Match against Ooarai, Sturmi POV
"Come on, you're not getting away."
Jouko's face was buried into the gunnery visor. She was determined to get this match-winning kill but that Chi-Nu was proving too evasive for a safe shot. Every time she was about to fire, it moved out of the way as if it could read Jouko's mind. It was too frustrating, more so the fact it was going faster than her Sturmi. These past eight minutes of chasing this stupid flag tank were going nowhere, and it was simply impossible to hit. They had learned very well from Miho, and maybe researched all about her and her crew as well. Despite the fact they were only 3 crew members in need of a total of five crew members, the Chi-nu crew were nevertheless really good at their job, she could certainly give them that.
This crew is good... too good... It's best to regroup with the rest of Continuation, there's no point in chasing them, I don't want to face eight tanks on my own.
"Frisell, I'm calling this chase off. We're going to have to regroup with our team. As much as I want to face Ooarai alone, they have clearly been studying me before this match. They'll be much harder than Pravda or the other schools, so I can't afford to take the risk. We'll all be dogmeat within minutes if I charge in alone. Tell the others I'm going to try to regroup with them. Ask for their coordinates, and we'll be on our way there."
With an affirmative nod, Frisell transmitted Jouko's orders. After receiving the given coordinates from Mika, she read them out loud to Jouko.
"H-4, that's the rally point for Continuation, that's about 6 miles west of where we are here at B-7."
Hannes didn't even wait for the order. Instinctively, she began driving towards the appointed place, looking the map in front of her, hoping that they weren't being followed by any Ooarai scout tanks, especially that Type 3.
The drive there was uneventful in terms of flying shells or sounds of combat, as both sides regrouped and reconsolidated their forces for the next decisive phase of the battle. Jouko, who was growing rather bored, brought out another instrument, from behind her. This time, it was an accordion. She had had the mechanics add some special compartments into the tank to allow Jouko's instruments to be stored given her musicality, and right now, what better way to have a good break in between fights than with having some good singing with the rest of the team?
"Hannes, how long do you think our journey to the coordinates will take?"
"Around 15 or so minutes, I suppose. What's on your mind, Commander?"
"In that case, is anyone interested in singing some songs on the way there?"
Jouko was displaying her silver accordion as she said this.
Everyone's faces lit up. Hannes was the first to give a song suggestion.
"Kyllä, Säkkijärven Polkka first as always!"
Frisell again turned on her radio mic as Jouko began to play the first notes of the Polkka, and as the song dragged on, the rest of Continuation began to sing along:
On kauniina muistona Karjalan maa, mutta vieläkin syömmestä soinnahtaa,
kun soittajan sormista kuulla saa, Säkkijärven polkkaa!
Se polkka taas menneitä mieleen tuo ja se outoa kaipuuta rintaan luo.
Hei, soittaja, haitarin soida suo Säkkijärven polkkaa!
Nuoren ja vanhan se tanssiin vie, ei sille polkkalle vertaa lie!
Sen kanssa on vaikka mierontie Säkkijärven polkkaa!
Siinä on liplatus laineitten, siinä on huojunta honkien.
Karjala soi - kaikki tietää sen - Säkkijärven polkkaa!
Löfstrom then shouted, "Ai, faster, faster, commander! We won't be catch up to Ooarai's forces with this slow pace anytime soon!"
With a chuckle, Jouko began to play at a faster time, her fingers riding and shooting towards each key with the same precision as her aim.
Tule, tule tyttö, nyt kanssani tanssiin, kun polkka niin herkästi helkähtää.
Hoi! Hepo surkoon ja hammasta purkoon, kun sillä on ihmeesti suurempi pää!
Tule, tule, tyttö, nyt kanssani tanssiin kun meillä on riemu ja suvinen sää!
Säkkijärvi se meiltä on pois, mutta jäi toki sentään polkka!
Jouko slowed to allow herself to ask her question.
