Chapter 25: Quiet Days, rare, but precious.
Undisclosed Location -
A dimly lit laboratory was being illuminated only by several computer screens, the majority of which showing a live-feed of some complex scientific experiment, so that Garaki could check every minute change in his current test subjects, but the main and biggest screens kept rolling through pictures and videos from either news and their own spies, all of them centered around a mountain lacking a bit over half its main body, with the missing area being marked by a cut mark so neat and clean no machine or Quirk could hope to replicate on something so massive.
"I believe this should push this so-called Quirkless Chef far higher on our Threat Scale, Sensei." Garaki said, humming.
"… Do we have the camera feed from Dabi?" All for One asked.
"Here it is." The man's Doctor replied, switching images on the main monitor.
"Go meet your friends, filth. Samsara Cut." In the screen Izuku was shown glare straight at the camera before cutting away the mountain and sending the slice flying.
"Again." AfO ordered, with the muscles of his destroyed face faintly flexing out of his reflexive need of narrowing his eyes, even if he no longer possessed a pair and could only see the images thanks to a combination of stolen Quirks he had inside himself.
"Samsara cut."
"Again."
"…."
"Again."
"Again."
"Again."
Again and again, the video of the mountain being cut and Muscular's defeat played on the screens at the man's orders.
"Sensei?"
"… Are we sure it is actually a Quirk?" The Villain finally said after several repeats of the video.
"If it is not a Quirk then it would be just raw physical strength, but that would go far beyond a Quirkless Human strength threshold. In case of Hysteric strength it has been observed how a woman could lift a car to save her baby, back before Quirks were even a thing, but she still struggled to do it. Ever since then, we always tried to understand what were the actual limits of a human's muscles and bones, thus their strength, but then Quirks appeared and that theory went thrown away since Humanity changed enough to invalidate those data, scientists then stopped caring altogether, regrettably."
"But he cut a mountain."
"Cut it and sent the piece flying for several hundred meters. But something did appear behind him, that Avatar thing could be the proof of a Quirk being present. I suspect a strength-increasing one, even if I am still trying to connect the projection appearing to the power itself." Garaki answered.
"It is not One for All, that fool All Might gave it to that blond bad copy of him in UA… Then why I feel like that is not a Quirk? Why I do not feel the same pull towards those powers like I do with every other Quirk I see even just on camera? Why my All for One does not react to that?" The Villain muttered, far too intrigued.
"Again, I would need the boy to be on one of my tables to answer those questions, Sensei. Even if it is not a Quirk, with a body like his I may be able to create a couple interesting Nomu, and if it IS a Quirk, we could just extract it, like any other."
"I am still furious that boy helped those Heroes stop our attempt at taking Ragdoll here, along helping our little Infiltrator Project leave our ranks before we could finish molding her… No news from our spies in UA?"
"The kids in both 1A and 1H have gone silent while I can't reach the two spies we have in class 2B and the two in UA's General Studies, but at least young Aoyama confirmed that somebody leaked the presence of spies in UA, so he alerted us that he and the others may need to lay low for a bit… I guess the others just decided to do that without even having the decency of alerting us." Garaki answered, scoffing.
"Their fears are not my concern, they know they have no choice on the matter so tell them to keep communications ongoing, they should know the risks of disobeying me." All for One answered, growling.
"Of course, Sensei. I'll tell Kurogiri to relay your message."
"Good. What about Shigaraki?"
"Dabi and Kurogiri are seriously concerned now, the kid is a step away at coming undone, Kurogiri has to keep him under constant medications to keep his nerves in check. I have theoretically perfected my 'Perfection Treatment', but until Shigaraki won't recover both physically and mentally, I won't even be able to start the preparatory phase. The damages that dog made to his body have left far too many issues behind even after healing him, if this keeps up we will need to find a new candidate and start anew."
"…" Only a low, bestial growl came in answer from the Villain.
Garaki was smart enough to not talk further, he just returned to work in silence on his experiments, and waiting obediently for his Master to regain enough self-control to once again talk and plan together, instead of giving-in to anger and personally march towards Green Cloud Restaurant to deal with their new thorn to the side once and for all.
"… Call Nagant."
"Of course, Sensei."
All Might had not yet forced All for One out of hiding after his "Death", and the Villain refused to let a Chef have the satisfaction of achieving that, even if the man knew it could take him next to nothing to remove that young pest from their path, it was just a matter of principle and the Villain's own pride.
"You fool."
Meanwhile - Yavin Street - Green Cloud Restaurant -
"Lunch RushHour", not be confused with the Pro Hero's name, was the moment many Restaurants of the Gourmet Street of Musutafu dreaded, as the crowd of customers always felt more like a swarm of starving locusts than just humans, only few Veterans or Enthusiasts of cooking actually looked at the waves of customers clamoring to enter with fondness and excitement, and luckily Izuku was part of both those groups waiting with great Hype the arrival of those many Foodies in front of his door.
Even if the young Chef was till salty at being unable to use the overly-ornate Star-Eating Turtle Wok to cook something since he apparently lacked "Half" of the flames necessary to create the right fire to actually use the wok for cooking, especially since Izuku found using that amazing cooking utensil as a weapon/shield a pity, no matter its being indestructible and perfect to whack Troublemakers with, the thing was born to cook amazing dishes!
"Mister Plastic, here is your lasagna." Izuku said, carrying a long tray with one hand and delivering the dishes on it with the other.
"Wonderful! Thank you!"
"As for Slide-And-Go, here's your curry rice." The young man then said.
"Yesss!"
"Thank you for choosing Green Cloud Restaurant, have a nice Lunch and call me if you need anything."
"Sure, Boss Izuku!" Both Heroes answered as one, then attacking their food with a wide smile.
"Helllooooo! I am here for a Table for 3 like a normal customer!" Toshinori, fully in his All Might persona costume and all, and accompanied by Nighteye and Centipeder, asked.
"Down there by the trees, All Might. And welcome back." The young Chef answered, finally regaling the man with an honest smile.
"Thank you!"
"See? You are finally mending the bridge," Nighteye said, patting the man's back.
"Indeed! Hahahaha!" Toshinori answered, laughing happily.
"… I would have preferred you being unwelcome still instead, it was nice to have a place free of your presence." Enji Todoroki answered with a grunt, as he was forced to watch the man take a seat at the table right next to his.
"Don't be a grumpy, Endeavor! Don't ruin the mood!" Toshinori answered, smirking.
"Tch!"
"Your Jewel Tartar, Enji-san!" Izuku said, luckily defusing the argument with his delivery of the Fire Hero's dish, a tartar of Jewel Meat, and the young Chef was grateful the System could remove the Ingredient's infamous 'blinding gold hue' that while would have given an extra edge to the dish' look, it would have also raised far too many questions.
"Uuuh! Is that the special meat I heard about? I think I will try that!" Centipede asked with shining eyes.
"Yes, it is that and it's good, if you can afford it, that is." Enji answered with a savage smirk.
"Of course I can afford-" The Pro Hero was about to answer, THEN he saw the actual price of the dish on the small chalkboard by the entrance.
"HOLY CRAP!" and shrieked with bulged-out eyes.
"Bwahahaha! Don't worry! As I said, I am offering today, so just order it, it's okay!" Toshinori answered.
"Thank you, sir!" Centipeder answered, looking ready to burst to tears.
"I will go for a plate of Grimm Carpaccio and a Grimm Kofta Kebab Burger instead...Whatever that is." Nighteye said.
"Just a fancy nickname for a rare breed of bull one of my providers created by cross-breeding," Izuku answered, chuckling.
"Intriguing. I will go with that then," the man answered, nodding.
Dling! Dling!
The next to enter the Restaurant caused the Heroes present to grow silent and follow the newcomer's every move with narrowed eyes and tensed muscles.
"...H-Hi! I… I arrived, Boss!" Himiko said with a very forced smile and her body language screaming how she wanted to be anywhere except there with all those Heroes, many of which she had stabbed with needles at least once to borrow some blood for the League of Villains.
"Himiko! Good morning!" And Izuku was the only one to welcome her with a genuine, blinding smile, something that seemed to put the girl at ease a tiny bit.
"Relax, people. As per the Article 35 of the Statute for the Rehabilitation of Villains, she is now in probation to become a proper member of Society and will spend here the hours of Community Service given her by the court. She is trying to Switch side, guys, give her a last chance instead of making her relapse immediately." Detective Tsukauchi explained with an extremely tired grumbling tone of voice.
"…" Nobody talked, but at least the Heroes seemed to accept the explanation for now…
"Try anything here and they will find you floating in a river by morning!" The Vigilantes hidden among the Civilians were not as convinced instead, and unknowingly they all thought the same thing, all while being careful to not be recognized by the Heroes or the Detective.
"It's okay, Himiko. Me and Whitey will make sure they won't bully you." Izuku said, with the white robot behind him giving her a thumbs-up.
"T-Thank you." The girl replied with a small smile.
