Chapter 25: A Struggle For Survival

The day of the finals came, and Oarai made its way to the arena, located in the tankery training grounds near Mt. Fuji.

At Oarai's preparation area, Miho was looking over the tanks and made last-minute preparations, despite knowing that most of the vital work had been done in the past weeks.

While they were doing so, Miho was joined by several of her former opponents. All of them had hoped to be the ones preparing for the final match on this day, wearing their tankery uniforms instead of their school uniforms, but none of them begrudged Oarai for its victories in the past. If Oarai won the tournament, it could compete with the others in the tournament again; whatever reason the school's opponents had for wanting to face Oarai again, that was all the reason they needed to want Oarai to succeed.

"Hello, again, Nishizumi-san," Kei said. "You and the others really have come a long way since we last met."

"It's all thanks to my being able to practice with your team, Arakawa-san," Miho said.

"I also see you've expanded your team," Kei said. "Perhaps next time, we'll be able to fight ten on ten. Maybe we'll need more tanks to make it a fair fight, though, but we have also gotten better."

Miho smiled and nodded, hoping to keep her school open next year, so she could face Kei and her team, as well as possibly her other rivals, again.

"I'm looking forward to that," Miho said, before turning to the newest arrivals.

"Good day, Hisa, Nishizumi-san," Mihoko said, as she was accompanied by Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe, Kana and Miharu.

"I'm glad you could make it again, Mihoko," Hisa said. "And it's nice to see you too, ladies."

"Your opposing commander is Nishizumi Maho-san... just like three years ago," Mihoko said.

Hisa nodded.

"My team is very different than it was back then," Hisa said. "But the one constant is that now, as it was back then, it's full of individuals I can trust."

"That's good," Mihoko said. "Your juniors will eventually become your team's future, which is why I hope that your school will remain open, so they can take up the leadership of the team. And even if the worst happens, I hope that they never give up on tankery."

"Hi, Miho!" Kay said as she approached in a jeep, with Arata in the passenger's seat. "I'm looking forward to yet another exciting match from you."

"I'll be certain to give you one that you'll enjoy watching, Kay-san," Miho said.

"If you have the chance, I have a message that I'd like you to pass along to Nodoka," Arata said. "Kuro and the others from my crew are here to watch her."

"Ah, yes, she got the letters from your teammates," Miho said. "She's expecting you here."

Arata nodded, pleased.

"Miho?" a familiar voice said, and Miho noticed Hiroe approaching with Kinue and Hiroko, whom she had met before the previous year's finals. "It has certainly been a while- about a year, if I'm not mistaken."

"It certainly has, Hiroe-san!" Miho said. "It's nice to see you again, too, Kinue-san, Hiroko-san."

"I heard that you didn't part from Black Forest on the best of terms," Hiroko said, and Miho slightly nodded. "So I imagine that this match is more than a little awkward for you, in some ways; my mom and my aunt had the same experience in the past."

"It's a challenge that I'll have to face and overcome," Miho said stoically. "I knew that if I had to make it this far, I'd most likely have to face my sister and my old schoolmates."

"That's true, Miho-chan," Kinue said. "And the three of us are glad that you're still doing tankery and not letting what happened haunt you. I, for one, plan on doing something similar."

"Yes, I understand," Miho said, not wanting to elaborate. "I would have done the same if I... were in your situation."

"So you saw our last match," Hiroe said, and Miho nodded. "It was close; to think we might have been the ones who you would be up against now. Much of Pravda's team wanted to beat Black Forest 'for real', this time. But we're also in tankery because we enjoy it, and I, for one, would have found going up against you to be an attractive prospect."

Hiroko nodded to concur.

"I'd ask you to win this time, to prove that Black Forest can be defeated by an underdog, and that the Nishizumi School's ruthless methods aren't foolproof," Hiroko said, "but I suppose you have your own reasons for wanting to win."

"I do," Miho said. "And while some believe that they're not good enough, whenever I'm forced close to defeat, thinking of my reasons keeps me going."

Miho wondered how many of her former, current, or would-be opponents knew about Oarai's existence being on the line. But she suspected that it made no difference, and they simply understood her desire to win, having fought long and hard toward the same goal themselves.

