Hi everyone! Big news: I'm done with the redaction of this story! I still have to proofread it and all, but I'm not going to drop it now. Also, I might be a bit faster now? Unless I use my new free time to write other things, I don't know yet...

Enjoy!

Chapter 14: The Final Showdown

Being a passionate person, Takumi had a tendency to use strong words whenever he got emotional. The problem was that they were often way stronger than he intended to. A good example of that was "If I win, I don't want you to come anywhere near me again". Because if he was really honest with himself, he had to admit that he didn't want Yukihira to completely disappear from his life. He just wanted him to stop trying to kiss him and do all those things that made him uncomfortable and shook all of his certitudes! If their relationship could once again be based purely on cooking, that would be heaven. But he was caught in the heat of the moment, so instead of that he said "I don't want you to come anywhere near me again" and now it was too late to take back those words. Plus, it might make Yukihira think he had a chance. And he didn't. Because Takumi wasn't interested and wanted none of that. Also, he clearly wasn't obsessed with the memories of their kisses and never wished he could have done that more when he had the chance.

"It's not too late to change that rule, you know," Isami remarked when he told him about the conditions of their duel and how neither of the possible outcomes suited him.

"No, I'm not going to do that. It's a bad idea."

He had felt compelled to tell his brother more about what happened between Souma and him in the past few days, and contrary to what he feared, he actually felt quite relieved about it. He still kept his contradictory feelings for the redhead secret, however. But Isami wasn't easily fooled, and he obviously knew a lot more than Takumi wanted him to.

"You could also just tell him you're not interested, you know," his twin remarked. "I'm pretty sure he would understand."

Takumi remained silent.

"But you don't want that, do you?" the other continued.

"It's too late to think about it, Isami. I have to find a winning dish now."

"And you probably won't find anything if you don't really want to win. So you should maybe take some time to reflect on it before you start thinking about cooking."

"The situation is pretty clear to me. I don't want to go on a date with him or do anything of the sort. And if I can win against him four times in a row … then it means that he's no match for me after all. So in the end, I guess it's better this way."

Takumi sounded so sad when he said those words… However, this argument was convincing enough for Isami to drop the subject. Even if his brother won, it wasn't as if they were talking about a binding contract or a legal decision anyway. It was better to let him be and see what happened. He could still do something about it later on, depending on the results.

Also, when did Souma start talking about a date? He was quite certain he didn't hear anything about that when he absolutely didn't eavesdropped on their conversation…

"I guess you're right," he sighed. "Now, what are you going to do?"

.

"Come on Alessandra, I need your help here!" Souma pleaded.

"I said no!"

"But you said I could come to you anytime if I needed help with Spanish cooking!" he insisted.

"That was before you forced me to eat those … squid horrors! You don't deserve my help."

"You can't do that, he really needs you here!" Yuuki intervened. "I mean … I've tasted one of his dishes of hell too, so I know how you feel. But I've forgiven him. And you should, too."

"Good for you, but I won't. It took me hours to recover! I can still taste it whenever I think about it for more than … okay that's it, I can taste it. Thanks…"

"I said I was sorry," Souma pointed out.

"That doesn't change anything!"

"But Alessandra, that's for a good cause!" Yuuki insisted. "If he loses, he won't be able to see Takumi for the rest of his life! If you don't do it for him, do it for love!"

"Yes, she's right!" Souma agreed. "Do it for the love of cooking!"

Yuuki turned to him and gave him a look that clearly meant "Shut up Souma, let me do the talking." She then turned back to Alessandra and continued:

"I know he's been awful for the past few days, but wouldn't you if the person you loved ignored you for no reason?"

"I'm pretty sure Takumi has a reason for ignoring him," Alessandra replied with an annoyed look. "Are you sure you didn't make him taste some of your so called 'experiments'?"

"Of course not. I really don't get why he's been acting so differently since we're back to civilization…" Souma replied once he recovered from Yuuki's words. He deserved it though. In Alessandra's opinion, 'awful' was too nice to describe his recent behavior.

"Please Alessandra," Yuuki begged. "For love?"

The Spanish chef sighed, knowing she had lost already. She still couldn't forgive Souma for what he had done, or at least not for now, but she couldn't resist Yuuki's pleading look. Her sad puppy eyes got her every time.

"Fine, I'll help you," she surrendered. "But Souma, if I do, you have to promise never to try your experiments on anyone in this place ever again! Is that clear?"

"Even Megumi? She didn't seem-"

"Especially Megumi! I can't believe she's been so patient with you. That girl must be an angel or something…"

"We don't deserve her," Yuuki agreed solemnly.

Souma reluctantly accepted the condition, and Alessandra let out a triumphant smile. Now that everyone was safe, she could finally sleep in peace.

"So, when do you want to start?" she asked.

"When I have everyone ready," Souma replied. "I'll need some advice from a few other people."

He then headed out of the room, but stopped midway and called:

"Yuuki, can you come with me please? I might need your persuading skills again."

