Heavenly Chef

Chapter Three- Pufferwhale Part One

For Lyranne before she met Toriko going on a trip by train meant that she was going home to visit her family or visit her friends from school Take-chan and Ume-chan at their respective workplaces when she knew they were free. While for Toriko taking a train trip it meant that he was off to fill a request for a client or he was off to fill his palette once more.

Today's trip was to the underground cave system where the Pufferwhale would surface to. Lyranne couldn't help but wonder if they would be able to nab any of the whales, from what she knew based on what her dad told her and her brother's once the whales never stayed in the cave very long and they had a high concentration of poison in their poison sack for a natural defense.

Currently Lyranne was on the train heading to Gourmet Fortune with Toriko with the idea of meeting up with a friend of Toriko' who he had told her was one of the very few people who could safely prepare a pufferwhale in such a way that wouldn't kill a person. Right now the Albino chef was currently watching her Hunter friend drink bottle after bottle of top shelf booze as she was simply drink a cup of tea.

"Toriko? Don't you think you should have left some of the good booze for the other passengers?" Lyranne asked her blue haired friend with a chuckle as she motioned to the many discarded bottles on their table.

"I just can't help it! I'm excited we'll be hunting the Legendary Phantom Whale soon. What about you? You can't be a cool as your acting." Toriko said as he reclined back against his seat, noticing the slight agitated twitch she seemed to have developed from her excitement.

"Yeah, I'm excited. It's going to be the first time in ten years that any are going to be seen, and thanks to you I get to see how they are prepared." Lyranne said trying to calm down.

"With it's extremely delicate body it has a fatty meat that is nearly just like a large tuna, and with puffer whales spending most of their life in the deep of the sea their favor has deepened greatly. I can't wait!" Toriko exclaimed looking at the young chef. "But you are more interested in how to prepare it right?"

"That's right, glad you get me already. I want to learn how to perpare it, but I would also like to try so of the whale if I can. Preparation I know will be difficult after all since there are only currently only ten known people alive that can safe do so. Anyone who tries they see certain death from death from the Whale's poison." Lyranne said as she took a sip of her tea.

"Looks like you really know you're stuff." Toriko said making the chef grin.

"Hey you!" a voice yelled making them look to the source. "I thought this place just had crappy stock but it's really that you guys bought the good stuff!"

The man who was yelling at them was wearing fur clothing, had a weapon of some sorts strapped to his back and he had long black hair and really bushy eyebrows and beard.

"Drinking up all my stuff, just who do you think you are dealing with? I'm the legendary Gourmet Hunter Zonge!" the fur clad man proclaimed proudly.

Lyranne just stared at the man in question knowing that her would be just the kind of man she found always grated on her nerves, a man with a giant ego, all talk and nothing to back it up. Toriko just looked that the hairy man in question before stealing a look back at all the booze he had bought at the beginning of the train ride.

"Hey Hey Hey!" yelled a man who was dressed in a similar fashion to Zonge but was bald and had a yellow headband, there was another man next to him but he had a green headband and fur clothing on.

"Look upon it and be amazed! Zonge's Full Course Menu of Life!" the brown haired man of the three exclaimed as the bald man pulled out a piece of parchment like paper that had the menu written on it.

Lyranne could already tell that this man was all talk and no bite, but she did skim through the menu and was not impressed one bit, it was full of everyday ingredients that a child could get without getting a speck of dirt on them. The only thing that stood out was for the man dish was the Garagator, but she had the feeling that it was not where level 5 or the level 8 that Toriko took down.

"I recently caught one recently! You jealous?" Zombie, I mean Zonge boasted.

"Though it was only about a meter long" the bald follower muttered.

"So if you don't want to get hurt hand over the sake so we don't have to get physical" Zonge started before Toriko stood up causing the fur clad man to stop talking seeing that Toriko had nearly two feet on him when it came to height.

'This guy was a lot shorter sitting down.' Zonge thought looking at Toriko at his full height as he patted the fur clad man's shoulder.

