"Congratulations for your dish! The first aperçu of the Pâte Bleue was a success" Komatsu smiled at you when you returned to the kitchens.
"I was a bit intimidated at first...The prince still held such a cold expression even though he said it was delicious" you said, some hair sticking to your head from your messy bun.
The prince was the newest addition to the Gourmet Summit. Next in line to the throne, he was about to be crowned soon to replace his father who caught an incurable illness. To meet his expectations, you passed hours to prepare the pastitio with the Viande Bleue and the Sauce Bleue. With the help of Komatsu, both the preparation and the appearance turned out successful. The moment your friend had a taste of the Pâte Bleue, he couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear and mumbled out things about how it was divine for his taste buds.
So much that he almost lost track of his own time on working on the Bubbly Tuna, a dish he must serve in three days before the Gourmet Summit. A Mermaituna only has 200 grams of this meat in its body, and only reaches its peak seven days after the capture. It becomes inedible after the seventh day. Right now, Komatsu was struggling with the sauce.
"You know what surprised me the most? The reaction he had the moment he ate the pasta" Komatsu told you.
"A-Aye...So strange coming from someone who looks so cold and emotionless" you sweatdropped as you recalled the memory.
Everyone was lined up against the wall while Prince Aleijah Kwoaktuez strutted inside the hotel's venue, followed by his guards. He had a strict expression upon his face the moment he entered Hotel Gourmet, cold blue eyes wandering around the place before it settled on the director and the manager. The latter was sweating profusely while he made eye contact with royalty. You and Komatsu were worst. Stressed couldn't even define properly how you felt at the moment, and your friend was trembling on his two feet.
The long-haired man stopped in front of Umeda who was smiling confidently, arms behind his back. The director bowed his head and the manager welcomed the prince to in his humble hotel. Not long after, you were all brought at the private floor of the hotel, specially reserved for the summit.
"I hope you will enjoy this dish: Pâte Bleue. Made with the special ingredients of the Viande Bleue and the Sauce Bleue, the pastitio will refresh your spirit and mind" you spoke with a tint of nervousness in your voice.
The prince dismissed you with one look that sent chills in your back. You thought for a moment that he was about to order your execution. You took several steps backward until you met the wall, beads of sweat rolling down your forehead. Picking up the golden fork in an elegant manner, he started to eat the pastitio slowly. Once done with the first bite, the man suddenly froze up, eyes widening like saucers.
The guards quickly gathered around the prince, inquiring if the royal was okay or if there was a drop of poison in it. To everyone's disbelief, the man's eyes filled with tears and he let out a bubbly laugh.
"This feeling...It has been so long since I felt like this!" he exclaimed, the guards eyeballing the royal.
"This is the first time I've seen the prince laugh since the king's condition was revealed..." muttered a guard to his friend.
"The pasta is sublime, and each times I bite into a piece of meat, it's an explosion of flavors! Blue lobsters, white shrimp caviar, tilapia,...I can taste them all together. And the sauce!...Absolutely terrific!"
"Oh, we are more than pleased to hear that, your majesty!" stated the director. "Know that more will be served at the Gourmet Summit"
"Who is the chef that made this dish? The little man over there?" the prince pointed to Komatsu who flinched in surprise.
"M-Me? Uh, n-no! Well, I did work on this, b-but it was mostly my sous chef: (y/n)!" your friend answered.
"T-That would be me" you answered with a nervous smile, lifting your hand to gain the attention of the prince. "However, the head chef did help me a lot for the presentation-"
"You. Come work at my castle" the man demanded strictly, and you gaped at him.
"E-Eh?!"
It took a lot of persuasion from the director and the manager to change the prince's mind, who was pigheaded to bring you back with him to his kingdom. Now that you were finished with this job, you could return to your usual tasks in helping Komatsu in the kitchen. However, he too was now caught in a situation that demanded all of his attention.
"No matter what I do, I can't get the sauce right..." muttered Komatsu.
"Did you try with a bit of Sauce Bleue? Maybe it will work with the dish" you suggested, and your friend hummed negatively.
"There isn't enough left for me to use, with the Gourmet Summit and all. I tried everything in the kitchen, but nothing is bringing out the flavors of the Mermaituna"
"Perhaps we could look in a market at the World Kitchen. I heard they received new shipments not too long ago. Surely we will find something that could accompany the dish..."