"Very beautiful! One more verse, my friends?"
Everyone answered with an enthusiastic "YES!"
Resuming with her previous fast speed, she led Continuation in singing the second verse of the Polkka. Across the frequency could also be heard Mika's kantele playing along to the music, as well as another accordion player in one of the other tanks, adding to Jouko's accordion. Frisell had meanwhile grabbed Jouko's violin, to her knowledge, and began to play along. Inside the Sturmi, everyone was stomping and/or clapping to the rhythm. It was some good fun before the real heat of battle came again, and Jouko was going to make sure they enjoyed every second of the time they had inbetween fights.
Kun rakkaimmat rannat on jääneet taa, niin vieraissa kulkija lohdun saa,
kun kuuntelee soittoa kaihoisaa: Säkkijärven polkkaa!
Se polkka on vain, mutta sellainen, että tielle se johtavi muistojen.
On sointuna Karjalan kaunoisen: Säkkijärven polkka!
Nuoren ja vanhan se tanssiin vie, ei sille polkkalle vertaa lie!
Sen kanssa on vaikka mierontie Säkkijärven polkkaa!
Siinä on liplatus laineitten, siinä on huojunta honkien.
Karjala soi - kaikki tietää sen - Säkkijärven polkkaa!
Tule, tule tyttö, nyt kanssani tanssiin, kun polkka niin herkästi helkähtää.
Hoi! Hepo surkoon ja hammasta purkoon, kun sillä on ihmeesti suurempi pää!
Tule, tule, tyttö, nyt kanssani tanssiin kun meillä on riemu ja suvinen sää!
Säkkijärvi se meiltä on pois, mutta jäi toki sentään polkka!
Kun rakkaimmat rannat on jääneet taa, niin vieraissa kulkija lohdun saa,
kun kuuntelee soittoa kaihoisaa: Säkkijärven polkkaa!
As the song closed, Jouko began to speed up even more, and the last line saw the most enthusiastic singing as all raised their voices to the level of shouting.
Se polkka on vain, mutta sellainen, että tielle se johtavi muistojen.
On sointuna Karjalan kaunoisen: Säkkijärven polkka!
Without hesitation, Jouko shouted, "Ai, 12 minutes left? What song next? I don't want my fingers to freeze from little movement! Any suggestions, friends?"
Amidst the commotion, Frisell shouted, "Ai, Ai, Kerenski!" Hannes conversely shouted, "Njet Molotoff!" Löfstrom could be heard above the rest: "Uraliin!"
Chuckling, Jouko decided to compromise. "Ai, medley! Medley! I've been learning improvisation recently, I think I can combine the three songs into one."
Her three friends, content with this, enthusiastically shouted at once, "Well, let's go!"
Jouko continued to play as everyone sang each song. Since she wasn't that experienced in improvisation, she wasn't the smoothest in transitioning from one song to the next, but her teammates didn't care. They were enjoying every second of it all, and laughed with Jouko when she played a wrong note or at themselves when their singing wasn't that good. Regardless of the circumstances, even in the heat of battle or recovering from a loss, or when left to do absolutely nothing, they always had fun in one way or another. That was just the Continuation way, after all, and who was gonna complain with a few minutes of singing along to some absolute bangers of Finnish folk songs?
Match against Continuation, Ooarai POV
Although Momo appeared to be stepping up which helped with raising morale, Ooarai still felt down after losing their most important asset. Miho was the mind and heart and soul of the team, and without her, how would Ooarai fare for the rest of the match? Their victories were always of her making, and now that she was knocked out, especially this early in the match, their chances of winning had been heavily cut down to size, who knows if they even had a chance anymore. Things couldn't get any worse for Ooarai, surely. They had to hope this was rock bottom, because if they were at rock bottom, the only way from there is up. However, there was no denying everyone was feeling down over the loss of Anglerfish Team.
