Barnyard Double Trouble!
By Solar Gem X
The sun was slowly rising on a new Texan day, most of the people where yet sleeping dreaming of their daily lives, about the blistering heat, about patrols among different territories, about the upcoming harvest, of delicious food and BATTLE! Yes… the lattermost is truly important, for as a pair of eyes opens a new, greeting a new day, they turn towards a calendar with a great red circle on it, the words "Festival" Embezzled on its surface and as the individual saw this words… they smiled a wide toothy grin.
John Chavez: Hehehe…Show time.
Ah yes this is one of our main actors in todays play. John Chavez, otherwise known as Burstfire of the Barnyard Rangers was awaiting this day for many moons. Today was the day he, alongside his beautiful wife Marygold Basil Astraud, would show the all of Texas, just why they are known as the Kings of BBQ!
Well yes! You see dear guest, today at around 12 PM the Annual "Soul Daze" festival is going to begin. This festival is a celebration of Texan cuisine and its culture, while an educational festival meant to illustrate the various cuisine found in the city, this Festival is also one of the biggest Economical events around. Due to celebrating all things food and drink, many different restaurants and Orchards duke it out for a chance to cater in the event, not only there's a wide variety of food stalls and food-based competitions, Drink offs, Pie Eating/ Baking, Cooking lessons and One of the Main Events: "The Twin Sun's BBQ War" a couple-based cooking competition where groups of 2 (usually couples) compete in order to be crowned The Lords of BBQ. Everyone is allowed to participate, INCLUDING Metahumans, In actuality the purveyors of the event especially like when Meta's join on the activities since 9 times out of 10, they really lighten up the festivities, bringing music, games and expertly made confectionaries to the masses (It makes A LOT of money). Its for this specific reason that The Barnyard Rangers are going to be attending the event. Part Relaxion-Part Work, Burst Fire and Copper Serpent will be participating on BBQ War as a Metahuman couple in order to bring a lot of attention and revenue for the event. Meanwhile, Breeze Hoof or Marybelle Anderson Astraud, will be catering for the event, providing a massive quantity of various fruits from her Orchard in order to supply a good chunk of the various participants in various events, mostly concentrated on the Baking Events including Pie Making, The amount of Income she was going to gain during the next few days of the Festival will line her and her teams income for a gooood while. The rest of the team will swap between enjoying the sights and serving as Security in case of emergencies. All these factors exemplify why most of the Team, especially the Married duo are ecstatic for what's to come… and they aren't the only ones. Since in a hotel a couple of miles from their base…
???: Are all things prepared? *said a baritone male voice*
???: Yup! We've gathered everything, we have our tools ready, and I've confirmed that all our equipment will be set by the time we arrive. Ready to show these Texans what Double Bubble is made of!?
Chris Flamberge (Flame Cut): He, I was born Ready. Let's go Lei.
Leilani Pueo (IronSight): *Giggle* Right behind you "
koʻu aloha"(My Love).
Oh my! I do believe Burst Fire and Copper Serpent may be in a bit of Trouble. Double Bubbles "Mightiest" have joined the scene. Things are without a doubt about to heat up!
*Ost Stop*
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12:15 pm, Festival Grounds
The festival was in full swing. People came and went in droves, the avenue spanning a huge swat of land with stalls as far as the eye could see. There where games, information kiosk about various nutritional facts and small-time sellers who were lucky to grab a slot in the festival grounds. Among the various people moving about we can see a Certain Cowboy and Lamia sampling various snacks as they made their way towards the Mains Section of the Festival, "Apollo's Cooking Grounds" as it was coined by the locals, a massive indoor building the grounds has converted into a massive stage where all competitors will cook their various dishes. Air Conditioned and with some extremely High-quality air filtrations tools (Rumors of Algernon tech involvement included) many spectators and the very Judges themselves will do everything to dissect the competitors every move.
John: *Chewing on some Kabobs* *Swallow* Man that wasn't half bad, a decent 7 out of 10, what you think Hun?
Marygold: Hmm… a good blend of sssspices, but the sauce was slightly weak for my tasssste, but it was a good-sized portion…hmm, I agree 7/10. So have you seen the competition, any interessssting individualsss?
John: A good mix of Decent, Newbies and Old Guard running around. The decent ones will probably pass round one if things go well but may falter during round 2 onwards, The Newbies will depend, Haven't seen them all, but Who knows, maybe they'll surprise us. As for the Veterans…Hmm we got Lorenzo and His Kid, the Coldflowers seem to be concentrating their efforts in the Brewery stands, making bank it seems, so they probably are not going to join, Last Year Runner ups the Santos are back with a vengeance, seems they went all out in getting some high-quality steel and it seems Arman and his Husband Cielo (Last Year's Champions) are going to be Judges this year, so they can't compete.
