Classique

by Zancrowe

{Soma / Erina} As rival schools attempt to crush Tootsuki in the biggest Tournament Arc; Azami finally attempts to retake control of his daughter; while Asahi decides it's time to usurp the Nakiri Throne from that very heiress. Only problem? Erina's boyfriend. [ft. Asahi/Dove; Loren/Nao; Ryou/Alice; Isshi/Nene; Taku/Hisa; Akira/Megu] ((43 / 44: To You, 10 Years From Nao))

37. Finals! Deicide

Notes:

Hey Everyone! An Annoyed Zancrowe Here!

This website! Seriously, if you can see this Chapter, tell me. Please, please, please review it!

If you actually got the notification (email alert), tell me that too. It's been a horrible mess, and it hurts because this is what I've spent years building to, only for this website to not allow me to either post things, or when it does, it doesn't show them. So, I beg you, even if you've never reviewed before, please consider doing so, even just this once. Please enjoy what effectively is the hardest chapter I've ever had to write, and more or less the biggest reason I took two months off just to work on these updates. Ladies and gentlemen… Erina vs. Dove!

To Dosahi Believer: I wasn't thinking of "Father" by Sabaton before, but I am now! It fits (in a far, far less serious way that what the song actually is about obviously). Also is it me or does "Dosahi" sound like a ship-name for Dove & Asahi?

This Chapter was brought to you by me hearing music by: Britney Spears, Dove Cameron, Avril Lavigne, and Halsey. In that order.

Twitter: ~ Zancrowe ~

Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.

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Erina looked up at the screens. She had not even moved yet. She had not officially declared herself the challenger, yet, her name had already been plastered in there, right next to hers. Not that it mattered, she'd note, as she couldn't run away. Not at this point. Not with everything that was at stake. So, she took a deep breath, and began to walk forwards. Her vision was still blurry, and her once proud walk taken in powerful strides was now reduced to a nervous set of steps, but she powered through. She could hear the murmurs, feel everyone's eyes on her. How she used to revel in the fear everyone felt as soon as they saw her, yet now, how the tables had turned. It was fair, she supposed, that she had been forced to swallow her own medicine and have to now face-off against a young woman she was utterly terrified of.

"Here she comes…" Urara softly announced, likewise worried over Erina's dilemma, but she knew, they all did, there was no other alternative. No matter how shaken Isshiki had left Ashitaro, no matter if Eizan had outright destroyed himself just to get rid of Julius, no matter even if Asahi had a trick or two up his sleeve that would hurt Azami more than Tootsuki (if at that), but as long as Dove Dillinger stood, the Neo-Noirs were winning by default. Urara tried to keep her cool, as Yua felt her knees shake. Both hostesses got ready to announce the start, but before they could, Erina gave pause.

Erina bit her lower lip, and quickly turned around. For one, single, solid second everyone who did not know the girl gasped at the thought that maybe Tootsuki's God's Tongue had outright run away, but of course, that wasn't quite it…

Erina outright jumped into a very surprised Soma's arms, hugging him tightly before she pressed her lips against his, giving the boy a very soft and nervous kiss. His eyes widened at the sudden public display of affection, but he gave her a tight hug back. He could feel her trying to suppress her body from shaking. Damn it, this was too much.

"…Erina."

"Don't worry," she tried to reassure him. Then she looked at him, and her smile was quite the sight. "I just needed a little boost. This should do."

Soma smiled back, and nodded. Such a greedy girl, his girlfriend was. And he loved that about her.

"My, how very romantic," Isshiki noted, tears in his eyes, "Ah… to be young and in love."

"Stop talking like some decrepit old man, it's moronic."

"Oh, you don't have to… huh?" Isshiki began, then gave pause, turning to the side, surprised, "Etsuya? You came back?"

Etsuya Eizan, now back at the sides of the arena, just scoffed. "…I'm still in this stupid thing, aren't I? Not in the tournament, mind you, but still part of the team. I just don't want Azami Nakamura to take my absence as an excuse to eliminate Tootsuki with some random ass rule written ages ago or something."

"Careful there," a very amused Isshiki teased, "A little more and I'll think you're actually looking out for us."

"Oh, shut up," Eizan just barked, before he turned towards the couple that had just embraced to the sheer adoration of the crowd. And he frowned. Not because of their love for each other mind you, not this once… 'You two have been a thorn on my side for so damn long… This is the one time you idiots better deliver damn it.'

"Go take her down," Soma told Erina with a smile, his hand tenderly on her cheek, as Erina closed her eyes and gave a little nod.

"That I will, in a way…" Erina noted, before she moved away from her boyfriend and her team, walking back towards the main arena, trying her best to mimic her once confident stride. She didn't quite get it right, but good enough she supposed, given how Urara didn't look as mortified as she did initially, at least as far as Erina could observe. Still, with all of Tootsuki on her shoulders, and the entire world watching, Erina finally stood before Dove, with both girls glaring at each other for what seemed like the first and last time. "…Dove."

"You done playing up your little romance?" Dove asked, and the venom in her voice was very real. "My, don't you just love playing everything up in front of the cameras, both the good and the bad."

"I…" Erina tried, but damn it, it was hard to even talk to this girl without feeling a massive surge of either anger or fear, or, right now, both. But, also, she noted there was another feeling there. Always had been, she had just ignored it all this time, and it just wasn't right for her to do so. "…I do not wish for us to keep up this hostility between us, Dove. Had it not been for my father, you and I, we wouldn't be these "destined enemies" or whatever we have become."

"Easy for you to say princess," Dove shot back, "This very school has painted your father, my Master, as this irredeemable monster when the real thing couldn't be further from the truth. Master Azami saved me, and all he wants to do is save you."

"Dove –"

"No, save your breath," Dove quickly shut her up, her arms crossed against her chest, standing proudly before Erina, "You are not completely incorrect. Our little hostile relationship does end today. I win, and you will have no choice but to stop this childish tantrum and finally open your eyes and see what your father has wanted for you all along."

"…I see," Erina noted, eyes narrowed a bit. She bit her lip, trying hard to keep her emotions in check. How she utterly despised being talked down to, despite how much she once adored doing so, but as much as she wanted to be mean, even just this one time… Brag to Dove how Azami was her father and not Dove's. Ask her about how her relationship with her brother Asahi was going? Anything that could or would make Dove angry, embarrassed, humiliated, or worse, but… despite everything, she couldn't bring herself to say any of those things.

Erina looked to the side, to the audience. Where the Polar Stars and friends all sat. There he was. Her father's little Trojan Horse. Loren Frechette. Such a troublesome student, one Erina wouldn't have thought twice of kicking out before, but one who had proven invaluable in defending little Nao (someone she had also considered kicking out before, given how… clingy that girl could be, but given her history, could Erina really blame her?). She was glad Soma had forced her to keep Loren at Tootsuki, but that also meant…

"Then let's make this official then," Erina told Dove, who tilted her head a bit at Erina's sudden proposal.

"Official?" Dove asked with a scoff. "This is the Intercontinental Shokugeki finals, hosted by you Tootsuki twerps and judged by the World Gourmet Organization. It doesn't get more official than that…"

"Not that," Erina explained, before she signaled to the judges' table. Or rather, to her father. "You truly believe that father's methods are for my wellbeing, then very well, this is, as of this very moment, still Tootsuki Academy. And we have a method to prove our points here after all. It may sound redundant at this point, given this is a worldwide version of our term, but let's make this match an actual… Shokugeki between you and me, Dove."

"…It already is…?" Dove noted, a bit confused, frowning. Was this girl trying to trick her to try and get her off her game?

"It is between our school and your team and the rest of the challengers', but what I mean," Erina corrected, "Is a Shokugeki between just you and me. You bet something, I shall as well."

"I am not going to give you more ammunition for your social media pity party," Dove warned, eyes narrowed against Erina's. Erina just looked on, her eyes sharp but, for once, not actually glaring at Dove.

"No… this isn't me trying to create a safety net just in case I lose," Erina corrected. "I am… aware of my chances. I am not fooling anyone, not even myself. And I do mean this in earnest. Dove, if you win, which you have a very high possibility of doing so, then…" she took a pause, took a breath, and placed her hand over her heart, signaling to herself, "I shall wager myself in this duel. Win, and I will join the Neo-Noirs and everything my father has planned, no ifs, ands, or buts about it."

The entire stadium went silent when they heard Erina declare that, and even Dove's eyes widened at her proposal.

'Why is she…?' a surprised Asahi asked himself, eyes wide.

'…Erina,' Soma thought, his eyes on his girl, feeling that dreaded sense of nervousness wash over him.

"You'd… bet yourself in our match?" Dove asked, incredulously, her head tilted further. "What? Why? What could you possibly gain from doing such a thing?"

"If you are that assured that my father has the very best of intentions, then I am giving you the opportunity to prove it," Erina declared, standing firm, despite having so many voices echoing inside her head about how this was the worst possible idea. She was behaving even more recklessly than Soma for crying out loud. Still… "This is what you've trained for, after all, so make me submit to your True Gourmet."

Dove glared, finding it hard to believe Erina would just offer herself so easily. That… that was exactly what she needed in order to fully win Azami's favor and pay off her debts, but…

"Erina…"

Erina, against her will, outright flinched. Her father's voice cut through the silence, and she turned to him. Dove did as well, and her eyes were searching his for any signs of whether she should accept this or not. Azami, however, seemed as calm as ever.

"I do not wish you to join my side by force," Azami explained, and as the world looked on, not sure if they believed that or not, he added, "My victory here, Dove's victory here, will be the start of showing you what True Gourmet can accomplish. You needn't rush this. You will see the light and join my side by your own volition eventually. No need to paint this as some form of ultimate punishment for you my dear."

"That's not quite it father," Erina noted, "I am being completely genuine here, which I am aware is a sentiment you are somewhat unfamiliar with."

"You may offer me all the backhanded mockery you wish," Azami merely stated, "That still will not change how I will not force you into this. You will see how my path is the correct one, the only one, by our actions once the Neo-Noirs take over the shambles that is currently Tootsuki Academy and usher in the new, definite era of gourmet cuisine and fine arts."

"All very poetic and fine legal speak father," Erina simply retorted, not at all deterred by her father's words. "However, this is my choice to make, and I do not think it wise, for your image, for you to try and convince me otherwise."

As Azami frowned slightly at her implication, Dove quickly jumped in to his defense. "And… if I may ask, what exactly do you want from me in return? While my efforts are to… save you from this erroneous path you are currently throwing yourself headfirst into, I am aware how much you dislike me, so I cannot imagine you'd want anything positive from me…"

"Oh contraire," Erina replied, and smiled at Dove. "I have the perfect utility for you Dove."

"U-Utility?"

"Quite," Erina noted firmly. "And I am going to be borrowing a page from the one who started this whole thing in the first place, because, even I have to admit, it was a marvelous gambit he orchestrated all those months ago…" Erina then outright couldn't hide her little smirk. "Dove Dillinger, if you win, I am here henceforth a member of your Neo-Noir Academy, and as such, of the Central Organization as a whole. I will even judge my father's treatment of me based on this, so if I find myself proven wrong, and his methods were indeed for my wellbeing, then I will express them as such, to the whole world if need be…"

"Erina?" Soma couldn't help but voice out. This was way, way too risky.

Asahi frowned. Had his sister lost her god damn mind?

Dove glared. "…Is that so?"

"It is," Erina affirmed, "But, if I win, much like how Akira did with Soma and Ryou, from here henceforth, you will be my Assistant Chef and Lackey!"

Silence…

Then complete bewilderment.

"Eh?" Urara and Yua both voiced.

"Eh…?" Soma, Isshiki and even Eizan all muttered.

"Eh…?" Asahi and Julius did as well. Ashitaro just stared, eyes half shut, his head still spinning.

"Say what?!" Yuuki could be heard crying from the audience's side, as the others of her group of friends all stared down in shock and disbelief, chief amongst them being Hisako, Ikumi, Julio, Berta and Cilla, all who had closer ties with Erina, and all of which very much found that particular request to be so out-there it didn't even make sense.

"Assistant Chef…?" Loren couldn't help but mutter, eyes wide, confused.

"…It was Akira's terms during his Shokugeki duels against both Soma and Kurokiba," Nao noted, her single, visible red eye wide, "…But, why would she even want to have Dove of all people as…?"

"Now that's nostalgic," Kurokiba voiced with a scoff, wondering what was going on inside Erina's head.

"Assistant Chef, is it?" Takumi noted, "Can they even cook together?"

"I think it's less the "Assistant Chef" part and more of the "Lackey" part my cousin is after," Alice added, suppressing a little laugh.

"To be fair, you never did quite say "lackey" back then," Megumi clarified, turning towards Akira. The young Fifth Seat just stared down at the scene. This joke had clearly run its course.

"Frankly, at this point, even I'm unsure. Maybe I did say it after all," Akira just said, no longer bothering to correct anyone.

"But that's a massive risk the little princess is taking," Kuga observed, fanning himself with his little paper fan, "And, while we all know how spiteful she could be, I don't feel this is her trying to humiliate Dove."

"…No, but…" Nene said, her eyes narrowing, "…She's taking a chance against something I don't think even she has a clear idea on how to pull through. Erina, damn it, think this through…"

The WGO judges all looked conflicted, eyeing each other briefly, but deciding that such a thing was within the rules. This was indeed still Tootsuki Academy, and such a challenge was the lifeblood of this school. So, if both parties agreed to it, there was nothing they could do, despite how much it worried Anne in particular to have to judge something like this.

Azami, for his part, kept quiet. He observed. He could tell Erina was trying one last, desperate gamble here. All to shake Dove up enough to maybe squeeze out a win. But… she was being foolish. The level Dove had risen to, even if she was under a full mental breakdown, she would still deliver a dish that represented the pinnacle of True Gourmet, and his darling daughter had nothing at all to counter such fine culinary mastery.