"Take as much as you like. Sorry I was rude, Zombie." Toriko told the guy.

"Be lucky that I'm in a forgiving mood today. It's actually Zonge by the way" the man said then he saw Lyranne who had been watching the situation while resting her head on the table with a bored look on her face.

"Hey Little Lady! The Hunter-" Zonge began to ask all high and mighty before Lyranne gave her answer.

"No thanks" Lyranne declined sounding ready to hurt something or in this case someone, something that Zonge didn't seem to pick up as put his hand on her shoulder not getting that he was getting turned down and she wasn't in anyway interesting.

"I'm going to be the one who's going to catch the Puffer Whale! I am the Great Gourmet Hunter Zonge! Are you sure that you don't want to accompany me?" the man asked again as Lyranne knocked his large hand off her shoulder.

"Yes I'm sure now please leave me alone." Lyranne said losing her patience rather quickly with this man.

But of course Zonge being who he was still didn't get that the young woman wanted nothing to do with him so he put put his hand back on her shoulder, but before he could say anything about how great her was or the whale his arm was twisted behind his back and the young chef had a look that his followers would describe as pure evil.

"Listen here you worm. When I say no I mean NO. So take the booze that Toriko has kindly given you before I end you" Lyranne said darkly while she had a kind smile on her face.

Needless to say the moment that Lyranne let go of Zonge's arm they were out of there.

While that was happening Toriko was surprised that Lyranne no longer was looking bored as she had threatened Zombie, during which he could faintly see what could have been the beginning of a appetite demon. It had surprised him to see that this small chef was able to do that more so when it seemed she had no idea she was capable of it herself

"You know you really shouldn't be so rude to be people Lyranne. They were just sizing everyone up."Toriko said.

"I know that, Gourmet Hunters do this when there are a large number of hunters after the same thing, in this case it's the puffer whale. In case you forgot my old man and brothers would take me with them on hunts. So I've seen people try to scare us off. I was only rude to that guy because he wouldn't take no as an answer, I detest men like that" Lyranne explained

"Oh yeah you mentioned that when we met didn't you?" Toriko asked recalling the conversation in Tom's rowboat in the Baron Archipelago.

"Bingo." Lyranne said before she was back to moaning in pain about the train

"Excuse me." an old man with pompadour hair style said getting the duo's attention. " Could you spare a bottle of sake for an old Gourmet Hunter? It's my medicine."

"Sure," Toriko said to the old man while he couldn't help but wonder about his chef friend's mentor.

"Take your pick, Hell you can have the rest we'll be getting off at Gourmet Fortune soon." Lyranna said as the train stopped and letting the train know where they had stopped.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to repay you someday" the old man said in between hiccups

As she got off the train with Toriko she almost thought it wasn't such a good idea to give the old man the booze, but if he was who she thought he was it would be like he was going to keel over from all that booze, but those thoughts were soon overshadowed with the fact that they were finally at the destination.

Leaving the train with Toriko, Lyranne was quick to notice that lack of people around town, which she found a little odd. Though she herself have never been to Gourmet Fortune, she had heard from several of her staff that it was a rather busy town. Which wouldn't be describing this ghost town.

"Toriko where is everyone? This is Gourmet Fortune right?" she asked as they stopped at the top of some stairs.

"They are hiding from the beast who come to town to hunt. Fortune Tellers have predicted the times when the city becomes over run with beast. During that time the people beast. So the people hid in their homes." Toriko explained

"Then where are the beasts? This place is more of a ghost town than a town overrun with monsters." Lyranne asked just moments before she felt large stomping as a dragon like creature walked out from behind a building. Looking at it she just shrugged. " Oh nevermind"

Toriko just smirked as he looked at the dragon like beast who just roared. "No matter how you cook it there's no eating a Kuedon"

Lyranne then noticed that there was a man walking towards them, from this distance she could only make out a light cloak, with black clothing and green wrappings. he was quickly noticed by the dragon monster. She knew that she should be worried about a man about to be attacked but she had a gut feeling that the man knew what he was doing since he was walking on the street during monster hour.