Asuza was trying to keep Rabbit Team under control, but it was proving to be a rather hard task to complete.
"Commander Miho-san is gone! What are we gonna do?!"
"Calm down, Ayumi, panicking is not going to help especially in these circumstances!"
"But Asuza-san, we're doomed without Miho-san to guide us to victory!"
"Karina, defeatism is not... a good thing to have... right now..."
"I don't know, Commander-san... Miho was always there to give support and guidance. Now with her gone..."
"Come on, Yuuki, we... I..."
Asuza couldn't even bring herself to respond. This was new to her. Miho usually stayed alive for the duration of every match they fought beforehand. Now with her knocked out so early, this was a new experience for Ooarai, one they were not expecting and certainly one they were completely unprepared for.
At least Saki was being complacent, she was always staring off into space over whatever.
However, leave it to Aya to be a bright mood even in the darkest circumstances.
"Well, all we gotta do is make sure Momo-chan has a good show as commander, it doesn't matter if we lose, right? We should support Momo-chan, not try to win! It would be great if we did win, but right now all that matters is helping Momo-chan prove she is a great commander!"
Asuza's face lit up from hearing this.
"Aya's right! We shouldn't let Miho-san's being knocked out deter us! It doesn't matter if we lose, we're here to help Momo-chan prove a good commander and get her to university! Don't be so down, let's go get Commander-san to university this battle!"
With a united cheer, Rabbit Team was back in action, reinvigorated and ready to take on the world if need be.
"It's just like Marmont at Salamanca..."
Auguste de Marmont, one of Napoleon's marshals who would've been in command of the French forces against Wellington at Salamanca, but the unfortunate circumstances of being wounded by a cannonball just as the battle got underway as well as his second-in-command meant that his unprepared third-in-command was left to command the entirety of the French army. As a result, Wellington went on to effectively destroy Marmont's army, and the Battle of Salamanca went on to be one of the Iron Duke's most celebrated military victories. Now, with Miho knocked out in similar fashion, would history repeat itself, or could they still manage a victory against Continuation?
Hippo Team was considering the possibilities. Saemonza was being optimistic and confident in victory despite the circumstances.
"Even with Admiral Yi's death, his son and nephew continued to lead the Koreans to victory against the Japanese! Shouldn't we be able to win even with Miho gone?"
Oryou, on the other hand, was less, much less optimistic about the battle.
"Even Saigō Takamori had better chances at Shiroyama than us here... we don't know how many tanks we're facing, let alone how we can possibly stand against that sniper."
"All we need now is an Aurelian to get us out of this Crisis of the Third Century, otherwise, we're doomed."
"Well, Erwin, how do you think Rommel would've gotten us out of this predicament?"
"Here's the problem, Oryou, I'm starting to see Rommel as a bit 'overrated'. Once competent minds took over control of his enemy, he lost, and right now we're facing a competent enemy without our dear leader to, well, lead us. Maybe I should find a different general to assume my identity..."
"Okay, as if that wasn't already mainstream within historians, what else do you suggest?"
This was when it clicked in Erwin's mind.
"Hold on, it doesn't matter if we win or lose. All we need to do is make Momo give a good impression as a commander, and she'll be heading to university next year. Then, I propose going on the offensive. General Kuribayashi I consider one of the best defensive generals, his tunnel systems working very well against the American Marines. Thing is, we don't know how many enemies we're facing, but I'm sure we'll be able to win in defense."
Caesar's face lit up as well. "That's right! Who cares if we win or lose, as long as Momo gets that Sensha-do scholarship, she'll be going to university for sure!"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's meet up with the others and discuss the plan for the future! Take us to the coordinates, Oryou!"
"On it, Saemonza!"
The other tank crews bore similar conversations. Initially, everyone was down over Anglerfish's knockout, then the realization that victory didn't really matter and more so the fact that Momo had to prove herself as a good team commander came and that was a big morale boost that Ooarai desperately needed at this time. Some were more uplifted than others, but the mood was lifted as each strove to make sure Momo got into university.
