Danger! The Four Beasts!

Next Day...

'So this is her house, Toriko-san? It looks kinda quaint...' Komatsu commented as at about 8:30 am after breakfast, Toriko, on Komatsu's request, escorted him to Naruko's house.

Its a thatched roof farmhouse with clay walls. Made of thatching, wood, rope and clay. And it has a Breakfast Garden that was hardly ever used, considering there's so much food present!

'Yeah, but its also convenient for seasons. Cool in summer, and warm in winter.' said Toriko. 'The problem was renovations since some parts DO rot over time...and she's hardly home...though I'm not one to talk.' Komatsu laughed sheepishly at that.

'Welcome.' said Naruko, dressed in casual clothes and now has shorter hair in a hime cut and shoulder length. 'Come in. I'm having breakfast right now.'

'Ooh that sounds great! What have you got?' Toriko asked excitedly. But they also hear a faint, beautiful singing voice for some reason...

'Choir Rice Bowl, Miso Seafood Soup, Silk Crimson Carpet for vegetables and Tamagoyaki out of Garlic Bird Eggs.'

'Ohhh, aren't those luxury goods!' Toriko drooled excitedly. 'No wonder I hear singing!'

'Choir Rice, an ingredient that sings in bass, but during harvest sings in tenor...but when cooked, they go soprano and alto!' Komatsu squeaked out in amazement. 'But if cooked wrong, they scream like banshees!'

'Yup. Its a nice morning to wake up to but I had to soundproof my kitchen or I'll have a sleepless night.' Naruko deadpanned. 'But I keep a bowl of cooked rice to help sleep at night.'

Well, she HAS issues...

'We'll begin as soon as possible.' said Naruko. 'We're conveniently near the sea, we'll do it there.'

'Er, what about the river?'

'I will teach you the technique by the river, but you'll swim mostly in the sea. Good thing we have Terry for fast trips.'

Technique in question was floating on the back, but with wide, graceful arcs made by arms, Komatsu can swim swiftly and fast at the expense of getting half-tanned.

'This technique is also great as it doesn't use up much stamina unlike forward strokes or the butterfly that gives quite the effort thus you expend energy and get tired faster.' said Naruko to the boys after having a clone demonstrate. 'Its your sole edge if you ever fall on water and Toriko ends up being too far for help.'

'OK...'

'Now get swimming. Once you master the technique, you'll train by the sea.'

When Komatsu got swimming...

'Its amazing though.' said Toriko. 'For him to be picked for that...even scarier, you got wind of hush-hush topics.'

'I'm a ninja. Infiltration, Espionage and Stealth are my bread and butter. But the events are a surprise, under lock and key in computers I have no computer skills at all.' Naruko huffed. 'All I know is that we need to swim. Its both our first time in that so I'm kinda nervous too...' she shuddered. 'Well? Have you achieved 0.5 and less?'

'Well, I just got to 0.5 as you asked...'

'Good, make that two seconds less.'

'Geh...' Toriko balked but knew he had to do it. That guy is faster!

'That, and eat a damn lot and do Food Immersion. Contact Coco and Sani for that instruction since I don't have their numbers, if they even own a phone...your task is to expand your Shokuyoki Storage Capacity by filling yourself to the bulk, endure, and fill up more. I'll be the chef for that task if need be since Komatsu can't always skip out on work.'

'Sou da na...I'd hate it if he got fired cuz' I take him out too much...' Toriko mused, scratching his head. "Oh, and she doesn't know about Zebra yet does she...?" considering she's hardly in civilization, she knows very few people.

Little did the Combo Pair know something's in store and Naruko is simply doing what's needed.

xxx

Mors Mountain, weeks later...

Cue explosions of water and massive splashes.

'Haa...haa...phew! I made it to my standards...damn I'm tired.' Naruko sighed as she managed to conquer the waters of Death Falls, the deadliest water in the world.

She survived its whirlpools, heavy weight plus debris and pressure. 'With this, I know now how far I evolved.' she flared her Appetite Demon to be that of a longhaired onryo-looking yuki-onna...albeit flat-chested. It has black hair with bluish-white skin and a tattered burial kimono. It has purely-white eyes with blue facial markings and if it had a mouth, she had no idea.

When it comes out, air tends to go icy-chilly that she was very much at home with cold. The air emitted depends on how strong she is.

And now, she's strong enough to freeze the waterfalls just by letting it out. 'Oh crikey, really now?!' she gawked. 'Wow!'

But still, this is not enough. She wants to go to Gourmet World this ain't good enough. This only means she's the strongest human in her generation here!

