Sensha-do practice field - Continuation school carrier

"Commanders, please bow."

Joining the others in shouting "We wish you a good match!", Jouko's heart was racing. This was her first match not just as a commander or a simple tanker, but her first Sensha-do match ever. A lot was piling on this match. For weeks, her classmates had hailed her and her crew as potential saviors of Continuation, reestablishing hope that Continuation could fight its way to the long-coveted Semifinals and prove their worth to the world. Now, the day had arrived for the four Finns to prove that they were, indeed, worthy of their status, instead of being some overhyped newbies like so many others before them had been.

This first match was to be a free-for-all match between eight tanks: The BT-42, commanded by Mika, the Sturmi, commanded by Jouko, a T-34/76, commanded by another student, Touko, the Vice-Commander who was to inherit her superior's position upon her graduation, a T-28, commanded by Lili, who would inherit the Vice-Commander position, and a Panzer IV Ausf.J, commanded by Rumi herself, as well as three T-26s. It was taking place in snowy conditions, conditions that were greatly suiting Jouko, a girl raised in the uttermost parts of the northernmost region of Finland where snow was practically everywhere.

Meanwhile, far from the action, the rest of the school was looking on from stands erected several kilometers away with a large screen providing an overview of the battlefield and rectangular blocks representing each tank fighting in the match. Jouko had informed Rumi before the match that she would be speaking in Finnish when giving orders to her crew, and apologized in advance for any confusion the spectators would get when the audio for her tank played from the speakers.

After climbing into the Sturmi, Jouko spoke to Hannes:

"Move when I tap you with my foot. Be sure to be snappy, fast, and agile, if we stay too long after firing a shot, we'll get taken out easily. Move where I tell you, do not hesitate for a moment. Don't forget what we've learned the past few weeks."

Hannes pressed a button that started up the Sturmi, and with a rumble of the engine the beast came to life. As the noises of the engine increased in volume, Jouko gave her first order, speaking in Finnish:

"That field of snow over there, you must drive towards it. The white paint we painted our tank with will hopefully mask our presence and make us impossible to spot."

However, Hannes expressed her doubts about this plan of her commander.
"Are you sure you don't want to take position on the hills or those forests, commander?"

"Trust me, they're expecting me to take my position in one of those areas. We'll have to take our position in a place where they will least expect, or not expect at all."

Hannes readily obeyed, and drove to the fields where Jouko directed her. It wasn't far from the site of the formalities, but there was plenty of snow. As the Sturmi settled, and the falling snow began to blanket the tank, Frisell sent a simple radio message, the only one they would need to send for this match.

"Sturmi to officials, we're ready to begin."

A burst from the Bofors gun signaled the start of the practice match moments later.

For several minutes, Jouko, donning the trademark Finnish combat hood, waited patiently for her prey to appear, using her father's old binoculars to view the distant action whilst peering outside her commander's cupola, thankful that there wasn't any fog or snowstorm blocking her view. The sounds of guns firing in the distance could be vaguely heard, growing increasingly louder yet at the same time individually decreasing as each tank was knocked out one after another, and the remainder approached closer to Jouko's position. She could see some columns of smoke in the distance, quickly judging they were all from knocked out tanks, as well as tiny dots that increasingly grew in size, meaning they were approaching vehicles.

Suddenly, a hit to her right. Reeling from the sudden impact, Jouko turned to find a T-26 drifting away. Shooting back down into the cupola and closing the hatch, Jouko began to aim the gun, ordering Hannes to give chase, while Löfström quickly and instinctively loaded a round, slamming shut the shell hatch once the shell had been secured in its chamber. With Jouko's plan of waiting to snipe any oncoming tanks foiled, she now had to improvise on not only chasing an elusive interwar tank, but also having to deal with two others rapidly approaching her previous position. There was little time to think at this moment, meaning that whatever came in her mind right then and there would have to be the next words that would come out of her mouth.

