The bluenette discovered a new found ability and was unleashing it upon the water. Éclair wrapped her arms around as tight as she could. She held her elbows in each hand as her body blew back from the powerful attack. Both she and Sunny were impressed by this massive technique. The water made a pathway that it wasn't expecting to make. Parted down the middle, there was a clear shot to the cave. Éclair smiled, "Toriko that was great. You're so powerful." She ruffled the man's hair, "Catch your breath, I know that took a lot out of you." The girl pointed, "Now's our chance Sunny, onward!" The man rode into the clear space and advanced toward the cave. The girl loosened her grip around him as this was the most comfortable she'd felt during this adventure. Just as she was going to sigh in relief, Sunny stopped the raft and looked back. "Sunny?" The man frowned, "What is it Quinn?" Toriko looked at the man, "Is she telling you something?" The man shook his head, "She's sending pheromones, warning me there is danger." Large boulder's began to fall over the three, "Toriko, Muffin, we need to hurry up!"
Éclair's shaky hand pointed upward, "You said Quinn was warning you right? Well she isn't wrong!" An enormous mountain of a boulder was coming down on the three. They were too far back to make a sprint for the cave, they'd never make it. There only choice was to fight it. Toriko kicked a leg knife at the rock and made a scratch in the mountain, but it was far from breaking apart. He looked at Sunny, "Can't you use your Super Spatula?" The man shook his head, "No. My hair together can lift hundreds of millions~ The spatula turns the power of my opponent against itself, but that thing weighs trillions! It'll never work." Éclair grit her teeth, "What do we do?" The bluenette smiled, "Éclair." "Huh?" "You didn't say it. You didn't say we're going to die. Your faith in me has increased certainly." She nodded, "Of course. I have full faith in you, and Sunny as well." The man smiled, "Alright, we'll find a way. " He turned toward Sunny, "You said you can reflect your opponent's power against itself, but what if you reflect my power upward? My Twin Spiked Punch, can you direct it toward the rock?" "I don't know, it's never been attempted." The girl pointed up, "Well what choice do we have? The time to come up with a game plan is over. It's either act, or die, and we're all too young for that."
The man agreed, "Okay Toriko, let's try it." Toriko powered up, "36 Fold Spiked Punch!" He sent the attack into the man, and Sunny took it all in. Each fold of the attack was sent up into the mountain, and all they could do was pray that it worked. Pieces of the mountain started crumbling down until it was just tiny pieces of rock and boulders. The girl screamed, "Alright guys! You saved our asses!" The boulders started to come down in greater numbers, and the window to getting inside the cave was closing. Sunny looked at the man, "Come on Toriko! We have to go, now!" The man grunted, "I'm so drained." He grabbed the pair, and ran with them toward the cave. It was a tedious job. He had to hold on to the pair, run to the cave while balancing on the water, and dodging all of the rocks. "I've been gassed out for a long time now." He barely made it into the cave, and the three crash landed onto the cave floor. Éclair pulled her goggles back, "Sunny! Thank you so much." She dusted herself off and collected herself. She took her hair out of the bulletproof suit and shook out the wetness. Her eyes then focused on the men and they were exhausted. A look of determination claimed her face and she began to enter the cave. Toriko looked at the girl, "Éclair?" She turned back and smiled, that smile spoke 1000 words, and he already knew. "I was just going to ask if you had anything to eat." She nodded, "Of course I do. Shining Gourami my friend." She blew a kiss to the men, "Sit tight, I'll have your bellies filled in no time." She ran off and could hear Sunny trying to talk her out of it. No could do though, she was determined to get the Crystal Fish.
She stopped as the cave was getting colder and darker. "I can't see a thing." She took off her backpack and reached in, "Where is it? Aha!" She pulled out flashlight, "I'm surprised it didn't die from being drenched in the water. But how am I going to find my way back?" She shrugged, "I guess I'll just have to remember which way I walked." She continued on into the cave, and made so many twists and turns. At one point, she even made it back to an entrance to the cave. She sighed, "I should have left a trail of something. Damn my unpreparedness. It's a good thing I haven't seen any creatures yet either. If I run into any trouble, it's on me." She looked around, "Did I come this way? Wait maybe I should backtrack from here." As she stepped in a new direction, her foot slipped on some gravel and her body slammed to the ground. The flashlight in her hand smashed on the hard rock and her light source was shattered. Her body tossed and turned in total darkness. She hoped it would stop sometime soon. She slid slowly down the rest of the way until her body finally stopped. During her fall her eyes were shut tight, and as she opened them, she expected nothing but pitch black. She looked at her hand and saw a small gleam of gold reflecting from her suit. The girl turned around and followed the light downward. A pool, a golden pool is what filled her eyes. It was gorgeous. She gasped, "The Shining Gourami." She sat in front of the small pond and watched the fish swim around. "They are breathtaking."
