As everyone gathered around the drawing board back in the kitchen to discuss strategy, there was a buzz of excitement and optimism at having swept the morning session. However, Erina reminded them that this was only the first stage of the regimental food war, and that they hadn't faced Central's best yet. She predicted that Central would now send out either Eishi, Rindo, or both for the next session – that's when they would really see whether or not they had a chance of winning. As multiple people chimed in on who the team should send out next, Erina was looking around for Soma, but he was nowhere to be found. When she asked about it, Megumi said that she thought he had gone to the bathroom before she had even begun speaking, which flustered Erina for some reason.
While the discussion was going on, Daniel heard a chime on his phone indicating that he was receiving a text. When he read it, he whistled and got everyone's attention just as Soma was returning. "Looks like Erina's prediction was right on target," he said. "I've gotten word that Central is going to send out both Eishi and Rindo in the next session, as well as Somei Saito." Many eyes widened at the news as Erina asked, "Is this your spy giving us this information?" When Daniel nodded in affirmation, she went deep into thought as she muttered, "They're really not fooling around for this one."
Tosuke then spoke up and said that he would volunteer to go out again in the next session. When Megumi asked if he was sure after going out in the previous session, he responded, "Don't worry. I have plenty of energy left to give it my all out there." In addition, Kuga shouted that he not only wanted to participate in the next session, but that he wanted to be the one to face Eishi. In fact, he insisted upon it, saying that he had to face him and show him that he was worthy of recognition. Thinking about how this would play into the team's strategy, Erina agreed to these requests. She then asked Mimasaka if he would take the third slot for the afternoon session, which he immediately accepted. With that, the rebels' lineup for the afternoon was now set, and Erina's battle plan was proceeding, hopefully with some visible results to show for it after the day was done.
As they came out again for the beginning of the afternoon session, the expelled rebels made their way back to the cage while the remaining battle participants went to their respective sidelines. The judges were back at their table as well, though Anne looked like she was having a hard time staying upright and had a funny look on her face. Apparently, she was quite the lightweight when it came to alcohol and was a bit tipsy from just one taste of Ryoko's sake. 'Still,' Daniel thought, 'that sake must have been pretty potent.'
As Urara announced the matchups for the session, the rebels knew Kuga would be going up against Eishi. Urara then announced that Rindo would be going up against Tosuke, the former number three seat, in what would surely be an epic battle. This left Mimasaka to take on Somei Saito in the last matchup. For the drawing, Rindo acted a bit childish in insisting upon being the one to draw for her match, which Tosuke gave in to. When she drew a slip of paper from the machine, the paper read Chili Peppers. Kuga drew Green Tea as the theme for his match with Eishi, and Mimasaka drew Tuna as his match's theme ingredient.
As the cooking began, the rebels wondered how Kuga and Eishi would deal with the theme ingredient, as it wasn't exactly the first thing you would think of for a gourmet dish. While it didn't seem to play to Eishi's strengths, it didn't exactly play to Kuga's either, though his background in Chinese cuisine would definitely help. With Mimasaka's matchup, the theme he drew was a huge worry, as Somei was an expert sushi chef. Could Mimasaka's perfect trace really perfect the techniques of someone like Somei Saito? Well, he had been doing training on the Ten – now is when he would see if that training paid off.
First, there was also the matter of the matchup between Rindo and Tosuke, one that was expected to be an epic and even matchup, as they were both on the Council of Ten at the beginning of the year and had been in consecutive seats with each other. For his dish, Tosuke announced that he would be making an African Ramen, while Rindo said she would be making something akin to Firecracker Chicken, except with alligator meat instead of chicken. The rebels were a bit confused initially at Tosuke's declaration, even wondering aloud whether African cuisine even had ramen. Daniel then speculated that what Tosuke was doing was infusing African-based flavors into his ramen dish.
Meanwhile, Kuga began to cook his dish by using pork shoulder as his main protein while turning his wok into a smoker and using green tea leaves as the source for his smoking to infuse the green tea flavor into the pork. As Kuga was concentrating on getting the pork just right, Eishi began to speak to him – whether to goad him or subdue him, Daniel couldn't be sure – trying to get it into Kuga's head that he had no chance to win this with his skill level. Suddenly, a jar with a black substance came flying towards Kuga, who caught it with deftness, as though expecting it – which he was.
This jar contained a sauce, created by Mimasaka, that would elevate his dish. It was a smoked soy sauce, which Kuga combined with black vinegar, sugar, crushed green tea leaves, and a French balsamic vinegar sauce to create something akin to a sweet and sour sauce. While Eishi said he was impressed that Kuga had apparently matured in how he approached these battles, there was a slight bit of concern in his eyes, as he now had to deal with the equivalent of two Kugas, since Mimasaka was using his tracing ability to mimic Kuga and help him.
