Chapter 26: Lessons From Defeat
Gasps of shock and cheers of joy went up from the stands as everyone witnessed the outcome of the match. While Pravda was regarded as a strong team, relatively few outside of their most ardent fans and supporters were expecting them to triumph over Black Forest. It had happened before, but it was generally considered a rare event, albeit one worth celebrating because it happened so rarely.
But it had happened twice in the past three tournaments, and in the only case in which it did not happen, something even more unlikely did; Oarai, the underdog, had triumphed. Those among Pravda's fans who had been frustrated with Black Forest's winning streak rejoiced, since the champion no longer seemed so invincible. Perhaps they would never get up to the level Black Forest once had, but the opportunity to stand atop high school tankery lay before them, ripe for the taking. Only Oarai Academy stood in their way this year, and while defeating last year's victors would be no small task, they believed it was well within their ability.
Among the Atagos in the stands, Hiroe let out a whoop and raised her fist into the air, as her cousin, aunt and mother smiled proudly.
"Way to go, Kinue!" Hiroe said.
"Yes, Kinue and all her teammates did a wonderful job," Masae said. "Black Forest may have had weaker leadership this time, but Pravda, as a whole, have come a long way since last year, effectively learning lessons from their defeat."
Masae's cell phone then began to ring, and she recognized the caller as her husband.
"Hello?" Masae said.
"Hello, dear," Masaru said. "I take it, by now, you've seen the outcome?"
"Oh, I certainly did, dear..." Masae said cheerfully. "Were you able to see it at work?"
"We turned a television on in the main office, and we saw the match," Masaru said. "A lot of my coworkers, especially those like Ueshige, who have kids in the school, are quite pleased with the outcome."
Masae nodded, remembering Suzu, before thinking of all the other men and women who worked alongside or under her husband. Most of them had never done tankery or shown much interest in it in the past, resulting in many of the children of Pravda being "first-generation" tankers, unlike Masae's daughters and niece. But while the parents had little interest in tankery themselves, they supported their children, and were thus pleased when they triumphed in a battle as significant as this one. Masae appreciated that sentiment, and believed that those parents understood the meaning of those victories in ways that parents like Shiho did not.
"I've got to get back to work," Masaru said. "Send my congratulations to Kinue, and tell her I'm planning on seeing her in the finals."
"I will, dear," Masae said, before saying goodbye and hanging up. She then rose from her seat, accompanied by her sister, eldest daughter and niece, and set out to find her youngest daughter once she was finished with the post-game ceremonies.
Pravda's struggle in the tournament had not ended, but it had succeeded where it had failed last year, an encouraging sign that would give those in the school, especially its commander, the confidence they needed to face Oarai.
The higher ranking members of Rinkai watched the outcome in a television lounge at the school. As soon as the match ended with Pravda's victory- and with it, the defeat of the champion that many, Satoha included, had hoped for- they began cheering in their native tongues.
"That's a pleasant development," Satoha said. "Black Forest being defeated once again, without any outside flukes that favor the competition, and by a different school than the one that did it last time, is quite an encouraging sign to those who will face them in the future."
"Yeah," Emi said. "All the same, I'm going to be rooting for Oarai again this year."
"That makes sense," Megan said. "I'd also think it's good to cheer on those who bested use as a show of support, and as proof that there's no hard feelings. Perhaps Black Forest doesn't feel that way, but it hardly matters."
Satoha nodded.
"The finals is between the previous two champions," Satoha said. "And yet, the previously dominant Black Forest, for the first time in over two decades, is not one of the two contenders for the championship. This should be interesting to watch, now that the winner is no longer all but predetermined."
"Yeah," Emi said. "I'm going to get in touch with Chihiro and Hitomi, and see if we can watch the finals together."
"Go ahead," Myeonghwa said. "At practice tomorrow, I'm going to ask my crew if they're interested in coming. I'd originally hoped to see it with my mother, or better yet, compete in it while she watched, but c'est la vie."
"That's a good sentiment, Myeonghwa," Alexandra said. "Of course, my favorite variation is 'Que sera, sera'. Latin's a beautiful language, even if I don't know all that much of it."
"I agree, Coach" Nelly said. "We might all have our own reasons for wanting to win, and serious about doing so, but it's good that we're able to accept our losses, and realize that life goes on, even if we don't get what we want. For their sake, I hope Black Forest feels the same way."
