Two days had passed since the battle with Mojave and Jay was absolutely furious with D-ray and his crew. He chewed them out, having to hold himself back a bit from going off the rails.

"You SERIOUSLY thought that they had found the main force?!" He shouted at them. "I'm at a loss for words! I mean you basically made Shield 4 Abandon the team. You should just be lucky that they actually found them off a hunch!" He was about to go off a bit more when Hanz stopped him.

"Jay, relax." He said, calm as ever. "If it weren't for them, we would've most likely been outnumbered during their last push. And not to mention, our engine would've given out long before then." He said. Jay just sighed and looked at the two again.

"I will admit that was a gutsy call and I'm glad it made a difference in the battle. But don't go pulling that shit against Lone star." He said. Jay suddenly got a call on his phone and he excused himself from the group. "Y'all go and rest up. The practice is tomorrow morning." He answered the call.

"Jay, we got big news. We were able to fully restore the hull and Turret of this beast." It was one of the boys from the restoration team.

"Can it move under its own power?" There was a moment of silence. "I'm guessing that's a no."

"Not exactly. The transmission was intact, but we don't have a gun or an engine. But you do." He knew what he would have to do.

"Alright, if I do this, I want this tank road-ready in 36 hours. You can bring it to the tank hangar if it'll be easier." Jay said.

"You know we can do it."

"And is it in the paint job I stated?"

"Yes." Jay knew what this would mean. JayPac's heavy tank force was now going to truly be all heavy tanks. He started to make his way to the tank hangar floor to wait for the arrival of the new heavy tank.

"We're loading it up now. We should be there in about 20 minutes. See you then." And the phone call ended. He found Leon and their crew mingling about their busted tank.

"Sorry about what happened Jay, we really screwed up, didn't we."

"Yeah, but in the end, you forced their hand, and because of that we won," Jay said. "Now get up, we need your driver to bring the tank outside," Jay said. He watched as the driver, Scott, climbed up the front of the Pershing and started it up the boys got out of the way and the Pershing was driven out to the main road and instructed to park on the side of the hangar. The rest of the crew followed the tank out to the side.

"So, what exactly are we waiting for?" AJ asked. "Something happening with the Pershing?"

"Why yes indeed. We wanted to give boys an upgrade, originally before the Mohave battle but things happened and we had to wait till now." The boys waited for a bit, and slowly one of the heavy transport vehicles could be heard rumbling down the road. On its back was a large tank, a little bigger than the Pershing and slightly wider. As the truck pulled to a stop in front of the group, they all were stunned at the tank before them.

"That's not what I think it is, is it?" Leon asked.

"Oh yeah, it is." Jay smiled. He was glad that they were excited about their new kit. "Meet your new Waifu. The T26E5 Assault Pershing." He said. "All that needs to be input is the engine and the gun off your Pershing."

"We should be able to get it done in about 25, maybe 35 hours." Franklin, the guy heading up the overhaul said.

"Thanks, Frank, I owe you big time for this one," Jay said. "Now we need this tank refitted like yesterday." Jay walked off, leaving the boys to help out with the finishing touches to the tank.

He left the area, walking along the metal fence to one of the exit doors which led to one of the many streets aboard the carrier. He walked along the street for a long while, until he had gotten to a diner he frequented a lot. The 34R Diner, which had been on the carrier since its construction, was situated right across from the runways of the carrier, and it was where a lot of important team discussions had happened. It was nearly midday. He had taken a seat in the quiet diner and looked out the window to catch a glimpse of a jetliner taking off, flying to some unknown destination.

His phone then began to go off, and he checked to see who was calling him, only to see it was Pascal. He answered the phone, wondering why he would be calling him so late.

"Yo, what's up dude?"

"Not much, just wanted to call and let you know I'll be returning to JayPac." Jay was taken aback by the words he had just heard. "I know you must be wondering why right?"

"Yeah, how come? Did things not pan out in Britain?" He asked.

