Chapter 58 - Friendly Rumors
[Kuromorimine University High School - Student Council Office]
(Gero and the rest were having a meeting regarding their previous match and about the information Maho gathered from watching the Ooarai and Red Wings match)
"That was an amazing match..I expected nothing less from you.." Shiho smiled
"Thanks okaa-chan..I wish I could say the same for Ooarai..how's Miho-chan?"
"She's alright..just sad that she didn't reach the quarter finals and missed the chance to be able to fight you onii-sama.." Maho said
"But still..Jumbos? And an Easy Eight? Red Wings sure have some frightening firepower.." Erika said
"That's the thing..their tanks aren't the scary part.." Maho said
"What do you mean?"
"From the start of the match up to the middle both teams were on a stalemate..Miho was able to predict every attempt of Red Wings on their flag tank and was able to stop them..and at the same time all their attempts to take down the flag tank of Red Wings was stopped.." Maho said
"I guess Miho and Yamato Shiori are evenly matched.." Erika said
"I thought so too..but then it all suddenly changed.."
"Changed? In what way?"
"That girl..Yamato Shiori..was suddenly two steps ahead of Miho on every engagement that had after they entered the urban area.." Maho said
"Maybe they're just great at fighting close quarters?" Erika asked
"No they're not because this was their second fight inside an urban area..and the first fight was definitely not the same as the second one..it was too one sided.." Maho said
"That would be the true strength of the Yamatos..right okaa-chan?"
"Yeah.." Shiho responded
"True strength?" Erika asked
"As you all know there are three great Senshado Families..Yamatos, Shimadas, and us Nishizumis..each have their own teachings and skills..both the Nishizumi Family and Shimada Family have different categories of skills..but the Yamato Family only has one..and it's a natural skill.."
"Natural?" Erika asked
"He means that it is inborn..it is a skill that they have the moment they are born..it's not something you can achieve by hard work.." Shiho said
"And that is?" Maho asked
"The skill to overwhelm their opponents no matter how strong they are.."
(Both Erika and Maho were surprised at how ridiculous this skill is)
"Basically the stronger their opponent..the more dangerous and the more skilled they become.."
"You mean that match with Ooarai..the reason they lost because Miho was starting to beat them?!" Maho reacted
"Remember I told you about me fighting the Yamato Master and almost lost to her? That was because every time I was about to deal a finishing blow..at the very last moment she becomes so strong and unpredictable it's crazy..very destructive offense and impregnable defense.." Shiho said
"But you still won, right Headmistress? How did you beat her?" Erika asked
"I got lucky..during that time Yamato Mai wasn't exactly sure what was happening either..her mind couldn't keep up with her body..in the end I found a blind spot in her defense and took her out..." Shiho explained
"A win is still a win!"
"But it's different now..Yamato Mai didn't have anyone to teach her how to control her strength..but her daughters received proper guidance from her..that's why Yamato Shiori was able to beat Miho.." Shiho said
"Then that means..it would be a bad match up if we were to fight Red Wings?" Erika asked
"Yeah..onii-sama is stronger than anyone else..but that just means Yamato Shiori will be able to beat onii-sama if she gets the chance.." Maho frowned
"Look at it this way..if ever the three great Senshado Families were to fight..the Shimada Family would defeat the Yamato Family because the skills of the Shimadas does not rely on brute strength..they are more on unpredictability and outsmarting the enemy by camouflaged strategies or Ninja Tactics as they call it..which is a bad opponent for the Yamatos.." Shiho explained
"While us Nishizumis will be able to defeat the Shimadas because their Ninja Tactics does not work against us because of bad compatibility as demonstrated during the match between onii-sama and Mika-san.." Maho said
"No matter how much they hide their true moves Bakatora will be able to see through them with ease.." Erika smiled
"I'm still surprised that Mika-san is the heir of the Shimada Family though..but I did think that her capabilities were on that level.." Maho said
"I too was surprised when Gero told me.." Erika chuckled
"Then lastly is the ability of the Yamatos to defeat us Nishizumis because of their natural skill to overwhelm stronger opponents than them..since our doctrine focuses on head on fights without any hidden cards up our sleeves.." Maho frowned again
"Don't worry Maho-chan..as scary as it is..there is a very simple solution against the Yamatos.."
"What is it onii-sama?"
"Beat her before she even gets the chance to start warming up her skill.."
"Easier said than done.." Erika said
"Oh come on Erika..we have mastered attacking in the fastest and most ferocious ways! You know what I'm getting at right?"
