The BLUE main tournament resumed the next day, as Daniel, Soma, and Erina made their way through the bracket and their various opponents – each knowing that at least one of them would have to face (and defeat) Asahi. Along the way, each of them stepped up their games and even defeated one or two Noir chefs each, leaving Asahi as the only Noir chef remaining in the tournament by the later rounds. However, this relatively smooth sailing came to an end during the quarterfinals, when the bracket drew Daniel and Asahi as opponents in the last match of that particular round. As he was waiting in the backstage area for the emcee to begin the proceedings for the match, Daniel was pacing around. The weight and pressure of how far he had made it – as well as the magnitude of the opponent he was facing – was starting to take a toll, as he had made it further than he had ever truly thought possible for himself in this tournament. Now, he had a chance to end the threat Asahi and Noir posed, both to his friends and the culinary world, right then and there.

As he became distracted by these thoughts racing through his head, Daniel didn't notice someone coming up from behind him and unexpectedly wrap their arms around his waist. As he was being taken by surprise, he heard a familiar voice say to him teasingly, "Guess who!" Daniel's eyes widened as he turned around and saw his rose-haired girlfriend standing right there. The stress he was feeling seemed to be significantly lifted in that moment as he smiled and gave Hisako a big hug – so happy to have her there at that moment. As he stepped back, he asked, "Not that I mind, but how are you here? I take it you and Alice were able to find Azami and bring him here already?" Hisako nodded and explained that Alice had taken Azami to see Senzaemon, while she had technically been sent to support Erina at the tournament. "She's resting for the time being, and wants some time to herself, so I came here to support you."

Daniel nodded in understanding as he asked about how Erina seemed. "She refuses to really open up to us about how she's feeling right now – to the point where she's actually avoiding her friends. Plus, she's looking like the pressure and Asahi's constant badgering is really getting to her." Hisako looked down sadly, confirming what Daniel was saying. "The truth is that she really isn't herself right now – almost like how she was when Azami was in her life before." She then looked up before continuing. "While I think she was happy to see me, she seemed to really insist on being left alone right now." Daniel then pulled her back in for an embrace while kissing her forehead and saying, "Maybe she'll feel well enough to open up to you later. In the meantime, I think our friends will have a seat or two open near them so you can watch." Knowing that he would be starting at any minute, Hisako gave him a quick peck before saying, "Good luck. I know you can do this!" and heading to the stands.

As Lanterby began to introduce the two participants for this match, Hisako's encouragement had given Daniel a boost of confidence, making him feel like he could take on the world if he needed to. Now he was anxious to get out there and give everything he had to beat Asahi. Lanterby first introduced Daniel, "The tenth seat on the Totsuki Council of Ten, the school's best current dessert specialist, and a darkhorse in this tournament." There were some cheers at this introduction, mostly coming from the section consisting of his fellow Totsuki students and those most associated with the academy. Lanterby then introduced Asahi, "The leader of the Noir chefs and the current betting favorite to win the BLUE." He was met by rousing applause from the remainder of the audience.

As they stood face to face, Asahi smiled cockily to Daniel as he commented, "Well, well. I must say, you've surprised me by getting this far. I guess your last-minute entry was deserved after all." His look then became darker as he continued, "But rest assured, that all comes to an end here." Daniel refused to be intimidated by him as he replied, "We'll see about that. You really shouldn't be too cocky – it will be your downfall." Asahi was surprised momentarily by Daniel's demeanor before grinning evilly and stating, "If you really think that, then how about we make this more interesting? That coin of yours that you always have on you – I want it if I win. If you somehow beat me, I'll let you have whatever item of mine you want."

Daniel initially scoffed at this proposal, as he had no intention of risking his most prized possession here. "Please," he said in annoyance, "You have nothing that I would want. The only thing I want from you is to leave Erina and the rest of my friends alone for good. And if I beat you, you won't have a leg to stand on to claim Erina for yourself. So, I would get what I want anyway just by beating you!" Asahi chuckled at this as he replied, "Is that so? Not even if I put up Eishi's grater, or better yet, Joichiro's knife, as the prize?"

