As the cooking time began, all of the contestants raced to the commissary attached to the arena to gather their ingredients. After about fifteen minutes all of the young chefs returned to their stations and began cooking their dishes. As expected with the theme, Nene decided to proceed with making the soba noodles that had made her family and restaurant well-known for centuries. For her dish, Nene decided to make her family's signature soba noodle dish, consisting of 90 percent buckwheat using flour made from the sperm of the buckwheat husk. Takumi also surprised nobody as he began to make pasta noodles for his dish. He began by making a typical pasta dough with eggs, flour (both all-purpose and semolina), olive oil, and just a tiny bit of water.
As things were getting underway, three people entered the arena carrying several heavy-looking books and making their way to the judges' table in the middle of the arena. After seeing the books, Zenji almost fainted as he figured out who they were. The three judges that had been arranged for this regimental food war were actually renowned bookmen from the World Gourmet Organization, who published a yearly guide to the world's best restaurants, known in the culinary world as simply, "The Book." Gaining or losing a star in the book could make or break a chef's entire culinary career, it was so influential. The three bookmen selected for this battle included two second-tier reviewers – one with glasses named Histoire, and a blonde pretty boy named Charme – and a first-tier reviewer named Anne. As they sat down, all three of them vowed by "The Book" to be fair and impartial in their judgement, and to make their decisions based solely on what was presented on the plates in front of them, and not on the reputation of the chef (or lack thereof).
Meanwhile, Isshiki was taking his time in preparing his dish for his battle with Julio, with eel as the theme. Julio continually scolded Isshiki for not taking his studies at Totsuki seriously and for never acknowledging him as a chef on his level. While Julio also kept singing Isshiki's praises as a chef that he admired and wanted to work side-by-side with, he simultaneously chided him for not living up to his potential. His very soul was then shattered when Isshiki asked, "Um…who are you, again?" as though Juilo hadn't even been worth remembering. This despite the fact that his family had served as chefs for the Italian embassy for years, and he had done some work under chef Donato Gotoda (after whom he based his flamboyant style). Although Rindo scolded Isshiki for this, she was placated a minute later when Isshiki complimented her hair. Julio then shouted, "Isshiki! It's this flippant attitude that makes you the black sheep of the famous Isshiki family." When Soma asked from the sideline if this was true, Isshiki said, "Well, that wasn't a nice thing to say, but yeah, that's pretty accurate."
Isshiki then explained how his family had run the most famous and longest-established restaurant in Kyoto, while Nene's family had the same reputation in Tokyo, and that the two families had close ties to each other. In fact, Isshiki had gone to live with Nene's family for several years starting at age four as a part of a long-standing tradition between the two families, and had gotten to know Nene during that time. "Wait! So you and the sixth seat are childhood besties!?" Yuki exclaimed from the cage. "Yep, that pretty much sums it up," replied Isshiki. Nene, however, overheard the conversation and interjected with, "Absolutely not! We're not friends! He was only someone who came to live with my family for a short time and learn about cooking from us!" Isshiki tried to respond with some teasing, but Nene just continued to stare daggers at him and said, "How can you stand there and act like that after everything you did to me back then? You were the worst!"
At hearing this, Daniel was very confused with what Nene was saying about Isshiki, "Hold on," he began, "Are we talking about the same Isshiki? Because in the time I've known him, he's been about the nicest person I've ever met. While he definitely has a few odd quirks, I can't believe that he would make anyone feel like you say you do about him." Nene sighed in frustration and replied, "You have no idea what it's like living in the same household as him for years. While everything comes so easy for him, I had to work hard and struggle to get to the level I'm at now."
Julio then interrupted the trip down memory lane by chiding Isshiki once again to pay attention to what he was doing in their battle and to come at him with everything he had. "You should be among the elite in Central with us," he stated. "Instead, you're lowering yourself to spending your time with low-life rebel scum like them! Neither them nor that wretched dorm is even worth saving!" When he heard this, Isshiki's aura changed. While he still had a smile on his face, there was also a look of determination mixed in, as he replied, "Alright – that's enough out of you." As Julio looked on in surprise, Isshiki continued, "You can insult me all you want, but insulting my dorm and my precious kohais – well, now I'm going to go ahead and destroy you." With that he used a special knife to cut his eel perfectly in half in a flash, something that only an expert should be able to do. It even impressed Urara, who forgot that she was supposed to be a Central cheerleader for a moment before going back to referring to the rebel chefs, including Isshiki, as scum for opposing their beloved Central.
