Food Wars: Conquering the Mountain

by Kuro no okami 23

The 92nd Class of Totsuki set the culinary world ablaze with their skill and determination. Now as the years passed and the Jewel Generation continues to make names for themselves, it is now time for a new generation to rise. When a young chef from America travels to Japan to attend Totsuki, things will never be the same. These are the tales of the Steel Generation!

5. Chapter 5

Food Wars: Conquering the Mountain

Chapter 5: Tackling the Trials of Totsuki

The residents of Polar Star were greeted by a rather strange sight when they all entered the kitchen the next morning. All of the girls had fallen asleep together, but Kaia told them that the boys were still awake. She had excused herself to the restroom after everyone passed out but noticed that the boys were heading towards the kitchen in the middle of the night, but she was too tired to think anything of it.

She wished that she paid more attention.

All the girls had walked into the dorm kitchen to see the place was cleaned immaculately but several plates looked like they had been eaten off of sitting on the nearby island. Luke, Drake, and Chris were all lying on the ground, clearly passed out. Drake had his large, hulking frame face down in the middle of the floor while Chris was next to him using Drake's back as a foot and leg rest.

Luke was a few feet away from the other two boys with his back against one of the walls and his head down, clearly asleep. The girls were all shocked at what they were looking at. They had expected the boys to be asleep in their rooms, but they never expected them to be sleeping in the kitchen.

"Um, does someone want to tell me what we're looking at?" Satsuki asked.

Kagura shook her head, "If I had any idea, I'd give it but right now, I don't know a thing."

"Perhaps I can shed some light on the situation."

All the girls jumped at the sudden voice behind them and saw Isshiki-sempai along with his wife Nene. Nene still maintained her flawless skin from when she was in Totsuki, but she now kept her hair down the majority of the time along with her square-rimmed glasses. The husband and wife duo were still in their pajamas with Nene looking more tired than her husband.

"Mother," Sakura said immediately walking up to Nene, "Mother, you shouldn't be on your feet." She said worriedly.

"Oh, calm down Sakura, I'm only 3 months into my pregnancy. I'm doing just fine. And need I remind you; I've already done this once before." Nene insisted before she immediately bolted to the nearest trash can and threw up. Despite already having gone through the beauty of childbirth once before, Nene couldn't escape the wonderful morning sickness.

Sakura stayed by her mother's side while the girls all looked away, not wanting to feel sick before they had even had breakfast yet.

"So, Isshiki-Sempai, what exactly happened that led the boys to sleep in the kitchen?" Eri asked.

"Oh, that's simple, they had back-to-back mock Shokugeki's." Isshiki explained.

"Huh?!"

Isshiki nodded, "That's right, I awoke in the middle of the night to grab myself a quick drunk of water when I saw the light in the kitchen on. I was curious so I walked towards it and saw the boys cooking at different stations."

(The Night Before)

Luke, Drake, and Chris had all entered the kitchen and flipped the lights on, they didn't want anyone to be woken up by what they were doing so they did their best to keep things quiet.

"Okay, so since this is a Shokugeki, even a mock Shokugeki, we're gonna need a theme?" Drake said.

"Not to mention some terms on what happens when someone loses." Chris said.

Luke placed a hand on his chin and hummed, "Well, since we managed to get a taste of each other's food during the party, why don't we go all out and put out a dish that showcases our specialties? And as for what happens when someone wins, how about the winners get to ask one thing about the losers that they don't know yet? You know, as a way to get to know each other a bit better."

"I can get behind that." Chris said.

"Sounds good to me." Drake said.

"Okay boys, let's have some fun!" Luke said with a smile. His friends nodded and they each got to work. Luke already had an idea in mind for what he wanted to make but he was more curious as to what kind of dishes his friends would put together. But for now, he needed to put together his dish. Even if this was a mock Shokugeki, he would give it his all to showcase his skills.

Luke quickly went over to the fridge and found what he was looking for. When he made his dish for Isshiki-sempai and the girls earlier, he saw some rice, pineapple, and some nice-looking pork shoulder. He had a spark of inspiration earlier in the day and now he could put his idea into action. He grabbed the rice, pineapple, and pork along with some red bell peppers, some habaneros, onions, garlic cloves, oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, oranges, limes, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.

Luke then got to work. He grabbed a wok from one of the shelves and put it over high heat and added oil. He quickly diced his onion, garlic, and peppers, before adding his onion and garlic to the pain. The vegetables hit the pain with a satisfying sizzle and Luke quickly moved them to get just the right amount of color and to allow the natural oils and aromas to open up. Once the onion was translucent and the garlic was a light brown, Luke added his peppers. After quickly sautéing everything together, Luke added rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce to the pan and tossed everything together. The aromatic scents that were coming from his pan brought a smile to Luke's face. The rice dish would have been hood just as is, but he had something special planned for this.

After lowering the heat to a light simmer, Luke went over to the pineapple that he had selected earlier and quickly cored it and cut up the fruit but kept a small amount along with the rind intact. He then cranked the heat of his pan once more and added his fruit, allowing the natural juices and sugars to mingle along with the rice and peppers. After everything had combined, Luke poured his rice into the hollowed-out pineapple he made earlier and closed the entire thing before putting the pineapple in the oven.

The rice didn't need to be in the oven long, but it did give him enough time to put together his pork. Luke took some of his pork shoulder and quickly cubed it up into smaller, more manageable pieces along with trimming the fat off of the meat but keeping a decent amount to add some flavor. He then took a new pan and heated some oil in it before giving his pork a good sear, allowing all the pieces to get a good amount of color on them. He then added onion and garlic before mixing everything and lowered the eat. He then combined the juices of both the limes and oranges, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and just a pinch of some of the extra pineapple juice he saved along with a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Luke mixed everything and covered it, giving it time to fully cook through and letting it become more tender. Luke left his pork alone and stood in front of the oven, closing his eyes. He let his sense of smell focus purely on the rice that was in the oven and the pork that was slowly simmering. After several long moments, Luke opened his eyes with a smile. Finally getting the smells he was looking for. He quickly pulled the pineapple out of the oven and opened the lid, revealing the beautifully colored rice mixed with fruit and peppers that had all mingled together to create not only a visually stunning-looking dish but also something that both looked and smelled delicious.

Luke smiled as he smelled his rice dish, it was sweet, spicy, tangy, and whet the appetite so much that the young chef nearly attacked the rice itself, but he held himself back because his dish was only half finished. He took a look at his pork dish, which was now a lovely caramel color, and gently prodded one of the pieces to check for tenderness. Happy with what he felt, Luke, cut the heat and began plating. Turning around to grab a plate, it seemed his friends were doing the same.

Luke piled on a portion of his rice and then a layer of his pork in an organized amount over his rice before garnishing it with some pickled onions and jalapenos with just a pinch of cilantro. Luke placed his plated dish on the kitchen island with Drake and Chris doing the same.

"Wow, looks like we all finished at the same time." Luke said.

Chris nodded, "Good thing, it may not be such a good thing if we're in here all that long."

"Well with that though, why don't we get down to it," Drake said, "Who wants to go first?"

"I think I'll take that plunge." Chris said pushing his plate forward. Chris seemed to have created some kind of pasta dish loaded up with shrimp, sausage, and peppers dressed in a white cream sauce topped off with red chili peppers.

"This is my version of Mardi Gras Pasta. You guys are gonna love it!" Chris said with a smile as he crossed his arms. Luke and Drake thanked Chris for the food before grabbing forks for themselves. The two boys swirled a bit of pasta but were a bit taken back when instead of the traditional fettuccine noodles that came with said pasta dish, the noodles were a deep black.

"Squid ink pasta?" Luke asked aloud.

Chris nodded, "Yep, it's a bit unconventional but it goes rather well with the dish as a whole."

Luke shrugged and grabbed a piece of sausage and shrimp onto his fork with a bit of pepper. Luke took the entire forkful into his mouth with Drake doing the same. The minute the spicy Cajun pasta dish entered his mouth, his eyes widened as his mind was taken to New Orleans in the middle of a Mardi Gras festival.

"Holy Hera, it's a festival."

"A festival in one mouthful!"

Chris grinned, "Thanks, guys! I told you you'd love it!"

"You were right, the flavor of the sauce itself is full of the classic flavors you would find in Cajun cooking combined with the classic combination of the Trinity, the shrimp, and the sausage!" Luke said.

"And then you get to the unexpected addition of the Squid ink pasta!" Drake said eating another forkful.

Chris grinned and nodded, "Yeah, when I first had this pasta, the idea of adding the Squid ink pasta into the mix to add an unexpected layer of salinity and brininess that would give another layer of complexity you wouldn't find in most Cajun foods."

The other two boys finished up eating and gave Chris their thanks, neither one of them was expecting such an interesting twist on a classic Cajun dish but from that one taste; they could both tell that Chris had some serious skill behind that buff frame of his.

"Well, that was tasty. Since Chris went first, I think I'll go ahead and go next." Luke said pushing his plate forward.

"This is my take on sweet and sour pork with rice. Let me know what you think."

Drake and Chris took a look at the dish and savored the smell of the entire thing, "Well it certainly smells good." Chris said.

"Plus, that golden-colored rice just draws the eye," Drake said as he and Chris grabbed a spoon, "Well, time to dig in."

