Chapter 24: Training Camp Pt.4

Soren brought up his dishes and sat them before the judges, while Kojiro saw just exactly what Soren made, and got furious, as he began shouting.

[What the hell is this?... Why the hell did you make my vegetable Terrine… Is this some kind of joke to you?]: kojiro

When Soren noticed how angry Kojiro was, he only smiled, as he set down the plates, and watched as the 3 judges began picking up their forks and knives to take a bit, and while they began testing the food, Soren began speaking.

[This is not a joke, but a handicap… I'm not the best with vegetable dishes, so I thought to give you a chance by using your recette, but with minor changes, that in my opinion improves your dish, and it's quality… Don't get me wrong, I'm just trying to give you a handicap, otherwise, you wouldn't be as humiliated, and not decide to change the way you act]: soren

As Soren spoke, his words had just angered Kojiro to no ends, and after looking to the judges to see what their opinion was on Soren's dish, he was shocked to see them in an all out unsightly appearance, as both Donato, and Hitoshi were blushing while they had looks of ecstasy on their faces, while Fuyumi seemed to have wet herself, as she was touching her breasts in a sensual way. Soren could admit he loved the sight of Fuyumi's actions, but Donato and Hitoshi's appearances would forever scar him, as well as haunt his dreams.

[So… Do you want to admit defeat yourself?... Or would you rather your fellow graduates tell you who won?... All you need to do is try the dish, and you will find out for yourself, whose dish is actually better]: soren

As Soren tempted Kojiro, Gin decided that he wanted to try Soren's food after seeing what it did to his fellow graduates, and after taking a single bite, he felt as if he was in an entire world of vegetables, as he was floating down a golden river of delicious flavors. Gin felt as if the vegetables were hot beautiful women, and they were blowing him as he floated down the stream of paradise until he reached the end, making Gin's face go completely red, as he began to show a bit of a bulge in his pants, but thank god nobody noticed. (A/N: This description may seem unneeded, or unnecessary, but it gives off the sensation that everyone who eats Soren's food is feeling… They are experiencing a literal food orgasam, on a scale far better than the show explains)

[Fine!... You want me to try your dish?... Then I will try it, but if I don't like it, you will need to admit defeat]: kojiro

Upon hearing Kojiro agree to taste his dish, Soren gave a big smile, and handed him a plate with a piece of his terrine on it, along with a fork and knife. Kojiro had then taken the fork and knife in hand, before he cut a bite sized piece off, and brought it up to his mouth to take his first bite, and after steeling himself for the possibility that Soren's food might be better than his, Kojiro took a bite, and like everyone else in the room who had eaten Soren's dish, Kojiro was having an orgasam from the food, making Soren disgusted, but the smile never left his face, as he knew he won.

[I… I-I… I admit defeat…]: kojiro

Soren's smile finally relaxed into a face of victory, as he heard Kojiro's words, and then he spoke.

[You never had a chance… You know, if you put aside your attitude, you might be a great chef, but how do you expect people to like you if you make it unbearable to work with you… You may think you're a great chef now, but what will happen the day you are left in the kitchen all alone because all of your employees decided to quit, due to your attitude?... How will you serve all the customers in a timely manner?]: soren

Kojiro just listen as Soren spoke, and deep down, he knew that Soren was right, he took being a Totsuki graduate as a position far above what most may see, and thought he was a God among normal chef's, and no matter how he acts, or what he says, he was still better than those other chef's. And today was the day that Kojiro had his eyes opened, and after this training camp, he would go back to France and show a complete change in his personality, that would make all his employees think he was sick, while all his dishes would improve, as he had been pushed passed his block, due to the help of Soren and his dish.

[I can hereby state that Soren has won the challenge, and will continue attending Totsuki Academy… Does anyone disagree?]: gin

Nobody spoke, and Gin was about to make his decision final, until Kojiro spoke up.

[Wait!... I have a question… Soren, why would you want to continue learning at Totsuki, when you have achieved this level of skill… If you wanted, you could easily take the first seat of your current generation, and graduate with honors… So why do you stay?]: kojiro

Soren could already see a change in Kojiro's attitude, and decided to answer simply.

