Chapter 24 - Awakening
[Panzer IV Crash Site]
(Paramedics have arrived and got Miho and her crew safely out of their tank and placed on stretchers)
"Mihosha!" Katyusha shouted while crying
"Katyusha-sama she is fine, the medics will take care of them" Nonna-said
"But..but..she-"
"Miho is strong..she will walk it off soon enough and she wouldn't want you to worry about her.."
"Y-You're right.."
"Kal-kun! Why would you do that!" Nonna shouted with anger for seeing Katyusha cry
"It was necessary to win..it was the only way to get a clean shot on their commander.."
"I have warned you before Kal-kun.."
"I'm not afraid of the white tiger..it's ten against one..it is a sure victory.."
(After their short talk Katyusha and Nonna were told by the staff to move to a safer location to watch the match)
"Klara-san I will be taking command now as ordered by Katyusha-neesama" Kal said
"Of course..all tanks have been repaired and ready to move on your order.."
"Good..get ready to-"
*BOOM
(A shell landed in front of Kal's IS-2 and surprised them. He looked through his binoculars and saw the White Tiger 200 meters in front of them but not firing again and even reversing)
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
"Onii-sama missed an easy shot like that?" Maho said
"No..he missed on purpose.." Shiho said
"Gero is provoking Kal..he must have a plan.." Erika said
"Nishizumi-san, your daughter is now safe and has already regained consciousness.." Chouno said
(A sigh of relief was done by all three of them upon hearing the wonderful news)
[Viewing Platform #3 for VIPs]
"What are you plotting Darling?" Kay said
"It's definitely something not good based on how he's baiting Pravda.." Naomi said
[Pravda Tank Formation]
"All tanks forward..time to hunt down that white tiger and win this match!" Kal radioed
"Kal-kun..do you think it's a good idea to chase him? He might lead us to a trap.."
"Don't worry Klara-san..based on his shot a while ago he is in no condition to fight.."
"What makes you say that?"
"That tiger got a hit at 2000 meters at our previous battle..but now he missed a shot on a stationary target at less than 500 meters..he is clearly scared now that he is the only one left"
"Commander, the tiger is headed up the mountain..should we pursue?" said a Pravda girl
"Yes..it is the perfect place for him to lay rest..all tanks maximum speed"
(All 10 tanks of Pravda now headed up the mountain and is hunting the white tiger presumed to be running for his life up the mountain)
"Looks like they're coming up the mountain Matsu-kun.."
"Yeah.."
"Round up Gero"
(Gero fired another shot towards the Pravda tank formation but it didn't even come close)
"You see that comrades? No need to fear! That tiger has lost its claws to hit us with!" Kal shouted
"URAAAAAH!" the girls shouted
[Pravda Tank Formation - 1000 Meters above Sea Level]
"Commander the tanks are having trouble getting up fast due to the terrain.." Klara said
"No matter! We will get that tiger no matter what just keep pushing forward!"
"Is it just me or is it getting harder to breath?" a Pravda girl asked
"Me too..I feel exhausted for some-"
*BOOM
(A shell from the tiger hit the tree beside the tanks of Pravda and startled everyone making them shoot up the mountain. Note that this is still an artificially made mountain so there is no chances of an avalanche with all the explosions)
"Stop shooting! There is no one there!" Kal shouted
"But sir there was-" the Pravda girl said and pointed
(The girls looked at the mountain only to find that they were shooting at a tree)
"Don't worry the tiger won't be able to hit you! Now forward!"
[White Tiger - 1500 Meters Above Sea Level]
"How are you boys doing?"
"We're fine Taichou..we have gotten used to the altitude..that training paid off.." Hajime said
"A little hard to breathe compared to Mt. Fuji with all the snow.." Ken said
"Looks like some of the Pravda girls are starting to get nervous..what now Gero?"
"We fire one more shot then go higher.."
"Roger!" the three said in unison
"Boys..I'm counting on you.."
