Damn, all the way in chapter 9. It feels surreal. When I posted my first chapter, I never thought it would get this much support. Thank you all for reading and I hope I can continue entertaining you all. Enjoy chapter 9. Hopefully I can get this out before I leave for my Christmas vacation. If I can, there will be no new chapter next week.
The day was here. After 5 weeks of grueling training under Joichiro, Gin and Riko, the time has come to take back the school from Azami. The students were undoubtedly nervous. Here they were, a bunch of first years and a couple 2nd years about to take on the ten best chefs in the school. Joichiro decided that a pep talk was in order.
"Listen up. You have all trained hard for this day. You have heightened your abilities to new levels. From your own specialties to the heavy studying of your opponent's specialties, you have all earned my respect. I know that you must be feeling nervous about this, but I have confidence in all of you. Let's get out there and take back Totsuki!"
This fired up the teens, they feel great! They can win! They! Can! Do! This! Similar thoughts filled all of their heads as Joichiros words gave them confidence. They made it to the Arena, the same one that the finals of the Autumn Elections were held in. Backstage, they were all preparing.
"We have our training, and we have our game plan. Ikumi, Alice, and Hisako will be our first 3. I have a good feeling that they can handle this."
"Thank you, Erina-sama." Hisako said
"I appreciate that," Ikumi stated
"You know you can count on me cousin." Alice chimed in.
The plan was set, and it was time for introductions. The group could hear the announcer begin her bit.
"Ladies and gentleman! Today we get to witness the greatness of central crush a bunch of rebel ants! They have decided that Nakiri-sama's teachings were not good enough and have challenged the Elite 10 to a team Shokugeki. Now, introducing the scum, we have a team captain… Nakiri Erina?"
The announcer's confusion was shared by the crowd. The murmurs of the crowd said things like "The princess of Totsuki?" "Why is she with the rebels?" and "What's going on?" Quickly, the announcer recovers
"And the rest of the team, Yukihira Soma, Isshiki Satoshi, Kuga Terunori, Kurokiba Ryo, Nakiri Alice, Tadokuro Megumi, Mito Ikumi, Hisako Arato, and Takumi Aldini!"
The heckling of the Central biased crowd was loud and clear. The booing, and insults, and the yelling made it clear that the rebels would be the underdogs here. The group walked out calm as ever though, they would not show a hint of weakness. Once they were done, it was time for the Elite 10.
"Next, introducing our glorious Elite 10! Team Captain and first seat, Tsukasa Eishi! Next, Second seat, Kobayashi Rindo! Third Seat, Akanegakubo Momo! Fourth Seat, Saito Somei! Fifth seat, Kaburagi Shoko! Sixth seat, Kinokuni Nene! Seventh seat, Eizan Etsuya! 8th seat, Shiratsu Julio! Ninth seat, Hayama Akira! And finally, last but not least, Tenth seat Christian Koch! That's your Elite 10 Council! Now, let's pray for Central's quick victory!"
The room got quiet fast. They really were praying. Without too long a silence, the announcer continued.
"The rules of this team shokugeki are simple. Each round, 3 rebel scum will face against 3 of our Elite 10 members. Each person will be in a 1v1 shokugeki, but help from their teammates will be allowed. When you lose, you're out and the winner stays in. This will continue until all rebels have been eliminated! The theme will be picked from a theme lottery. Ready! Both teams chose your first 3!"
As according to plan, Ikumi, Hisako, and Alice stepped forward for the rebels. For the Elite 10, it was Christian, Hayama and Eizan. Julio was going to go out rather than Eizan, but Eizan insisted that the fastest way to get his revenge was to beat Yuhiria's friends and force his hand. The 6 contestants faced off.
"I want my revenge against Hayama." Hisako stated
"Very well. You still can't beat me though." he responded
"I want to take down the Nakiri heiress. It will show im not to be taken lightly." Eizan spat
"I guess I'll humor you." The while haired chef replied.
"Guess that leaves me with the german guy.." Ikumi said
"No hard feelings Fräulein. Viel Glück."
And just like that, the matches were decided. Now it was time for the lottery. Eizan insisted he chooses first. He pulled the lever on the lottery machine and a bunch of different ingredients flashed across the electronic screen before settling on one.
Theme: Eggs
The next was given to the Hisako Hayama match. Hayama relented to Hisako and let her pull the lever. So she went up to pull and the same thing, themes flashing one after another before settling.
Theme: Black Pepper
The last one to go up was Ikumi. She pulled the lever and then…
Theme: Beef
This made Ikumi breathe a sigh of relief. She would actually be working with something she was good at.