She once met the President when she got the Bubble Fruit, having heard of her from Mansam.

She was asked about her relationship with the boys(which was on professional basis and on her personal interest because of Komatsu) so she was asked not to interfere when something big comes and they have to do it on their own, and she was given tasks for their sakes.

She will then amass a lot of high-quality ingredients and get cooking.

The venue will be...Zen-Ou Restaurant.

And so...first day of the week...

'I thought you're cooking with Chef Yuda?' Sani asked as Naruko...was eating with them and drinking high-quality juices and liquor with them.

'I left him a ton of assistants.' said Naruko. 'I can clone myself you know.' she said as around them were also her clones who'd take away emptied plates and bowls to make room for more food they bring back.

'Aa, I can hear twenty of her in there.' Zebra agreed, glancing at the restaurant interior.

'So you gonna be fighting the Four Beasts with us?' Toriko asked him with a grin.

'Nope. My job is different.' said Naruko. 'But I need a crap-ton of calories for the job too. Have you guys done my homework?'

'We did...it was demanding but we managed.' said Coco with a strained smile. "That training was inhumane I could hardly move afterward..."

'Have you any idea how much I spent on LIFE to get my hair back to normal?!' Sani complained indignantly. 'My poor hair! It went all dry with split-ends!'

'Beauty is only temporary Sani, we grow old and die eventually assuming we're not eaten first.' Naruko smiled rather darkly. 'Life is more beautiful than cosmetics.'

'Hey?!'

'She's right.' said Coco. 'At least we got stronger.'

'Aa, that damn homework old man gave me when I completed my release stipulations...' Zebra twitched. To think it came from a woman who's actually stronger than them?!

'It was nasty.' Toriko shuddered. 'But I did it too.'

'That's good to hear. This way you're ready for the Four Beasts and the Bishokukai afterwards will be easier to handle.' said Naruko. 'They may have eaten many ingredients be it legal or illegal, but they rely too much on toys, evolution and abilities granted by Gourmet Cells. The only real fighter, is that guy we met.'

'Him huh?'

'Aa. I lost count on how many times they tried to kidnap me when I trained in Death Falls. All his buddies are toast, he lasted a good five minutes till I crushed his GT Robo.' said Naruko. 'I told him to come personally, he just wouldn't so I easily beat him. Our evolved bodies are stronger than those toys.'

'Which means he's stronger if he comes in person.' Toriko swore. 'Good thing I did my homework!' then he noticed Zebra eating up all the Gyoza. 'HEY! Leave some for me Zebra! Don't hog it to yourself!' he cried indignantly.

'By the way is it safe to eat your pill after this?' Sani asked her. 'I could use the vitamins for my skin recovery.'

'Its safe. It will not affect our Kilocalorie stores, but we'll be super hungry afterward.' Naruko reminded him.

'And we're eating for six days now nonstop.' said Coco. 'It should be safe since it'll come tomorrow if the President's calculations are right...'

'Ahn? Whassat?' Zebra frowned as Naruko took out bright-yellow pills big enough for a mouthful.

'It forces your body to consume the nutrition we built up and stored in through Food Immersion to heal quicker and rebuild to come out stronger.' Coco explained. 'The things we ate are good for our insides and that means our vitality gets stronger. We can survive nasty to fatal hits.'

'Well, we'll be super-hungry afterward though!' Toriko grinned as they popped the pill...and a comforting warmth spread through their bodies and its effects showed just by their outward appearance alone that Zebra who had dark skin, got two shades paler.

'Uhyooo! Here it isss!' Sani squealed in delight as he saw his skin become baby-soft and smooth.

'Jeez, is your skin and hair all your concern?' Coco sighed when they then felt their stomachs rumble!

'Geh?! Here comes the side effects!' Zebra griped as their stomachs growled. 'I never thought I'd hear my stomach grumble so loudly!'

'Oh my oh my...I heard about that pill but to see its effects before my eyes...I can understand why its an IGO Restricted Item that Naruko is forbidden to teach anybody else how to make it.' Chef Yuda came out with a stack of trays on his hands and head, while Naruko's clone assistants did the same.

'The IGO has the recipe though.' said Naruko. 'So if I die people can still use it under strict monitoring...'

'Mm-hm. I'd like to try it out at least once after I ate my fill.' said Yuda with a nod as the waitresses quickly cleared the tables.

'Here you go. But stuff yourself silly of nutritious food before eating it.' said Naruko. 'If this thing is used twice in a year, its fatal.'

