As the chefs who passed the convenience store challenge made their way through the second gate, they were met by three more Noir chefs, who had been seeded so as they were able to begin at this point – meaning they were seeded even higher than chef Tsukasa! As Soma was telling Eishi not to take such an insult from them, while Eishi was chuckling uncomfortably, the mysterious bookmaster decided to make an announcement over the video board (though still in an indistinguishable shadow). In addition to the usual prizes and accolades that would be awarded, the winner of this year's BLUE competition would be granted the position of personal chef to the bookmaster.
The crowd gasped at this announcement, and as Soma asked if it was really that good of a prize, the judges at the third trial explained that it was one of the highest honors in the cooking world, as that person would be serving food at all of the WGOs most prestigious events and that they would be cooking for the most powerful person in the cooking world, not to mention the salary that came with such a position. As Soma began to think about this, Daniel thought to himself, 'Personally, I would actually decline that offer – it doesn't sound like very much fun to me.' The bookmaster then added, "However, to the Noir chefs, I want you to now show everyone what you are truly capable of." At this, the Noir chefs all began to sport evil grins.
There were then some murmurs coming from the group of 'regular' chefs who had made it to this point. They were wondering why the bookmaster was making nice with the Noir chefs. The bookmaster then explained that this edition of the BLUE had been provided with a much larger budget and altered radically in order to meet her personal needs. "I have tasted the most gourmet dishes the world has to offer, and am now at a loss. I need to find chefs with the tenacity and imagination to create cuisine that the world has never seen. Frankly, I only expect the Noir chefs to possibly meet those expectations." Those 'normal' chefs then began to scoff, thinking she had some nerve insulting them, and commenting that the Noir chefs didn't seem like anything particularly special.
A woman with a large delivery cart then made her way through to the center of the area with several crates of beef tenderloin – which were apparently meant to be used by the chefs for this particular challenge. As Daniel looked at the cart being rolled in, a tuft of familiar blonde hair was sticking out of the delivery woman's cap. His suspicions were confirmed moments later when she began chatting up all of the Totsuki chefs – it was Ikumi Mito, delivering the beef provided by her family's meat conglomerate. She had volunteered for this assignment partially to keep an eye on things, as spectators weren't allowed into the arenas until the main tournament started.
In addition, Ikumi was there to provide some information about the Noir chefs – courtesy of chef Eizan. Apparently, he had used his personal networks to gather all of the information on these underground chefs, something that impressed all of the Totsuki chefs. It even made Soma feel as though he was in a spy movie, causing everyone else to calm him down. Daniel, on the other hand, was impressed that Eizan was even helping them out in the first place. 'Perhaps there's some hope for him after all,' he thought.
The first of the Noir chefs to react to the attitudes of the so-called 'normal' chefs was a woman with long teal hair and wearing some sort of military uniform. In addition, her primary tool appeared to be some sort of chainsaw, which confused everyone – how exactly would she use this thing as a proper cooking tool. The woman insisted that it wasn't a chain saw, but a carving knife, created and customized for her specific use. She then took a piece of the beef tenderloin and went to work. At first, it didn't look like she was doing anything out of the ordinary, as she was searing several portions of tenderloin in a skillet. As the other chefs continued to scoff, she started up her chainsaw/carving knife and began to make cuts all over the meat's surface with seemingly reckless abandonment. Upon observing this, many of the other chefs thought that she was ruining the meat, but for the Totsuki chefs, there seemed to be a method to her madness.
Sure enough, when she was done with her dish, she had a look in her eyes that said that she was not merely confident in the quality of her dish, but that she was absolutely certain of it. She even had the other 'normal' chefs come up to sample it. Several of them came up, not expecting much, but when they tasted it, they were overwhelmed with the tenderness and flavor of the meat, having never tasted anything quite like it before. They couldn't understand it, but Eishi had the answer. He pointed out to the Tostuki chefs that the blades on her chainsaw/carving knife had been pre-seasoned, and that she had used this knife with such precision that the seasoning had penetrated deep into the meat – something that you couldn't find anywhere in the world!
The panel of judges for this challenge confirmed what Eishi had said, as they commented on how delicate the meat was, and how flavorful it was throughout the piece. They also commented that the level of skill it took to create this dish was on a level that was equal to the very best in the world, maybe even better. As a result of both the skill and deliciousness of the tenderloin they had been presented, they passed this woman through to the main tournament. At this point, Ikumi informed the Totsuki chefs that this woman, known in Noir as Sarge, was known for creating dishes with her special knife, and that while her technique looked wild and uncontrolled, she was in fact very skilled and precise in her cooking. Sarge was known as the Master of the Armed Dish as a result.