Meeting at the appointed coordinates, Momo emerged from her cupola to talk with the other commanders and discuss the plan for the next phase of the battle. Everyone was relieved as the flag tank arrived for the meeting. Popping outside of their cupolas, they maneuvered their tanks to be able to be within shouting distance.
"Well, erm... it uhhh..."
Anzu could be heard shouting inside the tank, "Confidence, Momo! Confidence!"
"Alright, well, Miho being gone sucks, but that doesn't mean we're gone too! What plans do you all have?"
Shark Team was first to come up with an idea as Ogin spoke first.
"We'll be going on our own adventure, try to lure 'em in, and then you can take care of the rest! Simple as that!"
Noriko, however, was concerned about this plan. "What about Jouko? She's one of the best commanders-"
"Oh, that Finnish telephone pole? Just a drop of rum in her mouth and I'll have her knocked out colder than a dead climber on Mount Everest!"
Midoriko was quick to counter, however.
"Oh, just you wait! You're lucky to even be here, and we're not willing to risk you getting taken out just because you think you can face one of the best Sensha-do tank crews by yourself!"
"I don't remember asking you, helmet girl."
Ogin took out a bottle of brandy and began to gulp it down as Midoriko began to hurl threats at her, but everything was silenced once Momo shouted for order.
"ENOUGH! Fighting amongst each other is the last thing we need right now! Any other ideas on how to fight this? We can't be here for long, we gotta come up with a plan before we're found!"
Erwin was up next.
"I suggest going more on the defensive, the great Czech general-"
"BOOORING!"
"I'll let you in on a little secret, nobody asked for your opinion yet, Ogin."
"Say that to my face, you stupid little blonde Wehraboo larper?!"
"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU! Now's not the time for fighting, for goodness' sakes!"
With Momo restoring order, Erwin continued.
"As I was saying, before being rudely interrupted, the great Czech general Žižka was one of the greatest defensive commanders, his Wagenberg tactics were truly marvelous. I believe we can do the same with our tanks, assume a defensive position, and have guns positioned on all sides ready to meet any oncoming opponent, and we'll all be fine."
Asuza had a problem with this plan, however.
"You do realize, Jouko can easily shoot us down, given that either she'll be firing at a distance and wearing us down, or driving unpredictably at a speed we can't turn fast enough to and shoot us with some lightning-speed, high precision shots. She's known for those things, you know, and I don't think we can really counter her."
"Dangit, you're right. Any other ideas? Because I've got nothing"
Nobody could come up with another. Jouko was the only thing preventing every plan from working.
If they went on the defensive, they'd soon be found and Jouko would pick them off from a distance. If they went on the offensive, Jouko would be there to sew chaos among their team, and take advantage of the disorder to go ham inside the formation before safely getting away after at best for her bouncing a few shells and most likely knocking out the flag tank in her rampage, but in a best-case scenario for Ooarai knocking her out although losing a couple of tanks themselves, but even that was a far-fetched idea.
If anything, it would've been better had they faced St. Gloriana than this, at least they didn't have one of the three greatest tank crews probably of all time on their team. And they certainly did not have to worry about a sniper. Unfortunately, they were off fighting Kuromorimine, in the desert no less. Why did Ooarai have to be put up with this team instead?
With no viable options to go for thanks to this Finn being one of the greatest tank commanders alive, all hope for Ooarai seemed lost. There was no plan to come up with that could efficiently counter. All the plans they had were always countered by Jouko. Some even doubted whether Miho could come up with something better.
Battle against Ooarai - Sturmi POV
"Well, I hope everyone had fun during that?"
"Oh, we had SO much fun during that, Jouko! You always know how to pull a trick up your sleeve!"
"Thanks, Frisell, but now, we have to get back to the real business, we still have a match to win."