Marygold: Oh…? That'ssss interesssting. We might have a straight shot for the top this year.
John: Maybe… cant be too cocky though; you know what they say: "
Overconfidence is a slow and Insidious Killer." Too bad Marybelle is stuck with the Baked good side of the event, she would have loved to see what woods the competitors where using, she wanted to compare it to the orchards personal Apple Tree wood.
Marygold: The ones that were Grown using the Sssap from "The Dryads Circle's" Leader's vines?
John: The very same, its safe for use and really intensifies the wood's properties, damn things can take a kick from Breeze Hoof and not have a dent. Still can't believe she's taken to kicking her own trees to get apples down, if it weren't for her control over air, they would definitely bruise… makes for a fast harvest though. Anyway, we might as well go closer to the avenue and wait for the-
Marygold: Honey? Something wro-
Both of the heroes cut their words immediately as a tantalizing aroma enters their nose. As they follow the scent to its source and its there were they see THEM.
A tall man and a beautiful woman were among the stalls leading to the main Avenue. This particular stall had a Challenge for any aspiring chefs, compete against its owner and make a better dish with the allocated ingredients and win a prize. While much smaller than the main event, it served as a good way to eye the competition as many competitors took their shot as a warmup. The reason the duo stopped talking was because of the skills the Male was showing, he was making precise cuts with the ease of an expert, and it was as the flames of the grill danced to his every movement, not only that, but the woman was rapidly taking a huge quantity of orders as some other competitors tried to confuse her, but to no avail. The shear speed, precision and skill showed they were professionals, and VERY talented pros at that. The fact they were new faces did not matter at the slightest. As the Duo finished their task (their slaughter) the left easily winning the stalls prizes. Just as they left the woman notice them John and Marygold who had subconsciously began to analyze their every movement and notified the male about them, who in turn took one look at them and Grinned, waving at them as they entered the main arena.
John: *As a tooth filled grin slowly appears
* ….Mary, do you mind getting the Orchard Wood, The
special ones? Because it looks like we have some ~
competition~.
*Turn Ost off, or keep until next change*
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1:00 PM , Apollo's Cooking Grounds
Announcer: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE ANNUAL "TWIN SUN" FESTIVAL! In today's main event, we re here on the Cooking Grounds in order to find out who is the best of the best when it comes to BBQ! Competitors will aim to cook the most mouth-watering dishes this side of American Soil, next to me are our Trio of Judges. First is last year's winners
Arman and Cielo! Next to them is the Owner of the best BBQ joint in all of Texas, the Dark Wing Master
Onyx Shade! And Finally, from among our lucky contestant of today's judge raffle, we have the lovely
Catherine Rodríguez! Also with special guest appearance from the Helping Hands, Gustatory! Here to help the judges digest the food they are eating. A pleasure to have you all here.
Arman: The pleasure is all ours MC, we can't wait to taste what the many competitors are cooking today.
Cielo: Hmm, yes. I can already tell that there's going to be a tough fight this year.
Onyx: ….*Nods*
Catherine: OMG I can't Believe I'm here! Can't wait to see what the chefs have prepared for us today!
Gustatory: A pleasure as well, Eat and Drink safely folks! Your body will thank you later.
Announcer: Nicely Said Everyone! Why don't we tell the audience what to expect from this little hoedown? The Competition will be divides in 3 stages, Collection and Preparation, Cooking and Judging. During the first stage the pairs will divide their task equally, as one half preps the Tools and Their workstation the other half will enter our adjacent building, containing a Huge variety of ingredients including meat, veggies, fruits, and spices! Once that phase is done, both individuals will work in tandem in order to create a spread of Texan Cuisine in hopes that they will wow our Judges during the third Phase! Will our competitors have the ability to show their Speed, Power, Ingenuity and Skills? Well why don't we Find Out?