[I stay, because I want to make friends, as once graduation gets here, I'm going to challenge each and every graduate, and if they lose to me, they will join the restaurant I plan to make, as my tiny diner won't be big enough to support the type of fame I wish to bring to it… And since you asked, I would like to make you an offer Kojiro… How about you join under me in the future… I promise, that if you do, I'll show you things that you could only dream of]: soren

Upon hearing Soren's offer, Kojiro was a bit interested in what Soren was talking about, so he asked.

[And what is it that you will show me?]: kojiro

[Well that's for a time when you decide to accept my offer… As for now, I have a training camp to attend… If you can, keep it on the low that I won, and if anyone questions what happened here, tell them that I lost to Kojiro, but my food was passable, so Kojiro decided to revoke the expulsion… Wouldn't want word getting out that a student beat a graduate, now would we?]: soren

When Soren spoke, everyone was in agreeance, that the outcome of this battle would be altered, and changed due to appearance sake, and deep down, everyone in that room would live knowing the fact that a student beat a graduate. Soren then went back to his room, and went to sleep, and the next morning he woke up to his door being banged down, and upon getting up to see who was on the other side of his rooms door, Soren opened it to see everyone from Kyokusei who had come to the training camp, and they all were there to see if Soren had been expelled.

[Thank God, You were not expelled!... I for sure thought that Chef Kojiro had expelled you!... Does that mean you won the battle!?]: megumi

Soma and Megumi had explained to everyone what happened in class, and when everyone heard that Soren challenged a graduate, Zenji passed out, while the rest were worried that he would be expelled, but seeing him right in front of them, gave them hope that somehow, Soren was able to win.

[Nah… I lost… But don't worry, I'm not being expelled… I was given a passable line due to Gin-sama knowing that Kojiro didn't really like me, and I passed, so the expulsion was revoked]: soren

When Soren explained the made up excuse that they all agreed on the night prior, they all then got dressed in their uniforms, and went to their morning classes, and Soren noticed that he appeared to stick with Soma's class, as they were doing solo cooking challenges, and Soren's current challenge was to make a ramen dish. Upon looking into his memories, Soren noticed that he had quite a few recipes for ramen, and picking a decent one, Soren began cooking, and in half an hour, Soren turned in his dish, and was passed.

[Cya guys later!... I'm going to the bath!]: soren

Soren bid farewell to Soma and Megumi who were still cooking their dish, and left the room, while both Soma and Megumi were surprised with how quick Soren was, while Soma was just waiting a bit longer for Megumi to pass before he began making his dish. Soon, the end of the day came, and everyone was out of the bath, and about to head back to their rooms, when an announcement came in over the loudspeakers, drawing everyone's attention.

[(All students of Totsuki Academy, at 10:00 PM, one hour from now… You are to report to the main banquet hall in your school uniforms… One again, that's 10:00 PM… That's all)]

After hearing the announcement, everyone began to complain, but did as they were told, and all got dressed, before heading to the designated area where the meeting would be held. Once they got there, everyone saw Gin Dojima standing on the podium where he began speaking into the mic.

[Everyone, please gather your attention up here… There is only one reason I have called you all here, and it's to inform all of you of tomorrow's challenge… Your challenge is to create a new breakfast item befitting our guests here at Totsuki Resort… Breakfast is the face of our hotel… It is an important meal that represents the start of our guests' day… So you must present something that gives the table an air of invigorated radiance… Something that cannot be ignored, nor forgotten… Make a single dish, one with a fresh sense of wonder… Your main ingredient will be eggs, and you are allowed to prepare any style of cuisine, but it must be presented in the buffet-style… Judgement will begin at 6:00 AM tomorrow, so be ready to present your dish for tasting by then… Use your time however you may like, and you are free to use the kitchen to test your new dishes, or you may go rest up in your room, but I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow… You're dismissed!]: gin

Everyone seemed to be having nervous breakdowns, while only a select few seemed to be unfazed, and they were some of the first to head towards the kitchen, while Soren only looked over to his group and spoke.