"Well…?" Erina asked, head tilted a bit, looking at Dove. The God Slayer frowned for a moment, but just sighed. This was part of the job after all.

"Very well then, we'll have it your way," Dove noted, "But, don't get nervous now. This is going to most likely be, the very last official Shokugeki hosted in Tootsuki Academy… Quite fitting, don't you think so?"

"That remains to be seen…" Erina tried to sound tough, but she could tell her voice was shaky. This was utterly insane of her to even attempt, but, despite how much she hated this girl that stood before her, that outright towered over her in terms of skills and infamy, she still couldn't just stand by and do nothing. The Erina of old would have, but her, right here, right now, couldn't.

Urara received the confirmation, from a very conflicted Soe from the sound of his voice, and the young girl swallowed hard. She looked at Yua, who was utterly pale, having heard the same thing and having no idea how to react. Urara couldn't blame her. Still…

"Then it's official," Urara announced. "In what will be a Shokugeki inside a Shokugeki, both contestants, Erina Nakiri and Dove Dillinger, have agreed to the terms and have established a full on Shokugeki between themselves. Winner, effectively, gets the loser to work for them, more or less!"

"You just made my job easier," Dove told Erina, eyes on her.

"I do hate…" Erina noted, a wary smile on her features, "How right you are about that…"

"S-So, representing Azami Nakamura's Neo-Noir Academy," Yua began, mustering the courage to try and do her job properly, "The Neo-Noirs' Team Leader herself. A young chef who has been referred to as both The God Slayer as well as the Queen of Noirs, in this corner we have –"

"I am not the Queen of anything!" Dove blurted out, before she caught herself and bit her tongue. She had not at all meant to say that, and much less sound outright offended over it. Yua had yelped at the sudden shout and quickly apologized, even if the poor girl had no idea what she was apologizing for. Urara looked on, frowning. Erina just stared, having a good idea what that reaction had been about, but she didn't want to say anything on the matter. Dove, on the other hand, blushed a bit and looked away, 'Focus, damn it. This is for your daughter Dove. Keep him out of your head and just focus on crushing this dumb little princess, and if needed, both her stupid brother and her dumb boyfriend so I can finally be free from all this!'

"…Erm," Yua tried again, "Skipping all that then, here we have Dove Dillinger!"

And despite everything, there were still some applauses and cheers from the crowd. Because, for everything this girl represented, Tootsuki knew talent when they saw it, and Dove had proven she had talent to spare. Loren himself applauded for her, because he loved his sister, even if it pained him to see her like this. He knew she never considered cooking to be fun, but this went beyond that. This was just… torture.

"…And from the Elite Ten," Urara then carried on, signaling to the opposite side. "Representing the home team, born and raised in our very own Tootsuki Academy. You know her, you love her, and by gods you better pray for her, the one, the only, the Fourth Seat of the Elite Ten and the God's Tongue herself… Erina Nakiri!"

"Bring it home!" Soma yelled out, as loud as he could, as the entire stadium exploded in cheers, applauses and outright pleas from the students for Erina, all hoping and praying she could take down the unbeatable opponent before her. Erina and Dove locked eyes, both of them with their knives out, with Erina clenching hers a bit too tightly, but it was the only way she could keep her hand from shaking. The match was set, and as Urara signaled to the judges, they gave the word, and soon the screen began to flicker.

Erina and Dove both turned to look at it, in what would undoubtably be one of the last themes chosen here at Tootsuki if things went sour. Dove kept her gaze cool and composed, while Erina was struggling with keeping her overactive tongue (and nerves) in check. But soon it stopped, and their theme was plastered on the very screens, as everyone slowly began to comment on it. It wasn't that unorthodox a pick, but it wasn't common either…

Octopus

Up above, as soon as the theme was given, Soe looked on, too conflicted over everything that was happening and hating how powerless he was to stop it. A part of him wanted nothing more than to just grab Erina and take her away from here, from this whole nightmare. But he also understood that she was free to make her choices, and this was something that, even if he didn't quite understand it, Erina wanted to try and do. But he hated that he couldn't do more.

"She looks a lot better," Leonora noted, standing by his side, her eyes on her niece, "But I know most of that is just a front. Isn't there anything we can do to stop this thing?"

"If there was, either I, or even more so, father would have," Soe lamented. "My father has postponed his surgery more and more, against Dr. Arato's wishes, and frankly, mine, just to be able to witness today. A man as capable and cunning as he is, if there was a legal loophole he could abuse to free Erina from this turmoil, I know he would have done it already."

"I just hate feeling so helpless!" Leonora whined, wanting to outright throw something in frustration. "What if I just stab Azami? I go to jail, fine, but at least Erina's free? Would that work?"

"…It worries me that I don't believe you are making a joke dear."

"You'd be surprised…" Leonora noted, smiling a bit. She knew it was absurd, not just because of the legality and morality, but because despite everything, Azami was still Erina's father, and she knew her baby girl would not want that. But, damn it, was it tempting.

"I want to intervene," Soe admitted, "But Erina was clear when she went into this. She prepared as best she could, and I respect that. I do believe in her, as I have believed in all of them. Nobody believed we'd even reach these final rounds, yet here we are. So… if maybe, just maybe…"

Leonora looked on, eyes closing a bit. She understood her husband's words, knowing there was logic there. And it was Erina's wishes after all. But still…

"…You should have more faith in her, isn't that right… Aunty?"

Leonora's eyes widened, but not more than Soe's as they both turned around, shocked to find none other than Mana standing there, her hands on her pockets, and her eyes placed firmly on her sister-in-law. Said sister-in-law's eyes outright flared in raw anger.

"You –!"

"Sweetie!" Soe quickly stopped his wife from doing… whatever she had in mind, stepping in-between Leonora and Mana, even if his presence there did little to stop the glare Leonora was sporting, or Mana's look that was hard to even describe. There was pride there, but there was also nervousness, and maybe even sadness. "Mana! What on Earth are you…?"

"…That wasn't fair brother," Mana said, turning to Soe for a moment, and the older man blinked. His sister's tone sounded… closer to what he remembered it as. "Sending me that clip, of me pregnant, that was a seriously low blow. But, not unwarranted. And… Leonora…"

Leonora looked at her, her eyes narrowed, as she expected anything from this woman, except…

"I am so lucky Soe married you," Mana admitted, and it made both Soe and Leonora give pause, both husband and wife tilting their heads in simultaneous confusion. "…I cannot ever hope to repay how kindly you have treated Erina. You've gone above and beyond of what is expected of an aunt to do, and have shown her how a mother should behave. Considering how lousy an aunt I have been to Alice; it is unfair how lucky I am that you managed to pick up the slack and be there for Erina when I just ran away. Thank you, Leonora… thank you, sister, for taking such good care of our girl…"

"Um…" a very, very stunned Leonora voiced. Soe looked on, equally taken aback.

"But… I know this are just more empty words from me," Mana noted, as she turned her eyes towards the arena. This all felt insanely frightening, she would note, but she knew she just had to. "So, if you can promise me you'll hold off on smacking me for just a little bit longer, maybe I can try, try to do something here… Do, what I should have done from the very start…"

Soe and Leonora had no clue what to even say anymore, as they watched Mana say what she had said, and begin to move away, or rather, downwards…

"Very well, now that we have our theme, and our competitors are on their spots…!" Urara announced, her hand raised into the air to signal the start of the match, "Shokugeki –!"

"Hold it right there little missy," Mana's voice cut through her feed, which caused Urara to freeze up, arm still raised, as everyone else turned to the blonde woman who had made her way down to the arena, walking in through one of the entrances, from where the Elite Ten had come in from. It was insane, to see Mana Nakiri there, they'd all note, and the former Bookmaster, with microphone in hand, added, "Allow me a few moments to say something real quick. I don't think this would be a problem for anybody, since if Azami is able to interrupt this thing whenever he wishes to give those dramatic monologues of his, I should have similar privileges."

"M-Milady?!" Lanterby blurted out, seated with the rest of the WGO's staff, her eyes wide at the sight of her former boss there. Rantabi looked on, utterly confused as well. In fact, every member of the WGO was shocked, but none more so than Decora, who's expression was something else. The woman had a hard time faking how utterly unplanned her very presence there was to all of them. Chief amongst them being…

"Mana…" Azami noted, eyes narrowed. "You represent neither Tootsuki Academy nor the WGO anymore. What exactly do you wish to –?"

"Oh shush you, I am not here to talk to you," Mana quickly shut him up, waving him off with her hand. She then turned to the Elite Ten down there with her, and she did smile a bit at the sight of Soma, who was looking at her rather intently. Not glaring, not smiling, just observing, and it was kinda sweet to see just how defensive the boy was of Erina. "…My, how nostalgic it is that this did end up being a four versus four final round… Still, that's not the point…" Mana then turned, and ended up looking at her daughter. Her utterly shocked daughter, who's expression was a mix of emotions that were hard to even pinpoint. And she really couldn't blame Erina. "You got your hair cut, my, don't you look different. Almost mimicking Alice and Hisako now, are you?"

"…Mother, why are you…?" Erina tried, but she bit her lower lip. This was so not the moment. She had built all her strength to try and faceoff against Dove. To handle being before her father. To try and do something against her brother. But to have to see her mother again on top of all of that? She was so not strong enough for this…

"…Erina," Mana began, and her voice dropped, as she sighed. She looked down, and as everyone was utterly quiet, Mana pulled what little strength she had to try and say her piece. She had repeated the words over and over on her way here, yet, right now, she outright forgot almost all of them. Instead, she noted, she'd have to just speak from whatever was left of her heart, "…I know we're on live television. Everything I say is being watched and recorded, and I debated this about a dozen of times before I set foot in here. It feels disingenuous to tell you this in front of the entire world, as it could seem like just me trying to save face, but at the same time it could also feel cowardly to just say it when we're alone, so as to spare myself the public outcry. No matter what I do, or how I say it, I know the world won't think any better of me, and that's a grave I dug for myself, but… I still felt I needed to tell you this. To let you know before you went into the biggest match of your career thus far…"

"Mother…?" Erina voiced, eyes wide.

Dove looked on, arms crossed, frowning, but she kept quiet. Everyone did.

Then Mana slowly got down, first on her knees, then with her head down, her forehead inches from the very ground. The collective gasps from the entire crowd echoed throughout, as Erina outright panicked at the display.

"Mother!" she called out, rushing towards Mana, "You do not need to lower yourself to –!"

"I very much do!" Mana cried out, raising just her head, in order to see her daughter, who despite everything she had done, was at her side, with a worried expression on her face, because Senzaemon, Soe and Leonora had raised her well. Raised her right. "I am so, so sorry Erina! I am sorry for being such a terrible mother to you! For ever making you feel like you weren't enough! For making you believe you needed to be something, be better just to have to earn my love or something like that! For never being there when you needed me, or the times I was there, being utterly useless! I am sorry I made you feel anything less than the treasure you are to me!"

Erina fell on her knees, right in front of Mana, as Mana cried, apologizing the only way she could at this point.

"I-I know this will sound fake to everyone," she outright sobbed, "But I don't care! I just need you to hear it. I don't even need you to forgive me. I understand if you don't… I wouldn't, if I were you. But I just needed to tell you, that having you… being blessed with you, will always be the greatest thing to ever happen to me! I love you, I adore you, I am so proud of you, and my darling baby girl, I am sorry for being so horrible but I swear I will try my best to fix things! Even if you lose this, even if Tootsuki is closed down for good, I swear you will not lose your home… You will not lose your career. I will take those hits for you, because that's my job. And even if you lose your ability to cook completely, lose your God's Tongue, I want you to know that you will always be my greatest pride and joy, and nothing in this world can ever, ever change that…"

The whole world seemed to have stop spinning for several seconds, as Mana just tried to recollect herself. She had mouthed everything she had tried to say, and she wasn't sure if she had made it sound coherent or not. She had been crying too much, but she had meant every disjointed word. And when her vision cleared up a bit, once she was able to see Erina, she could see her daughter crying too.

"Erina… I…"

"…M-Mom," Erina said through her own tears, and hearing her call her like that, as opposed to mother, sent an outright knife through Mana's chest. Erina almost crawled closer to her, and Mana ceased that opportunity to pull her daughter into a tight hug, embracing her in what seemed like the first time since forever. Erina cried, Mana did as well, and they were sure the audience was crying too.

Alice certainly was, bawling at that.

Hisako had her hands over her mouth, utterly conflicted over everything but hopeful.

Ikumi had to sit back to keep her emotions in check.

Julio was a mess of manly tears and girly sobs.

Soma… Soma looked on. He had a faint smile on his face.

Forehead to forehead, Erina and Mana looked at each other, with both the young girl and the older woman smiling at one another.

"I… have a lot to fix Erina," Mana admitted, and Erina nodded.

"That you do," Erina told her, before she got up, and motioned to assist Mana as well, "Come on, get up. It's unbecoming for a woman of your standing to be groveling on the ground."

"It is, isn't it?" Mana joked a bit, as she took her daughter's hand and got herself up. "But, not undeserved. And I am aware everything is easier said than done, so I promise you, no more running away. No more feeling like I'm the saddest person in this planet. I will stick by you, as you said, for the good, the awkward, the weird, and the bad. I will prove it… if you'll allow me to do so."

Erina just nodded, clearly trying to fight back another set of tears. She did an admirable work. "…I appreciate this, greatly. And yes, of course, I want… I want you by my side. I want to live this life with you in it… but, about all that you said, one thing is unneeded…"

"Unneeded?"

