GuP: A Saga of Jouko REVAMP Chapter XI: I Serve a Risen Savior, a girls und panzer/ガールズ&パンツァー fanfic

Miho's room, the day before the match against Saunders

"I'm just so scared, Jouko-san. Saunders is very good, their crews are very experienced, while I'm just left with newcomers. I don't think we can be able to win the match."

"Miho, you're Miho! You were the girl that orchestrated so many victories! Besides, you fought the school that beat me, and won! Don't look so down, be confident in yourself!"

"But I had a legendary team at Onee-chan and I's disposal! How am I supposed to win this, with girls that don't know how to operate a tank efficiently?"

"Miho, I understand that you're feeling stressed out, really stressed out about this, but...

...have faith."

"F-faith?"

"I know you've already read the Bible, Miho. I know you've read many a verse that talks about faith. That's why I exhort you use that faith to its fullest and just leave it all in the hands of God."

"Jouko-san, I'm just so scared! It's my first time commanding this, we got laughed at a lot at the stadium when we drew. It's so hard to have faith, and what if God isn't going to help at all? What if I lose no matter what, what if everything just falls apart, what if there's no chance of-"

"Miho, calm down, and I'll tell you a story."

Miho paused, and began to take deep breaths to calm herself down. Sipping some water, she allowed Jouko to start telling her story.

"There was a man named Paul, and with him was a man named Silas. They were going to many places, teaching and preaching the Gospel, that is, the Good News of Jesus, and facing heavy opposition along the way. One town they went to, Philippi, had this soothsayer who had a demon in her. Paul cast it out, and the soothsayer's fortunetelling abilities disappeared. The owners were angry, dragged Paul and Silas to a group of judges, and they were convicted of inciting a riot and imprisoned."

"Jouko-san, that's cruel!"

"I know, but there's more to come.

After their sentencing, both men were flogged, that means, whipped with sharp whips and beaten, and, with their untreated wounds and without much clothes, thrown into a damp, dark, filthy dungeon, imprisoned alongside others, some who probably were there for many years. The conditions must've been terrible."

"Wh- I don't mean to sound rude, Jouko-san, but what's your point you're trying to get here? You're sapping my confidence with this right now!"

"Don't worry, Miho, I'm just getting to the good part.

Despite the horrid conditions they were in, the two men never forgot God. They stayed faithful."

"How? I-I couldn't imagine going through that!"

"It would be easy for someone to criticize God for getting them into something like this, but for Paul and Silas, it was one of the greatest things they could be going through, because they were suffering like how Jesus suffered."

"What happened next, Jouko-san?! Please, I need to know!"

"Glad you asked.

The two started to sing-"

"Sing?! In those circumstances?!"

"Heh, with all due respect, I'd like if the interruptions would stop, as I'll explain everything afterwards."

"Sorry... it's just..."

"Don't worry, I know you're new to the Bible, so I can't blame you.

As I said, the two men began to sing praises to God, treating their imprisonment as if they were in a normal prayer meeting with other believers. Their countenance surprised the other prisoners, of course, who began to listen to them, but suddenly, as they were singing, a severe earthquake struck the prison, causing great damage and breaking the chains of the prisoners, as well as forcing open the tightly-locked prison doors. The jailer was awoken by this, and rushed to check on the prisoners. When he found all of the doors broken, he assumed all the prisoners had escaped. Should the magistrates find out, the retribution would be immense. Therefore, he saw fit to simply end it all, to never allow himself to meet such retribution.

Just before he could do the deed, however, Paul called on him to stop, which he did, surprised at the call. He then laid eyes on all of the prisoners in the jail, including Paul and Silas. Despite many opportunities of escape around them, none had escaped, just as Paul went on to clarify. They were all there. The jailer was impressed, and expressed his desire to be saved. Paul told him that he had to 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.' Right afterwards, he led Paul and Silas to his house, where he and his family took great care of them, washing their wounds and giving them meals. Paul preached to them in return, and that night, the jailer and his family were baptized into the Christian faith, one of the first converts of Philippi.

The Bible never tells us what happened to that Philippian jailer afterwards, but I'm sure he played a big part in converting the rest of the city. As for Paul and Silas, they continued preaching the Gospel to the world, doing so until their dying days. Talk about a happy ending, huh?"

There was silence for several seconds. Jouko began to worry that Miho had been lulled to sleep, but in reality, Miho had been pondering the story. She had been thinking over every detail, every sentence, and it was clear she was getting impressed herself.

"So... the message is..."

"Have faith in God, leave your life in His hands, and be happy and optimistic, no matter what happens, because no matter what, if you trust in Him, there's good things to be found at the end."

"B...but... how can I be sure that this God will be able to help me, or that I can depend on that God? What if... I don't mean to offend you, Jouko-san, but, does this God really exist?"

"What if I told you that the story I just told you really happened?"

"It... it did?"

"Yeah, two thousand years ago, almost."

"Did it really?"

"If it didn't, we wouldn't have gotten the letters that Paul wrote."

"I... see... are there any more stories to tell?"

"Well, seeing you're against some of the most powerful schools in all of Sensha-do... mind if I told you the story of a man named Athanasius?"

"W-Who?"

"Athanasius, one of the Christian church's greatest theologians."

"A-Anath..."

"Don't worry about the pronunciation, I'll just tell it outright, and I'll make it more brief.

Athanasius was a bishop from Alexandria in Egypt. During this time, the Roman Emperor was convening a council to fix some VERY BIG problems relating to God. A man named Arius was preaching something that went against the established teachings. At first, he was unsuccessful, but soon his influence spread, and soon enough everyone, even the Emperor, was at least sympathetic to him and his teachings. Athanasius was, in effect, the sole exception, and that got him in trouble many, many times. So against the world was Athanasius, that his Latin name literally meant 'Athanasius Against the World!'"

