Chapter 20

Traf looked at the snowy terrain that they stood on. He, George and Takashi were the only ones, who bought coats for this fight just to be safe from the cold weather, while the girls bought just some warmer socks and they were surprisingly not shivering from the temperature. How can they be cold resistant so much?! he thought as he glanced at them, while checking the temperature of water in one of the tanks inside.

"Water is at 85°C. In manuals, it is the ideal temperature for the Tiger to work in this terrain." Traf nodded in thanks to Geroge and put the panel back in place. "Everything is at normal levels!" Takashi announced and Traf slid inside to check the two barrels they had stored inside. One was filled with tea (the one from St. Gloriana) and the other one was filled with stew.

"If Miho and her team gets surrounded and stuck inside a building, I'll bring the stew to them, but if we all get stuck, we'll give everyone one and half soup ladles. Understood?" he repeated for about the tenth time these last two days and got the same response from his crewmates. The leader of the Tiger squad nodded for himself and looked out from the hatch, just in time to see a ZIS-6 truck with a BM-13 "Katyusha" Multiple rocket launcher on it, nearing them.

He watched as the truck stopped and the door opened. From it went out two girls. One was small and had blonde hair with baby blue eyes, while the other one was tall and had long black hair with light blue eyes. Damn… those two look like a mom and daughter… he thought and shook his head. He didn't need an introduction to know who these two were: Katyusha "Drifting snow" and Nonna "Blizzard".

The smaller girl, Katyusha, suddenly started laughing. "You think you can beat us with… these?!" she taunted. "Don't get too cocky!" Traf countered with a slight smile on his face. However, that action earned him glares from everyone. "Nonna!" Katyusha called and the big girl put the loli on her shoulders. "You are all beneath me!" she said confidently. Yep. Definitely underestimates us. "Get down from your horse…" Momo muttered and this time, the glares shifted to her.

But, the strangest thing wasn't the cockiness of Katyusha. It was the aura surrounding Nonna. While she acted like some sort of Russian Darjeeling, the aura was cold and unforgiving. Just like a Siberian tundra. And that unnerved him. "We should rather watch out for the IS-2 now…" he whispered to George and Takashi. And after a few more agonizing seconds, Nonna turned and walked back to the ZIS-5. "До свидания."

Traf looked at the truck as it was leaving, unaware about a glance that Nonna spared at him.

Katyusha looked at Nonna. "So, what do you think about them?" she asked her vice-captain and friend. "They can put up a tough fight. After all, they have a StuG III F, Panzer IV H and Tiger I at their disposal. But the Panzer 38 (t), M3 Lee, Char B1 Bis and Type 89B are too weak to properly shoot down a T-34/76." The loli grinned at that. "So, an ambush would end them!" she cheered that her original plan would work.

"But, there's still the unknown tank that they hid under a big white cloth." That made Katyusha freeze right in the middle of her cheers. "What do you think it is?" she asked. "The hull shape is similar to Tiger I, so it is either it, VK 36.01, VK 30.01 or Porshe Tiger. But the turret positioning and shape is similar to VK 36.01 and Tiger (P)."

Katyusha gulped. "We should take down those Tigers first!" she shouted after a while. "Да." Katyusha flinched after that. "AND SPEAK JAPANESE!" the loli screamed in frustration. This would be too close for my tastes. The ambush must succeed! she thought and smirked. The loli started seeing her commanding the three boys in a gulag and the Oarai girls working on a potato farm in her subconscious state. And NO ONE would take down her perfectly defended flag tank.

Miho looked at her directly controlled six tanks with a small smile. She knew that it would be better, if the Tigers drew fire to them and let Hippo team sneak towards the enemy flag tank. Thanks to its small frame, the only TD they have would be perfect to slip through and ambush the flag tank.

