Classique

by Zancrowe

{Soma / Erina} As rival schools attempt to crush Tootsuki in the biggest Tournament Arc; Azami finally attempts to retake control of his daughter; while Asahi decides it's time to usurp the Nakiri Throne from that very heiress. Only problem? Erina's boyfriend. [ft. Asahi/OC; OC/Nao; Ryou/Alice; Isshi/Nene; Taku/Hisa; Akira/Megu; Shino/Hina] ((36: Finals! The Abyss Of Pride))

36. Finals! The Abyss Of Pride

Notes:

Hey Everyone! Zancrowe Here!

Here we go. Round two. Update number two out of four in one month. Nah, I'm not tired, you are! Anyways, hope you enjoy this follow-up, and remember to stay tuned, since we still have fresh updates scheduled for every Saturday of October.

Twitter: ~ Zancrowe ~

Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.

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The very atmosphere that surrounded the event, which in itself had not started out in that high a mood to begin with, had outright plummeted to the ground and maybe even further down as it was made official that Satoshi Isshiki had indeed lost against Ashitaro Sadatsuka to what amounted as little else than a damn technicality. Isshiki was still standing tall, having served an outright superior dish even if just slightly, yet was declared the loser against an opponent who was kneeling and could barely keep himself together as the mere implication that he had lost had made him outright panic. Everyone's mood was the lowest it could be, and as the complaints died down, with the viewers all slowly accepting the fact that no matter what they said nothing would change, what was left was utter silence and dread for what was to come. That had been their Second Seat. The highest ranked member they had, and he was no longer in the competition…

And as she traversed through the stadium's many seats, all she could think was how unfortunate it was. She genuinely didn't want to have to see it end this way, but also, she had long warned them it was inevitable. Still, she was here now, not really by choice, as she reached her actual destination.

She recognized some of these people, not by name, but at least by association. Etsuya had dealt with them before, and he had told her a bit about them.

About the little blonde girl with the pigtails, sitting on top of her failure of a cousin's lap with a very worried expression on her cute face. Said cousin was talking to his girlfriend, while another older, better looking, young man, who was the boyfriend of that annoying Urara (how she landed that she'd never know), looked at the stage solemnly. Everyone looked pathetically sad, was basically the point she was getting at, all except for, of course…

"So, you did show up after all," Yukichiko noted, her tone clearly not at all happy to see her. "I had thought maybe I had lost my touch and my message had not been clearly received, eh sweetie?"

And at this Shouko Kaburagi just blushed brightly and both frowned and pouted at the older girl.

"You sent a dead tarantula to my mailbox you damn mad woman!" Shouko cried out, still shivering at the memory of opening that package and almost dying from a heart attack. "What gives?! I thought you wanted nothing to do with me!"

"Be thankful we had little time, otherwise since you didn't respond I would have filled your house with live ones," Yukichiko expressed, and Shouko flinched. "And to reply to your… astute observations, yes, you are correct. I don't much care for you, and if I could, I would much rather never have to see you again."

"Then…?!"

"This isn't for me," Yukichiko explained, finally turning towards Shouko, as the younger girl fidgeted at the sight of her. "My… I had thought you would have come here in disguise or something. You look… normal."

"I-I rarely use the uniform as is," Shouko admitted, eyes to the side. The former Sixth Seat was currently wearing her actual Tootsuki uniform, without her trademark baseball cap at that, "And I think nobody here has ever seen me without some sort of cap on my head, so I assumed people wouldn't recognize me if I just dressed normally. And, lo and behold, nobody did."

"I see…" Yukichiko noted, "Take a seat then."

Shouko tried to form a reason not to, but she came all this way regardless, so she just sighed and took a seat right next to Yukichiko. Seems the older sister had even reserved one for her, how thoughtful.

"I can outright hear the cogs in your head turning," Yukichiko said with a little mocking laugh. "I can see why you and Etsuya got along so well. You really don't trust anybody do you?"

"Excuse me for being paranoid that you'd call for me to join you here after… after, well…"

"After you made dealings with our father behind Etsuya's back and then utterly broke his heart by lying to him for months?" Yukichiko cheerfully added for her, and Shouko felt herself shrink at every word.

"…y-yeah, that."

"Well, personally, like I said, I would be happy with never seeing you again, but its not like I can blame you for everything either," Yukichiko said, and this did surprise Shouko. "Etsuya's basically a grown ass man by now, not a little kid I have to keep watch over. He's screwed over so many people himself, that part of me knows this is just karma biting him in the ass. Same for me. Also, our biggest problem is daddy dearest. Your dealings with him, while ill-advised, is not something Etsuya or I are can say were not guilty of as well."

"…This sounds very close to you being supportive of me…"

"Oh no, sweetheart, I'm not. I still think you're a horrible partner for my little brother," Yukichiko stated matter-of-factly.

"But then why…?!"

"Because its not up to me to decide," Yukichiko replied, turning to meet Shouko's confused eyes with her own. For the first time, both women were looking at each other with some semblance of an understanding. "Disappointed as I am with him, and as much as I told myself not to intervene, I still, for some stupid reason, couldn't keep my nose out of his personal business. I know he'd never admit to it, he's too damn proud and arrogant and childish, but… he still cares, for reasons beyond my understanding, about you it would seem…"

"That's…" Shouko mouthed, utterly take aback, before she narrowed her eyes. "Hey! What do you mean beyond you understanding?! You saw me naked too! You should have a good idea why he's so in love with…" she had begun to tease, but when Yukichiko's eyes seemed to outright turn to her with a look less human and more reptilian, Shouko quickly cleared her throat and shifted her train of thoughts, "What I mean is we formed a very special bond as fellow chefs, entrepreneurs and overall shitty individuals."

"How romantic…"

"Hey, it worked, until it didn't," Shouko defended solemnly. "Still, all this show of force, and in the end it's just an older sis babying her little bro?"

Yukichiko did chuckle a bit. "…I can't deny that. He wasn't going to reach out, and you seemed content with just disappearing off the face of the Earth. All I did was bring you under the same, massive roof. What you two do from today onwards, that's not on me."

"…I find it sweet, in your own creepy way and all that…" Shouko admitted, before she turned her eyes towards the arena, "But I'm not the one who broke things off. I betrayed his trust, and I know Etsuya. That's one thing he'll never forgive. I-It doesn't matter how I feel on the matter, there's no future for us here…"

"That's for you both to decide," Yukichiko reaffirmed, as her eyes fell down at the arena as well. "In fact, Etsuya has a lot to decide today, and a part of me is dreading it."

"Dreading?"

"It doesn't concern you…"

"H-Hey! You made me come here!" Shouko argued. "At least trust me a little and gossip with me. What's going on? This all sounds like a lot more than just Etsuya's relationship troubles with… Oh."

"Damn it," Yukichiko muttered, realizing what Shouko's reaction likely meant, as she turned towards the younger girl with a scowl. "Etsuya told you, didn't he?"

"Heh, heh," Shouko gave a sheepish laugh in response, rubbing the back of her head, still finding it weird not to have a baseball cap on, but powering through. "Told me about what Julius did to you? What? Nah, he totally did not."

"…I hate how close you two were…"

"H-Hey, if it's worth anything, I am totally on your side of that argument," Shouko reassured. "It was a total douche move on his part; Julius' I mean."

"Your support is utterly worthless to me."

"Harsh," Shouko noted, "But then that means, you aren't just pissed off just cause, but…"

"I am building myself up for disappointment," Yukichiko replied. "I know my brother isn't going to do anything here, he has too much to lose and barely anything to gain, but this is just me, having karma bite me in the ass after hurting so many myself. I'd want nothing more than for Etsuya to just…" she just sighed, "But I know he won't. I shouldn't expect him to actually stand up for me against him…"

"Hey… it may not be my place to say it, but…"

"Then don't."

"Hey! I am trying here!" Shouko shot back, glaring at the older girl. "Etsuya's a lot of things, and his loyalties have always been for sale to the highest bidder, but if there's one person, one, that that doesn't apply with it's you. He adores you. And it's not just that he told me, it's they way he talks about you. You could swear he was talking about your mother given with how much respect and adoration he uses whenever he mentioned you, even if he tried to mask it with his trademark indifference."

"…So, in your expert opinion of our dearest Etsuya…" Yukichiko then commented, her eyes once more on the arena. "Would my little brother actually risk it all to challenge an opponent he can't possibly defeat…?"

And Shouko looked back to the arena, and for once, she wasn't sure what to reply. Everything logical in her told her that Yukichiko was right, that Etsuya Eizan would never take such a meaningless risk. But… a small part of her she didn't even know she had, still insisted that maybe, just maybe…

Eizan used his pinky finger to try and get the ringing out of his ears, but he still turned towards the approaching Isshiki, as the Second Seat rejoined his team on the sidelines.

