Alright, here it comes!
Note: The "XXXXXX" and the double lines are meant to show the parts where I describe the teams in detail. GuP readers who already know the schools can skip these parts; however, they do show some details that could be important later on. This should be the last chapter to use that, unless I need that later.
Please review if that "XXXXXXX" is useful, or whether I should remove it.
Chapter 3: California has Fallen
Los Angeles Parade Warehouse
10:00 AM; July 8, 20XX
"Why are we waiting here?" asked Saori.
Miho and her friends waited outside of another warehouse, as big as theirs. They sat in a bench beside the entrance, while waiting for Abel to come back; he said he had to deal with something "minor but annoying." In the meantime, the girls started to talk among themselves, but Miho suddenly felt tired.
"Ah," she yawned. "Why am I feeling tired?"
"Not enough sleep?" Saori asked. "I guess so, since some of us still feel the jet lag."
"Yeah," Mako said. "I have it far worse."
"Excuses, excuses!" Saori groaned, pulling at Mako's cheeks. "Right, Miporin? Miporin?"
Miho's head leaned against the cold, gray wall of the warehouse, as she drifted into her own world...
"Miho!" the cries of many girls roared, as Miho found herself in the turret, her head and torso above the cupola. She saw in horror, as masses after masses tried to run away, while those strange creatures from her previous dreams started to strike at the people running away.
Suddenly, she saw a strange, light magenta orb in the distance. She found herself in a colossal fissure, and gasped. She recognized it from reading books about California.
"San Andreas Fault!" she responded in her dream.
"Yes," a voice suddenly boomed behind her.
She turned around. No one there.
But the orb glowed, and blasted at her with something, and she realized she was in trouble.
Suddenly, a man caught her, just as the blast left a crater where Miho was. The man placed her gently on another ground, and jumped away.
"Wait!" she cried out. "Who are you?"
She only glimpsed some white, red, and blue colors from his clothing. Suddenly, she noticed the Orb flashing again-
"Miho?" the voices of four girls spoke at her.
"Huh-eh-ha...huh?" she responded, shaking herself awake.
"You've been asleep for only four minutes," said Hana. "And suddenly, you were talking about people being attacked..."
"...something about an orb..." Saori commented.
"...and San Andreas Fault..." Yukari noted.
"But most mysterious of them all," said Mako, shivering a little. "You were talking about a man who saved you. Who was he?"
Miho blinked.
"I," she began. "I...I could not see him. Then, that strange orb-thing tried to attack me again, and I woke."
"Mako!" Saori groaned. "You woke her up too quick!"
"It was not my fault," Mako groaned. "You suggested it."
"But I was the one who pushed you for that," Yukari admitted, blushing.
"And I was the one who tugged at Miho," Hana said.
"Maybe we all accidentally contributed to Miho's nightmare," said Saori.
All four girls stood up, and bowed down deeply at Miho.
"Please forgive us," the girls responded.
"No-no!" Miho waved her hands furiously. "It's not your fault! But I have to admit, that man sure felt benevolent and all-good."
"How good?" Saori asked, suddenly dashing to Miho's side and smiling. "Do you like him?"
"I don't know," Miho admitted. "But he had this feeling of...something great that will happen later on."
"And it appears," said Hana. "That your dream got more...abstract, right?"
"Yeah," Miho admitted. "This one feels more symbolic than my previous ones."
"So mysterious," said Mako. "I wish dreams were as predictable as lab experiments."
"That would be boring!" Saori groaned. "Then, dreams are no longer fun!"
"Fun is the opposite of science," Mako said nonchalantly.
"Mako!" said Saori, giving her friend a little squeeze, as she pinched and pulled at the lazy girls' cheeks. "Do not make 'fun' of me."
The girls giggled; even Mako grinned at that.
"So anyway," said Yukari. "President is still not there, and we've been waiting for a while."
"Speaking of waiting," said Miho. "We're not sure why we're at this warehouse in the first place."
"Why can't we explore?" began Saori. "When we hear..."
They heard something. Some shuffling and cries behind them.
"Hey," began Saori. "Don't they sound..."
Miho stood up, and walked towards a door besides the entrance. It was next to a garage door. She leaned close to the door, then gasped.
"No way!" she cried out, and opened the door. "Onee-chan!"
"Onee-chan?" asked Saori. "Wait, you mean-"
She did not finish her sentence, as the rest of the team chased after Miho, who disappeared into the door. Saori shrugged to herself, and followed suit.
"Onee-chan!" Miho continued to call out, as she dashed through a tiny corridor, with another door inside. She frantically tried to open the door. It did not budge.
"Onee-chan!" Miho called out again.
"Miho?" a rather mature voice echoed behind the door.
Miho stopped fumbling, as the doorknob started to turn, and then...
Click.
The door opened, and Miho gave the figure behind a body slam, as the figure struggled to maintain composure.
"Onee-chan!" Miho called out. "Why are you here?"
"Miho!" her sister replied, surprised but smiling as she patted her sister on the head. "I..Hehe, I am glad to see you again."
She blushed, as she realized that she patted her sister like a puppy, in front of a crowd of people behind. The rest of the Anglerfish Team came in, and gasped as multiple voices rang out.
"Hey there!" many voices roared in unison.
