Chapter 155
Professor Oak slowly emerged from the blissful aftertaste and looked at Haruto.
By now, he had no doubt that the young man was an extraordinarily skilled chef.
After experiencing such exquisite food for himself, the professor could also understand why Haruto traveled between worlds in relentless pursuit of new ingredients.
Professor Oak had eaten Slowpoke tail before and remembered it being quite delicious.
Compared to the dish Haruto had just prepared, however, the difference was like night and day. The two could hardly be considered the same food.
Still savoring the lingering flavor, Professor Oak sighed helplessly.
"After eating your cooking, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stomach instant noodles for the next few months."
Haruto’s lips curved into a faint smile.
"I happen to have several ingredients that can be eaten as they are. They’re quite delicious too."
He brought out several items and passed them to Professor Oak: plump, sweet Bone Corn, crisp and tender Almond Cabbage, and unusual Rice Bowl Fruit.
All of them came from the Toriko world and possessed flavors far beyond ordinary food.
Haruto also intended to use ingredients like these as currency in his future trades.
As for depleting his personal supply, that was not much of a concern.
The Gourmet Restaurant had undergone a complete transformation, so Haruto planned to revisit his previous hunting grounds and replenish his stock anyway.
Having already tasted Haruto’s Grilled Slowpoke Tail Rice Bowl, Professor Oak did not stand on ceremony. He accepted the ingredients and sampled them one after another.
Although they could not compare to a dish Haruto had prepared with his full skill, their rich flavors and exceptional textures still far surpassed ordinary food.
Professor Oak found himself growing even more tempted by Haruto’s proposed trade.
Being able to enjoy such delicious meals between long hours of research would surely make his work far more motivating.
Still, tempting as the offer was, the professor knew that the wilderness was hardly the place to negotiate an agreement.
He took out a red-and-white Poké Ball and tossed it into the air.
A flash of red light burst forth, and a powerful Charizard appeared on the ground, the flame at the end of its tail burning brightly.
Charizard lowered its head to study Haruto before giving him a friendly rumble.
"Charizard can carry you," Professor Oak said. "The laboratory isn’t terribly far from here, but it would still take quite a while on foot."
"Thank you."
Haruto nodded and looked at Charizard with anticipation.
With the Pokémon’s cooperation, he easily climbed onto its broad, sturdy back.
Professor Oak mounted Dragonite and gently patted its neck.
A moment later, Charizard and Dragonite spread their wings simultaneously.
Powerful gusts scattered dust and fallen leaves across the clearing.
Charizard launched itself into the sky with a mighty beat of its wings, and Dragonite followed close behind.
Once Haruto steadied himself, he could not resist spreading his arms and letting the wind rush across his face as he admired the landscape below.
The dense forest stretched beneath him like an endless green carpet.
Trees, streams, and rocky outcrops swept past at incredible speed, while the vast open view left him feeling wonderfully refreshed.
Distant towns and roads had shrunk into thin lines.
With the whole world spread out beneath him, even Haruto’s thoughts seemed to open up.
After enjoying the scenery for a while, he looked down at the Charizard carrying him, fondness appearing in his eyes.
He had always thought Charizard looked incredibly cool. It was one of the Pokémon that had left the strongest impression on him.
Haruto was already considering raising a Charmander of his own and eventually evolving it into Charizard.
Not only would it make an excellent mount, but it could also help light fires while he cooked.
That thought reminded him of the Pokémon Egg Arceus had given him.
It had yet to hatch, and Haruto still had no idea what species it contained.
Professor Oak, however, would surely be able to identify it.
Haruto could ask the renowned Pokémon expert to examine the Egg and teach him more about incubation and hatching.
The Egg had been a gift from Arceus.
It was unlikely to contain a Legendary Pokémon, but there was no doubt that whatever hatched from it would possess extraordinary potential.
Especially considering that Arceus had altered the Egg in some unknown way.
While Haruto was lost in thought, Charizard subtly changed the angle of its wings and began descending.
Haruto looked down.