"I may have promised more than what I could actually –" Isshiki had begun, offering the group a pained smile, but he was quickly interrupted by both Soma and Erina.

"That's not on you man, they never ever enforced such a strict ruling before!" Soma cried out, clearly pissed off.

"It's my stupid father! He's desperate, but this isn't your fault. Your dish was leagues better than Ashitaro's, and…" Erina turned her glare towards the enemy's team, as Ashitaro had to practically drag himself back, much to the absolute zero cheers from any of his three teammates. "…You certainly left quite the mark on him. He knows he lost, maybe we can still use this…"

"That's an admirable way to look at things," Isshiki noted, smiling at Erina, and firmly tugging at Soma's shoulder. "…But this is still bad. They are going to judge you down to the smallest technicality. You two cannot get careless, not for one second, or rather, two."

"We've been made aware," Eizan cut in, and the three turned to him. The Yakuza had his arms folded, before he sighed, and pushed himself off the wall. "They are not going to allow us to win this no matter what we do. You were our best chance to at least eliminate one of them, maybe stop them from getting a perfect victory, but it's clear even that's impossible now."

"Awesome pep talk," Soma muttered.

"I assume we can just consider this as Soma and myself against the four of them, correct?" Erina asked, her eyes narrowed at Eizan. She wanted to chew him out, but he had made this clear from the start, so she couldn't really cry about him doing exactly what he warned them he'd do.

"Etsuya, they are not unbeatable," Isshiki told Eizan, who simply scoffed.

"Maybe not for you, and that's debatable," Eizan shot back. "And maybe she can squeeze out a win against one of them if she's lucky," Eizan added, pointing to Erina, "But this idiot has a snowball's chance in hell of even making a dish worthy of consideration," he then pointed to Soma, who quickly flared in anger and exclaimed something Eizan didn't bother to pay attention to, as he continued on to say, "And as for me, I know my limits. The Neo-Noirs are a few notches above that glass ceiling for me. So… nothing I can do."

"Figures," Soma just noted, frowning, but he turned back to Erina. "Still, you're right, Isshiki clearly left Ashitaro shaken, so let's form a plan to keep pushing them. If we take turns, maybe we can take them out and give ourselves some time to rest before the next match!"

"I… It would still mean us trying to defeat two Neo-Noirs each…" Erina noted, and the thought of that made her stomach turn. No, not the time for her God's Tongue to act up.

Still, before Soma could offer himself as the next sacrifice (or contestant, if you wanted to be nice about it), he was beat to the punch as Eizan just began to walk towards the center of the arena, as Soma could be heard exclaiming a rather surprised "Hey!" in response. Erina looked on, frowning.

"…Etsuya?" Isshiki voiced, eyes on his peer.

"Don't get your hopes up," Eizan replied as he marched to his inevitable doom. "I'm just giving you time to plan, nothing more. I ain't winning this, not even trying. They won't allow us to, so… allow my participation in this farce to end already…"

And that's how Etsuya Eizan found himself in the center of the arena, as the crowd all felt a chill run through the air. Most of them weren't fond of the guy, but damn it, if there was one time they wanted to actually cheer for him, it was now.

"Huh?! Seriously?! You?!" Urara quickly voiced, much to Eizan's annoyance.

"Put a sock in it, I am merely doing my duty of taking place in this… stupidity," Eizan explained, and Urara gave him a look like he had grown a second head. Yua even more-so. Eizan just shook his head. "You twerps best be grateful. I am being generous enough to offer Tootsuki Academy two extra hours before it gets shut down for good."

"Yippie for us…" Urara muttered, eyes narrowed, before she tried her best to shake it off and address the crowd properly. "A-Anyways! We are still not out of this yet! Representing Tootsuki Academy's Elite Ten, the one guy I never thought I'd actually cheer for and I am not sure I am, our second favorite current Sixth Seat, because there are only two of them, Etsuya Eizan!"

If Urara's words bothered Eizan, he pretended not to care. Still, he kept his eyes focused on the judges' table, avoiding looking at the Neo-Noirs at all costs. This was moronic, he noted, as he didn't even need to do this. He just had to let Yukihira and Nakiri have their duels, watch them both lose, and then surrender. Simple. But also, that made him the last man standing, and would, in turn, unfairly mark him as the one student whose loss (or surrender) led to the closing of Tootsuki Academy. That would look horrible on a resume. So, the next best thing was to simply go now, cook whatever, lose, get eliminated, and just watch as either Yukihira or Nakiri got stuck with that label instead. Hopefully Yukihira for causing this whole mess in the first place.

"So it's your boss' kid up next huh?" Dove noted, tilting her head a bit. "I haven't kept up much with current events, but why is he not with us?"

"…He's currently undergoing a rather rebellious phase," Julius replied, sighing at the sight of Eizan on the arena.

"Are you going to reprimand him, or is there too much sentimentality involved Julie?" Asahi asked, sneering. The look Julius gave him in return made Asahi smirk, since it was quite the livid glare coming from such a usually composed young man.

"I'll handle it," Julius replied, and began to march to the arena. "The Eizan family corrects their own mistakes. No need for either of you to get involved."

"Oh, okay… I mean, we could just send Ashitaro again…" Dove suggested, not really caring who went as long as Erina was not the opponent. She then turned towards the Warlock, who had sat down on the floor and had his head buried onto his knees. "…I mean, is he even okay?"

"I really don't care," Asahi just replied, his eyes on the arena.

"…fair point," Dove agreed, her eyes also shifting towards the arena.

"And of course," Urara announced the moment Julius joined them at the arena, "Representing Azami's Neo-Noir Academy, The Godfather of the Noirs himself, Julius Bedlam!"

Julius stared at Eizan, who was looking away from him. He sighed.

"I didn't want to humiliate you like this," Julius offered.

"…Don't worry, like I told you, I am not insane nor suicidal," Eizan replied. "I can't defeat you; I know this. But I don't want to be the last guy defeated either, so let's just get this over with."

"I see…" Julius noted, closing his eyes for a moment, "That is a smart move, but do note, I have to cook to the best of my abilities regardless. They will see the gap between you and I, as I have instructions to not hold back, less I look inferior when compared to the rest of my teammates."

"Yeah…" Eizan said, and this honestly was a horrible, horrible idea.

The screen began to flash once more, and soon, it showed the current match-up.

Etsuya Eizan vs. Julius Bedlam

"O-Oh right, judges, our theme then?" Yua timidly asked, feeling utter despair from all of this but trying to hold on. Urara also turned, hoping against all logic that by some miracle they'd end up with a theme that Eizan somehow excelled at yet Julius had never heard of or something.

The screen flickered once more, and the theme was given. Julius just took note of it and moved to get to work, not a second wasted. Eizan glared at the screen, because even if he knew he was doing this to lose, it still stung to be stuck with…

Chicken

'What are the odds?' Eizan thought to himself, utterly annoyed. 'All it does is remind me of Yukihira's stupid Chicken Noodle Soup, that in turn reminds me of Yukichiko's pathetic attempts at making one… damn it, not the time. Just focus on getting out of here. These themes are random, so any coincidence is…' he then gave pause, his eyes on the ever proudful and imposing Azami, still seated next to judges, clearly observing his every move like a hawk. '…Is it that farfetched to think he's got some pull here? I mean, he said it himself, only the WGO can pick these themes or alter anything… but would he…? No, not my job to overthink this. Just… hurry up and lose Etsuya, it's… all your good for…'

So as he heard Urara call out the theme and try to say something positive regarding it, and while he saw, from the corner of his eyes, Julius pick out an entire bird for whatever he was going to make, Eizan made a beeline towards the fridge, took out a bag, turned the fryers on, and as soon as the oil was boiling, just emptied the bag into it.

The crowd looked on, baffled.

Erina, Soma and Isshiki all stared, mouths slightly agape.

Asahi had a little smirk on.

Dove just rolled her eyes.

And Yukichiko felt her heart just drop. She frowned, but she couldn't even be angry at this.

Shouko could feel Yukichiko's disappointment, but there was nothing else Eizan could do, Shouko would note. This was the smart move. The only way to secure even a fraction of a career after the Neo-Noirs dismantled Tootsuki and made its name utterly irrelevant to the world. It would be what she would do…

"H-Hey! What are you…? Why does that look like…?!" Urara, utterly baffled, cried out, as she and Yua looked on as Eizan took out what he fried, placed it all on a single large plate, and marched right up towards the judges' table. Not even five minutes in and he was… done?

Anne stared at the massive plate that had just been placed in front of her, and she had to outright blink thrice before her brain registered it. She was sure her coworkers had the same reaction, as there was no other way to fathom it. After such a delectable, insanely flavorful clash of dishes from the round before that had left them all in awe, Etsuya Eizan had just…

"Eh?" Anne voiced, her head tilting a bit.

"Enjoy ~" Eizan offered in utter monotone.

