Special effects: Starting with Ultraman Tiga

Chapter 457 The Eel Rice Increases Mental Synchronization Rate - Sai Taiga

Shen Yun drove along the national highway to Mishima City, which is near Fujinomiya City.

Although Shizuoka Prefecture is a major eel-producing region, only Lake Hamana and Mishima City at the foot of Mount Fuji are considered relatively well-known production areas.

The best eel restaurants are mostly located near these two major eel producing areas.

However, Lake Hamana is located near Aichi Prefecture and is too far from Fujinomiya City, so it is not considered.

Upon arriving at Hirokojima in Mishima City, Shen Yun led the two to Sakura Eel, a century-old restaurant in Mishima City.

As you step into this quaint little shop, the aroma of grilled eel wafts over you.

"Wow, it smells so good." Tidom sniffed the aroma emanating from the grilled eel, her pretty face filled with delight.

"Yes, just smelling this scent is already a treat," Washio Takeya nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's find a seat first." Shen Yun found their behavior somewhat amusing.

"Shen Jun, let's sit there," Tidom said excitedly, pointing to the table and chairs in front of the counter not far away.

"OK."

The three sat down at the counter. Looking at the menu hanging there, Shen Yun held up three fingers and said, "We want three special orders."

Japanese eel rice is generally classified into three grades: premium/superior, superior/upper, and ordinary/standard.

These three grades, the common one is a combination of a smaller front and a smaller tail.

The more attractive parts in the middle section are considered top-grade.

Fill the entire food container with two pieces of the middle section; this is the premium version.

The larger the eel and the thicker its flesh, the higher its quality.

In addition, there is a difference between a food box and a rice bowl.

"Okay, three special orders." The chef at the counter called out as he took several eels from the basin and placed them on the cutting board. He then grabbed the eels by the body and made a cut on their necks, severing half of their necks. Crimson blood flowed from the wounds.

The chef picked up a small awl called "metta" from the cutting board, pinned the eel to the board, and used a knife called "Edo unagi-riki" to cut the eel open from the back. He skillfully removed the internal organs and bones, and made several cuts in the fish meat to make it easier for it to absorb the flavors during grilling.

"Oh, so that's how you cut up a fish," Tidom exclaimed, watching the chef's skillful fish-cutting technique.

Shen Yun twitched the corner of his mouth. This method of killing eels in the village didn't seem to be much different.

"But why cut it open from the eel's back?" Tidom asked curiously.

"That's because of the different schools of thought." Washio Gaku leaned forward, his gaze passing over Shen Yun in the middle and looking at Tidom, and said with a smile.

"school?"

"That's right." Washio Gaku nodded and explained with a smile, "Because eel rice is a delicacy that appeared in the Edo period. During the Edo period, there were many samurai in the Kanto region. If you cut it from the belly, it would be seppuku. This was very offensive to samurai."

"But in the Kansai region, where there are many merchants, there is no such concern; they simply cut open the abdomen."

"Oh, I see." Tidom nodded in realization.

Amidst the laughter and conversation, the chef had already cleaned the eel and skewered the pre-cut eel pieces onto bamboo skewers, placing them on the charcoal fire to grill.

The chef, standing beside the charcoal stove, held a round fan and continuously fanned the air to control the temperature of the charcoal fire.

After being roasted over charcoal, the white eel meat quickly turned from white to yellow, making a sizzling sound as the oil dripped onto the charcoal.

After the eel is grilled until it changes color slightly, the chef, holding a fan, takes it off the charcoal grill and places it in a steamer to steam. This not only removes excess fat from the eel but also keeps it tender.

Sakura's eel rice is made using the classic Kanto style, first grilled, then steamed, and then grilled again.

Before long, three servings of premium eel rice were served.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, here is your special eel rice."

A black heavy box, accompanied by a dish of pickled vegetables and grated white radish, and a bowl of eel liver soup, was placed in front of them.

Upon opening the lid, a rich aroma wafts out, with amber-colored eel meat covering most of the rice, which is also coated with amber-colored sauce.

"I'm going to eat now." Tidom put his hands together, prayed, then took out chopsticks from the tray, cut open the eel pieces in the heavy box, picked up the rice covered in sauce along with the eel, and put it into his mouth.

"Mmm! Oh, I see!" After just a few chews, a look of enjoyment appeared on Tidom's fair and delicate face.

