Chapter 97 - Yin & Yang
[JNST Tank Garage - Aboard the JSS Hakugei]
(After crying their hearts out everyone started to calm down and took deep breaths. The girls got worried about Gero and his crew so they gave them warm tea to help them)
"Gero-kun..are you alright?" Darjeeling asked
"Darling..?" Kay was worried
"I'm fine now..thank you.."
"Are you sure?" Erika asked
"Yeah..I actually feel a lot better now..like a very big thorn has finally disappeared from my chest.."
"Same here..I'm thankful I got to hear Matsumoto-san's voice one last time.." Ono smiled
"I was so surprised when I heard his voice! I remembered the times he would scold you four!" Sheska said
"For a second I thought he was going to scold us actually.." Hajime joked
"Hajime-kun!" Leila cried
"Leila..it's ok you can stop crying now..I'm fine now..sorry to worry you.."
"I'm just so happy ..that you were finally able to let it all out..after a long time.."
"I know..I'm also happy..thank you Leila.."
"Chief Matsumoto is really amazing! He even said hi to Kin-kun!" Ken chuckled
"Ken-nii chan..who was that over the speakers?"
"That is a very important person to us! Especially to your aniki.."
"Aniki?" Kin asked
"That person was Chief Matsumoto! He took care of me when I was young and took care of me and my crew when we were doing Senshado in high school."
"He was the one that cared for our tanks also!" Erika smiled
"Then he was a very amazing person!" Kin smiled
"Yes he was! Now that I think about it, he's also the reason why I got to meet you, my little brother!"
"Really?! Then I must thank him for giving me a warm and big family! Where is he now?"
"Unfortunately he is no longer with us now. He is in a far better place watching over us."
"I see, but this tank is from him right? Then if we ride this tank it'll just be like he is always with us!"
"Oh! That's a great way of putting it Kin-kun! Very smart!" Kaede praised
"Well what are you waiting for?! Go on and check your brand new tank out!" Tsuneo said
"We will! Thanks otou-chan!"
(As everyone took turns in checking out their new tank Shiho asked Tsuneo about the tank)
"When did Chief Shin prepare that? Since he mentioned our son's crew then it means it's not long after he came back to Senshado.." Shiho asked
"A day after he died an email was sent to me automatically. Inside it was the recording we just heard and the location of where the tank was stored. He said to give it to Gero and his crew when the time comes."
"He wasn't going to allow death to keep him from supporting our son."
"That tank is a beast. He started working on it the moment Gero and his crew joined the Joint Tournament four years ago. Its specs are not of the ordinary WWII tiger tank."
"He wasn't called the world's best tank mechanic for nothing!" Shiho smiled
(Everyone gathered around the new White Tiger tank and was fascinated by the designs. Leopon team had the honor of inspecting the tank with permission from Gero. When they opened the engine compartment they were surprised once again)
"Oi oi oi! This is an upgraded version of the Tiger 1's original engine!" Tsuchiya said
"How much better is it?" Ken asked
"See these parts? These are to prevent it from overheating! Meaning you can go full speed and you won't have to worry about it blowing up!" Nakajima said
"How fast are we talking about here?" Hajime asked
"Fast! Very fast! Faster than our Leopon, that's for sure!" Hoshino praised
"Look at the tracks! They're an upgraded version as well! I'm not familiar with these so it must be an original made by Chief Matsumoto!" Suzuki said
"By the looks of the design it was made to handle both road and off-road terrain. Meaning you won't lose speed wherever you go!" Tsuchiya said
"The wheel suspension has also been upgraded! Now you won't have to worry about it clogging with mud!" Hoshino said
"Looks like the armor and gun are still the same." Ono said
"Now all that's left to check is the turn speed and maneuverability!" Tsuchiya said
"Well Ro-chan? Want to give your new tank its first test drive?" Mika asked
"Yeah..let's do it!"
(Gero and his crew then boarded their new tank with haste. Ken sat in the driver's seat, Hajime sat in the bow gunner seat, Ono at the loader seat, Kin in the gunner seat, and finally Gero on the commander's seat. They felt warm and confident being inside the tank that Chief Matsumoto gave them.)
"Wake her up Ken.."
"Aye aye!"
(The engine started revving up after Ken started her up. Steam came out of the exhaust pipes as if it was a living and breathing beast. Gero stood up and looked outside their tank's cupola while holding his Type 97 Anti Tank Rifle)
"Full speed!"
"Moving!"