A large building appeared beneath them, surrounded by green trees and a peaceful, pleasant landscape.
Professor Oak’s laboratory had come into view.
Charizard and Dragonite landed one after the other in the open space before the building.
"Welcome to my laboratory," Professor Oak said.
Haruto nodded and jumped down from Charizard’s back.
Professor Oak returned Charizard to its Poké Ball.
Dragonite gave a soft cry and remained quietly beside him, clearly uninterested in returning to its own Ball.
The professor did not mind.
"Come inside."
He gestured toward the entrance and led Haruto into the laboratory.
Various research instruments lined the corridors alongside Pokédex models and shelves filled with reference books.
A faint mixture of cleaning solution and greenery hung in the air, creating an atmosphere that was orderly and quiet without feeling lifeless.
The occasional gentle cry of a Pokémon echoed from deeper inside, adding warmth to the building.
Before long, they reached a simple but comfortable reception room.
It contained sofas, a low table, and tall windows overlooking a carefully maintained garden.
Several Caterpie and Weedle could be seen slowly crawling across the leaves outside.
Professor Oak invited Haruto to sit, poured him a glass of warm water, and gently pushed it across the table.
"Here you are."
"Thank you."
Haruto lifted the glass and took a sip.
Professor Oak sat on the sofa opposite him and leaned forward slightly, open curiosity in his eyes.
After considering how to phrase his question, he asked,
"Haruto, you mentioned that you visited several different worlds before arriving here. Would you mind telling me about them?"
Part of his reason was to learn more about Haruto’s origins, experiences, and abilities so that he could better judge whether the young man posed any threat.
But as a researcher, Professor Oak also found the very idea of other worlds almost impossible to resist.
Haruto set down his glass and nodded.
"Of course."
There was no particular need to keep any of it secret.
Besides, the technology of the Pokémon world was nowhere near capable of allowing others to travel to the worlds he had visited.
Haruto leaned back against the sofa and thought for a moment.
"The first world I reached was an otherwise ordinary place where the culinary arts were unusually advanced."
"Some chefs possessed what could almost be called supernatural abilities, but overall, there were no crises threatening to destroy the world. It was a peaceful and stable place."
Of course, while the Food Wars world itself might be ordinary, the Nakiri bloodline was absurd enough to make Haruto wonder.
If those abilities ever developed in a truly supernatural world, they would probably become terrifyingly powerful.
Professor Oak listened closely without interrupting.
After a brief pause, Haruto continued.
"The next place I visited was a world ruled by food."
"Nearly everything there could be considered an ingredient."
"There were trees that grew tender roasted meat, rivers filled with milk, and entire roast pigs that ran around alive."
"The Bone Corn I gave you came from that world."
"And even something like Bone Corn is considered an ordinary ingredient there."
"The truly rare ingredients include Jewel Meat that shines like a precious stone, Puffer Whales that appear only once every ten years, BB Corn that requires temperatures of over a thousand degrees to prepare, Ozone Herb that can only be eaten when two people bite into it simultaneously, and Century Soup that appears just once every hundred years."
Professor Oak’s eyes gradually brightened as he listened, and he unconsciously swallowed.
It sounded like an incredible world.
He could not help longing to visit it himself.
Then Haruto continued.
"In that world, the more delicious food a creature consumes, the stronger it can become. That applies to humans and animals alike."
"That’s why chefs hold extremely high status there. It also led to the rise of Gourmet Hunters, people who make a profession out of capturing rare ingredients."
"After all, the more valuable an ingredient is, the more difficult it usually is to obtain."
"The planet itself is divided into two regions: the Human World and the Gourmet World."
"The Human World is relatively safe."
"But some of the most powerful creatures in the Gourmet World..."
Haruto paused before finishing calmly,
"...can destroy an entire planet."
"Only a very small number of people are capable of entering the Gourmet World and returning safely."
Haruto was still leaving out a great deal.
Even so, Professor Oak’s eager expression quickly became solemn.
He had initially imagined a carefree paradise overflowing with delicious food.
He had never expected it to be such a terrifyingly dangerous world.
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