Chapter 80 - Crazy Landing
"Saint Gloriana Commander Tank has been taken out! Kuromorimine Wins!" Chouno announced
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
(Even Chiyo was surprised at the doctrine that Erika showed them)
"Amazing..I never expected that kind of doctrine.." Chiyo said
"I don't know if you'd call it a doctrine but it sure is effective.." Shiho said
"So this is White Wolf that can stand side by side with the White Tiger.."
"My son told me that the White Tiger is not the true star of Kuromorimine but it is the White Wolf.."
"But so far he's the one that's shining.."
"It was all part of his plan for people to look at him so that when the time comes..Itsumi Erika will shine a lot more brighter than him.."
"I see..and that time is now.."
"That's right..my poetic son said that women are like the sun..they have to shine the brightest or else men will wilt.." Shiho smiled
"Aww..that's so sweet.."
[Sanctuary - Dortmund, Germany]
(There's four days left before the finals and Gero was still in the Sanctuary helping out with the building of the structures. After a while he heard barking and howling noises by the edge of the fences)
"Doggies?" Kin asked
"Yeah..I'm going to take a look..it's dangerous if wild dogs got inside.."
"Be careful onii-san.."
"I will..thank you Kin.."
(Gero now made his way to the source of the noise. He brought his gun with the tranquilizer rounds just in case there was trouble. As he got close to the sounds he saw wild dogs barking at something)
"One..two..three..what are they barking at?"
(Then he heard sounds of a different animal along with the dogs. When he got a closer look it was a gray cat that was being chased by the dogs. It had a wounded left limb and yet it was still fighting the dogs as best as it could. The cat jumped on one of the dogs and scratched it with all his might)
"Hoo..look at her go.."
(After dealing damage it jumped on to the next one immediately and fought. Gero was amazed on how the cat fought even though it was outnumbered. Somehow it reminded him of the White Tiger. One of the dogs tackled the cat and it got knocked back very hard. Before the dog was able to deal the finishing blow to the cat Gero suddenly sent his killing intent towards the dogs)
"Nishizumi Style: Murderous Impulse.."
(The dogs felt the intense killing intent from Gero and they quickly changed their attention towards Gero. The moment they saw Gero fear grew larger within them as they saw Gero's golden yellow eyes staring at them. They immediately knew that a fierce predator was looking at them and they were clearly outmatched. They quickly turned tail and ran as fast as they could away from Gero)
"No fun..I thought they'd at least try to fight me.."
(Gero then walked closer to the wounded cat and as he got closer the cat was still in alert mode. The cat could feel Gero's strength and it was very cautious of him. Gero stretched his hand towards the cat to gain it's trust and at first it was trying to scratch his hand away)
"It's alright buddy..I won't hurt you.."
(Soon the cat approached him slowly and smelled his hand. Then the cat started to lick his hand showing Gero that it trusted him now and was thankful for helping him. Gero then carried the cat slowly and brought it back to the sanctuary)
"Ohh a cat!" Kin said
"How cute!" a girl said
"What happened to it?" a boy asked
"It was being attacked by doggies and it got hurt.."
"How cruel!"
"Did you save him onii-san?"
"Yes..but this one fought hard and never gave up!"
"Very cool cat!"
"I hope she gets better.." Kin said
"Don't worry we'll have Dr. Emma take a look at him..I'm sure she'll get better.."
(Gero then brought the cat to the doctor to get it treated. Gero's team was waiting for him outside the clinic)
"What's with the cat?" Kal asked
"Saved it outside the fences from wild dogs.."
"How nice of you..now the kids will have a pet.." Naomi said
"Oh no..that cat wasn't born to be a pet..that cat is a fighter..taking on three dogs alone while wounded..it was such a cool thing to see.."
"That's funny..that sounds a lot like the White Tiger crew.." Alisa said
"I know right? By the way Alisa..shouldn't you also be consulting Dr. Emma also?"
"For what?" Alisa was confused
"To check if it's a boy or a girl.."
(Hearing that made both Alisa and Takashi's face bright red. They remembered the night they spent together in a hotel and surely something happened between the two of them)
"W-W-What the heck are you saying?!" Alisa blushed
"T-T-That's right! We made sure to use protection so..!" Takashi said
"Ohh so something did happen.." Naomi teased
"Ah.."
