Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 78 Regiment de Cuisine: 2nd Bout (Wrap-Up)

(Author's Note: I took so long to write this because it ended up being almost two chapters worth of material, and I had to split it up. The next chapter will be here soon!)

            "All six dishes from the second bout are complete! Let us begin with the Resistance," says Histoire, one of the WGO examiners tasked with judging the Regiment de Cuisine.

He is tall, lanky, and wears an eye-catching plaid suit. Along with his round glasses and trendy haircut, he looks more like a hipster than a food critic.

"Then I'll try this glorious sushi!" says Charme, one of the other judges.

Like Histoire, Charme's appearance doesn't exactly scream 'WGO official'. His suit is a more traditional navy blue, though he also wears an eccentric polka-dot tie. Thanks to his long blonde hair and elegant demeanor, Charme looks like the sort of character you'd see on the cover of a romance novel.

"Oooh! Which one do I wanna try?" says Anne, the third and final judge.

Anne, who seems young for a WGO official, has long dark hair and a condescending smile. She wears a white, frilly, long-sleeve top and a dark layered skirt (also with frills). The golden cross around her neck gives off a religious vibe.

Torrey patiently watches while the judges sample each Resistance dish. They pause their eating only to discuss the brilliant flavors and preparation methods. Their reactions are nothing short of foodgasmic. To the spectators, it appears that the Resistance has earned an early advantage in this bout.

As the number one culinary academy in the world, Totsuki is loaded with talent. Every chef, from Eishi Tsukasa to Jonny, is worthy of a spot here. However, there is a clear gap between the talent level of the top students and everyone else.

The judges move on to Central's creations, or rather, their culinary masterpieces. It doesn't take long for them to reach an agreement. The scoreboard quickly flashes the results of the second bout:

1st card: Eishi Tsukasa vs Terunori Kuga. Winner: Eishi Tsukasa

2nd card: Rindo Kobayashi vs Tosuke Megishima. Winner: Rindo Kobayashi

3rd card: Tormund Waldenpond vs Subaru Mimasaka. Winner: Tormund Waldenpond

"Ha! How'd you like that, Rebel Scum! You sent out the best you had, and they all went down in worthless defeat! Too bad...so sad...not!" says Urara. The crowd roars in approval.

"But how? My trace should have been flawless! My arrangement, too!" protests Mimasaka.

"In the end, the deciding factor...was the quality of the ingredients," concludes Charme.

"What?! You've gotta be kidding me! I cooked the tuna steaks to perfection! And I even used a seafood stock made from old shrimp tails, just like he did!" says Mimasaka, pointing angrily at Torrey.

"Right, it was definitely a good trace. And I finally realized what you did differently with your dish- by substituting basil for spinach, you managed to keep the dish Italian while enhancing the depth of flavor. It might have been enough to earn you a victory," says Torrey.

"Then what's the problem here?!"

"As Mr. Charme so astutely pointed out, it's the quality of the ingredients. One does not simply beat the flavor profile of Bluefin tuna with a lesser cut. And while I'm sure that you chose a decent dry white to use for your risotto- it probably can't compare to the Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet that I used in mine. Unless...did you also happen to use a $6,000 bottle?"