Hey there, old and new readers alike. Just want to let you know that this chapter has been updated since it was first posted in order to fix grammar mistakes and other previously overlooked problems. Thank you, and please enjoy.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Food Wars. All I own are my OC and his story.
"What do you mean you don't want the tip!?"
"Sir, I'm sorry, but you have already paid me. There is no need for you to give me anything else. Your gratitude is more then enough."
"Buddy, I don't see what the problem is. You did a good job, you answered my questions about the area, and you were polite. So, let me thank you for doing that!"
"But you already thanked me earlier with your words, sir. Please, just go now. I have other customers calling me for pick up."
"Fine! Don't accept free money! See if I care!" Slamming the passenger door of the taxi shut, the loud, angry teenager stomped away, tossing the cab one last dirty look as he did. "If all you people are this bad with money, I can see why you were so broke after the second war!"
Though it was rather early in the morning, the rather racist sounding insult drew the attention of the few people walking on the sidewalk nearby. Though embarrassed by his own escalation of the situation, the teen quickly put up a tough front and began making his way down the street.
Eventually coming to a stop near a bench on the sidewalk, the young teen tossed his duffle bag on the ground before taking a seat. Now face up, the words, "Thomas LeCavalier", could be seen on the bags name tag.
Leaning back in his seat and letting out a puff of air, Thomas took a look up at the night sky above him, just taking a moment to rest after all he had gone through in the last twenty four hours.
Tokyo, Japan. Capital of the most technologically advanced country on the planet, playground for Godzilla, and the young foreigner's new home for the next few years. If all went according to plan that is.
It was an idea that, only a month ago, would've sounded ridiculous in Thomas' head. And yet, here he was, in central Tokyo, at two o'clock in the morning do to the sudden time change, contemplating why he hadn't just stayed home instead.
'Come to think of it,' thought the suddenly alert teen, 'why didn't I just stay home? I'm sure there was SOMEWHERE back home I could've just gone to for culinary school. Probably would've saved a bit of money on traveling and other expenses too.'
Thinking back to when he'd first decided to take up culinary arts, Thomas remembered coming across multiple different schools willing to accept new students interested in cooking. Above all others though, Totsuki had been the one to capture his attention the most. It's just a shame he and his dad signed him up to take the academy's exam before reading just where exactly the school was located.
Sighing at his own negligence, Thomas decided to just get over it and try and make the best of his situation. Standing up, the young man pulled out his phone and attempted to search for any cheap hotels in his area. Totsuki's website had said that dorms would be provided for foreign students and those wishing to stay on the school grounds, but only if they were fully enrolled. Meaning, that until he passed his exam in the morning, Thomas was essentially homeless.
Opening up his browser, the young teen typed up what he needed. For all of two seconds that spinning dial that signified his phone was using the internet spun before it suddenly stopped, and was replaced by small grey lettering.
'No Service.'
"...I didn't upgrade to the out of country package before I left, did I?" A lack of service would be only one of the many problems Thomas LeCavalier would face over the course of the harsh next 24 hours.
-0-0-0-
"So... good, bad? How was it?" Nakiri Erina was at a loss for words. The meal she'd been served was delicious. It had completely satisfied her palate. Even her signature weapon, The God Tongue, could do nothing but give in to the exquisite taste. In any other situation, Erina would have passed the student who had made such a prefect dish without question. But today... today was different.
Standing across from her was Yukihira Sōma, an unsophisticated, unrefined, indecent simpleton who had clearly never even heard of the words, "Fine Dining". Clad in the attire of his family's diner and sporting a confident grin, the young red head made her want to fail him on the spot. And yet... she couldn't help but remember the incredible dish she had just been served only moments ago whenever she attempted to even try and bad mouth him.
It was this dilemma that left the young prodigy at such cross roads.
On one hand, it was clear that he knew what he was doing when it came to making food. To dismiss him from Totsuki and let such talents go to waste was unthinkable. On the other, it would feel like a spear to her pride if she admitted that some lowly cook from a second rate diner had managed to please her palate.
"I...I..." Everytime she started, her own legendary tongue seemed to twist itself into a knot, refusing to let her speak what she truly thought. "I..."