"Geez..Ray you idiot!" Alisa blushed some more
(After teasing Ray and Alisa they got back to work in the Sanctuary. By nightfall they were able to put up the movie house for the kids. They tried it out and had the kids watch cartoons and all of them were happily watching. The whole movie house was filled with laughter and smiles from the kids. Gero watched from the sidelines when Dr. Emma approached him with the cat he saved)
"Sir Gero..she's all better now..treated and bandaged up the wound..it didn't get infected so all she needs is rest now..I also bathed her.." Dr. Emma said
"Thank you Dr. Emma..look at you all clean..the gray cat was actually a white one..what kind of markings are on your skin?"
"This breed of cat is called a Toyger Cat because the markings on it resembles a toy tiger.."
"What a coincidence.."
(The cat suddenly jumped onto Gero's arms and snuggled on him. It started to purr and rub her own scent on him)
"Looks like she has decided to be with you.." Dr. Emma said
"Are you sure you want to go with me? I have a bad habit of attracting trouble you know?"
"Nyaa~" the cat said
"I'll take that as a yes then.."
"You better think of a name for her.." Dr. Emma said
"Oh I already have the perfect name for you..from now on you'll be "Weiss" what do you think?"
"Nyaa~!"
"German for White..I think it's great.." Dr. Emma smiled
"Yoroshikune Weiss!"
"Nyaa~!"
(Weiss then moved up to Gero's shoulder and sat on it comfortably. She was still small enough to fit in Gero's shoulder without problem)
"I just hope you don't get airsick on our way home in a few days.."
"That's right you have a tournament to attend right?" Dr. Emma asked
"Yes..it's my last tournament so I can't afford to miss it.."
(Gero saw that Kin was approaching them)
"Onii-san.."
"Yes Kin? Is there something wrong?"
"Are you going away somewhere?"
"Yes..I'm going back to Japan soon..there are very important people waiting for us.."
"Can I come with you please?" Kin asked
"Eh? Why would you want to come with me? Are you not happy here?"
"No..it's not that..I'm very happy here..all of us are..but.."
"But..what?"
"I don't want to be away from you onii-san..I don't feel safe unless you are here.."
"Just like Weiss here..looks like Kin-kun has grown very fond of you.." Dr. Emma chuckled
"I'm sorry Kin but I have to leave and you can't come with me..you are in no condition to travel.."
(Kin's expression grew worse and he was about to cry. Kin was sixteen years old but since he was kept in such a bad environment he still had the mind of a young child. He grew up without anyone teaching him and he never experienced what it truly means to grow up.)
"Will you wait for me?"
"Wait for you?" Kin asked
"You see I'll be graduating soon and I was thinking of studying at a University here in Germany..that means I'll be seeing you a lot more in the near future.."
"Really?!" Kin smiled
"I'll come visit you all here everyday and we'll play always! Would you like that?"
"Yes I do!"
"Then if you'd like I'll teach you how to play my favorite sport..it's called Senshado!"
"S-Sen..sha..do?" Kin asked
"Yes that's right..this sport is really fun and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!"
"It's a deal onii-san! I want to play Senshado like you!" Kin smiled
"Deal..I'll have the movie house stream our match in Japan so you all can watch it..be sure to cheer for me alright?"
"I'll be the one to cheer the most for you onii-san so make sure to win!"
"Yes I will!"
(Gero gave Kin a warm hug to comfort him more. Dr. Emma was smiling at them and they looked like real brothers to her even though they are completely not related to each other)
[Kuromorimine School Carrier - One Day Before Finals]
"Anzio Commander Tank has been taken out! Kuromorimine is victorious!" Chouno announced
"Alright! We won all practice matches!" Tojo cheered
"We did it! We showed everyone what we could do even without the White Tiger!" Toshi said
"This is the strength of Kuromorimine!" Sakuraba shouted
"I wish Gero-san saw us this week.." Koume said
"I'm sure he knows..wherever he is.." Erika smiled
[Kuromorimine Tank Garage]
(It was just after lunch that their last practice match finished so after getting a bite to eat they all gathered in the tank garage for an ending announcement by Erika)
"I have no other words to say to all of you except for I'M VERY PROUD of all of you!" Erika shouted
"Thank you very much Kommandant!" everyone responded
"This week has been very hard and very tiring..but also very rewarding..our new doctrine is now ready for our match against Red Wings..we did all that we could and we are prepared more than ever!"