Not long after, the two of you left the hotel. There wasn't much to do since your priorities were on the preparation of dishes that would be served at the reunion. As long as you stayed focused on your task, the manager didn't mind.
Unfortunately, your search and efforts didn't come to fruition for the both of you. Nothing interesting to meet the eye that could help you. Upon checking out a stand, you heard a familiar voice behind you:
"Well if it isn't Komatsu and (y/n)? What's up? You got such glum faces you two" spoke Tom as he arrived.
"Ah, Tom-san!" you exclaimed in unison with Komatsu.
"We're having a hard time in searching a sauce that could go with the Bubbly Tuna..." Komatsu explained.
"Bubbly Tuna, huh?" he hummed in curiosity.
"I made lots of different kinds to try out, but the sauce always lost to the taste of the Bubbly Tuna. I'm missing some certain flavor in the sauce, and I need to find the ingredient just right in less than five days"
"Komatsu-kun! (y/n)-chan!"
You cried out in surprise when someone clutched your shoulders and spun you around to face your assailant. You sweatdropped when you realized it was Tina with her feathered friend, Kruppoh. She looked distressed, somewhat.
"Just who I need!" she shouted, before her expression turned sour. "Where's Toriko?"
"Toriko-san? I haven't seen him lately" you answered, and Komatsu nodded in confirmation behind you.
"What?! I thought that if I came here I'd be able to meet Toriko and get a gourmet scoop! But Toriko isn't anywhere!" Tina whined, and the bird perched on her shoulder squawked indignantly. "Where'd he go?!"
"I-I D-DON'T KNOW!" you panicked while she continued to shake you wildly.
"If you're looking for Toriko, he went on a trip. Two days ago, to Wu Jungle" Tom told you three.
"That's ridiculously far away!"
"But, wait! That's it!" Komatsu shouted suddenly. "I remember hearing something. In Wu Jungle on the Wul Continent, there's a fruit that can be used as an ingredient to make a delicious sauce. The Wulstar Sauce Fruit"
"Oh! That's a good idea, Komatsu!" you said, punching a fist into your hand in realization. "It would make a good sauce to go with the Bubbly Tuna"
"And make a dish that even President Dohem would approve of!" your friend smiled.
"Bubbly Tuna? Dohem? I smell it, a mountain-sized serving of a scoop!" Tina mumbled to herself as she clutched her fist in determination.
"It's too dangerous for your three to go to Wul Jungle alone" Tom tried to reason.
"If we go with an enormous, mountain-sized serving of speed, we might be able to meet up with Toriko!" Tina argued.
On cue, the sound of a helicopter became louder to your ears as one of IGO stopped above your heads. As it got closer to the ground, you saw the pilot and realized it was Johannes:
"You called?" the man inquired.
Falling once more off your seat, you awkwardly managed to not puke on the spot as the helicopter went through another fit of turbulence and air pockets. Johannes didn't look too affected by the sudden changes, while both Komatsu and Tina were holding themselves tightly in their seat.
"I think I'm going to be sick..." said Komatsu, his face turning into a shade of green.
"Toriko-san should be arriving at the Wul Continent around now. We'll need to hurry" Johannes noted as the helicopter suddenly did a drop.
"I can't take all these G-forces..." groaned Tina while she clutched the pilot's seat. "Can you do something about this?"
"Someone from Gourmet TV who decided to come with us on their own...you do have permission to collect data here, right?"
"A historical scoop is at stake, so my superiors gave me permission immediately" she sweated, noticing the dark look Johannes was sending to her.
"Not permission from them. From the IGO..."
"There's freedom of the press!"
"You're saying you're riding in my helicopter without permission from the IGO?!"
They continued to bicker back and forth all the duration of the flight. On the other hand, you tuned down their voices to think about your destination. The Wul Continent can be measured with a total area of 1.02 billion square kilometers. Boasting the 3rd largest area in the Human World, and located in the northern part of the continent was Wu Jungle. Also nicknamed Hell Plant with all sorts of carnivorous flowers growing there. It was a dangerous forest.
