The three were inside of Mappy's spunky little vehicle and headed toward Slow Rain Hills. Toriko started, "So Mappy, has anyone in the village ever eaten Air?" The frog shook his head, "Nooope. Only the village chief knows how to cook it, and he learned that from a particular network of contacts. ~But Air is our village's dreaaaam." Toriko continued, "I heard there is a proper order and route to assemble Acacia's full course. In other words, unless we eat Air, the next continent Area 7 will be hidden. Then we won't be able to acquire his soup Pair." Mappy nodded, "There are many places that you can't cross normally. I'm talking places where we have only heard rumors even. A place where you age 200,000 times normal speed. A mountain range where you cannot breathe air. There are things like that you probably need to clear before acquiring his full course."

"I guess the main reason is we need to level up our Gourmet Cells I suppose~" Eclair looked back at her partner as he began to tremble and sweat. Mappy quickly glanced back at the man, "Just as I'd expect. You sensed it." The blunette looked at his surroundings, "Now that I think of it, you said that we should prepare ourselves for this route. You don't mean the path we're taking is~" "That's right. Looks like all of them are heeeere." They were in Horse King Hills now. Eclair's eyes gazed at the majestic horses before her. It was beautiful, yet terrifying. Mappy casually spoke, "This is the nest of the Horse King Heracles. The reason we inhabitants of Gourmet World made our unique civilizations develop was because of them. Since ancient times we have been protected by the Eight Kings, and each time we gave them sacrifice." Toriko stared at the horses, "Why do we have to go through here?" The blond woman thought to herself, 'This is honestly the most frightening situation I have ever been in. I don't want to speak or do anything to catch their attention. ~Please shut up Mappy and Toriko! I don't want those things looking at us!'

Mappy replied, "We must get permission from the continent ruler. We can't just get the continents Food King without it. ~I will die here. It remains to be seen if my life will maaaake allowance." Mappy drove to the King and Eclair clenched his wrist. She spoke through her teeth as she was too frightened to speak normally, "What the hell are you doing Mappy? You've made it clear that you want this to be your funeral. Don't make it ours too." He'd not listen to her words. He was on a mission to do what he needed. As they stepped out of the car, the air seemed so much heavier. ~Not that the car was making a difference of course. The blue haired man inhaled a bit, "Mappy why is it so hard to breathe around here? The air is so thick. It's literally like clay." He finally took a good look at his surroundings and noticed all of the trees.

"Air Trees? They're like the ones from the underground forest. Now that I look, they're all around us." Mappy looked at the eclectic tree, "The Horse Kings want aiiir. Those big air trees must be preeetty good. ~Well, Toriko and Eclair, I'm going to go die now so I can become fertilizer for the Air Trees." Eclair shook her head fiercely, "What are you talking about Mappy? You don't have to die." He placed his hand on the tree, "I do. If the tree has something with a strong life force as their nutrients, they will be able to produce good quality air." The frog turned to the great king, "Heracles, would the sacrifice of my life be enough for us to capture Air? ~Please, if you could allow it with just my one life~" Toriko reached his hand out, "Mappy stop!"

It was Eclair's first time looking at them, the Air Trees. She'd never seen anything even remotely like it. As Toriko and Mappy spoke, their words began to drown out, and a melody sounded. She walked toward the tree and ignored everything around her. The melody was so beautiful that it allowed her to forget just for that moment where she was. She began to sing the words in a low tone as she took out her beloved Melk knife. She smiled, "Such a precious ingredient aren't you? But this is not your song. ~That doesn't mean that you don't have needs as well. All it'll take is one slice." Finally she was snapped out of her trance upon hearing the voice of Mappy. "Eclair what are you doiiiing!? Why would you take out a kitchen kniiiife!?" She looked over at her partner and he stared confusingly, "Eclair?" "It was such a beautiful melody." She said grinning from ear to ear. "The ingredient is singing to me so magnificently. ~It's not what you think though. This is not the ingredient singing that beautiful melody. The song I am hearing is coming from past here."

