story

---

Now that the Monaco Cup is over with, the crew has time to relax and celebrate their victory... so why are they all depressed on a beach? Tsukino has it the worst of all of them, since she may very well be losing her family's precious company if St. Pierre's and Pantasia are indeed merging. In an attempt to cheer her up, Azuma gives her the Pierron ring that the Queen of Monaco gave him for winning (and places it on her left ring finger), and the team's spirit is lifted for the time being.

Meanwhile, Kirisaki and Yukino are busy plotting... again. Kirisaki is apparently giving up St. Pierre's... but why? It all has to do with his new plan, the plan that includes not only making Tsukino the new successor of Pantasia, but also making her an offer to a battle that she can't refuse...

A short while later, Tsukino gets the call that informs her that she is the new head of Pantaisa. As if on cue, Kirisaki shows up to pitch his new idea- something called Yakitate!! 25, a series of 25 battles all around Japan using specialty ingredients, St. Pierre's vs. Pantasia. The teams can be of any size- it's up to the different sides to decide who they'll use for a particular match, and the trick is a complicated grid that will not only decide where the contestants are going next, but also decide who gets to choose. Whenever one side wins, the square is marked with their letter (S or P), and they, as the victor, are allowed to choose one of the surrounding squares as to where the next battle will be. Also, like in Go, if one side wins squares that surround an opponent's square, they will take over that square... meaning that even if one side is losing, they can still make a comeback. Then, of course, the team with the most squares at the end of it all wins it! (It's really not as confusing as it seems.) And, as per Kirisaki's interest plug, the entire set of battles will be televised. The catch? That Team Japan will have to bet all of their hard-earned Monaco Cup winnings on this set of battles... and in return, Kirisaki is willing to wager St. Pierre's! After some brief yet intense thought, Tsukino agrees. Game on!

Flying back to Japan at last! Everyone's slightly relieved- Monaco was fun, but they want to get back home. On the plane, Kuroyanagi is summoned into first class- by Kirisaki! Kuroyanagi immediately assumes that Kirisaki wants him to come work on the St. Pierre's side and refuses, but Kirisaki is making a completely different kind of offer- he wants Kuroyanagi to stop making bread alltogether, and become a world-class JUDGE! Kuroyanagi initially refuses, but on his way back to his seat he overhears the Manager talking about back when Kuroyanagi was his apprentice... the Manager really wanted him to become a full-time judge, because while he was an incredible baker, he had such an extraordinary talent for judging, the Manager felt it was a loss. After hearing this, Kuroyanagi makes up his mind and goes back to accept Kirisaki's offer.

Time passes, and it's time for the first Yakitate!! 25 battle! The team (consisting of Azuma, Kanmuri, and Kawachi for this fight), goes to the television station, where Kuroyanagi is happily back full-swing in his judging groove. Their opponent appears- only one?! He's recognized by Kanmuri as a celebrity, a member of CMAP (hehe), Tsubotzuka Tsubotzuka. Their first battle is set to be in Ohma, famous for their tuna, so off they go! But wait! CMAP isn't an entertainment group as Kawachi thought- it's actually an elite group of bakers! And Tsubotzuka's specialty happens to be... Super Tuna?!

All along the ride to Ohma, Team Pantasia tries to come up with some idea that can best Tsubotzuka's tuna, but fails to do so by the time they get there. Moving into their rather shabby hotel, they continue brainstorming. Meanwhile, Yukino and Tsubotzuka are hanging out with some other Y!!25 battle people at a local sushi place... where Tsubotzuka proceeds to shun the chef and make some excellent, excellent tuna. Yukino goes scheming again, and buys out the town's supply of tuna so that Team Pantasia can't get any. Well great, now what?

Azuma to the rescue! He comes up with a great idea- something that can be fished year-round in Ohma, sea urchin! However there are different types, and the ones available to them are somewhat bitter, but Azuma has even thought that part out- he need Kawachi to make french bread, and only Kawachi! Why? Because it has to be bad!

Cut to the rather expensive (50 million Yen is a whole lot, especially when the Pantasia team is paying for two of them!) trailer, which is equipped with everything the teams will need to compete in Yaitate!! 25. Kawachi, try as he might, can't seem to make french bread bad enough for Azuma- Azuma says it used to be sticky and squishy and really bad! Lightbulbs go off for Kanmuri, who discovers what it is exactly Azuma's trying to do, and tells Kawachi to add more water (therefore reaching the "squishiness" that Azuma wants), then runs off to get a "secret weapon".