"We know Taichou..we'll stop you if needed.." Hajime said
(They fired one more shot at the Pravda tank formation going up the hill and scared them once more before heading further up the mountain)
[Pravda Tank Formation - 2000 Meters above Sea Level]
(As Kal and the rest went up the mountain, they are now starting to feel the sudden changes in their body. Headaches, nausea, and becoming weak are being felt by everyone under his command at this point. A blizzard has also started on top of the mountain making the area zero visibility)
"C-Commander..w-we d-don't feel good.." said a Pravda girl
"Suck it up! We are at the top now! We can end this now! Everyone lights on!"
(All ten tanks turned on their lights on their tanks to get better visual on their surroundings. Suddenly Kal heard screams on their radio enough for him to feel chills down his body)
"COMMANDER! COMMANDER WHERE ARE YOU!? IT'S COMING FOR US! PLEASE-"
*STATIC *STATIC
"What happened!? Report!" Kal shouted
*BOOM *CLANK
(A shell suddenly hit the IS-2's tracks disabling him. He then continued to hear screams all around him)
"FIRE! FIRE! OVER THERE! STAY AWAAAAY- "
*STATIC *STATIC
"What the hell is happening?!" Kal continue to shout
(Kal then saw the white tiger drive past in front of him then Kal's IS-2 fired a shot and he sees the shell hitting the tiger)
"Did we get him?!" asked his driver
"No..I think- "
*HIT *CLANK
(Suddenly a shell landed on their IS-2s side armor but bounced)
"Over there gunner turn right! FIRE!"
"Hit!" the gunner shouted
*BOOM *HIT *CLANK
(This time they were hit from the left side and bounced again)
"Damn it I thought he was hit?!" Kal shouted'
"Must have bounced sir!"
"FIRE NOW!"
"Hit again!" the gunner said
(Then screams were heard again from the radio and different explosions from the area)
*BOOM *BLAAAM *STATIC *STATIC
"HELP ME! HEEEELP! HE'S COMING AFTER ME! AAAAAHH- "
*STATIC *STATIC
"What's chasing you?! Is it the white tiger?! Report damn it!" Kal shouted
"COMMANDER SOMETHING IS IN THIS MOUNTAIN! IT'S ALL AROUND US!" a Pravda girl shouted
"Something?! What the hell are you- "
"COMMANDER! IT'S HERE PLEASE HELP- "
*STATIC *STATIC
"Hello?! Are you still there?! Damn it! Driver can we move?!"
"...''
"Driver! Respond- "
(Kal saw his entire crew unconscious and all lying in their seats motionless. Kal started to shake and feel fear at what was happening around him. He heard sounds of a tank going around his IS-2 and he sat on the gunner seat to man the turret himself)
"SHOW YOURSELF!" Kal shouted while rotating the turret
(Kal started breathing heavily and got dizzy suddenly. Every breath he takes is painful because of the freezing air. Hearing those screams and getting shot at different directions. His tank can't move because his tracks were destroyed. His crew has suddenly passed out during the chaos. He has no idea what is happening because of the blizzard surrounding them. He then saw the white tiger behind his tank and he took aim)
"I GOT YOU NOW WHITE TIGER!"
"FIRE!"
(Both the white tiger and the IS-2 fired and both shells landed on both tanks white flagging it but the white tigers flag popped first)
"YOU SEE THAT?! I WON! YOU GOT TAKEN OUT FIRST!" Kal shouted
(As Kal shouted and got off his IS-2 a siren was sounded and he saw a red flare go up in the sky and the blizzard was stopped by the staff and made the weather sunny)
"PRAVDA FLAG TANK HAS BEEN DESTROYED! OOARAI-SHIROKUMO TEAM WINS!" announced by Kanon Sasagawa
"Haa?! Are you blind?! I hit the tiger first look- "
(Kal's rant stopped when he looked at the tiger he white flagged. As the smoke cleared it was Klara's T-34 that he had white flagged and Klara white flagged his tank which was the flag tank. The shock brought Kal to his knees and he heard the tracks of tank stop near him. He looked and it was the White Tiger and it has no scratches on it. He's blurry vision then saw a guy walking towards him. Then right before he passed out he heard the person speak to him)
"It didn't have to end this way..you did this to yourselves.."