"Officer Tama will be present here at all times, if your don't mind, Mister Midoriya. She has been chosen to keep young Toga in check and immediately immobilize and remove her from this Restaurant should she try anything dangerous. I am sorry but it's part of the Rehabilitation Program, just like the device at her ankles and wrists, until she has passed all evaluations we can't leave anything to chance." Tsukauchi explained, sighing.
"Even if I trust her?" Izuku asked, saddened.
"It's the law, I am sorry." The Detective answered.
"It's okay, Izuku. At least they will give me a chance." Himiko said.
"Icchan. My friends call me Icchan." Izuku answered, smiling.
"O-O-Okay, Boss Iz-Icchan!" She answered, looking very close at crying.
"I have prepared her Uniform, I guess you will follow her upstairs to get changed?" He said.
"Of course, Sir. Sorry but it's part of the thing." The tall and extremely burly Policewoman answered, nodding.
"I understand. That door, there is a guest room upstairs, first door on the left."
"Thank you, sir." Tama answered.
"Ochako-ch… Ochako-san gave me a crash-course on what to do!" Himiko said, while being accompanied upstairs by her assigned guard.
"Very good! I will teach you the rest as you go. And welcome to the Green Cloud family!" Izuku answered, smiling pleased.
"Thank you."
Once the two saw both women disappear upstairs, Tsukauchi looked at the Chef and sighed again.
"Thank you for this, took a bit before taking here because we actually tried other venues for her community service work before actually resorting to you, but we soon sadly discovered how we actually had not a place where to send her, her parents even refused to help us."
"It's okay, Mister Naomasa. As I said, I will be the one to give her a chance if nobody wants to, I believe in her." Izuku answered.
"Why?" The Detective asked, honestly curious.
"Gut instinct, mostly." He answered, chuckling.
"It's the truth… And yet I feel like some minor detail is amiss just to annoy me." Tsukauchi thought in misery.
"Will you stay for lunch?"
"May as well." He answered, shrugging.
"Over here!" And Toshinori immediately moved his chair aside to make room for his old friend.
"The usual?" Izuku asked, snorting amused at the man's new sigh, the sixth he heard since the Detective entered his restaurant.
"Yes please…" the other answered, before joining the table of All Might.
All in all, while stiff when talking with her, the customers didn't seem to make too much of a fuss about Himiko being the Restaurant's new waitress, the presence of a Police Officer specifically chosen to stop her, the many Pro Heroes eating there and Whitey himself having a reputation for dealing with Troublemakers was apparently enough to keep things civil. At the very least.
At the same time – docks
Ryukyu day was going very poorly instead, indeed SHE WAS FUCKING ANGRY!
Over thirty calls in just six consecutive weeks, every single one needing her and several Police Force agents to check hundreds of containers to find the right ones the "Whistle-blower" assured them were full of a combination of various illegal contraband, like for example:
Drugs.
or
Illegal Weapons.
or
Illegal Animals.
or
Rotten Food.
or
Stolen cars.
or
Stolen paintings.
or
Illegal copies of famous paintings sold as the real deal.
or
Illegally collected organs for illicit transplants.
or
Bad copies of clothes and bags of several expensive Brands.
And each and every time, those same containers were found to be empty, even if the Spy swore high and low they were full on departure and that nothing and nobody touched them during the entire trip by sea.
Six weeks in a row where Ryukyu was awoken at dawn or deep into the night by the Police Force, since she was known to be vicious when dealing with contraband and the ones profiting from it, especially in the case of animal and organs trafficking.
By now even her make-up was struggling to cover the dark bags under the woman's eyes.
"This one is empty too!" The Police officer said, after opening the very last container on the ship, the last of several hundreds they had opened just to make sure they were not missing anything.
"I know…" The Dragon Hero answered with a very dragon-like growl, even if she was human form at the moment.
"Is this a goddamn joke?! It's the fourth call this week only! All for empty containers!" another officer said.
"I know…" Ryukyu answered again.
"We have already apprehended our little spy, and she said she was sure that-"
"I KNOW!" Ryukyu roared, almost transforming into her Dragon Form on the spot.
"EEEK!" many agents squeaked in answer.
"Sorry. It has just been a tiring… Goddamnit, a tiring MONTH! We keep getting these calls! Who the Hell finds so fun making us run around like this?!" She said with a long, suffering whine.
"Whoever it is, they have a grudge for this Midoriya guy, all deliveries have always been marked as being for him." An agent, carefully, answered.
"...Wha?" Ryukyu said, shocked.
"All forged documents, of course." The same agent added.
"Again?" She asked in disbelief.
"Eh, yes, Madame."
"They could at least put those illegal goods in there, or do they believe we would arrest the guy just on the idea he was receiving illegal stuff?" A policewoman nearby muttered under her breath.
To be fair, those containers kept departing from the original docks filled in those illegal objects, it was just that The System usually emptied them mid-way so to let them arrive empty for those agents to find, either by destroying the drugs and fakes and weapons, and 'Gifting' the organs to innocent ill people if the original owner was dead, or returning the stolen goods and animals to their legitimate owners and homes.
The Entity wanted its Host to succeed or fail only by his own hands, not by outside interference, it was a matter of principle.
"We need to find whoever it is behind those containers and the fake reports, somebody is paying a lot just to have empty crates delivered with forged documents only to discredit a Chef! Everything about this is far too ridiculously wrong!" Ryukyu asked, with a begging tone, as she knew she could not keep this rhythm for much longer.
"Yes, please!" The other officers answered in chorus, equally tired of chasing ghosts.
– Middle of the Ocean – 'S.S Queen of the Sea I' Cruise ship -
In an overly-luxurious cabin in the VIP section of the gargantuan ship, a very angry phone call was taking place.
"...Empty!? Another delivery lost!? HOW?!" A rotund old man with a thick beard shrieked to his phone.
"...Then find who stole my paintings!" He answered once heard whatever excuse his man at the docks gave him, and closing the call right after.
"We keep losing deliveries. Customers are starting to get frustrated." An old woman with a stern expression said with a growl.
"I am aware of that!" The Old man snapped in answer.
"When your granddaughter started dating my grandson I thought I was linking my family to a bunch of fools, and for a bit you clearly managed to trick me into believing you weren't one!" She answered.
"I am not a fool! But somebody is treating us both as fools by stealing our merchandise!" He answered, spit flying everywhere as he yelled.
When his beloved granddaughter Jun had come crying to him about how Samui had found-out that the woman's eighteen birthday was just a collection of highly-illegal and immoral activities, the mildest of which being her snorting 'Magic White Dust' off the 'Rod' of a naked male stripper, Jun's beloved grandpa jumped to her rescue… Especially since the old man had done even worse during his own eighteen birthday and later in his life, and had recognized how differently from that 'sissy wimp' of his son, his granddaughter actually knew how to properly live Life, thus proving herself a kindred spirit and worthy heir.
Unfortunately Society was not as accepting as its members vaunted to be; just like nobody seemed to understand how the short Life of a human was made to let people enjoy their vices to the fullest, they didn't seem able to admit aloud how legal activities could not bring you enough money to make all your efforts worth it either.
But as the old man had discovered, supplying the income from that "Honest Work" with other, and more lucrative, side activities like contraband actually made the bank account grow at the proper speed compared to the effort put into it.
At the beginning it was just them hiding the contraband in any normal shipment of the old man's grandfather's delivery service: a simple, anonymous shipping company; when the total capital became big enough, that family-owned Company became yet another Cruise vacation giant, with Jun's grandfather as its freshly-minted CEO, and the contraband business continued, only now with the "Merchandise" hidden between the luggage of the people going through the cruises the Sato Cruises conglomerate offered.
Years passed, and Jun's grandpa met and struck "Quasi-friendship" with the grandmother of Jun's future husband, and the two Cruise-centered giants fused into a single entity that made the income increase tenfold, both on the legal and illegal side...Everything was going smoothly until Samui managed to get his dirty hands on the few candid pictures of Jun's wild birthday still around and came knocking at their door for both money and Jun's help in dealing with Izuku.
Now, as a couple of old seasoned business buddies, both Old man and Woman tried to see the silver lining in the situation: since they did need a constant influx of scapegoats to sacrifice to the authorities in case any of their deliveries went intercepted, using Izuku as yet another fool to blame for their contraband was in the end considered a small blessing in disguise.
If only THE DELIVERIES WOULD JUST STOP DISAPPEARING!
And not just the few, cheap contraband crap they wanted to pin on the young Chef to get him in trouble and arrested while the real money-making stuff went recovered by their men at the docks and sold to the proper customers, but their entire catalog! Even hard to find stuff several criminal organization had paid in advance for!
And let this be clear, in the current Quirk Era the Yakuza may have lost most of its former weight, but those guys still knew how to chop somebody to pieces and leave those same pieces inside a briefcase buried under the pile of rubbish of a Junkyard! This not considering the other, far more dangerous Individuals that will hate to hear about the stuff they bought getting lost.
"You better do something, then! We have many ultra-rich morons that want their stolen Van Gogh and Matisse paintings to hang in their living room, and they WILL get their due with either those or out of pounds of our flesh if we do not deliver!"
"I'll fix this! I'll fix this! Stop breathing on my neck!" The old man answered, annoyed.