"It's... just like Ooarai, right now, everyone's against us."

"Indeed. And you know what happened? Athanasius won out in the end, as so vigorous, so dedicated to the preservation of the established teachings he was, that he was not only venerated as a saint after his death, he has been regarded as a pillar of the Christian church, and one of its most eminent teachers and clergymen, and as for Arius, his teachings have been condemned as heretical."

"Does that mean... I can be against the whole world, and still win out?"

"Precisely! And Athanasius always relied on God for his help!"

"I still don't know, Jouko, if your God can really help me in this situation..."

"Come on, Miho, how did you think my friends and I got this far in our lives, with all my academic successes and spiritual strength?"

"You... studied hard?"

"That, but most importantly, as my parents kept reminding me, I kept my faith and trust in God! If God can help me and my friends, surely He can help you as well, but only if you believe in Him, and trust Him."

"Okay..."

"Repeat after me, Miho:

With God, all things are possible."

"With God, all things are possible..."

"Make sure you keep repeating those words to yourself to make sure they stick in your mind. You'll greatly need that reminder in you throughout this tournament if you feel discouraged. Just trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding."

"Is there... any more?"

"Well, just now, this hymn came up in my head, and I wanna sing it to you. You listening?"

"I am, I'd love to hear you sing!"

"Alrighty, here we go..."

Jouko was heard taking a deep breath, pausing for a few seconds to find the appropriate key, and through the speaker of Miho's phone rang out her caller's beautiful singing voice.

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today! I know that He is living, Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer; And just the time I need Him, He's always near!

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way!
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary, I never will despair;
I know that He is leading, through all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing Will come at last!

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, Lift up your voice and sing eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him, The Help of all who find, None other is so loving, So good and kind.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way!
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

Jouko, getting into it by the end, put an emphasis on the final line of the hymn. After she finished, Miho could be heard clapping in the other end.

"Jouko-san, that was beautiful, and your voice is pretty! I'd love to sing it, too!"

"Aww, don't mention it! I'll send you the lyrics for you to learn, as well as the music. I hope you'll enjoy!"

"I will!"

A minute later, Miho received the full lyrics in text from Jouko. After taking a few moments to read it all, she went back to her caller.

"Thank you so much, Jouko-san! I must be going, though, our last practice before the match is coming soon."

"Wait, Miho, before you go, I want to make sure you really get the message I'm going for."

"Oh? Okay."

"I'd like you to repeat after me, Miho:

With God, all things are possible."

"With God... all things are possible..."

"Again, with God, all things are possible."

"With God, all things are possible..."

"Keep repeating that to yourself, Miho, for that saying, the song I just sang to you, and most importantly the entire Bible will be the most important tools you'll need in this tournament."

"I'll keep them in mind. Thank you, Jouko-san."

"Anytime, Miho."

Present day

Jouko's advice once again returned to Miho at this grave hour. Once again she found herself repeating that same phrase, "With God, all things are possible." But, it wasn't the same as before.

When the tournament had first begun, Miho had serious doubts in her heart as to whether Jouko was really right or wrong. But those doubts had been swept aside when Ooarai made steady progress in the tournament, beating Saunders and Anzio to make it to the Semifinals, a feat that for a school that had just restarted Sensha-do with new teams, was madly impressive and certain to get them on the national spotlight in the coming tournaments.

However, those doubts were coming back, as Ooarai's successes, and existence, seemed doomed to end, despite all of their efforts. Hopeless, without any chance of success, Ooarai's hourglass was running out as the seconds and minutes ticked closer to the termination of the truce. Anzu was explaining the situation to Ooarai as Miho stood silently, fighting the doubts that were entering her mind once again.

"...so, Renta agreed. We'll participate in this year's tournament, and we'll stay opened if we win the whole thing. However, it doesn't look likely now..."

"PREZ! BE OPTIMISTIC!"

"Face it, Momo, we've lost. There's not much else we can do here other than wait to get buried alive."

"B...b-but..."

As Momo began to tear up again, Yuzu moved to comfort her, per usual, while the rest of the team pondered on Anzu's story of why they had begun Sensha-do in the first place, as well as holding a little Q-n-A to clear things up.

"So that's why you started Sensha-do back up..."

"I also heard that we would get an endowment for doing Sensha-do, so I could use that endowment to help lower operational costs," Anzu further explained, much to the surprise of the team.

"So, you mean you lied about the world tournament?!"

"That's true."

"But... we can't just take first place on our first year running!"

"Yeah, that's impossible even if we win this match, somehow!"

"Well, I thought if we had such an A-rate team in the past, we'd have better tanks laying around, but, they didn't have any cash, so they sold off half the roster, which happened to be the good ones."

"So the tanks here are the ones they didn't sell."

"Doesn't that make this impossible for us?"

Momo, collected, again spoke.

"We couldn't think of any other way. For an old school with no special characteristics to stay alive..."

"...We might've bitten off more than we could chew. We wanted to try to have hope, instead of spending our last year crying, it would all end together."

"I'm sorry we kept quiet and didn't tell you all," Yuzu finished, leaving a devastated Ooarai to weigh their options, and go over all the new information now revealed to them. Tears began to form in everyone's eyes, especially Rabbit Team, as the prospect of never seeing each other again after the school's closure was growing ever likelier by the minute. As much as they didn't want to entertain that prospect, they had no choice but to, seeing their hopeless situation and now knowing the results of being defeated. In less than three hours, Pravda would resume the bombardment, and unless they charged out, guns blazing to go out with a bang, they would be buried under many tons of rubble, forced to wait with empty stomachs as Federation equipment rescued them from their ordeal, and helicopters flew them all back to the school carrier, never again to set foot on a Sensha-do battlefield, and never again to step into these tanks which they so dutifully used. It would all be over, and who knows if they would see each other again?