Members from other schools were in the main room, a huge room much like the one that the Oarai girls had. Although the storage space was identical, the tanks and the people inside were not. Miho noticed all seven high schools that helped Oarai in the infamous annihilation against the Selection University. Each school was represented by a distinct type of uniform, different from that of Oarai.
Six leaders of the school Senshadou teams approached Miho, while Miho's sister was already there.
"All seven schools," noted Miho. "We have not heard anything about you at all here!"
"It was a last-minute thing," her sister replied, resisting her urge to hug her sister. "The President of the United States of America sent a letter of invitation, asking us to participate in the tour, since we all helped you out in the annihilation match."
Maho Nishizumi could not help, but smile at her sister. The same height as Hana Isuzu, she looked remarkably like her younger sister, but with darker, browner hair and sharper eyes. She looked cold and distant, but friends and allies alike could tell that deep down, she was quite kind and nice to everyone. Unfortunately, she was not very good at expressing happiness, being used to acting strict and all.
"But onee-I mean, Maho-san," said Miho, trying to be formal. "We have not heard anything about you all, not even from the President."
"Like she said, the US President decided to make a last-minute decision to invite us," said a girl with blond hair, which was tied into a French braid. She had light blue eyes, and her face radiated a sense of grace and compassion. She wore the Senshadou uniform of her team: black skirt, black boots, and a deep red coat with gold buttons and shoulder epaulettes. She was drinking from a teacup as she came.
"Have you heard the saying," the girl said. "Better than never is late?"
Miho tilted her head, thinking.
"Better late than never," she finally said. "Darjeeling-san, it's been a while."
"From St. Gloriana," Hana remarked. "I have not heard from you all since the victory."
"Well, at least we're here," began Darjeeling. "I am honor-"
"Hah" the girl next to her declared; she had flowing blond hair that went a little past her neck. "I win!"
"Oh," Darjeeling realized. "You did win."
"What happened?" the girl with the most distinct hairstyle asked. She had long, gray hair tied into giant twin ponytails that reached down to her hip.
"Darjeeling made a bet with Kay," said the smallest of the commanders, who looked more like a blond cute girl than a commander of her school. "And don't call me 'cute'! Man, those American men thought I was a little girl!"
"But you are still a commander of your school," said another girl. She had long, dark brown hair and brown eyes.
"But I have to admit," the same girl said. "Somebody tall and powerful came in, and thought I was Miho, except he realized that Miho has shorter hair."
"Who could even confuse thee?" said a girl who looked somewhat like the previous, except wearing a distinct type of hat from Finland, with white and light blue stripes. "For the waves are ever-changing."
Miho and her team tilted their heads, confused.
"Anyway," began Miho. "Where is-"
"Aw, come on!" a huge voice boomed behind. The girls jumped, and looked back.
"Mr. President!" Miho called out. "We found our friends!"
"I should have told you," he admitted, coming in. "And you already gave it away."
"President?" the other girls asked, confused. They stared at him, then gasped in shock, and exploded into a variety of noises.
"You're President!"
"Are you nuts?"
"Wow, we met the US Prez!"
"No way!"
"Oh my..." Darjeeling said, dropping her teacup. A girl with pinkish-red hair dashed in, and saved the cup in a dramatic slide.
"Got it!" she roared.
"Rosehip!" two voices wailed from behind. "That is NOT ladylike!"
"Ho-ho-ho!" Abel boomed. "I sure am glad that cup is safe at last. Nice slide, lady supergirl!"
Rosehip blushed, as she tiptoed back.
"You're the President?" the smallest of the commanders gasped. "You sure were TOO nice and friendly to be one!"
"Facade is possible," said the girl with her hat. "For man is a liar."
"No facade," said Abel. "A girl is a tornado of bulls, pigs, and chickens that likes to explode in a beautiful work of fireworks."
Even she blinked, taken aback by the response.
"Eh?" she asked. All other girls around tilted their heads, very confused.
"Huh?" they all asked in unison.
"Got you," said Abel. "Whenever somebody says a proverb, I give them something back."
"Was that a proverb?" began Darjeeling. "It sounds like-"
"OK!" Abel boomed, clapping his hands. "Tour is starting very soon! Miho, why not check with the teams here?"
"Oh, OK!" she said.
"I will personally escort you four back," Abel said. "You need to get ready."
"Roger that!" said the four. "See you later, Miho!"
"Good luck!" she told them, as she walked around the store. All other commanders went back to their teams and tanks. Miho followed Darjeeling to her team.
XXXXXXX
St. Gloriana was the only school that defeated Miho's team twice; both were strictly matches just for "fun." Most high schools in Japan were themed after a nation; notable exceptions included Oarai. St. Gloriana was themed after the UK, so girls here tended to drink tea a lot.
And act very British.
"Mr. President finds that odd," said Darjeeling, showing Miho the tank that represented her school: a Churchill Mk. VII. A formidable tank, Miho remembered that it was the tank that took out hers during the first practice match, and the later exhibition match after winning the national tournament.
"No other tanks?" asked Miho.
"Due to the last-minute invitation," said a cute girl with ginger hair (worn in two braids tied into twist buns) and light purple eyes. "We can only bring one at a time."
"Unfortunately for us," said another girl with long, blond hair (tied with a black hairband) and light purple eyes. "We had to deal with Rosehip while inside..."