Chris nodded and the two boys scooped up a piece of rice and pork before putting the entire bite of food in their mouths. When the dish touched their tongues, every one of their senses went off on all cylinders as the savory, salty rice mingled with the savory and spicy flavors of the pork.

"Holy crap Luke, this is slammin!" Drake said putting another bite of food in his mouth.

"I got to agree with the big guy here, this is incredible! The first thing you taste is the sweet and tangy flavor of the pineapple along with the saltiness of the rice. Then you bring in the sweetness of the glaze and the heat from the peppers, it's incredibly well-balanced!" Chris said.

"And the added addition of the pickled jalapenos and onions adds just the right amount of extra heat and punch that you need to cut through all the extra oiliness that comes with pork." Drake said.

Luke smiled at his friends' compliments, "Thanks, guys. One of my mom's favorite Chinese dishes is sweet and sour pork and whenever we would order takeout, I would just throw everything into a big wok with rice and just mix it up. I came up with this dish using the same principles just elevated. Plus, with some help from a recipe made by a Totsuki alumni."

Drake and Chris nearly finished off all of Luke's dish before they set their spoons down. They had known from the way that the Headmistress spoke about him that he had skill but from one taste of his food both Drake and Chris knew that if he got any better, Luke could become one of Totsuki's best.

"Well, now that we have the savory stuff out of the way, why don't we move into something a little sweeter?" Drake said presenting his dish. Drake pushed his plate forward and allowed Luke and Chris to take a look at what he had created. It looked like a layered cake with two different types of mousses.

"Is this a mousse cake?" Luke asked.

Drake nodded, "Yeah, one of my favorite desserts that I've ever had was a layered entremet cake. I'm religiously studying different ways to make delicious combinations of mousse and cake. This is my Peach Melba Mousse Cake."

Chris grinned, "This looks, great man!"

Luke nodded, "I agree. One of the first desserts I ever made for my Abuela was Peach Melba. I'm really curious to see how it's going to taste in a mouse cake form."

Luke and Chris each took a fork and cut through the mousse cake. Just from how easy it was to cut through each layer, the boys could tell that each layer was made extremely well. The boys each put the spoon in their mouths and were immediately introduced to the bright, vibrant flavors that they didn't expect.

"Sweet Christmas, Drake, this is dope!" Luke said.

Chris swallowed and nodded, "I got to hand it to you man, this is incredibly well-balanced. Each mousse is so smooth and the cake is just the perfect vehicle for both of them and it's just sweet enough to make things work but not overpowering."

"The first bite I get is the sweet taste of the peach, then the tart pucker of raspberry, and not to mention that vanilla cake with the small feuilletine layer right above it adds just the right amount of crunch to break up all the smooth, creaminess. Damn Drake if we ever end up facing each other in an official Shokugeki then I am going to have to give it my all." Luke said.

Drake laughed, "Oh you and me facing off in an official Shokugeki would be a sight to see."

Chris wiped his mouth, "Well, now that we've all tasted each other's dishes, how are we gonna choose a winner?"

"Oh my, this is very tasty."

All three boys turned their heads to see their very own dorm head sitting at the same table as them tasting small bites of each of their dishes.

"Isshiki-senpai?!"

The elder Isshiki smiled at the three boys, "Hello boys. Sorry about the scare but I was coming back from the restroom, and I saw the light in the kitchen on. I should have known that you three would end up having a mock Shokugeki when you all came together."

Luke rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry Senpai, we didn't mean to disturb you or wake you up."

The brown-haired male shook his head, "Not a problem Luke-kun, this is something that I have seen happen in nearly every generation of Polar Star so I'm not all that surprised. But since I'm here, why don't I serve as your judge?"

Luke turned to Chris and Drake and they both nodded in agreement, "We'd appreciate it very much Senpai."

Isshiki finished off his bites of each plate before closing his eyes, even though this was a mock Shokugeki with nothing really dangerous being wagered, each of the three boys had a lot of pride in their food and their cooking and none of them wanted to lose.

Isshiki nodded, "I am going to have to give this victory to…Luke-kun." He said.

Luke let out a breath of relief while Chris and Drake groaned in frustration.

"Sorry boys but while your dishes were incredibly delicious, Luke-kun was able to combine flavors that went incredibly well together as well as elevate the traditional flavors that were associated with the cultures of the dishes he made." Isshiki explained.

Drake kissed his teeth, "Well, I can get behind that. Not exactly happy about losing but if I had to lose to anyone, I'm cool with it being Luke."

Chris nodded, "Agreed. All in all, I'm upset but I'll get over it," he said looking to Luke, "Well dude, you won so to the victor goes the spoils."

Luke chuckled as he grabbed a few drinks from the fridge and passed them out, "Well, I guess the main thing I want to ask is how you guys got into cooking. And how you ended up at Totsuki."

Drake took a swig of his drink, "Well in my case, it's nothing special. I grew up in a small town outside of Texas with my ma, pa, and my four younger sisters."

Luke nearly did a spit take, "Wait, four younger sisters?"

Drake laughed, "Yeah, believe me, I was not expecting it, and neither were my parents. My sisters are Quadruplets which was why were all shocked. But despite that surprise, I love my sisters and they all look up to me. Which is something I'm very proud of."

Luke nodded, "I respect that dude. So how did you start cooking?"

Drake smiled with pride, "It was actually by accident. Since my parents worked long hours, I was usually left to take care of my sisters the majority of the time. One day, my sisters asked me to take them to Houston to check out a bakery they had seen on TV. When I was there, we ate these cream puffs that were just out of this world. When we left, I couldn't get the flavor of those sweets out of my head, so I decided to make them at home. When they came out right, my family loved them. My sisters even said that pastries were better than the ones that we had at the bakery. After that, I soon became the talk of my town; whenever there was a big event or a birthday people would come to me for a dessert or a cake."

Luke smiled as he heard Drake speak, "That's awesome dude. So, how did you get to Totsuki?"

"An alumni who worked under Akanegakubo Momo-sempai passed through my town and smelled a cake I was making for my parent's 20th anniversary. He asked for a taste and was incredibly impressed, he asked if I ever thought of going to Totsuki and I had considered it before but never thought it would happen. He told me to never let my fear get in the way of making my dreams come true. After that, I packed up all my stuff and headed here."

"How did your family react?" Chris asked.

"They were shocked, to say the least. My dad said he never thought of going into the culinary industry before since my grandfather used to say men didn't belong in the kitchen, but my dad wasn't like that. He and my mom supported me in my dreams and gave me their blessing, my sisters were very sad to see me leave but they were very proud of me for becoming a pastry chef."

Luke smiled, "I guess the love for food can take you anywhere," he said making Drake agree, "How about you Chris?"

Chris chuckled, "Well, in my case I'm kind of the black sheep of my family. I grew up in New York and every member of my family is in the medical field. Everyone from my mom, and my dad, to my older sister and brother had all made their names by doing something incredible in the medical field. I didn't find being a doctor exciting like my family members did but instead I found food. My parents would always take me to different restaurants on weekends, one of them was a Cajun restaurant that made the biggest impact on me. The flavors, the spices, and the textures were all just something that I had never tasted before. Since I usually went home by myself after school and my parents worked late, I decided to go to the restaurant and asked them to teach me how to make Cajun food."

Luke nodded in understanding, "I take it when your family found out they didn't take it all that well."

Chris snorted, "Oh you could say that again. My siblings didn't think that it was all that big a deal and said my learning how to cook was pretty cool, my parents on the other hand were fairly disappointed. They wanted me to focus on my studies so I could eventually follow in their footsteps once I graduated. They wanted me to stop learning from the restaurant immediately and do something more meaningful." He said with meaningful in air quotes.

"But something tells me you didn't heed their request." Luke said with a smirk.

"Hell no. I found something that made me happy, and I wasn't going to let that go. So, I kept going to the restaurant behind my parent's backs so I could grow my skills. The head chef of the restaurant was so impressed by my skills that he encouraged me to apply to Totsuki. I knew that it would strain my relationship with my parents but being a chef and showcasing Cajun flavors to the world is something that became very dear to me, and I didn't want to let it go. So, I heeded his advice and applied."

"How did your parents take it?" Drake asked.

"They weren't happy. They said that someone of my stature shouldn't reduce myself to cooking. But I stood my ground and said, "you all chose to become doctors by your own choice I'm choosing to become a chef by mine. I will use my skills to become the top of my field, just as you all used yours." My siblings were impressed but my mother still had her doubts. My father on the other hand, well, laughed. He never expected one of his children to take a different path than the one he set out for us. In the end, he gave me his blessing but told me to make it to the top of my class and not fall behind anyone else in my class."

Luke blinked, "Damn man, that is some heavy pressure that got placed on you."

Chris shrugged, "Maybe but it just gave me the fire to do better. I'm grateful that I got to meet you guys and the others in our dorm, but I plan on getting to the top of Totsuki. And I will make that happen."

Luke and Drake shared a look, hearing the seriousness in Chris' words, and could understand where he was coming from. While they enjoyed the times, they spent with each other and loved being friends, they all had a goal for being here at Totsuki, and more than likely, they would have to step on people's toes to make it a reality. But that was what the culinary world was and sometimes they would have to make enemies. But they weren't alone.

