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Chapter Text

Somewhere deep in the mountains, far, far away from civilisation and the lively activity of its inhabitants, a young woman walks peacefully along the trail. She listened close the sounds of the forest. The birds chirping. Small creatures munching on nuts. Feeling the cool, gentle, breeze against her. She stretched up her arms, took a deep breath and gently exhaled. Appearing to be at peace and feeling totally relaxed. She felt something tugging at the bottom of her dress. The woman gazed down and smiled. She kneeled down and allowed the white kitten to climb onto her shoulder. It nuzzled against her cheek before settling on her shoulder.

"Ahh, what a lovely day. The sun is warm, the air is clean, and of course the day's promise of another adventure." She said, petting the kitten's head. "Wouldn't you agree, Kururu?" Kururu gave a happy mew, agreeing with her. The woman laughed to herself as she continued on her way to who knows where.

"How do you think everyone else is doing? Do you suppose they're hyping each other up and are competing against one another as usual?" She said as she laughed to herself.

"Well, then again, I think that's not a bad thing, it does serve as good motivation for them. How else is one going to complete their Full Course? Though, I am one to talk, I haven't made much progress." The woman was a Gourmet Hunter. Known far and wide as one of the best. Many have come to her asking for top level ingredients, and she never disappoints her clients. Like most hunters, she has a Full Course Menu, however, she is a bit picky about what it is she's searching for, and didn't feel a spark of acceptance with the food she's tasted, but they were still satisfying nonetheless. Because of this, her menu is completely blank. But she didn't mind. It just means she'll have more journeys to take until she finally completes it. Besides, the world is vast and wide, why wouldn't you seize the moment to travel across the many wonders this life has to offer?

She tends to not stay in one place for very long. Once her task was complete, she would go off and wonder the land. Guess you could call her a nomad. Besides, if you don't have a home to go back to...or don't have anyone to welcome back, then why not travel the world? Besides, she prefers the great landscapes, as well as The Gourmet World, in comparison to the big cities. Not that she really mind them, it's just that they were so loud and chaotic, it smells half the time, and there's so many people that it gets too crowded. Still, it's nice to enjoy a nice cup of tea at a cafe once in a while.

As she walked, the woman gasped, suddenly remembering something important. "Oops, how could I forget, today's the day! Hmmm...at least I hope it is. After all they only shows themselves once every ten years. Haha, what fascinating creatures. If I remember correctly, they prefer to lay their eggs in the Cavern Lagoon's waters. If that's the case..." She giggles to herself. "Then we should get going ourselves to get some." She said to her furry companion.

"Oh, wait. We're a bit far off from the city, going by foot is definitely not an option. Kururu, would you do the honor?" Kururu gave a happy mew and was about to jump off her shoulder when they caught sound of a vehicle just coming behind her. She placed a hand on Kururu's back and smiled. Perfect, a ride. She stepped to the side of the trail once the sounds were getting closer. When it was in her range, she raised her hand and waved it down. The driver of a truck came to a stop and asked the woman. "Hey there, miss. You need a lift?" He asked.

"Yes, please. If it's not too much trouble, could you take me to the nearest town. I need to catch a train."

"Sure, no problem. Hop on." The woman smiled and thanked the man. He opened the passenger side door and the young woman climbed on in. Once she was secured, they were off towards the first bustling city they'll come across. Since it was going to be awhile before the arrive, she decided it was best to take a quick nap. Kururu seemed to have the same idea as she made herself comfortable on her lap. Once she let out a little yawn, Kururu fell fast asleep. The young woman smiled at her little companion and then gazed upon the passing scenery. On days like these, she couldn't help but smile.

This feeling of being free. The feeling of excitement as she explores the world. The feeling of freedom has always been a unique experience of her life. A fullness of her being. A fullness of her life. And, of course, experiencing a feeling of expansion, moving toward an experience of, if not, into the infinity of one's being. At least, that's what she believes. Maybe she was just overthinking the whole thing, but that don't matter. Not to her. Especially when you think about on how you want to live your life. Whether you take one step at a time or go live on to the fullest and go nuts. The woman petted Kururu's back and let the smooth ride lull her to sleep.

Later on, the woman woke up to the sounds of multiple voices and footsteps. Car sounds and that strange smell she could barely recognized. That smell was more than enough to tell her she was in the city. "Oh good, you're awake. And just in time too, we've arrived at the train station." Her driver said.

"Thank you so very much. I must be going now." She said as she got of the truck and bid the man farewell. Before she went any further, the man called, "Excuse me, miss? What's your name? You look familiar that's all."

The woman turned her head to him and gave a smile. "My name's Sarafina, The Blind Bandit."

Chapter Text

When Sarafina purchased her ticket and entered the train, she had hope to have some peace and quiet until she reached her destination. Heh, such a foolish thought. Instead, she was met with numerous gourmet hunters taunting each other and attempting to intimidate the competition. Well, at least in this part of the train. Though to be honest, she thought something like this would appear. She could smell the alcoholic beverages and heard their loud chattering before she even stepped foot inside the train. Shaking her head in amusement, Sarafina smiled and walked off to find herself a seat. She had to go through several cars but eventually found a seat near a window. Sarafina opened it to gain some fresh air, and begin to think about the best way on how to capture the rare beast known as the Puffer Whale. Sarafina knew that it was going to be a bit tricky. Since each Puffer Whale has a poisonous sack whose position in the body varies between them. If she's not careful, then it'll releases its poison, rendering to be inedible.

Saraphina was brought out of her thoughts by the two people sitting behind her. They both sounded male and were both as equally excited as she was. Not only that, but she could hear one of them eating a hefty amount of food and smell seven or eight types of different alcohol in the mix. "You plan on leaving any booze for the other passengers, Toriko-san?" One man asked.

Toriko? Hm, where had she heard that name before?

"Don't judge, I'm excited. Just think, the two of us will be hunting the legendary Puffer Whale." The second one, Toriko, laughed, his voice was filled with glee. "Are you amped up for this, bro?!"

"Yeah, I'm cranked up to eleven!" The other said. Sarafina struggled to hold in her own laughter. Good heavens, being excited might've been an understatement for them. They probably are counting down the seconds before getting to the caverns and practically jumping up and down their seats. Wow, how long has it been since she heard a couple of hunters talk about hunting just for the sake of having fun and experience the adventure? "They say Puffer Whales are the most unique of all deep sea mammals. But they only show up somewhere we can reach them once a decade. Now's that time."

"Puffer Whale taste like a delicate blowfish rolled in fatty tuna and then dipped in a whale stew, it is divine. I can't wait."

Hearing them speak with such passion, Sarafina couldn't help herself but join in their conversation. With a soft giggle, she caught the men's attention as she said, "Oh, I'm sorry. But I couldn't help but overhear you two. I can relate on how you must be feeling about this hunt. However, one must not forget about the crucial part of the Puffer Whale." Sarafina turned around so that she would be facing them. "That's the only problem, they can be extremely poisonous if handled incorrectly. And the wrong move...well," She told them.

"Oh, she's got point there Komatsu." Toriko said, reaching for a burger.

"Yeah, I know. It's really important I come with on this one, cause it's also the first time in a decade anyone's had a chance to see how it's prepared. The poison sack's so hard to remove, it's classified 'Ingredient Needed Special Prep'. INSP, Toriko-san. INSP." Komatsu said, getting bubbly over the idea of actually preparing the Puffer Whale into a fine dish. And hopefully in a way that won't kill you.

"That's true. Only ten men in the world can prepare it in a way that won't kill you. And the one we're meeting up with isn't even a chef." Toriko told his friend. Though, that made him a little nervous since he didn't want to mess this up. It was a perfect opportunity and he wasn't going to take any risk with it. Sarafina was intrigued when this Komatsu guy talked about how he planned on cooking the deep sea mammal. That must mean he's a chef. "A Gourmet Hunter and a chef working together, now that's what I call a perfect duo." She said. "Would you mind if I sit with you?"

"No, not at all. Please, make yourself comfort-AAAHH!" Komatsu was moving over to make some room for their new friend only to freak out in the middle of his sentence as Sarafina stood up and walked over to them. This lady was a giant! Though not as tall as Toriko, but she's pretty dang close! She's got to be over 190cm tall! As she was settling herself next to Komatsu, the two men took notice that she was holding a white cane with a brown handle and that she was barefoot.

"I really must thank you for allowing me to sit with you both. It's been awhile since I've met other hunters who are as enjoyable." Sarafina said. "Huh? Does that mean you're a Gourmet Hunter too?" Toriko said as he looked her over. All she had on her was a small, black field satchel, a white scabbard, which is tied around her waist, and of course that cane. "You don't seemed to be that well-equipped."

Sarafina giggled. "Yes, I am. And these are the only tools I'll be needing when I'm out." She said with confidence. Toriko looked at her with slight skepticism before shrugging his shoulders. Whatever, he thought. Who was he to judge. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Name's Toriko." He said as he offered his hand to her. Toriko was an extremely muscular and exceptionally tall man with somewhat messy blue neck-length hair. He has three scars running from his left ear to just under his left eye. He has strong, angular facial features and somewhat catlike eyes. He wore a tight muscle orange spandex jumpsuit consisting of tight spandex orange cargo pants with pockets on the legs, dark blue knee-high boots, a black belt, a thin tight muscle black t-shirt with a tight muscle orange sleeveless vest both tucked in. "The pleasure's all mine. My name's Sarafina." Sarafina said as she shook his hand.

"Hello Sarafina-san, I'm Komatsu." The chef said as he shook her hand as well. Komatsu was a short, thin, and light-skinned young man with short black hair, large black eyes, and has a rather wide nose with large nostrils. He wore a purple and white shirt, tan pants, and plain shoes. "Hahaha, it's very nice to meet you both."

"Why aren't there any good liquors on this train?! Huh?! This freaking piece of junk!" A man yelled out. Geez, did his voice grate on the ears. Sarafina almost cringed at the sound of it. The man just so happened to glance over to their table and saw the cases of alcohol that Toriko had got from the bar earlier. "Hey, hey." He stormed over. "I was thinking that the quality of liquor here was too bad, but it was you who bought it all?! You shitty bastard!" The man growled at Toriko. "Hmm?" Was all he said, in which pissed the guy even more. "Do you know who I am? I'm Gourmet Hunter, Zonge!" The man, Zonge, was a large and muscular man with an intimidating appearance. He has a large mustache that connects to his sideburns and a large scar over his right eye, while his long hair flows over his shoulders and is parted in the middle. He wears a simple outfit apparently made out of fur, which gives him a somewhat caveman-like appearance. Zongeh also carries a large ax on his back and wears a headband and skull necklace.

"Lemme show you my full course menu!" He whipped out a list and began recite them in order. To be honest, Sarafina was highly disappointed in his menu. From what she was hearing, these ingredients are some of the lowest level of capture, that even a normal person can go ahead and get them. But what can you expect from an arrogant sounding man? "My main dish is that Galala Croc! I killed it a while ago! Hahaha, surprised aren't you?" He sounded so proud, but Sarafina shook her head. She heard him mumbled, 'Even though it was still a newborn' under his breath. Oh come on, it wasn't even a challenge if that's the case.

"Zonge-sama, please don't pick on the likes of him." One of his groupies told him, he sounded like he didn't want any trouble. Getting picked on? Well, Toriko wouldn't call this 'getting picked on'. To be really picked on, he would have to be surrounded by seven of the toughest beasts. Just as Toriko was about to stand up, Sarafina said, "As much as I want to believe that you have potential, you have no excuse for this arrogant behavior. Toriko had paid for his drinks fairly. If you wish to have some for yourself than you're going to have to ask for it politely instead of acting like a moronic novice."

"Eh?! What did you just say to me?!" Zonge growled as he turned his attention towards the young woman. Sarafina didn't bothered to look at him as she said, "I mean no offense. But as a Gourmet Hunter, you should have more honor than that. Stop acting so high and mighty, and start learning on how to be humble and take time to hone your skills so that you may capture higher level beasts."

Toriko's lips twitched at that. Whoever she was, she sure had spunk, he'll give her that. When he saw Zonge reaching for her, Toriko suddenly stood up. Completely catching the unkempt man by surprise when he saw just how gigaintic he was compared to him. 'He was a lot shorter sitting down.' Zonge thought as he was shaking in his boots. Placing a hand on the guy's shoulder, Toriko said, "Go ahead and grab yourself a bottle, it's cool. Sorry if I was being rude, Zombie. I have to say that's one pretty impressive course right there. Excellent, Zombie."

"Oh...ooh...uh, well just considers this a warning then. Oh, and it's Zonge. Remember that well." After taking a few bottles, Zonge and his groupies walked on, leaving the three alone. "Those guys were nuts." Komatsu said.

"Yes, but one must get used to those types." Sarafina stated.

"Huh, why?" He asked. "This train's packed with Gourmet Hunters after the same thing we are." Toriko answered as he took a swing from another bottle. "Things may get a little messy, may not look like it, but all the hunters are sizing each other up. That Zombie guy was hoping he'd scare some competition."

"Then why'd you give him some of your booze?"

"'Always be kind to your fellow travelers' I say. We may be on different teams right now. But we're all hunters chasing the same delicious dream. Right, Sarafina?"

"I couldn't have said it any better myself." She said as she smiled. "Oh yeah, speaking of different teams, should I watch my back in case you try and pull something?" Toriko jested.

Sarafina shook her head. "Not at all. I may be a Gourmet Hunter, but I also have respect for my fellow hunters. I'd feel guilt if I used an underhanded tactic on them."

"You feel rather strongly about this, don't you?"

"Yes." It would be easier if everyone got along instead of trying to fight one another. But then again, it was up to them to decide that. "I remember you saying that it's been awhile since you've met another hunter, what did you mean by that?" Toriko asked.

"For long time, I've been traveling all around both our world and the Gourmet World. I've never been a big fan of cities or large crowds so whenever I completed a job, I go off to another location." Sarafina explained.

"Wait, you've traveled the Gourmet World on your own? But how can you do that when you are-?" Komatsu started to say when he quickly shut his mouth. He'd wanting to ask, but he didn't want to be seen as rude. "When I'm what?" Sarafina asked. Komatsu hesitated before continuing, "Well...it's just...I don't want to sound rude but, Sarafina-san...aren't you...blind?"

Instead of feeling insulted, or angry, or even a bit self-conscious like Komatsu expected, he was surprised that Sarafina kept her smile up and said a simple, "Yes, I am."

"Wait, you're blind?!" Toriko shouted. He had just came to that revelation. He leaned forward and stared at her pale blue eyes. Well, eye. Her left eye was covered by her fuchsia red fringe. Her long fuchsia red hair was tied back in a ponytail. Sarafina laughed at Toriko's reaction and nodded, "Yes, I am. But you needn't worry about me, I'm more than capable of handling things on my own."

"A blind Gourmet Hunter, huh?" Toriko said as he sat back down. "Hold on, I think I've heard something about that." Before he could process his thoughts, an elderly voice came in saying, "Excuse me, spare some for an old Gourmet Hunter? It's my medicine." It was an elderly man with a white pompadour hairstyle as well as his goatee. He looked to be a frail hunched old man, wears ragged and patched up clothing and cheap sandals that makes him resemble a bum. "I'm kinda...not good...with high places...so whenever I look out the windows...I was so scared I couldn't stand." He explained.

"Are you trying to get rid of the terror by being drunk? But you know, aren't you shaking because you ran out of alcohol?" Toriko said.

"Well, there's that."

"You can have them all, mister. We're getting off at the next station anyways." The old man blinked in confusion. "Eh... The next station..?"

"The town of fortune telling! Gourmet Fortune!" With that said the train slowly started to slow down. Guess they were closer than they thought. Gourmet Fortune. A town well known for divination since long ago. For the recent years, along with the growth of the food industry, the customers gradually became mostly day traders and gourmet related investors. Even though there are a few bogus fortune tellers aiming for the fluctuations on the stock market, the authenticity of this town's fortune telling is quite high. Initially, Sarafina was prepared to bid her farewell to the two men, but Toriko surprised her by inviting her to come along with them. Sarafina sat there speechless for a minute but eventually smiled and took up his offer. As they got off the train, the older man said, "Th...thank you, sir, I will repay the liquors som...*hiccup*" Toriko waved his hand as he replied, "It's alright. Don't worry about it. Though don't drink too much, old mister."

"Ho...how about yourself, Toriko-san!!" Komatsu said as they walked further into town. As the group walked, Komatsu looked all around town and said, "I can't believe this town's home to a fortune teller who can also prepare Puffer Whale. Though this place seems kind of empty now."

"Not exactly, Komatsu. The streets may be empty but these buildings are filled with people." Sarafina said.

The giant hunter took a puff from his cigar and said, "Yeah, must be hiding from the beasts. That same fortune teller foretells the time when a beast comes out to hunt." He wasn't kidding. Beside them was a sign that said 'Look out for wild beasts'. "The townspeople barricade themselves inside to wait out the attacks."

"Now that I think about it, They say this guy also foretold when the Puffer Whales will come back. And that's why the market was in a huge turmoil." The chef started to say when he suddenly saw a lone figure with a cloak making their way down the empty street, walking towards them. Ah, a person! There's a person, Toriko-san!" The figure had gotten the attention from both hunters. From what Sarafina could tell on her own, it was a very tall, muscular man, though he wasn't as tall as the other giant of a man next to her. The man had a striking face, black hair, has prominent sideburns running down to the angles of his jaws, and short bushy eyebrows. He has piercing brown eyes and wears an all black suit with green bands wrapping around it at the wrists, elbows, waist, neck and an additional one on top of his head. On his turban he wears a purple pin in the shape of the letter "P". The man's ears are pierced; his right ear sports gold stud in the lobe and what is either two purple studs or an industrial piercing in the scapha, and in his left ear is a single gauged plug from which dangles a fuchsia chain that attaches to a clasp worn on the helix of the same ear.

Without any warning, the ground shook as a gigantic dinosaur-like beast with wings had appeared next to the man. Komatsu had yelled out in terror while Sarafina was about to go save the man, when she noticed that Toriko was just standing there calmly. He wasn't in the least bit concern about his safety. Toriko then said, "You came for me, huh? Or rather, you knew I was coming, didn't you?" The beast lounged forward at the man, ready to take a bite and eat him. Komatsu shouted at him as he shut his eyes. The man kept walking towards them as the beast opened its jaws, however, it had stopped within mere inches from his head.  

The beast had stared at him for a moment, before pulling back and wondered out of town. Komatsu cautiously opened his eyes and he shakily asked, "Eh...?W...what happened?" The mysterious man finally got closer to the group and stopped. He gave a small smirk as he spoke with a smooth tone. "What a troublesome customer to have. The wild beast was much cuter." Toriko merely laughed at that and replied, "Didn't finished up your full course menu, Coco? The Gentleman of the Four Heavenly Kings?" Wait...what did he say? "Three more, I guess. How about you Toriko? The Glutton of the Four Heavenly Kings?" Sarafina stood in shock once she had heard their of their true identity. Now she knew why the name Toriko sounded so familiar, Toriko and this Coco gentleman, are two of the Four Heavenly Kings! The most idolized and recognized Gourmet Hunters of their generation is the countless achievements they have made in the field of gourmet hunting by discovering countless new ingredients! She mentally scolded herself for forgetting such important information, especially since he told her all about them should she need them. She was impressed that Coco's a talented fortune teller as well as a Gourmet Hunter.

Sarafina recovered from her shock when voices were heard as the people of the town had begun to come out, now that the threat had passed. "Is the beast gone?" One man said. When they appeared, Coco was getting nervous. A bead of sweat rolled down his face. Then someone shouted, "Ah! Coco-sama!" With that, poor Coco was immediately engulfed the large crowd of both men and women. "S...stop it! Stop touching me!" Coco yelled as he desperately tried to get away from the crowd, especially from the women who trying to get their hands on him while also trying to get him to tell their fortune. With so many loud voices and Coco's pleas, Sarafina felt sorry for him and decided to help him out.

She walked over to the crowd and slammed her cane on the ground, loud enough for all the women to quiet down and turn their attention towards her while Coco stood there with a surprised expression. "Thank you. Now, would you all be so kind as to leave the nice man be?" She said gently. "He's clearly uncomfortable with you crowding around him like that, plus I'm sure he appreciates a little breathing room." Sarafina reached over, took his hand and successfully freed him from the group of women. From where Toriko stood, he was shocked as he watched the blind woman getting Coco out of that mess. Coco himself had a combination of amused, shock and surprised look on his face. Wait a sec...is he blushing right now?

Toriko suddenly felt annoyed at them, he was about to turn away when one of the woman yelled, "Hey! You can't hog Coco-sama to yourself!" With that said, all hell broke loose cause now the two of them were swallowed up by the mob. "You can't hog Coco-sama, he belongs with me!" "No, with me!" They yelled at her. Sarafina could only stand there confused since she had no idea what these women were going on about. Still, she stayed calm and tried to reason with them. But...it didn't work so well. Coco had enough of this nonsense and called out to Toriko. "T...Toriko! We'll change the place of meeting for now! Let's talk in my home with some food!" Just say the word 'food' and you got the giant hooked.  

He rushed forward and picked up both Coco and Sarafina in each of his arms. "Hey! Are y'all chickens? Get away from here! He's got something really important to do!" He yelled as he shooed the groupies away. Once they finally gone, Toriko put them down and Coco pointed down a path that led to his home. "This way, please." 

"Right! Let's get going!" Toriko said excitedly as the group walked down the path. "So who were those people?" He asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer already. "They are my customers. Forgive them." Coco said.

"It's nice when you have a successful business as well as having supportive customers, however, I'm afraid I find it extremely rude for them to swarm over like that." Sarafina said to him. Feeling sympathetic towards him as she understood his dislike of large crowds. She wasn't a huge fan of them either. Coco chuckled lightly at that. This woman seemed to be...different than most he's met before. "Eh? Co...Coco-san, you do fortune telling as well?" Komatsu asked, looking a bit confused.

"That's my main job at this town." The brown-eyed man said. Toriko huffed at bit at that as he took a puff of his cigar. "Our old man is probably lamenting over that right now."

"What? Why would he doing something like that? If this is something that Coco enjoys doing, why should he unhappy about it?" Sarafina asked innocently. With the gift of freedom, it comes with the price of accepting the choices one makes from others. Even if those choices don't agree with you, they were made by those who believed them to be for the best, and the least you can do is be there for them and offer your support. Coco made the choice to be a fortune teller in this town on his own. So why would someone be disappointed in him for that? "It's a long story, miss." Coco answered, ruefully.

"By the way, what happened to Zebra?" Toriko asked, changing the subject "He got caught. Right now, he's in the Gourmet Prison." Toriko laughed a bit. They both knew that eventually, sooner or later, Zebra would be caught and be taken in. "Haha, finally caught! That problem child!" Toriko laughed. But then his laughter was soon dying out as he began to remember the great old days where the Four Kings were together and spent their time training to the brink of death out in the gardens. Yeah, those were the days. Back when things...seemed so simple. "It was unfortunate and unavoidable." Coco said as they continued to walk.

Sarafina felt her heart grow heavy as she sensed the emotions from the two Kings. They didn't show it visibly, but she felt the sadness and sorrow within them. Sarafina didn't know much about this Zebra person, but from what she felt them and how they speak of him, Zebra was no doubt a close friend at one point. "That made me recall the days we trained ourselves to death in the garden...and in time we came to be called the Four Heavenly Kings." Toriko said. 

"Hmph, what an old memory. There, that's my home." Coco said as they got close to a cliff. Komatsu looked around, but he didn't see any sign of a house anywhere, except a cliff and mountain range overhead. "But Coco-san, there's only a cliff." He said before noticing a house sitting on top of a pillar. "Hey, wait a sec...is that your home, Coco-san? How do you get across?" His answer came when Coco called out the name, "Kiss!" Then the sounds of wings flapping were heard from above and four heads looked up to see a large crow coming in for a landing in front of them. "Woah! An Emperor Crow, Lord of the Sky. I thought they'd all gone extinct." Toriko said. Kiss was a corvid bird with the appearance of a gigantic jungle crow or raven. He has lustrous black-colored feathers with a long, sharp purple beak, thin black legs with purple talons and deep red eyes.

"AHH! A CROW MONSTER!" The chef screamed as the crow landed. "All right Kiss. Get down." Coco told the crow as he landed next the dark-haired man. He chuckled as he petted the bird and answered Toriko's question. "He's a part of my family." He looked over at the group before saying, "Carrying four people would be too much for Kiss. How about two at a time across?"

"Sounds good to me."

"That won't be necessary." The boys looked at the fuchsia-haired woman and went, "Huh?" Sarafina gave a smile and explain, "I'm sorry. Please don't trouble yourself with me, I have my own way of getting across." Now they looked at her in confusion. "What? But how are you going to get across?" Komatsu asked her. "Mew." Mew? Sarafina gazed down at her satchel bag and giggled. "You're awake. Goodness, you can sleep a lot when you want to." She opened the bad and the head of a kitten popped out, giving out a small yawn as it climb out of the back and onto her shoulder. The kitten had pure, snowy white fur, ice blue eyes, and light blue marking on its face, chest, and back.

"Allow me to introduce you to my dearest friend, Kururu. Kururu, these are my new friends, please be kind to them." She said. "She's the one who's going to help me get across."

What? Wait, this little kitten will be helping getting her over to Coco's home? Seriously? Toriko sputtered out a laugh as he started to say, "You're joking, right? I mean, that's still a baby right? She's too little, there's no way she can-." As he was talking, Kururu was glaring at the blue-haired giant and jumped off Sarafina's shoulder and began transforming. Toriko was cut short as freezing cold wind suddenly began blowing out of nowhere, followed by specks of snow. Causing all three men to shiver and tried to warm themselves. What the-!? It was sunny and warm today, why's it-?! The wind swirled around Kururu as she was slowly engulfed by an icy tornado. When it dissipated, a loud roar rang out. No longer was there a little kitten, instead in its place, was a 19 meter, 17 ton panther with a fluffy mane and large fangs protruding from her mouth.    

"I don't think there'll be any problems, now will they?" Sarafina smiled as she climbed on Kururu's back and told her to fly towards the house on the pillar. "See you there!" She called out to the three men who were left completely dumbfounded by what they just witnessed.

Chapter Text

A short minute passed, and the men snapped out of their shock and flew to Coco's home. Once inside, the group settled in while Coco poured four drinks. Of course, Sarafina offered to help, but Coco told her she didn't have to since she was a guest. Kururu had transformed back to her kitten form and was now resting by one of the windows. "Wow. So you've decided that the fruit of the rainbow is your dessert entry. Haha, I told you the right thing." He carried the drinks from the kitchen to the table where everyone was sitting before continuing. "Well...I really like your choice. The taste that changes seven times is quite interesting and gets even better in the end. But on the contrary the meat dish should be something fundamental, thick and heavy, am I right?"

"Um, Coco...? I don't think he's even listening at the moment." Sarafina told him as the giant hunter practically inhaling the food while saying between bites, "Yeah, I think so." He could have something else, but it was lost in the food somewhere. Oh, well. He chuckled lightly. "I noticed Sarafina-san."

"Oh no, please. Don't be so formal, just call me Sarafina." She said as she took a sip of her tea. When introductions first began, he too was taken by surprised to learn that Sarafina was, not only blind, but also an experienced Gourmet Hunter, and had been for sometime. Coco was stunned, but he was also intrigued to figure out how she's able to 'see' and do what she's capable of. 'But however you see it, that's a very indecent etiquette.' The brown-eyed man thought to himself as he watched Toriko eat.

"Hey Coco (Wow this is good stuff) did you think I would (Oh fluffy boar meat) come to see you just to tell you that?" Toriko asked between mouthfuls of food. "Come now, Toriko. Speak your mind AFTER you've finished eating."  Sarafina said. Honestly, there's only so much impoliteness that can be tolerated. Not only is he making a mess, he's also speaking between mouthfuls. Coco calmly took a sip of his drink and asked, "Here to request for assistance? Is it about the Puffer Whales after all?"

"Yep, that's it!" Toriko said simply as he kept on eating. "Coco-san..are you...are you able to remove the poison sack in the Puffer Whale?" Komatsu asked. Sarafina was wondering the same thing, when she suddenly felt chills down her back and became even paler than she already was as she'd briefly sensed something from Coco. On Komatsu's end, he noticed the upper part of Coco's face had turned to a dark purple color. Eh? What was that? Komatsu stared at it as Coco quickly covered that part of his face and said, "Ah...oops, forgive me. Komatsu-kun, you were a chef at Hotel Gourmet, right? Can you handle the Puffer whale?"

"Oh...well, yes. I have once." He said. "Puffer Whales are also called 'Daphnia Whales', and as the name suggest, their size is as small as normal pufferfish. And because of that there are a lot of cooks who handle them in the same way as pufferfish. And so when Puffer Whales come out in the market every sixteen years, about 100,000 people die of food poisoning." Coco told him. "The poison Puffer Whales have a lethal dose of .2mg nerve poison. It's one of the most poisonous even in nature."

"And once the poison sack erupts and the content leaks, not one bit of the whale can be eaten. Though, there are a few who would but..." Sarafina said, remembering on what she knows about the whales and their poison. "Exactly. I will tell this. The probability of capturing them without breaking the poison sack for is about half. One in two will turn poisonous. And the probability to remove the sack without breaking it is ⅕. Have you mistaken who to make your request to?" Coco asked.

"You're good enough." Toriko said with a carefree smile. Hmph, Sarafina was beginning to like this man's spirit. "The probability of succeeding for me is none! There isn't a single way for me to capture that delicate thing and then cook it!" He had a good point. If he trusts Coco to know what he was doing, then capturing it should be easy, right? "There is some more bad news." Here we go.

"The beach in the cave, which has been the egg-laying spot for the whales recently, is a cave tens of kms long, and 800m deep. The probability of one reaching the destination and making it back is .1%." Of course, nothing can be that easy. Although that kind of comes with the job, it just makes things more fun for them. "It's alright! Better than diving from the seaside." Toriko said. "There's more. The beast of hell. The Devil Serpent."

"I've heard about that. It's said that it's strong enough to match with the legendary Battle Wolf, is that right?" Sarafina asked. Coco nodded. "That's right. That monster is inside the cave and God knows what else is in there."

Toriko busted out laughing, "Hahaha! From that snake's viewpoint, you're more dangerous!" Huh? What did he mean by that exactly? Does it have to do with that purple color appearing on his face and what Sarafina had sensed? "Toriko..." Coco went before Toriko said, "Alright, I got it. I understand that it's pretty dangerous, but other than that," Toriko had this cocky smirk on his face as he said the following. "Can you see the sign of death on either me, Komatsu or Sarafina here?"

Coco had a shocked expression when Toriko said this. He looked down, almost in defeat. "I got it. I will come along." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. Toriko clenched his fist in excitement. "Yes! That's my Coco! As expected from a Gourmet Hunter! The reward is to eat whatever you want in the restaurant of Hotel Gourmet! How 'bout it?" The giant said happily. "No way! How did my restaurant come in here?!" Komatsu asked in a panic. Sarafina laughed at them. 'These two will never be boring, they're just too much.' Kururu woke up from her nap and ran to her master's side, jumping to her shoulder.

'How long since I last worked as a Gourmet Hunter?' Coco wondered to himself as he watched as the two fight good-naturally as the woman listened on with a kind smile. 'But...the sign of death.' He didn't see one on Toriko...but the others...oh God. Komatsu had one, but it wasn't as eerie as the one on Sarafina. The sign of death appeared as a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders. It may be faint...nearly non-existent...but it was still there, he could see it, and it was a chilling sight.

The group left Coco's house right after Toriko finished eating him out of everything in his home. "Just as I thought I could get some rest since you finished up all the food at my home, you decided to go. You are just as impatient as before." Coco told the blue-haired man as the group walked towards the cave. The terrain was very pretty, with the exception of the rocks and a few pillars everywhere, but that don't matter. Toriko puffed out of his cigar and said, "The day you thought of it is the lucky day. All days after is unlucky days."

"In the world of fortune telling, the timing and the season you make your move is very important." Coco cooly told him. Toriko in turn gave him a smug look. "What if the best timing is 1000 years later? Are you going to give up?" Sarafina gave out a small laugh at that. "By...by the way, what do you think is going to happen according to you, Coco-san?" Komatsu asked, trying to break the tension that was forming. Coco looked back and gave him a very odd look. 'Eh..? What's with this face?' Komatsu wondered.

Sarafina sensed the uneasiness from Coco and was getting concern for him. "Are you alright Coco? Is there something wrong?" Coco gave her the same look as he did Komatsu. "..Nothing." He told her as they continued walking. Sarafina frowned at him. He's lying. The emotion she sensed from him was sadness. Was something going to happen when they entered the cave? As the group were approaching the entrance of the cave, Sarafina sensed the presence of three other males running out of it in great speed, along with their fear. 'Hmm? Now who did I sense this from? Oof, it smells like-.' She wondered as the trio rushed up to them. Toriko noticed them and said, "Oooh! You were San Geria-kun!" Sarafina gave out a laugh, that wasn't even close to his name. 

"Who the heck is that?" The crude man yelled as Sarafina step forth and politely said, "Hello, Zonge. It's...nice to see you again. Did had any luck in getting any Puffer Whales?" He grinned cockily at her. "Hehehe. It was right in front in of my eyes!" Sarafina raised an eyebrow at him. From what she sensed from his two followers and from him, he was lying and had not even seen the whale. She didn't really feel like calling him out, so she just let him talk.

"If I just caught them now it wouldn't be any fun, right? I'm the type that stops playing RPG games when facing the last boss, ya know?" What the hell kind of logic is that? As far as anyone knows, logic from video games does not apply to real life. "Hmm. Is that right?" Toriko said as he continued to smoke.

Sarafina sighed as she turned her head to gaze at the men who were laying around. She had sensed their presence earlier and now it was taking everything in her to not shake in rage. While she may seem calm on the outside, inside she was cursing their very existence. Those men were bandits. Bandits who are most likely will attack and kill whoever comes out of the caves with the Puffer Whale. But that's just like them. 'This world would be better off without these disgusting vultures.' Sarafina turned to Kururu and told her to find a place to hide until she returns. The little kitten nodded and ran off. "What kind of cat is that, Sarafina-san?" Komatsu asked. The woman smiled brightly. "Just your everyday house cat." "Huh?"

"Alrrigght! Let's go! Here we go, you guys!" The giant hunter said happily as they walked towards the dark caves. "They...they didn't even take any weapons with them." Said the bald man as the trio watched the three men and woman go into the cave. Placing his hands on his hips Zonge said, "Hmph. Amateurs trying to be Gourmet Hunters. They'll learn soon enough."

"But Zonge...that girl with them...isn't she blind? She's been carrying that cane since we saw her on the train." Asked the other man with hair. "We should go in there and protect her."

"Wait, what?! She is!" Zonge said, starting to freak out a bit. "Urgh...well...we can't go back after them to get her. We can leave her protection to those amateurs for now." Zonge quickly decided. Wow. This cave was bigger than she thought it was going to be. "Take out the lights, Komatsu. You won't be able to see anything soon because of darkness." Coco told him as they further into the caverns. "Right." Komatsu replied as he searched into his backpack and pulling out a flashlight helmet. Coco then held Sarafina's hand and he said, "Don't ever get away from us, okay you two?" Komatsu agreed while Sarafina was confused. "I understand you've been a Gourmet Hunter so some time, but I don't want to take risks. Not with Komatsu-kun or you, Sarafina-chan."

She sighed and gave a smile. "It'll that'll make you feel better. Please, simply call me Sarafina." She said as she gripped his hand. 'The darkness may be a good thing. Humans acquire most of the information from their eyes. If in the darkness with less information, perhaps Komatsu-kun will come with a little more caution.' Coco thought to himself as he suddenly heard Komatsu shout, "Ahh! There's Snap Mushrooms here!" "What?! You serious?!" Toriko shouted as he rushed over. 'He's already acting on his own!! Not at all cautious!!' Coco thought as he noticed the woman was still beside him, giggling at the other two. "Not going to look at the mushrooms? Or eat it, at least?" Coco asked her. Sarafina shook her head. "I'm not very fond of mushrooms." She glanced over the others and laughed again, causing him to blush. "You must admit, they're enthusiasm it's amusing." Looking over at Komatsu and Toriko he thought with a nervous look. 'Komatsu-kun can you please be a little nervous.... Please do...'

"Now tell me. ARE you alright?" The blind woman asked she looked right up at him. Looking away with a slight blush he nodded. "I'm fine." Liar. "Are you sure, because something else is telling me otherwise." "It was nothing." Well, if he's going to be that way, then fine. His secrets are his own. When the others finally got the mushrooms, the group walked further into the cave and came into a split in the cave. "There's two ways we can go! Which one should we go?" Komatsu asked. Sarafina took a step forward and shifted her feet. Listening to the sound waves from both caves and for the smell of the ocean. Ah-ha, found it. "How's it Toriko?" Coco asked.

"I smell dead meat from both holes, but there's the distinct smell of millipede in the right one so there's probably a nest of giant millipedes. I can smell a bit ocean breath to the left. We're going left." With their destination set, they continued onward. Later on, it was quick to realize that the deeper they went, the more cold and dark the cave gets. "It's quite slippery here. Be careful where you step on, Komatsu-kun." Coco called back from up head. "Y...yes." He respond. "Sarafina, you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But you might want to keep up." She said. The three looked up and were taken by surprise as they saw that the fuchsia-red haired woman had gone ahead of them. "How did you-?" Coco started to say as he rushed up to her. The flashlight didn't shine too far ahead, so how was Coco, and even Sarafina, seeing and walking so clearly? "Coco-san doesn't even even have a flashlight. How could he be moving so fast in the dark? And Sarafina-san is completely blind, how could she be moving fast" Komatsu asked.

"I'm not entirely sure about Sarafina, but Coco has good eyes. Not his eyesight but...well his eyesight isn't normal either but..." Toriko started as they continued walking. "Coco can see beyond the visible lights waves, as much as electromagnetic waves. The number of one cells and sight cells are so numerous he can see ultraviolet and infrared. For Coco, this dark cave might as well be as bright as noon outside." Sarafina overheard that and is impressed with Coco's talent. Another thing, Coco uses his sight to catch the weak electromagnetic waves produced by human bodies and predicts one's future by the strength, amount and shape. This ability applies to other animals and maters (non-organic) as well.

"That's so cool." Komatsu said in amazement. "But if that's the reason Coco-san can see so well, what about Sarafina-san?" Toriko shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. I'm sure she'll tell you if you ask her." Suddenly Coco and Sarafina stopped walking. "What's wrong, you guys." Toriko asked. "Wait. Stop walking." Coco told him. Komatsu, unfortunately, didn't catch that as he ran over to them, nearing dangerously close. "Komatsu, get away from the ledge!" Sarafina yelled out as the chef slipped on the rocks and right off the edge. He would've fallen to his death if Toriko didn't grab him in time. "You have a nice trip there, bro?" Toriko asked. "Komatsu, as much as I admire your enthusiasm, you seriously must be more careful." Sarafina told him. "I am so sorry."

Soon a weird noise slowly starts to fill the area they were in. What was that scraping sound? Komatsu looked down and screamed. Right below them was a massive horde of Scorpion Cockroaches. They have a scorpion lower body and a cockroach upper body. A giant venomous cockroach, along with its grotesque appearance, it is a very procreative species that travels in swarms, so the sheer mass of them is a double yuck. "Scorpion Cockroach! So this is the toxic cockroaches' nest!" Another scream was heard from above them and saw a man falling into the nest. "A Gourmet Hunter?" Coco asked, panicking ever so slightly.

"Not good. He's falling to the nest." Toriko said as he pulled Komatsu to safety. Before Sarafina could grab what she needed to save that poor man, it was too late. The man was quickly surrounded and eaten by the animals below, leaving nothing but a pile of bones behind. At time like these, she hates/appreciates being blind. Turning to Coco, Toriko said, "The problem is, we have to go through here. Coco..." Sighing deeply, Coco replied, "I got it." Coco undid the wrappings around his neck. "I will go down first. Follow me."

"Please wha...what do you mean you'll go down first?" Komatsu asked. The same color from before had appeared, but this time it spread from his neck to upwards as Coco took off his turban. Sarafina had gotten that same chill as he then jumped off the edge and into the center of the nest. "Coco-san!" Komatsu called after him. But there was no need to panic, as all the roaches rushed to get away from him. 'What just happened? Coco feels very different than how he was a moment ago. And it's this that caused the cockroaches to make a break for it...but this feels exactly what-' Sarafina thought as Toriko said, "Hmph. These cockroaches with their highly toxic poison can also detect the danger. The danger from Coco's poison."

Poison. So, that's what it was. Sarafina had come across plenty of beast that produces different types of poison before, but with Coco...it was bit unsettling sense that a human could produce an even more deadly poison. "Let's go you two! We're going to follow Coco!" With that Toriko easily picked up her and Komatsu and jumped down. As they followed Coco, Sarafina was amazed that the cockroaches were making a path for them to go through. She gazed at the figure leading them...and what she sensed was a very lonely man.

Once they made it out through the nest, Coco closed his eyes, concentrated, and the poison was slowly being pulled back down with him redoing the wrapping around his neck. "Sorry for scaring you, Komatsu-kun, Sarafina. You're safe now." He said. "Huh? Scared of what exactly?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion. She was more concern than scared. 'Cute!' All the men thought at the same time before Komatsu asked, "What...do you mean by poison? Who are you, Coco-san?"

"Coco has poison inside his body." Toriko stated. Coco nodded as he elaborated a bit further. "Most of us Gourmet Hunters often can make "immunity" artificially against poisonous living things. By injecting a tiny portion of poisons from poisonous snakes, insects...or plants of the nature regularly over a long period of time. We can make antibodies in our body artificially."

"I was bitten by Zombie Taipans before, remember that?" Toriko asked Komatsu. "However, it is said in nature, there are hundreds to thousands kinds of poison. It is quite impossible to make antibodies for all of them. Even I have only about 70 kinds." He turned to the blind woman and asked her, "Have you got any, Sarafina? How much you got?"

"Yes, I do. Though I only have 65." She answered. What Toriko said next really left her speechless. "The amount of antibodies Coco has is 500! It is even abnormal in the Gourmet Hunters." Five hundred. The number alone nearly cause Komatsu to faint from astonishment. "By chance, my body can endure more poison than most people. But because I injected far too much poison, they began to mix with each other and a new kind of poison was produced in me." Coco explained, before giving a somewhat pained expression as he continued. "I'm a poisonous man. My identity is just an undignified extremist. But there aren't many beast who dares to attack me...the cockroaches too."

So that explains it, both here and back in town. That beast must've sensed the danger from Coco's toxins and decided to leave before something else happens. "Now then, let's go." He said as he started walk away. "Coco-san...he seemed sad." Komatsu said. "He is. He may try and hide it, but his soul and heart gives it away." Sarafina said. "Toriko, I do not want to pry, but...does Coco have some bad memories?"

"Once, a lot of scientist and medics of IGO chased him around in order to produce perfect serum from his blood. He was also about to be isolated as a first class 'dangerous being'. He has a lot of bad memories. He probably got out of the Gourmet Hunter business because he wanted to be rid of it all..." Toriko told them. It made Sarafina sick to her stomach. To be labeled as dangerous, but to also be some sort of sacrifice to obtain someone else's goal. Coco for his poisonous body to create a perfect serum...and her for... She shook head as she tried to forget those memories. They were in the past, and they can't hurt her anymore. When she looked back at Coco, she didn't blame him one bit as she had done something similar just so she can ensure her freedom just as he did.

"Bu..but! To have the beasts avoid you! That's the best thing I can ever hope for. I can go to dangerous areas as much as I want." Komatsu said, thinking of the bright side to this. Sarafina smiled as she nodded her head in agreement. Toriko laughed a bit. "That's true." After that, it was mostly silence as the group ventured down the dark cave. After traveling for a while, the caverns were getting steeper. Must be a good thing because the place they're looking for is down here somewhere.

"It's getting quite steep." Toriko commented as the group halted as the poison man kneeled before a hole. "Yeah. There's a huge hole about 100 meters right below here." Komatsu walked out and peered down into it, his face going a bit pale. "Are we...going to go down here?" He asked. "Shall we go with abseiling? Is this rope long enough? Komatsu, Sarafina. You should cling to one of us." Toriko said. As the guys started to set up things, Komatsu made a comment, "Are we going to be okay with a rope this thin?" He eyed the rope warily. It DID seem to be awfully thin for a climb and with such weight being put on them. "Don't underestimate these carbon fiber ropes! It won't snap even if there are a hundred people on it." Toriko said.

"Well, that's good enough for me." Sarafina said. Komatsu took a step back and said, "I'll...I'll descend with you, Coco-san!" The chef then suddenly jumped onto Coco's back. "Whoa! Wait a sec Komatsu-kun! I have pois-!" Coco began to say but the chef cut him off. "Poison? No fish lives in clear waters, right? People are more likable when they have poison! Come on, let's go!" Sarafina giggled at the two of them as she walked over. "Sarafina?" Coco went. "He's already made up his mind, Coco-san. You might as well go with." She said with a gentle smile.

Sensing still his hesitation, Sarafina motioned with her finger to lean down. "Eh? What is it?" Was all he had a chance to say before the woman gave him a tender kiss on his cheek. "EH?!" The poor man went in surprise while the other two gawked at them in disbelief. "Wh..what was that for?" Coco asked, his face turning a cute shade of red. Sarafina continued to smile and she said, "Just a little charm." She stood up on her toes as she whispered to him, "Coco, just because you are poisonous man, does not mean you're destined for loneliness. There will always be someone very close by for you who'll give you strength and offer their help regardless of what may come." When she pulled back, Coco was left speechless as she walked back Toriko, who was waiting for her. 

"Took you long enough! Let's get going." He said. "Hahaha, sorry about that." She laughed as she climb onto his back. 'Looks like those two are not afraid of me at all...no...this is Komatsu-kun's pure kindness.' Coco blushed a bit at the memory of the girl's kiss even though it was harmless. 'She was trying to comfort me...from her words it sounded as though she too, had faced great pain...really these two... comforting me like that...Komatsu-kun...Sarafina...If possible, I will not you die.'

Meanwhile with Toriko, he was beginning to think that having Sarafina on his back wasn't the best idea. The two of them climb down the rope and every so often a breeze would come up from below, blowing her soft, gentle scent of cherry blossom and spring rain towards his nose. As if he wasn't aware of her already! The way she was clinging to him was driving him a bit crazy, the way she was pressing against his back wasn't helping either. Okay, back on the train, Toriko would admit that Sarafina was a gorgeous lady. Hell, he'll admit that now, but still...! "Ah! Look there, Coco-san! There are fireflies!" He heard his partner say to the Gentleman Heavenly King. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the bugs flying gracefully in the dark. Like hanging lanterns in the night.

"Ah, they're sea firefly. They probably got here from the beach." Coco said. Sarafina stuck her hand out slightly and a few fireflies came in and landed on her hand. "I'm positive they are as beautiful as they are friendly." She said softly. That Toriko wonder, how long had she been blind? Was she born that way, or did something happened during her hunts that caused her to lose her sight? Suddenly the scent of some kind of animal reached his nose. Smiling to himself when he realized food was coming his way. Finally! He was getting hungry!  

Chapter Text

A horrific scream had pierced the darkness below them. "That voice just now..." Komatsu asked. "It's the scream from the other Gourmet Hunters." Coco said. With his eyes, he saw something flying around. It wasn't the fireflies this time...but something more deadly. "Toriko! There are Swallowtail Bats! We'll descend right away!" Coco called over to the others above him. "Ah. I just caught one right now." He was right. In his mouth was a Swallowtail Bat...and he was eating it. "My goodness, I never known anyone who catches an animal with their mouth before." Sarafina said, mildly impressed. "Wha? I was hungry!" He retorted.

"Aahh! He's eating it!" Komatsu shouted in surprise. "Better hang tight!" Was the only warning Toriko gave her before he suddenly just slid down the rope. "Ah!" Sarafina yelped as she held on to him. When they had landed on the ground below, almost immediately a huge swarm of Swallowtail Bats were heading right towards them. "Whooaa!!" Komatsu went as the giant hunter said, "That's a good attitude, bats!" Toriko clasped his hands together. "Thanks for the meal." As soon as he said that, Toriko had begun to actually eat the bats as they flew towards the group. Toriko used his fork and knife technique on some of them as he continued to eat them raw. Even managing to skewer a couple with his arm. "He ate them all! Can they even be eaten raw?!" Komatsu asked. Sarafina placed her hand inside of her bag and, in a swift action, threw what looked like a few dozen Senbon Needles at the bats on her side. One hit, they fell to the ground, twitching before laying still. Coco removed a wristband off while he raised his arm out and appeared to be concentrating. As he did so, his hand had turned to that poisonous color again. From his fingertips, droplets of poison started to drip out. "Poison Dressing." Coco said as the poison drops shot out at the bats, making them fall instantly.

"Doesn't this seem odd to you?" Sarafina asked the kings. Toriko nodded. "Yeah, these things normally wouldn't attack humans like that. Something's up."

"Indeed, I sense a far greater danger. The bats weren't attacking us, they were running from something big." Coco said. "And I think we know what that something might be. We should-." Sarafina started before she let out a gasp. "Wait a minute, where's Komatsu?!" The two men's eyes widen as they looked around frantically for the chef. However, he had vanished without a trace. But how?! He was right beside them! This isn't good. Komatsu wasn't a Gourmet Hunter, he can't survive in a place like this. Whilst calling out for Komatsu, Sarafina had sensed the presence of a beast with the intention of killing them where they stand. Once it was close, it let out a ear-piercing screech, gaining the Heavenly Kings attention right away.

Talk about from bad to worse. Not only was Komatsu missing, but now Toriko, Coco, and Sarafina had found themselves in the presence of the most dangerous beast in the cave, the Devil Serpent. A long purple serpentine creature with an impressive body length, ranging between 35 to 40 meters long. It has a dark purple hide and a large white mane made up of hair-like tendrils that it can move about like tentacles. It has four legs (each with six digits & red claws). It has a fearsome looking maw filled with sharp, blood-colored teeth and three bloodshot stalked eyes that gives it a ferocious appearance. The hunters watched as the animal suddenly brought in its legs. Their instincts were their only warning when the serpent's arm shot out from the dark towards them.

Coco and Sarafina avoided it no problem, but the claw grabbed Toriko and rushed him back to pin him against the cave wall. The force of the impact caused him to cough up blood. "Toriko!" His fellow hunters shouted. A gurgling sound caught the remaining two's attention long enough to see the beast getting ready to spew out something. They had just enough time to dodge the oncoming attack. Sarafina turned her head as she heard hissing sounds. She flatten her palm on the cavern floors and sensed that a part of it was dissolving. Coco was in shock as he thought, 'He...he spit out his own digestive acids!' Toriko struggled to get himself free from the beast's grip but then it turned back to his direction as it made that same gurgling noise. Coco and Sarafina saw that it was preparing to attack again. Was it seriously trying to boil Toriko along with its arm? "Toriko!" Coco shouted, rushing over to him. "We're coming!" Sarafina yelled at she gripped the weapon on her back.

Toriko growled loudly as he increased the strengths of his arms, ripping parts of his shirt, yelling, "Don't you get cocky!" It took everything he had to get that clawed hand off of him. "This is what you get, you snake king!" Toriko yelled at the beast as he readied his attack. "Knife!" With one strike, Toriko cut the leg that held him down clean of its body. However, the victory was short lived as within seconds the snake quickly regenerated a new one in its place. "The hell?!" The three hunters shouted in surprise.

The newly sprouted leg rushed at the blue-haired hunter and slammed him against the wall once again. Coco and Sarafina could only watch as their friend was smashed into the wall and get buried by rubble. 'He can regenerate like a newt, huh? His speed of regeneration is unbelievable!' Coco thought. Just then a loud roar was heard and Toriko bursted out from the rubble. He had a look of unholy glee on his, a look that turned nearly demonic in his excitement. "Hey, snake king!" He shouted. "Want me to eat you, huh?!" Even though he had this great confidence, both Coco and Sarafina knew that he has a disadvantage in the dark. Coco knew very well since Toriko relies on smell and doesn't have his eyes. He mused to himself as he thought, 'And the serpent probably has the pit organ. A sensor that captures body heat and therefore enabling snakes to pinpoint their in the dark. The Devil Serpent can capture .0001 degrees of heat accurately.' He gazed at Sarafina and nodded to himself.

Coco began taking of his wrappings. 'I guess I should be the one to fight here! Since I have no disadvantage visually.' He turned to his friend and asked, "Toriko! You know where Komatsu is, right?" Toriko nodded. "Hm? Yeah, if I follow his scent." He watched Coco removing the rest of his wrapping. "I will take him down. When I do, get to Komatsu. Sarafina, you're the only other person who can see well in the dark, so please guide Toriko to Komatsu."

"Nonsense!" Toriko said. "I don't think that's going to happen." Sarafina smiled. Coco's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't force Komatsu to come. He came here on his own! He understand that this is part if the dangerous districts, and he probably thought the worst." Toriko told him.

"Toriko, Komatsu-kun, he..." Coco started. Sarafina placed her hand on his shoulder and told him, "Coco, you don't have to worry. I can sense Komatsu's energy and he's very much alive, so for now, he's safe." He may be safe somewhere in here, but this young woman... "Ah? Can you see death on him? Don't worry, he leaves a will every time he comes with me." Coco and Sarafina blinked at that. "A will.. You mean..." He started before the other man cut him off. "But rather than that, how's that?" Toriko asked, looking at the serpent's direction. "Can you see death about that king snake over there?" Sarafina gazed at Toriko in confusion. See...death? What was he talking about? The poison man looked at the snake a bit before answering. "...No."

Smirking a bit the other hunter said, "See?" His cocky smirk growing wider. "That means you can't take him on your own. We will take him down together!" Sarafina tossed her bag aside, tied her cane to her hip, and gripped the hilt. Pulling out a long double edged sword. "This is going to be fun." She smiled. "We'll fight together in this! I won't hold either of you guys back, Coco, Sarafina." Toriko said as the three hunters got ready to fight the beast. "I know that." Coco said as his poison finished coming out. "Thank you." Sarafina said as she readied her sword.

At the same time, both men unleashed their intimidations. Toriko's takes on the form of a male Hannya-like demon with dark red skin, pointed ears, white hair, black eyes with yellow pupils, sharp fangs, and a large tongue which hangs from its mouth. Coco's intimidation was the Japanese ghost. Stringy, black hair, pale skin and empty, void-like mouth and eyes. Sarafina couldn't suppress the chills she got from the feel of it. 'This is unreal...' She thought. The beast, in return, only roared at them, uncaring of the intimidation. "Neither my intimidation nor Coco's poison scare you, huh. How long has it been since I had a real fight?" In response, the beast sucked in its limbs and stretched them out for an attack. Rushing towards Toriko got ready as he said, "I will cut you in half! Eat this!" Toriko started to use Knife on the animal's body and all he got for his trouble was a cut in his hand. "Wha?! He's really hard!"

"What happened?" Sarafina asked. "He harden the endurance of his skin by contracting his flexible skin to its limit!" Coco explained to her, already forming a plan. "He's probably figured out on how Toriko's Knife works!" If that was the case, then she can't use her sword now. Sarafina sheathed her weapon and focused her power on her arm warmers. Using its stretched limbs it proceeded to attack the blue-haired hunter who barely dodged it in time, while Coco held one arm and was concentrating his poison into that arm. After a few minutes, a membrane of poison surrounded his arm and hand. "Poison Cannon!" He shouted as he shot the membrane like a cannonball towards the Devil Serpent. After the cannon hit the beast, it lifted a few strands of its hair and shot out a liquid at Coco. He quickly did a backflip and landed by the others.

"I'm surprised. He spit out poison from his hair." Coco said. Wiping away the dirt and sweat from his cheek, Toriko said, "I can't really see well in this darkness. Can you and Sarafina stop his movements, Coco? If you guys seal his movements then..." Clenching a fist, he said with a cocky smirk. "It doesn't matter how hard his skin is...I will break it's innermost organ with my five consecutive nail punches!" Coco nodded. "I got it...my poison and its poison. Let's see which one is more toxic!" With a roar, Toriko started the process of powering up his arm, which already began to double in size.

"Nail punch...didn't expect you could go up to five hits." The dark-haired man commented as he watched. Sarafina sensed Toriko's growing energy and how fast it was rising. "So I supposed this is where you get to prove your Gourmet Hunting skills live up to the hype." She said. Toriko chuckled at that. "The drawback is I do need some time to gather my strengths and my muscles get sore after I get them off." Coco let out a small laugh. "I see you haven't been just devoting yourself to the Gourmet line of work. As expected of your aiming for that ingredient for your main dish, Toriko." Toriko smirk as he replied with, "What about you? Hasn't your poison's strength weakened after not using it for so long?" "Hmph, if you have time to worry about me then concentrate on properly gathering your strength!" Coco quickly forward at the Devil Serpent, with Sarafina right behind him and the two easily leaped into the air.

'The weak point of my venom is speed! It'll be evaded with high probability by the Devil Serpent. First, I'll dull its reaction to the venom by sealing this thing's pit organs. After that I'll leave to what Sarafina could do next...she's a Gourmet Hunter...so I have to trust her.' Coco's gotta first set on breaking the opponent's radar function. A snake, which doesn't have eyes or nose, but pit organ sealed up by tape or the like, is said to be unable to capture its prey for a while. Using his excellent eyesight, Coco quickly found three pit organs on the Devil Serpent, which were located just above its nose. In order to shoot a miniscule amount that can avoid detection, he'll reduce the poison's exit to its limits. To get an even better shot he'll add some spinning movements to it as well. Holding out three fingers, he called out, "Poison Rifle!" and with that it looked like he hit his targets perfectly. The beast quickly became confused and disoriented, quickly looking this way and that.

That's a good thing. Since its a minute amount, the poisons will take some time before it can take full effect and with the adhesive poison the dark-haired man completely sealed up its pit organs. "It can see us right now!" Coco yelled to Sarafina as he clenched his fist and brought the poison membrane from before while Sarafina raised her arm as her arm warmer began to rip and tear. "Eat this!" From out of nowhere the beast shot out its arms out and grabbed the two just before either one of them could deliver their attacks. "What?!" "How could it-?!" Coco and Sarafina shouted in surprise. Quickly taking another look at the serpent, Coco noticed it was opening and closing the ones he didn't know were there.

The Devil Serpent began making those gurgling sounds again. It was going to spew its poison on them! Sarafina widened her eyes and quickly spread her power onto the rest her clothes. Coco had a look of fear as he glance at the blind woman, guilt swelled within him. Why couldn't he protect her? "Poison Membrane!" Coco shouted just as he quickly formed a membrane of poison surrounded his body as the beast puke poison on its two victims. The thin membrane may have saved him from the beast's fluids was that it consumed a large amount of poison in his body at once. Even though he didn't want to, Coco quickly turned to see Sarafina, and was shocked to find her entire body covered in black and white wrappings. And she was still breathing, she's still alive! Coco gave a relieved smile. Thank God, she's okay. Now he's has this to deal with. 'This is bad!' Coco thought to himself as the flesh of the animal dissolve as the digestive fluids broke it down. 'My poison will run out I get a shot on it.' Coco possesses poison glands in his entire body and since he directly transforms bodily fluids (blood, sweat, ect.) into poison, he'll become anemic or dehydrated if its used excessively. The maximum production of poison is 15 liters, since his body weight is 100kg, it will 15% loss of body weight in fluids.

In other words, if he continues to hold this membrane, he'll either be extremely anaemic, dehydrated or dead, so he get his act together or else! "I can't help this distance! There's a good chance of it being dodged but! I'll shoot one in!" Coco said aloud and he fired a Poison Cannon at the beast. It was an all or nothing shot! The beast dodged it with ease and sent its hair towards its captive, easily stabbing Coco with its needle-like hair and caused him to yell out in pain. Sarafina and Toriko heard and looked over to his direction. "Coco! This is bad! He's been nailed with the hair's poisonous needles!" Toriko said as he rushed over to help his friend. "Don't come, Toriko!" Coco shouted at him, much to Toriko's surprised shock. "Didn't I tell you to focus on gathering your strength?!" He said to him. If he was telling him not to come any closer than does that mean..? Sarafina moved the wrappings away from her mouth and asked, "Coco? The poison...you have the antibodies for it, don't you?" The serpent sent more of its hair into his body, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Coco!" They shouted.

"Nope. Don't have it..." Coco brought out his intimidation as he continued. "If I don't have the antibodies, then I'll just make them!" He grunted as he felt a sharp pain. This was a hemorrhagic toxin! Looking faintly ahead he saw some hallucinations which must which must be caused by bufotenine. His body continued to decipher over a hundred different types of protein that were in this beast's toxin. Within moments, he easily purified it on the spot, creating an immunity against further attacks of the poison. Just as he finished, Coco noticed that the beast was no longer able to move and felt tremors go through its body. Finally! The poison he threw from the start was starting to take effect. Since he is able, when producing toxins in his body, to freely change the concentration or type of toxins. Such as the nerve toxins he shot at it was able to completely paralyze its body without any lethal side effects. Since his aim was to stop its movements, he turned to his friend and said, "Okay, Toriko."

Toriko had finished powering up, which had caused his arm to completely quadruple its original size. "Good work." As he prepared to launch his attack on the subdued creature, Coco finally saw the shadow of death upon it at last. "Five Fold Spiked Punch!" Toriko shouted as he unleashed his assault on the beast. The hunters watched as the creature's body took the attack when it finally burst where the attack had landed on. Once that happen it let Coco and Sarafina go, making them fall to the ground. The blind woman landed perfectly on her feet, and restore her clothing to its proper appearance, while Toriko easily caught Coco with one arm since his other one was almost numb from using that attack. "So, you tired Coco?" Toriko asked, looking down at the man. Coco chuckled. "Yeah...the body does grow dull after only fortunetelling. I'm a bit exhausted." Sarafina ran up to them and place a hand on Coco's face. "In that case, you should take it easy for a while." Coco smiled at her. "I'll be sure to." Huh, that's funny...why is he feeling refreshed?

Toriko got an annoyed look on his face and said, "I wanted to eat that thing but your poison got  in it." Still smiling, Coco told him, "I lowered the strength of the poison, so if you heat it up over 300c my poison will decomposed. Its for you Toriko, you know. If I had given it a lethal dose from the beginning the fight would of been easily decided." "Thank you Coco! I love that about you!" Toriko said in happiness. Sarafina laughed at that. "Stop that, its gross." Bad enough he was holding him but to say such things when they're in a awkward position was even worse. After a while, Sarafina was guiding the two Heavenly Kings to Komatsu's location as she could sense his life energy. She could tell that Coco was worried about the chef, so she tried to move as quick as she can...though that would be possibly if Toriko wasn't carrying a huge chunk from the Devil Serpent. "The hell? Are you planning on carrying that thing around? We'll pass by that spot on the way back." Coco told him as he watched Toriko carry the chunk. "But if it's eaten by other beast wouldn't that be a shock?!" Toriko replied, trying to reason with Coco. The latter only sighed and told him, "It's alright, it's got my poison. But never mind that, we gotta hurry and find Komatsu-kun! We have to find him quickly!"

"Coco's right. I'm starting to get worried now." Sarafina said. She didn't turned to him as she was more focused on Komatsu's energy. The blue-haired hunter chuckled. "Don't panic. I made sure to at least give him a secret weapon for when he's in a pinch." He said. That part did made her turn to him. "What kind of weapon did you-?" Sarafina began to ask but was cut off by a massive BOOM coming from straight ahead. The intense sounds and the violent shockwaves coming from the explosion caused great pain to her sensitive senses, Sarafina covered her ears and screamed out in agony. She felt legs wobble before collapsing to the ground. Coco and Toriko immediately ran to her side and Toriko scooped her up into his arms. "Hey, Sarafina! Are you alright!?" He asked. "Sarafina!" Coco called out.

She didn't say anything at first. That blast had messed up her senses and now she can't 'see' anything. Fortunately, she can consider herself lucky that her eardrums weren't shot. Sarafina cracked her eye opened and tried to sit up, only to fall back down. "It's alright, I'll be fine. But at least we know where Komatsu is from that psychotic explosion." She said as Toriko helped her up. "Can you move on your own?" He asked. "O-of course, I can." Sarafina took a few steps before her legs wobbled again, making Toriko catch her again. "Yeah, I didn't think so." Toriko said. Seeing that there was no room for a debate, Toriko carried Sarafina on his back while he held her cane as he and Coco quickly ran towards the direction where the blast was. While on his back, Sarafina took the opportunity to touch Toriko's arm. That was an intense attack he used. The Swallowtail Bats from before weren't  exactly helping their process. "That explosion just now! My custom-made "Toriko cracker"! You've popped one huh, Komatsu!" Toriko said as he kept running, using an arm to block the bats from his view while still holding up Sarafina. "Your what?" "Hey, hey, just how much gunpowder is in there, Toriko?" Coco asked him. How much exactly was used to make just one of those things?

Coco got worried when the giant woman got a thinking look on his face. "Maybe there was a bit too much. I forgot to tell Komatsu to put on earplugs in too?" Toriko mused as they kept their pace. "You what?!" Sarafina gasped. That made him even more worried. If he didn't then... "Let's hurry!" Coco said and the two increased their pace. 'Probability of my fortune-telling to be right is 97%. It's a high probability but its not 100%!  3% is wrong! Komatsu-kun!'  Coco thought as they got nearer to his location. "Komatsu-kun!" "Komatsu!" "Are you alright?!" The three of them called out as they entered the caverns. The three blinked in surprised as they found Komatsu sitting there with a mild shock expression on his face. "Ko...Komatsu!" The chef began to get teary-eyed as he looked at the three Gourmet Hunters. "Toriko-san! Coco-san! Sarafina-san!" Komatsu said, happily. He was getting ready to cry now. And he did. He quickly got up and rushed over to them, getting ready for a hug when he remembered something very important.

"Wait...hang on a second Toriko-san!" Komatsu, suddenly angry, yelled at him. Toriko had a big smile on his face as he said, "I'm glad you're alright!" "No, no, no, what is that cracker?!" "Hm?" He went. "It's a regular bomb! It's a weapon, a weapon I tell you! I was about to die!" Komatsu told him. "Hold on, what?" "I see, I see. Must have been tough." Toriko chuckled. "No! Speaking of which I did die! Once!!" Komatsu shouted. Sarafina took a good look at him and told Toriko, "He's not lying." Toriko then at the both of them in disbelief. "The hell that happened? He's alive, isn't he?" He asked her. "Well...yes.." She started. "I was saved by a big old man!" He said. "Eh? A big old man?" Coco, who was watching the exchange with some amusement, suddenly that the shadow of death was gone. 'Komatsu-kun's shadow of death is gone. What is the meaning?' Coco walked over to the unconscious Devil Serpent that nearby. 'What's more is the Devil is here too. From the looks of it its been knocked! Impossible...someone who knows the technique of knocking a Devil Serpent and the only one I can think of is the Gourmet Expert who is familiar with the knocking of all beasts...Knocking Master Jirou! He uses an original knocking gun that isn't sold commercially. Not only knocking but extension and concentration of muscles he freely manipulates even the shape of his body, and furthermore he's said to be able to even resuscitate a person who just died. He must've defeated the Devil Serpent and save Komatsu-kun. Most likely on his way back from capturing Puffer Whale.' Coco looked at the entrance up ahead. The strong aura he sensed from before he entered the cave was him. Although it was hard to imagine that the man would lay a finger on the thieves outside the cave.

"Oi! Coco! Let's get going! The sandy beach of the cave is just up ahead!" Toriko called to him, snapping him out of his thoughts. Oh well. In any case, he was happy that his fortunetelling was wrong about Komatsu...but he looked over the blind woman, who was now settling back on her own feet, and still saw the shadow of death. Hers hasn't gone away...in fact, it was now swirling around her body, it was a bit clearer this time. That wasn't a good sign. "Coco, you are coming, aren't you?" She called out to him as Komatsu continued yelling and kicking at Toriko, even landed a hit on him. Coco chuckled as he rushed over. "Yes. Let's go!" He told her. The group made their way to the beach, the smell of the sea was stronger as they got closer and closer to the sandy beach. While he's got her attention, he's might as well cross out of the possibilities. "Forgive me for asking this but...are you sick by any chance?" The woman blinked in confusion before replying, "No. Why?"

"Ah...no reason." Liar. Sarafina thought over back to what Toriko said about Coco seeing the 'shadow of death'. Initially, she was terrified if he actually sees the shadow on her, and wondered how long it has been on her. But in a way, she's a little happy to receive some type of closure. "Is there a shadow of death around me?" She softly asked. Sarafina hit the nail right on the head as Coco didn't say anything back. She knew that he didn't want to scare her. It was sweet of him. "By your silence, I'll be taking it as a yes. I understand you keeping it from me...but thank you, Coco." Coco looked at her in surprised. He expected her to be angry at him for keeping something so crucial from her...but he didn't expect her to thank him. "For what?" He asked. All Sarafina did was give Coco a bright smile and continued walking to the beach. After all, everyone has something they don't want to share. Coco looked at Sarafina with concern, but decided on saving his thoughts for a another time. They arrived at the beach and Sarafina giggled from the soft sand against her feet. The smell of the sea and the sound of the gentle laps of water only added the serenity. "At last, we're here!" Toriko said as the group gazed at the water. They finally reached their destination: The sandy beach!

Chapter Text

Sarafina let out another laugh as the soft sand tickled her feet. The energy she felt within the lagoon just lifted her soul. It was so peaceful and soothing, you could easily take a nap here for a few minutes but that alone would be enough. She could hear the relaxing sounds of the droplets of water hitting both the lagoon and the stones here, letting out a twinkling sound. Sarafina wasn't the only one enjoying it, the men with her were awestruck at the gorgeous sight before them. A soft glow was being given off which added more to its enchantment. "There was a recent visitor here." Toriko said as he saw a set of footprints.

"Probably went back." Komatsu said. "Huh?" Toriko went. "I'm sure the visitor was the old man who saved me." Komatsu said as he remembered back to when Jirou had saved his life. After he did and walked away, bidding him good luck, Komatsu didn't miss him carrying a large bucket full of Puffer Whales. These Puffer Whales are clearly delicate creatures and what astounds him the most was that none of the Puffer Whales turned poisonous. "He already had them, the old man. A large amount of Puffer Whales and on top of that, they didn't turn poisonous." Komatsu explained to them, looking at the footprints himself. "For a Knocking Master that was probably simple too." Coco said. "Ah, I see. I get it now, thought there was a small that I smelled somewhere." Toriko said. "So it was that old geezer."

"Eh? You mean it was that funky old man with the white pompadour?" The chef asked in shock.

"I did think he wasn't ordinary. But who would've thought the legendary gourmet provider. Knocking Master Jirou! His full course is a fantasy menu that most people have yet to taste. Seems like not even the capture levels can be fathomed." Toriko explained to him. "Heard that he retired as a gourmet provider long ago but he's famous as a heavy drinker. Even in retirement, it means he can still look forward to the puffer fish whale's fin sake once every ten years."

Sarafina took in what he said and thought about it. "Hmm. My goodness, I have heard many stories about Master Jirou but I never believed I would actually meet him. Even for a brief moment." She said. Komatsu appeared to be lost in thought when the hunter told him, "Komatsu. In any case you mustn't forget the absolute favor that your life was saved. Take the best cuisine to the old man someday!"

"I'll do that! Yes! Then...Toriko-san, I'll ask you for provision of the ingredients!" Komatsu asked the giant hunter. "Nah! You can go yourself for that!" That was a fast rejection! He began to take off his shirt, his boots and rolling his pants up to just above his knees. "Noow- Let's capture some ourselves! Delicacy of the deep!" He exclaimed. She smiled a bit. He sure was a enthusiastic guy who loved his food. The girl watched as the two hunter took off their shoes and made their way to the water. Speaking of which, she should be getting ready for a swim too. Nodding to herself, Sarafina placed her bag, sword and cane on the smooth sand. Hey, she's after those whales too, and she wasn't going to let them go that easily.

"This sea has a lot of sea fireflies so its bright. In this we'll be able to find the puffer fish whale quickly." Coco said as he checked out the water. "Komatsu! You get in the sea and make sure to watch Coco's technique too! You came for that, didn't you?" "Ye..yes! Um... there aren't any ferocious sharks and stuff right?" At that the hunter grinned as he replied, "Don't worry! Even if there are their 100% cuter than the devil serpent and the old man! EH?!"

"Ack! Sarafina-san! What are you doing?!" She blinked a bit and stopped in mid-process of taking off her black, sleeveless turtleneck top. "Wha? I'm coming along as well. Haha, don't forget I'm a Gourmet Hunter as well." She told them as Coco said, face deep red, "B..but taking off such clothing in front of men..!"

"Oh, that's what bothering you guys out? I'm sorry, but there's nothing to get so worked up about. I still have some clothing on, so it's okay." It's too bad she couldn't see their expressions. It would've been hilarious. 'But that's not the point.' The men all thought, doing their best not to look at her white bra. (Although that's not the item they were trying to avoid looking least they'll be hit or something...or worse) "Alright, now I'm ready!" She said as she removed her top and her long skirt. Toriko gulped slightly and turned his head a bit, face slightly pink. Kinda of a first thing for him but he didn't mind that much. What he DID mind that there were other men looking at her and for some reason bugged him greatly. He glanced a peek at a...certain body part before diving straight into the water. The hunter didn't noticed she was...well endowed. Okay, seriously!! What the hell is wrong with him?! Ever since he touched her hand, not only had he felt something shoot through him, he's been acting so stupid lately.

Sarafina hadn't the foggiest idea why it's was such a big deal to everyone, the only difference between these and a bikini was the type of material. So...not that much of a difference. She reached into her bad a pulled out a leg holster pouch and tied it onto her right leg. "Alright. Coming Sarafina?" The poison man asked her as he jumped in. She nodded happily before jumping in after them, followed by the chef. The water was so warm! She thought for sure it would be cold inside a cave! The girl immediately relaxed as she swam. As she quickly caught up with the boys, Sarafina sensed the presence of all the animals that was in the waters. What a variety of life here! Ahh, that's what she loves about the world. So many different people and animals, never the same and have that one unique quirk that them...well, them in every part of the world!

The group continued to swim when she suddenly sensed a bunch of small souls clamped up together in one space ahead of them. From the view of the men, the saw a giant Puffer Whale. Holy crap! That was the biggest puffer fish whale they have ever seen! But just before they could do anything else, the 'giant Puffer Whale' suddenly became blurry as a hundreds of smaller ones disbanded in place. An optical illusion? Damn their good. Using the wrong approach, Toriko swim closer to them, gently reaching out a hand towards them. He had barely touched the fish before it turned completely black.

'Judging from the change in its energy, it had released its poison.'  Sarafina wondered as she used her arms and legs to stay in place. She began thinking of a plan on how to capture these creatures. She had brought her Senbon Needles with her, but if she were to make on wrong move and they'll be inedible to eat and worthless to sell later. A split second later, a splash was heard and Komatsu swim panicky towards the three hunters. Oh no, that was a bad move. If he keeps that up, all of them will go bad!  Sarafina sensed Coco motioning for them to stay back. 'What was he up to?' She thought. A split second later Coco's energy vanished. What?! How the heck can a man just vanish?! He was right there! She closed her eyes and used her powers to heighten up her senses to try and find him.

She let out a very small portion of her powers to create a sound wave to map out the surrounding area, catching every heartbeat around her. She gave a mental sigh of relief when she discovered the man was still there. How did he manage to erase his presence? Komatsu seemed to have reach his limit as he quickly swam up to the surface for fresh air. Aw, that's a shame. He really wanted to see how this went down. 'For a second I thought Coco had disappeared. He splendidly erased his presence. At last, we'll catch the puffer whale!' Toriko thought as he turned to look at Komatsu, but he quickly noticed that the chef had already left the water. Sarafina was the only one left with them as she was in deep thought, probably thinking how do this her way. He felt his face turn bright red when he noticed that the girl was only in her underwear. What the hell?! That was awfully daring to be in that kind of outfit! The hunter couldn't help but noticed that the panties matched the color of the bra and if he didn't know any better he'd say there was a cute little blue bow in the front. Damn she has nice legs.. Suddenly he felt a...problem...coming so he quickly averted his gaze and watched the fish and Coco. The fish! Mustn't lose focus! Mustn't lose focus! Think about how delicious they were going to be! How will they be cooked and what they will be turned into! Yeah! Think about that!

Coco went close to one of the Puffer Whale, ever so carefully and pulled out a knocking gun. One specially designed for catching these types of beasts. He slowly reached out until he held it in his hand. The Puffer Whale didn't had a clue. Coco was invisible in its eyes. Coco had brought up the knocking gun near its gills and pressed the button. A strong, but small electric shock went through the Puffer Whale's body before tilting on its side, most likely rendered unconscious. Toriko and Sarafina were amazed at what Coco had managed to do without alerting the Puffer Whales to react. Toriko was impressed and thought back to how Coco had done it, and made his own energy disappear. Coco looked over and saw Toriko nearly vanished in the water and was surprised to think that Toriko had learn how to erase his energy just by seeing himself do it. Still he was impressed that he could thanks to his instincts.

Coco had offered to hand Toriko his knocking gun for him to use, but Toriko declined. Saying that he'd plan to use a more organic method. He swam to one of the Puffer Whales and was cautious on his next move. Toriko uses his Fork hand, but to increase its piercing power and reduce its surface area uses his index finger. Toriko had to really hold his breath for this one. With one solid jab through the gills and one swift movement, it look like Toriko had done it. Unfortunately, he must've done it incorrectly as the Puffer Whale released its poison. Soon, the three hunters were beginning to run out of breath and Coco suggested they go up for air and returned down to complete the task at hand.

About five minutes had passed since Toriko, Coco and Sarafina entered the sea. For them to have amazing lung capacity, they ran out of breath unbelievably fast. The concentration for capturing just one small Puffer Whale had been considerably whittling down their stamina to an extent. As Toriko and Coco had used either their hands or knocking gun, they were surprised when Sarafina had used an incredible method. Before she had used only one Senbon Needle to knock them out, but she had begun to get a little impatient and pulled out ten of them. But she didn't throw them on her own, but when she placed her hands on her arm warmers, they had begun to tear up and move on their own. They wrapped themselves on the needles and, like a puppet-master, Sarafina was able to knocked multiple Puffer Whales at once. Unfortunately, this only deteriorated the rest of her energy and stamina.

An hour had passed, and Komatsu, who had given up going into the water, was waiting for the others to return. He didn't have to wait too long because Toriko, Sarafina and Coco all popped up out of the water. "Fuuu! I finally got one!" Toriko said, using the back of his hand to get the water out of his eyes. "We got quite the few Komatsu-kun." Coco told him.

"It certainly wasn't easy either." Sarafina laughed. "Eh?! Really?!" The chef said, standing up fast as they made their way to the shore. Coco took the sheet, which was bugling, and placed it on the ground to reveal at least ten of the puffer whale. "This many! Awesome! Sarafina-san, have you-Whoa!!" Komatsu began asking Sarafina when she showed him her net full of eleven Puffer Whales. "Eleven altogether on my end. Though, a few were difficult to knock out."

"She's right, I failed quite a bit as well." The poison man said, as he knelt down by the fish. "But how pathetic to have two of the four kings go at it for an hour and only get ten." Toriko said. "Well, in my opinion I think you guys did a very good job." She told them. "Considering how delicate they were I'm surprised either of us got this much."

"Yeah! This is a big catch for the delicacy of illusion!" Komatsu said as he continued to stare at the fish. Coco had a look of amusement when he said, "Now...this is the real deal from here on! The retail market price for a puffer fish whale that hasn't turned poisonous is about 100 million but in the case that the poison sack is completely removed, it jumps up to 300 million. However, if it becomes poisonous it becomes 0! (In reality, it goes for bout 8 million through the black market route)."

"What a gamble! Talk about hit it or win it situation!" Komatsu  muttered as he got a look of dread, "Th..this is like 10 lottery tickets that can be 300 million yen each or turn into pieces of paper, huh."

"Money's got nothing to do with this. We leave it to you Coco." Toriko said as he looked at the fortune teller. Coco took out a delicate looking knife and closed his eyes, and got ready. He seemed nervous for a minute before telling them, seeming embarrassed, "Don't get mad at me even if I fail." Toriko clenched his fists as he shouted, "I will get mad! Come on, Coco!"

"Coco-san, come on!" Komatsu joined the hunter. She giggled a bit before placing a comforting hand on Coco's shoulder and saying with a smile, "Do your best Coco. I know you can do it." Coco blushed a bit before saying, "I mean, its been a while."

"Foretell the probability of success!"

"What percent is it exactly Coco-san?"

"...about 10%"

"One?!" The two went as the other man got more embarrassed. "That's great!" The girl said with a smile. "EH?! HOW'S THAT GREAT?!" Toriko shouted, waving his arms a bit. Sarafina giggled as she replied, "It means that its not zero, so by that logic we still have a chance. After all, any chance is better then none, don't you agree?" Reluctantly the two nodded and with that Coco got to work. However, deep in the sea of the sandy beach of the cave, from a point approximately 800 meters in the deep sea...something of unknown identity was approaching.

~3 fish later~

Sarafina kinda felt sorry for Coco as he worked on fish number 4. She had no idea where sack is in each fish, which makes a already hard task even harder. Argh, the one time she wished her powers were useful for something. She can't sense the sack at all as it didn't give of that strong of a energy except for when it releases. Glancing over at Toriko, who after the first fish failed, went to fishing. He didn't have to do all that, after all, these people were her friends and she would gladly offer her share of her catch. Although she had to spread another smile, he was just too laid back and carefree. "Did you remove the poison sack yet?" Toriko called over from his fishing spot. "Why are you doing something so leisurely like fishing, Toriko-san?!" Komatsu shouted at him while Coco said, "He's had little patience since the old days. Leave it alone, Komatsu-kun."

"Since when did you had a fishing rod on your person?" Sarafina asked him. As she continued to 'watch' Coco work, the woman got the whiff of booze and turned to see Toriko heating up a bottle in a little pan and fire set. She sweat drop a bit as she thought, 'He's drinking already?' He really has NO patience does he. "Whaaa, you can't even cut off the fin quickly?" Toriko said.

"Please be quiet, Toriko-san! Why are you setting up the atsukan already?!" The chef yelled at him again. Sarafina turned to Coco and said, "Coco, you don't have the proper energy to be performing this delicate preparation. I think we both know who's more suitable for this, don't you?" Coco looked at her for a while, before smiling and nodding his head. "Komatsu-kun. Instead of me, could you handle it?" He said. Komatsu's eyes widened as he was shock by his question. "M...ME?!"

"It's probably fatigue, but my grip is getting weak. If I keep this up all of the Puffer Whales will be rendered poisonous." He told him.

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't worry, I know you're a chef with amazing abilities. Just listen to me, I'll tell you what to do." Coco said to him, smiling. "It'll be fine."

Komatsu looked uncertain about the whole thing, but his grim expression soon to turned to that of joy. Komatsu spread a big smile. "In that case, I'll see that challenge!" Komatsu said as he went through his bag and pull out a cloth. He undid the knot and showed off the most beautiful set of knives any chef could own. Coco thought, 'A...amazing! They have a completely wet looking finish! They're scrupulously maintained elegant knifes. Looking at his tools, I understand, as a pro-chef, Komatsu-kun's trouble and ability are...!'

Komatsu nodded and said, "Yes! I want to try this and see what happens!"

"That's the spirit!" Sarafina said as the poison man took a seat on the other side. Sarafina couldn't help but smile at the pure happiness that the chef was giving off. He mustn't see this kind of thing that made her happy, considering that he is one of few to worked on such a beast. As Coco directed the chef Sarafina couldn't help but 'look' at the ocean. For some reason, it felt to her something was coming. Something big. Whatever it was it had her attention to the point where she didn't know that Komatsu was on the last fish. Cheeks flaming from embarrassment, the girl turned just in time to sense the fish opened to reveal a small black sack in a sea of the pinkest meat ever to be seen. "Its in sight...the poison sack!" Coco said, with a very pleased look on his face. "This...this is it." Komatsu said.

"Its bare hands from here, Komatsu-kun. The poison sack has to be taken out slowly while being rotated." The chef got a very determined look on his face as he said, "Y..yes!" He slowly reached into the fish and began to slow remove the sack while at the same time rotating it. With what seemed like an eternity he finally removed the sack which earned him cheers from the others and a split second later the fish was glowing brightly. "Owah! The puffer fish whale is!" Toriko went as Coco finished for him, "If the poison isn't inside the body it gives off a radiance!" She laughed hard as the hunters cheered and shouted as they shouted, "Success! The puffer fish whale's poison sack as been taken out!" Komatsu had tears running down his face as he said, "I'm so glad the last one was a success!" Giggling she bent over and placed a kiss on his cheek, which caused to blush and go, "EH?!"

"A reward for removing it so successfully!"

"H..hey! Can we get a reward too for capturing the fish?!" Toriko went as Coco blushed a bit. "Toriko really!" She raised an eyebrow at that. "Nope. Neither of you is getting one." He appeared crestfallen at that. "Why not?!"

"Well, for one thing you have to REALLY earn that type of reward." She smiled.

"Hey! That's not fair!!"

"I'm sorry, but that's how I do things. I don't give those rewards very lightly."

The other men watched them argue back and forth on the issue before Coco said, "It's Komatsu-kun's achievement." Komatsu shook his head at him. "No! It was Coco-san's precise instructions!"

"Komatsu!" Toriko started as he put a hand on the chef's shoulder. "For the first time, I think it was good I brought you along!" The chef sweat dropped a bit as he replied, "Y..yes...thank you very much. She started to laugh again as someone shouted, "Ookay! In that case, let's have a food sampling party right away!"

"Komatsu! Make the puffer fish whale's body thin please!" "Yes! I'll make fin sake!" She helped the hunters as best she could to get things ready as Komatsu proceeded to cook the whale. "Thank you." Sarafina told Toriko as he placed a fin in her cup. She picked up her cup and was eager to drink it as it was giving such a strong, yet subtle aroma, but she wanted to wait until everyone else gets to drink. "Hey Komatsu! How's it going over there?" The chef looked up from his task and replied back, "I did it!" The chef walked over and presented a beautiful plate of sashimi. Sarafina took her place between the chef and the blue haired hunter as they all sat down to eat. Komatsu put his whole heart into making it, so she knew it was bound to be delicious! Taking their cups they raised they said cheers and took a sip. When she took a sip, she relaxed a bit. It just had the right flavor. The dry taste of the from the atsukan, the fin's sweetness is much more prominent. Oooh, it was divine!

She glanced over and sensed that Coco wasn't drinking any. "Don't feel like drinking Coco?" Sarafina asked. Komatsu noticed as well and asked, "Is Coco-san not going to drink it? The sake?" Coco gave a nervous smile and said, "I don't like sake. If I get drunk, I lose control of my poison."

"No doubt, that is gotta be tough to handle." The girl said somberly as she drank hers. If he's buzzed or drunk chances are good his control of the poison would slip and someone would get hurt. Hopefully hurt. "In that case.." She reached over and took his cup and drank it. "I'll just liberate yours." She said as she drank it down in one sip.

"Now then.." Toriko continued, taking a pair of chopsticks and taking a sizable chunk of the fish. "Ah- You took a little too much Toriko-san! At great pains I made it with beauty!" Sarafina chuckled slightly at the two and at Coco. "I quite agree with that thought. He may have no refinement, but let's be honest. This is what makes Toriko." She told him as she took another sip from her sake. "Eh? Your a mind reader?" Coco asked with his own chuckle as Toriko thoroughly enjoyed the bite he took of it. "No. Not at all. Your soul tells me so." She says with a smile. "My soul?" He asked. Reaching over she took a small bite and blinked. She placed her hands on her cheeks as a blush colored her face and gave a bright smile. ' This is the most softest, most tastiest thing by far! I think I'm in love!'  The girl thought as the boys enjoyed their bites. Without warning something came out from the sea. The group turned to see a tall creature covered in dark black hair with the oddest face ever. The shiver she felt before went down her back. Whatever that thing was...it was dangerous. Unfortunately, Sarafina couldn't see it. She didn't sense a heartbeat or any sign of life. But it did gave off a horrific aura, from that she could tell it was roughly 50 feet from where they were. The hunters got up, watching the creature as it walked further onto the beach. "What's that?" Toriko mused aloud as he continued to watch.

The moment it looked over in their direction, the coldest chill she's ever felt went down her back. Ah. So this is what it felt like to be prey. "What is it?! I can't see it!" Sarafina asked them, with fear in her voice. Immediately the men got into defensive stances. "Komatsu! Sarafina! Get away!" The girl quickly got up as the chef had a confused expression. "I said get away!" She quickly put him behind her as she tried to sense the creature. Her jaw dropped as she felt Coco's energy growing, Cleary he wasn't holding back on whatever's with them. Coco turned into the darkest black one has ever seen, poison slowly dropping off him a bit. A few seconds later, Toriko seemed to power up, causing a circle of wind to form around him and pushed her and the chef back. "Wahh!" Komatsu went as she tried to hold her ground. The three of them continued to have some kind of face off until it looked RIGHT at her and seemed to be taken back. Then without warning it started to walk towards the group. What is it going to do?! Is it going to attack?! If so, there's not a chance in hell they can get out of here in time before a show down occurred!

The men stiffened. Were they going to have to fight this guy? They really hoped not. As the creature got closer and closer, the hunters got more nervous. They didn't sense any fighting spirit or hostility coming from it. Was it their imagination or was this thing concentrating on something? 'Or someone.' Toriko thought, trying to figure out what it wants. Coco and Toriko stiffened even more, getting ready to defend as the creature was mere feet from them. Here it comes. The hunters blinked in shock as it just passed them without so much as a glance. What the? They turned around to see the creature walking up to where Komatsu andSarafina were. No! Was it going after them?! The creature stopped in front of the girl, who was doing her best to stand her ground. But it was obvious that she was scared. From what they learned on their own, Sarafina can sense the energy and life of anything with a heartbeat. But since this...thing was not even remotely alive, she couldn't see it.  'That thing better not hurt her!' The two thought as they watched.

Damn it! This was driving Toriko nuts! That thing was in front of the blind girl yet he didn't dare move, lest he provoke it! The men held their breath as they watched the creature reach out towards her. "What's the matter? Where is it? Did it leave?" She asked those around her. They all suddenly got quiet, she sensed the tension coming from them. Yet they didn't move...they didn't say a word. What's going on?! Why was she in the dark? The thing paused for a moment, as if it was observing her. Then simply reached over and yanked off three stands of her hair. She let out a small yelp as she brought her hand up to ease the pain. Okay, now she was afraid. What did this thing do? Taking its prize in hand, it walked off into the darkness, Toriko and Coco watching it warily.

When it finally left the men gave a sigh of relief, Coco going to his knees as Toriko rushed over to the girl, who also sank to her knees. "Are you alright?!" Komatsu asked, trying his best not to freak out as the hunter knelt down to her and looked at the scratch, frowning a bit. Why would it take some of her hair? She appeared to be mumbling something. "Eh? What was that?" Toriko asked. She looked up at him, the girl appeared to be in shock, and said, "I...never felt anything like that before. I knew it was there...but I-" He ruffled her hair a bit and said, "It's alright. It's gone and it didn't hurt you too bad." She tried to smile as she softly said. "Thank you, Toriko." To Coco, Toriko asked, "What was that just now?"

I...don't know. I first saw the electro-magnetic waves."

Chapter Text

The men looked down at where the creature came from and saw its footprints. The print looked like some kind of trident only smaller. "That guy's foot prints..they weren't here when we got here. In other words... it came from the sea. Passing through the 1000 meter deep sea. There's a living thing like that?" Toriko asked as he helped the blind woman to her feet. She was quite shaken but none the worse for wear. "Its not a living thing." Coco told him.

"Eh?" Toriko went as Coco finished by say, "That guy just now was...not a living creature!" The simple statement made the group stare at him, dumbfounded. Wait... was that thing...a robot? Sarafina bit back a laugh. Of course, it was. That's why she couldn't sense anything. How stupid could she be for not being able to figure it out sooner. So useless. "Sarafina...are you alright?" Coco asked as he walked over to her. Sarafina nodded. "Y...yes, I am... just...a little shaken up...but I'm fine now. Please don't worry about me." She said in her normal, cheery voice.

"Are you sure you're okay? I never seen you looked so scared" Komatsu asked her. Again she shook her head, smiling all the same. "No, I'm fine. I think it took some of my hair, but that's okay. I'm still here, aren't I? What's a few strands missing going to do, huh?" She giggled. Toriko laughed hard at that as Coco ruffled her hair a bit and said, "I'm glad your alright, Sarafina." Smiling brightly, she nodded. Well, it's not all bad...these three were good people. Even if that thing did try to hurt her...even if she could see it, Sarafina knew they wouldn't let it touch her.

*Some time later*

The group finally left the cavern, but were greeted with a gruesome sight. The bandits and poachers that were waiting on standby were found dead. Based on their injuries, and remembering that thing they saw in the lagoon, they were killed by it not too long ago. They must've attacked without thinking. While she hated the loss of life, unfortunately Sarafina could not find any sympathy for these people. They got what they deserve, she thought to herself. "Mew!" A small meow came in. Sarafina turned and sensed Kururu's energy. She let out a relieved sigh as she bent down. "Kururu." She called out. The small kitten jumped up and nuzzled against her. "Thank goodness you're okay." Sarafina said. The kitten licked her face and took her place on her shoulder.

Soon after the group heard helicopters coming their way. They were from the IGO and were probably here for Toriko and Coco, needing them for something no doubt. However, Kiss had arrived just before them and Coco was quick to leave. But not before bidding them farewell and hoping that they'll meet again.

"Komatsu-kun...Sarafina...Though it was a short trip.. I'm really glad I met you." Coco told them as the group got ready to say their goodbyes and go their separate ways. Toriko stood nearby with some of the devil serpent meat. He wouldn't stop talking about it all the way back from the beach! "Coco-san! Me too! I became really diligent! Thank you very much!" Komatsu said excitedly, clenching his fists in happiness. Sarafina smiled wide. Really these two. If they ever formed a pair they'd make one VERY interesting team. If she were to stick around, she wouldn't mind continuing to tag along and see what adventures they would have. The girl's gotta admit; ever since meeting these two, things have been anything but dull! "Next time, I'll show up at your restaurant." The poison man told him, putting a hand on his hip. That seemed to send the little guy even higher on cloud 9.

"Yes! Please come any time! The best full course will be waiting!" The chef told him even more excitedly. "I'll be looking forward to it." Coco turned towards her. "I hope the next time we meet, you can tell me how you're able to see so well." She blinked for a second before smiling again. "Yes. I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have." Coco smiled at that. "I look forward to it." Turning towards the other hunter the two said nothing for a few seconds before the poison man said, "See ya... Toriko. Soon, we'll probably meet again."

"Yea..that's probably true." Toriko replied back. Why does she get the impression that there's more to it then that? Judging from the feeling in their souls, its like their sharing a secret just between them. Coco left, without really saying another word. She knew it must be weighing heavily on their minds. When the helicopters landed, a man in a business suite came out and walked to Toriko, asking him to come to Biotope 1 as he was needed there. Sarafina smiled at them and proceeded to leave as well. Hoisting up her catch of Puffer Whales over her free shoulder and had taken a only few steps away when the man in the suit called out to her. "Wait, please. Your name is Sarafina, right? The Blind Bandit?" She turned her head to the direction the voice came from. "Yes."

"I know this is sudden, but we've been asked to bring you to  as well, ma'am." He said. That caught her by surprise. She didn't expecting him to say that. They asked for her? Sarafina wasn't sure about what to say. She hadn't been at there in years. Was it okay for her to go? After all these years? Well, they wouldn't have asked for her if it wasn't. With a reluctant nod, Sarafina joined Toriko and Komatsu inside the helicopter. The man told her that he would personally make sure that she gets her reward from the Puffer Whales she captured as he handed it over to a few employees that were with him.

Now, they were flying in one of the helicopters heading towards Biotope 1. Listening in amazement as Komatsu was telling her that the hunter stacked an impossibly tall burger with even more food. Honestly! Where can he put all that insane amount of food?! He's a big man and all but still! There are limits! "Done! It's complete!" Toriko said with a huge smile on his face. "I call it the Toriko Burger!" Kururu was sniffing it and looked it over. She wasn't that interested as she jumped onto her owner's lap and tired to sleep.

"Sure you're done? Think there's food you haven't put on there." Sarafina said while Komatsu went, "It's too big, Toriko-san!" The poor guy's eyes were practically bugging out of his head at the insane burger. Just because there was some meat from the devil serpent didn't mean he had to go all crazy with it. "Devil serpent meat, enchanted with mineral cheese (man it sounded like he was in love with the damn thing) and neo-tomato from Coco inside, the taste and the nutritional value is out standing! Itadakimaaaa!" "No! That's impossible!" Komatsu as the two both watched in shock as he unhinged his jaw JUST to eat the burger whole! How in the world can anyone DO that?! 'Actually I take that back. This man, if it involves food, will do anything necessary to eat it.' The girl thought as the two stared at him. Funny, how she only met him for only half a day, yet already grasp at his personality.

"By the way, Toriko-san, is the Puffer Whale entering Toriko-san's full course?" The chef asked, smiling happily. The girl couldn't help but smile at of them all he seemed to be the one most excited. 'Guess he can't wait to see the new stuff they got there.' Sarafina mused. She's gotta admit she's kinda excited too, this adventure was turning out to be quite different then from the others she's been on. Toriko took a bite from his sandwich before replying, "Yeah, its as expected from what's called a delicacy from the depths of the sea but its impact was... As the course's "seafood dish" there are still better things. To that extent, the sea reaches far and wide, there's still more things I haven't eaten, there are lots of ingredients."

After all that trouble and he WASN'T satisfied with the fish? And to think she originally thought she was a picky eater! The girl giggled slightly as the chef's eyes practically sparkled as he continued, "And where we're going from here too will have yet unknown known treasure ingredients right?!" Technically he's right in a sense, there are known KNOWN stuff yet at the same time the stuff is unknown to him. She glanced over at the man in the black suit and glasses as he said, "The first biotope! We, the IGO, prided largest garden." The chef seemed to just noticed cause he said, "Department Head Johannes!" Toriko continued to eat as he started to explain the garden. From what she knew was that even though its called a garden the 8th biotope is different from the others.

The whole island is an arch, that area is roughly 500,000 square kilometers. She'll have to make a note to look that up and see how much space that actually is, sadly she never was any good at conversion. That number seemed to shock the chef as well. The IGO created a suitable structure for gourmet development and study. It kinda does explain the huge number mentioned before. After a time the study part had been abandon and became famous for selective breeding and cloned animals. Wait a sec... "Cloned animals? You're capable of doing such a thing?" That made the explanation halt for a moment. "Eh? Course they are. Why not?" "Forgive me. I...just never heard of that being made possible, guess I have been gone a long time." The hunter blinked a bit before chuckling. Toriko then asked the Head, "Surely its used for tourism?" The man adjusted his eyeglasses as he replied, "The limit for going to the island for tourism per year is one million people."

"By the way, reservations requires a 5 year wait. I should say that bringing with you any kind of food or drink to the island is prohibited, Toriko-san." The Head finished, looking right at him. Toriko continued to eat and carry on as if he didn't hear him, "Its nicknamed the Gourmet Garden. Nowadays new delicacies are said to be born here on this island."

"Are you listening?" The man asked. The girl shook her head and said, "Sorry. Every time he thinks of food all else is lost to him." He chuckled a bit and nodded. "The ancient food treasure, regal mammoth, certainly too... its not the only inhabiting animal on the island though right?" The little chef asked excitedly. "This time the request is the regal mammoth but," Toriko gave the Head a side glanced, "the real goal is different right?" The man was silent for a few moments before finally saying, "The details will be explained by the chief." Suddenly she felt the chopper descend, causing her to grip the holds and the seat with a vice-like grip as someone said, "I see it! Please land in front of Gate G!" Kururu let out a startled mew as she jumped on Sarafina's head.

Suddenly a warm hand was on her head and soothingly ruffled her hair, causing Kururu to fall off and growl at the one who 'pushed' her. "Relax. You're fine." Toriko said. "Haha, sorry. I'm more used to Kururu flying me around than man-made machines." Sarafina said, feeling a little embarrassed. The hunter gave a rumble of a chuckle, which sent shivers threw her. It felt altogether too sensuous and trouble making for her liking. Toriko laughed hard as the chopper landed. Kururu glared at Toriko. She didn't like him touching her master like that. She jumped up and bit his hand. "Ow!" He yelled out as he held his sore hand. "Kururu! I told you to be nice!" Sarafina scolded.

When they hopped off the chopper, two guards were standing outside and waiting for them, saluted and greeted Toriko with an odd saying, "Gochisousama Desu! Toriko-sama!" Disregarding the odd greeting, Toriko asked one of the guards, "Is the chief here?" One of them replied with, "Yes. He's eager and furthermore his stomach is empty and he is looking forward to it."

"Why?" Torkio said. He sounded like he really didn't want to know the reason. The platform itself wasn't that big or impressive. What was impressive was the cliffs that two large doors were in and the cliff behind them. She didn't pay much attention as Komatsu asked if this was the entrance to the island. She was too busy to try to sense the energy of those inside. Another thing she hates cities and places like this, was that it was hard to see where she was going. So she needed to located life energy to guide her. Sarafina suddenly noticed how far the hunter's gone. "Hey! Wait for us Toriko!" The girl said as she quickly rushed to catch up, leaving the chef behind to continue to look around. "Hey Komatsu! Sarafina! Hurry up or I'm gonna leave you behind!" Toriko called over his shoulder. "Y...y..yes!" The chef called back, running to catch up with them.

Giggling a bit she commented, "Someone seems like their having fun." "And your not?" Toriko asked her. Shrugging a bit she replied, "I am. It's just that...I haven't been anywhere near this area in a long time. Even now, I still can't see."

"But you've been here before right?" Toriko asked her. "Only once." The trio walked down a flight of stairs. "The inside of the research facility is big, so don't become lost children." He said louder to the other two. When he gets the chance he's gonna see if he can talk to the president about the girl. After reaching the bottom of the stairs the Komatsu gave a start at what laid before him. It was like a giant factory, conveyor belts hauling  different ingredients to blenders. "It's...its all a giant foodstuff production factory huh." The chef said from behind the tall woman, looking out into the factory as they walked through a tunnel. "Abut 30% of the world's ingredients are possible to be produced here. Although its for study."

"There are ingredients I've never seen before." The chef said as they continued walking. "Of course. That's ordinary for a large garden. Selective breeding is being done." She held her tongue back. Selective breeding was the usual thing but still. For their sake they better not be doing anything foolish cause there's no way in heck she'd let anything bad happen to any animal. Especially if it involves Kururu and her family. "It's study that can't be done publicly. But its still done." Sarafina turned to Toriko when she heard his clothes being tossed. Huh?

"Take off your cloths Komatsu, Sarafina. All of them." Sarafina blinked at that. "What?" She went as the chef said, "Eh?"  "It will be sterilised. Go in." Oh, now she remembered. Sarafina handed her sword, bag and cane to one of the workers. Two doors opened up to reveal what appeared to be showers. Komatsu was still left confused to what was going on. He blushed beet red as Sarafina was removing her clothing as well. Why the hell are they removing their clothes? "This is as far as I go. Somehow stay safe." The Head told them as the hunter replied, "Don't worry, Johanes. We're definitely going to catch the regal mammoth." Johanes nodded a bit as he said, "I wish you food luck."

"Hey! Don't be slow now you two!" Toriko said, putting a hand on his hip as the chef said yes and started to undress. "Before you enter the garden everything must be sterilized." The head explained. Toriko looked and his eyes widen as Sarafina was about to take off her white bra, he quickly said, "Wait, wait! How about Komatsu and I go first, and you can go next?"

"Okay, if that's what you think is best." Sarafina said as she folded her clothes. When the boys entered the showers, Toriko thought that it was probably a GOOD idea that she didn't shower with them. He didn't know how much of an impact that would leave on him. Sarafina was thinking the same thing, but it was mostly out of consideration for them. She didn't want them to be uncomfortable if she was there. "Once you step inside, feel free to hand us your clothing through the door ma'am." She nodded. If she wanted to catch up with the others, she's gonna have to hurry her thorough cleaning. Although she has the feeling Toriko wouldn't up and leave her behind. Then again, given his personality he may just leave someone behind in the name of food.

After waiting for a while, she was finally able to go in but not before striping off the rest of her clothing and handing them over, Kururu had followed her inside. She found some soap and got to scrubbing. That was the one thing she missed most: showers and the feeling of being cleaned. Price to be paid for roughing it and such all the time. She kneeled down and gave her feline companion a nice bath. After scrubbing herself at least 3 or 4 times she exited the showers, finding all her clothes made it through the sterilisation. As she changed back, she noticed that her hair ribbon was gone. Oh no, it probably didn't make it through. That's a shame. 'Now what am I going to do? It's going to be a pain if my hair gets in the way.' Sarafina thought.

Eh, it probably wont be a problem. It did feel nice feeling her loose. Finally walking out, feeling refreshed, a worker came by and handed back her belongings. Thanking them, she was quick to find Toriko and Komatsu. "I'm sorry if I took to long." She said. "Oh no, don't worry about. We didn't wait too long." Komatsu told her, smiling. "Oh good." The hunter's eyes slightly widen when he saw her. She looked different with her hair loose, but in a good way. She looked cuter. Wait, what?!

The hunter quickly shook his head and walked towards an elevator. She and Komatsu follow suit. "U..um Toriko-san...Sarafina-san" Komatsu started, looking around the small elevator as it went down. "What kind of person is this chief?" Toriko put his hands on his hips, a slight frown on his face. "N...he's just an ordinary old drunk." He said. "But he's a nice man." Sarafina said.

"B..but he's in a high position isn't he?" Komatsu asked. "In the IGO, he comes after the president and the vice president. As a matter of fact, he's called the no.3 man." Sarafina told him. "A..amazing! He's even greater than Business Director Uumen!" Komatsu exclaimed. "Yes...he's even famous as a militant." Toriko finished. Glancing over to the chef she noticed that he suddenly felt very nervous.

"D..don't be nervous.." He said half to himself. Taking pity on him she ruffled his hair soothingly, which earned her a blush and a flash of jealousy from the hunter at the action. "Relax. I'm sure everything will be fine." Sarafina said, trying to reassure the little man. "It's fine if you feel nervous. It's natural, since you don't know what will attack us in the laboratory." The hunter told them. He still finds it amazing that the girl hasn't shown even the slightest fear in spite of everything. What was she made of? Maybe she's just so laid back that nothing bothers her? That goes especially for her lack of sight. Which brought another good question. What kind of life did she live before meeting them.

A ding was heard and a second later the door opened to reveal a monkey looking animal in a huge glass case being pushed by a men in surgeon outfits. She blinked a bit as Komatsu shouted in surprise and stumbled back, tripping himself a bit. "Ooooooh. A new species of Battalion Yeti?" Toriko said. "That was a Battalion Yeti?" She asked in wonder. Toriko got a strange look on his face when he said, "Hello. Chain Animals." Chain animals? What were those? The idea she had and the actual knowledge are two different things. Just as Sarafina was about to ask, a blood spattered, one armed surgeon-looking man appeared. Part of his hair that was shown covered one of his eyes, revealing a somewhat dead looking eye.

Immediately, she didn't like him one bit. Kururu wasn't a fan either as she was growling at him. Sarafina placed a hand on her back to keep her calm, and to hold her back. The man said, "Gochisousamades, Toriko-sama. Welcome. The chief is waiting." Then proceeded to show them the way. Kururu went inside in her bag, most likely hiding away from prying eyes. As they walked, almost every space in the room was filled with animals in glass cases of every size. She didn't even know where to begin to describe them, each one was extremely different from the last. Their energy was too wild to get a good reading. "Hang on, Toriko-san! What on earth is this place?! What are these animals?!" Komatsu shouted.

"Their laboratory animals, Komatsu." The woman told him, frowning slightly. She remembered this part of the facility and hated it. No animal should be placed in such tight quarters, let alone squeezed in like this place has them. She wished they were in a somewhat natural environment; that way they can roam around. However, there was nothing she could do. "I..I've never seen living creatures like these before." Komatsu said as he continued to look around, somewhat nervous.  "They're things like clones of extinct species or mixes of fellow animals. They're mostly ones that don't currently exist in the wild. Their artificial new species." Toriko explained.

"Tch. Playing God is more like it." The girl said, disgust filling her voice. Why doesn't that surprise her? Disgusting. She bet her reputation as a hunter that they just "dispose" these animals once their purpose is done. Toriko gave her a side glance before continuing. "They're nicknamed chain animals. They're here for the great cause of gourmet research to be carried. But for the animals protection and ethical view point, this place is in the research facility but its top secret."

"How ludicrous. These poor things are here just to be experimented on and search just for food. This place is the worst. I wouldn't miss it at all if this part of the facility disappears." She muttered to herself. Unbeknown to her Toriko caught a bit of what she said and smiled slightly. His feelings exactly. Suddenly someone came rushing from somewhere shouting, "This is bad! The muscle crab has escaped!"

Muscle crab? A split second later a big mammal crustacean beast large muscles with sharp teeth, big red pincers, and six legs, was chasing three of the workers with one shouting, "Hurry, the anaesthesia!" "Wa...wa...wa.." Oh dear. There goes the chef freaking out again, she mused. If he continues going on trips like this he's gonna have a heart attack sooner or later. As she glanced over at Toriko when he said, "Well, well. There's no delay. Stay back you two." He told him as he cracked his knuckles. "Sorry, but I thought I'd jump in and give out a helping hand." Toriko was about to reply when out of nowhere a giant man appeared and single handedly punched the enormous crab, sending it flying into a nearby wall and knocking it out.

What the hell?! "Now!" The newcomer shouted. "Go to sleep! That's what I always say, right?" Oh, she recognise that voice anywhere. It was a middle-aged man with chiseled features, a flat nose and is completely bald. He has two vertical scars on the left side of his head and three metal piercing on the top of it. He wears a green, sleeveless muscle shirt, a pair of beige shorts, and black sandals. His body is shown to be very muscular, maybe even more so than Toriko. And as she expected, he was chugging a bottle.

"The chain animal has been calmed down." He said. As the woman knelt down to help Komatsu up, Toriko, wearing a slight smirk on his face, said, "Unforgiving as usual. Have a little sympathy for the animals. Chief Mansam!" Mansam burst out into a deep laugh before replying as he clenched his fist in a excited manner, "No matter who your opponent is, to strike with all your power is love right? Eh, Toriko! Welcome..no.." He stopped as he ambled over to the hunter and clasped his hand in a comradely manner. It was QUITE clear he was drunk but thankfully not completely drunk. "It's welcome back right?" Mansam gave a slight hiccup. "Already drunk, eh? You drunkard chief!" Toriko told him as the two walked over. Komatsu seemed to be in shock at the man's size and physique.

"Huh? No way, Sarafina?! Is that you?" Mansam shouted as the woman made her way to them. She giggled as she blushed pink. "Hello, Mansam. It...has been a while." She said softly. "A while, It's been years! It wouldn't kill you to visit, would it?" He laughed as he tried to give her a hug, but she stepped to the side. Causing him to fall on his face. "I'm sorry, but you know I don't like staying in large cities." She laughed. Mansam quickly got back on his feet and spread a big smile. "Yeah, yeah."

"You guys met before?" Toriko asked. "Yup. Last time she was here, she was just a little kid." A kid? What did he mean by that? Putting that aside for now, Toriko asked him, "You're always drinking in this basement. What's it like when you occasionally go out to town, chief?" The comment earned another deep booming laugh. "Nowhere's as stimulating as this place! That's right! Have you seen the coliseum in a while, Toriko?" The jolly man asked. Coliseum? Toriko was silent for a second before answering, "Not yet. What sorta thing is happening there?"

"Today there's a match to be seen!" The chief said excitedly. Not that its any of her business but what was this coliseum that Mansam mentioned. No one ever told her about a coliseum the last time she was here. "Who's fighting?" Mansam got a smug look on his face as he answered, "The battle wolf!" Battle wolf? That got the two hunters' attention cause the next thing they knew, the group headed down a long corridor with a really bright exit. From the sounds of it a fight was going on and the cheering was getting louder by the minute. The girl blinked in shock as the group stepped out into the opening. Wow! The place was packed to the max! And so loud! She resisted wincing, all the loud cheering was hurting her ears a bit.

"Ooooh, it's going, it's going!" The chief shouted excitedly. Toriko had his hands in his pockets as he surveyed the crowed. Nothing really changed much here. "What is this place?!" Komatsu asked surprise. "The Gourmet coliseum! An arena with the purpose of measuring wild beasts fighting strengths and capture levels. But its real purpose is for the powerful or rich men as simply a place for hobby." Mansam told him.

"Tch. Should of known. This fits as something only the rich would do." She again muttered to herself. A place for to see blood being spilled and bones break with unthinkable amounts of money being poured in to see who lives or dies. She feels disgusting just by being here. The chief gave another bellow laugh as he said to him, "You're giving it a bad reputation Toriko! But really that's the target!"

"I believe that's the point. I wonder what gave that away?" She growled, earning looks from the men. Mansam laughed at that. "Looks like you developed quite the attitude, Sarafina! I like that!" Looking at the arena itself, she sensed that a Galala Gator and a Troll Kong were fighting. While happy she can't see it, it doesn't mean she can block out the sounds, knowing what it was being used for. She turned away and blinked a bit when Toriko ruffled her hair. Sarafina looked up at him, sensing he was giving a knowing and reassuring smile. Blushing lightly the girl turned away. At least he felt her sentiments towards this disgusting place. A slam was heard from the arena and Komatsu said in disbelief, "Its beating the troll kong!"

"Though the capture level of the troll kong is higher, it already used its stamina fighting the other beasts." Toriko told him simply. Just hearing the shouts and roars of pain was making her queasy. At the moment, she wished she didn't come back here. A sicking smack and a thud was heard a moment later. Guess that ends this fight. "Oooh, precisely at the place of its brain! As expected of the Troll Kong's power! Even with the Galala Croc's small brain, it caused cerebral concussion!" Toriko said, eyes appearing glued to the fight. The troll kong pounded its chest in triumph as the crowed went wild. The jolly man gave yet another laugh before he said, "As expected of the Troll Kong! There was no surprise! Well, that at least sets their places. The capture levels are even accurate! Eh, Toriko! Sarafina!" That's it. She couldn't take any more and snapped at the chief, "There is a difference, Mansam! The way these horrid battles and fights are going, most of the contenders aren't even at their full health! So how can you even GET a proper reading?! Let alone the so called accurate capture levels?!" She was trembling.

"Eh? Well...it depends.." Mansam started before she continued, "Depends on what?" 

"More than that," Toriko started, cutting her off and gently pushing her to his other side away from the chief. Last thing he wanted was a spectacle and the girl was already getting wound up from this place. That and this really wasn't the place to see her snap at the chief. "Is a battle wolf really going to appear here, chief?"

At that the chief spread his arms wide, showing the lot in front of them. "Do you think its a lie, looking at this sold out crowed of customers?! Now let's prepare your special seats Toriko!" Toriko bit back a laugh as he heard the girl next to him mutter darkly about something before seeing her immediately regret whatever it was she said. He'd have to ask her what she said later although he kinda wished he had Zebra's ears. "But isn't this place always sold out..." The hunter commented as the group followed the chief down some stairs, walking past the rich people. Tch. She hopes they all choke or something. Her eyes widened. 'Why did I think that..? I'm horrible...' Mansam gave another laugh before answering, "I guess so! But today is especially hot, isn't it?" Komatsu said nothing as they continued to walk down.

Chapter Text

As they walked down the stairs, Sarafina couldn't help but feel the people's eyes watching them. She could practically hear their thoughts, judging them. She hated the many eyes on her. It's fine it they were Gourmet Beasts, but humans....human eyes were not so easy to brush off. "But I heard people generally can't get into the research facility. So this place, the coliseum, is different.." Komatsu said. That's right. They said so right from the beginning. Wait...didn't he also mention that these rich people... had the money? "Hey, hey Komatsu! Take a good look at the crowed!" The chef took a moment to really look at them before saying, "These people...there... I feel like I've seen them before."

"Of course. The customers of this place are mostly presidents of every country and famous wealthy. Gourmet mania is only for the wealthy." Toriko told him. "The IGO, International Gourmet Organization, has gone past its foundations as a united nations specialised agency. That's due to the great demand for gourmet ingredients that it's become a huge organization. Nowadays its grown into a gigantic independent organization. The current number of member nations is 360, even exceeding the member-nation count of the united nations. A lot of the people here are all the IGO member-nations VIPs. Now, because they want to see this coliseum, country heads joining in the IGO are here." Mansam laughed as he said, "With only that, this place has a thrilling fascination, doesn't it? You can't stop with seeing just one wild beast battle! Its poisoning! Now this place has been established as officially the place to let out stress for rich men!"

Well, that one part she can agree on. This place is like a poison and not the addicting kind. The atmosphere alone was making her feel sick and the fact that knowing these disgusting people were here to make money and such doesn't make it any more bearable. "And gambling is also done here." The chief said with a grin. "An enormous amount of money gets moved in one day. Particularly today." Mansam said. Eventually, the group made their way and sat down on some very luxurious seats. They were practically in front of the battle dome! The sound of gates being drew her attention and nearly gasped from the many energies she was feeling. The first beast before them, resembled that of a an elephant but it is in fact a green dinosaur-like creature. It has a pair of tusks growing out of the sides of its trunk-like neck, its head is located at the end of the "trunk" and it has a hunched back that resembles an Elephant's head, even having two indentations which resemble eyes on it. The only thing it lacks to perfect the Elephant-like appearance are the ears.

"Elephantsaurus!" The announcer shouted as the next gate opened up to reveal a giant breed of walrus with navy skin with blue tiger-like stripes. Its eyes are completely black with yellow pupils and its mouth is full of sharp teeth and two huge tucks that nearly touched the ground. "From the second gate is the amphibious devil! Growlrus!" A chuckle was heard from the other side of her. "Looks like the contestants got your attention." The chief said. The girl bit back a growl before replying, "I was just surprised that's all. I've haven't seen some of these creatures before today." The third gate revealed a troll kong's boss, SilverBack. "Next, is the Reaper of the Skies, Gerold!" The fourth gate popped out a large orange bird beast whose most notable trait are its five heads as well as its uniquely shaped body with both rotund and lean characteristics. It has very long and lean legs capable of easily supporting its weight as well as a pair of moderately sized wings.

"A..amazing! They're all famous wild beasts!" Komatsu went, putting his hands on the glass as they watched the animals walk up to each other, growling and snarling, ready for a fight. Fight...she felt her stomach drop and turn away. "They're the usual matches, the most popular wild beasts, as always but what today's customers came for are the wild beasts in gates 6 and 7." The chief got that excited look in his eyes as he finished, "The Battle Wolf and the Devil Serpent!" Sarafina looked at Mansam in shock. "You actually have an Battle Wolf?" She only heard many stories about those magnificent creatures and dreamed of seeing one....she never thought that the IGO had actually have one with them. Toriko smirked as he said, "Heh..the two animals that were said to compete for the strongest position in ancient times?" The hunter crossed his arms over his chest as he continued. "A match won't be interesting, though. Its said that the battle wolf is nearly extinct in the wild. Though it should be fun to see one."

The jolly man laughed. "In a fight between you and a battle wolf I don't know who'd win!" Say what?! Every time she senses the energy from a human, Sarafina can tell the good from the bad, and all this time she has sensed Toriko was a good man. And from the way he presented himself, he is not the type of man who'd EVER kill for sport! She looked at Toriko as the said hunter's face took on a bittersweet sad look as he said, "I wonder... the strongest wolf has great pride.."

'Toriko...? I wonder what's wrong. I've never sense an emotion like this on him.' Sarafina thought, she felt a twinge in her heart. That this happy go lucky man would have such an emotion in his soul. She wondered what happened in the past to earn that look. She wasn't aware she was staring at him until he looked her way and gave her a grin. Blushing deeply, she quickly turned away. "We've kept you waiting! The fifth gate is opening!" The announcer said as the gate indeed was opening. That seemed to get Toriko's and Sarafina's attention and the announcer continued. "Finally! The Gourmet Coliseum is proud to have for the first time!" As they group watched the most magnificent beast stepped out. She tuned out what the guy was saying as her eyes widen in awe at the wolf. The wolf was bigger then the others, its fur the color of fresh snow, the aura it was giving off was indeed fearsome and the proud way it was moving gracefully onto the field told her that it had incredible power. Toriko stood up abruptly. "Aw..awesome.. this is the battle wolf?!"

Once, in deep ancient times, there was a birth by mutation of a super-giant herbivorous beast, Death core. That grotesque form certainly was an incarnation of the form of the devil as it was appropriately called. It spanned 50 meters and weighed 200 tons. With the devil's inexhaustible appetite it would devour the forest of an entire continent. That scene was the announcement of the end of this age. The collision of a gigantic asteroid..large scale volcanic eruption...climate fluctuations. Repeating from ancient times. Though the mass extinction of animals had a different cause. By one certain species of herbivorous beast. The crisis of the mass extinction of animals. With their numbers increasing, the scale the devil devoured forests already couldn't compare to your, mankind's, current speed of deforestation for lumber, from continent to continent, in doing so, the earth became a desert instantly. The devils, with their demand for forests to feed on, migrated. After their walk, there was no indication of life. The devil, step by step, certainly carved the countdown to living thing's extinction. Even crossing the sea, they finally reached the land, this world's largest continent. On one side there was an overgrown forest, a paradise of greenery. However, the devils did not get one bite of that forest. Their forms disappeared from this world. Its said that it wasn't anything other than bad luck, the place they landed on was a certain animal's territory. Some kind of giant carnivore, without being in large numbers. The devils in that place, were brought to extinction. At that time the continent was controlled by a young wolf.

Sarafina watched the beautiful wolf in front strode out from its gates, its appearance seemed to have quite shaken the other beasts. "A..amazing..this is the battle wolf?! Doesn't give you the goosebumps? What a presence." Toriko said, watching the animal move further into the field. "I must agree with you. What a beautiful presence! I have never seen anything or ANYONE with this much presence before!" Sarafina said honestly. "She's beautiful..." She whispered to herself. "There's...there's somehow a wolf this huge.." Komatsu said. Mansam watched on in pride. "In the distant past it brought the evil beast, the death core, to extinction. From there we were unexpectedly able to collect DNA from the original and reconstruct the battle wolf as a clone! Body length 18 meters. Body weight 11 tons. The battle wolf's way of life is still a mystery but it probably has the greatest size among its kind. At the very least, that creature stopped that mass extinction crisis. Its certainly taken over the talent and skill of the legendary king!" The chief finished saying.

Toriko, who never took his eyes off the battlefield, said, "For the deep emotion there are no words to say. Look, the others.." The hunter thought to himself as he continued to look on. 'Their all shaking. It won't be much of a match.' The chief went 'hmph', got a phone out and said into it, "Rin! Please send more of the odor!"

"Oh.. they've started preparing for battle." Toriko said. "How are the odds?" The chief asked, taking another drink from yet another bottle. A board flickered on and showed the names of the beasts out there and the odds. The lowest odd being the battle wolf while the highest was the silverback. "As I thought, the most popular is the battle wolf! Even though the devil serpent hasn't come out yet, times 2.2, its the popularity you'd expect." The chief said with a grin.

Without warning all the beasts charged at the battle wolf, who merely stood there as they attacked. "Ah! Their ganging up on her!" The woman said as she watched. "They put all their energy into attacking the battle wolf!" Komatsu cried out as the hunter said, "So what's going to happen? The king's real power.." Agh! Don't care! She can't watch and quickly turned away, covering her ears to block out the horrid sounds. "What!?" Toriko said in surprised. Does she want to know? Cautiously looking back at the ring, she saw, to her amazement, that the wolf wasn't making any attempt to stop the onslaught of attacks. What was going on? Giving her full attention to the Battle Wolf, she took another look and her blood ran cold. Something's off...no... something was wrong. The air that the wolf was giving off wasn't for fighting, it was as if it was tolerating the attacks.

Suddenly she noticed that it was slightly rounded in the stomach area. It was pregnant? She narrowed her eyes to focus as she saw a different life energy within it, her eyes widened as she heard a heartbeat. Oh God, no! It was pregnant and it was in a middle of a fight! "Its appearance is odd chief! That battle wolf..." Toriko started, looking even more closely at the animal before suddenly asking, "Chief...is that female?" The question threw the chief off but he answered anyway. "Yeah.. it's a female?"

"Toriko! Mansam! That wolf! I think she's pregnant!" The girl told him just as he quickly took off. Did he even hear her? Without wasting another second, Sarafina followed after him. Suddenly money seemed to rain from the sky. On a good day it wouldn't be a bad thing. Guess it was because of the battle wolf? "Wh..what's this?! So much money! Is...is this because of what the battle wolf is doing?" Komatsua asked as he turned to look at the others only to discover the two hunters were gone. "Where'd Toriko-san and Sarafina-san go?" He asked. The chef turned just in time to see the giant hunter take out the Growlrus and the blind huntress used large, black ribbons to grabbed the both Silverback and the Gerold, and pulled them away. Hauling them over her and onto the ground with incredible strength. "What are they doing in the arena?!" Komatsu asked in shock.

"It's been a long time I've stood here." Toriko began to say. Huh? What did he say? He turned his sights on the Battle Wolf and greeted it, "Hey. Legendary King." The whole stadium has gone quiet and everyone was staring in shock at the sight before them. Just as suddenly as before the crowed erupted into a roar that was louder then before. Cheering and exclaiming Toriko was there and such. Some where screaming at the top of their lungs in pure joy as they saw that that Sarafina was there as well. She had always remained elusive to the public eye, but now here she was, out in the open!! A rare sight to see. The board that had all of the beasts names had suddenly added Toriko and Sarafina to the list of combatants.

"Toriko-san! Sarafina-san!" Komatsu yelled out. "Those morons. How in the hell did those two even get in there?" The chief asked himself. Glancing over at the dome, his eyes bugged out pretty good at that sight. There was a giant size hole in it! That blue-haired idiot broke a hole in the super thick, super glass!? He's still making payments on that thing!! The animal Toriko had hit before slowly, shakily got back up from a 2 hitter from the man. The hunter threw out his intimidation at the animal along with the others which shook in fear and took off fast save the battle wolf, which calmly stood her ground. Speaking of which, she quickly made her way to the opening. From the looks of it she's going to be giving birth soon if not sooner! Wonder if she can help? "Chief! Suspend the match!" Toriko shouted to the chief, who blinked a bit.

"The battle wolf can't fight! Tell Rin to calm the beasts down!" Rin? Who's Rin? Someone who's in charge of the beasts probably? Without warning the wolf suddenly collapsed, laying on its side. Its relaxing? No! It's closer to giving then what she thought! She sensed that something was about to attack the hunter and called out. "Toriko! Behind you!" The hunter quickly threw his hands up and caught the blow, which caused him to grunt with the effort. "You're an annoyance monkey!" Toriko shouted at it as he punched it in the gut.

Well, that takes care of one but the others. Why are they still rearing to go? Didn't the hunter tell that chief to tell whoever to calm them down?! "Sarafina, stay where you are." The hunter called over to her just as she was about to come to him. To the battle wolf he said, "It's a blessing. Its alright to give birth with a peace of mind. At any rate, leave these guys to me and thus becoming a show for that human audience. For one as proud as you, its a stubborn disgrace right?" Glancing over to the woman he then said, "In case by some chance this girl over here wants to try and help, I don't suppose you can tolerate it? She means well and there isn't anything in this world that will get her to harm your child. Hell, chances are good that she'd offer herself up as food to one of these guys before she lets anything happen to it."

Turning his attention back the others he finished by saying, "I'll remove both of them at once. Together with a celebratory fireworks." The girl was trifled amazed with what he said but she wouldn't deny it. The wolf was a proud one and she doubt that it'll accept any kind of help she gave gracefully. Sarafina cautiously walked towards the Battle Wolf, trying to show that she meant no harm to her nor her child. "Shh. Shh. It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." She said as she reached out and gently touched her muzzle. "You must relax....take a few deep breaths, and do what you have to do." She told her. Sarafina's power spread through her hand and into the Battle Wolf. She looked at her in the eye and was beginning to calm down.

She glanced over as the elephant monster charged at the hunter full speed and blinked in amazement when they hunter caught it by the tusks. His face turned demonic for a moment before easily throwing the beast towards the dome. Once the beast hit, it caused a huge dent with huge cracks in the glass to form. The hunter rushed over and leaped into the air. "Sorry chief. You'll need to close the coliseum for a little while." Ooooooh boy! "St...stop it Torikoooooo!" The chief was heard shouting just as the giant hunter did a 5 nail punch to the glass, successfully breaking it through to the people.

As the glass shattered and chunks were falling the audience sat there in shock until the hunter called out, "Hey! The wild beasts are getting out! Run away!" As soon as he yelled that out, the people ran away like frighten chickens. Toriko seemed to be enjoying himself as he was laughing pretty hard as he continued to say, "Run away! Run away!"

"Toriko-san! Sarafina-san!" Komatsu shouted at the two. Laughing still, Toriko said, "Look Komatsu! The bright sparkling is pretty eh?! They're celebratory fireworks! For the new legendary battle wolf's birth." The hunter finished as he looked over to see the new born and mother bonding. Looks like Sarafina was able to help it after all. She smiled softly at the sight. "Welcome to the gourmet age." Toriko told the pup as he watched on. Sarafina took a few steps back to give them some space to bond with each other. This couldn't be a more perfect moment. The woman blinked when she heard, "Fry Panch" and turned just in time to see Gerold go flying past them. "Oh my..." She muttered as she watched the bird skittered across the dirt. "But I was surprised." Mansam said as he cracked his knuckles. "That a clone was able to give birth." His eyes narrowed as he finished. "Is this the work of gourmet cells?"

She couldn't help but looked at Toriko, how soft the hunter's face was as he watched the mother and child. His aura held a gentle warmth and light. For some reason both his expression and the sight made her heart soften very much. The wolf appeared to be very exhausted. Is it due to the birth? No...maybe it has something to do with the cloning? Sarafina felt movement from her bag and Kururu had jumped out. She was now facing the last gate and was growling loudly. "Kururu?" The woman quickly glanced at the gate. Kururu's instincts must've picked up something. Something bad. Kururu wouldn't have exposed herself like this if something big wasn't coming.

Suddenly a loud banging was heard from the last gate. She let out a gasp as her fellow hunter turned in time to see the gate get crashed...no...bowled over by a Devil Serpent. "You've gotta be kidding me?" Sarafina said, letting out a sigh. Toriko, who had the "not this guy again look", said as he scratched his chin. "Awww...Not this guy again. How troublesome. If only Coco were here..." The beast quickly grabbed the bird and walrus and proceeded to eat them whole. The troll kong seemed to wake up from the attack Toriko gave it, saw it, and quickly ran away until it got sparred by the serpent's long tongue.

"It's even more ferocious than the one from the cave." The chef said with a nervous as he watched the events unfold before him. His brain told him to make a break for it, but his body didn't listen. "Komatsu, you're not running away?" Mansam asked as if he just noticed him. "Eh? Y..yea.. Having been on trips with Toriko-san so many times that somehow..its almost always like this, I've gotten used to it. (Although I did die that one time)." The jolly man laughed hard that as he said, "That guy's got some nice bravery! Even with the tops of every nation in this state!"

Mansam looked over at the masses running away an said, "In their own countries they have nuclear weapons, that all of them are unarmed is a deplorable thing! Well, in this situation, even if they brought a missile or something, running away would be wise!" Mansam gave another booming laughing before continuing, looking at the giant hole the hunter created. "But that Toriko would destroy this reinforced acrylic plate, even I didn't think would happen. Since the old days, he's certainly powered up, that kid. Is eating delicious food proof?" Suddenly he stopped, as if noticing something again and looked in a direction. Mansam saw a man with busy black hair and beard wearing a turban and robes, sitting as still as he can be.

Didn't he know he was in danger? The chief walked over and began to talk to him. As he was the Battle Wolf has its attention on high which meant that something was coming. Kururu shifted her eyes on the man and sharped a glare. The ground beneath her was being covered in ice. Without warning the man suddenly slammed his hand threw the chief's stomach and out the other side. "Ah?!" The chief's arm bulged as he went, "Fry Panch!" and punched the guy quite a few feet away from him. The smoke and debris was floating all around them as Mansam said, cracking his knuckles, "The rumored new model? It already slipped in with them?"

The being in the dust cloud stood up and tore at its own face. Once it was off, the thing threw it away. As the smoke cleared it revealed the same creature that they saw in the cave but this time it was smaller but still as bulky with the only difference is that it didn't have the same feel as it did back there. "That guy is!" The boys said at the same time. They JUST noticed it was something similar as the one before? Unfortunately, because it had no soul, Sarafina couldn't see it. The Battle Wolf mother slowly stood up and looked over in their direction. The air around the chief seemed to grow dark and menacing as he said to it, "Just one machine..? You've got guts. Lets start dismantling to tiny pieces."

How the hell can that man talk so calmly when he has a bleeding stomach?! "That you could successfully sneak in here one could say you have great ability or that you're a fool. That one especially valuable machine sample was given as a present, we're thankful. The bishoku-kai." Toriko looked at the new threat, trying to figure out who this guy was. Was this different compared to the first one they met. "Who's the operator? Hm? You can speak audibly right? What's your objective?" Mansam asked it. The thing was silent for a moment before a creepy voice replied, "Chief... you look delicious."

"What's that? ...Bastard... it's Bei isn't it!" The chief asked just as Bei suddenly surged forward and grabbed the man by the arms, digging in its fingers. ""Ah, knocking? But it's too bad, I'm not there." The muscles in his arms quadrupled in size, clenched his fists and slammed both hands into the thing's head while saying, "Frypan sandwich!" The attack didn't effect it at all with little to no damage. What is that thing made of? "Hmm...sure is hard." Was all Mansam said right as the machine opened it's head and shoot some sort of laser beam threw the chief's neck, the force of the attack threw the chief far away from them.

"Chief!" The woman said as she sensed the disruption of Mansam's body. She heard Komatsu yell as she turned to see the serpent had finished eating the other beasts. Her eyes widen in shock as the mother Battle Wolf stood up shakily, proceeding towards the Devil Serpent. It has the energy left to spare, even after giving birth? The hunter and the huntress watched in amazement as the serpent started to attack only to lose two limbs in an attack that was too fast to be seen. Whoa... Extremely impressive! Tall about speed and power! It only took a few seconds?! Before they knew it, the Devil Serpent had dropped dead in front of them. The Battle Wolf standing in victory.

Suddenly the wolf appeared to be standing solely on willpower. Of course...only just giving birth then forced to fight would drain her of her strength. Cautiously she made her way over to her fellow hunter and the pup. Sarafina made it over in time to hear Toriko talk to the pup. A soft blush appeared as the girl noticed the softest look she had ever seen on his face has he talked to the little wolf. "Go ahead. By pouring in all the life she had, she gave birth to you."

The pup seemed to be listening and understood everything he was saying. "You can be a dependent child to your mother. This is your last chance. Go to her." The pup seemed to hesitant, as if unsure. Smiling as she walked up she told her, "He's right. You don't have much time. Go make some memories with your mother. The last thing needed is regrets." The pup looked at her for a moment before running towards her mother. Good. Kururu walked over to her and kept her eyes on the pup and her mother. Sarafina blinked when the hunter chuckled a bit and turned to look at him. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thought you looked cute there for a second." Fighting a blush back she grumbled at him. "I....I don't....think I'm..." Toriko chuckled again as the two watched the pup run. Without warning a shot came from out of nowhere, shooting right through the battle wolf. The woman covered her mouth in shock as both pup and Toriko stared in shock as well before laughter was heard coming from the large hole. Both turned to see the robot laughing as it said, "That one doesn't have the will to eat. Things that seem disgusting are not needed. Die!"

Fury filled her entire being at that. How DARE it do that to the Battle Wolf! She was shaking with rage. She never felt this angry in a long time. Forget taking it easy, Sarafina was going to do whatever it takes to tear this thing apart. Suddenly she noticed the dark aura surrounding the large hunter. The look he had on his face, making her shiver slightly. Since she can't do any real harm to it herself with her lack of sight, this is one battle she'll gladly let the hunter take over. The woman hoped he'd make that bastard suffer for what he did. Glancing over to the mother Battle Wolf as she slowly made her way to the pup and proceeded to groom her. Biting back tears she watched the touching scene, doing her best to ignore that disgusting laughter from above.

The laughter stopped when the machine noticed the touching scene. "Ha? What are you doing? I don't understand it. Hurry up! And drop dead, you dog!" The thing said as it prepared for another attack. That twisted son of a... No! She can't allow it to hurt her any longer! Her eyes began to glow when suddenly Sarafins picked up the scent of something...tranquil. She saw large portions of smoke covering the entire arena. "What is this?"

"Ah? What?!" The machine as a female voice said, "It's something in this situation you can't read well. Endorphin smoke. For the time being, I had to fire it." Endorphin? Ah! Smart thinking! That way the wolf wouldn't feel much pain as she spent her last moments with her child. The smoke cleared enough to reveal a young woman with light skinned, short black hair and blue eyes. She wears a red gi top with green borders and no sleeves and a pair of short black tights. She has large thighs with a scar on the left one. She also has a single scar on the right side of her face. She also had some sort of machine on her arm that was smoking a bit (guess that explains where the smoke came from).

Looking back at the mother and child she realized it wasn't for the mother but for the child. It appeared even more relaxed and ease, doing her best to show her affection to her mother. It appeared to be working on her as well, as time passes she felt more and more relaxed, the anger and rage she felt was seeming to melt away. Shivers went threw her body as she sensed tremendous rage near by. She didn't even have to look to know who it was cause it could only be one person: Toriko. From the emotion she felt in the girl's soul told her that the smoke wasn't even affecting him in the slightest and was extremely mad. Must be a first for her as well.

"Sarafina. Rin." Toriko said to them. "Look after the Battle Wolf. I'm counting on you." Rin blushed as she replied happily, "Yeah! Leave it to me!" Chuckling a bit she told him, "You didn't even have to ask. The only thing I'M gonna request is that you mop the floor with that thing." The hunter bit back a chuckle. Even though he was seriously angry somehow that girl got a chuckle from him. Kururu let out a growl as she created a small wall of ice around them as a way to protect them. Cracking his knuckles he looked up at the robot. "Now then, though it's usually human, it was a GT Robot?" His look darkening even more as he continued. "What's really made me mad... Hey, Anteater face over there." 

The machine looked around for a moment as if confused while saying, "What? Who is that..?" Within a span of a heartbeat Toriko was up by him, grabbed the thing by his shirt and said, "It's you!" The thing quickly opened its mouth to attack but Toriko nailed it with a punch first and sent the machine flying across the stadium, making it land even further from the dome, which the hunter stood on. Once it landed it quickly stood up and ripped off the remaining garment. "Toriko of the four heavenly kings! You sure are audacious! You look the most disgusting of all, sickening! Kill...! I'll kill you!" It snarled at Toriko, who a look of murderous rage.

Chapter Text

"This time it isn't capture. It's extermination!" She couldn't agree more! Sarafina could hear the damn machine due to it speaking so loudly (not to mention it grated on the nerves). "GT ROBOT!" The hunter shouted as he leaped from the glass ledge. "Take this!" He finished as he punched the thing again. Talk about power! Sarafina continued to listen to him rain punches on the machine. The last punch sent it flying away from him a bit. Toriko looked like he was panting hard. Just how hard was that damn thing?

Thankfully, with the sounds it made and the hits it took from Toriko, Sarafina got an idea for it. 'Titanium dioxide with slight carbon. It means that his body is a titanium alloy combined with carbon fiber.' The woman thought as she spread a smile, thanks to Toriko, she could finally see it. It suddenly shouted, "Peeler shot!" Something was thrown at the hunter, who stood there for a moment as his arm got gouged a bit. The thing laughed hard as it said, "Peeler shot, shot, shot!" And sent more of whatever towards the hunter as he used his arms to block off the worst of the attack. Hope he'll be alright. "Hyyaaaa! Hyaaa! Not a vegetable peeler, a human peeler! I'll shave off your whole body and drag your intestines!" Suddenly it stopped for a moment.

"Opps! Almost forgot!" It then turned to Sarafina's direction. What the hell? "I was given special orders to bring that woman back alive! So once I'm through with you, I'll be taking her back." Say...wha? This GT robot was after Sarafina? What does it want her for? Toriko thought back to the lagoons where that black GT robot took a few hairs from her. He had no idea why. But he was sure as hell he won't allow it to even so much as lay a finger on her.

She thought her heart was going to stop when she sensed Toriko looking over to them with the darkest look she's ever seen and said, "You leave her out of this. You won't get the chance to take her once I'm done with you." The GT robot chuckled a bit as it said, "I don't think so. We've been looking for this bitch ever since she stole something of great value from us." He chuckled again as the fight between the hunter and machine resumed. She watched in horror as the hunter tried to use the knife technique on him but it only cost him some flesh. She couldn't take this. She can't stand around and do nothing to help him, but maybe she can.

It was risky and she didn't want her to get too involved, but... "Kururu." She said. "I need you to help Toriko out. Just for a little bit, and don't transform either. Kururu nodded her head as she ran off. She leaped over the wall and went straight for Toriko. In the background, she could hear the chef shouting the giant hunter's name. She glanced over at how Toriko is faring... Looking up she saw from head to toe he was covered in blood. Her eyes widen as the chef cried out in horror, "Toriko-san!" Much as she wanted to be by the wolf, she wanted to be by him more though she wasn't sure how much help she'd be. At the very least Kururu is there with him.

Toriko step towards that damn GT robot. "Operator, are you really controlling that robot? Could it be that's the best of your ability?" Toriko asked it calmly as he continued to walk towards the machine. "Don't pretend to be tough, Toriko! Hurry up, die and disappear, you idiot! Go to hell!" The thing shouted at him. Tch. Even up close his voice was annoying. "It's just the voice that you can operate. Well, to make the "less than a harmful insect" vulgar high tech robot move would be useless." Toriko said, getting a look of pure confidence on his face. "You could use that childish technique to stroke my skin a thousand times but in a life time, you won't reach life!" The thing got a dark look as the hunter appeared to be readying himself for a final attack. This man sure has some balls on him even after getting sliced to ribbons. "Then...Then I'll kill you right now! Go to that world!" The thing said as its jaws opened up for an attack.

Just then the GT robot noticed that it couldn't move its legs. Whatever it was keeping it locked was rising up to its waist. "What the?!" It yelled out. It looked down and saw that he was encased in solid ice. It then saw a trail and followed it to find Kururu standing there a few feet away. She was the one who froze him in ice! Wait a minute, this cat looks familiar... "You!" It shouted. With him both trapped and momentarily distracted, Toriko rushed in to attack. It saw that he was getting close and opened his mouth to launch its own attack, but Toriko did his Five Fold Spiked Punch in a single concentrated attack right into that thing's mouth. The ice broke and the thing went flying back in a cloud of bright light and smoke which forced the group to cover their faces (well two cause the chief didn't look like he was fazed in the slightest). Once it cleared the smoke revealed a headless robot that shook and made a weird "gu...gi....gu...ga...." noises. After all that...is this finally over?

"I guess I somehow penetrated it. But your own cannon back firing was too bad. But my left hand got messed up too." Toriko said. His fingers were bent in strange ways and appeared to be crushed. "Can you still hear my voice? For now, that's the match. Stop your engine but let's not meet for review. I can't eat anymore either and this machine doesn't have the energy to fight anymore. Next time, come at me with your real body fair and square! At that time, we'll have a perfect conclusion!" Toriko told the machine as he stood in front of it. "This man and fighting... is he a fighting manic or something?" Sarafina said with a slight laugh. She can't think of a single person who loved fighting this much.

The thing laughed as it said, "You idiot, there won't be a next time. Die as a fellow traveler!" The thing only had time to cross its arms in preparation to do something when the chief yelled out, "Fire!" A second later shots were being fired at that the machine. "Watch out!" Toriko called out as the machine exploded, the force making her back a bit as the chef yelled out as once again Mansam stood calmly unaffected. Placing his hands on hips the chief said, "That GT robo bastard self-destructed, he planned it out. So it seems only the core is running away?"

