Lunamugetsu: I do not own Toriko, also it's been awhile since I've written in this format.
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Someone once said… There is a wonderfully crunchy thin mochi that moves through an exquisite sea of soy sauce like flying fish… Flying Mochi! There are refreshing sweet and sour kumquats like gold dust… Gold Kumquat Dust.
This is the Gourmet Age
An age in which people quest for unknown culinary delights!
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Supergravity! Conquer Heavy Hole!
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After enjoying a delicious breakfast and packing up for the journey, Kimiko and Melk both waved Toriko goodbye as he jumped into the Heavy Hole.
"Toriko, will he really be alright alone?" Melk questioned, "Heavy Hole is one of the most dangerous places in the human world. Even the beast's average capture level exceeds 50."
"It'll be okay, Melk-san" Kimiko reassured the cutler, "Toriko-san is extremely strong! He'll always find a way to accomplish his task." Kimiko smiled making Melk give a smile in return.
SSSSHKRRRRRERERER!
Kimiko looked up towards the source of the noise, only to see a large figure flying towards her. Kimiko could only blink as the figure came into focus showing a gigantic purple beast with the body reminiscent of that of a gorilla that had large bat wings along with ears and sharp teeth with yellow eyes glaring at her..
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Vampire Kong (Mammalian Beast) Capture Level 30
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"AAAAAHH!" Kimiko screamed as the beast growled at her.
"Stop it, Pochiko!" the beast stopped inches away from Kimiko's tear ridden face.
"She's a guest," Melk explained, "She gave you quite a surprise, huh? This is my pet Vampire Kong. Her name's Pochiko."
"P-Pochiko?"
"Pochiko was originally my master's pet. She's intelligent enough to deliver knives for me." Melk explained while walking towards the beast.
"D-Deliver knives," Kimiko repeated, she blinked as she then noticed that the gigantic beast was wearing a backpack.
"Yes, in fact, she brings most of the knives I make to their intended owners." Kimiko imagined a scene where Pochiko was knocking on a door and presenting the knives to the receiver just like a mailman.
"Really?" Kimiko said as she waved that ridiculous scenes from her mind.
"Welcome back, Pochiko, you did well," Melk said as Pochiko handed the gigantic backpack over to them. Pochiko then gave a growl and climbed up the tree right next to the house and perched herself upright at the very top.
"Huh, so that tree is her nest, well that would explain why there's only one tree out here," Kimiko sighed, "she has the face of a bat, but she doesn't hang upside down. And she's making such a dignified stance, as well"
Melk smiled before turning back to Kimiko, "well, time to get to work! As usual there are a lot of orders to fill today!"
"Yes, let's get to sharpening, Melk-san!"
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Toriko took a deep breath as he had hopped down from one of the higher levels to the lowers. The entire place had a design similar to a canyon with ledges at different levels. He steadied himself as he looked around, while he was a ways away from where he began, the bottom was still nowhere in his sight.
"I've made some good distance, but it looks like I'm not even close to the lowest level," he gave a sigh, "Still kind of annoyed with Kimi though."
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FLASHBACK
"Uuuuhh, Toriko-san, anyway you could go by yourself? Y'know since it's such a dangerous place" Kimiko fidgeted as she tried to not look at her combo partner.
"Why?!" Toriko jumped at her, "What do you think we came here together for?! I need your strength! There's no point if we don't conquer it together! Remember what happened last time?"
"Of course I remember!" Kimiko fidgeted before turning her head, "What do you think Melk-san?"
"Hmm, it's probably too dangerous for Chef Kimiko" Melk answered
"I know right!" Kimiko exclaimed
"Don't tell me," Toriko scowled, "You just wanna stay behind so you can watch Melk work?"
"Whaaaaat?" Kimiko said while backing away from him, "I-It's not like that."
Toriko raised an eyebrow at her making the chef blush as she avoided eye contact with him. He gave a sigh, "I understand perfectly. Fine. But I'm going to take one of your knives with me."
"My knife?"
"Yeah, the knife that you were preparing dinner with would suffice. Your knives are your life so I'm going to take one with me."