"Orange Pekoe and Assam-sama!" Rosehip roared, making the two girls wince. Orange Pekoe was the cute girl, while Assam was the one with the long hair.
"What is it?" the girls groaned, while Darjeeling simply smiled in the background.
"Isn't it fun?" Rosehip cried at the top of her voice. "That the President of the United States of America personally invited us! Man, I wish that the UK Prime Minister or even the Queen of England should have done the same!"
"Well," a girl popped from the tank's cupola, with brown eyes and long, brown hair tied in a large braid over her left shoulder. "Even I have to agree with her on that point."
"Rukuriri..." the two girls groaned, while Rosehip enthusiastically nodded.
Miho thought about it, and realized that all of the St. Gloriana representatives were named after tea. Miho liked tea, but was not really sure which one was her favorite.
"But still," said Orange Pekoe. "Americans sure are different. Here, they rarely drink tea."
"Coffee reigns supreme," said Assam, sighing in resignation. "I hate coffee."
"And I already drank one!" Rosehip declared proudly, holding up a teacup with something dark inside. "With tea!"
"Rosehip!" Orange Pekoe, Assam, and Rukuriri groaned in unison, trying to NOT make a face. Although they were trying to be elegant and calm, Rosehip's words stunned them, and their faces winced at Rosehip's "heresy." Darjeeling and Miho, however, both giggled.
"Coffee-tea, right?" Darjeeling asked. "Maybe I should try that."
"Darjeeling-sama!" the three girls groaned again. "That is NOT elegant!"
Darjeeling shrugged.
"We're in America," she said. "Let's enjoy it while we can. And Miho, make sure you meet the other girls; time flies very fast, you know."
"Oh, OK!" Miho said, waving them goodbye and hurrying to the next team.
"Oh!" she remembered, turning around. "Darjeeling-san, what was the bet with Kay?"
"Oh..." Darjeeling giggled nervously. Rosehip stared in awe, while the other girls were moaning and facepalming.
"It was-"
"No-no!" the girls screamed at their leader. All except Rosehip cupped Darjeeling's mouth with their hands; Rosehip laughed openly, as she filled up Darjeeling's cup with her special "coffee-tea."
Miho silently shrugged and let the girls deal with Darjeeling, while she went away.
"Miho-senpai!" Rosehip roared, charging at her.
"Wow!" Miho said. "Slow down, please!"
"Here you go!" Rosehip said, handing her a paper cup. "It's wrapped for safety! Coffee-tea, courtesy of us!"
"Thank you," Miho replied, smiling as the swift girl went back to her team.
She then walked to the next tank, sipping the drink.
"Hmm," she remarked. "Strawberry coffee-tea."
"We're in America!" the leader of the next team declared. "Now, we are definitely Americans!"
The American-themed school of Saunders was certainly based on the US. Miho was not too surprised; she expected them to be excited, not to mention that the US President himself personally met each team. However, she gawked at the size of the leader's meal.
"Kay!" a girl with twin short ponytails groaned. "It IS America, but what's with the portion size?"
"What?" Kay asked, munching on her third sandwich.
"And where did you get that much food?" the same girl asked.
"Alisa," Kay playfully replied, winking. "I got it from a restaurant that is said to be fast food, but the quality is amazing!"
"Ha!" Alisa retorted. "Fast food that tastes good? What an oxymoron!"
"I think you mean paradox," Miho interjected.
"Miho?" Alisa turned around, while Kay jumped on her, giving Miho a surprise bear hug.
"You're right!" Kay replied, releasing her grip. "From Chick-fil-A!"
"Eh..." Miho groaned, trying to regain her composure. "Chick-fil-A...I heard from a good number of Americans that it's one of the best."
"Better than KFC!" Kay chimed in. "That Chick-fil-A!"
"It is actually better than KFC," said a boyish girl with short, gray hair, who was blowing some gum. "Surprised we don't have it back in Japan."
"You too, Naomi?" Alisa groaned.
"Do you hate Chick-fil-A?" asked Kay, devouring her fifth sandwich. Miho just stared, oblivious to the empty cup in her right hand.
"No," she admitted. "It's just you were so enthusiastic, buying five sandwiches in a row. Then, you got the attention of the manager, who was impressed with your attitude, and gave you five more!"
"So what?" she asked, giving Miho a sandwich. "Have some!"
"Oh, OK," Miho replied, as she threw away her cup and received a small white bag. She opened it. The aroma of freshly fried chicken suddenly erupted in her face, causing her to back away.
"Wow," she remarked, as she sniffed it. "Hmm, that smells...lovely!"
"See?" Kay interjected. "Even Miho the 'Legend' is in love with it!"
Miho blushed, and she bit into the sandwich.
"Mmm..." she answered. She ate fried chicken before, but this was something unexpected. She could not really describe it, but it was amazing.
"Kay," a voice moaned from the American tank Sherman VC Firefly. The voice was Helena, popularly known to some people as "Helmet-Chan," because of her helmet, spoke softly as she rose from the cupola. Her helmet barely hid her auburn hair.
"Yes?" Kay asked.
"Stop yelling all the time," she asked. "Please?"
"This is America," Kay replied. "Have some coffee!"
"Oh," Helena replied, coming out slowly. "Good...good idea."
"Sorry about that!" Kay winked, both at Helena and Miho. "Speaking of sandwich, the Anzio over there has some free food! Why not try theirs?"