Etsuya Eizan had served them his Dinosaur-Shaped Chicken Nuggets.

The entire crowd was silent.

Julius did snicker a bit at the sight, but it was still the correct call.

Yukichiko felt like she wanted to cry, but it wasn't the correct place.

Shouko had no idea what to even say or think…

"Is… are you mocking us Mr. Sixth Seat?" was the best Anne could offer.

"Hardly," Eizan replied, before he took a piece of the nuggets in-between his fingers. "These little guys are quite flavorful, but yeah, compared to what we usually do, it is almost an insult I suppose. But this is just me being real. I can't compete here, but it would look bad if I just surrendered, so, best option I can come up with in these dire circumstances is, well…"

"What is he doing?!" Yuuki and Ryoko screamed in unison, both of them utterly exasperated by what they were seeing.

"T-This is the response from such a brilliant chef such as Eizan…?" Marui noted, frowning at the display.

"…Brilliant? Didn't take you for a fan," Shun noted, and Marui just shook his head. Fan wasn't the correct term. But there was still a form of admiration there. He knew genius when he saw it, and if Eizan was folding like this, then…

"He's just being a damn coward!" Daigo roared, pissed off.

"Yeah, he's pissing me off! We got stuck with him over Megumi for crying aloud!" Shoji added, equally pissed.

Madoka said nothing, but she shifted her eyes towards Marui, and she narrowed her eyes a bit. She couldn't help but agree with him. Etsuya Eizan was a problem, hands down, but he was gifted. To think even a man as clever and resourceful as him would only be able to come up with an assisted forfeit in response to the Neo-Noirs' power was utterly horrifying.

"Aaand he went insane," Kuga noted, head on his fist, slowly giving up on life in general. "We are screwed. It was a good run. Nice work everybody."

"D-Don't talk like we already lost," Nene shot back, but she didn't even have the energy for it. She knew Kuga had every right to sound like a depressed and disappointed parent. 'Damn it, I know you told us you weren't going to help… so was it that wrong of us, to actually expect…?'

"You are aware that if this is your response, you'll be automatically disqualified, correct?" Histoire asked Eizan, in no uncertain terms, and the boy nodded.

"Is that so?" Eizan just replied, "My, what a shame. And I even went through so much effort to make these…"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Urara roared into the microphone. "For once why won't you actually even try to help us out?!"

"Oh, shut your trap, it's easy to bark from the sidelines!" Eizan shouted back, annoyed. "There's no way I can realistically do a thing here. Not against an opponent of this caliber. Not against… him…"

And just like that, he was a kid again.

The young Etsuya Eizan sat proudly on his family's huge, expensive couch. Life was good. He had been accepted into Tootsuki Academy without any problems, and he was on track to earn so much money he could outright pay for the admission of every student there, and then some. He also had a new friend that was just as greedy and driven as he was. Shouko was her name, and he liked her. There were a few notable other kids in his class, from the stoic Nene, the annoying Satoshi, and the even more annoying Terunori, but he'd make quick work of them soon enough. Still, now that he was home for the holidays, he was thrilled when he was told his family had a new pet, of sorts.

It was here when he first met Julius.

A young teen, about as old as his sister, which to Eizan meant ancient, and someone of noteworthy skill according to their father. But, what did the old man know? He wasn't good at cooking, and neither was Yukichiko. So, Etsuya, out of the kindness of his heart, would help set the record straight, hence why he called this Julius guy into his "office".

"So you're the new guy?"

"I am," Julius replied. "It is a pleasure to meet the young master."

"Heh, is it now?" Eizan noted with a smirk. "I wouldn't be that pleased if I were you. You see, unlike my father or my dumb sister, I am quite the chef. So the idea that you were hired for us because of your skill already leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We've fired actual grown-ups for proving lackluster, and I very much doubt a guy just a few years older than me could ever be of use to us."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, it is," Eizan replied. "And I'll prove it! In Tootsuki, which is the best culinary academy in the world mind you, we have a little system in place called the Shokugeki. It pits chefs against each other, and shows everyone who's the real skilled one. I have shut down many big talkers this way. Do you have the balls to take me on, I wonder?"

"A cooking duel, is it?" Julius asked, eyes on the boy.

"Yeah, or do you require I explain it again using simpler words?"

"…No, it is unneeded," Julius replied, and if he was bothered by Eizan's mocking tone, he hid it well. "But if such is required for me to keep this job, then very well. Feel free to test me to your heart's content young master."

Little Eizan just laughed. "Oh… I will, and you will so regret this…"

And then they dueled, and it was here that Eizan first learned that no matter how good he got, the world will always have someone better. Julius didn't just beat him. He made a dish so flavorful that Eizan had absolutely no idea how the older boy had even created it. It left the kid in tears, as all he could taste was the dishes his late mother used to make for him, just upscaled to an insane degree.

"H-How?!" a crying Eizan, now on the floor, asked.

"Would this demonstration suffice, young master?" Julius asked, and Eizan flinched at this older boy that now seemed to tower over him effortlessly. "Or do you require me to cook using simpler techniques?"

Eizan shook his head, trying his best to keep that humiliating memory away. Still, he waited for the judges to just vote him out, so he could be done with this farce once and for all. He looked back at Julius, and true to his word, the man was hard at work cooking something that Eizan had no doubt would taste incredible. He turned to his would-be team, and while a part of him felt… bad for them, well two of them, because screw Yukihira, he still really had no other choice…

Then, for reasons he didn't even know why, he looked up, and he caught sight of Yukichiko looking down at him.

He flinched, since her words echoed, and her look was nothing but pain and disappointment in him.

Yukichiko bit her lower lip, and simply looked away. Eizan felt it sting deeply, but what the hell did she want him to do? 'I cannot beat him sister, damn it, can't you see?!' he cried out inwardly, 'He is superior to me, always has been. I can't do a thing. I know he hurt you, that sucks, but…'

Sucks? Is that how he'd really describe it?

Yukichiko had been enamored with Julius from the first time she saw him, and it annoyed Eizan, because she didn't hide it that well. Always looking for him to chat, and always sampling whatever the boy would cook for them. And Eizan would never admit it, but it really irked him to have her gush over Julius' cooking rather than about his. It wasn't fair. He couldn't measure up to the guy after all.

But his sister's dumb crush slowly evolved into something more, and when they got older, she and Julius began to date, but clearly behind their father's back, because the elder man would certainly not approve of it.

"We are dating now, I… I hope you don't tell dad…" Yukichiko had told him.

"It's of no concern of mine. Just give me no reason to blackmail you, and I won't," Eizan had replied.

Yukichiko had laughed, taking it as a joke, while saying, "How nice of you," in response.

Eizan said nothing else, but for what it was worth, Yukichiko had never looked happier. Julius seemed to make her happy, and that was enough for Eizan. He could focus on his career, and just let his sister handle her own business…

…Then he came home one day, and found her locked up in the bathroom, sobbing uncontrollably. Eizan remembers freaking out, rushing to her, talking to her behind the closed door until he managed to convince her to unlock the door, whereupon he learned of what had happened.

Yukichiko was maybe pregnant…

And Julius was nowhere to be found…

It later turned out to be a false alarm, a delayed period mixed with some very bad timing, and as word spread, Julius returned. But Yukichiko's pain and cries fell on deaf ears, as the young man everyone had started to label as a Noir just told her that perhaps it was for the best they just no longer saw each other. And, despite Eizan trying not to get involved, he could see how that had utterly destroyed his sister. She went from happiest he'd ever seen her to utterly depressed, and even now, despite the two years that had passed, she still carried that pain with her. She had not dated again, and Eizan never found a way to talk to her about it.

He never confronted Julius either. The moment Julius approached him to talk about their dealings, Eizan responded in kind. Business as usual. But he knew. He knew that with every word he exchanged with Julius, he only dug the knife deeper and deeper into his sister's heart…

"Well, let's have a taste of these little fellas and see for ourselves, shall we?" Decora announced with barely hidden glee, as she motioned to grab a piece, and get herself a freebie with Eizan's upcoming elimination, only to grab nothing but air. "…Huh?"

Eizan had instinctively taken hold of the plate, and pulled it away, as he turned towards Julius.

Julius gave pause to his cooking, as he felt Eizan staring down at him.

"What you're thinking right now, you should stop," Julius offered, "That's a very dangerous line of thinking. It would be vastly unwise."

"I am aware," Eizan replied, and he was, because facing off against Julius would be the same as…

The Godfather sat down on his throne, as Eizan, The Alchemista himself, alongside with all his crew, could only stare as the dwarf in the flask had taken the shape of Julius Bedlam, before he outright used alchemy to unheard levels and outright created a small sun in his palm. This followed no rules, it followed no logic. It was just pure power that could not be countered, and all Eizan could do, was bow down before this superior, undefeatable opponent…

"…B-But that's not the point here," Eizan said despite himself, fighting against his logical side with a side he didn't even know he had. "I haven't dueled you since we were kids, and all our talks since then have been about just business this, or my father that…"

"Have our conversations bored you?"