"But why?"
Toriko turned his back to Kimiko, "think of it as collateral, if something should happen to me, something you value as much as your life will share the same fate."
"Wait, what!" Kimiko panicked
"Just kidding!" Toriko laughed, "We're partners, aren't we? That means wherever we go our hearts are always one! Besides, this will be a good division of labor. You've got an important job, Kimi."
"Important job." the chef repeated
END FLASHBACK
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Toriko checked the wrapped up knife in his hand before smiling and putting it into his shirt pocket.
"Kimi always jumps at the chance to see rare ingredients in their natural environment. Well, I guess that just shows how much she's interested in Melk's work," He patted the knife to make sure it was secure, "Well I'm sure Melk prefers it this way, too. This time, my partner is this knife. Alright, if Kimi was here with me, where would she suggest that we go ever so carefully? She can hear the voices of ingredients, so naturally , she and I see the lay of the land differently. It's only natural for the weak to proceed with caution. So maybe I should proceed as if Kimi is by my side." He then went and jumped off onto another ledge.
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"WOW!" Kimiko exclaimed as she saw the large pile of all carefully wrapped kitchen knives on the table. "These are all kitchen knives?"
"Yes, chefs from all over the world sent them to me to be sharpened. I estimate that I get about a hundred knives a day."
"A hundred!" Kimiko sighed, "Well that explains the three year waitlist."
"I can usually tell the who the owner is just by looking at the knife." Melk told her.
"Really! Um" Kimiko fidgeted, "C-Can I touch one?"
"Be my guest, just be careful."
Kimiko looked at the pile for a moment before picking up a large knife that was around the length of her forearm and hand. The top part was narrow but then it widened out about three inches from the top.
"Who is the owner of this knife?"
"That's chef Lulubu's knife. The chef at Guts." Melk answered
"G-G-G-Guts!" Kimiko exclaimed, "You mean the seven star restaurant on the 312th floor, the very top floor of the Gourmet Tower. This is the knife that the owner-chef Mr. Lulubu uses? Man, that's amazing, I'm holding the knife of a charismatic chef like that."
"Incidentally, this knife belongs to Mr. Yuji at Mogura" Melk held out a knife whose blade was shaped like that of a crescent moon.
"Mogura, the eight-star hormone-yaki restaurant in Gourmet Alley. That knife belongs to the manager's Mr. Yuji? All of these knives belong to super-famous people! That speaks volumes about your knife sharpening skills. Everyone trusts you completely!"
Melk gave a tiny laugh, "Most of them were regular customers of the first Melk. It's because my master only ever saw the knives. He didn't know where they came from, and I don't think he particularly cared. But to be honest, I'm curious myself." Melk walked over to a wash basin where a stone was submerged in water, "I wonder what kind of chef uses a magnificent knife like this. That's what I thought when I saw your broken knife, Chef Kimiko. I asked myself, 'Just what kind of person is this Chef Kimiko who puts so much love into using this knife?'" Melk picked up the stone and walked over to a stool where a small table was placed in front and set the stone onto the table. "Maybe my curiosity about the knives' owners is a sign that I lack concentration. Compared to the first Melk, perhaps I'm still a novice."
"T-That's not true!" Kimiko exclaimed as she walked over to Melk, "You're right, kitchen knives reflect the traits of the people who use them!"
Melk gave a sigh before lifting up a knife from the pile, "All my master had on his mind was making good knives." The knife in their hand practically sparkled under the light.
"That's a beautiful knife. It doesn't look like it even needs sharpening." Kimiko said
"This is a sashimi knife used by the chef at the famous restaurant, Gyoki. It's a shop that uses a lot of delicate, Special Preparation ingredients. Just one-thousandth of a millimeter of damage has a major effect on preparation." Kimiko tried to focus her eyesight on the area of where Melk was looking at only to come up short.
"I can't even see it," she sighed
"First-rate chefs don't need their eyes. They can tell if there's damage by the way it feels when they're chopping ingredients. It's the same with cutlers." Kimiko's eyes widened as she continued to watch Melk, "We don't use our eyes, but sharpen by sound and sensation."