"Oh, it's Wu Jungle!" suddenly shouted Komatsu as he looked through a window. "And...Toriko-san?!!!"
The Gourmet Hunter was indeed down there with Terry. The two were currently entering the forest, and disappeared inside. However, Johannes couldn't land too close to the jungle because of the monsters lurking there. Though, he still decided to bring down the helicopter a few kilometers away from the entrance of the jungle.
"Since Toriko-san already adventured inside, it's too dangerous for us to enter Wu Jungle alone" spoke Johannes as you all stopped in front of the creepy forest. "It would be a good plan to wait here for Toriko's return"
"Then how about bringing those Peaceful Flowers with us?" you suggested as you bent down to gather the flowers. "If we have this, we'll be able to go inside whilst protecting ourselves from danger"
PEACEFUL FLOWER (PLANT) - CAPTURE LEVEL LESS THAN 1
This flower preferred tranquil environments and will wilt when menacing creatures are close. Containing six petals in total, it takes a beast of Level 10 for one petal to wilt. They are considered indispensable for any beginning Gourmet Hunter.
"Really?" Komatsu inquired as he bent down too to take some of the flowers.
"Hm...I still think it would be best to wait for Toriko-san" told Johannes.
"But the expiration date of the Bubbly Tuna is three days from now. The flight home will take two days, so we can only stay here a day"
Suddenly, the bushes moved wildly. You all took a defensive stance while you waited for the creature to come out. You were a bit relieved when it was Zombie who came out of there with his men. The three stumbled forward, almost falling on their knees.
"Zombie-san?" your friend called, unsure.
"It's not Zombie, it's Zongeh-sama!!!" the male shouted angrily.
"Z-Zongeh-sama, on your head!"
Some kind of blue fruit was on top of his head. At first, it looked like it was an egg, before it melted on the spot and fell all over Zongeh's face. He struggled to get rid of it and threw the sticky substance on a tree in the jungle.
"Trees and plants keep swarming from all over. It's like they're my groupies" the bulky man complained.
"I think they were just attacking you..." you sweatdropped. "But good job in making it out alive"
"Or is he really a zombie...?" Komatsu wondered and Tina hummed in agreement.
"I ain't a zombie! I told you, I'm Zongeh-sama, dammit! But, in this place, there were some carnivorous plants that really did look like zombies...This forest is seriously dangerous"
"And we still need to enter"
Surprisingly, Komatsu was the first one to walk into the forest, and soon followed by you and the others. With the flower on you, it was easier to navigate without encountering any beast that could be harmful. And you were lucky enough to fall upon Mentaikomugi, mentaiko flavored wheat.
Your friend tried to make a spice out of Parmezansho Fruit with the plant and his Gourmet Spicer, but it ended up too spicy to eat. Poor Zongeh was fuming from the ears and nostrils, his face completely red.
"Sorry!" Komatsu apologized once more to the hunter. "I guess it's a failure..."
"It's too damn hot!!!" cried out Zongeh, gesticulating wildly. "My mouth is burning hot!"
"Guys, is it me or were those trees not here before?" Tina hummed, aiming her camera behind you.
Taking a look, you confirmed that those trees and plants weren't here before you arrived. You were wondering if the scope of the forest spread at an incredibly fast speed. Deciding it would be better to move out of the way, your group tried to retrace their steps.
But the moment you reached the landing spot of the helicopter, you found Johannes struggling with vines. They were enrolling themselves around the engine, and the male had enough time to get out before the helicopter was crushed between them. At that, half of a petal wilted from your flower.
"A Capture Level 5 beast is coming" said Komatsu.
A shriek echoed above your heads, and you looked up to see a Flying Peach Squirrel soaring in the sky and diving into your direction.
FLYING PEACH SQUIRREL (MAMMAL) - CAPTURE LEVEL 6
Screams of panic echoed from your group as you all took off to run away from the beast who was dangerously hovering you. Tina whipped her head at Zongeh, spatting out:
"Do something! You're a Bishokuya, right, Tonbi?!"
"No, I'm Zombie! Er, no, I MEAN ZONGEH! I already went all out beating up the things in this forest today! If I do anymore I'll just feel bad for them!" he told cockily.
"Is this really the time to be blowing your own horn?!" said exasperated one of his men.