"You better, otherwise I fear that soon neither me or you, or even our families, will have any necks for anybody to breath on!"
"I know!"
– Musutafu - Abandoned Warehouse -
"Unf!… Unf!…" Chisaki, mainly know as Overhaul in the Villain circle, was at the moment biting on a piece of wood while Painfully re-setting his arm that had been dislodged.
"Another raid...Another base lost, but it's okay! I can rebuild everything!" The crazed man hissed once spat out the small tablet.
"I just need to recover Eri and re-start production." He said, checking his phone and bitterly noticing how only a third of his men managed to escape capture by the Pro Heroes that had raided yet another lab of his, most of which reportedly beaten black-and-blue by Mirio.
"Good thing those idiots could save this and bring it to me. My ace in the hole…" A small box went smashed open while he said that.
"I'll rebuild everything, my Cleansing will happen! What's important is that we saved this… With this, I can still win and Cleanse the World and take back what's ours…" The man said, looking at the loaded gun and at the special bullets in it with a psychotic grin.
"First that fool All Might and his merry little Heir, then that accursed Chef. Then Eri. A bullet for each one of them for taking away my men and my Production Unit, then I am off to restart production with my sweet little daughter!" A deranged laugh echoed in the dirty warehouse after that.
With Izuku – Green Cloud Restaurant -
Unaware of all the people actually conspiring against him, Izuku quietly kept running his restaurant with a satisfied smile on his face.
"You are doing great, Himiko! I am amazed."
"Thank you, Icchan!" The girl answered with a blinding smile herself, humming a simple tune as she moved back and forth from the kitchen with almost unnatural speed and ease to serve the various tables.
"Annoyance incoming, kiddo." Suddenly, the lazy, deep baritone voice of Blackie echoed inside Izuku's head accompanied by a bored yawn.
"Another one?" The young Chef muttered to himself while observing the poncy-looking man with a wide belly and thick swirly mustaches that had just entered his Green Cloud Restaurant with far too much swagger.
The guy was dressed in professional Chef clothes and was carrying a wide metallic briefcase in his hand, that as Blackie had warned Izuku about, meant the man was visiting the place just to make a nuisance of himself, as usual lately.
"You!" He yelled with a thick accent while pointing at Izuku with a croaked finger.
"Uh? Yes? May I help you?" The young man answered.
"I saw that ludicrous Review Ego left of this lurid pigsty and-"
SLAM!
At once everybody present jumped to their feet to glare at the man in barely-concealed anger, many even slamming their hands on the table before getting up.
The following silence was so thick in tension a literal explosion seemed about to happen.
Himiko instead was already in front of Izuku, ready to defend him, violently if necessary, and glaring daggers at the short idiot that dared to insult her first real friend and savior.
"My friends, please, keep your calm…" Toshinori asked with a worried tone.
"What did you just say, Sir?" A Pro Hero, rank 87 and known as The Boxing Maniac Hero: Megaton Jab, asked with a growl and spitting out that Sir in acidic sarcasm.
"You want to die, fucker?" A Vigilante in incognito, Savage Beater, added with a snarl, and ready to massacre whoever dared to insult the guy that gave his little brother an actual honest job and good pay as a delivery boy no matter his own criminal past and mutation Quirk.
"I…" The short plump man was now aware of the nest of hornets he had just kicked, and his paling complexion made it clear he KNEW he would very likely leave the Restaurant inside a body-bag if he was not careful.
"Guys, no fighting in my Restaurant. Don't make me tap the sign." Izuku was the only one calm in that situation, and actually, he sounded disappointed in all of them. Hands at his hips and all.
"But… Chef Izuku! He said-" A construction worker sitting at a table near him said with a whine.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Growing even more disappointed, the young Chef gave Whitey a look, and the robot diligently tapped with one of his big fingers the "No fighting inside the Restaurant" sign in elegant font that Izuku had affixed next to the kitchen window for everybody to see.
"… Okay." Sounding far too petulant for a big group of adult Heroes, Villains and Vigilantes in incognito, and Civilians, they all obeyed and returned to sit at their tables, even if all showing a very despondent look on their faces.
"Thank you. About you instead, sir. What can I do for you?" Izuku asked.
"… Uh?" The strange chef asked, clearly still disturbed by the entire situation, and at how obedient all those people were towards a Chef as young as Izuku.
"I asked if you needed anything." Izuku repeated.
"I... Oh! Yes! I came here to challenge you!" The short man answered, and pointing an accusing finger at Izuku.
What the guy expected were gasps of shock from everybody in the room, what he got were groans and sighs of annoyance instead.
"Oh, God, another one?!" somebody said in disbelief in the background.
"I am sorry, but the Restaurant is full at the moment, I can't really take Challenges now." Izuku answered with a contrite expression while looking around at all the full tables.
"But! But! I flew all the way here from Paris! Do you have any idea how expensive that is?!" The man answered, furious.
"Listen… I am sorry you got all the way here from France, but I really can't ignore my Customers just to go through a cooking duel now. Can't we just do this at another time? Why do you even want to challenge me?"
"You are making us other Chefs look bad, boy! I don't care how you did it and defeated those other fools, but you won't undermine the work of MY Generation! You newcomers still smell of tit milk, no way in hell you can surpass us that have worked night and day for years to be the best!" The fat man yelled, and adding a childish stomp to his outburst for extra measure.
"That 'My Generation was cool while yours suck' thing is frankly annoying, and I am shocked it is still a thing nowadays." Izuku answered, sighing.
"Troublemaker?" Whitey asked.
"Eeek!" The guy shrieked in fear, clearly aware of the Robot's reputation.
"No, no… Himiko?"
"Yes?" The girl asked, still glaring at the intruder in anger.
"Please bring him the dish I will give you, I can't ignore my customers just for a Challenge."
"… Okay."
"Uh?" The Short guy uttered in confusion.
"You want to Challenge me? Fine. You will taste a new dessert I made that will join the Menu today, if you manage to bring here a version of it with the exact same taste, I will accept your Challenge." Izuku explained, already marching towards his kitchen.
"Tres Bien. I will humor you, boy! No Japanese nobody shall defeat a French Master Chef in the Art of cuisine! Not even in desserts!" The guy answered.
"Good attitude." Izuku answered from his kitchen.
"...You are screwed, pal." An old lady nearby declared while wiping her mouth.
"Madame?"
"You are not the first guy Challenging Chef Midoriya. Not by a long shot." She said.
"So what?"
"See that closed cabinet? Inside it there are the knives of all the idiots that tried challenging him, they all lost and had to leave behind a kitchen knife with their name written on it as a punishment."
"Yes, I heard the rumors about it, so?" The Chef said, sneering.
"You knife will soon join those." The old lady answered.
"Tch! You Japanese don't know what true cooking is! I will take all of those home with me instead! As a Trophy to celebrate French Cuisine superiority!"
"… You really have a brain the size of a pea. Well, suit yourself." The old lady answered, shaking her head, paying her bill, and leaving the Restaurant to return to I-Island and her beloved 'Darlings Project'.
"Here it is. Three-Layer Semifreddo. Icchan's improved version of an Italian Lemon Semifreddo cake, please enjoy." Himiko, showing a surprising amount of professionalism no matter her dislike for the man, delivered the guy's plate with a cordial smile, gave a slight bow and walked away fast from the man without looking back.
"Heeeeey! That looks good! Can I have some?" Toshinori said with a wide smile.
"Me too!"
"Me too please!"
"Lemon! Uuh! That sounds refreshing! Can I have some too?"
Several customers asked one after another once saw the lovely fluffy dessert topped by slices of candied lemon and decorated by stripes bright-yellow lemon glace on the plate.
"Of course! I will bring it to you immediately!" And Himiko promptly took a mental note of who asked and moved to collect more plates.
In the meantime, the plump foreign Chef kept studying the plate from every angle, for many customer's annoyance at his clear desperate research of anything to point-out as a mistake, and unaware of how annoyed Shiro and Zephyr were getting at the blatant disrespect of their Partner's skills as a Chef. Even Eri was now glaring at the strange man that insulted her daddy.
"A dish based on an Italian recipe… As if he or those mafia idiots can match us…" He muttered, frowning, but finally tasting the thing.
"…" And the same small dessert fork he asked for fell from his hand to clatter against the plate.
"First layer is homemade praline I made with preserved lemon, almonds and sugar." Izuku explained, personally delivering a plate of that dessert to Kota and Mandalay's table.
Fluffy, delicate and with the fruity sweet-and-tangy taste of lemon, both the preserved ones and their more natural taste.
"…" The guy said nothing, but everybody saw his lips starting to tremble heavily.
"The second layer, the Gelato one (Ice cream), has been enriched by adding tapioca flour, meringue and preserved lemon to it." The Young Chef said, now face to face with the guy, even if even he had to look slightly downward to meet the guy's eyes.
Smooth, chilly sweetness accompanied by the lemon's umami acting as a gentle contrast, so refreshing you could swear every pore of your skin was exhaling in relief at the first bite already.
"…" Again, no answer came, but a hiccup tore its way out of the guy's throat.