"Kommandant I have a question!" Alice said
"What is it?"
"Do we know what map we will fight on? I don't remember you ever telling us this.."
"That's because we also don't know.."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"The Federation never told us..they just said that the stage for the Finals will only be revealed to both schools on the day itself.." Koume said
"Then that means we have no way of strategizing properly without knowing how the terrain is!" Sango reacted
"But it's the same for Red Wings..it'll come down to who can adjust faster to the terrain..right Kommandant?" Mauko said
"That's right..even if we don't know what kind of field we'll be fighting in..I know that we can make the necessary adjustments to gain the advantage over our enemies..and I have complete faith and trust in everyone here! Let's show Red Wings how a true champion wins the finals!" Erika shouted
"JAWOHL!"
"All of you are dismissed now..I want everyone to be fully rested for tomorrow!"
(Suddenly they could hear a sound of a plane on top of their garage)
"What's that?" Rio asked
"A plane?" Hanako said
"Kommandant!" Toshi suddenly shouted
"What's wrong?"
"Look over there!"
(All of them ran out of the garage to look at the said plane and when it flew over their school carrier it suddenly paradropped some kind of container or package. They waited for the package to land on the ground and they secured it immediately)
"Are we expecting any deliveries today?" Erika asked
"Not that I know of.." Koume said
"Erika!" a voice called out to them
"Maho-san! Headmistress!"
"What's this Itsumi-kun?" Shiho asked
"We don't know..a plane just flew by and dropped this here.."
"Kommandant take a look at this!" Sakuraba said
(They all saw a sign attached to the container and it said "Congratulations". Erika didn't know what it meant but she still quickly ordered them to open the container. When it was opened they were surprised to see a lot of gifts wrapped in colorful packages and was named for each and everyone of them)
"Oh wow! Are these for us?!" Sango said
"It has our names so it must be!" Mauko said
"Gero-Taichou sent this I'm sure!" Tojo said
"Let's open them quickly!"
(When they got the gifts with their names on it they opened it one by one and they saw that Gero's gift to them were Wooden Toy Tanks that were carved by the best Wood Crafters in Germany)
"This is so cool! A wooden Lion tank!" Toshi said
"My Maus too! It's so cute!" Mauko shouted
"Look at the detail in this Panzer III! It's so authentic!" Sango said
"Look Alice-chan! Our Panther II still looks amazing even though it's wood!" Chinatsu said
"Yes it does! Thank you very much Nii-chan.." Alice smiled
"May it be wood or metal my Jagdtiger is such a badass tank!" Sakuraba shouted
"Our Pumas are way better!" Tojo said
"Hey there's two more gifts in here!" Toshi said
"Who are they for?" Sakuraba asked
"One is for Kommandant and the other is for the Headmistress!"
(They gave the gifts to Erika and Shiho and when they opened it Shiho got a wooden Tiger I which was her favorite tank while Erika got a wooden Sturmtiger. They all saw a smile on Shiho's face which was very rare for them since they only saw her as a strict person)
"That Bakatora.." Shiho smiled
"That's weird..the only one without a gift is Maho-senpai.." Hanako said
"Did you check properly if there was one more gift in there?" Rio said
"There's no more inside.." Tojo said
(Everyone saw that Maho got sad because she was the only one that didn't receive a gift from her brother)
"Don't worry Maho-san..I'm sure he has a gift for you..maybe it's in another container!" Sango said
"Sango's right! There's no way he'd forget to get you one!" Mauko said
"It's alright..I don't mind.." Maho said
(But in reality she really minded that she didn't get a gift. She thought that Gero was angry at her for what she did before he left for Germany. She was very scared at the thought of the possibility that she will not be forgiven for saying that she hated her onii-sama. Meanwhile Erika was fawning over her wooden Sturmtiger when she noticed a small paper was stuck inside the cupola of the tank. Erika slowly pulled it out and it was a letter addressed to her. At first she was very nervous to read what was inside but she gathered all her courage and opened the small letter. The contents weren't long and it was just one sentence but that sentence made Erika tear up. The letter said:)
"I'm on my way home..see you tomorrow my love.."