"I don't need your protection mom," Erina told Mana confidently, and Mana's eyes widened. Since when could her daughter speak with such a tone. It outright sounded so strong. And it made her quiver, as before her no longer stood a frightened little girl, but a beautiful young woman with fire in her eyes. "It is appreciated, but I will protect this academy, and I will not lose this match… just watch…" Erina now grinned, and like a little girl, added, "…I'll make you proud!"

Mana tried to tell her she didn't need to, she already was proud, but her words got caught in her throat and the best she could manage was to nod.

"I should have smacked her years ago…" Leonora noted, but now at least Soe could tell she was joking, as his wife was currently with her hand over her lips to hide a smile.

"Would you perhaps like to join us Milady?" Anne spoke up, her eyes on Mana. As the elder woman turned to Anne, the judge just signaled to the still clearly peeved Azami. "He's seated here despite not being a judge and not casting an official vote, just as representative of his team. I see no reason why you cannot do the same, just for Tootsuki's sake."

Charme and Histoire both quickly nodded, while Courage gave Mana a little smile. Decora had to contort her face not to let it show how much she hated that idea, but she couldn't voice it. She could feel Azami's aura get worse and worse with each passing moment.

Mana nodded, thanking Anne and the others, and soon enough another chair was brought out for her, as Mana sat on the opposite end of Azami, now with the seven of them filling the large table completely.

Erina, smiling at her mother for what felt like the first time in forever, then turned back towards her opponent.

"Apologies for that," Erina told Dove, "I am thankful you did not object and called for me to be eliminated for excessive interruptions to our match."

"I do not need any technicalities or special rulings to win this," Dove noted firmly, "…I am happy for you, I do hope she means it, but… this doesn't change anything."

"…On your marks…!" Urara began again.

"Oh, but it changes everything Dove," Erina countered, "Now I have to win, for so many reasons. For so many people that I have to protect."

"…Get set…!" Yua continued.

"You have no idea how wrong you are," Dove shot back, "I am the one who will protect you from yourself. You'll see. You'll understand soon enough."

"…Shokugeki…!" both Urara and Yua finally announced in unison, their hands raised together, as the biggest match in the world was finally about to… "Start!"

Without even a nod of acknowledgement, Dove proceeded to move towards her kitchen, and began to take out the required ingredients. It made Erina inwardly flinch. This girl, which represented a mirror image of what she would have likely become had her grandfather not intervened and left her at the mercy of her father, was outright robotic in her motions. There was not an ounce of hesitation in Dove's prep, and Erina knew she had to force herself to move otherwise she'd be left behind in her dust and be utterly unable to match Dove.

'The theme is octopus,' Erina noted, frowning at the screen for a second, 'I figured it would have been too good to be true if I had gotten a theme I could have used Tamako Yukihira's recipe with, but it is still disappointing I can't use it… Still, it does mean I have to match Dove's might with my skills alone… Everything I've learned, and everything I have been struggling to do. So… realistically, against her, the best course of action… My only saving grace here would be…'

And Erina could picture it.

She had been traveling through the Garganta, a fitting name for a pathway given the culinary battle currently being waged, with her Zanpakutō held firmly on her hand. She narrowed her eyes, as the path began to crack, signaling she was arriving at her destination. At the battlefield over the fake Tootsuki Academy.

'I have to finish this in one shot,' Erina told herself, no, basically ordered herself, 'Cut her down. Cut her down!'

And she broke through the barrier between worlds, appearing right out of the sky that was shattering like glass, from right behind Dove, who had been standing nonchalantly before an entire army of chefs that had been utterly unable to even phase her.

'I'm behind her!' Erina realized, and in that very instant, fired a pointblank Getsuga Tenshou from her Bankai, the Tensa Zangetsu, shrouding the sky with that signature black reiatsu, outright shocking everyone present at the power on display, except…

"Ojingeo-bokkeum," Dove suddenly voiced, making Erina, who had started to take out several ingredients for her prep, give pause and turn to the raven-haired girl. Urara and Yua also turned, a bit confused about what Dove had just said. Dove simply stared at Erina. "I am certain you at least know what it is. Stir-fried octopus or squid with a unique spice to it. It can be arranged in a multitude of ways, which I will happily demonstrate today, but I just wanted to make it clear beforehand…"

"Dove, what?" Erina asked, her eyes twitching a bit. Did she just…?

"That's the dish I'm going to be making now," Dove told her firmly. "I told you, told everyone. I don't need tricks, or technicalities, or anything else. I am making this dish, and now you know, and there's absolutely nothing you can do with that knowledge that can grant you a dish that will surpass mine. Is that clear enough princess?"

Erina's eyes widened. Did Dove just declare her dish before even starting it. Here she had been thinking if she acted quickly enough, she could try to keep her cool and focus, but with just announcing her dish, Dove had effectively shattered Erina's entire coping mechanism effortlessly. Almost like…

A special spell had appeared in-between Dove and Erina's attack, blocking it entirely, as Dove simply turned and greeted Erina in the most casual way imaginable. "It's been a long time…" Dove told her with her eyes narrowed, "Rebel Girl."

"Wait, seriously?!" Urara could be heard crying out, as both she and Yua seemed to flinch at the sight, as Dove took out a live octopus from the storage and allowed it to wrap its tentacles against her arm. The crowd could be heard muttering at the sight, some squeamish at handling such an animal, while most chefs wondered if she was going to…?

"I used to be terrified of handling something so big and slimy in the past," Dove noted, her fingers trailing the beast currently trying to squeeze her arm. "And don't go getting any naughty thoughts, I am aware this is Japan, and you folks have a weird obsession with girls and tentacles, but I'm not here for that. At least not today!"

Dove gave the audience a little smile and a playful wink, before she managed to expertly untangle herself from the octopus and place it on the table, applying pressure to its head, in order to force the animal to spread its tentacles across said table, using its suction cups to cling onto it. Dove then took what was effectively a hammer, and with just one swing, utterly crushed the creature's head with it.

Erina frowned at the display, but decided to focus on her own craft. Killing a live animal to then cook it was not unheard of here. Hisako had done the same, to a turtle no less, during the Autumn Elections, while she knew chefs who used a lot of game meat, like Rindou or Yuuki, who did this on the daily. Still, killing a small turtle versus killing a large octopus that was half your size was a bit different, and despite not wanting to, Erina hated how impressive Dove had made it seem.

"…My, you're still so sensitive little Dove," Azami commented, his face rested on his gloved fist, his eyes on his protegee, "You know you can just dump them into the boiling water live after all."

"That's cruel," Dove shot back, her hand on her knife, as she began to prep the octopus meat. "I mean, crueler, I suppose."

Erina had already gotten a head-start on her choice of vegetables, spices, and, now, the octopus meat. Unlike Dove, she picked a freshly caught one that had already been killed, and proceeded to use her knife to remove the beak and then cut the necessary parts off. She knew Dove had a fresher pick that she did, but that was a double-edged sword, one which she didn't want to gamble herself against Dove with. Instead, she'd focus her entire craft on another aspect of her dish. If being quick wasn't going to help her, then she would have to refocus her strategy and in turn make sure to make every minute count. And, out of all her studies here in Tootsuki Academy, there was just one octopus dish that she knew for a fact reigned supreme. So, she opened one of the lower cabinets, and her eyes quickly scanned the ingredients until she found…

"Pick the Chianti dear," Dove said without even looking at Erina, "That's the best red wine to pair your little drunken octopus with after all."

"Seriously?!" Erina shouted out, turning back to Dove. She wanted to demand how Dove even knew what she was thinking about, but, damn it, of course she did. No matter how hard Erina tried, her father's teachings were still a part of her, and Dove was nothing but her father's teachings.

"Hey, it works. No judgment here," Dove simply told her, as she continued to work on her craft. She cleaned and rinsed each part of the octopus under cold water, and each piece looked as if they had been sliced by a scapple rather than a knife, given how precise those cuts were. Erina felt her lower lip quiver at the sight. Not only had Dove seen through her effortlessly, but Erina herself still didn't have a clear idea of what Dove intended to do to modify her own dish, since she knew Dove wouldn't just serve a traditional spicy stir-fried octopus and call it a day.

"The attack was good but the location was poor," Dove told Erina matter-of-factly, "The back of the neck is a living creature's greatest blind spot. Did you think I would show up to a battle without preparing any kind of defense in such a place?"

'How stupid of me…!' Erina inwardly reprimanded herself, clenching her teeth over her blunder, 'Some part of me was scared I thought that I might not be able to control my God's Tongue and made a bad split-second decision… I should've used my God's Tongue before firing off that attack!'

"…Shall I try to guess what you're thinking?" Dove calmly asked, and it made Erina tense up. "You thought "I made a mistake in judgement with the first attack. I should've used my God's Tongue. If I had done so, I could've finished this in one attack" – Give it a try…"

And Erina outright felt a force like no other, as if gravity was both crushing her and suffocating her in equal parts, as Dove looked down on Erina with gleeful menace.

"I will show you," Dove threatened, "How presumptuous that idea is."

Erina shook her head. It didn't help to think of such scenarios. She refused to see Dove as unbeatable. She needed to act, and act fast. So she began to work. She washed the octopus under running water; removing the entrails and the eyes, and cutting it into little pieces with her knife. In a pan she placed extra virgin olive oil and allowed it to heat up, adding the cloves of garlic, bay leaved and chili peppers in batches as the oil gave them a perfect brown coating.

"Stop," Dove's words made Erina raise her eyes. Dove was outright glaring at her. "Stop holding back. Use your God's Tongue Erina. Do not play it like this just to have a reason to fall back on once you lose."

"I am not holding back!" Erina shot back, frowning at Dove, "I am more, much more than just my God's Tongue. How or when I use it should be of no consequence to you."

"…If you say so," Dove merely said, before she returned to her own dish. She began to work on her spice mix paste, peeling and grating the ginger and placing it in a medium sized bowl with garlic, chili paste, chili powder, soy sauce, golden syrup and mirin. She mixed it evenly, rather ferociously, before she set it aside. All of that in the span of a minute or two. Again, outright robotic in nature. Scarily so.

"I am aware your goal is to crush that very "gift" of mine," Erina noted, adding the octopus. Sauté. Then, after a few seconds, she began to add the red wine, alongside some chapped parsley, before she set everything to a boil. She made sure not to add water, as the octopus should provide plenty of that by itself. She then turned back to Dove, and much to the God's Slayer's glee, she did take a bit of the sauce she was mixing onto her fingertip and gave it a sensual lick. "But if you so insist in seeing the God's Tongue at work, then don't come crying when I crush you with it."

Dove's smirk was something else. "That's right," Dove noted with her eyes outright sharpening at the sight, "Come at me."

And at that moment, using her greatest power, Erina charged another attack, and launched it at Dove, but in the blink of an eye, Dove was now standing right behind Erina, almost as if she had been there even before Erina had fired the blast from her sword. All she could do is widen her eyes, as Dove called out to her, "What's wrong? You didn't hit me…"

And a sauce plate was placed right before Erina, which made the God's Tongue turn to it in confusion. Every member of the crowd was just as confused over Dove's sudden action as Erina was, all except for Azami, who looked at the scene with a knowing grin. Good girl, he'd note. After all, this wasn't just another duel. Not a simple beatdown. This was a lesson his daughter needed to learn, one way or another.

'What is she…?' Soma thought, his eyes wide at the sight.

Asahi kept his hands on his pockets, frowning for a moment. This… wasn't good.

"…Erm, wait, what?" Urara muttered, as both she and Yua looked on.

Dove had placed her own saucepan before Erina, laying it on her table, as she placed her foot on the cushion of a nearby chair on Erina's side of the stage, and had her arm rested on her own thigh. Her eyes were eagerly examining Erina fully.

"Dove…?" Erina voiced, attempting to frown at her but her confusion was still very visible.

"Give it a taste princess," Dove told her, and Erina's expression shifted considerably. "I want to hear your ever-so expert opinion, ya know, God's Tongue and all that."

"Excuse you?!" Erina shot back, outright offended and somewhat confused.

"Dove's offering Erina a taste of her prep?!" Urara announced, and questioned, as she turned to the judges, just as confused as the rest of those there, "I-Is that allowed?"

"I mean, normally competitors don't taste each other's craft until after the match is over and we, as in, the judges, are also tasting it…" Anne noted, but she really couldn't say it wasn't allowed. And she was sure, given how it was Dove doing it, Azami would have no complaints either way.

"If a competitor were to take a taste of their opponent's dish without permission," Decora explained, her arms crossed, wondering what that annoying girl was doing now, but she still needed to cover her ass for her and Azami's sake, "Then that could be cause for disqualification. But here it's a chef offering a taste of their own prep. We have nothing in the books that forbids this, as unorthodox as it is."

"You are trying to get me off my game," Erina noted, "I won't fall victim to such games Dove. I thought you said you wanted to win this legitimately."

"I do, and I will," Dove assured, looking at Erina's eyes firmly, "This is me just showing you that last time wasn't a fluke, nor was it that you were out of it. I am here to make a point. Taste my incomplete craft, and use that pretty little tongue of yours to dissect it as you adore to do so to everyone beneath you. What's the matter, scared to taste something you can't quite decipher?"

Erina glared at Dove, and damn it all, she knew she was asked by Loren to try and help this girl, but it was so hard to keep that in mind. Still, a part of her, her ego mostly, was still bruised over the last two times she had eaten something made by Dove. The first time was when she had cooked against Rentaro during the so-called "Undertaking", and the second time during the "family" dinner that had began this whole mess. Both times Erina had been utterly unable to decipher just what Dove had done… But now, she had trained more. She was ready. So, if Dove wanted to wage mental warfare, then so be it, she could hit back. Knock her off her high horse and break down her prep and maybe, just maybe, rattle Dove just as she had rattled her before. So she took a sample, and had a taste…

Erina outright felt a surge of fear hit her very spine, a chill as cold as death itself, and immediately, backed off from Dove. It was nothing more than instinct, the fight or flight choosing flight above all else. Erina felt her hands tremble, as Dove just smiled.