The post game assembly took place where the one before the game one had, although few were expecting Black Forest to be the ones congratulating Pravda as the winner.
"Thank you for the match," the commanders of both sides said, bowing.
Kinue, while pleased with herself and her team, became discomfited as she took a moment to consider the implications of what had just happened. Her defeat last year, while discouraging, had not been punished. But could she say the same for the much more strict and rigorous Black Forest? And if her defeating Black Forest was a tremendous accomplishment, what kind of failure was it for her opponent?
"Are you alright, Itsumi-san?" Kinue said, as Erika remained silent.
Erika simply sighed. Kinue was unsure whether Erika was not blunt enough to shake her head, or too proud to accept sympathy from an enemy.
"I... wasn't expecting the match to turn out like this," Erika said. "I suppose Pravda is a credible threat, but I wasn't expecting to lose to you."
Kinue nodded. She was past the point at which she questioned her worthiness to command Pravda, but she still realized that many opponents, not only those who were arrogant, did not see much potential or promise in her.
"Neither was I, for the most part," Kinue said. "We all knew that we would be at a disadvantage going up against Black Forest in some regards, but strove on in hopes of overcoming it. I did manage to win in spite of everything, and now will make the most of the opportunity that has been granted me."
Erika chuckled mirthlessly.
"Humble even in victory," Erika said. "At times, it's hard to believe that you're really Atago Hiroe's sister."
Kinue chuckled slightly. She had heard this quite often from many of her mother's students, and from some of her teammates at Pravda.
"Of course, this is hardly surprising when I think about it," Erika said, "especially considering that I know another younger sister who's notably different from the elder, but shines in her own way."
Kinue nodded, immediately recognizing Miho. Reflecting on Erika's observation, she would eventually realize that the same could be said about Saki.
"Both Miho-chan and I can only do what we can do," Kinue said. "Seeing that the path blazed by our sisters isn't necessarily one we can follow, we go our own way. Miho-chan knew this for many years, but I, who tried to emulate and be of use to my sister, only truly realized this when I took up her mantle as commander last year."
Erika let off a bitter laugh. At times, it was hard to imagine that Kinue had understood what she had failed to, in spite of the fact that both girls had become commander the same year.
"You certainly learn quickly," Erika said, "more quickly than I ever did. Perhaps even Miho understood what she needed to all this time."
"Understood what, Itsumi-san?" Kinue said, confused.
"Maybe Miho was right from practically the very beginning," Erika said, "in realizing that she could not achieve success by her family's standards. I was constantly trying to live up to Assistant Instructor Nishizumi, as well as the various other accomplished Nishizumis and fellow Nishizumi disciples who were my predecessors. I looked down on Miho for falling short by those standards, and giving up on improving herself our way. But in the end, she wasn't the one who truly fell short... I was."
Sensing the despair and shame in Erika's face and voice, Kinue extended her arm and laid a comforting hand on Erika's shoulder. She had never thought of Erika as an enemy, merely as someone who was competing against her in the name of a very different ideology and worldview. Perhaps Kinue saw Erika as harsh on her subordinates who failed her, but she had no desire to treat her the same way.
"I'm not certain what I can say in response to that, Itsumi-san, but I have two requests," Kinue said. "The first is to not scapegoat any of your subordinates for what happened. This also goes for your coach and the rest of your team, so please relay my request to them as well."
Koume gave Kinue a soft smile in gratitude, but said nothing to reveal herself. She appreciated this kind of compassion from Maho, Miho, and even Erika, although she still regretted her lack of success in repaying their giving her a second chance.
At the same time, Erika struggled to stifle her laughter at what, to her, sounded like a bad joke.
"Yeah..." she said, "even I know at this point that it's all my fault we lost."
Kinue shook her head, but saw Erika's assertion as a good way to segue into her second request.
"As for the second..." Kinue began, "whatever anyone tells you in the aftermath of this match, whether Coach Kubo, Instructor Nishizumi, or anyone else, know that you tried as hard as you could and fought well."
Koume nodded as Kinue's statement resonated with her once again, while Erika was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
"You really do have a different set of standards than my school does," Erika said, her tone less judgmental than Kinue expected.
Kinue nodded with a slight smile.
"I think we know, better than many do, that not everyone can fit into the standards of their given place," Kinue said, thinking back to the one piece of her father's advice that she regarded as above all others. "Sometimes, you can only find success under your own standards and through your own methods."