(The White Tiger accelerated at full speed out of the tank garage and into the field in front of them. Everyone was shocked at how fast it moved and how fluid the motion was. They ran out of the garage as well and watched as the White Tiger played outside)
"GO DARLING!" Kay shouted
"HAVE FUN ONII-CHAN!" Miho shouted
"This is amazing! This is much faster than our previous tank!" Ken shouted
"Take it easy Ken, we don't want to crash our new tank already!" Hajime shouted
"Me? Crash? Impossible!"
(Their team watched in awe as Gero's tank gave them a good show of tank maneuvers and drifts)
"As expected of Ken-chan!" Mako smiled
"Their firepower, armor, and design is that of a WWII tank but their performance, speed and maneuvering capabilities is that of a main battle tank!" Alice reacted
"Look! The practice targets have appeared in the training field!" Miko pointed
"Let's see if the new gunner of the White Tiger can keep up with their speed.." Shiori said
"Don't underestimate Kin-kun, he might not look like it but he's a genius!" Erika said
(Back at the White Tiger that was heading straight for the practice targets Ono loaded an AP shell into the breach. Kin took a deep breath and aimed through his sights)
"Show them all what you are capable of doing my little brother!"
"Yes aniki!"
"FIRE!"
(The first ever shot of an 88mm shell from their new tank traveled across the field and hit their target straight on.)
"Not bad!" Kal said
"Kid is a natural born gunner huh?" Naomi smiled
(Ken now started doing drifts of different speeds around the targets and Kin kept on landing every shot without missing)
"Round up!" Ono shouted
"Firing!" Kin answered
(Another shot by Kin landing its target perfectly. The last seven targets appeared in front of their tank and they started to dash towards it again. Once again everyone was in awe that even with extreme high speed maneuvers and drifts Kin was still able to land hits on their targets)
"See what I mean?" Erika said
"What the hell is with Whitey and his crew?! It's the first time in three years since they've ridden a tank together and yet they are still this fast and coordinated!" Anchovy reacted
"Not to mention this is Kin-kun's first time riding a tank with them as well!" Maho said
"I'd say it's to be expected of Ro-chan.." Mika smiled
(The white tiger crew was now approaching the last seven targets on the field.)
"My little brother! May I have the honors of taking down the last targets?"
"Go for it aniki! They're all yours!" Kin smiled
"Thank you very much!"
(Gero then loaded the seven round magazine on top of the anti-tank rifle, cocked the bolt, and aimed down the iron sights. He took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. A large bang was heard and the 20mm was fired and hit the first target down the middle)
"Ken! Give me some crazy maneuvers!"
"It's not my fault if you fall off alright?!" Ken shouted
(Ken did even fast maneuvers circling and drifting around the last targets. Gero never fell off his balance and his aim was perfect. Shot after shot the last six targets fell prey to the White Tiger.)
"As usual his accuracy has improved.." Nonna said
"His form is always so elegant and beautiful..he's so handsome.." Darjeeling blushed
"How the hell can he wield that heavy ass anti tank rifle like it's a stick?!" Alisa reacted
"He doesn't always flail it around when shooting. He used the bipod on the rifle when he shot the third and fifth targets.." Erika said
"As expected of Erika-san to be very observant of the man he loves!" Nishi teased
"Of course! I have to keep a close eye on my future husband! Especially on the women that love him too!"
"Eh? Women?" Nishi was confused
"Right girls?"
(Erika then looked at Kaede, Darjeeling, Kay and Mika to tease them and it made their faces bright red from blushing. The White Tiger team now headed back to the tank garage to park their tank. Gero and his crew got down and stretched their bodies)
"Woooh! That was fun!" Ken shouted
"You said it! We've been itching to ride a tank for three years!" Ono said
"It was definitely worth the wait! Right Kin?" Hajime asked
"Yes Hajime-nii chan! The Tiger's 88mm is just as I had imagined! Powerful and precise! I can't wait to try it out during the war!" Kin smiled
"Don't worry little brother we'll have our chance soon! When the time comes we'll be doing a combination of our attacks alright?"
"You can count on it aniki!"
"Alright! Sorry to keep everyone waiting! Let's get to our vehicle training now shall we?"
"YES SIR!" everyone reacted
(Everyone returned to the training field and started to train with the vehicles they discussed earlier. They chose who will be the primary and secondary drivers for each vehicle in every platoon. After their vehicle training everyone was now hungry and it's time for lunch. They all headed to the field mess)
"Are you guys hungry?!"
"VERY HUNGRY!" everyone reacted
"Me too! To reward you all for your hard work in this morning's training, I have prepared you all a special lunch!"
"What is it?!" everyone asked
"Ta-dah! It's the ingredients to make delicious Onigiris!"
