Chad into a false sense of security— let him think that this gambit was working. He'd find out his game soon— but after one more frozen treat. It was hot out, after all.