"One more thing," Hiroe said. "My mom talked to your sister, and found that Maho is actually a kind person at heart once you get to know her, something I hope to do. But, you know, I think Maho actually wants you to win this, or at least put in a worthy effort your own way. Don't disappoint her."

"I won't," Miho said.

"It looks like everyone's here," Anchovy said as she stepped forward, accompanied by Carpaccio and Yae.

"Anchovy-san?" Miho said. "I think I understand now what you meant when you referred to a commander's duty to win. My teammates are counting on me, and I do not intend to let them down."

"That's true," Anchovy said. "But I also think I misjudged you, Nishizumi Miho."

"Really?" Miho said. "In what way?"

"I saw your match with Saunders," Anchovy said. "The enemy might have hesitated, but you showed that you're willing to save both your teammates and your team's chances of victory. I'm not sure how often you'll be able to do both, or how many times you'll get circumstances conducive to it. But seeing your efforts in that situation, I can't doubt your commitment any longer."

Miho nodded.

"My mother often says you can't win without sacrifice," Miho said. "My successor as vice-captain says that some schools should not even bother competing. But I don't believe either of their claims. The odds might not be in our favor, but I believe we have a chance. Winning may not be everything, but I hope to prove that my way can stand against theirs."

Oarai's rivals nodded. Each had their own way of doing tankery- some were similar to Oarai's and those of others were in stark contrast- which they felt strongly about and which they fought to vindicate. Many of their teammates were not just their subordinates, but their followers, in a sense, believing in their ideals and fighting to defend them. Miho had a similar principle in mind, and fought to defend her beliefs against far stiffer opposition from the likes of her mother and Erika.

After the pre-game greetings ended, Maho stood before Miho, completely silent. She had said all she wished to in the days before the match. Both she and Miho understood what was expected of them, and the only thing left to do was win for the sake of their schools.

Black Forest started to leave, but Erika stopped, turned around and faced Miho with a cold and dismissive look on her face.

"You've gotten this far, but only because of luck," Erika said contemptuously. "Anzio was a weakling trying to compensate for its weakness with obvious trickery and halfhearted determination. St. Gloriana's commander was soft, and her troops were too dependent on her. Saunders' commander was a fool who handicapped herself in the pursuit of victory, and the only one with any brains got taken out early on in the match. But I'm not like any of them. Today, I'll crush your heresy."

Erika started to walk off with a smug grin on her face. Miho, her business done, started to walk away as well, until she heard a voice from behind.

"Please wait, Miho-san!" Koume called out.

Miho turned around and immediately recognized who had just spoken.

"Koume-san?" Miho said as she recognized her former teammate.

"Yes, that's right," Koume said. "I'm the last member of my crew from last year who's still at Black Forest- the crew that you saved from the river."

Miho's face lit up as Miho realized who was speaking to her.

"I've worried about you ever since you left so suddenly," Koume said. "I even blamed myself for causing trouble for you."

"You shouldn't think of it that way, Koume-san," Miho said."It was my decision to make, and I prioritized saving my teammate above all else."

"The commander said as much," Koume said. "But I'm glad you didn't quit tankery, Miho-san. Thank you so much!"

Miho smiled, as did Yukari, who was listening to the conversation from a distance. Yukari always believed that there were things more important than winning, and the ones whose lives had been in danger would understand that best of all.

"There was a time when I thought I hated tankery," Miho said. "But I realized that I only hated the idea of being forced to give up my beliefs or abandon my friends to succeed."

"That's good to hear," Koume said. "I have a similar goal as well- to never let my comrades down again. I'm looking forward to facing you this time, Miho-san."

"So am I, Koume-san," Miho said, waving to Koume as she left.

Erika glared at Koume, never expecting to hear almost treasonous words out of her mouth. Was this what Koume expected everyone else to accept as not just giving her all, but her way of atoning for her failure?

Teru listened to Koume's conversation with Miho. Koume's intentions were simple- thanking someone for their help. It did not matter to Koume what Miho had failed to do; Miho had saved her life and she wished to show the utmost gratitude.

Something stirred within Teru, as she remembered what mattered most. She had saved Saki, even if she had failed to save Mizuho. And to Saki, what Teru had failed to do never mattered- only what she had succeeded at. What would Mizuho think of her at this moment?