"And just like that, the matches are set, you each have 2 hours, every ingredient you might need is in the warehouse out back, begin."
Hayama vs Hisako: Black Pepper
Arato quickly went to grab the ingredients she needed. With Ikumi's expertise, she was able to pick out perfect Filet Mignon steaks, and with her own expertise, she picked out all the herbs she needed. This was one of the dishes she had perfected during training. This would be her time.
Hayama went also well and picked out the spices he would need as well as 5 perfectly aged salmon cuts. He had been working on this recipe for a while, so he was confident in it.
Arato got to work quickly, starting by roughly grinding peppercorn with a mortar and pestle. She then prepared her steaks and let them sit while she prepared ger herbs for the sauce. About a half hour later, she put her steaks on.
"Hisako, how do you want those steaks done?" Ikumi asked
"Medium rare, why?"
"Leave it to me. Flip them exactly when I tell you to."
"Got it, thanks!"
The steaks sat in the pan for a couple minutes. Arato was chopping up some herbs when she heard Ikumi yell.
"Flip them now!"
So she did, and the searing on side one was perfect. So Arato went back to chopping. Eventually, the steaks were done and it was time to make her sauce. She put rough cracked peppercorns into the steak pan and made her sauce. Her dish was now done.
Meanwhile, Hayama was working on his dish. He pan fried his salmon fillets in olive oil and lemon juice. He prepared his spices as he usually did, and no one could deny the aroma coming from his station. Smelling it, Hisako was getting a bit worried, but she is determined.
Once his salmon was done, Hayama seasoned it with rough cracked black pepper and his spice blend. He was now finished with his dish.
Eizan vs Alice: Eggs
Alice wasted no time in going for the ingredients she would need. Things like flour, and of course, eggs, along with some bacon. Eixan watched her gather the ingredients she needed and then decided what to do.
Alice got to work immediately. Most people were pretty shocked to see that many gizmos and gadgets at her station like she usually cooked with. What could she be up to. Eizan would be lying if he said he wasn't curious too, but he ignored the thought to focus on cooking. While Alice was setting up, Hisako walked bgy on her way to starting and whispered something to her. Alice just grinned her usual mischievous grin and continued to set up.
Alice had made some homemade english muffins and was now sauteing some spinach. While that was cooking, she dropped a couple cracked eggs into hot water. Once the spinach was done, she covered it and put it into a heating machine to keep it warm. Lastly was a sauce mixture and she was done.
On the other hand, Eizan had a very similar process, but without the spinach. He put cracked eggs into hot water, he made english muffins, and he made a similar sauce. Before long, he was done too.
Christian vs Ikumi: Beef
Ikumi immediately went for her tried and true A-5 Wagyu, rump cut. After helping pick out some steaks for Hisako, she went with the rest of her ingredients. Some rice, onions, wine, butter and a few other things.
Christian picked out some thin top round steaks, bacon, a bunch of different vegetables and some condiments.
Ikumi got to work by seasoning and searing her roast. While she was preparing the oven for the roast, she noticed Hisako putting her steaks on.
"Hisako, how do you want those steaks done?" Ikumi asked
"Medium rare, why?"
"Leave it to me. Flip them exactly when I tell you to."
"Got it, thanks!"
Ikumi put her roast in the oven and started to caramelize some onions. While she was cooking her onions, she listened carefully to Hisaoko's station, drowning out all other sounds in the stadium.
*pop
"Flip them now!"
Ikumi went back to focusing on the makings of her pan sauce. AFter the onions finished caramelizing, she took them out and deglazed the pan with her wine. She added a few other things while the wine was reducing. Shw then got out 5 bowls and filled them with rice, arranging her now cut roast in a rose shape over the rice and drizzling per pan sauce and onions on. Her dish was done.
Over on Christian's side, he had his thin top rounds with some ingredients rolled up into them. He starts by searing the outside of his beef roll in a pot. He then takes them out and throws in bacon, and mirepoix and sautes the mixture. After a few minutes, he throws in chicken stock and the beef rolls. He then puts the whole affair in the oven. After about an hour, he takes it out and his dish is now done.
Judging: Hayama vs Arato
The judges had finally entered the Arena towards the end of the first round. The judges were all seasoned bookmasters for the WGO, the body that awards michelin stars, the highest honor a chef can get.
Hayama's final dish was Lemon Pepper Salmon. The judges were very impressed by how perfectly flaky the salmon was. On top of that, the spice mix he used made the whole thing a perfect blend of spicy, sour, and sweet. It really was a treat. As to what everyone expected, Hayama received pretty high praise.