Seeing how happily Tidom was eating, Shen Yun also picked up a piece of eel and put it in his mouth.

The eel skin was perfectly crispy and fragrant, while the eel meat was as tender and smooth as soft tofu, almost melting in your mouth.

The rice, soaked in kabayaki sauce, absorbs the umami flavor of the fish, making it even sweeter.

In conclusion, the eel rice was quite delicious, making it worth the trip.

After a satisfying meal, Shen Yun led Tidom and Washio Gaku back to Fujinomiya City.

Back at the paragliding school, Shen Yun kept his promise and let Tidom experience the paragliding experience, while Washio Gaku found the school's flight instructor and went with him to the takeoff site located at an altitude of 1,000 meters.

Upon arriving at the takeoff site, the flight instructor laid out the paraglider for Washio-dake, then came to Washio-dake and gave it a few words of advice.

"Phew!" Washio Takeshi let out a long sigh of relief, looked at the steep slope in front of him, grabbed the parachute rope, and rushed towards the cliff.

After only a short run-up, the wind blowing from the cliff edge opened the paraglider trailing behind Washio Mt. and lifted him into the air.

The airflow rising from below the cliff lifts the paraglider higher and higher.

Washio Dake closed his eyes, feeling the cold wind blowing in his face and the whistling wind in his ears.

This is a completely different feeling from piloting a fighter jet.

He felt as if he had become an eagle, soaring freely in the sky.

"Hoo~ Is this what flying feels like?" Washio Takeshi opened his eyes, looking down at the earth, his heart pounding.

At that moment, Washio Gaku seemed to sense something and quickly rummaged through his pockets, taking out the Fang Treasure Jewel of the Fang Hawk.

Golden rays of light continuously emanated from the Fang Jewel, and Mount Washio could faintly hear the cry of the Fang Eagle.

"It actually works..." Washio Gaku stared at the Gao Jewel in his hand, speechless.

Now, Washio Takeshi had no intention of continuing to fly, and quickly controlled his paraglider to land near the paragliding school.

Although Shen Yun was looking after Tidom, he was also keeping an eye on Washio Mt. flying in the sky.

After seeing Washio-dake suddenly descend, Shen Yun also left the training base and came to the landing site outside, watching Washio-dake fall from the sky.

Before Shen Yun could speak, Washio Gaku unfastened his equipment and rushed to Shen Yun, exclaiming with delight, "Doctor, your method really works!"

"Hmm? Yellow, what's going on? Tell me in detail." Shen Yun raised an eyebrow and asked.

Washio Gaku quickly recounted what had just happened in detail.

"I understand." Shen Yun nodded slightly and said with a smile, "I'll check your mind synchronization rate when we get back."

"As for now..."

"Don't worry about these things. I'll take care of them. Just go paragliding in peace."

"Yes!" Washio Gaku nodded and turned to run towards the paraglider he had just dropped.

Watching Washio Gaku's retreating figure, Shen Yun stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"If this method works, then things will be much easier."

"Should we let Yellow try practicing Eagle Claw Kung Fu? After all, the eagle's most powerful weapons are its sharp talons and beak."

"Yellow doesn't have a bird's beak, but he does have eagle claws. When Gaoranger transforms, his claws are incredibly powerful; it's a waste that he doesn't practice martial arts."

"Moreover, Xingyiquan itself is a style of boxing created by imitating the movements of animals. Practicing Xingyiquan might also improve your mental synchronization rate. Besides, learning boxing techniques can also improve your strength."

It's important to know that boxing also has strong practical combat capabilities within the Super Sentai universe.

For example, the 17th Super Sentai series, Gosei Sentai Dairanger, and the 31st Super Sentai series, Juken Sentai Gekiranger, are both Super Sentai series themed around Chinese martial arts, and both use fist techniques to fight their opponents.

In addition, some key members of the teams also know Chinese martial arts.

Meanwhile, Regulos from the neighboring Olympic Stadium had also studied martial arts. His Electric White Tiger Fist and Fiery Red Dragon Fist were derived from Tiger Fist and Dragon Fist.

The more Shen Yun thought about it, the more feasible this idea seemed.

Soon it was evening, and Shen Yun, along with Tidom and Washio Takeshi, left Asagiri Plateau and went to the reserved hot spring hotel to rest.

After spending the night in Shizuoka Prefecture, the three of them took the Kame-iwa train back to Tokyo early the next morning.

