Haruna spoke on the radio, "Alright, we're at our destinations. See you all at the Sand Garden in few days."
Sweetiie & Coco
The two sat in a two seater submarine in the waters around Biotope 2. It was definitely built for capturing ingredients considering the size of the cargo. The lower they sunk, the darker it got. The blonde woman scooted closer to the man, "I've never been too fond of the dark. Forgive me if I get too close." He shook his head, "It's okay, don't worry about it." The blonde woman stood up and looked around, "Uh, we aren't gonna have to dive around down here are we?" "It's the only way we'll catch it. The Golden Lobster Squid lives in the depths. Even the slightest sign of energy can scare it off...and this submarine definitely counts as energy."
The woman sighed, "I wonder why Haruna gave us a week to do this. If we avoid taking a leisure ride on the lift house we can reach the Sand Garden in four days. That's more than enough time. Plus if all goes right, we'll be done in a day and a half. Her timing is way off, we'll have a bit less than 48 hours to spare. She's considered one of the strongest people in the world. Why can't she just get the ingredients herself." Coco frowned a bit, "No. Actually her timing couldn't be more precise." Sweetiie looked confused as ever, and Coco continued, "You're right, It won't take very long, but her purpose wasn't about the ingredients. She's trying to prepare us for the Desert. This isn't her fight. I'm not sure what, but she knows something that we don't." The blonde queen nodded, "I see. Sneaky one she is. The desert must be more different than I remember...How much longer until we reach the bottom?" "We've got a long way to go. About eight hours I believe. Get comfortable."
Toriko & Komatsu
Magma Cove was a small island of its own. The reason for its name was not because it was surrounded by magma, but there were dozens of highly active underwater volcanoes surrounding the island. It was too dangerous to travel any other way than air. The water stayed at a constant 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The duo's task at hand was not that of difficulty, but patience. Toriko pulled out his old fishing rod, an iron rod with elevator wire wrapped around it. Though he broke the first one, he had another. He looked to his partner, "Komatsu, be prepared. We may have to fish for a few days. The Crimson Shrimp lives in the depths of the volcanoes. They make an appearance every time they erupt." "I know it's dangerous, but wouldn't it be easier to go into the volcano and get them ourselves?" The man shook his head, "Think of them as a more sensitive puffer whale. If you take them beyond their will they will poison themselves."
His mouth began to water, "They say the more time they spend in the volcanoes, they get crunchier on the outside and juicier on the inside." Komatsu took out a rod of his own and cast his line, "I can't wait to catch one." Toriko took off his shirt and took a dip in the hot water. He sighed in relief as the warm water soothed his body, "Komatsu take a load off." The small chef poked his foot in the water for but a moment before he decided to reconsider. "Uhh, that water is too hot Toriko-san. I think I'll stay on land." The blue haired man cringed as he felt what his partner was talking about. He quickly jumped out of the water and ran to his line. "Komatsu! Grab you line! The volcanoes are getting ready to erupt!" The small chef looked in excitement and fear, "Wh-what? So soon?" The chef ran to his rod and held on for dear life.
Luckiie & Sunny
As the two walked it was clear that they were not excited to be in one another's presence. Luckiie started, "You know, I wish I wasn't here with you. I wish I didn't let that bastard Haruna dictate who I went with. I'd rather be with anyone than you, including Zebra." He'd not speak, but cross his arms and look away from her. She'd continue, "Fine, don't say anything; I don't care to hear your voice anyway." The man was literally steaming from her words. "Why don't you keep quiet so we don't make this any more painful. Besides, it's not like I want to be here with you and see your ugl-...you know what, I don't desire to waste any more words on you." She stopped in her tracks, "No, finish your statement, but say it to my face...my whole face." She began to move her bangs and take off her eye patch…but stopped as she felt what seemed like an ongoing mini earthquake. "You feel that?"
The colorful king shook his head, "Goodness you're late. Clearly you aren't as highly skilled as I thought." She was taken back as he'd actually complimented her. It was a backhanded compliment, but kudos nonetheless. He waved his hand dismissively, "Not like that, I meant skilled as in for your caliber." It was official, the compliment turned into an insult. Before she could rebuttal, the source of the earthquake made its appearance. It was the mighty Chocoant. They came in different flavors of white, milk, and dark chocolate. Though they were only a capture level 54, they were said to have some of the most powerful jaws in the world, even strong enough to induce paralysis. Each ant was about ten inches long, and there was a whole heard of them. The brunette tightened her eye patch, "Sorry Sunnybun, looks like you won't be getting a show today."
She ran to the ants with a forceful hand, "Splinter Punc-" "STOP!" Sunny stopped the woman before she could attack, "That could have been mission failed right there. The common link between all of our ingredients is each one of them is categorized as special preparation. If you attack them the wrong way they'll spoil from the inside out." She bit her bottom lip, "Dammit, okay. I think I know how to handle this." Another rumble started and Luckiie pointed off to the distance, "Alright hair boy, you take out any surrounding beasts and I'll take these special preparation bastards out." For argument's sake he agreed, "Don't mess this up Cyclops."
