Iron Chef Showdown

The sun begins to set on Sandy Beach and word spread like wildfire about the Iron Chef competition. Many Pokemon were going to the Queen’s Heart and to the Sandy Den. I just finished another Tamato Berry Surprise and Rain his Clamperl Chowder. “Wow. Word gets around quickly doesn’t it?” I said. “Yep. My dad’s an awesome chef.” said Ariel. “And what about you? You make a good Tamato Berry Surprise.” “Well, a year ago I learned it from a Charizard who stopped on her way back to a place call Draconia. She helped out in the kitchen when my dad was ill.” “Say…her name wouldn’t have been Chara by any chance would it?” “Yeah. That was her name. You know her?” asked Ariel. “Chara’s my mom. She makes the best Tamato Berry Surprise. My fire’s extra hot thanks to her cooking.” “I see. No wonder I couldn’t match her culinary skills.” she said with a smile on her face.

Night soon fell. Ariel’s dad allowed me and Rain to crash in a room for the night in they‘re nearby home. “Your daughter‘s rather talented as a chef.” said Rain as we spoke to King. “Both my daughters are. Kate and Ariel are very talented. That Ariel…she’s also like to travel around, but she never takes the opportunity to go because of her concern of me. She may be the youngest, but she should go to set out on her dreams.” “What are her dreams?” I asked. “To be the world’s best chef. To do that…she must leave home.” Makes since, I thought. After the chat we went to sleep.

It was the day of the Iron Chef competition. It was the chefs of the Sandy Den verses the chefs of the Queen’s Heart. A large crowd gathered around. What we didn’t expect was more chefs and cooks coming. We found Ms. Kanga. “Kanga, what is the meaning of this?” asked King. “Oh…I thought about what the little red lizard said, and it made me think. Why should only our chefs compete? After all, if its gonna be an Iron Chef contest, what’s better than bringing in more chefs for you and I to scout? Makes for good publicity for our restaurants and to help make better cooks out of the best.” she said with a wink. “I have to admit she makes a good point dad.” said Kate. “Always something with you Kanga…alright, lets get this competition started.” said King. “Actually, my 2 best chefs and your daughters are in, but you and I will be the judges.” said Kanga. “You mean my dad can’t compete?” asked Ariel. “Nope, and neither will I. He’s a talented chef and so am I, and it would be unfair if the two of us came in and took charge. I say we see who’s the best by scouting out the chefs.” She walks away. “Curse that Kanga…always makes a plan that’s for the good. Okay Ariel and Kate, its up to the 2 of you. Do your best.” The sisters nodded.

Kanga took the microphone and approached the podium while Rain and I found our seats. “Welcome everyone to the 1^st Annual Sandy Beach Iron Chef Competition. We here at the Sandy Den and the Queen’s Heart welcome all of our competing chefs. I’m your host Kanga the Kangaskhan and proud owner of the Sandy Den with King the Nidoking, proud owner of the Queen’s Heart. We have 64 chefs competing to see who’s the best of the best. The winner will be the Iron Chef Champion. The rules are as follows: you must each make a dish within the amounted time given to you. All ingredients are there for you to use. There will be no cheating. Any cheating results in an automatic disqualification. King and I will act as judges. Ok chefs, you each will have now 15 minutes to make a dish. Begin.” And the chefs began. One by one each prepared a dish. Each looked good as the crowd watched. One by one the chefs went down. There were only 32 remaining, and among them were Kate, Ariel, and the Sandy Den’s 2 chefs: a Breloom and a Alakazam. The 32 were then trim to 16...and soon to 8. “Ok folks. Were down to our 8 finalists. Only 4 will move on to the next round. You now have 30 minute to come up with a dish.” The Alakazam was eliminated soon, but so was Kate.