"YAAAAAAAAY!" everyone shouted
"We also have ingredients to make delicious Miso soup but for now let's make those rice balls!"
"YES SIR!" everyone responded
(They now started to make their own onigiris by themselves. The work was divided of course with a group preparing the rice balls while another prepares the Miso soup. They started with the salt and umeboshi onigiris which were the easiest to make)
"Ro-chaaan, can you help me? I seem to have forgotten how to mold an onigiri!" Mika devilishly said
"Geez Mi-chan, how can you forget something like that!?"
(Gero then approached Mika from her back then hugged her while holding two of her hands. He gently supported her to mold the onigiris into shape while he's giving her instructions)
"You do this, and then rub some salt on your palm, then slowly roll the rice into a ball shape.."
"I see..thank you Ro-chan.." Mika blushed
(Of course Mika said that because she wanted Gero to hug her like that and it worked. Darjeeling, Kay and Kaede realized what she was doing and did the same)
"Oh no! I seem to have forgotten as well. Can you assist me Gero-kun?" Darjeeling said
"Me too! I can't seem to get it in good shape!" Kay said
"Can you show me as well how it's done properly, Eiji-kun?" Kaede asked
"Geez..I guess I don't have a choice..I'll help you one at a time.."
(Gero then helped the girls one by one and gave them each a warm hug from behind which they all enjoyed. As they made their onigiris their faces were as red as tomatoes but were overflowing with joy. On the other side of the table Erika was just watching them and she had a big smile on her face.)
"Erika-senpai! The Miso soup should be done by now. Can you go and check for me?" Sakuraba asked
"Sure!"
(Erika then went to the back where the pots were to check on the Miso soup. After she had arrived by the station her hand was suddenly pulled and made her turn. She met a big hug from Gero and she was very surprised and started to blush)
"You thought I'd forget about you? My Kommandant?"
"Geez..bakatora.." she blushed more
(Gero then pushed Erika onto a wall and gave her a deep kiss while nobody was around. It was like they were in their own world at that moment. This is the only time that Erika would look vulnerable and that's when she's with Gero)
"You're much more sensitive than usual..did the thought of getting caught out here flip your switch?"
"Shut up bakatora! Come on, the others are waiting!" Erika said with a blush
"Yes my Kommandant!"
(After some time all of them managed to make the five kinds of onigiris. They also made miso soup which will go well with their lunch. They then made warm tea from fresh tea leaves for their beverage)
"Alright everyone! Let's eat! Onigiri with Miso Soup Meal Set is done! Both served with fresh tea!"
"ITADAKIMASU!" everyone said
(As everyone bit down the onigiri they made smiles appeared on their faces as they were satisfied with the taste)
"OISHI!" everyone reacted
"The miso is amazing!" Sango reacted
"The green tea is superb and goes well with the food!" Assam said
"Remember to eat only one onigiri! Do not worry if you haven't tried the other flavors because we will save the leftovers and have them again for dinner later!"
[D.O.M.E Training Field - Aboard the JSS Hakugei]
(An hour after lunch everyone gathered again for the afternoon training)
"Alright good afternoon everyone! Did you all get proper rest?"
"YES SIR!"
"Good! Because now we will burn all those calories that we consumed with hand-to-hand combat training!"
"According to the rules, our Tanks are not the only weapons we can use in the tournament! Our own bodies are capable of becoming weapons we can use against the enemy!" Ono said
"I know that you all have trained in this type of combat for three years so we won't have to tell you the basics! You may fight in the way that you find the most comfortable and the way you are most confident!"
"YES SIR!"
"Oh and another thing! This will be a direct order from now on! At any point in time during the tournament you are to respect your enemies whether may it be up close or a kilometer away! Our Senshado is not about war! Am I right?!"
"YES!"
"The people you are fighting are humans just like you! They would want to be treated the same way you would want them to treat you! When you fight, you fight with everything you have!"
"YES!"
"If I see you disrespecting or underestimating the enemy I'LL KICK YOUR ASS! If you're a woman then ERIKA WILL KICK YOUR ASS! IS THE UNDERSTOOD?!"
"SIR YES SIR!"
(The whole team started their training with their partners and practiced what Gero had told them. Everyone was doing great and better than he had expected. Gero and Erika were observing them from the sidelines)
"I can see the three years of training. I think I might've created a very scary army instead of a Senshado team.."
"I thought that was the whole point?" Erika asked
"Of course not! I wanted them to learn Senshado from the best and maybe be able to learn how to defend themselves."
"Oh please! The families that taught them for three years have ancestors of warriors, assassins, and hunters! And you expected them to learn only on how to defend themselves?"