"Is he alright Matsu-kun?"
"He just passed out..he will be fine..how about his crew?"
"They are alright also Taichou.." Hajime said
"I guess it's over now Gero.." Ono said
"Yeah..thank you for firing the emergency flare Hajime.."
"No problem Taichou.."
"If they hadn't stopped the cold weather for another minute their lives would've been in danger"
"But you made sure that we'd win just in time right Taichou?"
(Gero did not respond and just watched as helicopters of the paramedics arrived to the mountain to get the girls to the hospital)
[Viewing Platform #2 for VIPs]
"D-Darjeeling-sama..what did we just witness?" Orange Pekoe said while shocked
"Where the senses fail us, reason must step in"
"G-Galileo..r-right?"
"Correct..what Gero-kun did was..he robbed them of their senses..they were seeing and hearing something that wasn't there..therefore they lost all their reasoning" Darjeeling said while her hands are shaking
"What a terrifying way to defeat your opponents.." Orange Pekoe said
"Well..you all do know this saying..'Winning is always nastier' "
[Viewing Platform #3 for VIPs]
"N-Naomi-san..did that IS-2 just shoot three T-34s..on purpose?!" Takashi shouted
"You saw what happened Takashi..and it seems the other T-34s just stopped moving for some reason..some of them shot at each other as well.."
"Just what did Darling do..?" Kay said with a shocked expression
"Looks like Gero-kun already killed that Pravda brat for you Kay..well..killed him psychologically at least.." Naomi said
"It was over for Pravda the moment they went up the mountain..they never saw this type of attack coming.." Takashi said
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
(At the V.I.P Viewing platforms they are able to see clearly the battlefield even when a blizzard is happening.
"W-What just happened?" Maho asked with a scared expression
"Nishizumi-san can you please explain to me what Gero did?" Chouno asked
"Explain what Chouno-kun? I am as shocked as you all are" Shiho said
"How did he win a 10 versus 1 situation by going around in circles without firing a single shell?" Erika asked
"Okaa-sama..the moment Pravda arrived at the top of the mountain..they..they started.."
"Shooting at each other?" Shiho said
"Yeah, and the others just stopped moving..what happened?" Maho said
"Alpine Sickness.." Shiho said
(Erika and Maho did not know what that meant but Chouno understood everything that had happened from that answer)
"What is that Headmistress?" Erika asked
"Alpine sickness..also known as Altitude sickness" Chouno said
"Altitude sickness?" Maho asked
"When climbing a mountain and reach a certain height above sea level, you're body starts to be affected by the sudden change in altitude. First comes exhaustion, then nausea, and finally losing consciousness." Chouno explained
"Correct..as those Pravda tanks got up at 2000 meters..the air got thinner and thinner and made it harder to breathe..and if the brain does not receive enough oxygen.."
"They start to hallucinate.." Erika said
"That's right..during their time at the top of the mountain..cannot breathe properly..cannot think straight..tired and dizzy..trapped in a cold tank..my son brought them to the very edge of their sanity..by driving their tank in between them, he made them see things that are not there, that's why they started shooting at each other"
(All three that were listening got chills down their bodies on how scary this strategy was the Gero had done.)
"At the end he lured a T-34 to the IS-2's rear and made it shoot their flag tank under the impression of it shooting the tiger. In the eyes of that IS-2 and T-34 they were aiming at the White Tiger..but in reality they were aiming at each other" Shiho said
"So that's the reason why onii-sama trained at Mt. Fuji..so that they wouldn't get the alpine sickness.." Maho said
"This reminds me of how you got the nickname of "Demon" when you won against 16 tanks all on your own.." Chouno said
"You were called that before Headmistress?" Erika asked
"That was all in the past..and I fired my weapon to win that match..but this..this is something else.." Shiho said
"Gero-kun was able to win without having to fire a single shot..and even brought down his enemies psychologically and made them destroy each other.." Chouno said
"When we got to the top of Mt. Fuji..he told us that he wanted to know what he can do with his gifts..why people hated him when he was young for having those gifts..now that he has seen what he can do..I'm sure he is hating himself right now.." Shiho said
"Onii-sama.." Maho said with a sad expression
"So please..support him and be beside him..Maho..Itsumi-kun.." Shiho said
"We will Okaa-sama.."
