As the entire school was anxiously awaiting the broadcast of the new director's speech, everyone was wondering just what he intended to do – they knew it had to be dramatic for him to draw so much attention to it. When the closed-circuit broadcast began, Azami started by saying he had taken the time to assess what Totsuki was now, and what he felt it could become. Then came the bombshell – first, all school clubs, research societies, and seminars would be stripped of their rights to operate independently of the administration. For that, he had created a new organization – appropriately named Central – to control all aspects of the culinary education that was to be dispensed at Totsuki. From that point forward, all lessons and activities would need the approval of, and would be controlled by, Central. Anyone who disagreed or defied Central would be dealt with harshly.
There were murmurs and shouts of disapproval from the live audience, but Azami paid no heed, arguing that if everyone were to just follow the lead of Central, then everyone would be able to become great chefs without having to worry about the pressures and failures of the previous regime. However, this flew in the face of what many people thought was the essence of great cooking. As though he anticipated resistance, Azami deployed several groups from Central within hours of his announcement to strongarm all of the school groups and organizations to accept the decree and disband.
This new decree even applied to Polar Star, which received a visit from chef Eizan and a bunch of his goons to deliver the eviction notice. Surprisingly, Soma invited him calmly to sit down for some tea. As they sat to discuss the situation, Eizan said that since the dorm was operating independently, it was competing with the interests of the new regime – something it couldn't tolerate. Therefore, Polar Star could no longer exist as it was, though the students could still remain as long as they toed the line. As the other residents began to growl in disapproval at Eizan, Soma asked whether that decision could be reversed with a food war victory. "Yes, you could try to reverse the decision through a food war," Eizan said, "But I'm not sure you would actually want to do that." As everyone questioned what he meant by that, Eizan got up to leave, but not before saying to Soma, "I have a food war coming up later today with another organization who's choosing to defy Central. I suggest you watch it."
Later, the food war was broadcast over the school's closed-circuit feed – chef Eizan against Tetsuji Kabutoyama of the skewer research society. They agreed to the terms of the food war, as each would present a skewered dish, and the skewer society would remain if Kabutoyama won. If he lost, the skewer research society would be disbanded and Kabutoyama would be expelled. As the match got underway, everyone wondered just what Eizan was up to. Even if he were to win, it wouldn't deter others from taking the same risk to save their societies. However, they also noticed that Eizan was barely doing anything – just doing the perfunctory steps and processes to create a skewered dish.
When the two dishes were presented, the scoreboard immediately showed a 3-0 victory for Eizan before anyone had even tasted anything. It was then that Kabutoyama and everyone else realized what was going on – Eizan had bribed all of the judges and the food wars would now be rigged! Despite this, Kabutoyama was forced to accept expulsion and disbandment of the club, with Eizan and the judges he bribed grinning evilly. Almost immediately, all requests for food wars from the other clubs were withdrawn.
It now became the worst of times at Totsuki Academy. Not only were all of the clubs on the verge of disbandment without being able to so much as put up a fight, but the Polar Star residents were about to lose their beloved home in a matter of 10 days. While they would still be able to attend the school, it wouldn't be the same without Polar Star to come home to. That was what Polar Star really was – their home – and the residents had become like family to each other. As most of the people began to cry and reminisce about all of the good times they had there, Daniel and Soma began to discuss what they could do.
That evening, as they sat together in Soma's room – Soma on the bed, and Daniel in one of the chairs – Daniel stated, "Alright, let's assess our situation. We're being evicted in ten days. We can't appeal the decision through normal processes because this dorm goes against Azami's philosophy for some reason, and we can't win a reprieve through a food war because Eizan has rigged everything there. What can we do to save the dorm?" As Soma considered what Daniel said, he replied, "Give me a minute to think of something." They both chuckled at that, as that was something that Daniel would normally say.
Several minutes later, as they continued to contemplate a game plan, Daniel broke the silence as he said, "I think Winston Churchill once said, 'If you're going through hell, keep going.' Right now, we're going through hell, my friend. And I think the only way we're possibly going to get through this hell is to keep plowing forward the best way we know how." Soma nodded, understanding what Daniel was getting at. As Daniel finally got up to go to his own room once it got late, he turned to Soma and said, "You know, if anyone can pull of a needed miracle here, it's you."
The next morning after breakfast, as Daniel and Soma were headed for their morning classes, Soma asked Daniel to hold up for a minute. As he gave Daniel a serious look, Daniel knew what he wanted to tell him. "You've made your decision, haven't you?" he asked. Soma nodded in response. While Daniel was worried that Soma could get expelled, he also knew that this was the only option they had to save their Totsuki home. Daniel wished his friend luck, even offering the use of his Irish coin, which Soma declined. As Soma walked off to meet up with Eizan, Daniel held him up for a minute. "The ancient Spartans had a saying for those who were going off to battle," he began. "Come back either with your shield…or on it." Soma grinned and nodded, understanding what he meant as he headed off.
