alex 34 anders: Thanks for the 9/10! Hehe, yeah. Eldridge's fury is reaching its boiling point.

HelloEver22: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

xxx xxx xxx

Chapter 14

September 8th, 2023: Morning - Alex's (currently reserved) bar -

Standing behind the counter with a huge grin on his rough and stubbled face, Alex Barrie couldn't help but feel a supreme sense of accomplishment at seeing thirty-three beautiful girls happily wolfing down plate after plate of his homemade extra large breakfast specials. Sure it was a lot of work on top of being a bit of a last minute rush order requested by the mayor, but seeing the results? It was well worth it and then some. 'Huh, Gotta be sure to give my girls some kinda reward or somethin' later... Anyway, best get started on makin' everyone lunches for later too.'

Nodding, the well built, tall, and older chef left one of his girls in charge to go get started on the absolute huge feast they'd be serving for later today.

- Around the various tables occupied by Liam and his shipgirls -

With Black Prince, Eldridge, Laffey, and Anchorage -

"...Zzz...~"

'...French toast, yummy~"

"Syrup is... super sweet... and sticky...~!"

"Oh, dear... Hold still," said the pinkette knight turned nanny as she wiped the Anchorage's cheek for the umpteenth time this morning.

"...So, *gulp* ...Team up?" Eldridge asked after 'waking up' the sleeping rabbit with a light little love zap and waiting for Anchorage to finish eating and being fussed over by Black Prince. Since it was agreed to have this afternoon's matches be three on three, she had to make sure she'd be able to enter and get some payback. Nothing will get in her way from getting her revenge against those big tiddied, lap stealing sisters!

"Hmm? But... sounds troublesome..," Laffey replied after rubbing the last bits of sleep out of her eyes followed by a little yawn.

"... Share lap! Best place to nap!" Eldridge offered, having spoken from experience. "And, oxy-cola too! Best place to enjoy drinks, and snacks! Headpats too!"

"...Deal."

Laffey was a simple little rabbit to please. Offer her naps, a good fight, and soda(or booze) and she's sold. In truth, she was always planning on helping out the little zapper... it's just, she had an image to maintain, or something like that.

"...Teacher, head pats? Anchorage too?"

Eldridge nodded.

"...Nap with Teach, and Laffey, and Eldridge too?"

Another nod.

"Play with the other sisters?"

A third nod.

"...Okay!"

"Best team, ever!"

"Yay!"

*glug, glug, glug!*

'...Where does she keep getting those from?' was the only thought Black Prince had after witnessing the formation of possibly the cutest and most innocent(?) team in the whole fleet. Well, that and a sincere hope that she and her own team wouldn't have to face them anytime soon.

With Akagi, Taihou, and Strasser -

"...Um, and why did you two invite me to join you, exactly?" Strasser asked, legs crossed and a piece of sausage in hand.

"Because you have useful skills and the intelligence we need to help us win and put Eugen and the others in their place," Akagi replied in that oddly friendly but still somehow terrifying voice of hers, Taihou nodding in complete agreement next to her.

"On top of lacking proper support skills, Akagi-chan and I also... aren't as skilled with strategy and tactics as you or those silver haired hussies," Taihou added, admitting their weaknesses and why they sought her out specifically.

Akagi nodded. "Also, we don't mind sharing Shikikan-sama with you should we win," the vixen added, hoping that that little detail would sweeten the pot and secure her agreement.

"...Hmm. That is very tempting... Actually, it would be nice to see how well we stack up against our schwestern... and, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like the idea of using this chance to show off a little too,"

"Exactly! And, us impressing the locals can only help their view of our Shikikan-sama, which in turn, means him praising and spoiling us that much more later on!" Taihou added. Ah, the logic of the hopelessly lovesick.

...

"...Deal. And it just so happens that I even have a strategy to run by you two too."

"Oh? Then it looks like victory is assured!" Akagi cheered with a little clap.

