A/N: Well, I couldn't help it. After proclaiming myself a Wonder Chef fan and getting stuck on all my other stories, I had to make a one-shot about the Wonder Chef! So, here it is. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia. Namco does. You can ask them for ownership if you want, but I doubt you'll win .
To Fight the Forces of Culinary Evil
By Jadax
"I must go! I hear a voice calling me! Farewell!" the Wonder Chef raised his gigantic fork and disappeared in a puff of smoke, similar to the way the ninjas of Mizuho disappeared.
"..." Lloyd stared blankly at the spot occupied by the Wonder Chef just moments ago. "How does he always manage to be where we are? We even saw him Sylvarant!"
That made a lot of sense to Zelos, who then started to state his theory "He probably followed you here. We don't normally have wackos like that in Tethe'alla. He must another country bumpkin like you guys," Zelos laughed, but Lloyd rounded on him.
"How many times do I have to tell you that we're not country bumpkins!"
A silhouette of a building could be just seen from a hilltop where a lone figure stood watching it. Fog was at ground level in this forested area, but it only served to aid the figure's purpose of stealth.
"What is the situation this time?" The Wonder Chef appeared in a puff of smoke next to the figure, a young boy. The boy wore a chef's apron, but no chef hat. This showed his rank; he was merely a soldier in the war against the Dark Chefs.
He stared at the Chef in awe, "It's the bed and breakfast we've been monitoring sir," he pointed over to the building in the distance, "It seems there is a Dark Chef inside just as you suspected." Blonde hair fell over the boy's eyes as he stared at the tall form of the Wonder Chef.
He didn't seem to notice the young chef's astonishment that he was talking to him. Instead he was shocked at the news he just received, "A bed AND breakfast?! They're starting to branch out. We must step up our offense at once! Farewell young chef!" In another puff of smoke, he was gone.
"..."
He reappeared in Castle Tethe'alla, in the grand city of Meltokio. The B and B situation would be a perfect test for a possible successor. Now was the time to test the greatness of the castle chef's omelet.
The hallways were still lit by torches since the sun was not yet up. The Wonder Chef tip-toed down the dim hallway and stealthily ducked into the kitchens. The only sound was the swish of his red cape.
No one had arrived yet so he took his time in walking over to the stove and disguising himself. Anyone who walked in would not miss the giant pair of salt and pepper shakers that came even with the counter-tops. Soon, maids and kitchen helpers arrived and began questioning the odd presence of the shakers. It wasn't until the head chef appeared that it's presence was explained, though it made more questions than were answered.
Slowly, the chef approached it and stepped back as a sudden gust of smoke revealed a man wearing a green chef outfit and a red cape. "I am the Wonder Chef!"
"..." the castle cook stared blankly at the Chef wondering why the strange man was here.
His unspoken question was soon answered, "I am here to test your skills as a Chef. Do you have what it takes to battle Dark forces with the greatness of your Omelet?" The Chef eyed him with intensity.
The cook gulped. Who was this person? "Dark forces?" was all he could force himself to stammer despite the other million questions floating around in his head. Things such as: 'Should I call a guard?' or "What is going on?' seemed much better thing to ask.
The Chef was unfazed by his fellow cook's odd behavior, "Yes. The Dark Chef Alliance is yet again after the Ultimate recipe. Will you fight to protect it? Prove your worth as a possible successor to the Wonder Chef!"
"What?! Uh, sorry I think I'll have to decline. I already have a job here. I'm employed to the King after all," the castle chef and those watching behind him could only hope this odd man wouldn't take offense.
Thankfully he didn't, "Hmm, the Dark Chefs have beaten me here it seems. Farewell!" Smoke filled the spot where he was standing and as it cleared, the Wonder Chef was gone.
Soon, castle guards filled the small kitchen as the workers attempted to explain about the odd man in the chef hat. No one would ever believe their story though.
"One less possible successor...there aren't many options left," the Wonder Chef sighed as he pulled down the picture of Castle Tethe'alla's head chef. His hat and fork lay on the small table behind him as he scanned the other photos and descriptions. Stats such as best recipe, worst recipe, where they regularly cooked, and their favorite ingredient were tacked on to the pictures.
Many of them were chefs who desired to follow the Wonder Chef. These men had to be thoroughly tested; their tendency of greed for the Ultimate recipe frequently ruled them out. There were a few photos of interest though. An elven woman from Heimdall who enjoyed cooking for many in the village was displayed on the wall. Another photo that stood out was of Lloyd's companion Regal. The man held a deep passion for cooking and he showed no desire for the Ultimate recipe. He was possibility, but, since he was traveling to save the world at the moment, his skills couldn't be tested in this particular predicament the Wonder Chef was now faced.