Haruna & Zebra
The two flew on her dragon over the place known as Hell's Kitchen. She looked down at the dark forest, "Alexander, sniff out the Hellfire Fruit Tree." She'd lie back as she looked at the large man. "Do you know why this place is called Hell's Kitchen Zebra?" She'd not wait for an answer, but just continue, "Everything in this jungle is only meant for those who bear the knowledge of food honor. If you don't hone that knowledge, well, you can't eat." She smirked, "I know a small red haired girl who came here with Teppei and Yosaku some years back and nearly died in this place." The man frowned, "Then why are you coming back?" A chuckle escaped her lips as she looked at the dark jungle, "I wasn't talking about me, I meant my sister. She came here and nearly died because all of the food she tried to eat kept rotting to the core in her hands. She never did learn food honor, even to this day."
The ginger woman ran a hand though her hair, "I always thought it was a funny story." The purple haired man didn't seem to be amused as she went on about the story. She took a strange looking cigar from her pocket and lit it up. She inhaled and continued, "Damn I love these things. They're made from oxygen leaves as well as other medicinal herbs from the healing country Life. Unlike an average cigar, this one expands the lungs and smoking them allows me to breathe better and ever hold my breath longer." She looked seriously at the man as and he could feel an overwhelming energy emitting from her. It was not her full power, but she wanted to remind the man that she held his life in her hands. "I won't always be able to protect my sister...but you will. I've read your past already 'problem child.' Don't open your mouth to lie to me. I dragged you to Hell's Kitchen to test your strength." She tossed the man a cigar and he'd not decline. Just as he inhaled the cigar a voice came over the radio...Juriie's voice. "Looks like it's time...Maybe it's just time for me to give up...I give up...I'm going to die anyway...may as well take a shortcut."
Haruna's eyes widened as she gripped the radio, "Rue, what the hell are you talking about?" "Nothing...I'm going radio silent." While using much restraint, the woman dented the side of the radio on her wrist. She grit her teeth, "Idiot..." The woman pointed "There it is, the Hellfire Fruit Tree. Let's get this over with." The duo jumped off the dragon and into the jungle. 'Rue what are you thinking?'
Coco & Sweetiie
They finally reached the bottom of the water in Biotope 2. It was pitch black, and the only light that could be seen was from angler type fish swimming around with their built in lights. Sweetiie shrugged, "So what now? If we get out at this level we'll be crushed." He pointed in the back of the sub, "There are two diver suits that keep out water pressure." She nodded and suited up. They stood before the exit of the submarine; it was a small detachment that would allow water to get into the submarine without completely flooding it. Coco looked back at the woman, "Make sure you stay close. I wouldn't want you to get lost down here."
After they departed, they searched for a good two hours without making headway. Through the darkness of the water, a fairly large shiny animal could be seen roaming the ocean floor. Coco spoke through the radio, "Sweetiie, wait here. I'll get it and we can leave." "Alright, sounds good." She spoke in an unusually low tone, possibly to not scare off the Golden Lobster Squid. Coco quickly took out his knocking gun and snuck up behind the rare beast. With ease, the man was able to knock the Lobster Squid. "That was easier than I thought." He waited for a response that would not come. As he looked back he saw that the woman's body was laid on the ocean floor. "Sweetiie!? Sweetiie what happened!? Dammit, this couldn't be a worse time."
Searching for the ingredient took about two hours, so if he went straight back to the submarine it would take a much shorter time. "It's still going to be about a thirty minute hike." He threw the woman over his shoulder in one hand, and carried the Golden Lobster Squid in the other. The man was determined and ended up making it back ten minutes earlier than he thought. He brought both the woman and his catch into the submarine. The poison man ripped the suit off the woman and began to perform CPR. 'Please don't die on me. You've been without oxygen for far too long.' He gave her one last breath before she started coughing up water lodged into her throat. "Coco...you, you saved me..." Without a second thought she embraced the man and pressed her lips against his. Quickly she backed away, "I...I'm so sorry I was just overwhelmed."
She blushed from embarrassment, "Thank you, Coco." The man was surprised by her actions. A kiss was the last thing he expected out of the woman. It seemed as she acted on impulse, but at the same time it was something she'd wanted to do for a while. The poison man cleared his throat, "N-no problem, I'll contact the others and get us back to the surface. You secure the squid please." She nodded and did as he said. Coco got on the main line of the radio, "It's Coco, we got the Squid and we're on our way to the Sand Garden." He put the radio down and shook his head at what just happened. He wasn't completely opposed, but the act was just strange, well, for her anyway. He exhaled, "We got a long trip ahead of us. It should take another eight hours, but we'll be there in virtually no time if you get some rest." He put the sub on auto-pilot and rested his eyes as they began their journey back to the surface.