As both Kuga and Eishi continued to cook and prepare their dishes, Rindo and Tosuke were finishing theirs. In fact, they managed to finish their dishes at about the same time and presented them to the judges within moments of each other. During the battle, the two chefs and former colleagues had bantered back and forth with each other on how much effort and aggressiveness they each put into their cooking. In fact, their use of chili peppers permeated the air so greatly that it made it harder to breathe properly.
Tosuke's African Ramen had a chicken soup base that contained several ingredients and flavors that were prevalent in African cuisines, including tomatoes, red peppers, and peanuts, giving it a unique rich flavor to go with the wide noodles and chashu pork he used as toppings. On the side, he created a harissa sauce using the chili peppers as the main base along with garlic, lemon juice, and other spices found in the northern African region. Rindo's Firecracker Alligator, on the other hand, looked like it would give someone instant heartburn, as half of the dish appeared to be dried chili peppers. It was a Sichuan-style dish that truly packed a punch and looked like something Kuga would come up with. Heck, Daniel felt like he was getting heartburn just by looking at it!
For this reason, it came as a bit of a surprise to Daniel when the judges unanimously decided the match in favor of chef Rindo. Daniel knew that Rindo's dish would probably still be delicious despite all the chili peppers, but he thought for sure that she had overdone it! The only thing he could figure was that Tosuke's dish didn't emphasize the chili peppers enough and that Rindo had somehow managed to maintain enough of a balance not to overwhelm the judges, despite the dish's appearance.
A/N: When I first saw this episode, I really couldn't believe that Rindo's dish had won. I know that the author needed to make sure there was a dramatic storyline, but the amount of dried chili peppers she used was nuts!
While the first judging was going on, Somei and Mimasaka were completing their tuna dishes, with each of them making a set of ten pieces of miniature tuna sushi of different types and styles. At one point during the cooking, Somei was so impressed with Mimasaka's perfect trace that he offered the use of his sushi knife so that they would be battling on truly equal terms – a gesture that was in line with the code of bushido that Somei had dedicated himself to following, both in his cooking and in other aspects of life. When he held out the knife, Mimasaka accepted the gesture and used it to perfection. In addition to the same set of ten Somei created, Mimasaka created an eleventh piece that wasn't a part of Somei's set – a tuna gunkanmaki. The judges gushed over both sushi sets, and while it appeared that Mimasaka's extra piece would put him over the top, it was Somei who took the victory in a sweep of the votes, much to the surprise of the rebels. Mimasaka immediately protested, wondering how that was possible since his trace was perfect. Somei then revealed that his trace wasn't, in fact, perfect, because Mimasaka had scored the tuna too much to allow the judges to enjoy the flavor of the fish to its maximum.
The rebels groaned in despair, as this was now two matches in this session that they thought they had won, only to be surprised and disappointed by the judges' decision. In addition, it meant the elimination of two of their most dangerous weapons from the competition. There was only one match left in the afternoon session, and it was the one they knew would be the toughest to pull out. Despite his current demeanor, Kuga was determined to do everything he could to beat Eishi, remembering his overwhelming loss to him a year earlier and the fact that Eishi didn't even register in his mind as someone to pay attention to. Kuga wanted to make sure Eishi would never forget him ever again.
Even with the tension in the air, both Kuga and Eishi seemed calm and collected as they finished up their dishes for the judges. Kuga ended up finishing his dish first, presenting his Chinese-style smoked pork shoulder dish complete with the sauce made with Mimasaka's help. When the judges tasted it, they couldn't help but be impressed. The pork was crispy on the outside, yet tender and fatty on the inside. Not only that, but the green tea smoke had also permeated the pork, giving it an earthy flavor that complimented the meat well. In addition, the sauce with the crushed green tea leaves gave a nice sweet and sour flavor that also evoked the green tea flavor.
Eishi then presented his dish – a foursome of different vegetable purees, with each one featuring a different type of green tea. Eishi had expertly brewed each tea, carefully adjusting the times and temperatures for each kind to bring out the full flavors of each of them. He then selected a different vegetable for each tea, with each vegetable he chose being the absolute perfect match for each type of tea. He then blended each tea with the paired vegetable to create four different purees, with which he also served a mushroom soup to bring everything together in harmony. It absolutely overwhelmed the judges – so much so that they could barely handle it.
Based on the judges' reactions, it therefore came as no surprise that Eishi was declared the unanimous winner. Kuga groaned at having been defeated again, as he really wanted to beat Eishi badly. After having some green tea to calm his nerves, he was able to console himself somewhat with the fact that he at least made Eishi sweat a little bit during the battle. On the surface, this seemed like a devastating defeat for the rebels, as two of the upperclassmen on their team had just been defeated, and the numbers on each team were even again. However, Erina didn't seem concerned. In fact, she even gave off a small, sly smile, as though she had planned for this all along.