'Oh my, I'll keep it tucked away until then...how long till this goes bad?'

'Three months.'

'I see I see...I'll have to prepare myself then...' and Yuda left to cook some more with the clones.

Final day...

After a week of nothing but eat and sleep...Naruko began assisting Yuda herself.

'Oho, now its you personally Naruko.' said Yuda. 'But...what is your job exactly?' he asked as Naruko joined the kitchens and took to cooking her dishes. As a Chef, she specialized in both Kaiseki, Shojin and Honzen Ryori to remember her old world by. And as her schtick is Seafood, she makes it in such a way combined with the best veggies in the world.

'Can't say, President ordered me to keep quiet.' said Naruko. 'But I have to have my energy bursting full incase there's gonna be a casualty. But until the very end...I'm not allowed to butt in. I never thought that our generation would be in this mess, huh? I faced many monsters in the Human World but a monster from that dangerous exotic food place...that's like being served a foul-tasting Joke Soup as a prank after given steak.'

'Indeed so...I guess we're very unlucky to be born at such a timing.' said Yuda, shaking his head somberly. 'But fate is fate. We can only progress...or stop. Saa, let's cook without a 1mm of error shall we?'

'Yeah. We can't screw up in 1mm or we're done for.'

'Mm-hmm.'

'Oh yeah, Komatsu said he'll be back with cooked Bubble Fruits! Let's eat some when he gets here!'

'Oho? Isn't that a very difficult ingredient to obtain?'

'Yes but if its him, he can harvest a ton of it with no need to be a Bishokuya for it.' Naruko smiled. 'He loves and appreciates food they'll gladly show up for him en masse. And he can easily cook it.'

'Oh, such big confidence.'

'Well, if one loves food, food loves you back...otherwise we won't be in the Top 100 if food doesn't like us.' said Naruko. 'Komatsu who already loves food awakened his potential ever since he began traveling with Toriko that he recreated the Century Soup...he'll climb up ranks if he keeps this up.' she said. 'Chefs who only care for money and fame never even step foot in the Top 100, much less be noticed by G7.'

'That's how you feel eh? You love food too?'

'Yeah...that I never waste a scrap.' said Naruko. 'Its also convenient that my powers are water and ice-oriented I can even pick up the sauce without having to be crude about it...I grew up in a life where food was cruelly denied to me as a child that even leftovers thrown in garbage I used to eat. Well, its still clean so I never got sick.' she said as she recalled her nasty childhood. 'And now that I can eat all I want, I remember those nasty days...well, the best revenge in the end is living well and way better than your tormentors. I'm now wealthy and can eat all I want, and now a powerful person more important than a politician.' Naruko chuckled. 'I'm not gonna stoop low as payback or I'd be no better than them, a lowlife.'

'That's true...as for me, I highly value life...that my focus is Medicinal Cooking.' said Yuda. 'I have had many regrets because of even a sliver of error that I became the man I am today. Mistakes so small as 1mm in cooking can cost you a life.' he shook his head. 'Its the same as killing. Murder.' he said somberly. 'I honed my skills to be never able to make mistakes and take a life by mistake, just because of 1mm of an error...my broken heart enabled me to hear food. I knew then I had to become a real chef.'

'I see...we sure came from crappy backgrounds.'

'Well, its them that gave us power. It became our drive and look at us now.' Yuda smiled. 'Well, our duty is to keep cooking. The day we retire is when we can no longer cut with a knife.'

xxx

Komatsu is soon back with Bubble Fruits.

He managed to cook it to perfection as she had done, being golden, sparkly and deflated. And he sure brought a lot of it over...

'Ooooh! Last time I had to eat it raw because of a fight, what more if its cooked?!' Toriko drooled excitedly.

'Its beautiful!' Sani exclaimed happily.

'I never thought I'd get to eat one...' Coco stated in anticipation.

'Heee...not bad, kid.' Zebra crowed, impressed.

'Heh, its the second strongest ingredient in the world.' Yuda chuckled. 'The most troublesome is Naruko's discovery.'

'Yeah, to think we ate it first.' said Toriko. 'Jotei Konayuki.'

'My final homework to you guys is harvesting it without screwing up.' Naruko grinned sadistically. 'Komatsu can't come with you guys since that place is damn hostile, everything out to get you.' Naruko explained with a smile. 'The Capture Method is already in the database, so have fun with that after this Four Beast thing! Proof that you passed my homework is bring home a few berries with you. No need to harvest since its a highly-restricted item.'