"That's not it!" Eizan cried out, as Decora motioned to him to put the plate back so she could have a taste and hurry up and eliminate him from the match. Anne looked on, eyes on the Sixth Seat, observing him. Everyone was observing him. "I was an asshole to you when we met, so you had every right to put me in my place and make me eat shit!"

"You're getting nostalgic now of all times?" Julius asked, eyes narrowed at Etsuya. He did not like the tone he was using.

"Etsuya… are you actually thinking…?" Shouko muttered, her eyes wide, and edging herself off her seat.

Yukichiko looked on, her tears on the verge of falling, utterly caught off-guard by whatever it was her little brother was attempting to do now.

"I… I…" Eizan tried, and he felt like the plate on his hands got heavier and heavier with each passing second, to the point where he could barely hold it up. Still, his eyes turned to the side, and he could see her. Dumb, annoying Yukichiko. And for some reason, Shouko was there too. Had that been Yukichiko's doing too? Most likely. He could figure out her intent easily. She always played herself mean, as part of their family, but reality, she was far kinder and warmer than anyone else that Eizan knew. So then…? "I deserved to get utterly crushed by you…"

"Etsuya…" Julius warned, but Eizan bit his lower lip and inwardly cursed at himself, because damn it, he couldn't fake it anymore.

"…But what the fuck did Yukichiko do to you to make you abandon her like that?!"

"Stay on your lane Etsuya," Julius warned with quite a bit of venom in his voice, pointing at him with his index finger. "This is not the time, and certainly not the place, to discuss matters that do not concern you. Do not make the mistake of trying to prove something to yourself now, otherwise, your entire career will be destroyed. You are a smart young man, do not squander it so close to the end."

And Eizan felt a chill run up and down his entire body, but it was outright eclipsed by the sheer pain he felt upon getting flushed with nothing but memories of his older sister utterly miserable because of what this man did.

"I am smart, and I have always prioritized profits over feelings, over everything!" Eizan exclaimed, and the entire crowd was speechless, utterly lost at what was even happening.

"That's the correct way."

"No! That's my damn father's way!" Eizan shot back. "And I have agreed, molded myself into an outright clone of him just to keep my profits up, at the cost of absolutely everything! My would-be friends, my girlfriend, my image, even my own sister… Damn it, I was perfectly willing to ruin Yukihira's damn life with false charges just for petty vengeance, and while I hate the guy, there's a limit to how much shit I can do and still just cower away and not face the consequences… And you know why?! Because Yukichiko has kept me safe at every damn point…!"

"Etsuya, calm down," Julius ordered, "You will still have a career after this. Do not throw it away for this Academy."

"No, you're wrong," Eizan stated, and he met the venom in Julius' tone with his own. "Screw this duel. Screw the Intercontinental Shokugeki. Screw the Elite Ten. Screw Tootsuki Academy. Screw your Neo-Noirs. Screw all of it, but most of all…"

And Julius' eyes shifted to something much darker.

"You made my sister cry…" Eizan finally declared, "So fuck you!"

And he outright shattered his plate onto the floor, sending all the nuggets everywhere.

"Oh no, the dinos!" little Bridgette could be heard screaming in agony from the audience, utterly heartbroken, clearly invested in the wrong thing, as a collective gasp was heard at Eizan's declaration.

Shouko couldn't even voice her thoughts, her mouth agape at the man she now saw standing on that stage.

Yukichiko was outright crying now. Her hand over her mouth, tears streaming down, for once, her faith in someone important to her paying off.

"I don't care if it doesn't make any sense," Eizan went on to say, as he marched back into the kitchen, "I don't give a damn about this competition, but damn it, you're not winning it. Not a heartless bastard like you! Over my cold, dead body, you hear me!"

"H-Hey, but he already served his dish," Decora tried, signaling to her coworkers. As the others seemed to be inclined to agree with her, Anne quickly stepped in.

"We didn't actually begin the taste test," Anne countered, "So, in essence, he's still free to modify or alter his dish however he sees fit."

"What?!" Decora cried out, and she could feel Azami's dark aura almost engulf her at Anne's declaration. "But once a plate is placed on our table..."

"That wasn't even a dish worth our consideration," Anne remained steadfast. "We are currently being hyper focused down to the last detail, and this is within those strict rules, so I ask you this…" Anne then turned to face Decora, sharply, "Why do you seem so intent on eliminating him, yet you were so hesitant to cast your vote on the match before?"

"W-What are you insinuating Anne?!" Decora was caught off-guard, and she couldn't quite avoid her stammer. There was no way Anne knew of anything, right? 'Crap, did I leave my phone with her by mistake or something…?!'

"Let him cook," was all Anne added, avoiding the question entirely and just allowing Eizan to do whatever he was he wanted to, as long as it was within the rules.

Charme, Histoire and Courage all seemed to go along with Anne's choice in the matter, much to Azami's ire, but the man relented. There was no point anyways. Etsuya Eizan was not winning this, no matter what he tried. This was simply a fact.

"That's more like it!" Soma boasted, grinning, his arms crossed across his chest.

"My… even he's full of surprises today. Do I dare have hope?" Erina asked, even if she did have a faint smile on her lips.

"We are built on hope and dreams, let's allow ourselves this, no matter how slim these chances are," Isshiki offered, smiling fondly at the sight. It felt… right to have Eizan fully on their side, kicking and screaming as it were.

"Yeah, and hey, I don't like the guy," Soma admitted, but his smirk was ever present, "But I know what a pain he can be to take down. Took Erina and me a novel's worth of twists and turns to bring him down before, and if it's for his sister, I'm sure even I would have second thoughts about taking him on all willy nilly."

"…Okay, that all sounded insanely dramatic," Urara noted, quickly raising her hand for her announcement. "But! After keeping us in wait for the last twenty minutes, it seems Etsuya Eizan has finally decided to actually compete in this damn thing! And that's wonderful, I think! I was on that cruise mind you! So I met his sister! Lovely person by the way! So, fight for her and whatnot!"

As Urara cheered him on, somewhat, with Yua mimicking her fist bumps as best she could, Eizan just growled lowly before he bent down before his fridge, his sharp eyes scanning everything. Chicken, was it? He could try and work something out, but this would be the biggest gamble of his career, hands down. And he could feel the stares from everybody raining down on him. They all had their conflicting feelings regarding him, and he couldn't blame them. But for once, he'd toss that aside and try to play this role.

'Julius knows me… He doesn't even need his trademark style of studying up his opponents to best me, he already knows everything I can try to make…' Eizan inwardly noted, as he took hold of some chicken breast meat and several other ingredients, picking them all out at once, even some he would not use, just to try and hide what he intended to bring out, 'So my only realistic option to even try to make something here would be…'

Eizan then tossed everything on the kitchen counter, moving as swiftly as he could, his eyes focused on his craft and trying to drown out the noise, both from his surroundings as well as from his own self-doubts. He quickly prepped the jidori chicken breasts, quickly covering them with an aluminum foil to avoid exposing them to the air. He then turned, and with a flip of his knife he began to dice the garlic chives, cabbages, and shiitake mushrooms. Another swing, and he shredded the ginger and garlic, and with a seasoning of shouyu, black pepper and oyster sauce, mixed all of it together.

"And Eizan is actually starting out with –" Urara began, but Eizan quickly turned to her with a frown, and placed his index finger over his closed lips, signaling to her to shut up. Despite the utter disrespect that meant to a hostess like her, she understood what he meant, and quickly shifted gears as she announced, "– stuff I have absolutely no idea what it is! My, what a very mysterious dish our dearest upperclassman seems to be making!"

"B-But isn't that – Gah?!" Yua tried, turning to Urara, until the latter firmly stomped on her feet to shut her up.

"Nope! No clue what that is!"

'…I feel I should call her out for this, but…' Anne thought, her eyes shifting from the hostesses, to Eizan, to Julius, before they landed on Azami. He was looking at the match very intently, but… 'If he hasn't said anything, then it isn't something I should intervene on.'

"Hey, he's actually cooking up something that looks impressive!" Soma noted with a grin, but the more he saw Eizan work, the more he felt something… off. 'Huh? Is it me, or…?'

Eizan used his sleeve to dry his sweaty forehead, as he kept his focus on the minute details of his dish, making sure the chicken meat was well handled, and that all the ingredients had mixed thoroughly. He was being so careful that he resembled less a cook in the kitchen and more a chemist in a lab, examining everything through an imaginary microscope. After all, he couldn't screw up on even the tiniest of detail, as this was like…

The Godfather very presence seemed to absorb the very life of everyone near him, turning them into fuel for his philosopher's stone, all in order to keep his godly craft intact. But, to his shock, the puny human alchemist he had looked down on from the start had started an actual counterattack, launching a set of chains transmuted from the broken earth, all which clashed ineffectively against Julius' very aura. It did catch his attention. Eizan now, at least, had a chance, if only…

"Do you really think this is what will confuse me and grant you victory?"