"Oh, OK!" she replied, and strolled as Alisa went into her rant about "obesity in America" and what-not.
"Oh yeah!" Miho remembered, and hurried back.
"Kay!" she asked her. "What was the bet with Darjeeling?"
"Oho!" Kay yelled with delight. Naomi shrugged in the background, while Alisa put her hand in a facepalm. Helena just sweated.
"I bet with Darjeeling," explained Kay. "That if she said 'honor' or something with it before I said 'free' or something with it, then she loses. If I said 'free' or something with it first, then she wins!"
"Why?" Miho asked, confused.
"Just for fun," Kay replied. "Fortunately, Darjeeling said it first, so now she has to do it."
"What is it?" Miho asked.
"Anglerfish Dance!" she said joyfully, taking out the infamous pink suit. Miho turned red; she now understood COMPLETELY why the St. Gloriana girls were so downcast about it.
"Well..." Miho said, backing away as she remembered that humiliating dance before. "Good luck; if she's really doing it, tell her to let us know."
"OK!" Kay winked.
"Bye!" Miho waved them, and dashed to the next team.
"Pizza for sale!" the leader of the Anzio roared, as a long line went out of the door.
Miho gawked at the spectacle, as she realized that it was almost a déjà vu; just like the Leopon Team, the Anzio girls set up a business. Next to their vendor was their tank, the Carro Armato P40. Miho was surprised that it was fixed; she heard that it was still not fixed months ago, due to budget issues.
"A jumbo slice of pizza," Miho read the bulletin board. "For $1.50...Wait, that's cheap!"
"Awesome!" a giant American roared, as he ordered 10 of the slices. "These are better than Pizza Hut!"
"How are you all doing?" Miho asked, staring at both the line and the four girls in the food shack.
"Anchovy is great!" the leader of Anzio answered, her twin ponytails accidentally hitting her friends as she hurried to get the last orders. They were not bothered, as they worked furiously to both finish the last orders, and clean up their station.
"Carpaccio is doing well!" a tall girl with long blond hair replied.
"Pepperoni is peppy!" a girl with bluish, short hair that is quite spiky yelled, as she frantically put the pepperoni pieces on the last few slices of pizza.
Miho giggled at the irony of it all: a girl named "Pepperoni" serving pepperoni pizza.
"Last five!" she suddenly roared, causing the line to break up, and a horde of humans hungrily reached for the last pieces.
"Pizzzzaaaa!" the crowd roared. Miho tilted her head; they sounded so familiar...
"And they're free!" Anchovy replied, so that the crowd swelled even larger.
"Salame!" Anchovy called out, handing her a particularly large slice. "Give this to Miho!"
"Si!" she replied. Despite her name, she was better known as "Siko," because of her habit of using the Italian word for "yes." Miho deduced that "si" and "yes" were both the same thing.
"Here you go!" Salame declared, handing her a slice. The freshly baked slice erupted with the aroma of cheese, tomato sauce, basil, and crunchy pepperoni. Miho just bit it, and enjoyed it, as she wisely backed away, giving the Anzio room and space to clean up. Miho then walked up to one of the last teams, savoring every morsel.
"Mmm..." she commented. "This is...ah..."
"Eating pizza, eh?" the commander of the Pravda team asked, smirking.
Miho wiped her mouth with her handkerchief, and watched the team. Miho half-expected the team to have a KV-2, and she was right. The favorite of the commander, the behemoth rose over her, its howitzer cannon the pride of Pravda. Although inaccurate and slow, the tank was not one to be messed with.
"Nonna!" she commanded.
"Yes Katyusha," a towering figure of a beautiful, calm girl said, and instinctively gave her commander a piggyback ride. Miho secretly chuckled at the irony; Katyusha was the leader of the Russian-themed school of Pravda, yet she piggybacked on her vice commander like a little girl. No wonder a good number of American men thought that she was "a little cutie pie."
"So, Miho is the 'Legend,' eh?" Katyusha asked. "What brings you here?"
"Just checking on you all," she replied, shrugging.
"Of course!" three other voices cried out. A small girl with a large Ushanka hat, a small girl with short brown hair in a sort of bob, and a tall Russian girl came over.
"Nina, Alina, and Klara," Katyusha introduced each one to Miho. "I guess you all already know the 'Legend,' eh?"
Miho blushed again.
"Seriously," Katyusha continued. "How did Americans know about you so much?"
"I heard from some," said Klara. "It appears that the irony of a 'small Japanese girl' defeating the Karl-Gerat and other things caught the attention of the American public."
"How did you find out?" asked Katyusha. "Nonna, ask her!"
"It must have been fun 'seducing' the American guys here," said Nonna in Russian.
"It sure was," replied Klara in Russian. "Frankly, I heard that some men here now have a liking for Miho, calling her 'Legendger.' I don't like that nickname, though."
"Nonna! Klara!" Katyusha roared.
"Yes?" the two replied, calm as ever.
"I now know a few Russian!" she declared. The two girls only blinked.
"You said something about Miho being a 'Legend Burger' or something! And some men here like Miho!"
Miho blushed. Nonna and Klara both blinked again, visibly impressed by their commander's effort to learn at least some Russian.
"But other than that," she pouted, laying her head on Nonna's. "I don't know."