"Miho," Teru said, walking over. "I have a question." Teru cleared her throat before continuing, her eyes looking around, causing Miho to wonder if she was looking for someone or wanted to avoid eye contact. "Is she… is my si…is Saki still on your tankery team?"

Miho paused, surprised by Teru's question, but she soon realized that there was only one response.

"Why don't you ask her yourself, Teru-san?" Miho said.

Miho's question was a simple one, but it was one that Teru found difficult to answer. Teru realized that the only barriers to their communication over the past three years were the ones Teru had put up herself. Teru always believed in the permanence of the consequences of one's actions, and found it difficult to believe that she could so easily tear down those barriers, especially after what had happened between her and Saki after the semifinals..

Teru sighed and her expression turned somber.

"How could I just approach her, after… everything that's happened?" Teru said, hesitant to disclose the event to Miho but hoping she would understand what she meant. "You may not know the entire story, but I think Saki has remembered now- does she seriously believe that we can go back to the way we were before that day?"

Miho paused, carefully considering her answer. Teru was correct; she did not know what had happened. But she did know Saki, and while she refused to even consider speaking about the events, she felt confident in speaking about Saki.

"Maybe the two of you can't go back to how things were before; I believe Saki-san understands that as well," Miho said. "But Saki-san has been working to reconnect with you, even after hearing that you no longer considered her your sister. There are many things she wants to say to you, and… I think you should hear her out. You owe her at least that much, as her sister."

Teru paused to consider what Miho was telling her, which, in many was, was like what Maho had once said to her. While there were more immediate concerns for her- namely, the finals- she could not easily dismiss what either of the Nishizumi sisters had said.

"I…I will have to consider this," Teru said.

Miho nodded, knowing that the rest was up to Teru. Saki and several others had done their best to get Teru to reconcile with Saki, but they had only led her to the water, and it was up to her to drink it.

A pause followed and Miho started to leave.

"And Miho?" Teru said. "I'd like to say to you what I should have said long ago- you made the right choice in last year's finals."

"Thank you, Teru-san," Miho said, pleased to hear those words from what she believed to be a person who was unlikely to say them.

"What's more, your sister thinks so as well," Teru said. "She may not always show it, but she often thinks about you and loves you a great deal."

"I know," Miho said with a smile, before bidding Teru goodbye.

Miho approached Saki near Octopus Team's tank.

"Saki-san?" Miho said. "I just spoke with your sister. She's… starting to reconsider how she feels."

"I see," Saki said. "Her mind will probably be entirely focused on the match, so it will probably take at least until it ends for her to process all this. But while she's doing so, I hope to give her a good demonstration of my resolve."

"Are you alright, Saki?" Nodoka said.

"Yes," Saki said confidently. "From the beginning, I've known that reconciliation between my sister and I, as well as between the rest of the family, was something that we could only accomplish together. What Miho-senpai said proves it- everything I've said and everything I've tried were not in vain. All that's left is to see how my sister responds."

"You can count on me to help you with that," Nodoka said.

"And I won't back down, either, Nodoka-chan," Saki said. "You still want to win the finals, don't you? So you can stay at Oarai and keep the school open?"

Nodoka nodded.

"Everyone on the team does, whatever our individual reasons may be," Nodoka said. "If we don't succeed, it won't be for lack of motivation."

Teru's team did the final checks on their tank, and realized that under their current strategy, they would not have to act immediately in the match. As Black Forest possessed an advantage in terms of numbers and power over Oarai, attacking with all their tanks was not necessarily the optimal strategy, so they could afford to consider placing some of their forces in strategically important locations.

"I am a bit worried about how Teru will hold up in this match," Sumire said to the rest of her crew.

"It's possible that the Commander will end things before our part comes up," Takami said. "Or at least I'm hoping she does."

Teru shook her head, having overheard the conversation.

"I don't think that's likely, Takami; if the Commander has chosen to go with this plan, she knows what Miho will try," Teru said to Takami, before turning to Sumire. "And Sumire, if I was the sort who would give up over something of this nature, I would have quit tankery three years ago."

Sumire gave a solemn nod, understanding Teru's point. Awai smiled, relieved that her commander, the one at Black Forest she admired the most, was resolute.

"Well, I hope they come here," Awai said. "Black Forest might have been defeated before, but never with me around."

But even as Awai said it, she realized Black Forest was no longer sure of the certainty of her school's victory.