"She really was the perfect sister to have on our side...!" Taihou chirped up with a smile and a dangerous glint in her eye. 'Oh we have so got this in the bag! Hah! Shikikan-sama is as good as ours~'

"Well then, let's not waste any more time," Strasser, ever the professional, said while bringing out her tablet and setting it on the table between them.

With Saratoga Vampire, and Nautilus -

"...Um, are you sure you want to have me on your team?" quietly asked the normally shy, short haired bluenette submarine.

"Hm? Totally! Like, you being super sneaky and move underwater gives us more battle options!" replied the excitable petite, purple eyed pinkette.

Vampire nodded. "Lady Sara's right. Unfortunately, we aren't made for heavy hitting and thus need something that can can really give us a real edge, something nobody would expect... ambushes!"

"Yup! After all, you and the other submarines totally caught everyone off guard in our battle against that Siren Elite! And that's exactly the sort of thing that'll let us stand out too, especially since all the other subs teamed up... well, except your squad leaders anyway." 'Probably to keep us from getting any payback on them I bet.'

"O, Oh, um... If you think I can help, then okay," quietly replied the bluenette with a shy little smile.

"Excellent! Now then, how about you tell us a bit more about your skillset so we can see how best to work it in!

...

And so it went, a flurry of scheming and battle plans fueled by aspirations of glory, Liam's lap, revenge, and all a whole host of other countless motivations.

- Meanwhile, at Liam's table -

Honestly, Liam was amazed that the whole event was coming together so fast, but then again, he supposed that he really shouldn't be too surprised either. 'After all, these shipgirls have been doing the impossible since the day we met... Huh, I wonder if I'm starting to get desensitized to all this weirdness... Dunno if that's good or bad though...'

"Honorable Master? Is everything alright?" asked the ever doting Sirius with a hint of concern in her voice and immediately snapping him back to reality.

"Hmm? Sirius? Oh, sorry. Just thinking about how scarily efficient you girls can be and how crazy this whole situation's gotten. I mean, first a fight with a Siren Elite and her fleet and now you girls are going to have team focused tournament style exhibition matches both to let everyone do some venting as well as show off to the locals... It's all, a little hard to wrap my head around I guess," Liam admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Ah, well that is quite understandable. Efficiency, along with the ability communicate and act quickly, are simply our specialties as shipgirls," the buxom, ever doting red eyed platinum blonde maid replied, nodding in understanding. "Still, I'm surprised you managed to convince Miss Archerfish, Miss Albacore, and Miss Surcouf to switch places with us."

Liam chuckled. "Well, I needed a way to keep the others from trying to take revenge on them after that little stunt of theirs during our battle with the Sirens. Y'know, since Archerfish was the one who led the charge. Besides, a dinner date is a small price to pay. That and I figured you'd all wanna cut loose too, right?"

"Indeed. Sheffy's been very excited about it and has been polishing her handguns with a real fire in her eyes," Sirius said with a light giggle.

"Oh, um... One more thing..."

"Hmm?"

"...Could, could you remind Sheffield to wear some panties, at least during our stay here on the island? I mean, like, I don't really mind of course... but I... really don't want anyone else getting a free show either..."

Another light giggle.

"She won't be happy, but I'll be sure to let her know."

"Thanks. Speaking of which, where are the other two on your team? Still with the mayor?"

"Ah, yes, Sheffy, Enterprise and the Mayor are busy going over and finalizing the plans for the matches later today along with making sure the 'arena' is properly set up. Oh, and there will be a few people from some of the neighboring islands watching the matches too, which will only help in getting our name out there when they go back home."

"Oh? Cool. Still, I'm surprised the Sirens haven't made any moves since they retreated from our last battle. Honestly, I'm a little worried by how quiet it's been..."

[Don't worry. I've been making sure to keep everyone on rotating patrols to keep an eye on them during the tournament]

"...!? Metis!? ...Crap, I keep forgetting the watch I'm wearing has that nifty little feature...!"