Hisako's final dish was Steak au Poivre, one of the dishes she had perfected during training. The judges were astounded by the perfection of the medium rare steak, they couldn't find a flaw with it. The sauce that topped it though, that brought them to another universe. Not only was the flavor perfectly peppery and savory, but the addition of many medicinal herbs not only complimented the pepper, but also invigorated the judges, making them feel as good as ever.
Hayama Akira: 2
Hisako Arato: 3
Hayama had a look of pure shock on his face. He couldn't comprehend that he had lost like this.
"How? How did you win?"
"I honed my craft and found new combinations thanks to Shiomi-sensei. She wanted me to beat you so that you'd stop going against your moral compass just for her sake."
Hayama's shock only deepend. Jun did this? Jun wanted him to lose? But her research…
"Go to the back. She is waiting for you."
Hayama left the Arena wordlessly. He had to figure things out.
Judging: Eizan Vs Alice
Eizan was the first one done out of the pair. He walked up to the judges and presented them with Eggs Benedict. The judges were unimpressed at the dish at first, that's not a very creative dish, but whatever. They took a bite and were blown away. The eggs were cooked to perfection and the hollandaise sauce was perfectly made. Though there was a different ingredient that they couldn't place right away
"It's artichoke. And that is why you lose Nakiri. I knew you were making eggs florentine, and your hollandaise was the perfect target. With the addition of my artichoke, your sauce would be too sweet thanks to the lingering effects of my dish."
"See, that would be clever, but Hisako saw what you grabbed and knew exactly what you would do. So I deliberately made my sauce too bitter so that your artichoke would balance it perfectly."
Eizan;s face at that moment was priceless. The judges confirmed what Alice already knew. she was right. Her sauce blended with the perfectly poached duck eggs and the garlicky spinach wonderfully. The added sweetness from the artichokes had enhanced her flavors.
Eizan Etsuya: 0
Nakiri Alice: 5
"You didn't really think you could beat the gastronomy expert in food chemistry did you?" Alice taunted
Eizan was at a total loss. He wasn't just beaten and outsmarted, he was utterly destroyed. Embarrassed by the white-haired chef. He, similarly to Hayama, walked away in silence to wallow in his failure.
Judging: Christian vs Ikumi
Ikumi was the first to finish. She brought up her dish, which was a perfected version of the Roti Don she had made in her match vs everyone's favorite red-haired troublemaker. This version was topped with the sauce she had developed with Soma's help, and pickled plum paste in the rice for the much needed acidity. The judges were floored by how melt-in-your-mouth tender the beef was, along with the sauce and rice, made a donburi that the judges couldn't stop eating until it was done.
Christian was next up who presented a German Rouladen. A piece of rolled beef, filled with other ingredients and then braised. This one was filled with mustard, bacon, and pickles. The acidity from the pickled counteracted the fattyness of the meat very well. The slight bite of the spicy mustard did wonders to the dish as well. After the brazing process, the meat was left extremely tender and delicious.
Chrsitian Koch: 1
Mito Ikumi: 4
"Ah well. Danke, that was a good match Fräulein Mito"
"You're welcome. You too."
The announcer was pretty shocked to say the least, but she recovered to announce the 2nd group of matches for the day.
"Alright, the rebel scum may have gotten lucky, but it will only get easier for us from here. They were our weakest 2 and 4th weakest. Now, representing central, We have 8th seat Shiratsu Julio, 6th seat Kinokuni Nene, and 5th seat Kaburagi Shoko! Representing the rebel scum, we have Takumi Aldini, Isshiki Satoshi, and Yukihira Soma. Let's hope for a quick win for central."
"I want to face Isshiki!" Julio yelled
Before Isshiki could respond to the challenge, both Nene and Takumi spoke up at the same time.
"No!" the two said in unison
"Isshiki-kun is mine." Nene growled
"And I issue a challenge to you Julio, for Italian pride. Let us see who the better Italian chef is. A meno che tu non abbia paura di perdere, un superiore." (Unless you're afraid you'll lose, upperclassman.) Takumi Said
"Bene, sei al primo anno. Non posso perdere quando si tratta di cucina italiana." (Fine, first year. I can't lose when it comes to Italian cooking.)
(A/N: Sorry to any Italian speakers if that was butchered. I don't speak Italian so blame Google translate.)
"I guess that means I get to crush you, first year." Shoko said menacingly.
"Alright, you're on Senpai." Some retorted
"And Isshiki-kun? Don't you dare hold back against me."
"Now why ever would I do that?"