Keeping her eyes on the gun sights, she watched as the T-26 began to move to the other two tanks. Trying her best to remember her practice against moving targets, she kept the sights on the T-26, and tried to make out its movement pattern as fast as the could. Just as it came within 100 yards of the two other dueling tanks, the T-26 swerved right into the sights of its huntress. Without hesitation, Jouko squeezed the trigger and launched a shell directly at the T-26. In a split second, its turret was hit, slowing it down, but not knocking it out. Löfström didn't even need an order, having loaded another shell just as the T-26 was beginning to move again. Jouko would have none of it, firing another shell at the T-26. This time, it rang true, hitting the turret ring and white-flagging the elusive vehicle.

Her first knockout.

The spectators were stunned, this was truly a new talent that they were lucky to have gotten. But there was no time to celebrate, it wasn't the time to do so yet.

"Alright, Hannes, go for those two tanks! It's time for a goose chase!"

Hannes slammed the throttle as the Sturmi zoomed past the wreckage of the defeated T-26, rapidly approaching their two opponents, oblivious to what had happened not too far from where they were. Charging straight at their side, a third shell was loaded into the chamber, and Jouko readied her next shot, thinking of which tank to take out first. Rumi's Panzer IV had reversed its turret and was desperately firing shot after shot after shot against Mika's BT-42, which had already lost its tracks and was forced into using its wheels to maneuver, dodging many oncoming shells. Mikko had also learned how to drive a tank quickly, and was likely using her steering wheel given how wildly she was driving. Jouko had decided on the BT-42 first, given how much of a nuisance it was appearing to be.

With a gentle tug she pulled the trigger, and a powerful shot and loud bang sent her first shell flying at high speeds from inside the barrel towards the BT-42. Instantly the tank met a fiery end, with the Sturmi zooming past the gap between the two tanks just before the Panzer IV could hit them. Instinctively, Hannes executed a drift, bringing the Sturmi around to bear on the Panzer IV, which had likewise drifted around to fight against the Sturmi. It was going to be like a jousting tournament, and both sides were more than ready to duke it out. Veteran commander versus skilled newbie, the time had now come for the final showdown of the first practice match of the school year.

"Drive forward, quick! Be sure to give me that perfect shot."

The Sturmi lurched forward and accelerated, as did the Panzer IV. Rapidly closing the distance, both gunners prepared to fire. It was Rumi's gunner who fired first, but she had missed the shot, the shell having hit one of the angled areas of the frontal armor, causing it to bounce off into outer space. Jouko now had the perfect shot at the Panzer, but, rather than fire, she ordered Hannes to immediately drift to the left.

"Wh..Why-"

Jouko left no time for a reply.

"Remember, Hannes, no hesitations."

Hannes slammed the throttle, accelerating even more, and just as the Panzer crossed the Sturmi, she turned the steering lever as hard left as possible. The Sturmi turned, then drifted across the snow into a position where it was now tailing the Panzer, which, seeing the new development, was now evading harder than ever. It was trying to make an escape, its turret traversing in order to fire at the Sturmi. Hannes dodged as best she could, but was unable to dodge every shell that began to shoot straight for the Sturmi. Any that did, however, fortunately bounced, though the concrete was cracked from the impacts, and one of the logs was chipped, much to the crew's frustration.

Several tense minutes passed as the Panzer dodged and weaved in both directions, trying to avoid certain doom that was sure to come, while firing back at the Sturmi as best it could. However, there was no shot from the Sturmi, as Jouko was focused on calculating her shot on the Panzer. As the Panzer attempted to feint by making a turn to the right, then a sudden swerve to the left, Jouko pulled the trigger and sent a shell, in a combination of precision, accuracy, and great luck, straight into the Panzer's engine, immobilizing it and knocking the last enemy tank out of the match.

With no other tanks left without a white flag aside from the Sturmi, Jouko, her crew, and her tank had won the first practice match, all despite being absolute beginners. The announcer herself was shocked to silence, only able to mumble the words announcing the Sturmi's victory.

"I-Incredible... S-S...Sturmi wins..."