"Having difficulty Chef?" the Wonder Chef spun around. An old man wearing a chef hat and red cape was standing at the door leaning on a walking stick shaped like a giant spatula.
"Chef-sensei!" the old man nodded and sat down at the wooden table waiting for the Chef's explanation, "Yes, well. It seems the Dark Chefs have infiltrated some inns turning them into bed and breakfasts. It's a fearful combination, is it not?"
The old chef nodded again, "Indeed. If this is not addressed the results could be very horrible indeed." The Chef nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a moment, each visualizing the terrible possibilities. "Hmmm, so you are here viewing the successors? It is a good test."
"Yes, but no one seems worthy enough."
The old man shook his head, "What of that chef in the castle? I hear his Omelets are worthy of the Goddess herself."
Again, the Wonder Chef sighed, "I'm afraid the Dark Chefs arrived before I did."
"Hmm, that is a terrible loss to our side. Have you considered using this as an opportunity to test the skills of those wishing to be possible successors?"
The Wonder Chef stared as his predecessor with apprehension. Even for a possible successor, this mission would be hard. How would an untrained, unconsidered cheflette do? The old man seemed to know what he was thinking, "I would recommend the young soldier who has been eying the inn for us." Without another word the old chef rose and left the room.
"Chef-sensei..." With sudden determination and faith in his teacher's suggestion, he pulled his hat back on. The fork returned to it's rightful place in his hand, and once he rose it into the air, the Wonder Chef disappeared.
The fog had cleared slightly around the bed and breakfast building. The young chef continued to sit on the hillside watching the Dark Chef at work. His mind was pulled away from these thoughts as the Wonder Chef appeared next to him again, nearly making the boy tumble down the hill in surprise. "Wonder Chef, sir!"
"Ah, young chef. Tell me, do you know how to make Omelets?" the Chef looked down at the boy who stood there in shock.
Was this really the great Wonder Chef asking him, a young inexperienced chef who didn't even have a hat yet, if he knew how to make one of the important recipes? "Um, no sir, only Sandwiches and Cabbage Rolls."
The Wonder Chef looked again at the distant building, "Omelets require some type of rice and an egg. Come, let's make a campfire and I'll teach you."
The great Chef was going to show him how to make Omelets? Was this a dream? The young boy wondered no more when the Chef handed him a stack of logs and a small pan, "Let's see how well you make a fire. A true Chef knows how to cook anywhere, including the wilderness."
The boy nearly dropped the wood as he carried it to a small open area out of sight from the inn. Carefully he stacked the wood in a pyramid shape after a few unsuccessful tries where it collapsed. It was hard not to panic under the careful watch of the Wonder Chef who looked menacing holding his spear-like fork all the while surrounded by thick fog. Frantically he rubbed whatever dry sticks he could find together in hopes of producing fire. Eventually, after many many tries, he succeeded and soon had a nice fire going.
The Wonder Chef spread the ingredients out on small cloth. "Start with an egg. I'll tell you when to add the rice."
The boy nodded, he was determined to prove to the Wonder Chef that he could do this. It was his chance to show he was useful against the Dark Chefs. Slightly shaking, he took one of the eggs, and cracked it on the side of the pan. As the inside hit the hot pan it made a satisfying sizzling, which only served to make the boy more determined.
"Add rice," came the sage voice of the Chef. His Omelet was shaping up, could he really do this?
"Flip." He panicked, flipping was a difficult art. He'd have to try though. He shut his eyes and gave his wrist a flick. Correctly flipping was all in the wrist wasn't it?
It seemed it was; the boy opened his eyes to the sight of his Omelet cooking away on the other side. "Again," the Chef instructed. This time the boy watched as the Omelet flew into the air and landed back into the pan.
"It's done." Quickly the boy moved the pan away from the fire. The Wonder Chef produced some plates out of nowhere and handed a knife to the boy motioning for him to split it into two.
He did as he was told and stared expectantly at the Wonder Chef. He had a normal sized fork in hand and was poking at the Omelet. "Good texture," he began to mutter under his breath, it was barely audible to the boy, "Good ratio of rice to egg. Fluffy too; just the way I like it." He placed a piece in his mouth, "Excellent! Here, spell your love with ketchup!"
The boy gratefully accepted the ketchup bottle. He didn't notice as he practically drowned his Omelet in the red substance. Nor did he notice that the Chef had spelt 'I love to cook' on his meal. He was simply too stunned that the great Chef had called his meal 'Excellent'.
Wonder Chef didn't notice any of this though. He packed up the dishes and leftover ingredients. "Now we can confront the Dark Chef!" he raised his fork in a battle stance. The young boy followed the Chef as he started walking towards the inn.
By the time they reached the back door of the bed and breakfast, the young chef was panting, it was hard to keep up with the Wonder Chef's long strides. "Alright we're about to face the Dark Chef. I hope you're ready." With that, he turned around and walked into the dim kitchen. The boy couldn't help but wonder what he could possibly do to help, he didn't even have his hat.