At this display of Isshiki's skills, Daniel and everyone else on the sideline stiffened up, as they had never seen Isshiki act or cook like this before. Erina then explained that Isshiki was far better than he was letting on – that he could have achieved a higher seat on the council if he had really wanted to. Also, she revealed that when asked about his style of cooking, the best description anyone could come up with was "Aggressive Japanese." As Isshiki continued cooking, Hisako commented, "Pretty impressive for a guy who likes to walk around naked in an apron." Ikumi nodded and added, "Yeah, tell me about it." Overhearing this, Alice screeched as she asked both Hisako and Ikumi what they meant by that, but they didn't want to say. Daniel stepped in and said, "Let's just say it's one of the 'Seven Wonders of Polar Star Dorm.' When we win this thing, come by sometime and you can see for yourself."
Soon after, Julio finished his dish and presented it to the judges for tasting. His dish was Capitone in Umido, or female eel smothered in a tomato sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes and various Italian herbs and spices. He also served a couple of pieces of crispy polenta on the side as a garnish. This dish was considered a luxury in Italian cuisine, particularly as it was a female eel. The judges gave the dish high praise, not only for cooking the eel and polenta to perfection, but also for his use of the San Marzano tomatoes, which had a low water content, meaning the sauce's flavors were even more concentrated. As the judges praised his dish, Julio challenged Isshiki to properly match it with his offering.
When Isshiki proceeded to present his own dish to the judges for tasting, everyone was confused by it at first. Just looking at it, it looked like a simple grilled eel dish sitting on top of a bed of rice. However, upon closer look, the bed of rice was, in fact, a cheese risotto with smoked garlic chips mixed in. For most people watching, this seemed like a flavor combination that would never work and surely lead to Isshiki's defeat. However, when the judges took their first bite with a bit of the eel and the risotto together, they were surprised at how rich and bold the flavors were – and how well they all worked together. Isshiki then had the judges stop for a moment, as he offered to pour the finishing touch to his dish – an eel liver soup – into each of their bowls. Although the whole thing didn't seem to make sense on the surface, the taste could not be denied as the judges began scarfing it down.
Isshiki then revealed that he had, in fact, used a few prototype ingredients from his fellow Polar Star residents to make the dish. The cheese he used had been made by Yuki and Ikumi, the sake in the soup had been made by Ryoko and Zenji, and the smoked garlic chips had been made by Shun (with the assistance of Daigo and Shoji). All of them were miffed that Isshiki had gone ahead and used these things without their permission, and had done so while taking such a risk in this competition. Isshiki went on and said that while they were all experimental, he saw their potential and was able to bring out the best in all of their items through this dish.
Isshiki then handed over a portion of his dish – which he called Hitsumabushi a la Polar Star – over to Julio to have him taste for himself. He demanded that if Julio found it delicious and if the judges deemed it superior to Julio's dish, then he would get on his knees and apologize to him and his dorm mates for insulting them earlier. As Julio tasted it, he was overwhelmed by the flavors, and he couldn't resist scarfing it down himself. The judges then made their decision and unanimously awarded the victory in this card to Isshiki and the rebel team. As he finished, Julio was overcome by what he had tasted, and saw he had no choice but to do exactly what Isshiki had demanded of him before collapsing – though somehow with a big smile on his face.
As Isshiki went over to congratulate his dorm mates on their contributions to his dish, they admonished him for using the stuff before it was ready and without their permission – though they were also glad that it had worked out and that Isshiki had won. Anne then came up to Isshiki and asked for a sample of Ryoko and Zenji's sake. When she took a sip, the two creators were very nervous about how she would react. Anne then smiled and commented, "I can see now what you are fighting so hard to protect here."
As Isshiki finished cleaning and walked off the stage, Nene commented to him that he should get ready for a matchup between the two of them in the next round to settle the score. "We'll see who the best chef in our generation really is!" she exclaimed. Isshiki chuckled and replied, "I'd love to go up against you, but I'm afraid that's not going to happen here. You see, before you have a chance to go up against me, I'm afraid you're going to lose to Takumi over there." Nene gasped and growled at Isshiki's response and became even more determined to show him and make him eat his words.
Earlier, Nene had been given a rousing cheer by the crowd during her display of skill making the dough for the soba completely by hand, with Azami pointing it out as "The true work of an artisan." This was something that took years of practice and hard work in the kitchens of her family's restaurant, and her skills showed in the movements she made during the process as well as the delicacy of the finished product. When she was finished, she presented her soba noodle dish in the traditional serving style, accompanied by a dipping sauce and a Sakura Shrimp Kakiage.