It was now down to only 2 chefs: Ariel and the Breloom. “Ok folks. This last dish will be hot and spicy. Your dish…is to make Tamato Berry Surprise.” The crowd gasped. Most were muttering like ‘Who’s gonna taste it’ and ‘They must be crazy’. “Well folks, there is one here who tasted the soup and whose stomach didn’t explode. Pyro the Charmeleon, please stand up and come on down.” When kanga called me, I went and stepped onto the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, this little Pokemon has tasted death and survived. He’ll be the final judge and will select who will be the winner. Ok chefs…begin.” So Ariel and the Breloom got to cooking the soup. They were done in 10 minutes, so I tasted Ariel‘s first. I spew flames like I did, then tasted the Breloom‘s dish and did the same. “Well Mr. Pyro, how were both?” “Well, both are rather tasteful. Ariel’s shows texture and flavor that’s zingy and blissful. Mr. Breloom’s has a tender flavor and the Tamato Berry pieces were a good touch, adding wonderfulness to my taste buds.” “So…who is our winner?” asked Kanga. Everyone watched on. I pointed to…the Breloom. “There you have it folks. Our winner is Chef Breloom of the Sandy Den. Let’s give a round of applause for our winner. I looked at Ariel and she was sad.

It was sunset as the crowd dispersed and went off. “Well Kanga, your chef outdid my little girl. You win the bet. We’ll come work for you.” said King. “Oh King…you don’t need to do that anymore. I decided that you’re a talented chef and so are your girls. The competition also helped our business.” Huh? What do you mean?” “I mean, we both now have chefs who want to come work for us, to teach them to better themselves as chefs. That was what I was really aiming for.” she said, winking again. That Kanga…he thought. “So…your not mad dad?” asked Ariel. “Ariel, I couldn’t be any more prouder in you than I am now. Now…I want you to live your dream to be a world class chef.” “Huh? Y-you want me to go travel?” He nods, and so was Kate. Ariel hugged her dad. The next morning Rain and I were ready to go. “Hey you two, wait!” We turned and saw Ariel. “What is it Ariel?” asked Rain. “Mind if I tag along? You two can use a chef on the road.” Rain and I looked at each other and smiled. “Sure. You can come with us.” I said. “Splendid.” she said, giving me a hard pat on the back, and sending me into the ground. “Oops…sorry Pyro. I forgot how strong I am.” After they helped me up we were about to go when we saw King. Ariel went to give him and Kate one more hug. With that, we went on our way. “Dad, you think Ariel will do alright?” “Yeah. She’s a fine chef, and she’ll make her family proud.” he said.

The Queen's Heart

Madison, Rain, and I finally landed on the mainland. We found ourselves on a beach and Rain and I got off of her back. “Ah, Sandy Beach, one of the best beaches in all of Pokellon.” said Rain. “Pokellon?” I asked. “Pokellon is the name of this region your in Pyro. It’s rather large, but has many places for young adventurers like you to go and explore.” said Madison. “Awesome.” My stomach growled. “I see your hungry.” she said. Luckily I still had my backpack. Too bad the food my mom packed was so soaked even I can‘t cook them with my Flamethrower. “Great.” I said in disgust. “Not to worry Pyro. There’s a restaurant not far from here. The best on Sandy Beach.” said Rain. “Great, then let’s go.” “I’ll leave you boys to go on your adventure. I‘m no good on dry land in terms of travel, but Pokellon has many canals and rivers. Perhaps we‘ll see each other again.” said Madison. She swims off as Rain and I wave good-bye to her. The 2 of us then went on our way.

As we walked along the catwalk, we saw many beachgoers, mainly Water-types and those who can swim and tolerate water. We soon found 2 beach restaurants. “Never seen that one before. Must be new.” said Rain. “Hm?” The one on the far right is the Queen’s Heart. It’s been here on Sandy Beach for years. This new one…I never seen it before.” “Maybe they’re moving into a new building. The other does look a little beat up.” I said. “You can’t replace tradition. Come on and let’s go get some grub.” said Rain. So we made our way to the restaurant. We passed the bigger one, but got ambushed…by a promoter. “Welcome to Sandy Den, the new hippest, hoppest restaurant on Sandy Beach. Come taste our 5-Star Clamperl Chowder, not made from actual Clamperl, hahaha.” We walked pass the promoter and continued on.