(Erika just sat on the ground as she cried while she hugged the small letter and placed it on her chest as she let out her emotions. That one sentence was enough to make her feel happy and relieved that her lover will now return to her. She didn't need to hear any kind of praise of compliment from anyone. All she wanted to know was if she'd get to see Gero again and she was granted that. Everyone got worried and rushed towards her and asked her what happened)
"Kommandant! Are you ok?" Alice asked
"Erika! What's wrong!?" Maho shouted
"Gero..Gero is.." Erika said
"What is it? What about my son?" Shiho asked
"He's coming home..my Bakatora is coming home.." Erika cried
"Nii-chan is!?"
"Yes..Alice-chan..he said he'll be here tomorrow.."
(Shiho and Maho were also happy to hear that Gero was coming back home. All their fears and worries disappeared instantly at the great news)
"I see..so you've finally reached the third stage..you've finally accepted who you are my son.." Shiho said in her thoughts
"Onii-sama..onii-sama..I'm so glad.." Maho cried
[64th National Senshado Tournament Finals Stadium]
(The time flew quickly and it was already the day of the finals. All schools went to watch the finals match between Red Wings and Kuromorimine. The audience reached up to hundreds of thousands of spectators from all over the country)
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the long awaited Finals of the 64th National Senshado Tournament!" the announcer said
"Today will be the day that a new Champion will be crowned! Two great schools will fight for the victory today! Let me introduce to you the people's favorite! Will they regain their victory after two years?! Everyone please give a big round of applause to none other than KUROMORIMINE UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL!"
(Loud cheers and roars echoed all over the stadium as the tanks of Kuromorimine entered the stadium. Erika was in the lead with her Panzer IV followed by the Iron Fangs)
"Will Kuromorimine take the finals!? Or will they be stopped by a new challenger?! Everyone let's give a big round of applause to RED WINGS ACADEMY!"
(Once again loud cheers and roars echoed all over the stadium as Red Wings entered the stadium. Shiori was in the lead with her Easy Eight "Fury" while she was followed by the M4 Jumbos which was being admired by the spectators)
"It is now time to announce the amazing battlefield where this match will partake! Behold and feast your eyes upon this magnificent terrain perfect for tanks to let loose!"
(The big screen showed everyone the battlefield where they would fight. All of them were amazed at the field but some of them were also surprised because they recognized it right away)
"Oi, oi is this some kind of joke?" one of the spectators said
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"I mean..this battlefield is where Kuromorimine.."
(The audience started whispering and gossiping about the battlefield choice of the Federation. The tankers of Red Wings were hearing all of the talks around the stadium and was confused)
"What's with all the noise?" Takayuki asked
"I don't know..is there something about the battlefield?" Shiori asked
(It was the same for the Kuromorimine tankers especially the new recruits)
"Why are they all talking about the field?" Tojo asked
"Is this some kind of memorable terrain?" Toshi asked
"Maybe the senpais know..Mauko-senpai?" Sakuraba said
(They all looked towards their senpais and they all had grim expressions while looking towards the screen. Because for them it really was a battlefield worth remembering not because it was a great memory but a nightmare)
"Why..why of all fields to choose from they chose this?!" Sango reacted
"Are they insulting us or something?!" Mauko shouted
"I see..I remember now why everyone is making a fuss about this battlefield.." Alice said
"Why Alice-chan?" Rio asked
"This was the battlefield used during the 62nd National Championships.."
"The 62nd? Wait! Isn't that match where.." Chinatsu reacted
"The match where Kuromorimine lost their nine year winning streak against Pravda.."
(Just as Alice explained the battlefield was a rocky terrain filled with small rocky mountains and hills. There are no trees in sight on the whole battlefield, only gray rocks. The cliff where the Panzer III fell was also there and it brought back unwanted memories to Kuromorimine especially Erika but she was not fazed at all)
"Bring it on..this is the perfect stage for all of us!" Erika shouted
"Erika-san?" Koume asked
"Hold your heads up high my comrades! Look at the battlefield for this will be forever engraved in your hearts and minds! At one point in time this place is where it all ended. Kuromorimine's winning streak, Nishizumi Miho's Senshado, Nishizumi Maho's reputation, and my dream.."