As Daniel raised an eyebrow, wondering where Asahi was going with this, Asahi began to chuckle louder as he stated, "I know you're the type of person who wants to do good by those you respect. What better way to show that than being able to arrange the return of favorite cooking tools taken from them in battle. I'll even sweeten the deal and offer up both items for my end of the wager!" There was a buzz growing in the crowd as they awaited Daniel's reply to Asahi's challenge. Asahi then raised the stakes by stating, "If you don't accept my challenge now, you're basically admitting that you have no chance against me and that you do fear me…and in front of everyone here, too."

At that moment, Daniel cringed internally and cursed at himself, realizing that Asahi was correct. Without him even realizing it, Asahi had backed Daniel into a proverbial corner, and now there was only one way out. Daniel thought for a moment before sighing and stating, "Fine. Let's do this." After that, Lanterby announced the theme for this match – Hybrid Dish. Specifically, each contestant would be required to make a dish that contained significant elements from at least two different and distinctive cuisines. Daniel breathed deeply at the announcement, as this was something he would need to think about for a minute or two, while Asahi seemed as confident as ever. The gong then sounded, and the cooking time began.

In the first minute or two, Daniel took the time to rack his brain for an idea of how to approach this challenge, particularly with some of his favorite cuisines to work with. After going through a few ideas in his head, he was able to come up with something that he believed would work for this challenge, though it would take a great deal of the skills and tricks he had learned to pull it off. As Daniel went off to gather his ingredients, Asahi mocked him as he said, "So you're going to start cooking after all. I was wondering if you were going to be too scared to put up anything. I hope you finish on time." Daniel just turned around to face Asahi briefly and shouted, "Shut up and focus on your own dish, you jackass!"

Daniel then proceeded to make his dish. He started by chopping and dicing a bunch of onions, and using them to completely cover some flank steak – just like he had seen Soma do with his Chaliapin steak in his food war battle against Ikumi. As the onions were breaking down the meat, he got some white rice going in a rice cooker. Once the onions had covered the meat for long enough, he put the meat in a vaccu-seal bag along with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and chopped rosemary, before using the vaccu-seal machine to quickly marinate and infuse the meat with these flavors in the manner of a Steak Tagliata. Next, he gathered up some Mexican chocolate, cashews, peanuts, various dried and fresh chile peppers, and a number of other Mexican spices before putting the mixture in a pressure cooker along with some vegetable stock and starting it.

By this time, the rice was nearly done, and Daniel took the diced onions he had used to tenderize the meat and sauté them in a pan, using a little bit of soy and teriyaki sauces to flavor them. Once they had been cooked and softened, he mixed the onions with the rice, along with a little bit of salt, and put the mixture aside for the time being. He then created a breading mix for the steaks, and an arugula-based salad, which also included some fried capers, and was dressed with a simple olive oil-balsamic vinegar dressing.

At this point, the pressure cooker had completed its cycle, and when Daniel checked on the contents, he liked what he saw. He then took the cooked mixture and put it into a blender to make a sauce out of it. He even used a sieve to make the final product even smoother. By this point, the steaks had marinated enough for his liking, and he got them out of the vaccu-seal bag and began to coat each piece of meat – first by dipping it into an egg wash, and then into the breading mix he had created, which consisted of a mix of panko and Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, and finely grated parmesan cheese. He then put them into the deep frier, and as the steaks weren't very thick, they cooked relatively quickly, with the outer coating looking perfectly golden brown.

Daniel then began assembling his plates for the judges. He first placed a serving of the rice and sauteed onion mix onto the plate as the base before putting the arugula salad on the side. He then took each portion of steak and cut it like one would see for a cutlet and placed one cutlet on each plate, on top of the rice mixture. He then took the sauce and ladled it carefully onto the cutlet, though making sure not to drown the dish in sauce. He then grated a little fresh parmesan cheese on top of the arugula salad before declaring that he was done.

