Fall: And So, Stupidity That Which Fell To; ...! PT. 3/4

I watched the clock anxiously, our time about halfway over in our Food War.

"Hell's yeah, now we're cooking with gas!" Hiro yelled out from the other side of the room, starting to laugh maniacally. I had no clue what they hell what they were making over there, but from the frazzled looks on everyone's faces, it must've been intense. Then again…

"C'mon slowpoke Depra! Stop wasting time and hurry it up over there!" Prez yelled out, a white bandana around her forehead that had the word "Victory" hastily written on it (or, at least that's what she said was written on it, since it was in another language).

I nodded, turning back to finely mincing my vegetables, constantly muttering under my breath as I watched all my vegetables be left with only the most perfectly minced of vegetables.

Meanwhile, Pinkie, who was busy working by the stove, seemed to be working on some sort of broth that she created on the spot, while Prez was carefully cooking the vegetables I had cut up.

And last and most certainly least, The Ass was working on the meat, busy cooking it the way Prez told him too. Honestly, he was the one I was most worried about, since he had nearly no experience cooking, but Prez said he was the perfect one for the job apparently.

"I'm so gonna kick your ass number one!"

"Like hell you are! You're number 2 for a reason dumbass!"

The backtalk didn't help the rising tension on the battlefield, and I could feel sweat dripping down my face as I continued to concentrate.

"Hey Depra, you've done enough so go grab the dishes we need, got it?"

I nodded, setting my knife down before rushing to grab the dishes, which were three sets of bowls and spoons, and set them down next to Prez, who was just about finished concocting up her masterpiece.

"Hey Ass, bring it to me now!" The meat the Ass had been working on was suddenly sent flying into Prez's pot right as Pinkie poured in the broth, letting out a loud gush of steam into the air.

��Alright, great work guys! I can do the rest, so the you guys just relax," Prez said, covering the pot with the lid before turning up the heat. We all nodded before collapsing in a couple nearby chairs, and it was then that I noticed a burning sensation on my left hand.

I frowned, examining it before letting out a sigh. "Ah, it happened again," I murmured, looking at the cut more closely. It didn't hurt very much, although that was because…

"Huh? Son, did you cut yourself while cooking?" Pinkie noticed, taking my hand in her two small ones.

"Oh, yeah, but I wouldn't worry too much. I'm used to it by now."

"Used to what?" She asked hesitatingly, and I muttered under my breath before showing the cut to her again.

"See, it's fine, nothing to worry about," I said, the cut gone from my body, not even a scar left to remember it by.

Pinkie's eyes widened at my finger before she looked back at me.

"Hey Depra, don't tell me you-!"

"Hehe, HEHEHEHE!" Prez exclaimed, and we turned to see her approaching the three judges, carrying three domed platters to hide her finished product in.

"I see, so Prez is the first one to finish!" Priapus-sensei exclaimed, looking at the hidden platter in front of him. "I could smell what you four were cooking from all the way over here! I'm expecting great things!"

"But of course!" Prez said, grinning. "Now, I present to you…!"

She uncovered the platters, releasing a blast of steam, and quickly after it came a rich aroma that filled the entire room, causing the judges mouth's to water.

"Prez-Style Trachanas!" She exclaimed, revealing three bowls of her dish. Inside the dishes were the vegetables I minced up, which were onions and peppers, along with some thinly sliced tomatoes around the edge of the bowl I had secretly worked on. The soup broth, which was beef and tinged red, was filled with the trachanas and the meat the Ass worked on, which was also beef.

"Oh!" Priapus-sensei and Pomona-sensei exclaimed, looking eagerly at the dish, while Pandora, who was the middle, frowned at the name.

"Uh, what exactly is this?"

"Fufu, I'm glad you asked Pandora!" Prez said. "Trachanas is a type of dry, crumbly pasta often made into soup! It's something I'm used to making, so I decided to go this route with your theme!"

"When was the last time we had this dish Pomona!?" Priapus-sensei exclaimed, a wide smile on his face.

"Far too long indeed! Not since those times have we had such a dish!" Pomona-sensei agreed, picking up her spoon.

"Hmm, I've never had this before, but might as well try it," Pandora said, getting a spoonful of the soup along with everyone else, before putting it into their mouths. And then…

"IT'S DELICIOUS!" They all exclaimed before practically melting in their chairs.

"Incredible, absolutely incredible!" Pomona-sensei said, taking another bite, this time savoring the flavor. "How did you managed to cook the meat to such perfection!? It practically melts in my mouth, it's so tender!"

"Especially since it doesn't take over too much from the vegetables and soup broth! How did you pull this off!?" Priapus-sensei yelled out, starting to examine the dish more thoroughly.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it! But first," Prez turned around to Hiro, carrying an extra dish she prepared for him. "Let's see if number one can figure it out."