'SLAVEDRIVER!' three out of four yelled.

'Sounds fun.' Zebra grinned. 'I'll have fun alright...gehehehe...' he cackled in anticipation. 'I get to face cocky guys, I ain't complaining.'

'I-its in a hostile environment of creatures over 70-80...Naruko-san you're a scary trainer...' Komatsu chuckled sheepishly.

'If I'm not a strict teacher, my students will suck. A teacher who teaches fighting should be strict and hard on students you know. That's what my teacher taught me.'

'Heee...'

'He's harder on me cuz' I'm a girl.' Naruko sighed. 'He gave me three times the work so I gave you guys times three of my menu.'

"And to think all that was because its so we can protect Komatsu better because he's with us more than he's with her." Coco sweatdropped.

But...he didn't mind.

Komatsu was the first ever person who was kind to him despite him being a poisonous man, and showed no sliver of fear towards him.

Well, he can see why she's going so far as to strengthen them to protect him better.

After their meal, they departed for their tasks.

'Well...we should head for the Food Park ourselves.' said Yuda. 'Shall we, Naruko?'

'Hai.'

They left by car.

'By the way...what's your job?'

'My job?'

Naruko wrote in ice...because of Zebra she had found a way to keep quiet.

'Oh my...'

xxx

What a job indeed.

The boys fought the four monsters of the Gourmet World...only to learn its ONE beast...

Things were so bad but she couldn't help them. She wasn't allowed to by the president and she who trained them agreed but this was hard to swallow as she watched with Yuda from the window, safe from the Green Rain.

'Naruko-san...what is your job?' Komatsu asked Naruko as he got back to the building where she and Yuda were, when the Green Rain began. 'You're a powerful fighter, more powerful than them. If you used your Rasenshuriken, its surely a goner.'

'My job is life.' said Naruko. 'I'm to heal them with the energy I stockpiled up. Because they're so banged up they're sure to drain me dry that's why I can't go out there...and after that I'd need a hospital on Life Support.' she told him. 'That's why I can't interfere until the end. The only time I can come is if they're defeated. To give them a Second Chance to do it again. Basically in a video game, I'm the Continue opposed to a Game Over.'

'Ah...but this is really hard to watch...'

'No kidding...this is hard. But its the President's homework for those boys. And Komatsu, the people it took are alive...if I used Rasenshuriken...' Komatsu choked in horror. 'You imagined what would happen, right?' Naruko told him grimly.

'Eep...wait...the people are alive, not digested?!'

'Yeah. They're all alive, but they sure as hell don't enjoy a shaky ride.' said Naruko, looking back outside. 'At least they're safe from lethal blows. Our boys are really going all out.' said Naruko. 'But don't tell the boys. They'll hold back when there's really no reason to. Everyone is safe no matter what they do so they can beat it without harming anybody.'

'I see...but that's rather strange.' said Yuda. 'Its a monster that eats humans but strangely everyone's alright? Not digested into a cruel death?' he asked, baffled but relieved.

'Yeah...while its a good thing, that's baffling.' Naruko frowned. 'What's its game? Or maybe because there's not enough humans its not started yet? Maybe its a good thing it hasn't harvested enough people...damn, what an irony...we who harvest ingredients, get harvested ourselves.' she griped, crossing her arms.

'But Chef, what can we do? We're all poisoned from the Green Rain.' said Komatsu anxiously. 'Can we cure it?'

'There's a way but its us against 50 billion people...as Naruko cannot make clones to save the boys with all her energy, she cannot give us a hand...between all three of us, the most we'd do is 200.000 each of us within a limited time.' said Yuda in a pained voice. 'The rest who cannot get one...'

'No way!' Komatsu cried in dismay.

'How about Reinforcements?' Naruko took out her phone. 'This is one time I'm glad I got Mansam's number...he'll chuck us the needed people right away!' she had Mansam on Speed Dial. 'Mansam, who are the available chefs in the city? We need to gather who's available to help mass produce Chef Yuda's Medicinal Mochi, pronto! We also need the cooperation of the Wholesalers! The more chefs, the more people we can save from the Green Rain! Yeah...yeah...you're a lifesaver! Have them meet us in the Grand Hall of Hotel Crystalware!'

'I hope everyone's here indeed.' said Yuda. 'The question is, who's present in the Food Park to help us...?'

'There's that...' Naruko sighed. 'Not even the IGO can work a miracle like that.'

'Aww...' Komatsu sulked.

Naruko forgot that they're within Zebra's range...aaaand he's not telling or these guys will let up.