Ooarai School Carrier - 15 hours before the Finals match

"Because it gave me a sense of finality and hope, Miho-san. The traditional beliefs don't really give that sense of satisfaction any more now that I've found out the Bible."

"But... Alice-san... isn't your mother mad at you?"

"No, not really. She's supportive, in fact."

"Supportive? Well, I can see, your mother is a very loving one, after all."

"Mhm."

"You must consider yourself lucky you're not my sibling... who knows what Mother will do to you if you decided to do this with her."

"Yeah, I've heard people tell me that a lot."

"Well, I'll be off to bed now, the Finals match is tomorrow and I need all the rest I can get. The others are already asleep, in fact, so I might as well join them now."

"Alright. I'll be watching you tomorrow!"

"Thanks, Alice-san, I'll be sure to do good for the Finals!"

"Good luck, Miho-san, and good night!"

"Good night, Alice-san. I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully!"

Miho's mind began to wander as soon as the phone hung up. Finality. Satisfaction. Peace. Those, according to what Alice said, prompted her to convert. The Bible had offered her so many promises, so much optimism and joy that otherwise couldn't be found elsewhere with Alice. Miho's interest in this Bible and this Christianity only grew, and she sought to talk to her sister soon, though it would have to be some time next weekend given Maho's tight schedule and the difference in time zones, as Japan was seven hours ahead of Germany in the world clock. She wanted to know what her sister thought of the situation, and she was sure her sister wanted the same.

However, there wasn't much time to think now. The Finals match was tomorrow, and she needed to get as much sleep as possible. It was 10 at night, and the match would take place in 15 hours from then, meaning she would get around 9 hours of sleep before having to wake up and prepare and make her way to the battlefield for the final match. This was going to be one of her hardest fights yet. Erika had shifted from the traditional Nishizumi Style to be more flexible and dispersed, contrary to the usual consolidated, unified force of tradition. It was going to be interesting, to say the least, but she had confidence in her crews to succeed against anything that came their way.

After watching a short 4-minute Boko video to clear her mind, Miho went to bed, confident in tomorrow's results.


Kuromorimine school carrier - 2 hours before

Erika had gathered her commanders for the final briefing before the Finals, but for the past fifteen minutes, nobody had said a word. Erika was seated in her Commander's chair, deep in thought over what on earth had just happened in the world of Sensha-do, rather than focusing on the task at hand, as everyone else looked on, some with concern, others with curiosity as to what their commander could be thinking of. They were waiting to go over the plans, but Erika was just sitting in her chair, her right hand holding her head as her mind was going places.

It was just a normal day of practice, they had been hard at work preparing for the Finals match with Ooarai over who was going to be the one to lead the charge against Jouko and her fearsome band, and it was taking place the next day, with a capacity of 20 tanks per team. They had gone over tactics, maneuver, formation, different forms of combat, everything. Erika had sworn that they would win against Ooarai next time, and she was going to make sure that oath was kept. After practice, she was eating dinner alone in her room, pondering possible approaches and strategies to the match, when her phone had exploded with countless messages about Alice Shimada. At first trying her best to ignore it, the constant notifications eventually irritated her into looking at what on earth this stuff was all about.

The words hit the traditionalist, hot-headed Erika like a freight train.

"Alice Shimada converts to Christianity! Sensha-do polarized!"
"Shimada becomes a Christian - Shiho is not pleased!"
"Shiho Nishizumi criticizes Lutheran church over Shimada baptism"
"Nishizumi-Shimada tensions at all-time high over controversial baptism"

Alice Shimada... became a Christian?!

Erika didn't know whether to be angry, upset, disappointed, or amused. Being raised in the Nishizumi upbringing, she had been taught to shun all other religions except for the worship of her ancestors who would be watching her every move and judging her. If she passed their judgement, her name would be enshrined on the family shrine by her proud descendants. She did not want to dishonor the ancestors, and the fact that Alice decided to do that exact same thing aroused unfavorable sentiment among traditionalists. Moreover, lack of criticism from Chiyo prompted several rumors that she had actually approved, or she was a Christian herself. Erika was on board with these.