"No problem, I'm on it!" she exclaimed happily.

.

Takumi and Souma's duel took place in Alice's restaurant, as it was decided when they first planned it. The albino had stormed in the Trattoria while they were discussing the conditions of their cooking battle, and she made it clear that she was very upset no one told her about the Phantom having finally been caught. She had just come back from a trip to Denmark followed by a seminar on molecular gastronomy and of course, she was very excited to meet the infamous Phantom.

She had offered her restaurant as the venue as soon as she heard about the duel and refused to hear any contestations. Actually, no one really complained about it since it was very convenient to set the event in a neutral place. She obviously insisted to be part of the jury, which both parties agreed on. They had also decided early in the process to invite Emile, since the old man had always been perfectly impartial. Ryou was declared the third member.

The two challengers met in front of the restaurant on the day they had agreed on. Takumi was a bit tenser than usual, but his eyes were full of determination. As for Souma, he seemed as relaxed as ever. The blonde made a comment about it, but he seemed confident that his opponent would start being serious once in the kitchen.

Compared to the redhead's extravagant number of ingredients, Takumi's dish was clearly going to be quite simple. However, Alice knew it didn't mean anything. The quality of a dish couldn't be judged by the number of ingredients but only by the way they were processed. Still, she was pretty curious to see what the ex-Phantom would come up with.

During the whole process, she was torn between her curiosity to see what the two chefs were doing, and her will to keep it a surprise until the end. Seeing how restless she was on her seat, Emile started talking to her. At first, Alice was quite wary of that ragged old man the contestants had brought. However, years of having Ryou to protect her from all kinds of dangers had made her quite confident around complete strangers, no matter how weird they seemed. A few minutes were enough for her to understand why Takumi and Souma seemed to think so highly of that man, and that kept her curiosity at bay while they cooked their dishes.

Takumi finished first and brought three portions of sole covered in a creamy sauce. Baby potatoes, baby carrots, asparagus and other vegetables were disposed around the fish in an elegant way. Combined with the light vanilla aroma coming from it, the whole plate gave a striking impression of elegance. Eating it and breaking that beautiful harmony would almost be a crime, it seemed. Yet, Alice's curiosity was stronger than that feeling, and the smell was so alluring that she couldn't resist it.

It tasted even better than it looked. The fish's taste blended perfectly in the sauce's sweet vanilla flavor, and eating it felt like diving in a beautiful lagoon, surrounded with clear blue water. As she relaxed in the warm sea, she felt something brushing against her bare legs and turned around to see a school of colorful vegetables swimming by her, their soft acidic taste adding a whole new world of aromas to the dish. Finally, as she thought she already knew it by heart, she felt a sudden burst of a stronger, sour flavor. Surprised, she asked:

"What was that, just then? Did you put something on the fish, Takumi?"

"There are small touches of redcurrant coulis here and there," he explained with a smile. "I hid them under the fish to keep the surprise."

"That's a great idea! I clearly didn't expect that, but it's a very nice surprise."

That dish made Alice even more eager to see what the Phantom would do to counter such a delicate, satisfying creation.

Needless to say, she clearly didn't expect an omurice. She guessed Takumi's victory was settled then… It was quite disappointing, especially given her high expectations for the infamous Phantom that terrorized the whole neighborhood for months and influenced Megumi in such a positive way. But in the end, he was probably better with disgusting dishes than actual cuisine…

Yet, Emile didn't seem to share her opinion. His curious look and eager smile were enough to make her go back on her first impression, and she decided to give the redhead a chance. Maybe he would surprise her, who knew?

After Takumi's colorful dish, seeing the aggressive yellow of the omelet felt like going from a lively coral reef to an endless sand desert. But the most important part in an omurice, she reminded herself, was the rice.

Or so she thought.

She'd never had an omurice before. That was too plebeian for her. So now was her time to finally try it!

As she cut the shiny omelet dome, she was overwhelmed with a strong yet delicious smell of seafood.

"Aw, you both decided to go for seafood," she noted. "You two are so in sync."

She snickered as she saw Takumi's face go red.

"But that's quite dangerous, you know, since Ryou here is a specialist… Right, Ryou?" she said as she turned to her aide.

He barely acknowledged her. He'd have to pay for that later on, she decided. But after she tried the rice, because it smelled wonderful and it was…

"Wait, why is the rice black?!"

"It's been cooked with squid ink."

Now she was more curious than ever. As she took the first bite, she felt like a nomad, crossing the desert and finding an oil well. It was so good it almost felt overwhelming. The rice was full of shrimps, tiny bits of carrots, zucchinis, red and green peppers… All of them kept a distinctive flavor but still managed to blend in the dish. It wasn't only oil she found in that desert, she thought. It was a whole treasure! A colorful, tasty treasure!

She ate half of her plate before she even knew it. So that was the Phantom's real abilities… No wonder Takumi spent a whole week challenging him and losing track of time in the process.