Finally, it's time for the Ohma battle to start! Tsukino and the Manager have come for the match. After a few interruptions by Tsubotzuka (wanting to use his own oven rather than the one in the trailer) and Azuma (wanting to use a plastic Ohma garbage bag), Kuroyanagi finally gets to begin, and both teams start baking. Kawachi just can't seem to get excited about purposely making bad bread, and Tsubotzuka says that if they've already given up, they should say so, rather than making bad bread. Kawachi, angered and disappointed that his lot in the battle is to fail at french bread, gives Azuma the final bread, which Azuma promptly tosses into the garbage bag and ties the top off. What the heck is he up to?

Azuma waits for Kawachi's french bread to absorb the right amount of moisture inside the bag, then takes it out, scopps out the insides, and starts to use a hammer...? Tsubotzuka watches scornfully. He recalls that CMAP is more than just being able to cook well- you also had to have an over-the-top personality that would draw viewers to the shows. His character was a mysterious boy who would speak in other languages- he kept at it for so long, he can't even speak normally anymore to others. It went against his ideals- and that's why he can't stand bakers like Azuma Kazuma!

Meanwhile, Kawachi is getting in Kanmuri's way, so he gets sent over to Tsukino and the Manager, who are discussing each team's bread. Tsubotzuka seems to be making a pastry with different kinds of dough, and meanwhile Azuma's still hammering away. Kawachi is confused, and then Tsubotzuka finishes his cooking with a blazing fire inside his oven! He brings his now broiled creation to Kuroyanagi, who eats it... and goes Super Saiya- er, Super Kuroyanagi! (The Manager explains the play on words in slight more detail) Kuroyanagi states that it was the pastry that made him become Super Kuroyanagi- Tsubotzuka has apparently created the legendary "Beehive Pastry"!

[Super] Kuroyanagi explains to Kawachi that the Beehive Pastry is made by mixing soft doughs (like pastry dough, pie crust, and chou dough, the latter used in puff pastry) so that the end result is light and fluffy, and very easy to chew, helping with the fact that the fish is raw, rather than cooked, and harder to chew. Kawachi is disheartened and really thinks Pantasia has no way to win, but Azuma and Kanmuri declare that their bread is done! And it looks so pretty too, nestled in a Japanese cup...wait! That's Kawachi's bad french bread!

Kuroyanagi examines it, then asks how Azuma made the bread "cup" without deep-frying it. Azuma says that was easy- he scooped out the insides of the bread, then pounded the openings that would absorb moisture (from the cup's filling) closed with the hammer. Also, since Kawachi's bread was extra squishy, the crust was thicker and more flavorful than it would have been if it was normal french bread. Kuroyanagi takes a bite... and seemingly has no reaction... then declares Pantasia the winner!!

What?! Tsubotzuka is in disbelief and objects, asking how a "no reaction" bread could possibly win over his bread that turned Kuroyanagi into Super Kuroyanagi. However, looking closer... we discover that Kuroyanagi has evolved yet again! He is now Superkuroyanagi 2: and he looks like a urchin from every angle! The Manager pokes fun at him, and Kuroyanagi evolves again into "SSK3" (if you will)! He says that since Tsubotzuka obviously doesn't get it, he will explain the magic of Pantasia's bread!

He explains that not only does hammering the bread close the openings that absorb moisture, but it also concentrates the flavor (the same technique behind panini). Tsubotzuka just doesn't get it, and grabs the bread from SSK3 to see for himself. Kawachi is befuddled for a moment, but then the Manager explains- Tsubotzuka can do reactions too! At first, there seems to be nothing... but then Tsukino asks Kawachi if it hurts. What hurts? Ahh!! Kawachi's got hair needles in him! Tsubotzuka is shooting them out as his reaction! SuperKuroyanagi3 explains that now Tsubotzuka should get it- the real great part of the bread is the inside! Not only did Kanmuri pick a great ingredient in the eggs he chose (also located close to Ohma, so very fitting of the theme), but the bread that Azuma scooped out of Kawachi's french bread was diced and then fried with urchin by Kanmuri, making the inside of the bread like little urchin croutons! Tsubotzuka admits defeat, telling Azuma that he is truly a great baker. He then asks... if Azuma might... be his friend? Of course our cheerful hero agrees, and off they walk together. Meanwhile, who's going to get the hair needles off of Kawachi and Kuroyanagi...?