"Bakatora.."
[Ooarai Field Hospital - The Next Day]
(After the match Miho and her crew still had to stay at the hospital for checkups to make sure that they are all alright. They were visited by Katyusha and Nonna as well as their other friends)
"Mihosha! I'm very sorry for what my brother did!" Katyusha said while bowing her head
"Katyusha-san please lift your head..it's alright..as you can see I'm fine.." Miho smiled
"When you got carried in a stretcher Katyusha-sama was crying.." Nonna said
"Ara ara Katyusha-san has a very cute side as well.." Hana said
"Nonna you don't need to say that!" Katyusha said
"Thank you for worrying about me..but I'm really fine..Katyusha-san"
"Then that's good..also..Congratulations on winning! We will watch you guys at the finals!"
"Thank you..but it wasn't me that won the match..it was.."
"Yeah..the white tiger..where is he now?"
"If I'm not mistaken he will- "
(A knock on the door was heard then it opened seeing Gero had just arrived to visit his sisters and their friends. Gero was shocked to see the commander of Pravda in the room with his sister. Gero was afraid of what the commander would say to him after what he had done to Katyusha's team. He approached Miho and gave her flowers as a present for a speedy recovery)
"Hi Miho..how are you?"
"I'm doing great..thanks for the flowers! Oh by the way this is Katyusha..you may remember her from the siege tank battle event..she is the commander of Pravda and came to visit"
"Y-Yes I remember her..thank you Katyusha-san and Nonna-san for visiting Miho.."
"Of course..it was my stupid brother's fault that's why she is here so..I came to apologize.."
"I see..thank you for taking the time to visit.."
"Congratulations on winning..we will be leaving now..Nonna.."
(Nonna then carried Katyusha and they were about to leave the room when suddenly Gero called out to them)
"Katyusha-san!"
(Nonna and Katyusha both looked back to see Gero bowing his head)
"I'm very sorry for what I had done to your friends and to your brother! When I saw what he did to Miho..my mind just went blank and all I could think about was revenge..it was a horrible thing to do and I understand if you will not forgive me.."
(Both Nonna and Katyusha was surprised by this act and was definitely not expecting to receive an apology from the winner of the match but Miho and her crew were smiling at what Gero had done for they knew that he would that the chance he got)
"Follow me.." Katyusha said
(As Gero followed Katyusha he soon found themselves outside another door at the hospital. Before they entered he could hear joyful voices from inside. As Nonna opened the door and they went inside Gero saw all of the Pravda girls that were affected by the Alpine sickness yesterday are now energetic and running around and having fun like they didn't lose. Gero just stared at the girls and couldn't believe what he was seeing)
"Amazing right? They are all moving forward and not looking back.." Nonna said
"Hey girls! You have a visitor!" Katyusha shouted
(As Katyusha shouted all of the girls suddenly rushed to Gero and stared at him)
"Who is this boy Katyusha-sama?" asked a Pravda girls
"He is the commander of the white tiger that took you the mountain yesterday.."
"Ohh so he is the commander..so why is he visiting?"
"Eh?! Why? I-I..I was the reason why you all got hospitalized..I got you all into that scary situation..it was a horrible thing to do to you all.."
"I'm very sorry for what I had done to you all!" Gero said while bowing his head
(The girls did not respond right away. Gero was already expecting that they won't forgive him and he will be hated by all of them)
"That's all? You came here just to apologize to us?" Klara said
"Ehh? Uhmm..y-yes..?"