But, Alice had seemed to be happier since the baptism. She was more carefree, joyful, confident, and positive, rather than her previous shy, nervous self, meaning that this was clearly not for show to get attention. It was real, and Erika's curiosity was beginning to perk up. Still, one doesn't get away with breaking away with tradition that easily. Dishonoring the ancestors was the last thing one wanted on their resume, and so she was determined to give Alice a proper lesson in following tradition. One does not simply offend the ancestors and expect to get away with it so easily. She was going to make Alice renounce this new "Christianity" of hers and return to the true way of worshipping the ancestors if it was the last thing she'll do.

But another side of Erika's mind was arguing differently, moving her back to the past as if to present a second side of the story. When the formalities to the 63rd Tournament's Finals were about to be underway, she had severely criticized Miho for leaving Kuromorimine like a coward after what she did to the team the previous tournament, and that was broadcasted and seen in footage. She had also been ostracized by several people outside of Kuromorimine for her harsh treatment of Miho over her saving the life of someone that otherwise would've died had, only ridding of it when her stance on Miho softened. Not many people liked how she had treated Miho over this heroism, and soon it had gone to her head how bad it had been, and when she improved, her standing gradually improved as well, seeing it as a redemption of sorts.

When she had watched Continutation's team practicing for the 41st Winter Cup as a guest, she noticed how different Jouko and Linder were. Erika noted in her notebook during her special visit with Maho at how they were polar opposites. Jouko was the supportive, loving, criticizing commander who always told her team what needed to be improved on while still keeping it positive and optimistic, and in the incredibly rare case she lost an engagement, she laid all blame on herself and not her crew or her team, knowing how much of a disadvantage they had and despite that doing exceptional in her eyes, and especially that being a prick to her team wouldn't help at all. She showed and demonstrated just how much Continuation valued each and every one of its students, and she acknowledged nobody was perfect. In fact, she had read Jouko's Seven Commandments to Sensha-do and sure enough, one of the rules was specifically written to reflect on the 62nd Tournament.

Linder, on the other hand, at first bullied her crew into doing better, launching into tirades, swearing and chewing them out, even getting physical. On multiple occasions, Linder had to be restrained, and at one point she had gone into such a frenzy that her large hair that looked like the shape of the feathers of a Roman soldier's helmet were entangled in the rotating turret of her T-26. A look at Linder's crew after every match showed the results of how bad things got during practice, and on more than one occasion Linder stepped out of her tank with a completely ruined accordion. As a result, her teammates loathed her, considered her a hapless wreck who lashed out at anything that didn't meet her expectations. It was only when Jouko began taking action to help Linder improve as a human being that her standing improved. Knowing Jouko was a Christian herself, there must be something in that Christianity that helped one become a better person. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all...

What was she thinking?! Christianity was an affront to the ancestors! You can't just convert and think they'll be okay with it! They should be revered all the time, and to disrespect them meant you wouldn't get your name carved on the family shrine, which was the greatest honor. Alice should be ashamed of her decision, not happy and joyful and... this is infuriating! What was she thinking going around insulting her hallowed ancestors for? Wasn't life already good enough in her old beliefs? What was it that made her do this in the first place? One thing's for sure, she wasn't going to meet happy ancestors when she was going to go to the afterlife, but if she was going to effectively give them the finger by this poor decision of hers, then fine with Erika. Alice deserved it for disrespecting her elders, and as the age-old rule stated, respect your elders.

Then again...

"Commander Erika, I apologize for the intrusion, but, we're waiting for your instructions."

"Yes, Commander, with all due respect, it's been fifteen minutes since you called us all here."

"Make that twenty," said one checking her watch.

Erika's thoughts were scattered as a flock of birds fluttering away as a skateboarder approached on the sidewalk. Opening her eyes, she saw the map and the figures surrounding the table, and remembered what she was there to do. Without further hesitation, she stood up, straightened her clothes, apologized for the delay, and the commanders gathered near the table to draw their battle plan for the fight against Ooarai.

"Knowing the younger Nishizumi, she will be very flexible and cunning in her strategy, as well as unpredictable. However, that unpredictability and tactical skill has been waning the more she fights. Kind of like Napoleon, if you will. A superb general, but once his opponents learned from him, that was one of the main factors that made things go downhill for him. As much as I respect Miho as an opponent now, I'm afraid she is suffering the same course of fate as the great French general.