"So then, then the building is okay, chieeef?!" Komatsu called out as he tried not to get blown away. The large man got a grin on his face as he answered, "Don't worry, this place is as sturdy as an average atomic reactor! For example, it's so sturdy that if there were a nuclear explosion in, no radiation would leak outside!" Komatsu looked at him wearily and said, "But then us inside would certainly die."

"Yeah."

Suddenly a screech was heard and what appeared to be a robot from the transformers popped out. "What the-?! This is...! This is the new model GT Robo's core antenna!?" The antenna bounced off at super high speed out of there, bouncing along towards the door. "It's ugly!" Komatsu shouted as Mansam shouted, "Shoot that thing!" Shots were fired but it was bouncing around too much to get a proper aim. It quckly reached the door and left. "Ah! It's going outside chief!" The chef said in a panic.

"Headquarters! What number is the closest exit to there?!" Mansam commanded.

"It's B gate, isn't chief?!" Headquarters said over the announcement. The chief got a smirk on his face as he said, "Ookay, open the hatch in my room! And connect my voice!" What the heck does he have in mind? Whatever it was, that the tiny robot wasn't going to make it very far that's for sure. Sarafina glanced over to see how the mother and child were doing and stopped. Her eyes widened as she realised that the whole time that she hadn't sense a heartbeat. The chief's voice and the others didn't reach as she stared at the mother Battle Wolf, who stood tall and proud with the cold demeanour of a king. Sarafina couldn't help but stare in awe. To have this much dignity even at the end, she envied them quite a lot.

Most don't always die with that kind of dignity and should be considered an honor to see such. She stared at the mother Battle Wolf as tears swelled up and ran down her cheeks. No one could've predicted this. No one, other than the GT robot, was to blame. Yet, Sarafina felt somewhat responsible. She couldn't protect her. And now...looking over at the pup, her heart ached. The poor thing was all alone. The woman watched as Toriko looked up at the battle wolf with the little one standing by. The little pup lick a bit at her mother's leg tore her heart a bit.

"All day is impossible, it would be fine to be together for a little while." Toriko told the pup, who looked at him before tearing off a piece of meat from the dead serpent and brought it over only to drop it at his feet. She blinked a bit at that. Was...it thanking him? Looking down at the meat the hunter said, "Meat from the devil serpent as thanks?" Kneeling down so he was at eye level with the pup he continued. "Let me say one thing, I didn't fight to save your mother. It was self-centered, I just beat up that guy because he pissed me off." She snorted a bit as she remembered exactly WHY he got pissed in the first place. He wasn't fooling her. His soul is a lot more truthful.

"You eat that meat. Okay..?" For a moment the hunter's face got stern. "For now on, you have to live strong for your mother's part too. As a being selected with gourmet cells." Gourmet cells? What are those? The pup looked a bit nervous. Immediately her heart went out to her. She couldn't blame her one bit, as she was basically lost in this jungle of a world as well. Toriko's face soften as he continued, "Nervous?" The hunter reached a hand out towards the pup and gently stroked the fur on her face as his look went even softer. "Don't worry." He started as he continued to pet her. "I was originally a chain animal too. I fought here countless times. You're the same as me. You're not alone."

Blinking tears back she was about to shed, Sarafina quickly looked away from the touching scene. This man, he's more than meets the eye. Kururu nuzzled against her leg and she kneeled down to pick the little kitten up. Sarafina hugged her close as the scene reminded her of how she first met Kururu. 'Toriko. He is truly unlike any gourmet hunter, or anyone, I have ever met before.' Suddenly, she wanted to get to know him even better and get close to him. She gritted her teeth a bit. 'I can't.' The girl thought, feeling slightly bitter. 'I can't let myself get too close to him. I won't let myself hurt get hurt by him or let myself hurt him. I won't make the same mistake. Friends. I must remain friends with him.'

Taking the moment to steal a quick look around she saw the girl and Komatsu stare in awe at the two. After quieting herself, she looked back in time to see the pup melt and nuzzle her head against Toriko's. "What is it?" Chuckling a bit he continued, "It feels nice.. your fur...completely.. it's as thick as a toweling. Yes... you are Terry...Terry cloth." She smiled gently at the sight as the two continued to bond.

Rin walked over and put her hands on her hips, standing in a defending posture. "Who are you?! What is your relationship to Toriko?!" Huh? What was she talking about? "Eh?" Was all she got to say before Rin continued. "You're not going to steal him from me!" She yelled. Kururu got a little angry at her. No one speaks to Sarafina like that! If she wasn't holding her, Kururu would've-! Sarafina raised an eyebrow and was very confused. Ooook then. Holding her hand up she replied, "We're just friends, dear. I'm sorry if I had given you the wrong impression, please forgive me. You're name is Rin, right? Are you Toriko's girlfriend?" That seemed to sent her into a tizzy. "G..girlfriend..?! I...he..." Guess that's a no.

After the fight

"Wha...what is this feast?! Hang on, an amount like this can't be possible right?!" Komatsu exclaimed as he stared at an already huge table which, if he had to guess, could easily fit at least 500 people or so. He still couldn't get over how much food there was and there were carts STILL coming out with more food!  "I'm with you on there Komatsu." The chief, once again, laughed heartily, and said, "There still limitless amounts of left, so have seconds without reserve!" It boggled the mind at the insane amount of food here and still being placed! Before coming to dinner the chief had everyone clean up and wounds, and dressed up before coming down to eat. The dress she was wearing she wasn't keen on. Sarafina wasn't used to wearing something like this. 

She was a lovely flowing, light shade of pink piece with thick shoulder straps, a cute little bow on the chest and a matching bow on the left hip, thankfully she was allowed not wear the shoes. It wasn't that the dress was bad, it was quite comfortable even though it wasn't something she'd wear. The hair was still wet from cleaning up so she didn't do anything besides leaving it down. She hoped she didn't stupid in it. The woman felt a little self-conscious as she recalled Komatsu's and Toriko's emotions when she came down, the shocked/surprise looks they had on, made her nervous.

Sarafina placed a napkin in her lap to protect the dress. She was definitely sure she was borrowing this outfit and it'll be extremely rude if she trashed it. Kururu sat on her shoulder as Sarafina gave her thanks and began eating. Komatsu, who was seating to her left on the other side of Mansam, looked at a cooked dragon with a "oh god" expression and asked, "Isn't that...the Ba..Bacchus Dragon? The super high class ingredient." Toriko already had a plate made as he replied, "The sake paradise, Bacchus Island's master Bacchus Dragon. It contains alcohol. That meat has a taste that gives the impression of a mellow brandy, which it is famous..it's the chief's dish!" Oh good grief! Does EVERYTHING on this table have some form of alcohol in it?!

"Tonight, we're serving my entire full course! " Mansam said merrily has he drank from the biggest tank of booze she's smelled yet. "This guy is sure one heck of a heavy drinker!" The girl, Rin, was sitting on the other side of the table making comments about the course. "Rin, I'm not listening to you!" She thought she heard Rin say, "Y'know, chief's full course is the worst!" 

"But you can eat the parfait." The chief told her as he continued to drink. Sarafina couldn't help but laugh at them. A chuckle was heard next to her. "They sure are noisy guys. You're the most good at manners it's wise." Toriko said, as he glanced back to Terry, who was sitting far from the table just looking at him. The chief was against him becoming attached to her but whatever. The battle wolf's nature were solitary creatures without a group and would never show favours to anyone. She smiled softly as the hunter called the wolf over to have some dinner together. The pup appeared quite happy and walked over. She chuckled slightly.

The sight was really adorable. Kururu jumped down from her shoulder and went to Terry. She let out a friendly mew and Terry lowered her head to the kitten. How cute, Kururu's actually gaining a friend of her own. Her attention was caught by the emotion of worry and she looked over to see Toriko looking at her concerned. "Toriko? Is everything alright?" She asked. A frown creased his forehead a bit as he leaned over to look at her, him being so close to her caused a slight blush. For a second Sarafina thought he was gonna touch her but for some reason felt disappointed when the hunter resumed his seat and sighed deeply. "Nah, it's nothing important." He said, not looking at her. "Eh?" She went. Sarafina didn't know what to say about this, though she couldn't think at the moment with Rin's yelling at her to stay away from him. 

She sensed that Rin was very fond of Toriko and was sure she's simply looking after him, and she could respect that but the way she presented herself made her sound annoying and quite desperate. "If you're thinking about the GT robot, don't worry too much. The problem was dealt with." She started before he finished. "For now." That gave her pause before slowly nodding. "Yes..." She said. "For now. But on a brighter note we are now aware that people are coming." 

"Hm." Was all he said before he attacked his food. Guess that's the end of that conversation. She looked over at Mansam and Komatsu and saw that they (or at least, Mansam) was eating happily away as Komatsu cautiously cut into a meat and seemed to love whatever that was. "A..amazing isn't it Toriko-san!" His eyes almost popped out of his head as he looked over at Toriko's direction. "Eh, WAAAAHHH! Eating so fast!" Komatsu shouted. THAT insane pile of empty plates JUST from him in so short of time?! "Oh, isn't that frosted tofu?! I'm eating that next!" Sarafina laughed at him and handed him the frosted Tofu. 

"Now that we're here, chief. About the work we have this time." The giant hunter asked as he continued to eat. Mansam, flushed red from drinking, had a confused look on his face before it dawned on him. The sound of the chair falling back made her jump a bit as the chief abruptly stood up. "AAAAHHHHH! I FORGOT!" The bald man bellowed. Damn his yelling was starting to make her ears hurt. "The regal mammoth! This is bad!" Toriko stood up as Mansam continued. "The GT robo guy slipped in here expressly to keep us here! He causes chaos in here so he would have time to capture the regal mammoth! This is bad! Regal-chan has been crossed over to the Gourmet Corp's hands..."

Chapter Text

Sarafina wasn't expecting for even a hint of normality amoung the people so far other then the hope the guy was nice. Rin's statement seemed to startle both Toriko and Mansam. "What?!" Toriko explained as he got a weird look on his face (think it was a mix between shock and surprise) as he asked the woman, "Sunny is?! Really Rin?" Rin looked at the hunter before looking away, face blushing red. 'Rin must like him a lot, doesn't she? How cute.'  Sarafina thought. "What did he say, Rin?"

"Oh yeah. He captured the regal mammoth and it seems he's on his way here." Say wha?! Then what was the point of them even coming here?! Was this Sunny guy really that strong?!

Gourmet Corp: 6th Branch

One of Gourmet Corp's members, Bei, who resembles a green-skinned mutant resembling a goblin with bulging veins and eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth, wearing solely of a pair of black shorts yells out, "Damn you Toriko.. Next time come in your real body?" The ugly troll-looking man clenched his fists as he continued. "All right theeeen, I'll personally drag out your organs and trample them to mush!"

"Right now, do you think you can still beat Toriko?" An older man said as he walked up to the man. He was an old wrinkly man with a hunched posture and light purple skin who wears a dark brown robe that covers the majority of his body. He has no visible pupils and his mouth appears to be partially stitched closed. He's also carrying a large purple-coloured wooden walking stick with him. The troll man, Bei, turned and shouted at him, "Shut up Joejoe!"

"Look." Joejoe began. "You were driving machine number 8.. When you were fighting against the chief and Toriko the "sense of pressure excesses" totaled 16 times. Meaning you would of taken a total of 16 hits that would of been fatal. If it were your real body, you'd have died a long time ago. Not only that, but you've failed in capturing Sarafina." Bei was silent for a moment before yelling out, "Then what about another robot? With the time I earned, the delicious regal mammoth captured, right?!" Bei shouted, fists still clenched. "All four machines have left for some time but the essential mammoth was not found." Joejoe explained. That shocked the troll man. "What?!" Bei yelped out. "Perhaps the ones who took the first move was our side.." The old man finished.

~Early morning~

After getting cloths that properly suited her, Sarafina smiled as she felt the sun's rays over the horizon next to a mountain. The atmosphere around them was quite peaceful, despite the job they have now. Which it could said more than what was happening to her. The group got up early to greet this Sunny guy. Toriko was chowing down on a ridiculously large piece of some kind of beef. "Delicious~ Drunken beef! Oh this is bad!" Toriko said between mouthfuls. She barely ate any dinner the other night cause majority of it had booze in it so Sarafina can only eat so much of it.

That and Rin seemed to be giving her the evil eye as she ate the food. "This is truly what it means to be drunk on the taste! I'm getting drunk!" Again. And so early too. Just look at that flush look he was getting from the meat. The girl shook her head and smiled as Komatsu said, "He..hey, Toriko-san. Did you really have to bring food all the way outside?" The hunter didn't hear him as Mansam joined in by saying, "See here, let me have some, too!" Toriko sent him a dirty look before replying, "Why you...! Like I'd give you anyway! You drunkard!" The chief continued to take bites off the meat. "Give it to me, you! It was mine to begin with!" Sarafina shook her head a bit as the chef watched them in disbelief.

"Now boys! If you can't share then I'll have no choice but to take that." She gave such a happy smile, but she held an aura that she was pretty serious about them sharing. They were close to giving her a dirty look but they quickly gulp when they saw that she pressed a button on her 'cane' that caused strong flashes of electricity to burst out.

Rin, who was eating more icecream, was looking through some binoculars suddenly called out, "He's here!" Glancing back towards the sunrise, Sarafina blinked in shock as the first thing she sensed was a huge beast by far block out the morning rays. Looking closer, it appeared it was being carried by someone but it was too big to tell who it was. Komatsu's eyes widen in shock and exclaimed, "Hu..huuuge!" They continued to watch as both figure and mammoth got closer to them. "Tha...so that's the treasured food of the ancient times, Regal Mammoth! What size!" The chef continued.

The girl blinked a bit as the figure got closer. "Who's that person? It looks like their carrying it just with one hand." A chuckle was heard. "It's not just with one hand, per se." The chief said as he swallowed the piece he was chewing. Not that far ahead of the lone figure a bunch of upright animals appeared ahead of them. Komatsu's eyes got even bigger in horror as he said, "A swarm of gang hoods! They're ferocious beasts with a vast appetite! They're planning to seize the Regal Mammoth!" Gang Hood is species of ferocious humanoid reptile beasts that always travel in groups. They're violent and insatiable reptilian beasts that travels in packs and are known as Regal Island's Gangs, Gang Hoods are scavengers, feasting on prey that other animals have taken down.

"No need to worry." Toriko said, standing next to them and holding a much smaller version of the meat. Nodding a bit. "I have to agree with him. There's something that's protecting him, but I'm not sure what it is." Sarafina told Komatsu. The chef thought for a moment before saying, "Then chances are good this guy can take care of himself in no time flat." Taking a bite out of the meat the giant hunter said, "Just watch." Just as the beasts were about to attack the man suddenly and without warning they were slammed to the ground, as if some force put them there. What the heck caused that? Are the animals dead? Upon closer inspection, the woman could tell that the animals were still alive due to the shivering they were vibrating. Knocking? But how? That guy didn't even touch them.

As the figure got closer the only thing she could tell was that he had the longest hair she's EVER seen. And it appeared the mammoth was FLOATING above his hand rather him holding it. Without warning the mammoth was tossed in their direction only to be caught by the chief, who was forced to bend his knees due to the sheer weight of it. Up close it was even bigger! Looking back over to see the figure had a feminine face, his hair is long, flows downwards and is coloured white, blue, green and pink along each strand The man, Sunny, wore pink pants and boots, which started from his ankles and went to his knees, were a dark navy colour which matched the the vest he had on over a shirt that matched the pants and wore wrist guards that matched the boots.

"Ah, sorry. Was it a lil' heavy chief?" Sunny said as he brought his hand to his face before continuing. "But nice catch!'s expected. It seems that your strength hasn't waned one bit but there's not enough beauty. The way you caught the mammoth, my heart doesn't beat at al' and I got no sense of being moved whats'ever. I mean, you're bowlegged, clumsy, have no sexiness, it sorta gives an impression like 'just die already'."

"What is with this person?!!!" Komatsu exclaimed. Is he obsessed with beauty or something? Scratch that. If his appearance is any indication then chances are, he is. This guy better be nice otherwise this will be one long trip. "Hey Sunny!" Mansam cried out as he strained to hold the mammoth up. "Don't be throwing around the preicous treasure food! You haven't changed at all from before. Why you! You damn bastard!" The woman watched in amazement as Sunny seemed to float up to to them. How was that even possible?! Sarafina narrowed her eyes to see what exactly was helping him float up. She could sense it, but it was still a blur.

Shaking her head to clear Sarafina listened as Sunny replied, "Even though I've kindly brought this all the way here to give to you, I'd like to be thanked. Or rather, I don't really want to be called a 'damned bastard' by you, chief." Sarafina gave Sunny a kind smile and asked him, "Then is there anything that you would like to be called?" She didn't mean anything by it as her intention was to nice, but it didn't turn that way.

Mansam bit back a chuckle as the hunter felt his lips twitch, the long haired man chose to ignore the comment even though it kinda irritated him. The group watched as Sunny appeared to float up and land neatly in front of them. Looking over in Toriko's direction he greeted, "Hey.. long time no see Toriko." Giving the hunter a once over the long haired man continued, "...Hm... Your cells are more vitalized than in the older days. The elasticity of your skin is high as well. It's evident that you're eating good stuff." Eh? He can tell all that from just a glance?

Toriko got a slight uncomfortable disgust look on his face as he rubbed one side of it. "Hey, hey Sunny. Don't go touching my skin all over the place, its uncomfortable." Blinking a bit, Sarafina looked closer at the hunter and couldn't figure out what the heck he was talking about. 'I still don't see a thing. It's blurry but I can't make out it's shape.' She wondered when Rin shouted, "Wait a sec, brother! Like, I don't want you to be touching Torko as you please!" That seemed to shock the pretty man as he whipped his head towards her. "Rin...you.." He started before looking at her and shouting as well. "After not having seen you in a while! 'Hell are these clay pipe-like legs! And the fat under that skin is insane! You're only eating sweet stuff, aren't you!?"

'Eh? Brother? These two are siblings?' Sarafina thought as she read their aura. Yup, they're definitely brother and sister. While she could guess that they don't seem to be anything alike, their souls are similar. "Like, shut up, and, like, it doesn't have anything to do with you! And, like, I don't want have anything to do with a man-like sister!"

Sarafina stifled a laugh as she continued to watch the two fight. They were too cute. 'They must be really close and care for each other a whole lot.' The girl mused as she continued to watch as Komatsu just had a 'what the hell is going on' look. Sarafina walked over to them and politely interrupted their little spat. "Excuse me?" She said. Sunny and Rin stopped fighting when they saw her. Sarafina gave Sunny a smile and held out her hand. "My name is Sarafina. It's nice to meet you Sunny."

Sunny looked at her and suddenly Sarafina felt...odd. It felt so odd, she couldn't help but shiver. She felt something was touching her all over at once. Her face, arms, legs...she glanced down at her arm to see what it was, but still nothing. Then the feeling stopped and Sunny shook her hand. "Ah, finally. It's so nice to meet such refined beauty for a change. You should learn something from her, Rin! Her body is more perfectly proportioned." Sunny said as he turned back to his younger sister. "Oh shut up!" Rin shouted back. And with that, the two went back to fighting. Leaving the blind woman very confused.

Delicately pointing a finger towards the squabble Komatsu asked, "To..Toriko-san, that person...um... he's not touching anyone or anything like that, is he?" Good question and another one is: how is he touching people or whatever? Toriko, who had his hands on his hips, replied, amusement in his voice, "He's Sunny, a king." That surprised the chef a bit. The hunter glanced over as he continued, "All of us are already being touched by his sensor." Mansam had a grin on his face and said to them, "Excluding two."

Looking up, everyone saw the pup, Terry, and the little kitten, Kururu on a nearby ledge looking down at the group. "Terry" Was all Toriko said as he looked up at her. Sarafina smiled at him. Whenever he looked at the pup, he got a soft look on his face and she was happy to feel the strong bond between him and Terry. Wearing a slight smug look, Sunny said as he looked up at Terry, "..I see.. the Battle Wolf... Only she reacted to my touch. My touch that not even animals of strong alertness become aware of at all. How interesting," The smug look seemed to deepen slightly. "The princess of the ancient times.. a clone? It'd be more promising if it was on our side but, "

"I wouldn't worry about that. She and Toriko teamed up." Sarafina told him. Sunny turned to her and asked, curiously, "Is that so? In that case, what of beast is that cat? Its patterns on its fur are beautiful but I never seen anything of the like." Sarafina just held her smile and said, "She's just my house cat. Kururu!" She called for. The kitten jumped from Terry's head and ran straight to her, climbing up to her shoulder. "A...house cat. Is that right?" Sunny said, raising an eyebrow.

"What she said is right!" Mansam shouted, struggling to hold up the mammoth. "She's (the pup) is Toriko's partner! I'm having them work together right away! The target is the Regal Mammoth!" Sunny turned to the chief, slightly confused while pointing at the animal, "Um...I caught the regal mammoth, didn't I?" Mansam then said with a "what a dumbass" expression, "This one is a child, Sunny! The parent, who is way bigger than this one, has got to be around here somewhere!" What he said shocked everyone else. Even Terry and Kururu were caught by surprise. Wait, what!? This mammoth was just a kid?! The animal that Mansam was holding was already insanely huge! If this is just a child then just how big was the adults?! Komatsu, sweating a bit, asked in shock, "Th...this mammoth is..."

"A child?!" Rin finished in just as much shock. As if on que, the hunters (save the chief) started to get pumped and ready to go as Mansam said, "The enemy is also in on this! A race is inevitable! Capture the mammoth first!" The three hunters getting smirks on their faces as the chef, once again, had a nervous look. Might as well go along for the ride.

Gourmet Corp: 6th Branch

Bei was shouting, chasing after a Butt Bug around while shouting that he's gonna cook it or eat it raw. As he did so, a figure with long flowing black hair and the cloak was dressed in all black except for a white shirt and had a knife at his waist stepped into the room. The man had on a black helm that had two horns on each side with a larger one in the middle on the head and some sort of strange part covering his face, as if he was some damn knight from ages past. Towering at a 7'6 and a large well built frame, this man was not someone to trifle with.

The figure was right in front of Bei, who panicked when he saw him. "Starjun-sama!!!" He yelled. Starjun placed his hand on the bug and within seconds burned its back, scaring Bei in the process. The bug fell to the ground, lifeless. "As usual, your taste in food is bad, Bei." He said in a cold voice. He then walked past him as and asked in an indifferent tone, "But the regal mammoth's capture has been delayed. Is there a problem or something?" Rubbing his head as Bei nervously replied, "Ah...no... about that." Even Joejoe seemed surprised to see the dark figure. Of course they were. The top brass doesn't visit often. "You..you are...Vice Head Chef!" The old man said as Starjun approached him.

"Where's Zedoru, Joejoe?" The dark man asked Joejoe. "Zedoru-sama is presently operating machine number 7, sir." Joejoe replied as the vice chef walked on. "A GT Robot, huh. The previous times I drove them...they were still too slow a response."

"Is that so, sir? The new model's movement measurement error is merely thousandth of a second, is that still too slow?" Tch. Fool. For someone like Starjun, those ridiculously toys are WAY too slow for him to fully feel able to function in them properly. "Yes. It completely doesn't produce my own speed." He watched as the two walked over to the observation. Guess he wanted to see who was all working those robots. "Who are the members?" The tall man simply asked as he crossed his arms as he gazed over the men operating the robots.

It was kinda fun at first to watch them move around yet not go anywhere but it got boring after a while. "The sixth branch's branch chief Zedoru-sama to the mysterious person Zaiper." Joejoe began. "Is it all right, for those members. Is it possible to make their war powers assemble?" Ah yes. The Gourmet Corp are trying to start a war with the IGO. "Though its embarrassing, already the first move is already being made shown by the pattern." The tall man merely brushed a stray hair back as if the news didn't bother him. "In place of one machine, I'll be going." That got the old man nervous a bit and Joejoe exclaimed, "Vice head chef personally?!"

"I've heard news the plan to capture the blind woman was a failure. Is that right?" Starjun asked.

"Uh..! Y-yes, it was."

"In that case, I'll see to it that she will be captured. Even if it means I have to drag her undead body myself."

With the others

The group stopped in front a carpet of black grass as animals ate at a leisurely pace. It was not dyed or anything of the matter, it was completely natural. "Ooooooh! Isn't this black carpet!?" Toriko said in excitement as he gazed out into the meadow. Komatsu perked right up at the sight and said, "Amazing! That's the black grass that's really popular as a salad right?! This is my first time seeing this scale of such black carpet in the natural world!"

"I can't get over how lush it is, and the feel of it is simply wonderful!" Sarafina said as Sunny, who had his hands on hips, glanced over at two. The long haired man got in front of them real close and asked, "By the way, who are you?" Talk about no personal space! He wasn't as tall as Toriko, Mansam or Coco, so Sarafina had to look down at him. Literally. "A..nice..nice to meet you. My greeting is kinda late..um...I..." Komatsu started, rubbing the back of his head as Sunny said, "'s fine anyway. ...Beauty... you don't have enough't all."

Huh? "Excuse me...but what does that have to do with anything?" Sarafina asked him as the small man said quickly in apologetic tones, "I...is that so...I'm sorry.." Holding up a hand the pretty man continued. "What do you usually eat?" She watched in amazement as Sunny gently put a hand on the chef's face as Komatsu, who had a nervous flustered look, told him, "Eh...no.. its usually quite normal."

"'rmal?" The man asked as he moved to her, placing a hand on her cheek and got close. Kururu let out a lowly growl at him. Sarafina fought back a blush. Sunny then spread a smirk. "Natural pale, creamy skin tone, a perfectly proportioned body, eyes that are just the right shade of blue, soft and healthy fuchsia hair. It's clear you've been eating foods that give out nutrients, rich in vitamins and have delicious taste." He said. Sarafina was left speechless. How...how could he tell all that? She knew it must've been something from that weird feeling she felt earlier.

Sunny turned to Komatsu and said, "But as for you, it's no good~~~You have to pick foods with more things like vitamins and collagen distributed in them." The look in his eyes deepened a bit as he finished, taking out a menu with food she's never heard of, "Th's time, feast on my full course!"

"Oh. Well, thank you. I suppose." Sarafina told him, getting kinda nervous at him being so close. Toriko fought back waves of jealousy at Sani being so close to her. Damn him! He knew this was part of his personality but still! Kneeling down and grabbing a handful of the black grass he told the others, "That's why Sunny's has the four heavenly kings most unbalanced diet. It'd be best if you didn't hope too much, Komatsu and Sarafina." The man moved away from the girl to shout at the blue haired hunter, "Shuddup, Toriko. What about your full course?"

Ripping up some of the grass he ate some as he replied, "I still haven't decided anything but dessert." That sent Sunny off. "Wassat?!-Still after seein' the best ingredients?! You're so indecisive! How many year's it gonna take to complete the full course?!" Sarafina couldn't help but giggle at them, not sure if she should bother mentioning it, but Toriko is making more progress than what she's doing. 'These two are such good friends.'

Rin, who had wandered a bit ahead of them, called over to Toriko, "Toriko! Over there, there's a Cocomayo Tree!" Looking over to the tomboy, she saw the girl was pointing at some tree ahead of them. "Oh, really, Rin, I'm coming!" Toriko replied back as he got up and walked over to the tree. "Oh, ignoring me?" Sunny grumbled a bit as he watched the hunter leave. "Don't feel too bad. He just has food on the brain." The blind woman told him as the man looked down at her and sighed. "True, true but still. Ignoring someone is so rude!"

The others wandered over to Toriko as he squeezed one of the fruits and put some mayo onto some of the grass he had in his hand and ate it. Throwing his head back with a smile, Toriko said, "Delicooooous! Cocomayonnaise meets black grass!"

"Really? I'm so glad!" Rin said from next to him. Poor kid needs to knock it off, cause no sensible man likes a woman that seems desperate. "Nice going, Rin!" At that, the short-haired girl blushed as she covered her mouth with her hands in happiness. Huh? Wonder where Terry was? Sensing around the area for the pup, she found him over yonder away from the group. 'Wonder what's wrong.' Sarafina wondered as she looked at the pup as the hunter called over to her, "Oi, Terry, come here! Let's eat together!"

The battle wolf stayed where she was, whatever it was she seemed determined to stay far away. Why did it appear she was on guard? She looked over at Kururu and sensed that she was in high alert as well. That can't be good. She should probably keep her guard up as well. Toriko got a displeased look on his face. "As I thought, you're still being vigilant, huh." Glancing over at the long haired man he continued. "Enough with your touch, draw it back, Sunny."

"Don't wanna." Sani replied, closing his eyes a bit. "Why don't you stop making a fuss about me?" The long haired man childishly put his hands on his hips as he pouted lightly, "Whatever, that's totally unlikely." She felt her lips twitch a bit. Why does she have the feeling she just met another amusing man? Komatsu walked over to Toriko, who was continuing to eat the grass, and started, "Hey, Toriko-san.."

"Hm?" The hunter went as he glanced towards the chef before saying, "Eat some too, Komatsu. You too Sarafina! It's delicious!" Goodness, couldn't he see that Komatsu had something he wanted to say that didn't involve food? "Y..yeah...um... ch..chief said the mammoth became a race, but..the enemy, I thought it was the guy at the coliseum...the one who tried to get to Sarafina too.." The woman's eye widened when she heard him say that. What?! That thing was after her?! 'No...then it is my fault Terry's mother was killed.... It's my fault..! Why...?'

"Yeah, it's probably a GT robot. But the enemy isn't just the GT robos. As for the one who tried to capture her, there will more then likely be more surprised attacks. So we gotta pay even more attention. The IGO maintains 8 gardens all over the world. Each garden has it's own different climate and environment. Though all in all of them there is a designated danger zone. Within the gardens, the wild beasts's toughness in this first biotope is of the highest danger level, A!"

What a way to make someone feel relaxed. "With a capture level said to average 27, it's a hell garden! From the research facility's information, the parent mammoth's whereabouts is the dwelling of the devils, regal plateau. Before the mammoth or the GT robos or anyone else, we'll definitely have to face those devils." Komatsu gulped a bit. "But that's true for the GT robo as well. Yes, we shouldn't be able to simply end up at the mammoth."

Toriko smirked as he got excited. "Although, if the operator is the same guy we met in the sandy beach in the cave. Its a different story."

"That definitely make sense. The person from the cave must have much more power than the one at the stadium from what I've sensed, even though it was difficult for me to get a read in." Sarafina muttered. The aura she had sensed, the level of danger that person gave off when they last met. It still made her uneasy just thinking about it. At the mention of that person, Komatsu paled a bit as he stammered out, "Th..those...guy's...goal..."

Without warning Terry, who had been quiet for now, suddenly started give out howls. Not a good sign and she highly doubted that the animal would just do it for the mere heck of it! Kururu jumped from her shoulder and, upon touching the grass, froze it and spikes formed around them. "Kururu." Sarafina said. "What is it, Terry?" Toriko asked as he suddenly sensed something nearing the group and whipped his head to the side. Everyone looked ahead and saw giant golem-like crustacean beasts with an exoskeleton made of stone marble. "Rock Drum!" Komatsu said in shock. These animals had to be towering as tall as a 45 story tall building! Rock Drums are gigantic bipedal creatures with a pale white and rocky exoskeleton shell covering the entirety of their body.

One of the rockdrums roared out, making the grazing animals shake and take off while also making her cover her ears. As she watched the larger animals preyed on the smaller ones as they ran away. Quickly looking away, Rin yelled out, "Icky!" as Komatsu let out a scream of terror. For the love of..! Doesn't anyone know that YELLING makes things come TOWARDS you?! Speaking of which, the rockdrum looked in their direction upon hearing the screams of terror. Chances are good that Komatsu's face being stuck in shocked terror are pretty good as he yelled, "He's looking this waaay!"

"It sees us!" Rin cried out in panic. Toriko rubbed his hands together as he told the others, "Don't retreat you guys." Sarafina grabbed her sword and positioned herself to attack. "This better not be too much of a challenge." Glancing over to Sunny, Toriko said, "Sunny! Cover us!" The long haired man turned his back to both Toriko and beast and said as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Don' wanna."

Say what now? That got Toriko panicking a bit as he went, "Oo!" 

"'t's bothersome. The Rock Drum, though it's habitat is naturally near the beach, they're a few gluttonous wild beasts because of their demand for a lot of food they've advanced inland. Tha's it, certainly?" Glancing back towards Toriko he continued nonchalantly, "After all, they're inferior animals that indulge their appetites. It's a way of life that has abs'ltley no beauty, ne? And their appearance is clumsy too. The element of me opposing them is zero." 

Is this guy for real? He won't fight the animal cause it's not beautiful? The hell? "But it's meat is a delicacy! It's defeat value is 100!" Toriko cried at the long haired man. "Is there a lot of nutrition and such? If not, it's defeat value is zero."

'Surely you're making some kind of joke, right? This creature is getting closer and he won't fight cause of that reason?!' The woman thought as her nerves increased as said monster got closer. It was way bigger then the Devil Serpent! "Toriko-San, it's coming!" Komatsu cried out.

Chapter Text

The Rock Drum clasped both of its hand together, raised them above its head and prepared to smash Toriko into a bloody paste. The giant hunter glanced at his hand for second. It hadn't healed completely from the earlier fight. The beast slammed them down on where Toriko was and the hunter quickly dodged the attack and skidded to the side. She blinked slightly as the hunter prepared for an attack. 'Is he planning to use his spiked punch attacks? But..his hand isn't fully healed yet.'  Watching as Toriko launched the attack at the beast's clasped hands the attack had enough force to make a huge dent in the it's hands and flung it away from him.

Guess the attack changes the muscle mass in his arms cause the long sleeved shirt he was wearing became one sleeve thanks to the attack. "Ku.." He gritted out as his arm shivered. 'My overdoing it at the coliseum is resounding. I planned to recover it but from here on using rapid hit would be tough.' The hunter thought as he rested his other hand on the arm. Sarafina's eye widen as another Rock Drum appeared behind him. "Toriko! Look out!" "Toriko-San! Behind you!" She and Komatsu called out to him. "Oh no!" Sarafina said as the beast was about to bring its foot down onto the hunter. Sarafina rushed forward to Toriko's side and swung her sword at the beast.

The beast's leg was cut clean off! This caught the others by surprised as she was at a huge distance from its foot. How did she even made contact with it when she was still far away. Kururu rushed in as well and jumped on the Rock Drum, freezing the left side of it's body in solid ice. Finally, the Battle Wolf pup launched itself up, bounced off its face and landed neatly to the side, close to Toriko. "Terry!" The hunter said in joy. The tomboy touched a few buttons on one of her gloves and said, "Super relaxation!" Smoke shot out from one of the gloves as she continued, "Eat this, you rock guy!" Sarafina looked over at Rin and took note of something odd. Hm? Shouldn't the beast be calming down? Why did it look like it was getting ready for a fi...Oh no! 'Rin must've accidentally mixed up the fragrances.'

As the woman scrambled around looking for the thing on her belt the full effect of the battle frag took over the beast. "Rin! Get out of there!" Sarafina cried out to her as the beast quickly stood up. The tomboy cried out in fear. "Sunny! Have you felt it yet?" Toriko said to the other man. Is he for real?! His sister is about to get attacked and he's just standing there like a fool! "This Rock Drum thing's skin? It certainly has a unique flexibility to it but it's mostly fat that...has no charm!"

"This is different!" The hunter said as he held up a piece of the rockdrum's skin. "His shell...! It's a shell that was able to attach beautiful calcium carbonate to super hard protein skin!" The other man looked at him. Good. At least he has the pretty man's attention now. Smirking slyly slightly he continued. "Have you realized it yet? If you process this shell it can bring about the birth of a perfect beauty marble. What's said to be the most hard and beautiful marble in the world, it's raw material is this guy..!" Sunny looked like he was thinking it over. "How about it? Isn't that a little more like your kind of defeat value?"

Sarafina rushed over to try to rescue the tomboy but then she did a double take as some force literally sent the beast flying threw the air to some far off place in the distance. "What...the..." She muttered as Rin and Komatsu practically had their jaws to the ground on shock as Toriko whistled a bit. "Ah, sorr'. I sorta overdid it. But, well, it's a situation where I'll pay for my mistakes.. The final blown away figure was beautiful." The long haired man said. His hair looked ALIVE as it moved all over the place. Was...was that attack made from using his hair?! No wonder she sensed something.

"Top class rare crystal materials for a super huge chandelier, a bohemia glass vase, space coloring flowers, modest ornaments of high class tableware, and the marble king "perfect beauty marble" table. Everything promotes the food. Its important support! Cooking pasta with a price, say, not even a few tens of yen. By the way it is presented on a plate the price jumps up several thousand yen! The situation of an amateur drawn on a not so hot painting with a picture frame suddenly it will look good. The imagination? Just an illusion? Nah, wrong. In reality, rank of the pasta's taste gets higher. The picture begins to breathe. It's joint work so to speak. Beauty is a harmony. In that change meeting, there is art...! More' over! To seek the ingredients alone and such is the height of nonsense! To gush out inferior piece of junk animals, it's an action below the level of a maggot." Sunny continued as he whipped around to look at the group. "Get it, you guys?!"

"He's been talking about us?!" Komatsu asked. Turning to face the Rock Drum and picking up a piece of a shell, Sunny said, "Now then, this is also a chance meeting. Let's make harmony together. Promote my beauty. And as support you too will again be glorious." The woman watched in amazement the long man's hair seemingly come alive and moving around. The beast roared and raised a fist to attack. "Sarafina! Komatsu! Get away! You'll be caught up in it!" Toriko told the two in a rushed panic. Eh? Just exactly how can they get away? "You should scatter beautif'lly." She heard Sunny say right before he said, "Spatula!" And a moment later some sort of force once again flung the beast backwards and landed on its back.

"How'zat? The feeling of taking your own punch." Sunny said as the force continued to push the beast back. Just how is he doing that? "Meep?!" She squeaked in surprise as she was picked up by a warm solid arm wrapped around her. "What!?" Was all she said as Sarafina heard Toriko say, "Come on, you two!"

"Waaah!" Komatsu cried out as he too was picked up and moved to some distance away from the long haired man. "About how far is the range, Sunny?!" Toriko called over to him as he put the two down. "N... Oh, right. About 25 meters."

"It's a lot wider than in the old days. Your dining kitchen." Toriko told him in slight surprise. Dining kitchen? Sunny smirked a bit. "I'm amazed with your 5-hit nail punch, Toriko." Toriko gave a slight before saying proudly, "That's still not the most hits I can do, though! However, avoid damaging the meat as much as you can when you bring down the Rock Drum, Sunny." The girl could of sworn she heard a hmph come from the man. "I don't care. My goal ain't the meat."

"To...Toriko-San! What on earth is happening?!" Eh? Where's Komatsu? Looking around quickly, she saw Komatsu hiding behind a rock. Oh dear. "Hey Komatsu! Get back over here!" Sarafina called over to him as Toriko said, "Come closer, Komatsu! You'll get caught!"

"What does that mean?" Sarafina asked, looking up at her fellow hunter as Komatsu called out from his hiding place. "Caught?! What you mean?!"

"It's Sunny's touch! From the tips of his own hair he is able to stretch around his flexible touch. About .1 micron." Toriko explained as they watched the long-haired man's hair continue to move about. So all the attacks Sunny has made has been caused by using his hair? Consider her impressed! It didn't even occur to her that hair could be used for attacking, of course, considering how long and how thin hair is it makes sense.

"Point one micron?! Though, about how much is that?" Komatsu asked in disbelief. "If an extremely thin spider thread is 50, so it's thickness is 1.. Anyway, you can't see it with the naked eye."

The woman glanced over to the fight. "Wonder what that would look like..." It would be a sight to see all the different hair strands moving. She would love to see that kind of view. Sarafina didn't know Toriko frowned slightly at the comment as a wave of jealousy went through him before he squished it flat. "B..but something that thin would be easily cut, wouldn't it? Surely like a spider web.." Komatsu started before the hunter could continue.

"Spider's thread is fairly strong. But Sunny's touch is a different dimension. Manipulated at his will, one string of his touch's tensile strength is 250g. Sunny's touch is the strongest thread of that width on the earth. I can't even cut it. That sort of thing can, from just a number of hairs, can extend to an infinite amount. In total, there are no less than 200,000, and they're a tough bunch of threads! With that degree of power he's able to lift such as this as the mammoth easily!" Toriko explained.

Sarafina whistled low as Komatsu turned to look at Sunny in amazement. "It...it looked like he was carrying that mammoth with one hand. So there were many invisible touches supporting it?" Sunny looked over and noticed that there was one left of the Rock Drum. "That so...there's just one left." He watched the beast, waiting for it to make a move. 'Don't come 'ny closer. He has a wild intuition.' The beast reached up to it's shoulder and ripped off a piece of its shell, making Rin and Komatsu stared in shock. While Sarafina sheathed her sword and Toriko ate more of the black grass.

Without warning, the beast threw the shell at Sunny. "He threw it?" Komatsu shouted. Sunny just stood there calmly as the shell hurled towards him. "Hair Net." Sunny said simply once the shell got closer and if she didn't know any better it looked like she caught a glimpse of a giant net catching the shell just mere inches from his face (with the long haired man wearing a wide cocky smirk) and the shell literally bounced BACK towards the beast. Komatsu then shouted in a dramatic fashion, "It bounced baaaack!"

"Sunny's counterattack, Spatula." Toriko told them between mouthfulls. Komatsu watched as Toriko had an armful of the black grass and continued to eat. "Why'd he blow away the first one to that degree. It was an awesome sort of power, eh." Judging from the look on the tomboy's face the reason was quite clear. The group watched as the beast stood up and charged at the long haired man. "Ah.. It was right to be vigilant about close range fighting. He would be helplessly entering into Sani's dining kitchen." Toriko told them as he popped more food into his mouth. "Dining kitchen?" Both she and Komatsu asked at the same time.

"Touch's range. 25 meters!" Toriko said as the beast got close to Sunny. Sarafina closed her eyes and calculated the distance between the beast and Sunny, and from what she got, Sarafina could help but smirk. The Rock Drum is less then twenty meters away. "He entered. Hair lock!" Sunny said as the beast suddenly froze as if locked into place. The man smirked as he told the beast, "Now from here, the preicous marble won't fall apart when cooked. Before cooking it has to be precisely tied up."

"Huh? Suddenly it's movement stopped." Komatsu said, staring as the beast strained to move. "At the moment it's tied up in Sunny's touch, it's over. Even with the Rock Drum's power, escape is impossible! Next, slowly...it will just be cooked. Sunny's high level body nature sense is what's called .1 microns to the superfine hair's tip, it extends to every nook and cranny. Sense of touch, pain, heat, and warmth are natural. With what are called skin taste buds the touch function even includes taste sensors. It can be said that it lightly surpasses the hand as a sense organ." So in other words when Toriko and gang first met Sunny it was like he was being licked and tasted by his senors.

No wonder Toriko looked disgusted. "Dining kitchen is when Sunny's touch extends to something inside it's range. Inside that, all ingredients and game are freely cooked and tasted." The beast made some sort a choking noise. "Cooking completely!"

"Sunny! Oi, Sunny!" Toriko called over to him as the hunter gathered up some of the meat from one of the fallen rockdrums. "I don' wanna. I've already got the shell. I'm going home." That statement seemed to shock the larger hunter. "You're going home?!" He said in surprise as he continued to gather. Holding up the piece of shell the long haired man continued, "I have to get this shell to a beaut'ful craftsmen to beaut'fully process it into a beaut'ful marble."

"Is beauty all that matters, Sunny?" Sarafina asked as she stood nearby with a hand on her hip, listening to the exchange between the men. "Of course! Without beauty, what would be the purpose?" Sunny started when something caught his attention. A split second later a roar was heard and all turned to see a Rock Drum running towards them. "The one we sent flying at the very beginning was still alive!" Toriko shouted in surprise. Both Rin and Komatsu said, "And it's completely healthy!"

"Damn, I forgot about knocking it." Sunny said before their world was thrown upside, getting kicked by the Rock Drum. Sarafina screamed as the group went flying through the air. Sarafina was alright with flying as long if it was with Kururu, but without her...it was terrifying. To make it worse for her, she and Kururu had gotten separated from the Rock Drum's kick. Eventually, the small group of Sunny, Komatsu and Sarafina had landed in the Mushroom Woods. With mushrooms as far ad the eye can see in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colours. Not one of her favorite goods but it beats being splattered all over the ground.

"Sunny-San! Sarafina! I found one!" The chef called out, holding something in his hand as he ran over to where the two were waiting. Well, the long haired man was with his arms crossed with a bored expression. The woman, still shaken by the event, was kneeling with her head buried in her arms as she tried to calm her raging nerves and shaking body. "Ah? One what?" Sunny asked as the chef neared. Holding up some sort of grasshopper Komatsu relplied excitedly, "A child Shōyu Grasshopper!" The larger man let out a yell before saying, "Disgusting! It's beauty is minus 100 points! It's disgustingness is 50,000!"

"But it's delicious, let's add it to the cream Matsutake Mushrooms." The small man replied as he added the bug to the pile of food he collected. "It's fine, so come over here!" Sunny said as he freaked out over the insect. He looked over at the very shaken woman and asked, "Just how long are you going to sit there and shake?"

Looking up, she gave him an sad, apologetic look, not noticing that the look caused a slight blush to form on his face, and said, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to upset you...but being thrown through the air like that truly scared me. It was an horrific experience for me. Not only that, but I'm also so worried about my Kururu."

"After a bite to eat, I'm sure you'll feel better." Komatsu said encouragingly as he looked over the food. She wasn't sure if that would work. Letting out a long sigh, the gorgeous man said, "Why the hell did I come here? It was a miscalculation." After resting for a bit, she shakily stood up and walked over to where Komatsu was cooking. 'As expected of a capture level 29.. It seems I was naive.' Sunny thought to himself, pouting a bit as he still had his arms crossed. 'If we somehow went flying all the way to mushroom woodsmen that means... Just how far were Toriko and the others sent flying?'

"That certainly smells good Komatsu." Sarafina told him as she listened to him grill the shrooms on the cooking stuff he brought with him. Komatsu smiled brightly and said, "Thanks!" To the other member of the group, he called out, "Sunny-san, they're grilled!" She watched as he nimbly took the cooked mushrooms off and neatly cut them. 'Of all the people I went flying with these two...' Sani thought as he watched the two.

"This is the first time I've seen naturally grown cream matsutake mushrooms. It's exciting." Komatsu said as he continued his work. The woman smiled softly as she watched him work. "You really love your job, don't you?" Sarafina asked as the other man walked over and picked up a piece and noticed how easy it came apart. The chef nodded happily. "Yes! It's been my dream since I was a kid! I've been working hard on becoming a great chef!" He told her.

Sarafina chuckled a bit. "Must be nice to have a job you love." Komatsu nodded and was about to reply when the long haired man said, "Pretty good carving knife, that. Beautiful." That flustered the chef a bit. "Eh...?! Ah..th...thank you."

"Not you, the knife!" She twitched a bit at that. How rude! Komatsu rubbed the back of his head and had on a happy flushed expression. "Eh..ehhhh but...somehow.. I'm happy..more than about myself." Sarafina smiled as she ruffled his hair, earning her a "Eh? What's that for?" from the shorter man. 'He's so nice.' Komatsu put more of the mushrooms he collected on the grill. Mushrooms may not be her favourite thing but these sure do smell good. Sunny stood a ways from them again and watched as Komatsu brought out the grasshopper. "Shōyu Grasshopper...on its disgustin' back it stores the highest grade shōyu but it's a disgustin' grasshopper. We should disgustin'ly take the more disgustin' adult's rider shōyu."

Can he say disgusting enough? "Y..yes..but the adult Shōyu Grasshopper's length is five meters, capture level 5, it's impossible for me to capture it. You say disgusting too much." Komatsu told him.

"I must agreed with him. Just because it's an insect doesn't mean you can call it disgusting, Sunny." Sarafina added as she watched the chef expertly take the sphere off it's back and broke it over the mushrooms. Once he did, that the aroma of the food became a mouth watering scent. The kid knows what he's doing! Biting back a giggle as she sensed him getting a goofy look as he took a whiff of the shrooms cooking with the sauce and the look took on a goofy happiness as he said, "Ha-what a nice smell... With cream Matsutake Mushroom's unique scent joined with Shōyu fragrance it grows in depth."

Looking over to Sunny, Komatsu said, "Sunny-san, let's eat together." This guy is really too nice. Must be why she took to him so fast as she did. Watching as he cut a piece off one of the shrooms and tried it. She laughed softly as the small guy's soul explode with happiness as he put both hands on either side of his face, as if he couldn't believe the flavour. "A...amazing! Naturally, the sweetness is completely different! It's an addicting taste!" The food may not be her favourite thing but she should at least give it a try before hating it. Just as she was about to take a piece, the chef stopped her and told her, "Wait a moment please."

"Alright." She said with a nod as he began to cut the shrooms into thin pieces. "Let's try eating it as sashimi." Komatsu said as he finished. Man, this guy knows what he's doing! Glancing over, Sarafina saw the taller man watching as Komatsu finished and tried a bite. The girl laughed as he went gaga over the taste. "Delicious! On the contrary, it's not addicting, we can eat as much as we want!" Taking a piece she tried it and blinked. "This...this good!" Andrea exclaimed in surprise. It didn't even taste like a mushroom!

A second later a thud was heard and the two turned to see a adult version of the bug the chef used next to them. Knocking must of been used cause it shook a bit. 'Just how was it caught? The hunter didn't move from his spot. Did he used his feelers?' The girl thought as she stared at the bug. She noticed some movement and saw the long man hair's moving a bit. Yup, definitely the feelers. Pointing at the grasshopper Sunny said, "That's the Shōyu Grasshopper adult. I just caught it. Add more with that one's." Komatsu blinked a bit. "Eh?"

"You were called Komatsu right? Though we were suddenly shot into this danger zone, we see high class ingredients and you're childishly frolicking is the max disgustingness but it's pretty good, somehow." He said before turning to look at her. "You're name was Sarafina, right? I'm a little amazed, just a moment ago you're shaking like a leaf and now you couldn't be more calmer if you tried. Are you a Gourmet Hunter as well?" The two exchanged a look before she said, "Yes, I am. Been one for a long time. I may have been scared earlier, but being scared overall would slow me down and won't get me anywhere. I've simply learn to move past it."

The man raised an eyebrow delicately before saying, "Really?" He turned his attention back to the chef. "Having beaut'ful tools... With that in your hand, the ingredients just shined. Everything at one moment was in harmony. There's only one thing I can say. When you're cooking, you are beautiful." Komatsu stared at him a bit in surprise before saying, "Y..yes... Th..thank you."

Sarafina smiled at the two when she saw a light streak of light swiping across Komatsu's cheek. "Ah, sorr' I just licked your cheek a bit." Eh?! But he didn't move- wait! "Eh?! What was that?!" Turning to her the long haired man said, "Sorr' bout that as well." Her eye widened as she felt something swept across her cheek. "You did what?! What does that mean?!"

"Wasn' anything, let's hurry and eat the matsutake mushroom." What?! "Excuse me, but what did you do to me?" "Did you do something to me?!" The two shouted at him as he sat down and calmly ate some shrooms. "I diiidn't, do you want me to do something?" Her face turned beat red at that as the chef said, "I don't. Come on, let's eat. -And we'll hurry and look for Toriko and the others!"

"Yes, of course! We must focus at the task at hand and locating our friends. As well as finding the Regal Mammoth." She said, stretching out a bit as the long haired man looked at her a bit. "I take it you do?" She almost choked on the food she was chewing on. "What?! Why?!"

"You didn't say no.."

"Sunny, please! Don't be a pervert!" That got his attention. "P..pervert?! How rude!"

"Then don't ask such a question! It'll give the wrong impression!"

"Yeah right!" The chef sighed as he watched the two exchange words. He hopes they find the others soon.

With Toriko and others

After getting kicked by the Rock Drum, he, Kururu and Rin landed in the White Forest. From the moment the three landed, they had been running from wild beasts ever since. They were currently running from a Domu beast. The beast roared from somewhere behind them. Looking back behind them Toriko growled out. The Domu as catching up quicker than he thought. Bad enough he had to worry about the animal, now he was already worried about Sarafina and Komatsu.

The hunter could still hear her scream of terror, the first time since they met that was the first time he really heard her scream, and kinda wondered if Sarafina had a heart attack. Hope she's with Sunny...for some reason that made him feel agitated and really jealous (not sure why but whatever). Good thing there was a stress reliever behind them. The hunter quickly turned around and grabbed the animal by its large horn and threw it aways away from them, making the beast land on its back. A second later a roar was heard he quickly turned to see hippo like animals standing behind them. Crap! If it's not one thing it's another! 

"Rin!" Toriko called over to the tomboy as she quickly got her glove ready. "Go to sleep!" Rin told the animals as she sprayed the animals to sleep. A roar from behind her threw her off guard and the beast was about to attack when Kururu created a huge block of ice and launched it at the beast, knocking the animal out. She then landed neatly next to her and Toriko. The hunter then said to Rin, "There's no end to them. Let's get out of here at once, Rin!" He quickly bounded off, jumping easily threw the air. "Yes!" Rin said as she and Kururu quickly followed suit.

Worry continued to nag at him as the three continued to run through the white forest. "Those guys-even though I didn't plan on entering the white forest... Are Komatsu, Sarafina and Sunny alright?! Terry had avoided the Rock Drum's attack.." Toriko thought aloud.Landing on the top of a hill he looked ahead and much to his dismay there, in front of them, animals as of different colors, sizes and shapes as far as the eye can see. Toriko clenched his fists as Rin gave a cry of dismay. This really wasn't working in their favour. "Damn..all of these will become our opponents.. This is the worst development." 

While Toriko was muttering that, Rin was just glad that it was just the two of them. She was practically going gaga as she thought to herself. 'Me and Toriko alone is a paradise development, though. Wonder who that girl is though. She's far too close to my Toriko!'

While she was going gaga, the afore mentioned hunter finally decided on something. "There's no helping it. Rin! Pour the battle fragrance onto me!" That startled her and Kururu a bit. "Eh?! But..." While it would make her day to see him go wild but carried a risk. "Relax. It's just to intimidate them." He told her calmly before smirking. "Make the concentration dense in a way that I don't lose my sense of reason." Rin seemed to go into her own little world for a moment. 'I'd like it more if you lost your reason but I'll do it firmly!' 

"Just to be sure, right after you attack, you take refuge too, Rin." The hunter told her. Eh?! But she wanted to stay with him! One of the beats roared loudly at them, that decided things. "Okay, that's it, attack Rin!" The large man told her as she quickly said ok and fumbled around her belt for a moment. Naturally she was nervous bout using the battle fragrance on a human. According to the eight gourmet laws, the use of the fragrance on humans was prohibited because too much of it can be a serious burden to the soul and body. Her biggest worry wasn't about the law...the true (wild) Toriko running wild would be the arrival of a demon.

One of the beast proceeded to attack with a loud hungry roar. If she was gonna use that battle frag she better do it now! "Rin, attack!" He called over as she raised the glove. "When the intimidation's over, I'll immediately start raising the cool down!" Rin told him as she quickly used the frag on him. Getting a whiff of the stuff sent fire running through his veins as his face took on a demonic look of unholy. His body shook and expand, ripping his cloths as both body and face became more and more demonic. 

The sight had the girl quite worried and concerned about the man. "To..Toriko... Are you alright?!" She watched as the sweat practically poured from the man as his teeth became longer and sharper. The sight had the girl really nervous. 'Toriko's inner wildness is..r..raging.' The girl thought, starting to get a little freaked out. Rin saw the kitten back away as well and she quickly scooped it in her arms. Good thing Sarafina wasn't here, although he vaguely wondered what she would of made of the sight before her, seeing him get like this.

Speaking of which the Battle Fragrance was a good release for all the stress he had on him. It was practically driving him crazy, knowing Sarafina wasn't near him! To make matters worse was that he himself didn't even know why he felt like that! But first... "Get away...Rin... It's dangerous.." The intimidation he sent out was the most powerful and the most demonic one yet. Even the sight caused the tomboy yell in fear.

Chapter Text

Rin put up her arms and cowered a bit in instinct to protect herself, even while knowing the act itself was useless. After cautiously opening an eye, she saw that all the animals that were standing there mere minutes before had all vanished. A second later, the shirtless hunter went to a knee, panting hard. "To..Toriko! Are you alright?!" Though she really didn't need to ask, anyone with eyes could see that the man was in terrible shape, what with the way he was kneeling and using his hands to keep himself up. 

"That..that was dangerous..without thinking, I was really almost at a point where I swooped down... As I thought, battlefre is dangerous.." Rin was in her own world she mused she wouldn't mind if the hunter swooped down on her. Kururu freed herself from Rin's hold and walked up to Toriko. Wondering if he was okay. To him, Rin said, "But that was amazing, Toriko! They all ran away in an instant!" The tired hunter replied back wearily, "Intimidation is...is a thorough means of threatening. It can be said it's an action used to avert meaningless fights. But this time...battle wasn't avoided. One animal still remains!"

Looking at the field to see a lone animal standing there. Obsaurus, level 28, stood out there growling. The beast was roughly large as a tank, 8 legs with a long serpentine tail. A monstrous-looking mammal with green leathery skin, sharp fangs, four horns, two heads connected at the skull and two blue eyes belonging to each face. It has a peculiar maw with a single large forked tongue which is shared by both its mouths. This never ends, does it? 

"Eh.. Isn't that.." Rin started as Toriko finished, " The Obsaurus. It will give a ride to someone stronger as an owner. Furthermore, until a stronger person appears, it will faithfully carry out its owner's orders. Maybe if it's owner is a GT robo, it's orders are something like to co fine us. The idea to not run away from my intimidation could also have been told to it by the owner's merit. Interesting." The hunter smirked before he continued. "From here, I'll become the owner. The GT robo and me, we can find out which has higher merit. " Rin got an excited happy look on her face as she asked, "Then, do you want me to shoot the Battle Fragrance again? You'll fight without reserve?" That ain't happening any time soon. Giving her a slight look he replied, "No..that's ok."

~A while later~

The two huffed and puffed as the obsaurus rode them out of the white forest. Toriko was completely exhausted, having Battle Fragrance used on him again just to subdue the animal. "In the end you used Battle Fragrance.." The hunter told Rin, trying to recover his lost energy. "There really was no helping it since this guy didn't listen to anything we said at all." Rin replied cheerfully. Looking down at the beast Toriko continued. "That's the problem. This guy's owner was a GT robo! It corresponds with his true merit!"

'Shit..the battlefre is overdoing it, and what's more it's completely exhausting... My physical power at full throttle would be about 50-60%' The large man thought to himself as they neared the next stage of this place. As he was now, he doesn't think he can oppose the mammoth or robot. Another thing that was bugging him was the planned kidnapping of the blind woman when he was fighting that other robot.

What did they want with her? What did she take from them? Would they try it again? Chances were pretty good that there will be future attacks but the question was this: would Sunny help? Just look at what it took to get to cooperate for the Rock Drum. (Even though he kinda half assed it) Toriko looked over at Kururu and knew that he wasn't the only one worried. Kururu was adamant on getting back to her owner. He had sensed the close bond between from the start. He gently placed his hand on her head to try and comfort her. And surprisingly, Kururu rubbed against him. Guess, she needed it.

He ignored Rin as she compliented that he was strong. No...before he could worry about any of those things they had to get through this next obstacle. "Don't lose focus, Rin." Toriko told her as they neared a canyon with very tall pillars of rock. "Okay!" The girl said as he continued. "The evil spirits won't wait! Devil athletics...! First we have to cross over here!" He hoped Sarafina, Komatsu and Sunny would be alright...

~With Sarafina and boys~

Sarafina couldn't help but laugh at Sunny's enthusiasm at the chef's cooking. "'Liciouuuu-s! Uh oh, this mushroom has too much grease, doesn't it?! Eh, Komatsu!" The long haired man exclaimed as he ate more of the shroom. Komatsu and her collected some more mushrooms. "Its s..Sirloin Mushroom, so there's a ton of fat. With just a little broiling, I thought it would be just right." She watched as the two hovered over the food on their hands and knees, admiring it. 

Sunny may have high maintenance but in the end, he really enjoys food. "The fat is really awesome but," the feminine man started before getting really close to Komatsu. This guy does not believe in personal space, does he? "There's an abundance of collagen, right?" He asked as the chef flushed slightly with nervousness as he replied with a small, "Y..yes, there's plenty." 

Sarafina giggled slightly as Sunny's soul lit up bright as the sun as he continued to speak between bites of the shroom. "N'ce ingredients-this. This is n'ce..." The girl giggled as she told the small man who, was smiling sheepishly a bit, "I think he likes your cooking a lot." 

"Y..yeah.." Komatsu replied back as he got his hair ruffled by her again. "Reward for doing a good job, dear!" Sarafina said, tilting her head to the side with a smile. Both men blushed a bit at that as Sunny continued on as if that didn't bother him at all. "Can we add shoyu butter to this, too?" Sunny asked. "Ah, for Sirloin Mushrooms, you add salt and pepper or wasabi." Komatsu said as she quickly turned away at that. Ugh! Wasabi! Last time she tried it she thought for sure her mouth was going to to stay on fire.

"And ponzu sauce is probably good." Komatsu finished as Sunny thought for a moment before commenting, "Hou, that sounds harmonious." Fun as this little camp out is, Sarafina wondered how Toriko, Rin and Kururu are doing. Hope Toriko was alright, though the man seemed like he could handle something like getting kicked by a beast. Wonder if he was looking for them. 'Probably stuffing his damn face as he looks for us.' The woman thought with slight amusement. For some reason it felt weird without him here... 'Kururu....I hope you're okay. Please be safe until I find you.'

"By the way, Sunny-san. Soon we should go looking for Toriko and the others..." Komatsu started before being brushed off by the long haired man. "'Ts alright, 'ts alright. We're all going to the same destination, there we'll probably meet. However, in the marshlands there're a lot more good ingredients! Beautiful!" Once he finished that sentence Komatsu got really excited, it didn't take a genius to figure out that the others were practically out the window. At least for the moment. 

"Really?! Let's go, let's go right now!" He shouted in excitement, looking at her expectedly. Smiling brightly, "It's not like we're in that much of a hurry. Besides, I wouldn't mind trying new ingredients as long it's on the way. I might find something to add to my course menu."

"That reminds me," Sani said as he looked her over. "I know that you are blind, so now I'm curious. How is it that you managed to hunt down any Gourmet Beasts?" He asked her. Still smiling, she replied, "It often depends on what kind of beast I'm facing to how I do it. More often than not I use either my sword, needles or other when fighting against them thanks to my ability. However, I have been using my songs to place them into deep sleeps." That got his attention. "'ts that so? Once we get back, you'll have to sing for us. Hope you can meet my level of beauty." 

"My idea of beauty and yours don't exactly match but we shall see what will happen." The man merely shrugged as he led the way further into the marsh.

~Later on~

The track getting here was...interesting to say the least. Komatsu was like a kid in a candy store; stopping and chasing everything and anything that caught his eye. He was a lot like Toriko...wonder if he realized that yet. The landscape at the moment was empty save for some sad looking trees that looked like weeping willows. What Sarafina wanted to know was where on earth did he get those containers. They sounded sturdy and, thanks to Komatsu interacting with them so much, were in different sizes and the best part was that they had a strap so that one found easily carry them. 

Although Komatsu took that to the extreme by carrying at least three or four on each arm that equaled to be six or eight in total. (Not including the ones Sarafina offered to help carry which was like four so it really was like 12) The woman smiled as he happily named some of the ingredients they had or found so far. "I gathered a lot of souveners to bring back to the hotel. I'm looking forward to adding them to the restaurant's menu~." This place is a experimental playground right? Sarafina didn't think the people here would let the stuff he has out so easily. She wanted to tell him that, but Sunny beat her to it as he turned around and said off handily, "Matsu! By th'way I forgot to say, it's forbidden to take ingredients with you of your own accord! It's a serious crime."

"Eeeeeeeh, is that true?! That's a staggering shock! A serious crime?!" The chef shouted in surprise. Matsu...hmmm...That sounded adorable. Points for Sunny on coming up with that name for him. Taking one of the cases into his hands he looked at it disappointed. "Haaa~~ I went through carrying these gourmet cases, too." The long haired man walked over top peer at the container. "Hooooou, the takeout 1000 portable type. It's a lovely looking silhouette sort of beaut'ful. Yes..beaut'ful." The container is considered beautiful? This man keeps getting stranger and stranger. 

"Eh...ah..is that so?" Komatsu asked as the two watched Sunny turn around putting a hand on his hip with the other hand out and said to them, "In that case, taking the ingredients with you is okay, isn't it?-Matsu." Eh? But didn't he just tell him no? "Eh?! It's okay? I'd its in a container it's okay?" The small man asked. Maybe he didn't think he has the food in containers? "Yeah. If it's beaut'ful it's ok. That is, if it has my ok then it's okay...ain't that right Matsu?" 

That makes absolutely no sense at all but never mind that. "I..is that so..." Komatsu said in slight disbelief. " Oh, we're here, Matsu, Fina."

"Not that I'm complaining, far from it, but since when did I become Fina?" Andrea asked as her companion next to her said, "My name's become Matsu." 

"At least yours suits you." She said as the group stopped in front of the scariest looking swamp she's ever seen. "It's the Marshland of Antiquity! Gourmet ingredients from ancient times sleep here in large numbers, nickna'd the food museum!" The duo watched as an animal that kinda looked like an eel jump up from the water and ate a beast that was flying over head only to get attacked by the scariest snail ever that reminded her of a hydra with its eight heads.

Which the beast in turn got eaten by the largest shark that easily dwarfed the other animals in its jaws. "Talk about the food chain in four easy steps." She commented as once again Komatsu's eyes almost bugged out of his head as he shouted, "Gya- what is this, what's going on?! I don't understand what's happening!" The hunter merely crossed his arms as he answered, "The scramble for gourmet ingredients...even in the marshland of antiquity the food cycle is vigorous."

"Okay, then." The long haired man started as he turned to look at the two behind him. "Shall we participate too? In this battle!" "If you wish to. I see no problem." Sarafina said as the chef asked, "Pa..participate, Sunny-San? We're crossing this swamp..?"

"Of course." The taller man replied simply. Looking at him warily, Komatsu asked, "You...you couldn't mean swimming." The long haired man looked at him as he made a face "'ho'd swim in this sorta place!" He shouted at them as she put her hands up. "Now, now. Let's calm down. Just how do you propose we cross then?" To her amazement Sani just calmly stepped off and into the water but he didn't go down, just floated at least a foot off the water.

His feelers again! Both him and them were amazing! Though his hair moving as if it was alive was kinda unnerving but that doesn't matter. "Uwah..it's cold." The man said simply as Komatsu stood on the shore and watched him in disbelief. Just how the heck were they gonna get across? Sarafina sensed a few trees on the other side of the marsh, so she could easily get her and Komatsu across with ease. Turning to look at them Sani said, "Hey! Hurry up, come on! Matsu! Fina!" The woman was about to say something when something grabbed the front of hers and Komatsu's shirts. "Ehhhh?! What the?!" She cried out in shock as the two were suddenly yanked over to the hunter by some strong invisible force. Being held up in the air when nothing visible to the naked eye was quite discerning to say the least, even for her!

Before she could get a word out the long haired man explained, "It's the surface tension." Eh? Surface tension? The girl listened as he continued. "Touching a little dirty mud is unpleasant but still, compared to our bodies touching the water, it's better. Well, just know that it's a bottomless swamp. You have to be careful so you don't sink in..." 

"Surface tension...wha...what is that? Like a water strider, Sunny-san?" Komatsu asked him.

"Inside the water is even colder...the water temperature is 5-6 C. 's you'd expect the food museum is really a refrigerator." Sunny said

"How can you know something like that?" Sarafina asked. "Yeah. According to my hair's color the sense point differs. For measuring the temperature in this swamp is the cold point possessing blue hair." So basically the different colors in his hair are different pressures for heat and such? That's neat.

"As for the others," Sunny continued with a smug smirk. "Pink is heat point...green is pressure point...white is equipped with the most numerous pain point."

"D..depending on your hair's color the duties vary.." Komatsu said.

"Yeah! It's easy to understand, right?" The long haired man said as they moved along the water. The woman set her eye on the water and became tensed as his face took on a concerned look. "What is it?" Komatsu asked them as they both got really quiet. "There's something about the state of the swamp."

"Something strange?" The chef echoed. "I'm not sensing any life of the gourmet ingredients that should be sinking in the swamp. On the contrary, I sense there are few beasts in the swamp." Sarafina said, looking off to the distant shore line, she let out an audible gasp. Following her gaze, the two men quickly caught the sight of a badly decomposing corpse. There was no way another animal could have attacked it and left it alone. Unless.. "Uwaa, it's horrible. The beasts were all killed.." Komatsu said. "These are the remains of someone moving through this swamp. This kind of behavior must be the bishokukai! Probably the GT robo!" Sunny said.

Komatsu got a little nervous at that. Sarafina kept her eye on the corpse as her pounding heart rang in her ears. That man who killed the Battle Wolf and tried to get her meant business. And if she didn't know any better she'd say whoever was after her is definitely the Gourmet Corp. She had an idea on why they were after her, and the thought of them knowing terrified her. She clenched her fist so tightly, her hand was beginning to bleed. She had come this far in life...she can't allow herself to used anymore by anyone.

"Go..Gourmet Corp... The guys you said were after the mammoth besides us, this time. W..what are those guys? And just exactly who is after Sarafina?"

"Some idiots who want to control all the gourmet ingredients in the world. Good for nothin' lot." Sunny said before looking directly at her. "That's news ta me that there's people after you." He looked closer at her before saying, "I take it they attacked you earlier?" 

She shook her. "No, not me. Well, it planned to. All I know is that it wanted to capture me and take me back to wherever they are." Sarafina replied. The long haired man frowned slightly. Attempting to attack and kidnap a woman was quite unseemly, and attacking a blind one, who can't even 'see' them even more unsightly. For some reason that bugged him a lot and he didn't know why. As for why the Gourmet Corp is after her, he'll have to look into. 

As for Komatsu's question he continued. "They just collect and collect gourmet ingredients. It's like they raised the level of Gourmet Cells all at once.." Komatsu then gave a confused look and asked, "Gourmet cells?" The feminine man was silent for a moment before answering. "Yeah..from the phantom jellyfish that lives in the deep sea, there are all purpose cells that can be harvested. Equipped with excellent regeneration ability and life force, if these Gourmet Cells combine well with other cell structures, it's possible for those structures' strong points to be wonderfully extend!"

Judging from Komatsu's expression, he still was confused. So, Sarafina decided to explain it further. "A delicious apple becomes delicious. Delicious beef becomes more delicious. And if you combine this with the human body, what do you think would happen? The result, a successfully combined human obtains overwhelming life force power and becomes a superman. What's more, that true power, if they eat delicious things, by the degree they eat, it levels up. That is the Gourmet Cells's power." 

Sunny turned to look at Komatsu with a cocky smirk. "By the way, Gourmet Cells exist in mine and Toriko's bodies as well! In chief and Rin, too. And I'm going to assume that you have Gourmet Cells as well?" Sunny asked Sarafina. Without saying a word, she gave a nod. "Of course, the risk is huge. If there's a case where it can't combine, the Gourmet Cells's lose their power and the worst case is you'll die." Sunny added.

"S..something like that..?" Komatsu asked with a nervous smile. "Toriko-san and Sunny-san's monster-like strength's secret, I feel like I know it.."

""monster", call it beaut'ful strength." The man said. Sarafina let out a small laugh, "Getting back to the Gourmet Corp," Komatsu said, "That they're searching for more delicious foods means.." 

"Of course, they too, have the Gourmet Cells. What's more, the originally inferior disgustin' group of scoundrels with the gourmet cells their wickedness becomes more prominent, increasing their disgustin'ness 100 fold." Sunny frowned as the grouped reached the shore and deposited them onto the ground. Now that they were closer to the dead animals the smell made her cough a bit. "Maa, I don't do anythin' about that sorta thing. I'm fine with whatever, but with the bishokukai...to fight and such.."

Sarafina walked towards the corpse and placed a hand on its head. Her body shook as tears fell from her face. "Just killing just for killing? How cruel." Sarafina said as she turned more away from the pitiful state of the animals. "It..it's terrible..looking at it up close. Not being used as food...not even knocking... They're just killed." Komatsu said as he looked at the sight. Looking at the longed haired man, the woman sensed that he wasn't throwing some sort of a fit. That would be disgusting or not beautiful at all for his liking. What Sarafina did sensed that his hands, which were at his sides, were clenched into fists and the posture the man was in, was one of rage. "Whatever is fine but...this kind of...to do this kind of beauty-less thing... I can't smile. It makes me so sick I can't smile! Gourmet Corp!"

After a while, the group decided to keep on moving at get to where they need to go. Not knowing that in the distance, a pair of green eyes was watching them. Getting angry, the figure quickly rushed over to them and pulled out their Fūma Shuriken and jumped high into the air. They tossed their weapon straight at them. The shuriken stopped right in front of the two men, causing Komatsu to scream out of fear while Sarafina remained unharmed. Just then the figure landed in front of the blind woman and pulled out ten Senbon Needles. "Alright, you filthy creeps! Stay away from Sarafina-sama!" The figure said.

"Filthy!?"

"Creeps?!"

Sarafina blinked as she recognised the voice. No way... It couldn't be...could it? The figure narrowed their eyes and said, "You heard me. I saw the look on Sarafina-sama's face; she was crying and I know that you two have something to do with it!! What the hell did you do to her!?" They demanded. "What?! No, no, no! You've got it all wrong, we-!" Komatsu tried to explain when Sarafina suddenly said, "Leticia? Is that you?"

The woman, Leticia, turned to her with a bright smile. "Yes, Sarafina-sama. It's me, and I'm right here to protect you against these disgusting filth."

"First filthy, and now disgusting?! How dare you?! Just who do you think you are?!" Sunny demanded of her. Sarafina immediately brought the whole thing to a halt when she quickly said, "Both of you, please stop! There's no need to fight! Sunny, Komatsu...this is my closest friend, Leticia." The two men gave her a bewildered expression. "Friend?" They asked as they looked at the other young woman. 

She had long, light brown hair and green eyes. Her hair is split into two sections. The front part is short and the back part is long that reaches to her mid-thigh, which is in a ponytail and tied with a pink ribbon. Leticia wore a light blue cheongsam (Chinese dress) with high hip slits with an aqua green boarder, aqua green armbands, and light blue kung fu shoes. She then turned to Letica and told her, "These aren't enemies, they're my new friends. Sunny and Komatsu." Leticia took a glance at them before focusing her full attention on Sarafina. "I may not know them, but since if they were your friends I'll tolerate them. For you."

"That's something at least." Sarafina smiled. "Excuse me?!" Sunny shouted. "But what are you doing here!" Leticia glared at the long haired man and said, "I don't have to answer to you!"

"What are you doing here, Leticia?" Sarafina asked her, kindly.

"Oh, Chief Mansam didn't tell you? He and his men contacted me earlier and asked me to go on ahead to find the Regal Mammoth. So far, I haven't found it yet." Leticia happily explained to her. This only made Sunny even more irritated and yelled, "Why did you answer to her and not to me?!"

"Oh, it's because I care more for Sarafina-sama than you, you freakish girly man!" She shouted back. As they shouted at each other back and forth, Komatsu went over to Sarafina and asked her, "Is she...okay?"

Sarafina giggled. "Yes, she's going to be a big help for us in the long run. Leticia, is not only my best friend, but she's also my former student."      

~With Toriko, Rin and Kururu~Devil athletics 5th surface~

Coming this way was a really REALLY bad choice but too late to worry about it now. Toriko coughed blood, already torn and beaten already only to be made worse by an opponent they weren't really thrilled to see. Panting heavily as he stood in battle stance mood as the hunter tried to think up of a plan that didn't involve completely using his strength. 

"To..Toriko!" Rin called over to him. She's gotta figure out a way to help him! He's just getting wounded and beaten badly to the point where the blood is practically a river. The large bird-like animal gave a loud "Kaoooooo" sound as it stood in front of the two, drool freely running down from its jaws. "Fall back, Rin!" Toriko told her as he waited for the next move. "But..." Rin started but he ignored whatever she said as he concentrated on the opponent.

'Damn...we're still on the 5th surface and there's this strength...? I can't preserve my strength.. And I'm sure devil athletics had 10 stages...we chose a bad route. ' The hunter thought to himself when the tomboy suddenly shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts, "Toriko! Behind you!" He turned and saw the mystery bird about to pounce on him. Among the many numerous routes, one route can be picked but whichever one is picked the chooser must struggle to clear the 10 stages that is on it. 

In order to proceed to the next stage, a boss must be defeated in order to do so. As a person moves through the stages the strength of the boss increases but if one is lucky, a person can chose the one route that is mostly dominated by low levels. Making a leap forward he bounced and landed away from the beast. The animal got behind him in an instant?! How?! Wait..that's not it! Looking behind him he noticed that there were more of the mystery bird but for some reason they seemed to blend in together. 

Catching a quick glimpse of the animal, Toriko saw that the animal was expelling some kind of smoke from its jaws. 'Deluding breath. This guy..' The hunter thought to himself as the smoke became more obvious and thicken up around him till there was a haze of fog surrounding him. 'Without power or speed but with unique movements, its expelling this breath with a hallucination effect.' Which meant that the extra "birds" he was facing was caused by the breath, and since that was the case, which one was the real one?!

The beasts in the devil athletics all use mysterious illusion techniques and mimesis. These beasts find pleasure in slyly deceiving intruders and sap away at their strength bit by bit. That was why it was called the evil spirit's playground. The animal that Rin and he rode on already succumbed and the hunter watched as the beast fell off one of the pillars. "Damn, the obsaurus was easily perplexed and fell into the abyss... He didn't even give us one millimeter more fighting power.." The large man grumbled to himself as he turned his attention back to the bird.

Kururu leaped from Rin's arms and blew a miniature blizzard from her mouth. She intended to cool the air around them so it would be easier to catch the real one, but this beast wasn't allowing itself to get caught so easily. And it was infuriating her. She wanted to change into adult form, but that would be a huge risk for her and Sarafina. Just then she was hit by the bird's breath and her senses her all jumbled up now!

"Kururu!!" Toriko called out.

Even with the hallucinogenic effect the animal did have some amount of strength. Which is way the terrain was the way it was. The same kind of terrain repeats many times which induces intruders to fall into a light sensory blockade state. For example, like traffic lights on a highway, with so few stimuli on the same path a person keeps going on for a long time their senses become shortened. If in this state for a long period of time, the ability to think declines and it's said that the person can start to see hallucinations. 

There's a further affect on the brain's central nerves and components of a volatile hallucination can come pouring in and because of this consciousness can become muddled all at once. Speaking of which.. "Rin! Can you neutralize his affect?" Toriko called over to the girl. She should have something that could do something about this breath! "Hang on!" Rin called back as she once again went through her belt before finally finding what she was looking for.

"There it is! Thunder peppermint!" The tomboy exclaimed as she held the bottle in her hands. Thunder peppermint fragrance was the strongest smelling fragrance with concentrated menthol extracted from dried thunder peppermint leaves. It was completely like lighting falling, it has the irritant oder of menthol and mint. It has the stimulating effect that if one took a sniff that person would be awake for five days. As Rin quickly loaded her glove up with it she told him, "If it gets in your eyes, you'll go blind. So I'd like you to close your eyes, Toriko!" She didn't need to tell him that but he obliged anyway.

"My nose being effective is plenty. Come on!" At that, Rin fired the frag at him, enveloping the hunter in a cloud of smoke. Rin then quickly took the little kitten back in her arms and took a few steps back. 

Chapter Text

Thanks to the Thunder peppermint, the visual and auditory hallucinations won't matter. 'I'll learn his location by smell!' The hunter thought to himself. Once the other senses were narrowed to one locating the animal would be easier, including having his eyes shut will help a lot. After a few seconds the mystery bird was to the right of him. "It's there!" Toriko shouted as he prepared the knife attack. "Knif..." The hunter started when the bird suddenly appeared behind him and chomped down into his back. Shit! "Toriko! One point concentrated! Thunder peppermint!" The girl shouted as she shot a glop of the frag into the beast's face. The shock of getting hit in the eye caused it to let the hunter go. Here's his chance! "Take this!" Toriko shouted as he made a swiped at the animal but to his shock and surprise the animal was already clear across from him.

"Damn! This bastard...by isolation he's even made a hallucination of his position by smell!" Toriko growled. Now it's gonna make it even harder. Isolation (detachment segregation isolation) like in break dancing and pantomime, the method of moving one part of the body independent. This at high speed and moreover performing it during emergencies, leaving an afterimage, making the enemy not look for its actual location. The wild mimesis species does this, combined with the hallucination effect makes the effectiveness greater. Usually the sense of sight is lead astray but the mystery bird, manipulating its own smell volume, deceived Toriko's sense of smell.

The animal appeared to be getting angry as more and more time passed and gave a loud roar. Rubbing his chin a bit the hunter commented nervously. "This is bad, that attack Rin did just now made it mad... Such a troublesome opponent, goddamnit. But I can't use my powerful throttle though...aaahhhh!!" He shouted the last part as the animal suddenly lounged forward to attack. Rin was just about to shout when all of a sudden a blur of movement landed on the animal, causing it stop in shock. "!?" Toriko went as the two stared in surprise as the white blur jumped over the hunter and landed behind him.

 Toriko smiled brightly as he watched his furred partner pant a bit and exclaimed happily, "Terry!" Walking over to the wolf, Toriko kneeled and hugged her. "You're ok! I'm glad, I'm glad! I'm glad you caught up! By the way, you really caught up quickly." He said to the wolf happily as he petted the animal.

Rin watched as she covered her blushing face with her hands. How she envied them! But she's really fast at this size already! How many kilometers is it from black carpet to devil athletics? The tomboy wondered to herself as she watched the touching scene. The bird didn't move, not that it didn't want to but the reason why was because it couldn't. The wolf that had just appeared was yet still a child and knew at that moment it was outstripped in terms of power. 

Even if it hadn't realized it, the way the wolf attacked as if the hallucinations weren't even seen by the wolf and just went straight to the real self in a flash. The battlewolf had an extraordinary talent for fighting and just from sensing only a portion of the wolf's disposition the mystery bird took warning. A second later the pup jumped a couple of times, stoping a aways from the two and looked expectedly at them. The two stared in silent surprise at her (wolf) before Toriko said, "Terry... That's a different route.." He stopped, looking at the wolf a bit more before understanding what was being asked of him. 

To Rin, he said, "Let's go Rin." That surprised the girl. "Eh? We're going with Terry? But.." Toriko interrupted her as he explained, "Compared to the reaction of Sunny's touch, Terry's sense is sharp. Perhaps the wild intuition's reaction is much bigger than the reaction gotten physically, that's connected to an ability to avoid a current crisis. Perhaps a big danger is drawing near..! Now we're going to believe in the route Terry is taking!"

Jumping easily, the two caught up with the wolf before continuing to move on. As they continued to move, thankfully without any more issue, they quickly passed by the next boss, which Toriko happened to glance over and a huge pig-like animal with horns and scaly-like skin. 'I'm so glad we didn't take that route. I'd be sorry to fight with a boss like that.' Toriko thought as the group continued to move. He's in no kind of shape to fight with a beast like that. 

That, and he really wanted to make sure the others were alright. He knew they'd be alright with the long haired man but it bugged him greatly that Sarafina, ended up with Sunny instead of with him. Komatsu was, definitely for sure, with him. Noticing that the end was near, Terry jumped up onto the ledge of the cliff and onto the grass as a split second later the two landed neatly behind her. Throwing her arms up Rin gave a cheer. "We did it! We escaped the devil athletics!" Looking over towards the wolf with a big smile, Toriko said, "It's thanks to Terry! You chose the most comfortable route!" Terry gave a 'hoouu' to him as he continued, "All right, at last the entrance to the regal plateau!" 

"I wonder if big brother's group is reaching it too." Not noticing how the wolf seemed to catch the scent of something before whipping her head back around towards the way they just came from. From the scent of it, it was dangerous. As if sensing the wolf's distress, Toriko turned to see her looking back. "What is it, Terry?" As he continued to watch the wolf, it seemed that she determinedly decided on some king if resolution on something. As if to solidify it she gave a cry of challenge to whatever was pursuing them. "!" 

"Terry?!" Toriko and Rin went as they watched on in amazement. Kururu's eyes snapped open as she had caught the scent as well. It smelled rancid.

Sani's group

"That cry just now..." Sarafina said as Terry's cry reached their group and caught their attention. "T..that voice just now.." Komatsu started as Sunny put his hands on his hips as he said, "A wolf's voice. It's pretty close." 

"Think it's Toriko and the others?" Sarafina asked as the chef said excitedly, "Could it be Terry?!"

"The battle wolf Toriko took along...? Though it had an unusual feeling to it, that howl." Sarafina blinked at that. Did that mean something to the others? Are they alright? They had better be okay! "Di..did something happen to Toriko's group?! It doesn't look like they've gotten here yet.." Komatsu exclaimed as he got a nervous look. "Yeah... That's right. Something happened, didn't it?" Sunny said simply, as if not bothered by the thought. 

Sarafina didn't like that tone in his voice. Narrowing her eyes, Leticia put a hand on her hip as she told him, "If it did, then we should go help out, don't you think?" Sunny turned around and replied, "Ah? Tha's nonsense. Everyone had their own resolve coming here. This is a danger zone.. It's the same with you, right Fina and Matsu."

That ticked Leticia off a little. 'Fina'?! Does that even remotely look like that name fits someone as wonderful as her? "That howl just now.. It had a serious re- For us to go help them now would be an insult to the resolve made. In other words..." Letting out a small laugh, Sarafina and Komatsu said at the same time. "Not beautiful." 

"Right." The feminine man said as he turned around again. "And if we go save them, would coming in at the last moment be beautiful?"

"Only if we're near by to do it. What good will it do with that line of thinking if their beyond our reach?" Leticia muttered as Komatsu said, "I..I see." That man sure has strange values about beauty. 'But...when we got blown away by that rockdrum he just causally supported Komatsu and myself.' Sarafina thought as she looked at the heavenly king. Or when he actually showed anger at the Gourmet Corp's cruelty. Not to mention the few times Sunny actually looked cool and even being...in his own way, though she kinda doubted, he did it consciously.

 Looking over at the chef, Sarafina noticed that his emotion was still full of worry. Poor guy must be worried about the others. Not that she wasn't as well cause it was practically driving her nuts to know if the hunter was alright, including Rin, Kururu and Terry. Speaking of the Battle Wolf, Terry wasn't even in the way so most likely the wolf somehow must of caught up with the other two. 

"I wouldn't worry too much, Komatsu." Sarafina said with a smile. "I'm sure the others are alright and I'm quite willing to believe that they'll met up with us." 

"R..really? No...I'm sure your right but still..." Komatsu started before she ruffled his hair again and said, "Don't even think of feeling bad about worrying. It's natural to be worried for those you care about." 

"Beaut'ful." Sani said as he watched the pair. "Eh?" She went as he continued. "The way you looked when you were talking to him. Beaut'ful. The way you were talking bout faith and trust is even more beaut'ful."

"Thank you... I guess."

The group soon stopped in front of a rock wall. "-Now, Matsu! Fina! First we have to climb up this. The entrance to the regal plateau, the Regal Wall!" The beauty appreciative man said as he added, "A sheer cliff 3000 meters in height!"

"Three thousand.... Sarafina-sama, do you think our ribbons could go that far?" Leticia asked the fuchsia-haired woman. Sarafina closed her eye and went into deep concentration. Considering how high it was and the length their ribbons can go.... it didn't seem likely. "I'm afraid not. However, I did sense a few cracks that might be of use."

"Th..3000 meters?!" Komatsu exclaimed. "I can't see the peak at... How are we gonna go up it, Sani-san? You don't mean rock climbing. Uwaahhh!" For a second, the girls wondered why he gave out a cry as their shirt/dress was suddenly yanked in an upwards motion. "Ah hell no! You did not just do that to us!" Leticia yelled out. 

"Ah relax. We'll scale it but walking normally. For me it makes no difference whether its a cliff or just ground. With a bit of a quick pace, I can go 5km/h. We'll scale this in 36minutes. So just sit back and enjoy the ride." Sunny explained.

"That doesn't excuse the fact of you grabbing me and Sarafina-sama like that! Just wait till I get my hands on you!" The green-eyed girl growled at him as Komatsu and Sarafina said, "Amazing!" As they ascended the wind was starting to blow, making Sarafina shiver and bringing some sort of pungent scent of an animal. Its upcoming presence was threatening, and she sensed that their were in the waiting. but for what, exactly? A second later the chef gave out a cry of fear. "The Regal Wall's masters, the Heavy Cliffs. Relax. If you don't do anything they won't come and attack. But on the other hand, if they get angry it could mean trouble." 

"Yeah, keep talking like that Rainbow sherbet. That'll make him feel better." Leticia said with a sarcastic tone. Eh? It suddenly got dark. Maybe a passing cloud? "Wha..what's going on? The area suddenly got dark, didn't it?" Komatsu said as he looked around. "N...tha' so?" Sunny said. Sarafina felt a shock of surprise go through him before he shouted, "Hey...hey! What's thaaaat?!" "Eh?!" Ok. Panic is in their voices. "What the hell!?!?" Leticia shouted. The rumble up above then certainly wasn't helping their situation at the moment! Well, neither is the two men freaking out helping either but still.

Toriko's group

The two finally made it to the regal wall after running for a while. As they got closer, Rin noticed something and quickly realised what it was. "Toriko! There!" She shouted over to him as they continued to run. Looking in towards the wall the hunter's eyes almost bugged out of his head at the sheer size of the mammoth. "Uoo!! The Regal Mammoth! Its huge! It's totally falling down a cliff! The reason, though, it's too hard to tell!" He exclaimed in surprise. He knew the animal was big but wow! "Why is it in a place like this?" Rin asked as she had her hands up over her face in shock. "That's a parent mammoth, no doubt about it! It came this far from the Regal Plateau looking for its child.. even so, that size..its like a mountain!" Toriko continued, quickly becoming more concerned about where the others were. 

"Are Sunny, Sarafina and Komatsu okay?! Hurry Rin!" Toriko told the girl as they quickly started running even faster to the wall. "Okay! Terry sure is cool, huh? Just in case, I left battlefre behind, but..." Rin started before being interrupted by the hunter saying, "From the beginning she's been set on a fight without taking into account the chance of victory. Terry has resolved herself for the sake of her own pride." Looking over at Rin he continued. "Now we can only believe...! In Terry's power, the genes inherited from the ancient king." That made her feel relieved, smiled and said, "Okay!"

Sunny's group

"Uooooooo, this is bad! Sunny-san, somehow, please!" The chef said as he watched the large wall of something heading their way. "What the hell is that thing?!" Leticia shouted.

"That's the Regal Mammoth! But...but it's massive!" Sarafina exclaimed.

"That's right! Please stop it like when you were lifting up the child before, Sunny-san! Can you do it?!"

The long haired man said in a panic, "It's impossible, this way! I can't avoid it! !" He shouted as a bunch of angry mole-looking animals came out from some caves in the cliff. "WAAAAAAA! Lot of them came out from inside them!" Komatsu called out in fear, his eyes bugging out of his head. "They kinda... angry huh? Maybe..."  Sarafina let out a small sigh. Not only do they have to deal with the Heavy Cliffs, but also with a giant ANIMAL about to come down onto their heads!

The group watched as the animals come rushing towards them. "You don't think this riot is our fault, right?" Sunny asked the animals nervous and got an angry roar from them. "This isn't the outcome you'd expect, riight!?" He shouted at them before quickly turning back the way they came. "AAAHHH!" The girls shouted in surprise as the force of the turn made them and the chef facing the animals. "This is dangerous, Matsu and Fina! That Regal Mammoth is going to fall on that crowd of heavy cliffs! I can't handle it! Let's pull back!" Sunny shouted as he quickly rushed down the cliff. "Yeah, let's run away, Sunny-san!" 

"I vote for falling back!" Leticia groaned as the animals growled and snapped at their heels. "I find it a little impossible to run away while in mid-air." Sarafina said. "Run away?" The long-haired man asked as a split second later a force pushed/punched the animals back far from them. "Uhhh..." Leticia went as Komatsu's jaw dropped as he continued cooly. "I'm not doing something unsightly thing like running awa. Just pulling back for a moment." 

'Ha. Yeah right. If that was the case, then why was he hauling butt to the max?' Leticia thought to herself. "But we're putting it to the max, though!" The look of Sunny's face as they ran would've been funny if not for those things right behind them. Argh! This was NOT how she pictured when she thought about hunting with Sarafina-sama again would go! At all!

Toriko's group

Toriko and Rin quickly neared the wall as they continued to run at top speed. The two had noticed the new additions besides the mammoth falling but as they got closer they got the surprise of their life. "That's..." Rin shouted as Toriko got a look of dismay. "Sunny! Komatsu! Sarafina!" He shouted as Rin shouted, "Onii-chan!"

No one's group

"Nnoh?!" Sunny exclaimed as he looked towards ground level and saw two figures. "Toriko and Rin!" "Eh?! Toriko-san!" The chef shouted as he strained to look for them. Sarafina looked out and saw two faint souls waiting at the bottom of this wall. She felt the weights finally leaving her shoulders as she realised it was her friends. Thank goodness, they were safe. "Toriko!" She called down to them. "Toriko-saaaan!" Komatso went as tears streamed down his face. "Who the hell are Toriko and Rin?!" Leticia asked.

"So you lived, you guys!" Sunny called down to them happily. "Or rather, can you do something about this situation?!" Just how are they gonna be able to do that from so far away?! The two were too far away to hear what they were saying but from the looks of it Toriko was getting ready to use the knife move but on what though? Sarafina watched as he made four large slashes into the ground. 

Too bad she couldn't get the gist of how big the square he was making. 'What is he up to?' Sarafina mused as she watched him use fork to lift the giant square he made. "Sunny! Inside here!" Toriko shouted to the trio above. Ah! Of course! The hunter made a rough shelter/cover for them to go into! Though she wondered at how the large man had made such an enormous slab of rock but whatever! Long as it was deep enough to take cover in works for her!

Then the large hunter shouted, "Jump in!" as he dropped the large slab off to the side. "Okay! Let's go, Matsu and Fina! And whatever your name was" Sunny said with a large grin as he bounced off the wall towards the hole. Dragging the three behind him. "Oh, screw you!!"

The world around them got darker as the huge mass came barreling towards them. A split second later the whole world went dark as the loudest thud Sarafina had ever heard came from above. Above? Did that mean they reached it in time?! Shuffling was heard and the sky could be seen as the animal wandered off to who knows where. Wait...what stopped it? 

Glancing over at Sunny, who sounded quite exhausted than he had before, pant a bit. His hair lock stopped it that much? Wow. Guess he's stronger than he appears to be. Suddenly noticing a warm solid wall behind her, she glanced behind her and felt a shirtless Toriko, who was looking up. Blushing red, Sarafina quickly backed away before he noticed how close they were. "At a hair's breadth...hair net! We pushed all the way into here but...huu... we made it somehow." Sunny said.

"Toriko-san!" Komatsu cried as he rushed over to the hunter. Sarafina smiled at the two when she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her. "Sarafina-sama! Are you okay?! You didn't get hurt did you?" Leticia asked her, worry filled her voice. Sarafina shook her head and she patted her former student's back. Kururu them came and hopped on her shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek. "No, I'm alright. Thanks to both Sunny and Toriko, we're all okay." Leticia pulled away and smiled at the blind woman. The latter turned to her giant fellow hunter and teased him. "You sure took your time. You didn't get lost, did you?" 

"Komatsu! Sarafina! You two sure did well to stay safe! Hey, it sure wasn't an easy track to get here, I'll tell ya that!" Toriko said.

"It's all thanks to Sunny-san!" The chef told him as Sarafina nodded. "Though he did most of the work..." She added as the hunter suddenly noticed the containers Komatsu was carrying. "Oh! Sirloin kinoko!" He said excitedly. Did he even hear her comment? 'Probably not.' The blind woman thought with a smile as she watched Toriko try to take some of the containers from the chef so he could eat them. She shook her head with a smile. These two...really... "Toriko, you can eat those later. We're kinda busy at the moment." She said as she got a pathetic hungry look from the man. "But I'm hungry!"

"Your always hungry, hon. When AREN'T you hungry? Besides that, Komatsu's saving those for when he goes back to his hotel. And since your hungry, there are plenty of stuff around here you can snack on." The girl told him sternly but politely. "But...Sarafina...don't be stingy!" Toriko whined a bit as he drooled at the containers. "Besides, we can always pick more up on the way back!"

"Hey! How dare you go against Sarafina-sama's wishes!" Leticia yelled at him. Toriko looked at the green-eyed girl and tilted his head in confusion. "It's alright, Sarafina! I can share a little bit with him." The chef as the hunter got an excited look. Sarafina gave a small laughter and answered Toriko's question. "This is Leticia. My closest friend and former student. Please, don't mind her, she's actually very nice."

Sunny stood nearby with hands on his hips watching the exchange between the four with a "the hell" expression. "Rather, you guys are exhausted, aren't you?" The long haired man asked before sighing deeply. "...Anyway...that giant thing that just fell...rather... Its not what I'm thinking, Rin?"

"Yes. It's totally the Regal Mammoth!" Rin told her brother with a happy smile. "I knew it!" Sunny shouted as he jumped out of the hole and landing up on the ground. "With this kind of size! Even with my touch, any knocking can't reach it!" The tall man stared at the large craters that were the mammoth's footprints leading away from them. Just how were they gonna take this thing? Something caught his notice and turned to see the heavy cliffs coming up from the ground.

 'These guys...protecting their bodies from the impact of the mammoth's fall. They curled up their bodies and harden them.' Sunny mused as he watched them stood up and growled menacingly at them. Climbing up to the top of the hole with Toriko's help the blind woman's gasp in surprise. How on earth did these things survive? No matter. Sarafina and Leticia brought out a few dozen Senbon Needles. "The Heavy Cliffs! They look mad and stuff!" Komatsu shouted. "What gave that away?" Leticia grumbled as the hunters got ready to fight. "Toriko, you come too!" Sunny shouted from where he was standing as the animals launched themselves into an attack. 

"Damn! All of these guys are our opponents along with the mammoth? Rin, you help out too!" Sunny shouting out orders is interesting to say the least. A familiar voice said suddenly, "I'm here too, Sunny." That sounded an awful lot like....Coco...? 

Seconds later the animals were on the ground in no time flat, having knocking done on them. The smell of mild poison was a give away. It was the poison man alright. The two men were shocked to see how fast the heavy cliffs went down. "They won't die. It's full-body paralysing nerve poison." Coco said as the group whipped around to look behind them. The dark man smirked a bit as he said, "Yaa, I'm late, huh?" Sarafina smiled brightly and called over, "Long time no see, Coco! Though depending on how you look at it, one could suppose you're on time." 

"Coco!" The large hunter called over to him happily. The dark man chuckled a bit as he stood up. "Yah, I kept you waiting still, ne." Coco said as Komatsu rushed over as Sarafina followed him. "Coco-sama!" Komatsu shouted happily as he gave Coco a hug. She couldn't help but smile at the happy smile the poison man gave the chef as they hugged. "Ya, Komatsu-kun, it's been a while! "Greetings Coco. Doing well?" Sarafina said with a smile as she walked up to the two. The dark haired man chuckled as he said, "I'm doing good, Sarafina-chan. The same as last time, seeing Komatsu here in this kind of danger zone. Looks like you don't learn from experience, Komatsu-kun." The woman merely shrugged as the chef said/cried happily, "It's Coco-san! That kind of tale telling way of talking is Coco-saan!" 

She giggled as she ruffled his hair. "Who else would it be, goof?" The dark man chuckled and the extra person in their group. Coco turn to Sarafina and asked, "Who is this?" Sarafina looked over at her and smiled. "Leticia, come. I must introduce you this nice gentleman." They could hear mumbling about something as she made her way over. "Coco, this is Leticia. She's an old friend of mine. Leticia, this is Coco. The gentleman of the Heavenly Kings."

The green-eyed woman gave a little pout as she offered her hand. "Hello, nice to meet you...I guess." She muttered that last part. Coco gave a chuckle as he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Leticia. Any friend of Sarafina-chan is a fiend of mine." He told her. He then brought her hand up and placed a gentle kiss. This action made her face turn completely red and Leticia snatched her hand away. "Wh-wh-what are you doing?!" Leticia said. Sarafina simply stood there in between them with a sweet smile on her face as theothers wandered up to greet him. 

Except Sani who stayed back from the group. He was awestruck by the awesome entrance Coco made but what was with the disgusted look? Looking over to the long haired Heavenly King, the dark-haired man called over to him, "Oi, Sani. What's wrong? You're drawing back your touch. It's been so long, let's shake hands!" Coco said the last part as he extended his hands towards him. 

Why did the atmosphere turn kinda....awkward at the moment? Sarafina continued to watch the exchange between the two men. "Your touch.. are you pulling it back now...? Sunny-san." Komatsu asked as he looked back towards Sunny. If memory serves her right, if his touch involves taste then chances are good that, to him, Coco's skin wouldn't taste that satisfying. "Yes. It's not coming out." Coco said, still in the crouch position. From the look of it he's not insulted, guess he doesnt care? The large hunter grinned as he commented, "Coco, you can see Sani's touch with your eyes right?" Ah. That's right, Sarafina nearly forgot. Because of his abilities he can see stuff as fine as Sunny's touch. 

"Precisely, I can only capture the miniscule electromagnetic waves coming out of the touch." That's Coco for ya alright. Looking at him wearily, Sunny closed one eye as he said, "It's not that. I just don't like the feel of your skin. I mean, with your poison."

Sarafina's face became crestfallen. She'd a feeling that was the case and the sad part was it was true. Though she didn't take Sunny would be a straight shooter, but honesty can sometimes be hurtful. "What's his problem? That was uncalled for!" Leticia whispered to Sarafina. The woman let out a sigh while nodding her head. Noticing that the ones he didn't get were already up and already getting ready for a fight, Sunny said, "Look, they've gotten into a rage over you, I'm watching out for those Heavy Cliffs, too. Because I sense their wildness is dangerous. They'd be completely uncontrollable without being on guard. How about this guy?" 

A roar that was so loud that Sarafina quickly covered her ears to protect her senses as right behind the Heavy Cliffs was the Regal Mammoth. A strong and overweight beast with a furry red body covered in black stripes and has exactly six muscular legs and two long trunks. Its big white tusks are sharp and prominent and its teeth are equally sharp, befitting its carnivorous nature. It has a long, thick tail that is dragged about as it moves with reptilian-like characteristics. What appear to be its ears are actually small vestigial wings. 

"Is there a way for us to contend with this thing?" Leticia asked. Coco took out a bottle of water and drank before saying, "No.." No? The beast then started to act a little strange as if it was trying to get something out of it. "It's already over. But, as expected of this giant body, it'll take a little longer until to get all around it. At that point, it shouldn't be able to move." That seemed to set Toriko and Matsu off. "Poison, already?!" "Coco-San!" They said very highly impressed as Sunny pouted off to the side a bit.

"That was fast Coco. Did you do that before or after you got the Heavy Cliffs?" Sarafina said, very highly impressed, as she put a hand on her hip. The dark man continued to look at the mammoth, as if he was looking at something only he could see. Was there something inside the mammoth? Or...was it someone? "More importantly, the question is...inside the body I can see a different electromagnetic wave inside the mammoth!" Coco said. "An enemy has already entered inside of it!"

"With that size, we should give it up on bringing it down." Sunny said, getting the others attentions. "N' to go directly inside it to get the jewel meat. As expect'd of Gourmet Corp, such a raunch vulgar disgustin' idea..!" At the mention of the jewel meat, Komatsu's soul seemed to brighten a lot at that. 'Guess someone wants to try it. Most likely try to serve it at the restaurant.' Sarafina thought with a slight smile. "This is a race against time... We'll enter inside it, too!" Coco said. Sarafina and Leticia jumped up a bit as that set the feminine man off. "A-?! What are you saying Coco?! There's no way something like that is possible!" 

"Its possible." The poison man said simply. "I ain't going." Sunny shouted while the young chef came up to him, eyes sparklingly...for some reason. "Let's go inside together, Sunny-san!" 

"Why are your eye sparkling Matsu?" Sunny shouted. "From here, it would the safest to enter through its bottom." Coco told the group. Wait. What did he just say?

Chapter Text

"Are you kidding me?" Leticia asked, looking up at him. When she received a very slight nod from him, she felt her skin crawl. "That's a joke, right! You poison bastard!" Sunny yelled at him. He absolutely refuses to go in that disgusting part on the anatomy. Toriko immediately went over to Coco and put his hands on his shoulders. "Sunny, be careful about what you say!" The hunter told him as the poison man thought, 'Sunny hasn't changed at all since the old days.'

Holding his hands out, the feminine man continued on. "Generally, it'd be fine if we just steal the jewel meat from the enemy when he comes out with it, right? Well, you can't say it's a beaut'ful way, but it's better than entering inside its body." Getting a familiar chill, Sarafina looked up and thought she sensed something up in the sky. It didn't feel far, but it didn't feel close either. However, she wasn't sure until suddenly Toriko rushed over and grabbed Sunny in a tackle grab.

"Watch out, Sunny!" The hunter shouted as a bomb-like explosion went off, forcing the two to land on their backs. Once the smoke cleared, a giant GT robot was standing in front of them. This is just turning out to be a great day, isn't it?

"So this is the new model...! That there's this kind of huge GT robo means..! They're rapidly advancing in the gourmet food world! Hu... I'm seriously Urashima Tarou.." Coco said.

"They always fight with their bare hands, like me. This guy has high power , be careful, Coco." Toriko told him as they continued to stare at the robot. One thing is for certain...this guy isn't the same one from the cave. The vibe felt completely different. "Yeah, I'm listening, but I'm also verifying if it's the same guy from the sandy beach of the cave. The ability to get the eltrcomagnetic waves transmitted from the operator to real life..! I didn't know his nature then, but if I can grasp his true nature I wouldn't be surprised." Coco told him, eyes never leaving the robot.

The two were of one mind as they both agreed that there wasn't any problem if it wasn't the operator from before. The robot looked down at them as if it just noticed them. "This is lucky... For all these famous people to be all together like this! Compared to this guy's jewel meat, getting rid of you guys is more of an achievement, isn't it? Kakakaka. Ah?" The robot said mockingly before really looking at the group.

'Why do I get the feeling that this thing is looking at me?' Sarafina thought as the guy in the machine said, "So you're the blind woman we're going after. I'll have to make sure I don't kill you when I get rid of these guys though I don't suppose maiming you wouldn't be too bad."

Sarafina let out an audible gasp when she heard that. What? It's after her? Toriko narrowed his eyes as he moved slightly in front of Sarafina. Fat chance he'll give this bastard the chance to get her! "Like I'll let you, you hunk of junk!" Leticia growled at the operator before moving close to her friend, her weapon in hand. No way was she going to let this guy lay a hand on her. Kururu let out a growl and stayed on her master's shoulder.

"A-? Who do you says's gonna get rid of whom? You piece of junk." Sunny said as he stepped forward to deal with the GT but the poison man stopped him. "Sunny, this one's mine. Everyone, the jewel meat as fast as you can." Coco told the others, stepping forward a bit. Sarafina couldn't help but get concerned over the fortune-teller. Can he really do this on his own?

"Coco." Sunny started before Coco continued. "It seems the new model GT robos can even transmit taste, can't they? If by some chance they find it before you, they'll transmit the taste data back to headquarters and probably kill the mammoth. You have to find it before them... Also.. I thought it looking at Toriko, but more so, I think everyone is exhausted. Sunny, you too, that you just now drew back your touch had nothing to do with poison, right?" The feminine man stared at Coco for a moment before answering, "...Fn... Though you'd go so far as to deceive us with that nonchalant face."

"Anyway," the dark-haired man said as he threw off his cloak. "I'll take care of this guy! In that opportunity, enter the mammoth!" In response to what the poison man said the jaws or whatever of the robo opened up and prepared an attack even as it said, "Idiot! You'll all die here!" Coco put his thumb and forefinger to his mouth and gave a whistle. "Kiss!" He called out. A black blur came out of the sky and landed an attack on the robo before flying back up into the air and zoomed down at its feet, making the bot falloff ward, sending the GT's attack into the ground. "Go, now!" The poison man called over to the group as the group took the hint and started to run towards the animal.

"Thank you, Coco!" Toriko said as he, Sarafina, Leticia and Komatsu ran by him. "You here saved us!" The chef said to him, continuing to run. Sarafina suddenly stopped running and turned to Leticia. "Stay here with him, Leticia." Sarafina told her former student. Her words greatly surprised the green-eyed woman. "Hold on what? Why would I-?!"

"Leticia, please. I need you to help him. With both of your strengths combined, I'm sure you can defeat easily. Besides, don't worry about me, I'll be okay." Sarafina said as she smiled at her. Leticia was hesitant to leave her on her own, but she nodded her head in agreement. "If that's what you want, Sarafina-sama."

"Good luck, dear." Sarafina told her as she ran off to catch up with the others. Leticia readied her shuriken as she ran to Coco's side. The poison man gave her a smile as they prepared to take on the mechanical threat themselves.

Gourmet Corp. 6th branch

"Joejoe! Which number machine is the giant GT robo?!"  Zaiper shouted in a loud, angry voice. Zaiper is a tall man with dark yellow skin, red tattoo markings over his face and arms, has sharp teeth and pointy ears, giving him the appearance of a goblin. His attire consists of a dark purple vest and purple wristbands and pair of dark blue pants, and he also wears a necklace and belt that appear to be made from bones and a small skull.

Oh. That's right. The robot he was using got stepped on by that mammoth, didn't it? That' why he was so angry. "Mm. It's machine 8 but.." The old man started before Zaiper interrupted him. "I'm gonna take down that Gido right now! I'll mangle that bastard!"

"Venting your anger from the battle front, Zaiper?" Joejoe asked as the bald man stormed over. "I mean, if that guy hadn't trampled me I would've made a come back! Geez, so cocky, driving the giant GT robo..."

"Its because there wasn't anyone who could manage it besides Gido. ...The giant model designed for use against giant beasts. The effect of its bodily sensation gravity makes it come next in rank to the currently in development micro model in difficulty." Zaiper said.

"Exactly, right now he's in the middle of combat." Joejoe told him.

"Combat? His opponent is the mammoth, right? If it's the mammoth, then it's impossible for the mammoth." Zaiper said, walking up to the glass to look at the operator. "No, the enemy Gourmet Hunter. Coco of the four heavenly kings..!" That name got even his attention. Coco was the one who was highly toxic, so that should be quite the fight. "Coco..?! The one they say has poison in his body..!" Zaiper exclaimed in shocked.

Joejoe nodded his head slightly. "If it was a flesh and blood fight, the chance of winning would be improbable. The ocean of death, poison tide, he even cleared its swimming test. As a GT robo, his chances of winning are plenty." That seemed to satisfy the bald man as he replied, "..Hn. If he loses I'm gonna punch him. If he wins though..."

"Relax. Whichever path, this time victory will not change. Sedoru-sama (machine number 7) is already inside the mammoth. Furthermore, because now the operating machine number 2 is none other than the Vice Head Chef."

Toriko and Co.

"Alright, if we're entering the mammoth...then how exactly are we entering?" Sarafina asked as the group stopped just in front of the giant beast to debate on how to enter the mammoth. She already knew Coco said that the safest route is through it's behind, but personally, she would much prefer an alternative entryway. Then again, if they had no alternative, then so be it.

"I thought "its bottom" right?!" Toriko said. Sunny freaked out as he shook his head and hand waving back and forth while saying, "No way! No way, no way, no way, no way! Absolutely no way! If you're doing that, I'm going home already!" Without warning, a sucking sound was hard and the next moment the group was lifted threw the air, heading towards the mammoth. Sarafina held on to her kitten close and started to freak out as the others yelled in shock or surprise.

Coco and Leticia turned back in surprise as the beast began to suck the others in, trying to eat them! "What's going on?! I thought you said you infected it with your poison." Leticia shouted. Coco was just as shocked as she was and said, "Damn, the poison still hasn't completely-!" He cut himself when he caught a glimpse of a familiar sight. Amongst his friends, he saw the shadow of death hovering above them. Being that it was right above them, he didn't know who it belong too. It could be any one of them. 'No way..! Who is it coming from?!' He thought to himself.

"Look out!" Leticia yelled out as she tackled Coco as soon as the giant GT robot shot out a blast from its mouth. The impact had cause the two to fly back and land on their backs, but they quickly rose up and Coco called out for Kiss. As soon as the Emperor Crow was close, Coco had grabbed Leticia hand and pulled her up on Kiss's back. 'I could see the shadow of death...' Coco thought as he looked back at the mammoth. If he wasn't worried then, he's extremely worried now.

"Sunny! Can't you stop it somehow?!" Toriko called over to the feminine man. "It's impossible, it's so much power! We're getting completely sucked in!" Sunny replied, gritting his teeth. Glancing over to the other two, he saw Komatsu screaming and Sarafina holding Kururu, trying to stay calm. Just as they were about to go through the mammoth's huge trunk, Rin brought out a small fragrance bottle and said, "Kuh...I didn't want to do this but...Devil Durian!"

Devil durian fragrance: releasing a stench so bad bugs won't come within a half kilometer radius of it. The fragrance was the exploiting the extract of the durian fruit (according to the 8 gourmet laws, the use of it is restricted). As the tomboy got it ready, she quickly told the others, "Everyone, pinch your noses!" It was all happening too quickly, one minute the group was up in the air, the next they were suddenly dropped a ways down and was shot right into mammoth's mouth. "Sarafina-sama!" "Everyone!" Coco and Leticia cried out as the thought the worst. "This isn't the time to be looking away." Gido said as he held out his arm, revealing another canon. Coco uses himself as a shield to protect Leticia as the blast hit them.

"We...we finally got eaten, Toriko-Saaaan! We're done for..!" Komatsu cried out. "Calm down, Komatsu. We didn't get eaten. Yet" Sarafina said, trying to calm the chef down. Judging from how hard the 'ground' is, it's safe to assume that they're alive for the time being. "Keep your head! Inside the mammoth's mouth is spacious and air is flowing through! I'm glad it's so gigantic!" Toriko told him as he looked around inside the mouth. Though what's there to look at? There wasn't much to look at and it stinks in here.

The hunter gave the group a sharp look as he told them, "Let's invade the body this way! Hurry!" Down the throat?! Well, it beats standing around doing nothing. Speaking of standing, for some reason whatever they were on felt kinda funny. It weird beneath her feet, nothing like she's felt before. "Hey..." Komatsu said when a weird sound seemed to fill the mouth... Mouth. Oh no. why did it take so long to figure this out. "We're standing on top of a tooth, Toriko-San! We'll be pulverised!"

"Oh, that's definitely not good." Sarafina said as the upper jaws slammed down on top of them. Komatsu and Rin instinctively kneeled down and blinked a bit when grunting was heard coming from the hunters. Looking over, they saw that Toriko and Sarafina was straining to hold the jaw up with theirs arms while Sunny used his long hair to do the same. Quickly taking advantage of the delayed crushing, Rin, Kururu and Komatsu quickly made a beeline off the tooth and landed on the tongue.

Sunny roared before he shouted, "Spatula!" The force of his attack made the jaw go up quite a ways as the giant hunter called over to them, "Now! Run down the throat!" The three hunters quickly jumped down over to the others and all rushed down the throat. Screaming as they fell all the way down.

Back outside, Gido looked up at the flaming crow. Laughing to himself, believing he had successfully killed one of the four Heavenly Kings. He didn't think it would be that easy though. Hmph, no matter. "Kakakaka, how about that? Cooking fire!" He laughed. "Don't die yet! 'Cause that was just the pre-cooking! From here I'll cook carefully..."

"Pre-cooking?" A familiar voice spoke out. Gido was shocked as he looked back up at Kiss, strangely unharmed from the blast. Smoking, but otherwise unharmed. "With that kind of heating power?" He wasn't the only one. Coco was perfectly fine, aside from the top part of his outfit singed off. "Poison Membrane. Such tawdry cooking..." He said as he dusted himself off. Leticia was shocked as she gazed up at the Heavenly King, highly impressed by his ability. This time, I'll cook you. I'll use a seasoning called 'poison'!"

'Amazing. I've heard that the Heavenly Kings were tough but didn't think they were this tough. He does look pretty hot...he's very muscular and...what the hell am I thinking?!' Leticia shouted in her mind as she felt her face grow warm. She shook head to get rid of those thoughts and readied her shuriken. Focus! Focus on tearing this Robo creep apart and protecting Sarafina-sama. Can't afford any distractions.

Meanwhile, inside the Regal Mammoth, the group finally made it to a clearing and made a rough, ungraceful landing. Toriko sat up, rubbing the back of his head and grumbled slightly before complaining to Sunny, "D...damn i~~t, would ya make a cushion with your touch. Geez...where are we? Inside the stomach?"

"Most likely. However, I'm not sure we're alone." Sarafina said as she felt vibrations beneath her, indicating that something was coming their way. The other's looked up and saw a GT walking past them, the difference between the giant one outside and this one was that it was smaller, it's hair was up like the wind blew it back and wearing a backpack.

"G...GT Robo!" Toriko, Komatsu and Rin cried out in shock. The robot stared at them and gave a "n" sound. The three hunters, the tomboy and the ice kitten got into fighting positions, Komstsu looking like he's gonna freak out soon. Hope the guy from before doesn't show up!

Outside, Gido positioned himself to attack and Coco, with his inhuman eyes, saw what he was about to do and told Leticia to stay low. "Peeler Shot!" He yelled as he fired several blade-shaped blasts at them. Leticia ducked down as Coco managed to dodge them, missing him only by an inch. One blast in particular had caused him to jump off of Kiss's back.

"Coco!" Leticia cried out.

"He saw my shots coming. His kinetic vision is incredible." Gido said. While in the air, Coco raised his arm and gathered the poison to his first two fingertips and aimed right for the giant GT robot. "Poison Rifle!" He yelled out. The poison shots fired straight into the robot's eyes. "Augh!" He cried as he held his face.

Kiss flew in quickly and Coco landed safely on his back once again. But he wasn't done yet, by using Poison Solidification, which combining his poison with clotting agents from his blood, Coco created a blade of solidified poison. Leticia's eyes widened at his poison ability. Gido wiped the poison from his eyes and looked up, he saw the blade in his hand. "What is that?"

"Posion Sword! Fused with blood platelets that can coagulate into a substance harder than steel." Coco said as he and Leticia readied their blades to attack. Kiss flew in fast towards the GT robot to get in a good shot for the hunters. Leticia raised her giant shuriken and threw it at the robot's left side while Coco aimed for its right. Both left deep gashes on the machine. "AUGHH!"

"You see? Just as I promised."

The shuriken flew back to them, and Leticia had caught it with ease. "Okay then. I didn't expect this to be fun. With any luck, we'll take this thing down without any more problems."

"You think a few weak blades can stop me?!" Gido shouted at them. "Think again!"

Back inside the mammoth, the others and the robo had a face off for a few minutes before the robo said in a weary tone, "Well, well... I give up. This place is a total maze." That threw the three hunters off. Of all the things, that was the last thing they'd thought that thing would say. Scratching its chin it, he, whatever, continued, "When the hell did I return to the starting point again?" The hunters watched the robo for a few more minutes before the feminine man told Toriko, "Toriko. Fina. I got this."

"!" Toriko and Sarafina went as he turned to look at him as he continued, "Innards like a maze... What this guy's saying us prob'ly true. To find the jewel meat in these vast innards we'll need to rely on your nose. Take Rin and Matsu with you and go! Right now! Hurry!" The giant hunter looked a bit taken back at Sunny's boldness. "Sunny..." Toriko started before looking hard at him then said, "I got it."

"Please be careful, Sunny." Sarafina told him. To the others, Toriko said sharply, "Rin! Komatsu! We're going!" The blind woman bend down and got Kururu back onto her shoulder. "Eh? But..." Rin asked in a surprised tone. The hunter cut her off. "It's all right, hurry!"

'Sunny must have something up his sleeve if he's asking us to leave. He better be okay...' Sarafina thought as the robo told them, "That's rude, you didn't even say hello. If it's for the jewel meat, though we already found it." Eh? Didn't he say he couldn't find it? Sarafina wondered as the group ran past him. If he was flesh and blood, she could've tell if he were lying or not. Luckily, there's a second option. She took a few whiff from the machine and nearly gagged. Yeah, that's what she thought. "Now's a good time to improve your lying ability! There's no smell of meat coming from your body! Just a putrid smell!" The giant hunter yelled at him as he ran.

That got an annoying laugh from the guy. "You caught me~~~Hahahaha!" The robo replied between laughs. Rin and Komatsu gave it weird looks as they followed Toriko and Sarafina. 'This is one weird guy.' Rin mused as she stared at the robot. Without warning the robo's face opened up slightly as weird tendrils came out of it as he asked, "Are you both leaving, too?" "Wah!" Rin and Komatsu yelled out, the young chef fell down in shock.

Sunny yelled over to them, "Run! Rin! Matsu!" Sunny's voice seemed to have calmed the robo down cause he backed off bit, saying, "That's dangerous. There are wild beasts alive in the interior too." From the looks of it, the robo was being restrained by the feminine man. As Sarafina ran back to helped Komatsu get up, the thing said, "Good thing I stopped in time. If I killed you in the process, the ones I'm working with would be pretty pissed off. Though I'm not surprised your not caught yet."

Say wha? "Care to explain on what that mean? Who is after me?" Sarafina asked, trying her best to keep her voice as calm as possible. The last thing she wanted was for this thing know she's afraid. She won't allow them that satisfaction again. "Nn...don't wanna tell." Her eye narrowed a bit and was about to say something when Toriko called over, "Let Sunny deal with him! Hurry now, you guys!"

Glancing over in Sunny's direction, the energy in his soul said there would be no compromising in this area. Sarafina let out a sigh as the three ran over to the giant hunter. "Right!" Rin said as Komatsu called over to the feminine man, "Yeah...thanks a lot, Sunny-San!"

Sunny gave out a confident smirk as he closed his eyes. "Don't get me wrong. I just don't want to go any deeper into these stinking insides. It's so disgusting, I feel like I'm gonna vomit. Nna, I'll leave that vulgar duty to you guys..." He said as he opened his beautiful blue eyes. "I will, right here, just magnificently work at removing the enemy."

"They're already gone..." The GT Robo said as he was staring out at the now empty field. "SO FAST!" Sunny screamed out as his jaw dropped. Unbeliveable. Here he was making a great speech about how he'd didn't want to go further into the disgusting insides and he'd leave that vulgar duty to them as he'd magnificently remove the enemy....and they were gone before he even finished saying it! Tch! The nerve of them.

The robo moved around a bit as he said, "Now then, let's clear a few things up shall we? The thing that's restraining my movement.." Sunny put his hands on his hips and answered, "Hairlock. It seems it's started. Someone who can still move to that extent...has got some decent power." He hate to admit it but he's kinds of impressed.

"That might be the first time my game ran away right before my eyes. Well, cept the woman. She's someone else's prey. I think I'll kill you instead." That didn't settle with him at all. Why were these guys after a harmless woman? For what purpose? "Why're you after the girl? Before, you mentioned that someone was after her. Who are they?" The robo merely shrugged his shoulders before saying, "Beats me why they'd want some blind, worthless woman. Don't really care either way." The feminine man narrowed his eyes a bit. That's the way it's going to be hm? Fine then.

'Hope Sunny, Coco and Leticia are doing alright...' Sarafina thought as they continued to follow the scent. "Ne, Toriko.." Rin started. "That guy just now... He's strong, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's strong. Considerably so." That caught Sarafina's attention. If that's the case, then are the others gonna fare pretty well? It was a stupid thing to ask...considering their abilities...but she couldn't stop herself from worrying about them. It's one thing that they facing enemies from Gourmet Corp and after solely for the Jewel Meat, but if they're after her as well...then... If they get hurt...if the others get hurt because of her...then it'll be all her fault...

NO! Don't think like that! It's not going to end up like that again! Things are different this time. They're going to be just fine. Have faith in them. They've faced off worse adversaries, haven't they?  The jerks so far have kept mentioning taking her alive...so far. 'Hopefully this will change. It's bad enough I'm making my friends worry. I hope grandfather doesn't find out about this.' Sarafina thought as she followed the group.

"W...will he be okay?! Sunny-san, by himself.." Komatsu started as Toriko answered, "There's a reason why Sunny made us go ahead. The same with Coco."

"Reason?" Komatsu asked.

"It's probably so they can go all out without us being in the way. That sound about right Toriko?" Sarafina said. Damn she's good. Right on the mark. Looking back sharply at them, he replied, "Right. So that they can fight all out seriously! At those times, we were nothing but a hindrance.." That shook up the small man a bit as he turned pale slightly. "Y...you mean we'd get mix up into it...?"

She could see that happening for the poison man but it doesn't sound like that was the case for Sunny. "That's the case for Coco... For Sunny, it's a little different..." Toriko said as Rin flashed them a smile as she said, "Onii-chan's "supreme doctrine of beauty" right?" That made her think for a moment. Since that guy's all about beauty he would most likely want to show it off but if he sent them away... Does that mean the attacks he has to use are gonna be ugly?

Sunny pulled back his Hairlock and allowed the robot to move more freely. The robot moved his shoulders around a bit before sighing. "Ahh, much better. I'm glad you're done with that silly Hairlock business. Now before we get into the fun stuff where I smash you, I have question. Why'd you pass up the chance to fight me when you had a five-on-one advantage?"

"Five-on-one?" Sunny asked, letting out a hmph before bursting into laughter. The GT robot was highly confused as to what reason he was laughing about. Sunny eventually quiet down before he turned away. His smile dropping. "You and the Gourmet Corp are such ignorant fools. So little respect for elegance in battle...as in you have none!"

"What does elegance have to do with fighting?" The GT robot asked. "Trust me, when I'm finished, you won't be elegant. I'll throw you away like a pile of garbage."

"Garage?" Sunny's eyes widen at the word. He then remembered the corpse of the beast back at the marsh. How it was mercilessly killed without any reason. Killed...for pleasure. That's just like Gourmet Corp. They just do what they want. They kill and kill, ruining the eco-system for both humans and beasts alike. Something that ugly made Sunny sick to his stomach.

"You slaughtered the marsh beasts!" Sunny yelled out him. The GT robot merely laughed out in gleeful joy. His laughter only confirmed Sunny's accusation. "You disgust me."

"Oh yeah?"

"You're an ugly speck on a face of a beautiful world. Five against one, don't make me laugh." Sunny said as his long hair began moving on its own accord. Shifting around him. "I can handle you all by myself no problem."

The robot opened its beak and fired out several shots towards him, but Sunny was quick on the  defensive. Hair Lead! With this technique, Sunny directed the oncoming  attacks away from him by subtly redirecting them with his individual hairs. This causes blows aimed at him to suddenly curve away as they approach. Landing behind him.

"What to know the real reason I sent my friends off?" Sunny asked him. A large smile forming on his face. "It's not just about beating you. When I get serious, something extremely monstrous and far from beautiful comes out of me, and I can't bear for them to see it."

Sunny's smile grew larger as he began to bring out his demon. His eyes began glowing light blue as he let out a yell, to bring it out. Unlike with most, Sunny's Intimidation is very unusual. Instead of being a mere projection of his fighting spirit, it actually takes physical form through his hair, coiling into the image of a frightening demon. His hollow blue eyes stared at the GT robot with only one intention. To break every bone in its body.

Chapter Text

Back on the outside, Coco drank some water from the canteen he brought with him. This fight hasn't proven to be difficult yet, but one can't be too careful. His green-eyed companion looked down at the GT Robot below them and said, "I don't know about you, but I really want to finish this up." Coco handed her the water canteen and nodded. "I agree, but we shouldn't  rush this. This fight not over yet."

"Yeah, yeah. So, where's this thing's weak spot?" Leticia asked as she looked down at the robot running after them. "Get back here!!" He yelled. "If I had to guess, I say it's inside the beak." Coco told her. "Only one way to find out." Coco was about to launch another Poison Rifle attack when he was cut off short by Gido calling out, "Peeler Shot!" Coco quickly used his sword to deflect the incoming attack while Leticia threw her shuriken at Gido, striking him in the shoulder this time. "AARRGH!" He cried out. While Coco did managed to block his initial attack, he saw that his blade was beginning to break down and wasn't as strong as before. 'Is it losing it's hardness?' Coco thought.

Another blast came in and knocked his sword from his hand, catching him off guard as Gido launched a second Peeler Shot forcing the two to jumped off of Kiss's back. Thinking he had an opening, Gido opened the robot's beak and was prepared to blast the them to kingdom come. However, he allowed himself to be wide opened himself. Coco fired his Poison Rifle straight towards the cannon at the same time when Gido fired his blast. Both attacks were direct, the poison hit its mark but the blast had also grazed the others. Coco's arm and Leticia's side. They crashed landed back on the ground while Gido cried out in pain. Leticia's shuriken had came back and landed a few feet away from them.

Unfortunately, the Poison didn't do much as Gido snapped his attention back the Gourmet Hunters and rushed in towards them. Before they could get a chance to get up, Gido stomped on them and held them beneath his foot. He was pissed now. "You aimed that right for my mouth, didn't you? Blocked my taste sensors, but I can still analyse your shot. ....Poison?! You arrogant fool, poison won't work against a GT Robot!!" Gido shouted.

Then Coco let out a chuckle. "Oh? Really? This is exactly where I wanted to fight. Because we're far away from the mammoth and the others." He said. Leticia turned to gaze to look and she was confused as to what he was talking about. 'What's he going on about? This is a bad position to talk smack.' Leticia thought.

"Here, I can go all out. With my powers," Suddenly, Leticia and Gido felt a sharp chill as they sensed a disturbing presence in the air. It was so dark and so chilling, you could easily mistake it for impending death. And that's exactly what's coming. Coco quickly reached over and covered Leticia's mouth and nose, halting her breathing. He couldn't allow her to breath in what he had unleashed. Soon the entire area they were in was slowly being covered by a blackish-purple fog. Coco's Intimidation, the Poison Devil, had appeared before Gido. Instantly sticking fear into him.

"Hell Poison!" Coco yelled out. This was powerful poison technique. When Coco wishes to destroy his foe entirely, he uses Hell Poison. However, he only uses it when no other lifeforms who might be harmed are around, though in this case, he has to protect Leticia to sure she didn't get herself killed. The poison itself is a chemical made by Coco rapidly vaporising his body's waste products and has a similar composition to volcanic gas. As well as being deadly when inhaled the poison is highly corrosive, even flammable and explosive.

Despite this, Gido remained calm and told Coco, "Did I mention I'm a new model GT Robot? I've passed the poison tide swimming test. Your toxins won't work!" Coco didn't seem that impressed and was as just as calm. He was confident that the fight was in his favour. "Poison tide, huh? I know of the current of death. Now let's see what's stronger. My poison or the waters of the poison tide." Coco said as he began to concentrate on his poison to his opponent. Sure enough, Gido felt his robotic body began to stiffen up and his movements began to be more jagged.

"What the... The part with the vision and skin signals has been cut off... Such a strong stimulus... The one for smell has been almost complicit off. This is... Volcanic gas!!?" Gido shouted in a panic. 'Volcanic?!' Leticia screamed in her mind. Was Coco planning to blow them all up? "What a terrible guy. Creating this level of deadly poison means if I weren't a robo I'd be have gone to the next world. But it's too bad. The GT Robo was originally made for the objective of entering places flesh-and-blood humans could not get close to." He began to explain. "The deep sea or underground caves where poisonous gas has gathered. With high corrosion-resistant type body (titanium alloy) not even high concentration gas will corrode it. And that this is your last technique means... You've used up all your tricks. Four Heavenly King Coco!"

The Gentleman king still wasn't deterred from his cool demeanour and said, "Is that so? What if I can still give birth to stronger poison than this? One enough to melt you to the ground." Leticia's eyes widen in surprise. 'Say what?! How many poison techniques does this guy got?!' She thought to herself. On some level, Gido seemed to agree and started to say, "Hmph, acting tough? I've found what you're trying to get to do. This smoke is probably a gas! You're trying to make my attacks catch fire, aren't you? Huh?" Coco didn't answer him. He just kept that smirk on his face.

Gido wasn't buying it. He believed this guy was spouting nothing but a bluff. "Whatever... I'll take the venture of meeting your expectations and one more reason why that plan won't have any effect. I want a clear look of your face before I kill you!" He yelled before he opened up to let out a powerful blast from his beak. Knowing full well that the gas was going to explode, Coco used whatever strength he had to move and get on top of Leticia, while still holding her breath and covering himself with Poison Skin just as the gas ignited. A large explosion that can only be compared to a nuke bomb roared out and expanded near the entire area, catching Coco, Leticia and Gido in the blast.

When the explosion subsided and smoke cleared, the GT Robot was singed and a bit dented, but he was still standing. Gido saw this and laughed. "HA-H!! It sure is sturdy!! The explosion that caught fire barely did anything like damage!! Get it, poison man?" Gido looked down at his two victims and was delighted to see them so worn out. The woman appeared to be unconscious and Coco was completely exhausted. "So unsightly... This one that got serious damage was you. I'd expect you to still breathing after that explosion but it seems..." He opened up the beak again and planned to kill them right there and now.

Coco opened his eyes and he struggled to stay awake as he turned to face the GT Robot. He still had faith in his plan. 'I'm out of poison. All I can do now is pray that my plan worked.' He thought. "Looks like you're finally seeing your own shadow of death! Sayonara!!" He fired out the blast and Coco braced himself as he used himself as shield to protect Leticia. The blast hit. But Gido was shocked to find that his attack had completely missed by inches away. "They're still there? How could I have missed?"

"What's wrong, Gido? I thought you were better than this." Coco retorted. "Urgh, shut up! Shut up!!" Gido tried to crush their heads with his foot, but his movements failed him and he ended up crashing to the ground. "What's happening?!" He shouted. Coco got off of Leticia and went to check if she was alright. He let out a sigh of relief when he was she was still breathing. He turned to give a smirk to the fallen robot.

"My poison got through. To the core antenna. I'm blocking your transmission to your robot. I coated the core antenna that receives movement signals. Now your GT Robot has no sense of balance." Coco told him. "You didn't realise my toxins could block electromagnetic waves. I think I'll call it, Poison Jamming."

Gido struggle to get back up, but thanks to Coco's poison, he succeeded in falling on his face back into the ground. "If you're wondering why I shot you so many times with my Poison Rifle, it was to determine the destination of your EM waves. Through trail and error, I located the spot receiving data about your balance and concentrated my poison shots there. Also, as I'm sure you've noticed by now, this is the spot where the Regal Mammoth fell. Uneven terrain benefits the smaller and more agile such as myself. As well as traps the hydrogen-sulphide gas which is heavier than air."

"Even if that gas got through to the inner haul, there's no way a GT Robot could become corroded by normal hydrogen-sulphide." Gido told him. He refused to believe that his latest model would succumb that easily to this King's poison. Unfortunately for him, Coco had told him the true poison that caused his defeat. "I created an even worse poison than that. Highly refined hydrochloric and nitric acid gases that I shot out at the same time as the explosion. These chemicals, and not the hydrogen-sulphide, are what entered your GT Robot. And once inside, the acidic gases reverted to a liquid form, combined and splashed onto your core antenna. The ratio is 3 to 1."

This strong technique of Coco's was called, Aqua Regia. With it he can melt even gold and other normally non-corrosive materials. Which means, Gido had lost this fight a long time ago. True the GT Robot had fallen, but the true loser of the battle was Gido himself. He was far too impatient and led Coco to provoke him to make the first strike. Coco turned and walked away, he was done here. The GT Robot had let out small explosions from within and it was now incapacitated to go on any further. As soon as it fell, Coco collapse on the ground. He was too exhausted to even stand up. But he was happy to brought this into an end.

"I may have over done it on the poison today. If I don't get some water...or some food in me fast, I could be in major trouble. Too bad, I told Toriko...I'd meet up with his crew as soon as I was able to finish the battle here." Coco glanced over to the unconscious woman across from him and thought that he needed to get her replenish as well, he was sure that Sarafina would be wracked with worry if she and others found them like this. Coco... Just needed to get the feeling back in his body to do so. He gave Leticia a small smile as he turned his gaze away. His eyes widened in shock when he saw a familiar GT Robot with a chilling aura approaching them.

Meanwhile, inside of the Regal beast, Komatsu cut a slice of meat from the large chunk he had cut off from the mammoth and dipped it into one of the many sauces he collected. The chef looked happily at the meat before eating it and got the goofiest look of happiness as he chewed. "Sooo~~~ delicious~~~~s. Such a good level of marbling and soft gentle deliciousness.. This area should be around the place of rib roast. I could make a sashimi or just cutting it thinly should be enough." The chef said as he turned his attention to the tomboy. "Have some too, Rin-san. If you like it, there's some shoyu sauce from the Shouyu Grasshopper."

Rin looked egear to try and went, "Waaa..this is the first time I've eaten regal mammoth. I'm so excited." It'd be more enjoyable if it wasn't for the huge pile of knocked huge snake like animals over yonder by the two hunters and the ice kitten, who took them on with ease. 'These creatures just had to attack us, didn't they?' Sarafina thought as she brushed her ponytail off her shoulder. Kururu hopped on to her shoulder soon afterwards. "Toriko-san! Sarafina-san! Do you want some as well?" Komatsu called over to them who gave the bunch a slight look of disbelief. "You guys..." The giant hunter started as he dusted off his hands. "Be more considerate about the strange things going on inside this guy right now. The animals inside its body are in a desperate frenzy." Now that he mentions it, the animals were freaking out before the hunters got a hold on them.

"Is it because we came in?" Komatsu asked nervously. "I don't think so. I doubt that we would upset them to such an extent." Sarafina stated. Toriko held his hands out for a moment before saying, "No. This fiery level of tension wasn't in here when we entered..and the air flow has changed within the body." The hunter brought a finger up to his nose and tapped it, his look serious. "This strong acid smell...there're a lot if digestive enzymes secreting from the stomach. This is evidence that the mammoth is undergoing severe stress...it's as though.."

'It's almost like some kind of virus eating into its own life.. Like a direct rejection to what's entered into the body.' The hunter thought to himself when suddenly whooshing sounds were heard as the bodies of the snakes were lifted into the air. "What the heaven's gates?!" Sarafina exclaimed in surprise as the hunter swore and yelled, "Damn it, this mammoth. Is it trying to spit out all the foreign substances in its body?!" It's trying to throw them up?! That does not sound like a pleasant experience. 

Toriko quickly looked over before calling over to the others, "Coco's poison's effect is probably abating it! Let's hurry, Komatsu and Sarafina! Rin!" "Right! C'mon! It's starting to pick up speed!" Sarafina called over to the tomboy and the chef as he quickly gathered his items before staring at the meat as Toriko called over, "Hurry up, Komatsu! This passage!" As they ran, Sarafina couldn't but think that something was wrong. What was it...? 'The usual...always eating something while just walking gourmand Toriko-San...didn't spare even a glance at the rib roast... After all, he didn't eat the sirloin mushroom I had...' Komatsu thought as the blind woman unknowingly continued his train of thought. 'Since he didn't eat any of the food that was in front of him is he saving his stomach cause he's looking forward to the jewel meat so much? No. He's a bottomless pit and it doesn't seem that food is even remotely close to the surface it means...' 

Sarafina let out a small gasp and she came to realise something. 'Oh no... Does that mean that man from before is here?! I thought I sensed his energy but I don't have enough confidence in my senses to fully rely on them! And if that's true then we must avoid that possibility of running into him!'

The hunter continued running, following his nose, as he thought with worry heavy in the background. Could this vicious unshakeable ominous worry he's feeling...could that mean...that guy's here?! There's absolutely no way they could run into him! He grinned his teeth a bit in determination. 'Right now, before anyone else we must find the jewel meat first!' The guy who tried to take Sarafina before flashed through his mind as rage fueled him on even more at the mere thought of that bastard trying to take the woman away again. 'And if that bastard ever shows up...I'll be more then happy to beat him into the ground...'

~a while later~

For a while now, a sense of dread had been slowly filling Sarafina as the group traveled through the mammoth's stomach. Ever since Toriko lead them to that passage, the sense of dread reared its ugly head. What is with her lately? Her internal senses have never been so sharp before. 'Not completely true.' Sarafina mused. 'Ever since I began mediating, my senses have been wide open, sometimes without me knowing it.' The five were currently passing some muscles as the giant hunter up ahead called out, "To the right!" And turned right as he continued to run. Komatsu gave out a cry of delight as he skidded to a stop in front of some chamber. "Komatsu? What is it?" Sarafina asked as she stopped, trying not to pant heavy as she walked over to see what got his attention. 

She gave a laugh at his energy of happiness as she stood next to him. "What's got you all in a tizzy?" Sarafina asked when suddenly a chill came from behind her. Toriko shouted, freaking slightly, "Get out of the way, Komatsu! Sarafina!" That confused the chef for a moment as Sarafina roughly grabbed him by the arm and tried to drag him away as the hunter threw his intimidation at them, a giant sized hanyuu shouted/growled at them. "GET. OUT. OF. THE. WAY." Her eyes widen slightly at the pure raw energy of it. The solid silhouette was perfectly visible to her. The sheer size of it! Then...she could actually see it. Sarafina didn't know how or why... But she could. The red skin, bulging with heavy with large muscles and veins, and white hair wasn't unnerving enough it bared its teeth as it lounged forward. 

"Get down!" She yelled at the chef as she pushed them both down as Rin yelled the hunter's name in surprise. 'My intimidation using all my might didn't disturb him at all?' The hunter thought to himself as he easily jumped over the two only to be kicked hard enough to be sent flying threw the air past the others only to land some ways away from them. "Toriko!" Sarafina cried out as she quickly turned around to see what hit him. Much to her horror, she couldn't and it was the same dark energy from before. "You've gotta be kidding me..." She said quietly as Kururu let out a low growl. Komatsu started to freak out and cry as Rin called out Toriko's name as she quickly pulled out a large gun from her back and got ready to fire it. "Fragrance Bazooka!" Just as the tomboy fired the robot was RIGHT in her face.

'I...I didn't even sense it move. W...What speed!' The blind woman thought in slight amazement. "Get away from her!" Sarafina growled as a second later the two watched in shock as the robot put a hand through her stomach. Eye widening she said in shock, "Rin!" W..what is this guy?! Quickly scanning for the giant hunter she saw he was done for the count. No! This is worse than the devil snake! A thud was heard and she whipped her head in time to see the other girl fall to the ground. "Rin-San! Toriko-saaaaan!" Komatsu cried out in despair. Much as she wanted to tell the small guy everything would be ok, the situation was slapping her right in the gave that the probability of it BEING alright was far, far indeed. 

Sarafina watched ad the robot started heading their way she growled low and put the chef behind her protectively, ignoring his cry of "Sarafina-san!?"

'I may not be able to do much...but,' Sarafina thought grimly as she eyed the robot warily. She gripped her sword tightly. 'I'll be damned if I just rolled over for this guy!' Glancing over to the hunter in the other chamber her heart gave a hard pang. Please, please, PLEASE be alright! Kururu jumped down from her shoulder and was ready to fight. Sarafina heard Rin say something but was too far away to hear properly and much to her shock smoke was coming out from her glove.

'That's the endorphin fragrance... She's trying to ease Toriko's pain. And with how much I'm smelling, she's probably creating some kind of smoke screen too.' The blind woman gritted her teeth in frustration. The two that needed the most help were the ones still fighting yet she hasn't much of anything to help them. She hated this. She hated herself for being so useless to the ones who needed her help. At this point, she didn't care anymore. She didn't care about the consequences and she certainly didn't care what happens to her. Not if it meant she can save the people who have called her a friend.

Sarafina closed her eye as she unleashed a small portion of her powers. She located Ran and Toriko, her heart gave another hard pang as she sensed the pain in their souls. She gently wrapped her powers and began to heal them as best she could. Sarafina fought back the urge to cough. She can't be weaken at a time like this. Suddenly the guy was right there in their faces, causing the chef to cry in fear a bit. The woman opened her eye as she stared blankly as it spoke. "If your not a hindrance then you won't even die...like that time at the sandy beach of the cave.." It spoke evenly. Feeling Komatsu shake a bit as it talked she said, in a calm voice, "Then why did you take stands of my hair? I wasn't bothering you one bit then." 