"Lady Erina..." Behind her, the worried facade of Hisako Arato, Erika's best friend and assistant stood by, worried for her masters sake. Not once in the many years that she had known the young Nakiri had she ever seen her so lost for words.
"Well?" Questioned Sōma, his confidence only growing more upon noticing Erika's expression.
No longer able to take the pressure, Erina finally steeled her resolve and came to terms with what she had to do. "I...It was...It was deli-
"I'm here! I'm here, I'm here, I'm sorry I'm late, I'm here!" Interrupted by the sudden string of apologies and a loud slam, the three occupants of the small kitchen turned towards the entrance.
Drenched in sweat, gasping for air, keeping a duffel bag on his shoulder with one hand and holding what appeared to be a half eaten biscuit in the other, a tall, dark skinned boy that looked to be their age stood looking like a fish out of water.
"I-Is this-this the exam hall?" Questioned the teen, looking as if though he'd fall over from exhaustion and die if anyone dared to answer with a, "No".
Gaining her composure before the others, Hisako answered. "Y-yes. All those wishing to transfer into Totsuki Academy are to report here today."
"Ohhh, thank Christ!" Dropping unceremoniously onto his ass, the teen slumped against the wall, a look of relief crossing his face. "Sorry if I'm late, but I just finished making it through the worst morning of my life. Ok, so, first I wake up late cause the stupid lady at the, pardon my language ladies, shitty hotel I stayed at last night didn't give me a wake up call like I'd asked her too. So, after spending a half hour stretching to get the knots out of my back from sleeping in those stupid mini hotel rooms, I have to wait another ten minutes before I can flag down a taxi and, low and behold, it's that same asshole from the night before. So, as we're fighting the entire way there about whether I can tip him this time or, outta nowhere, his god damn car breaks down! Oh, but that's not the best part! After he calls for the JAA or whatever the hell you guys call it, he tries to give ME money because he failed to get me to my destination. That led to a whole other argument before I realized I was gonna be late and just decided to sprint the rest of the way."
By this point, Erina and Hisako were in disbelief at the young man's story. Sōma on the other hand looked genuinely intrigued. "And then?" He questioned, eager to know what happened next. Now rested and ready to continue his story, the teen got off the floor and made his way over to the group.
"Then, about ten minutes later, I spot a McDonalds down the road and was all like, "Well, what am I supposed to do? NOT stop for a McGriddle?" And then, after five minutes of waiting in line, I get back back outside, breakfast in hand, and you'll never guess who's driving down the road towards me in a god damn tow truck!"
"Who?" Questioned Sōma, now entirely invested in the fellow teens story. Erina, on the other hand, looked as if though she was fed up with the far fetched tail, her earlier look of arrogance and disdain making its way back into her face.
Turning towards Sōma, Thomas threw his hands above his head as if to simulate his mind being blown. "It was the god damn taxi driver! Apparently, he told the guy who was fixing his cab that he'd failed a client, so the guy let him borrow his freaking truck so the cabi could, and I quote, "Redeem his honor", or something like that. Anyway, we make it to Totsuki and, once again pardon my language, but this school is f###ed! Who the hell builds in academy on top of a goddamn mountain!? So, after another ten minutes of the driver breaking the speed limit to get me up the hill and to my exam on time, we reach the top, and I get on my knees and start praying to this guy because he is a god sent miracle. And so, once again, I try to tip him for going above and beyond the call of duty and that son of a bitch STILL wouldn't except it! So for fifteen minutes, I'm trying to shove just a few bills in the guys hands and he won't take them! At this point I'm angry, on edge and just want to get to my exam, so I start getting violent with the guy. Next thing I know, security shows up and starts questioning us. Luckily, I managed to sneak away from them when the driver started throwing a fit and picking a fight with them. After that, I found a map of this place, made it to this room and uh... here I am."
Throwing his arms out to his sides to simulate his having arrived, Thomas finished recounting his story.
Shaking in anger, Erina looked as if though she was about to explode. Standing speechless beside her, Hisako stood in disbelief, unable to believe the story that they'd just been told could have actually happened. Soma on the other hand was taking it much differently.
"Wow, and I thought MY last couple days was rough. Nice job making it here man!" Patting Thomas on the back, the young chef offered his support.
Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, the foreigner offered his own thanks. "Well, it was nothing. You don't become the best AAA centre fielder in the province without knowing how to improvise on the fly."