Eizan gave pause, turning against his better judgment towards Julius, as the Noir had set his whole chicken onto the oven, and had a handful of vastly different ingredients fully prepped to the side. His eyes were the lividest Eizan had ever seen them.

"I-I am aware that you know all of my techniques and tricks Julius," Eizan offered, trying to sound like he wasn't scared to death about this all, even if his anger was still very much present. But Julius both looked and sounded offended. He shook his head. It didn't matter. He couldn't let this awful person win. "…But, if you think my time at Tootsuki has been in vain, well, you'll –"

"Your train of thoughts was that I have seen and can counter any of your dishes," Julius cut in, his tone firm and dripping with scorn. "So what would be the most unexpected thing that the great Etsuya Eizan would do? Something your pride would never allow, and hence, you believe I wouldn't see coming? How very… naïve."

"What?!" Eizan barked back, "That's not at all what –"

"I am no longer here to entertain you my worthless young master," Julius countered again, and it made Eizan flinch. "You are making Gyoza, a very underwhelming dish by its own, but one you clearly intend to modify and make with a twist. But, you aren't using your own techniques or tricks as you claim I know so well, but instead, you are pulling a craft right out of your teammate's very cookbook."

Eizan felt himself freeze up. His eyes widened. No… There was no way, that from just this, Julius could see the end result of his dish already. But…

Eizan's best attempt at a counter was negated, and without even having to move, Julius just smirked, and released a massive blast of pure energy from his entire frame, taking a chunk of the entire area before him and reducing it to rubble, as the Alchemista was helpless to stop his own body being shredded by an attack he didn't see coming and had no way to stop or counter or maybe even survive.

"After all…" Julius stated coldly, "What would be more out-of-character than Etsuya Eizan cooking like Soma Yukihira, right?"

And Eizan outright dropped his knife, as the metallic sound echoed through the entire stadium, as silence abounded. "…How…?"

"…You are clearly not as smart as I thought you were," Julius noted with a disappointed tone, "And quite evidently, not as smart as you think you are. I studied up on each member of the Elite Ten, and the basics of each class offered here at Tootsuki. There's nothing this school can throw at me I wouldn't know how to counter, but this… You actually thought you'd surprise me by cooking like the chef that crushed you? If I know what you'll be least likely to do, of course my mind would reach the same conclusions yours did."

"Cooking like Soma?" Erina noted, her head tilted to the side, before she shifted her eyes towards her boyfriend. "So it's not just me, Eizan was actually…?"

"…That is something I would do," Soma replied, frowning. It had taken him a bit to notice, and it was his style, yet Julius had seen through it with nothing but a glance? No, even more than that. Julius had already known Eizan would try that before Eizan himself even did. "My dad and I have a special Gyoza in our secret menu back at Yukihira's, and as much as it surprises me that Eizan knows of it, how did Julius…?"

"…Etsuya did warn us how terrifyingly observant and dedicated Julius is," Isshiki said, feeling his chest tighten, as despite everything, seeing Eizan so utterly bewildered and at a loss was not something he enjoyed seeing, much less under these circumstances.

"So, tell me if I'm wrong," Julius challenged a still shellshocked Eizan. When the younger man couldn't even form a response, Julius closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Thought so. Now, please, stop humiliating yourself and step down from this arena. The real chefs have work to do."

Julius then went back to his craft. He took the chicken out, only half done, and continued to work on it. He proceeded to cut the chicken into pieces with just a few flicks of his knife. In seconds it was perfectly prepped, and he proceeded to pull out the bones, as gently as possible, leaving the meat intact, just with holes where the bone had been in. As such, he used that space to fill the meat with a special mixture he had crafted of garlic chives, cabbages, shiitake mushrooms, ginger and garlic; the very same ingredients Eizan had just finished prepping himself. He then turned towards his own brand of handmade wheat flour wraps.

He threw them into the air, expertly, just as if he were making pizza dough, catching it flawlessly and using his knuckles to stretch the flour wrap out, until it was just big enough to cover the stuffed chicken. He then wrapped the chicken bits, using his own powdered hands to avoid it sticking and making sure it was crafted evenly. He made a batch, and placed them on a closed pan with a controlled temperature, all so it could be steamed effectively, allowing the chicken to finish cooking in there and for the flavor to permeate.

"These gyoza, or should I say, dumplings are quite popular in both Japan and China," Julius noted, as he turned towards the utterly broken Eizan. To everyone's fright, even without looking at it, Julius could still toss the wrap into the air, catch it, wrap the chicken in it, and toss it into another pan without once breaking eye contact with Eizan. "You really thought I would be surprised if you went down the path that made Erina Nakiri and Soma Yukihira lose their first round in their first match against Akira Hayama? They ran out of these, did they not? If only they had the skill to just make more, they could have probably avoided such a mess, but… hey, what else can you expect from a Tootsuki student?"

"Damn it shut up!" Eizan barked, clenching his fist so much it outright hurt.

"Oh?" Julius noted, somewhat amused, "Have you seriously lost your nerve so much that you are now even defending Erina and Soma?"

"Not that, I can't hear myself think over your unnecessary gloating!" Eizan shot back, utterly shocked at all of this, but trying to think up of something. But, he couldn't. He really couldn't. 'There's nothing I can do! He thought up of the least likely thing I could pull from, and he already had a counter set up for it! I… I can't beat him! I can't win this!'

As everyone looked on, utterly in shock of how effortlessly Julius was taking out Eizan, to the point where he had effectively caused the Sixth Seat to have an outright mental breakdown, up above, Yukichiko felt miserable. She didn't want this. She had wanted her brother to stand up for her, but not for him to be humiliated like this. She didn't want him to suffer. Had she been the selfish one? Had she simply not understood that, truly, Etsuya simply couldn't do anything against Julius…?

"…Hey."

Yukichiko's eyes widened a bit, as she turned to the side. Shouko wasn't looking at her, and the younger girl looked just as conflicted as she felt, but, still…

"I may be the last person who has any right to say this, but," Shouko noted, "If you're going to mouth off so much about karma and trust and whatnot, shouldn't you be, I dunno, the last person in this entire stadium to lose faith in him?"

Yukichiko flinched, biting her lower lip for a moment. She wanted to argue against Shouko's words, but she knew there was some truth to it. This had been what she had been asking him to do, so now, that her brother was finally trying, why was she…?

So Yukichiko got up.

Her hands firmly on the railing.

And with a defiant shout, broke through the daunting silence…

"Etsuya!"

Everyone turned to her, from the hostesses, to the judges, to the audience members, to, of course, both competitors. Julius narrowed his eyes at the sight, while Eizan just stared. Why was Yukichiko…?

"I…" she had to breathe in, as the realization his her all at once. But, this was something she needed to say, even if she didn't know what the actual words would be once she began, "…I know I have asked you to do something I can't really comprehend! And I know I've made my pain to you clear! But… This isn't on you! I shouldn't expect my little brother to –!"

"Don't start apologizing woman!" Eizan barked back, making Yukichiko pause. "You're right! I did cower away from him! You're the one hurt, not me! I should have stood up for you! Been an actual man for once and told him off! You…!"

"I still never said it…" Yukichiko admitted, now in tears, and Eizan's eyes widened. What? "…I know how much I used to boast about Julius' skill, and always teased you about not measuring up. I know how much we grew up seeing sibling affection, or any affection at that, as just a distraction, but… I don't need to see you win. I don't need to see you do anything else… I-I… I am so damn proud of you as you are little brother!"

Eizan couldn't even hide the expression he was sporting, and if he didn't see himself reflected on the many screens showcasing the Shokugeki, he wouldn't even believe himself capable of making such a face. Hearing his sister screaming that at the top of her lungs, sounding so damn sincere that it made his chest tighten up, was too much. But…

Like always, once the dust cleared, the Alchemista had survived, saved at the last moment by his sister tanking the blow for him, shielding him from it with her own body. He was injured, heavily, but he was still in this.

"Stupid Yukichiko…" Eizan muttered under his breath. "You have nothing to apologize for. It's normal for a brother to defend their sister, sorry it took me this long to finally gather the courage to do so…"

Eizan then turned back towards Julius, who was staring at Yukichiko with a conflicted expression.

"Hey, eyes on me!" Eizan shouted, making Julius turn back to him. The Godfather's eyes had shifted into something very akin to tranquil fury the moment he looked at Eizan. "You managed to see right through me completely, preparing something that outclasses anything I have ever made by miles, but… while the Etsuya Eizan you know would throw in the towel, the current me will not fold so easily!"