Then, the beast suddenly stopped chasing you and made a quick turn to disappear in the deepest part of the forest. You took it as a good opportunity to breathe while you stopped running. It was short-lived however when a full petal wilted from the Peaceful Flower. A giant, plant lizard came out from the jungle, right behind you.
ALOE FRILL-NECK LIZARD (PLANT BEAST) CAPTURE LEVEL - 10
The beast roared at you, and you all took off running in the opposite direction. Strangely, Komatsu did a sharp turn as something shined in the bushes for a second. You followed, calling after him in disbelief. Only Johannes and Tina saw the sudden change, while Zongeh and his men continued to run with the lizard at their necks.
You found your friend kneeling in front of a small tree with vials, a star-shaped sign engraved in them. It was a Wulstar Sauce Tree, but the fruits weren't ripe yet.
"Komatsu-kun! (y/n)-chan! What are you going..." Tina said as she arrived with Johannes.
"At a time like that?!" cried out the man when he saw the tree. "We have to hurry up and get out of here!"
"I can't yet!" Komatsu responded, earning a grunt of disbelief from him. "The fruits aren't ripe yet"
"But this isn't the time to be saying things like..." the reporter tried to reason with the chef as loud footsteps that shook the whole island were coming closer to your direction.
"I can't just leave here empty handed" your friend frowned. "I have resolve as a chef, too!"
The lizard came out between the trees at the same time the fruits grew at their full size. Komatsu quickly snatched one, and the four of you dashed out of here. Unfortunately, the beast used its frill-neck to grab your friend at the last second, shoving him inside its mouth. You screamed Komatsu's name, gazing in horror as the creature ate the small man in one bite.
It looked satisfied with its meal, until the aloe around its neck popped out and fell on the ground. It started to cough and spat out a cloud of spice. When the smoke dissipated, it revealed a trembling Komatsu who was holding his Gourmet Spicer. The beast took this time to run away, its mouth still spitting out the hot spice.
"Are you okay, Matsu?!" you inquired as you knelt by him.
"Y-Yeah...It saved my life! That spice from before really helped me" he replied with a smile. "It's thanks to the warning Coco-san gave me before we left the Biotope 1"
"Oh. When he told us that something you failed at would save your life? So that's what it meant"
"So, did my beautiful appearance not mean anything?!"
You blinked in surprise as you turned around to see the Heavenly King Sunny-san. How long has he been standing there?! You didn't even hear him approach. Said male had his arms crossed in front of him, an indignant look on his face. He was practically pouting like a child.
"Eh? Sunny-san?" Komatsu asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, uh, that. I came to get that" he answered, not sounding that sure in the first place. "The lizard's aloe. It got quite a moisturizing effect. It'll be great for my beautiful skin and cuticles"
"Komatsu?"
"Ah! Toriko-san!"
The Gourmet Hunter had decided to make an appearance at this exact moment, a bag over his shoulder containing the BB Corn Tom-san told you about. Terry was at his side, tail waggling happily to see you all again. Both Tina and Komatsu ran up to him, bombarding him with questions while Sunny stayed behind, sulking that he wasn't receiving the same attention.
"What's with the big difference compared to when I showed up?" he muttered.
"I came to get the Wulstar Sauce Fruit" Komatsu told Toriko, showing the vial containing the fruit. "Do you have the BB Corn in your bag?"
"Yeah. Now I'm going to turn this stuff into popcorn. Wanna come, too?"
"That's okay" the chef shook his head, earning a surprised look from Tina.
"Eh?! Why?!" she cried out.
"I'd like to see the popcorn, but I have something to do" Komatsu continued, and Toriko exhaled with a smile.
"Gotcha"
The next thing you knew, you were inside Sunny's private helicopter with the others while Toriko and Terry continued their route. Tina hunched over Komatsu's seat, a questioning look on her face:
"Getting to see BB Corn popcorn, that was a really rare opportunity" she said.
"But I have to get back to the IGO and use this fruit to make a sauce that goes well with the Bubbly Tuna. It's my job" Komatsu replied determinedly.
"Something you have to do, huh?" she smiled.
"Okay, I'd really like to eat Bubbly Tuna with that beautiful fruit's sauce" Sunny declared. "In a magnificent flight, let's head back at top-speed!"