"I'll keep that in mind," Erika said. "Even though I may not be able to emulate many of the Nishizumis I respect most, I still seek to constantly improve myself and reach their level someday."
"That seems like the right mindset for your goal, Itsumi-san," Kinue said. "I wish you the best of luck succeeding your way."
Kinue extended her hand, and Erika took it and shook it. Silently bidding farewell to each other, they walked back to their teams.
Kinue walked back to receive the congratulations of her family, but she knew that her most difficult match was yet to come. Miho had succeeded against Black Forest with fewer tanks than hers, so it stood to reason that Miho could possibly triumph against her as well.
But Kinue also felt as though she had a great deal in common with Miho, and an understanding of her that came from those similarities. She felt as though she knew Miho's tactics, and understood her drive to win, so she would not underestimate Miho or be fooled easily. That understanding gave Kinue a great deal of sympathy for Miho, but Kinue also knew that just as Miho could not let down her teammates, neither could she.
"It will be a pleasure to face you in tankery, Miho-chan," Kinue thought, "as well as a shame that only one of us will be able to accomplish what we set out to do."
As the televised coverage of the other semifinals match concluded, those at Oarai who had watched the match from start until finish moved on to analyzing it.
"So Black Forest lost to Pravda," Shizuru said. "What do you believe the significance of this is, Nishizumi-san?"
Miho shrugged.
"That depends, Mikado-san," Miho said. "The most basic thing to take away from it is that there are those out there who can accomplish what we did last year- defeating the champion. Of course, they had greater numbers, which enabled them to more easily make risks, sacrifices or mistakes, and their better tanks made them better in a straight-up fight."
"So in the finals, they will outnumber us two to one and will have tanks that are largely better than ours," Shizuru said. "I may not know much about tankery, but even I am aware that these are steep odds, perhaps even worse than last year. I will be honest with you, Nishizumi-san; while I am hopeful that we can win, I believe that the odds that we will are quite slim."
Miho solemnly nodded.
"The same could be said for last year, but we were unwilling to give up, especially given the stakes," Miho said. "And while the odds have always been in Black Forest's favor, they have always proceeded forward with a desperate sense of determination, afraid of what will happen if they lose."
"That's what I had heard," Shizuru said. "So now what? What happens now that they have lost?"
Miho remained silent for a moment, considering her response. Ordinarily, the answer would be obvious to her, as she had witnessed how Black Forest had reacted to an defeat. Now, Black Forest was facing its third such defeat, a somewhat unprecedented event that made it harder for Miho to predict the future based on the past.
"In the past, it caused them to rededicate themselves to winning," Miho said, "which largely amounted to redoubling their efforts and cracking down on those who were complacent or less talented. Perhaps they would reconsider some aspects of how they sought to achieve victories, but winning the tournament year after year still remained their final goal. But it seems likely that the fears of some in Black Forest are coming true, and that it is no longer the invincible champion. Now that it has come to that, I can only guess what will happen next."
The group decided to drop the subject of Black Forest. They had more immediate concerns than what would become of their defeated rival, as they now had to defeat the school that had just triumphed. Black Forest now had the same concerns as the other defeated schools- to think about the future and how they could improve themselves.
But how would a school that had been virtually undefeated until recently deal with their third consecutive defeat? And what further improvement could a school with a tankery team built around perfectionist ideals seek for itself?
The day after the loss, Erika, wearing her school uniform, reported in to Takako's office. A sense of dread washed over her as she knocked on the door, but it largely faded away when she heard a somewhat stern, yet calm, "Come in" from inside, and Erika opened the door.
Takako was hardly angry, contrary to what Erika had expected, but she seemed quite somber. She wore the same dark suit that she wore to her old teacher Hotaru's funeral, and while dark colors were common choices for the faculty at Black Forest, Erika briefly wondered whether Takako was in mourning.
"Good to see you, Itsumi," the coach said. "Have a seat."
"Yes, Coach," Erika said as she complied, pulling up a chair in front of Takako's desk. The movement was second nature to her; Erika had been into Takako's office more times than most tankers who were in good standing with the team, even if the circumstances for this visit were unusual.
A moment of silence passed as Erika wondered where the coach would start. The oddly somber and resigned demeanor that Takako displayed meant that the obvious answer-berating Erika for her failure- was out of the question.
