Chapter 16

The Legendary Century Soup

Someone once said…

On the beach of an island in the Southern Hemisphere of the world, there lives a seal with very soft, white, and sugary furs as a marshmallow. Marshmallow Seals!

There is a rainforest full of exotic and delicious animals, but most famously well known for its delicious, top-grade grains. Amazon Grainforest!

The world is in the Gourmet Age, an age where people quest for more unknown, delightful delicacy!

"While we wait for the soup to be ready, why don't I make you folks some garlic chicken and egg bowls?" Setsuno said as she was starting to cook.

"Oh! That would be great, Granny Setsuno!" Toriko said excitedly.

"Uuuh! That sounds tasty! Yes, please, maim!" Cream exclaimed as a bit of drool showed from the side of her mouth.

"I would love to have some," Komatsu agreed.

"Me too," Garry noted.

Setsuno chuckled and grinned. "Very well. I would happy to."

Setsuno got her knife ready. She began cutting some onions and chicken meats into beautiful pieces very neatly. To prepare the frying pan, she turned on the stove and poured some cooking oils in it.

'Wow! Amazing. I'm watching Setsuno-san's cooking and the best of all; she's cooking for us!' Garry thought as he watched over her cooking.

"While we are waiting, let's have some water," Toriko said as he poured water into four glasses.

"Oh, thank you, Toriko-san," Komatsu said as he accepted the glass for himself, and handed down the other two for Cream and Garry respectfully.

"Mm?" Cream drank the water. "This water… This is Aqua Water!"

"You're right, Cream-san!" Komatsu stated. "It tastes so clear, and it feels so light and thin, almost like air."

Setsuno cracked the egg, releasing ten yolks out of it. She mixed the eggs into the bowl.

"That's a 10-Yolk Egg! Cracking one release ten yolks!" Komatsu pointed out.

The famous chef opened a jar and took out seasoning and added it to the bowl of rice. She poured the creamy egg omelets over the four bowls and passed it to the front table. The aroma was so delicious that it filled the room, and eventually to outside through the door.

Two men were passing by until they stopped and noticed the smell.

"Section Chief Seki, look!" One man pointed.

"Wow! Setsuno's Diner is opened!" The two men approached the restaurant as one of them took out his Smartphone and took a selfie for his blog.

"Here you'll go, kiddos. My specialty, Garlic Chicken, and Egg Bowl!" Setsuno presented the dishes.

"Itadakimasu!" The four started eating the bowl.

"This taste…. This is amazing!" Garry exclaimed. "I've never tasted this garlic chicken egg bowl before! Like, I'm so impressed!"

"Ho? Why are you impressed?" Setsuno asked curiously.

"Oh! Well, I mean…. It is just that you were using such simple ingredients to make this bowl and yet, it tastes so delicious, so delicious that it tastes like eating a top-grade food from a very expensive restaurant, like 10-star or more," Garry commented. "Also, I think there is something else in this food."

"It must a Star Sesame Seed, right, Setsuno-san?" Komatsu guessed.

"Ho! You guessed it right, boy!" Setsuno said as she showed two small Seasme Seeds shaped of a star. "I crushed some of them to put into the bowl for a kick in the flavor. I am impressed you both sensed it after tasting it."

"Hey Garry, check out the wall behind us." As Cream said, Garry turned around to see the menu on the wall behind them. The menu listed all kinds of foods, all were top-notch.

"Amazing. Those menus on the wall… They're all top-grade dishes!" Garry exclaimed.

"It is Granny Setsuno's Full-Course Menu," Toriko admitted. "Examples are the main dish, ET Rice Balls, salad is Grand Lettuce Caesar Salad, and drink is Spring Shark Sake."

"That's so incredible, Toriko-san! All of them are ingredients that are hard to come by," Komatsu noted.

"That's right," Setsuno said. "All of the ingredients I used are hard to procure. Not many stores can get their hands on them, so I ask Jiro-chan to get them for me."

"Knocking Master Jiro do?" Cream asked.

"Yup," Setsuno nodded. "And it is ready!"

Hearing that, the three gentlemen and lady knew what she was referring to. It was the very reason why they were at her restaurant.

"Here it is. The one and only…. Centurrrry Soooupuuu!" Setsuno opened the lid of the big silver pot. Once the lid was opened, the aroma was released.

Cream and Toriko soon caught the scent. Just from one smell, an infinite number of ingredients surged through their brain as if a volcano erupted.

The aroma of the soup was also escaping through the door with already so many people outside.

"Section Chief Seki, look at all these people!" One man exclaimed.

"Where did they all come from?!" Seki asked.

"It's your blog, sir! Everybody came to see Setsuno's Diner!" He answered.

