NFlambeTokyoTreasure_excerpt.pdf

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NeilFlamb AND THETOKYO R ETREASU

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Also by Kevin Sylvester

Neil Flamb and the Marco Polo Murders

Neil Flamb and the Aztec Abduction

Neil Flamb and the Crusaders Curse

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NeilFlambAND THE

KEVIN SYLVESTER

Simon & Schuster Books for Young ReadersNew York London Toronto Sydney New Delhi

TOKYO R ETREASU

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SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

An imprint o Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing Division

1230 Avenue o the Americas, New York, New York 10020

This book is a work o ction. Any reerences to historical events, real people,

or real locales are used ctitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are prod-ucts o the authors imagination, and any resemblance to actual events

or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2012 by Kevin Sylvester

All rights reserved, including the right o reproduction in whole or in part in any orm.

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers is a trademark o Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For inormation about special discounts or bulk purchases, please contact Simon &

Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more

inormation or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau

at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

Book design by Laurent Linn.

The text or this book is set in Goudy Old Style.

The illustrations or this book are rendered in pen and ink.

Manuactured in the United States o America

0912 FFG

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CIP data or this book is available rom the Library o Congress.

ISBN 978-1-4424-4288-7

ISBN 978-1-4424-4298-6 (eBook)

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1

Neil Flamb and the Tokyo Treasure

YOUR CLEVER

PUNS WONT

HELP YOU

DEFEAT HIM!

YOURERIGHT.

MYPUNS

ARECLEVER.

BUTYOUREWRO

NG

ABOUTTHEREST

.

IWILLDEFEAT

THECHEF

ANDFIND

THESCROLL!

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2

Kevin Sylvester

DIDNT HE GIVE

YOU THAT SCAR THE

LAST TIME YOUMET . . . BILLY?

NEVERUS

ETHATN

AME!

IAMVEG

EMIGHT!

IAMKIN

GOF

THEKITC

HEN!

YOURENOT

EVEND

UKE

OFTHE

DISHWA

TER.

FREAK!

YOUKIL

L

DOLPHI

NS

FORSPO

RT!

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3


YOUAREPATH

ETIC.

YOUARE

NOMA

TCHFORHIM.

ENOUGH!

WHEREDOESH

ELIVE?

WHEREDOESH

EKEEPTHESC

ROLL?

YES, SO MUCH FUN. I ALSO

LEAVE THEIR BLOODY CARCASSESFOR THE SHARKS!

AH!

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4

Kevin Sylvester

HOWDOYOULIKETHE

TASTEOFMY

ATOMICAVOCADO?

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5


THE CHEF!

HE WAS JUST A FAILED LINE COOK

UNTIL ONE DAY HE CHANCED UPON

A SACRED MAGICAL SCROLL.

JUST ONE TOUCH AND HE WAS

TRANSPORTED TO THE

CELESTIAL KITCHEN.

THE GREAT CHEFS OF THE SPIRIT WORLD

TRAINED HIM IN ALL THE SECRETS OF COOKING,

THE WAYS OF FOOD AND LIFE. HE

COOKED FOR CENTURY UPON

CENTURY, EACH RECIPE

INSCRIBING ITSELF

IN THE SCROLL.

ALLHENEEDSTODOISTHINKOFTHESCROLLTOABSORBITSPOWER.

ANDWHENTHEWORLDNEEDSHELP,HEBECOMESTHECHEF.

HEBECAME

THEGREATE

ST

CHEFOF

THEMALL

WHEN HE WAS READY,

WHEN HE HAD MASTERED

ALL THE SECRETS,

HE WAS SENT

BACK TO EARTH.

NO TIME HAD PASSED.

THE CHEFS GAVE HIM

A MISSION. TO KEEP

THE WORLD SAFE

AND WELL FED.

HE MUST KEEP THE

SCROLL AND HIS

TRUE IDENTITY

A SECRET.

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6

Kevin Sylvester

WHYIS

HESMIL

ING?

YES,YO

U

HAVEW

ON

AGAIN,

CHEF.

THAT

WAS

SO

SORRY BILLY, BUT

YOUR PLAN IS

HALF-BAKED.