It was incredible. These techniques they had just witnessed were the stuff of professionals. Hannes had performed some crazy drifts, Löfström had improved on her caution in loading, and as for Jouko's gunnery, it was something else, you could say it was otherworldly, a combination of luck, accuracy, skill, and precision. Did she know about the Shimada style of Sensha-do, or was this her own idea, her own style of Sensha-do? There were so many questions to be answered, so much to learn from this mysterious new student, and her three friends who had comprised her crew. At the same time, this performance had vindicated their belief in the new crew, and prospects for Continuation were looking up after so long.

Making their way from the battlefield after the match, Jouko and the others were swarmed by dozens of their excited classmates, asking her how such things she had performed were indeed performed, as well as if she were following a certain style or all originating from herself. But, being the quiet intellectual, she mostly ignored them and quietly helped in cleaning up after the match with her crew, both hauling away the wrecked tanks and cleaning the stands, as well as folding them up and returning them to storage, using the Sturmi to help tow them away. After all was said and done, the crew retreated to their individual rooms to get much-needed rest and recuperation.

After this triumphant debut, instead of resting on her laurels like most would've, Jouko quickly returned to her studies, as well as taking closer looks at the features of her tank: its individual projectiles, the Sturmi's career, and possible upgrades to the Sturmi that could benefit both the crew and the team greatly. She also spent time building her friendships with her fellow classmates as well as Rumi, learning some doctrines from her, learning the kantele from Mika, having spent little time to do so in Finland due to her focus on sniping, and adjusting to the school's tactics and doctrine of hit-and-run, kind of like Finland during World War II. But the respite was relatively short-lived.

Due to the upcoming 62nd Sensha-Do Tournament, More practice matches were organized to prepare Continuation. The Sturmi crew, especially, practiced hard and diligently, and at almost every practice match, they were dominating the competition, with Jouko often using her sniping skills to knock out tanks that had crossed her path, regardless of the battlefield's terrain or the situation they were in. But, their record wasn't perfect, as a couple of times, Rumi had teamed up with other tanks to take out the Sturmi, and for all of Jouko's present skills, they were no match for overwhelming firepower, meaning that on at least two matches, a crew could claim a Sturmi kill.

On the final practice match a week before the tournament, Rumi approached Jouko as she was preparing her crew for the match with her briefing.

"These past few matches have proven that you are a master of sniping, but we haven't seen much of your commanding when it comes to close-quarters save for that first practice match, and it seems you've been doing well when it comes to it, so try to fight closer to the action this time, please."

Jouko responded with a slight nod, and informed her teammates of the development.

"Alright, it looks like they want us to fight closer to the action, so everyone's going to have to have faster reactions now, especially you, Hannes. We're going to be doing much drifting, so be prepared for that."

Hannes responded with an affirmative nod, and began moving the Sturmi to its position. After the pre-match formalities, the match began, this time with 10 tanks in total on the battlefield. This final practice match was to be a team battle, using the annihilation match format. Rumi led Jouko's team of five, Touko led the other team of five. Jouko took her position on the right flank, and outlined her intentions to Rumi:

"I'll try to use my mobility to lure them to you, I know Mika's known for that, but about time I tried it myself."

Seconds later, she got a response: "Good luck, and make sure you don't get yourself killed so quickly."

Continuation Training Grounds

Beethoven's Third Symphony was playing full blast in the Sturmi, on the scherzo Third Movement as Jouko belted out orders to her crew.

"Full throttle, and veer to the left, Hannes. We'll try to confuse them as best we can."

The Sturmi was in range of the enemy tanks by the time this order was given, closing in at rapid pace, but before a shell could land, it managed to turn in time, narrowly evading the incoming projectiles. With the distance closed, the next phase of the plan could begin.

"Good, now drift right!"

Jouko remained firmly locked in her gunner's seat, eyes buried deep against and staring through her gunner's visor, and even when the tank was drifting hardest, she never lost focus. As the tank stabilized, she had her scope on the enemy commander's T-34/76, which was attempting a getaway and one tank trying to charge the Sturmi. Needing to act fast, Jouko decided on killing the commander, as she knew it would ruin the enemy team's chances at victory. Pulling the trigger in an instant, her next shell slammed into Touko's tank, immobilizing it and knocking it out of the match, an obviously devastating blow for the enemy team. But Jouko wasn't done yet.