She relaxed her breathing and concentrated on her powers as it looked her in the eyes and was about to reply when a hand that appeared on its shoulder stopped it as the owner of the hand said, "Hey..who're you saying's dead?" Sarafina thought her heart was gonna stop in pure happiness and relief at the sight of Toriko, who looked must worse for wear but sure as heck surprised the robot. She blinked in amazement as she watched first hand the punch that sent the bot flying away from them. The guy was a complete mess, panting heavily from the extortion. Toriko turned his attention to Rin, who had blood coming from her mouth and whole body shaking. Rin! Sarafina rushed over as the hunter kneeled by her. "To...ri..." The girl panted as Toriko said gently, "Don't talk, Rin." The tomboy ignored him as she continued. "The...scar...under my eye...this...ne... I caused it...myself.. Just like... Toriko's ...uhhhhu...I mixed up...the left and right...but I stopped at one line..."

'She really likes him, doesn't she?' Sarafina wondered as the two got quiet. She inched her hands closer to Rin and began to heal her again. This time she held her hand to her mouth and forced herself to stay alert. "It'll be alright, Rin. You'll see. Once we get out of here, we'll get you fixed up. I promise you." Sarafina said as she took hold of one of Rin's hands. It works better if she has contact with someone. The girl gave a quiet chuckle but she continued. "I'm not lying! Everything WILL be ok! Believe me!" The tomboy stared at her silently, trying to believe in her words even though the reality said it was impossible. "Sarafina.." Toriko said as they watched her gently close her eyes. 

Closing her own eyes she turned away, trying hard not to cry and believe in the feeling in her gut was true. Suddenly Sarafina felt the power and anger radiating off the hunter in waves as he growled in anger, "GT Robo!" Watching in amazement as the giant man shot off and growled out, "GT Roboooooo! Fork!" The fork attack just grazed the robo's jaw, chipping off a piece, and repaid Toriko by punching him directly in the gut. 

The hunter coughed up blood ad he proceeded to use his other attack. "Knife!" Toriko said ad he made a large slice on the jaw again. "Toriko..." Sarafina said quietly as she watched him power up for the Spike Fold Punch attack. Once he reached 6 he powered housed the robo hard, forcing it to tumble as it once again flew threw the air. "From the beginning Rin was prepared to die. Wildness is something she always had nearby." Toriko started, wearing the most serious and pissed off energy she's ever sensed. Bringing a clenched fist to eye level he continued, "For you guys who do not have that preparedness for death, you don't even have wildness..! I'll convey that to you..! To you, so far away.." His look got real dark as shivers of slight fear went through her as he finished. "The fear...of death!"

The robo was too far away to hear what it was saying but from the looks of it, if Sarafina didn't know any better, Toriko was evolving. "Autophagy is activating. Have you been fasting? At any rate it's an omen the cells are evolving!" The robo said as Toriko stood angrily in front of it. 'Fasting? What does he mean..? Has Toriko been keeping himself from eating this whole time?' Sarafina thought. When the body falls into a state of hunger for nutrition, a living thing will disassemble its own cells proteins into amino acids. This is in order to temporarily gain energy. From what she sensed, Toriko in one day consumes a few hundreds of thousands to a few millions of kilocalories of energy. Which means.... 'Which means, that should he fast for even a small while it'll cause damage to his life.' Sarafina's eye widened when she realised Toriko's situation now. No wonder he had to eat like a pig! If he doesn't, he could possibly die!

Chapter Text

Ever since they came to this island, Toriko's been non stop fighting so additional nourishment was a must have. But...since they arrived at the mammoth he didn't eat anything which means...his body must of fell into a state of nutrition hunger which invoked autophagy! So...in order to avoid a crisis of life the gourmet cells ate themselves which caused them to evolve. The giant hunter shot towards the enemy at tremendous speed and used fork and knife only to have him block the attacks. As the jaws of the robo opened the hunter grabbed both sides of it and slammed it shut while yelling, "Close!" And gave it a head butt. Still holding it by its head, Toriko spun it around a few times before tossing letting it go, causing an explosion of dust and debris to fly about. Quickly leaning over Rin, she did her best to protect the girl from the stuff as the chef yelled, "Toriko-San!" Kururu moved her paws as she created an ice wall around them to shield them from the debris.

Through the dust they could hear him say in slight annoyance, "It was something I was worried about. Speed..power.. A GT robo completely cannot put out my real power..." This isn't all of his power?! This has to be some sick joke! Toriko just watched the robo from where he was standing, ready to pounce on the first notice. "Gourmet Hunter Toriko. Your power is as charming as I'd expected. This body is even now in pieces...but that power..is not one you can continue using for so long. Aurophagy is only enough to make your body temporarily avoid nutrition hunger. If that state continues you'll eat away your own cells. Rather than something like evolving, it's the opposite. Your cells will lead to death! How long is the time limit? Can you beat me before then?" 

Judging from the look on his face, that limit wasn't long and chances of him winning before time ran out would be a miracle. Suddenly the robot was right in Toriko's face before anyone could move and said, "It's impossible." It unleashed an attacked that seemed like lashes onto the giant hunter, giving him wounds on his arms, which he raised up to protect his face, and body. Sarafina bit back a cry of horror and fear. 'What am I doing here?!' She just can't do nothing and sit here! Toriko gave a roar and punched the guy in the face again. "Mixer punch!" The robo said as one of its hand became something like a mixer and jabbed it into the hunter's gut. 'Toriko!' Sarafina thought in horror as he coughed up blood. The hunter tried in vain to power up but it seemed like he was running out. The limit was 5 minutes?

Unfortunately the robo seemed to have noticed Toriko's predicament as well. "It seems...this is as far as you go.." He told him as he opened it's jaws. "It seems your evolution will not be.." Toriko seemed like he was barely hanging on. She could only clench her fist in frustration at her powerlessness as she watched helplessly as it powered up its last attack on the hunter as it said farewell to him. "Toriko!" "Toriko-San!" The two cried out in horror as the robo shot a laser into the giant hunter's stomach and out of his back. "Toriko!" Sarafina cried out as she watched the attack shot him far away from them. "This...can't be..."

The robo walked over to where the two were standing, the girl quickly stood in front of Matsu protectively. In a blink of an eye, she whipped out her sword and slashed at it. The GT Robot was caught off guard by her sudden attack and tried to dodge it, it barely managed as the tip of the blade had slashed down his shoulder all the way down to his hip. Sarafina rushed forward, now that she caught it, she knew where it was now. She delivered a strong kick to its head and a punch to its stomach, sending him flying. "Kururu! Hold him down!" She commanded. The kitten sprinted past her and froze the ground and trapped the GT Robot in a bed of ice. Sarafina planned to make this thing pay for what it's done.

She thought of given its operator a little warning by making sure he FELT the pain she'll deal him. And that's exactly what she'll do. Sarafina temporally sent her powers after Toriko and Rin while she concentrated everything else into her blade. "Komatsu. Take Rin and find a way out of here, understand?" She told the small chef. Komatsu was left in awe by the woman's strength but then turned pale when she basically told him to run and leave her here with this thing. "What?! But Sarafina-san, I can't just-!"

"I refused to let anyone else get killed while I'm around. I can handle myself, now go." Sarafina had to get them out of here. She hadn't use these powers in a long time and who knows if she can control it. "Do you think it's wise of you too use your abilities just to finish me off?" The GT Robot told her. Sarafina didn't answer it as she raised her sword to him. The robot let out a chuckle when it saw a trail of blood dripping from her mouth. "You must really want to die. I can't imagine how being a walking corpse feels like."

Komatsu gasped at what the robot said. Die? A walking corpse..?! What was it talking about. Sarafina's eye began to glow as she swung her sword at him. "Just shut up!" The GT Robot suddenly broke out of the ice and jumped out of the way. When Sarafina swung again, the robot caught a few of the blades. He was impressed by her choice of weapon. "Ah, a snake sword. A unique kind of weapon that can be used as a sword or a whip of blades. I can feel your energy running through it." Sarafina glared at him. She took drop her sword and ran towards him and went in with a knee to the gut.

She threw him numerous kicks and punches and she made sure that they left a dent in its stupid metal body with her powers ripping through its body. She took a step back as she let out a horrible, sickening cough. "Sarafina-san!" Komatsu's eyes widen in fear as he saw that she was coughing up blood. "I might be a corpse who's pretending to be alive, but I'll withstand anything if it means I can protect people. I honestly don't care if I do die." She whispered for only him to hear. She delivered an uppercut before slamming him back down. She raised her hand and went into position to rip that core antenna out of him. It'll be trail and error, but she'll eventually find it. "You don't care, huh?" It said. "Then...," It then sprang up and stabbed her through the stomach. Just as it had done to Rin.

"Sarafina-san!!" Komatsu cried out in fear. Kururu let out a roar as she rushed over to the GT Robot. It was growing bigger bit by bit and she bared her fangs at it, it's heart filled with rage at what it did! But her attacking was what it wanted, the robot grabbed her neck and gripped tightly, cutting off her oxygen. Kururu struggled against its hold as she clawed and bit down on its hands, but the robot just kept tightening its grip. Kururu went back down to her kitten and it  tossed her limp body out of the way.

Komatsu was left frozen in fear as the GT Robot began advancing towards him now. Dragging Sarafina with him by the hair. "In the end, you were the most intelligent, youngster." He kneeled down by the chef's bag, saying, "Without even panicking when those people died." The robot began to rummage around and noticed something inside. "N...this carving knife yours?" It asked as it took out the small man's knife. Bringing the knife closer for inspection the robo said, "It's a good carving knife. If I can see his carving knife, I can generally comprehend a chef's skill." Kinda insulting to assume that it was Komatsu who was the cook (even though that's true) as he watched the robot stand up while holding the knife.

"I see...you were a top grade cook, eh...? Someday, I pray you'll become someone useful for us, the bishokukai." The robot turned away, knife still in his hand. "I'll be taking this carving knife. Fufu..it seems I can use it.. And I'll be taking the woman with me." What?! That bastard can't just take Komatsu's precious knife or Sarafina! To its mild surprise, the chef quickly grabbed the robot's arm, tears streaming down his face. "Th-that alone I can't hand over..." The robot and Komatsu stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Komatsu wasn't going to let it take his knife...he wasn't going to let it take Sarafina away! "Th..that carving knife is..equivalent to my life. G..give it back!" Komatsu cried out to him. "I refused to let you take my friend, Sarafina-san. The air turned ominous as the robot said threateningly, "Become a hindrance to me, and you'll die."

"I'm not scared of something like dying! Even I made a resolution when coming here! Give it back!" Komatsu yelled out at it. Suddenly, a giant monster face that reminded him of a cyclops with large fangs showed up. Suppressing the fear that tried to run through the chef as he stood his ground. 'The resolve is the real thing..' The robo thought as a voice seemed to come out of nowhere said, "Yes.. The one not resolved is..."

Both of them whipped around to see Toriko, alive and whole and, standing at the mouth of the hole he was sent threw. Standing there calmly and appearing stronger then before...does that mean he leveled up? Had he eaten the Jewel Meat? Toriko lowered his gaze and saw the robot's holding onto Sarafina. His eyes widen slightly when he saw she wasn't breathing. "As I thought, just you, GT robot." Komatsu cried out in shock, hardly believing his eyes, even though he was crying even harder, "Toriko-San!" Raising a hand the hunter pointed a finger at the robo as he continued. "Rescind your sense of pressure excess. Let all of the signals of trikes through! Okay..? That is resolution! GT Robo!" Toriko shouted as the hunter rushed over to the bot. "And it would be nice if you came here, to the wild, too! Carry the risk of death!" The robot got another ominous vibe coming off it as the hunter stood right in front of it.

"Your name." The robo was quiet for a moment before he replied, "My name is Starjun. Just as you ask. I've canceled the sense of pressure excess. Now 100% of physical attacks will be communicated to me." Staring hard at Starjun, Toriko said, "Starjun..that allowance could be called proof that you are lightly superior to the GT robot."

"For me, this thing is a hindrance with no exception.. And I'm fine with not having the sense of pressure excess. Toriko.. the true power of you now powered up. More, so I can accurately measure it." The robo replied. That body is just hindering him..? Just how powerful was he..? "Really? Then... I'll make sure you don't regret it." Toriko began to powered up and his muscles practically quadruple in size, veins showing almost all over his chest The shock of air pushing and the force of it all threw the chef back. Starjun was pushed back slightly as he dropped Sarafina.

"Mixer Punch!" Starjun yelled at he deliver a punch to Toriko's abdomen, but the results were different this time. Toriko took the blow like a champion as it looked like he wasn't fazed in the slightest. Instead, he just got angrier. Toriko grabbed his arm and readied his Knife. He raised it high before slamming down on his arm. The force of impact was so great, mere sound of it cause Komatsu to cover his ears in pain. What was that?! Starjun cried out as the wires, metals, and bolts in his robot's arm were exposed. Toriko chopped at Starjun's arm again and again and again, each time he did the pain and shockwaves were getting stronger. One last Knife attack from Toriko and Starjun's arm was hacked off. Leaving him to scream in agony.

Starjun then opened up his beak to blast him, but Toriko beat him to it. The giant hunter saw what he was planning and quickly attacked him using Fork, aiming straight for the cannon! Breaking it to pieces. Toriko used Fork once more and struck him three times in the chest, sending him further on back. Dark smoke left from his body and the pain was nearly unbearable. Using his good arm, Starjun proceeded to use Peeler Shot, but Toriko was much faster. He let out a Five-Fold Spike punch barrage to his body. The force behind them was enough to send the mechanics into shock and break instantly upon impact. It was only a matter of time before the robot itself blows up.

And that's what Toriko wanted. He gripped his right arm as it began to grow in size. His reddish pink aura flaring out of him. Starjun already knew where this was going. He expected Toriko to be strong, but he hadn't no idea that his Gourmet Cells would evolve so rapidly. The Jewel Meat must've so divine to give him this much power. "I see now. So this is as far as I go... I do hope the Jewel Meat was enjoyable." Starjun chuckled. "I plan on having it myself someday. Perhaps even in time for out next pairing... Preferably, in the flesh."

"Yeah.... Ten-Fold Spiked Punch!!!" Toriko's natural strength, combined with his demon's power had caused 20x the damage. The GT Robot's body spattered out of control as it bounced around in the air till it collided to a wall before being bounced back into the air. It nearing its expiration date. Toriko clanged his fork and knife, and brought his hands together in prayer. "Thanks for the meal..." Starjun's robot exploded into pieces and was completely destroyed. Nothing was left from him. A stunning victory as one would say.

Toriko fell to his knees as he felt his arm tingle. He hadn't gone that high with the Spiked Punch with that much power, so he might have over did it a bit, but you can't argue with the results. He turned to Komatsu and gave him a kind small. "It's over." He told him. Fresh tears formed in his eyes, and Komatsu ran over to Toriko and gave him a big hug. He was just happy to know that the giant hunter was still alive. "Mew." A small sound entered. Toriko and Komatsu looked down and saw Kururu wobbling to them. "Kururu?" Toriko said. "Mew..." Kururu collapse onto her side and Komatsu immediately went and picked her up. "Kururu! Are you okay? Oh no, Rin-san and Sarafina-san! They're still,"

Komatsu ran to Rin's side while Toriko went to Sarafina. He was so worried for her when he saw her in Starjun's hands. Colour was drained from her face and was covered in blood. She looked like she was dead. When that bastard had her like that, Toriko was sure his heart was going to stop. When he checked her over, Toriko was shocked about her wounds. There weren't any. No visible injury anywhere in sight. All that remained was her blood on her clothing and face. That's weird... how is she...? He took a whiff at her to see if she was still alive. In the several minutes after people die, it's comprising proteins start to break down. When this "decay phenomenon" occurs, the outbreak of acid and gas creates the "smell of death".

Toriko took a few more whiffs before a wide smile form on his lips. He felt pure joy overwhelmed him as he stared at the blind woman's sleeping face. 'Sarafina... You're still alive!' He thought to himself. Toriko picked her up like a bride and rushed over to Komatsu. When he got there, he sniffed the air around Rin as well and exclaimed to Komatsu that she was still alive as well. That's when a vacuum-like air current came blowing in. Looks like the mammoth was going to hack them up again.

"Good timing. That's our ticket out." Toriko exclaimed. "Are they really alive?!" Komatsu cried out. "Yeah, let's hurry! Oh right, we'd better not forget to take that home." Back on the outside, a loud coughing sound was heard and the three hunters whipped their heads around in time to see the others getting thrown up by the mammoth. It was Toriko and the others! They're alright! Toriko call down to them, "Sunny! We need a cushion!" The feminine man smiled brightly as he called out, "Toriko! Matsu! Rin! Fina" Eh? What's that large thing the hunter is holding? Leticia's eyes widen in disbelief. Is that the Jewel Meat?! It's freaking sparkling! And it looked delicious up close!

Sunny got hearts in his eyes at the sight of the meat. "The Jewel Meat! I'll make the best, softest catch! Hairnet!" Sunny said as he quickly made the best hair net ever. Toriko gave a cry of surprise as only the meat was caught while he slipped through and landed face first onto the ground with Sarafina landing on his back. The hunter got to his hands and knees, nose bloody, and yelled at the feminine man angrily, "What's with you?! You just gently caught the meat!"

"N.. Of course.." Sunny said, barely giving him a look before turning his attention back to the meat practically drooling at it. "A..amazing.. This is the jewel meat."

"Sunny-san! Rin-san and Sarafina-san is..!" Komatsu shouted down at the man from the net. That got Sani's attention as he finally noticed his bleeding sister. "RIN!" The feminine man shouted as he quickly knelt down by his sister. "Sarafina-sama!" Leticia cried asked as she ran to her unconscious friend. The hunter stood back up as he held Sarafina up as he said, "Finally, you noticed. I'm counting on you to cure her and Sarafina while you're at it." He didn't need to say any more because Sunny wasn't to leave his little sister like this. His hair let out a gentle golden light and said, "Hair Operation." 

Sunny's hair grew in length and went into Rin's wound and got to work. Komatsu, who jumped down from the hair net, saw this and went, "Wha-?! What are you.." But he got interrupted by the poison man walking up and explaining to him. "With his .1 micron touches he can perform medical operations."

"Ah, Coco-san! Medical operations?! Amazing, to be able to do something like that.." Komatsu said as he turned his attention back to the man working. Leticia looked over at Komatsu and saw that he held the small kitten in his arms. "Kururu. Hey, is she alright?" The chef nodded. "Yeah, I think so. She's breathing at least." 

"Until a normal full operation can be done, it's not too much for me to do an emergency treatment." Sunny finished explaining to the chef. "Right now, Kiss is going to the research facility. A medical team should reach her and Sarafina soon." The small man was still unconvinced and asked Coco, face full of worry and concern, "Sh..she'll be okay, Rin-san..." Looking at him the dark man replied, "Don't worry, Rin-chan won't die. There's no need to worry." Komatsu nodded a bit in relief. 

The poison man went quiet and got a thinking look on his face. 'I can't see the death omen on Rin-chan. Who was it that I saw the death omen in the beginning..?' Coco mused before turning to look right at Toriko. 'And it's also clear..! Toriko! He has clearly stronger electromagnetic waves around him than before. He was only in the mammoth for a little while, but that the electromagnetic waves stopped means.. it wasn't Komatsu, Rin-chan nor Sarafina, but Toriko. Overcoming the death omen. He came back from the abyss of death, powered up!'

Toriko had on a concerned worried face as he too look liked he was wondering about the wolf pup was. He hadn't seen the wolf since that she stayed behind to face off whatever Starjun left behind. 'Terry... Could she have been beaten..!?' A stomp was heard behind them and the group, save Sunny, turned to see the pup riding on top of the Obsaurus. "Terry!" The hunter called out happily as the wolf jumped off her ride and ran over to them. 

"Your alright, Terry!" Toriko exclaimed as the chef shouted happily, "Terry!" Toriko gave the wolf a loving one-armed hug as he turned his gaze over to the Obsaurus, who he seemed to have just noticed it. "Hey, hey Terry! No way. You made him your servant?! That obsaurus!" Sunny, who just finished the operation, stood and saw the animal, eyes practically bugging out of his head as he exclaimed in surprise. "What is it, this gross thing?!"

Coco let out a small chuckle at them as he watched quietly. He looked over at Leticia and his smile dropped. She couldn't keep her eyes off of Sarafina and looked like she was going to have a heart attack. "Leticia, what's the matter?" He asked her as he went to her side. "Sarafina is going to be fine. There's not a single wound on her." He tried to reassure her that the Blind Bandit was going to be up on her feet, but what Leticia said next....really made Coco uneasy.

"That's exactly what worries me, the fact she has no injuries is scary enough. I hope the medical team gets here soon, Sarafina-sama definitely needs help right now."

Coco's eyes widen. "What do you-?" He was cut off when the sound of a helicopter was heard in the distance and saw that it was coming closer. Good. They can get out of here finally! "They're here! The medical team!" Looking under the copter on the ground, they saw the child mammoth running towards its parent. "Even the mammoth child?!" 

"Did they already take the jewel meat out?!" 

"Kiss guided them and brought it with them!" Toriko turned and looked up at the adult mammoth, saying to it, "You must be glad, parent mammoth. By the way, thank you. You have my gratitude, the ancient food treasure, the regal mammoth.." Without warning the mammoth started to step in anger. "Waaa, its stepping!" Komatsu cried out as Sunny gently picked up his sister while yelling, "He's mad! This guy's still mad! For this we should use Coco's poison!" "Course he's mad, you idiot!" Leticia went as Toriko picked the Jewel Meat up with Sarafina still on his back and running while saying with a huge smile on his face, "Anyway, lets go back to the research facility. Jewel meat..the treasure food!"

~At the facility~

Once the others got picked up and brought to the facility the medical team quickly rushed Rin to the ER room. Though they were momentarily confused when they took Sarafina to a separate room. While they were working on the girls, the boys and Leticia got patched up and cleaned up before going to see how the tomboy was doing. She had awoken and the first thing she did was shooting up from her bed towards Toriko, ready to throw her arms around him as she went, "Toriko!" She went on to tell him how incredibly thankful she was for what he did. But Toriko had no clue what she was talking about, though Rin happily played along his game and said she'll keep it between them.

With Sarafina, she laid ever so still on her bed while the doctors checked her vitals and gave her a special type of medication to inject into her body as well as letting out certain fragrances into her room. They went over her x-rays and were shocked by what they found. Sarafina had experience great internal damage. All of her organs were slashed, internal bleeding from her lungs, heart, kidneys, and lungs. She was so lucky was brought in just in time, if she hadn't... well.... They didn't know what to think. They were torn whether or not to tell the others about this. They wondered if Sarafina had even told them. 

Eventually Toriko and the others arrived to see her. Rin stayed behind as the doctors wanted to give her another check up to be sure she was fit to go. Leticia was the first person to go to her side and softly said, "Sarafina-sama... Please, be alright." The others soon join her and waited for her to wake up. They were fairly anxious about her condition. Coco had told them what Leticia had said to him and they were just as confused as he was. Then Komatsu remembered something and told them that he had seen Sarafina coughed up large amounts of blood. They took note of the sweet smelling fragrance and the strange, rainbow coloured liquid in her IV pack. 

Soon enough, Sarafina slowly regain consciousness and opened her eye. The others smiled happily to see that she had come back to them. Sarafina sat up and held her head, feeling a bit dizzy. She looked up to see her friends giving their relief, saying how worried they'd been and how fortunate she was to still be alive. Sarafina's eye widen slightly before giving out a kind smile. "I'm alright, really." Then her face became on of worry and quickly asked all of them, "But I'm concerned for the rest of you. How's Rin and Kururu!? Coco, Leticia, are you two okay? Sunny, did that other GT Robot cause any trouble for you? Toriko, you especially, are you alright?"

Komatsu tried to calm her down and told that they were all fine. A little banged up, but overall okay. Rin's alive and Kururu's was healed up. Coco and Leticia told her that they had taken care of Gido and Sunny told her that he defeated his opponent with elegance. Sarafina processed their words and let out sigh of relief. Oh, thank goodness. "I'm so happy. All of you are still here. I'm glad." She said, smiling brightly. Sarafina then let out a "Eep!" when Toriko pulled her into a bear hug and held her close. "T..Toriko..?" Sarafina asked, blushing deeply at the close contact, not to mention her face was practically being buried in his large warm chest. "I'm glad you're alright. You scared the heck out of me back there." Toriko said doing his best to not crush her to him.

"Oh... I'm sorry, but I'm still among the living I can assure you." Sarafina said as she looked up at him, giving him a sweet smile which earned a quiet chuckle from him. "Excuse me..?!" A very pissed off, green-eyed woman asked getting the attention of the two hunters. "Would you mind getting your hands off Sarafina-sama?" Leticia said through clenched teeth. Toriko left out a "Pfft." and did what she said while asking, "What's your deal?"  

Sunny then threw his arms up in the air and shouted happily, "Okay, anyway, Rin and Fina are both better! Everyone, the true food jewel meat is waiting for us!" That got everyone's attention. "Oh, I've been waiting to sink my teeth into that! Where is it?" Sarafina beamed as she practically jumped from her bed, ripping the IVs off. "Sarafina-sama, please don't push yourself!"

Chapter Text

Author's note: Play this music once you see the lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfBZ21O4NEM

~At dinner~

The place where dinner was gonna be was quite beautiful. It looked like an observatory with a clear view of the full moon just out the window. Overseeing the whole landscape. It would've been a wonderful feeling along with the gentle, calming light breeze in the mix. But there was just one, tiny, little thing wrong... 

'I'm never going to get used to this. All this formal attire just isn't part of my style. At least, this one feels more comfortable and not as tightly bound as the others.' Sarafina thought to herself. She wore a sleeveless black black dress that reaches down to her feet and had sky-blue butterflies decorated the skirt and wore a silver cross necklace with a sapphire jewel in the centre. But she didn't have to worry about the choice of clothing for very long as the long awaited meat had finally arrived to be eaten. "Sorry to keep you waiting so long. The jewel meat is served." 

Whoa...the sheer energy from the meat alone was enough to fill Sarafina with glee as the others' eyes widened by it. It was actually sparkling and shining bright like a precious diamond. The others gave out cries of delight as they looked at the meat. "It's like the moonlight has grown dim. It's like daylight only in here. Of course this alone could illuminate the entire inside of that giant mammoth's body." Well, that's certainly one way to put it. 

"Toriko! That your skin is sparkling so much.." Sanny exclaimed as he looked over at the giant hunter. Now that he brought it up...he was still sparkling. Giving the long haired man a grin, Toriko replied back, "Yeah, I was one step ahead in the mammoth's body and took care of the true food." "I knew it!" Sani shouted angrily as Toriko continued, "When I went to the toilet before even my poop was glittery!" Sarafina almost choked on her water as she tried not to laugh. "Really?! Then shut up, that's freaking disgusting!" The feminine man shouted as the chef shouted, "Before we're about to eat, Toriko-san." Leticia strongly agreed. "Yeah, seriously?! We're trying to enjoy something here, and how dare you say such a disgusting thing in front of Sarafina-sama?!"

"That's your biggest concern?!"

"Anyway," Toriko said, getting a huge grin on his face as he stared at the meat. "Ain't we going to eat?! Jewel meat!" Following suit as the others put their hands together and said, "Itadakimatsu!" Everyone cut a piece of the jewel meat, and took one bite. Sarafina couldn't help but laugh as the others seemed to melt from the taste. Taking a small piece Sarafina tried it and understood why they felt that way. It was way more delicious then anything she's ever had before! Once she swallowed her whole body glowed. It was a pure and gentle white glow. The kind one would expect to see coming from the gates of Heaven. The glow seemed to just dance and swirl around her the more she ate of the jewel meat. She believed she had finally found something. The woman then stopped mid-chew when she felt eyes staring at her. She looked up and sensed that all of them were staring at her in wonder. 

"What a warm glow..." Komatsu said as he stared at her. "I haven't seen something before." Coco said. "Wow..." Said Rin, completely speechless. "I don't know what to even say..." Sunny said in slight shock. "Of course you don't, Sarafina-sama is just wonderful." Leticia said with admiration in her eyes. Sarafina couldn't help but give out a little nervous laughter as they kept looking at her. She felt her power grow and the energy spreading around, but is her glow really all that impressive. "Beautiful..." Her eyes picked up that comment. It was so quiet, you almost couldn't hear it unless you really listened. Surprised, Sarafina turned her head and asked, "Did you say something Toriko?"

"What? No, I-I didn't say anything." Toriko said as he went on to stuff his face with more jewel meat. Sarafina tilted her head to the side. Hmm, odd. She could've sworn she heard him say something. She looked at him but with the every from the jewel meat coursing through him, she couldn't see him to be lying. Sarafina shrugged and thought to just it slide.

"WAAAHHHH?!" Sarafina turned to see what Komatsu was screaming about was hit with another wave of energy. She didn't need to feel that twice, the giant hunter, to Komatsu's shock, was glowing brighter than any of them! Toriko continued to dig into the food as he talked between bites, "It's the liver! It's got a texture like liver sashimi! But the smell and fragrances are not like at all! It's a really creamy taste!" Rin took another bite and melted. "Nmmmm this has the richness of boned rib3 This texture feels like the piled up meat and fat are coming apart inside my mouth!"

Coco take a bite and said, "Oh, the sirloin's come. It melted in my mouth in a moment. There's a lot of grease but with it's smoothness the feeling of it going down my throat feels nice." Leticia took a bite of the jewel meat and nearly bursted into tears. "This is the most creamy, most chewy, most crunchiest meat she had ever tasted in my life! It's melting on my tongue and the flavour is exploding in my mouth!"

Toriko got a sharp excited look as he said, "Taste and texture! And the parts...its like a carnival! Just like one!" Looking to Terry he said, "Terry! Here, you eat some too! It's good!" The Obsaurus barked at the hunter, who just smiled and said to it, "Oooh. Obsaurus, you can have some, too." Sarafina turned to her little kitten and called out to her as well. "Kururu, sweetheart. Come eat this delicious meat as well." Kururu mewed happily and run towards her, jumping to her lap and took the other piece off her plate. Coco turned to his animal partner, Kiss, and said, "Eat some, Kiss." Kiss cawed at him as a reply.

Glancing to the long haired man, Sarafina couldn't help but stare in shock at how brightly HE glowed. Sunny was glowing brighter than Toriko was! His energy felt like fire! Toriko said something so Sunny asked, "What'd ya say, Toriko?" She held back a laugh as the hunter shouted, "NNOH?! Sunny, you're really radiant!"

"Amazing, Sunny-san! You're shining the brightest!" Komatsu shouted as Rin commented, "Big brother, awesome." If what was understood so far about gourmet cells and food then his body's reaction to it means it fits him. "If he glows any brighter, I'm going to end up blind as well." Leticia said as she tried to cover her eyes from the bright glow. Glancing at her former teacher, she quickly said, "Not that being blind is a bad thing, Sarafina-sama!" The pale-blue eyed woman gave a laugh and said, "Easy Leticia." Taking a bite, the feminine man asked the giant hunter, "Hey, Toriko.. What were you just saying?" Turning to look at him, Toriko answered, "What do you mean "what were you saying"?" 

"You said something was decided didn't you?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah.." The hunter grinned a bit. Uh oh. This isn't going to end well... Toriko started to get ready to put the jewel meat into his menu as the others started to agree. "WAIT A SEC!!!" Sunny suddenly shouted as he kicked that title off of Toriko's full course. "What're doing Sunny, hey?!" Toriko yelled at him as Sunny yelled back, "Don't say what're you doing so hasty!" 

"I'm not being hasty!" 

"Then look at my radiance!" Sunny said as he pointed to himself. Toriko put his hands on hips and went, " Yeah its awesome. So?" 

'Such a child. The answer's in his face yet he won't admit it.' Sarafina mused as she hears the entertaining show. Sarafina gave a sigh of defeat, she wasn't going to fight over this. Once they cool off, there's gonna be a surprise for them all. "Don't you get it?! The jewel meat clearly seems like something I'd chose, doesn't it?!" Toriko continued to stay in that pose as he answered, "'Seems like'... What's your point?" Seeing that he wasn't going to get it. Sunny went up and told him. "I've decided jewel meat will be my full course menu's MAIN dish."

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!!" The two hunters grabbed each other by the front's of their shirts and started to yell at each other. "The meat's mine, so get over it!!" Sunny shouted. "Why are you making it your main dish?!" Toriko yelled. "Cause it makes me much more sparkly than it does you!" Sunny told him. "How does that matter?!" Sarafina laughed as she continued to listen these two go back and forth on who gets the jewel meat. Leticia leaned over to her and whispered, "Sarafina-sama, why aren't you claiming the meat as your own? It should be yours for what you went through."

"It was my plan to have the jewel meat in for my meat dish, but look at them," She motioned towards the arguing hunters. "I don't want to fight over it like a child. A nice, heated debate, yes. But not fight. Besides, I'm not going to use what happen to me be a reason to make it mine." She said with a kind smile. Leticia looked at her with sad eyes before nodding her head. She leaned back in her seat and smiled as well. "I understand."

"Guys..? Maybe you can just compromise and both feature the jewel meat on your fell course menus?" Komatsu asked, hoping to sooth the raging fire between the Heavenly Kings. But it only had them act more like children again. "Not happening!" They shouted in unison, turning away from other with their arms crossed. "Why?!" Komatsu asked. "I don't want some onion-brain copying me!!" They shouted again.

Sighing deeply, the blind woman got up, placed Kururu on the ground and put a hand on her hip. "Knock it off before I send high voltage of electric shocks on the both of you! NOW!" That got their attention and they went to her, starting the same complaints like: it made me glittery, the robo I fought was the strongest. Her eye shifted between both of them before she had enough of this. Narrowing her eye, she went to grabbed her cane. She pressed the button on the handle and whipped it out. Sparks of hot electricity shooting out, barely missing the two Kings.

"Silence, children!! SUNNY gets it because it FITS him the most!" She said with a firm voice. Toriko gave a loud, "Hey!" as Rin said something about Toriko getting it while Sunny gave a triumphed look. "Now, knock it off or else no one will get it! Now sit your behinds down now!" She then said in a more softer tone, "I've have something special for all of you."

"Eh? You do? What would that be?" Toriko asked as the others looked at her curiously while she sets down her cane. Folding her arms over her chest, she smiled as she replied, "IF you two act like good little children while I prepare myself MAYBE you'll get to see it."

Sunny and Toriko grumbled at each other as they took their seats and sat down. Smiling brightly, she said, "Good boys!" Sarafina took a few steps back and breathed in and out several times, relaxing herself and having her mind clear. Once she was done, Sarafina looked at Sunny and said, "I believe I had made a promise you, Sunny. To sing you a song?"

"Ooooo, you're gonna sing?!" Toriko asked. He didn't take her to be a singer.... Well, he shouldn't say that, he'd never heard her sing before. "Whate'er, it had better be beautiful.." Sunny said as he took a bite of food. "How bout I smack you upside the damn head with this chair?" Leticia said as she glared at the feminine man while gripping her chair. How dare he? Sarafina-sama was going to sing to them with her gorgeous voice and he dares to criticise her before she even started? 

Sarafina gazed her friends and said, "Once I finished the first song,  I'll be happy to take any request you may ask of me, okay?" "Just take it easy, if your body begins to feel sort of any pain, you can stop singing." Coco told her before she flashed a smile at him. "Trust me... I'll be fine. Now then..." Holding her hands up to her chest, placing them near her heart, Sarafina closed her eye. Closing her eyes has always helped her concentrate better, and began to remember a time where she spent playing with him. Her dearest grandfather. She took a deep breath and began to sing.

"Kantia solta adito

Sonte imia lioso

Estia torti maria meta

Ifori ata amato..."

The moment she had began to sing, the group was entranced by her beautiful voice. The soft, yet powerful rang of her voice as she sung was too good to ignore. They all suddenly began to feel... At peace. More relaxed. More calm. It as if she was calming their very souls, taking away of every negativity they had faced. Like everything they had gone through to go after the Jewel Meat was nothing more than a dream. And the dream was becoming more warm and soothing to make them fall asleep.

"Kantia deta adito

Mistio solta amato

Listi aduti madita deta

Artia to adeto

Isonte firio asoro

Adote sirio miato

Asolte miria adoro

Dita amio..."

Speaking of dreams, Sarafina's mind became to think about the days she spent with her grandfather as she kept on singing. How she loved and cherished those days. Those days were her dreams. She felt guilty the more she remembered them. She never meant to leave without saying so much as a goodbye to the man had who raised her to become the person she is today... But... She just couldn't bear for him to be sadden because of her. Especially with her condition increasing all the more. Yet, she hoped that if they were able to meet again, he would be able to forgive her. Not that she deserved that type of kindness from him.

"Kantia solta adito

Sonte imia amaso

Estia sorti maria deta

Mistioso makito."

The moment she finished the song,  Sarafina opened her eye to the sound of clapping hands. Blushing deeply, she smiled shyly before closing her eye again and did a curtsy. "That wasn't too bad, was it?" She asked them. "Sarafina-sama, you were absolutely wonderful as always." Leticia said. "That's far from being bad! That was awesome!" Rin said as she and the chef clapped. "I've never heard of those songs before. Did you make them?" The poison man asked her, curious. "Well.... Yes. They're just some songs I had made when I saw a child. And they've always made my grandfather smile."

"So, you've taught yourself how to sing that great because of that, right?" Toriko asked as he smiled at her. Sarafina smiled as her blush deepened. "Exactly." She said. "That was beaut'ful! The way you sang was simply beaut'ful!" Sunny exclaimed as he had a teary eye expression. "Thank you, Sunny." Sarafina giggled at the beauty-loving King.

"Now we've got music, let's get this party started! Request time!" Sunny, Komatsu and Toriko started to name off a couple of names she's never heard of and half of the ones they named were a little hard for her but the songs were doable. "One at time! Pick one you agree on and we'll go from there!" She told them as Rin chimed in on a certain song. Sarafina couldn't help but laugh at them as they all began to list a lot of songs while Leticia was trying to get them to settle down. Before she could perform again, Sarafina excused herself to use the restroom and promised to be back soon, with that she left.

After having done her business, Sarafina washed off her hands and proceeded to walk back to the others. Just as she was feeling happiness all over, a voice broke out beside her halting that feeling. "That was very reckless of you, you know that?" Sarafina stopped in her tracks and turned to the owner of the voice. "I thought you were done with this. I thought you were done with this whole notion." She said.

"Stop your worrying. It doesn’t matter, I did what I had to protect Komatsu, and save Toriko, Rin and Kururu. They've would’ve been killed if I stood there and did nothing." Sarafina told her.

"And trying to kill yourself is alright?!" She shouted at the blind woman. "Sarafina, please. Stop torturing yourself like this. Your life is just as important as other person of creature. You've done so much to make a better life for yourself. You can't throw all that away."

"I just-."

"Sarafina, you need to tell them." She told her.

"What?! No, I can't do that! I-!" Sarafina cried out till she interrupted her.

"Sarafina, what would’ve happened if you didn't get treatment on time and if they were to witness seeing you-?"

"That's why you’re here, isn’t it? To keep me from that fate? Because of you and my powers is exactly why I'm still here."

"But it's not enough! The first few times that happened you were still just a child. But now, there's only so much we can do before...." She trailed off. She couldn’t say it, but Sarafina knew where she was getting at. She sighed and said, "You may not believe it, but you deserve so much love and happiness more than you will ever know. Sarafina... If you keep going to such lengths... then please don’t have any regrets." She then vanished into thin air. Leaving Sarafina in the hall way alone. Sarafina tried to hold back her tears, but it was pointless as they fell down her cheeks.

"I know...." She whispered. Sarafina wiped her tears away and calmed herself down, making sure she held the brightest smile as she made her way back outside to everyone else. She blinked when she saw Mansam with them. She noticed that the guys' emotions were surprised and that Rin's and Leticia's were in seething rage. Mansam turned around and Sarafina walking towards them.

"Ah, Sarafina! Just the gal I was looking for." Mansam said, turning around to face her. "Hello Mansam. What's going on here?" Sarafina asked him.

"Sarafina, you’re going to be living with Toriko from now on." He told her.

............

......What?

Chapter Text

"Kururu, don't get too close. Fire and ice don't mix well." Sarafina told her little kitty as she tossed in a large tree on the fire, which was freaking huge, that Toriko had built. Speaking of the giant hunter, as Sarafina turned to watched him use a hand to cut down one of the large trees nearby and easily picked up the same tree with one hand. The trees here had to weigh a ton but the two hunter had carried them with ease. Sarafina still couldn't believe she was here with him.

When Mansam told her that she was going to live with Toriko, she, along with everyone else, thought he was making a lame joke. But nope! He was very serious, which is somewhat surprising coming from him half the time. Apparently, someone had told the president of IGO about the GT robots attack but more specifically how in both incidents involved in Sarafina's capture. With the last one in near succession if Toriko hadn't shown up. 

Hence why the president had is having her live with the Glutton of the Heavenly Kings under his protection, if not then either under Coco's or Sunny's. Seeing that it was a direct order from the president of IGO, there was no way they were going to argue with it. Though, Rin and Leticia both were against the idea of it. However, what was really shocking of all was that Toriko agreed to it. What caught her attention was that ever since she was almost been taken away by Starjun, Toriko's been keeping a close eye on her. But she didn't mind it that much, she thought it was really sweet of him to worry about her, he's a good friend. 

"Do you suppose we've gotten enough wood?" Sarafina asked as Toriko threw the entire tree onto the fire where a bird the size of a small tank was cooking on a spit Toriko had made, which was two trees with another straight through the bird. "Should be enough." The giant man answered as he started at the bird, body slightly shaking in anticipation, and started to drool a bit. "That looks so- good~." It did indeed looked and smelled wonderful. Sarafina giggled at him. 'Such a funny, quirky man as always.'

Toriko checked the bird and brought it down with ease. "How is it?" Sarafina asked him. "Its done! Let's dig in!" Toriko said as he and Sarafina put their hands together and saying, "Itadakimasu" before Toriko cut off a piece and had a blissful look on his face before he chowed down. Sarafina reached over to get some, but she felt dizzy all of a sudden and drop her piece, and almost falling over. Damn. She almost forgotten how weak her body was right now. With the amount of time it had taken her to regain consciousness, and the 10% of power she used against Starjun, her body needed some time to get its normal strength back.

'At least I had only used 10%. My body should be fine by tomorrow morning.' She thought as Kururu went and chowed down on the meat she dropped. Waste not, want not.  Sarafina smiled and rubbed her kitten's back soothingly. "You feeling okay?" Toriko asked, taking a bite out of the meat he was holding. "Yes, I'm fine. A little weak that's all." She replied as she gave him a reassuring smile and grabbed another piece and started eating.

"Sarafina." The hunter said sternly, his tone making her look up at him only to look away again quickly, the concern in his soul was causing her to blush, she could only imagine the look he held. Quickly getting herself under control the girl turned and looked at him with a smile. "I'm fine, I promise. Trust me, it happens all the time whenever I use my powers. It's nothing to worry about." Toriko sighed a bit before he continued. "Look. I know you feel you need to be strong or something, but you don't always have to have your guard up. If something is bothering you...say so! If you wanna cry, then cry!"

Sarafina's eye widened. That was almost similar to what she had told her last night. Now it was her turn to sigh. "I'm trying... Believe it or not this isn't usually how I do things. Normally, I can be a real cry baby." Toriko laughed in disbelief. "THAT I find hard to believe!" But...maybe not. Shooting him a look the blind woman explained simply, "I only speak the truth. Back when I was a child, whenever something scary happens, I usually start to crying and hide away from it." The giant raised an eyebrow as she continued. "But... As I grew much older, I had gotten tired of crying. So I made the decision to get stronger and always give a smile no matter what happens... And stop giving me that look! It also helped that my grandfather and Leticia, even Kururu, helped me get stronger." 

Toriko gave a rumble of a chuckle as he took a bite out of the meat. As she finished her bit, Sarafina reached for more only to discover Toriko polished EVERYTHING off. "Do you actually taste anything or do you just inhale the entire bird?!" Sarafina laughed as the hunter made preparations for one of the largest pots he's got. "Course I tasted it! I can't help it, I get hungry!" Toriko grumbled back at her as he waited for the water to boil before putting the skeleton of the bird into it. "Honestly, when aren't you hungry? What are you doing there?" Sarafina asked, curiously.

What's that sound, sizzling? Or was it boiling? Was he boiling the bones? What a silly thing to think. She has never seen Toriko waste even a SCRAPE of food of any form, but that's one of the reason she likes him. Given what Sarafina learned about his body is that he has to keep replacing all the calories his body is burning thanks to his Gourmet cells. 'I wonder if he was born with them? Or if he had to eat something to gain them.' Sarafina mused as she hears her fellow hunter take out the charred bones and began to eat them. In no time flat, he finished off the entire skeleton and plopped spread eagle with his arms stretched out with a look of content on his face. Sarafina smiled softly at him. Whenever he gets like this, she often thinks that he looked like a child that has yet to grow up.

'Even his face is messy like one.' Sarafina thought with amusement as she watched the hunter relax for a few minutes. "Are we satisfied now?" She asked as she sat down next to him, taking out a handkerchief. Toriko chuckled a bit before nodding. "Sure was delicious. Hey!" Toriko exclaimed as she used the cloth to wipe his face a bit, causing him to blush slightly. "I'm not a kid!" Sarafina giggled a bit. "Well, your face is messy like one." Kururu gave a small mew as she jumped on top of him and began licking his face. "Haha, see?" She smiled. Toriko grumbled a bit, looking away as he sat up, doing his best to ignore that bright teasing smile on the woman's face. Really, too cute for her own good. Maybe it was a bad idea for her to be alone with him but like hell he's gonna leave her alone or with someone else!

He couldn't stand the thought of someone else watching her and just the thought of them getting close to her made his blood surge. Agh. Ever since meeting her, his mind and body sure have been acting very strange. Time to break this weird tension. "After a meal like that dessert is in order." Toriko said, grinning at her a bit before she pulled on his cheek playfully. "Ooow! Hey! What's that for?!" Toriko whined as Sarafina asked, trying to hide the laughter in her voice, "I'm sorry, I just felt like I had to do it. You're always thinking with your stomach."

"I can't help it if I'm hungry." The giant hunter continued. "I have to agree with you though. Dessert does sound delightful at the moment." Toriko smiled at that, earning a blush from her. "Alright! Follow me and don't wander off!" The giant man told her as he led the way. "And just where exactly do think I'm going to wander off to?" Sarafina asked him as Kururu climbed onto her shoulder. "Mew!" She went. 

"I'm just saying." Was all he said as they walked towards a tree that was in a grassy meadow on a hill. "Oh, alright. Whatever you say." Sarafina said as she stood a ways back from him. Gazing up, she caught the sent of fresh White Apples. 'How lovely. Sweet with a small hint of a cocktail spice.' She thought. No wonder they got his attention. No matter how many times Sarafina has seen Toriko powered up, it still amazes her to see him in action. "Here goes." Toriko said as he patted a spot on the tree's trunk. She sensed as the hunter lightly powered up an arm and punched the trunk but didn't put a hole in it. 

The tree shook hard for a moment before apples rained down from the tree. 'Good thing I stayed back.' She thought as she sensed Toriko grin happily as the apples rained down around him. Yup. Just like an overgrown child. "This many white apples! Hahah, lucky!" Toriko said as he happily started to pick them up with a big grin on his face. Picking one up, Sarafina bit into it and savoured its sweetness. 'Mmmm! Sweet and tangy like apple cider.' She mused as she watched her companion, who already had an armful of the fruit, continued to pick them up as he said, "What a big catch! I think I'll squeeze half of them into juice!"

A sound behind her drew her attention and she turned around to see Terry who was holding in her jaws was a very large rabbit with long ears and large feet. Its body is covered in bright yellow fur while its underside and feet are white. Upon seeing Terry, Kururu mewed happily and jumped off her shoulder and ran towards the wolf. "Hello Terry. Welcome back." Sarafina said with a smile as Toriko turned his head towards the wolf and said, "Ooh, Terry! Is that a cheese rabbit?! Nice job catching!" Toriko had a proud smile as his face as he walked over to the young wolf. Hard to believe that three months had already passed after the Regal Mammoth adventure. Three months of relative peace, with the exception of Toriko was always going out hunting and want not, after saying goodbye to everyone.

Though in her opinion Coco was kinda harsh when he mentioned that Komatsu had taken too much time off from work... Well, he did have point cause after all, the adventure had been a dangerous one. Knowing Komatsu, he's putting his all into his work. Maybe the next time they head out, they could drop in to a have a bite, or in Toriko's case, the whole place. Rin revived quite nicely and already started to complain on how hard her work at the coliseum, though she's working quite lively in her opinion. The Jewel Meat became Sunny's main because it's an ingredient that fit him exactly. Which of course is why she told the boys that, though Toriko took it grumpily and was slightly mortified. Guess it's because the meat did seem to more Sunny's than his.

And Leticia went off to scour the world once more and left with high spirits.... Well, sort of. Before they parted ways, Sarafina helped her former student to make a lunch for Coco as he was getting ready to leave. Of course, Leticia cooked while she smelled and instructed which ingredients to use. And the end result was something she could never forget. She never sensed Leticia so flustered.

"Here!" She said simple as she held the wrapped box lunch to the poison man. Though it did confused him a little, yet he gave a grin and asked, "What's this about?" Leticia turned her head away and kept inching the lunch closer to him. "Sarafina-sama wanted to thank you for being there to help fight that GT Robot, so she made this for you." She told him with an annoyed face. Sarafina tried, and failed, to hold in her laughter. That was a lie. And both she and Coco knew it. But he decided to play along.

"Oh did she? But isn't Sarafina blind, how could she have made this?" Coco asked her. Leticia flinched and was starting to look very embarrassed.

"Well, obviously she listed the ingredients and showed me how to make it!" Leticia said, getting more annoyed. "So, technically... You made it for me." Coco smiled at her. That made Leticia finally look up at him with a face so bright red, it put a tomato to shame. "Like hell I did! There's no way I would ever do that for you, idiot!" Coco chuckled at her and took the box from her hand. "I'm sure you're an excellent cook. Thank you Leticia." He said in his smooth voice. The green-eyed woman's blush deeped and stuttered. "Wh-wh-What?! I t-told you I didn't make it for you! It was Sarafina's idea, okay!? S-so, bye!" With that Leticia ran off to who knows where. 

On a brighter note, her stay at Toriko's house was.... Different... and Calming. It's been so long since she had a place to stay and Toriko had been more then welcoming to her. It amazed her, yet it didn't, that his house was made entirely of candy and sweets. Her senses relished at the many different smells that came with waking up to it every morning. What really made her realise that it was also considered as her own was what Toriko had said. Just two simple little words that really got to her. With Toriko's approval, she had gone out with Kururu to get some food for night's dinner and once she reopen the door, Toriko had greeted her.

"Welcome back home."

Sarafina was left frozen stiff and stared at Toriko in shock. Leaving the the giant hunter to quickly run up to her and asked what was wrong. For nearly most of her life, Sarafina had been on her own. She was always moving from one place to the other. She just kept on moving to where to wind would lead her. For the longest time...she never had a place laying in wait. She never had a home to go back to. Never had anyone...wait for her and say, "Welcome back home." She never experienced that feeling...but it did made her so happy. So happy that it actually drove her to tears. She cried and cried, and Toriko didn't know what to do other than trying to wipe away her tears and calming her down.

Needless to say, Toriko's little family has gotten bigger with her and the battle wolf. Oh! She almost forgot that the Obsaurus came all the way here with them. Makes sense, since Terry was its master. The way it behaved reminded her of a dog, if a dog was overgrown and had rows of teeth. However, the only problem was she and Toriko were dealing is that the pup wasn't eating most of her catches. Toriko kneeled down at the kill as the hunter asked the pup, "Are you giving this to me, Terry? You took down this cheese rabbit. It's yours, Terry. You eat it. Although it's also for you to live, as the one who opposed it's life. You also have a courtesy to show." The wolf hasn't been eating directly and it was starting to worry her.

~At the world market~

Struggling to keep up with the giant hunter as they made their way to a ware house somewhere in the back, Sarafina held onto her bag, Kururu's head poking from inside, and she tried to keep her senses locked onto Toriko. If only there weren't so many people. "Hey stay close!" Toriko called back to her as he saw who he was looking for. "Don't become a lost child." 

"Oh. Look who's talking." Sarafina mumbled as she finally decided to grab a hold of the back of the hunter's shirt. It may have seem childish, but she wasn't going to risk losing herself in a sea of people and odd smells. On the way here, Toriko had caught a weird lobster fish creature. Said it was for someone named, Tom. Sarafina almost ran into his back when he suddenly stopped. "Oi...Tom. How's business?" That was fast. "Oh, Toriko. It's been a pain since I haven't been getting any goods from you lately? Hm?" Tom said, noticing Sarafina poking her head out from behind Toriko. "Oh, hello. You must be Tom, right? One of Toriko's friends?" She asked.

"Yeah, Toriko and I go way back. Nice to meet you, ma'am." Tom said as he offered his hand. Tom was a tall and muscular dark-skinned man with untamed black hair, wearing white pants and a white shirt with an oriental dragon design on the back. He also wears a yellow cap with the words "GOURMET" printed on it and a pair of pink-rimmed sunglasses with purple lenses. Another notable feature is a long scar running down his left eye. "And may I ask who you are?"

"My name's Sarafina. Pleasure to meet you." She greeted with a friendly smile. Tom then stared at her in slight shock as his mind began to progress her name. "Wait, Sarafina?! As in, the Blind Bandit Sarafina?!" She shyly nodded. Tom then became really excited and said, "No way! I never thought I'd get to meet the Blind Bandit in person, let alone meet you with Toriko here like this. You two together or something?"

"Eh?!" "Excuse me?" The two went as Toriko waved a hand. "No way! It's not like that at all!" The tan man laughed at that as the hunter answered his earlier question. "As an apology, here's a Star Loach as a present. If you put it in a pot it's great." Toriko narrowed his eyes as he asked coyly, "Anyway, how's that matter? Have you found some good ingredients?" It was a question the man was expecting cause his next words were, "Ah...talking about that here is kinda.. Let's talk tonight.."

~later that night~

They were gonna meet Tom in a bar that night and Sarafina took a swing of whiskey as the two men talked, the two of sitting next to each other with her on the other side of the giant hunter. Tom took a long drink from his cup before setting it down and went, "Fu- sure is good."

"Did you figure something out, Tom?" Toriko asked as he drank. The reason why they were here was to get an insight on what to do about Terry not eating properly. Reaching into his shirt pocket he tool out a pack of cigarettes before replying, "...Yeah.. That Battle Wolf you have with the appetite loss. It seems Battle Wolves originally inhabited the gourmet world, doesn't it? I think it's possible she hasn't found any food she likes."

"That would make sense, after all Terry is a clone, so that also means her desire for only Gourmet Word ingredients is stitched into her DNA." Sarafina said. She took a glance her sleeping cat and briefly mused that she wasn't so nearly as picky as Terry was. "That's tricky." Tom said as he took a sip of his drink. "Well, you know that people live in a small percentage of the world that's out there. Everything else is the Gourmet World. Legend say its a treasure-trove of undiscovered ingredients. But they also say it's way too dangerous for a regular guy like me to last a full day over there."

Toriko turn to Sarafina and asked, "You said you've been to the Gourmet World, right? How long have you been there for?"

"I have. From what I can remember, I've stayed within the Gourmet World for only a week." She told him. "In that case, someone like you and me, we'll go. If it's for Terry." Toriko said. Sarafina wanted to argue with him about going there. But when the thought getting something that Terry will actually eat... then they might as well go. She just needed protect Toriko with every last bit of her power. "That might not be necessary." Tom said, making the two hunters turn to him.

"There was this really old dude. One time, he showed up out of nowhere at the market with an ingredient none of us had ever seen before."

"How much you give me for this? I ain't looking for much, just enough for another bottle of hooch." He said to him with a slight hiccup the day he arrived. Whatever it was he had inside that large bag, it was shinning like gold.  "Whoa! Is this-?!" Tom began to say as he hesitated to even touch the ingredient. The old man laughed at him. "An ingredient from the Gourmet World, BB Corn." 

"BB Corn! The favourite corn of even beasts of the gourmet world?!" Toriko shouted out in surprise. And he wasn't alone on this. "BB corn? The kind that has an overwhelming fragrance and richness! If you roast just one kernel with strong heat and make it explode, suddenly it would transform into enough popcorn for 100 people!" Sarafina said just as shocked at Toriko. 

"On the market one kernel is worth several hundred thousand, one full cob has an estimated street value of no less than one billion. It's truly the king of corn! It'll probably please Terry, too. Do you know the place, Tom?!" The giant hunter exclaimed excitedly. The tan man mentioned the Hell Plant and how it lives where they were going to go. The two hunters looked at each other and smirked. They both went into hunting mode. Here they go again.

~3 days later~

Having a death grip on the seat, Sarafina leaned back into it, trying to relax as the giant hunter beside her was slouched in a bored posture as the helicopter neared their destination, flying over water didn't improve matters much. "I've spotted it, Toriko-sama. Sarafina-sama. The Wul continent." The pilot informed the two as they headed closer to where they needed to land. Toriko replied in a bored tone, "Fue- we finally made it. On the way we avoided the giant mystery bird's nest. We still had to refill 6 times. For an M helicopter to take 3 full days, it sure is far."

"Well, we would've gotten here sooner if a certain someone didn't have to keep filling his stomach." Sarafina said to him with a teasing smile. "Shut up.." Toriko said in a bored tone. "Truth hurts doesn’t it." She said. Looking over to Terry, who was napping, Toriko called over to her, "Terry! Hey, we're here." The battle wolf woke up and looked at him. "BB corn.. That'll fit your tastes well, eh?" He asked the wolf. The helicopter began its decent, causing the girl to tighten her death hold on the seat even more.

Toriko chuckled a bit as their ride landed and said, "You really would've preferred Kururu flying you, huh?" Sarafina gave a smile blush and said, "I put more of my trust in her than I do in man-made machines, and I've been with her longer."

"The Wu jungle is about 80 km northwest from here. Because of the danger, I cannot get any closer. Please understand." The pilot told them as Sarafina and Toriko unbuckled. "This is plenty, thanks." Toriko said as he got ready to leave. "Toriko-sama, Sarafina-sama. I wish you food luck."

"There's a bank transfer being made by Tom for the travel expenses. So we'll be counting on you for the way back." Toriko said as the two walked away from the ride. Looking around, she could tell that beneath her feet, they landed in a field and could smell fresh flowers growing here and there. The tree line was off somewhere in the distance. "Let's go, Terry!" In a single bound, the wolf was by the two in moments and already started marking. Sarafina turned away out of embarrassment and to give the pup some privacy. Kururu moved in her bag and poked her head out. She smelled the fresh grass and began rolling all over the grass, leaving her own marking.

"Uh... Toriko?" Sarafina started to ask. "Hm? What is it?" The giant hunter asked as he turned around. His jaw almost dropped at the adorableness of her embarrassed expression, if it was possible she got more adorable as she turned more red. "It's Terry." The hunter looked up at the Battle Wolf and his eyes nearly bugged out. "Marking so easily!!" He shouted. Sarafina giggled at him before getting the over that and continued to survey the area.

"On the bright we have a good view off the area so there's no need to worry bout getting lost, Sarafina and Terry. N?" Toriko went as he noticed the flower at his feet. Kneeling top peer at the plant the hunter commented, "Hoh, a Peaceful Flower! It sure is rare to be growing in a place like this." "Peaceful Flower? All the way here?" Sarafina asked, kneeling to the beautiful pink flowers. "I thought Peaceful flowers, like the Nikoniko Manatee, only blooms in the most peaceful lands of the world." She said.

"That's true, they preferring calm places, when bloodthirsty animals get near it, it's petals fall off. The more of its petals fall off, the stronger the animal. Guess they grow here too." Toriko exclaimed. "Let's pick a few to take with us." Sarafina said as she sensed the young wolf pee on one of the flowers. "Hey, Terry, don't piss on the flowers of peace!" Toriko exclaimed in shock. Sarafina picked three of the flowers and placed them in her hair. Kururu walked up to her with another Peaceful Flower in her mouth. She smiled and picked the ice kitten in her arms. Now that she was feeling it. It was getting pretty hot. Hopefully, Kururu would be okay while they're here. "Everyone ready?" Toriko asked as he picked up his bag. Nodding her head and picking up hers, the hunters with their animal partners started to head towards the tree line.

Chapter Text

Taking out her canteen, Sarafina drank a bit of water as she watched the wolf pup mark yet another spot. She poured a bit of water into Kururu's mouth as well as Toriko stopped for a moment to also grab a drink and made the comment, "Course it's hot... The jungle's a little further ahead."

'It also doesn't help your wearing pants and black knee boots. Though I wonder if you have the more accurate outfit.' She mused to herself, considering her own dark blue tank top, a pair of shorts, and a long black sash tied around her waist. Looking up at a nearby palm tree, Toriko noticed a fruit hanging on it. Course he would. The man hasn't eaten since they landed. "Oh... This's the Sakeyashi Fruit isn't it?!" The giant man said excitedly as he eyed the fruit. 

"This'll be good! Let's take a break here, you guys." Sarafina set her bag down as Toriko simply said Terry's name and in one quick flitting jump she knocked the fruit down. "What's that?" Sarafina asked. "This is a Sakeyashi palm tree. When one of its fruits is cut in half produces sake. Since the sake is fermented in nature, the liquor is a fine quality one, mild and easy to drink." Toriko explained as he caught the fruit in one hand and used the other to cut it cleanly in half.

He took a sip and practically sighed in delight. "Sure is sweet. The alcohol level is just right. Its great! Want to try some?" Taking the sliced fruit into her hands, she said, "I can never pass up a good drink." She took a sip and sighed in delight as well. "Man, that's good!" She said, happily. The blind woman glaced at a soybean-like pod beside them and plunk it. "I think these are Edamame." She said. "Great! That'll go just right with this!" Sarafina opened up the pod and the hunters shared, and ate the eyeball looking beans while drinking the sake. "Hey, Terry! Want some too?" Kururu took a piece of it and brought it over to Terry, setting it down in front of her. The female pup turned her back to him and the bean, causing him to shrug. "Hahaha. Does it creep you out?" Kururu gave a soft mew and ate the bean herself, following Terry.

Leaning against the tree, Sarafina looked over the hill they were on. "I can barely sense the jungle over there... But I can definitely feel the life running through it." She said, wiping a bit of sake off her lips. "It is a bit of trek. Good thing we're so used to walking otherwise we'd be sore afterwards." Toriko agreed, looking towards the jungle. "By the way...BB corn... I take it that it'll be fun to get it, huh?" Sarafina said as she glanced at Toriko.

"Yeah, I've never eaten it before. What on earth kind of taste does it have.. Ack! Hey! Not again!" Toriko exclaimed as she took out her handkerchief and wiped at his face again, giggling. "Seriously! I'm not a kid!" The giant hunter growled a bit at her, fighting back a blush. "It isn't my fault you're just as messy as one." She teased, finally earning a blush from him as he turned away with a "Tch" sound.

Barking was heard from somewhere up ahead and the two looked to see the young wolf and kitten standing in front of a gigantic strawberry, trying to get their attention to it. The hunter got a big smile on his face as he asked the wolf, "What is that, a strawberry?!" As he talked to the wolf excitedly. Sarafina couldn't help but get a strange vibe from it. 'Why is there a strawberry all by itself? Last time I checked there's usually a lot more of them around... This feels doesn't feel right.'  Sarafina tried to sense the area to check if there was anything hiding. Then her eye widened when she felt a beating heart below the surface. She was about to go and get to the pup and kitten, but stopped as both she and Toriko noticed that both of their flowers lost half of a flower petal as it wither and fall off.  Toriko quickly jumped up and shouted, "Terry! Kururu! Get away from there!" 

The ground around the young pup and little kitten seemed to rise up, some sort of face raising from the ground as rows of teeth not more than twenty feet from the upper jaws of the face surrounded the wolf and kitten. Within a flash, the Battle Wolf and ice kitten jumped out of the out of the way to safety as something that looked like an over grown toad came out of the ground. So the strawberry was just a lure. "What kind of creature that?" Sarafina asked. Toriko answered her by saying, "A beast that attracts its prey with a strawberry smell?" Not much of an answer to her question but it helped nonetheless. Toriko glanced at the peace flower tucked into his belt. "It's true power is nothing big."

'The peace flower has a total of 6 petals. For a petal to fall off a capture level of 10 is needed. Only half of a petal fell off. In short it's saying that this creature's capture level is 5.' The giant hunter thought to himself. It's praiseworthy that Terry, who's extremely wary, not to notice it with its mimicking ability but it's an ambushing type that makes it clear on how slow the actual body is. As far as he knew, Kururu was just as wary and had sharp instincts. "Terry! There's no way that guy'll be able to follow us. Let's go!" Toriko called over to the wolf. "You too, Kururu! Leave it alone!" Sarafina called out the kitten. As they began to walk away, the blind woman couldn't help but have a strange feeling. Is something else coming?

~Later that night~

"Kind of hard to believe that after all that walking we have yet to reach the tree line." She said as she took a bite out of her meal. "Complaining already? We haven't even started yet." Toriko told her in amusement as she rolled her eyes in amusement. "Oh hush." She said. Giving him a smirked she replied, "I'll have you know, I can surprise people." She's full of surprises alright. Toriko mused to himself before looking over at Terry, who fell right asleep after eating with Kururu sleeping on her back. 

Taking a drink from his bottle, Toriko looked at the pup with a deep look of concern. Terry Cloth is descended from the ancient battle wolf but.. 'Terry has a bit too much of a nice side... She's probably just trying to be nice to me... Or us depending on you look at it. It would be better if she got more wild on her own.' Toriko thought to himself. "I wouldn't worry too much." Sarafina said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "What makes you say that?" He asked, curious as to why she'd say that. "I'm getting the feeling your thinking she's too nice and should most likely learn to be wild." Right on the money...but how'd she..?

In truth, she knew what he was thinking because she had thought the same thing about Kururu. When she first met Kururu, she had vowed to protect her for as long as she possibly could. But after two years, she began to feel that she needed to be free and go back home. Back to her family. Yet...after a while, she and Kururu had already formed a strong bond. And even when travelling with her, the kitten never lost her wild instincts and had always thought for herself.

"Relax. You're starting to underestimate her." At that he raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Pray tell." "You of all people should know that we females can be extremely dangerous when need be." Oooh boy...he could see this getting out of hand, though she did have a point. In the wild most of the dangerous animals were female..but still..

Terry needed to be able to fight and survive on her own. Looking over towards his companion, he was about to say something when he couldn't help but stare. Sarafina was leaning back, using her hands to prop herself up, lifting up her head up at the stars with a soft amazed expression. He couldn't help noticing how the light from the fire played with the shadows on her face and for a moment he never thought she looked more beautiful until this moment. "What is it Toriko?" Sarafina asked, startling him. "Eh? What's what?" Sarafina raised a delicate, though in his opinion everything is delicate about her but the problem was that she didn't act like it, eyebrow at him. 

"You've been staring at me for the past few minutes." Toriko's face heated up a bit at being caught and quickly turned away while telling her, "It's nothing. I'm going to sleep." and quickly laying down with his back to her. Toriko's heated up more at her soft giggle at him. Really bad idea to be alone with her right now... 

"I'll rest in a minute. I'm just going to watch the flames for a while." She told him and got a grunt in response. Sarafina continued to smile at her fellow hunter and she thought that if she didn't know any better she would have sworn she sensed him staring at her. She shrugged and turned her gaze to the small lit fire. The place they were in was considered to be dangerous, but Sarafina felt so at peace. It reminded her of a time in her childhood, a more happier time. Her mind started to form her peaceful place: a wooded forest full of all kinds of trees, a small waterfall flowing onto a river nearby gently ushering soothing noises. It was a place her grandfather had took her to once and it made her smile.

Sarafina gave a sigh of content and got up to walk around the trees, exploring the world she knew so well. It may have caused her great, agonising pain. But she was so grateful she had survived and made it to the age of twenty-two. If she had taken her own life way back then, if her grandfather hadn't saved her that day...then she never would’ve known true happiness and familial love. She never would’ve met Leticia, her former student and best friend. She never would’ve saved Kururu and form a bond with her. She wouldn’t have been able to travel the world and realise just how free she really was. And most of all... Sarafina... wouldn’t have met Toriko. And...now that she thought about it... 

'What's really been bothering me lately... Was Toriko. Ever since I met him, I've always find myself feeling very strange. As if I'm getting attached to him.' Sarafina thought to herself, strolling along in her mind's sanctuary contemplating on what her life had been like up to this point. At first she assumed any feelings she held towards the hunter were something akin to something to a great companionship between fellow Gourmet Hunters who share the same passion. 

But...the more Sarafina thought about it, the more certain she became that the feelings that were slowly developing within her were along the lines of like and something more... 'I keep telling myself not to get attach to him... But that plan's not exactly working now, is it? ...No matter how much I like him, there's nothing I can do about it.' Well, she could. She could allow the feelings to grow and one day embrace them. Even so...she couldn’t bring herself to do that. 

She liked and respected Toriko far too much to leave a huge mess for him to deal with and it tore her heart in half just thinking about the pain he could go through if she were to-... Why was she even worrying over this? She didn't know for sure if Toriko even liked her in the same way. True, he liked her well enough but what if the feelings that were developing weren't returned? There was no way Sarafina wanted to do anything ruin or spoil this friendship she's got with him. And yet... 'Thing's weren't supposed to be this way... Why am I feeling like this towards him? It's not like I'm-.' Sarafina stopped her thought midway as she slowly turned her head towards the sleeping hunter.

'All this time... Have I been... falling for him?' Sarafina thought. She made her way back to the campsite and sat down by the dying fire and stared at Toriko's sleeping form. She still didn't understand what she was feeling, and whether she wanted them or not, she was stuck with them. Soon after the morning sun came and, after breakfast, the group traveled on.

-little while later-

"This has to be the most active forest I've ever seen." Sarafina said as they stopped at the jungle's tree line. The place was like any kind of jungle save for how huge the plants were and gave off a very foreboding feeling. The hunter took out the cigar bark he was smoking and said while putting a hand on his hip, he blew out the rest of the smoke he had as he said, "This is the wu jungle... Even though it's morning, it's pretty dim. This is my first time in this kind of ominous forest." The way he said that and the expression he had on his soul wasn't helpful. 

The hunter looked over at the young Battle Wolf before saying in a serious tone. "Terry. I wanna say one thing before we go in. We've been "comrades" traveling together so far but we won't be helping each other out. In the wild, you need to think about your own life more than anything. Poorly trying to help each other will cause harm." Wait. Was he trying to tell her something about that? "All of us need to avoid getting exposed to danger. Protect your own life. That's our arrangement, Terry." Toriko wore a soft expression as he gave her a smile. "Make sure you don't concern yourself with me. It's fine to move forward on your own. Understand, Terry? And as for the little miss.." The giant man turned to look her in the eye. "Stay RIGHT next to me."

The blind woman rolled her eye at him as she shook her head in amusement, "I understand. I swear on my honour as a hunter, I shall stick to your side like glue." She said as she placed a hand over her heart. Toriko chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "Good. Let's head out." Toriko said as he entered the woods. She followed close behind him as she turned towards Terry, who had been watching with what appeared to be an amused expression, and told her, "I want you think for yourself and grow as a mighty beast. However, I sense that you love Toriko very much." Reaching over, she rubbed the top of the Battle Wolf's head, earning a shy look from the pup. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Let's try to look after that big glutton together, huh?" Sarafina told the pup as her large companion said warningly, "Sarafina.."

"I'm coming! Don’t you worry!" She called out as she quickly caught up to him.

Chapter Text

This is really the most active place Sarafina has ever been in. Not too much of animals life... but at least the plants here are active enough. Every where she turned the plants, some which looked like Venus flytraps and some words couldn't describe, had some sort of animal in the process of being eaten by them. 'It's lively, but this isn't anywhere to the jungle in the Gourmet World.' Sarafina thought as she stuck close to Toriko, Terry walking beside them. Kururu stayed inside her bag and watched everything from the small opening.

"Plant hell. A forest ruled by plants, it sure is something amazing eh Sarafina?" Toriko commented as he looked around in a laid back manner. "I suppose there's some charm to this place. As long as it doesn’t try to kill you." The blind woman said as the trio continued to walk. The giant hunter gave a slight chuckle as he continued to look at the plants curiously. "They're probably creatures from gourmet world. They probably were blown here through seeds and spores on the westerly winds." Something fell from somewhere above the trio and landed with a plop onto the Toriko's bear shoulder. "Ew. What's that smell?" She asked as a split second later the giant shouted in disgust, "Owa! That stinks! What is this bird crap?!" They all looked up to see some ugly-looking birds crapping on the area the hunters were standing in.

"Sh-it, these guys... They're getting shit on me!" Toriko shouted as he glared up at the animals. Ugh. Just what they don't need. Sarafina undid the sash from her waist and ripped it in half. She then placed a bit of her power onto it and gained a mind of its own as it stretched over them and tired themselves to more safer trees and granted them coverage. Terry suddenly started to bark in warning. "What is it Terry?" He asked as he looked down at his belt. No pelts have fallen off so what's got her barking.. A spark of life went off on her fellow hunter and she gazed over to him. "Toriko! Your shoulder!" Sarafina gasped. Toriko quickly looked at his shoulder and quickly gave a loud yelp of surprise when a plant was already taking root in his flesh. Even as he stared at it it continued to grow.

"From...from the bird's crap a plant sprout was..." The hunter's face paled a bit as he realised  the true nature of the situation. "No...in the beginning, inside the bird's crap...there was a seed mixed in!" Toriko thought back on how in the real world there were many cases when a plant grows somewhere it normally doesn't because droppings from a bird contained seeds from the fruits it ate. In other words.. "These plants...did they get here using the bird'a crap as an intermediary?! What's more, it can germinate on a human body?!"

"Toriko!" The blind huntress shouted as the plant continued to take root, the roots burrowing into his skin as he quickly realised it was sucking the nutrients from his body. "There's no helping it!" Sarafina heard him say as Toriko grit his teeth as he shouted, "Knife!" Her eye widened in shock as Toriko literally cut a chunk of his shoulder off along with the plant. Blood quickly gushed out as he grimaced in pain, quickly placed a hand on the wound to try and stop the bleeding. "Toriko! Hang on!" She said as she placed her hands on his shoulder. Sarafina concentrated her power into restoring and healing him, good thing this will result in little damage to her.

"Terry! Be careful! Don't let the droppings hit you!" Sarafina shouted over to the pup, noticing Toriko checking out the Peaceful Flowers. Much to her horror, three whole petals fall off... Looking on the other side of the man, Sarafina could've sworn that there was something crawling on the ground and was about to push Toriko out of the way when something shot out towards the hunters as everything turned into a blur. Kururu jumped out of the bag and Terry gave a quick bark before pushing Toriko and Sarafina out of the way, knocking them to the ground. Kururu quickly forming a wall of ice around them. "Terry! Kururu!" Sarafina shouted as vines wrapped themselves around the pup and kitten. "What're you doing, you!" Toriko shouted in surprise as he started to get up. "What is this thing..?" His eyes got a sharp angry look as he and Sarafina got up and glared slightly at the plant beast. "What is this?" The blind huntress asked.

The beast was a large and grotesque plant-like beast with a fearsome presence. The entirety of its body is made of wooden roots and branches interconnecting and crisscrossing with one another giving it a very peculiar and random body shape. It has white hair, blue gem-like eyes, sharp teeth and its body is mostly light green in colour. A Goblinplant. The creatures lifted one of its "feet" onto the ground and started walking.

"If I wasn’t standing here to sense this, I wouldn't believe this was real." She said. As it neared the two hunters, they couldn't but notice something strange was happening every time it placed a foot into the ground. "Is...it using the roots that are hanging to walk..?" From what she could think of it was somehow it was using the aerial roots as a form of prop to walk along with the feet roots. If memory serves the Okinanwain banyan tree, roots that were out in the open air and dangled around the surface of the ground, becoming something like support.

But the ones on this particular plant grew at an insane rate...if that was the case...whoa..those weren't feet at all but roots appearing practically in an instant. Terry and Kururu, who were still caught by the vines, was lifted high into the air with her frantically try to chew her way out but the vines were either stronger then they appeared or something else. The thing finally took notice of the battle wolf and quickly wrapped the pup up and started to squeeze. Kururu growled and hissed at the Goblinplant. Her eyes glowed a light blue colour as she began to freeze herself and the vine that was keeping her in place. Once it was frozen solid, a chunk of ice formed around Kururu before she burst out of it with ease, shattering the vine the process. 

Kururu landed back on the ground on her feet and was about to go and save Terry when Toriko stopped her. The ice kitten stared back at the larger hunter like he had gone insane. "Toriko..?" Sarafina asked in concerned as she felt of him being pissed off was radiating off him. "Terry...why did you help me?" Toriko asked calmly. Much as she hated to, Sarafina thought it be best to stay quiet. It was impossible to forget that deal those two had going and she knew the giant had a point. Terry must learn how to take care of herself. "Kururu. Stand down." Sarafina told her. Kururu gave a shock look to her owner, not believing she was taking Toriko's side. But still... She did as she said and tool a few steps back. Gazing up at her friend with worry.

The two watched as the young wolf continued to get squeezed tighter by the vines. "That he was coming after me from behind...I basically realised it.. Understand? You probably planned to help me but..." A cold shiver went down her spine as she, Kururu and Terry both shivered a bit even though Sarafina couldn't see the hunter's face it didn't take a genius to figure out what expression he was wearing. Feeling something falling from the giant man's belt and from her hair, Sarafina nearly did a double take when the flowers they had with them had nearly burned up from being in close proximity to him. A strange call was in there air as a bat like animal flew by, getting the creature's attention long enough for Terry to get away. The hunter calmly took out and a lit his cigar bark with Terry landing neatly beside him, breathing slightly hard from getting squeezed.

After taking a quick puff, the giant hunter glanced down at the pup, telling her in a firm stern tone, "Terry. This is your penalty for breaking our promise not to help each other out. You can manage him on your own. From the beginning, the goal this time was an ingredient for your sake. Put your own power into getting it..!" That seemed to motivate the pup, turning to face the troll-like plant with proud determination. The plant shot out a claw like hand towards the pup, who dodged the attack with ease. Sarafina knew she was fast but to sense Terry actually use the speed in a fight was extremely impressive.

As the blind woman "watched" the young pup in amazement fight the plant using her speed and agility, the larger male stood nearby watching the event with a stern expression. Based off of how many petals fell off of the Peaceful Flowers,  the giant hunter could bet that this guy's capture level would be around 30. Toriko mused to himself as he watched the two fight, taking a puff from the cigar bark. The plant monster was strong.. 'I'd be interested in seeing how far Terry can fight now.' The large man thought as he watched the wolf and plant fight.

Glancing over to the young woman, he was quite surprised to see how calm she was as she too watched on. Now that he thought bout it Sarafina hadn't complain too much about the bet...perhaps it had to do that she had a similar one with Kururu, so hopefully she understood his reason. A snapping sound caught his attention, breaking him out of his thoughts, looking over to the fight he saw that the pup had broken off a piece from her opponent and land neatly nearly in front of him.

Putting a hand in his pocket, the giant hunter took the cigar bark out of his mouth as he continued to watch the match. 'I'm impressed by how well Terry is doing.' Sarafina thought as she watched on. It was a tough one to beat but she was confident that the young pup could do it. Glancing at the plant, the girl couldn't help but hear the sound of bones clunking from within the Goblinplant. Along with the smell of decomposing bodies. 'Is that thing capturing and using its roots to suck up nutrients?' She thought. Damn. Was that giant thing one large parasite?

'The only damage the trunk has taken had only been bites taken out of it.' Toriko thought as he reached into his bag and took out a small bottle of booze as the hunter continued. 'And not long ago new roots had grown from there.' Popping the top off, Toriko took a drink just before he called out, "Terry!" At the mention of her name the wolf started a bit as the hunter continued. "It's a tough opponent. Use your head." 

"Toriko how much booze do you have to drink before being satisfied?" Sarafina asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched on in amusement as her companion took another swing. Not that she's one to talk, but she couldn’t help but tease him. She shook her head in amusement when a chuckle was heard from his direction as she turned back to the fight. The giant hunter watched on, a deep concentrating thinking expression etched onto his face as he continued to drink and muse to himself. The Obsaurus was his subordinate at one time...which means that the fact that it was now Terry's meant that at least one time the young Battle Wolf showed a power that was greater than his.

At the moment the Battle Wolf doesn't have that true power...at some point the Obsaurus felt that future promise and potential in Terry. Terry has plenty of talent.. 'That is the Terry fully releasing everything without constraint!' Toriko thought, watching Terry as she panted a bit and planned her next move. Without warning she jumped high into the air and literally became a blur, jumping all over from tree to tree. 'Wow! Look at that speed! It's insane!' Sarafina thought in shocked surprised as the hunter mused that speed must be Terry's weapon. Just as suddenly the plant monster the surrounding area with branches. "He filled his surroundings with branches! Terry will get caught!" Toriko exclaimed. "Hey! It's too soon to call it Toriko!" Sarafina called over, smiling proudly at Terry.

In what seemed like a flash the young wolf had, just for a few moments, her intimidation out. The intimidation was that of a large feral wolf that in what seemed like mere seconds bit through the branches that were in its way. Her eyes widen a bit before a smile formed. She knew the pup had it in her. Judging from the excitement on Toriko's face he saw the pup's talent as well. The plant monster made some kind of gyru type of noise as its branches reached out and suddenly caught Terry unawares, wrapping and tightening around the young wolf. 

Sarafina's eye widened as she gasp out in shock. The pup did quite good up to this point. Surely Toriko would... "Terry!" The hunter called out. Why the heck was he still standing there? Toriko looked up at the young pup, who was panting for breath as the vines continued to tighten. "Terry...that was plenty...you did well." He praised her when the plant creature a loud, pleasurable cry and it appeared to have eaten Terry.

'Was that thing giving out a victory cry?' She wondered as her male companion went, "Ah..? He gave some kinda happy sounding cry but...was it suppose to be a victory cry..?" Blinking a bit, his face changed to a slight cocky expression. 'Guess someone's having a Proud Father moment.' She mused to herself as Toriko told the Goblinplant, "The battle is truly over. It's your loss." Smoke began to rise up from the ends of some its branch when a moment later fire quickly burst into existence, the fire but not before coughing up Terry in surprise. Toriko, with a soft expression, caught the falling pup with ease, who was beat up from the fight. "Are you ok, Terry?" He asked her as she panted slightly as the man continued. "That was a good fight. It's your victory!"

Meanwhile the plant creature continued to catch fire and burn quicker than she expected. Suspecting that there was more going on then meets the eye, Sarafina glanced around around until her nose caught the scent of alcohol and looked up to see the same fruits, that she and Toriko had drank yesterday, in a palm tree, with its fruits cracked open and dropping fluids onto the plant. 'So that explains why the creature is burning at an extremely fast rate... The alcohol would be acting as an accelerator for the fire. Not bad, Terry. You’re a true Queen of the Battle Wolves.'  Sarafina thought to herself as she kneeled down as the hunter gingerly sat the pup down next to him. Kururu gave a happy, and relieved, mew and run towards Terry. The two animals nuzzled against each other, both happy that Terry won.

"Nice job, Terry. You did great." Sarafina told the pup warmly as she reached out to scratch behind her ears. Terry looked at her a bit as the wolf allowed her to touch before turning to look at the former opponent. "Terry jumping all over at her top speed, was not to make you dizzy..." Toriko said to the fallen foe as he stood up before continuing, "It was to break open up the Sakeyushi fruits all. That poured the 50% alcohol sake on you. She pointed her fangs there with all her might, that wasn't just to break your branches...the sparks from when she bit down were meant to light the alcohol on fire. She's probably behind you in fighting strength but it seems Terry's battle sense and talent were higher..!" 

'Definitely proud daddy but I doubt you'll ever get him like him to admit it such a thing.' Sarafina thought as her lips twitched a bit. He really does care about the young pup. Terry started to walk towards her fallen foe, went up to one of the many broken steaming bits of the plant and took a bite. Ah... The young wolf was taking what Toriko had talked to her before they left and was showing respect to her opponent. Judging from the look on Toriko's face, the same conclusion was reached in his mind as he said Terry's name before laughing a bit and knelt down to her level. "Nice, Terry... Even without eating this guy, from the beginning he wouldn't die. The bacteria that breaks down burnt ashes will absorb their nutrients and it'll be brought back to life soon." 

"What's on my mind is where did this guy's branches go? With this huge quantity of a food supply, what kind of fruit is beared on the end of these branches?" Of course he'd wonder bout that but was that plant thing even a plant that had food..? Looking up Toriko continued, Terry followed suit as well. "Hey...you're concerned, aren't you, Terry?"

"Well, we won't find the answer by just standing around here, now will we?" Sarafina said with a smile as she and Kururu began walking towards the roots that seemed to be leading up all the way into the canopy. "Come on, we've got some climbing to do." She told them. Toriko gave her a smirk and followed her up. Who knows what they'll find once they get to the top. But if it has the BB Corn they were looking for and for Terry to actually eat for once, then this trip will be worth it.

~Later on~

Reaching up with ease Toriko grasped the branch above him above and hauled himself up. "Huuu..." The hunter went, kneeling and reaching up to wipe some sweat off his face. They've been climbing for quite a while and are now just reaching the top. "It sure is high. Just how many hundreds of meters is this tree...what's more these thin branches, they can more than support my entire body weight.. Is it by many branches entangled with each other that they're keeping up this much strength and durability..? It's like connected power lines supporting each other on telephone poles. But this scale... A giant building could be constructed on top of a forest and it would hold out. If that's the case... I don't think it's a building but some giant food. I'm so excited I can't stop drooling." 

Sarafina laughed at Toriko and said, "Now don't get distracted by food now, Toriko. We're almost at the top." Sarafina smiled as she jumped on a few more branches like an expert gymnast. A bark was heard from somewhere above the giant hunter. Jerking his head up, Toriko looked and saw Terry and Kururu above near the top, the sun shining threw the leafs. "Oh, Terry! Is that the summit?!" Toriko called over excitedly. He crunched down low and made a huge jump into the air, with Sarafina close behind him, before feeling the warmth of the sun on their faces.

The first thing Toriko saw when he bursted through were tree tops but looking into the distance, sticking out of the trees here and there, were some of the largest corn cobs he's ever seen. Excitement etched into his face as he landed neatly on top of the trees, the branches and leafs were dense enough to walk on. Whipping his head towards the wolf pup, the hunter clenched his hands into fists in excitement as he exclaimed, "Bingo! We found the BB Corn!"

Chapter Text

Terry bounded off towards another cob as the hunter walked over to one that was closer. Eh? Looking over Terry had went she was shocked she "saw" the biggest cob ever to existed. "Thats the corn?! It's humungous!" Sarafina said, Toriko's attention was glued to the cob in front of him and wearing a huge grin on his face. "A..awesome... This is the first time I've seen such huge elegant corn." Barking was heard from the direction the young wolf went and both hers and Toriko's jaw dropped and eyes widen. The cobs around the two were roughly two feet long and were huge. The one that was by Terry was a monster one, roughly the size of a skyscraper or possibly even bigger.

"Wha...what the hell is that?! Is there really building standing up here! Corn tower?!" Toriko exclaimed in shock surprised. Honestly, that description fit the cob perfectly. Terry gave a couple of barks again and bounded off towards the giant cob. Toriko gave a small laugh of delight and asked the pup, "You happy, Terry?!" A soft, kind look came on his face as he stared off in Terry's direction and smiled gently, the expression of his soul had brought a smile to Sarafina's own face. He really had a very soft spot for the wolf. "That you're so delighted kinda makes me happy..." He's soft on the young wolf but he refuses to admit aloud. Whatever but whenever he gets that kind look it makes her heart soften more than she would care to admit.

Turning back to the cob before him, Toriko was all business. "Ok, lets pluck a few. We've gotta bring some back to Tom as a souvenir." Going to one knee, the large male grasped the cob with both hands, even though his hands were quite big, his fingers didn't even meet. The gap between must of been at least two or three inches, maybe more. "Ooooh. It's got great amazing thickness and elasticity!" Toriko exclaimed. "The good stuff's really packed in there! As expected of the bb corn!" He blinked a bit as he tried to pull it up. Must not have a good enough grip? The hunter mused as he readjusted his hands and once again tried to pull the corn up. 

Interesting. Usually Toriko would've had it by now but it appeared the food was winning. She just stood there with a smile as Sarafina watched her companion try four or five times to uproot the corn. You would think he was trying to uproot the entire forest. She tried to keep her laugh silent as well lest she bruise the man's ego. Toriko stood up, panting from the excretion and wiping the sweat from his forehead and making a childish face at the cob. "What's with this, I can't pluck it off at all. It ain't moving an inch." He grumbled as he once again attempted to get the cob.

"It isn't just that guy Terry beat? It's probably connected to all the plants in this Wu jungle... Maybe the BB corn grows from the nutrients it absorbs by the entire forest." Sarafina says to him. "Yeah... Maybe. If that's the case.." Sarafina watches curiously as he prepared his hand to use Knife. Toriko swiped down with Knife, with a determined expression on his face but the attack barely scratched it. "Oa?! Not even my Knife can cut it?!" He said in shock. "Need help?" Sarafina giggled a bit till he flashed her a dirty look and smiled innocently at him. "Damnit." The hunter growled as he did it three more times before succeeding in getting the food. Now, that he got it, the hunter stood up, panting heavy. "Hui- I finally cut it.. The fibres  being complexly entwined makes it have unbelievable strength. Its stalk is just like a GT's arm."

A shadow suddenly passed over them and the two looked up to see two giant mystery birds fly over head. Cradling the cob Toriko said, "I see.. For the giant mystery birds, this roughness... It's so they can't easily pluck off and eat the BB Corn..?" He glanced over to the mountain of a cob with a nervous look. "...that giant BB Corn would be...impossible to cut from the roots." Toriko then turned to Sarafina and asked, "Do you think you can walk without falling?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What exactly are you implying, my dear Toriko?" Think my senses won't be enough up here?" Laughing a bit, he held up a hand in a defensive position. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to upset you or anything. Just wanna know if you can, ok?" She gave a curt nod and with that he led the way to the giant cob.

-half hour later-

It felt like forever but they reached the cob and damn! It was even bigger now that they were closer to it. The sheer height of it even had Toriko feeling the pressure. "It looks even more formidable up close. If it were a building it'd be about 20 stories, wouldn't it?"

"More than anything, the size of those strands. The amount of kernels in the corn is said to be about the same as the number of strands in the corn, but.." Sarafina said. Turning to the Battle Wolf, Toriko asked with a grin, "Just how many kernels are insider here? Eh, Terry? I love this! Ok, let's go, you guys!" Toriko shouted excitedly as Terry gave a bark. Terry, Kururu and the two hunters easily jumped up on the huge cob. In the last jump Toriko yelled out a challenge and called out, "Knife!" The attack barely made a dent on the cob. Sarafina pulled out her sword from her bag and swung it at the cob. It didn't much anything other than giving it another bent.

Toriko grinned as he shouted, "The outside's pretty thick and hard! Terry! Kururu! Slice it off from the inside!" Toriko and Sarafina each grabbed one of the cob's ears on the fall of the jump and to try and pull it while the wolf and kitten jumped into one that was open and attempted to do the same. Slowly but surely the ears began to pull away and off the cob. After what seemed like ages, maybe ten to fifteen minutes, the team finally managed to open a small section of the cob to reveal the strands inside. Just the smell from them was so savoury sweet! They had to get to the kernels, now! Toriko uses his Knife, Sarafina her sword, and Terry and Kururu with their claws and fangs. It didn't take much longer till they finally reached the kernels. 

"It's ooooout! The BB corn! We did it, Terry!" A smile formed on her face as she listened to the cheering. Who wouldn't be happy after all that hard work to get what your aiming for? Sarafina walked over to the kernels, which were about roughly the same size of a person's head, maybe even bigger than that. She placed her hands around one of them and felt how plump they were. She and Toriko grabbed a piece of kernel and pulled on them. But they didn't move. They each pulled on the kernels with all of their might, but no matter how hard they pulled, they didn't move an inch.

They won't move, and they can't risk damaging them with her sword or Toriko's Knife or Fork. But maybe there was another way. Toriko got an idea and jumped around the cob to a new location. 'What is he up too?' Sarafina thought. Is Toriko going to use his Fold Spiked Punch attack? "That's perfect. This way he'll pop the kernels out from the other if he attacks from the back." She said. Oh! They should probably move out the way. She, Kururu and Terry jumped down from the corn while Toriko did his thing.

Sarafina watched as he put his hands together and gave his thanks. The hunter drew back his arm and started to power it up. No matter how many times, she's seen him do that, it still amazes her to no end. The force of the attack caused the cob to bow a bit toward the hunter while straining the other side enough to make kernels practically rain from the sky. Terry jumped down and landed a little far from her and gave a joyous howl. Kururu gave a joyful mew and she began jumping up and down. "I hear someone is happy." Sarafina said with a smile as Toriko looked down with a huge grin. "All right, we did it Terry!" He called down before turning to admire the corn.

"Toriko! Will you be coming to join us or not?!" Sarafina called up, putting a hand on her hip and looking up at him. The young pup gave a happy bark and ran in a tight circle before barking up at him. The hunter chuckled a bit and called down, "How about it, girls? Shall we hurry up and eat it as popcorn?" Terry barked happily at that as Sarafina gave a small laugh and Kururu mewed happily. "I believe that's a yes, so do us all a favour and get your behind down here!" She informed him, laughter drifting down from above.

"Got it. However, it'll take quite a flame to fry the BB Corn. Especially to pop this size we'll need a suitable heat source. The placed we can do that are limited.. But 1500km north of here...Athe Wu volcano is close! Let's ho there right now, Terry and Sarafina, Kururu!"

"This is going to be fun." The blind woman said, laughing. Her laughter died down when she suddenly heard Toriko's heart skip a beat. Gazing up at him, his soul was telling her that he was shocked about something. Turning to look at whatever captured Toriko's attention, Sarafina couldn't believe it. How they could've missed a stock cut clean of a cob and judging from the size, it had to have a cob roughly the same size as the one the hunters worked on. 'What could've done that? One of those GT Robot's?' 

-a little while later-

Why did she allow Toriko to guide them out of the jungle? To humour him? No, that's not it. Surely they couldn't have gotten that far from the drop off site. "The forest extends this far? Eh, you guys?" Toriko asked, adjusting the large cargo on his back. They should of been out of the forest by now.. Hm? Looking down and saw much to her shock and amazement, a tiny sapling appeared and within mere seconds grew at unimaginable speed to the size of a house cat. What kind of place grows at that rate?! 'The trees are growing... This forest even now, at an awesome speed, spreading to that scale?!' Toriko thought in amazement as he too noticed the incredible speeds the jungle was growing. Sighing deeply he said aloud in a tired tone, "I give up.. Now I don't even know where the helicopter picking us up is.."

"Surely you're joking, Toriko." Sarafina tells him. "Now, now. Just calm down and relax. We'll think of something.." The large man started before noticing Sarafina walking away, and Terry and Kururu sniffing and following a scent. "Guys?" Toriko asked when the young wolf gave a bark. "Huh? You know where we are?" Toriko started to before realisation dawned on him. "Ah! That's right! You were marking a whole ton!" That's right! She did do that right when they first landed. "As I'd expect from you, Terry! Nice pee! I'm so glad you were so wary! It's nice pee! Oh, yeah! Sarafina, you must've smelled it from here too right?!"

"Yes, though it's not a very pleasant smell, I'll have you know."

"Ookay, I remember the smell of your pee, too, so let's race to see who can find it first! Nice pee!" The hunter shouted as he rushed off in a direction, leaving the three females behind speechless and jaws dropped. "I don't know about you ladies, but I'm feeling so embarrassed for you... " Sarafina told the wolf and kitty who had the same shocked expression on their faces. "Come on, Let's catch to him before that man hurts himself." Sighing, Sarafina smiled at the wolf and kitty before continuing, "Let's go then!" Terry gave a soft woof and the three quickly raced after him and quickly caught up to the hunter, who was standing by the chopper with hands on his hips. "Bout time you three got here! Let's go!" Once everyone was inside and buckled in, the helicopter flew to the next destination.

~at Wu volcano~

"Well that was fun." Sarafina said, trying to keep the smile off her face as she watched the two try to cool their feet off. They were currently on a tower of rocks with different temperatures and on the furthest one from the extremely hot floor. To her, it kinda felt like a sauna on the lower levels but whatever. Kururu didn't care too much of the heat, so she was pouting and stayed inside her bag. "Aw shut up." Toriko grumbled at her, kneeling by the edge of the rock. "That was close, we almost got cooked in our own kitchen." The hunter commented as he looked down to the molten lava that was everywhere. The Wu volcano's hottest rocks are about 1200degrees and the magma passing under you guys has a temperature of no less than 1400 degrees. These rocks with a high melting point, when done by a capable gourmet craftsmen, is said to be able to be used as a saucepan and such things.

"The only kinda thing that would be able to walk freely here would be a GT robo. Once in a while I'm jealous of those guys." The hunter stared at the magma intently for a few moments. "What is it Toriko?" Sarafina asked, wondering what the large male was thinking about. He was silent for a moment then replied, "I've heard in the gourmet world's volcanos there's magma flowing that has a delicious consume taste but.. Fufu... That's something I'd like to try someday..." If she's still around, maybe she could try a bit... Especially that Puffer Whale. Oh why didn't she announce it before?! Hmm, she wonders if it was too late to place it on her Menu's fish course. Maybe not! 

Turning to Terry, Toriko exclaimed cheerfully, "Ookay, Terry! Let's hurry up and cook the BB corn right now!" Sarafina smiled as the wolf barked in agreement. This is going to be fun to watch...

"This isn't wasn't as fun as I thought it was..." Sarafina mumbled to herself from above as she watched from her perch, stretching out to lay on her stomach as she looked down at the two. She thought for sure she'd be next to them watching the kernel but due to the extreme temperature, and because she was barefoot, the hunter told her to stay on the coolest rock, which was like 50 degrees on her rock. Enough to make her warm and sweat a bit but not enough to cause real harm, while he and Terry moved downward to a temp that would cook the kernel but won't burn it. Despite, insisting that she was going to be fine, Toriko wouldn't listen and told her to stay where she was. "Quit your complaining and just be a good girl and watch the bags." Toriko called up at her as he watched the kernel.

Rolling her eye at him, Sarafina gave a small smile as she watched from above. Sooner or later, she was going down there. Toriko turned his attention to Terry and said, "If we place it on the high temperature rock too suddenly, the outside will just get burnt. And the corn will lose its flavour." Sarafina blinked. Wow, those two have been down there for only a few minutes and the sweat is just pouring off of Toriko, hope Terry doesn't over heat, but he just stared at the kernel with an intense look.

"So we'll first put it on a rock whose temperature isn't so high and let it slowly get warm on the inside...slowly okay?"

"Flip it Toriko." Sarafina called out to him.

"Eh? We just put it down. We have to wait for a few minutes." Toriko said, glancing up at the young woman but quickly looking away from her cat-like pose up top. Arching an eyebrow, Sarafina asked in a light tone, "Are you quite certain you don't wish to flip it?"

"It's fine." Was his reply as five minutes past before the large male flipped the kernel and gave out a cry. "It burnt!" Toriko grumbled as he reached up to fruitlessly wipe some of the sweat off his face. "Dammit.. we took a little too long to turn it over, huh...? The timing is pretty tough." His eyes narrowed in annoyance as a voice said in a sing song tone, "I told you so, my dearest friend~." She couldn't help but laugh as a low growl and muttering were her reply to that.

The ledge the two were currently using now had a temperature similar to that of a stove. Laying an arm flat on the ground, Sarafina rested her head in the crook, other arm carelessly hanging off of her ledge. Sighing, Sarafina said yet again, "Flip it."

"It's fine. It's under control." Ha! Highly doubtful, but let's see what happens. Sarafina gave out a wholehearted laugh as another yell from below reached her ears. "It burnt again!" Toriko grumbled as he once again wiped some of the sweat off his face, Terry standing behind him on a slightly higher ledge. 'I can't take my eyes off this for a moment. Its a difficult cooking method.. I wish I brought Komatsu with me.. Though..' The hunter thought, glancing up at the woman reclining above him and looking up at the sky. 'How does she know when to flip it over? Does she somehow know the correct timing or is she just taking a guess and just happens to get lucky each time?' He personally thought it was the latter. But then again...he doesn't know too much about her.

Day turned into night and those two were still at it but only this time with a fresh kernel. His hair was soaked with sweat and face dripping with sweat non stop. It's been who knows how many hours yet he continued to stare intensely at the kernel. Oh honestly, Sarafina turned to Kururu who was passing a water battle to her and took in her hand. "Thanks dear, they need this. Go back inside the back where it's safe for you." Sarafina said. "Mew." Kururu went back inside and began to refreeze herself. Sarafina then jumped down the rocks and handed Toriko the water bottle. "Here you go." She said. "Thanks." Toriko said, not realising she was standing beside him and taking a sip. However, it a second to notice. "What the!? Sarafina, I-!"

"It's alright, Toriko. I'm fine, have a little faith in me. See?" Sarafina lifted up her foot and Toriko saw that she had no burn marks on her feet. "My powers keep me safe from things like these." Toriko stared at her for a moment before he passed the bottle over to Terry and said, "Hey, Terry, you need to stay hydrated too. This'll take a while." Toriko then turned to the Blind Bandit and asked, "Sarafina, you've been drinking your water too right?"

"I have. How could I not when the humidity is this high?" She says. Toriko looked up back on top of the rock and asked, "How's Kururu? Has she had anything to drink?" Sarafina nodded. "She has, but while in a place like this, she keeps herself hydrated by freezing herself and often times encases herself in ice. For protection, you see."

"Ah, is that right?" Toriko said. She nodded and the two said nothing afterwards as they sat down beside each other watching the kernel cook. 'We can't go on a rock hotter than this..?' He mused even though knowing that if he did his clothes, shoes and everything else will melt. Something caught his attention and turned to see a carcass of a large rat nearby. All right! A magma rat's carcass was just the thing they could use in this heat! Its skin can endure really high temperatures, it blocks out heat! If they spread it out they could sit on it.. Thoughts lead to actions as he quickly prepared and laid it out for him, Terry and Sarafina.

With how this heat was now, Sarafina was getting a little exhausted and the temp was only making her sleepy. Toriko felt something hitting his shoulder and looked to see that Sarafina had fallen asleep against him. Toriko blushed deep red and he look away. Her sleeping face was so peaceful... She looked so cute.

"She's different than most we have met... I can sense your desire to protect her... Hehehe. You can't hide your true feelings from me."

"Stop joking around." Toriko said to his demon. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh...In denial are we? Open your eyes, Toriko and embrace the truth! This young woman belongs to us!"

"She doesn't belong to anyone!" Toriko shouted. His sudden movements had caused Sarafina to slid down his shoulder and land her head on his lap, but she hadn't woken up. Toriko could only star at her as his demon said to him, "You'll come to realise the truth.... Sooner or later." 

~Next day~

"...Fina..." Hm? Who was calling her? It's too early and she was nice and comfortable... "Sarafina..." The woman slowly opened her eye as she began to wake up. Sitting up to stretch a bit, Sarafina woke up to find Toriko handing her a water bottle...hmm? Why does his soul say he's embarrassed? Oh, well. "Here." He said. Sarafina took the bottle and said a small, "Thank you." As she took a drink from it, she looked down at the kernel. 'I see the kernel hasn't popped yet..' She thought wearily. But she'll give him points for figuring out how to flip it properly during the night. The panting she was now hearing was making her worried. How long must they continue to wait before that darn thing popped?

"Persevere Terry. Draw out your will power. Getting something so delicious isn't so easy.." Toriko told the wolf, sweat pouring from him in streams. "Toriko... Terry..." Sarafina said as she watched on for the BB corn to cook into popcorn 'It's capture level must be above 30.. It's a tough ingredient..' Toriko thought, standing up and picking up the kernel. "Toriko? What are you doing?" His lips twitched a bit at the concern in her voice. "Just making a move."

"You're going down to the last level?! Are you crazy?!" Her eyes widen as she watched as he and the wolf pup calmly jump down to the last level and put the kernel down. "Are you two going to be alright?!" Highly doubtful considering the sheer amount of sweat and panting like mad. They were at the lowest and hottest level... if that damn corn doesn't pop...! Eh? What was that cracking? "Oh?! It's coming?!" Toriko shouted down from below. "What?! It's popping?!"

"Come on! Come on!" Toriko chanted as he and Terry watched the corn excitedly. Not even a split second later an explosion occurred, literally popcorn fell from the sky. "Ha... Hahahaha! It actually popped!" Sarafina said in amazement. She thought Toriko said something but she wasn't paying attention to what was being said. Looking down she saw that popcorn was piled up so high that it reached the hunter's knees. The ground was covered all over with popcorn, so much that the lava couldn't be seen. It was like a sea of popcorn.. 

"We did it! It's a rain of popcorn!" Toriko cheered, throwing his hands into the arm and smiling like a madman. The woman couldn't help but laugh at the sounds. "We did it, Terry! We endured it without a single unhappy face! After all that suffering, the food's sure to be exceptional! Hm?" Clapping was heard and he turned to see Sarafina laughing and clapping. "Good job you guys! You made it rain popcorn! This is the most coolest thing I've ever sense! Bravo!" Grinning, the giant hunter turned to the wolf and said, "Let's hurry up and eat some, you guys! It's freaking hot here, so let's take some up higher!" Sarafina stepped back and grabbed hold a popcorn that was as big as a soccer ball, as the three jumped up with such ease and enthusiasm that she had to laugh again.

 It's been over a couple of minutes and it was still raining popcorn from the sky. All this from a single kernel...damn.. When Toriko and Terry reached her the hunter immediately caught one in his hand. "O...ooo its so huge.. It looks more like cotton candy than popcorn really." Kneeling by the edge Toriko took in the scene before him. "And this amount... It's enough for 100 people, ain't it. It got so huge compared to the BB corn's original size." 

Toriko took one whiff of the popcorn and took a bite out of it. Sarafina blinked before she started giggling, the expression of his soul told her everything. Guess it's that good. Sarafina watched happily as he quickly kneeled down while saying, "Its too delicious! I just swallowed it right away!" 

"Eh?" Blinking as she watched him move and quickly began to eat more of the food. It was like he couldn't control his body. He had to force himself to slow down, chew and savour it. Speaking of which, she tried a bite of hers and couldn't believe how well it tasted! It was unlike anything she's known before! It must be affecting her appetite cause she was even more hungry than before! Joining in she munched on hers before getting the next one. Kururu must've smelled it as well because she ran out of Sarafina's bag and immediately began munching on one of the popcorn.

Chapter Text

Toriko seemed to have decided on something, if that look on his face was any indication. The hunter whipped his head towards Terry, who was happily munching and shouted in an excited voice, "Terry! How is it?!" Judging by the way the young pup was eating the popcorn, Sarafina could honestly say that the pup had finally found something to her liking. Which was good cause she was worried that nothing would satisfy the wolf pup, unlike the hunter who devoured everything in sight. She was happy that Kururu wasn't that picky. Of course, she couldn't say that out loud.

Terry finished chewing long enough to give a happy woof. Tears of happiness began to pool in the hunter's eyes as he exclaimed happily, "Is it good?! Really?!" He reached up to wipe at his eyes before kneeling down and rubbed her head affectionally. "I'm glad Terry." A soft expression of happiness came upon his face as he continued to pet his companion. Whoa...she thought her heart was going to stop in its tracks at the touching moment. A soft expression of her own came on her face as the girl watched on with affection. Toriko really had a soft spot for the pup. An explosion was heard from somewhere behind them.

The group turned just in time to see a volcano erupt in the distance, spewing ash into the air as bits of lava fell. "A volcano erupted. That's just fine.." Toriko said, watching as the ash gently fell over onto the field of popcorn. "The Wul volcano's volcanic ash contains just the right amount of salt. What's more is that it is completely edible. It'll bring a popcorn spice." Sarafina said, looking forward to taste the popcorn now. Toriko looking up at the gently falling ash, the look of determination changing into a smug look. "It's really like even the volcano is giving us its blessing, Terry, Sarafina. And finding that it fits your palette... It's one more." Why the heck he was dragging this out was beyond her.

"The decision for the hors d'oeuvre.." Closing his eyes, Toriko imagined the BB corn going into the d'oeuvre slot in his menu, smiling in satisfaction. "This is appropriate for a stat...! For the whole course to seem delicious!" First he found his dessert option with Rainbow Fruit, and now Toriko found his hors d'oeuvre with BB Corn. He turned to the young wolf and gave her a hug. "Thank you Terry." Kururu jumped onto Sarafina's shoulder and the two nuzzled. Just as Sarafina stood up and was getting ready to say something, without warning, her world became blurred for a quick second before righting itself. Two things occurred to her right away: the first was the popcorn that had littered the entire ground and beyond was gone! But how?! Looking down at that made her jaw dropped in shock. And secondly, who the heck was standing in front of them? This guy wasn't like the ones from before. The power he had practically rolled off of him. Kururu growled at him and stood in front of Sarafina protectively.

He was a tall man with a muscular build and a hunchback. He also has four arms, each pair with a different skin-tone. He has two piercings on his neck, three on his chin, and a few on his second pair of arms. He has white eyes with a very big black iris, which makes his eyes look black. Each iris contains three white pupils adjacent to each other. He also has a large scar on the left side of his chest. His face, neck and original pair or arms have purple tattoos which resemble the pattern of the Devil Mosquito. He wears a bright green bandana with floral patterns. He also wears long, black pants and black shoes and also has a green sheath around his waist where he keeps an oversize straw that was half his size.

"Yu-m. BB corn." The man said, his voice reminding her of gravel. The guy turned to look at Terry and said, "Next is that dog and kitty. How bout I suck those up?" Ah hell no! He's not touching either Terry or Kururu and eating them! Wait did he say suck up? Is that how he ate all the popcorn? Terry quickly picked up Kururu with her mouth and jumped off the rock and bounded away from the stranger, who just as quickly got out the oversized straw from his belt and sucked, the motion making his stomach go in. She watched in shock as the young wolf pup and her kitten, who were quite far from the pillar, were suddenly lifted into the air and was literally sucked back towards him.

 "Terry! Kururu!" Sarafina yelled. "Knife!" Toriko shouted, catching the man's attention over to him just in time to see him barely bend the straw like object with his attack. 'I can't cut it?!' Toriko thought as he stared in shocked. The moment Toriko did his attack, the force that had Terry and Kururu released them, dropping them on to a nearby rock. 'I hope they're ok.' Sarafina thought as she watched the pup and little kitten shakily stand up.

Turning her attention back to Toriko a shiver went up her spine at the dark aura she felt, and the look he was giving the strange fellow in front of him. "You bastard.. Who the hell are you? Just freely devouring other people's popcorn..." The other man smiled, revealing his sharp black teeth. "I'll give you back your popcorn. Toriko." He said as his face suddenly bulged like a frog's and literally spewed, making Toriko and Sarafina to jump out of the way. Ugh. Disgusting! What made things even worse was the man literally sucked up his puke. Ugh...if any more blood drained from her face she's gonna pass out. 

Smiling the man said to Toriko, "Deli~cious foo~d. No matter how many times you eat it. If you don't savour it there's a loss ya know.~~" Only one word could actually describe all the feelings that were brought up inside her: Revolting. Toriko, who had the expression of "just what the heck is this guy?" wondered just who he was as the man sat down and continued talking. "BB corn... Ah yes. BB corn. I sent my pet to go fetch some but... Hihihi. It can't be helped really. He's got no sense of direction... Yeah... No sense of direction.. I think he should be back pretty soon.. Then I'll go home Toriko... Sarafina.. Hihihi." The hunters said nothing as he watched as a Magma Rat got the man's attention and her stomach dropped out as she watched him use his straw on it and literally sucked it dry until nothing was left.

"This is a good straw isn't it?" The man asked. "A giant mosquito called the "Devil Mosquito" I made this straw out of one's mouth... Hihihi...! It's got excellent flexibility and durability... But I really wondered if it would get cut apart before or not. Toriko...was that your Knife..? Hihihi... But that Starjun praised you. That's something really rare... It looks like you were really wondering if your arms would come off... Hihihi. I'd be glad if they had though."

The two hunters were caught off guard when the man mentioned that name. Starjun. The very one who Toriko had taken down and almost taken Sarafina back with him to whatever hole he crawled out from. "Starjun..." Toriko said. Sarafina narrowed her eye at the man. "You sound familiar with that name. That means you're with Gourmet Corp and..." She steadied herself as she continued. "Also means you're after me, aren't you?"

The man merely grinned as he spoke again. "In this case where they failed to capture the Regal something or other and you, my dear... The 6th Branch guys were responsible for it. He beat them all half to death, it seems... Hihihi, one new guy died. I heard, though but with that sort of thing, the head chef's anger is unending... cause it seems BOSS'S appetite is even bigger these days. The cooks can't keep up... Hihihi. After all... The broken GT Robos from that Regal Whatever... I got stuck with going to retrieve them."

Toriko and Sarafina glanced at each other awkwardly as they kept on continuing to hear this man speak. "It was my first time going to one of the IGO's gardens. It was fu~~n. There were lost of ingredients I'd never seen before, hihihi... But I didn't those two would be waiting there for me..." When he mentioned meeting up with Mansam and Shigematsu, Sarafina was momentarily worried that he must've fought them and was concerned if they were hurt. But luckily, upon seeing them, this guy let them take the robots and devoured all of the island's animals.

"But I was empty handed. So I couldn't go back to headquarters, so I thought I'd bring back the Regal Island's animals plus BB Corn to the boss as souvenirs.." The two hunters were silent for a few moments before he spoke, "You guys.. What on earth is your goal?" The man calmly reached into his pants and pulled out a bark similar to the one the giant hunter smokes. "A-... A stupid question.." He replied, pulling the straw thing up to put the bark at the end then proceeded to put it over the lava to light it.

The man took a deep puff from the straw as he answered the question, smoke streaming from his mouth as he talked, "Fuuuu... What we are aiming for is the ingredient called God." That seemed to have startled both Toriko and Sarafina a great deal. God? They're after God?! The one ingredient that stands above the rest?! "Every human is completely taken captive by that ingredient. It is said that if you obtain it. It is possible to rule the whole world. I wonder what taste it has~~. Hihihi."

"500 years ago... The legendary Gourmet Hunter who finished through all the world's foods, Acacia.. The one thing he pursued until his final years, the ingredient he finally discovered, god...! The discovery of god was what is said to have ushered in the gourmet era." Toriko explained, staring hard at the other man. "...Hou. You sure are well informed Toriko." The man said, taking yet another puff from his smoke. A small smirk formed on the giant man's lips. "Of course." Toriko lifted a hand and clenched his hand into fist in determination. "Because I decided "God" as the main dish of my full course...!" That got the man's and Sarafina's attention. "Hah. Is that so? Hihihihihi...! I think there are lots of Gourmet Hunters aiming for god but... Toriko. Have you heard this kinda rumour? Something said to occur only once every few hundred years. A gourmet solar eclipse. On the day this solar eclipse is visible, it's said to be the time god comes into action but...but it seems somehow there's a high possibility that the gourmet solar eclipse here can occur for a period of 1-2 years.." 

What? What does that mean? It can stay for that or it will occur in that time period? The hunter seemed just as surprised at the news as she was. "...What did you say..?" Toriko started but the other continued. "I heard some gourmet researchers and big name Gourmet Hunters have already started to move... Hihihi. Among them I heard there is a group of some retired people of true power... Probably because he's judged that the time of the eclipse is near.. Hihi. What about you, Sarafina...? Are you after God like everyone else...?" He grinned at her. "After all, you have to be. Out of all the Gourmet Hunters out there, you are the one who is beyond desperate to have it."

Sarafina's whole body tensed up when he said that. It didn't help that Toriko was staring at her in shock. Not of her seeking God, but they way that this man had said it made it sound as if she needed to have it no matter what the cost. Sarafina knew if he said anymore than that... She let out a shaky breath... She was going to kill him. She couldn’t let Toriko know the truth. Fortunately for the man, he didn't say anything more. "But it's a pain for us who make his meals. Understand. Toriko? The Gourmet Age, which raised its newborn cry a few hundred years ago is now once again in full swing is now walking forward." 

After taking a final puff the man got an ominous look on his face. "By the way, Toriko. That you're also finally going for God means~ moreover. You're fated to be competing with us again. And Sarafina... as long as you exist and you're also seeking God, your fate is set in stone with us." The man stood up, his entire appearance changed into what could only be called intimidating. She surpassed a shiver once again. These people are freaking crazy.. "It'll be pain so how about we settle it while we have the chance? N?"

The hunter stared at him for a moment before slowly getting his demonic appearance and growled, "No problem, bastard..!" He better get the others away from them before the fight got started, "Terry! Kururu! Sarafina! Get a lot further away! Go!" The large man shouted at the others. Terry and Kururu, who were watching from afar, quickly bounded away. The blind woman gazed at the larger hunter with concern before she turned to leave, but before she could jumped off the rock they were on, Sarafina was suddenly struck in the back, she thought it was a ice pick or something like that, and felt it send high voltage electric shocks throughout her body. Causing her to scream in pain as she fell to the ground, twitching uncontrollably. 

Toriko's eyes widen in surprise and dismay when he saw her. "Sarafina! You bastard!" He growled as he glared daggers at the strange man. "You bastard, what the hell did you do to her!?" He shouted. The man only grinned nonchalantly and he calmly said, "I thought I told you. Her fate is already been set in stone with us. Meaning, that woman there is one we must obtain in order to move forward in out plans. True, she did stole from us... but her abilities defiles the very limits of imagination, and I can't just let an incredible power source like her just get away, you see."

Power source?! Toriko grew even more angrier that this bastard has basically called Sarafina an object. An object without will or emotions. It drove him mad. She was a person! She was someone who cherished freedom and held so much more honour than anyone he's ever met! She was his-!! Toriko wasn't going to let this guy take her away.

Bringing the straw thing up he rubbed his face against as his hands caressed it. "Hihihihi. Torikoo~~ How bout I suck up your hea~rt?" That couldn't be creepier if he tried. The hunter grinned as he did a hand mention, as if he was washing them, as he replied back, "What a huuuge mosquito...! I'll make you suck up something that'll really wake up you up!"

"Time to eat!" Toriko's opponent shouted as he brought the straw up to his mouth and prepared to use to his straw as the giant hunter shouted back, "Come! I'll give you something to suck up that disillusionment of yours!" Toriko's arm started to power up as he went, "10 combo.." Suddenly the man blew something threw the straw, causing it to bulge hugely then a split later spewed something at the hunter, who in turn quickly finished his attack. The force of the two attacks collided for a moment before it literally sent the two flying threw the air and onto separate pillars, both of which were flat on their backs. The attacks were of equal force? 'This guy wanted to breathe in the full discharge of my punch...' Toriko thought, shakily getting up. What the heck is that guy!

His heart stopped almost completely when he remembered the Blind Bandit, was still-! Toriko immediately got back on his feet and went to get to her side, he then looked down and saw Sarafina was down below them. The ice pick, that was once her back, was now removed and tossed aside. But that wasn't what made him stare in shock. What really did was the deep ocean blue colour aura swirling around her. What was that? For a brief moment, Toriko could've sworn he saw the transparent image of a woman next to her.

"Hihihihi. My "Breath Bazooka" is on a different level of power.. Dangergous~ Dangerous~.." His annoying voice brought back Toriko attention as he merely looked at his arm calmly, which shivered from the attack. He guessed due to the ten combo, he wouldn't be able to use his nail punch for a while. Probably the power of this enemy's sturgeon is equal to his? Toriko could easily determine that after such a confrontation...

For all that was going on, he was strangely calm, although he'd love to get a hit on the man who dared to hurt the young woman. Bastard... That guy...he's got some serious power. Enough so that even she couldn't sense it and not fight like before... like hell he'll let him take her from him... Even though there was no evidence of winning yet he did not feel defeated. That confidence was clearly caused by the jewel meat power up. 

"Hihihi. Torikoo~~ your weakness is range. Isn't it fitting?" The hunter's opponent taunted a bit as he picked up his weapon. "Which means if I attack you from this position~~ Hihihi. I subsequently get to swallow you slowly~~" Tch. That jerk was right on the money on that. He did have the range while Toriko did not. "Breath Gun!" All the hunter had time for was to acknowledge, barely, the attack and a shot nailed him in the shoulder. Breath Gun. A technique combining the man's impressive breath with the use of his, he shoots air bullets that move very quickly and are strong enough to easily tear through Toriko's flesh.

That bastard! Even at this range he can still use his breath?! What amazing lung capacity! Using less destructive power... he can accurately hit him several times! Growling deeply, the large hunter shouted over, "I'll show you superiority!" Making a motion with his arm, he sent something flying which nailed the guy in his shoulder, causing him to gape in surprise. The hunter got a sharp look in his eye as energy seemed to flow around his hand. A power up? What is this? Toriko didn't need to look down, he could feel it. It wasn't his imagination.. He couldn't see that guy from this distance. The nature of BB Corn wasn't meant for serious attacks. Up until now he's been using his weapons gently. He could feel something coming. Not only nail punch but the evolution of knife and fork!

"Like I thought," Toriko started as he lifted his left hand into the air, pointed in the direction of the man. "With the collaboration of autophagy plus Jewel Meat... It seems my cells were massively levelled-up..." Toriko said as the man stared at his shoulder in shock as he saw four punctured holes. "What... is this?" As he was momentarily distracted, Toriko had already set up his arm for his attack. He smirked cockily as he said, "See it for yourself with those weird compound eyes... Fork!" The man was astonished that his new attack had nailed him right in the stomach.

Toriko had now obtained two newest attacks. The Flying Fork and the Flying Knife! Because he consumed the Jewel Meat of an adult Regal Mammoth and the BB Corn, Toriko's Fork and Knife have now gained ranged attack capability, though currently they seem to be effective only at mid-range. 

"I think I'll name it "Flying Fork". I didn't expect it to pierce you at this range but..." The blue haired man smirked more. "Hehe. It reached you...!" His opponent looked over at him in disbelief, one of his bottom arms holding his stomach lightly. "Surprising... You actually fired fork.."

"While we're at it... How bout one more surprise?" He suddenly prepared his right hand for knife, surprising all there. So this is what they mean by levelling up. "Right now... It seems that with the giant BB Corn, I can suddenly do this." Toriko said as he sent his Knife attack flying. Toriko's Knife attack landed successfully, causing a huge gash on the man though it didn't look very deep. What is with that guy? He's gushing blood all over yet he's standing so calmly with a surprised look on his face. "It's still enough to cut thick skin but with this range.." Toriko said as his expression turned slightly demonic again. "I'll cut your life into two parts!"

The opponent stared at him for a moment then smiled creepy before sucking in all his blood, wound healing in seconds. Ok. He's officially creeped out now. Laughing creepily he wiped his mouth as he told Toriko, "As expected of Toriko~~ That it would be possible for you to use long range attacks." He looked down for a moment before continuing on. "But that you couldn't break the rock too. With that level of attack. You can't say you've overcame your Achilles heel. Your attack range. Eh-hhhhh." Bringing his weapon to his lips as he finished. "Different from that weak Air gun I'll show a missile." Missile?

Yeah, thats right... He couldn't deal damage with the current grade... He understood that already. What he was aiming for was something different.. It was to get closer to him. Toriko calmly watched the man's chest grew extremely large due to him sucking in air. "Take this Torikoo! Breath Bazooka's long range cannon! Breath Missile!" With that he sent his attack towards the large hunter, a huge impossibly large swirling mass of air. When the smoke cleared, the attack left a huge dent between him and where Toriko was standing. However, he didn't expect the blue-haired hunter to be standing right behind him with Sarafina on his back.

In a flash the two attacked, Toriko being the faster using his knife and literally cutting the rock in half and successfully cutting that strange weapon in half. The hunter smirked cockily as he spoke, "Fuu... Looks like I cut it somehow... That straw.." Toriko's opponent looked at his weapon in slight annoyance before replying, "You... How did you get behind me? The surface of the ground is 1200 degrees. Even so, you leapt through the rocks?" Grinning the hunter explained how he when he first shot knife with the remains of the Magma Rat left on the ground's surface he ripped the skin apart and scattered it. 

After that, he purposely provoked him, to get him to fire a more intense attack. Sure enough, he took a huge breath that confined his field of vision. During that opening the hunter went along the tops of the Magma Rat's skins to scoop Sarafina into his arms and up to him. Toriko grinned even more. "Although Knife and Fork evolved. I didn't expect tat I'd be able to damage you without getting close first."

His opponent stared at him for a moment before he bursted into laughter and said in congratulations, "As I'd expect from Toriko! Well done!" A strange sound came off the man and he made a face before taking something off his pants. "Whoopie..." The man looked at the object and got a look on his face. "What? Even though I'm in such a nice place I got a damn summons from the head chief."

"Ah?" Toriko went as the guy continued. "That's it for today Toriko. I need to get back to headquarters right away. That's right.. It looks like my pet got back too...finally.." Eh? Something slowly flew into view and his eyes widened. It was a gigantic insect beast with both the characteristics of an elephant and a beetle. Its main body is massive and beetle-like, having a large black carapace, two large wings on its back and two pairs of pincers on the sides of its head. Its head is small and is also covered by its carapace, except for its long elephant-like trunk which has bluish skin. It has eight giant legs that are also devoid of an exoskeleton, exposing their muscular blue skin, and rather than having elephant feet it has large red clawed feet with three claws on each foot. On its face it also has to small red eyes and a pair of tiny tusks. What's more was that it was carrying a huge cob of the bb corn. Eh?! Is that the thing that cut off that cob cleanly at the base?!

The guy leapt up onto his pet and sat down, calling down to Toriko, "Today was fun~~ Torikoo... hihihihihi. It was a good way to kill time until this guy, Jack, came back. Next time we meet.. I'll fight as much as I want, Hihihi. But for now, take care of that power source for us, would ya?"

"Ah, wait, damnit! Gimme back the BB Corn!" Toriko shouted up. "You cut apart my straw so...now we're even! See ya!" The man said back. "Even?! By the way, tell me your name, asshole!"

"My name is Grinpatch. The Gourmet Corp's vice head chef!" Was all he said before finally flying away. Grinpatch. Ugh... What a guy. Seeing something white over yonder and he turned to get a better look and saw Terry and Kururu. Both panting from either fear or from the run. Toriko looked at them for a moment as they jumped over to join him. He sighed in relief. Thank goodness Terry was alright... The hunter spoke softly to the wolf pup as he stroked her fur before readjusting himself and held Sarafina like a bride.

His expression soften even more when he stared at her face. She was breathing, that was a good sign, but he was still angry that Grinpatch guy called her a tool to use for their own advantage. It bothered him all lot to what he said afterwards. 'I have the feeling there was more he wanted to say but what? What is Gourmet Corp's angle? What is their goal with Sarafina?' Toriko wondered, deep in thought. Much as he wanted to dwell on the facts the only thing he could think of was getting her some medical help and quick!

"She's fine. The voltage may have ruptured her organs, but they weren't fatal. She's going to be physically weak for a while but she'll live... For now."

Toriko gasped when he heard a smooth, elegant woman's voice echoing through his head. What the-?! Where'd that voice come from?!

"Don't you dare disappoint me... Toriko." The voice threatened him.

Chapter Text

-Gourmet Corp headquarters-

All of the branch leader were gathered around for a, more or less, pitiful display for a dinner meal. The Gourmet Corp's head chef Kuromado, sat at the head of the table and gazed down as he took a sip of his wine. He was a tall pink-skinned man with chiseled features who has pitch black eyes with white pupils and a big, very thin black moustache that has a scythe-like shape on each end. He also appears to wear maroon lipstick. He wears a very regal-looking dark blue dress with a thin red sash tied around his waist, and very long epaulettes on his shoulders that somewhat resemble a cape. He also wears white gloves. He also wears a very tall dark blue toque with a purple band.

"It's not a complete set yet, eh?" Kuromado said. "This poor collection in front of me. Your nerves are wound up too tight, remember this flavour. Who else has yet to come, Yuu-yo?" He asked the corp's 2nd Branch Chief, Yuu. "The others are Grinpatch-sama and... Tommyrod-sama... also 1st branch Elg, right?" He said. Yuu was a very pale skinned man whose snow-white skin matches his equally light-lavender hair. He has the same kind of eyes as Kuromado (black with white pupils), and dresses in renaissance-like clothes and is somewhat of a pretty boy, giving him an extremely effeminate appearance.

"I alone would not be able to catch up with the cooking for the boss." Kuromado said to him before turning to the man at the other end of the table. "Hey, Star-yo." Starjun was merely sitting in his seat with his arms crossed. He wasn't even touching the food presented to him. Starjun was silent before looking up and said, "...It was my fault for not capturing neither the Regal Mammoth or Sarafina. That's the agenda this time, right? Head chef?"

"S...Starjun-sama... That's..." Joejoe called out, shaking nervously in the background. "That's because of the performance of the GT Robot, sir. The robot could not fully convey Starjun-sama's abilities..."

"That is the truth. Eh...Joejoe?" Sedoru said with little interest. "You've gotta raise the performance some more. Ya! That's your job around here, seaweed!"He was Chief of Gourmet Corp.'s 6th Branch and Food. He was the same one Sunny had fought with from within the Regal Mammoth.

 Sedoru was a muscular, pale-skinned man of average height with short messy black hair and has three sharp fangs, with one large one at the top row of his teeth and two large ones on the bottom row. He has five scars on his face, three diagonal ones going across his right eye, two almost horizontal ones, the shortest reaching the right eye and the longer reaching the upper lip. Also, he wears red eyeshadow and facial piercings, two on the eyebrows, one in-between two of his diagonal scars, and the remaining two after said scars. He wears the skulls of animals as shoulder pads and uses the eyeballs of animals as jewellery, such as his necklace and the rings on his right hand. He wears olive coloured, reptile skin pattern pants and emerald green boots. There are three scars on his right hand, and his upper body is heavily bandaged due to a beating he received from his superior after his failure to capture the Jewel Meat.

Joejoe immediately dismisses that notion. "Not really... Sedoru-sama couldn't make full use of the performance..." Sedoru got annoyed by that and yelled at the shrivelled old man. "Shut up! That's why you gotta make a stronger robot!" Sure, why not blame it on the machine? "You lost the robot to Sunny, right?" Joejoe tells him.

"Hrm... That will become a poor story for the essential Food Procurement Team, eh." Boogie Woods. He was Gourmet Corp's 5th Branch Chief. He wears a jogging suit, sport shades, and a strange assortment of shells and crustacean limbs, which concealed the majority of his face from view. He also wears a mask made from the face of a Gourmet SP. "Shall the boys of 5th branch's trained team lend you a hand, Sedoru?" Boogie asked him in an almost mocking tone. 

Sedoru got even more annoyed as he turned his attention to 5th branch chief. "Huh? Don't go kissing up to me, Boogie! I was beaten as my punishment and I'm pissed off! So chose your words!" He yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. Making it shake a little. "You guys really need to do a good job around here! Too much free time!" Boogie said.

"Huh?! Your work?! Anyone can skin to that degree!! You crab sprout!!"

"Don't underestimate the trained! You eyeball fetishist!"

"Alright then, those eyeballs that great?!"

"I don't know anything about your poor taste!" Getting tired of this nonsense, Starjun calmly raised his hand before he slammed his fist onto the table and everyone was rendered silence. All of the plates and glasses of food were now high in the air. "It is not the GT robot's problem. It is because I tried to test Toriko's abilities." Agreed. That guy's abilities are only growing and he couldn't wait to see how far those abilities will grow. All of a sudden something sucked the food off all the plates that floated in the air before landing onto the table.

Oh goodie... Grinpatch was here. "Hii..hii. I get it~ Starjun. I know the feeling of testing Toriko's abilities... Toriko will advance into the Gourmet World just as Sarafina had done so long ago. His instruments await... Abnormally high growth exceeds the width of the cell wall. My straw is in such poor condition too! Hihihi. Joejoe. Get me a new straw. Make it a sturdy one." Grinpatch explained as he walked in.

"Speaking of which, where is she? I thought you were going to retrieve her along the GT Robot." Kuromado said. Grinpatch walked to his seat next to Starjun as he said, "Ah. That woman may have in my mind... And that thing might have been in my direction." Kuromado just gave a lowly growl. So in other words he didn't do either of them at all. "Damn it... We don't know how much time that woman has left before her Gourmet Cells evolve even further. We need her if we're going to help the boss obtain his goal." He said.

"Do have they necessary tools and medicine to keep her strength and heart beating?" Yuu asked Joejoe. The elderly man nodded. "Yes. Everything has been prepared and ready to be in use the moment she arrives." Yuu gave a nod and said, "What I suggest we do is to engage in combat with Sarafina-san. Once she uses her abilities enough that she's on the brink of death... It'll be easier for us to capture her. She'll be helpless to escape."

The others looked each other before agreeing with him. That seemed to be the best option. Funny how things worked. When a few of their subordinates reported of some kid breaking into their small warehouse and stolen that Ice Panther, they had originally thought they lost a valuable beast to experiment on. However, upon taking investigation, they were surprise to what they have learned about that woman. Her Gourmet Cells weren't normal.

Those who have gourmet cells, depending on the growth of a person, will face a wall which could limit said growth. The walls act as a sort of threshold which if defeated will make the cells evolve. The number of walls in a cell shows a human's potential to get beyond that the ingredients varied from person to person. And they briefly wondered how her cells would become once she finally got serious. The Jewel Meat for those guys would have helped them immensely but...alas that was not the case today. Speaking of food, shouldn't that continental ice be melting by now? Wonder how much of that soup is left...?

-Hotel gourmet-

When he ate the popcorn that Toriko managed to bring him, Komatsu believed that he was going to cry with tears of joy. The way he was going on about it would make one think he was in love with it. As Komatsu was thanking Toriko for the popcorn, his eyes nearly bulged out when he saw the ridiculous huge pile of empty dishes in front of Toriko, who fixed his hair and had a suit on that was slightly opened in the front, leaning back in his chair in a laid back manner smoking. "That's my full course appetiser! Chew it better to experience the taste, Komatsu!" The hunter said, taking a puff from the bark. "You ate so much?!" The chef cried out in disbelief.

"Incidentally, BB Corn is a stable food of Terry's. She's eating happily everyday." About time too, considering the pup wasn't eating regularly before.

"Eh?! That's not meant for dog food! Even in this 5-star restaurant, they never out inequality food and yet, Terry has such a luxury, wow." Komatsu said as he watched the hunter pick up a small bottle of booze. "Anyways, Komatsu. From here on Sarafina and I going to the city. Are you coming to?" It didn't take a genius to figure out this wasn't the city he was talking but watched as the chef asked if it was this one. "Gourmet town!" That got the chef's attention. "Manpukutoshi gourmet town!? I'll go, I'll go! Oh, I'll go unload some money from the bank!" The waiters didn't like that idea, considering their looks of dismay on their faces was any indication. Guess he assumed she was going as well.

Then he remembered something majorly important. "Wait! Is Sarafina-san even okay to go. I mean, from what you told me... She took some damage...bad." Komatsu said in a worried tone. The smirk dropped from Toriko's face as he thought back to the fuchsia-red haired woman. Right now, she was currently with doctors that he left her with to check her over. Even though, whoever's voice that belong to, told him that she was going to be fine, Toriko refused to take any chances and brought her straight to the nearest hospital. After all, one the way back from the Wu Jungle, she had regained any consciousness and that made him even more worried. 

Strangely enough, when they got to the hospital, the wound that should've been on her back was gone. All that remained was the blood that had spilled out. They took her x-rays and saw that her apparent "raptured organs" were healed. After a while, Sarafina had woken up and the first thing she asked, when seeing him, if he, Terry or Kururu were hurt. Does this woman not care that she had just been stabbed in the back? Nonetheless, Toriko was so relieved that she was alright. More or less. Like the voice said, Sarafina was physically weak and could barely walk without her cane in hand. Though, Toriko had no problems in carrying her around his arms. Still... that voice had bothered him for some time.

'From the way it spoke, it sounded like it knew more about Sarafina than I ever could. Who was that anyway? I only wished I could’ve ask it some questions before it faded from my mind.' Toriko thought to himself. Yeah... he wished he could’ve ask. There were so many questions he had about Sarafina, and so far the only ones who held the answers are the voice, possibly Gourmet Corp, her grandfather (if he's still around), Leticia, and Sarafina herself. But whatever answer they had, they weren't talking. And his list of questions kept growing more and more.

Where did she come from? How can she see without her sight? What did she do once she was in the Gourmet World? What are her abilities? Was she trained to be a Gourmet Hunter or was she self-taught? Why was she given the name the Blind Bandit besides the obvious reason? Who was Sarafina?

So many questions and no one to ask. Toriko let out a sigh before turning back to Komatsu and said, "I think she'll be fine. Just as long as she doesn't do anything to hinder her recovery. Other than that, I say she'll be alright in going to Gourmet Town." 

"Please tell me this "Gourmet Town" is a small one and not an overgrown city?" A familiar voice spoke. The two men turned around and nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw Sarafina limping her way towards them, her cane in hand and a smile of her face. What the hell was she doing here?! "Sarafina-san, what are you doing here?! Did the doctors say you could leave?!" Komatsu asked her.

Sarafina smiled and shook her head. "No, not really. All they did was perform some test, so I snuck out when they left the room."

"You snuck out!" Toriko yelled. Sarafina kept smiling and nodded. "Yes, indeed. Now, about this Gourmet Town... mind telling me on what kind of place it is?"

~Later on~

Holy crap, she didn't think she's ever seen THIS many people at a station before! Actually, she NEVER seen people at a station at all. Everything was so packed and crowded, Sarafina didn't think she could handle this place. 'Ugh...I wish I was back in the forest plains.' She thought. "Keep up with me, Sarafina. It'll be a pain to try and find you if you get lost." Toriko told her, swooping her up and held her in his arm to keep her nearby. Just to make sure she didn't get swallowed up in the throng but thats just what he'll tell himself. Kururu was already taking refuge on his shoulder.

"What about Komatsu? We lost him somewhere back in the crowd and I can't sense him through so much density." Sarafina commented, looking back to where said chef was lost somewhere in the crowd. Smiling a bit, the giant hunter turned his head and called back, "Hey hurry and catch up, Komatsu!"

"P..please wait, Toriko-San! Sarafina-san!" Oh dear. Hope Toriko heard that cause due to the amount of talking and whatnot she barely managed to catch that bit. After a while they finally climbed down the final flight of stairs, the trio reached the entrance to the city.

It was completely different from what Komatsu had imagine. His own town wasn't anything like this! It was grand! Lively! And huge! Especially the two towers that looked like an upside down fork and knife. Though points for creativity for coming up with that. Suppressing a giggle as the chef shouted the town's name in excitement, Sarafina was more amazed when he announced it was his first time here and his tension was mega mega. "Eh?!" The hunter went, whipping his head towards Komatsu as he left the crowd to join them. "It's your first time coming here?! Even though you're a five star chef?!"

"Y...yeah... Well, I decided I'd go once I was more qualified." The little chef started nervously even as Toriko interrupted with, "Like I said you're a five star chef!" 

"Even so, there are the ultimate 10 star restaurants in the city." Sarafina giggled a bit as the chef, turned his attention towards the fork and knife buildings with a goofy look on his face saying, "The gourmet tower is here~~ It's a great place, where I'm only half qualified." Turning to look at the tower Toriko commented, "The place said for it to be possible to taste cooking from all around the world, gourmet tower eh? No doubt the restaurants on the top floor mostly wouldn't allow unfamiliar customers.. Even a chef attached to the IGO like you might not be able to get in." 

"Is that so.." Komatsu muttered, a look of disappointment on his face. Well that was a downer for sure. The hunter stuck his free hand in the pocket of the suit he was wearing and said, walking off towards the gate that had giant food next to it, "It'd be fine if I introduce you but we don't have business at the gourmet tower. Maybe next time." 

"E~~h?! Really?!" Sarafina smiled at their antics. If they weren't a hunter and a chef, these two may be qualified as a comedic duo. A rude familiar voice was heard shouting, "Hahaha! So this is gourmet town?! Guhhehe, it's been a while since going to a city, eh? Right, you guys?"

"No... Zonge-sama, is the first time coming to a city..." One of his followers said, sounds like he's more reasonable and smarter than the hack hunter. "Shut up! I've gone to plenty in RGPs." One of those eh? Turning in time to see that rude jerk from the train, Zonge was it?, notice them and shouted rudely in shock at them, "Y-you, from that time! The pretentious Gourmet Hunters!" Obviously, the giant hunter was just as shocked and surprised to see those three again if his face was any indication. "You, I'm sure you're... Who was it? Was it Battalion?" Toriko started, trying to remember who this guy was. 

Putting his hands on his hips the hunter continued trying to remember the name. "Who's Battalion, asshole?!" Zonge shouted at Toriko, annoyance loud and clear. Even though his voice grated her ears. "Was it... Hellraiser?" Arching an eyebrow, she couldn't help but snicker slightly to herself. Hellraiser? Really now? Before they left, the giant hunter suggested she dolled herself up by wearing a long burgundy skirt and blouse and did her hair a bit. Nothing fancy but it was presentable, though her fringe stay where it was. Granted it was funny as heck to see the shocked emotions of Toriko's and Komatsu's souls gave out.

"It was Sanguellia, Toriko-san." The chef said, trying to recall the man's name. "It's Zonge, you two. If you don't know a person's name then just ask them instead of coming up with strange ideas." Sarafina answered, taking pity on the group. A small amount though. "Hey! I honestly thought it was either of those names!" Toriko exclaimed indignantly as the little chef went, "Sorry." 

"At least someone remembers my name out of you idiots!" The unkept man exclaimed smugly. "I only remembered it cause of how childish you behaved on the train and your smell still suggests that you haven't bathed yet." Sarafina said bluntly, instantly wiping the smug smirk off his face. The hunter tried not to laugh as he led the two away from Zonge and his followers. "Let's get going you two. We've got stuff to do." Toriko told them as they got in line, the entrance was in the shape of a mushroom. Surprisingly, the line wasn't that huge so it didn't them long to reach the front where a woman in a chef's uniform asked for Gourmet IDs. Toriko had set her down on her feet once they were at the entrance.

"We're checking gourmet ID. Please swipe your card and enter inside."

"Ah, yes." Sarafina said as she went through her purse and pulled out her I.D. She swiping her card and walked through the security gates. Once through, her senses were assaulted by the many noises and smells of the town. Car horns. Multiple footsteps. The on-going sounds of machines. The occasional smoke. Oh yeah, city's were definitely not her favourite places. Not realising she was so lost in thought that she didn't listen when Toriko said something about people who don't have a card can get in but will have to pay a high entrance fee.

"Hey Sarafina, are you alright?" Toriko asked, worried that she might be suffering any draw backs from being bedridden for a few days prior. "Yes. I'm fine. I never liked cities as grand and uncontrolled as this one, so my senses always get out of whack." She answered honestly. "As long as I stay with you, I might adapt a little." Toriko sighed a bit. "As long you stay right by side where you belong.... For your protection anyway!" Sarafina smiled at him. "Thank you, Toriko."

"Ah! A vending a machine. Toriko-san, Sarafina-san. You guys want something to drink? I'm paying so.. Once in a while I'll treat." Komatsu said, walking over to a machine that had a variety of drinks inside. Komatsu looked at the prices of the drinks and freaked out. "! Eh?! ¥100,000?! So expensive! What with these prices?!" The chef shouted, disbelief in his voice. "Look at the number of stars on the vending machine." The hunter told him calmly. "S..stars? There are three but.." The chef started before Toriko continued explaining, "Its a three star machine. The more stars it has the more valuable the drinks."

Sarafina looked away, trying not to laugh at the little chef's bewildered emotion, though she didn't understand any of the drinks he listed off in disbelief. "Besides that," the hunter started, a light grin on his face, "There are food vending machines and seasoning vending machines and the like."

"There are seasoning vending machines here?" Sarafina asked tilting her head in confusion. "A..amazing..." Komatsu exclaimed, staring at the machine. "Primarily vending machines are only established in places with good public order. It's because it's the same as money and food supplies being left on the roadside. Especially in this Gourmet town there are people who would try to steal the high class ingredients... That's why the city has a security system. Security comes flying even a few seconds after a dime and dash. According to the ingredient, they can go to jail." 