We came to the Queen’s Heart and entered. Despite the outside appearance, the place was busy. We found a table and a Nidoqueen brought us our menus. “Welcome to the Queen’s Heart. I’m Ariel and I’ll be your waiter. How may I serve you?” “I’ll have the Sharpedo Fin Soup please.” said Rain. “Is that really made from the fins of Sharpedos?” I asked. “Oh no. We don’t actually use those. It’s just a name.” said Ariel. “Hmm…I’ll have the Tamato Berry Surprise.” I said. It grew dead quiet all of a sudden. “Uh…something wrong?” I asked. “No one orders that these days. It’s so spicy not even Fire Pokemon will eat it.” said Ariel. “In that case, I’ll have a bowl of it.” I said. Nervously, she took the menus and headed to the kitchen. “Pyro…are you sure you want that?” asked Rain. “Yep.” I said smiling. Ariel and another Nidoqueen came out with our orders. Ariel gave me a bowl of the red soup. “Well…bottom’s up.” I ate and drank the brew without hesitation.

Everyone watched in awe and shock as I finished it in less than 2 minutes. Smoke then came out of my nose and my cheeks grew redder than usual. “Waaaa! He’s gonna blow!” said Rain as everyone took cover. I burped a decent flame. Everyone soon rose out of they’re hiding spots and saw me. “Whew…you called this spicy Ms. Ariel? It’s good, but my mom makes hers even spicier.” I said. “Wait…you…” “Hahaha. Guess the Fire Pokemon in these parts aren’t exactly tough enough. Could I get one more bowl?” Um…sure.” She went to get me a second bowl. After our meal Rain and I paid for it. “Tasty. Got the fire in my belly and then some.” I said. “Your something else Pyro.” said Rain. Suddenly a Kangaskhan came in. “Oh no. Not again.” “Huh, what’s wrong Ms. Ariel.” I asked. “That Kangaskhan right there. She runs the Sandy Den, and…” We soon saw the chef, who was a Nidoking. “Again? Look, we already told you were staying here Ms. Kanga. We’re not budging. The Queen’s Heart is important to us.” “I see. She’s trying to run this place out of business.” said Rain. “Huh? No no, you got it all wrong. She wants my mom and dad to come work for her.” “Huh?” said Rain and I. “Look King, I can respect that this place holds a lot of memories for you, especially since its name for your late wife. But consider coming to work for me.” “I’m sorry Ms. Kanga, but I have to say no.” said the chef.

I watch as the conversation went on. “My dad loves this place, and my older sister too. They’re both good chefs, and I hope to be one myself.” “I take it that it was you who made the Tamato Berry Surprise for me.” I said. “Huh? How did you know?” You got a bit of Tamato juice on your apron.” I said. She laughed. “Hmm…I got an idea.” I went to approach the 2. “Excuse me, but if I may ask.” “Oh, it’s the little firecracker who withstood the Tamato Berry Surprise.” said the chef. “Huh? This little kid withstood that?!” said Ms. Kanga. “Sorry for intruding, but I believe I know a way for you to settled this. Why not have a sort of iron chef competition? We do it all the time where I’m from.” “An iron chef competition? Sounds good.” “You two can compete against each other.” I suggested. “Ok then. If I win you and your daughters must come to work for me King.” said Ms. Kanga. “And if I win me and my daughters will stay.” They shook claws and Ms. Kanga leaves. “Uh dad, is that really necessary?” asked Ariel. “Yes. This restaurant means a lot to me, so this is the only way now.” Ariel looks down. I hope in the end this works, or it‘ll blow up worse than the Tamato Berry Surprise, I thought to myself.

The penguin and the sea farer

Hours after I left Draconia I ran into a storm, a rather vicious storm. My raft was getting battered by wave after wave. I was at the sea’s mercy. Then, I spotted a large wave coming at me. There was no way I could avoid it. It crashed in to me. “Aaaaaaaaaa!!!” The wave tore my raft as if it was toothpicks. And I was sent flying into the water. I was able to get to the surface and hold onto a log. The waves mercilessly pounded me as another large wave came. “Uh oh, here we go again!” The wave bashed me and I was knock unconscious.