"But today will be a new beginning for all of us! We shall get back what we lost and we will achieve victory! This place shall no longer be known as the place where Kuromorimine fell but it shall now be remembered where Kuromorimine stood up once more and prevailed! Are you with me?!" Erika shouted
"JAWOHL KOMMANDANT!" everyone saluted
[Seven Seats of Senshado Viewing Platform]
"So this was the reason why they wanted to reveal it on the day itself..to deal psychological damage to Kuromorimine.." Darjeeling reacted
"That is such a dick move..who the hell decided that?" Kay shouted
"We don't know..they never informed us of this.." Asparagus said
"Damn them..the way they do things makes me lose my appetite.." Anchovy said
"This map is such an eyesore.." Katyusha said
"Even though it was the place where you stole the championship from Kuromorimine?" Kaede asked
"Is it really a win if you lost something in return?" Katyusha reacted
"A win is a win..no matter how it is achieved.."
"That's the reason why you and your school will never win against onii-sama and Erika..if winning is all that you see then you'll end up losing everything else.." Maho said
"Heh..we'll see.."
[Viewing Platform #1 for VIPs]
"I heard it was Yamato Himura that pushed this map through.." Chiyo said
"I am deeply sorry for what he has done..this is such an underhanded method.." Mai said
"It's not your fault..besides this won't affect Itsumi-kun and her team.." Shiho smiled
(After showing the map to everyone the team of both schools went towards their starting positions in preparation for the start of the match)
"Alright since the teams have been introduced and the map also we shall be taking a short intermission break to double check everything before the match! The finals will start in one hour! Any participants that will arrive after this one hour intermission will no longer be able to participate in the match so don't be late!" the announcer said
"HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!" everyone reacted
"WHAT THE HELL DO THEY MEAN THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE?!" Kay shouted
"WHAT'S UP WITH THESE NEW RULES?! THIS IS SO ABSURD!" Darjeeling shouted
"Why are you all so worked up about being late?" Kaede asked
"Because my Darling is still not here!" Kay said
"Darling..? You mean the White Tiger?"
"That's right! It's already bad enough that I haven't seen him in a long time now he only has one hour to get here!"
"If he doesn't make it then sucks to be him.." Kaede smiled
(Even though Kaede is smiling at the fact that Gero might be late, she still couldn't forget about what her mother said that Nishizumi Gero is Tsukasa Eiji. She was having mixed emotions of hoping it is him and hoping that it isn't him. The Kuromorimine team was also in chaos since they have one hour before Gero isn't able to join the match. They were looking at a big countdown timer on one of the big screens)
"What do we do Erika-san?" Koume asked
"Prepare the tanks and make sure all are ready to go..double check the supplies also..we have one hour.."
"Shouldn't we convince the management to stop the countdown?!" Sakuraba said
"You think they'd listen? All we can do is wait..don't worry that Bakatora has a knack of being late.." Erika smiled
[55 Minutes Left Before the Match - Onboard the Kawasaki C-2]
(Gero and his team were now on the way to the match via plane. They still don't know what was happening at the stadium and they were just changing their clothes back to their normal tanker uniforms. Ono was wearing his Kuromorimine tanker uniform while Gero just had his red velvet long sleeves since Erika had his tanker uniform)
"Hey guys.."
"Yeah?" Kal asked
"I wanted to thank you all again..for what you have done for me..thank you.."
"Don't sweat it..it was fun!" Takashi said
"We're comrades! It's only natural to help each other out!" Alisa said
"You're very welcome!" Assam smiled
"I just wanted to tell you that..whatever we experienced..all that we saw.."
"We know..it never happened..right?" Naomi said
"Not just that..the things we saw and did..is not something we can easily forget..no matter how strong you are..so if ever you have sleepless nights or nightmares..I want you all to find someone you trust..and open up to them what you experienced..because if you keep it to yourself it will eat you up and you'll lose yourself.."
"Don't worry..that won't happen.." Kal said
"Trust me it will if you don't say anything...you're not just my friends or comrades anymore..you all are my family now..and I don't want to lose anyone anymore.."
(Ono then walked towards Gero and placed hi hand on his shoulder)
"Alright brother..if ever I feel what you said..I'll say something to Sheska..she's the only one I can think of that would listen to me next to Ken and Hajime.."
"Thank you..Ono.."