Nonna and Klara winked at each other, giving secret signs.
"Anyway!" Katyusha said. "Off you go, Pirozhki!"
"OK," Miho replied, and backed away. Klara, however, leaned to her and handed her a secret camera.
"Get pictures of Katyusha for me, OK?" she winked.
"Oh, OK," Miho replied, and pocketed it. She then moved on to the next team, feeling awkward at the odd request.
"Maybe," Miho said to herself, digging into her left pocket to check her camera. "This will be useful later on."
"Onee-chan," Miho whispered.
The Kuromorimine Girls High School. The pride of Senshadou. Back in Japan, this school team alone won the national championship nine times in a row, especially under the leadership of Maho Nishizumi. However, in the tenth attempt, they lost. Miho remembered that well; she chose to save her friends, at the cost of her flag tank. After the stigma, she left for Oarai, only to become the leader of her school in Senshadou. Now, the school was less ominous, but Miho still was a little cautious.
"Hi there," Maho replied, smiling. "Welcome back."
"Greetings," said a girl next Maho, with long, blond hair and blue eyes. Erika Itsumi was the current vice commander, a position that was formerly Miho's. After Miho left, Erika became one, although she still felt some stress from the position. Despite her short-tempered nature, Erika had a sense of decency.
"Erika-san," Miho greeted back.
"You know," she casually said. "These Americans sure think that I am a white girl or something."
"Oh! Yes, they do," she replied.
"I am annoyed," Erika admitted. "One even casually called me a 'Nazi pie' or something. I gave him a taste of my right foot."
"Please be nice," Miho said, giggling awkwardly.
"But we are NOT Nazis!" Erika grunted, throwing a small fit of temper. "German-themed does not equal Nazi-themed!"
"Please come down," a girl with brown hair and soft, blue eyes said. "And hello again, friend."
"Koume Akaboshi!" Miho replied back, remembering her as one of those whom she saved back in Kuromorimine.
"These Americans here are annoying!" two people said, entering the conversation. They came out of the tank that represented Kuromorimine: the Tiger I.
"They call you 'Legend' around here," they continued. "Man, I wish they would call our dear Nishizumi-dono as such!"
"Ritaiko and Mauko-san," Mako said. "Watch your words."
"Sorry!" both girls replied, saluting her and tense. Ritaiko looked like Koume, but with shorter, more boyish hair and a shorter temper. Mauko had more spiky hair.
Miho giggled.
"Don't worry," Maho said. "I hope you're having a blast here."
"I sure am," she replied. "Thank you, and good luck!"
"Good luck," the girls waved at her, as Miho happily bounced away.
"I sure hope she does," Maho said, turning to her group. They stood, saluting her.
"Girls," she told them.
"Yes?" all of them replied with tense faces, except Koume, who was softly smiling.
"If there is one thing I tell you," Maho continued with a stern face. "It is this: Keep everyone alive, especially Miho. I heard of bad things going on in Los Angeles. And California had seen its fair share of riots and violence already. If anything happens, and you know you save Miho in particular, save her at all costs."
"Yes, ma'am!" the girls declared in unison, saluting her.
"I hope nothing bad happens," Maho said, sighing.
"Hopefully not," Koume comforted her, patting her on the left shoulder.
"Good thing you're still here," said Maho. "And Miho as well."
"Girls!" the leader of the second-to-last team declared. "The Legend is coming! On your marks!"
The girls of the Chi-Ha-Tan lined up, although there were only six of them. Behind them was their own tank: the Type 97 Chi-Ha, a tank that vaguely looked like a light tank. Its most distinct feature was a circular radio antenna that surrounded the cupola.
Kinuyo Nishi, the leader, lined up the girls and bowed down at Miho very quickly, startling Miho.
"H-hi," she replied, embarrassed at the excessive display of respect.
"I, Kinuyo, am at your service!" she declared. "As are Fukuda, Haru Tamada, Hosomi, Teramoto, and Ikeda, from left to right!"
Miho looked at the girls. On the far left was Kinuyo herself. From left to right, she saw them all. The girl next to Kinuyo was one of the smallest girls in the entire team and the groups around; shorter than Katyusha, Fukuda had wide glasses, but she was the only one who frequently wore a brown helmet. Haru Tamada had black hair tied into a small braid with a white ribbon. Hosomi was obvious to Miho; she was the only girl she ever saw with victory rolls. Miho was not so familiar with the last two.
"Teramoto, right?" Miho asked.
"Yes!" a girl with short, wavy black hair said, adjusting her rather ancient photographic camera. She took a picture of Miho, and a black photo slowly popped out.
"Why not use a modern camera?" Miho asked.
"I like this one," she replied.
"And you are Ikeda?" Miho asked.
"Yes!" a girl with a low black ponytail declared. It was tied by a large, white ribbon. Miho wondered about a strange detail on her left eyebrow.
"Is that a scar," asked Miho. "Or a frown line?"
"Dunno," she admitted. "I've had this, as if somebody drew me by accident!"
"Miho!" a voice suddenly echoed from the other side.
"I guess they want to meet me," Miho said. "Bye, all of you."
"Goodbye!" the whole row of six girls bowed down deeply, giving Miho awkward giggles.
"Still as enthusiastic as usual," remarked Miho. "Although they need to be careful with charging all the time, or else..."