When the beast went for the attack she couldn't help but nearly look away but when the creature stopped short of the man before walking away Lyranne then stared at the man.

'Just what is he' she thought as the man made his way to the bottom of the stairs they were at.

"It's just as I predicted I'll be visited by a pain in the neck" the man smiled. "I've missed you Toriko"

"You came to greet us. Just what you would expect from the gentleman of the Heavenly Kings, Coco" Toriko said.

"Yes I'm the Gentleman and you're the glutton" Coco said.

"We came to meet one of the Heavenly Kings I feel like I should have worn my suit." Lyranne said at the thought of meeting yet another Heavenly King, at this rate she wouldn't be surprised if she ends up meet the other two.

"We've nearly reached my home" Coco informed them as they were appearing to walk uphill towards a cliff.

Lyranne was beginning to lag behind as they were reaching nearly their second mile in the valley that Coco was leading them to his home. Usually a walk like that wouldn't be a bother but with the roughish terrain it was beginning to tire herself out."Coco-san. If you don't mind would you mind explain why you being one of the greatest Gourmet Hunter is living way out here telling fortunes to people" Lyranne decided to ask to distract herself from the pain of a cramp forming in her legs.

"It is quite simple really. I'm a fortune teller by trade these days" Coco said.

"Yeah. So how Zebura doing these days?" Toriko asked

"He's paying his debts to society in Gourmet Prison" Coco replied

"So they finally caught the problem child." Toriko laughed, "That sure brings back memories. Training in the Garden so hard that we nearly died."

"Stories of the past."Coco said while Lyranne wondered just who Zebura was and why was he sent to Gourmet Prison.

"Yeah." Toriko said fondly as a large shadow fell over them making her look up as she took their stop as a chance to rest.

"A giant crow?" Lyranne questioned seeing the large black figure glided gracefully down

"Came to greet us, did you Kiss?" Coco questioned the large bird fondly.

"Oh. An Emperor Crow, the Lord of the Sky. I thought they all went extinct." Toriko said impressed which Lyranne could totally agree with.

"His name is Kiss, he's family." Coco said as the large crow was staring rather intently at Lyranne.

"I never thought I'd meet an Emperor Crow in the flesh. So Cool!" Lyranne said as she stopped leaning on the rock she had been since they had stopped

"So Kiss do you think you can carry three? Toriko can be pretty heavy." Coco asked his feathered friend

"Hey!" Toriko responded

Kiss than just cawed a few times as a way to say yes.

Lyranne was just glad that it would be just a quick trip to the pillar where Coco's home was.

"I believe you picking the Rainbow fruit to end your full course is an excellent way to finishing it off." Coco said as he prepared some tea as Toriko was stuffing his face with food that Coco had set out on the table. "Mind your manners Toriko. There is a lady present." Coco said with an almost warning like tone.

The comment seemed to stop Toriko as he was eating.

"Let's talk Coco, how's your full course coming along?" Toriko asked.

"Ah. My menu, from Soup made from Lee Dragon Tears to Breo Swordfish steak I find that my menu strikes an excellent nutritional value. But the only ones I haven't decided on are my Hors D'Oeuvres, the Main Course and the Drink." Coco replied as he drank his tea.

'Those are some impressive ingredients, all with high capture levels. I wonder what kind of fight Coco is capable of?" Lyranne thought as she heard what was on Coco's Menu.

"But you didn't come all the way here to talk about my menu did you Toriko?" Coco asked while his tone and look on his face said that he already knew what they were here for.

"As expected of you, getting down to business." Toriko said while taking a swig of his drink.

"Yes but as you know Toriko, I can only successfully remove the poison sack, one of every ten tries if I'm lucky. Ingest a single drop of the Puffer Whale poison and well, let's just say you'll never go hunting again."