"…Why are you putting so much distance between us?" Dove asked her, "If you want to make sure it hits me, then you should get close and fire…"

"I-I…" Erina tried, but her voice quivered at the sudden rush of flavors that hit her. This was no doubt Dove's work. This had been what she had served during the Undertaking and during the dinner. This had been, as simple reheated leftovers, what had allowed Loren to become the top student of the current First Years. This was her father's vision fully realized. And this was, still to her, a complete mystery over what exactly she had used!

"You can't decipher it, can you?" Dove said with such ill pride it made Erina stammer. "I can see it in your eyes. I can tell what you're crying inwardly about. You saw me cook. You have not taken your eyes off me. You saw each and every ingredient I used…"

"Or…" the Dove from Erina's vision continued, and soon, both versions of the God Slayer's words were interlocking with each other. "Is it that you're afraid of letting even a part of me out of your field of vision by getting close…?"

"And yet," Dove continued, "You can't tell them apart. You can't see the path I followed to achieve these results…"

"If that's the case, then it's a foolish thought," Dove added, "Distance only has meaning in a fight between those who possess equal power. With you and I, distance holds no meaning at all…"

"That's because it's not the ingredients princess," the God Slayer declared, "It's a skill issue. You can't tell what I did because you don't know how to reach this level. This is what separates you and I. This is Azami's vision realized, and here I am, finally slaying this little goddess with nothing but my techniques and hard work…"

"Watch…" the Queen of Noirs declared, "If I do this, my hand…" she added, and just like that, Dove was right in front of Erina, her hand hovering over Erina's chest, as her heartbeat threatened to outright go into cardiac arrest, "…Is almost instantly at your heart."

"You're out of your league," Dove told Erina firmly, but it wasn't just gloating. It was like stating a fact. "I am, after all, what you were meant to be. What you refused to be."

Erina gritted her teeth, took hold of the saucepan and handed it back to Dove.

"Go back to your side!" Erina cried out, trying her best to stop her hand from shaking. She couldn't quite manage. "Nothing you said is news to me! I-I know what you are. I am not here completely at your mercy despite what you may think. Now go to your side and let me cook in peace!"

"…I see," Dove noted, and Erina hated how triumphant her voice sounded. Dove narrowed her eyes, and it felt she was outright looking through Erina. Looking through her bluff, because, right now, Dove was right. Erina had no idea how Dove had achieved that magnificent flavor, and it had rattled her. Dove still took her saucepan and went back to her duties, as Erina tried her best to shake it off.

But… a part of her still knew the truth. Dove was superior. Her father had trained her. Her mother had accepted her. Her brother was enamored with her, despite whatever had happened afterwards. And… Erina was scared. She needed to win, but against that?! She had even bet herself just now, and yet, just one taste of a fraction of Dove's incomplete dish, and the taste had been outright better than the flavor Erina was aiming for with her final dish. This… She couldn't win this!

'Come on,' Soma thought, his arms crossed, feeling more nervous for this match than from any of those that came before it. Not even facing down Azami himself had proven as stressful, 'Don't panic. You can do this. Erina, you're the best chef I know. The most talented girl there is. You can push through this!'

'This…' Asahi noted, frowning, 'This isn't good. I knew Dove was… good, but to this level… damn it, think, think! I can't allow myself to mess up so close to the finish line. My little sister isn't going to manage a damn thing at this rate…'

'Dove Dillinger's cooking is the only one I have ever personally recognized,' Mana said inwardly, as she looked on, seeing her daughter outright squirm in place after being hit by that flavor. 'Soon afterwards, she got her moniker of "God Slayer", because for all intents and purposes, her cooking was so unique and advanced it surpassed the God's Tongue. Erina… I can't imagine what you must be feeling now…'

'My precious Erina,' Azami pondered with a knowing smirk, 'I know this hurts. That's life. Pain is a fantastic teacher. You need to see I am not all talk. That my True Gourmet is indeed the future of the culinary world. And little Dove will teach you. You cannot surpass her. She was made to fix you. Struggle all you want. Wreck my career as much as you'd like. But in the end, no matter what, you will submit to my teachings, and you will see, that your father was right all along…'

'…Damn it!' Erina inwardly screamed, 'Don't freeze up! Don't freeze up! Erina, move! You knew from the start that Dove Dillinger was not someone you could defeat. This is nothing new. So put on your big girl pants and, right here, right now, match and surpass her! Someway, somehow, cook, damn it, cook!'

Erina pushed herself off the counter, and even as she felt utterly blinded by what was effectively a storm of emotions, self-doubt, and fear, she still pushed through and continued to cook her dish. She took great pains to sample every single ingredient, during every single step. She intended to push her God's Tongue to the brink, and then some.

Dove, likewise, continued to cook her dish. She heated up a wok, adding the oil and frying some chopped onions, before she added the octopus and the paste that had almost broken Erina into it. A minute later, she added mushrooms, then another minute, she added spring onions, chillies and sesame oil. She worked the wok like a pro, twisting and twirling the ingredients upwards with surprising force, and launching an aroma that was outright intoxicating to everyone present.

Erina checked up on the octopus, as it had been simmering under a closed lid for roughly forty minutes by now, and she waited until the sauce was just at the right level of viscosity to remove it from the fire and set it aside. She was sweating like crazy, her knees shaking and her vision blurry. She knew this wasn't going to be enough. But…

As she raised her field of view, her eyes locked with Soma's. And, she could tell, despite his attempt to automatically smile at her, she could still see just how worried he was. And of course, she was sinking here. But, also, it reminded her of her own words to him, echoing the ones he had said before. And, also, she remembered something from that cruise that felt like a lifetime ago…

"Just what did you put into my mouth?!" she screamed, causing the nearby guests to look at the pair strangely, but she paid them no mind. She was beyond furious. "Have you any idea how delicate my tongue is?! What was that abomination just now?!"

"Oh, that my dearest is Yukihira's Secret Menu number negative three!" he announced with pride, as she stared in disbelief at the display in front of her. She would not admit it to his face, but the boy was a good cook. And, usually, his "Yukihira's Secret Whatevers" were decent enough. But that? That had tasted horrible. It was like being groped by a beast with ulterior motives.

"Negative…?" she mouthed, still trying to revive her recently deceased God's Tongue.

"Oh, yeah, that's because it's an experiment of mine," Soma explained, pulling out the cup and showing it to her. "This one here is based on Hisako's style of cooking, which I got to experience first-hand back at Golden Locks. You see, I had been thinking of trying the whole "medical cooking" she does, because back at Yukihira's, I get visited by a lot of golden age folk, so it got me thinking. What's the best way to offer them nutrition, in an easy to consume form with great taste? My solution? This!" he declared, showcasing the cup. "This is my special Chicken-Calamari Zabaione! And don't worry, its alcohol free!"

"…" Erina was silent. Soma remained in place, still posing with the cup as if it were the Holy Grail itself. Still, he was getting a bit worried by her ever increasing silent treatment.

"Um… Erina?" he voiced, "You're not that mad right? It's just a joke dish, you know?"

"…You made a purée of chicken meat and squid," her voice dripped with venom, as Soma could only freeze in place and nod. "Then you mixed that with raw egg yolk, tons of sugar, and, instead of the traditionally utilized sweet wine, you used a hint of coffee and vanilla extract, correct?"

"…With a pinch of salt," he whimpered.

"Charming," she said it, but he knew she didn't mean it.

She had been so pissed off back then that she had made him swallow the thing whole afterwards. He deserved it, she still thought, since for the life of her she didn't understand his fascination with making such revolting dishes. No… that wasn't true. Not anymore. She didn't like it, but she did understand it. It went back to those words. Because for a girl that was defined by successes, she had never been forced to risk anything. Never before had she been pushed to the edge of failure in order to make something work. Her God's Tongue was always right, always the answer. Nothing else mattered. But now, against an opponent that eclipsed what she had foolishly believed as perfect, she simply had no choice but to…

Erina outright laughed a little. 'Serves me right. Oh well, a gamble it is then.'

And, thus, Erina went back down to the storage bin, and took out a few items. The crowd looked on, and everyone was utterly baffled when they saw the Fourth Seat simply place eggs, sugar, coffee beans and vanilla extract onto the table.

"Huh?" Urara blurted out; her expression utterly flabbergasted.

'Wait, is that…?' Soma noted, tilting his head for a moment.

Erina powered through, beginning to prep these new materials and slowly add them to her almost finished dish. 'It tasted horrible, but now, I can at least understand what Soma had intended with that monstrosity. I just need to fine-tune it. Use the raw egg yolk, leave it for last. Less sugar, but grind the coffee beans as much as I can. Keep the vanilla extract to the drop. I cannot use less or more, or this will blow up in my face…'

She began to use her tongue to sample every mixture she made.

It tasted horrid at first, and she almost gagged. Gods, how could Soma do this on the daily?!

But she pushed herself. She fine-tuned it more. Use less of this, more of that. And she tasted it again, and again, and again. It went from horrible, to bad, to decent, to good, to great…

'I've got it!' Erina declared, feeling like she could faint at any moment. 'This is the flavor Soma was attempting. How to get the most out of the Zabaione. And I can use that to take my own dish to the next level… or I could end up completely destroying it and making a fool of myself… Oh well, let's flip that damn coin!'

So, she prayed it work, took the gamble, and mixed it all up, finalizing her dish just in time, and setting all of it on the plates, being careful not to go beyond the time limit, less she gives her father another excuse. From the corner of her eyes, she saw how Dove had also finished up, and despite her wishes that the God Slayer would just trip and spill everything everywhere, Dove still confidently began her march towards the judges' table. Erina did too, and she arrived first, much to her inner worry.

Erina Nakiri presented her Drunken Octopus w/ Red Wine & Zabaione.

Dove Dillinger presented her True Gourmet Ojingeo-Bokkeum.

"And we have our dishes!" Urara announced, as she and Yua turned to the judges, "Let the judging commence… Oh God it's beginning…" Urara added with barely hidden dread.

"…Well, let us begin indeed…" Anne noted, feeling a heaviness to this all. This felt like too much for them, but they should push through. So, they took hold of their chopsticks, and all seven of them, some more conflicted than others, took a piece of the dish Dove had set up, since despite Erina serving first, the sheer allure of the God Slayer's offering proved too tempting to ignore, and their bodies automatically reached out for it and took a piece of her work of art into their mouths…

…And just like that, all seven of them were outright flung back violently. Their heads aimed upwards; eyes wide. The flavor they had just tasted had outright shook them to their core, as the tastefulness on display had proven so great, they couldn't even keep their cool.

"Oh dear me!" Charme cried out.

"What in the world…?!" Histoire asked baffled.

"A-Ah! How did she…?!" Courage outright moaned, loudly.

"So, so good…" Decora noted, biting her lower lip, 'Damn it, her practice rounds with Azami were the real deal. She really can achieve these results with any theme…'

Mana remained quiet, her eyes on the plate. 'Yes, there's no mistake. This is the flavor I had been so excited back when I learned of it, before I even knew it was Azami behind all this. But, this girl, Dove, she's gotten even better since then. Capable of subduing the God's Tongue? Not just that, this could outright render it useless…'

"Now this… This is True Gourmet," Azami boasted, smiling at the dish being offered, at the perfection on display. "I am… so proud, my little Dove. You have surpassed any and every expectation I could have ever had of you."

"…I-I…" Dove tried, but she simply gave the man the fondest smile, and nodded, "I am happy to hear you say so Master…"

Erina looked at her, her eyes on Dove. And she frowned a bit. And no, despite what she would have initially believed of herself, it wasn't jealously what she was feeling. Nor was it anger. Instead…

"I feel like I can officially note that this dish is probably the best dish that's been offered to us in the entirety of this Intercontinental Shokugeki," Anne declared, and while Dove grinned at that comment, Erina felt her heart sink. "I mean, perhaps Isshiki's earlier offering, had we been allowed to judge it fully, could compete, but aside from that one, the rest, well, while most of them amazing in their own right, and we have noticed the growth on display, especially from the Elite Ten members, but this… This is just… wow…"

"T-This is True Gourmet," Dove explained, despite stammering a bit, she got herself started on what she needed to say. Her job, after all, wasn't quite yet finished. "This excessive competition that Tootsuki thrives in, this dog-eat-dog barbaric method of fine-tuning a select few students at the expense of hundreds if not thousands of other potential talents has to come to an end. I am living proof of that. With my background, I would have never been accepted at Tootsuki, even if I had been able to afford it at that. But Master took me in, trained me despite my many flaws, and polished me to this degree. To culinary perfection. We of the Central Administration believe that any student has the capabilities of achieving these results, the ability to learn the right way to cook and to follow this path into real cooking. Ideal, flawless cooking."

"Excellently stated," Azami noted, smiling at her.

"A one, tried and true method," Mana spoke softly, "The idea that cooking should only have one true response is… Huh?" Mana had tried, but upon looking down at her plate, her eyes widened. 'Wait… When did I eat all of it?!'

"I think you already know the answer Mrs. Nakiri," Dove refuted, a knowing glint in her eyes, as she stared the elder God's Tongue down, proudly. Triumphantly. Azami grinned. Decora held back a scoff, but she couldn't argue it. She, and the rest of the judges, had eaten every portion of what Dove had offered them, and by gods, they wanted more. No, needed more. But she had to keep her mouth shut and just let things run their course. "And…" Dove added, taking hold of another plate, but while the judges drooled over getting more of her craft, she instead handed the plate to Erina, "I need you to learn it as well…"

Erina frowned, but she knew there was no helping it. She took hold of the plate, at this fried octopus that was giving out such a tasteful aroma that it made her mouth water, and silently took a bite from it.