You shrieked as the helicopter suddenly gained speed, throwing you backward with Komatsu and Tina. Johannes was holding unto the seat, sweating while Sunny didn't look that much affected by the flight.
"S-Sunny-san, you can't eat any!" cried out Komatsu while you were upside-down in the air.
"It's okay, isn't it? Or is that summit a higher priority than me?"
"PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK!"
It was night when you reached home after two days of flight, five minutes before the clock struck 7:00 PM, which was the time limit before the Mermaituna's expiration. Hotel Gourmet was swarmed by interviewers and reporters who were filming the Gourmet Summit. However, the crowd quickly dissipated when Sunny literally charged at them to land the helicopter.
You let out a scream as you were propelled forward, followed by Komatsu and Tina. The Heavenly King simply exited his private jet with a triumphant look on his face:
"For me, that was a beautiful and wild landing" he said smugly.
"Would you please properly land it on the roof?" Komatsu asked dizzily.
"And do it a little more quietly?" added Tina.
"YOU NEARLY KILLED US" you shouted indignantly.
"I told you, we were over capacity and the controls weren't working!" Sunny replied in a pissed manner. "And yet I somehow managed to get us here on time, ain't that enough?!"
"Being dead, it wouldn't have mattered anymore, Sunny-san!!"
Before he could reply, you were interrupted by a mob of reporters who demanded to talk to Komatsu. Luckily, Johannes and a few agents of IGO stopped the crowd from approaching further. He turned his head in the direction of Komatsu, telling him to go while they were handling this situation.
With a nod, you all ran in the direction of the hotel. Climbing the stairs at an insane speed (in which both you and Komatsu nearly tripped a couple of times), you reached the top floor where the council was gathered and barged into the room out of breath.
"P-Please wait!" yelled Komatsu, panting heavily.
President Dohem froze at the sudden shout, his mouth still wide open with a bit of Bubbly Tuna hooked at his fork. The director called your friend's name in both surprise and relief. Komatsu didn't waste any time and pulled out his Gourmet Spicer with the Wulstar Sauce.
He provided the assortment to the dish, who glowed much more than before under the bewildered eyes of everyone. Then, out of sudden, the Bubbly Tuna transformed itself into bubbles that floated away.
"If the time runs out on the Bubbly Tuna, it turns into bubbles and disappears" Sunny explained as he arrived at the entrance. "Just like the legend of the Little Mermaid, who couldn't convey her feelings to the one she loved and turned into sea foam. That is the reason why it bears the names Mermaituna and Bubbly Tuna"
"It can't be..." whispered Komatsu as the president of the Roto Republic stood up abruptly from his chair and knocked it down on the floor.
"My long awaited Bubbly Tuna..." the man started, enraged. "You got me excited for nothing! Forget this silly summit, I'm returning to my country!"
"President, p-please wait just a moment!" stammered the director, tugging on his arm to prevent the man from leaving the hotel.
"We failed..." you blinked sadly while Komatsu fell on his knees.
"I can't believe it..." your friend sweated.
"That effort won't go down the drain"
Your head shot up at the sound of Coco's voice, and you found the man standing at the doorway with a bag that contained another, fresh Bubbly Tuna. The others gazed at him in disbelief, not believing this sight.
"Coco-san!" you exclaimed brightly. "You caught another one?!"
"The truth is that one of my clients in divination's prediction was leading them to a Mermaituna. Catching three of them, I brought one with me as compensation for my fortune telling. Knowing there was risk for you to return late for the summit, I hurried here with it as a replacement" he explained with a smile.
"A-Another damn beautiful appearance!" Sunny cried out, his hair standing on end. "I'm so pissed!"
"You may have gone through a lot to get it here, but that Bubbly Tuna is not worth eating. Bubbly Tuna matures starting from when it's caught and reaches its peak taste after seven days. After just being caught, the flavor will be weak" President Dohem told.
"No! If I make a sauce using a Wulstar Sauce Fruit, it should make up the difference in taste!" Komatsu intervened, blocking the president from moving.
"But Komatsu..." you interrupted, earning a look from your friend. With one finger, you dug into the sauce left by the Bubbly Tuna and tasted it on your tongue. "...It's still missing one flavor"
"Huh? Wait, I see...There wasn't enough salt content..."