"Wait, your really that good at Baseball!?"
"Well I may be exaggerating a LITTLE bit, but my team did make to the semifinals last yea-
"Enough!" Fed up with the endless banter between the two boys, Erina finally snapped.
"You," she snapped, pointing a finger towards Thomas. "Not only were you late for the exams, but you have also interrupted the testing of another student, and wasted my valuable time with your OBVIOUSLY fake story! And you," turning towards Sōma, Erina continued in her rant, now having gained back her confidence and feeling as if though she was on a roll. "Your dish was below sub par! It was disgusting! If either of you think you could make it into Totsuki with manners and cooking like that, then I suggest you go back to preschool in order to learn some common sense."
Turning around and flipping her hair, the young prodigy walked away whilst snapping her fingers, signalling for Hisako to follow her as she did. Slamming the door as a final act of anger, the childhood prodigy left with her assistant in tow.
Stunned and speechless, Thomas and Sōma stood still for a few minutes, The latter not believing someone hadn't liked his cooking, and the former not believing he'd been failed before he could even cook. Eventually however, Thomas seemed to finish processing what had just happened, squinting his eyes and acknowledging the situation as best as he could.
"What a bitch."
-0-0-0-
Ten minutes later, a downtrodden Thomas could be seen finishing up the last of his now cold McGriddle. "What a load of wankers," said Thomas. (1)
Sighing through his last bite of sausage and pancake, the young foreigner contemplated his situation just as he had hours ago on that bench in Tokyo.
He'd failed. Well, to be fair, he'd been forced into a position where he failed. It wasn't like he'd failed because he couldn't cook or anything. Rather, he just hadn't shown up on time and had apparently walked in on an already tense situation. Now, on top of that, Thomas had to swallow his pride and tell his parents the bad news of his failure. His dad would probably understand, but his mom...
Shivering at the mere idea of facing her wrath, the young teen made to stand up and exit the examination hall when he heard the sound of silverware being moved around on a plate. Raising an eyebrow at that, Thomas searched the room for the source of the noise.
'That's weird. I thought that Yukihira guy had already left.' Looking around, Thomas quickly did a double take upon seeing the source of the noise.
Standing nearly seven feet tall, a traditionally dressed, battle scared, muscular old man stood by the ingredient counter, a smile on his face as he looked at a piece of paper and ate the dish that Erina had deemed as, "Disgusting".
Deciding that drawing the attention of the seemingly happy and hungry giant would be a bad idea, Thomas quietly picked up his duffle bag and began tip toeing towards the exit.
"You!" ...For all of two steps before the tall, scarred man turned towards him, an unreadable look settled upon his face. "You came to take the exams today. Did you not?"
Though intimidated, Thomas put up a brave front, raising his chin up and answering with a head nod. In retaliation to the subconscious show of dominance, the old man too turned his chin up. "Well then, please. Cook."
Taken aback by the sudden request, the confused teen raised an eyebrow. "Wait, really?"
"Of course. I witnessed the end of your little spat with Erina earlier and noticed that you didn't get a chance to prove yourself before she failed you. Thus, I will act as the proctor for this exam in her place."
"Oh. Well, uh... thanks. But, are you sure your qualified to test me? No offence, but you don't really look like your employed here." A fair assumption considering that, if Thomas hadn't just recently found out what a kimono was, he'd have called the old man out on wearing a bathrobe in public.
Smirking at the young man's question, the old man only closed his eyes and chuckled. "Believe me young man, I am more then qualified to gauge your aptitude for cooking. My name is Nakiri Saezaemon, Grandfather of Nakiri Erina, headmaster of Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy, and now, your examiner."
"...What!?"
"You will cook a dish that features egg, just as the boy before did. Your entrance into Totsuki will depend entirely on this dish, so pour your heart and soul into it! Nothing less will be accepted at this school. You will have five minutes to prepare yourself and come up with a dish, and thirty minutes to cook. Begin!"
"...Alright." Though still a little unnerved by the sudden escalation of the situation, Thomas quickly steeled his resolve and looked towards the old man before with fire in his eyes. Nodding his head in affirmative, the teen picked up his duffel bag and made his way to he side room to prepare.