Miho herself couldn't believe it. She had gone to this school to avoid Sensha-do, and yet here she was, about to lose it all. A new, better life, close, loving friends, and a team that she had forged close bonds with, all about to be wiped out in a matter of minutes, all thanks to their overconfidence causing them to charge straight into a trap. They had been so pumped up by their success, seeing how many tanks they had knocked out so easily as well as the exposed flag tank, that all possible chain of command was disregarded, leaving Miho in the dust, in vain trying to restore order. One of the biggest thoughts Miho had in her mind at that moment, and one she deeply considered, was simply telling everyone it was all their fault. Had they been more obedient, less impulsive, more restrained, then they might've been in a more advantageous position than here. Instead, they all had to just charge in recklessly and get themselves into this position. It was very tempting to yell it out, and who wouldn't yell that sentence out in a situation like this?

But Miho was Miho, not Erika. She needed to lift spirits, not crush them through admonishment and shaming. To demotivate the team was not in her best interests at a moment like this. Everyone looked to her for guidance and as an inspiring leader. She had to remain optimistic, no matter the attitudes of her fellow students. Once again, her newfound Bible knowledge was coming back to her, inspiring her to maintain that confidence and optimism one expected from a commander. Several Bible verses rushed to Miho's mind, exhorting her to "Be strong and courageous," and reminding her that "All things work together for good." She remembered all of those Bible studies with Jouko, how many times she had been told, after confessing her problems, to keep a positive outlook on life, to keep in mind all the verses she had studied, and to employ them the best she could in her life, keeping them in her heart in order to keep her from straying back to negativity.

Finally, there was that one phrase Jouko had made her engrain into her heart, constantly reminding her in every Bible study, repeating those same words over and over again, "With God, all things are possible." Those words had helped encourage Miho to work harder in the tournament, and that seemed to have an effect on her, and a very positive one at that. Her confidence was coming back, her faith in Jouko's God, which she was starting to accept as her own, pushing her to keep going, to never falter in the face of overwhelming odds, and seeing how demoralized her team was, she spoke again to try to lift their spirits up.

"It's not like we've lost already."

"Nishizumi?!"

"We just have to do what we can do. I mean, I want to do Sensha-do next year with this school, with everyone here."

Everyone looked at Miho with bewilderment, their eyes widened as if they were staring at a ghost. Miho seriously wanted to keep fighting this? This impossible battle that nobody on the team expected to win, she still wanted to try to win it, somehow? Even with this horrendous disadvantage they were now in? Several unsettling moments of silence followed, but were broken by the enthusiasm of one floofy historian.

"Me too! I feel exactly the same way!"

She was joined in this chorus by her fellow crew members, all resolved to fight on to the end. There was to be no surrender, only a fight to the death. They weren't going to simply bend the knee here, they weren't ones to give up that easily. Miho was encouraged by her crew's enthusiasm and loyalty, but made it clear that she would play things coolly to prevent too many casualties for Ooarai. Once done, and confidence restored for the team, she ordered the previously-ongoing repairs to be continued, hoping to fix the problems of their tanks before the truce ended, which was around 2-and-a-half hours from then. Priority was to be given to the belt of the StuG and the cannon of the M3 Lee, and for those engine compartments to be heated for engines with less efficiency due to the cold.

"We don't have much time, but keep a level head," was Miho's advice.

The crews dispersed to their respective tasks as Miho and the Student Council began discussing their next moves in their strategy meeting, laying out plans for their next actions. During this strategy meeting, however, Yukari came to mind. Miho immediately saw the potential in an espionage mission. Summoning Mako, Yukari, Erwin, and Midoriko to the table, Miho outlined the plans for how the espionage operation was to take place. After the briefing was concluded, the quartet went off into the snow, before splitting up to go to their respective fields. In the meantime, Miho continued to assess her situation.

Katyusha's overconfidence and setting of a three-hour truce was something Miho desperately needed at this point. She was given time to think over her next plans as Ooarai could recover, repair, and recuperate their organization.

She never knew that miles away, seated on the uppermost tier of the spectator stands, her mother and sister were watching on. One wanted to see her fail, the other wanted to see her succeed.

Spectator stands

While it didn't seem so in her outer demeanor, inside, the match was being an emotional rollercoaster for Maho. From the outset of the battle, having seen Pravda's suspicious positioning and sacrifices of three tanks, she could detect a trap. Her worst fears were realized when Ooarai took the bait, all except for Miho and her tank. In the town, they had been completely surrounded and forced into a church that was brought on the verge of collapse. Somewhere in the stands, she had heard some screaming from random spectators, who were protesting the destruction of such a building, likely some religious folk from the mainland. Refocusing her attention on what was going on, the fighting suddenly seemed to stop. The shelling of the church had ceased, and quiet had descended over the battlefield once more. Pravda was then shown settling into their positions, which meant that a truce had been declared between the two sides. How long it would last, nobody in the stands knew.

As each minute passed, Maho assessed Ooarai's situation. They were stuck in a complete encirclement, had very little hope left, and had extremely limited options at their disposal. Their chances of winning were abysmally low, and as shared by everyone on that battlefield, it would take a miracle to win, let alone break out of their encirclement. But Maho sensed an advantage for Ooarai. Katyusha's decision to set a truce may end up being a massive blunder, as not only was Ooarai given time to reorganize, recuperate, and repair the damage done to their tanks, they also had valuable time to formulate a plan. And when it came to making plans, Maho knew that Miho was somebody she could rely on. Her knowledge of history, her experience, and her skill was what Ooarai needed right now. There had been a reason why Maho had left a lot of the planning to Miho at Kuromorimine, and she was sure that Miho wouldn't fail to meet her expectations in a desperate situation like this.