"Itsumi, do you know why you were appointed vice-captain two years ago?" Takako said.
After a taking a moment to process her being asked a question at the start, Erika respectfully nodded.
"Yes, ma'am," Erika said. "Instructor Nishizumi wanted to make sure that there was someone she trusted to head the team, the Nishizumi way, and so she asked the former commander to choose me."
Takako nodded. She disagreed with her former teacher on many regards, but agreed with Shiho's recommending Erika, as well as the reasons behind it.
"Correct," Takako said. "That reasoning was in play when I chose to appoint you commander as well. You were the only member of the team with a background from the Nishizumi school, and the only holdover from command last year. As such, you seemed like the most reliable choice, especially considering our need to win yet again... but in spite of our best-laid plans, we were defeated yeat again."
Erika hung her head slightly. She was considering apologizing for disappointing Takako, but Takako saw apologies as largely shallow and meaningless gestures. To Takako, apologizing made little difference in the face of mistakes that had very real consequences, and there was little that was more severe than tarnishing Black Forest's reputation by losing.
"This is the third year in a row that Black Forest has failed to take the championship," Takako said, "as well as the first in over two decades in which it has been defeated before the finals. When failures happen, Black Forest tends to... take actions to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Over a decade ago, when I was in high school, one of my predecessors was essentially forced out after we lost. Not much happened to the commander at the time, although the defeat remains a black mark on her record."
"So, Coach, are you saying...?" Erika began, albeit while having difficulty articulating her thoughts out loud.
As Erika fell silent, Takako grimly nodded.
"You led according to the Nishizumi way, Itsumi," Takako said. "And that may be the problem, or at least what people will believe is the problem. You'll probably escape the worst of it, since you're on the way out already, but Black Forest will likely come to reject the Nishizumi teachings, especially now that the school has a new headmistress."
"That's what I thought," Erika said, "and that's what I hoped would not happen. But the year isn't over and neither is my tenure as commander. So what do we do now?"
Takako sighed.
"Not much, unfortunately," Takako said. "Winning the tournament was going to be our way of compensating for recent events, but that's no longer an option. The defeat is high-profile enough that if we filled the rest of the year with exhibition matches against strong schools and won every one, it wouldn't be enough to offset it."
"But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try, shouldn't we?" Erika said.
"That's correct," Takako said, "and I will discuss our plans in more detail. However, I did come to give you a warning that our reputation has been marred once again, and as there will be difficult times ahead, you will need to prepare yourself for them."
"Yes, ma'am," Erika said.
"That's good," Takako said. "You are dismissed for now; I will meet with you again soon to discuss this further."
Erika nodded and started to get up to leave.
"One more thing, Itsumi," Takako said, as Erika reached the door. "I may have studied at the Nishizumi school, but I don't follow the Nishizumi way in all aspects of my coaching."
"I'm aware, Coach," Erika said. "But if I may ask, what are you getting at?"
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be obsessed with perfectly emulating those you admire or unerringly following an ideal," Takako said. "Of course, you're not infallible, either, and you should own up to your mistakes. The fact is that a good portion of the blame for losing the battle lies with you, but I believe that you have room to grow. Don't give up on tankery or on trying to improve yourself, and you'll get quite far."
"Yes, ma'am," Erika said.
Erika knew that this was not the only time she would be called to explain herself after a failure of this nature. But while the days ahead would be quite difficult for her, Erika had an idea of how to proceed in the future, and a mindset to use to ensure that she would never be defeated in such a way again.
When she got back to her apartment, Erika opened up her cell phone and saw she had a voice mail from Maho.
"Hello, Erika, this is Maho. I saw the match in its entirety. If you'd like to talk, give me a call when you can. Goodbye."
Erika took her phone out and dialed Maho's number.
"Hello, this is Maho," Maho said.
"Assistant Instructor, this is Erika," Erika said. "I got your message and would like to hear your thoughts on the match."
"Ah, yes," Maho said. "To be honest, Erika, even if you had won, I would likely end up hoping that Miho would win in the finals. Of course, now that Kinue has won, I also hope Miho will win against her."
"I'm not surprised," Erika said. "I do know that you care for Miho a great deal, even if you had to keep up your professional facade. As such, I kept some of my... less kind... opinions about her to myself."