-0-0-0-
A few minutes later, Senzaemon could be seen patiently by the ingredient table. Hearing the sound of a door sliding open, the headmaster took in the sight of Thomas' new appearance.
Pushing out any wrinkles from his uniform, the young chef began making his way towards the kitchen. His pants were a mat black pair of slacks with white highlights running up the sides. His shirt, though the Totsuki standard, had the right sleeve rolled up to the elbow while the left remained long and unbuttoned, the sleeve almost covering the teens entire hand.
Finally atop his head rested a blue and black SnapBack facing backwards. Twisting the hat just a bit to make it more comfortable, Thomas made his way towards Senzaemon, coming to a stop directly in front of the headmaster. Looking each other dead in the eyes, the scarred old man said only a single word.
"Begin."
Immediately, Thomas threw himself into the kitchen and began his preparation.
'Ten minutes for the prep stage, twenty minutes to cook.' Managing the amount of time he had in his mind, the young chef quickly became a flurry of movement. 'Preheat the oven, layout foil, brush with oil, put to the side for later.'
Moving over to the ingredients, Thomas began to break eggs over a bowl before beating them together. Soon after he added sugar, milk, butter and salt, mixing them in with the eggs soon after. Standing to the side, Senzaemon got a basic idea of what the teen was making. And with the next ingredient, the headmasters suspicions were confirmed.
Flour. Pouring the bonding agent into the bowl, the teen let it sit for a moment while he reached over to his cooking pan from earlier, slowly inserting it into the now heated oven seconds later.
For the next four minutes Thomas stirred the contents of his bowl before suddenly stopping and carrying the bowl to the oven. Reaching into one of the many drawers in the kitchen, the teen pulled out an oven mitten before reaching into the hot box and pulling out the tray. Putting the tray into the now heated oven, Thomas closed the door before taking a step back and leaning back against the counter, taking a minute to breath as he waited for his dish to finish cooking.
"It's rather unusual to put pancakes in the oven, is it not." Turning towards the voice, the young chef met Senzaemons inquisitive stare.
Still casually leaning back, Thomas held up a single finger pointing upwards. "For this dish, the oven is a necessity. While most hot cakes are only put in the oven to keep them warm, the ones I'm making are cooked entirely in the oven instead of on a pan, giving them a crispy exterior rather then a fluffy one." Nodding, the headmaster once again room a step back and waited alongside the young chef for the dish to finish cooking.
After about twenty minutes, were in the foreigner spun around the pan at the ten minute mark, Thomas heard his mental timer go off before he pushed off the counter and pulled open the oven, grinning as he saw what laid before him. Putting his gloved hand inside, the teen pulled out his creation.
Quickly turning away so that Senzaemon couldn't see the dish before it was finished, the young LeCavalier began wrapping up his masterpiece. A bit of fancy plating, the folding of the edges, a tiny bit of the green stuff every chef puts on there dish to make it seem more professional and, finally, the finishing touches.
Reaching into his duffel bag, Thomas pulled out a bottle of what appeared to be some sort of rich, brown nectar. Taking out the cap, the teen began to delicately pour the substance onto his creation. Afterwards, he once again used his extra long sleeve to wipe away the residue that had collected along the side of the cap after tipping it back up. Once the bottle was wiped clean, Thomas lovingly placed it back in his bag before lifting his plate and and placing it before his examiner.
"Headmaster Senzaemon, I present to you, The Finnish Pancake." Before Senzaemon, Thomas laid out his dish.
Presented on a porcelain dish, the simple pancake looked exquisite. Folded at the edges, the pancake took the form of a roll, the golden brown underside visible to Senzaemon's old eyes. Drizzling over top of it, pure, dark, sweet smelling maple syrup was designed in wave like motion for visual aesthetics. Unconsciously licking his lips, Senzaemon picked up the knife and fork Thomas had laid out before him. Placing his knife on the edge of the folded hotcake, the old man was taken aback.
'The outside is crisp, though not burnt,' thought the headmaster, surprised by the realization. 'While unnatural for pancakes, it will undoubtedly enhance the soft texture of the middle if they were properly cooked through.'
Cutting into the pancake, Senzaemon stuck his fork in his first piece and raised it to his nose, enhailing the dishes sweet scent. Standing across from him, Thomas unconsciously crossed his fingers behind his back, waiting for he moment the scarred old man to the first bite.