"I'm leaving. It's a waste of time to watch this match."

Maho was jolted by the sudden sound of her mother's voice. They hadn't spoken to each other since the match began, but even more so that she was just going to go like that. Maho couldn't allow it, but had to put her wording in a way that wouldn't offend her mother. Just as Shiho began to step away from her seat, confident that Miho would lose, intending to prepare and finalize all the things needed for the disownment of her younger daughter once she got home, Maho spoke up, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Please wait."

"Maho?"

"The match isn't over yet."

Shiho was surprised at Maho's words. To her the match was as good as lost, Katyusha was simply using psychological warfare against Ooarai with this truce. But Maho was saying that Ooarai still had a chance? Maho had a point, though. The match didn't end until the big words displaying a school's victory flashed on the screen, even if it was certain that one school was as good as victorious, and that hadn't happened yet. The screen still displayed the positions of both teams, and the match was as ongoing as it could be, although no combat was happening. Begrudgingly, Shiho obliged, sitting back down next to her daughter as both pairs of eyes were diverted to the large screen once more.

Pravda's positions

"I trust you two won't mess anything up. Make sure you don't reveal any information to anybody you don't know. We can't have counterintelligence unravel Comrade Katyusha's plans. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Comrade Klara!"

"Good. I'll be back at my T-34, you look out for any suspicious activity and report to me."

Nina and Alina returned Klara's salute and looked on as she walked back to her nearby T-34, before climbing back into their KV-2. The past hour had been boring and irritating for the two of them. They had tried to get sleep, but the dancing and music and clapping and merrymaking kept them awake, forcing them to miss out on a much-needed period of rest. They had managed to get some when a blizzard hit and all the festivities had to temporarily stopped, but it only lasted 15 minutes before it stopped and the merrymaking resumed. They kept themselves stimulated by drinking coffee or any other drinks they had at their disposal, which soon enough ran out, and passed the time by playing some light games, or cards. Not long after Klara had left, however, two figures, appearing to wear upper-class Pravda uniforms, showed up in the distance, and caught their interest. Seeing what appeared to be her senpais, Nina climbed out of her tank to greet them.

"Oh, uh... senpai?"

"Yes," said the brown-haired girl.

"Are we starting the plan already?"

"No, but I thought you might be cold, so I brought some cocoa."

Nina, starting to freeze again thanks to the stockpiled drinks running out, was more than happy for this hospitality, from her senpais no less. Eagerly thanking them, she began gulping down the hot drink using a cup, relieved at this most satisfactory respite from the cold. The brown-haired girl then expressed her wonder at when the attack would begin, to which Nina obliged to answer.

"I think it's when our captain wakes up."

"Oh, so Captain Katyusha is asleep, then," interjected the blonde.

This got Nina confused, and as the warmth of the cocoa began to clear her mind, which had been affected by the cold, she couldn't really identify who these two were. Naturally, she asked them, "Who are you?" To which the blonde reassured her not to worry about it, which the brown-haired girl agreed. Nina began to get eased with the two, even joking how she was a child. However, the brown-haired made a statement in response.

"But, they say that 'Unpreparedness is one's greatest enemy.'"

Nina couldn't help but scoff at it.

"Oh, please, we've got nothing to worry about against that puny little school!"

After a giggle from all three, the brown-haired questioned on Pravda's deployments. Nina, thinking that they hadn't been thoroughly briefed, explained. The KV-2 was the rearguard, while the flag tank was protected by a T-34/76. When the brown-haired then remarked on how tough the KV-2 could be, Nina couldn't help but agree, as the shells were incredibly heavy to handle, so large they were in fact that the gunpowder was kept in a separate case. What's more was the turret, which was large and painfully heavy, had to be traversed by hand. Should the tank incline, the turret couldn't move due to fears the entire tank could tip over. As much as Nina wanted to use a T-34. Katyusha's love for the KV-2 due to it aiding her visibility made her stick to her current choice.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt, however, when the two senpais revealed they had to leave. Nina wished them well, thanking them for the cocoa and waving back, watching them disappear behind a house. Behind her, Nina could hear the hatch open, and the familiar voice of Nina asking a simple question.

"Who were they?"

"You don't even know that much? They're our senpais, duh."

"Nina! Alina!"

"W-Wha?"

Nina turned to find none other than Klara standing in front of her, her imposing height working in intimidating her 1st-year classmate. Nina was surprised Klara could speak Japanese, but she suppressed the thought as Klara spoke again.

"Who were those two you were talking with earlier?"

"They're our, well, me and Alina's senpais!"

"Why do I recognize their hairstyles as coming from two students in Ooarai?"

"Wait... what? What are you-"

Klara pulled up a photo of two Ooarai students, to which Nina discovered that they looked similar to the "senpais" she had encountered earlier. Very similar.

"These two are the only ones I know that have these hairstyles. Are you sure you haven't been talking to Ooarai spies?"

"Not at all! I-"

"Did you tell them any information regarding the captain, or our positioning, by any chance?"

Nina struggled to bring herself to speak. She didn't want to say anything, yet at the same time Klara could very well punish the two of them with a trip to the lower, more unsafe regions of the school carrier. She wanted to try to lie, but Klara was exerting even more and more pressure on her to speak. Alina, not wishing to get too involved in what was about to happen, slowly sunk back into the KV-2, peeking through the edges of her cupola to get a glimpse of what was about to happen.

"Well?"

"I... I-I..."

"If you try to lie your way out of this, I'll ensure that Katyusha has you severely punished."

"Okay, okay! I did! I told them that the captain was asleep and gave them the positioning of the flag tank!"