"Not exactly. Just the Team dynamic is better suited to a more relaxed combat style. And also might've been because of some friction during one of the battles we were in." He said.

"Well, we'd be happy to have you back here," Jay said. "Of course, we'd have to re-register you onto the team roster and all that, but it shouldn't take long."

"Well, I'm due out the day you guys take on Lone Star. I heard they were being their usual selves. I just hope it doesn't boil over like last time." Jay remembered the last time they fought Lone Star. It was when they first joined the JayPac team, and they were still getting used to the tanks. They had taken a cheap shot at one of the lead element's tanks after it was knocked out he nearly beat the commander of the tank that shot to a pulp.

"I don't know, man. You know they hate our guts, right? Not to mention our old friend is gunning for our necks as well."

"Yeah, well we'll just have to go for their necks first, right?"

"Yeah, you got that right…" Jay knew he was right, and he hoped he could squeeze in enough practice to get the boys prepared for everything that Lone Star would throw at them.

"I guess I'll see you when we get back." Jay said.

"Good Luck, show those guys what we're made of," Pascal said. He ended the call and Jay continued on to his apartment.

JayPac Tank Hangar, 5 days later…

The team was bustling around the tank hangar, tanks being prepped for the airlift out to Texas. The match was to take place in a midsized city somewhere between San Antonio and Austin. Practice for the day had just ended and they were beginning to drive their tanks out to the airfield to get them loaded onto the jets. Once everything was prepared for them to leave, he called everyone to the briefing room.

"Glad you all could make it. I just wanted to call a quick team meeting before we all head out tomorrow to say, well frankly I'm proud of us. We made it all the way to the Semi-Finals. I didn't think we'd ever get this far." Jay said, looking at everyone.

"If you'll allow Kommandant," Jay nodded. "Thank you. This match is a tad bit personal for him. And for myself as well. The commander of that school is, as we say, a bully. He plays dirty, so expect to take a few dirty hits." Hanz said.

"Not to mention the guy is a bit of a prick," Cody added. "But with me as the Flag tank this match, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"And on that note, we're going to get a new member when we get back. Well, not really a new member, but an Old teammate is returning." Jay said. "And I'll also say this. The schools from Japan are watching us very carefully." He said, opening his phone and showing the brightly lit screen to everyone. Everyone was a bit confused as he showed it around. "I mean on the Senshado forums. Participants from Japan are starting to notice." He finished the meeting soon after and dismissed the boys for the rest of the day. He was left to leave by himself, even telling Cody and Hanz to head off without them. He wanted to make sure that everything was in order before the big move tomorrow.

Texas Arena

The airlift went on without a hitch, and by nightfall, everyone had settled into the hotel. The previous night Jay was up and thinking about the battle. What this battle really meant for him and his team. They hadn't gotten this far in a very long time. Not only that, but they had only played an exhibition match against Lone Star almost a year ago. He sat in the hotel's lobby for a long while before he made the trek to his room. Every step felt heavy as he walked through the halls. He could hear the boys talking about the match the next day. He reached his room and opened the door, greeted with a welcome card from the hotel, which had some good wishes for the next day.

He looked out the window to see the dark starry night, and he flopped onto his back and onto the bed. He felt his phone vibrate and he checked it, only to see an inbox full of messages of good wishes. To his surprise, one of the messages read; "Hope to see you fight over here." He thought the person was overenthusiastic about the chances. After scrolling aimlessly on his phone, he fell asleep, warry from the thousands of thoughts running in his head.

After a rough night, the boys were all filing out of the hotel and onto busses that would take them to the staging area where their tanks were waiting. The bus ride was a bit silent, knowing that this battle was gonna be a brutal one. Jay, Hanz, and Cody were sitting side-by-side, looking over the map one last time and making adjustments to the plan. With a couple of bumps, the busses drove onto a dirt and gravel path that led to the staging area. There was everything from news and sportscasting crews to spectators lining the path, waiting for the boys to step off the bus. Soon the bus came to a stop and the boys climbed out. There were a couple of more buses behind them, all with other Jaypac members.