"The third and final layer is a Pâte à Biscuit, a hard biscuit acting as a base I made with, among other ingredients, preserved lemon, lemon zest, almond flour and meringue. The sauce between the layers and decorating the plate is made with home-made Limoncello liqueur I personally made while following the original Italian Recipe to a T, then I used candied lemon slices as a garnish."
Lemons… Lemons everywhere! Every facet of those sunny yellow fruits' flavort was present and lovingly added to the dish, even the smell was perfectly integrated in the dish! Nose and mouth heavenly tickled by those flavors and smells so well you could picture the plant the lemons came from as if right in front of you if you closed your eyes!
"…" The short plump man just stood there, looking at the half-eaten dessert in silence.
"As we decided, prepare and bring here a version of that dessert tasting just like the one I made and I will accept your challenge, I even told you most of the ingredients I used. Since I know that matching the taste of a dish made by somebody else is not an easy task, this will tell me if you actually have the qualifications necessary for me to find you actually worth the time of going through a cooking duel against. It's time people learn that I won't be bullied by the first guy passing-by." Izuku said.
Sniffle!
"Uh?" Izuku muttered, confused.
"Is he… Crying?" Himiko said, unsure.
Hick! Sniffle!
"Oh God, he is crying!" Toshinori yelled, unnerved by the ugly sight of the rivers of snot running down the guy's nose.
"Sir?" Izuku tried saying.
"Uuuh…" Himiko took a step back from the guy, finding him way too weird to have standing close to her.
"Iiiiiiiiiiih!" A long, unhinged and high-pitched shrilly whine came out of the man's mouth while he opened his metallic briefcase, grabbed a knife with a wide blade and after accepting the sharpie a smirking Vigilante handed him, he wrote his name on the blade with shaking hands.
"Uuuh...What?"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Done writing his name, the man let-out a loud scream full of pain and despair and ran out and away from the Restaurant with rivers of tears and snot flowing freely down his face and scaring half to death whoever he met on the street.
"…" A very awkward silence fell inside the room once the last echoes of the crying french chef died down.
"… Uh?" Izuku muttered again.
"I guess he thought it would have been an easy victory, Icchan." Himiko said, shrugging uncaring.
"Some people can't handle stress, it seems." Kamui Woods added, chuckling.
"Tch! All ego and no skills nor powers to back it up. What a failure." Endeavor commented, shaking his head in disgust while handing Himiko the money to pay his bill.
"… Did I bully him?" Izuku asked, unsure.
"No, boy. You did not bully him, you just reminded him that your time is actually precious and gave him a Test to show you would have not wasted time giving attention to that spoiled toddler in an adult body. But he couldn't even finish the damn food before admitting defeat, he didn't even try to go through a trial before giving-up. It's not your fault he could not take the pressure." The flame Hero answered, actually patting the Chef' shoulder in a friendly manner (to everybody's surprise) as he passed by him to leave the Restaurant.
"Harsh but not exactly wrong." Centipeder admitted, sighing.
"I thought that showing-off would have scared away people that wanted to put me down, not attracting MORE annoyances that just want to use me as a stepping stone to fame." Izuku said, sighing, and collecting the new knife to add it to his collection.
And as soon as he opened the ornate wooden cabinet hanging from the wall, many eyes bulged-out in surprise at the huge collection of knives with names on them held inside, far more than the ten he got from Inoshiki Academy, five from the Kings, four from the Teachers and one from Yamato, and the one he got in America from Matoi!
"… Did the number of knives increase?" Backdraft asked, unnerved.
"Uh? Ah, yes. Some Chefs have started coming here to Challenge me almost daily, luckily not during working hours. And they keep leaving behind their favourite knife with their name written on it when they lose. I guess the rumor about me doing that to collect Trophies of my victories had spread quite a bit." Izuku answered with an uneasy smile.
Indeed there were over thirty knives inside the cabinet at the wall now, making the customers inside look in shock at the sheer number of people that had come to challenge Izuku only to leave in defeat, it was a really scary sight.
"And now yet another joins the collection!" Himiko added, chuckling and personally hanging the new knife with Pierre written on it on an empty hook, one just waiting for more souvenirs to join.
"Maybe you should leave the thing open, the number alone should be able to scare off the less determined. At least you would have to deal with far less challengers." Nighteye suggested.
"You think?"
"It's worth a try." The man answered, adjusting his glasses.
"God I hope so!" Izuku answered, sighing.
That evening – Arcade -
The place was packed full, with lights and sounds of different games filling the room in an endless rainbow of psychedelic flashes, and right outside of it, two women stood in wait.
"Not the first place I would have considered for a romantic date." Momo admitted.
"I… I like Dance Dance Devastation… So I thought that… You know… Some games and a Challenge about who gets the more tickets…" Nejire muttered, uneasy.
"I mean, it worked for Rumi." She answered.
"Ah-ha! Got it!" And as on cue, Rumi left the place while holding under her arm a giant rust-colored nine-tailed fox plushy.
"Is that what you were talking about?" Momo asked.
"Yep! Ever since Izu introduced me to that old-as-fuck Anime, I wanted a plush of that fox. And now that they are making remakes of it, they are also making new merchandise, meaning that I can get one! And lo and behold, I did!" Rumi answered, smirking.
"Oh!… Uuuh.. Good?" Nejire said.
"God, you still feel awkward with us, hn?"
"A bit." The girl admitted with a forced smile.
"Well, as a show of trust, we won't be tailing you, so relax." Momo answered.
"O-Okay."
"… Ochako." Rumi said, rolling her eyes.
Tap!
"Fine." The girl said, dropping from the arcade ceiling with a pout.
"You had your 'Lets mend the bridge between us' Dates with Izuku. Let Nejire have hers." Momo said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Her case is worse than ours." Ochako answered, making Nejire flinch.
"Still, it's about fairness." Momo answered.
"I know, I know."
"By the way, when will you and Izuku leave for his new sortie?" Rumi asked.
"Two days, luckily we are done with our various tests, so I can disappear for a day without too much of a problem." Ochako answered.
"And it will help you two get some time together to get closer. I mean, it worked for me!" Rumi answered, smirking.
"Uh-hu."
"Oh! There he is!" Nejire said, having seen Izuku in more casual clothes walking towards them.
"Good! Have fun and see if things can actually be fixed, okay?"
"Daaamn, Occhan! Far too harsh!"
"Hush, Rumi!"
"Ignore them. Relax and have fun, if it can work between us all, it will." Momo said.
"Thank you." Nejire answered, grateful.
Said that, the other girls left the arcade to let Nejire and Izuku have their date in peace, not before each giving a kiss to the Chef, for the envy of the bystanders.
"Have fun! And if she gets too handsy, kick her ass! Molesting you is my job, not everybody else's!" Rumi said, smirking.
"OUCH!" And wincing in pain when Momo slapped the back of her head.
"Ignore her, please." She added.
"Huhuhu!" Making Izuku chuckle amused while waving goodbye to the three.
"…"
"…"
"So…" Nejire, once she and Izuku were finally alone, tried saying.
"Still worried?" He asked.
"A bit nervous, truth be told." She answered.
"I can give you a second chance, the others too. Do you want to give us one, though?" Izuku asked, moving closer.
"… Yes, I would love that." Nejire answered after a short pause, and with a tiny, tentative smile.
"Then please, treat me well." Izuku answered, gently holding out his hand.
"Same." She answered, taking his hand in hers.
"Huhuhu! Ready to destroy me?" He asked, chuckling.
"I promise I'll be gentle at first… Icchan." Nejire answered.
"Aye, Partner, let's see if this relationship will work." Shiro, resting around Izuku's neck as usual, thought in amusement as the first date between him and Nejire started with several shaky steps before finally breaking the ice.
"Faster, Icchan! Dance faster!"
"Nejire! Using your Quirk to float and move faster is cheating!"
"You used your Chef skills to hit more moles than me! I am evening the battlefield!"
"Oh come oooon!"
It may be strange to have a date inside an Arcade, but looking at the two laughing lovebirds, it was clear that for the two of them it was working quite well, and even if The System was not fully open to the idea of Izuku spending his free time in dates with those three girls, the Entity could let it slide by virtue of the young Chef benefiting from it in mental health and stress levels enough his productivity remained as absurdly high as The System demanded its Hosts to keep.
That night – Iida Household -
Tenya was walking through the empty corridors of the old style, majestic house with a contrite expression, he held in his hands a paper box with Green Cloud Restaurant name and iconic clouds drawn all around the base, with the content feeling supremely heavy to the young man.
"You are asking me something complex, Tenya-san."
"But you healed Miss Toga and All Might!"
"I did. I healed them and look at this, now you are coming to ask me to heal your brother. How long before others learn of this and a line of hopefuls forms in front of my store? How long before Villains start trying to force me to work for them? Even at the cost of hurting my family?"
"I can… Heroes can…"
"Protect me? Protect my loved ones? 24/7 forever? From countless attacks?"
"Please…"
Sigh! "I'll do it, even just because I do care about Tensei-san. But not a pip! Not a single suggestion I was the reason he was healed! Not. a. single. Word."