"Dine and dash actually happens in cities? I always thought that was a foolish joke Grandfather told me once." She said, looking over at the gate to see Zonge making a huge scene. Speaking of foolish. "There's a machine with no stars, so buy something cheap." Toriko pointed out a machine with huge gigantic cans of pop. Sarafina smiled again as the chef cried out in shock, "It really is cheap! 10 yen! And they have so much volume!" The larger of the men chuckled a bit before announcing, "C'mon you two. We still have things to do."

"As expected of the full stomach metropolis, Gourmet town. My stomach will totally full after this." Komatsu said as he struggled to hold the can as he drank from it. "Do you need any help with that, dear?" Sarafina, asked with disbelief at the effort of him trying to hold it up. "We're still at the entrance. Gourmet town is this way." The large man called from ahead, walking without a care with his hands in his pockets. "Oh! We better go. Come along Komatsu." For real? They're just gonna leave him behind? Komatsu quickly caught up to the two Hunters. 

Walking further into the place, her jaw nearly dropped at the sheer number of smells from the many food venders selling all kinds of things she's never smelled before and they smelled great! On the bright side at least this part of the city it smelled wonderful than the station. One of the venders booth caught the trio's attention. "Oo...that looks delicious!" Toriko exclaimed. "Oh! The smell of this is divine!" She mused as she tried not to drool herself. "Waaa, a kebab!" The chef also exclaimed. Ah, so this is a kebab? As she wondered what kind it was the vender noticed Toriko and herself and asked if they wanted a plate. A plate he said? How cute! He obviously didn't know the hunter if he's just offering a plate. 

Komatsu and Sarafina got a plate, though she was surprised that there was still some left. "It's my first time seeing someone eat a kebab like that.." The chef said, slightly disturbed at the sight. "Agreed. Though I have to admit...it's kind of adorable to see a grown man acting so happily over a huge chunk of food." Sarafina agreed as the two watched the hunter practically danced a bit while he ate a kebab that was as long as his arm. Eating her kebab, whatever meat was this was awesome. "Here Kururu, try some." She says as she tossed the meat into her kitten's mouth. The trio continued to make their way when a scent caught the boys attention. "Ah! It's boneless mackerel pike!" Boneless mackerel? A smile appeared as Toriko got hearts in his eyes at the sight. "I wanna eat it! Old man, give me all of those!"

"Oh! I want a piece!" Sarafina said. At least the old man behind the vendor's box wasn't too surprised as he served one to Komatsu, one to Sarafina and the rest to the giant hunter. It's gonna be a long day isn't it? Sarafina mused, watching the two try a bite and got goofy looks on their face. "Delicious~~ This boneless mackerel pike. I knew it. It suits being char-grilled." The little chef said putting a hand to a side of his face while wearing a cute look of happiness. "Yea... Now I wanna drink some beer." The hunter said.

'Aww, beer sound great right now!' Sarafina's eye brighten at the thought of drinking alcohol in city rather in a small bar on the roadside. City beers must taste awesome. "N...? Toriko-San, what's this?" Komatsu asked looking at a strange mushroom shaped machine that had the word Gari printed on the top. "Gari? What's that?" Sarafina asked as she traced the letters with her finger. "It's gari. It's a Gari Box." Toriko stated before eating another fish. "Gari box?" Komatsu echoed. "Made with "flavour erasing ginger" gari is a free service. Gourmet town is a food amusement park... There's a flood of restaurants which are like attractions. While you're walking and eating you can reset the taste in your mouth from the previous store when you're going to the next one. They're all over the place." Toriko explained as he finished his pile.

That kinda makes sense. It wouldn't do to eat one thing and try to eat another and not be able to taste it. "I see.. It's got the advantage of allowing the stores to compete with each other fairly." The chef said, scratching his chin when the large man suddenly got an excited look on his face and quickly shouted out as he pointed to something behind them. "Oh, Shakure Ramen! Let's go in, Komatsu and Sarafina!"

'This is going to be a long day in the big city, isn't it?' She mused to herself as she followed them into a traditional style Japanese ramen shop. Not knowing what to order, Sarafina just followed Komatsu's suit. This shop wasn't that bad, it had a nice, relaxing atmosphere. In a matter of minutes the food was served and wasn't all surprised to smell the freshness of the broth of the Japanese style ramen. Reaching for a pair of chopsticks and tried a bit, her face lighting up. "This is really good!"

The hunter beside her made a commented about how delicious but she wasn't paying attention at the moment and the chef agreed with him before he cried out in shock. "So fast! It's a total wanko soba pace!" Komatsu shouted in shock. Sarafina looked over and all she could was Toriko eating at a break neck pace and sounds of bowls being stacked up to almost resemble a small mountain. "How's he not choking from eating so fast?" She wondered aloud, continuing to eat. "Mew.." Kururu said. 

By the time the group finished, or rather after the giant hunter totally cleaned them out, the bill was ¥5,250,000 million. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was extremely high. Doing her best not to laugh at the waiter who asked for both Toriko's autograph or how calmly the giant hunter handed over a card. Sarafina heard a few of the employees coming up to her, their souls telling her that they were so happy that might explode, asking if they could take a photo with her. Seeing how she was the elusive Blind Bandit. Smiling sweetly at them, she agreed. Looking at the exhausted and dismayed workers Sarafina kinda felt bad that Toriko cleaned them out and left mountains of dishes to do. Poor guys.

Chapter Text

"Let's go have some sushi next, you guys!" The giant hunter shouted, causing the two to jump slightly. Long day was a bit of an understatement. Laughing slightly, Sarafina followed the two. She couldn't help but enjoy everything. Like before, these two around her she'll never be bored! Perhaps city life wasn't all that bad. The next place was styled as a Japanese sushi place and the blind woman immediately felt sorry for the workers. They didn't know what they were in for... Feeling kinda full still from the ramen, she only got a small plate of veggie sushi and a bit of fruit sushi, she had heard of it before and always wanted to try it and sat back and watched the giant hunter once again created a huge pile of dishes.

"Keep molding it!" Toriko said between bites of sushi. "The order doesn't matter so just mold your whole menu!"

"Toriko-San, actually taste it more.." Komatsu tried to tell him to no avail, "This place is really good. We have to come back here again." Sarafina said as Kururu nodded in agreement and she, sneakily, took a piece of sushi from Komatsu's plate. Once done she couldn't help but pale a bit when the cashier stammered out a 12,640,000 yen bill to the giant hunter. He once again gave the cashier his card, making Komatsu think about much money Toriko has!

-a little later at the smoke lounge-

Actually, she takes it back. City's are a pit stain. Sarafina crinkled her nose a bit at the over whelming stench of smoke. Gross.... She did try and talk her way out of coming in here but the boys wouldn't hear it. So here she was...stuck in such a place as Toriko casually smoked his cigar listening to him grumble a bit. "Fuu... Lately there's been a lot of no smoking shops." 

"That is the recent tendency.." Komatsu comment watching on. "I'm...sure that it's not that much of an issue. It probably means you should refrain from smoking time to time. I mean, you understand what you're doing to your lungs, don't you?" Sarafina asked him.

"Only if you get the unhealthy smokes. The one I'm using is all natural so there's no buildup of unpleasant stuff inside." The hunter said to her even as he took a puff. "Hmm. Is that right?" She said. "Anyway, Toriko-san, you've been paying with a card, haven't you?" Komatsu asked, drinking from his cup as he looked nervously at Toriko. "I don't carry cash." Was his reply before reaching into his pocket and took out a black credit card.

"That's the credit limit-less black card isn't it?!" Komatsu shouted in an excitement. "I lose it a lot, though." Toriko explained putting it back where it belonged. "What on earth do you do about these meals when you lose it?!" Komatsu continued to shout. "N... Then I put it on tab, of course." Toriko said, so matter-of-fact. "There are shops that let you make tabs for tens of millions of yen?!" 

"Yea, there are." Giggling a bit, Sarafina turned and looked out the window to see a bunch of men walking around. 'Must be Gourmet Hunters judging from how their auras are bright and well developed in harsh environments.' She thought to herself. Not knowing that a similar thought ran through Toriko's mind. Hmm, looks like Zongeh somehow managed to get inside. "Sarafina-san?" Komatsu asked. "Hm, yes?" She said turning back to him.

"You're a pretty famous Gourmet Hunter, so do you have that type of card?" Komatsu asked her. Sarafina shook her head. There was a time she was offered the black card, but she politely declined it. "I was offered one, but I personally don't like carrying such things. With the payments I've received over the years, I only keep a good handful for myself while I send the rest to the IGO in a holding placement."

"Oh. Oh, right! Hey Toriko-San, why'd we go to gourmet town all of a sudden?" The little chef asked, turning to look up at the larger man. It's an understandable question but knowing this bunch it's bound to lead to an adventure. "N...yea. We're meeting a certain person." Toriko explained. Komatsu blinked a bit before he asked, "Certain person?" In response the hunter said, much to her annoyance, "Before we go, Koamtsu and Sarafina, you should change into better clothes."

"Huh? We do?" Sarafina asked in slight confusion. She wondered what kind of person they were going to meet if he thinks they change into more formal wear. They must be people from the big top from what she's been hearing. Speaking of formal clothing, for Komatsu, it was weird. He was used to see Toriko who wear rougher clothes, so it was quite rare sight to see him wearing a suit. "There's a little more time." said Toriko as he checked the time on his watch. That seemed to have brighten Komatsu's face. "Um... Then, Toriko-San. Could we go to the gourmet department store? Until...that meeting time.." Taking one last puff Toriko said, slight smile on his face, "Sure.. It won't be exciting to go to a place that has no food, but... Well, it'll kill some time. Let's go!" "All right!" The chef cheered.

-at the department store-

'And I thought it was crowed from the outside.' Sarafina thought warily looking around at the many people inside the store. Too many. Just too many people. Ugh, and it was hot in here too. How do people in the city life deal with this so easily? "Waaaa amazing! Pots like this~~ It's like a dream!" Komatsu shouted in excitement as he went gaga over a particular pot in a display. Well, at least he's having fun. "It's the Kuriboh pot...! It's said that it can keep a stew at thousands of degrees continuously for half a year and it won't warp at all..."

"My, someone's having fun." She said with a kind smile as she watched him shining brightly at the pot. "Ho.. A pot made by the ultimate pot artisan, Kuriboh ...?" Toriko asked, hands in his pocket. She sensed that he was also smiling at the chef. "For us chefs, he's a charismatic presence. Since Kuriboh's brand can't be broken by cooking those high-class ingredients we've seen. It's eye-poppingly expensive though.." The chef said as he stood up and practically ran like a little kid to the next item. "I'm dangerously excited... The tension's already giga-giga." "Giga-giga?" The two hunters asked in confusion.

"Huh? You're not buying it?" The hunter asked, the two following close behind. Sarafina giggled a bit as Komatsu, stopped in front of a case that held some pretty strange  knives. "Waaa... Melk carving knifes!" Komatsu shouted once again. "Original knives from sharpener Melk?" Toriko asked. "I've heard a few stories about him. They say he's the best bladesmith in the world and that he's more than capable of surviving the Gourmet World and the beasts living there." Sarafina said.

"I'll stay here forever!" The chef explained, his eyes sparkling. The giant hunter put a hand on his hip, with an annoyed look on his face as he said, "You look like a boy gazing at a trumpet. You can just buy it, right? Komatsu, you drew some money, right?" Toriko asked. "I did, 200,000 yen!" The chef replied excitedly. "Well, you can't buy it with 200,000." "Toriko! Don't tell him that." Sarafina scolded at him. "Please don't put me together with you, Toriko-san! In money sense.." Komatsu yelled a bit, sounding slightly offended. Can't blame him there. "200,000 is a lot of money, a lot!"

"Don't think he heard you Komatsu." Sarafina said, watching the hunter pick up a knife and looked at it before he said he was going to buy it. "Don't feel too bad. I can somewhat understand." She said to him. Komatsu sighed a bit. "I know. At least you, despite being a recluse Gourmet Hunter, know the feelings of the regular folk." Arching an eyebrow at Komatsu, she asked, slightly amused. "Of course I would. I may not know much about city life and how things work around here but it doesn't take a genius to figure out a certain man (she said this part slightly loud enough for Toriko to hear) has high expensive tastes."

A noise caught their attention and they turned to see an ugly old guy with some expensive (ugly) coat on with a poor guy behind him pulling one of the most loaded carts that anyone could lay their eyes on. She narrowed her eye on the old rich man continued to point out stuff to get. 'There's something about that man's soul I don't like.' Sarafina thought. "A...amazing. He sure is doing some hearty spending, that person... And that cart is huge.." Komatsu nervously said as they watched the person walk on by.

"Its because a lot of rich men come to gourmet town's department store and mall. Not just a large adult amount... A rich man's amount." Toriko explained, sounding slightly impressed. "So instead of sending recourses to places where people need them desperately or giving out to help, the rich here rather waste their income on stupid luxurious stuff..." Sarafina said slightly cold, hand clenched into a fist a bit. She mostly said it to herself, but Toriko heard her. What surprised him was that she was trying very hard to not to lose her temper. He remembered how she was back at the battle dome, and she was even more irritated with the rich there. He wonders if she had a bad experience with a few before.

"Ah, that's right! There's something I wanted to buy!" Komatsu once again shouted in excitement, quickly breaking whatever tension that was about to form. "N.. What is it?" Toriko asked, feeling glad to be distracted. "A gourmet case data card." 

"Data card?" Sarafina echoed in confusion. What the heck is that. "There's a limit to what ingredients the restaurant'a refrigerator can preserve. Even so, the giant model gourmet case is expensive... With the preservation data cards for refrigerators the companies come out with, new store data can be loaded into the refrigerators but... As you would expect, they're inferior to the amount of ingredients they preserve and quality they do it with compared to the gourmet cases." Komatsu explained, the two following him until he rushed to a wall full of data cards of every size.

"You can buy preservation data for individual things?" Toriko asked watching the chef grab one and keeping an eye in the blind woman. He doesn't know what he said but for some reason he got the feeling he unintentionally pissed her off a little back there. "Yeah, by ingredient the price has a huge range but.. The cheapest one is 1 yen." A scream in the store got their attention and the shout of "Thieves!" The trio watched on as three thieves dressed in black and wearing some kind of cloth over their faces ran by carrying stuff.

"Oh my goodness..." The girl watched on, ignoring the cry of surprise from the chef. "Gourmet robbery group..?" Toriko wondered. Without warning the three thieves suddenly fell over and started shivering. 'Their nerves are spiralling. Was it Knocking that did this?' Sarafina thought to herself, narrowing her eye. "Boy oh boy. I'm still in quite a dangerous world eh.." An older woman's voice said seeming to come from nowhere.

Whoever was the owner of the voice got the giant hunter's attention. "Old lady Setsu!" He shouted as a small old woman entered the scene. She had pink knot-tied hair, a wide wrinkled face and a very small, hunched body. She wore a pink sweater with orange pants, a white apron, and pink sandals with hearts on them. She seemed to be a nice lady. Wait, did he just say 'Old Lady Setsu'? "You're late Toriko~~ Even though your training ended a long time ago." The woman told him as she walked up.

"H..huh?" Toriko nervously stammered out as he checked his watch. "Is it already the time we planned to meet? That's weird.." Sarafina could help but grin at the situation. Now this was amusing. She can't remember if she's ever seen him sweat this much before. This was certainly going to fun. "To...Toriko-San... By old lady Setsu.. This person, could it be..." Komatsu started as the hunter nodded. "There are only four people in the whole world that hold that title! One of the gourmet living national treasures! It's chef Setsuno-san!" The blind woman smiled brightly when she heard the woman's name. She was actually feeling a little giddy over this now. Man, how long had it been? "Today... We'll be able to drink the legendary soup, Komatsu and Sarafina!"

"This..this person is... Gourmet living national treasure and legendary cook... Setsuno-sama!" The older woman noticed him and said, "Hey, hey yo. You don't need to attach 'sama' or anything." She, Setsuno, smiled at him as she finished. "Call me Setsu-non." Yup, definitely a nice person. That sentence seemed to have flustered the chef a bit cause he quickly stammered out, "I... I can't... I can't talk about a living gourmet treasure like she's my classmate." The woman did a 360 on them and yelled at the chef, "Who's a classmate, asshole?! Yer being way too over familiar!"

Sarafina let out a soft laugh and said in a calming voice, "Now, now. There's no need to yell at Komatsu for no reason. Regardless of who you are and what your reputation is, there's no reason to show him disrespect. The young man meant no harm in his statement, so do apologise to him please." The boys looked like they were gonna have a heart attacked. What the hell was Sarafina thinking to have the audacity to speak at an important person like the legendary chef. The old woman stared at her for a moment before replying with a smile, "You've got beautiful clear eyes. You mean what you said. I'll apologise later." Sarafina smiled kindly and giggled. The hunter cleared his throat a bit before he gave a grin as he said, "Its fine. Just call her old lady Setsu."

"Hey, Toriko, what's with yer head?" Setsuno asked, peering up at him. "Eh?" The hunter went looking up at his hair. Before he could even process what happened, Setsuno went and styled his hair till it resembled of that of Jiro's hair. "If yer gonna be in full dress, then can't ya make yer hair style more suitable for the kitchen?!" The woman also shouted as the young woman bit her lip in an effort not to laugh at how flustered the giant hunter was being.

"E~~~~~~~h, what the hell is this?!" Sarafina gave a carefree smile. "You actually look good, Toriko." She said. Toriko let out cry of dismay. "You cannot be serious-!" It took him a quick second to recognise that. "Hey, wait a minute!!" He shouted at her. Sarafina playfully stuck her tongue at him. "Cause style starts from the feet!" The woman explained watching the hunter point to his head demanding, "But this is the head isn't it?! And how is this a full dress hairstyle?!"

"It's cause I like it." She stated simply. Mostly because it's the person that she likes has that style. "Cause you like it?!" Toriko shouted in dismay. An adorable blush formed on the woman's face as she brought a hand to het cheek and stated, "Charming."

"Cut it out!" The hunter growled as he quickly fixed his hair. "Booooo! Leave it. I'm sure it looks fine." Sarafina booed as she watched, pouting her lips in disappointment. Toriko didn't care how adorable that look made her, he was NOT going to have his hair like this! The older chef turned away and was about to walk off, saying in a disapproving tone, "I have no desire to make food for people whose livelihood and manners aren't good enough... I think I'll just forget today's reservation.."

Quickly turning away and covering her mouth before she laughed out loud at the sheer speed of the hunter rapid change in tone and redoing his hair like before...only this time the peak was out even further than before. Kururu rolled her eyes at the giant hunter. So pathetic. "Sorry, I was wrong, old lady Setsu. Is this all right?" That got her to sweeten up a bit, making her turn around with a smile and laughed a bit.

"You really look like a cool dude, Toriko." She told him. "Well you, old lady Setsu, with your amazing beauty you've got the max finest skin." This time she snickered though not loud enough for the two to hear as they walked off. "Come on Komatsu. Or you'll be left behind." Sarafina told him and did her hardest not to laugh at his soul's expression as well. This is REALLY going to be fun! They followed the old woman into the throng of people again and started to follow her. For an old lady, she sure can move. Though she's gotta wonder...if that expression of happiness the chef has next to her keeps getting bigger...how long will it be until his face gets stuck like that?

"Quite a surprise, eh, Komatsu?" Toriko asked walking beside the two. The chef couldn't contain his excitement, as if it wasn't contained before, as he said in a happy tone, "Oh yeah! And this time, there's no danger! We're in a city, there are no wild beasts, it's safe, there's no danger and there are no wild beasts. This is the best!"

"Hey, just how unhappy have you been up till now?" Toriko asked with a sweat drop forming on his head. "More than anything, I've been able to meet a Gourmet Living National Treasure! She removed the radioactivity from crude oil chocolate, did light mouse cuisine, and artificial breeding. Setsuno-san's achievements with food are uncountable."

"I'm pretty sure old lady Setsu was the first person in the world to handle a puffer fish whale without making it go poisonous." Toriko explained. Hmph...that certainly wouldn't surprise her in the least.. "Toriko-san! Nice job getting this reservation!" Komatsu exclaimed as they continued to follow. "Why's that?" Sarafina asked in curiosity. "It's her shop! I heard that with Setsuno-san's shop, every country's president and famous gourmets. It's full of reservations for up to ten years in advance!"

"Ten years for her shop?" Sarafina asked as she began to wonder the many possibilities for others to wait so long. The giant hunter sigh a bit before saying, "Even me, for this reservation I had to wait for four years." This startled the little chef. "Four years?! For "if you're resolved today's your lucky day" Toriko, you were really waiting patiently waiting four years!" If he keeps shouting like that the entire time, Sarafina was sure she might go deaf. 

"Old lady Setsu only opens her shop about once a month or so, I had no choice.." The large man commented melancholy. "It's not only once a month! It's just whenever I feel like it!" The woman stated, turning back to look at the three. Whenever she felt like it hm? It suits her personality though that sentence had once again shocked the little guy. Sarafina gave a small laugh. 'What a personality for her to have.' She thought. The hunter rubbed his chin as he commented, "I'm pretty sure... she said it's been about half a year since she's opened her shop... So this is her mood, too..?" The four resumed walking.

"Hoooou, you, you're a chef aren't you?" Setsuno asked with a smile. "Ah... Y..yes.. Sorry for not introducing myself sooner." The Komatsu started nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I've been made head cook at hotel gourmet. My name is Komatsu." She laughed a bit before she asked, "An IGO hotel...? Is Ichi-chan doing alright?" Arching an eyebrow at the name, Sarafina quietly asked, "Ichi-chan?"

The chef echoed the name as Toriko said with a knowing smile, "The president. IGO's." Sarafina covered her mouth with a hand to stop herself giggling as he stammered out president. "Old lady Setsu goes way go with the old man. There aren't any other people that can call the old man Ichi-chan." Toriko explained. Setsu laughed slightly before saying, "A lot happened with me and Ichi-chan.. We were naughty in our younger days." Sarafina smile faltered a little bit. No idea what she ment by that, but she did NOT want to know.

Komatsu stared at her for a moment then asked, "C...could it be, Setsuno-san... I've heard a lot about Gourmet Hunter and chef teaming! Bishokuyas want the best chefs and the chefs want only the strongest Bishokuyas...!" That sounded interesting. Didn't she muse about something like that a while ago? "I heard that when the president was younger he was a Gourmet Hunter.. Could it be...he... The chef that was teamed up with the president.. Was that you, Setsuno-San?!"

"Absolutely not." She said firmly, looking directly at him. "When I was young I worked with a man named Jiro." If Toriko's and Komatsu's jaw drop any more further down, flies will start to fly in. Sarafina tried not to giggle but couldn't stop smiling as the two asked Setsuno in shock about him. "Jiro and I were a team for a really long time. Jiro captured and I cooked. Together we went to a lot of places like the gourmet world. Ufufufu. I loved him, too." She looked like a young girl with that expression her soul had on. The blush was adorable too. Glancing over, it seemed that Toriko had just dawned on him why the woman did his hair the way she did.

Setsuno turned away while saying, "This is all ancient history. Now then... We're here! This is my shop." That was fast. Looking up, Komatsu stared wide eyed at the huge building with different size columns attached. Oh wow...Her place was incredible! "Oh, dear. Kururu, would you get him?" Sarafina asked. "Mew." Kururu jumped from her shoulder and ran towards Komatsu. She bit into his pant leg before she began dragging him across the ground. "UWAH!" Komatsu cired out as Kururu dragged him along. "Heey, Komatsu, hurry up, we're going in!" Toriko called over to him. Kururu let him go and went back onto her master's shoulder. Komatsu sat up and looked over to the others. He saw the three were heading towards a small normal looking shop next to the other building.

"Coming!" Komatsu said as he quickly caught up to the others. It seemed that the smaller of the two buildings had the small chef looking slightly depressed. "What's wrong?" Setsuno asked, looking at him. "Ah... No... Um... It's nothing." The younger chef replied. As they waited for the woman to unlock the doors, Setsu flipped over a small wooden item hanging next to it. "What do those signs mean?" Komatsu asked.

"Shiin means "I'm home, currently getting ready"... Wuaah means "I'm home, I'm currently making a killing"." The large hunter explained, looking back towards the main heart of the city. "Shouldn't that be reversed?" Sarafina asked. ""Wuaah" has that kind of unpleasant meaning to it?!" Seriously...Komatsu has got to stop yelling so loud and especially when being so close to her ears. She's gonna go deaf at the rate he's going. "Though looking at the building, it doesn't seem like she's making any money, somehow.."

"Not necessary true, Komatsu. You can't just judge a place outside of its appearance alone. Even the most smallest and simplest places can have something worth value." Sarafina told the chef. "Mew." Kururu went. "The fact is, old lady Setsu's restaurant can't lose even to the restaurants in the gourmet towers in the heart of the city in terms of income." Toriko explained again as the chef followed his gaze towards the shopping district. "Wouldn’t it be amazing if the shop were set up in the central part of the city?" Komatsu asked.

"It's because old lady Setsu is too famous. In the city there's a flood of eating-out chain stores that old lady Setu is the owner of. Wherever you look there are "Setsunon dolls"... She's probably embarrassed, herself, so she doesn't like going to the shopping district." Toriko said to Komatsu. "Hey, go on in, you guys." Setsu told them. The boys turned to each other and got big ol' grins on their faces before going in. The trio started to go in, one walked in normally while the other two had to duck due to them being so tall. "Sorry for the intrusion.." Komatsu started before trailing off. "It's pitch black...I can't see a thing."

"Oh really?" Sarafina asked him. ".....I'm sorry. Setsuno-san." Komatsu started again before the older woman replied, "Ah, sorry. The store's been closed for half a year so the light bulbs have probably burnt out. The reason I went to the department before was to buy a change of light bulbs." Some shuffling was heard somewhere in the dark then a second later the lights came on, nearly blinding the two men a bit. "Welcome. To the "Setsuno Dining Hall!" Looking around it was a normal looking shop. Kinda like the place before but only this was a true traditional Japanese shop. For some reason Sarafina found herself liking this shop a lot more then the others before. Probably because it wasn't as flashy as she felt it was in that wretched city.

She briefly wondered what Komatsu was expecting to see...probably some weird shop or something but instead got this. "Komatsu! Setsuna!" The hunter exclaimed as he pat them both on the back. "Ah! Easy there, Toriko! Any harder and you'll make me fall over!" Sarafina told the hunter as the chef squeaked in surprised. "The battle of chefs is cooking! Besides that, nothing else matters! With ordinary means, customers are welcomed with the ultimate full course! That's chef old lady Setsu!"

"Please take a seat! Customers!" Shouted said lady as she slapped her hands onto the counter in front of them. "This time, it's a rare case where ya haven't reserved my full course meal, you reserved the special menu, didn't you Toriko?!" Were they ever going to stop yelling? Sarafina jumped when the hunter suddenly copied the older chef. "Sit down, Komatsu! Sarafina!" He said, excitement once again in his voice. As she sat down, he continued speaking, "From here, we are aren't stopping even if there's a seven level earthquake!"

"Please enjoy the legendary soup!" Setsuno tells them. Sarafina's eye widened at that.

....Legendary soup...?

Chapter Text

'I don't think I have ever in my entire life heard anyone chop anything as fast and neat as this woman can.' Sarafina thought in shock as she continued to hear Setuno do her work. That old woman had to be doing the work of eight or nine people and doing it flawlessly and easily. Man she's making it seem like it took no effort.. Not to mention she had a pot on the stove cooking...talk about impressive. The sound of something being poured caught her attention. "Yep, just drink some water and wait at ease, you two." Toriko commented as he took a sip of water.

Sarafina was sure that comment was for the little chef beside her as Komatsu seemed in awe as he watched the older chef continue cooking. Must be exciting for him to watch a well renown chef like her. "T..thank you very much." Komatsu replied. Taking a sip of her own water, the only thing Sarafina will credit it bout the water was that it tasted really well, as she listened on to the show. "It...it tastes great! What is this water? It's so light, I can drink it easily, like air!"

"It's water that gushes out of Aqua Mountain, Air Aqua. It has one of the five highest quality feelings going down your throat in the world." Toriko informed, drinking some more water. "A...amazing! We can drink that kind of high class water as me want?!" Komatsu shouted. "Komatsu. I understand your excitement but...could you please not yell so close to my ear?" The blind woman asked tentatively. Much as she hated to damper his happy spirit, her ears were seriously aching a bit. "Ah. I'm sorry Sarafina-san.."

"You can still show your excitement, dear.  I'm not saying you should bottle it up." Sarafina told him with a smile. "Alright. How come you're not excited? I mean, this place is amazing!" Komatsu said. Laughing softly, Sarafina lean on the counter. Holding her head on her hand. "Believe me, I am. It's just that I'm not as used to the city life and coming out here is not something I want to repeat. But today it's absolutely worth it as I'm sitting in Granny Setsuno's dining hall. I've never thought I would get this chance."

"That's good. Long as you're here you should have fun and enjoy life." Toriko tells her. "As long as I'm with you two, that is quite given." Sarafina told them, smiling brightly. 'Cute!' The two thought at the same time. Komatsu looked at the strips of paper posted on the walls. "A...as you'd expect from the Setsuno dining hall... Also.. If I look carefully at the menu.. It's all high class ingredients.. He said slightly nervous. "Old lady Setsu's full course is cooked with knocking master Jiro's full course." Toriko informed him which set the chef off. Note to self: invest in ear plugs. "E~~~~~~~H?! Then it's the highest class of full course in the world, isn't it?!"

Sarafina was glad the chef is having a good time but her ears are paying for it. Kururu growled under breath as she glared at Komatsu and tried to cover ears. "Fufufufufu, it's hard to supply the ingredients for my full course. I can't serve it ordinarily, so I have to send Jiro-chan." Setsu said, continuing to cook. Whatever the older woman was cooking was smelling wonderful. Turning his gaze toward the woman, Toriko continued to talk. "Old lady Setsu is alone, but cooking ingredients is specialty."

The older woman laughed again then said, "Instead of the full course, how about I make garlic bird parent and child donburi? It'll take a little longer until the soup is done." Whatever that was seemed to brighten Toriko. "Really?! I'll leave it to you, old lady Setsu!" He said excitedly. What exactly is donburi? She's never heard of that dish before. Setsuno pulled out a box out and pull out a bird that looked similar to a chicken. Holding the bird by the neck, the older chef literally de-feathered the bird in mere seconds with her knife and in the space of a second cut off a wing then as it literally went into small cubed pieces onto a grilling pan and began to grill it.

Opening a pot that was on the stove she revealed some really delicious looking rice and brought out a jar that had seaweed coloured bugs. The smell of the woman's cooking brought back memories of home. She smiled. This smell reminded her of a favourite shop Sarafina and her grandfather used to go to. The two of them would have a blast spending time together and eating the food, her listening to the amazing stories of her grandfather's time as a hunter and things like that. Sarafina's smile began to waver a bit. She remembered telling her grandfather that she wanted to become a Gourmet Hunter like him.....but then he got very upset with her. She'd never sensed him liked that before. And that was two days after she-.

"Here ya go, all done." Setsuno announced, startling her out of her thoughts. "Garlic bird parent child donburi!" The bowl in front of them looked delicious and smelled absolutely mouthwatering. "It looks delicious!" Komatsu explained excitedly. "Even my share! Thank you very much!" He finished, putting both his palms together in thanks.

"It looks really good. Thank you." Sarafina said with a smile towards the woman, who nodded a bit. "I even made a plate for that little kitty of yours." Setsuno said as she placed it beside her bowl. Kururu sniffed at it before letting out a happy "mew" and started eating. Picking her chopsticks, Sarafina picked up a small piece and tried it, blinking a bit the taste almost blew her mind away. What flavour! This just became one of her favourites now! The Garlic Bird's garlic taste and the Ten Yolk Egg's sugary taste softly entangling with the paradise rice.... Heaven!

"It's surperb, isn't it, Toriko-San and Sarafina!" Komatsu said smiling as he turned to the others. "Its absolutely delicious! This just became one of my favourites now!" Sarafina said in agreement before the two turned towards the hunter who had already amassed a mountain of bowls again. "You are even tasting the food, are you Toriko?" Sarafina asked as Komatsu exclaimed in dismay, "This is why I say you're always so fast whenever you eat!"

"I'm surprised you haven't choked to death yet at that insane speed. And here I thought I was a fast eater. Least I can taste the food." Sarafina chuckled to herself. "How about we savour it more...such delicious cooking.." The chef tried to reason, bringing his bowl closer to inspect it. "What's more.. this parent child donburi.. It has a little bit of a sesame chestnut smell."

"I thought I smelled something. I love chestnuts!" Sarafina explained happily, bringing her own bowl closer to see if she could detect it. She did. Now she loved it even more. The chef's statement got the older chef's attention. "Nice job recognising it. It has a tiny amount of my original soup stock, but crushed sesame chestnuts are in it." Her words brought a bright smile to his face. "Heeeeeeh, is that why?! It goes well with the parent child donburi." Komatsu paused to take a bite before finishing. "I'm learning a lot! And, some seven herb flavour seems to be there, too!" Setsuno smiled in amazement at the chef. "That's an interesting notion...ufufufufu.. You've got a pretty good palate and power of observation. Together with the qualities of a curious power imagination...and eroticism."

Sarafina giggled as the chef rubbed the back of his head shyly for a second before the last phrase of what she, the older woman, had said and exclaimed in shock, "Eroticism?! What do you mean by that?!" Grinning Toriko explained, "It means you've got talent for erotic cooking, doesn't it?" That set Komatsu off even more in a tizzy that had her laughing as she listen the two playfully got into it again. Once again because Komastu was distracted, Kururu went it to eat bits of his bowl.

Watching the trio the older chef couldn't help but think that Komatsu was quite the enjoyable child. Looking at the laughing girl a bit she wondered if her being here means that the youthful woman's time was coming up. Setsuno was briefly worried about that since she remembered vividly how she looked on that day...the poor thing. Though how she ended up being with those two had Setsuno wondering if one of them were making sure she was staying safe and alive. Setsuno hoped that was the case.

Starring at the pot for a moment then announced, "No~~~~~~~w then, it's done! My special menu! Century soup!" Bringing the pot she lifted the lid off, steam coming off in a thick cloud. The speed the boys did for their expressions of happiness was quite impressive. "This is...the legendary sou... EH?!" The boys started but stopped in mid sentence. Sitting up to get a better look at the soup but, much to Komatsu's surprise, it was completely empty. Empty?? Wait a sec... Sarafina remembered hearing about clear broths before but usually in some for, or another the broth was visible to the eyes. How did this woman achieve the feat of making it perfectly clear? Regardless, it smelled otherworldly. As if she was smelling hundreds upon thousands of ingredients at once.

"It's...empty Setsuno-San!" The older woman laughed a bit. "It's really in there. Is it's level of transparency so high you can't see it?" Bingo..! "You can smell it, can't you?" Setsuno asked. Toriko stared for a moment then suddenly looked like something hit him. Sarafina smiled at him. Looks like he smelled them too. It sure got his motor running in high gear. The energy he had in his soul seemed to her he was trying to guess what was in there or the exact amount of ingredients used. Sarafina blinked when she voices outside the place and it suddenly sounded like there was a herd of people outside, a couple of which mentioned how they wanted to come inside and a couple of voices replying they couldn't decide on their own to go in.

Guess a lot of people wanted to try her cooking but couldn't afford it."Fufufufu. It sure is noisy outside." Setsuno said, beginning to pour some of the soup into bowls for the trio, plus one cat. "They can smell the legendary soup. No wonder... Fufufufu." From the sound of her voice, the crowd outside wasn't unusual for her as she cooked. "It is many of this century's best ingredients cooked together for half a year. Having removed all the harsh tastes of only the delicious taste of stock remains.. That is this perfectly clear soup, century soup." Setsuno explained finishing filling the bowls and placed them in front of her customers. "Here ya go, eat up." The older woman told them.

"It's here!" Komatsu cheered throwing his hands into the air. Toriko clasped his hands together, gave thanks and bowed deeply until his nose was by the rim of the bowl to breath the scent deeply.  A bit of drool formed on the side of his mouth. "I can't wait anymore." Reaching and grabbing his spoon the hunter gently dipped it into the broth and took a bit out. "Awesome... What a clear soup... It's even more clearer than the aqua water we just drank." Toriko commented as he took a bite.

It took a second before he looked like a bolt of lightening hit him. Getting her own spoon and trying the soup herself. Her eye widen at the indescribable taste of the soup. "This...this is amazing! This really soup?!" Sarafina exclaimed as the older chef laughed slightly before asking the two hunters, "How is it, Toriko? Sarafina? The century soup?" As both hunters talked about how refreshing the soup was and packed, it's a bit amazing how Komatsu was strangely quiet after being so excited and loud all this time.

Looking over to him, Sarafina sensed that while his body was right next to them, Komatsu's mind 100 miles away. "Komatsu? Are you alright?" Sarafina asked as Toriko turned to say, "Never had soup like this! Eh, Komatsu!" The hunter was silent for a few moments before asking him, "What is it Komatsu...?" "Komatsu?" Toriko and Sarafina said at the exact same time, loud enough to startle the young chef.

"Eh?! A... Yes." Komatsu said, bringing himself out of whatever daze he was in. "Why're you spacing out?" Toriko asked staring at the smaller man. "I thought for sure you would be over the moon about the soup, Komatsu. Did its taste stunned you into silence?" Sarafina asked in a light teasing tone with a smile on her face, earning a light blush from Komatsu while also earning slight jealousy from Toriko. Rubbing the back of his head, feeling really embarrassed, Komatsu explained, "Ahh... No, sorry. Tasting this intricate cooking I was deeply moved by this flood of tastes."

"Tha' so?" Toriko sounded a bit amused. "What'd you think of the taste?" That question brought out the reaction out of him Sarafina had been expecting. "Oh! It was amazingly delicious!" Komatsu started, turning to look at the older pink-haired chef, happiness all over his face, "Setsuno-San! Thank you very much! For such wonderful soup!"

"Agreed. Thank you for allowing me to drink some of this incredible soup! I've never had such as this before!" Sarafina also thanked the woman, who smiled brightly at the compliments and said calmly, though the blind woman detected a hint of flattery in Setsuno's tone, "I'm glad to hear it."

"The only ingredient I knew in it was Silk Bird remnants though... Am I right?" That was surprising. The way Setsuno talked some of the ingredients may not have been known to him. Judging from her face as well, Komatsu's question must've threw her off guard. Toriko surprised her even more as he added to the chef's comment, "And there are mineral coconuts in it too, right?" Sarafina smiled as she listened the two carry on with their discussion. The three were having lot of fun it would seemed. They did not notice that the three were being observed by the older female chef.

Komatsu looked at his bowl, with a weird look on his face, continued with his observation. "It's just... On the contrary, I get the feeling like it's lacking something, too..." That statement even surprised Toriko who was stunned by his words. "N.. You mean with its ingredients?" He asked, wondering what was up. Setsuno took off her chef's hat and said, "Toriko! Komkatsu-kun! Sarafina-chan! Come with me! I'll show you my preparation kitchen!" The expressions those three were first of shock that quickly melted into looks of pure happiness that will reminded someone an awful lot like kids in a candy store.

Sarafina couldn't suppress the laugh that erupted as the two asked if one could eat the soup and another if they could have more later. Which annoyed the older chef as she shouted, voice full of annoyance, "Hurry up!" Sarafina raised an confused eyebrow when the older woman bent over to lift a trap door off the floor, revealing a set of stairs that descended into darkness. "Here we go." The woman announced. Whatever was down there was emitting a mouth watering scent. "Come on, it's down here." This is going to be interesting. Especially to see a man as big as Toriko fit down them. It'll be a tight fit for him...

"Let's go Kururu." Sarafina said as she bent down slightly to allow Kururu jump on her head. "Eh?! There's a kitchen in the dining hall's basement?!" Komatsu shouted excitedly. "Hee.. This is my first time hearing of this, too." Toriko said as he watches the two chefs go first. "Ladies first." Toriko told her in a chivalrous tone, looking at her warmly. She turned a bit, trying to hide the blush. "The gentlemen look doesn't suit you at all." Sarafina said, trying to hide the teasing in her eye and the mischievous smile that threaten to form.

Toriko blinked a bit at that before chuckling low, sending shivers threw her. "Oh really? Then what suits me?" He asked in a teasing tone as well. "If you need to ask like that then you should be fully aware of the answer." Sarafina told him as she went down onto the stairs. 'That woman is something else' Toriko mused to himself as he followed suit. "The kitchen upstairs is thoroughly just a place for finishing the cooking. My dining hall used to be mostly just space for preparation. You saw the giant castle near he dining hall, right?" The older chef explained to the younger.

"This place is connected to its basement." Setsuno finished, turning on the lights as the younger chef made the comment of that huge castle being kitchen. His jaw nearly hit the floor again at the sight before the group. There were counters full of every food and cooking ware imaginable already in the process of cooking something. A machine that reminded him of a giant gum ball machine was hanging over a huge pot slowly dropping items just as small into the pot. Though...what was behind the three huge hanger doors... "Who woulda thought there'd be a place like this in the basement..." Toriko mused aloud as he looked around in amazement. "Th..this is where you prepare all the cooking...!" Komatsu's eyes looked like they were sparkling.

Turning back to look at him Setsuno laughed slightly at Komatsu, stopping for a moment. "You probably understand, too, Komatsu-kun... You could say that the quality of cooking mostly depends on is preparation. This place is in the basement so customers can't see it, but it's the most important place supporting the place." Toriko and Sarafina were walking at a leisurely pace while Komatsu practically skipped as the three followed the older chef. This catwalk was something else. Clear view of the whole place but the windows just above the hanger doors were kinda interesting.. "Th.. Thank you so much for showing us such a precious place..." Komatsu started when suddenly a roar from the hanger window and a three eyed animal startled the chef. The young chef nearly jump out of his skin when he saw that gigantic beast out of nowhere!

Komatsu stumbled backwards and landed on his back and started to fall off between the bars of the railing. "Komatsu!" Sarafina called out a bit as the little chef gave out a loud cry as he was about to fall when the hunter quickly and neatly grabbed him by the ankle and held him upside down, by the ankle no less."Come on, Komatsu, it'd be normal for living ingredients to be here." Toriko said, annoyed look. "I didn't think a beast would be here~~" Komatsu said. "Please give him a break, Toriko." Sarafina started, putting a hand her hip. "We were just surprised by it. Komatsu was just more so. Still...seeing who this place belongs to it shouldn't be a surprise." "Mew."

Hearing another roar coming from inside the trio stopped and turned to see two large beasts duking it out inside. They each had the appearance of a bear of great size. Standing at around 16 meters in height and weighing over 12 tons it is beast to be feared and can crush a normal human like an insect. They have extremely muscular builds and sharp claws and teeth which gives them a very fierce appearance. They also have six yellow eyes with slit pupils.

"Wh...what... on earth re they?" Komatsu asked nervously. Putting both hands on his hips looking at the beast as he said, "They're Lonely Grizzlies. Normally Lonely Grizzly meat is too tough to use for cooking, but if you have them keep up a fighting spirit, their meat gets tender and delicious. They show their strongest fighting spirit when they see another male of their species."

Why does that sound so familiar? "I...I see now... So they get follow males close to each other and wait for the meat to get into good quality. But...can you tell when their meat is good by appearance?" Komatsu wondered as he continued to watch the fight. "Looks like the outward appearance doesn't change at all." Toriko answered. The chef wasn't happy about that and almost yelled at him about how he knew that. Looking around, Sarafina wondered what else Setsuno had around here. Smelling some fish up ahead the, Sarafina moved on without them and stopped to "look" at the fish. Kururu glanced up at them and was getting hungry again.

"They way they're so small and so many are in here to nearly fill up the tank....are these sardines?" She muttered to herself. Toriko walked and noticed the fish as well. "These are Love Sardines, right?" She asked. "Yup. They say the females only lay quality eggs when they're surround by 100 males." Toriko tells her. If that's the case, which is which in there? There's gotta be over a thousand or so. "What's more, these guys are hard to handle, they're special cooking ingredients as well..." Toriko said to his smaller companions. Special cooking ingredients?

Komatsu said nothing as he turned to survey the rest of the kitchen. "I..if I look closely, this place has nothing but amazing ingredients, doesn't it?" Looking at the different ingredients the little chef began to talk about the different foods there and how they had to be prepared in order to cool and eat them. Soaking potatoes for over a year? Scallions that have to be cut a hundred times just so they could fall apart? Just what kind of foods are these...? That's absolutely insane! "I see... The reason Setsuno-San doesn't open her shop more then once a month is because of how much time it took to prepare, is it...?" Komatsu finished when said cook popped up out of nowhere going, "Thats wrong, Komatsu-kun." Komatsu yelled again out of shock.

What the heck?! Where did that woman get the rope?! Why was there an opening in the railing?! The drop had to be quite the ways down to the floor... Watching in amazement as this little old lady half her height just swung across to a platform with a doorway, its gonna be another tight squeeze for the giant hunter, on the other side. Landing neatly onto the platform the old woman called over, amusement in her voice, "C'mon, this way. Hurry up." The three stood there dumbfounded for a few moments before Toriko went across first, then Sarafina and finally Komatsu. The three quickly rushed to catch up to the old woman.

"U..um.. Setsuno-san, the reason you open your shop once a month isn't because of how long it takes to prepare the food?" Komatsu asked once they caught up to her. Thought this was suppose to be a restaurant? How come they’re running around? "Ufufufufu, I said it depended on the mood, didn't I? Though the mood I talked about wasn't my own." Setsuno then got a sharp look in her eyes. "It's the ingredients!" Say wha now? "The...ingredient's...mood..?" The younger chef asked. Guess that's news to him as well.

"Komatsu-kun, do you...think a cook chooses his ingredients to cook? Ufufufufufu How absurd... If I thought that I would only be a half-baked chef." The older woman said as she continued to lead them who knows where. "It's the opposite.. The ingredients choose the customers and the cook." Hm? Was that even possible? Ingredients picking and choosing...? "...the ingredients...?!" Komatsu exclaimed in surprised. "I just ask the ingredients their mood everyday.. Whether the shop is open or closed all depends on if the ingredients feel like it.."

Whoa. Wonder how this person stayed in business if this is how she does it.. "E...even though you have such perfect preparation.." The young chef started before he got interrupted by Setsuno's laugh. "I'm sure you'll be able to understand someday. Certainly, some day.." Setsuno stopped in her tracks and turned to look at them and announced with a smile, "Now, we're here! This is..the place the Century Soup is prepared!" Once again, the trio's faces lit up with happiness like kids in a candy store. When they walked into a room, the men's eyes almost bugged right out of their heads when seeing a cooking pot that had to be at least three or four stories high with a cooking ladle about the size of a truck. A ladder was on the side of the pot that went all the way to the very lip of the pot.

Komatsu shouted nearly at the top of his lungs at how big the pot was and how the Century Soup was cooked in. Nothing prepared him for when the older chef bent her knees a bit before LEAPING into the air to land all the way on the very top of the pot. All Komatsu could stuttered out was, "Eh... Ee~~~~~~~h, Setsuno-San, just what is she...?"

"Come on, Komatsu! Sarafina! Let's go up too!" Toriko shouted over to them as he started to climb without them. Sarafina was about to climb as well, but she stopped herself. She turned to Komastu and told him, "Komatsu, you can go first."

"Are you sure Sarafina-san? Why allow me to go first?" He asked as he tentatively grabbed the ladder. "Well, I am in a skirt. So I'd rather not climb up with you behind me, that's all." Komatsu's face turned bright red as he nodded and started to climb. With him going up, Sarafina followed him. After a while, the three joined the older chef. As Sarafina started to climb she was startled slightly to see Toriko's hand there to help her up. Kururu leaped from her head, climb Toriko's arm and rested on his shoulder. Blushing lightly, Sarafina gave a smile as she accepted the help and was slightly pulled up towards the hunter for a moment before she quickly moved away to fix her skirt a bit.

Sarafina's jaw dropped again when she "looked" down at what the pot held. Not just her, the guys were just as amazed. The same clear soup but what was used to make it was wow! The items were ridiculously huge! That thing was bigger then any one of them combined! Practically squashing his face between his hands, Komatsu had tears in his eyes as he shouted, "Amazi...! So moving! So this is how ingredients are put into the century soup!"

"I'm surprised... It's already this clear before being strained..." Toriko commented, astonishment in his voice. "Fufufufu, that's because it has the harsh tasting matter boiled out of it continuously for half a year." Setsuno explained before continuing on. "And to be truthful, this soup is still incomplete."

Chapter Text

"Incomplete? What do you mean Granny Setsuno?" Sarafina asked, noticing the boys didn't even acknowledge what the older chef said as they knelt by the edge of the platform to stare at the cooking soup. Watching them, Sarafina had the urge to push them in but decided that she'd save that prank for another day. And a safer place to do so as well though seeing their backs so open to her made the urge more tempting. She called Kururu over back to her and the kitten rested upon her shoulder again.

"It has the ingredients silk bird remnants and mineral coconuts in it just like I thought, Toriko-San and Sarafina!" Komatsu shouted excitedly as the hunter joined him in saying, "Yeah! And there are motor onions in it too! What an awesome line up! Its awesome, old lady Setsu!" The old woman laughed a bit before replying, "You think so? But, this soup, truthfully it's still incomplete."

"I don't think they heard you, ma'am." Sarafina said as the two continued to name off ingredients and going on about how awesome it was. "I noticed." Setsuno said, getting ticked off. "Yeah, right, it's really awesome!" She shouted angrily at them. "But this century soup isn't done! It's still incomplete!" If her shouting didn't their full attention then nothing will. Well...maybe pushing them into the soup but...that might ruin the flavour and Sarafina liked the soup too much to do it.

Sensing that they had NOW heard Setsuno's words, Sarafina facepalmed. "Huh? What are you talking about?" expressions the two men were wearing caused the Setsuno to yell even louder. "You're so slow! She shouted at them. "What do you mean it's. To complete, Setsuno-san?" Komatsu asked, curious when the soup tasted so delicious already. "Fm, the truth is.. Century soup is something that originally exists in the natural world." That startled the young chef making him shout, "Eh, really?!"

"It's my first time hearing that.." The large male commented. "So is mine." Sarafina said. "Fufufufu... A long time ago Jiro-chan scooped some up for me. Unable to forget that mouthful... I made this soup imitating it." Setsuno said. "It..it's plenty delicious already, though... Setsuno-san, it's still incomplete...?" Komatsu asked, nervous for some reason again.

"It's not in me to be able to reproduce the taste perfectly.." The older chef replied rather disappointedly. "But...uh, it's delicious, isn't it Toriko-san?" Komatsu asked, turning to the giant, blue-haired hunter. "It's too delicious!" The hunter said, literally sucking up the soup to his mouth like a vacuum. Sarafina shook her head in amusement. Unbelievable... This man..

"Don't drink too much, Toriko!" Setsuno shouted at him. "Might it be that... The century soup in the natural world... Tastes better than this...?" Komatsu asked as Sarafina and himself watched Old Lady Setsuno stir the soup with ease. Setsuno had a thoughtful look on her face before she explained, "I wonder.. It's hard to explain taste but.. Komatsu-kun, when you ate this soup, you said it is lacking something.. Yes.. Exactly according to this feeling, the real thing has a kind of taste with something more..." She then got a sad, disappointing look on her face. "What I can't figure out is what that one thing is.."

Holding his hands up in an apologetic manner, Komatsu said, "N...no, I, about that...! I haven't eaten the real thing either..." Setsuno cut him off. "Komatsu-kun, why do you think I brought you two to this kitchen? Of all the country's president and wealthy people and gourmets.. Not one of them has given any advice on my cooking.." Turning to give the young chef a smile, she continued. "I've been charmed by you two's sense of taste and sensitivity.. If it's you two, perhaps... I thought it might be possible to make this soup perfect. Fufufu. I brought you here because you found the exact ingredients from the stock." That made Komatsu even more nervous. "S...something like that.. For me to do something like complete it.."

Setsuno got a gleam in her eyes again before she asked, "Fufufu, don't you want to try it? The real century soup?" What a shrewd old woman, taking advantage of the two knowing they'd take this challenge, now Sarafina remembered why she liked this little old lady. Toriko was at the older chef's side in a second, face alight with excitement, exclaiming said excitement in his voice, "I wanna try it!" The older woman laughed slightly. "Is that so, Toriko?" She asked simply, watching him turn towards the younger chef and blind huntress saying, "Hey, Komatsu! Sarafina! You wanna try the real soup, right?!" His excitement spread towards the two as well. A bright excited smile appeared on Komatsu's face as he said, "Y..yes. I'd like to try it!" Putting a hand on her hip, Sarafina smiled. "Do you really feel the need to ask?"

"The time is right! The Century Soup only appears once every 100 years! That's why it's called Century Soup! That time is now! Your timing is good too! Right now there's a man in Gourmet Town that knows about this news as well! He's gathering Gourmet Hunters from all over the world so he can get his hands on the soup! There's no doubt you'll be hired by him soon, Toriko! Sarafina! Go and bring Komatsu-kun! Eat the real soup, and try to make a magnificent century soup with those hands!" Sarafina smirked. This is gonna be fun. Toriko and Komatsu climb down the later, eager to get ready for their next adventure, but Sarafina stayed up as she had something she wanted to say to Setsuno.

The old woman gave a soft laugh as she said, "I can tell that you've been waiting to speak with me privately, my dear." Sarafina turned to her and bowed at the waist. "Yes. I just wanted to give you my sincerest thanks for the food you brought me while I was in the infirmary so long ago." Setsuno smiled warmly at the blind woman. "You don't need to thank me for that dear. I'm just happy to finally see you out there, alive and well." Sarafina stood up straight and giggled. "Hey, Sarafina! You coming or what?!" Toriko shouted from below.

"You better get going now. I hope Toriko there was been taking good care of you." Setsuno said.

"He has. I'm lucky to have a friend like him." Sarafina said, smiling.

Sometime after leaving Old Lady Setsu's diner, the trio walked over to Central Gourmet Town. To a bar where Gourmet Hunters congregate... The Bar Heavy Lodge! From all over the world, famous Gourmet Hunters visit this bar every day to find food information and work. There are many clients gathered there requesting the sturdiest Gourmet, so it's also known by the name of The Meeting Bar.

The sounds of yelling and fighting reached their ears. They weren't close yet to the bar and she can hear all that already. Sarafina's smile widened. Rowdy noises and the scent of alcohol..? She can hardly contained her excitement. As they got closer the more the words being yelled at became clearer as they approached doors that resembled those of the old west. Complete silence greeted them the moment the trio walked through the doors, all eyes on them but twenty said the group were staring at the two hunters. There were a mixture of different expressions, some of shock, some of surprise and some of excitement.

"It's...it's Toriko! Toriko has shown up here!" "THAT'S-!! That's the elusive Blind Bandit Sarafina, right?! I can't believe she's in a place like this!! She's even more beautiful than the stories say she is!!" The group shouted. "What's this?! It's been a while since the charisma of, not one, but two Gourmet Hunters came here..!" A man from behind the counter laughed out. He was a muscular, middle-aged man with tan skin and black permed hair, although he is balding somewhat. He has a black bushy moustache and a large unibrow. His attire consisted of an orange tank top, brown pants and dark yellow shoes.

"Master, some sake! Prepare some sake for Toriko and Sarafina!" A man shouted out. Another man turned to an overweight man, was looking a bit freaked and told him, "Drunker! It's your chance to have an eating contest with Toriko!" Drunker had dreadlocks, a tattoo on each of his upper arms and appears to have had face paint on his eyes. He wore a black tank-top and olive-coloured pants. "Don't be stupid. There's no way I could win." Drunker said. Toriko laughed happily. "I've missed it, The Heavy Lodge! It's as crowed as always!" Sarafina let out a sigh of relief. "At least, there's one good place in this stupid city!"

"It's amazing, Toriko-san! Sarafina-san! Everyone knows you guys! Well, now that I think about it you're both quite famous." How can these two smile so brightly in a place like this? "What do you mean "now that I think about it"?!" The giant hunter growled at him as the three walked towards the bar. "Hey, master haven't heard from you in a while!" Toriko informed the bald man as the guy slammed down two, giant mugs of frothing beer. "Here ya go, some enamel beer.. Drink up, Toriko! Sarafina-sama!" The man cheerfully said, a big smile on his face. The woman raised her eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, please. Just call me Sarafina."

"How many years has it been?! You got famous so you haven't been showing your face around here? I've been so lonely!" He says to Toriko. Guess the way he was talking they knew each other. Sarafina glanced behind her and took a whiff...this place stunk of men and alcohol. Perfect! Finally a place where she can drink and relax. "It's cause even without coming here, I've had no luck with job requests." Toriko tells the bartender. "Smile while you tell your lies." Sarafina told him, taking a swing of her beer as the bar tender said, faking the hurt in his voice, "Be so cold! Come even if it doesn't have to do with work!"

"'Nother beer." "You have any else? That was nothing." Eh?! When did these two drink the first?! He wasn't even sure if they actually drank those huge mugs in one swing. "Fast!" The bald man exclaimed as he got them a second round of beer. "Yooo, so we meet again? What's up with your hair?" Said a familiar voice. Turning to see much to her surprise was Zongeh walking up to them with a cocky smile on his face. Well...there was one smell that was unpleasant. They actually let him in here after the scene up front? That itself was impressive. So much that even Toriko exclaimed, "Ah! Zombie! Why're you here?!"

"Zongeh, Toriko. You're really terrible with names aren't you. I'm surprised you remember mine." Sarafina said. Toriko barely managed to suppress the smile that threatened to form. Not the moment to smile but still. What a surprise to see this guy here!

"Guhehehehe. The usual thing, of course. Business. I heard there's a guy who'll definitely hire me. By the way, you bastard.." Zongeh started, putting a leg on a ledge so he could lean on it. "Looks like in this town yours and the little lady's name has gotten known a tiny bit. Seeing as everyone as just in an uproar.. But in my village nobody knows who you either of you are..." As he just kept talking, two men were staring in disbelief. They were trying to figure out how a guy like Zongeh knows someone like either Toriko or Sarafina, and were mostly waiting to the Blind Bandit to dropkick the guy so he could shut up.

"By the way, how are things going, master?" Toriko asked, completely ignoring Zongeh. "With these Gourmet Hunters nowadays." The bald man sighed in disappointment as he replied, "Fn, not so hot, really. There really isn't I've seen that felt like they had the same level of qualities of you heavenly kings. Recently, the clients have had more harsh in judgement, they don't get into negotiations so much anymore..."

So that's how it works here, hm? "Sounds tough.. For people to not hold negotiations you must not get an intermediations fee." Sarafina said. That seemed to shock the little chef. "Eh? Him, master, works as an intermediary between the Gourmet Hunters and the clients?!" Komatsu asked as the giant hunter nodded. "Master is also known as Judgement Morijii. He's got discerning eyes that can see through a Gourmet Hunter to know his true power and talent. Right now there are a lot of Gourmet Hunters with fake full course. So not being able to check their ids. There are lots of clients who come here to rely on master's judgement."

"I..I see..." The chef started as Toriko continued. "Fufu.. Toriko, I can see your level went up drastically again.." Suddenly the doors burst open and a split second later about five men dressed in black rushed into the place and got into a formation. Whoever wanted this joint is here. "Everyone, stop eating! A Mr. Colonel is here!!" A second later the short man from the store walked in. He was a short, stocky, elderly man with very pale and wrinkled skin, and liver spots on his head. He has short gray hair that is balding at the top and a long gray beard. He wore very expensive clothing as expected from someone of his status, consisting of a regal-looking purple coat with white fur trimmings, tight red pants and fancy white shoes. He also has a golden smoke pipe in his mouth designed to look like a spoon.

"I'll give 10 million to whomever takes the magnificent me's request." The man boomed out. "Toriko-san, that man..." Komatsu started as the giant hunter said calmly, "Yeah, he's the big spender from the department store.." Toriko looked closer at the colonel or whatever that thing's name was. "So this is the client who has the information about the soup.. And he's the one who gathered all these Gourmet Hunters in gourmet town." Sarafina narrowed her eye as she glared at the old man.

"Is that reward amount serious?!" One of the men shouted. Drunker exclaimed excitedly, "No, more importantly, do you really know the location f that ingredient?!" The old man turned his back on the group and said as he walked away, "What a foolish question.. Who do you think I am?" Her eye twitched. Just like she thought...an arrogant a**hole who has too much money and time on his hands. "I won't refuse anyone who comes. Anyone who wants to take the challenge of the Century Soup, come with me!" Even as the whole bar cheered, the blind woman couldn't help but have the feeling that there was more going on than what that person was letting on.

If it was Toriko leading them on, she'd be more than willing to go along with it...but to have their fates in the hands of a jerk like this made her stomach turn. "Be careful on the journey, Toriko. It'll be a rough trip probably." The master told the hunter, getting the large hunter's attention. Course, he was sure he'll be fine with the Blind Bandit who survived the Gourmet World, but he'll keep that to himself. "That right?" Toriko doesn't even sound fazed. Classic. "A...um.. Do you think someone like me old be alright traveling with him? Master...?" Komatsu asked, rubbing the back of his head.

The master just seemed to notice the little guy. "Mm? You're going? Actually, who are you?" "Ah.. Sorry for being slow in telling you.. I'm called Chef Komatsu.." "He's been coming with us." Toriko informed Morijii. "Ho, a chef?! I see.." The older man started, eyeing the young chef for a moment before placing his hands on his hips and giving a slight smile. "In these long years, looking at people going on journeys... There are people I've wanted to stop no matter what, then there are people like you.." The man informed, causing Komatsu to look at him in confusion. "It's fine for you to go! Be careful!" He said, grinning widely.

"Hahaha! I bet you're glad, eh, Komatsu!" Toriko laughed. "Yes!" Komatsu said smiling brightly. "Let's get going already. Kururu and I are ready for what's going to happen next!" Sarafina said, grinning at them. Noticing the bar was emptying out, the trio quickly followed suit.

-a while later on a ship-

The colonel or whatever his name was made his way to the platform that was in the front of the room, which resembled a lot like an airplane setup, what with the way the seats were placed and all, and announced to the people in a loud clear voice, "Gentlemen, and lady, you've done well to assemble here. First I'd like to point out your bravery (Or stupidity. Depending on which hunter you're looking at) and spirit. Now then, without delay, I'll tell you the location of the Century Soup!"

-little later-

"Waaa! Amazing isn't it, Toriko-San and Sarafina! I've never been on such a big ship!" The little chef cheered as he ran ahead of the two. Don't see why he's so happy, being forced to wear this black suit thing or whatever it was called was very stupid for her to wear it! It sucks that it covered her feet, that'll make seeing the world a bit hard, but at least she can count on her eyes and other senses. Still, she pulled and moved it around to make it somewhat more tolerable. "Yeah... Full length 400 meters, full weight 200,000 tons, it's the highest class of ice breaker. You'd think the only kind of person who can easily prepare a ship like this is a wealthy person.. Something like this can probably break through a mountain sized ice drift and keep pushing along.. What place where we're going tonight now is.." Toriko started, watching the chef and trying not to have a nose bled at the woman's predicament.

-flashback-

"Towards the intense cold continent where everything is frozen...Ice Hell!" The old geezer announced. That one sentence sent a ripple of shock through everyone and most started freaking out bad. The frozen Hell with a yearly average temperature of -50 C Degrees. A massive danger zone. Not surprising at all, Sarafina wasn't freaking like the men were...but she gazed down at Kururu with a worried expression.

Surprisingly though, Zongeh was up fazed by the news and even asked what the place was. Which caused the old man to explain. "Long long ago, when there were still no cold storage and selective breeding technologies, The Old Gourmets... They were said to have gone to that legendary continent to gather ways to store their full course ingredients; that is Ice Hell! It's also known as the Gourmet Refrigerator!" He said.

"The news that continent's ice is breaking apart came a few days ago...to our ears! The cause is...a large eruption of methane hydrate! The location is the towering ice giant mountain at the centre of continent. It seems underground around that area the methane hydrate has bursted out of the ground and broke apart the ice. It is a place that is said to have been in ancient times, where a multitude of gourmets stored their full courses.. The dazzling extravagant ingredients sleeping in the ice, like those pioneers are displaying their own work, they shine with beauty. It is also known as the gourmet window show! When that ice is thawed, something hidden will flow out...century soup!" He sure loved hearing the sound of his own voice, doesn't he? "There is only an eruption of methane hydrate in the gourmet window show about every 100 years. It is therefore Century Soup! No matter what, we must find it! The once in a century, legendary soup!"

-end of flashback-

"Man, rich men sure have amazing information networks.." Toriko said as he walked over to stand by Komatsu. "Yeah.. But what's more he took counter-measures against the cold by preparing some arctic clothing, huh?" Komatsu added with a happy tone which brought a smile of her own to her face. Almost nothing gets this little guy down, huh? "Yeah, rider suits." The hunter started, bringing his arm out and put a hand on the suit, which were all surprisingly comfortable. "They were able to make a multiple layer high cold resistant rubber material suit. The thin layers rub together with each other and frictional heat preserves the temperature of the whole body. The heat insulation could even rival the Blizzard Bear's fur that lives in permafrost and use this as a substitute for it. One suit costs 7 million, this thing."

"I'm glad to know that you two are having fun at least." Sarafina muttered under her breath as Toriko laughed slightly. "Is there a problem there, Sarafina?" Looking up at him with a glare, which made her look really cute, as the woman readjusted her suit to get a better feel of it. She only had a few things to complain about it. 1. The suit's being fitted snugly to the skin, her chest, and ALL of her womanly curves now was more pronounced, which is something she can't overlook. After she had changed, in a separate room, and came back the expressions they had in their souls and how fast they turned their heads, she wanted to electrocute them all. Had they no sense of decency.

"Must you really ask me that?" Sarafina said to the giant hunter who just chuckled. Really wishing that chuckle would stop sending shivers down her back, when a voice got their attention. "Even still, it seems there isn't a version you can use for a horse, unfortunately." A..horse..? The three turned to see a white horse, its rider, from what Sarafina could tell, held a lot of power.

"Hello, Toriko-san. I am a member of the gourmet knights. My name is Takimaru." Takimaru is a young light-skinned man with slightly long black hair and keeps some of his hair brushed over his left eye. His right eye was blue-coloured. Around his head, Takimaru wears an orange turban which has a blue crescent design printed on the right side. He also has one blue stripe painted or tattooed down his right eye. That got the giant hunter's attention a bit. "Hoo.. The Gourmet Knights, eh?"

"What exactly are gourmet knights?" Komatsu asked, curious about what that group was. "I've heard of them. They are devoted band of Gourmet Hunters dedicated to the teaching of the happiness of food gourmet doctrine. There are only a few of them but they got extremely strong hearts." Sarafina explained to the shorter man. Toriko put his hands on his hips and he looked up at the kid. "It's surprising to see a young man like you with them."

"It's because I'm a new member." Takimaru explained. "I see.. How is Ai doing?" Toriko asked. Ai..? Whoever this person was, seemed to have startled Takimaru a bit. "Y..yes, leader is doing well...!" Sarafina frowned at him. He was such a bad liar. "I was surprised when I heard I would be meeting you, Toriko-San." Something that sounded like an explosion was heard from somewhere off the boat. "What the?!" "What the heck was that?! The two went as the hunters looked around trying to find the source.

Looking up to see two cannons firing off into the ocean, the bombs causing the water to go high into the air. "It's a wild beast!" The young man cried out as he tried to regain control of his horse that was bucking up. "EE~~~~~!?" Komatsu yelled as Sarafina merely crossed her arms and said, "Right... You're getting hunger now, aren't you Kururu?" The white kitten growled as a response. "Already, in this part of the ocean..?!" Toriko asked, sounding surprised. That was either good or really bad. And why was Komatsu running to the railing? More bombs went off, each shot getting closer and closer to the boat.

Sarafina smirked. Yeah...this is going to be fun... "It's a school of sharks!" Komatsu shouted in fear, looking down at the ship. A deep roar was heard from where the chef was. A clear indication that the beasts were climbing up the boat. "Komatsu! Get away from there!" Sarafina shouted over to him, getting worried for his safety. Which was unnecessary as the chef ran away from the ledge with his arms waving in the air in fear shouting, crying like a little kid. "Gyaaaaa! The sharks are climbing up~~~~~!"

"Heeeee, Grand Sharks should do just fine." Of course that man wouldn't be fazed by the event. "They'll make delicious sashimi." The Grand Shark is a large shark-like beast resembling a Great White but with legs instead of fins. Its large body is 8 meters in length and can grow to weight at least 1 ton. It climb up over the railing, mouth open and arms reaching. The blue-haired hunter rushed forward and landed a blow onto the animal, knocking it onto the boar. Holding up one finger the hunter said, "Knocking complete..."

Whipping her head around when more roaring was heard as more sharks climbed onto the deck, growling and snarling. Sarafina grabbed hold on her electric cane while Kururu charges at one of the sharks. Her growling growing louder as she was slowly getting engulfed by an icy whirlwind. The whirlwind completely covered her and both she and the whirlwind tackled three of the Grand Sharks right off the ship and back down to the waters below. Two Grand Sharks leaped towards Sarafina, but she was much faster. In mere seconds, she jabbed her cane onto the weaker parts of their body and electrocuted them, rendering them unconscious.

The others quickly rushed out ready to fight the animals with weapons and whatever they used to hunt. Hearing Zongeh yelling some ridiculous attack. Zongeh Smash? Really? And he uselessly threw some weapon at the shark that was attacking his friend, and having it bounce off of it. All three stood still for a moment before the caveman yelled for a quick pull back. "So sad...he has to be some lucky idiot to make out here alive." Sarafina said. She then sensed a great power and turned.

Walking down to meet with a Grand Shark, was a tall pale-skinned man with blonde hair, but his most notable traits is that his body is completely covered in scars He wore the black rider suit, but he also wore a full white suit with white shoes over it. He stood calmly as chaos swarmed around. "So nosy." He said. "Vice boss!" Voices shouted over to the man as a shark rushed toward him. Sarafina's eye widen a bit when in one moment the man was in front of the animal one moment and behind in the next, kneeling while holding a sword. Whoa...she had barely sensed him make a move. 'He's fast..!' She thought. "Iai: Three Piece Filleting." He simply said as the animal fell apart in half, right down the middle.

"So there are actually strong fighters on this ship after all." Sarafina said as she took a glance the young man who still sat upon his horse. He put his fists together before crossing his arms and raising them above his head then lowered them, fists clenched and a determined look on his face.

Takimaru was quickly surrounded by the Grand Sharks and in one instant, "Corkscrew Shot!" He shouted, his arms and hands a blur then a second later the animals were on the ground. "Hoo! He separated the bones and joints! What a technique." Toriko said sounding impressed. Now THAT was cool! Sarafina smiled a bit, believing that Takimaru has great potential in him, but her smile faded a bit. Based on form of his soul and energy, the attack was taking a toll on him, if his heavy breathing was any indication. 'That level of power must take exceptional power of concentration. Though he's young, as expected of a gourmet knights member.' Toriko thought as he watched the young man for a moment. 

Chapter Text

"Toriko-san! Sarafina!" Komatsu called out as he rushed over to the hunters. "Things have gotten really serious, but we all can get to the continent safely, right?" "Ah?" The hunter went before replying, "The trip's just starting. To this kind of situation, Komatsu." Toriko gave a big grin, "Aren't you already familiar?" A second later some large dinosaur looking animal with a long neck popped out of the water and snarled at the boat. "Gyaaaaa! I'm not used!" Komatsu shouted, eyes practically bugged out of his head.

Sarafina raised her head and shouted out, "Kururu!!" In a split second later, Kururu bursted out from the waters and used her large fangs to bite into the monster's neck and forcibly drag it back down. There were sounds of struggle before eventually everyone heard a very loud bone snap. The rest of the men freaked out and were ready to attack again when Kururu remerge. Soon a cold gust of wind blew in and covered the giant panther. With seconds, a baby kitten landed safely in Sarafina's arms. "Good girl..! Did you eat your fill?" She asked. "Mew!"

Sarafina smiled at her kitty before glancing back. It seemed that creature was the last of them, as the fight was now over. The surviving members of the Century Soup party (with the three included) were at the very tip of the boat, watching for landfall. "Everyone! I can see it! The ice continent..." Toriko suddenly announced as excitement appeared on his face. Someone else shouted, "I can see it! Thats the ice continent ice hell!"

Ice Hell indeed... Ice Hell was a massive pillar-like continent made almost entirely out of ice that seems to just rise out of the sea. Its surface area is a barren tundra of ice and snow that goes on for miles with almost no notable sights or landscapes aside from the Ice Mountain at the centre of the continent and it is almost impossible for ordinary outsiders to survive in this frozen wasteland without eventually freezing into ice themselves or becoming impaled by the deadly icicles often carried by the fierce snowstorms. The interior of the continent has a complex system of caves which are almost entirely devoid of beasts and are seemingly safer to traverse through than the surface of Ice Hell, and serve as the easiest and fastest way into the heart of the continent.

"Huuuuge!" Komatsu shouted at sight of this icy terrain. "Welcome back home, Kururu." Sarafina said softly. Kururu nodded her head. "Everyone, look up!" Takimaru shouted, looking up at something. Looking up in time to see a huge piece of ice break off of the wall and was falling over the boat. "How lovely." Sarafina said. "The ice shelf broke and is falling towards uuuuss!" Yea shouting is so gonna help! The boat shot some rounds at the chunk, which did absolutely nothing to it.

"It's no good, it didn't move an inch!" Someone shouted as another shouted run away, the men scattering all over. Shaking her head at them before turning to her fellow hunter, who was getting ready, "I'll let you take care of this. Have fun doing your thing." Toriko chuckled a bit as he raised an eyebrow. "So assuming I'm gonna do something?" He asked amused. Sarafina just smiled and just shrugged her shoulders. "Come on Komatsu." The blind woman said as she picked up the chef and carried him away to safety, while Komatsu was going into a panic, "Toriko-san!"

Chuckling and grinning slightly Toriko told him, "Don't lose your head..." Louder he said, "Everyone, get back.." Moving what they judged was a safe distance, the group watched him in shock, wondering what he will do. Sarafina and Komatsu, who were standing in the front, watched on, only one was curious what the hunter will do and the other with mixed feelings. Speaking to in a comforting manner, Sarafina tells Komatsu, "Relax. He's going to be fine."

"A..are you sure, Sarafina? Thats a huge piece of ice.." Komatsu asked her, still feeling worry about Toriko. Smiling, she said calmly with a smile, which earned a blush from him, "Of course. You should have more trust in Toriko, no matter who absurd he gets sometimes. And if anything happens, I'll be there to protect him." 

As the ice chunk got closer the group began to panic a bit. "Toriko-san!" Takimaru cried out in shock as the blonde man next said in a panicked, disbelief voice, "What is he doing..?!" Watching the ice coming right towards him, Toriko grinned wildly and shouted as he swung his arm, "Flying Knife!" The attacked cut the ice in half as he prepared for his next attack. What's with the wild look in his eyes? Sarafina laughed in amusement while shaking her head. He just been itching to try out his new moves, hasn't he? "Flying Fork!" Toriko shouted as he punched his fist into the air, launching the next attack. Almost did it but from the looks of it it needed just one more push. Or perhaps maybe five.

"Five Fold..." Toriko started just as the ice block was above their heads. Sarafina stood there calmly as the men around her all yelled out in fear. "Spiked Punch!" The giant hunter shouted as he finished the job. The group watched in awe as the hunter's fist connected with the block, the man himself bending a bit at the knees as the deck bowed slightly from under the pressure. It was a pebble in the pond ripple affect as the attack finished breaking the block apart, due to it being cut into half, the debris went at an angle away from the ship. Some bits of ice fell over the people, who danced around and covering their heads saying, "He broke the ice into bits!" 

Sarafina leaning over a bit to protect the young chef from the debris, unknowing pushing her chest into the back of his head, with him looking like his head was gonna explode. "It...it's not necessary to do that, Sarafina!" Komatsu said, trying not to freak out. "Relax. The frozen rain is just starting to lift." Sarafina calmly told him. Once most the ice fall had stopped, the two rushed over to Toriko. "Toriko-San!" Komatsu, really relieved to get out of that awkward position with the blind woman, cried out as he ran to the hunter. "Excellent performance, Toriko." Sarafina said, smiling. 

Before Toriko could reply that creepy old man announced, "Kukukuku, now then, from here a helicopter will be transporting you gentlemen, and lady, to the nearby summit of the ice shelf. After that, you'll be ascending of your own power...! Since a helicopter or plane can't land on ice hell. But of you came you should know that.. Here, our number will get considerably smaller. There's only one helicopter, though. If you divide into two camps, there'll be plenty of room... Get ready right away!"

"Okay, you two, we'll go in the first camp." Toriko informed the two, already heading towards the copter. "Okay!" Komatsu said. "Can't wait." Sarafina said happily as the three headed towards a huge helicopter carrier. Komatsu began to put on the head covers that came with the suit over his head as they were getting close to the landing spot. "Hey, Toriko-san. Sarafina." Komatsu asked as finishing putting the rest of his suit on as the hunters put on their gloves. "N?" "That client, colonel-san, sure is a brave man, huh...?" Toriko and Sarafina were quiet for a moment before the giant hunter asked, "Why do you say that?" Komatsu said as he sat down next to them, "I mean, he's accompanying us all the way to this kind of danger zone."

"Komatsu, that man didn't come with us." "He didn't come." Toriko and Sarafina said at the same time before looking at each other then turning to Komatsu. "Eh?" The chef went in confusion. "He ain't coming, those black suits that were all around him. They're Gourmet SR. They're made up only of the world's most select schools of martial war, the elite in personal body guarding." Toriko explained. "I...I see~~ So that's how he as able to stay calm when these wild beasts came and was able to come to such a dangerous place..." The chef started before he got cut off by the blind huntress saying, "He's not coming with us, Komatsu."

"Eh?" The small man went again as Zongeh walked up asking, "What's this? What's with these extra clothes you're wearing..." Sarafina gazed up at him before rolling her eye. By his tone of voice, he didn't take a rider suit. The idiot gave a laugh before said in a mocking tone, "How pitiful, so sensitive to the cold! You guys don't like the cold!" The blind bandit sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "At least the majority of us here will still have our skin after this is over." Sarafina said as Toriko exclaimed in shock, "Ah, Zombie, what's with those clothes you're wearing?! You'll totally freeze!" 

"Fn, even in an RPG, I'm the type that, before preparing my equipment, neatly raises my level lot when I start my journey! I don't rely on equipment and stuff in the first!" Sarafina looked at him for a moment before saying, "Please inform me that you are not naturally this stupid?" Toriko quickly looked away, trying hard not to laugh as the other man got the stupidest look on his face and was about to reply when the copter landed on a small piece of ledge and the coldest wind ever blew into the inside.

Sarafina shook her head in disappointment when Zongeh started to become a human Popsicle and Toriko handed him a suit as he said, "That's what I'm telling you. Here, it's a rider suit." Sarafina briefly wondered why two of his companions were, not only dressed properly, but also smarter than him would follow such an oaf. "From here, please climb up on your own! Because of the strong winds at the top, the helicopter can't get any closer! I'll be going to pick up the second group!" The pilot informed the group as they got off. "Well, Komatsu. Get on my back and we'll start climbing." Toriko said as he helped the chef get on his back.

-Later-

After what seemed like an eternity, the trio were finally near the top. "Huu...we finally made it.." Toriko said, sounding relieved. "Amazing, Toriko-San. We got here first!" The chef shouted over the wind. The moment their heads were over the ledge a sharp wind greeted them. "Coold!" The chef cried out as Toriko grunted a bit. The cold knocking the breath out of him. Damn! This is freezing even more! Sarafina grabbed onto the ledge, pulled herself up and used her power to scan the area. The giant hunter grinned as he put both arms on the ledge and turned to look down at the young knight, who come in the first group with them, and called down, "Heey, Takimaru, hurry u~~p!"

"Y..yes! I'm coming!" He yelled out up to him. "Toriko-San! Please look ahead!" Komatsu cried out. Sarafina stared at the beast with sad eyes as the two yelled out about the lizard in front of them. It was the Tundra Dragon. A humongous beast standing at over 85 meters in length and is easily around the size of a tall building, making humans look like ants in comparison to its great size. It had a white leathery hide and scales, and the entirety of its back is covered in blue vain-like markings that go from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. It also has faintly glowing yellow eyes. It also has very sharp fangs and numerous horns growing on the bridge of its snout. In Ice Hell, the Tundra Dragon is its own Watchdog.

From what Sarafina could see, the dragon wasn't moving and looked to be completely frozen over. "Cease your screams...it won't be causing trouble for us." Sarafina told them. Toriko, at first, didn't get what Sarafina meant by that, but when he got a closer look at it, he understood. "It's...it's freezing over?!" The hunter was completely floored. In a span of a heart beat, the animal had completely frozen over. "It's already freezing..."

"It's dead." Sarafina sadly said. "And it's not alone." She pointed up head. Much to the komatsu's astonishment, not even sixty feet from them were men that must have come here over the years that hadn't even gotten far from the ledge before they had frozen over. Dead. "What...what is this...?! Toriko-san!" Komatsu asked, shock loud in his voice. Toriko finished climbing all the way onto ground, he got off his back. He rubbed his arms to get some warmth. It feels like the cold was seeping all the way to the bone!

"Gourmet Hunters.." Toriko explained, kneeling a bit as they stared at the statutes in front of them. "The Gourmet Hunters who have reached here in the past are all completely frozen over!" Toriko stared a bit further inland. "Even though this is just the continent's trance...! So this is the intense cold hell, Ice Hell..?!"

"Wha...what happened, Toriko-san?!" Takimaru asked as he popped up from the ledge, the three turned to look back at him. "Uwah! A Tundra Dragon!" He shouted. "Takimaru!" Toriko shouted then got an excited grin. "Roll up your sleeves! If you're half hearted, you won't survive in this continent!" The young man was surprised by the hunter's look. A moment later the rest of the group climbed up and joined the others. All which shouted bout the dragon then complained bout the cold.

"This wind.. It looks like this strange wind is freezing everything." Toriko said. "In order to not get separated, we should move in a tightly knit group, don't you think, Toriko-San?" Takimaru asked, trying to talk over the wind. That sounds like good plan. The hunter's face got real serious. "Right.. I'll take the lead, everyone continue behind me." Sarafina stood right beside and told everyone, "Let's get moving, if we stick around any longer, we'll turn into frozen statues as well."

"Don't kid around!" A voice suddenly called out. "Trying to move against this is suicide! Let's take a different route!" That plan itself sounded like a suicide. "Feel free to do what ever you want." Toriko told them. "All right, let's go!" Toriko shouted, leading the way. Haha, he sure can become a leader when he wants to be. As the group passed the frozen men, Takimaru commented, "They're completely frozen, aren't they?"

"That happened because they weren't wearing cold resistant arctic clothes...?" Komatsu asked. As they continued to walk, she noticed a man laying out on his side and as comfy as can be. What...? She tried to concentrate on the man to see if she could detect something, but Toriko reached over to grab her hand and pulled her along.

While it had been some time after they started walking, it felt like they hadn't moved at all. The others could barely see their own hands in front of their faces. Just walking was becoming more and more difficult. Ice, due from the snow and what not, was forming layers on everyone's bodies. It was so bad that Komatsu put the masks they were given over his eyes and pulled the suit's mouth piece over. The very breath the group breathes out is being frozen instantly.

Poor Komatsu was having one hell of a time trying to breath though and it was becoming colder by the minute. Sarafina thought about Kururu transformation so she could provide cover for them, but she didn't know how long Kururu would last out here. 'We need to find some inhabitants with warm coats to help them cope with the cold, it not they'll be dead before this trip is over.' As Sarafina thought this, she heard a heart beat slowing down and she quickly looked behind her to sense that a man had frozen to death. Even when knowing full well the choice these people made by coming here, she couldn't help but feel absolute heartache as the group got smaller and smaller as time went on.

Suddenly a blue object quickly flew past her and the blonde-haired man, and nearly nailed his friend in the faced but at the last minute the giant hunter grabbed the object with ease. "What was that? A flying icicle?" Sarafina asked. Toriko brought the object closer to inspect. "This is... Sastrugi..?" The hunter pondered allowed for a few moments before announcing loudly to the group, "Sastrugis are breaking off and flying at us from upwind! Be careful! They're still coming!"

Sastrugis is what happens when strong winds sharpen the snow's surface until the tips harden. The words barely left his mouth before the group was barely dodging the flying objects. "Komatsu!" Sarafina shouted when one was heading right for him, which due to being exposed for so long like this to the element left him weak. Rushing and pushing him over, both just barely missing the missile of an icicle. Too close. "Komatsu! Sarafina!" Toriko called out, quickly scooping the two up in one arm while using the other arm to block and destroy the sastrugis. Unfortunately more group members quickly fell, from either being careless or caught off guard. This was really bad.

-just after dark-

No matter how many times Sarafina has seen him use his abilities, it still amazes her.. After the sastrugi incident and the missiles stopped for the moment, Toriko literally cut a huge chunk of ice large enough and very deep for the surviving members of the group to take shelter for the night. Some of the men had set up tents and what not, she and the chef were in one of the corners taking shelter. The moment the shelter was made and before the woman allowed the small chef to rest, she decided for Kururu to transform after all. 

Once Kururu turned into her monstrous panther form, she laid down and allowed Komatsu to rest on her fur, which was so surprisingly warm. With a warm blanket over him and having Kururu's fluffy tail on him, Komatsu was slowly regaining his body heat back. "Are you sure... Kururu's alright with this, Sarafina?" Komatsu asked her. The blind woman chuckled softly and patted his head. "Relax. Kururu wanted to help you out. Besides, she trusts you and Toriko, other than me, to be this close." Sarafina told him. "How are you doing? Are you getting plenty of warmth? Getting at least some of your strength back?"

"I..I'm doing fine.." Komatsu said when Takimaru approached the two with two cups steaming. "Can you drink this? It will warm you a bit." Smiling gratefully, the woman nodded. "Yes. Thank you very much." "Thank you very much." The two said gratefully. Sarafina took the cups and handed one to Komatsu. Sarafina took a sip, not really hungry, but she wasn't going to afford to waste a chance to replenish lost energy. Whatever this soup or whatever is was she was drinking was absolutely delicious! Komatsu gave a sigh of happiness and said, "It's delicious." "Agreed. It's really good" Takimaru smiled and said, "I'm glad."

"Y..you have some too, Takimaru-san." The chef offered but the other man merely held his hands up saying, "No, I'm alright. Please drink all of it." "Takimaru, you haven't eaten anything since you joined right? Ah, please forgive me for being so formal with you...Takimaru-san." Sarafina quickly corrected herself. The blond man, the yakuza vice boss, was sitting next to them laughed slightly then inquired, "It's because Gourmet Doctrine has a month of fasting, doesn't it? You've gotten used to having an empty stomach, right?"

Takimaru said nothing for a moment then told him, "I don't have any for you, old man, but.." The young man poured another cup then handed it to the other. "I have some for your subordinates. Please give it to them to drink." The blond man smiled lightly then replied, "A charitable soul? Gourmet Doctrine sure is dazzling." Takimaru got a sly look on his face. "No... There's probably not enough for an old man like you.." "Quit saying old man, old man... I'm only twenty years old." He said. Sarafina laughed at them before her eye drifted up to the ledge where Toriko was standing guard.

'Toriko hasn't come down once to sleep or eat at all... Is he alright? How could he handle being up there for so long?' Sarafina thought. She's getting really worried bout him...maybe she should take up mantle next. "Eh?! In the middle of a blizzard?!" "Hey, are you really twenty, old man?! You're kidding, right?!" Komatsu and Takimaru's voices startled her out of her thoughts. "I'm serious." The blonde man said then looked up. "Toriko's been keeping watch this whole time..."

"K..keeping watch..in case wild beasts come, right...?" Komatsu asked, looking up as well. Much as that was possible Sarafina's mind wandered back to that strange figure laying out so causally in the snow. 'I got a bad feeling bout that man... Wished I could’ve sensed a heartbeat earlier.' Sarafina thought. "You seem awfully cozy. Hey, Blind Bandit, what kind of beast is this?" The blond-haired man asked her when he saw that Komatsu was slowly getting his natural back.

"First, Kururu is not, by any means, a beast. Second, she's my house cat." Sarafina replied simply. Which caused the man to raise an eyebrow. "Please, don't give me that look. If you have something against my words or if you think of hurting her, I won't hesitate to put you down." She said the last part with an intimidating expression. The men stared at her for a moment before the boss laughed a bit. "Even with all the stories I've heard about you, you sure got guts, I'll give you that. To be the only woman among us men."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Sarafina asked him. "Easy, miss, I'm sure the old man didn't mean anything by it." Takimaru started but was surprised by her laugh. "It's alright." She smiled. "Believe me, it's alright." The blond-haired man walked over to her with a handshake. "At any rate, I'm honoured to meet with the elusive Blind Bandit. My name's Match." Sarafina gave a little bow before shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Match."

"I've heard from the grapevine you've traveled to the Gourmet World...how the hell did you survive that?" Match asked her. It was seriously freezing here and everyone knows it, but she was standing perfectly fine. Not shivering, no teeth-chattering, no sleet of ice touching her. As if the cold wasn't even affecting her. Sarafina raised a finger to her lips and simply said, "That's my little secret. I'll never tell."

-with group 2-

A tall good looking man in a black suit and sunglasses stepped foot of the entrance of Ice Hell and glanced over at the lounging man. "How long are you planning to sleep? Wake up, Barry." The man watched as the ice on the man literally broke off to reveal his partner. He was a muscular man with a moustache and beard. He had tusks on his mouth. He wears a special armour made from the shell of a Crush Turtle as his helmet covers his balding head. The man, Barrygamon, or Barry for short, stood up whole scratching his head. "Geeez... I give up. I just took an afternoon nap and I got completely frozen over."

Barry looked up at his partner and asked, "Oh? What's this? Your current lodging right now is a gourmet SP, Bogi?" Bogi smirked as he said, "The one I borrowed in the beginning the "Eating Champion" was too weak. This Gourmet SP guy is somewhat better. Anyway, where is the vice-head chef, Barry?"

"He's probably sleeping. It was too cold for him so he decided to go inside." Barry explained when an explosion erupted from the giant frozen dragon's stomach. A figure stepped out of the hole and jumped down onto the ground. A man of lean build (although this is caused by the strain springs he wears), and a bug-like appearance complete with navy, cockroach-like wings. He sports a bob cut hairstyle with a pink pigment and appears to wear red lipstick. He wore a dark blue polka dotted shirt dotted pink, a lavender veil around his waist, and cerise pants. He also wears a numbers of rings around his arms and legs which bind the size of his muscles.

"That was a nice nap. Now, food is next! Did you figure out where the Century Soup was, Bogi?" The man asked. "Yes, Tommy-sama." Bogi started then explained, "The mark of the magnificent aurora on top of the thin ice mountain. If we aim for that.."

"Then let's hurry and go there! It seems there are other Gourmet Hunters here, too, though. What should we go, vice head chef?" Barry interrupted. "And? Of course we'll slaughter them all. All except for our prey. We have bring her back no matter the cost, she's already a corpse to begin with."

Chapter Text

-later on-Toriko's group-

After the group left camp the weather got worse and worse to the point Toriko had to carry Komatsu. It was so bad that everyone was covered covered in ice. Even Sarafina's endurance was slowly running out. But she tried to power through it. Kururu stayed in her transformed state and stood over the group, trying her best to shield them. Toriko turned his head a bit to survey the group, the survivors using their arms to try to cover their face a bit. "The number of people in our group went way down..." The giant hunter stated as Match said as he too looked back, "Behind us, everyone but my subordinates retired."

"And the wind is getting even stronger. Not even the rider suits will be able to take any more, Toriko-San." Takimaru added. Looking back to the two on his back, both labouring for breath. 'Komatsu...Sarafina...' The hunter thought a bit worried when something caught his attention. There, in front of the group, were large blue-furred buffaloes whose bodies are mostly covered in snow and ice due to the extreme cold temperature of Ice Hell, making them appear as though they are frozen. Even their horns look like they are made of ice. Their eyes are pitch black and have bright red pupils which gives them an intimidating appearance. They stood there still like frozen statues.

Toriko grinned a little, what the ice would allow his face to do, and exclaimed, "All right...! Freezer Bison. These guys'll ease our hunger and we can use their pelts as arctic clothing." Turning to the men behind him Toriko continued. "Match, Takimaru. I leave Komatsu to you guys for the moment." Takimaru held up a hand as he said, "No, Toriko-San." Stretching out his frozen arms the young man continued. "Here we'll.." March finished for him, "Yeah, if we move our bodies will heat up a bit." That got the hunter's attention. "Is that so? You guys sound promising." Looking to the young chef on his back he told him, "Komatsu... Soon you'll be able to wear some warm fur."

"To...Toriko-San.. Thank you...very much..." Komatsu managed to get out. "Sarafina...you think you can watch him for a moment?" No reply. "Sarafina?!" Toriko frowned a bit and got worried when no answer came from the woman. His eyes widened when she nearly fell to the snow. Sarafina looked up at him with a smile and nodded her head. "I'm sorry. I'm okay, I'll keep watch over him." She said as she took the young chef in her arms. That cured some of the worry he had up.

Turning forward to watch the two men in front, they watched on as Takimaru preform the series of movements he had done back on the boat. "Ta...Takimaru-san... Those series of movements...what on earth are they..." Komatsu asked, watching as the young man's face got a serious look once he finished. "Before he sends out his technique, by doing those specific movements he heightens his concentration by fortifying an image of the technique being successful... A pre-shot routine!" Toriko explained as Sarafina kneeled to the ground to allow Komatsu to rest and continued to watch. "Pre-shot...routine?" Komatsu asked.

"When I use my fork and knife and I rub my hands together, that's what I'm doing." The giant hunter continued to explain. "Ah.." Komatsu went, things adding up. "Anyone can have a pre-shot routine... The higher the quality is, the higher you can expect the performance to be..!" The three watched as one of the bison charged towards Takimaru, who stood calmly before it and said, "That's some really warm fur I'm...I'll remove it!" Once the beast was close enough to the young man, he shot both hands into the animal's body with a grunt then shouted, "Corkscrew Shot!" The beast went flying over his shoulder before landing behind the man, its body shuddering. He had successfully dislocate the animal's spine.

"He..he did it!" Komatsu exclaimed in surprise as they stared at him. "That certainly was impressive.." Sarafina said in agreement as the Toriko said, sounding just as impressed, "He had great concentration."

'The more you raise he quality of your pre-shot routine, the technique's strength should get stronger and stronger.' Toriko thought to himself before turning his attention to the yakuza boss, who was standing still with his eyes closed with a look of concentration on his face, thumb pushing his sword out a bit. Sarafina tilted her head a bit. What in the world was he up to...?

Watching on as yet another beast charged at the man. In what seemed like a split second, he'd gone from standing in front of it to being behind it crouched down for a moment as blood erupted from his opponent before standing up and putting his sword away. The group of bison started to charge forward towards him. And Match was so calm. He was ready to cut them down when Toriko shouted. "Hold up, Match!"

 Match stood frozen in unknown fear as he felt something so dangerous and vicious behind him. Not that anyone could blame him, anyone would freeze up if a demon was behind them. Toriko used his intimidation to scare off the bison away. However, Kururu was getting hungry and caught one bison with her large fangs. "Two of them is plenty," Toriko explained, walking up to the blonde. "We won't kill any more pointlessly. Also, the one that Kururu's caught belongs to her, so I won't count it."

"Toriko." The blonde said simply before going silent and looking at him. Sarafina gazed into his soul. From the way it looks, his soul was telling her that Match was comparing Toriko to someone he'd met before. She can't help but wonder who. "You're both members of the Four Heavenly Kings but you're different like this too, huh...?" Match said, getting the Toriko's attention. "And?"

"You're king to life, Toriko.." Match tells him. "I don't know who in the Four Heavenly Kings you're comparing me to, but... You're a lot like that too." The group both valued life and won't kill needlessly, which was probably what drew Sarafina to the hunter...actually there's a lot more that did...and made her feel a lot more comfortable remaining in the group.

'I'm actually glad you met him. He's seems to be very reliable...even if he gets annoying sometimes..' She told Sarafina. The blind woman smiled. "Does that mean you'll trust him now?" She asked her. 'NO! He's still needs to truly prove to me that he can protect you.'

-later that night-

'Wonder what's going to happen now..' Sarafina thought, snuggling into Kururu's fur this time. Komatsu polity declined the offer as he didn't want to burden the icy feline again. Ah well.. Though they haven't been out long, it felt like forever since she felt the sun. Looking up from the shelter Toriko once again had made for everyone. Match walked over and proceeded to climb up. Probably wants to switch out with Toriko in thanks for saving his subordinate. Nice gesture but he wouldn't last long up there.

Sarafina concentrated more of her power, but not to help herself. Instead, she gently dispatched her power to the everyone around her, including Toriko and Match above. Either to keep them warm or to enhanced their physical strength. She needed to do something to help them, but this was the most she could do for now. Sarafina knew she had to save her energy for herself so when a fight appears, she'll be ready. But.... These people need the extra help more than she does right now, considering where they are. Hopefully, she won't have to use all of it when a fight does come.

-next day-

From the moment the group got up, the feeling of something coming their way kept nagging at her. 'Most certainly something is. And I'm willing to bet it's the Gourmet Corp that'll be coming after the soup and me. I need to ready, I won't leave Toriko with that burden again.'  She blinked a bit when a fur blanket was dropped over her and looked up to see Toriko putting a similar blanket over the chef, though he practically drowned in his where hers was ground level. The blanket felt so warm! "Here, Komatsu, Sarafina. This should alleviate most of the cold." Toriko says.

"T..thank you very much." Komatsu said, a thankful smile on his face. "Thank you Toriko." Sarafina noticed that he, Toriko, and the blonde guy Match were the only ones who didn't have any of the fur coats. She hoped they'd be okay with just the energy she gave them. "Okay, let's go!" Toriko announced, turning to look at the remainder of the group. "If we enter ice mountain the wind should calm down, too."

"Yeah!" The men said in unison. Good thing that they were, moving will help keep the group warm. "!" Quickly turning to look behind her, Sarafina glanced back to the endless horizon of ice and snow. What...the heck was that just now? The feeling Sarafina had suddenly got sharp for a moment before vanishing.

Gourmet Corp

Tommyrod sighed deeply, the small group walking past the frozen second group. Honestly. How disgusting these creatures are. "Everyone's pretty damn frozen, such eyesores." Barry said, surveying the frozen statutes. No arguing there. "It's understandable in this cold." Bogi explained. Tommyrod glanced over and watched a dying man being frozen over while shouting something about dying in a place like this. Finding him annoying, Tommyrod walked over and finished him by thrusting his arm through his chest. "Did you not think you'd die?" Tommyrod asked, the man falling over dead. "Bye-bye!" That man should be the last of the group...wait.. Tommyrod peered off to the side a bit noticing a set of tracks heading towards the mountain. 

"With him, all of the second camp are eliminated, aren't they.." Bogi started. "No..." Tommyrod replied as he as well noticed the tracks. "One is going ahead." He kneeled down to inspect the footprints. "What's more, he's doing so calmly."

"Ain't that Toriko?" That oaf Barry asked. "Any of the first camp's footprints would have disappeared quite quickly." Bogi explained to him. Judging from the look of the bug man's expression he came to the same conclusion as well. Whoever's tracks those were was certainly skilled. Did a new party enter the game? If so, who? "Well, whatever. It's such a pain. Let's try attacking." Tommyrod stated, standing up and opening his mouth. The two men next to him started to panic as one of his precious bugs started to crawl out of his mouth. This one resembled of an overgrown grasshopper with teeth. "Attack the men in the group but leave the woman alone. My Master will be very upset with me if I fail to bring her alive." Tommyrod commanded it.

Toriko's group

Sarafina let out a sneeze. Someone must be talking about her... Meh, must be her grandfather again. He had ALWAYS been such a worrywart. Anyway, back to the task in hand. They finally reached the mountain, which had sheer ice covering it. "We're...we're here..! This is...ice hell's ice mountain!" The men shouted once the group was directly in front of it. She'd be more impressed but considering all but a bit of feeling was left in her. It didn't help that the entire group was covered in solid, including the ones that have the fur coats.

Sarafina finally let out a sigh a relief. Finally, they made it and had survive. She can finally breath a bit easier. "Thank goodness..." Sarafina said softly as, without warning, her knees buckled and was about to fall when a strong warm arm caught her. "Whoa! Easy there! You ok, Sarafina?" Toriko asked her. "....Alive.." Sarafina said in between breaths. "I've managed to keep everyone alive... ...I'm so happy..." The hunter smiled slightly, the ice on his face cracking a bit. "Yeah... You did great." Toriko watched the woman he held, he also turned to Komatsu, who was still standing. He was surprised he wasn't exhausted as he expected him to be...but he suspected that Sarafina somehow might had something to do with it.

'Its not just for show, how they always go on these trips with me.' He thought to himself. It's like their supported by an unbreakable heart on these severe journeys. Match took this as a cue. "You guys did well enduring this much, too. That's why you're gourmet yakuza members." Matched thanked his men, who were breathing just as bad as the other two, he gripped his sword a bit. "If you guys lost to something like nature I wouldn't know who to get revenge on."

"Vice boss..." The men said as Takimaru walked over to Toriko and asked, "Shall we take a small break, Toriko-san?"

"No, let's hurry on ahead." The hunter replied the group venturing into the mountain more. The wind outside the cave howled was enough to make a shiver go through their body again. A grin formed on the large man's face. "The Century Soup is somewhere in this ice mountain. Let's go while the meal's hot...!" She sighed slightly, smile brightly when Toriko's stomach growled loud enough for the group to hear. "Okay, let's go! I wanna eat some soon, that soup!

 "And there he goes, skipping like an adorable little child." Sarafina said. The trio watched said hunter skipped ahead stomach growling. "Toriko-San... Could it be... You're just hurrying cause your hungry...?" Takimaru asked. Sarafina giggled at his question. Guess he's going to get a first hand look at the hunter's eating habits. The poor guy has no idea what he's in for. "That's exactly right, Takimaru-san." Komatsu answered for him. "Kururu, you can change back now. The cave is just up ahead. You did great sweetie." The others held themselves as a massive wave of freezing wind came and the Panther turned back into her baby form again. "What the hell kind of house cat is that?" Match asked.

Gourmet Corp.

By the time Tommyrod had finished giving "birth" to the fourth and last bug,  he commanded his small army of insect-like beasts with a level higher than thirty, maybe around forty,  "Now, go scour this land for prey. My parasitic bugs." Tommyrod told his babies before he unleashed them. The other two, who hid instantly the moment Tommyrod started the bugs, bursted out from the snow once they felt that it was alright to come out. "Vice head chef!" "Tommy-sama! Please tell us if you're gonna send them out!" The men exclaimed the moment they popped out of the snow.

"Huh?"

"Your bugs!"

"They're calm, those bugs just now. They indiscriminately lay eggs from their anus to the digestive organs... Comparatively they're not dangerous, these kind of parasitic insects." Liked how calmly the man explained things to the others, who only seemed to freak out more at the information. "That's plenty dangerous! Vice head chef, do you even know the capture level of the bugs you raise?!"

"By dangerous... You mean guys like this?" Tommyrod asked as he opened his mouth to expose an ominous face inside. The two men were quickly silenced as they stared back in horror. Right... that one...? That one was far more dangerous than the ones he let loose.

-Toriko's group-

After venturing further into the cavern, it slowly became much warmer, though not by much, as the walls slowly became some of the prettiest ice they've ever seen. Komatsu walked up to the nearest wall and placed a hand on it. "A...amazing. What pretty ice.. Who would've thought Ice Hell would have such beautiful ice.." Komatsu commented, admiration in his voice. "Hey Komatsu! It's safe to take off the fur pelt now." Toriko called over to him. Sarafina bit back a chuckle when Komatsu shouted loud in surprise as they removed the fur, "Ah, it really got warm!"

"Of course it did. Majority of that coldness was due to the wind." Setsuna explained, the hunter nodding in agreement. "It's as you'd expect. The wind's stopped." The giant man added, putting a hand on his hip. "That strange strong wind is characterise as a wind that's local to this continent. Since the atmosphere of ice mountain is warmed up due to the methane hydrate, it's forcing all the wind to be blown back towards the rest of the continent's true source."

"I...I see... That's why it's called an act of suicide to try to get close to this ice hell while things are in these conditions..." Komatsu wondered as he clutched his fur closer to him. "But if it wasn't like it is now we wouldn't be able to get the thawed Century Soup." Sarafina informed, the group moving along a bit faster now, probably due to the fact that being in a warmer place helped, if Sarafina didn't know any better, she'd say happy, bubbly energy the giant hunter had was a troublemaking one.

"Yeah...but to think that it's so cold that the ice world's guard would freeze.." The chef's comment brought a look onto Toriko's and Sarafina's faces. They both strongly believed that it wasn't natural causes that killed the Tundra Dragon. "You mean the tundra dragon..? That dragon wouldn't even flinch at this level of cold." Toriko told Komatsu. "Eh?" The chef went as the blind woman explained, "It was killed first. Then the poor thing froze in the snowstorm afterwards."

"K..killed?! No way.." Komatsu looked up at the hunters in shocked disbelief. "The Tundra Dragon's capture level is a little over 50... Who on earth could have...?!" From the look on both Toriko's and Sarafina's faces, they already knew or might know who.

Gourmet Corp group

The wind and snow had long ago formed ice on the small group but the men continued to move unaffected by it. Suddenly the trio stopped in their tracks as they stared at four frozen objects not that far ahead of the group. Wait..those were the insects the chef released. Both Bogi and Barry gasped as they started on bout how the bugs were possibly killed. "No." Tommyrod informed them, kneeling down next to the fallen insects. 

His bugs weren't dead, but stunned. Gotta say it's quite impressive. Not just anyone can knock insects as rare as these. Which means the opponent ahead was strong which also means that someone capable of doing such a thing. The wind suddenly picked up in speed and power. A severe blizzard. The behemoth quickly got in front of the bug man and Bogi to shield them from it. They can't waste any time. They must obtain the Century Soup and that undead woman.

Toriko's group

"An aurora?" Andrea wondered aloud. What did that mean? Why would they even look for that? What was an aurora? "The Century Soup is said to be able to dance in the wind. That aurora is called is Gourmet Curtain. It's truly like a curtain opening to a restaurant that's been closed for a hundred years inviting customers in. It's like a guide post leading us to the century soup..." Toriko explained. "Yeah, I'm sure that old man said that." Toriko grined as he took a bite out of the meat. "Yes, he said that." Komatsu added.

"In this huge ice mountain, we have no choice but to find that aurora first." Takimaru added. She couldn't but sigh silently as she took another bite of her own piece. "The aurora is a guide.. It's really like a fairy tale story." Match said, slicing up his meat. "If this is a fairy tale then I hope this will end with a 'Happily Ever After'." Sarafina said, tearing off a piece and giving it to Kururu. "Y..yes...though if it were possible to have less wild beasts show up it would be a lot more fairy tale like.. Though the ice is pretty.." Komatsu said, staring at the huge corpse of a Silver Grizzly. Silver Grizzlies are large ursine beasts standing at 14 meters in height while standing on their rear legs, making them quite imposing to the average sized human, they also an incredible weight of 9 tons. Silver Grizzlies as their name suggests are covered in white fur that looks almost like silver. On their heads they have three horns growing vertically down their foreheads.

"It's a valuable source of protein in this intensely cold land. Be more grateful, Komatsu." Toriko told him as he took another bite before continuing, "Even raw, the Silver Grizzly can be plenty edible with some spices." Sarafina tried not to smile as the chef's soul had a glum expression as he eat. Bet he wished he was eating some soup instead. Bet that cute little thing would like some as well.

"Uwaoh! That surprised me! What's this?!" Komatsu shouted in surprise. "Yun." Standing behind Komatsu was the cutest little pink penguin. It was a small baby Wall Penguin whose height barely reaches Komatsu's waist. It has bright pink and fluffy feathers with a dark pink spot in the middle of its belly and small beady black eyes. "Oh wow. That guy's rare. It's a child wall penguin." Toriko exclaimed in surprise.

"W..Wall Penguin..?" Komatsu asked nervously, glancing over to the giant hunter. "Yun! Yun! Yun!" The little bird chirped out in a very cute manner. Komatsu's lips spread into a wide and bright smile. "It's..it's so cute~~ What is it~~" The chef started as he quickly started to cuddle with the animal. "This is fairy tale like~~"

"What a quick change of tone." Sarafina smiled. "That guy's an endangered species." The hunter explained as Takimaru added, "It's even a lost child, isn't it?"

"Must be, if it's here with us and not with its parents like it should be." Sarafina said, trying not to laugh as the little animal poked the chef in the cheek with its beak which he let out a "ow" from him. Followed by another peck which got another ow followed by a series of pecks. "Ow ow ow ow ow. Hey, hey." Komatsu went as the penguin chirped out in a sing-song way. "Yu-un yun yun."

"This guy~~ What're you doin~~" Komatsu hugged/cuddled the little baby closer. "The child Wall Penguin isn't cautious, it'll get attached to any living thing that comes near it... Even meat-eating wild beasts. Because of that it's been preyed on and it's numbers have decreased.." Toriko informed as he continued to eat. While they were on the subject, Sarafina snapped her fingers as she remembered something. She smiled as she said, "That's right! I heard that the parents on the other hand, are absolutely brutal. They're probably rampaging all over looking for this little babe as we speak."

Ooh boy.... The chef gave the hunters a look. "Huh?! Are you serious?" Komatsu asked them. "They'll think you abducted him. 100 percent chance." Toriko said as he took another bite. "Hahaha, that'll be so amusing!" Sarafina said, laughing as Komatsu panicked at his potential demise. "Fufu.. A baby penguin that got separated from his parents, huh..?" Match commented, standing up. "Match-san." Komatsu looked at the the blond gangster. "That sounds like a pain." The man said before he smirked. "Our real journey starts here. We need to retain our strength for the crucial time." 

That seemed like that was directed more towards the larger man. If so, that would explain the feeling that the two were sizing each other up. Sarafina smiled a bit. In terms of power, the gangster wouldn't win against the hunter. From what Sarafina had witnessed from the yakuza, his attacks rely on his body's energy and if that's so, then the cold is stealing most of his energy. Which meant he was feeling it more than they were but.. Well... It's not like they worked together cause they wanted to. After all, each man wanted the soup. She listened as the two men bid each other a good night.

"U..um.. You guys in Match-san's group... Why did you come to get the Century Soup..?" The three gangsters stared at him. Guess they don't want to talk about it. Komatsu became flustered and said, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "I just said that accidentally... Ah .. I'm sorry... Forget it.."

"Nerg city. That's the city we live in." They replied. Whatever that place was surprised Toriko a bit. "A slum, huh...? The crime city, not affiliated with the IGO, Nerg." Toriko explained, taking a bite out of another piece. "Nerg city, huh?" Sarafina said. "That's the lawless area where ingredients prohibited from circulation are publicly marketed, isn't it? They say 10% of the prisoners in gourmet prison are said to come from Nerg city, the criminal producing factory." The young Gourmet Knight explained a bit. "Takimaru-san, be kind." Andrea gently chided. "Just because a few bad apples have come from a place like that, should not mean that every person from there is wicked."

"Thank you, miss. Pardon us, but it's still our hometown where we were born in..." The black haired gangster said simply. Toriko waited for a moment , a serious expression on his face, before speaking, "Match took up this request for the reward money, it would seem, but... If it was just about money, selling illegal ingredients would get him a higher percentage.." He does have a strong point there. Then it stands to reason that these gentlemen either  want the soup for themselves or..maybe share it...but with who?

"Of course." The black haired man continued, "Vice boss plans to bring back the soup. For the sake of the children there with no families." Now that was not exactly what she suspected. But since it's for them then...that means these guys were also...?  Everyone was left silent by the surprising news. Except the adorable little penguin who kept chirping away happily.

This time the blonde one spoke. "Us three were originally street children.. Dirty brats.. Back then, the only one that answered our begging was him, who was already a lieutenant of the Gourmet Mafia in those days, Match-san. For us who just searched through garbage for food scraps, Match-san was...blessing us with a feast we'd never seen before. I've never experienced an impact surpassing the happiness of that moment.."

Wow...he really moved these guys that much? No words could describe the feelings for what the girl was told. She couldn't blame him, because she understood their feelings. She was just the same...her grandfather only did a three things for her, but those three were what saved her and made her into the person she is today. "So the reason you guys entered the gourmet yakuza was because you're indebted to him from that time.." The large hunter pointed out with a cocky grin.

The black haired man smiled a bit before he added, "We were saved...with just a single feast...though I may be exaggerating.. We returned from being hyenas back to human beings.. Match-san said it, too.. How he was a hyena once before the boss recruited him and this is what the boss said to him: if you want to repay your debt, don't return it to me. Return it to the hungry children of the slums." Their boss said that?

"He sounds like quite the guy...your boss." Sarafina said as Komatsu stared at them in amazement before going, "T..then..."

"The ultimate evilly poverty and you can say the orphans are the biggest victims of that.." So true. As painful as it is, children are usually the ones to suffer most from that fact alone. Sarafina clenched her fists on her lap. "Because from the start, children have committed no sins. Us, the gourmet yakuza, beings living in the underworld society of Nerg City... Are an organisation much hated by the constitutional countries, but... For the children born in Nerg City unable to get enough food, they can't comprehend the discrimination...! Match-san always says: The first thing is being fed. Being a good person or a bad person is after that."

Sarafina's respect for these men have just gone up a whole lot. Her perceptive of this world has really been changing for the better.

Chapter Text

The vice-gang leader's words rang in Komatsu head for a few moments before he spoke up, "Match-san and the others... Maybe that time, and when they've broken the law, too... Maybe it was for that reason..." The giant hunter grinned and said with a laugh, "There's always a reason isn't there?"

"B...but...! I think wanting to give the soup to the children to eat is a wonderful idea! I'm sure the one who requested us, Mr. Coloniel Mokkoi, will understand, too...! Ow! Yun!" Komatsu shouted excitedly. "I highly doubt that, Komatsu, but it would be nice that old creature would think so for once in his life." Sarafina mumbled to herself as she chewed her piece absently.

She'd bet her reputation that if that old bastard thought things weren't gonna be in his favour he'd leave them all there to die without so much as a second thought. Sarafina narrowed her pale blue eye as a bitter memory came up. Where she had cried, begged, screamed for someone...anyone to help her. To save her from the nightmare she has been living in. But they took one look her before turning away in disgust. A few of the men chuckled a bit at the statement, bringing her out from her thoughts.

"We've never cared about what the old man thinks. We just wanted to know where the soup was." Toriko explained. Given this group's personality that was a no brainer that was their main thought. "...But to go as far as facing such danger for a high level ingredient..." Takimaru started when Toriko interrupted, "What about you, Takimaru?" The question startled the young man a bit and went, "Eh?" The hunter took a big bite out of yet another piece before he continued, "The gourmet Knights members do properly know about this work, right? The century soup. I think high class food like this is far from the recommendations for principle food in gourmet doctrine, but..."

Takimaru stared at him for a moment before turning his gaze down. 'His soul is telling me that he's holding in a lot of grief and responsibility for coming here...I also sense...a touch of guilt within the poor boy.' Sarafina thought to herself as she stared at Takimaru's soul. Had he come here for the purpose of wanted to prove himself to the others? He was rather young, so it would be understandable. But...it didn't feel that way. "The other members...don't know about this job..." The young man admitted quietly.

"I knew it...I thought it was strange that you were here alone.. To begin with, this work is not the type of request they would leave to a single young member." Toriko said, rather smugly as he held a hand out as he finished. "Could you have not even told that Ai person this?" That name seemed to set Takimaru off. "I...I didn't tell Aimaru-san... Even though he's the leader..."

"...Why would you take this huge job alone..?" Toriko asked. The giant man cried out in pain as he got smacked hard in the shoulder, followed by. "Toriko, please stop that! You don't have to push him so hard." Sarafina chided at him. "I'm not! It was just a question." Toriko started to protest when the young man said quietly, looking down, "I...I need...money... A great deal of money. The country of Life... I need money to buy medicine sold there.." This took the group by surprise. While buying medicine was very common and not at all surprising, it was the idea that a Gourmet Knight was the one who was getting them as it violated their code of natural healing. The giant hunter then asked, curious, "Medicine...? What kind?"

"A...a medicine for curing any diseases. One said to cure any diseases." The words the young man said earned a couple of smirks from the mafia members. "In other words, helping someone, eh...?" The blonde man said as the black hair one spoke, "Fn. You're the same as us, facing danger for the sake of helping other people, ain't ya?"

"A medicine for curing any illness... But surely, Gourmet Doctrine says that..." Toriko started when the young man cut in. "Yes.. Gourmet Doctrine teaches that ones life should be entrusted to nature. Administering man made medicines to fight against a disease is an act against the teachings of gourmet doctrine but..." Takimaru's voice started to crack as he spoke in loud tones, "But if it's the country of life then..! There are many natural medicines made from food ingredients...! If it's natural, it wouldn't be going against the doctrine! But I must try to obtain a large sum of money! I must..!" Tears welled up in his eyes and began to fall, his body shaking from suppressing his emotions.

'Aimaru-san, please... Just wait a little longer...!!' His master, Aimaru means the world to Takimari. That's why he was going extreme lengths for him... "I must..!" Takimaru barely managed to get out, the group looked on with pity at him. "Takimaru-san..." The blind woman said gently, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Ta..Takimaru-san..." The chef went as Toriko stared at him for a moment before he spoke, "I won't ask for the details but..."

The hunter put a comforting hand on the young man's shaking back as he finished, "Those tears, have a value that won't lose to the century soup, Takimaru! The amount you cry, is the amount needed to make you feel relieved." The hunter turned to the mafia members. "You guys, too. When you act for someone's else sake, people bring out their greatest strength." The giant hunter got a big grin on his face as he clenched his fist in excitement as he finished in a loud excited tone, "We'll all definitely get our hands on the century soup! It's all right, I'm sure we'll find it!" The woman chuckled a bit to herself. So this is what they call being charismatic... Well, it does fit him when he's actually serious.

"What brings you out here, miss?" One of the mafia members asked her. Sarafina looked at him for a moment before giving a smile. "If I'm being honest, I'm mostly here for the adventure and my desire to want more as well to hone my skills as a hunter." She tells them. The mafia members gathered around her to ask more questions about her about where she had grown up, why she was being more 'out in the open', how she could 'see' without her sight, how she was able to get through the Gourmet World, etc.. Turns out they were somewhat huge fans of hers. As much as Sarafina wanted to quell their curiosity, she just smiled and gave them very vague answers.

Sarafina then told the group that she was tired and stood up, walked over to the tent with Kururu following close behind after snatching away one last piece of meat. They went inside and Sarafina curled up near the corner while Kururu snuggled under her arm and falling asleep. Sarafina shifted her eye over the blond-haired man as she sensed that he was still awake. She smiled and said, "You have a question for me too, don't you." Match let out a short chuckle as he asked, "How did you guys meet?"

"Me and Toriko? Well, it was merely a coincidence on a train ride. We were after the same Puffer Whale." Sarafina said as she closed her eye to get herself to go to sleep. She may have great respect for these men, but...she wasn't sure how much she could trust them. How are the chances that these men may not turn out to be friends later? "B..by the way, Torko-san... For what reason are you trying to find the soup..?" Someone asked outside. "N? I already established that, didn't I? It's because I want to eat it! That's all!" Silence appeared for a few before loud laughter rang out. A smile of her own appeared on her lips. That man does the things he does for the reason of trying it. However, she can tell right away that he wants Komatsu to try it to.

"No, Toriko's serious, Takimaru-san. It's not something to laugh a- ow!" Komatsu started before the bird's happy chirping cut through. "Stop that, you.." Guess the little cutie was pecking at him again. She yawned a bit as the hunter's laughter reached her ears. "Komatsu, he's totally attacked to you. The Wall Penguin. Look at the responsibility you've got now!" Toriko's smile could be heard in his voice. "Eh~~~~ I don't want to~~ " Komatsu cried out in agitated excitement. "And what am I gonna do when the parent comes~~~!?"

"It'll attack you without hesitation, of course." Toriko simply stated. "And he tells him these things even knowing that.." Sarafina said quietly to herself. "Honestly...those two.." Yawning once was all it took before she fell deeply asleep. "I knew it! The parent will misunderstand and think I kidnapped him~~~~" Komatsu panicked as he said this. "But if you let him go he'll be eaten by wild beasts..." Toriko tells him. "I'd feel bad if I did though.."

'Fufufu... What's with that 'because I want to eat it myself'... He's doing it for that cook, Komatsu, and the girl Sarafina. Though the way those three act it's like they're close or something.' Match mused to himself as he glanced over to the sleeping form of the woman. The vibe he was getting from her was strange. The way she acts...the way she speaks... Match didn't know how, but he got the feeling that Sarafina was intentionally being vague and distant when talking about herself. As if she were hiding something from the rest of the world. But what? He let out a "hmph" silently to himself. Whatever. It's late and he was tired. That Toriko..what a guy. Match smiled slightly to himself as he fell asleep, unaware that the three Gourmet Corp members and the strange man that traveled with them had arrived at the ice mountain.

Gourmet Corp group

"I give up.." Bogie sighed deeply as the small group wandered the beautiful ice cavern for the hundredth time. This wasn't what he had in mind when they entered the mountain! Easy in, kill everyone, grab the prey and the soup and wait for a ride home to show up. "This place is a total ice maze... Finding the aurora here is the key, Tommy-sama." Bogie informed the chef as he looked around. "Yeah, right. It's such a drag!" Tommyrod exclaimed in a bored tone. "Can't we just smash it? This mountain?"

As amusing as the two's expressions were it was time to get a move on. His two teammates watched in silence as the bug man give "birth" to countless Bomb Bugs. Bomb Bugs contain a natural store of flammable components, which will ignite under the right circumstances. However, the details surrounding that physiological phenomenon are still not fully understood, making it a mysterious creature indeed. They work wonders when they detonated.

Once again the others panicked, saying, "Please don't detonate them yet, Tommy-sama!" Though as weak as those two were, guess he couldn't blame them for running for cover. Tommyrod then gave 'birth' to the real Detonation Bug. Like the Bomb Bug, its physiology is mostly a mystery. However, it is known that the Detonation Bug's functions make it a perfect detonation switch for Bomb Bugs. The details of this process remain unclear. Show time was all the pink-haired man thought before he quickly killed it, setting off the biggest explosion that could be heard for miles around.

Toriko's group

A large explosion startled her out of sleep, causing her and Kururu to jump a foot into the air. "What on Earth was that?!" Sarafina exclaimed as the others were quickly getting up as they tried to figure out what was going on. "What was that sound just now?!" One of the mafia members asked as everyone rushed outside. "Toriko-san!" Takimaru exclaimed as everyone looked towards the direction of the explosion to see huge columns of smoke rising up. Her heart dropped at the sensation she felt. Wasn't that the entryway...?

"That's...an explosion?!" Takimaru exclaimed as the group stared at the huge rising smoke in the distance. Toriko stared ahead as he said, tone serious, "Get ready soon. We're departing."

"I'm on it." Sarafina said as she walked over to the tent. "Eh?!" The young man exclaimed as the hunter continued, "Their enemies...! I think that's likely."

"Enemies...?!" Asked a surprised Takimaru. "Yes... Enemies struggling against us for the ingredient. This time, it's probably them..." Toriko explained walking back to the tent to help take care of it. If it is indeed Gourmet Corp then chances are good that they're also after Sarafina... What he didn't understand was why Gourmet Corp would be so hellbent on having her, since they had just barely failed to get the jewel meat. Grinpatch told him that she was a valuable energy source, but he had no idea on what he meant by that..but regardless of that. 'I'm sure they've invested some real fighting force this time!' Toriko thought to himself as he put away the supplies. "Let's hurry!"

"To...Toriko-san..um... " Komatsu started rubbing the back of his head nervously. "This penguin..w..what do I do with it...?" Oh right.... The little cutie was still hanging around him. The little one chirped and snuggled closer to the chef. "There won't be a problem if you bring him along with us. In exchange, you need to make sure to take care of him." The hunter told him seriously. "R...right.." The chef started as he gently herded the baby. "You...please be good and come with us quietly." Sarafina smiled a bit as the bird chirped happily. "Aaa...please don't cry out like that, your parents will come! No, I want them to come but...only if they're not angry.."

A while later

Once things were cleaned up the group made haste to get a head start. Toriko once again taking the lead of the group. Noticing his head snap up a bit, catching the scent of something. "It's close by!" The giant hunter announced, running even faster. "Eh?! Do you mean the century soup?!" Takimaru asked easily keeping pace with the hunter. "Yeah, I can smell it!" Toriko replied. "Amazing! Even though we can't see the aurora anymore?!"

"He's right! I can smell it as well. It's more than likely because we smelled the century soup once in grandmother Setsu's shop. It's probably around this underground area! On the bright side at least we know it's close!" Sarafina said as one of the mafia members stammered out, "Old...lady Setsuno? You mean the Setsuno?! Awesome!" Another explosion was heard from behind again. Are those morons trying to bring the whole mountain down?! "Damn.." Toriko muttered to himself as he turned his head towards the sound. "Do those guys care at all?! Are they trying to go so far as to destroy the window show..." He stopped in mid-sentence staring at something in shock a bit.

Sarafina looked behind her as she thought she heard something. Something that was buzzing. To normal eyes, there appeared to be nothing. But Sarafina could now hear it much more clearly. Soon, in the darkness, black shapes appeared in the distance as it seemed to be heading their way. The heck are those things..? The dark made it too difficult for the others to properly judge what ever those things are. But then the blue haired man shouted, "Watch out, everyone! Something's coming!"

That statement seemed to surprise everyone. Once the things reached them her jaw dropped. Bugs?! What are bugs doing in such a place as this?! Had someone brought them here!? The little chef gave a cry of surprise. "Komatsu!" Toriko and Sarafina shouted at the same time. The woman blinked in surprise as the giant hunter drew the chef and her close to him, shielding them with his large frame. Toriko grunted in pain a bit when one of the bugs burrowed itself into his shoulder. "Toriko!" Sarafina shouted.

"Calm down, this is nothing.." The hunter said as the bug chewed its way through the other side. "Are you serious?! You're hurt-" A hell of pain interrupted she turned her head just in time to see bugs practically bite off the blonde mafia member's arm as another buried itself in his eye. "Shin!" Match called out, bringing his sword out and attempted to cut the bugs but the insects were too fast for him. Suddenly his body was struck in different spots, causing him to grunt in pain and surprise. 'Which means those people had let them loose. The hell is wrong with them?!' Sarafina thought as the blonde, Shin, yelled in pain again.

Insects. Invertebrate animal. Arthropod phylum. Over half of the species of all living things on earth are insects. Since they're the most prosperous species on earth, calling this planet a kingdom of insects wouldn't be wrong.

Sarafina grunted as she attempted to protect herself and the others when the hunter released them to try and deal with the bugs. "Th..they're fast!" Takimaru exclaimed, arms in front of himself in attempt to also protect himself. "Shit, these bugs.." Match growled as he attempted once again to slash the insects only to miss by inches. 'I probably won't him them with just one attack.' Toriko thought clenching a fist, getting ready for his move. Power and speed decreases with a longer range, but.. Glaring at an incoming bug he growled as he shouted, "How about some of this! Rapid Fire, Flying fork!" Sending the attack at the bug he hoped at least one would on it.

No such luck as the bug easily dodged the move. Tch! "Kni.." The giant hunter started his knife attack when the bug moved around it and buried itself in his side. The hunter quickly grasped the insect's intentions. It's goal was to bury itself inside and eat him from the inside out! Veins started to pop out a bit as he activated his gourmet cells. "Cheeky..little thing!" Toriko growled at it, clenching his body hard enough to expel the insect. "Seven Fold Spiked Punch!" That took care of one and that left how many?

Whipping towards the others, the blue-haired man shouted, "Everyone, be careful! These bugs crawl into your body!" Sarafina growled as she tried to dodge the attacks to the best of her abilities while also trying to gather up her power. Got a couple of scratches here and there nothing too major. Kururu took in a deep breath before blowing out a ice cold blizzard at the insects. It froze over some, but there were still so many.

Shin, who was on the ground, watched as a bug attempted to enter through the wound on his arm, growled in pain as he said, "Through my wound.." As the bug entered the wound more he drew out a handgun yelling, "Shitty bug!" Sarafina's eye widen in shock as the man shot point blank IN his arm to get at the bug while shouting at it to go to hell.

Both watched in shock as the bug, which not only survived the attack it was outside of the wound, twitch and chirp. "The bullets aren't going through?!" Shin exclaimed as Match walked over, sword out and ready to go, said to his underling, "Get out of the way, Shin!"

"Vice boss!"

"The shell's as hard as armour..! Aim for the joints..!" Quickly getting into stance he aimed and easily sliced the bug in half. A large smile appeared over Shin's face as he exclaimed in relief, "You...you did it..!"

"Don't let your guard down just yet!" The hunter called over warningly. That's right! If memory serves even if a bug is cut in half it doesn't exactly work like an animal's body so.. Without warning the upper half of the bug shot forward and launched itself at the two when the hunter quickly sliced the bug into pieces. "What...what a life force.." Shin stammered out staring at the insect clearly somewhat impressed.

"Insects have small brains called ganglion in every part of their body." The hunter explained as he also stared at the insect. "Even if it's torn apart, it will continue to move for a little while." As the woman watched on it didn't take a lot to figure out what the giant hunter was thinking. Without something appeared to wrap itself a bit around the hunter. "Nnh! You little..!" Sarafina growled at an insect, blood dripping a bit down her arm. Sarafina narrowed her eye and in an instant the bug reacted violently as it gave off a small shriek before shrivelling up and dying.

Sarafina rushed over to Shin's side and placed her hand on his arm and right side of his face. The power she had gathered was going straight into healing the man. Shin watched in awe as his arm was being restored back into its natural state and he can almost see through his right eye. As the others continued to dodge the small opponents, the insects suddenly withdrew toward the spot the explosions came from. Retreat? No. Most likely the disgusting things were called back. "It's not over, is it?" She said.

A few seconds later, three figures started to slowly come into view. Not good.. "..What?!" Someone shouted in surprise. The woman instinctively gripped at her sword. An ominous feeling working its way through her. "Looks like something else is coming. That's no bug." Match commented. Glancing over towards the group, Sarafina quickly checked the others. Luckily there were no serious injuries, save for Shin, and everyone looked like they could still fight.

"What is it.." The young man started to ask but he was quickly tuned out. What was that weird look on Toriko's face? He looked a startled and not to mention a bit freaked. "They're here...! The Gourmet Corp...!" Toriko said grimly. That surprised the others but came no surprise to Sarafina. Instead, she just sent daggers at them. "Do you mean that Gourmet Corp are our enemies, Toriko-san?!" A grim hunter replied, "Brace yourselves, guys... It's do-or-die time.."

Sarafina gripped her sword as Kururu growled at them, her fur standing on end. No way was she making herself an easy target again! Tommyrod laughed a bit as his group neatly landed in front of them. "We're here.." Tommyrod said in a sing song tone. 'Ugh...his voice is disturbing...' Sarafina thought to herself. She blinked in shock when Tommyrod suddenly lounged forward and gave Toriko a hug smiling brightly, which slightly surprised the giant hunter a bit. This creepy man reached the middle of the hunter's chest.

"Nice to meet you- so you're Toriko.." Sarafina didn't like this bad feeling that she was getting from him. Highly doubtful that that action was anything but friendly! Something must of happened cause Toriko's expression changed again. "Toriko...?" Sarafina started at the same time Tommyrod said, his expression dark, "Goodbye." Something splashed onto the ground. Her eye widen as realisation dawned on her upon picking up its scent....blood... Her Toriko's... Toriko's blood on the ground.

Laughing as Tommyrod started to move away, revealing he had stabbed his hand into the hunter's stomach. "Toriko...!" "Toriko-san!" As Tommyrod moved a bit more away he became aware he couldn't get his hand free. Looking down at the trapped man, the giant hunter smirked at him confidently as he said calm, "Thanks... Getting this close to me so suddenly... I welcome you." Toriko's eyes reminded Sarafina of a predator's look as he finished, "Since it's close combat... Greeting you is easy for me.." The hunter clenched his hand into a fist, preparing for his attack.

"Ten Fold Spiked Punch...!" He shouted as he was about to nail the man when suddenly he stopped his hand just above Tommyrod's mouth, who's jaws were wide open. Even from here she could feel something nasty was lurking over there when without warning something LURCHED from that guy's mouth and hit Toriko's fist when out of nowhere a giant penguin as tall as a building jumped down next to the groups with a roar, the force of its jump causing the ground to shake.

"Those must be the little dear's parents.." Sarafina said. Dear God, talk about showing up at the worst time! "What the?!" Her group shouted as poor Komatsu gave out a yell. Looking over at her friend she couldn't help but notice how deep in trouble he was! He obviously wasn't with the others for the soup but getting stared at was creepy! A second later another penguin appeared and just as large as the first, only with its added force caused not only the ground to shake but to collapse as well. "The ice mountain is collapsing!" Someone shouted as everyone began to fall.

Sarafina let out a small scream as the snowy kitten quickly transformed into her gigantic panther formed and caught everyone of the group by having them land on her back. "AH!! Th-thank you, Kururu!!" Komatsu cried out. "Amazing...!" Takimaru exclaimed in awe. "This is one hell of a house cat you've got lady!" Match said. Kururu landed safely on the ground and laid down for everyone to slide off her back. The young Gourmet Knight looked up and exclaimed, "The wall penguin's parents... They're looking for their child..!"

As he said this, Komatsu shook out of his daze to see the most beautiful pillar of ice show he had ever seen! Within the ice, many different creatures remain and going on with what seemed like eternity. The blind woman kneeled down and pressed her hands on the icy surface. She sensed the many creatures and plants inside the lovely pillar and smiled to herself. "The Gourmet Show Window.... It's amazing." Sarafina said, standing up as the little chef started to shout out, "Th...th...there it is...there it is! The Gourmet Show Window! We found it!"

Chapter Text

As the rest of the group stood up, they could only stand and admire it for a few moments before the younger man said in awe, "How beautiful... This is the legendary Gourmet Show Window...!" A voice from behind made them whip around. "...That means below here... The century soup is being collected below here." Her eye widen as Toriko, holding his side and looking terrible, walked closer to the group. "Toriko!" "To...Toriko-san! Are you ok?!" The two said at the same time. "Komatsu. You, go and get the soup." Toriko said as Sarafina pressed her hands on his more serious injuries and began to heal him.

"Eh?!" Komatsu went before the hunter cut him off, his tone dead serious. "At first glance...the Gourmet Show Window looks incredible. But the animals inside are scrawny... They're barely giving off any scent, and most disturbing of all... The aurora's nowhere to be seen." Now that he mentions it... If what the intel said was true then the Aurora should be very easy to find, given how close they are. Sarafina didn't like this at all. 'This does not bode well...' She thought.

"It's possible there's hardly any soup stock. You have to get it before they do. Hurry, Komatsu!" The chef looked at him with an unsure look. He said all that but he was the one panting and sweating over there. "Toriko-san..." The little chef said as the blind woman went, "Toriko, you're-." The hunter cut her off. "Save the worry for later." Looking behind he finished with confidence, "Leave these guys to me." Three of the new group's members appeared out of the rubble of ice, looking as calm as calm can be. "Am I not right in saying that the soup is right below here?" Tommyrod asked with that creepy look on his face.

"Go, Komatsu!!" Toriko shouted at them as he turned to face his enemies. Sarafina blinked in surprise when Toriko stood protectively in front of her. The polkadot guy was bad news. "Kururu, go with him now and keep him safe! This is an order!" Sarafina said in a firm tone to her panther. "Y...yes!" Komatsu replied as he took off. Kururu was hesitant, but she gave off a roar before going back to her kitten form and followed Komatsu. "Get rid of that brat in the back and get the woman." Tommyrod instructed to the others who replied with a, "Yes sir!"

"Oh no!" Toriko started when just as suddenly the two took off only to be stopped by Takimaru and Match blocking their path. "Not so fast." Match told them calmly, completely relaxed, sword at the ready as the young man put his fists together in the same pose as before. The two completely caught their oppenonts off guard for a second by their moves. "Takimaru! Match!" The hunter called over happily, relief flooding through him. "Huh?" Bogie went as Barry asked, confusion in his voice, "Who're you?"

"I've got no beef with the Gourmet Corp, but... We're after the soup too. We're not letting you take it first." Match explained simply. The chef rushed towards an entrance that appeared to go deeper into the mountain and he called out. "Thanks, Takimaru-san! Thanks, match-san!" The vice-boss spared them a glance before he informed them, "Don't get the wrong idea, you two. If you take all the soup, I'm coming after you next."

Komatsu shouted in response, "I'm definitely not going to take all of it myself! I'll definitely secure enough for everybody! Including a share for the kids in the slums!" Match just looked at him, he knew the chef was serious about what he said. Komatsu looked down into the long passage. "Ah! I...I can get down from here! Good." He said. "Komatsu!" Toriko shouted and the shorter man looked back at him for a moment.

Toriko's trust and faith in his expression was more than enough to let Komatsu know what he wanted to say. "I'm counting on you..." He told him. Yeah...he'll get the job done. He can leave it in his care. Komatsu was stunned for a moment before the biggest smile appear on his face before he replied, "Okay! Just leave it to me!" Komatsu quickly descended down into the passage with Kururu jumping on his shoulder.

A feeling of worry flooded through her. Even though he gave off that damn confidence of his... Will Toriko really be okay..? She may have healed him a bit, but.... Sarafina brought out her sword and told herself that she was going to protect them. No matter what. 'Be careful Sarafina. Don't you dare do something reckless.' "Haha, I can't make any promises on that." The blind woman told her. "Brat!" Barry shouted out before Tommyrod said, "It's fine leave him alone."

"But-." "It doesn't matter what order we kill them in. We'll eventually get them all." Tommyrod said to him. "And...I'll definitely send something after him." Tommyrod opened his mouth and released more of his insects as he began to walk closer to the two hunters. "Oh, and don't think you'll be spared Miss Bandit, I can't promise that you won't suffer once you've been brought back with us. In fact, I hoping that you'll end up screaming in pure agony." Toriko glared and grit his teeth as Tommyrod said this.

"What the?!" Match exclaimed in surprise as the young man went, "Are you after Sarafina-san?!" Toriko growled deeply a bit. "You've sure got guts, constantly attacking a woman while I'm here..." Tommyrod let out a bit of a "hmph" and replied, "Think what you will of me. I'm just following orders."

"Orders? What for?" Takimaru asked in shock as the vice boss said, eyes narrowing, "Why would the Gourmet Corp have orders to kidnap a blind woman?" Toriko stepped closer to Sarafina in a protective manner. No way. No way was he going to let this guy or anyone else take her from him. The blue-haired hunter took a good look at Tommyrod's insects before noticing that they were the same kind that had attacked them earlier.

"I see... The one who brought dangerous insects to this continent was you." Toriko said as he narrowed his eyes at the insect breeder, who laughed and smiled at his little creations. "Yep... fufu, cute, aren't they?" Tommyrod asked as his insects flew around him. Sarafina took a step forward and asked, "Before we settle this in a fight, how about you tell us what your name is?" The man gave off a creepy and unsettling wide smile as he made his introduction. "I am Tommyrod. Vice head chef of Gourmet Corp."

The vice head chef...? "I must say, it's rather rare for you people to not be confined in your mechanical suites. Does your insects have anything to do with it?" Sarafina asked. "Or is it that because last time you used them all up..?" Toriko asked him, referring to the events on Regal Island. "Looks like you failed in recovering them."

"They're coming. The GT Robots." Tommyrod said with the most horrifying expression he could muster up and what he said shocked both Toriko and Sarafina. "Huh. I wonder where they are right now. Fufu... Well, I don't need them. Anyway. Anyway, Toriko....is it okay?" Tommyrod asked as he brought out his intimidation. It was vile as his soul when Sarafina gazed upon it. A demonic, blue-skinned octopus-like being with a vein-filled, pulsing head. "May I...kill you now?"

Just his damn luck. Toriko didn't respond to this little threat as he thought about what happened with his fight with Grinpatch and Starjun. Just by how different those fights had been. Starjun was a robot, but Grinpatch was basically playing around. Which means... 'This is my first real battle with a vice head chef in the flesh.' Toriko thought to himself.

Glancing down at his left hand, which was completely froze over, he wondered what that insect exactly did to his hand?! A handicap like that against a vice chef...! He'll have to strengthen his resolve...! Taking a deep breath and shouted, "Takimaru! Match! Sarafina!" The blind woman's eye widen a bit as the hunter's fighting spirit appeared. That startled the other two a bit as Takimaru went, "T..Toriko-san!"

"I'll leave those two to you guys!" Smirking a bit the vice boss told his companion as he got his sword ready, "Don't get in my way, Takimaru boy." The young man retorted back with, "You too, old man! Don't get in my way!"

Toriko glanced over at Sarafina, who was getting ready for combat before glaring at the vice chef. He hoped she would be alright until this fight's over. The bug laughed creepily as his underlings got ready for their fights, though they looked slightly bored. Underestimating the guys already? Well, perhaps that could work to their advantage.

"Lets go!" Let the games begin.

Loud happy chirps were heard from somewhere near by. Sarafina glanced over and smiled softly. Looks like the little one and the parents were reunited. "Good for him.." The blind woman said softly to herself as she watched the family do a small happy dance. Match noticed the family as well and smiled softly. "Ha! I'm happy he found his parents." Sarafina suddenly got a creepy chill as she turned her attention towards the vice-chef.

The bug man had a dark look on his face, a feeling of foreboding came over her. The bug man said nothing as a couple of legs started to come out of his mouth. Her jaw dropped as Tommyrod bent his back backwards towards the Penguins as the largest and longest centipede shoot right out of his mouth as he shouted, "Die quietly, penguins!" The four watched in horror as the centipede aimed straight for the first parent penguin's heart and began to tunnel through the flesh of the animal. It took a lot of effort for her not to freak out at the sight.

The giant centipede exited through the animal's forehead, the adult Wall Penguin collapse to the ground. Dead. Then, just as quickly, it went into the penguin's mate's forehead as the animal quickly dropped dead in a matter of seconds before exiting through the back of the head. The insect chirped as it stared at the baby wall penguin, which just stood there in shock and shivering in fear.

Sarafina paled as she screamed out, "NO!" She thrust her out her hand towards the centipede and, deep from within its body, felt agonising pain. It stood still long enough for Toriko to throw his Flying Fork to pinned to the damn bug to the wall. Then Match completely decapitated it, which caused the head to fly towards Takimaru who quickly crushed the head with his elbows and knee. Once the head was dead, the four turned to look at the bug man with pissed off looks. "Tommyrod, you bastard.." Toriko started, glaring at him. "What was the point...of killing those penguins just now?" Tommyrod stared at him in confusion for a moment before he went, "Ah?"

Toriko's glare deepen at that. "Answer me you vile insect. Were you even hungry? Did you kill it so you could eat it afterwards?" The man was silent, the cries of the baby penguin floated over as it stood by its parents, trying to get them to move. The sounds broke her heart...that bastard.. "I ain't eating it. I just killed it because it was noisy." Tommyrod answered coldly. The hunter's expression turned real dark at that.

"Horrible..." Takimaru exclaimed softly. "You disgusting piece of...!" The blind woman started before going silent. Her power was radiating off her body due to her growing anger towards the bug man. "Rum, hand me the ice machine gun." The vice boss asked, a dark look on his face as well. "Yes, sir!" Once Match had the gun in his hand, he said to the vice-chef, "You make me sick. You're even worse scum than us." The scarred man's glare deepen at the group. "I think right now I'll exterminated the pest."

"Barry." Was all the Bogie said as the large man said, "On it." A second later the vice boss opened fire on the the trio as Barry stepped in front of his companions. Eh?! What the heck is on his skin?! It looked oily and gross! Whatever it was, the bullets just slid over his skin like butter. They weren't making any contact at all. It sure surprised Match as he let out a surprised grunt.

The young man quickly took advantage of the situation and rushed forward towards the large man. "Corkscrew...!" Takimaru started before he got interceded by Bogie. "You're mine." He told him as the young man finished his attack, "...Shot!" The attack hit Bogie right in his stomach. The sounds of tearing and ripping flesh, and bones filled the air. The...hell...?! The man that Takimaru had just attacked...was a suit of skin?!