"Such as?" Maho said expectantly. While she was aware she would not like what Erika had to say, she recognized that Erika was confiding in her, and so strove to refrain from judging her.
"I viewed her decisions at the end of our first year as a betrayal of our school," Erika said, "more leaving our school behind in a difficult time than her costing us the win, although I ultimately concluded that we didn't need her if her resolve was so weak. But also, I was somewhat jealous of her, mainly that a 'failure' like her held importance to you that a supposedly 'perfect' Nishizumi disciple like me never would."
"Well, Miho is my sister," Maho said, "someone who has been close to me my entire life, and has known both my public and private selves well. There really is no way for anyone else who knows me, even some of my closer friends, to compare to that. But I will say that some come closer than others, and you're already closer than most."
"What do you mean?" Erika said.
"Most people aren't this honest around me," Maho said. "Just as I put on a facade for the sake of upholding the Nishizumi school's reputation and retaining the confidence of those I lead, others are forced to be mindful of how they act, whether out of professionalism or winning my favor. In that sense, telling me so much about yourself can be considered a potentially risky gesture of trust, and it's one that I appreciate."
"I see," Erika said. "I have to go for now, Assistant Instructor, although I will have to think about what you said."
"Maho, please," Maho said. "What I said is not as heiress to the Nishizumi school, ex-commander of Black Forest, or a supposedly ideal Nishizumi, but perhaps, as a friend."
"Very well, Maho," Erika said. "I will speak with you later. Good luck with your match."
As she hung up, Erika found herself wondering what might have been. The unthinkable had happened; she had come to an almost undefeatable high school, and failed to win a single championship in three years, like many of those her school had easily crushed. This turn of events was utterly humiliating when she thought about it that way.
But at the same time, Erika had to wonder about herself. Would she have been challenged as much as she was if she had not been defeated so often? Perhaps she would have gone on thinking herself and the Nishizumi school superior to all others, all while failing to confront her own weaknesses.
Erika was starting to realize that she would always have room to improve, that she should never stop trying to perfect herself. Perhaps this was what it truly meant to be a Nishizumi style practitioner. Perhaps this was what was necessary to win in tankery.
On the same day as Erika's meeting with Takako, Kinue met with Anastasia in Pravda's dining hall. While she had spent her first two years at Pravda eating with her sister and her cousin, now that the two of them had graduated, she started to spend time with some of her friends at or her below her year, including her vice-captain. Anastasia had initially viewed it as a great honor to eat with the commander, but soon came to see it as eating with a friend, becoming accustomed to it without taking it for granted.
"So your sister's match is tomorrow," Anastasia said. "Some of the team and I are going to watch it in the auditorium. Are you going with your family?"
Kinue nodded. Hiroe's reaching the finals of the tournament got a large amount of attention from her school, and they hosted an event to show the live coverage of the final match.
"That's right," Kinue said. "If she wins, she'll have won her first championship on the university level. That's all the more reason for me to root for her, and hope she succeeds."
"But that's not all there is to that match, is it?" Anastasia said?
"Not at all," Kinue said. "I do want my sister to win, but on the other hand, I sometimes worry that if she does, it will signify that she's already gotten that much further ahead of me. I'm no longer content to simply follow in her footsteps- I'd like to stand alongside her and have her acknowledge me as an equal, but while I've made progress, my goal has become more difficult to reach."
Anastasia took a moment to ponder what Kinue had to say.
"I may not know your sister well, but I don't think that she'd want you to think that way," Anastasia said. "We've never really talked much, but when we do, it's often about you, and her hopes for you to succeed on your own terms. She's all for setting the bar high through her own efforts and seeing what others can do, so I think the same goes for her own sister. I think she hopes that you reach for greater heights along with her, not to leave you in the dust."
Kinue nodded, reminded of what she knew to be true by a person who had relatively few connections with her sister, and thus fewer influences that could distort her thinking. The simple truth of the matter was that she loved and looked up to her sister, and hoped to become someone whom her sister could see as a reliable ally and an equal in tankery.
"I've come a long way over the last year, Onee-chan," Kinue thought. "May we both win the finals this year."
Author's Notes
Thank you for the reviews.
To some degree, the impact this defeat will have on the Nishizumis will only be seen in years to come, although it will be touched upon throughout the finals.
This chapter, along with the next, sets the stage for the finals, and the last tankery battle of this series.
Edited because I accidentally put up the wrong chapter number.