[center][h3]Bonus Round: Kulinary Kombat[/h3]
[b][color=DarkOrange]wordcount: 4069[/color][/b]  (+5) (+3 rapport)
[b][color=DarkOrange]Location:[/color][/b] Forbidden Kingdom - Esaka’s Low Tier
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 15 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color](300/150)
[b][color=Aqua]Rika: Level 12 [/color][/b] EXP:  [color=Aqua]/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color](136/110)
[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][b]Pit[/b] - [u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 311/80[/color][/center]

Time flew while the kids were having fun, to the point that Zeus had to bid them farewell. Eventually, however, all the running and sailing around the pools caught up with them, and it became high time they took a break and refueled. Which to say, more simply, that it was high time they had lunch.

With the when being now, that inevitably raised the question of: where?

[color=Aqua]”We could portal over to Shinjuku? There were alllll those nice looking places in the… Shinobi district? No wait, the Sotenbori district!”[/color] Rika suggested, before adding/asking off handedly that[color=Aqua]”the cops’ll probably have stopped looking for us by now, right?”[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”ehhhh, probably not”[/color] Jr replied with a ‘so so’ gesture regarding the latter question, before asking Pit [color=SpringGreen]”Been anywhere good around here?”[/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Uh, well... Yesterday we had lunch at a cafe with a big gold dragon, where we met Xilgrev. I think after that Sakura and a couple others found some kinda teahouse... And there's another couple places Terry mentioned before, barbeque and stuff."[/color] Clearly the angel remembered the food better than the names of the establishments. He looked out over the edge of the Pools Tier, where the sprawl of the Low Tier stretched out beneath them. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Most of them were down there, but since we're in the middle we could go up too."[/color]

Since it was such a big city, there really was no lack of choices for foodstuffs. There were street stalls, grocery and convenience stores with pre-prepared meals, taverns and bars, and restaurants ranging from homely mom-and-pops to corporate franchise locations to high class 'gastronomic experiences.' From where they were the group could even see a large establishment in the Low Tier, obviously more funded than many of its neighbors, with the tell tale signs of a restaurant being a giant fork and knife emblazoned on its side (along with a crown).

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"What're you in the mood for?"[/color] Pit asked. Personally, he was kind of a glutton that would be fine with most anything. 

Although after a beat he blinked and said, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"wait, what happened in Shinjuku? You guys got in trouble?"[/color]

[color=Aqua]”Oh. I stole Seek, and then some bandit stole Jr’s phone and ran into this weird place called a hollow, so we followed him and ran into his friends who we killed a bunch of but then the cops showed up and didn’t like that even though they also didn’t like the bandits”[/color] Rika replied, clearly confused about why they’d taken issue with that.

[color=Aqua]”So we then ran away, hid, followed them back out of the hollow, juked past them by abusing the fact that they thought we’d do the whole Galeeming fight to the death thing. Then we got disguises, went to try and find out the cassette beast stuff, but got into a fight due to the whole Galeeming thing screwing up a friendly fight we were doing, and the cops didn’t like that either even if we made peace by freeing the people we were fighting. After that we mostly avoided any trouble by hanging out watching robot fights, ‘sept that one issue with those ninja kids I stuck to a wall with the gum that shrunk me which the cops probably also don’t like”[/color] Rika then added in an extended ramble, which Jr summarised as [color=SpringGreen]”So yeah we stole n fought n ran away and they took issue basically. Mostly worked out in the end though”[/color]

The summary was appreciated, as Pit had started to get a little lost in Rika's vague, quick explanation. It definitely sounded like trouble alright, but the angel wasn't inclined to scold the royal siblings or anything. Honestly, it was kind of par for the course at this point. He did recall that besides their thoughts about lunch they had mentioned returning to the other city for supplies, so he said, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"you think it was serious enough to put up wanted posters of you guys? You might have to get some disguises after all if you go back!"[/color]

Which would bring everything back around to something that had been brought up when they first arrived in the Forbidden Kingdom, and might be pretty fun to put together. 