"I will go get the salt-"
"Ordinary salt won't be enough for the impact of this flavor" Komatsu stopped you.
"Then how?!" wondered Tina. "Isn't the Wulstar Sauce Fruit the fruit that makes the ultimate sauce?"
"It's probable that the fruit was picked too early" Coco pointed out. "I've heard that this ingredient absorbs the minerals in the soil and converts it to salt content. Most likely, you picked the fruit before it had a chance to absorb enough minerals"
"No way..." breathed Komatsu.
"Uh...if you need salt, I've got some"
"Huh?!"
"T-Toriko-san?!"
The blue haired man was holding out a bag of salt in his hand, grinning sheepishly. You weren't even aware of his presence until he announced himself right at that moment. He certainly came back shortly after you left the Wul Continent.
"I got volcanic ash salt from Wul Volcano. I brought some with me in case I wanted to add some to the BB Corn" the Gourmet Hunter shrugged, and Komatsu's eyes became teary.
"I knew I could count on you, Toriko-san!"
"E-Even Toriko made a beautiful appearance?! I'm super pissed off!" yelled Sunny.
Making it back in the kitchens, you all worked to prepare the dish for the president before he changed his mind. As you added the salt to the Bubbly Tuna, you noticed that it suddenly matured. When Komatsu served the dish to President Dohem, you were holding your breath.
Will he love it?
Your doubts soon disappeared when you saw the president crying his eyes out after his first bite. The meal melted beautifully in his mouth, and he was quickly done with his plate. He stood up from his chair while both the manager and the director were folding their hands nervously, edging closer to hear his commentary.
"A magnificent sauce to go with exquisite Bubbly Tuna. Wonderful job, chef" he stated, shaking Komatsu's hand.
"Thank you very much, sir!" he replied, relieved to receive a positive note.
"But how did the Bubbly Tuna mature?" Tina questioned with a tilt of her head.
"The growth rate of the plants in Wu Jungle is incredibly fast. The Wulstar Sauce Fruit must have the effect of accelerating it. It has the power to make raw ingredients ripen more deliciously" you said.
"Truly the zenith of sauces, wouldn't you agree?" Coco added.
"And with the salt Toriko brought, it was stopped at just the right maturity. Truly a magnificent seasoning" Sunny shuddered.
"President, about the voting for the bill..." the director leaned closer, rubbing his hands.
"If it's for an IGO with a chef that produces such delicious cooking, I believe in you" the president accepted the offer.
The chairmen cheered loudly at this declaration, and Toriko decided to celebrate Komatsu's success by bringing BB Corn to the menu tonight. Not long after, both your friend's dishes of the Bubbly Tuna and your Pâte Bleue were served at each table.
The guests were content with the food and demanded a lot of refills. You smiled at their expressions, relishing the happiness that was displayed in their demeanor. Even though Tina was sulking a bit because her camera broke from Sunny's wild landing. You noted that Coco was sitting by himself, and walked in his direction.
"Do you enjoy the food, Coco-san?" you inquired, stopping beside the Gentleman.
"It's delicious. And I feel quite refreshed with your dish, (y/n)-chan. You also did a good job" Coco complimented, making you blush brightly.
"I-It's nothing!" you stuttered, waving your hand. "I'm more than happy to hear that!"
Your cheeks reddened even more when he smiled at you with his eyes closed, and you quickly looked away while you grabbed those flaming tomatoes. Good, now you were acting all awkward around him.
"MAGNIFICENT!" exclaimed the voice of Sunny in the background.
You couldn't help but giggle at the expression he was making while he ate down your dish and Toriko's BB Corn. It seems like another one appreciated what you made.
"Well then, everyone!" Director Umeda suddenly announced while he walked on the stage. "With an unanimous vote, the bill has been approved. For the ET Rice hand-formed sushi! The shoyu will not go on the rice, but on the topping!"
At that, both you and Komatsu (who was all the way at the other end of the restaurant) faceplanted together. Concerned, Coco sent a look in your direction and sweatdropped at the sight of your beaten up state.
"Is that something you need a bill to pass?" you muttered. "The world was saved by something like that?"