I was hearing someone singing. It was rather beautiful. “Wh…where am…I?” “Hm? Oh, so your finally awake. Good, I was beginning to worry.” said the voice. “Am I…dead?” “No silly. You’re very much alive.” I sat up and found myself on a small island, and found a Lapras. “”Huh? A Lapras?” “Yep, that’s what I am?” “Wow. I never met one of you before.” “Well, maybe because we spend our time at sea…since we have flippers. My name is Madison. What’s yours?” “Mine’s Pyro. I was name after my dad, Pyris.” “Pyris? Is he a Charizard who wears a blue scarf and has a thrill for adventure?” “Why yes. You know him?” “Know him? I simply adore that Charizard.” I was stunned by this. She knew my dad. “If you like, I’ll take you back to your home of Draconia.” “Thanks Ms. Madison, but the counsel has banished me for the destruction of an artifact. So I’m heading for the mainland.” “Oh, so sorry to hear that. I’ll be more than happy to take you. Climb aboard.” So I got on her back and we soon sailed off. “Thanks Ms. Madison.” “Aww, your welcome. And Madison will do just fine.”

We sailed for an hour, and Madison started to sing a nice tune…mainly about her and my dad. I couldn‘t help but laugh. “You find that amusing?” asked Madison. “Well…yeah. It sounds like you really liked my dad.” Her cheeks grew red. “Well…I was very smitten with him. We met years ago when he was shipwrecked. I was only a youngling like him and my mom helped him out. We brought him back to Draconia, but I liked him so much I came back to Draconia whenever I can. 10 years passed and Pyris and I are still friends. He and Chara got married and I was happy for them. 20 years of friendship…and I’ll always carry a spark of love for him.” “Wow, so my dad meant a lot to you.” “Indeed. I see a bit of him in you. Makes it easier to see where you got your looks from.” I felt a bit embarrassed when Madison said that. As we drew closer to the mainland, 30 or so minutes, we spotted 2 water spouts. “Water spouts? On a clear day?” I said. “Those aren’t ordinary water spouts. That’s a Gyarados’s Dragon Rage. When you’re a sea farer like me you know things of the sea. I thing we better stand clear.” “Hold on Madison. I see a streamline of bubbles. Looks like a Bubblebeam. I think there’s a Pokemon over there. We have to go help.” I said. “Hmm…you have your father’s blood in ya. Okay, hold on tight.” And so we headed for the area.

“Back off you water snakes!” “Whoa, there is someone battling with the 2 Gyarados.” said Madison. We got closer and saw a blue bird. “Is that a penguin?” I asked. “It’s a Prinplup, and he’s in trouble.” “Then let’s help him out.” “Taste my Bubblebeam!” The Gyarados whacked him back in the water, knocking him out. Madison fires her Water Gun at one, which got the other’s attention. I jumped onto her head. “no Pyro. Those Gyarados are Water-type Pokemon. A Fire-type Pokemon like yourself doesn’t stand a chance.” said Madison. “Let me worry about that.” I said. Then I leaped for the second Gyarados and got him with a Slash attack before landing in the water. I swam to the Prinplup. “Come on, wake up.” I then saw the Gyarados. “Uh oh, not good.” Madison blasted him with a Water gun, sending him a few feet, then concentrated on the other one as I swam to her with the Prinplup. She froze the Gyarados with Ice Beam long enough to dive down and surface again…with us on her back, but also allowed the Gyarados to regroup and break out of the ice. “This is getting us nowhere.” she said. “Don’t worry. Leave the rest to me.” I said as I got on her head. The Gyarados came at us, then I spewed a Smokescreen, confusing the 2. When the smoke cleared, we were gone.

The Prinplup soon came around. “Ugh…where am I.” “On the back of a Lapras.” I said. “If we didn’t spotted you those Gyarados would have torn you to pieces. My name’s Madison, and this is Pyro.” “Ugh…you can call me Rain. And…thanks. Where are you 2 going?” “We’re heading for the mainland. You can say I’m going on an adventure.” I said. “So…you’re a fellow adventurer too? That explains your blue scarf. Mine’s red. My old man gave it to me when I left home months ago. I want to be the best water battler ever.” “Sounds good.” I said. “Well boys, there’s the mainland.” said Madison. Finally, we made it, and I can’t wait to see what’s there waiting for us.