Before that though was the aforementioned lunch, as Pit's stomach let out a soft rumble. He blinked down at it, then back up.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"C'mon, let's head down a tier - and you can tell me more while we walk! Like why'd you steal Seek in the first place?"[/color]

[color=Aqua]”He seemed neat. Also, like, I just kinda asked how we’d copy them onto the phone, and then did that thing, and then everyone freaked out about that”[/color] Rika replied, having somewhat blundered into the first link onto their chain of criminality. 

[color=SpringGreen]”Yeah…. They’ve been handy though. You kinda need a netnavi to use that place’s internet apparently. Didn’t really get it first, seems kinda a weird overcomplicated way to do it to be honest. Especially with how there’s like, demons and monsters and viruses all in there that can attack you. Buuuuut turns out having a little buddy who knows their stuff speeds it up a lot”[/color] Jr explained in more detail

[color=Aqua]”Mmm hmmm. So it all worked out”[/color] Rika agreed, before snapping her oversized metallic fingers before saying [color=Aqua]”Oh, and for disguises, we already did that a bit using those cassettes. Here, see”[/color] 

The ship girl tapped the cassette player at her hip, and in a blur of static had turned into a very suspicious looking [url=https://i.imgur.com/2xDa56H.gif]monster[/url]. She toddled along in this form for a few moments, before the static consumed her once more and she changed back.

As she did this, Jr explained [color=SpringGreen]”We headed back to the Under and nabbed that one. Worked great till we got into that cassette beast fight and misunderstood the rules, got in an actual fight, and that way the cops knew what our disguises were. So we’ll need new new ones I guess”[/color]

The whole transforming into a monster thing was pretty neat every time Pit saw it, even if it still didn't beat something like a robot's ability to transform and combine. He couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight of it though, since it was probably one of the least inconspicuous looking disguises he'd seen. Still, he guessed you couldn't beat becoming an entirely different person to evade being caught. He almost wanted to ask how it all worked, buuuuut there were already a lot of things he had to keep in mind. He'd already just chalked the talk of how the internet worked over there up to him apparently misunderstanding what the internet even was in the first place. 

So instead he just said, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"probably won't be a big deal to get another monster. We passed all those ones outside Esaka... maybe you could even get one in Esaka? You think those Yokai count?"[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”Oh for sure. Problem would be weakening one in a fight without causing a whole load of trouble”[/color] Jr said, prompting Rika to suggest [color=Aqua]”Maybe some’ll get mad and go out of town to cause their own trouble like when we came here?”[/color] which did seem like a safe bet, assuming they could find out when/where one was happening 

At that Pit shrugged his shoulders. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"If you head out of the city I'm sure there's plenty of other stuff you could use too. Oh, but make sure to show me any cool ones you get!"[/color]

As they talked the trio made their way to one of the lifts between tiers, a feature that all of the Seekers were becoming very well acquainted with. It was nice that inter-Tier travel wasn't restricted even if there was a clear economic divide between them. In that respect, and many, many others, Pit liked this city more than Midgar. Once the elevator came to rest on the ground of the Low Tier and let them as well as a handful of other people off, the Eastern aesthetic urban sprawl was available to them once more.

[color=Aqua]”Soooo, where’s this place you were talkin about?”[/color] Rika asked.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"The dragon place or the tea place?"[/color] Pit questioned right back, as he'd mentioned a couple. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I didn't see the teahouse, but that cafe... maybe around here?"[/color]

Since he'd just been following Amaterasu the first time as the goddess' nose had led them to the rest of the Seekers (and food) at the time, Pit wasn't entirely sure he was headed the right way. There were places and little landmarks he thought he recognized, but ultimately every corner he led them around failed to reveal Pao Pao Cafe anywhere. 

Pit paused and scratched his head. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I guess it was on the other side? Hold on, I can definitely get us there!"[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”Uh huh”[/color] Jr replied while not even looking up from his phone. 

