The day before the main tournament was set to begin, a limo was sent by the school that morning to take Soma, Daniel, and Megumi to the main administrative building where they would be told their upcoming matchups and themes, as well as the procedures they had to keep in mind for the quarterfinal round. When they arrived, they were met by three other cars carrying the other contestants before they were shown inside. From there, they were called into Isshiki's office one at a time.

When Daniel's turn came, he walked into the office, where Isshiki was sitting behind his desk and Erina was standing to the side. At that point, Isshiki revealed that the theme Daniel had drawn for his match was Dessert. Upon hearing this, he visibly grinned as he felt he hit the jackpot. 'This is totally in my wheelhouse!' he thought. Then came the obvious next question. "So, who am I going up against?" he asked. The office door then opened to reveal his opponent…

The next day, Daniel sat in his assigned room in the backstage area of the main competition arena. The closed-circuit television was turned on as he was watching the first of two matchups scheduled for that day. The first match featured Hisako Arato against Akira Hayama in what was being billed as a 'battle of the herbs' due to Akira's expertise with spices and aroma, and Hisako's expertise in Chinese medicinal cooking. Before he settled into the room's big chair to watch, Daniel made a final check to see that he had all of his ingredients for his match, which would take place after the first one.

With Urara serving as the emcee, she first introduced the panel of judges who would be serving for the entire round, including the next day's matchups. The head of the panel would be master Senzaemon, and the remaining four judges consisted of other prominent figures in the Japanese Culinary World, including Kakinoshin Oizumi of the Japanese Food Industry Council, and Seishu Saotome of the Japan Gourmet Society. Urara then announced the theme of the current matchup…Burgers – the very theme Daniel had competed under against Mimasaka just days earlier. As the obligatory bang of the gong sounded, Urara called for the cooking to begin.

As both chefs began their mise-en-place, the crowd began buzzing about the matchup, wondering what each of the contestants would bring to this battle. They were particularly curious about how Hisako would be able to translate Chinese medicinal cooking to a hamburger challenge. Both chefs began with a real bang as Hisako brought out the primary protein she had chosen to use – a live soft-shelled tortoise. Akira, meanwhile, proceeded to construct, and begin roasting, a rotating beef doner kabob. "A doner kabob!?" Daniel exclaimed to himself. "Damn! I really didn't see that coming."

As Hisako began butchering and breaking down the tortoise, she blended the tortoise meat with some ground pork, in addition to some finely chopped ginger and some powder she had created from grinding the tortoise shell. She then wrapped the patties she made in caul fat so they would keep their structure intact. As she put the patties on the flat-top part of the stove to cook, she checked on the Chinese bao buns she was baking, which would serve as the buns for her burger, before mixing more of the tortoise shell powder into her sauce – the powder serving some sort of health purpose that Urara was unable to elaborate on.

Before long, it was clear that Hisako would be the one who would be finishing her burger first, as she began to assemble the finished product. She first inserted the patty into the bun before placing a piece of lettuce beneath the patty and poured a little of the sauce on top. As she did so and looked to be about done, she brought out an additional ingredient that surprised the crowd – kimchi. While kimchi did have medicinal and health benefits, it was a Korean ingredient, not Chinese. As such, the fact that she was using it in this dish, especially considering the other ingredients she had chosen to use, was a bit of a surprise. Even Erina, who knew Hisako better than anyone there, was wondering what Hisako had in mind by using that ingredient. Meanwhile, back in his backstage room, Daniel just smiled to himself, as he knew why Hisako was using kimchi here.

Flashback: The Previous Day

After returning from the matchup and theme reveal, Daniel went right to work trying to think of a dessert that would be worthy of this particular competition. He initially tried to look at the cookbooks he had for inspiration, but nothing was really screaming out at him – everything he was thinking of seemed too ordinary. He decided to take a short mental break, and as he looked down on his bed and saw the blanket he got in New Mexico all those years ago, he began to reminisce about that trip. Daniel then began to remember all the great and unique food his family had during that trip when he suddenly became inspired and started to jot down notes. Soon, he felt he had come up with something that fit what he was looking for.