Luke stood up and placed a hand on Chris' shoulder, "Chris, I understand where you're coming from. Getting to the top of Totsuki is probably the dream of everyone here and I can tell you this, while we may be friends, we're still rivals. And I look forward to seeing which of us make it to the summit of this mountain because the journey there, is not going to be easy."

"So, let's make sure that we all fight with everything we got to see which of us makes it to the top."

Chris and Drake both stood up and Luke placed a handout. The other two boys placed their hands on top of Luke's and at that moment, a silent oath between the three boys was made. They had all come from different backgrounds, and all made it to Totsuki of their volition. Their goal was the summit of Totsuki mountain and while they didn't know who was going to make it there, each of them would fight with all their strength to make it as far as they could.

Satoshi couldn't help but smile at the three boys, in his eyes, it was as if Soma, Ryo, and Akira were standing in front of him once more. The three alumni shared a powerful rivalry and yet a rather strong bond of friendship at the same time. Luke, Drake, and Chris started as friends as they were the only men in a house full of women save for Satoshi, but the mock Shokugeki they had just done proved that they could still share a powerful rivalry yet a strong friendship at the same time. The Isshiki heir looked forward to how far all three boys would go during their time at Totsuki.

As the three boys separated, they each had a fierce look in their eyes. The fire was lit beneath the three and they knew that just one Shokugeki wasn't going to be enough for them. They all shared a silent agreement and began their second mock Shokugeki. The second of many that would happen that night.

MHA

(Current Time)

"And that was how they all ended up like this. They exhausted themselves by having so many matches back to back." Satoshi said.

Sakura glared at her father, "Dad, why didn't you stop them?"

"Well, I was just so enraptured by their youthful determination to prove their worth to each other that I just couldn't stop them." Satoshi said with a smile.

Nene just shook her head, "I swear, sometimes I can't tell if you are brilliant or just a happy fool."

The girls gave off a light chuckle as they looked toward the passed-out boys. They knew they needed to wake them up, but they had no idea how. Luke gave off a small grunt as he slowly began to fall to the side and nearly hit the floor. Right before he did, Kagura and Haruka were immediately at his side and gently set him down. Since neither wanted the young boy to hit his head on the floor, Kagura took the initiative and rested his head in her lap.

"Hey, just what are you doing?" Haruka hissed at Kagura.

"What? I'm just letting Luke get a little more comfortable while he sleeps." Kagura said innocently as she stroked Luke's hair.

"You don't need to rest his head in your lap for that!"

Kagura huffed, "You're just jealous that he isn't in your lap."

Haruka's face grew bright red at the retort Kagura said and while she wouldn't admit it outright, she was rather jealous of how physically close Luke was to Kagura and would love to be in her shoes right now.

Kaia didn't like the way things were going so she moved over and knelt next to Haruka.

Kagura raised an eyebrow, "And what are you doing Kaia?"

"I'm just making sure that you don't take advantage of Luke while he's asleep." Kaia said.

"I wouldn't do that! Not unless he wanted me to." Kagura said with a devilish smirk on her face. Haruka and Kaia nearly blew a gasket at that. They knew that Kagura was a major flirt, but she never gave any boys what they wanted despite the looks she gave them. They both knew that she liked Luke as much as they did so neither of them wanted her to get a leg up on them.

Satsuki couldn't help but giggle, "Why don't you three just outright say that you're in love with the guy? It would save a lot of trouble."

"Shut up Satsuki!" the three girls snapped at the redhead which made her hide behind Sakura.

Eri couldn't help but giggle as well, "I guess I can understand why all three of them are interested in Luke-kun. He is a very nice person. Hey, why doesn't one of you kiss Luke to see if he wakes up?" she said jokingly.

All three girls could feel their faces erupt in embarrassment at the statement. While they knew Eri was joking with them since she wasn't the most romantically forward girl, the thought of locking lips with Luke was something that made each girl think of several different scenarios that would only come true in fairy tale movies.

The constant loud noises made Luke let out a groan and he blinked his eyes open, "Um, hello." He said.

All three girls looked down at him and gave off a cute scream before jumping to their feet, dropping Luke's head on the kitchen floor in the process.

"Ow!" Luke said sitting up.

"Oh no, I'm sorry Luke!" Kagura said bowing with a huge blush on her face.

Luke let out a groan and rubbed the back of his head, "Thanks for the rude awakening. I was very comfortable." He said making Kagura's face erupt in crimson.

Kip-upping to his feet, Luke cracked his neck and looked over at the others standing in the kitchen, "Well, good morning, everyone. I take it I and the guys passed out in the kitchen?"

Satoshi nodded, "Indeed Luke-kun. The three of you fought in back-to-back matches and ended up falling asleep right here."

Luke groaned, "Well, I can't say that I expected this to happen, but I guess what's done is done," he said looking over to Drake and Chris, "Guess I better wake these two up."

Luke went over to the two sleeping boys and gave them light slaps on the backs of their heads, "Up and at 'em boys, time to get the day started."

"Ugh, five more minutes." Chris said.

Drake managed to wake up thanks to Luke's help but couldn't stand up due to Chris' feet, "Oh for crying out loud, Chris, get your feet off me." He said shaking the bespectacled boy's feet off his back before standing up.

Chris ended up rolling onto his face and let out an annoyed groan before putting his glasses back on his face, "Seriously? Did you have to do me dirty like that?" he said rolling over and jumping to his feet.

"Next time don't use me as a footrest." Drake said as he and Chris stretched their backs out.

"Let's move on from that boys. It's a new day and right now, we need to get cleaned up. We had a pretty crazy night." Luke said.

Drake nodded, "Good point. Man, I didn't expect us to fight for so long last night."

"I guess we're all just stubborn." Chris said making the other boys laugh.

The trio said their greetings to everyone in the kitchen before heading out to take their respective showers. Since the building only had one shower, each boy had to wait for their turn until they could get cleaned up.

Eventually, all the boys were cleaned up, dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast. The morning meal between the Polar Star residents was pleasant, filled with laughter and good food. You got to enjoy the little things. Eri and Drake seemed to get along great, and Satsuki had fun chatting with Chris about nothing in particular. Kaia, Kagura, and Haruka, all situated themselves around Luke to make sure he was getting enough to eat. Kaia even went as far as to spoon-feed him some of the homemade boiled cabbage she made. Luke enjoyed it very much, but the other girls couldn't help but glare at Kaia for how close she was to Luke.

Thankfully breakfast ended without anyone coming to blows and all the members of Polar Star headed to school. The actual trek to the Totsuki campus wasn't as bad and it gave the Polar Star residents a good time to bond with some simple small talk. Luke thought about taking Sleipnir, but he figured some quality time with his new friends would be more meaningful. They all eventually made it to campus and the group traversed through the halls to their classes, with the girls getting looks of longing while the boys got looks of pure hatred. Not a lot of guys appreciated the fact that Polar Star was home to some of the most beautiful girls on campus and only three guys. Jealousy was a powerful emotion.

Luke looked ahead and saw Josuke, Antonio, and Luna sitting outside one of the classrooms chatting with each other. Luke made his way over to them and they all had a chance to greet them and introduce them to all of his other dorm mates. Everyone was able to strike up a very easy friendship with Eri and Josuke catching up due to not seeing each other since the transfer exam.

"Luke-kun~!"

Luke raised an eyebrow and turned to find the source of the sweet voice but was halted in his tracks when a feminine figure jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, causing the two of them to spin.

Luke got his feet back under him and quickly wrapped his arms around the girl's waist to make sure she didn't fall out of his arms. After fixing his posture, Luke looked down and saw that the girl that rushed at him was none other than Kurokiba Karin.

"Morning Luke-kun!" she said sweetly with her arms still around Luke's neck.

Luke blinked, "Um, hello Kari-chan. Good morning to you as well."

Karin giggled, "Are you adjusting to Totsuki okay?"

Luke nodded, "As well as I can," he said noticing she still had her arms around his neck, "Um, Kari-chan, is there a reason why you're holding on to me like this?"

Karin pouted, "Oh, what's the matter? Don't you like me doing this?" she said tightening her grip lightly to bring the two of them closer together.

"It's not that I don't like it, I just don't want people getting the wrong idea about us." Luke said feeling the savage glares from the surrounding male student body he was getting.

"Oh, and what idea would that be?" Karin said, obviously playing up the appearance of her flirting with Luke.

Before Luke could come up with a response, Karin was roughly pulled away from him. While Karin was so close to Luke, he didn't notice Marina come up behind her cousin and pull her by the back of her collar.

"Karin, show some decorum. That is not the way that someone of your standing should be appearing in public." Marina said scolding her cousin.

Karin got out of Marina's grip and crossed her arms, "Don't be such a stick in the mud Marina. You're just jealous of the fact that I got close to Luke-kun instead of you!"

"That is not true! I would never lower myself to do such indecent behavior in public! Even if it was with someone I liked!" Marina retorted wither cheeks glowing a bright red.

Karin grinned evilly, "Oh, does that mean you like Luke-kun?"

Steam could be seen coming off of Marina's head as her face erupted into a bright red, "I did not say that! Stop twisting my words!"

Luke and his friends watched the whole interaction between Marina and Karin go on and didn't know what to make of it but most of them found it incredibly funny.