"When life gives you lemon, make lemon pop," the girl with the white-and-blue hat said. Miho did not know what she was saying, but understood that Mika was one mysterious girl. Miho knew of Mika's school strategies more than the school itself, which was impressive even in its fight against Kuromorimine (back when Miho was there). The school brought in one tank, like other teams: the BT-42 Assault Gun. It was unusual for its Christie suspension, which allowed the tank to drive like a car, if its tracks were lost.
Mika was always seen with her hat, which Miho found a little odd; she heard that Mika could not stand without it on.
"Mika!" a girl who looked like Nina, but with light blond hair and without any hat on. "Stop with that proverb-ish nonsense!"
"Aki is right," a girl with reddish-brown hair tied in small ponytails grunted. "Me Mikko is too tired of your shenanigans."
"Well Miho," Mika continued, ignoring her subordinates. "Being Legend is sure a lemony thing, right?"
"Um...right," Miho replied with some hesitance.
"There is something I want to say," Mika began, but her two friends slammed her hard.
"Don't say it!" Aki roared.
"Yeah!" Mikko replied. "It was so scary! Your nightmare was creepy!"
"It was no nightmare," said Mika. "It's a danger dream, after all."
"What was the dream about?" asked Miho.
"Guess it," Mika replied.
Miho thought for a while, then gave her answer.
XXXXXXX
"A zombie dream?" she asked.
Mika raised her eyes. Miho saw what she thought was a spark of both anticipation and...fear.
"Yes," she replied, her eyes still shining.
"What did the...zombie do to you?" Miho asked.
"It was frozen," she replied, causing her two friends to block their ears. "Sort of."
"Y-yes?" Miho said.
"It said about 'those who slay the despaired,'" Mika continued. "And you're next."
Miho suddenly felt something. A streak of magenta flashed by her. Suddenly, her vision started to blur.
"Miho?" Mika's voice rang out.
"Miho!" a couple more roared, but Miho tried to stay awake.
Suddenly, everything went blank.
"Where am I?" Miho said out aloud. She found herself in a strange place, an intersection made of two roads. However, Miho noticed something odd.
The middle of the intersection, the square part, was golden-yellow with stripes of magenta, red, blue, and white. She noticed a compass on the ground, and reached down to pick it up.
It pointed north. She looked at it, and saw that the northern road was jet black.
It pointed west. She glanced at it, and noticed that the road was snowy white.
It pointed south. She took a look, and the road was bright red.
It pointed east. She observed it, and the road was shiny blue.
Suddenly, all four roads turned sickly gray, and the monsters from her previous nightmares came from all four directions. A little girl suddenly appeared by her side, and two men whom she could not see also appeared by her side.
Suddenly, something fell from the sky. Miho quickly wielded it, but it was too heavy. The three people touched her, and disappeared. Filled with strength, she checked the sword and found a rope tied to the ground. She yanked it, and the sword glowed. The monsters cowered back in fear. Miho wasted no time in swinging the sword around, and everything was destroyed.
Suddenly, she saw an orb above, which suddenly came down, and was about to crush her-
"MIHO!"
She blinked. All of the girls in the warehouse looked at her. Miho realized that she was lying on the floor, with Maho by her side. Maho was holding on her sister, shaking her furiously.
"Are you OK?" Maho asked her, panic and concern in her voice. "I saw you fall, and dashed in just in time to catch you!"
"W-what happened?" Miho asked.
"Mika," Maho told her. Mika stepped forward, and Miho noticed that she took her hat off in a gesture of respect.
"Miho-san," she said in a low, calm voice. "Are you OK?"
"Yes, Mika-san," Miho replied. "What really happened? I remember you telling me your dream and..."
"Mika told you about someone who can slay the despaired or something," said Katyusha. "She explained that."
"And she said 'you're next,'" Kinuyo said. "And Mika was clearly shaken when you fell."
"At that moment," Kay said. "We noticed you suddenly shake, then you let out a scream."
"A scream?" Miho asked. "I did scream?"
"It horrified us!" Anchovy asked. "Good thing we finished our cleanup. Just as we did, an inhuman scream shocked us. We turned around, saw you scream like as if you're dying!"
"The scream was unlike anything we heard," said Darjeeling, panting a little. "We all ran up to you, and noticed you looked odd. Suddenly, all of us felt something...odd."
"Odd?" asked Miho.
"Whatever it was," began Maho. "That was-"
"Miho!"
The whole crowd turned around. The four Anglerfish girls appeared, panting for breath.
"You OK?" they asked. All four looked very shaken.
"What happened?" Miho asked, rising up.
"You were here all along?" Mako panted very badly.
"Why?"
"We-we," Mako tried to say it, but she was shaking too much to say much.
"We were at our tank," explained Hana. "And we were just talking about today and the Tour and all."
"Suddenly," Yukari said, shaking. "We heard a scream. A very loud scream. Everybody in the room recognized that as yours."
"Wait a minute," said Kay. "How did you hear her scream?"
"The two warehouses," said Nonna, sweating. "Are separated by one whole block. And Anchovy, did you notice anyone else hear the scream?"
"No," Anchovy said. "I checked outside, and nobody seemed to notice. I asked a few who passed by. They gave me odd stares, and said no."
"Was it muffled?" asked Darjeeling.