"Quick, move through that gap in between those two T-26s right in front of us, and turn us around clockwise!"

The remaining enemy tanks, now leaderless and disorganized from the loss of Touko, now began to fire desperately and in disorderly fashion. Although some shots managed to hit the Sturmi, its the heavy frontal armor merely caused them to bounce. The charging T-26 missed by a long shot, and as Hannes again yanked the steering lever to the right, Jouko again took aim, and with her usual hawkeye precision, fired the moment that enemy tank was in her peripheral vision. It, too, was immobilized, a shell into its turret ring, allowing copious amounts of smoke to spill out from the tank with a white flag accompanying that smoke. Seconds later, another tank attempted to speed past the Sturmi, but Jouko's reaction time beat it to the punch, and it met the same fate as most of its teammates. Three down, two to go.

The remaining T-26s, seeing that all hope was lost, determined to at least take down this ace with them. Trying to take advantage of their superior maneuverability, they attempted a flanking maneuver to knock out Jouko with shots into the rear of the Sturmi. However, Jouko foresaw this, ordering Hannes to suddenly stop the Sturmi, an order she swiftly obeyed, slamming the brakes and stabilizing the tank's direction. Just in time, the Sturmi ground to a standstill right as the two T-26s were making their flanking maneuver.

With the two of them now in an awkward position and another shell now waiting inside the barrel, Jouko took aim at the T-26 to her left, and instantly blasted it to kingdom come. Just when a chase with the remaining T-26 seemed inevitable, however, a sudden shell zipped past the Sturmi and straight into the last remnant of the enemy team, burying itself deep enough into the armor to knock it out. Moments later, Rumi's Panzer IV appeared right next to the Sturmi, its barrel smoking from the shot it had just fired, Rumi flashing a thumbs-up to the Sturmi crew. With all of their opponents' tanks knocked out and up in smoke, mostly thanks to the Sturmi's efforts, Rumi's team had won the final pre-tournament practice match.

Although, in reality, it was more or less a Jouko victory.

School sauna

"Since when were you this good?! I mean, you're from the country our school's based off of, but, how?!"

This was the first time Jouko had fought primarily in close combat, and Mikko was very surprised at how good she was. Rumi and the others couldn't help but concur.

"You've outperformed every student in the school that's practiced Sensha-do, I've never seen things like these before, please do tell how this is all possible."

Jouko simply responded, "It's all in knowing your tank and its inward parts like the back of your hand, and having a good crew to complement that."

That comment prompted some blushes from her crew, much to everyone's amusement.

Jouko's performances in the last practice matches greatly lifted the espirit de corps of Continuation, and she was just a newcomer. In just a week would come her first tournament, and morale was high for the school. Maybe this would be their first time getting to the semifinals for once, a goal Continuation was aiming to reach ever since they started their Sensha-do club. With Jouko came probably the best form of deliverance for the school, and its biggest hope of victory and achieving that long-desired Semifinals placement.

Jouko's room

"You know, given how greatly modified these tanks are, an 88-millimeter cannon for the Sturmi wouldn't be that unusual. Besides, bigger shells, more power, longer barrel, better firepower, we'll be knocking out tanks far more easier than we can with our current 75-millimeter cannon. It's just we don't have the funds for it yet..."

"Hopefully that will change once we start winning some matches and making a name for ourselves. While searching on the web, there's also this good-looking engine I came across: the Maybach HL-230 P45. It's the best engine out there according to some, it has a solid 700 PS with 690 horsepower, and can run at 3,000rpm."

"Huh, sounds good. Anything else?"

"The HL-234 is more promising, with a horsepower of 800-900, but that's too expensive, tens of thousands of dollars, and not many exist of it as of the moment. Anyone who wants to get that has to bid some big bucks, and my pockets are deep yet empty."

"I mean, if we do get those new parts, we can always, well, upgrade our tank to fit the new additions, and I think you all know what I'm talking about..."