"You never take anything seriously! We both know that if you took it seriously, you could easily be in the top 4 in the Council! Show some respect and take me on with your full abilities!"
"As you wish. I'll get serious then."
As he says that, Isshiki's aura changes entirely. He goes from a very kind and welcoming individual, to a monster radiating an aura of pure power. That was when the contestants went up to get their theme. Takumi went up and pulled the handle. After flashing for a minute, it rested on…pasta.
"Hm. How fitting." Takumi muttered
"Indeed" Julio agreed
Next up was Soma. He pulled the handle and it flashed before coming to a stop on Rice. This was right up Soma's ally. He could do just about anything with rice, but he knew what to do.
Finally, it was Nene that went up and pulled the handle. It flashed and flashed and flashed before finally stopping on shrimp. Isshiki knew what to do and so did Nene.
Julio Vs Takumi: Pasta
It really was the perfect theme to test the metal of two Italian chefs. Takumi would use a family recipe that he had perfected in the first two weeks of their training. Takumi not only had the utmost pride as an Italian, but he had the most pride in his family name, Aldini. He quickly got to work gathering ingredients he would need. Tomatoes, flour, different kinds of cheese and various herbs as well as 3 kinds of meat. Julio grabbed a special cut of pork, flour, and a ton of parmesan cheese as well as some other ingredients. He had his idea for a very traditional Italian dish.
Takumi wasted no time in getting right to work. He browned his 3 types of ground meat, then simmered the meat with some veggies, and herbs. While that was going, he used the flour to create very wide pasta noodles. Once his sauce was done simmering, he layered the sauce and pasta along with Mozzarella, Ricotta, and Parmesan and set it into the oven. Once it was done baking, Takumi had his dish done.
Over with Julio, he starts his dish by making some long and thin pasta noodles. Once that's done, he beats some other ingredients like black pepper and parmesan into some eggs. Next, he fries up the pork he had in a large pan. He then cooks his fresh pasta in very salty water. He then dumps the strained and still hot pasta into the pan with the pork and tosses it with the eggs slurry he made. He is done with his dish.
Shoko vs Soma: Rice
Soma was happy, rice dishes could be considered one of his best ingredients to cook with. There were so many possibilities, but he soon had it narrowed down. In the warehouse, he picked up rice, various vegetables and some beef. Shoko got her rice, as well as some tea leaves and some chicken thighs.
To start, Soma cooked the rice and placed it in the fridge. He then cut the beef intro thin strips and set them to marinade. After a little while, Soma started to saute his vegetables. After a little bit, he took the beef out of his marinade and cooked it in the same pan with the veggies before adding the rice and frying it up. His dish was done.
Shoko started by making a whole bunch of tea. While that was steeping, she made her rice. During that process, she set her chaiken to marinate. Once the Rice was just about done, she cut the thighs into bite-sized pieces and cooked them up. She then filled up the bowls with the rice, chicken, and tea. Her dish was done.
Nene vs Isshiki: Shrimp
Isshiki had a pretty good idea about what to do. He went into the warehouse, still exuding an ominous aura. He picked up shrimp, green beans, garlic, and various other ingredients. Nene picked up her typical Soba noodle ingredients as well as a bunch of shrimp with some ginger and various other things.
Isshiki gets to work and his shrimp peeled and deveined in just a few seconds. Seeing this, Soma realized that Isshiki wasn't even close to serious when he served his mackerel dish on Soma's first day. Just what can this monster do? After the shrimp, he chopped a bunch of vegetables in record speed and he put together a homemade teriyaki sauce like a pro. Isshiki was a force to be reckoned with when he's serious. He threw the shrimp and other ingredients into a Wok and made a stir fry. And just like that, he was done.
Over on Nene's side of things, she started with her Soba noodles. What astounded her the most was that by the time she finished making her noodles, Isshiki was already done. She picked up the pace by peeling and deveining her shrimp before preparing the rest of the ingredients. She then cooked everything except for her noodles in a stir fry style. She then put the noodles within the stir fried shrimp, and she was done.
Judging: Nene vs Isshiki
Nene and Isshiki were the first pair done. Isshiki presented a Shrimp Teriyaki Stir-fry. The judges were amazed by how deep the flavors of the Teriyaki sauce were. It was like an explosion of flavor. The shrimp and vegetables were cooked to perfection as well. Isshiki got very good reviews.
Nene presented her Japanese Style Shrimp and Soba Noodles. The judges were surprised by how perfectly chewy and robust the noodles were, and how they slid down your throat so smoothly. The flavor of the shrimp and Vegetables were very well balanced as well.