"That's for sure. The poison, while extremely deadly has no taste so the poisoned whales would taste just like a properly prepared one. They end up on the Black Market" Lyranne said

"Yeah, for some people the fate of death is worth it the taste of the Puffer Whale but one out of ten is better than none, I couldn't do one even if my life depended on it" Toriko laughed.

"Then there is the fact that the beach where the Puffer Whale lay their eggs lays in a deep underground cave system that is infested with monsters, With the Devil python ruling over them all.

"Devil Python" Lyranne thought a little worried

"I can see why it might be dangerous have you seen the shadow of death on us? Are are imminent deaths closing in?" Toriko asked while Coco just started at them before a kind smile overtook his face.

"How long has it been since I have been Gourmet Hunting?" Coco said.

"Does this mean you'll join us?" Lyranne asked with large smile.

"I guess I'll join you" Coco answered.

"I expected as much from you Coco!" Toriko shouted excited by the idea of hunting again with an old friend.

"We did it" Lyranne cheered

"As a reward, how free food for life at Hotel Gourmet?" Toriko asked

"I can't do Toriko! I'm just the head chef not the owner it would have to come out of my paycheck otherwise and with the amount of food that you eat I'd be flat out broke!" Lyranne scolded in disbelief, running a hand through her pale hair.

As Lyranne was scolding Toriko for trying to get free food from her workplace, Coco was looking at the young chef, or to be more specific the dark shadow he could see surrounding her.

'The shadow of death, I can see it clearly. Her death is near."

It had taken some time but they were now nearing the cave where the Puffer Whale Beach was. Lyranne really couldn't help the uneasy feeling in her bones with all the rather gruff looking people that were surrounding the mouth of the cave, while she knew that she was safe with Toriko and Coco she still couldn't help it.

The feeling was soon but to the back of her mind when the news reporter, Tina if Lyranne remembered right came running over to them, looking really excited at the sight of their group. Likely hoping for an interview with Toriko and Coco.

"Toriko! I knew you wouldn't miss a Puffer Whale hunt!" Tina yelled with excitement as she has ran up to them from where she seemed to be filming alone again, she had her camera pointed at Toriko before she noticed Coco and pointed her camera at him. "And Heavenly King Coco! This is a double scoop with sprinkles!"

"Will you put that think down."Coco said rather rudely and out of character from the man Lyranne had been witness to for the past couple hours. "I hate being rude but I hate being filmed even more."

Tina complied by having her camera focused on something that wasn't Coco. While she didn't know Tina well, it said alot by her character for actally listening to Coco, other media personel wouldn't have listened.

"So why are you filming alone again? Did your crew ditch you or something Tina?" Lyranne asked.

"Pretty muchmy crew couldn't stand the heat of the kitchen so to speak despite this being a once in a life chance to film the puffer whale." Tina said.

"I don't blame them with all the hunters and thieves surrounding the cave. They are just scared which I think is understandable." Lyranne said seeing hunters entering the cave as she looked on.

"That's right but most are here to steal what the real hunters catch. Shall we get going?" Toriko said not effected at the least by anything going on in the least.

"The Puffer Whale soon to be ours." Tina said while getting the three's attention. "I want to be the first reporter in the Gourmet Age to film the puffer whale in it's natural habitat. I want to show the world the puffer whale, So I will go with you"

"I don't think that's a good-" Coco began before he was interrupted by Toriko.

"If you are sure, it's your choice." Toriko said. "Act now and it's your lucky day, act later and lucky will never find you.

"Thanks for the headlamp Tina, but you keep it. I have something to help me walk around in this darkness" Lyranne said as she handed the hard hat back to the news report as she pointed to the goggles that she had pulled out of the bag strapped to her leg. "Eyes are a bit sensitive so have a light that bright so close will be damaging to my eyes."

"I see, okay then." Tina said with a sigh. "There was a small camera in there just incase I get seperated from you."

Lyranne just nodded as she continued walking.

"Lyranne-san please stay my side." Coco said as they began to descend into the caverns.

"No promises." Lyranne said as her eyes caught some red polka dotted blue mushrooms and she walked over to them. "Hey though snap mushrooms."