"You mean, transform our tank into a bigger tank to accommodate the new engines, the new cannon, the bigger shells for the new cannon, and some small cabinets Jouko wants to install for... reasons?"

"I mean, sure, and the new engines that will be added will more than make up for the new weight, maybe if we make it big enough we'll be able to fit three or four of them! And, with a hopefully better transmission, imagine how fast we'll be going! We'll be faster than those cars at NASCAR!"

"Oh, don't think so high, Hannes, we'll just make it big enough for the new cannon and the new engines, but if necessary we may follow your suggestion..."

"Do remember that this is IF we manage to get those upgrades in. Otherwise, this will just be all daydreaming and fantasy that will never be realized. Right now, we have to just focus on the tournament, and we can worry about upgrades later."

"Jouko's right. As much as upgrades are important for the Sturmi, we don't have the time to get those upgrades during the tournament, so right now, we'll have to work on winning the tournament, or at least getting to the Semifinals."

"Tomorrow's the drawing ceremony, too. All the participant schools will be there. Kuromorimine, Saunders, Pravda, all the big names in Sensha-do, meaning we'll be seeing some legends like Maho Nishizumi, her rising star sister Miho, this 4'2" midget called Katyusha, lots of famous names here in this sport."

"Katyusha? Midget?"

"Hah, little four-foot nothing of pure spite, as she's secretly called online."

"Löfström, remember our Bible studies?"

"Sorry, Jouko, just couldn't help it."

"Anyways, what, or who is this 'Katyusha', Frisell?"

"Well, according to the information I have here, she's the commander of Pravda Girls' Academy's Sensha-do team, and apparently rules the school with an iron fist, and sends delinquents and other rulebreakers "to Siberia", who knows where that is or what its like. From people who left from that in one piece, they said it's the worst experience of their whole life. It's an effective dictatorship where all power is reserved for Katyusha and Katyusha only, although some power is delegated to her subordinates like Nonna and Klara. Purges were common when she took control, now with most 'political opponents' done away with, it all depends on your performance in battle whether you get spared or not."

"Sheesh, talk about the living incarnation of Joseph Stalin himself, am I right?"

"And every battle Continuation has fought against Pravda, at first it went well with the ambushes, knocking out a solid number of tanks before Pravda's main force arrived to mop up, and despite some good fighting from Continuation, Pravda eventually came out on top. Recently, with Katyusha, Pravda victories have been more quick thanks to her apparent tactical ability."

"Well, would be pretty interesting if we met in battle some time, would be great to face her soon. Maybe get revenge for all the defeats this school incurred against Pravda, even."

"I hope so, too. Anyways, we have a lot to do in the next couple of months. Be sure you all do good in getting ready, once we defeat the easier schools we'll be facing the titans."

"Indeed, given the quality of our tanks no wonder the best this school always hopes for is the Semifinals."

"What time is it... 9:48pm! Well, we'd better get to sleep. Tomorrow's the drawing ceremony and we don't wanna be late. Besides, we're going to be in the presence of giants."

"Alright, Jouko, good night."

"I'll be heading off as well, I'm starting to get tired, we've been talking for almost two hours now."

"I'll sleep too, rest IS important for muscle growth, after all."

"Good night, everyone, and let's hope we get good draws tomorrow."

Shimada Residence

"Interesting. And impressive."

As the Sturmi landed the final hit on the enemy tank, Chiyo couldn't help but applaud the spectacle. Her young daughter, Alice, also joined in, impressed with what she had just seen. It was similar, yet different from the Shimada Style. Unpredictability, but also coordinated. In the span of around five minutes, the Sturmi had knocked out some four tanks, with a final kill by Rumi.

"Mother, I wanna fight her!"

"But Alice... you're going to university, she's in high school."

"Mother, please!"

"I'm sorry, Alice, but we don't want to stress the crews with a match against someone of your caliber so close to the tournament."

"Okay..."

"Now, dear, don't cry. You'll get the opportunity soon."

"Really?! Yay! I'm going to fight those Continuation girls soon!"