"So you lose with a risotto and you come back with an omurice-paella?" the blonde chef asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, according to Alessandra, it can't really be called a paella. But she still seemed to like it, and I used the techniques she showed me so technically … yes."

"Well, it's you after all, so I guess I should have expected something like that…" he sighed.

"Do you want to try it? I have made a portion just for you."

"Sure," he accepted with a surprised look.

At that moment, the challenge didn't seem to matter to either of them. However, Emile kindly reminded them about it, and they both started looking serious again. They even seemed a bit tense, but for Alice, the outcome was obvious.

Souma was the winner.

Takumi's face lost its colors as he heard that. As for the champion, he had a grin brighter than a thousand suns and…

"Yes! I knew it! That's so great Souma, now you can finally go on your date!" someone exclaimed, rushing into the restaurant and making everyone turn around in shock.

"Yuuki … what are you doing here?" Souma asked with a confused look.

"Oh, I … hem … just coincidentally happened to be here, you know…"

Yuuki had never intended to rush into the restaurant. She just … wanted to spy a little and see how the challenge was going. But then Souma won and she was so excited! Let's say she got a bit … overwhelmed?

Everyone was looking at her now. Most of the people in the room only seemed surprised to see her, but then, there was Takumi, whose glare could only be described as deadly. If looks could kill, she would have been dead a billion times already. And another… And another…

So many deaths…

She guessed it was too late to fix her mistake now. Souma had been very clear that she wasn't supposed to know about this dating thing, since Takumi was against it and…

He was going to kill her…

Or, more precisely, Takumi was going to kill Souma, who was then going to rise from his grave to kill her with poisonous food. Given how the blonde's murderous glare had turned to the redhead, it seemed pretty likely to happen…

Anytime now…

Yuuki found herself praying that someone would come and rescue her.

"Really, a date? No one has told me about a date!" Alice exclaimed excitedly, turning everyone's attention to her and effectively saving the poor Yuuki from a certain death. "So what are you two going to do?"

"It's … I haven't really decided yet…" Souma started with an embarrassed look.

"I told him to do all the romantic things like riding a Bateau Mouche in the sunset!" Yuuki declared enthusiastically, immediately forgetting about the danger she'd just escaped and ignoring the one she put herself into by saying that.

"You know … it will be full of tourists so it's actually far from romantic," Isami countered. "Also, it's really just a touristic thing. No actual Parisian does that kind of thing. It's like going up the Eiffel tower, you know."

"What, you mean you've never been there?" she asked with a bewildered look.

"Of course not! We don't have time for that!"

"Okay, my world just shattered right now. Thank you Isami," Yuuki pouted.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But it's the truth."

"So what should they do then?"

"I know!" Alice exclaimed, her eyes glinting with excitement. "They should go to Disneyland!"

"That's a great idea!" the other girl approved immediately.

"Why Disneyland?" Souma asked.

"Because going to amusement parks is a typical date thing! Trust me, I've watched lots of romantic series and dramas!"

"Well, since I see you're all busy planning my next day off, I'll be leaving," Takumi announced bitterly as he walked out. "Also, amusement parks are out of the question," he added before closing the door.

"Wow, he doesn't seem thrilled about that…" Alice remarked.

"Most of the rides make him sick and he's scared of heights, so…" Isami explained.

"I didn't mean about that – although it's pretty sad that he can't enjoy the rides… But I meant about the date in general."

The door suddenly opened to reveal Takumi.

"Also, I'll have my revenge, Yukihira! Don't think you're better than me just because you've won this once!" he warned before leaving again.

Souma grinned. That was the Takumi he knew!

"Okay, forget what I said about him not being excited," Alice said after a surprised pause.

"He's in so much denial. That's adorable…" Yuuki declared.

"It's also annoying," Souma remarked. "I really don't get him ever since we left my old place…"

"He wasn't like that back then?"

"Well … at least he called me by my name."

They all remained silent for a moment. Then, Souma remarked:

"By the way … we haven't even set a date for that."

"The Trattoria is closed on Mondays," Isami declared. "So I think it's pretty safe to plan it for the next one."

"Maybe we should discuss it together…"

"I think it would be better as well, but knowing my brother, I'm pretty sure he's going to sulk for a while and then he will refuse to talk about it. Unless you really want to do something special, you can probably talk about what you want to do once you see each other."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"What? So all my careful planning is going to waste?" Yuuki complained.

"And you're not going to Disneyland?" Alice added, looking like a hurt puppy.

"Tell Takumi I'll come to pick him up at ten next Monday," Souma announced. "Or better, we should meet in front of the Trattoria, since it's pretty central and I don't know where you guys live…"

Isami took a moment to consider the idea before agreeing.

"Now, if you don't have anything to add, I'll be off as well," the sommelier then declared.

After his departure, Yuuki turned to Souma.

"So, about this date, I have tons of awesome ideas I haven't mentioned yet!"

I hope you liked it!

I don't know how Yuuki managed to grow so much on me, but I love it! She deserves to be loved.

See you in two weeks!