"Ok fine! Maybe I was hoping a little bit that they'd get very strong! Happy now?"
"Just a little?" Erika teased
"Geez stop teasing me already! Come on, it's been a long time since we sparred together. Want to have a go?"
"It's just going to end like always, a draw."
"So what? It's still fun!"
"You're right about that.." Erika smiled
(Erika and gero then walked to the side and faced each other. They bowed in respect to one another and quickly went into their fighting posture. Everyone training suddenly stopped as they felt intense aura coming from Erika and Gero's direction)
"Oi oi are they going to spar?!" Takashi reacted
"This is going to be awesome to watch!" Naomi said
"I'm excited to see how strong Erika-san has gotten ever since he was trained by Gero-kun!" Klara said
"And after she received his blood." Assam said
(Everyone was excited to see how this hand-to-hand combat between the White Tiger and the White Wolf would happen)
"Looks like we have a big audience.."
"We better give them a great show then.." Erika smiled
"Yes my Kommandant.."
(The tiger and wolf then lunged at each other with a right hook with both of them catching each other's punch. The next move was a kick and again they both blocked it with their hands. As Erika and Gero exchanged punches and kicks their fight was both intense and beautiful. All of them that were watching noticed one big part of their fight and that was the similarity)
"Their moves..are the same.." Alice reacted
"From punch to kick, Erika is able to make an exact copy of onii-sama's move.." Maho said
"Eririn is amazing! Go Eririn!" Miho cheered
(Everyone started to cheer for both of them as they continued to spar. Some thought that their fight was both intense and beautiful at the same time)
"I've seen this before, it was when Gero-kun and Maho-san fought against each other in the Tank Siege during the Join Tournament.." Darjeeling said
"Like two tiger cubs playing with each other right?" Kay smiled
"Yes, but this time it's wolf and tiger and both of them have grown up."
"You know what comes to mind when I see those two?" Nonna said
"What?" Katyusha asked
"Yin & Yang.."
"Erika-san being Yin and Gero being Yang..I can see that.." Assam said
"Gero-san is always energetic, intelligent, and bright.." Pekoe said
"While Erika-san is calm, intuitive, and dark.." Koume said
"Gero is one of the nicest if not the nicest person I know but deep inside he can also be the darkest and scariest person I know.." Takashi said
"At first when you see Erika-san she's scary, hard to approach,.and a very frank person but she can be the sweetest, most understanding and most caring girl like any other.." Alisa smiled
"The bad in the good and the good in the bad huh?" Kal smiled
"Their relationship is life itself!" Nishi smiled
(After their long spar, Erika was getting heated up with all of the cheering and wanted to try if she could finally beat Gero and break their tie of zero.)
"Knives!" Erika shouted
(Gero and Erika then brought out real knives to their duel. She sped up her movement and unleashed powerful attacks onto Gero but he was able to parry all of her moves.)
"Are you going to keep on dodging?" Erika taunted
"Maybe..?"
(Gero then missed his right foot after dodging Erika's attack and she saw this as an opportunity and lunged a surprise stab towards Gero's chest but Gero was just pretending that he made a misstep. He tilted his body to the side dodging Erika's knife and used his own knife to hit the knife up in the air away from Erika's hands. Then he kicked Erika's left leg from behind making her lose balance and fall backwards but before she fell on her back Gero caught her and carried her like a princess. Gero then pointed his knife on Erika's neck showing that he has won)
"I guess this is a win for me?"
"Not so fast, tiger.." Erika smiled
(Gero then saw that Erika had caught her knife after Gero hit it up in the air and was now pointing it at his neck. She was able to catch the knife the moment Gero carried her like a princess and waited for the opportunity. Gero was surprised by this and did not expect it.)
"I told you it would end up in a tie again.."
"God! You are such an amazing woman.."
(They were about to kiss but loud cheers and applause interrupted them)
"WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO!" everyone shouted
"That was an amazing fight!"
"You two are so awesome!"
(Erika and Gero then gave everyone a bow as thanks for the cheers they received. The team's morale was boosted after their duel and gave their all in their training. They felt that as long as Erika and Gero were with them then they can overcome anything)
Coming Up Next : Chapter 98 - The Answer
Author's Note:
Hi everyone! In this chapter we have Gero and his crew trying out their new White Tiger! Kin also proved to everyone that his skills as a gunner were not to be underestimated!
The Yin and Yang concept dawned on me after Erika received Gero's Sacred Blood. I saw them both in that aspect based on their personalities. We also have a moment where the girls have their own sweet moments with Gero proving that he is fair to the five of them.