Though they could continue their search, there were other options. The large building they'd been able to spot from the tier above loomed on the next street they tried, conveniently close to one of the city's gates. Ease of access for those coming and going, perhaps? The bold [url=https://i.ibb.co/j9KFvM6m/Battle-Chef-Brigade-Preview-width-1080.png]sign[/url] outside showed the building's name along with the subtitles [i]Esaka Branch, Culinary Dojo and Haute Cuisine[/i] and [i]Dining Room Open[/i], informing people passing by what its function was. There was an additional sign too, this one temporary and hung by the door, stating: [i]Tournament Specials begin today.[/i]

[color=Aqua]”Specials? That sounds neat”[/color] Rika said when she saw it, before asking Pit [color=Aqua]”Do you think they'll do something extra special because you're in the tournament?”[/color] 

Having not considered that, Pit's eyes widened in excitement. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I hope so! Let's eat here and find out!"[/color]

The 'culinary dojo' was more upscale on the inside than one might expect, but not so much that it would make the common customer uncomfortable. The front of the house was quite large, and with a dining room on each side and a hallway leading to the back of the house, which was even bigger. Glimpses of kitchens could be seen, along with smaller cook stations at the back of the dining rooms... on raised stages, with a long dinner table in front of each. There were a few scattered guests seated already on each side, but the majority of activity seemed to be behind the scenes where the trio of Seekers could hear yelling, shouts of frustration and encouragement, and the clattering of pans.

Rika tilted her head at the sound, wondering what in Galeem’s world was going on back there. 

They also could see a [url=https://i.ibb.co/DyhgQVJ/Pontida.webp]pink haired dwarf[/url] dressed in an ensemble somewhere between a chef’s coat and a cleric’s smock with a large meat tenderiser on her hip escorting a young man out by the ear. She marched right past the kids with him.

"Ye know what they say, if ye can't stand the heat...!" she said, shoving the man toward the door. He stumbled out of it while the woman dusted her hands off. As she turned to head back to where she'd come from she spotted the three guests, her demeanor changing slightly to be more friendly.

"Welcome in. Are ye here to eat or compete?"

[color=Aqua]”Eat!”[/color] Rika said at once, while it was Jr who asked [color=SpringGreen]”Compeat in what?”[/color]

"The tournament of course," the woman responded. "Ye didn't think the only battles fought here in Esaka were with fists, did ye? Here in this branch people come from all over to try their hand at becoming a certified Battle Chef! Facin' down the toughest monsters for the most exotic and flavorful ingredients, makin' only the strongest meals fit for the strongest of fighters!"

Her words certainly enticed Pit, not so much trying to become a Battle Chef but getting to eat their food. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Ooh! Is that what the specials are for?!"[/color]

"The Specials is what we call our version of the Pools. But, we do have a few regular tourney specials on the menu this week," the woman laughed lightly. "You three are in time if ye want to sample our trainee Battle Chefs’ dishes for the tournament too. Ambassador Akebo's just about ready to judge."

Rika, who’d looked a little sad about the lack of specials, perked up right away about the fact that there was food available right away and instantly agreed to the sampling idea with a [color=Aqua]”Yes please!”[/color] despite Jr looking a little hesitant at the idea of eating ‘trainee’ prepared food.

For what it was worth, Pit was completely on board with the idea. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I'm in! I'll eat anything you put in front of me!"[/color]

The dwarven chef laughed again at Pit and Rika's enthusiasm. If she noted Junior's trepidation, she didn't mention it, though she did say, "you're all in for a treat then. Hey, host! Seat these three, will ye?"

While the pink haired woman returned to the back of the house, a well dressed host ushered the kids to a table in the right-hand dining room. Now that they were in the space properly they could see that there were a quartet of people behind the raised cook stations in various states of sweaty or flustered. The last of the dishes they'd all prepared were being collected and distributed to the guests seated in the dining room, though the first of each went to the judge's table at the front of the room. There sat two men, one a distinguished [url=https://i.ibb.co/ch62LFH0/LauVF5US.webp]older gentleman[/url] in ornate yi fu with a serious expression, and the other a more cheerful [url=https://i.ibb.co/R46xbRm1/Judge-akebo.webp]blonde man[/url] who had only just made it to his seat.