"Hmm..so what do you say to that girls?" Klara said
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" suddenly all the girls started laughing at Gero
"Uhmm..why are you all laughing suddenly?"
"Hahaha..I'm sorry..for laughing but..there is nothing you need to apologize for!"
"That's right it wasn't you that got us hospitalized..it was the altitude at that mountain.."
"A scary situation..yes..because we really thought we were seeing ghosts and that was scary..then we suddenly passed out.." said a Pravda girl
"But a horrible thing? No...it was fun! We got to experience a scary and thrilling moment in a snowy mountain at night!"
"If anything..we should be thanking you..uhmm..what was your name again?"
"Ohh that's right sorry..my name is Gero Matsumoto.."
"Right..we should be thanking you Matsumoto-kun for giving us such a fun match yesterday!"
(Gero was so confused at this point that he couldn't respond well. He was expecting brutal replies from the girls but got thanked instead)
"You look very confused Gero-kun" Katyusha said
"I am very confused Katyusha-san!"
"You see..these girls enjoy Senshado come hell or high water..or even your altitude sickness..in a few days they'll be asking me to train them at a mountain so that they won't experience it again and so that they won't lose to you next time.." Katyusha said
"So instead of apologizing..what should you say Gero-kun?" Nonna said
"Everyone! Thank you very much for the amazing match yesterday! I will be looking forward to playing with you all again next time!"
"Thank you as well for the amazing match!" the Pravda girls shouted
(The Pravda girls smiled at Gero and thanked him as well. Then a guy was hiding behind his bed sheets behind at the corner of the room)
"KAL!" Katyusha shouted
"Y-Yes Katyusha nee-sama?"
"Get over here now before I drag you here by force.."
(Kal quickly got off the bed and headed for Katyusha)
"Do you have anything to say to Gero-kun here?"
"I'm very sorry for what I did before..when I interrupted your duel..and..I'm sorry for pushing your commander off the hill..I was too obsessed with winning and couldn't see the bigger picture.."
(Gero felt warm in his chest when he heard those words. He felt like a big knife has just been pulled from his aching heart. He then raised his hand and wanted to shake Kal's hand)
"Kal-kun..I'm sorry for what I did..and I forgive you for what you did..if possible..I would like to have another match with you..but this time..a fun and fair match.."
(All of the girls smiled at what Gero said and waited for Kal's reply. Then Kal grabbed Gero's hand and shook his hand)
"I would like nothing more Gero-kun..and I won't lose next time" Kal said
"I won't either.."
"Alright since you both are now good friends the girls would like to play with Matsumoto-kun since he is here." Klara said
"Huh? Play? What- "
(Gero was suddenly pulled in by ten girls and he was the dive bomb by all of them crushing Gero underneath)
"Rest in Peace Gero-kun..they did that to me also when I first arrived" Kal said
"H-Help me Kal..ahahahaha..now they're tickling me..heeeeelp…"
(As the girls were laughing and having fun another girl was standing by the door and was emitting a very dark aura that Nonna and Katyusha noticed was staring at Gero)
"BA-KA-TO-RA?!" Erika said with a scary smile
"E-Erika..this is not what it looks like..they suddenly..p-please have mercy.."
"GET OVER HERE NOW YOU FLIRTING BAKATORA!"
"NOOOOO IT'S NOT MY FAUUUUUUULT!"
(All of the girls and Kal witnessed a white wolf brutally beating up a white tiger and they all just closed their eyes as they heard the screams of the poor tiger. After the beating the wolf dragged the lifeless tiger away)
"Looks like even a woman can tame a wild tiger like him.." Katyusha said
"Wild tiger..huh.." Kal said
"Kal-kun?" Nonna asked
"You said before the match that he is like that legendary white tiger..the one that was like a ghost.."
"Do you think the legend is alive in Gero-kun?" Klara asked
"Yes..but he is no ghost..he is much worse.."