"Wow, all Luke needs to do is stand in one place to get girls to fight with each other." Josuke said with a cheeky grin.

"Shut up Josuke. I don't even know what I did to make them like this." Luke said rubbing the back of his head.

Kaia decided to take advantage of her situation and link her arm with Luke's, "Maybe just being yourself is what women like most about you."

Luke looked at her, "Even if that was true Kaia, I don't want to do anything that could cause problems."

Antonio laughed, "I think that ship has already sailed Amigo. Women just seem to love you."

Luke just sighed. He wasn't blind by the way some of his female friends had looked at him or the way they acted around him, he could tell that they were very much interested in him, but he didn't know how to respond. He had never really been all that lucky with romance, but he did have a decent amount of female friends back home. He had never dated or had a girlfriend before, so he just wanted to be nice. He didn't expect being nice would cause the women around him to go insane. Hopefully, it wouldn't blow up in his face.

"Even if I attract women in some way, I wouldn't know how to build on that. I've never had a girlfriend." Luke said.

Everyone looked at Luke as if he had grown a third head, "Wait, Luke, you've never had a girlfriend?" Haruka asked him.

Luke nodded, "Yeah. I've had female friends, but I've never had a girlfriend before. Hell, I've never really dated. Except for this one time when my mom tried to set me up with a coworker's daughter but that didn't work out."

Luna laughed, "Wow, I have to say I didn't expect that. With the way you have women falling all over you, I'd have guessed you were some kind of chulo."

Luke looked at Luna shocked, "Seriously? I'd never be like that. I was raised to respect women, not play with their feelings."

The girls around Luke took in what he said and thought about his words. They all found Luke someone incredible and very nice to be around which led to their feelings for him and knowing that he had never had a girlfriend before gave them hope that maybe one of them could be his first.

"Well, even if you've never had a girlfriend before there must be a type of girl that you like, right?" Drake asked Luke.

All eyes were on the young man and Karin and Marina stopped their argument as Luke thought about what his friend asked him, "Hm, well, I guess so. If I had to say…"

"My, my if it isn't Lady Marina and Lady Karin."

Before Luke could answer, a new voice interrupted him and caused everyone to turn their heads at a new figure walking towards them. A young man around the same age as Luke and the other boys and dressed in the traditional Totsuki uniform with his jacket closed up and his tied perfectly straight. The boy had pale skin and long, dark red hair that jutted out all over his head making it look like flames. He held a paper fan in his hands that he casually waved in front of his face as he walked while his bright green eyes gazed upon Marina and Karin like he was a lion eyeing his prey.

He was flanked by three more males all of whom had their eyes looking down. The green-haired boy approached Marina and Karin and gave a deep bow to both of them.

"What a pleasure to see you both again and might I say that both look incredibly…ravishing." The red-haired boy said with a glint in his eyes.

Luke raised an eyebrow at the new arrival, "Who the flip is this prick?" he said.

Kagura groaned, "His name is Tendou Misao. He's the current head of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society. His skills are very impressive that he was able to take all the flavors and recipes that were left behind by Kuga Terunori-sempai. His skills are top notch but he's notorious for trying to seduce women with his cooking skills."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?" he asked getting a nod from Kagura.

Marina sighed, "And it seems that despite our constant rejections, Tendo-kun still wishes to try and persuade us to enjoy a meal from him to get our affection."

Josuke scoffed, "Seems like the dude just needs to learn how to take no for an answer."

Misao chuckled from behind his fan, "Now, now, don't be like that. All I wish to do is showcase my affection for the both of you through my incredible cooking," he said getting rather close to Karin, "Believe me, the minute you taste the spices of my Chinese cuisine, you'll be falling head over heels for me. Just as so many other women have."

Misao moved in closer and rubbed the back of his hand against Karin's cheek but only lasted for a second before Luke was on him and grabbed his wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?" Misao said glaring at Luke.

Luke gave the red-haired boy a glare himself making him flinch, "That's my line. What right do you have to put your hands on a woman without their consent?" he said letting Misao go.

The red-haired boy stepped back and growled, "This doesn't concern you. Stay out of this and mind your own business."

"I make it my business when it involves my friends." Luke said crossing his arms.

While he couldn't see it, Karin had a deep blush on her face. The fact that Luke went to such lengths to keep Misao from putting his hands on her made her heart race at a mile a minute. Only her brother and father had ever intervened in situations like this so having a boy like Luke do that for her made her feel very happy.

Misao scoffed, "Friends? Please. Like Marina-sama or Karin-sama would ever associate with someone as low-brow as you."

His comment made Luke raise an eyebrow in disbelief while his male friends around him jumped up and slowly began to gather around him in case things got hot.

"And you think you have the right to be around them?" Luke asked.

Misao scoffed and opened his fan once more, "Absolutely. My skills with Chinese cuisine will be my tools to make all the women in the world falls in love with me."

Luke and the rest of the guys blinked, "Say what?"

"As the old saying goes that the way to man's heart is through his stomach but the opposite is even truer. Creating delicious food for a beautiful woman will cause them to fall head over heels for whoever makes it. I plan to make every woman I meet fall completely in love with me the minute they taste my food! I will use this skill to make my way to the top of The Elite Ten!"

Misao's rant left everyone around him silent, they may have known about his womanizing ways but the fact that he planned to make every woman he meets fall in love with him seemed a little farfetched.

A small snicker was heard before another, then another, then suddenly Luke and the rest of the guys all burst out laughing.

"What the, what the heck is this guy talking about?!" Chris said in-between laughs.

"Is he serious with that?!" Josuke said as he was doubled over.

"Make every woman fall in love with him?" Drake said.

"Just by tasting his food?!" Antonio spoke out.

"Dude sounds like he's lost in a fantasy," Luke laughed before he calmed himself down, "Listen, dude, I don't know what is going on through your head but if that's the mindset you got then you're going to need a lot more than just good cooking skills to make someone fall for you."

Misao was furious, "What?!"

"It takes a lot more than just good cooking skills to make a girl like you. Plus, with the way you act, I think you'll need a lot more help to find a girl to stay with you."

Misao calmed himself down just enough to scoff, "You don't know what you're talking about. You'll see. No woman can withstand the pleasure of my food. I'm sure it'll happen with those pretty little things you live with too." He said looking over the girls of Polar Star along with Luna.

Misao's comment made Luke go back to his serious mode, "I'd watch my mouth if I were you."

"Oh, and what are you going to do if I don't?" Misao said smirking.

Luke felt like he just wanted to deck the right in the face and knock him out and from the ways that the three boys following behind him looked, they felt the same way. But he knew that getting violent with a guy like this won't get Luke anywhere. He was fairly certain that if he pulled any kind of violent behavior against another student, that would land him in hot water.

Luke sighed, "Believe me, you insult these girls anymore and you will regret it. But then again, you're not even worth the punch." He said making his male friends chuckle and his female ones blush.

Misao was livid right now. Never in his life had anyone ever spoken to him in such a way or brought down his goals in such a way as Luke did. It just boggled his mind that two incredibly beautiful ladies such as Marina and Karin would associate with a man like him.

"Marina-sama, Karin-sama, is it appropriate for ladies of your standings to be standing among a man such as this?" Misao stated outright.

Marina hummed, "I fail to see your point Tendou-kun. From what I have seen, Anders-kun is one of the most impressive chefs that I have ever met. His view towards food is something that I haven't seen before."

Luke chuckled, "Thanks Mari-chan." He said making the girl huff and turn her head away with a blush on her cheeks.

Karin giggled, "Plus, not only is he an amazing chef, but he is also very easy on the eyes and a perfect gentleman!"

"Thanks, Kari-chan. I do my best." Luke said sounding humble.

Misao growled, "This is unacceptable! I will not have two of my future women be defiled by a man such as you," he said before he closed his fan and pointed it at Luke, "I challenge you to a Shokugeki."

Luke blinked while everyone around him gasped. They all knew that with Luke's skills and his growing reputation among the people at Totsuki he would be challenged eventually but never in a situation like this.

"If I win, you will never associate with Marina-sama and Karin-sama again. And you must move out of the Polar Star dorm. I don't you getting in the way when I come to make those lovely women mine." Misao said looking towards the girls.

Luke's eyes twitched at the way the guy spoke, but he knew that by accepting and beating the guy at a Shokugeki, he could know him off his high horse and maybe change his views on how he treats women.

"Fine, you got a deal," Luke said making Misao grin, "But if I win, then you can never use your cooking to seduce a woman again. And you need to step down as the head of the Chinese Cuisine RS."

"What?!" Misao said shocked.

"I want everyone at Totsuki to be able to take their cooking as far as they can. And I don't think someone with your line of thinking is good for the RS." Luke said crossing his arms.

Misao grit his teeth and nearly snapped his fan in half, "Fine, you have yourself a deal."

Luke smirked, "Good, and to make things more interesting, let's go ahead and make a Chinese dish."

"You think you can beat me with a Chinese dish?" Misao asked Luke like he was crazy.

"If I want to be the best, I need to beat the best at what they do best." Luke stated.

Misao huffed and snapped his fan closed, "Very well. Three days from now we will face off. Prepare to be defeated." He said before he walked off.

Luke let out a sigh, "Damn, I hoped that when I came here, I wouldn't have to deal with guys like that."