As he came downstairs, he saw that the kitchen was already crowded, as both Soma and Megumi were beginning to make test dishes for their own matches. In need of someplace to cook, and spread out his ingredients and notes (as his matchup was the next day), he asked Isshiki if he could at least help him with that. As it wasn't giving Daniel any hints or advice on what to cook or how to approach the challenge, Isshiki agreed to allow Daniel to use a kitchen in one of the classroom buildings that he had access too. He even did Daniel one better by arranging to have the commissary gather the ingredients Daniel would need and deliver them to the classroom kitchen so Daniel could get right to work. Thanking his sempai profusely, he headed off to Isshiki's kitchen to get to work.

When he arrived, the ingredients were all waiting there for him, just as Isshiki promised. Excited about what he had come up with, Daniel put on his chef's coat and got right to work. Before he knew it, he had created all of the components of his dish, though one of them would have to go in the oven to bake. As he closed the oven and set the timer, he began to hear activity coming from the kitchen next door. He hadn't heard it until now, as he was completely focused on the task at hand. Curious, he went next door to see who was there, and found Hisako preparing a test version of her own dish.

"Hi there, Hisako!" he called out to her as he walked in. "You testing out your competition dish, too?" Although she no longer held him in contempt, Hisako was still a little annoyed by his presence as she asked, "What's it to you?" After raising his hands indicating that he came in peace, he took a closer look at what she was making and commented, "You're going up against Akira in the quarterfinal round in a burger-themed contest, right?" She continued to look at Daniel in annoyance as she responded, "Yeah – so what if I am?" Daniel just smiled as he said, "Well, I was wondering if you would like an extra set of taste buds to provide some feedback on your burger. I mean, it's not like we're competing against each other at this stage – it's perfectly allowed."

Hisako then shouted back, "And why would I ever ask you to help me with this dish!?" Daniel grinned as he crossed his arms and replied, "First, I was born and raised in America – the land of the burger. Plus, I just beat Mimasaka in a burger challenge a few days ago. So you know that I know what I'm doing when it comes to burgers." Hisako considered this, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Daniel made a couple of very good points. She sighed as she said, "Very well, I'll let you taste it." She then began to assemble her burger as she explained the various components – a steamed bao as the burger bun, a patty made with soft-shelled tortoise and pork, with the shell ground into a powder and added to both the patty and sauce on top, with some lettuce and finely chopped ginger placed beneath the patty.

Hisako then handed the burger to Daniel on a plate, which he accepted and began to eat. As he chewed it, the flavors began to rush through his mouth. This was definitely different from any other burger he had ever had, but man was it good. Heck, he would order this if he saw it in a restaurant, and he said as much to Hisako, who smiled with a great sense of pride. Then came a bit of a bombshell when Daniel commented, "However, I think there's something missing – something more that can really elevate this burger to where it needs to be."

Hisako looked at him in confusion as she asked what he meant. Daniel then replied, "I mean that while this burger is excellent and would beat just about anyone else, I don't think it would beat what Akira is likely to bring." As Hisako angrily demanded to know exactly what he was talking about, Daniel explained, "I've seen Akira's cooking up close and personal twice now, and I can tell you that he will be bringing a knockout punch of flavor to whatever he ends up making. Your burger, while delicious, will need that extra punch if you're going to match him on even terms."

Calmer, but still visibly frustrated, Hisako then asked, "What would you suggest, then?" Daniel looked down at her ingredients and thought about this for a couple of minutes before coming up with a possibility. "I know it's not Chinese, but what about using kimchi? It's at least from the same region of the world, so it's not totally out of place, and it should provide that punch you need." Hisako's eyes widened as she considered the idea. If she was being honest with herself, it wasn't a bad idea. Daniel then added, "I would also keep the ginger, but just integrate it into the patty. That should give it an extra layer of flavor." Hisako nodded, stating that she would give it a try, as she knew where she could get some kimchi that would work well with her recipe. She then asked, "Why did you decide to help me, anyway?" Daniel thought for a few moments before stating, "Call it a gut instinct. Helping you felt right to me." He then smiled and added, "Like it or not, you made yourself a friend with me."

After she thanked Daniel, he surprised her again by inviting her next door to try the dish he was making for his battle the next day. After taking his main component out of the oven and cooling it for a few minutes in the blast chiller, Daniel went about constructing the finished product. When he was finished, he dished out portions for both himself and Hisako. When they tasted it, Daniel was really happy with how it turned out, while Hisako was taken by surprise at how good and creative the dish was. She then asked Daniel if this was something he had made before, he replied, "Nope. I came up with this earlier today after coming back from the administrative offices." This shocked Hisako even more – before she remembered how he had come up with that successful and creative pasta dish during the training camp. 'He really is full of surprises,' she thought to herself.