They were led by an official to the area where they could gather, a large tent near the tanks. Jay stepped inside the tent, and he was surprised to see Porter standing where Jay would usually be.

"Look what the cat dragged in." He said, arms crossed. A couple of his lackeys were with him, flanking each side of him. Jay, Hanz, and Cody were standing in the entryway. "I just wanted to wish you good luck in this battle." He said, walking towards the group. Porter had a smug grin as he approached. "Also to say, I remember what happened all those years ago."

"You shut your fucking mouth," Jay said through his teeth. His fist was clenched up tightly. "You know what you did and I just repaid the cost."

"Not to mention that was only 3 years ago, dipshit." Cody chimed in.

"Ah, I remember you too, Cody." He said. "You just keep smiling and all that. I'll wipe it off your face." He then turned to Hanz, who was by far the calmest at the moment. "As for you, Fritz, I have nothing to say."

"I know and I have nothing to say to you, schweinhund." That seemed to throw Porter for a loop. "Oh yeah, I've heard about you, GEHIRNVERWEIGERER." Porter laughed a little.

"Wow, ok. You just made the list." He said, walking up to Hanz, towering over him. "Just wait, sauerkraut, you'll regret those words." Jay grabbed him by the collar and pushed him back.

"How about we settle this like always? On the battlefield." Jay said. Porter just huffed and nodded.

"Fair enough." He soon ordered his goons to follow him. They left, walked past the JayPac team, and headed off on a jeep nearby to their own staging area. Jay had to take a deep breath to calm himself. Afterward, the team went inside and began the final briefing before the match, which was scheduled to start in about an hour. They all took their seats the leaders began their briefing. That itself took half that time.

The boys all walked out to the staging area, each one going to their tanks to make sure everything was set for the battle. Jay was busy checking the gun barrel when Leon walked up to the tank.

"Yo, Jay! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, one sec." Jay climbed down from the tank and walked over to the Pershing commander. "What's up?"

"Well, it's about the plan. I know you had our tank painted in your group's colors, but what for?"

"So that you can covertly hide with us," Jay replied. "I need that armor because frankly, you can take a hit. I can't." Jay said. "You're gonna live up to the name of the group." Leon nodded.

"Alright, you can count on the Waifu to protect you." He said. Jay chuckled a bit, never thought he would hear that sentence in his life. He checked the time, seeing that it was almost time to start. He climbed to the roof of the Hellcat and stood tall.

"Everyone mount up! Get ready to move out!" Everyone scrambled for the tanks, strapping everything down and closing up some compartments. Soon the air was filled with the sound of engines coming to life. Jay climbed into the commander's position of the hellcat and gave a thumbs-up to the official overseeing them. He nodded back and lined up his flare gun into the sky.

"No turning back now boys," Jay said into the radio. The flare was launched, and Jay gave the order for all tanks to advance. The tanks all began moving in their respective formations.

"Some advice everyone, Zeig Keine gnade," Hanz said.

"What does that mean, comrade?" Sasha asked over the radio.

"It means, well, show no mercy," Jay said. "Like we had any plan to." Jay then signaled for his tanks to follow the group while his tank and Shield 4 went off to the side, driving parallel to the road.

The two tanks managed to pull ahead and they could see Sniper team moving along their route. They drove through the outskirts of the town and parked in a position that concealed their tanks slightly. The small grove of trees hid their tanks, which was enough for Jay to climb out of the tank and crouch near a trunk. He had a pair of binoculars with him and he peered out into the distance, soon seeing a small formation of Lone Star Pershings making their way down one of the small highways. Went back to the tank and got his helmet tossed down to him.

"Attention all tank. I've got movement on the east side of the town. 4 Pershings and a Sherman. Get ready Shield team, they're heading right for you." Jay said.

"Roger, we're waiting for them."

"It's kicked off now. We just gotta hold out." Leon said.

"You're damn right we do. And if we go down, we take a few of them with us." He continued to monitor the tanks as they moved into the town.