But, there was something that made her feel uneasy. It was the fact that the boys bought actual winter coats and had two barrels with something inside prepared for unknown reasons. "Don't worry about it. It's always better be prepared for anything that might happen." She shrugged at remembering that exact line from earlier today. They think that something similar to Leningrad might happen. If they are that much prepared, they have a plan ready. That's safe to assume. Katyusha seemed too cocky, like she had prepared a trap for us…

After that, Miho was hit hard with the realization. There was one perfect spot for a trap: the village near the lake in the middle of the map. So, you figured it out. Good job. At normal circumstances, I'll protest against letting the Tigers go alone, but now it would only benefit us. If the two heavies "disappear," Katyusha would get either more cocky than imaptient. Miho slightly nodded at that. She only hoped that her own team won't get overly cocky and rush blindly into the trap.

Yet, everything was possible and her team springing the trap was the most possible outcome that could happen next. She sighed and slid inside her tank. Next round, this tank would be the flag one. That way, I can attract Erika to me and the boys would get their revenge on her. Great! You are good at your job! The girl had a hard time suppressing a blush after hearing that.

And she waited for the flare to show up to announce the start of the semi-finals of the Tournament. If we win this, my former school would be most likely the last enemy… she thought with a sad smile on her lips. Facing her own family would be hard for her. And yet, she had a feeling that the fight ahead would be hard and close.

Traf smirked as his tank squad entered the forest without an issue or getting noticed by the enemy. "That winter camo really pays off!" he shouted in excitement. He had chosen the "winter forest" one just because of it being useful for this one mission. "Suddenly, he saw a movement on the nearby ledge on the right side. "Miho, I just spotted their scouts!" he announced and ordered Takashi to stop the tank. "Did they see you?" she asked after a while. "Negative. But they most likely saw your group. Stay on alert and do not chase any escapees." That last sentence was addressed to the other tank commanders.

"Understood, Knispel!" answered Erwin's voice. I swear that I can actually hear the smirk, she is making now… he thought as the rest of the crews gave their own answers. Traf grabbed his mug after that and served himself some tea from their small supply of the hot liquid with a sigh escaping his lips.

Suddenly, he heard the rumbling of an unknown tank's engine nearing them. The scouts! he realized and quickly loaded a shell into the 8,8 cm KwK 36. Soon after that, a lone T-34/76 was making its way towards the village. "I won't let you escape!" he growled as he aimed at the retreating tank.

"Target locked!" he muttered and waited for a confirmation from Suzuki. "Target locked!" The boy smirked after hearing that. "Feuer frei!" he said and the two 8,8 KwK 36s opened fire at the unfortunate tank, disabling it and leaving two holes in the side armor of the most produced tank in and a few years after WW2.

"Mission… success!" he called out and high-fived with his two crewmates. And a few seconds later, a volley of shots echoed through the battlefield. "Another two T-34/76s shot down! Pursuing the last one!" Saori's voice reported with a cheerful tone. And Traf resisted the urge to facepalm, when he heard that. Did Miho forget or what?! he thought and sighed in exasperation at the situation.

"Let's sneak to a spot near the village!" he said to the shared channel with the automotive club. "Understood, Leopon team is ready to depart!" And after hearing that, Traf gave a short nod to Takashi to start the engine.

Katyusha smirked, when she heard that her enemy was heading straight into her trap. Everything was going like she expected. "Katyusha-sama!" someone shouted through the comms. "What is it?!" the loli asked/shouted at the speaker. "The scouts went missing!" And then, it hit her. The Tigers of Oarai weren't reported with the main force! That meant only one thing…

"Damn it! They plan to snipe us from behind a cover!" she realized after a few seconds. "Nonna, get into the IS-2 and search the forest!" Katyusha commanded and watched as the main force of Oarai entered the village. "Surround them!" she shouted and watched as the tanks escaped into a nearby building that had big and wide enough entrance for a tank to fit in (except Maus and T-28 for example).

"You two!" she pointed at two random girls. "Relay them this message: You have three hours to give up. Kneel before me and I'll let you go." The duo nodded and rushed away to get a white flag for negotiations. I defeated you again. Thanks for the win! she thought and smirked. Pravda will win the finals again and take over the mantlet of undefeated champions!

A/N:

Oh my… over 3k views in almost 4 months after this story started?! Guys… you are awesome! Thank you for your continuing support of this story.

Anyway, see ya later!