Meanwhile, Takumi had also gone ahead and made his pasta dough from scratch. However, instead of cutting the noodles by hand, he used a pasta machine to create the type of pasta he wanted to use in his dish – bucatini. While a few members of the audience mocked what Takumi was doing, Nene acknowledged that this was a legitimate method, as machine-made pasta done well could be just as good as handmade. After setting aside the pasta, Takumi went to work on his sauce and toppings. First, he took a duck breast and cooked it so that not only the meat was nice and juicy, but also the skin was crispy and the fat was rendered out. When the meat was just short of being done, he removed the duck from the pan and separated the skin from the meat before shredding the skin. In a separate pot, he mixed the shredded meat with tomatoes, onions, and other aromatics, cooking everything down to create a luscious ragu.
As he was preparing to assemble his dish after cooking the pasta, Takumi placed the pasta in the pan that still had the duck fat in it, allowing the duck fat to coat the pasta noodles. He then took the duck ragu and a little of the pasta water, and ladled it over the pasta, making sure the pasta noodles were coated with the sauce without overwhelming it. As it was all melding and finishing together, Takumi got out his serving dishes – bowls that looked like they were made from black stone with a cast iron interior (where the pasta would be placed). After portioning his pasta, he then took the crispy duck skin, shredded it, and mixed it with some Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese before topping the pasta with this mixture.
Nene presented her dish to the judges first, and the judges were extraordinarily impressed with what they were given. In fact, the dish was so good that they had consumed everything on their trays before they even realized it – even asking where everything had gone at one point. Nene then proceeded to provide seconds and even thirds of her dish to the judges, as they consumed everything in front of them before they realized it. This worried the rebels in the cage, as it was rare for judges in any situation to ask for more helpings.
Takumi went next as Nene looked on, confident that she would be the one to ultimately come out on top. However, the judges seemed equally delighted by Takumi's offering. The pasta was cooked to perfection, and the duck ragu gave a burst of flavor that was accentuated by the flavors and texture of the duck skin topping. The judges noted that the richness and aroma of the dish just permeated every bite, making for a very memorable experience.
As the judges discussed the decision they were about to make, Anne asked Nene to try some of her own soba. Although confused by the request, Nene did so, at which point she was horrified to discover that the flavors of her soba were much weaker than usual. Unable to figure out why this was so, Isshiki pointed out that the climate in the room was the worst kind of environment for the soba she made, as it was so cold that the soba's delicacy made the resulting aroma dissipate very quickly. Meanwhile, Takumi had not only finished his pasta in a hot, searing pan with duck fat (along with the ragu), he had presented it in a dish that would retain the strong aromas and enhance the dining experience.
Nene tried to brush this aside as a fluke, but Isshiki pointed out that it wasn't – that it was a skill Takumi had picked up from years of experience not only at Totsuki, but working at the family trattoria. "When you saw the theme for this battle, you didn't even think about making something other than the 90 percent soba, did you? No, you didn't. And that's because you've always been told that the way you've been taught is the only way to make soba." Still in frustrated shock, Nene turned to Takumi and asked, "How did you even think to factor in the room temperature on the fly during a battle like this?" Takumi responded, "Being in a food war is nothing compared to working in my family's trattoria every day, when the honor of the Aldini name is always at stake!"
As Nene stood there shocked, Isshiki commented, "Now you see what everyone on the rebel team is fighting for, and what makes them such dangerous opponents." As Nene then tasted Takumi's dish, she was overwhelmed by the flavors and collapsed to the floor, knowing she had been truly defeated. This was confirmed by the judges, who all voted for Takumi's dish, giving this battle to the rebels, to which Takumi clenched his fist in triumph as shouted, "Grazie!" As Rindo tried to console Nene, the crowd gasped in shock that the rebels had already won two of the battles so far.
When the rebels on the sidelines began cheering in celebration, Urara tried to put a damper on it, pointing out that there was still one battle left in the session, featuring the fifth seat, Shoko Kaburagi. "True enough, but you're forgetting one thing," Kuga replied. As Urara looked at him quizzically, he continued, "You forget that her opponent happens to be the former number three seat on the Council of Ten." Moments later, the crowd gasped again in shock, as Tosuke stood over an overwhelmed Shoko, who was laid out on the floor in defeat, as the judges had awarded the win to Tosuke and the rebels in the third match, meaning the rebels had swept the entire session.
As the cage was opened and the expelled rebels went with the regimental team back to their assigned kitchen and dressing room to prepare for the afternoon session, the remaining members of the Central team looked on, now realizing that this would not be an easy victory for them. As for Azami, while he outwardly projected a pleasant demeanor by calmly reminding everyone that there would be an afternoon session after the lunch break, he was internally seething and very worried about the performance that had been displayed so far.