Cue yet another round of giggling.

xxx xxx xxx

A little later that day, in a small cafe somewhere along the island settlement's main street -

"So, those are the rumored shipgirls, huh? A real lively bunch aren't they?" commented a tall, well built brown haired and brown eyed man in his mid thirties wearing his signature slightly roguish grin on his face as he looked out the window and observed Eldridge, Laffey, Archerfish, and Anchorage playing with some local children while under the watchful eye of Belfast and Sheffield.

"I think that liveliness and energy actually speaks quite well of their Commander, ja?" commented the red eyed, twintailed light bluenette dressed in a grey, red and white outfit vaguely looked like a heavily modified Iron Blood military uniform. Frankly, if Liam were present, and obvious differences in their looks aside, he would've been strongly reminded of someone else... someone who shared the same 'presence' and calculating look in their eyes. "If nothing else, they've gotten the islanders' trust quite quickly, even going so far as to set up something so big on such short notice like an exhibition tournament. It's quite impressive really."

"By the way, do you think any of those other shipgirls have noticed you yet?"

The light bluenette put a slender, gloved finger to her chin and closed her eyes in thought for a moment before finally shaking her head.

"Too soon to say. They're pretty busy and likely haven't been awake too long to know what shipgirls from other fleets feel like. That said, I don't think it'll take them too much longer before they do either... especially considering who I am... Frankly, it's unavoidable. Still kind of a weird feeling to experience firsthand though..."

"Oh? And what does it feel like, if you don't mind my asking."

"... A bit like I'm in two places at once but not quite though. Apologies, but it's quite a difficult sensation to try and put into words, much less explain..," replied the bluenette with a furrowed brow.

"Well, do you want to meet her?" the brown haired man asked, genuinely curious.

"...I'd, be lying if I said I didn't but... aren't we supposed to keep a low profile? Scouting and all that?"

"True, but I think the situation's changed quite a bit now that we know that not only are there other shipgirls here, but a new unknown fleet who managed to fight off a Siren Elite too! I think the Admiral's gonna want to know about that, right? And if we can somehow 'arrange a meeting' to see what they're made of, then all the better!"

"...You do have a point. And like I said, I doubt I can stay hidden for too much longer anyway... To be honest, I would rather we stay hidden a little longer, but I don't see that happening if we don't want to make things more complicated and messy later on."

"Great! Then I'll get in touch with the Admiral and scouting fleet. Hah! I knew it was worth coming out here ahead of time1 Damn my instincts are good!"

"Heh, if nothing else, I'm glad der Admiral ordered me to come out here with you."

"Alright then, let's get going."

"Ja."

- Later that afternoon -

At the beach on the opposite side of where the Liberty is docked, in the midst of Liam and Mayor Mason tournament introductory speech, in the waiting area set up for the shipgirls.

"...!?" '...Hmm? What was that?'

"Lady Eugen? Is everything the matter?" asked a concerned Belfast noticing how suddenly distracted her fellow silverette looked for whatever reason.

"Hmm? Ah, well... I'm not sure. It's odd, but for awhile lately, I've been feeling like I'm in two places at once, but not quite...? Honestly, it's an odd feeling. Maybe it's just nerves..?" Eugen replied, a bit of uncertainty in her normally cool and collected voice.

"...I see. Well, do you still think you can fight then? Or would you like to sit it out?"

"It's fine. It's nothing too bad. Just... odd. But now that I think about it, this feeling reminds me of something I read while looking over the research documents Frau Akashi compiled. 'Resonance' I think it was called?"

"...Wait, 'resonance'? As in...-"

Eugen nodded.

"-Ja, that. Or, at least, what I'm feeling matches what was detailed in the papers... and if so, then she's likely nearby and watching us, probably hidden in the crowd too."

"But wait, if that's true then why hide?"

"To gather intel on us I would imagine. I mean, it's not like we were being very subtle about our activities. And, if I recall, there is at least one other Commander operating here in the Pacific so I wouldn't be surprised if they also wanted to figure out why the Sirens have been so active around here. Frau Metis even suggested as much before we left."