Volume 16 starts out with... acupuncture. Yes, Team Pantasia's new friend happens to be an expert in it (quite fitting seeing as how his hair comes out in needles). After some flirting and general Kawachi pervertedness, Tsubotzuka warns his friends about the remaining members of CMAP, who are "truly professional" and not to be taken lightly. Meanwhile, at "Japannys Agency" (SMAP fans get the joke?), we'll meet just those same members he was talking about, having a chat with Yukino.

Kaname Hiroshi is the brains of the operation, his punkish opposite being the easily-angered Chimatsuri Gou. Then there's the third member, the self proclaimed "brilliant, beautiful" narcissist Narumi Shizuto (who thinks everyone less pretty than him should "just die"). Noting how poorly they get along and to stop their bickering (which apparently happens every time they're together when they aren't onstage or being filmed), Yukino mentions that they don't get along very well. Kaname agrees, and proceeds to tell her that CMAP is really an organization where the members fight amongst themselves. In the past, older members have spread wild and random rumors about the younger recruits, such as girlfriend pregnancies and even suicides. Kaname's explanation pisses off Chimatsuri, and the three start complaining again.

When Kirisaki walks into the room, Chimatsuri declares that he won't work with the other two members of the team. Kirisaki drops an article, stating that Tsubotzuka's loss and "collapse" was a deep wound for CMAP, and that if CMAP is pegged as "weak", the rest of the team's work up until this point as members will be for nothing. So, Kirisaki proposes a plan: each of the three members will be responsible for one part of the battle process, no more and no less. Kaname happily jumps at the chance to be the one to select ingredients (and therefore controls the type of bread that will be made). Narumi is content with ingredient preparation, and Chimatsuri gets to do what he apparently does best- the bread making. Why is he the natural choice? Because of his "Flame Arm"!

The time for the decision of the next location arrives, and Team Pantasia is choosing. Azuma chooses 'B', which flips to reveal- Saito-shi in Miyazaki-ken! The goal: make bread that will be talked about for generations to come!

Our teams travel to Saito, where they notice the huge Haniwa (giant statue) in the road (Saito is a place with ancient tombs). Kanmuri then makes his suggestion for their specialty ingredient- mature mangoes! They pass by a store selling these exact thing, and yikes! They're expensive! The nice old lady at the store offers them a sample, and Kawachi has a (again, rather perverted) reaction right off the bat. CMAP comes by in their "tour bus" to taunt him for reacting even when it was a raw ingredient, and start to talk bad about Tsubotzuka. With their newfound friend being dissed, Azuma gets pissed and vows to destroy them with his Japan! Onward!

Later on, Chimatsuri is fuming about how Azuma stated that he'd destroy them. Kaname agrees, but then gets down to business- he's decided on their ingredients, and they'll be making Mango Curry! Along with curry bread, they'll present it as a specialty of Saito-shi. Pumped up, Team CMAP vows to win.

Meanwhile, at Team Pantasia's shabby lodgings, Kawachi is feeling creeped out by the sheer number of Haniwa everywhere in their room. Kanmuri and Azuma are brainstorming, trying to figure out some way to crush CMAP. Azuma's opinion is that the mango is so good that it should be left as-is in the bread, without doing anything fancy to it or combining it with anything. Kanmuri says that they could freeze it before baking, and suggests that things like waffles go well with fruit, so why not try? Ok! They make their attempt, and... it's not very good. Kanmuri points out three main problems- they mangoes leak into the waffles (even with shock freezing) and make them soggy, the waffles' artificial sweetness doesn't go with the natural sweetness of the mango, and third... it's incredibly hard to eat! The mango squishes out and gets everywhere, because both the mango and waffles are soft. The first problem is fixable, but the other two... Kawachi urges Azuma to give up on this idea and try something else. Azuma is fixated... and jumps up to grab a Haniwa! Excited, he states that they'll win using Haniwa Japan!

Haniwa Japan?! What? Azuma gives Kawachi the job of buying different fruits to cut up and mix into the dough, giving their dough natural fruit sweetness to match the mangoes. Kanmuri will solve the freezing and leaking problem. As for the third problem, Azuma will take care of that! Everything's set, and Team Pantasia has a plan!