She opened her backpack again and took out a midsized hand net. She unfolded the net and clicked it into place. Slowly and steadily she dipped the net into the pool. She gently pushed the net around one of the fish and pulled it to the surface. "But, that was so easy." She pulled it closer, "You're beautiful." She reached in to remove the fish, and just as her fingertips touched the fish, it was ruined. It went from a beautiful gold to a burnt black. Her eyes amplified, "Huh? I barely even touched it. How am I going to get this fish back to the boys? I refuse to keep ruining the fish. I need to find a way to get this the right way. Maybe if I catch it in the net again, but I am really careful?" She dipped the net back in and moved it with the movements of the fish, "Okay baby, be good to me." She reached her hand in even more gently than the first time, but she got the same result. She exhaled out, "I am so sorry Crystal Fish." She set the fish with the other and looked at her hands, "Wait a minute. I think I understand why they were dying. I was handling the fish with my right hand. Maybe all they need is a human touch." Once again she was back netting. She was quick to catch one this time. A smile crossed her face, "This is it." She reached in with her left hand, and still the same result occurred. "What?" Her nearly defeated face frowned "I was so sure that my hand was what bothered them."
She looked up and watched a golden droplet fall back into the pond. "Is this~ oil?" She reached her hand in and waved it around gently. "It is." She scooted up and sat in the golden oil. The fish started to gather around her right hand, but they were very on guard. She slowly reached her hand to touch the fish but it backed off. She frowned, "That's strange, I would think they'd gather around my good hand. Maybe my suspicions were correct. Only for you will I do this." She unzipped her suit and took out her right arm. "It's weird. I haven't seen it in a long time. It's become a part of me. I mean this is me." She reached for the glove and held a button on the side of the wrist. The spikes exited her hand and the girl cringed. She didn't want to react too much and scare off the fish. For the first time in months, she was able to see her actual hand. It was very bony and thin. It was also much lighter than her actual skin. It was a strange moment for her. It was the first time she was completely unable to move her hand. She set the glove next to her backpack and put her paralyzed hand into the water. The fish began to swarm around the weak hand and she smiled. "Was that it? You wanted to see me for my true self? Was my glove stronger than I thought? Maybe I touched them much harder than I realized. Toriko has mentioned on a couple of occasions that my hand has gotten stronger even when I didn't notice. Maybe not knowing my own strength played a factor into all of this. Her disabled hand sunk and her left hand reached to pet the fish. "You trust me now?" The fish glowed even brighter by her touch and her eyes amplified, "Eureka." She reached for her Gourmet Containers and scooped the fish in."Shining Gourami, I have lost my light. Please be my light in the dark."
The girl was almost back at the entrance again. "Toriko, Sunny! I've got the Shining Gourami!" The men ran over to her, and Toriko smiled, "I knew you could do it!" Sunny looked at the fish, "They're beautiful. I see why they have the alias of Crystal Fish." She huffed, "I can honestly say that the journey was not an easy one, let me tell ya." She walked to the edge of the cave, "Hey, how do we get out of here by the way? There doesn't seem to be an exit." The men stood on each side of her and looked at the immovable rocks. Before they could get too sad, a sweet sight filled their eyes. Sunny yelled, "Quinn!" The snake had slithered through the small cracks within the rocks. "Toriko, Muffin, come on. Hop in Quinn's mouth so she can lead us out of here." The 2 did as asked and Éclair was a little shaken up by it. It was pretty creepy to be inside the mouth of a Gourmet World beast, but if it meant leaving the Death Falls, she wouldn't second guess anything. Inside the mouth, the Shining Gourami glowed brightly. Éclair's face excitedly looked at the oil, "I can't wait to cook these up for you guys. Without you in my thoughts, I think it would have been much more difficult for me." She felt the snake twisting around until it stopped. She opened her mouth and the three stepped out.
They stood on top of a large rock that overlooked the Mors Mountains. Éclair set the containers down and Toriko sniffed the air. "Éclair, you removed your glove?" She nodded, "That's one hell of a nose you've got there Toriko." "I can smell the inside of the glove. It smells of strong titanium. I assume it's self cleaning because I don't smell the stench of rotting flesh." "Yes. That was one of the many reasons I didn't take it off." The man looked at the fish, "How did you knock them?" The girl frowned, "Knock what? The fish? I didn't do any knocking. Actually, the reason I took off my glove in the first place was because the fish wouldn't get close with it on my hand. It was like they could sense that it would be destructive toward them and they wouldn't come near until I removed it. Once I did that they were much more welcoming, and they allowed me to pet them. They seemed really comfortable in their own habitat though. Before thought, when they surfaced, I had no chance. They died instantly. I had to leave them in their comfortable habitat for them to trust me. Call it intuition, but I knew I had to take off my glove." Toriko touched the liquid, "Are they in oil? It must have lowered their stress." Sunny felt the liquid on his fingertips as well, "It's very silky. This must have given them much comfort." Éclair nodded, "You're right, both of you. It is oil. I am going to cook these things up for you boys now. I bet you're mighty hungry huh?"