Everyone was paying close attention now. The brief time for fun had passed. Now, on to how to win this match.
"With Miho gone, our battle will hopefully be much easier, but we should not underestimate our opponents, not at all. Ooarai still has very talented crews and quality tanks at their disposal. Yes, their architect of victory is gone, but that doesn't mean they don't have a chance anymore. We have to make sure Mika stays in the match for the others and ourselves to do our thing, so I'm leaving us with these two options. Are you all listening carefully?"
Nods and yeses from the rest of her crew prompted Jouko to continue.
"Either we allow Ooarai to begin harboring a false sense of security by us staying behind to protect Mika while the others try another ambush, or we dive in headfirst and mess them up like we did against Koala Forest a year ago. What do you think, friends?"
Löfstrom was the first to pipe up. "We'll go after them! I don't like staying behind, that's boredom anyway, though I could take some singing sessions again..."
Frisell was next. "I would agree to charge in, after all we have been improving like them, in fact, I dare say we've improved much more than they collectively have."
Hannes spoke last. "We'll charge in and disorganize them. Even if we fall, at least we'll take out at least three of their tanks and make our team's job much easier."
With all in agreement, the crew decided in favor of the offensive, trusting in the capabilities of the BT's crew and commander to keep themselves alive. Mika was a very capable tank commander and one who didn't need any babysitting, given how legendary her rampage in the battle against the All-Stars team became, knocking out three tanks in some legendary maneuvering no doubt inspired by Hannes' driving.
However, although Jouko had her whole crew in agreement with her, she still had to consult with the other commanders. But, as they approached the meeting place, Jouko's mind began to work, thinking that maybe, it wasn't really a good idea to go in alone, especially against very experienced tank crews who had won a tournament despite being complete beginners. She might have to pick somebody to go with her, somebody she would consider worthy enough, somebody who had the quality to be a good sidekick. Speaking of sidekick, it was about time she got one, things were starting to get rather lonely being just the sole attacker and ambusher in every single match.
Continuation POV
"Well, look who's finally here!"
"The hero and great musician of Karelia."
"I believe "White Witch" suits her better."
"Yeah, I like that name."
Jouko's late arrival caused quite a stir of excitement to the rest of Continuation. But, leaving no time to gloat over popularity, Jouko immediately snapped them all to the task at hand.
"Alright, it's great to hear compliments from all of you, but we have to get to working out the next phase of the plan. I've already conversed with my crew, and we all agreed to go on the offensive to at least create as much chaos in Ooarai as possible to allow the rest of you to finish them off, and at best, to either knock out a majority of their tanks or even knock out their flag tank and win us this match. But, I know some of you won't like that, so I want to know your thoughts and what other plans could be considered in my stead. I'll open the floor at this moment."
"Jouko, you can't go alone! Let me accompany you!"
"I'll go with you too, we will always stay with you no matter what!"
"And I as well! We will never abandon you to be ripped apart by the wolves!"
"You're too valuable to lose so easily, Jouko, we all will go with you to fight Ooarai again."
Mika was giggling as she saw the commotion.
"It would appear the winds are blowing against you this time, White Witch."
Jouko was incredulous.
"I appreciate all your support, but its either I go in alone, or someone, who isn't the flag tank, comes with me. We can't afford to risk losing the whole team just because all of you want to join me on this mission. Please, give me some room to think here, if you're coming with me you'll have to be very sneaky so we don't get caught easily, obviously."
The commanders again called to join Jouko, but quickly silenced each other to give Jouko room to think.
They're all too impulsive, too excitable, I'll need to pick someone who I can see is good enough for me... but I can't be judgmental... Say, who was that accordion player again? I feel like she sounded similar... I can remember seeing her during several practice matches before and during the tournament in our free time, she was a pretty good tank commander. I guess I'll go with her, it's about time I started sharing some of the spotlight with my teammates, and she's clearly shown the most promise since Mika and myself. What was her name again? Ah, yes, Linder! How could I have forgotten, silly me.