In this instant, Bogie's real body had revealed itself. His true appearance was that of a thin, young, light-skinned man with serpentine-like eyes, semi-unruly blond hair, and two asymmetrical fangs, one pointing upward and the other pointing downward. He wore a red jogging suit with an orange boarder and brown shoes. Above his left eye is a marking with an appearance similar to a bar code. "Hey, hey... You did a great job removing my shell. I dunno know who you are or where you're from, but... I'm the Gourmet Corp's branch number five, culinary chef, Bogie Woods!" Both his appearance and voice were completely different now. "No biggie, though. I'll just make you my next host."

"What a strange guy... I am a member of the Gourmet Knights, Takimaru! Lodge me in?? If you can, I'd like to see you try!!" Takimaru responded, wondering what he meant by that. Then Bogie did something that got their attention. At first he looked like he was cracking his knuckles till he literally pushed his hand backward till it was flat. What was he?! "A Gourmet Knight, huh? The ridiculous teachings of your gourmet faith make me wanna puke." Bogie said, placing a hand on his hip. "But a lodge, I might consider you to become on of my collection."

A roar was heard and a shout, "Meat head smash!" Barry performed a head smash into the ground where Match was, who easily jumped high into the air and proceeded to shoot at the man while upside down. Quickly turning in mid air, the vice boss landed neatly only to see the attack didn't affect the man at all. Barry slowly stood up and turned to look at him. "Don't just keep running. Just stay put and this'll be over in a sec." He told him as the underlings looked at him nervously.

"Bastard..." Shin started but Match finished for him, "Looks like the gun isn't effective. All right then..." The scarred man drew out his blade once more. "The famous sword, Ryuuou... I'll take care of you with this...!!" Spoken like a true mafia gangster.

Buzzing sounds filled as the two hunters watched the starting fights of their allies. Takimaru and Match were both out classed big time. Burping sounds got their attention and whipped their heads towards the vice-chef in front of them said, "I'm your opponent... Toriko!" Many insects of different sizes and shapes surrounded Tommyrod as he yet continued to give "birth" to more. "I can't wait...to play...with you.." The bug man said between spewing more insects.

Come on! Someone's gotta be kidding with him! The hunter thought to himself as he stared in disbelief. "Oi, Tommy-sama. Should we end this little game? All we gotta do is threaten the little bitch and they'll stop." Sarafina's eye twitched in irritation when she heard this. What did they say? There was no way they'd had just threaten to use her against Toriko and the others. She gritted her teeth in frustration. She couldn't wait to squish Tommyrod's and his underlings' hearts to paste!

Suddenly shouts from over where that Bogie person and Takimaru were. She blinked as she watched Bogie kicked at the skin that was on the ground. The young Knight's eye widen. Wait..was that thing...moving..?! Please don't tell him that weirdo took out all the bones. Oh God...then...if that was the case was that poor man alive?! These Gourmet Corps members are monsters! "Cease!" The young man shouted at him as he charged forward in attempt to stop him.

Bogie laughed slightly. "I've got high hopes...for when I'm inside you!" Bogie shouted as he quickly made a strange punch move that nailed Takimaru on the side of his head. The young man closed his eyes in response to the hit that neatly knocked his wraps off his head. Takimaru clenched his teeth as he opened his left eye to reveal an eye that was completely black with a dark red pupil. The eye caused his opponent to pale a bit while he stared. "Bastard... Don't tell me that your eye..." Bogie started to say before he quickly pushed the Knight away from him. "This calls for a change of plans. That eye's cursed! I've got no use for a defective meat suit." After that he unleashed more of those weird punches. What was up with his bones? He's beyond unnatural!

Takimaru didn't move in time and took the attack full on, coughed up blood, and fell down hard. "I'll just have that yakuza, the woman or maybe even Toriko, my host." Bogie said, turning and walking away. "No way am I letting that curse rub off on me." As he began to leave, the young man slowly and shakily stood up. Bogie sensed it and turned around, surprised that he was able to move at all.

"This left eye..became what it is today thanks to someone very dear to me. I owe my existence to this left eye." If he wasn't feeling the hit from before, he definitely was now. The young man was panting hard but it didn't appear to get to him as he glared at the blond-haired man in front of him. "It may appear defective to you! But this body is supported by the love of another, and I'll never let you inhabit it!"

Bogie sighed a bit, a cocky smirk on his lips, and replied, "Surprised you stood back up. What makes you think you could keep me out of your body?" Takimaru bumped his fists together as he stood back up completely. "The rent called love is too high for the likes of you to pay!" Takimaru shouted to him in defiance. The bone man was silent for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Bwahahahaha! L-love?! Are you some kinda idiot?! Love!?" As Takimaru finished his pre-shot routine the enemy launched himself towards the young man shouting, "You think I owe anything to the bodies I inhabit?!"

Takimaru, calmness on his face, awaited for his move. Awaiting for the right moment for him to strike first...which he did and what a move is was! Hope that got that body stealing jerk outta the way! Much to Takimaru's dismay the attack did nothing to the man. Bogie gave him a sadistic smile as he gut punched Takimaru, causing him to cough up more blood and got sent flying away from the spot. The bone man smirked a bit as he stared at Takimaru. "N.. That was a pretty weird technique..." Bogie started. "Dislodging bones, huh? Or more like, joints? So the attack in the beginning that ripped me out of my lodge was that one."

Takimaru slowly stood up, coughing a bit, panting slightly as he spoke, "...No way... The bone I dislodged was the spine.." His attacked had nailed that guy's spine on point...how the hell was he even standing?! He should be paralysed, if not dead! "What I dislodged was the lumbar vertebra. Normally the nerves in your legs would be paralysed, they should be numb and you shouldn't be able to move them. Rather..with just violent hip pain or a strained back a large shouldn't be able to move them. How is he standing so calmly?!" Takimaru shouted.

Bogie laughed and said with a cocky smirk. "Incomprehensible..? It's nothing like that. My bone structure is completely different from a normal human's." Was he...bragging about this?! "The number of bones and shape of the structures are completely different." That shocked the young Knight a bit but what he said next shocked him greatly as he continued. "But the number of bones I have is about 4,000...! Also my joints and muscles are as flexible as a ballerina's, and what's more it's possible to detach them!" To prove his point he did something to his forearm to make it into a z shape.

The admission stunned Takimaru, who stared at him in disbelief. "Fufu... With my technique, I put on the bodies of various living creatures as my lodge. Not just humans, it's possible for me to enter the bodies of living things with complex body shapes. With so many bones and joints I'm able to move more complex bodies. I can already enter most living things.."

'The reason I couldn't read the trajectory of this guy's attacks was because of the many bones and joints.' The young man thought warily as he stared at Bogie. This was going to be a tough fight.. "Nevertheless, let's accurately assess your removal of my hipbone. If I were a normal man then the battle was settled but... Unfortunately for you, even with part of my spine dislodged, my body is supported by other bones. As well, my nerves can communicate with my whole body through other bones."

Reaching behind his back the bone man pulled out a small hand scythe and what appeared to be a five pound weight. The young man was surprised at the items. What...the...? "A sickle...and a weight..?!" Takimaru exclaimed while the bone man got ready for his attack, a dark look appearing on his face. "Understand? Now I'll settle this." Bogie told him, his arm with the weight doing something strange before it went flying towards Takimaru in a circular motion. As the young knight managed to barely dodge the blows he couldn't help but notice that the way the attack was moving, it reminded him of a whip.

Wait...a whip...?! As Takimaru dodged the last attack he started, shocked a bit, "Th...this is.." Bogie chuckled slightly as he confirmed for him, "So you noticed? That's right." As he stood there his arm swung in a circle, as if a rope. 'A sickle and chain! He's using his joints of his own body as the chain..' Takimaru thought to himself, trying to figure out his next move.

Before he could his opponent shouted mockingly at him, "Can you read these moves?!" His eyes widen when the attack landed a blow on the young man then the next attack nailed him in the gut, causing Takimaru to cough up blood once more. 'Th..this is bad... I can't read the paths of his attacks at all...! Unless I go into his attack range..!' Takimaru thought.

Fighting back his initial shock, Takimaru charged forward without warning, catching Bogie off guard for a moment longed enough to send his attack in the same place as before. Doubtful that'll work a second time. The man sneered before yelling, "What the hell was that?! That ain't gonna work on me!" Takimaru yelled in pain when the bone man sliced a blow across his chest. After that blows were exchanged, though it was hard to call it that when the damage was mostly dealt by the bone man to the young man.

In between blows she could hear the man mock, "Useless...! No matter how many times you dislodge them.. It's useless you idiot..!" The final blow landed on Takimaru throwing him back and falling to the ground, bloody and exhausted. Bogie looked down at him with a cocky expression that just begged to get wiped off. "It's too bad for you, seems I'm the most incompatible opponent for you..." For a brief moment, it looks like he was about to pass out. And he was the one who took most of the damage and had most likely had numerous broken bones.

D..damn.. Takimaru could hear the voices around him slowly fading into the background. He was losing conscious.. Is this has far as he goes..? Takimaru wondered to himself, his mind slowly fading to black when he suddenly recalled the words of the person he most admired.

"You're not concentrating enough, Taki. How many times have I told you? When you're sending out attacks, you can't lose focus. So you'll need to work on your power of concentration. I'll teach you a simple way to do it." Aimaru. The man who had saved his life. The man who gave him a purpose and taught him all her know. His calm and humble master who was there for him when he desperately needed someone.

Bogie, assuming he had put the young knight down for good, started to walk away when he suddenly noticed something behind him. He watched with a stunned look as Takimaru stood back up despite his severe injuries. "How can he stand...with that much damage..?" The bone man asked himself in surprise. The man was cut up badly and one heck of a bloody mess, how was he even still alive!?

The young knight bumped his fists together, getting ready to do his pre shot routine. "There's still something left I haven't done..." Takimaru informed him, a look of pure determination on his face. As he started the routine he closed his eyes to concentrate as Bogie sighed a bit then asked, tone full of exasperation. "That again...? Does doing that charm sorta thing make your attack strength go?" Bogie said as he stalked over, saying, "Well, fine. I've got something I've left undone, too."

Chapter Text

The bone man stalked over to his victim until he was right in front of Takimaru with his sickle and weight in hand. "What I still need to do is put the finishing stab into you." Bogie said as he suddenly stabbed the young man in his chest with his sickle. Blood spewed from the wound and spattered onto Bogie's face as the man smirked at him before telling the young man, "So long." The smirk quickly dropped from Bogie's face when Takimaru's expression didn't change. The bone man stared at him, Takimaru said, "It made it... The pre-shot routine.."

That set Bogie off. "Wh...what?! No way... This is a fatal wound, isn't it?!" Bogie growled at him as he bared his teeth. "The charm I just did..." Takimaru started to explain calmly. "Isn't for making my techniques stronger...! It was a pre-shot routine done to sustain my concentration absolutely unflinchingly regardless of any pain I feel...!" He punched his fist into his palm.

"Your concentration gets too easily broken. So before your techniques, use that..."

"This is my final attack..!" Takimaru said in brilliant confidence. Bogie stared a bit then got a cocky grin before replying. "...Fu...fu.. No matter what you think... It's just the last of the attacks that we know are useless, isn't it?! Haven't you learned they don't work?!"

"The one who needs to learn is you...that I haven't performed a single useless attack.." Takimaru told him, thinking back to what Bogie himself had said earlier in the fight. Even with all those bones and joints, the young knight had wondered to himself earlier, he said he could enter most. Did that mean...did that mean there were creatures he couldn't enter? If so, did that mean there were bones that couldn't be removed?

Realisation slowly dawned on the bone man as Takimaru continued. "With all the Corkscrew Shots I threw.. I realised you were delicately sliding something away from the point that I hit." Eh? He did? Damn freak. Bogie suddenly noticed that he had cut too deeply into his enemy, meaning he would have to yank out his hand with some trouble.

A sharp look appeared on the young man's face. "Is there something there? Something like a bone you don't want dislodged?" Takimaru's questions seemed to nerve him a bit. Guess that meant yes. Unnerved him enough to use the hand with weight and hit him full in the face, forcing his head back. Being unfazed by the attack, Takimaru continued. "I found it." Putting his fists on a spot Takimaru shouted, "Its heere!!!" as his arms twisted like a corkscrew while Bogie grunted in pain. "Pop out!" He shouted, finishing his attack.

Something appeared to literally pop OUT of his opponent as Bogie yelled in agony. "This...this braat..!!" Bogie's body stood there as it shivered, stuck in a pose. "He...he took out my sacrum...!" An inverted triangle located in the centre of the pelvis that's key for the skeletal structure and the foundation of the spinal support. If a slippage in the sacrum occurs, then slips in the spine and neck also occur and it experts negative influence on the flow of blood and lymph and various other parts of the body. Truly, it is beyond sustaining the health of the body, it is a bone that serves as the basis for the body.

Panting in exhaustion, Takimaru spoke. "I knew it was there... The sacrum...! The foundation that supports your 4,000 bones...! Its shape is different from the kind commonly found, though..."

"Not just the shape.. The place as well... My sacrum isn't in my pelvis...!" Bogie started to panic. "With just that much attacking and defending you found the location of my sacrum..!" The knowledge itself wasn't that surprising. What was surprising was the young man's strength of will...! While having taken all that damage to make his technique work successfully, that guy must have some real power of concentration.

It was done! He did it! Takimaru won! And giving thanks and an apology for his dear master, exhaustion overcame Takimaru and he fell flat on his face. Although he won, he believed he failed in gaining the soup. How disappointed he must be. To come this far and get like this when his goal is not far. But as he was feeling that he couldn't repay his debt to Aimaru, a familiar voice echoed through his head. "Just rest, Takimaru. You did great. Don't not fret about the Century Soup. I'm sure things will turn out alright." Sarafina's voice told him gently. His face become more softer and relieved upon hearing those words, and slipped into unconsciousness.

Small movement from the bone man as he eyed his missing piece. He needed it! If he could just get that back inside his body, then he could move again...all 4000 of his bones. "Meat Tenderiser Head!" A deep voice shouted. Then something large suddenly appeared and did a head slam RIGHT on top of the bone, surprising the bone man badly! Scared that Barry had destroyed his precious bone. But he breathed out a sigh of relief. Damn it! ...This muscle-bound idiot had just barely missed the bone. As Bogie was reliving his initial shock, Match had jumped into the scene and shouted out as he made a motion with his sword. "Single Slice Helmet Splitter!"

Though the attack missed the huge bulky man, it instead cleanly sliced the bone in half, much to Bogie's dismay. To think this place was as far as he could go.. The bone man collapsed next to Takimaru, both rendered unable to fight by each other's attacks. "Damn.." Match muttered as he put his sword away. His clothes were all torn up, sure looked like he lost the war. An annoyed look was on the yakuza's face as he continued, voice showing his displeasure, "Who's the one running away? For someone with a big body you're a quick bastard.."

The bulky man laughed a bit before he said, "You shouldn't judge me by how I look. You incompetent yakuza. Trash of society is trash after all. Looks like you don't even have the ability to measure my true power." The black hair yakuza, Rum, shouted, "We don't wanna be labeled trash of society by someone like one of you Gourmet Corp idiots!" Before more could be said Match cut him off. "You three, fall back." The vice boss narrowed his eyes a bit as he stared at the bulky opponen. There were many unexplained things bout this guy.. Without warning the large man charged forward towards him, shocking him with his speed. How the heck can he move so fast in this weather?! Match barely had time to block the attack and grunted with the effort from the force from the attack.

The force of the attacks forced Match to move back slowly as he barely staved off the bulky man. What is with that guy?! How the hell could he do backflips away from him or even do it in the first place?! Barry charged forward again but this time his attack nailed the blond-haired boss, causing him to cough up blood. "Vice boss!" "You pi-g!" Match's underlings shouted. Pointing their guns at him they fired at him but he only had a disgusted look and quickly his skin became slick, the bullets sliding off him.

Match took advantage of his distraction and made a move but the bulky man went and jumped into a ball, protecting himself from the attack. Match glanced behind him and noticed he only left scratches in the man's armour. "Damn." The vice boss muttered to himself. What kind of armour is that? Ice crushed underneath the heavy man when he landed and gave another laugh. "Pretty nice sword you got there. You cut my shell.. Not a crack in it.." Barry told him, slightly impressed at the feat.

A slight dark look appeared on the yakuza's face as he replied back. "...That's my line... So hard my katana couldn't cut you.. That's some pretty good protection." The bulky man admitted as he continued. "Kukuku... That's true. It's made by processing a certain turtle. The violent turtle of the sea... Known as the living torpedo... The Crush Turtle! It's shell's strength and durability is the highest in the natural world..! Its hardness and fracture toughness surpasses iron many times over. Now master craftsmen make pots and many other utensils out of it. But then, the Crush Turtle is level 60. So in this world it's a precious good that doesn't appear on the market often."

Match was silent for a moment before responding. "Is that right? What I was most surprised with though, was your movements... Reactions so fast that you can take on my attacks.. Your movement speed.. In the middle of this place below freezing and without wearing any insulating clothing, how can you be so nimble?" Barry was quiet for a moment then made a noise before more liquid appeared on his body. The yakuza vice-boss and his underlings exclaimed in surprise. "What the..?!" "Sweat?"

"This ain't sweat. It's anti-freeze." Anti freeze. In places like Antarctica where the ocean waters get to 0 and below, fish that live in it produce non freezing proteins (natural anti freeze) inside their bodies. This is said to protect their bodies from being frozen. "Anti-freeze. I see.." Match commented, everything starting to make a bit more sense. "So that's how you can maintain your body heat the middle of this below zero environment. And how the machine gun's bullets slip off your skin.. So you gushed out a lotta that stuff and abated the friction of the bullets?"

The man laughed once again and said, "Boxers, in order to prevent their eyelids and such from being cut by the friction of their opponent's gloves, they put vaseline on their faces as something to protect their skin. But the smoothness of my anti-freeze can't be compared to Vaseline."

"But I still don't understand... Your reaction and speed." Match started before the bulky man interrupted him. "Don't you get it, you bastard?! I ain't fast!" What? What did that even...? ...Oh no... He's right. Barry wasn't moving fast, It was Match who has moving slow due to the freezing temperatures here. Why didn't he realise this sooner?! The scarred man caught on too late when the bulky man suddenly appeared right in front of him saying, "You're slow."

With that Barry punched him square in the stomach, once again forcing him to cough up blood but didn't get the chance to recover when another blow was given and sent him flying back. Match drew his sword as he quickly recovered and rushed forward roaring. His opponent was unfazed as he used his helmet to stop the assault and merely stated, "You sure are slow." Match unleashed a series of attacks, all easily blocked and countered, another attack nailed the vice boss square in the face once again and sent him flying. "Vice boss!" "Match-san!" His underlings called out in dismay.

"You... Could it be that you actually think you can move as fast as you always do? When it's below zero?" Barrygamon asked, watching Match sit up and grunt a bit from the blows. "In this kind of environment the flexibility of muscles falls and the movement range of joints is narrowed, too. People absolutely can't perform at their best and such when their body heat's low. That's why top athletes take plenty of time to warm up. On top of my body not freezing when its below the freezing point with this anti-freeze, with a special protein my body temperature is kept high. In other words...my body is always at top gear! I'm in a state where I can always give my best performance. So now do you understand the reason why you guys who're dulled in the intense cold can't keep up with me?"

"Damn... So this place is your arena?" Match mused, sitting up more. So that was the reason why that guy looked so fast.. Match's movement had dulled. With it being like that his instant force had lowered in the cold so the techniques power and speed had slowed which meant. He would need to have more swing breadth. Slowly standing up and got into a relaxed pose, he prepared for his attack using his exhaustion.

Upon seeing this the bulky man went, "Oh? All right, so you've decided to man and accept your death! I'll crush you into mincemeat in a second!" With that said he quickly charged forward towards the vice boss. The surprise attack made against him surprised Barry as he looked over at the underlings, all three ready to fight. "You only good at charging straight in, you boar bastard?" The black haired man asked as another said, " Try changing direction once in a while." "Hey, come at us. We'll be your opponents..!" Shin said with a cocky grin. 

They were aware on what Match was planning on doing. And so as the loyal subordinates they were, they will stall for time until Match's exhaustion was complete. Barry stared at them for a minute then replied, "A~~~... In this deep cold they won't go bad, but.." A shiver went down their backs as his look turned dark. "It seems for now three pieces of kitchen waste have shown up!"

Those guys will have to put up with it for a little while as the time to take a complete perfect exhaustion was...three minutes. "The quota is.." Rum, the black haired man, started as Shin cut in, "1 minute per man!" "I guess it's on.." The last one, Louie, said. The trio quickly charged towards the much larger man. But the man wasn't worried in the slightest as he welcomed them. He only gave out a single attack, Mince Crush, and one of the trio was on the ground, unconscious.

Ten seconds...it only took ten seconds to knock him down. "Hey, hey. At least give me ten seconds per man!" The bulky man said in a cocky tone. A look of rage appeared on the vice boss's face as he growled, "You...you bastard..!" "Match-san!" Rum called out when without warning the one on the ground, Shin, suddenly attached himself to the enemy's leg. Even injured more he still...? "This...this guy...!" Barry exclaimed in surprise.

"Shin...!" Match started when Rum told him, "Pleased continue to exhaust, Match-san. Believe in us..!" Anger can cause strain on the muscles and ruin the attack. Even with this magma of anger about to erupt in him.. He must completely relax and exhaust. With just that sentence from Rum, he cooled his head and gently calmed his anger instead of forcing it.

While quietly calmly angering he softly put a lid on the intense feelings as he continued to prepare but when the time came...it would bring bout a huge swing breadth. As the vice boss calmed the bulky man flipped and started to kick at the already injured man while shouting, "Why don't you just die?! Quietly! Go to the next world, you trash bastards!"

The other blonde man, Louie gave a yell and tried attack using his sword only to have it break in half on the first try. "Meat Tenderiser Head!" Barry shouted, doing a head butt right on the underlings' head, blood pouring down from his face as he was about to lose consciousness until at the last second as he was about to collapsed he slammed the half of his sword into his foot.

As Louie kneeled huffing and trying to stay awake as the larger man raised his foot preparing to stomp him. "You cut your foot to stimulate yourself and stop from falling unconscious, huh? How useless.. I'll put you to asleep again soon." Just as he was about to bring his foot down when the tip of an ice gun was pointed directly into his side as Rum said, "You, go to sleep." And shot him point in the side, the force making the bulky man go flying a bit.

The larger man gave a scowl and growled, "What? You want to die first?" The spot that was shot was uninjured and smoke lightly coming off of it. The black haired man grimaced a bit. "Shit.. Even shooting his body at point blank range did nothing...?" Barry vanished for a moment then reappeared shouting, "Mince Lariat!" Barry slams his armoured forearm into the black haired underling square in the face, the force of the attack throwing him to the ground.

As if the attack done wasn't enough the brute unleashed three more attacks which landed on the poor man's stomach, chest and head. Barry, lifting his fist as blood dripped off it from the bloody mess, laughed a bit. "What a nice look for you. The three of you together could only hang on for a minute and a half?" The large man asked, the black haired man coughed up blood.

Glancing over to Match, Barry took notice of the dark look on his face. No need to wonder if the vice boss was angry about what was happening to his subordinates. Arms suddenly wrapped around one of Barry's legs, which surprised the large man. "Shin..." The iron will of these men...even when broken and beaten, Shin was still fighting. "N...not...yet... You boar bastard..." The blonde man got out as he hung on, face full of determination and anger.

The look on his opponent's face got real dark then clasped his hands together before raising them then slammed them down hard on the subordinate and repeated the action while shouting with annoyance in his voice, "Persistent, aren't you..! You pieces of trash-!" Match watched on calmly and wondered to himself just how huge a swing would be born from this anger towards the large man.

It was so hard to watch and not be able to do something for anyone to be in this situation. That type of feeling would be normal for another person...but how hard must it be on Match? How hard it must be to watch his friends being broken down to nothing and must remain calm? "Hurry up and diiiiiiiie!!" Barrygamon shouted one last time as he brought the final blow down on Shin. At this point, it was highly doubtful the man could feel anything any more.

"Ma..match-san... We're...counting...on...you...to...avenge..us!" Shin barely managed to get out before he passed out. At least Match hoped he passed out. The look on the Yakuza face darken more as the time limit was reached. Finally. Three minutes had elapsed. "Mincing complete~~~ Kukkukku, trash like this, no matter how much I mince it, it can't be used in any sorta cooking." It took everything in him not to snap. That low life piece of...!

A movement from the vice boss once again caught the enemy's attention. Oddly enough, Barry got a cocky grin on his face. "The three pieces of kitchen scraps I finished off... They were your comrades, right? You'd better put 'em out for garbage collection. Ah, that's impossible.." Match said nothing as the bulky man charged at him. "Because now I'll make you into garbage, too. Into stinking kitchen scraps!"

Match didn't make a move even as the man charged at him when all of a sudden it seemed like the vice boss had become a erupting volcano and moved so fast that it seemed like she had just blinked and missed the movement till she saw him kneeling far from behind Barry. Match let out a small sigh as the two tried to process on what had just happened. Barry turned around and stared at the scar man in confusion.

"Hey you... Those protectors... I'm sure you said they were made from a turtle's shell, right..?" Match asked, standing up slowly as he put away his sword. Yeah..Barry had mentioned something about that Crush Turtle earlier. The bulky man just stood there, still trying to process the situation. Turning slightly to face him, a slight grin on his face, Match continued, "I'll tell you what my weapon is made of, too.." Bringing his sword up closer he unsheathed it a bit as a dark look came over him.

"This katana is made from a certain dragon's fang. Those fangs can tear apart and chew apart anything in this world... The owner of these fangs is the king of the aquatic dragons, the Leodragon! The monster that can crush the shell of and preys on the violent turtle of the sea, the Crush Turtle." That sentence seemed to have startled Barry since it caused him to gasp in shock. Match glanced over to his subordinates with a sorrowful look and said quietly, "Rum. Shin. Louie. I've avenged you..." They put up such a fight. He was proud of them.

A loud crack drew her attention over to the large man and saw his large belt had been cut in half. "It...it's been cut...!? This strongest of protection...?!" The bulky man exclaimed in shock as the vice boss explained, "The greatest exhaustion and the biggest anger... The Leodragon's method of hunting is to go from total suppression of its presence to attacking instantaneously." Match brought the sword closer to his face to look at it as he finished. "The famous sword Ryuuou! This might be the first time I've fully utilised it!"

A second later a large wound behind the belt appeared and gushed out blood. "I..I've been...by trash..." The bulky man started as the wound traveled quickly up, blood gushing in its wake e en as his helmet cracked he shouted one last time in shock. "By pieces of tra-sh!"

"The one who's trash is you..." Match told him as he walked away even as blood literally erupted from the man behind him. "A huge hunk of trash." Taking a few more feet before the scarred man collapsed to one knee, using his sword as support, breathing heavy. He couldn't believe their luck! Somehow...somehow he won...! Although he can say that there was no confidence in them it a lot of force to say those words. He was aware of the truth, the opponents he and Takimaru had fought were at a vastly higher level than those two were.

Those two that were distantly inferior in power could not say they won with true confidence. It was far too early for those two with vastly inferior power to be convinced they won. One could consider it a selfish desire... The sacrum popped out of Bogey, the other bones were mobilising to compensate for it and the mending of nerve communication was in the process of being completed, though Match wasn't aware of it. And he wasn't aware of the organs he had cut in Barry was being pasted together due to the Gori scallions the man had stored in his skin. The vice boss was solely focusing on his body, which refused to move. Damnit...he knew it..

His body wouldn't listen to him due to the breadth of the swing from his exhaustion was too big.. "Match... Match, stop it! You've done enough..." A feminine voice startled him out of his thoughts and turned his attention to the woman. Sarafina... somehow, even without her sight, she was looking right at him in concern and worry. And somehow, she was speaking to him through his mind as she continued. "Do not waste your energy in finishing those two off. I think you've got some time before any more surprises happen.." His eyes widen a bit. How'd she know that was his next thought. "Just concentrate on getting your strength back. I'll do my best to heal you and your men as best as I can. Once you can move again....then do what you want with them. And don't worry about Toriko. I'll keep him safe."

He blinked a bit at the smile of confidence. Even though she looked like she was in pain, she can still worry about others..? Wait... Why does she looked like she's in pain? She may have been fighting along Toriko, but it didn't seem like she had taken any damage. Like hell he's gonna sit pretty and let someone else fight these tough opponents. Even being in her position, she still fought on. It would be quite shameful and shameful indeed to sit here...considering he was the only one who could still move. If Toriko's here...he can still fight!

"I need to lend Toriko a hand...!" The vice boss exclaimed as he shakily stood up. 'Stubborn man..' The woman thought to herself with a slight smile. As Match was struggling to stand up, he suddenly felt the sharp stinging pain of knives going through his body and he whipped his heads towards only to see Toriko's intimidation fighting with an octopus-like monster. Match gave a yell of shock at the sight.

Bugs of every size and shape quickly lounged towards the two hunters in an attack but Toriko, who gave a yell, quickly countered it with a series of his fork attack that just as quickly took the insects out. Sarafina turned her sword into a whip of blades and swung at the tiny menace. In a single strike, most of the insects were wiped out. But it seemed like these insects were never ending. As if the more they kill, the more that come to take their place.

Just where the hell are these insane amount of bugs coming from?! Glancing over to the pink haired man realisation dawned on her. He produced that many in so short of time? Unfortunately, their attacks had missed some of the insects and they successfully made it to and started to burrow unto Toriko's body. Veins appeared under his eyes as he gave a "Ooo" sound before using his muscles to literally push the bugs out of his body and giving a shout as he did so. 

Toriko punched the ground with all his strength, smashing the bugs to a slimy paste as the bug man quickly replaced the fallen insects with new ones in no time flat. "Damn..." Toriko muttered as he stared at the newly birthed insects. Just what he needed.. He spared a glance at his frozen hand.. Just a little more time. "Toriko!" Sarafina shouted grabbing his attention.

Without warning two insects came out of nowhere and landed on his back. "!" He quickly looked and saw the dynamite like insects sitting there. The bug man gave a loud roar of excitement. Those guys are really dangerous! The bug man killed something and a loud click was heard from Toriko's back. In a split second, Toriko shoved the blind woman away to safety.

A bright loud and a loud explosion occurred a second later, covering everything. The force of the explosion forced Match to cover his face and Sarafina to turn her face away, her hair flying all over the place. Tommy still had that creepy grin as he watched on. 'Wha...what's with this fight...?' Matched wondered as the light slowly died down. Those guys were on a totally different plane. There was no way he could go in at all! "Oh no! Toriko!" Sarafina shouted out. Please please, please let him be alright!

Chapter Text

As the smoke cleared the three of them were shocked at the sight. There stood Toriko, smoking a bit and the only thing lost in the explosion was his shirt. The creepy smile the bug man had only got creepier as he laughed and then said, "Your clothes were caught right in the explosion, and were blown oooff!? Hahahaha! Hey, can you fight without insulated clothi-ng, Toriko?"

"Don't worry. Because in just a second I'm gonna pound your funny looking face in." The hunter informed him as Match walked up from behind saying, "That's rash, Toriko." Toriko glanced behind to see the vice boss had removed his shirt and was holding it out to him. "In these below freezing conditions... You can't fight without a rider suit... Use mine..."

"Match.." Toriko said, looking at him in slight surprise. Despite the gallant gesture even Sarafina could sense him shaking from the cold. The bug man said nothing as he watched on. "I want to fight with you, but unfortunately, I... Much less than lending you a hand, I'd be holding you back... It's humiliating but... This is all I can do to help..." The vice boss finished.

The hunger was silent as he stared at the scarred man before glancing over to his companions and saw that their fights are over. Without warning the bugs started to head towards them. "! To..Toriko behind you!" Match explained, panic clearly in his voice. "Match..." Toriko said calmly as he walked over, unaffected by the fact that the insects were heading their way. A gentle look was on Toriko's face as he continued. "You did well.. Thank you."

Sarafina smiled softly at the blue-haired man. Just like him, not to be fazed at all by the oncoming attack and thanked Match and the others for the pain they had taken. A giggle escaped her when she saw the surprised look the scarred man had in his soul. Toriko placed a hand on Match's shoulder and told him, "You use the rider suit... I don't need it."

The wind brought a very unusual scent over to her. Eh? Why...did it smell like a forest? And where was it coming from? "Toriko..." Match said, noticing the smell as well and thought it was like being in a forest. Both Match and Sarafina noticed at that exact moment that bugs, which weren't that far from the men, stop and just sat there, staring at them. What? Why weren't they attacking?

Glancing over to the men once again, Sarafina had the feeling that the scent she was getting was involved in the strange behaviour and that Toriko was the cause. Tommyrod had a strange dark crazy look as he looked over to his fallen comrades. "What is this..." He started before he shouted in anger and disbelief. "What!? Did you lose, you guuuys?!" The shout snapped the two men out of their conversation and quickly looked over to the bug man as his face darken even more. "I don't need you any more. The most you can be is food for the bugs." Tommyrod said coldly.

What did he just say?! Yes these men were scumbags but they were his companions! Didn't he have any compassion towards them?! Her eyes widen as he pointed his finger towards them and the bugs quickly headed over. No...wait! They were still alive! Match exclaimed in shock, "Hey, they're not dead yet!" Toriko's face darken and clenched his fists clench before he gave a loud roar.

Once again Match felt the force as it quickly destroyed the bugs before it reached the group. Steam rose up from the hunter's body as he glared darkly at the bug man. "Thank your comrades a little for the fighting they've done." Tommyrod said nothing, just stared at the hunter. The vice-boss watched on in shock, trying to figure out what just happened and why the very air shook for a moment. And the air, it was so hot! Was it coming from Toriko's body?!

Tommy gave a chuckle before replying, "How childish.." A bug started to emerge from his mouth and got a cold expression. "Guys who don't do their job are just trash. So isn't it fine to kill them?" The bug man's throat and mouth bulged in a way that resembled of that a frog, but it didn't make it any less disgusting.

A moment later bee-like insects emerged and started to head towards the larger man. "Hurry up and die-!!" Tommy shouted. The hunter had a look of pure confidence and determination. "Tommyrod! You're the kind of lowlife one doesn't see too often... Of all the bugs, you're the biggest pest!" Toriko informed him.

Toriko gave another loud yell, this time the force of it was directed toward the hand that was covered in ice. The force shattered and broke the ice off of his hand, which had turned completely black from the tips of his fingers to his wrist. That...wasn't good. That meant his hand was... The woman's eye widen as he stared at it then he clenched the blacken hand into a fist. What?! That hand shouldn't even be able...

Match couldn't get over at how hot the temperature was by Toriko, which was at a huge temperature. The bug man got a creepy sly smirk on his face as he commented, "Nfu? Shivering, eh...? That's pretty childish." The bees started to attack the large hunter as he prepared for his next attack and shouted at Tommyrod , "Come here yourself, Tommyyyy!" Much to Sarafina's amazement the knife attack was used. Tommy watched as the attack hit his bees. 'The frozen right hand had been thawed with shivering, huh?'

Shivering:on occasions where it is cold when the body temperature goes down. The physiological phenomenon where heat is generated through the body trembling in order to preserve body temperature. It's because of that Toriko's body was producing enough body heat to retain his body temp in this freezing environment and halting the necrosis in his right hand. Due to the nerves continuously concentrating on the shiver it'll keep his hand thawed.

Match, who was shivering just a bit ago from the cold, looked kinda warm and if that was any indication the heat that the hunter was giving off must be tremendous. Which also, without any shred of doubt, meant that Toriko was burning calories at a very high rate. "I'll say it one more time, Tommy." Toriko started, face darkening once again. "Without relying on the bugs... Come at me yourself, fair and square...!" The bug man, who had his hands on his hips, grinned creepily before his face bulged and gave birth to a new round of bees, shouting, "I don't wanna, you bwi~~diot!"

Toriko brought his arms over his head and gave a roar before bringing his arms down and quickly fired his knife and fork attacks at the bugs, which a majority of them fell under the onslaught. The ones that didn't get hit by the attacks quickly got closer to the hunter who responded by using the roar force thing from before and finished the rest. Vanishing for a moment only to reappear by the bug man Toriko shouted, "Ta-take this!! Ten Fold Spiked Punch!" As he shouted his hand turned into a fist to start his attack but he quickly did a beautiful back flip in mid air away from the bug man when he saw Tommyrod had responded by opening his mouth wider than before to reveal a scary face looking thing inside his mouth.

Once Toriko landed he gave another shout and threw a fork attack towards his opponent who half brought out another centipede-like insect, half out due to only having its end still inside its breeder's mouth while it's front half dealt with the attack, took the attack head on and was instantly killed. 'This guy.. Just how many parasitic bugs does he have living inside him?' Toriko wondered to himself, wondering how many bugs he will have to fight. Tommyrod's laugh snapped him outta his thoughts. "That childish shivering. How many minutes longer do you think you can keep it up, Toriko?" The bug man asked, spitting out the dead bug and wiping his chin clean.

Shivering, generally speaking, was said to have a maximum time of two hours. To go over that limit and stopping the muscle's trembling, the body's temperature would suddenly start to drop and would lead to death. If his plan was to continue to continuously release tens of thousands of watts of energy using his incredible metabolism but...even he couldn't go beyond two hours doing that. The large hunter said nothing for a moment before he asked, getting the bug man's attention, "What about you... You haven't got an inexhaustible supply of insects... I'm sure you have your limit, too..."

That creepy smile once again appeared on the bug man's face. There are countless parasitic eggs stored inside his body. In number there are approximately 10,00 eggs... The moment an egg was hatched in his esophagus and born out his mouth. The insect carries out with it energy from inside Tommy's body. Each one of them took 1500 kilocalories, which is 400 grams of sugar. About the same amount of calories lost by a 60 kg person running a marathon of 25 kilometres. For a normal person, there would be enough fatigue for a while of rest to be needed. Having this knowledge, the pink haired man responded, another bug coming forth as he spoke, "Yeah.. About 1,000 more would be my limit, I guess."

The statement shocked the hunter if his expression of disbelief was any indication. "Guah!" Toriko went as one large bee stung him in left form. Toriko quickly killed it, the spot where it nailed him swelled into a large red lump. Brown Eyes widening in shock as more bugs landed and quickly attacked the large man before he could kill them fast enough, gritting his teeth in pain at the bites.

Toriko looked straight at his opponent, bugs swarming around, shouted at him, "Tommy!" A cocky smirk appeared on the hunter's lips as he continued to challenge the bug man. "Is it that against me... You've got faith that you can win?" He grunted again in pain as more bugs bit into him, causing blood to spray a bit. Her face paled. How the hell is he so cocky with all that going on? "So you're relying...! On the bugs? Oh?! Are you that afraid of me...?! So you're a vice head chef in name only.. You're just a snivelling coward...!"

Tommyrod's smile got even creepier as he replied, unruffled by the taunts, "Trying to lure me in won't work, Toriko. Your opponent will be the bugs, alone... Fufu. Because after all, my goal is the soup and the woman. So it doesn't matter how I kill you." Doesn't this guy have any real human emotions other than that disgusting creepy smile? 'Tommyrod... He's real trouble...' Toriko thought to himself, watching the bug man slightly nervous. 'He's got no emotions at all, like a bug.. He's cold bloodily focusing solely on his goal.'

'I have a hunch that this time the Gourmet Corp's seriously aiming for the ingredient. So that's the reason why they sent this guy in...' Toriko mused to himself, sparing a slight glance towards Sarafina. She was looking for a good opportunity to strike against him. The blind woman snapped her head at his direction and rushed towards him. Toriko grunted in surprised pain as a large mosquito landed onto his back and stabbed its nose into the middle of his back as the rest of its allies quickly took advantage of the hunter's distraction and burrowed into Toriko's body.

"To..Toriko!" The vice boss also shouted, drawing his sword in an attempt to help. "Ugh" Match grunted a bit as the bugs turned their attention to him and Sarafina. "I don't think so." The Blind Bandit said. Her eye widen in anger as her power was unleashed from her being when she thrust her arms out. The bugs around them and those around, and burrowing in, Toriko, had quickly expelled them from his body and away from them.

The bugs let out a shriek as the shrivelled up before being reduced to dust. That power also went to Toriko and Match to heal them up a bit. Doing both attack and healing at once was may more than she was used to. She tired her best to hold back a cough, but she could do nothing to stop the trail of blood ran from the corner of her lip down to her chin. But...from the ways of things the toll on the large man seemed to be a bit better. He wasn't breathing as heavily and appeared to be slightly refreshed. But it wasn't enough. How much longer can this go on?

"H...how about that, Tommy?" Toriko asked, once again looking straight caught at him. "Seeing these bugs you gave birth to die, don't you feel anything as the parent?" Toriko... His question made the woman stare at him with sympathy. Was he still hoping for some emotion in that guy? After everything that has happened, from the very start, Sarafina knew that he didn't feel one bit of attachment towards his bugs. Yet again, a weird expression appeared on the bug man's face before looking down at the body at the giant centipede.

"I don't.." A look of rage and disgust quickly appeared on his face before he viciously kicked the corpse out of the way as he continued, yelling as he spoke. "Feel a thing about this tra-sh! Just die! Things that can't serve their purpooose ARE ALL.." As Tommyrod said this his throat expanded the largest Toriko has seen yet but what a vile man! Didn't he feel a thing towards the bugs he gave birth to?! How can he just throw life away? "TRAAAA~~~SH!" The bug man finished shouting, hundreds of bugs coming out of his mouth.

"Don't hold it against your parent!" Toriko shouted at the bugs as he prepared his attack. "Five Fold Spiked Punch!" The attack wiped out the insects in a flash. Just as soon as the first wave of the bugs vanished the next wave appeared which the hunter used his punch again just quickly. The bug man continued to birth more bugs and Toriko used fork on the wave but only managed to get some as most of the bugs moved quickly out of the way. 

This fight was beyond crazy! Sarafina then rushed to Toriko when some of the insects nailed him in his chest. She quickly turned her sword into a whip and slashed at some of them. Toriko was going to run out of energy at this rate and that damn bug bastard just kept spewing more. Her eye widen when she felt a creepy chill and turned to Toriko and pressed her hand on his chest just as Toriko pushed Sarafina out of the way for her own safety.

Within an instant, the bugs covered the two hunters from head to toe. "To.." Matched watched on in disbelief. "Toriko!!" Sarafina shouted. Tommyrod had a cocky smile on his face as he looked on. Finally! It took forever to take him down. Toriko collapsed to his knees which caused that smile to grow even wider. "T..Toriko..!" The woman yelled at him, very desperate to get him to respond.

"Hehehe, can he even be alive at this point?" Tommyrod asked as Match shouted in despair, "To...Torikooooo!" This seriously can't be..! What..? Match blinked again to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Were...the insects getting off of him...? Suddenly a vision of being in a huge forest appeared out of nowhere. Was this real?! Or was it just him seeing this?! What the heck was this?! Wait! Toriko?! Some of the bugs buzzed slightly, causing the two to snap out of whatever that was. The scarred man had a confused expression as he wiped his head back and forth trying to figure out what had happened. Was that an illusion?!

Sarafina glanced at Tommyrod and sensed that he was nearing his limit. His limit of 1000 insects! Just as he thought, the hunter couldn't stop them! Tommyrod mused in triumph, breathing heavy from bringing so many insects forth. A crazy smile appeared on his face as he laughed. "Aahhah! What a pitiful sight! Now just rot away as food for my bugs, Toriko!" Suddenly Tommyrod went into a coughing fit. Tommyrod wiped his face a bit as he mused, 'Fuu.. As to be expected from sending out 1,000 bugs at once.. I consumed quite a lot of my bodily strength. It's not as though I can't produce any more, but... I can't cut down my bodily energy anymore. I need to preserve it for that one, too..' 

The pink haired man turned his attention towards the last two. The scar man was no threat, but the woman... Hmm... She might be a bit of trouble if he wasn't careful. Still the blind woman has great limitations. All he had to do was make her use them up. Match looked back, breathing hard slightly and had his hand on his sword. Without warning Tommyrod used his intimidation, startling the vice boss enough to fall back. A cocky expression formed as he turned away from him. "Hmph. A tiny thing." 

He turned his attention to the woman. "You.. You've got the worse luck. Having to deal with those fools who tried to have you captured alive. I think I'll remedy that before I get the Century Soup." "What!?" Match shouted in surprise. Sarafina didn't react to his threat. "You never seem to tire out from your foolish ambition. Attacking, using cheap tricks and whatever it takes to take me back to your hellhole. If you think I'm justing going just stand around and let you do that, well you got another thing coming." Sarafina said as her power radiated off her body, a transparent figure appeared over her before quickly vanishing.

Tommyrod's grin widen when he saw blood trickled down her chin. "What a mouthy woman you are. With my own hands, I will rendered you so close to death you will be an easy delivery to our base." "Are you sure?" Match said suddenly, both not wanting him to get away without a fight and not have him attack the blind woman. "Leaving me alive... Even if it's just a small mouse, if you don't kill it you can be sure.. Someday it'll grow into a tiger and it'll come to kill when you let your guard down."

An "are you an idiot?" expression crossed the bug man's face. "Ah? But I'm already killing you?" What?! A bug erupted from Match's arm, earning a yell of pain from him. Tommy laughed s bit, placing his hands on his hips as he looked down on Match. "I didn't care about your life from the beginning, scum."

"The only scum here is YOU!" Sarafina hissed at him as, in a split second, appeared right before Tommyrod and stabbed him through the stomach, surprising the bug man greatly. Then he felt his organs and some of his insects inside him began bursting and rotten from within. Tommyrod quickly backed away wanting to get as far as he can. Sarafina narrowed her eye as she moved her whip of blades in a rapid speed you could barely see with the naked eye. Tommyrod's beating heart and the ten of thousands eggs in his body were more than enough to find him. "20%." Sarafina said.

The bug man, for a moment, looked scared. He, as well as the many others at Gourmet Corp, know full well of her abilities and the based on the look in her eye Sarafina was serious on killing him. The many blades slashed at his skin as he tried to dodge them. Tommyrod spewed out more insects but upon being exposed to the air, they were quickly destroyed. Sarafina bent slightly before sprinting towards the pink-haired man slammed her palm against his chest.

"25%." Her power exploded within him and he felt his heart nearly burst in place. He coughed out blood as he was shoved backwards. Tommyrod fell to his knees as clenched his chest...he felt like he was dying! The sheer pain and agony his body was unbearable! It was like his body was decomposing and dissolving from the inside out. He saw Sarafina walking towards him with a cold look in her eye. She reached out her hand toward him. She was preparing to rip away something more vital right out of his body. She means it. She was going to kill him!

*COUGH! COUGH!*

Tommyrod's eyes widen as Sarafina covered her mouth as she went into a coughing fit. She coughed, hacked and wheezed as blood escaped her throat. "Hey! Sarafina!!" Match yelled out as he watched in horror as Sarafina threw up a chunk of blood...and her body receiving deep slash wounds on her arms, legs, back and chest. Sarafina nearly staggered as she used her sword to hold her up. She felt her body getting weaker. No! She can't be overcome by this again!

Sarafina rushed forward and stabbed Tommyrod through his left shoulder. Using more of her power, 30% of it, to rip out that one vital piece and put an end it to him and get everyone else healed and to safety. But before she could go through with it, once again, Sarafina coughed up blood and with her natural reflex, Tommyrod took this to his advantage and slammed his fist against her stomach, knocking her away from him. That one forceful attack knocked her flat on her back...and she could barely move. Her sword landed a few feet away from her. The blow knocked the air clean out of her and the hit left her in a daze.

"Sarafina!!" Match called out as Tommyrod got back up to his feet and gazed down at the bleeding woman. He didn't think she'll get back up anytime soon what with her body growing weaker with each passing second. Tommyrod hoped she wasn't dumb enough to try that again, he needed her back with her still functioning but at least he succeeded getting her down to her limitations. Glancing towards the other hunter, who was still in the same pose as before. That had caused a faint worry in him. Was he really dead? Certainly whether or not Toriko was dead or alive was something that couldn't be ignored.

Looking more at him he suddenly realised that the hunter was still on his knees and didn't collapse. Why wasn't he collapsing?! Even if it was just a slim possibility of the soup being prevented from being captured then it must be completely eliminated. Just like he thought, with those piece of trash bugs he couldn't relax. He decided as he quickly leapt towards the down hunter. He'll make sure to kill him with his own hands. So Toriko would never creep up them again, all the way to the abyss of hell, fall to the depths!

Sarafina, unable to move or speak, watched on helplessly as the bug man stabbed the hunter in the chest with his hand once again. Much Tommyrod's surprise the attack stopped just short of making when Toriko grabbed the bug man's hand just before it reached."Toriko...." She thought happily, not caring at how dark state Toriko's soul had. She felt so relieved that Toriko was alive, she honestly she felt like she could kiss him.

"So you Finally got close to me... Tommyrod...!" One thing was for sure, the pink-haired man sure was surprised as hell and stared at him in clear disbelief. "Let me invite you. This is hell." The bug man was about to respond as his face darkened once more as Toriko continued on. "However...IT'S YOURS!" Toriko shouted as he rammed his fist into the bug man's stomach. "It's Ten Fold Punch!" Toriko shouted once more as he did his signature attack.

The force of the punch threw him back and just as quickly he did so, thing that gave off some force which stopped him aways from the hunger, a dark angry expression on his face. The sight as a whole shocked the heck out of Match who watched on, covered in blood. Tommyrod stood up straight, as if the attack hadn't affected him at all. Suddenly he coughed up blood. Tommyrod doubled over as he coughs up more blood.

Toriko looked at his hand before turning his attention over to his opponent he said, "Finally... I was finally able to drive a shot in..! No...ten shots to be precise!" Which he paid heavily for if his heavy breathing was any indication. "TORIKO! YOU BASTARD! How, from the bugs' attack..?" Tommyrod asked angrily as he himself continued to pay for the attack. The giant hunter said nothing before answering, "On my body... Do you smell something?" That statement threw the bug man off for moment. "...Ah?!" Realisation dawned on Tommyrod as he asked in disbelief. "Could it be.. This smell is... Seiyu..?! Essential oil..!?"

"Essential oil..I'm sure that's.." Match started a bit as he tried to wrap his head around it. The fragrant substance plants expel! He quickly looked at his arm and swathe bug that was attacking him was sluggish, dulled. The bugs movements are dulling?! Toriko's face was one of anger as his gourmet cells were activated, told the pink haired man, "Now the bugs can no longer attack! We're finally going Mano-a-mano!! Tommyrod! You'd better prepare yourself...! Because I'm gonna give you a serious wild match! The real wild me is not nearly as kind as what you've seen up till now!" The bug man's expression was serious as he activated his own gourmet cells. There was no mistaking it. This guy's releasing the substance from his body that bugs hate! This was phytoncide...! So the gourmet cells' self-defence instinct went into operation!? A smirk appeared a bit as he mused at what a fool Toriko was.

Chapter Text

Plants: to eat leaves or tree trunks and to fight against foreign enemies such as bugs, they cannot move or run away from their set place. So in order to defend themselves there, they expel a substance to kill bugs and germs, defending themselves. That material is called phytoncide. Getting attacked by nearly a thousand insects and prepared for death, Toriko's body let out this substance. It is a defensive instinct produced by the gourmet cells. That is something Toriko's specialised sense organs's characteristics produced for the first time.

Rows of sharp teeth were revealed as the bug man's expression even more enraged then it had been this whole time. "Impossible.. The smell I hate most is in the air..." He growled out. Truth be told even though it can cause harm to insects and other creatures, it was an extremely benevolent substance in appearance. In forests, this effect improved mood and gave an invigorating refresh feeling. As a component of the smell in forests, a soothing and tranquil forest bath, was what basking in the phytoncide was. So back then, when Toriko thanked them for their hard work, Match felt back then of being wrapped in a huge forest and in that moment he was enveloped in a mysterious sensation and when the insects stopped their assault. Even at that moment, though it was just a little, this smell was already rising from Toriko's body?

Toriko's seemingly unnatural kindness and anger.. And actions of trying to take pity on his opponents even in the middle of battle.. Remembering the threat of the bugs, made Toriko's instinct... Calmly... That was what was in the soothing air Toriko emitted, the component analogous to the forest aroma that insects hated.. With Toriko's gourmet cells specialising in sense of smell, they eagerly specified that and steadily of this secreted the smell close to essential oil containing the phytoncide component from inside the body. Essential oil had a soothing smell that was used in things like aroma therapy. The reason that while in front of a tragedy, Match saw a forest appear before his eyes w as the effect smell...? Also.. Phytoncide was transmitted from tree to tree within forests. Though it was only a small amount, that scent had already traveled from Toriko to Match.

The movements of the insects that had been attacking Match had dulled because of that. One of the fighters stomped his foot, drawing attention once again. "It starts now, Tommy!! I'll give you a true, wild fight from me!" Not to anyone's surprise, the giant hunter seem really excited to get this brawl started. Tommyrod's face was really frightening as he growled back, "Idiot. If you'd just gotten killed by the bugs, your death would have been much easier!" The two men were standing within arms length from each other. Sarafina gazes at them before she called out to her temporary ally. "M-Match?" Sarafina called weakly, her voice startling him a bit. "Please forgive me, but... do you think you can help me get up...?"

"What a thing to ask. Are you hoping to accomplish?" The scarred man said as he stood up slowly and walked over to her. The fight between Toriko and the bug man was getting really bad, with Tommy LITERALLY biting chunks of flesh out of the giant hunter. "What in the hell were you doing earlier?" The vice boss asked as he carefully picked her up. "The way you were attacking that guy, the aura around wasn't normal. How did you do something like and why did it leave you like this?" Match had to really be careful with her. Her body was severely injured and was losing a lot of blood, how was she even still breathing?

Sarafina had simply gave him a sad smile and told him, "Even if I were to tell you...I don't think you would be able to understand. It's...just a curse I was inflicted with upon birth. That's all." The soft tone she used to say that, along with her smile, greatly confused the mafia man and many more question arose in his head. What curse? What was she talking about? How could she be smiling? And why was the pain he had been feeling was suddenly being reduced to nothing? He got his answer to that one as when he looked down, and saw a turquoise blue energy seeping from her body and into his own. It was healing him. She was healing him.

"Hey stop it!" Match shouted at her. What the hell is she thinking!? "What you doing?! You're the one that's needs medical help!" Sarafina didn't react to his shouts and kept smiling her sad smile. She shook her head. "It's alright. ....My life is not anywhere near as important...as those around me." Sarafina said. "That being said...I have to help him..." A thud was heard and both turned to see the bug man land and spit out something from his mouth. Match's eyes widened in shock when she realise it was a piece of torn skin from Toriko.

Toriko said nothing, lifting his hand up to inspect it. Match's jaws dropped when he saw that on the hand he used for Fork was missing it's pinky finger. "T..this... Fight has to..." Sarafina started as the bug man spoke, "To..Toriko! Kukukukukku, fragile isn't it! That Fork you hold so proudly!" The cocky expression Tommy had quickly got wiped off when a wing fell off his back. As he glanced to look at his torn wing the large hunter also spit out a piece of flesh he had taken off before he replied, "Same with those... Cockroach-like wings of yours. I didn't think I'd get through this without any wounds from the beginning. By sacrificing fork I was able to take a bite into your wing."

The pink haired man said nothing as he got cocky smirk before he took a deep breath. "Wouah" Match shouted as the force coming off of Tommyrod threw him and Sarafina back into the ice wall. Toriko watched the shivering coming off the guy. The heat wasn't half bad! Tommy appeared to have breathed out something that nailed Toriko in the shoulder, catching him unawares. What the?! The bug man continued to blow out and as he did so the hunter continued to get plummeted by whatever he was doing. It almost looked like he was shooting air-like bullets.... Wait a second, was he using steam bullets? No...he was using bug eggs he STEAMED and doing it that way?!

Maybe without the insect eggs to incubate, he was blowing out the boiled moisture of the eggs with high temperature and high pressure and they were exploding on the hunter's body like popcorn popping. "Shivering isn't for regulating body temperature. You use it for this sort of thing, Toriko." The bug man explained before he renewed his attack. "Bomb Egg!" Toriko roared as he quickly rushed toward his enemy. The Ten Fold Spiked Punch that destroyed the GT robo didn't become a fatal wound. It had to be a higher amount. Toriko mused as he was in front of Tommyrod and started to prepare his attack when the bug man nailed his hand with the missing finger and BIT it clean off.

"Toriko!" The woman called out to him. Damn that disgusting insect to hell! Even if Toriko was sacrificing his body to win didn't mean she was going to be happy! Once again Toriko used his punch to nail the bug man square in the stomach. The attack caused him to move in that weird dancing thing as he landed a ways from Toriko and spewed/coughed up blood all over. Huffing he growled to himself as he landed onto the ground. 'That bastard...! He hit me without a whole arm...'

He quickly looked up to see Toriko's intimidation getting ready to use knife on him and barely moved in time just as the hunter brought the attack down. Tommy spewed more of those "bullets" at the large man who countered the attack by using knife to block when an explosion occurred and when the smoked cleared to reveal that the rest of Toriko's arm had been completely removed as he used a Thirteen Fold Spiked Punch RIGHT into the pink-haired man's face.

The fist attack nearly caved his face and that was all she had a chance to see before once again their movement became too fast to see what happened. Sarafina couldn't believe her senses when she saw that the two had smashed right into the giant tower of frozen animals, the hit affecting both men. "Toriko!" He better be alright! 

Toriko coughed up blood then quickly kicked his opponent in the head before he had a chance to recover. The bug man grunted in pain then countered with a series of quick hard punches into the hunter with a savage growl. The larger man grunted in pain as he took the assault then when an opening occurred gave a head-butt right into the pink haired man's nose followed pushing off the ice, using the movement to drive his knee once again into his opponent's face.

"Move... Right hand of mine!" Toriko yelled at his hand as he quickly rushed towards the bug man. "Move!" Tommyrod screeched as his face got even more frightening. Tommyrod threw a right hook that got Toriko thrown back right into the ice tower again, the attack catching him off. The bug man breathed hard and panted as he shouted, "Torikooooooo! It's been a while since I've had a fight like this...! Don't get too excited! There's no impurity at all." It was true murderous intent.. Even Toriko's meaningless anger, his animosity and malice were all gone. All that's left was..eating.

It was a simple battle of living in order to get food! A smirk formed on the big man as he looked at the large man. This was the wild Toriko. There was no good or evil... A challenge to a wild bout with no grudges against each other! He was starting to understand a little the reason why when Starjun and Grinpatch fought Toriko there was a clear refreshing feeling hanging somewhere in the air.

Toriko's arm shook as he glanced down at it. He knew it, the Thirteen Fold was impossible.. Now he couldn't use his right arm anymore.. He grimaced a bit when he acknowledged that he no longer had any weapons.. Now finally.. He had to strengthen his resolve...! "Not yet..." The hunter started, standing up and glared at the pink haired man. "There's still plenty to come...! Come at me, Tommy!" Tommy stared at him, not saying a word as he mused that this guy..this might be...the first time..

He grinned before removing an arm band from one of his arms. In a matter of seconds the muscles quickly bulked up, ripping his sleeve. The rest of his body's muscles expanded just as quickly as he removed the rest of the bands on his body. How...the hell was that guy hiding THAT body with those bands? "Toriko.. You, one Gourmet Hunter I've shown this respect to... I will also choke the life out of with my full power." Tommyrod told him, standing in his full power. Toriko stared at him in shock disbelief. 'That guy..hadn't been using his full power up till-!' Tommyrod charged at the hunter, hand brought back into a fist and ready to punch. This was at level Toriko had never felt before.

The blows that came from Tommyrod were the hardest blows he had felt since the fight. "Toriko!" Sarafina cried out in despair before quickly covering her mouth as blood threatened to escape her body. No! This is bad! This was really bad! He's...he'll die at this rate! Damnit! She quickly rolled her shoulders in an effort to control both her shaking body and her emotions. Now wasn't the time to give into despair! She knew that whatever she was feeling...Toriko had to be feeling it worse!

"D..don't.." Sarafina started softly before getting back up on her feet, ignoring Match's protest about staying still. "I have to do something...." She said. "You're going to get yourself killed!!" Match shouted, torn between watching the fight with dread and keeping this woman from going anywhere near them. Why was she doing this to herself? Why was she risking her very life like this? Match tried to grab her when an unseen force slapped his arm away.

"Don't touch her. It's impossible to change her mind now....and you might lose your life if you do." A voice echoed inside his head as Match watched in silent shock as Sarafina stumbled towards the fight. The possibility of dying was becoming all too real for the hunter. The premonition of death... Even the the faces of his friends flashed in front of his eyes for a moment, what he saw was not the memories of his past but a single wound on Tommyrod's neck that gushed out a lot of blood. 'Why...was that much blood coming out... What was wound from? What did I do..'

As the hunter coughed up blood he suddenly realised something that quickly revived him from the brink of death. Toriko even quicker than reviving landed a kick right into the wound on the bug man's neck. The Mafia Man watched on as the blind woman somehow moved her suit's sleeves and wrapped them around Tommyrod's waist just to hold him long enough for the large man to quickly delivered blows into that same spot and, within a span of a heartbeat, he too, Tommyrod lost his arm.

What?! How was that possible?! Tommyrod wondered in disbelief as he stared at the spot where his arm was missing. The expression of rage was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. "Legs are..said to have 3-4 times the power of the arms but... That is a power I can give a nod to as well.. I think I'll even name it Leg Knife..." Toriko informed him with a smirk. "You bastard!" His opponent started to growl out when both hunters next attacks nailed him. "Leg Fork" Toriko said, charging again. Sarafina stabbed through Tommyrod's with just her arm. 'I think you owe me some nourishments.' She thought to herself as she ripped both her arm and a small piece that vital substance out of Tommyrod.

It wasn't to actually kill him, she was confident Toriko's attack would, and it wasn't enough to help her either....but she was at least happy to finally be rid of him. Sarafina looked at her little meal before quickly devouring it. "Hehehe. At the very last moment..." Then he quickly collapsed into an exhausted lump onto the ground. He was able to do a special technique.. But he couldn't...strike..anymore... He closed his eyes, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"!?" Sarafina went, realising he literally passed out in the middle of a fight. "Toriko?!" She tried to reach him and see if she can save him as Tommyrod, who looked like a true monster in his anger, roared, "Torikoooo.... TORIKOOOoOOO!" Roaring again as he charged towards the unconscious hunter when in a matter of moments Toriko was covered in a plant. "Wha?! What the hell is this?!" Tommyrod roared as the three watched as the plant quickly continued to grow and climb up the tower of ice. "What...is that?" Sarafina wondered aloud, watching the rapid growth. Where did that come from?

"Th...this is a.. This...is..." Whatever that was sure had the bug man speechless. "Eventually... It might be acknowledged as gourmet world heritage." A voice called, footsteps coming from the tunnel the chef had taken. The bug man glanced over as Sarafina slowly turned her head to sense a tall young man walked into the battlefield. The man had green coloured hair with a pompadour hairstyle and pale violet eyes.

He has a scar on the right side of his face, starting from his forehead, over his eye and going down all the way to his neck or maybe even deeper. He has a well built physique. He wore green pants with a long-sleeved green shirt that has a pocket on the left side of his chest for his special ingredients and chemicals. He has three earrings on his right ear, each containing a unique liquids used for reviving ingredients.

A serious expression on his face as the man continued sternly, "Don't destroy such a world treasure as the gourmet show window. Gourmet Corp!" Whoever this man was sure surprised the heck out of Tommy. "Y...! You're!" The now large pink-haired man stuttered out as the man in green continued. "In ingredient procurement... You guys go way too far." The green man raised and pointed a finger at him. "I'm putting you under arrest! Gourmet Corp!"

"Gourmet Reviver! Teppei!" Movement caught her attention and sensed that the enemies from before, Bogey and Barry, had successfully revived only to look like they had frozen in place in shock. Glancing up at the scarred man he as well stood frozen in shock. Just who was this guy? The ingredient protecting Gourmet Reviver's are permitted to arrest by their own judgement those who have business transactions of ingredients that are forbidden by law to over fish or poached. The sudden appearance of a Gourmet Reviver was what made the Gourmet Corp's goons freeze.

But Sarafina can't be bothered by this Teppei person right now. ...Toriko....Toriko was... She looked back over to where the down hunter was only to sense him being covered and protected by the plant. But she can barely hear his heartbeat...she needed to save him. Much as she wanted to go to him that Tommy was far too close to him to safely go to him. Not only that...but she was slowly losing any feeling in her body.

"It..." Tommyrod started, realising that it was Teppei who had knocked his scouts out earlier. "It was you?! You used knocking on the bugs?!" Teppei said nothing, just brought his hand to his chin and rested it on his hand, appearing to be thinking. He can't even answer..? "Say something you bastard!" The bug man shouted angrily at him. The green-haired man replied back cooly, "The more you talk the less weight your words carry. Before long they'll get so fluffy they'll be as light as air."

"What...the..." Exactly what was he talking about? Tommyrod wasn't amused by his words, growling out, "What the hell use are Gourmet Revivers?! Did someone actually request for you to arrest us, the Gourmet Corp?!" Folding his arms across his chest, Teppei's look darken a bit as he answered, "No... You guys are the ones who are useless.. I have a different goal... However, if you get in the way of my job... I can just capture you. Gourmet Corp vice head chef Tommyrod."

That last sentence seemed to have set him off. "Aa?" The bug man went, veins popping out more on his face. The other two Gourmet Corp's goons seemed to know what that meant. "Vice head chef!" The bone man called out a bit. 'This was bad! He lost his cool! That Teppei was a man descended from that knocking master!'

Even as a Gourmet Reviver, Teppei was one of the top men of true power. "No problem you little brat!" The pink-haired man roared, charging at the green hair man. "Who you say you're gonna capture?!" However, the Reviver was only standing so calmly. Without a care in the world. "Impact Knocking." The group watched the Saiseiya just touched the legs of his new opponent. Whatever that was, had stopped his movements completely.

The bug man looked down, his arm shivering from the effort to move it. "Mu.. You've got a lot of nerve joints. Insect nerve ganglia?" Teppei commented as he noticed the movement. "Even deeper.." He told himself even when the larger man brought down his fist towards the green-haired man. "Reach the inside..."

In a series of movements too quick for her to catch, stopping Tommyrod's movements for good. He gave out a loud "Ga...kkk..!" sound as his companions called out in shock. "Tommy-sama!!" "Vice head chef!!"

"If you weren't wounded... I would've have had the room for the choice of knocking you.." Eh? What did that mean..? "Y..ou.." The bug man gasped out a bit. He...stopped moving... No way.. He had knocking done on him?! He doesn't have a choice! With things having gotten like this! Sense of dread filled Sarafina, making her shiver a bit. "He's bringing out something much stronger now..." She said. The pink-haired man opened his mouth as something dark started to poke it's head out from inside. Whatever that thing was startled the green haired man. As it came out it reminded her of a black glob of goo but...it screamed dangerous even in that state.

The men nearby gave out shouts of terror and yelled, "It's oout!" "Wh...what is that?!" Match shouted, trying to wrap his head around the thing that continued to come out of the bug man. Teppei continued to stare at the huge abomination. If it was possible.. Tommyrod didn't want to give birth to this guy but... He was too ferocious! A devil that will eat anything without discrimination! Most of his bodily energy was..for restraining this guy from trying to be born...

What Tommyrod had given birth to was a grotesque amalgamation possessing the traits of numerous insects and arachnids. Its overall body shape resembles that of a purple scorpion, including the tail but with an engorged bulbous formation at the tip where the stinger is located. It also sports six spider legs covered in hair, the wings of a cockroach (which can use to fly), the back legs of a locust and the forelegs of a mantis. In the front of its body, the beast sports two pair of pincers similar to those of a Hercules Beetle and Stag Beetle. Its face has an elephant-like trunk and large pitch-black eyes, and beneath its trunk is its actual "main body" which resembles a small little white worm or larva with a somewhat cutesy appearance, that has little black eyes, numerous tiny legs and a small mouth with tiny sharp teeth, and lower on its little body it has an opening from which it is capable of ejecting spider webs to subdue opponents.

Sarafina felt completely faint at the mere sight of the fully born monster. "Wha..what is this guy?!" The Gourmet Reviver shouted in disbelief at the thing in front of him. "He...he really produced it..." Bogey explained, trying to remain calm at the sight. From cross breeding some tens of types of ferocious insects... The resulting hybrid egghead always been stored in Tommy-Sara's body, the continuously warmly raised mixed beast.

In an instant the the body the bug man had quickly dwindled to a extremely skinny body but...he seemed happy... "Geez.. He made off with... Almost all my bodily energy.. Such a problem child.. Fufu.. Go rampage.." He collapsed in a pile just as he finished. "To your heart's... Content.."

The monstrous bug turned its attention to the man in front of it. "!" Teppei exclaimed in shock as the creature turned its attention toward him and gave a roar as it breathed something out. What the heck was that?! It was trouble! A grunt of pain from Match caused all eyes to wipe toward him. "Match...?! Your leg..!" Sarafina went as she stared at the vice boss who's leg from the knee down was covered in ice. She looked at the thing in front, realising that thing just breathed out frozen air. Just what was that thing?! He stared down in shocked disbelief at his frozen limb. "Wha..." Match started as the green haired man turned to look at the monster in front of him.

'It's breathing out below-freezing air! What kind of creature is it?!' Teppi thought in shock as he gaped as the creature raised its forelegs and started to attack. Teppi barely has time to move in time before the attack continue. The man in green continued to dodge the creature's attacks, one of which grazed him enough on his side to rip his clothes. After the Gourmet Reviver jumped out of the way of the thing's pitchers. As Teppei was in midair, the thing quickly shot out a sticky web-like substance at the green haired man, nailing him in the leg. "Oh!" Teppei exclaimed, getting yanked towards the thing.

Before he got too close he quickly removed one of his gloves. It looked like something came out of his thumb but he was too far to tell but whatever it was it easily sliced off one of the attacking limbs from the creature. The green-haired man did a spinning roll in the air before landing neatly far away from his opponent.

Teppi rubbed his shoulder a bit as he stared at the creature in front of him. 'Below freezing breath and high temperature gas...' The man thought to himself, trying to figure out what exactly what it was. It has a spider's web and even sent out a scorpion's poison.. It was a pretty dangerous creature.. "Now's our chance Barry!" Bogey shouted quickly to the bulky man, eager to get the heck out of there. "Let's go get the soup! Plus, if we stay here we'll just get mixed up in this and end up eaten!"

What was said was true. There was no way they could win against that thing! A chirping sound came off from the man, getting his attention and the message that came with it. "Way, Bogey. I'm getting a communication from Yuu." Barry started before going silent then.. "I see.." He muttered to himself then louder. "Hey, Bogey! We've got no use for this place anymore...!"

That got the bone man attention. "Oooh! Really?! If you've got it, then let's hurry and evacuate from this place!" Bogey started then their attention was caught when Teppi spoke up, though he's facing one heck of a monster he's standing there, cool as a cube. "You guys... It'd be better if you didn't leave. Rather, you should stay here." What? Does that mean something is heading towards the group? The bone man stared at him before yelling, "Keh, are you a moron?! Like we're gonna get mixed up in your fight with the Parasite Emperor!"

Chapter Text

"Sorry, but our job here's done! Hehe, mission complete!" They shouted, running towards the entrance quickly. "Wait! That way isn't safe!" Sarafina shouted. She may be losing consciousness and her senses, but she could still feel that something else was here. Something big...Something hungry. The vice boss looked back towards them, not even surprised by their actions. "Those guys... They're leaving their comrade who's had knocking done on him behind.." A few seconds later yells were heard. "Well that's an encouraging sign..." The woman sighed as one of the men yelled, "What the hell is thaaaat?" "That Gourmet Reviver..! What the hell did he revive?!"

Without warning the wall shattered down and in between the chunks something large came into play. It was a gigantic pale-skinned creature with a mostly irregular body shape that partially resembles that of a sauropod. It has a large growth atop its body from which many heads grow. On its front, two heads also grow, and on its backside has another head growing which serves as a tail. It has at least sixteen visible heads. As if that giant bug wasn't bad enough. The Gourmet Reviver calmly glanced behind him, seeming almost happy.

"So you've come... Ruler of ice hell, Hellboros...!" The green-haired man called over to it when at the same time the bug parasite thing shedded it's old skin. "Wha...?!" Teppi shouted in surprise then quickly dodged an attack by the tail and quickly bounded away from it, putting space between him and it. "Th...this guy...! He already molted?! What amazing growth speed..." The way he sounded amazed was not reassuring. The two creatures seemed to notice each other then the many heads charged at the scorpion-like thing only to have a head removed. From the stump where the head was taken, a new one grew back in a matter of seconds.

The Hellboros had some of its heads grab each leg of the parasite and started to pull on the limbs when the trapped creature had something come out of its butt and cut more of the hydras's and literally picked up the much larger opponent up. "Uoh, he picked it up!" Teppei shouted. "That's quite a bug to go up against the boss of the ice continent without any kind of hesitation. On the other hand, the Hellboros hasn't eaten anything in a 100 years, so it doesn't see the bug as anything but food."

The two men watched as the bug's momentum launched itself and the Hellboros high into the air and through the cave's ceiling, moving the fight onto a different field. The Gourmet Reviver turned and looked at the plant that completely covered the ice. "Gourmet Reviver" Match started. Teppei turned his head to look over at the vice-boss' direction was shocked to what he found. While everyone else was occupied, Match had cut off his frozen leg, somehow standing even though his leg was gone.

"Do you think you could overlook me, as I go after the soup, from here?" Teppi stared at the vice boss in shock even as he continued. "And if I can... Afterwards... I wanna bury all these guys with the Show Window as their grave makers. Because I'm...the only one who can still move.. Until then.. Please just shut your eyes to us..." He finished and started to turn towards his fallen. Sarafina crawled herself over to the unconscious Toriko, grabbed a part of the plant and pulled herself up to a kneeling position. "Your friends aren't dead! I can still hear their heartbeats...they're alive." Sarafina said

The blonde man continued to stare at her in shock until the Gourmet Reviver spoke. "The little miss is right. There's no need for a burial. Those yakuza look like they're shining brighter than the Show Window." Teppei told him. Sarafina felt her strength running dry, there was only so much she could do before she slipped into a deep sleep again. "Toriko..." She said softly, gazing at the man before her. Was he still alive?! She focused her ears and stayed quiet...there! His heartbeat. Even though he took one hell of a beating, he was still breathing normally. "You're so lucky your still alive... I was so worried about you..." Sarafina told him warily, completely relieved, not noticing Teppi joining her.

'With all this damage, he's still breathing normally, huh?' The young man thought to himself, slightly impressed that the large hunter was still alive. 'So with the shivering stopped, his body temperature isn't regulating well anymore, either..?' He looked cold...did that mean his shivering stopped working..? Sarafina stared at him with worry in her eye, noticing the Gourmet Hunter reaching towards the plant that wrapped tightly around the hunter and plucked some leaves off it. What was he doing...?

As they, her and Match, watched Teppei as he squeezed the leaves tightly enough to get a few drops from them, which he caught using his pointer finger. The colour quickly changed from a dark greenish colour to a lighter colour, close to being the colour of gold, almost blending in with his finger nail. In a split second his nail extended at least two inches. He pressed his thumb against the tip of the finger, liquid erupting a bit like a needle.

This is getting interesting. Even faster he quickly jabbed the nail/needle either near or close to the large hunter's heart. Toriko coughed blood a bit, showing signs of coming back to life. "Toriko!" The blind woman exclaimed in delight. Thank goodness! "The leaves of the protect tree contain a strong cardiac action effect. It's very strong, but with Toriko's body type he'll withstand it... It should make his blood pressure and body temperature shoot up at once." The green-haired man explained as Toriko went into a coughing up, coughing up more blood in the process. "Toriko..." Sarafina said softly. After a few seconds the fit subsided, leaving him breathing hard.

She smiled brightly as the hunter opened his eyes slowly, her face a welcoming sight. "Welcome back. I thought we lost you for a moment." Sarafina told him as Teppi reached into his shirt pocket as he asked, "You woke up how was it? Toriko? Awful?" The hunter, who appeared to be trying to get his bearings, weakly said, "Y...you're..." The effort to talk was quite apparent. That bug guy did a real number on him. Talking and basically everything felt difficult to do. "I'll tell you the details later.. Now then, let's wait for Komatsu-kun to find the soup!"

"!" Before he could continue he went into a coughing fit. "Easy Toriko..." Sarafina said, putting her hand on his shoulder comfortably. Last thing she needed to do was for him to get himself worked up again. "D...damnit.." He grimaced out in pain, breathing hard as he brought a hand up to his face. "Just relax.... ....It'll be alright... Just concentrate on recovering your strength." Sarafina said in a soothing tone. Damn...he was in worse condition than she had first thought. Guess she needed to pour a lot of her energy into to try and get to move again. Blinking a bit in curiosity when Teppei brought up what appeared to be a seed.

"Your cardiopulmonary function has temporarily recovered, but you still have a considerable amount of damage. Eat this, Toriko." A seed of fertility should be able to help. The hunter stared at it in disbelief, looking like he wanted no part of it. "There's a restriction on its use by the 8 gourmet laws.." Toriko started when Sarafina took the seed from Teppi's hand. She turned back to Toriko and said, "Forgive me...but I have to do this to help you...otherwise I would feel immense guilt for leaving you like this..."

Sarafina put the seed in her mouth to the astonishment of all. Before anyone could say or do anything, Sarafina gently tilted Toriko head back....and kissed him. Pushing the seed into his mouth, sending her energy into him, and shut her lips firm as she continued to kiss him till she was sure he wasn't going to spit it out. Toriko's eyes widen in complete shock as she pressed her lips firmly against his. He felt something shoot through his entire body, just like what happened on the train. Only now it was a hell of a lot stronger, like lightening was coursing through his veins. The Blind Bandit was much too weak to feel it, but it was coursing through her as well.

Sarafina moved away, smiling that she was able to heal some of his injuries and restore a little strength, leaving a Toriko stunned as the Reviver explained to him, trying to contain his surprise. "Don't worry. Just swallow. Won't taste very good. So no chewing. Just get it in you." Teppi stood up, continuing on even through another one of Toriko's coughing fits, "So it kills some of your cells, but they come back stronger than ever. In other words, it's a medicine that stimulates the body's natural healing ability." The Reviver turned his attention to the vice boss. "Now then, others are worse off than you."

Sarafina slumped down on her knees, still smiling as she closed her eye as Teppei walked off towards Match. "You really had me worried, what with you pulling moves like that then passing out....like that. I seriously thought you were gonna die. But...I can't fault you...I can such the bigger fool myself...." Man...what would she do if she lost him? It was tough enough to watch from the sideline helpless and even tougher to watch someone she cared about take quite the beating. Even through his coughing Toriko could still hear her words. There wasn't a lot he could say. He knew she knew everything was given into that fight and he shouldn't have to explain.

Once again she surprised him (even though nothing Sarafina said or did now would surprise him now. Not after that kiss..) by saying, "I'm sure....Match is going to explain to you what happen to me... I just...hope you will...forgive me....." She said as she begin to tilt over. That's Toriko's eyes widened in shock as he took in her form. Her entire body was covered in deep slashes, covered head-to-foot in blood, and looked deathly pale. "Sarafina... Sarafina!!" He shouted out as the blind woman collapsed onto the ice. Unmoving. Unresponsive. "Sarafina!! Sarafina!! Hey! Wake up!!" Toriko shouted, desperate to hear her voice or see any sign of movement from her. He wanted to break out of the plant and immediately rush to her side. He needed to be by her side, to hold her in arms where she'll safe.

And he did. Toriko broke out from the plant and was about to get Sarafina when Teppei, once he finished cutting the ice so he could get Match's severed limb free, ran over to the woman's side and carefully lifted her up in his arms. He pressed two fingers against her neck...then moved his ear to her mouth and nose... He left out a gasp. "She's not breathing." He said. This made Toriko's heart stop all together. She wasn't breathing...? She's not breathing!?! No...! No way! Sarafina couldn't be...dead?! Could she? "This isn't good. I have heard many rumours about the Blind Bandit but I didn't think it would be this sever. I have to bring her to Life, it should have tools needed to save her."

"So she can be saved?!" Toriko asked him, desperation was in his voice. Teppei nodded. "It's going to be difficult, but yes. But that's if we get her out of here quickly enough. And while she has a chance at life, I'm afraid the Gourmet Showcase is beyond hope. It can't be revived." The news seemed to really shock the scarred man. "... What did you say?" Match started to ask when Teppi tossed him his frozen leg saying, "Here. This is yours." Match caught his leg in surprise as the Reviver continued.

"And I also know when things are alive. I know what can still be revived. That's you guys. You guys aren't goners yet. Well, that isn't the only reason why I saved Toriko." Teppei gently set Sarafina back down as he headed towards the fallen yakuza. After staring at the men for a moment with a grim face, Teppei kneeled down and dropped a seed. Very quickly, had grown a bandage-wrap plant and started to wrap the men up in it. As he finished his work with the yakuza men, Teppi went to wrap Match's cut limb, after he got it out of the ice, back onto the cut.

Toriko kneeled beside the blind woman as he stared at her face. She looked so peaceful. Like she was just sleeping and will wake up at any given moment. Toriko wanted to scream. She was still conscious, she still had enough energy to heal herself up. But...she used it to help him instead. What Teppei said about rumours...and what Match had witnessed....Toriko was given a thousand more questions. He had so many questions with very few answers. But he couldn't care less about that. Right now all he cared about was getting Sarafina help so that she still has a chance to live. He couldn't believe himself. She was placed under him for protection...he was supposed to protect her and now this happens..?!

Forgive her...? Toriko should be the one asking for forgiveness from her. He place large warm hand dropped on her head and he wiped away the blood from the corner of her lip. "Don't worry. We're going to get you help. You're gonna be okay. You'll be just fine..." He prayed that she could hear him. "You'll be okay." Toriko said softly before turning to look over everyone. This was going to be a bit difficult.

A while later

Loud sobbing could be heard as the group reached the end of the tunnel. "Komatsu!" Toriko called over as they stepped onto the ledge. "G..guys!" The little chef shouted, relief in his voice. Toriko grinned a bit as he said, "Sorry we kept you waiting...Komatsu." The chef took a minute to look them over then let out a cry of despair. His cry expressed how frustrated he was at his lack of power. It also announced his failure to procure the soup. Teppi looked down and saw Komatsu's destroyed container. "Somebody...robbed him.." He commented, seeing the broken container the chef had the soup.

The group quickly, but gingerly, made its way over to Matsu, who had went down to the ground in frustration and whole body shaking from his emotions. Up close they could see the little guy had a rough time while the fighting was going on. The poor guy's face had a few cuts on it, at least the spots that weren't covered in tears and snot. "And after I finally...found it! The last bowl of...Century Soup! A tiny robot riding on a fly suddenly attacked me... Kururu tried to help me..but he used something to knock her away." He gave out a sob before finishing. "And he stole it!" A robot..?

"A tiny robot riding on a fly? A micro-sized GT robot?!" Teppi exclaimed as the chef continued to cry out his despair. "Guys...! You all risked your lives for the soup... And I couldn't protect it. I'm pathetic... I'm so..." Komatsu's voice cracked as he cried harder. "I'm so, so sorry! I really am!"

The large hunter said nothing for a moment then said, "Komatsu. More often than not... When you head out into the wild...on a quest for a food... You fail!" He finished with a bright smile on his face. The statement stunned the chef a bit. Toriko carefully Sarafina and Takimaru down as he walked over to the small chef. He listened as Toriko contained explaining, in hopes of cheering up the little chef, "Even a pro gourmet hunters like me fail. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm just glad you're alive. As long as you're alive, you'll always have the chance to try again."

Kururu gave a small mew before jumping on Toriko's only arm and running up to sit on his shoulder. komatsu gave out a cry of "Toriko!" and threw himself at the hunter. "Whoa, there!" Toriko exclaimed, amusement in his voice. "The one who saved our lives was Teppei. Ow." The attempt failed as the hunter continued to go "Ow, ow"

"A...are you okay, Toriko-san?" Komatsu asked as Toriko laughed a bit. "My legs are still wobbly." He admitted a bit. "It's the backlash of an awesome technique I came up with..."

"Awesome technique?! Hey, your arm's gone, Toriko-san!"

"Yep, it got blown off."

Teppi stood nearby, watching the exchange between the two. He wondered what Setsu-san would say if she, the one who hired him, were here. And if he could, the Reviver was to help out the gourmet hunter if he was able. Though he was loathed to admit it but his master's gut feeling was right about the Gourmet Showcase being a lost cause. If it came down to it being gone... Teppei was to let the last drop...lead the way. Some have died and lived on this continent. The Gourmet Corp... The soup chose them...or did it? Looking up at the roots of the showcase the green haired man continued to wonder if it was indeed the choice of the Century Soup.

A loud rumble shook the cavern, causing it to rain chunks of ice down on their heads. The creatures above them were really going at it aren't they? "Those two monsters are still going at it." Match said. "Match.." Toriko started as the vice boss finished his thought. "Whether or not the soup is here... We might not be going home alive." The two stared at him a bit, slightly wondering the same thing. Shortly after that, the young knight was just starting to slowly open his eyes. The movement caught the giant hunter's attention.

"Yo, Takimaru! I can't believe you're alive!" He shouted in relief and excitement, kneeling at his side. He was worried that the young knight was a goner! "T...Takimaru-san!" Komatsu chimed in with his own relief and excitement. "Thank goodness! Waaaah!" The chef continued to cry. Heheheh... Jeesh the men here sure have a strange look at how situations can. 

A nagging feeling kept drawing the Reviver's attention away from them and towards the roots once more. Maybe...just maybe... As a reviver he had to be sure. He had to see the food's end! Reaching up to his ear he removed one of the mini bottles. This was the dormancy extract. By shrinking the protection tree...the essence of the showcase will be wrung out. Reaching up to grab the closet root he gently pulled it close enough to put a drop or two onto it. Just from the drops the root immediately shrivelled up. This was going to be quick and fast!

"Everyone!" He shouted, getting all their eyes on him. "The ice mountain's about to crumble. But before it does, I'm wringing the Showcase for all its worth. If we're lucky.." Teppi's eyes got a sharp look. "Some drops of the soup might come out." That sent a ripple of shock through the men. In one quick move, Teppei grasped the root firmer and yanked hard down on it as he shouted, "Observe...a moment of silence! This is the death of the showcase!" With a final tug the ceiling began to instantaneously crumble, a deep rumble as the ice began to once again rain down.

The loud sound of pings, cracks and snaps came from all over the tower of ice as the tree quickly shrivelled up, raining ice even more down onto their heads. As the ice broke, the foodstuff that was inside also began to rain down around. Teppei was shaking a bit. This showcase was extremely important. As the roots condensed into a single solid piece, small pieces of liquid began to seep through. Was that the long awaited soup? As the Saiseiya gave a a silent goodbye to the showcase, the men watched in baited breath and shock as a small handful fell down as the showcase shattered instantly.

The aura had finally made its appearance. It was hard to believe that the light that was shining down on the group was coming from the aura. "T...there's...soup!" Komatsu shouted happily before turning towards Teppei. "There! There was soup left!"

"Nobody move." Teppei said sternly. Eh? What did he mean? Louder he informed everyone. "There's just one small drop of soup. If it falls to you...catch it!" Everyone stood ever so still. Waiting, wondering who will the lucky one to catch it. Would be Toriko? Teppei? Match? Takimaru? All eyes turned at the moment the chef caught it in his hands.

"Oh... Ooh.." "Th..this.." "The real thing!" Can the smile on Toriko's face get any bigger? Pure happiness was on Komatsu's face as they watched the lovely aura continue to come off the soup. The hunter took one whiff of the soup and a predatory look come over his face, the vice boss had a similar look. Not good! Like savage, starving animals, they leapt towards Komatsu. Fortunately, the Reviver quickly grabbed ahold of their wrists and put a stop to them. The actions of the two seemed to snap them out of whatever had a hold on them.

"I understand how you feel! But you've got to calm down, please." Teppei started, tightening his grip on their wrists. "We can't decide who drinks the last drop...if we're not in our right minds, now can we? Will it be Toriko of the four kings? The gourmet knight? The gangster? The chef, Komatsu? Or...me, the Reviver?"

"You get in on this too?!" Match and Toriko shouted in unison. "Or even the wall penguin or the kitten."

"Mew?"

"Those guys don't need it!"

"I'm here too--!!" A very familiar obnoxious voice shouted. The group looked at Zongeh once then went back to deciding. "We five must decide." Teppei started. "I must...decline." Takimaru said quietly. "Takimaru..." Toriko started before the young man cut him him as he gingerly sat up to talk. "I'm in no position to ask for the last drop. Just having my life is enough."

"T..Takimaru-san.." Komatsu said. A "hmph" drew their attention to Match. "I never planned to drink it myself anyway." The blonde man stared at the soup a bit then finished. "And a little drop like that won't feed all the kids."

"Match-san.." The chef stared at him for a moment then looked at the soup he was holding in his hands. "P..please.." He started out softly, unsure then spoke louder in determination . "Let me be the one to drink it!" His statement surprised the other two and watched the chef turn to Toriko, "Okay?! Toriko?!" The hunter had a serious look on his face, staring at the small chef before answering, "No. I'm gonna drink it."

"T...Toriko-san" The chef started disappointed sadly. "But!" Toriko started as pointed at the chef's hands, that large grin reappearing again as he spoke, "This little puddle isn't gonna cut it! I wanna gulp down buckets of this stuff! So the soup that I'm gonna drink is the one you're going to make!" His words both startled the chef and quickly calmed the urge to take a rock to beat him with.

A soft look formed as he leaned down so he was eye level with Komatsu and said with a soft smile, "Drink this now... And memorise the flavour." Tears threaten to fall as the small chef exclaimed happily. "Toriko-san!" The large hunter stood up and glanced over to Teppei. "That cool with you... Reviver Teppei?" He asked, having a feeling he knew the answer. The man smiled, saying nothing and closed his eyes. The move startling the two into going, "Teppei-san..!" "C'mon! Agree already!"

"The mouth is the root of all calamities. But I will say this." Teppei smiled broadly. "I agree wholeheartedly!" When he said this, Toriko couldn't help but wonder, 'Are those words really gonna cause a calamity?' Teppei continued to speak. "It was clear when the soup fell towards Komatsu-kun. We didn't have to chose. The soup chose him. As the last person to taste it." Then why even say that in the first place?

"I won't be the last." Komatsu said softly, catching the Reviver's attention again. "I won't let it end...with me! I swear I will recreate it! The...the Century Soup is...!" He shouted in determination, suddenly the soup glowing brightly as he slowly drank it. The green-haired man's jaw dropped in shock as he realised that this wasn't the end of a food but a rebirth! Once the Century Soup went down Komatsu's throat and to his system, the chef displayed a characteristic dopey grin of extreme happiness on his face. Guess the soup was that good. "Wha... What's the matter, Komatsu? Komatsu! Snap outta it! What's with that stupid look on your face?!" As Toriko spoke those words, Komatsu snapped out of the trance he was in.

On the surface

"I came here wondering what was taking them so long. So that was it." A strange man said. His name was Alfaro. The Gourmet Corp's garçon and the boss's aide. He was tall man with very pale skin and has a very large nose. He has long black hair and wears two red earrings that are fashioned after kitchen tools, the one on his left ear appears to be designed to resemble a corkscrew and the one on his right appears to be designed after a bottle opener. True to his occupation as a waiter of the Gourmet Corp., he dresses in very formal attire which consists of a black tuxedo ensemble and a black cape.

"We didn't include Teppei in our calculations. Nor the difficulty in operating the micro-sized GT robot. Not to mention it's too under powered to kill even one defenceless man. I'm shocked." Yuu said. "Nothing to be done about that. You're the only one who's been able to operate the micro version, Yuu. As for the soup.." Alfaro held up the stolen container. "Good job getting it." "Thank you for your kind words, Al." Alfaro looked over to the two useless things fighting nearby, the sounds of fighting reaching them.

"Two vermin squabbling. How irritating." Alfaro sighed as he in an instance sliced the two monsters into pieces, his cloak opening to reveal his eight arms, each holding a plate. Two bodies fell from one of the bodies, yelling as they fell before landing in front of them. The bone man and the bulky one quickly noticed him and shouted, "Alfaro-sama!" "Boys." Alfaro started, his face darkening. "What were you doing in there? Where's Tommy?"

Chapter Text

Back with Toriko and others

"S...sorry. Was I acting weird?" Komatsu started to ask when Toriko cut him off. "Forget that! That was the happiest smile I've ever seen! How did it taste?" Toriko interjected, hoping to get an answer. Komatsu said nothing then got that smile again. "Would you cut it out with that face?! Don't you remember how it tastes?!"

"Toriko.." The chef started, still having the silly grin on. "That soup was so delicious.. I couldn't forget it if I tried."

"Damn! Now I wanna taste it!" Toriko whined as he was in suspense on what the soup tasted like. Suddenly the Reviver an ominous presence. "Uh-oh. We better get moving." Teppei started when it suddenly got stronger. What was that ominous aura just now? It was neither the Hellboros or that insect. It was a lot stronger than them combined. From a really powerful individual.

"Everyone! We have to get moving!" Teppei quickly shouted to the others. "Hurry! I've got a bad feeling!" He informed them as he quickly bounced away. They'd have to find another way out! The green haired man started to wonder when a "Hey!" got his attention. "How's about you undo this paralysis and I'll show ya the way out?!" Zongeh shouted.

Back on the surface

"How that be?" Alfaro wondered as he walked towards the cave. "Tommy couldn't have been.." "A..Alfaro-sama, where are you..." Barry started to ask, causing the large nose man to look back. "Where else? I'm going to stamp out Toriko and his little friends. They're not leaving here alive with our other prey. We need her more than ever now, we cannot lose her to anyone."

A chuckle from behind caused them to whip their heads back. Granny Setsuno herself was walking towards them. "Now hold on a minute, you young whipper snappers." She said. "S...Setsuno!" The lower ranked men exclaimed in shock.

Back in the cave

"Is..that..?" One of the guys asked as they stared at a different cave opening. "A secret passage?! And it leads off the continent?" Toriko asked in excitement. Zongeh laughed creepily and said to the group, "You fellers owe me for the rest of yer lives!" She didn't bother to correct Toriko who happily placed his hand on his shoulder going, "Ghost guts! You're the best!"

"Good going, guts!" Komatsu chimed in happily. "G..guts?!" Zongeh went. Teppei added salt to the wound. "Thanks a bunch, Guts." He handed him something as the big idiot said, "Hur-hur! So soon? But whazzat?"

"A Hellboros dropping." "Keep yer poo! But I'll take a thank you kiss from the pretty lady!" Zongeh shouted as he rushed over puckering his lips. He has failed to noticed that Sarafina was completely unresponsive to everything around her. Komatsu was given a brief explanation on what happened to her from Toriko. Though he DID NOT dare to mention her kissing him. "Don't you even think about it." Toriko said as he gave him a death glare. Zongeh had done the smart thing and backed away.

A little way into the cave everything was going good till it suddenly started to collapse and once again, the group was running for their lives. "Guts!" The larger hunter shouted over to Zongeh, carrying the young Knight and blind woman on his back. "Does this tunnel really lead outside?! Tell me, ghost guts!"

"Mah name ain't guts! It's Zongeh! Zongeh! Wherezat even come from?" A light shone brightly from down the tunnel. "Aha! See! The exit's right there!" Zongeh pointed as he shouted. Just seeing that twinkle of light increased their pace. "Run!" Someone shouted as the cave in was almost on top of them. "We...! WE GOT OUT!!" Toriko and Zongeh exclaimed happily, never thinking that seeing the open water could improve their day. "We're freeeeee!" The boys exclaimed loudly. "See?! You can call me God from now on!" Zongeh shouted at the large hunter who responded with, "Good going, God zombie!"

Match noticed the ship was gone and said, "Hey, hey. Wait. The ship's gone." "What?!" Toriko and Zonge shouted in unison. The statement seemed awaken something in the chef and the Reviver, no doubt that they discovered the truth already. "G...guys...? See, true is..." Teppei told them the whole story on why the boat wasn't here.

"EEEH!?!? THE BOAT LEFT?!"

"Probably...."

"That old man-!" Match growled out.

"There was no helping it. Nobody knew about the listening devices..." Komatsu told them.

"EH?! WHAT? SO YOU MEAN WE...?!" Toriko shouts.

"It seems there's no other choice but to swim home...." Teppei suggested.

"That's impossible! We've got a lotta injured people!!" Zongeh shouted.

"Well how about Kururu? Think you can give us a lift home?" Toriko asked the white kitten, who was now resting on his head. Kururu made no move to transform but instead began meowing loudly as she eyes were focused on something large in the sky. They all looked up and saw a pink, giant jellyfish got closer. "It's a Limousine Jellyfish! i don't believe it!" Teppei exclaimed in shock, trying to figure why it would be there.

It's unknown how natural and unremodelled Limousine Jellyfish look like in the wild. However, this Limousine Jellyfish is a gigantic pink-coloured jellyfish with a heart-like body shape, nine "window" holes in its side, two thin smokestacks poking out from its top and side, eleven long tentacles growing from its underside and a pink and frilly skirt-like formation between its body and tentacles. Its insides have been remodelled to have three floors with a stairway on each floor. The first floor resembles a living room complete with chairs, a couch and a table. The second floor is modelled into a kitchen with a large cooking table, a stove, a counter, a sink and a fridge. The third floor is designed into a large bedroom, possessing a large king-sized bed with a heart-shaped pillow, a potted plant on a shelf over the bed, a large dresser behind the bed, and what appears to be a large bathroom area (from which one of the smokestacks come out of) with a shower and bathtub visible within. 

A window opened and out popped Setsuno. "Hey! I came to pick you up!" She shouted up as the hunter and Komatsu went, "Granny Setsu!" The group watched as the large jellyfish flew as close it could before one of its tentacles turned into a staircase, bringing it down onto the ledge. "You kids just got out of hell. Hnh-hnh. Climb on board! Is anyone hungry? I've got a feast waiting for you!" The older chef called down to them. She's gotten their full attention now.

The men went, "Aaaah!" and "For reeeal?!" Toriko and Komatsu run quickly up the stairs. "H-HEY! HANG ON A MINUTE, YOU!!" Zongeh shouted. "WHO IS THAT GRANNY!?"

"Zongeh-sama!! She's a Gourmet Living National Treasure!! Let's get on too!!" One of his groupies shouted as the three of them run up the staircase.

Match and Teppei were both staring at the jellyfish for a moment before quickly going up. As they were already close to the top, they climb onto the ladder inside. Once they reached the top, they looked around and admired the pretty colour of the jellyfish. "Crazy... Is this thing alive, Toriko-san?" Komatsu asked, lightly touching the sides of the ride.

"Dunno. I've never heard of it before. It's not from the human world, that's for sure." Toriko admitted, pretty impressed with the jellyfish when Setsu poked her head at the top of the ladder. "It's a Limousine Jellyfish. It's perfectly alive." The older woman explained. "Granny Setsu!" The large hunter called up to her. "You've both taken quite the beating, you and Sarafina, Toriko. Come up inside. It's warm and toasty." Toriko glanced to the man on his back. "Look, Takimaru! We're going to get to eat! Isn't that nice?" He told the young man, who merely smiled slightly and replied, "I'm...so grateful..."

They continued to follow the older chef up the ladder and up more stairs. As the group climbed up one last set of stairs, Toriko, who was in the lead, shouted suddenly, "Whoaa! Whatta feast!"  His jaw nearly dropped at the sheer size of the feast. The food on the table looked incredible! The meat was huge until Toriko danced/rushed over to it and just dug into it. Komatsu started to dig into the pile of rice balls which brought tears to his eyes and shared some with the cute chick. Setsu got a bowl of soup for Takimaru, who had a tear run down his cheek when he tasted it.

Once the vice boss joined them, the party began in full swing. After things settled down a bit the older chef started, "A little bird told me that Yosaku sent someone else in his place... Even though I'd asked him to personally investigate the showcase. And when I came to pick up Toriko..." She turned to look directly at Teppei, who had a complete nervous look and for once quiet, as she finished, "I found you here, Teppei. Why is that?"

He looked terrified to speak. Poor guy. Can't really blame him considering Setsuno didn't look too happy. "Answer me!" Setsu demanded. Judging from the tone in her voice, he really needed to speak. "W...well, you see... My master is reviving a very important food, so... I went in his place. Heh." Teppei explained sheepishly. "What could be so important that he left my commission to a novice apprentice?" The older woman asked. Guess no one was paying attention cause everyone else continued to carry on eating and drinking. He was quiet for a moment, knowing he couldn't lie to her, then answered, "A food related to the gourmet God Acacia. That's all I know."

Just hearing that man's name shocked the others, except for Setsuno, who merely smiled and responded, "Hmm. What a curious man. Well? What became of the Showcase?" Oh dear. The boys explained to her what had occurred. "I see. Well, well.. You all went through quite a time." The older chef said, a serious expression on her face. The hunter laughed a bit then said, "It was no sweat. It'll all be worth it when Komatsu makes the soup. And after eating your cooking, granny Setsuno, we already feel better!"

"You're rather upbeat, considering your injury." The older woman pointed out. However, while he sounded happy, Setsuno could tell that he was gravely worried about Sarafina. And she was too. How much did she use of her power this time? Setsuno hoped that it wasn't much but the way Sarafina looked...it was hard to tell. The last time she saw her like this was when she was just a child....trying to prove her worth to her beloved grandfather. And as a result she....

"Toriko, your arm.. There's a chance it could be restored." "Huh?! Really?!" Toriko shouted excitedly as she continued, "Yes, in Life, the country of healing... There's a chance. You're not the only injured one. We should head there right away. And you do have a very skilled reviver in your company...who happens to have a master there. The grinning fool. (Teppei was actually grinning like one) I'm not sure why some of you are here, though. (She was referring to Zongeh) Meanwhile, Komatsu. You'll make the soup! Right?" Setsuno said the last part as she turned to look at the small chef.

Clenching his fist in determination he responded eagerly, "Y..yes, ma'am! I swear I'll make it! Genuine Century Soup!" The older woman grinned at that. "It's settled! We'll set off immediately! I'll bring you there myself in my Limousine Jellyfish!" Setsu turned around to fiddle with something that caused the jellyfish, which at that point had been cruising, to suddenly take off at high speed. "We're off to the country of healing! Life!" Hopefully everyone can relax there and heal up.

A while later

"I've never been...to life before." Toriko commented, poking his head out the window. If he remembers right Setsuno said they should arrive to Life shortly. Bringing his head back in the large hunter turned to look at the older chef. "You really think I can get my arm fixed up, granny Setsuno?"

"Hnh, hnh. We'll just have to see. Or rather... It depends on how lucky you are." Toriko shouted in dismay, "Luck?!"

"How about my dead men? Do they stand a chance?" Match inquired, glancing towards his followers who hadn't woken up. "You have Ice Hell to thank for your life. Same goes for Takimaru. For your men, their blood actually froze before it could bleed out. Then, the rest of their bodies froze seconds after their hearts stopped. In short, before they could decay...their cells were flash frozen. Even their brain cells. So you're lucky it was the artic." Teppei explained.

Then he became crestfallen. "But... I can't say the same for her." The men turned to the unconscious woman. She had been lying still the entire time. Not making a sound. Not moving an inch. Nothing. Sarafina wasn't wrapped in the same bandages as the others because when Teppei attempted to clean her wounds, he was shocked that he found no visible injuries and her skin was had a slight warmth, had little to no frostbite. Which made him even more worried for her. 

"These bandages.." The young Knight started to inquire. "Ah, those. They're Doctor Aloe. They're natural bandages that heal damage from burns, frostbite and other topical damage. One meter tends to run several hundred thousand yen, so it's a pretty expensive bandage. I'll bill you later." Teppei explained again. "I'm so warm now. They've done a marvellous job gently thawing me from my earlier frozen state." Takimaru said, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Heh. I never thought I'd see the day a reviver saved a gangster." Match added his comment, lifting the leg he had previously cut off. "Really? I've arrested plenty of mafia members in the past, but only the wild ones. I've never had to arrest any of Ryuu's men." That was startled Match. "You know the Don?" He asked surprised. "Ryuu and my master are old friends. When Ryuu would get hurt, he'd come to Life."

"The Don palling around with a reviver..." Match was even more shocked by the very idea that a Yazuka boss is best friends with a Gourmet Reviver. "It happens often enough. We revivers aren't always on the side of the law. We're only on the side of food! We arrest people who are disruptive. Not too long ago, the IGO commissioned us to arrest one of the four kings." That's when Toriko suddenly shouted in surprised. "Wait! You don't mean Zebra?!"

"Uh... Yeah, he's the one." Teppei replied. Guess that meant this fool wasn't a pushover. Man, the way people are talking about him, he sounded like...well...he most certainly didn't sound like one to tangle with. At all. "Come use your peepers over here, folks." She watched the boys rush over to the windows and exclaimed over the place. They were in awe as the country of Life appeared before them.

Life is a large country made up of pine forested regions and vast green hills and fields. The main capital is a large city made up of small white and pink buildings and the area around the city is surrounded by a massive hedge that grows all around the city and it forms into an arch at the city's entrance which has the word "LIFE" written on it in bold letters. Most of the city is made up of hospitals, clinics, rejuvenation centres, spas, and a few restaurants. At the centre of the city is a mountain with a tabletop shape which has a smaller city and a smaller mountain on it with the same shape, and on this smaller mountain is another city which in its centre grows that gigantic tree and symbol of the city, the Mother Wood which acts as a base for the Gourmet Revivers.

Upon landing on an open space, very beautiful red and blue butterflies took to the skies and entered through the windows. Komatsu exclaimed happily, "Neat! We're being greeted by butterflies!"

"Therapy butterflies. They're attracted to the injuries and diseases of other creatures." Teppei once again explained.  "I see both red and blue ones." Takimaru commented, red butterflies going to the large hunter and the unconscious men. "The blue ones alight on light afflictions, while the red ones gather at severe ones. Both will flock around life threatening conditions." The green haired man informed him.

Toriko got a very blessed look on his face as the insects swarmed around his wound. He gave out a sigh of content and said, "I feel better already. Even though I've got only red ones." His eyes then traveled to Sarafina and his heart dropped when the both red and blue butterflies swarmed around her.

Zongeh and his two followers took off through the plant looking arch with the word Life on top. "Setsuno-sama? I..." Komatsu started before raising his voice in excitement. "I'm going back to the hotel so I can start making that soup! I can't let a single minute slip by!"

"Don't you want to relax first? You must be exhausted too, Komatsu-kun." Setsuno inquired, voice full of amusement. The older chef knew this was coming. Chirping from the chick caught Komatsu's attention. "Ack!" He went as he petted the little cutie, who seemed to enjoy the attention. "R...right. In all of the confusion, I ended up taking this little guy along. Heh, heh. He's a baby wall penguin."

"I hear you! Then I'll chart a course for the hotel now, Komatsu-kun!" She told him as she turned to head towards the controls even as he said, "Thank you! I very much appreciate it!"

"Teppei, you show Toriko and the others around. I'm going to have some scolding to do and it involves Yosaku's revival lab." Setsuno informed the young Reviver who gave a salute. "Yes ma'am!"

"Komatsu!" Toriko exclaimed, turning to look at him. "I'm counting on you!" The younger Chef had gotten fired up at the hunter's words. "I won't let you down!" As the group exited and the jellyfish took off, the small chef quickly rushed to one of the windows and shouted down, "Match-san! Takimaru-san! Just you wait! I swear I'll recreate the Century Soup!"

"Good luck, Komatsu-kun!" Takimaru shouted after him even as the vice boss said, "Heh. Show us your stuff, kiddo." After the goodbyes, the jellyfish took off in a heartbeat. "Okay! Let's go!" Toriko said excitedly, turning towards the place as he got a goofy grin on his face. "Heh heh heh! I can't wait! I bet Life's full of yummy food, right Teppei?"

"We're not here to eat, Toriko." Teppei informed him, sweat drop going down his face. As they entered the place, they were quick to noticed how quiet and serene it was. Looking up, they noticed all the sick and injured people. No need to wonder why there's so many. This was a place for healing. They all looked content and happy being here. "What the heck? Everyone here is injured." Toriko commented as the group continued to move.

"What did you except? Sick and injured people from all over the world come to life. They've chosen natural treatments and remedies over advanced medical treatment." Teppei explained. They were passing by many different types of shops till one caught Toriko's attention. "Acupuncture, huh?" Toriko went as the larger man stared at it before getting a huge grin. "Let's check it out!"

"No, we don't have time for detours." The young Reviver started even as Toriko said, "This isn't a detour. It's therapy!" Toriko then took off toward the building before anyone could stop. Kururu rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour. Honestly. Is he here to heal or play around? After a few minutes the fool himself, Toriko, came out, stretched and had a relaxing look on his face. "That felt great..." He sighed out in content.

"Hey, wai- Toriko!" Teppei called after him as they watched him race up some stairs. Reaching the top, Toriko flipped out when he saw Onsen Sharks. A strange shark that spouts hot water from a blowhole in its concave back. Bathing in the shark's waters will transform even the driest hide into smooth, gleaming skin. Also, since various species of Doctor Fish make Hot Spring Sharks their home, bathers can heal while they beautify. That makes Hot Spring Sharks some of the most popular attractions in Life. "WHAAAT?! SHARKS IN THE RIVER!!? HEY, ARE THESE THINGS SHARKS!?" Shouting from the pool drew his attention and saw Zongeh's group messing around. What are those idiots doing?

"There are plenty of other useful doctor fish." The young Reviver commented as the group walked over him. "Useful?" Toriko asked. "Take the hot spring shark next to us. It's loaded with diet fish. It costs 10,000 yen per hour. They use their thin snouts to suck subcutaneous fat through your pores. It's effortless weight loss." Teppei pointed to a pool that the group was walking past. "You can't see them with the naked eye, but there are Blood Tetra in there. They're pretty helpful. They enter your blood stream and eat blood clots. Only 50,000 yen an hour. Not bad."

"What's that place, Teppei?" Toriko asked as he pointed to a small open bath-looking building. Had to be open bath cause of all the steam. "Another hot spring. For skin beautification. The melanin grammies there suck out black heads." Toriko let out slight laugh. "Beautification? Sounds like something Sunny would like! I'll have to tell him about it later." He said as they neared the building. As the group walked by the place, someone suddenly rose up and accidentally flung water at them. "What the?!" Toriko shouted, turning to yell at the person only to stop in mid sentence. "Sorr.. Hm?" Sunny started to say when he and the larger hunter noticed each other said at the same time. "Toriko?!" "Sunny?!"

A while later at lunch

"I can't believe I ran into you here, Sunny! You hurt or something?" Toriko inquired cheerfully as he downed another beer. "As if, idiot." Sunny started just as the waitress interrupted politely. "Thank you for waiting. Here are your Cuticle Berries." Cuticle Berries are a type of fruit that make a person's hair shiny. They have the effect of causing hair growth and stimulate hair growth and it is also said they can even cause people with no hair to grow some.

"Oh." The feminine man went. "Those are.." Teppei started, getting a better look at the plate being placed in front of him. "They're strawberries that make your hair shiny. And they'll make your hair grow, even if you're bald." Sunny reached and popped into his mouth before speaking, "Not everyone who comes to Life is sick or injured. It has foods that cater to the beauty conscious crowd. It's well worth the trip." He said.

Match chuckled a bit. "So beauty's your thing, is it? I never imagined that Sunny of the four kings would be girly." The scarred man commented. "Lay off, Match. Or he'll knock you flat." Toriko warned him with a grin. A sly smile graced the Reviver's face when he said, "Getting groomed isn't your only goal, is it? I've seen the look in your eyes before from many a gourmet hunter." His eyes got sharp as he finished. "You're here on a hunt." Sunny said nothing, just stared at him for a moment then asked, "And you are?"

"EH?!"

"Just kidding. I know you. You're a big deal, Teppe."

"Teppei!"

"But you're right. I came here to get some information on a certain food. A food that will become my dessert and complete my Full-Course Meal!" Sunny boasted. "Oooh! So you've chosen your dessert, Sani? Your full course is almost wrapped up!" Toriko commented as the long haired man replied, "And what'd you come to Life for, Toriko? Hmm? Wait.. What happened to you?! Your arm's gone!" 

"You're just now noticing?!" Toriko shouted. Jeesh! "Oh, I see how it is. You came here to get your arm restored. Country of healing this may be, but there's no way you're getting that arm back." Sunny said, pointing a finger at the hunter. "My master can do it." Teppei added his bit to the conversation. "Who's your master?" Sunny asked her question first! "He's a reviver. Yosaku!" Teppei said proudly. "Say what?!" Sunny exclaimed in shock.

"Toriko isn't the only injured member of our party. I'm asking the guy for treatment too." Match joined in as well. Match speaking up reminded Toriko of something. "That reminds me, Takimaru!" The hunter quickly turned to look at the young Gourmet Knight. "Yosaku might have that medicine you wanted. You know, the one that can cure any disease!"

"Un, right... That's true. Of course that'd be wonderful, but... Even so, I lack the funds to purchase it." Takimaru started to explain but the larger man wouldn't hear it. "Just ask for it! I'm sure he'll give it to you!"

"I doubt that..." Takimaru said.

"C'mon, Teppei. He'll do it, right?" Toriko asked the Reviver. "Don't brag me into this." He said. Sani, who just watched, spoke suddenly, "It seems that the person you have business with..is the same man who holds the information I'm after!"

"Huh?!" The four men went at once. "Information on the dessert in Gourmet God Acacia's full course menu! The food called Earth! This Yosaku knows about it!" The long haired man finished, once more stunning the group. "They call him the "Red Reviver" or "Blood-stained Yosaku's"! Teppei, I'd never guess you were his apprentice!" Yelling from a nearby restaurant caused the group to look over.

"S..sir, we can't have you smoking in here. We're a non-smoking restaurant." A waitress said.

"What?! You're saying it's illegal?!" A deep voice shouted unhappily. In front of the place there stood a tall, broad shoulder man with a black wrap around his head and he wore a lab coat that was covered in multiple red stains. "Uh-oh. Don't tell me..." Toriko started. Judging from the expression on Teppei's face he didn't exactly look happy. That man, who was creating a scene, was his master. "Speak of the devil.." Yup. He didn't sound happy. "Then that's a rule made to be broken! If you follow the rules... There's too much you'll be missing out on!"

"Master!" Teppei exclaimed loudly. He sounded REALLY stressed about this. "Hrmph! I recognize that voice!" The man started to light up that cigar branch Toriko liked and the man had three of them in his mouth. He took a deep breath and blew out white plumes of smoke through his nose as he replied, "Yo, Teppei! So you made it back, did ya?! Ha-ha-ha!"

Yosaku then seated himself at their table where his young apprentice explained everything that had happened. The older man laughed heartily then said, "I figured as much! So the show-case really was a bust! Whatta hoot!" Teppei held a down expression. "It's not that funny."

"What's dead is dead. And everything dies sometime! It's the law of the land! One of the rules of the world!" Ironic, that the rule breaker himself says that with a smile.. "But...! When it comes to me, well.. I might break that rule." "Master!" Teppei scolded. "Because you didn't go yourself.. Granny Setsu's furious." Teppei informed him with a stern look.

"What?! Granny Setsu showed up?! That's against the rules! She shouldn't have gone against the rules!" The rule breaker shouted in indignation. "What rules?!" Teppei asked depressed again as a waitress chimed in. "Sir, smoking is against the rules too!" "Hmph! That kind of rule's meant to be broken." The other men that came here weren't at all....well, pleased with the identity of this man. He...really wasn't what they were expecting!

Chapter Text

After lunch was finished, the group followed the older Reviver to probably one of the largest to one of the most beautiful trees on top of a mini mountain. "Now I getcha!" The rule breaker explained as he led the way up. "So that's why you brought Toriko and these guys..all the way to Life."

"Please, master. Heal their wounds. It's better than getting reamed by Granny Setsu, right?" Teppei said, hoping he'd really helped them out. "Of course! Anything to save my tush from Granny Setsu's wrath!" Match, Takimaru and Sunny, stared at him as they followed this strange man each wondering if he really did have what they needed.

"Though I must admit I'm quite surprised to see this little lady here. It was quite a shock, seeing her here and especially since it's been years when I last treated her." The older man commented as he glanced towards Sarafina. "What the heck does that mean?" Toriko inquired. There it was again! Another person with some previous knowledge about her. "Agreed. What did you mean with that comment?" Sunny added as the men glanced between the unconscious woman and him. What was with this mystery concerning her?

"There aren't that many people that have abilities like her...well, that mainly because most people don't usually make it this far. Or live for that long either. Hehehe. She's quite the rule breaker too." Yosaku laughed. "I really like that! She's quite the survivor. Alright I'll tell ya a bit!"

"I take it you're aware of who Sarafina really is." Toriko stated rather than asked. "Yes indeed! Well, a bit anyway. For starters, I know that she's been orphaned for the majority of her life and that her abilities have defile the very limits to the imagination. What I'm about to say shouldn't be made known to the general population. Normally rules are made to be broken but this is a...delicate matter. Anyway, as I said. Most of the people who have done what she can do, don't usually live long. But her...she's special."

"Special? Who is she? What are her powers?" Toriko questioned. He needed to know. He needed this information because how is he supposed to protect her if he doesn't know anything about her. However, he had a bad feeling he wasn't going to like the answers that will be given. "No, I ain't gonna tell you how. It's too high up in the chain to be explained fully." So the IGO and perhaps the president are aware of this then..? Both Sunny and Toriko wondered even as the rest has their jaws hit the ground in disbelief. "So what landed the little lady here?" Yosaku asked. Though, he can already guess on what happen to her. Match chose this moment to speak up. Even now, he couldn't believe what he saw.

"She was fighting a member from the Gourmet Corp, a guy specialised with bugs. I can't even begin to descried what I just saw. She moved way too quickly for me to keep up. This strange aura that radiated off of her was intense. Then.... Her whole body convulsed and many deep, severe deep slash marks suddenly appeared. She coughed and threw up lots of blood. She was conscious for a while before...." Match trailed off as his brown eyes gazed down at the young woman. "She stopped breathing."

"Heh, yup. That'll do it. It doesn't sound like it was less severe as before but it sure was enough if it left her like that." Yosaku said. "What does that mean?" Toriko asked, having a bad feeling he wasn't going to like the answer. But the older Reviver didn't say any more than that. "My theory is that she's just got some freakish bad luck." The others as they tried to inquire more but only got more vague answers.

The group had descended down a flight of stairs to a very tall entrance leading into the mountain. "This is it." The older man said as he waltz right on in. "We're entering the symbol of Life. Mother wood, the tree of healing. Though some call it a food lodge." Yosaku said the last part when they had reached the end of the tunnel to a small plate form. The space inside was bigger than originally thought.

"It's a healing space where most revivers lodge." The older man explained. That explained all the activity going on on the different plate forms. "Hey, I recognise a bunch of those revivers." Toriko commented as he looked down at the different people. "You'll also see a lot of apprentices that those famous revivers have taken under their wings. This place sees no end to commissions asking to revive foods." Teppei explained. "Hey! Hurry up and get over here!" Yosaku called over his shoulder and the group quickly caught up to him.

"Welcome...to my revival lab." He announced, standing in front of a door with a sign that read "Revival Lab". "Revival...or destruction?" Teppei muttered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Huh?" Toriko went. They followed the blood stained man to a room that sent shivers down the men's spine.

The tables were full of bottles of various colours, plants, animals and other things. The thing that really got them was the blood that was splattered all over the walls and floor. "Whoa!" Sunny exclaimed in surprise. "A Chaco bird and Morning Rose! He really does revive things!" Toriko then asked with a "wtf" expression, "But what's with all the blood stains?" Kururu didn't like the room as she tired to bury herself in Toriko's hair.

"Hmm? The blood stains remind me of my failures!" The older man explained. "?!" "F..failures?!" Match asked nervously, bringing a chuckle from the older man. "How's good old Ryuu doing...gangster boy?" That question threw the vice-boss off long enough for Yosaku to say, "I think I know what each of you came here for so.. I'll start with the easiest!"

With that said, or shouted, he flipped the three injured yakuzas and Sarafina, who were on a blanket being used as a stretcher, high into the air, which caused a gasp of surprise from the scarred man. "BUT-!" The blood stained man shouted then said, "Sorry if I fail." In a blur of motion, Yosaku, hauled Sarafina over his shoulder, hit the air-borne men hard enough to shred the bandages off of them. The others watched on in surprise as Teppei thought to himself, 'Always so violent.' On the bright side...he was always on the mark.

The older man grinned widely and told the three men, "Rise and shine...gangster boys." Much to the surprise of Match he watched as one of them coughed up blood before taking in a deep breathe, eyes snapping wide open. Quickly the others followed suit and gasped out as they took breathes of air. "G..guys!" The vice boss exclaimed happily. "Now," Yosaku started as he grabbed one of the men by the ankle and threw him into one of the open flowers which quickly closed up, sealing the man inside. "Let's treat those wounds."

"He got eaten by flower!" "Whoa!" Sunny and Toriko exclaimed at the same time. "It's okay." Teppei said in a calm voice. "That's a therapy tulip. It's a rare carnivorous plant that actually eats the wounds of people and animals. After one minute, he'll be mostly healed. Course, if you accidentally enter when you're not wounded, you'll be eaten whole."

"Mnn." The rule breaker went, suddenly grabbing one of the yakuza's arm. "What's this?" The action caused a cry to erupt from the man, which was ignored as the wound was inspected. "This chewed up arm's hanging by a flap." Yosaku said as he spat onto the wound. "Press on it for ten minutes and she'll hold." The older man quickly turned his attention to the scarred man. 

"And you, feelin' a little drafty below the waist?" Judging from Match's expression, he wasn't too keen on the idea. He gave out a yell of disgust and went, "You spat on me and it wasn't even paste! That's foul!" The older man nailed the spot where the leg had been removed. Yosaku laughed again and replied, "It's got more adhesive strength." He then walked over to an empty table and carefully set Sarafina down. He proceeded to hook up the necessary IVs and blood packets to her, along with that same mysterious rainbow coloured liquid and an oxygen mask. Yosaku also connected her into a heart rate monitor.

Once she was done, Yosaku turned his attention onto a new victim, Takimaru. "Now then! What do you need, sonny?!" Takimaru flinched in surprise, not that anyone could blame him the poor guy. A sharp look entered the rule breaker's eyes as he continued to speak. "Ah, yes. You're looking for a panacea. A medicine known to cure every disease. I don't know how you heard about it but.." The man raised his voice. "It exists, all right!"

"!" Takimaru's eyes widen a bit, listening as the man continued to talk. "But there's a catch! The medicine I'm thinking of can only heal illnesses of the human world. It can't heal diseases from the gourmet world! Or as we call them in the human world...curses!" Yosaku leaned down and peered into the young man's eyes. "Just like that eye of yours, sonny!"

That seemed kinda harsh...but...he wasn't here for himself anyway. "T...Takimaru.." Toriko went softly. This guy... He was tempting the kid wasn't he? "You still want me to give it you? It's only a single pill! And it'll cost you ten billion!" Judging from his expression it was a tempting offer to him. "Master, you can't mean that..." Teppei started but was ignored by the older man.

The sharp look in Yosaku's eyes darken. "What will it be?" He asked, staring deeply into his eyes seriously. Man oh man, even she had to admit it was quite temptingly she was in his place. But..the woman knew things would out all right. Toriko watched on in awe as all kinds of thoughts raced across Takimaru's face before.. "P..." He started then quickly went down onto his hands and knees bowing. "Please! I can't pay...yet! But I swear I will pay you back if it takes me my whole life! And so..." The young man lowered his head more. "Please give it to me! I beg of you!"

A strange grin appeared on the blood stained man's face as he replied, "It might not cure the curse and you still want it, Hmm?" Takimaru did not hesitate when he answered, "It isn't for me. It's for another." Takimaru looked up at him with eyes full of determination. "If there's even a .1% chance that he'll recover... Then I will do anything in order to beat the odds... No, for that rule to be broken!" Takimaru's words blew the elder Reviver's mind. He won him over. Good for him. She congratulated him silently even as the older man smiled widely and shouted happily, "Well said!" He slammed a booted foot down hard enough to send the young Knight into air and right into his arms, hugging him a bit.

"I like you, kid! That's right! Let's smash that stupid rule to pieces! Let's see what the future holds... When we change it ourselves! And the footprints we leave behind...will be the new rules! Take the medicine! I don't need the money. Your spirit is payment enough for me!" Yosaku stated proudly, his words bringing tears to Takimaru's eyes. "Th..thank you...so very much." The young man said, voice full of tears. Toriko watched a bit before laughing and in a congratulated voice, "Good for you, Takimaru."

"As for you, Toriko!" Yosaku shouted, turning to the Heavenly King. "Nice to finally meet you. I can see you've got a strong life force. Let's restore your arm!" Toriko had a blank look for a moment before it broke into a happy smile. "Whaat?! You can really bring my arm back?!" Toriko asked, really happy at the prospect of having his arm back. "Yep. But it'll take twenty years!" Yosaku informed him. Say wha? The news stunned the group for a few minutes. "T...twenty yyeeeaaars?!" Toriko shouted in dismay.

Later that night

The hunter sighed deeply and complained once more, "Twenty years? I didn't see that coming. I can't wait twenty years!" Toriko was currently sitting in a jelly looking chair and had recently change into some small black shorts. Plus his hair was all but hacked off, the butch cut didn't suit him at all. He still wasn't happy at the possibility of waiting two decades for a new arm. But Toriko knew that he shouldn't complain so much. He turned his head over to Sarafina. His eyes softening as he gazed at her unconscious form. She still has yet to make a single noise or movement. Her heartbeat was still inactive. Kururu was right by her head, curled up beside her asleep. 'Wake up soon Sarafina.' He thought.

"We're back! We bought that food you asked!" Sunny announced as he and Teppei walked in with bags of food. Sunny gave a surprise shout then started laughing and pointing at the larger hunter. "What's with that awful haircut?!" Sunny asked between the fits of laughter. "Shut up. Yokasu cut it..." Toriko told him. "You look terrible! Not beautiful at all!" Toriko muttered out, "Tch. Why'd Takimaru and Match have to leave so soon?"

Flash back

"I must return to pick up my horse." Takimaru said as Match joined in, "And we're going back to Nerg city. We'll be waiting on pins and needles for Komatsu's soup."

"Yosaku-san, I promise I'll pay you back." The young man said, turning to look at the older man. Yosaku laughed loudly and replied, "I told you no! Just keep being a ruler breaker!" Takimaru smiled and looked at Toriko, "Toriko, I appreciate all you've done for me in the short time we've known each other." Toriko gave his usual smile and said, "Sure."

"Even if it was brief.. I'm glad to have joined you on an adventure." Takimaru said. "The adventure's not over yet! You still have to eat the soup with me!" The young man giggled a bit at the excited tone and look the hunter had. "Oh that's right. Tell that Ai for me," Toriko began to relay the message to the young Knight as Yosaku began to talk to Sunny and Teppei.

"Teppei! Sani! Go and buy me a ton of food! On the double!" "Huh?! Why should I?" The long haired man started to protest which was ignored with a "Just hurry up and do it!" from the older man. "Now then, Toriko! Let's get started on your treatments." A doubtful look came onto Toriko's face. "Hey.. Is it really gonna take twenty years?" Yosaku laughed again then answered, "If we still had your arm, I'd have it reattached before breakfast. But making your body regrow one is a whole other story."

"You mean regrow it like a newt?" Toriko asked at the same time before looking at each other. Yosaku grabbed a bowl and proceeded to put stuff inside it. "Yep. Gourmet cells are powerful things, and they specialise in regeneration." He explained not missing a beat, working on the bowl. "Usually, all you'd have to do is eat the right foods and the gourmet cells would do the regeneration for you. Gourmet cells can also help things like arms and legs attach to the body. Once the body accepts them, it's like they were always there. The medical field has systems in place for that kind of modification. You can even get donor cards. Just like with organ transplants."

Sounded like that vomit guy...Grinpatch... Though it was highly doubtful the real owner of his new arms did so willingly. "However, the more superior the gourmet cells, the more egotistical it becomes. Toriko, your cells probably won't accept a foreign body! So all we can do is grow an arm! Using your body!" Yosaku shouted as he began to manhandle Toriko, who yelped out, "Whoa! What was that for?!" Kururu quickly jumped off of him and sat on one of the nearby tables as she watched the scene unfold.

"We need your DNA! And lots of it!" "Aww, wait!" Toriko shouted as Yosaku cut off almost all of his hair off. After he was done with the haircut, Toriko was very upset in the change in style of his beautiful blue hair even as the rule breaker added the hair to the bowl. Kururu, who jumped back up on his head, didn't like it as well. Dang it, his head was becoming her favourite sleeping spot. Now it just feels weird. "This outta do it." Yosaku commented, bringing up something that looked like a seed to his face.

"The regeneration seed. This little plant will absorb your DNA. When it grows...it will blossom with the seed of your new arm. But if there's not enough DNA to imprint on the seed, it won't blossom." But there was so much hair in the bowl...how could there not be enough? "That's a lot of hair for a little seed.." Toriko said. "You better hope it blossoms." That said a serious expression was on the blood stained man's face as he dropped the seed into the bowl.

Within a few seconds, a small sprout popped up out the of the hair. "Wow! It sprouted!" Toriko exclaimed excitedly. "Now... Will it blossom?" Yosaku asked. As soon as he spoke, a pretty flower that resembled a tiger lily. "It did!" Toriko continued happily. "Quit your bleating. This is just step one." Yosaku grumbled at him. "Step one?"

"Look. You see that seed in the Center of the flower? That little nub holds a complete blueprint of your body. That includes all the information of your arm before it was blown off. If this reacts well to your cells, it should grow into a perfect replica of your old arm."

The blood stained man pointed at the seed inside. "Now to implant it. It's as fragile as a bubble, so you have to be careful. The regeneration seed is rare and the species isn't very prolific. If this seed breaks, consider it the end of the road." He told Toriko. Kururu looked at the flower with great interest and was about to play with it when Toriko quickly held her back. "Whoa, whoa! This isn't a cat toy." He said as he gently plucked the seed from the flower. That wasn't very encouraging. Suddenly Yosaku sneezed, snot flying everywhere and he accidentally squashed the the seed. The two men stared at the seed then Yosaku held up a hand then said apologetically, "My bad." "What did you just do?!" Toriko shouted.

"Don't worry! They always say that failure is the second-cousin's friend's mother of success." Yosaku said.  "That means it's practically unrelated! You screwed up! We gonna try again!" Toriko shouted angrily. The two turned to the bowl only to find the plant was gone. "And now it's not even sprouting!" Toriko shouted more angrily. "We need more DNA! Peel off your skin! And shave your balls!"

Toriko watched nervously as Yosaku slowly gently planted the seed onto the stump where the arm used to be. How will they know if it worked? Toriko got his answer when the seed stayed in its place, quickly turning his sour mood around. "It...it worked!" Toriko exclaimed happily. The rule breaker went "phew" and then said, the grin back on his face, "Now comes the real fun, Toriko. We'll dip you in Healing Jelly to get that seed feeling comfortable."

End flashback

"Ha ha ha! Really? So you had to chop his hair!" Sunny said between laughter with Toriko giving him the stink eye. But that's enough of them for now. As things were getting lively at this corner of the dimension, things weren't any quiet where Sarafina was. Her body was now working on repairing all damages done to her organs, healing her wounds and worked to start her heart.

In the far, deep and dark corners of her subconscious, Sarafina awoke to find herself in complete darkness. She felt no one else around. Not even she was here, which was odd, that woman was always here to give her a good scolding whenever something like this happens. How long will she be out for this time? Will she be able to wake up again? Sarafina became crestfallen at the alternative. 'I hope I wake up soon. I can't imagine how heartbroken my grandfather and Leticia would be if I don't. But still...' Sarafina said as she slowly sat up. 'At least...I managed to heal Toriko, Match, his men and Takimaru. And at the very least I got back at Tommyrod...he didn't taste all that good though.'

Sarafina sighed in dismay. 'I can already hear what she's going to say when she gets here...any moment now, Fyreia is going to say-.'

"Get your hands off me you filthy beast!"

'Yup. I knew-.' ....Wait what?! Sarafina snapped up when she heard Fyreia shout that out along with a loud slap. Much to her own shock and amazement, there, standing RIGHT in front of her, was not only Fyreia but also the Toriko's demonic intimidation...or was this his inner self? Fyreia had apparently got angry or something with this Hanyuu and she had slapped him across the face. But he didn't seemed all too bothered by this. Instead, he just have a wide grin on his face.

As she sat there, blinking at it...him...in confusion the Hanyuu gave a deep rumble of a chuckle before saying to Fyreia, "Cute expression." All she could do in response was keep her distance, no doubt glaring at him through her long bangs. " You! How dare you touch me like that?!" Fyreia shouted.

Fyreia was Sarafina's Appetite Demon. A...special type. Both in form and what she often feeds on. While most Appetite Demons take the form of Devils, Ogres, Satan, and Trolls, Fyreia takes the form of a Yūrei. She had turquoise coloured skin, long straight, somewhat messy dark teal hair that falls all the way down to her knees, and her long bangs covered both of her eyes, and a long, sleeveless dark lavender dress that stops at her ankles. She is barefoot and has pointed ears.

The demon chuckled darkly, making her anger flare up. Sarafina watched in confusion before she stood up. "Umm...what's going on here?" She said in complete confusion. Fyreia shot her out to her host as she said, "Don't come any closer Sarafina. I am just as angry with you as I am of him! I can not believe you, thanks to your little action, this bastard has been stalking and harassing me none stop! I only hope it won't be long before he fades from existence in your mind...you just had to kiss that oaf didn't you!?"

"I did it to save him! How was I supposed to know that in doing so I would bring a portion of his demon into my subconscious?!" Sarafina shot back. In all her years, this had never happened before. Why was this Hanyuu here? Did she absorb something when she saw healing Toriko? The demon raised an eyebrow at Fyreia. "Stalking? Harass? Those kind of words can hurt a man's pride..." The Hanyuu gave a deep rumble of a chuckle, making the Yūrei flush a bit in anger. The larger male continued to give a smirk as he stared at the Yūrei in front of him. Not seeing what the problem was, after all he was just holding his woman... Hmmmm...his woman..he liked the sound of that if only his awake self and her would stop this silly dancing around with... 

The Hanyuu then turned his eyes towards the Yūrei's host. That woman was definitely easy on the eyes, but he knew that she was clearly special. Beautiful, strong, brave and feisty, but also one who greatly values life and freedom. She was perfect. Sarafina stared back in confusion at the Hanyuu and was about to ask him some questions when Fyreia quickly stepped in between them, growling adorably, "Stay away from her." Though he'll keep that part to himself least she tried something to hurt him. He could easily sense these two were powerful.

"And as for you." Fyreia said as she turned to face her blind host. "What were you thinking of using 30% of your powers like that? That caused near fatal injuries to your body, which I should remind you again, is already incredibly weak. However, just so you know that because you have eaten that sample from Tommyrod, I am relieved, and you should be lucky, that you'll been unresponsive for at least a two days." Fyreia scolded her with a stern voice. She is lucky. Two days was a lot shorter compared to last time.

However, Fyreia blamed herself for that one. She should've stopped her and somehow convince her to turn back. So now it's her responsibility that she makes sure Sarafina wouldn't push her limits again. Hmph...guess she was more attached to her host than she originally believed. The Hanyuu stood of to the side as he listened in. Now this was interesting. Seems these two have a shared secret. Of course, he knew that they were deliberately vague since he was here, but that didn't matter. But from what he can gather, Sarafina has a weak body and her own powers can cause her extreme pain.

Sarafina just stood there patiently as she listened to her rant. Sarafina knew that what she had done was stupid...but...she made a promise to herself to use as much power she can use to protect both people and animals. Fyreia knows this as well, but that certainly didn't make her worried about her any less.

"I'm sorry... But I didn't have much of a choice, if I hadn't done anything to step in, Tommyrod and his men would've killed Toriko and the others. I can't just sit by and do nothing while people are suffering in front of me while I have more than enough power to save them. If I didn't then I'll just as bad as them! And I don't want to be like them." Sarafina told her. She didn't need to explain who they were, Fyreia knew exactly who she was talking about. Sarafina had made a promise to herself and she had planned on keeping it till the very end.

Fyreia stared at her host for a moment before sighing. 'Stubborn as always.' She thought. "Very well. I'll give you a break, but please! Stop hurting yourself like this, and stop pushing your limits once you've reached that particular point." She told her. Sarafina gave a sad, small smile as she nodded her head. "I'll try my best." She said before she found herself fading in and out from existence. "Guess your finally regaining consciousness, still it'll be two days before you really awaken. As always, you won't be move your body for a while. I would say...at least a couple of months, plus a week, to regain mobility again." Fyreia said.

Sarafina nodded. "Alright. Thank you Fyreia. I promise to be more careful." She said. "You better!" Fyreia shouted just as Sarafina disappeared. The Yūrei shook her head and whispered, "That girl... AAH!" She shouted as large arms appeared out of nowhere and pulled her into a warm broad chest, the action causing her to blush deeply. "Let me go now or else!" A warm breath tickled her ear, sending shivers through her.

"Or else what? I've captured the princess...for the moment." The large male rumbled at her as he pulled the girl closer. The Hanyuu felt himself beginning to disappear as well, but he wanted to have some fun before he go. Fyreia let out a squeak of surprise when one of his hands rested on her hip while the other gently cupped her chest. "Where the hell do you think you're touching?!" Fyreia growled a bit as he pulled her even closer, tightening his hold. "Mine." 

"What did you just say? What does that me- Aah!" Fyreia gasped in surprise as the Hanyuu gently stroked her hip with his hand while the other cupped her chest more, lightly stroking. Fighting back shivers she growled menacingly and demanded, "Just what the hell do you think you're touching?! Let me go NOW!" A dark rumble was breathed into her ear as he continued his stroking, enticing more shivers from her. 'Damn him!' Fyreia's face turned blood red when she felt a...stirring...practically poking her in the back. "The hell are you doing?! Get off!"

"Relax my little kitten. You are safe...for now." He said.

"How's that suppose to be encouraging when your FRIEND isn't behaving?" The demon laughed deeply. How cute. Very amusing but so cute and adorable...like a helpless little kitten in his hands only this one will bite if pushed too far. Her body felt so good to hold but he should really stop his teasing before his stirrings pushed him to go too far with her and no way will the Hanyuu push her into something she didn't want. Yet. Man...such a beautiful woman, why isn't his host taking any action yet?

"Much as I want to stay and continue our little chat I'm afraid it's time for me to leave. I'll see you VERY soon again my little kitten." He said as Fryeia took note of his vanishing form. She left out 'hmph' and said, "Finally, you disgusting perv. Leave me be!" She growled. Was it his imagination or did she sound slightly breathless?. Should he...oh why the hell not..? The Yūrei let out a loud squeak of surprise when he ran his tongue along her neck. Really too cute.

"Disgusting pervert!" She shouted just as he had vanished completely. She growled slightly as she said to herself, "Why in the world would Sarafina develop feelings for someone like Toriko?" 

She sighed heavily. "Can he truly love her? Can he really protect her..? I'm not sure...and the alternatives of her survival still scares me."

Chapter Text

*Three months later*

It was a beautiful full moon night when Sarafina awoken again. And God, were the next three months felt like true hell. As much as Sarafina was glad to be awake again, she was still much too weak to even move. Being rendered still on a table with wires attached to your body and having to use an oxygen tank to breath wasn't all that fun for her and the rehabilitation on trying to regain her body's strength was near impossible. Sarafina was given a wheelchair to help move around, but it clear that she needed a lot more time before she can functionally move again. Still...she was more than happy to know that everyone made it out of Ice Hell safe and sound. Especially that everyone got the proper medical attention they needed. Toriko, Teppei, and even Sunny were happy to see her conscious again, so she was happy for this much. 

Right now, she was just on her wheelchair, continuing on resting her body while Kururu snuggled on her lap as Teppei and Toriko converse with each other. "You know.." Teppei started, turning his attention to the giant hunter who, the entire time, continued to inhale food in front of him. "As many times I've seen my master's regenerative technique...I've never seen a patient recover as fast as you, Toriko." Hm? Sarafina glanced a bit and nearly did a double take. Since the last time she saw him his whole arm was gone and now...now it was getting near completion. 'That should be a good sign.' She thought.

Either his body was something else or something else was at work here. Most likely the last part, knowing him he was gonna hit the wall and something will pull him through or snap him out of it. "No matter how much I eat, I don't feel full! I can feel my left arm sucking up the nutrients. I can't believe nature created a seed like this!" Toriko complained between bites.

"No. My master created it." The Gourmet Reviver held up a hand as he continued to explain. "There are plenty of creatures in the natural world that can regenerate. But none that can grow back an entire arm like this. The regeneration plant is a hybrid."

"Huh, wow. That's the first thing he's done that I actually respect." The hunter commented. "He's had his share of flops. But he takes note of each and every one of them." Teppei added. "The secret of success is to mess up a lot first." Toriko 'hmphed' and said, "So that's why Yosaku hasn't scrubbed away the bloodstains. Out of respect for his failures."

"Nah. They're proof that he's still just as prone to failing." That didn't sound very encouraging. Teppei held up a finger a bit, making sure the point he was trying to make got through. "Even whether this regeneration seed will heal you or not is up to luck."

"So it really is depending on luck!" Toriko exclaimed in dismay before he gave a sigh before he stood up and plopped into the jelly chair. "Does a certain hunter not believe in luck or doesn't have any luck?" Sarafina started to ask as she send a smile towards Toriko's way and proceeded to wheel over to the giant hunter, who just sighed again. "Luck is something...questionable." He stated simply, eyeing the woman as she walked till she was right in front of him. Toriko blinked a bit and tried not to either stare or blush as she leaned in and gently cupped his chin.

"If you don't have that much luck I. Can. Give. You. Mine." Sarafina said softly, leaning in like she was gonna kiss him then moved away in uncontrollable laughter when she sensed her fellow hunter's soul turning bright red and felt like he was gonna have a heart attack. "Oi, oi! You were messing with me!" Toriko accused her, trying to get his blush under control. "Really?! Messing with an injured person!" Toriko growled at her more. Sarafina laughed even harder. "All the more reason to. Your guard was down and wide open." She giggled a bit as he pouted a bit. "I thought for sure I was gonna have a heart attack. What happened to the reserved woman I met?"

"Still here. What? Am I not allowed to relax around you or anything of the sort?" Toriko blinked a bit. "I never said that. Eh?! Now what are you doing?!" He exclaimed the last part as she once again got close. She wasn't gonna kiss him for real, was she?! It'll be awesome but very unfair! A delicate frown appeared around her eyes. Hm? "What's with you?"

"Toriko. Are you feeling alright? I sense you to be a bit flustered." The woman started before the hunter went "hmphed" and replied, "Its just your imagination." Or more then likely from her teasing earlier but he was not gonna tell HER that! Teppei watched on in amusement and wondered to himself just what kind of relationship these two had.

"Just how close are you two?" Teppei started to ask when the two glanced/glared over at him and quickly shot down that particular direction. "Why did you become Yosaku's apprentice anyway, Teppei?" Toriko asked abruptly. Probably in an attempt to change the atmosphere and mood. That and the larger hunter was curious as to why the grandson of a legendary hunter would chose a different path. "You're related to the famous Gourmet Hunter Knocking Master Jiro. Didn't you ever see yourself as a Gourmet Hunter?"

"I have to agree. As a child, I'm sure you must've admired your grandfather's work right?" Sarafina said up, glancing towards the green haired man. Teppei said nothing but looked at the two for a moment then took a bite out of his dongo before looking away as he chewed. "The silent treatment?!" Toriko shouted in disbelief over the usually talkative nature of the other man.

"Hahaha...! You hold some strange, yet amusing personality quirks Teppei." Sarafina giggled as she seated herself back on her chair, nearly falling over. "Like you should talk! You've got some strange ones yourself!" Toriko grumbled at Sarafina who retorted back, "So says the gluttonous hunter."

"I admire the old man for what he does." Teppei suddenly spoke up, getting their attention. "He used to take me out on his hunts a lot when I was little. And I worshipped Gourmet Hunters." Sarafina smiled a bit at that. A child who worshipped Gourmet Hunters...funny how things work out like that. "But one day, I saw something that shocked me." The man paused for a moment appearing lost in his memories before continuing on.