The smell of the soup calmed everyone down as they felt a delicious taste clouding their mind. Within the group of people, Tina from Gourmet News was at present.

"Mmmm! It smells a heaping full of goodness!" She commented.

Setsuno noticed the noise from outside as she smiled.

"Mm, mm, mm. Sure sounds noisy out there, but then again, I don't blame them. The smell of the Century Soup would catch anyone's attention even a mile away."

"Is this the legendary, Century Soup?" Garry asked as he stood up to see the inside of the lid. "It looks so…. So…"

"Transparent!" Cream finished. "I don't see the soup, but I can smell it, so I know it's inside there."

"Transparent soup. I've never expected this," Toriko commented as he was a bit speechless.

"Mm, mm! Well, wait until you all have a taste of the soup," Setsuno said as she poured some into four bowls.

The four bowls of soup presented themselves in front of the heroes.

"So, this is the Century Soup," Garry said as he looked at the transparent soup.

"I don't see any scum or anything. Just a clear soup. It is so colorless as water!" Cream commented.

"Have a taste, young' un," Setsuno suggested.

They each took a sip with their spoon. Suddenly, their minds were just blasted with so many different tastes.

'What the?! This soup… Not only it is transparent, but there are just many different tastes in the broth! Each from different ingredients! There are Meteor Onions, Jaba Java Shark, and so many more! How this soup even exists?!' Garry thought as a lot of different tastes erupted through his brain cells.

"Hey, Garry. Garry!" He was snapped out of his thought as Cream interrupted him. "You're OK?"

"Oh, what's wrong, Cream-san?" Garry asked.

"Nothing, but you were just staring at that soup for like awhile and I was asking you how the soup for you was," she said.

"Oh! Sorry, but I was just in deep thought about this soup. There were just so many kinds of ingredients that I was thinking about for what's inside this soup," Garry said. "It was… Just pure delicious."

"I was thinking the same thing, too, Garry-Kun," Komatsu said as he then turned to Setsuno. "Setsuno-san, I don't know if I am right, but did you use Silk Chicken Bones for one of the ingredients of the broth?"

'What? This lad… Just having one sip, he was able to find out one of the ingredients!' Setsuno thought in a surprised tone.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I did taste a hint of Jaba Lava Shark's fins, too," Garry admitted.

"You're right, Garry-Kun. I tasted it, too!" Komatsu agreed.

"I also tasted Mineral Coconut in the soup," Toriko added.

"That's it! I thought I detected a familiar flavor!" Komatsu agreed happily. "Impressive as always, Toriko-san!"

"Yeah, and I think there was also Emerald Crystal Cabbage, too," Cream said.

"Emerald Crystal Cabbage? Of course! That's another flavor I detected, too!" Komatsu said.

"So that's what the crunchy like flavor came from," Garry said as he was amazed. "This is a good learning experience!"

'These guys… Could they be the ones who can…?' Setsuno thought deeply.

"However…" Komatsu picked up his bowl and looked over the soup. "I don't know why, but I feel like there is something… Missing in the soup."

"Missing? What do you mean?" Cream asked.

"Chef Komatsu. I felt it, too," Garry admitted. "I mean, this soup tastes amazing, but I feel like there is one thing missing about this soup."

Setsuno grinned, noticing what they meant.

"Maybe an ingredient?" Toriko asked.

"Toriko! Komatsu-Kun! Cream-chan and Garry-Kun!" Setsuno caught their attention. "Follow me!"

"Uh, pardon?" Garry replied, looking a bit surprised.

"I'll give you a tour of my kitchen, where I do all of my preparation," she answered as she walked over a little bit and revealed a secret hidden door on the floor.

"What the?!" Toriko gasped.

"Is that lead to your kitchen, but I thought this is your kitchen!" Cream said, surprisingly.

"Your kitchen is in a different place?! This makes my heart pit-platter!" Komatsu exclaimed joyfully.

"Me too!" Garry agreed.

"But, wait, before we do! Garry Setsuno!" She stopped and saw the four of them with a drooling face.

"Can I eat all of the soup?" Toriko asked.

"Me too! Can I?" Cream asked.

"And also can I eat other food that's left?" Komatsu asked.

"Yes, please! I would like that, too!" Garry added.

"Just get over here!" Granny Setsuno scolded them.

She opened the hidden hatch, which revealed a stair that went all the way down to an unknown place.

"This leads to the kitchen, Setsuno-san?" Garry asked.

"That's right. This stair leads to the real kitchen, where I make all of the preparation. The kitchen upstairs is for putting on the finishing touches," she explained as she walked downstairs.