"Really?" Toriko asked as he walked over to the mushroom and took a bite out of one of them. "The snap crackle texture of this mushroom in the best."

"There are tons of them sprouting up around here." Lyranne said as she saw the mushrooms were popping out randomly from the rocks."

"For all you food groupies, these are Snap Mushrooms" Tina said before so heavy breathing caught her attention she turned around to come face to face with the Hunter Zonge. "ZOMBIE!" Tina screamed.

"Hey! It's not nice to call people names." Zonge yelled before seeing his two followers looking scared. "What are you two scared of!"

"Are you Gourmet Hunters?" Tina asked pointing her camera at the fur clad trio. "If you are coming back from the cave this must mean you caught the Puffer Whale."

"I sure did!" Zonge lied. "I'm just returning from the beach."

"Really?" Tina squealed, "Show me the Puffer Whale so I can put it on TV"

"Zonge-sama! They're coming this way!" called the bald fur clad groupie of the Zombie man, as a good many giant millipedes came out from the depths of the cave aiming for Zonge's group which Tina got caught up in with them and was chased out of the cave.

"Is Tina going to be okay?" Lyranne asked looking at the two hunters.

"Don't worry. I see no shadow of Death on her, she'll be fine" Coco said before they continued on.

"It's getting pretty narrow in here, should I worry?" Lyranne said as she was looking at the cave ceiling that was slowing closing in the closer they got.

"Nah, there's no need to worry." Toriko said as he was sniffing the air, "It's faint, but I can definitely smell it, salt water. We still a ways off but we're heading the right way."

"Like always Toriko, that sense of smell you posses is a thing a beauty." Lyranne said, " Would I be write to say while you have a great nose, Coco has a great eyes?"

"Yeah. Coco can see parts of the spectrum that regular humans and even the most advanced sensors can't. From infrared to ultraviolet. He can see them all." Toriko explained looking a little surprised that she could already tell one of Coco's strengths. "How did you know?"

"He's walking out farther than the light shines outs, so he must have a really good pair of eyes"

"That's quite observant of you. Eyes contain cells that take in light called photoreceptors, my are much stronger than the average human. So to me this darkness is like walking outside in the middle of the day."Coco explained

"That's not all Coco can do. He can also see electromagnetic waves which regular humans can't." Toriko added.

"My vision allows me to see the electromagnetic waves which change shape and color from time to time, in turn that also allows me to see their futures."

"You can see people's futures based on their electromagnetic waves? Do you think you can look into my future some time to see if I become an amazing chef?" Lyranne asked as she was hopping around excitedly at the idea of her future being read.

"The light is getting weaker" Coco thought, "Wait! Stop!" Coco yelled as he saw the ledge she was about to fall off of.

"AHHH" Lyranne screams as she felt the ground disappear under her feet and was lucky she was quickly grabbed her arm before she fell to way could have been her death

"You okay there?" Toriko asked

"I am so sorry." Lyranne said in total embarrassment before her attention was drawn to some sounds below her resulting in her paling at the sight of what she saw, gigantic cockroaches that had scorpion like tails.

"Toriko put me back on solid ground, please" Lyranne said which thankfully he was already doing that.

"Scorpion Cockroaches, these guys use their poison to dissolve their prey before they devour them." Toriko said.

"I'll go down first to take care of them." Coco said as he began to take off the wrapping around his wrist and head, after that his skin turned a purple color, poison.

Lyranne looked at Coco with wide eyes, Coco had control over poison to this level she had heard of a hunter that had abilities over poison like that but she had no idea that it was Coco. She watched as Coco jumped down the pit with the poison cockroaches, she still couldn't help but worry, was Coco's poison stronger?

The Scorpion Cockroaches then looked like they were going to attack Coco but they were then quick to run off, apparently sensing his superior poison.

Toriko and her were soon down in the pit with Coco as he was putting the wrapping back on.

"I apologize if I scared you Lyranne-san." Coco said as his skin began to turn back to the normal tan color.