Drake chuckled, "I think that idea flew out the window once you became such good friends with two of the top ladies at Totsuki, dude."

"I guess you have a point," Luke said scratching the back of his head, "But with that said, I am going to have to do some serious brushing up on my Chinese cuisine knowledge."

"But you challenged Tendou-kun to a Chinese dish." Eri exclaimed.

Luke nodded, "Yeah, sure I mean I have some experience with Chinese food but I'm no expert on it. I'm going to need to buckle down and brush up on how I can make a Chinese dish my way."

"I think I can help with that."

All eyes turned and saw a boy with short brown hair, tanned skin, and dark brown eyes. He was dressed in the same Totsuki uniform as Tendou, but he looked nervous.

"Hey, you're the guy that was with Tendou." Chris stated.

The boy nodded, "Yes. My name is Misaki Youji. I am a first-year member of the Chinese Cuisine RS. I joined at the same time as Tendou-san, but he rose faster than I did."

Luke blinked, "If you guys are both first years how did he get father than you?"

Youji sighed, "Tendou-san rose faster because he found ways to incorporate his high-class training into the recipes that Kuga-sempai left behind for us. But, after he became head of the RS, things changed."

Luke crossed his arms, "I understand you probably have your reasons for being in the RS but why would you go against Tendou?"

Youji grit his teeth, "Because Tendou-san has brought the entire RS down completely! We have to comply with orders as absolute, we can only follow recipes that either he or Kuga-sempai left behind, and we aren't even allowed to explore other Asian flavors. But that's not the worst part!"

Luke saw that whatever Youji wanted to say was difficult for the young man but after seeing the kind of reaction that he had, Luke knew could tell that it hurt him very much.

"He did something personal to you." Luke said.

Youji looked at Luke surprised but nodded, "Shortly after he took over as the RS head, he kicked out my best friend Momo. She chose to add Korean elements to some of the Chinese dishes that we were making but once Tendou-san found out what she was doing, he kicked her out. And forbid me from ever having any contact with her. And if that wasn't bad enough, he tried to use his food to make her fall for him!"

Luke and his friends were shocked by the actions that Tendou took. Sure, most employers and others in power would sometimes take advantage of the work their employees did but never had they heard of someone using their skills to completely get rid of someone like Tendou did. Not to mention, hitting on her once he kicked her out was just messed up.

Luke could see the desire Youji had to change things and he knew that having someone with such knowledge about Chinese cuisine would help him out in his Shokugeki.

Luke placed a hand on Youji's shoulder, "Youji, I would appreciate your help. With you in my corner, I have no doubt we can knock Tendou off his high horse and get things at the Chinese RS back to the way they should."

Youji smiled at Luke's words and nodded. Luke felt a lot more confident now. With the knowledge that Youji had, Luke knew that he would have a definite advantage when it would come to his Shokugeki.

Now he had to get to work.

Food Wars

"This won't work."

Luke let out a sigh as he sat down in his chair. After talking things over with Youji and the guys reconvened back at Polar Star. Everyone wanted to be involved with Luke's Shokugeki, even if they weren't going to be in the battle itself, they still wanted to help him in whatever way they could.

"The food is good no lie but going up against Tendou-san, you need something to take your cooking over the top." Youji said.

Luke nodded, "I know that I was excited about this battle but getting into it now, I can see that I have a major disadvantage when it comes to Chinese food."

Chris took some of the pepper steak Luke had made and tried it, "You have the basic skills down, but you need something to take it over the top."

"Not only that but you also need a dish that can show off your style." Drake commented.

Josuke took a bite of the apple that was in his hand, "Tendou has an upper hand with the theme but since Chinese food is such a diverse concept, there should be something that you can use to fold it with your style."

"Maybe adding a few Latin flavors somewhere?" Antonio offered.

"I thought of that but it's a very delicate line between a beautiful combination and having one or the other become too overpowering. I need some kind of dish that can be used to bring the flavors I know together with the flavors of China." Luke said looking over some Chinese recipes. Chinese food was something that he enjoyed but true Chinese food was an entirely different beast.

There were different regions, different spices, a lot of boiling, dicing, marinading, finding the right balance between spicy and savory, and finding a place where he could add the right amount of sweetness.

Luke sighed and slumped in his chair. He didn't want to give up and he wasn't going to but if he couldn't find something that would showcase his cooking well enough, then he was going to lose. Badly.

His thoughts were interrupted when a tray of food was placed beside him. The girls of Polar Star joined the boys in the large dining room all carrying food and drink.

Luke blinked, "Girls, wha-what's all this?" he asked.

Haruka smiled, "With how hard you are working, us girls decided that we should help you out in whatever way we could."

"And since you're so focused on making your Shokugeki dish, we knew that you weren't going to be able to make any food for yourself. That's where we come in." Kagura said.

Kaia sat down next to Luke and passed him a plate of food, "That's right. Now eat up and get your energy back. We need you at full strength to take down that lolo prick Tendou."

Luke laughed and he and the boys all sat down and enjoyed the food that the girls made. Kaia plated up some teriyaki chicken, steamed rice, and mixed vegetables. It was delicious. Luke loved the flavors and they reminded him of the times when he would go to Hawaiian restaurants with his mother.

"Kaia this is delicious! Teriyaki chicken is one of my favorites!" Luke said as he finished his plate in a flash.

Kaia giggled, "I'm so glad you like it." She said with a slight blush on her face.

Luke easily finished off the plates of food that Kaia gave him and turned towards the plate Kagura placed in front of him. It looked like a plate of fish with crispy skin smothered in a savory-looking sauce. Luke took a bite and the fish exploded with the flavors of wine and spices the minute he bit into the crispy crust.

"Holy…Kagura this is delicious! The fish is flaky, and the crust is crispy despite being covered in the sauce. Is this a red wine-based sauce?" Luke asked.

Kagura nodded, "That's right, it's a red wine-based sauce with a little bit of beef fond added to it with different spices to give it a well-rounded flavor."

"So, you specialize in wine-based dishes?" Luke asked finishing his food.

"Yeah. My mom is a good old farm girl while my dad is a sommelier. I learned a lot about wine from both of them and use my knowledge to make dishes that push the flavors of wine forward without it being too overbearing."

Luke nodded, "Well, I can say that you've been taught well." He said making the girl blush. Kagura brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she felt her face heating up. Luke knew just the right kind of words to make her feel special. But her joy was quickly dashed when Haruka managed to push her out of the way and hand some of her food to Luke.

"Try some of this Luke. It's my smoked chicken fried rice." Haruka said.

Luke was more than happy to try the dish and the minute he did, his senses were overwhelmed with the smokiness of the chicken, the fluffiness of the rice, and the crispness of the vegetables mixed in. The scrambled egg gave the rice a nice creaminess and the homemade furikake seasoning gave it just the right amount of salt and spice.

"Damn Haruka, I didn't know you could throw down like this. After the rice juice you gave us all at the welcoming party, I figured you would have leaned more towards your mom's style of cooking." Luke said.

"Well, my mom did teach me a few of the basics but I always felt more connected to the smoked foods that my dad taught me. It's honestly a great feeling when you put some simple spices on food and smoke it over wood chips and it makes something incredible." Haruka said with a smile on her face.

Luke chuckled, "Believe me Haruka, I know how you feel. My older brother and I put together a smoker one summer and every year we invite all our friends and family for a big block party where we grill and smoke up all kinds of meat and veggies. It's honestly one of my favorite memories."

Haruka giggled, "Well, that's where the best memories come from. Food, music, and friends. It kind of sounds like that's your cooking in a nutshell Luke."

Luke stopped eating for a second after he heard Haruka's words. It was like something clicked inside him when she said that. Luke's cooking. He had been trying this entire time to try and make a dish that could pass as Chinese but now he realized he had been overthinking the entire thing. All Luke had to do was what he normally did when he cooked. Put himself on a plate.

Luke swallowed his food and took a big drink of the tea that was in front of him. He jumped to his feet and placed both hands on Haruka's shoulders taking her by surprise.

"L-Luke?" she said blushing like crazy.

"Thanks, Haruka, I owe you one. I know realize how to take control of my Shokugeki." Luke said as he hugged the girl and breezed past her to get to the kitchen but not before he turned back around.

"Oh, and thanks for the food girls. It was delicious!" he said as he made his way into the kitchen at high speeds.

"Hey, Luke, hold up!" Drake said as he swallowed the last of his food and followed his friends. The rest of the boys sans Isshiki-sempai followed suit while the girls just remained in the dining room.

Haruka was in utter shock as she was still trying to wrap her head around the show of affection Luke gave her. It was such a quick hug, but it made her feel so warm and comfortable. Like she could just fall asleep in his arms. She wrapped her arms around herself, and a cute smile grew on her face, she was also enjoying the pouts of frustration Kaia and Kagura had on their faces after they saw how close Luke got with Kagura. The whole situation made Isshiki chuckle.

"Well now Luke-kun, what answer did you discover for yourself? Will you be able to tackle the massive wall that has been placed in front of you? I can't wait to see the result." Isshiki said with a smile as he couldn't help but get excited at what his junior would put up.