"Sorry for the wait!" he said. "Let's get started with the Specials! The chef who prepared the worst rated dish will be dropped from the tournament."

On stage, the four competitors on this side of the Brigade's building came out from behind their stations to smile at the guests, each of them confident in themselves. A [url=https://i.ibb.co/Qv2nZqYW/bravo-chaos-code-artwork2.jpg]muscular man[/url] already decked out in chef's attire, a [url=https://i.ibb.co/DPzJhx7P/Jam-Xrd.webp]cheerful woman[/url] in red, a [url=https://i.ibb.co/GyvGJgp/1024px-Official-Artwork-Imugi.png]turtle man[/url] who was certainly more of the former than the latter, and a [url=https://i.ibb.co/YB3JzZnB/Mina.webp]young woman[/url] who was practically vibrating with anticipation. 

At the table Rika, Pit, and Junior were seated at (along with everyone on the other tables) were pens and scoring cards that listed each of the four dishes along with a row of numbers from one to five. Moments later, four small plates were set before the three of them.

Akebo spoke again from the judge's table, clapping his hands together once. "The theme for today's match? Fire!"

[color=Aqua]”Why are they so small?”[/color] Rika whispered to her brother who replied [color=SpringGreen]”It’s like samples, or whatever. We try a little bit each”[/color]

She thought about this for a moment, and then decided she liked this idea. All of the new flavor experiences, none of the hassle of getting lots of stuff being “too expensive” or worrying about the whole “not being able to finish your food” issue.

Then, wasting no more time, she picked up her cutlery, took a sample of the first dish, a [url=https://i.ibb.co/Fk1M5trB/Dragon-Shank-Meatball-Clean.webp]dragon shank meatball[/url], and then popped it into her mouth, before rolling the food around inside to get a good sense of the flavor. Jr, much less of a gourmand, just scarfed it down a solid helping of the same one with little hesitation. Which left Pit who happily stuffed the whole thing into his mouth at once.

It was good. More than good, even. Those looking to become Battle Chefs were not amateur cooks, so any worries they may have had about the quality were swiftly assuaged. It was also spicy, the meat hotly seasoned beneath the even hotter pepper-based sauce. Only the dollop of sour cream and the little piece of bread on the side did anything to cut the heat, though there was a pitcher of water and a few glasses provided for the diners as well.

Pit let out a puff of breath, color already coming to his cheeks. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Uuf! It's hot, but it's tasty!"[/color]

[color=Aqua]”Oh, wow, yup hooot”[/color] The girl who had lived on the blandest of rations for all but her last few weeks of existence agreed, having to (reluctantly) go for the water already, while the boy who could breath actual fire rolled his eyes while saying [color=SpringGreen]”It’s not that hot, jeeze”[/color]

They'd arrived too late to have watched the live cooking processes, pans on high heat and bursts of flame from flambé, but the theme still came through just fine in the rest of the dishes as well. [url=https://i.ibb.co/zHn9jP3V/Armarock-Heart-Menudo-Clean.webp]Armarock heart menudo[/url], [url=https://i.ibb.co/d47vNDNR/Lantern-Fruit-Rellenos-Clean.webp]lantern fruit rellenos[/url], and [url=https://i.ibb.co/gZxx8NBr/Baurun-Spare-Ribs-clean.webp]baurun spare ribs[/url] awaited the group, ranging from mildly spicy to pretty hot, touches of sweetness or creaminess making the flavors more complex, and each one as delicious as the last. As they ate their way through the Tournament Specials the dining room buzzed with pleased diners and the soft voices of the judges making comments to each other. 

Once they were finished all that remained were the score cards, about which Lau announced, "once we come to our decision we will take the dining room's opinions into account if we have need of a tie breaker."