"I wasn't scared. I was surprised, I've never thought you would be the hunter my old man told me about. A hunter who was able to use poison as a weapon. But I'm not scared of you Coco-san, I may not know you all that well but I can already tell that you would never purposely hurt anyone with your poison, you are too good of a person to do that." Lyranne said with a smile on her face as she looked ahead

Something that Coco was glad for since his face was lit up from what the chef said, she wasn't like other woman he's met, pretty much falling in love with him on sight like the woman of Gourmet Fortune or the few woman who thought he belonged in a cage because of his poison. She truly was a kind soul.

"That must mean you have quite a lot of antibodies don't you?" Lyranne asked, "But no one should have to worry about you or try to hunt you from things I heard. People should just leave you alone. It's not like you are a mindless monster. You seem to respect life, plus there is already vaccinations for nearly every poison in the human world they should just leave you be. But anyway let's go!"

"You talk as if you experience with this?" Coco said surprised at how calm she was talking about his poison.

"Yeah, Coco right. Do you you have poison abilities like him?" Toriko asked.

"No not me, that's Dad. It's nothing like Coco though. He can only manipulate the poison in ingredients to help extract them from the ingredient." Lyranne explained. "He's also a hunter so he's built up quite the immunity to poisons, he's even immune to some weak Gourmet World poisons. some scientist found that out and had chased my father for several years while he was raising me and my brothers. But then they disappeared, I think my father had enough so he scared them into hiding My old man was always protective of us so he made us immune to about 100 poisons well my brothers any ways, at the time I was only able to handle 26."

"Your father is hunter?" Coco said surprised, he pegged the young chef for someone coming from a family of chef, but a hunter that was interesting. The dark haired man soon stopped at another large hole. "Toriko there's a hole ahead of us we'll have to climb down using a rope."

"The smell of salt is getting stronger we should be at the beach before long" Toriko said as he drooled a little at the thought of eating the Puffer Whale.

"My eyes are better so I'll go down first" Coco said as he was preparing the rope,

"Mine if I go down with you, I'm awful at descending on a rope." Lyranne asked

"But my poison" Coco began before LYranne cut him off.

"I told you I don't care about that. I trust you not to poison me" Lyranne said with a smile.

"She's risking being poisoned because she is worried about me" Coco thought realizing what Lyranne meant when she talked about her father, she doesn't like people like the scientist who wanted him as a lab rat. "I don't know what dangers will threaten you life but Lyranne I swear to you I'll do everything in my power to protect you"

"Coco-san look! Sea Fireflies" Lyranne said as the small bugs were gathering around them.

"That must mean the beach is close!" Toriko yelled as he was going down the rope at a quick speed. One that Coco soon followed, much to Lyranne's displeasure. But soon they were on the ground once more, only to be put one guard once again at the sound of something coming their way.

"Lyranne-san get behind me." Coco commanded off her while getting ready to attack whatever was coming their way.

Lyranne not wanting to risk to be caught in between a fight that she knew was out of her league, she stepped several steps behind Coco.

"Poison Dressing" Coco shouted as several drops of poison shot out of his hand and hit several bats head on which resulted in them falling to the group with slight twitching.

"Swallow Tailed bats? This doesn't make any sense they almost never attack anything" Toriko said.

"This is odd, It seemed more like they were fleeing from something, not attacking" Coco said as he looked around eyes widening as he realized something " Toriko where's Lyranne-san!"

The two looked around for any sign of the shorter female who had just been standing with them not too long ago

"Lyranne"

"Lyranne-san"

"Lyranne"

"Lyranne-san"

The two hunters' yelling was cut short as the cave began to shake as a large snake coming close to being the same size as the cave itself, with three eyes, a mane like a lion, a pair of arms and a large mouth. This creature was the Devil Python.

Author's Note- So tell me what you think and sorry for taking so long.

Thought's for Plot

-Who would you like Lyranne end up with

-When would you like Lyranne's family to show up

-Suggestions for non cannon hunts or things that happen