Iron Chef Symphonia: Sage vs. Sakai

Summary: When a venerable Japanese cooking competition arrives in the land of Symphonia, a young mage's culinary talent blossoms. Friendship fluff involving primarily Genis interspersed, even some GenisxPresea, and maybe some LloydxSheena if you look closely.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Iron Chef, or any of the characters involved.

Author's Note: All characters are assumed to be speaking Japanese unless otherwise noted. Hopefully much of the culinary information in this story is accurate--I did do some research. Also, please go easy on me: this is my first fic, not betaed (so direct any gripes about grammar and the like directly to me), and still kinda unfinished despite the bulk of the story being finished.

"Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are." --Brillat-Savarin

Chapter 1: Setting the Table

"Y'know, Genis, I dunno how you do it so well, but every time you cook it's like the best meal I've ever had…"

Lloyd dunked his chopsticks into the bowl of ramen and furiously scooped some more noodles into his mouth. Sheena glared at him as he rudely slurped them up, but as she put her broth-filled spoon to her lips she forgot why she was glaring at him. The katsuobushi-infused, steaming hot liquid revitalized her senses. The broth worked its magic as Sheena swallowed it; her soul—and her stomach—felt warm again.

"I'm glad you like it, guys," Genis shrugged as he drank the broth from his bowl. His Ramen of Mana had won over his companions once again.

"You're not bad, you little brat," Zelos smirked between bites, "Sure beats the hell out of the time Raine tried to do this…"

Raine fumed. Now I know why Sheena wants to beat you over the head all the time… She picked up some noodles in her chopsticks, trying not to cause a scene at the table. As she chewed, her eyes began to light up. The noodles had the perfect texture, the broth was well-flavored, and the once-hotheaded Raine calmed to her usual, demure self once again.

Oh… she sighed, it's so warm…I definitely feel some homely comfort in this one…how does Genis do it?

"Sit tight, everyone, I have something else I want you to try…" Genis said as he ran back to the kitchen. He returned with several glasses, with what appeared to be a scoop of ice cream inside of each of them. They were colored bright red, with flakes of a certain red substance sprinkled about them. Next to the ice cream was a small tart with small pieces of orange-colored fruit inside, glazed with a white, creamy mixture.

"I give you," he announced with a flourish, "my newest creation: mango yogurt tart with red bell pepper sorbet."

Colette winced at the thought of peppers. "Red…bell pepper…sorbet…?" she gulped.

"That's right, red bell pepper sorbet. I'm trying something new today. And if you don't like it, there's a certain swordsman I'm sure you can give it to. But c'mon, Colette, just try it, will ya? They're not green, so they're not gonna kill ya."

"I never thought of bell peppers being used in ice cream…" Regal mused aloud as he took a small scoop of the sorbet into his spoon. "But the red peppers are naturally the sweetest, so I guess it's not totally far-fetched…balances out quite nicely with the sourness of the mango tart, I think. Excellent job, Genis."

Presea eyed Colette warily as she examined the bizarre red substance currently occupying her spoon.

"Is there something unusual about the dessert, Colette?"

"It's—well, it's just that it's made from peppers…"

"I think it would be in our best interest to take a bite, then continue eating if we enjoy it…"

"I—uh—" Colette stammered, "Presea…I'll take a bite if you take a bite, OK?"

"Very well." Presea scooped some of the ice cream into her mouth. Genis watched intently—he could feel his heartbeat shoot far above a level that was considered healthy.

Colette's hand quivered as she held the spoon up to her mouth. I hope I never have to eat peppers again after this…

The grimace she wore slowly transformed into a smile.

"Is it good?"

"Umm…wow, Presea, you were right, this IS good…"

Lloyd couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, if you can make even Colette like something that involves peppers, you're a better chef than I am…"

Genis rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled at his friend's comment. "A-a-a-a-and Presea…w-w-what d-do you t-think?"

"This is the best dessert I have ever had. Thank you, Genis."

Genis turned bright red as he beamed at her. Score!

As they complimented Genis on a wonderful meal, the group made for the cleaning effort. The eight of them had grown close even after the journey to regenerate the world had ended, and it was no exception when it came to food, especially when prepared by Genis. Not only was the kid a magical genius, he was also a walking cookbook, it seemed.

"Umm, Genis?" Regal asked.

"What's up, Regal?"

Regal unfolded a flyer from his pocket and stared at it.

I wonder if he's what we need for this project to really take off…

"The Lezareno Company has been sponsoring this new cooking competition," he began. "Actually, it isn't really new, it's been around for a while, and we've had it going in Tethe'alla for about a couple of weeks now. But our reception so far hasn't been too good, and I think you're just the person we need to boost our reception."

Genis raised an eyebrow. "A cooking competition, eh? What do I have to do?"

"Well, there are these four guys, they're called 'Iron Chefs', and you go into what's called 'Kitchen Stadium' and challenge one of them to a cooking battle. You have an hour to create a full-course meal revolving around one theme ingredient, and you're judged accordingly. A winning challenger receives a hundred thousand Gald."

"And if I lose…?"

"Well…nothing, really…I mean, some of us here might tease you for a few days, but that is of no importance. What is, however, is the fact that we have not yet had a challenger win this competition since we brought it to Tethe'alla. Perhaps that is why we haven't been received too well. But I think you definitely have what it takes to win."

"Well…I…"

Presea timidly tapped him on the shoulder. "You can do it," she told him, "Of all of us, only you can really be called the Iron Chef."

"She's right," Sheena added, "You're certainly the most creative out of all eight of us, and most of your experiments turned out to be awesome."

Genis turned bright red, but felt confidence surge within his body.

"OK…I'll do it!"

"I shall send him the introductory hologram immediately," a deep voice replied over the phone. "And please remember—I must have the name of the Iron Chef he wishes to challenge in his next reply."

"Of course, Kaga-san."

"And Regal—"

"Yes?"

"You really think he can do it? We've had twelve battles, and the Iron Chefs have won all of them."

"He has my official endorsement, sir."

"Very well."

Kaga placed the receiver back onto the cradle and leaned back in his chair, pondering the issue intently. A challenger so young…but he must be very talented if Mr. Bryant believes he can knock off one of my Iron Chefs. Well, who am I to refuse?

I wrote this in advance before I realized I wanted to publish it here, so you'll get 9 chapters all at once. Stay tuned, and please R&R--help a first-timer out here!