"Yeah..a fast and deadly Blitzkrieg!" Erika smiled
"That's my Kommandant!"
*KNOCK *KNOCK
"Excuse me!" Koume entered the room
"Did the Federation call Koume-san?"
"Yes Gero-san..they've sent the list of schools that made it through to the Quarter Finals and our opponent has been decided.." Koume said
"Who is it?" Maho asked
(Koume then handed the list of the schools)
Quarter Finals Matches: Annihilation Battle (15 Tanks)
[Kuromorimine University High school] vs [Rethymno Academy]
[St. Gloriana College] vs [Shogun Boys High School]
[Saunders University High School] vs [Crows Nest High School]
[Pravda High School] vs [Red Wings Academy]
"Rethymno Academy huh.."
"Do we have any info about them?" Erika asked
"Aside from them using German tanks just like us..nothing much.." Koume said
"I was able to see their tanks during our meetings but forgive me but I can't provide you any information about them.." Maho said
"I know Maho-chan..it's alright and besides it wouldn't be fun if we knew right away what we were up against right?"
"Yeah..I'm also excited about the new tanks we will be facing against!" Erika smiled
"You know this list of schools that will be fighting looks like a battle between the powerhouse schools versus the new schools.."
"Now that you mention it..I guess we have a reputation to maintain as the powerhouse schools.." Erika said
"Well we better show these new schools why we are called powerhouses!"
[Kuromorimine Tank Garage]
"Ok guys! Our Quarter Finals opponents have been decided!" Erika announced
"Who will it be Kommandant?" Toshi asked
"Rethymno Academy! They field German tanks just like us!" Koume announced
"Ohh I remember them from the Exhibition Games!" Rio said
"They were really skilled too!" Chinatsu said
"I wonder what tanks they'll let us fight against!" Tojo cheered
"Expect the usual light and medium tanks but be prepared for any surprises that they may have! That's enough chit chat, there's one week before the match! We'll focus on high speed maneuvers just in case we need to do something on the fly! Everyone mount up and we'll start the training immediately! "
"Jawohl!" everyone responded
[The Den - After Practice Training]
(Gero and his team were practicing as usual inside the Den under the guidance of his crew and Erika was also giving pointers for Sakuraba and Kojima)
"Alright gather around guys! Time to wrap things up for today!"
"Ehh but we want to train more with our tanks Gero-Taichou!" Tojo shouted
"You'll get to train again tomorrow and the day after that but for now hear me out I have an announcement to make!"
"What is it, senpai?" Hanako asked
"Since my team did such an amazing job in the first and second rounds of this tournament..you'll be able to play with your new toys in our match against Rethymno next week! How does that sound to you guys?"
"YAAAAAAY" Gero's team rejoiced
"We've been waiting for you to say that for a long time senpai!" Endo said
"That's right! We've been dying to finally use these babies in an official match!" Isamu said
"Ever since Sakuraba-san made her debut with her Jagdtiger we got so jealous!" Haruhiko said
"Thank you so much Gero-Taichou! I can;t contain my happiness for I will be able to have fun with this gift of yours!" Tojo rejoiced
"Thank you so much Taichou!" Kise, Kazu, and Itao bowed
"This is getting me so excited!" Hanako said
"Me too! What about you Alice-chan?" Chinatsu asked
"Of course I'm excited too! This is Nii-chan's gift after all..and I want to do Senshado with it.." Alice smiled
"I can't wait to get a kill with this bad boy!" Rio said
"You guys will also be making their debut! I'm happy for you guys!" Sakuraba said
(As everyone was getting all excited Toshi walked towards Gero)
"Yo Toshi what's up?"
"I just wanted to thank you again senpai..for choosing us as your team..we wanted nothing more than to have fun doing Senshado with you.." Toshi said
"Thank you as well for coming to Kuromorimine..I feel at ease knowing that I have reliable comrades like you.."
"Just point the way and we'll go senpai!"
"You got it! Alright clean up the place for now! Then rest up! You can continue your excitement during tomorrow's training!"
"Jawohl!" Gero's team saluted
(As they were all cleaning up and parking their tanks away, Gero went to Erika who was as the observation room up top)
"Ready to go?" Erika asked
"Yup! As soon as they're done cleaning we'll go!"
"Okaay.."
*HUG
(Gero then hugged Erika from her back and placed his arms around Erika's waist)
"How would you feel about having your favorite tank on the field in our match next week?"