LET HER

GO NOW!ITSATRAP

!

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7


ATOM

IC

AVOCADO!

TIME

TOTHR

OW

OUTTHE

LEFTOV

ERS

TIPPINGYOUR

CHAIRWONT

SAVEYOU!HA

HA!

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8

Kevin Sylvester

WHEN IREAD THE SCROLL

I ABSORB THE GREATPOWERS OF THE CHEFS.

ONE OF THE GREATEST OFTHOSE POWERS

IS HEAT.YOUR FREEZE RAYIS NO MATCH FORME OR THE HEAT

OF GREAT CUISINE.

HOW?

COOL...

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CHEF!

YOUREHURT!

HELPME

GETTO

MYISLAND.

THESCROLL

CANHEALME.

MYBOATIS

WAITING...

URGHH...

NOW MY

LITTLE SHARK.

SHOW ME

WHERE THE

CHEF KEEPS

THE SCROLL!

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Chapter One

Manga Mania

Neil Flamb leaned back in his chair and watchedthe nal panel oThe Chef ade to black on the laptop

screen. His arms hung limply at his

sides and his jaw was practically

touching his chest. A thousand

thoughts were going through

his head. Some o them

werent about ood, which

was unusual. Neil was possi-

bly the best che in the world,

and he was certainly the best

teenage che in the world. Food

was his oxygen and it took a lot to distract him.What the heck was that . . . ? he said under his

breath. He gave his head a shake.

Neils cousin Larry peeked over the top o the laptop

and smiled. So, waddya think o my manga?

There was always a little risk in asking Neil what

he thought, because he was never shy about answering

the question honestly, and loudly. That was one o the

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12

Kevin Sylvester

many reasons why he had so many enemies.

But this time, Neil wasnt sure what he thoughtabout Larrys latest, and possibly craziest, project, his

online manga comic, The Chef.

Well? Larry said, wiggling his eyebrows hopeully.

At least thats what Neil thought he was doing. It was

hard to see anything under Larrys shaggy hair.

Larry was Neils older cousin

and also his sous-che, and Neilknew all too well that crazy proj-

ects and Larry went together like

chocolate and chilies. Larry had

recently made a oray into the

ashion world with his line

o me-shirtsT-shirts

with messages printed

on the inside, so only

the person wearing

it had any idea what it said. He was

always studying some oreign language or trying out

some new art projectusually in an eort to impress a

pretty ace.

Neil could never quite gure out how Larry ever

slept. Then again, considering how much coee Larryconsumedmaybe he didnt sleep at all.

Now Larry was trying to get Neils opinion oThe

Chef, and Neil was searching or an answer.

Neils immediate reaction was at least partly annoy-

ance. He was a little unhappy that the main character

bore a striking, and unauthorized, resemblance to a certain

teenage wonder che. And the young woman looked like

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their riend Isabella Tortellini, but in a skimpy Japanese

schoolgirl costume.Neil wondered i Isabella had seen the comic. He

assumed not, since Larry was still alive.

Let me guess. Its SO good that youre at a loss or

words, Larry said with a satised grin. The words youre

looking or, by the way, are amazing, cool, and wow.

Feel ree to use them.

The words Neil was coming up with, though, wereslightly dierentannoyed and maybe conused.

Did he like the story? Did he hate it? Was it any good?

He didnt know. He couldnt concentrate on much past

his shock at the whole situation. Ater all, Neil had

only ound out about the comic yesterday. Larry had

dumped the news o its existence on him like a bomb-

shell along with other, even more explosive, news

Larry was leaving.

Apparently, Larry and his collaborator Hiro Takoyaki

had been posting an online version o The Chef or

months. Larry wrote the story. Hiro did the pictures. The

Chefhad become a viral sensation and now a Japanese

book company was oering them a book deal, but the

editors wanted the manuscript ASAPand suddenly

Larry had himsel a one-way ticket to Tokyo, courtesyo his partner.

Neil had not looked or sounded happy about this

unexpected news. On the other hand, as Larry pointed

out, Neil rarely looked or sounded happy.