After he had cleaned up everything as was getting ready to leave, Hisako called out to him. "You really are an unusual person. Most people here wouldn't have even thought of helping out a potential future opponent in a competition like this." Daniel smiled back and said, "Well, I'm not like most people here – and I mean that in more ways than you realize." As Daniel walked out of the kitchen and headed home, Hisako began to wonder what he meant by that. Later that evening, Hisako tested her dish again – this time with the changes Daniel suggested. When she tasted it, she found that the burger was indeed better than what she originally had in mind. It provided a more assertive flavor punch while staying harmonious. Hisako was surprised she hadn't thought of this before, more so that it had been Daniel that had given her the suggestion.

End Flashback

As Hisako presented her burger to the judges and they began to consume it, their eyes widened at the flavors that were hitting their taste buds, with Senzaemon baring his chest. He noted that the patty and the sauce pleasantly played to the sensitivity of the tongue and roof of the mouth, while the kimchi provided a needed punch that complimented the rest of the dish. He noted how unique and memorable the combination was. Back in the room, Daniel grinned at Senzaemon's words as he thought, 'There you go, Hisako! Nicely done. Let's see Akira's burger top that!'

Akira then walked up to the judges' stand with his burger creation – a beef kofta burger with doner kabob pieces and a yogurt sauce all stuffed inside a fresh pita pocket. At first glance, both Hisako and Daniel assumed that the burger would be too rich for the judges. Their eyes then widened in shock as the judges consumed the entire burger before they realized it, and Senzaemon once again bared his chest.

As Daniel and Hisako were wondering how that was possible, Akira walked up to Hisako and started explaining about how a burger had four essential components – the bun, patty, sauce, and pickles. "You used kimchi as your pickle element – a very clever idea, I must say. However, the rest of your burger was too delicate to compete with the flavors I brought, especially when you consider what I used for my pickle element." When Hisako asked what he used, Akira revealed that he had used achar – a spicy south Asian pickle, using onions as the pickle. The judges noted that while Hisako's dish had been delicious and quite intriguing, Akira's was just overwhelmingly delicious. When the votes were tallied, it was a 4-1 victory for Akira – a slight surprise, though still the outcome Akira expected.

At the declaration of Akira as the winner, Daniel cringed as he cursed internally. 'Damn!' he thought. 'It wasn't enough! Akira really is a beast of a chef.' As he looked at the television again, he saw Akira say something to Hisako that the broadcast mics didn't pick up. Hisako then began to run out of the staging area and into the hallways in tears. Worried about the mental state of his newly made friend, he rushed towards where he thought she would end up, catching her before she left the arena. He then got in front of her and tried to get her to listen to him – not allowing her to get by.

"No!" she shouted through her tears. "Stop! Leave me alone!" Daniel held his ground as he replied, "Would you just stop and listen to me for a minute?" Hisako cried back, "Let me go! Don't you understand!? I'm a failure! I no longer have any right to be by Miss Erina's side! She deserves someone far better than me!" As Daniel was trying to calm her down and get her attention, Eizan came up to them and told Daniel that they were about ready for him. Daniel then put up one finger, indicating that he needed a minute.

Daniel then turned back to Hisako and said, "Just listen to me for a moment! Look, I don't claim to speak for Erina, but I'm quite certain that she sees you as more than just her secretary and assistant. You're her best friend – I'll bet you anything that she won't hold this against you." At these words, Hisako began to calm down as she looked up at Daniel. He then continued, "Don't let yourself fall into despair because of one loss. You're a terrific chef, and you're only going to get better. What you need to do is calm down, and take a day or two to gather yourself before getting right back to it."

By the look on her face, Hisako seemed to understand and take in what Daniel was saying to her. Daniel then sighed and stated, "I'm the one who should be sorry – my suggestion wasn't good enough to beat Akira." As Hisako began to state her reassurances to Daniel that his suggestion had, in fact, been helpful, Eizan again came, barking at Daniel that he needed to get going before he was disqualified. As he turned to leave, he asked Hisako, "Just promise me that you won't do anything rash, alright?" As she slowly nodded, Daniel turned to gather his ingredients for his own battle that was about to begin.

Hi everyone! I realize that my story has reversed the order of which battles were held on which days, and I just wanted to let you know this is a conscious decision on my part. It should help the flow of my story for the next couple of chapters, and won't negatively affect the overall storyline.