"The earth was dry and cracked. There were dead creatures everywhere. But it wasn't the landscape that shocked me. It was how sad...the old man looked. I knew he was thinking of the past, and his old friends. Jiro was usually in a happy drunken stupor, so I'd never seen him so sullen. I guess he'd really wanted me to see that land, and it's long-gone bounty. That's when I decided I wouldn't hunt foods. I'd protect them."

That was some serious stuff this man told them. But...now that she thought about it and taking a good look at Teppei's soul, Sarafina couldn't picture the young man hunting ingredients. He was much too kind for that. Being a Gourmet Reviver suited his personality quite well. The same can be said for Toriko...and even herself. Speaking of which, his soul was telling her that he seemed to be more flushed than he was before and it was starting to worry her. Was he really alright?

Toriko said nothing bout what he heard. Taking a moment to think before he started to say, "So.." But Teppei continued on. "At the time. There weren't many Revivers. But there were plenty of extinct foods. I only had one goal. To protect the foods Jiro had discovered...and to revive the ones he'd knocked out when drunk."

"What exactly does that mean?" Sarafina started but quickly whipped her head over to look at Toriko, who looked very worse for wear. "Toriko. Something's very wrong with you." The blind woman started, reaching a hand over to check his forehead even as responded back to the other man. "Ha ha. I see. There must be lots of...those...out..." He trailed off as his eyes glazed over and started to swoon. "Toriko!" Sarafina quickly stood up and was about to rush over to his side when the blood spattered. But unfortunately her body was still very weak and she ended up falling to the ground, though Sarafina didn't care about that. "Toriko!"

Then Yosaku waltzed in holding a bag of Medicine Bees. The Medicine Bee has four parts: head, thorax, abdomen, and two pairs of membranous wings. The female is equipped with a stinger (for laying eggs) and stores various medicines. The stinger can be used as a syringe to administer medication. "How's it hangin' Toriko?" The rule breaker said cheerfully as he walked into the room. "Brought you some Medicine Bees!"

"Quick, please! There's something seriously wrong with him!" Sarafina started to explain when Yosaku noticed the condition the hunter was in. Her expression froze and paled when without warning Toriko started to violently cough up large amounts of blood. "Toriko!" Both she and Teppei exclaimed in shock even as the event shocked the giant hunter more even as he coughed to have a fit of blood soaked coughs.

"What?" Toriko managed to get out even as the ruler breaker, who stood by watching the entire and unfazed, spoke. "Ah. Perfect timing. You've already reached the next stage." The older man ignored her as he mused at the break neck pace Toriko was advancing. Yosaku quickly turned his attention over to the green haired man. "Teppei, I'm gonna need your help!" Yosaku shouted as he went to Toriko's aid. Teppei quickly helped Sarafina up and placed her back in her wheelchair before going his Master.

The giant hunter had been moved over to one of the trunk table. Already the blood spattered man had brought over an IV stand and told Teppei, "Ready a needle, Teppei! And steep it in antibiotics!" Teppei quickly did as he was told even as he replied with, "Yes sir!"

Toriko, meanwhile, continued to worsen as he coughed up even more large amounts of blood than before and looked more terrible than after his fight with that bug guy. "Toriko..." Sarafina said softly, voice full of worry. She was so worried about him...what if he doesn't make it through? If he doesn't...Sarafina wasn't sure if she'll ever forgive herself. "Let's see now. What's Toriko's blood type again?" She heard the older man muse.

The Master Reviver looked over to the dispensers of different blood types on the wall. He calmly pull a lever and got a Blood Bug. They are small, tick-like, purple bugs with six legs, two antennas, and a circular light purple marking on their back. They possess a very large red abdomen where they store all the excess blood they intake. This abdominal sack can be easily popped to release the blood.

Yosaku popped it over an IV bag that was opened. "What's...happening..?" Toriko weakly started to ask when Yosaku answered/explained, "Side effects from the regeneration seed. You're going to experience a lot of them. It'll be a trying time, Toriko. So I picked up some medicine caring bees to alleviate the side effects. They're going to be your buzzy little nurses. Be strong, Toriko. This is going to use every bit of strength you've got, but I know you've got the stamina and will power to pull through."

A sharp look entered his eyes. "If you give up for even a second...you'll die." Toriko once again coughed up blood before gritting his teeth. "Toriko...!" Sarafina said, clutching her at her chest as if her heart was as in pain inside from just hearing all this. "D..damn it... I'm not about to die now! Komatsu... He's waiting for me with a big pot of soup! I can't die now!" That's right. He can't die yet. He's got Komatsu waiting for him with the promised soup and Sarafina...like hell he's gonna die and leave her unprotected for those guys to get her. Besides, he's most likely worrying these two so he'd better hurry up and catch up with Komatsu!

Another fit from the hunter rang throughout the room. It was getting harder and harder to sit in her chair and not be able to do anything to help him. It seemed his regeneration was taking less time than thought, just like she predicted...but.. This was ridiculous! The rate his arm, which had regrow just past the elbow, was mind boggling. To the point where it even threw off that ruler breaker. Was this the work of Toriko's gourmet cells? "Master! His condition.." Teppei exclaimed worriedly as the two continued to work. "Blast! I don't have enough medicine bees!" The blood spattered man exclaimed in dismay. Say what?! How the hell could he not foreseen this?!

Yosaku's expression took on a worry tone. He didn't expect the side effects to come in rapid succession. He's never seen regeneration like his before. Toriko's body can't keep up with it. His gourmet cells are going to kill him! The group, save for Toriko, gave a slight exclamation when a familiar voice called out, "I'm back!"

"Sunny!" Sarafina exclaimed in relief. She couldn't believe the incredible timing the pretty guy had! And not a moment too soon! "Sorry it took so long. You think there's enough medicine bees here?" Sunny inquired as he held up a bag that was much larger than the one Yosaku brought, only this one was filled with even more bees. "Sunny, exquisite timing!" Sarafina said happily even as Teppei went, "Sunny!" "Well done!" Yosaku told him even as he turned his attention back to the hunter. "Hang in there, Toriko! Just a little longer!"

"Toriko.." Man she didn't know how much longer she could take! This was way worse than when she had to listen and sense him fight. Once again, Sarafina proved to be rather useless to give any kind of aid when it's desperately needed... Closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again, she can't think like this! She was no longer the same as she was back then!

Without warning the hunter, who was all but near dead, snapped open his eyes and sat up. "Toriko?!" Was he all better?! The surprised yell from the blood soaked Reviver was barely heard as at the same time the two looked down at his newly grown hand. Whoa.. It had completely regenerated. A person couldn't tell it from his original arm. The blind woman smiled a bit as they watched him flex his hand a tiny bit before smiling happily and shouted in excitement, "I'M HEALED!" Toriko gave a cheer as he quickly sat up and stretched the newly grown arm.

Poor Yosaku exclaimed in disbelief as he tried to figure out what happened. "Th...this is crazy! What's happening?! You were dying a second ago!" Sarafina had sneaking suspicion if what helped him was due to a certain someone completing a certain dish. Wonder if that was his cells suddenly bringing him back? Toriko started to sit up more and proceeded to remove the IV from his arm. "Toriko! Where are you going?" The older man asked as he continued to look at the hunter.

Most definitely food brought him back. That expression Toriko had was one Sarafina by now knew by heart. He had food on the brain. "Hmm-hmph. I thought so." Sarafina giggled. "Something delicious...is calling me!" Toriko answered, exasperatedly with a smile as drool quickly drenched his chin. He wiping the drool off his chin just Sarafina breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'm so happy you've returned to us, you over sized glutton." She smiled at the same time Yosaku yelled out in dismay, "Toriko, you smashed the rules to smithereens!" Thought he liked rule breakers. No matter. Komatsu finished the soup and she couldn't wait to try it!

Days later at Hotel Gourmet

"Wow that's a lot of people! Will we really be able to find Komatsu in that throng?" Sarafina asked as the group reached the main entrance of the hotel and was greeted with the sight of reporters swarming. "What did you expect? The century soup has been made available for everyone to have and enjoy. And easily accessible." Toriko explained a bit as the group (Toriko, Teppei and her went and picked up the others to come and eat the soup) made its way towards the restaurant.

Once again, since her body was recuperating, Toriko carried her in his arms as if she were a bride as they walked inside the hotel. Kururu was safety on top of Toriko's head as she surveyed the area from the height she was at. As they neared they heard the chef say in firm voice, "I've promised the first tasting...to a special group of people!" An older man who apparently was talking to him, looked indignant at his words. "Komatsu!" Sarafina and Toriko called over at the same time before looking at each other than back towards the chef who quickly whipped his head towards them. "Toriko! Sarafina!" Komatsu yelled excitedly as Toriko said, extending his newly regrown hand out, "We've come to taste your century soup!"

"Congratulations on finishing the soup, Komatsu." Sarafina said with a proud smile and the group stopped as they watched him rushed over arms stretched out shouting happily with tears in his eyes, "Y..your arm! It grew back! You're healed! You're alive!! I'm so happy!"

"It took long enough. Sorry I made you wait so long, Komatsu." Toriko apologised when the smaller man reached them. "Not at all! I'm the one who forever." Strictly speaking it should've been impossible for Toriko to grow his arm back and maybe a bit longer or so for the chef to finish the soup. But since it was these two, it didn't surprise her in the least. "But I finally did it! I recreated the century soup! Toriko-san! Sarafina!"

"We knew you finished it before the word got out." "Yep. I knew before it hit the news. I just knew." The two said at the same time once more. "Before..?" Komatsu asked in surprise looking between the two. Toriko's face had a doubtful look glancing toward the woman as he said in a skeptical tone. "Yeah right. How did you know it was finished, Fina?"

"It's just simple female intuition, Toriko." She said with a happy smile.

"Yeah right."

"It's something a mere male like yourself wouldn't understand." "Mew!" Kururu nodded. Komatsu continued to look between the two in confusion.

Teppei watched the trio a bit in silence, thinking to himself. The first to realise the soup's completion were Toriko's gourmet cells. In fact, he can thank the century soup for his astonishing recovery. The hunter's will to live is insatiable. Almost as insatiable as his appetite. Though the Gourmet Reviver did wonder when the woman would start talking to him again...he's got questions he'd like to ask.

Toriko put his one of his hands on his hips and grinned at Komatsu and said to him, "Komatsu, I knew...you wouldn't let anyone taste the soup before us. So I rounded up the troops."

"Well done, Komatsu! I'm very much looking forward to your soup!" Takimaru congratulated him as the chef cried out happily, "Takimaru-san!" Match hmphed a bit before speaking up, "Did you really complete the soup? I'm not gonna believe it until I taste it myself."

"Don't be such a brash stickler Match. I'm positive Komatsu did a very good job recreating it." Sarafina playfully chided him, which only caused him to raise an eyebrow. "Match-San..." The small man started before he broke into a large smile. "I made lots. So please take some back with you for the children." Match smiled a bit.

"I appreciate your efforts, Komatsu-san." Teppei said getting his attention. "Teppei-San." "A chef was able to revive something a gourmet Reviver couldn't!"

"Don't say that. It's thanks to you that I was able to drink the last soup. If I hadn't tasted the real thing, I never would have been able to reproduce the soup. Thank you...Teppei-San. And thank you all." Komatsu said the last bit turning to the rest of the group. "Hnnh-hnnh. That's ingredients for you." Setsuno informed him with a weird chuckle.

"Yes, Setsuno-San! I finally understood the what you meant." Komatsu told her. "I see, I see. So the ingredients spoke to you during the preparation, did they? I'm glad they chose you. Right, Komatsu?" She asked. "Yes!" Matsu exclaimed happily before addressing the group. "C'mon, everybody! Let's get to the top floor restaurant! Wait. Toriko-san, where's Zombie?"

"Its Zongeh. He was a naughty boy who had to stay behind." Sarafina said as she remembered him and the failed attempt to dine n dash. "He got arrested in Life for eating and then skipping out on the bill." The giant hunter fully explained as the group headed inside.

Man, what a trip! Sarafina couldn't wait to try that so... Wait. Did that elder gentleman say something about getting Komatsu a bodyguard? Before she had a chance to glance over and call out to the gentlemen with the moustache, she was carried inside the building. Bodyguard..? Why would the little guy need one? The woman pondered this as they went and reached the top floor before coming out of her head. Much as she loved coming here Sarafina still wasn't fond of dressing up, except for certain occasions.

She now wore a long flowered gray dress was just as comfy and not at all restraining. Except it was a little tight in around the chest. But she didn't care. At least it's in her normal size. She blinked a bit when she noticed Toriko pulled out a chair and carefully sat her down. Kururu jumped from his head to her lap. Once seated, Sarafina looked up at her fellow hunter and smiled. "Thank you Toriko. Forgive me if I'm causing any trouble for you." She said.

Toriko shook his head and smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's the least I could do, you did heal me at Ice Hell." He shrugged and sat down in his seat as the little chef walked out in his uniform. "All right, everyone." Komatsu started, doing a slight bow before continuing. "Here's your century soup." Waiters placed bowels with the covers set on top in front of them. "Please enjoy!" He finished as the hunter put his hands together and gave thanks before everyone removed the covers at the same time.

When they lifted the lids off the bowls beautiful auroras floated gracefully and delicately out of the bowls and into the air to hand above their heads, just like a brilliant banner.

"Ooooh!" Toriko exclaimed in excited astonishment even as the others went, "Wow! An aurora!" "This is the real..." Teppei started to say excitedly when Setsuno finished, "Century soup!" Through her dull, blank eyes, Sarafina was seeing the aurora in a different perspective. How beautiful! The aurora twinkling in the air like a beautiful river of light. Sarafina wondered just how many countless hours Komatsu spent boiling it to imbue the gentle warmth that was coming off the soup.

The younger woman gently brought the bowl up to her face and inhaled deeply. This was what they meant by the harmony of many ingredients coming together in perfect unison. It was kind nods impossible to believe the crystal clear transparency of the soup.

The wonderful, nostalgic scent wafting from the soup brought up happy memories that were filled of smiling faces. And Komatsu made this? High praise to the chef! She was almost afraid to try it lest she ruin it but she gently got a spoonful of it and tried it. The woman had to blink for a moment. What the?! It felt like she bit DOWN into something. What flavour! To cause such a sensational feeling! The flavour felt like it would never end! Kururu peeked at the bowl and took a sniff at it. Smelling the amazing aroma, Kururu jumped and began drinking the soup as well. Once the flavour hit, the little kitty drank like her life depend on it.

With the expression that Toriko held, it was clear that he had the same thoughts. The content look he had when he swallowed was similar to what Sarafina was feeling. Though it looked he was half in love with the soup! 'It's ancient, but "fresh" too. So this is century soup! How could one dish be so satisfying?' Toriko mused when his eyes and mouth started to lift into a smile. W..what the heck?! His eyes were smiling... So was his mouth! He's grinning! It was so delicious.. So satisfying....! Sarafina, as much as she loved the soup, she only held up a, normal, bright smile.

However, for the rest of the group, they all had these silly, weird smiling faces of the group. "Waaah! Guys! You've all got the weirdest faces!" Komatsu yelled out in shock eyes practically bugging out of his head as the others noticed and started to laugh and point at each other.

"Whaddaya call that?!" "An expression of you!" "You bunch of goofballs!" The group exchanged between laughs. "I swear, you people are too much!" Sarafina managed to gasp out between her own laughs. Komatsu watched in confusion for a moment before he too joined in on the laughter. Wiping her eyes a bit the younger woman blinked a bit when the hunter called over to the small chef, getting his attention. "Can I add this soup...to my full course meal?" Toriko asked, pointing to the soup.

The question threw Komatsu off and stammered out, "T..Toriko-san, your...full course meal?" Sarafina couldn't blame the younger chef for being so surprised. In all honesty, the little chef should've seen this coming. "I..." The young gourmet knight started before shouting gleefully and threw his hands up shouting excitedly, "I heartily agree!"

The rest of them cheered a bit in agreement. "Thought you'd never decided on an item, you picky hunter. Way more than I am." Sarafina said with an innocent look as the hunter growled a bit at her, "I'm not picky! I want my course to be full of good delicious food!"

"From some of the foods that we had before were extremely delicious. In short you're just too picky." Sarafina grinned at him cheekily. Toriko tried not to blush and tried to look offended at her words. Damn her! She was teasing him again! Before he had a chance to respond Komatsu asked in a happy crying tone, "A..are you sure?! Th...the...the soup that I made.." Komatsu reached up to wipe away his tears as the hunter replied back, "Stop crying! I'm asking you for a favour!" A cheeky smile appeared on Toriko's face before continuing. "I've never had a soup this tasty in my lifetime!"

"I'd be honoured!" The small chef has tears and snot running down his smiling face. 'He must really be happy. "You cry too much! I know, have some soup!" Toriko said. "Leave him be! He's just crying cause he's happy." Sarafina said as Toriko gave Komatsu some soup which caused him to get the same goofy smile, which made his face kinda scary with him still crying and had snot still running down.

"Now you're crying and smiling at the same time! Gross!" Toriko shouted.

"You're saying that now Toriko? You're the one who gave him the soup." Sarafina said.

"Hey! I was just trying to help!"

"By calling him gross? That's rather rude of you." As Sarafina and Toriko continued their little squabble when the cute little baby penguin chirped as he walked up to Setsuno. "Well, well. A Wall Penguin." She said, chuckling. "So it was you who helped complete the soup." Her words snapped Komatsu out of whatever and surprised him. "S...Setsuno-San, how did you...?" He started to ask when she cut him off. "An experienced chef like me knows an ingredient when it walks up to her."

"Some part of this wall penguin was the final ingredient in the soup." Komatsu said as he knelt down by the penguin smiling. "I see. It was probably an ingredient that only suited your soup, Komatsu-kun. It wouldn't suit mine." The older chef informed him. "Komatsu-kun, are you going to patent the soup?" The Gourmet Reviver inquired, curious if the chef was going to apply.

Patent? Ah. Right. Cause he made the soup he could claim full rights to it should someone else make it. "Oh, no. I don't think I will. If I get a patent, I'll have to publicise the recipe. Wall penguins are an endangered species, and I'm afraid they'd get over-hunted. Besides," He clenched his face and finished with prideful determination, "It's part of Toriko's full course meal! I'm going to protect it with all I've got!"

His response pleased the two, if their smiles were indicating anything. Man, that bit was sounding like an old record.. "I'll gather the ingredients myself whenever I need them!" Now this felt familiar, him putting a new food on his list. "What a...peculiar feeling." Takimaru said at the same time the vice boss commented, "Yeah, we're witnessing the selection of one of Toriko's courses." Sarafina said. Toriko then gave a smug smile and said, "When my stomach's rumbling after the BB corn appetiser... I know this will soothe. Thank you. Komatsu."

Three down. Five to go. Wonder what the picky hunter will find for those empty places on his full course list. Everyone lifted their cups and yelled, "Cheers!" After that, the party lasted till the following morning. Afterward, Komatsu's century soup got officially recognised by the G7. Hotel Gourmet rose from a five star to a six star hotel. That was great for Komatsu. He should be very proud of himself.

Chapter Text

"I wonder if the children in Match's city are happy?" Komatsu wondered aloud, the train going at a nice speed as it crossed the bridge. "Of course they are, Komatsu. You put everything you had into that soup." Sarafina told him, reassuring him as the giant hunter added, "Sure, they've gotta be. They got a taste of soup celebrities are lining up for." Sarafina made a 'tsk' sound as she muttered, "The children will no doubt appreciate it MORE than some stuck-up celebrity." She narrowed her eyes as Kururu let out a small growl and nodded her head.

"But then there's Takimaru-San. He didn't take any soup back." Komatsu commented. Guess that threw him off a bit. Given the impression she got the meal didn't fit in really well with a Gourmet Knight's diet. Toriko confirmed that as he responded to the chef, "Gourmet knights have a simple diet. They wouldn't have any interest in a decadent soup." The blind woman thought as much. "I wonder what happened to that sick person Takimaru-San said he wanted the medicine for?" The small chef inquired a bit.

"He got better, of course. I'm sure he was really thankful for Takimaru getting that for him." Sarafina told him and gave a reassuring smile. "Right Kururu?" The little kitty, who was sitting beside her let out a soft mew. Her eyes turned to Toriko who gave a slight chuckle. "Right. Well, you see.. The person he wanted to heal...was a Gourmet Knight leader, Aimaru. He's an old friend of mine." Oh. Well that explained the chuckle then. If he was a friend of Toriko's then he would know how he would've reacted to Takimaru.

"In the age of gourmet, there are omnivores and vegetarians. And pescatarians and insectatarians. But of all the diets out there, Aimaru has the strangest of all. He's a sicktarian." Toriko finished explaining. "That's quite a surprise to me. I haven't heard of something like that, let alone anyone who practices it." Sarafina said as Komatsu yelped, "Sicktarian?! Wha?!"

"Okay, okay. That's an exaggeration. But...Aimaru has a unique constitution that allows him to eat sickness causing bacteria and viruses. By eating the cause of the disease, he cures the illness." Toriko explained. "Th..that's incredible! I know there are people who only eat medical herbs, but I never thought...there was someone who ate diseases."

"That constitution, coupled with the Gourmet Faith's views on charity...has led Aimaru to treat all sorts of sick people." Toriko continued explaining but this was fascinating. The hunter, who rarely talked about anything but food, rarely talked the most about a person. Whoever this man was must certainly mean a lot to him. Sarafina hoped that one day she'll be lucky enough to meet him. "Apparently Takimaru was one of his patients. Since childhood, Takimaru has been afflicted with a strange disease. It progressed until he had one month left to live. His ailment was beyond human understanding. ...And every doctor gave up on him. No one would come near him. They called his mysterious disease a "curse"... And since people were scared of catching it... Takimaru was abandoned. The sad thing wasn't that he was going to die. It was that he would have to spend his last days alone. As Takimaru wept alone....Aimaru came to his side."

The boys nearly jumped out of their skin when Sarafina punched the steel wall hard with all her might, creating a huge dent in it. "Bastards...! Giving up on someone then leaving them to die alone? They're the ones who should suffer. Giving up on someone is the worst thing possible." Sarafina growled very angrily, outrage and sympathy practically poured out of her. Kururu shared in her emotions as she was growling lowly and was beginning to freeze a part of the seat. "Calm down, Fina. Sometimes that's how the world works..." Toriko started and nearly froze when she turned to face him.

He wondered briefly for a moment of anyone told her how adorable she looked when she got passionate about something and the way her eyes light up when anger before she growled more (which were more cute in the hunter's opinion) and retorted, "No matter what, no matter how desperate or grim things become there is ALWAYS hope! Even if it's slim to none chance there is always hope! Never give that up!"

Komatsu, who watched the whole thing nervously a bit, inquired to the hunter, "Is that how...Takimaru's disease transferred over to Aimaru-san?" Toriko, glad for a distraction of the question, took a another quick swing of his beer and replied, "Not even Aimaru could fully heal him. That's how lethal the diseases of the gourmet world are. Part of the virus is still in his left eye. But he's not in danger of dying anymore." That man got all but a small bit out? He must be something else. Her rage cooled a bit at those words. At least someone gave a damn.

"Takimaru-san always said that he owed Aimaru-san his life. Now I see why he became a member of the Gourmet Knights." Komatsu said as the larger man got what appeared to a disapproving look expression. Interesting. "Thing is, after chowing down on nasty bacteria and viruses for so many years, Aimaru's body has accumulated a lot of poisons. That idiot. Now the tables have turned, and Aimaru's under attack by disease." Komatsu said nothing for a moment before speaking/asking, "But he's better now thanks to that cure all, right?"

"I don't know how much it healed him. Apparently he was reluctant about even taking it."

"Me Neither. No matter where you go, they're being stubborn about one thing or another..." Sarafina grumbled as she took one of the beer bottles, opened it and chugged it down. Hoping that the alcohol would help calm her down. It did, and she let out a rather tired sigh then blinked as Toriko ruffled her hair soothingly. "Calm down, little kitty. The Gourmet Knights are-."

"For all natural materials, I understand...but still. The medicine Takimaru had obtained was all natural." Sarafina said. Toriko chuckled then explained exactly all that went down with the two Knights. So the stubborn Aimaru was about to roll over then Takimaru gave the message the hunter told him just before he left.

"A message? What did you tell him, Toriko-San?!"

"Please be calm, Komatsu. There's no need to shout." The blind woman gently chided him. The hunter popped the cork off the newest bottle and chugged a bit, some of the liquid running down his chin. And here he said he wasn't a kid. "Whew. Not much." Toriko wiped his chin off with the back of his hand. "I don't believe you. What did you say to him to convince him to change his mind?" Sarafina grinned cheekily as the larger man scowled a bit before switching over to a know it all look as he replied, "I just told him about the entree in gourmet God Acacia's full course meal. That God is supposed to appear in the next couple of years!"

The statement shocked Matsu even more ten before cause he all but bellowed out, "G...God?! Do you really mean it?! I mean, does God exist?!"

"Dummy, keep your voice down. It's just a rumour." Toriko rumbled out in slight irritation. "A rumour?" The chef asked more quietly this time. "You're easily excitable Komatsu. One of these days you're gonna give yourself a heart attack." Sarafina commented, noticing Toriko was lost in his thoughts. Wonder what memory was floating around him. Sarafina smiled at him as she travels down memory lane as well.

She meant want she said. No matter how desperate or grim things become there is always hope. Even in her most darkest, and bleakest moment in her life, she still held onto her hope...and because of that she met her grandfather who gave her a reason to live.

At Life

"Honestly you two! How many times do I have to tell you to keep your hands OUT of the soup?!" Sarafina scolded the two as the three headed towards Yosaku's lab. She rode on Toriko's back and the kitten traveled up ahead of them to keep the soup away from them. "We can't help it! The soup taste sooo good!" Komatsu tried to explain but it fell on deaf ears. The two snuck a taste of the soup on the way off of the train.

The chef originally was carrying it but the blind woman had her kitten confiscated it on the grounds of they might eat it before Sunny and Yosaku get to try it. "Don't be stingy! Sarafina! I wanna another taste! Ow!" Toriko whined as he pulled his hand, which got scratched cause he tried to open the soup, back rubbing the spot. "Show some restraint! Much as I want it I think saving some for the others would taste better! That and I'm sure that whatever expression you're making those slurry voices are frightening people.."

"Who cares?! Share the soup!" Toriko demanded as Kururu growled at him to shut him up when Sarafina noticed they reached the place. Sensing Yosaku's and Sunny's energy. "We're here.." Was all she had time to say when the hunter slammed open the door and shouted, "Hey, Sunny! Yosaku!"

"Would it hurt you to knock like a well-mannered person?" Sarafina sighed deeply trying not to smile when she noticed the startled men. Then her nose caught the fresh scent of blood around the room. Hmm? What happened here? And why does she sensed that Sunny felt like he lost a war? She can't recall when or if she had ever sensed him in a beat up bloody state. "We brought century soup!" Toriko announced as Komatsu pipped up, "But we sorta had a little taste. On the train." It seriously didn't help the two had those silly looking faces as they said that.

"Kururu successfully managed to protect the soup from them." Sarafina started when Sunny freaked out over the faces Toriko and Komatsu were making. "Wh...why are you making those hideous faces?! Gross!"

"Huuuuh? Look at you with cuts over your face. Did someone beat you up?" Toriko asked, pointing a bit at Sunny. "Sunny-san, it's not like you to get messed up." Komatsu added even as the beautiful man continued to freak, "You're the ones who are messed up! You're both nasty!" Reason why Sarafina was spared was because she didn't gave any of the soup. "Just give it a sip, Sunny-san! It's the century soup that I made." The chef tried to convince him but to no avail. 

Toriko, meanwhile, found bowls and filled them with soup, after he placed Sarafina down on one one of the empty tables, and offered one to the blood spattered man and went, "Heeey, Yosaku! Let's have a toast!"

"All right! Hook me up with that soup!"

After that things got scary when the older man had some and all three had the same expressions as they partied. "I hope my face doesn't look that bad when I eat it." Sarafina muttered as she noted that Sunny elected not to try any of it. Must be the expressions but maybe he thought the Aurora was pretty. Ah well. Sarafina shrugged it off as she sat in content with Kururu on her shoulder as she watched the men have a grand party.

Toriko's house (sort of)

"Man, it'll feel good to relax when we get to the house." Sarafina groaned out as she stretched her arms high above her head. It felt like forever since she last saw the house. Also felt weird and blessed simultaneously at how accustomed she was at having a home to back to. "Yeah. It'll be nice to relax and unwind a bit." Toriko agreed as he carried the young woman his arms as he walked path towards his house. Looking up towards the hill Sarafina wondered if the young Battle Wolf was waiting for them...hope that other one, Ob was doing all right. She wassure Kururu couldn't wait to see Terry again.

"Almost home." Toriko sighed as they neared the top of the hill. "I wonder how Terry's been holding up.." The large man mused aloud when they reached the top. "Oh my." Sarafina exclaimed a bit at the same time Toriko went, "Ah!" in dismay. "My house.. It vanished!" He cried out in dismay dropping his luggage, setting down the young woman, and rushed over to examine the former spot of the house.

"What exactly were you expect? Your house was made of various kinds of sweets." Sarafina informed him while trying not to be amused as he carried on like he didn't hear her. "It's gone! There's not a trace left!" Toriko continued to scrounge along the ground. "Just how long do you plan to stay down there?" Sarafina asked. The hunter sighed deeply standing up and put his hands on his hips pouting a little. "What gives? I'm gone for a while and my house disappears. Then again...it was made out of candy. Animals and insects probably ate it. I snacked on it a lot myself." No kidding. Sarafina was surprised how long it stood up to his snacking. A gurgle from his stomach got their attention.

"Uh-oh. Just thinking about how tasty my house used to be got my tummy rumbling."

"Anything gets your tummy rumbling Toriko." He was just a big kid. She giggled a bit when something else got their attention. Drool quickly went down his chin as Toriko exclaimed, "Yum!" Then shouted happily, "IT'S A CRAB PIG! IT LOOKS SO GOOD!" A howl was heard before Terry jumped onto the Crab Piggy. "TERRY!" "Oh wow! Look how big you've grown, Terry!" The two went at the same time as they watched the young Battle Wolf gave a happy howl and tackle/jump onto the hunter. "Terry, we're home!"

We? That sounded...nice. Real nice. She laughed as Terry began to lick the hunter's face happily. "Whooa! Ha! You! You sure grew a lot...while I was gone! It's awesome you're growing up so big!" Toriko told her when a tongue that seemed to come out of nowhere joined in the licking. "You sure grew nicely too, Ob." Sarafina said warmly as she watched the two lick Toriko's face. The woman laughed harder at Toriko's expression. If his eyes get any bigger they were gonna pop out. "What the?! You've grown too, Ob! Was your tongue always this long?! It's creepy."

"Don't be mean, Toriko. He's excited to see you too." Sarafina smiled as she watched him put his hands on his hips again. "I know, I know. I get it. That Crab Pig is my "welcome home" gift. You guys didn't have to do that! Ha ha...but thank you." Toriko told the animals with a smile that threaten to break with the continuous licking. Three...two...one.. "Okay, enough with the licking! Go welcome the other person home!" Toriko growled as he put his arms out to stop the licking.

Wait.. "What?!" Sarafina yelled in surprise as Kururu quickly created a done of ice around them before Terry and Ob could get to them. Still Kururu created a tiny exit for her to greet her best friend. She ran towards Terry and the two gave each other a happy nuzzle. Kururu dropped the dome and Terry and Ob walked over, calmly this time, and Sarafina gave the two couple of pats in the heads. Toriko, meanwhile, already started a fire and began cooking the pig. "I smell someone started cooking." Toriko shrugged it off.

"I'm hungry." The two said at the same time, Sarafina grinned at him while he gave her a dirty look. "Honestly! What happened to that polite person I first meet? Jeesh! What a personality!"

"Aww, I didn't know you like docile. So sorry." Sarafina told him as she climbed on Terry's back and she walked her over to Toriko's side. He let out a "hmph" and got up to help her down and he handed a piece of Crab Pig meat. She thank him with a smile and started eating. "Oh don't bother me for a bit, I'm on the phone." Toriko informed her as he cut off pieces and gave huge chunks to Terry, Oba and Kururu. Sarafina gave a silent nod as she continued with her meal. "Mm-mm! This is tasty. Crab Pig is the best!" The phone finally started to ring. "Oh! I finally got through. I think this time I'll have them build me..an even bigger house of sweets!" What is he talking about? An even bigger house? Oh boy. What poor fool is he getting to build for him?

Sarafina nearly jumped when Toriko went, "What was that?! Sweets Land?! Sounds great! Make that for me instead, Smile!" SweetsLand? Sounded like the name of an amusement park. And just exactly how were they...oh..! He..going to live in that? And who the heck is Smile? Is that who he is talking to on the cell? Whatever was the response to his question wasn't the answer he was looking for, if the pout of disappointment was any indication. Another thing that was becoming familiar.. "You'd brush me off because my project's not big enough? I know! I'll gather all the stuff you'll need! Just wait to see the rare candies I'll dig up! And to sweeten the deal, I'll throw in a taste of a soup that'll put a big, fat smile on your face."

And bribing him with food that he doesn't even make... Guess Toriko got his response he was after as he quickly finished the meal off. "Okay, Terry! How about we go on our first hunt in a while?!" Toriko asked standing up and stretching. "You getting ready Sarafina?"

"Surly you're joking. I'd never past up an opportunity for a hunt, plus this is your sweets house we're talking about." Sarafina smiled as she climbed onto Terry's back. Kururu climbed up and rested on the Battle Wolf's head. With set in mind, they went off to search for the sweetest treats and candy for Smile to use to built the blue-haired hunter a new home. Though knowing how Toriko is, Sarafina wondered at how frequently this Smile person has built him one.

Eventually they came across a whole field of Mushroom Pudding. As the name implies, it's a mushroom that tastes like pudding. The top is chocolate-flavoured. They grow randomly in a new place each year, making them very difficult to find. The larger one is, the harder it is to pull out of the ground, but also the sweeter it is.

"Mushroom Pudding! There're a lot growing. Let's bring some back for materials for the house." Toriko says.

"Suppose this Smile person would be able to make some use with them." Sarafina said as Toriko gathered a large bag's worth of Mushroom Pudding. When they got more than enough they continued to search for more materials. Kururu spotted something in the distance and run off ahead. When the two hunters looked up they saw that the kitty found a Cotton candy tree. A unique species of tree that grow sweet cotton candy instead of leaves, making them a natural source of the sweet confection. From there, they've been gathering sweets left and right. As if they were coming to them and making things go a lot faster. Sweet Coral, finding, and creating, a natural chocolate fountain that rains down chocolate-coated candies and so much more. 

"This should be enough for Smile!" Toriko said. Sarafina looked between Toriko and the building-sized pile of sweets and cookies in front of them. Enough for Smile...it smells like he has enough to built Toriko a full on skyscraper of sweets. Still Sarafina let out a laugh causing the giant hunter to look at her. "We're you expecting something different?"

"From the glutton of a hunter? Not at all. I'm genuinely concern if this stuff is going to survive until the guy arrives?" Sarafina asked.

"Yes. Considering he'll be coming tomorrow or so." Toriko replied as he watched her give a soft yawn. "That's right... Get some sleep if you're tired, your body is still healing. I'll wake you for dinner."

"Before or after you eat it?" Sarafina giggled at him.

"Ha! Very funny, Fina."

"I thought so..." She said as Terry walked over to a shaded tree near the pile and laid down her to get off easily. She patted Terry's head before yawning again. She curled up into the soft grass and fell asleep. Terry and Kururu stayed beside her as she slept. After a couple hours, Sarafina slowly awoken due to the voices talking about the candies for the house. "So much for him waking me for dinner. Hahaha, the dear child...Probably ate it and didn't want me to know." Sarafina said as she sat up and stretched her upper body. That's when she felt some of her strength returning as she got the feeling back on her legs.

"It's enough, right?" Toriko asked a young man standing by him as they looked at the pile. "It's more than enough! Way more! You planning on living in a skyscraper?!" He was a pale-skinned young man of average height that has brown hair and wears a short-sleeved white and blue collared shirt with a black long-sleeved shirt underneath. He wears beige-coloured slacks and brown leather shoes.

"Probably saving some for his stomach, given how much this man eats." A new voice said and the two turned to see the blind woman, barely, walking up to them with Terry's help as she had to hold on to her. Toriko became concern and ran towards her. "Hey, are you okay? Should you be walking right now?" He asks.

"I'm alright. With the feeling back in my legs, I should get some practice walking again. Hm...Who is this?" Sarafina asked, glancing at the young man. "Fina, this is Smile. He's a famous gourmet architect who's gonna build us a house." Toriko told her.

"Nice to meet you, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Sarafina..." She offered a hand to him which he shook with a smile and said politely, "Likewise. I'm Smile." Then his eyes widened when he registered her name. "Wait! Sarafina!? As the famous Blind Bandit Sarafina?!" Smile shouted in both surprise and shocked. And maybe confused as to how and why Toriko and her are together. She smiled kindly at him and nodded.

"So you're an architect hm? You're quite young for such a grand reputation, you must be a talented prodigy. Perhaps you could make something for me in the near future?" Sarafina asked politely. "Eh?! What for?! You're staying with me right so why have your own house?!" Sarafina and Smile looked at each other and sighed a bit as the indignant hunter pouted a bit.

"We'll talk more when he's not around." The young brown-haired man told her as she nodded in agreement. "Agreed. You think he'd be happy to have his own space." Sarafina turned her attention to the pouting hunter. "You're gonna be living in a skyscraper, Toriko?" Should be a harmless question. Luckily it stopped the small pout fest thing Toriko had going on and he gave a light chuckle. "I won't call it sweets land but...make me a palace! One that'll last no matter how much I eat from it!"

"Which won't last long." Sarafina said then smiled innocently as he gave her a dirty look. Can'T help it, he was fun to tease! "Fine, but you better keep your word on that soup!" Smile demanded even as the hunter smiled and replied, "No prob." No problem for him since he wasn't the one making it. "I know! When the house is complete... We'll invite Komatsu, Coco and the others over for a house warming party."

"I like that idea. It'll be fun to see them." The woman agreed then blinked when he turned his attention to her, not even paying attention as the other man walked off and got started on the house. "Yes?" Sarafina asked then blinked again as he said in a firm voice, "You're staying in the house."

"Eh?"

"I don't know what you planned to do, but you're staying where I can keep an eye on you."

Sarafina was pleasantly surprised by Toriko. To be honest, she thought she could get a place of her own as with all that's happened, she felt like she must be a huge burden on Toriko. Especially right after Ice Hell. She didn't want to chain him with her problems and thought he needed to be free from that. "But-."

"No buts or nothing. If something needs to be done to make you feel more comfortable tell me." Oh...wow... Where was all that coming from?

Sarafina stared up at him with wide eyes before turning away with a slight blush. She nodded. "Okay..." She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Couple days later

Without any delay, the construction was pitched by the Food Gourmet Carpenter team and Toriko's new sweets house was completed without incident.

"Y...YOU DID IT! MY VERY OWN CANDY CASTLE!" Toriko exclaimed excitedly, stars in his eyes and drool down his chin. Leave it to him. Sarafina giggled a bit and looked over to the skeptical man who responded, "I hope you enjoy eating- I mean, living in it."

"I may not be able to see it, but the scent of candies and cookies mixed together is incredible. I'm positive that it's a gorgeous house. With the your reputation, I'm sure you did a very nice job." Sarafina told him then lowered her voice. "I'm sorry it's not gonna last long."

"I heard that, missy. You and your doubts." Toriko grumbled a bit annoyed but tried and failed to stop his blush at the mischievous look Sarafina had. "I didn't realise the truth hurt. From what I've seen I'm not wrong am I?"

"You are something else.." Toriko grinned then reached over and ruffled her hair and laughed at the indignant squeak that erupted from her.

"Toriko-san! Sarafina!" "Sarafina-sama!" A pair of familiar voices shouted over to them. The two looked towards the trail and saw the others walking up. "Hey guys!" The two shouted over to them then looked at each other for a moment. "Yoo-hoo!" Rin chirped as Mansam, who had a large bulky bag over his shoulder that the blind woman suspected being full of booze, went, "Hope ya got yer drinks moved in, Toriko! Brought some a' my own just in case."

Sarafina grinned a bit. Think she'll keep her comments to herself. "Welcome to my (bet he thought the group would miss the "our" under his breath. Sarafina didn't and most likely Coco didn't either) house!"

"Sarafina-sama!" Leticia shouted as she ran over to give her best friend a warm hug. "It's so good to see you again, I missed you." Sarafina giggled and returned the kind gesture as the chef exclaimed excitedly, "This is your house, Toriko-San?! It's a mansion." A shame it won't last long. "The gourmet architect Smile designed it for me." Toriko told him, gesturing a bit toward the other man. "Nice to meet you. I'm Smile." The young man introduced himself extending his hand a bit. The name surprised Komatsu and started to rattle off, "Huh?! Don't tell me you're the Smile! The one who designed the gourmet towers, the symbol of gourmet town?! The prodigy who also had a hand in designing the gourmet freeway and gourmet train?!"

Smile gave an embarrassed smile and look as he scratched the back of his head. "I've heard of you too. You're the chef Komatsu responsible for century soup." Smile stated, bringing a familiar silly grin to the chef's face and gave a very strange laugh. "It was nothin'. Now I'm blushing.." Komatsu started as the giant hunter pointed accusingly at the chef. "That smile's too big, Komatsu! You snuck some soup, didn't you?! The hunter demanded.

"I doubt it. Unlike you, he has restraint." Sarafina started before quickly looking around innocently ignoring the glare a certain someone gave her. Man he's so fun to tease about his appetite! "Don't give her like that look! I've only just met you recently and even I'm aware of that much." Leticia said.

"Toriko!" Rin called out happily before rushing over and tackling him into a hug/glomp. "Whoa!" Toriko grunted out as she hung all over him. "Thank you for inviting me! I'm so happy!" Much as Sarafina wondered if she should feel jealous, it was kinda hard to when it was almost like a stalker attacking the prey.

Sarafina raised an eyebrow as she watched the other woman clasp her hands together, got hearts in her eyes and a dazed look. Leticia let out a scoff as she whispered over to her former teacher, "If she got any more obvious of what was on her mind it'll be painful."

"Is that so..." Sarafina said, looking over at Rin again.

"Long time no see. You look great, Toriko and Sarafina." The poison man started approaching the two. "You don't look so bad yourself, Coco." Sarafian smiled at the same time Toriko went, "Coco!"

"I heard about your adventures from Komatsu. I came here today to congratulate you on adding another dish to your full course meal." Sarafian and Leticia blinked a bit when Toriko put a hand on the man's shoulder, a smug grin on his face. "Sunny's too caught up on looks to drink it, but... I can count on you to have some. Right, Coco?"

That's a great idea but he wasn't aware of the side effects.. But it'll be fun. It was impossible to decide to tell him or watch on! The whole thing threw the poison man for a loop. "Huh? Yeah.. Huh...?" Coco said in much confusion. He turned to Sarafina for answers but all the woman could do was smile and shrug.

"By the way Leticia, how'd you managed to get here? Has Mansam given you directions while you were visiting?" Sarafina asked her, playing with her a bit. She gave a tiny smirk when she sensed her becoming flustered. Leticia turned red and said, "Uh...y-yeah! I was there when Mansam got an invite and since you were coming I went along with him." Sarafina then gave her a teasing smile. "Really..?"

"Yes, really!" Leticia said. Her blushed deepened when Coco responded with a smile, "Actually, I saw her on my way here and when I told her I could give her a lift with Kiss. She accepted though she did told me that it was because she didn't do it because I ask."

Sarafina smile widen and nodded. "He's telling the truth."

"I didn't! I was perfectly fine on my own, but I never rode an Emperor Crow before so thought I give it a try! I DID NOT accept his offer, I did it for the crow!" Leticia shouted as her face became five red shades darker and looked away. Then a deep laugh intervened. "Wrap it up with the awkward greetin's already!" Mansam bellowed out. When did he become drunk so fast?  "And let's get to celebratin' Toriko's house!"

"Hey! You lush!" Toriko shouted, pointing over to him and finished, "You're already plastered!" Sarafina laughed hard as Toriko rushed over towards the bag. "Let me have some too!"

"Not my personal stock!"

"Haha, such children. Well, since we're all here, who's ready to go inside and looking around?" The blind woman started to ask but the two squabbling men managed to get in first. "That works too." She laughed a bit and everyone blinked in astonishment when they walked inside. Holy..! Look at the candy! It's...wow! It felt like candy land in here! Only minus the pieces. And minus the mini game pieces and quadruple the size of the castle. The group sat down and passed the drinks (Coco, who only got juice) and raised their cups in cheers. Sarafina gazed around at the bright lights that lit up in their souls, signalling their smiling faces and couldn't help but get relaxed. Man, these guys sure loves to party. Good thing she was used to it.

She was watched as the group broke off to explore the giant house. Sarafina wasn't even going to attempt to. Why get used to something that'll be gone shortly? But then again, it's best to enjoy it while it lasts. Sarafina found herself feeling lucky to be standing here with people who cared so much about her.

Chapter Text

Sarafina nervously gripped the box tighter and clutched it to her chest as the two climbed up the staircase. They just gotten off an underground train and dropped off in front of a long tunnel. "Relax, will ya? The harsh scent of fear is killing my nose." Toriko complained to her, reaching the top that revealed lush green grass, beautiful clear blue waters that were scattered with rocks poking out here and there. "I'm not scared! I'm too nervous!" She corrected him enjoying the fresh ocean scent. It got even more picture-like when the woman laid eyes on the house. It was a very humble wooden cottage.

"It's been....so long..." She whispered to herself. Kururu sensed her uneasiness and nuzzled against her cheek, hoping to comfort her. "Same thing." The hunter's voice snapped her out of the dreaminess of the place. "Very well then...." Sarafina sighed as she glanced at the box of cookies she had made for this meeting. Her blindness has hindered her skills in certain places...but making cookies were the thing she was able to do well in the kitchen. Thanks to a certain someone who took the time to teach her. "Sure hope he likes these." She muttered then got an annoyed look as the larger man complained once more. "I don't know why you made cookies for this. We're just seeing the old man."

"You do realise that this 'old man' just so happens to be the president of this place. The least I can do is make a good impression." Sarafina told him. Toriko hmphed then replied, "Explains why even you dressed up for this. He may not even like those plain cookies."

The snow kitten growled at him and Sarafina raised an eyebrow her at his light smirk. "You're just moody because I refused to give you any." She said and watched him ring the doorbell. A second later a man answered the door. He was a short middle-aged man with pale skin and big lips. He appeared to be balding on the top of his head and has black hair on the side. He wears a black formal suit with a white dress shirt and a dark red bow tie.

He clasped his hands together and greeted them in a cheerful tone, "Well, well. We've been waiting, Toriko-sama and Sarafina-san." Extending a hand out a bit the hunter returned the greeting with a relaxed smile, "Hey there, Morton! Is the old man in?"

'Oh? The two knew each other?' Sarafina thought to herself with interest. From what Toriko had told her on the train, the president had raised Toriko and the other Heavenly Kings. Now that she thought about it, it did make sense.

"Yes, he's waiting. Right this way." The man, Morton, said as he invited the two inside and lead the way. Sarafina smiled to herself as she stepped inside. It hasn't changed a bit. Though Toriko wasn't even paying attention to the house at all. Except when he noticed the ornamental fish tank. "Oooh! That's one tasty-looking fish you've got in that gourmet case!"

"Toriko, that's ornamental. Do you not know what that is?" Sarafina chided him a bit, trying not to feel amused. "Th..that's not a gourmet case! It's an ornamental tank. This is one of only four Energy Arowana in the world." The hunter got a disappointment/don't care look as he replied, "You mean it's not food? Then I could care less. Ow?! What was that for?!" He rubbed his side a bit from where she hit him with her elbow.

"Don't be rude! Not every animal is food you know! I have to hurt you if you tried to eat my Kururu." Sarafina told him. Honestly, this man! Stomach instead of a brain! Just as he was about to reply, Toriko noticed the three had reached a very wide open terrace. "The president is on the terrance." Morton informed the two as the larger man said nothing for a moment then went, "Ah."

At the far end of the deck three chairs (one already occupied) and a small table with an umbrella waited for them. As the two walked over to the person Sarafina's heart was beating rapidly in her chest. Each step she took, she grew more and more nervous. Maybe it was a bad idea to come here. Before anything could be said when they reached the table Toriko plunked down the bottle of booze he had brought for his gift. She hoped he'll liked the chocolate chip cookies...or at least pretended or tell her nicely otherwise. "Brought you some rainbow fruit wine! It's 170% proof! Sorry it's such a plain souvenir, gramps." Toriko greeted him.

Sitting the chair, was a tan-skinned older man with blonde hair and a long blonde moustache. He wore a pair of sunglasses and leopard print shirt and pants. "What's plain about it? Rainbow fruit itself is so alcoholic that it's downright tacky!" The older man replied. Like he should talk! "Then what do you call that shirt?!" Toriko growled as he plopped down in a chair.

Sarafina smiled and shook her head in amusement as she sat down. The older man took the bottle from the table and grasped it, using a finger to pop off the cork with ease right into his mouth. "Heh heh. I've heard what you've been up to Toriko." The older man told him as he poured some of the wine up. "Don't eat the cork." Toriko told him in a "for real?" tone. The woman raised an eyebrow as the other man continued to talk.

"You've hunted down rainbow fruit, puffer pig, wonder meat, G1 corn and emerald soup. Right?" Just what the heck did he just rattle off? "Wrong! Other than the rainbow fruit, you got it all wrong!" The younger hunter shouted angrily. Sarafina gave off a small giggle as she listened to them talk. "So young lady. I don't believe we exchanged names." The woman blinked a bit when he turned his attention to her. Sarafina quickly became nervous and was filled with dread. She slightly hesitated before telling him.

"I'm...Sarafina." She replied politely and blinked in silent fear again when he glared, at least she believed he glared when he turned to face Toriko. "Why didn't you introduce the lovely lady sooner?! How rude!" The older man scolded Toriko a bit with the hunter retorting back, "You already know right? The whole situation I mean."

"That's beside the point! I'm Ichiryu, the IGO president."

"Nice to meet you." Sarafina started. She was so confused right now. What is going on here? "What's in the box? Smells good." The older man asked, looking at the box in her hands. Oh! She almost forgot about the cookies! "I didn't know what to bring so I made some cookies... But judging from everything else...you might not like them.." Sarafina said with crestfallen tone.

"Most likely it won't suit your taste, old man." Toriko rumbled a bit and tried not to smile at the glare the woman gave him. "Stop your pouting! I'll make another batch just for you, you big baby." Sarafina told at him as she nervously passed the box of treats over to the older man...who ate them all in one bite. "Did you even taste them?" Sarafina asked amazed even though the hunter complained bout not getting one. "Not bad. Pretty tasty."

"Thanks. I just did simple ones because I didn't know what you'd like." Ichiryu chuckled a bit and gave a list of possibilities that wasn't gonna happen... "Anyway, I always love to hear you've been busy." Ichiryu started, clearing changing the topic to before, taking a sip from his cup. "Mm, this drink goes down easy." A split second later he spat it out quickly exclaiming, "Pyaah! The alcohol's too strong."

"You're not a big drinker, remember?!" Toriko angrily shouted at him before reaching for his own drink. "Sheesh. What'd you call us here for anyway? Do you want us to catch something?" This felt like a weird game going on with the old man. He brought the two out here for something important. She could think of a few things but only one stood out the most. That God ingredient. But things remain to be seen. But Sarafina desperately hoped it was God. She needed to capture that ingredient.

"Heh heh. Don't jump the gun, Toriko. I'm not so sure you can capture what I'm looking for." That sounded an awful like a taunt. The hunter calmly finished his drink then got a sly look. "I'll bite. What's the lucky food?" Toriko inquired glancing at the older man. Ichiryu said nothing for a moment then said abruptly, "God! More or less." Yes! Sarafina totally called. Some large animal that slightly resembled a large seal, splashed in the front of them and getting them wet from the droplets. Kururu flinched at the sudden contact of water and scurried away. Sarafina wiped a little out of her face but the hunter was transfixed onto the older man.

His expression was a little hard to read. It was a mixture of stunned surprise and slight shock. "You're...after God too.." Toriko started but Ichiryu seemed to try to wave it off. "Nah, forget it. Forget whatever I just said."

"You mean... Are you telling me..?" Toriko continued to try but got the response of, "Forget it." Sarafina was looking down. Eyes wide and body shaking all over. It's true...the rumours were true...! God was going to reappear...! 'It's true! I have to get God! No matter what!' Sarafina thought to herself. The blonde-haired man stared at her a bit as Toriko got a sharp penetrating look as he finished. "You're saying that the news that God would appear within the next few years...is true!" Toriko said.

The two didn't even appear to be bothered with water dripping down their faces. Ichiryu reached over onto the table and got one of the cigar barks that Toriko smokes and snapped his fingers to light it. "In Acacia's later years... He took on three disciples.. To leave his teachings on food to the world." The older man started then took a deep puff of the cigar and exhaled the smoke as he continued. "Phew.. I'm one of 'em!"

That surprised Toriko big time. "! Huh?!" Toriko exclaimed in surprise. The other man continued on. "The second is Knocking Master Jiro. And the third..is the current boss of Gourmet Corp." Now THAT was surprisingly disturbing. "What?! Gourmet Corp?!" Toriko exclaimed in surprise again. Then he quickly looked at the other man. "Wait! Just how old are You?!" Toriko just caught on to his astonishing old age?

"Acacia made any and every food available to us. But starting with God, everything pertaining to his own full course meal.. He kept from us. Acacia knew...that the food capable of stopping a war...could also start a war."

"Of course. Anything that could bring peace could be the very same tool to start the next war. Unfortunately." Sarafina commented, quietly cause this wasn't exactly her business. She failed to notice the slight twitch of Ichiryu's lips as the information sunk into the hunter. "God...could start wars?" Toriko asked in shock.

"God heralded in the age of go. Even if those who knew it's taste passed on... It's legacy could never be erased. Meaning that some people would stop at nothing to acquire God. Including people like you, Toriko. Me, I just want to prevent war. That's my duty as Acacia's disciple. I think of it as my greatest and final duty in the age of gourmet."

"Old man..." Toriko said quietly then got some sort of strange blank look in his eyes. This stubborn old coot wasn't going to go anywhere just yet. So he should relax. Ichiryu continued to speak. "Today.. Before that big, final job starts.. I wanted to see you one more time, Toriko. Coco, Sunny and Zebra too. Heh heh. I'll never forget your little faces...from those good old days. You boys...are going to be the pillars of the next age of gourmet!" A slight half smile grazed Toriko's lips as he wore a slight reminiscent expression.

Then it quickly went into a familiar cocky smirk. "Oh please. You've already retired from your position as "top" of the age of gourmet. All your meals are delivered to you and your arms have gotten flabby." Toriko told him as he careless waved a hand.

"That's the start of smack talk, Toriko. Be careful..." Sarafina tried to warn but she glared at him in annoyance as he brushed off her words. "The four kings are already the pillars of this age. If it's God you want.." Toriko hot a cocky look on his face as he boldly exclaimed, "I'll find it for you! You just relax, old man! Ow! What was that for?!" Toriko grumbled, rubbing his shoulder on the spot where Sarafina had smacked him. "Who said he was retiring, you fool?! You just spoke out a lot of smack talk! You better be able to back this up!" Sarafina scolded at him. "Of course he is! He just said so! I can totally back those words! When I get God you owe me an apology!"

Ichiryu watched them in amusement for a few moments before he broke into laughter, making the two blink and look over to him. "Of all the things I've heard! You make me laugh, Toriko! Sarafina, you're just too funny!"

Eh? That was funny..? "B-but..." The older man leaned close in to Toriko, who looked a little disturbed for having his personal space invaded, and continued to talk, "Like the kiddo said. Don't run your mouth off when you don't know the first thing about the gourmet world." The two watched as Ichiryu righted himself and removed his sunglasses corrected him, "For your information, I'm not retired. I'm just on vacation. Don't confuse me with that drunkard Jiro." The blond man then yanked down his shirt to reveal a well-built chest.

"Well, Toriko? How about you show me what you're capable of! Are you all bark, or do you bite too?" The challenge from his adopted father got Toriko quickly into fighting mode. "Fine! You're on! And I won't go easy on you!" Toriko challenged him right back. How did this visit turn into them fighting? "Heh heh. Come at me like you mean to kill me. My little Toriko." The blonde man taunted him a bit in a friendly manner. "Why do I have the feeling the whole thing was leading up this?" Sarafina sighed as she watched on. This was not what she had planned when she came here... But at least it's going to be interesting.

A while later

"I'm still question of how this even possible! It's both scary and amazing!" Sarafina squeaked out, tightening her grip on the older man's back as the two skipped across the water. Literally. Kururu was running across the water right beside them as upon contact, the water froze beneath her paws and she ran down the icy tail. When Ichiryu offered to take her to take to where he and Toriko were gonna fight she stupidly agreed, cause the boat was way too small, at least with a man as big, not to mention large, as Toriko taking up majority of the space in it for two, the one that the hunter was currently using anyway.

The older man laughed heartily as he adjusted her on his back with ease. "Not to worry, kiddo! Our destination is in sight! I'm happy you haven't change a bit. I missed you very much." He cheerfully told her as a rather large barren island except for grass and some trees scattered a bit came into view. Sarafina let out a gasp when Ichiryu said this. "You mean, you... I...I thought you've completely forgotten about me? I thought you angry with me."

"What?! What the hell are you saying?! As if I forget or be angry with the sweetest little girl I came across. I just acted the way I did because I figured you haven't told Toriko yet about us." Ichiryu said. That eased Sarafina heart as she smiled softly. He did have a point though. "I'm just happy I get to see you again, moon-drop."

"Hey! Quit getting so far ahead! Stop skipping on water!" Toriko's voice, sounding a tad annoyed, shouted from somewhere behind as the two landed gracefully onto land. After gently putting the blind woman down, Ichiryu surveyed the landscape and gave a deep "Hmph!" before saying, "This floating island outta be big enough. What do you think, kiddo?"

She gave a slight shrug. "Not my first choice, but it is sufficient. At least it's large enough for a fight for too. Are you sure I can't fight as well?" She asked. Kururu jumped up and climbed onto Sarafina's shoulder

"No, it's alright. I have faith that you've gotten strong enough compared to before, but after this is done. I want a chance to talk to you, alright?" Ichiryu asked her with a soft, yet serious tone. Sarafina nodded her head and some splashing was heard from behind and Sarafina tuned to sense the hunter paddle up to the shore line. "Took you long enough, Toriko." Ichiryu said, glancing back towards the younger man. "That's because you were skipping over the water like a lizard." Toriko responded, slightly annoyed.

"But it WAS pretty cool though. You have to admit that much." Sarafina said excitedly. Even though the jumps were high it wasn't bad compared to before on everything else. "Meh. Not really..." Toriko replied nonchalantly, clearly not impressed and bursting her excitement. She pouted a bit as the older man scolded Toriko a bit, "Hey, hey! No need to be like that! That's no way to treat a lady." Ichiryu cleared his throat for a moment then continued, "I can teach you how to do that. I'm pretty sure a certain someone would like it~~~" Oh great. Now he's bringing HER into his teasing? Again? "No thanks." Toriko replied as he started to remove his shirt. "That'd be a waste of time."

Sarafina looked for a safe spot and gave the two combatants space. "This should be good...I hope those two won't go completely insane." The woman muttered, sitting almost on the edge of the island. "Mew." Hopefully the fight won't get too bad.

"Heh heh." Ichiryu chuckled a bit then said, "Let's just hope it even becomes a fight." Kururu blinked and tried to resist the urge to bat the older man's moustache, which flapped up and down. Sarafina placed her hand on her kitten's back to hold her back. "Look, Toriko." The tanned blonde told him pointing to it with a big grin on his face. "Doesn't this bring back memories? Remember the cat toy? Come and play, little kitty." A dark serious smirk and look came over the hunter's face as he calmly responded, "I'm not...playing around. Make sure to stay back, Fina."

"As you wish." She called out.

All was quiet for a moment, a gentle breeze ruffling a grass. Suddenly Toriko made the first move, unleashing numerous knives towards the older man. "Guess they weren't kidding when they said fight like they were gonna kill each other.." Sarafina muttered as she watched the blonde man stopped all the knives with a single exhale of his breath. The knives hanging in the air like some weird decorations. 'Impressive, as always' Sarafina thought as she smiled. Meanwhile, Toriko was feeling the opposite of what the blind woman was feeling. He stared in shocked dismay at the frozen still knives.

"What?!" The hunter exclaimed in dismay. Oh no... Don't tell her Toriko thought this would be an easy fight? Heh, yeah right. Ichiryu placed his hands on his hips and grinned at Toriko. "So now you can throw knives. You're ready to join the circus, Toriko." That's one way to get the younger man motivated but doesn't he ever stop teasing? Probably not. Toriko drew back his left hand and threw his fork attack, grunting a "HRR...RAAH!" as he did so. Ichiryu didn't seem very impressed, given the way he stared down at the attack. The older man stuck out his hand straight in front of him using his other hand to steady his arm. The fork literally crumbled upon itself when it struck the open hand.

Movement by the blonde got both their attention. Nice! When the president was distracted by the previous attack, Toriko took advantage to get close and got his next move ready. "My regenerated left arm is powered up. 13 Fold..." Toriko informed his parent who only went "Hm?" in response just as Toriko finished, "Spiked punch!" and punched Ichiryu right in the stomach.

"Oh!" Sarafina squeaked out, watching the attack do its work. Or not apparently. The older man "Hmph"ed, unfazed by the punch that only caused him to move back a bit. He narrowed his eyes and grinned cockily before he said, "Nice Spiked Punch. So you're up to 13 now, are you?" "C'mon!" Toriko complained a bit, "Doesn't it hurt a little?" The woman tried not to laugh. That man doesn't strike her as the type to fake injury.

"Sorry, nothing coming." The older man told him. "Then how about this?" Toriko said, readying his leg fork. It's hard to aim...and it will take a lot of his leg but...it was the best weapon he's got! "Leg...Fork!" He shouted launching the attack. As the woman watched she noticed it did get Ichiryu's attention, if the excited grin was anything to go by. "HRMPH!" The blonde grunted punching the attack into the ground. Rocks and other debris flew everywhere as the attack drilled down, she was willing to bet that it went straight through the island and into the water. Before the dust had time to settle Toriko started to launch his next move.

"Leg..." He started to say bringing his leg back then shouted, throwing the attack once again at the old man. "Knife!" He finished with a shout. No matter how many times she saw the move it always impressed her. The attack charged at the other man as he countered this one as well. This time Ichiryu brought his arms in front of himself, crossing them forming a shield for his body. He still had that cocky smirk from before.

"Men! Honestly..." Fyreia said in annoyance. 'True...but do you expect anything less from the types?' Sarafina asked her with a smile.

"MMGH!" The blonde grunted just before the attack nailed him head on. The force of it pushed him back, dirt and debris flying once more into the air. Sarafina blinked as the older man gave another grunt and roared a bit as he used his arms to dispel the force.

Once it quickly cleared up, a large deep gouge was formed in the ground. "Ah-ah-ah. I'm not done yet." Toriko chided cockily getting his hand ready. Dang that man was fast! She didn't sense him get close again. "A one point...Concentrated 13 Fold..." The hunter started putting his energy into the attack. Ichiryu stayed silent for a moment then smiled proudly saying, "You've grown up...Toriko." From the look of things the fight will be wrapping up in a moment. "ICE PICK SPIKED PUNCH!" Toriko finished shouting throwing his fist at the older man who easily stopped it using only three fingers. Wow...that's extremely impressive... "As a reward, I'll teach you how to skip on water." Eh? What did Ichiryu mean by that?

Her eyes widened as she watched the blonde punch Toriko right square in the nose. The force of it sending Toriko high into the air, flew right over her head which forced her to whip her around as she watched him skip across the water like a skipping stone and out of sight. "Toriko?!" Sarafina exclaimed a bit as the older man laughed a bit walking up to her. "He's perfectly fine. A little roughing up never hurt anyone. Besides, if he has any hope of protecting you he'll learn. Here we go.."

"Ah!" Sarafina yelped a bit as Ichiryu easily picked her up and proceeded to where Toriko was. "I can sense him!" She said as an island with a large downed figure started to come into view. The moment he put her down the woman quickly rushed over to check on Toriko. "Now don't go spoiling him Sarafina." The blonde playfully chided her, putting his hands on his hips and turned his attention to the younger man. She wasn't spoiling him! Was she..?

"Should I answer that question for you?" Fyreia asked. 'Not now, Fyreia! I don't want to hear this for too.' Sarafina told her.

"Heh heh. How'd you like that, Toriko?" Ichiryu inquired with a grin. "You enjoy the feeling of skipping on water?" Toriko from the looks of it had a broken nose and his face was starting to turn red. He was huffing and puffing trying to catch his breath from m the fight. "Daaah, dammit! I didn't win." Toriko complained a bit.

He blinked a bit as he felt a warm soft hand ruffled his hair playfully. "But you did pretty well." Sarafina said, smiling at him. "I think you forgot to add something to that." Toriko said drily. He narrowed his eyes a bit as her expression turned innocent. "I didn't say a word did I?" She started when Ichiryu cut in with a big old pleased grin on his. "Now, now. You've grown very strong, Toriko. I'm pleased."

"I've show you..." Toriko started, as he started to sit up shakily. "..pretty much all of my moves. So old man." An excited look came over his face as he asked, "Can I make it in the Gourmet World?"

"Absolutely not. You'd die in the first 15 seconds." Sarafina answered bluntly. Kururu nodded her head in agreement. "That was fast! And kinda cold..." Toriko said, surprised at her reaction. For real? Didn't she have any faith in him? Ichiryu laughed hard. "Smart woman we've got there." The older man said with a laugh. Ichiryu became somber a bit as he said, "Hmph. I can't say you lack the power and skill to get by. But you can't survive in the Gourmet World on those alone. In the Gourmet World, it's not just creatures that are your enemies. The climate and weather are nothing to sniffle at. If you can't hold your own against the elements, then you'll never make it out of the Gourmet World alive."

"Weather?" Toriko echoed, confused on why the weather would be an enemy. "Toriko, while you were in ice hell...Did your breath turn white?" The older man inquired. "Huh?" Toriko went before cupping his chin in a thinking manner. "Well, duh. That's what happens in the cold." Sarafina quickly covered her mouth to stop the laughter that threaten to come out at the expression of the older man as he waved his hand saying, "That won't do. Sarafina is right. You won't make it." A giggle managed to slip out, her shoulders shaking a bit as she tried to hold back the laughter. "Huh?!" What gives?!" He cried out in dismay then continued. "What gives?! People's breath always turns white when it's cold!"

"Toriko." Ichiryu said sternly before continuing. "Your body has to become instantaneously adaptable to the climate." An idea suddenly came to him. "Ah. That's it's!" The older man slightly slapped his fist down on the other hand in thinking mode. "Toriko, I've got a job for you!" "WHAT?! A JOB?!" Toriko exclaimed in shock that quickly turned into a sweat drop as the other man got a questionable grin holding up a finger. "It's something delicious. And it'll be great training."

"Training..." Toriko didn't sound very thrilled at the prospect.. "Tens of thousands of meters above the earth's surface grows a plant called Ozone Grass."

"Wait. What? The Ozone Grass?" Sarafina asked as she tried to process the information Toriko went, "Did you say Ozone Layer..? No, Ozone herb!!"

"Since one bite will send you into heavenly bless, it's also known as heavenly grass. How about making it the salad in your full course meal?" Ichiryu asked Toriko.

Sarafina narrowed her eyes a bit as the idea of it being in his course went through his head. She knew they were going when he got that sign in his soul. Great.. "I'll explain the details once we get back. There's more I want to tell you."

"Hey!" Sarafina once again squeaked out as she was once again picked up again by the older man and the two took off with him calling back at the hunter, "Follow me, Toriko!"

"A little warning would be nice!" The blind woman growled a bit as Toriko shouted after them, "Hey! I can't skip my way home!"

Sarafina let out a sigh. "I think you've really riled him up for this training. Once again, you really know how you truly inspire others...grandfather." Sarafina gave the older man a loving hug as Ichiryu smiled down at his moon-drop. "Heh-heh, someone's got to keep a guy like Toriko on his toes right?" Then his smile faded as he said, "Sarafina... I know you haven't said a single thing to anyone...but I think it's time that Toriko knows the truth. About you and what's going to become of you."

Sarafina snapped her head up at her grandfather and nearly shouted, "No! Grandfather, I can't! If Toriko were to find out then....I'll be nothing but a burden to him! Everything's complicated enough without him knowing the truth... I don't want him to be chained to me...just like you."

"Sarafina...."

"I'm sorry....But that's why I left. I caused you so much trouble that I thought it be best if I wasn't around to dragging you down." Sarafina said. Tears formed near the corners of her eyes as she began to remember the painful memories that occurred which made her decided to plunge into the Gourmet World and ultimately leave again without a word.

"Sarafina. Look at me." Ichiryu said softly. When she did, Ichiryu continued. "Sarafina when you left, I thought it was because I had done something wrong to make you leave. But I never would've thought of you as a burden. I chose you save you and take you in because I wanted to. You were just a little girl, and you're my granddaughter. I love you, and I always will."

Chapter Text

273rd Floor Seven star BBQ Healthy Grill

Sarafina drank a sip of her whiskey as Toriko grilled some expensive looking meat on a grill. Surprisingly Toriko had a bib on for this meal, as did Komatsu who got invited by the hunter to this nice restaurant. "Here. This one's ready, Komatsu."

"Yay!" Komatsu cheered happily. "Bon appetite!" He reached with a pair of chopsticks to get the piece and tried it. He quickly put his hands to his face in happiness and explained happily, "Yum! I've never had BBQ this delicious!" Sarafina smiled. It felt like it was going to melt in her mouth that was how good was. "Agreed. This is the best piece of BBQ I've ever had!" Sarafina exclaimed happily as well. "Mew!" Kururu went as she greedily ate her pieces. "Thank you so much, Toriko-san. I never dreamt I'd be invited to eat at an upper tier restaurant in the Gourmet Towers."

If memory serves her right, didn't the two mention this last time they were at Gourmet Town. Toriko laughed a bit as he took a bite from the grill and replied to the shorter man, "It's true that most of the stores above the 200th floor turn down unfamiliar customers. Above this tier, you can only get into the restaurants via airplane, and even then it's members only. I'll show you sometime."

"What a surprise to know you can get into those." Sarafina said, trying not to smile. Of course he could, the man was a bottomless stomach that walked. "Oh no, being at this seven-star BBQ is enough for me!" The chef humbly said. "I'm bursting with joy getting to taste flying cow pig! Not to mention we're in a private observation room on the 273rd floor! My eyes don't know whether to focus on the meat or the view! Though it's a little scary up here."

Leave it to Komatsu to help her to relax. At least he believed in modesty unlike a certain hunter who went through it like candy. A few minutes later a waitress carrying a tray full of delicious looking meat walked in. "Thank you for waiting. Here are your top grade beef ribs and roast. As well as top grade miso and skirt steak." The woman said with polite cheerfulness and smile. The miso got her attention. Hope it was really good. "Yaaay, it's here!" Komatsu cheered. "Someone sure is having fun." Sarafina smiled as she watched him dig in. From what she had so far it was excellent. Expensive but excellent. So this as what the rich at home ate...she hoped they choked on it, the bastards...

"Have you tried the miso yet, Sarafina?" Komatsu inquired taking another bite off the grill. "Not yet but I will in a minute, Komatsu." She told him before trying it. Holy...she could eat the miso alone! "Thing is, you two." Toriko started taking a modest bite off the grill. Which was surprising considering the sheer amount he ate. "This place may be a BBQ joint but...its meat isn't what it's known for." Ah. Now she understood why he brought them here. It was his way to get Komatsu interested in Ozone Grass.. Honestly, all Toriko has to do is ask if he wanted to come along and the chef would come along willingly. Oh! The woman almost forgot that part! The question the hunter wanted to ask him.

"It's known for its vegetables." Toriko's voice snapped her back to reality. Not that she missed that much. "Did you say vegetables?!" Komatsu asked, confusion in his voice. A second later the waitress came back carrying some of the most delicious looking vegetables Komatsu had ever seen. "Thank you for waiting. Here is your vegetable platter."

"Wow!" Komatsu explained. "Look at this snack lettuce." The chef continued picking up what appeared to be a normal looking lettuce leaf. "It's glistening." Sarafina blinked when the hunter handed her a piece of meat wrapped in the same lettuce. "Try wrapping the rub meat in it. You too, Fina. Try it." Toriko suggested doing the same. She was surprised he was handing an already made one to her instead of eating it.

"Oh, you've made it already? Thank you, Toriko." Sarafina said taking the piece and took a bite into it. She blinked in surprise. What a crunch! It felt like she bit into a cucumber and the flavour mixed very well with the meat bringing out the flavour more! Amazing! "Wow!" Komatsu exclaimed. "What a solid crunch! It feels like I just bit into fresh cucumber or burdock." The woman giggled a bit when he placed his hands on his face again in happiness. "The succulence of the lettuce boosts the meat to a whole new level of juicy! Or maybe the juiciness of the meat catapulted the lettuce into taste heaven! The meat makes the vegetable tastier!"

"I believe you've got it in one. I think the lettuce brought out the flavour more." Sarafina said, grilling some of the onions and some squash cause that smelled great as well already. Toriko grinned a bit. "The star at healthy isn't the meat. It's these healthy vegetables."

"I can totally believe it."

"A bacon leaf! That looks!" Komatsu burst out when he saw what the hunter was eating. "It tastes great fresh, but when you grill it, the flavour really explodes." Sarafina watched as the chef tried a piece and practically melt at the taste. "Looks like someone already beat us to grilling the onions." Toriko said amused a big. He was glad she was starting to get into the food. "Hey Sarafina. Add some pumpkins with those. They're really tasty too."

"Sure."

After polishing off the food, Sarafina thought for sure she was going to explode that's how full she felt. But it was worth it. Those vegetables were truly mouthwatering! More than the meat! "Pheeew! I'm stuffed." Komatsu let out a sigh of content resting his hands on his stomach. "That was delicious. I never thought I'd fill up on vegetables instead of meat at a BBQ joint."

"Agreed. The vegetables were very good! Those were probably the best I've had so far!" Sarafina chirped in. Toriko flashed a quick grin. "Heh heh. Vegetables can be pretty incredible, right?" He asked picking up a wine glass. "Yeah. But Toriko-San... Why did you invite me here?" Sarafina was wondering when Komatsu was going to ask bout that. The two watched as the hunter calmly drank his cup then got a cocky sharp expression before addressing the chef. "Komatsu. Think I could interest you in the king of vegetables?"

"K..king of vegetables?" Komatsu asked confused a bit. She don't blame him. That was a sketchy to start off. "Yep. I took a job from the president of the IGO. That's what he wants me to get." That set off the smaller man. "Huh?! The president of the IGO?! What a commission!" That actually hurt her ears a bit, given the private room was small, not to mention hanging OUT of the building. Toriko continued on like it didn't bother him.

"Tens of thousands of meters in the air above the clouds, there's a vegetable paradise. It's called vegetable sky. Stranger vegetables grow there then you can imagine!" Sarafina said as she nursed her pounding ears.

"A vegetable paradise?! In the clouds?!" Komatsu interrupted, guess the whole thing was throwing him off. "According to the president, only a handful of people have ever reached it, but those who do come back strict vegetarians. That's how fresh and delicious the vegetables are up there. And among them is a rare plant. The king of vegetables, Ozone Grass."

"O...Ozone Grass.." The chef echoed a bit. Man he sure was building the whole thing up.. "One bite sours all your past experiences with vegetables. It's a divine taste that's the ultimate in freshness!"

"Are you trying to pump him into going or buying, Toriko?" Sarafina mused in slight amusement at the hype he was putting into this. She understood he had a question he really wanted to pose to the chef but, come one. He said nothing and got out the cigar bark and lit it. "Rumour has it the Gourmet Towers, known to serve almost every food on Earth...don't serve Ozone Grass." He commented it so causally. 'I knew it. He DID expect it to be easy.' Sarafina thought.

"I've never heard of it before. Who knew such an incredible vegetable existed.." Komatsu wondered aloud even as the hunter spoke still, "Here in the fork building of the Gourmet Towers...1,092 meters in the air, we've eaten some of the best vegetables imaginable. But in both taste and altitude they've got nothing on Ozone Grass!" Toriko turned a questionable grin at the chef and asked/suggested, "Komatsu, don't you want to taste a vegetable that commands centre stage?!"

Stars sparkled in the chef's eyes even when he clasped his hands together and exclaimed excitedly, "I do! I want to taste ozone grass!" Satisfied with his answer Toriko responded, putting out the bark, "Good. We depart tomorrow!" The group got up to go over to the counter pay the bill. Komatsu exclaimed, "Expensive!" When the gentleman behind the counter said, "37,620,000 yen."

The next day

"I'm actually a little nervous... I haven't that far up to reach the Ozone Grass before. Grandfather told me it was far too dangerous for me when I first started." Sarafina said, laying back in her seat. "Relax. I'm sure you'll do great. At least you look like you're enjoying yourself." Toriko told her taking a swing from a bottle of booze he got before he got one the plane. "Ha ha! I didn't expect the IGO to supply us with a jet." Toriko said in amusement, taking another swing. 

"W...wow! I've never been on one before! I'm so excited!" Komatsu said looking out the window. "So you weren't lying when you said the president hired you directly."

"Wait. You didn't believe us?" "You didn't believe me?!" Sarafina and Toriko explained at the same time in outrage. Honestly! Ever since the blind woman met the larger man, he has not once lied about anything. "For your information, it was the president who invited you along too." Toriko retorted in annoyance. "Huh?" The chef started but got brushed off with Toriko going, "Nah. Never mind."

"The president..did what?" Komatsu wondered aloud in confusion. "He invited you along so Toriko can.." Sarafina started in a teasing tone only to narrow her eyes in annoyance when the hunter placed a hand on her hair and ruffled. "Oi. I thought you said you'd stay out of things you don't have any business in." He gruffed at her a bit which brought a smirk out. "I did but I didn't say I wouldn't add fuel to it."

"Just mind your own business."

"My goodness...so cold." She teased a bit, watching him remember the encounter with the older man.

Flash back

After patching up Toriko's nose the trio sat down again to talk. "I can see you've come across a capable chef." Ichiryu stated stretching out a bit. "He did. He's a very talented one." Sarafina chimed at the statement as the hunter went, "Huh?" The older man hmphed and continued, "At least someone got it. Don't play dumb with me. I can tell just by looking." A grin flashed across the older man's face for a moment.

"Listen, Toriko. A gourmet hunter supplies the food. But a chef who can prepare that food is the most important person you can have in your life. And not just any chef, mind you. One of the same caliber as your foods." This time Ichiryu smiled for real. "Partner up with somebody soon! Then take that person on every adventure with you!"

Sarafina's lips twitched a bit. Wasn't that happening already? "Take them...with me?" Toriko asked in slight confusion. "No matter how great of a full course meal a gourmet hunter assembles...it's worthless without someone to prepare it. Like with me!" That was a sad smile Ichiryu had on.. Man...was partnering that important to him? "Old man..."

"If you understand then, off with you! And Sarafina, since you understand don't bother to tell him if he doesn't. He's gotta figure out how on his own." The blind woman blinked a bit before letting out a laugh. "Alright, but I make no promises grandfather." She told him before Ichiryu continued to talk. "I told you guys the place! I can't wait..to taste some Ozone Grass."

"WAIT, MY OLD MAN IS YOUR GRANDFATHER!?!?"

"She's not my flesh and blood granddaughter but I love her as such!"

End flashback

When was Toriko gonna ask him!? She already knew the answer but Sarafina wanted to hear it with her own ears. "Hey, Komatsu." Toriko started, turning to look at the smaller man. "Yes?" Hmmm? Toriko looked like he was going to ask him something.. Oh! Is he asking now?! The larger man looked a little nervous as he continued. "Will... Will you... Be my..." Komatsu looked up at him trying to figure out what he was asking.

Just as Toriko said "Part" A loud thud was heard on the roof and the jet shook a bit, causing her to involuntary grab onto Toriko's arm. "What was that?!" Toriko asked even as the chef gave a cry of fear. "Toriko-sama, it's a monster!" The pilot told the three over the loud speaker.

The three rushed over to out and saw a Sea Lion Bird, a giant turquoise sea lion with bird-like wings and a single narwhal-like horn, on top of the plane. "Well, certainly wasn't expecting that." The woman muttered to herself as she gazed at the winged beast. "Toriko-san!" The chef cried out in fear panicking. "Don't worry, it's just a flying Sea Lion. Deploy your capture net!"

"Yes sir!" The pilot replied, unleashing a giant net that quickly covered the animal. "Now! Cut it loose! It'll eventually escape and come after us!" Toriko informed them quickly. After doing so and quickly flew off.

"So Toriko-San.." The chef started turning to look at Toriko once the excitement had settled down. "What were you about to ask me?"

'He better not chicken out. He's been waiting to ask him that question.' Sarafina thought looking between the two. 'Hmph. Toriko is going to blow it off.' Toriko looked at him for a moment then grinned replying, "Nothing! Don't worry about it!"

"I knew it.." Sarafina sighed out in disappointment. That disappointed the both of them. "Awww! But now I'm worried about it! Just tell me! Sarafina! You know right?! Tell me! Please!"

"Nope. The little baby chicken has to do that himself." Sarafina laughed as her words got him. "Chicken?! Who's a chicken?! I was just thinking how I'm going to do my best to protect you two on this trip."

"Really? That's all you wanted to tell me/us?!" The two asked though one asked it in a skeptical tone. "Fine, then I won't help you no matter what happens."

"Hahaha, right. Go ahead and try to follow through with that, my dear." Sarafina laughed as she knew that Toriko didn't mean that. After going this far into the hunting game, there was no way Toriko was going to let anything happen to either her or Komatsu.

"No! Please help me!" Komatsu cried out in dismay. "Look, there's the landing spot." Toriko abruptly said as he pointed out the window. The chef looked out to see a VERY long and huge vine literally hanging from the sky. "W...what the? There's some kind of huge vine dangling in mid-air!" He said freaking out.

"That's one of the vines of the sky plant. Also known as the stairway to heaven! Tens of thousands of meters above here is vegetable sky. This plant's our welcome mat." Toriko explained getting a familiar gleam in his eyes. "It's incredible..." Sarafina said as the jet, which was who knows how big, landed on a gigantic leaf that made it seem as small as a toy plane. The trio made their way off plane. Sarafina couldn't help but look up at the vine that seemed to literally stretch into the sky. It was even grander than she remembered it.

 "We can climb this to reach the ozone grass! Or so I was told." Toriko said. "Let's get climbing, Sarafina and Komatsu!"

"Huh?! We're going to climb it using only our hands and feet?!" Komatsu explained at the same time, freaking out a but. "That's right." Was the response before Toriko and Sarafina started to climb/walk up the vine.

After a while

"Torikooo-saaan! Sarafina-saaan!" Komatsu called up to two hunters, who were way in the lead ahead of him. "Wait for me! You're going too fast!" Frowning, the hunters stopped and turned to look at the slow pokes. "You're too slow." He said. "Stand up and walk it." Komatsu had crawled up fast and replied back nervously, "I can't do that! The wind's too strong! And the vine's swaying! Why couldn't we just have had the airplane drop us off higher?"

"Because the wind's too strong. And the vine's swaying." Was the reply to the question. "Those are the same reasons I gave!" Komatsu shouted at the hunter. "Plus, a lot of avian monsters live here. Airplanes can't get close." Sarafina finished explaining. A flapping sound next to the chef got their attention and turned to see a giant bird with light-coloured feathers and claws, which only have four digits with tiny talons on each claw and pink-coloured skin, flying next to him.

Komatsu's eyes bugged out almost out of his skull. "GYAAH! MONSTER!" Komatsu shouted in a panicky voice. "Don't worry, that's just a Rubanda look alike. They look vicious but they're pretty tame." The woman shook her head at the amusement in the hunter's voice. Glad he got a kick out of this.

'They're pretty scary.' Komatsu thought, glancing at the small flock of those things before resuming his climb to catch up. "What about Kururu? Isn't she big enough to carry all of us?" Komatsu asked. "Well, let's see. Kururu, would you like to take us up there?" Sarafina asked her little kitty. "Mew..." Kururu went as she went inside her owner's backpack. "She doesn't feel like transforming, so there's your answer." "Aw, come on!"

After climbing for a bit, Toriko found a nice leaf for them to sit and replenish their energy. Taking a swing from his canteen he tried to fight the blush that threaten to come by putting on a frown at the way Sarafina was pressed close against his side. "You can relax you know. This spot is quite stable." He tried to reassure her but only got her to move even closer. "I know..." She said. Ooh boy.. Komatsu fared slightly better but still looked a bit nervous. "We've climbed quite a ways." Toriko said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah... It feels chiller." The chef agreed eating some bread from his backpack. Sarafina couldn't really focus on her own food as she held mixed feelings of embarrassment and blissful peace at the way she plastered herself next to Toriko. The warm feeling he was bringing up was hard to ignore. She was so confused. About her personal feelings and what her grandfather had told her.

"The temperature at ground level was about 30-C. Feels about 23-C up here." Toriko explained a bit taking a huge bite out of a rice ball. Explained why he had them wear special protection suits. Though Komatsu's wasn't as fancy as Toriko's and Sarafina's white and rose pink suits..

"We're probably around 1,000 meters up. Roughly the same altitude we were at yesterday in the restaurant." Sarafina said, taking a small bite of her rice ball. "And yet this is way more terrifying..." Komatsu muttered

"Eat up. You need to refuel. The temperature's gonna sap your strength." Toriko informed Komatsu as he polished off his own rice ball before getting another. 'I knew it. Another rough trip!' The chef thought as he continued to eat. After finishing eating the group felt better before they resumed the climb. Literally. The next part the group had to climb up was a straight vertical vine.

A cry of fear startled her once more and looked up to see Komatsu's grip had slipped and he began to fall when Toriko caught his hand with ease. "You okay, Komatsu?" The hunter inquired as he helped him back on. He made it seem so easy.. "Th..thank you so much, Toriko-san.." The chef thanked him, relief in his voice. After helping him back onto the vine, the small group resumed the climb up. Twilight slowly began to descend on the vine, though Komatsu was unsure if it helped or made it worse.

After three or four hours of climbing, which felt like forever but the group finally passed the part from hades and onto more sturdy ground. A dinosaur-like bird suddenly appeared right next to them. Komatsu, on the other hand, exclaimed in terror, "GYAAH! A BIRD MONSTER, TORIKO-SAN!"

"Perfect. I see dinner." Toriko responded before taking the bird down with ease. Leave it to him to see dinner. A smile twitched on her lips for a moment. 'Didn't anything ever get to him?' Sarafina wondered as she, Toriko and Komatsu prepare it. Quite frankly she was impressed that the smaller man freaked out for a few seconds then cook whatever Toriko brings down. Honestly... "These two..." She said with a slight smile, helping out to build a fire.

"Hm? Two what?" Komatsu asked, wondering what the woman meant by that. "Nothing. Just thinking aloud." She reassured him with a smile. Though what Sarafina truly thought and wondered was when the hunter was gonna grow a pair and ask Komatsu to be his partner. The answer was so dang obvious so why wait? Still, Sarafina thought that Toriko must have his reasons, so she can't have any say in it. After they ate dinner, they made themselves comfortable on the stalk and went to bed.

5,000 meters above the surface

The higher the trio climbed the colder it got. After Ice Hell, this cold seemed like a summer breeze. The problem was the low oxygen. Good thing the hunter advised Komatsu to bring a small oxygen tank. Which he currently was using right now. 'It's -2-C and the oxygen halved.'  Toriko thought to himself, wondering how the others were faring. This wasn't exactly new to him but for those two it could prove otherwise...

"You cold, Komatsu? Sarafina?" Toriko asked turning his head a bit to check on them. Much to his relief he saw that Komatsu was using the oxygen tank and Sarafina walking just fine, looking calm and collected, and helping the small chef be steady. "I'm alright. But Komatsu..." Sarafina said as the chef went, "N..no. Compared to Ice Hell...this is nothing. But I brought a heat suit just in case."

"You're pretty tough, huh?" Toriko dug into his pack and pulled out two candy bars and handed them to the others. "Here, have some chocolate. It's harder to digest food in a low oxygen environment. High-calorie foods are our friends right now. But we've still got a long ways to go, you two! Full speed ahead!" After eating the candy Sarafina's energy improved greatly as did the little chef's since both said, "Yeah!"

6,000 meters above the surface

After taking down monsters, climbing in the heat of the sun and trying to take shelter out of a sudden random rain, the beautiful view of the star-filled night sky made it seem well worth the effort. The woman stretched out and placed her hands behind her head, resting her eyes as she slowly allowing sleep to come. "Oh my gosh! It's beautiful!" Komatsu exclaimed in awe, standing up from the meal to look at the stars. "I didn't know there were so many stars in the sky."

"We're getting an unobstructed view." Toriko agreed looking up as well. "From how you're describing them, it sounds like the stars are beckoning for us to join them up in vegetable paradise." Sarafina smiled a bit, opening her eye to look at the small chef. "I didn't know you were such a romantic Komatsu." She teased a bit before a grunt of pain came from the chef a second later.

"Nn!" Komatsu continued, rubbing his head a bit. "Are you alright?" Sarafina asked, sitting up to look over at her friend in concern. "What is it, Komatsu?"

"Nothing... Just a little headache." He admitted meekly, face looking a little flushed. Little nothing. "That's a symptom of altitude sickness. Is it bad?" Toriko inquired, voice full of concern. "Nah, it only smarts a little." Sarafina frowned a bit. "I think you better call it a night Komatsu. We don't need you to get worse on us." The blind woman informed as she made a gentle shooing motion with her hand. "I agree with Fina. You better get some rest, Komatsu." Toriko added both watching the smaller man head inside the tent. "Good idea. Night." Komatsu said as he went in. The two looked on after him, Ichiryu's words coming to mind.

Flash back

"Toriko. If someone who's not prepared enters the Gourmet World...they're going to die." The older man said, once again he had on a serious expression. "Usually the cause of death...will be an injury or sickness caused by a rapid change in climate or weather." She was well aware of how dangerous that place was better than anyone but it's still hard to be reminded. "Since you're more likely to go with them, I suggest you try to take proper care of yourself, young lady." Sarafina jumped a bit and nodded. Guess the blind woman can call this training as well.

End flash back

'The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature, pressure, and oxygen density.' Torik mused to himself looking out into the sky. 'And the weather changes from rain to wind to snow at the drop of a hat.' The old man was right. This was good training. He must adapt to the climate... "Worried, Toriko?" A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "A bit. This is where the training starts now." He replied and blinked a bit when a soft weight was put on his shoulder.

"Kinda figured that. Since you had such a serious aura coming from you." Fighting back the urge to put his hand on woman's shoulder Toriko instead asked, "Why aren't you worried? You seem awfully laid back for this trip."

"I've been in the hunting game much longer than you think, I'm fairly confident to handle anything and survive it all. If not, then...I'll accept it." Sarafina said. "That's kinda depressing thinking." He responded, raising an eyebrow. Sarafina smiled a bit and continued, "If you're stressed out trying to figure out how to do something chances are good it'll blow up in your face. But if you roll with the punches..." Now he understood her thinking a bit.

"In other words adapt.. You sure went the round-a-bout to say it." Toriko said. "I can say it however I want to." Sarafina stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna call it a night. Don't stay up too late now." She teased a bit as she went in. Toriko shook his head with a slight smile. The time he spent with her sure was interesting.

"If you feel that way, how much will you go to ensure her safety..? Are you sure you'll strong enough to handle the truth?" That same, strange voice suddenly spoke in his head. Toriko felt shivers down his spine when he heard that woman's voice. Another question to add to his list. What truth?

Morning

"I don't know about this.." The woman muttered as Toriko finished tying Komatsu to his back. He insisted on carrying the chef all the way up but she was concerned about how this'll work. "Are you sure about this, Toriko-san?" Komatsu inquired nervously as the two watched him tie the final knot in the rope. "Yep. Leave the rest to me. It's training time!"

"Training?" Komatsu echoed, face still nervous. Guess no one told him this was for training. "Komatsu, you just take it easy. Keep all the oxygen and fluids inside, okay? There's some good news.." Komatsu got a scared look as he stared in front of them. "The animals that live on the sky plant don't have very high capture levels. Think of the altitude as our real enemy."

"T..Toriko-san...Sarafina-san..." The chef stumbled out. "Hm?" Was all the hunters had time to do before Komatsu exclaimed aloud, "IN FRONT OF YOU!" The gorilla, which wasn't in full view when the two first spotted in, came out and gave a loud roar at them. It was an Air Gorilla. This beast is quite large, standing over 13 meters in height, and can weigh at least 11 massive tons. Despite this great weight, it can still move effortlessly while swinging in the air. It has dark blue fur and yellow skin, as well as sharp teeth and menacing red eyes.

"What do you know? There's a few tough guys." Toriko sounded mildly surprised as he said it nonchalantly. Sarafina's eye shifted towards the part of the stalk the Air Gorilla and said, "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Toriko." Sarafina said when she and Toriko noticed a stalk appear on the vine the giant gorilla's hand was resting on. The stalk pealed away from the vine to turn into something that looked like a snake's head with large teeth and quickly chomped down on the surprised animal.

"Should've known this was too easy.." Sarafina groaned as the chef gave out a, "GYAAAAH! THE VINE ATE THE GORILLA!" Should've figured this was coming. The trip up here was far too easy. "It's..killer bean tree!" Toriko exclaimed, group watching as more of the vines, Wicked Beanstalk, attacked the small group of gorillas that were ahead and hiding in wait for them.

One of the vines noticed them and hissed before lunging at them. "Hold on tight, Komatsu!" "Doing it!" The Komatsu shouted and held onto the giant hunter. Toriko and Sarafina performed amazing acrobatics as they dodged attacks from both the vines and the large mammals. Toriko launched his Flying Fork attack on one of the Wicked Beanstalk, pinning it to the stalk. An Air Gorilla lunges itself towards them before Sarafina jumped up and jabbed her stun rod into its stomach and electrocutes it, knocking it unconscious.

When the Air Gorilla dropped into the stalk, another one of the Wicked Beanstalk coming in to try and eat them. Toriko and Sarafina pressed their backs against each other and leaped up into the air. With their respective attacks, Toriko's Leg Knife and Sarafina's snake sword, sliced the heads of six Wicked Beanstalks. "That was self-defense. Don't take it personally." Toriko said. The two hunters leap over another Wicked Beanstalk and suddenly a vine wrapped itself around their ankles and flung them outwards. Whipping them around the air. All the blood drained from her face when she sensed Toriko cut the vines off them only to realise the trio weren't ON the sky plant anymore. "Oops." Toriko said.

Sarafina used her sword and whipped it to wrapped itself around a branch and was about to use the cloth of her suit to catch Toriko and Komatsu, but it was too late. "TORIKOOO-SAN!" Komatsu screamed as he and Toriko fell. "Kururu!" Sarafina shouted. The little kitty climbed out of her back pack and jumped down to the others. The cold wind and flowing snow surrounding her.

Chapter Text

"Argh, what a pain." Toriko grumbled a bit reaching down to pull the switch of his suit when a loud, thunderous roar came up from above and saw Kururu in her giant panther form and flying down towards them. Kururu flew down to get behind them and Toriko and Komatsu landed safely on her back. The actions startles Komatsu back to life. "What the?!" He squeaked out as the hunter explained happily, "Hey Kururu! What took so long?" The Snow Panther flew back towards the vine. It would've been fun if this wasn't terrifying! "W..WOW, TORIKO-SAN! WE'RE FLYING!" Komatsu shouted excitedly clearly enjoying the ride.

Bird sounds started to appear out of nowhere. Turning towards the sound, Drill Birds were flying right for them. Drill Birds are green-eyed, purple birds with small bodies about 1 meter in length and they weigh about 15 kilograms. Their orange-coloured beaks are long, sharp and slightly hooked and can pierce stone with ease. When attacking they resemble flying purple drills.

And that's exactly what they did. "Toriko-San, something's coming at us!" Komatsu shouted. "Hm?" Toriko went before shouting, "WHOA, WHAT THE!?" The Drill Birds were attacking them and damaging Kururu's body. Growing angry at the filthy creatures that dared to touch her, Kururu let out a ferocious growl before shooting cold blizzard towards the birds from her mouth.

The attacked worked but now the three were in a pickle. Using what was left of her strength, Kururu flew to the nearest leaf to safety. Once the landed, Kururu transformed back into her kitten form, causing Toriko and Komatsu to unexpectedly fall on the stalk. "Ow, that hurt..." Toriko said as he rubbed his rear end. Kururu let out a small growl as she licked her wounds the Drill Birds left. The kitten blinked in surprise when Toriko came up and lifted her into his arms. "FREAKIN' PESTS! NOW WE HAVE TO CLIMB ALL THAT AGAIN!" Toriko growled in annoyance.

A sudden freezing down draft rushed past them, causing them to look up in response. "W..what was that?!" Komatsu asked as he wrapped his arms around himself trying to warm up. Down draft...didn't that usually proceed the coming of a storm...? Oh...crap.. Toriko got a nervous thinking look, talking aloud for a moment, "This is..." He looked up again. "A blast of cold.. Don't tell me..." He stopped when it got pitch black in mere seconds.

"Huh? What now...? It suddenly went dark." Komatsu said.

"Look up, Komatsu. Take a look at...our opponent!" Toriko told him, drawing the smaller man's gaze up once more. "What...is it?" He asked.

"A monster of a cloud! Now this is what I call training. It's do or die. We may never return from this cumulonimbus!" It was a giant cloud that could reach hundreds of meters high, from time to time called a monk cloud or lightning cloud. It was beautiful as it was deadly, unleashing flash down-pours, lightning strikes and tornadoes. The turbulence and lightning made it impossible for aircraft. Speaking of lightning, a few flashed across the sky as the wind picked up at an incredible rate, blowing hard enough to take sod of the gorillas off the plant.

Toriko set Komatsu down and began to rummage through his bag, with Kururu resting on his shoulder. "What's happening? It was clear just second ago! Where'd the clouds come from?" Komatsu asked.

"We didn't notice the air closer to the ground becoming unstable. Unstable air rapidly ascends to produce a cumulonimbus. A cumulonimbus can form in a matter of minutes." Toriko explained looking into his bag for a few more minutes before bringing out some leafs and a breathing mask. "Good, found them! Oxygen leaves." Komatsu watched him put a leaf in the mask and handed the items to him. "Komatsu. Put these on."

"What is it?" Komatsu echoed taking his as well.

"An oxygen mask. It'll be hard to breathe soon." Toriko explained putting stuff away. "An oxygen mask? But there's a leaf in it." Komatsu said, looking at the mask in confusion. "It's a leaf from the oxygen tree. They only need a tiny bit of light to photosynthesis the water vapour and carbon dioxide in your breath into oxygen. They can still function one month after being plucked."

"It better not need much light.. It's super dark." The chef commented as he put the mask on. "The darkness is proportional to the cloud's thickness. For a cloud to block out the sun this well, it must be several thousands of meters thick. Don't worry. There's tons of lightning. That'll produce more than enough light." The hunter explained simply as if it was no big deal. Which was kinda unnerving considering how fast this storm was coming and how big it was. But at the back of Toriko's mind, he was worried to death of how Sarafina was fairing. She sent out Kururu to save them and now all three were separate from her. He could only hope she was okay.

Though the causal way he said the lightning bit was slightly disturbing. Komatsu had no desire to be a human lightning rod. And where was Toriko's mask?! Don't tell him that it was part of training? "L...lightning?! We're going in there?!" Komatsu asked frightfully, looking up at the clouds uneasy. "Hey, wait... Why aren't you wearing a mask?!" Komatsu asked as the hunter placed him on his back again. "It's about to get cold, Komatsu! Here comes the down burst!" Down burst... Wasn't that a phenomenon where turbulence inside a cumulonimbus cloud funnels warm air up and pushes cold air towards the ground..? Oh no. Komatsu's eyes nearly bugged out as the burst literally rushed towards the the three.

Ice immediately covered them when the down burst nailed them. "IT'SA BIG ONE! AND IT'S -50'C!" Pretty dang cold but a heck of a lot warmer than Ice Hell! And the wind..! So loud that it almost drowned out Toriko's voice. "Shivering!" The hunter's body temp rose up in response. Unfortunately it wasn't going to work in this particular environment. 'Shivering eats up a ton of energy. And the oxygen up here is halved.' Toriko thought already calculating his next move. He couldn't afford to waste energy! He already realised he couldn't fight Mother Nature. In the face of severe conditions, it wasn't hostility but flexibility and adaptation that would triumph! Toriko instinctively turned to his gourmet cells to help him.

The cells did their best to conserve the oxygen in his lungs in order to stabilise oxygen levels in the arteries. His cells conserved oxygen by cutting out most of the breathing process. As a result, Toriko's gourmet cells became fuel efficient and capable of unleashing loads of energy! All of that happened in mere moments. A split second later large fast moving boulder-size objects headed their way and pummelled into the vine. The impacts caused Komatsu to scream in terror. Those objects? Hailstones the size of boulders! "W..what are these things, Toriko-san?!" "They're hailstones!" Toriko explained as said hailstone was coming at them.

Suddenly a flash of light came overhead and sliced the hailstone in half. What the..? "HEY!" A familiar shouted at them. Toriko looked up and smiled in joy when he saw Sarafina standing just ahead of them, safe and sound. "You guys alright!?" She shouted.

"HAVE HAILSTONES ALWAYS BEEN THIS BIG!?" The chef shouted in surprise shock with his eyes as big as plates. The giant hunter then shouted him a warning, "Hold on tight, Komatsu! We're going through!" "GYAAH!" The small chef screamed as the large man quickly bounded up the vine and managed to avoid the onslaught of hailstones, and reunited with the blind woman. One of the oncoming hailstones nearly nailed them and landed like a bomb practically on top of them. Komatsu gave a loud cry of fear and exclaimed fearfully, "Toriko-san! Sarafina-san! We'll never make it! Let's go back!"

"No, we are not! We didn't go through this chaos just to turn tail and run away!" Sarafina scolded a bit as the chef's words distracted the hunter long enough for him to go, "WHAT!?" "Going up into these clouds is like walking into our graves!

"Calm down, Komatsu! You're over reacting!" Toriko said. "Don't be stupid, Komatsu! Calm down! The worst thing you can do now is panic! We're taking on nature here! Nature doesn't have to be our enemy! If we just stay calm, we'll survive! And one more thing." Toriko turned his head to look the smaller man in the eye. "We are NOT going to die! We've still got something to eat! So we're going to push forward and stay alive!" The chef stared at him, letting his words sink in. "Trust us, Komatsu!"

"O..okay, Toriko-san!" Komatsu said.

With that and looking at one another with faith and confidence, the two hunters continued to move up the vine. Between the darkness mixed with lightning, heavy rain and Toriko and Sarafina jumping around like jack-rabbits, Komatsu was becoming a bit disoriented and squeezed his eyes shut and held tighter onto his companion. "Right 'atcha, cumulonimbus!" Toriko shouted.

Given the environment they was doing quite well.. "...?! Urk.. It's too dark to see. I'll have to sniff my way through the cloud." The moment he used his nose a zing of pain greeted him. The air was too cold for it to work. Suddenly a gush of wind caught him off guard and knocked him into the air. Sarafina let out a gasp as she reached forward and grabbed his hand. "I got you!!" She shouted, holding on tight to him.

Toriko gripped her hand for a moment before their bodies were slam against something solid. Without warning the wind knocked them once more into the air, tossing them around so much that they lost track of what was up from down or left from right! They couldn't even move. D..damnit, Toriko didn't expect so much force! It felt like being caught in a giant blender! Darkness danced along the edges of his vision.. 'Uh-oh.. I'm blacking out..' Toriko weakly thought as the darkness began closing in when suddenly he felt that his back and his hand was empty.

The sensation quickly woke him and caused him to whip his head towards the two. "Komatsu! Sarafina! Kurur!" He shouted in fear and worry. Much to his immense relief and joy, the three were still hanging on with death grips on him and Kururu freezing herself in place on Sarafina's shoulder. "Komatsu.. Sarafina.. Kururu.."

"H...heh.. Guess I worried about you for nothing.. If you got time to worry about us.." The blind woman teased weakly, with a small smile. "Don't give on us, Toriko."

The hunter said nothing, realising those two had placed their complete and utter trust in him. The dead set determination that had completely came over Toriko's face. The look of determination quickly was replaced with a huge cocky smirk. "Leave everything to me, you two! Sure, we're being tossed around in a storm of air currents but don't worry! Just pretend you're on a roller coaster!"

Toriko took a deep breath and held it in. 'Normal breathing won't cut it. I can't waste a single precious ounce of oxygen. I should only exhale carbon dioxide!' The larger man thought, working on a way to conserve. When he exhaled his larynx halted a portion of the air. In order to conserve his body's temperature, moisture and oxygen he kept the breath inside. Some -80*C air drifted out of his nose and mouth. Of those non-oxygen elements collected in his mouth and drifted out.. Carbon dioxide, with its high melting and boiling points froze first. He was suddenly exhaling frozen carbon dioxide! All while drinking back in the remaining breath that still had oxygen. 'This is it.' Toriko thought excitedly. He found a way to breathe that conserves the maximum oxygen, moisture, and heat!

'It's still wonky, but at least I can move more freely than before.' Breathing deeply he calmly reached out and grabbed a leaf that happened to be close. Using it to regain his footing he happened to notice a very large four eyed bird nearby that slightly brought Phoenix to mind. "Amazing! The lightning Phoenix is known to live in cumulonimbus clouds. Perfect timing. We'll just borrow one of its feathers. We can use it to protect ourselves from lightning." Just as luck would have it, the moment the hunter got a feather a bolt of lightning went straight for them but it hit the feather harmlessly. Toriko began the long, gruelling trek up the vine, the two hanging on with all their might.

Though one of the passengers proved a slight distraction with a...certain part of their body pressing hard into his back which he ignored. Barely. The weather continued to get worse as he climbed but once a certain point was reached the three noticed it was getting lighter. "It passed...thank the heavens.." Sarafina sighed out in relief.

"It's getting lighter!" Toriko just noticed..? "Sarafina! Komatsu! We're almost at the top of the cloud!" Toriko cheerfully exclaimed to the others. That said his speed doubled as he eagerly rushed towards the end and leaped high into the air, easily clearing the cloud line. "WE DID IT!" The hunter shouted joyfully smiling big. "We made it to the vegetable paradise! Vegetable sky! We made it, Sarafina and Komatsu! We're in vegetable sky!" Toriko continued excitedly, landing neatly on a near by piece of vine.

"It's so warm." Sarafina commented, squinting her eyes a bit at the sudden brightness. "No surprise considering we just emerged from a dark cloud. Or that there's not much between the sun and us." The larger man explained a bit before turning his attention towards the land. "But this warmth! It's proof that we're out of the troposphere and just below the stratosphere. And we're right near the equator, at an altitude of about 20,000 meters."

That was great to know but when will they get moving? The woman mused, wondering what got the hunter quiet for a moment. "Look, you two. A field 20,000 meters above the earth. We made it to vegetable sky!"

"You told us. Three times already. We gonna stare at it or get a better look?" Sarafina inquired then blinked a bit as Toriko chuckled a bit before bounding off like a rabbit over to the stark green lush looking grass...only to stop just short of making land.

"I don't believe it." Toriko started as he reached a hand towards the grass. "This grass put its roots down in the clouds." He took a deep breath and smiled. "Mm, smell that rich soil. I bet it can hold me up."

"Wait! You don't know if that place can support us!" Sarafina started to panic a bit, images of the three falling back down flashed through her mind. She nearly fainted as he jumped over to a spot, the lush ground holding him up. "Oh.. Wow!" Toriko wondered aloud, amazement in his voice. Guess falling to their deaths wasn't happening. "Cool! I'm walking on a cloud! Komatsu, Sarafina! You've got to try this!" The two quickly let go and dropped, literally, to the ground. "Oh my! It's solid land! But it feels so nice and fluffy!" The blind woman joyfully said. Feeling ground was such a refreshing feeling! She took a deep breath of the fresh air and agreed the soil smelled rich. Kururu took a whiff of the grass once before started rolling over on it.

"Ha ha. What's the matter? You're not still scared, are you?" Toriko asked Komatsu.

"W..well...getting through that cloud was so scary.." The chef had his back to them as he removed his mask. "It really...took years off my life." As Komatsu said this he turned to face the two, which Toriko's jaws dropped in astonishment. Instead of a young man, an ancient looking Komatsu looked at them.

"Komatsu! You geezerfied!" A puzzled look came over the smaller man as he looked between the two in confusion. "I did what...?"

"You look ancient! At least 80 years old!" Toriko told him. Komatsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly wearing a smile to match. "Well, my life did flash before my eyes so many times that I started seeing past lives." The chef said to him.'Was it really that scary back there?' Sarafina wondered as she listened to them. Toriko blinked at that then replied, surprise in his voice, "Whoa, how traumatised would you have to be for THAT to happen?! Wait...past lives?!"

"Still..." Komatsu continued, unfazed by the hunter's reaction, "I remember how relieved I was...by what you said, Toriko-San. Thank you." Ah. That's right. Toriko told them to pretend to be on a roller coaster. "I'll admit... You had me worried for a bit... But you did good. Thank you.." Sarafina closed her eyes as she smile in amusement at them. These two really are something else. They would make the perfect team. Toriko turned around, saying nothing for a moment then went, "I should be the one thanking you."

"Huh?" Komatsu squeaked out in surprise. Now why would he thank him? 'I almost passed out. That could've been the end. It's only thanks to Komatsu and Sarafina that I learned to breathe right.' Toriko thought, thinking back when he thought he lost the two. They believed in him...and held on tight.

"Why would you thank us...?" Sarafina started to inquire but got silence instead. Then he flashed the two a grin. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, I'm gonna protect you guys on this trip!" That appeased Komatsu when he smiled happily in response. Sarafina just smiled at them and stroked beneath Kururu's chin. After that, the three started the long trek of walking up. Sarafina was amazed that trees were growing so well at this height. Toriko stopped and kneeled by some solid piece of cloud, the whole area was pocketed here and there with tufts of cloud poking up, and reached out to scoop up a small piece. "Huh. Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Sarafina inquired, looking back to see Toriko kneeling by a cloud that poked out of the ground and inspected it in an inquisitive manner. "What is it, Toriko-san?" The little chef spoke up, the two watching the hunter. "I smell ash." He explained bringing the small piece for closer inspection. "This cloud is mostly volcanic ash. It's like the ash rose from a volcano and froze. The grass lives off the minerals in the ash."

"I...I see.." Komatsu walked over and inspected a piece curiously. "So this cloud is so nutrient packed that things can actually grow on it. Wow." The chef wondered aloud. "Isn't Wul Volcano close by? That could be contributing to this area." Sarafina mused as she watched the boys. "There are a lot of active volcanoes on the surface below here. I'm surprised you remembered the area, Fina. Wul isn't that far from here." Toriko was impressed that she remembered since she was only there once.

"I've been told I got a good memory." The blind woman explained, sensing the men stand up. "The ashes of Wul volcano are as nutrient filled as it gets. This soil is sturdy enough to support even my weight with ease. I'll bet the roots of this grass travel deep into this cloud of densely frozen ash...brought up from the powerful ascending currents."

"Huh? Speaking of which... I can breathe." Komatsu wondered aloud once more, looking up a bit. "You just noticed, Komatsu?" The blind woman lightly teased even as the hunter explained, "Well, yeah. Look around. Photosynthesis is going on here like you wouldn't believe, creating an oxygen pocket. And once air enters the stratosphere, it stabilises. That's why it feels so much warmer."

Now that Toriko mentioned it...it was a lot warmer than back there. "That's great! This'll be a stroll in the park!" The small man chirped happily. The group walked for a bit until some hanging vines came into view. The trio entered the dense foliage, with the two hunters' height it was easy for them to moved through the vines and tall grass with ease while Komatsu struggled to keep up.

"L...look at that, Toriko-San!" Komatsu gasped out in excitement, looking down and pointing at something. "A worm!" That surprised Toriko. "What?!" He and Sarafina kneeled down and they spotted it. A cute-looking 10g worm wiggled its way through the grass. "Ooh! That's a Mineral Earthworm! It's a very special little creature said to only live in rich soils." Toriko informed the chef, kneeling down to look at the worm. "If we're seeing these..." Sarafina started, her excitement reaching over the peak. "It means we're close, Komatsu and Sarafina!" Toriko finished.

That brought out the spark in the little chef, who clasped his hands together happily and exclaimed, "To the vegetables?!"

"Sure hope so. I'm feeling a bit hungry." The men stared at her a bit. "What? It's alright for Toriko to say but I can't?" Sarafina asked as she raised an eyebrow. "That's the first time I've heard you sat that..." Toriko explained only to grin widely at the adorable embarrassed look Sarafina had. The redness made her look even cuter. "Ye...yea. Normally you stay quiet about this kind of thing." Komatsu added, furthering her embarrassment. "Oh be silent! It's not a crime is it!?" The blind woman started when she and Toriko got the scent of something. "What is it?" Sarafina started to inquire when Toriko loudly exclaimed, "What's that smell?! It's coming from over there!" With that he and the blind woman took off in a direction in pursuit.

It smelled like the deep richness of plants and sunshine, which made her relax a bit. The scent made her feel slight nostalgic of home. "Oooff!" Sarafina grunted out as she ran into Toriko's back. "What is it...?" The woman stopped in awe at the sight that stopped the hunter in his tracks. Vegetables! Vegetables as far as the eye can see! Vegetables of every size and shape in whole varieties! So this was way it was called Vegetable Paradise! Toriko snorted out a "MYAAAH!" at the same time the smaller man gasped out, apparently stunned at the sight before him, "I..IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS!?"

"It is! Vegetables as far as the eye can see!" The blind woman clarified, slightly amused at Komatsu's awed expression coupled with hearts in his eyes. Putting his hands to his face, he continued. "This must be...Vegetable Paradise. Vegetable Sky." The hunter grinned, adding, "So I was smelling vegetables, huh? The fresh green aroma is stronger, deeper, and richer than any old grilled meat or fish!"

Sarafina sniffed a bit. It smelled like the deep richness of plants and sunshine, which made her relax a bit. The scent made her feel slight nostalgic for home. Movement caught her attention. Sensing a bit, she noticed that Toriko had jumped down so he was closer to the vegetables. "But it's not a pungent rawness that I smell. It's the succulent scent of wet, juicy, leaves!" Toriko stated matter-of-factly, reaching out to pull up a rather huge radish. "I've gotta try at least one. So heavy! I've never seen a daikon radish with such tight fibres or high moisture content."

'That did it.' Sarafina thought as the two watched Riko peel/skin the radish. Not wanting to be left out, she was quick to join him. Quickly looking around for a way down, the blind woman joined the larger man in moments. Now then... What grabbed her fancy...? "Ah...here we go..." Sarafina said, reaching down to pick up a carrot.

Cleaning it off with her hand and a bit of water, she and Kururu took a bite and immediately felt their eyes widen at the incredible flavour that hit her mouth. No way this could be real! The solid crunch and the juice was...was... ARGH!  The words she knew didn't accurately describe the carrot properly! "Komatsu! Sarafina!" The hunter called out only to find the two eating already. "Yes, Toriko-San/Toriko?" The two went, turning to look at him. Toriko nearly did a double take when they saw the chef, young again and sparkly. "WOW! You're practically sparkling! But you were just an old man just moments ago!"

"That's probably because.." Komatsu started before taking a quick bite of the cucumber he was holding then continued talking between bites. "I've been eating fresh cucumber! The wrinkles are gone and my skin's as smooth as a baby's behind! This cucumber's amazing! Cucumbers are usually full of water, but I guess I never realised how much that diluted their flavour."

Komatsu looked at the vegetable in his hand. "This one tastes so rich that even by itself it's a palate pleasing savoury delight. I can't get enough of the juicy crunch! I've never had a cucumber like this before!" Sarafina didn't think she had ever heard of someone taking so long to chew a bite. "The carrot's the same. The nice solid crunch, the sweetness of the... Why are you guys staring at me?" Sarafina asked when she felt the men's eyes on her.

"I believe that's the first time we've heard you talk about any food like that since we met." Toriko rumbled out in amazement, causing a slight blush to pop up. "Y..yeah. This place must be something! To get even you to describe the vegetable." Komatsu added, smiling brightly at her causing her blush to deepen, but only from embarrassment. Sarafina growled at them before turning her back to them.

Toriko let out a laugh, causing her face to heat up more than it was. "How cute! She's embarrassed!" Toriko teased a bit and grinned even more when he saw her face turn even redder. Really too cute. "S..silence! Am not!" He had to bite his lip to stop from teasing her even more. Instead he shifted his focus to the smaller man, who watched the two in slight confusion. "The daikon I ate was amazing too. It was really crisp, but with an after taste as deep as oden broth." Toriko's twitched a bit when he noticed the statement got the woman's attention. So Sarafina liked oden hm? Must remember that.

"Wow! I wanna try!" Komatsu cried out in excitement. The hunter grinned at him and offered his vegetable. "Trade you." At some point Sarafina turned around and watched the exchange. Sarafina watched Komatsu take a bite and shouted happily, "Woo-hoo! This is one delicious daikon!" That seemed to have made up the hunter's mind, for he exclaimed, "That does it! Let's sample some more vegetables, you two!" Looking around as the three tried to decide what to eat next when something caught her attention. She kneeled down and felt it around and took in its scent.

"How cute! A mini pumpkin." The woman said as she reached to pick up one of the pumpkins. "Oooh, that's a Marshmallow Pumpkin!" Toriko exclaimed picking up one as well. Marshmallow huh? That explained why it was so squishy. "It's so cute!" Komatsu squeaked out in excitement, looking at his happily. "Awesome! I've never seen one before!" The three all bit into theirs and she nearly choked on her bite from laughter as the men jumped up like excited children and cheered out, "Yum!" Swallowing hers made her feel like jumping but restrained herself. Before having a chance to enjoy the pumpkin the men had moved onto the next item. A tree-sized broccoli.

"A broccoli tree!" The hunter cried out excitedly. The woman couldn't help but laugh at Komatsu as he gasped out, "Holy cow! A whole tree made of broccoli!" She blinked a bit as the two literally jumped onto the tree and began munching away. "Mmm! And thousand island dressing's oozing out from the inside!" Toriko said between bites. "One bite's just not enough! Hurry and try some Sarafina-san!" The chef said between bites as well. "Trying but the way you two are chowing down I'm scared I'll have my hand bitten off." Sarafina started, reaching up and breaking a piece off. "Like that'll happen!" Toriko said. "Whoa. There really is dressing inside!" She muttered taking a bite and felt like she was in heaven. This was completely delicious! As she finished she noticed that the tree had disappeared in mere minutes. Not surprising at all. Well, at least she had a bite.. "Ahh...that was a meal." Toriko said as he wiped his chin even as the smaller man and blind woman gave their thanks to the tree stem.

Sarafina shook her head with a smile just as the hunter called out, "Oooh! Do I see a potato spring?!"

"A potato spring?" Sarafina echoed then saw the two dive into a pond of French fries. Quickly making her way over, she started to reach down to grab some when the larger man grabbed her wrist and yanked her in, causing a Yelp of surprise to escape. "What the-?! Was it really necessary to yank me in?!" She growled at him, popping up out of the fries. Her eyes narrowed angrily as Toriko ignored her in favour of stuffing his face. In between bites the dork mumbling something about unsalted naturally and all you can eat. Sarafina's eye twitched. 'He'll pay for that!' Sarafina thought as she ate some, the taste alleviating some of the anger. After the fries the trio tried huge green onions that surprisingly didn't taste bitter and the more bites chewed it got sweeter. Then tomatoes were next.

She couldn't get over how sweet the tomatoes were. After that, the group sampled almost everything that came into their sight. After a while the blind woman called it quits. "Argh... I can't believe I stuffed myself full. I feel so sleepy now.." Sarafina groaned out in sleepy full contentment. "Agreed. I'm stuffed." Toriko added as the men plopped down next to her, only their stomachs were bulged out, full of veggies. Luckily her stomach didn't do that.

"I can't eat anymore. It was all delicious. I feel so nice and full." The chef sighed out in bliss. Agreed. Everything they ate was delicious it was hard to believe it was vegetables. Going back to the ones below will be hard... Hm? Feeling the chef sit up with a curious expression Sarafina wondered what he was going to ask. "U..um, Toriko-San?"

"Hmm?" The hunter grunted out.

"While I was eating...I felt something odd.." Before he had a chance to finish all of their stomachs gurgled at the exact same time. Don't tell her...!! "T...Toriko-San, is this what I think it is?" Komatsu asked as they all jumped to their feet. "That took no time to digest! In Vegetable Sky, obviously everything tastes great but it's super healthy for you too. The food are full of minerals, vitamins and fat-free cellulose. It's so nutritionally sound that our bodies were able to digest everything swiftly. Eh?! Fina, where you going?!" Toriko asked as the men watched her take off. "Finding a spot! I DO NOT wish to do THAT in front of you two!" Sarafina called over her shoulder looking for a spot. "You're gonna take a dump in paradise?!"

Komatsu exclaimed in shock. "Yes!" Though Sarafina doubt the small man heard her when she found a spot, Kururu staying a few feet back to give her space, and did her business. 'Argh...this is so humiliating! But didn't expect it to come this fast!' The blind woman thought as she cleaned up. Kinda weird to use the fresh clean water to wash her hands but what else was she suppose to do?

A sudden chill then a thrill went through her. Kururu's ears perked up and started growling. Something besides them were up here. Sarafina closed her eyes and relaxed. She launched her power to create a sound wave and waited. Then....*th-thump*. Her eye shot open. Something else was indeed up here. Watching. Waiting. But for what? Kururu quickly ran up to her shoulder and Sarafina gripped her sword's hilt.

She was about to go and confront it when Komatsu's voice startled her, halting her actions, shouting, "Toriko-san! Sarafina! I found it! Torikoo-saann!" Sarafina turned back, glanced over her shoulder once last time, before walking back towards the chef who was waving his arms frantically to get their attention. "Coming!" Sarafina shouted back, doing a brisk walk/jog back to them.

Toriko hadn't moved from his spot, staring down at something. "Toriko? What is it?" Sarafina asked right at the moment his stomach gurgled. "AAHH! I forgot I was going to take a dump!" "How in the world could you forget to relief yourself?!" Sarafina growled as she watched him take off chanting "Not gonna make it!"

'Honestly! What a pathetic fool of a man you've ended up to fall for.' Fyreia said in a rather disappointing tone.

"Hey come on...I don't even know what to make of my feelings. It's too confusing for me right now. Besides, you said it yourself that he's reliable. So he's not a complete fool." Sarafina told her.

'Ugh. Even so, he's such a headache sometimes...but whatever you chose to make of it. I'll learn to tolerate him....and him....' Fyreia said that last part with such venom.

"Haha, whatever you say."

Turning to walk over to Komatsu when she noticed he too took off. 'For the love of... Can't these imbeciles focus?!' Fyreia shouted.

"Now, now. Don't get over-." A sudden wave of dizziness washed over Sarafina, making her lose her balance for a moment. "What...was that..?" Sarafina didn't get a chance to ponder that when all of a sudden her body felt feverish. 'Sarafina?! Sweetheart? Oh no..! This isn't a good sign!'

"I don't...feel so good..." She muttered, quickly kneeling down in case she fell over. What was going on with her? "Phew! That had to be the best poo I've ever taken. My body was tooting with joy!" Toriko, both he and the chef both sparkling clean, said as the two came back. Heh...his statement would either be funny or gross but for some reason she couldn't concentrate and not to mention she was starting to get blurry vision.

Chapter Text

"You said it! If there was any garbage in my system, it's flushed out now!" Sarafina vaguely heard the chef chime in. Sweat was starting to run down her forehead a bit. She felt like any moment she was gonna pass out... "Thanks for scrubbing my insides clean vegetable sky...!" Toriko said before he felt something frantically tugging at the bottom of his pants. He looked down and saw Kururu pulling at him with her teeth, trying to get his attention. She let go and began meowing loudly, running around in circles before running off ahead.

"Hey, Kururu what's gotten you all-? Sarafina?! What's wrong?!" Was all that the blind woman could hear Toriko say before she hit the ground hard. "Sarafina?!" Toriko cried out in surprise and fear as the men and kitten raced over to the fallen woman. "Sarafina?! What's wrong?!" Komatsu exclaimed, anxious and confused on what happened. 'She's burning up. Her temperature must be over a hundred!' The hunter thought picking her up, noting on how pale his companion looked. What could have happened to have caused her to get sick?! Was this some kind of relapse or something?! He'll have to worry about that later right now getting her temperature down was a priority!

Going back to the pond she was just at Toriko quickly undressed her (just to her undergarments. Hopefully Sarafina won't kill him) and gently put the woman in the cool soothing water. "Eh?! Why is she so sick?!" Komatsu asked. "Not sure yet.." The giant hunter replied watching Sarafina, who seemed to slowly but surely get better. What the hell caused Sarafina to get sick...? She was just fine a few moments ago...!

"Sarafina!" Fyreia shouted as she held the blind woman in her arms in the depths of her subconscious. "Sarafina, hang in there. Don't let it take you, fight it!" She ordered. Sarafina gritted her teeth as she nearly screeched in pain as her body gave a white glow. It flickered on and off as Sarafina thrashed around. Fyreia did what she could to calm her down while also thinking of the only thing to help her. It seemed that Tommyrod's wasn't enough.

"Sarafina, I know you don't want to hear this, but you must eat again. That oaf and Komatsu are in your grasp, just take a small sample from them and stabilise yourself." Fyreia said.

"No! I refuse....! To eat them...! I don't want to do that again!" Sarafina said, trying to fight through the pain. She felt her body being to crack and break apart as if she were made of fragile glass.

"Sarafina..! I know that you swore you would never eat anything from another living being unless they are horrid creatures like Tommyrod, but you...your body is running out of time! You have to eat them!"

"Never!!" Sarafina shouted. "I will NOT show them the monster I am! I just can't!"

"You stubborn girl...!" Fyreia growled, but then became worried as she watched as her host was experiencing serious pain. She can't stand to see her like this. It broke her every time this happened and felt powerless that she couldn't do anything more to help her. Even after all these years, Fyreia wasn't sure why she had grown so fond for this girl. But she had and she had promised herself that she would look after her.

"Very well then...if you won't eat them. Then eat mine. I have more than enough to sustain you for a good while." She held Sarafina until her lips rested on her shoulder. Sarafina wrapped her arms around her and was very hesitant on going through with it. But Fyreia gently stroked her hair and said, "It's okay. I'm content with it. Not the first time I wanted to save you." Sarafina nodded. Opened her mouth, and bit down hard on Fyriea's neck. Devouring her nearly-forgotten favourite food. Funny...even with Tommyrod's, it still tasted as sweet and tangy as the ripest fruit.

It usually took days to recover from a purge this bad, but now the blind woman was looking better and better in minutes. Much to their relief, and Toriko's immense surprise, Sarafina slowly opened her eye and groaned a bit. "What...happened? Feel like... I've been...crushed with a boulder." The woman groaned and slowly sat up. And feigning ignorance.

"Sarafina! You're okay!" Komatsu shouted happily, tears streaming down his face and Kururu jumped into her arms. "I thought you were never going to make it! I'm so happy you're all right." The chef explained and blinked when she suddenly asked, "Who in the world undressed me?" Urk. Toriko was slightly hoping Sarafina wouldn't notice right away. Granted she still had her undergarments on but... Toriko laughed nervously when she turned a disapproving glare his way.

Seriously. She looked so cute when mad but the larger man doubted the compliment would save him. "Your temp spiked so we had to remove your clothes and put you in water to help bring it down." Toriko silently thanked Komatsu for speaking up. "Is that so? Oh my goodness, I was aware I had a fever going but I hadn't realised it was THAT bad. I suppose it's all right then." Sarafina said, standing up to redress.

Was it just Toriko or did he sense an underline threat? Anyway, her recovery was truly something. How exactly did she rebound so fast? Are there more tricks being pulled here? He tried not to frown at that but instead watched the woman carefully as she and Komatsu talked about the illness. What was going on with her?

"Toriko!" "Huh?! Wha?!" The hunter started, then looked at Sarafina. "Didn't you hear Komatsu? He had managed to find it!" "Huh? Found what?" Toriko asked, slightly grateful for the interruption. "I found it! I found the best vegetable of all!" Komatsu excitedly said, rushing back to where he found the ozone.

"For real?!" Toriko shouted happily and proceeded to follow but stopped for a moment to pick up a certain person. "Oh no, please. It isn't necessary for you to-." Sarafina started but the hunter cut her off. "No buts or fuss. You were close to dying a minute ago. You need to take it easy for a while." He explained as he rushed over to join the chef. Sarafina frowned a bit at that. So...it was happening again huh? Was she running out of time so soon...? If so, then how much longer does she have left? As much as she wanted to know, Sarafina didn't the answer as she was beyond terrified now. She knew that Fyreia felt the same way. They can't waste any more time. Once God resurfaces, she must obtain it.

"Over here!" The chef said, reaching the spot he was at previously but stopped at an edge of a cliff looking down with a surprising puzzled look. Looking down, the men spotted a giant vegetable that had its leaves closed uptight. For some reason, Sarafina had gotten the feeling it wasn't happy to see someone. 'I doubt it's Komatsu. Is it me? No. Toriko? Yeah. He barely tastes anything as that insatiable glutton ate, despite his claims.' Sarafina thought.

"THAT'S IT! IT'S THE KING OF VEGETABLES! OZONE GRASS!" The said hunter exclaimed in excitement. Loudly in her ears. Argh! She'll be deaf at this rate! Being blind was bad enough..! "That's odd. All the leaves were open before.." Komatsu thought aloud in puzzlement. "It's probably unhap- AAH!" Sarafina quickly tightens her grip on her hunter as he, without proper warning, jumped down. This man is going to be the death of her!

"Looks like a layered leafy vegetable. Like a cabbage or bok choy." The aggravating man explained on the way down. Man, he was starting to like surprising Sarafina. The cute little squeaks she makes was adorable. He landed on the ground first to deposit her before jumping onto the grass. "Just be a good girl and wait there." He told her, leaning closer for a whiff of the plant.

Whatever she was about to retort back died when he grunted an "HWAGH!?" in surprise. "Toriko?! What's the matter?!" Sarafina called up, worry in her voice as his expression changed to something akin to pain. His eyes started to water as a second later he gasped out for fresh air. "PHEW...!" Toriko exclaimed reaching up to wipe his eyes. "What a shock! For a second there I thought I inhaled pesticide."

Pesticide? Was it that or was that pungent smell just that strong? "You scared the daylights out of me, Toriko." The woman sighed out in relief just as Komatsu called down anxiously, "Hey... Is everything all right, Toriko-San?"

"Yep, I'm fine." The larger man answered before turning his attention back to the veggie. "Just like the ozone layer, ozone grass absorbs the sun's rays and toxins from earth all day. That's what that pungent smell was." Sarafina raised an eyebrow as the colour of his soul reminded her of someone being in love. "It's proof that the leaves...are protecting what's inside."

"That's a wonderful insight, my dear Toriko. However, I have just one question; Do you intend to marry the Ozone Grass?" She had to bite back a laugh as Toriko replied in indignation, "Eh?! Of course not! What the heck are you talking about!?" The hunter narrowed his eyes at the amusement in her voice.

"There's no need to be so agitated. The way you're speaking to it, it's almost like your in love with it, that's all." Toriko gave a sarcastic laugh, making her laugh aloud. Honestly! Just cause he got excited about food! Choosing not to comment more he said loud enough for both to hear, "Here I go! I'm gonna pry open the plant, you guys!"

"Okay! Thanks, Toriko-San!" Toriko immediately started to try and pull on one of the large leaves, grunting as he did so. Sarafina couldn't help but notice a strange feeling was coming off the plant. What was this feeling...? It was strange. She could catch these types of things from all living creatures...but if this is what she thinks it is, can the same be said for plants? "It's stiff. This reminds me of BB Corn." Toriko grinned in memory. The feeling quickly got worse when ripping sounds rained from above her head. This feeling...wasn't pleasant.

'What is this feeling?' Komatsu wondered to himself, unaware of the woman sharing the same strange vibe he was feeling. It was like.. 'The food is turning its back on us.' Toriko gave a loud grunt as he pulled a leaf down with a loud ripping sound. This was seriously bad! "NO! STOP, TORIKO/-SAN! THAT LEAF...!!" The two shouted together just at the exact moment the plant rotted within mere seconds. "HUH?! WHAT THE?!" The hunter exclaimed in shocked surprise. It rotted?! A gut-wrenching stench immediately wafted from the vegetable. The woman quickly grabbed her nose. The smell! Ugh! Kururu growled as she grinds her nose. "IT WENT ROTTEN!"

"It's probably because it didn't like you." Sarafina explained, eyeing the fallen vegetable. With the way Toriko was yanking on it she wouldn't like him either. She blinked a bit, watching her words sink into him. Huh. For sure a complaint should have come forth but not one peep from him. Was it true then?'In the early stages of making century soup... I kept getting the feeling that the preparation wasn't going right!' The chef thought, staring at the spoiled food. 'I felt that same feeling just now!' 

"How do you like that?" Toriko stared at the plant in slight confusion. "The Ozone Grass rotted to the core."

'We can see that but the question is, why.' Sarafina thought trying to figure out why the plant didn't like him? Besides the obvious. And what exactly did Toriko go wrong with it? "TORIKO-SAN!" The chef called out to the larger man just before he jumped off the cliff. "CATCH ME!" "WHOA/GOOD HEAVENS!" The two exclaimed in surprise and the hunter caught the smaller man with ease.

"You were a bit reckless there, Komatsu." Sarafina said, trying not to be amused at the smaller man as he thanked Toriko. "Like she said, someone's getting reckless." Toriko added, both watching the chef walked over and kneeled by the plant to put both hands on the rotten food. "Guys, this.." Komatsu looked up at the others. "Is spoiled."

"We can see that." Toriko and Sarafina said, though her tone was a bit nicer than the large man. "Ozone grass...might require special preparation!"

"Special preparation..." Sarafina said to herself as she began to think as the statement through the hunter for a loop. "What?! What do you mean, Komatsu?" Toriko asked, wondering if that was the reason why he failed. "This reminds me of when we were handling the puffer whale. I couldn't pick up on it then, but...foods wary of their customers and chefs require special preparation. When you grabbed that leaf just now...somehow I felt like the food wasn't happy." Komatsu said, beginning to explain.

This part had her attention. So the sensation she had felt before...was it being very unhappy? It was no surprise Komatsu felt it but...why her? She can feel these types of emotions from living breathing people and animals, but with plants...this was new for her. Perhaps her powers were getting more heighten. If that were the case, then the plant was trying to say, "No, not that one!" Komatsu returned his gaze toward the plant again. Now THAT Sarafina had alerted.

"So probably...the leaves have to be peeled in a certain order. If you screw up, it rots. That's what I think, at least." Komatsu's words seemed to have stunned Toriko, who stared at the chef with an unreadable expression. 'Komatsu. You can already hear the voices of the foods. Your experience completing soup... Fine-tuned your senses.' Toriko thought.

"Special preparation, huh? I shouldn't have expected anything less from Ozone Grass." Toriko told him aloud. "Let's go search for some more and try to see what will work." Sarafina started when the chef continued, voice full of determination, "Sarafina-san's right! Let's keep looking, Toriko-san! There must be more Ozone Grass! Don't worry! We'll get a taste! I know it from the bottom of my heart!"

That made Toriko get a weird expression. "Did it...tell you that too?" Toriko inquired a bit. Strange. Wouldn't the gourmet hunter be thrilled with the knowledge of being able to eat the food? Sometimes, not even Sarafina couldn't make heads or tails of what the larger man was thinking.

"I felt it while we were eating the vegetables in vegetable sky too! The vegetables were choosing us. They wanted us to eat them. I just know we'll find more Ozone Grass!" Komatsu was so adorable when he got passionate about talking about food. "Huh!?" Sarafina went when the giant hunter picked her up again. "No buts. You're taking it easy. You were just deathly sick." He told her as they walked further in. The woman blinked at the scent of a field filled with more Ozone as far as the eye could see. "Look at that!" Komatsu exclaimed/gasped out in shock. If his eyes bug out any more his eyeballs are gonna fall out. "A whole bunch of them! Is this for real?!" Toriko had the same look as the smaller man.

Komatsu turned towards Toriko excitedly, "Toriko-san, this time..." The larger man cut him off, his expression of excited happiness looked a bit feral with a loud, "I know!" Toriko clenched his fist in excitement and promised, "I won't make the same mistake again! They won't rot on my watch!"

Good grief. Words that will most likely have to be eaten. But...she turned her gaze toward the field. A familiar feeling was coming back again. Did that mean...something was coming again..? Before Sarafina could finish that train of thought Toriko deposited her the ground as the trio stopped in front of one of the grass. "First...I'll try sniffing out the right leaf." The hunter announced jumping onto the plant. But didn't the first time Toriko did that the smell got to him?

A few seconds later... "Oww! Brain freeze!" Toriko grunted out pinching the bridge of his nose. "Isn't that a cautionary sign to stop?" Sarafina started then sighed as her words got ignored, Toriko sniffing the plant all over. All he was gonna get was a runny nose for his effort. "Well, Toriko-san?" Komatsu inquired anxiously. Sarafina shook her head when the hunter faced them, as she predicted, with watery eyes and a runny nose.

Sarafina puffed up her fringe and she petted Kururu in her arms. "What did I tell him." She said. "Mew." Kururu went. "I dunno. Dey all smell da same." Toriko answered. "Talk about a runny nose!" The chef exclaimed. "Komatsu, see if it'll call out to you!" Toriko told him, stepping aside for the chef. "Okay!" The chef put an ear against one of the leaves. Once again a few seconds later.. "I can't hear anything." Komatsu admitted in defeat.

"What?! But you could before!" Toriko cried out in dismay. "Let's try peeling just one leaf." The chef suggested. "That's a bad idea. I don't believe the plant would like that." The boys looked at her weirdly. "Let's give it a try. It's a good idea." Toriko gripped one of the leaves and surprise, surprise the plant collapsed, rotted through. After the third try, the woman sighed, every time they moved, Toriko moved her with them, and said exasperated, "Enough. You're gonna ruin the entire field at this rate."

"I...I hope not but...we just can't figure out how to peel the leaves.." Komatsu explained, looking at the leaf in his hand with a forlorn look. That much was true but...it seemed to her that they were rushing to find an answer. Toriko said nothing for a moment, in silent agreement before he sighed in frustration as well as annoyance. "Argh, it's no use." The hunter grumbled, holding onto his leaf surveying the rest of the field. "They all keep rotting. I can't figure out a pattern." For starters how about the two take their time and put some thought into it instead of rolling with whatever plan they came up within a second.

"It's not the colour of the leaves...or the number of patterns of vines. I'm stuck." Komatsu thought aloud, sounding slightly dishearten. Perhaps Sarafina shouldn't be scolding them so harshly. They are trying their hardest but it just seemed like not a lot of thought was going into the work.

"There are still plenty more, but...like Sarafina-san said..we're gonna end up spoiling the entire field... I'd rather not do that...with our stupidity.." Toriko nodded in agreement lost in thought with what to do next. At the rate, he and Komatsu were going... Jeesh. Sarafina looked up at the boys and quickly sensed the leaves they were holding slightly bent towards them. Does that mean...? Did that mean the plant was relaxing enough..? And did that mean Toriko and Komatsu were on the right track? Komatsu seemed to have noticed the reaction as well.

"T...Toriko-San." The chef started, bringing the hunter's attention back. "Hm? What's up?"

"That leaf you're holding right now. Try pulling it down at the same time I pull mine." Komatsu informed him as he got ready to move. "Huh? This leaf?" Was all Toriko had time to say as the excitement of the new lead drove Komatsu on. "H...here we go!"

"Huh?! But it'll rot.." Toriko continued but Sarafina cut him off. "Just be silent and have faith in Komatsu. You two are on the right path!" She called up to them even as they pulled the leaves down together with nothing happening.

"Huh?! That was some easy!" The two shouted together. The woman smiled proudly at the two when it didn't rot. Finally! Things were starting to work out! The men had identical expressions of happiness and surprise. "It didn't spoil!" Toriko happily exclaimed even as Komatsu went, "I knew it! I figured it out! It's at the same time! We have to pull two leaves down at the same time!"

'Two at once? So the plant liked pairs? Interesting.' Sarafina thought to herself.  "Two at once, huh?" The hunter echoed listening as the smaller man continued excitedly. "When we were both holding onto our separate leaves...I had the faintest sensation that the plant had let its guard some."

"Aha! So it finally spoke to you!" Toriko stated. Wait, wait. Was THAT why they took so long? "That's great, Komatsu! Let's put that knowledge to good use!"

"Okay!"

"I'll do the count! Ready boys?!" Sarafina called up as she heard them grab a leaf. "Ready!"

"One, two...three!"

Immediately seconds after the plant rotted right after. "You were too fast Toriko!" Sarafina called up even as the two discussed what went wrong. "Not like that, Toriko-san. It has to be at the exact same time." Komatsu said even as the hunter sighed disappointed. "Aww man.. I was too fast." She listened as they went to the next plant, only to have the same thing repeat itself. Honestly! Can't that man TIME himself? Once again, on the third, though in reality sixth, plant, everything went right.

To the point where she was now resting comfortably next to the guys, who were staring at the dead centre of the Ozone which was roughly the size of a basketball. "You guys have come so far... Hopefully, you don't blow it up." Sarafina couldn't help but tease them a bit. "D... don't jinx us!" Komatsu told her, causing her to giggle a bit.

"There's just two leaves left." Toriko said, both staring at the plant. "Is this the Ozone Grass?" Sarafina asked, kinda curious if there was more or not. "The Ozone Grass is inside." Komatsu answered. Toriko, who suddenly had an intense serious expression, said, "Komatsu."

"Yes?" Toriko glanced over at him and smiled a bit. "I'm really glad you're here. Thanks." Hmmm? Now, where was this going? Oh! Is he finally going to ask?! As if on cue, the hunter said, "If we get the Ozone Grass out safely there's something I want to ask you." About damn time! Unbelievable! But if that punk was gonna hinge his entire decision on a plant, Sarafina is going to smack him. "Huh? Ask me?" Guess he got thrown off with Toriko's words. "Yeah." Toriko said with a smug look.

"Toriko-san, what do you want to ask me? What is it? Just tell me now." Komatsu tried to get the larger man to talk but Toriko wouldn't budge. "Nah, it can wait. Until after we've gotten the ozone grass. Let's finish the job the president gave me!" Toriko told him, kneeling down.

She stood off to the side, watching the two men each grab a leaf. "Ready, Komatsu?" The larger man asked in excitement. "Ready whenever you are!"

"Together now! Two as one!"

"One, two...THREE!" Immediately the two peeled/ripped the last two leaves away to reveal a glossy, wet-looking curled up leaf. That was it? "Th..this is it!" The men shouted together. The three watched in excitement as the leaf slowly unfurled and gently bounced a bit which caused it to send out a large splash of dew. "!?" Sarafina blinked when water splashed onto her face. Just that tiny movement caused that huge spray?! "Whoa! The tiniest movement sends up a big spray! It's gushing juice!"

"Ozone grass is really...the king of vegetables!" Toriko exclaimed in excitement. "Wow...look at that plump leaf. It would probably burst if we poked it."

"Depending on who poked it...maybe but most unlikely." Sarafina said but wasn't surprised that her words fell on deaf ears. She was starting to get used to it. Komatsu moved closer to inspect the food, his face alight with wonder and excitement as he too commented on it. "Ooh, up close, you can see the twinkling and pulsating of the veins. When I press my ear close, it's like I can hear the leaf's heart beating. I've never seen a vegetable so full of life."

"This leaf is the culmination of the pure sunlight and ash soil of vegetable sky." Toriko said bringing his nose closer to the leaf and sniffed a bit.

Immediately after a river of drool went down his chin. "Toriko. You keep drooling like that you are going to have a puddle of drool that you'll drown in it. At least at the rate you're currently going." Sarafina pointed out, trying not to laugh as the chef cried out a drool alert. The hunter grinned widely, wiping some of the drool off, and said with excitement, "For the leaves being so stinky, the thing they were protecting smells delicious. I can't wait to sink my teeth into."