Food Wars

The day of the Shokugeki came faster than anyone expected and the air in the area was electric. Due to Luke's growing reputation, everyone wanted to see whether or not he was up to snuff or if he was all talk. As the arena grew, Luke was in his waiting room with his boys. All of them were nervous about what was about to happen, but Luke kept his cool. He had some experience with cooking competitions but nothing like this. And with so much on the line, he needed to make sure he kept his head in the game.

Luke was looking over the last of his ingredients and was happy with everything that he had, "Looks good." He said.

"You sure you're ready for this dude? Don't get me wrong I have total faith that you can do this but you're going up against a guy who bleeds Chinese food." Chris said.

Luke nodded, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I come from a world where I have to deal with insane and crazy people every day. Not to mention, serving the less fortunate in the rougher parts of my home city I'd have to keep my head on a swivel. I know that doing this Shokugeki is a really risky move but now that I threw down the gauntlet, I don't plan on backing down."

Josuke chuckled, "You have got balls of steel dude."

"Trust me, my guy, I have been in some pretty serious situations to get these balls of steel." Luke said making all the guys chuckle.

A knock at the door caught everyone's attention, "Anders-kun, standby please."

"Heard that," Luke said as he threw on his coat and his hat, "Alright boys, let's go to work."

Food Wars

The girls of Polar Star had found their way into the stands of the arena along with Isshiki-sempai. Since the match involved one of their own, they didn't want to miss a second of it.

"Do you think Luke is going to be okay?" Eri asked nervously.

"What, you don't think Luke can take this guy?" Kaia asked.

Eri shook her head, "Of course not. I know how skilled Luke is but Tendou-kun is also skilled. After all, he made it to the top of the Chinese Cuisine RS as a first year. That's not an easy feat for anyone."

Isshiki chuckled catching everyone's attention, "I can understand your worry Eri-chan but something you need to realize is that the culinary world is a melting pot of challenges and trials. Things that all of you will face sooner than later. A Shokugeki is just one of those trials. If you can't even topple someone your age by doing something you love, then getting to your goals will be even harder."

All the girls thought hard about their Sempai's words and saw that he was right. The culinary industry was one of the most difficult to rise in and grow but the fact that all of them had made it into Totsuki just showed that they had skill. But now they had a lot more to go. Shokugeki's like the one Luke was going to do just proved that there were going to be a lot of walls placed in front of them and it was on them to tackle them.

"WHAT'S UP TOTSUKI!"

The arena suddenly got quiet as the Shokugeki MC made his way onto the main stage. The MC was a young man with tan skin, a very large afro, and a set of stylish silver shades over his eyes. He was dressed in the typical Totsuki male uniform but with several bracelets, rings, necklaces around his neck, and chains hanging from his belt with a set of bright blue sneakers on his feet. He was holding a microphone in his hands and had a very happy smile on his face.

"This is an official Shokugeki brought to you by the Shokugeki Administration. My name is Kazehaya Kojou or KK if you'd prefer to call me, and I am going to be your host for this battle today. Let me hear you make some noise!"

The crowd went crazy with KK's words, but everyone was excited to see how the Shokugeki was going go.

"Now, without further ado let's get this show on the road. The kitchens are set, the judges are ready, and let's bring the competitors in." KK said as the overhead light illuminated one-half of the arena.

"First up, the head of the Chinese Cuisine RS, the Wily Warrior of the Wok, Mr. Tendou Misao!"

Several members of the Chinese Cuisine RS came running out of the walkway area and lined up on the sides, just as Tendou came walking down like he was taking a Sunday stroll. He was dressed in a pair of black pants with shiny shoes and a midnight blue Changshan. He snapped his fan open and closed his fan which made many of the girls in the arena swoon.

"Tendou-sama!"

"Do your best!"

"We love you Tendou-sama!"

Tendou seemed to be reveling in the cheers from his female fans, the Chinese chef already feeling like he had this Shokugeki in the bag. Luke didn't stand a chance.

"Whoo, seems like Tendou is certainly feeling the love from some of the ladies in the crowd," KK said, "Let's see if this will rattle his opponent at all."

The light over Luke's walk-out area illuminated and the sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the arena with the residents of Polar Star were ready to cheer as loud as they could for their friend.

"Please put your hands together for a newcomer to the Totsuki scene, he may be new but he's making some big waves already by not only impressing the current 9th and 10th seats of the Elite Ten but also their fathers. Please welcome, Mr. Luke Anders!"

The minute Luke entered the arena, everything went silent. Not because no one wanted to cheer for him, but it was because the minute Luke entered the arena, he gave off a fierce aura of intensity. The look in his eye was fierce and deadly and the sight of him being followed by the rest of his friends gave him the look that he was ready for battle.

"Wow." Kaia breathed out as she saw Luke walk into the arena.

"He's so serious. So focused. So handsome." Haruka said.

"Handsome? He's freaking hot!" Kagura said as she bit her lip. They all knew that Luke was a handsome guy but seeing him in a competition setting where he needed to be focused on winning just made him look all that more appealing in their eyes.

"I knew I said I was worried but seeing Luke in his element like this makes me feel a lot more at ease." Eri said with a smile.

"Come on Luke, you got this!" Satsuki cheered along with Sakura. The other girls joined in and started cheering and clapping for Luke.

Luke looked up at the area where his friends were and saw that they were all standing up and cheering for him. He smiled and gave the girls a wave. The fact that he had made so many new friends during his short time here at Totsuki made him very happy.

Luke focused his gaze and met Tendou on the raised stage in the middle of the arena, the Chinese chef looking just as pompous as the last time Luke saw him.

"I commend you for not running away, Anders-kun." Tendou said as he snapped his fan closed.

Luke crossed his arms, "A real man doesn't go back on his word."

Tendou scoffed, "No matter. Once I beat you today, I'll be one step closer to achieving my goal of making every woman in the world mine."

Luke sighed in annoyance, "Man you are so full of yourself. I cannot wait to knock you off your high horse."

"Ooh looks like the sparks are flying and we haven't even lit the burners yet," KK said, "Now, per this Shokugeki, should Tendou win this bout, Luke has to leave the Polar Star dorm and never associate with Marina-sama and Karin-sama ever again. On the other hand, should Luke win, then Tendou can never use his cooking to seduce another woman again and he must step down as the head of the Chinese Cuisine RS."

"Gentlemen, to your stations."

Luke and Tendou gave one last glare at each other before turning their backs to each other and heading into their stations. Luke shared a few last-minute words of good luck with his friends Luke went to his station where all of his ingredients were ready and waiting. He took a deep breath to calm himself and prepared to do what he always did; cook with everything he had.

"Here we go, the Shokugeki is about to commence. The theme is a Chinese dish. Bring out your best plates boys. Let the Shokugeki…BEGIN!"

Luke and Tendou immediately got to work on their dishes. Tendou began by taking several packages of high-quality, soft tofu and started blending them all. He then took the mixture out, poured it into a mold, and swirled a dark red-looking sauce into it to give it a wonderful, red-marbled design. He then set that mixture aside and grabbed some delicious-looking pork belly. He took the pork belly and sliced it into thick squares and scored the tops of them. He placed the pork into a very hot pan and seared it to where it got a wonderful crust on the outer edge of it.

He took his pork and placed it into a roasting pan that had a metal rack on the bottom of it. He placed a layer of foil over the rack and laid his pieces of pork belly and placed the whole pan in the oven to roast.

KK moved over to Tendou's side of the kitchen and placed his microphone near him, "So, Tendou-san. Why don't you give us a little hint about what you're going to be serving?"

Tendou smiled, "Well, I plan on doing a little mashup of two of my favorite Chinese dishes to add something a little special that the judges wouldn't be expecting," he said before looking over at Luke's station with a smug smirk, "From what I have learned about my opponent, this is his forte when it comes to cooking."

"Wow, throwing some shade on your opponent by taking a page from his book. That is ballsy sir." KK said making Luke glare slightly at Tendou.

Antonio tsked, "Damn, this fool."

"Thinking he can show up Luke with his style?" Josuke said.

Chris scoffed, "Please if he thinks that he can beat Luke like that then he must be smoking something funny."

Drake nodded, "True but at the end of the day, it all comes down to what Luke can put up to beat Tendou."

Speaking of Luke. He had just finished placing some rice in the steamer and set it to cook, he then took some corn husks and soaked them in cold water. He stepped away from the husks and took some lard and beat it with just a little bit of chicken broth until it was fluffy. He then took some masa harina, baking powder, and salt and mixed them all before adding the lard mixture. He mixed everything with his hands and added just a splash more chicken stock just to keep it a little malleable.

He rolled his dough into several balls and set them aside on a sheet tray with a layer of plastic over it. After that, he took some plump Gulf Shrimp and some juicy-looking pork shoulder and placed them on his station. He then took some dried shitake mushrooms, habanero peppers, water chestnuts, green onions, black pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and some apple cider vinegar. Along with some garlic, white onions, and some red chili peppers.

Luke nodded as he saw that he had all of his ingredients and was ready to get started. He turned to Josuke from his spot, "Hey Josuke, are all set up?"

Luke's vegan friend gave him a nod and thumbs up, "Had it all set up before we got here. Go ahead and bring the noise bud." He said getting odd looks from Luke's other male friends. Everyone in the audience, including the Polar Star girls were all curious as to what was going to happen.