(Everyone else said yes to what Gero asked of them and he was glad that they agreed)
"Thank you everyone.."
"Young master we have received a transmission from ANBU!" Lt. Sanada suddenly shouted
"What did they say?!"
"Apparently you and Ono only have 50 minutes to get to the tournament stadium before you are prohibited from participating.."
"Ha?! What's up with that?! Alisa reacted
"New rules from the Senshado Federation.." Sgt. Sakurai said
"They just keep on coming up with ridiculous ways to mess with you.." Takashi said
"Let them do what they want..we'll make it.."
"Yeah we might have a problem with that..." PFC Shun said
"Why?" Klara asked
"They also said that your tank is still onboard your school carrier..we have to get it before we proceed to the stadium.."
"Oi oi that's cutting it a little bit too close don't you think? It'll take way too long to land this plane, load the tank, then take off again.." Naomi said
"I have an idea!"
"Is it a crazy one?" Takashi asked
"Very!"
"Well it wouldn't be right if your idea's weren't crazy! Let's hear it!" Kal smiled
[10 Minutes Left Before the Match - Kuromorimine School Carrier]
(Ken and Hajime were waiting by their brand new White Tiger that was fixed up and improved by Leopon team when they suddenly got a call from Gero via radio)
"Yo Ken! Hajime! Can you hear me?"
"Matsu-kun!"
"Taichou! Where are you?"
"Approaching the carrier..I have no time to explain! I need you both to get in the tank and drive by the training field!"
"Alright but tell me what we're going to do there?" Hajime asked
"We're going to pick you guys up!"
"Ha?!" Ken and Hajime reacted
(Without a second thought Ken stepped on the gas and drove their white tiger towards the training field. It was big and flat enough for a plane to land and take off from. When they arrived they saw the Kawasaki C-2 plane behind them and was now about to land)
"Can you see us?!"
"Yes we can! Are you sure you can land that thing here?!" Ken asked
"We're not really gonna land! We're going to have the landing gear touch the ground for a couple of seconds then you drive our tank by the cargo bay then we'll fly back up again!
"That's fucking crazy! The plane could crash!" Hajime said
"It'll work trust me! Since when did one of my crazy ideas never work?!"
"Don't jinx it!" Ken shouted
(The plane then did what Gero explained and it flew low enough and the landing gears touched the ground)
"Go Ken! NOW!"
"Here goes nothing!" Ken shouted
(Ken then went full speed with their white tiger and climbed the cargo bay ramp of the plane. As soon as he entered the plane felt the ramp closed immediately and they were preparing to take off again)
"Holy shit your tank is heavy!" the pilot shouted
"Learn to go on a diet White Tiger Team!" PFC Nana shouted
"It's a heavy tank, what did you expect!" Ono shouted
"COME ON! TAKE US IN THE AIR! MAX POWER!"
"Maximum output!" the pilot shouted
(After a few seconds of having a hard time and forcing it to take off the plane was finally able to lift itself up in the air and they were now headed for the finals stadium. Everyone on board was so nervous that the plane was going to fall apart)
"Woo! All according to plan!"
"Only you and your crew are able to pull off that kind of stunt.." Naomi said
"We aren't known as the craziest crew for nothing!" Ken shouted
(Gero and Ono then got reunited with Ken and Hajime after a long time. The four of them huddled up and enjoyed each other's company once again)
"Welcome back Ono..Taichou.." Hajime said
"Great to be back..you ready to win the finals?"
"You bet your ass we are!" Ken said
"So this is our brand new White Tiger?" Ono asked
"Yeah..pretty cool huh?"
(They all gazed upon their tank and they saw a few changes here and there. Brand new paint job and reinforced tank tracks. There was also new headlights in front of the tank but it was still the same old Tiger I)
"It may not look much on the outside but the inside is where the fun is.." Ken smiled
"Inside?"
"Take a look at the engine.." Hajime said
(When they opened the engine compartment both Ono and Gero were surprised. The engine was brand new and it was very familiar to them)
"This engine is.."
"It's the Leopon Team's motor and engine.." Ken said
"Why is it in our tank?" Ono asked
"Our old engine was badly damaged from the semi finals and they thought of using theirs as a substitute since it was compatible.." Ken said
"I see..I guess we owe them for all of their help.."