Teru sat, waiting for her cue to act. In the seemingly interminable wait, her mind kept going back to what Miho, Sumire and Maho had said to her regarding the issue of her sister. They sounded like things she had heard before from Saki in the days after the tragedy, but she could no longer dismiss them as easily as she could before. She had to wonder whether it was because they were coming from the mouths of people other than her sister, or whether she was starting to realize that they were ringing true.

"You chose to challenge my until recently undefeated school with an untested team, in an attempt to reunite a family that was dysfunctional at best," Teru thought. "I once assumed you were merely naive, Saki, but the Commander and her sister suggested otherwise. Now, show me just how far your resolve can take you."

The audience was full of people, the stands filled to capacity. The families of many of the tankers had come, as well as their schoolmates and even the teams they had defeated in the tournament. Many were drawn solely by the fact that it was the finals, but others were excited for what was at stake in the round.

The tournament had reached its climax. Either Black Forest would win again this year, a win that it hoped would be the first of many consecutive victories, or a new champion would arise this year. The possibility had been raised by Pravda's victory in the last tournament, even considering the circumstances behind the win, so many people were eager to see if Oarai could make those hopes become reality.

"Let the final round of the tournament begin!" the announcer said.

As the finals began, Oarai advanced forward cautiously, keeping an eye out for the enemy, as they advanced toward the forest at the base of the mountain. Since Black Forest possessed advantages over them in almost every regard, they needed the advantage of the terrain to strike at them.

But they were too late- Black Forest had gotten there first. Having been on the same team as Miho for a long time, Maho knew her well, and having watched Oarai through the course of the tournament, Maho knew Oarai's equipment and its capabilities. Some of the tanks this round were new, but Maho was aware of how Oarai sought to offset their disadvantages against their foes, and was determined to not let them do so easily.

A large division of the Black Forest forces emerged from the woods, and began firing on Oarai's position. They reminded Miho of a castle wall, with impenetrable iron walls and towers made of trees. Black Forest's relentless advances and tight formations could be terrifying to behold, particularly to those without the firepower for a frontal assault.

Miho, counting the tanks, immediately noticed something was off about this deployment of Black Forest's forces, but recognized a hopeless battle when she saw one, and knew which fact was most relevant.

"That's not all of them," Miho thought. "But it's still enough to destroy us easily without giving us even a shot at their flag tank."

"Retreat!" Miho said. "Fall back according to our plan and force them to pursue us!"

The group quickly turned and withdrew, but Momogawa's inexperience driving left Anteater Team unable to turn as quickly as the others, making them slower to depart. All 10 of Oarai's drivers knew how to operate their vehicles, having come far from when they were struggling to get their tanks to their starting points in the practice match. But for the experienced drivers, it was second nature, while the beginners still struggled, driving with less grace and speed.

Falling behind the group, Anteater Team quickly attracted the attention of Black Forest. While it was obvious that Anteater was the weak link in Oarai's forces, Maho realized that Miho made use of all her tanks, and knew that letting the tank escape would cause problems for them later.

Several of the Black Forest tanks fired, and took down the Chi-nu before it could get out of Black Forest's firing range. Not even slowing down, the Black Forest tanks continued in the direction the Oarai tanks had fled.

"Pursue them, and don't let them out of your sight," Maho said. "By the time they reach the destination they seem to be going toward, we should be ready."

Anteater Team stayed in their destroyed tank, temporarily wondering when the prompt for respawning would come up.

"Did the others really fight against such difficult opponents until now?" Nekota said. "I've never seen anyone this strong since that one match against 'Tomoki'."

"We did come in at the last possible match, against the champions," Piyotan said. "So we're essentially a great deal less experienced than our teammates, much less their opponents."

"Still, this is more fun than we'd expected," Momogawa said. "Even if we only ended up taking a bullet for the flag tank, even if it was all we could do for our teammates, it turned out to be quite enjoyable to fight in actual tank battles."

"Most of our teammates started out about this level," Piyotan said. "If only we'd realized we wanted to join sooner, perhaps we could have gotten better at this..."

"We've done what we could," Nekota said. "And everyone else is doing so as well, to ensure that there's a next year for our team and our school."