"Y-Yes! I will play it out as a mere Miracle! No matter what anybody say! I will bring this secret to my grave! No matter what! Nobody will know you helped us! Not even my own friends and classmates!"
"Good! Let's start then."
"This must work. It has to." Tenya muttered, taking a huge breath and plastering a smile on his face as he entered his older brother's old bedroom while holding the take-away box hidden behind his back.
"Tensei?" He said.
"...Oh! Hey, Tenya! You came to spend some time with me?" The other holder of the Ingenium Hero name said with a more honest smile.
"I… I was wondering if you wanted something a bit more, you know, nice than the food you have been eating lately while following the doctors' instructions." Tenya said, looking down.
"Oooh! My strict little brother wants to break the rules? Just for me?" Tensei asked with a touched expression.
"I… I can do that if it is for something important! And you are important to me, brother! The most important!" the other admitted.
"Oh, Tenya…" Tensei muttered, looking ready to cry at the touching admission.
"I thought that you deserved something nice. You should be free to take a bit of a pause from this entire uphill battle since… Since…"
"Since the doctor that promised he could fix my back and legs just admitted defeat and father is still trying to find another 'Legendary Surgeon' that is not a quack?" Tensei muttered with a bitter voice full of defeat.
"I know you will get better, Tensei! You are already showing results! It's just a matter of time before you will return to normal!" Tenya said.
"Hu! I wish that day will come soon. But what about you? You are already holding up the Hero name Ingenium quite well,"
"Brother, I am ready to give-up everything to have you back on your feet, and not for Hero work." Tenya answered, tears flowing freely.
"If and when that time comes, I will be the one choosing a new Hero Name then. That fits you better than me, already." Tensei answered, smiling fondly at his little brother.
"Thank you, brother."
"So? What did you manage to sneak-in to help me break free of that accursed diet of healthy and tasteless soups?" Tensei asked, switching their talk to something lighter before he and Tenya could flood the room in tears.
"Uh? OH! Of course! I happened to visit a common acquaintance and asked for something you may like… So I got you this." Tenya said, finally showing the paper box he was keeping hidden behind his back.
"Ooooh! Is that…"
"Yes, those accursed Rainbow Steamed Fish Buns you used to be addicted to." Tenya answered, chuckling.
"I am not addicted, they are just my favourite, that is all!" Tensei answered, face completely red in shame.
"Whatever you say, brother. Here."
"Aaah! Still perfectly warm! I could recognize this scent anywhere!" He answered, gladly accepting the paper box and inhaling big lungfuls of the buns scent as soon as he opened the thing.
"Midoriya-san as well wishes to see you return to visit him, I didn't tell him what happened, just that you were indisposed for the foreseeable future." Tenya said.
"Uh, we lied to so many people about my sorry state…"
"When you will be fully healed, we'll go there eating together, so everybody will see that you are back!"
"Of course we will, little brother. Promise." Tensei said with a sad tone.
"I will leave you to your food, in the meantime I will go distract everybody else so you won't be disturbed while eating." Tenya said before leaving.
"Thank you." Tensei answered, biting into one of the buns and letting out a pleased sigh that made Tenya chuckle amused.
"… Please, if there is a God out there… Please let it work…" Once out of the room and closed the door behind himself, Tenya begged for his brother's recovery while looking at the sky, unaware that a (Future) God had just answered to his prayers.
Few Hours later -
"…. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" It was in the smack middle of the night that Tensei and Tenya's parents went roughly awakened by a blood-chilling scream of agony coming from Tensei's bedroom, and when both parents forced their way inside the room almost demolishing the door, they saw their oldest son writhe on the floor in agony on the terrifying notes of bones breaking and snapping in place by themselves.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!" All accompanied by Tensei's unending screams of agony, with the man suffering from such a pain he somehow couldn't even fall unconscious, no matter how far back his eyes had rolled and how much he drooled.
"TENSEI!" Both scared parents screamed in horror while trying to help their agonizing son…
Then they noticed he had started kicking-out with his legs as soon as they tried to hold him down, and responding to every stimuli in that area that used to be all but dead until that very same morning.
And barely ten minutes later, during a clandestine movie marathon, the students of class 1-A watched their usually-stoic friend Tenya receive a phone-call from his family, and just after a minute of incoherent screaming coming from the other side, they saw him start crying his eyes out in happiness, with even Kyoka unable to understand a single word he was saying between hiccups to his equally-bawling mother as they told him about Tensei's miraculous recovery; the other students just stood there for their friend to both celebrate the event and stop him from crying himself to death out of happiness.
"Was it your doing? Healing Tenya's brother, I mean." A smirking Ochako, with a smiling Momo reading from above her shoulder, typed on her phone.
"He asked. I had to play hard to get, but honestly, I was so close at doing it on my own before your friend came asking for my help." Izuku typed back in answer.
"So I guess you will need our help making sure nobody connects you to this miracle?" Rumi's own message appeared in the shared group chat.
"Yes please?"
"Dissimulation it is then. You can count on us." Ochako wrote after seeing Momo nod.
"Thank you." Izuku answered.
"By the way, how did the date go?" Rumi asked.
"RUMI!" Momo typed on her own phone.
"It was so cool! Icchan took losing that badly against me like a champ! Then we went to the Aquarium and then he cooked me dinner! We even kissed! With lots of tongue! It was all very romantic! His score is: 10/10 will french-kiss to death forever!"
"WHO THE FUCK ADDED NEJIRE TO THIS CHAT!" Rumi typed.
"...Whoops?" Ochako muttered, blushing.
"Ochako did, apparently she is still not used to using a phone with a touch screen." Momo wrote in answer, sighing in frustration.
"Thank you for the gift, by the way." Ochako typed.
"Goddamnit."
"Happy to be here, by the way… Meanies XP." Nejire typed.
"Glad to see you four are already on friendly terms. :) For what is worth, I am proud of you!" Izuku wrote.
"WE ARE NOT!" Momo typed.
"WE ARE NOT!" Ochako typed.
"WE ARE NOT!" Rumi typed.
"Thank you, Icchan! 3" Nejire wrote, closing the four-messages-at-the-same-time round of answers.
"Jokes aside, are you sure it won't be a problem for you to come with me?" Izuku asked.
"None whatsoever, I am actually curious about visiting another Dimension." Ochako answered.
"Nice! Thank you! Do ask Nejire-Chan and Rumi-chan for what to expect, they have experience already." Izuku said.
"Far too much, babe." Rumi added.
"You have been amazing in that world, baby girl, do not downplay yourself."
"Baby girl?" Rumi typed.
"OH GOD! Too mcuh?" Izuku asked, and the girls could tell he was panicking.
"Much." he then wrote, making them chuckle.
"I heard her squeal from our dormitory, trust me, she likes it. Darling." Momo wrote, albeit blushing bright red at using a pet name herself.
"Thank God!"
"Of course I like it, Honey! No need to change it!"
"Aaaw! That so cute, Rumi-chan! Then I will call him Izu if you others don't mind!"
"Shut-up, Nejire!" the other girls typed at once at the same time.
With Izuku -
That series of messages got a chuckle out of Izuku, maybe this poly thing will work, he thought, but for now, he knew he had to organize everything for the upcoming sortie in another Dimension, now that his Restaurant was getting more and more famous, he needed to properly set things up whenever he needed to leave for one of The System's insane Challenges and Missions.
"Tell me again, where am I going? And to catch what?" He asked.
"Host Izuku is tasked to visit Sunnydale City and learn how to prepare a dish with part of the same Ingredient he is tasked to capture: the Cloud-Eating Golden Dragon. If this Mission ends in success Host will unlock the Ingredient known as Big Bang Shark." The System answered.
"Uuuhm! That thing looks terrifying, but you can make some amazing fish dishes with that! And the Sushi made with it tastes divine!" Izuku answered, actually drooling a bit from the memories of the giant beast (700t for 120 meters of sublime fish meat).
Too bad Starjun never let him and the others use the one he captured to cook, from the brief flashes he had of the long time he spent brainwashed, that specimen was damn amazing and plump! A real waste!
"As a Bonus, should Host manage to capture the Cloud-Eating Golden Dragon alive, The System will also unlock a special prize."
"OOOH! What is it?!"
"It will be a surprise, Host."
"That is cruel and unusual!"
"It's called creating Hype, Host Izuku."
"And I don't like it!" Izuku answered, whining.
With a pout far too adorable for somebody his age, both mental and physical, the young Chef accepted in defeat the silence from his Sponsor and just set to prepare everything for his and Ochako's trip into another world, unaware of how much of an annoying headache that will be for him.
Same time – Secret base – Lab -
All for One was indeed a patient man, kind of pragmatic and good at planning, even if prone to still falling victim of his instincts and emotions if pushed too far, in a big part thanks to the giant collection of Quirks he had collected through the ages at an almost obsessive rate, with all those different and often clashing powers subtly taking a toll on his psyche, whatever warped mess it was to begin with.
What he could not stomach at all was failure, though, and watching the sorry state Shigaraki was in while lying naked on one of the metal beds of Daruma's lab soured the old Super Villain mood a lot.