Instantly Erina had to put the plate down onto a nearby table, and hold onto the table itself to keep herself from falling down, since her legs had failed her. The taste had been so grand, so powerful she couldn't even stand. And through it all, she couldn't decipher it. It made sense. There was no trick. No secret ingredient or last-minute swap of anything. This was culinary mastery, nothing but raw skill on display that eclipsed anything Erina had tasted before.

"Well…?" Dove asked, her head tilted, and her eyes sharp.

"…You are masterful Dove," Erina admitted, and Dove looked on, unsure if those were the words she wanted to hear or not. "It is simply amazing, a bit too much if I'm honest, but it is what it is."

"You don't sound like you're admitting defeat."

"No, not quite yet… I still have a little bit left in me."

As Dove glared at Erina, the judges, upon hearing this, and remembering they had a job to do, quickly moved towards Erina's dish. Mana nervously took a piece of her daughter's work, while Azami looked at the food on Erina's plate with barely hidden disdain, but also took a piece. Soon enough, the seven of them took a bite, and as Dove looked on, waiting for whatever pointless commentary they would offer her before signaling who the rightful winner obviously was, her field of vision was suddenly interrupted by a dish.

"Here…" Erina offered. "It's only fair, after all. Please, judge my craft yourself Dove."

"…Fine, if I must," Dove relented, and took hold of Erina's plate, and took a bite of the mess before her. Seriously, mixing drunk octopus with zabaione? This was just absurd and reeked of desperation. But, no sooner had Dove taken that single, first, meaningful bite, that…

Just as if she had utterly forgotten about Erina being there, Dove managed to get out of the sandstorm that would eventually claim all chefs, sooner or later, what her Master had long warned her about. But no sooner had she done so, than she saw Erina above her, having long taken aim at her, Bankai on hand, as she unleashed a massive black blast at point-blank range at Dove, smashing Dove right back onto the sandstorm with so much ferocity Dove felt her body begin to crack in half.

"…Wait, what is…?" Dove was unable to keep quiet and muttered, her eyes on the dish in her hand, and, as she turned to the side, she saw her own expression reflected in the face of all seven would-be judges. 'Wait! No!'

"T-This doesn't make any sense…" a very shocked Anne said.

"We're not strong enough to handle a one-two punch of flavors like this…" Charme added.

"It's so different, yet…" Histoire noted.

"But still so good!" Courage moaned again, collapsing on the table. She couldn't take it anymore.

"This idea shouldn't work this well!" Decora groaned, utterly red in the face, because the taste had been far more than she had expected. Wasn't Azami's brat an utter mess right now? How had she been able to produce something to this level?!

"…you," Azami outright growled, his eyes on Erina. "You think this is funny? Combining a fine enough drunken octopus recipe with, what? An unorthodox zabaione-like thing? This isn't even the proper recipe for it. It's a culinary mess; two, no, three dishes smashed together into one without any rhyme or reason for it. What are you even attempting to –?!"

"But does it not work?" Mana quickly intervened, her eyes not on Azami, but on their daughter, a little smile on her lips. "It is indeed a very, very strange dish, but, even if the process to create it makes absolutely no sense to us, this right here, what we were given to taste, my, it's quite insanely flavorful."

"You cannot be serious?!" Azami turned to her, "You can't possibly mean that! This dish, if you can even call it that, is…"

"She's not wrong," Anne cut in, her voice firm, "And I'd like to remind you both that you are allowed her to observe and commentate, but all judging is meant strictly for us five of the WGO."

At this Mana just smirked and nodded, while Azami muttered something under his breath but still kept quiet. There was no way this was even up for debate, he'd note, but… a part of him, despite everything, still felt that what he had just tasted, that mixture that should not work at all, maybe, just maybe…

"What did you do?" Dove asked, turning back to Erina, sensing the growing tensions, and for the first time, hesitating, "What was that? There's no way that last-minute combination of yours could ever hope to match mine!"

"No, it shouldn't, should it?" Erina, a weary smile on her face, but her eyes had not lost that spark to them. "But it still did. It is making them doubt. Because it is unorthodox. Because it was a risk. Because I could have so easily recked it completely and gotten myself eliminated for it. Because it's a dish my father, and by extension, you'd never even consider, as the concept of experimentation is outright alien to you both."

"Experimentation?!" Dove cried out. "That's nothing but what a second-rate chef would use to cover his or her ass over their lack of dedication and talent. A true chef doesn't blindly experiment! We are meant to study, follow the recipe, and achieve results! That's in the job description! That's what a chef is! That's what True Gourmet is!"

Upon hearing the God Slayer's argument, the crowd was utterly silent. It was such a conflicting viewpoint, as some agreed with her, while others denied her viewpoint entirely.

"And I had thought you were in it deep," Nao muttered, which caused Loren to turn to her for a brief moment, as the boy's eyes had not left his sister for what seemed like the entire match. "But that was nothing but Azami's words coming out of Dove's mouth I imagine."

"…Yeah, we were repeated this over and over, so much," Loren noted. '…Sis, stop this. You're hurting. I know we were told, trained even that this is a job, not meant to be fun. But these people aren't bad. They're not in this for selfish reasons like we believed. They are having fun. They care and protect each other. And they build each other up. It's… It's like how you and I are with one another. They're as much a family as we are… please, you need to see this…'

"I can't argue that there is some merit to your words," Erina surprisingly admitted, and as everyone turned to the Tootsuki princess, she offered Dove a little smile. "But I am choosing to believe in a culinary world were both approaches are equally valid. I see no fault in sticking to the recipe, and perfecting a craft without deviating from the norm even once… But I also see the value in experimentation. In taking a risk. In going all out, outside the norm, and trying for a flavor never once achieved before, after all… aren't all recipes dishes someone risked it all to achieve at one point or another?"

Dove's eyes went wide. "But what you're saying… In order to do, well, that, you'd…"

"I would have had to have gained the experience of failing, right?"

Dove's expression was utterly unreadable, as was Azami's. The whole arena seemed to freeze up upon hearing their once proud heiress express such words. The Queen of perfection was voicing something no one ever expected to hear from her. Soma's wide grin was something else, and Asahi had trouble hiding his conflicted expression, as a mix of anger and pride clashed against each other. Erina, for her part, gave out the proudest smile she had ever sported.

"A very troublesome boy taught me this," Erina explained, and she sounded outright giddy, "Sticking to the script is fine and all, but isn't it more fun to take a risk, and see where that takes you?"

"What… what dribble are you saying?!" Dove shouted back, glaring at Erina. "That's nothing more than a lame excuse! A cook isn't allowed to fail!"

"Yeah… you'd say that wouldn't you?" Erina noted with a little laugh. "I used to believe the same, honestly. And I still see that point, I really do, but if we don't allow ourselves to fail, we forbid ourselves from growing, both as chefs and as people. If I had kept that viewpoint, so many talented chefs would have crumbled. All their unique quirks and creativity would have been crushed by this, one clear path of yours. Chefs I value so much, like Soma, Megumi or Takumi would not have flourished as they have, and look at them now, part of the Elite Ten."

"That's because you lowered the bar!"

"No! That's because I allowed them to grow and they earned it! As did I! I failed, against you, against Ekaterina, and it's precisely because I failed that I now can take these risks and match you!"

"This…" Dove felt her blood boil. Why wouldn't this stupid girl just relent already? "This isn't how the real world works! You can't just wing it!"

"Experimentation and failing is not "just winging it" Dove," Erina clarified. "It's what allows chefs to form an identity. I can see the merit behind my father's methods, I am not blind, but you can't see the faults. A world where every chef follows just his True Gourmet will be a world that's filled with a flavor, that while grand, will at some point die down and become outright mundane and dull."

"Cooking is not meant to be fun!"

"It is, if you do it for the right reasons!"

"Don't you talk like you have any idea why I'm doing this!"

"I may not, but I've seen so many chefs cook for so many heartfelt reasons that I can't possibly deny them their merit! Like Alice, my sweet cousin, telling the world how much she loves me, well, I love her! Adore her! And she's a damn excellent chef and she cooks with an incredible passion! Every time!"

"That's not –"

"Or Soma," Erina added, "Or Hisako. Or Ikumi. Or Julio. Or Nao or any of the Elite Ten or any of those from the Polar Star dorms or any of my friends at that1 Heck, anyone wearing these uniforms cook for many reasons, but they will always be at their best when they cook for fun! Or… even, for love."

"Love has nothing to do with this!"

"Tell that to Loren!"

Dove outright flinched, her eyes widened again, having not expected that name to be flung at her, of all people. "…what?"

"Your little brother loves you, so damn much," Erina explained, and Dove hated how her tone had softened considerably. "And he thinks the world of you. To him, you are the undisputed best chef in the world. And I cannot refute him at that. Because I am sure, that even if this is a job to you. Even if every single dish you've made has been nothing but out of duty, for him to speak about you the way he does, I am certain, and I'd bet anything, that at least once, if for no one else, you must have cooked for that boy not out of obligation, but out of genuine care."

Dove kept quiet. There was a seething anger in her, she could feel it. She was seeing red, but Erina's words kept echoing inside her mind. Had… Had she? She had cooked for Loren, a hundred times maybe. But had she also just been doing the motions then too, or, when that little boy eagerly asked her to make this or that, had she smiled at him and then…?

"Enough of this," Azami commented, frowning at both girls, since he did not like the conflicted expression Dove was now sporting. "Judges, you've had ample time. Please, your verdict."

And the five all gave pause. They had gotten too caught up in the shouting match turned emotional exchange between Erina and Dove to give it proper thought. But, now that they were forced to come back to reality, they stared at both empty plates, and found themselves with the hardest decision in their collective careers.

Mana looked on, as even with her God's Tongue, and even if she had been allowed to voice her opinion, right now, she was so, so conflicted.

"Whatever happens Dove," Erina voiced, standing next to the God's Slayer, "I want you to know, despite how much I loathe you, I do respect you."

"…hmm," Dove just muttered, her eyes on the floor for a brief moment…

"And here it is!" Dove had proudly announced, setting a plate on the table, as a very eager Loren looked at it with outright sparkle in his eyes. "Dig in!"

"It looks so yummy and it smells even better!" the then twelve-year-old stated with glee, before he began to devour the plate almost whole. "Dove, this is so, so, so good!"

"Is it now?" Dove asked, smiling, as she took a seat on the table too. "So that means my training is getting me somewhere, huh?"

"Somewhere?" Loren asked, his face almost buried on the plate, before he looked up at his sister. "You're already the best chef there is! I don't care what Azami says, nobody will ever be better than you! Your food is the best, even better than Azami's!"

"Oh, don't be absurd," Dove simply denied, but she felt a little tinge in her chest, upon hearing him say it. To him, she was the best. And, despite it all, it made her feel utterly filled with pride. For the first time in so long, after that whole nightmare she had lived, she didn't feel ashamed of herself, but rather, utterly proud of who and what she was.

Would her mother think she was amazing too?

Would her little baby daughter this so too, one day, if she were to cook for her?

And despite how much she knew Azami had made it clear this was a job and nothing more, Dove Dillinger, for once, felt utter pride in her skills as a chef, and she couldn't quite hide the smile on her face for the rest of the day…

"Erm, judges?" Urara asked, her head tilted. "I get dramatic pauses, but this goes against my doctor's orders… kinda. Well, not really, but… please, say something!"

"…It's just," Anne tried, but her fists clenched. "Is it just me or…?"

The others also had her same hesitation, and soon it was clear to everyone. They were utterly undecided, and at this both Erina and Dove tensed up. Everyone, from Soma and the Elite Ten, to Asahi and the Neo-Noirs, all waited, outright forgetting to breathe, for a ruling that was quite clear could go either way. But…

'It's too close…' Decora noted, but the woman had already made up her mind before she had even tasted a thing. 'Too close to tell really. Under any other circumstance, I would ask for more time, at least. Or a second helping even. But, if it's this close, if even one judge offers a possible victor, then, by all accounts, they cannot dispute it. It seems, you miscalculated in the end Azami. It was not you dumb little girl who made your vision a reality after all, but rather…'

And as the other four judges all felt utterly overwhelmed by the choice they had to make, Decora simply sighed and gave the microphone a little tap, alerting everyone present. Everyone turned to her, as they should.

"…This is quite possibly the closest match I, and I'm certain, my colleagues here have ever had to judge," Decora began, as Azami kept his stone-face up. He knew what she was going to do, and while not ideal, he couldn't quite argue with what she had likely thought of, "And as you can tell, we're all utterly caught off-guard by how insanely flavorful these two dishes are, but, even if by a very slim margin, I feel confident that I can single out –"

"Don't you fucking dare!"

The sudden profanity laced scream made everyone flinch, as the censors had to jump to outright bleep it out in the broadcast, as no one had expected such an outright explosive cry from…

"…Dove?" Azami voiced, surprised, as he narrowed his eyes towards the girl. What on Earth was she doing?

Erina turned to her opponent, confused.

"Ah… excuse me?" Decora finally came to, outright glaring at Dove. "Young lady, miss Competitor, you did not just…"

"You are not giving me the vote this way," Dove voiced, outright threatened, and Decora's expression was something else. Azami turned pale, which was an accomplishment for a man such as him, as everyone else stared in disbelief.

"W-What are you implying?!"