As one half of the Competitors made a dash towards the Warehouse containing the ingredients the other half prepared their workstation's. Knives were sharpened, Grills and Furnaces were set alight, and prep work was quickly made, Meanwhile the ingredient seekers have reached the inner sanctum where their bounty awaited. Most competitors went to grab the necessary ingredients for their dishes, while simultaneously eyeing what everybody else grabbed. Some grabbed ingredients quickly, some took their time, and other competitors tried to sabotage their competition grabbing the ingredients they were eyeing. It was an all-out war, as the audience saw them go tooth and nail from a huge array of cameras lining several the venue, making sure the competition didn't get Too heated. But the main thing everyone was doing? Keeping a WIDE berth from two specific contestant's Marygold and Leilani. Both competitors moved in a leisurely manner, not showing any stress during the competition as they eyed the ingredients assembled in the building. Marygold's years of experience with BBQ and Texan Cuisine making it easy for her to envision the best way to cook the ingredients and what would pair well with them, she easily browsed the quality of everything she picked as her bag and cart of ingredients grew, easily moving with her strength and her tail. Meanwhile, Leilani needed help from the various assistants provided for the event, but her years of experience working in a restaurant seeing everything the chefs have done and saving it to her perfect memory have given her a confidence matched by very few, not only that, but her eyesight let her see even the smallest blemish in any of her ingredients, letting her grab the highest quality ingredients every time. Everything was going well for both until…
Marygold: Oh sssorry dear I will be taking that if You don't mind?
Leilani: Oh don't worry to much, I was planning on using that brisket, would you mind picking something else?
Oh bother… it seems the 2 metahumans in this competition have decided to grab the same ingredient, and are not letting go. This… might get ugly.
Marygold: *Raises Eyebrow* Oh? Iss that sssooo? I could never imagine such a cute small thing being able to handle something so…
big and meaty.
*Record Scratch*
(AYO!?)
Leilani: *A cute demure smile entering her face* Oh,
this is nothing. I can handle this
meat with ease, but can you? Meat needs a
tender touch in order to
bring out all the juices. It needs a
soft and slow approach, you cant just…
guzzle it all the way down… you know?
(AYO!?)
Marygold: *eyes becoming slits, as she slowly moves her tongue over her lips* oh… such
expertise? I would never have thought that such a
delectable package was capable of handling such
weight… such girth. Aren't you jusssst a treat?
Leilani: *Moving her face
inches from Marygolds* oh, I am full of surprises "
nahesa nani" (pretty snake).
The avenue was silent as a tomb as EVERYONE looked at the back and forth between the two competitors, mouths suddenly VERY dry. Well, almost everyone, Flame Cut and Burst Fire took one look at the screen then at each other, nodded, and kept preparing their stations.
Marygold:
*Notices an Identical Quality Brisket being brough and moves to take it* Oh you are delightful, too bad I have to crush you. Maybe later we can meet up and
exchange pointers?
Leilani: Oh the pleasure would be all mine; too bad I have to stomp on your hopes and dreams, the competition will be mine. Later "
nahesa nani."
Marygold:
Hasta luego pequeña flor. (See you later Little flower
)
As both competitors finished grabbing their last few ingredients, they quickly made their way back to the main stage before time ran out, all the while all the other competitors suddenly realized they were losing time and quickly grabbed what they needed before they were late for the second phase of the competition, costing them precious cook time.
John: Had fun, didn't you?
Marygold: *giggle* Quite so, she's a tough cookie, took everything I ditch out and didn't bat an eye. This is going to be
fun.
-Phase Two: Cooking-
The second stage of the competition tested just how much the competitors knew their way in a kitchen and grill. Some competitors started preparing their ingredients in a somewhat slow manner, others measured and cut everything in neat proportions and the most experience where already grilling many tasty treats like Burgers and Hot Dogs. As for our main duos? John and Goldmary were fast at work, as the male half quickly ignited his utensils with his powers scoring the meats slowly priming the meat for the grill, meanwhile the copper lamia quickly diced vegetable with ease as she used her sound-based abilities to pound some of the tougher cuts until they were smooth and soft to the touch, with the aim of making the final dishes melt in the mouth. Every so often the couple switch with each other maximizing their preparation time, Marygold Used her strength to move some of the larger meats like the briskets, while slowly massaging the meat with her sound while it cook, John Seard and cut the veggies and meat on another table, prepping for when his wife would return to make a mouthwatering chili, using her own unique blend of spices. The duo was a well-oiled machine, only matched by the professional movements of the Double Bubble Chefs, Chris, and Leilani.
The Hawaiian pair tore through the assembled prep and meals with the expertise of individuals who have dedicated their lives to the gastronomical arts. Chri's control over fire and heat gave him a control over the kitchen matched by almost no one, raising and lowering heat and making the flames dance around his meals, in one occasion he even spelled COME ON! With fire above his head, intentionally taunting his competitors and successfully distracting them for a few seconds, causing more than one team to make several mistakes in the interim round, a heel in its his favored arena. The eagle-eyed wife of the pair was not far behind, using the knowledge she gain from her husband and years in the Double Bubble. With unmatched precision she quickly diced vegetables, fruits, and meats, immediately skewering them with an assassins precision, before handling them towards her husband, and returning to make potent sauces for each dish. From time to time, if you were especially observant you could see her analyzing the competition, and suddenly returning to her cooking, somehow being better at what she was doing a second before. For those that were aware of her abilities they would realize she was using her self-named [Flash] technique, observing the various movements her competitors used, memorizing them, and adding it to her repertoire, slowly but surely refining her technique to further optimize her preparations.
