Passionate Rivals

Facility Event: A Dash of Disaster

Episode 2

Passionate Rivals

Previous Quest

The Contest Begins

Next Quest

Mushroom Gathering

Summary

In the preliminaries, Valerio's rivals include Picaro, the lazy scion of a well-regarded restaurant, as well as a master Hinomotoan chef named Mitsuba. As the competition heats up, the prince and his friends set out with the living vegetable Pipple to gather ingredients.

Dialogue

Now that the preliminaries have begun, our chefs and their helpers must each gather their own ingredients. It's not enough for a chef to simply work with ingredients selected by others—they must know how to find their OWN! Easy for him to say—he ain't the one who has to go looking for ingredients in a fiend-infested forest! I would've prepared way more if I'd known this was gonna be the way of it. Oho ho ho! Flustered already? My, my, my. Y-you're the head chef at L'Amandier! That's the greatest restaurant in the world! What an eye you have, my untalented friend! I am indeed Picaro, head chef and inheritor of L'Amandier. Elite Chef

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Picaro
Still, if this little rule change is enough to make you break down, I suggest you take up an easier career...like stirring pottage! Oho! Oho ho ho ho! But Picaro? Oho ho! Picaro has prepared for any and all contingencies! I have a pantry full of ingredients, plus a full staff of sous chefs at my beck and call! THAT is the secret to being a top-tier chef! Surely you mewling bunch of table waiters understand that? Ah, but perhaps Picaro gives you too much credit. Oho ho ho! What utter rot. By my copper saucepan! It's Valerio, the wandering genius chef of legend! Perhaps, dear boy, you would be good enough to explain what you meant when you called my message "rot." Money and status will not lead to victory in this place. Instead, skill and composure will be the orders of the day. Oho ho ho! You're certainly ARROGANT enough to be a genius, though I'm so far failing to see the "genius" portion. And yet, I hear you care for neither riches nor fame, no? If so, what brings you here to the Orichalcum Chef contest? Only a simple dream, friend: I wish to feed the people of the world until their taste buds cry out in ecstasy. Pah! What nonsense! What balderdash! Such idle thoughts are beneath a common dishwasher, much less a chef! Well, no matter. My "rot," as you say, will make steak tartare of your precious dream! That guy seems fun at parties. The genius Valerio going against the elite chef Picaro promises to be a most heated competition indeed. In that case, let's help out so they can focus on doing what they do best. You would like to help? Excellent. In that case, please deal with him. Er, him who?

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Nimis need food badly... Nimis about to die... Wait. THAT is your "him"?! If I am to devote my attentions to cooking, I must leave him in your capable hands. Farewell, my new friends. But if this dragon gets hungry again, he'll surely run rampant! What are we going to do, Euden?! NIMIS NEED FOOD BADLY! NIMIS ABOUT TO DIE! Against all odds, the party manages to keep Nimis
calm for a short while. And later that night...
Eeeeek!

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That scream came from the kitchen! Let us make for it apace!

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Pipple-luu! ♪ Get out of my cooking pot, you...you... you whatever you are! Is everything all right?! Euden! Oh, it's just a lady and a...um... Pipple! Er, is that a potato with eyes? ...Real eyes, I mean. We heard a scream. Is something wrong? This little...THING showed up out of nowhere and jumped into my pot! Now my special dashi is ruined and I have to make the entire thing over. I am quite sorry to hear that, madam. Er, but what IS this creature, anyway? There you are, you rapscallion! Valerio! You know this...uh...turnip? I do. This is Pipple, a vegetable. Vegetable (?)

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Pipple
The vegetables I am familiar with do not move about or make noises. Ah, but just look at him. Pure vegetable. He appeared before me while I was out in the woods. I told him to go away, but... Well, as you can see, he didn't listen. And then, I take my eyes off of him for one second, and look at the ruckus he causes. Out of my pot, you! Shoo! Bad parsnip! Uuugh, this dashi is totally ruined now. So you're a chef too, yeah? I mean, since you're in the kitchen making soup and all, it seems a pretty safe guess. Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mitsuba, a chef from Hinomoto. Hinomotoan Chef

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Mitsuba
If I didn't know better, I'd swear this Pipple thing WANTS to be eaten. Hey! You! The tall drink of water there! If you're gonna make a pet out of a vegetable, take some responsibility for it and help me out here! I wouldn't call him my PET exactly, but... Yes, well. My apologies for the trouble. You apologize as well, Pipple. Piye… *sigh* Oh, I suppose it's all right. This dashi was just a test batch, anyway. But don't expect it to go like this in the competition, Mr. Wandering Genius. I'm not gonna lose to you! How very competitive of you to say so. No apologies here! We both wanna be the best, which makes us rivals. So then! I heard you talking to that gasbag Picaro earlier. Sounds like you're in this contest because you want to bring tasty food to everyone in the world. Well, I've got an equally important dream in mind, which is why I'm gonna WIN! Anyway, bye for now, Mr. Genius. Catch you in the Hungerdome! Three worthy adversaries, each vying for the top... It matters not—I will be the winner. But right now, we have a more pressing concern. ...Pipple! Piya? I know not if your true aim is to be eaten, but you must stop interfering with people. So if you insist on being here, be useful instead of simply getting in the way. For example, you can gather ingredients. Pi! Oh, he's got a fork! Guess he's really raring to go! Pipple-luu! Sounds like we're going ingredient hunting. Come on, Pipple! Pipple!

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(I don't care how much of a genius Valerio is, or what his dream might be—I am NOT going to lose this competition!) Oho ho! Go on, now! Eat your fill! Hmm? That sounded like... My cooking is divinity itself, no? Come, now! Eat all you can! *munch* *munch* Nimis like! (Picaro is feeding that hungry dragon. ...But WHY is he doing it?!)