All of them except Eri who had a very large smile on her face as she knew what Luke was about to do.

Luke inhaled and exhaled before smiling. He reached up and grabbed the sleeves of his coat and pulled, snapping the lapels of the coat off, and left him with a sleeveless coat. Luke cracked his neck as he heard some of the girls in the crowd swoon at the sight of his bare arms.

"Oh…my…God!" Kaia, Kagura, and Haruka all cheered out as they practically drooled at the sight of Luke's bare arms. They knew that Luke had some muscles and was very handsome but the fact that he was showing off some skin was like bringing one of their fantasies to light.

"Well now, I cannot say that I was expecting this from Luke-kun." Isshiki said with his daughter and wife giving him a look that told him he was one to talk since he always strips whenever he had the chance.

Unknown to everyone in the crowd, Marin and Karin were in the VIP booth overlooking the Shokugeki along with everyone else. The sight of Luke shedding his sleeves and revealing his muscular arms made them both blush furiously.

"H-he shouldn't be showing himself off in such a way! It's improper!" Marina said doing her best to play off her blushing cheeks.

"I don't mind at all." Karin said enjoying the sight of Luke cooking sleeveless. Ever since Luke had entered the girls' lives, each of them seemed to have changed in their way. Marina seemed to be more open to getting involved with other people her age while Karin was considering a real romantic relationship for the first time. Now that they were both seeing them in his element of competition for the first time it was deepening their feelings even more.

Luke pulled out his phone and scrolled through his list of songs and found one that he felt resonated with the situation. Thanks to Josuke, he was able to get a speaker system hooked up so Luke could operate it with his phone. Now, all he had to do was start the music.

"Now, it's showtime." He said starting the music.

Insert Song: Fire by Mdot Finley

The heavy, hip-hop beats played through the air shocked a lot of people but some in the audience found themselves lost in the music. Luke's English-speaking friends were familiar with the song and bopped their heads along with the music. Luke smiled as he felt the music flow through his body, and he got in his groove. Now that there was music in the air, Luke was feeling very happy and more at peace. He still wanted to win but now he was cooking on his terms.

As Luke started moving, he also started singing. Startling a lot of people in the audience but his friends that had known he could sing were just enjoying his voice. Luke sang with a huge smile on his face and moved around his station with ease before he grabbed his knife.

Tendou saw the performance and just smirked, "I don't know what you're game is but if you think you can beat me like that…WHAT?!"

Tendou was broken out of his mockery when he saw Luke fly around his station like a blur, moving along with the rhythm of the music, singing his heart out, and dancing like he was the star of his music video. But that wasn't what caught the Chinese chef's attention the most. Along with his movements, Luke was just moving along with the rest of his prep. He swiftly and methodically peeled and deveined his shrimp, ground his pork shoulder, sliced the stems of his mushrooms, sliced his green onions, diced his habanero peppers, and minced his water chestnuts. He quickly mixed them all until it was all a homogenous mixture and seasoned it with sugar, salt, and pepper before adding his soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and onions which he minced finely, sesame oil, and finished off with a splash of apple cider vinegar and red chili peppers.

"Well, I'll be! Luke seems to have let the music take him and somehow, he managed to get the majority of his prep work done in just several short minutes!" KK said as he found himself moving along with the music as well.

Luke cheered as he grooved and glided around his station. The music being like a shot of adrenaline that he needed to finish out strong. He glanced over at Tendou and saw that he was basting the pork belly in his oven with a bright red sauce. Luke honestly found what his opponent was doing looked interesting, but he kept his head in the game. He had the battle to win.

Luke saw that his rice had finished, and he moved over to check it. His rice was perfectly cooked and had just the right texture that he needed. He turned his cooker off, poured some of the rice onto a sheet pan to cool, and seasoned it with just a quick splash of rice vinegar. After his rice was cooled, he started on the most important step of his dish. With his corn husks now fully soaked, Luke patted them dry and spread them out in front of him. He took some of his masa mix and spread it onto the bottom of his corn husks. He then took his pork and shrimp mixture and placed that in the center of the masa and topped it off with his rice. He repeated that process five more times before placing his little masa-rice "purses" into a steamer to let them cook.

"Is Luke making a tamale?" Luna asked the other girls.

Sakura hummed, "It looks like it but I don't think I have ever seen any tamales with the actual outer layer being rice."

"I guess we'll just have to see." Eri said.

In the VIP booth, Marina smirked as she saw Luke put together his dish, "I see. So that's your approach." She said quietly. She was quite impressed that Luke was able to put together something the way he did.

Back on the stage, KK was bouncing on his feet as he looked back and forth at both Tendou and Luke as they finished up their dishes, "Ooh, things are getting heated, and time is winding down. Get your finishing touches on those plates' boys!"

Luke and Tendou quickly plated up their food, added final garnishes, and stepped back, or glided back in Luke's case, from their dishes.

"That's it! Time's Up!"

(End Song)

Luke cut his music and took a deep breath, "Damn, that took a lot more out of me. I need to work on my cardio." He said as he looked over to his friends. Each one gave him a smile of encouragement, almost knowing that he would come out victorious. But for now, it was in the judges' hands.

KK announced for both chefs to approach the judge's table with their dishes. Since Tendou was the one who initiated the challenge, he would go first. Luke didn't mind, he knew that his food would be enough to beat out Tendou.

Tendou approached the judges and gave his most charming smile, "Greetings Judges. This is my Char Siu Mapo Tofu." He said placing plates in front of all three judges. Each plate had a thick piece of beautiful red pork belly resting inside a piece of red and white tofu that was cut open to look like a flower. It all rested on top of a dark red pool of sauce.

"Ooh, well now this looks interesting!" Jissouji Kirihito, a bearded food critic said as he looked at the dish in front of him.

"The contrasting colors of red and white immediately draws the eye as soon as you see it." Hattori Momo, a woman dressed in a traditional red kimono said as she gazed at the vibrant dish in front of her.

"And the first thing that hits you is the sense of spice. The uniqueness of many Chinese dishes is the correct amount of spice and chili used for both heat and spice. Just the smell of this dish whets my appetite." Ayanokoji Ryo, a young man with a day's worth of stubble on his face said as he inhaled the wonderfully spicy dish.

Tendou smirked, "Thank you, please enjoy." He said giving a bow.

"Well then, let's partake!" all three judges said as they took up a spoon and dug into the dish. The pork belly had been cooked so well that the judges were able to slice through the meat with little effort. After taking a spoonful of both pork, tofu, and sauce the judges took a bite and their taste buds exploded in a flourish of savory and spicy flavors.

"Mmm, how delicious! The pork is so tender that it just melts on my tongue!" Momo said in pure delight.

"The combination of the savory-sweet pork along with the silky smooth tofu and the intense sauce is a perfect combination!" Kirihito said.

"But what takes it over the top is the bean curd sauce mixed into the tofu! Not only does it give the tofu a vibrant color but the added savoriness balances the entire dish out!" Ryo said as he ate more of the dish.

"A wonderful plate that brings together two classic Chinese dishes while still maintaining the classic flavors and taste that come along with them. And adding a twist to one simple portion just brings the whole thing into a new light." Kirihito said before he wiped his mouth.

KK inhaled deeply, "Wow, that is some heavy praise the judges are heaping onto Tendou. Will Luke be able to combat this?"

Luke smiled as he placed his dish in front of the judges, "Good afternoon judges." He said with his stacked high with what looked like three corn husk wrapped tamales with two different sauces on the side.

"Oh, now you're the young man who did the whole performance at your station." Momo said with a smile.

"Yes ma'am."

Kirihito rubbed his chin, "I have to say I've never seen Live Cooking like that before. Nice moves though."

Luke gave off a small chuckle, "Thank you, sir. I've been singing and dancing in the kitchen ever since I first started cooking. It's kind of my thing now."

Ryo laughed, "Well, let's see if your performance made a good dish."

Luke nodded, "Yes sir. This is my Shrimp and Pork Zongzi Tamales."

Tendou gave Luke a shocked look, "What?!"

Ryo's eyes lit up at the sight, "Oh wow! A Zongzi Tamale? Now I have to say that is something interesting!"

"Indeed," Kirihito said nodding, "While they are from two different cultures, they both have similarities. Where tamales are a filling wrapped in masa then put inside of a corn husk and steamed, Zongzi is a glutinous rice mixture stuffed with a filling then placed in a bamboo wrapping the steamed."

"And you chose to combine the two?" Momo asked.

Luke nodded, "That's right. A friend of mine reminded me that the best foods are inspired by those that are connected to strong memories. I wanted to bring a little bit of myself into a Chinese dish."

"Well, let's see if your choice paid off."

The judges carefully unwrapped corn husks off of the Tamale and were shocked to see the dual-layered dish.

"Oh my, I was not expecting this." Momo said.

Kirihito nodded, "I was expecting either the wrapping or the filling to lean one way or the other, but the last thing that I expected to see was the wrapping itself."

Luke nodded, "To keep the masa from going dry I added chicken stock to it. That combined with the moisture from the rice and the filling will keep the whole dish moist."

The judges took a fork and knife and sliced into the tamales, the fully cooked mixture steamed forth as the corn-rice coating was cut into, immediately whetting the appetites of the judges. Each one took a small bite from the Tamales and their eyes shot open. After swallowing the food in their mouths, the judges immediately started scarfing down forkfuls of the tamales.