The young man's body was a mess, a literal Map of Pain with scars forming spiderwebs on random areas all over his skin, the man's fingers and toes were bending at strange angles after having being broken several times as well, in fact, the several incidents that shattered most of Shigaraki's bones left behind many imperfections behind that didn't seem to want to go away. Even Healing Quirks had limits after all.
"He is a wreck." He finally said.
"Unsurprising considering all the damages he keeps receiving every time he tries facing that dog. I can patch him up, but some things just cannot be fixed, and as I said, unless you remove and return his Quirk, I can't risk any transplant of arms and legs, and even then, I can't tell if that would cause more issues than mere rejection." Garaki answered.
"Useless moron." All for One spat.
"But a useful 'useless moron', at least until we find a better candidate."
"We wasted far too many resources on him to just find another. A new one will set us back far too much, and I am tired of waiting!"
"Indeed, Sensei. But lately he is behaving, so while still more unhinged than when we found him, his body is still good enough for our Project… If I am extra careful since it is a bit too much patched-up now." The old scientist answered.
"Do what you can. For now we will keep him." All for One answered, shaking his head and looking away from the drugged Villain, it was one of the few times he regretted finding a way to see even without eyes, staring too long at Failures disgusted him.
"Of course, Sensei. But we may have more pressing problems to worry about." The old scientist said with a worried tone.
"Uh? Speak up! What is happening now?" All for One asked, already at the end of his patience.
"I recently got my hands on one of the men working for Overhaul." Garaki answered with a frown.
"Uh-hu? What about it, Daruma?"
"If he said the truth, dear Overhaul may possess something very dangerous, something that could make recovering One for All impossible."
"Tell me more, that Quirk belongs to me, nothing and nobody else must interfere with it!" The Villain ordered immediately.
"Apparently the fool found a way to fully erase Quirks and..."
Unfortunately for them, Shigaraki was not fully knocked-out by the anesthetics as they believed, and even if barely-conscious, in the fractured, madness-ridden mind of the man-child, that piece of news sounded far too interesting to finally resolve his hatred for Heroes first and then Izuku and Blackie to pass on.
Extra File: Dimensional Ingredient Hunt -
The Norwegian Menu that Thaws the Heart!
Twilight Town -
A peculiar trio of friends was just entering the main plaza of the town bathed in the melancholy light of the setting sun when they saw a huge crowd amassed in front of the local bistro.
"Seriously, I don't care what Larxene says, I think we need to find a way to help El- What?" The only human of the trio uttered in surprise.
"What's happening now?" The Duck Mage of the three asked, groaning.
"Ah-Yuck! Maybe Uncle Scroodge is hosting some event?" The last member of the Trio answered, chuckling.
"Ya're driving a harsh bargain, me boy! But I'm not 'bout to waste the chance to add more geniuses to me staff!" They saw the rich Duck Magnate say with a determined expression.
"Mister Scroodge, I am honored, but really! I can't!" And at the opposite side of the business talk there was a young human with green hair and wearing an official Chef attire.
"Ye youngsters have learned the art of price haggling! Double the first offer! I won't offer more!" Scroodge said, eyes narrowed.
"Wha?!" Donald gawked in surprise.
"I am very sorry, but the answer is still no. I already have my own Restaurant, I can't work for another." Izuku answered with a very apologetic tone.
"Sorry, sir! But Icchan's sponsor is very jealous." Nejire said while consoling the small rat that was trying to look at Izuku with some very convincing puppy eyes to have him stay.
"Goshdarnit! Well, the offer will still be valid whenever you come to yer senses, I will have you work for me, me boy! It's only a matter of time!" Scroodge answered, harrumphing and walking away.
"Thank you for the recipes, Mister Remi. Even if learning them while you were piloting my body felt strange, it was a lot of fun too!" Izuku said, smiling.
"…" The rat just gave a sigh and a shrug, but still waved both teens goodbye while hurring back inside the Bistro.
"Hi!" It was then that the Trio reached them.
"Oh! Good evening!"
"Everything okay?" Goofy asked.
"Oh, yes! I just went through a small challenge against the Chef of this Bistro in exchange of few recipes of his, too bad the Manager was a bit insistent in having me stay." Izuku answered.
"Ow boy! I am so sorry! Uncle Scroodge doesn't take "No" lightly!" Donald said with a very ashamed expression.
"Hey! It's okay! I am honored he deemed me good enough to cook alongside Mister Remi! It was an actual compliment for me that he was that insistent!" Izuku answered immediately.
"… Remi?" Sora asked.
"It's that funny Rat's name!" Nejire answered.
"It has a proper name?" Goofy said, confused.
"I mean… We never asked…" Donald admitted, scratching his head.
"Uh, we were kind of rude to not ask," Sora admitted.
"Yeah…" The other too answered.
"My name is Izuku, and this is my girlfriend Nejire, my robot bodyguard Whitey and my pet partner Shiro. Nice to meet you!" Izuku said, presenting his hand.
"Nice to meet you! I am Sora!"
"Donald!" The mage said, shaking the two teens' hands next.
"Ah-Yuck! And I am Goofy!" The Soldier said, he took shaking the two's hands.
"Sora, Donald and Goofy… Huhuhu! Those are cute names!" Nejire admitted, chuckling.
"Why, thanks!" Sora answered, smirking.
"Now that I look at you two, you don't look like somebody coming from Twilight Town." Donald said.
"Oh, yes. I am actually visiting a couple worlds to learn new recipes under the requests of my Sponsor. I already visited a couple before coming here, now I only lack another world and I will be done with this Mission." Izuku said.
"Visiting other worlds, hn? I hope you are not mentioning you can travel between worlds to whoever lives there, it will ruin that world's Equilibrium." Donald said with crossed arms.
"… It would?" Izuku asked, confused.
"Ignore that warning, Host. A God of Cooking doesn't need to worry about such inane issues, when you will Ascend you will be above such petty superstitions, so there is no reason to start worrying about it now either." The System answered.
"I don't think there will be problems, then." The young Chef said, shrugging.
"Good!" The Wizard answered, pleased.
"What world did you visit?" Sora asked, curious.
"Uhm… Let's see…" Izuku said, taking a small notebook from one of his pockets.
"A desert city called Agrabah, a very spooky place called Halloween Town and a very colorful place called Radiant Garden."
"Oh! We know those worlds!" Sora said, excited.
"Those were nice places." Nejire answered, nodding.
"Well, we need to go. Have a nice day and safe travels!" Izuku said.
"You too!" Donald answered, and the Trio watched the small strange group leave the plaza and disappear into thin air for their next destination.
"… Oh! We forgot to ask where they were going next!" Sora said suddenly.
"It's okay, they seem able to defend themselves, and it would be improper to ask too many questions!" Goofy answered.
"True! Let's go now, once refurnished our stock we need to try reaching Elsa again, her sister Anna looked very worried about her!" Donald said.
"Right! I almost forgot!" Sora admitted.
"You always do."
"Oh, come oooon!" The young man answered, making his two friends laugh amused at his childish annoyance.
Some time later – Kingdom of Ariandelle – Another world -
"So that strange girl that was poking her nose around has bad intentions! I KNEW IT!" Anna roared while marching forward through the snow.
Even if trembling from the cold, she still pushed through the strong winds thanks to her determination to save her sister, uncaring of the freezing cold.
"Honestly, anybody going around dressed like that is clearly up to no good!" Kristoff, and his moose friend, answered while desperately trying to hold the girl back to stop her from going too far ahead alone.
"Not to defend the Organization, but at least they know how to dress! Ah-yuck! You can't judge a book from its cover! Just because somebody dresses in black doesn't mean they are bad!" Goofy answered.
"Yeah! Look at me! I wear black but I am not Evil!" Sora added.
They were making their way up the mountain again, and fighting hordes of Heartless every ten or so steps, for their annoyance.
"You are a special case, Sora!" Anna answered, huffing.
"Thank you!" He answered, smiling.
"My Gosh! They unleashed every Heartless they had at hand this time!" Donald said, growling in exasperation.
"Must be a new record." Goofy admitted.
"Less talking and more walking!" Anna barked.
"KYAAAAAAAAAH!"
"What was that?" Sora asked as a faint shriek echoed down to them from the top of the mountain.
"Sounded like somebody screaming!" Kristoff answered.
BOOOM!
Barely a second after they heard the shriek, something fell down in front of them like a meteor shooting snow everywhere on impact.
"WHOA!" The group yelled in shock.
"… THAT DAMN BRAT!" To their surprise the thing that had just crash-landed in front of them was a young woman, and she started screaming in rage as soon as she dug her way to freedom from the snow submerging her.
"We already have to deal with those keyblade idiots, and now another moron shows-up and- Why are you looking away?!" Larxene demanded, super annoyed, once seen Sora and the others having turned around to not look at her and all of them were still covering their eyes even while looking away from her.
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, COVER YOURSELF!" Sora, face utterly red, shrieked.
"DOES THE ORGANIZATION HAVE NO SHAME?!" Donald yelled next.