As he brought his completed dish to the judges, they were intrigued as to what exactly he had created. It certainly smelled enticing, though it looked like a simple cutlet dish with a side salad. At first glance, it didn't look like something that would satisfy the world's most gourmet palates. However, when the judges took their first bites, they were astounded by the flavors that came rushing to the forefront. The steak had been cooked and flavored perfectly, with all of the flavors of the marinade coming through and working together in harmony. Thanks to the technique with the onions, the steak was also extremely tender. Not only that, the crust was crispy and full of flavor that complimented the steak. In addition, the rice and onion mixture provided a nice base with savory flavors that also complimented the cutlet while also mellowing them just slightly. The sauce topping the cutlet wasn't a traditional katsu sauce, but instead was a Mexican mole, with the spiciness and richness that came with the mix of ingredients he had used. On the side, the arugula salad provided a pepperiness and acidity that cut through the richness of the rest of the dish.

Daniel grinned as he saw and heard the reactions of the judges. He had succeeded in creating a delicious dish that combined his three favorite cuisines – Japanese, Italian, and Mexican. The Japanese portion came from the rice and onion mixture, as well as the cooking techniques he used for the steak – tenderizing it like a Chaliapin steak, and breading and frying it like a Japanese cutlet. The Italian portions came from the arugula salad, of course, but also the marinade for the steak, as well as the use of Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in the breading. Finally, the mole sauce brought in the Mexican component in a way that successfully tied the whole dish together. He received high praise for his dish, which elicited gasps of astoundment from most of the crowd, and enthusiastic cheers from the Totsuki section.

However, Asahi came up from behind Daniel as he made his way to the judges table to present his own. He commented, "A pretty clever idea you came up with there. I have to say, it's better than I thought you would be able to do." Asahi then grinned confidently as he continued, "However, it still won't be enough to match my dish." He then presented what looked like three individual-sized servings of a traditional French cassoulet, served in their own baking dishes. On the surface, it looked like a regular cassoulet, except there was a distinct reddish-orange tint to it.

When the judges tasted it, they were once again sent into proverbial orbit by the overwhelming flavor profiles. All of the beans and various vegetables had been flavored and cooked to absolute perfection. In addition, the proteins he used provided an intense flavor profile not normally seen in a cassoulet. Asahi then explained that he had used Claude Ville's blood injection system to create a Portuguese pork and blood sausage that brought a spiciness and umami to the dish. In addition, he had cooked the chicken in a tandoor style along with a tikka masala sauce to give the dish its distinctive color. The judges were astounded that Asahi had raised the level of this traditional French country dish to such heights. Not only that, but he had also exceeded the challenge by infusing four different cuisines into the dish. The French cassoulet contained the Portuguese sausage and the British-Indian chicken tikka masala – a hybrid within a hybrid.

At this, Daniel's heart sank, as he had a feeling that his best efforts weren't going to be enough. This was confirmed when the judges commented that while Daniel's dish showed a very high level of skill, creativity, and understanding of flavors, Asahi's dish was simply better. The judges then declared Asahi the winner of the last quarterfinal match, meaning he was off to the semifinals to face Soma. Daniel growled as Asahi stood there grinning waiting for Daniel to hand over his prize. Daniel took his coin out of his pocket and quickly handed it over to Asahi as he muttered through gritted teeth, "Good match," to show some good sportsmanship before quickly walking out of the staging area, fuming at himself not only that he had lost, but that he had lost his prized possession in the process.

Oh, no! Daniel has now lost his lucky coin to Asahi! What will he do now? Will he be able to get his prized possession back? The answers will come if you keep tuning in to my updates! In the meantime, please be kind and review – no flames, please.

Happy Holidays, everyone!