He frowned as he took a waft of the Trachanas in, before taking a spoonful of her dish in his mouth.

"I see, what the hell did you do with that wooden pot of yours?" Hiro asked, looking over at the wooden pot she had used to bring all the ingredients together.

"Hmph, glad you asked Hiro, for you see, I used this, my family's special spice mix passed down through the ages!" She exclaimed, bringing out a jar of mixed spices. On it had what was probably her family's last name, but it was far too faded for us to even try to read it. "You see, I did something crazy and lined the inside of the pot with this stuff, so it would cook evenly with all the food!"

Everyone's jaw dropped at her words, and Hiro looked back down at the soup in shock. "That's insane, you know that right? If you screwed up, your whole dish would've been fucked!"

"Ah well, glad I didn't huh!" She said, letting out a big grin.

Ah, I forget how crazy she is sometimes.

Hiro sighed, putting the soup down, scratching his hair. "Well damn, I don't know if I'm gonna top that!" He let loose a smile.

"Just kidding."

He let out a laugh as he looked at Prez. "As expected of number two, you pulled out all the stops! But in the end, it wasn't enough huh!?"

He grabbed his three covered platters and set them down in front of the judges, grinning at them.

"I present to you…!"

He placed his hands on the domes, and everyone could feel the tension as he ripped open the domes.

"Hiro-Style Ramen!"

And inside was no smell wafting out, just a ceramic bowl with a bunch of large white noodles in it. No broth, no meat, just the noodles.

"… Huh?" Everyone let out, and Hiro let out a grin.

"Now, now, I don't really get points for presentation, but this is my dish! Not even the great Luna could ever make this!"

"Huh," Pomona-sensei frowned, examining the large noodles in the bowl. "So, how exactly do we eat them?"

"Oh that. If you could eat them one at a time, that would be great. Oh, and remember to chew it up real good," he said, his grin still on his face.

"Hmm, well I trust my honey, so might as well." She stuffed one of the large noodles in her mouth, slurping it up before biting down on it. She suddenly stopped, and everyone's attention turned to her.

"Huh, looks like it's as bad as it tastes," Prez said, grinning to herself. "Looks like you really were all talk Hiro."

"Ah, but keep on watching," he said, his grin growing wider as he continued to watch Pandora.

And just like that, as if a switch had been flipped inside her, she started to devour the rest of the noodles as if she hadn't any food all day.

"Eh, they're gone!?" She said suddenly, looking down at her bowl, much to everyone's shock. "Hey honey, can I have seconds please?"

He let out another laugh. "But of course! I have enough for thirds for everyone in the room!"

Hiro brought another bowl to Pandora, and she scarfed it down just as quickly.

"Wait, what the hell did you do!?" Prez exclaimed, and she could only watch as the other two judges had similar reactions to Pandora, asking for seconds as well.

Hiro started to laugh even harder as he slid a bowl her way. "If you really wanna know, try it out for yourself, Mrs. President."

She stiffened at his words before looking down at the bowl, taking the spoon that accompanied the meal to take one of the large noodles. She put the entire thing in her mouth before biting down on it.

Her eyes widened, darting between the bowl of noodles and Hiro. She quickly chewed it up before pointing a finger at him.

"You, how the hell did you pull that off!? You managed to fit an entire bowl of ramen into the noodles!"

"HUH!?" We all let out, and the judges finished eating their seconds before speaking.

"Indeed, never have I experienced such a thing! I wouldn't even think it would be possible, dare even attempt it!" Priapus-sensei said, looking down at the empty bowl. "The broth, meat, vegetables, even toppings; all of it was inside the noodles! My tastebuds can't even fathom the level of deliciousness this man has created!"

"I never thought I would live to see a master chef such as yourself! What is your name young one!?" Pomona-sensei asked, and Hiro let out a huge grin.

"I'm just your average everyday Hiro is all," he said before letting out a laugh.

"Well, my vote is for honey!" Pandora said, and the other two judges agreed.

"Glad you liked it!" Hiro yelled out, taking off his bandana, which had the word fight emblazoned on it (well, according to Hiro anyway, since it was in Japanese).

Prez gritted her teeth, glaring at Hiro. "Oh no, like hell I've lost!" She stormed to me, offering me her dish. "Depra, mine is obviously better right!?"

"Oh no you don't Prez, like hell Depra will say that! After all, my dish is the superior one, right Depra!?"

Oh no, I have a very bad feeling about this. And those were my last thoughts before being stuffed with food by the both of them, ending up in a food coma. Funnily enough, it was the only time the nightmares didn't plague my rest.

And so ended my activities with the Hidden Club.