Toriko began to get more serious, "That is the direction of the Slow Rain Hills. That means in the direction of Food King Air awaits!" It seemed like the mention of Air set the Horse King off. Suddenly, the three felt their bodies being blown back by a strong gust of wind. Eclair grabbed a hold of Toriko's hand to prevent being blown away. Mappy screamed, "Noooo! We haven't even given a sacrifice yeeeet! You cannot lay a hand on Air! It is equivalent to the Horse King's life! The king will never allow it." The blunette looked at the horse, and his face said that he meant business. "If he won't let us through, we'll get through by force." Eclair released the man's hand. It was official, Toriko was crazy. He was brave and noble, but completely insane. "Mappy, take Eclair and head for Air. If Careru goes full throttle it shouldn't take that long." Mappy placed a hand on his chest, "But I'm supposed to~" "You idiot! If you sacrifice yourself we won't be able to eat together, right?"

Eclair shook her head stubbornly, "Toriko, you aren't thinking about doing something crazy are you? What are you planning?" He looked back at the woman, "Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna hold him off. ~Go to Air Eclair. You said it yourself, it's singing to you. Show this horse king your power. ~Stop looking worried. I'm sure that your cooking will protect me." She knew that his resolve was real and there was nothing she could do or say to change his mind. The woman ran over to her partner and wrapped her arms around him tightly, "You're one selfless man Toriko~" She'd lean in to give him a very quick but loving kiss. The woman smiled, "I trust you. You say you're gonna hold him off, but I won't eat Air without you. ~I believe in my partner." He nodded, "I believe in you too Eclair. Now go get Air!" She looked back and pointed, "Alright Careru! Time is of the essence, so let's put the pedal to the metal!" She hopped inside the car along with Mappy and the two were out of there.

All that stood in their way was an open road. She literally had to hold on with all of her strength to the side of the car so that she wouldn't fly out. Zipping past the horses, all she could do was pray they'd make it safely. Mappy looked at the girl worriedly, "What's that look on your face!? You're not scared for Toriiiiko?" She nodded, "Mappy~ I'm petrified. ~I guess the look on my face doesn't scream worried because I'm just a narrow minded person. I am one of those people who believes someone will survive simply because I want them to. It is my life, and things will go my way because of it. ~I want Toriko to live, therefor he can not and will not die."

It didn't take long for the two to reach the Slow Rain Hills, and when they did, they realized where the name 'slow rain' came from. "Alright Mappy, let's hurry!" As she stepped out of Careru she noticed her movements were different. The woman frowned, "It's hard to move. It feels like I'm swimming~ but unlike swimming, if I fall it'll be much harder to get back up." The frog walked beside her, "There is a lot of dense air here due to the effects of the fruit. It causes the feeling of resistance. That is why Careru slowed down as well." As she continued forward, she could feel someone behind her. "Zebra? You're here. Where's Mr. Brunch?" "He went to get a kitchen knife." She pursed her lips "Mm, the knife that is essential to cooking Air. The one that Melk made. ~Okay then, where are the others?" "I dunno, we got here pretty fast. What's going on with Toriko." The woman exhaled a bit forcefully, "He's fighting the horse king. ~Zebra we need to get to Air right now. I need to help Toriko or he might~ ya know~"

The man grabbed the woman and took her along with him, "It shouldn't take very long to get through this place. ~Jet Voice." He was correct, it didn't take very long to get there. It seemed like they were standing in front of the food king in the blink of an eye. The woman was released by Zebra and she advanced toward the tree. "This is Air." She closed her eyes and become one with the melody for but a moment. The woman turned and looked toward Zebra and Mappy, "It's not ripe yet. It's too early." Before she could explain, the rest of the group finally made it. She spoke to the group, "Guys, it's not ready to be cooked. If I go by the way Melk told me, that's all well and good but the flavor will only be at 70% at most. To bring out the full flavor the fruit must ripen and fall on its own. Preparing it the second it touches the ground is the best way."

Dinner began to question the girl, "Preparing it once it hits the ground? What's your basis for that." Zebra scoffed, "That's a dumb question." Brunch nodded, "She can hear the ingredient." The woman inhaled deeply, "Please trust me. If we do it this way the flavor will go from 70% to 100, no 120%." Nosh began to get a bit worried, "Well we aren't supposed to wait around for it to ripen are we?" Mappy shook his head, "No! Toriko, he won't hold out much longeeer!" Brunch held up the Melk knife, "Well, I've got this kitchen knife to prepare Air with its overwhelming sharpness. ~And I think the dense air here isn't just slowing down the rain, it slows down the ripening of the fruit as well." He sliced through the air and Eclair flapped her arms freely, "I'm able to move like normal because of that." Brunch began toward the tree, "I'll prepare the atmosphere around the tree. That should help speed things up." The blond nodded, "Good, good! We'll need nutrients too!" Zebra held out his hand, "If you need nutrients, I have Kompyang Stars that I picked up."