The door slammed behind them causing the chef inside to turn around. His midnight blue outfit clearly showed that he was a Dark Chef. He smirked, "Ah, Wonder Chef, I was wondering when you would get here."
The Wonder Chef stepped back, he hadn't thought to find out the status of the opposing chef. They were going to face a high-ranking Alliance member. Despite his misgivings, he still sounded confident, "I challenge you to a cook-off!"
"A cook-off? You are going battle me?" in spite of the tough sounding words, the Dark Chef was clearly uneasy at this prospect.
Wonder Chef shook his head, "No, not I. He," he motioned to the young chef at his side, "will be your opponent." The boy nearly fell backwards in shock. The Dark Chef began laughing.
"He doesn't even have a hat," the chef began until he resumed laughing. The boy looked down at his feet.
But Wonder Chef came to his rescue, "I have feeling he will earn his hat here."
This, the Dark Chef couldn't refuse, "Alright. I'm guessing the winner gets this job right?" Chef nodded. "I'll let you name the recipe."
"Omelets!"
And so the battle began. Luckily for the young chef it wasn't a battle of speed. He didn't work good under sudden pressure like this. It was a battle of quality; the inn owner would be the judge. The Dark chef seemed full of himself as he expertly showed off his flipping skills while the young chef was still cracking an egg.
"Add rice," the Wonder Chef's words rang through his head as the Dark Chef continued to sneer at him showing off some other fancy move.
"Flip," the words seemed about the only thing the boy could hear. The intensity of the battle was beginning to be too much for him. He couldn't even hear the pan sizzling as he heard "Again" blare through his head.
He pulled the pan off the heat as "It's done" was just barely whispered. Everything returned to normal. He could hear the stove fizzle out as it was shut off, the clink of silverware on the plates. He slid his Omelet onto the plate. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Wonder Chef smile, and mouth, "Ketchup" Quickly, he added it to the plate just as the owner walked in.
"Ah, what is this all about? A cook-off?" the owner seemed puzzled by the entire idea.
The Dark Chef offered an explanation; he was, after all, the man's employee. "Sir, I've been challenged to a cook-off. Here are two dishes, one prepared by myself and the other by my opponent. Your choice determines who gets my job."
He nodded and faced the plates, "Omelets? But yours are very good, I'd be surprised if any could even match them." Nevertheless he picked up a fork and stabbed at a portion of the Dark Chef's meal first.
"Hmmm, very good. Airy, and there's a good amount of rice. A little crisp." The Wonder Chef shifted. This man knew his way around food. He was an experienced critic.
The fork pierced the young chef's Omelet next, "Hmm, oh! Nice and fluffy. Moist, and a good quantity of rice as well."
He stood in silence staring at the two plates for a moment. His gaze then shifted from one chef to the other; maybe he was trying to determine whose dish was whose. Again he stared at the dishes, pointing his fork from one dish to another. In a sudden movement, he grabbed a plate. "I choose these. It was a great choice to put ketchup with it. I haven't had ketchup with these since I was a kid."
The Dark Chef's face fell; his Omelets had only a garnish on top. Had ketchup and this runt really beaten him? "It can't be..."
The inn owner turned to the Dark Chef, "Oh? These weren't yours? Ah, then I have a new chef to welcome don't I?" His smile seemed to suggest that he knew he had chosen the opponent's serving. "Welcome to our inn. I'm sure you'll be a great addition to our crew." He shook the shocked boy's hand and walked off with the Omelet muttering about how much he liked ketchup.
Dark Chef rounded on them, "This can't be! You must have cheated! I'll get you Wonder Chef!" he reached under the counter and pulled out his own giant fork. He raised it into the air and was gone.
"I won?" the boy was still shocked at what had gone on so quickly. He turned to face Chef, "You knew about the ketchup."
The Wonder Chef nodded, "In the Dark Chef's quest for great cuisine he forgot the power of simple condiments. Adding something as common as ketchup would have never crossed his mind, yet it is the ketchup that really makes the Omelet! He forgot the secret ingredient and that caused his downfall."
The boy nodded absentmindedly, he was still shocked that he had actually defeated a Dark Chef. His shock increased when the Wonder Chef produced a hat. It was a simple white hat, but the boy was delighted all the same, "I believe you've earned this. You'll need it to fight the forces of culinary evil! Wear it proudly and defend the honor of Wonder Chef!" Wonder Chef raised his fork and disappeared before the boy had a chance to reply.
"..."
A/N: I've finally finished a fic! I hope you liked it. I know I said one-shot above, but I had so much fun writing this. Perhaps a sequel? Who knows, I don't. Tell me what you think!
Ja! Jadax