These are Yukihira specialty dishes that can only be found on their secret menu. As he waited for his meal to cook, Takumi told Sōma that he had pride in his own family-owned restaurant, Sōma finalized his dish choice and sent Megumi to gather some garnish. Even when he brought out his cooler of various beef parts, Subaru revealed that he knew about the purchase of those parts even though Sōma had only bought them the morning of the match. For his secret weapon, he snatched Hinako's kaki seeds and immediately left the room to gather a few more ingredients. His encouraging speech moved Subaru who smiled and realized that he could still continue to cook even though he lost.

He advised that if Sōma finds himself in a similar situation again, he should use his imagination to plan through it. With a single taste, Erina informed him that his dish lacked the explosive spiciness that Terunori's club specializes in. Yūya arrived shortly after with a Karaage Onigiri, but the idea was revoked by Ikumi and Mayumi, saying that his "idea" already exists at convenience stores. He also has a knack for defeating his opponents in their own tactics and specialities. Sōma, Akira, and Ryō entered the arena and headed to their station. He has struck up friendships with everyone in the When Sōma was in his 5th year of elementary school, his family tasked him with handling a fish. A few days before the festival, Sōma unveiled his first plan of attack: Though he finally was able to defeat Terunori and the Chinese Cuisine RS on the final day, Sōma was left unsatisfied that his plan to defeat him did not go as planned. Senzaemon was interested enough to give Sōma's dish a second taste. Erina initially refused, but before Sōma was about to leave, he noticed that she was holding a Shojo manga. After an intense match, the judges were split, with two votes each for Akira and Ryō, and the final judge unable to decisively choose. For his dish, Sōma decided to serve a Catching his breath, Sōma was confronted by the girl who he met the previous night. Soon after, Senzaemon stepped onto the stage and gave a speech regarding the legacy behind the very hall they were standing in before starting the preliminaries. During his first year itself, Sōma has by himself defeated four members of the Elite Ten (Etsuya Eizan, Akira Hayama, Nene Kinokuni, Somei Saitou). However, even with Sōma's impressive creativity, it was not enough for him to win the match. Akira and Ryō felt insulted by his supposed cockiness with his saury and immediately congratulated him for his "3rd place" effort. Abel was curious as to how Sōma managed to stuff the dish properly, which was revealed to be cabbage, taking inspiration from Kojirō's After two more weeks of the Stagiaire, Sōma completed all of his Stagiaire assignments and was the first Polar Star member to return to the dormitory. Sōma suggested to make the restaurant only available if the patrons make a prior reservation. Returning to the kitchen, Sōma and Megumi cooked a When they returned to the hotel, the students thought they would finally get some rest, but The second day put Sōma under Kojirō's instructions. Among the people on the bus was Chicken Eggs' Erina reluctantly allowed Sōma into her car back to Tōtsuki. Sōma started his 489th cooking duel against his father but was once again lost in a decisive defeat. Immediately, a new crowd of customers entered and filled the entire restaurant. Shortly after, Akira, who smelled the faint aroma of spices from Sōma's hands, arrived. Pushing Sōma out of the way, Sōma noticed that Takumi's hands were one that was experienced in the kitchen. Unable to keep up the pace and his nerves were getting the best of him, the inexperienced Sōma felt his hands go numb and his mind went blank. Just as the Restaurant Yukihira closed up for the night, an urban planner, However, Yaeko refused to eat it, believing that it did not fulfill her request, but Sōma forced her to take a bite. Trying to put Sōma in his place, Erina told him that their fellow classmates had formal Tōtsuki culinary education for the past three years while he has not.

With two weeks to prepare, Sōma needed to plan his menu as soon as possible. Though he was surprised by the simplistic theme, Erina surprised him further when she explained that even the "B-Class" Bento is recognized worldwide as a potential "A Class" dish. Unlike the previous matches, the Finals was held during the evening. Sōma joined the Polar Star with all eight of them who passed. Confused over the action, he learned that panic and lack of self-confidence due to unexpected pressure is a chef's greatest weakness in Jōichirō's mind. Although each curing method improved the saury, Megumi and Sōma noted that each still did not match the fresh saury Ryō had prepared.