"You guys probably know about Megishima." Soma says as he turns to Megishima, who gives him a nod. "Our meeting is quite an interesting one."

"What do you mean by that?" Erina asks with confusion.

"As you guys all know, Megishima hates Shokugeki, but we still have a Shokugeki during the first year." Soma sighs, "Not because he wants to, but he is forced by his classmates."

"Let me guess, you won?" Takumi asks with a sigh.

"That's why he got the third seat, though." Soma says. "Even though he doesn't like Shokugeki, but he accepts the position because of the fact that he can use the authority to travel around the world to learn more for his ramen dishes."

Megishima says, "Indeed. I have no objections to becoming the third seat, but when it comes to Shokugeki, I tried to avoid as much as I can."

"Now for the next one...we have Akanegakubo Momo..." Soma sighs.

(Flashback)

The Phantom is walking around the school until he hears a voice, "Bucchi! Please help me get my Bucchi!"

Soma notices that it is a girl who is shorter than him, and she seems to be in a panic as her doll is stuck on top of the tree. Soma sighs as he decides to help out.

After getting the doll back, she hugs the doll and says, "Thank goodness, Bucchi, you're safe."

Soma asks, "Why was your doll on the tree in the first place?"

"Momo was very angry that Momo accidentally threw Bucchi into the tree..." Momo says.

"So your name is Momo." Soma says as Momo finally realizes who she is talking to.

"Phan-nyan..." Momo mutters.

"Nyan? What is that?" Soma asks in confusion.

"It was how she refers to someone who she seems unworthy." Soma turns around to see Saito Somei standing near a tree.

"Somyan, when were you standing there?" Momo asks with annoyance.

"So you know her, Saito?" Soma asks.

"She is also the first grade like me, Akanegakubo Momo. she usually refuses to interact with new people who she meets." Saito says.

"I see...so you think that I'm unworthy, huh..." Soma says to Momo, who flinches a little. "How about we have a Shokugeki? Maybe I'll make you take back your words."

Momo gulps a little as the Phantom is challenging her, but she doesn't want to lose as she agrees.

And inside the Moon Banquet Hall, they manage to find 3 judges, which are Tsukasa Eishi, Tadokoro Yu, and Sonada Kikuchi. While Rindo and Saito are watching from the stands. The theme they choose is Chocolate, with Momo going for Chocolate Covered Checkerboard Cake, while Soma going for Chocolate Volcano Brownie.

"The theme is dessert, but both of them go for chocolate, huh..." Rindo says.

"I can tell this would be a match worth seeing." Saito adds.

After the judges taste both desserts, they are going to be melted from the sweetness. Momo says, "There is no one who could make better desserts than Momo...the overuse of chocolate can only give you 90 points."

"Is that so?" The Phantom asks. "Why don't you try it out?"

Momo flinches as she tries Soma's cake, even though she doesn't want to admit it, she can't help but melt into Soma's dish.

"I think we all agree with the winner." Yu says as the other two nods. And they all vote for Soma in the end.

"Phantom...not cute..." Momo cries after losing, but Soma says, "Your dessert is very good, I admit, but that doesn't give you the right to look down on someone else."

Momo looks at the Phantom while stopping crying, and he helps her get up until he leaves the stadium. It is also the same time Akanegakubo Momo starts to respect the person in front of him despite his mysterious nature.

(Flashback Ends)

"So you managed to beat Momo senpai with her own specialty..." Megumi says. "That was amazing, Soma-kun."

"Momo senpai is a nice person if she gets to know you." Soma sighs. "She is also known to pick toys that were selecting toys that appeared unappealing, and those toys become trendy items. Momo senpai gained the reputation of a renowned consultant, providing designing advice to various companies on products such as books, toys, clothing, and sweets."

"But still, even you talk highly about her, she is still no doubt a member of the Central." Kuga adds.

"Well, she seems to be the only one who seems to agree with Eizan's dirty Shokugekis, considering she doesn't like to battle those who she seems unworthy." Soma frowns. "And for the last one in Grade 3 is Saito Somei, who I met before Momo."

(Flashback)

The Phantom hears the sound of someone who is training with the blade, he decides to watch as he notices Saito Somei doing what he was hearing. Soma thinks, "That sure is a nice blade."

After Saito finishes his training, he notices that Phantom is standing beside him. He says, "You must be the Phantom that manages to beat a lot of people in the Elite 10, am I right?"

"So what if I am?" Soma asks.

"What do I have the honor to have you here?" Saito asks.

"I was just interested in the way you trained yourself. I'll be leaving if you think I'm interrupting your training. Also, sorry." Soma says as he wants to leave, but Somei says, "Wait for a second. Since you are here, you don't mind if I challenge you?"

"A Shokugeki? You do know that nobody has managed to defeat me, are you sure you want to do this?" Soma asks.