"I…" Dove hesitated for a second, since she knew this wasn't part of the deal. She needed to win, no matter what. But she hated these loopholes. These technicalities. And specially to cheat this way. Because, even if she wanted nothing more than to crush Erina, her baby brother was watching her, and an older sister should always set the example… "I do not need to cheat to win this," Dove outright growled, and Decora flinched, since this girl sounded just like Azami when he was mad. "I don't care what happens behind the scenes, but right here, I don't need no damn freebie. I have… my pride as a chef after all. I can win this genuinely!"

"Are you actually saying that I, a First-Class Bookman of the esteemed WGO, would ever –?!" Decora began, outright tossing aside her plans with Azami and ready to just disqualify this girl for daring to mouth off against her, but her rant and boasting was cut short when…

"Can you please step down for the remaining match-ups, Decora?" Anne asked, turning to her, and Decora's eyes went wide.

"What?!" she blurted out, "You can't possibly be serious!"

"Hey, a Competitor can't talk to us like that," Courage added, quickly coming to Decora's defense.

"She's not wrong," Charme added, "Dove Dillinger is the one out of line, not Decora."

Only Histoire kept quiet, observing Anne. He knew her well. If she had said what she did, then…

"I am fully aware of that," Anne explained, looking at all of them for a moment. "And it is true. But a Competitor also has the right to request a fair and unbiased ruling. In fact, it is our obligation to give one."

"Y-You can't possibly believe…"

"Decora, we can speak about it later," Anne added, "But it's not just Dove. I've had… discussions about your performance and possible… motives. Unless you truly have nothing to hide, and wish for me to speak of these things right here and now, with the entire world watching?" Anne offered, but despite everything, Decora just flinched. Her phone! Was it Anne that…? "…I thought so. We'll speak of this later. Please, vacate the seat. A Competitor has called your integrity into question, and with the authority I have granted to me during this day, I second it, so please, do not make a scene."

Decora was livid, both burning with anger and humiliated, but as she turned towards Azami, the man did an excellent job pretending to not even see her. His eyes were on Dove. Utterly furious, but unable to try and defend herself because, if Anne did have her phone, she was so beyond screwed that she had no choice but to huff and turn away, as murmurs began to be heard throughout the entire stadium.

It took a few minutes of nothing but static and uncomfortable silence until Lanterby came rushing downwards, having been told to go down there quickly and take over.

"I'm here!" Lanterby announced, as she reached the judges' table. "And, like, for real?! What the heck just happened?!"

"I will explain it later," Anne noted, "Hopefully it is a misunderstanding and we clear it up easily, but for now, we owe these girls a true ruling."

Charme, Histoire, a very conflicted Courage and a very confused Lanterby all proceeded to nod and turn to the two girls, as Erina and Dove waited, both of them utterly conflicted over everything that had just happened.

"…Well, that happened!" Urara quickly broke through the silence and announced, as the judges outright jumped, since her sudden high-pitched voice startled them. "So it appears that the Judge Decora Sinnerfield has been eliminated for the Intercontinental Shokugeki! …What, too soon?"

Azami almost broke the chopsticks he was holding, but he tried to keep his cool. What? Was? Dove? Thinking?!

"Was that anything I should know about…?" Erina asked.

"Shut up," Dove replied. "This changes nothing between us."

"…Um, judges?" Yua tried, as Urara seemed to be glaring at the judges, likely silently trying to figure out what had just happened. Yua herself was lost, but she needed to continue this thing.

"…I… I didn't get to actually taste either dish," Lanterby suddenly noted, and Anne, Charme, Histoire, Courage, Azami and Mana all flinched, realizing that they had skipped that little detail. "I can't actually judge it, is there anything left?"

Then they all turned to the plates.

They looked so empty that you could be fooled into thinking they had licked the damn things clean.

They then looked back at each other. They stared.

Then they turned back to Erina and Dove.

"Would it be too much to ask if you two made the dishes again?" the four judges asked in unison, while Lanterby blushed deeply at this snafu, while Azami seethed and Mana inwardly laughed.

"What?!" Erina and Dove both cried out, each girl sounded more offended than the other.

"To be fair," Mana quickly noted, "While it may not be in my authority to declare it as such, as the God's Tongue, well, one of two, I did find both dishes equally delectable. As in, genuinely, I wouldn't have been able to give a vote to either dish."

"But, does that mean…?" Erina asked, eyes wide.

"I thought you all said there could be no actual draws in this thing?" Dove added, pissed off.

"No, there cannot be one," Charme explained, understanding what his former boss was getting at. "And unlike with Etsuya Eizan and Julius Bedlam, both dishes presented were more than worthy of the WGO. Of BLUE. Meaning…"

"Neither of you can be disqualified either," Histoire added.

"Which is to say," Anne concluded, "If you both are up to it… We need you both to duel again. New theme, new dishes. This round is inconclusive, so we need a rematch," she then turned to Azami, "No objections, I imagine."

"…None whatsoever," Azami stated, as his eyes feel on Dove. She flinched, knowing, in his eyes, she had messed up. But, damn it all, if it took her cooking again to win legitimately, then so be it.

"So what do you say girls?" Courage asked, her eyes on the two.

"…Sure," a very weary Erina replied.

"…Fine," an equally annoyed Dove added.

"So they're going at it again, right now?!" Urara announced, surprised, as she received the word, and both Yua and Urara looked at each other for a moment before the hostess continued to declare, "Very well, this first round of Erina Nakiri versus Dove Dillinger has been declared inconclusive! They will now go into a "round two" of sorts, meaning…!"

The screen, for once, remained the same, still showing:

Erina Nakiri vs. Dove Dillinger

"…Erina," Soma voiced, his eyes on his girl, 'This has got to be rough. I saw how much you pushed yourself, and for that to have only matched Dove has to have left you rattled. But, don't worry, you can do it! She has to be just as shocked as you are!'

Asahi, on the other hand, just watched. It was such a spiral of conflicting emotions that he was feeling that he couldn't quite focus, and he didn't know if it got worse if he looked at Erina or at Dove.

"J-Judges… our theme?" Yua politely asked, and soon the screen began to flicker once more. Then:

Rice

As Dove looked at the screen, and repressing the urge to simply scream at this whole thing, moved towards her kitchen once more, ready to put an end to this farce, Erina, on the other hand, stared at the screen, and her eyes… here eyes were so wide…

'Rice…' she noted, and she felt her chest tighten. 'No way… That… That works! Oh my God! That works! I can use Tamako's unfinished recipe as the basis with that theme!'

Erina outright rushed towards her part of the stage, and took out a whole bag of rice, before she began to set down a handful of ingredients all over the table, much to the surprise of everyone, as the girl seemed utterly reinvigorated.

"H-Hey! Let me at least call the match, ah whatever," Urara lamented, but relented, "Shokugeki start and what not. And what a start it is, both Erina and Dove went right into it, not an ounce of hesitation in either Chef!"

'Stop comparing us!' Dove inwardly cried out, glaring at Urara, but deciding to keep quiet. She had probably angered Azami enough as was. Instead, she'd focus on her craft. She had taken things too easily last time. Focused more on teaching Erina a lesson and flexing her skills as opposed to getting the job done. And that had almost cost her. Well, no more. She was going all out this time, and no plate was going to surpass what she would set on that table. Still, she did turn to Erina, wondering what desperate "experiment" she'd attempt this time, but, as soon as she did, she saw Erina with outright fire in her eyes, tossing the jasmine rice into cold water and beginning to cold cook it, while at the same time beginning to manually prep chow noodles, taking such care and careful calculations of each and every piece as she did so. Before Dove could even scoff at what she assumed was nothing short but desperation, Erina proceeded to take hold of her washed knife, and with a flick of her wrist, cut right through a handful of prawns, leaving them perfectly sliced. The force she had used had outright made Dove's hair move a bit, and at this, the God Slayer's eyes widened. It was almost as if…

The Erina Nakiri that stood before her now was someone completely different than the girl she had been fighting moments before. Her expression was completely different. Erina then turned towards Dove, and in the calmest tone, suggested, "Let's go somewhere else. I don't want to fight here in Tootsuki Academy."

"…What a meaningless suggestion. Those words can only be spoken by one who possesses the power to do battle with me," Dove said with thinly-veiled mockery, "There is nothing to worry about. Defeating you will not require the destruction of –"

But Erina outright grabbed Dove by the face, with her hand, and forced the God Slayer away from the scene, flying off with her from a single motion, shocking Dove to the core.

"WHAT… THE…?!"

Erina then threw Dove into a new battlefield, slamming her right into the cold, hard ground, as Dove held onto her face, utterly baffled by what she had just witnessed.

"…Ridiculous… I was… with strength alone…" Dove noted, seething.

"…Let's get started, Dove," Erina declared, her blade now fused to her arm, and her tone demonstrating none of that fear that had dominated her before. "I'm going to finish this in the blink of an eye."

Dove shook her head. No, this wasn't like that at all. She had just been surprised by Erina having an idea so quickly, and unlike last time, Dove wasn't quite able to decipher it at a glance. It meant nothing, she told herself, as she forced herself to move along and begin her own prep.

Erina, however, was moving incredibly quickly, which the gasps from the crowd, much of them experienced chefs in their own right, could attest to.

"Look at her go!" Julio cheered.

"Erina's really giving it her all!" Hisako noted with glee.

"She's insane! Look at her move, even after she had just passed an entire round…" Ikumi stated in utter disbelief.

"Let's go Erina!" The Polar Stars all cheered, with Yuuki leading the cheers, at their friend currently on fire.

"You've got this!" Alice called out as well, from where the Elite Ten all sat. They all cheered her on, but Alice's was on the verge of tears. "I love you so much more my princess! So kick her stuck-up ass!"

Erina was not missing a beat. She had her focus on fully, visualizing the late Tamako's original recipe, left unfinished due to her passing, but one she knew she could, no, would find a way to complete it and bring it to life during this duel. Using her God's Tongue to fine tune the ingredients, and all her training both in and out of Tootsuki, she'd make that final dish the best it could ever be!

Erina began, gently loosening the cooked rice with her fingertips, almost one by one, to separate the grains as much as possible, then she set it aside. She heated five-hundred milliliters of water in a wok over medium-high heat. Once it was boiling, she added prawns and cooked it until it was just the right shade of pink. Erina then rinsed the prawns under cold water, draining them and setting them aside. After rinsing the wok, Erin wiped it out with some absorbent paper and returned it to the high heat. She then added two tablespoons of vegetable oil to the wok and swirled it to coat it. The she added eggs and fried it until it was half cooked, then she set aside in a bowl.

Erina continued by adding the remaining oil to wok and, when very hot, carefully adding the chicken and stir-frying it until partially cooked. Then she added the char siu and rice and stir-fried it over high heat, moving everything around to prevent it from sticking. Using a ladle, she scooped everything to break up any lumps until the grains were evenly separated. She then added the prawns, peas and egg to the wok, and stir-fried until the rice was very hot and fragrant with wok hei. She proceeded to mix her slowly forming fried rice with the noodles, making for a combination of friend rice and lo mein, all the while adding the spring onions, sesame oil and soy sauce, and seasoning it to taste with sea salt, pepper and several spice and herbs, all chosen carefully by her God's Tongue. She then stir-fried it all until everything was coated and perfectly colored.

Erina then took a sample of the almost done dish, tasting and adjusting the seasoning bit by bit until her God's Tongue told her it had reached the pinnacle of flavor. Once satisfied, she then set aside a batch of chillies and a bit of a special mixture of soy sauce, chili paste and Chinese mustard so it could be dipped in to taste and hopefully grant her enough flexibility for this to work.

The aroma from a dish that Erina had made in quite the record time was enough to outright rattle Dove. The God Slayer turned, at what was supposed to be her prey, and couldn't quite fathom it. This useless girl, that she had effortlessly ran circles around before, was now cooking something that smelled outright divine…

'No! What am I thinking?!' Dove reprimanded herself. 'I always found the name stupid, but I am still the God Slayer! There's no "divine" dish she can make that I can't counter! I have to just make the best damn dish I can! M-My time, my training, three years away from my baby girl were not meant to be in vain! I cannot lose to this girl!'

But to everything Dove could think to throw at her, this Erina was able to perfectly counter it. Her blade? Stopped. Her magic? Shattered. Her body? Wounded. But…

"Don't get so full of yourself!" Dove roared, and soon, her majestic body began to morph, her face outright splitting apart, as the skin was pulled over, the blood dripping down to her body, as what was reflected, instead, was the skull-like visage of her Master.

Erina's eyes widened at the sight, and as Dove spoke, she could hear the echo of her own father speaking for the girl. Over the girl.

Dove quickly got her hands on several ingredients, including a perfectly massacred chicken, harissa, lemon juice and some olive oil. She combined all of this into a bowl, seasoning to a scientific level, tossing it to combine it perfectly, and then left it to marinate. She heated butter and the remaining oil in a wide casserole over medium-high heat, adding chicken skin-side down and browning them to perfection. Dove then transferred the chicken to a plate. She added the onions, garlic and coriander seeds to a casserole and sautéed until the onion was just the right amount of tender. Dove then stirred in the carrots, then the rice and quinoa, and stirred it to coat it all in oil. She added the stock, saffron, lemon rind and one-hundred and eighty-five milliliters of hot water. Then she began to use her own selection of spices and herbs to season to the True Gourmet taste, before she then placed the chicken on top, browned side up. She covered with a close-fitting lid, and reduced the heat to very low and left it to cook. Dove then prepared and set a few pieces of mint leaves and lemon wedges for the final touches.

It was here, that as Erina moved back, to pull on her wok, that Dove had also moved towards this side of the arena, to pick another ingredient. Here Erina accidentally bumped into Dove, pushing her, and before Erina could even react to it, Dove got furious, turned around and outright shoved Erina back out of nothing but instinct.