"Really?! I'd love to see it in action!"
"Then it's decided..I'll set up a perfect opportunity for you to test it out.."
"Thank you..Gero.."
(Erika puckered her lips as a signal she wanted a kiss from Gero and of course he noticed it and he slowly leaned in for the kiss when suddenly the door opened surprising both of them)
"Kommandant! Senpai! We're done cleaning up! Let's..go..back..uhmm..is something wrong?" Sakuraba asked
(Both Gero and Erika were blushing hard and were just looking opposite of each other)
"Oh my..did I perhaps interrupt something?" Sakuraba teased
"Shut up! Also how about knocking first before entering!?" Erika shouted
"Ehh..so I did interrupt something.." Sakuraba teased more
"Ohh..you wanna keep on teasing me huh..I guess we don't need the Jagdtiger in our match next week.." Erika said
(Sakuraba's face quickly turned sour as she realized her mistake and she immediately teared up in a cute way again)
"NOOO! I'M SORRY! ANYTHING BUT MY JAGDTIGER! PLEASE FORGIVE ME KOMMANDANT!" Sakuraba was crying while hugging Erika
[Quarter Finals Matches Stadium - A Week Later]
(The stadium was packed with a ton of people to watch the final eight schools compete for the final four. The stadium was built to host four matches simultaneously with four different battlefields each with their own bleachers for the audiences. Since all four matches will start at the same time the spectators were in a bind who they want to watch)
"Who are we gonna watch? It's a fight between the pioneer powerhouse schools against the new schools!"
"We're going to watch Kuromorimine because the white tiger is there!"
"That sounds really great but I also want to watch St. Gloriana you know?! They've been my favorite school before the White Tiger appeared!"
"I've decided! We're gonna watch the Saunders match and when they're about to win we'll head towards the Pravda match!"
"Hey what makes you think they'll win immediately?"
"Well they're against a new school and I know Saunders is in great shape this year!"
"You never know what might happen! It's possible that the new schools can defeat them!"
"No way dude! They have more experience than them!"
"Let's make a bet then!"
"You're on!"
(Everyone was excited and looking forward to every match today. Gero and Erika were going around the place since there was a little bit of time before their match)
"Everyone's fired up!"
"It is the quarter finals..all of them want to watch their favorite schools duke it out with each other..I'd bet you half of the people here came to watch you.." Erika said
"I doubt that..after the things I've done in front of the public? I assure you that a lot of people here harbor hatred against me.."
"Oh I wouldn't say it's that bad.." Erika smiled
"Why?"
(Just before Erika could answer a fan walked up towards Gero and asked his autograph and this surprised Gero)
"Excuse me sir White Tiger! Can i please have your autograph on my tank?" asked the fan
"S-Sure!"
(The fan handed his Tiger I model toy tank and Gerp signed his initial on the side turret which gave a big smile to the fan)
"Thank you very much sir! Good luck on your match! We'll be watching you!"
"Thanks!"
(The fan now walked away leaving a very confused Gero)
"See?" Erika smiled
"I don't understand what the heck is going on.."
"You'll know later.." Erika said
(Erika and Gero now headed for the food stalls to get something to eat where they unexpectedly run into their friends from the other schools)
"Yo everyone!"
"Good day to you Gero-san! Erika-san!" Pekoe said
"Hello Gero-kun! Erika-san!" Alisa waved
"Are you here to get something to eat too?" Klara asked
"Hi guys..yeah maybe just a quick snack before everything starts you know.." Erika smiled
"Where's Kal-kun and Ray and Mugi-chan?"
"Barley-san is with Sencha-san assisting Assam-san with our supply for the match.."
"Ray's in our tank garage making sure everything is ready.." Naomi said
"The same for Kal-kun..he wanted to make sure to get through the Quarter Finals so that he'd have a chance to fight you.." Klara smiled
"Then let's all meet again in the Semi-Finals! We gotta show them new schools why we're called the powerhouse schools!"
"Agreed!" Pekoe smiled
"You got that right!" Alisa said
"Ponimal!" Klara smiled
[Understood!]
(After buying some food and eating with their friends, Erika and Gero now went back towards the tank garages and paid Rethymno a visit)
[Rethymno Tank Garage]
"Hello?"
"Yes? How may I help you?" asked the Rethymno tanker
(Erika and Gero saw the tanker that came to greet them and it was Onishi Saki the Vice Commander of Rethymno)
"Hello there Onishi-san! We came for our pre-match greetings!" Erika smiled
"Ohh Itsumi-san! Thanks for the visit! So you must be Nishizumi Gero, right?" Onishi asked
"Nice to meet you too Onishi-san.."