"Wait is this approved by the Federation?" Ono asked
"If it's not in the rule book then it's allowed right?" Hajime smiled
"Nice! We'll definitely return this after the match!"
"Are you the rest of my son's crew?" a voice called out to them
(Both Hajime and Ken looked and saw Tsuneo came to greet them)
"This is my dad.."
"Hi there! Nishizumi Tsuneo here! Nice to meet you Ken-kun and Hajime-kun! I've heard a lot about you from my son! Thank you for being his best buddies!" Tsuneo smiled
"Likewise..it's very nice to meet you also!" Hajime shook his hand
"We've been actually wondering when we will be able to meet you too..didn't think it would be now and in this way.." Ken chuckled
"Well..things happened and this is my son's last tournament so I had to watch it..and I've been away from home for a long time now so a little bit of vacation isn't so bad.." Tsuneo said
"Just admit you missed okaa-chan.."
"That too..and your sisters!"
"She'll be happy to see you don't worry..Maho and Miho-chan also.."
"Maho? What's wrong Taichou? Did something happen with Maho-san?" Hajime asked
"We had a little argument before I left..I think I scared her to the point of hating me.."
"Just talk to her Matsu-kun..I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding and she was just worried about you.." Ken said
"Thanks Ken.."
"Nyaa~!"
(All of a sudden Weiss jumped on Gero's shoulder again and surprised Ken and Hajime)
"Ohh sorry! Guys please meet our newest member of the White Tiger crew..Weiss!"
"Nyaa~!"
"Well nice to meet you Weiss! Welcome to the crew!" Ken smiled
"Yoroshiku Weiss!" Hajime said
"Nyaa~!"
(Now that the White Tiger team has been reunited they are now headed for the stadium with less than five minutes left before they are declared non-participants due to the time limit. Ami Chouno and the other judges now gathered in the middle of the battlefield together with the Seven Seats of Senshado. Renta Tsuji, Shichiro Kodama, and Yamato Himura was also present to make the official announcement for the Finals)
"Both school commanders and their team forward!" Ami Chouno shouted
(All tankers from both Kuromorimine and Red Wings approached the middle of the field for the pre-match greetings)
"This is a 30-Tank Match between Kuromorimine High School University and Red Wings Academy! It will be a Commander and Flag Tank Battle! You are not allowed to destroy the Commander Tank of your opponent unless you take out first the enemy Flag Tank! The team that white flags their enemy team's Commander Tank will be the winner!" Ami Chouno announced
(Ami Chouno looked at the timer at the big screen and there was a minute left before Gero and his team would automatically forfeit the match. She too was pissed off with this sudden rule and tried to convince them to stop it)
"Kodama-sama..please reconsider stopping the timer..this rule is ridiculous.." Chouno said
"I'm afraid we can't Chouno-kun..regardless of how ridiculous it was it is still part of the rules.." Kodama said
"But sir!"
"That's enough Chouno-san..I will not tolerate any further comments about the rules of the Senshado Federation..the rules cannot be removed..the moment the timer on that big screen reaches zero all participants not present in this battlefield will be declared as non-participants!" Yamato Himura threatened
"Tsk..understood.." Chouno got even more pissed
(The timer only had ten seconds remaining and all hope seemed lost. A countdown had started inside the audience and they couldn't do anything about it. Erika had faith that Gero would come but the counting was scaring her)
"10..!"
"09..!"
"Please..stop counting.." Erika said in her mind
"08..!"
"07..!"
"06..!"
"Nii-chan..!" Alice said in her thoughts
"05..!"
"04..!"
"03..!"
"02..!"