The two competitors where neck to neck and as the timer slowly winded down…
Announcer: TIME! The final Phase will now Begin! If your name is called you have 5 minutes to bring your dishes to the judges or you are Disqualified! Those that are called later have the advantage of some extra time to finish, but suffer the risk of giving their dishes too late, when the judges will be FAR stricter with their judgements. Let's see how it goes with competitor 12! The team is bringing their dish aaaand oooohh that isn't pretty, a 7 out of 30? Ouch, the judges are out for blood! Next is…
And so it went, competitor after competitor, some not even reaching 10 pts and some reaching the 20-21 range. The stage slowly began to shrink as we suddenly end with our two teams spreads as the final dishes of the day.
Team Flame Sight: Hot Dogs, Ribs, Brisket, Kabobs (Vegetables and fruit variants), Frito Pie, Margaritas, and cocktails (Personal Blends sold in their Restaurant)
Team Copper Fire: Burgers, Chicken Fried Steak, Brisket, Chili con Carne, Texas Caviar and Apple Cider (From the best apples in their Orchard).
Announcer: This is it folks…The last two teams in the venue, for this final section of the competition the Judges have decided to test BOTH competitors spreads at the same time, Since Both teams have a total of 6 items each the judges will judge one item at a time, given a total of f points per item for a total of 30. Let the Testing commence…
Item 1: Hot Dogs Vs. Burgers
*Calculating*
tem 2: Ribs Vs. Chicken Fried Steak
*Calculating*
Item 3: Brisket Wars
*Calculating*
Item 4: Kabobs Vs. Chili
*Calculating*
Item 5: Frito Pie Vs. Texas Caviar
*Calculating*
Item 6: Alcohol Vs. Apple Cider
*Calculating*
Audience: *Murmurs* *Murmurs* *Murmurs*
Announcer: The Judges have made their decisions! With a total of 30 points We Have Team Flame Sight! And with…30 POINTS!? We… have… team…Copper Fire…?
Everyone: ………………………………
Announcer: Uhh…umm… QUICK CUT TO A COMERCIAL! CUT! CU-
*BEEEEEP*
~Mister Hunch! Mister Hunch! Work with him to save a bunch!~
~Oh don't be out of touch, come one and all, time to give a call~
~To the spectacular, Mister Hunch!~
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
*Ost ends*
2 Hours Later…
John: … So you guys are from Hawaii, and you work in a restaurant? Neat! That explains how good you two were, you ARE genuine professionals.
Chris: Thanks for the compliments, I can't believe you two only have a basic education when it comes to cooking, the way you two worked in tandem, I would have thought you were professionals.
Marygold: You flatter us darling. John and I are only good with Texan cuisine, and we definitely could not keep up a constant pace like it would be required in an actual restaurant. We just know how to cook what we love
really well. Thats all.
Leilani: Could fool me, Ms. Astraud, The way you moved during the cooking phase? Incredible, some of the chefs back home would have been impressed.
Marygold: "
Gracias pequeña flor" But it was a joint effort, John and I have been cooking together for a couple of years now, we just
click, and with some practice…well you saw.
It was much later in the afternoon, the competition after much debate, ended in a draw. With both teams taken half of the 1st place price, 5000 income each. As the two pairs left the avenue they began to talk and drink from some of the alcohol stalls in the festival, getting to know each other better. Cris and Leilani had heard of the competition from one of their regulars while on vacation, since the restaurant is in the middle of an expansion/remodel, they decided to check the festival and compete. John and Marygold where preparing for the contest for almost 2 months and wanted to see how far they could go with their BBQ Knowledge, especially since starting tomorrow they will switch places with some of their other team members for security duties, while the others enjoy their free time and peruse the festival themselves. As the talks calmed down and the Cider was being consumed, the following hours would be remember by these 4 because of set of words that soon came out of Copper Serpent's mouth.
Marygold: Oh I just remembered. Leilani love, didn't we agree that we were going to
exchange pointers?
The Other 3: *Choke on their drinks*
Marygold: *Devious smile*
Author Notes:
Crossover number 2, This Time between the Hero Teams Double Bubble, and the Barnyard Rangers. Otherwise known as I watched Food Wars like 3 years ago, and as I wrote I couldn't help myself. Megumi would be disappointed. Hopefully, the soundtracks work, and this is a palpable little side distraction from the inevitable Fustercluck that is going to be Meet the Rookies…
*Pops Piggy bank* I am ready…