And then, just like that, he did. For a split second after Senzaemon placed the first bite in his mouth, all was quiet. And then, an explosion.
-0-0-0-
The colours of orange, yellow, red, and brown danced across the headmasters vision, before suddenly disappearing and leaving him in a deep, bright forest.
Looking around him, Senzaemon took in the sight of the countless red leafed maple trees that surrounded him on each side. Standing in an endless sea of colour, Senzaemon suddenly heard the sound of crinkling leaves. Turning around, the old man saw the source of the noise.
Walking towards him in the outfit of a pilgrim hunter, a young man kept his head low and his gun hunting rifle pointed steadily at the headmasters chest. Shocked, Senzaemon could only stare as the hunter came closer.
Eventually stopping in front of him, the hunter raised his rifle to Senzaemons head and prepared to fire. Accepting his fate, the headmaster waited for the end to come. Then, just before the hunter fired, head raised his head, revealing a cheekily smiling Thomas. Surprised, Senzaemon opened his mouth to speak just as Thomas fired his gun, the contents of the gun being shot down the headmasters throat and into his stomach.
-0-0-0-
Coming back to reality, Senzaemon awoke back in his seat, fork held loosely in his hand, knife still inserted into the pancake infront of him.
Anxiously waiting in front of him, Thomas could was almost shaking in anticipation. "Well?" He questioned, eager to hear the headmasters decision.
Slowly, Senzaemon set down his knife and fork before looking up at the young chef before him and muttering a single word.
"Delicious." Pumping his fist in the air, Thomas let out a whoop of celebration. Senzaemon only shook his head at the young man's childishness. "The dish was excellently served. The pancake was crisp around the edges and yet remained perfectly fluffy in the middle. Considering that you used an to cook it, that is a rather impressive feat. However, with that being said..."
Stopping in his celebration, Thomas looked back at the headmaster. His arms were now crossed and a somber expression was very visible on his face.
"While you did make an amazing dish, I believe that you lost sight of what you were tasked with creating. That being, an egg dish. And while eggs do feature prominently in the Finnish Pancake, I believe that you focused too much on the dish itself rather then singling out the primary ingredient."
Swallowing a lump in his throat, Thomas lowered his head in shame, slowly reaching a hand up to his head to pull off his hat.
"But on the other hand." Looking up, a look of hope suddenly came across the teens face. "I believe that this talent of yours could overshadow your lack of foresight given the proper teaching. Teaching that you could only get from one place."
Shaking, Thomas looked towards his dish and then the headmaster. "So your saying I..." A nod was all Thomas needed to see before he erupted once more into cheers of celebration.
-0-0-0-
"And now, I would like have the only two transfer students who passed the exams say a few words. Gentlemen, if you will." Turning there attention away from Headmaster Senzaemon, the 92nd first year class of Totsuki Academy looked towards the side of the stage, eager to see who had made it into the top notch institution. Off to the side, Erina too looked with mild interest, not overly interested in another two bodies that would kneel beneath her in due time.
"Seriously though, I can't believe you passed bud. I thought that blond chick said your rice bowl tasted like shit!"
"Yeah, I was pretty worried myself. I guess she was only kidding around though, cause just a day or two afterwards, I got my acceptance letter."
Upon hearing the two familiar voices, the young Nakiri turned around, not believing what she had just heard. Unfortunately for her, the second she turned around, her suspicions were confirmed.
Standing behind the speaking podium, the devil that had plagued her thoughts stood casually speaking with the tall vagabond that had wondered into the exam hall spouting nonsense the other day. Or, in less insulting and more understandable terms, Yukihira Sōma and Thomas LeCavalier.
"Ah, cool beans man. Me on the other hand, I had to get someone else to examine me since the first one left early. And I bet you'll never guess who stepped up to do it!"
"Who!?"
"No, you have to guess!"
"Uh..."
"Here's a hint. He looks like the Grand Master Of The Six Samurai Yu-Gi-Oh card and Clint Eastwood from Dirty Harry had a baby."
"Holy shit! I can't guess who that is, but he sounds awsome!"