She turned on the light, and when she did, the entire kitchen showed itself to the group. They were all surprised and amazed to see the hidden kitchen. There were tables full of different ingredients. Most of them were rare, and some of them were difficult to find or even difficult to capture even for the most Gourmet Hunters.

"Amazing! This is your kitchen, Setsuno-san?" Garry asked as he was amazed.

"There are just so many kinds of ingredients here," Komatsu said. "Like, look over there! That's the Peachy Potatoes. Its skin is so slippery that it would take to peel one thousand normal potatoes to handle just one Peach Potato!"

"Ah! I understand now. All these ingredients here take a long time to prepare, so that's why Setsuno-san only opens once per month," Garry explained.

"That is wrong, my boy!" Granny Setsuno jumped in.

"Oh! Isn't it?" Garry said, feeling a bit disappointed. "But, from what I see, some of these ingredients do take a very long time to prepare, so I thought…."

"Waaaah!" Komatsu screamed in response to the giant ape creature behind them.

"Chill out, Komatsu. It's just Spa Monkey," Toriko said as they noticed that the said creature looked in distress of something. "You should know that there would be at least some alive ingredients. Such a shame."

"But, a ferocious animal, Torkiok-san!" Komatsu argued.

"Spa Monkeys?" Garry asked.

"It's a kind of giant monkey. If you put it in hot water with citron just at the right temperature of 42 degrees, it makes a great broth for soup," Cream explained. "Though, as it surprised us, it isn't too surprising to be here since it's expected there will be some alive ingredients here at this kitchen."

"Oh my! The thermostat is going weird again." Granny Setsuno checked as she looked up. "Though, due to my age, I can't reach that…."

She looked at Toriko as she was asking him to do it.

"You guys, stand back," Toriko warned them before he jumped up high in the air.

"Two-Fold Nail Punch!" He punched the metallic wheel on the wall, which caused a mechanism to activate. The mechanism released more hot water, calming the Spa Monkey as its spa got warmer at the right temperature and making it feel much relaxed.

"That's a big wheel!" Komatsu exclaimed. "Just exactly what kind of person are you, Setsuno-san?"

Setsuno didn't pay much attention as she got a rope ready and then swing to the other side while screaming, "Aaaaaaaaahh!"

"Over here!" She called to everyone.

Toriko went next as he also screamed, "Aaaaaaaaaahhh!"

"Is the sound effect necessary?" Komatsu asked, looking a bit dumb-founded.

"Uuuh! It looks fun!" Cream looked excited. "Come on, Garry. Hop on my back!"

"Wait, what?" Before he thought about it, she grabbed him onto his back and then swing to the other side.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Garry screamed as he closed his eyes while doing it.

"Come on, Komatsu!" Toriko yelled at the chef.

"Waaaaaahhhh-aaaahh!" Komatsu screamed as he swung to the other side, but he almost tripped until Toriko grabbed him and safely got on his feet on the platform.

"Come this way. We're almost there," Granny Setsuno said as they walked down more stairs.

As they walked down deeper and deeper downstairs, Komatsu began to wonder.

"Excuse me, Setsuno-san, but I've been wondering." She looked at the young chef with a curious, sincere look. "Just exactly why do you open your restaurant once per month?"

Garry thought to ask the same question. He also wondered why Granny Setsuno opened the restaurant once per month.

"Well, like I said before. I only open whenever I feel like it, but to be more precise, it is not me who wants to open whenever I feel like it. Rather, it is the ingredients…." She answered.

"The ingredients?" Both Komatsu and Garry looked surprised.

"But, what do you mean by that?" Garry asked furtherly.

"Well, let me ask you both boys this; Is the chef's decision to prepare the ingredients for the customers to eat?" She asked sincerely.

Komatsu and Garry didn't think much about that before.

"Hm-hm! Well, well. It seems like you both are still half a chef to think it otherwise. It is not the chef nor customers who choose the foods. It is the opposite. The foods choose the chef and customers," Setsuno said. "Every day, I ask every one of the ingredients to know how they're feeling and whether or not they want to be prepared and be used. That's why I don't open my restaurant every day."

"But, that's just a waste. I mean, your kitchen is perfectly set up well," Komatsu admitted sheepishly.

Setsuno grinned. "Someday, you'll all understand. The feeling of the food… Just someday."

They reached the end of the tunnel. "Here we are!" In front of them was the most surprising and amazing thing they've ever seen.

In front of them was a giant glimmering, shiny cooking pot. It was so big that was as big as the building itself.

"Is this the pot used for preparing the Century Soup?!" Garry exclaimed.

"It's damn huge!" Cream gasped.

"I've never seen such a big cooking pot like this!" Komatsu stated.

Suddenly, another big surprise was when Setsuno just jumped up so high that she managed to reach the top of the pot without climbing up on the ladder.