"Look at what I am making," Julius countered, "Use your head for once. You should still be able to tell, even if Yukichiko's words have given you some false sense of duty, that you cannot possibly –"

"Keep my sister's name out of your mouth," Eizan warned in no uncertain terms, before he quickly turned around, and took hold of the gyoza he had been preparing. His dish looked like what it was, a lesser version of what Julius was doing. What he had done with the stuffing, Julius had evolved even further. Eizan had used the very chicken as the dumpling itself, while Julius had done that and the wrapped in on the wheat flour wrap, double coating it and allowing the juices to fill up without overflowing or spilling out. Eizan could tell how heavily outclassed he was, but he went back in, threw his gyoza to the fryer again, and took out a wok. He coated it in oil, and using the very water he had left the chicken bones in to cook the rice in it.

"Eizan is powering through!" Urara announced, genuinely surprised.

"H-He's making rice, in the wok, so that means… fried rice?" Yua added, her eyes on his craft, before she turned to Julius, and her eyes widened. "Huh?!"

Julius had also gotten his own rice ready, and was mixing it with ground and fatty pork, garlic chives, cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms, with plenty of soy sauce.

Eizan attempted a counterattack, throwing everything he had at Julius, but no attack even reached. No amount of alchemy could touch The Godfather, much less hurt him. And he didn't even have to move to invoke his defense. No-motion transmutation was outright cheating.

Eizan had taken out the same ingredients, and mixed his own rice with them, before he began to add even more and more ingredients into the rice, which made Julius sigh.

"Etsuya…" he said, "Desperately adding everything but the kitchen sink into your wok is not going to miraculously grant you a combination needed for…" Julius then gave pause, just as Eizan seemed to be struggling to flip the rice and mix it with such a heavy wok. Julius then frowned. "…That smell…"

And Julius had deflected everything from Eizan, even his desperate ambush attack, but despite breaking the Alchemista's arm with no effort, for once in his life, Eizan kept at it, and just swung his leg at Julius, surprising him, and forcing The Godfather to have to block the sudden kick with his arm, finally making contact with the Noir.

"Pineapple…?" Julius noted, his eyes on Eizan's mixture.

"Heh, you really think that poorly of me that you believe I'd just toss in everything and pray it works?" Eizan shot back, smirking despite the stress. "We both planned to use the chemical synergic reaction that the inosinic acid found in the chicken meat and the guanylic acid found in the shiitake mushrooms creates to boost the flavor of our dishes, but if you're going to focus so much on improving the intensity of the meaty flavor, I might as well turn my attention to… something else."

"Fruits…" Julius noticed; eyes narrowed. "No, not just that. Oyster sauce and sesame oil too. You are going exotic. How very pathetic. You really are now just trying to force your dish to excel in just one area of taste, rather than the five senses as a whole. That's very desperate gastronomy at work."

"You wanna bet asshole?"

And before Julius could even humor him, Eizan set the fire on high, the flame erupting from the stove as he bended it effortlessly…

A clap of his hands, then touching the ground, and fists outright flew from the floor itself, smacking Julius right across the jaw, before a flurry of other stone punches followed, knocking him all-around, right before he performed transmutation and turned the stones into a spear, tossing in right through Julius.

"…I see," Julius observed. "How desperate. You are even using potato flakes to make the gyoza's sauce thicker, so that it sticks, and planning on serving that with your mixture of exotic, islander fried rice…"

"Nothing gets by you…" Eizan noted, although he sounded not quite at all pleased. Still, seeing Julius take aback even if only slightly was a good sign, all things considered. Still, it wasn't quite the reaction he had been expecting.

Julius finally took out his fried rice, and just like that, the fragrance of the dish enveloped the entire arena. Urara and Yua outright drooled at the aroma, as the judges all let out a soft gasp. Erina frowned, finding it far more aromatic than she had expected, while Soma looked on, his eyes widening. Wasn't that…?

"You… added something else?" Eizan noted, glaring at Julius as he gave his dish the finishing touches.

"No," Julius replied, "This is not a matter of secret ingredients or last moment sauces, this is merely a gap in skill. I simply perfected a dish already deemed perfect by this very establishment, and therefore, I will be showing the whole world why Tootsuki Academy's very foundation is flawed."

And as everyone stared in disbelief, finding Julius' words outright insulting but all of them terrified he was not exaggerating, up above, Jouichirou frowned at the dish being finalized.

"You noticed it too?" Gin asked, arms crossed, his eyes also on the Godfather.

"Yeah…" Jouichirou said with a nod and a sigh. "He really went full Yukihira's here. No, even more. That's outright a dish of mine, and this guy is saying he improved it? Feels like a blow to my pride, but, if we're judging it on smell alone…"

"Wait, wasn't that the dish you served when…?" Riko asked, catching on to why it seemed so familiar to her.

"Yeah, against Toshio himself," Jouichirou replied, "Young Julius outright studied up on even me it seems. And as a result, he created and improved upon a dish that was…"

"…The victor of the first Intercontinental Shokugeki," Julius boasted, now decorating his plate, getting it ready for the tasting. "That was the basis of this dish, and I have pushed it beyond the limits you here at Tootsuki all believed could never be improved upon. So just sit back and watch… as I show you what real cooking is."

"…Big talk," Eizan outright scoffed, before he threw his food haphazardly into the plates and took them right towards the judges. Everyone seemed to flinch at the sight, as not only had Eizan not bothered at all with his dish's presentation, but the aroma paled in comparison to what Julius was serving. Still, Eizan didn't bother with any explanations, or doubts, and placed his dishes before the judges.

Etsuya Eizan had served them his Stuffed Chicken Gyoza Fried Rice.

Yukichiko, having been on her feet for the duration of the match, finally sat down, her attention fully on the judges now, hoping, begging, that it had been enough. Shouko also looked on, and she didn't remember if she had breathed in the last half hour or not.

"…E-Eizan has served," Urara nervously announced, as Yua nodded behind her. "…Judges?"

"Well, it's certainly a far better offering than the nuggets," Charme noted, and he could have sworn he heard Bridgette cry out that it wasn't. Still, ignoring that, the five judges all took hold of their plates, still slightly underwhelmed by the lack of presentation. It was their job to judge everything, so they couldn't disqualify him on look alone. Azami, for his part, also took a plate, and gave it a thinly-veiled look of disgust.

"Hurry up and eat up before it gets cold and you come up with yet another shitty technicality," Eizan said with disdain, arms crossed. It was a surprising sight, many of his peers noted, to see him so utterly out of breath and drenched in sweat. The guy had pushed himself to the brink, and the end result, despite all that effort, still paled in comparison to his opponent's. Julius' dish, still further back, outright eclipsed Eizan's own with just its aroma alone.

"…Let's see then…" Decora noted, tired of this charade, but powering through. She, alongside the others, took a spoonful of the fried rice alongside the gyoza, and gave it a bite.

Urara and Yua held onto each other, trembling.

Soma looked on; his fists clenched.

Erina had to struggle to keep her breathing in check.

Isshiki's eyes were on Eizan, it having been so long since he had seen his friend look so worn out.

"…Oh…" Anne voiced, having finished sampling the dish. The tone of her voice made the entire stadium collectively freeze up. She sounded… disappointed. "This is, well…"

"It's a bit underwhelming, is it not?" Charme asked, turning to his coworkers.

"Compared to every single other offering here, it does feel that way," Histoire replied.

"So not just the look, but the taste…" Courage began.

"…Is also rather… bland. What even is this supposed to be?" Decora continued, her sharp eyes on the exhausted Eizan.

"A very poor attempt at maximizing the combination of the chicken with the pineapple juice," Azami concluded, his disapproving look also on the young Alchemista, "In your foolish attempt at one-upping Julius in at least one aspect of his dish, you outright neglected every other part. The result, in my opinion, is a dish so subpar it is not even worth taking into consideration… But, I'll leave that decision to the actual judges."

"…How kind," Eizan said, but he bit his lower lip. He turned to them. "…Well?"

The five of them stared at the plate for a few seconds, before, one by one, they each nodded and gave the official word. It was unprecedented, they all knew, but this had been a rule as well. And, as the entire stadium stared down in horror, Urara and Yua got the confirmation, and the former's eyes almost bulged out of her eye sockets.

"D-Disqualified?!" Urara cried out, turning to the judges. "What do you mean?"

"…As we said when this started," Anne reluctantly explained. This felt so, so wrong. "Any dish not considered worthy of being a main entrée by our standards, the WGO's I mean, will not qualify. That's part of this final round's requirements…"

"And young Etsuya Eizan did not meet these requirements," Decora concluded, turning away from the Alchemista.

Eizan heard the murmurs and gasps spreading throughout, and it was like he was frozen in place.

"…Etsuya?" Shouko muttered, feeling like she actually wanted to cry.