KinoKuni Nene: 0
Isshiki Satoshi: 5
"See Satoshi-kun? You always were better than me. You could have been higher than me in the Elite 10 if you tried. You've always excelled at everything you tried. Even when it took me tons of practice to get there."
"I always admired you, you know."
"Huh? Me? But you're so talented! Why would you admire me?!"
"Because you work hard at everything you do. And you don't give up."
Nene was shocked to hear this as a deep blush spread across her face. She turned and headed to the back room without another word.
Judging: Shoko vs Soma
Shoko finished slightly before Soma and gave the judges her Green tea and chicken Ochazuke. The marinated chicken's flavors melded perfectly with the flavor of the green tea. The chicken was tender and juicy and the rice was soaked to the point where it was finished by the green adding the flavors to every part of the dish.
Soma presented his Yukihira Style Beef Fried . The judges were astounded by the amount of different flavors present in the dish. The beef was amazingly tender and full of flavor. The vegetables were cooked, but a lot of them still added a satisfying crunch to each bite. They judges couldn't stop eating.
Kaburagi Shoko: 1
Yukihira Soma: 4
"Glad you liked it!" Soma shouted his signature phrase.
Shoko, being a nobody character that we don't know much of anything about, just walked off back to obscurity. (I'm not sorry.)
Judging, Julio vs Takumi
Julio presented first. He brought out his authentic Italian Carbonara. The judges loved how delightfully creamy the sauce was. The cheese flavors along with the saltiness of the guanciale paired perfectly. There was also the perfect hint of garlic present in the dish. He was very highly praised.
Takumi was next with his family recipe Lasagna. The sauce was simmered to its utmost, allowing all the flavors present within it to meld together in harmony. The fresh lasagna noodles added amazing chewishnes to it, complementing the softness of the cheese. It was an apex Lasagna.
Shiratsu Julio: 0
Takumi Aldini: 5
"I-Impossible. My recipe was perfect. Authentic carbonara is the apex of Italy!"
(My subjective opinion, don't hurt me)
"Except that your Carbonara wasn't authentic. You added garlic to it. You call yourself an Italian chef, but every self respecting Italian knows that you don't put garlic in Carbonara. Hai perso. (You lose). "
Julipo was stunned. Disgraced even. He needed to go apologize to his family and mentor for screwing up the Carbonara. He leaves without protest. Following this, the shocked announcer calls the first day done.
"The rebel dogs have upset by sweeping the first 6 embers of the Elite 10! But worry not, Our top 4 can't possibly lose to this scum! They got lucky today, but tomorrow is a different story!"
Our favorite decuplet of students heads back to Polar Star to rest, relax, and strategize for the next day. They do plan on having a party to celebrate over half of their opponents gone, but the competing students can't party too hard, they have to be up in time tomorrow. It doesn't take too long for them to strategize, Ryo couldn't be kept out of the competition tomorrow. Kurokiba, Kuga, and Megumi would be up first. Megumi was extremely nervous to be facing one of the top 4 students tomorrow, but some encouragement from the others helped her steel her nerves… for now.
Later that night, Soma and Erina and in Soma's room, making out as usual, when Soma speaks up.
"So, think we can beat them?"
"Little late to be asking that now isn't it? We trained our butts off for over a month for this. We'll pull something off."
"I know, but I can't help but be nervous."
"I get that, but really we may only have to worry about Kobayashi-senpai and Tsukasa-senpai. Akanegakubo-senpai and Saito-senpai shouldn't be that hard as long as we can get themes that their specialty won't help with. The first and 2nd seat however, they can work with almost anything."
"Ok. Erina?"
"Yeah?"
"Whatever happens with the rest of this Regiment de Cuisine, know that I love you and I'll be by your side no matter what."
"Thank you Soma-kun. I love you too."
With that, the couple snuggle up and go to sleep. The next day would prove to be perilous for our heroes.
Ohh, another cliffhanger. I'm the worst. But really, I didn't make it longer because I'll admit this chapter was a little rushed. I wanted to get it out before I went on vacation for Christmas (I leave tomorrow at time of writing.) . There won't be another chapter until after New Years, so happy New Year and Merry Christmas to you all. Let's hope 2021 goes a lot smoother than this Jumanji game we call a year.
Sorry if the explanations of the food were a little lackluster, but a professional chef or food critic I am not. All the recipes for this chapter were pulled from the Youtube channel "Babish Culinary Universe" and "JanFromYourCookingClass." as well as various websites. And take a look at the last chapter again if you haven't seen it, I added a little something at the very end. Enjoy.