[color=Aqua]”Oh we’re just the backup? Takes the pressure off I guess”[/color] Rika said, mostly to herself, as she fiddled with the pen, before finally settling on the menudo for her first pick, while Jr rather predictably went for the spare ribs.

Once they'd decided their favorite food of the bunch and scribbled in their rankings, members of the wait staff came by to clear their plates and collect their cards. Right before lunch the three of them had just been standing on the edges of the Pools and judging various different matches going on, and this really wasn't much different besides the venue likely looking down on loud cheering or critiques shouted out. Even so, in the dining room across the hall they could hear some muted, scattered applause and voices of congratulations as that half of the Tournament Specials wrapped up. If one cared to look, the culinary competition's schedule could be found on a free standing sign by the entrance or online: similarly to the martial arts tournaments being held, it would go on over the next couple of days with two competitors eliminated each time until the final head to head. Opening day featured a lunch and a dinner round, while the next two were dinner only. Eight hopefuls, out of which only one would join the ranks of the culinary elite and be bestowed the honor of becoming a Battle Chef - the victor declared on Saturday night, since both participants and brigade members still wanted to catch the finales of Esaka's martial spectacle on Sunday.

To be honest though, Pit was not very invested in the kitchen battleground. He could make a mean latte for Lady Palutena, but he'd never been much of a cook, his appreciation for the art limited to enjoying the end results. Plus there was the fact that he didn't even know which chef had created his favorite of the four dishes (the rellenos), and since his next match in his own tournament was going to be held shortly this afternoon he didn't want to spend a lot of time in the brigade building trying to find out. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Maybe if we come back in a couple days we can see who ends up winning this whole thing,"[/color] he said, though so long as he got to eat something good he didn't mind if they eschewed the brigade's tournament and stuck to take out. With a grin he added, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"y'know, right before me and the others win all the other tourneys!"[/color]

[color=Aqua]”Yeah, if we can we should do that for sure!”[/color] Rika agreed enthusiastically, the set of mini-meals being exactly her thing as it turned out. Jr wasn’t particularly enthused by the prospect of having no choice in what they were served, but he liked seeing his sister happy so he shrugged and said [color=SpringGreen]”Yeah, sure why not?”[/color]

With their meal finished the trio made their way out of the building. The afternoon had worn on, but there was still plenty of daylight left. The rest of the day was open for the royal siblings to do whatever they pleased with, and as for the gold team's captain? His 2nd match in the Mortal Kombat series would be coming up soon.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Alright! I'm all fired up now, heheh!"[/color] Pit said, stretching his arms up over his head and then bouncing on the balls of his feet once he let them drop back down. He certainly didn't want to risk being late again, so he planned to head right back up the Pools. Before that though he asked, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"What're you guys gonna do now? Wanna come back up with me and watch some more fights?"[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”We’ll come see yours”[/color] Jr began, before glancing at his sister who nodded after a moment, and then added [color=SpringGreen]”But maybe we should, like, do some productive stuff this afternoon? I was thinking of finding out more stuff about that G-corp group on the net. You know, do some snooping n hacking, find out what their deal was, see if people are actually trying to go after them, that kinda stuff”[/color] 

[color=Aqua]”Maybe we figure out a way to record a Yokai as well? That way we can sneak back into Shinjuku some time”[/color] Rika suggested as well, as she wanted to [color=Aqua]”Get some more money for robots n stuff”[/color]

Pit nodded; either or both options sounded like a good use of time to him. If they were going to spectate his next match too then maybe he'd even tag along to help them out afterwards, although... he should probably look into some new lodging for everyone, assuming bunking at individual dojos would be an issue. Briefly he thought up a convoluted plan to use Lady Palutena's power to warp Junior up to Skyworld where they could try and convince the goddess to let a little graffiti in the temple slide so that everyone could spend their nights up there.

[color=lightgreen][i]Not a chance. These temple walls stay spic and span.[/i][/color]

Well, local lodging it was then. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"If you guys need any help later just let me know! Now c'mon, let's head back up!"[/color]