"It will lose the honor of a samurai to refuse such challenge." Saito says.

"If that's the case, let's do it right here right now, should we?" Soma asks, and Saito agrees.

Their theme is sushi, which Saito is good at, but Soma goes for Tamagoyaki Sushi set, which the judge prefers more than Saito's Salmon Sushi. But just as both of them taste their opponents' sushi, they feel something familiar.

Soma asks, "Saito Somei, from your dish, I can tell that you have some sort of determination inside it. Why do you want to be the best sushi chef?"

Saito says, "My family used to run a small-time Sushi restaurant that was busy every day and we had many customers. My mother worked hard as the head of the restaurant. And thanks to her, I managed to get into this school, I want to use what I learned here to help my mother with my restaurant."

He is showing an angry face and says, "Recently, my mother was asked to become an apprentice of another sushi restaurant, and they have been discriminating against her as they don't let her work in the kitchen. And they force her to do a lot of work...and now she is sick and ill..."

"I see." Soma says. "It is a good thing that your mother is still alive..."

"What do you mean?" Saito asks.

"My mother was dead when I was just 8 years old. What I was making is one of her specialties." Soma says. "It was hard for me and my Dad. But still, even though she is not by our side, we will protect our own restaurant, we won't let anyone trying to destroy it."

Saito looks at Soma with surprise, and he sighs, "I lost to you. You really are a true warrior."

"You are also a warrior as well." Soma replies.

And with the Phantom's advice, Saito Somei manages to get back to his home and gets his revenge against the sushi chefs that made his mother sick. And after that, a lot of Sushi vendors try to challenge him with the sushis, thinking that a 15-year-old kid can't do anything with sushi. But he proves them wrong and manages to defeat every one of them for his mother.

(Flashback Ends)

"Though what I am surprised is that even he joined my uncle and Central..." Soma frowns. "Just what he did to him to make him join Central..."

Joichiro says, "Even though his appearance doesn't fit, but he is good at using his tongue to persuade or blackmail something to get what he wants."

"But from listening to what you said, you really respect much for Saito-senpai." Isshiki adds.

"Of course, we have similar family backgrounds and also similar ideals to protect the ones we have a connection with." Soma says. "If you don't count Tsukasa Eishi, he might be the person I want to beat very badly."

"I see." Erina says. "To think you have a lot of connections with the Grade 3 senpais."

Back with the Elite 10, Saito Somei and Akanegakubo Momo are playing chess again, as Momo asks, "Somyan. Are you fine with this?"

"What do you mean?" Saito asks.

"The Phantom...Yukihira Soma...is against us...along with Eri-nyan and the other rebels." Momo says as she puts the chess into another step.

"To be honest, I wasn't expecting him to take their side." Saito sighs. "When Headmaster Azami came to ask me, he did mention that Yukihira Soma's mother is his elder sister. I joined Central because I want to protect my mother and those who were discriminated in the fields of cooking."

"I see." Momo frowns as she wins the board game again, much to Saito's dismay.

"What about you, Akanegakubo?" Saito asks. "I have never asked but what do you think about the Phantom or Yukihira Soma right now?"

"Momo respects him. He is the only one who manages to defeat me." Momo says. "Momo was very sad to learn that Yukihira Soma was on the enemy's side. Momo never got to repay him..."

Saito says, "The time that you accidentally met a customer who was allergic to chocolate...I still remember that."

A year ago at the Moon Banquet Festival, Akanegakubo Momo was having her stand in the Uptown area as the Number 8, and she was preparing desserts that are based on chocolate for the customers. But when she met people who are allergic to chocolate, she doesn't know what to make for her and she can't just kick him out of the restaurant, it is at the same time Soma comes to the rescue to serve him with coffee desserts, and that saves Momo's store.

"Momo would have been expelled if it wasn't for Phantom..." Momo frowns. "But even though he is on the opposing side, that doesn't mean Momo will hold back on him."

"Me too." Saito says. "We just need to hope that everything is okay."

Unknown to both of them Tsukasa Eishi and Kobayashi Rindo are listening to their conversation, and Eishi sighs, "Looks like both Akanegakubo and Saito are also shaken at the fact that Soma is the Phantom..."

"I agree...it must be hard for all of us to battle him considering what he has done for us. And there are some times I really want to strangle headmaster Azami for what he did." Rindo frowns.

"Well, I think that maybe only Eizan would be trying to defeat Soma no matter what, but the others are still a question." Eishi says.

And this is the second chapter of the flashbacks. As you can see, I mentioned the meeting of Akanegakubo Momo and Saito Somei to Soma and how he reacts about them being a part of the Central. I hope you like this chapter and the next chapter will be Soma's flashbacks with Kaburagi Shoko, Kinokuni Nene, and Isshiki Satoshi. Mostly the first two since they are from Central while Isshiki will be just like Megishima in this chapter.