"Alright, then I'll let Master know."

Another nod.

"Anyway, it's far too late to call things off now even if we wanted to."

"Right. Well, in the meantime and if at all possible, see if you can find the source of the 'resonance', alright?"

"Ja, leave it to me."

xxx xxx xxx

Somewhere in the assmbled crowd -

"...Oh? Well now. That didn't take very long now did it. Much sooner than I expected too," remarked the light bluenette to herself.

"So, they finally noticed?" the brown haired man asked, beer in hand and sitting on the light bluenette's right.

"Ja, or rather, she finally noticed me."

"Well, our original mission aside, the Admiral did say to try and make contact if we could... and I think we both know the best way to do that! Especially since it looks like they won't be able to change plans now that everyone on the island's here watching them."

"True enough. So?"

"Hmm, let's just watch things play out and wait until you know who shows up before doing anything else. Sound good?"

"...So you wanna liven things up then?"

A mischievous, boyish grin was the only answer she received.

xxx xxx xxx

At the center of the 'ring' set up for today's events, as broadcast by the holographic projector for the gathered crowd -

"Alright, and without further ado..! Let's begin our first match!" announced Mayor Mason, his voice amplified by his ear mic. "First up: Team Akagi, Taihou, Strasser vs Team New Jersey, Alabama, Black Prince!"

At his call, the named shipgirls approached the ring from opposite sides, getting the crowd really fired up and eliciting a wide range of reactions.

"...Those girls are seriously beautiful!"

"Hey, that dark haired one has legit fox ears and nine big, bushy tails! ...I, I wonder if she'd let me... floof them?"

"...The fuck is wrong with you?"

"I mean, come the fuck on! Real fox ears and tails! Why wouldn't I want to floof them!?"

"...Ugh, whatever you weirdo. And I seriously doubt she'd let anyone but her commander get anywhere near those tails, nevermind some rando who just wants to touch them... Fuckin' creeper.."

"...Shit, yeah... I guess that's true... fuck."

"Oh, it's fine, I can wear some tails for you later tonight if you want."

"Wait, seriously? Hell yeah!"

"Hmph! It's that blue haired, big breasted slut again! Screw her and her big tits! I hope she gets her ass kicked! You hear me! I hope you choke on a ten inch dildo you stupid slut bunny!"

"..Wow! What the hell was all that about!?"

"Forget it. She's just the super jealous type. I mean, I've tried to calm her down but I dunno, she's just really sensitive cuz she's more on the... er, smaller side, I guess?"

"...Wow..."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"I could die happy if that tanned hottie crushed my head between those thicc, toned and delicoous thighs... Yummy!"

"...Fucking pervert... And aren't you a woman?"

"Fuck off! So what if I am! I can appreciate a nice pair of thighs as much as any guy! Besides, I'm bi and my husband's a man, you dick!"

"...Yeah, whatever, shut up already you loudmouthed cunt! And anyway, I like that black haired one with the twintails and cap. Strict and sexy! You can keep your thighs you loser, it's all about the teachers and those sexy scowls!"

"...Now who's the pervert, huh?"

"I, um... I like the pink haired one. She, looks super nice... and that hair ribbon looks cute on her."

"...Off the shoulder kimono and big tiddies... Oh, yeah!"

"...The fuck is wrong with all of you?"

And so it continued. People took sides, made bets, let the alcohol make them a little too honest with themselves.

xxx xxx xxx

In the ring, which was really just a sectioned off area of the ocean -

"Alright, if everyone understands the rules then you can start anytime but just remember, you only have eight minutes per match and the side with the most members still standing wins... And, BEGIN!"

Having finished his piece, Mayor Mason beat a hasty retreat.

...

"Alright! Show time bitches!" exclaimed a very excited New Jersey as she she shifted into a ready stance, the halo like light of her rigging flaring up in response to her desire to win and show off.