So, I have decided we will have this approach:

We will meet the enemy head-on, and force their tanks to stay together, where we'll use our superior numbers to wear them down and destroy them. We outnumber them two-to-one. Focus on knocking out their weak tanks so they won't be a nuisance to us. If they disperse early on, force them to engage at the first opportunity. It would be nice if you destroyed them, but remember the overall strategy is to bait them into consolidating and annihilating them with numbers, though if you destroy a tank, hurry to the aid of the others. Do not engage in duels too long and alone, for that's what lost us our last match with Ooarai, all due respect to Commander Maho. Am I understood, everyone? Is the plan clear?"

"Yes, Commander!"

"Good, get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow. Dismissed."

As the commanders orderly filed out of the room, Erika returned to her previous thoughts, now alone. She was certain Miho and Maho had gotten the news as well. What did they think of it? Were they receptive, opposed to it, neutral, or just didn't care much? She was going to make sure to talk to Miho at the Finals, to discuss this new topic. If Alice was going to be there, too, which she likely was going to be, then Erika would have to be cordial. Hurting someone wasn't going to cut it, and it wasn't the way to go when criticizing someone, though, thanks to her hotheadedness, it was going to be difficult.


Loser's Bracket Finals - 41st Winter Continuous Track Cup

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL-COME LADIES AND GEN-TEL-MEN! It's finally here, the finals of the 41st Winter Cup's Loser's Bracket! I'll be your caster for this match, the humble Taiga Ou, and I hope you're excited, 'cuz I SURE AM! Right behind me are the thirty tanks in total that will be fighting in the match, its crews appear to be very excited and delighted!

And talk about déjà vu, because for this Finals we have two of the same titans of Sensha-do facing off for the first time since the 63rd Tournament, you already know them! Here's the twist, however! Instead of any nearby towns or cities, here we're completely immersed in nature... so many beautiful trees, beautiful, cloudless sky, and some great green grass! And they'll have the privilege of witnessing this great match unfold.

Oh, sorry, right, the twist! Maho Nishizumi, as many of you are aware, has sadly left for university in Germany. But, in her place is her right-hand girl, Erika Itsumi, known for her deviation from the Nishizumi Style, as demonstrated in her match against Pravda and St. Gloriana Girls' Academy! Needless to say, things will be, to say the least, interesting...

Now, let's move to interview both commanders! We'll start off with the Commander of Ooarai, Momo Kawashima! Her leadership against Continuation was really rock solid, and her tactic against Bonple really was a tactic! Here she is now...

Miss Kawashima, what is your plan for the match?"

"Well, the ideas so far are that we try to get into contact with Kuromorimine as soon as possible while keeping the flag tank somewhere safe. We'll send our light tanks to go scout out the enemy with the heavier vehicles close by to give support as soon as possible. We'll try to find their flag tank and knock it out, though I'm certain we'll lose a lot of tanks from that. But, I have faith. If you want to get some more details, feel free to ask Vice-Commander Nishizumi, she helped devise the plan."

"Some basic stuff, do you think it can work?"

"Trust me, I think Kuromorimine's expecting some complex, over-the-top plan to win the match. So, catching them off-guard, we'll hopefully, no, SURELY give them a hard blow!"

"Alright, loving the enthusiasm! Thanks for your time, Commander, and good luck out there!"

"Thanks, and be sure you don't disappoint the fans with your broadcasting!"

"He-heh, don't ya worry! Alright, we'll move on to Kuromorimine's commander, Erika Itsumi...

Commander Itsumi, what will your approach be to the match?"

"Oh, we're planning on forcing them to consolidate, then take them out with overwhelming numbers. If they go in piecemeal, then we'll pull our tanks back where the bigger guns can deal damage, though I'm hoping the Maus stays in the match this time. Like our last match with them, we'll rush to their position to knock them out as soon as possible, so the consolidation plan is a plan B in case our first plan fails."

"Wow, pretty basic as well, no offense, but what are you expecting from Ooarai?"

"I'm expecting they'll take a few of our tanks out, but I trust in the abilities of my crews to get the job done right. We have a two-to-one advantage, and we're gonna use it to the fullest effect. Thanks for your time, I have to prepare now."