[Well… Cya all tomorrow at 6, I'm heading to bed… Goodnight!]: soren

Soren then began whistling as he walked back to his room, leaving his group shocked at how carefree he was about this challenge, while even Soma didn't feel confident about this challenge, as it required something new to be added, making him think about what he would be adding. The next morning, everyone began to gather in a gigantic banquet room, where food stations were everywhere, and after getting to his station, Soren noticed that he was placed next to some random person, and this made him happy, as he didn't need to outclass one of his friends, and not let them get the 250 plates that they need to pass, while he can outclass the hell out of this person next to him, as he was just a nobody. Just as everyone began preparing to cook, Gin Dojima appeared on a teleproctor with a mic in hand, that was connected to the speakers inside the room, and in the next second, he began explaining the rules, as well as introducing the judges for this challenge.

[Please welcome the suppliers of the ingredients to Totsuki Resort, and their families… They will be the judges for today's challenge, as well as were the judges for every year prior to this one, and they have also come up with the theme being an egg dish with a sense of wonder… These guys know their stuff, and they're very precise… Next are Totsuki Resort's staff, from the cooking and service divisions will also be acting as judges… Now for the rules… Two criteria must be met for passing this challenge… First, both the suppliers and our staff must give their approval of your dishes, and second, our guests must eat a total of at least 200 plates in 2 hours… Now remember… Be vigilant and keep your customers happy, as they are the ones who matter the most… Whoever meets this criteria shall pass, now then… Judges in all assembly halls, enjoy this breakfast to your hearts' content!... Let the judgement begin!]: gin

After giving the starting signal, Soren went to work on making his dish, as he had planned it out ever since coming to this training camp, and what he made was quite unique, as it is a mexican dish, with Soren's own spin on it to make it more breakfast appropriate. Soren was making Huevos Rancheros, or known as Rancher's Eggs in english, but instead of a warm salsa, Soren was going to use sausage gravy instead, while adding half a bagel to make the dish a bit more filling. Soren then began heating up the pans as he then added some butter and began letting it melt, before making a separate pan to start making the sausage gravy. Soren began cooking the sausage in the pan with some oil and butter, before adding some all-purpose flour, and heavy whipping cream instead of whole milk, as the heavy whipping cream would give it a nice thickness along with the flour, and then he added some salt and pepper, before placing it off to the side after folding it all together. Soren then began making eggs, while frying the bagel in the same pan to put the excess butter to use, while also adding some flavor to the plain bagel, and after cooking the sunny side up eggs, Soren went to plating, as he placed the bagel on the plate, then put the egg on top, before finishing it off with the sausage gravy, as well as sprinkled a bit of cheese on top, as to give it a bit more flavor.

[Order up!... Come and get it!]: soren

After setting out the plates, Soren went back to cooking more, and soon, Soren noticed that his plates began to pile up, and taking a look out at the crowd, Soren noticed that there were people who were intently staring at him, while waiting for more plates to come out.

[Haha!... I see, so you all want more?... Then more you shall get!]: soren

As Soren began putting out more and more dishes, word began to spread around the floor that there was an amazing dish across the hall, and immediately, people began making their way towards Soren's station, while the guy working next to him began to feel depressed, as nobody was even looking at his dish, and he could only curse his luck at the placement for this challenge, as he felt he would never reach the plates needed to pass this challenge. Soon, more and more people began to gather around Soren's station, and they watched as he began to kick up the speed, and soon, more and more plates were being put out before they were immediately snatched by a customer, and while it seemed that the fight was on Soren, it was also out on the crowd as well, as they were fighting over who got the next plate.

[Look at that… It seems this challenge will be no problem for young Soren… The judges seem to be fighting over his food even… Kojiro, take over for a bit, I'm gonna go snag a plate]: gin

Gin passed the watch over to Kojiro, and then left to go to the floor, and then made his way over to Soren's station, where he already had around 40 plates stacked high, while not even 20 minutes had gone by, and by all the reactions, Soren would reach 200 plates in no time. Gin then pushed his way to the front, and as he saw a plate get set out, he began reaching for it, only for it to be snatched away right from under his hand, while a scream was heard.

[Yes!... I got one!]: ???

Gin only smiled when he saw this, as in the next second, the person who took the plate seemed to enjoy themselves as they ate, and soon after many plates, and some more fights, Gin finally got a single plate, and went back to the observation room, with a satisfied smile on his face.

'That boy is truly something else… I wonder who taught him?': gin

Soon, 2 hours were up, and Soren was standing on 267 plates served, while most everyone else who passed were either just at 200, or somewhere between 205-220. Soren had the most plates by far, and a good 43% of the students who participated had lost, and been expelled.