"Hmhm. Now, Boko's new movie is about to come up-"

"SWITCHTHECHANNELSWITCHTHECHANNELSWITCHTHECHANNEL!"

"Alice!~ Ah!"

Alice was jumping all over the couch, and at the mention of Boko, zoomed into her mother's arms and sent the two tumbling on the couch, balance having been lost. Chiyo was laughing in a calm yet uncontrolled manner, enjoying every second of playing with her beloved daughter.

"Alice! Hah, you're ruining Mother's hair!"

"BOOOKOOOOOOOOO!"

"Haah... haaah... Alright... here you go, beloved..."

An exhausted, yet hearty Chiyo groggily switched the TV to a channel broadcasting the new Boko movie. Alice got off from her mother and crashed onto the floor in front of the TV, extremely excited to watch the movie's contents as Chiyo straightened her hair and smiled warmly at how excited and lively her daughter now seemed to be. Her eyes were at Alice more than they were at the screen as the movie played, loving how cute Alice looked in her Boko outfit, sitting so rapt and alive while watching the program. After a while, though, her gaze averted away from the screen to something else that was sitting on the table in front of her.

It was a Bible, gifted to her by a cousin from abroad. She had asked her to read this Book every day, but having indeed read it, and finding its contents contradictory to tradition, Chiyo had simply left it on the table to serve as little more than an ornamental piece. She didn't quite know what to do with It. She wanted to be rid of it, but she didn't want to offend that cousin of hers. Akira was off doing his naval duties, serving as a seaman on a Japanese corvette. It had gotten lonely ever since he left, and that cousin had advised Chiyo to read the Book to help cope with her loneliness. She just kept the Book on the table, however, not caring much about it.

Yet, recently, there had been something pushing her to read it. She didn't quite know what it was, and she had tried her best to ignore it. Yet, it was persistent in its "attacks", continuously pushing for Chiyo to read the entire thing. Each day, it seemed to intensify, and Chiyo's attempts to keep it out of her mind were growing more vain. Finally, the desires had seemed to peak, and Chiyo found herself reaching for that Bible. Just before her hand could touch it, however, her mind was averted back to Alice and the Boko movie. Alice was screaming her heart out, cheering on Boko to win against his opponents despite knowing full well he'd get the opposite treatment.

Warming back to Alice, she sat down next to her daughter and joined in cheering, though her voice was more calm than loud. It was a good time of bonding with her daughter before the 62nd Tournament was due to start. That particular Sturmi crew returned to her mind, however. She was impressed, to say the least, and kept it a note in her mind to keep watch over this particular crew in the upcoming tournament. They had much potential, and they could serve as great additions to the All-Stars Team. For now, though, they still had to live up to her standards, and had to prove themselves in the tournament in order to get a chance to apply. This was going to be an interesting tournament, to say the least.

Federation Stadium

The time finally came to draw for the tournament. As she and her friends looked for their seats, Jouko looked all around the stadium, and recognized several famous schools she had heard about. Pravda, Saunders, Kuromorimine, St. Gloriana, Chihatan, Anzio, all of them were there. Legendary figures, prominent commanders, girls of great stature in the Sensha-do community, all were here, in one building. Outside, she maintained a serious personality, but inside, her heart felt like it was about to burst from the magnitude of who was present with her inside that stadium, for who couldn't be awed by being in the same room as living legends? She truly was in the presence of giants.

After absorbing the atmosphere of the stadium, she, along with her crew, took their seats with the rest of Continuation's students waiting for the draws. After several commanders of different schools performed their respective draws, the announcer's voice then rang loud and clear.

"Continuation High School, please come draw for your match."

Rumi stood up and made her way to the stage. After ruffling about in the raffle box for a few seconds, she gripped a paper, and pulling it out, confidently held it high in the air for all to see.

"Continuation High School faces Koala Forest Girls' Academy for the First Round!"