She set up her travel sized stove and took the fish out of the container. "The Shining Gourami is very delicate. To avoid ruining it, I will~" The girl gasped. "What?" Toriko looked at the girl's petrified face. She smiled, "I just heard the most beautiful melody. I will make tempura for you guys." She put the fish into the deep frying pan and began to sing. It was her least used tone once again, falsetto. It seemed as she sang the food was becoming more golden with her voice. She took the fish out and set it on a plate. The men were entranced by her voice matching with the look of the fish. It was about as golden as her throat. She continued to cook the fish until there was enough for each of them. Sunny grinned, "Muffin that was gorgeous." The girl looked at the oil, "So is the oil. Look, it's still clean even though I just cooked with it. This oil is nothing to be wasted." Toriko pat the girl on the back, "That's a fine discovery you've found Éclair. I think it's only fair if we name it Mors Oil. We are in the Mors Mountains anyway." Sunny folded his arms, "What! So generic of you Toriko. ~Anyway, I won't accept any view less than perfect while eating this fish. Quinn, we need atmosphere!" The three jumped onto the snake, and Quinn stretched all the way up. As they lifted up, something wrapped in cloth began to fall out of the girls backpack. She reached for it and nearly fell off herself. They were literally one with the clouds at this point. Quinn had reached her limit.
Éclair looked around, "I guess this is truly what I think of when I think of atmosphere." Toriko raised up the plate of tempura, "Alright, let's eat this before it gets cold." They put their hands together, "I give thanks for the vast bounty this world provides. Now let's eat." The girl took a bite out of the hot fish and her eyes immediately lit up. It was an extremely succulent fish on the inside. The juice from the fish invaded her mouth and danced around on her taste buds. The crunchy outside was nothing to sneeze at either. It was very crispy and textural. The sound of the crunch was equivalent to that of an apple. She looked at the wrapped item in her lap. "This fish is really great, but there's something I think will help out the flavor a bit. I forgot I had this. I think it was fate that I didn't use it as light in the cave because it would have smashed all over the ground." She unwrapped the cloth "The Melk Stardust." The men drooled over the seasoning. Sunny gazed upon the beautiful Stardust, "I want to taste it. You guys never told me a thing! It's so exquisite." The bluenette looked at the Melk Stardust, "It's because the Stardust won't work on regular food. By that, I mean it would overpower it. A fish like the Shining Gourami should work perfectly." They each sprinkled a bit on the fish, and took another bite.
The men glowed brightly, and Éclair grabbed her throat, "Again?" Toriko looked at the girl, "What? What is it?" She set down the fish and stood up, "This hasn't happened since I ate the Jewel Meat." She cleared her throat and faced away from the men. She opened her mouth and a melody slipped out of her throat and into the open air. Her voice was even more beautiful than before. Sunny smiled at the girl as his hair glowed like the bright sky. "Muffin, it seems as if the food has taken a liking to you too." Toriko looked at the girl, "If we all didn't work together, we wouldn't have been able to get the Shining Gourami, and we wouldn't have improved our power." The girl looked back at the men, "Yes, and best of all, it was nice. Well actually, being around 1 king is nice, 2 kings are great, 3 kings is an adventure~ but I hope one day all 4 kings will work together and that is a day I look forward to." Sunny shook his head, "No way! I don't want to be around those men! Zebra is a belligerent thug, and Coco is a poison freak!" The girl shook her head, "You're wrong. Zebra isn't all that bad, he just needs some tender loving. Ya know, someone needs to stroke his ego from time to time. Plus he has a point, cocky people can be annoying." She giggled, "And how could you ever say that about the lady killer. He's sweet, and very powerful. ~I still maintain hope though. Maybe if the kings won't reunite in the Human World, they'll come together in the next."
She turned back toward the mountain range and bowed her head, 'Thank you Mors Mountain, Death Falls, and Shining Gourami. You have all taught me about my own strength. I need to get much stronger if I want to enter the Gourmet World with Toriko someday. You have taught me that my adventure in the Human World is far from over. ~ Most of all, you have taught me that we can only succeed in life if we share the amount of work for a given task. Sharing is what makes everything come together and make a meal even sweeter. I appreciate the lessons you have taught me and the bonds you have made stronger. ~For that, I give humble thanks.' Toriko laughed at the girl, "Hey! Stop doing an inner monologue and let's finish up the rest of these fish!" The girl smiled embarrassingly, "You know me all too well now don't you Toriko? Okay guys, let's eat up to our heart's content."
Hey guys, thanks to all of those who have voted so far! For those who haven't, don't forget to vote while the poll is still open on my profile! Tell me who you believe Éclair is the most compatible with and your choice just might happen!