"No," Saori answered. "It sounded like Miho was screaming in the middle of our group."
"Loud and clear?" asked Naomi, who was sweating.
"Yes," Hana said.
"Wait," began Maho. "Then what about-"
"Yo-ho!"
The crowd turned to watch the President. Abel strolled in, stretching.
"Finally!" he declared. "That meeting is done! Girls, are you all ready?"
"Mr. President!" Miho said.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Did you hear someone scream?" she asked.
"No," he replied. "I was in the middle of the warehouses, talking to my subordinates as usual."
"How long?" they asked.
"For 20 minutes," he replied. "I heard nothing of a scream. Let's go!"
He whistled out, oblivious to the mood in the warehouse. Many girls started to shiver.
"Yikes," Mako shivered badly.
"I wonder," Mika said, panting a little. "If that is something..."
Silence.
"OK!" Maho said, snapping everyone out of their trance. "L-let's just go and get ready for the parade!"
Everybody then rushed forth, wanting to forget about that strange experience, although some girls started to whisper among themselves.
"What was that?" asked Rosehip to her group.
"That did not sound..." Alisa trailed off.
"I am scared out of my wit!" Nina whispered to Alina, who nodded furiously in agreement.
Miho sweated, wiping her forehead with a handkerchief. As she followed, she saw it again.
A faint ribbon of light magenta light floated past, almost like an eel swimming through waters. Miho actually smirked; she remembered her own mother shrieking in apparent fear when she saw one.
"What are you?" she asked. "Or who are you?"
The strange light said nothing, and just vanished.
"Am I seeing things?" she asked to herself. "This started happening ever since we're in the US. Now that I think about it, I did have a dream, but once or so in Japan..."
"Miho!" her team cried out.
"Coming!" she hurried to her team.
Los Angeles Parade Warehouse
10:30 AM; July 8, 20XX
"OK," said Miho. "We can do this."
Saori checked the radio transmissions, while the other teams managed their tanks.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" a muffled voice roared from outside.
"Ready?" Miho asked her team. They all nodded.
Then, Abel came out, and motioned the teammates.
"Ready, set," Miho commanded. Everybody in the warehouse readied the tanks.
"Go!"
The tanks groaned, and roared as they moved on their tracks. Miho's team came out first, then Turtle, Duck, Hippo, Rabbit, Mallard, Anteater, and Leopon.
Crowds outside roared, as the police cruisers and bikes escorted the tanks. Miho waved back, smiling genuinely. She was glad of the crowd; it took her mind off of the strange incident a few minutes ago. Unknown to her, the same ribbon of light floated nearby, then disappeared into a crack in the warehouse floor.
"Eek," Mako admitted. "I am glad for the crowd, for once. It takes my mind off of that...incident."
All five nodded silently, knowing what Mako meant. Miho remembered hastily telling the others the scream, and everybody there was on edge. Fortunately, the parade was a festive event, and everybody was glad to avoid thinking about that.
After the Leopon Team came out, Miho noticed in the distance other tanks. Kuromorimine came out first, then St. Gloriana, then Saunders, Anzio, Pravda, Chi-Ha-Tan, and finally Jatkosota. Miho noticed something behind Jatkosota, and gasped.
"The JSF!" Miho declared. "And the University!"
The girls looked back, and gasped in unison. Behind the BT-42, a Centurion Mk.I tank and a Karl-Gerat siege mortar lumbered by.
"How did they field it here?" asked Yukari. "Is the road even big and strong enough to field that?"
"We're on a wide highway," replied Mako. "That's why the parade's roads are so wide."
"Oh," said Yukari. "Nice observation. That's still a cool weapon, though."
A few girls, however, shivered at the giant gun, especially Koume and Ritaiko, whose tanks were among its first casualties in the annihilation match a few months ago.
On top of the Centurion were four people from the Selection University, the group they fought months ago. A little girl with ash-blond hair tied into twin ponytails sat on top, surrounded by three mature women. She was holding what looked like a teddy bear with bandages all around on it.
"Alice Shimada!" Miho noticed. "And the Bermuda Trio: Azumi, Megumi, and Rumi."
Miho waved at the girl, despite being so far away. Alice noticed her, and jumped up and down for joy, waving her doll in response.
"She seems more excited than usual," remarked Saori.
"Guess she's finally having friends?" inferred Yukari. "I heard that she was lonely back in college."
On top of the Karl Gerat was a large platform, apparently modified to hold a good number of people.
"Shichiro Kodama," Anzu said, whistling at the middle-aged man who wore a hat. "The director of everything Senshadou in Japan. The leader of JSF and all, the Japanese Senshadou Federation."
"Of course," Erwin noted. "You invite the leader of us all."
"Ami Chono," Yuzu noticed the woman with short, black hair. "Our instructor still looks like herself."
"Renta Tsuji," Anzu remarked, leading to a few growls from some of the Oarai girls. "The man who tried to shut down our school...twice."
The man who looked like a businessman, with black glasses, stood silent as a stone. Miho heard a few boos from the crowds. He then snapped, stomping up and down like a crazy man. He was clearly angry, and his temper only encouraged the crowds to boo all the louder.
"BOOO!" the crowd boomed at the man, who continued to throw his temper.
"Not happy," Miho said the obvious. A few girls grinned at Renta's antics.
"Suits him well," said Anzu, reclining back into her tank.