"...We totally got this," nodded Alabama as she held out her hand and summoned a very big red and black scythe that was longer than she was tall, and she was not a very short shipgirl.

"Yes!" nodded Black Prince as confidently as she could.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring -

"Ufufu~! Time to show everyone just what we aircraft carriers can really do! Ne, Taihou-chan?, Strasser-chan?"

"Ja, let's make the opening move then," Strasser said as the hands on the clock like platform she stood on began to whir and come to life, spinning rapidly as her skill, 'Forward Advance'(a party wide buff that was effectively a complete inversion of her usual 'Paralyzing March' debuff skill), that bathed the three of them in bright light before seemingly vanishing in a blur of speed fast enough to leave after images as they charged forward, weapons in hand and catching their opponents totally off guard.

"Oh, crap! Fast, really fast!"

*BOOM!*

Sparks flew as Akagi's katana made contact with New Jersey's own metal plated knuckles with such force that that it actually sent a shock wave blowing out in every direction on impact.

Luckily, Alabama managed to easily block Taihou's tessen strike before countering with a swift kick with her right leg, sending out a blast of pressurized air Taihou barely dodged before retaliating with a blast of flame that struck the water right where Alabama stood half a second ago and sending up a geyser of steam up into the air in the process.

"...Tch!"

Taking advantage of the hot steam blocking her opponents' vision, Alabama wasted no time launching a counterattack as she pulled back her scythe in preparation for a full power diagonal slash.

"...Eeii!"

"Oh no you don't! Haaahhh!"

Realizing that there was absolutely no way for her to block such a powerful strike with just her metal bladed combat fan, Taihou made the smart choice to move back and let Akagi take her place after knocking New Jersey back when she saw Taihou in trouble.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Akagi-chan~!"

Not wanting to waste Akagi's efforts, Taihou quickly moved to intercept Black Prince who was currently engaged in a sword lock with Strasser... or, she would have, had New Jersey not chosen that very moment to recover and let loose a heavy artillery barrage on their location.

'Wait, won't she hit-huh? Where'd Black Prince go!?'

- A few moments earlier, with Black Prince and Strasser -

*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*

Black Prince's sword slammed against Strasser's own blade in another rapid exchange as the pair struggled to land a decisive blow on the other.

"Heh! For such a sweet and doting big sister, you certainly live up to your image as a fierce knight!" Strasser complimented with an impressed smirk as she tried to overpower the pinkette in front of her with her enhanced speed and fierce offensive.

"Many thanks, Lady Strasser, but as they say; flattery won't get you anywhere!" Black Prince countered while doing everything she could to just barely keep up with the currently lightning fast Iron Blood aircraft carrier.

"Well said! After all, actions speak louder than words, do they not!? HAAHHH!"

Another exchange of slashes, parries, dodges, and counters.

"...!"

Black Prince felt the air begin to virtually sizzle and heat up around them as Strasser poured not just more power into her unending assault, but ether too, likely in an attempt to take her out of the match right then and there. Luckily for her, and unluckily for Strasser, that was the exact moment New Jersey's voice came in over their private 'Joint Tactical Network' channel.

[Black Prince, get outta the way! I'm gonna hit Strasser and Taihou with my main guns, so go back up Alabama!]

[Understood!]

Half a beat later, Black Prince rapidly gathered up and discharged her own ether stores to not just push back against Strasser, but get enough strength in her legs to make a break for it and catch the preoccupied Akagi in a surprise pincer attack.

"Huh? Oh, scheiße!"

Not only did Black Prince suddenly jumping back and running away cause Strasser to over commit and miss her attack, but stumble and get distracted just long enough to be able to do nothing but helplessly watch the incoming fusillade.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Even if their output was dramatically scaled back, that didn't mean New Jersey's attack wouldn't pack a punch... or hurt like bitch when it hit. Unfortunately...

'Too close! That was way too close!'

...Strasser and Taihou were still under the effects of her 'Forward March' skill and were still fast enough to avoid the bulk of the energetic bluenette bunny girl's surprise attack.