Kimiko watched in amazement as it looked like Melk was practically glowing when they were angling the knife on the stone. It was a quick movement faster than Kimiko could see, it took only a moment before she could hear the scraping sound of the knife against the stone. She could only stare in silence as Melk wiped the sweat off their brow. Their face completely drenched in sweat after that one movement.
So much sweat, Kimiko thought, It's just like when I'm concentrating on cooking a complicated dish. Before I even know it I find myself dripping in sweat. Sweat that runs off you like a waterfall. For just that one scrape, every nerve in Melk's body must have focused.
Melk gave a smile while facing Kimiko, "If it had been my master, he would've sharpened this without dripping one bead of sweat."
"What are you talking? Watching you gave me goosebumps! It was amazing!" she exclaimed
"Really?"
"Yeah! I just witnessed the greatest sharpening in the world. I feel like I'm on cloud nine!" Kimiko told Melk making them blush
"You're too kind, thank you" Melk smiled as Kimiko fidgeted with her fingers
"Um, any chance I can see you do that again? Since you moved so fast, I couldn't really see what had just happened," The chef nervously asked.
"The sharpening speed depends on the knife's quality and purpose, as well as the grindstone. It also varies according to the user's style." Melk explained
"Then, is there any chance I could see you sharpen one slowly," Melk looked at Kimiko whose eyes were practically sparkling in anticipation before giving a smile.
"Of course, why not." Kimiko gave a cheer before sitting back down and staring wide eyed at Melk while drumming her fingers on her knees trying to contain her excitement
Seeing someone so excited to see me work, Melk thought while looking at the grinning chef, she looks so cute when she's excited.
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"AH SHIT!" Toriko shouted as he tripped on the ledge and his body proceeded to plant his face into the ground. He grumbled as he picked himself up and dusted off any stray rubble on his clothes and face. He patted the kitchen knife in his pocket to make sure that it was still okay, he let out a sigh of relief as he felt nothing was damaged.
"That was weird, I just felt a chill go up my spine," He muttered before smiling and shaking the statement off, "It's probably nothing, must be the gravity getting to me."
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Kimiko was completely enamored with watching Melk work. It was when her stomach started grumbling that she noticed that time.
Oh no we missed lunch! How could you have forgotten! Kimiko mentally berated herself before looking at Melk who was dutifully sharpening the knives. Kimiko smiled before quickly going to the kitchen, checking the refrigerator to see what she could whip up.
Melk gave a sigh before sitting up straight and straightening their brack, wincing as a couple of pops were heard. Melk blinked as they didn't see that Kimiko wasn't sitting in her seat. That was when the scent of food being made, looking over to the kitchen Melk saw that Kimiko was humming as she was chopping up some vegetables before adding it to the sizzling hot pan. The chef gave the pan a quick toss making sure that the vegetables were cooking evenly. If Melk were to describe what was happening, the cutler would say that it was like watching a dance. The chef's movements were fluid, with every decision being meticulously planned. When one act was done she would immediately jump into another with no hesitation. It was only when Kimiko looked over to where Melk was standing that she stopped.
"Oh, is there something you need Melk-san? I'll be done with the food shortly, if you need me out of the way."
"Ah no, not at all. I was just a bit curious since you weren't sitting next to me," Melk stated.
"I didn't want to disturb your work, so I thought I could make lunch while you were sharpening, or early dinner, since it's a bit late for lunch," Kimiko nervously laughed as she looked at the clock that saying that it was close to four o'clock.
"What did you make? It smells amazing," Melk asked making Kimiko perk up.
"Stir fry noodles and a couple of sandwiches. Would you like to take a break now, or do you want something else to eat along with this?"
"That sounds perfect, I'll go to clear the table of all the knives so we could eat."
"Great! I'll get the food plated up," Kimiko said.
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"That was delicious," Melk sighed leaning back to look at the now empty dishes that were on the table. Melk looked over to the chef to see that she was looking at the door.