Time for battle at last, and the day is HOT. Tsukino and the Manager have come to watch once again, and Kanmuri notices something odd while they're sweating, waiting for the battle to begin. Chimatsuri is... not sweating? He seems hot, but he's not dripping like the rest of them! Kuroyan begins the battle, and Kaname leaves to watch from the crowd, having done his part in CMAP's plan. The teams start cooking, and Tsukino and the Manager immediately recognize the armoa coming from CMAP's side... Curry! Kawachi shows up to watch with them, having "done his part" in the match (which was to go buy a bunch of different fruits). Kawachi doesn't think CMAP is all that impressive until the Manager points out that they're using Demi-glace sauce (with Miyazaki beef) for their curry! This will lower the moisture and keep the curry bread from getting soggy. Kawachi's concerned about the spiciness of the curry, but the Manager says it's not spiciness that makes good or bad curry- it's the texture! And look at Narumi- he's stirring the curry as if painting on the surface, a technique only used by masters of Western cooking!

Kaname appears behind them, taunting a little more. Kawachi stands up for his team, proclaiming that no matter CMAP's skill, they can't beat Azuma! Kaname is surprised, but stops his taunting momentarily. He then asks if Kawachi knows not to knead the raw juices of fruits into dough- of course Kawachi knows! If you do that, the enzymes in the juice break down the gluten in the bread, making it impossible to knead and form! To knead them in, you'd have to heat the juice first! Oh good, Kaname's glad Kawachi knows... but Azuma is trying to knead in the juice without heating! What's going to happen next?!

Kawachi rushes over to Azuma and reiterates Kaname's observation. Azuma simply replies that he knew what would happen all along, due to Kawachi's incident with Yukino's enzyme in the Newcomer's Battle. He's just doing it on purpose. Well, that's good but..... wait, he's doing it on purpose? With that on his mind, Kawachi returns to the audience only to be pestered by Kaname again. But everything will be fine, because Kawachi showed Azuma his Ultimate Technique! .... Right. Meanwhile, Kuroyanagi notices that St. Pierre is making high-quality curry while Azuma is doing what he always does: something completely mind-boggling. He sends for the director, which Kaname boasts is probably for St. Pierre's victorious reaction. Kaname also mentions what Kanmuri had noted earlier, that Chimatsuri doesn't sweat at all. What's the big deal with that? It won't help him with baking... or will it? Since sweating reduces body heat, and the day is particularly warm, Kaname bets that Chimatsuri's hands are even hotter than Solar Hands! That's the power of his Flame Arms (with matching flame tatoos, to boot!), but that's not all! CMAP is also using.... corn flakes? Yes, corn flakes don't absorb the oil and moisture like bread crumbs, and give an additional crunchy texture. But since many high-end bakeries use them, Kawachi must've already known that, right? ...... Right.

Even so, that's hardly an advantage; corn flakes aren't even Japanese! Aha, but St. Pierre used Miyazaki corn, which is the highest-quality corn in Japan! Kawachi fears the worst for his team, but there's little time for that now; CMAP has finished their Special Curry Pan!

Kuroyan regards the bread highly, but there seems to be no reaction at all. Kawachi brags for his team again.... until he's face-to-face with some strange creature! It's a Malaysian tapir, Kuroyan announces from atop its back. Curry pan..... Malay pan...... Malay ban..... Malay baku.

Back with the other two members of Team Pantasia, Azuma tells Kanmuri to pour in the dough. Kanmuri observes that the dough bakes faster when the mold is heated, but that means that the dough will harden faster, too. They know they have to put in the frozen mangos and bake it soon! From the audience, Tsukino expresses concern over the lack of preparations. The Manager asks if she has noticed the shape of the mold, but she doesn't fully realize what it is until Azuma pulls out his baked creation: it's a haniwa! CMAP jeers and mocks their opponent's bread, which Kawachi promptly snaps back at. Kaname insists that the tapir has much more significance than Kawachi realizes, and (half-blindly) provides proof. It's a list of zoos in Japan that have Malayan tapirs, but no Miyazaki-ken zoos are listed... this tapir must have been flown in from another prefecture! Despite their cockiness, Kawachi is sure that Azuma to win for their, and Tsubotzuka's, sake.

Azuma presents Team Pantasia's entry to Kuroyan, explaining that he should push on the mouth a little and take a big bite with it facing down. Though not understanding why, Kuroyan follows his advice, chomps down, and..... doesn't move. CMAP thinks Team Pantasia must of poisoned him or something, since they knew CMAP would win. Kawachi tells them to inspect him more closely.... what's this?? Kuroyan is in the shape of a haniwa! Kaname stands by the fact that the tapir was the better reaction, but Kawachi shows the even the tapir has become haniwa-ified! A doctor is called in to see if Kuroyanagi is alive, and finds not only a heartbeat, but hears a faint utterance..... the winner is.... Team Pantasia!