Episode 26: The Strongest Ace
January 18, 1998 • 25 min
The third round starts, and it will be a cooking in a pot. Mao has a choice of the freshest ingredients, while the Masked Chef is going to use the seafood ingredients that he has stored for a long time and told Mao that he will complete his revenge. Mao told the Masked chef to stop calling Chouyu a cheater, because he isn’t one, until the Masked Chef told his past. In the past (he wasn’t a Masked Chef yet, this is just a name for his character), the Masked Chef was working with the same restaurant that Meika (apparently, Mei Li’s mother) and he is in love with her. He told Mao that his passion for cooking is his passion for Meika. But then, Meika’s father announced that her husband will be chosen by a cooking match, against the Masked Chef’s rival from his old school: Chouyu. The match was also a three-round lobster match. The Masked Chef even told Meika that he will make Meika happy. The match began, but then when the Masked Chef reached in for a lobster, he was stung by a needle. He started to get dizzy, but he didn’t want to lose Meika so he continued to cook. But as he put it: “The first two rounds are utter defeat.” And the winner was already chosen. Because of this, he decided to go to the underground (Mao was surprised and interested when he heard of the cooking underground). He trained really hard and changed his whole personality so he can have revenge on Chouyu who cheated him of Meika. And that now he returned. He also told Mao that he was using the same ingredients he hadn’t used the last time and now it was preserved and Mao knew that when it’s soaked in the water the taste will come out. Mao was having a hard time thinking about what to use, thinking that no seafood could beat the Masked Chef’s ingredients. Then, Fei flashed into his mind, the one when he took the Super Chef Exams, telling him to stick to his roots. Mao finally gathered all “mountain” ingredients he could find and started cooking. The Masked Chef saw what he was doing and noted that Mao made a mistake: lye is forming in the cooking, and it will be difficult to remove with such a small amount of time. Mao said that he knew all about lye and he will start to show his real skills. The Masked Chef asked Mao if he’s still holding back. Then, Mao pulled out an old cookbook and started tearing out the pages. All while this is happening, Shilou who is already near the mansion, was taken captive. Both chefs finished their pot: Mao’s in black and the Masked Chef’s in white. Mao then asked the Chef to do the judging, but then the Masked Chef said that there’s going to be a third party and it turns out to be Shilou! If Shilou picks Mao’s bowl, all will be saved. But if not, Mao will die too. But they wouldn’t tell Shilou who cooked which bowl. Shilou can’t take the pressure, knowing that Chouyu, Mei Li and the other’s lives are in his hands…