As soon as Kame Rock landed, Shen Yun immediately took Washio Takeshi to the laboratory and gave him a physical examination.

"The mind synchronization rate has reached 19%, an increase of 10 percentage points," Shen Yun muttered to himself as he looked at the calculated data.

Next, Shen Yun conducted a physical test on Washio Takeshi, and all the data were at least three times higher.

Furthermore, after transforming, Washio Gaku can summon the Hawk Sword.

"Could this Eagle Sword be an ability gained after the mind synchronization rate breaks through ten percent?"

"Can Fang Red's lion fangs evolve into Mane Destroyer Gun? Is that an ability that comes with a certain percentage of mental synchronization?"

"Can the weapons of other Gaorangers also evolve like GaoRed's lion fangs?" Shen Yun pondered.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Things will become clear once Gao Hong joins the team." Shen Yun shook his head and focused his attention on the Beast King Sword in front of him.

He plans to analyze the Beast King Sword to see if he can replicate it.

"The blade of the Beast King Sword is made of a metal I've never seen before."

……

Time passed slowly, and Orug continued to appear at a frequency of one every month or so.

Although the Orgu that appeared over time became stronger and stronger, Washio Gaku's strength did not stand still. His mental synchronization rate had climbed from 19% to 27%.

With Washio Gaku's strength, he could easily deal with these Oruk by himself.

Shen Yun was happy to have some free time. He sealed the weaker Orgu with sealing talismans drawn by Tidom and sent them to his laboratory to sustainably extract the evil energy from their bodies.

If the enemy is stronger, then Washio Gaku will eliminate them, while Shen Yun will collect the remaining foam liquid and extract and store the evil energy from it.

Because of the large amount of evil energy and because Orgu provided it for Shen Yun to analyze and study, Shen Yun also developed a 'battery' that can automatically absorb the evil energy that is floating in the world and thus replenish its energy.

However, the absorption speed and conversion rate of this "battery" are really disappointing and still need some time to improve.

As for the Beast King Sword, Shen Yun has already created a semi-finished Beast Song Sword by analyzing Fang Feihuang's Beast King Sword. He only needs to gradually adjust the timbre emitted by the Beast Song Sword to be the same as that of the Beast King Sword, and then he can use the Beast Song Sword to awaken the Power Beast.

Meanwhile, in the secret base in the mountains of Lai En Temple, the artificial radish, which uses evil energy as its core power source, has already completed the production of saber-toothed tigers and mammoths. The remaining three radishes will take about ten more months to complete.

In terms of time, it's still possible.

……

Early July, 2001.

That morning, a sudden, urgent alarm sounded in the villa.

"Has another Oruk appeared?" Washio Gaku asked as he ran out of his room, wearing his team uniform.

"Yes, this time Orgu appeared in Ota Ward, Tokyo." Shen Yun pulled up a map of Tokyo and pointed to Ota Ward, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo.

"Let's go now," Tidom urged.

"Let's go!" Shen Yun nodded and immediately ran into Kame-Iwa with Tidom and Washio Takeshi, heading towards Ota Ward.

Ota Ward, Tokyo.

"8972 yen, please." The convenience store cashier smiled as she packed all the items on the counter into a large plastic bag.

"Yes." Sae Taiga quickly took out a pink wallet from her pocket and handed a 10,000 yen bill to the cashier.

"Change: 1028 yen." The cashier handed the change to Sae Ogawa.

Sae Oga accepted the change, picked up a large plastic bag full of daily necessities, and walked out of the convenience store.

Looking at the meager amount of living expenses left in her wallet, a hint of worry appeared on her cute face.

"Ah, the cost of living in big cities is really high. I'll have to be careful with the money I have left. Otherwise, I won't make it until next month."

After a brief moment of reflection, Sae Taiga placed the plastic bag on the handlebars of her bicycle, pushed it onto the street, and prepared to ride back to her apartment.

Just then, screams came from ahead, followed by a series of loud explosions.

"Hahaha! Burn it all up!" Orug, which looked like a backpack-style flamethrower and had flame-spraying devices on its arms, laughed loudly, raising the flame-spraying device on its right arm and spraying flames in all directions.

The cars parked on the street were instantly ignited by the flamethrower Orug and exploded with a loud bang.

"What the hell?" Sai Taiga stared blankly at the Oruk flamethrower that was wreaking havoc on the street.

(End of this chapter)