Chatter filled the stadium as Rumi made her way back to her seat. Koala Forest: based off of Australia, and rumors had it that their commander was an actual koala, with a literal tree inside the tank it occupied, and that the insides of their tanks were upside down, but those were simple rumors, and since rumors were rumors, they couldn't be true. Returning from the stadium, Continuation got to work preparing for their first match. They outlined their plans for the individual tanks, having each one fight according to the set plan drawn up during this meeting. When it came to the Sturmi, however, Rumi simply said,

"As for you, Jouko, fight to your heart's desire."

Continuation

Jouko and her crew spent the next few days in preparation for their first tournament battle, Jouko training her aim and training her crew in their respective roles, and adding on their tactics and technique. This was their time to shine, their first appearance on the big leagues, and they didn't want to disappoint. Weeks of training and preparation, matches and duels against fellow classmates had led to this moment, and failing was the last thing they wanted during this, especially since so much was on their shoulders.

Hannes continued to develop her driving, trying to avoid obstacles and imaginary shells by training in forests, mountains, and open fields, wherever it was possible to practice. Frisell was thinking up ways to make better radio reports, them being more clear, concise, and to the point, something she had been trying to do since the first practice, as well as trying to improve on her Japanese with Jouko's help, while Löfström continued to find new ways to speed up her reload, still trying to think up of faster technique to help better progress in a fast reload speed. She was less cautious than she was a month ago, and was now managing around nine shells a minute.

As for the rest of Continuation, some crews had expressed interest in the style of the new crew, and had approached them for advice on how to get to the same skill level as the Sturmi crew seemed to be. Always willing to lend a helping hand, the Sturmi crew began to teach the others on their respective fields, of different ways to load a shell, to how to better easily maneuver using steering levers, some good, short radio reports on reporting a situation without taking too long or too many words to explain what was going on, and, most importantly, how to hit every shot your tank fired. Granted, it wasn't perfect. Some issues were found, but where there was an issue, there was always a solution.

Thus, a new style, called by some the "Saariselkä Style" after Jouko's, and her friends' birthplace was conceived, emphasizing as perfect coordination as possible among a crew, and unpredictability for a team, yet coordination that would come with that unpredictability. It put more emphasis on the individual crew rather than the team as a whole, allowing each to act on their own volition, unless overruled by the Commander in favor of a certain plan. For now, it would be restricted only to Continuation, but soon enough, it would spread to all of Sensha-do, if it would get the traction it needed.

Sensha-do Battleground

The day of the match finally came. It took place in unfamiliar territory, in more desert areas. The crew had spent so much time practicing that they had forgot to change the color of their tank from white to light brown, so because the white armor of Jouko's Sturmi would be somewhat easy to spot, it meant that there would be no sniping for today's match.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Mika for the formalities, she watched as Rumi talked for a while with the Koala Forest Commander (well, Vice Commander, apparently their Commander was an actual koala, it turns out the rumors were true aside from the upside down interiors) and, standing parallel to their opponents, bowed with the other commanders, wishing their opponents a good match. Ami Chōno was officiating, alongside three other judges per the rules, and viewing the new talent for Continuation, possessed interest in Jouko and her crew.

Heading back to her Sturmi, Jouko briefed her crew on what was going to happen in the match.

"For this match, we're fighting in unfamiliar territory, that unfamiliarity being desert terrain. Keep in mind that we're still using our white paint, so we'll be pretty easy to spot, especially close-up. We'll be doing no sniping this match, unfortunately, so we'll have to get our hands dirty. Hannes, be as agile and unpredictable as you possibly can. Löfström, be sure to load as fast as humanly possible for you, and Frisell, keep constant and consistent with your radio reports. We need our team to know what we're up to at all times regardless of any situation we're in. Understood?"

With affirmative nods and shouts of "Understood!", Jouko ordered Hannes to start up the Sturmi's engine, and with the press of a button, the sleeping giant was awoken with a loud roar. Everyone's heart was racing, but Jouko's heart was racing far faster than everyone on the team combined, even faster than the engine's individual revolutions. This was it, their first official Sensha-do tournament match. So much was on the line that they couldn't afford to lose. They determined that they would it their all to ensure victory, no matter the cost.

"Let's go, Hannes! Drive forwards!"