That afternoon, there was an announcement that stunned the entire school – there was going to be an actual food war between Soma and chef Eizan, with Polar Star's continued existence and Soma's continued attendance at Tostuki on the line. Soma had left a note for everyone else, in his usual casual manner despite this not being a casual happening. As everyone, including Erina and Hisako (who was checking in on Erina) gathered around the television screen to watch what was going on, they heard the sound of a group of people approaching the dorm. It was Eizan's goons – who were threatening to tear the place apart unless the residents came out and surrendered peacefully.
As they were all cursing Eizan, they were also very worried. Not only was this an invasion of their home, but they had to worry about Erina's safety, as this was the only place she could hide from her father. They all really wanted to do something, but didn't know what they could do! At this, Fumio suddenly emerged with several boxes of items from 'The Golden Age' of Polar Star dorm, as they had faced adversity before. Inside were helmets, metal rods, giant hoses, and other items suited for non-lethal battle – including, surprisingly, a wooden bokken, which drew Daniel as he picked it up along with a helmet. As the residents, along with Hisako, took their positions to defend the dorm until at least the end of Soma's food war, Daniel decided to take a position in front before bursting the door open and shouting, "Long live liberty!" before charging the goons in front of the dorm.
The goons were taken by such surprise that the residents would be defending themselves at all, let alone attacking them, that Daniel was able to get the jump on a few of them before they were able to react, as he whacked them individually into submission and retreat (avoiding everything above the shoulders). Once the goons reacted enough to try to counterattack, they were held back both from the dorm and from attacking Daniel by the hoses and other non-lethal projectiles hurled at them. For those that came near the doors, they were beaten back by Daigo and Shoji, with some help from the girls who were manning the hose.
This went on for quite some time, as Daniel continued to give those he could a beat down with the bokken, while everyone succeeded in keeping the rest of the goons from entering the building, much to the chagrin of Eizan, who was kept apprised via cell phone. As more and more people began to groan and cry out in pain, it became obvious that this would not be the simple matter that Eizan had predicted. As such, he decided he would actually need to cook something for the food war – the theme of which was Satsuma Chicken (considered the chicken equivalent of Kobe Beef).
For his dish, Eizan made for the judges a version of Singapore Chicken Rice, a relatively simple dish that was still beloved throughout Southeast Asia. With the Satsuma Chicken and the broth made from the chicken, the dish was even more tender, moist, and succulent, making the flavors sing even more due to the fact that Eizan had cooked it just right. The judges seemed delighted that they would be getting the added bonus of tasting something made by chef Eizan as well as crushing this person who dared to go against Central.
However, Soma was not deterred, as he used just about all of the allotted time to make his dish – chicken gyoza, using the chicken wings as the outer layer instead of dough by deboning them, and stuffing it with a combination of other parts of the chicken, vegetables, spices, and pork jowl, which the judges mocked as a horrible idea. He then made the outside nice and crispy in the pan before topping them off with some parmesan cheese and a sweet & sour sauce made from the chicken stock and some ketchup. While the head judge scoffed at it initially, the other two couldn't resist the aroma, and decided to try it. Both of them were absolutely astounded at the flavors of the dish – how well everything went together when conventional wisdom said they shouldn't. Even Rindo, who was observing from the room, was swooning over the dish.
Soma then dared both Eizan and the head judge to try his dish and see exactly what it was they were rejecting before making a final decision. Both Eizan and the head judge were overwhelmed – so much so that there was no way that they could deny how delicious the dish was. Despite knowing that they were supposed to be there to do the bidding of Eizan and Central, the judges couldn't help but cast their votes for Soma, giving him a shocking 3-0 victory. With Eizan and the judges still in shock, Soma took advantage of the situation and spoke directly to the TV camera there, officially declaring war on Central and anyone else who dared go after him, his friends, or his dorm.
Meanwhile, as the other Polar Star residents continued to fight Eizan's goons, the fighting suddenly stopped, as one of them got a call and ordered a withdrawal. There was some confusion as to what was going on before Zenji pointed to the TV screen, which showed that Soma had won his food war over Eizan! When they saw this, cheers rose from the residents, as they had not only successfully defended their turf, but would also be staying at Polar Star.
As the last of the goons left Polar Star territory with the sun setting in the distance, Soma returned to the dorm from his food war victory. He was immediately met by Daniel, who grinned and said, "So, it seems you've returned with your shield today." Soma grinned and replied, "Yeah, I sure did!" He then looked at Daniel and commented, "It looks like you've been doing some battling yourself." Daniel chuckled, and said, "Yeah, some of Eizan's goons thought they would force us out early, but we had other ideas." As they both chuckled, they put their arms around each other's shoulders as they made their way inside Polar Star side-by-side.