"Can we say our greetings to Maizama-san?" Erika asked
"Of course! Follow me!" Onishi smiled
(Onishi now was guiding Erika and Gero to the next tank garage where Maizama was)
"Commander!" Onishi called out
"Yes Onishi?" Maizama replied
"Itsumi-san and Nishizumi Gero from Kuromorimine are here to pay us a visit before the match"
"Ohh! Itsumi-san! Welcome! And also to the heir of the Nishizumi Family! Glad to finally meet you! Maizama smiled
"You too..sorry I wasn't able to meet you guys during the Exhibition Games..a lot happened.."
"Yeah we heard about that..that was a really interesting thing to do! But I approve of it!" Maizama gave a thumbs up
"Ahaha approve of it huh? Which part?"
"Everything! The action! The drama! The suspense! Oh how I love movies!" Maizama's eyes turned into stars
"Uhmm..movies? I'm sorry I'm not sure I follow.."
"During the exhibition games you guys were trying to make a movie right? Everyone knows about it!" Onishi said
"Yeah! You had a collaboration with Red Wings and Pravda to make a movie about Senshado! You are known by everyone as the famous Senshado Movie Director!" Maizama cheered
"Ehh? Movie Director?" Gero was confused
(Erika was just secretly laughing behind Gero because it was very amusing to watch him get so confused)
"No use in hiding it! We all saw one of your crew members holding a camcorder on his hand used to film the movie! I heard it was to make the movie very immersive when riding a tank!" Maizama said
(After carefully thinking about the events that happened Gero recalled the camcorder that Hajime was holding to record the confession of Takayuki. Apparently somebody gave them the wrong impression of filming a movie)
"Ohh! That camera! That was actually- ow! ow! Ow!"
(Erika was suddenly pinching Gero on his back behind Onishi and Maizama to prevent him from telling the truth about the camera)
"Ahaha looks like you totally got discovered Bakatora!" Erika smiled
"Y-Yeah..I guess there's no use hiding it now.." Gero was in pain from the pinching
"It's a shame that you got banned because you didn't get permission from the Federation to film!" Onishi said
"They even had you delete the clips! I would've loved to see that film!" Maizama said
"Well I'm sure he can film again..and next time he'll get permission..right Bakatora?" Erika said
"Yup! So be sure to watch it if ever I do make one!"
"You got it!" Maizama said
"Well we better go now..let's have a fun match Maizama-san!" Erika bowed
"Likewise! Let's give it our all!" Maizama bowed as well
(Erika and Gero then left the garage of Rethymno and both Onishi and Maizama just gazed upon them)
"So commander..do you really believe all that about him making a film and getting banned for it?" Onishi asked
"Nope..but we all owe him the respect and praise he deserves for what he did..not only he protected his friends but also the rest of us.." Maizama smiled
(As Gero and Erika was on their way back to there tank garage Gero asked about the director thing)
"So..wanna tell me about that film making thing?"
"When you were banned during the exhibition games a rumor spread about you filming a movie of the Senshado games without permission from the Federation and getting banned for it as punishment.." Erika explained
"So that's why people weren't looking at me with malicious intent..I was actually waiting for those cold gazes but never got the feeling..instead I was being seen like a celebrity.."
"Yup! That's why I told you to now worry about it that much.."
"Why does this feel so uncomfortably convenient?"
"I wouldn't blame you for feeling that way..but no point in brooding over it since it's already here..right?"
"I guess..at least tell me who started the rumors.."
"Your ex-classmate..Yamato Kaede.."
(Gero stopped his walking and just ended up in deep thought as Erika answered his request)
"Maybe she does remember you.."
"No she doesn't..her eyes are still the same as the time she gave me a paper cut in the face..no light..no remorse.."
"Then why did she do that?"
"She has always been like that..always acting high and mighty..but behind that act is a kind heart..then she changed.."
(Erika saw that Gero was still in pain about his past. Even though he has experienced the same memory a hundred times he still hasn't found closure. Erika approached Gero and placed her hand on his face to to give him comfort)
"Hey..let's focus on the match right now ok? Then we'll think about it together later..deal?"
"Jawohl my Kommandant.."