"Are you thinking about Toriko?" the question snapped the chef out of her stupor.
"Huh?"
"You were staring out the door. Are you worried about him?"
Kimiko gave a small laugh at the statement before turning to Melk.
"I always worry, I mean who wouldn't. No regular person would be able to survive that type of environment," she gave a smile, "But when it comes to Toriko-san, I know that worry is unfounded, he's always been able to overcome any obstacle in his way, after all he's not the type of person to just give up. Especially when it comes to food."
"You put a lot of your trust in him."
"Of course, we're combo partners after all."Kimiko grinned
"Must be nice to have someone you can completely rely on, like I told you before it's been years since I've been around anyone other than my master or Pochiko."
"I don't know how you do it, I would've gone mad with nobody to talk to," Kimiko pondered.
"Sharpening knives keeps me busy and focused on my task. There's nothing to get me off track, all that's on my mind is to bring out the sharpness of the blade. While I'm pretty content with my life right now, I wouldn't mind talking with someone every now and then." Melk said making Kimiko smile.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask. When does Pochiko eat?"
"Pochiko? Well she usually hunts the stray beasts that wander near the mountain top," Melk recalled, "Sometimes she eats fruits and vegetables, she's not really picky. Why?"
"I still have some food leftover, I was thinking that maybe that Pochiko would like to eat some, that is, if she doesn't mind." Melk smiled at the chef.
"Sure, let's go see," The chef perked up before grabbing a large plate that she had put all the leftovers on and following Melk outside.
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"Hello Pochiko," Melk greeted the bat that was perched on top of the tree. The beast gave a grunt in acknowledgement. "Kimiko made some food, she wanted to see if you wanted any." said chef raised the enormous plate piled high with food so that Pochiko could see. The bat gorilla hybrid gave a grunt before jumping down onto the ground making it shake for a second before taking a sniff.
"If the food doesn't interest you, you don't have to eat-" Before Kimiko could finish Pochiko grabbed the plate and poured the food down their throat. Kimiko could only blink as Pochiko handed back the plate and patted the chef's head before flying back to her perch.
"Uh, I'm guessing she liked it?"
"Believe me, if she didn't like it, you'd know. C'mon let's go back inside" Melk laughed before guiding Kimiko back into the house.
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"Good morning, Melk-san," Kimiko yawned while tying up her hair as she carefully descended down the stairs to see that Melk was still sitting at the table sharpening knives.
"Morning, Chef Kimiko. Were you able to get a good night's rest?" Melk asked
"Not really," Kimiko jokes, "I was so excited from watching you sharpen the knives I could barely get myself to sleep. You didn't go to bed either."
"I'm usually so loaded with requests that I don't really get to sleep," Melk answered, "I made some breakfast" they walked over to the steaming pot resting on the stove and ladled a bowl of soup for the chef. Kimiko thanked Melk before taking a tentative sip.
"Yum!" Kimiko praised, "It's refined and has a light flavor, yet it's a deep-bodied traditional soup. The faint sake-cake flavor gives it a nice bite. You used the Sake-Cake Snapping Turtle for the broth, didn't you?"
"You're a pretty impressive chef. Guessing the soup stock ingredient from just one spoonful," Melk commented
"Well, you're really great at cooking Melk-san," Kimiko complimented, "I guess people who have good sense are good at whatever they do."
"That's very kind of you to stay," the cutler then smiled before looking at the pile of knives on the table, "well I just finished the workload. I'm going to wrap up the last knife and give it to Pochiko to deliver. "
"Ah, do you want some help?"
"It would be appreciated, could you hand me Pochiko's backpack."
"Sure." Kimiko turned around to grab the backpack that was roughly the size of her. She gave a scoff at the absurdity of how short she was and how large everything else is before handing it over to Melk who had gathered all of the knives. After a quick moment all of the knives were safely packed away in the backpack and were given to Pochiko to deliver.
"So, Pochiko really does do all of the delivery work huh," Kimiko commented as they walked inside.