"A LADY SHOULD HAVE SOME DECENCY!" Kristoff and Goofy yelled in chorus next.
"PERVERT!" Then came Anna horrified scream, she too had turned around to give her back to the girl.
"What are you idiots talking ab…" Finally Larxene looked down at herself, thus noticing how she was wearing NOTHING AT ALL, and how the harsh cold had made two parts of her chest pop out to say 'Hi!' to the world.
"…" First her face became pink… Then tomato red… And finally dark crimson.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The shriek of horror she released pierced the night and almost blew away the perpetual snow storm rattling the mountain.
"… She is gone." Anna, as the only one able to actually check if that strange naked woman left, declared once stolen a look behind herself just in time to see Larxene shiny heart-shaped butt disappear in the forest when she ran away.
"Okay… Okay...Somehow we won't have to deal with Larxene… We still have to find Elsa, though." Sora, still shaken, tried saying.
"Yes, let's go." Kristoff conceded, and still wondering what the hell happened, their group moved again to climb the mountain.
Unknown to them the crying Larxene was still close and was being consoled by a very distraught Marluxia that had just brought her a change of clothes, distraught because they were desperately holding back the need to laugh on the girl's face at her disastrous meeting with 'That accursed depraved stripping robot'.
"Waaaah! Not only that thing punched me in the face! It even stripped me naked! I never was so humiliated in my damn life! Waaaaaah!" Larxene wailed and sobbed.
"Nnngh!" Marluxia just bit the inside of their cheeks hard while sweating even in those freezing temperatures, struggling to hold their laughter back, and they really wanted to laugh! But they had promised to cut down in their bullying of the other Organization Members, but it was not easy!
With the rescue group – top of the mountain -
"There it is! Elsa's Ice Castle!" Sora said while pointing at the imposing fortress of ice.
"Elsa did that?!" Anna said with bulged-out eyes.
"Wooooow! Your sister is an artist! And a miracle worker to build that in a night!" Kristoff said with a low whistle of awe.
"Magic must have helped," Anna tried saying.
"Waaaah!" The echo of Elsa's desperate wailing reached them carried by the wind, startling them.
"ELSA!" They all screamed, rushing inside the palace.
When they entered they found Elsa herself kneeling on the floor and hugging an equally-kneeling Izuku while crying her eyes out and with Nejire gently petting her head.
"That guy?!" Sora, Donald and Goofy said at the same time.
"I am so sorry! I didn't want to hurt anybody! Waaaah!" She wailed.
"There, there! You are strong and independent! Don't think otherwise! You went through an epiphany about your freedom and self-esteem, no need to cry!" Nejire said.
"And with the control you showed to create this castle, I know you won't be a danger to others! You just need more training!" Izuku added, he too rubbing Elsa's head while slightly rocking her back and forth.
"ELSA!" Anna yelled.
"ANNAAAAAAAAH! Waaaaah!" The poor girl bellowed while diving for her sister's arms.
"I am sorry for blasting you with magic when we were kids! And for running away! And for freezing half the kingdom! And for stealing your cookies! And for saying that jerk of your betrothed is a moron and-"
"Shh! Shh! It's okay! It's okay! I never was angry at you! Nor I was scared! I missed spending time with you instead! I love you, Elsa!" Anna, now crying as well, said while returning the hug.
"ANNNNAAAAAAAAA! I Wuv Youuuuu!" Elsa yelled, by know almost incoherent when talking thanks to her intense crying, and burying her face in her sister's chest as she hugged her as hard as her arms let her.
"Wow, talk about a tearful reunion." Kristoff admitted, smiling happily.
"What did you do?" Donald asked, arms crossed.
"Eh! That's a good question. We just talked." Izuku answered, shrugging helpless.
"… That's it?" Sora asked.
"There was some ice magic flying around too, and her trying to freeze us alive and maybe kill us, all the while we we kept talking with her. She has a lot of buried self-esteem issues, you know? We just helped her open up, and crying helps a lot in that! And apparently me and Icchan are very huggable, and she really, really needed a hug." Nejire added.
"Equilibr-"
"Oh, piss off with that!" Izuku snapped, getting a surprised Quack! From the duck wizard at the interruption.
"Helping people in need doesn't hurt Equilibrium! We all need a shoulder to cry on, we can't be asked to hold the weight of the world on our back alone 24/7!" He then said.
"You-"
"Hush! We'll talk about your dislike for people helping others back at the castle, before they really send the army to try arrest Elsa." Anna said, holding Elsa's hand tightly in hers while both walked towards the group.
"I am not against that!" Donald said, scandalized.
"We know, we know." Sora and Goofy answered, patting their friend's back as a show of support.
"They want to do that? Arrest me?!" Elsa asked, horrified.
"Desperate people do stupid things. They think you are responsible of the storm and may try to imprison you in the hope of stopping it." Kristoff said, sighing.
"I am not the one responsible! Honest! I am almost sure of it!" Elsa said.
"Yeeeees… It's that almost that is making them think it's you."
"Magic is complex, can't expect everybody to understand that." Donald answered, sighing.
"Let's hurry down the mountain! Before they or the Organization tries anything! We'll help Anna and Elsa explain everything!" Sora said in alarm.
"You still have to explain who those black dressed guys are too, buddy." Kristoff said.
"They are very bad guys, more we can't say!" Goofy answered.
"Wait!" Elsa yelled.
"Uh?!"
"Izuku, Nejire. Thank you." She said hugging the Chef and the Hero Student.
"It's what friends are for!" Both teens said.
"Right! Come with us, as promised I will ask the Palace Chef to share some recipes with you!" The Queen said.
"Thank you!" Izuku answered with a blinding smile that made her chuckle.
"Eh! Glad to see things getting fixed without a battle against a giant Heartless for once." Sora commented, laughing.
"Ah-Yuck! For once I don't mind breaking traditions." Goofy admitted.
"Pfeh! Fine." Donald commented, huffing annoyed.
"Hey! Look! The sun!" Nejire said, amazed, while pointing at the first rays of sun breaking through the clouds.
"The storm is over!" Anna and Elsa said, elated.
"Host, on a purely technical stand-point the storm was caused by that woman. Her admitting her pain to her sister and finally making peace with her lifted whatever dark feelings caused her to subconsciously summon the cold. As cliché as it sounds, 'Love' is what she needs to control her powers." The System supplied. And if it could, the Entity would roll its eyes at the entire thing.
"… I did this, isn't it? The storm coming and now going away." Elsa asked with a small voice.
"Yep, but your love for your sister fixed it." Izuku answered.
"Eh! I helped! Nice!" Anna answered, puffing-out her chest in pride, thing that made her sister laugh and hug her tight.
"… And how do you know all that?" Donald asked with narrowed eyes.
"Secret!" Izuku answered, smirking and winking.
"Gyaaghaghaghaghaghagha!" The shriek of anger the duck wizard released at that answer caused a new wave of laughter to envelop the small group of friends.
Unfortunately, their merriment lasted until they left the Ice Palace and started their descent down the mountain, because Larxene was already waiting for them with a look of apoplectic rage on her face.
"YOU!" She roared in near madness while pointing at Izuku.
"Oh! The same Villain of before!" Nejire said, frowning.
"You two met her already?" Sora, already in a fighting stance, said without missing a move of the woman.
"We did, but Whitey took care of her." Izuku answered.
"Took care!? TOOK CARE?! THAT PSYCHO PUPPET OF YOURS STRIPPED ME NAKED AND THEN THREW ME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!" Larxene shrieked.
"… What?" The others said.
"Troublemakers are stripped as an example to others!" Whitey answered.
"Pffft-Hahahahahahaha!" Kristoff' laughter echoed all around the group as he already looked about to suffocate.
"YOU DARE LAUGH?! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Larxene roared, and with an imperious gesture, the guy she was waiting to do something stupid back at the royal palace went forcefully transformed into a giant wolf Heartless and teleported next to her.
"Take cover!" Sora yelled as the big beast landed in front of them.
"You will-" Chomp!
As it came, the monster died in an instant when a giant moth devoured it in a single bite.
"…" Every eye slowly turned to look at the slowly munching Shiro still wrapped around Izuku's neck.
"… What?" Larxene asked with a small voice.
"Your beast taste like crap, kiddo. Do not summon such weaklings to fight this Esteemed Taotie and his Beloved Partner unless they are strong or at least taste good." Shiro said with a cultured voice.
"…" The woman just looked at the thing, then at the two feet that were all that was left of the Heartless that were now dispersing into smoke, then back at the tiny creature.
"… The Hell are you two?" She finally asked.
"A duo of annoyances." A deep voice said as several portals of pure darkness opened around the group.
"Ansem!" Sora said with a growl.
"Two interlopers that need to be removed." Another guy, almost identical to the first, added as he too joined the scene.
"Xemnas!" Donald roared.
"You are Villains too?" Nejire asked.
"We are much more than that! Not mere ruffians!" Marluxia added, and at that the other active Members of the Organization appeared as well from their own portals.
"Why they are all here?!" Goofy asked, angry at being unable of keeping all of them in his sight.
"Hide behind me, Anna…" Elsa said slowly while moving in front of her sister.