Everyone froze.

Dove's eyes widened, realizing what she had just done.

Erina had to steady herself with her counter, as she was almost thrown to the floor.

"Hey…" Anne was quick to voice, with a very serious tone.

Azami was looking at Dove with a very livid expression, and the girl outright flinched, almost quivering at the huge mistake she had just made, when, surprisingly, Erina slowly raised her hand, as if calling for a brief pause.

"…It's fine," Erina noted, breathing heavily, but speaking firmly. "It was an honest mistake, we're fine… right Dove?"

Dove bit her lower lip, frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, sorry…"

And Erina nodded. Despite it all, she still agreed with Dove. She didn't want to win because of a technicality either, and whatever ill-feelings this girl had regarding her, she was sure most of it was just her father talking, and not really Dove. So, for now, they were fine. Dove said nothing else, just went back to cooking, as she heard that Erina was close to completing her dish.

Erina, utterly out of breath, sweating so much she had to constantly wipe her forehead with her sleeves to keep her vision clear, had placed the finishing touches on her dish, and, despite the uncertainty every chef felt the moment it came to present a dish, she powered through and proceeded to walk towards the judges' table, placing the plates before them.

"…P-Please enjoy…" Erina offered, giving them the best, little smile she could muster.

Erina Nakiri presented her Yangzhou Fried Rice & Lo Mein Combo ~ Heaven & Sea Variety.

"Oh my God that looks utterly divine!" Urara cheered, captivated by the look and smell of that dish, as Yua almost drooled.

"This… isn't something you learned from your grandfather or this school," Mana noted, her eyes on the unique dish, quite a noticeable shift in culinary arts from what she was used to seeing from her daughter. Erina nodded with a little smile.

"It is something I picked up from the people closest to me," Erina admitted, "Just modified further in a way, that I hope, only I can achieve. True originality."

Azami frowned at her words here, knowing his daughter was throwing his True Gourmet ideology right back into his face, and despite himself, the dish Erina had presented did look incredibly well made.

"L-Let's dig in then…" Anne declared, and soon all seven of them took their chopsticks and had a bite, and just as they did, like a thunderbolt striking them, they all froze in place, all color draining from their faces, all seven completely frozen on the spot, chopsticks on their mouths, eyes blank.

Dove looked on, her hands beginning to shake. There was no way, right? This girl could not have made something even more impressive than her first attempt, right? There was a limit to how much that idiotic statement of "learning from failure" could take someone… Right?

But, Erina, noticing Dove staring at them in disbelief, approached the girl, and, again, offered her a piece of her dish.

"…Here, I made some for you too."

Dove utterly glared at her, but she took a bite, and she felt it too. The shock, the way her body froze, and how… how… how she craved for more…

"I'm going to show you the Final Getsuga Tenshou," Erina declared, eyes narrowed, glaring at Dove's monstrous form. But like Dove, Erina also transformed, her hair becoming ink-black, and her body being enwrapped in nothing but black bandages and a dark aura. And to Dove's utter horror, it was here, that despite everything, she finally realized what was happening.

"Ridiculous! It's not possible! For anyone to surpass me!" she cried out, in both her voice and Azami's, "That could never…!"

But Erina only created one last attack…

Took aim, and said…

"Mugetsu."

And with it, the sky was shrouded in darkness, as Dove was lost to the all-consuming power before her…

"W-What even is this…?" Dove asked, her look of disbelief now on Erina.

"It's an… incomplete dish from a very impressive and talented woman," Erina admitted, "One that I took the risk of trying to both replicate and complete."

Dove looked at her for a moment, before she scoffed and simply took her own dish and set it before the still shell-shocked judges.

"Well?! Stop overacting to every damn plate you taste and do you jobs!" she reprimanded, and despite their looking at her a little bit peeved, they decided to say nothing and simply turn to her dish.

Dove Dillinger presented True Gourmet Harissa Chicken w/ Carrot, Rice & Quinoa Pilaf.

The already battle-wounded judges, in a way, all struggled to pick up their chopsticks once again, and reluctantly took a bite of what they were sure would just knock them right out once again. And no sooner had they tasted the dish, than they had outright gotten smacked by such an intense flavor. It was like yin and yang, for while Erina gave them the best of one style, Dove replied with the best of the polar opposite. Both fantastic, both utterly alluring, but both as different as day and night.

"I-I don't think I keep this up…" Anne admitted, her lip quivering.

"It is too much, isn't it?" Charme asked with a weary laugh.

"Too much? This insane. Even at BLUE we rarely get dishes of this caliber," Histoire added.

"How?! How did they both present a better dish than their first offering?!" Courage said with a gasp.

"T-This is the stuff you guys have been judging?! How?!" a very shocked Lanterby asked, utterly blindsided by the intensity of the flavors.

Mana narrowed her eyes. 'Erina and Dove. Such talent. There's no doubt that you both will be the future of the culinary world, if you so choose this path, but…'

"…I don't suppose we'll have any further complaints regarding the judging during this round, hmm?" Azami asked, his eyes on Dove, who simply looked away. He then turned to the judges. "Well… please, your expert opinion is…?"

Erina, and what felt like all of Tootsuki, looked on, their hearts on their throats, as the judges began to discuss it between themselves over which girl had cooked the best dish. It seemed like a little back and forth was going on, as Erina felt her nails digging into her palm, subconsciously clenching her fist way too hard it seemed. Then, before anything could be said, Dove motioned to her.

Erina turned, and saw Dove offering her a plate.

"…You offered me yours," Dove noted, not even looking at her. The God Slayer seemed equally terrified of the upcoming results. "Only fair you taste mine, before they decide things."

Erina said nothing, simply nodding and taking hold of the plate. It was, of course, amazing in display and aroma. She expected no less from Dove. But… she needed to best Dove, no matter what, and as she took a bite, she prayed that she had managed that, even if just barely. But, as Erina ate Dove's dish…

Erina found Dove's body crashed onto the ground, bleeding out and seemingly defeated. She looked down, a bit of pity in her eyes, but then, Dove's wounds began to regenerate. Erina immediately appeared before her, but just before she could do anything, her power gave way, and it began to fade away, fast.

"What…?!" Erina blurted out, her eyes wide at the intensity of the dish. Who had cooked this, Dove or her father?!

Erina then turned to the judges, and to her utter horror, all fived of them were looking down at the now empty plates before them…

"What are they…?" was all Erina managed to ask.

Dove was just glaring, as her vision was already a bit blurry.

"H-Hey! Say something!" Urara called out, "Just rip the bandage already!"

The whole stadium was utterly silent, as all attention was on the five judges currently frozen in time, before, slowly, Anne seemed to clear her throat. Here it comes, everyone thought, as they hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst.

Soma's eyes never left Erina.

Asahi did his best not to look at Dove.

And both girls were staring intently at Anne…

Anne then spoke up…

"…We can't decide."

Silence.

Then…

"WHAT?!"

It was a collective shout, led by Urara, as everyone present was utterly at their limit when it came to this whole fiasco. Anne, and one by one, the other judges all simply nodded, signaling to the world, that no, they couldn't pick a winner.

"I am aware of our role," Histoire explained, "Of our roles, but you must understand. We must be completely unbiased. And right now, if we are, we simply cannot refer to either dish as superior to the other. For all intents and purposes, these two dishes are equally masterful."

The public outcry was something else, as the entire audience was up in arms in an instant. And the judges understood it. Erina and Dove, for their part, seemed frozen in place. Whether they had registered what had been said or not, nobody knew.

"This is rubbish!" Azami outright growled, his sudden fury making the audience instantly go quiet, as he pushed himself up and turned towards the judges. "If you want to claim my True Gourmet is not the pinnacle of culinary arts, then fine, do so! But don't go hiding behind this and refuse to do your damn jobs! Dove or Erina, pick one!"

Before any of the judges could reply, trying to rationalize how they were not piking favorites, that was the problem, Mana quickly cut in, "Azami, for once, stop looking at this as a business and see what's before you. These two girls have cooked to their brink, and the result is, basically, an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. You can't ask more from these girls, and despite me not having a vote here, with my God's Tongue, I do agree with them. You can't pick a dish as better than the other. They are both that good."

"Then again."

"Wait, what?"

"I said again!" Azami outright roared. "They duel again, as many times as needed until one of them wins! This in the Intercontinental Shokugeki, not a random class at Tootsuki, not a run-of-the-mill Showcase, not even BLUE! Dove is my entire movement and purpose, while Erina is everything this blasted place represents! I will not accept this match not having a clear victor!"

"Damn it Azami, look at them!" Mana cried out, signaling to the girls, "They're exhausted! You can't make them compete again!"

"Stop shouting, both of you or you will be removed!" Anne cried out, shouting too because of course, as the entire stadium slowly began to join in and shout at them, either at Azami, or Mana, or the judges. Some agreed about wanting a clear winner. Others wanted them to give the girls a break. All the cries mixed with each other, and it was hard to even tell what was what. The screams were all-consuming, and it felt like a void of nothingness had taken over the entire stadium.

But Erina and Dove heard none of it. For them, the last thing they had heard was Anne declaring that they couldn't decide. And that meant, that no matter how much they each had pushed themselves, in the end, it was like hitting a wall. They simply couldn't win this, or at least, that's the message the WGO was telling them. All this effort, all this pain, all this turmoil just to neither win or lose…?

And, in a sea of complaints, worries and uncertainty, a sudden, loud, screeching scream broke through, which made everyone give pause and turn, at the two chefs still standing in the arena.

Erina and Dove had screamed so damn loud, both at the same time, in sheer, desperate frustration and anger and a mess of other feelings.

The scream, heard around the world, was shown on the screens in a split-screen, with half of Erina's face on one side, half of Dove's on the other.

"…Girls?" Mana voiced, as Azami's glare permeated, while Anne and the other judges looked on.

Erina and Dove, utterly out of breath, in a move that utterly shocked everyone, simply walked back to their side of the arena, and waited, each girl glaring at the other.

"W-Wait, they're going again for real?!" Urara asked, utterly aghast, "Three times in a row?! Seriously?!"

'That was it, that was everything I had! My ace on the hold! I couldn't surpass her with it, but I can't back down!' Erina inwardly cried out.

'I pushed myself to the breaking point! That was my best dish, the only one even Azami has admitted as equal to his own! Why… Why won't this girl break?!' Dove also cried out internally.

After a brief pause, Anne reluctantly gave the signal, and to the utter disbelief of everyone present, the screen began to flicker once more, signaling an actual third match-up between Erina and Dove. The ingredient this time became:

Salmon

And both girls instantly moved to cook their dishes, not even giving it a second thought. The world looked, as they both looked on the verge of collapsing, but they powered through. And now, neither Erina nor Dove could even think of anything else. There was no comparisons to be made. No imaginary scenarios to link this to. It was just them, trying their best to cook something when they had nothing left in the tank.

And in their mind, it was nothing but a mess of emotions and flashbacks, of everything that had led to this very moment…

"Is mother feeling better now?" little Erina had asked her grandfather. The man gave her a pitiful look, unable to properly reply to this innocent inquire, "She's been gone for a while… Is she going to come back soon?"

Erina took the salmon, and began to prep it. No strategy, no secret recipe, just in whatever way she could at this point.

"…I've got myself a scholarship with an illustrious culinary academy," Dove lied, avoiding her mother's eyes, since her mother would be able to tell the lie if she saw her face. "About what we talked about, regarding Ruthie, I… I still think its for the best she thinks you're her mother and not me…"

Dove took out her own salmon, and begun to cut away. This was too much. She wanted this to be over. She wanted to go home.

"Daddy! This hurts! I don't want to cook like this…!" a crying Erina begged.

Slice.

"I can't do this! I can't pull off all this shit you want me to! I'm not her! I'll… I'll never be her!" Dove cried out, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Season.

"I want to scream."

Stir.

"I want to go home."

Serve.

It took the girls almost the entirety of the two hours allotted to them to finish with their dishes. They were clearly moving far slower than how they had started, but moments before the time had run out, both Erina and Dove placed their respective plates onto the judges table, both of them about to collapse, as the world watched.

"…please," Urara softly begged into the microphone, as, without needing any more words, the judges, Mana and Azami moved and took a piece of each plate. Some Erina's first, then Dove's. Others the opposite. In the end, it didn't matter, as both dishes got tasted, and now, the would-be ruling could finally be given.

"This is beyond cruel," Anne muttered, shaking her head, 'This isn't a test over which of these girls is a better chef anymore. Simply which one of them dropped in quality less. These dishes barely make the count as approved by us, a far cry from the magnificence featured prominently in the two rounds beforehand…'

Azami felt his hand shake upon tasting each dish. Damn it, it was still too close even for him to tell…

Mana just stared at the girls, both of them looking so exhausted in hurt her, but she was still all kinds of impressed and proud, even of Dove.

The five judges, however, took a few seconds, before, one-by-one, they actually began to cast their votes…

Utter silence followed.

Erina and Dove stared, their eyes widening with each vote cast.

Anne voted for Dove.

Charme voted for Erina.

Histoire voted for Dove.

Lanterby voted for Erina.

And Courage voted for…

Up above, as soon as that name flashed upon the screen, Loren instantly got up, his eyes on his sister.

Soma felt his chest tighten.

Asahi just sighed.

Erina and Dove both looked on, and despite it all, neither girl felt pleased about the results on display…

Winner: Erina Nakiri.

"She did it!" Urara cried out in sheer delight, and as soon as everyone managed to snap out of their shock and take in the results, a massive surge of cheers and applauses erupted from everywhere, as the stage was crowded with praise for the resident Ice Queen's insanely hard-earned victory. "In what was the most insane, nerve-wracking, exercise of frustration disguised as a Shokugeki, Erina Nakiri has triumphed! And with it, the God Slayer and Leader of the Neo-Noirs, Dove Dillinger, is officially eliminated from the Intercontinental Shokugeki!"