"Alright, then, thank you, Commander Itsumi! With both commanders interviewed, its time to go back and allow the formalities to progress.

Both teams are lining up now, it's a reminiscent sight of the first match between the two, but this time with bigger numbers from Ooarai! Ooarai's flag tank is the Mark V, Kuromorimine's flag tank is none other than the Maus, so this will be very interesting! Both girls shake hands, and all crews man your tanks! It's time for the real action to begin!"


Formalities

"Well, well well! If it isn't the young upstart herself! How's things in Ooarai, Miho? I see you've gotten more materiel since we last fought."

"We're doing very good, Eririn! We managed to get a new tank and more crew!"

"Please don't call me that, but it's great to hear! Anyways, first of all, good luck, second of all, you've heard the news about Alice, right?"

"Yeah, I don't really know what to feel about it, but things seem to be looking up for her. When I was talking to her last night, she sounded so happy and joyful."

"I don't approve, she's offending the ancestors doing this! She'll live a miserable afterlife, if she'll even make it there."

"Oh, come now, Eririn... if Alice is happy, then let her be."

"Don't tell me you're defending this, Nishizumi."

"Let's just... get on with the match, we can talk this later."

"Agreed. And, I'll make sure I keep my promise to beat you today."

"Oh, I'll try to stop that."

Both girls shook hands, stepped back, and joined with their teams wishing their opponents a good match. Tensions between Miho and Erika had now returned over Alice, and being a dear friend of Alice, Miho was starting to worry that Alice really had overstepped her boundaries. But this was no place to think about it. Right now, the match was the most important thing to focus on, she couldn't afford to get distracted by this new controversy.

Erika, on the other hand, was determined to make Alice understand what she perceived to be her biggest mistake. She was going to make sure that the ancestors would forgive her, because right now, they weren't happy. To disrespect them like this was nothing less than dishonor, and it's a wonder she wasn't disowned. Erika wanted to change that. But she, too, had to focus on this match, given her promise to beat Ooarai the next time they met.


Anglerfish Team

"Alright, Kuromorimine might try rushing us at the start like last time, so we should be better prepared for that. Make sure our flag tank doesn't-"

"Kuromorimine's already here... with their entire force... what a surprise..."

"No need to ask, Miporin! Firing!" Hana's shell ripped the air in its path and dug itself deep into a Panther. "Panther destroyed!"

"Good initiative, Hana! All tanks, begin firing!"

Ooarai and Kuromorimine began exchanging fire as the latter emerged from the forests to Ooarai's left, where they were stationed in relatively open ground that was far from the nearest hill. Off the bat, Kuromorimine lost two of its tanks, a Panther and a Jagdpanzer IV, by Anglerfish and Hippo, respectively. Moments after these knockouts, Momo ordered a fighting withdrawal, that was confirmed by Miho. The StuG and Hetzer reversed as they continued to fire at Kuromorimine as the others with turrets reversed their barrels and retreated to a more favorable position, though they were still trying to figure out exactly which favorable position they were going to go for.

"Let's go for the hills again! We'll have the advantage of position, we'll be able to knock out a bunch of their tanks and then deal with their Maus when they have weaker numbers!"

"Last time that happened, we were lucky you showed up to distract them and give us a way of escape. I don't know if you're going to pull the same trick, but with a different commander with different strategies, I'm not willing to take risks right now. Plus, looking at Kuromorimine's match against Pravda, Erika might as well try the same thing."

"Thing is, Miho, you're Miho, not Katyusha. I doubt you'll make the same mistakes as she did in that match. And, when you look at Saunders vs. St. Gloriana, or Continuation vs. St. Gloriana, who knows? Maybe it'll work!"

"I'm not going to take risks, Momo. I want us to go into the forests. At least there we can be more unpredictable and surprise Kuromorimine, though now you mention those two matches, it's tempting to go for the hill again... but I'm sticking with the forests."

"Miho, are you sure about this? We may lose our way, run into strong tanks, and get us all knocked out."

"Better than getting easily wiped out in a last stand. Besides, over a dozen matches since our first and we've grown in intuition and instinct, and, not to brag, but my experiences in Kuromorimine will help us maneuver as well. I'm sure we'll all do good in the forest."