(Both teams now gathered on each of their starting points. The battlefield was on a grassy field with long pockets of trees scattered everywhere with on big open field in the middle)
"Both Commanders and Vice Commanders! Forward!" Remi Takashima said
(Maizama Tsukiyo and Onishi Saki approached the middle and so did Erika and Koume)
"I'm Remi Takashima and I will be your judge in today's match! This match is between Kuromorimine University High School versus Rethymno Academy! Mode is Annihilation! The team with no more available tanks in their arsenal loses!
"Both teams ...Bow!"
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" both bowed and greeted
(5 seconds to the start of the match and the countdown has started in the audience)
5..!
4..!
3..!
2..!
1..!
"MATCH STAAAART!" shouted the announcer
(Both sides begun to move forward in their own formations)
Rethymno Tank Line Up: Unknown (15 Tanks)
Kuromorimine Tank Line Up: 1 Panzer IV, 1 Tiger I, 1 Jagdtiger, 1 Panzer III, 1 Sturmtiger, 4 Panther A's and 6 Secret Tanks (15 Tanks)
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs - Kuromorimine Match]
"The matches between powerhouses and the new schools have begun.." Chiyo smiled
"These matches will surely be interesting.." Shiho said
"Mind if I join you?" a voice called out to them
(Both Shiho and Chiyo saw that it was Mai who entered)
"Not at all.." Chiyo smiled
[Viewing Platform for Seven Seats - Kuromorimine/Rethymno Match]
(The members of the Seven Seats were watching the matches as observers and split up into teams of two per match. For the Kuromorimine match it was Maho and Anchovy that was watching)
"Want some pasta Maho-san?"
"Sure..thank you Anchovy-san.." Maho smiled
"No prob! Let's go Whitey!" Anchovy cheered
[Viewing Platform for Seven Seats - Saunders/Crows Nest Match]
(Kay and Asparagus were watching this match)
"GO GO ALISA! GO GO TAKA-KUN! GO GO NAOMI! BEAT THEM TO A PULP!" Kay cheered
"So they're up against the school that won the lottery during the second round matches huh..I wonder what kind of team they are.." Asparagus said
"I don't know..but Darling told us to be careful when fighting them.."
"Gero-san said that?"
"Yeah.."
"On what reason?"
"Darling doesn't know much but he said he has a very bad feeling about them.." Kay said with a serious tone
[Viewing Platform for Seven Seats - Pravda/Red Wings Match]
(Katyusha and Kaede were watching this match)
"Prepare yourself Yamato Kaede! For your school is about to be beaten to a pulp by my little brother!" Katyusha bragged
"Is that so Katyusha-san? I believe my little sister will beg to differ.." Kaede smiled
"Don't get so full of yourself just because she managed to beat Mihosha!"
"She defeated someone that you couldn't defeat, so I understand you're upset.." Kaede said
"You're right..I am upset..but I also am relieved because I know that there is somebody that neither you or your little sister can defeat..and that's Mihosha's older brother!" Katyusha smiled
(Kaede did not react to Katyusha's statement and just continued to watch the match)
[Viewing Platform for Seven Seats - Saint Gloriana/Shogun Boys Match]
(Darjeeling and Oowada were observing this match)
"Would you like some tea Oowada-san?" Darjeeling offered
"No thank you Darjeeling-san! I'm more of a coffee person!" Oowada smiled
[Kuromorimine Tank Formation]
"Listen up team! This will be your debut with your new toys! So let's show everyone a great match!"
"Jawohl!" Gero's team responded
"All tanks head for point delta! Bakatora's team will do the rest!" Erika radioed
"JAWOHL!" everyone responded
"Panzer Marsch!" Erika ordered
Coming Up Next : Chapter 59 - Iron Fangs
Author's Note:
Hey guys! How was this chill chapter of interactions? The next chapter is the battle!
I hope this chapter gave an good explanation why Miho lost to Yamato Shiori! If you still have questions let me know in the reviews!
You can look at it this way also:
Yamatos vs. Shimadas = Shimadas Wins
Shimadas vs. Nishizumis = Nishizumis Wins
Nishizumis vs. Yamatos = Yamatos Wins
There's a balance between the Three Great Families so that nobody is always dominant of the other two.
Also we will finally get to see the secret tanks of Gero's Team! I wonder what they are! Tune in to the next chapter!
Thank you for the wonderful support you all are amazing! As for the replies to your comments check the reviews section as always!
As always if you like what you see leave a Favorite, if you want to see a notification as I post a new chapter please Follow! If you have comments and suggestions leave a review for me to read! Thank you again and have a nice day!