"Dammit! How the hell did we not see that excitable woman doing something so crazy!? And how the hell did she recover so fast!?" Strasser asked no one in particular, though Taihou still heard her.

"We were careless... That's really all it comes down to... not that that makes it any easier to swallow..."

"Right, but I guess it goes to show how nervous we must be to overlook something like that, huh?"

"Well, at least the crowd's enjoying it all at least... And hey, we can just chalk it up as one more learning experience, no?"

"Ja, good point. Anyway, payback time!"

"Hai!"

Nodding, the pair quickly moved to go support Akagi who was now barely holding off a three on one assault.

- Back with the crowd watching the match -

"Well, they're definitely strong, but their inexperience shows. Still, you shipgirls have some seriously fast learning speeds. Over five minutes in and they've improved so much already," the brown haired man observed, genuinely thankful nobody was paying too much attention to him or the bluenette sitting next to him. "Look, the crowd's eating it up too."

Said bluenette nodded. "Ja, now it's become too close to call who's going to win."

"So? Seeing as you're more of an expert on shipgirls than I'd ever be, who would you put your money on, if you were a betting girl that is," the brown haired man asked.

"Hmm... Not sure. As of right now though? I'd have to say... New Jersey's side. It'd still be a close call for sure, but they've shown the most teamwork overall since the match started. Then again, Taihou and Akagi's teamwork is even better than everyone else's put together."

"I see."

"So? What about you? Who would you bet on?"

"Me? Well, I think I'd probably bet on that energetic bunny girl too actually."

"Oh? And why is that?" the light bluenette asked with a raised, slender eyebrow.

The taller, brown haired man just shrugged. "Intuition I guess. Oho, the match looks like it's gonna wrap up soon."

"...So it is."

- Back in the ring, in the final moments of the match -

*BBOOOMMM!*

Another hot pillar of steam rose up into the air as artillery shells and attack drones in the shape of decades old fighter planes clashed and exploded while six shipgirls vied for dominance in the final minutes of their fight that, ironically enough for them, felt like time itself slowed down to a crawl as the tension and pressure to become the winner rose with and every furious exchange of blows at a feverish pitch.

Metal struck metal and sparks flew.

Shouts and grunts filled the ring as the ether charged air around them blew out in every direction in violent gusts.

The crowd was transfixed, watching with rapt attention as the slowed down footage of the holographic projector let them barely keep up with what was going in front of them.

...It was a whirlwind of desperate violence defined by punches, kicks, weapon slashes, magic being flung every which way, dodges, parries, counters, and mounting exhaustion on both sides.

'Shit! there's only a minute and half left!' New Jersey thought as she blocked another slash with her rigging before lashing out with swift kick at Akagi's exposed stomach.

"...Guh!"

"Alright! And this one's the finisher!"

Not taking any more chances and wanting to wrap things up now while she still had the chance, the bunny eared bluenette aimed her main guns at a conveniently bunched up Taihou and Strasser caught between Black Prince and Alabama's close quarters pincer assault. Luckily for her, the two noticed what she was up to and decided to layer on an ether shield and continue forward instead of pulling back. Sure it was risky, but they would either succeed here and now, or fail and lose everything.

'Heh! Probably not the smartest move I've ever made but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained! 'Sides, Alabama and Black Prince put their faith in me so I'll be damned if I let them down now!'

Her mind made up and a fire in her blue eyes, New Jersey moved in to finish off Akagi the instant her guns fired, resisting the somewhat stronger than normal recoil from her guns. Akagi, meanwhile, could only stare in shocked and muted frustration and surprise as she could do nothing but watch as New Jersey's cocked back left fist began to drill into her face.

'...Dammit! We were so close too! Still, even if we do end up losing, I'm taking you down with me!'

And with that, Akagi's whole world started to fade to black as she was blown backwards by the force of the impact... but not before letting her body and instincts take over to pull off one last counterattack in the form of discharging a huge burst of burning, crimson hot ether at the exhausted and spent New Jersey.