Eclair pointed to everyone in the group, "Alright everyone, round up what you've got so we can make fertilizer for the tree." Everything seemed to be coming together as everyone had a specific task. This would only be made possible through teamwork and effort. The woman held up her knife, "Let's get this baby to 120%!" She smiled at the teary eyed Mappy, "Hey, you can help too. Let's do this to help Toriko."

She was on top of the fruit itself getting ready to prepare it. This had to be treated delicately. As nervous as she was, it was nothing that the melody of the the ingredient couldn't take care of. She started to sing the words, and in she cut. As soon as one slice went through, air started to immediately leak out. "Voice Cork!" The woman nodded, "Thank you Zebra." She stopped for a moment to soak in the song. "I know what needs to be done. I cannot let the fruit explode. We'll lose the flavor that way. If I can get just one outlet, the air should release in one spot and leave the good flavor." She looked into the eyes of the multicolored king, "Sunny, I need you to secure the fruit with your Hair Lock please. I need to ensure that this fruit comes down perfectly." "Got it." She turned her focus, "~Coco, I need you to use your poison to put a bit of stress on the tree. Thanks to dinner and Mr. Brunch, it is ripening too smoothly." "Okay, I can do that." Finally she turned to the man beside her, "~And Zebra~" The man looked around at the fruit, "I'll plug the holes made by air leaking out." She smiled, "That's what I like to hear boys! 120%!

The biggest job was left up to her, preparing Air. It was so delicate, her mind couldn't sway for even a tenth of a second. She was prepared though. This is what she trained for. Her hands were steady, and her cuts were precise. She could hear the stress of everyone, but she couldn't let it take her attention off of the fruit. Her only worry was about the timing of the fruit falling. If they weren't talking about that, then she knew it was a problem that could be solved. "It's falling! The air fruit is falling!" The woman's eyes amplified, "Wait! No! Not yet! Please, I need one more minute!" "Hurry Muffin!" The woman cut as fast as she could while still maintaining accuracy. "I-I just~" 'Is it no good?'

In that moment if she tried to explain what happened, she couldn't. There was no recollection of her finishing the fruit. All she could feel was a surge of energy flow through her veins like nothing she'd ever felt. There was that, and then darkness. By the skin of her teeth she finished the preparation. Zebra was able go grab her away in time and save her from certain death. She couldn't even bear to look at the magnificent work she just accomplished. She was too tired, even still, all she could think about was Toriko and his safety.

"Wake up girl." Zebra still held her in his arm, "You're right in the spotlight." Her watery eyes were a bit blurry as she opened them. She could see the spotlight Zebra was talking about, and it was so astonishing. There was nothing like it, really. Coco smiled at the girl, "You did really great Eclair. She pulled herself from the large Bishokuya's grasp and stumbled to her feet, "Er~ I need to save Toriko. We need to let him know, and the horse king too." Mappy smiled warmly at the woman, "I'm sure they already know. ~This moment is something no one on this continent or even in the world looked forward to more than the horse king."

Flowers began to immediately blossom upon the sunshine. It was so breathtaking. Saying that this was once in a lifetime was an understatement. This once in many generations of lifetimes. The tired woman knelt in the flowers and absorbed all of its beauty. Her eyes traced the field as far as they could see. Off in the distance, she saw something that gave her a quick jolt of energy. "Toriko!" She yelled as she stumbled to her feet. "Kiss, Quinn, Terry! We did it!" The blue haired man nodded, "I know~ Thank you Eclair."

She ran to the man with all of her strength and jumped in his arms. "I knew you'd live. I'm too selfish to let you die." Coco walked over to the man, "You did very well Toriko. You're the true MVP." He shook his head, "I just bought you guys some time." Sunny sighed in relief, "I can't believe you lived through that. Good job! Your luck is really something." Eclair looked up at the sky as she spoke to her partner, "So what happened? Where is the horse king?" "It inhaled the air and gave birth. Now it's having a satisfied rest. I tried to invite it here, but it didn't come." His attention turned from the sky to the overwhelming presence on the ground, "So this is Acacia's Salad Air?"