The moment he said that uneasiness filled the blind woman. If it was this difficult just to get to the centre, how much harder would it be to eat it? Toriko continued to stare at the plant, unaware of the tension from the woman. It was more than him just wanting to eat it. He had to eat it. 'This...food...just might..' The thought fleeced through before he turned to the others.

"Komatsu! Sarafina! Let's dig in!" He announced happily and slightly blinked at Sarafina's expression. "Apologies. But this isn't ours to eat." Sarafina explained even as the kitten and chef nodded in agreement. "This is for the president.."

"We know how to get Ozone Grass now. By pulling down on two leaves at the same time starting with the smallest one. I couldn't think straight because of the potent smell, but you figured out the pattern, Komatsu. It takes a nose as fine as mine to tell the differences, and that's barely enough. If we had to assign a capture level, it would be at least 60. It's a lot of work, but we can always pick another one for the old man. So I say.." The hunter clenched his fist in excitement, "Down the hatch, Komatsu!"

Sarafina raised an eyebrow as she sensed the chef clasped his hands together and said, "O..okay!" It appeared the larger man won him over with the enthusiasm card. Oh boy. Again it was highly doubtful that eating it will be a cinch. "It's thanks to you that we got to the ozone grass, Komatsu. So you eat it first!" That was interesting. Toriko had never, ever offered to let one of them eat something first. 

"Huh? Oh, no. If it weren't for you, we would have never made it above the clouds, Toriko-san. We should start with you." Even before the words barely left Komatsu's mouth Riko's response was immediate. "Okay, if you insist!"

'That was fast.' Komatsu thought watching the woman cross her arms in front of her. "If you had full intention to eat it first then why would you even bother offering it in the first place?" It was hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice even as Toriko turned his attention back to the plant. With hearts in his eyes and copied the chef's clasped hands. "Don't mind if I do. Humble thanks and all that." Shaking her head a bit at him then let out a sigh when he let out a yell, immediately after biting down into it, the plant rotted. "Hwuh?!" The men gaped out in surprised before the hunter quickly spat out the rotted food. "Huuuh?!" He groaned out, confused on what the heck just happened.

"I knew it was too easy." The woman commented at the same time the chef shouted in surprise, "What happened?!" The two watched as Toriko quickly cough out whatever he chewed. "It...rotted the moment you bit in!" Komatsu exclaimed in dismay looking down at it, a mixture of emotions on his face,

"That sucks!" It was almost funny watching the reaction of these two. It hadn't occurred to them that reaching the heart was going to be easy? "It'll have to have two bite into it at the same time. Huh. That'll be an interesting event." Sarafina smiled and tried not to laugh at them. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" Toriko grunted out a bit, trying not to enjoy the woman's look of mischief too much. "It has to be the two of you. I'm still a bit tender from earlier." Not entirely true. She just wanted to "see" them try to eat it together at once.

"I..if I didn't know better I'd say you were making it up." Komatsu said, looking at her. Sarafina continued to smile and laugh. Considering her reaction from before it wouldn't be good to have her try to eat this. "One more time, Komatsu!" Sarafina laughed at the determination in the hunter's voice and watched in amusement as the men did it all over again on a new Ozone.

Chapter Text

When the heart was reached Komatsu and Toriko were huffing and puffing, sweat was dripping down from their faces. "Sheesh. It has to be eaten by two people at once. This vegetable sure likes pairs." Toriko's eyebrow twitched a bit as the woman added her two cents. "You shouldn't be surprised at that. It took two to take it on. Speaking of pairs, perhaps it's trying to tell you something." Sarafina had an innocent look when Toriko shot her a glare. Komatsu looked between the two confused before he spoke up, "Well, Ozone Grass does require special preparation."

"Since Fina is out of the running it looks like it's just you and me, Komatsu." The hunter said, feeling like a certain someone had set this up for her, their, amusement. Sarafina tried not to laugh as the two knelt down on either side of the plant. "Let's both bite down at the same time." Toriko told the chef, both of their mouths ready to bite down. "Rodger!"

"On my count you two! One! Two!" Sarafina started and watched the boys both bit at the exact same time. Well, at least they got it right this time. A laugh erupted from her at their casts of pure happiness and excitement and laughed even harder as the two hugged each other. "We did it, Komatsu!" Toriko cried out even as the smaller man went, "Toriko-san!" "We did it! We ate it" "!? Ahh?! G..get off of me!" The woman exclaimed in surprise as her companions dragged her into their hug feist. "You helped too so you're joining in." Toriko grinned as a blush appeared. Too damn cute.

"I...I did not do enough this time! Get off!" Sarafina said as she laughed a little. "B..but you gave us some advice that helped.." Argh...fine. If that's what was being considered. "Ah's so, so happy! Iss...so..delicious! Super delicious!" Ok time for her to get free. Sarafina quickly escaped from their grasp but the two were so distracted with the chewing and tasting it that they never noticed her getting free or that they let go of each other.

What crunch! 'If I don't chew hard enough, it springs back!' The hunter thought as he continued to chew. 'The fibres are so dense, they're making my jaw do gymnastics to ear it. Chewing is fun! It's so pure and refreshing! I could get addicted to this, even though it's a plant! It's beyond delicious!' Too bad the woman couldn't try some but maybe next time. Just as the hunter swallowed a jolt went through his body. A split second later his cells levelled up, causing his shirt to literally to burst off of him. NOW he knew what that feeling was. His gourmet cells were craving ozone grass! 'My cells advanced!' The blue-haired man thought excitedly, looking up at the sky. The old man... The hunter recalled the president's words just before they left.

He knew the whole time. 'Ozone grass powered up my cells and forced me to cooperate with Komatsu.' Though Toriko had a sneaky suspicion that Sarafina was also trying her hand to get him to cooperate. Not that much surprising, she is his granddaughter technically. Jeesh those two. But...Sarafina and the old man were right. "I get it. I get it, you two."

"Hm? Get what, Toriko?" Sarafina asked as she felt him plopped down and turn his attention to Komatsu. "Yes? Whoa! What happened to your shirt?!" Komatsu responded, though how come he was so surprised about him losing his shirt? "Will you...be my partner?" Toriko asked, extending his hand a bit towards the smaller man. The woman couldn't help but smile at the adorable confused/surprised casted upon him.

The chef was silent for a moment before going, "Huh...?" The larger man scratched his chin nervously before he continued, though to be honest, it seemed like that Komatsu's reaction wasn't one he was looking for, "Um... You don't have to... If you don't want to, but... Be my partner... And together we'll make the greatest full course meal ever!"

Once again playing the enthusiasm card again. To be honest again for sure she thought it would be a yes but... Ah. Right. This guy was too modest. He probably never dreamed that Toriko would ask him. The hunter's words further startled said man. "M...me...and you?"

"You know the answer, Komatsu. Why bother dragging it out any longer?" Sarafina lightly pushed. "Mew!" Was it only apparent to her that they should be partners? "Yeah. Well?" Toriko waited. Komatsu started to tear up and puff a bit before a second a later tears and snot began running down his face. Apparently, he had thought the same as well. "I...I... Ever since I met you, Toriko-san... I've always...always...wanted to be the one to prepare your food. I know I'm not good enough...but I've always wanted...to be your partner, Toriko-san!"

"Really? It never occurred to me before." Ouch. Even she felt that from where she was standing. Highly, more like extremely, doubtful Toriko had even thought about being partners, let alone having one. He seemed to be relieved that the chef finally replied. "But now that it has... Komatsu. You've got skills I don't have. You've got a passion for cooking and..." A slight sharp look came to his eyes. "You have the gift of being adored by food." So that explained why the food reacted so positively to him.

The admission stunned the chef for a moment, at least long enough for the larger man to hold on his hand. "Will you...be my partner, Komatsu?" Toriko asked again. Was it just her or did he seem to be softened? Almost immediately Komatsu grasped the open hand crying and shouted/said loudly, "Yes! I look forward to working with you, Toriko-San!" Komatsu smiled brightly and rubbed the tears from his eyes and looked up to the sky. "Toriko-san and I are partners... I never thought this day would come. This really is paradise." Komatsu looked over toward her and asked curiously, "You knew the whole time, didn't you? Sarafina-san."

The woman smiled innocently, ignoring the "You're not innocent" comment from the other man, and nodded. "Guilty." "Mew, mew!" Kururu went, nodding her head. "It does explain some of the comments you've been making."

"Also guilty. It was much too infuriating. I knew right from the start you two would make a great team. Ever since I first met you two on the train. I've been trying to motivate a certain someone to ask." Sarafina said.

"Hey. Was looking for a good time to ask."

"Haha, right." Sarafina giggled at the annoyed growl that a certain someone let out.

"Oh. Look, Toriko-san and Sarafina-san! The Ozone Grass!" The two looked over at the smaller man. "What is it, Komatsu?" Sarafina asked. Looking at the plant and the men took notice that it looked like a heart from above. "From above, it looks like a heart!" Komatsu said pointing at it. A slow grin came across her lips. She sniffed a bit in pretend. "Oh, I see how it is... I'm the third wheel of the party. I'll probably just get in the way."

"So?! Don't get all weird to n me now! Sarafina! Don't even go there! You know that's not the case!" Toriko exclaimed and glared slightly, fighting the blush back at her playful teasing look. "But.." "And don't even pretend the fake tears. I can tell when it's fake." "Well, it was fun while it lasted." The woman grinned at him, causing him to shake his head even when he turned his attention back to the plant. "Well, Ozone Grass is tasty but... I/you can't add it to my/your full course." Toriko looked at the woman who only smiled innocently. Someone sure seemed to be in a playful mood. "I'll put that choice on hold."

"So will I. This ingredient isn't for me." Sarafina said.

The chef seemed surprised by the announcement. But he really shouldn't be. Toriko is always so picky when it comes to his full course. "Huh?! Really?!" Komatsu gaped out before continuing, "But it commemorates our becoming partners. Put it in your full course. Sarafina-san, you have a say in this too!"

"No can do. Sure it advanced my cells, but...Ozone Grass likes you better than me, Komatsu."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you see how many times I made it rot? If it had liked me, we'd have eaten it a lot faster." Komatsu thought back to when he first saw the grass and how it was completely open but was closed when he brought the others over. "I'm only here because that stupid old man wanted me to get beat up."

"Toriko, please, I'm sure that's not the case." Sarafina tried to say but only got waved off. "Plus, I can't have something in my full course that has to be eaten by two people at the same time. Foods that go in my full course will have to accept all three of us, right you two?"

"What? But you were just talking about the two of you being partners. Shouldn't it be foods that accept the two of you?" Sarafina started before the said men turned and smiled at her. "You're part of the group. Why the heck should you be left out?" Toriko asked, looking at her softly, causing her heart to flutter and beat fast. W..wow. "Y..yeah! We'd never leave you out, Sarafina-san!" Toriko laughed a bit at the flustered look Sarafina had.

Now THAT was absolutely adorable. Might be the first time they've seen her look so off guard. Now the hunter must remember to find things to throw her off her game. "He's right! There must be an even tastier vegetable somewhere in the world. I just know it! I'm going to cook whatever food you want...in the most delicious way imaginable!"

"Deal! Well said, Komatsu!" Toriko complimented as the two watched the chef pumped his arms up into the air. Before Sarafina had a chance to comment a chill came over her suddenly, making her exclaim, "Somethings here! Toriko!" The words barely had time to register when a loud thud from behind them startled them. The three turned to see a reddish creature that looked like a GT. Wait. Creature? Sarafina focused her hearing and her eye widened when she heard its heartbeat. It was alive. So this is the thing that inspired those dingbats to make all those robots?

'A GT Robot... Wait, no... It's not! It's alive!' Toriko thought, looking at the creature hard. That footprint from before... That was its footprint! He risked a slight glance at Sarafina. Kururu was growling lowly from her shoulder. Even he didn't know nor sense it coming so how did she..? Movement brought his attention back and saw the thing walking over to them. "T...Toriko-San.." Komatsu started but the hunter cut him off. "Stay still, you two. We can't afford to make a wrong move. I don't know what it is but..." Toriko said.

For some strange reason, he couldn't help but think Sarafina might know. But that's impossible. "It doesn't want to hurt us...yet. Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'll protect you. That's what partners do!"

"Toriko-San."

"It's not interested in us... It's after the Ozone.." Sarafina started but slowly got quiet as the thing got closer. Whatever it was walked right in between them and moved like they weren't there. The trio watched it kneel down by the heart and a second later a loud chomping noise was heard. Did that thing just bite into the plant?! The trio continued to watch, even as it chewed for a few seconds before it spat it out.

It then stood up, turned then JUMPED to another spot and disappear. The group stood there for a second before looking at each then back to where the creature vanished. "Wh..what just happened?" Komatsu asked then looked up at Toriko in panic. "D...don't tell me...it was a GT.." "It wasn't a robot. It was alive. It might have inspired to make the GT..." Sarafina answered. Wonder if she could ask Grandfather about that thing.

Toriko looked at her for a moment then replied to the chef, "It looked like one, but it didn't smell like titanium alloy. Plus I would have been able to sense the aura of a human operator." The hunter looked at the woman. Again he suspected that Sarafina would've sensed that as well. "You're right. I'm sure it was a wild animal but...how did you know it was alive let alone it was coming?"

Sarafina looked down for a moment. "I...I don't know. Honestly. I just...knew." Toriko looked at her and was willing to bet his status that she was lying. Though Sarafina had never lied about anything up until this point. "You mean it lives up here?!"

"I don't think so, Komatsu." The woman told him even as the hunter continued on. "I've never smelled anything like it before, so it probably lives elsewhere. And only came here to forge."

"Th..that's right, it ate Ozone Grass! Even though it spat it out.." Komatsu added. "Probably because it went bad. It does take two people eating it at the same time." Toriko tried to explain but Sarafina shot that down. "No, it ate it. I thought... I heard it bite twice but...the speed it had... Hm? What is it?" Sarafina asked when she noticed something caught his attention and looked behind her at the plant. Not to her surprise, there were two triangle bites into it. "Wh..what the?!" Toriko shouted in disbelief.

"The Ozone Grass! It didn't rot, you guys!" Komatsu pointed over at it even as the hunter walked over to inspect it. Impossible. 'How could it..?' Toriko thought when he realized Sarafina was right. It did bit it twice! And with such speed, the Ozone Grass couldn't even sense the difference! What speed... "Toriko-san... How..?"

"Komatsu." Sarafina didn't know if she liked that worried feeling Toriko was projecting... "That thug...might have been watching us this whole time." Damn. She figured as much but to hear him say that made this situation even more nerve-wracking. She clenched her fist. It watched and memorized the way Toriko and Komatsu peeled and are the ozone grass. "Memorized?" Komatsu echoed. "It wanted Ozone Grass but might not have known how to eat it."

Sarafina narrowed her eye. Meaning that it was beyond smart. If it could stay out of the range of their senses and only seen them eat it once to learn. Komatsu echoed the words she was musing over and Toriko's voice snapped her back. "Once it knew it couldn't peel the leaves on its own, it waited until we expose the editable part."

"Meaning it's intelligent and has extraordinary abilities..." The blind woman finished for him, making him nod a bit. Komatsu was quiet for a few moments then glanced at the plant as he remembered the thing spitting it out. "But...it spat...one delicious vegetable! What a waste! Ack!" Sarafina hugged him tight. "Absolutely right! It should be a crime to waste such good food!" The larger man laughed and smiled big. "You guys said it! Guess it's not smart enough to know good food when it tastes it! Anyway, I'm glad nothing bad happened. So, Komatsu and Sarafina! Let's bring the old man some Ozone Grass!"

"Sounds good to me!" "R..right!" The two agreed excitedly.

"Um..Toriko-San? Are we gonna have to..go home the way we came?" Komatsu asked nervously. "Yup! But don't worry! Jumping down will be a piece of cake!" Even though he knew that was going to be the answer, Komatsu was still having a freak out. Toriko just ignored him and looked at the direction the creature went. What the heck was that Thing? He glanced towards the woman. Just how the heck did she know it was coming. He has a feeling a certain lady has some hidden talents.

At IGO Headquarters

The three were sitting on a couch: one dressed casually and just relaxing, one dressed nicely and played with her kitten, and the last dressed in a suit and looking like he was gonna have a panic attack. Sarafina couldn't help but wonder if that blonde weirdo, the president and her beloved grandfather, was laughing at them. Certainly looked like it judging from his body's movements as they watched him pour some tea. "Well, haha! I'd forgotten about that little errand I sent you on." Well that answered that.

"You must have a complex, you strange old man." Sarafina said and tried not to laugh at Toriko's shout of dismay of "You forgot?!" Still, oddly enough, this guy loves these guys like real family to tease them like this. Ichiryu grinned turning slightly to look at them.

"Good work, Toriko. Ozone Grass requires special preparation.  It's capture level is 68." The president congratulated them. 'So he knew the entire time it required that and didn't tell them?' Sarafina thought to herself with a smile. If she didn't know better, she'd say he was getting a kick out of on tormenting them.

Toriko grinned cheekily, putting a hand on the chef's back and explained, "It's all thanks to this guy. Allow me to introduce my partner, chef Komatsu." Oh boy. Poor Komatsu. He looked like he was gonna soil himself. Seriously too modest for his own good.

"H..h..how do you do? M..my name is Komatsu. I'm the head chef at Hotel Gourmet." Komatsu greeted nervously. That seemed to surprise the older man a bit. "Oh-ho. An IGO employee." Ichiryu stated. That made Komatsu even more nervous. "Y..yes, sir. Th..thank you...for your generosity."

"Don't stain your shorts, Komatsu. Ow!" The blue-haired man said before getting hit in the arm by Sarafina. "Be nice! He's already a nervous wreck, so please don't make it worse." The blind woman scolded him, slightly amused he went 'ow' from a light tap. "I am being nice Jeesh. Getting violent."

"I'm certainly not."

"Wanna try that again?"

"I..it's fine Sarafina-san. No big deal." The blonde watched the three in amusement before walking over to the container that held the Ozone and asked the chef as he pointed to the container, stopping the play fight, "Are you the one who programmed this gourmet case for Ozone Grass?"

Komatsu rubbed the back of his head nervously as he replied, "Y...yes, sir. Since they don't sell storage data for Ozone Grass, it took a while ago to program it on site." It all honesty, it took him an hour or two. "I see." Ichiryu responded grinning a bit. So this kid could hear the voices of the foods hm? He turned his attention to the other man. "Toriko." Toriko stopped, about to drink his tea, and went, "Hm?" Sarafina smiled a bit at the proud feeling and smile Ichiryu gave the hunter. It's been a long time since she felt that one. A smile that actually felt like the real him. "You've found a good partner. Take good care of him. Moondrop, make sure you keep these two in line."

She blinked slightly before smiling and replied, "Already planned to." "I will." Toriko said taking a sip of the tea before quickly spitting it out. "Blegh! Gross! What is this stuff?!" Hm? Usually this guy ate and drank anything in front of him so why would he spit something out? Sarafina cautiously took a small sip of her tea and blinked at the bitterness of it but...it wasn't that bad. "It's delicious." She said causing the hunter to go "You actually like this stuff?!" and blinked when the president laughed hard. "Hahaha! It's Ozone tea-made from the outer leaves of Ozone grass. Once you get used to it it's pretty addictive! Looks like one of you already likes it! Not that I'm surprised." Before Sarafina had a chance to reply Toriko cut in indignantly, exclaiming quite loudly, "Ozone tea?! Outer leaves?! You had ozone grass this whole time?! Then why'd you have me go to get it?!"

"He said it was for training before we left./Idiot! It was for your training!" Sarafina and Ichiryu said together but the older man continued on. "Entering the Gourmet World unprepared is signing your death warrant." Toriko clenched his fist and grinned cheekily. "I know. But if it's cold and low oxygen I'll be facing, then I'm ready. I'm ready for the Gourmet World."

"And how many times do I have to tell you that you WILL DIE as you are now, Toriko." Sarafina said sternly to him, causing him to groan a bit. "And how many times do I have to say I'm ready?"

"If someone like me, who has already been to the Gourmet World, can tell you aren't then.." The president cut her off going, "Idiot! There's a lot more conditions you'll have to face." The older man brought out a piece of paper and handed it to Toriko. "Here! This is your next training assignment!"

"What?!" Riko exclaimed in dismay once more taking the list and whatever was on it almost caused his eyes to bug out. "Awww! There's more?!" Sarafina tried not to smirk as she listened to him. This man was so impatient to go that he couldn't see he was unprepared for this place!

"Lots more. Go and capture all the foods on that list. You're not allowed to enter the Gourmet World until you've finished. This is your training. You're lucky that one of you has a head on her shoulders to know what to do." But the hunter didn't hear him, too focused on the list. "Argh, you gotta be kidding me."

Ichiryu stared at him for a moment then said, extending a hand out, "You're not the only one undergoing intensive training against the elements. Sunny and Coco are too." That snapped Toriko back. "Huh? Sunny? And Coco?"

"Depending on the food, you ought to bring them along. Consider that training too. Heck...invite Zebra along!" That startled the blue-haired man. "Z...Zebra?! But he's...!" The president cut him off as he continued. "Toriko. I'll be going to the Gourmet World soon. If you boys feel up for it..." He grinned widely. "Tag along with your old man!" That threw Toriko off, both stunned and surprised for a moment before returning the grin excitedly, "Okay! I'll be right behind you!" Sarafina and Komatsu jumped when attention was turned back to them. "As for you, Komatsu and Sarafina."

"Yes? Sir?!"

"I'll see you there too. Make sure you keep them honest too, young lady."

"I will." Sarafina smiled. Komatsu, having a similar expression the larger man had, smiled brightly and said, "Yes, sir! Thank you very much!" Sarafina couldn't help but laugh a bit as the two chattered excitedly, unaware the president was watching on. Those two, Toriko and Komatsu, reminded him of Master Acacia and Froese-sama. He glanced over to the woman. She seemed to be having a positive influence on those two, especially Toriko. Something was going on between them. Just like way back then.

"Grandfather. Back on vegetable sky...we saw this strange creature..." Sarafina started, getting Ichiryu's attention, also drawing Toriko's. "Ah! That's right! I almost forgot!" Toriko turned and looked over at him. "We saw this weird creature up there." He then what on to explain. What was interesting to her wasn't the fact that a new creature was there but the sudden reaction of the blonde man. So he knows what that thing is, hm? Don't suppose he could enlighten them on it? Probably not...

After a while, they getting ready to leave, but Sarafina wanted to have one more conversation with her dear grandfather and her friends thought it was just gonna be an older man doting on his little princess. Well, that's what they wanted them to believe. When they were alone, Sarafina looked up at Ichiryu and said, "You offer Toriko and the others to come along with you to the Gourmet World. I supposed that means that..." She trailed off as Ichiryu placed a hand on her head.

"Yes. Sarafina, you are still forbidden of ever going back to the Gourmet World." Ichiryu said as he pulled her into a protective, yet loving hug. Sarafina stayed still, sadden at how hard he was trying not to tremble. "I don't want to experience something like that ever again. That was the most nightmare-inducing moment of my life and I can't even begin to imagine what you were feeling. ...Please, don't ever go in there again. Not yet." Ichiryu told her, practically begging her.

Sarafina closed her eye as she wrapped her arms around him. "I understand."

A couple of days later

"Are you quite certain this is a good idea?" Sarafina asked, looking up at the huge chunk of iron mineral that was roughly the size of a small mountain. "Yup! Here we go!" Toriko said, patting the Rock and left his hand and turned to look at her, Kururu and Terry. "Hey, Terry! Sarafina! Kururu!" He grinned at them. "How about this rock? Good enough to test my strength on, right?"

"I think it's going to work but... Knowing you, you're most likely going to go over the top with it." Knowing him, this thing was gonna get totally obliterated. "It's hard to find something more solid and durable...than a chunk of iron ore." Slightly amused at her uncertainty. He couldn't blame her. His strength was always changing and getting stronger. Sarafina sensed him power up his arm, couple of veins popping upon his face.

"Ozone Grass advanced my cells. I've been dying to measure just how much. Stay back, you two."

"Say no more." Sarafina moved back to what she hoped was a safe distance. The moment she moved he was already reached Fourteen. "Fifteen Fold!" Toriko started as he punched the rock. "Spiked Punch!" The force of the punch pushed the rock high into the air, the punch going through it. "Almost there!" The hunter said excitedly, the thing almost destroyed. That was...quite impressive... "Yeeaah!" He cheered happily clenching his fists before he pumped a fist into the air.

"Haha! How about that, Sarafina? Terry?" The hunter grinned at them. The young wolf gave an excited woof. "Pretty impressive, Toriko." The woman smiled. "Mew!" Kururu gave out. The grin then turned cheeky. "It was totally awesome! Heh heh! Okay! Time to eat!" Sarafina wanted to ask when wasn't he hungry but felt like it would spoil the mood.

At camp

Whatever the larger man caught smelled great. "Here. Try some of this in the sauce." Toriko said handing her a piece already dipped in sauce. "Thank you." Sarafina smiled as she took it and just as she expected it tasted great. Was it just her or did Toriko felt to be lost in his thoughts? From the looks of it, Gourmet World was weighing heavily on his mind. If that was so it was too soon for the young wolf. Not to mention it was too soon for a certain man but...

What would she know? She sensed him clench his fist, his aura had turned deeply serious. Damn it all. "Don't even think of it." He startled a bit then looked at her. "Eh? Don't what?" She gave him a look. He looked right back, debating on whether if he should tell the truth.

Granted if he did chances are good Fina would just tell him flat out no, saying something like "You're not ready" or "No it's too early". Well, no matter. He already knew what he wanted to do. The question was how to get her to believe him. He wanted to know...he really wanted to know just how far he could get into the Gourmet World.

"I'm just thinking about a rough hunt I'm about to go on. I was thinking of leaving you with Komatsu. You should be fine for a few days... Wha?" The hunter stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the dark look on her face. Kururu was glaring at him as she growled. Crap...she wasn't buying it. "It's the truth. It's a dangerous hunt I'm gonna do so I think it'll be safer with Komatsu. I'll only be gone for a short while." The woman was silent for a moment before turning away, slowly nodding her head. She was gonna kick his ass, wasn't she...?

Chapter Text

Rain Town

Toriko drained the bottle of beer and sat it down on the table. "I want to test my strength. I know you understand, Sunny. You're after an ingredient from the Gourmet World too." The larger man started wiping his chin off. He wondered what kind of advice the feminine man had to offer. After all, that was why he invited him here in the first place. The said feminine man, who had his hair braided this time, calmly took the sip of the wine. "Yes, Earth. Acacia's dessert." Sunny replied. The answer made a knowing look come on Toriko's face. "Sunny, knowing you you've already tried to go there. Have you been to the Gourmet World?" Sunny said nothing, expression bland, turning his head to look out the window. Toriko already knew he went there; he just wanted confirmation.

From the look of it, a memory flashed across the other man's mind before he turned to look at Toriko once more. "Yes, I went there. It wasn't that big of a deal." The way Sunny acted, it was like it was nothing. But the larger hunter didn't even notice that the other man lied and got excited. "I knew it! Haha! How'd you get in, Sunny? Where at?" Toriko inquired curiously, wondering what way would be the easiest way to get in. Sunny remained silent, remembering who saved him though he got beaten up pretty good. Toriko and him weren't so different.

'If you knew I had to give up... You wouldn't just nod your head and say, "I will too." Because that's the ugly way to go about it.' The feminine thought to himself. "Toriko," Sunny spoke up, getting his attention. "There are three routes...to get from the human world to the Gourmet World. Land, sea and air. The dangers of going by sea or air are too great, so don't even consider it. That leaves land. Three land routes connect the human world to the gourmet world. The Life Basin of Zirbel Island. Bay of evil spirits at Yuto Island. And the Road of Three Hells on the Wak continent. If I had to pick the easiest one...it would be the Life Basin of Zirbel island." Toriko quickly stood up when he finished, startling him a bit.

It seemed like this was gonna be a piece of cake. Toriko's face was set in determination even as he said to his friend, "Life Basin, huh? Thanks, Sunny!" Now to ask what was bugging the feminine man. "Are you going alone?"

"Of course. I can't bring Komatsu or Terry yet. And Sarafina's already gone there once already, but there's no way she'll come along." That did explain why he didn't bring Fina this time. Though... "What exactly did you tell Fina?" A sheepish guilty look came on Toriko's face. "I was going on a difficult hunt and would be leaving her with Komatsu until I got back." Sunny raised an eyebrow. "I bet she was furious the entire ride there." THAT was the understatement of the year! She knew! Toriko didn't know how but she knew the truth! The entire train ride to gourmet town she kept alternating between looking out the window and staring at him, each mile brought another wave of anger coming from her.

Man, for sure he thought she was gonna rip into him at any moment. Right up to the point where Toriko had dropped her off at the chef's door. She all but gave him a death glare up until that point. "She was that mad hm?" Sunny chuckled for a moment. "Be prepared. She's probably gonna lay into you when you see her." Don't remind him. "This is a personal test of strength! And so..." Toriko started to take off. "Thanks for not tattling on me to the old man!"

"H...hey, Toriko!" Sunny started reaching out a hand to stop him. "Oops! Almost forgot. Thanks for the awesome meal." Toriko thanked the other man over his shoulder as he took off. "You invited me!" Sunny called after him, extremely annoyed that idiot stuck him with the bill. The man sighed a bit. All on his own huh?

The Gourmet World. It is the place where Acacia discovered many ingredients, with the legendary ingredient God. About 500 years ago, that name Gourmet World was attached to it. A yet unexplored savage land and cornucopia of yet undiscovered unknown ingredients. At the time, many called the Gourmet World a "Food Paradise", and were said to set foot in that Gourmet World seeking paradise...

But... by the testimony of a single journalist the established theory of the Food Paradise collapse. "The Gourmet Wolrd is no utopia... It's just a Hell...!!" Mr. Hatch told the press. Most of his body was not seen due to that he was covered in bandages during his public appearance. From what can be seen, he is a light-skinned and muscular man of average height with short brown hair, a moustache and a beard.

All over the world, his interview took people's breath away.

"The Gourmet World's stormy seas...stormy skies...that nonsensical weather... Even for me, a qualified weather forecaster someone skilled in navigation...it was completely incomprehensible...and more than anything... The brutal wild beasts that lived there...even if we humans used weapons, we couldn't make a dent in them..." He said.

And to support the credibility of his testimony... "Because I travelled there with a certain Gourmet Hunter for research, I was saved by him, I was somehow able to escape death..." And that he himself was originally a top-class Gourmet Hunter. Before this point, not a single person besides him has ever returned from the Gourmet World.

"By "no one will return"... Do you mean that the Gourmet World is such a Heaven-like place that's so alluring that no one left...?" A reporter asked nervously.

"Heaven? That may be an appropriate thing to call it... Because everyone died."

Thereafter. The general nation of the Gourmet World did an about-face. Before long, the IGO put up barriers in various places, isolating the Human World from the Gourmet World, making the whole Gourmet World a specified danger zone. And certain children's book authors illustrated Gourmet World as an Island of Demons and children began to fear the Gourmet World. The name Gourmet World given to it 500 years ago is now, while at the same time being a cornucopia of the new ingredients...it was spoken of as the Entrance to Hell. That one would ever return from.

And now, here Toriko was standing near the edge of Zabel Island, IGO's Bureau of Defense Management, The 18th Barrier. He was ready to go inside the Gourmet World despite so many telling him he wasn't ready and will die if he tried. "Hihhihhi! We've been having a skilful fellows recently. To think that today it would be the charismatic Gourmet Hunter, Toriko-sama." Elboh says. The 18th Barrier's surveillance chief.

"Sorry. Thanks for letting me through without objections." Toriko tells the short man with a smile.

"Hihhihhi, naw, naw." He says as he puffed out some smoke from his pipe. "I see no reason to impede on a Gourmet Hunter's work. And I certainly say of all the world entrance routes, it was wise to choose this one... In any case, it comprises about 70% of the world's surface, this vast Gourmet World... Due effects from its abnormal weather unique magnetic fields, images of the Gourmet world can't even be taken by satellite. You won't get any information about the Gourmet World without actually entering it yourself...... But in the area of ocean on the borderline with the Human Wolrd, the ocean current of death, "Poison Tide" flows. In the upper sky on the borderline a giant cyclone forms a wall. We could certainly say that among the land routes that remain, this Zebel Island is the safest. But that is very much compared to the others..."

"Zebel Island's Waterfall Basin of Life, huh...?" Toriko said.

"This land area has a big difference in the sea level between the Human World and the Gourmet World. Because of this the wild beasts of the Gourmet World pretty much don't climb up into the Human World..." Elboh informs the giant hunter. "Though even so, there are rarely any wild beasts that are curious enough to come to the human world from the Gourmet World, at all... Hihhihhi. Do you know why that is, Toriko-sama?"

"Because the food in the Gourmet World is more delicious, right? I can't think of anything besides that..." Toriko tells him. "Since they say even though it's a place where only the strong survive, beasts rarely come to the Human World."

"HIHHIHHI, the days where humans that go from here to over there are never-ending, though... Even though they're aware that Gourmet World is The Entrance to Hell. Hundreds of challengers a year plunge into the Gourmet World from this 18th barrier alone. And almost none come back... It's almost as if people are diving to lose their lives... That is the reason this is called the Waterfall Basin of Life." Elboh explained to him. Well, isn't that a sick little joke.

Toriko gazed at the untamed forests and mountains of the Gourmet World. He knows that many have died trying to cross it, but he didn't see it as a way of signing a death warrant. His mind went to a certain blind woman and knew that she had gone in and came out of it alive. Toriko turned to the surveillance chief and asked, "Has the Blind Bandit gone through here?"

What struck Toriko was the strange look the other man gave him. It was unreadable, but he thought he looked somewhat fearful. "Wh-what? The Blind Bandit, why would you be asking about her?"

"Sarafina, the Blind Bandit. Did she dive into the Basin of Life as well? Many have said she had went and came out of the Gourmet World alive." Toriko said.

"Ah! W-well, yes. She did come through here as well just like how you are now. .....Even though she was..." Elboh said but started to go into a mumble. Toriko couldn't hear the rest being said but decided to leave it aside for now. "Even so, the reason to dive in...is simple, isn't it?" Toriko said, gaining the chief's attention. Toriko then spread a wide grin as he said, "Though you risk your life in the Gourmet World, there are tons of ingredients that make you want to stretch your hand out...!!"

Without a second's hesitation, Toriko took one step and leapt off the ledge, going headfirst into the Gourmet World. "But!! I  ain't gonna die!!" Toriko shouted as he fell towards the bottom. The chief didn't expect this type of response and shouted in panic. "AH! Toriko-sama!!" He stood there shocked at the Heavenly King, one of his subordinates had come down to deliver a message to him.

"Surveillance chief!! A new person is saying they want to enter the Gourmet World, it's someone famous!!" They shouted, making the Elboh even more baffled.

As Toriko was nearing the ground, he couldn't begin to comprehend the excitement that bubbled within him. This was the opportunity he needed to test his full power, his great potential. He was ready for this. 'Finally...I'm going to the Gourmet World!! I'll be able to test my power...!!' Toriko thought to himself with unwavering confidence. However, that'll prove easy to destroy. As his attention and fall were broken when a sudden burst of air hit him with full force against the wall, making an immense crater in the mountain and causing him to cough up blood.

It took a while, but when he regained some sense, he looked over and saw what had hit him. Off in the distance was a mammalian, quadrupedal, sauropod-like animal with dark beige skin. It has large thick legs, a seemingly long tail and an even longer and thin neck with a small head, and numerous spots decorated its back. Its head is rather small when compared to the rest of its body and it has a cranial crest on the back of its head. Its face is thin with small eyes and mouth, and it has a notable nasal bone shape that extends outward with a single large nostril. It was facing in his direction and once it made contact with him, it fired more air bullets.

Toriko didn't had a chance to catch his breath before that dinosaur-like animal nailed him with its air bullets. "Ba... BASTARD!!!" Toriko shouted as he launched his Flying Fork attack at the creature. However, because it was too far away, the Flying Fork had withered away in mere seconds before Toriko was slammed against the wall. Despite the pain he must've been feeling, despite finding it a little hard to breathe, Toriko still managed to find the strength to spread a smirk before falling who knows how many meters down. "FINE THEN, GOURMET WORLD!!! I'LL FIGHT YA WITH ALL I GOT!!!" He yelled to the savage terrain.

When he finally reached the ground, he fell harder than a sack of brinks. He was laying flat on his back. Compared to the forest he was now in, he might as well be easily mistaken for an insignificant bug. Briefly wondered on how many meters he had fallen. He was going at a speed of 200 km/hr for a few minutes... Does a place like that exists!? 'What the hell is...this place...? How did she...?' Toriko thought to himself as he tried to move his body. But he found it to be pointless as he discovered his weight to be a hundred times heavier.

'My body won't move...!!' Toriko thought. If not being able to move wasn't bad enough, then things were going to get a lot worse when large tremors began rumbling through the ground and was slowly heading towards him. Toriko had barely managed to lift his head to see what was coming. Out from the darkness of the forest, was a giant yellow tiger with six legs and most notably three heads which were all fused together, giving it three mouths, four ears, three noses and four eyes. Each face has its fangs facing in different angles from the other, such as the far-left head having its fangs face upwards, the middle head having its fangs face downward and oddly enough the far-right head has its fangs facing opposite directions of both up and downward. This was an Asura Tiger. A mammal beast that has an unmeasurable capture level.

He had barely managed to move out of the way from the thing's assault. Then after briefly attempting to fight, the hunter, after he slashed the one of the tiger's paw with his Leg Knife, got tossed into the side with its tail. Sending him colliding with a gigantic ape-like beast. A King Landler. It's a giant ape standing at 58 meters in height, around the same size as an Air Tree, and can easily dwarf a tall human being. It is a very muscular and large behemoth that can weigh around 850 tons, showing just how massive and dense its girth is. It has light pink skin and its entire body except for its face, chest, feet and claws, is covered in spiky white fur. It notably lacks the hands common to most primates and instead has two large pincer-like claws. It also has dark blue eyes with several bags underneath them, pointy ears and very large and sharp fangs.

After that, his eyes started to bleed like crazy and limbs were going numb. After a valiant effort on fighting back with his Fifteen Fold Spiked Punch against the King Landler, Toriko had barely got away only because the animals noticed each other and turned their attentions to the other, the force of the fight nearly got him impaled on some cacti that were in an unnatural, unbearable heat. No longer was he in a forest, he was now standing in the middle of a barren desert wasteland with gargantuan cactuses.

The only good side to this was that his body's heaviness had disappeared, along with the numbness and the blood that was glowing from his eyes had stopped. The bad side? Toriko collapsed to his knees and felt his face drying up, cracking from the intensity of the heat. "This... This is bad. Such incredible heat... My body will completely dry out." Toriko said as he walked over to one of the cactuses and figured he could get some water from the cacti here. At least, he hoped they were cacti. But in the Gourmet World, the rules and system within it are none existent. If you don't know how it works, you're as good as dead.

When Toriko cut a needle, it exploded and the needles launched themselves at him which that force threw him into a tree that a moment later nailed him with water with waterfall force. His only thoughts were what the hell's going on with this world. He barely managed to crawl out of that mess before he passed out only to pop up near a river where he was greeted by a horde of Mamew. Squat and wingless bird beasts. Their bodies are short, stout and frog-like. They have orange claws on their digits and large aqua-coloured beaks full of sharp teeth and pupil-less yellow eyes.

One of them was sitting directly in front of Toriko and open its mouth, full of sharp teeth, and at this point, Toriko was already exhausted to do anything to fight back. However, it was only natural for him to feel that way, after all, he's been getting tossed around like a rag doll from the moment he jumped off the cliff. 'Ah... So this is the Gourmet World...? As expected, this is an intense baptism...' Toriko thought as the Mamew leapt out to attack him.

But a saving grace came to aid our beloved hunter. The Mamew that attempted to attack him suddenly made a jerking movement before collapsing onto the ground. Toriko was left shocked at what had just happened and wondered what the hell was even going on anymore, then a voice spoke through as a figure stepped into the fray. "Even when I come here... I've gotta lay off the booze. Preparation is important. Toriko-kun." He said, having successfully knocked the beast. His hair and goatee were black and his body appears to be well-built. He wore tight black jumpsuit with bandages around the waist and right arm, as well as a blue leather vest.

"Y...you're..." Toriko said, nearly speechless.

"This beast's name is Mamew. They always travel in groups, so danger's coming quick. It's not unusual for them to call quite a few comrades." The man said calmly. As he said, more of these beasts had come hurtling towards them. But not a few, and army's worth of Mamew. However, the man wasn't worried despite Toriko shouting out. As the horde came in, the man reached into his vest and pulled out a pair of knocking guns. "Knocking Rifle - Hard Type." He said before going to work on the beasts. The knocking guns fire needles to knock animals from a great distance and with inhuman speed, precision and agility the man had taken down half of them within seconds.

He empties his guns and quickly reloads them with the extra cartridges in his sleeves, and fires them once more. Not missing a single one. All the while Toriko was in shock and amazement by this man's abilities. But most of all, he didn't think that he would be seeing him of all people. Within mere moments, the whole Mamew army were knocked down. If that wasn't impressive enough, the King Landler and Asura Tiger had stumbled upon them. Still fighting each other like savages. The man took notice of them as they were barrelling towards them. "Hey now." He said as he placed a hand on the Asura Tiger's leg. But just from that one touch had sent an uncomfortable jolt through both of them.

They ceased their fighting as they took note of the man. Once he had gained their attention, he stripped himself of his vest and top and took out two knocking guns from his vest. Using those two knocking guns on himself, he stimulates his own body to increase muscle mass and overall size. He towered over both of the beasts. This was known as Intimidation Knocking. "Could ya fight somewhere else? You monkey...and cat... ARE NOISEY!" The beasts were paralysed in fear at this man and backed down. They didn't waste any time in leaving them alone.

Now that everything had settled down, for the first time since he arrived at the Gourmet World, Toriko was finally able to breath easy and relax for a bit. "Who knew I'd be saved by a legendary Gourmet Hunter. I don't know how to thank you...Knocking Master Jiro." Toriko told the older, youthful-appearing man. After everything that had transpired during his little journey until now, there was no way that Toriko was gonna tell Sarafina what happened. He could already hear her laying into him...she was already pissed off about his lie...

Chuckling brought him out of his reverie. "Hold your thanks. I seem to recall...you treating me to a drink on a train once. I owed you. A man like me doesn't forget a gift of the ol' lifeblood." The older hunter told him. 'You like booze way too much.' Toriko thought looking at the other man a bit. "Anyway, Toriko. This is your first time in the Gourmet World, isn't it?"

"How..did you know?" Toriko asked slowly, trying to figure out if he was that obvious. Good thing Sarafina wasn't here. He could already hear her blabbing all about it and making comments. "By your lack of caution. Might as well be naked as a baby if that's how you're going to go stumbling around the Gourmet World." Ouch. If he didn't know any better he'd say Jiro talked to a certain person, those words are something she would say. "Th..that's not fair..." The younger man tried to deny feebly when all of a sudden he sensed danger and did a couple flips to getaway.

Jiro stood up, lowering his hand, and watched him move but he was too slow. "You let your guard down. You'd be dead by now." The drunkard stated. "Wh..what did you..?" Toriko started to ask. "In the Gourmet World, you've always got to be on high alert. First, don't let your guard down for s fraction of a second. Next, always pay attention to your surroundings. Those two are the basics. The moment you let your guard down I knew you were a beginner." Jeesh...he didn't have to rub it in.. "I...I am on high alert. But my body feels like lead!" Toriko exclaimed though if Sarafina...ok. He has to stop bringing her up. Her name was brought up in the last five minutes alone!

"Well, sure it does. We're 20,000 meters below the sea level of the human world in a place called the underground forest. Since we're closer to the earth's core down here, gravity has a stronger effect on us. Being where we are now, our body weights are probably several times more than they are on the surface." That did answer his earlier question about how far he fell. "Don't worry. You'll learn to bear that extra gravity in no time, Toriko." Jiro said, checking the food that was cooking over some stone-like objects on a leaf that was serving a table. If Toriko wanted to ask his questions it better be now.

"My eyes started bleeding and my limbs went numb. What was that?" Toriko asked.

"Hm. You must've been near an air tree." Jiro replied, which brought more questions. "Air tree?" What that heck was that? Air Trees are a special type of tree whose fruit gives birth to air. When they are born, the ratio of components in the air is different so there can be dense oxygen, carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. If proper fertilizer is given to the tree, more good quality air can be produced. Only a strong life force can become fertilizer for this tree. It's also an ingredient but it's a "Super Specially Cooked Ingredient".

"A tree that leaks air from its fruit. But its air is made of many gases... And sometimes it produces an excess of one or another. Judging by your symptoms, it was probably producing more oxygen than usual. Too much oxygen will break your body down." That...was frightening... The weight of the danger wasn't lost on Toriko. "I'm lucky it was only oxygen. If it'd been carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, I'd be dead."

"You can eat the fruit of the air tree. Though it requires extra special preparation. Heh heh. There are some other bizarre foods in the underground forest, like the Heat planet. It generates its own gravity, so you can move around easily inside of it. But it's awful hot in there. Then there's that Fall Tree you got stuck under. When it senses creatures passing underneath, it unleashed a lethal downpour that pulverized its target into nutrients for its roots." The younger man gulped a bit, not from fear but from the overwhelming excitement he felt for the hard challenges that await him in the gourmet world.

Jiro picked up a shell and removed the meat from inside and popped it into his mouth. Time to tell him the bad news. "Sorry, Toriko. You're not ready to take on the gourmet world yet." The news stunned and shocked the younger man if that look on his face was anything to go by. "I was like you when I was young. I wanted to do everything on my own. I thought I could do it by myself. Sarafina was just the same. She told me." Jiro said.

This shocked Toriko. "She came here to challenge the Gourmet World all by herself?!"

"She did. However, in her case, it was different from both mine and yours. Yes, she did come here to test her strength, but she had something else in mind entirely. It was for the sake of someone she loved." Jiro told him. This brought up a thousand more questions about Sarafina, and the more the list grew, the more Toriko needed to know. However, before Toriko could ask about her, Jiro went back to his point.

"In a way, I had the strength. But the gourmet world isn't that simple. Toriko, what you lack right now isn't "strength"...It's a friend. It's a partner. It's Komatsu and Sarafina, though she's just a friend. What you're lacking is an open heart to trust and rely on your partner." The news threw him for a loop, memories of the two going through his head and his eyes began to water. "Komatsu...Sarafina..." Toriko's voice wavered slightly when he said their names. "The ones who sent me on this rescue mission was none other than Komatsu and Sarafina."

"Huh?!" Toriko gasped out in disbelief.

Before him coming to save Toriko, Jiro was contacted by them. They had received the news from Sunny explaining everything.

Sarafina was barely paying attention to anything as just sat in silence while Sunny and Komatsu talked. Sunny had approached them and invited them to eat at a fancy restaurant. Under different circumstances, it would have of been enjoyable but a feeling told her this invite involved a certain fool who dumped her here. Sarafina was doing her best not to snap at Komatsu, wasn't his fault his partner was a complete idiot. "So you've partnered up with Toriko, eh? Komatsu!" Sunny started, startling the smaller man.

"That's...well... Good for you. Congrats on the partnership. But you know.. You ought to know what your partner's up to at all times. Right now, Toriko is headed for the Gourmet World!" The news sent him into a panic but it only caused her to sigh in anger and annoyance. "I knew it." She lowly growled even when Komatsu exclaimed in a panic, "R..really, Sunny-san?!"

"Yep. And you know... At the level he's at now, Toriko might be in real danger. He might die. Not that it's any of my business." Liar. If that was the case Sunny wouldn't even be here. "Look...do not play childish games and get to it."

"W...what do we do?!" Komatsu asked, unaware of the calm state Sarafina was in. Sunny was slightly impressed at the instincts Fina seemed to have. So she was aware of everything then. "I have my principles. It wouldn't be beautiful for me to interfere." Which meant he helped Toriko. Right now Sarafina was too angry with the other man to add this guy to the list. "Komatsu, you have to do it. If you want to rescue Toriko." At that Sunny pulled out a piece of paper. "This number might come in handy. You might want to call it. ASAP!"

At that Sarafina turned her sights on the smaller man. Frightening him to the bone at how cold and dead her stare was. "Do it. Do it this instant. As much as I want to, you are his partner so you have to call. After you make your request, I'll make mine."

"O...ok! Eh?! A request?!" Komatsu fearfully said, quickly going to make the call. Sunny watched on in amusement. He had a feeling he knew what her request was. Man, that Toriko messed up big.

"If anything's happened to Toriko-san..!" He was crying up a storm. Though...the young lady's request.." At that, he chuckled. "You sure ticked her off. "Before you listen to Matsu's request let that overblown ignoramus get his ass kicked! If he wishes to lie to me and play games, then he can feel my wrath! Bastard. Just...not too bad alright?" Looks to me she couldn't decide if she wanted to throttle you or save you. While you gave everyone the slip... Those two were worried sick about you, hoping you're ok." Tears threatened to fall so Toriko quickly turned around, crying out, "Sarafina..! Komatsu..!" Jiro watched him for a moment then spoke up, "Go back to the human world. And someday...bring those two with you to challenge this place!"

At the hotel where Komatsu works, the young chef was overcome with worry. Not just for Toriko's safety but for Sarafina as well. Ever since Toriko dropped her off, she had rarely said a word and barely ate anything. Even if she tried, the food would get stuck her throat. She was enraged, worried and grief-stricken. After calling Jiro, Sarafina had told him that she felt responsible Toriko went to the Gourmet World. If she had even attempted to stop him from going... Komatsu had tried to comfort her, but it was no use.

As he did his job, he would often turn to see her sitting alone at a table. Gazing out the window ignoring the stares and whispered conversations people were having about seeing the Blind Bandit in person. Kururu sat on her lap, looking up at her with sad eyes. Wondering what she could do to comfort her master. It was hard to do much of anything when your too busy worrying over a good friend. But then...

"I am starving!" A familiar voice called out. Making the chef and blind woman to turn their heads to the source. Toriko stood tall and proud in the middle of the restaurant, smiling as he greeted his two comrades. Komastu dropped what he was doing and ran straight for the giant hunter, crying tears of joy as he jumped up to hug the big guy. Happy and relieved that he had come back alive, safe and sound.

Sarafina stared at Toriko in silent shock as she processed the scene before her. Toriko was back. He was still alive. And no doubt he had learned his lesson. Kururu looked up her before jumping off her lap as the woman slowly stood up and walked towards the two. Toriko laughed as he pulled the snivelling man of him when looked up and saw Sarafina coming up. "Uh...S-Sarafina, I-." He didn't get a chance to speak before Sarafina slapped him hard across the face. Sending his flying to the back of the restaurant. Shocking Komatsu, the staff and the patrons. "You're a jackass, you know that? How could you lie to my face and leave without saying a word to your partner?" Sarafina told him as she walked towards him.

Toriko immediately stood back up and tried to apologise while also defending himself. But then Sarafina looked up at him with tears flowing in her eyes as she ran up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't ever do something like this again...! I'm...just so happy you came back." She said. Toriko's brown eyes soften and wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah... Me too. Sarafina?"

"Yes?"

"I want to ask you something..."

Chapter Text

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me get this straight...when you contacted me to help you shop for a new dress, I thought this would be a great chance for us to spend some time together...but instead I'm helping you get ready for a date!? With that idiotic, gluttonous oaf!?" Leticia nearly shouted as she held up one the dress options while she started at the Blind Bandit with a near appalled look. Sarafina remained to be calm and she took time to feel the dress out. Ignoring the eyes of some of the other shoppers who were looking at their direction.

Sarafina gave a carefree shrug and said, "It's not a date Leticia. Toriko felt bad about lying to me and going off on his own and he simply wants to make it up to me. Mmm, this feels a little tight." While that sounded reasonable, Leticia didn't buy it one bit. 'Make it up to her, my ass...this is a date!' She thought angrily to herself. The green-eyed woman helped her former teacher out of the dress as she said, "If Toriko wanted to make it up to then he would've offered up something different. Taking you out for dinner spells out that this is a date! ...And I can not believe I'm helping you get ready for it."

"This isn't a date, I promise. We're just going to eat and head on back home, no more, no less. Besides, Toriko wouldn't waste his time on something so trivial." Sarafina said. Leticia grit her teeth and mumbled something under her breath as she helped Sarafina into a new outfit. While she was disapproving this, there wasn't anything she could say or do about it. If this is what her best friend wanted then all can she can do for her is grin and bear it. Leticia just hoped that nothing - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING- comes out from this.

"Well, fine. If you want to go with him as a way to forgive him, then I can't stop you. But I forbid this to take a romantic turn." Leticia said in a firm voice. Sarafina almost laughed at that. If this was any other time she would view Leticia to be a bit overprotective. However, Sarafina couldn't find anything humorous about this. She knows full well that she has feelings for the Glutton of the Four Heavenly Kings, try as she might to deny them. She did share Leticia's thoughts, however. She hoped that nothing comes out of this. That this wasn't a date. That nothing would get complicated than things already were.

Wanting to change the subject, Sarafina asked, "So, how are things going along with Coco? Sunny had told me that he's doing his training with a young wild cat." Leticia's face flared up and sputtered out a few incoherent words as she said, "Wh-wh-wh-what?! I-I...uh, I-." "I'm glad that the two are becoming good friends that you're willing to help him get stronger." Sarafina smiled widely.

"I'm not helping him! And we're not friends, not by a long shot! I just happened to come across him during my travels and when he told me that he was training to enter the Gourmet World I thought I could use him as an excuse to further my training that's it." Leticia said, her face was beet red. "As if I would help him." Sarafina just laughed as they continued with their day.

Later on that night, it was time for the "date" to begin. Sarafina stood out in front of the restaurant Toriko told her about and waiting for him. Despite claiming this wasn't what Leticia thought she was, Sarafina was still a bit nervous about this. She placed her hand over heart and tried to calm herself down. She was worried if she looked okay. From how Leticia put it, she looked beautiful. Her hair was let loose, wore silver teardrop earrings, a white lace choker, and a silver off-shoulder, short-sleeve high low cocktail dress. Of course, all without shoes.

Once she was calm enough, Sarafina let out a breath and moved her head slowly from side to side, scanning the crowd for Toriko. Not noticing the many men staring at her. Single men were gazing at her with great interest. Men, already with dates, turned their heads to get a glance at the tall, gorgeous lady much to the annoyance of their dates. One of these single men straighten his suit and tie and began walking towards the young woman.

He was just about to place a hand on her shoulders, when suddenly the Sarafina was pulled into a hug, catching the woman and the single man by surprise. Sarafina blinked at the sudden embrace before smiling and wrapping her arms around as much of his wide torso as she could. Enjoying the warm embrace of Toriko. How much she would love to be in his arms for days on end. But she knew that wouldn't happen.

The man backed away in fear when Toriko gave him a dark look and promptly walked away. When they separated, Toriko ran his hand through his hair nervously before gesturing to the door with the other. Sarafina smiled again and started reaching to open the door before a large hand grasped the handle and opened it for her. Her eye trailed up the arm to see that it was indeed Toriko's.

She smiled as he looked away with a blush. "Thank you Toriko." She said as she entered the building. A waiter came in and greeted them with a friendly smile. He reached over for a single menu, knowing who the woman was blind by looking at her eyes. As he leads them to their table, the other patrons were in awe and were happily talking amongst themselves about the Heavenly King and the Blind Bandit being together.

"Look, it's Toriko! One of the Heavenly Kings!"

"And Sarafina, the Blind Bandit. She looks more elegant in person."

"I wonder why they're here together like this."

"Are they an item? I recall some reporters seeing him carrying her in his arms during the reveal for the Century Soup."

"Ugh, I don't know who's luckier. But...I would love to be with Toriko."

"They must be together right?"

They whispered as the waiter seated them to an empty booth in the back. He placed the menu on the table as Toriko slid in on one side with Sarafina taking the other. The waiter bowed and told them that he'll send them a server shortly. Sarafina closed her eye and listen to the sounds of the restaurant. The smell of the food and fine wine. As well as calming music being played. She smiled and said, "This place sounds wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here Toriko, but you didn't have to do this. I already have forgiven you."

Toriko shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile, "Maybe. But I shouldn't have lied to you. I should've listened and given you and Komatsu more of my trust. Like how you guys always trust me. Besides, I..." Toriko said as he reached out to hold her hand. "I wanted to." Sarafina blushed red as she tried to smile politely. She blinked in surprise when she felt Toriko gave her hand a light squeeze. Toriko was about to say something when a waitress appeared and offered to take their orders, interrupting the moment. She played with a piece of her hair in a flirty manner as she blinked innocently at the blue-haired Heavenly King, who didn't even seem to notice.

After placing their orders, they both leaned on the table and chatted as they waited for their food to come. When it did, they ate mostly in silence, only sparing a compliment on the food here and there. Once they finished eating, the waitress from before come by with the check and before leaving to attend to the other customers.

They then left the restaurant and Sarafina said, "Well, that was enjoyable. Thank you again for the evening. Next time, I'll treat you to something." Sarafina was about to walk away, thinking the night was over and head on back to the sweets house when Toriko grabbed hold of her wrist. "Hold on. The night's not over just yet. There's still a lot more I have in mind." He said, sheepishly scratching his cheek with a finger and he averted his gaze with a blush forming on his face. Sarafina gave him a confused look before agreeing. They both began walking down the sidewalk with Toriko still holding her hand. His face was getting redder and Sarafina's heart began to race.

They spent about half an hour just walking around the city before Toriko lead her to the wide-open space away from the hustle and bustle concrete jungle. A gentle breeze came in along with the scent of wildflowers. The lush grass felt so soft and the powdered dirt beneath her feet tickled a bit. "I figured this would a better place to relax in than in the city," Toriko said as he turned to face her with the smile.

Sarafina smiled brightly as she took in the fresh air. The wind blew through her hair as she slipped out of Toriko's hold and walk ahead. "This is why I love the outside world. Without much human interference, the plants, animals and insects can roam around and be as free as they like. Even the wind can experience the joy of blowing all through the lands." She said as she breathed out a sigh. With a smile, she closed her eye and began to dance.

Like an elegant dancer, Sarafina spun round and round underneath the full moon's light. She danced with such elegance and grace that Toriko stood in silence as he watched the blind woman dance. He became entranced by her. From the full moon, she appeared to be a maiden of the Heaven skies above. Toriko had the whole day to think about his feelings and his bizarre behaviour carefully. From the moment they met on the train, to the "small" incident in Ice Hell, to how he felt while she was unresponsive in Life.

Even when his demon had spoken to him non-stop to screwing around and realise the big picture. Hmph, of course...taking Toriko this long to truly figure things out shouldn't be that surprising. He's a man after all. Men take forever to figure out the answer even if it's right in their stupid face.

As Sarafina continued to dance, Toriko took up a deep breath, gathered his courage and proceeded to walk over to her. This woman was special. She was strong, beautiful, kind, and compassionate. Always looked forward to the next big adventure...always have a smile on her face. He wanted to stay with her. He wanted to be her protector. He wanted to protect her smile. He wanted to show her more of this world, to see her experience the food that she had yet to taste.

Sarafina stopped dancing when she sensed Toriko getting closer to her. She was slightly concerned with the status of his soul. He appeared to be serious, but so calm at the same time. "Toriko?" She cautiously asked once he was in arm's length of her. "Sarafina... I... Well..." Toriko began but couldn't find the words. He wanted to say a million things right now. But no matter what he says, nothing will be enough to describe how he felt for her. More than anyone on this very planet. He was in love with her. Everything about her gave him more reason to get stronger to keep her safe and obtain God.

Toriko smiled at her. Placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in close. Sarafina's eye widened once she felt Toriko brushing his lips against hers. Her heart skipped a beat. Fear overtook her being. "Toriko..!" Sarafina cried out as she jumped away from him. What was he...? He wasn't going to...was he? What...why would he..?

'Sarafina... It appears that Toriko shares a mutual emotion.' Fyreia told her.

"Sarafina? What's the matter?" Toriko asked her, suddenly getting confused and worried that he might have pushed too far. The blind woman looked terrified for some reason and stared at him with disbelief. He tried to walk up to her but she kept backing away. "Toriko... You... We should end things here. Let's head back home, shall we?" She asked him, a slight desperation in her voice. What was going on with her?

"What? Sarafina, what's wrong? I...I'm sorry if I scared you, I just thought..." He began, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Look, from the moment I met you, my mind and body wasn't acting the same and the whole time I've been trying to understand why. But ever since I came back from the Gourmet World, I finally get it. I love-."

"Don't say it!" Sarafina suddenly shouted. Becoming more fearful by the second. "Please, don't say those words Toriko. I don't want to hurt you, but please disregard those feelings and treat me the way you've always have."

"What's going on with you!? You're asking me to do the impossible right now! How can I just ignore them when it's all my demon ever talked about?!" Toriko shouted. He did not understand why Sarafina was acting like this. It didn't sound like she was rejecting him, more like...she was scared of him having feelings for her. But why?

"I understand Toriko, but please! Don't say those words and just try to forget them. I don't deserve them!"

"What?! Why!? How could you say that?!"

"Because! A creature like me doesn't deserve to be loved by anyone! Not from my grandfather! Not from my friends! And most of all, not from you!"

"And why's that!? What the hell you mean by 'a creature like you'?! What does that even mean?!"

"Toriko, that's enough. Let's go home." Sarafina said as she attempted to turn around and leave, but Toriko wouldn't have it. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Toriko!"

"Why?! Why do you think you don't deserve to be loved?!"

"BECAUSE...!" Tears were swelling in her eye. She has to tell him. She must tell him the truth.

"WHY?!"

"BECAUSE I AM A MONSTER AND I AM GOING TO DIE!" She yelled.

Everything fell silent. Not a single peep was made. Toriko stared in shock as Sarafina began to cry. She didn't want to tell him...but knowing that he was about to kiss her, she couldn't go on living that she was going to cause him great heartache when her time was up. Toriko was an incredibly charitable, caring, compassionate and a selfless individual. She did not deserve such a man and he deserves so much better than a broken soul.

Toriko slowly let go of Sarafina's wrist as he continued to look at her with wide eyes. Trying to process what she had just said. He wanted to call her out for lying, but when she looked up at him, he quickly figured out that she had said nothing but the truth. "You're going to die...? I don't understand..." He said.

"I never wanted anyone else to know about this. Only grandfather and several individuals have known about me and my eventual death." Sarafina said as she sat down on the grass. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew that it was only going to cause you so much trouble...I didn't want to become chained to me. But...now you deserve to know." Toriko sat down beside her as she took a moment to compose herself. She glanced at him and Toriko gave the go-ahead by placing his hand on top of hers. Sarafina took a deep breath before telling her story.

"All my life, even when I was born blind, I never had a problem seeing. I see the world around me because of my abilities and have obtained extremely heightened senses. With these tools, I can feel the vibrations in the earth, hear the heartbeats of all living creatures, see souls of people and animals, sense life energy and things in the like, helping me see where everything is. Think of it like sonar. I see can you, those trees over there...even those ants. With it, I can also give portions of my powers to either heal or enhance another person's strength, speed or power."

Toriko looked around a bit searching for the ants she can see apparently. "That's amazing," He said. Sarafina gave a sad smile. "I thought so too...but I soon realise that my powers come with a deadly side to it. It was a couple of years after Grandfather found me before that came to light. I had died once before. Grandfather tried to find me help but it was too late... It was after he found and took me away from the Gourmet World. I was such a stupid kid..."

Sarafina explained that she went to the Gourmet World to get stronger to show that she wouldn't be a burden on Ichiryu, but after a week, she was starving and, despite eating the food from the Gourmet World, her body was craving a "different" kind of food. When Ichiryu finally found her, she was unresponsive and already dead. From what she had been told later on, Ichiryu was completely broken-hearted and blamed himself for her "death". It had only been two days and Ichiryu was in the process of creating a small service for her when she suddenly...well, woken up. As if she had just woken up from a long, peaceful sleep.

"My demon had manifested during my time in the Gourmet World, and it's because her and my abilities that I'm even alive. She told me that she had to force-feed me to ensure my survival." Sarafina said.

"What...was it you had to eat?" Toriko asked her, though he was slightly concerned about her answers.

Sarafina gave him a crestfallen face as she softly said, "Souls. I had to devour the souls of the beasts that had surrounded me. While I can eat and drink as any normal person, I also feast on the souls of all living beings. But once I had learned this, I felt disgusting. I was a monster... I've been forcing myself to never eat another soul for as long as I live...heh, but isn't that ironic? My soul is becoming far too big for my body, which is incredibly weak as it is, and I have to balance it by eating others for my benefit. But I don't want to live like that... I don't want to eat souls anymore..."

Toriko sat in silence. Too shocked to say anything at this point. This whole time he had been trying to get answers of who Sarafina was and how she could be able to see and what was wrong with her....and now that he has learned this part of her life...he didn't know what to think. That's when he remembered Yosaku's words. How people like her don't usually live long. Did that mean...?

"Yosaku said something about others like don't tend to live long is that because...?" Toriko started to ask before Sarafina sadly nodded. "I've asked my Grandfather about it once, and he told me that there were others with the same abilities as me and, like me, that hated to eat the souls of other people. They became insane, went on a rampage until eventually, they flicker away. I'm somewhat lucky that my demon and I are working together for this long...but I know for a fact I'm going to die."

"How can you so sure!?" Toriko asked her, feeling a little angry that she sounded so confident that one day she was going to die. She didn't look the slightest bit terrified...was she accepting her fate? Sarafina turned her gaze away sadly. She hung her head low as she said, "You said that I had a serious fever right? Well...before my first death, I had a similar fever just like that. That's a clear sign for me that my body is letting me know that I don't have that much time to live. The scariest part of it is? I don't know when I'll die. Tomorrow? Next week? A month? A year? I don't know...but it's going to happen. That's exactly why I have to capture God...it might be my only chance to ultimately balance my powers, restore my body to its original state, allowing me to live. However, I'm not sure anymore."

She turned back to Toriko and gave his hand a light squeeze. "The minute that you and Komatsu accepted me as a friend, I was so afraid to tell you. I didn't want to cause you any pain of you found out the truth. You chose to love the wrong girl Toriko, and I want you to end those-." Sarafina was then cut off when Toriko grabbed her shoulders, pushed her down to the grass and without saying a word, leaned down and kissed her. Sarafina's eye widened in shock as Toriko pressed his lips firmly against. Even when she struggled, Toriko refused to let her go.

"Toriko-!" She said as she turned her head away but Toriko cupped her cheeks to keep her in place and moved in to kiss her again. "Toriko-! Stop-!" Sarafina said, trying to push Toriko away. What was he doing?! Why wasn't he understanding that she was a woman destined to die?! She wasn't good for him! They can't be together, even if she wanted to! There was no hope for them!

Eventually, Sarafina stopped struggling and cried slightly, allowing Toriko to continue kissing her. Soon he pulled away and reached up to brush away her tears. Sarafina looked up at him with sad eyes as she asked, "Why? Why can't you just forget them?"

"You can push me away or tell me to quit loving you, but it's too late. I love you, Sarafina. And I promise you, I'm not going to let you die. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to get God, and when I do, you're going to be the first to eat it. Until then, if you feel you have to eat, then you eat some of mine. I don't care, I just want to be with you." Toriko said. Sarafina looked fearful for a second but then held a hopeful expression. It was almost nonexistent, but Toriko can see it. No doubt Sarafina had ever felt anything like this before, and neither did he but that's beside the point, but hearing him say this had given her some amount of hope that she would be able to live a long life.

He softly caressed her cheek and nervously asked, "Do you...feel the same way about me?"

Sarafina didn't answer him, instead, she reached up to cup his cheek and pull him down for another kiss. Toriko saw another tear fall from her eye before returning her kiss. She didn't say it, but she didn't need to. Toriko knew.

"Are you okay?" Toriko asked as he pulled the blanket over her. They had made it back home, and, with what had happened, Sarafina didn't want to be left alone so Toriko offered to have her sleep with him. Sarafina nodded and tried to make herself comfortable. "Yeah... I'm okay. Just...very confused."

"I don't blame you... But I meant what I said."

"Thank you... Can we...keep this...thing between us? I think it'll make things more complex if Komatsu or the others find out." Sarafina asked him.

"Uh, which part? Your condition or...?" Toriko trailed off.

"Uh...both? I guess?" Sarafina said, her face turning red.

"S-sure. That's fine..." Toriko said as he blushed. "Thank you... For everything." Sarafina said softly as she closed her eyes and fell asleep rather quickly. Toriko stayed up a bit longer, watching over her as she slept. She looked so peaceful. Maybe that's because she was safe inside her dreams...where nothing could hurt her. He could imagine what kind of life she had to make her feel so undeserving of love before Ichiryu found her. 

Toriko was serious when he said he wasn't going to let her die. Not when he realised his strong love for her. No matter what, as long as she's by his side, he will protect her with all of his strength he's got. 'No matter what...I'm always going to keep loving you. You mean the world to me, Sarafina...' Toriko thought to himself as he wrapped his arms around his valuable treasure before falling asleep.

Chapter Text

Hotel Gourmet: Annex Private Terrace

"Who hoo! Piping hot Strawberrice! Yummy!" Toriko shouted in glee as he eyed the sweet rice that Komatsu had cooked up. Strawberrice is a variety of rice typically served for dessert. Each grain of "rice" is really a tiny strawberry, but despite this, it does need to be cooked first. In terms of flavour, it contains the same amount of sourness as vinegared rice, and the more you chew, the stronger the strawberry flavour gets, making it a tasty delight. Strawberrice is delicious as a dessert without any dressing up.

"It smells wonderful, Komatsu," Sarafina said with a bright smile. "Hm?" Toriko stopped when he noticed tears were falling into the open cooker...along with snot as the chef bailed in happiness. "All that matters is that you're safe, Toriko-san!" He said, blubbering like a baby. "Komatsu, you're crying over the food again." Sarafina calmly told him enjoying the small portion she luckily got beforehand. "Wah! Komatsu! You're such sobbing into the rice cooker!" The larger man cried out in dismay over the ruining of good food. That only made him cry all the harder. "Th...thank goodness you made it back safe from the Gourmet World!"

"No more crying, Komatsu!" The hunter continued to cry in dismay. "Huh? ACHOO!" Without warning the chef turned and sneezed all over the rice. "What a waste of perfectly good strawberrice!" Toriko shouted in dismay.

"I can't help it. I'm just so happy."

"I can see that!"

"That's quite enough, you silly fool. It was YOUR fault for making him worried so much." Sarafina said. Despite that sweet smile...that was kinda harsh, even though he deserved it. While the others were enjoying an amazing meal, Kururu was off playing with Yun in the pool. "Got the steak ready!" The chef called out bringing a delicious smelling steak over to him. "Yay!" Toriko shouted as he took a big bite of his meat. "Dere's one sing...I 'ant figure out. Komatsu." The large man said in between bites, Komatsu had brought him another one and gave Sarafina a plate.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Sarafina kindly scolded him, taking a sip of water. "Yum! Ginger pig is delicious!"

"The corn on the bone is up, Toriko-San!" The chef informed taking a corn with a bone right in the middle off the pan. Komatsu offered to cook her one but she humbly accepted it. "Ooh!" Toriko crooned out watching the corn with great anticipation. He lifted it and took a deep breath. "Mmm! Smells great.." He said before he dug in. He couldn't believe how sweet it was. "Mm. It's so sweet and juicy."

"What was it you can't figure out, Toriko-san?" Komatsu inquired continuing to cook. Trying to not piss off the woman but she said nothing. Just sat there, smiling as she usually does, as he watching the hunter swallow his bite and pointed slightly at him. "Komatsu, Sarafina. How did you know I was going to the Gourmet World?"

"Oh. Somebody told me." Komatsu said as Sarafina gave a small giggle. Komatsu then told Toriko everything of how they, more so Komatsu manage to discover his trip from Sunny after inviting them to eat. "It was Jiro's number." Komatsu answered, which annoyed Toriko a bit. "Grr. Stupid Sunny. He lied when he said the Gourmet World wasn't that big of a deal. He knew I'd never last." Toriko grumbled a bit. "Hahaha... I had warned you plenty of times BEFORE you left, but you refuse to listen to me. Consider this your little punishment." Toriko didn't respond to that, fully aware that he couldn't deny any of that and that made him even more annoyed. "I think Sunny was really worried for you." Toriko finished the corn before he continued to talk. "Since he told me how to get there...I bet he didn't think it would look good if he called for help."

The man got it in one. "So he came to us, mostly me, instead. Well, it's all over now! I'm just glad you came back safe and sound, Toriko-san!" Komatsu said putting down a bowl with a mountain of the strawberry rice piled in. "Woo-hoo! Strawberry-rice!" Toriko cheered again and reached to pick up a rice that resembled a tiny strawberry. "Each tiny grain is actually a strawberry! It's a teeny bit acidic, so it comes off tasting like the best vinegar rice. Plus the more you eat, the sweeter it gets! It's a total dessert rice!" Toriko stated, staring at it. A wide happy smile was on Komatsu's face as he stated happily, "Today, in honour of your return I'm going to treat you to my finest dishes!"

"Score!" Was all Toriko said before he inhaled the rice. Sarafina just shook her head at him, smiling brightly. Seriously... What was she going to do with him? Komatsu grabbed a roast banana and sliced it into even pieces, then putting them on the pan. Roast Bananas is a type of meat-like banana that grows at lower altitudes than regular bananas. On the outside, its appearance is similar to that of a regular banana, however, its insides are pink and flesh-like, making it appear as though it is made from actual meat.

Just seeing it gave the giant hunter hearts in his eyes. "Ooh! Roast banana! My favourite!" She raised an eyebrow at this one. She hadn't eaten that one before. After that Komatsu made a whole slew of foods for them to eat. She had a few favourites she liked now besides what they have tried now.

"Hey, Toriko-san!" Komatsu stopped and turned to look at Toriko, who was pouring him and Sarafina a drink from a bottle. "W..what did the food...in the Gourmet World taste like?!" That stopped her in her tracks. She had forgotten to ask him if he had eaten anything from there. The hunter said nothing, picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp then it back down with a take. "Phew." He exhaled, reaching up to wipe his chin. "I didn't eat a single thing."

"Are you seriously?! For real?!" "Huh?! Really?!" The two went at the same time, both in disbelief in that he, a glutton, didn't eat one thing while there. "How come?/W..why not?" The two continued in unison. "I find it quite hard to believe that you didn't eat a thing." Sarafina pointed out as the chef said, "A..agreed. You eat more than anybody I know, Toriko-san. Why didn't you eat anything? Seems like a waste. Sarafina-san, you've been to the Gourmet World before, so you've must've eaten the food there too haven't you?"

"I did, but unfortunately I don't remember much of anything during my time there. I don't even remember what kind of food I ate or what they tasted like." That much was true because, after the first time she died, her memories had been rather foggy. "But why didn't you eat anything?" Sarafina asked her fellow hunter. Seriously...this guy was a walking bottomless pit.

"... I wanted to eat there with you guys." That surprised the two big time. "Huh?" Sarafina and Komatsu went. "I'm sorry, Komatsu. For leaving you behind. And for worrying you." Sarafina blinked a bit when she sensed the hunter turned to her and looked straight at her, lightly putting his hand on top of hers. "I'm sorry I lied to you as well. And for leaving you all alone. I hope I didn't worry you too much." Sarafina had to look away, a blush appearing on her face. "N-no, no, it's alright. You've learned your lesson and I've already forgiven you." She said.

He knew it. Toriko knew she was the one who told the older hunter to let him get kicked around before coming to save him, even though the old man told him as much he still didn't believe it. But...he couldn't be too mad. It was deserved for not listening to the blind woman. Also, it was worth it to see the adorable blush on her face. Before anything else was added the chef spoke up, also trying to downplay the apology, "It's nothing... You don't have anything to apologize for."

"The Gourmet World was more complicated than I thought. There was no way I could have handled capturing anything on my own. Komatsu. I need your strength." That was another reason she was upset. Their skills complement the other. "Komatsu. I need your strength. Sarafina. I need your awesome instincts." Was it just her or did it seem like that was supposed to be something else?

"T...Toriko-San.." Komatsu started even as the hunter continued, grinning wide, "I'm going to eat my Gourmet World meals with you two, Sarafina and Komatsu. Let's join forces to eat there together!" Sarafina smiled a bit. "Like I'd let you go there without me again." She teased lightly even as the news brought a huge smile to the chef. "Yes! Toriko-san!" Komatsu said happily. "Okay!" The chef quickly wiped away his tears and rolled up his sleeves. "There's a lot more to make today, Toriko-san!" "Nice! I'm counting on you, Komatsu!" A millisecond later a loud crack was hard.

"What was that?" The woman began to ask when the men saw the knife the small man was holding, break in half and fall to the floor. In his excitement, Komatsu broke the knife on what was on the cutting board. A Don Acorn, which is a giant oak nut touted as the "King of Acorns". It has the toughest shell of any acorn, and unless one uses a special hammer to break it, one runs the risk of shattering their knife instead!

Though Toriko wasn't bothered by it but poor Komatsu. A look of pure horror graced the chef's face as he watched it hit the floor. He then let out the loudest yell up to date before he dropped to his knees and cradled the broken piece. "M..my knife! My knife!" He cried out.

"Komatsu! That's a Don Acorn! It's got the toughest shell of any acorn. You need a special hammer to crack it open!" Toriko exclaimed pointing at it. Sarafina walked over and knelt by the chef, lightly rubbing his back soothing. "I made a stupid mistake. I usually take such good care of this knife.." Komatsu said sadly with tears running down his face.

"It was an accident. It'll be ok." Sarafina honestly didn't know how to comfort him. She didn't think she'd ever meet anyone like him who cared deeply for things like a knife. Still, she felt that it meant a lot to him, being a chef, all of his tools are practically sacred. "Well, you've probably been using it for years. They all break eventually. Just buy yourself a new one." The giant hunter thought the heated glare Sarafina was giving him was adorable but he didn't think she'd appreciate that very much.

"Th...this knife was nothing pricey, but... I bought it with my own money during my training days. This knife has memories. I prepared so many ingredients with this knife. I grew with it. I'm only as good as I am now thanks to this knife." The chef cried harder as he held the knife tighter, gently, and continued to sob. "Thanks for all the *sob* memories. Thanks for giving your all. Thank you so much for always being with me." Sarafina rubbed his back soothingly, somewhat amazed someone could feel that deeply. But she could understand. Toriko watched a bit, looking at the smaller man sympathetically. 'Komatsu feels things so deeply. That's probably why he can hear the voices of the foods.'

A knife... "Ah! That reminds me!" Toriko suddenly blurted out. "Komatsu!" "What is it this time Toriko?" Sarafina asked, the two turning to look at him. The hunter has the acorn in his hand and one swift motion sliced it clean in half. Amazing! The chef stared up at him in shock even as the hunter continued to talk. "The IGO president gave me a list of foods to capture for him. One of them caught my eye. Melk Stardust." That caught the attention of his friends real quick.

"Huh? M..Melk?! As in the Melk?!" Komatsu asked.

"I think I've heard that name before. Are you referring to the famous cutler, Melk?" Sarafina asked her fellow hunter.

"Yes. They say he lives at the summit of Melk mountain. His workshop is only accessible by a long flight of stairs. I've never heard of Melk stardust before. But if anyone knows about it, Melk would. Same name and all. How about it, Komatsu? While we look for Melk Stardust, you can get Melk to make you a new knife!" Toriko said.

"If this man as famous as he is, will he have time to do it?" Sarafina started to ask but got ignored. "Huh?! Y..you really mean it?!" The smaller man cut in, voice full of excitement and jumped up and down cheering. "I'm in, Toriko-San! Yahoo! I get to meet Melk!"

'You'd never know he was just sobbing.' The two thought as they watched him. Now, where was he taking them this time?

At the summit

"Can you please stop with the noise, Komatsu? It's hurting my ears..." Sarafina once again told him. "Mew..." Kururu softly growled as she covered her ears. The stairs should be coming into view soon.. "HAWAWAWAWA! AAAAA! What am I going to do?!" Komatsu squeaked out happily and practically bouncing around. "Shut up, Komatsu. You're way too excited. You're such a fanboy." Toriko grumbled at him, his annoyance level about to hit the roof. "You know, you could've said that in a more nicer way." Sarafina said. "Mew." Kururu nodded her head. "Wha? I was."

"But! But! But! I get to meet the best cutler in the whole wide world! He's a huge celebrity among chefs! I can't wait to see his skills in action!" Komatsu said, continuing to geek out like a fanboy in a convention.

Toriko got a sly, smart-ass looking smirk on his face. "Yeah, it'll be both mine and Sarafina's first time meeting Melk too. He's larger in life in more ways than one... So they say."

"That's rather ominous when you put it that way, Toriko.." If she didn't know any better she'd say he enjoyed doing stunts like that. "They say he tests his knives on massive monsters. And that he mines his own whetstones, no matter how dangerous the mine is. His entire body's covered in scars."

"Again with being ominous about nearly everything. Do you get a kick out of it?" Sarafina chuckled at him. Poor Komatsu. Now he went from excitement to nervous scared. "Well, those are the rumours."

"Wait. You've never met the man yet your using simple rumours to describe him?" Sarafina growled at him at the same time the chef cried out, "You only know the rumours?!"

"Melk knives may be sold worldwide, but the man himself never appears in public. So yeah, he's pretty much all rumour and reputation. Since barely anyone's ever seen the guy." Toriko explained, slightly amused at the two. "Still...no need to get everyone riled over some rumours that might not be true." Toriko looked back at her for a second. For a second the woman sounded slightly like Zebra.

"S...so he's a man of mystery. Or something like that." Komatsu almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "He takes all his jobs by either letter or email. People say he must be antisocial, or he wouldn't be a hermit. Or he's devoted to his work! Like a true artist. Whatever he is we have to meet this Melk. Then find the Melk stardust!" Toriko said.

"Right!" Komatsu chirped excitedly. "You make it sound so easy..." Sarafina said doubtfully. "You sound so negative. Have faith!" Toriko pointed out, slightly frowning. "I do. First, we have a rough time then we get what we are looking for."

"S..she does have a point.."

"Don't encourage her, Komatsu." Toriko narrowed his eyes when a faint snicker was heard from the back. "First things first! We start here." The giant hunter announced, stopping in front of the longest and largest staircase the young chef had ever seen. "Come ooon!" Komatsu yelled at the top of his lungs in dismay and/or despair at it. "Is it an endless staircase?! How many steps are there, Toriko-san?!"

"I dunno. This mountain got its name from the person who carved out these steps, Melk. Let's see... It's about 4,000 meters to the summit, so that's probably about 20,000 steps."

"He must be a very large man, those stairs feel like they were made for a giant." Sarafina wondered aloud as she walked over to the steps and felt it around. Based on how they were, she concluded them to be just as tall as a full-grown man. Or maybe even higher. How the heck was the short man going to climb this? "No way! That's more steps than I've climbed in my whole life!"

"Compared to vegetable sky, it'll be nothing. Let's get going, you two."

'Easy for him to say.' Sarafina and Komatsu thought as they watched him climb with ease. After they, Komatsu and Sarafina, developed a rhythm for getting up. While she climbs the steps with ease, Sarafina also uses her ribbons to lift Komatsu up once he hung off the edge. Still, while she was aiding him, Toriko kept getting further ahead. "W..wait for us, Toriko-san!" Komatsu called out. Toriko stopped and turned to look back at them. "Hurry. We don't want the sun to set on us!"

"Unlike us, it's rather difficult for Komatsu to climb on his own!" Sarafina called out to him even as the chef continued, "B..but the steps are so big! They're hard to climb."

"Haha! They're probably the perfect size for Melk. He's supposed to be a big guy, remember?"

"Are you suggesting that he may be a literal giant?!" The woman shouted up at him, thinking that might be plausible, all things considering. "The only person I've seen that big is Knocking Master Jiro-san! I refuse to believe someone who creates such delicate and beautiful knives would be a lumbering oaf!"

"Now, now Komatsu. Some of the greatest works have been done by people of all sizes.." She gently chided him. "I bet Melk made these stairs big on purpose so people wouldn't disturb him while he's working. *gasp* Couldn't we just take a plane or ask Kururu to get to the top?" Oh boy. He was not taking the giant thing well. "Komatsu." Sarafina placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed up. Komatsu looked up to see some sort of flying monsters flying over them. It was a nice thought but not going to work. Besides, Kururu didn't seem she want to be bothered in dealing with them. Kururu looked at the monsters and turned her head away. They didn't look at all tasty. 

After climbing for a while the trio decided to make camp for the night. It was impressive that the stairs were wide enough to make a comfortable campsite. Now she couldn't wait to meet this Melk person. "Do you really think Melk will make a knife for me?" Komatsu asked between bites. At least he waited to finish before talking, unlike a certain person. "I don't see why not. But he is a famous and busy guy.." Sarafina mused. That was a good question. "Who knows? You won't know until you ask." Toriko added.

"Artisans are hard to deal with though. What if I come off as too demanding and he gets mad?" Komatsu asked, nervously. "I wouldn't worry about that, Komatsu. I've never heard you demand anything from anyone." She shook her head as the hunter added his bit and said teasingly, "Then you better hope he doesn't use you to test his knives on! Ow!"

"That wasn't humorous. What would you do if he did?!" The blind women asked. "That's not funny! And not comforting!" Komatsu shouted in dismay. "The real question is whether Melk knows anything about Melk Stardust." Toriko thought aloud and was once again surprised by Sarafina. "He does. Just hope he's in a good mood to tell us." She said with a smile.

The hunter looked at her thoughtfully. "Good question. I mean, you can always just buy a new knife at the store." Well...there's that possibility but she didn't think Komatsu would be happy. "Yeah, I guess so.." The chef glumly said. "But you'll get to the point faster this way. Haha."

"Your sense of humour is terrible Toriko... and I thought Grandfather's was bad..."

"That's not funny either! Goodnight!" Sarafina smiled a bit and stretched. "I suppose I shall turn in for the night as well." The blind woman said as Kururu jumped off her lap and found a comfy spot to sleep. Sarafina was about to stand up and walk over to her kitten when a strong, warm hand gently grabbed her wrist. "Toriko..?" Sarafina asked, turning to look at him questioningly. The hunter looked up at her, quiet for a moment, then asked, "Are we good?"

Now THAT threw her off but smiled slightly. "Yeah. We're good." She smiled more when the hunter let out a slight sigh of relief. "I'm surprised that you're still letting that bother you." "Heh.." Was all she got in response. Men. Without thinking about it she leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she rushed to her spot with Kururu and went to sleep.

Morning couldn't come soon enough for her and with that came more running, first from some furry, monkey-like animals and now from some monkey crocodile things. "A Furnip? It's a monkey species that lives in mines."

"That's all well and good but put me down, Toriko!" Sarafina growled at him, very extremely annoyed that he carried her against her will. Tch! One miscalculated slip and she's over his shoulder. Though the woman had to admit...Komatsu who had trouble climbing the steps was now skipping over them in terror who was also crying out monster in terror. "Kururu, stop their movements." She told the kitten as she raised her head to sense the Furnips quickly gaining speed. Kururu turned around and blew a harsh blizzard their way and covered part of the staircase in solid ice, making some of the Furnips slip and tumble. When that was done she quickly ran and caught up with the group, hitching a ride on Komatsu's backpack.

"They're proof that this mountain has whetstone mines. We're getting close, you guys!" Toriko announced, trying not to enjoy the view he was getting right now. "And no, we're gonna run for it so enjoy the ride, Fina! We got more monsters on our tails!" He grinned when he heard her grumbling darkly about something but continued to run. Hm? The monsters...they stopped following...why? "Look! Toriko-san! Sarafina! I can see the top!" Komatsu shouted happily. 'I get it. They're scared to approach the summit. Melk...what kind of man are you?' Toriko wondered glancing back, also noticing the animals had stopped at a certain point.

"Let's go!" Komatsu said as he watched the larger man put the woman down and all rushed up the stairs. Sarafina couldn't help but feel like something else was coming up behind. "We're here! Melk's workshop!" Komatsu exclaimed happily. It is a large, dome-shaped house made of stone on top of the mountain's flattened surface. On the house's right is Pochiko's tree nest and on its left is a large onsen (hot spring bath). Several boxes filled with whetstones are located around the house and underneath a small wooden panel roof attached to the house. There's also an old tree stump near the house's entrance.

"Huh. There's no sign on the door." Toriko said. The moment Toriko crossed the threshold both he and the woman felt like knives had gone through them. What the heck?! The two wondered and stared at the door. Was that...?! Yeah! It was an aura! But it felt sharper than a knife!

"Who needs a sign...when you're famous?!" Komatsu called back as he rushed to the door. "Wait a sec!/Wait, Komatsu!" The two called after him. Was Melk working right now? The hunter wondered even as Sarafina tried to figure out who that stiff welcome was for. Suddenly she felt a strong energy coming from behind them. "Toriko...something's coming this way.." Toriko looked back when he felt it too. "As always your instinct's are pretty sharp." He commented just as a giant anthropoid ape showed up.

A Scale Kong. A large, bulky, bipedal ape that stands at 12 meters in height and its girth makes it weigh about 11 tons. True to its name, its large muscular body is covered in green scales except for its face, chest and abdomen. Its forearms and shins are very large and muscular, and its hands have 6 fingers each and its feet have 6 digits each as well. It has a single cycloptic black eye with a slit pupil and a mouth full of sharp teeth and a rather long slobbery forked tongue with three ends.

"Huh... A Scale Kong. Bet you didn't have any trouble scaling the mountain." Toriko told it, getting ready to fight when something else from behind got their attention and a voice saying, "Scale Shave!"

A second later all the scales, well, most of them, simply fell off of the animal, who quickly put an arm across its chest and the other was used to cover up its privates even as its scale fell off with a tinkling sound and the group watched it turn and run away. What the hell just happened? "Didn't quite get them all. The blade's still only 30% complete." The voice, now that it spoke again sounded slightly feminine to her ears, said again. The trio turned to see a slender young man holding a knife in his hand.

He was a beautiful pale-skinned young man with straight black hair who has a slightly muscular frame. He has a cross-shaped scar on her right cheek and wears a light-blue headband around his head which bears the emblem of two knives on a whetstone, and wore a light and dark blue outfit. Sarafina gazed the young man and her eye narrowed at his soul. 'Hmm... now, this is certainly interesting.' She thought.

"Was that...your attack?" Toriko inquired curiously. "Yeah, that's right." The young person answered. "And that stinging aura, that was your doing? You must have sensed the Scale Kong coming." A sharp knowing look came on Toriko's face. "You must know your way around a blade to slice off all that ape's scales. Who are you? Melk's apprentice?" Of course, this person is the apprentice. Too young to be the one their looking for. "It's been years since anybody's come up here. You want my name? I'm Melk! Melk the cutler!" Melk announced, folding his arms across his chest. "Say what?!" The boys shouted in surprise while Sarafina tilted her head with a light smile.

"My name is Melk! Melk the cutler!" The young person repeated, grinning slightly. "Wha..whaaat?! You're Melk?! As in the world's best cutler Melk?!" The boys gaped out. "It's an honour to meet you." Sarafina said with a polite bow. "It's been years since I've seen another person. And I'm not sure I've seen anyone so shocked. Ever." Now this part was gonna be fun. "I...I'm surprised that you're so, uh, delicate!" Komatsu started then began to describe what he thought Melk would look like. "I was sure you'd look like this. From the rumours." How the heck did he get that idea?

"Where'd you get that idea from? And why a top knot?" Melk inquired a bit, looking slightly confused. Very good question. But his idea was fun. "I was 99% sure you'd be like..." Toriko described what he thought Melk would look. Both of their ideas were out there. "Don't know that one." Sarafina blinked when she felt their eyes on her. "Don't look at me, I never go by the rumours." She explained and got greeted by disappointed auras, mostly from Komatsu and Toriko.

"Oh well. The rumours you've heard have some truth to them." Melk said holding the knife he held closer to his face. Those words were slightly ominous...talk bout a dark sense of humour. It sure got Komatsu though, judging from his expression. Jeesh... Must he take everything at face value? The trio watched the slim man walk over to the door and motion with his hand in invitation. "Come in. It's been a while since I've had company." Sarafina glanced up at the hunter, who was doubtful about something. Must be about the Sharpener in front of them. "Don't let it get to you, Toriko. Things usually resolve themselves." Sarafina smiled as the larger man blinked and looked down at her.

"Jeez... Must you always have a say on something?" Toriko asked her, trying not to smile. "Must you make things complicated than what they're supposed to be?" Sarafina smiled innocently and blinked when he ruffled her hair a bit. "You're something else. Let's go catch up to Komatsu."

"Woo-hoo! Score!"

"Wait for us Komatsu," Sarafina called after him, walking over kinda curious to what was inside. She had never been to a cutler's shop before. It was kinda exciting to 'see' what one looked like.

Chapter Text

"I'm inside Melk-san's workshop!" The chef squealed excitedly placing his hands on his face. That was new..Sarafina didn't think she had ever heard a man squeal like a girl. Talk about a fanboy! Sarafina observed around the workshop curiously. So this was what they meant by master craftsman. Everything felt alive and small glitters were around each corner of this room. A lot of love was evident here. Glancing over at the chef it would appear that he was speechless. The woman glanced down and felt gouge marks of all sizes on the floor. A stone floor no less. What could of have possibly..?

"What..the.." Sarafina mused allowed, wondering what exactly caused the marks. "Comin' in..." The large man started to announce when he too noticed the gouges. What was with all the cuts? "Ah!" Komatsu gasped out looking up as one of the knives. "A thousand speciality knife! It's an all-purpose knife that can slice thousands of ingredients with ease. It's Melk-sama's masterpiece and it sells for five million yen. This is what one looks like before its sharpened..." The chef dreamily sighed out as he reached up as it to touch it.

"HANDS OFF!" Melk shouted at him just as the board, which was holding the knives in place like a shelf, unhinged from the wall letting the same knife Matsu was just admiring fall off.

"Watch out!" Sarafina cried out even as the hunter quickly yanked him back as he shouted, "Komatsu, watch out!" The knife easily sliced off some of Toriko's hair and embedded itself in the floor next to the shocked men. "A...amazing.." Was all she had time to get out before the smaller man went, "Huh...?! Whaaat?! It sliced through the stone floor! Th..that's one sharp blade!"

'I get it. The knives made these slice marks.' Toriko mused to himself then spoke up, "Melk knives... Some are so sharp they required a license to use. I've heard plenty of stories about clumsy amateurs getting themselves seriously cut." They watched him pick up the fallen knife and inspected it closely. "It's hard to believe this is unsharpened. Didn't I say hands off? That knife is made from a Warner Shark tooth. Nothing's as sturdy or sharp. It's dangerous."

That surprised Toriko a bit and commented. "A Warner shark? They're at least capture level 50. You must depend on another person to gather your materials." The woman bit back a sigh. Leave it to him to put his foot in his mouth. Judging from the stability from Melk's soul he didn't take that kindly. Something about Melk's demeanour said that the hunter was gonna pay for that remark.

"Depend on another person?" Melk echoed a bit. Just as she thought. He didn't take that comment well at well. The hunter waved off the remark and continued, "Never mind. Anyway, Melk. We've got something to ask..." "No one helps me." Melk spoke so quiet that Sarafina almost missed it.

"I acquire all my knives and whetstone materials myself. I don't rely on anybody else. So watch your words." The slender man warned. She's betting ten that Toriko was gonna go there. "Hmm. That's not how it looks to me. Melk."

"I knew it. He went there." Sarafina sighed. Even if Toriko's words were true, it was rude to point it out when it was none of their business, even more so when they needed a favour from this person. Toriko carried on, ignoring her. "You couldn't capture a Warner shark with that wimpy body. AAAUUGHHAHA!!"

"This is becoming exceedingly rude, Toriko. You boys need a favour from Melk...so why are you attempting to start a fight?" Sarafina scolded him as she put away her cane after electrocuting the giant man. "Wait... What are you... Hold on a sec, Torik..." Komatsu stuttered. "How would you know without finding out for yourself?" Melk inquired and the hunter merely responded by lightly using his knife and sliced a spot close to the cutler. Jeesh...was it just her or did it seem like Toriko was getting arrogant? Though to be honest it was kinda amusing to observe the shock on Melk as he processed what happened and glance to see the gauge.

A ting-ting sound got their attention and all turned to see the larger man holding one of the knives and was brushing it against the knife-hand. "Fine. Shall we out?" Toriko taunted a bit, trying not to smile at the adorable glare Sarafina was sending out him. Yeah...he was pushing it a bit but something wasn't sitting right with him about this...Melk. He had to find out what was it. "Heh heh... Just kidding." "H..hold on!/You're hopeless." The chef exclaimed while she just sighed out. "Sorry for wasting your time with that. I don't care where you get your materials. We came here for one reason." "Two reasons." Sarafina corrected and tried not to smile at him. "Oops...two reasons. My bad."

"Outside." Melk ground out, face dark a bit with anger. She called it. If the woman didn't know any better she'd say Toriko antagonized him in purpose to get him to this point... "Hm?" Toriko went as the cutler continued angrily. "Step outside. Now!"

"Nice work, Toriko. You succeeded in making him angry." Sarafina said, wondering why it was a big deal about strength. Unless..her earlier guess was correct... To confirm it Sarafina needed to get closer to find out. "M..Melk-san..?" Komatsu didn't sound very enthused about this.

Sarafina knew this stunt was coming but still... She sighed deeply as she and Komatsu followed the two outside. "You want to find? Fine. Test my true strength. In return, I'll test..." Melk said reaching for the knife in the hilt on his hip. "C..come on. Just apologize." Komatsu pleaded with the hunter, tugging on his arm a bit. "Quiet, Komatsu." Toriko told him. Sarafina sighed quietly. She knew it would come down to this.

"The sharpness of my latest blade." Melk finished saying holding a large knife that gleamed. Would that knife be enough to face Toriko? It would be a shame for Melk to get beaten up a bit. Next to her, the chef let out a horrified gasp. Oh boy. 'Is that what he meant?! Melk-san is cold-blooded enough to test the sharpness of his knives on people?! That look in his eyes...' The chef thought as he remembered the cutler's earlier words. Glancing a bit at Toriko showed him looking slightly bored, which kinda annoyed her for a moment. He was the one picking a fight and now he had the balls to look bored?!

"Fine. I'll take you on. I don't know why you're so angry, but whatever this is about must matter a lot to you. I said something unforgivable. About something you hold dear." The young man said nothing, just stared at the hunter waiting for his move. "Whatever it is we're men! Some things can only be settled with our fists!" Toriko smirked for a moment before he corrected himself. "My mistake. It's not fists...its knives!"

"Battle junkie to the end.." Sarafina sighed as the two watched the large man launch himself at the smaller opponent as he shouted, "Knife!" Which Melk blocked off beautifully with his knife, dang that was pretty cool! Guess Sarafina could see why everyone was so gung ho about those knives. Judging from Melk's expression the move completely threw her off.

While...Toriko did attack using his bare hands while she used a knife...so it wouldn't be a stretch to be surprised. The attack caused a knick in the move and a nice cut on the hunter's hand. Maybe the woman judged too harshly for him picking a fight this was pretty interesting to watch. Melk knelt down and in one smooth stroke sharpened the blade on her boot. His boots were whetstone?

"H...he sharpened the chip out of his blade in one stroke?!" Komatsu loudly exclaimed in shock. Wasn't he the one saying what a master Melk was? If Melk couldn't do it in one then he couldn't call himself an artisan. Ah well. It'll be over in a moment. "Eat my Scale Shave!" Melk shouted at Toriko as he used his attack from before on him which the hunter just easily blocked with a loud grunt. "I'll eat anything!"

"And it is done." Sarafina muttered as a split second later Melk was flat on her back with the hunter standing over his, holding his shirt while his knife was close to his neck. And of course, him smirking cockily at her. That damn ego. Melk was huffing and puffing trying to catch his breath as Toriko spoke up. "Not bad. You held out pretty well."

"Just what...are you?" He asked between gasps. "Toriko-san! What did you do to Melk-sama?!" The smaller man shouted rushing over to the two. "Technically Toriko did but..." Sarafina said walking up behind the chef. "He started it.." Toriko retorted a bit moving so Melk could sit up. "Did you say Toriko? I see now... You're Toriko, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. That's why you're so strong." "You held out very well in my opinion." Sarafina complimented. Toriko made a pout from that.

"Guess I forgot to introduce myself." Toriko said watching the woman walk over to his fallen opponent and offer a hand. "Are you alright?" She asked then blinked a bit when the hunter said, "Now tell us. Who exactly are you? And where's the real Melk?" She had thought so earlier but still! To go this far JUST to get his identity? But coming from the larger man...it was to be expected. The small group went inside and tea was prepared for the three. "What makes you think I'm a fake?" Melk inquired as she served the tea.

"Thank you." Sarafina warmly thanked the younger woman when she served hers to her. The two combatants hadn't bothered to clean up after the fight so the cutler still look quite dishevelled. The chef echoed her thanks when he got his tea. "You want to know?" And here comes the rudeness. That man seriously needed to learn manners... And perhaps lose the trademark cocky smirk. "Listen. Where the artisan who put out that sign on the back door is?" Hm? Now that Riko mention it there was a sign hanging over the door they passed through... Komatsu went outside to check. "Yeah! This is where the sign is! And the mailbox!" The blind woman tried some of the tea as the other man joined his partner.

"This is the front door." Toriko explained, putting his hands on his hips. "Then what we entered used to be the back door." The chef finished. Toriko turned to look at the cutler. "You didn't make that, did you? It's clear from the size." The hunter jabbed a thumb toward the door. "This door is larger than life." Now that he pointed it out most of the fixtures here looked like they were made for a much larger person. Ah. Now that she thought of it didn't Toriko mention this Melk person being a large guy? "Y..you're right. It's like it was meant for a giant." Komatsu echoed her thoughts.

The hunter glanced over to the woman drinking her tea calmly and was kinda curious why she was being so quiet all of a sudden. It wouldn't surprise him if she figured it out by now. Sarafina was a quick one. "This is a workshop. Oversized materials come in through her all the time." The younger man reasoned as they watch the hunter come inside and jab his thumb once again at the stairs. "Then how explain the size of these steps? They're on the scale of the steps leading up Melk mountain. This workshop and home were most likely built by the real Melk. If he's as people-wary as they say, it makes sense he put the entryway opposite the stairway. The real Melk would be 2.5 meters tall. You're not that." Toriko explained as he sat back down.

"If it's just about height.." Melk started but the hunter cut her off. "Nope, there's more." He tried not to smile at the sigh Sarafina tried to suppress. "Melk and the president are supposed to be friends. I'm talking about the IGO president. I have no idea how ancient that geezer," Again, he tried not to smile at Sarafina, who glared slightly at him cutely. Though he didn't think she'd appreciate him thinking her anger and glares were adorable. "But you don't look the right age to be friends. There's more. Want me to continue? Sarafina. Please stop glaring at me." Toriko gave in and smiled at her, who was glaring more at him. "Half of that was completely unnecessary! Did you have to rub salt in the wound? Ack!" The hunter ruffled her hair. She was far too nice for her good.

He didn't have to continue like that! And they haven't even asked for their favours yet! Melk was silent, though kinda confused and slightly amused at the exchange. Matsu glanced up and exclaimed quietly, "Melk-sama." The young man was silent for a few more minutes then spoke. "The IGO president is Ichiryu if I'm not mistaken. The name of that friend is one of the few words I've heard my master speak." Sarafina giggled as that threw the guys off. "'Master'?" Toriko echoed in surprise and slightly annoyed at the giggle. Hmph. She even figured that out? When was she gonna let them in on that? "My predecessor. Toriko, the "real Melk", you speak of is the former proprietor of the shop. In other words... I am his successor! The heir to his sharpening skills! Melk the Second!"

Was it just her or did that give off a strange vibe? Probably just her. "Huh? The second?" Matsu echoed. "Huh. Surprising. So Melk had an apprentice." Toriko commented. If she didn't know better Sarafina would have thought that was sarcasm. "Like the rumours say, my predecessor was a hermit artisan. I was his only apprentice." Melk explained even as Komatsu got sparkly eye and went, "Aww, a father-son business! How cool!"

"Why didn't you say so in the first place? I thought you were an imposter." Toriko rudely said stretching out a hand.

"Oh for goodness sake, Toriko! Must you continue with this boorish behaviour of yours?! What will you do if Melk doesn't want to help us?!" Sarafina scolded and only got more frustrated at him when she sensed him grinning at her. Damn him he better be taking her seriously! "Sarafina-san's right! You need to stop being rude, Toriko-San! First, you pick a fight, and now you call him a fraud?" Komatsu joined in, though he was also being rude by pointing a finger at the hunter but one rudeness at a time.

"You... Who are you two to accompany one of the Four Kings?" Melk inquired curiously, looking over at them. "Ah! I forgot!" Komatsu rubbed the back of his head embarrassed and did the weirdest, creepiest bow and introduction she had ever seen. She decided to ignore the hunter's comment of "You're giving me the creeps, Komatsu." When she felt the same. Some serious fan issues.

The name of his hotel perked the cutlery interested. "Hotel gourmet..? Then you're chef Komatsu. The chef Komatsu who made century soup!" THAT perked him up. "Y..you've heard of me?!"

"Of course! Hotel gourmet and Century Soup are famous now!" Melk excitedly explained even as the pose Komatsu got in was even more creepy. "I can't believe you've heard of me...!"

"Congratulations, Komatsu. Your name has reached the person you admired." Sarafina smiled as she watched the exchange even as Toriko let out a small laugh. "Your name's scaled the highest mountains. Not bad, Komatsu!" Toriko congratulated him.

"By the way, Komatsu's my partner." The large man added which drove the chef further into that weird pose of happiness which was extremely creepy. "Oh! I'm lucky to have such famous guests." Melk started before Safafina gave a small bow. "Just those two are partners. I'm simply their tag-along. I'm Sarafina, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The other young man looked at awe and inquired, "The famous, yet elusive Blind Bandit? It's quite an honour to meet you. Are you Toriko's girlfriend by chance?" Sarafina almost choked on her tea and thought she was going to explode from embarrassment from how hot her face was getting. What did-?! Kururu looked up at her master with confusion as Toriko laughed a bit and replied, "No, nothing like that." Even though that bit of their relationship was still up in the air, for some reason that bothered her... And judging from the slight weird look in his soul, he felt the same before he stifled the expression.

"D..do you think maybe the former Melk-sama also knows about me?" She could have kissed Komatsu for continuing and breaking the ice. To be honest, Sarafina had no idea if she should have said something or not about the...uh..."girlfriend" bit and even if they had agreed to keep between them...argh. Something to ponder about later.

"No, I highly doubt he ever heard a thing about you. He didn't care about the world below." That did make sense. He was supposed to be people wary or whatever. "Since he's withdrawn, I'm pretty certain that no one is aware there is a new Melk." Sarafina commented.

"What happened? Did he retire or something?" Toriko piped up, curious as to what happened to the original owner. That was a good question. It's doubtful he quit from the sound of things. Melk was quiet for a moment then answered, "My master is currently looking for some whetstone material." Wonder why he sounded doubtful? Did something happen before he left? "Huh?! He's still active?!" Toriko exclaimed surprise as the chef joined in, "Cool! So Melk-sama left his second in command in charge while he's in the field."

Sarafina rubbed her ears a bit. He does get so excited. "U...um, Melk-sama... Thing is, we came here...to ask for a single favour." Well, that was a turnaround. The blind woman smiled a bit. That was bold of him to be straight forward. "Two favours, Komatsu./Not just one!" Toriko and Sarafina said (though he shouted his) and looked at each other. "To commission a knife?" Melk asked. Komatsu got large hearts in his eyes and happily shouted, "Yesss! Please!"

"Of course! No problem! But you'll have to get in line with the other commissions. It'll be about three years." Three years?! Was the line that long?! Poor Komatsu got his hopes destroyed at the news. "Dah haha! Lucky you, Komatsu! In three years you'll have a knife!" The hunter teased him, laughing. That was kinda harsh...

Komatsu took out his broken knife and looked at it sadly and sighed in disappointment. "Three years? I guess you've got commitments already. I better buy a replacement at some department store while I wait." The chef said. Poor guy sounded completely dejected. The knife in the chef's hands got the cutler's attention, noticing something about it and leaned in to look at it. "That knife..." Melk started when Matsu explained, "Yeah... It broke on me. Poor knife... I'd been so careful."

Sarafina couldn't help but notice how captivated Melk was by the knife. It kinda made her curious about why the reaction. "Hey, Melk. I have a request too. More like a question." Toriko spoke up, getting Melk's attention then got a cocky look as he asked, "Have you heard of Melk Stardust?"

The question shocked the cutler pretty good. "Wha... Did you say Melk Stardust?!" Melk exclaimed surprised. "So you know about it?!" Toriko asked excitedly but Melk stayed quiet for a moment. "Melk..?" Sarafina inquired a bit. Just what was it that got him so rattled a bit? "What do you want with it?" Toriko stood up to look at Melk. "We're looking for it. Can you tell us what you know?"

"Melk Stardust is a whetstone. It's an incredible whetstone said to be able to sharpen any material in the world!" The cutler explained. Sarafina laughed at the boys shocked and dismayed expressions. She had a feeling it wasn't going to be food. Not exactly. Knowing that crazy president of a grandfather, this was something edible. "What?! It's a whetstone?!/Huh?!" The two gaped out even as the hunter cried out in dismay, "Melk Stardust isn't food?!"

"Food..? Well, supposedly the golden shavings that fall after its sharpened a very hard material can be used as a seasoning. Is that what you mean maybe?" Melk asked.

"A seasoning?" Sarafina echoed, though she couldn't help but grin at the cute disbelief Toriko had on. It was nice to see those different expressions besides his smug look. "A seasoning?!" Toriko also echoed in disbelief. "Yes. The dust is composed of a new kind of amino acid. So it's never been tasted before." The cutler finished explaining.  Now the hunter was excited. "Never been...tasted?"

"Toriko you're starting to drool." Sarafina smiled innocently when he moved his head away. Hehe. Did he think she was gonna wipe it off? "The first one to discover it was my master. That's why it was named Melk Stardust. I've never seen it myself. If I had that whetstone I could sharpen on a whole new level." Komatsu watched the cutler, strangely quiet on the topic. Wonder what he was thinking. Toriko had a thinking look and she could already guess what he was plotting. "Say... Say I found that whetstone for you. If I did...would you put Komatsu's knife at the top of your list?" 

"T...Toriko-san.."

"How 'bout it?"

The younger man looked at him for a moment then replied, "It's impossible, Toriko. Even you couldn't mine Melk Stardust."

"Hm? Why not?" Toriko asked.

"It's in too dangerous of a place."

"Well, there should be nothing to worry about. He's used to those by this point." Sarafina chirped out innocently and tried not to giggle at the hunter. "Nice to know I've got your confidence but anyway. I kinda figured. Seeing as how the old man commissioned it. It was going to be in a dangerous place." Melk closed his eyes for a moment then said solemnly, "My master went there and hasn't returned."

"Melk-sama the first?! So the whetstone he's looking for is Melk Stardust?!" Komatsu gaped out.

"My master handled all the forging and material acquisition. He never asked for anybody's help. He's the one who killed the capture level 55 Warner shark. It wasn't me. Sorry, Toriko.." The cutler admitted. Toriko grinned slightly. "Yeah. I knew it wasn't you."

"My master's so strong. He's the one who discovered Melk stardust... And yet he hasn't been back in six years!"

"That long?!/S..six years?!" Sarafina and the chef gasped out in surprise. "... Maybe he died." Toriko bluntly said and blinked at the glare from the tall woman. "How arrogant Toriko!" She scolded then blinked when Melk raised her voice in denial, "No! He's not dead! I know he's alive! I still... Have to..." Her voice trailed off a bit clenching her fist in emotion.

"Tell me. Tell me where I can find Melk stardust. If the former Melk is there, I'll bring him back with me. That's a promise!" There he went again playing the charisma card. "About 30 kilometres north of Melk mountain. Several tens of thousands of meters below the surface... Lies Heavy Hole. Because of the unique magnetic resonance field and pressure gravity is magnified there. It's the deepest cave in the human world. That's where Melk stardust is mined." Toriko cracked his knuckles a bit in anticipation.

"Let's go, Komatsu! Sarafina!" "I'm not coming along/You should make this a solo journey, Toriko-San. It's too dangerous for me." The two replied to the statement. "What?! Why do you think I've brought you two along?! I told you I need your strength! There's no point if we don't capture this together?!" The hunter cried in outrage while Sarafina laughed at the smaller man. Toriko and Sarafina watched the chef turn to Melk and asked, "What do you think, Melk-sama?"

"Hmm... I think it's too dangerous for chef Komatsu." Sarafina listened in on amusement as the chef seized the moment. "I know, right?!" Toriko, meanwhile, didn't look too pleased at the reaction. His pout was pretty childish and cute. Nice to know he could make those expressions. "Komatsu, don't tell me... You want to be left behind so you can watch Melk work." The woman giggled as the chef, caught red-handed, tried to quickly deny it. "N...no way! Whatever made you think that...!"

"Your expression of your soul gives you away, Komatsu." Sarafina told him trying not to laugh. 

"And what about you? Why are you staying?"

"As much as I would love to come along with you Toriko, this is a part of your training that President Ichiryu has given you. I'm afraid that I'll be getting of the way of your growth in this endeavour." The hunter wasn't too pleased with that.

"Fine. I see how it is. Then you two... Give me one of your knives and something of yours!" Toriko demanded. "Huh? A knife?" Komatsu echoed in confusion. "Why do you want something of mine?" Sarafina inquired, curious about why he would want one. She doesn't have that much on her. But if he was that insisted on it. "Yeah. You've still got one that's not broken right? I know you've always got them on you." Toriko said throwing the chef off more. "I do, but.." Komatsu started but the larger man continued. "These knives are your life. I want one with me. Same goes for you, Fina. It's a part of you so I'll take it with me."

She blinked a bit when he reached over and tugged on the black ribbon that's keeping her hair in a ponytail. Before she could say anything, Toriko tugged on it and the tie becomes undone, setting free her long hair. Sarafina blushed a bit when she touched her hair before gazing up at Toriko as the chef handed him a knife. "Why do you want those anyway?" Sarafina asked. The two items disappear into one of his pockets. "As collateral. If anything happens to me, something you value as much as your life should share the same fate."

"I beg your pardon? Since when did you turn to be so spiteful?!" "Huh?! Why would you do that?!" The two exclaimed at him in dismay. The nerve of him! Then Toriko gave his friends a very childish grin. "Just kidding. Heh heh. But we're partners, remember? Our spirits belong too wherever we go. And..it might be better to divide and conquer this time. You two got something important to take care of!" Toriko told them then took off. Komatsu was confused but Sarafina had an inkling about what that was. She glanced over to the younger man. If it was what she thought it was then trying to help Melk get confidence might be a challenge.

"Will Toriko be okay out there alone? Heavy Hole is one of the most dangerous places in the human world. The average capture level of the creatures down there is over 50." The cutler asked, worry in his voice. "He'll be just fine. This will probably be a simple task for him. If not, then I shall go there myself to help him out. I don't want that man dying on me." Sarafina reassured her with a smile. "Mew." Kururu said as she nodded her head. "She's right! Toriko-san will be fine! He survived the Gourmet World!" That perked Melk a bit. "The Gourmet World...?" A loud screech came from somewhere behind them. The two turned around to see some bat-like ape landing close to them.

It was very tall and is easily twice the size of a normal human. Its main body is like that of a gorilla and it has large wrists with equally large fists. Its skin is light purple and its fur has a darker purple colour. It has the facial structure of a gorilla but with bat-like ears and yellow eyes, and it has very prominent fangs. Its most notable feature, the pair of bat wings on its back, are easily twice the length of its body and form up a small tail-like shape near the beast's behind.

"My, what an interesting creature." The blind woman calmly even as the chef screamed, "GYAAH! MONSTER!" Just what the heck is that Thing?! Sarafina tilted her head at it when it lands right by them, poor Komatsu fell and continued to scream in fear. "Knock it off, Pochiko!" Melk called over to the animal, silencing it quickly. "They're our guests."

"Huh?!" Komatsu whipped his head toward the cutler who extended a hand in apology. "Sorry, she scared you, chef Komatsu and Sarafina-chan. That's our pet Vampire Kong! Her name is Pochiko."

"P...Pochiko?" Komatsu echoed a bit.

"She's been the master's pet for a very long time. She's intelligent, friendly and delivers knives." That pipped her interested. "Delivers knives?" The chef echoed and watches Melk walk over and removed a large sack from the animal's back. "She delivers the majority of my commissions." 

"Really?!"

"I'm curious about how that works...I bet it's quite a sight to see her bring those."

"Welcome home, Pochiko. Good work." Once the bag was removed Pochiko scurried over to the nest pole thing nearby and climb up to the top of a half dome that had a nest inside and stood upright, her arms folded across her chest. "Oh, that's her nest. But don't bats hang upside down?" The chef asked.

The cutler was silent for a moment then exclaimed cheerfully, "Time for work! I've got a lot of commissions today!" Hearts appeared in the chef's eyes and clasped his hands together in happiness, "Yes! Let's get sharpening, Melk-sama!" The group went inside and watched the cutler dump the bad out and a whole bunch of knives of every size and shape fall onto the fall. "Wow! These are all knives, Melk-sama?!" The chef asked/shouted excitedly. That was a lot of knives...how did she ever get those done with ease? Must be a genius.

"Yep, that's right. They're knives that chefs from all over the world want sharpened. I get about a hundred a day." Melk confirmed, surprising the chef even more. Well, Sarafina was just as surprised but if three years was a wait then a hundred a day sounded bout right. "Holy cow. If you have to deal with this every day, no wonder it would take three years to get to mine." Komatsu said.

Chapter Text

The cutler laughed a bit and replied, "Looking at a knife tells you who the owner is." "Impressive...!/Really?!" The two exclaimed though Sarafina's response wasn't as loud as Komatsu. Komatsu picked up a knife that was full at the handle then tampered off in the middle to become smaller. Interesting style. "How about this one? Who owns this shiny knife?" The chef inquired. "That belongs to chef Lulubhu of Guts."

"G...Guts?! As in the topmost floor of the gourmet towers Guts?! The seven-star restaurant on the 312nd-floor Guts?! This is chef Lulubhu-san's knife?!" The small man looked at the knife he held in awe, shaking slightly. "Whoa... What an honour... To hold the knife of such an influential chef..."

Melk held up a sickle-like knife and said, "And this knife belongs to Chef Yuji of Mogura!"

"The gourmet down-town gourmet alley Yuji-san?! As in the chef whose eight-star restaurant specializes in hormone grilling Yuji-san?!" Komatsu gulped a bit. "These are all celebrity knives. It makes sense considering the calibre of your work, Melk-sama." He exclaimed in awe. "As expected, he's a major fanboy." Sarafina mumble quietly in amusement as they watched the cutler turn to a counter that had a small tub on it.

"Most of these are legacy commissions from my master. My master never cared to know about his clients. He only cared about the knives. But I'm interested in them. I want to know more about the chefs who handle such fine blades." The cutler talked as he removed a plate-sized stone that was roughly two or three inches thick. "Like you and your broken knife, Chef Komatsu."

"Hm?" Sarafina went, curious what that meant. "Huh?" Komatsu blinked in confusion. A smile on Melk's face. "When I saw it, I wondered what kind of person wields a knife with such and affection." Hmm..that was interesting. Melk sat down the stone on a large square stone. His work station perhaps? "Is the fact that I think about the owners proof that I lack concentration? Compared to my master, maybe I'm still a novice."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Each artist is different when their working. It's perfectly fine to wonder about who is using those knives." Sarafina said, smiling warmly at Melk who seemed slightly put off by the remark. "That..that's not true! A knife reflects the traits of its owner." Komatsu told the cutler, who hadn't responded to either statement. "My master..." Melk started picking up a thin-looking knife and brought it close to his face. "Focused on one thing alone. Maximizing blades to their full potential."

The chef looked at the knife for a moment, admiring it, then said, "What a beautiful knife. But it doesn't look like it needs sharpening. Melk gazed at the knife, her keen eye noticing the smallest of nicks on the knife. 'Haha, guess she had noticed it too. It's nice meeting someone else with a keen eye.' Sarafina thought with a smile. "This is the sashimi knife used by the chef at Ouki. That restaurant is known for delicate ingredients that require special preparation. Even a 1/1000th-millimetre nick can significantly affect preparation." Melk explained as he brought the knife to the stone in front of him.

"Wow...I can barely see that nick." Komatsu said. "The best chefs don't see nicks, they feel them. Same with a cutler. It's not with our eyes but with our ears and fingertips that we sharpen a knife." Was it just Sarafina or was the younger man's soul sparkling as he sharpened the knife? Judging from the chef either Melk was sparkling or he was too entranced by the work and was in awe. She was leaning towards awe. Much to the amazement of the two, the knife was done in one elegant swipe. Even more amazing was that the sound came AFTER the stroke.

A..amazing..! Sarafina didn't think anything like that was possible! The cutler brought the knife up close and placed his hand flat on one side, he let out an "Mm-hm." in approval. A second later sweat poured off his face in heavy drops. "Phew..." Melk sighed out. "Wow!" Komatsu went in surprise. So much sweat. 'That happens to me too. I start gushing sweat when I'm cooking a really challenging meal.' The chef thought as the two looked on at Melk. His sweat came from a single swipe.

Melk must have honed all his concentration into that one swipe. To even get it in one go was extraordinary. "There, done." A smile appeared as Melk reached up to wipe away the sweat. "Heh. The master wouldn't have shed a single drop of sweat over that."

"That was pretty neat. I've never heard anything like that before!" Sarafina told him smiling at him as a second later the chef joined and exclaimed excitedly, not to mention loudly, "I...I got goosebumps, Melk-san! I'm moved! That was incredible!" Sarafina tried not to smile. As usual, not to mention predictable, Komatsu's excitement threw the young cutler off a bit. "You think?" The cutler seemed a little weary of the loudness. Komatsu clasped his hands in excitement and continued. "I just got to see the world's best sharpening. Lucky me!"

"R...right. Uh, thanks." Melk seemed to be thrown off a bit. Not that she could blame him, Komatsu CAN be a handful when he was excited. "It happened so fast I kinda missed it. So I didn't even get to see what happened." The chef rubbed the back of his head. Hmmm...now that he mentioned it was too fast to catch a good glimpse.

"Well, you see... The speed of the sharpening depends on the quality and function of the knife and the type of whetstone as well as the habits of the owner." Melk explained. That set the small man off more. "Yeah? Can I watch a slow one, pleeease?!" Sarafina bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Sure! Of course!" Her reply set him off even more.

Komatsu let out a series of excited ooh's and eee's. Good heavens, could he get any louder?! "I'm prickling with goosebumps!" "Komatsu/chef Komatsu, can you keep it down?" The bandit and the cutler asked him then. "Oops! Sorry.." The chef apologized looking a bit chagrined. The blind woman shook her head with a smile. "I'm gonna get a bit of fresh air. Try to remain calm will you, Komatsu." Sarafina said as she stepped outside. "Eh? You sure you don't want to watch, Sarafina-san?" Komatsu called after her. The two were going to be here for a while. It wouldn't matter if she listened now or later. Sarafina sighed a bit then sat down on a nearby rock and looked up at the stars.

Sure felt weird being here and waiting for the hunter. Usually, she or she and Komatsu were with him when Toriko went on his hunts. Kinda felt lonely without the hunter. Her eye narrowed a bit in annoyance should Toriko learned that fact. Already Sarafina could hear him teasing her. 'Knowing him he'd never let up on the teasing.' The woman groused a bit. But still...it did feel weird without him next to her. Was this the first time they've been apart for this long? Damn...if the feeling was this strong now...what would it be like if she were to fade away from his world? Should she just stay...? "I never intended to... But it's very clear that I have fallen in love him so deeply." Sarafina muttered quietly. If so, what should she do..?

"Mew..?" Kururu went as she sat on her lap, looking up at her with sad eyes. Sarafina gently petted her head and sighed. If that were to happen, then Toriko deserves to know that. She never exactly told him, but she was aware that Toriko knew she felt the same, but it would be better if he heard her say it. After all, Toriko had strongly told her that he loved her and would always continue to protect her no matter what should happen. He made a promise to her that he would not allow her to die.

As much as she held some hope, the alternative was still there in the back of her mind. Her sudden death. Gourmet Corp's goons taking every opportunity to get their claws on her... Would they ever get close? Speaking of which the woman wondered if Toriko was close to getting the whetstone or not. He had been gone for a few days and perhaps was getting his butt whooped by the monsters in the cave. Hmph...hahaha. The latter seemed more plausible than simply getting lost.

Lost... Kinda like Melk. He seemed to have lost an important part of himself somewhere along the line. At least, Komatsu, had his work cut out for him. Sarafina will do what she could to help.

Next day

Sarafina had woken up early the next morning to aid Melk in creating breakfast while Komatsu was still asleep. Melk had spoken to her as he was a little concern if she was comfortable sleeping in the same room with a man, though Sarafina had smiled and told him that was perfectly fine with it, it did throw the cutler off with that notion.

A second later the chef downstairs and was slightly surprised to see Melk at work again. Talk about workaholic but then again..look at the sheer amount of commissions Melk got every day. Sleep would be impossible to get but that was no excuse. Sleep deprivation would make the work ruin itself after a while. "Good morning, Melk-sama. Sarafina-san" Komatsu greeted the cutler and the bandit. "Good morning, Komatsu." "Mew!"

"Good morning, chef Komatsu. Did you sleep well?" Melk asked him. "Not really. I think I was too excited from the day." Komatsu tells him with a bashful smile.

"This coming from a man who was snoring next to me the whole night." Sarafina muttered beneath her breath. Though his snoring didn't bother her all the much. Toriko's louder than him. "Melk, did you stay up all night working? I was worried you might." Komatsu said. Melk smiled up and replied, "Yeah, sorry. Did I keep you up?" To which the chef quickly responded, "No, no. Don't worry about worrying me..."

"I bet, with all those commissions." Sarafina frowned a bit before she spoke up, hoping she wouldn't sound rude, "It's not good to stay up all night. It's fine to take a break once in a while, dear." Melk smiled more. "I'm used to it. Chef Komatsu, Sarafina-chan and I made some soup. Want some?" Ah. Now that Melk mentioned it something smelled wonderful. "Yay! I sure do!" Komatsu cheered and danced his way to the kitchen.

Sarafina got a bowl for Komatsu and poured him some soup before she scooped some for herself. When she tried it, it was simply delicious. Even with her help, Melk had done most of the preparations himself, but he did appreciate her help. "Delish! You're a pro at cooking too!" Komatsu asked, excitedly.

"Someone is going into overdrive in being a fan." Sarafina laughed slightly continuing to eat. "That's flattering coming from a chef like you." Melk said, slightly thrown off by the small man. "It just goes to show talented people can do just about anything." Alright...now he was starting to push some buttons if Komatsu didn't knock that crap off. Though the young cutler just seemed to be flattered by it. Hopefully by the compliment and not by that remark.

"Thank you..." He started then smiled wide. "Well, time for work! There's a lot to do today too!" Hearts appeared in Komatsu's eyes as he clasped his hands together happily, "All right!" The woman listened as the younger man grab some tongs, a hammer and a knife without a handle and walked over to her spot. Within moments loud banging was heard as the cutler worked on the knife. "So forging is the first step in making a knife?" The chef asked, kneeling closer slightly as he watched in fascination, sweat beginning to pour off Melk as he worked.

"Not quite." Melk corrected, not evening breaking his concentration or bothering to look up as he worked. "Gathering the materials comes first, but I can't capture anything with a high capture level. The master did everything himself. I'm still so inexperienced." There it was again, his low confidence coming through. From what Sarafina could tell Melk's work fit his position, so what was causing the self-esteem difficulties?

"Neat. Look at that shimmer. Quenching is an essential part of the process." Komatsu said. "You can't call yourself inexperienced when you make such stunning knives, Melk-sama." The young cutler looked at the small man, pride showing a bit on his face at the compliment. "You think so? Thanks." Was it just her or did it seem a bond was forming around those two? It was creating an atmosphere just for them and Sarafina felt slightly left out. But she was happy at how well these two were getting along, so that what truly mattered to her.

After a moment Melk got up and retrieved a stone and placed it on a bench. "Normally, you sharpen a blade on a sequence of three whetstones. Rough grindstones, medium grade millstones and fine-grained polishing stones." Melk explained as he worked. "This natural gradient combines all three. It goes from sandy to fine-grained."

"Amazing..." Sarafina went in awe even as the chef said, "It's amazing that a whetstone like this occurs in nature."

"The master mind these." Melk told them.

"Should that matter? You're the one using them correctly and from what I've heard so far, it's by no means a small feat." The older woman said. Though she smiled, her eyes were saddened by the culter. Why couldn't Melk see the amazing work he's done? "What Sarafina-san said. That part is irrelevant. You're the one who's mastered how to use them, Melk." Sarafina frowned a bit when the cutler brushed off their words. "No, I still have a long way to go. This is nothing compared to my predecessor's skill." Melk's self-doubt was bothersome but it wasn't Sarafina's place to scold him. It wouldn't do any good. How in the world can they get through to him?

Sarafina shook her head and went outside. Honestly...what in the world caused Melk to have such low confidence? His master DID leave him in charge, right? Or had he screwed it up and... Yeah. He screwed it up. How else would that explain the confidence issue? ...And where the heck is that idiot Toriko? It's been about two days and no sign of him yet. She hadn't even sensed the smallest twinge of him.

Had something happened to him...? Was he trapped somewhere down below? Of course, it would take a while to get used to gravity increase. But...the hunter may be something of a superhuman but he WAS still human... "Please, come back to me safely, Toriko..." She said softly to herself. Kururu looked up at her owner and was worried about the sad tone in her voice. Kururu's ears flattened down and she wondered if Sarafina cared about Toriko that much.

The blind woman looked out into the distance and sensed the mountains beyond where she stood. The calming winds that blew through her still free hair and the peaceful silence was incredible. It almost made her forget all the craziness going on. 'Too much of it if you asked me, though that's to be suspected if you're in my case. It's nice to gain some distraction from my time limit and those creeps who are after me.' It wasn't so bad. Going on adventures with an amazing man, meeting new and interesting people, experiencing new and exciting things...

Sarafina smiled as she thought back at how her life has been ever since she had first met Toriko. She had viewed him to be a great friend, but now he has earned a place in her list of people she felt everlasting gratitude towards. Ichiryu had saved her and given her a reason to live, Leticia had taught her the great importance of friendship and trusting others. And Toriko...was teaching her how to love again. She believed him as he told her the truth. Sarafina was sure she loved him just as much as he did her. And that's why she was so afraid for him...what will happen to him if she were to die before they obtain GOD?

Footsteps behind her snapped her out of her thoughts. "Keeping an eye out for Toriko?" Melk asked as the two walked up beside her. "Yes. I am. And doing some thinking." Sarafina said, turning her attention back out. "Do you guys think Toriko's okay?" Melk asked as the two looked out into the mountains. "Of course he is. Knowing him he's probably eating and having fun as we speak." Sarafina said. "Have faith, Melk-sama! Toriko-san's tough! He'll come back! With Melk Stardust and the former Melk!" Komatsu said.

Melk slightly smiled and said nothing. Sarafina was curious when Melk glanced over to the bat thing. Wonder what he was thinking about. "Hey, Melk-sama!" Komatsu's voice startled the two both turned to see him walking towards a stone wall that oddly was shaped in a ba... OH! Was that a real outdoor bath she always heard about it?! How captivating! "What's that?! Is it a real...?" The chef shouted excitedly even as Sarafina went, "An outdoor bath..! I have ALWAYS wanted to try one!" Melk laughed slightly and replied with a smile, "Yeah. It's an outdoor bath as you can see. Over a natural hot spring!"

"A hot spring?!"  Komatsu exclaimed.

"Feel free to use it, Chef Komatsu. Miss Sarafina." Melk told them. "For real?!/ Thank you very much." The two exclaimed together happily. "Of course. The master dug it up when he was young. So it's a little small, but it's still pretty impressive."

"Y...you don't say.." Komatsu started when Sarafina spoke up. "Why don't you take a bath first Komatsu?"

"Eh?! B..but you should use it first.. You are a lady.." Sarafina smiled warmly at him. "It's alright. I'll take it after you're done." Since her motives were for him to be gone for a bit and her to talk privately with Melk. She wanted to get a better feel for the younger man. Komatsu didn't need a second prompting cause in less than two seconds he was up and fetching a towel. "I guess I'll go back to work."

The younger man said as she headed back inside, "Would you like some tea? It may not as good as Komatsu's but it's still tasty." Sarafina asked, feeling a bit peckish and figured a slow start was a good way to go. "Hm? If it's not too much trouble for you. Are you sure you're able to do it?" Sarafina laughed as the chef rushed past them and out the door. "Not really. I may be blind, but I can still do a few things. Besides," Her eye glanced at the workshop. She can "see" all she needs to. "So much life and energy goes into maintaining this lovely home."

Sarafina took out a small pot and pan. Using an actual teapot to make it was new to her but it shouldn't be that hard. Kururu held up a tea with her mouth and placed it Sarafina's hand. Whatever tea was now in the pot smelled divine. She got some water and started that on the fire. As she prepared the drink and snacks she began to wonder just how she was going to start and how to bring it up delicately. And just how much time would she have to bring it up?

Komatsu can't live out in the bath forever. Safe topic first then slowly mention about it? Or play it by ear and see how it turns out? Hmm. The second option seemed more beneficial. Melk didn't appear comfortable with being true to oneself. Wonder if the former master did that, though highly unlikely, or if this was something Melk had decided on his own. Facts turned more toward the second option. A delicious smell brought her out of her thoughts. 'Tea and biscuits are done. Hope they taste good.'

That would be a terrible way to start a conversation. Putting the tea in the pot and biscuits on a tray, she came out. "All set. I sincerely hope they aren't as bad as they seem." Sarafina said as she set the items on a table. "I'm sure they're delicious. I could smell them from out here." Melk said, working on sharpening the knife from before. Sarafina poured the tea and drank some. Hmm...guess her skills at tea making haven't diminished for not being used in so long.

"I hope you don't mind if I work and have some."

"Not at all." Now then...how to start... Ah. Here they go. "How long have you been doing this?" Sarafina asked. "Since I was about fifteen or sixteen I think." That young?! "My goodness! So young!" They sweatdrop a bit when they heard a loud "ahh" coming from outside. "Guess someone likes the bath..." Sarafina said taking a bite out of one the biscuits. Melk nodded and had some tea and blinked. "It's delicious!" Sarafina smiled brightly and smiled more at the cute embarrassed look the cutler's soul got. Adorable. "I'm glad you like it. I'm not used to the cooking style I had to use and was afraid of how it would turn out." Thanks, Grandpa Ichiryu.

"It turned out great." The two chatted a bit as the cutler worked. Sadly no chance of bringing up what she wanted to talk about never came.

After a while, the younger man stopped and went to look at Komatsu. If Sarafina didn't know any better, she'd say that the knife was calling to Melk. 'It's beautiful every time I look at it. Even though it's broken, it has such a presence.' The cutler thought as she continued to examine the knife. Komatsu's spirit was keeping the knife alive. Footsteps announced that the chef was coming back. "*sigh* That was an awesome bath." Komatsu said as he entered the room.

"Did you enjoy the bath Komatsu?/Did it warmed you up?" The two started to inquire when the young man noticed what he, or more like wasn't, was wearing. "Yeah, I'm steaming hot." The smaller man said as he walked inside fully as he rubbed the back of his head, wearing only his underpants with a meat picture on it.

"Gah! What's with those underpants?!" The sight threw off Melk real bad if she freaked out reaction was anything to go by. Sarafina let out a sigh and shook her head while Kururu growled at him. Seriously?! There are women here! "Huh? Oh, sorry. I've got knife ones too. But I thought that'd be going overboard. So, meat it is."

"As if that explains walking around in your undergarments. Go get some clothes on." Sarafina said as Kururu roared at him angrily. Was he THAT comfortable around her to where he could think it was ok to go like that?! Even if she can't see, it was still indecent. "Who cares about that?! Just put some real clothes on, chef Komatsu!" Melk shouted.

"Uh, right." Komatsu started then used the towel around his neck to wipe his face. "I'm so warm and drained, I'm gonna sleep great. Take it easy and give yourself a break too, Melk. Enjoy the bath Sarafina-san."

"I will." Good thing Kururu grabbed her towel earlier. Honestly. "I'm gonna clean up the mess I made. Enjoy the rest of the tea." Sarafina told her as she went into the kitchen. For goodness sake, that man! Sarafina angrily grumbled to herself as she cleaned up the mess. Toriko must be rubbing his bad habits off on Komatsu. That made her even more angry an began scrubbing the pot harder even as the hunter's words came back.

Flashback

"Just what do you do mean separate duties?" Sarafina inquired, wondering what that meant. Did that mean she was to help or what? "Yeah. What are we supposed to do?" Komatsu asked.

"You don't have to do anything."

"Huh?" The two echoed even more confused. The hunter smiled at them and replied, "Just keep Melk company. That's something only you can do."

"What exactly do you mean by that? Aah!" Sarafina squeaked out when Toriko ruffled her hair.

End flashback

Now that the two spent more time with Melk, she understood why he gave them this to do. However, Sarafina had a feeling Komatsu would be the one to help Melk the most. "But that doesn't excuse him for walking around in his undergarments." Sarafina muttered under her breath and somehow ended up cleaning the entire kitchen. "Oops..." Ah well. One less thing for the others to worry about. Though she shouldn't be too angry. Melk looking flustered was rather adorable. "Melk are you done with.." Sarafina asked leaving the kitchen when she noticed that she was alone. "Huh? Where did..?" The blind woman started to wonder when the sound of splashing caught her attention.

A slow smile appeared when she heard that. Perfect. What a perfect opportunity to talk like she wanted. Sarafina went upstairs and quickly, and quietly, she undressed and wrapped the towel around herself before heading downstairs with Kururu following behind. She went outside and walked over to the bath.

Sarafina couldn't help but smile as she approached. Melk wasn't gonna see this coming. "Mind if I join you?" Sarafina inquired innocently when she reached the tub, causing the young cutler to jump a foot and the older woman tried not to laugh when she whipped around to face Sarafina, who was smiling as she watched. "Eh?! Wait... Eh?! B..but I..I'm...a-."

Sarafina climbed in, causing Melk to blush brightly but then his jaw dropped when Sarafina replied, "It's no problem since we're both women." That shocked Melk greatly if her jaw dropped anymore the cutler was gonna let in flies. "Yes, I know. I had known it from the moment we met." Sarafina answered the unasked questions.

"But...how did you know?" Melk asked in a slightly shaken voice. So cute. Sarafina tapped her throat in response. "No Adam's apple. If you're going to pretend to be a man you gotta cover your throat. You were trying too hard to act tough. Kinda gave it away. My eyes and my senses have gotten a closer look at your soul, and that's something that can never be concealed." Melk sighed, almost like in defeat. "May I ask why you are trying to be a man?" Sarafina asked the young cutler, who still appeared to be in shock. She was snapped out of it when Kururu jumped on her head before diving into the water. "I...I have to be a man. I'm not supposed to be weak... I must...wipe away any traces." Melk explained.

"So by denying being a woman, you're getting rid of weakness?" Sarafina asked and felt concern when the other woman nodded. Wow...just how strong was her master? "I have a weak body. I'll admit that but I'm just as strong as Toriko. Perhaps even stronger." She winked at that part. "I may not be able to do things he can but there are things he can't do but I can." Sarafina said, looking up at the sky. "And besides, who in the world said women were completely weak? We can endure more things that'll break grown men!" Sarafina flashed Melk a smile.

Melk blinked as she tried to process her words. "But.." "But nothing. Some of the pain we go through would kill them. Take childbirth as an example. That alone would kill a man." Melk didn't appear to be affected by the words but looked like she was pondering them. 'At least that's a good sign. I'm not quite sure what else to say. Hope Komatsu can pull through.' The blind woman thought to herself.

"Thank you. Sarafina." Melk told her. Sarafina nodded as she smiled at her. The women looked at each other before sharing a laugh as they relaxed in the bath. "You miss him don't you?" Melk asked her. "Hm?" Sarafina went, slightly confused. "Toriko. Ever since he left you seem...restless. Always staring off into space and looking up at the sky.." The blind woman fought back the blush that threaten to form and quickly looked away.

"W-well, maybe I do... But I'm certain he's having fun and most likely eating everything within sight. ...And safe, I hope." The other woman laughed a bit. "I guess that means you miss him a lot. Are you two...together?" Melk asked slightly shy. "Ah! I-! Well...!" Sarafina sputtered before sighing sadly. Might as well tell someone about it. "I must confess, I love him but...I'm not sure where my future is heading. If it's with him, then I'd be the happiest woman in the world to stay by his side. If not... Anyway, Komatsu seems to be having the time of his life here watching you work." Melk blinked a bit at the quick change of topic.

"Yeah... He does. He's got plenty of enthusiasm." Melk agreed. She sighed a bit and looked up at the ceiling. Wonder if the cutler was thinking about what the chef has said so far. Sarafina stretched a bit and relaxed more into the bath. This felt like absolute heaven. Splashing was heard and Sarafina turned to look and noticed Melk getting up. The older woman politely turned her head away and blinked a bit when Sarafina sensed the chef walking over. Why was Komatsu-? Oooh, no! "Hey, Melk," Komatsu started happily, startling the crap out of Melk when he suddenly noticed.

"UH." Komatsu started in shock until he looked down south on the cutler. Whatever food he was holding he dropped in shock and Melk let out a cry of shock and when she tried to cover herself up. "Chef Komatsu!" Melk cried out in dismay. Then a split second later the cutler righted herself and planted her hands in her hips, looking calm and collected and looked straight at Komatsu and asked, "What? You got a problem, chef Komatsu?" Talk about a sudden attitude change! Unknown to Sarafina, Komatsu had the same thought going through his head.

"N..no! I'm sorry! I mean, uh.." The chef quickly exclaimed confused as he quickly covered his eyes. "Melk-sama? Y..you're...a girl?! EH?! Sarafina-san?! You're here..?! What?! Eh?! I mean! You were a woman...all this time?!" Melk closed her eyes with a sigh. "Yeah. So?"

"Careful Komatsu. You might fall over in shock." Sarafina lightly teased getting slightly at the reaction. "No problem here.." Komatsu finally turned away waving his hand. Melk sighed again. "Chef Komatsu. We have to talk."

"Can you leave already Komatsu? We have to get dressed. Also, you've been standing here too long, so please leave before Kururu freezes you in place." Sarafina said with a smile. Kururu let out a growl as a way of saying she will do it. Komatsu quickly put it into high gear back to the house. "You didn't have to do that." Melk started but quickly looked away when Sarafina stood up. "My sincere apologies, but I was serious. Kururu here is that kind of cat. I'll apologize to him later." Sarafina told her, drying off and got dressed, not even paying attention when Melk got out and dressed.

The sun was just starting to rise when Sarafina walked in. Something smelled delicious and wasn't surprised at all when the chef had made some bread to go with the soup. "Smells amazing Komatsu." Sarafina told him, getting a bowl for herself. "T..thanks. How...when did you..?" Komatsu asked, not sure which question to ask first. "When we first met her." The woman replied eating as the cutler joined them.

Chapter Text

The cutler sat in front of the food that was already on the table and took a bite, not acknowledging when Komatsu went, "Huh? Melk-san..." in confusion. "Aah. Delicious. That hit the spot, Chef Komatsu." Milk complimented him. The chef continued to stare at the younger woman in confusion before he asked, "Are...you not...Melk's successor?" Sarafina wanted to chide him but can understand where the little guy was going from. After all, it must have been quite the shock finding out he was being deceived, slightly, by her. Melk looked down, her lack of confidence and a bit of shame showing, the started to speak quietly, "To be honest...the whole apprentice thing...wasn't set in stone."

Now that Sarafina had a hard time believing in. If she wasn't in charge the older woman highly doubted that someone of this place would leave someone that they didn't trust in charge of this high business. "As a baby... I was abandoned far from civilization. The master took me in. It was only by chance that the master found me and took me with him. Back then, people called him Melk the Ogre and I doubt anyone would have believed he was raising an infant. I was the only person in the entire world who received Melk the Orge's love and affection."