"We felt a disturbance, and an unknown Being observing us. Was it you, boy?" Ansem asked.
"What if I was?" Izuku answered, glaring at them.
"You are more Alien than anybody here can imagine. Your Light and your Darkness are far too different, not Human. And that can either be a great asset, or a great threat to our plans." Xemnas said.
"You are not human, are you? I wonder what Heartless we can create with you!" Marluxia said with a chilling smile.
"You people really are the pure definition of Edgelords. Unfortunately nor me nor my Partner have time to waste with weakling weirdos with a leather fetish. Do your thing, Whitey." Shiro answered, and with his mouth snapping wide open, infinite black hair-like tendrils whipped out to hold those people down.
"Uh?!" Ansem was not really showing it, but he felt surprise at his powers not working.
"What are you-" Larxene asked.
"Troublemakers shall be stripped as an example to others!" Whitey declared with blazing red eyes.
"NO! WAIT!" She shrieked in horror.
Strip! Strip! Strip! Strip! Bang! Bang! Bang! …
One after another, each member of the Organization present went mercilessly stripped naked and bitch-slapped with overwhelming strength that shot them all beyond the horizon, returning the situation to normal in merely few seconds.
"… What the hell happened?" Kristoff asked, bewildered.
"I don't know! And I don't want to know! Please don't tell Kairi I saw another girl naked!" Sora said with a whine while covering his eyes.
"I say far too many dangling bits! Donald! Do you have a memory erasing spell?!" Goofy begged.
"NO! AND I WISH I KNEW ONE!" Donald answered, desperate.
"Waaah! I saw so many naked men! My eyes are cursed! I will never get married now!" Anna bellowed in tears.
"Guh! Could have left them in their pants at least!" Elsa begged, face red.
"No." Whitey answered.
"Let's just… Let's just go back." Izuku begged with a groan.
The next day - Royal Palace – Dinner Hall -
The sudden transformation and disappearance of Prince Hans had caused a lot of chaos, but luckily that served as a scapegoat for Elsa herself as Kristoff had the brainwave to accuse Hans of being the cause of the eternal winter around the kingdom as a ploy to hold the land hostage until he became king since as soon as he was defeated the storm was over and the sun returned.
It was a very wild stretch and bullcrap, but for the scared masses, that was good enough they could accept it, the fact that Hans was the 'Foreigner Ice Magic User' compared to Elsa the 'Local Ice Magic User', helped a bit as well, sadly.
And now, after a whole day spent rebuilding and fixing the damages of Elsa's escape and Hans transformation, it was finally time for Izuku to go though the test cooking of the final recipes of his list for the current Mission! Starting with…
"Lapskaus! This stew came out amazing if I can say so myself!" The young Cjef declared with a happy smile.
"Do we really have to help too?" Donald asked with a grimace as he, Sora and Goofy went given trays to help deliver dishes to the huge crowd present for the celebratory dinner of Elsa's coronation and the end of the "super-winter" plaguing the land.
"Pleeeeeease!" Nejire asked with doe eyes.
"… Okay…" The three Heroes accepted with a defeated expression, and cursing their Heroic Hearts for being unable to say No to a Friend/Lady in need asking for their help.
To be fair, though, the food was good since the stew' beef, potatoes, carrots, swede, and leeks were all supremely tender, with an amazing mixture of local spices enriching it; the small slices of buttered flatbread accompanying it.
"Hey! This is good!" Kristoff said with a wide smile.
"Huhuhu! Very good!" Anna answered, sitting close to the young man and taking his hand in hers, thing that did surprise him, but soon turned his smile in a really blinding one as the two started eating together after scooting a bit closer to each other.
"Eh! At least this one is a good guy!" Elsa commented, way more pleased with the guy than she was with Hans when it came to Anna's choice for romantic partners.
"Here are the Pinnekjøtt! The Dried Lamb Ribs! Luckily they ahd already started preparation before the ceremony got interrupted, so the smoking and the 30-hours-long soaking had already been done by the kitchen staff, leaving me with just the remaining 3 hours of preparation." Izuku declared right after, personally delivering a plate of those succulent ribs to Elsa.
"Thank you, Izuku." Elsa said.
"I am happy to see you more relaxed, as you can see, people do trust you, if you let them have a chance at getting close." He said, smiling.
"I know. Sora, Donald and Goofy said the same, and so did Anna… I guess my fear of my powers and the… The Weight of both that and my responsibility turned me blind." She answered, sighing.
"Gey! It's okay! You are an amazing woman and will be an amazing Queen! It's only a matter of believing in yourself! And as somebody that had fought his whole life with low self-esteem, I know how hard it is to break free from those bad habits, so watching you manage this is truly amazing." He said.
"Thank you!" Elsa answered, grateful, and enjoying her food with an adorable smile.
"Somebody is having fuuun!" Anna said with a sing-song voice, nearing the young woman.
"What can I say. I finally made peace with my sister, I came to terms with myself and my powers, I discovered how to protect who I love and my people instead of living in constant fear of hurting whoever is around me, I kind of helped you find true love (even if by mistake), and finally learned how to trust myself and be in charge of my own Destiny! I say it was a very fruitful two days. Or, well, one very long night and a day." Elsa answered, and at that the two sisters shared a long amused laugh.
"Oh, yes! I believe you got your life sorted out." Anna said, proud of her sister.
"I did! And now, the next step…" Elsa said.
"Uh-hu?"
"I was wondering if I should start looking for a special somebody myself." she answered.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Some guy or girl caught your fancy?" Anna asked, excited.
"I don't know…" Elsa answered with a mischievous smile, grabbing the hand of Izuku as he passed by her to deliver a serving of dessert to the two girls.
"Uh?!" The Young Chef uttered in panic.
"Maybe a young man with a smile as warm as the sun and a penchant for cooking, perhaps?" The Queen said with half-lidded eyes.
"Uuuuuuh…" Terror filled Izuku's veins instantly.
"Sister?" Anna asked, unnerved by the 'strange' tone of voice used by Elsa.
One minute later -
"SPIRAL CANNON!" Nejire yelled, using her Quirk to blast a hole in the new wall of ice trying to stop their escape.
"Vajra Filetting!" Followed right after by Izuku's own attack that reduced the ice wall right behind it to tiny cubes.
"ELSA! BE REASONABLE!" Anna yelled with wide eyes while chasing her sister chasing Izuku and Nejire.
"Gyahahahahahaha!" Donald, summoning fireballs by the down to help the young Chef and his friends escape, bellowed in alarm.
"Elsa! Please stop!" Sora, using fire magi as well, begged.
"This is not how a Queen acts!" Goofy cried-out, closing the conga line of chasers and chased that exited the Castle in a hurry.
"STAY HERE! I WILL LET YOU KEEP THAT WOMAN AS A CONCUBINE! BUT YOU'LL BE MINE! IT'S TIME I TAKE MATTERS IN MY HANDS! STARTING BY CHOOSING MY KING! GUARDS! STOP THEM!" Elsa ordered while summoning ice over and over to stop Izuku's escape.
"Sorry!" the poor guards yelled, forced by duty to join the hunt for the Chef.
"WHY! WHY! WHY! I am a Chef! I shouldn't be going through with this! Why!" Izuku, by now even he running out of tears to cry about this, yelled to the sky.
Meanwhile -
While the usual daring escape closure of a sortie of Izuku was taking place, several black-dressed people were marching towards the city with fury etched on their faces and a massive army of Heartless and Nobodies following them.
"Whoever that boy is. He has to die!" Larxene, face destroyed by nervous ticks, growled in madness.
"He will die. We will rip his heart out tonight." Vanitas, joining the group, said.
"No matter why his Darkness is different, that won't save him." Ansem declared with narrowed eyes.
"Huhuhuhu!" a deep voice hummed a mocking laugh that stopped them all dead in place.
"Uhu?" Marluxia said while all of them turned around to see who dared to laugh about them.
… And they saw that their Army had vanished without them even noticing, leaving behind only a slightly-fat black dog looking at them in amusement.
"Who are you now?" Xemnas asked.
"This Lord Dog is just here to make sure you stay out of that Kiddo's affairs forever." Blackie answered.
"Oh? And how do you plan to do this?" Vanitas asked with a mocking tone.
"No stripping!" Larxene yelled, almost foaming at the mouth.
"Hohoho! No, no! This Lord is not here to strip. This Lord is here to kill." Blackie answered, smirking savagely.
"Just try it, dog." Ansem answered, and all of the Organization Members present summoned their weapons and powers at once.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Fools!" Blackie answered.
In the general chaos of Izuku's escape, nobody heard the screams of pain and agony of the Organization getting slaughtered one by one.
And while Master Yen Sid will keep wondering why an 'Outer Being' had decided to focus on their realm, The System crossed out yet another world in very human-like anger.
"That woman was supposed to be one of those 'No need Men and Romance' Modern Princesses. Why this happened again? Why?" The Entity asked aloud to nobody.
"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?…"
As if going into a fit of rage, The System kept asking over and over again how Izuku could end in those situations even after the Entity did everything in its powers to avoid it.