"I trust you in this, Miho... should we stick together or split up? I'm personally in favor of sticking together as a group."

"I concur. That way we don't get too lost easily. We'll be somewhat spread out so it will be harder for them to tell if a tank is alone or not, and we'll be close by to give support in case one of our tanks gets ambushed."

"Gotcha. All tanks, move to the forests straight ahead of us! Stick together and try not to get hit by anything. Follow Anglerfish Team!"

The Panzer IV led the way in disappearing into the forests, followed by the other tanks. Some had suffered damage, but no knockouts yet. So far, the situation was at the very least acceptable for Ooarai. They were on the retreat, but had suffered no losses. Miho, knowing Erika, was confident that she would pursue, and no doubt use the Maus to clear the forests.


Kuromorimine

"All tanks, pursue! Maus, stay behind and clear that forest! Don't worry, we'll replant all the trees when we're done with this match, though Jouko will definitely be upset... and make sure not to hit us!"

"Understood, Commander, we'll try our best!"

Erika led her forces from her Tiger II. Though as she said the Panzer III suited her better, she was normally using it when she was going to lead a separate group. Following Ooarai into the forests, the Maus fired shell after shell into the trees, the explosions knocking down a few patches of trees. Ooarai's vehicles, however, were nowhere in sight. Kuromorimine couldn't afford to back out, though. They had the momentum, and they had to keep it up before Ooarai would get away, and worse came to worse destroy the Maus and win the match. Erika was going to make sure to not let that happen, so she kept a close eye for the slightest hint of an Ooarai tank, not wanting to be caught off-guard.

For several minutes the chase dragged on. Neither side knew where the other was, but it was only a matter of time before they came into contact with one another, though Erika was the more anxious of the two. Ooarai's smaller forces meant they were more flexible, and since Miho had experience with Kuromorimine, she knew how to maneuver through forests. Erika had to constantly be on her guard as she maneuvered. The slightest distraction could result in complete disaster, and with the Maus alone, although it was heavily armored and powerful, no doubt Miho could use the same tactic on them again and win the match, utilizing the hill to her advantage.

"All tanks, status report!"

"No sight of them yet, Commander!"

"I'm seeing nothing but dark green, no tanks to be found!"

"No success here either. This is getting frustrating..."

Every passing second, Erika's anxiety grew. Ooarai couldn't be found, and the fear that Ooarai was planning a big ambush grew more and more. Paranoia was beginning to set in everyone in Kuromorimine. It was only a matter of time, but they didn't know how much time they really had left before coming into contact. Erika had been hoping for Ooarai to take one of the hills like in their last match. At least they were visible from there. Now in a wild goose chase in the dense forests, it seemed nigh impossible to find them. Maybe it was time to withdraw, this was going nowhere. It's been twenty minutes and no sight of them yet-

"Commander Erika! I see tanks ahead of us! Permission to engage?"

Erika, whose mindset had been gradually weakened with the constant, never-ending chase, thought she had finally found Ooarai, and she was eager to finally destroy them. Her excitement went through the roof as she screamed,

"BLAST THEM! BLOW THEM TO THE NEXT LIFE!"

"On it!"

With a flurry of activity, a Jagdpanther fired a shell straight at the tank. Upon impact, shards of wood flew in all directions, one splinter almost hitting Erika herself. Kuromorimine sat there confused. Wood? What tanks did Ooarai have that were made of wood? There weren't any tanks made of wood, right? The Jagdpanther commander responsible for the shot was the first to voice her confusion to Erika.

"Umm... Commander, why is it made out of wood?"

Erika took several moments to process what had happened, wondering too why it was made of wood. There weren't any tanks that were made of wood! However, the truth gradually dawned on her and all of Kuromorimine, and as she realized, the face she made was simply priceless.

"E-EVER-EVERYONE... RETREAT! RETREAT RETREAT! NOW! WE'VE BEEN DUPED!"

Moments later, as Kuromorimine's tanks began to reverse in disorderly fashion from the sudden change of plans, the forest exploded, as if a volcano was erupting beneath their tracks. They had played right into Ooarai's hands.