Oarai advanced onward, in hopes of finding a more advantageous spot with which they could attack their opponent. Looking ahead, they saw the mountain that they had identified as a possible fall back location in their pre-match planning, which was a possibly good defensive position that would enable them to have some advantage over Black Forest, enabling them to take out some of their enemies.

But on top of the mountain, they noticed several Black Forest tanks waiting for them. Clearly, Black Forest had anticipated that they would do just that.

"If you're disadvantaged in terms of numbers, experience, and quality of tanks, then the only thing left is to seek advantageous circumstances with which to fight," Maho thought. "It's very like you to do that, Miho, but for the sake of my plans, I can't allow you this opportunity."

"Abandon this plan!" Miho said. "Retreat toward the town!"

Oarai's tanks quickly turned and began their retreat, hoping to find a gap before they were sandwiched between their pursuers and the waiting Black Forest forces.

But Miho's order to retreat came too late, and the tanks on top of the hill fired. Most of the shots missed, as they were hastily made and at a great distance. Maho had hoped that they would deter Miho from the hill, but also that Miho would get closer before realizing that her chosen destination had already been claimed by the enemy, so the shots were less accurate than Maho hoped.

One shell, however, squarely struck the Type 89 in the side, knocking it out of the game.

As Duck Team recovered from the shot that disabled the tank, they knew, from the force of the impact alone, that they would not be returning to the game.

"No matter how many times it happens, I still hate getting taken out like this," Akebi said.

"It could be worse," Shinobu said. "We could have had this happen in our second match, while we were the flag tank. The game, our participation in the tournament, and our school's existence would have ended right then, right there."

"That's true," Taeko said. "But this isn't like volleyball, in which, barring someone on the team getting injured or benched for some reasons, you can keep on fighting until the game ends. We're not the best tankers and don't have the best tank, but no one tries harder than we do."

"And yet, you might reach at a point at which you cannot feasibly win," Noriko said, before smiling. "I'm glad that's not the case here. As long as Anglerfish Team stays in the game, we have a chance. We've done our part, and now let's believe in our teammates."

Off to the side, the Hetzer had escaped, as the Black Forest forces focused on the larger mass of remaining tanks, which included the flag tank. With it being a similar color and shape as many of the other German tanks from Black Forest, it was able to avoid being detected.

Anzu took aim, searching for a weak spot in the enemy's formation, as well as one that they could feasibly hit at this range with the Hetzer's cannon. They would likely only have one shot, and while it was tempting to try to take out the flag tank and decide the game right then and there, it was too far away and too heavily armored for it to be feasible.

Anzu realized that if it wasn't possible to finish the enemy off right then and there, they could make the shot count, and hamstring them. She then took aim at a Jagdpanther in the middle of the formation.

The Hetzer fired, detracking the Jagdpanther.

As the Jagdpanther screeched to a halt, Kuroko, its commander, took a moment to check whether her tank was disabled. Once she realized that it was not, she immediately understood what had happened.

"Did Miho-san tell the others about the difficulties I have with repairing my track?" Kuroko thought.

Kuroko wondered if this was karmic retribution, in a sense, for her failure to speak up in Miho's defense. Although Kuroko also considered Miho a friend, when faced with the vocal outcry against Miho's saving Koume's tank, Kuroko had been cowed into silence. And with Miho's mind having seemingly been made up upon her return to the school, Kuroko wondered if anything she could have said would have made any difference. But whether Kuroko could have made a difference, Miho had, as a result of the incident and the fallout, left Black Forest, and was leading one of its rivals.

"This is tank 8," Kuroko said. "We've been struck by the Hetzer and detracked."

"Understood," Maho said. "Tank 17, advance forward and fill the gap."

A Tiger II from the rear of Black Forest's formation turned and tried to reach the gap, but Anglerfish Team, noticing it approaching, fired a shell that struck it in the side, and disabled it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Erika shouted upon seeing the Tiger II being disabled. She found it infuriating that Oarai, the weaker school, would not merely submit to defeat, and that it was persisting in spite of its disadvantage. Were they that deluded about their chances? Or was it possible that their belief that they could win was no longer so unreasonable?

Oarai surged through the gap in Black Forest's formation in single file, led by the M3 Lee, and with the Porsche Tiger bringing up the rear.

Black Forest's tanks fired on them, largely missing, save for one machine gun round that hit the treads of the M3 Lee.

"We're fine; keep going!" Azusa said as the M3 Lee narrowly dodged two shells landing near it.