"...Oh, sshhii-"

*BBBOOOOMMMM!*

...

When the proverbial dust settled and the steam faded away, the crowd watched with bated breath as the first match came to a explosive end with not just Akagi and New Jersey's double knockout... but the triple knockout of Taihou, Strasser, and Black Prince too, leaving only a battered and bruised but still barely standing and conscious Alabama just a few back where the other three now lay floating in the water.

"...Huff, huff...!"

Catching her breath and not wanting to waste her teammate's efforts, Alabama slowly and shakily raised her fist high into the air.

...

A brief moment of silence later, and after finally processing just what happened, everyone watching erupted in loud cheers and raucous applause as the victors of the first match were called and congratulated by their mayor and the shipgirls' Commander while the wounded were carted off on stretchers held up by pairs of odd, trash can shaped robots. When the 'ring' was finally cleared out, Mayor Mason spoke up once more to the assembled crowd through his ear mic.

"Alright! With the first match over and the winner decided, there will a two minute intermission before the second match!"

Cue another round of loud cheering and applause.

- Back in the crowd -

"That was amazing!"

"I know right!?"

"Dammit! I lost! I knew I should've bet on the hot bunny girl's team! ...Ffffuuuuccckkk!"

"Haha! Sucks for you! Now I get to get wasted tonight! Hell yeah!"

"Well, they still won... but you happy that the sexy sci-fi bunny girl got knocked out at least?"

"...Mixed feelings but yeah, mostly."

"...Are you seriously gonna hold a grudge against her just for having bigger tits and being sexier than you?"

"Oh, fuck you! You know what, forget mixed feelings, I'm glad that big tiddied slut got taken out!"

"...Uh, I just don't know how Jake puts up with you..."

"Screw you!"

"Hey, do you think the silver haired girl's team is gonna make it through their next mach though? I mean, wasn't she the only one left standing in the end?"

"...Damn, that's true. Well, here's hoping, right?"

Meanwhile, with the brown haired man and light bluenette -

"So, they really did win. New Jersey's side I mean... Still, I did not expect the match to end the way it did..," the brown haired man remarked.

The light bluenette nodded. "Ja. It was quite the surprise for sure, but... all things considered and for how close the match was, I don't think they had much of a choice but to try something so reckless. At least, that's how it looked to me anyway."

"Still, how did Alabama manage to survive?"

"My guess? The pink haired one, Black Prince I think her name was, pushed her away at the last second... which was probably the main reason she ended up knocked out herself. She likely thought that, one person in good enough condition to still fight was better than two, barely standing on their feet shipgirls who could be tapped into unconsciousness on their next match... assuming that the survivors would have to fight alone with whoever was left standing that is," the light bluenette conjectured.

The brown haired man nodded in agreement. "Sounds about right. Heh, these girls are something else. Anyway, I'm gonna get another drink before the next match starts up. You want anything?"

"A beer."

"Gotcha. Oh, and you got the combat footage, right?"

"...Of course I did, now get going already."

"Yeah, yeah."

xxx xxx xxx

Back down on the ring, standing atop the motor boat he was riding on, Mayor Mason called out the teams for the second match.

"Okay! Will Team Sirius, Sheffield, Enterprise and Team Saratoga, Vampire, Nautilus make their way down to the ring so that we can begin the second match!"

...

"Alright! Now it's time for Sister Sara and Friends to shine and give everyone a show! You girls ready?" asked the ever peppy pinkette to her two equally petite teammates.

"Indeed! Let us show them just what a stellar performance really looks like!"

"U, Um.. yes! I, I'm ready to go too...!"

Saratoga nodded, a big smile on her face. "Alrighty then~! Let's goooo~!"

Meanwhile, three elegantly dressed and confident maids waited patiently for their poor pre-opponents to arrive with only one thought between them.

'We will win! We will win and crush them, thoroughly!'

...

"Alright! With both teams here and ready, then... Second match, BEGIN!"

xxx xxx xxx