"Gero..!" Erika prayed
*BANG *BOOM
(All the counting was stopped suddenly by the sound of an explosion. Everyone in the audience looked to see the big screen with the countdown timer and saw that it exploded. It was shot by something and the screen was completely shattered)
"W-What happened?!" Yamato Himura got freaked out
"Are we being attacked again?!" Chouno said
"No..take a look! The shot came from behind the Red Wings side!" Tsuji Renta said
(They all saw a Red Wings Jumbo tank with it's gun barrel smoking. They all confirmed that it was that tank that took the shot)
"What is the meaning of this Shiori?!" Himura shouted
"I-I don't know..find out who the hell is in that tank!" Shiori shouted
(When they ordered the one responsible for the shot to go out of the tank they all were surprised that the culprit was Takayuki Kojo the Captain of Red Wing's Boys Team)
"Takayuki-san..?" Shiori was surprised
"Explain yourself!" Himura shouted
"Sorry commander..we were cleaning the tank and it accidentally shot..we are deeply sorry for the damage we caused.." Takayuki said
"Excuses! You deliberately shot at the screen!" Himura shouted
"Calm down Himura-san..you don't have any right to accuse them for something without any proof..right Kodama-san?" Tsuji Renta smiled
"That's right! It was an accident so it's alright!" Kodama smiled
"Ha?! They destroyed a property of the-"
(Himura's rant was halted when Chouno suddenly got a transmission from their security room. All of them waited for Chouno to inform them of what happened)
"Chouno-kun?" Kodama asked
"We received a report of a low flying aircraft inbound to this location.." Chouno said
"Over there!" Kay shouted
(They all looked towards the east side of the stadium and they saw a Kawasaki C-2 flying straight at them at a low altitude. It had no intention of stopping and it already entered the stadium's airspace)
"Ahaha! He's as crazy as always!" Chouno smiled
"He?! Who's he?!" Himura shouted
"Everybody clear the area! Move move move!" Chouno shouted
(Everyone in the area then rushed away from where the plane was going to fly over because they'll be blown away by its powerful engines)
"Are you guys ready?!" Lt. Sanada shouted
"Bow gunner Hajime Taiyou, check!" Hajime said
"Loader Nakamura Ono, check!" Ono shouted
"Driver Tsugomoto Ken, check!" Ken said
"Gunner and Commander Nishizumi Gero, check!"
(The green light went on inside the plane)
"Go go go!"
"White Tiger Crew entering the battlefield!"
(The white tiger accelerated right away in reverse and launched from the cargo bay doors and landed perfectly on the ground because of Ken's magnificent control over their tank. Their Kawasaki C-2 took off again right after dropping them and was ordered to circle back around so that Gero's team could parachute in. Their rough landing spread dust all over the field in between the Red Wings and Kuromorimine lines. All the tankers still didn't notice what really had happened and they were still looking at the plane that just recently passed over them)
"W-What happened?" Koume asked
"I don't know..maybe the plane was about to crash but didn't?" Mauko said
"Uwah..that was scary.." Sango said
"Is everyone alright?!" Erika shouted
"Jawohl!"
"Iron Fangs do a headcount and double check if everyone is unhurt!"
"Yes Kommandant!" Alice said
(After giving the order that's when Erika felt it. It wasn't a bad or unpleasant feeling or any of that sort. She looked at the direction of the field where it was still covered with a dust cloud. She was a hundred percent certain that she felt Gero's presence. She wasn't crazy or dreaming; she literally felt the change in the field when Gero's aura was mixed in it. It was the presence of none other than the man she loved and longed to see for a very long time. She couldn't contain her excitement and she started to dash towards where Gero was)
"Kommandant!" Sakuraba shouted
"What's wrong?!" Tojo asked
"Let's follow her!" Toshi shouted
(Erika ran as fast as she could while her team followed her. She looked straight ahead and never looked back until she reached the middle of the field. Her heart was beating fast and she could hear it clearly. She slowly walked towards were she felt Gero's aura and waited as the dust cloud settled)
"I knew you would be the first one to know I was here.."
(Suddenly hearing Gero's voice made Erika's heart skip a beat and tears started to fall from her eyes due to happiness. As the dust cloud started to fade she saw Gero standing on top of the White Tiger, wearing red velvet tanker uniform long sleeves, his hands inside his pockets, the wind blowing through his clothes and his hair. Seeing all that made Erika think how cool looking Gero was but the one thing that caught her eyes the most was the big smile on Gero's face. It wasn't fake or forced but a real and genuine smile from his heart. His eyes had light restored in them and it was glistening with beauty as they looked at each other eye to eye)
"Okaeri..my Bakatora.." Erika smiled with a blush
"Tadaima..my love.."
Coming Up Next : Chapter 81 - Champion's Roar
Author's Note:
Hi guys! This chapter is just ugh! We have a new member Weiss the cat! Could Gero and Erika's reunion be any better than that? Let me know!
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