Yes, real amazing literature that will soon be a real

book. Larry beamed, more than happy to ll the void

let by Neils silence. And to think it all started with a

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14

Kevin Sylvester

chance meeting at a comic book convention. Hiro, an

illustrator in search o a poet, and me, a poet in search oan illustrator. A match made in manga heaven. But dont

worryIll try to remember you little people when Im at

the Hollywood premiere o the lm version oThe Chef.

Neil hated to admit it, but he was going to miss

Larry. A lot. The pair had just returned rom a trip

to Paris where theyd been seconds away rom dying

together on top o a crazy womans skyscraper. (Thewoman, Jeanne Valette, had been part o an elaborate

thousand-year-old plot against the Flamb amilya

plot oiled by Neil and his riends.) With that now in

the past, Neil had hoped he and Larry could return to

their restaurant orever.

That was also part o his hesitation in giving Larry

an answer. I Neil said he liked it, would that encourage

Larry to leave? But i he said he hated it, would that con-

vince Larry to stay? Not likely. Neil changed the subject.

Explain, again, why cant you keep writing this comic

rom here?

Itll be way aster i Hiro and I are working together

side by side. The publisher wants original stories and art-

work by the end o next month, so with time zones and

e-mail and stu its just way easier to do it in person. Helives right on the coast south o Tokyo. Its beautiul.

Larry sighed.

Neil nodded slowly. Ah . . . cute sister?

Larrys grin grew improbably bigger. Her names

Koko. But HE sent me the ticket, remember.

Why do the characters look so, shall we say, amil-

iar? Ive never met this Hiro guy.

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Larry shrugged. You think the Che looks like you?

Neil arched an eyebrow. Is that a joke?Larry smiled. I showed Hiro some pictures o all o

us. I guess he liked the way we looked. I know Im hand-

some.

For a sheepdog, maybe.

Woo. And anyway, thats still not an answer. What

do you think o the manga?

Neil stalled or more time while he marshaled histhoughts. An ornate wooden clock above the door

chimed two oclock. Two tiny ches came out o lit-

tle doorways and began tenderizing a carved side o

bee with tiny mallets. Larry had made the clock in

wood shop. He wasnt technically in the class, but the

teacher, Caroline Dubois, had been giving him private

lessons.

Um, its time to prep or dinner, Neil mumbled,

standing up.

Larry didnt budge.

Hey, Garys on it, Larry said, wagging his thumb

over his shoulder toward the kitchen. Gary was the bike

courier/driter that Larry had hired as his own replace-

ment at Chez Flamb. Neil thought Gary looked like a

shabbier version o Larry (i that was even possible).Neil could hear Gary humming

away, occasionally washing

some vegetable or other and

even chopping a ew onions.

Maybe it was a good thing

Neil couldnt see him.

He had a sneaking

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Kevin Sylvester

suspicion Garys so-called experience with cooking

was limited to shopliting candy bars and bee jerky.Fine. I you say so, Neil said, sitting back down

with a thump. Neil had no patience to train another

sous-che. He was sure hed have to re Gary sooner

rather than later, and searching or a better assistant

was going to take him time he didnt have. But he was

going to have to make it work or nowhe desperately

needed to reopen and start making money. FightingValette had not been cheap. Shed even arranged or

a ake ood poisoning scandal and bad reviewsa pos-

sibly lethal combination or a restaurant. And Neil had

to admit, to himsel, that Garys presence was one more

concrete sign that Larry was, in act, leaving.

Larry snapped his ngers in ront o Neils ace. Hey,

che-boy, wake up. What do you think oThe Chef?

I think . . . Neil slipped back into silence or a ew

more seconds.

He wanted to say he hated it, that it was all a stupid

idea, and that Larry should stick to cooking, with Neil,

in Chez Flamb.

But it didnt stink. In act, it was pretty good. Praise

was never an easy thing or Neil to dole out. So when he

did open his mouth, it wasnt praise that came out.Avocado, Neil said, nally.

Larry rolled his eyes. I think you meant awesome.

Its pronounced AWE-SOME, Larry said with a smile,

shutting the lid o the laptop with a fourish.

No, I meant avocado.

Av-o-ca-do, Larry repeated slowly. Sorry, dont

get it.

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