Klara seemed to be given an electric shock at the news. Suddenly standing upright, eyes staring into nothing, she allowed the photos in her left hand to drop onto the snow, lifted her right arm, brought her right hand's thumb, index, and middle fingers together. Once this was done, she put that hand to her head, brought it down to her stomach, before placing it on her right shoulder, crossing it over to the left. Nina didn't understand what it meant, and was more confused when Klara began to walk away, muttering to herself in Russian, seemingly repeating the same phrase over and over again, walking as if the life had been drained from her. She paused, before calling out to Nina,

"Comrade, you have doomed us all!"

Just then, the blizzard returned. Nina, now fearing for her life, ran back into the KV-2, scared to death. She understood that if Katyusha found out her mistake, it was a trip to the lower regions of the carrier-Siberia. Only the fittest could make it out of there. Nobody knew Siberia's existence outside of Pravda, as it was the closest-guarded secret, and even if she was free from Pravda's clutches and spoke about it, Pravda had the funds to make sure everyone kept quiet about it. They had their methods, and though it hadn't killed anybody, they could very well run some similar operations. Nobody was reckless enough to speak about it anyways, and Nina didn't want to have to suffer through anything. Hopefully, Klara wouldn't mention her, though somehow, some way, Katyusha was bound to find out.

Sinking into her KV-2, Nina buried her face in her ushanka, fearful of the future, and her life.

Church

Just as the scouts returned, the blizzard came back for round two. Instantaneously, all hope was once again shattered as the nimble fires they had built were so easily whooshed away by the heavy winds. Everyone scrambled to the warmest materials they could find. Mallard Team sat tightly against each other, bunched up as if they were a sheaf of wheat. Rabbit Team could only afford a sheet that covered their legs. Caesar's focale was being shared by the other Hippo Team members. Duck Team huddled against one of the church's large supports, discussing possible "snow volleyball," sharing agreement with such a thing as their minds were getting affected by the cold. For others, the cold wasn't as bad, but there was another issue to deal with.

"Any more food?"

The answer received was grim, reminiscent of the 6th Army's situation at Stalingrad, as was Ooarai's entire situation at that moment.

"We didn't expect this situation, so we gave out the soup, and only have crackers left. We don't have anything left to eat."

Yukari only added to the bad news.

"When I was on reconnaissance a while ago, I saw Pravda eating borscht..."

Looking outside, one inside the church could see Pravda's merrymaking, their hopak dances, singalongs, games, and whatnot. You, sitting in this cold, dark, building, can't be blamed for how stark of a contrast you are looking at between your situation and Pravda's. You could wish to be there, having fun with those over there. But, alas, you are part of the losers, forced to watch as your enemy celebrated their imminent victory over you, you who have fought so hard for victory, yet fell so short. The prospects of defeat, and the ramifications it contains, you refuse to entertain, yet, no matter how much you try, reality is a vastly different world than the ideal, and at this point, defeat seemed almost certain. You don't want it, but it's going to happen, and such was the situation for Ooarai and its crews at this moment in the match. With just an hour in the truce left, how would they be able to come up with something that got them victory?

Miho, seeing the downcast faces and doomed expressions on the faces of everyone, struggling to survive the cold that was so brutally beating against them, pushing their bodies to their absolute limit, tried to inspire them with her words, but they came to naught. Nobody really cared anymore, their situation was simply untenable and it was either fight and die or surrender and lose it all. Miho tried once more, speaking with zeal and passion unrivaled, expressing determination to win no matter the situation, invoking the bond the team had made, but again, her words seemed to fall on deaf, uncaring ears. Momo advised Miho to try harder, come up with any method that could raise their spirits. At this rate, Miho was simply speaking to a brick wall, so she would have to do something to make that brick wall react to her, a proposition that seemed impossible, but Miho had done the impossible before, had she not?

This task, however, proved hard to complete at first. How should she go about this? If she just kept doing her usual speeches, it would all be the same and she would be branded as insane owing to that Einstein quote. It was time for something unconventional, but just what would that be? Hundreds upon hundreds of conclusions were racing through Miho's head, trying to figure out what she should do next. She struggled to find one, some were logical, but as she knew wouldn't work. Some were absurd, others downright embarrassing, but it was here that Miho had an epiphany, harking once again to her studies of the Scriptures with Jouko. It was one of the stories of the New Testament, that of Paul and Silas in prison. They had been beaten and flogged, suffering immeasurably, tossed in damp, rotten dungeons to await their trial. Yet, what they did surprised the prisoners around them.

They sang. They sang as if nothing bad was happening to them. More than that, they sang hymns of praise to God, something a normal person would never dream of doing in a situation like that. And that wasn't all. While these two men sang their hearts out, filled with joy and gratefulness to God at their present suffering, a heavy earthquake suddenly struck the prison they were in, breaking the prisoners' chains and collapsing all the prison's doors, creating many openings for the prisoners to escape. When the superintendent of the prison saw this, knowing his fate when the inevitable investigation was carried out, he attempted to fall on his sword, but was prevented by Paul and Silas, who reassured him that the prisoners were all still in the prison. Later, he and his whole family were baptized, and the missionary duo were allowed to leave as free men, continuing their ministries until their deaths. For such a miserable fate, it was a happy ending.

Now, here was Miho. Stuck in a hopeless position, freezing to death, with little hope of breaking out of an encirclement by a force that outnumbered her 2-1. Nothing could get any worse by this point, and it seemed that Ooarai would not be spared the chopping block. Yet, when that story of Paul and Silas entered Miho's mind, she got another memory jolted into her mind. As commander, she had a duty to look to the well-being of the team, including it's espirit de corps, and at this point, she needed to do something to raise the spirits of the team back to fighting condition. The thought was lingering in her mind, but soon enough, she found herself at the center of the church, in full view of the entire team, and taking a deep breath, remembering the words that Jouko had taught her way back to before the first match of the tournament, Miho eyed her demoralized team, and began to sing as loudly as she could, keeping in tune as much as possible, attracting the attention of everyone else.