The Oarai team escaped their pursuers. Some would see their escaping the enemy as an exercise in futility, but Miho realized that this was a potential opportunity to outdistance their pursuers, and push the Black Forest heavy tanks to the limit.

Oarai's tanks crossed the river, with the heavier tanks upriver and the lighter ones downriver.

Karina nervously looked at the M3 Lee's speedometer, desperately hoping that the engine would not give out midway through.

Much to her and her team's relief, the M3 Lee held together through the river crossing, making it to the other side with the others, well in advance of Black Forest's pursuing tanks.

But Rabbit Team's luck ran out when they approached a hill near the bridge. The track snapped and came off.

"This is Rabbit Team, we lost a track!" Yuuki said.

"Are you alright?" Miho said.

"We're still in the game, but we can't move," Azusa said. "And we won't be able to repair in time. Please, Commander, go on without us!"

Miho understood the reality of the situation. Rabbit Team's lives were not in danger, but if they stayed behind, they would likely be out of the game. And yet, there was no feasible way to take them across the bridge without putting the rest of the team at risk.

"Very well," Miho said, resignedly. "All mobile tanks, advance over the bridge!"

The rest of the tanks advanced over the bridge, and Miho took a look back at Rabbit Team's tank, which was likely to be taken out again, just like it had been in all their battles save for when they were the flag tank in the match with Anzio, and just like so many of the other tanks. But tankery was not war, and Miho would see the six first-years again after the battle, regardless of how it ended. Miho thought back to Ami and Kay telling her about how tankery was not the same as war, and was grateful that the capability to win the game without risking the lives of her teammates was still in her hands.

"You've tried your hardest, even when the circumstances weren't in your favor, Rabbit Team," Miho thought.

As the last of the tanks passed over the bridge, Ayumi fired her gun at the bridge, blasting away the bridge's support. The rest of the bridge toppled and collapsed into the valley.

"Good luck, senpais," Azusa thought as she watched the rest of the team escape.

As the Black Forest attackers closed in, they saw the track-less M3 Lee waiting for them near the destroyed bridge. There was no escape route for it even if it could move, and it had little hope of defeating the enemy tanks. But fighting was all it could do, and so that was what Rabbit Team chose to do in their final stand.

Both the M3 Lee's guns fired, as its crew hoped to take at least one of their foes down with them.

The shells struck and bounced off an Elefant's strong frontal armor.

"If only we could hit in the back!" Azusa said, frustrated.

The Elefant returned fire, knocking out Rabbit Team with a single shell.

Black Forest's joy on knowing that their opponent had suffered yet another loss was short-lived when they realized that pursuing the remainder of Oarai's forces would be more difficult than they thought.

"The bridge is out!?" Erika said incredulously.

"Calm down, Erika," Maho said. "This is precisely what I have been planning for."

Meanwhile, Rabbit Team pondered their situation inside their tank.

"So we couldn't make it through this time, either," Aya said.

"Sometimes that happens," Ayumi said. "Even if Vice-captain Takei said we will often have to succeed against insurmountable odds, or 'roll with the punches', so to speak, we can't always win. But we can persist as long as we can, and help our comrades."

The others nodded, remembering when Hisa had met with them and shared with them the comment that she had made to her crewmates.

"That's true," Yuuki said. "Saori-senpai said that going to school at an all-girls school is a less than optimal place to find a boyfriend, as Kataoka-san and I are well aware. Of course, I want to stay here, and keep searching and trying my luck."

"Aye! So do I," Karina said. "But it looks like it's out of our hands now."

"We fought until the end, and I'm glad all of you were able to do that, for as long as you could," Azusa said.

Azusa then felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see the person who had done so.

"It's not over yet for the others," Maruyama Saki said.

After the surprise that the typically silent Saki had actually spoken faded, the other first-years nodded in agreement.

Oarai, after crossing the bridge, advanced toward the nearby abandoned city. During her preliminary planning for the match, Miho had concluded that it would be possible to ambush Black Forest while in the city, allowing them to thin their ranks and make the flag tank vulnerable to an attack.

Despite being hopeful about the possible opportunity, the losses that were required to take it weighed heavily on Miho's mind.

"Are you sad that you had to leave Rabbit Team behind, Miporin?" Saori said.