Tendou blinked as he tried to comprehend the sight in front of him, "What the hell?!"

"I don't believe it! I can keep eating every bit of this dish and I don't feel bogged down after eating it!"

"The filling is similar to a traditional Dim Sum dumpling with a combination of shrimp and pork but the added element of chilis and spice makes it an endless cycle of deliciousness that you just want to keep enjoying!" Momo said

Ryo ate more before he spoke, "The rice adds just the right amount of fluffiness for the filling to rest on and the masa dough is so incredibly moist it's almost pudding-like! Everything combined makes it not only a balanced dish but makes it even more delicious once you eat it!"

Tendou looked as if his brain was having trouble processing everything the judges were saying. He just couldn't believe it! His dish was immaculate! Why were the judges enjoying Luke's dish more than his?!

Luke chuckled and noticed that the judges has finished off their plate of tamales, "Oh here," he said plating up more tamales for the judges, "I made more so enjoy as much as you'd like. Oh, and please, try the sauces on the side. The first is a garlic and vinegar sauce while the other is a sweet and sour sauce."

The judges looked even more enticed by Luke's offering and took him up on his offer.

"Oh, the garlic and vinegar sauce adds just the right amount of acidity! And with the light soy sauce being used as the base it isn't overly salty." Kirihito said as he savored the flavor.

"And the sweet and sour sauce adds just the right amount of sweetness and accentuates the habanero peppers inside the filling! I've never had any dish quite like this!"

"I don't understand," Tendou said as he stepped forward, "What about my dish? You seemed like you all enjoyed it."

Kirihito wiped his mouth before addressing Tendou, "Tendou-kun, your dish was delicious no doubt. We could see what brought you to the top of your research society."

Momo nodded, "However, while you did manage to add some interesting twists to a classic dish, the actual taste of the finalized plate was nothing that we haven't tasted before."

"What?!" Tendou yelled.

"At the end of the day, your dish was just a traditional Mapo Tofu. Whereas Anders-kun's dish presented ingredients and taste that we are all familiar with but added enough of a twist to it to make it interesting and unique. He not only added flavors that are traditionally Chinese but Mexican as well." Ryo stated.

Tendou was dumbstruck. He couldn't believe that his dish was being outranked by someone who challenged his authority. It just wasn't possible!

Luke handed Tendou a plate of his tamales, "Sticking to your roots isn't a bad thing but if that's all you do then you'll never advance your skills. Taste this and you'll see where I'm coming from."

Tendou took the plate and unwrapped the tamales. True to the judge's words, the appearance of the half-and-half tamale did appeal to his eyes. Swallowing the salivation building in his mouth, he cut open the fist tamale and immediately took a bite. The presence of the shrimp, pork, and chilis made for perfect harmony. It was like a Chinese dish, but a Chinese dish brought it to a whole new level. Tendou couldn't help himself and just scarfed down the rest of the dish. He didn't want to admit it, but Luke's dish was better than his.

"Damnit!" Tendou said quietly.

All three judges looked at each other before nodding. They all hit the blue button which revealed Luke's name on the enormous screen over their heads as the winner.

"And the winner of this Shokugeki is…Luke Anders!"

Luke smiled and tossed his hat up in the air. He spun on his feet and caught the hat as he came back around to the front. He flipped his hat back onto his head and ran his fingers across the brim, "Eien ni, Gracias!"

All of Luke's friends just went crazy as they heard his victory. They knew how skilled he was and his win over Tendou just showed everyone in the school why he was allowed to enter in the first place.

KK went over to Luke as he was wrapping up his leftovers, "So Anders-kun, with your win today, Tendou-kun can no longer use his cooking as a seduction tool. Kind of an interesting stipulation for his defeat."

Luke chuckled, "Yeah, I know but while I agree that the way to a woman's heart is through their stomach, I don't believe in Tendou's vision about making all women his just by using his food. There's a lot more to making someone fall for you than just being a good cook."

KK nodded, "Understandable. In addition to that, Tendou-kun is no longer the head of the Chinese Cuisine RS. Will you be taking over his position?

Luke shook his head, "Oh no. I don't have enough background in Chinese cuisine to be a good leader for the RS, but I know who does," he said turning back to his friends, "Misaki Youji."

All eyes turned to the young man who looked shocked by Luke's words, "Huh, what, me?" Youji said pointing to himself.

Luke jumped off the stage and went over to Youji and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Dude, when you told me about how you felt about the Chinese RS, I could feel the passion you had. Passion is what you need in a business like this, and the Chinese RS needs a breath of fresh air. I think you can be what it needs."

Youji looked as if he wanted to protest but Luke's words pierced through his heart and he felt truly honored that he would think so highly of him, "If you think that I have the potential to bring the RS forward then I will do my best not to disappoint."

The crowd cheered at Youji's words and Luke couldn't be happier for his new friend. With his skills and passion, Luke knew the Chinese RS would be in good hands. The girls all joined them down by the stage and hugged Luke for his victory, they were all so happy that he had won his first official Shokugeki and now that he had won, it was time to celebrate.

Tendou merely sulked off, not wanting to see anyone. Isshiki watched as the former head of the Chinese RS walked out of the arena before looking toward his kohai with a smile.

"Well don't Luke-kun. You've crossed your first wall and the rest of Totsuki waits ahead of you. Let's see if you can tackle the rest of the challenges that come your way."

Food Wars

Luke yawned a little bit as he walked into his first class of the day. After his Shokugeki victory the day before, his friends threw him a very large victory party to celebrate. Luke was very happy with what his friends did, and they all enjoyed their time together. Before they all knew it, everyone had fallen asleep together with Luke somehow ending up in a very large pile of tangled limbs with Haruka, Kaia, and Kagura all wrapped around him.

Luke didn't mind since he was kept warm the entire night. Marina and Karin joined them as well, but they called it an earlier night due to their Elite Ten duties. Luke enjoyed their presence, but it seemed like Karin wanted to move forward in their relationship as did the other girls. Luke wasn't completely averse to a romantic relationship but right now he was more interested in growing his cooking skills. As such, he needed to focus on his current class which was focusing on different types of butchering techniques.

Luke headed to his station and waited a few moments before he was joined by what he assumed was his partner. The boy was at least a foot taller than him with a shaved head, a light skin tone, amber eyes, and a muscular build. He had a red bandanna on his head with a matching samue jacket with a kanji on the back saying blade master. He was dressed in a pair of black hakama pants, geta sandals, a dark red shirt, and a knife holster on his waist with several different types of knives in their proper holsters.

Luke blinked at the sight, "Wow, that is a very impressive set of knives good sir."

The young man looked at Luke and gave a small smile, "Thank you. Each knife was created by myself so I could be prepared for anything. They are very much my lifeblood."

Luke nodded and pulled out his knife, "I can understand that. My knife was forged by my older brother to help me on my journey." He said unsheathing his knife.

The boy's eyes immediately lit up upon seeing Luke's knife, "Beautiful." He said as he reached out for the knife but quickly stopped himself.

"Oh, my apologies. I get very excited when I see a new knife or blade in front of me." The boy said embarrassed.

Luke chuckled, "Don't worry about it man. I know how you feel," he said holding his hand out, "Name's Luke. Luke Anders."

The boy smiled at Luke, "Gen. Tsurugi Gen."

Throughout the class, Luke and Gen found themselves easily bonding with each other and getting along great. Luke found out that Gen is the middle child of a family that owns a blacksmith/kendo dojo and while he wasn't as great with a sword as his siblings, he quickly found his place in his father's forge. From there he discovered his love and talent for cooking when he was testing a knife in a kitchen with his mother. Unfortunately, due to the fact he hasn't been around women much outside his family, he tends to be a bit reserved. Luke understood that and just let the guy do what he enjoyed.

Due to the nature of the class, Gen found himself in his element and took to butchering the various fish and seafood in front of the boys like it was second nature. Thanks to his skills and Luke's experience, they finished up the class before anyone else and were given free time. The two boys changed out of their cooking clothes and into their uniforms. Gen kept his jacket but opted for cargo pants, steel-toed boots, no tie, and the white school shirt with the top button open. Luke appreciated his style.

The two boys continued on their way walking next to each other before they met up with Josuke and Antonio. Luke was happy that he had the chance to meet so many people at this school and got to know them through their style of cooking. He was excited to see what else Totsuki had to offer him and was, even more, looking forward to seeing if he had what it took to get into the Elite Ten.

Only time would tell.

(Hello everyone, Kuro no Okami 23 here with another chapter. This one is a bit longer because I wanted to add so much into it, and I don't really like leaving my chapters on cliffhangers. So, I hope you all enjoy and please, take a look at some of my other stories.

A shoutout to pokemonking0924 for his entry of Tsurugi Gen. Hope I did you proud and did your character justice.

Also, I am no longer accepting PMs for OC students of Totsuki. I feel like I have plenty and I have more to showcase in the upcoming chapters. However, I am asking for a bit of assistance. In addition to Marina and Karin, I really only have 2 other members of The Elite Ten council flushed out. So, if anyone has any interesting ideas for the rest of the council, please, feel free to share. They can be any seat except for 9th and 10th.

That's all for now. Ja ne!)