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today!...

"Miho, what on earth are you singing?!"

I know that He is living, Whatever men may say...

"Miporin...?"

I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer; And just the time I need Him, He's always near!

"Kommandant..."

Throughout Ooarai, there was a mix of bewilderment and curiosity. As Miho continued singing, she seemed to brighten up more and more, sounding more and more confident as she continued on. Seeing how singing made their commander's countenance improve, the team began to surround her, and study the melody of the song or simply listen to it, intrigued by the foreign melody that was unlike they had heard before. Even Momo, formerly pessimistic, joined in the gathering.

Miho, seeing that she had gotten everyone hooked, briefly paused in her singing to send the lyrics to everyone else's phones to allow them to sing along. Those who didn't have a phone simply looked to another's for the lyrics as Miho continued singing into the third and final verse.

After she finished singing, everyone began to ask for a second go, so they could have a try at singing it, some having gotten the gist of the melody as well as having the lyrics by now, and Miho happily obliged, launching into the hymn once again, this time joined by many more voices than before, initially singing in a low voice due to the cold, but gradually crescendoing into an imperfect, yet passionate choir as their confidence was renewed, and their spirits were raised by a good singalong. After that round, once again the cry arose for another run, and so it was done, and again the impromptu choir sung the hymn, their voices loud, confident, energized, and ready to take on the world once again, making themselves heard to their enemies outside and the spectators looking on in the far distance, something the Pravda envoy that had just arrived found surprising.

Navigating her way through the crowd, the envoy made her way to the center, where Miho, Anglerfish, and Turtle Teams were seated, singing. Patiently, she waited for the song to come to its conclusion before making herself known, and giving her opponents the word of Katyusha. She was noticed beforehand, but seeing she waited, the others let her be until the song concluded. When it did, Miho was alerted, and all eyes were on the envoy, who was there to deliver her message, a temporary silence engulfing the team when the envoy opened her mouth to speak.

"The truce is almost over. Will you surrender?"

"We will not. We will fight until the end."

The envoy, bewildered that this motley hodgepodge of underqualified schoolgirls weren't going to go the easy way out, walked back to Pravda to deliver the news to deliver the news to Katyusha. In the meantime, Miho, seeing that her team was sufficiently encouraged once more, gave orders as she prepared Ooarai for the counterattack, and all clambered into their respective tanks, ready to charge out and meet a glorious end. Miho, however, still expressed concern over Turtle Team's plan of a solo attack.

"Kadotani-san, are you sure about this? I mean... you might get hurt, and you're a very valuable asset for our team."

"Don't worry, Miho! Jouko's taught us a thing or two. I'm sure we'll be able to do some good damage to them."

"Are you sure you'll make it?"

"Well, Miho, I don't know if we're gonna make it, but...

Thanks for bringing us this far."

Pravda

"Captain Katyusha! Captain Katyusha!"

"Shh, tovarischi. The captain is asleep."

"I don't care, this is urgent! The captain must-"

"Tovarischi, as much as we are sisters by virtue of linguistics, I implore you to leave. I know you don't want to be sent to exile as much as I do, so keep your mouth shut before you get us both killed."

"No, I must tell her!"

Klara, frustrated, pushed through Nonna and began shaking Katyusha. Nonna rushed to prevent her, but was too late as she saw Katyusha begin to wake up from the disturbance. Freezing in her tracks, she braced herself for a severe verbal beatdown, but Klara would beat the commander to the punch to deliver her news, forcing Nonna to serve as translator once again.

"Comrade, good thing you're awake! I have important news to tell you!"

"Klara... you do not interrupt my glorious slumber...! I was getting to the best part of-"

"Forgive me, captain, but this is very important news! You must listen."

"Spit it out before I kick your blonde big-eyes back to your hometown."

Klara took offense at this, but remained composed, delivering all the information she had gotten from her encounter with the KV crew. She would've gone over to do this earlier, but the blizzard was already hitting, and she was far from the nearest fire, and without leg protection, she would soon get frostbite. Forced into her tank, she ran to Katyusha as soon as the storm ended to deliver the news.

"We've been spied on, Ooarai has sent two students to reveal information regarding our positions!"

"Nonsense, you're just trying to make me scared so I can attack and break my promise. And as the merciful Katyusha, shouldn't she keep her promises?"

"Comrade, please see reason! We must attack before they can formulate a plan-"

"Silence, enough of this. Back to your tank, they can't break out no matter what they try."

"But-"

"Don't try me, comrade Klara."

"Yes, Comrade Katyusha."

As Klara left, clearly distraught that the information she intended had fallen on deaf ears, the envoy sent by Katyusha to give Ooarai its final chance at surrender had come back. Her face bore a sense of surprise, which Katyusha understood the meaning of. The envoy didn't even get a word out before Katyusha asked to confirm that her assumptions were correct.

"So, they will not bow to us, I assume?"

"Yes, it seems they won't surrender."

"I see. It turns out there was no point in waiting after all. Let's go take care of this rabble and go home, I hate it here."

Getting off her bed, Katyusha made her way to her T-34/85, settling into her commander's seat, and getting ready to finally crush the rebellious inferiors once and for all. She had faith that her plan would work, baiting Ooarai into attacking her purposefully weak area in order to collapse on them and annihilate them. There was also a plan B, where the KV-2 would take care of the situation should things start to go awry. Nothing in Ooarai's current arsenal could stand against its powerful cannon, a behemoth on the battlefield. No matter what, Ooarai was destined to lose, all because of Katyusha's genius ideas and Ooarai's stupidity, at least to Katyusha.