The cheers only seemed to increase, as everyone applauded, all the while it took Erina a bit to snap out of it, before she turned towards Dove.

Dove felt her eyes on her, and sighed. She… She wasn't going home, was she? She slowly turned, and saw Erina's exhausted but determined look on her.

"…You won."

"I did."

"…So… Lackey is it?" Dove noted, wondering if jumping from one prison to another was even worth it at this point.

"Hmm… Yeah, that's the deal," Erina noted, and she felt her vision still all kinds of blurry. "…You hereby work for me, and only me Dove Dillinger, we're clear on that, right?"

Dove bit her lower lip, her hands shaking a bit, but she nodded. She knew she had boasted so much, and their deal was caught by the cameras, so she wasn't going to get out of it. "…What does this actually entail, if I can ask –?"

"You're fired."

Pause.

Dove's eyes widened, and she looked back at Erina, utterly confused. "…Huh?"

"You heard me. You're fired," Erina repeated, before, for once, she offered Dove what seemed like a genuine smile. "You are far too much of a hassle for me to handle. And I don't much care to have a lackey that's more or less as good as I am, if not a little better at times. So, yeah, better if we just call it quits here."

"W-What?! Then what was the damn point of all of this?!"

"The point is…" Erina explained, and her smile was still present, "You're done. Whatever father did for you, you've repaid him and then some. Go and do whatever it is you want. You owe me nothing, and now, you owe my father nothing. You have a little brother who is super worried about you, so go give him a hug and, if you ever feel like challenging me for your own sake, then I more than welcome it… dueling you was insane, and as far as I'm concerned, our record is one win for me, one win for you, and two draws, so we still need to settle this… someday, not today, because I can barely stand right now…"

"All of that, the challenge… All of it was to…?" Dove asked in disbelief, her eyes tearing up as the realization slowly hit her.

"I despise you Dove," Erina admitted with a laugh, "But there has to be something to you that's genuine, because you don't get a little brother to love you so much if you don't love him just as fiercely. And believe me, I understand him, because I also have quite the troublesome elder sibling."

Dove motioned to say something, but her words were caught in her throat, and instead she simply turned away and walked off. She didn't dare to look at Azami, even if she could feel his eyes on her. Was it really that easy? Was she done? She couldn't see it that way. She was sure Erina meant well, she sounded genuine, but… that wasn't the deal…

She moved, blindly out of the arena and intended to head right out of there completely, go to the nearest bathroom or corridor and just cry, but she suddenly felt a hand reach out and hold hers. Dove turned, and her eyes were just as shocked as the young man that had held onto her.

"…Asahi?"

"I…" Asahi had not really intended to stop her. He didn't need to do so. They weren't anything anymore. But seeing her so, so broken, he instinctively reached out, "…Dove, listen, I…"

"Congratulations," she said with the tears streaming down her cheeks, and his expression just darkened. There was nothing to salvage here, was there? If he wanted to fix anything with Dove, he would need to just drop everything right now and tend to her. "…You won. You can now do whatever you want. You proved me wrong. I hope… I hope you find what you're looking for…"

Asahi stared, feeling his chest tightening with each word. He wanted to throw it all away. To just pull her in, for a hug, for a kiss, to drop his revenge plot against Azami… but…

Asahi just closed his eyes, and gently, let go of Dove's hand.

Dove cried a bit more; had she been hoping he would not do so?

He didn't know, and probably, neither did she…

Dove simply walked off, passing by Julius and Ashitaro without a word, and walking down the corridors that led in and out of the arena, her steps aimless, and her tears pouring out without stop. She had failed. Utterly failed. And she felt horrible. She had sacrificed so much, and in the end, she couldn't manage anything. Three whole years of this, of pushing herself, and the results were a massive defeat in the world stage…

"Dove!"

Dove paused, her eyes widening. She looked up, seeing Loren rushing towards her. Wait, how did he get here so quickly? She shook her head, trying to hide her tears, but this time she was crying too much and she just couldn't stop.

"L-Loren, stop," she begged, her hand extended, wanting him to stay away, "I-I'll fix this! Somehow! I swear! Don't worry! You don't have to –!"

And he simply took her into his arms, firmly.

"I have such a stubborn sister," he noted, and she bit her lower lip as she cried into his chest. He caressed her lovely hair and kissed her forehead. "Erina is right. We've done enough. You've done enough. If Azami can't win over his own daughter, that's on him. Baby Ruth is waiting for her mom to return. I know you said you were better off by letting your mom raise her as her own, but I know… I can tell. You want that little girl with you. And look at me, some street brat you had no responsibility with, and yet, you've treated and raised me perfectly. Such a perfect sister will no doubt be the best mother…"

"Loren, I…!"

"I know, I know," he simply allowed her to fall onto the ground, cradling her still, and then told her the sweetest words she had ever heard, "You can let yourself fall apart. I promise to hold you together."

…And there Dove just broke, and as he promised, Loren held onto her for as long as she needed him to…

Back on the arena, Erina had only made it halfway out of the arena before she felt herself fall onto Soma's arms, who had rushed towards her.

"I've got you," he told her, and she sunk her face onto the nape of his neck, nodding. She knew he did. He always did. "You did amazingly."

And as Soma held onto her, to the cheers and applause of everyone present, Soma turned his eyes towards Asahi, who had been staring at the scene. The Noir gave it like a second, before he shook his head and began to march towards the stage himself, slowly making everyone stop dead in their tracks on their cheers and instead replacing it with nothing but murmurs and concerned whispers.

"That was quite intense," Asahi noted playfully, his eyes on the judges, Mana and, especially, Azami. "Seems your little squad wasn't quite the Dream Team, eh?"

"Son… I do understand that you are displeased by certain things that have happened," Azami expressed, closing his eyes to control his words to the letter. This wasn't good. Ashitaro making a mess he could handle. Julius getting eliminated hurt, but he could survive it. But Dove losing? No, he had not planned for that. Much less with Asahi still in the game. "But I assure you –"

"Oh no, you don't get to talk here," Asahi quickly shut him down, as he raised his hand, and with a snap of his fingers, the very screens on the arena somehow shifted, much to the shock of everyone there, and even more-so, at what was shown. Azami's eyes widened, as all the conversations he had by text with Decora were now right there on display, for the entire world to see. "Just deleting conversations doesn't quite cut it anymore, not with how smart phones work nowadays, and these screens are still under control of the WGO, and guess whose phone I found?"

Decora, back with the rest of the WGO members, audibly gasped, her hands over her mouth, completely terrified by the sight of what was happening. Rantabi looked on, eyeing the older woman, currently with all her cheating and backstabbing in display for the world to see.

"Cut the feed!" Azami demanded, and in an instant the broadcast was turned off, as the man turned to Asahi, utterly furious, but instead of a scared boy, what met him was the sight of a smirking young man.

"Please, father, don't take me for such a simpleton," Asahi noted, and as he said this, scattered all throughout the crowd, several people stood up. Everyone looked on, at these over twenty sketchy characters scattered strategically throughout the stadium. It took little for the Polar Stars to recognize them as Asahi's little team of Noirs, and they all had cameras aimed at the arena. At Asahi and Azami.

"…What…?" Azami just muttered.

"Ever heard of livestreaming?" Asahi asked in utter mockery. "It may not get as many views as the broadcast, but you can't shut me down completely. So… turn the feed back on, or it's not just the texts I reveal. There are quite a few voice clips that I am so sure you don't want anyone to hear."

Azami outright flinched, his mind racing with what did this boy had on him.

"Speaking of," he turned towards Mana for a moment, smiling at her. "My dad's been trying to get your pants again for a while now, best if you knew, yeah, he's been banging that Decora chick, so, best for you to say no, just in case."

Mana just blinked, utterly lost and shocked at hearing that. Azami… and Decora?

"…What do you want with this?" Azami outright growled. "You realize this hurts Dove…"

"Oh, don't go pulling that card," Asahi threatened, and the venom in his voice was very real. "You hit me real hard there, so kudos on that, I didn't see it coming, but, well, here's my counterattack, so turn the feed back on, or this gets worse."

Azami, utterly against the wall, just gave the signal, and soon enough, they were back on the air.

"Yay! Just what I wanted," Asahi quickly cheered, jumping right next to Urara and Yua, and speaking on the latter's microphone he addressed the camera directly, "Hey folks! I'm sure you're all super confused over what's happening! Thing is, my dad really is quite the bad man. The hashtag is right, so, I'm about to put a little end to all that. I hereby declare myself as a sole participant, representing the Noirs… wait, no, that's kinda confusing because the other guys are called the Neo-Noirs, basically the same name… Never mind, I am representing The Midnight Chefs… and that sounds like a Netflix series, ah hell with it, whatever, I represent myself! So, here's the challenge I declare…"

Asahi, much to Yua's bafflement, as he pulled her along with him, to keep the microphone close, making the girl squeal at being tugged around, as Asahi then showcased to the other participants. Van, for his part, was not all that happy at seeing Asahi all chummy with Yua, and frankly, neither was Urara.

"Ashitaro Sadatsuka from the Neo-Noirs," Asahi signaled to the Warlock, "This child abuser is still in this, so Imma take him out, and," he turned again, now focusing on Erina, "My baby sis, Erina, who father wants to hurt. If she doesn't want to step down, I'll cook against her, even if it hurts me to do so, but I can't let her do what I must do, which is…" he turned again, and his last target was, of course, "Take our dear old dad, Azami Nakamura, down once and for all…"

"…Son."

"What do you say daddy-o?" Asahi asked with quite the smirk, "I take out what's left of your Neo-Noirs and the Elite Ten, and then it's you and me. Mano-a-mano. You win, well, I'll give you a certain phone and I'll go away… But I win, well," he laughed, "…You better try to win, is all I'm going to say."

Everyone was utterly in shock at everything that had just unfolded. Asahi Saiba had just declared outright war on everyone. Was that… good? Him going after the Neo-Noirs, and Azami at that, was great, but he also intended on taking out the Elite Ten. Did that mean, that if he did that, and won all those matches, would Tootsuki then, by default, belong to him?

"…Brother, stop, this… this isn't the way," Erina tried, pushing herself off Soma's arms and turning to Asahi. He turned to her, that damn fake smirk and all that she found so frustrating. "I know how much father deserves this, but this isn't how it should be done. Not humiliating him and Decora in live television, or trying to take my whole school down just to take him out. Please, just…"

"Sis, I told you since we met, don't trust him," Asahi told Erina, and she bit her lower lip. "Best you can do is just forfeit, and let me handle things. Trust me, what I plan to do to Tootsuki is nothing compared with what he'll do to it, so… this is your best bet. Let your older brother take care of things."

"Asahi…" Erina tried, but she felt utterly exhausted to the point she knew it was useless to try and challenge her herself. Ashitaro was still a mess, so she doubted he could beat Asahi, and honestly, she still preferred her brother over that monster, betrayal be damned.

Mana looked on, since it was so rare to see Azami so pushed against the wall, but the man couldn't even fake it anymore. Asahi had gotten him right where he wanted.

"So, unless there's anyone else who wants to interrupt," Asahi continued, turning to Azami. "Are you going to make me bully Ashitaro and my baby sis, or are you going to step up and challenge me properly. You've always been fond of hitting down, right?" Asahi asked with all the malice in the world, and to Azami's utter horror, he repeated the words he had told him way back when, "So, come on, take a swing old man. Unlike Erina or Dove, I can promise you I'll answer in kind."

And the collective gasps echoed throughout, as Azami pictured roughly fifty different scenarios to save himself, but none of them could work. How…? How did his son manage to pull this off?!

Asahi's grin was something else, but slowly, a single hand was raised.

And the King of Noirs turned; eyes narrowed. Because of course he would be this stupid.

"Believe me, I don't want to protect Azami at all," Soma noted, arm raised, "But that plan of yours, I don't much like how it accounts for Erina. She asked you not to do it this way, so I would hope you'd listen to her. This is her home after all, and her family, the none-shitty ones, all live here, and it would hurt them and all our friends too if you did this, so… dude, kindly, take your fight with Azami, like, elsewhere."

"Ah, you're still such a child," Asahi replied, "In order to fix things, sometimes you need to break them first. If this is what I must do to this school in order to teach my father a lesson, then I do hope you understand it is what must be done."

"…I see," Soma noted, and as Erina turned to Soma, her expression one of pure concern, the rebellious boy from that cheap diner just smirked. "Then, sure, let's go with your plan, but you kinda skipped me. And since Erina's super tired, and I want to kick Ashitaro's ass later, why don't you and I have a go at it first? I mean, for your plan to work, you need to eliminate the Elite Ten, right, and I'm number seven."

"My, my, we already know how this ends Soma," Asahi shot back, and Soma did frown when Asahi signaled to his mother's knife currently tucked away in his belt. "But, you're not wrong. It would look like bullying if I started with Erina, and you have quite a few fans, so sure bigshot, bring it on then. Let's start this off, you and me."

And as Erina, alongside everyone else, looked on, Asahi officially declared what the next match, in what seemed like the very end of everything, would be. It wasn't surprising, for Asahi, because he knew this was part of it. Just another, as Tootsuki loved to call it, stepping stone for his success. For his future. And as the screens began to flicker once more, showcasing the upcoming duel, and as sheer and utter silence and dread filled the arena, Asahi couldn't help but smile widely.

His dreams and his goals were finally within reach.

The culinary throne was right there for the taking…

Only problem? Erina's boyfriend.

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Soma Yukihira vs. Asahi Saiba!

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Round 4 – Saturday, November 18, 2023