As the remaining Noir chefs took their turn at making their dishes for the challenge, Ikumi provided the information she had on all of them. First was Malcanta, who was dressed like some clown out of a stereotypical nightmare and laughing maniacally as he made his dish using a set of metal bowls that attached together to form hollow spheres, which served as pressure cooker ovens as he juggled them, only better than any pressure cooker in existence. "For him, the cooking is part of the show, making him the Master of the Circus Dish," Ikumi explained. There was also a guy in a serial killer mask with a blood extraction and injection system that he wore like a backpack. This guy could extract and use the blood of any animal protein and use it to both enhance his dishes and create extraordinary ones. This man was known as Claude Ville, the Master of the Blood Dish. There was also a young woman, known as Bunnyhair, dressed (appropriately) in a bunny costume who was using a miniature guillotine to carve slices out of her piece of tenderloin, explaining that the more she 'tortures' her ingredients, the more delicious it turns out. She, too, was laughing maniacally as she went about her cooking, like a psychopath torturing a poor victim, explaining her moniker as the Master of the Tortured Dish. By the time all of the Noir chefs had taken their turn with the judges, all of them passed the challenge and were placed into the main tournament.
Once the Noir chefs had all passed, Sarge called out all of the other chefs – daring them to challenge them. "If you don't have the courage to face us with your so-called 'superior' cooking skills, you don't deserve to be at this competition!" she exclaimed. Most of the 'normal' chefs cowered in despair, feeling like going up against the Noir chefs was pretty much hopeless. However, the Totsuki chefs were not ones to back down from a challenge like this, especially when the future of the culinary world, as well as the reputation of their beloved school, was at stake. "Well, you know what they say – 'no pain, no gain.' Am I right?" Daniel commented.
With a nod from the other Totsuki representatives, they went to work to create dishes that would not only get them through the challenge, but also show Noir that they were not to be taken lightly. In the end, the five of them were each able to create a beef tenderloin dish that met the judges' standards, and they were all granted entry into the main tournament, as well as a couple of the other chefs to round out the field.
Once the third challenge was completed, Soma decided to make his way to the restroom. Daniel joined him, figuring he had the right idea, as they could be called to their first-round matches at any point. They wouldn't know when it was, or who their opponent would be, until they were given the details in a text message just minutes before their matches. As they made their way back to where the other chefs were gathering, they were met by Ikumi, who had been sent to find them. They then overheard a couple of other people walking by them discussing some sort of 'second-chance challenge' that was going on simultaneously. When Soma asked about it, Ikumi explained that everyone who had been eliminated before was getting a second chance to get back in, but that they were all getting beaten by this one amazing chef! Upon hearing this, Soma's brain went crazy as he exclaimed, "What!? Who the heck is this chef!? I've got to see this for myself!" Ikumi and Daniel had to pull Soma away from going in the opposite direction, with Ikumi saying that now wasn't the time for that. Daniel nodded as he said, "She's right, Soma. Right now, you have to focus on the task at hand – mentally preparing for your upcoming first-round match. We can see what's going on with this other challenge later."
As though to make Daniel's point, Soma's phone buzzed a few moments later, telling him that his match was scheduled to start in a few minutes, and gave him the location where he was to report. As the crowd began gathering to watch this matchup, Daniel saw that Soma's first opponent would be the evil clown Malcanta. The theme ingredient for the match was then announced – Quail. Each chef would have 60 minutes to create a dish where quail would serve as the star ingredient.
Malcanta started by butchering several whole quails into their various parts separating them into different bowls before enclosing them and juggling them to cook them. Each of the parts were separated so that they could be cooked to the proper temperature in each bowl/sphere. He then went about making a jus for the quail pieces before making mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts as accompanying side dishes. When the judges tasted it, they were surprised not only at the juiciness of the flesh and the crispiness of the skin, but also how much flavor there was. Malcanta then explained that he had seasoned the quail pieces before placing them into his spheres, and that his juggling allowed for an even coating and infusion of the seasoning, similar to Sarge's carving knife, though the penetration was not quite as deep. The judges were astounded and gave high praise to the dish.
As for Soma, he ended up making a dish that he had first tried out during his Stagiaire with chef Kojiro – a whole roasted quail oyakodon, with the quail stuffed with risotto and soft scrambled eggs. In addition, there was a soft-boiled egg on the side to provide some extra richness. Although he had made this dish before, he elevated it this time by incorporating the various changes that had been suggested to him by chef Kojiro on the last night, when they had worked all night to perfect the dish. It was the first dish of his so-called 'New Yukihira Style' and he was quite proud of it. The judges were quite impressed at the creativity of the dish, managing to integrate a risotto inside a whole roasted quail while somehow cooking everything perfectly. In addition, the cabbage lining the inside of the quail allowed for the meat to retain its juiciness, making the contrast between the meat and the skin that much more apparent, in addition to the flavors provided by the risotto, and the luxuriousness provided by the soft-boiled egg and the now-perfected sauce.
Malcantra couldn't believe the praise Soma was getting for his dish and couldn't comprehend how "some punk kid" could possibly compete with him. However, when he tasted the dish, he, too, was overwhelmed by the combination of flavors and textures – so much so that he began to go even more mad than usual. After passing out, the judges announced their decision. The winner of the match was Soma Yukihira, to which Soma did his usual thing by removing his while cloth from his head and shouting, "You're welcome!" As the crowd cheered Soma's display of skill and resulting victory, Daniel felt his cell phone buzz. When he looked at it, he saw a text message telling him that his own matchup was about to begin in a few minutes.
So, the main BLUE tournament has now begun. I hope you don't mind me giving Soma a different first-round opponent, but I have something in mind for THAT match. I'm sure you've guessed who Daniel's first-round opponent will be…