For her, it was brilliant, there was no way these plans wouldn't work. As she always said, "There's no way a plan that Katyusha has set up can fail!" It was that same old confidence that had made her forget about Continuation, that match against them, and how easily she had been defeated. Where those doubts had been were replaced with egotism and confidence that only Katyusha could harbor. And given her success so far, who could blame her? She was on the cusp of victory, this close to doing away with a ragtag group of inexperienced schoolgirls who had never gotten a true taste of Pravda. First, Ooarai, next, Kuromorimine, and the world.

However, she never knew that that weak spot she had set up was exactly what Miho was expecting. She was going to give Ooarai a taste of Pravda steel, but Ooarai was about to give Pravda a taste of Ooarai ingenuity. The test was begun as Ooarai charged out of the church, going at full speed straight for Katyusha's center. The small commander was slightly fazed, but her confidence prevented her from taking desperate measures. Unfortunately for her, it would all prove to be her undoing.

Indeed, the match progressed much against her, from Ooarai catching her off-guard by attacking her strongest point, and actually breaking through, to that Panzer 38(t) of theirs taking out two tanks, to her being lured through the town into a fatal trap, it was another humbling for the small, egotistic girl that was Katyusha, and when she found out she had been defeated, not just by her opponents' ingenuity, but also her own overconfidence and ego, she couldn't help but break down in tears, having been taught another harsh lesson.

Spectator stands

Maho and Shiho couldn't believe it. Ooarai was done for, they had all the odds stacked against them, they were in an impossible situation, yet they had won. Outside, of course, they appeared cold and indifferent, but inside, where Shiho was incredulous and shocked, Maho was ready to explode in joy and relief. What was more, all it took was some singing to raise the spirits of Ooarai, something that was not in the Nishizumi doctrine, as singing was strictly prohibited during matches due to potential distractions, and the styles Miho had used was effectively considered heresy for the style. And what was worse, that song they were singing, it was a song that the Christians sang, and if anything, to convert to another religion from the family tradition was a dishonorable offense, and if Shiho already wanted to get rid of Miho upon finding out she was taking up Sensha-do again, well... her determination to push her out was redoubled.

"Just to think... a double heresy."

"Okaa-san, I... can't help but be impressed with her skills."

"Maho, you will still agree that it is heresy, will you?"

"Of course, Okaa-san."

"And you will promise me that in this next match, Miho will not be given a chance to win."

As much as Maho wanted to refrain from wishing harm on her younger sister, she knew that Shiho wouldn't hesitate to boot her out as well. Yes, she was growing more disillusioned, but her ties to Kuromorimine and her family remained at least solid. She knew that if Miho was defeated in this next match, all her hopes would be dashed, and to do that to her beloved sister was something Maho couldn't do. However, as had been taught her many times before, loyalty to the family, which meant Shiho and the Nishizumi Style, would be above all, and Maho found herself uttering what seemed like blasphemy for her.

"I swear on the Nishizumi name that Miho will be defeated. Kuromorimine will never allow these upstarts to steal another victory."

"See to it that it is so. Kuromorimine will put our previous loss behind us. We're going to gain that stolen victory back, even if it takes us a century."

Maho slowly followed her mother as they walked down the long, high staircase in silence. She was already regretting those words, but what could she do? Say that Miho was her beloved sister, she couldn't allow herself to hurt her so? That would get her disowned and kicked out of the house as well, and for all the things Shiho had done, Maho once again brought to mind her teachings. Ancestors this, Nishizumi Style that, obedience here, loyalty there, determination now, diligence forever, so much doctrine and lessons had been crammed into her brain over the past eleven years, so much strain and pressure to uphold these teachings, but they were very important to her belief system, and she knew it. Much was expected from her, and it was expected she would live up to expectations no matter what, even if the whole world were against her.

But on the other hand, there was Miho. The thoughts of Miho still remained clear in her mind. She knew she was going to be the reason Miho would be gone. Erika would love it, but Maho? She would take that guilt to the grave. Even if Kuromorimine regained the championship, and get that tenth consecutive win, would it be worth it? Miho, Miho, Miho. Again, the thoughts were beating down on her, and again her mind felt ready to explode. By the time she had reached the bottom, her head was full of pain, yet with gritted teeth maintained her stoic composure on the outside. Grabbing the first bottle of water she could get her hands on, lawfully, she gulped the contents in an instant, in the hopes that it would provide a remedy, which had its success. With her condition somewhat better, Maho and Shiho resumed their walk back to the Drache that would take them back, outwardly appearing that nothing seemed to be wrong.

In reality, Maho was coming close to her breaking point, and it was only a matter of time before the rift became manifested.

Continuation school carrier

"Ooarai's Panzer IV is being chased by Pravda's flag tank, it's turning corners! It's trying to find a way out! They're navigating through the town right now, and it looks..."

Jouko was trying to focus on her private Bible studies, but the Ooarai match just happened to be taking place at around the same time. She had begun the study just as the truce was ending, and in the other rooms, she could hear the broadcasts. Shells firing, the announcer losing his mind, the cheering from the audience, all that stuff. At first, Jouko tried to ignore it, but gradually, her attention drew her to the broadcasts, and she was half-and-half between her studies and listening to what was going on. Staying completely silent, Jouko listened intently to the broadcast next door, praying in her heart that Miho would pull off a victory. Her television was off and her phone was still on the notes app, Jouko using it to take notes from her studies, but Jouko never bothered to tune them into the broadcast, just listening to the noises next door. The atmosphere seemed to be intensifying, meaning the battle was now reaching its climax, the atmosphere intensified by just how excited the announcer now was.

"PANZER IV IS FIRING AT THE T-34, T-34 MAKES A RIGHT TURN! IT'S STILL CHASING, BUT- OOOHHHHH! AN EXPLOSION! A SUDDEN EXPLOSION! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AN EXPLOSION UNDER PRAVDA'S FLAG TANK-"

"Jouko-san! Jouko-san!"