"What is worse than a ghost?" Katyusha asked
"Just before I lost consciousness up that mountain, I saw his face..his eyes..had no light..no mercy..only darkness..but also sadness..and fear"
"I guess Matsumoto-kun really regret what he did.." Nonna said
"Yeah..but those eyes were like the eyes of a…"
"A what?" Katyusha asked
"Akuma.." Kal said
(Demon)
(Everyone in that room had chills sent down their body. They just had a conversation with a demon as they looked at the poor tiger being dragged by a wolf)
"I can't believe you! I came here worried about you then I find you under all of those girls!"
"I'm sorry Erika..they just suddenly pulled me in and jumped on me..it was out of my control.."
"Of course it was.."
(Gero then suddenly grabbed Erika by the arm and looked at her closely)
"You were worried about me?"
"Yes I was..your mother told me that you might be hating yourself now because of what you did at yesterday's match.."
"I see..Okaa-chan told you.."
"She is also worried about you.."
"Yesterday after the match up to today when I met Katyusha-san..I felt so horrible..I hated myself and my gifts..I thought about quitting Senshado.."
"Gero…you don't have to.."
"I thought about if this is how Senshado will be when I do it..then it's better to quit now then to hurt other people again.."
"..."
"But when Katyusha-san brought me to their room a while ago..I saw how they were smiling despite the fact that they lost badly yesterday because of me..instead of hating me..they even thanked me for the great match they said..then Kal also apologized to me..and I also apologized and we both agreed to fight each other again next time..in a fair and fun match.."
"Looks like Katyusha-san stole the whole show.."
"She really did..I felt a lot better when I saw those Pravda girls and how they were fine.."
"Those girls are being trained by the great Katyusha so they are tough as nails.."
"Yeah..so I decided that won't be quitting Senshado..but I'll find a way to enjoy Senshado without having to rely on my gifts.."
"I know you'll be just fine Gero..I'll also help you when the time comes.."
"I also want to be a great Senshado tanker just like you Erika..you are the reason why I want to try so hard.."
(Erika blushed so hard when Gero said that)
"W-What are you saying bakatora..always saying stuff like that.."
"I'm serious about you Erika..I want to do Senshado with you for as long as I live.."
"D-Did he just say he wants to be with me forever?! No no no he didn't say it exactly like that but it sure sounded like that...geez this bakatora why does he look so handsome when he gets serious.." Erika said in her mind
"Erika..?"
"O-Oh...me too..I want to experience a lot more fun Senshado with you Gero.."
(This made Gero blush hard as well because he didn't expect such a cute and honest answer from Erika like that. The two continued to stare at each other when they felt a stare from the door. When they looked they saw Miho and Maho staring at them with smiles on their faces)
"Mi-Miho-san..Maho-san..how long have you been there?" Erika asked
"From the part where Onii-sama said 'You were worried about me?' up to the end.." Maho said
"Geez..you two..it's bad manners to be spying like that you know.."
"We just want to see how the two of you are doing that's all onii-chan.." Miho said
"Yes yes..how about we go inside Erika?"
"Yeah..let's go join your sisters.."
"By the way onii-chan is unfair for going on a hiking trip with okaa-san and not invite us!"
"Ehh?! How did you- "
"Okaa-sama told me so I told Miho.." Maho said while pouting
"It was on a short notice and the match was near so.."
"NO EXCUSES!" Miho and Maho shouted
"I'm very sorry.."
(Gero then spent the next minutes being scolded by his little sisters because he didn't invite them to their trip to Mt. Fuji)
Coming Up Next : Chapter 25 - Glimpse of the Future
Author's Note :
Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hard to breath, your comrades screaming around you, you have no idea what's happening around you and then you see your tank crew all passed out? Anyone would go crazy! For me it gave me chills writing this I hope you all had goosebumps too while reading!
Shout out to : "WarHusky2000" "mcintyreseth14" thank you for the follow and favorite!
Thank you for the wonderful support you all are amazing! As for the replies to your comments check the reviews section as always!
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