'He became her foster father hm? I guess she and I are alike that way' Sarafina thought. "It's only natural for a child to become interested in their parent's job right? But the master strictly forbade me from entering the workshop when he was working...because of all the dangerous tools he kept there. Of course, that made me more curious. I spied on him a lot. Once I snuck in without permission...and had an accident. Thinking back on it now...I'm glad it happened. I learned to fear and appreciate the beauty of blades at a young age. I stopped crying right away because the knife that cut me was so captivating." That was when she gained the scar on her face and her love for her work had started. "After that, little by little the master let me watch him at work. His sharpening technique was powerful and compelling. In no time at all knife sharpening entranced me."

"So.. That's how you became a cutler yourself. It was a master-apprentice relationship." The chef said when Melk took a moment to catch her breath. The other woman smiled nervously before she continued, "No, no. The master was so tight-lipped. He never spoke a word of instruction. I only copied what I saw. Truth be told every year...nearly a hundred people came here looking to apprentice with him. None of them lasted more than three days."

"Why only three days?" Sarafina inquired curiously even as the chef gaped out, "Three days?!" "The master was always suspicious and quiet. He really couldn't stand being bothered by other people, at any stage of production. They all cracked under his severity." Melk folded her hands together and got a serious look.

"That's how I got to thinking...I have to become stronger! Until I'm strong enough, I'll never be as good a cutler as the master." So that was what was causing her insecurity. Wonder what her master was thinking. Not properly handling the reins over to her to be master. But then..that also explained why she reacted the way she did when Toriko mocked her before. "So..that's why...you're so sensitive about your strength." Komatsu echoed her thoughts even as Melk continued. "It's the most important thing to me. Strength will prove I'm the second Melk. I've wiped away any trace of weakness... to become a strong man." For the first time since Melk started to speak that it started to be getting to her. Did Melk honestly believe that women were weak?

"But it's..no use. In the end, I'm a woman. I can't be as strong of a cutler...as the master was. Ever." Enough was enough. "Do you think I was kidding when I said I was just as strong as Toriko? Being a woman doesn't make you weak. You're doing great if not better than your master."

"I don't get it. Sarafina-san is right. You're doing a perfect job as the second Melk!" Komatsu told her, voice full of determination. Melk looked at him for a moment then looked down with a sad look. "I never once received a word of recognition from the master. I'm the one who started calling myself the second Melk. I'm sorry, Chef Komatsu. Sarafina. Toriko was right. I'm an imposter."

"Melk.." Sarafina started when Komatsu shouted determined, "That's not true! You're the real thing!" "Komatsu?/Huh?" The two women went in surprise. "M..Melk-san! You're the real deal!" Komatsu continued. Hmm. Sarafina didn't know he could get an outraged look. "Ch...Chef Komatsu..." Melk started but the chef cut her off. "Sarafina-san is right! Being a woman..has nothing to do with how strong you are!" The smaller man clenched his fist in determination. "Your master is your master! And, Melk, you're the real Melk! B..besides! Sure, your master might be amazing for acquiring his materials alone. But you're not obligated to imitate him in every way! The only thing that matters is that you keep creating top-class knives, Melk!"

Tears started to form at the corners of Melk's eyes but she wiped them away in frustration. "I...I thought he'd be home right away. Like he always was. B...but..after a long while...he never came back. That didn't mean the commissions stopped. There was...just one thing...I was afraid of. Had something happened to my master?! But it couldn't be. He was too strong. Again...I wished I was stronger. I couldn't go where he had gone. All I could do at that time...was become Melk until he returned. I took on my master's knife jobs and used all I had learned to keep the business going."

Sarafina was willing to bet that he probably told her that she was to be his successor and probably lost it in translation. Men. Such complex beings. "But Pochiko...is always waiting for the Master's return. Animals are honest about their feelings. I'm not good enough in her eyes."

"Now wait just a minute!" Sarafina interrupted, startling the others. "If your master was hers, a lot longer then you, then it just means she's very loyal to him! Why would she judge you? In fact, from how I see her, she's very protective of you. She cares for you just as much as your master."

"Maybe.. but...since those aren't master's knives... I sometimes wonder if the chef's commissions from me...are even satisfied with my work." Melk looked down at her hands sadly. With how low Melk thought of herself. If this was how she viewed herself to be. How would they even begin to build her confidence? "Melk-san..." Komatsu spoke quietly for a moment then asked the cutler, "Can I borrow a couple of knives? Please?"

"Huh?" The cutler went. The chef smiled brightly as he continued to make requests. "And I'm going to borrow some stuff from the fridge downstairs!" Without waiting for a response the smaller went downstairs and every few seconds the women heard, "This and this" coupled with doors being opened and closed.

Fun as it was to wonder what he was up to, it was quite adorable to see the confused stunned questioning look Melk had. A few moments later Komatsu came up with an armful of food and sat it down by the counter before walking over to the wall where the knives were hung. "I'll need an eight coloured blade and a power vegetable knife. Plus a revival butcher knife...and a thousand speciality, of course. And...and..." Well, well. Isn't this a sight to behold. The chef was taking advantage of the situation as a chance to use some of those neat looking knives. Sarafina couldn't help but giggle at him.

The two women watched as in a flash as Komatsu seemed to cook like magic. The cutler seemed to be knocked out of her socks as the food was done after a bit. "Ok Melk-san and Sarafina-san! Let's eat!" Komatsu announced cheerfully. "That's quite a mountain of food. Are you sure we're going to eat all this?" Sarafina asked. "Th..this..." Melk turned to look at the chef in surprise. "Chef Komastu..." Komatsu continued to smile brightly at them. "Let's dig in before it gets cold!" Sarafina smiled as she took a seat next to Melk and blinked when food was served to her.

The first plate in front of the two looked like fried rice with some sort of sea creature. Sarafina took a bite and nearly sighed in pleasure. "So good." "It's delicious!" Melk sighed out in pleasure as well. "Yay! That's Lily Oyster fried rice." The chef explained cheerfully. Yup. He was having way too much fun. Not that it was a bad thing. "Wow, I never knew that lily oysters had so much flavour."

"Slicing through the shell when its still closed increases the flavour. The only knife that can do that is the Melk Kuroko kitchen knife. Try that one." He pointed to a dish when he said that. It looked like a steak of some kind. Sarafina had an inkling it was a seafood of some kind. The two women cut and ate a piece and Sarafina blinked at the taste. It was good but...it was a flavour she wasn't quite sure about but it was good. "Wow! This smoked jellyfish doesn't smell fishy!" Melk exclaimed in delight.

"Cutting it on a set speed with the revival butcher knife eliminates the odour." With each dish, the women tried the chef continued to explain what knife was used for it. Sarafina was beginning to see why the chef was so crazy for these knives!

"Melk... All of these dishes were made possible by your knives. You could search the world over and the only knives that can like that are Melk knives." Komatsu explained a bit. Sarafina decided to join in a bit. At this point, tears were flowing down the young cutler's face. "See Melk? Your work continues to maintain the trust that the people had in your predecessor." Sarafina told her with a comforting smile.

"Famous chefs all over the world have recognized the quality of your work this whole time. Even now! Everything you do preserves the Melk name!" At the that Melk flat out cried. Hopefully, that will wash away her low confidence. Komatsu was crying but held Melk's hand comfortably. She motions towards Kururu and the kitten climbed onto her shoulder. Sarafina took the opportunity to give them a little privacy.

Komatsu did it, he got through to her. Sarafina went outside and leaned against the wall, looking up at the view. "Don't think I'll ever get tired of this.." The woman muttered to herself. The aura around here was amazing! Also, a good distraction while a certain hunter was off doing who knows what. When was he coming back? It had been a couple days, Sarafina was getting lonely without him. She missed being in his arms again.

Three days later

Alright, this was getting ridiculous... She was going to kick his butt when she saw him! How long can it possibly take to get that stone?! They've been here for almost a week! She was already contemplating going in there after him, but of course, her demon advised against it. Melk asked the chef something but Sarafina didn't hear his reply. Komatsu had asked the cutler to show him how to sharpen knives and ever since then the two had been hard at work.

It was fun listening to them for a bit but after a while, but Sarafina was getting anxious waiting for Toriko and decided to do some exercises to keep her occupied. "That's it! Just like that!' Melk's excited voice startled her out of her thoughts and Sarafina turned to see the knife Komatsu had been working on had sharpened, "Yay! I did it! Hey Sarafina-san! Look! I did it!"

Sarafina smiled at the chef.  "Excellent work Komatsu!" She congratulated him as Melk continued, "I knew you could do it, Chef Komatsu! You learned in only a couple of days what would take most people a year." Oh? Did that mean the chef had some talent for sharpening? Or perhaps it was more of that great luck of his? Then again it might be because Melk was a great teacher. "Because you're such a good teacher. How about you, Melk? How many days did it take you to master that method of sharpening?" Komatsu asked her.

"I got it on the first try. Took no time at all." Melk said. Sarafina couldn't help but giggle at the shock the chef got from the news! "Hey, guys! I'm back!" A deep familiar called to them as footsteps walked up to the house. "TORIKO-SAN!" Komatsu shouted happily. The blind woman was unsure if she was happy to see him or mad at him for taking so long. Toriko walked through the door holding a huge sack over his shoulder and had a grin on his face. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I'm aware that it was a quite a challenge to go down there and obtain the Stardust but you had taken far too long! Just what exactly were you doing down there?! Playing your silly games?!" Sarafina couldn't help but growl at him while trying to be mad at him. "I was getting the stones. Though it took me a while to find them. Did you miss me that much? How cute." Toriko said with a grin reaching over and rubbed her head earning a cute little grumble from her which caused him to laugh again. Man did he miss teasing her! Felt so good to see those two again!

"What took so long?! I've been secretly worried about you the entire time." Komatsu said through his sobbing. "Why secretly?" Toriko inquired with a sweat drop as Komatsu looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "But that doesn't matter now. You came back safe." The chef finished. Melk, who finally had her hair down, walked over and greeted him, "Toriko. Welcome back." Toriko noticed right away that the younger woman had changed. Look at that. 'Her doubts have vanished. She's brimming with the confidence of a first-rate artisan.' Toriko thought, looking down at the smaller man hugging him. He wished Sarafina would join in...he missed her...and Komatsu...a lot. 'Well done, you two. Looks like you pulled off everything I knew you could.'

"Aren't you coming over here and giving me a hug?" The hunter asked and tried hard not to smile at the scowl she had on. Sarafina missed him that much hm? Her scowl broke and she gave out a laugh. "Hahaha. Komatsu's already hugging you. Don't you need space to breathe?" The larger man laughed again. Yup. She missed him. "I'm glad to see you missed me that much." Toriko grinned more when Sarafina blushed more and shyly looked away. Too cute and easy to read. Anyway, back to business. "Melk. I don't know where to begin. There's a lot I have to tell you."

Later on that night

Though it was somewhat humorous, Sarafina had thought as much. After everything that Melk had gone through was all over because of a misunderstanding aka her master was super soft-spoken. And a grand misunderstanding it was. Melk seemed like she had quite the shock, Toriko had an expression like he couldn't believe it either and Komatsu said, "Really?"

"It's true...I always got the sense he was mumbling. B...but that doesn't matter now." Melk started as tears of relief welled up and she wiped them away. "The fact that my master's safe...makes me so happy." Toriko took a bite out of some meat before he spoke, right away he was back to eating.., "When he's done with this job...he'll come back home."

"Still...I'm glad you got good news about your master." Sarafian told her warmly as the chef smiled warmly at the younger woman as well, "That's wonderful. Isn't it, Melk-san?" The cutler returned their smiles. Now that the hunter delivered the good news. "All right! Let's get down to business! Check it out!" The hunter announced emptying the huge sack onto the floor. "My goodness..." Sarafina was practically speechless. That pretty gold stone was a whetstone?! Incredible...the energy she sensed in them was almost unreal.

"Wow! Amazing! What are these beautiful stones?!" Komatsu asked. Melk spoke up, voice full of shock, "Don't tell me...It's.." Toriko got a sharp look as he held up a small piece and cut in, "That's right. It's Melk Stardust!" The cutler knelt by the pile in amazement. "This stone can sharpen any material in the world. So this is Melk Stardust! It's so beautiful.." The chef looked at the hunter in gratitude. "Toriko... Th..thank you so much. You did all this for me." Komatsu thanked him.

"Hm? Well, she's gotta sharpen something on it. Otherwise, we can't get the seasoning." Sarafina raised an eyebrow. Either he was downplaying the thank you or he did have food on the brain. Hopefully the former. "Right." The cutler stood up abruptly, startling the others a bit. "Of course! Leave it to me!" Melk told them before she headed towards the basement.

"Where is she off to?" The older woman wondered along even as the boys just watched and waited. Some noises were heard coming from down there and a few moments later Melk came back holding what looked like some sort of jagged stone. "The Dragon King Deros fang. It's a legendary dragon said to have lived 10,000 years ago. It ruled the world with a solitary fang. This is a shard of one of those fangs. The master mined it from a deros fossil he found a long time ago. It's so hard to process that it's been lying here for years. But with Melk Stardust.." The cutler held the shard closer with a big smile, "I'll chisel this into a knife for you!"

Now that announcement stunned Komatsu. "Uh...You'd use such a valuable material to make my knife?" Komatsu inquired, uncertainty lanced in his words. The woman got annoyed when the hunter went and said, "Yeah, are you sure? You should be charging tens of billions. And Komatsu's poor. Ow!"

"Did you have to bring that up?!" Sarafina chided him after smacking him in the shoulder. rubbing her hand a bit. Melk shook her head and told him. "I don't need any money. I've doubted my strength all these years. I never once made a knife that I had any confidence in. The courage and confidence that Sarafina and Komatsu gave me wiped clear all the anxiety that clouded my heart. I appreciate that. Money's not an issue. I'll put my whole body and soul into making this. Chef Komatsu. This will be my first job as the true successor!" Melk clenched her hands into fists in determination.

Something told Sarafina that this was going to be fun to watch. The news brought a huge smile to the chef's face. "But!" The cutler held up the broken knife Komatsu had given her. "There's one more material that I wish to use. Is that all right?"

"Oh! You mean!" Komatsu started as the hunter finished for him, "Komatsu's broken knife!" "This knife is telling me..."I can still work. I don't want to die!" It's screaming, "I don't want to be separated from him!"" So the cutler can hear the voices of the knives. Quite the talent she's obtained over the years. "I've seen many knives over the years. But never one like this. Chef Komatsu, this knife is full of your love. I've chosen the right materials. I know you'll treat the Deros fang well too. Will you let me take the feelings of this knife into account?"

It appeared to Sarafina that this was the most that Melk had ever talked since the three had arrived. Hm. The cutler's words had brought great relief and happiness to the chef, who was already tearing up. "Melk-san..." "Chef Komatsu?" "Yes... Yes! Thank you so much! Melk-san!" Sarafina looked at the chef softly. This guy...so open and honest about his feelings. "By the way, your old man had something to say about Komatus's other knife." The remark caused a confused look to appear on Melk's face. Whatever the master had told the hunter judging from his expression that whatever was said was a good thing. "My master...only cares about knives. For him to show any interest in the knife's owner... Well, but it's yours, Chef Komatsu."

"Hahaha. Congratulations, Komatsu. You even got the master wondering about your knife." Sarafina teased him a bit but that only made him smile more. "Aw, shucks. The way I use my knife is ordinary. But what an honour to have my knife complimented! It's better than getting a compliment myself! Ack!"

"Too humble and adorable for your own good, Komatsu." Sarafina said as she hugged him. Toriko felt a flash of jealousy but quickly took care of it. That was the second time he got jealous over her touching someone. How...annoying..! Especially when he knew that Sarafina only saw the chef as a friend. Not to mention he was starting to think that she had a weakness for things small and cute... Anyway..."So, Melk. When do you think you'll be done with Komatsu's knife?" Toriko asked.

"I'll need some time. It has to meet his standards." Melk told him. Toriko nodded a bit. "What's the hurry, Toriko?" Sarafina asked looking at the hunter. Normally he liked to hang around and party a bit before they moved on. "What's up?" The chef asked as well, wondering the same thing. The hunter held up a hand and replied, "Nothing. There's just a food we sort of have to hurry on." Ah. Must be one from that list grandfather gave him. Wonder which one it was.

Toriko explained a bit on where they had to go and what it was and it slightly worried her. She heard very little about it, but it still sends chills down her spine whenever she would think about that place. "G...Gourmet Pyramid.." Komatsu echoed, frighten a little bit by the info. "I've heard of that! It's in a giant labyrinth in a huge desert. Because nobody ever returns from it...it's also known as the Gourmet Hunter Tomb!"

"My grandfather once told me a little about that place. From what I know it took thousands and thousands of years to build, which is impossible for any human civilizations with their construction ability. The purpose of the massive structure and the one who built it has yet to be revealed, nor has it been revealed how the entire structure sunk beneath the sand." Sarafina said. Then she spread a smile. "But just thinking about it now, I've never been so ready to go to another destination."

It soon became a serious notion when the hunter announced, "We're going to need Zebra's strength." Zebra. The fourth of the Heavenly Kings. The one that's considered to be the strongest among them. And the one who's currently in Gourmet Prison.

A couple of days later

Sarafina watched on amazed at the shape of the knife so far. When it was done it was going to be stunning, judging from the shape. It was hard for her to describe but she knew it was a sight to behold. Not that it mattered to the chef, who stared at it so happily and excitedly. "Oh, wow! It's coming right along, Melk-san!" The cutler let out a sigh and wiped at her forehead. "That's the Deros fang for you. It's tougher than I thought. No matter how much I apply heat, it just won't warp for me. And I can't forge it with a hammer either. It's slow but shaving it down with Melk Stardust is the only way."

"So true, you've been at it for a few days now." Komatsu started when a weird sound came from where the group was keeping the dust that had appeared so far and turned to see the hunter making the weirdest face yet to be seen and going, "Y...yum..yummy..! I can't believe..." Sarafina sighed and took out the spray bottle filled with water.

"AH! AHH! STOP IT, TORIKO! DON'T TELL ME... You already tasted Melk Stardust?!" Komatsu rushed over to the hunter and grabbed his shoulder, tears falling fast. "Why would you eat it without us?! Why are you always going first?! We promised we'd all eat it together after my knife's done, right?! I hate you for being a glutton!"

"I didn't eat it." Toriko said simply. "Sorry, your knife was taking so long..I thought I'd practice my reaction face." Toriko told him smiling sheepishly scratching his chin. "What the heck?!" Komatsu gaped out in disbelief. "It smells stupendous! This spice is making a direct attack on my appetite! I've never smelled anything like it. It's gonna be so good! Ack?! Sarafina?! Really?!" Toriko quickly moved away from the Stardust as the woman sprayed him with water. "I let you give your side of the story. Now step away from it. Bad Toriko, bad!" Sarafina said as she continued to spray at the hunter who was torn between being vexed at her or being surprised at her playful nature.

"R..really, Sarafina-san?" The chef asked her as he watched the spectacle. "If we don't put our foot down now, Komatsu, a certain glutton will eat it." Sarafina told him "I can hear you, ya know!" Toriko growled at her, unsure whether to laugh or get more annoyed. "Ask me again when I start to care, dearest Toriko." Suddenly a flash from where Melk was got their attention and whipped their heads towards her. The knife that the cutler was working on was sparkling and appeared to be glowing.

The boys got excited when they saw it. Melk looked up and smiled at them. "I'll be done soon! Sit tight a little longer, Toriko!" Melk informed the hunter happily. After that, the work for her got intense. Much as Sarafina wanted to help her along, she had her hands full trying to protect the seasoning from a certain glutton. So far the blind woman had to spray him four times. Correction: make that five. Sarafina ignored him as he whined and pouted at her which she ignored by tending to Kururu's fur. "You're gonna have to try harder than that. Kururu is far sneakier than you." Sarafina said without looking up.

"Go take a bath or something and leave that seasoning alone or else I might get Kururu to freeze the water upon impact until it slowly encasing your entire body." Sarafina shooed him ignoring the sigh from him. "You would too. Just for your amusement." He shook his head when she replied with, "Of course. Now shoo. Melk is close to be finished."

"L..let's go take a bath Toriko. Melk-san has a hot spring out bac-" The words hadn't finished leaving the chef's mouth when the hunter rushed outside going, "Woo-hoo!" The chef sighed deeply. "You can go join him, Komatsu. If the knife gets done while you're out there I'll come get you."

"Thanks, Sarafina-san." The woman waved a bit as Komatsu followed the hunter. Seconds later splashing was heard from outside. "Whew...finally. Some piece and quiet." Sarafina muttered as she glanced at the cutler who was finishing the final touches on the knife. From the sounds of it, the knife will be done by the time those two got out of the bath.

A few minutes later Melk completed the knife. "Could you get behind me, Sarafina? I don't want to accidentally hurt you." The cutler asked as she stood up holding the knife. Sarafina gathered Kururu in her arms and walked over behind her. "No problem." Sarafina watched curiously as the younger woman lightly swung the knife down and had her jaw nearly hit the floor when the movement caused the largest gunge she had ever felt.

The movement had caused the gauge to start from the top of the ceiling to the floor, making it appear to be sliced clean through. Sarafina was willing to bet that that movement went clean through to the mountain and perhaps beyond that. "Sweet glory..! That's..wow..! One strong blade you've got there! Are you certain you didn't craft a sword?" Sarafina asked in disbelief as the cutler stared at the hole in disbelief and shock. 'Wha..what kind of blade is this? Just one light stroke cut through the mountain! The Deros fang is incredible!'

"Ah! Oh no! Toriko and Komatsu are on the other side of the wall!" Sarafina gasped out in realization. "That's right! Chef Komatsu and Toriko are on the other side bathing! O...oh no!" Melk gasped out as well as the two quickly rushed toward the door only to hear, "Did you finish the knife, Melk?!" "Huh?!" The cutler just barely got the word out when...HOLY SHIT! "GYAAAH!" Melk screamed out when the boys rushed in buck naked. Unfortunately, Melk was the only one suffering as Sarafina was just confused to why she started screaming.

"You finished it! It's done!" Komatsu excitedly exclaimed. "Please show me, Melk!/Show us Melk!" The boys continued to try and get a glimpse of the knife. "No! Don't show me what's down there!" Sarafina blinked in realisation and now understood the situation. They were undressed...in front of a woman. Her eyebrow twitched in anger. "Down where?"

"Down there! Last warning you two! Cover up!" Sarafina ordered them. "C'mon! Don't hide the knife!/Melk, please show us!" "Put some clothes on first!" Melk had carved her first seal on the knife. It showed how much her appreciation and respect she had toward the chef. "All right! Tonight let's feast on Melk Stardust! Holy crap!" "IT'S COLD!" Sometime when the duo were trying to get Melk to show them the knife Sarafina had snapped and walked over to the wall and grabbed one of the knives. Kururu had grown in size but only enough to maintain movement in the workshop.

The two quickly backed up as they stared at the blind woman in shock and fear. "Wh..what do you plan on doing, Sarafina! Ack!" Toriko barely had the chance to ask before quickly dodging the attack Sarafina had launched. That was quick mastering of the knife! The two cowered at the look of pure rage Sarafina had on. "For. The. Last. Damn. Time. GET DRESSED. Or lose YOUR MANHOOD. Unlike me, Melk is more sensitive to this kind of crap! I shall be kind and give you two to the count of three and you two BETTER be dressed." Kururu gave a low growl as the air became chilly again.

"No..now Sarafina calm down! There's no need to swing that knife!" The two tried to reason with her but quickly paled when she said, "One...two..." Before she got to three the boys practically tripped over themselves trying to get out the door. "Honestly, such insensible men! How dare they show their unclothed bodies towards an innocent woman." Sarafina sighed as Kururu went back to normal. Melk looked at her with a mixed expression but said nothing. "Once we tried the stardust I'll make them pay later."

"Eh?! You're not seriously going to cut..?!" Sarafina smiled kindly.

Chapter Text

A week or two later

When Toriko said she was in for a surprise, Sarafina was expecting many things for them to use for travel. Taking a cruise trip was not what the blind woman had expected. Or even thought of. Toriko never struck her as the kind of guy to use a cruise ship as a mode of transport. After they got their rooms, they were sharing with Komatsu and each got their own bed luckily. Hate to make one sleep on the couch, though she would be willing. Toriko insisted that she change into something more..dressy. No surprise there. This cruise ship screamed luxury for the filthy rich. She barely had time to change and tie her hair back before he dragged her to the restaurant. Sarafina followed him to the restaurant and was quite surprised when she saw three familiar souls.

"Sarafina-sama!" A certain green-eyed woman exclaimed happily as she ran up to embrace her. The Blind Bandit laughed as she hugged her back. Kururu let out a happy "Mew!" and jumped on Leticia's head.

"Leticia! Sunny! Coco! It's wonderful to see you all again, it's been a long time." Sarafina greeted them as they walked over to the other two men, who were already drinking and eating. "You guys started without us?" Toriko pouted before taking a seat, but not before getting Sarafina's chair, and quickly looked over the menu before he placed his order. "Not our fault you took your sweet time getting here." Sunny told him taking a sip of some expensive wine. "Hey, Sarafina. How are things going? Any new leads on why Gourmet Corp is after you?" Coco asked her, smiling slightly at her. "It's been good. Regrettably, there's just one hint of why they would want with me. However, I have been lucky that no one has been sent to capture me again."

"Well, I'm just happy that you're still here safe and sound, Sarafina-sama." Leticia added, hugging her arm when Toriko's food was brought in. Sarafina quickly took the time to get her food in. "So far...it's been quiet...It's a little disturbing actually." Sarafina said. For them to get quiet after all this time..wonder what is going on with them? Nothing that'll benefit her or her friends.

Before the conversation could continue the waiter pulled up what looked like a wine bottle for Toriko. "Here is your Crystal Cola. Aged twenty years, as you requested." The waiter popped the cork off the bottle. "The cork is made from the trunk of the Crystal Cola tree." Toriko reached over and took the cork, bringing up to his face and took a deep sniff and got a satisfied look on his face.

"Mmm. Couldn't smell better." Toriko sighed out. "Your tasting, sir." The waiter said as he poured the cola into a glass. Toriko picked up his glass and took a sip. "Delicious! It's more like a fancy champagne than a soft drink." The hunter once again sighed out in pleasure. The poison man took a bite of his steak before he spoke. "Of course. In the wild, it takes the crystal tree a millennium just to grow one centimetre of crystal. This cola is made from the seeds of that tree. Now that humans have learned how to cultivate Crystal Cola, the price has decreased, but it's still in a class far above your average cola."

Toriko got a smug cocky look while looking at the other men. "How about Mellow Cola? Would you say that's even tastier." Sunny laughed then said teasingly, "The president told you to capture another outrageous food, didn't he?"

"I'd say mellow cola will be your toughest capture yet." Coco added, earning another laugh from the feminine man. "Sucks to be you!" Guess from their response that them coming was a no go. "Shut up. Are you guys still training too?" Toriko asked, slightly irritated. "Idiot. Strong gravity? No problem. Low oxygen? Piece of cake.." Sunny started when a very familiar voice shouted, "Sorry, everyone!"

"Hey, Komatsu. How's it going?" Leticia greeted the chef as he walked up, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm late!"

"Komatsu!" Toriko shouted when the chef was closer. "What took you so long?" The hunter asked. "S..sorry about that. I completely lost track of time admiring my Melk knife." "That's your excuse?!" Toriko gaped out. "It's a lot better than yours half the time." Sarafina muttered then smiled innocently. "Matsu, you almost missed the departure of the Gourmet Carriage!" The feminine informed the chef slightly pointing a finger.

"Right, Sunny-san! This is the luxury horse-drawn carriage that makes a gourmet trip around the world. There's a five-year waiting list!" The chef replied excitedly and all blinked when Sarafina choked on her cola. "Sarafina-sama!" Leticia cried out as she patted her back. "A five-year waiting list? For this? I've never heard of ANYTHING like that." Toriko laughed a bit. "So something finally surprised you, eh?" He teased a bit when Coco answered, "That's right, you don't come to human society all that much. This is one of the most popular cruises in the human world."

"Amazing..."

"Anyway, we're getting off before the route is over." Sunny started but the chef took toward the window going, "Uwaha! I can't wait!"

The Gourmet Carriage (also known as the Deluxe Carriage) is a luxury vessel which takes its passengers on a "gourmet" trip around the world lasting approximately two years. It moves over "World Connect" and is drawn by two Giga Horses, titanic equine beasts that even towers over mountains. To get on the Deluxe Carriage, one would have to get a reservation five years in advance. 

"Don't kill yourself with excitement, Komatsu." Toriko called after the chef and looked over at the woman who was trying to stifle a giggle behind her hand. "Glad someone is enjoying this." Toriko told her dryly as he ate more of his food. "I am. It's refreshing to see someone thoroughly enjoy themselves the way Komatsu does. Even though he does get quite loud...he's very fun to listen to." She laughed when he shouted, "Wow! Real Giga Horses!" Komatsu smushed his face with hands and continued to talk loudly, "Giga Horses can gallop on land and swim in the sea! I'm super-duper GIGA excited!"

"I would take it easy over there, Komatsu. You're frightening the locals." The woman playfully chided as she finished, Toriko already finished his and the others just finished their meals, trying hard not to laugh as people looked at the chef funny. The click of the nearby speaker went just before someone announced, "Two years in a dream begin...NOW!" The blind woman had to cover her ears as loud cheering filled the entire boat. Guess it was a big deal to be on this tub. Sunny laughed again and exclaimed loudly, "We're getting off next month though!"

"That's terrific, but do you have to shout in my ear?" Sarafina grumbled a bit. After dessert was had the group, after they dragged the chef away from the window, made their way to one of the many balconies. The women walked over to the railing and looked at to the ocean. The horses weren't the only impressive things the ship had. The railway it was using was VERY impressive! Sarafina didn't think she'd ever seen anything like those rails before!

"We're on World Connect, the major route connecting the world's gourmet cities." Sarafina heard someone comment. Wonder how many cities there were. Speaking of which. "Hey, Sunny..." Sarafina started looking back to the feminine man. "Which place are you getting off at?" "You beat me to the punch Sarafina-san..." The smaller man said as he smiled slightly.

"It's definitely not for the sightseeing not sure if you had heard of it yet...but the forest near the road of three hells on the way." Sunny said. The news startled the poison man a bit. "The road of three hells?! But that's an entrance to the Gourmet World!" The dark-haired man exclaimed even as Toriko looked at the feminine man in shock. "Sunny, don't tell me you're heading for the Gourmet World!" He also exclaimed at the other man. "Please. Do I look that stupid?"

"Is that a trick question?" Sunny glared at the tsundere woman who only smiled innocently back at him while Sarafina scolded her. He let out an offended "Hmph!" before continuing. "The man I'm looking for is there."

"There's only one man on the road of three hells. Sunny, that's a difficult journey. Even for you." Coco told him, slightly concerned. "Coco, where are you getting off?" Komatsu inquired curiously. Hopefully something just as exciting as Sani's. "In about two months, Leticia and I disembark near the Jidal Kingdom." Toriko, who had taken the opportunity to come over and lean against the rail by Sarafina, whipped his head toward the poison man so fast Sarafina could have sworn he had whiplash. "Jidal?! That's non-IGO territory! It's full of crime and stuff!"

"Well, at least I know you'll be just there. Besides, you've got Coco with you." Sarafina told the younger woman. Leticia's face heated up and said, "I've told you I'm with him for training purposes only...!"

"You two have some...unusual destinations ahead of you." Komatsu nervously told them. "Don't play coy, Matsu. You guys have it the worst!" Sunny replied, looking slightly disgusted. "We're going on another dangerous adventure. Nothing new about that...Is there?"

"Y..yeah that's true...I guess you're right. It's the Gourmet Pyramid after all." Komatsu said.

"No, BEFORE that." That startled the chef before he looked over at Sarafina, who merely shrugged with a smile.

"Eh...? Before...? Toriko..what does he mean? Where are we going?" The small chef asked but at that exact moment, a gold whale jumped out of the water that captured a certain glutton's attention. "Whoa! A solid gold whale! Looks delicious!" He said, potentially ignoring Komastu's question. "Hey, Toriko-san..." "Well, uh... You'll know eventually."

"And when is "eventually"?!" The chef demanded. "Tomorrow, maybe?" Toriko casually answered. "That soon?!" Komatsu exclaimed. "All the more reason to live it up today!" "Dude, I know how you guys party! Will tonight be enough!?" "Yup! In a bit, we're going to dinner." "This'll be fun I suppose."

Sarafina sighed again. Which meant she had to look nice. Right now, based on what Leticia told her the men had the causal/nice looking thing going on. 'Guess that meant I have to go change for dinner...Again.' Sarafina mused and started to walk back inside and blinked when she felt a tug on her top. The woman looked back to see the Toriko behind her with a slightly grumpy look. "Where do you think you're going?" The blue-haired man asked. This was the perfect place for someone to try and take off with her. Not on his watch.

"For a walk."

"Denied."

"Huh? And why not? The rest of you will be stuffing your faces anyway." Sarafina said, ignoring the "Hey! I'm not going to be!" from Sunny. "Every time you go off alone something happens. You're staying by us." Toriko told her as he went back inside. It was hard not to smirk when he felt the glare on the back of his neck. She looked too darn cute when mad. Ah well. Better to have her mad then go disappearing on him. Or taken. It was past time he kept his part of the bargain about protecting her. Though Toriko had a feeling it was gonna be a long night...

"For once I agree with him, just grin and bear it Sarafina-sama. Plus I don't want any of these unworthy men to flirt with you." Leticia said as she walked up to her side. Sarafina took in a deep breath before smiling at her former student and walked with her to follow the others. Later on, the night came and it almost dinner time. Which meant the women had to go change into something much nicer. Of course...changing into formal clothes sure was a pain. "I hate dressing into these kinds of thing...just doing this a couple times and I'm already tired of it." Sarafina sighed out, trying to tie the neckpiece of the dress.

"Mew."

"I know, we've never been in a luxury cruise, so why not be a little fancy?" Sarafina said to her kitten. "I know that Kururu, but I don't know how to even act around with these people if any of them decide to talk to me."

"Mew..."

"Hopefully, I can just have a nice, quiet night. But I envy you Kururu, you get to stay here and sleep the night away."

"Mew!"

Sarafina wore a silver colour dress with a high-low taffeta skirt that slowly faded to black at the bottom. She also tied long light grey ribbons around each of her legs, ankles and the soles of her feet. Suddenly feeling anxious, the fuchsia red-haired woman left her room, the suite was shared with the other two. Luckily they each had their own room. And a good thing too. She would hate to have to kill certain men. Anyway, Sarafina took her ribbon and simply tied it on the left side of her head before heading down to dinner.

Sarafina wasn't that surprised to see the group was already seated. Does having the status that they do give them the advantage? "About time, Fina! We were gonna start without you!" Toriko said, taking a deep drink from his cup. "Well, unlike you it takes a bit of time for a lady to get ready." She informed him. "Y...you look nice, Sarafina-san." "Sarafina-sama, you look beautiful." She smiled at the chef and the wildcat. "Thank you, Komatsu. Leticia."

'At least you're the only ones who noticed.' But Sarafina kept the words unspoken. It was no big surprise that the others didn't notice. Not that she cared about appearances, but it would have been nice if a certain blue hair man did. After the meal drinks were brought. The others had the correct ones but.. "I'll be right back. I got the wrong one." Sarafina told them as she got up. "Alright. We'll be on the dance floor when you come back." Coco said to her, which caused her to blink in shock slightly. Dance? These guys? It was gonna be fun to see who they danced with. "Alright. Be right back." The woman told them, heading over to the bar to exchange her drink.

Now that Sarafina thought of it this would be the first time the men would be dancing. Her lips twitched in amusement at the thought of seeing ladies trying to swarm the others, though she felt bad that Matsu was excluded from that. She almost pitied the men who would think they can dance with her friend.

"Thank you." Sarafina thanked the waiter then headed back to the others. She started to wonder if she should feel jealous or something if she had to see women trying to dance with Toriko? To be honest the woman hadn't felt jealous or anything of the like when people were swarming over Toriko. To be frank it was hysterical to see him wi... Sarafina stopped in her tracks, torn between being astonished, surprised or very highly amused.

She stood back a bit as she watched Sunny dancing with Komatsu, who looked very shocked and surprised as he danced. If the woman remembered the dance moves right Sani was in the lead. As for Toriko and Coco... It. Was. Beyond. Hilarious. Leticia was off to the side and was laughing at the group. 'I don't think I'll ever forget a sight like this.' Sarafina giggled as Toriko, calm as a cucumber, danced with the poison man with his hand on the small of the dark-haired man's back, with coco wearing a calmer expression of Komatsu's.

"How did this come about?" Sarafina asked when she walked over to the brown-haired woman's side. Leticia stopped laughing for a bit to say, "With those two, that's easy. The music started and Sunny dragged the poor guy onto the dancefloor."

"Hahaha! That does makes sense. And them?" Sarafina asked, pointing over to Toriko and Coco. She blinked and smiled brightly when she caught Leticia's soul bright up and she began to stammer out her words. "And don't lie." "Mmmh! Fine. Ugh, Coco wanted to dance with me, so as a way to avoid that I shoved Toriko in his face and ran off." Leticia said with a flustered expression.

"You mean you didn't want to dance with him?" Sarafina said, teasingly.

"I-it wasn't like I did NOT want to...b-b-but he was about to grab my hand instead of simply asking me if I wanted to." Leticia said in her defence.

"So if he were to ask, you would have danced with him?"

"W-w-well, I-I, uh, Coco's-!" "This is weird, Sunny-san!" Komatsu exclaimed in surprise. "How so?" Sunny started to ask when the chef noticed the blind woman. "Sarafina!" The women turned to Sunny and Leticia was grateful for the save. "Took you long enough." Toriko started as he turned to look at her and blinked at her expression. Too cute. She was looking was too cute over there, smiling and watching them with mischief. "Please. Don't stop on my account." The mischief deepened more. "It's a rarity to see straight men dancing together without any problems."

"Now that the lady returns I shall have a dance with her." Sunny started when the large man interrupted, "Nope, I call first dibs dancing with her."

"What?!" Leticia shouted in anger. She grabbed Sarafina's hand and lead her away. "Now, Toriko. Sunny. Don't you think we should ask her." The three turned to ask Sarafina to see who she wanted to dance with and their jaws nearly hit the floor when they saw her dancing with the chef with Leticia turning to them with a victorious smile. Toriko got a grumpy look as the feminine man grumbled a bit. Coco chuckled a bit. "I guess that answers that question. Though, it looks like she's teaching him to dance."

"Now that you mention it, Matsu was totally lacking grace as we danced." Sunny commented thoughtfully. Eventually, Coco went up to Leticia, offered his hand and he had politely asked her to dance. Initially, she was ready to come up with an excuse and bail, but one look from Sarafina put a stop to it. With a great deal of hesitation, Leticia took Coco's hand and he lead to the dance floor. Shortly after him, Sunny had gone to dance with one of the other women there. Leaving Toriko alone.

Toriko watched the two dance, slightly impressed with whatever the woman saying to the chef was helping him improve whatever he messed up. The hunter was so next. Toriko waited for a bit then finally had enough and he quickly made his way over to the dancing pair. He didn't even notice, or even cared, what the other two were doing.

"I'm cutting in, Komatsu." Toriko told him when he walked up to them, trying not to blush at the blinding smile the woman flashed him. "Excellent timing. We were just finishing up a quick lesson." She said. "I...I never knew you liked to dance, Sarafina-san. I'll try to keep those pointers in mind. I'm gonna go get a drink." The chef said to Toriko as he broke away and headed to the bar. "Me either. I had seen you dance, a little, but you're pretty good. How long were you hiding this secret?" The hunter asked her. She smiled teasingly at him putting one hand on his shoulder and tried not to blush, or shiver, when Toriko placed his hand on her back and pulled her close.

"I love to dance. Though I prefer simple ballet over to what these fancy people would like. You know that, remember?" The woman explained as the two danced. A sceptical but playful look came on his face. "Oh really?"

"Oh please, don't give me that look. Ballet is much more fun and enjoyable for me that's all." She told him, a faint blush appeared on her face. Toriko laughed at her. "Alright, I believe you. I'd love to see a full sequence of you doing ballet some time. Though I'm surprised you know a dance like that." Sarafina smiled at him. "I bet you do." She grinned even more. "What can I say? I'm just full of surprises." Toriko chuckled deeply. Which caused her to shiver. She just hoped he didn't feel that.

It felt nice being close to him without being in danger or chased by some creature. Without her realizing it she had laid her head on to Riko's chest. In response, the hunter held her closer to him. It was nice to be close to her and he couldn't help but notice that Sunny was looking slightly peeved off. He better be just upset for not dancing with her. Leticia looked pissed but then it slowly faded to a look of worry and hopeful. Though he wondered why Coco was looking amused.

'This would be a good time to tell him how I feel' Sarafina thought. Might as well, the mood was right and everything was pretty relaxed. Toriko blushed deep when he looked down at Sarafina, who was looking up at him with a soft expression with a soft blush on her cheeks. "H...hey Toriko... I..uh.." That was new. Toriko wondered what brought on this cute adorable look and was curious about what happened to the confidence Sarafina always had appeared to be shaken a bit. "Yeah?" Toriko started to ask. Sarafina gazed up at him and reached up to cup his cheek. "I.. I lo-."

That's when Sunny yelled over about it being time for bed. Tch! Toriko was suddenly very annoyed when Sarafina sighed sadly and moved away from him, which made him even MORE annoyed. "He's right. It is getting rather late and if we gotta go tomorrow, we all need a good night's rest." Toriko grunted a bit and nodded. That damn Sunny. He highly doubted his woman was gonna finish that tomorrow. He was gonna pay for that! Jerk!

Next day

An annoyed Toriko was sitting on the couch smoking one of his favourite cigars watching the scene before him. Sarafina, trying not to worry too much about what was bugging him, as she knew full well, listened to Komatsu showing off his Melk knife to Coco, Leticia and Sunny, which caused one of them to go "Ooh ooh" in amazement. "Incredible. Melk crafted this? And it's yours, Komatsu?" Coco asked him.

"No way, this is awesome!" Leticia exclaimed as she looked at the knife. Sunny started to get tears in his eyes as he admired the knife. "It's so...so..beautiful..!" Sarafina blinked a bit when she noticed slight movement from the feminine man's hair. What was he doing? Komatsu quickly noticed and made motions with his hands to try and stop whatever Sunny was doing. "Careful, Sunny! It's sharper than it looks!" Sunny said nothing for a moment then spoke up, "You're right... It sliced off my sensors as soon as they tried to touch it. I find things that strikingly sharp...beautiful."

"Seriously... You've got the strange ideas on what's considered beautiful." Leticia commented. Sarafina glanced over to the hunter, who's mood seemed to have improved and smiled a bit. She couldn't blame him. When she was about to confess he had this cute waiting look in his soul, almost like he knew what was going to be said. What he wanted to hear from her. And there was no denying he looked very displeased at the interruption. Sunny jolted her out of her thoughts when the man inquired, "That reminds me! How did Melk Stardust taste? You did try it, right?"

"Well.." Toriko started, the group turned to look at him. He took a quick puff then finished. "That's a secret." Sarafina giggled at Sani's reaction. "That's right!" The chef told him excitedly. "The taste of Melk stardust is a secret between the four of us. Myself, Toriko-san, Sarafina-san and Melk-san!"

"What?! C'mon! Tell me! Sarafina!"

"Don't look at me, Sarafina. My lips are sealed." Sarafina grinned at him. "Sick! You guys are sick!" Sarafina laughed hard at that. Leticia simply hugged her, expressing her joy that Sarafina was able to taste something rare. Coco didn't appear to be bothered by it but instead got a knowing smirk on his face then asked, "Toriko, what about you! What's your real aim in getting on this carriage?"

The dark-haired man brought up a good point. It was weird for Toriko to book a trip on something like this boat. Toriko looked unhappy for a moment. Whatever his game plan was just got toasted by Coco's fortune skills. "Attention passengers. Out the left-hand side, you can see the entryway to hell. The gates of the underworld!" The speaker explained and slowed the boat. Why did Sarafina the feeling the trio were supposed to go there? It was confirmed when the announcement caused Toriko to jump in surprise. "Oh, crap! We're already here!" Time flies when you're having fun but twenty said he wasn't paying attention.

"Huh?! The gates of the underworld?! You can't mean.." The chef exclaimed in surprise and disbelief. "These gates only see the vilest of convicts. Because all inmates interred there have life sentences, no one has ever come back out. Beyond the gates of the underworld lies the world's largest gourmet prison. Honey prison!"

The Gate of the Underworld is a gigantic doorway that acts as the only road to Honey Prison. And Honey Prison is the largest land-based prison located in the Human World and is one of the Three Great Gourmet Prisons. It houses over 100,000,000 A-class criminals who violated the Eight Gourmet Laws. It hangs from a cliff behind the Gate of the Underworld and over Death Season Forest.

"Go get your things you two. We're getting off!" Toriko told them. The woman sighed as the chef echoed the Hunter. "It would be nice to get off at a nice safe place for once but knowing you that type is foreign to you." Sarafina said casually with a smile. Toriko wouldn't do well in that kind of environment. "We're picking up the member of the four kings being held in Gourmet Prison. Zebra!"

"The Heavenly King Zebra?" Leticia asked in shock.

"I was wondering when you were going to get him." The blind woman was only a matter of time before he dragged them to get this guy. What was the last King like? "Whaat?! Gourmet Prison!?" Oh dear. Poor Komatsu still couldn't wrap his head around that tidbit. Not that she would blame the short man for that. The place they were going to was probably more dangerous than before. "Your safety is ensured by the strength of the Giga Horses that pull this luxury carriage. However..beyond the gates of the underworld are ferocious monsters that would attack even our Giga Horses." The announcement continued.

"W..what kind of person is this Zebra anyway?!" The chef brought up a good point. Just exactly what did Zebra do that landed him in a place like that? "He's a major problem child. But he's strong. We're going to need Zebra's strength to tackle Gourmet Pyramid. No guarantee he'll help us, though." Toriko explained. That did NOT sound very encouraging. Toriko quickly jumped to his feet when it was announced that the boat would only stay for five minutes. "Get going you two!"

Sarafina shook her head a bit. Luckily after his little announcement last the woman made sure her things were all ready which she brought JUST in case he pulled a stunt like this..which predictably he did. Leticia stood up and gripped her hand. "Please be careful, Sarafina-sama."

"Don't worry so much. I will." Sarafina said as she patted her head.

"Coco! You want to know why I'm on this cruise? It's because I have a favour to ask you two." The hunter started then clasped his hands together in a pleading fashion coupled with a pleading expression. "Hey, fellow Four King buddies of mine...Would you help me go get Zebra?"

"I refuse!"

"That was fast." Sarafina said. The trio quickly unboarded the boat and as soon their feet hit dirt it took off, leaving a certain someone grumbling. "It wouldn't kill you to help! You cold-hearted jerks!" Toriko yelled after the boat in annoyance. "Argh!" Toriko clenched his fist angrily. "Who turns down a long-overdue reunion like that?!"

"W..well, y'know..they've got their own plans. They seem kinda busy." Komatsu tried to reason.

"Though to be fair Sunny's reaction wasn't a complete surprise but Coco's...?" Sarafina began. Coco was usually so nice for him to say no... Seriously just what was this last King like? She should have probably listened to Grandfather when he had told her about the Heavenly Kings. "Oh well. C'mon you two." Sarafina kinda felt sorry for him. Guess he was looking forward to the reunion. Toriko's words from earlier flashed through her mind. A major problem child...what did that mean exactly?

"I scrounged up some happy getting out of jail presents for zebra, but I'm kinda thinking they're not enough." Toriko commented as he eyed the large/small bag of goodies he put together before they got off the boat. "Whoa!" The hunter suddenly exclaimed and whipped his head around. "What's the matter Toriko?" Sarafina asked, slightly concerned and kinda curious as to what caused such a reaction. There wasn't anything around so... "Wh..what's the matter, Toriko-san? You scared me!" The chef asked, looking slightly panicked. "Mew?"

Zebra! That was him, make no mistake. But how?! Toriko wondered before looking at the huge lord of the rings style gate. 'Did he throw a sound bullet this far?! We're still dozens of kilometres away from the prison. His talents have matured!'  "Hey, Zebra! Can you hear me?! Is shouting from way over there any way to greet an old buddy?!" The blue-haired man shouted out into the empty air. Just who was he talking to..? Ah... Wait a moment! Could he be talking to Zebra? But how?!

Chapter Text

A while later

"This ought to be enough." Toriko mused at the different creatures he had nabbed on the long walk. Sarafina eyed the seemingly never-ending length. "Well, Zebra! What do you think?!" "Toriko...must you speak so loud?" Sarafina sighed out. Ever since the gate, he has been talking loudly to the air. Just how good was Zebra's hearing? The woman figured out that his ability must be hearing. Since Toriko has smell, Coco with sight etc.

If those four were going with the five senses, only sound and another one remained, which was taste. Since a certain someone was talking at high volume it became obvious what it was. "Um, Toriko? Why are you talking to yourself at top volume?" Komatsu echoed her thoughts in a question.

Toriko turned to look at him and grinned. "Hm? Oh him? He's my partner. Chef Komatsu!" The hunter explained. "Toriko, it would be appreciated if you tell us what exactly who it is you're talking?" Sarafina sighed out. Granted she knew who but she felt she should ask for Komatsu. "Her? She's a fellow hunter and friend I'm helping out. Her name is Sarafina! Huh?! No, their not snacks! You seriously want to eat them?!" Ok, now Sarafina was officially concerned of potentially meeting him. The rate that goof of a hunter was going, it was like he was speaking to the other side.

Sarafina glanced at the chef and sighed slightly. Judging from his expression Komatsu was thinking along those lines. "Kururu, get inside my bag. I don't think it's safe for you to be out in the open." She told her kitten who was resting on top of her head. Kururu nodded and hopped down till in dove into her bag. The atmosphere didn't help either since it got colder as they neared the prison. "Oh! I can see it now, you guys!" Toriko announced. About time! Her feet were starting to hurt from the long walk. "Huh?! So you can see ghosts?!" Komatsu blurted out. "Nah. He wouldn't have anything like that. Entirely useless for hunting." Sarafina explained to the chef. "Ghosts?" Toriko echoed then got a grin. "There are probably ghosts around. We're at Honey Prison, the Gourmet Prison!"

The others looked to where the hunter was looking to find the long road finally ended at a VERY steep cliff. Though to her, it looked like a very thin walkway and the height was attached to the end of the skinny part of the walkway was something that looked like a huge beehive that dangled over empty air. "I can see why they named it Honey Prison. It resembles that of a giant hive." Sarafina commented. Wonder what the inside felt like. "That thing that looks like a beehive! That's the Gourmet Prison?!" The chef exclaimed in surprise then smiled nervously. "It's so not what I imagined. It's kinda on the cute side. Even the name Honey Prison is cutesy." Sarafina couldn't help but ruffle his hair. Poor guy. So naive.

"If only it was a kind of fairy tale place." Toriko said as he walked ahead. After walking for a while longer their arrival was announced with someone shouting, "Toriko's here!" A second later a man came out to greet them. He mostly resembled a vampire with slight Frankenstein features such as stitches and bolt piercings. He has one iris in his right eye and three in his left and his nails are long and black. His attire consists of a formal business suit which includes a white shirt, purple tie, black pants and black shoes which are accommodated by his large pink-polka dotted coat adorned with yellow cuffs and shoulder frills. Miniscule fangs protrude from his bottom lip and two black spikes of hair that resemble horns protrude from the top of his skull.

The man placed a hand over his chest and bowed at the group. We've been waiting for you, Mr. Toriko, Mr. Komatsu and Miss Sarafina. The president informed us of your visit." The large man greeted them in a gravelly voice.

Komastu wasn't at all hiding his impression of the guy. No doubt he thought he was scary and his thoughts of this place being cute was shattered. "What gives? If the old man clued you in, you could've come to meet us sooner." Toriko started when the other man turned and started to head back toward the guards the woman just noticed. "Mr. Toriko. Do you know about the seasons in this region? The season is about to turn. It is too dangerous to be outside. Come. The warden is waiting for you."

A loud k-clunk was heard and instinctively Sarafina grabbed onto Toriko's arm when the ground they were standing on started to go down. Quickly, the blind woman let go of the hunter, trying not to blush. Toriko watched her for a second and kinda wondered why she let go. He didn't mind having someone as cute as her clinging.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the vice warden here, Ohban. I will show you around Honey Prison. Those who break the Gourmet Laws set by the IGO enter to one of the many prisons found across the globe. However, Those who have committed exceptionally heinous crimes-Category A Food Crimes- are sent to one of the three prisons specifically designed for their punishment. They are the world's largest gourmet prisons. One each on land, sea and air. The airborne one floats 10,000 meters in the air. That's Sky Prison, the jail in the sky. Escape is nearly impossible given that it is surrounded by tornadoes and flesh-eating birds. The second can be found in the ocean. At a depth of 2,000 meters below sea level is the marine prison, Prison Submarine. The surrounding water has a pressure of roughly 400 psi and teems with ferocious carnivorous fish. Escaping is nearly impossible there as well.

The final one is here. The land prison, Honey Prison. Able to accommodate over 100 million inmates, it is the largest of the gourmet prisons. The treacherous several dozen kilometre path that connects the gates of the underworld to this place...is the route that hundreds of criminals from around the world take every day. To monitor the convoys on the way, a-rank execution beats prowl the path and there are twelve drawbridges over a kilometre in length. Naturally, all gourmet ids must be checked for access. Usually, only the sturdy convoy beasts can pass, but even they are at risk of attack by the forest goblin during its season. That is what I mean by dangerous."

"Forest goblin?" Sarafina inquired, slightly curious. "The...forest goblin?" The small man echoed nervously. Ohban gave a small laugh then replied, "If you're lucky, maybe you'll see it. Or rather if you're unlucky I should say." A second later a huge cavern appeared below the elevator and the first thing Komatsu noticed was a giant eye that was about as tall as a grown appear next to the window.

"We have arrived. This is Honey Prison's lobby." The scary-looking man informed the others. Sarafina didn't think the chef heard him over the sound of him screaming in terror. A few minutes later huge large beasts of every size, shape and colour wearing some kind of armour came into view. "Huh, you have a lot of different execution beasts here." The hunter commented curiously as he looked around at the beasts. "Warden Love tamed them. Most convicts give up at the lobby."

"That's to be expected. These are quite fearsome creatures." Sarafina said, looking into the monsters' soul. Fearsome and loyal. Perfect guard dogs for a place like this. "I bet. I can't wait to meet this warden. Must be quite the character." Toriko said just as the elevator stopped. On the left side of the path there what appeared to be a receptionist desk.

"Any changes, Chupali?" Oban inquired when the group was close enough. From the chef's hat to his clothes, to his eyes and even his teeth, were completely pitch black. "Yes, vice warden. It seems twenty inmates were attacked, but they're behaving themselves now. Even zebra." The large scary-looking man replied. "I see. Is the warden in?" Ohban asked. "Yes. But the warden is in a pretty sour mood about all this." The vice warden sighed out. Hmm, wonder what was bothering him? Did this warden have a thing about releasing prisoners? "I know. No one's more dead set against zebra's release than warden Love."

"Heh heh heh. Hopping mad is more like it! It'll give you the willies. Better watch yourselves." Chupali told them as the group moved on. 'Your face gives me the willies.' Komatsu thought. Wonder what the warden was like...if these two men were unnerved by them. Suddenly four huge beasts came and started to growl and slobber, which caused the chef to yell out. The hunger let out a laugh. "Silly convoy beasts. They want my gifts for zebra. Knock it off. Or zebra will kill you. Hm?"

"What is it, Toriko?" The woman asked when she noticed something got his attention. She looked over and almost paled at what she was sensing. It was pure agony and tormenting energy she felt from just beyond the entryway. A sign was over a gated entrance that said "Menu IV". "Menu? What's that place, Ohban?" Toriko asked the vice warden. "Ah, yes. Honey Prison has a penal course meal?" Oban replied after of factly. "I don't quite understand... " Sarafina started at the same time Komatsu went, "Penal course?!" The group watched the iron gate go up. "Menu IV is where those of conspicuous gluttony are punished. It's called the deprivation course."

"Deprivation?" Sarafina and Toriko echoed.

"Let's take a look. It's on the way." The vice warden said leading the trio over to a huge balcony that showed huge cave overlooking what resembled a cafeteria surrounded by walls that held honeycombs like structures. "In the Gourmet Age, the ultimate bliss is to eat. So the greatest punishment is to deprived of food." That did explain the unhappy yells coming from down from below. "What did they do to this cake?! It doesn't taste sweet! There's something wrong with this food!" Some ugly looking man with very thick eyebrows shouted out. "Ah! I know that guy!" Komatsu cried out in shock when he saw him.

"He's the top gourmet swindler. He racked up over two billion yen in skipped bills in high-class restaurants. He's known as Eat&Run Norisuke." The vice warden explained.

"He's targeted my restaurant in the past!" Komatsu said.

"Because he has such a sweet tooth, for the hors d'oeuvre in this deprivation full course we've interrupted his ability to taste sweet things."

"The pain of losing your favourite food...is a fitting punishment in a Gourmet Prison." The hunter comment when they noticed a strung-out looking man going "oh no" over and over again. "That's Rick, a habitual offender who used to bootleg and use narcotic ingredients. He's guilty of farming drug snails. Just one is said to ruin a nation. We've numbed the narcotic receptors in his brain and shut off his pleasure nerves. He's trapped in an endless cycle of painful withdrawal."

The vice warden pointed to two men and explained their crimes. "We also have Baidan, the leader of Gourmet Mountain Bandits." Sarafina's eye widen in shock and gave out a visible flinch when she heard that name. Her sudden jolt cause Toriko to look at her in concern. She suddenly had a look of terror on her face. Was she okay? Before he could say something, Sarafina let out a sigh and slowly started to relax. "He's an atrocious criminal who has killed 20 Gourmet Hunters and stolen their food."

"Let me eat!" Baidan cried out as he desperately tried to reach for the plate of food that was far from reach.

"And this is Joymal, the head of a gourmet ingredient poaching group. He's been charged with heavy crime of excessively hunting 17 species and 1600 total protected animals."

"It's my favourite. I'm begging ya!" He said, also reaching for his plate.

"Those guiltier of even worse crimes go onto the next level, soup, where they are exposed to unusually distasteful foods and terribly offensive smells. But they're still lucky that they even get to eat. Next on the menu is the fish course, where they go without food, then the meat course where they go without water, and the criminals who survive that are prepared as food themselves. They're chopped up, boiled, grilled, and tossed out of Honey Prison into the death seasons forest below, where they are most certainly done for. That is Honey Prison."

Sarafina wasn't an expert on laws but from what that man just explained this place just violated a crapload of crimes against humanity...even if their criminals...nobody deserves this kind of hellish torture. "So it's pretty much a Full Course Meal that leads to your death." Toriko said.

"This way, please." Ohban called over his shoulder as he walked down the path. The blind woman shook her head and glanced over to the chef who appeared to be unnerved by it all. Well, he was a chef so it was his job to prepare food for people but this place was the complete opposite. Hope it wasn't too unsettling for him. After walking for a bit the group came to possibly one of the largest doors the woman had seen thus far. It had to at least ten feet tall covered with food carvings.

"Here we are. This is the warden's office." Ohban announced when they were right in front of the door. "Oh...wow... It's huge! Is the warden a giant like Melk?!" Toriko exclaimed in surprise. "Warden, I've brought your guests." Ohban announced. The door creaked opened and the group were on edge by what kind of person who runs a prison like this could be? The large door opened to reveal an older woman....who was as short as a small child. She is a chubby pale-skinned woman of below-average height. She straight and short black hair that goes just low enough to cover her ears. She also has blue beady eyes and a heart-shaped tattoo on each of her cheeks. She wears an odd hat in the shape of a bee's head that has the image of a heart right below the antennas. She wears a small long-sleeved dress with a stripe pattern and two rows of three buttons going down it. The words "LOVE" are also printed going down vertically on it. On the back, she has two small bug-like wings attached to the dress. She also wears curly shoes.

'I honestly didn't expect to meet someone this unusually small. Even Komatsu's taller than her.' Sarafina thought. The small group were lead into the office that looked like a giant honeycomb. The older woman sat down in a honeycomb pattern chair and greeted the three properly. "My name is Love. I'm the warden here at Honey Prison."

"Whaaat!?" The chef shouted rudely in surprise. "But you're a kid?! Ow!" Sarafina lightly smacked Komatsu's arm. "Don't be rude, Komatsu! Anyone can tell she's an adult!"

"Agreed! I am not a child! How rude! Take a good look!" Love exclaimed indignantly. "But any way you look at it, you're a little girl... Right, Toriko-san?" "Komatsu!" Sarafina tried to chide him but noticed how strangely quiet the hunter was being. "Toriko?" The blind woman started to inquire when Toriko went, "What...what a babe!"

"Say what?!" Though the chef's exclaim was a bit different than hers. Just what the hell did he mean by "babe"?! For obvious reasons, Sarafina was quite angry at his remark and what was with that damn expression?! How dare he make goo-goo eyes at someone else!?! "Warden..." Ohban said warningly which only earned a small laugh from the woman who seemed quite amused at the anger coming from the younger woman.

"H-hold on, Toriko. What do you mean by babe? And just how angry Sarafina-san is at you?! Are you seeing something I'm not?!"

"Komatsu, you idiot. Can't you see? Just look!" Sarafina narrowed her eye and growled at the giant hunter. Her power spiked up and started to shake the room a little. "Ah! S-Sarafina-san, calm down." Komatsu said, trying to calm her as he looked at the Warden's direction. "So you're Toriko-chan, Sarafina-chan and Komatsu-chan, right?" Warden Love said. Komatsu's eyes widen when he, instead of the chubby, short warden, was greeted by a tall and attractive, voluptuous woman wearing revealing clothing. Which consists of her dress acting as a shirt, a pair of g-string panties and high-heel shoes.

"Welcome to Honey Prison." The voluptuous woman greeted them. Though she couldn't see what the men were seeing, it didn't make Sarafina any less angry. As much as she tried to hold in her anger since Love was the prison's warden, but right now she didn't give a damn about how she is, if Toriko didn't stop ogling her, he was going to be one VERY sorry hunter! "Hee, hee. Too easy but..." The warden started, interrupting the vice warden when he said, "Warden Love. I think that's enough."

Love snapped her fingers breaking the boys' trance. "Neither of you two are my type." Love sighed out the last part as if she were disappointed. The boys blinked in confusion. Was that an illusion? No...it wasn't hypnotic trickery... It was like she had grabbed a hold of their instincts and ordered them to fall for her. Even though Toriko's nose didn't pick up anything but he sensed something anyway. It was a couple things but something told him NOT to look next to him or else he was going to see a scary sight! "Don't tell me those were pheromones." The warden smiled, impressed he had picked up on them.

"Well well. I thought you'd notice, Toriko. Yes, indeed. I used pheromones. Sex pheromones to be more precise! Though judging from the younger woman's reaction I think I just got you in trouble." Sarafina didn't care what was used! She couldn't stop glaring at that stupid lug! Moron! Idiot! Pervert! Funny, she was beginning to sound like her demon when it came to her opinion of men. "The warden commands hundreds of pheromones. That is how she plays the role of Queen Bee to the staff and beasts of Honey Prison." Ohban explained.

That answered some of the questions but at this point, she still didn't care. "I see. So those ferocious execution beasts are being controlled by pheromones." The hunter echoed a bit, risking a glance at Sarafina and blinked. She looked far too cute when angered..and... A surge of guilt washed over him when his brown eyes saw how hurt she also looked.

"Humans Can detect pheromones through the vomeronasal organ in the nose. It's directly linked to the hypothalamus, also known as the location of instincts in the brain. Pheromones are invisible, tasteless and odourless. Nobody can block their effects. Though Sarafina-chan is an exception as she is a woman." Love explained confidently.

"In other words...there's nobody you can't manipulate. All living things can be made your slave." Toriko got a sharp look in his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin, not to mention the surprise of Sarafina, when the warden rushed over crying and blushing like crazy. "That's the thing, Torikoo! There's someone who's immune! Just one man! He never listens to a single thing I say!" Judging from the vice warden's reaction her behaviour wasn't something new but why did Sarafina have a feeling that this certain man was...

"Um, warden Love? Is the person you're talking about..." Komatsu nervously inquired, scratching his chin a bit. Hearts appeared in the warden's eyes and she placed her hands in either side of her face and swooned. "Zebra-chan! Zebra-chan is everything I like in a man!"

"The warden opposes Zebra's release because she doesn't want her crush taken away." Ohban explained a bit. That was...unexpected... Didn't know if that was cute or scary... "What kind of reason is that?!" The two cried out in dismay. "What's it to you?! Let an old granny fall in love!" Love growled a bit at them. "You're a grandma?! How old- Ow!!"

"Please. Stop asking rude questions, Komatsu." Sarafina chided him. First, he called the warden little girl now he was asking her age. That was a dangerous question.

A while later

"I know, I know. I can't disobey the president. Zebra's crime was serious, but his record as a gourmet hunter rivals yours in terms of foods discovered. Though most were off the record." Love told the group as they walked down a stone corridor. The hall opened up to another huge honeycomb cavern with cells on the walls filled with prisoners.

Sarafina ignored the chef when he shouted "Monster!". He did have a point. There were a lot of beasts walking around this area. "This place..." The large hunter started to ask when the warden replied, "It's the execution grounds. Also known as the entree of the penal course." What? Why were they down here for?

Before the younger woman could ask, Love continued talking. "Criminals sentenced to death come straight here. In other words, all the inmates on this level are on death row. Besides the inmates, we also temporarily house dangerous creatures on this level. Recently, we had a strange creature that looked like a bird sent here."

Looked like a bird...? That sounded an awful lot like that thing the trio had met in sky. "It was rather violent. Though I believe it was still only a youngster." Ohban added as they continued on the walk. "In any case, Zebra-chan is also on this floor."

"That answered one question.." Sarafina said even as Toriko and Komatsu gaped in shock. "Uh...what exactly did Zebra-san do?" Komatsu brought up a good question. What was so troubling about this man? The others stared at him before answering, "He ate too much."

"Lost the damn looks nobody said anything about what the guy had done. Hm?" Sarafina blinked when the hunter ruffled her hair a bit. "Sorry I assumed he knew what was up." Sarafina swatted his hand off her, which surprised him a lot. Guess that meant she was still angry about before.

"Huh? He ate too much? That's why he got the death penalty?" The chef echoed. "Yep. Now follow me." The warden simply said. This was somewhat interesting, Zebra was a monster because he overate...from how this prison runs the crime must have been on certain species. "Is Zebra in solitary confinement?" Toriko asked kinda curious about where he was. "No. He's at the execution grounds."

"What?! He's gonna get executed?!" Toriko exclaimed. Guess the answer surprised him. "Yes. We've been putting Zebra through executions ever since he came to Honey Prison." Ohban told him. "Executions? What kind of man is Zebra? Going through being executed and surviving them...I think I'm getting excited about meeting him now." Sarafina mused loud out. He must be quite the character.

"You may regret those words."

"For real?! Is he doing it on purpose?!" Toriko shouted in shock. "You know him well, Mr. Toriko. That's exactly right." Love chuckled a bit before she spoke. "This is his room." She stopped in front of a large stone window. Time to see who everyone was talking about. The two guys looked through one while Sarafina moved to the other one and blinked in shock. Good Lord, this guy was a complete giant! Even sitting down she could tell how huge he was! That and the chains used for large heavy ships were shackled to him. His soul was demonic and ungodly powerful. She could feel it, even from this distance they've got between them. Sarafina was thinking that he might just be the strongest Heavenly King of all.

Zebra was an incredibly large and muscular man. He is physically the largest of the Four Heavenly Kings, towering over the very large Toriko. He has slicked-back dark red hair and eyebrow (although the latter are barely seen or directly not seen, being covered by Zebra's grin over his eyes almost always) and a large number of vertical wrinkles on his forehead, due in large part to his almost constant scowl. Zebra's most distinct feature is his half 'Glasgow smile', forming a large ragged tear from his lips to his ear on the left side of his face, exposing all the teeth on that side.

"ZEBRA!" Toriko shouted down to the tank happily. "We've come to get you!" Will the warden be alright? The younger woman wondered as she glanced back to see the warden crying while the vice tried to console her. "...Ahhh! Zebra-chan...! It's finally goodbye." She cried. "W...Warden..." 

"Hey, Zeb-!" Toriko started to shout down another greeting when he stopped in midsentence. "Are you alright?" The blind woman started to ask when a roar was heard. "Nh! The execution beasts have taken hoof! They're going to pull on the chains!" The vice warden warned quickly. So it was one of those types of execution. The sound of the chains snapped her and she didn't know if she should be impressed or shocked to not only see zebra in one piece but didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat at the strain or strength of the beasts.

But.. wow... His power. His strength and ferocity... Sarafina could kinda understand why Love was crushing on him. "Huh? Why was he taking a deep breath for? Aah!!" The woman squeaked out when the Hunter yanked her over. "Cover your ears, you two! NOW!" Toriko quickly told them. "Hurry! Cover your ears and get down!"

Was all he had time to repeat before a deep voice shouted, "Sound Bazooka!" The two quickly covered their ears before what could only be described as pure force came at them, quickly destroying everything and anything in the way.  It was all the two could do just to stay close to Toriko who was trying to shield them. Sarafina's whole body shook as she sensed the powerful energy that flowed out from that, even if when she had her ears covered. After a few minutes, everything quieted down. "Ugh... that idiot!" Toriko groaned it before he stormed over to the window and shouted down angrily, "Hey Zebra! You trying to kill us?!"

A deep laugh that comes up sent cold shivers down Sarafina's spine. "How'd you like that, Toriko? Did my voice wake you up? That dumb look on your face tells me the world's gotten pretty dull while I've been away!"

"Yeah right!" Toriko retorted back. Sarafina took a chance and peered around the Hunter and blinked. He was even bigger standing up. Well, that showcase of that Sound Bazooka didn't exactly answer the question if they were going to get along with him. Nevertheless, based on what she sensed now... Sarafina has to be extremely careful around this King. She didn't just how violent he can be...but she has to at least try to watch her step.

"You're wise to be cautious. He isn't like Toriko, Coco, or Sunny. Far from it. He's on a whole other level than they are." Her demon told her.

'That might be underestimating it.' "This is going to be a very long trip..." Sarafina said.

Chapter Text

Sarafina watched as the little chef worked hard to fill the huge banquet table the warden had provided for them while Zebra went and did...whatever. Something, she didn't know. And she preferred it that way. Though she had an inkling of what that guy was doing. Now that the Blind Bandit had already met him she completely understood why zebra getting released was to be kept secret. Holy crap what a personality! A voice startled the younger woman out of her thoughts.

"Warden! Warden Love!" A man stood by the door and gave a salute. "News of zebra's release has already gone public! The world is in a panic!" He informed her. "I was afraid of that. That's how top secret things go, I suppose." The older woman replied, not at all surprised by the news. Love grinned then said, "No one gets released from honey prison for free. I'll make sure zebra fulfils the appropriate conditions." The worker, who was waiting for further orders, sweat drop and inquired, "By conditions...you don't mean your feelings being returned in some way..?" The guy didn't sound like he wanted to know.

Sarafina highly, no make that extremely, doubtful that was going to happen. That behemoth of a man didn't look like he even knew that stuff. Or how even but there was no need to tell anyone that. "No! How vulgar! Take your filthy humour elsewhere!" Warden Love shouted at him angrily. "Sorry for making you wait!" Komatsu announced as he rolled out a cart. "This is the last of it!" "Yay! Finally!" The hunter cheered as he watched the chef put the food on the table. "Hmph! There's never been a release party held in this prison before. I'm going to bill you for the food, Toriko." The older woman told Toriko, though he didn't look like he cared.

"Put it on Zebra's tab. Then again, if you tried he'd probably whine that this celebration was too measly." Toriko commented with a grin then took a drink of beer. The two looked out at the impossibly long table. "But it will be enough to stave off his complaints, you think?" The warden wondered aloud. Guess Zebra is like Toriko when he ate...? "I can't say for sure.." The hunter frowned a bit as he replied. He was mostly wondering how he was going to explain Sarafina to him. "Um..." The chef rubbed the back of his head as he spoke. "Speaking of, where is zebra?"

"He went to the other prisoners are." Toriko told him. "Ah! To say goodbye, you mean?! Because his fellow inmates took such good care of him, I bet!" Komatsu sounded far too innocent when he said that. Also, chances were very good he didn't know what went on in prisons cause if the chef did the words took care of him could go many many different ways. That and it was very highly doubtful that Zebra was going to be that friendly. "Ack?! Sarafina-san?!" Komatsu squeaked out when the woman hugged him. "Your innocence is truly something to behold Komatsu." Sarafina sighed out. "Nope. He went to kill them. Because they kept whispering bad things about him." Toriko explained as he watched the two, torn from feeling jealous and amused.

Sarafina lightly glared at him. To think he called her blunt! "Zebra's ears are sharper than a knife. And of the four kings, he's got the shortest fuse. He's more belligerent than any creature I know." The Hunter explained to them. Well, the woman could tell already that this was gonna be a great trip. Deep laughter suddenly made the two look to their left and HOLY CRAP! Zebra was covered from head to toe with blood, making him appear more frightening. "There's nothing more arousing than a good fight." Zebra said. Sarafina raised an eyebrow at him and said, "A fight, huh? It appears to be more like a one-sided blood bath. But that's just my opinion on it."

"GYAAH! YOU'RE COVERED IN BLOOD!" Komatsu cried out in dismay. Sarafina kept her eye on the scarred man. Geez, was this guy tall! And fricken huge! Way bigger than Toriko! The woman barely reached his waist! The chef and the bandit watched as he leaned down to their eye level. Sarafina took a whiff and tried to keep a straight face. He needed a bath. It was unnerving to smell someone covered in blood. Not to mention revolting.

"It's not my blood. Pipe down, little guy. Or I'll eat ya. Hmm?" The huge man went when Sarafina pushed the chef behind her and calmly, but firmly, said at him, "I highly recommend that you do not tyrannise Komatsu. Stop being such a vulgar individual. Instead of spouting intimidating threats, I suggest you go clean up. You're an absolute mess." Kururu stood on top of her head as she gave a low growl at Zebra's way. He may look big and bad, but Kururu wasn't scared of him.

"Sarafina, what the hell do you think you're doing?! This is the complete opposite of being cautious!!" Freia harshly scolded her.

'I know that! But that doesn't mean I won't teach him some proper manners.' Sarafina told her as she stood her ground as Zebra narrowed his eyes at her and growled back, "What's that? I'll eat you too you little..."

"Hey." Toriko said warningly as he walked up behind and the giant and placed/lightly grabbed Zebra's head. "Don't you dare lay a finger on my partner and my friend, you delinquent." Zebra looked back at him going, "Hunh?" In response to the hunter then asked threateningly, "Who's head do you think you're grabbing, bastard?"

'That's interesting, this brat sounded like he was used to getting his way.' Though Sarafina didn't doubt that his large size and personality played a factor. "Huh? Yours. You need a haircut." Toriko replied unfazed. Zebra stood up and glared menacingly at Toriko. Once again, Sarafina surprised to sense just how gigantic Zebra was compared to Toriko. Zebra easily towered over him by at least a foot or two.

"Don't go treating me like some snot-nosed brat, Toriko." The huge man told him. Guess Toriko wasn't fazed at the man who apparently was trying to bully him, which was kinda funny cause it didn't seem to bother him. So did that mean those two were close..friends...? "You're a blood-covered brat running wild in a jail. I came all this way to get you, so behave yourself." Toriko calmly told him when Zebra grabbed the arm Toriko was using to grab his head and squeezed. Hard from the looks of it.

"If you don't like it, I'd be happy to make you my stress-relief." Zebra said menacingly as he leaned close to Toriko's face. "C'mon. Let's fight." Toriko narrowed his eyes then answered, "Oh yeah?" Sarafina sighed deeply. So much for Toriko being the mature one. Guess those two are good friends. "It doesn't matter how many we come across. Men will never stop being mindless children." Freia said.

'You're right on that notion. Still, I should put a stop to this before it turns ugly.' Sarafina thought as she got up to stop Zebra and Toriko from fighting when Warden Love stepped in. "I'm so jealous. You're so close you can fight." Warden Love said. Sarafina couldn't help but feel annoyed at the older woman for using her pheromones. She especially got annoyed when she sensed Toriko falling for it so easily. "No fighting at the dinner table, okay?" Love finished holding out her arms.

The younger woman glared at Toriko who got a stupid swooning look on his face and nodded okay then he saw Sarafina quickly snapped out of it. "Wha?" Toriko tried to ask but Sarafina shook her head. "Do yourself a favour and wipe that drool off of your face, you insufferable man." Was all she said before walking away. Kururu gave Toriko a hostile hiss before turning away. Zebra, meanwhile, only glared at the warden. "Darn it all! Why won't it work on you, Zebra-chan?" Love grumbled out unhappily. Guess the older woman really liked Zebra. "Why won't what work?" Zebra asked though he sounded like he just asked out of boredom rather than curiosity. "My pheromones."

"What're those? Can I eat them?" Zebra inquired a bit. Well, that solved the problem. He hadn't hit puberty yet despite being an adult.

Though Sarafina doubted he even knew what to do, let alone think it. Otherwise, how did one explain a grown man ignoring Love... Suddenly feeling annoyed at the thought and even more annoyed when Toriko's stupid reaction came to mind the woman stopped that train of thought and sat at the table, which the chef joined her a second later. Brainless, insolent Toriko. "Hey, Zebra! Let's celebrate your release! Get over here!" Said brainless hunter as he called over to the larger man as he sat down at the table and glanced over at Sarafina, slightly confused about why she was giving him the cold shoulder. "Hm? Oh. Guess we can fight later." "There's not going to be a fight!" Toriko retorted back annoyed.

Zebra sat between Komatsu and Toriko and quickly made short work of the food the chef had prepared. That guy...seriously...Zebra was on par if not more with Toriko when it came to raging appetites. But still...Sarafina wondered if eating too much that bad of a crime? If so then why didn't they arrest Toriko? And to get the death penalty on top of that. Maybe she didn't know as much as everyone else, kind of blaming grandfather on that one, but she was sure there was more than what met the eye here. "Those are the conditions of your release! Those are the president's orders and if you don't meet the conditions, you will have violated probation. Hey! Listen to me, Zebra-chan!" The warden's voice said, startling Sarafina out of her thoughts.

Conditions? What did she miss? The woman will have to ask Komatsu or Toriko what those were. Zebra carried on, ignoring the warden as he turned toward the other hunter and inquired, "So, Toriko. This mellow cola. What is it?" For once the larger man's curiosity actually sounded genuine. Toriko took a bite out of his sandwich and spoke between mouthfuls, "According to the old man, it's the world's tastiest cola. You're a fan of cola, right?" Drool quickly started to fall like a waterfall down from Zebra's half Glasgow smile as he denied it, "Cola? I'm not some kid."

'Your drool is giving you away.' The younger woman thought as she watched the two before glancing toward Komatsu, whose expression said it all: All that food I cooked, gone in a flash. Poor little guy. Zebra leaned down to peer at Komatsu and asked, "Hey, little guy. Did you really cook all this food?"

"Ah... ...Sarafina helped somewhat- Ack!" The chef started when the woman smacked his arm. "I did not I was just a second pair of hands." She scolded a bit. That was true but she also stopped when she killed three dishes by accidentally over seasoning them slightly. Though the food was good Sarafina couldn't let the chef put them out there. The woman wouldn't let anything ruin the impression of his cooking. "O...ok if you so..." Komatsu said, already aware that arguing with her was useless and turned his attention back to Gigantor. "D..did it suit to your tastes?" Sarafina would wonder why Komatsu was nervous but she understood completely. That guy was completely using his size and personality to intimidate others. The larger man said nothing and just stared at the chef.

Flashback

"You're going to be preparing the food for Zebra's release party in prison." Toriko called over his shoulder as they walked. "Who? Me?" Sarafina asked, attempting to do her best not to laugh. "Not you, I'm talking to Komatsu." Sarafina laughed a bit as the chef exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Me!? In prison!? O...okay, I'll do it. He's your friend. I'll do my best to cook. What does Zebra like?"

"Don't worry. He'll eat anything."

"That's not exactly helpful Toriko." Sarafina pointed out.

"Aw, give me something to work with!" Komatsu cried out at him. "Y...you can help me too. If you want to, Sarafina-san. Cook, I mean." The chef nearly blinked in surprise when her eyes got big in excitement and she exclaimed happily, "Really? You'll let me help?" The Hunter couldn't help but laugh. Guess somebody was excited to be included.

in the kitchen

"He said that he likes meat. Toriko did, I mean. The nutrient balance will be important. How's that steak coming, Sarafina-san?" Komatsu asked as he worked on the food in the skillet. He felt giving her easy jobs to do would be ok, the chef would hate to see her upset if she ruined something even if it was an accident. The steak, which the woman was working hard on, looked almost done. Kururu watches intently at the meat. It looked delicious, a bit upset that she might not be able to eat this. "I think it's done. Thanks for inviting me to help out, Komatsu." Sarafina warmly thanked him before plating the steak.

"You're welcome. I figured after all this time you must've gotten curious about how to cook ingredients. Sorry if I'm wrong though.." Sarafina laughed it off. "You figured right. Much as I want to cook I'm terrified of ruining the ingredients. Grandfather was always overprotective when he had tried to teach me how to cook. But...are you sure you want me to help? You've never cooked for this Zebra fellow before." The woman would hate it if the chef got ruined for her bad cooking.

"It's fine, I just have you doing easy ingredients." The smaller man reassured her, taking great care not to mention the three dishes that didn't turn outright. Knowing her as he did Sarafina was going to feel guilty about the dishes for a while. Sarafina watched her steak carefully, glancing slightly at Matsu, who was doing a taste test on one of his dishes, lost in thought. "Hmm. Maybe I should make it richer. He'd probably enjoy rare seasonings you don't get in prison. But...what would be a good way to go...?"

Sarafina took care of her steak before quietly and sneakily coming up behind Komatsu, who was still lost in thought, and said quietly right in his ear, "B. O. L. D."

"Ack!? Sarafina-san?!" Komastu squeaked out in surprise as he jumped about a foot. The woman giggled a bit before she apologized, "Forgive me, Komatsu. I couldn't resist."

"Y...you really got me! What do you mean 'bold'?" He inquired, curious why Sarafina had said that. "Easy. Judging by what the others had eaten so far. Like Toriko favouring sweet things, Coco going for subtle things etc. From what I could tell they're going with foods that seem a lot like their personalities." Sarafina started to explain then brought a finger up to her lip thoughtfully. "Although I could be wrong. Depending on how Zebra operates he could do 360 on us and like the complete opposite."

"Someone is having fun at least." Komastu smiled a bit at her playful nature before he added, "I hope Zebra likes his meal. Ack! Really Sarafina-san?!"

"I can't help it. You're just so innocent at times that I can't resist teasing you!" The blind woman said as she hugged him. "I wouldn't worry too much though. Your cooking is fantastic!"

End flashback

The woman watched zebra look at the chef for a bit more before he finally spoke. "Little guy." "Y...yes?!" Komastu gaped out in terror. 'Don't soil yourself Komatsu.' Sarafina thought, trying her best not to sigh. That gigantic brute. He enjoyed bullying way too much. If Zebra ever tries that in her he has another thing coming. Zebra leaned down so he was eye level with the chef and stated, "Don't get cocky."

"Huh?!" Komastu gasped out before he stammered out, "Uh, yes... I mean, no... Uh..." Poor little guy sounded so confused at that statement. "One thing I hate is guys who get carried away and cocky. Just lookin' at 'em makes me want to crush their skulls and pulverize 'em into dust!" The huge man explained, sounding excited.

Sarafina happened to notice he was looking at her as he said that. Hmph. Trying to scare her, is he? "If you're expecting me to run away screaming, it's best you move along. By the way, does that statement mean you despise yourself as well?" The woman said as she stared right back. She tried not to laugh at the choking sounds coming from the table and the stunned look from Zebra's soul. "What's the matter? You said you hate cocky people, do you not? If you ask me, I am currently speaking to the cockiest person in the room right now." Toriko gave in and laughed a bit. He could always count on her to say what's on her mind!

"O..okay. Um, so...I'm sorry. For getting carried away.." The chef said before anyone could say anything. Zebra was quiet for a moment then replied, "I knew it. So you were getting cocky. Just like that one."

"It's no fault of mine. You annoy me. Stop bullying Komatsu and learn some manners." Sarafina calmly told him even as the smaller man freaked out. "Huh?! No, I wasn't... I wasn't cocky!" Footsteps got the group's attention and saw the vice warden walk in. "Warden, a message." The man started and waited for her response. "What is it, Ohban?" Love inquired, slightly curious. "The Forest Goblin has appeared!" Now, why did that sound familiar... Ah. Right. The gentleman mentioned it when they first arrive.

"I see. Oh, bother." The warden sighed out. "F..Forest Goblin? You mentioned it back at the entrance. What exactly is it?" Komatsu inquired curiously. "Once a year here, it's Monster Season that's when the turtle awakens." Love made it sound so matter of fact... But... "A turtle? And M..Monster Season?" The chef echoed back.

"This area is called Death Season Forest because of its unique climate. Instead of spring, summer, fall and winter, we have Monsters, Magma, Mist and Freeze. It's one of the human world environments that rivals the gourmet world." The older woman explained. "What exactly do you mean? What is Death Season and the like?" Sarafina asked.

"The first happens between June to August, it's the magma season, the season of melting when lava pours out of the earth. The surface temperature exceeds to 70c and the air is so hot it burns. September and November. In mist season, the fog gets so thick you can't see a meter in front of you. The fog is a poisonous gas that chokes on the first breath, does brain damage on the second breath and stops your heart on the third. Oh, and it's flammable. Between December and February, we have the season of cold, or freeze season. When a blizzard of -200c freezes everything. Violent winds blow for three months straight, scattering the forests thorny grasses about. Between March and May is monster season, when hundreds of thousands of ferocious creatures awaken. Their average capture level is sixty. The strongest is the Forest Goblin, also known as the Magma Tortoise." Love finished.

"Perhaps we should delay Zebra's release until after the season has ended. That turtle.." Ohban started when the giant of a man interrupted and sneered out, "that turtle..is getting cocky." Sarafina blinked a bit and watched as gigantor headed out. Dare she even make an inquiry? Nah. No need since the younger woman knew where he was heading. Sarafina got up and followed the group to the window. "Wow..guess this why it's called Monster Season." Sarafina commented off-handedly as she looked on at the monsters down below.

"Waaah! What's with all these monsters?!" Komatsu cried out as he gazed down at the monsters. "This is Death Season Forest in monster season. Going outside would be foolish." Ohban explained.

"B..but zebra just went out! Is he going to be ok?!" Komatsu said as he pointed outside turning to Toriko. Toriko put his hands on his hips and echoed the chef. "'Okay?' I forgot to mention something, you two. About Zebra's crime." The two turned to look at the hunter properly before he continued.

"Zebra of the four kings can hear a coin drop dozens of kilometres away. He can also manipulate his voice and use its sound waves to obliterate anything in his path. His destructive power...is the strongest of the four kings. The problem is his appetite and his short fuse." Toriko glanced down at the two and watched as they quickly covered their ears just as said King started to use his attack.

"When he finds a food he likes or a creature that gets on his nerves...he'll eat that species to extinction." Sarafina gazed down to where Zebra was and she couldn't help but be a bit surprised by this piece of information. He ate creatures to extinction?! Then again, considering the state of his soul, she wasn't that surprised. It now made sense for someone like him. "Zebra's already eaten 26 species to extinction. That's his crime. Zebra's currently labelled a class one dangerous creature. Of all the monsters out there right now...Zebra is the most dangerous." Toriko finished, slightly amused at Sarafina who didn't appear to be fazed at all by the news. Though given what she has seen of him the hunter was sure she'd put it together.

A second later a huge light and deafening boom occurred and to the astonishment of all the monsters, not to mention landscape, all flat on the ground. "Incredible... He took them out in seconds!" Sarafina grinned excitedly quite impressed with the move. Which annoyed the large man greatly but even he had to grudgingly admit it was impressive.

Komatsu squeaked out in scared excitement again. "It's flat! He really has matured!" Toriko gawked out in astonishment at the sheer power of the other man. He still was annoyed that this impressed Sarafina. "Tch. Blew out my voice again. I can't talk." An annoyed whispered voice was heard next to the window that caused Toriko to poke his head out of the window and yelled out, "Zebra!"

Sarafina poked her head out the other Winfield and saw the behemoth squatting casually. "Toriko. After I'm done eating these guys... I'm gonna wanna quench my throat." Zebra finished up glancing at the other hunter. A grin appeared on Toriko's face and replied, "let's go drink some cola!" Ooooh boy..this trip was going to be quite the handful wasn't it?

Dust storm valley

"Unbelievable...this man is something else...he's even got his own weather report." Sarafina mumbled, still trying to decide if she should be amazed that this guy was something else to get his own weather report...or there was a weather report about his location...or there was a weather that existed just for him. Either way..the one thing Sarafina know was that those two overgrown children were testing her patience! Practically the entire way here they've been fighting! The group rented one of the most gorgeous lift houses the place had to offer and they trashed it!

Sarafina glanced over her book at said kids and saw Toriko sewing up zebra's Glasgow. Though...his sewing skills were awful...it was terrible. "That ought to do it." Toriko told Zebra as he finished it off. "Sheesh, what a pain in the ass." The Gigantor sighed out annoyed then added, "Why do I have to close up my cheek anyway?"

"Camouflage. You stand out too much, even with your charming personality." Sarafina told him placing her kitten on her shoulder and looked over to the two. She smiled innocently when Zebra flashed her a scowl. Toriko, doing his best not to chuckle, agreed. "Quit complaining. President's orders. Despite the comment of your personality Fina has it right. This is like camouflage." Toriko informed him, putting the needle away.

"Feh.." Zebra sulked a bit and pointed to his cheek and said, "But I can barely open my mouth. And I can't eat."

"Stop complaining. If you can talk, then you can eat. Don't be such a baby." Sarafina tried not to laugh at the dirty look he gave her. "You sure got guts. Getting all cocky in front of me." Zebra growled at her and scowled, even more, when she giggled. "It's simply called being honest and I seem to recall a certain someone stating he hates liars." She replied, trying not to enjoy herself too much.

"Tch! You..." Zebra started when the chef announced from the doorway, "Sorry for the wait. Dinner's ready!"

"Komatsu, dear, we've talked about this. You're not a housewife. There's no need to act like one." The woman sighed out as she looked over to the smaller man. Seriously. Just because the man was a chef didn't mean he had to cater to them all. "About damn time!" Zebra shouted in excitement which caused the stitching to instantly snap and break. "Aaaah! Don't shout, you idiot!" Toriko shouted out dismay and pointed at the open cheek.

'Not again..' The woman watched as Toriko grabbed the front of zebra's robe in anger and continued, "After all the time I took sewing up your stupid cheek! You always get too excited about food!" Toriko had no room to talk but Sarafina doubted the comment would be heard. Zebra grabbed his arms and shouted angrily back, "Shaddap! I can't help it if I get tense about stuff!" That was tense? She would hate to see him gets really tense. "Then get tense with your mouth shut!" Toriko growled back even as zebra growled, "That ain't gonna work! You're dead!"

Good grief, don't they ever stop fighting? They haven't gone this entire trip without having scuff marks on them. "Fine, you wanna piece of me?!" Toriko shouted challenging him which Zebra responded with, "Yeah! Let's step outside!"

"If anyone is interested it's impossible to go outside cause we're on a lift and there's nothing but air... Hey. Hey!" Sarafina tried to intervene but to no avail. Sigh... Men! That was it! She needed a break from this pointless fighting!

Setting Kururu on the floor, Sarafina took a deep breath, and stormed over to the two, before the fighting turned into fist fighting again otherwise going over would be dangerous, and bashed them both as hard as she could over their heads. Ignoring the shocked astonishing looks the men all had on their faces and stared at her as she crossed her arms. "Enough is enough! You!" She pointed to Toriko. "Over there." She pointed to one of the few remaining chairs left. "But-." Toriko started but stopped at her expression. "Shut it! Now. You." Sarafina then pointed at Zebra to a chair that was by the table with the sewing kit. "Sit."

"Tch. Who's coming to make me? You?" The behemoth sneered at her. The blind woman narrowed her eye and coldly said, "Do it or I'm going to shove my sword where the sun don't shine. Now. Sit. Your. Ass. Down." Zebra blinked at that and grudgingly sat down to the surprise of all and she continued to shock them all when she sat next to him and took out the needle and thread. "Eh..? Y..you're going to sew his cheek, Sarafina-san?" The chef asked in surprise.

"Of course I am. Toriko did a terrible job anyway. I'm obligated to inform you Zebra, make me angry more than I'm already am while I'm sewing and I'll make sure that I make it painful." Sarafina said to him as she started to sew his cheek. Good thing she had first aid training. The huge man had to admit the woman had some guts talking to him that way. So far she had barely...no...hadn't shown any fear toward him at all.

She seemed to float between emotions when it came to him but only a few strong emotions toward Toriko if his hearing was any indication. First chance he got he was going to ask. After a few minutes she finished, Toriko slightly annoyed at her being close to Zebra but even more, at her giving him attention. After a while, she informed Zebra, "And done in time to eat."

"About damn time! I'm starving!" Was all he said before he headed toward the dining room. Or what was left of it anyway. Not feeling very hungry, Sarafina went to sit by the window with Kururu jumping on her lap to sleep now that the kids seemed to be behaving now. For now at least.

"Not gonna eat Fina?" Toriko called out to her between bites. And what? Risk losing her fingers or hand? No thanks. "No, I'm good. But I think I'll get a drink from the kitchen." Sarafina said before getting up and heading to the kitchen. Now, that she mentioned it, she needed a STRONG drink. She was going to need it if she's going to last with these two idiots.

Chapter Text

Once things had moderately calmed down, Sarafina took her seat near the window with her several bottles of liquor beside her. As she took a sip of liquor she made sure her ears and other senses were trained on Toriko and Zebra in case they ended up fighting...again. Fortunately, they were taking a break of it by eating but God knows when the next one will come. And to think, she had to watch over them for a month? 'Just my luck... Out of the four, Toriko and Zebra are the most childish men I've ever met.' Sarafina thought to herself as she drank from her glass. Yeah, she needed strong drinks for this.

She turned her head over to the others when Toriko began talking to the behemoth. "So you really did eat those execution beasts, huh?" The blue-haired hunter asked as he took a bite from his meat. "That's why you've levelled up so much, Zebra."

"You are the one who has gotten stronger, Toriko. I'm glad..." Zebra tells him. "There is still someone I can punch on equal ground."

Sarafina tried not to laugh at that. 'I guess he can show some respect towards people if he feels like.' She thought. Still though, how in the world did Zebra become the way he is? While his manners are nonexistent, and while his soul is animalistic and uncontrollable, there's that speck she can't help but notice. Perhaps there was more to the behemoth than meets the eye.

"By the way, kid!!" Zebra shouted at Komastu's way. Making the smaller man flinch in fear. "Y...Yes!!" Komatsu cried out.

"Are you...gettin' cocky?" He asked him. Sarafina kept her eye on his as she finished down her cup. Komatsu looked even more scared and waved his arms frantically to calm Zebra down. Or at least attempt to. "Eh?! No, I am not, not at all!" Komatsu said. Zebra gave him an unnerving stare as he said, "...Alright..." Everyone was quiet when Zebra leaned in close to look at Komatsu right in his eyes. "Listen up, kid. Think of me as an environment." Zebra said.

"...Eh? An...environment...?" Komatsu questioned. Confused about to why and how Zebra would want him to think of him as broad and complex as an environment. As soon as Komatsu asked, Zebra spread a wide grin and began to say, "That's right. If you don't take care of me well, the creatures connected to me could end up going extinct. That's the law of nature...!!" Zebra's eyes then trailed over to the blind woman and firmly stated, "That goes double for you."

Sarafina took in his words and thought about them carefully. It was interesting. What he was trying to say if any of them fail to adapt to him then trouble was soon to follow. Sarafina closed her eye and gave a silent nod. "I understand." She said. If adapting to him is the only way to get fewer headaches from him than that's what she'll do. The attention turned to Toriko when the gluttonous hunter let out a carefree laugh. "Hahaha! Don't worry about him, you guys! There's no need for you to take care of this guy!" He said with a bright smile. Zebra whirled back to him either with anger or annoyance and shouted at him, "Toriko, you aren't caring for me at all!"

Sarafina just let out a sigh as she poured herself another drink while Komatsu stood there with silently as the two went at it again. Though Toriko seemed to be the only one who can handle him and Sarafina being indifferent but firm with him, Komatsu was left uncertain with Zebra even being here. Zebra is one of the Four Heavenly Kings like Toriko...but different from either Coco and Sunny. He was a criminal. A seriously dangerous person. Was it really okay...bringing him on this journey?

Eventually, a month came and went, and the group had finally arrived at the Sand Garden. A massive desert region situated atop an isolated table-top mountain in the middle of the Wak Continent's Sand Cloud Valley and it is one of the largest desert regions in the Human World. It is 39,000,000 Sq. Kilometres. The main capital of Sand Garden is the Sand Kingdom and its most notable landmark is the Gourmet Pyramid, one of the "Seven Gourmet Wonders". Within this desert region are many types of deserts such as "Gourmet Deserts", "Rice Deserts", "Black Sugar Deserts", "Natural Resources Deserts" and "Jewel Deserts". The only way to reach the region, one must take a Lift House to gain access into the area as the Sand Cloud Valley is too deep and turbulent to cross by either land or air.

Everyone left the Lift House and were preparing to head out into town but Sarafina and Komatsu stopped in their tracks when, the moment they stepped outside the Lift House, it shattered into pieces. "It sounds we got out just in time." Sarafina said as she walked away, leaving Komatsu standing there in shock. Karuru hopped down from Sarafina's shoulder and grabbed hold of Komatsu's pant leg, dragging him towards the others.

"Haaah! We're finally here! It's the Sand Kingdom!" Zebra shouted as they walked to the entrance. Zebra was now dressed in a black sleeveless shirt, brown pants, and brown boots. Near the entrance, Zebra spotted a terrified guy, looking at him as his whole body shook. "What, what are you lookin' at? I'll kill ya." Zebra threaten as he went over to him, leaning close to intimidate him. The terrified smaller man flinched back and pleaded with the behemoth of a man. "H-HIEEEH! P-please, just spare my life...!"

"Alright, I'll spare your life." Zebra told him, but knowing him, there was a catch to it. "In return, gimme something to eat. Introduce me to a tasty sand cuisine restaurant!" Sarafina merely sighed at Zebra's behaviour. He surely was a piece of work, but she had some hope he would cooperate with them into getting this cola.

"...H...hey, Toriko-san..." Komatsu said, nervously.

"Hm?" Toriko went.

"Zebra-san's...alright, isn't he?" The smaller chef asked.

"Hm? What?" Toriko asked him. Komatsu glanced at the ground, looking even more anxious about the whole thing. He was so excited to come along on this journey with them but with Zebra, a horrifyingly dangerous criminal, Komatsu wasn't as enthusiastic as he should be. Toriko let out a laugh and said, "Haha, worried? Well, he is a full-fledged criminal. I can understand why you can't trust he'll help us out."

"I think that's an understatement." Sarafina pointed out.

"M...more than just trust...I mean...I..." Komatsu said, hesitating to speak up. Not because he felt that it wasn't his business, but because Zebra has superhuman hearing. He'll hear every word he'll say. But he has to say it, otherwise, he might regret it. Komatsu took a deep breath and looked up at the blue-haired hunter. "I feel that Zebra-san's sins...are very heavy ones... I...don't see a bit of remorse in Zebra-san's actions...so I can't agree with this!! Honestly, his discharge is..."

Sarafina took a glance at Zebra and looked into his soul. She can understand perfectly how Komatsu feels. She had been analysing his soul the entire month and she hadn't found anything other than complete insanity swirling around him. There was no denying that Zebra was a hardened criminal, yet there's something that's telling her that he can be trusted given with some adaptability as he says. The others looked over at Zebra and saw that the man was pointing over at a direction. Though it was unsure that Zebra was listening to him or Komatsu.

Knowing this, Komatsu faltered back a bit and his worries grew stronger. 'It's over...I'm going to be killed for sure now... He already thinks I'm being cocky...' Komatsu. thought to himself as he recounts his short life before Zebra gets his hands on him. That's when Toriko leaned down to his height and gave a bright smile. "Komatsu! I feel the same way!" He said, surprising the small chef.

"To...Toriko-san..."

"But...his power is absolutely necessary for us to enter the Gourmet Pyramid. We have to support each other here." Toriko said as he rose back to his full height. "Zebra'sexistence doesn't necessarily cause evil to the world 100% of the time."

"Eh?"

"Well, if that's the case then things should be fine. Besides, Zebra's pitiful lack of manners is the only thing bothering me at the moment." Sarafina said as she and Toriko walked on ahead with Karuru running up and jumping to take her spot on her master's shoulder, leaving Komatsu confused and even more uncertain. Have...have the two of them forgotten that 26 different species had gone extinct because of Zebra?!

Eventually, after procuring some turbans and mantels, Toriko, Sarafina and Komatsu wander alone in the hot desert looking for equipment as Zebra went elsewhere to get food. Sarafina made certain to keep her eyes locked on both Toriko's and Komatu's energy. If there was one thing she hated it would be the desert or just sand in general. It was so loose and shifty, it made everything her sight look fuzzy. Another thing she hates being blind but was glad she can sense/see the souls and lives of others.

They came across a town up north. The town itself was in shambles and most of the houses seemed to be in ruins. and headed towards a shop to rent some camels to move by. Upon reaching, the Rental Camel shop, an old woman steps out of the shack and smiled weakly at the trio. "You're the first customers I've had in a while..." She told them. "Welcome, come on in."

"We came to rent some camels." Toriko said. The old woman nodded and smiled, "Thank you very much. Which desert would you be going to?" But then her smile faded and she told them, "But to be honest, the ones I can recommend are rather limited."

"Is that so?" Sarafina said. As the two hunters converse with the old woman, Komatsu glanced over to the town and took in the desolated, run-down town. He couldn't help but think of how it gives off a sad feeling to it. Just how are people able to bear living in this place? As he was gazing into town the old woman took notice of him and she knew what he was thinking about. Not that she could blame him.

"Ahh...the truth is, a war happened in recent years...so this is how the town's become... The rate of tourists has gone way down and so have the people who use Lift Houses." She said with a slight tone. Komatsu's eyes widened as he thought back to the old, run-down Lift Houses he has seen on the way here. They really hadn't been used in years. Sarafina clenched her fist in anger but her expression remained cool and composed. This town was a wreck because of a war between countries. She hated war at the best of times, but those who infected an innocent outside party like this are worse.

Sarafina walked and leaned to the old woman's height. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you. It must've been awful." She told her, feeling sympathetic for this old woman and her people. The old woman smiled and shook her head. She wiped away a tear and said, "It's alright now. The war's over now...thanks to a certain person."

"A certain person?" Sarafina asked, interested at who she meant. However, Toriko left surprised as he had a feeling he knew. The old woman wiped her tears away as she continued to explain. "It's just... Even though the industries have started up again, the ravages of the war still remain even now. And the living weapons that were sent over here during the war are still devouring the natural resources... This town's been attacked numerous times... my..."

The old woman paused as she thought back to the last attack that plagued this town. The heartbreak she endured. The despair she felt when she watched her son and grandson die before her. Neither she nor anyone had the strength to save them. The old woman took a moment to calm herself down and looked up at the trio of travellers. "Therefore...I can only recommend deserts...where those creatures do not appear." She told them.

The hunters and chef were left silence at the old woman's story. It was a lot to take in and a lot to understand. Sarafina wanted to speak up to console the old woman but then she turned her head and glanced over her shoulder. Sensing that someone was coming towards them. "Grandma...the desert we're going to is-." Toriko went to say before he was cut off by a powerful, ruthless voice.

"HEY, TORIKO!!" Zebra shouted as he finally caught up with them. "You better not leave me behind and go on ahead, dammit!"

"Ah." Toriko went.

"Oh good, he caught up." Sarafina said.

"Zebra-san!!!" Komatsu called out. However, this caught the woman's attention as she held a look of shock on her face. Her eyes couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Zebra...?! Could it be?!" She asked. When Komatsu and the old woman spoke out his name, many of the townspeople immediately left their houses and appeared to be overwhelmed with happiness as bright smiles appeared on their faces. "Eh?" "Zebra-sama?!" "Zebra-sama has come?!" They shouted in joy. As soon as they saw Zebra, the townspeople smiled and laughed as they ran over to Zebra, giving him an unexpectedly warm greeting and giving him great praise.

"Zebra-sama!" "It's our saviour, Zebra-sama!" "Zebra-sama!" The townspeople said as they jumped with happiness while the giant behemoth stood in the centre completely bewildered by them. "Wh...what the?!" He questioned. Sarafina tried not to laugh at his position, but she couldn't help it. It was rather adorable to see such a large "intimidating" man be so flustered by this. As the people crowded around the Black Sheep of the Heavenly Kings, Komatsu was confused as to why that is happening. "What...is this...? Toriko-san." Komatsu asked as he turned to the blue-haired hunter.

"Enemies who found themselves on the same side." Toriko said. "With Zebra discharged, many countries put themselves in state of emergency no different than what they would do in wartime. On. the contrary, many other countries that were already at war with one another temporarily stopped and made pacts to start countermeasures against Zebra. This town is under the possession of a warring country far away... In other words, Zebra's discharge put the stop to a long war."

"I understand now. That's what you meant that his influence on the world wasn't entirely malicious. I was under the impression that you were slightly mistaken about him." Sarafina said as she gave a smile at Zebra. "You're saying you didn't believe me?" Toriko questioned her. Sarafina chuckled and patted his head. "Course not. But it's nice to receive some confirmation." She told him.

"More importantly than the war..." The old woman says as tears swelled in her eyes. "Tens of thousands of lives of the people living here had already been taken...even the elderly and our children. Every day was truly like hell. I'm so glad... I'm so glad he really ended it for us... Zebra-sama... He is the God who brought us salvation." The tears fell from the woman's face and she. fell to her knees while placing her hands up in prayer. Sarafina walked over to the woman and placed a comforting hand on her back. Smiling more brightly at Zebra.

He may be an arrogant, savage fighter, but perhaps with his skills and reputation, it can bring a sense of protection and peace to towns like this one. Perhaps that was the speck that she's been seeing. Sarafina blinked as she sensed another presence, and it wasn't a friendly one. "Hey! What are you people doing?! Get away from me, you're pissing me off!" Zebra shouted as he was still dealing with the townspeople. Even with the brashness he was presenting, they weren't deterred by this and continued to smile and praise him. "Hm?" He went. Suddenly, Zebra left them and walked into the desert as if anticipating something.

Sarafina then felt slight tremors coming from underneath and the presence was getting closer. Then bursting out from the sand, a massive scorpion rose, growling as it made the earth shook under its weight. It was a giant purple-shelled scorpion arthropod with a body length of 15 meters and a weight of 12 tons. It has gleaming red eyes, a grey lower jaw, two large pincers and a spiked growth growing from its head. Its most notable feature is its eight large tails which can extend to a great reach and its grotesque stingers can pierce almost anything with their sharpness and release several types of very deadly poison. Despite being called a scorpion, it is actually a crustacean rather than an arachnid.

The townspeople, upon sight, immediately began running away, screaming as they tried to run to safety. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! TH-THE LIVING WEAPON!!!" A person from the crowd screamed as they ran to their homes.

"That's-!" Sarafina began.

"8-Tailed Scorpion!! It can kill all types of creatures with the poison that comes out of its eight tails, and really mess up ecosystems!!" Toriko said. "That guy is a quarantine-designed creature, and a level two dangerous creatures."

Among the crowd of feeling citizens, a little girl ended up tripping. Making herself an easy target for the Scorpion. "W-watch out!!" Komatsu shouted. The little girl screamed when the Scorpion unleashed one of its poisonous tails at her. Sarafina grit her teeth as she gripped her sword, ready to run up and save the girl when she sensed a rising power coming from Zebra. At that moment, when it tried to kill that little girl, Zebra had already stepped up to stop it. "Voice Cutter!!" Zebra's attack had sliced the massive scorpion to pieces. The Voice Cutter, one of Zebra's powerful attacks. He uses his voice to cut his enemy (possibly through high-frequency vibrations). Rather than a shockwave, the vibrations produce thin 'blades' of sound.

"Don't get cocky now, you inferior creature." Zebra said with a menacing stare. The little girl stood up, staring at Zebra in awe before she gave a soft "Thank you." As soon as she did, the townspeople jumped in joy and cheered for Zebra, praising him even more so than they were before. To them, it didn't matter what the rest of the world might say, Zebra would forever be a hero in their eyes.

"Remarkable...!" Sarafina said as she looked at Zebra.

"That reminds me, you guys." Toriko said, making his friends turn to him. "The 26 species of creatures Zebra's annihilation up to now...were all dangerous creatures that screwed up ecosystems, if I recall correctly."

"Creatures that threaten the balance of the ecosystems, huh. That must mean that they deserved death." Sarafina concluded with a small smile. 'There was indeed more to Zebra than meets the eye. Now I know he can't be all bad.'

"Yeah, they kinda needed to be wiped out." Toriko said. As the townspeople run to crowed out Zebra again, the behemoth of a man then shouts out, "You bastards! Hurry up and take care of me!" Although it wasn't clear if he was saying that to the townspeople, his 'team' or the both of them. Oh well, didn't matter. All they needed to do was to adapt.

Later when everything was settle, Toriko went on with the old woman to rent two camels for them. Leaving Komatsu and Sarafina by themselves with...

"I heard that, kid! You against me coming with you, huh?!" Zebra shouted as he leaned to Komatsu with a menacing look on his face. He must've overheard the small chef complaining to Toriko. Komatsu screamed as he stood stiff in his boots and said, "I...I...am very sorry!! I...I... I don't know a thing about Zebra-san, so...I just...umm...I...I..."

"Hmm? You...what?" Zebra questioned.

Komatsu shut his eyes in fear and said, "I got cocky and said it!!" Zebra's eyes widen and his grin grew bigger, causing the thread that tied his scar to rip up a bit. His eyes followed the young woman who had stepped up to stand front up Komatsu. She crossed her arms and gave Zebra a disapproving look. "While Komatsu was kind enough to apologise to you, you know as well as anyone that you can't blame him for having a few complaints about you. Giving what you're capable of and what you're reputation is, it shouldn't be all that foreign to you." She told him.

Zebra held up his grin as his ears picked up the sounds of their breathing and heartbeats. Through listening to his vitals, Zebra could tell right away that Komatsu wasn’t lying, and that Sarafina wasn't in the least bit afraid of him. She was being the same way as when they first meant. Which means...

"In front of my very eyes...you had the gall...to go and get cocky?!" He shouted aloud, ripping apart the thread. Komatsu screamed as he braced himself for the incoming of death. Sarafina narrowed her eye and stretched out her arm, protecting the small man from Zebra. Karuru jumped on her head and growled at the giant. Her heartbeat was normal. And her pulse wasn't racing. She was perfectly calm before him. "It's been a while since I've met someone so direct." Zebra said as he recalled back to the station.

Komatsu wasn't lying back there either. Even though he probably knew Zebra was listening. And this woman...this blind woman, wasn't allowing herself to be intimidated by him. She was treating him like he was some overgrown child and wasn't taking his attitude. Sarafina wasn't scared of him and she wasn't lying either when she said she would adapt to him. These were very interesting people Toriko's got with him. He guessed he should've expected as much Toriko's partner...but he doesn't know what was the relationship between him and this woman. Still, Komatsu's really got some balls and the woman's got guts.

"I'm...really...sorry..." Komatsu said as he shook.

"Listen up, Kid." Zebra said as he looked down at the smaller man over the woman's shoulder. "In this way, the biggest way of getting cocky...is to tell a lie! Talking shit about people behind their back while you spout out insincere flattery to their face...it means you're a conceited bastard who thinks nothing bad will happen just as long as no one finds out. Cocky bastards like that piss me off more than anything else!! I wanna grind up every last one of them!"

"I...I...would never...lie like that." Komatsu studdered before he was interrupted by Zebra's laugh. "GAKAKAKA! I KNOW THAT!!" He laughed. "A guy looking straight at my face and saying "I got cocky"?! It's been such a long time since I've seen such an honest bastard!! You're too honest!"

"I believe that is the highest form of a compliment from him, Komatsu." Sarafina said as she eased herself as crossed her arms again. "Y-y-you think so...?" The smaller man asked nervously.

"You should at least lie a little bit, dammit...is how I kinda feel." Zebra said.

'Ehh, why?!' Komatsu shouted in his thoughts.

"Anyway...I'll let you off this time because of your incredible boldness...but with a condition." Zebra suddenly says.

"Eh...a condition?" Komatsu asked.

"What sort of condition are you thinking about?" Sarafina asked him, not liking this feeling she was getting.

"I'm accepting Toriko's request right now, but the reward hasn't been decided yet...think of it that way." Zebra tells them.

"Eh?" Komatsu went. "That does make some sense considering this is you we're talking about. What exactly is your condition?" Sarafina asked him. Zebra smirked at the two and gave them his terms and conditions. They were...unexpected....to say the least. Sarafina's wasn't sure to be shocked or upset that he would even make that demand. She wanted to say something on the matter but Toriko's voice broke their conversation.

"Hey! The camels are ready! Let's go, you guys, hurry up!!" He shouted.

Finally, they rent the Reservoir Camels and head out in the desert. Also known as The Water Storage Camel. They are a tall species of camels, standing roughly at 3 meters in height and 4 meters in length and easily stand over average humans. Aside from its large size, it still mostly resembles a regular camel but, oddly enough, has two faucets on the side of its belly, which can be used to extract water from its large humps. These faucets appear to be artificially added to the Water Storage Camel, as its cousin, the Wine Camel lacks these devices. Which is the camel Zebra and Sarafina were using.

Toriko and Komatsu rode on one camel while Sarafina rode on the other with Zebra, much to the blue-haired hunter's dismay and the small chef's concerns. The Blind Bandit explained that it would be better if she rode with Zebra instead of Komatsu as she didn't think he would handle it. They tried to argue with that but they couldn't as she had a point.

"Because of the Zebra incident, the town only had one, but they still let us borrow it. How lucky!" Toriko said, happily.

"You guys are on a Wine Camel, aren't you, Zebra-san?" Komatsu asked. "A camel that has expensive wine in its humps."

"Kakaka!! Unlike you two, I'm an adult. Let's enjoy an elegant journey while guzzling down wine!" Zebra said.

"Hey, you can't hold your liquor very well, remember?!" Toriko shot at him. "You'll just get drunk in an instant and lose your way!"

"I wouldn't mind a drink if it helps me take care of the children who cannot behave for a few minutes." Sarafina said as she tucked Karuru into her bag to protect the little kitty from the heat.

"B...but...the old lady from the town said...that we didn't have to return the camels, huh..." Komatsu wondered. "I wonder why...these are rentals..."

"Well... That's probably because she heard about where we're going." Toriko said as he tells them about the conversation between him and the old woman back in town.

*Flashback*

"Wh...what...to the Gourmet Pyramind?!" The old woman asked in shock.

"Yeah. To search for a certain ingredient." Toriko said, adjusting his turban.

"Y...you can't go there!" The old woman said, concern filling her tone.

"Hm?"

"The Gourmet Pyramid is one of seven gourmet wonders of the world. It's a place full of mysteries that archaeologists of the world haven't even begun to figure out!! More importantly, the desert pyramid is surrounded by a red maze of sand known as the Desert Labyrinth. Many Gourmet Hunters have gone in, but since no one ever returns, it is known as the Gourmet Hunter Graveyard." The old woman explained to the taller man.

With the others, Zebra let out a laugh at the old woman's explanation, making the two look at him. "The  Gourmet Hunter  Graveyard, eh..? That place sure is getting cocky..!! How about I go there and back a few times with no prob, and show it what's up?" He said.

"Zebra-sama..!"

"Anyway, just hurry up and get the camels ready, granny." Toriko told the old woman. Seeing that he wasn't going to back down no matter what she said, the old woman hesitantly agreed. "Y...yes, sir."

*Flashback end*

"In addition to that, during the day... This sands garden's extreme desert climate rises to temperature over 60 c. And we're not even heading merely to the Gourmet Desert. Where we're going is Lie Mirages and sandstorms...and the Desert Labyrinth, which is overrun with desert beasts." Toriko said. He turned his head to look over at the pale blue-eyed woman. "Sarafina, your senses are otherworldly, so I'm counting on you help guide us."

She nodded. "Yeah, navigating through a labyrinth should be easy enough. Let's just hope all this sand doesn't mess them up."

"S...so it's not like we can keep the camels...she's just concerned that we won't make it back alive." Komatsu said with dismay. 'Look like we're in for a tough journey this time too...'

"Komatsu! Hydrate yourself." Toriko told him, breaking his train of thought and stopping the camel. "This desert has extremely low humidity, so it feels like you don't sweat at all, you're actually using up a ton of body water." Komatsu got down from the camel and brought a large canteen. Turning the faucet and filling it up with water. "You should drink water regularly before you even feel thirsty."

"O...okay." Komatsu said.

The trek through the desert was almost unbearable. The heat was so strong that it felt that the world around them was on fire. As Toriko said, thanks to the low humidity, they've been keeping up with maintaining their hydration. Karuru had even made several chunks of ice for the group to munch on and keep cool. Zebra was in the middle of eating a piece of meat when he had suddenly stopped his camel. Sarafina lifted her head. They both heard/sensed something coming. And they were a lot of them.

"Something's coming." Zebra said. The others looked up ahead and saw several dorsal fins travelling underneath the sand. And they were closing in on the group fast. Komatsu let out a yell while Toriko's eyes widen as he knew what was coming after them. Then a massive shark burst out from the sand. "Desert Sharks!" Toriko shouted.

Desert Sharks are a large species of shark with brown-coloured skin on their backs and dark brown spots, along with beige-coloured underbellies. They are quite large, with a body length of at least 18 meters and their large size also endows them with an impressive weight of around 22 tons. They have rows of sharp teeth, long snouts, small beady black eyes, two dorsal fins on their backs and a spike-like fin near the top of their heads.

Komatsu screamed as Toriko quickly moved out of the way just as the shark dove back into the sand. Making it back to the others. "I can't remember, are these guys edible?" Zebra asked as he ate his meat. "No. Their meat is far too tough to eat." Sarafina told him.

"There's no point in killing them. Can you chase them off, Zebra?!" Toriko asks him.

"Tch. This sucks." Zebra said as he charges up one of his defensive techniques just as the Desert Sharks all rose to the surface and surrounded them. "Weak Point Voice!" Zebra shouted as he unleashed it. But it was so quiet that none of them could hear it. Even Sarafina could barely pick up any sounds coming from him. The Sharks that were right in his range heard it and swan as far away as they could from them. For the Weak Point Voice, Zebra continually changes the frequency of his Strange Voice until he finds one that agitates the target creatures and drives them away.

"Eh? Eh?" Komatsu went as he was stunned in his seat. "What just happened?" Sarafina asked. Toriko gave a small smirk and said, "Damn sharks...looks like Zebra's Strange Voice worked well."

"Strange Voice?" The two asked in confusion. Komatsu turned to the larger man and asked, "Zebra-san...what did you say just now? I didn't hear anything..."

"Neither have I." Sarafina said.

"We may not have heard it, but the sharks did." Toriko tells them.

"A sound they hate..." Toriko said. "Just how humans hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard...there exists sounds (frequencies) that many creatures all hate. Frequencies between 200,000 ~ 20,000 hertz are audible to human ears, but Zebra is capable of letting out ultrasonic waves that we humans can't hear. With that, he just searches out noises that his opponents hate or noises that throw them into panics."

"Ultrasonic...waves..."

"So he has a powerful voice that can range from blaring loud to the softest sound." Sarafina mused.

"Incidentally, the way he was able to beat the execution beasts in Honey Prison and the monsters outside was because a majority of damage came from the stress from the soundwaves, which were much more powerful than the actual force of the sound itself." Toriko explained. "For Zebra though, it's a simple task to knock down even a big group like that using only the force of the sound."

"W..wow." Komatsu said, impressed with Zebra's skills.

"More importantly, that shark..." Toriko said to himself as he turned to Zebra. Despite it not being edible, Toriko was surprised that he chased them all off without killing even one of them. Toriko couldn't remember Zebra being so self-controlled.

Chapter Text

Now that the danger of Desert Sharks had been dealt with, the group carried on with their journey to the Gourmet Pyramid. At first, it was the scouring rays of the sun they had to worry about. It was almost unbearable for them if it wasn't for the camels. Sarafina was fairing better than them but she was more worried about Kururu. Being an ice-based creature, this level of heat was no less than torturous for her. Sarafina made sure that her kitten was covered by layers of cloth so Kururu may freeze herself to keep herself refreshed. But it wasn't just the blazing heat. The group had to venture through sandstorms and whirlwind. It wasn't the same than going up the Sky Plant but it was a close second.

Eventually, they made it through all that and when nightfall came, they decided it would be best to set up camp and continue on till morning. After snagging a nearby beast they had food to fill the hunter and ex-convict bottomless stomachs. It was quiet for the most part and Sarafina was grateful for that. Still... Her hand trailed across the smooth sand. She lifted a small portion of it, allowing it to flow freely between her fingers. As fun as this mission was, this sand wasn't making things easy for her. Soon, after everyone ate, the group headed inside the tent to get some sleep. Except for her.

Sarafina stood by the campfire and closed her eye. She swept her feet across the sand and moved her arms. Letting out a small portion of her powers to create a sound wave at the surrounding area. But, as expected, she found nothing. She let out a dejected sigh at that. She brushed a stay lock of hair from her face and opened her eye.

'You have something you wish to say, Toriko?'

Sarafina turned her head to face a surprised blue-haired hunter who was standing in the entryway of the tent. Sarafina smiled and shook her head. She brought a finger to her lips. 'Careful. Zebra has Hell Ears remember? It's easier to speak this way without getting him involved.' She tells him as she communicates with him through telepathy. Toriko blinked in surprised before letting out a chuckle in his mind as he walked over to her.

'Is that part of your abilities?' He asked.

'Yes, of course, I'm a bit out of practice since I never saw much use for it. Now then, what do you want to say?' Sarafina asked, turning her gaze away from him.

Toriko sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. 'Are you still mad at me..? Look, I don't know what I did this time but...'

'It's alright. After doing some thinking, it was foolish of me to be upset and it wasn't entirely your fault. But still... to hear you swoon over another woman the way you did with Warden Love like that...I guess...I felt a little jealous.' Sarafina said.

'Wha-?! Ah, y-yeah, I guess I can see why you would be upset.' Toriko said. Aw geez, no wonder she looked like she was ready to rip his head off. He had told Sarafina that he had loved her and how he was going to stay by her side. And then to have to hear him go gaga over an "attractive" woman so easily, that would leave her with insecurities. Especially since...well. Toriko went to her side and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close. She wasn't pulling away, so that's a good sign. 'I'm sorry.'

'I know you are. But I forgive you. I'm sorry you have to deal with me.'

'You're still the one I want. And I wouldn't trade you for anything else.'

Sarafina reached up and held his arms. Spreading a small smile as she leaned against him. 'Thank you...' They stood there for a moment of silence. Holding each other close and savouring each other's warmth. Soon they pulled away and began to walk back to the tent when Sarafina suddenly felt a small rush of fatigue and almost fell to the ground if Toriko hadn't caught her in time. 'Sarafina!'

'I'm okay...my body's a little exhausted right now, but I'll be fine. I just-.'

'You're getting hungry, aren't you?' Toriko asked. Knowing exactly what she needed to eat. Sarafina's eye widened and shook her head. 'No, no. I'm alright, really. I just need some sleep.' She tells him as she tries to stand up and go back to the tent but Toriko's grip on her arm tighten. Sarafina turned back to him and the look his eyes told her that he was never going to let her go until she gave in. Sarafina sighed and turned to him. 'Yes.' She admitted. 'I'm...hungry.'

'You know that I'm more than willing to let you feed from me, right?' Toriko asked, his hand moving down to hold her hand.

'Yes, you made sure I understood that perfectly.' Sarafina said with a small smile.

'So...how...do you eat souls?' Toriko asked.

'The first time around, I don't exactly remember. My demon had to force-feed it to me whilst I was still comatose. So there are only two ways I know about. One is where I had to bite into my desired target and absorb their soul. The second...well... let's say that the first option is a little less painful.' She told him. She picked his hand and raised to cup her cheek. Toriko used his thumb to caress her cheek as she kissed his palm. 'I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...' She said. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Toriko wiped her tears away and brought her close once more. 'Don't be. It's okay.'

Sarafina sadly nodded and squeezed his hand. She kissed his palm once more and trailed her lips down to his wrist. Toriko watched in slight fascination as her pale blue eye began to emit a silvery-blue glow. Sarafina opened her mouth and two sharp fangs started to grow. She gave a soft kiss to Toriko's wrist before she bit down hard, digging into his flesh. Toriko winced a bit as he powered through the pain. Oddly enough, he didn't feel his blood being drained but he did feel something being extracted from him. He saw Sarafina allowing something down her throat a few times before she released him. She took in a few deep breath and her fangs disappeared, her eyes returning to their normal colour.

'You okay?' Toriko asked as he patted her back.

'Yes. I'm okay now. And I mean it this time.' Sarafina said with a small smile. Toriko gave a sigh in relief and smiled at her. 'Good.' He said. They laced their fingers together, leaned in and gave each other a gentle kiss.

*The next morning*

Once the morning sun came, they gang packed up their supplies and continued on with their journey.

"I can see it!! That's the red of maze of the sand! The Desert Labyrinth!" Toriko called out to the group.

The Red Sand Maze "Desert Labyrinth", also known as the Gourmet Hunter Graveyard. It's the most dangerous of the many deserts of Sand Garden. With the sand being mixed with iron (that is oxidized by the sun) and the blood of animals, it possesses an ominous red colour. The heat there is much more higher than a normal desert, reaching 90°C but perceived as over 100°C.

"It really is a red desert!" Komatsu cried out.

"The iron in the sand, oxidized by the sun, appears red." Toriko said.

"That's not all." Zebra said. "Blood from the beasts is also mixed into the sand. Looks like the main event begins here. It's time for our fun survival game to start."

'A game of survival, huh?' Sarafina thought. "Let's hope that we all get through this without much trouble. Even so, be on your guard Sarafina." Fyreia tells her. Sarafina gave a subtle nod in agreement towards her demon. Kururu climbed up to her shoulder and once she laid eyes of the Desert Labyrinth, she narrowed her eyes and began to growly softly. Her fur began to rise up as she was getting a bad feeling from the place. Sarafina petted her back. Yeah, she can sense it too. If only she could see.

Kururu quickly covered herself within the cloths as they began to move towards the labyrinth. The very moment they step foot in the Red Sand, the group was instantly hit the extreme heat. It was far worse than any normal desert imaginable. It was far different than the desert they began in. Sarafina, due to her past experience in the Gourmet Wolrd, remained unaffected by the intense temperatures. Since she couldn't see, she relied solely on her hearing to detect any anomalies. Zebra, of course, did the same. Sarafina's body tensed up and Zebra's ear twitched when they heard something.

As the heat began to wear away at him, Toriko's eyes widened when he was instantly reminded of the Gourmet World. That hellish heat, the agonising desire for water. The feeling that almost drove him mad! Toriko had tasted this heat in the Gourmet World. This is bad...

"Komatsu! Hydrate yourself!!" Toriko shouted as he turns around to warn Komatsu about staying hydrated but he cut himself short when he saw that Komatsu has gone. Vanished without a trace. Toriko's eyes winded in absolute shock as fear began to overtake him. "KO-?! KOMATSU?!?!" He yelled out. He yelled in the hopes of his partner would respond. But he never did. Before Toriko could jump off and search for his partner, the ground beneath them began to shake violently. As if a massive earthquake was erupting. However, that was not the case.

Quicksand spots appeared, and at a rapid pace at that. It appeared to be overtaking the entire area. To make matters worse, the camels let out a weak wail and had collapsed to the ground, the two hunters and ex-convict jumping off before the hit the ground.

"The heat downed the camel!" Toriko yelled.

"Toriko!" Sarafina called out.

"Toriko, it's quicksand! A ton of it!" Zebra said. They were nearly taken off balance when one massive quicksand formed right beneath their feet and began to pull them down. Luckily, the three quickly jumped out of it to safety before they could get absorbed.

"Toriko, what happened to Komatsu? I can't sense him at all!" Sarafina said.

"I don't know! Where the hell did he go?!" Toriko questioned as he searched around, trying to find anything that would lead to Komatsu's whereabouts. However, Zebra's attention seemed to be focused on something else. "I see. So this is the Desert Labyrinth." Zebra said. The two hunters turned and were greeted by an insane structure. Pathways, full of twist and turns that go to seemingly nowhere. A structure made up of sand and plants, stairways upon stairways. What was this place?

"Wh...what is all this?!" Toriko asked.

"A mirage. The moment we entered this desert the mirage took the kid somewhere." Zebra explained.

"That does explain a few things." Sarafina said.

"Can you guys him, Zebra? Sarafina?" Toriko asked.

"I could try." The blind woman said.

Zebra let out a small chuckle. "No problem. But this move grates on my nerves while I'm doing it, Toriko." He says as something began to move through the sand. Sarafina raised her defences when she sensed a blood-thirsty aura. Rising from the red sand, large grotesque monsters roared and shrieked. Staring down at the foolish insects that dared to enter their territory. "I'm leaving this those guys to you." Zebra said.

Toriko held back a laugh as a smirk spread across his face. "Okay. So it's finally my turn, eh?" After Sarafina warned Toriko to be careful, the blue-haired hunter stepped up to the plate and began to do battle with the beasts. Sarafina kneeled to the sand and pressed her fingers against it. She closed her eye and began to channel her powers while Zebra remained where he stood.

Mirage. An illusion brought by the differences of temperature in the atmosphere and the refraction of light. Because of the overwhelming differences in temperature in the atmosphere of the Desert Labyrinth and the many impurities in the air, the has created a labyrinth mirage. 'I don't like this... Even if it's mother nature... No one lies to me and gets away with it!!' Zebra thought to himself as he began to charge up his technique. His power, as great as it was, began. to swirl around as he opened his mouth to launch it.

"Echolocation: Echo Map!" Zebra shouted as he unleashed his power. Echolocation. Also known as echo positioning, this technique sends out sounds and supersonic waves to determine the condition of one's surroundings through the echoes. It is possible for Zebra to use this and determine the size and details of objects at a max of 70km away from him. Of course, like a fish-finder, it can also be used in the ground and in water. However, this requires a high level of concentration. When the map is to spread close to 70km, Zebra is unable to use any other skills.

Sarafina now placed both hands on the sand as she used her powers to search for Komatsu. Hoping to at least hear one beat of his heart. She began to get increasingly worried when she couldn't. No heartbeat. No twinge of his aura. Nothing. If he was sucked in by a quicksand, then just how far did he fell. Zebra was thinking the same. 'Impossible. I can't find him. How far away did that kid go?!' Zebra thought in surprised. As it turned out, Komatsu was really far inside the sand, drifting at a crazy speed.

"URYAAAAH!! Five-Fold Spiked Punch!!" Toriko yelled as he dodged an incoming attack by the last of the beasts and jumped high. Socking the beast in the face and after taking the hit, it collapsed to the sand. Toriko jumped back to his teammates and turned to them. "How's it going, you guys? Did you find Komatsu?" He asked.

"Just barely on my end." Sarafina replied.

"He's really far away." Zebra said.

"Far?! Where is he?" Toriko asked.

"In the sand...he was probably sucked up by quicksand." Zebra tells him. Toriko blinked in surprised and a moment of relief washed through him. "In...the sand? Is he alive? Komatsu!" Toriko questioned. Sarafina stood back up and Zebra went over to the creature Toriko had just knocked out. Then he struck through the beast with nothing but his hand, taking the blood and gulping it down like it was fresh water. "Hooooo... For...now..." He said. Toriko blinked in surprise again when he heard Zebra's voice.

'His voice is fragmented. He's using his ability to its maximum.' Toriko thought. He must have spread his map to its limits. Which is the distance he tossed the Roar Bullet to the gate to the underworld from Honey Prison. His current map limit is approximately 70km. 'Impossible... Just how far away...was Komatsu carried?'

Sarafina gazed at Zebra and let out a small sigh. "What else can you pick up, Zebra?" She asked the dark red haired behemoth.

"This isn't good. He's getting farther and farther away. The beasts in the sand are chasing him too." Zebra said, shocking Toriko. "Are you serious?! Can't you do anything about this, Zebra?! C'mon, can't you like, use sounds to save him or something?!" Toriko shouted at the ex-convict. Sarafina stepped in between them and pushed Toriko back a bit. "Toriko, calm down."

"Just shut up for a minute." Zebra tells him. "I can shoot out Roar Bullets from here and threaten the beasts, but the kid will still be carried away at a rapid rate...and soon he'll be out of my map's range. Then I'll have no way to locate him."

"Let's chase him, Zebra! Komatsu is always prepared for death, but... he's my partner! I want to save him no matter what!" Toriko said with determination. From the very moment they met, Komatsu was always to stay by the hunter's side and discover new ingredients and travel the world, but this was different. This time the two were partners and these were unfamiliar territories. Sarafina placed a hand and his arm to try and treasure him while Zebra let out a chuckle.

"Fufu... your partner. Has he really adapted properly to you?" He asked.

"Huh?" Toriko went.

"Well, whatever... Fufu...we can chase him, but the quicksand has the sand jumbled. Let's go through the desert. Through the desert labyrinth...follow me closely, Toriko. Try not to get lost along the way, woman." Zebra said as he began to walk on ahead. Sarafina let out small 'hmph' and crossed her arms. "Not likely." She said as she and Toriko began to follow the behemoth towards the labyrinth. They climbed up and down several sets of stairs. Going through twists and turns. It seemed endless. Like each path they take, the labyrinth appeared to grow in length and develop more pathways to talk. Sarafina wanted to use her abilities to find the exit out but figured she first put her full trust in Zebra. To see if he was truly worthy than what others said about him.

Fortunately, the three made it through and were back on the ground. However, while they were out of the labyrinth, Sarafina got the instinct impression that they weren't safe just yet. She gazed down at the ground beneath her bare feet but she could not see anything past the sand. But thankfully Zebra confirmed her suspicions. "Be careful here. It looks like a flat area because of the mirage, but it's actually not. Stay behind me." He said. With his map, he was able to view the path they were walking in was in a zig-zag pattern. And it goes a long way.

Time passed and the heat was becoming more unbearable. It was beginning to wear down Toriko and Sarafina was reaching her limit as well, and without those camels, there was no way for them to get any water. Zebra turned his head to face his travelling companions. "What's wrong, Toriko? Getting tired?"

"Heh! That's a good one! You're the one who seems to have slowed down his pace, Zebra." Toriko shot back with a smirk.

"The hell I have. I'm just matching up with yours, dumbass." Zebra said.

"There's no need to for that, friend."

"Guess I'll dash, then."

"Go right ahead."

"Nice to know you children two can still get along." Sarafina said with a teasing tone.

"Hey!"

"You wanna repeat that, woman?!"

Sarafina giggled as she shook her head, which brought a smile to Toriko's face as he turned back to his old friend. Damn it, he's competitive as always. Whenever Toriko's with Zebra, it makes him remember my time in training. Ever since long ago, Zebra was so stubborn he would never shown any sign of weakness. '...Still though... This heat and dryness is seriously dangerous... It's going to suck all the world out of my body.' Toriko thought to himself. He looked over and blinked in confusion when he spotted an oddly planted flower. But then he raised his guard when he saw that it began to move and quickly sped through the sand towards them.

"This is it. A Sand Flower Fish!" He shouted. The three stood their ground when the beast burst through the sand. It is a large sandfish resembling an anglerfish with a large, pink, rose-like flower on its head. It is quite large in size and heavy as well, with a body length of around 13 meters and a weight of at least 14 tons. Its skin is mostly a blue colour and it has a light blue underbelly. It has small sharp teeth, small beady eyes, a large pointed dorsal fin, and smaller fins on its side.

"Toriko! You'd better nab that!" Zebra said.

"Of course!" Toriko said. It didn't take long at all. One strike from his Fork and the fish went down as quickly as it launched to attack them. Sarafina handled the rest as she pulled out her sword and with a flick of her wrist turned into a whip of blades. She raised her weapon and slashed at the beast, cutting it up into three pieces. Once that was complete, they quickly got to work and began devouring parts of its meat straight from the bone. But they needed more than just the meat. They also drank its blood. Its blood is also consumable and can be used to rehydrate one's self from the intense heat of the sun. And considering that they were on a long journey, Toriko, Sarafina and Zebra definitely needed it.

At this point the Desert Labyrinth's temperature was 90 C. And with the heated, burning flame reflected light, their body temperatures were easily over 100. Toriko sent all the water he absorbs to all the blood in his body. Normally, when blood has too much water in it, the red blood cells explode and cause anaemia. Toriko's Gourmet Cells had already selected strong red blood cells, though, and succeeded in producing a great amount of water. Also, by increasing his own body temperature to over 40 degrees, he was able to lessen the differences with the outside temperature and kept some water from expelling from his body.

'I need to deal with this environment...' Toriko thought to himself. He glanced over to Sarafina with worry-filled eyes. She seemed to be keeping it all together as best she could. She had been through the Gourmet World before so she was already adapted to this level of heat, but still, that didn't ease his concerns. Adaptability to different environments or not, none of it changed the fact that her body was extremely weak. He could only hope they can get out of this heat soon. For now, he just has to keep a close eye on her.

After eating their fill of the Sand Flower Fish, the group continued on their journey to locate the pyramid and find Komatsu. They kept on going through the desert, climbing dune after another. "You alright, Zebra?" Toriko asked.

"About what?"

"Are you coping with this environment?"

Zebra sputtered a laugh. "Coping? Gimme a break." He said. "I don't cope. The question is, can this weather cope with me..?!"

Toriko chuckled a bit. "I see..." He said. 'Seems like he was able to.'

"I'm not surprised by that response. For all we know, Zebra must've gone out of Honey Prison during Magma Season for walks." Sarafina commented.

"Ya damn right I did!" Zebra called out.

"You broke out of prison for something like that?!" Toriko questioned. But he shook his head and smiled. Of course he did. "But... If Komatsu is still alive now then he may have actually been lucky. It may have been difficult for him to stand this heat."

"That 'luck' may be the real thing." Zebra said.

"Hm?"

"That kid...seemed like he had been heading there since the get-go. Maybe he possesses a talent for finding ingredients." Zebra said. A talent for finding ingredients, eh? The Blind Bandit recalled that comment once before. Though Komatsu is an exceptional chef, he's still a normal man. However, during times in their quests, that always seems to shine through. And it's happening now since Sarafina could finally see something.

"What?" Toriko asked.

"By chasing him, we found it." Zebra said as he stood on top of a large sand dune. Toriko's eyes widen and he and Sarafina quickly ran up the dune. Toriko let out a yell as his eyes grew wider as he gazes at the structure before them. They found it. They had finally reached the Gourmet Pyramid. The Pyramid were cola sleep. The group slid down the sand and began to approach the Pyramid. Toriko was still at awe by the sight of it. Sarafina approached the pyramid and places her hand on it. "A...amazing... This is... THE GOURMET PYRAMID?!" He shouted out. "It's so huge... It's gotta be at least 500 meters tall."

"Perhaps. But you'd be wrong anyway, dearest Toriko. It's nowhere that height." Sarafina said as she moves her hand along the structure. "Heh, she's right. It's even more... This is just a part of a pyramid. What you see here is just the tip of the iceberg." Zebra said.

Toriko's eyes widened in shock. "The tip of the iceberg..?!"

Zebra eyed the humongous pyramid in front of them and used his map to see the rest of the structure to see what Sarafina was seeing. '...No... Is this thing actually a pyramid?! What's with... this shape?' Zebra thought to himself. The further he looked, the bigger his eyes became. 'What the hell is this...?!' While what laid before them was a pyramid, it was actually just the tip of a giant. castle underneath the sand. Zebra calls Komatsu who's deep down in the pyramid unconscious. Komatsu finally wakes up and remembers how he ended up there by drifting into quicksand. Right away, he encounters a huge medusa-like beast, but Zebra saved him by sending his Roar Bullet to his location, scaring the beast away. With his Roar Bullet, he tells Komtsu about their whereabouts and tells him to live, and think of what food to prepare after their adventure is over.

"I see. So that means is already inside the pyramid?" Toriko asked as he and the others climbed up to one of the entrances in the pyramid.

"He is and alive to boot. Guess luck really does favour the brave." Sarafina said.

"Let's hurry, Toriko. The inside is fuckin' huge. It's full of mysterious squirming shadows. The Roar Bullet I fire... In the worst-case scenario, if he encounters some fearless beasts...I'm not going to be able to protect that kid's life." Zebra said.

"In that case, we have to find him and fast. The sooner we find Komatsu, the sooner we'll locate the cola and getting ourselves out of here." Sarafina said.

Toriko raised a brow at his old friend and cracked a smile. "What's wrong, Zebra? This is more teamwork than I ever see out of you." He said. He only meant it as a joke and expected Zebra to snap back at him. However, he didn't. Instead, the dark red-haired behemoth gave an unnerving grin and simply replied, "Fufu, well...that kid is... the reward this time. If he were to die...it'd be troublesome..." That made the blue-haired hunter stop in his tracks. "Hmm? Reward?" He questioned.

"Oh, it's nothing. Let's get going, Tori...ko." Zebra says as he walks through the blackened entrance. Leaving Toriko speechless. "Hey, Fina, what do you think Zebra meant by-." "Let's just keep moving, Toriko." Sarafina said, cutting him off and walking into the pyramid tip. Not even looking up to glance at him, leaving Toriko even more confused. Despite many questions rising in his head, Toriko put that aside for now and followed his comrades inside. He was taken back when he sees that in inside the pyramid tip was also a gigantic a maze with thousands of stairways.

"What the... the inside's a labyrinth?! I can understand Sarafina, but you can find a route with your Echo Map, Zebra?!" Toriko asked.

"The people that managed to make it to this point made a mistake from the very start. First of all, this isn't the entrance to the pyramid. This is the very peak. In other words, this pyramid that's buried sand's real location is over there." Zebra says as he motions towards a staircase that leads downward. "So that would be Komatsu's right below us." Sarafina said.

"The...right...way...is...down... ......" As Zebra was making towards the staircase, he began to slowly trail off. Making Sarafina and Toriko look at him in concern. "Zebra?" Toriko called out.

'Shit... I spent the whole spreading my Echo Map...and I lost track of his voice... How far is he taking it?' Zebra thought to himself. Because he had his Map on all the time, Zebra's voice was fading, so he had to stop talking to preserve it. Nevertheless, Toriko, Sarafina and Zebra kept progressing downwards towards Komatsu.

"This pyramid opens up downwards. I've never heard of that before." Toriko said.

"Indeed. But the beast that's in front of us isn't much to scoff that either." Sarafina said as she and Zebra stopped walking. "Hmm?" Toriko went. Amidst their walk, raising from up the stairs was a hideous beast. A giant beast that appeared to be around 22 meters in height, and weighing up to 18 tons. It is a rotund bipedal creature with a single large eyeball and mouth with multiple fanged mandibles and has numerous one-eyed cobras growing from the top of its head. A Gorgops. It opens its mouth to reveal its massive jaw and razor-sharp teeth as it launched itself to attack but it was stopped short when something even larger had come and bit into it.

It was Zebra's Appetite Demon. An ancient Appetite Demon known as the Voice Demon. It is a humanoid bat-like creature with black, heavily scarred skin. Its small, dome-like head sits on top of a heavily muscled body and is dominated by a wide, toothy maw.

But it wasn't alone. A massive clawed hand appeared and grabbed hold of its head. Toriko's demon, the Ogre Hannya appeared beside it as well. But the Gorgops truly shook in terror when teal hair appeared and wrapped itself tightly around the beats body. So tight, it was close to crushing it into pieces. Sarafina's demon, the Yūrei Fyreia joined in on intimidating it. Three demons took hold of the beasts and as it lets out a scream of terror, all three beat it to death in a bloody heap. They were quick to devour it, eating its flesh and consuming its blood before descending down the steps.