"Yeah, she even gets groceries on her own if I'm too swamped with work." Kimiko blinked at the answer and started to imagine Pochiko standing in the produce section at a grocery store inspecting fruits and vegetables and then waiting in line to pay for them.
"By the way," Melk said getting the chef's attention, "I'm about to make some knives, would you like to see?"
"Yes, please!" Kimiko exclaimed with her eyes sparkling with excitement.
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Kimiko stood a distance away as she watched Melk hammer a heated piece of steel that was burning bright red.
"So you start making kitchen knives from the forging stage?" Kimiko guessed as Melk continued to shape the heated metal on the anvil.
"No, really, the work is supposed to start with procuring the material," Melk paused to inspect the shape of the metal, "But I'm not able to get materials that have high capture levels." Kimiko watched as Melk dipped the hot metal into a case filled with liquid causing steam to erupt from the metal cooling, "My master used to do everything himself. That means I've still got a long way to go." Kimiko's eyes widened as Melk presented the cooled blade in front of her, "this tempering stage is extremely important for kitchen knives."
"It's ridiculous to say you've got, 'a long way to go' when you can make such a beautiful knife." Kimiko commented
"I don't know about that, but that's very kind of you to say" Melk said before transferring to a different seat that has a whetstone on it. Kimiko noted that the stone looked like it grew in layers. The chef moved in closer to see Melk moving the knife across the whetstone. "Normally, to sharpen cutlery step by step, you use three different grindstones. A rough grindstone, a medium-grad millstone, and a finer-grained 'finishing grindstone' for the final touches. But this Gradastone naturally has all of the gradations. With this one stone, you can accomplish all of the stage, using it as a rough grindstone to a finishing grindstone."
"Huh, who would have that such a miraculous grindstone like that would occur in nature."
"My master is the one who first discovered this, too."
"Th-That doesn't matter," Kimiko commented, "You're the one who's perfectly mastered it, Melk-san."
"Not yet, I haven't" Melk paused, "I don't even come close to the first Melk's skills"
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Kimiko stood outside the house looking at the orange sky as the sun was setting behind the mountains. Melk stood behind her looking at the chef.
"Do you think Toriko is okay?" Melk questioned the chef.
"He'll be fine," Kimiko said, "I'm sure he'll come back with both Melk Stardust and the first Melk-san!" Melk smiled at the chef's optimism and looked at Pochiko who had returned to her perch on top of the tree. Kimiko looked around and raised an eyebrow as she saw a pool with a roof held on top of it presumably to protect the pool from rain or from any falling debris.
"What's that? It looks like an open-air bath" Kimiko said making Melk look in her direction.
"It's actually a hot spring." Melk answered
"Hot spring?!" Kimiko repeated
"You can go in if you want."
"Really?"
"I'm told that my master dug it out when he was young. Can you believe it, in this rocky mountain. My master is a one of a kind, he's just simply amazing!" Melk said,
"S-So he made it himself," Kimiko stuttered.
Just what kind of a guy is the first Melk, Kimiko thought
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Kimiko sighed as she sat back in the steaming water, her hair was tied up so that it wouldn't get soaked.
"~Ah~" Kimiko sighed, "Nothing better than a nice hot bath." she looked up at the night sky that gave Kimiko a beautiful view of all of the stars.
Melk-san sure does put the original Melk-san up on a pedestal, to the point that he doesn't even think about his own accomplishments. Even though he's the greatest cutler in the world, Kimiko gave a sigh as she leaned back. She looked over at where she saw Toriko leave and gave a sigh.
Toriko-san, you better be okay, or I'll-, she paused in thought as she didn't really have anything to threaten the Heavenly King with, I'll think of something.
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Toriko shivered before pausing in his descent.
"Why did I just get a bad feeling all of a sudden?" Toriko muttered
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Lunamugetsu: and that's the end of that episode. It's been awhile since I've uploaded, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it. Regarding to a question I asked on the previous chapter, a lot of you said that you were cool with me crossposting this on ao3, I'll be sure to upload it when I have the time. Tell me what you think about this chapter. REVIEW