The woman joined him in gazing at its beauty, "Yup, this is it. It would have been nice if the horse king ate some of this continents food king too." Toriko couldn't take his eyes off the fruit as he spoke to her. "You know, I've already decided something Eclair~" Before he could get his words out, the group was greeted by an overzealous village. The people of the Bewitching Food World were so excited and appreciative of the fruit in all its glory. Toriko smiled, "Alright, now that everyone's here, let's eat this thing."

Everyone put their hands together, "I give thanks to all of the ingredients in this world! Now let's eat!" There was more than enough Air to go around, and seconds would be a must. Eclair gave the salad to everyone and finally sat down to eat a plate of her own. She held up the thick phantasmal food and took a huge bite of Air. She inhaled once again and let out a beautiful melody. "I feel like I can sing the same note for hours without needing a to take a breath. I love Air!"

Toriko yelled out, "It's decided!" She looked at the man, "Huh?" "Eclair, the ingredient we ate to celebrate you and me forming a combo was~" She interrupted the man, "The vegetable king, Ozone Herb! I'll never forget!" He nodded in agreement, "Yes, and I didn't go with that ingredient. ~But this taste, scent, and texture were great of course. It had an unbelievable effect on my body. It's our commemorative first target after entering Gourmet World, and it's a foothold for the revival of Human World, so I have no complaints. I decided from the beginning really." "Toriko, I already know what you are going to say. I think I knew the whole time to be honest."

Toriko stood and raised his voice so the whole village could hear. "Listen up everyone! This salad of Acacia's which we all worked together to capture~ I want to make this food king my salad on my full course!"

Everyone rejoiced, and the celebration continued. It was such a wondrous time to be alive. This was a party for the ages. It not only was the salad on Toriko's full course menu, it also increased the power of the four kings. You could literally see the appetite demons jumping right out of them. Actually, make that only three of the four kings. Daruma looked at the man's unchanged arm, "Even in our village, there's only a few humans that have Gourmet Cell Demons lurking in their bodies. As for the rest, there were people that only managed to endure and not get killed by the cells. The people you see here are their descendants."

Toriko listened intently to the man, "Daruma Hermit, what happened in this village?" The old man prepared himself to teach a history lesson. "Well, a long time ago, our ancestors were originally ordinary humans. It's said that they were kidnapped by the Four Beast and made into slaves of the Nitro. The Nitro already discovered the ingredients that would later become known as Acacia's full course it seems. The kidnapping happened before that full course fully matured. The Four Beast was a creature that was created by Nitro thousands of years ago in order to capture a large number of humans at once. ~They injected Gourmet Cells into every last human they captured. The reason behind this could be that they wanted humans to become fertilizer that was strong for the full course. ~Or it could have been to make them tastier. They took little by little and the downside was, if they didn't integrate, the person became a monster or in worse cases, they died. It was only thanks to the Eight Kings that our ancestors escaped. The Blue Nitro are not so careless as to lay their hands on one of them. ~As chief and representative of those ancestors, I must say that we have never tasted such delicious food! You 5 from Human World are unmistakably our saviors! We must express our thanks!"

Eclair stood up before the village could thank the five, "Wait! Before you thank us, I'd like to say a few things. ~I usually say these things to myself, but I think the village might want to hear it." She cleared her throat and looked at Air. "Thank you Air, and people of the Bewitching Food World. You villagers have taught me generosity that is incompatible to anything that I've experienced from strangers. But really, I shouldn't be calling you strangers. You are all friends of mine. ~And to Air, you have saved the life of my partner and best friend. Your greatness has been passed from one legendary full course, to the next. With the help of everyone we are able to capture and share you with the world. To celebrate Air is to celebrate life." The woman turned back and smiled, "For that, I give humble~ What the hell!?"

She couldn't even decipher what happened just now. Everyone just collapsed before her. It happened so quickly, that by the time she felt a cold hand on her shoulder, it was too late. A man spoke behind her, "For a little while, you should quietly go to sleep~" The woman had no time to react. Before she could even think about doing anything, she was looking at her still beating heart in the hand of Teppei. Her eyes trailed to Toriko, and her final words were spoken. "I'm so sorry~" This wasn't like losing her life when she was warding off the Devil Serpent. Her heart didn't stop, it was gone completely, and so was her grip on reality~