"Chiyo Shimada," Yukari noticed a mature woman who vaguely resembled her daughter Alice.
"Okaa-san," Miho said in a whisper. Shiho Nishizumi stood as strong as ever, her severe-looking appearance radiating an aura of dangerous energy. Even the crowds around her visibly shook; a few children there whimpered in fear.
"You mom is scary," Yuzu admitted from her tank.
Miho nodded silently.
"They're all here," Yukari noted.
"So far so good," Miho said, as she led her tank down the parade.
The whole parade continued down the street, as crowds after crowds cheered. Miho and others waved at the crowds, happy that everything was alright.
"Miho!" the crowds started to chant. "Miho! Miho! Miho-ha! Miho-ha!"
"Miho-ha?" asked Miho to her friends.
"Guess they're just cheering for you," Kay's voice resonated from Miho's radio system.
"Miho-ha!" the crowds roared. "Miho the Legend! Miho the Legend!"
Miho blushed, and tried to get into her cupola. The way she tried to hide herself was apparently cute, because the audience roared in approval.
"Oh please," she blushed at her failed attempt.
"Stop acting cute!" Erika roared from her tank.
"Hehe," Anzu said. "Look over there."
Miho stood up, and looked behind. Renta Tsuji was having another fit; Miho guessed correctly that he was angered at the implicit reminder of his failure to shut down Oarai.
"It serves him right," said Momo, smirking. "That's his karma there."
"I have a feeling you should not say that," said Miho. "Else something else could bite us."
"Why?" Momo retorted. "It's not like we could get targeted and all!"
Somewhere along the Highland Avenue...
Los Angeles, California
11:50 AM, July 8, 20XX
"I am enjoying this!" Miho gladly said, as she waved at the crowds.
"Now you are," Saori commented, smiling.
"I am glad to see you happy," said Hana.
"Me too!" Yukari interjected.
"I see you well now," Mako lazily chimed in. "But you are in good shape."
By now, all girls in the Senshadou Teams had essentially forgotten the strange incident, or at least set it aside in their minds.
The crowds waved at the girls, showering them praises and compliments.
"Miho-ha! Miho-ha!" the crowds chanted.
"Hehe," Miho admitted. "I guess it's good to enjoy this while it lasts."
"Who knows?" asked Yukari. "You could ACTUALLY become famous!"
"No-no," Miho waved off. "Spotlights are useful once in a while. Then, it's back to normal life again."
"You definitely look forward to that, eh?" Mako nonchalantly asked.
"Yes," Miho said. "I just want to be myself."
"Myself..." Hana said dreamily. "I wonder how that will appear..."
"Are you prophesying?" asked Saori, raising an eyebrow.
"No," she replied. "Just thinking, I just felt something odd."
"I already felt it," said Miho. "But I thought I was dreaming."
"Now that you all say it," Saori said. "I feel it too."
"Earthquake?" inferred Mako.
"Earthquake?" Yukari began. "How did you-"
At that moment, the tanks stopped for the usual pause. The girls were about to get out, when they all felt it. The buildings shook, the tables shivered, and then everything was still.
Suddenly, a noise broke. Around the parade, thousands of loudspeakers suddenly blared.
"Attention, attention," the voice monotonously boomed.
"Wait a minute," said Yukari. "I don't remember L.A. having a public address system."
"This is odd," Kay's voice came from the radio. "I did not notice them; I guess they're hidden quite well."
The sounding system kept speaking, until the crowds finally got quiet.
"It is now 12:00 PM exact," the voice said. "And we are on emergency lockdown."
"Eh?" the girls reacted.
"We are on lockdown," said the voice. "We are on lockdown in the northern parts of Los Angeles. We are on lockdown due to the earthquake. Eh?"
"Say what?" the voice suddenly changed its tone. "Hey, what are you saying?"
Everyone present at the parade was silent.
"What are you saying?" the voice started to shake. "What do you mean 'we're finally here'? What? 'California has fallen'? What do you mean by that?"
"California has fallen?" the girls in the tanks asked. A few of them shivered.
"He-hey!" the voice struggled with someone or something. "Hey! What are you doing? I am the professional here! Hey! HEY!"
Silence. The crowd stayed silent. Miho quietly motioned to her team. They all nodded, but were tense. Miho then signaled to the other teams of Oarai. Maho saw this, and did the same to her crew. All others eventually noticed, and prepared their tanks.
"GAAAAHHH!" the announcer's voice roared over the loudspeakers. "WHAT THE-WHAT-OWW-OW-HA!"
The crowds started to stir.
"Ah!" he continued. "Help me! Stop! Stop it!"
"Ow!" his voice resonated. "Ah...ack...ack...agh...oh..."
A sound of something dropping echoed from the loudspeaker. Then, they heard a sound, and a breathing noise was heard.
"I..." a new voice spoke. "I speak...We are now here, eh-heh-heh-heh..."
Despite the California heat, Miho shivered.
"California has fallen," the strange voice declared.
The crowds started to stir.
"This is some lovely flesh," it spoke again, and everybody heard it loud and clear.
Bones crushed. Flesh torn. Blood spat.
"Get ready," began Miho. "We are-"
Miho and the other girls cupped their ears, as screams roared out all around them.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is here, updated and once again.
Please review, like, follow etc., for every support is appreciated.