Yukichiko, on the other hand, was crying; feeling as if she had outright forced her brother into this unwinnable battle. What a horrible sister she was…

"Are you done making a fool of yourself?" Julius' voice cut through Eizan like a sharp knife, as Julius walked right past him and set his own plates onto the judges' table. He then turned to the shaken Alchemista, and with utter disdain, told him, "I have never been this disappointed in you. Get off this arena and pull this tantrum elsewhere. You've dragged the Eizan family name through the mud enough as is."

Eizan just flinched, but for all his bravado, he couldn't even form a proper response or retort. This was almost like…

Despite his efforts, Julius was still too powerful, and with his fist, outright punched right through Eizan, absorbing his very life essence into himself…

"By the aroma alone, I can tell this dish, on the other hand, is the pinnacle of gastronomy," Azami praised, a proud smile on his face, as everyone turned to the dishes Julius had offered.

"Naturally," the young African-American Noir voiced, "Nothing but the best should be expected from a pioneer of the Central movement, correct?"

And with this, Julius Bedlam had offered them, bafflingly enough, his Yukihira's Secret Menu #51: Fried Rice w/ Double Stuffed Gyoza ~ Perfected Version.

"Seriously?!" Asahi couldn't help but blurt out, frowning at the dish.

Dove said nothing, her eyes on her Master, wondering how good that dish must be for it to be based on Jouichirou Saiba's craft and yet still be worthy of praise by someone who had created the far superior True Gourmet.

"Jouichirou Saiba's dish…?" Eizan noted, finally finding the words.

"Hardly," Julius countered, "This is much more. This is what Jouichirou Saiba could have made had he not abandoned his path."

"H-Hey!" Erina called out, frowning at that insult, but to her surprise Soma, who should be the one offended, just stared at the plate on the table. "Well, aren't you going to say something?"

"Not sure," Soma replied, "I'd have to taste it, but… if we're going to base it on looks and smell alone, he's not entirely wrong."

"Seriously?"

"I am a fan of my dad as much as the next guy," Soma told her, "But Julius did offer up something insanely good from the look of things, but…" Soma gave pause, and Erina looked on, since this serious tone was rare to hear from Soma, "…If we are in this still thinking chefs like my dad, your dad, or anyone else from the Golden Era are these unbeatable chefs, then we will lose here. We know the Neo-Noirs can trade blows with our parents in their golden days or even now, so we can't just hide away from the thought that Julius can in fact match my dad."

"…Since when are you the mature one?" Erina said with a little pout.

"Well, let us dig in!" Decora declared with glee, as she, alongside the rest of the judges and Azami, all took a bite of Julius' glorious dish, the explosion of flavor in their mouths proving so great, so grand, so, so, so… sweet!

"Too sweet!" the five of them screamed in unison, and to Julius' utter shock, proceeded to outright spit the food right out. They all began to wipe their mouths with the available napkins, utterly surprised by the fowl taste, as Julius, and everyone else, looked on, frozen in place.

Julius, slowly, turned, his eyes on the plates. On his dish. He had not made a mistake. It was perfect. So why…? Then, he heard a soft laughter, and feeling his blood boil, he turned to the side, as the laughter increased until it was a full-on, mocking mad cackle.

"Etsuya…!"

"Oh, my, that's rich!" Eizan said with glee, as everyone looked on, utterly lost at what was even happening. "What's wrong Julius? Not the reaction you were expecting?"

"I made my dish purposely sour just in case you intended to use artichoke to alter the perception of it," Julius commented, glaring with murder in his eyes at Eizan. "What the hell did you do?"

"Oh? You didn't notice it, did you?" Eizan boasted, and Julius felt his own fists clench. "And here I thought you knew me so well anything I thought of, you'd think of too and counter it effortlessly."

"Tell me what you did?!"

"You tell me, you gave me the damn idea after all," Eizan countered, and before Julius could demand an answer, Eizan pulled out yet another fruit, and everyone's eyes fell on it instantly. "You know this little fellah, don't you?"

"You…" Julius said with utter disdain. "…the miracle fruit."

"Yeah, the famous miracle berry itself," Eizan explained, "Very popular for its taste modifying properties. Unlike, say, artichoke, this one packs a much stronger punch, and its effects can last for even two hours, which, as luck would have it, is how long these matches take, so it shouldn't affect the votes for the next round…"

"Miracle fruit?" Urara asked, head tilted.

"It has the glycoprotein extract known as miraculin," Azami explained, seething. "It alters the taste of anything sour and fools the tastebuds into perceiving it as sweet instead. But…" Azami then looked at the dish, first at Julius', then at Eizan's, "Just the use of that berry should not be enough to alter Julius' dish by that much, unless…"

"Do you see it now you Culinary Hitler wannabe?" Eizan asked with all the mockery imaginable. The glare Azami responded with didn't much bother him. "The only way I could get away with that would be to use an obscene amount of miracle fruit extract and outright drench my dish in it, of course, such an endeavor would, by effect…"

"…render your own dish utterly inedible as a result, destroying whatever balance you had tried to achieve," Julius noted, glaring at the dish. "This… You planned this at the last second. You outright ruined your own dish, just to…"

"I can't beat you, Julius."

Julius eyes began to widened, as Eizan admitted just as much. But, unlike every other time, Eizan was actually smiling now.

"I know this better than anyone," he told him, "But this time. This one, single time in my career, I don't have to. I told you, after all you did to Yukichiko, I wouldn't let you take the trophy home. You wouldn't get this victory, over my dead body even. So… my oldest friend, let me be clear, I don't have to beat you… But I can damn well destroy my own dish completely…"

And Julius eyes were the widest Yukichiko had ever seen them, as Eizan firmly concluded with…

"…as long as that means I take you out with me!"

And just as Julius absorbed Eizan's very soul into his own body, too late, he realized, Eizan had planned for this. He shifted Julius own body, using transmutation to alter it into the weakest of charcoal, making it collapse onto itself, as both Eizan and Julius broke away into nothingness…

"Then, as per our current very strict guidelines…" Anne began, and as the other judges all nodded in response, including a very hesitant Decora, as Azami clenched his fist and felt his vision turn outright red. Urara and Yua got a very similar notification, and déjà vu aside, this time, Urara's eyes lit up at it.

"Really?!" she said excitedly, before she shook her head and announced, "In the most unexpected of results, given how Julius' own dish tastes outright revolting to our judges, Julius himself has also been disqualified from the Intercontinental Shokugeki, meaning…!"

And the screen changed, revealing the most perplexing of results…

Winner: N/A

"Our esteemed judges of the WGO want to clarify that this is not a draw!" Urara said with a laugh, as she was fighting back the tears at the absurdity of it all, "It's just that both contestants failed to present a proper dish, and hence they both got eliminated! Not a draw! Because our tournament doesn't allow for it! Just a mutual elimination!"

"There's no difference!" Julius argued, and ignoring as Urara stuck her tongue out at him, he turned to the judges. "You are aware of the trick he pulled! How is this allowed?"

"As Anne once explained, we judge what is set before us, based on taste, texture, presentation, aroma and a host of other things, including how well it uses the theme given," Charme explained, "At no point do we limit creativity when it comes to a dish that can alter an opponents' dish, that is not in our terms."

"It's not a draw," Anne explained, struggling to hide her little smile. My, how much this young man, Etsuya Eizan, had changed and grown since that Showcase, "But both of you have indeed been eliminated, on, what is in effect, a technicality."

Decora was seething at Anne using Azami's earlier words against his own team, but she said nothing. She couldn't give herself away so close to the victory.

Azami said nothing as well, clearly displeased, but he'd rather not risk anything here. If the best Tootsuki could get was a poorly disguised draw, then so be it. He could take that hit.

Julius, however, felt his utter world shatter, his eyes on the screen, and the words Hakeem had told him echoing back. 'The one thing that can push a chef's skill beyond his or her own realm… Love, not just of the romantic kind, but for his friends… and for his sister…' he thought, before he turned back to Eizan, who looked so worn out he could outright collapse right then and there, "You actually kamikazed your dish against mine… That's…"

"Unexpected, right?" Eizan concluded, and nodded, "Yeah, I would never do that. Not with an ego of my size. But, hey, sometimes you surprise even yourself, eh? And I harbor no illusions of grandeur here. I know this trick won't work on you ever again, and I know that dish you served is far better than anything I can make, but, right now, right here, for what you did to Yukichiko…" Eizan added, and with a smile, flipped Julius right off, "Go fuck yourself Julius."

Julius glared at him, feeling his face turn red, out of anger, embarrassment, or perhaps both, but in the end he relented, and just laughed.

"Ah… you damn crazy bastard…"

Eizan turned right around, feeling his body about to give in, before a very unfamiliar noise made him pause. No, not exactly unfamiliar. He knew this, but it was new… for it to be directed at him.

Applause.

From his team.