Jouko was startled by Aki's voice outside her door, distracting her from what was going on. Setting down her phone and Bible, Jouko rushed to the door, hearing a sense of urgency in Aki's voice, and opened it to hear them better.

"Aki, what's the trouble? I thought-"

"A message-"

"FROM CHIYO SHIMADA HERSELF!"

"Augh... Mikko-san... don't yell so loud..."

"Come on, Aki, this is the biggest news yet!"

"Calm down, calm down, I was just a bit busy studying. What do you have for me?"

"Studying? Jouk, everyone next door is tuning in to the match and has their volumes at 150%! How are you that concentrated?"

"Erm... I think you forgot the fact I'm a sniper..."

"Yeah, but still!"

"Okay, okay, I was half-and-half when it came to focus, anyways what's the reason you're here?"

"Chiyo-sensei invited you and your crew to a private duel with her daughter, Alice!"

"I... what?!"

"You're not just gonna meet one of the greatest Sensha-do people, you're gonna fight her!"

Jouko, understanding the gravity of the situation, and knowing how big of a deal this was for a tanker like her to receive this honor, nearly fainted from the emotional impact of the news, with Aki and Mikko rushing to catch her before she hit the floor. Getting back up, she asked for, and received the envelope which had already been opened. Reading it, it confirmed that it was, indeed, the big woman herself. It was in Chiyo's distinctive handwriting, and her signature was the same as it looked like in other documents that came from her that Jouko had read. It was relatively short, and read thus:

Dear Jouko,

Over the past year, I have seen your prowess in battling your opponents, and it is regretful that many unfortunate circumstances prevented you from seeing any more success in the tournaments you participated in, and I have noticed that your style is distinctive from both mine and the Nishizumi. You and your crew have impressed me thoroughly, and I would like to see your full potential.

A week from now, I'll be expecting you at my residence in Kyoto, the address already provided above. My daughter is very excited to meet and fight with you. It will be a simple one-versus-one, and the entire University shall be spectating. The match time will be at one in the afternoon, which happens to be around the same time the finals will kick off for the high schoolers, so you can spend noontime having lunch, but you are expected to arrive by 10am on that day. I hope we get to see a good show from you there. Send me a letter to confirm your attendance. If you cannot attend by the appointed date, the match will simply be postponed.

Be sure to practice well, we here at All-Stars have high expectations from you. I hope to see you.

With high regards,

Chiyo Shimada

"See?! You're famous!"

"I must wish you luck, Jouko-san, Alice-san isn't an easy one to beat, far from it-"

"OOARAI WINS! OOARAI WINS! OH MY GOODNESS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHAT A MATCH!"

"Wait, did he just-"

Hannes burst out from her door moments later, absolutely going crazy as the wild audio from the broadcast played from inside her room. She was as energized as the crowds at the actual event were at that moment, and elsewhere on the carrier, several such episodes were experienced in the halls as dozens of Continuation students burst out of their rooms to celebrate the unlikeliest of victories.

"OOARAI WON! OOARAI WON! NO WAY!"

Lofstrom went outside just seconds later.

"I can't believe this... actually, wait, I CAN believe this!"

Frisell was next.

"Oh... I'm about to faint... they won..."

Inside her mind, Jouko could only say one thing, "Thank you, Lord..."

But now, amidst the raucous atmosphere happening around her, Jouko's mind came back to the letter in front of her. Again and again she read and reread it, as if she wanted to really make sure her eyes didn't deceive her. A week from then was what the letter stated, and soon, Jouko realized it was going to take place on the same day as the Finals. With Ooarai emerging victorious in their battle against Pravda and Kuromorimine in their fight against Gloriana, the Finals would put up two schools that vastly differed in quantity and quality. Not only that, it was to be sister against sister, conventional style against unconventional style. One school was fighting to preserve its crippled reputation, the other fighting for its very life. Meanwhile, Jouko would be fighting a one-on-one against arguably the greatest commander alive, spectated by the best tankers in Sensha-do who were capable of beating professional adult teams, as well as the Headmistress of the Shimada Style, one of the two premier styles in the sport. It was nerve-wracking, but Jouko had confidence.

Thanking Aki and Mikko for their report, she withdrew to her room as the celebrations began to die down, returning, fully focused, to her studies. Once she finished, she penned a letter to confirm her attendance. It was arguably the biggest moment of her life, but she was going to be ready to face it, ready to really establish the Saariselkä style now. Once done, she ventured to the school's mailbox, slipped in the envelope, and went to bed, her mind now starting to think of how to approach the match.

Author's Note: Got this out quicker due to early motivation getting me to write a solid amount, but still school is making me take this at a slow pace. Nevertheless, one must push on. It got REALLY religious here, and moving forward, in case anybody still wonders, I will be changing certain aspects of the original story for the sake of this one, as evidenced by replacing the Ankou Dance with a Christian hymn during the battle against Pravda. Yet another reminder that religion will be arguably the biggest topic of this fanfic, so expect each chapter to have a section dedicated to religion. Not everything will be depicted realistically, and I'm sure to offend a LOT of readers, so please give advice if possible. If you get turned off, that's fine, I understand that this won't suit everybody, but it's a little outlet for me, and all that stuff.

Regarding the next chapters, looking by the letter Chiyo has sent Jouko, I think you may now get an idea of how the battle to save Ooarai will go. Now, the problem is the battle itself, and regarding the Mika "borrowing" stuff, that'll be dealt with, don't worry. This also marks the 100k-word milestone, so pretty nice. This'll probably be going up to 300k, maybe even 500k words when this wraps up, who knows. In the meantime, just stay tuned, hopefully the story has been good so far, and I hope things are well with everybody. Again, don't be shy to criticize, I'm a bit new to the fanfiction business and nobody's perfect.