"Linder, shall we?"
Linder was the wild-haired accordion-playing tank commander that Jouko had come to see as a potential successor. During practice matches, at first she would always fumble given how she was playing the accordion at the same time in the heat of battle, a habit it seemed was impossible to break. But, with Jouko's great help and guidance, she eventually found workarounds and was in many ways the "apprentice" to her "master". Jouko had great expectations in her, so it was about time to finally give her a real test. She was in command of another T-26, but Jouko knew that even with a "bad quality" tank, big, bountiful things could still pop up from it, even if it was considered garbage. After all, hadn't Christ fed thousands upon thousands from a measly 5 loaves and 2 fish?
With eyes brightened, Linder played a major chord from her accordion that nothing but confirmed her decision to accompany Jouko.
Wishing Mika and the rest of the team well, Jouko and Linder drove away, ready to take on Ooarai outnumbered 4-1 until their team could arrive to help and finish the job. But with Jouko on their side, it was better to never tell her the odds.
Linder's T-26
"Can't you believe it, Jouko actually picked us!"
"This is too exciting, I think I'm going to faint..."
To be fighting with Jouko on your team was already a high honor. Being chosen to be her wingman, however, was something otherworldly for a Sensha-do enthusiast.
"Rest easy, team, it's great the Big Boss picked us, but there's no time for fangirling here. We have a mission assigned by her in person, and we have to make her proud. She's been observing us over the past several practice matches, so let's not disappoint her. Got it, girls?"
"Got it!" shouted the other two. This was a big trial that they couldn't mess up. Jouko was a nice girl to be around, but it would be a massive downer if they would disappoint her, although she never showed any disappointment except at herself. This was their chance to prove that they were worthy to be considered "apprentices", after all, now that they were in the Semifinals, they were more eager to go to the Finals themselves, maybe even win the entire thing.
It was a long drive, but the only difference now is, well, they had no affixed destination. They had to wander the entire battlefield in search of Ooarai's vehicles. If they were lucky, they would be seeing the entire force, and they could go in and start wreaking havoc as a dynamic duo. On the other hand, they'd encounter a scout group of around one or two tanks, and easily take them out, unless they had a commander equal in skill as Jouko, something only three other commanders could really be considered. There was no time to think, however. They had to keep their eyes peeled for any signs of unfamiliar tanks. Linder was using binoculars handed to her by the legend herself, trying to spot any sign of movement in the distance. But for the past 17 minutes, nothing but birds and what else.
A transmission came through. It was Jouko.
"Anything yet?"
"No, nothing. Thank goodness there's no blizzard, otherwise we'd be lost and freezing to death by now, heh?"
"Hehe, yeah. Try to contact Mika if they've encountered anything. If so, tell them to try to hold out as long as possible, we'll be on our way."
"Got it, I'll go communicate to her now. If you spot anything, feel free to cut me off. This goose chase has been going on for a while now."
Linder switched frequencies to communicate with Mika.
"Commander, this is Linder. Have you spotted anything yet?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid, we're driving at the same direction as you albeit with a distance so we can easily give support. I have everyone looking out, but it seems to me they may be on the other side of the big hill, maybe they're in the town again."
"Alright, I'll relay it to Jouko. Keep an eye out, I don't want us to get ambushed so easily."
"Jouko, Mika's alright, nothing from her yet."
"Not a thing?"
"Nope. Ooarai's either cleverly hidden themselves and are trying to make some smart plays or they're probably cowering in fear from losing Nishizumi."
"Well, we'll have to find them and take them out, or they find us soon, this match can't go on forever."
"Agreed- wait... I see something, Jouko! To our right! It looks to be the shape of a... Mark V?!"
"At long last, Linder, they've shown themselves. Let's go give them a proper Finnish welcome, shall we?."