"Yeah, he sounds cool, but I almost crapped my pants when I first saw him-
"Gentlemen." Seizing up at the stern voice, both teenage boys looked over their shoulders and towards the side of the stage. Standing with his arms crossed and eyes pupiless, Senzaemon slowly waved a finger in place as if to say "Speed things up".
Gulping, Thomas quickly leaned down to Sōma's level and whispered in his ear. "On second thought, I think it's more like Grand Torino Clint Eastwood." Turning his neck a mere five degrees more in Thomas' direction, Senzaemon made sure the taller teen quickly straightened back up. "Uh, you can go first bud. I need to make sure I didn't piss myself before I address the masses."
Grinning nervously, Sōma nodded. "Alright then. Wish me luck." Stepping forward, the young chef began his speech. Exactly 37 seconds later, an uproar erupted out from the crowd as Sōma bowed and made his way off stage.
Waiting for everyone to settle down, Thomas slowly stepped up to the microphone, pondering just how Sōma seemed so clueless to the obvious anger being generated from the crowd. Once the crowd had settled down, the tall teenager grabbed the mic and begun his own speech.
"...I..." Leaning forward, the students in the back cupped their ears and squinted, wondering why the transfer student was speaking so quietly. This however wasn't the case. The reason they couldn't here him was do to his not currently speaking.
'I have no idea what to say.' Standing there in silence, Thomas looked blankly across the crowd, desperately racking his brain for anything to say. Back home there were never any big ceremonies like this one at the beginning of the year where new students had to speak. Sure, sometimes students had to go up and address the masses, but those people were always on the honor roll or were some other form of degenerate. From his point of view anyway. And hell, whenever someone important did go up on stage, he'd usually just slumped forward and slept through it anyway.
Turning to the side for help, Thomas was quickly disappointed when he saw that Senzaemon was making no attempts to come up and help him, and Sōma was busy talking to a very angry looking Erina. It was almost comical how pissed off she looked while the red head seemed as if he was just talking with an old friend.
'Comical.' The word wrung throughout Thomas' head, an idea suddenly coming to mind as it did. 'That's it!'
Putting up a composed front, the now confident teen once again leaned into the mic.
"Alright, so uh... give it up for Yukihira, right? Yeah. A little bit of competitions always good, eh?" Judging from the looks he was being sent from the audience, it was clear the other students didn't think so. "So... I'm not really sure what to be saying while I'm up here. We don't really have these things back home after all. But uh... you know. Since my buddy Sōma over there seems to have put you all in a bad mood, I've decided I'll just tell a quick joke to turn your frowns upside down."
Though some people looked at the awkward teen with genuine interest, most just looked as if though he was some kind of idiot.
"So, I heard that you guys had an emperor back in the 40's, right?" A few nods and inquisitive looks confirmed his question. Smiling, Thomas continued. "Well, I'm not really sure what his name was, but I'm sure his career must've really "Bombed"."
Silence followed immediately after the joke. Off to the side, Senzaemon eye's went white while his mouth dropped open in shock, Erina quickly following suit. Believing the silence was do to confusion at not understanding the joke, Thomas decided to elaborate. This however, would soon prove to be one of the many mistakes the teen would make during his time at Totsuki.
"You know, bombed. Like, nuked."
Once again getting nothing in return, the annoyed Thomas finally just spelled it out.
"It's a Hiroshima and Nagasaki joke. I'm saying the guys career, "Bombed", because both cites got nuked at the end of the war and his career. You get it?"
Eyes wide, mouths open, minds shattered, the large body of young, talented, aristocratic and impulsive JAPANEASE students all saw red as the young man's joke ended.
Smiling as he saw that everyone now got his joke, Thomas finished his speech. "The names Thomas LeCavalier, from Quebec, Canada. Hope we can all get along for the next few years, eh?"
Thus, the first day of Thomas LeCavalier's life at Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy began.
-0-0-0-
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the read. If you did, make sure to stay posted and following along as the story progresses. Any and all support is appreciated. And for those readers who have been following the story since day one, the fifth chapter will be posted in a matter of days.
Thank you, and see you later.
References:
(1): Yu-Gi-Oh abridged - Step Brothers Sin
Dish: Finnish Oven Pancake. Despite its name, the dish was actually created and remains popular to this day in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Most dishes Thomas makes will be Canada favourites.