"What the?!" Garry flabbergasted.

"Setsuno-san, just exactly who are you?!" Komatsu asked.

"Yo, Komatsu! Gerry, come up guys!" Toriko yelled at them as he was already started climbing up the ladder along with Cream.

"Yeah, guys! The last person is a rotten egg!" Cream exclaimed.

"Wait up!" The two boys began climbing up the ladder.

At first, they were very excited to see what's at the top of the pot, but the ladder was long and both Komatsu and Garry were getting tired as they climbed up the ladder. It was like climbing up the mountain. Eventually, they reached the top in 30 minutes.

"Finally! We're…ah … At the top," Komatsu huffed as he was out of breath.

"Yeah… We're finally here, Chef Komatsu," Garry agreed.

"Wow! Check out, guys!" Cream said.

When they did, they were even more amazed. There were many ingredients inside the pot for the Century Soup. Some of them were what they guessed correctly, and some others that they didn't mention or knew it was part of the ingredients for the soup.

"It's this all the ingredients used for the Century Soup, Setsuno-san?!" Garry asked.

"That's right," she answered. "After removing every scum and making it for many years, I managed to make it this far."

"It's so transparent and beautiful!" Komatsu commented.

"This is amazing, Setsuno-san!" Garry praised her.

"Yes, it sure is amazing, but this soup is happened to be incomplete," she said honestly.

"Check it out, Toriko-san! There is the Silk Chicken bone!" Komatsu pointed.

"Yeah! There's even the Meter Onion!" Toriko added.

"Look over there! There is also the Emerald Crystal Cabbage, like you said, Cream-san," Garry said.

"I was right!" Cream boasted. "There sure are a lot of ingredients in the soup!"

"Yes, yes. There are a lot of ingredients in the soup, but this soup is not even completed!" Setsuno announced.

"Wow! Look at that! That's Jaba Java Shark's meat!" Garry stated.

"Wow! That's cool!" Cream agreed.

"You have so many ingredients, Setsuno-san. I am beyond impressed!" Komatsu said.

"Me, too!" Toriko admitted.

"Yes, yes, I know, but as I said, this soup is happened to be INCOMPLETE!" She announced loudly.

"Huh? The four looked confused.

"Pay attention more!" Setsuno scolded them.

"Wait… This soup is incomplete?" Garry asked.

"I don't understand. It tastes so amazing, so why is it incomplete," Komatsu said, thinking aloud.

"Well, to tell you all the truth, this soup is just my imitation of the real Century Soup. The real Century Soup exists in nature," Setsuno revealed.

"What?!" They all were surprised.

"That's the first time I've heard of it!" Toriko admitted.

"Me too. I didn't exist in nature," Cream nodded.

"Jiro-chan got a scoop of it and gave me to taste it. It was so delicious that I could never, ever forget it," she said. "That's why I decided to make my version of the soup, but even after many years of getting it this far, I know that in my heart this isn't close to the taste of the real soup."

"Really?" Komatsu asked.

"You and Garry-Kun noticed it, didn't you both?" She said. "You both noticed something was missing."

"Well, um, that's right," Komatsu replied.

"Yeah. This soup tastes wonderful and delicious, but something was missing about it," Garry said. "But I couldn't think of it."

"Hearing you two saying that when you first tasted my soup, I've just fallen in love. All you four's sensibility and tasting… No matter if the Presidents of some nations, gourmands, or some higher, important politician drank this soup, I didn't care about their opinions when it comes to cooking. However, seeing you four made me think. Perhaps you four can find the real Century Soup. Don't you all agree?"

"Yeah, of course!" Toriko jumped the gun. "I want to taste the real one!"

"Me, too! If the Century Soup exists in nature, then we can find it!" Cream stated. "What do you say, Garry? I smell another adventure waiting for us."

"I am delighted to go. I am curious to see the real one, too," Garry agreed.

"Not see one, but taste it!" Cream corrected him.

"Good answer!" Setsuno stated. "There is a man in town who knows a lot about it! Go and see him, and find the real Century Soup!"

Later that night, Toriko, Komatsu, Cream, and Garry were outside of one particular place. The place was called Bar Heavy Lodge, the location they heard where they will find the person who knew about the Century Soup.

Hello, everyone!

I hope you all are doing well and staying safe. Here is another update for my Toriko OC story. In this chapter, our heroes got the chance to eat the Century Soup, cooked by Granny Setsuno, but learned that this soup was an incomplete imitation of the real one that only exists in nature.

The next chapter, we will see some new faces and they begin their journey to find the Century Soup. If you read the manga or watched the anime, you know what I mean.

Until next time, I hope you all stay safe and healthy, and enjoy the rest of your summer. See you guys later!