Upon entering, both of them were met by the other residents with a mix of praise and scolding, especially telling Soma how reckless he was for going off to battle Eizan by himself without telling anyone in advance, though they were very thankful he had won and saved the dorm. When Daniel commented that Soma had left the note, they turned to him and began to shout at him. "You're no better, you know!" Ryoko exclaimed. "How could you be so reckless to go out there and take on all those guys by yourself!?" added Megumi. "But still," Daigo commented, "Seeing you put the beatdown on all of those douchebags was totally awesome!"
Hisako then came up to Daniel and began to scold him, saying, "I agree with the other girls – you really were reckless going out there alone." She then softened the look on her face before adding, "But you were really courageous in defending your home, your friends, and Miss Erina. And for that, I'm really grateful." She then embraced him in a big hug, laying her head on Daniel's shoulder, as Daniel returned the embrace while the girls gave a big 'Awwww' at the sight.
As the residents began commenting about how this showed that it was possible to win, Soma asked, "So what does this mean for the other groups at risk of disbandment? What's their situation now?" At this, a familiar voice interjected with, "About as grim as it was before, but thanks to you, Eizan's dirty tactics will no longer be a factor." Everyone looked to see Isshiki appearing seemingly out of thin air after being nowhere to be found the last few days. "And where have you been?" Yuki shouted. "Yeah," added Shoji, "You've been gone so long, we thought you had betrayed us to Central!" Isshiki then became wide-eyed and defensive, assuring everyone that he would never do that, "This is my home!" he exclaimed, "Can't all of you see how much this place means to me?!"
Isshiki then cleared his throat as he began to explain what was now going on. "From now on, any group facing dissolution can challenge Central to reverse that, and Central will be forced to accept their challenge in a fair and honorable manner." He then turned to Soma and added, "And it's all because of you – you brought back the Food Wars! The other groups are still in danger, but now they at least have a chance!" He then went on to explain how two other members of the Council of Ten – Kuga and Tosuke Megishima – had been removed from their positions for disagreeing with Azami's vision for Totsuki. Thinking it would only be a matter of time for him, Isshiki had worked quietly and carefully to make sure that he put in place rules for those groups seeking to remain active before he was dismissed himself.
As Isshiki finished his explanation, Takumi, Isami, and Ikumi arrived at the dorm to talk with Soma. However, instead of the usual scolding, Takumi came to say that he completely understood what Soma did and why, with Isami adding a big thumbs up for the win. With all of that out of the way, Isshiki declared that it was now time for the dorm to celebrate. Moments later, he had stripped out of his uniform and into nothing but his apron, exposing his backside for everyone to see. As this happened, Daniel's eyes widened as he thought, 'Oh, crap! I forgot to warn Hisako and Erina about that!'
Right on cue, Hisako screeched in horror at seeing Isshiki in his current state of dress, wondering just what the hell was going on, with Erina just staring in stunned horror. As Daniel went over to try to calm Hisako down, she shouted, "What's with all of the freaks that live here!" Realizing what she had just said, she then turned to Daniel and said, "I'm sorry. I don't mean you, of course." Cringing internally, but also realizing that Hisako was freaking out a bit (and with good reason), Daniel let her comment slide, gently reminding her, "My friends can definitely be quirky, but they are all good people."
Erina then began to comment on how it was amazing that when everything seemed bleak and desperate, the Polar Star residents all seemed to believe that things would work out somehow, and that Soma would save the day, which he did. Everyone had put their faith in him. Among all the craziness she had experienced in the dorm, Soma was at the center of it all. At this, Daniel commented, "That's just Soma for you." As Erina and Hisako looked at him quizzically, he added, "With Soma, you just need to expect the unexpected, and you'll never be disappointed." As the girls thought about this, Isshiki came up to them and encouraged them to join in. Hisako then freaked out again and began demanding angrily that Isshiki put on some pants.
Daniel then gently put his arm around Hisako, pulling her closer before telling her softly, "I'm not sure you'll have any luck with that. I was barking up that tree for months before I figured that it just wasn't worth my time and energy to fight him on it." Hisako then asked, "How do you deal with it, then?" Daniel responded, "I just roll my eyes and remember that there are worse things that we could be dealing with. In fact, we're dealing with worse things now with Central." He then smiled at the girls and said, "I know it's easier said than done, but my advice would be to ignore the proverbial elephant in the room and celebrate this small, but important victory while we can." The girls just sighed and shook their heads, worried at how this place was affecting Daniel's mind.