"Yes," Miho said. "From a tactical standpoint, they're an asset. From a personal standpoint, while they weren't in any danger to their lives, I don't like abandoning my allies."

"Anteater and Duck Team didn't even have the time to make a choice," Mako said. "They'd have kept going if they could, or made their defeats count for something if there was no other way to avoid it."

"We all share the same goal, after all," Hana said. "And they merely saw their sacrifice as part of that effort, for all our sakes."

"The only thing we can do is make sure their efforts weren't in vain," Yukari said.

As Oarai rolled down the main street, hoping to reach a suitable position to ambush their foes, the Panzer IV spotted a single tank- a Panzer III- at the end of a side street.

"A Panzer III!" Saori said, having gained the ability to identify the tanks with only a glance.

"Did they beat us here, too?" Yukari said.

"No, there's only one tank around- probably a scout," Miho said.

The Panzer III immediately turned around and retreated. While it was superior to most of Oarai's tanks, it was vastly outnumbered, and stood no chance against the remainder of the Oarai team. If its crew chose to stand their ground, they would be defeated, and fail to accomplish their mission.

"This is Team 20; we've spotted the enemy in the town!" the commander said.

As all of Oarai's remaining tanks pursued it, the Panzer III rounded the corner.

"This is Team 20, we're almost there, but the entire remaining Oarai force is pursuing us!" the commander said.

"Just get a little farther, and we'll handle the rest," Teru said. "Is everyone ready?"

"I was born ready," Awai said with a grin. "Let's show them the difference between their school and ours."

The fleeing Panzer III retreated down the street, and Oarai's tanks stopped, taking aim at it, with the Porsche Tiger firing on it.

Leopon Team's shell flew through the air and struck the Panzer III, disabling it. After the sound of the shot and the blast faded, there was a moment of eerie silence, followed by a loud rumbling.

The trap had already been sprung, and something appeared to be moving between them and the Panzer III.

The Panzer VIII Maus, the largest superheavy tank in history, emerged from a side street and turned toward Oarai's tanks.

"Everyone, RETREAT!" Miho called out as she saw the Maus approaching.

The Maus' turret turned and fired, knocking out Leopon Team in a single well-placed cannon shot. The shot caused a deafening blast, knocking off the Porsche Tiger's tracks and wheels in the process.

"Wow, looks like this is too much damage for us to repair while here," Hoshino said.

"Yeah," Suzuki said. "I can potentially get the tracks back on given enough time, but I can't do anything about that."

Suzuki pointed at the white flag sticking out of the Porsche Tiger.

"This is the Maus; we are engaging the enemy," Takami said. "The Porsche Tiger has been eliminated and there are six tanks left."

"Understood," Maho said over the radio as her troops advanced on the city. "Keep the Oarai forces occupied until I get there. But if you have a reasonable opportunity for a shot on the flag tank, take it."

Maho pondered the situation Miho was in. She would have to overcome the Maus in order to survive, but as it was not the final enemy she needed to defeat, she would need to do so well enough in order to be prepared to face the rest of Black Forest's team and take out their command tank. For Miho, the odds were steep, but not necessarily insurmountable.

"So, what is your next move, Miho?" Maho thought. "A great many people, myself included, are eager to find out."

Author's Notes

I'd like to thank Stalker117 for beta reading this.

Tomoki is a reference to Tomoki Sawamura from Saki, who's Ryuumonbuchi's Sergeant and an avid gamer. She was among the top-ranked members of an RTS, and Touka had to play for a week straight to get her ranking up to the point at which she could challenge Tomoki.

I personally interpreted Miho and Maho not saying much to each other before or during the finals as evidence that they both know what they'll have to do- win for their own school, and for the sake of their own style of tankery.

I also don't think that Miho truly doubts whether saving her teammate was the right decision, as she suggested to Yukari in the anime. Since she makes almost the same decision in the finals, she knows that the safety of her teammates outweighs winning a match.

You might notice that the battle is similar (as a result of being in the same arena), but Black Forest is doing better this time. This was done in order to offset Oarai's greater combat capabilities, and more appropriately show their status as the champions.

Anteater Team gets picked off somewhat easily, but I'd hoped to make them somewhat better than their anime counterpart to reflect that they've had some time to practice; they're out of their depth, but they're not a complete joke.