From the Elite Ten up above.

From the former graduates.

From the current student body.

From the teachers, the assistants, the administrators, and from everyone else there watching.

Eizan looked on, eyes wide, as for once, he was cheered on by everybody. The big bad villain, now being hailed as a hero. He would have outright scoffed at the stupidity, but he didn't have the energy to even do that. Or that what he told himself at least. He walked back to his side, where his team awaited.

"Yikes, that was insane, even for you," Soma said, and Eizan just shrugged.

"It was a trick meant to be used against you," Eizan told him, but when Soma just laughed it off, Eizan did almost smile in response. "Still, I kept my word. I didn't win, but hey, that's one down, at least, so you two wouldn't be whining so much about it."

"My, how very noble…" Erina stated, rolling her eyes, before she added, "Still, I should be fair. As much as it pains me to say it –"

"Don't," Eizan cut her short, and before her pout turned into a complaint, he added, "You don't have to apologize to me. Just… consider us," he said, signaling to her, to Soma, and then to himself, "…Even. That's all this was," Eizan explained, and before Soma or Erina could add to that, he began to walk away, heading towards the inner hallways of the stadium. He did pause for just one moment, though, turning to Isshiki, "…And I guess you're right. They're not completely unbeatable."

"I knew you wouldn't lead us astray Etsuya," Isshiki noted proudly, "And even if you won't allow Erina to say it, I will. Thank you, my friend."

"Whatever…" Eizan brushed it off, and walked away. Erina, Soma and Isshiki watched as he left their side, wondering if he was going to come back to watch the rest of this thing or not, as Urara could be heard announcing what was to come next, the poor girl still utterly shellshocked by everything. Eizan, meanwhile made his way to a nearby water fountain, and instead of drinking from it, took off his glasses, set them aside, and outright drenched his face in the cold water, wetting his hair and even uniform with it. "…Damn, had I been just a minute slower and Julius had served first, I would have lost all of it. Heck, I still lost, don't know why I feel like I'm victorious here…"

"Maybe because not all victories are given with official scores?"

Eizan flinched, turning to the side. He didn't need his glasses to recognize his sister.

"Yukichiko?" he began, unsure of what to say after all that, but before he could, she rushed over to him and hugged him very firmly. Tenderly even. It was… surprising. "H-Hey!"

"I didn't lie, I have always been proud of everything you are, of the boy I watched grow into this young man before me," she told him with outright tears in her eyes, and he looked away, very unused to this level of affection. "Thank you, little brother, for finally putting Julius in his place for me. It really means so much to me… and I am sorry you had to even –"

"No, I'm sorry for not doing it sooner," Eizan countered, "You were right. You always are. What he did was horrible, and someone needed to knock him off his high horse. Took me long enough…"

"I see," Yukichiko noted with a very wide smile, before she then signaled to the side, "And if we're talking about things I'm right about, well…"

Eizan raised his eyebrow, confused about what she meant, before he turned, following her line of sight, before he saw what she was referring to. Or rather, who.

"…Shouko."

"…Hey," a very nervous Shouko greeted, offering him a little wave, as she rested her frame against a nearby wall. Eizan just looked at her, it was so strange to see her in uniform. "Considering how I just saw you swallow all your fears and stand up for those you love, I feel I should do the same…"

"And this is the point where I step aside," Yukichiko noted, to which Eizan blushed and muttered something which made his sister laugh, but she still ruffled his wet hair a bit, before she walked away from Eizan, "Thank you baby bro," she told him, then turned to Shouko, "And I'm watching you," she threatened.

"Hey! Can't you at least pretend we get along now!?" Shouko cried out, flustered, but Yukichiko just laughed and moved along, leaving the two of them alone. "…That sister of yours," Shouko lamented with a sigh, as she turned back to Eizan. "Still, that was… I mean, you were amazing Etsuya…"

"Yeah," Eizan noted, "Let me guess, Yukichiko made you come here?"

"She did," Shouko affirmed, "But I wanted to see you again, even without the spider."

"The spider?"

"Not important," Shouko quickly brushed off, "I wanted to say… wanted to express, what I did. How I did it. Etsuya, like, I know all of Tootsuki will want nothing to do with me, whether we win or lose, but, I… listen… I…" she tried, but her words were getting mixed up, and she was getting choked up, tears pooling up in her eyes. So she just tried to push her feelings out as best she could, "…Just, Etsuya, please, take me back… I know I screwed up, I hurt you, but please, just one more chance, I feel so empty without you. Please, can we start over…?"

Eizan looked on, eyes widening, as he played with his glasses currently in his hands. He said nothing for a moment, and Shouko felt her world shatter, but, slowly, Eizan raised his hand, and to Shouko's surprise, she felt his palm on her cheek.

"I've been forgiven by so many people for all the shit I've done that it's downright moronic at this point," he admitted, before he offered him a small smile. "So it would be insanely hypocritical of me to deny you the same courtesy… So, fine, let's start over Shouko. One more try at this. At… us."

"…Yes!" Shouko outright beamed, forgetting the formalities and outright jumping into his arms, surprising him, as she claimed his lips with her own. And as the once broken couple kissed, Etsuya Eizan slowly began to consider this loss to be, quite possibly, the biggest moment of his academic career, and maybe even more than that. Only time would tell, but for right now, he was content…

Back at the main arena, Julius walked back to his team, hands on his pockets, eyes closed. This was, honestly, rather humiliating, but he couldn't quite argue with the little voice inside his head that told him he deserved it. Julius then turned to his team. Ashitaro was still a mess, Dove had her eyes to the side, while Asahi was smirking. It was… annoying.

"Say your piece," Julius told him.

"Huh? I have no need to rub salt on the wound," Asahi said with a little laugh. "But you did underestimate him by quite the margin."

"…I took note of that," Julius said, then turned towards his Team Leader, noticing how she seemed especially… irked. "…Dove?"

"…Technicality this, technicality that, this is beyond stupid…" Dove spoke with such tranquil fury that it surprised both boys, as she was usually super loud, not… this. She seemed to be seething, and even Asahi found it confusing as to why. Granted, he knew Julius' results had not been ideal for her (they were for him, but he wasn't going to brag now), but they didn't outright ruin her chances yet. But, before he or Julius could say something else, Dove just moved.

"As ingenious a solution as that was for Etsuya, it's not something you two can copy," Isshiki was saying, his focus on Soma and Erina, "They still have three members to our two, so two non-draws still leave them with a victor on their side."

"I'm not planning on sabotaging my own dish, I ain't that smart with the chemicals and stuff anyways," Soma said confidently, "And I have something important to prove here, and I can't just… Erina?"

Soma, and then Isshiki, both turned to the blonde heiress, whose eyes had widened like plates for some reason. The color had drained from her face, and she bit her lower lip.

Erina felt lightheaded, and her breathing became harder and harsher. Because she was walking towards the center of the stage.

Dove Dillinger was approaching, and Erina Nakiri felt a nervousness like no other.

Soma and Isshiki turned towards Dove, noticing Erina's inner struggle with her fight or flight response, and they both felt it. Dove's eyes were the sharpest anyone had ever seen the girl sport. Up above, Loren tensed up, as that was a look he never wanted directed at him from his sister. But, damn it, if this kept up, then he could outright lose Dove to all this madness!

"Erina, remember, you don't have to…" Soma began.

"N-No, I do…" Erina countered, her eyes turning towards Soma for a moment. The boy looked on, before he nodded. He understood her perfectly. They weren't here to run away. And she had promised them all, from Loren, to herself, that she wouldn't run away from Dove. But, seeing The God Slayer approach the center of the arena made Erina's already blurry vision worse, as she could only see the visage of Dove Dillinger as she reached her spot on the arena.

"…Oh crap," Urara blurted out, her eyes on Dove.

"Dove…" Azami voiced, his eyes on his protegee, "A team leader should have no need to offer herself up while the rest of the team is still available…"

"I am not going to sit here and wait until my team crushes her team and leaves her an emotional mess so I can take an easy win," Dove said in no uncertain terms, and her tone was surprising for even Azami. "No technicality will be needed here. I will be the undisputed winner, and I will prove your, my True Gourmet is superior to anything served in the competition. So…"

Dove then turned her ice glare onto Erina.

"Come on God's Tongue, let's end this charade once and for all…"

And Erina took a deep breath, because this was happening, whether she wanted it to or not. She clenched her fist, and come what may, she knew, knew that Tootsuki Academy's fate rested on a victory that she herself could still not envision.

Because what could the God's Tongue ever hope to accomplish…?

When faced with the one who slays even the Gods themselves…?

The screen changed once more, and nobody knew how to even react anymore…

Erina Nakiri…

…versus…

…Dove Dillinger.

After all, what do you call the act where upon even a Goddess herself is slain…?

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Next Time: …Deicide!

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Round 3 – Saturday, October 21, 2023