Toriko & Komatsu
As the two were holding onto the lines as best they could. The volcano erupted 25 feet in the air, and Crimson Shrimp was right behind it. There were tons of shrimp flying out of the water, each ranging from one to six feet in size. The blue haired man dropped his line and pointed to a specialized net, "Komatsu, hand me the net so I can catch the shrimp. The small chef assisted his partner and Toriko didn't hesitate to net the ingredients. Quickly the chef laid out a large cloth for their catch. "Toriko-san, you can lay the Crimson Shrimp here, it can withstand extreme temperatures. Toriko extended the rod and let the flying shrimp jump into the net and set them on Komatsu's cloth. The shrimp themselves smelled like the most decadently cooked seafood. The big man caught as much as he could before they went back in hiding for another few days. Toriko looked to the small chef, "We did it Komatsu." He turned on the radio, "We've found the Crimson Shrimp. Komatsu and I will be in the Sand Garden in four days." From here, they'd wait for their ride to come back, and hitch a ride from Terry to the Sand Garden. All of the shrimp was extremely crispy, especially the older ones, and they were redder than the purest red apples." The blue haired man turned the radio low and put his hands together. "I give thanks to this world bounty...Itadakimasu."
Luckiie & Sunny
This fight wouldn't be a difficult one. Chocoant's weren't difficult to defeat, but they were very persistent and more strategic in packs. The fight spread far enough for the duo to be out of one another's sight. They were delicate creatures, the Chocoants. If killed the wrong way, they'd lose their taste and spoil completely with a rancid flavor. Luckiie couldn't help but think about the words Sunny hesitated to speak. It truly threw her off, and although he didn't finish, his unspoken words made her feel a certain way. Her feelings were getting in the way of her logic, and a few stray ants climbed up on her. They took a large bite into her back and pinched her vitals.
The brunette collapsed to the ground and the ants began to pull away her clothing to get to her flesh. They pulled away her eye patch and her closed eyelid forbid her from releasing her power. She wanted to call for help, but there was no guarantee that Sunny would hear. He was too far away.'I-I'm gonna die here...by Chocoants of all things. I hope at my funeral they say I died trying to save the world...There is only one way...' "Damn you...CALMING PHEROMONES!" She opened her eye and dreams filled the minds of the ants...not dreams...nightmares...pheromones. Upon unleashing her power, she began to cringe. It was painful; she'd never used this technique for longer than 15 seconds at most. It had been well over her max time. Her body turned cold, and the Chocoants were permanently stunned. The bright light from her eye began to dim and return to its natural green color. She laid there limp and weak.
Sunny came to her aid as he noticed the paralyzed ants. Her eyes pointed toward the direction of him, "G-guess you get your w-wish Pretty boy. G-go ahead. Feel me..." He wasn't too fond of taking orders from her, but if they were to continue forward, he'd have to suck it up. The man's sensors reached for her body. As the first hair made contact with her bare skin for the first time, the colorful man gasped. He put a hand over his mouth, "Your hands...you're a chef..." She nodded and he continued, "One of the highest caliber chefs...in the world..."
She began to blush as he went on about her greatness. "Simply amazing..." She began, "I learned to cook from Juriie. Though she never actually cooked herself, she honed knowledge passed down from her mother...and her mother learned many of her skills from Frohze herself." Sunny was lost for words, he carried the paralyzed woman in his arms. Luckiie cracked a soft smile, "I never used to be a Gourmet Hunter. It wasn't until I met Juriie that my dream of being a chef died...its been nine long years...and her full course menu is still vacant..." Sunny smiled as she opened up, "Not all the time...but just in this moment...as you talked about your dream...you were beautiful..." He looked down at the woman and she seemed to have fallen unconscious as he was speaking. "...Beautiful..." He used his feelers to pick up the ants and take them with him. He turned the radio on, "Toriko? We're on our way too. We'll be there around the same time."
Haruna & Zebra
Inside the dense forest fell an anxious Haruna and Zebra. They'd just jumped down onto the Hellfire Fruit Tree. The tree itself was very warm, and the fruit looked like enlarged, glowing orange bell peppers. She had no time to think about her sister. Her mission was this tree. The woman was a master of food honor, so taking the fruit would be simple for her. For the other Gourmet Hunter however, things would be different. Once his hand touched the tree, his mind was not that of food honoring, and it began to rot from the top of the tree and travel down. She jumped off of the tree and into the dense forest. "Shit! You've already ruined half of the tree. Jump down!" She shook her head, "If you can't master food honor, you'll never make it in the Gourmet World." She reached her hand out for the large fruit, and it stayed fresh in her hand. It was extremely hot however, and as large as a boulder. She'd not complain though he was experiencing some immense pain, "Try again Zebra. Grab a fruit."
The man clenched his fist, "I don't give a damn about your food honoring tree!" She looked at the tree and shook her head, "I had a feeling you weren't ready. You need work. Maybe then will you even see the entrance to Gourmet World." She picked up the steaming fruit and spoke in her radio, "Alright guys, we got the Hellfire Fruit and we're on our way to the Sand Garde-" "Runa, you there?" The ginger woman's heart stopped as she heard the voice of her sister. "Dammit all Rue, if you scare me like that ever again I swear I'll kill you myself!" "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm heading to the desert now so calm down...and my name is Juriie...JURIIE!" She lowered her head, "I'll see you soon...Haruna out." She sighed, "Finally...let's get out of here..."